As I walked to find Selina and our meeting location, my eyes couldn't be unlocked from the view of the setting sun. It had been a while since I could just look at nature after all the adventuring and training of this past year.

The smell of bakery sweets invaded my senses, and I turned to the perpetrator. The building was connected to a few other buildings, all part of a large one. Outside of it, though, were a few tables with umbrellas over them, with a patio-like setup.

Then I saw her. Her white hair glistened in an aura of colors the setting sun gave, and it flowed elegantly in the light breeze. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

She looks so...different, I thought.

My childhood friend was almost unrecognizable. I approached closer, and she didn't seem to notice me until I pulled out the remaining chair at the table and sat down. As soon as she realized what was happening, she quickly reached over the small table and embraced me in a warm hug. "Fal, I've missed you so much."

Her hug was sudden and surprised me a little, but nevertheless, I responded, "I've missed you too, Selina."

She punched me back, her face bright red and her cheeks puffed out. "Selina? What happened to my nickname? Are we not friends anymore or something?"

"No, no, you're right. Lina it is. I just didn't know," I said, trying to calm her down. "I was confused after the call. If you could contact me all this time, why didn't you?"

Her expression softened, and she sat back down in her chair. "I figured you would ask that. It was so I could prove I could live without you. When I was young, I used to call you about every little thing, and when I got to school, I had decided I wanted to improve on my own. And hopefully, catch up with you. You're strong, Fal, stronger than any kid I've met our age. I didn't want you to feel as if I was getting on your nerves or anything, so I just distanced myself."

I let out a sigh. "So that's it, huh? And here I was thinking much worse."

"I would never be mad at your choices, Lina. If that is what you believed was best for you in that particular moment, then I support it all the way."

She smiled. "So you're not mad at me?"

I smiled. "No, absolutely not."

She looked down at her feet, but even in doing this, she couldn't hide her smile. "Thank you for understanding, Fal."

"And one more thing. That bit about you being annoying was true, but everyone thinks that, so it's totally okay, and I would never judge you for such a personality trait," I said jokingly.

She chuckled. "Oh, shut up."

It seemed the old life of our friendship had been rekindled, and I could talk comfortably to my old friend once more. She had changed not only in looks but also in her mannerisms and the way she carried herself. She no doubt still had the energetic impulsiveness she did in her childhood, but that was just Lina.

A waiter brought out hot croissants, and Lina's face seemed to light up.

"It must suck not being able to sneak into the castle's kitchen any longer," I said, watching her grab a croissant and take a bite.

"Don't sit here and act like you weren't my partner in crime on most of my kitchen excursions."

I laughed at her words and joked, “You honor me, but I must protest. I was framed by the evil princess.”

She laughed at my silly words of innocence and offered me a hot croissant, “Here, try one. They are just the best things I’ve ever tasted.”

I grabbed the butter-glazed croissant and took a bite. She was right; it was delicious.

She must have picked up on the satisfied look on my face, because I hadn’t even said a word before she said, “Told you so.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

After finishing my croissant, I spoke, “You know my exams were today. Don't you want to know how they went?"

“I would love to, but first, tell me about everything before that. I’ve heard around the castle that you went on some sort of lone journey.”

"Wait, you were at the castle this summer? I didn't see you once, and I was there almost every day," I said, narrowing my eyes. "Were you purposely avoiding me until the start of the school year?"

Guilt washed over her at my assumption, and she gave me a sly grin. "A mage must not reveal all their secrets. Anyway, tell me how it went. I'm dying to know."

I sighed. Well, she must've had her reasons. She is here now so I guess she accomplished whatever she was trying to.

Closing my thoughts, I began telling her everything, from the departure to all the beasts I fought. I left out the gory parts and didn't go into detail about the journey, but even with this, she seemed to get the gist.

"So it was just you fighting all these powerful beasts with other adventurers?" she asked as she finished up the last croissant.

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds kind of boring," I said.

"No, it's quite impressive actually. There's no telling how strong you've gotten," she said, taking a drink of some cold water. "I have no doubt you passed the exam, but tell me about it anyway."

"Well, it was easy. Most of my opponents weren't as skilled as I was, so as you can probably assume, I held back. Leaving, though, I ran into the headmaster."

Her facial expression turned to one of surprise. "Really? What did he say? He's kind of a mysterious figure around here. So I'm sort of shocked he even spoke with you, considering you're not even a student yet."

"Well, to sum it up, he said I passed and gave me my dorm medallion. I'm already settled in."

"That's amazing, Fal. The headmaster himself telling you passed is something I've never heard of. And my brother, did you see him at the exams?"

"He actually came with me. The headmaster told me he also passed."

"That's good. I'd be disappointed if all his training was for nothing," she said.

"Speaking of training, how is yours going?" I asked.

She stood up. "Do you want to find out?"

"I don't mind," I said, following her to the grass field in front of the bakery.

When we were in the middle of the field, she pulled a wand out of her spatial ring and began chanting a spell. "For what is all divine in the art of healing, grant me [Flowing Stars]."

A bubble of water encased the two of us like a dome. Soon after, tens of small bubbles began floating around us, each of the bubbles containing a small orb of light inside. They looked like little stars just floating about.

"What is this spell?" I asked, looking around. The bubbles began clinging to my skin. They carried a warmth that I doubted would bother anyone, and I soon found myself wanting more around me.

"It's a defense and healing spell I put together on my own. It uses dense water as a barrier, and the orbs of lighted water float around and cling to skin so that whoever is here can be healed. I needed a spell that could heal more than one person at once, and this can do that."

"For you to make this spell on your own must have been difficult. How long did it take you?"

"Way faster than it should have thanks to your sister."

I whipped my head toward her. "So you've met Myla?"

"Yes, I am the vice president of the student council, after all."

"You surprise me once more, Lina. It seems you have improved tremendously."

I assessed her mana core since I hadn't done it this entire time. She was at the mid-purple stage, same as Hanz.

The more time I spent with the royal family, the more I seemed to notice that their mana potency was higher than others, even if their mana core was at the same level. Whether it was due to their blood or some other reason, I couldn't know. Maybe I'll find out when classes start; learning new things is always fun."

She dispersed the spell, and the water turned to vapor and floated away. "By the way, Fal, where's Rye?"

"He's aslee-" I cut myself off, about to tell her that Rye was asleep, but instead of doing that, another idea formed in my mind.

I pulled the rock of the golem and my spatial ring and held it in my hand for a few seconds. My blood began tingling, so I knew it was working. Soon enough, he jumped off my body and yelled.

"Can you please calm down? I'm trying to sleep h-" His words vanished in the air as soon as he saw Lina. he jumps on top of her, cuddling her in his feline ways.

"I've missed you too, buddy. How have you been?" She asked.

"Starving," he said as he licked her face. "Fal never feeds me."

Lina gave me a disappointed frown. "How dare you treat my furry little friend that way, Fal."

“Right! He ought to be punished. Lina, destroy him with your superior magical abilities.”

Lina laughed at Rye’s show. “I’ll tell you what Rye, let him slide this time and he will give you all the food you want on campus. The dining hall food is free, so he has no excuse.”

Rye seemed to think about it for a moment, “Fine. I accept.”

I chuckled, “Alright, now that that’s settled and you’ve had your fun, try to go back to sleep now. Just in case I need you later.”

He gave Lina one last toothy grin, “Bye Lina, I’ll see you again soon,” and hopped back into my mana core.

“He’s really grown big.”

“Yeah. I need him strong.” I looked at the sky; the stars were now out, and I could only wonder where the time went.

“It’s getting late. Do you need me to walk you to your dorm?”

“No, I’ll be fine, Fal. Thanks for the offer, though.” She held up her hand and conjured an orb of light. “My dorm is much closer than yours from here, and plus I have this.” She gave me a goodbye wave and turned around, “I’ll see you again when classes officially start. Goodnight, Fal.”

“Goodnight,” I said, as I watched her figure disappear into the distant night.

It almost felt familiar.