The grand gates of Lunethra Academy loomed before them, their crystalline archways stretching impossibly high into the azure sky. Ancient runes pulsed with gentle light along the metalwork, creating patterns that seemed to shift and dance with each passing moment. The gates themselves were masterpieces of dwarven craftsmanship and elven enchantment—a testament to the cooperation between races that had made the academy legendary.
"We made it," Eris breathed, her earlier irritation forgotten as she took in the magnificent sight. "And with ten minutes to spare."
Aiden nodded, equally impressed by the spectacle before them. The courtyard beyond the gates was already filling with new students, creating a vibrant tapestry of diverse races and cultures. Tall, graceful elves with their characteristic pointed ears moved with fluid grace, their traditional robes adorned with living vines and shimmering enchantments. Sturdy dwarves, their beards intricately braided and decorated with precious stones, gathered in small groups, their booming laughter carrying across the grounds.
A group of beast-folk students caught Aiden's attention—a tiger-clan warrior whose fur gleamed like burnished gold stood next to a petite rabbit-folk girl, her long ears twitching occasionally as she listened intently to their conversation. Nearby, a wolf-clan student helped a shorter dwarf arrange some fallen books, their unlikely friendship already forming on their first day.
"It's exactly as the pamphlets described," Eris mused as they joined the flow of students moving through the gates. "A true melting pot of cultures and races."
"Though they left out how overwhelming it would feel," Aiden added, watching as a tall draconic student—humanoid with distinct dragon-like features—ducked to avoid hitting their horns on a lower archway.
"Now that we're here, where are we supposed to go next?"
"It just says that the new students have to reach the front of the school. Nothing else."
LOOK OUT BELOW!
A loud voice echoed from above them, causing the students to glance up toward the sky.
Wondering if somehow another unlucky airship has exploded and is heading toward their way, the two glance toward the sky, followed by other students who also wonder what the source of the sound is.
Flying, or rather, falling toward them at high speed, is the figure of a man, plummeting through the air with all the grace of a falling boulder. His long black coat billowed dramatically behind him as he descended, and despite the perilous situation, his expression seemed unnaturally calm.
"Should we—" Eris began, raising her hands to cast another levitation spell.
"Wait," Aiden interrupted, noting something odd about the falling figure. The man's descent, while rapid, had a controlled quality to it. The air around him shimmered with a faint magical signature.
Just before impact, the man's fall suddenly slowed. He landed in the middle of the courtyard with a theatrical flourish, his coat settling around him like dark wings. Standing up straight, he revealed himself to be tall and lean, with sharp features and penetrating golden eyes that seemed to glow with inner fire.
"Welcome, welcome!" he announced, his voice carrying across the courtyard without any apparent magical enhancement. "I see my entrance got your attention. Excellent! Always remember, young mages—" he paused for effect, scanning the crowd with those unsettling eyes, "—the most important skill you'll learn here is how to make an entrance."
A collective groan rose from the older students watching from the sidelines, suggesting this was not an uncommon occurrence.
"Professor Drahem," a stern voice called out. An elf emerged from the crowd, her silver robes marking her as part of the faculty. "Must you traumatize the new students before orientation even begins?"
"Ah, Professor Slo! Just teaching them their first lesson about expecting the unexpected." Professor Drahem grinned, revealing teeth that seemed a touch too sharp to be entirely human. "Besides, what better way to demonstrate practical applications of air manipulation magic?"
Eris leaned closer to Aiden. "Is he... actually, a professor here?"
"Unfortunately, yes," a soft voice answered from beside them. They turned to find a young elf with midnight-blue hair and silver eyes regarding them with amusement. "That's Professor Raziel Drahem, head of the knight major. He does this every year. Well, every year, he got assigned to look over the newcomer anyway."
"I'm Lyra shallow," she continued, offering a slight bow. "Third-year student. And you're the two who helped with the airship incident this morning, aren't you?"
Before either could respond, Professor Drahem's voice boomed across the courtyard again. "Now then! All first-years gather 'round. Time for your first test!"
A worried murmur spread through the crowd of new students.
"Test?" someone squeaked. "But we haven't even started classes yet!"
"The best lessons," Drahem declared, "are the ones you don't expect." With a flourish of his hand, he produced a small crystal sphere that pulsed with swirling colors. "This little beauty will guide you to the main hall... probably. All you have to do is follow it!"
He tossed the sphere high into the air. Instead of falling back down, it split into dozens of identical orbs, each shooting off in different directions.
"But remember," he added with a mischievous glint in his eye, "only one is real. The rest are illusions that will lead you... elsewhere. You have thirty minutes to find the main hall. Good luck!"
With that, he vanished in a swirl of his coat while laughing heartily, leaving behind a crowd of bewildered first-years.
Professor Slo coughed a few times to get the first-year attention. "As you've heard, the first year will be searching for the main hall by using the crystal sphere as a guide.
"Those who fail to reach the main hall within the time limit will be considered to have failed and will be expelled from the school, effective immediately," Professor Slo announced, her stern voice cutting through the shocked silence that followed. Her silver robes rustled in the morning breeze as she adjusted her wire-rimmed spectacles. "This is the first test of your aptitude as a potential student of Lunethra Academy. Time management and critical thinking are essential skills for any mage."
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"But we're knights!" a muscular human student called out from the crowd. "Isn't this test better suited for those taking sorcery classes?"
"Yeah!" Several other students joined in, their voices rising in agreement.
The murmurs of protest were instantly silenced by Professor Slo's piercing glare. The womanly elf's eyes swept across the crowd with an intensity that seemed to pierce right through their objections.
"So you're suggesting," she began, her voice carrying a dangerous edge, "that just because you've chosen the path of a knight, learning magic is beneath you?"
The silence that followed was deafening. Even the wind seemed to still, as if nature itself was holding its breath.
"Allow me to remind you all," she continued, each word precisely measured, "that Lunethra Academy stands as one of, if not the most prestigious magical institution on this continent. Your acceptance here wasn't granted on a whim—it was earned because each of you demonstrated the potential to strive for excellence beyond the ordinary."
She adjusted her wire-rimmed spectacles, the morning light catching them in a way that made them gleam ominously. "If you find yourself complaining about something as fundamental as this test, then perhaps you should reconsider your place here before you bring embarrassment upon yourself. This applies equally to those planning to major in sorcery, summoning, or magical engineering."
Her voice softened slightly, though she lost none of its authority. "While we don't force students to major in every discipline, mastering the fundamentals is non-negotiable. This is what it means to be a Lunethra student. That will be all."
With quiet dignity, Professor Slo stepped down from the raised platform, leaving behind a thoroughly chastened crowd of first-years. The only sound was the gentle rustling of her silver robes as she moved, and the distant chiming of the academy's enchanted bells marking the passing of time.
The courtyard immediately erupted into chaos. Students began frantically chasing after the various spheres, their footsteps echoing across the stone pathways. Some tried to work together, while others ran off alone, determined to find the correct path.
"Thirty minutes to find the main hall or face expulsion?" Eris muttered, her eyes narrowing. "That seems rather extreme for the first day."
Aiden watched the panicking crowd with a calculating gaze. "Maybe that's part of the test, too. Look how everyone's rushing around without thinking."
"Is that why you're just standing here instead of following one of the spheres?" Lyra asked, still lingering beside them. Her silver eyes held a knowing glint.
"Don't the third year also have their own orientation?" Aiden asks, wondering why she's still here.
"Quite a rude junior, aren't you? We do have stuff to attend after this, but it will be a while until then. Do you want help from this lovely senior of yours?"
"Sorry, that came out wrong," Aiden apologized, realizing his tone had been unnecessarily sharp. "Thanks for your offer, but I think we can handle ourselves."
Lyra looked at the two for a few seconds before turning her head the other way.
"Then be sure to pass, alright? I have high expectations for both of you." Lyra bids them farewell and disappears among the crowd, leaving the two siblings to stand there.
"Quite a character, isn't she? I thought elves were supposed to be kind and gracious. Well, she seems kind but still..."
"Ah." Eris suddenly exclaimed.
"What's wrong?"
"We forgot to ask how she knew about the airship."
"Right. We got so immersed that we forgot about it. Let's ask her when we meet again."
Without any worry on their mind, the two follow the path that one of the crystals left behind.
----------------------------------------
The journey to the main hall proved surprisingly short—at least for those who knew where they were going. By the time Eris and Aiden arrived, a handful of students had already found their seats among the grand hall's opulent décor. The room was as breathtaking as the gates, with towering stained-glass windows depicting legendary mages and heroes of Lunethra's past. Rays of sunlight filtered through the intricate designs, casting colorful patterns onto the polished marble floor. Chandeliers floated lazily in the air, their candles flickering despite the lack of any discernible breeze.
Eris and Aiden stepped cautiously into the hall, their eyes scanning the rows of ornate seats that filled the room. At the far end of the hall, a raised dais held a podium flanked by faculty members, each dressed in robes that represented their respective disciplines. Behind them, an enormous banner with the Lunethra crest—a phoenix encircled by intertwining runes—hung proudly.
"Looks like we made it in time," Eris remarked, taking note of the clock enchanted above the podium. Only a few minutes had passed since they had entered the courtyard.
Aiden nodded, his gaze settling on the few students already seated. Most appeared calm, though a few were visibly relieved to have completed the test. Among them, he spotted the tiger-clan warrior and rabbit-folk girl they had seen earlier, sitting side by side and chatting animatedly.
Standing next to the podium were Professor Drahem, Professor Slo, and two unfamiliar faces: a male dwarf with a precisely trimmed brown beard and a petite woman wearing wire-rimmed glasses.
(Seems like we'll meet those four a lot from now on.)
The enchanted bells rang again, their melodic chime signaling the official start of the ceremony. The remaining students hurried in, filling the rows as the last few seconds ticked by.
"No! Wait!"
"Someone hold the door!"
The desperate cries of the remaining students were silenced as the massive doors were sealed shut with a resounding thud.
Professor Slo approached the podium with measured steps. "For those of you present, congratulations. You have proven yourselves worthy of attending Lunethra Academy." She gestured to the two unknown professors. "Allow me to introduce the remaining faculty who will be teaching the first-year summoning and magical engineering classes."
"First is Professor Ariana, who will be teaching Summoning." A friendly wave from the bespectacled woman.
"Next is Professor Strum, who will be teaching Magical Engineering." The dwarf raised his hand in acknowledgment.
Polite applause followed each introduction.
"And last but not least," Professor Slo continued, as a spotlight magically illuminated the side entrance, "Headmaster Tyrene Colem."
The students waited with bated breath, eager to see the legendary principal who led the most prestigious magical academy on the continent.
"....."
Seconds ticked by.
"......."
More seconds ticked by.
".........?"
A full minute passed in awkward silence.
"Headmaster?" Professor Slo's voice carried a hint of exasperation that suggested this wasn't the first time this had happened.
With a long-suffering sigh, she glanced at Professor Ariana, who disappeared behind the stage only to return moments later... carrying what appeared to be a small, gray-haired child in her arms.
Professor Drahem's barely contained laughter echoed through the hall while Professor Slo pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering something suspiciously like "not again."
"Ahem," Professor Slo cleared her throat. "Let me introduce you again. This is Tyrene Colem, Headmaster of Lunethra Academy. Despite appearances, she is indeed a full-fledged adult, so please refrain from mistaking her for a lost child."
Professor Ariana gently set the tiny headmaster behind the podium, where she promptly yawned and rubbed her eyes like someone who had just been rudely awakened from a particularly pleasant nap.
After some gentle prodding and what appeared to be a subtle elbow nudge from Professor Slo, Headmaster Tyrene finally opened her eyes and addressed the crowd.
"Mm? Oh, right. Welcome, everyone!" She brightened momentarily before her eyes started to droop again. "Hope you find the next four years entertaining. Study hard, sleep harder—that's my motto. Make friends, eat your vegetables, and don't forget to write home to your parents. Is that everything? I think that's everything. Class dismissed!"
Before anyone could react, she disappeared in a puff of sparkly smoke, leaving behind what looked suspiciously like a teddy bear in her place.
The entire hall fell into a silence so profound that you could hear someone's hope for a normal school year shattering in the distance.
"...That concludes our entrance ceremony," Professor Slo announced, looking like she had aged ten years in the past ten minutes. "Please proceed to the exit where the dorm managers will guide you to your accommodations."
As the students filed out, a single thought united them all, regardless of race, class, or magical affinity:
[We're doomed, aren't we? Our headmaster is literally a sleeping child who just quoted a breakfast cereal commercial in her welcome speech...]
[Wait, did she just trade places with a teddy bear?]
[Is it too late to transfer to the Warrior's Guild?]
[Mom was right. I should have become a baker...]
The sound of Professor Drahem's uncontrollable laughter followed them all the way to the dormitories, while Professor Slo could be heard in the background requesting a very strong cup of coffee—or perhaps something stronger.