The corridors glittered with floating crystals, portraits that yawned and staircases that sometimes changed their minds about where they led. Rin barely avoided stepping on a snoring carpet.
"Wow," she whispered. "This place is amazing."
Crowlius nodded. "Just don't touch anything shiny unless you want to spend the rest of your life glowing in the dark."
".Noted."
---
???? The Principal's Office
When Rin entered the principal's office, Principal Glumbuckle was seated behind his desk-upside down. Literally. He was floating midair, sipping tea, his beard hanging like a curtain.
"Ah, Miss Rin Arclight!" he greeted her cheerily. "Welcome to our humble disaster—uh, I mean, academy!"
Rin blinked. "Sir. are you floating?"
He waved a hand. "Oh, just a little anti-gravity experiment. Works wonders for my back!"
Then his teacup slipped and spilled all over the ceiling.
Crowlius whispered, "He is the definition of highly educated chaos.
The principal landed on his chair - after bouncing once. "Your father, Sir Alden Arclight, was one of our finest students! Brilliant mind, brave heart, terrible handwriting. I expect great things from you, young lady!"
Rin blushed. "T-thank you, sir."
He leaned forward, grinning. "I'm especially curious to see your vality!
Rin froze. "Uh… my what now?"
"Your vality! The very essence of your magic! The core of your nature!" He chuckled mysteriously. "I can't wait to find out!"
And with that, he floated away through a door which wasn't there.
Rin blinked at the empty space. ".Was that supposed to happen?"
Crowlius sighed. "He does that when he forgets where the real door is."
???? What is a Vality?
Crowlius puffed his feathers proudly. "Ah! Finally, a question worth answering!"
He began listing dramatically:
1. Agathel – calm and healing, related with life and nature.
2. Vornyx - the power of shadows, mysterious and sneaky types.
3. Lumynel - bright and noble, focused on light and protection.
4. Pyrixen – the fiery, bold, and very loud students, usually those that blow things up.
5. Cryvane – ice, calmness, intelligence, and sarcastic personalities.
6. Revatel is the rarest vality, attached to creation and transformation. Only geniuses or absolute weirdos get that one."
Crowlius smirked. "Knowing you? Probably Pyrixen. You already set my feathers on fire once."
"That was ONE time!" Rin protested.
"Exactly."
???? The Announcement
Suddenly, a voice echoed across the halls:
"Listen up, students! Vality Evaluation Ceremony starts in ten minutes! Please report to the Crystal Hall unless you enjoy detention!"
Crowlius stretched. "Well, that's our cue, sparkles."
Rin sighed. "This can't go wrong. right?"
Crowlius cackled. "Oh, it definitely can."
The Crystal Hall shimmered with thousands of glowing gems. Students sat in neat rows, whispering nervously. Rin found a seat beside a clumsy-looking girl with big glasses and pink hair buns.
"Hi! I'm Monika!" the girl said, immediately dropping her wand, then her notebook, then her glasses.
Rin helped her pick them up. "I'm Rin."
Rin blushed. "Uh… yeah?"
Monika gasped. "Ohmygosh! I'm sitting beside the daughter of a legend! I'm not worthy!"
Crowlius face-palmed. "We found your twin soul."
Rin giggled. "Please don't bow or anything."
Monika scrambled up. "Right! I'll just… uh… sit perfectly still. Like a rock."
Then she sneezed, and her wand shot out confetti.
"Rock with style," Crowlius muttered.
Students began to go one by one to the glowing crystal orb for their vality check. The orb shimmered different colors depending on the student's magic.
Next was Monika. She squealed, tripped halfway there, and still managed to touch the orb. It glowed a soft green.
"Agathel!" announced the teacher.
Rin clapped. "Congrats, Monika!"
Monika blushed. "I hope you're in Agathel too! We could share snacks!"
---
It was now Prince Kael's turn. The crowd instantly started whispering.
Kael smirked, put his hand on the orb—and it exploded in golden-blue light.
The teacher gasped. "Revatel!"
Everybody was silent. The portraits even fainted.
Crowlius whistled. "Well, well. Only three students in history made it into Revatel. That's the elite of the elite. The 'no-sleep, too-much-magic' club."
The principal scratched his beard nervously. "Oh dear… A prince in Revatel? My insurance policy is crying."
Then came a boy/girl twin sibling pairing. The sphere glowed twice in the same shade. Revatel.
"Who are they?" whispered Rin.
Crowlius shrugged. "No idea. Probably some future drama.
Before she could ask more, a teacher called, "Next—Rin Arclight!"
Rin froze. "Oh no. My turn."
As she walked to the front, hundreds of eyes were on her. Whispers followed:
"That's Sir Alden's daughter."
"She'll probably get something amazing."
"What if she blows up the orb?"
"No pressure, kid," Crowlius whispered, "just your whole legacy in the balance."
"NOT helping!" she hissed.
She placed her shaking hand on the crystal orb, and it glowed faintly, then burst in a swirl of dazzling gold and silver light that seemed to fill the hall.
Everyone gasped.
The teacher stammered, "R-Revatel!"
A full ten seconds of silence passed in that room.
Then—chaos. Students started murmuring, some even cheering, others staring in disbelief. The principal grinned, his beard sparkling. "Oh-ho! This year's going to be interesting!" Crowlius nudged Rin. "Told ya. You're special, kid. And now the real chaos begins." Rin swallowed hard as everyone's gaze turned to her glowing hands. Special… or trouble, she couldn't tell which.
To be continued…