#izusa

       Soaring in the sky sits a behemoth of a vessel, it’s sleek, bronze metallic wings rake against the clouds while its pointed nose thrusts forward.  Propelled by its ringed tail the airship makes its way towards a coastal fortress and university.  It’s towering scarred walls topped with snow while within its fortification sits a number of sprawling buildings, each ranging from dusty ancient to sparkling present.  Though once more returning to the vessel sits an excited person in a grey cloak. Bouncing and nearly jittering in their cushioned seat as they and many others gaze at the approaching settlement.  This androgynous cloaked individual was rather short, hardly reaching five feet and surrounded by a number of taller and increasingly varied passengers.  Some looked like regular humans, while others looked as if they were elements personified.  People made of plants, clouds, fire, and even space dotted about the humans around them.

But this peaceful ride was briefly stopped thanks to large thump which shook the vessel, though before long two shots rang out like thunder overhead.  Silencing the chatter in the hull as a static screech echoed from the intercom.

“Alright ya Lil’ twerps, whoever’s scared, or thinkin’ of anything worrisome, calm the heck down!” A gravelly voice grunted, “ ain’t tryin’ to have a war this close to the academy, so whoever ya are-hug somebody or somethin’!”  said the annoyed captain who grumbled something like you, Yella-belly kids, today before turning off the mic.  

     And right after that, the storm of chatter returned, as the grey cloaked individual hand snaked around a cool, galaxy patterned die.  Fondling it in their tawny hand as they slightly winced at all the noise, but still, despite all this, they still looked on with excitement as they now began their descent.  With a whine in its gears, the ship landed among a cleared out space, folding its wings into its frame as a ramp eases down.  And in a flash, the cloaked individual rushed to exit the ship but before they reached the ramp they were cut off by a boy in a jade Oni mask, stopping in their tracks as they gave a small chuckle and apologized.

“Hehe, Whoops-sorry about that, got excited, Oh! Right, the name’s Eir by the way what’s yours?”

      The boy in return only gave them a tsk, walking down the ramp, with one long rat tail flopping every way, in fact, it nearly struck Eir in the face.  Eir, now squinting in confusion and annoyance was about to give him a piece of their mind but was quickly silenced by the now shoving crowd behind them.  Now, as everyone has finally gotten off the airship, the group of teenagers now found themselves staring up at a towering, barrel-chested man who’s brown overcoat was nearly too small for his arms.  His light brown face has a jovial smile, beaming with joy among his brown-grey bush that was his beard.  And honestly, he looked messy, hair and beard were disheveled, didn’t tuck in his dress shirt, pants were too baggy, etc etc.  Fists on his hips the headmaster drew in a large breath and said,

“Welcome to The Academy future Beacons of the world,!”  he boomed to everyone’s bewilderment “Bully on you for keeping up to good fight, I hope you will enjoy your time here with fondness and memories that shall last to the end of your days!  I am headmaster Micah Ortiz! Headmaster Izusa is in the main building now, making the final preparations for your innagura-”  Seeing a tawny hand raised he paused before saying  “ah yes child, do you have a question?” he yelled at a shocked and blinking Eir.

“Uhh, Headmaster, can ya tone it down a bit, I don’t think my ears can take it” they pleaded to the now confused headmaster.

“Nonsense child, this is my inside voice! Hahaha, but if you prefer, I’ll try and lower myself to a whisper!”  Which in his case was normal talking volume, as in Eir’s mind they had a newfound fear, what the heck is his outside voice then? “Now as I was saying, your inauguration is just in front of you, now then,”  with two claps of his hands a row of floating blue flames made a path forward, leading the group towards their destination.  And as they began their march forward, Eir with stars in their eyes excitedly bounded towards the headmaster.

“Oh! Headmaster, can you do magic?!” they asked excitedly to a hearty chuckle

“Hahaha, no I’m afraid, I’m a human as well my child, I only activated the trigger, now Izusa, she is indeed a magi, so be on the look for her, if she, shows herself that is” he spoke less enthusiastically at the last part. To this answer, Eir groaned disappointingly but immediately perked up into a bit of confusion at the last statement, shrugging and just assuming the headmaster was being weird again they continued the march as the Headmaster continued to talk, almost as if he needed no air with how long he went on.  But finally, they reached the main building, it seemed like a regular university, wide brick building with beautiful Greco-Roman inspired architecture, but unlike most this too has many scars across its walls.  And around its structure were an assortment of runes, etched into the earth around it, all humming with a rainbow of magic energy, while on its flanks were two cannons and automagic guns respectively.

      Making their way through the wooden double doors, they saw a moving mural across its walls, an owl soared forward in the sky with a scroll and magic in each talon, its space patterned body leaving a multicolored trail in its arc, as jutting up from the ground stood a bi-horned lion atop a jagged cliff of rocks which transitioned into a new form. A monkey made of ink hung from its tail painting another splatter of art which revealed a flaming nine-tailed fox, growling and sneering as in its stalk, ultimately gave way to unicorn stampeding forward, blazing the path with a storm left in its wake.  Most of the people looked upon this mural with awe, as they began to follow the headmaster to the last of the blue flames, creaking open the dual doors, the headmaster ushered the students to their seats, but surprisingly, a few rows were already filled by a number of other students before.  And in Eir’s case, they got sat beside a boy with a messy Afro and skin that was black as the night sky with a blue nebula patterned across his body. He looked like an embodied, specifically the void it seemed.  His black sclera sapphire eyes gazed at Eir with brief interest before he gave them a back nod saying,

“Sup, names Orion” he said nonchalantly, his baritone voice had a slight drawl to it as he spoke

“Heya, I’m Eir, nice to meet ya, guess you’re from the south huh?”  Eir was kicking themselves for that, dang it books, why didn’t you teach me conversation skills they thought as Orion gave them a chuckle as he said

“Heheh, Naw, brah, toootally from California maaan~” he smirked playfully as Eir scoffed,

“Oh I do declare, you’ll have to forgive good sir, I had no idea” they fired back with an accent of their own, and then afterward the two began to hit it off as the loud headmaster joined a bored-looking woman.  Her skin was a deep brown and bore wood-like patterns, while in contrast her “Hair” was made of an assortment of fall colored leaves with a green vine wrapping around her head, it seems most of her hair matched the winter season as beyond this short canopy of hair are two yellow-black rams horn.  She wore a tattered patchwork hooded brown cloak and some formfitting pants with a pair of cowboy boots.  But the thing that was the most shocking about her was that she was armed to the teeth.  At her back was a hunting rifle and bow, across her waist was a utility belled with bullets, a grappling hook, a pistol, and a knife.  Oh, and she had a quiver strapped to her left thigh.

Headmaster Ortiz made his way atop the stage as he stood in front of two podiums, and five other individuals sitting on both wings of said structures.  One was made of metal, and painstakingly crafted with many details, meanwhile the other seemed to erupt from the ground in a mixture of branches, roots, and vines to make a podium made of plant life with at its base, a single arrow made of wood and vines impaled to the stage floor.

As the students began to chatter once more Headmaster Ortiz began to sigh fondly, but as he was about to say something he saw Izusa get up with a pistol in hand, eyes widening, he mouthed no, as he caught eyes with the masked headmaster who only rolled her eyes before, bang, bang two shots from her revolver rang out, silencing the kids as she motioned them towards her fellow master, who was massaging his head for a moment, whether it was from stress or the sound no one knew.

“A-ahem, thank you Headmaster Izusa, for that sporting assistance in starting things off. Children, thank you for your patience, I am sure you’re all excited to begin your time as beacons in training, or in other words, Torches.  Bully for you!  All of you are about to carry a long history on your backs, one spanning from the earliest formation of Humans and Magi, the beacons to fight against the shadows which plague our peoples since our incep-”

“Alright let’s get down to the point, what classes will y’all be?  Alchemist, Guerilla, Artificer blah blah blah” Izusa interrupted with a hand on her hip to which she saw Micah cough into his hand

“Very well put Headmaster Izusa, as you’ve just heard Beacons indeed have a number of fields, five of which to be exact which we specialize in. And now, please welcome to the stage our professors!”  One by one five teachers strolled forward, and as each person walked into the light, each headmaster traded introductions.

“Professor, Alexander Blum!”  Leaning back from his non-mic, the Headmaster motioned his arm to present a man with large wild silver locks with the strongest cheekbones you’ve ever seen across his pale, wrinkled skin.  He dressed in a black overcoat with red velvet lining. Each of his steps echoed across the wooden stage as his amber eyes stared through every student with a ruthless analysis.  

“After Mr.Grumpy over there we have, Alto Jackson, the Artificer professor” Izusa droned as with clicking heels, there now stands a middle-aged man with dark brown skin and a short cloud where his hair should be, and arcing through said black cloud were arcs of grey lightning, his relaxed sky blue eyes studied the kids with a calm smile across his face, jazzily tapping he nodded at the two headmasters as they continued

“Professor of the Guerilla class, Arthur Dutch!” Micah said as a fair-skinned man with a dust-stained black cowboy stalked forward, flipping a knife lazily in his hand before tipping his hat with a whistle in the kid’s direction. And at his side walked stood an Asian woman with a long raven braid spilling across her shoulder while she wore a flowing coat which stretched to her thighs with a  metal-plated skirt above her dark grey pants tucked into a pair of combat boots, as at her side are two blades, sheathed on her left hip.  One a katana and the other a tanto. She bore a playful grin and with a light chuckle politely waved at the students

“Professor Cahira everyone, go on Headmaster Megaphone lets get to the fun part”

“Hahahaha, very well, last but not least allow me to introduce Professor Aisha  El-Said” And after his words, a woman wearing a green hijab stood in the middle of the teachers with a pair of goggles atop her head, while the rest of her clothes were a fusion of comfortable and durable. At her waist was a collapsed jade staff flowing with magic energy.  With a booming clap, the human headmaster began to speak/yell once more,

” As my co-Headmaster said, it is indeed time for the fun part.  Our professors have made a special treat for all of you.  Thinking it not sporting to have you all choose without any incentive, they’ve decided to give you a demonstration so to speak, now then, Headmaster Izua, if you would do the honors!” smirking wickedly Izusa upholstered her rifle and shot three bullets into the air above everyone, but when they expected to hear nothing, the sound of metal getting struck whiled their head around every which way, as the sound of monstrous growling and ear-splitting cries sounded behind them as in an instant, a pack of shadows surged towards the students, appearing similar to deranged, inky black coyotes, but before even a hair of the shadows touched them, massive roots broke through the earth and ensnared the shadows, as looking upon the stage, they saw Professor Blum with a conductor stick in hand was leading the trees like a masterful orchestra.  

      And after writing in the air an orange circle of runes burned in the sky, as he took in a deep breath and blew a plume of fire towards the trapped shadow, incinerating it and the root to ashes.  Fixing his cuff-links, he stiffly raised his stick into the air as an assortment of rocked erupted above, but in an instant, the patters of feet sounded as Cahira dashed atop the newly erected rock mass, slicing one coyote in half, before instantly kicking one to the earth, rolling in the air she launched her blade towards the stunned form of the shadow as it pierced its body instantly as she gracefully landed upon the pommel of her blade, as it now sits among the inky remains of the shadow as she patted Eir on the head.

       Flicking his hat Arthur snapped his hands to his side as in between each knuckle now sat eight knives, each flowing with black-purple energy.  Throwing his blades one after another he caused each one to ricochet off the other, sending them arcing at multiple other shadows, impaling each through the head without breaking a sweat.  But right when they were about to move again, the energy encased them rapidly before they were destroyed in an instant.  It seems despite his appearance, Arthur was a void magi.  And to his left, there was Alto, digging in his tuxedo’s chest pocket he pulls out a paintbrush and dabs it twice on the paint-stained cloth on his waist, and as some shadows were about to attack some students he drew two clouds of paint in the sky and blew them forward as they surrounded the students and rained fire and lightning respectively on the shadows.