The gate was ready, Sin would be teleported to the portal hall in the capital city of Aurum. She wanted to teleport early in the morning to avoid the queues of students who were going to take the exam. Her preparations took slightly longer than expected, so she had to delay her travel to the region.

She put on her rose perfume that she became so accustomed to using, then gave her farewells to the maids and servants. Her handmaiden would stay with her in the capital city, at the Secret, their holiday home now-become permanent dwelling. She was anxious, but ready. Sin knew she’d ace the exams, but what she wanted was to come first place in all of them. It was a feat that no one had accomplished before, but that was why she prepared so hard. The magical aptitude test was innate, and couldn’t exactly be practiced for other than by getting used to using spells and incantations.

The practical exam was what she was worried about since it was different every year. A wild thought popped in; I can’t wait to see him. Sindyl shook her head, and finished getting ready to leave. No distractions Sin, focus on your goals... But it wouldn't hurt to get a little excited.

She walked through the gate.

Sin could feel the heat of the twin suns that loomed over the buildings way out past the exit of the portal hall. It was bright. Good, there’s hardly anyone here. She paid the portal toll officer the fee, then went to make her way through the city.

The entrance exam was in a few hours, so she had some time to get some food and maybe even look for some academic supplies that she couldn’t secure due to her having to rush.

She felt eyes on her from all around her as she walked through the city. They were mostly from the boys who were around her age, but some came from the girls too. Sin grew up not really liking revealing clothing, so she wore her standard black, with red accents, form fitting shirt and trousers, with a smart looking white waistcoat and a red tie. They were made to allow her to manoeuvre if she needed to fight, so they looked smart while affording a lot of comfort. I should really thank my dad’s tailor for the clothes she’s prepared for me.

The first thing she did was go and find somewhere to eat. She hadn’t eaten since last night, even though her handmaiden begged her to eat something before she left. Sin didn’t really have a favourite food, since all of the food in the Castle was so well made and delicious, she couldn’t pick just one of the dishes.

After a while of walking, and a while of having potential examinees ogle at her, she found a small café that looked to serve a number of light meals. Sin only wanted something sweet, and light. What caught her eye was that they served tea and pancakes, which would easily sate her craving. Sin entered the café.

The atmosphere of the café was nice, and there weren’t many people either. The smells of tea brewing, and fruity accents in the air made it feel very cosy.

The owner was manning the till, and spoke in an enthusiastic voice, “Welcome to Small Hill! How can I help you today?”

Sin smiled at the blue haired female elf, “I really want something light and sweet, so a sweet brew of tea and some pancakes with strawberries would be great. I’ll leave the type of tea up to you, as long as it’s sweet and light.”

The blue haired elf rolled up her sleeves, revealing a pair of toned arms with a myriad of blade scars across them. “Leave it to me!”

Sin sat at one of the empty tables, then thought to herself, Those scars are interesting. They’re similar to the Sword Dancer’s scars.

After a short while, the female elf brought out the pancakes and tea, which looked heavenly, Sin thought. She bowed towards Sin before beginning to walk back to the till.

Sin spoke in an innocent tone, “You have a lot of scars on your arms, did you used to be a fighter?”

The elf gave little away and chuckled, “I suppose you could say that.” She answered without turning back to the girl, then went back to the till. Unsurprisingly, most of the dishes were already clean, so she had almost nothing else to do.

Sin decided not to push the issue further, instead she focused on enjoying the meal brought before her. The pancakes were perfectly light, fluffy, and not too sweet. The strawberries tasted fresh, with just a touch of sourness to them. The tea worked well as a catalyst that brought the whole meal together.

After finishing her meal, she went to pay the elf lady. “Sorry if it was a sore topic, it’s just that I know someone with scars like that. He's an old man with a long black ponytail, and a scar running down his right eye. You just reminded me of him.” She remembered her dad told her not to speak of the Sword Dancer to anyone, but she thought describing him wouldn’t be all that harmful.

The elf lady was in the middle of putting the coins in the cash register when she froze. With a face that looked like she’d seen a ghost, “What did you say. Say it again.” Her voice was cold. It was a stark difference to how she was when she'd initially greeted Sin.

Sin’s anxiety was hitting her, “I’m s-sorry, I d-didn’t mean to offend you.” She bowed deeply.

The elf lady looked like she had the eyes of a killer, but it only lasted an instant. She regained her composure and spoke once more, “Sorry, I let old habits get the best of me. Don’t worry little one, please come back another time. It seems we have a lot to talk about.” She spoke with a somewhat sincere smile that still somehow reminded Sin of a feral tiger.

Sin chuckled as the situation seemed to simmer down, “I will. The pancakes and tea were amazing, so I’ll definitely come back!”

As Sin left the café, the blue haired elf leaned onto the counter, then rested her face in her hands. She grinned, “So, the General’s still alive.” A tear drifted down her face.

The stares were worsening as more and more students were arriving in the city for the exam. Sin figured that now would be a good time to go to the Academy and wait for them to start. She could get the supplies she needed after the exams were over. There was still to be a two week gap between the exams and the semester starting so she could do what she needed to during that time.

After a short while, she arrived at the Academy grounds. Sin didn’t realise how close the café was to the Academy, but she was grateful that she didn’t have to walk a long while. When she arrived, she saw the swarm of students that were waiting for the exam ceremony to start.

As she arrived, she could hear lots of conversations among the examinees. Some were talking about their worries and anxieties for the upcoming exams, while some were talking about some ‘handsome student’ who was roaming around the city the day before. Probably some stuck up noble who was flaunting his wealth, she thought to herself. She also heard some whispers about her, calling her the prettiest girl at the Academy. While she would gladly take the compliment, she wished that they would keep their thoughts to themselves.

As she walked through the crowd of students towards the front of the grounds, Sin heard more conversations between nobles. They were showing off their weapons that their parents bought for them, talking about how many gems were embedded within and how they paid ‘the greatest smith in all of Zildran’ to craft it. Some had bows, some had swords or daggers, and a handful even had hammers. Sin rolled her eyes as she continued walking through the crowd.

The further into the crowd she got, the more split apart the students were. She noticed the differences in attire. It seemed the nobles were the furthest ahead in the crowd, and they were dressed in smart formal wear. She thought back to when she just arrived and how most people were dressed somewhat shabbily and in loose robes. The Academy didn’t care whether you were a noble or not, and accepted people based on their merits. However, that didn't stop nobles from pretending commoners didn't exist.

Among the sea of formally dressed students was one who wasn’t exactly fitting in with the crowd. There was a distance between him and the other students. He had a long black ponytail, and was wearing a form fitting sleeveless black shirt along with a traditional looking long black skirt... A hakama? It looks like one of those oriental dresses I’ve seen in the Castle balls. But it looks like it’s more fit for comfort. He had a pair of twin black bands on his wrists.

He turned to look at her with bright eyes that reminded her of lightning. By this point, she’d already made a beeline straight towards him.

Sin’s eyes were heavy, and her face was heating up.