I navigated my way through the halls of Prism Academy.
Having gotten myself settled and taking a much needed nap, I set out to attend the orientation. There were groves of other students making their way down the hall to the assembly.
Inside I noticed that even the school halls were impressive, tall pillars leading to the high ceiling adorned with chandeliers, a variety of paintings plastered on the wall and a wide pristine tiled floor spanned beneath my feet with every step I took.
Eventually I arrived upon the protrusion of two large doors. Two uniformed officers stood guard on either side. They were garbed in red robes, the hoods obscuring their features.
Slight murmurs could be heard coming from within the assembly hall. I stepped in and was greeted by a large room. A plethora of seats that looked like they were carved from dark oak arced down encompassing a stage.
Many of the seats were already occupied. And many students were pouring in through the door. Looking around I decided to take a seat in the third row from the bottom near the stage.
And after some time of waiting the seats soon filled in and the welcoming orientation be. The distant murmuring came to a halt as figures started to appear on stage. Seeing how I was somewhat closer to the stage than others I could get a slight glimpse at their profiles.
There were five people in total. One of them appeared older than the rest. He was clean-shaven, with streaks of white running through his otherwise gray hair. It was neatly tied, draping over one shoulder in a smooth, controlled fall.
His clothes, unlike the others, didn't follow the school's uniform. He wore a purple robe embroidered with gold accents.
And perched above his nose were a thin set of glasses. He carried himself in a poised demeanor. While in my thoughts I heard a voice.
"Good evening, and welcome."
The five of them had stopped walking and had taken position on the stage. The old man was at a podium speaking and the other four stood behind him.
His voice was deep and calm. And though not carrying any obvious hint of so it did strangely sound almost monotone.
"I am Tristian Yale, Dean of Prism's academy division. Allow me to welcome you all to Prism Academy."
Saying that he took a narrow bow and continued speaking.
"Thank you for choosing our institution to further your knowledge in the ethereal arts."
The Dean took a pause, before continuing.
"Here at Prism we pride ourselves with our archive of magical knowledge. And we hope that by studying it you can help further develop our understanding of magic"
"Know this, here at our institution you will be doing more than just learning magic. You will create it, you'll make formulas, and thesis which will eventually lead to the creation of new spells all in the hope to gain insight of magic at its source."
"Here at prism and long after, as long as you yearn it, you will be walking the path of the mage."
After a pause he continued
"Standing here with me today are your representatives."
He gestured behind him.
"They represent you, your voices, and your aspirations, and all you can achieve during your academic stay. Follow their example."
The Dean's gaze swept across the stands.
"I hope each and every one of you makes the most of your time here. Now then, Kenny, if you'll come up."
Calling the name, the Dean gave one final bow stiff but deeper than the last. At the same time from the group behind him, a figure stepped forward. The man—Kenny—nodded briefly as the Dean returned to the others on stage.
Kenny took position at the podium. And once again being closer to the stands gave me a better view of him. He looked mature—older than most students I'd seen so far.
His short cut, curly hair had a faint dirty blond hue, and his blue eyes held a cold, focused gaze. Even from where I sat, I'd guess he stood no shorter than six feet.
His frame was well-built, filling out a crisp white button-up, a black suit jacket, and matching black pants. Draped over his shoulders was a robe of deep violet.
A velvet tie rested neatly on his chest. On the side of his pants hung a piece of wood. A rather large one with a grip at one end and the other being pointed.
I've seen such tools on my travels to the Bartholomew Kingdom, a wand. Kenny stood still for a moment, then cleared his throat. His deep voice rang out with calm authority.
"Hello, students. I am Kenny Zephyr."
At the sound of that name, murmurs rippled through the crowd. Two students seated beside me whispered excitedly.
"See? I knew it. That's Kenny—heir to the House of Zephyr. This is my first time seeing him in person."
I glanced at the man now addressing us from the stage. There was indeed something imposing about him. Or rather, he carried himself with a kind of nobility I hadn't seen in other students.
The second student joined in.
"Yeah, actually I've had the honor of seeing him once before at a banquet. He's as impressive as the rumors say. In fact the Zephyrs aren't just amazing—they're one of the most influential families in the entire kingdom."
He must be a noble among nobles. Judging by how excited these guys are, they were practically fanatics. And then one of them added.
"If he's here, then that probably means some of the others are too."
Others? I wondered if anyone else on stage could match the prestige of Mr. Zephyr.
Kenny continued, "I'm here today as your student president. Along with me—"
He gestured behind him, and the three people who had arrived with him—excluding Mr. Yale—stepped forward.
"I have with me your other council members" From Kenny's right to left he introduced the people. "Deputy president Lilith Grove, disciplinary officer Sinoda Grove, and head of student affairs Akari Takezo."
I took a glance at the others beside him. From my right to left I observed them.
Lilith stood beside Kenny reaching just up to his shoulder. Her skin held a warm, copper luster, and her black hair fell in soft twists down to her shoulders.
She wore a knee-length, double-breasted burgundy dress, beneath which peeked a slightly larger, frilly black skirt. At her chest, just above the double row of buttons, sat a matching burgundy bow.
A gentle smile played on her lips. Next to her was Sinoda Grove.
His skin was a deep, burned bronze, and a sun hat obscured most of his facial features. Still, it looked like he shared a similar hairstyle to Lilith's.
He wore a starched white shirt and black pants, with suspenders stretching from his waist to his shoulders. White gloves covered both hands.
He was about the same height as Kenny and well-built, though not quite as imposing. Compared to the others, his attire felt almost casual—less formal, yet still deliberate.
Then next to him was Akari Takezo, a pretty odd-sounding name, though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. She had long, jet-black hair cascading all the way down to her waist.
She wore a simple yet striking outfit, a red blouse with yellow embroidery paired with an ankle-length white skirt—colors that seemed carefully chosen and elegant.
A delicate silver charm in the shape of a crane hung from a thin chain around her neck. She moved with quiet grace, her posture impeccable and poised.
Kenny's voice rang, turning my attention back to him.
"We are a council, responsible for managing the student body of Prism Academy. As the next head of the Zephyr family, I pride myself with this responsibility. So as representatives of your respective families. Some nobility, some from other distinguished and renowned families. I—"
Kenny paused, the air around him intensifying. Looking, I felt a slight tingle on the back of my neck.
"Encourage you to do so in a way that won't shame you yourself, your family name or your fellow students. As you are now also a part of our Academy."
"While you're here you will not only be learning magic. You will be gaining connections, political influence, and forming alliances, amongst other things."
"If you any conflicts arise that Prism deems a problem then Sir Sinoda as captain of the disciplinary officers will take action to resolve said conflict."
I shifted my gaze towards Sinoda.
And my breath hitched, though I was close I was still three levels above the stage. So I couldn't be too sure. Yet, I felt that I was being watched.
Sir Sinoda removed the hat he had been wearing allowing his locs to fall over, and was looking in my direction, seemingly at me. With his face in my line of sight I got an even better view of it.
What drew me in immediately were his eyes, which from this distance would be hard to tell, but since they were so distinct I could make the necessary observation.
They were black, an inky matt almost pitch black. Or at least a darker black than similar eye colors such as both Akari's and Sasake's. Seeing that I was now looking at him, a slight smile appeared on his lips before he returned his attention back to Kenny.
The two people sitting next to me began to whisper again.
"So that's Sinoda Grove? I've heard of him as well. Though not much. I know he was taken into the Grove family. Could he be an illegitimate child?" he questioned that, and the other guy answered.
"I don't know. What I do know is that he is lucky, being able to be next to miss Lilith all the time. She is as beautiful, no more so than the rumors say. An otherworldly beauty"
"Same goes for Miss Akari. Oh what I'd give to meet them if even just once. They truly are deserving of being in the top five."
The top five? What's that?
As if hearing my question the other guy asked.
"What's the top five?"
"The top five is a phrase coined by the students. The five most powerful and influential families in the kingdom. They all excel in their respective trades."
The other student gasps in amazement.
"Wow the four of them are that impressive huh? I'm glad I get to attend the same school as them."
There was a pause before their conversation continued. The student who had been leading the conversation replied.
"All but Sinoda, from what I hear he is more of an outsider. Although most say he is impressive and many admirers especially from ladies that pine for him. He's still not a true Grove."
"There's a rumor going around that he is not only an illegitimate child but is also aiming for Miss Lilith's position as the next head of the house of Grove. Here's another interesting rumor I've heard."
He looked around before continuing, leaning a bit closer to the other, whispering in a lower voice. So I had to concentrate to hear their conversation.
"A while back, you weren't enrolled here then so you wouldn't know but there was an incident here at Prism four years ago."
"After which he went missing. Only having recently returned. Not much is known as to why but that in of itself says something."
An incident four years ago, and top five most influential families ha, these guys sure do talk a lot. But it is nice to gain some free information. If I ever get the chance I wouldn't mind looking deeper into this.
Kenny continued to speak.
"Now then for the main event of this orientation. I have an announcement to make. Here at Prism after much deliberation we have established a system. One where your efforts will determine your success."
"In this system we will be organizing tests, competitions, exhibitions, things that will challenge your knowledge on magic, spells, runes, formulas, the very fundamentals of the arcane."
"Based on your results you will gain access to more of an abundance of materials, books, professors—this is to say, the more work you put in the more you will receive."
"If you work hard enough, you can even gain access to greater privileges so by the time you graduate you will be a competent mage who could even gain admission to the greater Prism institution with all its benefits. Of which I'm sure that will bring honor and prestige to your family."
"However, if you can't meet our set benchmark expectations, you will be—"
Kenny arched his brows and gestured with his hand.
"Let go to pursue better paths more befitting of you."
"Now then, as this is something relatively new and revised from our past administration, I'm sure many of you have questions."
"Any and all questions that follow should, as the proposer and main contributor of this new system, be directed towards Miss Akari."
Miss Akari stepped up and gave a curtsy bow with her dress and smiled.
"Provide a formal request to the council with any concerns or questions. Attendants will be there to help on my behalf."
She gave a look to Kenny before continuing.
"Now then once again, welcome to Prism Academy. Here you can do something great. I hope you all accomplish wonderful things."
"Today is the first day for many of you. So get your bearings together so you're able to fully focus on your studies. This concludes the orientation."
The orientation came to an end and the student representatives took an exit off stage. With their departure entered the distant murmurs that disappeared when it first began.
Students began to get up from their seats as they excitedly discussed the contents of the information we had received. I too found myself reflecting on the info given. Of course to none other than myself as I didn't have any friends to share my thoughts with.
"The path of a mage huh?"
I'm not quite moved by such a sentiment. Before attending Prism I've had no direct contact with magic or mystical powers. Even at the inn back home there were hardly any mages and sparingly were there folks who could use magic.
So it seems foreign to me. I'd be content with just learning one or two useful magic. However I do hope like she said that I can make the most out of my stay.