Filipe arrived in the middle of the night, it was cold, snowing the wind was howling as if to warn all the sleeping students of a monster hidden within the darkness of the night. He took a deep breath savoring his first breath of freedom in months. A very tall man stepped out of the vehicle behind Filipe, he wasn't a guard or a soldier. He was dressed from head to toe in a black leather cloak, a sacrificial dagger hung from a chain around his broad neck. The unsheathed blade glistened with gold and jewels, while its silvery saw tooth blade glistened in the street lights.

"boy, hold out your hands!" Filipe did what he was told without hesitation

"Oh amazing, it's truly amazing!" he sighed with relief as his shackles were removed, exposing his raw, blistered, bleeding wrists to the cool damp air. He looked around to see the school grounds were clear of snow, but everything was still painted with a faint layer of morning drew that had chilled to a frosty lace coating. Filipes feet crunched and slid slightly with the sloping walkway, the hover vehicle behind him had set down and were humming slightly but remained still, the guards inside the cab remained motionless but ever vigilant. The majority of them grumbled about how wrong it was to release a mental case like Filipe.

"boy, take this and make the customary sacrifice of your flesh for the state! It is tradition for the initiation of all the good Doctors rehabilitated patients." The hooded man's voice was harsh and searing like a hot frying pan touched to the bare skin. He handed the jewel incrusted blade to the boy who slipped one of his shoes off. He held the knife in the air and declared loud enough for all the law enforcement to hear.

"Without the state and the laws of the Consortium I haven't a foot to stand on!" he crouched down over his own bare foot pausing to look up at the cloaked giant standing before him. The creature's eyes flickered red for a moment out of the line of sight of the hounds. Sweat dripped from Filipes brow as he gritted his teeth and plunged the knife into his own leg! He began sawing at his Achilles tendon vigorously as tears rolled down his face. The veins in his neck and forehead jutted out in pain and his face turned beat red as he held his breath.

"The Consortium before my pain!" he cried in agony as the peace officers standing guard began to turn green with disgust.

The tall dark hooded figure that had released Filipes shackles towered over the boy by at least two and a half feet. Filipe was not by any means short for his age, in fact he himself was quite tall only making this giant look even more intimidating. Filipe fell backwards hitting the cold pavement with a muffled thud. The Cloaked man ripped the knife from Filipes leg and shook the knife off, flinging chunks of meat away from himself. He then placed the chain on the handle back around his neck. Filipe barely conscious looked up from the ground quivering.

"Thank you... sir..." he laid his aching head back on the cold concrete trying his best to see the face of a man he had never met before. The only other things visible through the giants cloak other than the knife was a ram's head belt buckle and spiked rams head boot coverings. The ornaments shimmered in the faint dome night lighting revealing the ornaments for what they were, lethal bladed weapons! Police unites held their positions in the distance. The hounds were at the ready, just in case something went wrong. As the man walked over to them the hounds began baring their teeth at the tall man, but they were uncertain as to why. Something about him felt wrong. But with the officers in charge snapping them back into formations and commanding them to back off, the hounds could not get close enough to really feel anything. All they knew was something was wrong with that tall man, something was very off.

"So, this is the newest rehab patient released by the Doc huh Treptoe'Phantecleese?" An officer in a black military uniform, boasting golden epilates and a gilded Vibro-sword at his hip, stepped out from behind a wall of tall hounds.

"Good evening Major Brindwell," The tall man whispered, "You've been reassigned to oversee things at the school?"

"It's a shame what happened, you know, to the Doc. He was a good man." Major Brindwell slumped his head in a mock moment of silence, "The High command..." he smirked, "needs my mind and body here so what are we looking at here Treptoe?" he motioned to the bleeding boy.

"A poor troubled soul given a second chance at life. You won't have to worry about him, anything he may or may not do Major is cleared, so just cover for it. Don Refi'Cul has..."

"Yeah yeah yeah... you don't have to get so stiff and formal with me Treptoe, I know how this system works!" The Major smiled up at the giant hooded figure, "Treptoe, just make sure YOU don't mess things up. The Doc was murdered, and we got some wildcards out and about." The Major snapped his fingers and pointed at the boy still on the ground, the hounds snapped into action bringing out medical equipment they got to work binding his wound and getting fluids in him.

The lights on the inside of the administration building flicked on, startling most of the peace officers on duty, the giant of a man shrunk back into the shadows of the night after being bathed in luminous golden light from a great balcony window. The light seemed otherworldly and Treptoe fled in a moment from where the light moved in.

"Well what do we have here?" a stern yet jolly voice came from the Administration building entry way as the doors creaked open. The officers all relaxed but the giant remained tense and shrouded. "Oh, what a strange visit Treptoe'Phantecleese! But I must insist that you be on your way, you are not welcome on school grounds!"

"How do you know me? Have we met before?"

"Oh, silly youngster, I know of you. Your reputation is a rather infamous one, Butcher of the Abyss." The old mans furrowed brow gave him the appearance of an ever watchful, and cranky eagle. His wide ear to ear grin currently gave him the look of a hungry jackal. He gazed down from the stairway at the giant who began muttering something.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that If I were you lad. You'll wind up getting hurt." Treptoe paused and stared up at the old man who slowly began descending the steps with a slithering grace. His long cloak and evening robes trailed on the ground behind him swishing in the light breeze made from the hover craft vents. The hounds all growled, and their hackles stood on end with these two facing off. Nothing here seemed right to them but there was nothing they could do about it with the high command siding with them.

"Who are you?" The giant inquired

"Me? The students call me Professor. My colleges call me Peter Morningstar, you may call me sir. Now be on your way Butcher." The old man hissed. He made his way slowly and deliberately to the unconscious boy. He flicked his fingers and the boy's body lifted into the air and floated, along with the I.V. and anything else attached to him. He clapped his hands and the blood staining the concrete caught fire and in moments was gone.

"You might work for this school, but the state owns every student that goes here! If you get in the way of Consortium business, then..." spoke the Major in a venomous burst of words and nasty glares but was cut off.

"I will take your pet for you. However, just know that I will be watching your every move on these grounds!" He motioned with his hands so that his words spoken included the dome they were under to emphasize his power. He then slithered his way back up the steps with the floating boy in tow and the doors closed behind them both.

"Treptoe'Phantecleese, you find out all you can about that one I need to know what we are dealing with." Grunted the officer as he turned to walk away.

"I'm so very sorry if there was something, I did to give you the impression that you had authority over me major. Allow me to remedy this misunderstanding! You were assigned here to do just that for myself and the top brass. So, make it happen and don't screw up the doctor was vastly more valuable than you are and unlike him you can be replaced so know your place little major." He loomed overwhelmingly so over the head of the tall gilded officer. The hounds growled, and their hands went to their holstered weapons. The major held his hand up and the hounds stayed their aggression. Cold beads of sweat rolled down the majors brow and the giant stepped back and into his vehicle without a sound and vanished into the night.

.......

Filipe came to in the school's infirmary with a strange white-haired woman in a grey dress standing over him.

"Ahahaha!" Filipe shrieked like a banshee and the old women slapped him.

"Feel better?" she said in the sweetest voice possible. Her hands were covered in gore and now, so too was Filipes cheek. He looked at her as if he were a kicked puppy and she sighed.

"we don't get many of your kind in the infirmary like this, usually the right of passage for Rehab patients is done in more... private settings." She stripped her bloody gloves off and threw them in a garbage bin that puffed smoke as it incinerated the contents within. Filipe looked down at his leg to see it wrapped in clean linens. She had performed a quick surgical operation to reattach his tendon and repair the muscle. On a nearby roll away tray there was a bottle of Flash Seal and a bunch of bloody surgical tools.

"You didn't use magic to heal me?"

"no, I did not." She said in a short breathy huff as she began cleaning the mess.

"why?"

"because it was a simple surgical procedure and its customary for the wound to be left to scar over." Filipe sighed and cringed as he slowly moved his leg.

"Your wounds have been flash sealed so you will be able to move around without reinjuring yourself however, no running or jumping for two weeks! Stairs are going to be your enemy for about three weeks got it?" she held a pair of bloody forceps at him leveling the clamp head at his leg.

"If I have to redo the surgery you will be confined to your bed in the infirmary until I release you understand!" He nodded without a word and got up slowly, it was sore but not all that painful. It was amazing what flash sealing wounds could do and it was all thanks to a special synthesized octopi's protein which was broken down and made into a medical flesh based glue.

He hobbled out of the school's hospital wing and into a grand hall. It was an enormous arena sized building with a grand set of stained glass ceiling skylights. Filipe looked over the stone banister railing lining the edges of the circular stone floor. Down below looked to be a massive playing field with different terrains built into it. He could see that this coliseum, thing, had three floors below the one he was on and the whole building was full of busy bustling people. A gym class looked to be running laps around the track of the coliseum and eight boys and ten girls were currently on the terrain one in each 'location' channeling a different element. In the center of the eighteen-element floor was a large circle with ropes strung up around it. It looked from birds' eye view to be a sparing ring for duels.

"Oh, what a drag, please tell me you're not the new student!?" Filipe now stirred from his sightseeing looked back over his shoulder.

"And if I am?" the boy behind Filipe sighed,

"Then I guess I'm stuck with you. Why can't I ever get the cute girls damn it!" The tall young man Filipe was staring at looked to be about eighteen or so, He had shoulder length red-gold hair that shimmered in the chandelier light like fire. He had a broad, thick chest and shoulders and a robust square jaw. He was handsome but had the look of a barbarian warrior prince, a pretty barbarian warrior prince with ice cold blue eyes. "Well... ugh..." He sighed heavily "My name is Marcus; class representative and you're tour guide for the next few days. If you have a question, don't hesitate to think them through before you ask, and if you need anything please feel free to get it yourself once I show you where to find everything." He paused, "If you have a hot younger..." He looked Filipe up and down, "Older sister feel free to send her my way." He started walking at a brisk pace not looking back to see if his charge was keeping up or not.

"What is this building, and where is it?"

"Alright little guy, this is Serenity Hall, or as everyone refers to it as... The Chaos Theater, because you never know what's going to explode. What's going to come flying your way, or who is going to challenge whom to a duel. Side note dude... yours truly is the reigning champion two years and going." He said with a smirk and winked at himself in a wall mirror as they passed.

"Fourth floor of Serenity Hall is all medical facilities, and class rooms for the healing mage departments. Keep that in mind you seem like the type of person that'll get your ass kicked a lot." He laughed and kept walking as they descended a flight on beautiful grey and silver speckled stone stairs. Marcus waited at the bottom patiently enjoying every second of the struggling boy's descent down them. They both turned the corner and entered into the third-floor landing, a green cloud glowed and floated high in the air clinging to the ceiling.

"Oh shit!" The red gold haired boy dropped to the floor keeping low. Filipe looked around with a confused expression before hitting the ground face first as Marcus kicked out Fillips legs from underneath his body. "Get down you idiot! Third floor is my least favorite! It's the herbalism, potions, science and mathematics departments. It's the department closest to the medical centers because when the crazy egg heads mess something up they go for the biggest flubs humanly possible!" dozens of people lay motionless on the ground as one short stumpy bearded man roared in anger and poured out the contents of a brightly glowing orange vile onto the floor. The liquid turned to orange steam and began dispersing the green noxious cloud in moments. Filipe groaned in pain holding his freshly flash sealed leg which had just been kicked.

"You gangly, scrawny, unimaginable idiots! Clean this all up and fix everything that got broken! Detention indefinitely until you're less stupid you damn fools! Can't you read the recipes, you could have killed someone!" he waved a furious pudgy hand up at two tall rale thin students. The bearded man didn't care that the two he was yelling at were much taller than him, he could probably use each of the boys for javelin practice. They coward from the professor's wrath and diverted their eyes from everyone conscious and able to watch. They were both stained green and their hair was frazzled and crispy.

"Sir... we just wanted to try something new."

"With Witch Thorn Root and Mandrake extract? That was two ingredients away from a whispering death potion, you two are the essence extract of stupidity! If I ever need something stupid done for entertainment, I'll just come to you morons with a baking recipe for cupcakes and watch you blow something up you damn fools!" Marcus rolled to his feet and leapt up onto the stone banister like a cat once the green mists settled and held his hand out to Filipe,

"hurry up or you can walk through the whole potions section by yourself!" Filipes eyes widened, and he bolted for the rale without questioning a thing. Marcus muttered something and then stood up and walked down the side of the wall as if the wall was now the floor. Filipes hand was clasped tightly in Marcus' and he too was able to walk on the wall like Marcus. They descended a floor and dropped down to the stone banister of the second level. Marcus sighed heavily with great relief. "Second floor: Glamor, Charm, Performing Arts, Language Arts, and Social Science departments."

"This is the busiest floor of the school." Marcus stood up and ran his thick calloused fingers through his long red gold hair. "Because of the holiday season pretty much everyone is gone, including the cute girls." He snarled under his breath while Filipe flashed his million-dollar smile at a group of homely looking girls who cooed and giggled. Marcus looked up from his finger nails, which he was religiously filing off with a stone in his pocket. He placed the stone back in his pocket and gave the girls a wink to fish for the same response. The girls rolled their eyes and walked off.

"hmmm, you know anyone here?"

"Not a soul, just here to expand my horizons is all." Filipe said through another million-dollar smile.

"what's your name kid?"

"Filipe Means Jr. and you?" Marcus' eyes narrowed at the name Means,

"You're a noble?" Marcus scoffed

"Of course, I am! What, did you really think I was part of the general populous of trash?" Marcus rolled his eyes

"How's your family with you being a magical freak?" Marcus inquired with a harsh tone

"Careful you fool, I want this one!" a voice echoed in Filipes head, audible only to him. He pretended not to hear the warning and spoke with a half chuckle,

"Well, with me using magic to kill the people I thought were responsible for my brother's murder, they reacted poorly... With me being a mage, they were quite happy. My father thought it would be a great way to bridge the gap for our weapons company." Filipe said in a flat arrogant sort of tone. Marcus looked shocked for a moment,

"You've killed people? Who did you kill?" Marcus inquired as Filipes' eyes glinted with glee

"I killed, the Pingleton family, I thought they were murderers you see and... well..." He shrugged as he spoke with an unapologetic tone. Marcus took a deep breath in and with lightning speed picked Filipe up and slammed him into the nearest stone pillar without touching him. A strange wave of power radiated from Marcus and everyone in the immediate area dropped to their knees in the wake of an invisible force crushing down like gravities pull. Filipe grunted but didn't lose his thin serpent like slit of a smile.

"Dillon Pingleton is my best friend and an orphan because of you!!?" Marcus was huge, broad and thick from head to toe with dense muscle. His hair blazed like the flames of a blast furnace, his red face glowing with rage.

"Master, he is strong help me and he is yours." Filipe whispered under his breath and closed his eyes as he felt a surge of power flow through his body. A fist crashed into his stomach, but Filipe failed to notice. Opening his eyes slowly tears welled and fell from them and Filipe stared deep into Marcus' eyes,

"Please, I did it when I was maddened with grief. Forgive me I was wrong and mistaken, you understand right? Besides I found out who really killed my brother, and as a result who you should really hate." Marcus blinked as a strange wisp of smoke came from Filipes mouth while he spoke. His eyes glazed over for a moment, then he relaxed. Filipe remained pinned to the wall as he continued to speak, "What is your name?"

"Marcus Winchester, first son of Senator Maxwell Winchester, though I go by the name Blackforge 'cause my father disowned me for being a mage." He said in a flat distant voice.