The following day in my first class, Professor Shia approached me. Everyone was in the middle of going to their separate groups and practicing their skills amongst peers. I was still with the beginners, but they had shown signs that they could shoot out a fire bolt or at least sparks of flames from their fingertips. Professor Shia asked, "How is your rune studying coming along?"

"I've been working hard at it, just trying to get the basics first. But I haven't tried shooting out fire sparks or a bolt yet. I'm afraid I might damage something if I start trying to throw flames around in the study lounge back at the dormitory. Doesn't that seem like a fire hazard to you?"

Professor Shia chuckled to herself. "Well, you'd be right about not practicing throwing fire bolts around in the study lounge. It could hit someone, and we don't allow that. However, all dormitories have an arcane spell over them that makes them flame resistant, so you don't have to worry about burning down a building."

"So no, I haven't tried shooting any sparks or fire bolts yet. I don't know where I could do that safely."

"But don't get me wrong, Rollie, you did the right thing by studying your runes until you've mastered them. How do you feel about giving it a go right now in class?"

"I guess I could give it a try."

"Let's step over here to this corner, and we'll let the class continue with their practices, so you don't feel like everyone's watching you. Although sometimes when we perform our checkpoints with the whole class, some students perform better."

"Yeah, for this, I'd prefer to not be the center of attention. I think I'll have a better chance."

"As you wish, follow me," Professor Shia said as we stepped over to a corner of the room. She placed a polished wooden target with red circles on the wall. "Go on, Rollie, give it a shot whenever you're ready."

I stood in front of the target, a few yards away. Scanning the rest of the class, no one paid attention to me. They all talked amongst themselves and practiced throwing a firebolt across the room. This was the perfect setup for me. Staring down my target, I took a deep breath and ran through the runes in my head, mouthing the sounds. It was like saying the alphabet as fast as I could. With my fingertips outstretched, I could feel them building up with energy, I smiled, and my heart beat faster. Sparks and tiny embers spun out from my fingers but disappeared as they got a foot away from me. It all happened so quickly that I don't think I finished going over the rest of the runes.

"Wow, that was amazing," I said, although I realized in the grand scheme it wasn't groundbreaking for the rest of the class, but for me, it was a huge milestone.

Professor Shia grinned. "That was incredible. Way to go, Rollie. That was the first time sparks have come out of your hand?"

"Yeah, and wow, that was so awesome."

"Why don't you keep practicing, don't worry about trying to shoot out a fire bolt today."

"But I want to, I want to at least try. Who knows, maybe I can do it. I feel like I'm on a roll here." I outstretched my hand again and went through the whole process. The sparks came out, and I kept focusing on saying all the right things and reviewing all the correct runes. A small swirling ball of fire formed in my palm. The weight of it was heavier than I imagined, it pulled my arm down a little bit, but I powered through. I thought I had cycled through the correct rune words, but the fire bolt fizzled out into nothing more than a wisp of smoke.

"That's all right, Rollie. It takes some time to get used to. Today marks quite the accomplishment, and you--"

"Wait, hold on, let me try again," I said. Pulling up my arm, I repeated the process, trying to get my brain clear and focused on the long list of runes I had to recite. Everything seemed to be going well, the sparks sizzled, and I was prepared for the weight of the firebolt. It was all ready to go. I kept racing through the runes. All the different shapes and designs flipped through my head like slides on a rapid quick-fire presentation. I should have been able to thrust out the fire bolt straight to the target, but it fizzled out once more.

Professor Shia cleared her throat. "Rollie, it would be best if you tried this again at another time. Today already marks a great checkpoint with your first fire sparks."

"I know, but I'm really close. I just have to do it one more time. I think I can pull it off!" I repeated the same process. Again, the fire bolt would appear, but it wouldn't shoot out.

"It's okay, Rollie, you're making great progress. Today is a success no matter--"

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"Hold on, I have to keep trying!" And I gave it another attempt, and there was another failure. The fire bolt cast a glare and looked brilliant, but it ultimately amounted to a puff of smoke. "What the hell! Why can't I shoot anything out! The fire bolt is right there! This is so stupid!" I screamed. My hands balled into fists, and I wanted to punch through the marble wall.

"Rollie! Everything is all right; take a deep breath. You're making tremendous success. This all takes time to develop. Just take a deep breath, please," Professor Shia urged.

I stopped and took a deep inhale. Everyone in the classroom looked at me like a giraffe in a zoo. My anger transitioned into embarrassment. Without saying anything, I walked out. I probably should've told Professor Shia I wouldn't be coming back, but it was close to the end of class. What were a few minutes anyways?

The only highlight of my day was sitting with Farrah during dinner. A few of her friends joined us, and Arthur wasn't one of them. I couldn't relate to much of their topics of conversation, but Farrah kept including me by asking questions to me in front of everyone. And even if her friends talked about some new elixir on the market, Farrah would take a moment and explain to me everything about it, like a translator. Sitting with them was a pleasant experience, but I missed sitting with Boris and Chris. I still could see Chris at his new table, but I never saw Boris anymore. I wondered where he had been or if he had been eating all his meals privately.

As Halloween approached, I kept going through my routine. Breakfast in the dining hall, classes, dinner, Dragonstryke practice, and the rest of the evening was devoted to studying in the Fyron study lounge. I had mastered the art of getting tiny flames to spark out of my fingertips, but the fire bolt still eluded me in my class. Every student could now shoot a fire bolt, except for me. Professor Shia told me not to get discouraged. After all, I came to school a month late. The few days before Halloween, the campus had posters beautifully designed, advertising the haunted house that would happen at the rec hall. The signs would prominently feature a monster I was familiar with, like Dracula, the grim reaper, a demon, or a demented scarecrow. If I had been a little kid, the advertisements would have given me nightmares, but seeing them across campus filled me with excitement.

Halloween came on a Monday, and I was stunned that the campus took a day off for the occasion. The haunted house at the rec hall would start at nightfall, But in the meantime, the morning was dedicated to students to catch up on studies and classwork. Then in the afternoon, students still had the option to continue working or catching up. Or they could walk to the other dormitories where they had special foods and old recipes unique to each mage group. Plenty of treats were offered, and I spent the entire time with Farrah and her friends. Although I didn't say much, I had a blast checking out the inside of the different dormitories and the unique personalities of each building. Even in the Aquasos and Glacien buildings, nothing felt hostile among our rivals.

My favorite place to visit was the Voltrun dorm. All the furniture and styles were futuristic. The chairs were all orbs, and the couches had a weird curve. Still, everything had a bright color to it, the dominant one being yellow but accents of different colors elsewhere. Blue cushions on the yellow orb chairs and the tables were yellow at the top but stood on an orange stand. They served these dessert dumplings that reminded me of biting into an apple pie, but I couldn't figure out what the fruit was.

The experience was perfect until Houston appeared in the Voltrun lounge. He didn't do anything wrong, or at least that I had noticed. He was just strolling through with a smug grin on his stupid face.

"Rollie, are you okay? You look a little annoyed," Farrah said.

"I was okay until I saw Houston walking around. Man, that kid is the worst. He and I have butted heads a few times already."

"Butted heads?" Farrah furrowed her brow.

"Yeah, he's in my class with Professor Hawthorne, and we started off on the wrong foot. We've also shoved each other in the hallway once."

"Oh? Really?" Farrah frowned. It was like she had heard devastating news.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I guess it bums me out that there's hostility between you two."

I shrugged. "I don't know if I'd call it that. I think we just disagree with how to treat people. Have you seen him bully other kids before? I saw him picking on a wimpy kid, and I had to step in."

Farrah's lips curved up a little more. "I see. That's really brave of you to do something about it. I feel like most people around here wouldn't have stopped him." Farrah laughed. "I was so worried you were picking on him."

"I don't really pick on others. Never been that fun for me. Pranks here and there? Sure. Protecting others? Yeah. But bullying innocent people doesn't do much for me."

Farrah nodded but was tight-lipped. Her mind wandered in another direction, and she debated bringing it up. "I hate to ask, but what was the thing that happened on the bench during the last Dragonstryke match?"

"It was a misunderstanding. It might sound crazy, but it was a scheme by Arthur and his buddy to get me out of the game."

Farrah shook her head, annoyed. "That Arthur. I can't stand him. That doesn't surprise me."

"So you see how irritated Arthur makes you? That's Houston to me."

Farrah laughed dryly. "I think I understand."

We kept grazing and walking to the other mage dormitories. Then we all went to dinner, and the food was haunted-themed. A dumpling covered with a green goop gravy and some jelly snack that looked like spiders or eyeballs. I appreciated the attention to detail the school went through.

After dinner, we all went to the haunted house in the rec hall. A line had formed outside, and Mage Force Officers in their silver cloaks stood outside, watching the queue. In front of the building, above the main entrance, there was a sign reminding everyone not to use any elemental or arcane magic while inside the haunted house.

With the Mage Force Officers standing by, I felt a weird hint of nervousness. They were there to make us feel safe, which I appreciated, but what if something happened inside the rec hall? Were they inside? Why were we even doing this Halloween event if we thought it was dangerous? I enjoyed haunted houses back in my homeland, but I wasn't sure what to expect with Attleton.