After a long, refreshing bath, Evan stood in front of the mirror, arms crossed, giving his reflection an approving look.
White shirt — untucked but flawless. Blue pants — clean, snug, and somehow wrinkle-free (thank the gods they got the ironing machine). But what really sealed the deal was his smooth, silky white hair — soft to the touch, impossibly well-behaved, and almost unfairly perfect.
And those orange-yellows eyes? Sharp. Calm. Just like a eternal fire.
"Damn," he muttered, nodding to himself. "Looking good, Evan. Real good."
He pointed finger-guns at the mirror. "You? You're elite batch material — and you look it."
There was a pause.
"Umm...May be I should stop being a narcissistic. But yeah I look good."
Then a quieter, more genuine grin tugged at his lips.
"All that training was worth it," he whispered. "Sore mornings, busted knuckles… even Dad's weird plank challenges. Worth it."
Although Evan's father was not a mage he was very strong as he once leaded the imperial army. Now retired due to the injury in the battlefield, works as a clerk in the Imperial Court of Justice.
Evan made his way downstairs, the soft creak of the steps the only sound in the quiet morning air. The scent of toast and eggs still lingered faintly, but the kitchen was mostly cleaned up by the time he got there.
His mother stood by the counter, rinsing a teacup. Her dark hair was tied back into a neat bun, and she wore the usual look of mild exhaustion that came from years of raising a magic-capable teenager.
She glanced up when he entered.
"Finally decided to show your face, hmm?"
Evan grinned and held up the acceptance letter like it was a trophy. "Guess who's officially going to Aetherion Academy?"
She paused mid-dry, eyes flicking to the letter. Then, without warning, she let out a happy gasp and crossed the kitchen in two quick steps, pulling him into a brief but tight hug.
"Oh, Evan! That's wonderful news!" she said, voice warm with pride. "I told you all that studying would pay off eventually.
"Your father's going to be so proud. Imperial Court of Justice clerk or not, he's still a softie. He might cry."
"Softie huh?.. He didn't flinch a bit when he was hitting me real hard while teaching me the sword. So I don't think he's as of a softie as you think."
She chuckled, then tilted her head slightly. "That was for reaching you discipline sweatheart. But I guess he failed miserably. Still your habit of oversleeping have not gone.Have you told Lyra yet?"
Evan paused. "As for your first statement, I wouldn't have overslept if not for your husband who asked me to help him fix his car till late mid night. As for the second question No, not yet. Why?"
"She's still on break, isn't she?" his mother said, turning back toward the table to set down a tray. "She'll want to know — and you know how she gets when she finds out things late, especially things related to you. I bet she got a soft corner for you on her heart .Honestly, she might lecture me if she hears it from someone else first."
"No way. She's just being nice... probably."
His mother smirked. "Uh-huh. Keep telling yourself that."
Evan pulled out his phone — yep, electronics were definitely a thing here, even if magic dominated most of the world.
He tapped open the Lime app — a magical equivalent of texting and calling, but with a few neat extras that only made sense if you actually knew magic (which Evan mostly just pretended he did).
His contact list popped up, and right there at the top was Lyra's gravatar: a worn, slightly faded photo of the two of them as kids — smiling wide, faces smudged with dirt and freckles, caught mid-laughter.
tapping her name.
A chat window opened.
Evan: Hey Lyra! Guess who just got into Aetherion?
He paused before hitting send, then added:
Evan: And yeah, I still can't believe they ranked me 12th.
The little typing bubble popped up instantly.
Lyra: Congrats, Evan! So proud! Although I knew that before the letters were sent for delivery. I hacked into the system to see your result😎
Evan: First of all, that's illegal and second and foremost why didn't you tell me that before.
Lyra: You gotta be patient for everything.
Evan: Very nearly ignored my first text. Whatever you home right? Can you come over right now? I needed to buy all the required items. May be a shopping spree?
Lyra: Deal. Arriving in an hour, Also, i want a icecream. You know what? MAKE IT TWO.
Evan: ...Okay. waiting.
"Mom she said she will be arriving in an hour".
(To be continued)