The morning sun bathed the Academy in its usual golden glow, casting long shadows across dew-kissed windows. It was peaceful. Serene. Birds often sang in the early hours, a welcome alarm to the students below.
But today, there were no birds.
Only screaming.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The sharp cry cut through the calm like a flaming sword through butter. Inside the Academy infirmary, Rai shot upright in bed, eyes wild and frantic—like a man who had just remembered he left the oven on, during a house fire, while juggling dynamite.
His hair exploded in every direction, somehow defying gravity, common sense, and several international hair laws. His blanket twisted around his legs like a hungry serpent, and sweat painted his face as if he'd just run a marathon in the sun wearing ten cloaks and a wool scarf.
He leapt off the bed—well, attempted to. The blanket still had a death grip on his legs, resulting in a glorious face-first dive into the floor. Unfazed, he scrambled up and began tearing through the room like a mother who'd misplaced her child in a meat market.
Drawers flung open. Cabinets were emptied. Pillows were interrogated. His eyes darted in every direction with the desperate intensity of a man hunting treasure... or possibly hallucinating.
That's when Chimalma entered.
Normally calm as a still lake, froze at the sight. Her eyes widened as she scanned the battlefield formerly known as the infirmary.
"Rai?" she called carefully.
He didn't stop. He dove under a table, checked behind a potted plant, and peeked inside a teacup.
"Rai, what is the matter?" she asked again, stepping over an overturned tray of bandages.
Still in full-blown frenzy, Rai tried to sprint past her—only to be caught mid-air. His legs kept scurrying uselessly like a cartoon character suspended by invisible strings. Chimalma had lifted him effortlessly using magic, holding him several feet above the ground like a flailing piñata.
"Calm down, boy." Her voice was firm but patient. "What in the world is going on?"
Rai stopped moving.
His eyes—still wide—locked with hers.
The air turned still. Chimalma instinctively straightened, feeling a sudden, inexplicable tension. Was this… serious? She could feel the weight of the moment. Rai's expression was sharper than ever, as if the entire universe depended on what he was about to say.
And then, he spoke:
"Where. Is. The meat?"
Chimalma blinked. "…The what?"
"The meat." Rai's voice trembled. He placed a hand over his forehead, eyes filled with unspeakable sorrow. "It's gone. All of it. I—I had a dream. A horrible one. Someone stole all the meat in the world, Chimalma. And now I… I have to find them."
He began thrashing again, trying to break free of her magical grip like a heroic warrior resisting destiny itself.
"Let me go! Every second we waste, the meat gets farther away!"
Chimalma stared at Rai, her expression frozen somewhere between disbelief and existential crisis. In the back of her mind, a question echoed louder than his screams:
Why... why is this my life?
She sighed, eyes darting around the room. "Where's Gale?" she muttered.
But the boy was nowhere in sight.
A cold shiver crawled down her spine.
Her eyes slowly shifted toward Rai—who was still dangling mid-air in a wild flailing fit of meat-based paranoia. A horrible thought struck her.
"Don't tell me… he ate him." Her pupils shrank. "Thinking he was meat—!"
Her grip on Rai slipped.
"FREEDOM!" Rai shrieked like a wild beast escaping its cage.
He bolted toward the infirmary doors, arms pumping, legs windmilling—except he was still wrapped in a blanket cape, giving him the appearance of a sleep-deprived superhero on a mission of utmost stupidity.
Just as he reached the doorway, a frigid gust of wind blasted through the hallway. It swept through the infirmary like a ghost from the arctic, freezing everything in its path.
Rai was caught mid-stride, frozen solid in a classic cartoon sprint pose—one arm out, one leg up, his face twisted in dramatic determination.
Only his eyes could move.
And they were darting around rapidly in silent panic.
Meanwhile, Chimalma was on the hunt.
"Gale! Where are you, boy?" she called, flipping blankets, peeking behind the medicine cupboard, even glancing up at the ceiling as if expecting him to be glued there.
Then—creeeaaak.
A door creaked open.
She turned sharply toward the lavatory.
From behind the slowly swinging door emerged a figure pale as snow and trembling like a leaf in a storm. It was Gale, his hands gripping the edge of the door for dear life.
"Gale!" Chimalma rushed over. "What in the world happened to you?"
The boy's eyes were wide with trauma. His teeth chattered.
"H-He… he said he was coming for my meat…"
Chimalma blinked. "…What?"
"I didn't know what to do! I panicked! He just—he kept saying it, louder and louder—'I'm coming for the meat'—and I thought, why me?! I'm not even that tasty! What does he mean by meat?! If he caught me, would I survive?! Would I ever walk again?! That man—he's a menace! A walking fever dream! I'm begging you, lock him up. Don't let him near society. Don't even let him near other food!"
He was babbling nonstop, sweat cascading down his face like a waterfall. His voice trembled with sheer horror, and he wouldn't stop talking—each word more unhinged than the last.
Chimalma pulled him into a tight hug. "Shhh. It's alright, my boy. It's over now. It's done."
And just like that—
Silence.
She blinked. Slowly leaned back.
Gale had gone completely limp in her arms. Not unconscious. Not dead.
Asleep.
Snoring softly, curled up in her embrace like a baby that had just survived a meat-fueled apocalypse.
Kormus, who had just stepped in freezing Rai, stood at the door slack-jawed. Shelly, arriving seconds later, stopped in her tracks and blinked several times as she took in the sight.
All three stood in silence—Chimalma, Kormus, and Shelly—staring at Gale, now fast asleep in Chimalma's arms, his face peaceful as if the world hadn't just crumbled beneath him five minutes ago.
Then, from the corner of the room…
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
Rai was still frozen mid-run, his cartoonishly rigid body stuck in place, but his eyes—oh, his eyes—were darting like trapped birds, scanning every corner like a predator sniffing for one thing and one thing only:
Meat.
Kormus rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'll take this bumbling idiot to the cafeteria," he muttered.
With one hand, he grabbed Rai—still frozen solid like a popsicle mid-marathon—and hoisted him over his shoulder. Cracks began to form in the ice around Rai's upper body as Kormus turned toward the door.
And then it happened.
Crack!
The ice around Rai's head finally shattered. Steam exploded from his mouth like he was breathing pure fire. He twisted toward Gale with a wild, crazed look.
"GALE!" he roared. "LET'S GO EAT SOME MEAT!"
The effect was instant.
Gale's eyes snapped open.
A shadow fell across his face.
His pupils dilated. His skin flushed. Steam burst from his nostrils like a war beast awakening from slumber.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then—
"MEAAAAAAAAT!!"
He roared like a primal beast and launched himself forward. In one fluid motion, he yanked Rai out of Kormus's grip, hoisted him like a sack of holy treasure, and bolted.
The two tore down the hallway with supernatural speed, a blur of chaos and carnivorous intent, leaving only afterimages and a faint trail of steam behind them.
The three left behind—Chimalma, Kormus, and a half-awake Shelly with bed hair and a blanket still wrapped around her—stood frozen.
Their expressions were blank. Their souls were clearly elsewhere.
Kormus blinked.
Chimalma blinked.
Shelly yawned.
No one said a word.
Shelly silently turned and walked away.
"I'm going back to bed and hope to never wake up," she muttered.
Left behind, Kormus and Chimalma just stood there—both deep in quiet contemplation, questioning every life decision that had led to this exact moment in time.
Meanwhile, in the cafeteria…
Two beasts—no, forces of nature—were wreaking havoc.
Rai and Gale were devouring meat like ravenous animals, plates piled high around them, bones flying, sauce-stained faces wild with primal joy. The entire cafeteria was paralyzed. Students from all five years watched in horror, awe, and quiet existential dread.
Silence reigned… except for the sound of meat being destroyed.
Elsewhere in the dorms, Harchell, Rose, and Baruss were still fast asleep. The night before had run late, but the rising commotion stirred them awake.
Harchell leapt out of bed with dreamy sparkles practically glittering around her. She ran like a magical princess toward the cafeteria, her heart fluttering with anticipation to see her beloved Rai—
—only to freeze in place.
Statue.
Petrified.
Emotionally annihilated.
There he was. Her prince charming.
Shoveling meat into his mouth like a goblin who had just escaped a 12-year famine.
Her sparkle shattered.
Rose and Mammoth trailed in behind her, both stopping at the entrance. Their eyes widened.
Rose blinked slowly. Mammoth looked genuinely worried.
Baruss, however, was slack-jawed for just a moment before making his decision.
He couldn't let this happen.
"If I don't act now… I'll never get any meat."
With zero hesitation, Baruss launched himself forward like a majestic dolphin, diving straight into the fray. He collided with Gale and Rai, and suddenly the entire scene turned into an all-out, barbaric brawl over meat.
Plates flew.
Roars echoed.
Someone was growling like a bear.
Rose slapped her palm to her forehead.
"I'm surrounded by a bunch of meatheads…" she muttered.
Harchell was still frozen, sparkles long gone, her soul clearly having left her body.
Mammoth just let out a long, weary sigh. Then, like a noble warrior, he walked toward the counter, hoping for even a scrap of food.
But all that remained…
White carrots.
A sad mountain of untouched vegetables.
This was not enough for a man of Mammoth's size. Not even close.
And so, with a deep breath—and the tragic resolve of a soldier charging into battle—Mammoth turned, cracked his neck, and dove headfirst into the chaos. His deep voice roared across the room:
"THAT MEAT IS MINE!!"
Another body entered the fray.
The carnage escalated.
The cafeteria had officially become a warzone.
After the dust (and bones) had settled from the breakfast battle, the students were herded back into the grand hall—the same one where all the madness had first started the day before.
Everything was set back into place.
Pragaya and Kormus stood atop the central podium once more. Kormus watched the crowd silently, his arms folded, stoic as ever. Pragaya, noble and poised, stepped forward to speak.
His voice, smooth and commanding, carried across the hall:
"Good morning, young ones."
He paused, eyes calmly sweeping across the rows of students.
"I know your first day was not what you imagined it to be. But it was a good experience—one that showed you, firsthand, what you may face in the real world."
A beat of silence followed.
In the crowd, Rai sat completely zoned out, swaying slightly with a satisfied grin and one last piece of meat still clutched in his hand.
Pragaya's lips curled into a small, amused smile.
Despite everything… the boy's spirit was unshaken.
Beside Rai, Gale, Baruss, and Rose were attempting to restrain him like secret agents trying to keep a wild animal under control—but with absolutely no success. Rai kept fidgeting, humming to himself, and at one point tried to bite the air in a leftover meat dream.
Pragaya looked away before anyone noticed the corners of his mouth twitching.
He cleared his throat and continued.
"So do not half-ass your way through your first five years at this Academy."
"What you learn now in the first five years… will shape your next five years. That is your probation—your trial by fire."
"Only through it will you prove yourselves worthy of the title of Magian."
"now let your real first days of the academy begin, good luck".
As Pragaya finished his speech, he raised his hand and gestured for the prefects to step forward. With practiced efficiency, they moved through the crowd, organizing the students and guiding them to their designated classes.
The hall slowly emptied as students filtered out, their chatter buzzing through the corridors like a soft current of anticipation.
Among them were Rai, Gale, Baruss, and Rose—heading with the rest of the elite group toward the Level 5 classroom.
Pragaya stood silently at the podium, his gaze following Rai's carefree, almost bouncing walk. Despite everything—despite the battle they had witnessed, the power Rai had unleashed in that moment of chaos—one thing hadn't changed:
The disdain.
The upper-ranked students still looked at Rai with reluctant eyes, some scoffing, others outright ignoring him. As if his place among them was a mistake. A fluke.
Pragaya exhaled softly.
"Even after all that..." he thought.
But there was one relief—no one suspected the truth. No whispers of "mutation" had surfaced. That was key. After all, a mutation would mean signs—eye changes, magical residue. Rai, for now, was safe under the illusion of his normalcy.
With a last glance at the dispersing students, Pragaya turned and headed for his quarters, his robes flowing behind him.
Meanwhile, over in the Level 5 class corridor...
Kromus stood alone in front of the classroom door, arms crossed and expression deadpan.
He knew what today meant.
New term. New schedule. New headaches.
And one particularly loud, meat-obsessed, chaos-spawning headache named Rai.
The door creaked open behind him as he muttered under his breath:
"Of all the brats in this academy…"
He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"…why did I get this buffoon?"