Shattered Sanity

(Post-Draft Completion, The Open Amphitheatre)

Once the draft itself was complete, Vice Principal Chadwick took to the stage once more, waiting for the remaining conversations throughout the amphitheatre to quieten before speaking into the voice amplification array.

"All right. With this, I officially declare the forty-eight-hour trade window open.

Exactly two days from now, if you’re still not traded to another house, your allocations will become permanent.

Also, classes start the day after that."

He announced, as almost immediately, the atmosphere surrounding the four House pavilions changed.

Second Years who had spent the past several hours casually chatting with newly drafted juniors suddenly turned serious and began cordoning off their pavilions from prying eyes, while the House Lords and Secretaries hurried back from the central stage.

"Everyone belonging to Argent, on your feet. We’re leaving."

Cedric instructed firmly, as Gwen and several other seniors immediately began organizing the one hundred students House Argent had acquired throughout the draft into a neat file.

"Stay together and follow us directly towards the House dormitories. Nobody wanders away, nobody stops along the route, and until we get behind Argent’s walls, there will be absolutely no talking with seniors belonging to another house."

Marcus added, as several confused first years looked towards one another.

"If someone calls your name, you don’t look. If someone approaches you with an offer, you keep walking, and if somebody becomes particularly persistent, you tell them to fuck off. Understood?"

A few students laughed awkwardly, while Riven raised an amused eyebrow at the strangely serious warning.

According to Vice Principal Chadwick’s earlier explanation, the newly drafted first years possessed absolutely no authority over whether their house allocation changed during the forty-eight-hour trade window.

Every student currently belonged temporarily to whichever House had drafted them, while only the second year leadership possessed the authority to negotiate trades involving students, house resources, merit seals or other considerations.

So Riven did not entirely understand what Argent’s seniors were protecting them from?

If somebody from Sable offered him a thousand merit seals to switch houses, Riven could agree enthusiastically and it would still mean absolutely nothing unless Cedric approved the trade.

However, barely a minute after leaving the drafting grounds, Riven finally understood why Argent’s seniors had taken such ridiculous precautions.

"Riven!"

"Young Lord Dawnriver!"

"Riven, over here!"

The moment the four newly drafted groups began separating towards their respective House territories, Second Years from the other Houses swarmed the pathways surrounding them while maintaining just enough distance to avoid physically interfering with Argent’s procession.

"Young Lord Dawnriver, House Sable will give you one hundred Merit Seals for your personal use if you convince Argent to release you!"

One senior shouted from across the pathway.

"One hundred! Spend them however you want! Equipment, Ascension chambers, private instruction, whatever you bloody please! Just convince Cedric Valemont to negotiate with us!"

"Ignore him, Young Lord!"

Another voice immediately shouted from somewhere else.

"House Viridian will make you Secretary! You heard me correctly! Secretary as a First Year! Join us and you’ll enter the House leadership from your very first day!"

Riven’s eyebrow rose slightly higher.

’Secretary?’

That one was certainly ambitious.

"Riven! Don’t listen to these idiots!"

Someone wearing Aureate’s golden colors yelled from farther behind.

"You don’t want to spend two years with these Argent losers! Talk to Valemont and negotiate a release clause! Whatever price Argent asks for, bring it to us before this evening and we’ll seriously consider paying it!"

"Seriously consider?"

An Argent senior walking beside Riven scoffed.

"They can’t even make their bullshit sound convincing."

Riven almost smiled.

"Young Lord Dawnriver!"

A distinctly feminine voice suddenly rose above the others.

Riven continued walking without turning.

"Come to Aureate and I promise we’ll give you the warmest room, the softest bed and the most beautiful company available within the entire Academy, if that happens to fancy you!"

Several Argent seniors immediately burst into laughter.

"Shameless!"

One yelled back.

"This might have worked on Gregory last year, but it won’t work on someone like Young Master.

He’s got his horse under control."

"He doesn’t even know what he’s missing. But if he wants to find out..... he just has to make a visit."

The Aureate senior shouted back without the slightest embarrassment, as she pushed up her assets, however, Riven did not spare her a glance.

Although the offers were amusing, Marcus’s instructions had been perfectly clear, and there was little benefit in publicly entertaining negotiations he possessed no authority to complete anyway.

Besides, despite receiving the greatest concentration of attention, Riven quickly realized that he was far from the only Argent recruit being targeted.

"Mary!"

Mary instinctively began turning before remembering the warning and forcing herself to continue walking.

"Mary, listen! Aureate’s House Lord is an accomplished Shadow user! If you want someone capable of properly guiding your affinity, you’re walking towards the wrong bloody House!"

Another Aureate senior quickly joined him.

"We drafted Stacy too! Your sister is already ours, so why spend two years competing against her when you could live within the same House?"

Mary’s pace visibly slowed for half a second.

"Keep moving."

An Argent senior reminded her immediately.

Mary nodded before continuing.

"We’ll make Argent a fair offer!"

The Aureate senior continued shouting after her.

"Just tell Valemont you’re interested! Shadow instruction, your sister and better facilities! What more do you bloody want?"

"Caicedo!"

Another voice erupted farther down the procession.

"Caicedo, House Sable is the right fit for you! We’ll give you everything you need! Find me after dinner and I’ll explain exactly what we’re willing to offer!"

Similar calls followed from every direction.

Some seniors offered Merit Seals, others promised priority access to training facilities, better rooms, leadership positions, private tutoring or favorable treatment during House competitions.

A few attempted to appeal directly towards friendships or family connections, while others simply attacked the House that had drafted their target and promised that somewhere else would appreciate them considerably more.

Riven finally understood the purpose behind Argent’s precautions.

The First Years might not possess formal authority over trades, but they certainly possessed influence.

If a sufficiently attractive offer convinced a student that another House suited them better, that student could return to their House leadership and begin applying pressure from within.

They could request a trade.

They could complain.

They could threaten to become uncooperative.

And for a sufficiently valuable recruit, even the possibility of spending two years with someone who resented being there could influence negotiations.

’So that’s the game.’

Riven thought, as another ridiculous offer involving two hundred Merit Seals came flying from somewhere behind him.

The Houses could not directly steal one another’s recruits.

But they could make those recruits want to be stolen.

And that could prove to be a leverage during negotiations.

’What a wild place....’

Riven thought, as the chaotic procession gradually moved farther away from the Drafting Grounds, and towards the dormitories.

Soon, four separate fortresses positioned in close proximity to one another came into view.

Tall stone walls enclosed the compounds, enormous gates displayed the colors and insignias belonging to each House, while through the open entrance Riven could already see multiple buildings arranged throughout Argent’s territory.

There were separate residential wings for First and Second Years, an enormous dining hall, several private training grounds, study halls, common rooms, equipment storage facilities and numerous smaller structures whose purposes Riven could not immediately identify.

Silver banners hung proudly from the walls.

’ARGENT’ had been carved above the enormous entrance in letters large enough to be visible from across the Academy grounds, while several Second Years stationed near the gate immediately stepped aside when Cedric approached with the incoming batch.

"Welcome home, First Years."

Marcus announced, as the first students began crossing through the entrance.

"For the next forty-eight hours, technically speaking, some of you might still be traded."

A few nervous glances followed that statement.

"But once that window closes, these walls become your home for the next two years. You’ll train here, study here, eat here, argue here, celebrate here and probably spend an unreasonable amount of time hating everyone living inside the other three compounds."

Several students chuckled.

"This is ARGENT, and we are here to win!"

Marcus declared as cheers rang across the silver dorm.

’So this is my home for the next two years....’

Riven thought as his eyes slowly sharpened.

Unlike the others, he knew that the chances of him being realistically traded were next to none, and so, he did not even worry about it.

Duke Dawnriver had sent him here with expectations that could not be misunderstood.

He was expected to excel.

He was expected to make the Dawnriver name impossible to overlook.

And above everything else, he was expected to prove that every resource spent upon transforming him into the Duke’s heir had been worthwhile.

’I will.’

Riven promised silently, as he walked deeper into Argent alongside the other First Years.

’I will make you proud, father. I will dominate everyone.’

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