"You guys are two years apart? Then how come Ardiel's already admitted?" Kristan asked, clearly intrigued by the situation.
"I got in through special admission," Ardiel replied casually, more focused on his food than the conversation.
"Ah, so it's a family thing for powerhouses like you," Kristan teased.
"Someone from the Evans shouldn't be talking like that," Reno muttered, clearly irritated by Kristan's comment. Ardiel wasn't concerned about it all.
"What's with him being Evans?" Ardiel inquired innocently. While he has the brains, it wasn't something he invested to learn things about the complexities of their society, rather he poured it all into learning everything: swordsmanship, archery and some other means of combat.
Since he wasn't born a Dragon Vessel, he tried to compensate by building his physical strength, hoping that even without a dragon's power, he could become a magister or an auror.
The main advantage of Dragon powers was their natural dominance over their innate attribute. Reno, bonded with an Ice Dragon, had a natural edge over other magisters specializing in Ice Magic.
"The Evans family is known for their Ice attribute," Reno replied flatly.
"Oh," Ardiel nodded, finally understanding why Reno wasn't on good terms with Kristan—they both used Ice.
"See what I mean?" Reno added, glaring at Kristan, who just shrugged it off.
"Well, you two need to get along," Ardiel said, grinning. "Kristan's my roommate, and Reno's my brother, so like it or not, you're stuck with each other."
He couldn't help but find it amusing that his usually cheerful brother was acting so moody around Kristan. Seeing this different side of Reno was oddly entertaining for Ardiel.
"You really should take this time to get yourself familiar with society," Reno reminded his brother but the younger only brushed it off.
"Ah, the poutine here is good," he praised. He genuinely enjoyed the meal they serve here in the academy, he can't help but look forward to it everytime.
"What's your class again?" Reno remembered he hadn't asked Ardiel yet of his class assignment.
"I'm in Class 2 for my Magister classes, and Class 1 in my Auror classes."
"Oh, we're in Class 2," Reno thought it was a bummer that he wasn't in the same class as his brother in their Auror classes, "But we're in the same class during the shared classes,"
"I heard Class 1 is a bunch of maniacs," Kristan brought up.
"Why weren't you both in Class 1? I didn't expect you to be in Class 2," Ardiel said before casting a questioning look at Reno. He pretty much knew that his brother was a talented combatant, it was only out of modesty that Reno deliberately let Ardiel win in most of their matches.
"I came with the same intention as him, besides, knowing Kiera was there, I think I made the right choice," Kristan answered.
"I feel like I'll shine better in Class 2," Reno replied proudly. "But I didn't expect to see a copycat in the same class." He threw a subtle jab, side-eyeing the other ice user.
"Excuse me, I come from a family of Ice rankers. You're the one copying me," Kristan shot back.
Ardiel watched their bickering with amusement. He had thought Kristan was an introvert who only spoke when absolutely necessary, but now he understood the attitude Kristan had earlier in the dorm.
"Anyone I should remember?" Ardiel asked, cutting them off.
"There's that scary girl in Class 1 who easily took down the whole class during the Sparring exercises—what's her name again?" Reno wondered aloud.
"It's Kiera. You're such an idiot, you can't even remember your cousin's name," Kristan mocked, clearly unimpressed with Reno.
"We're not even close, and I don't like how that vixen looks at me with so much contempt. We've never even had a conversation before, nor have we met," Reno ranted, visibly annoyed at the thought of the girl.
"Any other students I should take note of?" Ardiel now found it necessary to dig into the details about the other students. It wouldn't hurt him if he acted careful and wary of others.
"I wouldn't say he's scary or anything, but there's a foreign student in Class 2 who stands out. I heard he's from the continent in the South," Kristan said.
"Minho, the one who uses Spirit Magic. I'm his seatmate in Magical Beast class," Reno added.
"He's practically friends with almost all of the magisters in Class 2," Kristan commented, referring to Reno's knack for socializing.
Their conversation continued longer than expected as they started gossiping about other students in the cafeteria.
"Curfew starts at 10 PM and ends at 4 AM. If you're caught outside your dorm during those hours, you're in big trouble," Reno said as they decided to take a short night walk and give Ardiel a quick tour of the campus that he hadn't had a chance to see earlier.
The campus was surrounded by groves and orchards, painting the academy in lush greens, a stark contrast to the snow-covered world outside the walls. The magic barrier surrounding the academy kept the harsh weather outside from affecting the environment within.
"That tower over there is the Western Watchtower, one of the four. And that huge dome is the Combat Arena, where most of the events are held," Reno pointed out each landmark with enthusiasm, clearly enjoying the chance to show Ardiel around.
"Magister classes are held in that building behind the orchard, which is the Magister's Hall, and opposite that is the Auror's Hall."
"I've been wondering why I see more knights than students," Ardiel said, still puzzled. From the moment he got here, he had seen more people in either maroon or navy blue battle suits that's different from the uniform that was given to him.
"I had the same question on my first day here. Most of them are fresh graduates required to stay for an extra year after graduating. That's also why Sister Eileen and Brother Erick are still stationed here despite graduating last year," Reno explained.
"Have you seen either of them since you arrived?" Ardiel asked.
"Only Brother Erick. He's a Squad Leader in the Vanguard division," Reno said.
"That's nice. He's been away for two years, so I haven't seen him in a long time," Ardiel replied, struggling to remember much of his last short interaction with Erick.
"It's almost curfew. We should head back," Kristan recalled as they found themselves farther from the dormitory.
"Right, we still have classes tomorrow for the Sparring Exercises, but I'll be attending Class 1 first, then Class 2 for the Sunday class," Ardiel said as they decided to head back.
"You're basically in 4 different classes if we include the shared classes," Kristan noted.
The shared classes combine one section from each department, with each class consisting of 40 students. So Ardiel would be sharing rooms with Class 1 of first-year auror students and Class 2 of first-year magister students.
The next morning, Kristan took on the task of waking Ardiel, who was still adjusting to the early routine.
"I thought it would be harder to wake you up, but you got up just from a tap," Kristan said with a smile, willing to help Ardiel adjust until he was fully settled.
"You go take a bath first," Ardiel groaned, stretching. He had slept comfortably and felt like the bed had some mysterious charm that made him want to sleep more.
"Okay," Kristan agreed.
They quickly prepared and headed to the cafeteria for a bite before going to their separate classes.
The training grounds for the sparring exercises were located in the North Sector, where five training grounds, separated by thick walls, were reserved for the ten combined first-year class sections.
Ardiel parted ways with his roommate and headed to the first training ground, where over thirty students awaited the new instructor.
As Ardiel entered the training ground, he was met with a sea of curious, expectant faces. Over thirty students stood in clusters, their gazes piercing through him, sizing him up.
"Is this Class 1?" Ardiel asked, breaking the silence.
"Yes, are you the new student from yesterday?" a girl with a bright, glittering gaze answered eagerly. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with a mix of excitement and mischief, and her pink ponytail swayed with each movement.
"Wow, so you're the monster they're talking about," the girl said nonchalantly, her words startling despite the sweetness of her appearance. It was clear that in Class 1, being called a 'monster' was more of a compliment.
"I'm Loreine. Nice to meet you," the girl said, thrusting her hand towards Ardiel with an exaggerated smile.
"Ardiel, right?" a boy with a keen gaze asked from behind Loreine. His eyes scanned Ardiel with a mix of curiosity and calculation. It's normal for kids their age to be highly competitive, especially in this kind of environment.
Before Ardiel could respond, the crowd around him began to swell. Students from all sides pressed in, their whispers creating a low hum of speculation. He could feel their eyes on him, assessing, appraising.
But one figure stood out in the training ground.
"The Skewer," Ardiel muttered to himself, his voice trembling. He spotted a familiar girl with black ponytail—the one he'd never forget as the enemy of skewers.
"What's up with him?" one of the students muttered, confusion painting his face as he watched Ardiel's reaction.
"What's a Skewer?" another student asked, puzzled by his comment.
"Look, he's staring at Kiera," another student shouted, their voice echoing through the space. A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd as they turned their gaze towards Kiera
"He said he's skewering Kiera?" Another boy blurted out, clearly confused but adding to the buzz. Kiera was known for having defeated everyone in Class 1 on the first day of sparring exercises.
Noticing the commotion, Kiera turned around and saw the crowd staring at her, especially the boy in the center who was eyeing her with disbelief.
As the murmurs grew louder, Kiera took a step forward, her eyes never leaving Ardiel. The crowd parted, making way for the two of them as if they were preparing for an impending clash of titans.
Ardiel's heart raced, his pulse quickening. Every student in the room seemed to hold their breath, waiting for the next move in this unfolding drama.
Kiera's gaze remained fixed on Ardiel, a storm of emotions swirling in her eyes. In that charged silence, the only sound was the whisper of students exchanging theories and speculations.
"Welcome to Class 1, Skewer Boy," Kiera finally said, her voice tinged with amusement. It was clear she found the situation both amazing and coincidental.
But beneath those cold eyes, she's feeling nervous and panicking, how can this happen to her?