Class 8

Once upon a time, the division between the different ethnicities of the human race brought about the first war. Frustrated by this inequality, the lower class decided to summon a powerful deity to their realm, thinking they could use it as a weapon to defeat the upper class and bring justice. However, contrary to their expectations, this deity, now free from his deep slumber, was filled with vengeance and went on a rampage, leaving nothing behind. Realizing their mistake, they feared for their lives and their world. They had no other choice but to pray to the Goddess for forgiveness. She, not wanting to lose any more realms to war, heeded their prayers and sent eight holy guardians to aid the mortals. After months of endless fighting, the eight holy beings won the war, sealing away the deity who had once been punished by the Goddess herself. Now 200 years have passed, and nobody knows what happened to the eight heroes.

Therefore, the year was 1905, on the continent of Uriela. Summer was at its peak. This is also where the famous Academy, known for its prodigious students, hired a new teacher, who decided to change the rules for her own class. It would be known as Class 8, consisting of eight odd students chosen by the teacher.

August 1, 1905 (Noah's pov)

It was the morning assembly for the new year. All students were outside in line, listening to the principal speak. How exciting! Who would have thought that Ella and I, two people from the countryside, would be chosen to be here? Usually, this academy only accepts talented people of noble birth. To have people like us here... was unheard of.

"Congratulations on your enrollment in this wonderful Academy Amaryllis. May the Goddess bless you all," said the principal, finishing his orientation speech. "Now, here are the teachers who will teach you everything you need to know this year."

The instructors approached the stage, facing us. One by one, they called the names of their students who would be in their classes. Ella and I exchanged nervous glances, wondering which class we would be in and who we would be with for the rest of the year. We were anxious to meet our classmates. After a couple of minutes, a gorgeous woman with long red hair and emerald eyes approached the microphone. She looked so graceful.

"Hello, my name is Eri Armstrong. L. Arthur is not present now, therefore, I will call the names of the students who will be in class 8," she explained in a sweet yet solemn voice. "Please, when you hear your last names, come and join me onstage. We have... Aphelion... Umbra... Hart... O'Neil... Madden... the Lowkhee siblings, and finally, Angelus."

As we all went onstage to face the rest of the students, I was surprised by their nasty stares. They began to whisper while glancing us up and down. I expected that much, but not to this level. This year might be a long one. They looked mad as if we didn't belong here. Or that we didn't deserve to be there. To them, we might as well be dirt under their shoes. Known as lowlifes.

"Okay, then follow me," Eri said, leading the way.

As we arrived at an empty classroom, obviously too big for only eight students, it was strange yet exciting. Were we special? Eri gestured for us to take a seat wherever we pleased. I couldn't help but glance at my classmates. Were they noble? The only ones, other than Ella and me, who appeared normal were the siblings. They seemed particularly odd-looking to be noble. Hmm, I wonder if we will all get along?

"Hey No-no" whispered my childhood friend.  "I hope that... we'll have a good year. I'm stressing a bit,  yah knows."

"Yah, I feel you. Don't worry, everything will be alright. I'll stay by your side... and besides remember, we need to achieve our goals," I responded.

The atmosphere was really awkward. Nobody was talking except, of course, for the siblings. Besides that, we were all glancing at each other, analyzing whether we truly belonged there. Eri stared at her watch.

"Your instructor is on her way."

Within a few seconds, we could hear footsteps approaching. All eyes were on the door. I wondered what he would look like? What kind of teacher would he be? What would he teach us? I had too many questions on my mind, when slowly the doorknob started to turn and the door opened… I guess it's safe to say that all of us were dumbfounded when we realized that… it wasn't a he, but a SHE! What a strange name for such a magnificent woman. Now that I think about it, it was my first time seeing two splendid women in my life!

"Hey! Hey!" Said Ella, snaping her fingers at me. "Can you stop drooling? Pervert!" She said annoyed.

Our instructor, L. Arthur, had beautiful, buttery brown skin. It was my first time seeing this kind of skin color; it was truly unique.  And she had long, wavy pink hair. She quietly smiled at us. So she's the one who sent Ella and me a letter inviting us here—why? Did she do the same thing with the others?

"Perfect. Hi, my name is Lady Arthur. You may call me Ms. Arthur or Ms. L. I'll be your homeroom teacher. Eri is... let's say she's my assistant here," she explained while sitting on her desk. "I know this might be new for you all. Let me illustrate your school life. Monday to Friday, you'll have classes. Saturday and Sunday will be your days off. Every month, you'll have a special curriculum. Hence, you have history, training, math, technology, and other classes. Eri will give you your schedule.

Five days of school? In my village, we were lucky to have even one day. Above all, I never had those classes except for math. If I can become like my mom, I'm willing to give it my all! All those who doubted me will see. Ms. L. Arthur clapped her hands together while getting up. "Okay, enough about that. Please follow us."

Following their lead, they guided us to an empty, silent field filled with training mannequins. Ms. L. Arthur and Ms. Eri began to grin suspiciously. What were they planning?

"Okay, you might be wondering why we brought you here. Well, the answer is simple. I want each of you to tell me your name, where you're from, your weapon, your class, your skills, and your goals," said our instructor. "Who will go first?"

"Me!" I exclaimed excitedly. "My name's Noah O'Neil. I'm from the village of Yorgos. I use a sword. I'm a Magicknight. My skill are physical attack and steorra magic. My dream is to become a well-known police officer, colonel, or lieutenant like my mom. I want to prove to my village that even a nobody like me can achieve his dream. There is more to life! Why limit ourselves? Cop is justice!"

"Pfft! What a joke," mumbled the green-haired guy with round glasses. "Cop is justice? What a load of nonsense."

Arg! He pisses me off! What was his deal? Was he judging my goal? Who does he think he is? A know-it-all?

"Next!" said Ms. L. Arthur.

Ella took a deep breath before speaking. "My name's Ella Madden. I'm from the same village as Noah. My weapon is a staff. I'm a healer/priestess. My skills or magic is water. My dream is to show my mother and the other girls in my village that we can do what men can. And also... I... I ahhh never mind! I can't say it yet!" she said, blushing.

Ella could be weird sometimes. The third to speak was the goth-looking girl. She had ear length, flowing purple hair. Her facial expression appeared sorrowful, and she had a really nice figure... a D-cup. "My name's Emma Umbra. I'm from Melaina village. My weapon is a wand. I'm a necromancer. My power is dark magic. I don't have a dream yet; however, I want to learn new things and explore the world I couldn't. That's all."

What?! She doesn't have any dreams? How can she live without them? After a few seconds, it was the turn of the guy with plenty of piercings on his face. He had really short pink hair styled into a mohawk. He is tall, and he has this annoying grin. "Yo, my name's Mc-Jazz Lowkhee. I'm from the village of Katsuki. My weapon is a double-bladed staff. I have two classes; one is a healer, and the other I'm not allowed to say... yet. My magic power is fire. Honestly, I don't have any dreams or goals. I just want to live a carefree life without stress."

Hmmm, looking at him, he doesn't seem like someone who stresses. He appears relaxed to me. Besides that, he has such a weird name; it doesn't match him.

"My turn! My turn!" said the girl with clown makeup, waving her hand. Her face was painted white. She has beautiful icy blue eyes, though she was flat as a wall, sadly. "I'm Mimi Lowkhee. I'm from Katsuki, too. My weapons are two chakrams. I'm an alchemist mage. My magic power is pretty much any element. My goal is to be the best alchemist!" she explained excitedly.

What an odd pair of siblings. However, for now, none of those who presented themselves were nobles. What a relief.

"My name's Lee Aphelion, I'm from the city of Dareilestia. The weapon that I use are Katars-gun. My class is Ninja. My magic power is wind. I hate cops. They're useless, stupid, and above all, they're hypocrite. My goal is to solve a simple case that those purposeless couldn't do twice," He added. Clearly, he was a noble. Even if he had the uniform of the Academy, he was well dressed. He'll be definitely hard to get along with him.

How dare he speak like that?! Doesn't he know that cops save, protect, and serve their people?! They vowed to the Goddess! I can't stand this guy. He's just hating for no reason. How can he hate them! This year will definitely be tough. The next one appears to be a bit younger than us.

"Hi, my name is Louis Angelus. I live in a forest named Mist. My weapon of choice is a chain scythe. I'm a summoner. My magic power is light. My goal is to be an artist. I want to inspire people with my art and have them understand the message within," he explained.

Hmm, it seems to be the mysterious and reserved type. He has a neutral face as if nothing bothers him. He had a hood hiding half of his head. From what I could see, he has curly jade hair. Though something was different about him, I couldn't put my finger on it.

The last one to introduce herself was breathtaking.  Long, silky, wavy hair.  Tall like a model in a magazine. Just beautiful. "Hello, I'm a noble. My name is Cerill Hart, and I'm from the city of Chamalampos-lestia. My weapon is a bow and arrow. I'm a songstress and an archer. My power is quite difficult to explain. You'll need to hear it to know. My life is already set up. I don't need those silly goals like you all," she laughed. Geez, what an unpleasant attitude

Ms. L. Arthur nodded quietly while taking notes. "Great. I see that some of you have goals and some, not so much. Not to worry, it's bound to happen. Hence, you might be wondering why we are here? Well, by the link of fate, each of you are bound to each another."

"Hmm?! What do you mean by that?" Mimi asked, confused.

Our instructor chuckled slightly. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Now, Eri, if you may."

Ms. Eri approached us to give each of us a unique watch. "This device is named Vista. Just press the middle button, and you'll be able to see the profiles of your classmates, your level, your skills, your quest, your grade, and more. Once you put it on, it's going to be connected to you."

Awesome, the technology over here is incroyable. It's so impressive. Can't wait to use it. I hope I'll be at her level as soon as possible and change my status and my village point of view on life.

"Okay! Let's get this party started." claimed Ms L Arthur. "Team 2 we have: Lee, Mc-Jazz, Mimi and Louis. Team 1 is: Noah, Ella, Emma, and Cerill. Prepare for battle!"

"Huh? Excuse-me, but whom is going to be our opponent? Our classmates?" Lee asked

"Master Eri, of course," responded ms L Arthur. "Oh, did I forget to mention that she'll be your training instructor?"

I gasped amazed. Her, Ms. Eri?! She doesn't look at all like a fighter. What can she teach us?! Just like that, she gracefully made her heavy sword appear. Her aura suddenly change, it was intense. I couldn't explain it. However, she was ready to fight. She slowly walked towards us, dragging her weapon on the ground. She was terrifying.

"Whoa!? No way! It's 4 against 1" added Mc-Jazz confuse. "How is it fair?"

"Hahaha! No worry. Master Eri is one of the best swordswoman that exists. She'll be fine. Though, the question is... are you going to be okay? Believe me, she's no joke." Ms L Arthur said amuse.

I felt a bit concerned. However, I felt excited to show my skills to my classmates. I want to prove that I deserve to be here like every body else. We slowly begin to put out our weapons. As I was mentally preparing myself to strike. Ms. L Arthur started to laughed even ms Eri joined in. She had a faint smile.

"Sorry boys and girls, I was just kidding. You're not ready for this yet, " claimed our teacher while sitting down. "Team 1, your rival will be team 2, obviously. However, master Eri will grade you. Do your best, guys."

I don't know why, but for some reason, Mc-Jazz was the one I wanted to defeat. He looks strong but lazy at the same time. He should be easy. Mc-Jazz was grinning while staring at me. I couldn't wait to wipe out that stupid grin off of his face.

"I'll back you up, No-no! Leave the healing and the defense to me." Ella said

"Ewww, I can't believe I have to be surrounded with peasant. I'll stay far from you people and shoot my musical arrow. " Cerill added disgust.

"Hmm, I'll try to aid you," Emma said with an uneasiness.

After a few seconds, Ms. Eri yelled to begin the battle. I directly ran towards Mc-Jazz. I strike first. However, he managed to block it with ease. He then jumped, while un mid-air, he threw his weapon at me, who swiftly became a Phoenix. I promptly recoiled it. However, Mc-Jazz rapidly made another attack. "Phoenix fang" he yelled. It was so fast, I couldn't dodge it in time. But in my surprise, a crystal clear shield of water protected me. Fiew, as we were fighting each other. Cerill started to shoot her musical arrow into the sky. While doing so, she was singing in a foreign language. Suddenly, her arrow multiplied into one hundred falling arrows. Team 2 seemed worried.

"Leave it to me! That's my cue." Mimi said.

A magic circle appeared beneath her feet. She began to recite a spell. All of a sudden, a brown dragon emerged above them. The dragon absorbed all the arrows.

"Haha! Yeahhh! Good job, Mimi, " Mc-Jazz yelled. Mimi gave him a thumbs up, smiling.

Her dragon spit the arrows towards us. Emma was on her knees writing something on the ground with her wand. "Revive." she whispered. The ground started to tremor. When suddenly, a masses of death corpse jumped out of the eath to protect us. The sight was horrible, but weirdly cool. I never saw something like that. As I breathe out relieved to be saved by Emma, Mc-Jazz was still grinning cockily. While we continued to fight. I couldn't believe how strong he was. In my village nobody was near my level... I think i have found my match. He managed to dodge, block and counter all my magic-attack and spells as if it was nothing. His sister had powerful spells. Lee, he was rapid and he never missed a single shot, he was sharp. For Louis, he was great fighter with his chain Scythe, his way of fighting was like a piece of art. As much as we tried, their alway manage to deflect our attacks. Ella couldn't heal anymore and I didn't have any more mana left in me. However, I couldn't bring myself to give up. As I was getting back up, ready to strike again, I heard a familiar voice say.

"Okay, enough. I have seen what I wanted. Clearly, team 2 is the winner Congratulation." Ms Eri said while taking notes.

I... I was devastated. I couldn't believe it... I have lose... I never lost. This is my first lost ever... impossible. I felt pathetic, I hate this feeling. I thought I was stronger.

"Awwn~ why so sad Pumkin-hill?" Said Mc-Jazz mocking me. "You thought you were stronger than I? Hahaha! Did you think you could beat me? Look, don't judge me. I may seem lazy, however I'm far from weak haha!"

This was humiliating! "Arg! This is not over Mc-Jazz! You'll see, I'll get my revenge. This is the definition of defeat. Next time, I'll get him" I whispered to myself while he walked away from me.

Ms L Arthur got up and she order us to follow them. She brought us infront of two massive buildings. The architecture was breath taking. The scenery was amazing: the gardens, the fruit trees, the golden fences and the ground, who was cover by rare stones. Strange, even though I was in the same continent, I felt as if I was another realm. Where I live have nothing close to this. The Amaryllis academy was his own village however, a bit bigger and luxurious.

"These are your dorms. The right one is for the gentleman and the left one is for the ladies." Ms L Arthur explained "You'll be pair in two. The first floor is the living room with the kitchen. The second floor is for you guys, the new students. The third floor is for the commoner, the worker. The fourth and fifth floor is for the noble the new generation. Master Eri will give you your keys."

Unbelievable! The noble had two floors for them why? And why the commoner were the "worker" odd.

"For the ladies: Emma and Mimi You'll be roommates. As for Ella and Cerill, they'll be a pair." Ms Eri added

Cerill scoffed "Ewww! Excuse me! Why am I not with the upper class?" She asked annoyed "I'm a noble not a peasant! I don't share."

"Impossible. You guys are a special case. Beside, all classmates are bound to share a room." ms L Arthur replied "Continue please."

Ms Eri gracefully nodded "Yes of course. For the men: Lee and Mc-Jazz you two are roommates and Noah you'll be with Louis. Here, come get yours keys."

As I took my key, I couldn't contain my joy. This was the beginning of a new path for a greater future. I can do this! Entering the dorm, I was mesmerized by the decor. Even if it weren't my, I felt rich. Searching for my room, that was number 7, at my surprise our room was spacious. We even had a bathroom! In the left, was all my luggages and the right I guess it was Louis luggages, I jumped on my huge comfortable bed. Wow this was new. I couldn't wait to start my school life here. However, I couldn't help myself to be frustrated by my first lost. That mean I have a lots of training to do. Also, why did Ms L Arthur mean when she said we were links to each others? Do we have something special that we didn't know? What is she keeping from us? Who care, for now I have one goal and one goal only. I need to train harder. I'll make it, just you wait mom and dad.... specially him... my new rival! Tho... one thing is bothering me. Why is that the noble have no issues with the commoner? They're not noble. I just you wait! I will make them understand!