How To Stay Immortal

Seeing the dead Vill be carried away with the chair Headmistress Lore declares. ''Let the feast...begin.''

Food magically appears on all the tables, the gloomy atmosphere from witnessing someone die in front of them is instantly gone and the hall is filled with awe and chatter. -Beings are truly hateful. One couldn't tell that they just saw a comrade die in front of them.-

Everybody looks at all the food, raises his eyebrows and digs in. Looking for his friends Dante can see Rupert stuffs his face.

Suddenly when the chatter dies down a bit Professor Morgan, a tiny boy, speaks. ''I'm half and half. My dad's an unintroduced, Mam's one. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he was confronted with facts.''

Everybody laughs, while Dante leans over to the guy next to him asking. ''Say, who's that teacher talking to Master Draculesci?

''Oh, that's Professor Serpent, head of dollmaker house.''

Frowning Dante asks. ''What's he teaching?''

''Anatomy and Dollmaking. But everyone knows it's Runes that he fancies. He's been after Draculescis job for years.''

Just when Dante is about to dig in and have a chicken wing, Micah comes by, greeting the first years.

''Ahh!'' Screams one girl, swooning a bit in front the great Micah Bell. Seeing the girl swoon he just says all smiles. ''Hello! How are you? Welcome to the Ascended.''

At the same time, numerous senior student joins the first students of their respected houses.

The female Healers Senior shouts spooky. ''Whoo-hoo-hoo!

Surprised but laughing one healer girl shouts. ''Look, its the Bloody Carry!''

A boy opposite Dante greets Micah. ''Hello, Mr. Bell. Have a nice summer?''

''Dismal. Once again, my request to join Master Draculescis and Professor Shocks joined research has been denied.'' Micah says while leaving.

The boy who Dante just ask out greets his senior by saying. ''Hey, I know you! You're Headless Micah!''

Micah snorts saying. ''I prefer Sir Bell or plain Micah if you don't mind.'' Questioning Micah's nicknames a white-haired girl, called Maria Something Pinehurst asks. ''Headless? How can you be headless? He clearly has a head!''

-Aren't the Pinehurst the royal family of Yharnam? Why is she here?''

The boy opposite Dante explains. ''It doesn't mean literal headless. Sir Bells study subject is the mind. I heard he is experimenting with the brains of death row inmates in Yharnam.''

Marias only comments following that is. ''Sounds detestable...''

After the feast, Micah and other seniors lead the new Ascended students to the huge central staircase. Seeing the astonished faces of his juniors Mica says. ''Ascended, follow me, please. Keep up. Thank you.''

At the same time the senior of the puppetmakers the students call Hermann shouts. ''Puppetmakers follow me. This way.''

Looking back on the stairs Dante sees Emma follow her senior, a woman called Carry and Vincent follow his named Laurena, he thinks that he now has friends and enemies.

Turning back on the stairs Dante hears Micah explain. ''This is the most direct path to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases... they tend to change direction...''

Looking up Dante can see a vast amount of staircases, people walking on them, and some even switching places.

''... Keep up, please, and follow me. Quickly now, come on. Come on.'' They all begin to swiftly walk up the stairs.

''Seamus, that picture's moving!'' Says a girl behind in front of Dante to the boy now man next to her.

Seeing these grown children around himself, who still has the body of five years old, not counting his grown genitals he will have to check later in private, Dante feels isolated.

Suddenly Maria next to him says. ''Look at that one, Dante!''

-I think she fancies me. But why?- Dante thinks not answering while more and more students point at a different painting like screens arranged long the stare case walls.

''Oh, look! Look! Who's writing this?'' Asks Maria still not giving up on striking a conversation with him while pointing at a screen up front.

Looking in the direction his new best-unwanted friend points at Dante read on a screen. -Welcome to Worthington.-

''I don't know seems to be some kind of crystal magic.''

Approaching a huge bookshelf Micah half pulls out a very old book.

Suddenly a girly voice can be heard. ''Password?''

Frowning Mica says annoyed. ''Stop manipulating the elevator, Rom.''

''Okay, okay.'' Says the voice most likely belonging to a girl named Rom.

All of a sudden the floor seems to move upwards. The sealing vanishes while everybody is moved one floor up. Unable to contain their excitement for what they see most of the girls exclaim excitedly while the boys give some version of ''Cool!''.

Shrouded in bright warm light Dante finds himself in a wide circular room with high sealing and eight halls on all of its sides.

''Gather 'round here. Welcome to the 'Great Hall of Ascension'...'' Explains Micah while walking to a nearby table fetching some flyers.

''... It consists of eight halls, the 'Ascended Libraries*'. They are four primary halls, and four additional wings in between making if eight in total. These eight libraries alone contained innumerable amounts of reading material collected from all over the Nine Realms. I guess not even the Professors have been able to read everything...'' Micah further explains handing each student a flyer each.

''... First years are located in hall one. Boys' dormitories, upstairs and down to your left. Girls, the same on your right. You'll find that your belongings have already been brought up.'' Micah says leading everybody into the hall with the number 1 engraved over the entrance.

Having found his room mostly empty Dante sits down at the table and takes out the flyer given by Micah as well as his ledger. Half unfolding the flyer Dante gets a rudimentary map showing the hole campus as well as some basic information about it. Dante reads:

-•The total grounds considered to be part of the academy are proximately 274 acres ( or 1.11 km²), excluding the mountains, woods and the town of Far Harbour nearby.

•The academy's main building has 540 rooms 658 windows, not counting the ones that are part of the four Houses libraries and dormitories.

•The dome over the entrance is 8,909,200 pounds of cast-iron with 108 windows.

•The statue at the top of the dome is the Statue of Freedom...-

Skipping the remaining information Dante totally unfolds the flyer, finding a rather accurate depiction of the 'Great Hall of Ascension', 'Ascended Libraries' and the student dormitories.

Converging like the spokes of a wheel at the central rotunda, the library halls are separated by study areas which consist of several desks and laboratories. The outer walls of the libraries are encircled by dormitories where the personal chambers of each ascended student are located.

Slowly getting sleepy Dante quickly checks up on his [Characyer stats] and [Skills/Abilities] expecting noticeable qualitative overall change.

[Character stats:

Dante Elcraft (aka Gaukler)

Origin: Noble Bastard

Level: 9 (811 £ to level up)

Soul Echos (£): 28

Lifes: 2

+ Primary Stats

- Vitality: 4

- Endurance:5

- Inside: 5

- Strength: 3

- Skill: 4

+ Secondary Stats

- Health: 100/100

- Stamina: 25/50

- Mana: ???/???

- R-Hand: 0.25 +X

- L-Hand: 3.5

[X depending upon selected Arcane]

+ Defencive Stats

- Physical Damage Reduction: 0 %

- Magical Damage Reduction: 25 %

- Evasion: 50 %

- Resistence: 0 %]

Seeing the addition of an undefined mana stat and the +X on his right hand, Dante excited about what new additions his [Skill/Abilities] might have gotten.

[Skills/Abilities

+Active (2):

- Doge (Lv. 4)

- Quickstep (Lv. 2)

+Passive (7):

- Basic Gunmanship (Lv. 1)

- Basic Swordsmanship (Lv. 1)

- Dollmaking (Lv. max)

- Mana Absorption (Lv. max)

- Mana Control (Lv. 5)

- Mana Refinement (Lv. max )

- Puppetmaking (Lv. 4)

+Arcane (1):

- Bound Weapon [wand] (Lv.1)

- Eye of Arcana (max)

+ Spells (0):]

Feeling his body nearly fall asleep while just sitting Dante decides against testing out his new Arcane skills and just gets into bed.