After a long day of classes, a fairy flattened out the last pile of paperwork she had gone over that day and slid everything in a drawer. She clicked her wand back into its usual place, shoved her chair backwards, and before long found herself strolling through the hallway.

    When she came back to her room, the first thing she did was to take off her heels and stretch her foot to get adjusted to the newfound freedom. Raising her arms behind her back, she slowly took the pins holding her bun up out of her hair and untwisted it ‘till she felt it brushing softly on her shoulders.

    Afterwards, she took a glass out of the cabinet and poured herself some wine to unwind after a busy week preparing for the Initiation. She leaned back against the table in her room, let out a sigh- and just before she could take the first sip she heard a knock coming from the door.

    Quickly making sure her blouse was properly tucked into her skirt, she went up to the door and opened it just enough to peek through.

    ‘Oh, miss Faewood.’

    ‘Evening, Mirana. May I come in?’

    ‘Of course, I-’ She opened the door further and walked back over to her table, trying to tie her hair somewhat back into a bun, to no avail. ‘Please excuse my appearance, I was just getting ready for the night. Can I pour you a glass?’

    ‘If you’d please.’

    Stirling took another glass from the cabinet and filled it up before handing it to Faewood, who looked up from her thoughts, rubbed her hand over her cheek and chuckled softly.

    ‘I- suppose you have something on your mind?’

    Faewood smiled sadly. ‘You know me well. Indeed, there’s something I want to discuss.’

    ‘Frostthorn?’

    She nodded absently. ‘She visited me in my office today. I didn’t want to bother you with it on the first day, I know how demanding it is on you, but I-’ Faewood looked away.

    ‘I know. It’s been hard on you, hasn’t it?’

    ‘I always knew she would come looking for answers eventually, but on her first day, Mirana?’

    Stirling took her own glass back into her hand and inspected the moving liquid as she rocked it ever so slightly from side to side.

‘What difference does it make?’

    ‘I just- figured I’d have more time to prepare.’

    ‘You didn’t… you know?’ She gestured vaguely.

    ‘Oh, no, of course not. Though it was hard not to. I…’ she averted her eyes from Stirling, ‘came too close. Nearly said too much…’

    ‘And the mark?’

    ‘Hurtful… but I don’t think she was onto anything. Not yet anyway. She’s perceptive, Mirana, and that could very well be her downfall…’

𓆩✧𓆪

It was quiet in the hallways when I made it back down. Disturbingly quiet, like all sound had been muted before I entered and nothing was left but the echo of my conversation with the headmistress.

    My hand had barely reached the handle to the dorm when I heard a soft beeping noise from the pocket of my skirt. I quickly brushed the tears off my cheeks and pressed in the combination Alex had taught me during our flight toward the Academies. The light of the projector flicked on and their face appeared as some sort of hologram on the grainy screen.

    ‘Al? What- what are you calling for? Is everything alright on your end?’

    ‘I am quite all right. I called to let you know that I devised a calendar to keep track of the days on Terra, and tomorrow it will be Friday, so I will be calling you then.’

    ‘You did?’ I couldn’t help but to giggle at Alex’ remark. I had forgotten all about that promise with all the changes going on and everything that had happened in between. ‘That’s wonder- ful…’ I heard a beep from the device. I looked at the screen and blinked. ‘Did they just…?’

    I tapped Alexan’s name and the device started buzzing again.

    ‘Al-’ I said when the buzz stopped. ‘What was that for?’

    ‘What was what for?’ Alex asked.

    ‘You suddenly broke it off?’

    ‘I had said all I had to say.’

    I covered my mouth and giggled softly. Then that giggle turned into a laugh.

    ‘Ehrynn?’

    ‘That’s so delightfully you, Al. But I have a better idea. What if we simply called now, while we’re both still up anyway?’

    ‘Oh.’ Alex said. ‘I can see the logic in that.’

    ‘Good.’ I laughed, but my laughter faded fast when I recalled the conversation I’d just come out of.

    Alex tilted their head. ‘... Ehrynn?’

    I stared blankly past the projection until I could softly utter the words I was looking for. ‘Hey, Al… something happened…’

𓆩✧𓆪

‘And those were her exact words?’

    ‘Yes, that’s exactly what she said- word for word. From what I gathered, professor Mekanis reached out to her at some point during my stay at Bythrith, though I’m not sure why.’

    ‘Then it must be the truth. Biologically speaking, it is commonly known that fey cannot lie. Even then, I never knew father had sought contact with her. However, nor did I ask, I did not assume he had reason to. After all, when we found you, your displays of Magic were minimal.’

    ‘And yet she said something about my “time back here in the Realm of Magic”- I suppose that confirms the theory that I’ve been here before. I can’t help but wonder what she meant by “current status” though.’ I held my pendant between the tips of my fingers and looked right past the projection of Alex on my screen, into the dorm’s common room.

    Eventually, I shook my head. ‘Hey, uh, Al- I was hoping to head over to the Athenaeum during the weekend- I’d like to check the student records, hopefully find some answers that way. I mean, if I’ve been here before- at the Academy, I mean- I should be in there, right? And uhm- well, I was hoping you could tag along, if you want.’

    Ever since professor Mekanis had off-handedly mentioned that the student records were located in the Athenaea, Alex and I had vowed whichever one of us would reach the Academies first would have a look, for both our sakes. I never actually thought we’d visit together, I’d always presumed Alex would end up relaying the information to me.

    ‘Hmmm…’ Alex skimmed over whatever they had in front of them, perhaps to look something up. ‘I cannot accompany you this weekend. Bythrith’s Initiation will come to its conclusion at the end of next week and I will be required to attend several more examinations, so I will need to prepare accordingly. However, I can meet you in a week.’

    ‘Then it’s settled! Following weekend after classes, we’ll meet at dawn.’

𓆩✧𓆪

Waiting for my meeting with Alex turned out far easier than I could have foreseen- at least aside from the weekend- for I had no time to ruminate on my thoughts at all with each passing day introducing me to a new class to get all excited about. And my, was I excited-

    Enough so, at least, that professor Shiitake jokingly noted I was one of the “most eager magic students she had ever come across” at the start of our first Herbology class, to which I shrunk in my seat. The comment came after I’d explained to Iklím how I’d read the entire “Herbs, plants and fungi” manual over the Summer, having found it on Anthea’s bookshelf- and she’d looked at me all dumbfounded. I didn’t realize it was that unusual, but nonetheless I refrained from telling her I’d read most of the other reading material, too.

Abrish seemed to have done the same for Basics of Alchemy, stating that she found the subject matter “rather intriguing and good food for thought”. We found ourselves conversing about crystalline structures and their magic properties between classes, something that caught Iklím’s interest as well. Even if Abrish mostly kept to herself and only said something when she had a thought to share, I rather enjoyed our conversations and grew very fond of them in the span of a week.

    I even managed to inform professor Followers on how everything had gone with Faewood after her class had ended, thanking her for her help the other day.

    ‘No need to thank me. I’m glad I could help. Though, before you go, Frostthorn, I wanted to ask you something-’

    Apparently, she had noticed my proficiency in Elvish and asked if I was interested in taking the Ancient Runes course she gave instead, to which I willingly agreed. I was very eager to learn more about the runes I’d seen in Faewood’s classroom, and was hoping they’d show up in Followers’ class.

    In all honesty, I was just eager to learn more regardless of what it was.

    Admittedly, I was a little disappointed to not have learned much of anything new at all in the first week. But then again, we were just starting out, so most classes were more of an orientation with an introduction speech from the professors about their journeys and credentials somewhere in between. Interesting nonetheless, but I was all too excited to get started.

    While I was going over the Invitation again to skim through the class roster for the upcoming cycles, I noticed that the only class courses still missing were Etiquettes by professor Stirling- who, from the sound of it in the hallways, was too occupied with all of her other duties at the start of the cycle to start her class in the first week- and Fundamentals of Magic- as the previous teacher had resigned and the vacancy was still open- even though that seemed like a most essential class to have at the start of our academic journey. I guess some things never change, no matter what school you attend.

    All with all, the Academy was proving to be a most magical experience- and I loved every minute of it.

𓆩⚙𓆪

As the morning set over the grounds of Bethoran Academy and lit up the crafting table, Alexan closed the lid to their creation and waited patiently. It took a while, but eventually the little thing made a soft buzzing sound and moved its arm up and down, clicking its little claw-like hand together as it opened and closed again.

    ‘It worked.’ Alexan whispered under their breath, taking their hand from under their chin.

    They stared at it, just for a little while, before they shook their head and scrolled open a large piece of blueprint material and frantically adjusted the notes on the sidelines.

    When that was done, they took another moment to look at the fruit of their labour, only interrupted when an alarm went off.

    ‘Oh, time to visit Ehrynn.’

    They shoved the creation in their pocket and took the ladder down to the lower part of the crafting room. They hung back their goggles on the small piece of wood that stuck out of a beam and ran to the door, to be stopped dead in their tracks when professor Mekanis opened it from the other side.

    ‘Alexan, still here, are you?’

    They nodded- and received a pat on their head from their father.

    ‘Have you found a roommate yet? Your Initiation is coming to an end, right-? Have you heard the outcome yet?’

    They hesitated, then shook their head.

    ‘Oh, uhm… You were uhm… visiting Ehrynn today, if I am not mistaken. Go along then, cannot keep her waiting.’ He balled his fist in an awkward but somehow encouraging swing.

    Alexan nodded one last time, briefly, and passed their father, shutting the door behind them.

    Professor Mekanis sat down at the lower crafting table. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed, letting his shoulders down. ‘I do not understand that youngling…’

𓆩⚙𓆪

Next update: part 4/6 - October 21st