Her first official day at Aethera Magical Academy began with high hopes, mild confusion, and Crowlius wearing a tiny tie "for professionalism."
"Why are you dressed like that?" Rin asked as they walked through the shimmering halls.
"Because," Crowlius said with pride, puffing his chest, "if I am your familiar-slash-bodyguard-slash-fashion-advisor, I must look the part!"
"You look like a waiter."
"I am serving looks!"
---
???? Welcome to Class 1-A: Mostly Chaos, Partially Education
When Rin first entered a classroom, she was greeted with… noise.
Loud noise.
A boy was trying to juggle his wand and inadvertently summoning pigeons.
A girl was braiding her hair with floating ribbons that sometimes slapped her in the face.
And another student practised levitation by hovering one inch off the floor and screamed, "I'M FLYING!"
Rin blinked. "Is. is it always like this?"
Crowlius sighed. "Yes. And that's before they have caffeine."
The teacher was a perky woman with messy red curls and sparkly eyes; she came into the room with five mugs of coffee.
"Good morning, chaos gremlins!" she said brightly. "I'm Miss Liora, your homeroom teacher. If you don't explode anything before lunch, I'll be very proud."
Crowlius whispered, "Low standards. I like her."
Miss Liora clapped her hands, and the desks straightened themselves—after bumping into two students.
"Alright, everybody! Let's start by introducing ourselves!"
The levitating boy waved excitedly. "I'm Timmy! I once turned my cat invisible!"
Miss Liora smiled. "Lovely! Did you turn it back?"
Timmy froze. ".We don't talk about that."
Then along came a girl named Faye, who had sparkly wings on her back. "I'm half-fairy! I sneeze glitter!"
She sneezed right after, and half the room became covered in sparkles.
Rin coughed. "It's like breathing rainbows."
When it was her turn, she nervously stood up. "I'm Rin Arclight. It's my first day and, um… please don't throw fireballs?
Everyone gasped.
"Arclight?! As in Sir Alden Arclight?!"
Rin groaned softly. "Oh no, not again."
"Can I touch your shoulder for good luck?!" exclaimed one of them.
Another whispered, "Do you think she can summon dragons?"
Crowlius fluffed his feathers. "She can summon me, which is better than a dragon."
"Barely," Rin muttered.
---
Lessons, Laughter, and Mild Explosions
Despite all the chaos, class actually felt familiar to Rin.
They took notes, made jokes, and somehow burned through three blackboards in under an hour.
At one point, Miss Liora asked, "What's the most important rule of magic?"
Rin raised her hand with confidence. "To always focus?"
Miss Liora smiled. "Correct! And second rule?"
"Never cast a spell while hungry!" Crowlius shouted from her desk.
Miss Liora blinked. ".Surprisingly true."
-
???? Time for Vality Classes
When the bell, actually a singing crystal that yelled, "CLASS IS OVER, YAY!", rang, Miss Liora announced,
"All right, students! It's time for your Vality Classes! Go to your respective sections!"
Crowlius nudged Rin. "That's you, Miss Revatel. Let's meet your fancy classmates."
Down the gleaming corridor, Rin walked to a large door labeled "Revatel Hall."
Inside, the air shimmered with energy. Only five students were there—herself included.
Before she could say anything—
BOOM!
A loud crash filled the room as two boys were fighting near the middle—one with messy blond hair and an arrogant grin, the other a quiet black-haired boy with sharp eyes.
"Give it back!" snapped the black-haired one.
The Prince sneered, grasping an orb of light within his hand. "Oh, come on! It's only a training crystal! Learn to share!"
"It's mine!"
"It's fun!"
Rin blinked. "Are they. throwing magic punches?
Crowlius sighed, "Yup, welcome to elite education.
Before Rin could move, one of the spells went wild—
A gust of energy shot across the room—
And the Prince ducked.
"INCOMING!" Crowlius yelled.
The glowing punch flew straight toward Rin.
THWACK!
It hit her square on the forehead.
Rin blinked once, twice—then dramatically fell backward.
"I… see stars…" she muttered and fainted.
Crowlius gasped. "Nooo! Not the face!"
The Prince's face froze. "Did I just punch Sir Alden's daughter!?"
The black-haired boy glared. "You're in trouble." Crowlius flapped his wings furiously. "Quick! Someone get a healer! Or chocolate! Preferably both!" -- As students rushed to help, Miss Liora burst into the room, holding a half-eaten sandwich. "What's wrong this time?!" Crowlius pointed at the Prince. "Royal disaster alert!" Miss Liora sighed, "It's not even lunchtime yet…" And Rin, still dazed on the floor, managed to mumble out, "At least… it's not math class…" Then fainted again. --- To be continued…