Magic is something ethereal, miraculous, and incredibly mysterious, known as something that does not exist. But here, on the continent of Nytheria, where magic appears everywhere, it resides in trees, in the air, and even in inanimate objects - referred to as Arelex. It also exists within the bodies of humans, and those who possess magic are called sorcerers.
In the kingdom of Anthony, a war for the throne is underway. The leader of the rebellion is Captain Rose Soraiza, who is confronting the king of this kingdom, Ernest Anthony. The scene around is filled with blood and dense smoke. The screams and cries of the people echo everywhere. Light cannot penetrate the layers of dark clouds, and darkness almost envelops this place. This is a stain in the history of this kingdom; it has brought sorrow and fear into the hearts of the people.
Four years after the war, in a town called Eldergrove, under the bright sunlight, crowds bustle through the market. Vendors and buyers chat cheerfully. In the midst of this, a girl rushes through the crowd, calling out loudly:
"Make way, make way, please everyone step aside."
People at the stalls turn to look at her, and a few have moved aside as she requested. They see that she has various strange plants in her hands that emit a dreadful smell. A few familiar faces greet her, and she quickly responds with a bright smile.
Her name is Lysanna, a sorceress, or more accurately, a sorceress specializing in healing magic. She is now fifteen years old and has reached adulthood. What Lysanna holds in her hands are several types of herbs she has just found. They are bright red and resemble radishes, but their smell is extremely nauseating; just smelling them is enough to make one feel sick. However, they can be used to make medicine, so Lysanna is trying her best to hold her breath and run home quickly to process them.
Lysanna runs for a while and turns into a gravel and flower-lined alley. At the end of the alley is her house. It is a small house with a garden full of plants. Here, a few children without parents or who have been abandoned are taken in by the owner. The one who takes care of them is not her, but Nemo Redbeard, who was once a knight of the kingdom but has decided to retire due to his old age. Nemo is also the owner of this house.
Lysanna stops at the door, panting heavily. A handsome young man approaches her, Fergus - her best friend, with golden hair, a round face, always smiling when he sees her, and very kind too; he is two years older than her.
Lysanna has lived here since her parents passed away when she was eleven. Her real home is in the east of the kingdom of Anthony, a large estate managed by her father. However, after her father's death, they confiscated everything, so she has no home to return to, and now she lives here.
Lysanna's father was a well-known healing sorcerer in the kingdom, named Roger Stallone, and her mother was also a healing sorceress named Naela Stallone. They gave birth to her, and her full name is Lysanna Stallone; she also belongs to a noble lineage and can be considered one of the most powerful families in the kingdom. But certainly, everyone would wonder why someone from a noble family like hers is here, as it is a rather long story. Lysanna's identity has been kept secret since her birth. Only those close to her know this secret, like Uncle Nemo and Brother Jethro.
Lysanna is in her room, studying new types of potions. Many different bottles appear on the table, emitting unpleasant smells. She tries to endure it and carefully drips colored liquids into a jar. The colors blend, and gradually a light begins to emerge, followed by an explosion. She has failed once again. Frustrated, Lysanna grabs a pillow from her bed and hits it hard, wanting to vent her anger.
A child appears at the door, knocking loudly.
"Sister Lysanna, hurry down for lunch."
Hearing about lunch, Lysanna quickly opens the door and runs straight down to the kitchen, surprising the little boy.
In the kitchen, Lysanna sees that lunch is already prepared. She calls out loudly:
"Everyone, come eat!"
Upon hearing her call, everyone immediately stops what they're doing and heads to the table for lunch.
The lunch for everyone is quite simple, just vegetables and fish, but for them, these are delicious dishes. Although it is not extravagant or luxurious, everyone enjoys their meal very much. They eat while laughing and happily chatting.
After lunch, Fergus brought out some pastries he had made. The smell of the flour mixed with the aroma of milk made everyone unable to resist grabbing a piece to enjoy. After a while, there was only one pastry left on the table, and Lysanna quickly seized it. Tina – the child who had called her down for lunch earlier, not getting the pastry, exclaimed loudly.
"That pastry, I had my eye on it first. Why did you take it? Give it back."
A sly smile appeared on Lysanna's face, her expression filled with provocation.
"Don't dream, I took it first, so it's mine."
Saying that, Lysanna took a bite in front of Tina's anger. Unable to do anything, Tina sat down and drank a glass of water next to her in frustration.
Seeing Tina's pitiful demeanor, Nemo spoke up reproachingly.
"Lysanna, you're grown up now, why do you still like to compete with children?"
"Lysanna, what you're doing isn't right," Fergus added.
Lysanna felt guilty about her previous action. She approached Tina and offered the pastry in her hand.
"Here. You can have it, I haven't touched it yet."
Tina whimpered and looked at Lysanna, her eyes already red.
"But I saw you earlier..."
"It was just an illusion I created. Don't worry."
Lysanna explained her previous actions. She had created an illusion in everyone's eyes, making them see that situation. She did it mainly to tease Tina, but did not expect the boy to be so sad.
After hearing Lysanna's explanation, Tina happily accepted the pastry and ate it deliciously. Nemo and Fergus also breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone chuckled at the recent event.
The work of those here was to forge iron. They often forged agricultural tools for farmers. Nemo was the owner of this blacksmith shop. He had hired three blacksmiths to work with him, and they also lived here. They sat to the left of Nemo, and their names were Arthur, Hugh, and Robin. All three were muscular and had darkened skin, as they always worked in high temperatures, which had altered their complexion. Fergus had only recently moved here and was working part-time.
After lunch, Lysanna returned to her room and continued her research on herbal medicines. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at a piece of paper on the table. She sighed and then went back to work. That paper contained an admission notice for the Royal Academy.
A few days ago, Uncle Nemo had given that paper to Lysanna and said:
"You should enroll here." Lysanna's face showed confusion. Nemo continued, "Although you're a genius, your abilities are still limited. I think you should enroll and further study your powers."
Lysanna said nothing, just stared at the admission paper. Nemo was unaware of her true powers as well as the Stallone family.
Lysanna smiled and exclaimed:
"Why should I go there? I'm strong and can research everything myself, so I don't want to do this."
Nemo covered his ears with his hands, grimacing at Lysanna.
"Don't shout, calm down."
"If you don't explain clearly, how can I stay calm?"
Nemo sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Alright, I'll be clear. You are a genius; everyone knows that, but now that you are grown, you need to socialize more, don't bury yourself in research every day. Look at you, at your age, not a single guy dares to get close to you."
"Who told you that? There's Fergus and Jethro. They talk to me all the time."
"Is there anyone else besides those two?"
Hearing that, Lysanna couldn't say anything more because it was too true.
"This is your chance. You can make friends with everyone at the Royal Academy."
"But..."
Lysanna was still hesitant about enrolling and seemed to be troubled. However, Nemo said something that motivated her.
"Don't you want to find out about your parents' death? They passed away in the royal palace; if you want to learn more, you must go there. Right now, if you keep isolating yourself in your room, how will you find out?"
Upon hearing that, a somber expression crossed Lysanna's face. She wanted to learn about her parents' death but didn't have too many clues about them. The only place where they had passed was the royal palace.
"You are right. I've delayed it for too long."
Lysanna took the admission notice from Nemo and read the information on it. He smiled mysteriously and said:
"If you do well, you might enter Heaven's Art and learn much more about your parents."
Hearing that strange name, Lysanna wanted to ask, but Nemo had already left.
That evening, Lysanna packed her clothes and prepared the necessary items for enrollment. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door; Lysanna walked over to open it. The person who appeared was Fergus.
"What is it, Fergus?"
Fergus hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"Do you really want to go there?"
"Yes. I want to enhance my magic and learn about my parents' death. They passed away where I should go to investigate."
Lysanna looked at Fergus's sad demeanor and quickly patted him on the shoulder, saying:
"Hang in there. If we succeed, we can meet there."
Fergus's spirits lifted immediately. He nodded and said:
"That's right. You and I will meet again, and then we can..." At this point, Fergus turned his back and continued. "You have to succeed too, Lysanna."
"You too. But I have to tell you, be careful with Uncle Nemo."
"You think I've been here for so long and I still need a reminder? I'll be careful. Good night, Lysanna."
"You too."
After saying that, Fergus went downstairs and returned to his room. Lysanna closed the door and continued to tidy up everything.
The next morning, Lysanna said goodbye to everyone, and Fergus helped her carry her luggage to the carriage waiting at the gate. The two stopped in front of the gate, and Lysanna bid farewell to Fergus. She took her luggage from him and got onto the carriage heading to the royal palace.
Arriving at the palace gate, Lysanna got off the carriage and slowly walked closer to the gate. She intended to just pass through, but two swords blocked her way. Not understanding what was happening, she asked:
"Hello, I want to go inside, so could you please move aside?"
The two gatekeepers responded in unison:
"No."
"Why can't I enter?"
The gatekeeper on the left looked at her luggage along with the admission paper and spoke up.
"You are the one who wants to enroll in the Royal Academy, right?"
"That's right," Lysanna quickly replied.
"Then you need to go that way."
With that, the gatekeeper pointed towards a small gate where a long line of people was standing. Lysanna still didn't understand what was going on, and the gatekeeper on the right spoke up.
"If you want to enroll, you must pass the entrance exam."
Lysanna understood what was happening; to enroll, she needed to pass the test set by the academy, intended to select the most talented individuals.
Lysanna's face changed, a look of discomfort appearing, as no one in her household had informed her about this. Looking at the back of the admission paper, a line read: "An entrance exam will take place." Lysanna hadn't noticed this before, and now she had to be careful to successfully complete the exam if she didn't want to stop everything here.
Lysanna walked to stand in line with the others. After a while, it was her turn. A man appeared before her. He raised his hand to the sky, dark clouds appeared, and a lightning bolt struck down. Lysanna quickly created a protective circle around herself. A loud noise rang out, and after the smoke cleared, she stood firm with the protective circle intact and without a crack. The man nodded and ordered the gate to be opened. Lysanna had passed the entrance exam.
The door slowly opened, revealing a beautiful scene. The campus was filled with many people and had incredibly elegant furnishings. In the middle of the courtyard was a large globe filled with water that shot streams of water every couple of minutes.
Lysanna entered the academy gates, where her parents once lived and worked. For others, this place was wonderful, but for her, it was different; it reminded her of her family's memories.
Lysanna followed the map on the admission paper to a desk where many students were queuing. This was where information about the dormitory and classes provided by the academy was received.
After a while, Lysanna received a paper notifying her of her class and room assignment. The paper only listed her name as Lysanna, with no mention of a surname. According to the notification, she was to go to room 27. Lysanna followed the directions on the paper and entered a building.
Standing in front of room 27, she opened the door and walked in. Inside was a girl with red hair, a few freckles on her face, dressed similarly to other girls, slender and slightly shorter than Lysanna. As Lysanna entered and closed the door, the girl noticed her presence and quickly approached. She reached out her hand and introduced herself.
"Hello, we seem to be roommates, right? My name is Emma, and what about you?"
Lysanna hesitated for a moment before taking Emma's hand and cheerfully saying:
"Nice to meet you, Emma. My name is Lysanna, and I hope you can help me."
Emma took Lysanna's hand with both of hers and smiled brightly. Afterward, Emma helped Lysanna carry her luggage and organize it in the wardrobe. Once everything was in order, Emma pulled Lysanna to the bed, and they started chatting.
"Lysanna, which magic system do you belong to?"
Upon hearing this, Lysanna didn't understand Emma's meaning as it was the first time she had heard of it.
"Magic system? What is that?"
You don't know what a magic system is? I can't believe it, there's someone studying at this academy who doesn't know what a magic system is. Let me explain it to you. The magic system is the attribute of magic that a mage possesses, and it depends on each person, and especially it can be inherited by future generations. For example, I am a mage of magical tools. There are a total of four magic systems: magical tools, linguistic arts, combat magic, and of course, the essential one is healing magic. Combat magic can be said to be the most special; those who possess this magic can use it to attack and also heal themselves, although it's not perfect like healing mages, but in battle, it's better than nothing. There are many other magic systems, but those four are the main ones. No matter which system you belong to, you can use different energies. As I mentioned earlier, has it occurred to you what system you belong to?
Well... I didn't quite understand what you said, but I'm just an ordinary healing mage; before coming here, I often healed those around me.
Emma expressed surprise.
"What? You're amazing; I see you're not an ordinary person."
"What do you mean not an ordinary person? Are you exaggerating?"
Lysanna felt a little shy, and Emma's expression began to change.
"Then you don't know. Healing magic is very rarely mastered; those who master this magic are either geniuses or have inherited it from their parents or relatives who share blood ties with the healing magic user. And those people are usually nobles. You, being an ordinary person, possessing this ability means I have to acknowledge you're truly a genius."
"I didn't expect that; is healing magic so rare?"
"Not exactly; anyone can use healing magic, but not everyone understands it clearly. The number of people who become healing mages is quite high, but very few meet the requirements. After a while, they may feel discouraged and switch to another magic system. But you know, if you really excel in healing magic, you might be able to get into Heavenly Garb. It is the dream of many mages."
Lysanna was very surprised to hear this information, especially about Heavenly Garb. She had heard Uncle Nemo mention it, but she still didn't understand it clearly.
"Heavenly Garb? What is that?"
"You don't know about Heavenly Garb?"
Lysanna shook her head to indicate she didn't understand. Emma continued speaking.
"Heavenly Garb is where the top mages of the kingdom gather. They are very strong and can use all four magic systems. Ordinary mages typically use long-range attack magic, but with Heavenly Garb, it's different. They will be the ones present on the battlefield, fighting alongside the Holy Knights."
"I can't believe it. Is Heavenly Garb that powerful?"
"That's right; that's why it's the dream of many. But very few can achieve it. Do you understand why healing mages are always prioritized for getting into Heavenly Garb now? They just need to learn how to use the other magics to be admitted."
"Really? Sounds amazing! Thank you for this information; it really helps me a lot."
"You're welcome; we're friends after all."
Hearing that, Lysanna felt very happy. Because she had very few friends, you could say she almost had none, except for Fergus and Jethro. However, they were both boys, making it difficult to share intimate matters. Now, Lysanna has gained a new friend, hoping she can make more friends in the future.
The next morning was the opening ceremony, Lysanna and Emma had changed into their student uniforms and headed to the academy's auditorium. The person standing at the podium was the head of the healing magic department and also the principal of the academy – Mrs. Oriana Goldberg – the wife of Duke Farley Goldberg. She possessed great power and was a staunch supporter of the current king – Louis Anthony. It could be said that she and the Goldberg family were very loyal to the royal family. The previous king and Louis were perfect examples.
A total of eighty-six students were participating in the academy this year, but among them, only seventeen were children of the nobility, excluding Lysanna. All the others could be commoners, the children of merchants, or many other social classes. Although their status was not high, those people were not ordinary; they were all individuals with significant experience in magic and their magical systems. Most of them came from families with a tradition of magic or were young talents in need of training. In general, they were very skilled, and none of them were ordinary.
After the speech ended, each person was assigned to their respective classes. Fortunately, Lysanna and Emma were in the same class. They were assigned to Class A.
Both opened the door and noticed that there were already many students in the room. Lysanna cheerfully greeted everyone, but no one paid attention to her. Emma patted her on the shoulder, and the two quietly looked for a place to sit and observed everyone in the class.
The students in the class were divided into small groups chatting with each other, and it was possible to discern their social classes through their conversations. In the class, there were only four people from the nobility, while the rest could be commoners or the descendants of someone significant.