"Yeah that's real,"
Dean said as he scrubbed the sole of his boots on the ground. This drew unnecessary looks his way but he was never shy about the stares. He wasn't starting now.
What he'd done was to confirm what he saw was actually real.
After nearly a month in this world. He had run in the muddy lower district and the cobblestone of the middle district.
But right now, he was on tarred roads. Actual paved roads.
They weren't as smooth and pristine as those from his old life. It was cracked in a few places with uneven layers here and there but it was still tar.
The carriage he'd stepped down from pulled away as Dean adjusted the bag hanging over his shoulders.
'That damn Yuki,' he grimaced.
Was this her last act to spite him, all in the name of love and discipline? She had packed his bags like he was travelling to a different realm and never coming back.
'Where did she even get all the money for the clothes though?'
Dean shook his head. Who was he kidding… there was money in this world or at least the semblance of it.
This district was proof. It made sense why it was called the upper district.
It was cleaner and nicely structured. It wasn't like the other districts where it seemed like the houses were tossed in the air and wherever they landed became a home.
But above everything, the roads made the real difference. It wasn't like the broken cobblestones of the middle or the ankle breaking dirt traps of the lower district.
These were actual roads like he remembered.
It was obvious humanity was trying to rebuild from the inside out.
He'd noticed while still in the carriage ride. Immediately they moved into the upper district, the ambience had changed.
The air became fresher and the houses looked livelier. And there were cars. Dusty rust buckets maybe, but they had four wheels and ran using flux cores as fuel.
In his books, those were cars.
Humanity was recovering. It might be slow and steady but this district was the starting point in its attempt to claw civilization back.
After a few seconds or just standing still. Dean walked towards the gates that seemed to shrink in size, the closer he got.
It was a crazy irony of expectation versus reality. From afar they had looked more grander.
He walked through the gates that had a dragon perched on a shield carved on the centre.
Inside of the academy, he noticed the buildings, structures and the very people that were moving in and around.
Some were with family, others were alone with luggages like him. And some had familiars in and around them.
He especially noticed a girl with a silver feathered hawk that moved with her towards a group of friends.
There was also a vampire who had a water elemental hovering beside him. Quite the weird combo but it made him miss his familiar.
'I should bring Ash out,' he thought, before changing his mind again.
He didn't know what the rules were around these parts. Though he wasn't one to be restricted by rules.
He'd decided to be on his best behaviour. After all, this was his first experience with anything like this.
He might have stayed in high school a bit before dropping out but he had never really felt something like this.
The last time he was in a college was when he sneaked in to sell some illegals.
'Mehn… good o times.'
Dean walked around and after a few seconds of eavesdropping. He finally determined where the Freshers were to gather for orientation.
Pulling his bag higher over his shoulders. He made his way into a dome shaped passage.
The passage overhead was covered with glass or at least what remained was glass. The walls were curved in, creating the sensation of a tunnel.
The structure had holes everywhere, allowing light to pierce through as beams that covered the stone floors.
People lined the edges of the passage. At first Dean was taken aback then he noticed their actions.
These were older students. At least that was the conclusion he came up with after he saw a vampire in black coat pass a flyer to a boy.
The boy took it, read it, smiled and walked away.
Some freshmen girls kept giggling as a werewolf flashed them a smile and six packs.
They quickly took the flyers and rushed inside the hall at the end of the passage with reddened cheeks.
Dean shook his head. 'This was college life huh… or was it academy?'
He was about to have an existential crisis when he saw her.
She had ginger hair with warm skin and a smile that he didn't mind staring at for too long.
The girl wore simpler clothes and stood at the edge of the passage with a stack of flyers that no one seemed interested in.
But she didn't look bothered. On the contrary, she seemed even more motivated to stretch out the flyers with a smile.
Dean slowed down as he got closer. There was something off about her. It wasn't that she felt bad, but just something that seemed to spike his pulse rate.
Her long wolf-like ears wiggled then she looked up and turned towards him. She held out a flyer.
Dean took it without delay though he wasn't openly eager about it.
"Thanks," she said with a sharp Irish lilt tone.
"No problem," Dean replied. He glanced at the flyer which had the image of a bow. He didn't read it. Didn't have the time to.
He simply folded it once and kept walking. Someone else shoved another flyer in his hand.
Dean didn't even look at that one. He had just placed it in his pocket while he dragged the bag around.
<><><>
Dean stood at the entrance of the hall. It wasn't remarkable but it was better than most.
The hall was large enough for hundreds of students. With long windows allowing light to brighten the room.
The people within the hall were of different races. Vampires, Humans and werewolves all mixed together.
Irrespective of race, they were all chatting, laughing, and shouting while some showcased their familiars like accessories.
Dean didn't bother to get involved. He began walking to the side of the hall.
He'd picked Franseint academy for this exact reason. The integration of the three species was an opportunity for him and Ash to adapt and maybe copy a few cool things.
After roaming for about ten seconds. Dean found a spot near the wall and finally dropped his bag.
Someone laughed loudly causing Dean to scan through the room, where he found a familiar face.
'Shit!' his jaw tightened at the sight of the blonde.
Almost immediately, Rogue spotted him too as the crowd around him noticed the twist on his visage into a smile.
Rogue's eyes stayed locked on him.
"Didn't know theft was part of the admission criteria,"
The statement almost made Dean retort but that was the least of his problems. The idiot was as shameless as he was dumb.
But everyone else had started to look at him wrongly again. Dean raised his chin higher almost like he was basking in their attention.
"Gray," the name seemingly came out of nowhere.
"Gray?" The name spread like wildfire.
"Gray?"
"Where?"
"Which Gray?" People started backing off like they were even close to start with.
Dean almost smiled.
'That's the thing about the Gray name.'
When people heard it, they couldn't tell which Gray they were dealing with.
The main family, the blacksmith branch? The side of the family known for making blades that never broke? The ones with history and legacy and ties to the Saint family?
Or the other branch?
His cousins and uncle with underground connections. The ones who ran fighting rings and moved things the W.S.A seemed to have selective blindness about.
People heard "Gray" and didn't know if they were talking to a craftsman or an alleged criminal.
So they did the next best thing and backed off. Respect and fear looked the same from a distance.
Dean leaned against the wall, smiling. Allowing them to decide which kind of Gray he was.
A/N: Welcome to Volume 2....As always assist with Powerstones and golden tickets if that isn't too much to ask.