Chapter 7- The Phoenix Academy

"I'll be honest, Kai, I didn't think it would be this crowded..."

Kaito and Elynor were facing the gate of the Phoenix Academy and there they could already see that this was no ordinary academy. With several pilasters at the entrance, a huge garden, several fountains, phoenix figures trimmed in the grass and statues of the greatest warriors who graduated there, everything in that place exuded the prestige of being one of the best academies in the world.

"They say they are the best, Ely. Of course it'd be this crowded."

Kaito could see ahead a huge amount of applicants in a big line at the main gate and several students walking from one side to the other. It was quite easy to distinguish the two groups. The candidates wore ordinary formal clothing. The students of the Phoenix Academy, on the other hand, wore a wine suit with a red tie from the school, with the symbols of their ranks on their shoulders. Rank B was embroidered in silver. Rank A had a golden embroidery. Rank S, Elynor being the only one out there, had a golden phoenix crest along with its golden lettering.

There were other students of lower ranks, but these had no embroidery on their uniforms. To the Phoenix Academy, those below rank B were all the same. These low rank students were usually children of high rank people or people with great financial power to put them there. That didn't change their status in the end, and Kaito had the feeling that they were not treated any better because they had money. It was a world of blood and no amount of money could change that.

"Hey, is that the Bloodless? What's he doing here?"

"My dad said it could be contagious. Why doesn't anyone get him out of line?

"Gee, I thought the Phoenix Academy was better attended..."

Elynor made the mention of turning around to scold them all, but Kaito held his arm and gave a brief smile, denying any attitude from his brother. This sort of thing was common for Kaito, and he was used to it. The last two months this was how they treated him wherever he went. Contagious, Powerless, Wormy... were just some of the insults he heard. Did this hurt him in any way? Less and less every day. But when they offended his family because of his blood, things could get a little too extreme.

"Let it go, Ely. Try to look on the bright side, you didn't want to attract attention, did you? Look how great it is, they completely ignored you!"

Elynor bowed his head somewhat angrily and closed his fist, breathing deeply and calming himself as best he could.

"You should have listened to Dad. You should have been wearing a wooly hat or a cap or a wig..."

"And stay hiding? My eye is almost white, Ely. My skin is pale. There's a lot to hide." Kaitou looked at the people who were talking about him in line and gave a slight nod with an open smile "And I don't want to hide. My goal here is something else, remember?"

"Oh, that's right...your goal. If I could help you in-"

"No need. I said I'll do it myself. To tell you the truth, it only makes sense if I do it alone."

The two heard a commotion further ahead and soon the huge gate opened, revealing a figure that everyone there knew well. She was a short, slightly chubby woman with green hair, emerald eyes, appeared to be around thirty years old, but everyone knew that Selize Salibar, the Final Apparition, was over fifty.

She looked at everyone with her enormous authority bearing down on each one and for a moment Kaito had the feeling that she had looked at him directly and smiled, but it had all been so quick and so subtle that he wasn't sure of what he had seen.

"I will not speak any louder and I will not repeat anything I say. If you don't listen and because of that don't know what to do, I will take it as an immediate failure."

She spoke softly, but in such a hypnotic way that she seemed to force everyone to look at her green lips of shiny lipstick. Immediately everything went into complete silence, with only cars being heard in the distance.

"Perfect. I am Selize Salibar, the principal of the Phoenix Academy. I will be the one directly in charge of the entrance exam and I will take a close look at who will pass and who for sure is just here to make me laugh. For now follow me to the test that will decide your entrance."

Before she entered she said something to the huge warrior securing the door, and as soon as she proceeded everyone went after her with whispers arising from one side to the other.

"A Principal is going to administer the test? I'm already nervous..."

"Wait, isn't she A rank? Where's the S rank principal?"

"Keep your voice down! She is rank A, but she defeated the former principal in a duel. That's already the second S rank she's defeated!"

Kaito felt his heart beat faster, but soon received a pat from Elynor on the back as an encouragement.

"You're going to make it! Just show what you've trained these past few months. I mean... you have to show it in moderation. You remember that Dad forbade you to reveal everything, right? He told me to keep an eye on you."

"Yeah, I know...I don't really agree, but I'll respect that." replied Kaito shrugging and not seeming to care much.

The brothers followed the crowd, but something seemed to catch both of their attention. It was as if more and more looks were focusing on Kaito. The comments with his hair or him being a Bloodless were increasing with each meter, but now they were related to his brother as well, who was an S rank. Kaito knew it was meant to be worse. Normally they would try to assault him and throw him out of there, but Elynor was with him and that made things much easier.

But such ease ended when they reached the gate. As soon as they tried to go through, the security guard gestured for the two of them to stop.

"I'm sorry, but you have not been allowed to enter the entrance exam."

The warrior did not look at them and spoke in a mechanical way, as if he had all instructions memorized. Kaito took a deep breath and realized that it was an illusion to think that everything would go smoothly. He just didn't expect that something would go wrong right at the entrance.

"What do you mean he can't go in? That's absurd! It's in the rules that anyone can try to take the entrance exam!" thundered Elynor as he glared at the guard.

Evil smiles broke out on the faces of everyone there, but soon the huge warrior looked directly at the S rank and said with more emphasis.

"The candidate can go in and take the exam. The one who cannot is you, Elynor Arturis, S rank student. Students of the academy are not to attend or interfere with the exam. Director's orders."

Kaito was so surprised that it took him some time to react.

"Easy, easy...wait a minute... You mean I can enter and he can't?" he looked at his brother who looked equally confused "Can I really take the exam?"

The warrior answered only with a nod and soon a huge relief came over Kaito. However, Elynor still hadn't quite taken that in.

"But I have to get in! If I don't come in..." he looked around and saw all those who could do harm to his brother "Please...just let me in."

Kaito stepped forward and turned to his brother with a smile on his lips.

"So... someone, that would be me, can do something that someone, that would be you, can't! How ironic of fate, isn't it, Ely?"

"Stop kidding, Kaito! I know very well that you-"

Elynor fell silent as he saw his brother's gaze on him. Kaito didn't want to be protected, he wanted to prove his independence and his ability, and it was all carved out in the look he gave his brother. Elynor looked around, noticed that the line was still because of them, and then gave up with a deep sigh.

"Fine, I'll go to class then... but when you get out call me and we'll go home together. And that, Kaito, is non-negotiable!"

Kaito smiled at his brother in a way that passed confidence.

"I'll pass and be stronger than you, grape-head!"

"Dream on, cottonhead!"

And with that Elynor walked away, a little calmer, but still worried. Kaito took a deep breath, turned around, and continued to follow. As he climbed the stairs of a reddish floor with somewhat too golden walls, Kaito heard even more whispering and scorn from the people around him. Once in a while someone had tried to kick him from behind or slap him on the head, but he avoided them each time. In the two months he had spent training he had gotten very good at dodging.

What Kaito didn't expect was he saw on the second floor. It was a large space with a skylight illuminating the smooth, mirrored ceramic floor with daylight. However it was the huge cage and what was inside it that amazed everyone there.

"The test will be done on this floor and it will be something very, very simple." said the principal with a sarcastic smile.

Kaito felt the floor shake with the roars and screams of the huge troll trapped in the cage. It was a creature of more than eight feet tall and its body was taken over by muscles and a rustic armor while holding two huge clubs that must have weighed much more than anyone else in there.

Selize sat down in a padded chair that had a small table beside it with a wine and goblet on it. She poured herself a drink, took a clean sip, and showed a sarcastic look that seemed to tease every one there.

"The goal is very simple! I want you to make teams of five people, face my friend here, and not die for five minutes. The team that manages to survive will be integrated into the Phoenix Academy. Now let's see who has come to impress me and who will make me laugh."