I moved quietly through the halls.
There was an ache in my body, still there from last night. The windows I passed covered in frost.
This winter has been brutal.
I pulled my cloak around my shoulders, feeling a shiver run down my spine. The Velthra crest over my heart, it has gotten more stares than me I believe.
I paused at a door, reading the numbers carved deep into the wood: 1-12.
This was my classroom, the first one on my schedule after selection.
My heart hammered. My breathing speed up. I closed by eyes, hands at the handle.
... And breathed.
I pushed the the door open. Twenty pairs of eyes turned. For a moment, the room felt colder.
The whole class had one thought.
It's him.
Glad I can read the room.
Nothing visible, but every student in their seat stiffened. They straightened their backs in their chair. Some students hands clutched the desks, knuckles pale.
Some leaned away. One girl covered her mouth as if to mute an gasp.
Everyone looked tense. As if my presence alone had put fear in her.
As if I was some kind of... Monster.
I walked to an open seat near the back.
Still, no one spoke. One boy, sitting nearby, shifted his chair farther away, eyes wide.
It wasn't just the badge on this robe.
It was something else.
It was her? Wasn't it?
That heavy, sinking pressure even I felt in the back of my head. The sense of something old and bottomless trailing in my wake.
The teacher didn't even blink. Unphased. He sat the front. He didn't greet me when I came in. He was a man with salt-and-pepper hair.
A pair of spectacles perched on his nose.
He just nodded at the attendance slate.
"Take your seat, Nori. I'm Master Altan. You're in the right place."
I nodded then slid into the chair.
A whisper of fear crawled around the room—but only for the students. The feeling grew thicker by the second.
Suffocating for some, invisible to others.
"Today, we start with elemental theory. You will work with a candle. One person will be the controller the other person will be—"
The console?
"— the caster. You will map the resonance between core and catalyst. If you wish to excel in this Academy, mastery of basic spells is non-negotiable. Some of you come from magical families. Others… less fortunate. Here, all start equal. Some of you since have learned this in second school, this is to make sure you don't get left behind.
A few glances flickered toward Katsu, but nobody dared speak.
"pity party..."
"... can't cast a spell but lands in Velthra? rigged..."
Master Altan snapped his fingers, everything about him went quiet.
Glyphs flared across the front wall, bright and swirling.
The basic forms for fire, water, air, earth.
"You'll each pair up. Practice focusing raw fire mana, channeling it, and shaping a flame. Let's see who needs extra help."
Fire? I've never worked with...
Chairs scraped.
Partners found each other with practiced speed.
Except for the seat beside me...
Which remained empty.
Class continued, sometime ago I got a candle on my desk. I just stared at it. Some students talked among themselves.
I'd lost myself in the hush, mind half gone—until the door creaked open.
The girl from the hall walked in.
What did her friend call her?... Yeah right, Sydney.
Her cloak was already undone, gold-eyed unreadable. The two girls from before followed her.
Perhaps they were childhood friends?
They clustered together for a moment, scanning the room for open seats.
I looked down, not wanting more attention. But then her shadow appeared over my desk.
"Seat taken?"
She asked, softer than in the hall.
I shook my head.
"...No."
One word, she earned it.
Sydney slid into the empty chair beside me. Her friends shared a look, then took the seats behind us.
We sat in silence as Master Altan gave his opening speech, his voice fading to a dull thrum.
I felt her glancing at me. Maybe remembering the promise she'd tossed my way, or maybe just weighing her options.
The candle waited between us, the wick black and unlit.
Finally, she cleared her throat. "You remember me from earlier, right?" Her voice was like a kindle. Small but not weak. Low enough the others wouldn't hear, but not out of embarrassment.
"I figured it'd be weird if I just ignored you. You looked pretty disconnected back in the hall... look pretty disconnected now"
Exposed?
It reminded me of when Quintin would catch me making a mistake and end my campaign for the win.
A friend.
I took a moment before nodding.
Sydney flexed her fingers, like she was working up courage. She gave a sly smile.
"Do you… want to try the exercise together? Or…?"
I slowly nodded "I've never done it. Not really... I've never worked with fire before..."
She blinked, surprised.
"That's okay. I can show you. It's a family tradition. Honestly? I think fire is the easiest element if you don't overthink it."
"… Water is easier for me."
She nods "Water is a simpler element, but the more amount you try to control... The harder it gets? You know any water spells?"
"... Kinda."
"Cool."
She was the energy in this conversation. I felt the awkwardness, I doubt she did.
Her friends had fallen mostly quiet behind us. Just the occasional giggle or murmur.
Background noise.
Sydney pulled her hands as she began her demonstration.
The fire bloomed.
A small, steady glow that made the candle's glass shine.
She nudged it toward me.
I tried, fumbling the first attempt.
Mana slipped through my fingers, stubborn. I only knew how to do that much.
My magic... didn't follow the same rule book as theirs.
I could feel the weight of eyes.
Hers, maybe her friends, maybe the whole room. But Sydney only nodded, patient.
"Try again. You're not doing it wrong. Let the mana rise on its own. Like breathing out."
The next attempt, something flickered and fizzled. But her nerves faded as she watched me focus.
Her smile softened, encouragement replacing any worry or doubt.
The tension in the room went away.
Maybe the Leviathan let off.
Or they saw I wasn't what they thought I was.
Others had students paired off by now, but I barely noticed them.
It was just me and her, side by side, the world narrowed to candlelight and quiet words.
"There," she said as I managed a shaky spark. "You're getting it."
I almost smiled. "It's weird. My magic's never… done what I wanted before. Not like this"
She grinned.
"Maybe it just needed a friend."
That got me to laugh, even if it was small.
Her friend behind us scoffed.
Something about 'overachievers'—but I ignored her.
Sydney kept her focus on me.
"You want to try shaping it?" she asked. "Here—watch."
Her flame curved in her palm, flickering like a ribbon.
She moved her hand, nodding for me to try.
And I tried.
I closed my eyes.
I remember the water. The river that I nearly drowned in. Akin to my magic but... different.
What if I'm... overthinking it? What if I just turn down on output and think of it like... Like water.
Let's test my theory.
I moved my hands. The candle's fire followed. It danced and swirled. Finally settling into a sharped incline.
Syndey watched, amazed.
"You can shape it? Already?"
I nodded
"I just thought of it like water... Like pouring water out of a canteen."
Master Altan's walked between desks, he looked over our flame and nodded once. For a moment, I felt lighter.
Not so strange. Not so alone.
Sydney smiled. Bright. Real.
"You'll have to teach me that. Promise?"
"I promise."