Lyra and her friends had just wrapped up their meal when Lilith practically pushed them out of her dormitory. "Alright, alright! Out you go! You've all got classes tomorrow, so off with you!" she said, shooing them toward the door.
As her friends laughed and left, Lyra didn't sense anything unusual in Lilith's tone. She was simply stuffed with delicious food, happily oblivious. The four friends strolled back to their rooms, full and content.
Later, after washing up, Lyra lay back on her wooden bed. With a small flick of her wrist, her witch book floated above her, suspended by magic. It almost felt like the old days, when she'd lie in bed reading novels with her phone propped up on a stand. Only this time, her book of choice wasn't a thrilling story; it was 'What is Magic,' a decidedly dry and dense read.
She yawned as her eyes skimmed over the text. '"Magic is the manipulation of energy. Energy exists in various forms, but magic is the most fundamental among them. Magic's versatility and power surpass all other energies…"'
Her eyelids grew heavier, and soon she was nodding off. But in the next moment, her magical hold slipped, and with a dull 'thud', the heavy witch book fell directly onto her face. She yelped, clutching her nose. Instantly, any trace of sleep vanished.
"Ow!" she muttered, glancing in the mirror nearby. Thankfully, she hadn't broken anything. "Note to self: witch book magic is no replacement for a phone stand."
Rubbing her nose, she set the book aside and finally settled down to sleep.
---
The next morning, the dormitory bells chimed brightly, signaling the start of a new week. Lyra gathered her things, slinging her satchel over her shoulder, a breadfruit cake held firmly in her teeth, a roll of parchment under her arm, and her Witch's Book floating beside her.
Just as she was heading out, she heard a door creak open from the left. "Good morning, Vasida!" she called, waving.
"Good morning, Lyra!" Vasida replied, looking her friend up and down. "Wow, you're juggling a lot there! Why are you carrying so many things?" She held only her wand, tucked into her pocket. Living next to a breadfruit forest meant Vasida never went hungry, so she rarely brought extra food or materials along with her.
Lyra shrugged, grinning around the cake in her mouth. "Well, the walk to the castle is so long; I figured I might as well work on something along the way!"
Curious, Vasida rubbed her eyes and switched on her energy vision, eyeing the parchment in Lyra's hand. Sure enough, it was absorbing energy. "Wait, you can infect parchment on the go like that?" she asked, impressed.
Lyra nodded with a wink.
Inspired, Vasida dashed back into her dormitory. When she emerged, she was carrying parchment of her own, mirroring Lyra's setup. "Alright, let's go pick up Sylph!"
The two of them strolled to Dormitory 68. Pausing at the gate, they took a deep breath and called out in unison, "Sylph, let's go to school!"
The door clicked open, and Sylph appeared, cradling a small clay pot in her hands, eyes shining with excitement. "Lyra! Vasida! My wind chime finally sprouted!"
"Really?" Lyra and Vasida hurried closer, eager to see for themselves.
Sylph had planted a bellflower seed from her Box of Ten Thousand Seeds on her second day at school, setting it by her bedroom windowsill. Every day since, she had checked the little pot, waiting for the moment it would finally sprout. Lyra and Vasida had heard her worry aloud dozens of times, wondering why her precious bellflower hadn't budged.
But now, there it was; a tiny yellow-green bud, poking up through the soil, with another curled up beside it, waiting to unfurl. Lyra stared, fascinated. She even wanted to gently blow on it, hoping it might make a soft jingling sound like a tiny bell. But she stopped herself. This was a rare seed from Sylph's magical box, after all, and she'd rather not risk disturbing it.
After all, there were plenty of flowers and weeds around Cuixiyuan, but nothing quite like this special bellflower.
Lyra had only read about bellflowers in the whimsical tales from the 'Little Witch Series'. According to the stories, these charming blossoms made a delicate, tinkling sound when blown on, like tiny chimes. Witches who enjoyed the lively sounds of nature often planted them around their homes. On the other hand, witches who valued silence, like Vasida's mother; would sooner banish every chime within earshot. As a result, wherever her mother went, wind chimes became an endangered species.
Curiosity piqued, Vasida leaned close, lips pursed, and gave the tiny sprout a gentle puff of air. But nothing happened.
Sylph chuckled, amused. "It's just a baby bud! It needs to bloom first before it can chime. Once it blossoms, I'll share a bunch with you both. You can hang them by your windows, and they'll tinkle in the breeze, capturing the music of the wind."
Vasida looked slightly sheepish, while Lyra nodded, feeling like she'd unlocked a bit of witchy lore. 'New knowledge acquired: √'
Satisfied, Sylph carefully returned her budding bellflower to its windowsill. She turned back, noticing her friends carrying rolls of parchment. "Hey, what's with all the parchment? Do we need it for class today?"
"Lyra's idea!" Vasida answered, grinning. "She figured the walk to the castle is so long, why not work along the way? She's infecting her parchment on the go so she can copy 'The Birth of a Beautiful Cover' faster."
Sylph's eyes lit up at the idea, and she quickly grabbed some parchment. The thought of completing her own cover design sooner was too tempting to resist.
Other little witches along the path took notice and watched with interest. But they quickly realized infecting a whole roll of parchment at once was more advanced magic than most of them could manage.
Lyra overheard their dilemma and called out with a friendly tip. "Just infect small sections at a time! Pull the parchment out a bit more with each step. Once it's all infected, roll it up. You'll have a full set in no time!"
The younger witches' eyes widened at the suggestion. Before long, they'd scattered like a flock of birds, each rushing back to retrieve their own parchment rolls. After all, it was never too early to start preparing blank pages for a beautiful witch book. Who wouldn't want to graduate with a personal library's worth of enchanted notes?
Soon, the mountain path was a procession of witches, each one infecting parchment as they walked.
Overhead, Lilith soared by on her broom, bound for the library. She had plans to copy 'The Birth of an Exquisite Wand' as part of her own cover upgrade project, but the sight below her left her momentarily stunned.
Was she dreaming? First-year witches were lined up in a neat row, infecting parchment as they marched along. She felt a pang of disbelief. 'What happened to leisurely strolls, chasing each other, and morning gossip? Last year, the walk to the castle had been carefree. But these students? They were studying on the move.'
In the midst of it all, she spotted one determined young witch infecting parchment with one hand while reading a book with the other. Lilith couldn't help but shake her head in admiration and a little envy.
A few of the younger witches spotted her flying by and gasped with awe. "Look! It's Senior Lilith! Up and out so early. She's working hard, she's a true witch!"
"We're working hard, too! And Lyra's setting the bar high," another chimed in.
"Yes! We've got to keep pushing ourselves!"
"Absolutely!"
Encouraged by Lilith's fleeting presence, the little witches exchanged determined glances, each feeling renewed in their commitment.
Meanwhile, Lyra looked up briefly from her book before diving back in. Reading 'What is Magic' at bedtime had nearly put her to sleep, but under the fresh morning light, the text was alive with insights she could actually appreciate. With today's theory class covering the basics of magic, this would be the perfect preview.
With so much to keep her busy, the walk seemed to fly by. Before she knew it, they'd reached the castle. Lyra closed her book with a deep breath and glanced at her map, ready for her first class in magic theory. A day full of new discoveries lay ahead.