— Year 1550 (Gaia calendar) 2:00 AM, Monday, July 11

  Lios Town

  Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

  A muffled scratching sound invaded the serene silence of the outer Lios forest, making the lack of prominent sound eerie.

  Scratch. Scratch.

  The scratching sound continued, this time the ground parted at the edge of a bump in the ground.

  Scratch. Scratch.

  A hole was dug in the ground from below and an abnormally large rat's hand emerged from it, along with a small red sapling. The second hand came out as well, then the two hands struggled for a moment before its monstrous body was pulled entirely out of the ground.

  The rat shook the dirt off its body before squeaking and turning its head to a specific direction, its dark eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

  ***

  Aries, Alice, and Noel were walking side by side through a corridor, guided by a lady that looked to be in her late twenties. They had just left an orientation seminar held with their parents. It was the usual speech. About how they strive for the children's growth and learning and whatnot. No one really listened to it.

  They were now being brought to their classroom for the next few years. Each child was given the same uniform beforehand— a white cap to shield the sun and slightly loose blue shorts and layered shirts with the school's crest optimized for play— Due to this, everyone except for the adults and the ones Aries already knew blended into each other and looked the same everywhere he looked.

  They were kept in orderly lines, each holding the hand of the one beside them.

  Looking to his left, he saw Alice in the same uniform, her hair tied into two pigtails and her bangs kept to one side by a star hairclip. She held his and another girl's hand as she looked forward with a dejected look. She had already told him how she didn't want to go to 'Baby school' again and her face showed it.

  He looked to his right to Noel who held his and the girl beside him's hand. Unlike Alice, he seems quite excited at the prospect of attending school. Alice had said most children would be excited for school for the first years as the classes were quite fun and they even got to eat and play. This was something any child would be happy for

  He remembered how her face changed as she continued, 'Once the 'real' work began most if not all children would begin to hate school.'

  He shook his head at the thought.

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  'Who didn't like learning?'

  He clearly didn't understand the mind of a child, how could he? He couldn't even understand his own emotions, much less the minds of others.

  This showed as he could only put on a rosy smile like he remembered doing before awakening his consciousness, showing no excitement or hate towards his experience.

  After a bit of walking, the group entered the class. Starting from the end of the first row, the children sat down in the seats, Aries and the others ended up at the edge of the middle rows, with Alice at the wall. In all, there were about 25 children.

  The Lady who had guided us stood in front of her desk, her gaze gliding across the room taking in the faces of everyone present. She clapped her hands together and spoke:

  "Alright everyone! Welcome Eco Kindergarten!"

  The children raised their hands and cheered.

  "Since it is your first day we won't be doing much. Let's start with an introduction. When I call your name, come up and say your name and your favourite hobby. Let's start with me."

  She placed her hand on her chest and continued.

  "My name is Mrs. Handley and I'll be your teacher!"

  "Yes Mrs. Handley!"

  Each of the children responded.

  "Alright!"

  She took up a black book that rested on her desk behind her and opened it. Placing her finger on a specific part of the page, she called out:

  "Nina!"

  "Here!"

  A pale girl with short purple hair and round glasses responded. At the same time, she stood up and walked to the front.

  "Goodmorning everyone! My name is Nina Handley! I like to read!"

  Her tone was like an authoritative figure, as if solidifying herself as a leader. Aries thought It strange for a child to speak like that but paid it no mind.

  "Hi Nina!"

  Ignoring or more likely not realizing her tone of speech, the children greeted her cheerfully.

  After Nina sat down, the next child was called.

  "Batson!"

  "Here!"

  The next child that went up was a tough looking boy with brown hair and red eyes. He confidently pointed his thumb to his chest and spoke:

  "I'm Batson Watts! I like sports! Nice to meet ya!"

  Loud Aries though.

  The classroom greeted him just as they did before.

  The next child was called.

  "Emmet!"

  He was a shy looking boy with black hair that covered his eyes. Fidgeting with his fingers he spoke.

  "H-hello… My n-name i-is Emme-t Quin… I l-like to st-udy…"

  His voice was soft and his words faded as he ended his sentence. Due to this, many of the children at the back were straining to hear what he said. Nevertheless, the classroom greeted him.

  The children continued to introduce themselves and greet each other, then Alice was called.

  She walked to the front of the class then spoke, her voice naturally soft.

  "Hello! My name is Alice Lorel. I like to read!"

  She put on a cheerful face as she spoke, but it quickly fell as she sat back down, then she crossed her arm on her desk and laid on them. After that, Aries heard his own name being called.

  He walked to the front of the class and turned to the class. He studied their faces and counted their numbers.

  '25.'

  He had done this instinctively but didn't stop when he realized, as the information could be useful in the future.

  He took in a breath then spoke.

  "Hello! My name is Aries Dominire.

  He was then greeted by the class then he sat down. Noel was called up right after.

  "Hello! I'm Noel Gale! I love swordsmanship!"

  He spoke with a passion as he introduced himself. He was greeted right after.

  The next child introduced himself and was greeted by the class. This continued for a few minutes, introducing and greeting each other. After the last child sat down, Mrs. Handley closed the book.

  "And that marks the end of the introductions."

  She placed the book on her desk.

  "Classtime has been used up so now its break time!"

  "YAY!"

  The children cheered.