“Oh, so there is a new kid,” the elf said in a lazy, drawling voice. “I’m August Johansen. You are?”

“Emil Lund.”

“Headmaster Seth told me that I’m in charge of showing you around here.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “You got your room assignment?”

“Five,” Emil answered.

“I’ll show you to it. Anyway, what’s your story?”

“My story?”

“It’s the middle of the semester. You’re a new student and you got sent straight to the special course. There’s no way you don’t have one.” August seemed proud of his deduction. “If you don’t want to share, that’s fine too. Makes you mysterious.”

Emil said, “Headmaster Seth just thought I was impressive.”

August looked back at Emil weirdly as the two progressed up the stairs. “We are going down the mysterious path. I like that.”

“What about you?”

“Me? Oh. I’m like the black sheep of my family. I’m from a Snow Elf clan on the Nadas continent. Don’t know if you’ve heard of it. Really cold there. Headmaster Seth is friends with my father, so I got sent here to become something worthwhile. Anyway, Headmaster Seth was impressed by my swordsmanship last year, so I got into the special course. I’m not the best when it comes to magic though.”

Not the best? Emil gazed at August and the almost blinding bright, yellow of his anima. When it comes to anima circuits, his is no less than mine or Ira’s. The anima around him is especially pure and dense.

“Are you being humble? If you’re in the special course, you’re far above average.”

After all, Seth was a mage. Why would he care that much about someone who was good with the sword? Emil was sure that the Demigods had their own way of seeing someone’s strength the way Emil could.

August said, “You’re a nice guy.”

“Uh, thanks…” He didn’t think he had said anything groundbreaking, though.

“Where are you from? Or are we sticking with the elusive past?” August joked lightly.

“I’m from a village of… magicless people. One of the previous students of Headmaster Seth wound up taking me in because I had talent. That’s how I got here,” Emil decided to tell August the truth to see what his reaction was.

“That’s new. Anyway, here’s your room.” August stopped in front of the door at the end of the hall they were walking down. “Only your ID can open it. Wave it in front of the lock—it’s enchanted.”

Emil did so and watched with slight amazement as the door clicked open and the two strode into the room.

It was around the same size as his room at the Night Sage’s home. It was sparsely decorated and had the same white, cream, and gold color scheme as everything else.

“Bed. Desk. Closet. Pretty standard. You have your own bathroom, too. Doesn’t look like you have anything to unpack so do you want to continue the tour or take a break?”

“We can continue.”

“Okay. Which student?”

“Huh?”

“You said someone took you in. Who?”

“The Night Sage. Damien.”

“I haven’t met him. Heard he’s a bit different from the others. He didn’t join the Church.”

“Right.”

“You plan on joining the Church?”

“I don’t know yet.”

August shrugged. “Me either. Follow me. There are only two relevant places downstairs: the kitchen and the recreational room. I’ll show you. Oh, right. Don’t tell the others where you’re from. They’re elitist so they’ll bitch about it. Almost everyone here is. I personally don’t care where you’re from. So, you can stop glaring at me.”

Emil realized that his gaze on August had been severe the entire time and coughed awkwardly. “Sorry.”

“No, I get it. My girlfriend’s a commoner. She hated me, too. She said I look like a pompous asshole. I can’t help it. I was born with this face. Also, you can tell others if you want. I’m not stopping you. Just figured I’d let you know.”

Emil tried to follow along with August’s rapid conversation changes and followed the teen out of his room. “Um, will they ask?”

“Probably. It’s like a battle to see who’s more superior than who. I can tell you about the other three that live here if you’d like. They’re not completely insufferable except for Eddie. Eddie sucks.”

“Who’s Eddie?”

“He’s been here the longest and he’s graduating next year. He’s at the third Adamentem rank and he’s only thirty. He’s trying to reach Speculo before graduation.”

Emil whistled. The mortal ranks extended one’s lifespan by a certain amount of time. The standard time it took for someone to break through the next rank multiplied with each step. Just reaching the Aurum rank could take someone ten to twenty years from the start of Argenti. Aurum to Adamentem could take another fifty or so years. As for Speculo? It could take centuries, and some would never reach it within their lifetime. With that in mind, it was clear to see how much of an amazement Eddie was.

“We all know that he will. He just needs a bit more time. Then he’ll become one of those legends you hear about and his ego will probably explode. By the way, he hates it when you call him Eddie--his name’s Edward. It depends on which of his sides you want to be on. Good or bad. He’s in room one. He’s already joined the Church as well, so he gets even more benefits than us.” August sighed. “This is the kitchen. We don’t use it. Just go to the dining hall.”

Emil didn’t know how to cook very well and had grown used to simply eating monster meat he grilled over a fire in the wilderness. “Why did you say it’s important if no one uses it?”

August appeared to be confused. “I don’t know. Anyway, the living room is through here. We aren’t exactly friends with each other here, so we don’t use this room much either. Sometimes, though, Seth calls meetings and we have to gather here.”

“Not in his tower?”

“No. He doesn’t come down. It’s just a projection.” August scratched his head. “Uh, you haven’t seen the campus, have you?”

Emil shook his head.

“It’s pretty huge. But we don’t have any classes there. The places we have use for are the dining hall, the library, and… is that it? Oh. I guess that’s it. Everything for us is in the Headmaster’s Tower. But we do have access to the supply market! That is useful. Basically, we can use our stipend the headmaster gives us there to buy materials. You can also sell and trade stuff there or whatever. It’s a marketplace for us students. We’re special course students so we get a discount and we can also get priority when new shipments come in. And, we’re allowed into the upper levels no matter what grade—teacher supplies included. That place is my favorite. Trust me, you’ll be in there almost every day,” August explained as the two headed out of the Headmaster’s wing and back into the main section of Silverblue Academy.

Once they were back in the public area, students could be walking about or sitting in the grassy areas. Emil saw others casting magic and some people flying on carpets or brooms, there was even a Pegasus soaring through the sky. The sun was high in the sky, shining brightly and causing the white stone on the walls and walkways to glow.

When he had been inside the carriage, Emil had hardly looked around. He felt a bit of disdain towards it and the students. Now, he was amazed by the scenery here. The arcana school seemed to be removed from the world that existed outside of the school’s gate. It was impossible to not get swept up in the glorious atmosphere.

August patiently stood by Emil as the teen looked around, his eyes shining. “It’s beautiful, right?”

Emil, who had grown used to a grim world full of murder and strife, could only nod his head in agreement. He felt his heart swell with hope for the future. He wished that he could hold his mother’s and father’s hand, telling them that he had made it where they wanted him to go.

“Really… beautiful.”