Kyle took every precaution he could to avoid coming across Akora for as long as possible; he brought his meals back to his room, either went to Beast Class and Monster Studies as soon as possible or at the last moment, minimized his time outside, and spent a good portion of his free time in his room. Aoife asked him one morning why he was making himself so scarce, and Kyle simply told him, "Akora's probably mad and she looks like someone who knows how to make you hurt." Akora, in fact, was mad, and did know many creative ways to injure, maim, and destroy a victim. She did want to find Kyle, but her plan was not to injure, maim, or destroy, but to just scold him loudly. Kyle did not know this, and figured it was better safe than sorry, and better paranoid than dead. Because of his tactics, Akora was unable to scold him loudly for over a week. Then one day, Asim and Akora caught him in line for breakfast.

"You've been so elusive," Asim said in a tone usually reserved for dear friends and family who have been absent for far too long. "You should come sit with us."

Akora grabbed Kyle by the wrist before he could speak. "Yes, come!" she urged. "You should see how big our Familiars have gotten!"

Kyle, still inexperienced in the art of saying, 'No', grabbed his plate with his free hand and allowed her to pull him along. They approached the table where Aoife was already sitting, with Joy on the table in front of her. Joy had indeed grown a bit, but still retained a few down feathers. She nibbled at half a corn muffin that sat on Aoife's plate, sending out a flurry of crumbs as she ate.

Asim set himself next to Aoife and Joy. Leonidas, who had been lounging on Asim's shoulders, hopped onto the table to begin sifting through the food on his plate. The young gryphon had grown to be about the size of a kitten who was ready to leave its mother. His wings were small, and, like Joy's, covered in down feathers.

Akora sat across from the two and pulled Kyle down next to her. She lifted her satchel and removed her Familiar and pet from it, then placed them on the table. Both had grown to the size of young pups, and the pet had started to open its eyes. Akora fed the two goat milk, but also allowed her Familiar to eat from her plate. Her pet was still too young, and its teeth had yet to poke through its gums.

During this meeting, the others also saw how large Fledermaus had gotten. He was nearly two feet long, and his wings were showing signs of development. Kyle, who had spent this entire time with his Familiar, had not noticed until the others pointed it out. It was funny, to him, the way things grow so quickly, and yet slow enough to fool those who watch into thinking they are the same size as before.

Asim was the first to speak, and he simply spoke of how well his classes had been going. Aoife, when she managed to insert her voice into Asim's endless rambling, also offered mundane goings-on. Kyle waited, admittedly not paying much attention to the two in front of him, for Akora to reach over and snap his neck for being a coward, or for her to begin a long tirade that ended with him in need of stitches. That moment, however, did not come. So, when he could bear the weight no longer, he demanded, "Are you gonna kill me or what?"

For a moment, everyone at the table, Fledermaus included, stopped and stared in utter confusion. Then Akora understood and replied, "No. I was going to, but the feeling has gone."

Kyle sighed in relief.

"Oh, the incident in the catacombs," Asim concluded. "She told us about it." Deep down Asim felt as though Akora overreacted, but there was no way he would ever tell her.

"That why you've been avoiding me?" Akora had a look of amusement on her face.

"Yes," Kyle admitted, a bit afraid of how she would react. He was relieved when she let out a laugh.

"This is going to be the only time I say this," she gasped as she finished her hearty roar, "but I'm sorry." She took a big swig of water when she finally calmed down.

"You sure do laugh quite a bit," Asim noted.

"Where I come from, you must," Akora explained. "Any day could be your last. You best enjoy it, and laugh often, when you can."

He nodded slowly in response, and simply said, "Oh, I see," then took a sip of his tea.

Aoife clasped her hands together. "Well then," she began, "How is everyone doing?"

Asim beamed and answered, "Quite well, thank you. How are you?"

"That's good. Doing well, too."

"I'm good," Akora replied. "We should break into the teacher's lounge next. Anyone else want to come?"

Kyle shook his head. "Akora, no."

Now that Akora had time to calm down, Kyle was able to wander around somewhat worry-free. He still had to worry about tests, homework, and other schoolwork, but he was at least able to relax when the savage was near. His first test was in Monster Studies, and it was fast approaching. Akora had, once again, began pestering Kyle about working to become the greatest Akfernen who ever lived, and Kyle agreed only under than the guise that Akora would help Nixie, Sean, and him study. While Akora was not brighter than the bunch by any means, her methods of understanding monsters were superior to their own, and she would prove to be a great asset to their study circle. They met in the courtyard after classes to study and train. The rules were simple: answer a question correctly, or you would have to do an exercise. (Everyone did train during these sessions, it was just that the one who answered the least number of questions correctly had to work harder than the others.)

Kyle skimmed through his notes, searching for the perfect animal group to use to stump Akora. Because the year had just begun, the first test revolved around different classes and categories of animal, the broadest two being "predator" and "prey". "The Earth deer is an example of what?"

Akora thought about the question. "It's delicious, so it is a prey..."

Nixie chuckled at this. "They have those on your planet, too?"

"An abundance!" Akora boomed. "Let me think... it is a beast, and yours are docile. So that must be the answer."

Kyle nodded. "Prey, beast. Correct."

Akora grinned her menacing grin, then turned to face Sean. "Byrne, the Erdboden dragon is an example of what?"

"Predatory flying beast?"

Akora nodded. "Correct."

Sean skimmed through his notes and looked to Nixie. "The Xylea squirrel is an example of what?"

Nixie leaned back and thought. "Those are the really aggressive ones, right?"

Sean nodded in reply.

"Then it's the territorial critter."

"Correct." Sean re-read his notes. "Critter is such a strange class name."

Nixie turned to Kyle. "The Earth shark is an example of what?"

"Predatory ocean beast," he answered with confidence.

Nixie nodded. "Good."

Akora pointed to the tree. "Grab a branch and lift yourself up."

Kyle regarded her with a look of confusion. "But I got the question right."

"Still need to train," she argued. "Go on, get lifting."

Kyle sighed and stood, then struggled to get himself into a tree. He struggled and shook, and managed to pull himself up once.

Akora snickered and jeered, "We have a lot to work on."

Over the course of the study sessions, Kyle felt himself getting stronger, slowly but surely. The others were far more impressive, however, and often made the exercises seem so effortless. The most surprising of the bunch, for Kyle at least, was Nixie, primarily for the fact that she had previously not shown much interest in physical activity. There were times, it seemed, she made Sean jealous, even to the point where he took breaks from the session to get away from her. It made these sessions a bit uncomfortable. At the very least, they felt ready for the upcoming test. They all went to bed feeling confident.

The day of the test, Kyle noticed Sean seemed a bit tired. "Did you have a rough sleep last night?" he asked his study buddy.

"Yes and no," Sean yawned. "Couldn't sleep so I went out to do some stuff."

Before the two could talk any further, Mr. Reaper boomed, "Take your seats, it's test time." Without hesitation, every student obeyed. Then the massive bird man strutted down the aisles of desks, passing out the tests as he went. Every student felt his heavy gaze upon them, and anyone who had entertained the idea of cheating was immediately persuaded not to.

The test lasted only about fifteen to twenty minutes. Mr. Reaper, while a scary sight to behold, was not cruel to his students immediately (he typically waited until the first month was over, but that is beside the point). After the test was complete, he was generous enough to allow a ten minute break. During this time, he started to grade the tests while the students began to talk.

"That wasn't terrible," Kyle sighed to his companions. "I feel pretty good."

"Wish I could say the same," Sean grumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"What's up with you?" Nixie inquired.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he growled.

Nixie sat back in her chair. "Someone's pissed."

"Sean, why don't you put your head down and take a nap?" Kyle suggested.

Sean folded his arms and set his head in them. "Don't tell me what to do," he muttered. Then, not even a second later, he was asleep.

Nixie leaned towards Kyle and whispered, "What was that about?"

Kyle shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know."

"Probably envy," Akora speculated. "Gruber, you are quite impressive. I wouldn't be surprised if he was envious."

"Pfft." Nixie sat back, shaking her head. "I don't get why, he's already the best athlete I know."

"Try not to worry too much," Kyle offered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He'll probably get over it."

Akora leaned back in her chair. "Envy has destroyed relationships. It can lead to some ugly things."

Kyle shook his head. "I honestly don't think Sean is going to do anything too serious."

"I'm going to stop you there," Nixie urged. "I'm not worried about anything now, but I know as soon as you start throwing around ideas, they're going to bother me."

Kyle looked down at his notebook. "I know how you feel."

The break came to an end much too quickly for many students, including Sean who was starting to really enjoy the nap. The class immediately moved on from the basic categories to something a bit more interesting: specific monsters.

"Many different monsters roam the worlds," Mr. Reaper began. "The focus of this class will be on those that could cause harm. That way, when your missions begin, you will know what you are up against."

Kyle swallowed hard. There that word was again: mission. It was only a matter of time before their first one.

"We will start with the basics: the lurker. It is a slender creature that stalks the shadows. Often, it hides in piles of leaves or snow, or even just under the water's surface. They attack when their prey lets its guard down."

Kyle took these notes down, and even started to sketch what he imagined it looked like. It was creepy, and reminded him of a boogeyman. The more he thought about them, the more fear he felt. During the lecture he became so afraid that he raised his hand to ask, "Has one ever gotten onto school grounds?"

A choir of snickers met his question. He felt a bit embarrassed, and regretted the question.

"Calm yourselves!" Mr. Reaper ordered. The class obeyed. He continued, "If we mock students, they will not ask questions. If they do not ask questions, they will not learn. If they do not learn, these monsters will kill them, do you understand? Or do you all wish to play a role in the death of a classmate?" He scanned the classroom for any students who dare speak up, but no one did. "Anyhow, the answer is no, or at least, not for a long while. I am sure there have been lurkers and creepers and even red caps before the school was restored, but they are long gone."

Kyle felt a little bit better. He went back to his notebook and resumed his notes. The rest of the class was dedicated to the lurker, and Kyle wound up taking two pages of notes.

The bell rang and the students started to pack up, but Mr. Reaper halted them. "Your first missions are coming up," he announced. Different students felt different emotions, but Kyle's strongest was fear. "I hope you like the group you are with, because you are going with them." Once again, everyone felt different emotions. "I suggest you start preparing now. Don't worry, your first one won't be too difficult. It is a simple camping trip to take notes of the monsters you find." He grinned and added, "Good luck."

The students left the classroom slowly, as if it would prolong their expedition. Kyle and the others were the last ones to leave. Akora seemed excited for the trip, but she was of a small minority. "It sounds like fun if you ask me," she hummed.

"Well no one asked you," Sean snapped.

"Nixie was right," she spat in reply, "you are in a foul mood."

"I didn't sleep well," he barked.

"Tsk tsk, well we won't be sharing a tent. I hope you enjoy sleeping under the stars."

"That sounds lovely and pleasant, unlike you!"

"Sheesh, Sean, you really are nasty when you don't sleep," Nixie groaned in disgust. "You should go take a nap."

Sean just grumbled and walked away from the group.

"Well that was unpleasant," Akora snorted when Sean was out of earshot. "I really hope he leaves this attitude here before that mission."

"Yeah," Nixie groaned. "And I hope he stops hating me."

"He doesn't hate you," Kyle assured her.

"I hope you're right," she groaned.

Akora placed a hand on her shoulder. "He will get over it," she affirmed.

The week leading up to the first mission was far too short for Kyle's liking. Akora was very excited, and had her supplies packed and ready to go. Sean had actually been looking forward to the trip, and packed the bare minimum he needed to bring. Nixie also had not been looking forward to the trip, but now that the day was upon them, she looked forward to finishing it. She carried Marisa in a small tank of water given to her by another student, who had finally started to trust their Familiar, which was a large tarantula with a bad attitude and deep desire to bite. Mr. Reaper had drawn symbols on pieces of paper for each group, as well as tents and small crates of food. "Meanwhile our school struggled to get everyone textbooks," Kyle joked. Nixie only snickered in reply.

"You will have a maximum of three days," Mr. reaper announced. "Keep your eyes peeled, because creatures can be hiding anywhere."

Kyle looked at the symbols on his group's paper. One would take them to the Great Bridge of Arachne, he remembered. He was less sure of the other one. It depicted a tree with branches full of leaves and nothing else. "Does anyone know where we're going?"

Akora looked at the symbol and shook her head. "If I had to guess, I'd say a world of trees."

"World?" he repeated.

Akora nodded. "Do you not remember? The symbols lead to other worlds."

"Oh I remember," he replied. "I just don't believe it."

"Believe me, I understand the feeling."

Nixie set Marisa on a desk and took a deep breath, stretching her arms as she did so. "Are we going now or later?"

Kyle looked at his class schedule. "I can afford to go now. How about you guys?"

Sean nodded. "I'm fine."

"Same here," Nixie and Akora replied, Nixie picking the tank back up.

Kyle took a deep breath. "So should we start looking for a doorway?"

Akora began to shake in excitement and, unable to contain herself any longer, started to chant, "Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!"

He sighed and looked down at the paper. "So let's find a door."

The group started off for a less-crowded area. Students all around them, from their class and not, used various doors to travel to their first mission places. They used doors to their rooms, to supply closets, to old rows of lockers from back when they were deemed necessary, any door that was not to a main hallway or classroom (as that was strictly prohibited). The group had decided to use Kyle's door, because he was staying in a single room and thus no one would need to use his door immediately after them. He drew the symbol on the door and they went through, one at a time.

The door led into another stairwell, much like the one they had all gone through when they came to the Bridge for the first time. Kyle pushed the door shut behind him, remembering the warning they had been given on the first day. They went down the stairs slowly, their footfalls echoing gently around them. They came to the door at the bottom of the stairwell and gave it a push, and it swung open, revealing a beautiful forest with a few other students already setting up camp.

"Reminds me of home," Akora sighed wistfully as she stepped out.

"Bet there's plenty of monsters here," Nixie boomed with confidence.

"Do other students count?" Sean joked.

Kyle noticed Akora retrieving her Familiar and her pet from their satchel and followed the joke, "Look! There's a wolf and a lion now!"

Akora grinned her usual off-putting grin and hopped into the grass. "Watch your step," she cautioned, "there are three leading down from where you are."

Kyle looked down and, true to what the savage said, they were at the top of three broad steps. He quickly walked down them, went out a few more feet, then turned to look at the structure from which they had come. There was a remnant of a wall, a slab of stone brick about eight feet wide and eleven feet tall. There was a door and three steps leading up to it, but nothing else. He looked around and, sprinkled here and there, saw other slabs of stone wall, and a few doors with students coming out of them. "Did something used to be here?" he asked. "Or were only the doors built?"

"Dunno," Sean answered, shutting the door and taking one long step onto the grass.

"I think I heard there was a stronghold here," Akora explained. "I had also heard there was a conflict that resulted in the structure being reduced to rubble. This is all that remains."

Nixie, too, looked around and took in the sight. "Cool."

Akora turned to face the trees once more. "I think we should set up camp near a river. Beasts will come by to drink." Then she looked around at the other students in the distance. "We should also stay away from crowds. Remain in earshot, but if there are too many of us, we may be less likely to find anything."

"Should we remain put," Sean asked, "or should we try to track something?"

"Lie in wait," Akora replied without hesitation. "We'll save tracking for later, if we cannot find anything sooner."

Nixie set Marisa down once more. "I hope a stream isn't too far," she groaned. "My arms are getting tired."

Sean picked the tank up with a mighty heave. "Here, allow me."

"Why, thank you, Sean," Nixie offered, with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

Sean turned his gaze to Akora. "Lead the way."

Akora scanned the treeline. She pointed to a narrow, windy path partially obscured by a small holly bush and instructed, "This way."