**Chapter 55 – The Enrollment Announcement and the Farewell of the Three**
The morning was warm and golden, sunlight filtering through the tall leaves of the forest surrounding Saint Lunalie Orphanage—now with an improvised sign reading "Le Cirque de l'Ombre Rose" painted in crooked, colorful letters by Joker and Harley. The air smelled of fresh flowers from Sylvara's garden, mixed with the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from Graciela's oven and the light warm steam from Marina, who was playing at creating small clouds in the courtyard. The children trained with their usual energy: Joker manipulated shadows that danced like living, laughing clowns; Harley spun her giant pink hammer, conjuring illusions of an entire circus in the air; Rina ran with her nine pink fire tails chasing floating balls summoned by Kuroe; Sylvara grew carnivorous flowers to "attack" Astrid, who laughed while breaking logs with orc claws; Marina released steam in the shapes of animals that Lirien tried to "prophesy" with soft elven songs. Elara froze quick moments during the games to teach temporal defense, while Lysithea, Mirella, and Graciela watched from the porch, proud smiles on their faces, sometimes joining in with surprise hugs or Mirella's "magical" pink arrows.
It was an ordinary morning, full of laughter, quick hugs, and the sound of powers blending like a mad, happy symphony—until the messenger arrived.
A tall, thin man on a white horse with a mane braided in golden ribbons stopped at the gate, the sound of hooves echoing on the dry earth. He wore the official uniform of the Eternal Academy: a dark-gray cloak with the emblem of a golden tower surrounded by runes of every known race—the ultimate symbol of absolute neutrality. He dismounted, removed his hat with reverence, and handed Lysithea a sealed parchment with golden wax. She opened it carefully.
Lysithea read aloud so everyone would stop and listen, her heart racing:
"The Council of the Eternal Academy has the honor of inviting the young people aged 14 to 18 from Saint Lunalie Orphanage to the annual enrollment tests. The Academy is a place of excellence and absolute equality: race, origin, or lineage do not influence. Here, talent is the only criterion. The tests will take place in one month in the capital. We are also recruiting qualified teachers and support staff—the test for educators and cooks will be held one month earlier."
Silence lasted only a second before exploding into excited squeals and joyful laughter. Joker and Harley exchanged complicit glances; Joker whispered: "Finally, the bigger stage!" Harley winked a pink eye: "And we're going to shine like fireworks!" Sylvara, now 18, smiled shyly: "Flowers in the academy… it's going to be beautiful." Lirien, same age, nodded with shining silver eyes: "I saw this in my visions… it's going to be good for everyone." Rina, 17, wagged her orange tail hard: "I'll bite anyone who tries to boss me around there!" Kuroe, 16, smiled sideways, runes pulsing on her back: "Chaos in school… it's going to be fun." Astrid, 14, punched the air with orc strength: "I'll break anything that tries to separate us!" Marina, same age, released steam in the shape of a tall tower: "Swim in the academy? Cool!"
The older girls—Sylvara, Lirien, Rina, and Kuroe—should have gone years earlier. They received similar invitations when they turned 14 but refused at the time. "We're not going without everyone," they said together years ago, hugging the younger ones tightly. Lysithea cried with pride that time, and the orphanage turned into a giant human pile for hours. Now, with everyone at the right age, they smiled in unison: "Finally together! We're going to show the world what real family is." Joker and Harley clapped excitedly: "That's it! The whole circus is going to the capital!"
Elara, Mirella, and Graciela read the parchment with shining eyes. Elara: "Teachers… test one month earlier." Mirella: "Archery and elven discipline—perfect for me." Graciela: "Cook? I'll show them what real food is!"
The three decided to go to the capital together to take the test: Elara as a Temporal Defense teacher, Mirella as an Archery and Elven Discipline teacher, Graciela as the academy's head cook. They would stay in the same dormitory (for adults/escorts), with freedom to interact with everyone, without favoring any group.
Lysithea, tears in her eyes but a firm smile, announced:
— I'm going with you all. I'm not leaving my children alone out in the world. I'll go as a mother… and as support for everyone. The orphanage is protected by Lunalie's magic—it will wait for us to return. The whole circus is going to the capital!
Everyone shouted with happiness. The group hug lasted almost an hour, thirteen bodies pressed together, laughter mixed with light tears, all knowing it was just an exciting "see you soon." Elara, Mirella, and Graciela left first in the rented carriage (to take the teachers/cooks test), waving with huge smiles until they disappeared down the road. Everyone stayed watching, waving back, with a mix of longing and excitement: "They're waiting. We'll go to them soon!"