I slowly open my eyes to a ray of sunlight, threatening to burn my corneas. A sigh escapes my lips as I raise an arm to shield my eyeballs. I sit up and try to get my thoughts in order. Today is the first day of school.

I take a deep breath and really let it sink in. I've been waiting ten years to enter Liken Academy and today is the day. It almost feels unreal. I clench my fist and let black clouds of dark magic seep out of my arms. I'm feeling a strange sense of excitement mixed in with the dread of entering such a foreign environment. An entire academy tailored to teach the most gifted students and elevating them to a professional level.

Six years of odd jobs and a sizeable chunk of my parent's savings allowed me to be as 'gifted' as the rest of the students. A steep entry price ensures that Raekol occupies a majority of its classrooms. Horror stories of commoners daring to enter only to immediately drop out with broken bones and shattered spirits are common this time of year.

Boy did I love listening to them, time and time again.

I stretch my arms and swiftly get off the bed. Liken Academy is rooted in the capital, which means I don't have time to waste. I hurriedly take a shower and change into the Liken school uniform. It's an extremely comfortable fit that also strangely has incredible flexibility despite it being an exact fit. The standard male uniform consists of black pants, a plain black shirt, a grey vest, and a black blazer with black and gold stripes twirling down its sleeves.

A truly royal interpretation of magic. Fitting of the designers of this thing. An orange armband completes the set, a label to assign to First-Years.

I take a moment to look at myself in the mirror and laugh to myself. My naturally tanned face seem even shabbier than ever before when paired with the high-class uniform. I try to shape my messy hair into what could be considered publicly acceptable before preparing a bag for school. I pull out a container from underneath my bed and pull out the blood-stained book.

Studying at Liken also meant living at Liken. The book would be safer with me than anywhere else. Especially since not even my parents can find out. Today would be the last day I see my parents before the next major holiday, which is at the end of a six month semester. I have many things to say, of course. If it were not for them, I would have never gotten the chance-

"Ritz! Quickly get in here and eat your breakfast or you'll be late!"

I rush in the direction of my mother's voice and see her and my father sitting at the dinner table in our kitchen. Our house is relatively small despite having two levels and a cramped backyard. I sit at the table and practically inhale the modest breakfast of bread and chunks of meat in gravy. I think I'll miss home-cooked food the most.

"You ready for your first day at Liken?" my mother asks with a smile on her face.

I give a quick nod before returning my attention to the food.

"Be careful, okay? You know how the Raekol will react if you get in their business."

"I'll be fine" I assure my mother.

My mother opens her mouth to continue the conversation only to be cut off by my father with his obligatory "Don't talk with your mouth full, Ritz."

I still end up smiling at his warning.

"You better do well at the Academy, it'll be good for the business."

My mother rolls her eyes and suddenly grips my father's wrist. He winces in pain from the fire in my mother's palms which earns a snicker from me.

"Please remember to do well for yourself. I don't like the idea of my son growing up with an obligation to fight others, but I know it will be a better life than anything we can give you" my mother says with a sad smile.

I involuntarily sigh at my mother's despairing proclamation.

My parents work as blacksmiths. They have a shop at the edge of town that sells weapons and armour to daring adventurers or people who want the safety of a sharp piece of metal at their side. My father is a tall, muscular man with a thin layer of hair on his head and big brown eyes. My mother is also tall and muscular, a result of her work as a blacksmith. She was beautiful in her own right, with short brown hair, snub nose and big eyes at a warm shade of red.

My father was born with an affinity for Earth magic. My mother was gifted with the skills of fire magic.

She melts the metal while he shapes it.

They were the perfect pair.

"There is no need to worry mum; I already took enough from the family."

I try my best to give a reassuring smile which my mother expertly reciprocates. I could still see the worry in her eyes, so I decide to change the subject.

"Speaking of family, where's Reila?"

"Your sister is still asleep. I know you're late but can you wake her up? Don't forget to say goodbye."

I stand up without complaint and head to my sister's room. Reila was born an unnaturally high affinity to water magic. More specifically, ice magic. She could be an incredible asset to Raekoft as a peacekeeper or even as a soldier. She also has the temper for it. But of course, we just don't have the funds for it. It also doesn't help that she's completely against it as well.

I open the door to my sister's room and slowly make my way to her sleeping form on the bed. I gently shake her. She responds with a cute murmur before suddenly sitting up, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Rit?"

"Reila, I'm about to leave for school."

Reila's eyes suddenly snap open.

"You're leaving already?!"

"Yeah, I wanna say goodbye before I go."

"Oh..."

A few moments of awkward silence pass with the two of us just looking at each other before I pull Reila in for a hug.

"Take care of yourself Reila."

"Of course, I'm not like you."

Her tone was playful and defiant, but her face was buried in my shoulder, and I could hear her sniffles due to our proximity. I gently stroke her hair for a while before she pulls away.

"Wait, what time is it!? Hurry up! You're going to be late!"

I grin and ruffle Reila's hair, earning me a scowl. I left the room to find the front door already open and my luggage bag outside. My parents were waiting outside by the luggage bag. I walk out the door and immediately hug my mother. She wraps me in a tight hug of her own before my father joins in, wrapping his muscular arms around both of us. We pull away before my father suddenly pulls out a small, circular piece of metal from his pocket.

"Here, don't forget us while you live your life there," my father says with a big grin.

I raise an eyebrow before taking the steel token from my father. It was like a coin, of sorts. Except it had the Dravus family logo on it.

Well, it wasn't exactly the Dravus family logo, more like the Dravus company logo. But, the Dravus company consist of only the Dravus family, so it's the closest thing to a family logo that we have. I still marvel at the intricate engravings that my father made with delicate hands, despite his size.

A beautiful engraving of a dragon

There is no specific rhyme or reason to this logo. The Dravus family didn't come ancient dragon bloodlines, neither were we the descendants of legendary dragon tamers.

The shop didn't even have a logo until Reila spontaneously decided to spice it up. I suggested we just put a big dragon as an eye-catcher and my father made the logo for fun. We ended up growing fond of it, and it became our family logo. The weight of my departure is once again dawning on me. I'm carrying the Dravus family name into the academy. No matter how tainted it might be.

I clutch the coin in my hand before tucking it into my pocket.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Now go, before your mother breaks into tears."

I look to my mother, and she hurriedly smiles at me, but the wetness at the corners of her eyes blow her cover. Reila pops her head out the front door and gives me a wave. I wave back before grabbing the handle of my luggage bag and rolling it along with me.

We all know the difficulties I will face once school starts. I'll be a rogue element. An anomaly. A thorn amongst the roses. My parents steered clear of the subject talking about this aspect of my school life, no doubt to avoid any unnecessary stress.

There was an agreement to keep farewells short and sweet.

The sudden silence between the four of us as I walked off was painful to bear with, but I press onwards to the capital. I fear that if I look back, I might see a sight that will have me rushing back to my house.

However, I might also end up being very late. So I keep my head held high and continue moving forward

Walking away from the house never felt as lonely as this. Sure, due to work I rarely managed to spend so much time with my family anyway. Yet, there has never been a time where I would just...not see them.

All my worries were washed away once I got caught in awe of the capital of Raekoft, Halsana. I wipe away the strange drops of water coming out of my eyes and take in the magnificent scenery.

The city of Halsana was built as one massive circle. Guards dot the circumference of the circle in their long guard posts that extend into the surrounding paths. The tall towers inside of Halsana could easily be seen from a distance, reflecting off the sunlight.

Halsana. The brightly shining sun of Raekoft.

The roads are paved with beige tiling and snake in and out of every part of the city. Shophouses line the streets on the outer edge of the circle, selling anything from books to heavy weaponry. Buildings come in various shades of oranges, reds and yellows that give off a constant "bright" effect.

Closer to the centre come the inns, individual houses and recreational areas. The inns and houses are nothing like those in my town. These buildings are much taller and can house multiple families. Though they usually house only one. One family per four-storey house. Greedy fucks.

This area is more colourful than the outskirts with the right mix of every colour known to exist. Entire buildings can be a dark blue or bright green with bits of red mixed into the palette. Recreational areas include the usual playgrounds and parks filled with magical flora and fauna.

Then, there is the Girsa fountain. A beautiful structure with absolutely no infrastructure.

The fountain is merely a full circle made of white bricks, excluding the enchanted water of course.

The magic radiating off the water could be felt from even the very edges of the city. It takes on many different colours, shapes and forms, moving in a synchronised set of movements like it has a mind of its own. It never fails to look like a living being, putting on a dance for all to marvel. It called to people, stole their attention and held on.

This is what the Yauler's are willing to fight for. Magic is a sentient mass of power flowing through the land, meant to be used and controlled. Nothing else.

I decide to stop gawking and move on to my real objective. Beyond the centre fountain, lies three gigantic buildings. The Raekoft National Museum, The Royal Castle and, of course, Liken Academy. The front yard of the Academy is already buzzing with activity. I see mostly big groups of orange armbands chittering but there also yellow armbands and even blue armbands.

Yellow for Second-Year

Blue for Third-Year

Red for Fourth-Year

I remind myself of the colours. Before I even try to move into Liken Academy for myself, I do a sweeping glance of the students. As expected, they're in a completely different league than I.

Almost all the guys have thick, glossy hair coming in all colours, near-flawless skin, pronounced cheekbones, sharp chins and various degrees of muscle. It also helped that most of them were tall and some of them were very tall.

The girls are all wearing their uniforms which consists of a dark blue skirt reaching their knees, a plain white shirt and a button-up black blazer with stripes of red and white twirling down their sleeves. They also wore scarfs which are, of course, covered in blue and gold swirls. All this, however, was just the tip of the iceberg.

The girls themselves look stunning. They came in many different hairstyles and faces. Most of them had flawless skin with varying degrees of makeup. Facial features varied from dimples to freckles and their uniforms helped to emphasise their curves.

I take a deep breath. I'm excited. I'm also just as nervous. As thrilling as this is, I'm walking into a battlefield. I fiddle with the metal coin in my palm. I finally got here. It would be best if I didn't chicken out now.

Straighten your back. Sharpen your smile.

I take one last calming breath before stepping onto school grounds.