In the morning, the students in each dorm were still asleep. At that time, fairies came in and tried to wake them up.
Fairy:
"Wake up! Wake up, everyone! Get ready—after one and a half hours, you all need to wear your given shorts and T-shirts and gather on the ground for sports practice."
After saying this, the fairy left.
The students quickly hurried up to get fresh—some were bathing, some were brushing their teeth, and others were putting on their clothes.
After that, everyone gathered together on the ground.
Where Professor Mr. and Mrs. Surlex were already waiting for them.
Mrs. Surlex:
"Students, here in Orvellan we usually only have lunch in the afternoon and dinner at night—just these two meals every day. But now, since you will be playing sports in the morning, we will be providing you with some snacks. Now form four lines—two for boys and two for girls. The fairies will give you bread and milk. After that, you may sit anywhere on the ground and eat."
And just like that, all the students formed their lines, and the fairies began handing out snacks. Selby, Talia, and Calla sat together. Aren soon joined them, and because of him, Damon and Owen also came over.
Aren:
"Huh, so after this what are you all going to do?"
Selby:
"Obviously study… right, girls?"
Talia:
"Yes."
Aren:
"Oh, that's good. We're all going to study too… well, leaving Damon."
Talia:
"Leaving Damon? Why?"
Aren:
"Because—"
Before he could finish, Damon cut in.
Damon:
"Nothing. I was just awake at night. I'm going to sleep."
Aren:
"You're going to sleep?"
Damon gave him a sharp stare.
Aren:
"Ohh—yes, yes. He's going to sleep."
Talia:
"Can we do group study?"
Aren:
"Not a bad idea…"
Owen:
"Oh, you all do group study. I won't be there. I'll study on my own."
Talia:
"Oh, Owen, can you please come? There are some things I don't understand about our special subject… you could explain them to me."
Owen:
"Huhh… okay. But after that, I'll go back to studying alone."
Talia:
"That's fine. And the rest of you are okay with group study?"
Selby:
"Hmm, alright."
Calla:
"Me too. But where will we do it?"
Selby:
"I guess the library will be the best option."
Aren:
"Yes. So after this and lunch, we'll meet at the library."
Damon glanced at Aren, giving him a look—reminding him about the dance.
Aren:
"Uhh… actually, I'll come after half an hour, okay?"
Talia:
"Why?"
Aren:
"I have some work…"
Talia:
"Work? Uhh, leave it."
Just then, Professors Mr. and Mrs. Surlex called everyone's attention.
Mr. Surlex:
"So, today and tomorrow, we'll teach you batting, bowling, and then catching. Next Saturday, we'll hold selections. On Sunday, those who aren't selected will be introduced to another sport, so they'll still have a chance to earn a spot."
Mrs. Surlex:
"Today, the girls will also stay here. Last time, because your seniors were with us too, we had to separate you due to space."
Mr. Surlex:
"So, as you already know, we introduced the rules of the game to you yesterday. In this game, we need a total of 20 players, with 8 of them as substitutes. For now, for selection purposes, each team will have 6 members. Altogether, there are 72 students, which gives us 12 teams of 6 members each. Remember, each team must include both girls and boys.
However, in the actual matches, the teams will not be mixed. The games will be played as Girls vs Girls and Boys vs Boys. From this selection, 20 girls and 20 boys will be chosen.
Now, does anyone have any questions?"
One boy raised his hand and asked:
The boy:
"Sir, why are there 8 substitutes?"
Mr. Surlex:
"Because in the real match, there's a higher chance of getting hurt. There are three rounds: in the first round, the toss winner will bat, and in the second round, the team that lost the toss will bat. In the third round, the team with the higher score will bat. During these rounds, the opponent team, who is bowling, can use many tricky moves—sometimes they throw bigger balls at the batter, or even set fire on the rings. So, we keep 8 substitutes to replace players quickly whenever someone gets tired, injured, or unable to continue. If the batter fails to get inside the ring, then 1 point will be deducted from their score. But remember, it's actually very hard to miss—most players succeed because of the training. Still, many students get scared, because we can never know what tricks the opponent team is planning."
Listening to this, a lot of murmurs spread among the students. Everyone looked a bit nervous, scared of getting hurt during the game.
Mrs. Surlex:
"We know that's a bit scary, but you don't need to worry. We have magic with us—and magic can make everything better. Now, everyone, form groups of six members quickly!"
Like that, all the students started rushing around, calling out to friends and trying to form their teams.
Meanwhile, Talia, Selby, Calla, Damon, Owen, and Aren ended up together once again—almost like it was meant to be.
Selby:
"Looks like our team's already complete!"
Aren:
"Yeah, we didn't even have to look around. Lucky us!"
As everyone finished forming their groups, the fairies started noting down each team's name.
After that, all 12 teams were divided into two groups — 6 teams in white and 6 teams in black.
Mr. Surlex raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a soft spark of magic filled the air, and the uniforms of half the students turned black, while the rest changed to white.
Gasps and murmurs spread among the students as they looked down at their magically transformed clothes.
Talia:
"Whoa… that was cool!"
Aren:
"Yeah, I didn't even blink and it changed!"
Mr. Surlex:
"These two sides will be opponents. Now, today three teams were going to practice, and the rest of the teams could either watch or go back. Just remember your team number and color."
Mrs. Surlex:
"Ahh, before that, fairies will mark the captain from each team. Discuss among yourselves and tell the fairy."
Aren:
"I guess a girl as captain would be much better than a boy… what do you all think?"
Damon:
"Agree!!"
Talia:
"I think Calla can be our captain."
Selby:
"Yeah… you're the best sports player."
Calla:
"Hey, I don't think I should be the captain… I don't even know this sport that well."
Aren:
"Who even knows?"
At that moment, a fairy floated down to them.
Fairy:
"So, who will be the captain from your group?"
Owen:
"I'll be the captain for this group."
As Owen said that, silence fell over the group.
The fairy nodded and floated away.
Aren:
"Hey! Why did you even say that? We were all going to choose Calla!"
Calla:
"Stop, Aren! It's fine… he knows much more than me."
Owen:
"I think a boy as captain is better, and she said she doesn't know… so why force her? Let it be."
With that, Owen walked away. Everyone was slightly annoyed at his attitude, leaving Calla, but no one said a word.
Then, the fairy assigned numbers to each team. Since Owen's team was last, their match would be held tomorrow, so they decided to leave rather than watch the others play.
The boys went to their dorm, and the girls to theirs. Owen, however, took his books and went somewhere else.
Aren:
"What is wrong with him?"
Damon:
"Who knows? Leave it."
In the girls' dorm:
Talia:
"That was such a bad attitude from Owen."
Selby:
"Yeah, that's true, but… hmm, leave it."
Calla:
"Yeah, let's forget that. We need to study, girls."
And so the whole day passed—Owen spent some time sitting alone and studying, the girls studied in their dorm, and Aren and Damon practiced dance while Aren also squeezed in some study time. And the very next day, on the ground, it was time for the practice match. Owen's team, wearing black, faced the opposing team in white. The white team had a total of five boys and one girl.
At first, Mr. Surlex and Mrs. Surlex gave the final instructions, reminding everyone.....
Mr. Surlex:
"Remember! Each player gets three chances. You'll score a point only if you hit the ball and pass through the ring before the ball is caught. No one gets out — you just lose the chance."
Mrs. Surlex:
"Control your magic. Don't rush it. Let's begin!"
A flick of Mr. Surlex's fingers — and the toss began.
White team won.
The practice match kicked off with both teams buzzing with energy. The white team batted first — their first player, a confident girl, swung clean and flew through the ring twice, earning 2 points. The rest of her teammates followed strong, racking up steady scores until they finished with a total of 9 points.
Now it was Owen's team — the Black Team's turn to bat.
Damon stepped up first. His first hit was a miss, but the next two were clean — 2 points.
Aren followed, managing one perfect pass through the ring — 1 point.
Then came Owen himself. His swings were powerful and precise — 2 points.
Talia added 1 point, and Selby, after two failed tries, surprised everyone with 1 clean pass — 1 point.
That brought their total to 7 points.
Only Calla was left to bat.
The air grew silent. Everyone watched as she stepped forward — her expression calm but fierce.
The bowler tossed the ball with full speed.
First throw — Crack! The ball soared high; Calla flew straight through the ring before anyone could react.
1 point.
The crowd gasped.
Second throw — faster this time.
Calla swung again, her timing perfect — the ball streaked across the sky, fielders leaping to catch it — but she was already through the ring.
2 points.
Now only one throw remained. If she made it, they'd win.
The bowler took a deep breath and hurled the ball with every ounce of power.
The sound echoed across the ground — whoosh!
Calla's eyes locked on it.
Her feet lifted, wind swirling around her.
She struck — a flash of light, the ball cutting across the sky —
fielders dove, fingertips inches away —
But Calla was already gone, slicing through the air like a streak of gold.
And in the next heartbeat —
She passed clean through the ring.
Three perfect points.
The whistle blew.
Cheers exploded across the field —
Black Team: 10 points. White Team: 9.
Owen's team had won.
Damon and Aren ran to her, shouting her name. Talia and Selby hugged each other, screaming in joy.
Even Owen, usually so calm, smiled and raised his hand toward Calla, who landed lightly on the grass, breathless but grinning.
That wasn't just a win.
That was a beginning.
Mr. Surlex clapped his hands once, his voice echoing across the ground.
Mr. Surlex:
"I'm glad watching everyone's batting today. You all were too good! This is going to be difficult for us to select… but as obvious, we are going to select. The list of the selected names will be given next Saturday. Now, you can go and continue your studies."
Everyone exhaled — half excited, half exhausted. The crowd of students began to scatter, murmuring about their performance.
Damon flopped down on the grass:
"Man, that was intense… I can't even feel my arms anymore."
Aren laughed, panting
"At least we won, bro. Totally worth the pain."
Talia grinned at Calla:
"You were unreal out there! I thought the ball was going to be caught for sure!"
Calla smiled, brushing the dust off her uniform:
"I was scared too… but somehow, it just worked."
Selby stretched:
"Ugh, I'm starving. I could eat anything right now."
Even Owen, who usually stayed quiet, let out a small smirk.
They all laughed softly, their earlier tension melting away.
As they headed toward the grand dining hall, the evening sky glowed a soft purple. Inside, the warm lights and chatter made the room feel alive again. The long wooden tables were already filled with students talking about the match.
Plates clattered as fairies served steaming food — roasted vegetables, buttered bread, and glowing blue soup that shimmered faintly under the lamps.
For a while, the stress of selection disappeared, replaced by the warmth of food and friendship.
After dinner, the students dragged themselves back to their dorms — boys to one side of the academy, girls to the other. Some talked softly about who might get chosen, others just fell onto their beds without saying a word.
The lamps dimmed, and silence filled the halls.
Calla, lying in her bed, looked out the window at the glowing moon. A small smile appeared on her face as she whispered,
"Maybe… we really can do this."
And with that thought, the entire academy slowly drifted into sleep — tired, proud, and dreaming of the next match.