I slowly open my eyes to a ray of sunlight, threatening to burn my corneas. A sigh escapes my lips as I raise an arm to shield my eyeballs. I sit up and try to get my thoughts in order. Today is the first day of school.

I let a smile creep onto my face. Today is the first day of my four years in Liken Academy, the best, and only, school of battle magic in Raekoft. Like the rest of the planet, Raekoft is a kingdom that depends on its magical ability. However, Raekoft is known for its excellent magical ability, with Liken Academy as its crown jewel.

Named after the infamous war general, Liken Aran, Liken Academy is a massive school in the heart of the city for those gifted in battle magic.

Six years of odd jobs and a sizeable chunk of my parent's savings allowed me to be as 'gifted' as the rest of the students.  Due to the Academy's steep entry price, the Raekol accompanies a majority of its classrooms, the people's name for Raekoft's upper class. Any commoners ambitious enough to enter usually drop out due to the sheer gap in skill.

I'm not planning to be another one.

I stretch my arms and swiftly get off the bed. Liken Academy is rooted in the capital, which means, I don't have time to waste. I hurriedly took a shower and changed into the Liken school uniform. It's an extremely comfortable uniform that also strangely has incredible flexibility despite it being an exact fit. The standard male uniform consists of black pants, a plain black shirt, a grey vest, and a black blazer with black and gold stripes twirling down its sleeves.

I guess it's supposed to represent magic, but I just think the sudden bright colours in a mostly dull backdrop looks incredible. An orange armband completes the set, a representation of me being in the first year.

All these items have the school logo, a silhouette of Liken himself with a sword raised, on them. Brand recognition is essential in a world where everything is just as amazing as everything else.

I take a moment to look at myself in the mirror. My naturally tanned face, brown eyes, snub nose and big lips seem even shabbier than ever before when paired with the high-class uniform. I quickly shape my jet black hair into a smooth wave, grabbed my small luggage bag along with my backpack and went down the stairs to greet my parents.

Studying at Liken also meant living at Liken. Today would be the last day I see my parents before the next major holiday, which is at the end of a six month semester. I have many things to say, of course. If it were not for them, I would have never gotten the chance-

"Ritz! Quickly get in here and eat your breakfast or you'll be late!"

I rush in the direction of my mother's voice and see her and my father sitting at the dinner table in our kitchen. Our house is relatively small despite having two levels and a cramped backyard.

I  sit at the table and practically inhale the modest breakfast of bread and chunks of meat in gravy. I think I'll miss home-cooked food the most.

"You ready for your first day at Liken?" my mother asks with a smile on her face.

I give a quick nod before returning my attention to the food.

"Be careful, okay? You know how the Raekol will react if you get in their business."

"I'll be fine" I assure my mother.

My mother opens her mouth to continue the conversation only to be cut off by my father with his obligatory "Don't talk with your mouth full, Ritz."

I still end up smiling at his warning.

"You better do well at the Academy, it'll be good for the business."

My mother rolls her eyes and suddenly grips my father's wrist. He winces in pain from the fire in my mother's palms which earns a snicker from me.

"Please remember to do well for yourself. I don't like the idea of my son growing up with an obligation to fight others, but I know it will be a better life than anything we can give you" my mother says with a sad smile.

I involuntarily sigh at my mother's despairing proclamation.

My parents work as blacksmiths. They have a shop at the edge of town that sells weapons and armour to daring adventurers or people who want the safety of a sharp piece of metal at their side. My father is a tall, muscular man with a thin layer of hair on his head and big brown eyes. My mother is also tall and muscular, a result of her work as a blacksmith. She was beautiful in her own right, with short brown hair, snub nose and big eyes at a warm shade of red.

My father was born with an affinity for Earth magic. My mother was gifted with the skills of fire magic.

She melts the metal while he shapes it.

They were the perfect pair.

"There is no need to worry mum; I already took enough from the family."

I try my best to give a reassuring smile which my mother expertly reciprocates. I could still see the worry in her eyes, so I decide to change the subject.

"Speaking of family, where's Reila?"

"Your sister is still asleep. I know you're late but can you wake her up? Don't forget to say goodbye."

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I stand up without complaint and head to my sister's room. My sister was born an unnaturally high affinity to water magic. More specifically, ice magic. She could be an incredible asset to Raekoft as a peacekeeper or even as a soldier. She also has the temper for it. But of course,  we just don't have the funds for it.

If I made it to the third year; when I make it to the third year, I could vouch for her to enter. I know she would immediately take it.

I open the door to my sister's room and slowly make my way to her sleeping form on the bed. I gently shake her. She responds with a cute murmur before suddenly sitting up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Rit?"

"Reila, I'm about to leave for school."

Reila's eyes suddenly snapped open.

"You're leaving already?!"

"Yeah, I wanna say goodbye before I go."

"Oh..."

A few moments of awkward silence pass with the two of us just looking at each other before I pull Reila in for a hug.

"Take care of yourself Reila."

"Of course, I'm not like you."

Her tone was playful and defiant, but her face was buried in my shoulder, and I could hear her sniffles due to our proximity. I gently stroke her hair for a while before she pulls away.

"Wait, what time is it!? Hurry up! You're going to be late!"

I grin and ruffle Reila's hair, earning me a scowl. I left the room to find the front door already open and my luggage bag outside. My parents were waiting outside by the luggage bag. I walk out the door and immediately hug my mother. She wraps me in a tight hug of her own before my father joins in, wrapping his muscular arms around both of us. We pull away before my father suddenly pulls out a small, circular piece of metal from his pocket.

"Here, don't forget us while you live your life there," my father says with a big grin.

I raise an eyebrow before taking the steel token from my father. It was like a coin, of sorts. Except it had the Dravus family logo on it.

Well, it wasn't exactly the Dravus family logo, more like the Dravus company logo. But, the Dravus company consist of only the Dravus family, so it's the closest thing to a family logo that we have. I still marvel at the intricate engravings that my father made with delicate hands, despite his size.

A beautiful engraving of a dragon

There is no specific rhyme or reason to this logo. The Dravus family didn't come ancient dragon bloodlines, neither were we the descendants of legendary dragon tamers. 

The shop didn't even have a logo until Reila spontaneously decided to spice it up. I suggested we just put a big dragon as an eye-catcher and my father made the logo for fun. We ended up growing fond of it, and it became our family logo.

I clutched the coin in my hand and tucked it into my pocket.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now go, before your mother breaks into tears."

I look to my mother, and she hurriedly smiles at me, but the wetness at the corners of her eyes blow her cover. Reila pops her head out the front door and gives me a wave. I wave back before grabbing the handle of my luggage bag and rolling it along with me. 

We all know the difficulties I will face once school starts. I'll be a rogue element. An anomaly. A thorn amongst the roses. My parents steered clear of the subject talking about this aspect of my school life, no doubt to avoid any unnecessary stress.

There was an agreement to keep farewells short and sweet.

The sudden silence between the four of us as I walked off was painful to bear with, but I press onwards to the capital. I fear that if I look back, I might see a sight that will have me rushing back to my house.

However, I might also end up being very late. So I keep my head held high and continue moving forward

<......…………>

I very nearly bawled my eyes out while walking to the capital. Sure, due to work and school, I didn't spend much time at home, but there has never been a day where I just...do not see them.

All my worries were washed away once I got caught in awe of the capital of Raekoft, Halsana. I wipe away the strange drops of water coming out of my eyes that are definitely not tears and take in the magnificent scenery.

The city of Halsana was built as one big circle with a few extensions for guard posts and checkpoints. A few of the builders in my town mentioned how Halsana from above looks like a bright, shining sun. I never doubted them.

Halsana is just a massive beacon of activity. 

The roads are paved with beige tiling and snake in and out of every part of the city. Shophouses line the streets on the outer edge of the circle, selling anything from books to heavy weaponry. Buildings come in various shades of oranges, reds and yellows that give off a constant "bright" effect.

Closer to the centre come the inns, individual houses and recreational areas. The inns and houses are nothing like those in my town. These buildings are much taller and can house multiple families. Though they usually house only one.

It always baffles me that a mere 4 or 5 people take up 4 or 5 storeys of housing. What is the purpose of so much space?

This area is more colourful than the outskirts with the right mix of every colour known to exist. Entire buildings can be a dark blue or bright green with bits of red mixed into the palette. Recreational areas include the usual playgrounds and parks filled with magical flora and fauna.

Then, there is the Girsa fountain. A beautiful structure with absolutely no infrastructure.

The fountain is merely a full circle made of white bricks, excluding the enchanted water of course.

The magic radiating off the water could be felt from even the very edges of the city. It takes on many different colours, shapes and forms, moving in a synchronised set of movements like it has a mind of its own.

 It never fails to look like a living being, putting on a dance for all to marvel. For all we know, it could very much be alive. Magic is bizarre and powerful, after all.

I decide to stop gawking and move on to my real objective. Beyond the centre fountain, lies three gigantic buildings. The Raekoft National Museum, The Royal Castle and, of course, Liken Academy

The front yard of the Academy is already buzzing with activity. I see mostly big groups orange armbands chittering but there also yellow armbands and even blue armbands.

Yellow for Second-Year

Blue for Third-Year

Red for Fourth-Year

I remind myself of the colours. Before I even try to move into Liken Academy for myself, I do a sweeping glance of the students. As expected, they're in a completely different league.

Almost all the guys have thick, glossy hair coming in all colours, near-flawless skin, pronounced cheekbones, sharp chins and various degrees of muscle. It also helped that most of them were tall and some of them were very tall.

The girls were on a whole other level. I can confidently say that my town has some of the better-looking girls in Raekoft, but they have stiff competition here. 

The girls are all wearing their uniforms which consists of a dark blue skirt reaching their knees, a plain white shirt and a button-up black blazer with stripes of red and white twirling down their sleeves. They also wore scarfs which are, of course, covered in blue and gold swirls. All this, however, was just the tip of the iceberg.

The girls themselves look stunning. They came in many different hairstyles and faces. Most of them had, not flawless, per se, but beautiful skin. Facial features varied from dimples to freckles and their uniforms helped to emphasise their curves. 

I take a deep breath. I'm excited. I'm so very excited.

I know I shouldn't be. I know that just by looking at the difference in attractiveness, I should already be intimidated. Yet, I can't help but feel utter joy. I'm going to spend four years of my life here.

I can't wait.

I take another deep breath and step into school grounds.