“Selene, make sure you don’t forget anything!” Papa says to me from the kitchen.

“I got it! I’m all good to go!” I energetically yell from my room.

Today’s finally the day I head off to the capital city of Noctus, Amarande. As I sit in front of my vanity station, I turn my head side to side checking to make sure my silvery golden hair is dried before combing it and tying it up in a twin-tail. I then put on a pair of flower patterned barrettes and do one last check-up. Satisfied, I pick up and open my magic purse, teacher made this especially for me and most of my things are stored here.

(Bags check, clothes check, and books...check. Okay, I’m ready.)

I gently swing the strap of the purse over my shoulder and exit into the kitchen, where I see papa waiting for me at the table.

“...You look great Selene.” Papa says as he appraises me with a soft smile.

“Hehe, the dress is Mary’s latest gift for me!” I reply with a twirl. Today's outfit is a one-piece soft green frill dress, with the skirt reaching just past my knees.

“Hoho. Well, let’s get on with breakfast, we’re on a tight schedule after all!” Papa reminds me as he sets the remaining food on the table.

I sit down and prepare myself for breakfast. It looks like we’re having some of our classic toast with avocado spread. Although teacher always treats me to delicious and exotic foods like with our party last month, it’s nice to just enjoy a simple breakfast like this.

As I began to dig in, I suddenly remembered something important that teacher told me yesterday.

“Oh, papa! Teacher says that you can come with us! Fino will take over for you as the town guard in the meantime!”

Suddenly Papa’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Oh thank god, I thought I would miss my own daughter’s admission to the Noctus Royal Academy,” He says with a sigh of relief. “Hold on Selene, let me go prepare!” Papa finishes as he suddenly darts up.

“Wait, Papa! We’re not leaving until the afternoon!” I said as I tried to stop him.

“Selene, this is a very important occasion. I have to be ready to defend against all threats.” He resolutely says and then continues running into his room.

Somehow, I feel like there might be something else on his mind. Besides, would we ever really be in trouble with teacher next to us the whole time?

I decide to leisurely continue my breakfast while the sound of rummaging could be heard in the background. Soon after finishing, I put up the dishes and leave some for papa for after he’s done. Since there’s nothing else for me to do, I decide to go out and practice some of my spells.

Peeking into the hall leading to our rooms, I yell “Papa! I’m gonna go outside a bit okay?!”

“Okay! Don’t go too far!”

I sit down at our front door and put on my shoes. While glancing at the rack of footwear, I decide to bring some of them as well, so I pick some of my favorites from the rack and put them into my purse and walk outside. I visualize the runes and the spell that teacher recently taught me. With a deep breath, I cast the 4th tier spell, Armaments: Shadow Wings!

Large pitch black bat-like wings made of mana appeared from my back. Controlling my mana, I begin to flap the wings and lift off the ground. Teacher says this technique is still imperfect and drains too much mana, but I think it’s super cool. After hovering in the air for a couple of minutes, I start to move around slowly. As I float higher and higher, I can almost see Teacher’s house. Flapping the wings feel weird but I quickly get used to it. After circling around the house, I noticed that our previously empty backyard have now been furnished with a couple of potted plants. I hover over and then gently land to check them out and see that they are Lilacs.

(Papa must be taking care of them. Come to think of it, Mary got a new pot of Lilacs in her room, Papa must have given it to her as a gift.)

Deciding to practice the rest of my magic away from the house, I walk into the forest. After finding a nice open spot, I pick a nearby tree as my target. Channeling mana into my right foot, I step forward, silently send my mana into the shadow of the tree. At my command, 6 spikes shot out from the shade, piercing the body of the tree.

(Tier 3 spell, Shadow Spike, complete! I managed to double the amount of spikes since last year. Now, one last spell.)

I mold half of my remaining mana into a concentrated ball and send it throughout my magic circuit. I draw the runes in my mind carefully layer by layer.

(Summon Familiar!)

A dark mist forms around me, floating listlessly. Soon, a dark skin wolf and bat exit out from the mist and gather around me. They are made completely from mana and are hollow. I direct my mana into them and move them around according to my will. They appear responsive enough. Satisfied with my test, I desummon them.

(Hmm, that wasn’t so bad. Teacher says this 3rd tier spell is weak in nature but I feel like there’s more potential to this spell. Plus they're so cute!)

Satisfied with my practice, I walk back to the house, excited for the rest of the day.

I walk back towards the house and enter in through the back door. I carefully take off my shoes and pick them up as I make my way back into the front of the house. On my way, I see papa having breakfast in the dining room.

“Oh, welcome back,” He says with a wave.

“Are you finished, papa?”

“Mhm, I think I have everything I need. I’m bringing my full armory just in case,” papa says as he pats his jacket. “Anyway, Selene, go check on your things one last time. We won’t be able to return once we leave for the mistress’s mansion.”

“Don’t worry papa, I double and triple checked” I proudly said.

“Hoho, is that so? Well. I’m just about done here so, meet you outside in 10 minutes okay?” Papa says as he picks up his plate and walks over to the sink.

“Okay!”

I take one last glance around the house that I’ve grown up in the past 10 years. All the little marks on the walls I’ve made, all the things I’ve climbed on. I’m going to miss this place, but as I think about the friends I’m going to make and seeing Alex again, I get excited. I walk to the front door and put on a new pair of travel boots with a couple of runic markings on the side and exit through the front door.

***

“Okay, the time has come for us to depart, but before we do...”

Everyone is now gathered outside the mansion in front of a carriage, preparing for the journey ahead. Teacher places her hand on the large fancy carriage, I feel a subtle surge of mana from her hand before it quickly disappeared and the carriage began to glow.

“Now, we can enjoy a smooth journey.” Teacher says with a smile.

“Mistress, the bags have been packed and we are ready to depart on your command,” papa says with a bow.

“Wonderful. Abel, you’ll be our chauffeur for this trip, I trust you know the way?”

“Yes, Madam.”

Papa climbs in front and grabbed the reins to horses as teacher gave a satisfied nod. She then turned to Mary who stood beside me.

“Mary, are the preparations finished?”

“Yes, Mistress. The path has been cleared beforehand and Sylvae will be on standby.”

“I see. Though I still don’t think this was all necessary but no use worrying about it now.” Teacher says with a tired sigh.

“Mistress, please understand that this is for your safety,” miss Sylvae says in a monotone voice.

“Yeah, I know, I know. At least ride inside the carriage with us Syl, you don’t have to keep a lookout,” teacher says with a tired expression.

“Pardon me mistress, but I believe that would make hard for me to operate as the head of your security detail,” she flat answers once again.

Teacher pouts and sighs as if she expected this and then turns to me and takes my hand.

“Well, anyway, shall we go?” She says with a smile.

“Yes!”

With that, Teacher, Mary and I entered in the fancy carriage from the side door. Inside was a bench backed up against the front of the carriage and facing it was a large extravagant sofa. Teacher takes a seat on the sofa as Mary sits on the bench.

(Whoa.) I silently mouthed.

“Well come on now, over here!” Teacher smiles as she pats the seat next to her.

After I take my seat on the strangely comfortable sofa, Teacher then nods to Mary. Mary then opens a small window next to her, through which I could see Papa.

“We are ready, Sir Abel.”

Papa turns around and nods to Mary. Before turning back, he caught me looking at him and smiled.

“Hya!”

The horses began moving forward and our journey from Teacher’s home in Raven to Amarande begins. Although the roads are not that smooth, the carriage stays perfectly stable, as if we were still.

I peek out the window as we begin to make to the center of Raven, as teacher’s home is located west of the town, and the capital is to the east. Soon, I am able to see the circular walls that surround the town of Raven. We entered through the gate with ease, I’ve come to learn that no one dares to stop teacher. As we make our way through town, I see various familiar sights that papa or Mary has taken me to over the past couple of years. Coming in from the west, I immediately see the town’s most famous bakery “The Honeypot.” Our family has been a patron of theirs for two years now. At first, it was just a small store, but now it has evolved into a big shop with a branch in the eastern wing of the city as well.

Continuing through the city, I can see people stopping to curiously gaze at our carriage, some of them even waving at us. Once we got to the center square, I can see “The Blackthorn Inn," one of our town's hotspots, a large extravagant 10 stories tall building in the center square. In the middle of the plaza is a large fountain centerpiece. Curving around the large plaza, papa’s workplace comes into view. He’s in charge of the Raven peacekeeping force as teacher’s knight. The building has a simple outward frame, I can see a pair of vampires standing out front dressed similarly as papa, though their uniforms are slightly different. As we pass by, the two men salute to us. Though judging from their line of sight, it’s probably at papa.

We soon exit the bustling plaza and enter the eastern wing of the city. While the western wing of town holds the town shopping centers, this side is mostly filled with houses. Papa tells me that this district is home to the common vampire. As we drive by the sea of houses, I see various people walking about and children playing. Because I basically all of my time at teacher’s house I never got to come to this part of the town. The houses look simple but have a pretty calm feeling to it, papa sometimes notes that the town has really been improving over the last 10 years. I can see some of the upscaling happen as we drive past some houses being renovated, it looks like they’re replacing the old broken down homes with reinforced wood exteriors. As I continue to gaze at the surroundings, we soon approach the eastern gate, which is already drawn up, as if they were expecting us.

As the hustle and bustle of the town slowly become more distant, it becomes replaced by the trotting of the horses. Our next destination will be the town of Luna, a smaller town than Raven but will serve as a resting place for us before heading all the way to Amarande.

“So, Selene, are you ready for the festival?” Teacher asks me from behind.

“Festival?” I inquisitively reply.

“Oh my...did I forget to mention it?” Teacher reels back in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand. Mary gave a tired sigh towards the situation.

“Well you see, every July, the Noctus Royal Academy hosts the annual Magic Festival. It is an important time for mages all around the world. If you recall, I always leave to go to the festival every year.” Teacher explains.

I think back and remember that teacher did always use to go somewhere around this time. She usually tells me a week or so in advance and gives me some self-study work.

“What happens during the Magic Festival?” I ask, curious about this event.

“It is a wonderful time! The academy opens the main ground to the general public and stretched along the huge inner field are a vast amount of stalls, all selling magic items! Foreign merchants are allowed a permit to sell within the capital during this time and it’s possible to find all sorts of never before seen magic. I always purchase any new items I find for magic research,” teacher joyfully recounts.

“Wow! Are there even Dwarven items for sale?” I ask.

“Huhu, I see you haven’t been slacking in your studies. Unfortunately no, dwarven magical items are of the highest quality, and it is because they are custom made. They don’t often mass produce for sale. The only way to obtain a magic weapon or item created by a dwarf is to travel to their home and put in a personal request. Though, once in a while you might find a traveling dwarf willing to barter for lesser quality dwarven weapons.”

“I see, so they must be really strong, huh?”

“Unbelievably so. I’ve tried for years to crack the secret to their creations, but the best I could come up with was my magic bracelet.”

Teacher shrugs and sighs at her predicament. Dwarven magical items must be something incredible if even teacher can’t figure them out.

“Anyway, Selene. There are 4 main attractions to the Magic Festival. One is the merchandise from new magic inventors as I’ve explained, but there are still three other important facets. The second is the New Magic Showcase. The Noctus Royal Academy may be a school, but it is also a research facility. Year after year, teachers and students showcase newly discovered and developed spells in this showcase. It is quite the spectacle, I’ve already booked our seats,” teacher giggles.

“Oh, one important thing. Although I say it's a New Magic Showcase, it's rare for new magic to actually be shown, the purpose is to show our progress in Magic Theory, so usually, people just show spell variants or new ways to use old spells.” Teacher elaborated.

“I see… Does teacher participate too?” I asked inquisitively.

“Me?” Teacher replied with a somewhat surprised expression. “I do not. It's an event for the students and staff.” She blankly states. But then,

“However,” she sighs. “I will be participating in this year's showcase as part of my agreement with them upon their acceptance of your admission.”

Teacher seems to want to add something else as well but she opts not to, that's what her eyes seem to say. Unsure as to what's bothering her, I nod and say,

“I see. I'm sure everyone will be amazed by teacher's magic!”

She chuckles and smiles again.

“Well, anyway. The third event is a Sporting Event, I’m not really into it though. And the last… is the Battle Tournament.”

She once again dropped her smile, teacher’s tone dropped during that last statement, her cheerful expression now replaced with a serious one. I gulp and ask,

“Battle Tournament?”

“It is a tradition so to speak, the event is not just to show off the school’s up and coming talented soldiers, but also as a show of force to our neighbors. Most people don’t realize this, but the tournament is key in maintaining our standings in the world. The empire uses it to show the rest of the world the effectiveness of our combat training.”

I pause for a second, trying to understand everything teacher said. Mary also had a serious look as well, listening to teacher’s explanation.

“So, it’s a dangerous event?”

Teacher looks at me for a quick second before softening her expression.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to you. As long as I’m alive, no one will dare to touch you. The real nature of the tournament is for the military to find candidates to recruit into their forces. It is not just simple entertainment. You will no doubt be coerced into entering the tournament as you are my student, but there is no cause for concern. Just be confident and use the magic I’ve taught you to beat your opponents,” teacher reassures me.

“Wouldn’t it be bad to use my spells? I feel like it could be dangerous,” I respond while thinking back on the various dummies I’ve destroyed over the years.

“Hahaha, you silly child, there is no need to worry,” teacher said while patting my head, Mary also gave me a warm gaze. “The professors of the academy set up a damage absorbent barrier in the arena. The fight ends when one contestant takes lethal damage.”

I let out a sigh of relief upon hearing teacher’s explanation. Although I am quite confident in teacher’s magic, I somewhat worry whether or not I will be able to use them effectively in battle. I also fear the consequence of badly hurting someone on accident.

“Anyway, we won’t be reaching Luna until nightfall. Why don’t you take a nap with Mary? I’m going to review my notes for a bit.” She said as she pulls out a worn leather skin journal.

“Okay.”

I give teacher a hug, thanking her in my heart for the opportunity she gave me. Teacher responded by giving me a light head pat. I move over to Mary, sitting down next to her. I then take out my barrettes and let my hair down. Mary signals me to lay down on her lap, to which I happily agreed. Soon, I felt myself slowly falling into slumber under the quiet atmosphere.