Chapter 12 – First Days at the Academy
The sun rose over the sprawling Academy grounds, its golden light spilling across white marble towers and courtyards lined with flowering trees. For most students, the first week meant nerves, anticipation, and excitement.
For Fay Lorian, it meant waking up to find his sheets on fire.
"Not again!" Fay yelped, flailing as faint red energy hissed and sparked around him. He tried to slap it out, but the flames were born from his own uncontrolled aura. The more he panicked, the more the crimson light flared.
From the other bed, Ciel groaned. "You've been here two days and this is the third time."
"I didn't mean to!" Fay whined, hopping around the room until he finally forced his power to retreat with sheer will. The sheets collapsed in a heap of smoke. He coughed, waving his hands. "Okay… okay, fixed. Sort of."
Ciel buried his face in his pillow. "At this rate, you're going to burn down the entire dorm."
"I'll… get better." Fay scratched the back of his head, his crimson eyes sheepish.
---
When they reached the dining hall, whispers spread instantly. Students in noble finery cast sharp looks his way, muttering about the boulder he'd destroyed, the crystal he'd shattered, and the heir he'd humiliated.
"There he is—the so-called special admission."
"A commoner, in Special Class? Outrageous."
"He destroyed artifacts worth more than a year's tuition!"
"Rumor says he's hiding demonic blood…"
Fay tried to ignore it, grabbing a tray and filling it with bread, eggs, and far too much fruit. He grinned when he spotted a girl waving him over. She had shoulder-length auburn hair tied with a ribbon and a sharp but cheerful gaze.
"You're Fay, right? The boulder smasher?"
Fay blinked, unsure if that was meant as an insult or not. "Uh… yeah. Guilty."
She laughed. "I'm Livia Arcrest. Don't mind the whispers. Nobles get stuffy when anyone else shines."
"Arcrest…" Fay tilted his head. "That sounds familiar."
Ciel, who had followed behind, gave a quiet cough. "The Arcrest family holds one of the Council seats."
Fay froze mid-bite. "Wait—you're important?"
Livia smirked. "You could say that. But I like to pick my own friends. And you? You're interesting."
Before Fay could answer, a loud clack echoed as another boy slammed his tray down across from them.
It was the noble heir Fay had accidentally blasted during the Trials—Eridus Veynar. His fine silver hair framed a face twisted with barely contained fury.
"You humiliated me," Eridus hissed. "In front of everyone. Don't think I'll forget."
Fay raised his hands quickly. "Hey, hey—it was an accident! I didn't mean to send you flying like that!"
"Accident or not, I'll have satisfaction." Eridus's voice dripped venom. "In the training grounds, we'll see who truly belongs here."
Ciel muttered under his breath. "He's not going to like the answer…"
---
Their first class was Arcane Theory.
The instructor, a tall elf with silver spectacles, droned on about mana pathways, crystal conduction, and historical applications of spellcasting. Nobles nodded along, scribbling elegant notes. Commoners did their best to keep up.
Fay… fell asleep.
When the teacher asked him to recite the four foundational mana laws, Fay jolted upright, blurted something about "Just pour more power into it and it works!", and accidentally let his aura flare.
Chalk shattered, ink spilled, and half the quills in the room exploded in a shower of feathers.
The elf pinched the bridge of his nose. "…Detention."
Fay winced. "Sorry!"
Livia muffled her laugh behind a book. Eridus glared daggers.
---
Next came Combat Training.
The students gathered in the open-air sparring arena, swords and staves ready. The instructor, a scarred veteran, barked orders.
"Pair up! Show me what you can do."
Fay was immediately paired with Eridus, who grinned like a predator.
"This time," Eridus said coldly, "there will be no accidents."
Fay gulped.
The duel began. Eridus attacked with sharp, precise strikes, flame dancing along his blade. Fay blocked clumsily, stumbling backward, almost dropping his practice sword. To everyone watching, it looked like the noble had him on the ropes.
But then Fay tripped.
His body fell forward, his sword slipped—
—and a shockwave of light energy blasted Eridus clear off the platform.
The crowd gasped.
"I tripped!" Fay shouted defensively. "That wasn't even on purpose!"
The instructor dragged a hand down his face. "Lorian. Detention."
Eridus groaned from where he lay embedded in the arena wall.
---
By the end of the week, Fay had earned a reputation:
The boy who shattered a training dummy with a sneeze.
The boy who broke three enchanted brooms while trying to clean.
The boy who accidentally launched himself through the library roof while yawning.
Every instructor had written his name at least once on the punishment roster. Nobles grumbled louder by the day.
Yet despite it all, some students gravitated toward him. Livia for one, curious and amused. A few commoners too, inspired by the idea that one of their own could stand alongside nobles.
And always, in the shadows, Eridus's glare burned hotter.
---
One night, Fay wandered the Academy grounds under the moonlight. His crimson eyes reflected the silver glow, his white hair ruffled by the breeze.
I wanted to live as a commoner… but things keep spiraling, he thought. If I don't keep control, I'll expose too much. And yet… why does it feel like something's watching me?
Far above, in a high tower, the Headmaster stood by her window, her gaze fixed on the boy.
"He plays the fool," she murmured, "but his power… it eclipses even the old legends."
Her fingers brushed the silver emblem at her neck—the mark of a Sage.
"Perhaps," she whispered, "the gods have sent us more than we realize."
End of chapter 12