Chapter 24 - The Sorting I

Who’s who (There’s a lot of people this chapter):

Felix Sutter: Poor boy living in Sacramento, recently found out magic existed. Hard worker, knows the price of everything.

Hazel Winslow: Ran away from an abusive cult. Awoke as a natural mind mage.

Erik Morsin: Heir to the Duchy of the Emerald Isle. Just wants to play his violin.

Sora Park: Erik’s loyal friend. Loves flying. An absolute broombrain.

Vivian Merryweather: An expert on all things color, fashion, and of the heart. Gets seasick easily.

Alexandria Renard: Wants to be the next Morgana Le Fay. Can’t speak louder than a whisper. 

Professor Cedric Cold: Overweight Combat class professor. Ran orientation. Sword foci.

Leona Thorne: 5th year Commander of Dragon house. Long black hair, casually throws around huge amounts of magical power.

Lance Thalorien: Grandson of the headmaster. “Just wait until my grandfather hears about this!”

Kevin Moon: Light bigot, wants to make sure Felix and Hazel are with 'the right people'. A dumbass.

Odric Martin: Accident prone.

Valerie De Lys: 16th in line for the De Lys Duchy, which rules over what's roughly France in Logres.

Naomi Bones: Beautiful, elegant, and refined. Wears golden jewelry, but makes it look classy. Purrs a lot in her speech. Has bone and spider silk fence for her mental defenses.

Professor Myra Mistvale: Mind Magic professor from Camelot. Gave Hazel her letter, and a very stern lecture.

Su Song: Go-Getter student who was the only one to do the research to apply for Unicorn house

========

 Erik Morsin was born,
Son of Bjorn and Maeve -
A child of two worlds,
Bound in noble magics and power.
Some whispered the stars dimmed that night,
For a new flame now burned.

The Saga of Bjorn, Verse 46

=====

Professor Cold’s words were met with instant enthusiasm. The students poured out of the Kraken Abyss like a tidal wave. Poor Odric started down one of the hallways, before realizing he didn’t know which way they had to go next.

The large professor waded through the students, and they followed him like eager puppies.

“Dragon house usually makes a presentation along the way.” The professor said as they started to climb stairs back up. A few of the students were looking winded from all the running around they’d been doing, and Felix’s judgmental thoughts were written on his face. Erik was able to keep them in the privacy of his mind.

They climbed several stairs, and went along a few corridors. Felix had no idea if they were above ground or not, the windows kept showing different perspectives.

Actually… had they gone through this hallway before? With how everything moved around, he couldn’t tell. The only people not talking about the upcoming Sorting and which house they wanted to be in were the ones listening to their friends talking, eagerly awaiting their turn. 

Them, and Hazel, who was shuffling along at the back, staring at the floor.

“What do you think?” He asked Erik. Sora, the ever-present shadow, overheard and answered.

“I’m following him around.” She gleefully punched his arm, and Erik good-naturedly swatted back at her. Her face fell a bit.

“In all seriousness, I feel like an idiot.” She whispered. “I’m not smart enough for Kirin. My judgment’s piss-poor, just look at who I hang out with.” Erik half-heartedly swatted at her again. She didn’t even need to duck. “I’ve got no power, and my empathy is limited to me and my friends.”

“Sounds like Hydra.” Felix said. “I haven’t known you long, but resilient, adaptability, and grit seem to describe you well.”

“You’re not book smart, but you’re brilliant in other ways, and Kirin’s about that.” Erik said. “Your integrity is impeccable. You’re the most loyal friend I’ve ever had, and there’s more than one type of power. Thunderbird isn’t about having power, it’s about using what power you do have.”

Sora looked pleased as punch.

“See, this is why I’m following you around. The one bit of good judgment I do have.” She cheerfully said. “You?”

“If he’s not in Kirin, I’ll do… something amusing.” Erik caught himself before saying something dumb in front of dozens of his peers. A lifetime of training on appearances and social grace couldn’t be erased in a day. “Reading and taking notes on The Prydwen? The only other person with a textbook out was Song, and she was reviewing her exam notes.”

“Yeah, that one seems to fit the best.” Felix agreed after thinking it over a moment. “I need good grades, I’m screwed after college without them.”

“Camelot!” Vivian bounced up to them. “College is all very well and good for those who can’t wield a wand, but here it’s Camelot!”

“Where are you going?” Felix asked the beautiful blonde, doing his utter best not to think his decision might be influenced by her decision.

“It’s hard.” She complained. “Hydra’s right out, the colors are bad and I don’t want to have a skeleton looming overhead all the time. Kraken’s pretty nice, could you imagine being able to swim all the time? And all that water! Phoenix has the best color combination, and they were all so nice! The house of friendship? Sign! Me! Up! There’s no way I could be a Kirin, it looks far too studious and stuffy, and Thunderbird seems unlikely. Power? That’s just not me.” 

“Wait, it’s hard, but you’ve narrowed it down to two choices?” Sora asked incredulously. Vivian laughed awkwardly.

“Yeah… I’m not going to be in Kirin house.” She said. Then the crowd moved, and she dropped back with Alexandria.

One corridor later, and Professor Cold stopped, the students piling up behind him.

“Dragon house!” A vaguely familiar voice roared out. Felix stood on his tiptoes and saw Leona Thorne, the fifth year that helped De Lys and her friend. She was wielding a staff, and a four-winged crow was on her shoulder.

The rest of the hallway was lined with two rows of students, all wielding staves and in a different black and gold uniform. None of them were wearing robes or hats. Their trousers had a gold stripe along the side, leading down to shiny black shoes. A thick belt was worn by all of them, and their ties were replaced by a red ascot. A fluttering cloak as dark as night was trimmed with gold, marking the radically different uniform that Dragon house wore. Nevermind that they were also all wielding staves, instead of the more traditional wands.

“We are the military house. The house of discipline and hard work. We are the echo of tradition, the few, the proud. Camelot is a castle, and it once trained an armed force. The knights of the round table are gone, but we proudly uphold the tradition. Should you find yourself stagnating in your house, should you find that competence, dedication, and hard work finds no rewards, then turn your eye to Dragon house, and join us!” Leona roared. She then turned on her heel, and shouted at the students.

“Dragons! Order, arms!”

In unison, the students banged their staves once on the ground, then snapped them up to their shoulder.

“Dragons! Present, arms!” She ordered, and the staves moved, forming an archway. Leona stepped off to the side.

“All yours.” She gestured to Professor Cold.

“An excellent display.” He praised.

“Forget what I said before, I’m joining them.” Sora said with stars in her eyes.

“One thing not mentioned about Dragon house.” Professor Cold said wryly. “They don’t believe in being warded. There is no protection extended to the members of the house.”

“Risk and conflict have demonstrated effects on the growth of a magical core.” Thorne immediately answered. “The real world isn’t going to have pretty protections, it’s best to get in good habits now.”

Professor Cold had to bow his head slightly to make his way through, and the students followed. They ended at a door with the seven Eponymous animals on it, but they were spaced awkwardly. There was a gap where the lowest animal should’ve been. Lance was waiting by the door, looking bored.

“This is the antechamber to the sorting room.” He said. “You will have a moment to compose yourselves before being presented to the entire school. Words from the founders are written inside, words that I suggest you take quite seriously. Members of the peerage will go first in ranking order, please line up on the left. Everyone else, please sort yourselves alphabetically on the right. I’m trusting you can be unsupervised for ten minutes. Use them wisely.”

With that pronouncement, he knocked on the door three times.

The door creaked open into a cavernous antechamber. Felix filed in with nearly everyone else, and he could see that the room could easily hold dozens more people.

Erik paused, letting everyone else file in.

“Professor Cold?” He asked. “Can I speak with you?”

The professor eyed Erik knowingly.

“Naturally. Come with me.”

The two entered a nearby room, and Professor Cold drew his sword-conduit. With a couple of sweeps, he enchanted the room for privacy.

“I imagine you want to talk about earlier.” He said neutrally.

“Yes!” Erik practically exploded. “Someone tried to murder me, and we just kept on going like nothing happened! Pardon my french, forgive my lapse in decorum, but what the fuck?!”

Professor Cold nodded, stroking his chin.

“Given the conditions, I will entirely forgive you talking like that to a professor. Do not make a habit out of it. Let me guess, you’ve spent the entire time wondering who tried to do it, and nothing on my actions?” He said.

Erik froze.

“Um, yeah?” He said.

“Mmmm. Okay, have you been able to determine anything?” Professor Cold asked.

“Not so far.” Erik admitted.

“Well. First off, take fifty points for having a cool head, faith in me and the other professors, and for not interrupting orientation. For another ten, make a well-educated guess as to why I took the actions I did.”

“I hate the socratic method.” Erik breathed under his voice, then thought about it.

“The initial position was terrible for news of an assassination attempt to come to light.” He said slowly. “Any conflict could’ve had dozens of unwarded students thrown off the wall, if not the entire class.”

“Good. And then? What would you do in my shoes?” The professor asked.

“It would’ve been disruptive.” Erik said, imagining what would’ve happened. “Panic, delays. I would’ve… kept on going, preserved as much of the scene as I could, pulled the student aside after, and gone after the culprit with vigor the moment I was free.”

Professor Cold held his hands out.

“What do you think I’m doing?” He said.

“Alright.” Erik admitted. “I don’t like it, but I get it.”

“Professor Dawnrover teaches divination, and he will be investigating the scene.” Professor Cold said. “I will also be taking the matter up with the headmaster, who has his own methods. I will warn you now not to get your hopes up too high. Magic is wonderful, but over a hundred magical signatures in a relatively exposed part of the castle is going to be difficult. If the assassin was dumb, we probably would’ve caught them already. We were out in the open, it’s hard to tell if the attempt came from someone inside the castle, outside the castle, or if there was a pre-arranged trap in position. We can likely rule out a number of possibilities, and rest assured. In just a few minutes, you’ll be sorted and be under Camelot’s wards properly. Then you can jump off the wall yourself and only break a leg.”

“Unless I go Dragon.” Erik said.

“Unless you go Dragon.” Professor Cold agreed. “Given your personal set of circumstances, I believe that would be a poor decision.”

“When should I follow up? For now, the staff has a small measure of my trust, but I’ve seen too many small issues get ignored in favor of more pressing concerns.” Erik said.

“You would, wouldn’t you?” Professor Cold murmured. “Talk to me in two weeks if nobody’s contacted you before then. Now get going, the Sorting’s important.”

Erik nodded and entered the room.

===============

Felix looked around the chamber in awe, wondering just how many more times he’d be impressed. Then again, he went from a trailer to a castle in the span of a day, he figured there’d need to be some adjusting. Words were etched large on the far wall, large enough that Felix could read them from across the room.

The traits listed are not as you are,

Not as you will be,

But how you wish to succeed.

Everyone has a bit of each house inside of them. It is the mix and the balance that gives rise to our character.

There were four motifs along one wall, and three along the other. An awkward gap in the middle was sized for another wall of text. Some of the students immediately started to line up, discussing with each other where they belonged, while most of the rest went to read the words engraved in stone. Felix devoured the posted words, which seemed to be points and counterpoints for each of the houses. He first found Kirin.

Knowledge. Curiosity. Inquisitiveness. 

Knowledge is the root of magical prowess. Knowledge of spells, rituals, and people.

Curiosity drives us to ask ‘why’. It begs us to look at the world and wonder, and wonder is a powerful emotion.

Inquisitiveness drives us to take that wonder, and discover the truth of the world.

From knowledge, everything is built.

Wise decisions can not be made in ignorance.

Knowledge is required to adapt.

Knowledge is power.

Know allows us to reap the rewards of patience and consistency

Curiosity on what other people think and feel is the root of empathy and understanding.

Discipline and hard work without any intelligence behind it is simply running in place, achieving nothing.

Each of the lines seemed to explain why the traits of Kirin house were better than, or required, for the other house traits.

Felix walked around, curious what the other houses had to say about Kirin house. He snorted in laughter at Thunderbird’s proclamation.

Knowledge is power.

The same words, taken in a different direction.

Exploration is best done in a team
The pursuit of knowledge with no discipline to back it will accomplish nothing
It is better to study the correct subjects

Research with no determination will not last

It takes grit to continue learning in the face of adversity.

Felix paused at the blank space, wondering what words had been written there. 

Should’ve been written there?

He could see why Professor Cold had mentioned ‘Eighth house conspiracy theory’ - it didn’t seem like a conspiracy theory so much as a cold, hard fact. There were consistent blanks in the pattern that would be perfectly filled in with one more house. Symmetry would be preserved, lines filled in.

One of the Thunderbird lines made him laugh.

The power of friendship is still power.

A sudden flash of light caught his attention, and he turned along with most of the other students. A young girl, maybe around 10 or so, walked into the room from the other side. She was made entirely out of white light, and wore a simple dress from another era. 

“New students!” She jumped up and down, clapping her hands. Her voice was melodious, and seemed to come from everywhere. “Oh, I’m so excited to see you all! Welcome, welcome!”

Lance was standing near the front of the room, and he bowed deeply to the girl.

“Camelot. We are honored that you’d visit us.” He said.

“You’re a student now! Yes, I’m so happy to be here!” She said, her voice again coming from everywhere. She blurred, and was suddenly in front of every student at once, but only in front of Felix at the same time. She offered her hand.

“Felix Sutter! It’s wonderful to meet you! Oh, I can’t wait to see what you do!” She eagerly pumped his hand up and down, greeting all the students in a familiar, but different way. She ‘snapped’ back into a single being a moment later.

“You’re all about to get sorted, and I’ll be watching! Oh, oh!” She ran over to Kevin Moon, and put her hands on his forehead. Her eyes rolled back, and a deep voice echoed from her throat, seeming to shake the world.

“The Chosen One arrives.” She intoned. “He will… be sorted.”

She giggled in the ensuing silence, and dashed over to Martin Odric. She repeated the same stunt, with a minor variant.

“Odric Twice-Born.” She chanted. “You will die… eventually.”

In the stunned silence, she turned around and gave everyone one last wave.

“Good luck! Enjoy the next eight years! I’ll be watching! You should finish lining up! Bye~!”

Camelot’s avatar vanished in a sparkle of lights, and the students erupted.

Felix found himself near Sora.

“Did Camelot just prank us?” He asked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been pranked by a thousand year old castle before.” Sora said incredulously. 

“Forgive my ignorance, is that sort of thing normal?” Felix asked. Sora shook her head.

“Dublin’s almost as old, and it doesn’t have a spirit like Camelot does.” She said.

“We got pranked by a castle?” Felix asked again.

Sora put her hand on Felix’s forehead and dramatically closed her eyes, just like the castle.

“I predict… I foresee… KIRIN HOUSE!” She shouted.

Su Song came up to them, her eyes puffy and red. Snotmarks were on the sleeve of her robe.

“I’m Song.” She said. “S’s around here?”

“Park, you’re behind me.” Sora said.

“Sutter, I think you’ll be right in front of me.” Felix said.

The girl nodded her thanks and they all shuffled around to accommodate her. Instead of awkwardly standing around, Felix figured he’d want to try and make friends.

“So… hopefully we’ll both be in Kirin house together?” Felix asked. Seemed like a safe topic of conversation.

Instead, Song burst into tears. Felix had no idea what to do. What had he said?! Why had that set the girl off!? He looked around with wide, wild eyes, absolutely convinced everyone looking his way was judging him. He clearly must have said something terrible.

Fortunately, there was a bit of a distraction in front of the other line.

“I obviously outrank you, Morsin, I don’t know why you think you’re at the front.” Lance Thalorien practically spat Erik’s name.

“Crown heir outranks an heir.” Erik said mildly.

“Not inside our domain!” Thalorien spat back.

Erik shrugged with a half-smile on his face, and let Thalorien take the front of the line. Valerie De Lys was right behind him, having returned back from bringing her friend to the infirmary. She was straight-backed and perfectly poised, not blinking an eye at the argument.

“You’re right, you know.” She said to Erik. He shrugged good-naturedly.

“Giving him enough rope to hang himself with.” He said. There was a poisonous glare over Lance’s shoulder.

“Why are you talking with him?” He demanded. Valerie sniffed.

“You do not dictate who I can and cannot speak with.” She said.

“Your friend alright?” Erik said. “Sorry if asking to help on the ship was rude.”

“It’s alright. I was just stressed. It’s not a good day for her.” Valerie said. “If I had known who you were, I wouldn’t have dismissed you so quickly.” 

Erik waved her off.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got our whole lives to be posh and formal. I’d rather you treated me like Erik, not Heir Morsin.”

Valerie shook her head.

“But you are undeniably Crown Heir Morsin, and acting if that were not the truth would be… unwise.”

There was another minor commotion near the back of the line.

“Moon, as much as your family calls yourselves ‘Lords of the Light’, you’re the apprentice of Archmage Sabian, and you’ve obtained nobility in the mundane world, that is not the same as being a member of the Logres peerage.” Naomi Bones primly told the boy.

He stormed over to the other line with hot embarrassment suffusing his face, and shoved Odric Martin aside. The poor boy stumbled and fell, gashing open his palm.

The door on the far end of the room slammed open, and Professor Mistvale was standing there with a roll of parchment in her hands.

“It’s time for the Sorting. Please note that time is heavily compressed inside the chamber, in order to make the Sorting happen in a reasonable timeframe. As such, you will all be mostly walking in single-file. Please make sure to keep walking as you leave, as other students will be right behind you. Any questions?” She asked.

There wasn’t a whisper, not even the soft swish of a robe.

“Excellent.” She said. “Morsin, Erik!”

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AN: Thread on discord where you can make your call! Everyone is revealed next chapter, along with the why. Most of the secondary characters aren't revealed - but a few of them are.

I have a prize for whoever guesses correctly! Song or BTDEM-related art commission of the winner's request! That's for a perfect 6/6 score for Erik, Felix, Hazel, Sora, Alex, and Vivian.