A series of three times rang through the campus, stopping people in their tracks. A soothing, clerical voice played an announcement over the campus.<br/><br/><strong>"Attention students. Attention. Classes will begin in five minutes. Those that have morning PE, please report to the trail on the west side of campus and meet Miss Shizuru. PE students, west side. All others, report to your designated classroom. Thank you."</strong><br/><br/>The chime repeated, signaling the end of the announcement.<br/><br/>Those reporting to PE would have to walk a short trail through the woods to get to where their teacher was waiting. It was the oddest thing - at one point the woods just... ended. The pines and other trees native to the region simply stopped. On the other side the forest was all bamboo, a slender path between them and fog all around. The fog was contained to the bamboo forest as well. It was eerie, the ending of one and the begining of the other such a precise, straight line. It was if someone simply transplanted a chunk of Japan into the middle of their school. There was magic involved, as anyone who could sense such things would be able to tell. The spell (or spells) used, however, were strange and hard to define.<br/><br/><div align="center">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Forest1_zpsb46ca51e.jpg)</div><br/><hr/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Yumi_zpsfaa9da11.jpg)</div><strong>Who:</strong>Yumi Urashima<br/><strong>For:</strong>Open<br/><strong>Where:</strong>The Trail<br/><br/>Yumi accepted Ash's hand and pulled herself to her feet. She trailed after him as he made his way to the gym, following his mistress. She quickly fell behind, however, what with the constant adjusting of her clothes, the wringing of water out of her top, and the shifting of her pack and rod. Sometimes it was a hassle being a Champion of Justice. By the time she'd made it to the gym she had heard the announcement and let out a little groan. The girl spun on her heel and headed west with the rest of her classmates as they made their way into the woods.<br/><br/>She had to admit, she felt slightly creeped out at the fog and the sudden change of atmosphere. Yumi peered into the ominous fog that settled all around them and she could swear she saw things moving within it. Her eyes next darted to one of the trees and there she spotted something equally strange. A piece of paper pasted on it with the word 'REPEL' painted on it in Japanese kanji. Not only was it there, but it was also on every third or fourth tree down the line on both sides of the path! She reached out to touch it and yelped, nearly falling on her ass as electricity crackled off it and jumped to her body, giving her quite the little jumpstart!<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj499/MzHyde/Character%20Portraits/Nakaru.jpg)</div><strong>Who:</strong>Shizuru<br/><strong>For:</strong>Open<br/><strong>Where:</strong>The Trail<br/><br/>"First lesson of the day; don't touch the seals," said Shizuru. She'd just<em>appeared</em>. Again.<br/><br/>The teacher was behind the students that had gathered, the demoness lighting up a cigarette. She exhaled smoke and tucked her hands into her pockets, then eyed up the gathered students for a long moment before moving to the front of the group.<br/><br/>"They keep the yokai out. They're more than any of you can handle at the moment, so consider them encouragement to stick to the path. I'll re-state the rules for those of you that weren't outside earlier; no cheating, no acting like an idiot, and always be punctual. Follow those three rules and we'll get along just fine. Don't," a shrug, "and you fail my class. I don't have time to waste on people who can't follow simple instructions. What I teach may save your life, or someone else', so take it seriously."<br/><br/>The teacher turned and held out one hand, palm up. With a snap of her fingers, a little container appeared on her palm. It was made of wood and seemed to be filled with some kind of purple liquid that smelled like paint. A wooden brush sat inside the can.<br/><br/>"Today's going to be easy since it's your first day. You'll just get some exercise, get your uniforms, and I'll tell you what I have planned for class. All you have to do first is get up to our class area," Shizuru said, leading the class by turning her gaze up the path. It went up. The incline was gradual enough, at least from here, but it seemed to wind on forever through the fog. There was no telling how long the thing was. While they were busy looking, Shizuru went up to the nearest student and applied the paint to the young human's wrists. With the purple paint she created a crude design that looked like the infinity symbol, wrapping around him. As soon as the paint was applied he yelped and hunched forward, his arms hanging in front of him like heavy weights. The demoness actually smiled.<br/><br/>"But it's not going to test you if it's just a simple jog, is it? This is called the Mark of Chains. I'm applying it today, but you will put this on every day on your way up to class. You'll find the can of paint here each time. Apply it to every limb," she said, bending forward to paint the boy's ankles. It didn't seem to matter that he was wearing pants, she painted on the fabric and he just toppled forward like he was anchored to the ground. The eagle-eyed students might even see that, under the pant leg, the mark was there on his bare flesh somehow. The teacher leaned up, motioning to the fallen student with one hand, "The mark adds considerable weight to your limbs, making you work to move. Don't worry, demons and monsters, it will add more for the supernaturally strong among you. Don't worry, it will wear off after class ends."<br/><br/>Her eyes darted to the lamia and spider-demon amongst the crowd.<br/><br/>"And yes, you must apply it to every limb. Or tail. As the case may be."<br/><br/>Shizuru stepped back and set the paint down before glancing up the trail again, "You all have an hour to make it to the classroom. You must be wearing the marks. The first student that makes it is going to be my Class Leader. The one who arrives last gets an F. Those that make it on time, I'll see you there." She raised her hand in a lazy wave and started through the bamboo forest, strolling into the fog and through the territory she'd just forbade the students from entering. It wasn't long before the fog swallowed her up, making the demon disappear from view.