Endguard

Prologue

You're probably thinking: did the seven finally get a happy ending?

Not after Atalanta forced them into school they didn't.

"School?" Sky's eyes widened. "I haven't been to one in a hundred years. You can't force me to go now."

Shizuko shrugged at the mention of the education they were going to receive. Fortunately, she was physically eighteen or she would be sent to elementary school.

For the earthlings, it was a common occurrence. But for the aliens... they had no idea what they had coming.

"I'll have to be gone for a while, after we sign up," Death X said. "I have affairs to deal with."

Atalanta nodded, following the vigilante's opinions. "Same here. I have to ensure that none of TAPOPS or APSHU can track us down."

"I'm gonna drink my ass off," Shizuko declared.

Diana, Ainya and Lara's eyes all fell on the immortal girl. Sky looked sceptical, but she obliged nonetheless. A rampaging Atalanta wasn't something she would want to deal with. The only people who didn't fear her wrath were the other #1s, because they were intimidating themselves. In a sense.

Three days later, Shizuko and Sky yelled at the administration for their accusations of them dyeing their hair artificially, with Atalanta dragging them off to the back of the school to whack their heads simultaneously.

Shizuko scoffed. "Raven High? If you're expecting me to attend such lowly etiquette, I'd rather drown myse—"

"There's a boxing club. You can beat people up legally," Ainya interjected.

"Sign me up."

After their registration, Atalanta and Death X bid the rest of the crew farewell. Shizuko just took off without saying anything, leaving the remaining four to survive in the school.

Ainya, Lara and Diana had participated in this school before, but Sky? Not so much. Being born in medieval ages and spending all her life in an alien station, she couldn't figure out the function of a locker.

"So, we have our first classes separately." Diana read Sky's schedules. She looked up at the eager bluenette. "Your first period is supposed to be with Death X, but he's gone, so you're going to have to do this alone."

Sky's shoulders drooped. She looked like a puppy that was about to cry.

"Calm down. It's only an hour alone," Lara comforted. "Besides, there's a basketball contest. Classes should be cancelled."

They watched the competition. It was vigorous, but their school won in the end. Ainya and Diana kept yelling at the competitors for their stupidity. The shortest one seemed to be the most talented around, but he was a shota. The guy won it for them in the end.

"RAVEN HIGH, FLY HIGH, SOAR HIGH!" the team chanted.

Sky yawned. "What's the point of this?"

"It's just a sport. Nothing too serious. At least compared to us," Lara simpered, walking towards the lunch line. "I mean, Ainya died once because of me. So did Death X and Shizuko."

Ainya snorted, grabbing a blue lunch tray. "If those peeps down on the basketball court live our life, they'd be dead within three minutes. But compared to Maths class, I'd rather get the back of my neck shot."

Diana held her lunch tray up. The lunch lady served them sloppy vegetables and some mystery meat. In contrast of their survival in the galaxy, they'd rather starve. Atalanta's cooking was legendary. Even APSHU didn't serve food quality this low.

On the second half of the school, Lara and Sky sat through history together. Their topic was on the medieval times, and Sky dominated everyone in the oral quiz, even if she hadn't touched books in decades.

Ainya and Diana had separate classes, with the shield wielder in maths and the psychic in English. Ship piloting and diplomatic missions had given them the ability to sweep the floor with their classmates.

* * *

Shizuko coughed up blood as she stared at the mysterious figure shrouded in a golden veil-like aura. He was grabbing Death X by the throat, the demidemon choking for air.

"You should not have interfered," the figure taunted. "You are no match for me, weakling. Now you shall perish."

Atalanta fell to her knees. She was out of energy and breath, but she couldn't afford to give up now. The crystals were right there, behind the villain, but it seemed so far away.

She had to reach it.

For her team.

"You fucker," Shizuko growled. "Nobody, nobody fucking messes with me!"

She abandoned all sense of survival and charged straight at the villain. Grinning with amusement, the blue-skinned villain dropped Death X and faced her fully. But instead of attacking, Shizuko dropped down to the rocky ground and slid towards the seven crystals, all glowing a different shade of colour.

With the remains of her strength, she raised her bloodied fist towards the crystals, and shattered them into shards.