The two of them stood in the middle of a large room with a bowl-shaped ceiling. Everything was made of limestone and silver, except for the banners which were all black and decorated with symbols he was unfamiliar with. He then realized that they were the same symbols that were on Weiss’s dress. At the back of the room stood a large marble door with the same decoration in the middle of it. He was in awe of his surroundings, and he started processing his situation when Weiss snapped him out of it.

“Right, the ladies' rooms are on the right, and the gentleman are on the left. You, of course, are located on the left, and you will be staying in room 103.” Weiss began. “Everything has been prepared for you. You are free to take the rest of the night for yourself, but I insist that you get some rest as it is quite late.” She peeked at her pocket watch before looking back up at him. “Just remember you are not allowed to leave the premises, and it’s probably best to not wander around too much until after I’ve given you the tour tomorrow. Breakfast is served at six a.m. sharp, and the dining hall is just down this hallway to the right through the big double doors, you can’t miss it. Do you have any questions?” She glanced back again at her pocket-watch before looking to him for his response.

Rift shook his head. “No, I don’t think so,” he said, not very confidently.

She smiled at him warmly while placing her hands on his shoulders, “I really am proud of you. Just remember what we do is for the greater good, and sometimes that isn’t as black and white as most may think.” Weiss glanced back at her pocket-watch and her eyes grew wide. “My my my, time really does get away from me far too easily… well, my dear, have a good night and I will see you in the morning.” Before he could respond she was already making her way up towards the women’s rooms.

She’s always in a hurry.

The thought made him smile as he made his way up to the men’s rooms. He admired the banister as he climbed the stairs which were made from some sort of white wood he couldn’t place. As he reached the entrance to the hallway that led to the men’s rooms he let out a small gasp. Everything was beautifully decorated in blacks, whites, and silvers. He felt like he was in one of the fancy hotels he used to clean back when he first started out on his own. The rooms were situated in the same way a hotel was.

“Right, room 103 she said.” He muttered to himself.

It was quiet, and he peered up at a silver-plated clock as he made his way down the hallway. It was already eleven at night, which probably explained it. He had a little under seven hours to get situated and sleep. He was used to working on five hour nights of sleep, so that shouldn’t be a problem. If he could even fall asleep. He stopped once he reached his door and let out a sigh.

Stepping through the door would make it official, and for a moment he felt like he didn’t want to. It was no use, though, he was already here. Even if he wanted to go back he had no idea of how to even begin to do that. Not wanting to waste much more time, he turned the silver knob of the door and gently pushed it open. His room was normal and very much just like any other bedroom he’d seen before. It was kind of a disappointment since the rest of the place was so extravagant. Sure, the bed looked super comfortable, but he was expecting something more fantastical. To the left was a doorway leading to the bathroom, his bed was in the back next to the window, and on the right, was a small desk with a lamp on it. The desk had a small tray on it filled with various treats, a teacup, and a teapot. There was also a card that read “Welcome!” on it in cursive handwriting. He looked the card over and saw a small message from Weiss on it.

“You’ll probably need a little something after your trip

Feel free to help yourself!

~Weiss”

He smiled a bit before grabbing a double chocolate chip muffin that melted in his mouth as he bit into it. Everything here seemed normal, just fancier. His restroom, although nice, even looked like something he’d see back home. In fact, he could swear he was still back in Houston, that was until he stepped over to the window and peered outside.

Below he saw several of the courtyards that surrounded the wing of the ivory tower he was in. Everything was carved from what looked like limestone, and it made the castle look as though it were glowing in the moonlight. Past the castle walls were miles of dense forest and in the distance, he saw an ocean that sprawled out far off past his view. The thought of beginning his journey made him both uneasy and overjoyed. Everyone feels like they are destined for greater things, but he’d never imagined it would actually be true for him.

He plopped down on his bed and noted that it was super comfortable. It was probably the best bed he’d ever been it. It was soft where it enveloped him a bit but firm enough to give his body the feeling of support. As he finished off his muffin and continued to stare out at the night sky. How very different his life had become in such a short time. Though he never met his parents he wondered about the sort of people they were, and what they would have thought about his new life. Would they have allowed Weiss to take him? Would they have been proud to have a son with magical powers, or would they be those religious nuts that thought he was evil? Before his awakening, he worked in a small Chinese restaurant, and now here he was, some sort of guardian. He yawned while continuing to think about his life, and how things might turn out. He finally had a real reason for living. Eventually, he drifted off into a deep sleep.

“Rift, my dear, open your eyes.” A soft feminine voice rang through his head. His eyes fluttered about as he tried to pull himself from the grasp of his dream.

“From the ashes he will be reborn.

Only the holy three shall set us free.

Through death, salvation comes.”

“What? I don’t understand.” Rift said aloud while still struggling with his consciousness. His eyes finally opened, but he quickly shut them as rays of bright light poured into his pupils. He shaded his face with his arms, but as his vision began to focus he could see that he was standing on a cliff overlooking a castle. It was surrounded by a vast city and a dense forest. The moonlight bathed everything in a glowing shade of blue. Rift suddenly found himself propelled forward into what appeared to be the center of the city. The air was filled with the sounds of music, laughter, and overall cheer. He walked around a bit while observing with curiosity and confusion.

“Am I still dreaming,” he wondered.

No one seemed to notice his presence, and they went about their merriment as if he didn’t exist. A loud roaring sound suddenly penetrated the calm night air, and the sounds of joy were replaced with screams and panic. The earth beneath him quaked viciously as explosions rang throughout the plaza. Rift looked to the castle in terror as its once brilliant walls were violated with craters from the onslaught. He searched the skies for the intruder but saw nothing. The once crowded plaza stood desolate of all life, a mere ghost of what it was just seconds ago. Great machines that reminded him of flying ships could be seen lifting from behind the castle’s walls. He turned to look down the main street that lead from the town’s entrance to the castle gates.

Across the plaza, he saw a man standing with an evil grin painted across his face. His eyes were the color of glowing embers, and his body was almost unrealistically perfect. He wore nothing but a black tattered toga and countless numbers of black chains wrapped around his body, the ends of which had sharpened hooks and spears on them. There was something about him that made Rift uneasy. The sound of metal clanking behind him made Rift turn around as dozens of soldiers poured from the castle’s gate. He turned back to face the unknown man and was startled to find him standing right in front of him.

“Don’t be afraid, young one.”

The man’s voice sent shivers down Rift’s spine. His tone was warm, almost kind, but his voice seemed to hide something dark and sinister.

“In time you’ll understand. For now, behold the power sleeping within you.” Without hesitation, the mysterious stranger walked past Rift, focusing his attention on the guards who surrounded the two of them.

“Pitiful creatures… I admire your courage, but your insolence cannot go unpunished.”

He extended his right arm in their direction. As if giving them life, the chains wrapped around him began to slither about his body like serpents. Suddenly, they charged forward through the air towards the soldiers while creating webs around the plaza. A few of soldiers managed to knock them away, but others were trapped in their unrelenting grasps. The chains coiled tighter and tighter replacing the silence with grinding, snapping, and cries of agony. Their numbers dwindling, the few soldiers that remained tried to retreat into the safety of the castle walls. The man laughed while Rift watched in horror at the massacre before him. He knew he should intervene, but his body failed him. His chest began to tighten as he fell to his knees. The world around him was engulfed in flames, and his ears were filled with the terrified screams of the innocent as he blacked out.

Silence once again filled the air around him, and he slowly opened his eyes to see he was once again in his room. One leg rested on the edge of his bed and his back was laying on the floor. After a moment, he finally realized he had fallen out of bed.

“That was one hell of a nightmare,” he groaned to himself.

His entire body was covered in sweat and he grabbed onto the edge of his bed to balance himself as he attempted to stand. The sun was slowly starting to peek over the horizon, and Rift let out a groan as he peered over to the clock on his nightstand. It was almost time for him to be down for breakfast, yet it felt like he hadn’t gotten much rest. He pulled off the sweat-soaked shirt he was wearing as he made his way over to the bathroom.

“What the hell was that all about?” He wondered.

Rift let out a groan as he made his way through the castle. His thoughts moved back to his dream. He could only remember bits and pieces at this point, but what he did remember was very vivid. “The seven kings of hell will rise, and the world will burn.” Fire, screaming, panic, and those burning ember eyes were what kept replaying themselves in his head.

“Behold what power you are truly capable of achieving.”

Those words bothered him the most, yet he had no reason why. As he entered the dining hall he was in awe of how pristine it looked. In the back was a round table where Weiss was sitting with two other people he didn’t recognize. The two of them were glaring at her and she stuck her tongue out at them quickly before looking around to make sure no one had seen her break in character. One of them had the looks of a typical thirteen-year-old Asian boy, but the way he carried himself would suggest he was anything but. He was dressed in black and blue clothing with an over-sized top hat that had a slightly charred card tucked into the blue ribbon wrapping around it.

The lady next to him reminded Rift of a Jester. Her clothing had purple and black diamond shapes decorating it. Her hair was raven black with purple highlights, which she wore rolled up in short bulbs on either side of her head. They reminded him of cat ears, which should have made her seem less threatening. He couldn’t see much of her face as her mouth was covered by a black and purple metallic mask that had a grin sprawled across it with pointed teeth. Something about her made him feel uneasy, and he noted that it was probably best to avoid her in the future.

He turned his attention to the wonderful aromas wafting in from the left of him. The sight of the buffet-style line of food made his stomach turn in knots of eagerness as all the delicious aromas strengthened and welcomed him in. There were all kinds of food littered about, some of which he had never seen. From bacon and eggs, pancakes, and porridge to chorizo tacos, refried beans, and crepes; everything he could ever want was in front of him. He helped himself to a few tacos, some thick-cut bacon slices, a small bowl of oatmeal, and a big glass of cranberry juice before turning back to the seating area. He always had a huge appetite, but for some reason no matter what he ate he never seemed to gain weight. He figured he just had a high metabolism, but now he couldn’t help but wonder how much of being a Grigori affected him.

The tables were all very elegant with black satin cloth covering them. There were several others carrying on while eating their meals, and suddenly it dawned on him that he had no clue where to sit. A few people glanced his way, but several seemed to be deep in discussion. A girl from the far-right side of the room waved at him excitedly. He looked around a bit then pointed at himself. She giggled and nodded while she continued to beckon him. He quickly made his way over to her and was surprised at how young she was. Her hair was a beautiful snow-white, and her eyes gleamed a light blue.

“Hiya, my name’s Yuki! You can have a seat next to me if you’d like!” She gave him a warm smile while patting next to her.

“Umm thanks, I’m Rift.” He said, awkwardly, while taking his seat.

“Rift huh? I haven’t seen you around before. I figured you may need a place to sit so I flagged ya down!” She giggled while continuing her meal. She had a mound of white rice that had a fried egg on it. She seemed to have just started on it as she finished off what looked like a pile of beans in a stringy slime.

Rift nodded, trying to shrug off the embarrassment. “Yeah, today is my first day.”

She smiled and tussled his hair. “Then as your senior, I’ll take you under my wing!”

Rift chuckled, “Senior? You don’t look a day over fourteen! Shouldn’t I be your senior?”

She shook her head, “Actually, I’m eighteen–”

Before she could finish, a tall guy interrupted her. “Bacon is pretty great, wouldn’t you agree?” He looked over at Rift as he took a seat next to Yuki. “Hey, who’s he?”

“You’re very rude Anzu, you know that?” Yuki smacked him in the arm. “This is Rift.” She said while she placed her hand on Rift’s shoulder.

Seth extended his hand, “Hey Rift, it’s nice to meetcha buddy. I’m Seth Braun!”

Rift shook his hand while measuring him up. Anzu was about 6’4” with strawberry blond hair, a matching beard, an athlete’s build, and light skin. He wondered if he was from the USA like he was. The temptation to ask arose within him but he wasn’t sure if it was rude to inquire about people’s former lives or not.

“Just because it’s all you can eat doesn’t make it a personal challenge.” A female voice said from behind them.

Rift looked over to where another guy and a girl were standing. The guy had dark brown hair and was about as tall as Anzu, but he was slimmer and younger, maybe about a year younger than Rift. The girl had dark red hair and was around the same height and build as Yuki. The guy smiled at Rift and reached over to shake his hand.

“Hello, my name is Zephyr Rafale and she’s Kira Mallick.” He gestured to the girl who had teased Anzu.

Kira laughed a bit. “What can I say? Sarcasm and teasing are how I show affection!”

“Is there any other way?” Anzu chimed in.

Everyone chuckled as the two of them had a seat at the table. Rift was relieved to have found some friendly people to talk to as he was afraid things would be as bad as they were on Earth. He never fit in at school due to him being in advanced classes, so when he had the opportunity to test out of high school he took it. Unfortunately for him, his foster parents used all of his college tuition money. It had been the last straw that forced him to go out on his own. He shook the memories from his mind and allowed himself to learn about the others.

Yuki was from Japan and had been at the Bastion for three years. Kira was Yuki’s best friend and she originated from Brazil. She had been at the Bastion for four years. Zephyr was from Canada while Anzu was from Ireland. They had each only been at the Bastion for a couple of years. Zephyr and Rift seemed to share a lot of the same interests and by the end of breakfast, he found that the two of them were already forming a friendship. Rift was happy that for the first time in his life he finally found somewhere he fit in.