Estella sprinted down the gleaming crystal-tiled corridor, her arms full of books bouncing with each hurried step. The soles of her dark, worn school shoes thudded against the enchanted floor, which shimmered faintly with every footfall. Her uniform—an olive green pullover jacket adorned with Virelia Academy's sigil, a luminous constellation enclosed in a golden circle—fluttered around her as she ran. A dark pleated skirt swayed against her knees, and her long white stockings were already gathering dust from the dash.
Her hair, stark white like moonlight on snow, was neatly braided and fell straight down her back, barely swaying with her motion. Despite the rush, the braid remained flawless—perhaps one of the few things going right today.
Today was the day.
The most important day in a Virelia student's life: Team Assignments.
Every student, aged sixteen to eighteen, was being officially placed into a battle unit of four. Carefully crafted groups where each member's abilities balanced and magnified the others, creating synergy—an unstoppable force against the threats that lurked beyond the stardust veil.
And Estella… was late.
She hadn't meant to be. Of course not. She had double-checked the date, prepared everything, and even gone to bed early. But for some unfathomable reason, her time crystal hadn't rung. It just glowed silently, taunting her. Either the enchantment failed, or Virelia's magic didn't like Earth-made girls.
Because that's what she was. The girl from Earth.
In a school of radiant celestial-borns, elemental heirs, starlight tamers, and shapeshifting royalty from galaxies no Earthling had ever heard of—there was Estella. A transfer from a blue-and-green rock whose greatest magical invention was probably microwaves.
That's cool… right?
With a final breath, she shoved against the tall enchanted oak doors of Classroom Astralis. The heavy gold-inlaid panels creaked dramatically as they burst open under her weight.
The entire room turned.
Students seated in perfectly arranged crescent rows looked up. Their gleaming uniforms, polished badges, and auras of self-importance all froze in the moment. The air shimmered with faint traces of power—crackles of lightning, gusts of wind, trails of glowing glyphs.
Estella panted in the threshold, clutching her books to her chest. Her cheeks burned with heat, her braid slightly undone from the rush-Not so flawless after all.
Behind the grand obsidian desk, Professor Veloren flinched and gave a long-suffering sigh. He adjusted his half-moon glasses with a tired flick of his long fingers. A bald patch gleamed atop his otherwise silver hair, and his pointed ears twitched with irritation. Though he looked like a tired middle-aged man, everyone knew he was well over a hundred—a high elf who had personally fought in the Lunar Convergence Wars.
"Oh, how delightful of you to join us, Miss Estella," he drawled, his voice like velvet laced with disapproval.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, I just—my clock, it didn't—" she stammered.
"Please, Miss Estella," he interrupted, raising one pale, ring-bedecked hand. "Spare us the fable. Take your seat."
Muttering a sheepish "Yes, Professor," Estella shuffled to the only empty seat in the back. She offered a small wave to the other students as she passed, but they either looked away or stared as though she were a particularly curious beetle that had crawled onto their pristine lunch.
Earth-girl. Late. Hopeless.
She sank into her chair.
"Now," Professor Veloren continued, smoothing out his cloak, "as I was saying before Miss Estella graced us with her presence—today marks the beginning of your official journey. Your team placements. These teams are not random. They are forged from countless calculations, magical simulations, and hours of careful balancing."
Estella sat up straighter, her fingers tightening around her books. Her heart was pounding—half from running, half from nerves.
"Each group of four is designed to be stronger than the sum of its parts," Veloren said, pacing slowly in front of the room. "In light of recent threats emerging near the Celestial Rift and the rising anomalies in the Astral Layer, we must begin to prepare. You are no longer mere students. You are guardians in training."
Estella practically bounced in her seat. A team. Friends. Her own magical squad. Maybe… just maybe this could be her moment.
"Team One," Veloren began, and the class fell silent.
He read through the list, and each name brought either cheers, groans, or quiet nods. By Team Eight, Estella's fingers were drumming nervously on the desk. By Team Nine, her hopes were fraying.
Finally—
"Team Ten," Professor Veloren announced. "Estella."
Her breath caught.
"Solara. Reika. And Aurelia."
Estella blinked. Wait—what?
She barely had time to register her own name before the others echoed through her thoughts like warning bells.
Solara, the tall, dark-skinned girl with eyes like glowing embers and an aura that hummed with shadowfire. She slouched in her seat, legs sprawled confidently, chewing on a piece of magical gum that occasionally sparkled.
Reika, the girl with raven-black hair always tucked into a messy bun, drowned beneath her oversized Academy hoodie. She rarely spoke unless it was to correct someone. She had the air of someone perpetually unimpressed.
And—
Aurelia.
Estella's stomach dropped.
The regal figure in the second row turned slowly, emerald green eyes fixing on her like a judgment spell. Aurelia's dark blue hair was perfectly straight, falling just past her shoulders. Her uniform looked tailored by an interstellar couturier—every stitch flawless. She sat like royalty, because, well—she was. Princess of the Aetherborne Dominion, born of nebula and storm.
Aurelia's lips pursed. Her gaze traveled from Estella's scuffed shoes to her fraying braid, then dismissed her with a blink.
She clearly was not impressed.
Estella shrank a little in her seat. Of course she got placed with the misfits, the intimidatingly quiet genius, the firestorm in human form, and the ice princess herself.
This… this could not get worse.
Right?