The Assembly

Fourth chapter of the Crusaders of the Constellation novel, it introduces King Athos and the university staff, and about the university's purposes.

## Story

A few minutes of waiting have paid off. The king, a stately old man walked up the stage and to the podium, the one with Aether World Cosmic University's crest on it. He was wearing a golden crown on his head, with rubies and sapphires on it. He also had his silk robes on, that are burgundy in colour, and a golden sceptre with a crystal orb on it. The king Athos also had a beard long enough to touch the floor.

"Greetings, new dimension warriors..." He said. "There is a reason why I chose you today to attend Aether World Cosmic University."

All the students looked up to see him speak. "I have read prophecies about great evil, a Devourer of Dimensions that will threaten all of existence. And that those who will inherit the power of the stars will defeat it. Therefore, you will be staying in this university to learn the ways of the dimension warriors. But I warn you, it wouldn't be easy."

"I knew it...it's gonna be exams, gym, and possibly people I wouldn't be caught dead with..." The fox spirit whispered, only for Bai Tu to look daggers at her. Perhaps he thought that she was talking about him. Ranald saw them and thought: Uh oh. Their rivalry just might be bad news... let's see how it goes. "You will undergo many trials and tribulations on the way to becoming the guardians of the universe. Hearts will be broken, expectations will not be met, failure may happen, but remember, as long as you do not give up, anything can be possible. Also, you must look out for each other..."

Not when you are looking at each other as if you want to fight, Ranald thought again, glancing at Bai Tu and the nine-tailed fox spirit, who settled down. King Athos continued, "As fellow dimensional warriors. We are not to look out only for ourselves, but for your classmates too. I mean, we all have different personalities and ways of doing things, but that doesn't mean that we must argue." Bai Tu cooled down and looked at the speaker. "It just means that we must learn how to work with each other's differences. But if friction between you happens, I and my fellow staff will do our best to sort it out. And that's why you're here. And I would like to thank you for listening to this short but fruitful speech." After saying that, King Athos turned and called the staff to come up on stage.

Samson, the Dimensional Shuttle's driver, arrived wearing a blue collared shirt and leather pants, followed by a flame dog wearing spectacles and a green collar. The fox spirit froze in fear, only for an Amazonian woman with tan skin sitting next to her reassure her that the flame dog won't bite her (the groups of the moon and the sun are next to each other). "He's just a cute dog. He wouldn't even hurt the fleas that live on him," she said. In the group where Delmare's at, she wondered if bringing pets to school is allowed. "This is Samson, the bus driver and for today, your tour guide for AWCU. He's from the 51st world. The dog is Husdent, and he's the librarian." Athos informed the students. "I will be your university teacher, counsellor and cook. Don't worry, I always wash my hands before cooking." He said."Now without further ado, let's go tour Aether World Cosmic University. Remember to get your belongings on the left-side corner of the gym. Don't forget your valuables, and be sure to follow the guys carrying the flags. Since we will tour the academy grounds first, and go to the dorms or hall of residences last for your lunch break, you'll see why the flags are needed."

Samson then spoke. "I'll be your tour guide for today, so y'all have to stay together. Husdent will keep you safe. If you guys have any pets, don't worry. They can stay in the gardens. We'll go to them soon." "That's right," Husdent spoke, surprising most of the students. "I will be there to guide you and even tell you about the buildings. Enjoy."

"I didn't know that dogs can talk. On Earth, the dogs there just bark, growl and whine." Ranald said. Well, the dogs from my home-world bark too. Talking ones are rare." Phrixus stated. "You have the golden flag with the sun symbol. Raise it, and my fellow group mates will follow." For the first time, Ranald felt important. Never mind what a nine-tailed fox spirit said, but he knew that he was the only human on Earth with the soul of a different creature, a griffin, as she put it. But not an ordinary griffin. He remembered the mythical creature as representing both intelligence and strength, qualities needed in a future leader. King Athos saw the golden-haired boy and walked up to him and Phrixus.

"You too are getting along well." He said. "I hope that you will look out for each other and make new friends along the way." King Athos then asked to speak with Phrixus for a while. Ranald went to the Amazon woman and decided to chat with her. "I'm Ranald De Gol Griffward. You must be..." "Zarafa. Just call me that." The woman clothed in leather armour with a sando inside said. She then turned and walked away. He was taken aback at first, but he wondered what nasty stuff happened to Zarafa that made her unwilling to socialize with anyone. Then the shepherd boy's call caught Ranald's ears. "His Majesty told me to tell you a secret. It will be between us and the people you will meet."

Ranald ran up to Phrixus and asked him what it is. The curly-haired boy showed him his hammer. For one, his hammer has the symbol for the Aries constellation on it. And two, since his robes are sleeveless, his arm also has the Aries symbol on it. "Ranald de Gol Griffward, you must look for those with the zodiac constellation symbols. And since you have already met me on Samson's space ship, you have met your first guide." Phrixus paused for a while, and said, "I have been shepherding sheep in my home dimension. Now I will teach you how to shepherd people, and at the same time bring you to meet the rest." "What for?" Ranald asked, "I have been guiding children and defeating Nightmare Monsters in Dreamland while my physical body is sleeping before the king sent his winged messenger bottle at my home's doorstep!" "Listen," Phrixus instructed his friend, "The Devourer of Worlds is more powerful than the most powerful of Nightmare Monsters. He, or it, probably has a slew of followers to carry out its twisted will. That's why we're brought together. Your future guides, including me, have the symbols of the zodiac constellations on us and thus are marked as ones who will teach you our fighting styles, to prepare you for the final confrontation with it. But don't worry, we'll take it slowly." After that, Ranald went silent. He thought to himself: Am I really prepared for this? I mean, I am already powerful in Dreamland as the Golden Griffin Warrior. But here? They will laugh at me for having no powers as a human...If only I can show them that I don't need to depend on my alternate form to be a hero... after all, when I am in it... I start acting beastly, like a lion and an eagle. And it scares some of the kids in Dreamland sometimes... The shepherd boy saw that Ranald was deep in thought, and distressed at having been the only Earthling in an environment filled with supernatural creatures.

"It's okay, bud. As long as I'm here, I will make sure no one will bully you. And that you will meet your future guides who will help you manage your two forms, and coming with them, your human and beast instincts. Anyway, let's get our belongings and tour our new school." Phrixus assured him. With that, the two young men went to grab their belongings and joined the students in their tour of Aether World Cosmic University.

Concept inspiration: The Chinese cartoon, Kung Fu Masters of the Zodiac. In this case, Ranald learns Kung fu from zodiac constellation themed characters.