“C’mon, Mimi, hurry up!” Astral shouted as she banged her knuckles against the wooden door in front of her. At this point, she had been waiting five minutes for her cousin to leave the room, not including the time she had to wait for the shower. Although the latter had only been a minute.
Hearing the incessant voice of her cousin, Mirai hurriedly slipped on a pair of black flats. With her toes held together, she opened the door and saw the figure of her cousin, covered in a pair of jeans, a plain black jacket, and a shirt depicting a movie the younger girl had known nothing about. Nevertheless, she still felt overdressed, though she reasoned that her current attire was perfect.
Sticking with a casual, yet refined look, the youngest Senshin had chosen to wear a pair of jeans that were just the right shade of indigo and a matching blouse that was lined with flowers stitched to the hem. An overall pleasant look for her and not too different from what she wore before her transformation, which she was glad for. Though, if she had to comment on any improvement, she would say the new variety of shoes were quite comfortable, despite not ever wearing heels with her new tiny feet.
“What’s up with the get-up?” The older cousin asked, making note of the over-the-top outfit compared to her own.
Rolling her eyes, the shorter girl replied, “I am going to be presented before two lords of magic, an elite healer, a dueling champion, and one of the leading scientists in spell crafting. To wear casual clothing would be deplorable, even if one of them is my step-father.” Letting that sink in, she gestured to Astral. “To be honest, I would have thought you would wear something more appropriate.”
“Meh,” she shrugged, turning to stroll down the hall. “I’m not the big secret that’s being revealed, so I don’t care.”
Waiting for the older Senshin to walk out of earshot, Mirai pulled out her amulet. Letting some of her energy flow through it, she felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders and her shoulders drooping to the side. “Such remissful thinking,” she commented afterward. “In all fairness, she should at least be attentive to whom she must greet. Illuctos will neglect her choice of clothing though.”
Pouting at the thought, she shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts. Without any further interruptions, she headed downstairs.
Downstairs, the young lady was met with a pleased smile from her mother, though her eyes were hidden by sunglasses. Despite that, Astral just stood with a look of boredom plastered on her pale features.
“Not bad,” Nikki commented as her daughter strode over to her side. “Ferdy might actually be pleased with our family this time.” She added as she weaved her fingers between those of her daughter.
“Hey! What about me? He’s my headmaster,” Astral complained, setting a hand on her aunt’s shoulder on her other side.
“Oh, shush you. That prideful fool would cast her out of the auditorium if she were dressed like you.” The woman scolded before bringing up her free hand. “Now, try to stay still.” In a few odd motions with her fingers, a circle was drawn in the air. First, it was made of white energy, allowing each runic engraving to shine within the abode. Then, it flared and the runes dispersed, causing the circle to grow until it was millimeters away from touching the floor or ceiling. Motioning for the circle to come toward her, Nikki clenched her daughter’s hand tightly as the circle enveloped the three family members.
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Materializing from a circle, the three women appeared before three sets of doors. Each was identical, so Mirai could only guess this auditorium needed a few more entrances and exits to fit every student in. Nevertheless, she nodded to her mother, who let go of her hand. Without a word, the two older women walked in.
Waiting a few minutes, the young blue-eyed girl shifted the cuffs of her blouse and patted down her attire. Taking a deep breath, she strode up to the doors and pushed her way through.
There was nothing. Not a sound, save for the doors. Not a light, save for the ones leading up to a crystal orb. And the rest was dark. All the girl could do was walk forward and have faith no one wanted to trip her. So, that’s what she did. Thankfully, no one had any ill intent to denounce her hypothetical podium.
In front of the crystal ball, she had narrowly avoided falling on the stairs and glanced around. “I presume I lay my hand on the orb and push mana through it, correct?” She asked to no one in particular.
“Right as per usual.” The voice of Nikki broke through the shadows, still baritone through the few echoes in the auditorium.
Blinking once, she let out a sigh. She put her hand on the orb and opened up her mana to the device. Without any warning, a blinding light filled the room, forcing Mirai to shield her eyes with her other arm as she pulled her hand away. Once the light had faded, she looked back at the orb.
At the very least, the orb was in one piece. Although the magic flowing around it in an aurora brought up a bit of concern. Nevertheless, she looked past the lights. There, floating in the orb, oblivious to the wonderings of those hiding in the shadows, was a single symbol.
This symbol was by no means intricate. It was only a pair of wings sprouting from the cross taking center-stage in the orb. Eyeing the white symbol, Mirai tilted her head and pushed her head through her stray mana.
In the midst of her musings, she was caught off guard by the lights, especially since all of them turned on at once. Wincing from the sudden brightness, she rubbed her eyes. Meanwhile, four people walked up to her. One from the far right of the auditorium, arriving near the stage at a brisk pace. Another jumping straight down from the center of the upper set of seats. Then, the last two walking from off to the left, near the front.
“Congratulations,” the figure from the far-right commended. “You have immediately been accepted into Crestworth, the sanctuary for all.” Stepping closer, Mirai could make out the auburn ponytail of the man and his thin frame.
“And you won a sad father,” joined the second one to arrive. This time, it was a bearded man with flowing hair, both white in color. “Never took you for the sincere or kind type though. Every time I saw you, you were so cold.” He commented, tugging on his collar.
“Honey, you just don’t see Mirai as much as you should,” retorted Nikki, who had forsaken her sunglasses this one time. “But congrats, kid. I actually expected you to go to Matrix Core with all the reading you do.” Standing a few paces behind her aunt, Astral gave a nod to that declaration. “Although your raw mana was pretty much born for Crestworth.”
“Yes, that warm welcome of mana fits in perfectly,” the unnamed man agreed.
Though wonder was poking into every train of thought she had, the young girl merely nodded at the words shared. Turning back to the orb, she was still caught between an aurora and a blinding crest that illuminated the already bright stage.
“Now, before we find ourselves bombarded with reporters from who-knows-where, let’s get you to the dorms.” The mother ordered.
“Agreed,” the unnamed man spoke. “I believe a private room has already been prepared for her condition.”
“Well then,” Illuctos chimed in, “I’ll have to see you this evening. Sorry if this wasn’t exactly what you expected it to be, Mimi.” Without another word, the man ran out, leaving a mildly confused group behind.
“An understatement if one was quite so major.” The young girl finally spoke, spinning on her heel to face the other three. “So, will I receive a proper tour around Lumír or will I have to venture around on my own?”
“I will guide you,” the auburn man answered. “But, be warned, these next few weeks will be a whole load of information for you.”
“I can work with that.”