Modern knights (correct title)

I have always been fascinated with Ancient Weapons. Every single dollar I have ever earned was spent on Swords, Shields, Crossbows, Maces, Armor, excreta. So when my mom showed a brochure for a school that would allow me to bring all my weapons collection that I could carry, and be able to keep it in my room! I ran all over the house yelling in delight. When I finally calmed down my mom pointed to a section of the brochure that said that all applicants must keep a journal about their experiences there. I was a little disappointed now because I knew that I would be forced to write in it for at least an hour every day. This was bad because I HATE TO WRITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now the main reason I hate writing is that every time I try to write anything it takes forever because I have to go back and correct at least ten thousand stupid mistakes; that I shouldn't have made in the first place. So I decided to write in a book style, that way I would feel a little better. I had to start packing immediately, even though it was a week until I actually was heading to Knight Hall Academy (cool name right). It took me a week to pack because I had so much stuff, it took up the whole garage and the shed to store it all, and trying to pack it was exhausting! When I had finally finished packing I just went up to my room and collapsed on my bed, falling asleep instantly. I woke up about 4 hours later to my mom pouring a bucket of water on my head. I jumped out of bed gave my mom an angry glare and went into the bathroom to change and dry myself off. I came out about ten minutes later and mom looked impatient and then rushed me downstairs. It wasn't until I saw all the packed boxes that I realized that I was leaving that day to go to the Academy, and I was sooooooo late.

“I need to hurry, don’t I?” I said

 Mom nodded. I spent the next thirty minutes rushing all the heavy boxes into my truck. When I was done the stack of stuff was about 10 feet high, and I’m not kidding. I had spent 10 years working a bunch of odd jobs to add to my weapons collection. It helps that I live in a lazy, rich neighborhood. Yes, I’m a rich kid, but that doesn’t suddenly make me a snob. I would really appreciate it if you didn’t stop reading, just because you think I am a snob. Just give me a chance. You still here? Ok, now where was I… oh yeah, the 10 ft. tall stack of boxes.

“Man, I hope Buki no Masutā Academy (Japanese version of the name, it’s cooler right) knows what they're getting themselves into,” my friend commented.

“Oh, hey didn’t see you there, Mason.”

“Well, it would be kinda hard considering…” He looked up at the towering stack on the back of the truck.

“heheh… well, you know me, can’t bear to be away from my weapons.”

“that’s true.”

“so are you here to see me off”

“yeah kinda and I wanted to let you know something”

“oh yeah what is that”

“I got into the school too”

“WHAAT REALLY WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME BEFORE”

“I just found out myself this means we will get to see each other every day”

“YUUUSS I was worried about not knowing anyone”

“really you know you would make like 3 instant friends on the first day and throughout the week like twenty more”

“hehe I’m not sure about that but I know I can make new friends fast, all right anyway we are really late”

“wait really”

“yeah, hey are you packing anything”

“not really”

“good then get in the car, bye mom I’ll write from the academy”

She waved in response. Then we got in the car, and we were off. We didn’t talk much on the way there mostly I just drove and Mason played on his phone. I could not stop thinking about the Academy. I wondered what it would be like from the brochure it should be like a normal boarding school except they allowed weapons and offered clubs for swordsmanship and things like that. After about 3 hours of driving, I pulled into their parking lot. The Building looked amazing it was about 4 stories and had two spires at each end, and it looked kinda like a place that ancient nobility would live. I wouldn’t mind living here for a while. I shook Mason awake.

“huh-why’d you wake me up?” He said sleepily

“were here.”

He got up and rubbed his eyes.

“wow, this place looks amazing.”

“I know right, but just think of how hard it will be to navigate.”

“uggg did you have to ruin the moment?”

“yes yes I did, now come on we have to find the Main Office and turn in our paperwork.”

“Can’t you just let me sleep and you go and turn in the paperwork”

“no, because after that we have an orientation assembly to go too”

“aarrggg fine”

We got out of the car and went in through the front entrance. The inside was even more amazing than the outside with its high sloping ceiling, red fancy carpet, tall engraved pillars, polished wood counters, and the most entrancing chandelier that was made of a bunch of shining diamonds (yes real diamonds) that refracted rainbow colors added to the enchanting atmosphere of the place. I could have stood there for hours just basking in the allure of it all, but I was torn from my fascination by a slight cough. I looked around and saw a small girl with a book looking at me from behind her book and wide spectacled eyes. When she saw me looking at her she ducked down behind her book and acted like she was reading. I walked over and read the cover of the book the title was “Romantic Love for Baka’s” (if you didn’t know already Baka is Japanese for idiot)

“cool book never heard of it, is it any good”

She nodded rapidly

“what’s it about”

She shrugged

“has it helped you at all’

She gave me a quizzical look

“well the cover says Romantic love for Baka’s so I was wondering if it has helped you at all”

At that, she stood up and looked at me straight in the eye… or at least tried to seeing as she was at least 2ft shorter than me and spoke for the first time since I met her in the cutest voice I have ever heard

“wh-wh-at d-do –you th-thin-k I-it c-could h-help”

“well I’m not really sure, but if it taught you to talk like that then it must be a really helpful book”

“WHA” she looked down at her book blushing furiously.

“sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable I just noticed you have a really sweet voice is all”

“I-I’m n-n-not u-unc-c-omfortable I w-was j-just s-s-upraised I-I’ve n-never been c-complimented b-before”

“well get used to it cause with me around your bound to get a lot more”

She just nodded, and at that moment a bell rang.

“a-ah s-so s-sorry I-I’ve got t-to g-go”

“yeah me too, I need to get my papers in well see ya around then”

“y-yeah h-hope to h-have a c-class with y-you”

“me too”

Then she ran off and I walked back to my friend who had a smug expression on his face.

“what”

“Instant friend number one”

“seriously you’re going to count all the friends I make just to prove a point”

“yes”

“this is what you’re going to do from now on”

“yep”

“all right well we really need to get these papers in so we can get to orientation”

“yeah…so you have any idea where the main office is”

“nope”

“didn’t ask that girl where it is by chance”

“nope”

“didn’t think so”

We wandered around for about 20 minutes before we finally found the office at the completely other end of the school. We walked in and were surprised that no one was there, but after a little bit of looking around, we saw a poster that said place forms here and had a basket below it. We put our forms in the basket.

“now what”

“I have no idea”

“well we could start by finding the main gymnasium for orientation”

“yeah that sounds good”

While we were walking away I looked back and thought I saw the outline of a person for a second, but I kept going and attributed it to my overactive imagination. We were walking around the school for the 10th time, trying to find the gymnasium when we saw a bunch of students walking down the hallway in front of us chatting and I walked up to them and asked

“hey do you guys know where the main gymnasium is we are hopelessly lost”

One of the girls toward the middle said

“it is literally at the other end of the school just turn around and keep going till this hallway ends”

“thanks”

“your welcome”

I turned around grabbed mason and started to walk down the hallway. As we were walking one of the people from the group ran over to us and said that he would show us the way as I turned around to say thanks, I saw the girl glaring in the guy’s direction.

“hey what is she glaring at you about”

“just keep walking, I’ll tell you once we’re out of earshot”

“ok”

He didn’t talk again until we could barely see the other group

“all right I think this is far enough”

“what is going on”

“well the girl that you just talked to her name is Hanabi”

“oh cool, that’s flame blossom in English right”

“yeah, how’d you know”

At this Mason joined the conversation

“he has been trying to learn Japanese for the last year”

“yeah but I can’t hold any kind of conversation in it I can just recognize words and phrases”

“oh that’s cool”

“yeah so you told us the girls name, but not what happened over there”

“sorry I’m just worried that she’s going to hear us”

“how would she hear us she is way down there” I pointed down the hallway

“…ok so have you guys ever been bullied”

“nope… at least nothing I’d consider bullying”

Mason “I have”

I whipped around to glare at him “AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME, WHO IS IT”

Mason responded defensively “hey it was before you moved in and we became friends and it doesn’t matter anymore she is in the Caribbean”

“GRrrrrr, fine but this isn’t over”

“are you guys done”

We both replied “yep”

“ok so Hanabi is what you would call a manipulative bully”

“what does that mean”

“well she alters situations to make you embarrassed, and if you fight back or tell a teacher she will make you look like the bully”

“heh it’ll take a lot to embarrass me”

“what about you stranded naked in the girl’s locker room”

“she could do that”

“yeah”

“wow… wait what did you save us from”

“well where she was sending you is called the weather room”

“what’s that”

“it will be covered in orientation, and btw were here”

We looked up at the sign above the door in front of us and saw a plaque that said the main gymnasium.

“oh ok thanks, so are you coming with us”

“nope I’m a second year”

“ok then where you going”

“well I would probably have to go back to Hanabi” he shuddered

“aw come on you don’t have to do that, so how about we take you with us and if any teachers ask why your there we just say that you’re here to make sure that I don’t faint and fall on the ground”

“wait why would you faint”

“because I have a problem with my blood sugar that when it drops I pass out, and I am anemic”

“wait really that’s not a good combination”

“actually I have neither of those issues, but the teachers don’t know that do they”

“I’m not sure if that’ll work”

“would you rather go back to Hanabi”

He shuddered again at that “ok let’s do this thing”

We all walked in and once we were through the door we three warriors were prepared to brave the tide of strangers before us. (p.s. we are not warriors, I just like to say things like this sometimes) once we were in, we went and sat down on one of the couches that were laid out, and waited for orientation to start. (yes you heard me right couches BEST SCHOOL EVA) Up at the front of the gym, there was a stage which seemed a bit weird to me but it’s not my school. Anyway on the stage there were 6 teachers standing center stage talking with one another and to my surprise, there was Hanabi and her crew/posse standing against the back wall onstage.

“hey, dude what’s your name”

“oh sorry I should have introduced myself earlier my name’s Hurokara”

“isn’t that Shona for Sorcery”

“yeah how’d you know that one”

“oh I mess around on google translate sometimes, anyway isn’t that Hanabi and her posse up there”

“oh no I didn’t know it was their turn for the evaluation”

“whats the evaluation”

Before he could tell me one of the teachers walked up to upstage center.

“If I could have your attention please orientation begins now so continue your conversations at a later time (She paused to listen for a second) alright welcome students to Knight hall academy also known as Boku no Matsuda Academia. Now i'll begin this by saying Boku no Matsuda is not a normal school, this is a school to train Knights and …. Wizards” (she was going to continue but I was too busy screaming at the top of my lungs)

“YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY THIS IS JUST LIKE A BOOK I CANT BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME JUST ALFJ:WEOFJWE:OIFJWELFKJSAFWEOJFLWEIJFOWEJOPEWJFOPEWIFJ”

“DUDE SHUT UP”

Mason pulled me back down onto the couch blushing furiously.

“Well haven’t seen that reaction ever before seems we have a full on geek with us this year” the teacher commented “So as I was saying this is a school for Knights and Wizards, and I must tell you this school can also be dangerous and there is no guarantee you will make it out alive so if any of you wish to get away from this craziness leave now although I know of at least one person who will definitely be staying”

“HIYA” I yelled

I looked around and about 10 people shot up and ran out, about half of the people left walked out with their heads down, about three more people left slowly while looking at us like we were crazy for staying. Then a girl with purple highlights in her hair in all black clothes stood up and said in a surprisingly pompous voice.

“YOU ALL ARE CRAZY IF YOU BELIEVE IN MAGIC ESPECIALLY YOU”

She glared at me and flounced out of the room. The teacher then started talking again.

“Is that all remember there is no second chance to leave if you stay now you will remain here till you graduate … or die.”

At that, a super nervous looking guy with bangs that reached almost past his nose stood up and was about to leave when I stood in front of him.

“hey I can tell that you're scared out of your mind, but I can tell you now there will only be one chance right here to stay and have your life be changed in a way you never thought possible. So if you stay I can tell you, I will make sure that you become confident in yourself and that no harm will come to you, so how about you sit down with me and take this opportunity.”

He stood there shaking for like a minute, and then suddenly stood still and nodded. Then I led him to my couch and sat him down next to me.

“Well then looks like the rest of you are staying, hmmm 8 people that is an amazing turn out usually we only have 1 or 2 every year. And no I am not counting you Mr. Kanzura”

“Wha how did she know” Horukura said

“It’s the all knowing, all seeing headmaster” I responded

“pppffft” Mason stifled a laugh

“Joseph, Mason, and Horukura I said no talking, but astute observation Joseph keep it up and you will do well at this academy.”

“wait so she’s really all knowing and all seeing” Mason said

“well duh were at the very back and there are no audio devices that I can see” I replied.

“Anyway (the teacher continued) now that we’ve weeded out the skeptics and cowards we can go over exactly what this year should look like. You will have 5 classes every day the classes you are in will depend on what your affinities are. Affinities are basically your talents and possible talents. Like if you have an affinity for a certain type of magic you will be put in that class. Also if you have an affinity for a certain type of fighting or martial art you will be put in that class as well. Now there are two ways to figure out what your affinities are, one is to just come up to the front and put your hand on this crystal orb (she pulled out an orb from the folds of her cloak) it will tell us what your affinities are, or you can duel with one of the students that are standing on the stage this option may be more dangerous but It is a lot more accurate. Ok now, who wants to have their affinity tested first.”

“MMMMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” I screamed

“Of course” The headmaster smiled “and I suppose you will be wanting to duel.”

“yep, can I go grab one of my weapons”

“ah so you have your own, yes, of course, bring as many as you like.”

“Oki”

At this, I ran out to my truck grabbed the wrapped parcel next to the driver’s seat and ran back and up onto the stage.

“all right I got it”

“Only one weapon what kind of idiot are you do you think this will be easy,” Hanabi said (of course it was Hanabi who would say this)

“Hanabi if he wishes to use only one weapon we should respect his wishes… and confidence, and since you seem to feel so strongly about it how about you be his opponent.”

“with pleasure headmaster” Hanabi curtsied then stood in a circle at the other end of the stage.

“all right stand in the other circle if you will Mr. Kirkman.”

As I stood in the circle I noticed that it was not a normal circle but had intricate designs and words I could not read.

“Now this is a test match so the first one to die shall be the loser but no conditions apply, and do not worry Joseph you will not truly die those circles are called second life circles or avatar circles. They will make it so if you are killed in the duel you will not die in actuality. So are you both ready.”

We both said yes.

“then begin”

The circles glowed for a second then went back to normal. Strange I didn’t feel any different doesn’t matter though because I will win this match.

“aren’t you going to unwrap your weapon” Hanabi asked

“I don’t feel the need to right now” I replied

“then you truly are an idiot because now you won’t even last five seconds” Hanabi said

“funny I was about to say the same to you”

“You STUPID BOY”

She then just stood there, not moving she just was still with her eyes closed. I looked around confused but no one seemed to think it was weird in fact they weren’t moving either. I didn’t have time to worry about this right now, I had to win this so I unwrapped my katana and stabbed Hanabi right in the chest. Suddenly everything spun into motion with an announcement that the duel was over ringing through the air.

“WHAAAAATTTTTTTTTT HAPPENED HE WASN’T EVEN AFFECTED BY MY ILLUSIONS AT ALL HE CHEATED” Hanabi screamed

Ah so it was an illusion she must have put everyone into an illusion but if that’s the case why wasn’t I affected.

“hmmm it seems that Mr. Kirkman possessed the eyes of truth.”

“eyes of truth” I questioned

“Ah Sorry you have been so eager and knowledgeable that I forgot you were new the eyes of truth are an affinity that is known as a generational affinity, generational affinities are affinities that only appear in one person every generation. It seems you are the possessor of the eyes of truth for this generation.”

“NO NO NO HE CAN’T HAVE THE EYES OF TRUTH HES JUST A STUPID BOY AARRGGGG” Hanabi screamed as her eyes started glowing red “HE CHEATED HE HAD TO THAT’S THE ONLY WAY HERE ILL PROVE IT”

At This, she shot a huge fireball at me.