We embraced each other, locking in a tender kiss before delving into a conversation about our month-long separation and what we each had been up to. The walk to the dining hall was pleasant since it was a sunny day on campus. We had our Fyron cloaks wrapped around us, the temperature felt just right. The trees and grass were resilient in their vibrant hues, and the air was abuzz with the chatter and laughter of students enjoying their time outside.

As we entered the dining hall, the aroma of one of my favorite meals - dumplings wrapped in a bun, drenched in savory gravy - wafted through the air. Farrah and her clique were at their usual table, excited to see each other after the summer break. They greeted each other, bouncing up and down while shrieking. But when their attention turned to me, I received nothing more than a curt, "Hello, Rollie."

There were no enthusiasm or joy or follow-up questions about my summer adventures. Nonetheless, their simple greeting was a relief from the possibility of being entirely ignored.

As we all settled in, relishing the delicious feast and sharing stories of our summer, Principal Pine signaled for the whole school's attention at the center of the hall outside the Professors' Dining room.

"Please, do not let me interrupt your meal," Pine began. "I just have a few announcements to welcome you all back and warmly welcome our first-year students!"

The room erupted into applause, cheers, and even whistles, echoing the excitement of new beginnings and fresh starts.

"Yes, it's always one of the most exciting days of the year, everyone is back on campus, savor it while you can. Last year we had some troubles early on with some bizarre anomalies that had never happened before. My goal for this year is for nothing like that to happen again and for all of you to be on a path to success. There's also an interesting rule change that I want to try out, but first, I wanted to see the reactions I might get from all of you. How would we feel if we allowed normal street clothes to wear on weekends? During classes through the week and, of course, during Dragonstryke matches, you would be expected to wear a cloak, but outside of that, you can wear whatever you'd want without feeling like the cloak is inhibiting your desire for personal expression or comfortability, for that matter."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He must have received my letter. The entire time he spoke, I kept thinking about wearing my own clothes. I scanned the dining hall, people were whispering to each other, and most of them looked confused.

"On weekends, imagine you can do this." Principal Pine threw off his cloak, he was wearing a black sweater with a little collar and black pants.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"So that's what we are going to allow on weekends. Just to see how things go. If it's too distracting and we find that we can't handle this rule, we shall remove the privilege.

"Before I give the stage to head counselor Jonathan, I'd like to wrap up by reminding everyone of the rules in place on campus. Everyone must be in their dormitories by 10:00 p.m. Campus grounds open back up at 6:00 a.m. for students if they want to leave. The doors are never locked from the inside, but if you are caught roaming campus during those hours without special permission or without being escorted by a professor, then you will be suspended.

"No elemental magic is allowed to be aimed at other students or used in any area that isn't designated for elemental magic. The classrooms in the educational hall, the library elemental lanes, and the lanes within each respective elemental dormitory are the only areas where elemental magic is permitted."

I felt like an idiot. Since I missed the beginning of the previous year, I never heard that spiel. I didn't realize how much trouble I could get in if I didn't stick to using elemental magic in specific areas. My fire bolt stunt against Mortimer probably could have gotten me in serious trouble, and I didn't even know it. No wonder Farrah seemed so disappointed after I did it.

I was drawn to Head Counselor Jonathan as Principal Pine wrapped up his speech. He addressed the student body, his words flew by as he urged everyone to get involved on campus and join clubs that interested them. However, it was when he announced the tryouts for the Dragonstryke team that my ears perked up.

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"Those who wish to join the Dragonstryke team, tryouts shall commence next week, following our first week of practices. Any seventh-year student who has been a part of the team for at least four years will have a designated spot waiting for them. For the rest of you, tryouts are mandatory," Jonathan proclaimed. "Tryouts will take place on Sunday. Keep an eye on the rec hall communication board or your dormitory lounge for more details. And don't forget to stay for dessert, even if you don't have a sweet tooth. I have class schedules to hand out to everyone. Let us all strive for a successful year without any unpleasant incidents."

I couldn't resist the variety of fruit pies offered for dessert, although they were unfamiliar to me. As I savored a golden pie crust that reminded me of cherry pie, I noticed seventh-year students wandering around the dining hall, handing out class schedules to all.

When I received mine, I was a little anxious. But opening the scroll, I was thrilled to take Arcane Magic 1, Elemental Magic 2, arts, and Mythology 2. I had enjoyed Professor Henderson's class so much that I decided to take the second level, even though it felt intimidating.

The first week of classes proved to be a great experience. In our first arcane magic class, we spent the entire week delving into the meditations and runes required to initiate basic usage. We had to channel our energy into a small golden cube, which operated numerous devices and small items. It took considerable effort at first, and even success required a chunk of energy. However, our professor assured us that repetition was vital, and if we continued practicing, we could handle bigger tasks and become more proficient in arcane magic.

Next was Professor Shia's boltology class, and we picked up right where we left off at the end of the first year. We practiced with our fire bolts, making sure we aimed them accurately and could charge them quickly. We also worked on increasing the size of our fire bolts. Professor Shia urged us to learn the new runes required to shoot out a fire strike, which was significantly more complex. I abandoned my technique of throwing the fire bolt like a football, but I was eager to use it on the Dragonstryke field, as my aim was the best it had ever been after practicing over the summer with my grandpa.

Art class was a welcome change of pace. It was more relaxed, and I looked forward to it every week. We explored art history and learned which art forms were crucial to the mage community. We were free to pursue whatever art we wished to learn more about, and the classroom was transformed into a creative studio. Some students brought in musical instruments that were new to me, with a bright green color and a large bowl shape at the bottom, with a rod protruding from the top, filled with holes, branches, nozzles, and a mouthpiece at the end. Fortunately, those students had soundproofed practice rooms. However, I listened in on one session to hear someone play, and it sounded like a lovely flute - easy on the ears and not too sharp in pitch. It reminded me of the woodwind instruments from my home world, although the material resembled hardened clay.

In my art class, I decided to practice building statues. Our professor was well-versed in all kinds of art. She was older and seemed to have a good grasp of everything, which gave me hope that I didn't have to pigeonhole myself into one career as a mage. This thought lingered in the back of my head, and while it didn't bother me too much, it was frustrating not knowing what I wanted to do yet.

Then, I took Mythology 2 with Professor Henderson. In the second section of the class, we learned about some of the myths that gargoyles believed in, which were different from those of mages. While there was some crossover, names were often changed, lineages were different, and story outcomes were unique. This made me wonder if many of the stories happened, and since no one was around to confirm who was right, each side believed one or the other. But Professor Henderson always reminded us that they were called myths and that many of the stories were based on famous storytellers who wanted to entertain royal families. When they went to bars or stages, they could retell those to the commoners. Despite this, I found the class interesting. I felt like I didn't belong to the mage world yet, so learning about it made me feel more part of it.

I checked the board in the lounge of the Fyron Dormitory and found out that the Fyrons were holding tryouts for Dragonstryke on Sunday afternoon, right after the Voltruns but before the Venomaus. The whole week, I daydreamed about the tryouts whenever there was a dull moment in class or when I walked around the campus. From the little progress I made in arcane magic class, I knew I could finally power on the dragon bike myself, even though it would take a lot of energy. It was like finally being given the keys to a car that had always been mine.

On moving day, I had already put my blackbird dragon bike in the basement storage at the Fyron Dormitory. However, on the day of the tryouts, I was required to ride a dragon bike provided by the team.

When I got on the train with a group of other Fyrons, they talked amongst themselves, but I didn't say a word to anyone, nor did anyone say anything to me. However, at least they didn't give me any dirty looks. I had worried that they would still hate me because of last year's misconceptions, but it seemed like they had forgotten about it. There were plenty of new faces trying out, and I wondered if they were people who had tried out in the past or newly eligible students.

It was exciting to be back on the train heading to practice, and I smiled, thinking about how Patrick and Richmond wouldn't be there to ruin my time.