“Hey, look, what’s that?”

Luka’s dad pointed at his left, making Florian turned his head. While doing so, he quickly sprayed white rose water on the toddler’s body.

“That’s it, all done,” he said when Florian whined and pushed his hands away. “You’re safe now. Yes, yes, no vampire will try to take you from me. Now who’s ready to go to Erebus University?”

After all the abrupt decision to apply to Erebus, it was finally Luka’s move-in day. His baggage were already piled up in the porch as they waited for the staff to come and pick them up. Florian would come with Luka and his parents while Mitzi and Gerda would stay at home with their babysitter. They didn't tell her that they're going to the States, because she'd be surprised when they came back later in the evening.

Still waiting for the staff, Luka was sitting quietly on the sofa. He had cut his bro flow, sporting fresh short sides with fringe. His fingers scrolled on his phone, checking out his social media feed. Everyone just sent their photos of either going to or arriving at their universities. He smiled when the screen showed a picture of a framed photograph of two girls. One of them had a long dark brown hair with round face, red cheeks and small eyes. The other one was an Asian girl with short black hair and heavy makeup. It’s Daisy and her best friend, Stella. The frame was placed in a suitcase full of clothes and a book titled Spaceborn: Voyage to Vazda by Robin G. D. Jones. The caption said: ‘U of T, here we come.’

Since his awakening process called ‘coming of age’, he instantly gained an enhanced ability in almost everything. It's like a part of his brain was finally unlocked, allowing him to understand better, memorize more and solve his problems quicker. He could even share an understanding with his dogs. Not yet communicate verbally like his mom, but now he knew when they needed to go out and take a piss, which was very helpful.  

Yes, he'd needed to be more careful with his superhuman strength, especially when playing hockey. Four players had been seriously injured after colliding with him. Oh, well, he never wanted to go pro anyway. 

The only thing that his new form didn't help was his relationship with Daisy. Apparently, becoming a werewolf didn't instantly transform him into a sex god. It didn't even make him more desirable as a romantic partner. No, Daisy still saw him as a friend, nothing more. 

Well, the only person he should blame for this situation was himself. He had never made a move before and now it's far too late. They're on their way to their separate universities, and soon, their own separate lives. The train had been long gone for him to jump on. 

He was just going to comment on that picture when the bell rang. His mom quickly kissed her daughters goodbye, patted the heads of their three dogs and shoved Luka and his dad to the door. When she opened it, there was a young woman in gray suit, holding a gray folder, standing beside Luka’s stacks of suitcases.

"Good morning, I'm Nana van der Hyde from Erebus University," she introduced herself. "How do you do?" 

"How do you do, Miss van der Hyde?" Luka’s mom shook her hand.

“And you must be Lukas Cunning,” Miss van der Hyde turned to Luka.

"Pleased to meet you," he shook her hand.

"Pleasure's all mine," said the woman with a big smile on her face. “Now, let’s take care of your baggage first, shall we?”

Then she took out a small tablet-like device out of her pocket and directed it toward Luka's baggage. Cyan light appeared all over it. In an instant, it all disappeared.

“Wow,” Luka couldn’t hold himself from saying that.

“I know, these Odevlar-powered gadgets are such timesavers," Miss van der Hyde didn’t hide her own admiration. “You must have read the announcement on the website.”

“Are those gadgets for the staffs only or will the students get some as well?”

"Well, we try to keep using extra-terrestrial technology as little as possible, and only for the most urgent and effective things, because sometimes they glitch, and it can be quite difficult to repair." 

"Why don't they use magic anymore?" asked Mrs. Cunning. "Isn't it safer than extra-terrestrial technology?" 

"The problem with magic is that it can easily be altered by a stronger fairy or witch," answered Miss van der Hyde. "Meanwhile, it's harder to alter technology that were engineered with materials from a far-fetched galaxy, even with magic." 

"I see," said Mrs. Cunning.

After putting the device back into her pocket, she opened the folder she was holding and gave him a new SIM card. The only Odevlar-powered gadget the students received. Then she told Luka to scan the QR code using his phone. It prompted the phone to download an incredibly lightweight app that contained so much information about Erebus University, including dining hall menu, a column of move-in day schedule, fall semester schedule and a small map of the campus. It even could be used as the key to his dorm room.

When everything was set, the young woman took out another gadget that mirrored a luxurious car key. She clicked it and a vortex was formed in front of her. It sure made Florian excited. 

"After you," she said. 

Mrs. Cunning grabbed Luka's hand and together they entered the vortex. Mr. Cunning and Florian followed them shortly.

With just one big step, Luka and his family traveled from Alberta, Canada to North Dakota, Unites States of America. They arrived in the front yard of a colonial styled building. A lot of people passed by. Some had wings and horns, some others wore the classic witch hat, some had red eyes and some others looked too beautiful to be true. These people came in different shapes, colors and sizes. There were Asians, Hawaiians, Eastern Europeans, Latin Americans and so much more. There were midgets, anorexic, Herculean, all the way to inhuman people. It’s like half of the universe was visiting Erebus right now.

If coming to a new place was nerve-wrecking enough for some people, try coming to a new place filled with otherworldly creatures like this. Anything, like literally, anything could happen in the incoming four years of Luka’s life. 

Miss van der Hyde pointed at some people in bright colored t-shirt holding clipboards, saying hi and offering help to families of new students, "If you need any help, you should go ask them. Now excuse me, I have to pick up other students."

"Um, sorry, where are his baggage?" asked Mr. Cunning when he realized they're not there.

"They're already in his room," answered Miss van der Hyde. "Have a nice day."

"Thank you, Miss van der Hyde," said Mrs. Cunning.

The young woman smiled, activated the vortex and vanished. Meanwhile, Mrs. Cunning told Luka to check his schedule. He tapped the column of move in day schedule and zoomed it in. The first thing they found on the list was check in.

"Hey there, mate. Can I help you with anything?" a solid voice with British accent greeted them from behind.

"No, we're good, tha..." Mrs. Cunning didn't get to finish her sentence when she looked up to the guy where the voice came from. 

He was an Indian guy wearing a fitted red t-shirt that showed off his muscular build. His wavy black hair was swept back, showing off his bushy eyebrows. He was just a few years older than Luka, but he looked like a gym rat. Yet the most interesting thing about him was his eyes. They were orange, the hue of the sunset on a hot summer day. 

Mr. Cunning was the only person who was able to react in his presence, so he replied to him, "Actually, maybe we do need some assistance."

"No worries," the guy smiled, showing off his dimples on both cheeks. His canine teeth were subtly visible. They're long enough to distract people, but short enough not to make them think that he liked to bite people on the neck. He extended his hand toward Luka, "My name's Mohan. What's yours?"

"Luka," he shook his hand.

"Alright, Luka," the upperclassman said. "Let's get yourself checked in first, shall we?"

He led the way into the building, leaving Luka and his mom in the front yard. Luka was whispering about his eyes and fangs, but his mom shushed and dragged him with her.

The reception room rivaled that of a hotel. The walls were covered with golden damask wallpaper. There was a marvelous flower centerpiece with actual butterflies dancing around it. No, they really did fly around in a choreographed move. The front desk had a wall-sized atmospheric painting right behind it. People were queuing to get to the residence life staffs.

Mohan was already making a way for Luka to talk to one of them. The staff told him to put his hand on a tablet. Number 516 appeared, meaning that it’s his room number. Then he was required to sign the contract and connect his phone to the Wi-Fi. After that, they’re ready to go.

Mr. Cunning kept talking to Mohan, asking about the dorm system in Erebus. Mohan happily answered as if he'd done this a million times already. He explained that this dorm, called Olympus Hall, was only for frosh. They mixed both boys and girls in the same floor. According to him, genders were the least important matter to be separated.

"What's the most important?" asked Luka as they strolled down the pale blue painted hallway to find his room.

"Races," answered Mohan, glancing at Mrs. Cunning. "Some of us don't get along with the other, for no apparent reason. You know that, don’t you? But fear not, Erebus has already created a safe environment for everyone. We are also taught, sometimes in a hard way, to respect each other."

"That's good to hear," Mr. Cunning nodded.

Despite her husband's relief, Mrs. Cunning didn't appear to feel the same way. She just nervously smiled and nodded when she agreed to Mohan.

They arrived in front of Room 516. Only by having Luka near, the red light on the door handle turned into green. Mohan explained that it’s the Erebus app that unlocked the door via Wi-Fi.

"Here we are," the Indian young man opened the door.

It was spacious for a university dorm room, even with Luka's baggage piled up in the middle of it. There were two twin beds on each side of the room, separated by two desks facing the window. Two big wardrobes stood by the bottom of the bed. There was a wash basin with a mirror on the right side of the door. There was even a mini fridge, although it’s empty. The room was covered with hardwood floor and painted in sandy color.

Mohan pointed out all the amenities the room had before finishing with, "Right, now is everything set? Any question? No? Brilliant. Luka, once you’re done, make sure you go to the assembly hall near the lobby for orientation registration. You must also take your picture for your student ID.”

“Okay,” confirmed Luka.

“Perfect, I shall be going then. I've got lots of freshers to help out there. If you need anything, just talk to anyone who wears silly rainbow-colored t-shirt, yeah? Alright. Enjoy Erebus." 

"Thank you," said Mr. Cunning just before he closed the door. "What a nice kid. Reminds me of my friend's roommate back in the day. Every one of my roommates was a prick." 

His parents helped Luka unpack his belongings. Not long after, a whole set of baggage appeared out of nowhere. If Luka's belongings were little, this one was even fewer.