The next day arrived soon enough as the light of dawn pierced through the darkness of the night, ushering in a new morning. A chilly breeze swept across the campus amid an atmosphere that was electric with excitement and anticipation. The student's body, now having fully returned to the magicademy along with a new batch of students who were nervous for their first day at the esteemed Elendir Institute of Magic.
The magicademy had undergone several changes since last year. There were plenty of signs that were placed around the entire campus with instructions and rules, adding a mildly suffocating air of restriction in the otherwise perfect and extravagant magicademy.
This was, of course, to cater to the students from the slums who were in an alien environment that they did not understand by any means at all.
Words couldn't capture the sheer difference in the environments between the slums and the magicademy.
It was the difference between order and chaos.
Thinly veiled anarchy and absolute enforcement of rules.
Filthy dirt and pristine cleanliness.
The students of the slums may as well have been taken to another planet.
Another world.
However, that wasn't the only change.
Another change was in the atmosphere at the Elendir Institute of Magic.
It had been the center of controversy compared to its sister branches, all of which had stayed relatively calm and stable, compared to the Elendir Institute of Magic, which had undergone multiple controversies related to the slum talent acquisition program.
The announcement of the program in the previous academic year was in and of itself a controversy, but the legal battles that ensued, as well as the shocking event of the attack on the student task force, had truly increased its presence.
Not in a good way, of course.
It created a nervous tension.
One of uncertainty.
Controversies represented instability.
And instability brought about uncertainty.
This made some students a little apprehensive about the branch, even though it was hardly enough to erode trust in the magicademy. The student council, just like last year, had gone out of its way to set up an especially intense and shocking show in the magic aptitude test to welcome the toppers to its city.
"Fu…" Cæ heaved a sigh as he maintained his calm, refusing to let himself get affected by the jubilant atmosphere.
He tightened his tie before buttoning on his vest and wearing a luxurious suit custom-tailored to his body. It was of a light gray color, matching his right eye, and was lighter than the darker gray of the Apprentice Program uniform.
The three-piece suit was more formal and fancy than virtually anything else he had ever worn in his entire life.
And yet, it was simply par for the course for the Elendir Institute of Magic.
He quickly donned his student council badge before grabbing his bag and heading out the door.
CLACK
His opening the door drew attention from the crowds of people around the hallway, who immediately stole a glance at him. They were noticeably older than the students of the apprentice program, who still retained much of their immaturity, both physically and temperamentally.
While the air still crackled with an excited energy, it didn't have the same kind of nervous energy that the apprentice students had when on the first day of magicademy.
CLACK
He locked the door behind him, only to find a small group of two senior students approaching him with a pleasant smile.
"Hi! It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," a young lady who couldn't possibly be more than twenty-three years old approached him with a nonchalant tone. "I am Nermel Hormir, and this is my younger brother."
She gestured to a young man who regarded him with a slight upward nod. "Ozmen."
They were slightly shorter than he at about five-foot-eight and eleven respectively, with matching green eyes and dark hair. Nermel seemed far more eager to meet and speak with him than Ozmen, who, while not rude, was clearly not particularly ecstatic at having been dragged by his sister.
"Cæ. It's nice to meet you, too." Cæ's tone was calm and only ever so slightly friendly, if only to avoid people from getting the impression that he didn't like them, or anything of the sort.
"We know who you are," she smiled with a tinge of excitement. "I just wanted to say hi and introduce ourselves to you. We are a big fan of the work that you have done with the slum talent acquisition program. It is truly brilliant. Our father works in the government, you see, and he told me that he was truly impressed with your accomplishments as the director of the task force."
"Thanks for the kind words," Cæ replied with a more friendly tone. "I simply did the best that I could. What part of the government does your father work in?"
"Ah, he leads the Ministry of Domestic Affairs, and he was telling us—"
"Sorry for cutting you off," Cæ interjected with slightly furrowed eyebrows. "Did you say he leads the Ministry? As in…"
"As in he's the Minister of Domestic Affairs," Ozmen remarked with a huff.
"…I see."
As if to remind just what kind of backgrounds half the students in the Elendir Institute of Magic had.
He was hardly surprised that he was speaking with the children of a political bigshot in Elendir, in that regard. Powerful people could get their hands on powerful and equally scarce and pricey resources that could cultivate magic aptitude in their offspring and in themselves if they so desired.
Of course, these two didn't have the bearing and the conduct of old money, that Cæ had learned to discern in their behavior. They were more nonchalant and relaxed than students from an affluent family would be, especially with him.
The old rich lineages and powerful bloodlines clearly trained their descendants on proper conduct and how they ought to have conducted themselves in public. In contrast, families that had gained wealth relatively recently didn't have long-entrenched family traditions.
"So anyways, my father said that he would love to meet with and speak with you if he had the chance," she smiled at him. "Would you be interested in joining our family for a dinner one of these days?"
She gazed at him expectantly, as if she expected him to agree right then and there.
Cæ was a little belabored to believe that the minister of the government sought the opportunity to speak with him. He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow as she strutted along with him through the corridors of the senior dormitory, maneuvering through the crowds of senior students in the dormitory.
He was keenly cognizant of the fact that he had a lot of eyes on him from the students.
Thankfully, the senior students were more mature than the kids over at the Apprentice Program in that nobody tried to attack him with words or magic, even if there naturally were groups of people who didn't like him.
"I would be honored to meet with the current Minister of Domestic Affairs," Cæ remarked with a calm tone, with an amicable gaze towards Nermel. "I look forward to it."
"Great, I'll get back to you on that later. For now, welcome to the Senior Program, hope to see you around more often around these parts."
And just like that, she left him to his own devices as sister and brother went about their own matters as everybody left the dormitory, heading towards the general hall where the Opening Ceremony was to be held.
The fresh light of the morning Sun illuminated the expansive campus of the magicademy, creating a refreshing atmosphere.
The energy in the atmosphere grew more pumped with anticipation as they arrived at the gigantic general hall meant to accommodate each and every single student of the entire magicademy. The increasing volume and density of students of all years across both programs that poured into the general hall only added to the gravitas of the event.
A large banner announcing the event hung above the podium of the hall, announcing the event to all those who entered it.
[Opening Ceremony 1047-48]
The senior and apprentice students bifurcated into two different sections across the entire hall, taking their seats. Cæ didn't bother trying to find his old friends among the student body; he would eventually get the opportunity to say hi to them later on.
A wave of murmurs washed over the crowds of students who diligently took their seats while several apprentice mages were situated across the entire hall. The staff of the Elendir Institute of Magic urged students to remain quiet.
And soon enough, the opening ceremony commenced.
STEP
STEP
STEP
…
The measured and powerful gait of Headmistress Lenolia drew the attention of the students, causing the murmuring noise in the air to plummet.
Her heavy presence commanded attention.
Whether it was the black magic cloak brimming with great magic power and the many encrypted runes and magic circles that checkered the entirety of the magiconductive substance it was handwoven from. Her short, purple hair was neatly combed beneath the pointy witch's hat that sat atop her head
Her elder purple eyes seemed to brim with the wisdom of age and the power of a master mage.
It inspired great awe among the students as they recalled the most recent events.
Regardless of the negative impact on the reputation of the Elendir Institute of Magic that the recent event had harbored, the fact of the matter was that Headmistress Lenolia confronted a master assassin, Master Mordir, and emerged victorious in the battle to protect her people.
That was impressive and spoke volumes about her personal magic ability and her power as a master mage.
Thus, while the Colohen Branch suffered a slight damage to its reputation, the Headmistress' personal reputation had grown stronger.
"Students of the Elendir Institute of Magic," she began with a modulated tone. "Welcome to the opening ceremony of this academic year. I am pleased and delighted to welcome all of you to yet another year in your journey through the abyss of magic. As always, we at the Elendir Institute of Magic remain committed to ensuring that your time in this illustrious institution will be fruitful and invaluable to ensuring that you become great mages of great repute…"
She continued on about a fairly standard formal speech comprising welcoming, encouragement, and celebration. While the students would have loved a more informal and interesting speech, he didn't necessarily fault the Headmistress for going with something standard and regular.
"…However, this year," her tone shifted into something that seemed less rehearsed, "…will be special. For one, we have the much-awaited magic festival and the Magic Contest that comes with it. A nationwide interschool contest that features not just the Elendir Institute of Magic, but also some of the other most reputable magicademies in the entire nation competing in a variety of magical competitions. This is a great opportunity that comes only once every three years, giving all students the opportunity to display their skill and power before the entire nation…"
Cæ stirred at those words with some thought.
He wasn't particularly the most excited for this particular event, but judging from the wave of electric enthusiasm, it certainly was something that all the other students were hyped about.
"…I can't wait for it!"
"…I'm definitely going to try to get into the main team!"
"I hope I get to at least get into the reserves…!"
The murmurs and whispers intensified as students began discussing the event, which was still some ways away and very much towards the end of the academic year.
"Silence."
Headmistress Lenolia's powerful voice commanded attention and adherence.
She directed a sweeping gaze across all of them.
"We have but one goal this year regarding the Elendir Magic Contest."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Absolute victory."