"Is this really the dormitory? Did we end up in the wrong place?"
The same thought ran through the minds of all the first-year witches as they stared ahead in disbelief. The dormitories were not what they had imagined; mud houses stood in rows, their walls rough and uneven, though some had been dressed up with creeping vines or flowers in the yards. But no amount of decoration could hide the fact that these homes were primitive.
Even Lyra, who had grown up in a run-down house, felt a wave of disappointment. This place looks like dirt will crumble off if you so much as brush it with your sleeve! she thought, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Lilith, noticing the looks on everyone's faces, tried to sound reassuring. "You're right about the appearance, but trust me, these houses are sturdier than they look," she said, repeating what the seniors had told her when she was a first-year. "They may be made of mud, but they're solid. They've been here since the early days of the academy and haven't collapsed yet! Plus, when you leave, they magically return to their original state."
The witches weren't buying it. The disappointment in the air was thick. Lilith continued, knowing full well that even she had felt let down when she first saw the dormitories. "The whole point is to encourage us to work hard and not get too comfortable. We're supposed to be sharpening our survival skills, not lounging in luxury."
A heavy sigh rippled through the group. They had come with bright expectations, only to have them fall several notches. Their dorms looked nothing like what they had hoped for.
As they walked past the first few rows, they noticed that the upperclassmen, mostly third-years; had already returned on their broomsticks and were fast asleep. These houses were in much better condition, perhaps because the older students had spent time personalizing them. Flower gardens lined the fences, and the stone-paved paths glistened under the moonlight. But once they moved past the third-years' quarters and reached the second-years' section, things began to look messier. Some houses appeared almost abandoned, the windows dark and cluttered.
Finally, the first-years reached their own row, where only weeds and wild grass grew in the yards, making the place look deserted.
Lyra, Vasida, and Sylph were assigned to houses 68, 69, and 70; neighbors in this rather shabby corner of the academy. Their mud houses looked identical, save for the numbers on the wooden fences. The yards, noticeably larger than the houses, were barren compared to the seniors' homes. Overgrown with tangled weeds, they looked neglected and uninviting.
"Senior Lilith mentioned the fourth-years just moved out today," Sylph said, glancing around. "How did the grass grow this wild in just one day? It's like they left it to spite us!"
Lyra chuckled, eyeing the identical patches of weeds in each yard. "I'm starting to think the weeds come with the dorm. Maybe it's part of the 'training.' The deans probably believe cleaning up these yards builds character!"
"Looks like the college's kindness ended with that nice matriculation dinner," Sylph sighed, adjusting her attitude with a forced smile. "But you know what? If you squint, the mud houses do have a certain... charm."
As she spoke, she realized Vasida hadn't said anything in a while. Worried, she turned to check on her friend, only to find Vasida staring off into the distance.
"Vasida?" Lyra called, following her gaze. "What are you looking at?"
Vasida pointed towards the woods on the edge of the dormitory grounds. "Is that the breadfruit forest the seniors told us about?"
Lyra glanced at the map and nodded, her suspicion growing. "Yes, I think it is. But... you're not hungry again, are you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Vasida's stomach growled in response, causing them all to burst into laughter. Even the disappointment of their new living situation couldn't quite dampen their spirits. After all, this was just the beginning of their adventures.
"No, no!" Vasida quickly waved her hands, her face flushing with embarrassment. "I think the reason I got so hungry earlier is because... well, I accidentally materialized my stomach. But it's late now. Let's just go back to the dormitory and rest—"
Before she could finish, a loud gurgle echoed from her belly.
Lyra and Sylph exchanged amused glances, both zeroing in on Vasida's stomach. "You said you weren't hungry!" Sylph teased.
"Gurgle~" came another protest from Vasida's gut, even louder than the first. She clutched her bloated stomach and suddenly seemed very interested in the ground, clearly embarrassed.
Lyra and Sylph shook their heads, chuckling as they grabbed her by the arms and steered her toward the breadfruit forest.
Vasida squirmed in their grip, trying to retain a shred of dignity. "I'm just a little hungry, okay? I can go by myself! Dinner was too short, and walking down from the mountain took a lot of energy..." she trailed off, clearly reluctant to admit how hungry she still was.
"You don't want future generations to talk about the great Lady Vasida and have to mention the time she fainted from hunger on her first night at school, right? Especially in the breadfruit forest?" Lyra smirked.
Vasida froze, her resistance crumbling. Lyra had struck a nerve. The last thing she wanted was to have her name tied to such an embarrassing tale. How could someone destined to become a witch of legend have that dark history following them around?
"Maybe you should think about storing more food in your dorm," Sylph suggested thoughtfully. "It wouldn't hurt to learn some planting magic too. You could grow your own food in the yard. Next year, they're only going to provide unprocessed meat products anyway."
Vasida sighed, her shoulders slumping. "Why is my magical manifestation so... gluttonous?"
The trio arrived at the small path leading to the breadfruit forest, which loomed just past Dormitory No. 70. It was dark; so dark that even the moonlight couldn't penetrate the thick canopy above. Wherever the street lamps reached, the trees stood bare, stripped of any breadfruit.
The breadfruit trees were towering giants, with sprawling crowns that looked twisted and menacing in the dim light. In the shadows, the branches resembled clawed hands stretching out toward them, as if waiting to snatch any unwary witches who wandered too close.
Vasida gulped. She was suddenly very grateful to have Lyra and Sylph with her. If she had come here alone, she'd be trembling in her boots by now.
"It looks like we'll have to go deeper into the woods to find any breadfruit," Lyra said, scanning the dense forest ahead. "Once we're inside, we'll let our eyes adjust to the darkness, then look carefully. According to the map, there's no danger in the academy's core areas, so we should be fine if we stick together."
"I'll lead the way," Sylph offered confidently. "I grew up in the Starlight Forest, so I'm used to navigating the wilderness."
"And I'll cover you," Lyra added, her voice calm but reassuring.
Without asking, they placed Vasida in the middle of their little formation, knowing she wasn't in the best shape to lead or fight off any potential forest surprises.
They were just about to step into the dark woods when suddenly, a warm, white light flooded the path behind them. Startled, the three of them whipped around to see a figure emerging from the shadows.
"What are you three doing out here so late at night?" a voice called, close enough to make their hearts skip a beat.
Lyra exhaled in relief when she recognized the familiar flash of red hair. "Senior Lilith! You nearly scared us to death!"
Lilith, their senior, approached them with a half-amused, half-concerned expression. "I saw you standing outside the dormitory, but instead of going inside, you wandered off toward the woods. What's going on? You know it's easy to trip and fall in there at night."
"Gurgle~" Vasida's stomach interrupted, as honest as ever.
Lilith laughed, instantly understanding. "Ah, I see now. You're on a breadfruit mission." She raised her wand, its light growing larger and warmer, casting a comforting glow around them. "Well, the trees closest to the dorms have already been picked clean, so if you're hoping to find anything, we'll need to head deeper inside."
With a flick of her wrist, the light on her wand grew brighter, illuminating a ten-meter radius around them as if it were daytime. "Come on, I'll lead the way. No sense in stumbling around in the dark when we can make it a bit easier on ourselves."
Together, under Lilith's protective glow, the group ventured into the forest, feeling just a little more at ease.