Johan and the rest looked closer at the man in black. His long, wavy black hair was in a sleek ponytail that trailed to his thighs, while his black skin was as dark as the tunic he was wearing.
"Ombra!" Dorin gasped in recognition.
The two walked towards them, Ombra leading the way.
"I have come for the young dragon!" he repeated. "You, Dragon Blood," he addressed Johan, "where have you hidden him?!"
Johan frowned at him. "Who the hell are you?" he answered back.
Ombra stopped at his tracks, his yellow eyes glared menacingly at the fire mage. The rest of the faculty murmured in front of them.
"Lord Ombra," Damien went between him and the students. "Please settle down. You should at least introduce yourself to these people first."
Ombra shifted his gaze to the professors on the dias and snorted. "If I should..." he mumbled.
"Fellow academics, please excuse my brother, he is not accustomed to our ways..." Damien apologized.
"Very well then," started Ombra, "I am Lord Ombra, Lord of the Shadow Dragons, Ruler of the Southern Lands and the Great Abyss." He looked at Damien and frowned. "There, is that fine?"
"Yes, thank you," the other replied.
"May we ask why... Lord Ombra has visited us?" the Dean asked with a questioning look in his face.
"For the dragon child–"
"One of the students seem to have fostered a dragon whelp," Damien piped in. "We have come to see him."
"Dragon is back in the dorms, I left him with Azra," Johan spoke up from the side.
"I did hear of a dragon in campus, but I don't think it has been registered yet..." said professor Raevers.
"Register? What do you think a dragon is? Some kind of object?!" rumbled Lord Ombra.
"We have decided to take him in as a student, together with his foster father," Damien explained.
"A dragon as a student?" Professor Raevers snorted, "but that's – "
"A wonderful idea!" Prof. Dupont butts in, "It would be a great way to show other folks and denizens that they are all welcome in our University!"
"But... how could a dragon possibly be..." Professor Raevers started but was interrupted by the groundskeeper.
"May I remind you, Professor Raevers, that we are in the presence of another a dragon." said Damien before Lord Ombra could take fault.
The rest of the faculty fell silent.
"Do I need to show my real form, Damien?" Lord Ombra asked, tendrils of darkness, seeping from his back.
"There is no need," replied the groundskeeper.
"It seems the young dragon is not here anyway, I have just wasted my time," he looked at Johan, irritated.
"Professor Raevers, I leave his enrollment to you," said the Dean, his eyes not leaving the dark image of Lord Ombra.
"Then..." Professor Raevers paused, choosing her words, "We could take care of his enrollment right now... will you be signing as his guardian?"
"I'm his guardian..." Johan replied, standing up from his seat with a hand raised.
"A minor cannot be responsible for another minor," stated Professor Raevers.
"Then, as Johan's guardian, I can be his co-signer," volunteered Prof. Dupont.
"Another mortal?!" Lord Ombra complained. "I should be the one to sign for the young dragon.
"Very well, talk amongst yourselves first and come to a decision," said an impatient dean.
In the end, Lord Ombra signed the enrollment form with Johan. Professor Raevers gave a deep sigh when they finally handed her the papers.
"Please bring the dragon later to the registrar's office for the magic proficiency test," she told Johan.
"Dagon. His name is Dagon," said Johan, finally acknowledging the name his dragon had called himself.
"What about Azra?" Dorin asked Sebastian in a whisper.
[She's different] Sebastian wrote discretely. [She isn't as strong as Dagon.]
"Now that all that is over and done with, the students are to meet with their advisers." The dean stood up and read from a folder he held. "Sebastian Revious, your advisor will still be Prof. Raevers. Dorin Silvius, and Johan Ignacius, you will both be under me. Patrice Bennette, you will be under Professor Althea." He tapped the folder on the table and looked up at the four students. "If there are no more questions, then you are dismissed."
Johan and Dorin both stood from their seats as Sebastian placed his folder inside the satchel he brought.
"We'll see you later then," Dorin called to Sebastian who gave him a slight nod.
"Dorin," it was Professor Althea, "I want a word with you later." she discretely told her nephew. "Lt. Bennette, take your stuff and follow me."
"Yes, Ma'am... Professor Althea," replied Bennette.
"So, I guess he'll be staying with us in the dorms too, huh?" asked Johan.
"No, he would still need to stay in the Military Division," Professor Althea said.
"Revious, I am waiting," Professor Raevers called to Sebastian.
"So am I," said the Dean who stood drumming his fingers on his crossed arm. "Save your idle talk for later."
"Coming," Johan called back.
"We'll see you later," said Dorin before he went with Johan to the dean.