"Hello students, welcome to Hex Academy! Be glad that you managed to pass, the entrance exam was but an introduction, welcome to the real hell".
The man stood up on the stage with his arms out, a corrupt smile rested on his face like it was a natural part of him.
Crowds of students scattered throughout a large open field, their sounds muffling.
Neila stared up at the stage with a blank expression on her face as she sighed loudly.
[A speech? They're wasting my time, I really could be doing something way more productive]
She turned her eye to a sudden scream calling out for her name.
"NEILA! You promised, you promised that you'd free me"!!
It was a small girl, reaching out her hand towards Neila.
She was being taken away, a man clad in black grabbing her by her legs.
She was struggling, her entire body was shaking.
Yet Neila looked indifferent, she stared at the young girl with her cold eyes.
She extended her hand towards her.
"Did you really think I had enough power in the government to release you all"?
"Weren't you the first daughter of the Shaw family!? You told me you could free me"!
"The first child"? Neila tilted her head.
"That was a lie, I don't even know how many children my father even had".
The girl was dragged away, her fingernails leaving a mark on the carpet.
Trails of blood left behind, pieces of her broken nails scattered throughout.
The man on the stage spoke into the microphone.
"The 7 top scoring members will have to be escorted to the principal's office, he has a special task for the seven of you to accomplish".
"What the hell"?
Hoshimi's eyes widened as she chewed on his fingernail, his breathing started to quicken rapidly.
[I purposely made myself top 6, I thought that the academy would just reach out for the top 5, are they purposely trying to make me do more work!?]
Sixth place was supposed to be the invisible spot, 10 people were supposed to be too much for any kind of special mission, 5 people was the perfect number.
"This must be Reina's doing, everything from the beginning, she knew that I would get either 6th or 7th place, why the hell would this mission need me"?
Neila Shaw. Dominic Walker. Kira Aamon. Sarah Williams. Lucy Walker. Hoshimi Shirogane. Edward Nio.
In that order, they walked through the school hallways, adorned with paintings and inscriptions of the seven Primordial Witches.
A single man stood in front of them, guiding the students through the maze like halls.
The chandeliers lit up the halls brightly, gold adorned the walls and the crimson carpet underneath was as bright as blood.
"The principal really seems to like the primordial witches", Hoshimi mentioned.
Kira looked at him.
"They're the origin of our abilities in the first place, of course someone like him would".
"They have the names of demons".
Hoshimi whispered under his breath, "They're the reason we're being ostracized in the first place".
Kira walked beside Hoshimi as she slightly nudged him with her arm, a crooked smile on her face.
"I thought you wou-wouldn't make it, I'm happy for you".
Hoshimi smiled back.
"I told you that I'd manage, I promised you".
Kira looked down as she kept trailing behind the group, rubbing her thumbs together but still not looking at him.
"You really did manage to keep your promise- I mean you told me that you would but, and on top of that, you managed to reach 6th place- not trying to undermine you or anything but if you didn't then I would've given you points of my own".
"Come on, there's no need for that".
Hoshimi's eyes narrowed.
[She's stumbling over herself, she wasn't like this before]
Kira stopped in her steps as she immediately bowed.
"I-I sorry for bothering you, I really didn't mean it, I really should stop talking right now, I'm so sorry".
"You're not bothering me, really".
Hoshimi's eyes widened as she slightly flinched.
[She's awkward, stumbling over herself and overly apologetic, multiple personalities housed within the same body, the same thing happening to Dominic, she's definitely a reincarnated]
"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much, I promise that I will repay you somehow"!
The hallway opened up, a woman with long ginger hair stepped out, her heels echoing in the hallway.
She wore a long tan coat with pockets in every edge.
"Hello students, my name is Reina".
Her eyes rested on her face like a sticker, she didn't look emotional but not stoic either.
"Reina Albert, nice to meet you all, I'm the Vice Principal of Hex Academy".
Neila rested her hand on her hip.
"I thought the principal was going to see us".
"He has a guest right now, so I'm here to deliver you the message instead".
Reina put her hands behind her back as she cracked her neck.
"The seven of you will be sent to protect a high ranking government official's family for a week".
Neila immediately narrowed her eyes.
"Excuse me"? she replied flatly. "I made it to first place and all I get is a stupid task to play bodyguard? And even then, it has to be a government official"?
Reina smiled.
"Think of it as a practical exam of sorts, you're still first years, you'll get harder and harder tasks in the future".
Dominic smirked, his face filled with an amusing expression as he gestured into the air and spoke with a sarcastic tone.
"So tell me will you miss? Which douchebag's family are we supposed to protect"?
Reina didn't flinch. "Classified, his identity is of no importance, you'll just protect their family".
Dominic extended his finger, pointing towards her chest.
"Ahh, what is you're trying to hide"?
"Classified".
Lucy stepped forward, wiping the remaining remnant of the blood from her lips. "Are you kidding me? We barely had any rest after the fucking bloodbath, now we're being used to protect the same people who treated us like weapons"?
"Lucy, you're way too naive, but what would you expect from these bastards"? Neila shrugged her shoulders. "I'm more pissed that I'm being given commands rather than anything else".
Lucy stared at her from the side of her eye.
"Of course you'd be, you're the most narcissistic and manipulative person on this planet".
Reina clapped her hands. "Anyways children, you're being trusted, you either learn to obey Hex or serve a different purpose, you seven are the top of the class, you represent the entirety of the first year. Public image matters".
Edward Nio scoffed from the back, leaning against a small table with a lamp on it.
"So we're not bodyguards? We're supposed to be PR puppets right"?
"Come on man, relax".
Dominic walked up to Edward and put one around him as he smiled.
"I'm here, I promise to you that nothing wrong could ever happen, stop being such a worrywart".
"Come on man, there's nothing wrong with worrying a little".
Edward tapped Dominic's shoulder.
Neila cracked her neck. "Fine, tell me who the client is".
"I told you". Reina's expression was blank. "Classified".
"Worth a try". Neila shrugged her shoulders.
Reina walked past them, one hand in the pocket of her coat and the other hand in her pants.
She looked at Hoshimi and walked into the door behind them, her heels echoing in the halls.
Later that night, the moon gleaned through the window.
A golden light peered through the corners of the room as Hoshimi laid down in the bed, a television screen stood across him, imbedded into the wall.
Hoshimi stretched himself, his body was full of fatigue from the entrance exam already.
He stood up, the soft carpet on the floor pushing against his toes.
The curtains slid across at the top and closed.
Hoshimi's eyes glowed a faint purple.
"What are you doing here"?
Reina sat down, man spreading on Hoshimi's table and biting on a toothpick as a mysterious wind blew from a fan she put on the nearby earlier.
"Look at all of this aura".
Hoshimi rubbed his temples.
"When are you going to stop your stupid antics, and are you going to get off my table"?
Reina jumped onto his bed as if it were her own.
"I'm here to warn you about the mission".
"Yea, right". He said sarcastically. "During the conversation at the cafe, you persuaded me into reaching the top 10, you knew that I was going to get to 6th place didn't you? You manipulated me into accepting this mission and you're here to warn me"?
"That girl, Kira Aamon, she's at your bidding now isn't she? So you really can't be judging me".
A wicked smile spread across her face.
"Anyways, there is tension in the family that you're tasked to protect, some of the children are fighting each other for the future position of prime minister, make sure that the head of the family doesn't get killed".
"Hmm".
Hoshimi intertwined his fingers, he bent over as his eyes narrowed with a look of interest.
"So you're going to make me find the supposed future usurper"?
Reina took the toothpick out of her mouth and pointed it towards him as she crossed her legs.
"Yep".
"Some little brat is supposedly planning murder"? He said flatly. "How are you so sure that it's going to happen? Any kind of evidence"?
"Nope, it's a gut feeling". She leaned on her arm as her eyes peered into his glowing violet pupils.
"There's already tension in the family, murder is a high possibility, he has a total of 3 children, I'll send their photos to you tomorrow morning. Be a good boy and catch him before he kills the prime minister or let him get killed, I don't care. Just find the killer".
"Calling me a good boy doesn't really motivate me, y'know"?
Reina gave a sly smirk.
"That's up to you, if you manage to solve it, you're a hero. If you don't then, maybe the better candidate wins".
"Government lapdog".
"I'm a witch too Hoshimi, what would you expect"?