Page 18 of Darkness Defined

They both turned to look at me. Matt appeared confused. George, however, realized almost instantly that Matt’s focus had shifted. He took advantage of his distraction to give Matt another shove, this time hard enough to push the smaller guy off his feet.

I quickly closed the distance and barely caught Matt by the shoulders in time to prevent him from crashing to the ground. The second we touched, a current of electricity jumped between us, and I nearly dropped him.

Matt looked up at me, anger burning in his blue eyes. This close, I could make out more of his features. His face was surprisingly delicate. The rage that flashed in his eyes carried to his mouth to create the best pout I’d ever seen. In short, he was a damn work of art.

Eat your heart out, Daniel. Michelangelo has a new muse.

I stared down at him with a goofy grin. “Hi there.”

Matt got his feet under him and pushed away from me. “Let go of me.”

“I was just trying to help.” My hands still tingled from where I’d touched him. I’d never felt anything like it before.

“I don’t need your help.” The words were sharp enough to cut, and my heart bled at the horrible thought that I might have just made an enemy of this stunning angel.

A woman’s voice sliced through the babble of eager whispers, still curious if there would be a fight. “If we could please stop the juvenile behavior, I’d like to start.”

I turned to find the source, hoping to glimpse the infamous teacher that had gathered us all here. To my disappointment, I didn’t find some terrifying warrior, but a young woman with red hair pulled into a severe ponytail.

The woman continued her path across the room to the front. Instinctively, I gave way. Matt, however, did not. Instead, he watched her approach with an expression I could only describe as sour. After his reaction to George, I was beginning to think my angel might have a death wish.

She slowed as she got closer to where I was still standing beside the disgruntled Matt. “I swear, Matt, a couple hours, just a couple of hours,” she hissed under her breath. His eyes narrowed, and she walked around him.

If I hadn’t of been standing so close, I would’ve missed the whole exchange. I looked back at Matt, who was scowling even deeper now. My gaze flicked back to the woman making herself comfortable at the podium at the front of the room. This was Vera Scry? She certainly didn’t look like a hardened murderer capable of wiping out whole towns. Night. She was barely older than the rest of us.

“Alright,” she began, her voice filling the room. “I’m sorry I’m late. Apparently, nothing around here knows how to run without constant supervision.” The undercurrent of resentment bordered on being an outright scathing rebuke. She stopped a moment, as if to check herself. Then, after a deep breath, she started again in a more professional tone.

“I would like to welcome you all to Arminius University. As many of you have either guessed or already know, I am Vera Scry. I’ll be leading your classes for the most part. However, your curriculum will also include a variety of topics that go beyond just the study of your demonic powers. Your first semester will comprise Demonic History, Intro to Shadow Magic, as well as Battle Tactics.” There were several high fives around the room.

I raised my hand.

“Yes?”

“Why? The others I understand. But why Battle Tactics? The Rebellion is over.” I’d read it on the curriculum earlier and naturally assumed it was a mistake.

“I’m glad you asked. While we don’t condone violence, we also recognize that each demon has their own strengths and weaknesses. As you’ll learn, power levels with demons are broad with dramatic differences separating the levels, more so the closer you get to being an Original or level one. The priority of this semester is to determine where your strengths lie so that we can help them flourish. Understandably, some of you may excel in practical applications, whereas others might need more… structure.”

It could have been my imagination, but it sounded like that last bit was for Matt. A glance at him proved he believed so as well.

“Now, can anyone tell me why we’re here specifically?” She gestured to the room itself.

“To learn how to be total bad asses,” someone offered, followed by snickers around the room.

Vera’s jaw clenched. “Any other thoughts?”

I waited to give someone else a chance, then raised my hand again.

“Yes.”

“Mysterio College is for the study of obscure magicks. Shadow Demon lore has been outdated and misrepresented for centuries. In addition, we’re here to learn control and make sure our kind don’t die out because of unfulfilled potential.” I might have read the brochure… a few times.

“Very well said. To be clear, while the study of your powers may have been what brought you here, you will still be expected to maintain grades in all of your studies. This will include standard scholastic topics as well. Battle tactics may be fun, but you still need arithmetic and linguistics to succeed in this world.” There was a collective groan. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll live. Probably,” she added as an afterthought.

I blinked. Surely, she wasn’t suggesting that some of us might die.

“I’m going to give you the rest of the day to get settled. Sadly, I wasn’t able to have you all housed in the same dormitory. Best I could swing was having each of you room with at least one of your classmates. Your schedules will coincide to ensure that, no matter what, you have someone readily available to rely on. As your powers develop, they may also become more volatile and unpredictable. It’s paramount to have a safety-buddy, if you will.” She chuckled. Personally, I didn’t think the fact that we were all at risk of going violently insane was all that funny.

“Anne will provide your room assignments,” Vera continued, as if our possible demise was par for the course. “Once you know your destination, you can make your way across the lawn to the set of dormitories on the other side. Be advised, the dorms are co-ed and not exclusively demonic. I expect all of you to behave yourselves.” Snickers rippled through the room. Vera pointedly ignored them and went on. “Student Affairs will take care of placing your things in your rooms. They should be waiting for you by the time you arrive. Thank you all for being here. I’ll see you next Monday,” she finished, stepped aside, and vanished.