Emrys bolted upright in his bed, startled by the loud scream of his name from a girl. "Emryssss!" He quickly gathered his things and equipment, shoving them into his magical ring as he heard a voice from the door.
"You're gonna be late if you don't get up right now!" At the door stood a young white-haired elf, her hair grown far past her shoulders. Her voice showed clear disappointment, but her face told a different story. She seemed to be amused by the situation. Beside her, a boy with unkempt hair looked at Emrys expectantly.
"This is why I told you to go to bed earlier," the slightly older boy said, shaking his head.
Emrys felt a sense of annoyance rising in him as he grabbed his uniform. "Shut up! Don't act all high and mighty because you two enrolled earlier," he said, trying to keep his tone even.
"Mind giving me some privacy?" he added, feeling irritated by the intrusion.
The girl simply shut the door and looked to the boy beside her with a wide toothy grin on her face. "Talk about immature," she said teasingly.
"I heard that, Eira!" Emrys called out from the other side of the door, now genuinely feeling annoyed by the situation.
"That was my goal," she called back, not backing down from the playful teasing.
After a few moments of talking, the three of them were interrupted as Emrys opened the door, dressed in the Carnium Uniform, just like the two older than him. Eira couldn't resist the opportunity to smirk at Emrys and ruffled his hair, just before he swatted her hand away.
"I hope you've at least learned your lesson," Syrus said calmly.
Emrys felt his annoyance rising again. "Shut up. Not everyone likes going to bed at 7:00 PM on the dot," he said, trying to keep his tone even.
Syrus just smirked at him. "Jeez, short people sure have a temper," he replied.
"Your taller than me by two measly inches!" Emrys retorted.
Eira wouldn't let the moment slip. "He's still taller," she responded, with a small grin.
Emrys tried to divert the situation away from him. "You're shorter than both of us!" he exclaimed.
But neither of his friends would fall for it. "A beautiful maiden like myself has no need for being tall," Eira said as she flung her hair out.
Emrys let out a sigh of frustration. "You guys are such asses," he said, as they made their way down the stairs.
As they navigated the grand halls, art galleries, and service rooms, Emrys couldn't help but feel awestruck by the life he led. Suddenly, they were stopped by Mikaela who greeted them with a smile.
"Just a reminder, as I told the others, try not to showcase your abilities more than necessary," Mikaela said.
Emrys nodded in understanding. "I won't, don't worry."
"And please, don't kill anyone," Mikaela added.
"Of course not, you have my word," Emrys reassured her.
Eira chimed in, "Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him." She then gave Syrus a knowing wink.
Mikaela bowed his head apologetically. "I apologize for the hot-headedness during training. It's not easy working with someone like that."
Emrys couldn't help but wonder if everyone was in on something he didn't know about. Why were they all teasing him?
before he could defend himself the carriage to take them arrived just at the gates.
"see you kids around"
000
As we approached the grand gates of Carnium Academy, a sense of awe washed over me. Just beyond the gates, stood a landsize and population that could've been considered a small town. At the center of it all stood a grand institution, which I assumed to be the main location for studying. The academy even had its own wizard tower, a testament to its prestige and grandeur. The intricate designs, white walls, blue tile roofs, and golden windows were a sight to behold.
"Well, I'll see you at lunch! Don't get into any trouble," Eira said as she ran off.
Before I could respond, Syrus answered as though he had read my mind.
"She's part of the student council. They voice their thoughts to the teachers and get certain things changed and done. They also ensure that students behave in a proper manner, though more of that workload is shifted towards the disciplinary committee," he briefly explained.
"Are you part of any school extracurriculars like that?" I asked.
Syrus nodded and gestured for me to follow him. "Chess and Magic theory," he said with a stifled yawn.
"I thought you'd go for something more exciting," I said surprised.
"Well, I'm studying theories and potential ways to utilize different elements and overcoming specific element limitations," Syrus said as we weaved our way through the densely packed corridors filled with people.
"Do you think it's possible?" I questioned, though I already knew Syrus was a genius who would never give up to accomplish a goal.
"I know it is. There's no limit with magic," he said confidently.
Syrus and Eira had changed a lot. Eira had transformed from a timid ice elf to a talkative and confident leader, while Syrus had gone from an uptight brat to a genius study freak. They were both solidifying their futures. As for me, with all the struggles I faced with my destiny, family, and training, my mind had become a jumbled mess, unable to discern what I truly wanted.
Despite this, I couldn't help but be happy for these two kids and their newfound confidence.
we suddenly came to a stop just before a class.
"Your first period consists of general magic knowledge and thesis. Not many people your age, as a human, could even use magic at four, much less now," he explained briefly.
"So, it's just things I've already learned as a kid," I said with a sigh.
"It's never too late to learn more facts," Syrus said, looking at it in a positive light.
"I was trained by someone like Mika. What more could I learn?" I asked.
But before Syrus could retort, my teacher, a balding male, opened the door, scrutinizing both me and Syrus before allowing me to enter. Syrus left quickly.
The classroom was huge, much more like that of a university. From my count, there were 86 students in total. I took a seat near the middle row and noticed the girl just seated beside me. Her navy blue hair and eyes, a small angel-like being rested on her shoulder. She caught sight of my gaze and promptly looked away, but her hands twitched and her nervousness of me disappeared as she turned her head to examine me.
Her eyes locked with mine and it didn't feel like she was staring at me, but rather what was beyond me. That scared me just a little bit as I remembered Mikaela's warning. I looked away and soon after, a paper ball was thrown at her, breaking her out of her trance. It read, 'Stop staring and being such a creep.'
"You're already creeping the new kid out, you filthy druid. I don't get why you haven't been expelled and executed," I looked up and noticed a group of kids, clearly nobles, staring at her with disdain. Thanks to Mikaela's disguise, I was supposedly the son of one of the strongest nobles in this area, who just so happened to be a god. That's why my treatment was already so good.
I didn't flinch at their words, however, anger did begin to boil within me. I was technically of druid heritage, and they were making fun of it.
"Within the perimeters of Carnium, such laws that separate nobles and commoners no longer exist," I stated as I got out of my seat.
The leader of the group was another boy my age, with ginger hair and eyes that rivaled his hair color. His face was freckled as he began to amass attention within the class.
"Sticking up for druid scum? You're destroying your father's image, Marcus," he said. If only they knew.
"Marcus isn't wrong, Raye," the teacher reprimanded. However, I noticed the look of disdain the noble kids shared on his face as well.
"You two, hurry up and take your seats. Class starts now!"