I gulped.

Getting expelled was not part of my plan. The Dean likely wanted to kick me out of Nemendias so that her patron and relative - Baroness Georgia could blow me up with a magical grenade to kingdom come.

"I object," Nemmy said, stepping forward.

"Oh what grounds?" The Dean raised an eyebrow.

"Novitiate Misem has two crest pieces," the duplicate Keeper said. "She accomplished more than most students. She broke a few rules yes, but it's what allowed her to start assembling her Crest ahead of everyone. She is the first Novitiate to gain three crest pieces for the first time in six thousand years before even singing her name into the book of students!"

The Dean gave the Keeper a cold, unyielding stare.

"Give her a chance to bring her points up," Nora said. "In accordance with the ancient rules set in place by Saint Innocentai, she cannot be escorted out of Nemendias unless her points are below negative one thousand!"

“There is no second chance here, Keeper Antienni. My decision stands!” Octavia huffed. "I'm the absolute authority of Nemendias! Grogtilda Lic Misem is hereby expelled."

My lips formed a hard line.

"No," I said simply.

"No?" The Dean's pink eyes sharpened like razors, slicing into me with a gaze of disbelief.

"I refuse to leave," I said, crossing my arms. "I like it here."

Octavia's face contorted for a moment, before she barked a single, volcanic word: "Security!"

The men and women in black robes with gold epaulettes advanced towards me.

"Escort this ex-student out of Nemendias!" The Dean hissed out.

The voice of Nemendias whispered a phrase into my ear.

"I, Novitiate Grogtilda Lic Misem, the holder of the two-shards of the Celestial Crest of Nemendias hereby claim protection of her Ward under duress of certain death outside of it!" I barked out Nemmy's advice word for word. “Baroness Georgia intends to kill me when I am expelled! I bind my words with the absolute truth hexagram and beseech the Sanctuary of Nemendias!”

An enormous truth-defining hexagram formed beneath my feet and bathed the courtyard in green shimmers reflected in the wide-open eyes of teachers and students.

Another gong resounded from the central tower. The security personnel suddenly discovered that no matter how many steps they took towards me, they could not get an inch closer to me.

"What?" The Dean seethed.

"You can't expel me, Octavia Breen Georgia," I said simply. "The ward is on my side and your patron can go suck on a lemon. She can’t hurt me again, can’t execute me here, can’t stop the cause I’ve committed myself to. I’m the Voice of the Magitek Revolution and I stand against criminals like her! I am not leaving!"

The Truth-Hexagram flashed green beneath me. The students gasped at the revelation I’ve made.

"Minus one thousand points from Novitiate Misem for violating my orders and accusing the school’s primary patron of misdeeds!" The Dean growled.

The number above me turned into a gargantuan, brilliant, blood-red [-1110].

Nemmy’s voice whispered more words into my ear through the pinhole gateway between us.

"The recent subtraction of points by Dean Octavia was enacted against me in an unjust manner," I said. "By the power of the judiciary of the Ward of Nemendias, I hereby nominate the Keeper of Keys as my points review representative."

The Dean's eyes snapped towards the Keeper of Keys.

"Stand against me and I will have you sacked, Keeper Antienni," she said simply.

"I am sorry, my Lady, I refuse to lie about this matter," Nemmy said. "I revise the subtraction on the account of it being unjust. Novitiate Misem did not break any rules. The Truth Hexagram confirms her words. Baroness Georgia is a criminal. The Illatius Constabulary already has evidence against her confirmed by a signed confession from one of her co-conspirators!"

The number above me went back to [-110].

Octavia's eye twitched. The gathered crowd stared at our confrontation, looking shocked at how far things had rapidly escalated.

One of the security men tried to fire a paralyzing spell at me. It fizzed out before it even reached me.

“You can't detain me,” I looked at the bald man with brown eyes, memorizing his face. “The Ward is on my side, my cause is just and my truth is irrefutable. Are you perchance working for Baroness Georgia? Do tell her to screw off. Her last bomb took off my jaw. It was exceptionally unpleasant.”

The black-robed guard paled as the truth hexagram flashed beneath me once again. My guess was right on the money.

"Very well," the Dean said, readjusting her pearlescent robe. "I see how it's going to be. For attaining a record number of negative one hundred and ten points before the start of classes and for disrupting the Knowledge Day ceremony with her melodramatic declarations... Novitiate Misem is hereby assigned detention everyday, for the rest of the year!"

She narrowed her eyes and sneered at me, daring me to challenge her. The teachers were all silent, their eyes shifting between us, expecting me to refuse the ridiculous detention order and suffer the consequences.

"I accept this punishment," I said firmly, my voice loud and clear in the heavy silence. "I welcome our daily fun, mundane activities with the lovely Instructors of Nemendias!"

Stormancer Stellaris looked taken aback by my defiance, her cold, crimson eyes scanning my face for a weakness.

"I shall take the first day," she declared with a sinister smirk, stepping forward.

"I look forward to our evening together," I bowed low in a mock curtsy, my own smirk hidden behind a mask of cold politeness. "Lady Stellaris Xim Artura. I am certain that you have many wonderful things to teach me about Stormancy!”

"Break her, I want her gone from here by asap," the Dean's expression said.

Stellaris simply gave the Dean the tiniest nod.

Octavia glared at the Keeper one final time, gritting her teeth. She decided that firing Nora in public now would only escalate things if I kept yelling out more truths.

“Bring the students inside and tell them about our campus,” she said to the security and the teachers. “The Entrance signing ceremony shall begin in two hours when everyone is seated in the Grand Dining Hall.”

The irate archmage turned around and marched into the main building, her colorful curly hair floating behind her, pearlescent robe billowing.

. . .

After a few hours lecture in which the teachers guided the students across campus, everyone reconvened in the Grand Dining Hall.

Elaborate, cloth banners portraying the various houses of Nemendias over the centuries hung on the walls. Light broke through enormous, gothic stained glass, casting colorful rays across the enormous hall.

As the light of day dimmed, magical, dancing lights ignited overhead, dancing atop hexagram-covered candelabras. Thick candlesticks sitting on tables lit up with magical flames.

The maids brought snacks out for students as the Dean made another boring, pompous speech about the new semester, excellence, tradition and obedience to the rules.

The Keeper brought out an enormous, leather book and placed it on a black and gold pedestal in the center of the hall.

She unrolled a parchment and began to call out the names of various students. One by one, the teens came towards the book, signing their names into it, declaring the motto of Nemendias and swearing to uphold the rules.

Emerald Amadea was one of the first to be summoned up to sign her name into the book as the registration list was based on when the student's parents had signed them up to attend Nemendias.

I waited patiently, snacking on the tiny, flower-shaped cakes provided by the maids.

"Novitiate Emerald Amadea has been allocated room 808 in the Lawmaker's Tower," Nemmy announced, glancing at the book. "She is assigned to the House of Infinity!"

A hexagram flashed above Emerald, a symbol of a ring woven into a ring folding into itself.

"Wait a minute," I stared at the banners on the walls that portrayed the houses of Nemendias, paying more attention to them.

[Domus Infinitatis - The Searchers of the Infinite Dungeon ]

A girl with jet black hair and violet eyes stared me from the banner. She was wearing black robes flying in the wind as she stood facing curvature of the Infinite Chasm with enormous, storm clouds rolling in the deep. A black knife sat on her side.

"Freaking hell," I gaped at the banner. "That's how you've been manipulating people."

Voltara followed my gaze.

"Is that...?" She gasped.

"Mhmm," I nodded, my face twitching. "That's her alright."

Amber of Snippy had gone up to the podium next. The redhead girl looked resigned to her fate as she signed the book. She was also assigned to the House of Infinity and room 808.

Amber joined Emerald at the table crowded with the students of the Domus Infinitatis house, the massive tapestry of Infi looming over them akin to the Romantic painting of the Wanderer above the Sea of Fog. The table was framed by dark green trim carved from malachite.

The next student, a dark haired boy went to Domus Mandatum, the House of Order. I squinted at the banner depicting a girl with gold eyes who looked like the young version of Baroness Amadea. The table the boy sat on was decorated with gold and diamond trim.

Things were falling into a pattern. Nine houses. Nine ideals. Nine primary skills of the soul. Nine... Eurekan concepts.

I looked from banner to banner as students joined the various houses, the hair on the back of my head standing up. Different gemstones and metals decorated different tables, representing the nine primaries.

Azurite, carnelian, amber, garnet, amethyst, ruby and blue agate gemstones decorated the other tables around me.

"And here I thought that I could get away from them," I muttered staring at the portraits of my enemies.

Considering that the banner with Amadea on it didn't not resemble her very much except for the eye and hair color, it would not be of use to me to know what unknown Baronesses were like based on these arcane tapestries. The diamond heart on her chest didn't even look like the gem Amadea was wearing in real life.

"Damn ambiguous banners," I muttered under my breath.

The table without the trim that I was now occupying was becoming more empty as first years left off to be sorted into various houses.

"So, um, did you like... really banish a ghost during Summer?" The girl sitting next to me finally gained to courage to ask me a question.

"Sure did," I nodded.

"Was it... hard?" She asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"Extremely," I nodded. "I died doing it."

"What," she blinked. "You don't look dead... just a bit pale and covered in blue scars."

"Modern healing magic is a miracle," I laughed. "Also, I got the scars from a Folding Seed. My life is far more eventful than it needs to be."

She nodded. "I know... I... um... read about you in the paper," she replied.

"Riona Lei Gemm," the Keeper's voice reverberated.

"Catch you later," Riona said, hurrying over to register her name in the book.

She got sorted into Domus Sagesse - The house of the Wise Sages framed with garnet gemstones.

After about twenty minutes I was the last person remaining at the table of the unsorted.

"Grogtilda Lic Misem," Nemmy announced.

I stood up. The eyes of every student and teacher dug into me. Entire palettes of emotions sat on their faces from curiosity to amazement to hate. I had definitely captured all of their attention.

I casually strolled to the book.

The Keeper of Keys handed me a pen topped with a large gem.

"Sign," she said.

"Mmmm... I don't sign things without reading them first," I said.

I heard the resounding echoes of "What" from the tables around me.

I started to flip through the book of rules with slow deliberation.

"This is far too many rules for reasonability," I commented.

"If you do not like the rules," Nemmy said. "Then you cannot become a student here. The ward will reject you tonight if you refuse to sign this book and your Sanctuary claim will be made moot."

"I really don't want to sign this," I huffed, slowly flipping through the thick, heavy pages. "It's so long and boring."

"Get on with it," Nemmy crossed her arms. "I don't have all day for your nonsense, Novitiate Misem. Sign your name into the book."

"Oh. I know! I'm not actually signing a book of rules for students," I laughed, waving my arms dramatically. "I'm signing a declaration of surrender of Nemendias to me and my kingdom of Lomb!"

"Quit screwing around and sign the damn book Misem!" Emerald barked. "I want to eat dinner! These microscopic cakes aren't filling me up!"

"Just to be clear, nobody here is objecting to me signing the surrender of Nemendias to my kingdom?" I spun around, my eyes looking over the tables.

"Gods damned clown," Emerald rubbed her face looking exasperated.

"Last chance to object to the surrender of Nemendias," I said with a grin. "You're all witnesses. This is like... super, duper official biz."

The Dean's face turned red like a tomato. She looked like she was about to explode with rage.

"Minus ten points from Novitiate Mizem for an attempted takeover of Nemendias," Nemmy said. "Sign the book, Novitiate. Stop delaying dinner."

"Do you surrender?" I stared at her.

"Whatever, sure, I personally surrender," Nemendias rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, barking out a laugh with a sarcastic tone. "Very funny, Misem. Get on with it before I subtract more points from you."

"Nemendias surrenders!" I announced. "You all heard her! Thus the declaration is signed!"

I signed my name into the book with a smirk.

The text of the surrender outline written by Nemmy and I yesterday flickered. It simply needed the power of witnesses made from local population representatives to become official. My signature became absorbed into the book.

I stepped away from the book of records as the Keeper of Keys closed it shut with a heavy thud.

"Novitiate Grogtilda Misem has been allocated room 808 in the Lawmaker's Tower," Nemmy announced. "She is assigned to the House of Infinity!"

I grinned at the crowd in front of me.

"You may now call me the Baroness of Nemendias," I said with a flourish as the logo of Infinity flashed above my head.