The rest of the classes passed in a haze. I felt extremely anxious as I sat in history class, jiggling my leg nervously as I gazed outside the window. The classroom wasn't much different than at Stonewall, with a high ceiling and rows of desks lined up neatly. The walls were an off white colour, making the room appear brighter than it was.

I could feel several stares shamelessly trained on me and I felt a sharp pain on the tip of my finger. Looking hazily down at the desk, I noticed I was peeling wooden splinters off the desk, the sharp end poking my skin and leaving marks on them. I gulped, hoping no one would have seen my action and pulled the sleeves of my shirt lower, struggling to hide as much of my skin as I possibly could. 

"-and that is the Theory of The End," the history teacher whose name I hadn't caught continued on. I was surprised to see that she seemed to be floating above the ground but found it too crass to ask her what she was. With her somewhat baby face and furiously red, curly hair, she looked a like a larger version of a pixie and I realized with a jolt that she may as well be.

"The theory, of course, states that when Obscura is full to the brim with the eight sins or, Achtsenza, the shadow creatures will gain enough power from the-" 

My attention drifted again when I heard unmistakable giggles. I gazed at a group of girls on the back seat from the corner of my eye. My stomach somersaulted when I realized that they were looking at me. I felt my face burning and glued my eyes to the empty notebook in front of me. I knew I would warrant questions. I hoped that curiosity was their sole reason.

"-negativity and break through the chasm. No one knows when that will be...but a second Dark War is predicted when it does happen."

I dashed out of the classroom right after class was over, afraid that some stranger would apprehend me. By the time it was noon, I was already worried about going to the mess hall. I had endured enough staring, giggling and whispering throughout the entire day. The only positive thing was that none of the teachers had introduced me or called me to the front of the class. 

Some of the subjects did seem mildly exciting, and I could appreciate that had my insides not being gnawed on by my nerves, I would have found them enjoyable. 

We went through three hours of, mathematics (which, I was admittedly surprised to find being taught at Asteria), English (nightmarish due to my limited civil vocabulary), and the theory for the morning class, which was again simply named life skills.

So far, my plan to keep my head low seemed to be working out. I toyed with the idea of skipping lunch just to avoid people, but my stomach was grumbling with hunger. I made my way to the central building. The lunch hours were divided between the students of all the five years. The students from the odd years, first, third and fifth had it from one in the afternoon and the even years from two. Another positive outcome was that I wouldn't have to face Elijah and his cronies. The bad thing was that his dire warning hadn't left my mind since that morning.

The mess hall seemed to be pretty standard. Long rows of benches and a buffet system where food was being put by disgruntled women in hairnets. I was surprised by how ordinary it seemed, somehow expecting something more significant of the academy where so many royals trained.

The food, however, was nothing like I had ever seen. There were what looked like eggs, but the yolk was an acid green colour. Something I would have strayed away from had it not been the only remotely edible looking thing on the menu. 

The food seemed strangely odourless. There were hotdogs, but with stripes on them. A bowl of what looked like oysters which were glowing. Glasses of what looked like eyeballs moving around, squelching in a sinister manner. I was fascinated,  staring at it before a voice behind me called out impatiently. "Move along, would you?" 

I turned around and saw Greenwood, staring at me warily. I stepped aside as he scooped a spoonful of the eye thing onto his plate. He was accompanied by a guy with black hair and brown eyes, who was peering at me with polite curiosity. 

The dark-haired guy was still looking at me when they moved away, leaving me feeling slightly uncomfortable. I took a seat on an empty bench. I could hear whispers around me, people stealing glances as I quickly shoved in the neon egg thing which thankfully didn't taste much different than a regular sunny side up, except that it was somehow more flavourful. Up close, the egg did have its usual odour.

I was feeling considerably more nervous as the mess hall started filling up with students and decided to ditch my lunch halfway through. My appetite was suddenly dying as I heard wisps of conversation like I had before. The panic and anxiety was mounting unbearably and the uncontrollability of it was making me feel like an indomitable void was opening up in my chest.  

The next class was titled Zoology. And I wondered if it had to do with the same thing in the mortal world as here. The Zoology classroom was located in one of the bigger classes on the second floor of the central building. I walked over to the designated room and opened the door, where much to my dismay, a girl already sat with her face buried in a thick book open in her lap. She looked up as I entered and I stood at the door, unsure of what to do.

"Hi, Ezekiel," she said and smiled kindly. "I know your name because Aris said you're a er-'' she scrunched her face as if thinking hard. "Stuck up, bitch." She completed, shrugging. "His words, not mine."

I didn't say anything, my heart racing. I had had minimal contact with girls ever since Stonewall. I had never talked to a girl whom I was not related to. I knew that 'Aris' must mean Aureus Greenwood, and the painful conversation we had had in the morning. "He's certainly generous with compliments," I said softly. 

She laughed a peal of open, honest laughter, making me feel instantly at ease. Her brown eyes lit up. "He's amazing. Once you get to know him."

I walked over to her. "Wh- wh-" I clicked my tongue impatiently, struggling to form human speech, "what's that you're reading?"
  
Her eyes shone, excitedly. "Zoology one-oh-one." 

I was glad she didn't seem to mind my embarrassing slip up. I was remembering Aidan's advice, hoping some agonizing small talk would suffice. She shut the book and showed me the vivid cover. A massive fire breathing dragon glared at me from the front. It had sinister lizard-like eyes and dirty, jagged scales protruding from its back that frighteningly reminded me of a Zverya. 

"We finally get to interact with them in the physical world this term." 

My heart, which had lightened hopefully when she had laughed, sank low again at her words. "Like...actual fire breathing dragons?" 

She smiled, her eyes shining. "Hopefully." 

"Wouldn't it be easier just to drink poison," I said sarcastically. 

"Yes," she answered, "but can you imagine my epitaph reading 'death from sore ass resulting from dragon-riding'?"

"That's infinitely braver," I laughed. "It would definitely be something to tell."

"I'm Neveah, by the way. Nia. Because who has the time?"

"Ezekiel," I said. "Zeke because it sounds cooler."

She smiled. "I have to say, you are not what I was expecting." 

I looked at her curiously. "Wha're you-er-'' I cleared my throat, almost biting my tongue at the sudden language slip before quickly glossing over it, "-were you expecting?"

"Well," she scrunched up her face again. "To be honest, I did expect you to have more piercings."
She gestured to the single black one on my left ear. "Oh, and a tattoo or two. Although to be fair even if you do, it's probably not visible right now. Oh, and also maybe, like, several chains and pendants and stuff." 

I stared at her and blinked. "Sounds like you just described some bad boy fantasy of yours,"

She shrugged. "I think you're better this way."

I could feel myself blushing as she said that, even though I wasn't sure if it was a compliment or not. 

"To be very honest, I am also really interested in the mortal world, and how things are there, you know? I've only been to it once in my entire life," she said. 

I sat beside her,  leaving a chair between us. "I haven't experienced much of it either. My school...it was kind of rigorous."

I was wary of telling her too much about anything. Especially my brief stint at the juvie. I had no reason to trust her just yet anyway. 

Her eyes widened. "Oh?" she was quiet for a while, as if deep in thought. "What about weekly or monthly visits? School trips?"

I shook my head. "Any kind of external influence or...happiness was strictly banned there." I shrugged. "Although...I guess not for everyone."

"But for you," she said, and I felt a tinge of annoyance at the understanding in her voice.

"I chose it," I said defiantly. "I didn't really have any relatives there to go to anyway."

I placed my hand on the armrest, scratching my fingernail on the wood to create the annoyingly blissful scraping sound that helped to muffle the voices in my head. Why was I telling her this stuff?

"I hope you have a better experience here, Zeke. Of course, you will." She smiled brightly. I was aware of her eyes shifting to my hand and cursed myself again, feeling frustrated. I took a deep breath and ceased scraping. 

"Just as long as you're open to stuff..." she trailed off, her voice somehow lower, as if she had sensed my anxiety.  

The door opened just as I was about to reply, and to my dismay, Aureus walked in, followed by his friend, who had a thick book identical to Nia's in his arms. He smiled and waved at her, and the pair of them walked towards us. "Er...see you," I said quickly and turned to go.

"I never thought I could ever find someone even more arrogant than Elijah. But here we are." Aris said, drawling.

"Just because someone isn't talking to you doesn't mean they're arrogant, Aris," Nia said, and I felt a rush of gratitude followed by a trickling sense of suspicion. Her kindness seemed like quicksand to me. Trying to comfort me with its softness before burying me irrevocably underneath.

"Why are you taking his side?" Aris scowled. I glanced at him surreptitiously to see his eyebrows furrowed, a disapproving frown etched on his face. "Did he already charm you with the dark magic that supposedly got him ousted from the palace?"

"Easy," the other guy said in a warning tone. 

"He said I should believe whatever I want to believe so I decided to believe it. That's it, Aahan," Aris said as I turned to face him. 

"Do you have something against me, Greenwood?" I asked with as much politeness as I could muster. I could feel my explosive anger crawling to the surface like a fiendish beast searching for an escape.

He shrugged. "Just stating facts."

I walked over to him till I was just a foot away. "If you want to know what landed me here..." I whispered in a conspiratorial voice, "I strangled one of the guards because he called me a 'stuck up bitch.'"

Aris' eyes widened as Nia burst out laughing, and even the other guy smiled. 

"Is that a threat or something?" Aris bristled, cocking one eyebrow.

I shrugged. "You wanted an answer. I gave you one."

The door opened a third time as other students started filing in. Aris glared at me once before taking a seat beside Nia. I walked back to the last bench and sat there. The professor, a lean, tall man with long, platinum hair walked in a while later as everyone murmured a greeting. 

"I am surprised to see all of you passed," he sighed as there were giggles. "No, but honestly, I am delighted with the class performance." He smiled broadly, flashing a perfect set of white teeth before continuing. His face was long, ending in a pointed chin with sharp, slanted eyes that looked like they were always on high alert. 

"This term, we will be learning something exciting as we interact with real-life animals that we have so far only read about. However, I want you all to know that it's not going to be easy. These creatures are highly sensitive, much like humans and any kind of callousness can....er...leave you with callouses."

"We will be moving to the grounds for today's class. So all of you, kindly proceed to the ground immediately." He finished. I was a little wary but excited all the same to see these creatures he was talking about. Although, admittedly, I knew zero theory, and I knew that would be a significant deterrent. 

We walked along the corridor and onto the ground, where, my heart sank, and my stomach filled with dread at sight in front of me.

Fucking dragons.

"These majestic creatures will be your challenge today," the professor said, looking unnaturally happy. He seemed to be bouncing with joy, his eyes glittering. Many of the students staggered backwards, looking wary while others, including Nia and Aris, leaned forward excitedly. 

I forced myself to study the dragon as the professor called out its various features. From what he said, it was a young dragon, merely eight feet of pure terror in height and seventy years of menace. Its body was covered in dark red scales, and its scaly reptilian face was fierce. Its eyes were green irises with dark menacing slits. His scales looked slimy, glistening malevolently under the bright sun. I gulped and took an involuntary step backwards.

"I would like one volunteer to ride this dragon around the school grounds, go to the topmost tower-'' the professor pointed to a looming tower in the distance, "-retrieve the red flag and touch back down. Now, who is up for the task?"

I was slightly alarmed that he had asked to ride a dragon in what was the first class, but then I realized, that everyone else around me had been training in Obscura since six years at least while I was still at elementary school in Stonewall. It was highly likely that they had some experience with the dragon. However, the experience might not have been pleasant since this time, almost the entire class retreated, leaving a few volunteers for the professor to select from.

"Ah, Greenwood!" he said, smiling. "Of course. Come."

Aris walked over with a confident, sure gait and stood beside the professor. 

"Now, I suggest you choose one accompanist with you, to help you retrieve the flag."

Aris smiled devilishly and much to my horror, his eyes found mine. "I think Hunt would be up to the task, sir." 

The professor smiled and nodded. "Yes, of course. Our new student-'' he looked at me curiously as my heart thudded. 

He gazed at me as if seeing a Nuvue for the first time. "Beautiful," he declared, and I stared at him as there were a few sniggers. He, however, seemed oblivious to his odd comment and beyond happy to be pushing both of us towards our plummeting deaths. "Of course, as long as he has no objections?" he asked.

I took a deep breath, facing Aris' challenging smirk, and all rationality left me as I made the worst decision of my life. "Yes. I have no objections." 

Aris' smile widened as the professor clapped his hand.

"Alright, then. I do have safety provisions in place in the worst-case scenario. Although-'' he clapped Aris on the back as he winced slightly. "It should not be an issue with Greenwood here."

Aris smiled confidently at him as there were a few cheers from the class. Reluctantly, my legs feeling like a stone, I stepped forward. My stomach twisted uneasily. The professor nodded and walked over to the dragon a few feet away. He seemed to make some hand gestures that looked like flailing and I realised to my utter shock that the dragon wasn't bound as I expected such a beast to have been. It let out a mighty roar that seemed to shatter the very skies in its grandeur. Sweltering smoke escaped its nostrils. My stomach churned, my heart leaping like a vagabond at the thundering din. 

"Oh my God, Aris, you're so brave!" a girl swooned. I glanced at her and almost scoffed at seeing her eyes filled with tears. 

"I love you, Aris!" Another girl called. 

The raven-haired guy who had been with Aris earlier burst out laughing. Aris smiled awkwardly as Nia swatted his arms. She tried to smile at me comfortingly, but I could see the dark horror beyond it that did nothing to ease mine. The professor returned, the massive dragon suddenly looking several feet higher up close. 

My heart jumped to my throat as he gave a few instructions, all of them passing right through my liquid brain. The professor nodded at me, and I walked over to the dragon, the image of the fiend suddenly flashing in my mind. The dragon suddenly stretched its massive wings, which were twice its body span, and there were screams and squeals behind me. 

"Is...is it go-go-going to fly?" I asked, horror clenching my chest. I hated that my stutter kept returning owing to my terrified heart.

"No," Aris said, his words stretched slightly and dripping with sarcasm. "He's going to skip up the building." He rolled his striking eyes, sounding exasperated. "What's wrong with you, Hunt?" 

I gulped, not replying to him as pure dread filled my blood, and my body refused to listen. I wondered if it was too late to back out, and just when I had decided to leave, Aris pulled me by my hand near the dragon, and a strong scent of burning rubber penetrated my nose, almost making me retch. I was so stunned by the dragon in front of me and the situation that I didn't even flinch away from his touch. 

He confidently set his feet on the dragon's neck and mounted it, looking comfortable. I gulped and found myself moving in slow motion as I climbed behind him, the world a sudden blur. I heard voices coming as if from the end of a long tunnel and had no idea how to hold on. The dragon reared, and I found myself clutching desperately at the protruding scales as it flapped its wings a few times. 

"Hold on to me if you don't want to die, Hunt!" 

Aris called loudly over the sudden noises of the dragon, rearing and blowing scalding air out of its nose. I barely heard him as the dragon started taking off, my body lurching into Aris', who seemed way too happy with the situation. He yelled loudly in excitement, enthralled, and to my horror, I realized that he was pleased. I didn't mind the dragon per se, but I knew it would take every ounce of strength not to scream out as it launched itself into the air. 

I clung to Aris, my dignity dissolving as the dragon took off, and a rush of cold wind slapped me in the face. The dragon picked up height as the air became more chilly. I looked down and saw the ground already far below us. 

I felt shards of ice pierce my heart.

Pure bone-chilling terror rang through me. I was hardly aware of what was going on and let my mouth open in a terrified scream, holding on for dear life as we soared sky-high.