Roy walked through the academy's courtyard, surrounded by the chatter of students and the sound of clanging swords from the training grounds. He had been at the academy for a few weeks now, and he was starting to get into a routine.
As he walked, Roy noticed a group of students gathered around a bulletin board. He wandered over to see what they were looking at. It was a poster announcing the upcoming Inter-Academy Tournament, where students from different magical academies would compete in various magical disciplines.
Roy's eyes scanned the poster, and he felt a spark of excitement. He had heard about the tournament before, but he had never thought he'd have a chance to participate. Now, as a student at the academy, he might actually have a shot.
Just then, Leo walked up beside him. "Hey, Roy! Check it out! The Inter-Academy Tournament is coming up!"
Roy turned to Leo, grinning. "I know, right? I was just reading about it."
Leo's eyes lit up. "We should totally enter! Can you imagine how awesome it would be to compete against students from other academies?"
Roy's excitement began to falter. He knew that entering the tournament would mean revealing his magical abilities to a wider audience. And with his secret....
But Leo was undeterred. "Come on, Roy! It'll be fun! We can form a team and—"
Roy held up a hand, interrupting Leo. "Whoa, slow down. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to focus on our studies and training first."
Leo looked disappointed, but he nodded. "You're right. Sorry, I got a bit carried away."
Roy clapped Leo on the back. "No worries, man. Let's just take things one step at a time."
As they walked away from the bulletin board, Roy couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. He knew that Leo was excited about the tournament, and Roy didn't want to disappoint him. But he also knew that he had to be careful about revealing his secret.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of classes and training sessions. Roy tried to focus on his studies, but his mind kept wandering back to the tournament and the potential risks of entering.
As the sun began to set, Roy made his way to the academy's library. He needed to research some new spells and techniques, and the library was the best place to do that.
As he browsed through the shelves, Roy stumbled upon a book about advanced fire magic. He felt a surge of excitement and quickly grabbed the book, hiding it behind a nearby stack of books.
No one knew about his fire magic abilities, and he intended to keep it that way. But as he flipped through the pages of the book, Roy couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. He wished he could be open about his abilities, without fear of persecution or rejection.
But for now, he had to keep his secret hidden. Roy sighed and continued to read, lost in the world of magic and wonder.