"Now, first we need to think up some boy's names for ourselves. Since we can't let anyone at school know that we're girls, it should be proper to call ourselves by some boy's names." Jazmin said as the group of five made their way down the path towards Main Street to begin today's cleaning.
"Okay. That makes sense." Aria said. "So, what should we call ourselves?" Kira asked. "I would call myself 'Alistair' since it's a masculine form of Alice. And Kira would be 'Kiro', Aria would be 'Arlo' and Jazmin would be 'Jazzim'." Alice said. "Yeah. Good names." Kira said, nodding.
"Okay by me." Aria said. "Agreed." Jazmin added. Grim just laughed. "I think those names are funny!" he guffawed. The girls all glared at Grim. "Oh, yeah? Why don't you try coming up with better 'boy's' names, Grim?" Kira scoffed.
If they were being honest, the four girls weren't looking forward to going out again, especially right now in the morning, when the students were getting ready to head to class. Despite them being disguised as boys, they just knew that they were going to get stares from the entire student body.
As they walked down the main path, some stopped to stare at the four disguised girls, who were each carrying a bucket, a mop, and some floor brushes. Grim, meanwhile, just ambled along behind them on all fours.
Something that the girls had noticed while they were walking was that the ages of the students here ranged from 16 to 19. For a place called "Night Raven College", this college felt more like a high school... and judging by how "mature" the students acted last night upon their arrival, they believed that even more now.
When two of the boys shouted at the rest of the students for making offensive remarks at them, the four girls felt extremely grateful. But even so, the four girls couldn't help but think that maybe it wasn't for their benefit. Still, they decided to just count their blessings and hope that things would now be a little easier for them.
Upon arrival at Main Street, the four girls got a clear view of the school building for the first time. It looked like a giant, ominous castle with many towers. It loomed over them, almost ominously. Even from where the girls were standing, it was big.
They also noticed that seven stone statues lined up the walkway towards the castle, three on the right side and four on the left. They all noticed that while five of the statues appeared to be people, the other two were that of a lion and a large woman with the lower half of an octopus.
Grim looked across the walkway and was impressed by the sight of it. "Uwaaaah~ Amazing. So this is Main Street." he remarked. "I didn't get a good look yesterday, but what's with these statues? All seven of them look pretty scary."
"I sorta agree with him on that." Kira said. "You think so? I think they're rather pretty." Alice said as she gazed through each statue. She figured that they might be the founders of this school or something like that. They seem important enough. She then walked over to Grim, who was eyeing one of the statues.
The statue was that of a tall, obese woman with a massive physique. Her hair was tied in the back with a ribbon. She was dressed in a rather comically large ball gown and atop her head was a small crown, signifying her authority.
On her ears were matching earrings and in her hand was a heart-shaped scepter. Stone roses surrounded her feet. "This granny looks especially snobby." Grim said as he looked at the statue. Alice looked down at the inscribed plaque beneath the statue.
"The Queen of Hearts? I wonder who she's supposed to be?" Alice asked. "You don't know about the Queen of Hearts?" a voice suddenly asked. That caught the girls and Grim by surprise as they all nearly jumped out of their skins. They all looked over and saw a boy around Aria's age walking over towards them.
He had messy terracotta hair and cherry red eyes. Over his left eye, he had a red heart-shaped tattoo. He was wearing the standard uniform of the other students, consisting of a black blazer, a red vest with a white dress shirt underneath, and matching trousers.
He also had a single black glove on his left hand, a slightly loose black-and-white striped tie around his neck and red sneakers on his feet. "Queen of Hearts? Is she important?" Grim asked the teen.
The teenage boy nodded. "In the past, she was the queen who lived in the Rose Maze." he explained. "She was someone who valued rules and discipline above all, strict in all things from the march of the Card Soldiers to the color of rose bushes.
"It was a land of madness where all submit to her rule. Why, you ask? Because or else it was off with your head!" All the girls' eyes slightly widened as they looked back at the Queen of Hearts statue. Strangely, for some reason, that mindset of rules and being beheaded reminded Alice of someone. She tapped her chin in thought.
"Hmm, who was it? Oh, what was his name again...? Riddle, is it?" she pondered. Grim paled and shivered as he looked at the Queen of Hearts. "That's terrifying!" he exclaimed. "She's cool! I like her style." the auburn-haired boy said with a happy smile. "Nobody would listen to a queen who's just nice all the time, right?"
"Huh? What?" the girls all said as they gazed at him in confusion. Grim thought about it for a minute before he smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "I suppose. A strong leader is better." he said. The four girls looked between the two before Alice shyly raised her hand, catching their attention.
"Um, excuse me...? While I agree it's nice to have a strong leader, I think it doesn't hurt to also have a kind one. While being firm means staying flexible and standing strong, if you also show kindness, you show that you care a lot." she said.
The ginger-haired boy then blinked in surprise. As he looked closely at the four boys in frontof him, he suddenly realized that he had seen them somewhere before. He walked up towards Alice and leaned in close to her, tilting his head curiously. "You seem familiar...I wonder. Who might you be?" he asked.
Alice blushed slightly with how close he was to her. "Well....um...uh..." she stammered for a response when Grim cut in between them. "By the way, who are you?" he asked. The boy stood up straight and greeted the two with a friendly smile. "I'm Ace, a fresh-faced first year. Nice to meetcha!" he said with a nod.
"I am Grim, a genius who'll become the greatest mage." Grim replied with a proud smirk as he puffed out his furry chest. He then pointed towards the four girls. "The dimwits over here are Alic—uh...Alistair, Kiro, Arlo and Jazzim. They're my henchmen." Kira shot Griman indignant glare.
"Excuse me?! Dimwits?! Henchmen?! I'm not your henchman! You've got a lotta nerve saying that, tuna breath!" she snarled, feeling insulted by his remark. She was about to lunge at him when Jazmin placed a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her to just let it go.
"My name is Alistair Liddell, and this is Arlo Oceanspray. And those two are Kiro Ironclaw and Jazzim Raija." Alice said politely. Ace gave them a weird look. "You've got odd sounding names." he said. Alice and Aria both giggled. Their names do sound unusual to a certain degree, but they didn't mind.
"Well, you'd be surprised how weird some names sound. In a good kind of way, of course." Aria said cheerfully. She and Alice then decided to introduce themselves more properly, offering the boy their hands. "Nice to meet you!" they both chorused.
Ace stared at them for a minute before he shook their hands. "Hey, Ace. So is the lion over here with a scar also famous?" Grim asked him as he pointed at the other statue, changing the subject. The five turned their attention towards the statue.
The statue was that of a wild lion, looking elegant and poised, but also fierce and cunning. His appearance was sleek and lithe with an unkempt and wild-looking mane and distinctive, cunning almond-shaped eyes. He had large paws with long, sharp, curved claws.
Oddly enough, he seemed to have a goatee beard. Finally, a small, thin scar stretched over his left eye. A pile of animal bones lay beside him. "Of course! This is the King of Beasts who rules the savannah." Ace replied as he pointed at the statue.
"However, he was not born to be king, but he took the throne through effort and elaborate planning. After becoming king, he even invited the hyenas, the outcasts of the savannah, to live in his kingdom without discrimination." Grim's eyes sparkled. "Ooh. He's as cool as rock 'n' roll for seeing past, uh, social status, was it?" he asked.
Aria then turned her head and walked over to the next statue. "Who's the lady with octopus legs next to him?" she asked. The statue was of a plump, short-haired woman with six long octopus-like tentacles with suckers from the waist down.
In her hand, she held a long sheet of paper that looked like either a document or a contract. On the right side of her mouth was a little beauty mark. She seemed to be wearing makeup, coral shell earrings and around her neck was a golden nautilus shell necklace.
"The Sea Witch who lives in a cavern in the deep." Ace explained. "If the first two were King and Queen in their own right, what did that lady do?" Kira asked. "She made it her life's work to help all unfortunate merfolk." Ace said.
"Apparently, as long as you could pay the price, she will fulfill any request, from changing your appearance to helping you find love—you name it. If it was within her power, there wasn't anything she wouldn't do. They say her prices were pretty high, though."
Aria looked back at the statue. "So she's, like, a deal-maker?" she asked as she looked at the statue. "Well, that makes sense since she can grant anything." Ace told her. "Nyaaa-ha!" Grim then cried out in joy. "So what you're saying is that I can get rich if I become a great mage?!" he asked enthusiastically.
"I don't really know, Grim..." Jazmin said pensively, "but maybe if you work really hard and take charge of shaping your own circumstances rather than placing the hope of future success in the hands of others, then you'll have a better chance of becoming one."
Grim could tell she really had faith in him. He gave her a proud beaming smile while Ace smiled and gave her a look of interest. Meanwhile, Kira side-eyed Grim disdainfully. "Tch! Fat chance you will." she scoffed. But Grim ignored her as he looked at the next statue. "Then, what about this man in the big hat?" he asked.
The five teens walked over and stared at the statue of a tall, skinny man. His face was twisted in a sneer with a twisted, black goatee on his chin and a faint moustache while he was dressed in extravagant exotic clothing. He wore a tall headdress with a thin pattern lined around the middle and downwards at the front.
A round gemstone situated in the front with a crimson feather sticking out above it. He wore long robes that reached the ground over a top garment with bell-shaped sleeves, under which he wore a shirt with very close-fitting sleeves that reached his wrists, all held in place with a sash tied around his waist.
The shoulders of his outer robe are pointed and curved upward, connected to a long, billowing cape while his exposed shoes curled inward at the tips. In his hand, he held a long staff with the tip shaped like a cobra's head.
"The Sorcerer of the Sands." Ace explained. "He was a cunning vizier to a foolish sultan and saw through the fake prince who was actually a street rat trying to deceive the princess. Then he got a magic lamp and rose to become the most powerful sorcerer of all! With that power, they say, he became sultan."
A wide smile spread across Grim's face. "Ho hoh! So it is important for mages to be an excellent judge of character!" he exclaimed. Then they all turned to the statue displaying a beautiful woman.
"Oooh! This lady sure is beautiful!" Grim exclaimed. The four girls looked at the beautiful woman statue. "Yeah, she sure is. Who is she?" Jazmin asked. The statue was a beautiful woman with a serene, yet cold and unfeeling face and a slender figure.
Her features and her royal attire create a very stunning and beautiful queenly image. She wore a long, gorgeous gown with long sleeves and a rope belt tied around her waist. She also wore a balaclava that covered her ears, neck and hair, leaving her pale smooth face exposed.
A long cloak that appeared to be part of the cowl with a white high collar attached to it billowed out behind her. She also wore a pendant that seemed to be attached to the collar. On her feet were heeled pumps.
To top off her royal appearance, she wore a fancy crown atop her head with five spikes on the front and a jewel on the tip of the middle and tallest spike. In her hand, she held up an apple with some type of ooze forming a skull's image on it.
"She is the queen said to be the fairest in the land. Every day she would check the "beauty ranking" through her magic mirror." Ace said. "And when it looked like she might fall from the number one spot, she never hesitated to do anything to get it back."
"I guess she had the strong will to remain the most beautiful in the world? So totally amazing...They say she was even adept at making poisons." Grim nodded as he looked at the statue. "She's pretty... but.... no thanks..." he said.
"It's really that amazing?" Jazmin questioned. "You think? But it's cool that she has something she'll never give up." Ace said. "S-Sure, that single-minded drive is pretty cool." Grim said. "Uh...I don't really know about that, Grim..." Jazmin said, not sure how to feel about this.
In fact, none of the girls were sure how they felt about any of this. The boy looked up to those people as heroes, but the deeds they performed made them almost sound like that they're...villains.
"Over there, what's with the guy on fire? His very appearance is terrifying." Grim said as he pointed at the sixth statue. It displayed a tall humanoid man with flaming hair, wearing a long Grecian robe and a smoky base.
He had a wide smile, revealing his sharp teeth. The four girls became a bit uneasy when they looked at his image and took a step back. Ace took notice of that, and a mischievous smirk spread across his face. Carefully and quietly, he sneaked up close to them.
"He's the Lord of the Underworld!" he said in a spooky voice. As the girls shrieked and jumped away, Ace hooted with laughter. "You sound just like girls." he laughed. Kira glared at him, not amused by his little prank.
"He rules a land crawling with evil spirits on his own. No doubt he is extremely skilled." Ace then explained. "He may look scary, but he's a man of integrity who accomplished that detestable job forced onto him without ever taking a break. Cerberus, the Hydra, and even the Titans, all fought in battle following his orders."
Grim nodded his head in understanding. "Hmmm, Hmmm. It's important to remain down to earth despite being capable at what you do." he said. "Maybe you should learn something from him." Kira said with a smirk.
"Hey!" Grim shouted, glaring at her indignantly. Finally, they went towards the seventh and last statue. "And the last one, with the horns?" Grim asked as he pointed at the statue.
The last statue displayed a tall, slender woman with a graceful, narrow face and a prominent chin. Like the Beautiful Queen's appearance, she was also darkly beautiful and coldly elegant. She had black horns, though it was hard to tell if those are her horns or a part of her headdress.
She was clad in a long flowing robe with the sleeve's edges looking like bat wings. Underneath her robe, she wore a dress and a ring with a large circular stone wrapped around her finger. In her hand, she carried a staff with a spherical orb at the tip.
"That is the Fairy of Thorns from the Briar Valley." Ace said. "Noble and elegant, even within the Seven, she is top class in magic and curses!" The girls turned to Ace. "She's top class?" Jazmin asked. The terracotta-haired boy nodded.
"She can create storms by manipulating thunderclouds and cover an entire country in thorns. My point is, her magic is on a whole other level. There was even a time she transformed into a huge dragon!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Really?! Wow!" Aria exclaimed as she looked at the Fairy of Thorns statue in wonder.
"A dragon...?" Alice murmured. "Are you kidding me?!" Kira thought as she looked at all the seven statues. None of the people seemed very great to her. In fact, she'd say they're downright villainous!
"Oooh! A dragon! All monsters look up to them!" Grim said as his eyes lit up with fascination and a happy smile spread across his face. Ace just shrugged casually. "They're all so cool~." he said with a friendly smile.
None of the girls ever imagined that they would wind up in a world where magic and talking cats exist. But now that they're in this brand-new world where magic isn't a fairytale, it wasn't difficult for them to believe that they would get to see a real-life dragon here and not one from their imaginations.
After seeing how friendly this boy was to them and how he was a student like they were, Alice believed that this may be a good idea to make a new friend here, despite everything she and her friends had all gone through.
Although Alice and Aria were excited about the idea of making new friends at Night Raven, Kira and Jazmin both felt pretty cautious about meeting new people. They were in a whole different world, after all. But they also were hopeful that they would be able to make new friends as well.
So maybe, they should try and open up. Alice took a step towards Ace and were about to make conversation when his smile turned into a haughty smirk. "...Unlike a certain raccoon." he said smugly.