Aslan gathered at the assembly square in the middle of four large administration buildings
The new students gathered with the current students according to their year
Aslan arrived and looked around for Aria, and saw that she was standing right in front, as arranged due to her status. Several female students surrounded her and was looking to get her attention, so she didn't see Aslan
"Hi! You finally made it!" Anvi said, to a surprised Aslan
"Oh hi Anvi. Good to see you've made it" Aslan said
"You too. You know, your bag is still in my room. Later, come collect it from my room" Anvi said
Aslan forgot that his original clothes were with Anvi when they last separated. He was wearing all new clothes provided in Elfheim, and they were more comfortable, made from whatever the elves made them from. He wore the Academy robe over it, as he was forced to wear only the robes to Eldheim
But he still wanted his old luggage as he didn't have anything with him that was from his parents and from Sailormon
"This place is great! They even allowed me to mess around in the blacksmiths, since I told them I'm from Smythe. Look!" Anvi showed him something she made
"Why, this is a...." Aslan looked in astonishment
"Yep, a replica of your staff, made from mithril!" Anvi said eagerly
"Mithril? Isn't that expensive to get?" Aslan asked
"Usually, yes. But this is made from melted mithril from old armor and weapons. I so happened to meet the blacksmiths when the armory was getting rid of old stuff. Usually the mithril would have been melted and reforged to new weapons. But they feared these old armor and weapons might have been cursed" Anvi said
"You are not afraid of a curse?" Aslan asked
"Naw. Don't believe in curses. I only believe in science" Anvi smiled
Aslan thought it was funny for her to say that, seeing that she too have just enrolled in a school of magic, not science
"It's for you. Do you like it?" Anvi asked
"Why... thanks. How do I re.." Aslan was about to ask
"No need. You saved me from a hydra, remember?" she said with a grin, pleased with her work
Rather than a grizzled piece of oak, it was a solid piece of mithril, exactly the same length. It had leather made from some beast sinew, making a sling, and he pressed a button and the bottom half of the rod retracted revealing a sharp blade
Aslan happily swung it around, when he noticed other people staring at him. He also saw Aria looking at him from afar, before turning away when he saw her
Embarrassed, he stopped swinging it around and held it with his other staff in one hand
"As the weapon maker, can I name it?" Anvi asked
"Sure" Aslan said
"I want to name it Cursed!" she said
"Why Cursed?" Aslan asked in shock
"Because I neither believe in curses or believe it's cursed. But the smiths warned me when I made it that it's cursed. So I name it cursed so that it won't be cursed" Anvi said
"Alright then. It's cursed!" Aslan said, not really sure if her logic or humor made sense.
--
The welcoming ceremony began with Prince Galdrick, heir to the throne of Almera, welcoming the students, followed by a long speech about pride, honor and other such ramblings
Then Principal Dumbledalf was introduced, and he too gave a long speech after which, the new students were to demonstrate their magical abilities
There were 400 students in this year's intake, and it took all day as the students were divided into 4 groups of 100 and tested to stream them into classes
Their tasks was to use their magic on a stone golem and see how much damage they could do
Many of the new intake were only 12, so it wasn't very dangerous, but it separated the wheat from the chaff
The headmaster decided to evaluate the group of 100 which included Aria, Anvi and Aslan
Aria was one of to demonstrate her moves and she summoned both a stream of water and wind blades to chop the golem up.
"Good, very good. Can you show me anything else?" Dumbledalf asked as he restored the golem
Aria nodded and frowned at the golem
A vine shot up from between it's legs, impaling it in the butt, and exiting out several parts of it's body
"Great. Top class" Dunbledalf said
She walked of the demonstration stage and Aslan and Aria smiled at each other and he mouthed his congratulations
Not every student was asked to demonstrate on two golems. Only those Dumbledalf was interested in.
A few other students demonstrated their moves, but they weren't impressive and they were streamed into lower classes. A young girl even cried before she could do anything due to nerves and had to take the test later when she calmed down
Anvi's turn was next as she walked up to the ground. "I don't believe in magic, you know. I believe in science. But then again.. I can do this" she said as electricity crackled in her open hand and she fired a bolt at the golem. It shattered immediately
"Good...for one that doesn't believe in magic..." Dumbledalf said, but before he could continue, she ran at the half restoring golem and jumped high in the air. She came crashing down with her hammer, full of crackling electricity, smashing the golem to bits.
"Great. Ummm nothing else" Dumbledalf said. Anvi too was streamed into the top class and she jumped for joy winking at Aslan
A few students later, Aslan started walking onto the stage
He knew that fire magic normally struggled against earth magic, and a stone golem would be a bad match up for him
He stood there as his staff sported a glowing flame globe floating above it
Without casting, multiple fireballs shot at the golem at rapidfire rate, each fireball taking out parts of the golem until nothing was left
"Good. Without casting too. Anything else?" Dumbledalf asked as he restored the golem
Aslan nodded and slammed the end of the staff on the ground
Instantly the stone golem was lit on fire! But not only that, the stone golem started melting. Within a minute, the stone golem melted away like a large ice cube, not even leaving anything behind!
"Excellent flame control. First class" Dumbledalf said
A few students later, a young squire, dressed as if he were a squire introduced himself as Bolton, squire to Sir Galahand. His sword lit up with a glaring white light as he charged and sliced the golem in two.
"A paladin to be! Pass. Top class" Dumbledalf said
Next was a girl who introduced herself as Roselyn. She was wearing a skimpy out fit. There was nothing to show off, since she was still so young and haven't developed her feminine breasts yet, but it was clear she would grow up to be a beauty. When she attacked with her sword, it glowed like a light saber, turning bright blue as she sliced the golem like butter into half at the waist.
Before Dumbledalf could say anything, she extended her hand at the remnant legs, and it fell over, demonstrating her telekinetic ability
"Good" Dumbledalf said
On it went until the classes were streamed. All in all, the 400 students were separated to 20 classes of 20, they were all already accepted to the academy, and would be promoted and demoted according to their ranks as they progressed
They entered at 12 years old, and would leave the academy at 20. The exceptions are the long aged races, such as Aria and Anvi, who joined many years later, as their races aged differently
While the humans and their affiliated races didn' t have a draft, they still trained their young ones in the arts of magic and swordplay as they haven't officially signed a peace treaty with the Demon King, nor even a ceasefire
So they trained their children to become warriors regardless, and the Kingdom of Almera was willing to host them and train them for the future hero and companions
--
Classes felt just like school, only the subjects were different than normal classes
They learned magic theory and the many different magics available, and everyone was able to learn magics that were not even their element
Officially Aslan was a fire mage, but his racial specialties were darkness and fire. On top of that, he was quite talented at magic in general, and had much more mana than normal, thus the reason Balthazar wanted to mate his father and mother in the first place
He was especially talented in the common elements and the art of illusion, able to change the environment around him and match them with his illusions, making the whole world change according to his will, but this used plenty of mana, which he also coincidentally have
But mostly, he only demonstrated his fire skills, and kept the rest of his skills a secret
And the theory of magic helped him understand Balthazar's notes, finally comprehending the explanations that confounded him
He especially like exchanging ideas with Anvi, who was able to simplify and explain magical concepts in a more physical and practical manner
As for Aria, they meet during class everyday, pretending to only know each other as acquaintances. Aslan actually sits directly behind her in their classes. They brushed each other's hand "by accident" as they passed each other several times a day. Aria was very popular among the girls and widely liked among the boys that they never got any time alone by themselves
Aslan also meets her several nights a week in secret as he appeared in the shadows in a quiet corner without anyone else seeing him. Aria doesn't know how he does it, but whenever she is alone at night with no one around, he appears in secret. She never gets to see him, but they managed to talk this way
In this way, the years quickly passed as they lived their lives in the Academy
Aslan gathered at the assembly square in the middle of four large administration buildings
The new students gathered with the current students according to their year
Aslan arrived and looked around for Aria, and saw that she was standing right in front, as arranged due to her status. Several female students surrounded her and was looking to get her attention, so she didn't see Aslan
"Hi! You finally made it!" Anvi said, to a surprised Aslan
"Oh hi Anvi. Good to see you've made it" Aslan said
"You too. You know, your bag is still in my room. Later, come collect it from my room" Anvi said
Aslan forgot that his original clothes were with Anvi when they last separated. He was wearing all new clothes provided in Elfheim, and they were more comfortable, made from whatever the elves made them from. He wore the Academy robe over it, as he was forced to wear only the robes to Eldheim
But he still wanted his old luggage as he didn't have anything with him that was from his parents and from Sailormon
"This place is great! They even allowed me to mess around in the blacksmiths, since I told them I'm from Smythe. Look!" Anvi showed him something she made
"Why, this is a...." Aslan looked in astonishment
"Yep, a replica of your staff, made from mithril!" Anvi said eagerly
"Mithril? Isn't that expensive to get?" Aslan asked
"Usually, yes. But this is made from melted mithril from old armor and weapons. I so happened to meet the blacksmiths when the armory was getting rid of old stuff. Usually the mithril would have been melted and reforged to new weapons. But they feared these old armor and weapons might have been cursed" Anvi said
"You are not afraid of a curse?" Aslan asked
"Naw. Don't believe in curses. I only believe in science" Anvi smiled
Aslan thought it was funny for her to say that, seeing that she too have just enrolled in a school of magic, not science
"It's for you. Do you like it?" Anvi asked
"Why... thanks. How do I re.." Aslan was about to ask
"No need. You saved me from a hydra, remember?" she said with a grin, pleased with her work
Rather than a grizzled piece of oak, it was a solid piece of mithril, exactly the same length. It had leather made from some beast sinew, making a sling, and he pressed a button and the bottom half of the rod retracted revealing a sharp blade
Aslan happily swung it around, when he noticed other people staring at him. He also saw Aria looking at him from afar, before turning away when he saw her
Embarrassed, he stopped swinging it around and held it with his other staff in one hand
"As the weapon maker, can I name it?" Anvi asked
"Sure" Aslan said
"I want to name it Cursed!" she said
"Why Cursed?" Aslan asked in shock
"Because I neither believe in curses or believe it's cursed. But the smiths warned me when I made it that it's cursed. So I name it cursed so that it won't be cursed" Anvi said
"Alright then. It's cursed!" Aslan said, not really sure if her logic or humor made sense.
--
The welcoming ceremony began with Prince Galdrick, heir to the throne of Almera, welcoming the students, followed by a long speech about pride, honor and other such ramblings
Then Principal Dumbledalf was introduced, and he too gave a long speech after which, the new students were to demonstrate their magical abilities
There were 400 students in this year's intake, and it took all day as the students were divided into 4 groups of 100 and tested to stream them into classes
Their tasks was to use their magic on a stone golem and see how much damage they could do
Many of the new intake were only 12, so it wasn't very dangerous, but it separated the wheat from the chaff
The headmaster decided to evaluate the group of 100 which included Aria, Anvi and Aslan
Aria was one of to demonstrate her moves and she summoned both a stream of water and wind blades to chop the golem up.
"Good, very good. Can you show me anything else?" Dumbledalf asked as he restored the golem
Aria nodded and frowned at the golem
A vine shot up from between it's legs, impaling it in the butt, and exiting out several parts of it's body
"Great. Top class" Dunbledalf said
She walked of the demonstration stage and Aslan and Aria smiled at each other and he mouthed his congratulations
Not every student was asked to demonstrate on two golems. Only those Dumbledalf was interested in.
A few other students demonstrated their moves, but they weren't impressive and they were streamed into lower classes. A young girl even cried before she could do anything due to nerves and had to take the test later when she calmed down
Anvi's turn was next as she walked up to the ground. "I don't believe in magic, you know. I believe in science. But then again.. I can do this" she said as electricity crackled in her open hand and she fired a bolt at the golem. It shattered immediately
"Good...for one that doesn't believe in magic..." Dumbledalf said, but before he could continue, she ran at the half restoring golem and jumped high in the air. She came crashing down with her hammer, full of crackling electricity, smashing the golem to bits.
"Great. Ummm nothing else" Dumbledalf said. Anvi too was streamed into the top class and she jumped for joy winking at Aslan
A few students later, Aslan started walking onto the stage
He knew that fire magic normally struggled against earth magic, and a stone golem would be a bad match up for him
He stood there as his staff sported a glowing flame globe floating above it
Without casting, multiple fireballs shot at the golem at rapidfire rate, each fireball taking out parts of the golem until nothing was left
"Good. Without casting too. Anything else?" Dumbledalf asked as he restored the golem
Aslan nodded and slammed the end of the staff on the ground
Instantly the stone golem was lit on fire! But not only that, the stone golem started melting. Within a minute, the stone golem melted away like a large ice cube, not even leaving anything behind!
"Excellent flame control. First class" Dumbledalf said
A few students later, a young squire, dressed as if he were a squire introduced himself as Bolton, squire to Sir Galahand. His sword lit up with a glaring white light as he charged and sliced the golem in two.
"A paladin to be! Pass. Top class" Dumbledalf said
Next was a girl who introduced herself as Roselyn. She was wearing a skimpy out fit. There was nothing to show off, since she was still so young and haven't developed her feminine breasts yet, but it was clear she would grow up to be a beauty. When she attacked with her sword, it glowed like a light saber, turning bright blue as she sliced the golem like butter into half at the waist.
Before Dumbledalf could say anything, she extended her hand at the remnant legs, and it fell over, demonstrating her telekinetic ability
"Good" Dumbledalf said
On it went until the classes were streamed. All in all, the 400 students were separated to 20 classes of 20, they were all already accepted to the academy, and would be promoted and demoted according to their ranks as they progressed
They entered at 12 years old, and would leave the academy at 20. The exceptions are the long aged races, such as Aria and Anvi, who joined many years later, as their races aged differently
While the humans and their affiliated races didn' t have a draft, they still trained their young ones in the arts of magic and swordplay as they haven't officially signed a peace treaty with the Demon King, nor even a ceasefire
So they trained their children to become warriors regardless, and the Kingdom of Almera was willing to host them and train them for the future hero and companions
--
Classes felt just like school, only the subjects were different than normal classes
They learned magic theory and the many different magics available, and everyone was able to learn magics that were not even their element
Officially Aslan was a fire mage, but his racial specialties were darkness and fire. On top of that, he was quite talented at magic in general, and had much more mana than normal, thus the reason Balthazar wanted to mate his father and mother in the first place
He was especially talented in the common elements and the art of illusion, able to change the environment around him and match them with his illusions, making the whole world change according to his will, but this used plenty of mana, which he also coincidentally have
But mostly, he only demonstrated his fire skills, and kept the rest of his skills a secret
And the theory of magic helped him understand Balthazar's notes, finally comprehending the explanations that confounded him
He especially like exchanging ideas with Anvi, who was able to simplify and explain magical concepts in a more physical and practical manner
As for Aria, they meet during class everyday, pretending to only know each other as acquaintances. Aslan actually sits directly behind her in their classes. They brushed each other's hand "by accident" as they passed each other several times a day. Aria was very popular among the girls and widely liked among the boys that they never got any time alone by themselves
Aslan also meets her several nights a week in secret as he appeared in the shadows in a quiet corner without anyone else seeing him. Aria doesn't know how he does it, but whenever she is alone at night with no one around, he appears in secret. She never gets to see him, but they managed to talk this way
In this way, the years quickly passed as they lived their lives in the Academy
