I retract my wings and re-weld my cloak, neatly landing on one of the upper balconies. My recently-bloodied scythe was now shouldered, warm and slightly vibrating. In one arm I carried a box of some of my old weapons: a half-dozen knives, a small handaxe, some throwing stars, even a sword and a spear. This should be enough for my class, I thought. These were for the second years, which I was going to have at the end of the day. In the other hand, I held a demon heart. I quickly shoved it into my mouth and swallowed it whole. I nudged open the sliding door to my new dorm room with one foot, and tossed the box, letting it slide under my bed, andlifted a scroll and quill off my desk, drawing a line through one of the names on it. One minor demon aristocrat down, as many as I need to go, I thought. I re-curl the scroll up and put it in one of my drawers. I was glad this assignment had no deadline.

I look up at a clock. It was time for my second class. I quickly wipe down the weapon before shouldering it again. I run down the hall, getting to my new class just as the bell starts screaming. I open the door and quickly shut it behind me. I look at the waiting class.

“Not too late, am I?” I say, picking up a slightly used chalk from the previous class. I write Dr R on the blackboard, and underneath, in smaller writing, I write Battle Tactics-strategy. I scan the class, making eye contact with each of them before saying,

“Some of you will know me as Reaper, but you will call me Dr R. Today, we will be learning battle tactics. Some of these you may have heard of, such as the pincer movement, divide and conquer, or even the tortoise formation. Others may be completely new to you, such as the Feint or the Elastic defence. But no matter, we will learn about all of these in due time. But for now, any questions?