Zakeri was shaken, even if he hadn’t been willing to show it when Abriel wielded that gorgeous sword. The anger in that demon’s stony blue eyes- it had really been something to behold, when the hellfire licked along his sword. Zakeri shivered remembering the low, deadly tone of Abriel’s voice, and he wasn’t sure if it was fear that made him shiver, or a completely different emotion. All he knew was the demon’s aura was filthy with hatred and disgust, and it made him feel dirty every time he saw it.
“Zak,” Cormac nudged the silverette, drawing Zakeri’s attention back from the demon it had slipped to, “You might want to take notes on this. This is important for newcomers.”
Zakeri nodded absently, opening the notebook Cormac had given him to a random page. Kissa nudged his hand, and Zakeri smiled when he looked down to find his pencil in her mouth. He silently thanked her, which drew another purr from her, before labelling the top of the page with the day’s date. Then he forced himself to ignore the sullen, dark-haired demon who was sitting in a back corner with his arms crossed, and took notes on the lecture the teacher was giving.
The teacher wrote on the board in a looping scrawl: Rankings 101. Zakeri copied that under the heading he’d already written before looking up expectantly, pencil poised to copy down whatever came out of the teacher’s perfect mouth filled with sharp teeth.
“There are five basic ranks of demons,” she began, her back to them as she stretched up to write high on the board. The eyes of every male student were on her pert backside, which was emphasized by the tight skirt she wore.
“The first is the beast demons. While there are many different types of demons, we consider them all under the same general heading,” she wrote the name of the rank on the board before turning to face the class. “Who can give me an example of a beast demon?”
Cormac’s hand shot up immediately, and the teacher gestured for him to answer. “Those would be any demons that sometimes take the form of animals, like hellhounds and other hunting demons. The rank also includes familiars, like Kissa.”
The kitten preened under the attention she was suddenly getting, cleaning the ear she hadn’t when threatening Mace as she knew it would make all the girls sigh dreamily about how adorable she was. Zakeri rolled his eyes and tapped her nose with his pencil.
“That was a perfect answer, Cormac, thank you.” Miss Megumu smiled at him, and the boys in the front row looked slightly dazed. Then she turned back to the board, releasing them from their stupor, and they gave Cormac jealous glares.
“The next rank up is the food class. These demons look entirely human. Weak and scared, they’re bred as food for the higher level demons, though some have been known to become playthings. An example of one of these demons would be Satan’s current consort.”
Zakeri saw Abriel wince from the corner of his eye; it must have been a truly terrible fate if even Abriel showed pity for it.
“After that comes the omega demons, the lowest class we allow into the Institute. Who can tell me how you identify an omega demon, and what their status is in hell?”
Miss Megumu leaned against her desk that time, dropping the chalk, making it obvious she was tired of writing on the board.
It was another boy who raised his hand, one with hair the color of a stormy sky. “Omega demons are generally sent to be servants of demons of a higher class, although some have been known to be given a higher position when not enough betas are born in a generation. Their status is betrayed by pointed ears.”
“Fantastic, Hassan,” Miss Megumu said; the demon’s rounded ears turned pink. “Could somebody of that status please stand up and show the class your ears?”
When nobody stood up, the teacher said, “Yoppa, how about you?” There was a moment of awkward silence. Then a girl with shoulder length red-orange hair stood up. She pulled it back with a hand that shook slightly, and tipped her head so the whole class could clearly see the pointed ears of an omega demon. When Miss Megumu gestured for her to sit down, she did immediately, red-faced with her violet eyes fixed on her desk.
“The next highest rank is the beta demon. These demons are sent to the human plane to work deals and collect souls. They are not uncommon, but it is rare for more than twenty to be born in a generation, and omega demons far outnumber them. You can identify a beta demon by their sharp teeth. Could I please have a student stand up and show their teeth?”
Cormac was on his feet in a second, grinning hugely to reveal razor sharp teeth. Zakeri looked up at him, and his eyes narrowed slightly; he’d seen Abriel’s teeth when the demon snarled at him, and though his canines had been sharp, the rest of his teeth had been flat as a human’s.
“Thank you, Cormac.” The demon in question pouted slightly at the obvious dismissal, but sat back down, crossing his arms over his chest and throwing his feet up on his desk.
“The final and highest rank of demon is the alpha. It’s difficult to explain what, exactly, an alpha demon is because each one is entirely unique. While the powers for each rank are generally the same, as are the physical abilities, alpha demons defy this mold; each alpha demon has unique powers. They do, however, have one thing in common- they all have a tail, though each differs in appearance.
“I, for example, have a tail that resembles a dog’s,” Miss Megumu turned so they could see her tail; long, tufted, and golden, it reminded Zakeri of the tail of a golden retriever. “Are there any other alpha demons in this classroom?”
One of the students immediately bounced to his feet, waving his hand in the air with a shouted, “Me!” that made laughter roll through the classroom.
Zakeri looked the demon over with sharp eyes. He was attractive, his silver hair pulled back in a low ponytail, the tips of it brushing the waist of his pants. He was small and slender, with features that were vaguely feminine, and Zakeri knew immediately he was related in some way to his uncle, Rahil; all three demons shared the same cast of features that would have gotten them mocked on the human plane. Zakeri, however, didn’t wear the fake silvery cat ears that perched atop the boy’s head, and he didn’t have the silver fox’s tail that was whipping back and forth with the boy’s excitement.
“Please take your seat, Ashe,” the teacher sighed, in a way that made Zakeri think he was the type of rambunctious, energetic kid who always gave the teacher endless trouble. Ashe plopped back into his seat, and immediately went back to talking to another demon, his hands moving as he spoke at hyper speed.
“Anybody else?” Miss Megumu’s eyes travelled over the whole class, hesitating on Zakeri before settling on Abriel. She raised an eyebrow at him, a challenge- stand up, or she would make him.
Sighing, Abriel got to his feet, turning slightly to display the velvet length of his tail. The tufted end of it twitched slightly, the only sign that he was irritated.
A rush of murmured conversation filled the room, most of the students staring at Abriel with wide and fearful eyes. They had all known he was powerful, but they assumed he was a beta; as he rarely opened his mouth, they had no reason to doubt him. But after the display of power when Zakeri had angered him, and the tail that was finally free of its restraints, they knew he was even more of a threat than they had thought. It didn’t take much for the students to be terrified of him.
“Thank you Abriel,” Miss Megumu said, allowing him to sit down and fall back into his dark silence. Turning back to the class, she crossed her arms under her chest, emphasizing her generous bosom like it wasn’t already almost spilling out of her top.
“Now, keep in mind that you can’t always rely on the obvious signals to judge the power of a demon,” she warned, “Pointed ears can be surgically altered. Sharp teeth can be capped or filed flat. And tails can be easily hidden by a tailored pair of pants. Though the sight of any of these signs can tell you the power level of a demon, there are some who will not display them; it is these you should be wary of.”
Every eye in the room turned to Zakeri. His ears were rounded and his teeth perfectly human, but no tail was visible. With his tally already at thirty-seven, he’d proved himself a powerful adversary, but his rank was a mystery. And that, more than anything, made him dangerous.
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