If you're reading this, it means that you really want to know how my story at the academy began. okay, so let's get started.
The capital was far bigger than I ever imagined. Towering spires pierced the heavens, as if reaching for the stars themselves. The hum of magic filled the air, thick and ever-present, like a living thing breathing with each heartbeat of the city.
This was it where everything began. The city of Auristella. Home to the most prestigious magical academy on the continent.
And now, it was my home too.
I stepped off the carriage, adjusting the strap of the bag slung over my shoulder. The cool breeze tugged at my white hair, and I took a long breath. There was an unfamiliar energy here. Alive. Restless.
I had always heard stories about this place. Of students hurling lightning in duels, of beasts tamed through contracts, of stars whispering secrets into the ears of those who dared to listen. But stories were just that. Stories. I was here to see it for myself.
I started walking through the cobbled streets, headed toward the distant silhouette of the academy's gates. I wasn't in a hurry. I rarely am. The world could rush around me all it wanted but I walked at my own pace.
People bustled past in every direction - merchants, nobles, excited new students dragging their trunks, wide-eyed at every little thing. I watched them in silence. Some chatted loudly, others pointed at the floating crystals that lit the streets. I could almost taste the anticipation in the air.
And then it happened.
A sharp thud hit my shoulder.
I stopped. Someone else did too.
I turned slowly, ready to brush it off but my words froze on my tongue.
There she was.
A girl with hair like fire, deep crimson waves cascading down her back. Her eyes, though... they were brighter than any flame. Crimson, vivid, and alive, like twin infernos locked behind glass. But they didn't flicker with warmth. They burned with intensity.
"Watch where you're going," she snapped. Her voice was calm, but there was iron beneath it.
I blinked, then gave a short shrug. "I was. You changed your path."
A brief silence fell between us.
Her eyes narrowed.
Mine didn't flinch.
She looked like someone used to getting the last word. I didn't offer it.
After a moment, she scoffed quietly and walked past me, her steps sharp and sure. I watched her disappear into the crowd, her hair like a comet's trail vanishing into the horizon.
I wasn't staring because she was beautiful although, objectively, she was. No, it was something else. Those eyes. They were... familiar.
Not in the literal sense. I had never seen her before. But there was something about them that reminded me of my own. Not in color but in weight. Like she had seen more than her age allowed. Like the world had tried to burn her, and she chose to burn back.
I shifted my bag and resumed walking.
The academy gates loomed larger now. Enchanted symbols danced faintly across the stone, each representing a different elemental affinity - water, fire, earth, wind, and the deeper branches. Magic was woven into every part of the city, but here, it pulsed.
I stepped through the gates.
The courtyard was packed with students. A few stood alone, observing. Others clustered in groups, laughing nervously or pretending not to be intimidated. Overhead, magical banners hovered in the air, displaying the names of each incoming class and the grand emblem of the academy: a star half-frozen in ice, half-engulfed in flame.
Fitting.
A voice crackled from somewhere unseen — magically projected. "All first-year students, proceed to the central plaza. The orientation ceremony will begin shortly."
I didn't move immediately. My eyes swept the crowd again, wondering if that red-haired girl was nearby. But I didn't see her.
Didn't matter. If she was here, our paths would cross again.
They always do.
I followed the stream of students toward the plaza. The academy grounds were even more massive than they looked from outside. Sprawling gardens, levitating platforms, arching bridges leading to towers that floated midair. Everything here was a testament to magical excellence and arrogance.
I liked it.
We gathered in a vast open space surrounded by marble pillars and silver fire lanterns. A stage rose at the far end, and soon, instructors began to file in some dressed in robes embroidered with magical runes, others clad in armor laced with elemental enchantments.
A tall woman with storm-grey hair and an expression like carved stone stepped forward. She raised a hand, and silence fell instantly.
"Welcome, first years," she said, her voice carrying effortlessly. "You stand on the threshold of power. Of knowledge. Of responsibility. The path ahead will not be easy nor should it be. You are here because you have potential. Whether you become mages of legend or footnotes in history that is up to you."
Her gaze swept across the crowd, piercing. I met it briefly. She didn't linger, but something told me she had seen more than most did in that moment.
"Your classes begin tomorrow," she continued. "Tonight, you will be sorted into dorms, assigned mentors, and registered with your magical affinity. Do not lie because the crystals see truth."
A murmur passed through the crowd.
Magical affinity. The moment of truth.
Some students had known theirs since childhood. Others — like me — never showed signs until recently. But I knew what mine was.
I had always known. It wasn't just a feeling. It was in my blood. In the way the cold never bothered me. In how the stars always felt closer when I was alone in the dark.
Ice and something... more.
The ceremony continued, speeches were made, and I barely listened. My mind drifted, already imagining the halls, the spells, the challenges ahead. The secrets this place might hold.
When it ended, I stood for a moment longer than most. Watching. Thinking.
That red-haired girl I didn't even know her name. But something told me...
She'd matter.
Not because of romance or rivalry. Not yet. But because our flames — hers blazing, mine frozen — had already touched.
And nothing stays the same after that.