“Water Burst!” Velvet exclaimed and shot a stream of water at a target dummy, missing it by a whole meter and splashing the wall behind it instead. “Dang it! Missed again!”

“You're doing good!” Miss Pampleton clapped. “Don't be so hard on yourself! You've only had your mark of water for a few months, right? That's pretty good for someone who only just acquired her magic, I'd say.”

“Not good enough,” the girl shook her head and aimed again. “I know all these spells already. I just haven't been able to actually cast them yet. I need to practice more to get the hang of it.”

“Always expecting so much from yourself,” the elf smiled lovingly. “Argus was right when he told me you will do great things. He did it even before you graduated too! That man sure can see potential in someone. You know, technically, you are eligible to enter the Council.”

“He said that, yes,” Velvet replied absent-mindedly. “Water Burst!”

This time, she hit the dummy directly, and it wobbled side to side a bit from the impact before coming to a stop. “Very good,” the teacher clapped again. “But you should adjust your posture a little. Raise your hand higher so the water curves down—it will hit the target with greater force!”

“Ah! Thanks for the tip!” the young witch exclaimed and went right back to casting.

“Did you hear what I said about the Council?” Priscilla repeated her question impatiently.

“I don't care about the Council,” Velvet said casually. “Argus told me they are a bunch of stuck-up mages who think they're all high and mighty when most of them never even fought any serious battles. He said I should steer clear of them if at all possible. Water Burst!”

“Oh, did he now?” the elf smiled amusingly. “And did he say something about me?”

“Not much,” the girl shrugged. “Just that you are a charming lady with great taste for men.”

“That old bastard really knows what I want to hear,” the scholar grinned and crossed her legs. She was sitting on the side, observing carefully as her prodigy student practiced.

“Anyways, I don't think I would accept a position on the Council of Mages even if I was offered one. I do need their approval to found my academy, however. Water Burst!”

“You want to start an academy of your own?” Miss Pampleton was surprised to hear this.

“Yes! Arianna and I will do it together. But we need more teachers first!”

“Well, you've certainly got my vote when you get that far,” the elf chuckled. “Are you sure you wouldn't want to be a part of the Council, though? You could help shape the future of Rumerra's magic by voting on laws and making suggestions. I can give in a good word for you once someone retires.”

“I don't know. I haven’t really thought about it yet. Our first goal is to fulfill all the requirements to open an academy. After we’ve done that, I will consider joining if you will have me. Water Burst!”

“Looks like you have it all figured out then,” Priscilla smiled gently. “I wish you both the best of luck doing that!”

“Thanks!” she huffed. “Damn. It's exhausting to cast the same spell so many times in a row. Especially if you are not adept at using this type of magic. I'm beat!”

“You deserve a break,” the teacher stood up and started walking back inside. “We can stop for today and continue with Water Nova tomorrow! Oh! There's someone here to see you!” Loretta skipped onto the training grounds and waved at the exhausted girl. “Hello, Velvet!”

“Ah, it's you!” Velvet wiped the sweat off her face. “You came just like you promised!”

“Of course!” she smiled delightfully. “You know what day it is today!”

“I know! It's the start of the festival! Let me just take a bath and put on some fresh clothes and I will meet you in your room when I'm ready!”

“That works,” the elf nodded. “I'll walk you to your room.”

It didn't take the energetic girl long to refresh herself—she was standing in front of Loretta's door and knocking furiously, faster than Loretta expected. “I'm all ready! Open up!”

“Just a moment!” she heard a voice from inside, followed by a crash and a startled scream.

There she goes being clumsy again, Velvet chuckled. She's funny.

The door flung open and the elf appeared in a flower dress and a giant hat—even larger than the pointy hat the other girl was wearing. Her hair was also nowhere to be seen, tied up neatly into a bun and hidden under it.

“Woah, that's a big hat!” Velvet exclaimed. “But… what did you do with your hair?”

“I'm sensitive to the sun,” Loretta explained. “So is my hair. That's why I wear this hat when I go out for longer periods of time—it shields me from it.”

“Ah, you never told me this before! That’s a bummer not being able to go out in the sun.”

“I know,” the elf sighed. “But it's all right. Oh, I almost forgot! I got something for you!”

“For me?” Velvet asked. Wasn't taking her to the festival the gift itself? Loretta dragged Velvet into her room and closed the door shut. Then she walked over to a wardrobe and pulled something out of a drawer, handing it to the human.

“Here! Put these on!” In her hand, two pieces of skin-colored cloth were sewn together in a way that resembled an ear. An elven ear, to be precise.

“Is this what I think it is?” Velvet asked.

“Yes. I sewed them myself!” Loretta said proudly. “You don't want to be raising suspicion or drawing too much attention to yourself at the festival. So I made them for you!”

“Thanks!” Velvet exclaimed and put them over her human ears. “How do I look?”

“See for yourself,” her elven friend gestured to the mirror on her wardrobe. The girl obliged.

“Hah! These look pretty good on me! I look like I'm a real elf!”

“You really do,” the actual elf commented. “Let's not waste any more time now!”

Loretta grabbed her hand and guided her down the staircase and out of the academy onto the streets of Eldar that bustled with elves, young and old.

The streets were neatly paved and the shops and houses on each side looked like they were just built recently. The entire city felt so fresh and well-maintained that one could swear it was built overnight had they not known its long history. This was the first time Velvet was really walking the streets instead of observing from her carriage window, and it was as if she had unlocked a new world.

“This is so amazing!” she exclaimed as she spun around, trying to take it all in. “I love it!”

“The king puts a lot of effort and resources into keeping the capital neat and tidy.”

“I see,” Velvet nodded. “It definitely shows! Now, where is this festival?”

“Everywhere around you,” Loretta explained. “Most of it is happening on the main street, however, so that's where we will be heading. Follow me!”

The ‘two’ elves walked across town, stopping at stalls and observing the dancers that were dressed in colorful clothing covered with leaves. They ordered delicious food from the market and even participated in some games. In one such game, you had to shoot an apple off a post to win a toy. Velvet tried her luck, but her bow-shooting skills were not good enough to hit the target. Loretta, on the other hand, surprised her when she hit the apple on the first try.

“Wow! You're good!”

“I had trained since I was little,” Loretta explained to Velvet while she was handed her prize. After that, they went to watch the procession which went down the main street. When it was finished, the elven king, Varus Hoshinov, held a speech on the balcony above the main square. He talked about prosperity and expressed his gratitude to the people for working to ensure there were enough crops to sustain them through the winter.

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A beautiful woman with purple hair stood by the king's left side, smiling and waving. On his right, a younger one with orange hair waved as well.

“Are those his wife and his daughter?” the human asked her companion.

“Yes,” she nodded. “Moona Hoshinova is the elven queen. And the one with orange hair is his second-eldest daughter, Willow Hoshinova.”

“Where are the eldest and the youngest daughter then?” Velvet asked. She remembered that Argus said the elven king had three daughters.

“His eldest daughter, Sofia Hoshinova, has been wed to Oldar Jackhammer, the dwarven prince and heir to the throne, just a bit over a year ago. It was an arranged marriage meant to keep peace between the nations.”

“That doesn't sound right,” the other girl commented. “Aren’t two people meant to…love each other before they get married? Or so I’ve heard.”

“Such things happen all the time in royal circles,” Loretta explained. “But don't worry, I heard that Sofia and Oldar actually fell in love and are very happy now. They learned to love each other, which is exceedingly rare for marriages like this.”

“Ah, that's good then!” Velvet felt relieved. “What about his youngest daughter?”

“She's on a diplomatic mission now, trying to get the jakkals to sign a mutual-defense pact. We elves have strived to be a peaceful nation ever since the racial war ended. That is why we want to make peace with our neighbors—dwarves, jakkals, and humans. We already have an agreement with humans, and the dwarves are also held at bay by Sofia's presence there. It is all for the sake of keeping the peace. The youngest daughter's name is Torella Hoshinova.”

“You're pretty knowledgeable about this!” her friend complimented her.

“I have to be,” she smiled. “They are teaching us all of this at the academy. It's mandatory.”

“They taught us the history of Ardor and the Fredricksen bloodline as well,” Velvet nodded.

“Let's go take another walk around and eat something before the sun sets,” the elf suggested.

“Good idea,” the pretend-elf agreed.

They went to a stall that sold freshly baked bread with raisins, then bought some roasted nuts dipped in honey for the way back home. In the evening, both girls once again found themselves relaxing in Loretta's private pond.

“Man, I could get used to this,” Velvet grinned. “Today was really amazing. Thanks a lot!”

“You're very welcome. The festival lasts almost two weeks, so we can go again if you'd like. But today was opening day, so it was probably the busiest.”

“I'd like that,” her friend said and leaned her head back, dipping her long brown hair into the water. Silence fell between them for a while.

“What are you thinking about right now?” Loretta asked, seeing her staring at the ceiling.

“Arianna,” she replied. “I wrote her a letter as soon as I came here. It should have reached her by now. With the academy competition just ahead, I wonder how she is doing?”

***

“Air Bullet!” Arianna exclaimed and the intense burst of air blew the head off a target dummy.

“Not bad!” Argus clapped. “The velocity of your winds has increased dramatically.”

“Still not good enough,” the girl growled, flexing her fingers. “I need to be faster.”

“You won't get any further with this spell; I can tell you this much,” he told her. “There is a limit with every spell. And for Air Bullet, you've nearly reached it. Well, enough for today!”

He waved at her and walked off, leaving her alone once again. Arianna kept staring at her closed fist, deep in thought. The limit of the spell. But is it truly the limit?

Over the last two weeks, Arianna had been trying to find a casting style she could use. She had already tried many different things, but none felt right. Taking her staff, the girl held it before her, and her mind went back to the day of their final task. I twirled it back then to help me reach the appropriate wind speed to cast the next tier spell. What are other ways I could increase the speed of my winds?

She started twirling her staff again while thinking, walking up and down the training ground. The staff flew out of her hand at one point and landed a few meters away.

“Damn it!” she cursed and slapped her thigh. She kept staring down at her hand and the mark of air on it. And that's when it hit her. She clenched her fist, glanced back at the target dummy, and smiled. You are wrong, Argus. I can do better than this. Much, much better than this.

That evening, she worked late into the night, sketching a new outfit for herself. She inspected her boots, skirt, and shirt and made adjustments to them. The following day she traveled to Everdale and brought these sketches to a tailor and a shoemaker.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” the man at the desk asked her, looking over her drawings. “Boots like these are not the most practical.”

“Make them exactly as I drew them,” the girl demanded, throwing ten gold coins on the table. “There's more where that came from. If I am satisfied, you will get a tip.”

“Yes, ma'am,” the shoemaker nodded, a smile stretching across his face. “It shall be done!”

After paying a hefty sum to the tailor as well, she returned to the academy. They told her that her orders would be ready in two weeks, just in time for the academy competition.

Over the next few days, she saw a few of her old classmates arriving, as well as some of Velvet’s, here for the competition, no doubt. A good number of graduates from the previous five years had returned to fight for their right to represent their academy at the most prestigious event of the magic world, the Magornis. Meanwhile, Arianna was rereading her friend’s letter and writing a reply.

17th of Ookayn, 54

“Dear Arianna!

I've just arrived here at Eldar, and I have to say, it's fascinating! The elves really know how to make a city look pretty—Everdale seems like a poor village compared to this place!

The landscape on the way here was gorgeous and the elves are fascinating people as well. They seem to not be very trusting toward humans, but if they don't notice you are not one of them, they are quite friendly. It was the same at the academy, but there everyone immediately recognized I was not from here since I wore no uniform. They all ran away and didn't really want to talk to me, which made me a bit sad—I came to meet elves and now they are all avoiding me.

Luckily, this one elf girl named Loretta was not like the rest of the snobby students. She's very kind to me and showed me around, told me about elven tradition and culture, and was generally very helpful to me. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between us! You would also really like this girl. She's intelligent and kind but is a bit clumsy sometimes. One day, when I get the chance, I will introduce you two!

By the way, the room I am staying in here is enormous! I even got my own bathtub and a couch! The bed is also three times as large as the ones we had back in our room. Amazing!

Have you thought about joining the competition yet? It should be announced around the time you receive this letter if my calculations are correct. Let me know how it goes if you do! As always, I have complete confidence in you and your abilities! Go get them!

Love,

Velvet”

Not a week after her friend's letter arrived, the headmaster announced the competition everyone had been waiting for. “It is my pleasure to declare the competition to select our academy's champion open for applications!” he spoke gleefully. “Good luck to everyone!”

Thank you for reading this part of the story! You deserve a cookie!

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Did you know? Originally, the city of Eldar was built upon countless tree trunks and thus elevated. But after its destruction about 950 years before the great racial war, the elves rebuilt it on the ground.