You and Red Claw have gone toe-to-toe for a few rounds. The tension is palpable, and it doesn't look like either of you is going to give up an inch. Red Claw reaches his arm back, summoning a strange, orange energy into his hand.
You're freaked out. There's no way for you to avoid this attack, and it looks like it'll hurt quite a lot.
"No!" Conjurer shouts, when he notices it.
Everyone hears another voice from beyond the circle of spectators. "What the hell, RC?"
Pushing their way through the assembled crowd into the circle is a thin Black student with short, natural hair and brown eyes, maybe sixteen years old. They approach Red Claw and slap his shoulder, annoyed. "Seriously? I leave you for five minutes to use the restroom, and you do exactly the thing I said you shouldn't do?" Now that they are closer, you hear a weird, insectlike chittering sound beneath every word they speak.
Red Claw shrinks down about two feet in height. He's still quite tall, but he can apparently adjust how demonic he wants to appear. "Ah, come on, Germ. She was asking for it, hanging with the World Warlock's kid, thinking she's hot shit."
Germ scoffs at Red Claw's comment and turns to you apologetically. "I'm sorry about Red Claw," Germ says. "He can be overzealous when someone isn't watching him."
Germ jokes, "And Red Claw more than most." Their laugh resembles the fluttering of insect wings, strangely unnerving but pleasant all the same.
"Hey!" Red Claw doesn't like being the butt of the jokes.
Germ pats his back. "Oh, calm down. We still have to find our room. This party's not our scene, anyway." They drag Red Claw away, the red giant looking defeated by his friend's displeasure with him.
Conjurer pulls up next to you. "Well, that could have gone better," he jokes lightly, patting your back.
"Yeah," you reply, "but it could have gone a lot worse, too." You frantically move your hands over your body to check for injuries, and you're relieved to be in one piece.
Red Claw and Germ looked inseparable. The influence of a superpowered duo is unmistakable. Maybe you'll find a partner one day.
Before you can finish that thought, Rainbow calls the attention of the disappointed and distracted crowd for the last time. "The final student! We're finally at sixty!" They all reflexively cheer and return to the party, with Muse summoning new music from nowhere since the wireless speaker was broken during your fight with Red Claw.
Once everyone notices the final student, however, they just stare in awe. You and Conjurer move through the crowd to get a glimpse. The students murmur, "I can't believe who's here," and "This year is going to be exciting," as you eventually reach the front to see who is causing the commotion.
The new student wields a stunning presence with long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Their lips are flush, their skin is the color of a ripe peach, and their star-shaped earrings sparkle in the sun.
"Holy shit! It's Paragon!" Rainbow yells, almost fainting after she realizes whose hand she held. You recognize them, too.
Paragon is Brilliant's child and possesses almost as much power as their father. They wear a white-and-magenta uniform, and a magenta cape materializes behind them.
Your mind races. Could it be a coincidence that you're attending Evos Academy the same year as the kids of Brilliant and the World Warlock? It's crazy to think that fate isn't at play, but you've never been particularly superstitious either.
Enter Paragon
After shaking a few hands and signing some autographs with their usual looped P, Paragon heads in your direction. They smile politely to you before turning to Conjurer. "What's up!" They laugh together like they've been friends for years and likely have hundreds of inside jokes.
"And since when do you attend the academy? Aren't you powerful enough already?" Conjurer laughs again before bringing you into the fun. "Paragon, let me introduce you to Prodigy," he says. "A new friend of mine."
Paragon holds out their hand to shake. This close to them, you smell hints of jasmine. "Prodigy? I'm Paragon. Pleased to finally meet you," they say with their signature wink, debuted in The Perilous Paragon, Issue NO. 52.
What's your response?
Paragon's smile is stunning up close, almost mesmerizing. To break your trance, they speak up. "Okay, okay, now that introductions are out of the way, we can get down to business," Paragon says, addressing Conjurer. "I'll be taking her off your hands for a bit, if that's okay," they ask without actually asking.
Conjurer holds his hands up and backs up, jokingly. "She's all yours," he says, laughing. "As long as you bring her back in one piece."
The pieces start falling into place for you. "Hey! You said you were pleased to 'finally' meet me, and now we 'have business.' What's going on here?" you blurt out with barely a thought.
Paragon takes a breath before continuing. "After my White Room Trial, Brilliant, my father, asked me to meet you and help you get to your room personally. I'm the final student, so this party'll die down soon. Plus, orientation is coming up." They slap your back. "So, let's go before we lose sunlight. The tour starts now!" they say.
Conjurer, whose room is in Sunset Hall, waves to you as you leave with Paragon. "I'll catch up with you later," he says. You swear you can hear a hint of jealousy in his voice.
Next
Paragon gives you a pretty straightforward tour on the way to your room. They point out the Green, the area you're leaving. It's a common gathering space when an event involves so many people. It's usually a well-maintained area, but it's currently in shambles after your fight with Red Claw. Somehow, you missed the shrubbery shaped like zoo animals during your tussle. The groundskeepers clearly use creative techniques to add depth and realism.
They point out the auditorium where orientation will take place later. It's a huge open amphitheater, made to amplify any sound so the back row can hear just as well as the front row. It can easily hold over two hundred people.
Then there's Brilliance Hall, the five-story building with stained-glass fixtures and a clock tower where indoor classes take place. "They named the building after my father," Paragon adds. "In an attempt to sway him to join the Wardens of Truth. It's a sweet gesture, even though it failed." You remember hearing about that on the news. He officially refused right after Evos Academy's founding. The Wardens were crushed, though that wasn't part of the press release.
Next are the administration offices in the central building, where student records are kept and the Wardens of Truth have meeting spaces. Paragon glosses over it for the most part but says, "It's an important location to know, but you never want to be called there by force."
You sense an opening to ask a question…if you want.