Iwaswaytoo close to Ireland for my liking. I missed my country and nothing could compare, but I also liked not getting tortured and murdered because I stole from the mafia. Icouldhave just fucked off broke, but I took some pain and suffering with me for the absolutely shite childhood I had.
There was this action figure I wanted when I was a wee lad and every holiday that involved presents could have involved me getting that toy. I got knives and taught how to gut someone. It wasn’t my favorite.
I was conflicted. I didn’t want my family to find me, but at the same time, the red-headed goddess from the hostel was here.Did she feel that? I’d never spoken to her, but I didn’t leave evidence behind for just anyone.
One day, I’d find out her name and tell her mine.
I should probably pay attention while I was here. Something about reincarnated gods and monsters. Which was pretty cool, but this woman kidnapped us, so she might just be really eccentric and got weird with her castle.
On the other hand, I did have that birthmark on the back of my neck. My mates gave me a hard time and liked to say it was the Mark of the Beast. I had to politely point out to the wankers that pentacles had nothing to do with Satan and the church just made that up.
I casually looked around at the people in front of me. I could see my exact birthmark in the same spot on several necks. My mates would make a joke about one of my parents cheating and I’d have to remind them that me Mam would cut their sack open and pull it up over their heads if she even heard them suggesting that.
Damn. Something was going on here.
“So, you won’t remember your original lives or the ones after that, but those experiences are a part of you. You’ll get a sense in your gut you should or shouldn’t do something. Follow that instinct. It’s going to keep you alive.
“Your original lives may have been bonded to someone. That bond will still be there, but it might be completely different in this life. They will still be in your life, but the relationship may be completely platonic or familial. You might not even be the same gender as your original life.
“Hera and Zeus were reincarnated at the same time, but gender swapped. Let’s just say it was eye opening for Zeus. Hades and Persephone have been reincarnated numerous times as identical twins. They are just as bonded and alotof troublewhen they come in pairs. Loki comes back as he pleases and is always interesting.
“I’m going to say this. When you figure out who you were in your first life, you aren’toweda relationship with someone just because you were married in your original life. So, don’t Google yourself and get any ideas.
“And I say thiseverytime we get a new class, but if you were considered a villain the first time, youdo nothave to be in this life. You aren’t inheriting any of that baggage, just the magic.”
“Sorry, but couldn’t you have said all this without kidnapping us?” an Egyptian fellow asked, looking pretty annoyed.
A thin guy who looked like he thought he was so posh, he breathed different air than the rest of us, stood and started clapping.
“Bravo for being the first to actually succeed in kidnapping me, but you can’t make me stay here. I outrank you.”
Headmaster Mykene just threw back her head and laughed in his face. I rather liked the woman. He was a prat and since she couldn’t punch him in the face from here, laughing was a decent solution. I could get to him faster. Maybe I should punch him?
“I assure you that youdo notoutrank me, and getting kidnapped is the least of your problems. Some of our previous students who had their magic unlocked didn’t take the pep talk to heart that any beef you had in your previous lives doesn’t carry over to this one. You’re already giving out pheromones, you’re a reincarnation. They’ll kill you just in case you might be a previous enemy, unless you stay and learn who you are and how to protect yourself.”
I was listening. Because I was also interested in protecting myself from the Irish mafia.
I also wouldn’t say no to some cool magical powers and getting to know the gorgeous redhead better.
This was a lot and I might not have believed it, but the magic ice cream that appeared out of nowhere was the best ice cream I’d ever eaten. And every neck I could see had the same birthmark. Headmaster Mykene gave a completely logical explanation for my lack of birthmark.
My father wasexactlythe kind of person to call around until he found someone willing to remove a birthmark on a baby, load me into one of his private jets, and have it done before I was old enough to remember. Especially if the birthmark was shaped likethat.He’d worry about his congregation seeing it and thinking he sired some kind of demon.
I had been traveling until I could get student loans to go to college. Well, I got kidnapped and brought to one, so maybe this was where I was supposed to be.
“So, Ouroboros Academy. You’ll be taking a lot of your classes with other magical creatures because there’s some overlap in the powers and there will be some classes that are just for the reincarnations to help you figure out who you were.
“This isn’t a free ride. You have to earn your place here and since most of you weren’t raised in our world, we can’t give you the same entrance exam as the rest of our students. You’re gods or originals.
“You won’t get your full magic until you figure out who you were and then you’ll need to learn to control it. We’ll do a little ritual to get you started and then send you out to the trials. You’ll be camping on the land surrounding the school. We’ll give you a tent and provisions. Your entrance is conditional on completing the trials and you’re going to be tested by the students on the supernatural side of campus. They are also being graded on this.
“Ravenhelm is a coastal county and we have many lovely beaches. As such, a lot of sirens live here. A family of them has been running a tavern on campus for ages and in the past few decades, have started doing karaoke to bond the two halves of the university. At the end of the trials, everyone will be brought there to be fed, have a few drinks, and maybe show off your karaoke skills.
“The trials are brutal, but you aren’t in the human world anymore. Everything after that should be fun. You’ll make new friends, find out more about yourself, and figure out relationships with previous bonds. Are there any questions?”
Yeah. About a million, but I couldn’t think up the first one I wanted to ask. A bunch of hands shot up.
I’d listen and figure out what I wanted to ask.
