The next morning, Rin practically flew to the magical academy—
not because she was excited…
but rather because Crowlius was chasing her while yelling,
"HURRY! IF WE'RE LATE THE PRINCE WILL MOCK YOU UNTIL NEXT YEAR!"
Rin groaned. "He mocks me even when I'm EARLY."
---
???? Stick Practice: Round Two (And Another Failure)
When Rin entered the training yard, every student held their magical stick proudly.
Some were glowing.
Some were humming.
One was vibrating so violently the owner had to sit on it.
Rin grasped her stick.
It looked… normal.
Very normal.
Painfully normal.
Teacher Gloriana clapped her hands.
"Alright students! Bond with your stick! Feel its energy! Embrace it!"
She stared hard at her stick.
The stick stared back.
Nothing happened.
She whispered, "Hi… please glow?
The stick: remains a lifeless twig
Crowlius patted her shoulder.
"Don't worry. You're not failing. You're just… dramatically succeeding later."
Rin frowned. "That sounds fake."
Crowlius nodded. "It absolutely is."
⚡ The Prince Arrives (Very Loudly)
Suddenly
BOOM!
A magical blast shot into the sky.
Everyone turned.
The prince, Aster Valerius, stood proudly with his stick glowing like the sun.
He smirked at Rin.
"Oh look. Someone STILL can't bond with a basic stick."
Rin scowled. "Oh look. Someone STILL has the personality of burnt toast."
Aster gasped. "How DARE you insult toast."
Rin: "Then stop acting like one!
Aster crossed his arms over his chest. "Face it. Magic sticks choose talent. You just don't have"
BONK!
Rin whacked him on the head with her un-magical stick.
It made a very sad, hollow sound.
Aster's eyes widened.
"You just assaulted royalty with a PLANK?
Rin: "It's a stick, thank you."
Crowlius swooped between them.
"Alright children, no murder attempts before lunch!"
???? Comedy in the Training Yard
Rin tried to grasp again with the stick.
She held it up.
Closed her eyes.
Breathed deeply.
The stick slipped from her hand and smacked her own forehead.
She fell backwards.
Aster burst out laughing.
"OH WOW! The stick rejected you so hard it fought back!"
Annoyed, Rin threw grass at him.
"SHUT UP, TOAST BOY!"
Aster dodged dramatically.
"You missed! Just like you miss EVERY magic attempt!"
Crowlius rolled his eyes.
"At this rate, the real magic is how neither of you have exploded yet."
Even the teacher sighed.
"Rin, dear… stop hurting yourself already."
---
⚔️ Clash No. 27 of the Day
Aster strutted past Rin and flicked her forehead.
"Don't worry, maybe someday a toy stick will bond with you."
Rin glared. "Oh yeah? Maybe someday a personality will bond with you!"
Aster snorted.
"At least I have magic." Rin snapped back, "At least I have friends who like me!" Aster froze. ".My fans like me." Crowlius whispered, "Your fans are just people who can't escape your loud voice. Aster glared at him. "You are a disrespectful bird." Crowlius bowed. "Thank you." --- ???? The Chapter Ends in Glorious Failure By the end of practice: • His stick still didn't glow. • Her forehead had 3 new bruises • Aster had been whacked 2 times • Crowlius was prohibited from advising • The teacher considered early retirement Rin let out a melodramatic sigh. "Why am I the ONLY one who can't bond with a stick?" Crowlius wrapped a wing around her. "Don't worry. Your magic is just. shy. Like a turtle. Wearing a blanket." Aster smirked. "More like it's DEAD." She threw her boot at him. Crowlius clapped. 10/10 aim. And with that, training was over— not with magic, but with chaos. To be continued…