It was the first day, Ardere was up earlier than usual as her excitement couldn't be contained anymore. Today was the day, after tireless amounts of studying and improving her Mana capacity she finally got into the most magnificent school in all of the Acheron Territory, The Demon School Inferis.
Ardere looked at herself in her mirror, looking at every angle possible. Her uniform was a black skirt with white, black and cornflower vest over a white long sleeve top.
'Finally I made it!' Ardere thought as she heard a knock at her door.
"Come in." she said
The door swung open and a menacing looking man with long black hair and a short beard entered the room. The mans clothes were a mixture of fine fabric and beast hides, but the one thing that stood out the most was the crest that proved he was the noble Daemonium family leader.
"I thought you would be up early." He said half to himself. "Today is the day you leave for Infres." He slowly walked up to Ardere and abruptly pulled her into his arms and smothered her face in his chest as tears streamed from his eyes.
"I wish you would have chosen a school closer to home my little girl, but that is your decision to make and I will just have to live with that. However don't for a second think you can't come home whenever you feel like it. If your ever feeling even a little homesick let me know and i'll send for you right away! You will always be daddies little gi..Ack!" suddenly the man was pulled back by the collar of his shirt.
A woman wearing a maid outfit was dragging the man out of the room. "Come Lord Berul you mustn't disturb the lady. You will have time for your goodbyes later." Ardere straitened her clothes and gave a thumbs up to the maid.
She looked back in the mirror and her eyes drifted away from her uniform and to her body. her skin was pale like her father and her green eyes matched his too, however her long silver hair and horns came from her mother. Ardere looked away from the mirror and to her bed. On the bed was a suitcase with with her wand, some clothes and a picture frame of her and her parents. she closed the suitcase and carried it out of her room.
Outside her door was an older man with gray hair and horns protruding from the top of his head. Ardere handed him her suitcase and began down the hallway till she reached a terrace with a set of stairs leading down into the garden. In the garden was a table with food laid out on it and Ardere's father was sitting on the one end with the same maid that dragged him away behind him and several other servants around the table.
Ardere sat down and the servants wrapped a towel around her neck and began to serve her food. not wanting to get her uniform dirty Ardere ate slowly and cautiously.
It remained quiet for a bit of time as the two ate until finally Berul spoke.
"Are you sure you wish to go to Inferis?"
He had barely spoke the words when the maid behind him gripped his shoulder and squeezed until you could hear a "CRACK". Berul twitched slightly and his face turned trying to hide his pain behind a fake smile. "Of course i will support your decision either way."
Berul was always very affectionate towards his daughter, however it only got worse when Ardere's mother died.
"I've worked hard for this. I wouldn't have done so if I had any other school in mind." Ardere said to her father in a authoritative tone. Despite how she said it she was sad to leave her father alone, but her goal was to raise her family rank and she could only do that by getting the best education.
"I know you worked hard and I couldn't be prouder of you, but the Demons that go to the top schools are competitive and they will throw everything they have at you. More than anything I don't want to see you get hurt." Berul said.
"Father I have worked on my Mana capacity, I would not have gotten in to the academy if it was as low as it was when i was young."
"My darling daughter I have seen many with power that rivaled mine fall to the hierarchy of that school, that's not what im worried about." once again the maid behind Berul put her hand on his shoulder but only glared at him as he began to sweat. "Ardere just know that I will love you no matter what and i will always be proud of you so if this is what you really choose then you have my blessing."
Berul got up from his seat and left back to the mansion as Ardere sat for a minute drinking tea and watching the sky. Ardere pulled the towel from her collar and looked again to her uniform. 'I've worked hard for this I deserve to be in this school. I'm sorry father, but this is something i've wanted for a long time.' She thought before the same gray haired servant came up to her.
"The Circle is ready for you my lady". The man said while bowing.
"Ardere got up from her seat and followed the man back into the mansion and back to the foyer. Lined up shoulder to shoulder were all the servants bowing and at the end was Berul with Tabitha the Head Maid and the one who kept Berul in check. In front of them was all of Ardere's stuff packed and ready to go on top of a magic circle.
Berul walked up to Ardere and gave her one final embrace. "don't forget to write letter and have your Magic Beast send them." Ardere embraced her father as well and when they let go of each other she walked into the circle and a servant walked up to it and put his hands onto the edge and poured mana into it. The circle began to glow and in an instant Ardere was gone.
"you didn't have to be so rough with me today Tabitha. This was difficult for me." Berul said.
"This was difficult for all of us you were just the only one who could show it my lord, the rest of us had to stay strong and watch." Tabitha said as she walked away from Berul and waved her hands over the circle. The circle glowed once more and slowly dissolved.