CHECKMATE.

FREDERIC.

I felt nothing but relief when the box set me free. When I was given the king chess piece, I felt a level of reassurance that I hadn't felt in months. This whole time I'd been training for this moment, making sure I'd live up to my mothers' expectations. With the Princely ranking I was one step closer to success, and to being able to take on the reigns of King. All I needed to do now was keep it up for the next 3 years, and then it would be in the palm of my hands. As I approached my seat, I felt as though a weight was lifted off my shoulders. And when Anthony went next and was given the Rook role, that weight only grew lighter and lighter. Eventually I finally felt like I could just enjoy myself, joking around with him and our familiars as others took the risky mantle. I tried my best to ignore the petrified screams of those who attempted to break free from the box's grasp before their throats were crushed. After all, it was just how this system worked. They weren't worthy. It was necessary.

Right?

"Next up. Anya Mazhar." I sat up in attention. Anthony and Noelle looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to suddenly become so alert.
"That's the last person." I lied, trying to come up with an excuse. "Orientation's almost done."

"Oh." Anthony replied, clearly not buying what I was saying but following my vision anyway. He'd told me before I was a terrible liar, but at least it was enough to keep him at bay for now. I couldn't help but feel nervous when his eyes turned yellow though. That was a sign of frustration.

You see, Anthony was a special kind of severor called a morpher. Most ordinary severors like myself are exactly like humans aside from the six fingers per hand, but morpher's differed in other physical ways. For instance, their eye colours change depending on emotion. Brown for friendly, green for curious, red for anger, etc. This meant that unlike normal severors morphers couldn't lie to you. They were open books through and through, and Anthony's embrace of that openness is what drew me to him in the first place.  Aside from that physical difference, they were pretty much the same, but something like that could make a world of a difference to many. Especially those who feared that honesty.

As the girl I saw earlier stood up, my attention diverted to her. She still kept her confident walk, though it was clear to me that her face wore a somewhat uneasy expression. As she approached the box, my anxiety couldn't help but rise with every step she took. Why was I so worried? Why was my heart pounding out of my chest like this? I don't even know her. I haven't even spoken to her.

And yet...the thought of her not succeeding worries me.

As she reached the selector, she took a deep breath.

And then she dipped her head in.

There was a moment of silence so quiet you could hear a fragment of light hit the ground. While others seemed unbothered I was on the edge of my seat. And then....

She freed herself.

As rays of darkness emanated from her, she appeared yet again to us in her new uniform. The white shirt she wore was complemented by her dark purple cloak, covering one of her shoulders and a few hues lighter then her twin weapon. She wore black gloves and had a purple pouch and belts, all noticeably visible on her dark grey pants. Her black shoes shown in the sun, so well polished that you could see your reflection in them. She looked up, looked at me, her brown murky eyes unwavering in their confidence.

"Anya Mazhar. Human." The dealer stated sharply, bowing as an obligatory sign of respect. Anya seemed unbothered by his clear disdain for her, standing sharply and confidently, her crow flying to her almost immediately and joining her side.
"Awarded Dark magic. Knight rank."

As the piece dealer began to close out orientation and announce dorm formations, I couldn't will myself to fully pay attention. My mind was still dominated by the image of Anya. The girl who walked into the field five minutes before the session began. The girl who hadn't talked to a single person since she'd arrived aside from her trusty crow. The girl who was assigned dark magic, the inferior and deathly source of power. She shouldn't be on my radar. Hell, she was barely scraping by.
And yet.....she had my eyes.

"Come on!! We're going to be late!!" It was when her words finally got through to me that I realised Noelle was pulling at my hair. Anthony held out his hand for me to take, his yellow eyes shifting to purple as he began to grow concerned.
"You okay man?"
I shook my head furiously, trying to forget about it. She was insignificant. I had a mission. I couldn't let her distract me. I smiled weakly.
"I'm alright. Just a little exhausted from today." Well, at least that wasn't fully a lie.
I took his hand, relief washing over me when I realised his eyes went back to brown as I stood up.
"We're rooming together, right?"
He nodded, talking out our keys.
"Yeah. Us and...." He squinted at the key chains on each room key, trying to read the third name. I laughed. I found his short sightedness endearing at times.
"......Imai?"
"H-Hello?"
The two of us turned to face the foreign voice, eyes meeting with a pale and dark haired person with glasses. She jumped up in surprise at our looks, fiddling with her glasses as she did.
"S-Sorry for interrupting! It's just...." She played with her skirt, her long dull brown hair reaching that very same length.
"I-I'm Imai. M...Makoto Imai..." Her face turned red, clearly anxious. Looking down I noticed a tiny poodle hiding behind her leg, it's minuscule paws clutching onto her stockings. It was then that I also noticed she was duel wielding swords as a choice of weapon. For a person so shy, that was a surprisingly offensive move. I remembered then that she'd also been assigned the Rook rank, which only added to my confusion. I suppose there was more to her then initially seemed.
"Hey Imai!" Anthony exclaimed, either not noticing these details or ignoring them for the time being. Remembering manners were key, I gave her a dashing smile and grin, shaking her hand gracefully.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Frederic and this is Anthony. I hope our years in this institution will be unforgettable and fruitful for our futures."
I didn't even have to look at her to know I'd already made her smitten. Such was the price of the Van Halen charm I suppose. I'd been able to use my looks to woo both ladies and men alike for a lot of my life, and given my reception today it seemed as though my time at Schaken wouldn't be any different. Don't get me wrong, Anthony was pretty successful too, but I think the combination of my looks and my heritage caused more people to orbit to me I suppose. Sometimes I wished that that wasn't the case, but it certainly helped occasionally.
Like now for instance, as Imai gradually grew more and more bubbly and talkative thanks to my presence. As we walked to the school campus with our familiars, I couldn't help but start to feel at ease as the sun began to set. Maybe I was just thinking too much about Anya because I was stressed. She clearly doesn't seem to be much of a threat, and she certainly isn't someone I know.
I took a deep breath, following the others into our room.
Yeah.
Everything was fine.
Everything has to be fine.
She has nothing to do with what I saw.