Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

        "Miss, surely you understand how late you are in enrolling your son," Principal Gon tried explaining to the two fox parents. After all, enrolling a student in the middle of October can pretty much be classified as a "strange occurrence". Not to mention somewhat irresponsible on the parents' part.

        "Yes, I understand that we're a bit late for this," the wife confirmed with the principal, "However, it is very urgent that you allow my son to be a part of your school. Very urgent indeed... Yes..."

        "Pinoko," The husband warned his spouse, "You're nodding off again."

        Snapping out of her stupor, Pinoko apologized to the principal for nodding off during the meeting.

        "Sorry," She began apologizing, "I tend to nod off on occasion for no apparent reason."

        Turning to her spouse, she bowed and said, "Thanks for warning me, Kurō."

        Graciously ignoring her accidental unprofessionalism, Principal Gon continued, "I understand that you really want your son to be enrolled into Cherryton, but it's going to be a bit difficult to get him situated this late in the semester. Plus, not to be rude or condescending, but I don't see anything special about your son that warrants giving him a 'free pass' in here this late-"

       "Of course!" Pinoko rudely interrupted Principal Gon, "We haven't even shown you his 'thing' yet! Now don't be shy, son; show him your 'thing'!"

       She then gestured towards the potential student in question, who was looking a bit nervous about being put on the spot. He then sighed and held out both of his hands.

       Slowly, some ice started forming in the boy's left palm, with a small flame forming in his right.

       A bit shocked and flabbergasted, Principal Gon stammered out, "T-that is most definitely... I-interesting, b-but I don't understand how putting this boy here would improve his... 'Thing'."

       "Oh, noo, he's not coming here for THAT," Pinoko said nonchalantly.

       Reeling back a bit from what she said, he said "I don't understand. If he's not here for... That... Then what IS he here for?"

       "Oh, that's because HE wanted to be here," Pinoko referred to her son. "Something about 'destiny,' now what did you say again, son?"

       Looking at Principal Gon and away from the floor, the boy said "I just feel a sort of... 'attraction' towards this place... Like... I was destined to be here... To make friends here..."

       Principal Gon stared deep into the boy's eyes, and he saw some hidden fear deep within those eyes. Like he desperately wanted to be away from his parents. Principal Gon took note of this while considering his next course of action.

       Neither of the boy's parents seemed to have noticed, or if they did they didn't seem to care as Pinoko suddenly interrupted with, "That's nice Honey. So what do you say, Gon? Can I call you Gon? Whatever, so what do you say, Gon? Will you allow my precious boy to be a member of those halls? Or will you crush a poor boy's dreams?"

      Principal Gon took notice of a hint of cringe coming from the boy after his mother had said that. That was what made his final decision.

      "Fine," he finally complied, "I'll allow your son to come to Cherryton Academy... On one condition."

      "Yeah, yeah, whatever, we agree already, just move on to the paperwork," Pinoko blindly accepted.

      "Are you sure?" Principal Gon tiredly asked, "This is pretty important stuff to know, you don't want to just blindly make a decision before knowing the info first."

      "C'mon I wanna go home already, let's keep moving."

      "Alright, just remember that I warned you, and you chose to ignore my warnings."

      Taking out a pen, he looked down on the registration papers and said, "We just need you to sign this registration form, along with your son's signature and name but first..."

      Turning towards the boy in question, he asked, "We're going to have to ask you to keep your abilities a secret while your here. Nothing personal, it's just that we don't want anyone freaking out during your time here. If you need any special accommodations, just say it during your registration and we'll try to get it set up to the best of our abilities. Now, what's your name, son?"

      Looking up with a gleam of hope in his eyes, the boy responded, "My name... Is..."

      Name: Mako Hazama

      Mother: Pinoko Hazama

      Father: Kurō Hazama

      Age: 17

      Species: Vulpes vulpes necator

Chapter Text

                “Did you guys hear?” A random female Goat whispered amongst her friends in one of the hallways of the female dorms, “A new transfer student is showing up today.”

                “And where did you get this information?” A Gazelle asked the Goat.

                “I have my methods… But that’s not what’s important right now. What is important is that there’s something ‘special’ about this new student… He’s a Red Fox!”

                “Big deal,” a Zebra said, “You do know how common those guys are, Right Sarah?”

                “But it wasn’t just ANY regular-old Red Fox!” Sarah responded, “I hear that he’s a SIERRA NEVADA Red fox.”

                “Whoa,” The gazelle quietly exclaimed in awe, “Those guys are close to extinction, right? That’s so cool!”
                “Again, big whoop,” The Zebra responded to the new information, “It’s just gonna’ be another filthy carnivore. What’s the big deal, even if his species is close to extinct? Better for me, anyways.”

                Taking this as a moment to leave, she whispered, “I gotta go. My dorm-mates get a little pissy whenever I come back late, and I have a lot of homework to do, so see you guys later.”

                Walking away, she left her friends feeling a little bit flabbergasted.

                “…What’s her problem?” The Gazelle asked her Goat friend.

                “Beats me,” The Goat answered, “She’s been that way since the devouring incident recently.”

                “Oh, right… I see… Who got devoured again?”

                “Some Alpaca in the Drama Club. I think his name was ‘Tem’…”

                “Oh, that poor guy… And the murderer hasn’t been found yet?”

                “Apparently not. There hasn’t been any new info about the murderer besides the initial info, but I hear that there’s a small memorial shrine being built in one of the halls”

                “That’s really sad to hear… Maybe I should go and visit it sometime.”

                “Yeah… I’ll come with. Somebodies gotta make sure you don’t bawl your eyes out too much.”

                “Oh, you stop that,” The Gazelle punched the Goat as they started walking towards their dorms. “I’m not THAT MUCH of a cry-baby.”

                “Actually…”

                She playfully punched the Goat again.

                “OKAY I’LL STOP,” the Goat tried appeasing her annoyed friend.

                “Good,” The Gazelle, now appeased, tried changing the subject, “Anyways, how far are you on the Calculus project?”

                “Well…” The Goat began explaining to her Gazelle friend.

                Meanwhile, in a shadowy corner, a large and shadowy figure was watching the whole exchange and decided that they had heard enough. They swiftly left to go back to their own dorms, making sure that no one was watching them on the way there.

                After a long and overbearing goodbye to his parents, Mako took his first steps into Cherryton’s dormitories as an official student. Feeling a bit nervous, yet excited, he went to see the dormitory’s “Housemother” per the request of Principal Gon during his introduction to the academy. He did not know what she would be like, but from what the other student have been saying, he guessed that she might not be as pleasant as he would like her to be.

                Finally viewing the Mandrill in question, he came up to her and said, “Excuse me, mam’, are you the Housemother?”

                Staring down at the new student, she responded, “Why yes I am. And you must be the new student. Principal Gon had notified me of your presence ahead of time, so your assigned dorm room has already been decided for you. Now, before I take you there…”

                Mako suddenly felt a wave of intimidation coming from the Mandrill in question, who looked down upon him and said, “I hope that you aren’t a delinquent coming from another school who wishes to not deal with you. I do not tolerate any form of delinquency, and if I catch you partaking in such abhorrent activities then I will not hesitate to punish you in kind. Do you understand?”

                Feeling thoroughly intimidated by the looming Housemother, he stuttered in confirmation, “Y-yes, Ms. Housemother… I p-promise to beh-have…”

                The wave of intimidation disappearing from the Mandrill, she changed her demeanor to a calmer stature and said, “Please, call me Ms. Ryōba while you’re here. And with that out of the way, I must explain to you the rules of living in the dormitories. Come with me while I explain them to you.”

                Calming down, Mako complied, “Yes, Ms. Ryōba,” and left with her to see his new living space and his new dorm buddies.

                “So, the first rule of living in these dorms involves the hours of waking up. Firstly…”

                “Lastly, should you break the rules of curfew, whether it be intentional or non-intentional, without the express reasoning of a teacher or fellow admin, you will be strictly punished. I do not tolerate tardiness, regardless of reasoning. The exact specifications of what punishment you will receive is labeled under ‘Section 17, Title 4’ of your rulebook. Is that understood?”

                Looking tired from both the long walk and the long list of rules, Mako responded with, “Yes mam… I understand…”

                “Excellent. And it looks like we are finally at your dorm. Perfect timing.”

                Stopping in front of a door labeled “701” Ms. Ryōba handed Mako a key and said, “Here’s the key to your dorm. As previously mentioned, should you lose your key for whatever reason, look for another admin and ask them to take you to me so that I can give you a replacement key. Be sure to not lose that one, because it takes a few days to make a new one. Do you understand?”

                “Yes, Ms. Ryōba,” Mako confirmed, “I understand.”

                “Splendid. Then that should be the end of your introduction to the dorm rooms. Your stuff should be inside of your dorm, on top of your new bed. You cannot miss it. Your new dormmates should help you get situated and introduce you to the rooms. With that being said, I must go back to my monitoring duties. Farewell, Mr. Hazama.”

                Bidding Mako farewell, the Housemother took her leave towards the left corridor, presumably back to her office or whatever else Housemothers do during the day.

                Looking towards the door in front of him, Mako thought to himself, ‘I wonder what my new dormmates will be like… Hopefully they are nice and kind… I can’t stand jerks like… Them…’

                He shook his head to get those thoughts out. ‘That’s all in the past now. They can’t do anything to me here. I should be safe here. I just need to focus on introducing myself.’

                Taking a deep breath, Mako thought, ‘Here goes nothing,’ and unlocked the door, taking his first steps to a new life.

                “Hello, everyone,” He began, “I’m…”

                “…The only one here?” He took notice of the lack of people within the dorm. “I guess everyone’s in class right now. Oh well, I might as well take a nap while I’m the only one here. That must be my bed over there.”

                He pointed towards the bed with a box laid on top of the sheets, labeled “Mako’s Things”. He gently picked it up and placed it on the floor. ‘I’ll put my things away after I meet my new dormmates.’

                He then laid down on the bed and pulled over the curtains, covering the bed with a shadow comfortable enough to sleep in during the daytime.

                Pulling the covers over him, he thought, ‘I hope things go over okay in my new life… Things haven’t been that great for me over the years…’

                Letting his mind wander with random thoughts, he soon fell asleep and entered his own dreams.

                53 6F 2C 20 77 65 20 66 69 6E 61 6C 6C 79 20 6D 65 65 74 20 61 67 61 69 6E 2C 20 5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 2E

                5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 2E 2E 2E 20 57 68 61 74 20 61 72 65 20 79 6F 75 20 64 6F 69 6E 67 20 68 65 72 65 2E 2E 2E

                57 68 61 74 2C 20 64 69 64 20 79 6F 75 20 74 68 69 6E 6B 20 74 68 61 74 20 79 6F 75 20 6B 69 6C 6C 65 64 20 6D 65 20 69 6E 20 5B 56 4F 49 44 5D 20 61 66 74 65 72 20 74 68 72 6F 77 69 6E 67 20 6D 65 20 69 6E 20 74 68 65 20 5B 56 4F 49 44 5D 3F 20 59 6F 75 20 63 61 6E 27 74 20 62 65 20 74 68 61 74 20 67 75 6C 6C 69 62 6C 65 2C 20 5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 2E 2E 2E 20

                53 68 75 74 20 75 70 2E 2E 2E

                4A 75 64 67 69 6E 67 20 62 79 20 79 6F 75 72 20 61 70 70 65 61 72 61 6E 63 65 2C 20 49 27 6D 20 67 75 65 73 73 69 6E 67 20 74 68 61 74 20 79 6F 75 20 66 65 6C 6C 20 69 6E 20 74 68 65 20 5B 56 4F 49 44 5D 20 77 69 74 68 20 6D 65 20 68 75 68 2C 20 5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 2E

                2E 2E 2E 57 68 61 74 20 61 72 65 20 79 6F 75 20 64 6F 69 6E 67 20 68 65 72 65 2C 20 5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 3F

                53 61 6D 65 20 72 65 61 73 6F 6E 20 61 73 20 77 68 79 20 79 6F 75 27 72 65 20 68 65 72 65 2E 2E 2E 20 54 68 65 20 5B 56 4F 49 44 5D 20 63 61 75 73 65 64 20 75 73 20 62 6F 74 68 20 74 6F 20 62 65 20 74 75 72 6E 65 64 20 69 6E 74 6F 20 5B 56 4F 49 44 5D 2C 20 61 6E 64 20 6E 6F 77 20 77 65 27 76 65 20 62 6F 74 68 20 62 65 65 6E 20 73 6F 72 74 20 6F 66 20 22 52 65 69 6E 63 61 72 6E 61 74 65 64 22 20 61 73 20 74 68 69 73 20 73 6D 61 6C 6C 20 66 6F 78 20 63 68 69 6C 64 20 6F 66 20 72 61 72 65 20 64 65 73 63 65 6E 74 2E

                4F 6B 61 79 2E 2E 2E 20 53 6F 20 6E 6F 77 20 77 68 61 74 20 61 72 65 20 79 6F 75 20 70 6C 61 6E 6E 69 6E 67 3F

                52 65 61 6C 6C 79 2E 2E 2E 3F 20 49 74 27 73 20 70 72 65 74 74 79 20 6F 62 76 69 6F 75 73 2E 2E 2E 20 49 27 6D 20 67 6F 69 6E 67 20 74 6F 20 74 61 6B 65 20 74 68 69 73 20 62 6F 79 27 73 20 62 6F 64 79 20 66 6F 72 20 6D 79 73 65 6C 66 20 61 6E 64 20 65 72 61 73 65 20 74 68 69 73 20 70 69 74 69 66 75 6C 20 77 6F 72 6C 64 20 61 73 20 49 20 73 68 6F 75 6C 64 20 68 61 76 65 20 61 6C 6C 20 74 68 6F 73 65 20 79 65 61 72 73 20 61 67 6F 2E 2E 2E

                59 6F 75 20 77 6F 6E 27 74 20 73 75 63 63 65 65 64 20 69 6E 20 64 6F 69 6E 67 20 74 68 61 74 2E 20 57 68 61 74 20 6D 61 6B 65 73 20 79 6F 75 20 74 68 69 6E 6B 20 74 68 61 74 20 79 6F 75 20 77 69 6C 6C 20 73 75 63 63 65 65 64 20 69 6E 20 79 6F 75 72 20 67 6F 61 6C 73 2C 20 5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 3F

                41 6E 64 20 77 68 61 74 20 6D 61 6B 65 73 20 79 6F 75 20 74 68 69 6E 6B 20 74 68 61 74 20 79 6F 75 20 77 69 6C 6C 20 73 75 63 63 65 65 64 20 69 6E 20 64 65 66 65 61 74 69 6E 67 20 6D 65 2C 20 5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 3F 20 41 66 74 65 72 20 61 6C 6C 2C 20 49 20 57 41 53 20 74 68 65 20 54 6F 70 20 53 6F 6C 64 69 65 72 20 6F 66 20 5B 56 4F 49 44 5D 2C 20 72 65 6D 65 6D 62 65 72 3F

                49 27 76 65 20 64 65 66 65 61 74 65 64 20 79 6F 75 20 6F 6E 63 65 2C 20 49 20 63 61 6E 20 73 75 72 65 20 61 73 20 68 65 6C 6C 20 63 61 6E 20 64 65 66 65 61 74 20 79 6F 75 20 61 67 61 69 6E 2E

                4F 68 2C 20 70 6C 65 61 73 65 2E 2E 2E 20 54 68 61 74 20 76 69 63 74 6F 72 79 20 77 61 73 20 61 63 68 69 65 76 65 64 20 74 68 72 6F 75 67 68 20 73 68 65 65 72 20 6C 75 63 6B 2E 2E 2E 20 48 6F 77 65 76 65 72 2C 20 49 20 68 61 76 65 20 61 20 63 6F 6D 70 6C 65 78 20 73 65 74 20 6F 66 20 70 6C 61 6E 73 20 74 6F 20 61 63 68 69 65 76 65 20 6D 79 20 67 6F 61 6C 73 2C 20 61 6E 64 20 49 20 70 72 6F 6D 69 73 65 20 79 6F 75 20 74 68 61 74 20 79 6F 75 20 77 6F 6E 27 74 20 67 65 74 20 69 6E 20 74 68 65 20 77 61 79 20 74 68 69 73 20 74 69 6D 65 2C 20 5B 4E 55 4C 4C 5D 2E 20 49 27 6C 6C 20 6D 61 6B 65 20 73 75 72 65 20 6F 66 20 69 74 2E 20 49 6E 20 74 68 65 20 6D 65 61 6E 74 69 6D 65 2C 20 66 65 65 6C 20 66 72 65 65 20 74 6F 20 73 74 61 79 20 69 6E 20 74 68 69 73 20 63 72 61 6D 70 65 64 20 76 6F 69 64 20 6F 66 20 61 20 6D 69 6E 64 2E 2E 2E 20 49 20 74 68 69 6E 6B 20 49 27 6C 6C 20 67 6F 20 74 6F 20 61 20 6D 6F 72 65 2E 2E 2E 20 53 50 41 43 49 4F 55 53 20 76 6F 69 64 20 73 6F 6D 65 77 68 65 72 65 20 65 6C 73 65 20 69 6E 20 74 68 69 73 20 62 6F 64 79 2E 20 46 61 72 65 77 65 6C 6C 2C 20 5B 56 4F 49 44 5D 2E 2E 2E

                “Excuse me, this is MY bed.”

                Mako woke up to a white snout poking through the curtains of the bed, which caused him to immediately freak out and fall off the bed in a tremendous THUD.

                “I’m sorry!” Said a large grey wolf to Mako, “I didn’t mean to scare you! Please forgive me!”

                The wolf in question promptly went to help Mako up, while the rest of the canines in the room proceeded to poke fun at the wolf’s unintentional scaring of their new roommate.

                “Jeez, Legoshi, you didn’t have to scare him THAT MUCH,” Said a white sheepdog with a hint of mock in his voice.

                “Come on, Collot,” The Golden Retriever said to the white sheepdog, “I’m sure that he didn’t mean to scare him, right Legoshi?”

                “Right…” Legoshi quietly said to the group, turning his head towards the startled Mako, “I swear I didn’t mean to scare you… Are you okay?”

                “…Y-yeah…” Mako stuttered out, “…I-I just n-need a minute…”

                ‘What was that weird dream…?’ Mako thought to himself, ‘Who were those voices coming from, and what were they saying…? Now I’m kinda scared to go back to sleep now…’

                “…You sure you’re feeling alright?” a small Fennec Fox asked the thinking fox, “You did hit your head pretty hard on the floor…”

                Shaking his head to get out of his stupor, Mako quickly said, “No, no, I’m perfectly fine… I just woke up, and I wasn’t expecting to meet anyone’s face as soon as it happened. I’m sure that he didn’t mean any harm, right…”

                He turned his head towards the grey wolf, “Legoshi is your name, right?”

                A bit startled from the question, Legoshi stuttered out, “Y-yeah.. F-for b-both ques-stions, I g-guess…”

                “Wonderful. Now, with that out of the way, why don’t you guys introduce yourselves?”

                “Legoshi, you wanna do the honors of introducing everyone?” Collot asked Legoshi.

                After not responding for a few seconds, Collot said, “I guess I have to do it…”

                Based on the information that Collot has given Mako, Legoshi was the grey wolf, Voss was the small Fennec Fox, Miguno was the spotted Hyena, Durham was the coyote, Jack was the Golden Laborador Retriever, and finally Collot was the white Sheepdog.

                With introductions out of the way, Mako looked towards Legoshi and said, “Sorry for sleeping in your bed, Legoshi. I thought it was mine, since it had my stuff on top of it.

                Rubbing his head in embarrassment, Legoshi said, “It’s fine, really… I shouldn’t have scared you like that… I don’t mean to be scary…”

                “It’s fine, Legoshi…” Looking towards Collot, Mako asked, “So where is my bed anyways?”

                “Oh… Right… Sorry, but we don’t have a spare bed available at the moment. But the dorm mother did give us this air mattress and said that it was for you. You alright with sleeping on the air mattress, or- “

                “Yeah, it should be fine, really,” Mako accidentally interrupted Miguno, “Thanks for your concern. I think I should go and set up all of my stuff before it’s too late.”

                “Yeah, sure. Go on right ahead. While you’re doing that, we’ll set up the air mattress for you to sleep on.”

                Mako finally stood up and grabbed the box with his stuff in it.

                ‘Something tells me that I’m going to really like it here,’ Mako thought to himself, forgetting his previous dream in an instant.

                “You comfortable in that bed?” Jack asked Mako during sleeping hours.

                “Yep,” Mako responded, “REALLY comfortable.”

                “Well, in that case, I’m going to bed too. Goodnight, everyone.”

                Everyone said “Goodnight,” to each other as they proceeded to close their eyes and tried to go to sleep.

                This time, Mako didn’t even need to let his mind wander to let him sleep, he just immediately went to sleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

Chapter Text

                When Mako woke up he found himself in a foreign and new place. Yet, somehow, it felt very… Familiar to him… But he can’t seem to figure out why it’s so familiar to him.

                Similarly, the people surrounding him are foreign yet familiar. They all looked a bit like… Shaved apes? But the one on the right looks the most like an ape.

                Why did he suddenly feel like that was the wrong thing to think? Like that was not something that ANYONE should think [Author’s note: HINT HINT]? Well, getting back on topic, the man in question looked very bulky, with brown skin and clothing that looked like he was some sort of young yet retired war veteran that came back from some war. His right arm replaced with… A machine gun? Why is his right arm a machine gun? Doesn’t that make things more… Harder for him?

                Either way, the two people on his left were way more interesting to him. Not because they were women, but because they seemed to be more… “Connected” might be a good word for this… To him specifically…

                The first one looked to be quite a skilled fighter. She had red gauntlets connected to her two hands, and her clothing seemed to be made specifically to increase her overall speed. She looks very swift and agile, with her clothing complementing this detail.

                The second and final person there was very beautiful, but she also looked like she can fight decently. Her clothing complimented her beauty, while also looking very durable. Her weapon consists of a staff.

                They’re a strange-looking bunch, anyone with eyes can see that, and yet they were oh so familiar to Mako. Like they were some long-lost friends that he hadn’t seen for over a decade. But… He’s never met any of these guys… Right?

                But it’s only now that he realizes how injured all of them are. They are currently laying down on the floor, still alive and breathing, yet on the verge of fainting from exhaustion.

                Now they’re yelling out to… Mako? Why are they yelling at Mako? What do they even want with him?

                He never got an answer to that question, as the world around him started to fade away in a layer of green particles. What is going on?

                He tried screaming, but for some reason, no noise was coming out of his mouth. Like something was holding his vocal cords.

                Suddenly, he heard a voice calling out in his head,

                “Barret… Tifa… Aerith… I’m so sorry… Goodbye…”

                He was now falling.

                His mind felt like it was drowning underwater, and so were his lungs. They were burning. Burning BADLY. He swore that he was dying, but maybe not as the pain suddenly went away and he started floating gently down to the ground.

                After a while of waiting, he opened his eyes. He didn’t notice his eyes closing at any point in time… How did he open his eyes?

                Again, none of his questions were answered, as a completely different voice called out to him.

                “57 65 6C 63 6F 6D 65 2E 2E 2E 20 54 6F 20 74 68 65 20 53 74 61 74 69 6F 6E 20 6F 66 20 61 77 61 6B 65 6E 69 6E 67 2E 2E 2E”

                How on earth did he understand that so well? He heard some weird and foreign mismatch of jumbled audio, yet he seemed to just… Understand every word?

                There’s no good way to explain this, so Mako asked the voice to explain it.

                “…How… Am I understanding what you’re saying?”

                “54 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 6E 6F 20 74 69 6D 65 20 66 6F 72 20 65 78 70 6C 61 69 6E 69 6E 67 20 74 68 69 6E 67 73 2C 20 79 6F 75 6E 67 20 6F 6E 65 2E 2E 2E,”  The voice told Mako, “4E 6F 74 20 79 65 74 20 61 74 20 6C 65 61 73 74 2E 2E 2E 20 4E 6F 77 2E 2E 2E 20 53 74 65 70 20 66 6F 72 77 61 72 64 2E 2E 2E 20 43 61 6E 20 79 6F 75 20 64 6F 20 74 68 61 74 2C 20 79 6F 75 6E 67 20 6F 6E 65 3F”

                Deciding to listen to the voice, he moved forward to the center of the room. It was a bright and very wide pillar, with no walls so it looked like there was nothing but an empty void outside of the pillar. The floor contained a very beautiful image of a spikey-haired ape… At least it looked to be someone within the primate family… But, looking at the image, he felt a sort of… Draw to the person… Like, they were connected in some way…

                He never got to think about it enough, as the voice continued on, “50 65 72 66 65 63 74 2E 2E 2E 20 4E 6F 77 2E 2E 2E 20 43 68 6F 6F 73 65 20 6F 6E 65 20 6F 66 20 74 68 65 73 65 20 74 68 61 74 20 79 6F 75 20 66 65 65 6C 20 62 65 73 74 20 73 75 69 74 73 20 79 6F 75 2E 2E 2E”

                Suddenly, two stone pedestals appeared to his left and right sides. On the left, a very thick sword with a thin handle was wedged into the center of the pedestal. On the right, an overly long (what seems to be a) katana was also wedged into its center.

                “54 68 69 73 20 77 69 6C 6C 20 64 65 74 65 72 6D 69 6E 65 20 77 68 61 74 20 66 6F 72 6D 20 79 6F 75 20 73 68 61 6C 6C 20 74 61 6B 65,” The voice said, “59 6F 75 72 20 74 72 75 65 20 70 6F 77 65 72 20 73 68 61 6C 6C 20 66 6F 72 6D 20 64 65 70 65 6E 64 69 6E 67 20 6F 6E 20 77 68 61 74 20 73 69 64 65 20 79 6F 75 20 63 68 6F 6F 73 65 20 74 6F 20 62 65 20 6F 6E 2E 2E 2E 20 43 68 6F 6F 73 65 20 77 69 73 65 6C 79 2E 2E 2E”

                It was very hard to choose; both swords had a strong pull against him. He didn’t know what to do, so he asked the voice, “How do I know what to choose? This isn’t a right or wrong decision, is it?”

                The voice responded, “59 6F 75 6E 67 20 6F 6E 65 2C 20 74 68 65 72 65 20 69 73 20 6E 6F 20 72 69 67 68 74 20 6F 72 20 77 72 6F 6E 67 20 63 68 6F 69 63 65 20 68 65 72 65 2E 2E 2E 20 48 65 72 65 2C 20 79 6F 75 72 20 74 72 75 65 20 73 65 6C 66 20 63 61 6E 20 66 69 6E 61 6C 6C 79 20 61 77 61 6B 65 6E 20 61 73 20 69 74 20 73 68 6F 75 6C 64 20 68 61 76 65 20 62 65 65 6E 20 62 65 66 6F 72 65 2E 2E 2E 20 54 68 69 73 20 6A 75 73 74 20 64 65 63 69 64 65 73 20 68 6F 77 20 69 74 27 73 20 67 6F 69 6E 67 20 74 6F 20 61 77 61 6B 65 6E 2E 2E 2E 20 4F 72 20 70 65 72 68 61 70 73 20 77 68 6F 20 69 73 20 67 6F 69 6E 67 20 74 6F 20 61 77 61 6B 65 6E 2E 2E 2E 20 49 74 20 6D 61 74 74 65 72 73 20 6E 6F 74 2E 2E 2E 20 57 68 61 74 20 64 6F 65 73 20 6D 61 74 74 65 72 20 69 73 20 69 66 20 79 6F 75 20 63 68 6F 6F 73 65 20 74 6F 20 6C 69 73 74 65 6E 20 74 6F 20 77 68 61 74 20 79 6F 75 72 20 68 65 61 72 74 20 77 61 6E 74 73 2E 2E 2E 20 53 6F 20 74 65 6C 6C 20 6D 65 2C 20 79 6F 75 6E 67 20 6F 6E 65 2E 2E 2E 20 57 68 61 74 20 64 6F 65 73 20 79 6F 75 72 20 68 65 61 72 74 20 77 61 6E 74 2E 2E 2E 3F”

                ‘What does my heart want…?’ Mako wondered what that could have meant, but he didn’t seem to have enough time to do that. So, in a quick decision, he decided to close his eyes and try to look inside himself for the answers.

                Suddenly, he felt something powerful point him towards a direction. A direction filled with light, and calm warmth.

                He took the one on the left.

                Looking at the pedestal, he saw these letters etched onto the front of the stone pedestal,

                “バスターソード”

                He took his hand and felt out the handle of the sword. It just feels… Right…

                “54 68 65 20 64 65 73 74 69 6E 65 64 20 53 77 6F 72 64 20 6F 66 20 4C 69 67 68 74 2E 2E 2E,” The voice said, “41 20 77 65 61 70 6F 6E 20 6F 66 20 70 75 72 65 20 6C 69 67 68 74 2E 2E 2E 20 56 65 72 79 20 73 74 72 6F 6E 67 20 61 6E 64 20 74 6F 75 67 68 2C 20 79 65 74 20 76 65 72 79 20 73 6C 6F 77 20 74 6F 20 75 73 65 20 61 6E 64 20 6C 65 61 72 6E 2E 2E 2E 20 49 73 20 74 68 69 73 20 74 68 65 20 66 6F 72 6D 20 79 6F 75 20 63 68 6F 6F 73 65 3F 22”

                Without a second thought, Mako called out to the voice, “Yes. This is the form that I choose.”

                After saying this, the sword turned into a sphere of light and floated towards the endless sky.

                “56 65 72 79 20 77 65 6C 6C 2E 2E 2E,” The voice said to Mako, “59 6F 75 72 20 66 6F 72 6D 20 68 61 73 20 62 65 65 6E 20 64 65 63 69 64 65 64 2E 2E 2E”

                Suddenly, both pillars sunk into dark matter, and soon the matter was spreading across the floor, drawing Mako in and sinking him along with the rest of the room.

                Waking up, yet again, he found himself in another pillar room. This time, with a completely different person on the floor.

                ‘What’s with these pillars?’ Mako thought annoyedly, ‘Why am I still in this weird pla- ‘

                “Hello, small fox,” A new voice called out to Mako.

                Looking behind himself, he saw an intimidating man with long, white hair, dark clothing, and a singular, black-colored wing.

                Feeling a wave of discomfort washing over himself, he called out to the mysterious man, “Who are you! Were you the one who brought me here? What do you want with me?”

                “So many questions…” The mysterious man commented, “But none of which I am willing to answer. Well… Maybe the last one I will answer. Somewhat.”

                The mysterious man stared deep into Mako’s soul, sending a chill upon Mako’s spine, and answered, “You see… I want a little something involving you, but I need to be a little bit more prepared before I take it. For now, I think I can allow you to walk freely, but until then I think I’ll send you with a little parting gift, just to remind you of events to come.”

                The mysterious man then waved his hand, and a puddle of dark matter formed underneath Mako’s feet yet again, sending him to Rex knows where.

                As he’s sinking, he hears one last thing calling out to him, “sEE You SOon, smaLL fox!”

                Waking up in his bed, Mako felt a cold sweat rush over his entire body. He also felt something wrong with both of his eyes, so he quietly got up and rushed to the bathroom.

                In the mirror, he saw a very frightening image. His left eye was fused with a hint of light green, which was never there before. And on his right eye, he noticed a darker shade of green fused with it.

                There was also a small, black feather growing on his right cheek. He plucked it out so no one would be able to notice, and his eyes went back to their normal shade of light blue afterward.

                ‘So…’ He internalized, ‘Those dreams were real… Somewhat… This is crazy, what the hell was going on with my eyes, and why- ‘

                “Hey, Mako,” The voice of Miguno sounded outside of the bathroom, “You feelin’ alright?”

                “Yeah!” Mako called out in response, “Everything’s just hunky-dory in here!”

                “Well,” Miguno said, “Can you please hurry it up in there? We need to get ready for class, it’s 6:30.”

                ‘Oh, crud!’ Mako internalized, ‘I need to get ready too!’

                “Sorry, I’m coming out now!”

                “Thanks, man!”

                Stepping out of the bathroom, Mako ignored the events happening with the rest of Room 701 as he also got ready to go to his first class.

                Once everyone was ready, he got out the door with everyone else and thought to himself, ‘I hope that my dreams don’t bite me in the ass today… I really don’t need that happening to me, especially not today.’