"What have I missed?" Argus scratched his beard.

"Sir, these girls have never seen each other in their entire life," Ralph gently reminded him. "Whatever 'connection' you are searching for, it doesn't exist. I am certain of it."

"It doesn't exist..." the old man muttered to himself. "It doesn't exist...yet! Ralph, you're a genius!" He suddenly jumped from his seat.

"I am?" The young man was confused.

"The connection doesn't exist. That's why we need to make the connection happen!"

"Sir, you've lost me." He didn't even bother to make sense of what the old man was saying anymore at this point.

The headmaster took a fresh piece of paper and a pen and started writing something down vigorously while Ralph only observed in silence. If he tried to speak, Argus would lift his free hand, signaling him to wait until he has finished. After a few minutes, he put the academy stamp on the paper and signed it.

"Here you go," he said, holding the paper out to his assistant.

"What is this?" The confused man walked over to his desk and took it from his hand.

"This is what you asked for," the bearded man elaborated. "It's a written permission of me taking full responsibility for breaking article 13, paragraph 7 and carrying all the consequences of doing so solely on my shoulders. With this, you are officially pardoned of any prosecution. If anything should happen, I will take the fall."

"But, Sir..." He wanted to argue. "No buts, ifs, or why's." The experienced sorcerer quickly silenced him. "I want you to put these two in a room together. It makes the most sense because all the other students will be at least two years older than them. I think this will benefit them both. And if there is to be a connection, let them create it themselves."

"Yes, Sir." Ralph gave in. He bowed and left the room. Descending down the staircase, he found Velvet asleep on the sofa, taken out by the fatigue.

"I came to escort her to her room," he told the father who was munching on an apple. "I also apologize for not bringing you the coffee I promised. The headmaster has kept me longer than I have expected."

"That's no problem," the man said with his mouth full. He wasn't really used to being in formal environments and didn't know how to properly conduct himself.

"Should I come back at a later time when she wakes up?" he asked the father politely, not wanting to disturb the sleeping girl. Just then, she yawned and opened her eyes.

"What did I miss?" Velvet asked, looking around the room. She had almost forgotten where she was. Her dad placed the half-eaten apple on the table and walked over to her.

"They will escort you to your room now, my dear. I will help you carry your things."

He took both leather briefcases and carried them up the stairs, following the assistant who guided them to the first floor. After that, they turned right and walked down a long, curved hallway. Tapestries of famous sorcerers of the past and present were hanging on the walls on each side and Velvet recognized some of them. The floor was covered by a dark red carpet and chandeliers with enchanted crystals hung from the ceiling, illuminating their way.

She found it oddly captivating, carrying a distinct charm of magic and mystery she always loved so much from her books. She was here now, seeing it with her own eyes. Experiencing it. Living it. She loved every moment of it. And the best part was, that her journey had only just begun.

"Here we are!" Ralph announced and took out the keys from his pocket, unlocking the door and gesturing them to go in.

They found themselves in a medium-sized room with two beds, one on each side. There was two of everything. Two wardrobes, two desks by the window, two chairs to sit on, and two lanterns to illuminate it at night. Right now, sufficient sunlight was seeping through the half-opened window, so the lanterns had no purpose to fulfill. On the left side, some books and items were on the shelves and on the desk, signaling that the room was already inhabited by someone.

"I have a roommate?" Velvet asked, excited to meet someone else with magic abilities. So far, before coming here and meeting Ralph and Argus, she felt lonely in her own world of magic.

The idea of having someone to talk to and learn about magic with was foreign to her and sounded oh so wonderful.

"Yes, I think she's outside right now. You will be meeting her soon when she returns," the assistant said, bringing a great amount of joy to the girl.

"Yes!" She jumped up in excitement. "This is amazing!"

"I will leave you two alone to say your goodbyes. The key is in the door. We wish you a pleasant stay here with us."

With that, Ralph removed himself from the room, leaving the girl alone with her father, who set the two suitcases of her belongings on the floor and crouched down. That's right, her dad wouldn't be staying here with her. He needed to go back home and work on his farm. Velvet almost forgot about that little detail because of the endless excitement she felt from finally living her dream.

She turned around and stood in front of the man who was by her side and believed in her all the way up until this very moment. Reading her stories of witches and wizards every night. Crafting a staff and sewing together the hat she was wearing right now. Spending his last money to buy her books on magic. All for her.

"I told myself I wanted to send you off with a smile," he said, his eyes already filled with tears. "But this is much harder than I thought it would be."

He hugged her tightly, her pointy hat falling to the floor as he did. She felt her eyes starting to water as well.

"I'm going to miss you so much, sweetie!" he cried, holding his greatest treasure in his arms. She hugged him back as they savored their final moments together. They were never apart for even a day. But now, a full year of separation was ahead of them.

After what felt like forever, they broke their hug and stared into each other's tear-stained eyes, still holding hands.

"Mommy would be so proud of you right now!" the father said, his voice shaking. He could feel yet another wave of emotion wash over him as he remembered her. Velvet felt it too. Long minutes ticked away before the man finally had the strength to stand up. He picked up the hat he made for his daughter from the floor and held it gently in his hands, observing his handiwork and coming to the conclusion that he was not really all that good at sewing. Anything to prolong the time he gets to spend with her.

He looked back at the door which was waiting open for him he sighed, knowing he could not stall forever. He replaced the hat on her head and attempted to smile. But it didn't really come out as a smile. It only vaguely resembled one. "I will see you in a year. I will try to visit sooner if I can. Stay safe my dear. And don't worry about me. I will be just fine."

Gently, his hand glided down her cheek as he wiped the tears from it. "Daddy loves you more than anything. Never forget that."

"I love you too, Dad," she said hugging him one last time before letting him go as he made his way to the door.

He stopped, glancing back at her one last time. "I know you will make your dreams come true. Show the world what you can do."

Velvet managed a nod between her tears before he disappeared behind the corner. Her first instinct was to run after him, but she fought against it, knowing that prolonging the inevitable will do neither of them any good. After a short while, she gave in to her emotions though and ran out the door. But the hallway was empty. He was already gone.

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***

Ralph was standing at the top of the staircase as James came by, wiping his tears. He wanted to pass him and head down the stairs but was stopped by his hand placed firmly on the father's shoulder. "What you just did is very brave. Not many parents could do this."

"Do you think I made the right choice for her?" the crying man asked the scholar.

Ralph nodded. "With what she has shown us today, I can confidently say that you have. You may not realize it yet, but you have just given someone extremely talented the wings to fly." A short silence fell between them. "And now it is up to us to show her how," he added.

"I know nothing about magic myself. There is no way I can help her achieve her dream of becoming a great witch," the father said, slowly recuperating. "So I entrust her dream to you. Please, help her fulfill it."

"We will guide her every step of the way. You have my word," the assistant reassured him.

"Thank you, Mister..." he started, realizing the man's name slipped his mind mid-sentence.

"Gutfield," the scholar helped him out. "But you can call me Ralph. No need to be formal."

"Thank you, Ralph. And farewell." Saying that the farmer started walking down the stairs.

"Farewell, Mister Crow. Do not be a stranger. I owe you a coffee, after all." The young man waved after him from the top of the staircase and saw him making his way out the front door. Crossing the courtyard and the small bridge he arrived back at his carriage. It felt as if an ache had nested itself in his chest and refused to let go. He knew that it was in fact him that could not let go.

"Take me back to Simula," he ordered the coachman. "And quickly, before I have the chance to change my mind."

As the carriage started moving, he glanced at the academy's walls one final time. Inside them was his daughter's new home.

***

Returning to her room, Velvet wiped her tears and scanned it with her watery stare. She didn't really take a very good look before. Now that she was alone, it felt kind of bigger. There was nothing interesting to see on her side of it, just empty furniture. On the other side of it, however, a bunch of items caught her eye.

The bedsheets had a flower pattern and on it, a green nightgown lay neatly folded next to the cushion. The shelves above it were stacked with books, mostly on magic. She read some of the titles. Air Magic for Beginners, The Art of Potion Making, In the Breeze: A Guide to Air Magic, Beasts of Rumerra, What NOT to do When Casting Spells, Elves!, 10 Habits of Successful Wizards, and many more were among them. Whoever her roommate was, apparently she enjoyed reading about magic just as much as Velvet.

I already like this girl! the girl thought as she continued exploring her belongings, feeling a little naughty for doing this while she was not home. A neat-looking white dress was hanging over the chair. On the desk itself, a few notebooks and papers were scattered about, along with some quills and an open bottle of ink. Stepping closer, she saw a paper with some writing on it.

"To-do list," it said.

I probably shouldn't be looking at this, Velvet averted her gaze. But curiosity got the better of her and she decided to read it anyway. This is what the girl had written down: unpack, clean room, explore academy, find library, borrow books, meet roommate. All of the things on the list were crossed out already, except the last one.

She already thought about meeting her roommate. That's so sweet of her. Glancing out the window above the desk, she saw a frame standing on the far end of it. There was a picture!

Without even thinking about it, the curious girl climbed onto the chair and leaned forward across the desk to get a better look at it. She immediately noticed the high quality. This must have been done by an expert light mage, she concluded.

The way pictures were made in Rumerra was by a light witch or wizard capturing the light of the moment and transferring it onto a flat and clean surface, preferably a white piece of paper, effectively painting what he or she saw. There was a special spell for it, but Velvet didn't know it yet.

I need to learn how to do this one day now that I can use light magic, she thought, making a mental note to herself. It was an art in itself and only the most skilled mages could create realistic and life-like pictures like the one she was looking at right now. There were two people in it. An older woman smiled and stood next to a young girl, holding her hand over her back.

This must be her and her mother! Velvet drew an obvious conclusion and examined them closely. The girl wore sandals and a snowy white dress with frills, similar to the one hanging on the chair. Maybe it was even the very same one. Her golden hair curved itself around her neck, falling over her left shoulder. Close to the end, it was held together by a small white ball. Two locks of hair were pinned to the back with a white ribbon, preventing them from falling over her green eyes. She smiled brightly, hugging her mother with her right hand, the left one falling flat by her side. She almost looks like an angel, was her first thought as she saw her.

"Um...hello?" Velvet suddenly heard a soft voice from behind her as she was staring at the picture. Turning around she found the very girl from the image standing in the doorway, the only difference being that she wore a uniform like her instead of the white dress. Still, this made her no less beautiful.

"Hey, it is you!" she exclaimed happily, jumping from the chair and running towards her, startling her a bit with the overenthusiastic approach.

"Hi! My name is Velvet!" the excited girl yelled, leaning forward and reading the nametag on her uniform. It said "G. Arianna."

"Arianna! That's a beautiful name! Nice to meet you, Arianna!" She held her hand out for her roommate to shake. Hesitantly, Arianna reached out and took it.

"N-nice to meet you too," she stammered, not able to handle Velvet's level of enthusiasm. The newcomer shook her hand so violently that the poor girl was shaking along with it.

"Are you my roommate?" she managed to ask between her frantic shaking.

"Sure am!" Velvet finally stopped shaking, much to the relief of the other girl. Tilting her hand to the side she quickly noticed the mark of air on it.

"Wow, you can do air magic, huh? That's so amazing! I can't wait for you to show me what you can do!" Before her confused roommate could even say anything, Velvet went ahead and hugged her tightly. "We're going to be great friends, you and I! Let's have fun and learn magic together!"

"A-alright..." Arianna didn't really know how to react to this, so she just kind of went with it, letting the crazy girl do her thing. And so they embarked on their journey of magic and self-discovery, neither of them having the slightest idea back then just how far it was going to take them.

Four and a half years later...

Thank you for reading the final part of chapter two!

[https://img.wattpad.com/3cf298c7d23696fd1d520dd9d3b436de8e58afff/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f75304638527062675233556a37413d3d2d313235353133353035392e313730656532653134336234663961383837333433363331313232362e6a7067]

Next chapter we skip ahead for four and a half years to see how Velvet and Arianna have grown!