By: Rhenhwa_est_Empero
Horsemen of the Beyond
Chapter 2: Entrance II
****
Inside the Auditorium,
Yosen National-Affiliated College,
As they stepped into the grand auditorium. Damian, Shane, and Kaiden swept their eyes over the elegant and spacious space.
"Still as impressive as the day we came here."
"Ho? It's rare for Damian to give praises like this."
Damian turned over to Shane, crossing his hands and nudging his head indignantly to the inside.
"They deserve the rare praise, no?"
Surely they did.
Yosen High.
Commonly known as National-Affiliated, it has earned its reputation due to its name and its affiliation with the nation.
Since the old era, the world had split into four boundaries.
North, East, West, and South.
Throughout that, seven continents became their domain. Three belonging to a group commonly referred to as National-Affiliated.
One was to be graced to the "faithful," and the remaining two were to those who would come to be known as 'Beyonders.'
"Haah. Formality is such a pain."
Shane said that, gesturing to the seaters scattered across the grand auditorium, resembling that of a high-end theatre more than a simple auditorium.
After a second.
Kaiden, who had been oddly silent the entire time, suddenly lifted his head buried in the book to look at Shane, one Damian away.
"Regardless, if you have it in mind that Yosen isn't the only nationally affiliated school, you have to wonder how much assistance they dish out."
Tilting his glasses upwards, Kaiden said that, all the while walking to the spot Damian led them to station at.
"Hahaha, with their technology, never mind spreading assets thin, a mere Yosen could be reconstructed ten times over."
With a raised finger, stating the obvious, Shane glanced over to Kaiden with a smirk.
They sat in a row near the edge of the raised platform that formed a semicircular arc.
The auditorium was divided into two sections:
The grounded floor, where most students sat, and an extended platform above, offering a higher view of the stage.
"Supernatural plus technology. Somehow, the people called 'Affiliated' have managed to combine those two together."
"Hence, with their current set, trust me, it's possible."
Having surfed the internet,
No, it was more than just that; surfing the net wouldn't guarantee one that level of information.
Damian and Kaiden glanced at Shane, who now cryptically looked forward with a smile on his face.
"I see. Indeed, it's a good mix."
Propping his elbow on the armrest and then his head on it was Damian, who said that.
Of course, he wasn't really interested in these types of things.
"That aside, what about Lucas?"
Settling in comfortably, now with a leg propped over the other, looking at other students who also filed in below to take a spot, he asked.
"With Big Bro's recommendations, I doubt he'll take the assessments. Ah! By the way, on paper, I made him a distant relative of ours."
Shane, having said that, earned a satisfied nod from Kaiden. Who then looked over to Damian with a glazed expression.
"Regardless, I thought Lucas's gut is the type you dislike."
"Fool. Be it as it may, that guy IS our distant relative. Though we aren't blood related."
Kaiden slightly raised his eyebrows before softly nodding at Damian's words, then burying his head back into his book without another word.
"Tsundere Damian?"
"Shane, I'll kill you."
Flopping his head over and dropping his hands, Damian turned to Shane, who shook his head.
"You just admitted it. Tough but soft-hearted for those you care for. I don't hate it, you know."
Mirroring Damian, but with his right elbow on the chair and his elbow propped over, Shane flashed a grin at his twin brother.
"Haah. Whatever."
With a soft sigh, resting his head back softly against his hands was Damian, who dismissed Shane. No good will come out of arguing with the nutcase of a twin brother.
Still, there was one whom Damian had the most pity for.
That eldest brother of theirs.
As a freshman representative, he was required to join, a responsibility that had fallen to their eldest brother.
Rock-paper-scissors might've been a dumb way to decide, but Shane and Kaiden weren't about to do it.
And he, on the other hand, hadn't cared in the first place. Well, in the first place, it all started with a stupid bet they'd made upon moving to town.
Now, Damian had to admit, it was kind of stupid.
Or was it?
Without a clear thought in mind, Damian leaned back, eyes closed, while Kaiden and Shane did whatever they wanted.
Like that,
As they did so. Slowly, time ticked away as more students filed in, and by ten minutes before the first orientation, the auditorium was packed.
Chatters and noises of students filled the atmosphere.
"Uwaaah! I'm so happy to have been accepted."
"Jess! We both got accepted."
"Kyaaa!"
"I get to be a Yosen student; this is a dream come true."
Like that, the chatters continued, and sure enough, even some staff had begun to file in through the door on the wall by the two sides in front.
«Attention, please! Attention, please. All freshmen should make their way to the auditorium now.»
The static noise of the PA system resounded following the staff's entry.
"Guys, it's almost time."
Shane addressed his brother with slurred words, glancing at the podium where about two staff lingered.
Damian, on the other hand, cracked one eye open and glanced around before closing it back again.
While Kaiden, however, didn't seem to care, with his face still deep in his book.
"..."
Well, it was just like them.
Each and every one of the four of them, if nothing interested them, would always drift into their own world.
Soon, a striking black-haired woman walked onto the stage.
"A staff?"
"That clothing, though."
It was a female staff member, wearing a sleek black suit with a matching skirt just above her knees, exuding a professional presence.
"Silence, everyone!"
Upon taking the podium, her voice resounded across the entire auditorium, instantly killing whatever chatter remained.
At a glance, rather, at her words. Almost everybody could tell how stern that voice sounded.
"We will now begin freshman orientation…"
So it began.
From staff to staff, speech dragged on with the usual rhetoric they had heard countless times.
Nevertheless, despite having heard this multiple times. Perhaps this was because it was a new chapter in their lives; many sat through the speeches.
"Though the world has entered an era of peace, of course humanity's goal remains the same."
Yes. Many years ago, a cataclysmic event happened, and through that, the world changed in numerous ways.
"Preserve the World. Preserve humanity and eliminate the threats from the beyond."
Despite this being true in most cases. Humanity oftentimes proves to be its greatest enemy.
Upon the threats and dangers that loom above humanity, some then misuse their powers, and others, unable to awaken, fear those they could neither comprehend nor control.
"And this is our duty. To raise you all as upstanding, solid soldiers and citizens, as our next generation."
"With my speech ending, let us welcome the twenty-ninth student president of Yosen National-Affiliated College."
Excitement stirred through the auditorium as she stepped aside, making way for the Student Council to take the stage.
At front was a young woman whose beauty left the hall in stunned silence.
Long, straight black hair framed her face, and azure eyes gleamed beneath her bangs.
She wore a pristine white uniform with gold buttons, a dark blue tie adorned with three golden stars, and a pair of white gloves.
Draped over her shoulders was a cape-like trench coat, completing the regal look.
"Whoa, she's gorgeous!"
"I think I'm in love already!"
"I'm so glad I enrolled here."
"Idiot. You really think you have a chance with her?"
"Hey, let a man dream!"
The crowd buzzed with admiration, some clapping and wholeheartedly cheering, and others with their more... questionable fantasies.
"Haha… They are really enthusiastic."
Amidst the chatters, Shane raised an eyebrow from the back row while eavesdropping on most conversations.
Most of them came from the boys to begin with, so it wasn't all that surprising. Glancing to his immediate left…
Of course his brothers still weren't focused. Yet, he was dead sure of it that they were spatially aware of everything that was going on.
Regardless,
"I want to extend a warm welcome on behalf of the entire student body to all of you embarking on your journey at this prestigious institution…"
"My name is Eira Seiraville."
With a soft tone and dreamy voice, yet authoritative and confident, she began delivering her speech.
Naturally, for someone like Shane, this was nothing more than torture. They really must like speeches, huh? He thought.
But still, it was the natural procedure they have always undergone. Yet, that didn't make it less annoying when it was dragging on for entire hours.
"Moving on, it is my pleasure to welcome the Freshman Representative of the twenty-ninth year. Enma Creed."
The student president, having finished her speech, announcedthe continuation of the speech from the freshman representative.
Some clapped politely; others didn't.
This in itself was a clear contrast to the earlier attention they'd given the staff and the student president.
"Affiliated and their power struggle."
Shane muttered half-lidded with a smile plastered on his lips. And if Damian and Kaiden had expressed disinterest, now they expressed interest.
With Damian being first, propping open one eye, still resting his head on his arm, which was propped against the chair.
Kaiden, lowering his book the slightest, watched as their eldest at a snail's pace made his way to the podium.
"What's he doing?"
"He has no choice."
Shane laughed, his head slipping from his hands, as Kaiden sighed, adjusting his glasses that slipped from his frame.
"Sorry, you must take the fall, and I blame Shane for this."
"I wasn't the one who initiated the original bet."
Them aside,
On stage, Enma stood tall, though his naturally laid-back demeanour made it seem effortless, as he began his speech.
"It is my honour… to serve as the Freshman Representative… of this prestigious class. As we embark on this new chapter…"
As the speech dragged on, Shane leaned back in his chair.
"Hm~"
With a hum, he directed his gaze about, his eyes glowing golden for the briefest of moments. Then slowly, his lips parted into a slight sardonic grin.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like the National-Affiliated Families are fond of us."
National-Affiliated Families.
To simply put it, they are big families that operate directly under the association of the National-Affiliated.
One could think of the nation as an empire, with the ones on top of that being the Four Cardinal Groups as emperors.
And families working directly under them, depending on how high their position is, are referred to as nobles.
Or in other words… National-Affiliated Families.
While they don't have any say in most national affairs, encompassing the three great continents, their influence is undeniable.
For the Creeds, who were outliers in the National-Affiliated Families carefully curated world, it was no surprise most families harboured some sort of disdain for them.
That said, it was as simple as ever here.
Here, power dictated respect. If you have the power, you get respect in return. 'Of course certain stuck-up people would like to differ.'
Shane mused.
"Mhm. I can't say I'm satisfied with those eyes of theirs. Perhaps they need some adjustments there."
To Damian's words, Shane simply let out soft laughter in agreement with Damian. However, there was no need to go that far.
With Enma's speech ending, the orientation was wrapping up.
Three Hours.
That was what it took. Three hours of never-ending speech; however, even with that ending, the 'orientation' wasn't over yet.
Students were to reach the Student Office to collect their identification cards as well as their class placements.
The identification cards especially were essential since they needed them to grant them access to various facilities across Yosen's grounds.
Class placements, on the other hand, weren't hard to check. There were several holographic screens positioned around the Academic Grounds.
By simply checking, one can get their placements. And now… three of the five Creeds found themselves in a peculiar situation.
"Well, well, well, of course we're in the same class."
"I guess… This school is more hierarchy-based, despite how it may look."
In the end, it all came down to this.
The class was the same typical classroom, spacious, with tables and desks about. Others were scattered across the classroom since their numbers were few.
It was obvious that this class was reserved for the people who had been deemed 'special' by the boards of the school.
Reluctantly, the Creed Brothers qualified for this rank.
"But Shane, you incorrigible fool, disappear from my sight at once."
"Dear brother, it pains me to hear you speak that way."
"I simply don't want you near me."
"Oh, come on, what have I ever done to you, dear brother?"
To Shane's words, the tanned-skinned male, Damian, snarled at the golden-eyed male. It was a gaze that seemed to plead otherwise to his twin brother's words.
"I don't want to interfere, but Shane, you are incorrigibly annoying."
Kaiden interrupted, adjusting his glasses, his attention still fixed on his book.
Whatever held his interest so deeply eluded even Shane, and he had long given up trying to figure it out.
"Even you think so little of me? What do my brothers take me for?"
Shane's lips twitched, but his brothers simply shook their heads.
Among them, for alleged reasons, he was silently regarded as the worst, which actually was for justified reasons.
Take Lucas Creed, for example. Though he had recently begun to live with them, their history went way back and, in a way, was actually related.
And due to certain circumstances, Lucas had ended up as one of them.
Normally, the official process would have taken weeks, yet Shane had handled everything in days without even leaving his room.
They had long since stopped questioning his connections.
In fact, Damian suspected Shane was secretly running an underground organisation. And if he was?
None of them would be surprised.
Nor would they care.
That was just how it is. In fact, they would support him, no questions asked. It is the same with all of them.
Silence reigned in the class for a few more moments before the sliding door to the class was opened, and coming from it was a female.
Dark blue hair framed her face, cascading down her back. Her beauty was undeniably sharp yet effortless.
She wore a crisp white shirt tucked into black trousers, not to mention her rigid posture, alongside the longsword hanging by her waist.
In all, she was striking.
… Or at least, she would have been if not for the stern expression etched onto her face. At the very least, that's what Shane thought as he observed her.
"Settle down, class. Time for the second half of our orientation."