Chapter Text
A floating airship revealed itself above the clouds, its engines humming a gentle tune. Valt Aoi pressed his nose against the cold glass separating him and the view of Requiem Academy.
It was nothing like the dusty textbooks or faded recruitment posters back home.
Stretched towers twisted at impossible angles and even more incredible heights. A bridge made out of stone and moss arched itself between two ginormous spires. Gardens glowed warmly trimmed by hovering shears that hummed sweet lullabies, as fairies and whisps flew around playfully.
"Woah." Valts breath hitched, taken by the absolute wonder down below. His hazel eyes widened at the sight.
The ship staggered to a stop, landing at a platform etched with a glowing sigil. As the doors opened, Valt grabbed his beat-up bag and suitcases from the overhead bin and stepped into the enchanting world of Requiem Academy.
"All First Year Fiends to the Grand Auditorium, and please don't stand on the edge of the fountain. The water will drag you in. Trust me we already had to pull several students out." An upperclassman yelled using a microphone spell to project his voice while herding other first-years.
Valt barely even had time to breathe before a trunk hurled towards him, socks bursting out like ribbons.
A gust of wind firmly moved him out of the trunk's path.
"Watch where you stand," The white-haired boy with sharp crimson eyes said coldly, walking past him. "Or duck faster next time".
"Oh, uh... thanks," Valt stuttered, as he dusted himself off.
"Hey I didn't catch your name" Valt yelled.
The boy was gone.
"What a ray of sunshine". Valt mumbled, trying not to feel too awkward about making an enemy within the first five minutes of arriving here.
"Oh boy you're awkward." A voice said to his right.
Valt jumped startled. "Did that fountain just talk?!"
—-
The Grand Auditorium was filled with energy, a vast hall with stained glass representing each of the five major guilds. First-year students sat in the stands vibrantly talking to each other. While tired upperclassmen tried to curb the chaos.
Nothing about Requiem Academy was ordinary.
Valt found himself squished with dozens of his peers all wide-eyed, excited, and anxious about what was to come. Scrolls flew over their heads as upperclassmen caught them and went to do roll calls on their respective rows.
An upperclassman in a yellow uniform came up to their row.
"Roll call." She yelled, "To make sure none of you bastards got lost and to hand out name tags."
"Akabane".
"Here".
"Aoi"
"Here!" Valt yelled, waving his hand, a small round name tag appeared in front of him.
"Bogard"
"Present"
"De La Hoya"
It was silent.
"De La Hoya."
Still no comment.
"Free?"
The sound of light snoring could be heard. Everyone moved away revealing a boy with messy blond hair with a red streak running through it.
Someone tapped him awake.
The blondy yawned scratching his hair, stretching awake as his dark grey eyes met the upperclassmen.
"Morning," he said, scratching his hair.
"It's afternoon." The upperclassman said unamused. "Are you Free De La Hoya".
"The one and only." The boy yawned, he looked like someone who would rather sleep than engage with any of the chaos the school had to offer but was also curious enough to watch. "Can I go back to sleep now?"
Everyone around him deadpanned and whispered.
The upperclassman mumbled some cuss words and that, "all this for some measly extra credit" before continuing with roll call.
–
"Here you go". A friendly upperclassman said, handing Valt a scroll. "Your dorm room is Chromacrest Hall suite 683 room A, your stuff should be in there when you arrive after the Welcome Day Ceremony."
Valt nodded "Thank you so much".
As he walked away he bumped into someone. "Damn it". Valt mentally cursed. "Please don't be an asshole, please don't be an asshole, Please don't be an-".
"Watch where you're going, Wisp-brain." An angry voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
A pale boy with long fiery hair sharp violet eyes and even sharper teeth. He had a look of menace and anger when he looked at Valt.
"Lui shirosagi," A nearby student said in awe. "Four time junior spell duel finalist and he hexed two professors' hair off."
"Sorry," Valt tried to apologize.
"Great another starry eyed mouth-breather with "please hex me" eyes." Lui sneered
"I am not a starry eyed mouth breather." Valt protests angrily.
"Sure and my eyes aren't purple". Lui taunted.
Valt clenched his jaw, his face heating up a bit. He could feel it again, his emotions bubbling up to the surface. Embarrassment, anxiety, frustration, nerves-
A soft plop echoed through the room.
A goopy hex jelly sandwich had landed squarely on Lui's head.
"Someone's gonna die today." Lui mumbled before he shrieked "Who threw that?!
Valt blinked.
"I swear- was it you". The boy hissed at a group of giggling students nearby.
Valt used this moment of chaos to sneak away, grateful and very bewildered.
—-
The chaos eventually subsided and the students were herded into the Hall of Sigils. A vast chamber where five glowing symbols hovered in the air, each one representing the five big types of magic.
One by one, each Sigil bursts of light and magic through the air.
The Arcane Guild's sigil glowed a deep red, showing patterns of runes. A projection of robed figures appeared as they chanted, golden threads stitched together glyphs in the air. "Mastery through structure, Power through precision." The voice incanted before dispersing.
Then a burst of vibrant purple flames erupted and the Evocation Guild sigil appeared, followed by crackling and bursts of magic. A phoenix with flames hurled upwards. "Harness the storm. Wield destruction with grace."
The Elemental Guild's sigil appeared next, constructing itself out of vines and flowers as fire and water danced through the crevices. Its signature green glows are still there. "Attune to the world. Become one with the elements."
Then a potion bottle appeared pouring out a yellow liquid that would soon shape the Alchemy Guild's sigil. A projection of a student drinking something and floating upside down giggling joyously. "Transform. Create. Understand the un-understandable".
And finally, a bright blue portal with the Conjuration Guild's sigil appeared. Portals flickering open and closed, glances of strange creatures flickering in and out of existence. One student conjured a table of snacks out of thin air. "Bring Forth the unseen. Make the impossible... Inevitable."'
Valt was astounded, his heart beating fast. How was he supposed to choose just one? They were all so beautiful to him.
And as if the presentation could get any better a cloak flew into the room appearing empty. It flew around the room before settling in the center.
From thin air, a figure stepped out of the cloak before adjusting it to his shoulders.
His presence shifted the atmosphere, it was silent.
Theodore Glass, the headmaster of Requiem Academy, is a man both commanding and enigmatic. His dark robe shimmered faintly with golden hieroglyphics. He smiled like he knew every person in the room.
"Welcome to requiem academy". He spoke, his voice captivating the audience without effort. "You have come from every nook and cranny of the realm, each of you burning with a unique spark. Here, you will learn to wield it or be consumed by it. Requiem is not just a school. It's a mirror, it will show you your power."
He used a spell to reveal the sigils of the five guilds.
"By week's end you'll face the guild trials, the first true test in your path. May strength lead you to prosper".
And just like that he vanished.
The hall broke out in acclimation. Students hang on to every word.
—
Later, Valt had found himself at his dorm, Chromacrest Hall; it had taken him several attempts to find it but this would be his new home.
"Suite 683-"
He fumbled for his keys and opened the door. The door creaked open. Inside was Free. He was chilling on the couch with his hexpods on.
"Oh the sleepy guy from early, that's not too bad." Valt smiled
"Hello," Valt said, setting his things down. "Cool, those were roomies, am I right. Totally digging that hair streak."
"Thanks, I did it with a dragon scale."
"You're lying."
"I totally am."
Then the door opened again. It was the light blue flame-haired boy, Lui.
"You have got to be kidding me." Lui yelled.
Free gave a lazy sarcastic reply. "Hey, just because I said I can sleep through loud noises on the housing application doesn't mean I'd like to."
As if it couldn't get any more chaotic. The door opened again. It was the white-haired boy from earlier.
"Hey! it's you, I didn't catch your name earlier. Crazy were roommates huh, small campus." Valt said his typical friendly self.
"Shu," The white-haired boy said before brushing past them and taking his assigned room. A loud click was heard a millisecond later.
"Perfect, I'm stuck with a narcoleptic, an idiot, and an emo ice prince." Lui said his voice laced with sarcasm.
"Hey I'm not-."
"I didn't ask," Lui said before going to his room.
He turned to Free who had also disappeared.
He sighed, the weight of the day catching up to him. "Ok cool. That could have gone worse."
—
Valt sat on his bed, chest tight from the tension in the air. No one offered conversation.
"That was an ok first day. It gets better."
That night Valt's slumbers were not all that comforting.
His mind swirled.
"What if I don't find a guild? What guild do I choose? What if I mess up the Trials? What if I'm just... not cut out for this place? "
His mind swirled, each thought more negative than the last.
Then a warm faint gentle voice made a spoke.
"You don't have to choose Valt."
Valt shot up his heart pounding.
"Who-?!"
Silence.
His roommates were still in their rooms, the only noises were the rustling trees. But the word stayed on his heart like a pen to paper.
—
"Welcome to Requiem Academy, it's gonna be a long year."
// Authors Note.
Here is the first chapter I really likes writing this I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. As always comments are appreciated and
Stay quirky.