Manifest War: The Weapons Within

When Carmen returned to the girls' dormitory, she noticed that Olivia was sitting alone in the grand foyer. Upon further inspection, she seemed to be jotting down some notes inside of a small leather bound journal.

"Hey Olivia, what're you still doing up?" Carmen curiously asked, glancing at the large clock nestled on the wall. Olivia looked up with a startled expression as she quickly closed her journal, tucking it underneath her leg.

"Oh, hey Carmen! Uhh, I'm just doing a little studying. Gotta keep my mind sharp, ya know?" She replied with an awkward and suspicious smile.

"Studying? I see..."

Before Carmen could pry any further, Olivia swiftly shifted the conversation.

"I heard you got rank 30th, that's so awesome, Carmen!" Olivia said with a gleeful pump of the fist.

"Thanks, I guess... I really thought I did better than that, but apparently the instructors think otherwise."

"I mean, it's better than placing 57th. Your team did great compared to us."

"Sure, but you guys still beat us pretty handily. I don't think we're as far apart as you think."

When Olivia heard Carmen's statement, she slightly flinched and a bead of sweat dripped down from her forehead. Olivia's eyes darted around until she mustered up the courage to reveal something that had been weighing on her chest for a while.

"Hey, uhh, about that fight we had in the midterms. We only won that because we've been tak-" Before Olivia could finish, she began coughing profusely.

"Are you alright, Olivia!?" Carmen asked with great concern as she patted Olivia on the back. The coughing fit continued for a few more seconds until Olivia finally calmed down.

"Yeah, I think I'm fine. Must be coming down with a cold or something." She replied, slowly removing her hand from her mouth.

"You should go to the infirmary in the morning, just to make sure. Okay?"

Once Olivia gave Carmen a nod, they said their goodbyes to each other. When Carmen made her way up the stairs, Olivia looked down at her hand and noticed multiple specks of blood covering her palm.

'This cough is getting worse. I need to go see Headmaster Quinn as soon as possible.'

Olivia's expression grew more concerned as she wiped the blood away on her skirt, wondering what was happening with her body.

The morning after the midterm exam, Lady Ravala and Bridgette Vandel walked down the empty halls of LaVeda’s Main Building. The sound of their footsteps echoed as they made their way up the winding staircase, heading towards the fourth floor. They navigated past a few lecture halls until they ended up at a large, secluded oak door at the very end of the hall.

Bridgette looked up and noticed the sizable Dahlia crest welcoming them, its intricate pink and silver accents sparkling from the crystal chandelier above. Lady Ravala reached into her pocket and held up a pink colored rune, showing it to the Dahlia crest. Immediately, Core Energy was released and the door began glowing pink until it eventually made a subtle unlocking noise.

Lady Ravala pushed the door open and motioned for Bridgette to follow her inside. Once they entered, a large circular classroom came into view. Upon the right wall was a massive Dahlia tapestry and on the left was a tapestry donning the LaVeda University crest.

In the middle of the room was a donut shaped, white marble table with eight silver chairs evenly placed around it. Everything was perfectly lit from the ample amount of windows around the entire room, highlighting just how pristine and well kept this room was.

As they approached the table, there were four students already seated. Castell Pruitt, the 2nd ranked student at LaVeda and Student Body President, sat at the furthest end. Sitting two seats from him to the left was Viola Cartwright, the 4th ranked student and Student Body Secretary. Immediately across from her was another boy named Ashton Bridgeford, ranked 5th. The final student, with his back facing Bridgette, was a Siestian student ranked 7th, Tamril Holden.

Every single one of these third year students had an impressive aura about them as they looked over, their fairly unwelcoming eyes meeting with Bridgette’s. Castell gave a subtle smile as he got to his feet, politely bowing his head to Lady Ravala.

“Ah, to what do we owe the pleasure, Lady Ravala?” He said with a charming cadence, raising his head slowly.

“I want to introduce you all to the final Dahlia selection. Bridgette Vandal will join you all as she fills the 8th Dahlia rank. Please welcome her with open arms and ensure that she learns what it means to be a member of LaVeda’s elite.” Lady Ravala replied, her voice still as stern and harsh as ever.

“I see. We will do our utmost to uphold your wishes and make sure that our newest member fits her rank perfectly.”

Castell bowed his head once again, assuring the principle that they wouldn’t let her down.

“Good. Now, I must be going. But first…”

Lady Ravala turned to Bridgette and took hold of her uniform jacket. With a slight amount of pressure, she pinned a silver and pink Dahlia crest onto the collar.

“Whenever you get a chance, go see the University Tailor. He will design you a new uniform that fits your tastes. It’s one of the perks of being a Dahlia, so please take advantage of it.” Lady Ravala said as she readjusted the crest.

“Yes Ma’am, I will do so. Thank you.”

Bridgette slightly bowed her head and watched Lady Ravala walk away, exiting the room to leave her with the other students.

When the door locked shut, all eyes were on Bridgette. She simply walked over to an empty chair and took a seat, completely unbothered by the silent judgment being thrust upon her. Once she got comfortable, Ashton spoke up.

“Tch, so they really accepted a first year into our ranks. What the hell do they think they’re doing? Headmaster Quinn must’ve gotten bribed by your father or something, that’s the only way. Right?”

His golden colored eyes glared deeply as he noticed her green tie. Bridgette looked over and lightly snickered.

“Pfft, if you can’t see why I got this crest, then you must be pretty slow in the head. I'm honestly surprised they'd let someone like you be a Dahlia, especially considering the size of that old fashioned pea brain of yours.” Bridgette replied, struggling to hold back her laughter.

“WHAT!? WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?” Ashton exclaimed as he got to his feet, immediately exerting his Core Energy to the absolute max.

His short blonde hair started to grow longer while transitioning to a deep red color, fanning outwards like a lion’s mane.

After a few short seconds, Ashton’s body grew immensely. He burst through his uniform, revealing a large tribal tattoo that raced around his now incredibly muscular physique. His mouth protruded outwards and his teeth became like fangs. Once Ashton finished his transformation, he looked like a half human, half lion hybrid.

With a single powerful step, he leapt over the table and rushed towards Bridgette with his sharp claws fully extended. Bridgette remained seated, her arms still crossed as he got closer. However, the moment he entered her space, sand burst from the ground and blocked his attack with ease.

Ashton immediately retaliated with another visceral punch, hoping to knock the sand away. However, before his fist connected, Bridgette’s sand shifted away for a brief second before grabbing hold of his legs from below. It was almost as though the sand had a level of sentience to it, making its own decisions on how to approach this fight.

‘What!? How's she attacking me without moving?’

Ashton looked down to see what had grabbed him, now noticing the gritty sand rushing past his ankles. Once he realized what had happened, the sand effortlessly tossed him into the wall with terrifying force. The marble wall cratered in on itself as Ashton made impact, causing blood to fire out of his mouth from the sudden collision.

When he began sliding downwards, the sand was already on the offensive. Before Ashton could even touch the floor, the sand surrounded his body and pinned him tightly against the wall. Bridgette slowly walked over and stared at him with her piercing blue eyes, her long blonde hair swaying with each elegant step.

“Now do you see why this ‘first year’ was accepted as a Dahlia?” She asked as she stopped her approach, now standing face to face with him.

“And for you to think that my father bribed the Headmaster. Don't insult me…”

Without the need for a command, her sand gripped Ashton tighter and tighter. However, after a single blink, Castell was now standing between them. He pressed his glasses upward with a simple push of the finger and looked at Bridgette with a fairly disapproving expression.

“I think that’s enough, Miss Vandal. This is not how Dahlia’s behave…” He said.

“Tch, whatever... Just be sure to keep your oversized cat on a leash next time..."

Bridgette rolled her eyes and stepped away, prompting the sand to release its grip and recede back into the ground. Ashton dropped to the floor and coughed profusely while his body returned to normal. Bridgette remained silent as she made her way towards the exit, slamming the door behind her.

“Well that was exciting! I like her tenacity!” Said Tamril, clapping his hands together with joy.

The gills on his neck flapped wildly as he laughed and smiled, feeling thrilled to have seen such a wild chain of events.

“Exciting indeed… But Castell, surely you aren’t about to let a first year student get away with such insolence. Word mustn’t get out that a top ranked Dahlia was done in by a mere first year…” Viola replied as she brushed her fingers through her long, lilac colored hair.

“Hmm, honestly, we might not have much of a choice but to let this one slide. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that girl is strong. I’d say besides Rosemarie, Scarlett and myself, there isn’t a student here that could match her.”

Castell walked over to the table and placed his palms down to lean against it, pondering a few thoughts.

“So what, we’re just supposed to leave her be? Scarlett won’t go for that.” Ashton replied with an irritated tone as he got to his feet, leaking a fair amount of Core Energy.

“Scarlett’s not in charge here. She’ll just have to get over it, same with you.”

Castell shot a glare at Ashton, prompting him to cease his show of power. Once Ashton relaxed his tense posture, Castell pressed his glasses upward and cleared his throat.

“Don’t worry though, there are plenty of other ways to put a first year student in their place. Just sit back and go about your lives, I’ll handle what comes next.”

Castell's smile turned devious, prompting his Dahlia comrades to smile as well. They were eager to see what awaited the new 8th ranked student at LaVeda.

Later that afternoon on the top floor of LaVeda’s Main Building, Headmaster Quinn was hosting a secret meeting between him and a few instructors. His face seemed to be quite troubled by something as he relayed a message to them.

“Once the sun goes down, I want you all to go out and handle this situation. Be as discreet as possible and make sure no one is made aware of your actions. Understood?” He said with great authority.

Once the group of ten instructors nodded and agreed, they swiftly exited the room. However, professor Cromwell stayed behind.

“Headmaster Quinn, are you sure this'll be wise to do? Surely you realize this school’s reputation will be at stake.” He remarked, his tone filled with concern and anxiety.

“We don’t have a choice… Besides, this school’s reputation has been shaky for years. But, once this is all said and done, LaVeda will be back to its former glory. I just need you all to trust the process.”

Headmaster Quinn turned to face his large window and looked out at the campus, silently admiring the students walking around outside.

“I see… Well, I’ll be sure to do my part. Don’t worry about a thing, Sir!”

Professor Cromwell bowed his head and quickly left the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. The Headmaster continued to look out the window, pondering a thought as he sighed heavily.

“If I knew this would be the price for working with the Watcher’s, I would’ve declined. I hope Delandy has some kind of plan, otherwise I’ve no idea how LaVeda will handle this moving forward…”

His hand began to shake as he placed it against the glass, deeply regretting the decisions he had made thus far. However, before his moment of self loathing could escalate, Headmaster Quinn heard a knock at his door. He turned around and allowed them to enter. Castell Pruitt opened the door and let himself in.

"Ah, sorry, Sir. Did I come at a bad time?" He asked with a cautious tone, bowing his head respectfully.

"Oh no, not at all! What can I do you for you, Castell?"

Headmaster Quinn smiled and motioned for him to come over to his desk.

"Well, I was wondering if you could give me a refill of that supplement? I burned through my last stock faster than expected." Castell said as he approached, pulling a small translucent vial out of his jacket pocket. The Headmaster's eyes went wide once he saw how empty it was.

"My boy, I think you should probably slow down on these. You're treating them like candy." He replied with great concern.

"Slow down? Sir, with all due respect, I need as many advantages as I can get. I can't afford to slow down."

"But why? You're plenty strong without this supplement. There's no need to take so many-"

"No, I'm not strong enough!! If I want to take back the no.1 rank from Rosemarie, I need these pills!"

Castell angrily slammed his fist onto the desk, leaving behind a sizeable dent on the top. His glasses slid down his nose and he sent a dark glare towards the Headmaster, as though he were possessed by something sinister. Startled by the sudden fit of rage, Headmaster Quinn leaned back in his chair with a frightened expression.

After a brief moment of tense silence, The Headmaster sighed before reaching under his desk. He fiddled around with a drawer until he eventually pulled out a new vial filled with little purple pills. He reached out to Castell, but before handing the vial over, The Headmaster spoke up.

"Limit your dosage to only one a day. No more than that, got it?" He said with an incredibly serious tone, his eyes staring deeply at Castell.

"Yes sir, thank you."

Castell grabbed hold of the vial and bowed his head, assuring The Headmaster that he would follow his instructions. Once he exited the room, Headmaster Quinn sat there in silence and wondered what would become of LaVeda as the rest of the semester loomed.