Both girls spent the next few weeks telling each other details about their time apart which they didn't yet talk about in their letters. They showed each other the spells they learned and Arianna even started teaching Velvet one of the mythical air transformations–the Harpy. Of course, the freshly baked tier three sorceress wanted to know the Air Dragon transformation since it looked much more remarkable, but her friend convinced her that one month was not enough to master something so complex.

"You won't even be able to master the Harpy!" Arianna scolded her. "You have to promise me to keep practicing it on your own even after you depart for the elven lands! And don't overdo it! I'm not going to be responsible for you hurting some poor elves!"

"Fine, fine!" Velvet rolled her eyes. "I will practice more. I promise. I learned Chalkydry on my own, though, so how hard can a harpy honestly be?"

Velvet was, unfortunately, quickly proven wrong. It was considerably smaller than her Chalkydry form, but a mythical transformation is still a mythical transformation. Plus, her air magic was not nearly as well-trained as her light magic, which also meant it was harder for her to control it. She only managed to transform fully after four weeks of daily rehearsal...after which she lost control and went berserk. Her friend knocked her out before she could hurt herself or anyone else.

"Ugh!" Velvet grunted when she woke up, Arianna sitting beside her. "What happened?"

"You stayed in the transformation for too long and went berserk...which I warned you about."

"Oh damn...I didn't hurt you, did I?" she got startled hearing this.

"No, you didn't. I turned into the Air Dragon and knocked you out. Felt oddly satisfying."

The girl rubbed her head, where she found a big lump. "Hehe! You got me good!"

"Don't say "hehe" at a time like this!" the other girl got angry. "This is serious!"

"Sorry, Ari," she quickly apologized. "I promise I'll be more careful next time!"

Arianna sighed. "Good grief. How did you manage to learn Chalkydry? At this rate, I am starting to question your training methods..."

"Well...let's just say I woke up in the middle of a clearing a couple of times," Velvet said sheepishly. "A clearing that wasn't there before. I went to the Kamatayan forest to practice."

"Aaaand I regret I ever asked," her friend facepalmed.

***

Not a few days after this incident, a letter arrived with the seal of the Elven Royal academy of magic. Ralph came to inform Velvet of it and told her to come over to the headmaster's office when she found the time. Arianna's head sunk in defeat when she heard the news. She knew what this meant. It meant that she would have to wave her friend goodbye once more.

"Don't be sad," Velvet tried cheering her up. "You can send a letter to me anytime! And I will write to you too! Also, I am not heading to a dangerous place this time, so you don't have to worry one bit! Eldar is considered one of the safest places in Rumerra!"

"Make sure to write often," the blonde girl mustered a smile. "And tell me about the elves!"

"I sure will! I hope I make a friend or two there and they can come visit us here sometime!"

"Don't get too optimistic," Arianna sneered. "The elves are considered rather cold."

"Oh, I know!" her friend agreed. "I've read a lot about them this last month in preparation! But those are just stereotypes. I'm pretty sure there are some nice and friendly people there!"

"I sure hope so," the other girl said. "You should go to Argus now. He's waiting for you."

"All right," Velvet smiled and hugged her before picking up her trusted pointy hat and heading to the headmaster's office, where the old man met her with a wide grin.

"We've got it!" he announced happily, holding up a piece of paper with the royal seal. "This is what will allow you to pass the elven borders freely! You are now a 'magic researcher'!"

"Magic researcher?" she looked over at Ralph, who was already facepalming. "Is that considered a real profession?"

"It is now!" Argus laughed. "Priscilla and I came up with this! Pretty clever, right?"

"You are an absolute genius, sir," the assistant scoffed. "The true pinnacle of wisdom."

"Oh, shut it, Ralph!" he dismissed him. "You don't know how to have any fun in life!"

"So, does that mean I can go there now?" Velvet broke up their quarrel. She already knew both of them for long enough to realize these conversations they had carried no purpose other than to poke fun at one another.

"Indeed, it does!" the jolly old man exclaimed. "I have taken the liberty of ordering a carriage for you. It shall be waiting for you in front of the academy in three days' time. I trust that is enough for you to prepare and say goodbye to your friend."

"That's perfect!" she replied with a gleeful smile. "I can't wait! Thank you so much!"

"You're very welcome. I always felt it was important to gather experience while one is young. Broadening your horizons can only do you good. You should do that too, Ralph!"

The young man only replied with an absent-minded grunt, barely acknowledging his remark.

"I will go pack my things then!" Velvet said and sprinted out.

"No, no, don't..." Ralph suddenly jumped up from his table. The entire room shook and a portrait fell off the wall as the girl slammed the door behind her. "...close the door so hard."

Argus only chuckled. "Wonderful, isn't she? I love that energy!"

The assistant exhaled heavily and sat back down. "Yes. A real gem..."

***

Three days went by in a flash, and before either of them knew it, Velvet was standing in front of her carriage, holding a suitcase almost half her size. Arianna embraced her one last time.

"I'm going to miss you so much!"

"I'm going to miss you too. I'll write to you as soon as I arrive in Eldar, all right?"

Her friend nodded and squeezed her tighter. "You better."

"By the way, I left a small gift for you in your drawer," Velvet added. "I hope you like it."

"Thanks," Arianna said, finally letting go of her. She wiped her eyes. "Well...have fun."

"I will!" the other girl smiled brightly before hauling her suitcase into the carriage and getting on. She turned around and waved at her friend. Arianna waved back. The door closed and the girl inside exclaimed happily: "To Eldar!!"

"Very well, miss," the coachman replied and whipped the horses. The carriage started moving. Velvet leaned out the window and yelled: "Oh, and good luck at the Magornis!!"

"Who said I'm going!?" the blonde girl shouted back at her before sighing.

Turning around, she bumped into Argus, who watched the carriage disappear in the distance with a content smile. When did he even get here?!

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

He looked down at her with an amused expression. "The competition to determine our academy's representative will be announced at the start of next year. I trust to see you there, Miss Goldleaf." Saying this, he turned around and walked off.

Not him too, Arianna thought. Why does everyone expect so much of me?

When she returned to her room and opened her drawer, another surprise awaited her. It was filled to the brim with gold coins and a note was sitting on top. She picked it up and read it.

"Use this to upgrade your gear! You will need something better to become our academy's champion! Don't be afraid to buy something more expensive! Love, Velvet"

"I swear, Velvet..." she shook her head. "You just went and decided this on your own. This is way too much money, anyway. Besides, the staff you gave me is already top-tier. What am I even supposed to buy with this?"

Her eyes glanced over the table and stopped at the two pictures on it. One was of her and her mother. The other was of the two of them. The one they took before they parted ways the last time. She picked it up and smiled. "Fight for the academy, huh? That's what you want of me. You always put me up to the strangest things. In the end, I am always glad I did them, though. Who knows, maybe I will apply to this competition."

***

It took almost three weeks for Velvet to arrive at her final destination. As she traveled and slept in various inns along the way, she observed the landscape change. Meadows and hills were replaced by forests that seemed to be getting thicker the closer they came to the elven border. The elven lands were known for their vast forests and woodland riches. In fact, most of the wood in Rumerra was exported from here. Even the air itself felt different in the presence of so many trees. It was somehow fresher and easier to breathe. Velvet took in deep breaths and filled her lungs with it, the scent of pines and leaves filling her nostrils. It was autumn, and that meant the trees were getting ready for their winter rest—throwing off the leaves, which were painted in all different warm colors, from yellow to orange, to red and brown. It was a sight to behold, and the girl observed it all with wide, curious eyes. Another adventure awaited her.

At the border, they checked her permit and approved it, letting her pass. This was the first time she talked to an elf since Pricilla's visit at her graduation. Truly, their appearance fascinated her. Their long ears hanging down on each side. Their short and pointy noses. And their hair–oh, the hair! It was as colorful as the leaves of the forest themselves. Velvet took note of what different colors she had already seen while they passed through villages on the elven side and she saw children playing outside. It was a long list. From the usual shades of brown, blonde and black, which were characteristic of humans, there was also a palette of warm and cold colors that seemed completely unnatural at first glance. Everything from white as snow to orange, red, green, and blue like the sky. The girl also noticed their average height was a bit taller than what she was used to from humans.

Still, apart from their wacky hair colors and long ears, elves were the race that most closely resembled humans. Jakkals and dracons had much more prominent features, such as tails and horns, which made them immediately distinguishable. If an elf with brown, black, or blonde hair covered their ears with a hat, however, you could hardly tell them apart from a human. This worked to her advantage. Because she always wore her pointy hat, it seemed that the elves themselves didn't realize she wasn't really one of them right away.

When she talked to the innkeepers on the elven side and was arranging things for a night's stay, not many gave her suspicious looks or asked questions such as where she was from and what she was doing there. It made her feel rather welcome. If someone happened to notice that she was indeed human, they immediately started to act wary around her, throwing suspicious glances her way and speaking in a patronizing tone. Through this, she realized that elves thought fairly highly of themselves and considered humans inferior. This was in line with what she read in books about them. Despite this, she tried to remain as polite and civil as possible, not batting an eye if and when a snarky remark was thrown her way. She was the stranger here, so she didn't blame them for it.

"We have arrived, miss," the coachman said after their long journey came to an end and they stopped before a large building with a beautiful garden and fountain in front of it. A board next to a large bush at the front said "Eldar Royal Academy of Magic" in bold, golden letters.

"Wow! It looks so fancy!" Velvet exclaimed and jumped out of the carriage. She took a quick look around before pulling her large suitcase out and setting it down on the ground. "How much do I owe you for this?" she asked the coachman.

"There is no need for any compensation. Your ride has already been paid for by your academy," he replied. "I wish you a pleasant stay."

Saying this, he whipped the horses and drove off, leaving the girl standing in front of her new, temporary home. She hesitated for a moment before picking up her suitcase and walking across the courtyard with determined steps and a confident smile.

She passed a few elves sitting on benches and either talked or studied. They looked up when she passed them, whispering things like "Who is she?" or "Is that a human?" Velvet only kept smiling and waved back at them, making them look away as if they were frightened of her. None of them seemed to be particularly talkative and when she tried asking them something, they picked up their things and left.

Did I say something wrong? she wondered.

"Hey!" she tried again, waving to three elves sitting on a bench on the other side of the path. There was no reply, so she walked closer. "Hey, I'm new here! Can I ask you something?"

"Is she talking to us?" a girl with orange hair turned to an elf boy next to her. He shrugged.

"We don't want anything from you!" the third elf of the group, a boy with pitch-black hair, shouted. "What are you even doing here? This is an academy for elves! Not humans!"

"Oh, I'm just here to visit! I want to learn more about water magic!" Velvet replied happily.

"My dad told me humans are bad!" the girl said. "Leave us alone!"

"No, no! I'm not bad! I just want to make new friends!" the human quickly retorted.

"Well, we don't want to be friends with you!" one of the boys yelled. "Ren, Mila. Let's go inside. I don't want to be accused of hanging out with a human!" The other two nodded, and they got off the bench, making their way inside the building.

"Wait!" the girl with the suitcase called after them. "I just want to talk to you!" Her words fell on deaf ears as they left her standing in the middle of the park.

Thank you for reading this part of the story! May thy journeys be safe and thy life prosperous!

Thank you for reading this part of the story! May thy journeys be safe and thy life prosperous! [https://img.wattpad.com/5b969bd83d8afb779b81ff628f64312a2d8e55e0/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f3761757962373869696d744f6e413d3d2d313239313437303733302e313732636435326633396664346165393133313132303138393938352e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]

Did you know? Elves are the most religious race in Rumerra. There are altars and shrines to their nature goddess Elisia scattered throughout the land. Every village has its own.