For as long as I've remembered, I was always ridiculed for my abilities....

My name is Hugo Allard, and I am what is known as a Peculiar. In my world, Peculiars are special beings with abilities you would consider to be fantasy. From breathing fire, to taking on entire transformations straight out of some strange Japanese product. The funny thing is that's probably the least strange thing about my world.

Gods, machines, demons, angels, dragons, whatever you can think of is part of our daily life. The head of the Greek pantheon, Zeus, has just been elected as Greece's president. Mecha straight out of science fiction are part of our military, flying around and traveling across the stars. Hell, my neighbor had a dragon as a mount once. He was pretty darn cool not going to lie, too bad he died of diabetes from getting into a Twinkie factory.

Peculiars are considered a rare breed despite all this, but the definition is pretty vague. In short, anything considered "humanoid" are deemed Peculiars. This means people with powers, androids, aliens, demigods, the list goes on. Many of these Peculiars are deemed "unstable." It's not uncommon where a Peculiar will use their power by accident and hurt someone. Thats why, about fifty years ago, the School of Peculiarity was created. A government funded, island sized school that's meant to act as a temporary home and a place for a Peculiar to learn about the world, but most importantly, to learn about themselves. That's where I was heading.

After saying farewell to my mother and father, I had boarded the plane and soon found myself on the long line of students ready to take the boats to the island. The island that held the school was said to have been created by a god, but no one knows for sure who made it. It is big however, about one-hundred thousand square kilometers. It's basically its own city ran by the massive school faculty there. The trip would last about a day, but already I'm seeing people get seasick from the constant rocking of the boat. I shrug to myself and go to head to my room.

On my way there I took some time to look around to see who would become my fellow classmates. It was a wide selection, with some people looking rather ordinary to some people that stick out like a sore thumb. One girl, who I assumed was Japanese, was very skittish looking, constantly looking back and forth as she seemed to be trying to find her room. Her hair was a pitch black, and skin was a normal white color. Her eyes were a dark blue, fitting with her glasses. She wore a simple outfit, a light brown sweater and black leggings. She was always looking out to the ocean for some odd reason. Must not be a fan of the water, I guess. Another person got my attention. It was a rather tall looking boy with pure white hair and slightly pale skin. His eyes were a bright blue as he happily waved to anyone, he saw walk past him. He wore a long sleeve black shirt with jeans, God damn he was tall. He seemed to be American from the short time I saw his face.

I soon found my room and opened it using the key I was given. With a heavy sigh I fell back on my bed, looking up at the ceiling for a bit before sitting up. I looked over in the mirror and checked out my attire. Like the boy from before, I had white hair as well, but not nearly as shiny as his was. My eyes were a dull grey which I wasn't a fan of. It was mainly due to my Peculiarity. I wore a button up dress shirt with khaki pants, got to make a good first impression to class. I was always called "to plain" for my choice in clothing. I didn't care too much though, as long as it's okay to look at, its fine by me.

I fell to my bed again and turned on the small tv that was in the room. Turning it on, I was immediately met with the American news. "President Donald Trump, after surgically implanting nano-machines into his body, had personally fought against the cyborg cartel that had been doing attacks on the border. A witness to the incredible battle said, "I've never been turned on in my life." The news reporter finished before I changed the channel. I kept scrolling through, saw a few strange things but that's pretty normal for the tv. After about ten minutes of scrolling, I just turned the tv off. Might as well just get some sleep, tomorrow is going to be a big day....

................

The loud blare of the ships horn had awoken me in an instant. I looked around my room and outside of the room's small windows. The sun was beginning to rise on the oceanic horizon, lighting up the side of the ship and the white clouds in the sky. With a yawn and a few pops from stretching, I got ready fairly quickly. Getting out my phone, I read the texts I got from my mom. "Hey sweetie! Good luck for your first day! Your mother loves you to the moon and back!" My face adorned a smile. She always said the sweetest of things, to me, friends, or complete strangers. I shot her a text, "Thank you mom, love you to the moon and back!" I put my phone away and stepped outside of the room.

Again, the sight of new faces and people filled me with awe. The fact I was going to meet and get to know people just like me was incredible. I've always heard of this school, how it turns even the most dangerous of Peculiars with the wildest of abilities into beings of pure heart and mind. The principle and founder, Dabir Pendleton, made headlines worldwide with his teachings. The craziest part was that he was a normal human, no abilities, no powers, nothing crazy. He had no reason to help us Peculiar's, but he did so out of the kindness of his heart. He was one of the most respected men of all time, an idol that even world leaders and politicians have quoted and learned about.

Another blare of the ships horn had made me look towards the front of the ship. There it was, the School of Peculiarity. Its green hills and tall mountains were the first to be seen, along with its pearl white beaches. If I squinted a bit, I could see the fields of flowers that were along the northside above the beaches. Despite witnessing an island I've only seen in pictures, it felt so much like...home. We weren't the only ship to go along about four other ships had taken off about the same time.

A loud shriek filled my ears, coming from down the ship. I walked quickly to the staircase and looked down. The same nervous girl from yesterday was cowering away from a taller boy, who held what seemed to be a Peculiarity of "Stone Skin." His body held a dull grey color, with the texture similar to limestone. "You're a Peculiar? Are you sure you aren't just a normal human trying to seem more special than she is?" The boy asked with a chuckle as he held the girl by her sweater. "L-let me go! P-please!" she whined as tears began to prickle at her eyes. Nobody was doing anything, some mostly watched frightened or calling for a fight. I glared a bit, holding my hand up, but someone finally stepped up.

A Japanese boy, only a bit shorter than I am. He adorned long, black hair that was tied together by a ponytail. He held a steadfast glare, evident by his sea-green eyes that stared up at the stone man. He wore a light blue kimono, where the chest area was covered by white bandages. He didn't wear shoes though, which was a bit odd. The most interesting part about him, however, was the weapon he carried on his back. An Odachi, with the wooden sheath taking a green color and black wrappings around the guard-less handle. A few straps of white bandages hung from the sheath.

"Hey." The boy called out behind the stone man. He turned to him before laughing out. "Who are you? Some Asian shrimp? Oh, with a big scary sword as well?! Get lost shrimp, before I squish you." He glared. The boy didn't reply, only grabbing the handle of his sword.

I... didn't know what happened next exactly. Next thing I, and many people knew, was the stone man now on the ground with a crack on his stone chest. The boy simply put his sword back on his back before helping the girl up. She too was speechless, but she composed herself enough for both of them to bow towards each other. After that the crowd soon dispersed, with the lackeys of the stone man helping pick him up. The whole event made time fly for me, the next time I looked towards the front, the island was extremely close. Soon, I would take my first steps to the school and my temporary new life...

When the boats had docked onto the island, something felt...off. From the stories I've heard, there would be faculty members coming to greet the students. There were faculty members, but there were also armed guards at the docks. I looked around and noticed the same Japanese boy and girl getting into buses. Something wasn't right, but there wasn't much I could do at the moment. I followed the lines into the buses, trying to give a respectful nod to the bus driver, who just stared at me. "Weird..." I muttered as I sat down in the back row of seats. I reached into my bag and pulled out a pamphlet of the school layout. The docks were about an hour away from the school, so I decided a quick nap wouldn't hurt. I couldn't help but still feel weird about this situation. Considering how Peculiars can be with their powers, it could just be a new security option they're trying out. Still, it's weird how the principle would allow this stuff. I rested my head on the window and closed my eyes.

...............

"On your feet! We've arrived!" I was awoken by the bus driver yelling. Immediately all the students began to get up and file out of the bus. They were all equally as confused as I was. I looked down at my pamphlet and looked back up. There the school was a massive set of buildings and streets. Old time streetlights were set up in rows, with the school taking on a mixture of separate different cultures. From what I've seen, the history building held a medieval castle appearance, with one section of the building being similar to a Japanese castle. The more we walked down the street the more of the fantastic buildings I saw. A massive clocktower stood in the school square, surrounded by a multitude of different shops and entertainment centers.

After about ten minutes of walking, I noticed that we were heading towards a large building with an open field taking up the majority of the space. I thought it was a sort of testing ground for powers, but the more I looked it seemed to be more of a coliseum. My line and the other lines of students were guided into the open area before stopping completely. Our guides had walked away completely, going into the different exits on the sides of the building. Many of the students were discussing what was going on, but a loud metallic bang had made people jump. One by one, the exit doors were shutting, leaving no exits available. At this point people were starting to freak out, breaking formation and trying to find any exits.

A siren had made everyone stop and look up. A screen had appeared us, showing that the coliseum was now covered by a barrier held up by a magical force. The screen took form of a woman standing in a room. She was.... very strange to say the least. She was black skin, holding long red hair that fell to her back. Her eyes were of a golden yellow and holding black lipstick. She was adorned by a sort of golden bikini armor that covered only her breasts, crotch, knees, elbows, and shoulders. She held a grin that I could only describe as "malicious enjoyment."

"WELCOME YOU FUCKS!" She smiled widely as she raised her hands. "Welcome to Battle High, formally known as the School of Peculiarity!" My eyes widened as she said that. Was the school taken over?! "Here at this fine establishment, you will learn about the world, yourselves, and more importantly, HOW TO KILL!" She grinned madly. "My name is Anaconda, the Aztec goddess of war, destruction, battle, and BDSM!" At this point many were either scared or completely confused.

"You may be wondering where your original principle was...well, let's just say he was given a paid leave." She held back an obvious giggle. "Where's the principle you disgraceful woman!" A voice from the crowd called out. "Oh, trust me sword boy, if I were to show him many of you would be having a heart attack by now~" Anaconda smiled maliciously. My heart sank at the sound of that. Before anyone else can reply to her, she snapped her fingers. Multiple underground doors opened up at once. "For your first test, SURVIVAL!" Anaconda smiled as the screen disappeared.

I stood in silence as everyone waited for whatever to crawl out of the darkness. We were answered by a human sized, white clawed hand land on the ground. The figure revealed itself as a man-sized beast with a broad upper body, white bloody fur, and two large ears on its head. The creature stood on its hind legs, a Blood Rabbit. One of the most violent and dangerous monsters in our world due to their reproduction and viscous nature. But they usually stay in packs....

Just as I thought that the Blood Rabbit roared out and out came a sea of white and red. An army of Blood Rabbits were rushing towards the students, making people either run away or prepare for battle. The horde slammed into the defending groups, blood already spraying into the sky as Blood Rabbit limbs and body parts were blown away. While they were vicious, they were extremely dumb. Already people were able to find out weaknesses, singling out groups to kill them. I, however, am no way a fighter, so I needed to work fast!

I closed my eyes and held out my hand. I saw an entirely different world, a world only seen by the spiritual. Everyone I looked at held a different colored flame that burned inside of them. These were the soul of the body. Everything held a soul, minus machines. I looked around to see the blood red colored souls of the Blood Rabbit, singling out one before I clenched my fist. The next thing I knew, I was seeing the blood-tinged world of the beast. I looked down at my massive, clawed hands before looking back. My original body was completely unconscious and was about to be eaten by a Blood Rabbit.

.......SHIT!

I immediately forced my new body to rush over to my body, slapping my claw into the Blood Rabbit and forcing it away. I picked up my original body and held it on my shoulders. A roar made me turn around, only to get bitten on the arm by another Blood Rabbit. I opened my jaws and slammed them down on its head, pulling back and tearing off one of its ears. It yelped and ran back, to which I started to run around, evading any Blood Rabbit and student I saw. I couldn't fight back because A) If my original body died, then I'm stuck in this thing and B) There's no way I can tell people of my power at this moment. I managed to run out of the battlefield and find a safe spot to hide. I needed time to think, think about my situation.

I would have time to think if it wasn't for an ear-piercing scream to resound somehow louder than the battle. I looked over and saw the same Japanese girl being chased by what seemed to be a large majority of the Blood Rabbits. She was surprisingly a lot faster that most of the people I saw, probably due to the fact she was running for her life. I looked back and forth between her and my body before letting out a groan. I picked up my body and began sprinting to intercept her. The sobbing and babbling girl yelped when I picked her up, just in time to feel a Blood Rabbit slashing my back. I hissed out in pain but kept running. Meanwhile the girl was still sobbing and pitifully punching against my bestial arms. There was no way I was going to be able to outrun this horde. My mind raced a million miles per hour before noticing a figure in our way.

It was the same sword wielding boy from the boat, staring at me in confusion as he grabbed at his Odachi. He pulled the blade out, the wind seemingly gathering around his sword as he took a stance. My eyes widened, knowing he was going to do something. I immediately ducked down, holding the girl and my body close to my chest as the boy launched forward. A single slash from his sword had sent a blade of air into the Blood Rabbit horde, dicing them all into several pieces. It didn't take out all of them, but the impact of the blast had sent the rest of the horde flying away and falling down. I shakingly looked up and saw the boy pointing the blood at my face. Before he could strike me down the girl quickly waved her hands. "WAIT WAIT! IT SAVED ME AND ITS CARRYING SOMEONE ELSE PLEASE DON'T!" She yelled in a panicked tone. The boy raised his eyebrow before nodding slowly, sheathing his blade as he watched me stand back up.

We all ducked again as a blast of elemental energy had blown the rest of that small horde away. "What the hell is going on?" the boy asked as he kept his hand on the blade handle. I couldn't really answer myself, the Japanese girl sobbing as she took out a box of tissues and blew her nose. I looked around again and noticed that most of the Blood Rabbit horde had been killed off, but sadly some students had been killed as well. Since the battle was close, I put my hands around my neck and with one quick tug and a loud pop, I was back in my original body. I let out a gasp of air as I stood up. "You were controlling that thing?" The Japanese boy asked, to which I nodded.

Suddenly, another roar had filled the air. The underground doors that held the Blood Rabbits had burst open to reveal an even bigger one, standing at least three times bigger than the others. An Alpha Blood Rabbit. I saw it immediately set its sights on one person, the same American boy I saw on the boat. To my surprise he had a pile of Blood Rabbits around him with burn marks, but he wasn't paying attention to the Alpha running straight towards him. No one would make it to him in time, I needed to save him! My eyes closed, seeing the world of souls once more before noticing his soul that shone brightly. My original body fell limp once again, but when I awoke in his body, it was something I never expected.

I saw the world through his eyes, but different settings charted by a grid was shown in his vision. The bottom right corner had shown "energy levels" and one side had shown "Combat Mode." This guy was a machine! "Hello?" A voice called out to me. "What...do you know I'm here?" I asked out loud. I was answered by the voice replying "Yes, it seems you've managed to enter my body through spiritual means. Most peculiar!" The voice replied happily. "Now's not the time! You got a big motherfucker heading towards us...I mean you!" I tried to point but found myself unable to move. This guy is still in control!

I heard the roar of the Alpha getting ever so closer. I looked around this space, trying to figure out what to do. My eyes fell to that Combat levels tab again. I moved my spiritual hand towards it and pressed the button, to which a list fell below showing Normal and two unknown ones. The roar came out again, causing me to press the button without thinking.

...............

A flash of light had stopped the beast in its tracks as its prey was covered in a cloud of smoke. Once it dissipated, the boy stood in an entirely new form. His arms and legs were covered in a slick black metal, as well as his torso which shown a blue light from his chest. His chin was covered in the same black metal as two magnetized wings rested on his back. He looked in wonder and confusion, only to be caught surprised by the Alpha slamming its fist into him, sinking him into the ground. It repeatedly slammed its fists into the ground over and over to kill him. Suddenly he was stopped and knocked back by the boy shakingly flying into the air with the help of the wing's boosters. "Combat mode activated." the boy said as he held his arms out, two black swords shooting from his wrists.

He flew at breakneck speeds, slashing at the Alpha and chopping its right arm off. The beast howled in pain before rushing again, but the android boy was faster. He sheathed his swords, flying back and kicking the beast down with a boosted roundhouse kick to its jaw. It knocked the Blood Rabbit down, the android landing on its chest before raising his hand. It began to open up its palm the fingers folding back and showing a bright blue circle. The Blood Rabbit roared out before a bolt of plasma had blown through its head, ending the creature.

...............

I awoke with a gasp, both the boy and girl staring at me in shock. I turned and saw the android boy looking down at his body. A cloud of white smoke with electricity covered him, the boy stumbling out and falling to the ground unconscious. We quickly ran over to his aid, only for the screen to turn back on and reveal Anaconda clapping. "Impressive! I honestly thought I would have less students, but this is great news!" She giddily laughed. "What the hell is wrong with you you bitch?!" A student yelled in anger as he motioned to the dead Peculiars on the ground. "I'm simply seeing who will face death and spit in its face, who will rise to the challenge and prove why they should be here! Forget comradery and coordination, this is Battle High!" Anaconda waved her hand to the side. "This is a man eat man world, where only the strong survive. This is my world now, and you will follow by my world's rules! Prepare yourself, for this is no ordinary school, this school will show how far you are willing to go to survive! WELCOME DEAR STUDENTS!"

The doors to the coliseum opened up showing an entirely new setting than anything the pamphlets had shown. What was once a world of new beginnings and learnings, had been turned into a fortress and battle zone. Great buildings of knowledge were now just battlegrounds to be used and abused to. "Form gangs, fight for yourself, or fight for the school! This is our world, the world where Peculiarities are meant to live!" Anaconda smirked evilly before the screen turned off, leaving everyone in stunned silence. What the hell had I gotten into....

...............

"Ah, I think that went well!" Anaconda said as she rested on her couch, resting her feet on the table in front of her. "Yes, Queen Anaconda..." the teachers and faculty spoke at once as they kneeled before her. "Fuck that's never getting old." She went to grab an apple from the plate of her butler before someone spoke up. "My Queen, we have a situation." A scanner told her, pulling up a screen from her tv. "While we put up that barrier as soon as they arrived like you ordered, there's already something trying to barge in." He explained as the camera zoomed in to show a large figure in the water, nudging and suddenly hitting the shield to no avail. "Hmmmmmmmm, eh it's no worry." Anaconda shrugged as she laid back. "But my Que-" "I said, no worries." Anaconda glared.