Chapter Four: Faculty of Mayhem
Elara's second day og classes began with a fire drill.
Not the normal kind — no sirens, no assembly points.
Just literal fire.
Her door burst open at dawn with a roaring lion made of flame screaming, "WAKE UUUUUUP!"
She shrieked, fell out of bed, and watched in stunned horror as it exploded into confetti.
A tiny note fluttered down:
"You're late. - Professor Ashwyn"
Late? It wasn't even 6 a.m.
---
"First rule of Nymeria," Caelin said as they raced across campus, "is that time is a suggestion. The second rule is: don't question anything flaming. Especially if it talks."
They reached a crooked tower with a sign that read:
✨ELEMENTAL RECKONING & OTHER HOT MESS EXPRESSIONS✨
– Professor Ashwyn, Department Head (Definitely Not Cursed)
Inside, a tall man in charred robes stood calmly in the center of a blazing classroom.
"Good morning, disasters," he greeted cheerfully, tossing a fireball between his hands. "Today, we explore how not to destroy your own eyebrows."
Someone sneezed sparks. Another student fainted.
Elara tried to summon flame.
Nothing.
The professor glanced at her. "You. Elara. New girl with the slow-starting magic."
She blinked. "That's me."
"Don't force it," he said. "Magic listens to emotion. Yours is whispering — terrified and hiding. We'll get it to scream soon enough."
She was... not sure that was reassuring.
---
Next was Professor Lune, who taught "Veiled Truths & Cognitive Unbinding" — basically Magical Psychology with a healthy dose of confusion.
Professor Lune was ageless and shimmered slightly, like someone wrapped in moonlight. Her classroom had no walls. Just endless reflections in midair, swirling with images from each student's past.
"Your magic comes from within," she said, voice echoing like wind chimes. "But within isn't always honest. Let's see what your minds have buried."
Elara's reflection stepped forward in one of the floating mirrors — but its eyes were glowing. It smiled first.
She backed up immediately.
Lune raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
---
Then came Professor Thorn, who ran the infamous class:
"Practical Curse Theory (and Minor Hex Safety)".
He was sharp-faced, soft-spoken, and carried a plague doctor mask on his belt.
"Rule One," he said softly. "If it glows green, run."
"Rule Two: If it talks to you first, run faster."
Elara stared at the cursed apple on her desk. It had eyes. It blinked.
"Uh... Professor?" she whispered.
"Yes, Miss Elara?"
"My fruit is... watching me."
"Offer it a compliment," he replied. "Cursed objects are very sensitive."
She leaned in. "Uh... you're… very shiny?"
The apple purred.
---
Lunch was... less traumatizing.
She managed to eat a sandwich that didn't talk back, and Caelin gave her a proud nod.
"Made it through half a day without being hexed. That's gotta be a record."
Elara sighed. "Barely. I still can't do anything magical."
Caelin tilted her head. "Yet."
---
Last was Headmistress Nyx's special session — open only to a few select students.
The invitation arrived via whispering wind:
The Veil stirs. You are summoned.
They followed the wind to a hidden amphitheater behind the school, covered in ivy and carved runes.
Headmistress Nyx stood at the center, eyes glowing like starfire.
"I've watched each of you," she said. "Magic isn't measured by how many sparks you make. It's how you survive what's coming."
Her gaze landed on Elara.
"You are late to bloom — but not to purpose. The Veil has chosen you."
Elara's breath caught. Again with the Veil.
"What is the Veil?" she asked, finally.
Nyx smiled — not kindly. "The thing between what is... and what hungers to be."
The amphitheater grew cold.
"We are not just a school," Nyx said. "We are the gatekeepers."
---
That night, Elara sat by her window, the wind curling against the glass.
The stars above Nymeria glittered like secrets.
Her magic was still quiet.
But something inside her had changed.
The teachers — strange, chaotic, even terrifying — weren't just instructors.
They were preparing her.
For what?
She didn't know.
But the shadows were starting to whisper her name.
And she was finally starting to listen.
---