CHAPTER I.

"Sycho! Sycho; wait up!" A voice had hollered from further away from the drowned out abilities of the background.

There was many bustling voice's all around the area; different girls and boy's in fancy plaided gowns and vest's. However; there seemed to be something that glistened and reflected the sunlight that dangled around their necklines. The collar's seemed to be activated by the sunlight it's self; beeping and reflecting an eerie ruby hue; as if the sunlight was reaching the core of a demon eye.

Sycho was standing there; a map placed between his leather gloveless hands. He stood up; after all-- he typically wore Jester facepaint; his complexion being oddly pale like an ghost in a snowy tundra; his eyeliner smeared and smoky; along with a broken heart of crimson and ebony underneath; his headband tucked underneath his violet hued locks that were perfectly parted among his appearance. Soon; five other people raced ahead. Their footsteps echoing about; they had no shadow's to speak of; unlike the other student's that had raced on by; chattering loudly.

"So; is this what Gabriel; Michael and the other's wanted us to go?" A female had inquired; her dreaded crimson lock's firmly braided; she looked towards her brother.

"Remember; we have absolutely one shot to do this right." Another quiet; shorter boy had chimed in. His orangish locks draping his complexion; his gaze an translucent golden hue; a mask draped over his jowls; his hood covering most of his features. "I-I do not mean to boss you.. I-"

"Typical Chasity; Monsu're I must say." A male added; folding his appendages behind his dorsal; his lighter blonde locks shortly buzzed - even though an odd rose type matelic object added around his right visual. His attire was more formal; as if he was in the old fashioned years- which they were.

"How bad can it be? Come on! We were given this chance to be real Virtues! A real chance to be welcomed into Heaven." Another boy chimed; typically the last of the group. His locks were an bright azure; his cheeky grin formatting ear from ear.

"Do we even know what the virtues; virtues; virtues are? It sounds like a totally show stopper to me." Sycho had declared; flickering his wrist outwards; making it dangle loosely in his disregard of the matter altogether.

Sycho and his sibling's were in the old years; in the early 1800's to be exact. To many people in this campus they were standing in; they were dead; recently departed. They passed through this school; one of Myth's and legends; tales and history. Angels; Demons; Sirens and more passed through these doors to be judged by the highest three realms in existence. The three kings; as Sycho referred to them as. Tophet; the kings of hell; or better known as the Horsemen of the Apocolpyse; Seraphic; the rulers or the top Angels of heaven; and Anima- average Spirits but just as strong of the realm of Purgatory. Spirits; Sirens and other creature's dwelled among this area. Each student fell into this category; no matter the age; in the after life to blend in and cross over.

"But.. All I know is I am the opposite of Sloth.." Avidity; the azure haired male had said; prodding his digit's together; or fingers - looking anxious despite his pep talk; being the eldest.

"Come on you girls; how hard can it be?" The female; Jas had said; her smile twitching as the sunken demples showed along her cheek bones; strutting ahead; but clumsily nearly stumbling over her appendages as an silhoutte of a nearly departed human screeched; rushing back in a flash of smokey powder.

"Watch it! I am the true showman here; here here!" Sycho said; his out spoken; manic nature translucent. He waggled a fist like an outraged old man; declaring his disproval.

What was Sycho you may ask? He was humility; the counterpart of the Seven deadly sin; Pride. He dabbled in the arts of being a performer on the streets; to save and entertain young abandoned children; abused wives and husbands; and more. He made a fool of himself to show the most prideful side of those who hide their sin. He would preform a show; entertain; and then go for the finale- which meant; pulling the entire sin out of someone so they can get into heaven.

He had no idea what his Virtue power was; he and his siblings were casted out of heaven to prove their worth; a reset in humanity on earth; to guide the souls of these students as they crossed over. The Seven deadly sins too; are here. It was a race against time; to save and to be damned. Jas was forgiveness; the opposite of Wrath; She kept her brothers in line; and typical forgave their compulsive ways. Niege was Temperance; he self immense respect; self restraint as he was the opposite of Gluttony; Legion was Charity; the opposite of Greed; typically always giving his insight; views and soft spoken and rigid selflessness. Avidity was Diligence; the heart of the group; the opposite of Sloth. He typically was the last in line; the oldest; and the inner leader.

Sycho; despite being the brother and the youngest of the group; was destined to be a leader figure despite his prideful; humble ways. He never wanted this for them. He was only here to prove a point; that they deserved their wings to get into heaven; to reach the four tiers; to be a Ultraviolence in the school; with that achieved; you pass onto the other side; but it took work.

"Can we go? The bell should be ringing for lunch." Sycho suddenly said before he began entering the dirt covered path; the immense wooden school having marble double doors that yawned and welcoming. The old; rusted bells chiming together in an eerie setting; everything fading and swirling around.

"You must'nt surpass a woman; do let her proceed." Niege had said in his thick french accent; displaying an appendage outwards as he held his brother backwards; holding him in place.

Jas sneered; before she flipped her locks and began leading the way; her leather attire hugging her frame; her flowing under skirt tucked firmly around her; her leather combat boots thudding and leaving her imprint. Her dorsal had a small incision; once where her wings were. Every single sibling had their stereotypical sign of their mark; that would aqquire when they succeeded. Sycho mocked his brother's tone; mocking his mouth in motion with repeatedly opening and closing his appendage.

"P-Please do not be mad at me.. Brother.. but.. uh uh.. he means well." Legion had said; tugging on Sycho's sleeveless jester outfit; making the bells jingle.

"If you mean mean mean means well as in taking that stick out of his- ow ow ow!" Sycho began before he was tugged after by the ear; the sheering burning skin of the delicate cartledge being tugged at uncomfortable speeds. His earrings that were hooped in catching on Avidity's hand.

"They really did not shorten your name from Sychophantic for a reason." He said before his chipper smile formatted; tugging him ahead and leaving an awkward yougner brother tumbling after him.

As they entered the chambers of the area; he noticed a widening space; two teers of wooden stairs freshly polished; lanterns and chandeliers dangling from the whereabouts; the inside a polished wooden even though years of tarnish marked the polish in vague scratches. It smelt of a fresh dew; wood and the arch of tree's that enclosed around the area. Immense brick charred from age aligned the walls; as he was forced to look upwards at an impending balcony. You could see the peeking of heavy jeweled doorways and scriptures marked among the top; to keep rebellious creatures from sabotaging one another; since everything was fair in the afterlife.

He entered the main chamber; an old man sitting at the desk with his appendages folding among the top; his boot's scruffed and covered in rotting darkened sanguine fluid or blood. He was wearing an wicked mask; cracked down the middle in an eerie smile; the percaline design showing many stories as two feline type bi hued gaze of emerald and azure lingered back; two feline zenith's or ears aqquired at the top. He was wearing a long trench coat; with a few branded swords along the side. He huffed; sounding utterly annoyed by the students that came and gone. He answered;

"Welcome to the Academy of Sanguinary Arts. Take your abuitary; and stand in the lobby. Your professors and rulers will be with you shortly." He began before his long fluffy tail flickered behind him in keen interest.

Sycho recognized the many species of Ghosts; translucent in view with an eerie whine to their tone; hesitantly taking the card or paper; eerie inked writing in ancient Latin formatted their death date; the year they died; how far they were into passing over; and what they were. He grunted as he was shouldered by an horribly rotting; stench filling creature that smelt horrindously of sulfur; it's visuals sunken in; it's jowls unable to obtain closure as jagged ivories aligned it's maw; flesh spiking out as it loosely dangled from it's impaled skin. Sycho wheezed as he leaned backwards; nudging Avi.

"Jazz hands; I see him asking you to this.. LOVELY prom." He said as he tossed his appendages upwards; "You would make lovely kin!"

"Oh shut up Sycho; at least his eyes are more pretty than yours." She said before her heavy boots thudded among the ground; her unique markings along her pale; thin appendages extended as she snatched her ticket.

"Oh--" The feline had said as he clutched the ticket a little harder; refusing to let it go. His zeniths' flattened a bit. "Lucarious is going to love seeing the likes of you here." He said as he gave a snicker; slightly muffled behind his crimson and ebony mask.

"Careful; caterstrizing for the better good is what we are good for; Monsieur." Niege had chimed in; his towering; bulky demanour adding; his scarred; horribly disfigured expression mixed with protective nature.

"Oh my stars! M..Maybe he is mad because.. Because we do not have a mouse?" Legion said as he eagerly began shaking the males hand; causing an distasteful noise to format. "I can make sure to try and relieve your.. your shift later."

"Look alive guys; the big guys are coming." Sycho said as he looked upwards; noticing a few figures approaching; nudging his siblings.

Sycho glanced down at his card; noticing he did not have a birth date; he was new to the human world but watched the beginning of mankind; him and his kin were older than anyone here. They were just casted out to serve this newfound purpose. The world was crumbling; and they were the Creators final chance. He knew he was identified as sixteen in this world; Niege being eighteen; Jas being closer to nineteen; and Avidity being twenty. Legion as well; was about sixteen. He crumbled the paper; he chuckled; humbled they made him so young- but found it humorous regardless. His violet hued gaze with an white pupil noticed the immense silence that lingered among the area.

An ebony haired man approached; if you could call him such. His visuals were black with crimson pupils that flectuated; his right side of his face horribly rotted; sunken in and showing bone. A cloak fitted around him; but veins; flesh and more circulated his right appendage. A woman stood alongside him; her gaze ebony with an immense faded golden; her dress more higher status with gems; and jewels reflecting. And lastly; another man stood shoulder to shoulder; his attire the same as the other mans; except his crown was more dented; riddled with chipped tips and bents; his leather gloves gripping the bannister. Come to think of it; they all wore gloves of all sorts here.

"Greetings. I have summoned you here from your basic normal; boring lives to this acedemy. How do you figure it is me?" The man said before he paced up and around; before he grinned menacingly. "Well; you may have seen me in the cemetery; your mothers last dying breath; nearly getting hit by a chariot." He said before he looked downwards; remaining silent for a few seconds.

Sycho narrowed his gaze; he felt unsettled as he felt an eerie chill climb up his dorsal as this man spoke. He jolted in alarm as he felt something brush past him; before an pure black mass had swarmed the entire area; before it arisen; cackles; screams of agony; and more forming; swirling and twisting about in the air; nearly rattling the pillars and foundations. The students gave declares of concern; ducking and cowaring as the beings or whisps of former life tugged and clawed; the smell of iron filling the air as blood plagued the terrain. They were not normal beings; but souls of hell.

"For I am the last king of Hell; Death. You may notice Famine and Conquest-" He began before he slowly upturned an skeletal hand to the other two figures; who eerily grinned and nodded.

"We are the judges on where you go. If you are serving us; you must pest the three tiers. If you fail; you will be banished from existence of the place of "Rebirth-" Conquest had spoken; the eerie shadows taking a kneel just by allowing an smokey substance emit from his palm; making the texture seethe.

"If you pass; we hunger for you to fulfill your purpose as our demons. And we know you are parched and starved to get answers; to move on." Famine had spoken; her words filled with cruel intent.

Sycho could feel Legion hugging him much closer; clearly scared and terrified of these events. He swallowed roughly; suddenly feeling a lump in his throat; almost like he swallowed an oversized rock. What would happen if he did not make it? Or his siblings? Would he just have to leave them behind; there can not be Virtues -- they defined the goodness. He could feel Death's gaze bore into him; an unspoken ruthless hatred towards the uprising angel. He scowled; giving his joker smile.

"Enough Lucarious; I believe they are terrified enough." Another male spoke as he stepped ahead; his attire more like an Toka or outfit from Japan; different dragon type markings swirling along it; the kilt hugging his frame; samaurai swords and other daggers strapped among him. His locks were an ebony and azure color; but his gaze seemed off; clouded and dialated; clearly blind.

"I think this guy is on our side; I can feel it." Jas said; her gaze softening.

"That I am child. For I am a servant of Serpahic; the gates of heaven. A god of the sky; a descendant. Lucarious; Teruki and Josephine are the leaders of the underworld. You may refer to me as Alkira." He began in his deep; booming voice; almost robotic.

"Woah! He looks so cool!" Avidity said; eagerly waving at him; before a blush and rosy pigment formatted; realizing that their professor could not see him.

Lastly; another man seemed to levitate towards the group. A straight jacket type attire around him; the straps busted and loosely hanging. He had immense horns among his cranium; white locks that faded into an ebony; his ivories were jagged and sharpened; his smile widening. His visuals were ebony but also silver in the middle. Batlike wings formatted along his dorsal as he eagerly wavered.

"Why hello my puppets! I am G-R-A-V-E-S; the keeper of the Purgatory realm; yes yes!" He said before he earnestly bowed in exaggerated ways; before he stretched his appendages outwards. "I am a creature of the emodiment of fear and paranoia; the thing that haunted you all as a human." He said before he tilted his cranium. "Just like Alvie here; I am going to be one of your Anima professors."

"Now that this is out of the way." Lucarious began; he trailed the edge of it; "You will have each of us in a class; any questions?" He began before an eerie silence rang out at the keeper of hell; and professor.

"Is this a regular school? Can we all pass?" A student had asked; further in the back in a mouseish voice.

Graves levitated on his stomach; hovering the in the air before he wickedly grinned; almost like he was disturbingly happy they had asked such a question. Even Lucifer seemed bemused; before he gestured towards his sister; Famine.

"No. This is a battle ground; an arena. May the strongest survive." She began before she gave a chuckle.