Saint takes the seat beside Beyce. A few moments later, the door creaks open, and a tall man steps inside with his shoulders hunched forward. His sharp white suit matches the kind Beretta and Brugger wear.
He clears his throat, voice deep and steady.
"My name is Taiho; I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year. Now, if you're here, I'm sure you know what this school is about… well, maybe not, huh?"
He sets a dark purple cube on the desk.
"One by one, place your dominant hand on this cube. It will detect how much Mana you currently have."
Beyce raises his hand.
"Teacher Taiho, you said currently… does that mean we can get more Mana?"
Taiho nods with little enthusiasm.
"It's not that simple. You can't just 'level up.' You have to break your limiter. Everyone has a different one. Think of it like this: you have a thousand apples. Each time you exhaust yourself to the point you can't use Mana, you take away one apple. Once you use them all, your limiter breaks. Apples are just an example, of course." He laughs at himself.
"There's more ways to explain it, some people classed as geniuses already have outstanding abilities. Anyway, I hope that answers it."
Saint rises from his chair.
"So, does that mean there's unlimited potential if you keep breaking your limiter?"
In an instant, Taiho appears behind him.
"Well, aren't you the bright one?" His tone turns sharp.
"Joking, you're not that bright. No one has the same limiter. Yours could be a billion apples, for all I know. And it increases every time you break it. So yes, and no. The average, Sangre De Reyes students only break their limiter two or three times. Now sit."
He pushes Saint back down, and in a blink, he's back at the front of the classroom.
"Alright, left to right. Chop chop."
Plaster steps up first. He presses his hand on the cube, and it glows purple.
"Interesting," Taiho mutters, raising an eyebrow as he scribbles something into his notepad. "Next."
The line moves quickly. When Saint's turn comes, he presses his palm to the cube.
The glow isn't purple. It's red.
Taiho's chair scrapes back violently as he shoots up. In a flash, he grips Saint's wrist and yanks it off the cube.
"Saint. See me on break," he says coldly, then lets go.
Saint's eyes widen in shock and fear,
'What was that about?'
Beyce and Ari go after him. The cube shines purple for both, just like most others. Then a boy's turns blue. A girl's turns yellow.
Once the last student finishes, Taiho claps twice.
"Check your IDs. You'll see your official ranking. Keep in mind there are around five thousand students. Don't get discouraged. Anyway, come back here in about 5 minutes. Dismissed."
All around the room, students glance at their IDs. Saint lowers his eyes to his own. Rank 4222.
'That's so low…'
Beyce leans in, eager.
"What's your rank?"
Saint hesitates. "…Show me yours first."
Beyce holds up his card, grinning. 4568.
'At least he's lower than me…'
"Here's mine," Saint says, showing his ID.
"I'll catch up to you in no time." Beyce bumps his fist against Saint's chest.
Ari joins in. "I'm 4001."
"Hey, Plaster! What about you?" Ari shouts across the room.
Plaster smirks. "3886."
The classroom breaks into chatter.
Saint rises from his seat.
"Where you going?" Beyce asks.
"Taiho told me to see him after class." Saint waves the two off and slips out.
Saint enters Taiho's office.
"Well, well, well. You're Carmelo's boy, aren't you?"
Taiho circles around him, eyes sharp as they inspect his frame.
"I was the one who recommended you. Owed Carmelo a favor."
"Uh… yeah. Thanks. Is something wrong?"
Taiho's eyes glint.
"Not at all. You've got poor Mana control, but potential. I heard Carmelo's boy was coming, but I didn't think it'd be this soon."
Saint frowns.
"Then why did my cube turn red?"
"…Carmelo is the only student recorded to ever turn it red." Taiho leans back, a distant look flashing across his face.
"You know your father's strength, don't you? He was the strongest and most trusted Sangre De Reyes instructor. He used trained the Reiki Five, a group of students containing the strongest in the school."
'Dad used to be that strong?' Saint thinks to himself in awe,
"He and I used to always go on missions together, we were best of buddies back then, until… well…" His tone drifts, half to himself, before snapping back.
"Anyway. Get ready for class. I'll be there soon."
Saint nods and leaves.
…
At the classroom door, a boy peeks inside nervously.
"You good?" Saint asks.
The boy startles. "Y-Yeah."
Awkward silence lingers.
"…Do you go here?"
"Yes, I do…"
"…Alright. I'm Saint. You are?"
The boy flashes his ID instead of answering.
'Kevo. Rank 3883. Is he the highest in our class?'
"Nice meeting you, bro…" Saint mutters, then heads inside. He sits with Beyce and Ari while Kevo takes a seat at the front.
The door opens again. Taiho enters with Beretta and Brugger. He stands at the front, voice heavy.
"In exactly a month, you will compete in the annual First-Year Sangre De Reyes tournament. It's not the major tournament, that comes later. But here, you'll face other first-years, both in this class and in others."
The room stirs as students glance at one another.
"Those of you who've awakened your ability already will have an advantage. If you can awaken it before the tournament, even better. Either way, use this month to train."
A girl with a teddy bear in her arms stands.
"What are the rules?"
"No rules," Taiho says flatly.
"Fight until your opponent can't fight anymore, or until they give up. Either one works. Your rank rises with each win."
Satisfied, the girl sits.
"If that's clear, check your IDs again. Your dorms should be listed now. Go there, look around, and start training."
He claps twice, then exits with Beretta and Brugger.
…