The entire school, it seemed, had gathered at the coliseum for the orientation. Professor Vereign had guided their class to what Liliana assumed was their assigned seats. She noted it was the same section Acacia had sat them in when she did their tour. Instead of separating the students by year, they were divided by class rank. First years were seated at the front of their respective class sections, then second years behind them, then third and finally fourth. Liliana assumed the upper years were placed at the back of their section because they had already gone through three years of orientation.

Looking around, Liliana sighed in relief when she noticed several upperclassmen with bonds accompanying them. She spotted a class S third year with a Night Owl on her shoulder, a fourth-year class A boy with a Horned Serpent draping over him like a very large, very lethal scarf. Further on she saw a second year class D boy with a Grim laying at his feet. Another third year, a class B girl, has a Kamaitachi lying in her lap. Liliana was certain there were other tamers in the student body, but she couldn’t see them all, and some probably had bonds that wouldn’t fit. Liliana stroked the summoning stone that held Polaris and the Kitsune materialized, stretching and yawning, before he settled down next to Liliana.

“Hello Polaris,” Emyr greeted politely, reaching out to scratch the Kitsune behind his ear. Marianne cooed quietly on Liliana’s other side.

Liliana looked around and saw Professor Vereign looking at her. When she met his eyes, he gave a small nod before he returned to scanning his class with a watchful gaze, as if just waiting for one of them to make a spectacle of themselves. Sighing in relief that she hadn’t somehow missed an obscure rule banning first years from having bonds out during the orientation, Liliana relaxed.

“So many younglings,” Polaris remarked as he looked around with clear curiosity.

Liliana placed a hand on his back, just above where his wings were, and her fingers twisted into his silky fur. Partially for comfort and also to keep Polaris from causing mischief.

“Some of these ‘younglings’ are older than you,” Liliana reminded the Kitsune beside her. Polaris snorted derisively, as if such a notion was absurd.

“In years perhaps, in knowledge, wisdom, cunning and experience, I believe I have many of them beat. Besides, beasts mature much faster than you two-legged children. We don’t take so many years to be able to protect ourselves.” Polaris declared, and Liliana didn’t disagree with him. He wasn’t exactly wrong there.

“These are your skulk?” Polaris asked, as he seemed to focus on the students nearest to them. Several of whom were now openly staring at Polaris, and, by extension, Liliana.

This was another reason Liliana had been alright with Polaris accompanying her. He was her strongest bond by far, and this was a clear power play. She already knew no one in their class exceeded Rank 6, therefore, Polaris would be a foe none of them could stand against. And by that same token, Liliana would be someone they couldn’t stand against. Best they realize that today, before they try something idiotic, and she had to enlighten them in more direct ways.

“Classmates, Polaris, classmates. I don’t consider any but Ali, Em and Mari close enough to call them a skulk.” Liliana gently corrected her bond, who had also detected the eyes settling on him. He enjoyed the attention and sat straighter, yawning again to show off his deadly sharp fangs.

“Prey then?” Polaris asked, a touch of amusement tingeing his voice. Liliana snorted and shook her head with a wry smile.

“Not yet, not unless they give us a reason to hunt them.” Liliana told him, and Polaris responded with an overly dramatic, disappointed sigh through their bond. In another display of dramaticism, Polaris flopped down, resting his head heavily on Liliana’s lap.

“He’s beautiful,” a voice said in a wistful sigh behind them, and Liliana jolted a little, shifting to catch sight of who had spoken.

She took in Anya Chadbourne, the girl who had sat in front of Emyr in the classroom. Her short, wild gray hair matched her fluffy gray wolf's ears, that were pointed up and forward. Her yellow eyes, predator eyes, Liliana noted, were fixed on Polaris, and Liliana spotted a fluffy gray tail wagging behind her. The girl looked to be around Marianne’s size, but Liliana could see Anya was more athletically built than her friend.

“Don’t stroke his ego, he doesn’t need it.” Liliana said with a sigh, but she smiled kindly at the girl to lessen any sting in her words. Polaris turned his head, from where it had been nearly pointing at the sky in pride at the compliment, to nip at Liliana.

“You know it’s true, you cocky little thing,” Liliana chided gently.

“I’m not familiar with Kitsune’s, though I’ve seen plenty of foxes. I was told they were beings of remarkable beauty, but I didn’t realize until I’d seen one,” Anya told her easily and Liliana watched the girl’s hand twitch, as if she was restraining herself from reaching out to pet Polaris.

Definitely not a noble of Cista, she would’ve avoided talking to me yet if she was. Many are testing the waters, waiting to see how well I do before they communicate with their parents and are informed if they can reach out to me or not. So either a noble from Athana or from a rich common family. Liliana mentally noted. That was good. It meant she could easily befriend the girl if she proved amicable. If the girl wasn’t a foreign noble, it wouldn’t cause any issues with Liliana’s status, and could in fact prove an easier time than navigating the landmine filled war zone that was any noble interaction.

“I have it on good authority that all foxes are Kitsunes, they just haven’t gotten their second tail yet. But I’d say they're full of more chaos and mischief than beauty.” Liliana informed the girl, whose eyes finally moved from Polaris to fix on Liliana with the new information.

“Oh! I didn’t know that! Do you have an interest in beasts?” Anya asked, and Liliana’s smile widened into something far more genuine.

“Oh, no.” Emyr murmured while Marianne dropped her head into her hands.

“Please, don’t get her started!” Marianne wailed quietly, voice muffled by her hands.

“I have a passion for beasts, you could say.” Liliana admitted with a small glare towards her friends.

Alistair snorted and Emyr chuckled lowly at her downplay of what he had dubbed a ‘rabid obsession’ on more than one occasion. To be fair to him, her interest in magical beasts and seeing them in their natural environments had put the three of them in more than one dangerous situation. To be fair to her, it wasn’t everyday you could see magical beasts out in the wild! Well, you could, but some were rare, or uncommon!

“Ignore them. They’re all prone to fits of histrionics.” Liliana said primly.

“Diomedes.” Emyr hissed at her and Liliana whipped her head around to glare at her friend.

“You can’t keep blaming me for the Diomedes Mares, Em! I’m not the one who broke the branch and alerted them to our presence!” Liliana replied hotly.

“They were carnivorous horses, Lili! They eat people!” Emyr reminded her.

“Well, did we die?” Liliana asked with a huff.

“I saw my life flash before my eyes. Does that count?” Alistair asked, and Liliana fixed her brother with a withering glare. He’d been the one to break the branch!

“Oh look. It’s happening again. So many memories flashing before my eyes, this is the end.” Alistair said in a deadpan tone. A quiet giggle brought Liliana’s attention back to Anya, who had been watching the bickering with growing amusement.

“Oh, you four are interesting!” Anya declared with a wolfish grin that showed off far more canines than any human Liliana had met had. Predator indeed.

“Please don’t include me in that. These three are nothing but balls of violent chaos. I’m at least a proper lady,” Marianne said with a soft whine.

Liliana fixed her friend with a raised eyebrow. They all knew the only reason Marianne hadn’t been causing chaos with them was because her mother hadn’t permitted Marianne out of the castle without at least four knights and thirty guards. No one could have fun or cause trouble with that many babysitters!

“Who said chaos was a bad thing?” Anya asked with a grin, and Liliana found herself grinning back. Oh yes, she could very much find herself enjoying this girl’s friendship.

“Lili.” Emyr’s voice, soft with a warning, brought her attention back to the sands below them.

A hush was settling over the students, who had all been talking quietly among their classes, starting with the fourth years and ending with the first years. A cloud of anticipation seemed to hover over the students, building higher and higher until a sudden conflagration in the center of the sands broke it.

Liliana leaned back instinctively from the fire that reached taller than the coliseum, but she soon found herself and the other first years around her, leaning forward as if mesmerized. The colors of the fire were beautiful, whites and brilliant blues that were so vivid they made everything else around them look almost washed out. Despite the size of the inferno, no heat washed over the students. The flames built until it looked like a giant bird made of flames was poised over the coliseum.

As suddenly as the flames had appeared, they vanished, revealing a woman standing in their place. She wore a different uniform from the rest of the staff. Instead of black and gold, she wore blue and white. Liliana recognized her instantly, Adelaide Wraithe, the headmistress. In contrast to her cool colored uniform, the headmistress had fiery red hair with highlights of bright copper and lowlights of a deep burgundy that made her long hair look quite like a living fire on her head. She was a tall, thin woman, with sharp features and a slightly long, pointed nose. Liliana silently thought the woman looked somewhat similar to a bird of prey as her eyes scanned the gathered students. Liliana noted her eyes were somewhere in between gold and orange.

“That’s interesting.” Polaris said quietly, and Liliana noted he was pressing a bit more firmly into her side, no longer resting his head in her lap, instead his eyes were locked with frightening intensity on the headmistress. A bit scared of what she’d find, Liliana activated [Identify].

Adelaide Wraith

Rank: 1

Liliana forgot to breathe for a moment and from the choking she heard around her, she wasn’t the only one to have checked the headmistress’ information and been rendered breathless.

A Rank 1. A Rank 1 was their headmistress. Someone who had achieved what hundreds of thousands, millions, worked towards their entire lives without ever coming close. The highest Rank a humanoid race could reach, the closest any of them would ever come to godhood. And she stood there, watching them pretty as you please, as if she couldn’t simply annihilate everyone in this school in the blink of an eye with minimal struggle. Liliana saw the effortless grace, the quiet confidence in each movement the headmistress made. This was a woman who knew her power, who wore it like a familiar cloak.

“Welcome to Vidiara Academy to our newest students, and welcome back to the older students who still remain with us. I’m glad to see so many familiar faces still here.” Headmistress Wraith spoke and her voice carried clearly even across the large coliseum.

“I see seated before me, the best and brightest of this generation. Not just of the Cista queendom, but of all nations among you. I see the potential for the next legends sitting before me. The next saints, the next kings, queens, emperors, and clan leaders. Though many of you are still young, your potential still raw and not yet molded, I see before me greatness waiting for the chance to flourish. I can guarantee that if you are willing to put in the efforts, Vidiara Academy will help you not only achieve that greatness lying in wait within you, but to surpass it.” Headmistress Wraith’s voice rolled over them, her words holding an almost enchanting lull. Liliana felt something stirring within her, a want to impress this terrifying, awe-inspiring woman before her. To match her expectations.

Subtle mental control? Liliana wondered. Perhaps, had she not fallen prey to the pendant and experienced the might of Minori, she wouldn’t have even noticed the gentle persuasion the woman was working into her words. Liliana’s lips quirked into a small smile. It was clever. It was nothing harmful, and it would push the students to work harder. She could appreciate the logic behind it, even if she was a little miffed at having any kind of mental magic used on her. More alert to the machinations, Liliana was able to keep herself from falling under the woman’s spell as she continued to speak, moving from compliments and encouragement to the real reason for the orientation. Dull information best presented to the entire student body at once.

Liliana listened as the headmistress went over the school rules. The ban on any duels performed without a teacher present, and the ban on any first year duels until their second month. The curfew that was enforced for all students, unless excused by a professor. A strangely specific ban on any pranks, and prank materials, between year groups and classes that had Liliana thinking someone, or someones, had to of done something in particular to get that rule enforced. Why else would the ban include enchanted paint that lasted for three days and was extremely resistant to being removed? Granted, Liliana only knew those facts about that specific paint because Alistair had used it on her. It was alright though. She’d brewed a potion that turned all his clothes pink for a week in retaliation.

For the first years, and as a reminder to the upper years, they were told to have their elective classes submitted to their homeroom teacher by the end of the week and their club choices by the end of the month. Liliana’s attention was wandering as the headmistress spoke, finding far more interest in Polaris’ growing unease. A mental prodding had her Kitsune finally responding.

“She’s not human, Liliana. She’s a beast in human form.” Polaris told her. For a moment, it felt like Liliana had been dunked into a frozen lake.

“Are you sure?” Liliana asked.

“I was made and raised by a magical beast who had achieved a Rank so high she could create other sentient beings. I am certain.” Polaris told her, and Liliana’s hand tightened on his fur. He was right. If anyone would be able to sense another beast, even an unbelievably powerful one hiding in human form, it would be Polaris.

Well, this year just got a lot more interesting.