A World I Can’t Fear: Devastation

By Carlos E. Bran

Wondered what it'd be like to go to an elite high school filled with exceedingly strong and smart students? Well for Iza, all he ever wanted was to enjoy his life in peace and live out a normal life. Until he joined an elitist high school where life for him changed completely and will never be the same moving forward.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tablo Publishing
• Release date: Mar 24, 2021
• ISBN: 9781649696373

Book preview

Many years ago shortly after the birth of life and time itself, humans roamed the world of what was once known as Gaia. Gaia was filled with life, prosperity and created in the eyes of Him. The people lived a wonderful life filled with harmony and tranquility. This was the ultimate utopia for humans to ever experience until one day that would forever change the course of the human race to go into eternal war. 

Ever since that day of reckoning, the humans have lived in a life filled with confusion, despair, and had to start from zero. As life continued, the world underwent major changes and pushed through major catastrophes that left not only a mark on the planet but ended one period of time and began anew another. Throughout the years, after each catastrophe, humans began to learn how to manipulate the basic elements and use them for their benefits and slowly built their way back up.

As life progressed, the world of Gaia shifted and formed four major bodies of land which is now called Earth. These four bodies of land are named: The Americas, Afro-Eurasia, Antarctica, and Australia. With the progression of life slowly increasing over the centuries, new things begin to come to life such as human mutations and technology. Humans begin to develop certain traits that not everyone may have and makes them unique. With power, comes responsibilities. Well not for those who use their powers for evil.

The year is 2014 and Earth has become a planet filled with technology and nature. In this day and age, power is desired, as those who have it, rule over the nations. Conflict reigns over the nations who are crippled in power, corruption, or are warzones for political reasons. Treaties are signed to keep the peace but contracts are made to make or keep power, whether it be with national leaders or those from another realm. 

Iza is a fourteen-year-old boy who, up to his last year of middle school, has lived a relatively normal life being a young teen turning a new page in his life until he is accepted into an elitist high school by recommendation from the chairman himself of the highschool. From that moment forward, a new chapter in his life starts and Iza will forever change as he will come to learn the many secrets that will be uncovered to him that scale from the school, to himself and to the very essence of the world.

PROLOGUE: Something I Remembered, Eleven Years Later

SOMEWHERE DEEP WITHIN THE FOREST

Friday, June 6th, 2025 9:15 PM

Hehe... Hehe... Hehe... 

The sounds of a little girl panting in the mildly snowing night. Sounds of heavy footstep quickly trailing right behind. The little girl trips on a long root covered in snow and quickly sinks into it. She looks behind and sees a very large silhouette of a creature that has been on a murderous rampage. The child gets a clearer look and it is a wolf-bear fusion creature with one eye missing, scratch and bite marks laid all over its body, blood covering the majority of its coat, claws that go from its waist to its ankles, and teeth razor sharp. 

What an eventful night you have given me, little girl. Might I ask you to scream a bit more for the excitement?

Shocked and paralyzed the child remained silent and in fear with tears running down her cheeks. 

Well then, we’ll take what we can get, said the wolf-bear creature as he opened his mouth in preparation to feast on the child. 

A mysterious man in a worn and torn cloak dashed in quickly as if he appeared out of thin air and kicked the creature hard enough to create a sonic boom with its body. The wolf-bear was sent deep into the woods and broke trees in its way. The child grew in more fear and began to whimper as it thought it was the end. 

It’s fine, you don’t need to worry anymore. I’m here to keep you safe, The man flung his robe to indicate he had a weapon, an odachi about six feet long with bandages wrapping it. 

UGH! Excuse me!?

With slobber coming out of his mouth from its hunger, the creature grows in rage and lets out a loud roar. Its eyes glow a blood-red and creates a heavy fog within the environment to make its presence faint and difficult to see. The creature, in a frenzy, dashes at full force to the thing that pushed him back with full kill intentions. The child gets up and crawls to the man for protection only for her to feel the ground shaking and the atmosphere to feel really heavy as if the gravity exponentially increased. 

Stay back, this should be quick, said the hooded man as he was preparing for the assault by gripping the handle of his weapon. 

He felt the creature's presence get closer to him very quickly and noticed the shadow getting bigger and bigger. The wolf-bear leaped out of the mist and had a very large tree trunk already cocked back to swing at the man. As the creature was about to swing down to crush the man, he unsheathed the blade and both weapons clashed. All of the pressure from the clash cleared the mist and surrounding snow on the ground. Shocked the tree trunk didn’t crush the man, the creature swung its other arm to land a punch on him but the man moved a slight bit to the left and angled the sword to block both the tree trunk punch. The sword pierced the ground and the man was able to free both hands. Within a split second the creature was still in the air, the man moved a bit from the sword and punched the creature with his left arm hard enough to break some bones. The creature was sent a good amount of distance and was on its knee with an arm on where it got punched. It started coughing out blood and started to pant for air. It looks up and notices the man was hiding the arm he punched with but with the wind breezing the cloak moved a bit and the creature noticed it. Rage grew within the creature as it slowly stood up and let out an intensified roar. Blood pouring out of its mouth, the claws growing larger and sharper, its size drastically increasing and it’s presence becoming something much heavier than before. 

If it is really you, let me show you the wrath of a true monster!

Let's get this over with. 

A red glare was seen from the creature and both fighters dashed towards each other to settle the score. The fight was quickly concluded with the strange man being victorious with one fell swoop. The creature was quickly split in half and disintegrated into ashes from the man's quick attack. The mist dispersed completely and the man returned to the young girl who was still too afraid to even move. 

You okay? says the man as he removes his hood to get familiar with the young girl. 

The young girl saw a man with medium straight hair as white as snow, two earrings, an x-shaped scar on his left cheek and another scar that ran from the top of his left eyebrow down to the side of his nose. The man had two different colored irises, his left eye being in the color dark red and his right eye being the color of sky blue. His face stood stone cold but the young girl couldn’t sense any danger from him. She nods to him and the man asks her if she’s okay to walk. He quickly notices that she is barefoot so rather than having her walk he takes off his cloak, turns back to have her climb on his back and puts the cloak over her so that it’s covering the both of them. 

Mr… Thank you… says the little girl.

No need to thank me. You’re safe now. What’s your name?

My parents called Aurora.

The name struck a chord with the man’s heart and his heart felt unusual. A feeling he hasn’t felt in years. He smiles and a tear runs down his face while the two make their way through the forest. The two traveled and they slowly approached a run down church with lights inside. Aurora had fallen fast asleep on the man’s back and she was gently awoken to the sound of her name from him, Hey, Aurora. Welcome home.

She rubs her eyes and takes a better look at the church. She smiles widely and her eyes glisten in awe to the sight of the shelter. As they get closer, the sounds of children are beginning to be audible and the girl becomes curious. 

Are there other kids in there? she asked the man. 

Yeah, you aren’t alone anymore, gently welcomed the man as he opened the doors to the church.

Kids were seen running around, eating, playing games with another, sleeping, and reading. One of the kids turned to the door and saw the man enter with another young child. 

Big brother Iza is home... mumbled the young child as he looked like he was going to burst out crying. 

One of the other kids heard the quiet child and screamed it louder and everyone turned to the man. They all stopped what they were doing and rushed to the man to grab his attention. 

Big bro, I was holding the fortress down while you were gone and I took care of business, said one of the kids with a mighty and outgoing voice, while wielding a wooden sword.

Mr. Iza… Welcome back… Thank you for everything, said the child who looked like they were about to cry.

Iza, Iza, Iza! Me and Fiorella are taking care of Yugo and he’s getting better! said one of the boys as they helped one of the girls take care of their younger sibling. 

Iza smiles at all of the kids who swarmed him and crouched down so that he can introduce to them another member of their family.

I’m home, everyone, and I found someone outside all alone. Her name is Aurora so I want you guys to be nice and treat her like family because she is…

Family! they all shouted together. 

The young girl felt the warmth from the other kids as they all hugged each other and smiled together. Iza leaves the kids to play and introduces Aurora to their house and makes his way to the church’s center aisle. Along the walls were torches that were lit up to keep the church warm and heated, along with an area where the kids sleep at that has a fireplace. The church itself resembles a Catholic church but has a hole in the roof that allows any form of light to shine on a patch of flowers. The chapel, the main room of the church, has rows of benches leading towards the patch of flowers in the center. At the back of the church is a staircase up to the pillars by the ceiling, though the back is also largely in ruins due to a crash. The attic of the church has several pillars at the top, with a path to escape through the hole in the roof.

I’m home… Iza whispers to himself as he takes a seat in front of the patch of flowers with the moonlight shining on it. 

He closes his eyes and begins to pray for everyone as he usually does. Aurora notices Iza sitting at the end of the walkway and begins to walk to him but is quickly pulled back by one of the other kids in the group.

Don’t go near him when he’s praying, he’s talking to his other family, says the girl as she shakes her head. 

His other family?

Yeah, he has another family that’s far, far away so he prays for them and makes sure that his loved ones remain safe, the young girl explains. 

Now that Aurora got a better idea of the situation she smiles and the young child is confused for a moment, How come you’re smiling?

Because that means we will remain safe since he loves us all right?

The young girl realizes what Aurora says and smiles along with her, Mm-hmm!

They leave Iza and he coincidentally finishes praying. He gets up and makes his way up the walkway and enters a playroom that has all of the toys the kids use. With a fully functioning bathroom and a full size kitchen in the playroom, Iza calls up everyone with his kid voice and takes a seat. 

Alright kids, what is it that we want to have for dinner tonight?

Everyone started blurting out suggestions until one young kid raised their hand before giving out a suggestion. 

What is it, Aurora?

Can we have soup?

What type of soup do you want, Aurora? asked Iza in a gentle voice with a curious face. 

How about… Chicken noodle soup? 

All of the kids began to repeat the dish’s name because they’ve never heard that type of soup but to Iza, it was one of his favorites back when he was with his family. 

You’re killing me here…

It’s an old school soup that they don’t make anymore. I still remember how to do it so just leave it to me! exclaims Iza in a childish and enthusiastic way. 

He gets up and lets the students know that he’ll need to gather up the ingredients first and that he’ll be right back. Aurora wanted to tag along but Iza shut the idea down as soon as she brought it up. She continued to beg and made a face that reminded him of a person he once loved, which made him break. 

Alright, just this one time. And only because you need to learn as well about the wild.

Aurora smiled and her eyes glistened in excitement. Iza tells Rikyu, the brave and outgoing child, to guard the fortress once more as he and the new family member will be getting food for the family.

Leave it to me big bro! I’ll make sure everyone is safe.

Iza chuckles and smiles at him and takes along Aurora for the hunt. Before they leave, Iza gears up and grabs his cloaks and reaches into the kids closet and gets something for Aurora to warm up in. They reach the entrance and wave to everyone as they depart for their mission, We’ll be back everyone.

Stay safe!

We’ll see you soon, big bro!

Thank you so much, Mr. Iza… 

The two hunters walk out and make their way to go get their ingredients. 

Make sure you don’t leave my side, Aurora. It gets dangerous at night and we don’t want to attract attention okay?

The young hunter nods her head and tugs on Iza’s cloak. They travel through the snowy forest but thankfully the snow has stopped so it wasn’t something that was slowing them down. They come across a flock of chickens and Aurora begins to tug hard on Iza’s cloak as she spots them. He looks over and notices the chickens but tells Aurora that they aren’t there to hunt those chickens as he points out to a bigger and more scary chicken. 

We are going to hunt that one since it wants to hurt that family of chickens, he says as he tries to educate the young hunter. 

She understands the hunters mindset and begins to look for a hideout spot. The young hunter finds a spot to hide in and leaves it to Iza to take down the scarier chicken. Iza picks up a stick and lightly tosses it to the family so that they are alerted and run away. The bigger and scarier chicken turns to the hunter and its eyes begin to glare red in anger. It rushes towards Iza but is quickly turned into minced meat as Iza didn’t even have to move to cut the creature down. Aurora was in awe to see how strong Iza was against the chicken and went up to him to thank him. 

Thank you so much for killing the bad chicken. Now the family over there can rest in peace.

That’s exactly why we protect those who need protection. So let’s collect this main ingredient and look for the others.

The two hunters bag the meat in an old school sack and Iza carries the heavier load while Aurora carries a lighter load so that she feels like she’s doing something. On their way back home, three mysterious figures dressed in all black cloaks appear out of nowhere. Iza readies himself by putting his hand on his sword’s handle and asks for their identification. 

Iza…? Is that you? asked one the cloaked people, in a female voice. 

Who are you and what are you doing all the way out here?

Aurora begins to get nervous and closes in on her guardian. Iza opens the cloak and hides her so that they don’t get a better picture of her. 

Is she yours? asked the other hooded female. 

She is mine but I won’t ask you again. Who are you and what are you doing all the way out here?

It’s been a long time, pal, said the man who pulled down his hood to reveal himself to Iza. 

No, stop! What are you doing!? exclaimed the other hooded body. 

Iza froze up to the sight of a long lost friend who he thought he’d never see again, Why are you here, Reinhart?

You two, put your hoods down, commands the long lost friend to the other two cloaked bodies. 

Aurora peeks through the cloak and sees three new faces. She comes out underneath the cloak and looks up to Iza to verify how serious the situation is. Iza’s face turned into a serious face compared to the usual nice face she was used to and she began to worry. 

Aurora, stay with me. Don’t listen to them or answer any of their questions, please.

One of the girls walks up and crouches down to call out the girl, Hey, little girl. How are you? What’s your name?

Aurora looks up to Iza and he shakes his head signally to the young girl to not respond to the questions. She tugs hard on Iza’s cloak he crouches down to her and reassures her that everything will be fine with the same old gentle face she is comfortable with. Iza closes his eyes and summons a clone to take Aurora back to the church. 

I’ll be right behind you. The other me will take you back to the church and cook dinner for everyone okay. If you want to wait for me, just stay awake. I won’t take long, okay?

Aurora nods and heads over to the other Iza. They both instantly vanish from the area leaving the real Iza with Reinhart and the two other females. 

She’s so cute, I bet she gets the looks from her mother, said the woman that was attempting to talk to the girl.

I wouldn’t know how she’d look like, I just found her out in the forest, replies Iza to another old friend of his. 

That’s a relief to hear… sighs the woman as she slowly gets up from the floor. 

We need you, Iza.

For what, Leona? he responds in an upset tone.

When was the last time you saw the sun, Iza? If I’m not mistaken it’s been seven years… seven fucking years! Do you know what caused this!? shouts Reinhart in pain.

Iza remains quiet and looks dead into Reinhart’s eyes, knowing extremely well what the cause of all of it was. 

You! You did all this! If only you had finished the fucking mission as you were told to do then none of this would have happened…

It’s all in the past now. This world has since adapted and w-

I don’t think you understand the severity of the situation, Iza. Demons are constantly infesting the areas and corruption is at an all time high with all of the countries. Ever since then, humanity has been going down hill, explained Leona. 

You need to do something about this. Everyone needs you again, Iza, said the other young woman. 

Iza stood quiet and looked up to the starry night sky. He rests his eyes and begins to think to himself. Memories of the past begin to flow, ever so gently in his mind and recalls the time he and Reinhart graduated middle school, eleven years ago, What day is it today, Reinhart?

Friday, June 6th, 2025.

It’s been eleven years since we graduated middle school, you know that? says Iza as he takes a deep breath in.

What does that have to do with anything, Iza? asked Reinhart as he was beginning to get agitated with his old friend. 

I finally remember about the dream I had eleven years ago.

Oh, really? Well, honestly, I don’t give two shits. You’re coming with us whether you like it or not, states Reinhart as his arms ignite in a bright fire. 

Both women try to hold back Reinhart but Iza pulls out his sword with a sad face. The blade of Iza’s weapon held a presence like no other. This was never something he’d expect to be doing but from what he remembered in his dreams, eleven years ago, it was something that appeared to be destined to happen. 

Are you sure you want to resort to this, Reinhart? asked Iza as his demeanor completely changed, from being sad to being completely focused. 

Like I said, you’re coming with me whether you like it or not.

Iza sheathed his sword and Reinhart took it as if he wasn’t going to go all out, which angered him greatly and increased the intensity of his flames. Ever since Iza split from everyone, seven years ago, all he ever did was train and walk the way of the wanderer. Travelling through villages and torn down cities, helping the homeless, and building his shelter which homes little children. 

Don’t underestimate me! shouts Reinhart as he dashes in with full force. 

So this is the end. If this is what my ending truly is, then so be it. Just don’t make it harder on anyone else, please. I hope the younger me understands this… 

Until the next time, kiddo.

CHAPTER 1: A New Beginning

 MIDDLE SCHOOL GYM

Friday, June 6th, 2014 11:55 AM

It's the summer of 2014 and the class of 2014 just graduated from middle school.

Well students as the ceremony comes to a close I have one last thing to say. Life has its shiny and prosperous moments but DO NOT take those moments when life hits you with all its might for granted. For that is what builds character, integrity, strength, and motivation. Use those moments that put you down to strive for better. Live on, give reason to live, and give reason to die. That is all students, said the Principle.

All rise.

Everyone stands up and Iza stands up last. Iza stands at around 5'6 with brown hazel eyes, 14 years old, and has short, slicked-back brown hair. He rested his eyes throughout the entire presentation, thinking about the confusing dreams he had last night.

As the ceremony closes let us now celebrate the graduating class of 2014 moving on to a new chapter in life and let them blossom into their newfound lives, said the Vice Principal.

All the students threw their caps into the air and rejoiced that their days of middle school were over and that summer was well on its way. Students were hugging their friends, crying, laughing, smiling and all types of emotions were shared and displayed amongst the students.

We did it, Iza! Off to high school now huh.

Unfortunately, but yeah, chuckled Iza.

Reinhart, Iza's best friend fist bumps him and they both hug each other and share the moment. Reinhart is around 5'8 and has long red hair, a slender figure, and black eyes. The graduates leave the space and head to their families. It's a nice sunny Saturday noon, and everyone begins to take pictures with their family members and friends.

Can we go home now? It's really hot out here.... whined Iza's youngest brother Alex.

Alex is 6 years younger than Iza and is around 5 feet tall, with greenish eyes, and dirty blonde straight hair.

Yeah I mean I don't mind the scene or view but it's getting kinda hot, second, Iza's other younger brother Reiner.

Reiner is 2 years younger than Iza and is the same height as him (he’s got the height genes), has dark brown eyes, and long curly hair.

Oh my goodness stop complaining you two! Your big brother is graduating now and it's a big moment, exclaimed Iza's mom.

Yeah, she's right! Even though the three of us know she clearly isn't but she doesn't need to know that, said Iza's dad to Reiner and Alex.

The three of them chuckle amongst each other and Iza's mom looks for him in the big crowd from a distance. Iza walks out from the crowd after taking pictures with close friends and acquaintances.

Awwwww, look at my sweet little baby!

Iza’s mom cheers him on, hugs him tightly, and showers him with kisses.

Thank you, Mom I really appreciate it but I'm kinda hot and hungry. We should go eat, said Iza as his Dad and brothers laugh because they said the same thing earlier before he got there.

Alright, alright, where do you wanna go? Did you want to invite anyone to come with us? asked Iza's mom.

Nah it's okay we've got a full party anyways plus I don't want to bother anyone with their plans so let's get going I'm dying out here, replied Iza as he was loosening his tie and button-up shirt.

Iza and his family get in the car and they drive off to the restaurant where his mom has set the reservation. The sun is out, the sky is clear as day, the air feels cool as the family drives down the road with the windows down and there's no cloud to be seen for miles and miles away. The family travels throughout the city to their destination and they enjoy the breeze, the music they are listening to, and their presence as well.

They get to the restaurant and walk to the entrance where they see an important profile in the restaurant. It is the president of the high school that Iza will be attending next year and his

group. The restaurant is a modern Japanese style place with multiple hibachi stations and traditional booth seatings. As the family approaches the entrance Iza notices that the president of the high school he will be attending is there and begins to freak out a little bit.

Hey, guys?

What’s up? What happened?

What name did you put the reservation under?

My name, why? answered Iza’s mom.

Okay so the chairman of the high school is right over there and I don’t want him to notice me because from what I have heard he knows everything about his students so I want to avoid him as much as possible.

Don’t worry kiddo, we’ll just speed walk right past him.

As they waited the family sat down on the side and chatted amongst each other until their name was called. Iza was a little more distant from the group and just observing the restaurant. He always does this when he goes somewhere he hasn’t been to. He tries to map the area out and scan each person he can possibly see. Another thing he does is try his best to look out for security cameras and not make it obvious that he has noticed them.

Natalia party of 5!

The family got up and casually walked up to the hostess and Iza was right behind them. This is where Iza made the mistake because as they were walking up to the hostess the chairman saw him and called out his name.

IZA!

The family turned to where the call came from and saw the chairman waving at them happily. Iza closes his eyes and sighs in disbelief. He thought he got away with it but failed miserably.

You guys go on ahead, I'll be there in a little bit.

Iza walks towards the chairman and waves at his family. He approaches the president and his group and is immediately intimidated by his entourage. The president was accompanied by twelve other people, four women, and eight men. They all had a serious stone-cold face on and were glaring at Iza as he was approaching the group. As soon as Iza approached the group his body felt so heavy and questioned the atmosphere around him since he didn’t know where such pressure was coming from.

What the fuck is this feeling?! These people are either people to never mess with or the mood completely changed.

The chairman smiled brightly and patted Iza’s shoulder, How are you doing Iza? It’s nice to see you here! I loved the graduation ceremony.

The president is 6’6, very muscular, bald, has a full beard, and has a scar running across his left eye and going down to his cheek.

I’m glad to hear that sir! Thank you for coming to our graduation ceremony as well. It was an honor to have you attend it, said Iza as he bows down to the chairman.

Nonsense Young Iza, stand up high and mighty. We are all equals here. Have you met my noble colleagues? I’ll introduce you to them!

I think we don’t need the introductions, they clearly don’t accept me as an equal. I mean would you look at how they are staring at me!? I feel like they can end me at any moment.

The chairman in a joyful mood chuckles and looks over to his partners, Stop being so intimidating you guys! You’re scaring Iza here I mean look at him he’s already sweating from the pressure,

You seriously got to call me out like that!? It’s only one drop of sweat and it’s because it’s hot in here!

So you’re the one The Chairman recommended? Seems like you aren’t fit for this academy, said one of the men in the group.

Aww he looks so adorable, surely with enough food and sleep in his system he’ll become just as strong as The Chairman! said one of the women in the group.

Okay, okay that’s enough let me go ahead and introduce you to everyone.

The chairman points to a man and a woman and introduces him to them, We will go ahead and start with them. We have Leroy Smith and Anna Winter, our gun experts in the academy. They handle all of our artillery and weapons training along with gun crafting and technicalities.

Leroy is just as tall and bulky as the chairman but Leroy had a beard and wore an eyepatch along with having a cigar already lit up in his mouth. Anna is a tall muscular woman around 5’9, with yellow eyes and blonde hair, she had short hair on the back but was longer on the sides, she also had a slim waist and looked very intimidating.

Welcome aboard soldier. We are glad to see you join us, we’ve heard big things about you so don’t disappoint, said Leroy in a mid-western accent as he shook Iza’s hand.

I’ll try my best not sir.

It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Iza. I look forward to providing you with the training and knowledge to make you a better combatant, said Anna in a heavy German accent as she shakes Iza’s hand.

Now that we got those two done, I now introduce you to our top Elementalist professors in our academy. They are in charge of the elemental department and oversee everything. We have Genesis Farron and Zane Keita.

Hey sweetie, it’s a pleasure to meet you! I can’t wait to see where you’ll go in this school, there is so much opportunity in this school for everyone. I’ve heard you were recommended by The Chairman so I can’t wait to see what you provide for us! said Genesis in an upbeat tone.

Genesis is around 5’8, she has curly dirty blonde hair, her body was slim with a big chest, and had a high pitched voice.

I see. So this is who you chose Mr. Chairman. Iza you carry great strength within you. That I feel no doubt but you lack guidance. I cannot sense any aura or elements residing in you but in due time we will open your gates and train as one, said Zane as he bowed to Iza.

Iza reciprocates the greeting and bows back. Iza analyzes Zane as they both nod at each other after bowing. Zane carried a wooden staff that curved at the top, he is bald with a grey beard, has a heavy but gentle voice, and carried a traditional piece of cloth that wrapped around his shoulder and went down to his waist.

Now then if you ever need wisdom or some form of guidance you already know who to go to.

Iza chuckles to himself in a nervous manner and continues his introduction.

Now then! I present to you Jasmine Rai and Aldane Clarke, our head chefs at the school.

Welcome aboard Iza! I’m so happy to hear you’ll be with us at the school. I can’t wait to cook you and everyone else some delicious food that’ll make you feel super strong and healthy, said Jasmine as she went straight to giving Iza a big hug.

Jasmine is about the same height as Anna, has black straight hair that goes down to her waist, has the biggest chest out of all the women in the group, and has a slight Indian accent in her voice. Iza blushes and hugs her back so that it doesn’t seem weird that he isn’t hugging her back. She lets go of him and Aldane appears in front of him. Aldane is a tall black man around 6’1, he is wearing a pair of sophisticated sunglasses, has an afro, and wears a lot of rings along with chains.

How you doing!? It is nice to see you, brotha man. I can’t wait to show you all the many meals you will be blessed with and the sweet delights that you will be presented with, said Aldane as he shook Iza’s hand enthusiastically.

Iza giggled to himself as he shook Aldane’s hand and Aldane had noticed so he smiled big and wide to make Iza feel comfortable with him.

Now trust me Iza they will keep you well-fed and trust me once you have their food nothing will even reach their level of skills, said The Chairman to Iza as he moved on towards the next people.

Now meet our two experts when it comes to interrogation and reconnaissance. We have Leon Müller and Winston Evans.

Iza walked up to the two gentlemen and he felt an immense pressure and was extremely intimidated by them as they held stone-cold faces and were looking down on him.

So you're the one The Chairman recommended. You seem weak and frail Iza. Your best option is to drop out while you can and turn the other way. This academy isn’t built for weaklings like you, said Leon in a deep German accent.

Leon is about 6’4, pale white with a scar running down across his face, has straight blonde hair, a slim chiseled body, with hazel eyes.

Don’t be so rude now Leon he is only a child. Poor kid can barely move with all that intimidation, said Winston Evans as he was fixing his gloves.

Winston was the same height as Leon but is built a bit bulkier, has green eyes, has a British accent, and has a fohawk.

You’ve probably already heard this already but it is a pleasure to meet you and I expect many things from you. I’d like to do a test run and a mini obstacle course with you once things get rolling at the academy.

We got a big group I know but this is our last group here Iza, said The Chairman as he felt Iza become so overwhelmed at all the people he is meeting.

Now for our professional stealth and hand-to-hand combat masters we have Carlos Garcia our Stealth Specialist, Byakuya Yamamoto our Martial Artist Sensei, and Ryoka Mugetsu our Master Assassin at the academy, said The Chairman pointing to each individual as they were being introduced.

Ryoka Mugetsu approached Iza and greeted him in a formal manner. They shook hands and as a playful trick, she pickpocketed his wallet without him noticing.

Welcome to the academy Iza. I know we’ll have fun together learning things and training to make you the best rogue assassin you possibly can be, said Ryoka as she pulled his wallet out of her pocket and looked at it.

Iza in amazement and embarrassment took the wallet back and was left impressed. He analyzed Ryoka and noticed that she was around 5’8 with jet black hair in a high ponytail, is well built and held a slim figure, has a big chest, and was well equipped with weapons as Iza noticed the prints from her skirt outlining the kunais and shurikens. Carlos took this opportunity and walked up to Iza and greeted him appropriately with a firm handshake.

Hello young man, it is an honor to meet the one person The Chairman vouched for to attend the school. My name is Carlos Garcia and I am in charge of the Stealth department within the school. If you stop by the building the day of your orientation I’ll make sure to give you an exclusive tour if anything.

Carlos is around 6’3, has tanned skin, also has a goatee, and is wearing earrings. Carlos has shaggy hair and a small cut on his left eyebrow towards the far end of it. As Iza finished greeting Carlos, he noticed the last gentleman that was with the group standing away from everyone. He was wearing a blindfold but acknowledged Iza’s presence. He turned towards Iza and gently bowed to him and Iza did the same and bowed back. When they both got back up the man smiled and continued on doing what he was doing.

Iza tilts his head and looks over Carlos and Ryouka, Who was that guy standing behind Carlos and Ryoka?

That man is Byakuya Yamamoto. He isn’t blind but has very poor eyesight and is very sensitive to light so he wears the blindfold to help his eyes. You can say he’s borderline blind but he walks around as if he wasn’t so don’t try to fool him, said The Chairman as he patted Iza’s back.

Byakuya stood at the same height as both The Chairman and Leroy but Byakuya held a gentle smile and has smooth skin with no sign of damage, he has medium brown straight hair and has a half bun tied.

Now that’s not everyone as we do have one person missing but they are currently on a mission doing some things for the school in preparation for the students. Or so he says, says The Chairman with great enthusiasm.

Well I can’t wait to meet them when school starts, says Iza as he chuckles in front of The Chairman and everyone else.

Iza from where he was, retreats, and begins to walk to his family and have lunch with them. As he walked towards his family he looked back at the group and he saw everyone looking at him with a smile, grin, or cold face. He smiled and waved, It was a pleasure to meet you all and I looked forward to meeting you soon.

The group waved and smiled back and went back to talking amongst themselves. Iza walked towards his family and everyone was waiting for him with their menus up and ready to order.

Well hijo, como te fue? asked Iza’s mom in excitement.

Iza sighed in exhaustion, It was so much to take in. Apparently, they were the top dogs of the school in their respective areas and it was a lot.

Well I mean they say it’s one of the top five schools in the country so I mean there’s going to be a lot of high profiled people and those with sheer skill that get accepted, said Iza’s dad as he looked at his menu and drank his beer.

Well that’s true but didn’t Iza get in through recommendation and skipped the test? said Reiner as he was already eating his appetizer.

He was eating a couple of sushi rolls before his main course meal.

That is true, with that I already secured my position at the school but I still wanted to take the test and see what my score and performance were on a written test.

Foods coming! Enough chit chat about school we are in summer now time to eat! said Alex in excitement as he was bundling his joy seeing the food coming to them.

"Hahaha, you’re right! Let’s leave this for another time and enjoy the food," said Iza laughing in joy as his school term ended for now and began his summer vacation.

The waiter and waitress brought the food to them and the family went straight to eating and talking amongst each other enjoying their presence.

≡

REINHART’S HOME

Tuesday, June 10th, 2014 3:20 PM

A couple of days have passed by since the ceremony took place and Reinhart was outside his home shadow boxing and physically training. It was a hot and sunny Wednesday and the sun was blazing hot making Reinhart sweat like he just got out of a really hot sauna that he was in for a long time. He was anxiously waiting for something in the mail ever since the day of the ceremony as that was when the academies and other schools sent out their acceptance letters or denials. Reinhart was awaiting his letter from the same school Iza was going to as they are best friends and applied to the same academy. Reinhart was amazed that Iza got in automatically through the recommendation per The Chairman but that didn’t stop him from training hard and doing the best he could to get in. Reinhart was laying on the concrete to relax until the floor began to burn. He got up and walked towards the grassy area away from his main backyard and laid on the grass. There was a big lake with other houses that had backyards accessible to the lake. There were people fishing, swimming in their pools, sitting outside with their lawn chairs, and enjoying the day. Reinhart soaked in the sun until he heard the front door open and his mother shouted, I’m home!

Reinhart heard that his mother got home and was excited to check and see if his letter came in the mail but he was so tired and exhausted that he stayed where he was and told himself he’ll go in a little bit. His older sister saw Reinhart outside laying on the grass and smiled to herself. She slides the door open to go talk to him and deliver the news to him. Reinhart with his eyes closed noticed that it got a bit darker as the sun was no longer hitting his eyes and saw a rectangular envelope hovering over him.

I figured you’d be out here, something came in the mail for you, said Xarah as she held the envelope over his head.

Haha sounds good, I would take it from your hand but I’m way too exhausted and it’s nice here.

It’s hot as shit and just standing out here to deliver this envelope and message to you is making me sweat. Let’s get up and take you inside.

Xarah lowered herself and helped Reinhart get up.

Ew you’re so fucking slimy it’s actually disgusting.

Alright, alright. Get me in the house and this will all get resolved, said Reinhart with his eyes closed and still relaxed.

He slid open the door to get in and all the cold air had hit him all at once. Reinhart made a sour face as the air had hit him since he was so adjusted to the heat.

Man it’s cold as fuck in here I’m wide awake now, said Reinhart as he was able to no longer use his sister for support.

Go shower nasty, I can smell you all the way from here, said Reinhart’s mom.

I don’t appreciate the bash I’m getting here. I feel like I’m getting attacked, replied Reinhart in a sarcastic way and acting playfully.

Well she isn’t wrong but I understand where you are coming from, son. Hard work pays off at the end so keep doing what you’re doing but in a clean manner, said Reinhart’s dad as he was watching the TV and eating a bag of chips laughing.

Haha hilarious people, I’ll go shower and open the envelope.

Reinhart grabbed a towel from one of the chairs in the living room and started to dry the sweat off his face. He