The New World: Rebirth (TF, TG) (Part One)

The dream started almost as soon as I closed my eyes. The first thing I saw was a white void. I looked around, hoping to see... something. I didn't know what. Everything felt weird—my body was all tingly. I knew instantly that this wasn't a normal dream.

"...Hello?" I called out. I stepped forward, looking down. My footsteps seemed to create a kind of ripple effect on the ground below, which was this kind of Translucent light platform. I blinked-- I heard voices echoing throughout the white landscape. "...You're early~". It was a feminine voice-- unfamiliar. I tilted my head, and turned around. "W-Who are you?" I said, worried.

"My dear... I'll be seeing you very soon. And you'll be seeing me. I can feel it. The wheels of fate are turning." The voice said. I was about to call out a response-- but the dream quickly faded to black.
I jerked awake in my bed, panting a little. Okay, I say bed; it was really a sleeping bag, on the floor. I rolled over, checking the time on the clock that was nailed to the wall. I breathed out in relief; I still had time to get prepared. It was still early morning—around nine o'clock.

I wiggled out of the sleeping bag, and stood up, stretching a bit. This was my second day living at my uncle's dojo, and I was already missing home. I sighed, looking around. My room was small, but enough to hold what little I had; I had my backpack, my schoolbooks, a drink bottle, five changes of clothes ((I washed each Saturday)), and a few, thick books. There Wasn't really that much to say—I didn't have that much of note. One of them was a history book-- focusing on the last hundred or so years of the New World. Then, there was a schoolbook, focusing on stuff like English, Math, and so on, so forth.

Then, there was a family portrait, hanging on a wall. It was taken last year, in the fields of Elmanar. Mom was smiling, dressed in a light orange tee-shirt, and a flowing, white skirt. Her hair was dark brown, reaching down to her neckline. She had a dandelion in her hair, which just added to the effect. ...Mom... I missed her. My heart tugged a bit, as I thought back to then.

Then, there was my dad... He had black, messy hair; brown eyes.  He wore a business suit, and was smiling. He had a tough build, quite muscular-- yet, he had a soft expression. He wasn't the type to bully people around.

His hand rested on my shoulder-- I was in the forefront of the picture. I was an only child, but I remembered overhearing my mom and dad talking about asking the town's god to allow them another child. Two kids in one family were rare, here. On the picture, I had an expression of blissful ignorance and delight on my face... I didn't think I'd have to change schools. I didn't think I'd have to move to live with my uncle. I didn't think... I didn't think a lot of things.

I tore my eyes away from the picture, and got dressed into my school uniform, which consisted of black trousers, and a white tee-shirt. It was summer, so I didn't need to bring my jacket. I slid open the door to my room, and closed it behind me. I walked down the hallway a bit-- and heard a shout from nearby. My ears ringed a bit, and I decided to check it out.

I walked down a couple hallways, before I found a sliding door. I opened it, and walked out-- to a square, grassy field, which the Dojo was built around. There was a fountain against the back wall, and two statues on either side, depicting nine tailed foxes. My uncle was in the middle of the field, practicing his martial arts. He didn't seem to notice me yet, so I just stood there, and watched.

He had his right arm outstretched, palm facing towards the inn. He was focusing on... Something. His left fist rested just above the grass, as his knees were in a bent position. ...From my angle, it looked pretty stupid, so I allowed myself a bit of a snicker. That seemed to tip him off as to my location, as I noticed him glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

He stood up, and put a fist to his open palm, before bowing at the fountain. He then stepped away, beginning to walk to me. Now that my vision was clearer, I noticed there was a stone statue atop a podium in the middle of the fountain-- of a gorgeous woman, with nine fox tails, standing in a powerful position. She had a rather ample chest,  long, flowing hair, and was dressed in a robe.

I raised my eyebrows a bit at that, but didn't say anything; my uncle was now standing next to me. "Sleep well?" He inquired. I thought back to the dream... And decided to nod. It wasn't really anything malicious, and I didn't feel tired. "Yeah. The floor was a bit hard, though."

Uncle Mike laughed. "You get used to it, Naema. We haven't got enough room or coin for a bed right now, so you gotta stay put." He said. I nodded. "So I'd heard. ...What's for breakfast?"

Mike smirked. "You'll see. Have you had a shower this morning?" He asked. I shifted nervously; an obvious no. "Well, you gotta, kid. You don't want to look scruffy on your first day." Mike said, folding his arms.

I sighed, agreeing with him internally. "I'll go do that right now." I said, and rushed to the shower. The bathroom was wooden... It looked quite stable, though. I took a quick, ten-minute shower, before getting dressed, brushing my teeth, and combing my hair. By the time I headed out into the dining room, I could smell breakfast was already underway.

I took a seat. Mike seemed to have the TV on as he was cooking-- which I was able to watch. It reported news from all across the globe--- politics, both human and god. Events, like festivals... I sighed a bit, watching.

"Today, in Ashleyton, the river goddess Malacia betrothed two women at the riverbed. It was a sight to see- especially since marriage in these parts are rather rare!" A reporter said. The footage then cut to one of the girls who had just gotten married. "It's been a real honour... I never thought our goddess would marry us, so I was worried we'd be single forever... But now, I'm overwhelmed with joy... Thank you, Malacia!" She said. I smirked a little, feeling happy for them. The footage then cut back to the reporter.

"However, not all has gone according to plan... Several protestors showed up today, arguing that humans should be able to marry each other, without the need for a god to do so. The goddess Malacia refused to comment, saying she had other things to attend to." The TV was then shut off-- I turned my head, and saw Mike pointing at it with the remote.

"Hey, I was watching that!" I complained.

Mike looked at me, and smiled. "You need to focus on preparing for the day ahead-- and the ones to follow."  I sighed. "Yes, uncle..."

"Hey, call me Mike. It's rude to just call me 'uncle' all the time, kid."

"It's rude to call me 'kid' all the time, uncle."

"...Touché. Anyway, breakfast's ready." Mike carried two large bowls to the table, and put one down in front of me! He then took his to the seat opposite me, and began to dig in. I looked down, smelling chicken... "...Ramen?" I asked. Mike nodded. "Yep! Can't go wrong with some good ol' Ramen!" He said, after swallowing. I smirked a bit, and chuckled.

I ate breakfast rather quickly, and then headed into my room to pack my schoolbooks into my backpack, which I then slung over my shoulder. I walked out to the front door, which was in the living room.

"'Later, Uncle!" I said.

"D'you remember the directions?"

"Yeah. Walk down the road 'till I reach the alchemists, then turn left, down to the phoenix-mall, then hang a right all the way down to that big tree thing and I'm practically there, right?" I said. Mike nodded. He then walked up to me, holding something in his hand. Upon closer inspection, it looked to be some kind of… Necklace, with a fire symbol etched upon it. It was dark red, and seemed to have a kind of deep vibrancy, shade-wise.

"This… Is a protective amulet. The school… I don't know what your parents have told you, so… …You should be safe. It… It's like nothing you've ever experienced before." He said.

He then raised the necklace up, and clicked it around my neck. "H-Hey, what gives?!" I said.

"Keep it on you. At all times. This is the necklace given to my family from this town's goddess herself—Illaena. Under orders to pass it down to each new generation."

The necklace seemed to glimmer a bit in the light, and I looked down at it. "Doesn't it look a little… girly?" I inquired. He chuckled. "It suits you perfectly, Naema."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"…Nothing. Just stay safe, okay?"

I smirked. "No promises." I then exited the dojo, closing the door behind me! I began to walk, taking it slowly, getting my first good glimpse of this new town. I'd only taken the Angel-Transit line here last night, so I haven't had the time to get my bearings fully.
The town was different from what I was used to. Most of the houses seemed taller, and were further spread out. There were also quite a few people walking down the road, dressed in unusual outfits-- for instance, there was a woman who was dressed in what looked like a knee-length pair of pants, only one side was shorter than the other. She was wearing a wide hat, and some kind of leather cloak. The only thing regular about it was her red top, but that had a strange phoenix drawing on the front, filled in with black.

Then, there was a kid, about 10 years old who was dressed in a brown robe, and carried a book that looked to be about half as big as him. I winced a little, feeling bad for the kid; the book looked -heavy-. He was followed by a woman covered entirely in fur-- a natural fur coat. She had cat ears atop her head, and a sleek tail following behind her. These kinda people weren't rare, just uncommon-- blessed by the gods to have unique traits, often as a reward. Or, the gods just wanted to mess with them. There have even been cases of the 'blessed' changing gender. Whatever the case may be, society as a whole was accepting of them. Depending on the form in question, of course. There have been a couple of wannabe-warlords who were turned into abominations. They were shunned as a whole-- they generally looked disgusting. I remember seeing on TV this one guy who had tentacles all over him, big eyes, and constantly extruded some kind of slimy substance.

I shuddered at the thought, and continued on my way, following Mike's directions to the finest detail, before I arrived at Valeria's main school. I whistled a bit-- it was the biggest building I'd ever seen, in real life. It was about seven stories high, and it was packed! Students were flowing through the hallways, the courtyard, the field... I shivered, feeling a bit intimidated. This school was easily twice as huge as the one I'd been going to for the past few years, and had thrice as many students.  There was even a swimming pool!

I walked through the silver gates, and into the courtyard... There were statues across the walls, and depictions of other gods. It seemed that each god represented a class 'house'-- judging by the different insignia on student's clothing's, which resembled icons beneath the statues.

I tried to walk as quickly as I could to the entrance, keeping my head down. I didn't want to be noticed too much-- I felt... Exposed. It was silly of me, I know, but with so many eyes, all around you, I felt like everyone was looking at me. But the reality was that they couldn't care less, and were more focused on other things. That thought cheered me up a little.

"Heeeeeeey! You! Over there!" I heard a voice call out. I blinked, turning my head around to find the source of the voice-- A teenage girl, looking to be about 16, with dark red hair, blue eyes, and a rather feminine figure with fair skin waving at me. "U-Uh, hi?" I said, walking over. "What is it?" I inquired.

"You're new, right? I never forget a face, and I'd sure as hell remember a cute guy like you." She smiled. I blinked, feeling a bit taken aback. "...Cute? Me?" I said, dumbfounded. "But I'm just an average guy!"

"Okay, maybe cute was a bit of an overstatement... But, hey, you're new, right?" She said.
"Well, I just transferred here today... The name's Naema."

The girl tilts her head. "Naema? That's an odd name."

I shrugged. "My parents gave it to me."

"What's it mean?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You're name, dummy, what's it mean?"

"...Nothing."

"...Nothing?"

"...What, did you expect it to be from some kind of ancient language?"

The girl frowns. "....I expected it to have a meaning! With a name weird as that, I..." She folded her arms, pouting. "Are you lying to me?"

"L-lie, why would I lie? I've only just met you!"

"...You have a point." She concedes, relaxing a little. "So! I'm Janet, a school council representative! I'm here to help out all the newbies and stuff, point 'em in the right direction, you know? I get extra credit, and that's awesome!" She said. I blinked. "Huh... Lucky you."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"...Nothing."

"...Nothing? What is it with you and things meaning nothing! It's like reading a blank book!"

I smirked, and shrugged. "So, aren't you gonna tell me where I gotta go, then?"
"Well, you gotta go to the reception office. Ask 'em to print out your timetable, which will show you what house you're in, too."

I nodded. "Thanks, Janet." I smiled, offering a handshake. "Nice to meet you, by the way." She smiled, and accepted, energetically! "Nice to meet you too, Naema!" She beamed, and then let go, looking around the courtyard for new faces. I smiled, and headed inside the school....

Inside, the walls were coloured light brown, to give a bit of a wood-ish feel. Everything felt a bit homely. There were paintings on the walls-- depictions of Gods, and surprisingly, a few that depicted what we call the 'old world'-- the world from before when the god's came back. There were tall, metal skyscrapers... Some of them were even ablaze. From what the god's had told us, and our own ancestors, at that, there'd been a massive war. The god's had gotten sick of mankind destroying their planet, and stepped in, taking back control... All advanced weaponry was destroyed. The world was... As some would say, 'fixed'. I couldn't help but wonder what the people from back then thought at the time.

I waded through the flow of students, making my way to the main room, where a woman sat behind a registration desk. I narrowed my eyes-- she had a computer. We barely even saw computers these days. The most we had were TV's-- but I heard that computers were pretty common in the 'old world'. I guess the gods must have regulated their usage.

I approached her, cautiously. "Um-- Hi. My name's Naema, and I'm here for my timetable and stuff..." I said. She looked up at me, with a bored expression. "...Naema, was it? Naema Mikari?" She said. I nodded. "Yeah, that's the one."

The lady grunted. "Weird name. Hold on a minute." She said, and began to type into her keyboard. I sighed. "People always say that..." I muttered. The lady looked up at me, eyebrows raised. "...Never mind." I said, quietly. She returned to the search, before I heard a bit of a ding.

A bright pink glow could be seen from next to the computer-- and moments later, a sheet of paper popped from out of thin air. "M-Magic?!" I said, taken aback. The girl looked at me. "Yeah. Our town's god installed this like thirty years ago to make our system easier to use, and less resource-consuming." She said. My eyes were wide... Magic, it seemed, was a rare sight-- but not unheard of. I gulped a bit, and nodded. What other kinds of magic would this town have? I couldn't help but wonder. Maybe I should check out the alchemy place sometime.

The lady handed me the sheet of paper-- which I then took. I examined the details a bit. Then I frowned. "...No way, my house is under Ares?"

"Yea. Don't blame me, the town god chose for you. She has direct access to all our systems, and modifies it for each and every new student.  It helps keep this place running."

I tilted my head. "...Why was I put under Ares, though? I'm not tough, strong, and I don't enjoy fighti--" The lady interrupted me right then. "Look, kid, you're holding up the line. If you ain't got anythin' useful to say, move along." She snapped. I looked behind me, and saw a few other kids nervously waiting behind me. I gulped.

"Uh-- S--Sorry." I ducked away, my cheeks flushing red with embarrassment, as I began to head to my homeroom. That was when I realised I had absolutely NO IDEA where I was going.

I checked my watch--- I had about fifteen minutes till the school day started. I swore under my breath, and turned back to the receptionist--- but she was swamped with other students. I swore again, and began to look around for anyone to ask about where my room was. I quickly checked my timetable to see if it held any details-- all it said was that it was on room 4. Then it had a sign next to it-- two swords, crossing in battle, with a shield insignia around it.

I grunted. I really hoped that this school didn't have a gladiator sport. Given me being in Ares' house, I figured I'd be roped into that somehow.

I rushed to the fourth floor, trying not to bump into students. The last thing I wanted was to be late-- In fact, I wanted to be early. I wanted the time to meet people, and learn more about the school. If I didn't get that, and couldn't find myself in some sort of clique? I feared that I'd be left out, socially. It happened at my last school, and I sure as hell didn't want it to happen in this one.

Finally, I reached the fourth floor. I walked through the corridors, checking the signs atop the doors... 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.... They all seemed to be numbered. It looked like a good system-- but why on earth the house-room didn't have a number associated escaped me. Finally, I turned a corner...

...That was when I saw it. Suddenly, I understood.

There were two, wooden, double doors. Large. They had the insignia plastered on the front-- and medieval torches on either side. Lit. I gulped a little. It had a completely different feel from the rest of the building-- I could feel... Some kind of presence. The influence of the god was teeming in the air. My neck hairs prickled a bit, and I approached the door, nervously... And, quite frankly; intimidated.

I placed my hand on the smooth, wooden door handle, and turned it. I heard a click as the mechanisms inside the door worked, and looked down at my hand. It was glowing red. I yelped, and pulled my hand from the door handle-- the glow faded a bit. My eyes were wide with shock. I sweated a bit, nervously, and hesitated. Was I supposed to be here? Yes, I thought. I mean, the town goddess had assigned me here, hadn't she? There was nowhere else to go, and class started in a few minutes. I swallowed, anxiously... Before putting my hand back on the door handle. It glowed again.

I turned the handle, and the mechanisms clicked again... I pulled the door open quickly, and rushed inside, panting a bit as I heard the door close behind me. I quickly checked my hands... No glow. I gulped.

Suddenly, laughter. I heard the sound of a male voice laughing beside me. I blinked-- was my fear that obvious? I turned, and saw a kid-- about my size, looking about 17-ish, but with dark brown hair, instead of black. His skin was also a bit darker than mine, and his eyes were dark red. Not in a menacing way-- in a vibrant way. This kid must have some kind of god-blood in him.

"Don't worry, man. That's just the room's protection." He said. I blinked, straightening up a bit, putting my hands behind my back, trying to cover my apprehension.

"...Protection?" I inquired. The guy nodded. "Yeah. It's like, a security system. Every house room has it-- it prevents those not authorised from entering. Magic, you see."
I frowned. "...Isn't magic rare?"

"Not here. Well, magical influence at least. You rarely see people actually using magic because you gotta have some kind of godly influence to be able to do so. This town's god doesn't give that freely, but she's done her best to make this place convenient." He replied.

"...Okay. Um. Magic. ...Right." I scratched behind my head. The nervousness must have been easily viewable on my face, because the guy looked at me, reassuringly. "Don't worry, man. You aren't gonna turn into a chicken or somethin'. It was just confirming your identity."
I nodded. "R-Right." I relaxed a little at that. The guy held his hand out. "The name's Rin." I accepted the handshake-- he had a damn firm grip. "Naema." I replied. Rin smirked a bit. "Nice to meet you, Naema. Welcome to the Ares house."

"...Still wondering how the hell I got in, but thanks, anyway." I said. Rin grunted. "Yea, you don't look like the toughest type... Maybe the gods just want you to toughen up?" He suggested. I shrugged. "Maybe." He grinned. "You could always ask them." I stepped back a little, eyes wide. "You kidding? the god's don't trouble themselves with random kids!"
He smirked. "True, I guess... I haven't seen anyone talkin' to this town's god since I've been here. It's like she's under the radar."

This time, I was the one to grunt. "Maybe they just figure they're too important to concern themselves with us." Rin sighed. "Maybe..."

I looked around the Ares cabin, folding my arms. Most of the kids looked burly, strong... But there were a few kids who were skinny, and looked like they didn't belong, too. It was a mixed bag. That just didn't make sense to me. The room itself had a medieval feel to it-- made entirely out of wood, had dark-red carpet, tapestries strewn across the room with the house insignia plastered on them,  and weapons like swords and maces hanging on the walls. I shuddered a bit. "...This place is definitely related to Ares..." I muttered.
"We get that a lot. ...So, transfer student, I presume?" Rin said. I nodded. "Yeah. First day today." Although he probably knew that due to my lack of experience with the magic throughout the school.

"Where where you before?" Rin asked.

"Elmanar." I replied.

"...Elmanar? That place where the forest-nature goddess chick lives?" Rin raised his eyebrows. I simply nodded.

"Shit, man... She's all nature instead of magic. No wonder the door thing shocked you like that. Sorry for laughing..." He said, nervously. I shrugged. "It's okay, really..."

"How about I make it up to you with a few quick pointers?" Rin said, folding his arms. I grunted. "Sure, go ahead."

"Okay... How much do you know about this school?"

"It exists, and it's about twice as big as my old one... Plus, apparently, this place actually uses magic."

"...." Rin placed his palm on his forehead lightly, rubbing it. "Okay, looks like I gotta start at the beginning. You at least know who this town's god is, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. My uncle said it was... Illaena? The kitsune?"

Rin looked at me, eyebrows raised. "I don't know where you're uncle got his facts, but this town's goddess is Myria. The angel-ey one...."

I frowned. "...No, my uncle said it was Illaena."

"He's wrong."

"Are you sure?"

"Dead sure. Have you even seen the statues throughout the town? All monuments. Depicting her."

"...My uncle has statues of the kitsune chick at his place."

"...You sure he's not crazy?"

"Are you kidding me? The dude's as sane as they come."

"...Riiiiight. Anyway, you might want to inform him of the true goddess. She might get a bit pissed off if you don't."

I shuddered. Nobody wanted to incur the wrath of the gods; they could -wreck- you. Disfigure you. Turn you into cows, chickens, ants... You name it.

"...Duly noted."

"Anyway... As you may or may not know, this school has five houses; Myria, Alana, Kolor and Ares. Myria's theme is love, and seduction; the house is filled with mostly girls. Alana's about strategy and wisdom-- most of what you'd call 'the nerds' go there. Kolor is justice, and peace-- they lay down the law, but... Some of their students are tricky bastards. And Ares... Well. We're all about the fighting. We're all about -winning-. We're competitors. We do what it takes to succeed." Rin said, grinning a bit as he said that last bit.

"...So... Our goal is to kick everyone's ass?" I replied, raising my eyebrows, with a curious expression on my face. Rin nodded. "Yup! But, each and every house is incredibly balanced, with formidable foes. The Myrian's work on seducing the enemy or stealing their plans, and using them against them. The Alanian's make their own, often convoluted plans that sometimes involve espionage, and traps. Everything's fair game, here; things get crazy around exam season. The gods have some kind of magic here that prevents people from dying on campus, to help the young generation move forward. The most that could happen is you'd get knocked out. Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, that's right; the Kolor's. ...They work with deceit. They twist words to their advantage, and they're adept at turning other's plans against them. They pick everything apart, and find flaws. Then they'll hit you when you least expect it. ...Us? Well... We work with brute force, well laid plans, traps... We're like the wildcard. A lot of our members are good at different things-- and each year, that changes things up. Sometimes, our plans work like the Kolor's. Others, ours work with a mix of Myria-type seduction, and Alana-type strategy. Most of the time, we just talk with our fists. Our main goal? Survival. We have the lowest death count out of all of the classes- and that's sayin' something."

"..."I could only nod silently, taking all of this information in. This all sounded crazy. Super-crazy, even. This was NOTHING like the school I was in before-- where it was all tests, worrying about getting F's instead of A's... Here, it sounded like it was an all-out war. A struggle to climb to the top-- Winning at all costs. Just what the hell was this town's goddess thinking? At least she was wise to have the 'no-death' policy...
"...You mentioned traps. What kind of traps?" I asked.

"...Spike pits, flamethrowers, crusher blocks. You name it. It all depends on the student's creativity, and the resources available to them-- provided by the house's gods, in their stockrooms. If a trap is enough to kill you, it'll do as much, but your body will teleport and 'respawn' at the reception area. It's the one place where traps are forbidden." Rin pointed to a door at the back, which I presumed was the stockroom... It was the only thick, metal door I've seen in the school. I shivered-- even the doors in this house were intimidating.

"...Does it hurt?"

Rin laughed. "Hell yes, it hurts. That's why we gotta pull together. Have you checked your timetable yet?"

I pulled my timetable out of my pocket, and examined it. Rin pulled his out, and placed it next to mine, comparing the two. "...Looks like we've got the same classes! Swordsmanship, magic theory-- A subject they just added this year, as an experiment to open magic to the public-- literature, history, tech, P.E... Damn. It must be a coincidence." Rin said.
"...Magic?!?!  I'm going to be learning MAGIC?" I replied, my eyes wide. Rin nodded.

"Nothing special, just basic stuff... You're not like, gonna be hurling fireballs or anything. We're talking making small objects invisible for short periods of time, lighting a campfire with sparks, and using it as an aid to lift heavy objects."

"...Why would they open magic up to the public? Isn't that a bit dangerous?" I asked, folding my arms.

"...Maybe they want to see if humanity has changed at all, since the dawn of the 'new world'." Rin suggested. I shrugged. He had a point.

I heard the school bells ring, and looked around for a seat. I took one at around the middle of the room-- and Rin sat next to me. I looked up at the front of the room, where a simple blackboard sat, waiting for something to happen. The silence itself was also intimidating-- I had, again, no idea what to expect.

Then... The blackboard fizzled a bit-- before an image appeared on it. A moving image. Of a man.

He looked to be about 40-50 years old, and he had long, black, spiky hair. He had a gruff, muscular appearance, and was wearing a white singlet. He had a sword sheathed on a leather belt, and wore black trousers.

I leaned back in my seat, nervously. The guy... He was intimidating. His mere expression conveyed a sense of power-- of presence.... He stared over the class, looking over all of the students individually, with a gaze that felt like it could pierce souls.

"...A good pick this year." He said, in a deep, rumbling voice. He then turned to look directly at me. "...Mostly, at least." He grunted. I saw him eye the necklace around my neck, which I responded to by pulling my shirt over it, nervously. I shivered a bit, shrinking back in my seat.

"...There are no new announcements this morning. The schools schedule will run according to your timetables." He said. The blackboard then returned back to normal.

"...Hey? Hey, dude? Are you okay? You look kinda pale..." I heard Rin's voice, but my mind didn't quite register. Whoever it was on that screen didn't like me. At all.

"...W..W...Who... Was that?" I said, my voice quiet.

"...That. Was Ares."

I shrank even further down, my eyes wide. I started to tremble a bit. "...Ares? You're kidding me-- I--I just, a god just, I...."

"....Yeah. Dude doesn't like you."

"... Clearly."

I looked around the class; hoping people weren't staring at me. Luckily, I was right. They were busy chatting to each other. I relaxed a bit, and rolled my shoulders, sitting back up, letting out a long-held breath.

"...Sure you're gonna be alright?"

"...Lets just get to class.