Black Fire Academy...
The first official class of the morning began.
The central teacher's altar was occupied by a stern, white-haired Academy Elder dressed in flowing gold-and-black robes. His eyes carried a sharp, piercing intensity as he scanned the rows of hundreds of new outer disciples sitting on the curved stone benches.
Tony Clark sat casually near the middle row, his back leaning lazily against the cool stone wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Right beside him, the nice-looking painting lady, the disguised merchant heiress, kept her wooden sketchboard gently on her lap, her violet eyes focused entirely on the front.
"Silence, everyone," the Elder's powerful voice boomed across the vast hall, instantly cutting through any remaining whispers.
