The morning sun rose over the Royal Academy, painting the spires of crystal in shades of gold and pink. Most students were still rubbing sleep from their eyes, preparing for a day of magic lessons, combat training, and heroic inspiration speeches.
Liam Everhart, on the other hand, was hiding under his bed.
"Why did I sign up for this?" he muttered to Clucksalot, who was perched on the windowsill, scanning the courtyard like a tiny feathery general.
Clucksalot clucked aggressively, as if to say: Because destiny is cruel, that's why.
Liam sighed. "Yeah… destiny. My favorite."
---
Accidental Enrollment
The problem started when Liam wandered into the wrong classroom. He had intended to attend "Basic Heroics 101," a class for ordinary Heroes-in-training to practice their magic safely.
Instead, he opened the door to a room titled:
> "Demon Studies: Summoning, Control, and Chaos Management"
Liam froze. Demon Studies?
"Uh… maybe this isn't my class," he muttered.
A booming voice interrupted him. "Welcome, new student!"
Liam blinked. A tall, muscular man with horns, red skin, and a staff twice his size stomped toward him. "I am Professor Malrik, Head of Demonology. And you… are late."
"I… I'm sorry? I'm actually supposed to be—"
"Silence! Today, you will learn to summon, bind, and control demonic entities!"
Liam gulped. "Bind… demons?"
Clucksalot hissed. "Yes… bind… maybe avoid binding me."
The other students stared. They all looked normal—humans, elves, dwarves—but their eyes widened as Liam and his chicken entered the room.
A small fairy whispered to her friend: "Is that… a chicken? And is that… black-and-gold energy?!"
"Yes," the friend replied. "And it's terrifying."
---
Summoning Disaster Number One
Professor Malrik waved his staff. "Everyone, summon a minor demon! Control it! Show your aptitude!"
Liam panicked. He had no idea how to control his unstable half-demonic energy.
"I… uh… I can try?" he stammered.
Malrik raised an eyebrow. "Do not try. Just do it."
Liam nodded nervously and raised his hands. He muttered some of the words he had learned from the Goddess of Light… except some accidentally mixed with old demonic chants.
The result?
A massive explosion of black and gold magic shot into the ceiling. Smoke filled the room. Students screamed. Professor Malrik's horned hat nearly flew off.
And from the smoke… emerged… thirty magical kittens.
Not dangerous, but… extremely chaotic.
They bounced on desks, shredded textbooks, clawed at robes, and knocked over potions that turned the floor into a rainbow-colored swamp.
Clucksalot squawked loudly. "Finally… my kind of chaos!"
Liam buried his face in his hands. "I didn't summon kittens!"
Professor Malrik's jaw dropped. "YOU… SUMMONED… KITTENS?"
"Yes?" Liam said weakly. "I… misread the spell?"
The kittens purred, some breathing faint fire, others trailing tiny sparks. The students were either terrified or laughing hysterically.
The fairy whispered again: "He's supposed to be the Hero… right?"
Her friend nodded. "Yeah… and somehow he just became a walking disaster."
---
Aria's Intervention
Meanwhile, Aria Moonfall, the official Hero, had wandered in after the summoning chaos was heard from the hallway.
"What is happening in here?" she asked, raising her staff. She shot a gentle beam of light that carefully contained the fire-breathing kittens.
Liam peeked out from behind a desk. "I… didn't mean to—"
Aria shook her head. "Of course you didn't. But maybe… try not to destroy everything for once?"
Liam waved his hands helplessly. "I'm only half-demon! Chaos is part of my charm!"
Clucksalot clucked in agreement. "Charm… yes. Absolute destruction… yes."
Professor Malrik rubbed his temples. "This… this is unprecedented. Only one person in history summoned this many cats by accident…" He paused. "…actually, no one has ever done this."
The kittens, sensing the lack of attention, began forming a "cat pyramid" in the center of the room. Liam sighed. Of course.
Aria carefully teleported the pyramid outside, where the kittens promptly chased a group of goblins practicing swordplay. The goblins ran screaming.
Liam muttered, "I… think I helped."
Aria raised an eyebrow. "You're the Hero now. Somehow, this is still you being heroic."
Liam groaned. "Great. My reputation is already ruined, and it's only day two."
---
Lunch Break: Magical Misadventures Continue
After the summoning chaos, Liam tried to sneak off to a quiet corner for lunch. Clucksalot, of course, refused to stay hidden.
A group of students stared at the two of them.
"Is that… the Hero?" one asked.
Liam waved nervously. "Yes, that's me. Please don't explode."
"You have a demon chicken," another student whispered. "And your mana is… sparkling ominously."
"Yes. Exactly. Thank you for noticing."
They sat down with some floating sandwiches when a rogue potion slipped from someone's bag and exploded on the floor. The sandwich Liam had been reaching for now glowed neon green.
"Uh… do I eat this?" he asked.
Clucksalot pecked it. Instantly, the sandwich flew into the air, circling them like a UFO.
"Don't… touch… that…" Liam muttered.
But Clucksalot did, and the sandwich sprayed sparks in a 3-meter radius. A nearby student screamed.
"See?" Liam said. "Heroic chaos. My specialty."
---
Evening Training: A Slightly Controlled Disaster
By evening, the students were sent to the combat arena again. This time, Professor Malrik insisted that Liam attempt to control his demonic energy.
"Just a little," Liam muttered. "I can't control half-demon powers! I'm warning you!"
"You will try!" Malrik thundered.
The first attempt produced… a magical whirlwind that lifted three students, two tables, and a very unfortunate cat statue into the air.
Liam ducked a fireball shot from an angry elf. Clucksalot flapped his wings furiously, squawking. "CONTROL! CONTROL! CHAOS IS GOOD BUT CONTROL IS BETTER!"
Eventually, Liam managed to contain the whirlwind—barely. He collapsed in a heap. Aria approached him cautiously.
"You know," she said, "if you tried… just a little… maybe you wouldn't blow up the Academy every day."
"Maybe," Liam said, panting. "But where's the fun in that?"
Clucksalot squawked. "Exactly! CHAOS IS FUN!"
Aria pinched the bridge of her nose. "I have a feeling… this year is going to be hell."
Liam smiled faintly. "Hell is subjective. Depends on who's doing the chaos."
---
Nighttime Reflection: Heroes and Villains
That night, Liam sat on the rooftop again, looking at the Academy lights. Clucksalot perched beside him, tail flicking lazily.
"Today was… exhausting," Liam muttered. "I didn't even try to be heroic, and somehow I summoned kittens, blew up half a classroom, and survived demon studies."
Clucksalot clucked. "You did more than survive. You thrived."
Liam sighed. "Thriving is different when chaos is your default setting. Aria's going to think I'm a disaster."
Just then, Aria appeared on the rooftop, staff glowing faintly. "Liam…" she began. "I think… we might need to work together if we want to survive this Academy."
Liam nodded. "Yeah… that sounds reasonable. But full disclosure… chaos might follow me."
Aria stared. "Understatement of the century."
Clucksalot pecked the rooftop confidently. "The world is ours, human. Let's make it… interesting."
Liam chuckled. "Yeah… interesting. That's one way to put it."
And as the moon rose over the Royal Academy, Liam felt a strange mixture of dread and excitement. He didn't want to be the Hero. He didn't want responsibility. And yet… somehow, the universe had chosen him.
Chaos, kittens, and all.
He looked at Clucksalot. "Well… let's see how bad we can get before someone explodes."
The chicken clucked proudly. "I thought you'd never ask."
And somewhere deep in the Academy, Professor Malrik's horn twitched involuntarily. Tomorrow was going to be worse.