Terra Firma Academy for the Gifted. An academy meant for children with gifts, taught by teachers with gifts. Everyone there had a gift. I know it might sound just like every other private school out there but it isnt. Its a school no one knows about. In order to get in you must have a gift. It could be a small wimpy gift to an unbelievablly powerful gift, you just need a gift. Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself again. The name is Alexander, Alex for short and i'm one of those unbelievablly powerful gifted students of the Terra Firma Academy for the Gifted.

I sighed heavily next to my brother Leo. We were currently standing in front of the intimidating iron gates of the Academy. They shot up fifteen feet and had spikes on top that would make Vlad the Impaler blush. The gates were connected to a brown wall as large and just as inimidating as the gates. The walls circled around the whole school campus, the campus being a large 2 mile square with buildings the same size for any high school. What they had that other schools didnt however was the large arena building that looked like the Roman Colliesium.

Leo clapped his hands before walking through the parted gate, crowds of fangirls instantly swarming over him. The thing was that Leo was one of the Knights of the school. Not only did he have the handsome looks, him being at least an inch under six feet and blond hair that rivaled the sun's radiance, but he was also powerful. He was currently the third ranking Knight. The Knights usually had six people in them but after a mission last year they dropped to just two, the other one besides Leo, the fifth rank, left and needed intense therapy. So for the first time in three years the school was looking for more Knights.

I guess I should help paint a picture for you huh? Well I'll start with Leo. Leo is 5'11 and muscled enough to where he has a six pack, something he boast about to his fangirls. He usually wears a large trench coat that completely covers him, the only time he didnt wear it was when he had brought home the fifth rank Knight. Leo had hazel eyes but he wore tinted sunglasses over them, when he took them off he meant business. He has tan skin, it used to be the palest white but after training with his gift he sported a tanish brown.

Me on the other hand...well I'm nowhere near my brother's level. Whereas he had a crowd of fangirls I had a crowd of haters. I had a bad reputation a year back, and even though I stopped what I was doing people didn't forgive and forget. They held on to that grudge, just as most humans would. I was known as a troublemaker and a thief. But let's leave that in the past for now. I, in contrast to Leo, was only 5'8 and less muscled, keeping an athletic build but not to the point of Leo. I wore blue denim pants and a white t-shirt under a long sleeve blue thin jacket with a cross on the right shoulder.

I frowned and ruffled my hair walking through the gates and freezing mid step. It was amazing. If you went to a real haunted house you would say there was a pressure, a coldness in the air. Here, right when you enter the school grounds you could feel the dense pressure that pressed down on your shoulders. it was so unexpected that I almost choked. A hand fell on my shoulder and I looked up to see my older brother smiling and looking at the sun that seemed to float right behind the main school building.

"You feel that right?"

I nodded, I didnt trust my voice just yet.

Leo smiled before leaning on my head like i was some small child, "Yeah I guess you would feel that huh?" He shrugged before pushing his sunglasses up with his middle finger, "When I first came here I was so afraid of that pressure that I almost didnt make it past my first step." he smiled sadly, "I'm glad I had my best friend to help me then, I don't know what I would be doing with my life now if she didnt help."

He got off me and started walking to a building that was painted red with a black flag on top of the building with a red spartan shield embrazed on it. The word Defense was painted in black above the door. Leo walked around with the same flag on his right shoulder of his trench coat.

"Wait!"

Leo turned to me and cocked his head to the side, "Yes...Little Brother?"

I frowned, "Does everyone feel that...that pressure?"

Leo flashed a thumbs up, the sun light bouncing off his shoulders and shading his face from view due to the bright light, "Only the strong ones brother."

Leo turned and continued walking, I frowned once more before walking aimlessly towards a training field.

The training field was a big field with a track around it making a quarter of a mile, the field in the middle was covered in craters with sandbags surrounding it, making it look like a war zone. A small stream ran through it until it ran off into a couple rocks and continued on underground.

I smiled as I walked into the middle of it and noticed a girl my age sitting on the ground with a few tear stains littering the ground in front of her. She had long brown hair kept up in a braid that fell to her mid back. She was wearing a long blue skirt with a slit going up her left leg up to her mid thigh, knee length tan denim shorts underneath them. She had a button up long sleeve white shirt with a necklace of what looked like a crystal.

I stopped in my tracks. My feet kept moving on their own and right when I stepped on the grass of the field I felt a slight breeze brush across my face. Instinctly I ducked and the breeze increased until my hair started whipping in the air.

When my hair fell down to its original place behind my ears and forehead I glared up.

"Impressive."

My glare continued and the man, who had to be a year older than me, narrowed his eyes. He was as tall as me, he had spiky brown hair about three inches long in every direction. He was either tan or latino, I couldnt tell. He wore a sleveless brown shirt with black denim shorts that were ripped at the knees. He had black eyes that were as black as the deepest pits. Although I noticed something in his eyes that I couldnt place.

I backed away and stood up, settling in my fighting stance. My feet shoulder length apart with my left hand close to my chest with my right hand straight pointed straight forward with my fingers curled in claws.

The man frowned, "Impressive. You were able to dodge my attack, not many can attend to that. You're the second so far."

My glare left but I narrowed my eyes, "Who was the other one then?"

He smiled and cocked his head to the side to the girl crying, "She was able to dodge most of my attacks but after I got started taunting she fell." He shrugged and lowered himself in a crouch, "Lets see how you fair."

I frowned and was about to charge him when a hand fell on my shoulder. I turned around to meet nothing but air and that was when I felt a fist hit me in my gut. I was lifted off the ground as the fist continued moving up until I was balanced completely on it. I choked in air and grabbed the fist that felt like it was trying to pass through me.

The man growled, "Great, another fluke."

"How about me?

I knew that voice and that leg that appeared out of nowhere and kicked the man in his face and sent him what looked like a hundred feet into the bleachers that crumbled around him like foal.

I fell to my knees and coughed before I glared up at my "rescuer", "I didn't need the help, Astaroth."

Astaroth shrugged and lowered his hand. And by hand I mean left hand, his right had been bandaged at the elbow with white wrapping and was hidden inside of his jacket. Astaroth was shorter than me by an inch with black hair that at the end of it, his shoulders, seemed to move in the air like a vapor. He wore black cargo jeans and a black undone jacket with a gray t shirt underneath. Around his neck was a silver cross necklace with some small, incoherent writing written on it.

"Sure looked like it. Although you should have been able to dodge that, you've been getting weak haven't you?"

I glared at him and he smiled before turning to look at the girl who was now standing up smiling at us nervously.

"Thank you."

And with that said she disapearred with a jump and only then did I realize something.

Her eyes werent red at all, there were no traces of tears at all...then why was she faking it?

I was cut from my observation when the bleachers exploded outwards and I ducked to avoid the shrapnel. When I looked up I saw the man growling with his fists clenched. Astaroth smirked before flipping him off which set him off even more. He looked about to charge when a pillar of fire seven feet tall appeared between us.

Astaroth coughed before falling to one knee and I knew why in a couple seconds.

The air was extremely hot, I could feel the hair on my arms burning, it felt like all the liquid in my body was boiling, my sweat evaporated the second they poured from my poars. I could see the man I was fighting earlier on both of his knees grabbing his throat. I moment I realized mine was burning was when I fell to my knees as well.

The fire froze, spinning slowly towards the ground until all that was left was a ring around a pair of feet before it disappeared completely. I slowly looked up until I saw the man that appeared in the fire. His trench coat billowing in the wind that he himself created from his presence alone.

"First day of school and I find three huligans fighting seriously." He sighed and scratched his blonde hair, "Why am I not suprised?"

Astaroth coughed in air before he whimpered, "Leo Adlar, Third Rank Knight of his generation, Leader of the Defense Class Fighters, it's said that his generation was the strongest of all the Knights ever, I never thought your brother could be this powerful Alex."

It was true. I had never felt my brother's power like this before. Back when we sparred he never once used his powers against me and always won while I used mine. I knew he was strong, strong enough to be a knight with the thrid rank, but this strong?

Not in my lifetime.

"Alex!" Leo glared at me behind his glasses, "I will explain to you later why you don't break the rules established here by our Madame Principal."

He said "Madame Principal" with so much respect I almost found myself jealous. My brother was a powerful and honorable person, to have his respect was a goal of mine since I could remember.

The man from earlier stood up and growled at Leo, "Yo Knight! Stay out of this, this is my fight!"

Leo shifted his attention to him, "Dracul , average grades, excells in speed training exorcises. You're now on temorpary kitchen cleanup for the next week."

Dracul paled and growled once more before turning and walking away towards the S building. Leo turned back to me and Astaroth and frowned once he realized that Astaroth had done his disappearing thing as always.

"Man I hate that kid, every year that he's been here he's been fighting with everyone possible." He smiled and shook his head once, "He once tried fighting the Number One Rank Knight last year."

I choked, if Leo was as strong as he was and still Third Rank then the First Rank would be an impressive fighter. Leo smiled at me and offered me a hand.

I sighed and warily took it before I was elbowed in the gut. I lost all my air but sensing his power earlier I was glad that was all.

"Are you joking? I could feel the fight from the other side of campus! Imagine if the principal beat me here! Gods Alex! think for once why dont you?"

I growled, "Shut up Leo! Why must you treat me like a kid? I'm Fifteen, almost sixteen! Just because you're a senior and I'm a freshman doesnt mean you can act like that!

He growled back, "That's exactly why I'm acting like this! I have to be a good example! you're a powerful kid Alex but you won't go far unless your properly trained!"

"I am trained! I'm already strong enough as it is!"

"Fool! You're not even 7th Rank Fighter material!"

Fighter-a ranked officer of the school who is powerful enough to be a rank but not enough for a Knight, they often command a group of students during invasion times upon the continent.

Continent-Our's named Terra Firma, there is two continents with the other being the evil one. The Continient has two armies. One army being the Bourder patrol, they are the ones stationed at the coasts of the continent and are the first defense against enemy invasions. The other being the Principal, Teachers, Nurse, Knights and their team of fighters and medics.

I was ready to scream aloud, "Thats enough Leo! It's the same everytime! You dont think I'm strong enough but I am! I'll prove it to you! I will become a Knight!"

Leo froze and I could see his face pale before he grabbed me roughly by the collar of my shirt and brought me closer to his face, "NO! Under no circumstances can you be a Knight! You know what happened to the last ones!" He passed for a couple seconds, "To my friends."

I froze as the realization came to me.

He's worried about me...oh gods...I remember now.

"ALex." Leo sighed before looking back to the femine sillhoutte in the doorway and back to me, "Us Knights are going on a mission in Thanatos. Its top secret but the message is clear." He lowered his gaze from mine, "There's the chance we might not survive so...if I don't come back tell Mom and Dad I love them." With that he turned and walked away, the femine shadow following behind him.

"Leo." Leo put me down and walked away from me, "Leo!"

"Remember Alex." He didn't turn back but he stopped walking and stood in the middle of the field, "Do not become a Knight."

A fire enveloped him and in a flash of red he disappeared. I stared at the spot where he was seconds ago and clenched my fists.

Damn you...Older Brother.

CHAPTER 1-END