Unknown Heir

The dim light from the courtyard was another testimony to the conditions he found himself subjected to. It was painfully obviously to him that he did not belong here. It was presented like a normal school to the outside world but to those that attended it was more like a prison. The students could do anything they pleased but they were not allowed to leave the school grounds unless they were chaperoned by their parents or guardians. For Noboyuki, he had neither so his ability to leave never existed. Marlcon Prep was all that he knew. He had been told that he was left at the gate to the school 15,000 years ago in the middle of the night in the dead of winter. Marlcon was home and jail to him.
He rose from the bay window his room possessed and looked around. For most demons at the age 14,000 they are considered to be adults and thus permitted to apply for an apartment style dorm. He was one of the few lucky ones that were given such a living situation. He had a kitchen, laundry, bathroom, living room and a separate bedroom all to himself. He could place an order once a week for groceries that was delivered to the school from an outside grocer. The money he spent on such items he earned by working in the Defense Call squad, campus police.
It was midnight and the snow outside fell heavy and thick. He walked over to his desk and pressed a few buttons on the touch screen activating it into life. The lights lit up the dark room in a blue glow. He sat down and stared at the computer. He had long ago found a way to skirt the schools filter system on the network and had been communicating with an un-named person about figuring out a way to get free of the school. He checked his mail and saw that there was nothing new from that morning. He sighed and started punching in some codes.
A few hours later a smile caressed his face. He had found the building schematics for the school. All the way from the material used to all the piping and wall construction. A few clicks and he was deeper into the information and found the layout and technical specs of the entire security system for the school. Not wanting to get caught with contraband by printing it out he pulled upon the magic in his blood and copied the schematics into the palms of his hands making it only visible to himself. Satisfied with the discovery he told himself that he would verify as much of it as he could tomorrow. He set in some commands to the computer and it went dark and silent like the rest of the apartment. He paused in mid step briefly and looked out the window. It was the anniversary of his arrival at Marlcon. He sighed and continued into his room. It did not take long for him to fall asleep.
Noboyuki sat up right in bed ripped from his sleep by the school wake up alarm. He had had another dream of a woman with blue hair and golden eyes looking down at him and smiling. Every time she was dressed in expensive looking clothing. Then a tall man whose face he could not see would rip him away from the smiling lady then he would feel very very cold. The dream never went past that moment.
Rubbing his eyes free of sleep he followed his normal morning routine of showering and eating breakfast before checking over the previous days homework and then running off to his classes.most of his classes were no longer traditional schooling but combat training, Magic enrichment, languages of the universe, public affairs and so one.

"Is that Noboyuki?" asked a rather new student as he walked past a groups of girls.
"yes yes it is."
"I've heard that he is the best student in the school. the strongest Demon ever."
"pfft where did you hear such a thing. we all know the strongest Demon died thousands of years ago and not another has ever arisen."

He shook his head. he could not count any more how many times he had heard that same conversation. He could feel the glares from the other boys t the school that hated him for every achievement he accomplished that they did not.

It took him an extra couple minutes to get to Magic Enrichment as he avoided the Achievement Hall. A hall in the center of school that was plastered with the faces of Demons who had attended the school and the Achievements of each. Currently his face was littered on the wall with Gold Achievements taped to each photo. Only Lord Keiko had more achievements posted on the wall. most students would have loved to be on that wall but for Noboyuki it just made his life there worse. He was an Orphan and Orphans were seen as dirt if seen at all. with his face and achievements plastered everywhere he was seen more. Orphans usually were left at the school simply because they had no profound abilities and their parents had wished that the school would teach them something. Most didn't make it into the High Prep at Marlcon. and yet here was an exception to every stereo-type and expectation.

He sighed heavily as he slid into his desk towards the back of the class near the windows.

"Hey Noboyuki!!! why such a long face?" chided something he treasured more than anything in his life, his only friend, Kelson Jokir. He had met Kelson when Kelson was first brought to the school by his grand parents shortly after his parents had died in the war. Kelson was the same age and they bounded quickly.

"the same old same old." he said lifting his head and smiling at Kelson. Kelson had bright fire colored hair. a mix of golds, reds, yellows, and oranges. His eyes a golden green color. His smile could light up a room and bring a smile to Noboyuki's face no matter what was going on, but he had a dark side to him. a side that got him into trouble a lot and ran a cold chill through your body if he got pissed. there was rumor that he was crazy and if ever he left the school he would destroy the world, but then again the same was said about the rather calm and collected Noboyuki.

"Kelson, I've been having that dream again and thoughts about whats out there." he whispered to his friend as he tilted his head towards the window which over looked the wall that surrounded the school. Kelson Fallowed his nod, he himself had not been outside those walls since he was 5 years old when his grand parents had brought him. they had died a week after bringing him there, he too had been orphaned at the school.

"ya know Nobo-chan I've been dreaming of the world out there as well. A world where Dragon's breath warms your fire each night, and the rivers run red with power. Of the shops that line the streets, of the celebrations we have only heard rumbles of over the walls. I'm done Nobo-chan, i want out." Kelson was still staring out the window with a dangerous sparkle in his eyes. He had a reputation for being completely spontaneous and not thinking before acting.

Noboyuki shook his head. "Kelson you don't want to get in trouble, stop thinking like that. you know there are those that can read minds and could see anything you were planning." Kelson smiled widely at him then turned to face the front of the room as the instructor walked in. Noboyuki only half paid attention during the class. he caught himself staring out of the window at the wall again. he could see a Dragon soaring off in the distance and wished that he could ride the back of one out of the school grounds.

The Defense Call squad had Dragons and anyone on patrol could ride one, but sadly the dragons had magical chains that prevented them from flying any higher that 100 yards above the highest point of the school or from flying beyond the walls unless being ridden by a Keeper, the dragon handlers.

"Mr. Hino!!! did you hear what i just said?" cracked the voice of the teacher in his ears. He stood up and looked at her. His tail had unraveled from around his waist, something he had managed to keep concealed his entire stay here. He had noticed early on that he and Kelson were the only ones that had tails and were both instructed to keep them hidden. Noboyuki had done some extensive research on Demons with and without tails but had never found anything, almost as though they had been removed from the planet's historical records.

"I'm Sorry Mr. Sumner. Could you repeat that?" the normal reserved sound to his voice had suddenly been replaced with a growl from behind clenched teeth. he was just as shocked as the rest of the class was at his sudden rather unwarranted outburst.

"dude...your tail.." whispered Kelson from next to him. he jumped slightly at the fact that it had slipped out. but without any fuss or drawing further attention to himself he re hid it by wrapping it around his waist under the waist band of his pants.

"Mr. Hino, if you could please close the class for us today." the teacher remained calm and seemed to have not noticed the change in his voice.

"May the Warriors of the past guide us, may the Warriors living protect us, and may the warriors to come be strong and fearless." he recited the phrase that was spoken only at the end of the classes that were of non standard courses. as each class could produce the next protectors of the planet. most students only heard the saying once a day as those with the affinity for magic were in only the Magic Enrichment courses and those with physical affinity were only in the Combat Training courses. it was only in each head class in those courses that you would hear the saying. However for Noboyuki and Kelson, it was a different story. they had challenged each other from day one to be the best that they could be and to push each as hard as they could to the point where now both had risen up to be both magically and physically inclined. However every night as the sun dipped behind the Isevs Mountains Noboyuki partook in another more secret training.

Noboyuki went through the rest of his classes without another incident. 5 hours later he found himself laying out on a hill under a Blood Willow. His hands tucked up under his head and his eyes closed. to passer by's he appeared to be napping but he was actually reaching out into the ground searching for the electric currents for the security systems the school had. traps and sensors and alarms littered practically the entire school. most of which were in the ground monitoring every movement near and around the walls and gates. Foot traffic, that's what they monitor he thought to himself. He knew then that the only way to escape would be to fly, but he would have to remove the barriers above the school in order to do that.

He smiled slightly to himself. what the school had failed to realize is all the extra courses he took and the special night class were teaching him everything he needed to know to get out, time was what it took now.

The First of the 3 suns started to dip behind the mountains as he sat up. he stretched and stood up grabbing his shoulder bag of books and quietly and alone made his way towards the back of the school campus to an old bunker looking building in mass disrepair. The building was purposely left in a dilapidated state to detour students away from the building. but inside was only an elevator in perfect working order that took a select few into catacombs that ran below the school. twisting and turning with random dead ends the catacombs were a great defense against those that did not belong there.

Noboyuki stepped onto the lift and stepped on the stomp pad to activate the lift. he leaned against the steel cage's wall and sighed. he had been at the school for so long that he could do everything in his sleep if needed, every movement was second nature. As the lift came to a screeching halt he felt the wave of wind hit his face signifying the movement of the catacomb walls. the walls moved and paths changed, another defense against unwanted visitors. He knew the pattern in which the walls and paths changed and had timed it just right that he could walk in a straight line and end in the large cavern at the opposite end.

He appeared out of the darkness into the faux natural lights of the main cavern known only as "the hole". he dropped his bag against one of the walls along with a few other students bags and joined the crowd in the middle. their voices barely carried words to the walls of the giant cavern as the size of it reached 2000 yards in diameter.

None of the students greeted him, all were mostly afraid of him. His power and skill out ranked even the instructors and most of the military that guarded the school. he stood a few feet away from the other students listening to their hushed whispers and ignoring their occasional point in his direction. He was used to it and sadly that meant he would always be used to it.

The Instructor entered into the room through the same corridor opening as Noboyuki had as well as the other students.

"All right folks today will be a great test of what you have learned here over the years. your tracking, timing, stealth, and precision will be put the test. you will need to show exceptional skill in order to complete this task, however this is not a pass or fail test, you will not be graded and it will not affect your position in being here." the Instructor walked up to the group of students and placed a hand on Noboyuki's shoulder. "please try not to blow anything up." he whispered in his ear as he passed.

In the center of the catacombs i have placed a golden glass jar that has one, count it, one ticket for a week and weekend trip outside of the school. no chaperone needed. the city will be your playground for a week and weekend. Now with that being said most of you have never been outside these walls, so please no killing or maiming of anyone. you are free to fight and beat each other with the skills you have learned here." Noboyuki already could sense where the jar had been placed and was plotting out a course on how to get to it. He knew many of the others would be fighting for a chance to get outside but he had grander things he wished to accomplish by getting outside.

"all right if anyone wishes to give up, or can no longer continue just send up a gold spear and myself or another instructor will come to your aid. there is no time limit...GO!!" Noboyuki watched the others split up and take off down random tunnels in hopes of getting to the jar first. he knew this was not going to be an easy task for even himself. he knew that there would be traps laid through out the entire catacombs.

The training he had been receiving was to become a Sentinel, the lowest rank of spy in the military. he had received acceptance into the class as seeing it to be his only way out of the school. Now he would have to rely on his training to actually get out alive.

He smiled to himself as he heard the sound of a trap going off, a scream of terror and a golden spear shooting into the main cavern. the instructor, Mr. Nuun, looked at Noboyuki surprised that he had not left the room yet but also in disbelief that he would smile over someone else misfortune. as Mr. Nuun took off towards the student who had sent the gold spear Noboyuki causally walked into one of the tunnels. he could smell sulfur and dodged just in time as a rocket went flying past his head. the rocket wouldn't have killed anyone but definitely would have hurt them. many hours passed as he easily skirted one trap after another. every now and then he could hear the others trying to do the same. he could tell that some were hurt but bound and determined to get the jar.

He was not aware of exactly how much time had passed be he was sure that at least 6 hours had already passed when he came to a "Break Zone". there were a few setup through the tunnels allowing the students to pause and eat, drink water and bandage their wounds. he grabbed a bottle of filtered water and kept moving. he could hear the others that had finally reached their Break Zone tearing through food wrappers and tossing empty water bottles to the ground. Fools, just wasting time. he thought to himself. a true spy would never pause for anything, the fact that he had stopped for a bottle told him that perhaps he wasn't ready but then remembered that in most missions a spy would carry a small pouch on their belts with a couples days rations of food and water.

suddenly he smelled old wet moss and faintly heard water dripping somewhere. he knew another trap was near by and as he dodged a wave of water the ground beneath his feet gave way and he found himself falling. he dropped the bottle and never heard it touch the bottom. "not good." he said allowed. as his hand found the edge of the path he had been walking on. he hung there for a moment by one hand trying to collect himself of what just happened. there was no way that this was a trap setup but perhaps the signs of the aging catacombs. effortlessly he lifted himself back up on the path. he looked down at the path and decided walking was no longer safe. his feet rose off of the ground a few inches. he tilted his body into an arrow and sped off down the tunnel at break neck speeds through the air. He sensed the pop up wall trap before it triggered and phased through it as it popped up.

Hours later he finally heard the others slowly starting to move from the Break Zones. He smiled to himself, there were 6 hours behind him in getting to the jar. a few hours later he found himself in a small cavern. He paused floating in mid air looking around. Like the main cavern there were many tunnels leading from it. He looked down at the ground just about to touch down when he saw that the ground he was about to land on was an image, it didn't actually exist. that's when he noticed a pillar in the middle of the cavern with the jar on it. He thought to race for it but knew more traps would lie in the way.

"Well well Noboyuki, you move fast, but i'm faster. That jar is mine!!!" another student he had not thought to be a challenge now proved to be one.

"Mariks. Just because you can move fast does not mean you have the true ability to succeed in this challenge." Noboyuki floated there watching this boy. he had dark waist length hair and bright green eyes. Mariks look at him.

"well then Noboyuki, lets see what you have." he taunted. Noboyuki looked at him and a sly grin caressed his features.