The class was disastrous with the recent announcements distracting all the students. The invasion had been on everyone’s mind and continued to linger there for the next few days. Only a few students managed to make any progress. Wilt was among those that managed to focus on classes. In reality, he was using class and his studies as distractions. It let him divert his focus towards something more useful. One of those things was finishing the project for his sister. It had turned out so well that he ended up making three of them. One was for his sister, one for himself, and one for Stella.

He was using it now, letting the terrasix follow behind him. The device had four wheels along the side and had a simple function to send it forward. He had a pouch of food at his side, and he was going around feeding the creatures. There was a small magically maintained forest on the institute grounds, and it had quickly become one of his favorite places. Almost no students ever ventured into the forest itself, probably due to the large terrasix that roamed around in it. Little did they know, the creatures were extremely friendly and obviously domesticated.

Unconsciously he reached into his pouch, pulling out two strips of meat from it. As he approached a few more of the creatures he tossed the food in their general direction. At first, he had set it down gently, but he realized that they were more than eager to catch their food. They enjoyed getting the meat thrown at them. He even had a few extra pieces to play with their young. Even the young creatures reached up to his hips, but they had more round and soft features. He spent a lot of time with them.

As he finished making the rounds through the forest, he was surprised to see someone waiting near the entrance to the forest. The teacher who normally watched the creatures hadn’t stuck around after the first day. Wilt had only interacted with the man a few times and wondered why he was waiting for him.

Once he got closer, he realized that it was councilor Janette and wondered why she was there. He slowed down as he approached, sending the few terrasix that were following him back into the woods. They knew a few commands, and he had learned them so he wouldn’t end up stuck like his first time with them.

“Did you forget what today was?”

After having spent so much time together, Janette had dropped some of the formality. It still felt a little weird to Wilt, but he was growing more used to being around important people. Furthermore, he was courting her niece and would need to get used to her presence. Although, his time with Stella hadn’t really changed, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

“Um, no…”

He didn’t actually forget but had planned on skipping. Today was a celebration designed for the students who were going to graduate from the month of training. He was one amongst ten that had succeeded. Honestly, he never really found anything too difficult and felt like he had been cheating the entire time. His Ein had made every exercise easier, and learning chants usually ended up with him being better than most of the other students. Even affinities didn’t even them out all the time, but a few situations had proved otherwise. Stella had managed to form an attunement forwarding, and he couldn’t compete with her in that department. She was one of two students who had successfully formed attunements.

The councilor didn’t seem happy with his answer and only gave him a flat look. She probably knew that he was trying to avoid the ceremony and was here to convince him otherwise.

“You do realize if you don’t go Stella will need to pair up with someone else for the dance.”

That was not the tactic he assumed she would go with and stumbled slightly as he slid beside her. He didn’t realize that there would be a dance. Stella hadn’t mentioned anything either, so he assumed that meant that he didn’t need to be there. Imagining her dancing with someone else, he realized that that would have been a big mistake.

“I’ll go, but I didn’t really prepare for the event.”

It wasn’t really an excuse; Wilt would go with his current fur-covered clothing if he needed to. Although he was hoping that the councilor would take him to shop. It had been a while since he left the institute grounds, and he was missing the rest of the town. He would be able to leave in three days after the week ended but would take the opportunity now if he could.

“That is fine, I sent an outfit to your room earlier today. It should have arrived a few hours ago.”

Of course, she would prepare ahead of time. It also sounded like she knew what he was trying to do. He bowed his head in thanks, muttering his gratitude out loud.

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“Thank you, I will go and get ready then.”

She smiled like someone who knew they were victorious and said one more thing as Wilt rolled away.

“Be sure to look your best, you are the star of the show.”

Wilt sighed as he rolled towards the dorms. It took a few minutes to arrive, and he rushed to his room. He had around an hour to get ready, and relaxed as he saw his outfit. In the back of his mind, he expected something ridiculous or extravagant. Instead, it was a normal suit similar to what Janette would normally wear. It was tailored for men though, and he decided to take a bath before putting it on. The enchanter dorm had private bathrooms, so he lingered in the hot bath for a while.

The warmth felt good, and he lost track of time for a bit. Once he got out, he put on the suit, surprised by the fit. It matched his size from when he first arrived at the school. While he hadn’t grown taller, he had put on some muscle. The suit was a little tight and highlighted the muscles in his arms and legs. It was good enough, and he headed out of the room soon after.

Arriving at the venue he was somewhat surprised by the location. It was a large empty hall, with a stage at one end. The main floor was completely empty, and he saw tables along with one of the walls. Foods and drinks were laid out neatly along them. Servants were going back and forth making some final adjustments to the room. He hadn’t seen it before and was surprised by the size. It felt like it was large enough to fit the entire student body, although there would only be the first years today. As he entered the room, a servant quickly led him to the stage. There were several seats arranged on it, and he saw Stella already sitting there.

She looked amazing with a thick purple dress that reminded him of something like a long winter coat. The ends of her sleeves and her collar were accented with puffy white fur that made the outfit seem extremely comfortable. It was also unconventional, in fact, her dress was definitely something that clashed with Elpis’s normal fashion sense, and he wondered where she got her outfits. Almost everything she wore seemed to clash with the norm, and every outfit she had was stunning.

All of the other seats were occupied, but there was still one open beside her. There were two other girls among the ten seats. Ashley was wearing a uniform, but the other girl, Jennifer, was wearing a dress in line with noble sensibilities. It was a blue dress that clung to her body. It didn’t reveal any skin but was designed to be showy. He definitely preferred the unconventional choices that Stella usually made, even if she was just copying her aunt.

Wilt walked over casually and took a seat beside her. She smiled at him, and he couldn’t help but feel a little sheepish. He remembered the few conversations he had with his family about courting someone and remember to pay her a compliment.

“You look really cute. The dress looks nice.”

Since he knew others could hear, he sounded a bit awkward as he spoke. He noticed her eyebrow twitch at the compliment, and he realized that he probably should have said pretty or nice.

“Thanks, I thought you weren’t coming for a second.”

She didn’t sound concerned, but maybe a little angry. He managed to control his expression and responded as other students started to enter.

“There is no way I would miss it.”

He said it with some exaggeration, and she rolled her eyes at him. They had gotten to know each other pretty well over the past month, and she knew that he wouldn’t like something like this. It was strange, there were times when he would struggle to find the right words to say to her, but other times he spoke to her as casually as he would with his sister. They talked a little more as the rest of the room filled up. Even with all of the first years, and some of the second and third years, the room still had plenty of space.

The councilors arrived after the students. It was all of the councilors and Wilt was surprised to see them. He had only ever seen Janette or Pali and had assumed that the rest were busy with the war. What had happened for them all to be in the here?

They were all wearing identical uniforms now. They were of a militaristic cut, and each was emblazoned with several medals. Symbols of their power and the reasons for their positions. They rose onto the stage, standing in front of him with perfect posture. They faced the crowds, and Wilt could only see their backs. He felt surprisingly safe seeing them stand tall and unflinching from the gaze of the students. Even though the students were watching the councilors; Wilt felt his heart rate increasing. Being near the center of all those gazes pressured him more than he would like to admit.

Councilor Pali stepped forward, speaking towards the crowd. He didn’t shout, but his words carried over the crowd. Wilt was certain that everyone could hear and had no doubts that they would listen attentively.

“I welcome you all tonight and commend you on your effort thus far. All of you have great potential. However, tonight is for those ten that went above and beyond in our time of need. They have pushed themselves for the greater good and saving those of you stands here now. These ten are the true stars today and will certainly become beacons of strength for all chanters.”

As the councilor spoke, Wilt noticed that the others started to stand. He was a little slow in following their movements but didn’t think he was too bad about it. The councilor gestured towards Wilt and the others as he mentioned them. He wasn’t done though.

“Today is a celebration of their accomplishment, as such the best of them will be the one to start the festivities. Alrick Wilton, step forward.”

Even before Pali finished speaking, Wilt felt his face go stiff. Nobody had told him anything about this, and he had no idea what to do. Pushing through waves of anxiety and fear, he walked as though he were made of stone. It ended with him standing straight. It felt like something was jammed in his spine, holding his back perfectly straight. He looked over the sea of faces, completely unsure of what or how to proceed. Thinking fast, he remembered one thing he could do.