"Attention, all first-year students! Please come forward and collect your Freshman Guide."
Ms. Amisha's voice rang out, commanding the attention of the entire hall. The first-year witches eagerly stepped forward, some nervous, others curious, as they collected the small booklets from the stack she held. The guides were slim and neatly bound, with the emblem of the academy embossed on the cover.
"For those in Grade 2 and above, don't forget to check your School Year Plan in your Witch Book," she continued, addressing the older students.
With practiced ease, the senior students began retrieving their thick, worn books, some massive tomes that seemed too heavy for anyone to carry comfortably. The older the student, the thicker the book they held, their well-worn covers showing the marks of years of study.
"As usual, there are no scheduled classes for the next three days," Ms. Amisha reminded them. "Please use this time to carefully read through either the New Student Guide or your School Year Plan. After three days, your courses will begin in earnest."
Just as the first-year witches were about to start flipping through their guides, Ms. Amisha raised her hand, halting them. "Not so fast. First-years, step back and lean against the wall," she instructed, her eyes twinkling with a mysterious glint.
The little witches, still bewildered, obeyed her command. As they took their places along the wall, something remarkable happened. In the center of the room, five long tables appeared as if summoned by magic, laden with platters of mouth-watering food. The aroma filled the air, making even the most anxious among them salivate.
"Now," Ms. Amisha said with a smile that was both inviting and cryptic, "let the feast begin! Especially you, first-year students, enjoy this meal!"
And just like that, Ms. Amisha's figure shimmered and slowly faded, leaving the hall without a sound. The room was momentarily silent, as if everyone was holding their breath. Then, all at once, the upperclassmen sprang into action, heading directly for the tables with a single-minded focus. Even the usually composed senior Lilith abandoned her composure and joined the rush.
Despite the sudden excitement, the dining process was strangely orderly. Each year had its designated table, and no one seemed interested in visiting or socializing beyond their group. There was no jostling for space, no fighting over seats, just a quiet, determined focus on food.
The first-year witches, however, stood frozen in confusion. They weren't quite sure what to do, watching the seniors as if hoping for some cue. Then, out of nowhere, one student darted forward, as fast as a cannonball. The small figure reached the table and immediately began eating with surprising speed and enthusiasm.
Lyra's eyes widened as she recognized the overeager witch. "Vasida?" she whispered to herself in disbelief.
Vasida, the student known for being painfully shy and socially anxious, was now devouring her meal as though she hadn't eaten in days. Her small frame seemed to hide a ferocious appetite, and Lyra couldn't help but reconsider her earlier impression. How could someone with social anxiety be the first to charge for the table? she wondered.
Sylph, standing beside Lyra, glanced between the tables and her friend. "Lyra, should we... go eat too?" she asked, hesitating.
Lyra snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
Together, they made their way to the first-year table, where Vasida was already seated, still focused entirely on her meal. The other witches kept their distance, unsure whether to sit near her or not. There was something slightly intimidating about how quickly she was devouring her food, even though she seemed perfectly harmless otherwise.
Lyra and Sylph, unbothered, sat down next to her. Just as they got settled, Amy, one of their classmates, came bounding over with a plate piled high with grilled lamb chops. Her eyes lit up when she saw Lyra.
"Lyra, here you go!" Amy said cheerfully, offering up some of her bounty. "These lamb chops are delicious; you have to try them!"
The lamb chops, positioned at the far end of the table, had been hard to reach for most of the students. But Amy had clearly gone out of her way to bring some back, and they did look irresistible.
"Thanks, Amy!" Lyra grinned and accepted the offering without hesitation. She hadn't eaten dinner yet, and her stomach growled in agreement.
As Lyra took her first bite, she couldn't help but be impressed by Amy's culinary savvy. While Amy's fire magic talents were undeniably impressive, her true gift, it seemed, lay in her appreciation for good food, something most witches didn't quite grasp.
Meanwhile, Vasida continued to eat, still oblivious to the world around her, while Lyra and Sylph shared a quiet smile. Despite the chaos of the evening, a sense of camaraderie was slowly building among the first-year witches, even if they didn't fully realize it yet.
Amy's love for food wasn't surprising, considering her upbringing. Her mother was a renowned gourmet witch, part of a long line of culinary experts. From a young age, Amy had tasted an endless array of delectable dishes and had learned basic cooking skills long before she ever touched a wand. However, while her mother specialized in making intricate desserts, Amy's passion lay elsewhere; she had a particular fondness for preparing meat.
The proof was quite literal in her pocket. Her school robe bulged slightly, filled with neatly wrapped cubes of bacon, her own creation. Each piece was carefully wrapped in waxed paper, looking almost like little candies. They weren't just for show either; even the aloof and often distant Vasida had been won over by Amy's "meat candies," offering a rare, almost enthusiastic, "Thank you," a few decibels louder than her usual soft-spoken demeanor.
Lyra, sitting nearby, trusted Amy's culinary instincts without question. As she took a bite of the lamb chop that Amy had handed her, her eyes widened in surprise. "Delicious!" she exclaimed, the word slipping out before she even had a chance to think.
Amy grinned in satisfaction. "Right? It's crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and there's this incredible aroma. I can't figure out what spices were used, though."
As she chewed thoughtfully, Lyra detected a familiar but unusual flavor, something like cumin. Her own mother, Shana, a witch skilled in magical cooking, had a vast collection of spices and magical cooking tools, but cumin had never been among them. It wasn't a common ingredient in Valen.
Still, Lyra knew that in Valen, where witches and magical folk frequently ventured into other worlds via the Well of Sky, it wasn't unusual to encounter unfamiliar foods and spices. Even if the spice was cumin, it might go by another name in this world. Deciding it wasn't worth mentioning, Lyra simply enjoyed the lamb chop, savoring its complex flavor.
Once she finished, Amy eagerly offered her another piece, but Lyra declined with a smile. "I want to try something else," she said, eyeing the array of dishes on the table. Although Amy continued to praise the lamb chops as the best dish on the table, Lyra was curious about the other foods.
What caught her attention next was the magical nature of the feast itself. No matter how much food she took from the table, it never seemed to run out. Every time someone finished a dish, another portion appeared in its place as if the table itself were enchanted to ensure no one went hungry.
Next to her, Vasida had been steadily working her way through a basket of honey bread. One by one, she ate without pause, her small hands continually reaching for another. To Lyra's astonishment, despite eating what seemed like an impossible number of breads, perhaps close to a hundred; the basket in front of Vasida remained full.
Finally, Vasida seemed to reach her limit. She leaned back in her chair with a deep sigh of satisfaction, wiping crumbs from her lips. When she glanced across the table and noticed one of her fellow witches watching her in awe, she offered a smile, a rare sight.
The little witch across from her looked startled, dropping her chicken leg in surprise.
Vasida blinked, momentarily confused. Did I smile too suddenly? she thought, realizing that her overeager eating had probably looked a little strange. She sighed inwardly, knowing she had come off as odd once again. But before she could spiral into self-doubt, she straightened up and spoke, her voice now surprisingly strong and energetic. "Lyra! Sylph! Have you noticed anything different about your life compared to ordinary witches?"
Her sudden enthusiasm caught everyone off guard. The little witches nearby exchanged shocked glances, not quite sure if this was the same Vasida who had barely spoken two words during the entrance ceremony. Lyra and Sylph exchanged looks, both equally surprised.
Vasida, noticing the attention, hurriedly continued. "I know I probably seemed weird earlier, but... I wasn't trying to be! I was just so hungry," she explained quickly, as if trying to make up for her earlier silence. "Honestly, I'm not usually like this. I'm really easy to get along with! It's just... when I'm that hungry, I get a little... well, strange."
Lyra raised an eyebrow, trying to piece it all together. "So, when you barely spoke to anyone earlier, that was because you were too hungry to talk?"
Vasida nodded sheepishly, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Exactly! I didn't mean to come across as shy or anything. I was just so focused on not passing out during the entrance ceremony that I didn't realize how quiet I was being."
It was an explanation that, while unusual, made a strange kind of sense to Lyra. She remembered how Vasida's voice had been barely above a whisper earlier, and now, after eating her fill, she was practically buzzing with energy. Maybe she really just needed a proper meal, Lyra thought.
Looking at the basket of honey bread still sitting in front of Vasida, Lyra realized just how much the girl had eaten. Even with so much left, Vasida had already consumed an impressive amount.
"Well, at least you're feeling better now," Lyra said with a smile, while Sylph chuckled softly next to her.
The group, now more at ease, settled back into their meal, the earlier awkwardness melting away with each shared bite of the never-ending feast.