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The academy courtyard was usually loud in the mornings. Students sparred, teachers yelled instructions, and someone always caused a small explosion. But that day, everything felt different.
Everyone stared at Auretria.
She tried not to notice, but whispers followed her everywhere after the Combat Evaluation.
"She beat ten seniors."
"And she's only ten."
"Her Aether is unstable—what if she explodes someday?"
"Is she even human?"
Auretria hugged her books close and walked faster. The stares didn't hurt as much as the words. She had gotten stronger at hiding it.
The academy had moved her to the Special Observation Class, which was supposed to be for "gifted" students, but most of them behaved like Auretria was a ticking magical bomb.
When she entered the room, every single student shifted their desks away from hers. Even the chairs scraped the floor loudly like they wanted to escape her.
Auretria quietly took a seat at the corner.
She didn't complain.
She was used to being alone.
---
A strange girl enters
A few minutes later, someone barged into the classroom.
A girl with messy silver hair, a loose uniform, and bright violet eyes. She tossed her bag onto the teacher's desk before scanning the room.
"Oi. Why's everyone sitting like they're at s funeral."
No one answered.
Then her eyes landed on Auretria.
"Oh. So you must be the famous monster child."
Auretria flinched.
"M-Monster…?"
The silver-haired girl grinned and sat down right next to her. Actually—she dragged her chair so close their shoulders almost touched.
The entire class gasped.
"Are you crazy?!"
"You'll get cursed!"
"She'll break your bones!"
"Her Aether melts people!"
The girl ignored them and leaned back casually.
"My name's Elara Vynn. I don't care if you melt me. I'm heat-resistant."
Auretria blinked in confusion.
Heat-resistant wasn't how Aether worked at all.
But no one had ever sat next to her before. No one had even tried.
"Elara… Vynn?" Auretria repeated softly.
"Yeah. And you're Auretria, right? The baby-faced Aether prodigy."
Auretria looked down. "I'm not a prodigy…"
"Sure, sure," Elara said, smirking. "And I'm the Empress's long-lost pet dragon."
Auretria didn't laugh, but the corner of her mouth lifted a little.
It felt strange.
Light.
Warm.
Was this what having a friend felt like?
---
The first magical lesson
Their instructor walked in—a strict woman named Professor Hilda. She wore thin glasses and carried a staff taller than herself.
"Today," she announced, "you will practice elemental control. Simple magic only. And Auretria—"
Auretria froze.
"—you are not allowed to use Aether under any circumstance."
The whole room sighed in relief.
Auretria lowered her head. "Yes, Professor."
Elara muttered, "They treat you like a walking disaster. Tch."
But Auretria wasn't thinking about that. She was thinking about how to avoid accidentally releasing Aether. Even normal spells were risky—Aether mixed with everything she tried to cast, like oil leaking into water.
"Everyone, step outside to the practice field."
The class marched out, forming groups of three or four.
Auretria was left alone.
Elara immediately grabbed her wrist. "We're together."
Auretria blinked. "Together…?"
"Yeah. What, you think I'm leaving you by yourself? That's lame."
Auretria felt something warm twist in her chest.
No one had ever said that to her before.
---
The accident
They were supposed to practice a basic fire spell. Just a spark, nothing more.
Most students struggled, throwing tiny flickers that fizzled out quickly.
Elara, on the other hand, blasted a fireball the size of a pumpkin into the sky.
"Oops. My bad," she said, but she looked very proud of herself.
Then it was Auretria's turn.
She took a deep breath.
A tiny spark.
Just a spark.
She repeated it in her mind.
But when she tried to pull mana, Aether slipped out with it like an impatient beast.
The air trembled.
Her fingertips glowed gold.
The ground turned warm.
"Oh no…" Auretria whispered. "Not again…"
The spark exploded into a pillar of golden fire that shot straight upward, scorching the sky. Students screamed and stumbled back.
Professor Hilda nearly fainted.
Someone yelled, "She's going to blow up the field!"
"Run!"
Auretria froze, terrified.
She wasn't trying to show off.
She wasn't trying to win.
She just wanted to cast a simple spell like everyone else.
Why… why couldn't she control it?
"Auretria!" Elara grabbed her shoulders. "Stop thinking—just breathe!"
"I—I can't—"
"Yes you can! Look at me."
Auretria looked.
Elara didn't look scared. Not even a little.
"Good. Now let it go slowly. Like letting air out of a balloon—not throwing it."
Auretria tried.
The fire shook violently, almost exploding—
But slowly, painfully, it shrank.
Small.
Smaller.
Until nothing was left but a faint golden glow on her hands.
When it finally disappeared, Auretria fell to her knees, panting.
Elara crouched next to her and steadied her.
"See? You didn't blow us up. That's progress."
Auretria stared at her hands. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to…"
"Hey," Elara tapped her forehead lightly. "Stop apologizing. It was cool."
"No, it wasn't…"
"Fine, it was terrifying. But cool and terrifying."
Auretria didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
---
Fear spreads
Later that day, the rumors exploded.
They said:
"She almost killed us!"
"She can't control it!"
"She'll die like the others!"
"She shouldn't be here!"
Whenever she walked through the halls, students stepped away as if she carried a plague.
But Elara never moved away.
If anything, she stood closer.
---
A Night of Questions
That night, Auretria couldn't sleep.
She stared at her hands under the moonlight.
Why did Aether choose her?
Why did it keep leaking out like it wanted her to lose control?
Was she really a monster?
A soft knock came at her dorm window.
"Auretria! Open up!"
It was Elara, somehow hanging upside down from a tree branch.
"How are you—"
"Don't question it. Let me in, it's freezing."
Auretria opened the window, and Elara hopped inside like it was her room.
"What are you doing here?" Auretria whispered.
"I heard people talking. Thought you might be crying."
Auretria looked away quickly. "I wasn't crying…"
"Sure."
Elara plopped down beside her bed and stretched her legs.
Then she said quietly:
"You know… people fear what they don't understand. It doesn't make you dangerous. It just makes them cowards."
Auretria blinked.
No one had ever defended her before.
Elara stood and offered her hand. "Come on. Let's sneak out."
"W-What? Why?"
"To show you something. And because rules are boring."
Auretria hesitated… then took her hand.
For once, she didn't feel afraid.
Not of Aether.
Not of her parents.
Not of the academy.
Because someone finally chose to stand beside her.
---