Etherscript 01
"Step in." Following this order, a young male dragon walked over the low table in the hall for the occasion, and took seat. In front of him, at the other side, an older dragon was sitting. This was the Head of the House The table had been disposed near the back of the room. Behind the older dragon, a banner donning the crest of the house, the Wing of The Dragon, hung on the wall. Behind the younger dragon, and occupying most of the space in the room, an audience of invitees watched. Inside the training hall of the Tenkeith family, a very important ceremony that was held only once a year was occurring. Though as far as tradition went, this one ceremony was from it. This is because, strictly speaking, two different ceremonies were being held at the same time and both incorrectly. For the first one, the Blessing, there was an excess of spectators. For the second one, the Recognition, the date had been pushed ahead for months. Normally, this would upset the most conservative ones, but this time no one had the intention to object. This high and special was regarded the young dragon who was being celebrated. At the center of the table was a white wood bow which was used of the Blessing. Each house had its own lecture method, and this was the one of the Tenkeith House. Until now, the hall had been in silence, but when the Head raised his arm even the invitees' whispers of breathing seemed to cease. He held it in level to the ground and towards the bowl. "A pact is a pact. A pact of time. A pact of life. As promised first, promised last. The saplings of spring shall bloom under the sky and the enemies shall burn towards the earth. A connection has been done. Open the door of beginning and show us what is reflected on your eyes. Tenkeith's Blessing..." The Head started to whisper. His voice was so low that maybe only the ones in the front rows could hear his words, but that was of no importance to him. He wasn't speaking for them, not even for the one at the other side of the table. He spoke for the Guardian of his House. Water started to spring from the thin air and flow downwards to the bowl in a gracious manner. This wasn't the humidity recollected from the atmosphere or anything near that. This water was being creates from the nothing. Or at least, this expression is what describes it best. When the bowl was almost to the brim the water stopped, and the Head lowered his arm and used it to push the bowl towards the younger dragon. It was his turn now. Instructions were not needed for he already knew what to do. He grabbed the bowl with both hand and carefully drank from it until only half of its contents remained. Then he returned it to the table. He took his hand to his mouth and bit his middle finger, tearing the scales and drawing blood. Raising his hand over the bowl, he let some red droplets fall. The Blessing is a divination ceremony. Using the water cast by the Guardian and some blood a glimpse of the future can be seen, a fortune. But this only serves as a sort of guide, since this future can be changed. This is the reason why during the Blessing normally there are no spectators, since this fortune could be considered as something private, plus they were unnecessary. But from the fact that a public was present it could be deduced that this young man had no qualms as to share his fortune and it was actually the opposite. This is a dragon that has complete confidence in his bright future after all. Retrieving his hand, the young looked down to the bowl. The blood floated on the surface without mixing with the water and swirled. The fortune is given in two parts. The first one is a prediction, a specific event in the future; this is showed as crimson figures in the water's surface. Next is the way, a dream which shows how the event can or not come. The blood started to take shape, one that the young dragon recognized as himself. This is actually a recurrent instance. It was a view of his profile. His double remained unmoving as more blood swirls looked like they were rising to the top of the scene. One of them suddenly expanded, as if it had exploded, in a sharp figure and shot towards 'him'. The young dragon's eyes widened as he observed his double being pierced through the chest by that crimson lance. What came next, the shapes dispersed over the surface and the blood started to dissolve in the water. He observed for a brief moment how the pink eddies disappeared before turning to the one in front of him and who had watched all, the Head, and also his grandfather. The adult dragon regarded him with a face that revealed nothing, and he got what his grandfather meant. He had to act as if nothing had happened. The invitees in the front rows probably had noticed something from their seat and he couldn't do much about it, but thankfully these were his immediate family and the most trusted disciples of the House. But for the rest, where some had come from another House, he couldn't let them now. He couldn't put the House in a disadvantaged position. He erased any trace of uncertainty from his face, though for this he had to clench his fists under the table until his wound bleed plentifully and stained his palm. The pain also helped to clear his head and he realized the rest of what his grandfather had told him without words. The misfortune isn't absolute; the prediction is merely the most probable result of a string of actions, and as long as he followed the 'correct way' he could evade it. This wasn't something he couldn't do, he was certain, and he even started to see it as a trial of sorts. This would prove definitively his worth. Looking firmly to the Head's eyes he asked him wordlessly to continue. Next was the Recognition, the one he had been looking forward to, and he would be become a Nexus.
Monday at school and the bell for lunch period ran. The young dragon gathered his belongings and rose from his seat. Despite the situation he found himself in, he had paid proper attention to his classes, and any insinuation that something like that might interfere with his duties would be insulting. But now that his mind was not busy with study the frustration invaded him. Past Friday, the day the ceremony had been held, he had succeeded to keep secret his prediction from the other guests. They accepted that, for everyone knew how personal it could be. However for him, who had been the one who had asked them to be present to witness it, that came as an embarrassment. His parents had noticed something had gone wrong, as he had thought. He didn't lie to them and had to calm them down afterwards. His grandfather backed him up there, saying that in cases like this the way showed how to evade the misfortune. The dream of that night was now the source of his frustration though. Opposite to the prediction and the shapes on the water, the way's dream was harder to make sense out of it and the next morning he didn't even remember it! He had been told that he would dream it again, and each time it would become clearer, but he found that simply aggravating. He hadn't the time for the Guardian's games, not that he actually knew when the prediction would happen. Last night he had had the dream again, clearer just like he had been told, and had recognized two figures. One was a creature with an elongated body and black and golden scales which he remembered to have seen before. After searching on his family old documents he found it to be the said-to-be ancestor of actual dragons, a ryuu, or ancient dragon. Next to the ancient dragon, a white bird. The two of them flew in what was still a black expanse to him. Not knowing how to interpret the dream, his grandfather had told that the best way to decipher the way was to assimilate it and trust your instinct. Trying that, he came to the conclusion that the ancient dragon represented him; the fact that both shared the same color of scales was proof of that to him. The bird troubled him though and not because he had no idea of what, or rather who, it represented. He still had no idea why the two of them were flying next to the other, but his instinct told him that 'he' wasn't being hostile. Actually, the scene's atmosphere looked friendly-like. But if he had to be cruelly honest, that only made it harder to him. If his death depended on being close to that person, it could as well be said that he already had one foot in the grave. "Boss!" Someone was readily waiting for him at the exit of the classroom. Two other students from the same class had been following behind him too. The one who had called the young dragon boss was a doberman. His complexion was lean but strong, with a face that, unluckily for him, could only be best described as mean. The other two were a pair of lion twins who had been in the same class as the dragon since the first year. Turning to his right, he walked with a pace a little faster than usual, the other three following closely. He had decided that to wait for his dream to become clearer would do nothing and, since he was sure who the bird was, he might as well do something now. "Rey!" But a feminine voice stopped him. If front of him, a group of female students had appeared. It was made exclusively of students from classes A and B, he recognized. "Rey, are you going to the cafeteria? Why don't you come with us? We brought lunch boxes and we have enough food for everyone." A golden retriever, who had took the role of spokeswoman, asked with in cheerful tone. Then Rey was subjected to an attack of multiple expectant eyes, but he had not time for that. He intended to refuse them but someone else spoke first. "Of course, you guys are invited too." A female doberman appeared from the back, putting her arm around the male doberman in a familiar --and somewhat mainly-- hold. She had said this in a teasing manner, but since her eyes were on the retriever girl it was clear that her target were not the boys. "Of-Of course. We would never think of inviting only Rey!" For the sake of these cute girls, it must be noted that such idea, indeed, had not crossed their minds. The female doberman observed the slightly flustered retriever with a shamefully blissful expression, while the male doberman watched the female with an exasperated face which actually looked more like a scowl. He didn't shook his head because he had long ago grew out of it. Instead, he turned towards his boss. "What do you say, Boss?" The last word was for Rey. He found it was harden to refuse the invitation now that his subordinates had been expressly invited too. But if that was the case, maybe he could use it to his plans. "All right, we accept. I have a matte to attend first so you go ahead." "Then, we'll go with you..." "No need. You may start without me as well." It seemed the doberman had wanted to go with him, but Rey turned him down and walked away before the dog, or anyone else, could say another word. The school's main building had a layout that resembled an H. While classrooms A to D were in the same corridor the ones for classes E to H were in a different section, the one at the other side of the building actually. As he crossed the hallway that connected both sections, Rey saw a student he knew well coming down the stairs from the third floor and he called for him. "Ren." The white shark lifted his sight and, recognizing who it was, turned towards the students who were accompanying him and said his farewells before joining the dragon. This one spoke again once they turned the next corner. "Don't you have work to do?" This question might come as sort of rude for most ears, but for Ren who knew the dragon since a long time, the unspoken 'is okay for you to come?' was there. "It's okay. All of us were going to the cafeteria, so it was easier to go together. But you, where's Thomas?" "I am looking for someone." Ren didn't inquire further and just followed the dragon. As they walked through the north section's corridor, everyone there couldn't help but turn and stare. This was the same all the way to class H, which was the one at the end of the corridor. When they stood outside the classroom, all the students that remained inside stopped whatever they were doing and turned towards them. Truth to be told, for the students of class H, a class know as the lightblood class, it came as no little surprise to see two students from heavyblood classes at their door. Especially the 'King' of the school and the president of the Student Body Council. Rey surveyed the room but didn't find the person he was looking for. Involuntarily, this made him frown slightly and this seemed to snap the stunned students out of their surprise. A petite mouse girl approached him with haste. "Go-Good Morning. Ho-How may I be of assistance?!" The little mouse spoke with no little nerves and then bowed deeply. Probably, she was too nervous to remember that, normally, one would hide this, or that one bows before the greeting. "You don't have to be so nervous." Taking pity on the petite girl, Ren tried to ease her with an encouraging smile. He knew that kind of behavior would not fare well with his dragon companion. "Ye-Yes..." But his work actually had a contrary effect. Opposite to most of his race, Ren had a comforting air to him. Moreover, he was a quite handsome young man. Being smiled upon by someone like him, it was no wonder that this girl --as well as the rest inside the classroom-- was left dazed. "Where is Danell Winters?" Not wanting to spend more time needlessly, Rey asked. "Ah! I... He left with Professor Nickels to the teacher's room!" With his answer, he turned and took way. It was inconvenient, but Rey didn't find surprising that that person was at the teacher's room. He should've thought it first actually. Danell Winters held the best average in their year and had become somewhat popular among the teachers to the extent that he had being invited to visit the teacher's room freely. "Do you have business with him?" He had stayed behind to thank the mouse girl, but as soon as Ren caught up to the dragon he asked with a somewhat interested tone. "There is something a want to ask him." "... Did something happen?" With a side-glace, Rey regarded his companion questioningly. He thought there was nothing that hinted at anything, but he had come to realize the white shark was keener than most people. Nevertheless, he deemed the question was just a follow up regarding his search for Danell Winters. "Nothing. You should be more concerned with yourself. I believe the student council must be busy very busy this week." "No kidding. We finished most of the reports before finals, but now we have our hands and paws full just with the graduation ceremony next friday. I definitely won't be president next year." As Ren just followed with the conversation, it seemed he had been right. They didn't take long to reach the teacher's room and, conveniently for Rey, the one they were looking for was standing in the corridor speaking with Professor Nickles, a horse. It was this one who noticed them first and the other person, noticing the change in the professor's attention, looked back. Both, dragon and human, stared at the other, eye to eye, at least briefly until Danell shifted his gaze to the shark. When they reached to others, Rey deemed proper to greet the teacher first. "Good day, Mister Nickels." "Good morning, Professor Nickels, Danell." "Good morning to you two." Ren decided to greet both, and mister Nickels retuned it. Danell didn't say anything and just nodded as if doing a slight bow. It is worth to mention, that Rey had intended to greet Danell properly too after mister Nickels. But with the way things had developed, he felt that proceeding with it would do more harm than good to his cause. "Then... Do you need something from me?" Maybe because he had been staring at Danell, mister Nickels had decided to interject, probably misunderstanding him. "No, sir. Actually, I am here to invite Winters to have lunch with us. If you have not had anything yet you may join us." "I'd rather not." Just as one was invited the other was turned down, and both surprised their respective companions. Ren was surprised that the dragon had invited Danell to lunch. Mister Nickels was surprised that Danell had refused the invitation from Rey, and in such deadpan way. Rey's eyes hardened, something that seemed didn't go unnoticed by the teacher because he interjected again. "Mister Winters. You can go and have lunch with your friends if you want." "That's not it. I simply don't want go with him. And we're not friends." Rejecting the idea again, Danell spoke calmly as if he was explaining something he had read in a book. On the other side, behind the stoic face of Rey, a vein started to throb. Luckily for the four of them, they were the only one in the corridor at that moment. "Then, with your permission." And with this Danell retired to inside the teacher's room. Mister Nickel was too late to say anything before the door closed, though he actually didn't knew what he could have said. He turned to the other students and even though the dragon looked calm and regal on the outside, a pressure seemed to come from the young man that made him sweat, figuratively speaking. "Excuse me. I hope you have a good day, sir." And with that Rey turned and walked away before anyone could add a word, not caring much if the shark who had come with him followed.