The next day…
-
That morning, the sky was clear, and the air was cool as a refreshing spring breeze drifted across the academy. Birds chirped from a nearby treetop, and somewhere beyond the dormitories was the sound of a pair of squirrels quarreling noisily in the hastily trimmed hedges.
The 'Royal Academy of Magic' stood proudly in the heart of the Western District of Llynun, its grand towers and tall walls spreading across the landscape like a small city.
When it came to the 'lower levels' of cultivation and mystical knowledge, no institution on the Cross Continent could rival it, not even the four Great Mage Towers! At least, not on a fundamental level.
A short distance away from the dormitories, tucked behind a small grove of majestic trees, stood a quiet residence reserved for the academy's top graduates.
Inside one of those secluded rooms, Albery stood, half leaning out of an open window.
She had just finished washing, and the faint scent of soap still lingered in the air. A loose robe hung from her shoulders as she leaned against the window, gazing out at the clear sky. The wind brushed into the room, spilling across her face, and causing strands of her hair to flutter in the wind.
Below, a silver-haired elf walked along the academy path, passing just beneath the dormitory window without noticing her.
Albery quietly hummed to herself as she watched him pass.
Her eyes wandered across the distant academy.
Recently… her mind had been very chaotic.
Between the sudden appearance of her brother, Albert, and the disappearance of her best friend, Dorthy, she felt as if the world around her had begun to slowly shift.
It wasn't a large change, but it was enough to make her feel that something was wrong with the world.
Until recently, Albery had remained mostly untouched by the calamities, and news of disasters had always seemed distant, like a storm far beyond the horizon, but over the past few months, something had indeed changed.
She could finally feel it...
The southern regions would not remain peaceful for long.
A storm was coming.
Albery sighed softly.
In her mind, the future felt like a hole, a hole that was slowly expanding, pulling everything towards it, no matter how hard she tried to walk away.
Her thoughts drifted, but this time, to Petra…
It was that strange little girl who came to mind when she thought about the future.
How strange…
Albery pursed her lips.
Petra should have been one of the five anchors that shaped the future, as an 'eye' of the 'story' that everyone's attention should have gathered towards, but somehow, she had avoided it!
Albery just couldn't understand how.
Everywhere else, fate seemed to tighten like a net.
The other heroes rose, disasters spread, and the world advanced steadily toward an inevitable storm, but Petra… she simply slipped between the cracks and avoided it all in a carefree manner.
Although many people whispered about her behind her back, none could do anything about it.
Albery leaned her head back slightly, staring up at the pale morning sky just beyond the window.
How did she do it?
The weight of the future pressed down on Albery's chest like a mountain, and her thoughts inevitably circled back to Dorthy.
Was that why she had been 'taken?'
Did Dorthy know something about Petra, or…?
Another quiet sigh escaped her lips.
After an unknown amount of time, Albery pulled her head back inside and closed the window.
The wind faded, leaving the room still.
"What a pain…"
She walked over to a nearby table where several papers had been neatly stacked.
After a moment to think, she sat down.
On top of the pile rested a single envelope.
Albery picked it up and turned it slowly between her fingers.
The wax seal bore a familiar crest—Amaranda Academy!'
She tapped the side of the letter lightly against the table, humming in thought. "Should I just accept their invitation…?" Her voice was very quiet, lost in thought.
Her fingers paused against the seal as another thought surfaced in her mind.
"Hm…"
Albery stared at the unopened letter for a long time, before—
"…Maybe I should go find her first..."
The thought came quietly, but once it appeared, it refused to leave.
Outside, the wind rustled the trees, and somewhere within the academy, a bell began to ring, announcing the start of another peaceful day.
For now, at least, the world was still calm…
* * *
Around the same time…
-
Royal Academy of Magic, Front Plaza—
In the center of a plaza, Lilly and Luna sat side by side along the wide stone rim of a grand stone fountain, their small butts precariously perched above the flowing water. Nebula stood nearby, quiet as ever, lingering a short distance away like a silent shadow.
The plaza bustled with activity.
Students, academics, and visitors moved in every direction along the main path, their conversations spilling out into a lively murmur.
Swoosh!
Behind the girls, the fountain surged!
A careless burst of mist drifted outwards, catching them completely off guard as tiny droplets of chilling water speckled their shoulders and necks.
Lilly blinked, then shivered, while Luna scrunched up her face as the cool water touched her skin. Neither of them moved away. Instead, they continued eating their ice cream alongside a few other servant girls who were sitting nearby, idly chatting as the morning passed in a comfortable laze.
Mm, wait a minute…
What was this sense of déjà vu…?
Why did this scene feel oddly familiar?
Luna paused mid-bite, looking around with a strange expression.
Lilly: "?"
Cough cough cough!
Ok, sooooo—! Something about this situation felt strange…
Luna slowly took another bite of her ice cream before turning towards Nebula with a small frown.
'Where exactly did Petra go?' That was what her expression seemed to ask.
Nebula remained silent for a moment, then she slowly shook her head. Her gaze drifted toward the gates of the outer academy.
This was the Hellion Empire's 'Royal Academy of Magic', today's goal.
Just then—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The academy bell rang, filling the plaza!
The surrounding students immediately began flowing through the surrounding streets in larger numbers as classes started.
Nebula glanced towards the moving crowd. "…I think, she was mistaken for a student," she said in her usual flat tone. "…and got scooped up by another tour group, again…"
Lilly: "..."
Luna: "..."
Luna followed her gaze toward the distant crowd.
She stared for a moment, then sighed deeply. She took another bite of ice cream, clearly unimpressed.
"Why does this keep happening…?" Lilly muttered from the side with a confused expression.
* * *
"Hi again, I'm Mimi!"
A small green-haired child proudly introduced herself to another small green-haired child.
Petra looked at Mimi with her big black eyes.
This was the same child Petra had met at the museum, no, more specifically, this was the exact same tour group that she had been pulled into at the museum. It had happened not too long ago…
Petra stared at the group of little girls in front of her.
They had the same green hair, the same general size, and the same bright, curious eyes that were filled with innocence, but also hiding a hidden dagger of mischievousness.
She hummed.
Her mind briefly flashed back to the grumpy auntie who had appeared out of nowhere, shrieking like a shrew, and grabbed her shoulder while dragging her away.
Looking at the girls in front of her now…
Mm, yeah…
Petra had to admit that the misunderstanding was understandable.
Because at the moment—
Petra was once again standing blankly in the middle of a large cluster of young children, every single one of them sporting the same iconic green hair, only in several shades. Mint green, forest green, pale moss, and even a few with just faint emerald streaks. From a distance, they looked like a little sea of green pebbles, their heads bobbing up and down as they shifted with excitement, forming a little wave.
At a glance, the entire group resembled a wandering pack of mildly confused dryads who had somehow escaped the forest. Some whispered to each other while others fidgeted impatiently.
Petra stood among them, blending in.
At the front of the group stood the tall auntie who appeared to be acting as their tour guide. She wore layered green robes that swayed with every gesture. Her voice carried a sharp point as it cut through the crowd of children.
Petra stared ahead as she just stood there waiting.
In her mind, she was wondering—
…how had she somehow ended up here again…?
-
Petra followed the tour group through the outer gates of the academy, shuffling along with the rest of the green-haired girls. The moment they passed beneath the towering archway, the view opened up into a fantastic scene.
Beyond the outer gates stretched a vast campus formed from pale stone and tall towers that seemed to climb toward the sky. Magic lanterns hung from curved iron posts along the main path, their glass catching the morning light and scattering tiny fragments of color across the main road, creating a mystical sight.
Even Petra paused for a moment, her eyes rippling.
The Royal Academy of Magic was famous across the continent, but seeing it in person was still very impressive! The path ahead widened into a broad avenue paved with polished stone steps. On both sides stood towering trees with silver bark and bright green leaves, their branches forming a thin canopy overhead. Between them were neatly arranged gardens, each filled with carefully cultivated plants that were faintly rippling with a residual spiritual energy that seemed to embody the growth of nature.
Some students passed their group occasionally along the walkway, some chatting idly while others hurried along with books tucked beneath their arms.
The tour group continued forward…
Soon, they reached a second gate located slightly deeper inside the academy. This one was smaller than the outer gate, but it was far more ornate, its surface carved with intricate magical runes that glowed faintly beneath its surface, completely incapable of restraining its magnificence.
The auntie in the front waved her hand.
"Through here is the main entrance to the academy," she said.
The children gasped as they passed through the gate, their little mouths opening in awe.
Beyond the inner gate and before the actual entrance, stretched out a series of gardens, creating a sprawling landscape of flowing paths, small bridges, and shallow ponds where glowing fish drifted lazily through the water. It was a large space, and despite the chaos, it held a strange sense of order.
Looking beyond, in the center of it all stood the main academy.
Looking up, it was enormous!
The academy was a layered structure of marble-white walls and tall glass windows, crowned with multiple towers that rose like spears into the sky. The rooftops were a deep red, and the eaves shimmered faintly with a golden light.
The group slowly approached the massive twin doors.
They stopped.
Several children stared upwards with wide eyes.
Even Petra looked up, her dark eyes reflecting the towering entrance of the academy.
As the children gathered before the towering entrance, the frightening auntie in the front cleared her throat and clasped her hands behind her back, beginning…
"Welcome, girls!" she announced proudly, her voice carrying across the small group, "...to the Royal Academy of Magic!"
Dun-da-dun!
Several of the children hummed, their eyes wide in anticipation.
"The Royal Academy of Magic has existed for over one thousand years," the woman continued. "It was first founded during the early years of the Great Migration, and it remains as one of the few structures to survive from that era, still standing today!"
She gestured towards the immense building behind her.
"The academy was originally established by the Old Emperor, Rellicant Hellion, but the main structure and majority of its systems were designed by three of the seven great arcanists of that time! Their work formed the foundation of what you see today."
Petra blinked cutely as she listened.
The woman continued speaking with enthusiasm.
"This academy is primarily dedicated to the 'Mage Pathway', and its curriculum covers a wide range of mystic disciplines. Students study traditional spellcasting, visualization techniques, magic theory, the runic language, calligraphy, and the deeper study of spiritual energy and willpower."
The children murmured among themselves as they listened.
"The Royal Academy stands proudly in the Western District of Llynun, and its land is so vast that the campus is often compared to a small city." She paused briefly before continuing. "In its earliest days, the academy existed to train the mages that were needed to build and stabilize the initial form of the empire, but over the past few centuries, its focus has gradually shifted. Today, the academy mostly searches for young talent throughout the Cross Continent, then cultivates exceptional practitioners and transforms them into the next generation of great mages!"
"Some of its graduates went on to serve the imperial court, others joined the four Great Mage Towers, and a few even traveled eastwards towards the newly founded scientific academies of the Eastern Region to pursue more unconventional paths!"
The auntie raised a finger.
"Unlike ordinary schools, a 'practitioner academy' doesn't follow a traditional 'yearly curriculum'."
She hummed.
"Instead, students advance based on their cultivation level. A First Order practitioner studies in the 'First Year Curriculum' and a Second Order practitioner studies the 'Second Year Curriculum', and so on..."
She smiled.
"Therefore, in this academy, age does not matter, only talent!"
A small ripple of excitement moved through the children.
"In recent years," she added with some excitement of her own, "three particularly monstrous geniuses have emerged from the academy, marking what many people are calling the beginning of the 'Calamity Generation!'"
She held up three fingers, then continued to speak…