Bells rang throughout the hallways and rooms of the dormitories. However thick some walls were, these sounds passed through them like they were made of paper. This phenomenon was thanks to the enchantments of the morning bells. Enchantments were rare and very expensive. Even an enchanted sword could sell for a fortune. But the bigger the object, the more complex the enchantment, the higher the price of course. To be able to enchant something of the size of bells showed just how prestigious this academy was. These bells were ancient to that. No one knew if a headmaster of a few generations ago bought them, or if a few overly enthusiastic professors made them themselves. Only one thing was for sure, and that was that every single bell was a masterpiece. Most sound related enchantments were complex, but one that could manipulate sound at such a large area… if these bells were in the hands of royalty, they would have been declared national treasures for sure. As the bells continued to ring, one door after another opened, letting out students who were seemingly in a hurry. But that was only natural. Besides the quick visit at the canteen, there were still a lot of things to do for most students. Rereading their notes before each lecture was a given, and there were quite a few who also spared some time at the library before going to the lecture building. Depending on how well they did on the exams, on how much they learned during their time here, it wasn't out of the question to secure a high position at the royal army. Even rising in ranks of nobility was a common sight among successful mages. While those were the goals of most starting students, the mindsets of most of their seniors, especially those close to graduation, were focused on magic itself. Studying those powers had something addicting to it, that was for sure. But that addiction surely wasn't limited to the students. The professors were much worse when it came to losing themselves in subjects. Due to that, it wasn't uncommon to see the professors taking a bit longer to get up. Many of them had either studied and translated ancient texts until long past midnight or lost track of time while experimenting on their own projects. Either way, there wasn't a single one among the academy's staff who still had a normal sleep rhythm. But today, late night studies weren't the cause for tiredness of the academy's elite. As the bell tangs slowly became quieter, one last person from the southern dormitory slowly got up. Still half asleep, she walked towards the great mirror in her room. It was big enough to display the image of an average fully grown man. While looking at her reflection, she realized just how tired she was. It hadn't even been an hour since she last laid down.’Damn dark mage. All this extra work because of this sick bastard.’ she mumbled to herself. Was she displeased because she had to stay up that long or because she couldn't spend her time at her study? She probably didn't know the answer to that question herself. ‘Ugh, where did I put it?’ Without moving, she looked around her, as if expecting her room to actually answer. After a few seconds of silence, she finally found the item of her desire standing on a shelf. She took three steps in the direction of her discovery, nearly stumbling, and reached her hand out to the shelf. Between several books, there was a small, light blue potion. She grabbed it carefully so as to not break it. The potion was long and thin, resembling a test tube. It looked simple and had no decorations at all, something which was rare for potions. She tilted her head back and took a big sip. The taste was as bad as always, but she had grown accustomed to it. She felt how her body was filled with energy. She fully regained control over her body and felt how her senses got sharper. ‘Now I am awake! And right on time-’ she noticed that she still hadn't dressed herself. She tossed the rest of the potion on her bed. She was late, very late. As a professor, she couldn't afford to be late for her lectures. What would the headmaster think? She grabbed her clothes as that thought ran through her head. Luckily there wasn't a uniform for teachers, and so no one would care if she just wore something simple. She slammed open her door and sprinted through the hallway of the dormitory. It didn't take her long to reach the staircase. It was a good thing that no students were around anymore. If anyone saw her running down the stairs like that, her image would be ruined. The staircase, like the rest of the building, looked luxurious. Artful decorations adorned the stone walls. Especially the railing looked more like that of a palace. Finally she reached the lowest floor. She knew she could still make it in time. The door of the southern dormitory, which looked more like a giant wooden gate, was still open. Good. Since the gate was heavy it would have cost her too much time to open it. Every second was previous. As she ran outside, it felt like she could fly for a moment. But that moment was short. Gravity took over again, and she nearly fell down the stairs which were right behind the gate. She managed to get back her balance at the last moment, preventing herself from tripping over. But now she did it. The southern dormitory was several hundred meters away from the main building, but now that she was outside, she could use magic without having to worry about her surroundings. She mumbled something again, far too quiet for anyone to understand. Out of nowhere, circles appeared around her. They differed in size, but all of them had some kind of symbols printed on them. It took her exactly three seconds to finish her spell. Suddenly, two great wings appeared behind her. Neither were they attached to her back, nor did they belong to any other being. It was as if they didn't need a main body to function. Melissa smiled. As her feet left the ground, her speed I creased as well. Her field of vision became smaller. While traveling with that kind of speed, she had to concentrate on what was right before her and couldn't bother about the rest of her surroundings. This spell she used was created to fly in the sky, not so close to the ground. But who cared about that now? If the world hadn't wanted her to use the spell like this, it shouldn't have given her such talent! At least that was her opinion. As she rushed towards her destination, she passed a great garden and several smaller buildings. The front gate of this academy was in the south, right beside her dormitory. So of course, all the pretty parks and gardens were also in the south of the school grounds, so that they could be seen by outsiders. ‘This golden street is the face of our academy. It is our duty to show off what we have!’ were the words of the headmaster. With golden street, he referred to the path from the main gate to the main building. He was always interested in increasing the prestige of this academy, and this was one of the ways he could think of. She never dared to mention how senseless all of that was. After all, they were already the most famous academy in the east of the kingdom of Karvoc. But who would actually speak up to him when it came to school matters? No one was that dumb. And so this road was decorated by all the academy had to offer. She passed the ‘Dame’. This country's ace and this academy's pride. Named after its father, Duke von Dame, this building was one of the greatest potion factories of the continent. For the split of a second, she could feel the great aura this place gave of. Hundreds of genius alchemists had studied here, tens of great potions had been produced. She had always asked herself why this building was built like it was. Unlike most other buildings around here, it was round. But that didn't matter right now. She left the Dame behind her and arrived at the main building. She slowed down and came to a stop, just ten Meters before the entrance. As she looked around her for a moment, she could still see a few students that were just as late as her. They had probably misjudged the time and spent too much time at the library. As she came closer, her suspicions proved to be correct- first years. It was common among the youngest students to be late. But no one made that mistake twice. It was seen as greatly disrespectful towards the professors to be late. Another reason she had to hurry… How often had she punished students after being late? It would damage her pride to make the same mistake. She entered the hallway. Many doors presented themselves in front of her, with many lecture rooms behind them. But which one was the right one? Her running came to a standstill. After a moment of thinking, she remembered. ‘Room 1-1-D!’ Luckily, it was pretty near. Although the names sounded pretty random, they were named after a system. The first number showed the floor, I'm this case floor one. The second one showed the section, in this case elemental foundations - 1. The letter at the end was just like a number for the room. She arrived at the door. She could hear the students on the other side. This was perfect, she made it in time. As she opened the door, the room immediately became quiet. She walked toward her pult. After she arrived, she took a good look at her course. These first years would see her on a daily basis for the next two semesters, at least if they didn't quit half way. Unlike some other lecture topics, basic elemental foundations wasn't a volunteering section. Everyone had to take it for their first two semesters. Why did she have to teach this? Every professor focused on a certain subject. For her, that was fire attribute attack magic. But since the basics also had to be reached to the younger ones, there were teachers who were unlucky enough to be chosen for this task. This time, she was one of them. But she didn't have time for any of this. Not now that a black mage had appeared on school grounds. She may was young, but her attack power was exceptional. She was sure to be chosen for the investigation force! The headmaster had called every professor in for a meeting after the morning lectures. But first, she had to finish this. As she stood before the students, she made up her mind as to how to start this semester. She was confident, even though she hated this task, she would complete it to perfection. The room was filled with enthusiasm as she spoke the words ‘Have you finished the assessment about elemental magic circles I gave you last week?’

Stolen novel; please report.