~ I've gotten lazy T-T... Oh well, finally a chapter!~ :sleepy:
Chapter 3: Stellar Academy
Looking at his watch, the Headmaster sighed.
“Oh dear, the Opening Ceremony has already ended! I’m constantly late for these occasions. Serrin, I hope you don’t mind.” He gave me a pitiful look.
“No, sir. I don’t mind at all.” Personally, I would have liked to attend, but intruding in the middle of the ceremony wouldn’t be the best scenario.
The Headmaster eyed me up and down and gave a puzzled expression. In less than a minute, his expression turned surprised. The Headmaster waved his hand. A yellow light briefly enveloped my body. Rather than my simple cloth garments, I had now sported a white button-up shirt underneath a deep crimson blazer. The blazer had gold trimming and details, with Radiance Academy’s signature sun emblem on the left chest pocket. My pants changed jet black, with a pair of matching loafers. A neat gold tie finished off Stellar Academy’s uniform.
“I cannot let you wander around without the proper attire.” he said. Glancing at his watch, the Headmaster’s speech sped up. “I’m sorry to part with you, but I am far behind schedule.” He summoned a gold ring and a pamphlet. Handing them towards me, he continued speaking.
“This ring is required to be worn at all times. It is a symbol of your acceptance at the Academy. In addition, this ring can be used as a schedule, key to dorms, a library card, identification, and a watch. The stone colour of this ring corresponds to your year. The pamphlet contains an in-depth map on the Academy, and the Academy’s rules and regulations. Oh, and if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to visit me in my office.”
“Thank you, Headmaster. I’ll look after this ring with care.” Sliding the ring on my finger, I felt a prickle. Ouch! I felt my finger bleed. The ring then showed a holographic image of me. The image was able to produce all of my personal information such as height, eye colour, and shoe size. This ring even knew my full name, current address, and birthday. A real all-in-one, that’s for sure.
Looking up, I noticed the Headmaster had already left. More and more students entered the main building.
“Well Serrin, it’s just a staicase.” I sprang up the massive flight of stairs in front of me. Walking up each individual stair would take forever with no Radiance. Reaching the top in no time, students who had flown gave me weird glances. Lucky for me, soon after they ignored what had happened. The entrance to the Academy featured a giant golden statue of the Headmaster. The Headmaster undoubtedly has an obsession. Further along, the doors to the building were large golden portals, herding incoming students.
“Attention lowly students!” a booming voice spread throughout the area. Immediately, all the students focused their attention to the sound. A short, burly man began trotting towards the doors. No sooner than when he spoke, everyone was pushed back by his voice. “Make way for her majesty, the glorious princess Vialenca Elizabeth Astra Solaria!”
Right behind the man appeared an entourage of eight guards. Just visibly in the center, I could make out a girl with shiny, golden hair. Gazing at the girl, I found two clear amber eyes staring back in my direction. I could feel my face burn up as I quickly looked away. Though students are not to be treated based on their social class, there is no doubt that King had set up this extravagant protection for the princess. As the group walked, several maids would scatter flower petals after each step. No student was could be within three metres of the princess. The grand entrance lasted for several minutes before I was allowed in.
“
That girl was really… pretty.” I couldn’t help but blush. Getting such thoughts out of my system, I finally walked through the portal.
The inside of Stellar Academy was on par with its outer appearance. A crisp, clean environment, filled with the presence of Radiance. The atmosphere gave a warm, comfortable yet lavish feeling. Statues, paintings and plant life decorated the vicinity, while Radiance chandeliers lit up halls.
Taking out the pamphlet, the layout of this Academy was very simple. Three hallways intersected at the entrance lead to the corresponding floor for each year. The left hallway lead to the first year classrooms on the main floor. The right hallway, once passing through a portal, teleported you to the second floor. Lastly, the middle hallway featured a grand spiralling staircase which leads you to the third year’s domain. Each hallway featured a coloured flag. Brown, azure, and gold represented the first, second, and third years respectively. The stone on my ring was a bright gold, with an ‘S’ engraved onto it. I never thought I would already be a third year. This seemed strange; however, the Headmaster of all people wouldn’t lie.
I headed towards the middle hallway. At the end, I found out for myself why the staircase was so grand. The steps were two metres long in length, and half a meter tall in width. The staircase kept spiralling and spiralling, so much that I couldn’t see the end from my standpoint.
Going up the stairs, I had already reached the third floor in a matter of leaps. The third floor was just as elegant as the main entrance, but gave a more high-class vibe to it. Looking back at the stairs, they still continued to spiral, despite there being no floor higher than the third. I can’t let my curiosity get the best of me right now. I’ll save investigating for another time.
Down the hallway, it branched off in two directions. The right side was for studying magic while the left was for magic battling and practice. Activating my ring, the first half of my day was in room ‘S’, studying advanced magical arts. Going right, I couldn’t find any room with the letter ‘S’. Asking the professors, they gave me all gave me a puzzled look, saying this class doesn’t exist. Even more confused looks came from the professors over in the battle and practice section. I only had ten minutes before class starts after going to each classroom.
Going back towards the staircase, I sensed something.
Turning around, a large gold ‘S’ appeared in the middle of the two hallways. Approaching the glowing ‘S’, it matched the exact shape as the ‘S’ on my ring. In the middle of the letter, a hole, the perfect shape and size of my ring appeared. The Headmasters words echoed in my mind, “This ring can be used as a key.” Placing the ring in, a series of golden lines flowed out of the ‘S’, forming a solid gold door. As I pushed the golden handle, I was awaited by an empty classroom.
This classroom was almost twice as large compared to the other rooms I had been in, and those rooms were very spacious. The room had white marble walls and flooring, with several Radiance chandeliers suspended on the ceiling. The front of the classroom features a chalk board, an elaborate gold podium, and a long marble desk. A short distance away, three smaller marble desks were aligned in a row, with large cushioned chairs for comfortable seating. Behind this study area, a grand-scale battle arena was set. The symbols on it are fairly complex, allowing none of the surrounding area to be scathed. Large paneled windows allowed every corner of this classroom to be illuminated by the sunlight. This Academy isn’t called ‘prestigious’ for nothing.
To my surprise, I was the only one in the classroom. Taking a seat, I sat quietly at a desk waiting for others to show up. It wasn’t long before I heard voices coming from outside.
“How dare you hide this classroom from the princess? You have made her walk strenuously in an effort to find this room!” the booming voice from earlier shouted.
“This room is not for mere students, sir. If anyone can find this room, it wouldn’t be called the Special class now would it?” A prominently cold voice responded.
“But we went through all the floors and classrooms of this academy! Are you trying to make the princess’s precious legs fall off?”
“This classroom is not a private environment for her highness herself. I needed to escort two other individuals to this room. The earlier incident was only excused by the Headmaster just this once. Any more outrageous entrances are forbidden!”
“This is the princes we are dealing with! How could you be so rude!?”
“Come along now you two; let us proceed into the classroom. As for you sir, if you have any more concerns, I, Henry Zafire will deal with them later.”
The door to the classroom finally opened, and three people rushed inside. As for the people, I could faintly see them cowering towards the staircase.
“Mr. Lunis! It appears that you have found your way here by yourself. I was worrying we wouldn’t find you. By the way, my name is Mr. Zafire. I will be your teacher in both magical study, and magical combat.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Mr. Zafire was a tall, thin, middle-aged man. His looks were rather ordinary, aside from his fiery red eyes. Mr. Zafire had long brown hair tied back into a ponytail, and sported a long, red robe.
“While we haven’t all settled down, why don’t we all introduce ourselves? Mr. Lunis, would you care to go first?”
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind.” I stood up and walked over to the other two students. With a small bow, I introduced myself. “My name is Serrin Lunis.”
Once I was done, a blue-haired boy went next.
“My name is Blade Rainsvelt. Nice to meet all of ya!” Blade had wavy sapphire hair, and soft hazel eyes. Blade was rather tall and had a strong build. In terms of his looks, they were almost strikingly similar to Mr. Darryl.
Finally, the last person introduced herself.
“Hello, Serrin, Blade, I’m sure you all know who I am by now. My name is Via Solaria; it’s a pleasure to meet you two.” Who would have thought I’d get to meet the princess in person? While I have heard rumours of the princess’s beauty, when you see her in front of your eyes, ‘beautiful’ is an understatement. Her flowing, long golden hair was decorated with gold chains. Her body and face had stunning proportions, coupled with an aura of confidence. Those same amber eyes I had glanced at earlier were even more lustrous.
“Okay class; please proceed to take a seat. I’m sure we all have questions.” said Mr. Zafire.
Via and Blade both took the end seats leaving me to awkwardly sit in the middle. As soon as I sat down, Blade had a question.
“Zaf, why is this class the ‘Special’ class? Are we all third years or something?”
“Firstly it’s Mr. Zafire, please. Secondly, all three of you possess either outstandingly high mana and Radiance levels, or exceptionally high magical intellect. All of you would be first years, but to put you students on the same level as first or even third years wouldn’t be accurate.”
“Mr. Zafire, how come you are the only professor to teach us?” asked Via
“That is because the Headmaster has deemed the other professors not capable enough. He entrusts me to fully waken each and every one of your magical potential. Does anyone have any further questions?”
“No, sir.” all three of us responded in unison.
“Well, let us begin today’s lesson. Everyone, please take out your quills and journal from your desk.”
The desk contained various supplies such as quills, ink, paper, and an encyclopedia. I was surprised to find a fragment of Radiance inside. Laid on a small velvet pillow, I lightly brushed it. To my expectation and disappointment, no response came from it. Mr. Zafire continued speaking.
“Now, I assume that everyone knows the basics of magic? I suppose a review wouldn’t hurt. Your inner Radiance reacts to a fragment of Radiance embedded in an object such as a staff and helps you to channel out your mana. The more Radiance you have the more mana you can channel out. Mana is an internal source of energy with various properties, depending on how you wish to utilize it. Mana is your primary source of magic! No Radiance equates to no mana, which absolutely means no magic can be cast, or created. Now, magic must be controlled by using certain symbols, runes, formations shapes. The more complex the design is the more power and control you will have over the spell…”
Mr. Zafire continued reviewing different properties of magic, as well as Radiance control. All the words that came out of his mouth were already memorized by my brain years ago. However, it looked like Blade was struggling to keep up. The formations he taught were new to my mind, and the spells he chanted were somewhat unfamiliar.
The way he taught made three hours seem as simply twenty minutes. I couldn’t believe it when he said it was already lunch!
“Students, I expect you to be here promptly after lunch ends. There will be punishment for those who arrive late. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
Via, Blade and I exited the classroom. Since all of us were hungry, we decided on going to the lunch hall together.
“Man, that old guy is hard to understand! I wish we could just rain in magic and combat more.” said Blade.
“I don’t think it was so bad. Those spells and formations are just waiting for me to cast them!” said Via.
“What do you think, Serr?”
“Well, I found his teaching to be very interesting.”
“Teach me your ways! All I hear is magic, Radiance, bla bla bla…”
The three of us had a nice chat about studies and magic. I learned more about Via and Blade as well. Blade is a chill and easygoing. While he wanted to become a knight instead, his ‘old man’ enrolled him to become a mage. The Rainsvelt family is an old and noble lineage, producing several top tier magicians every generation. Via on the other hand, has focused her mind on the ambition of becoming a Magister. She doesn’t like to stay cooped up in the palace, and would much rather go on adventures. Talking with them made my mind fuzzy. This is my first time having a conversation with friends my age.
The path leading to the lunch hall was nauseating.
The smells coming from the hall made my stomach churn. When we entered the lunch area, I almost vomited. The lunch hall was a grand room decorated with Stellar Academy banners, and plants. The ceiling gave off a nice greenhouse feel with glass paneling. All along the floor were many well set tables with various amounts of foods. The food looked delicious, but smelt horrible. How torturous. Seeing my expression, Via and Blade looked confused.
“Are you alright Serrin? You look ill.”
“Serr, how come you look like that when seeing all this magnificent food!?”
“Err, I was feeling a little sick this morning. I’ll grab something to eat later. Thank you for your concern.” Without waiting for a reply, I dashed out of the lunch hall, and out of the main building. I kept running until I could no longer smell that unbearable scent. The food they serve here is infused with pure Radiance. Radiance is naturally in a misty-liquid form, but is usually refined into crystal fragments. I can’t handle pure Radiance by itself. A drop of pure Radiance in my system is enough to make me faint. Guess I’ll have to make my own food from now on.
At this moment, I finally observed my surroundings. I have accidently stumbled into a forest. This forest gave me an eerie sensation, but I became too hungry to care.
Taking out the bag Mrs. Lydia gave me, I luckily found a well prepared lunch box. Sitting underneath a tree, I ate my lunch while examining the other contents of the bag. Inside was also a crimson red cloak. On the back, a gold embroidered Stellar Academy symbol was sewn on.
A letter fell from the coat. “This was my own cloak I used in the Academy.” – Mrs. Lydia
I blushed. I can’t believe she would give me her own cloak. Putting it on felt embarrassing, but it gave me a warm feeling.
I continued to happily eat until I heard a voice.
“Human child, how did you get here?” a low voice purred.
“M-me? I just ran here unknowingly.” I felt an immense pressure surround me. I barely stuttered these words. No figure could be seen in sight. It was if I was speaking with a tree.
“You… just ran in here? You felt nothing restrictive?” the voice slowly said.
“Well, yes. Is there something wrong with this forest?”
“Human, I have set up countless barriers around this area. No being or existence should be able to be in this forest without my knowledge, but yet here you are. An insignificant human child of all things. Tell me, what brings you to my territory?”
Thinking back, I did feel some resistance running through here.
“I really just stumbled here on accident!”
“Really? Very interesting… then I’ll help you get out!” The voice roared ferociously, and the force alone threw my body backwards at a rapid rate.
Looking down, I could see the heads of the trees past by me. My body started to be pulled down by gravity; quickly I braced myself for impact.
Unscathed, but with tremendous effort, I had landed up right on the ground. The collision hurt like hell, but it was nice to be on the ground.
My items quickly rained down from the sky and landed neatly in my hands. The bag appeared untouched, but the remainders of my food were eaten.
I don’t think I’ll be entering forests for a while.
A loud bell rang from the distance. Lunch is already over. With a sigh, I walked back towards the Academy. “At least I can relax in the library now…”