As everyone gathered in the courtyard, anticipation hung in the air. The teachers and commanders stood left and right while Madame Liana commanded the center stage. She cleared her throat, commanding the attention of all present.

"My esteemed teachers, commanders, and beloved students," Madame Liana began speaking, "Today marks the commencement of a journey that has tested your strength, resolve, and courage. Each of you has endured trials that would have broken lesser souls, yet here you stand, ready to embrace the mantle of knighthood."

Madame Liana looked at the crowd with a warm smile.

"But let us not forget the scars we carry," Madame Liana continued, "For it is through adversity that we forge our greatest strengths. Today, as we embark on the next chapter of our journey, remember that it is not the absence of wounds that defines us, but our ability to rise above them."

The teachers exchanged a serious nod, showing both pride and understanding.

"Unity," Madame Liana raised her fist, "Unity is our greatest strength. Elf, dwarf, human, or halfling, we are bound together by the unbreakable bonds of camaraderie and shared purpose. Together, we stand as guardians of our beloved realm, entrusted to us by the Goddess Ariadne herself.."

As Madame Liana spoke, Cordelia's gaze drifted towards her friends. Daniel was crossing his arms, listening intently, while Sebastian seemed excited. Theodore, however, seemed thoughtful.

"Today," Madame Liana concluded, her eyes ablaze with determination, "Today, we embark on a new chapter in our journey. Let us face the challenges that lie ahead with courage, honor, and unwavering unity. For together, as Dragon Knights, we shall triumph over any obstacle that dares to stand in our way."

With those final words, a surge of determination filled the courtyard, as each knight-in-training stood a little taller, ready to embrace the trials and triumphs that awaited them on their path to glory.

“You may now disperse and talk with your commanders regarding the next steps. If you have any questions or require any advice, the teachers will be waiting for you, until our lessons start.” Madame Liana announced, her voice carrying across the courtyard.

With a shuffle and murmur, the students dispersed, some flocking to their commanders while others lingered near the teachers. Daniel began heading towards Commander Talia and Henric, expecting Cordelia to follow, but suddenly realized Cordelia was remaining rooted on the spot.

“Lia? Aren’t you coming?” he asked curiously.

"I'll catch up. I just need a quick word with Master Lysanthir," Cordelia replied, her gaze already drifting toward the teachers' cluster.

Daniel shrugged and continued on his way.

Cordelia made her way through the crowd, navigating past eager students bombarding Madame Liana with questions until she reached Master Lysanthir. When she finally managed, with a subtle shift of focus, Master Lysanthir redirected his gaze from a student mid-question to her.

Master Lysanthir gave a nod in Cordelia's direction, acknowledging her with warmth in his eyes.

“Faerondal. Can I help you?” he greeted.

“I- I wanted to ask-” Cordelia began, but before she could finish, Master Volrank interjected.

“Ah! Faerondal! Good to see ye, lass! Finally made it to the Field Training, eh?” he said, with both of his hands on his hip, looking in her direction.

Master Volrank served as their alchemy teacher. Since dwarves born with magic in their blood were extremely rare, they had perfected the art of alchemy. While studying the arcane arts wasn’t impossible for the dwarves, it required more work for them to cast a spell compared to their halfling cousins. However, most dwarves didn’t see that as a loss anyway because living underground, surrounded by minerals, honed their alchemy skills over generations. Additionally, their talents at craftsmanship, smithing and fighting required little need for magic in their daily lives.

Cordelia chuckled, “Yes, sir! Finally!”

Master Volrank let out a hearty laugh and slightly tapped on her shoulder, “You’ll do well, lassie. Just believe in yerself and yer gonna be fine!”

Master Thornley fixed his glasses and sniffed with a sour expression, “My dearest colleague, rather than telling her that ‘she'll do great’ offer her some advice, will you? They are coming here for that, after all.”

Master Thornley stood apart as the sole human instructor within the Academy, and the only instructor who was in fact not a Dragon Knight. Formerly a Paladin of Ariadne and a distinguished historian, his scholarly contributions extended far beyond the Academy's walls. Renowned for his meticulous research and insightful writings on Jûran history, his works were revered by scholars and educators worldwide. In fact, Cordelia’s favorite book, The Memoirs of Mindarathis, was written by Master Thornley himself, which detailed his time with the Merfolk. Despite his advanced age, now in his mid-eighties, Master Thornley remained dedicated to his role as an educator, his passion for teaching undiminished by the passage of time.

“Hmm.” Master Volrank pondered, stroking his beard. Then his eyes lit up with a mischievous glint, “Here is a good advice for ye, kill anything in yer way! Ha!”

Master Thornley sighed and shook his head, “That's hardly helpful at all…” Then he looked at Cordelia, “Well, let me offer you some instead. Don’t be reckless out there, unlike what Master Volrank says. Keep an eye on your enemies weaknesses and stick close to your partner. Don’t do any heroics and you’ll be fine, my dear.”

Cordelia nodded respectfully, “Thank you, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”

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Master Thornley smirked looking at Master Volrank, “Now that’s how you do it, old friend.”

Master Volrank shrugged, “Hmph! What he said, I suppose.”

Master Lysanthir redirected the conversation back to Cordelia, “I think you wanted to ask me something, Faerondal?”

Cordelia nodded, “Yes! I…” Cordelia started fidgeting with her fingers out of habit. It made her nervous talking about her summoning issues “If I have to summon Milasadris during a fight and have no time to take the potion, can I still take it when she crosses the Void?”

Master Lysanthir rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “Good question. That potion just strengthens your soul temporarily. If you are already using your soul power for the summoning, I’m not sure how effective the potion can be.” he sighed, “I’m sorry, Cordelia. I’m still researching your condition. All I can tell you is to be absolutely strategic when you summon your dragon. That also includes the preparation part.”

Cordelia took a deep breath and nodded, “Understood. Thank you, Master Lysanthir.”

Master Lysanthir gave her a reassuring smile, “Good luck to you and Brightsteel. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

Cordelia once again politely bowed and turned to join Daniel. Commander Talia and Henric seemed to be waiting for her arrival.

Commander Talia Jelani and Henric Waldron had been Daniel and Cordelia’s mentors since childhood. While Master Lysanthir, Thornley, Volrank, and Madame Liana taught the theory and basics, the commanders took groups of students as their squires to guide them. Commander Talia and Henric were also the ones who rescued Cordelia when her village was attacked by a dragon and brought her to the Blazing Mountains. Over the years, she had developed a close bond with them, especially with Commander Talia, who served as a role model for her. Commander Talia was warm and approachable, her optimistic demeanor and infectious smiles lifting the spirits of those around her, even on their toughest days. Cordelia often found herself eagerly awaiting the end of lessons just to converse with Commander Talia, who rarely declined unless she had pressing duties. Their connection became the closest thing Cordelia had to a mother-daughter relationship. In contrast, Commander Henric was a man of few words, known for his stern exterior. Yet beneath his reserved facade lay a deeply emotional and compassionate soul. Cordelia fondly remembered the heartfelt moment when Daniel gifted him a small soldier toy he had crafted himself, bringing tears to Henric's eyes.

Another noteworthy aspect of their relationship was that Commander Talia and Commander Henric shared a deep love for each other. In the world of knights, while love or marriage wasn't explicitly forbidden, it wasn't actively pursued either. The demanding nature of their duties and the perpetual presence of danger made the prospect of starting a family less appealing. This sentiment was amplified by the fact that the first step upon entering knighthood involved bidding farewell to their families, setting a precedent of separation from personal ties.

As Cordelia approached her little group, Daniel glanced at her while smirking mischievously, “Did you get your fill of reassurances?”

“Yep! I have never felt more reassured in my whole existence.” Cordelia said sarcastically.

Talia crossed her arms and smiled warmly, “You’ve done well this far, Cordelia. Don’t give into your worries now. If you constantly think about failing, you will fail.”

Cordelia shook her head, “I know, Commander. I just…” she took a deep breath, “I’m not scared of failure. I’m more scared of putting you in danger.”

Henric just nodded, his expression with a hint of empathy, “We are coming with you, in case something happens, remember? You’re overthinking, Faerondal.”

Daniel raised his fist eagerly, “We’ll do just fine, Lia! You’ll see!”

Cordelia looked at him with a puzzled expression, “How in the Abyss are you so calm?”

Daniel shrugged with a smile, “I did all of my worrying yesterday evening before bed, while staring at the ceiling. Now I’m a blank slate, ready to take on any monsters.”

Cordelia arched her brow, “Does that also mean you didn’t sleep that well?”

Daniel didn’t answer her question but Cordelia saw right through his optimistic demeanor. He was as nervous as she was, he was just good at masking it.

Eventually the students started to gather around their commanders, signaling the fact that it was time to leave.

“Good luck everyone! When you get back, I hope that we will finally get to see you as knights.” Madame Liana said.

As the commanders and students exited the school grounds, Henric led the way with Talia following closely behind. Approaching the front gates, they spotted a group of horses awaiting them, their saddles and coats shining with the colors of their uniforms. Sebastian and Theodore were already mounted, eagerly waving greetings as their friends arrived. Theodore quietly mouthed, “Good luck,” before they trotted off to join their respective commanders.

Cordelia stood before her assigned horse, a beautiful creature with a glossy blond mane. Her heart raced with excitement as she patted its neck gently. Since the Binding Ritual, leaving the castle grounds had become a routine. They frequently trained and hunted in the fields with their commanders at least twice a week.

But this time was different. It was their first real mission beyond the school grounds, and it wouldn't be a quick outing. Depending on the mission, they could be gone for weeks, possibly longer. Survival in the field was crucial; failure could mean life or death for the entire group. Understandably, nearly every student was on edge with nerves.

“Where are we headed?” Daniel asked.

Talia answered without looking at him, “Our mission is in the Morian forests. The Wood Elves reported some of their people starting to go missing. They suspect there might be a monster den nearby. As you know, if there is a monster den, then there might be a group of Embrals commanding them.”

"Wood Elves?" Daniel furrowed his brow in confusion. "They didn’t ask the elven knights?"

"It's risky," Henric interjected. "Alerting Nyveria will take time."

Talia nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Who knows when the knights will arrive? The situation demands immediate investigation and we're the nearest academy they can reach."

Henric mounted his horse and glanced down at Daniel. "Remember, Brightsteel: Dragon Knights see no race. They only see monsters."

Daniel nodded in silent acknowledgment, mounting his own horse. Cordelia and Talia followed suit, their steeds shifting restlessly beneath them. Cordelia's golden brown horse let out a soft snort as she settled into the saddle.

Talia sighed, eyeing the load strapped behind her. "Gods, I hope we don’t run out of supplies while we're camping out there."

Henric grinned, "Faerondal speaks Wood Elvish, doesn’t she? Maybe she can negotiate a trade with them, just in case."

Cordelia blushed slightly, "I'm not sure if they'll be easily persuaded, but I'll do my best. After all, we're there to assist them. They should understand. Wood Elves can be stubborn, but they're reasonable. I don't think we will face any major issues."

As the group mounted their horses, they began their journey along a long and perilous road. Slowly, they rode off into the distance, disappearing from view as they ventured into the unknown ahead.