The rest of the car ride was spent in silence. Nero did not dwell on the news of death he had just received. He was quite used to it. Though, admittedly, this was the first time he had even heard of a terrorist attack in Kolar.
It need not be said that since the military was practically ruling the country, their hold over it was complete. Disillusioned from the fairy tale he had been brought up to believe, Nero saw now that such a firm hold over the country was not just full of positives, it had many downsides as well.
But regardless, security from other humans was hardly an issue in Kolar typically. Crime was almost non-existent in the entire country. Kolar did not have prisons. Anyone convicted of any crime, regardless of the seriousness of it, was sent to the front lines to fight. Since there had been no ongoing wars during Nero's entire life, the front lines usually meant active cursed zones.
When he was a kid, he used to believe that was an excellent punishment for all criminals. That's what they deserved for breaking the law. After all, the country took care of all basic needs, from housing to food, as well as safety from curses. Why, then, would anyone need to break the law? It was not like they were starving or something.
It need not be mentioned how such a law could be taken advantage of. The Grant family had already experienced it.
But the harshness of the law really did keep crime down, and Nero had never really heard of any violent anti-military groups. Of course, there were many who wanted a different form of rule, but as long as they didn't step out of line, they could live with their opinions. Well, that's what it was like officially. Nero had now long since harboured doubts about whether it was so straightforward.
There was literally no way of knowing, since the news was all controlled by the military, whether it was printed or online.
So while the policemen drove him to his school, he wondered if there had actually been many such incidents, but they were hidden. Small scale skirmishes happened between neighbouring countries from time to time, but something like this was unheard of. He would not be surprised if more of such incidents were being hidden. Not to mention, he was highly sceptical about this being a 'terrorist' attack to begin with.
Before Nero could muse any longer on the topic, they reached the hostel. It was a tall, white building with red roof shingles, shining brightly under the barrage of endless flood lights. Unlike all the other buildings they had passed by, this one had tall metal fences with spikes to discourage climbing over it.
"Come on kid, let's get this over with," said the policeman as he got out, the taller one only shaking his head at his partner as he got out.
Nero looked down at his condition. With dried blood on his face, a dirt covered shirt and jacket, and a pair of torn pants, he was being brought to the hostel by a pair of policemen. There were going to be stories about him in the morning, he was sure of it. But that only made him grin.
School... school was his domain. It was where he flourished and thrived, and any obstacle he faced was more of a game than a real challenge.
He got out, awkwardly holding up his pants as he followed the policemen, completely unable to restrain his smile.
He had not forgotten his earlier anger, nor was he unaffected by the sorrowful news. But he had just looked forward to this day for too long. He could not help but be filled with excitement.
In a way, the events of the day were very fitting. He never intended to have a quiet, uneventful life, so beginning his journey as a Neophyte with a life and death battle, followed by meeting the scum of the Neie was quite fitting.
"He seems fine to me," the policeman tried to whisper to his partner, but the tall silent man just continued to shake his head and did not respond.
The three approached the gate where, by now, some guards had come out ready to face the situation.
"Is everything alright officer?" one of the guards asked, the gaze fixed on Nero's face.
"Everything is fine. We're just escorting a student who had an accident."
"Hello, my name is Nero Grant. My parents should have called and informed the school that I'll be moving into the hostel today," Nero introduced himself, sure that his words would spark countless rumours about him getting kicked out of home. He wondered if that would get him any sympathy from the girls in his class.
Probably not. They knew him too well.
"Yeah, we have his name right here," said one of the guards, raising a clipboard. He was looking at Nero with a look filled with pity.
"We'll leave him to you then," said the tall policeman, his voice surprisingly deep. "Make sure to have him go through a basic purification first. There are chances of an Apparition curse appearing on him."
The policemen left after handing Nero over, not bothering to linger much longer. The guards at the hostel gate had Nero sign a couple of forms, attesting that he agreed to abide by the rules of the hostel, and a few other formalities. Having his ID made things easier, otherwise his parents would have had to sign on his behalf.
One of the guards escorted Nero to the building, all the while giving him a brief tour of the grounds they passed by on the way. Nero, feeling much more energetic now, asked plenty of questions, not forgetting to ask the guard's name as well.
"Perry's the name," the guard said, pretty happy to chat with someone for once. "I'm a night guard here. I was lucky, I suffered an injury on duty during my first year of enlistment. Due to improper recovery, I was honourably discharged, but I'm basically fine most of the time. I also get all the perks of being a veteran. An easy job like a night guard is hard to find unless you're a veteran. I even joined the veterans dating club, and met a really nice girl- I mean, lady yesterday. I'm looking forward to seeing her again."
Nero could not help but smile wider. Perry was extremely talkative, and very excited about his date with the lady called Mayfield, and not just simply May. He was very particular about that.
His good mood was infectious, and Nero was feeling even better after talking to him.
Before leading Nero anywhere else, he was taken to the nurse's office where the male nurse took care of his purification. It involved drinking a putrid drink and having the nurse use a card on him. But as soon as the card took effect, Nero doubled over and vomited out thick, black sludge, which alarmed the nurse as well as Perry!
"Damit, the curse almost took hold!" the nurse as he deftly avoided the black vomit and brought Nero to the side for a closer inspection. That, unfortunately, meant removing all his clothes.
So much for hiding the tattoo. Fortunately, the nurse sent Perry out before the examination could begin.
"An Apparition curse is called as such because it just randomly appears. There is no forewarning, and it can happen anywhere," the nurse explained as he brought out some equipment and pointed it all towards Nero. The 'equipment' looked suspiciously like weapons.
"It's easy enough to avoid in most- what the hell is that?" The nurse was alarmed when he saw the colour black as Nero removed his shirt, but then calmed down when he saw that it was only a tattoo.
"Looks like we've identified our culprit," the nurse said, scanning the tattoos with a card. "These tattoos are actively absorbing aether. As a result, there's a higher concentration of aether on your person, making you a prime target for the curse. I'm going to place a protective ward on you that will last 24 hours. That should be enough for the tattoos to... stop doing whatever it is they're doing. After that, your risk of getting targeted by a curse should even out."
Identifying the problem did not, unfortunately, mean that Nero was absolved from completely stripping. The nurse was extremely professional and insisted on thoroughly scanning Nero's body for any lingering signs of the curse. Fortunately, there were none.
It was around that time that the effects of FAK wore off, so the nurse healed that wound with a card as well.
Before letting Nero leave, the nurse also gave him some medication that would help him avoid the side effects of dispelling a curse that was about to take hold.
Perry, who was nervously pacing outside, was extremely relieved to discover that Nero was largely fine once he exited the office.
But, with a detailed inspection ensuring that there were no lingering threats to his body, Nero was ready to check out his new room.
As they approached the actual dorm rooms, more and more people finally began to appear. Although it was completely dark outside, inside the building, everyone was still relatively energetic.
The boys and girls' dorm buildings were separate, and had yet another fence between them, so Nero only saw guys. Many of them were familiar faces, even if he did not know them personally yet. But many of them were also Nero's acquaintances, and quickly excitement spread about his arrival, alongside questions of why he came.
Most students living in hostels were orphans, with only a few exceptions. It was common knowledge that both his parents were alive, so that raised some interesting questions. With not much else to do, everyone living at the hostels loved peeking into each other's personal lives. But Nero effortlessly skirted the questions without revealing too much, leaving an air of mystery around his arrival.
His room, as it happened, was right on the first floor. Perry handed him a pair of keys and walked him to 1G as he briefed him on the details of how the hostel worked.
"After sundown no students are allowed outside unsupervised, but considering the fact that the hostel is attached to the school, it's easy enough to get a supervisor to accompany you if you're going for training or classes. No guests are allowed in the hostel overnight, and no loud noises after 9 pm. Each room is actually like a mini apartment, and houses a total of five students."
"Sounds good," Nero said, only half listening to Perry at this point as he knocked on the door. He was hoping he got decent roommates. There was no one in his batch who he particularly disliked, and he had no bitter rivalries with any of his peers. After all, no one could keep up with him in his class.
The door opened, and the first thing Nero saw was bright red hair. His expression froze.