"Alright, orientation program time," Agni muttered as he walked alongside Lyralei through the Academy's marble corridors.
Other students streamed past them in both directions, all heading toward the Grand Assembly Hall where the orientation would take place. The building was impressive—high vaulted ceilings decorated with enchanted murals that seemed to move when you weren't looking directly at them, and windows that let in perfectly filtered sunlight.
"You know," Agni said conversationally, "they could've just given us a pamphlet with all this information instead of making us sit through individual lectures."
Lyralei gave him a skeptical look. "And if they had given you a pamphlet, would you have actually read it?"
Agni shook his head without hesitation. "Nope. But it would've saved me some sleep time. I'd much rather be in my room right now than listening to old people lecture us about passion and tradition and whatever else they think we need to hear."
"You're impossible," Lyralei sighed, but there was no real heat in her voice. She was starting to realize that Agni's laziness was less a character flaw and more a fundamental aspect of his personality—like trying to change the color of the sky.
That's when a figure stepped directly into their path, blocking the corridor ahead.
She was a young woman wearing the Academy uniform, but hers was tailored with distinctive red accents that immediately marked her as nobility. Her white hair was tied back in an elegant bun, and when she turned to face them fully, Agni's eyes widened slightly.
"Whoa. Heterochromia."
One eye was brilliant blue, like a clear summer sky. The other was deep crimson red, like smoldering embers. The contrast was striking against her pale skin and white hair.
Her face remained perfectly blank and neutral as she bowed respectfully. "Prince Agni. It's an honor to meet you."
Agni looked confused, clearly not recognizing her. "Uh... hello?"
"Allow me to introduce myself," she continued in the same formal tone. "I am Ignatia Vermillion, sole heir of House Vermillion."
Lyralei's expression shifted slightly, though she remained silent. House Vermillion was one of the twelve ducal houses—the fire magic specialists who guarded the southern frontier. And more importantly, they were one of the ambitious houses that occasionally challenged House Valen's supremacy.
"Yeah, sure," Agni said with a casual nod, still not quite understanding why this was important.
Ignatia gestured toward the Grand Assembly Hall entrance ahead. "I've reserved prime seating near the front and center for the heirs of the great houses. Please, follow me. It would be most appropriate for someone of your status."
Lyralei's eyes narrowed slightly, and she spoke with a playfully dangerous tone. "My, my. Isn't this quite forward of you, Lady Ignatia? Aren't you being a bit too full of yourself, deciding where the prince should sit?"
Ignatia halted mid-step and turned back to face them. For a moment, her blank expression cracked slightly—a flash of annoyance crossing her features before she smoothed it away.
"My apologies, Lady Lyralei," she said with another respectful bow. "I meant no offense. Of course, you're also welcome to join us in—"
"Nah."
Both women stopped and stared at Agni, who had already started walking past them toward a completely different section of the hall.
"I'm tired," he said matter-of-factly. "Sitting up front means more attention and more people trying to talk to me. I'll take one of those back corner seats where I can actually relax."
He made his way toward the bottom center of the orientation hall—one of the least prestigious seating sections, where commoner students and those with no notable family connections usually sat.
Ignatia looked genuinely shocked. "But... Prince Agni, the other heirs are all seated together in the front. It's tradition for nobility to—"
"Sure, sure. Greet them for me," Agni called back over his shoulder with a lazy wave. "I can meet them later. Don't bother me right now."
He plopped down in a seat near the back, immediately slouching into a comfortable position with his eyes already half-closed.
Ignatia stood frozen for a moment, clearly processing what had just happened. Then she turned to Lyralei with barely concealed hostility.
"Why are you hovering around him?" she asked bluntly, her formal politeness cracking. "Is it true? The rumors about you getting married to... to him?"
Her face was visibly twisted with anger and perhaps something else—jealousy, maybe, or wounded pride.
Lyralei smiled pleasantly, though her eyes held no warmth. "Come now, don't act so surprised. Wasn't it obvious this would happen eventually?"
She paused, and her grin widened as she looked Ignatia up and down with deliberate slowness. "Look at yourself, Lady Ignatia. Think a little. How could you even imagine that we stand on similar footing?"
The words were delivered with surgical precision, designed to cut deep. Ignatia's heterochromatic eyes widened, and her jaw clenched tight.
Lyralei didn't wait for a response. She turned gracefully and followed Agni toward the back section of the hall, leaving the House Vermillion heir standing alone in the corridor.
The moment Agni sat down in the least prestigious section, the atmosphere changed noticeably.
Students who had been moving toward those seats suddenly found reasons to sit elsewhere. Conversations dropped to whispers. People glanced nervously in his direction, then quickly looked away when they thought he might notice.
"Peace at last," Agni sighed contentedly, stretching his legs out.
Then the temperature seemed to drop another ten degrees as Lyralei sat down beside him.
Now nobody dared to take any of the surrounding seats. A buffer zone formed naturally around them—empty chairs in every direction, as if the other students were afraid that getting too close to either a prince or the Grand Duke's daughter might somehow be dangerous.
Honestly, it's so annoying dealing with the likes of Ignatia, Lyralei thought, her smile never wavering. Like a thorn in my foot that I can't crush because of who she belongs to, and can't ignore either because she keeps pushing...
But she had to admit, there was something deeply satisfying about seeing that blank mask crack and the fury in those mismatched eyes.
A genuine smile—small and real—crossed her lips for just a moment.
Then she heard it.
Lyralei's sharp hearing picked up fragments of conversation from nearby groups, and her expression darkened.
"Did you see how Prince Agni arrived yesterday? Completely filthy..."
"I heard he actually smelled like he'd been sleeping in the woods for days."
"Compared to Hero Draekon's entrance, it was just embarrassing..."
Lyralei's expression turned sharp, her eyes snapping toward the source of the gossip with a look that could cut steel. The students immediately shut up, suddenly very interested in the empty stage.
She felt a vein throb in her temple. If I keep living with this idiot, people are going to start looking down on me too.
Her imagination ran wild for a moment—a horrible vision of herself in ragged clothes, with wild blown-out hair and a stinking body, being mocked by lesser nobles while Agni slept obliviously beside her.
A shiver ran down her spine.
"No. Never," she muttered to herself, shaking her head vigorously to dispel the nightmare scenario. "I'm better than that. I won't let his dullness drag me down."
To calm herself, she pulled out a small decorative box from her uniform pocket and extracted one of her handmade Chocolate Spheres—perfectly round balls of rich dark chocolate with a subtle hint of cinnamon and honey. She popped one in her mouth and chewed slowly, letting the sweetness restore her mood.
That's when she felt Agni's hand suddenly grab hers.
Lyralei's eyes went wide, her heart skipping a beat. Wait, what? He wants to hold hands now? In public?
She looked down at their connected hands, then up at his face, completely flustered.
Agni looked back at her with genuine confusion. "I meant the chocolate."
"...What?"
"Can I have one?" He gestured at the box still in her other hand.
The moment of realization hit her like a brick. He hadn't been trying to hold her hand romantically—he'd just been reaching for the chocolate box and accidentally grabbed her hand instead.
Wordlessly, she handed him the entire box, her face burning with embarrassment and anger.
His face is so punchable right now, she thought darkly as Agni happily munched on three chocolate balls at once.
Before she could say anything, Professor Marcus Thornfield stepped onto the stage at the front of the Grand Assembly Hall.
The orientation program was being coordinated by senior faculty members, and as Professor Marcus took the enchanted microphone, the ambient noise in the hall gradually faded to silence. His voice, amplified by the Acoustic Enhancement Crystal embedded in the podium, carried clearly to every corner of the massive room.
"Welcome, young mages and martial artists," he began with practiced authority. "Welcome to all who represent the countless spectrum of talents gathered here today."
His gaze swept across the assembled students—humans, elves, dwarves, beastkin, and others all seated together.
"Aethermoor Academy has always been a union for all races and walks of life to thrive, innovate, and learn together. Here, there are no enemies—only rivals who sharpen each other like blades against whetstones. This institution has stood as a center of knowledge and power for three thousand and ninety-eight years, because of the values it represents."
He paused for effect, letting that impressive number sink in.
"From these very halls, we have raised heroes who successfully defended our world against ten separate Demon King invasions. Ten times, when darkness threatened to consume everything, graduates of this Academy stood as humanity's shield..."
As the speech continued with predictable inspirational rhetoric, Lyralei focused intently. Something about the situation bothered her.
"The Principal usually gives the opening speech," she murmured quietly. "It seems the senior faculty are handling orientation this time instead."
Agni hummed in acknowledgment, already slouching deeper into his seat. A huge yawn escaped him.
"Who cares? It's gonna be the same boasting about how great the Academy is anyway." He smacked his lips appreciatively. "But seriously, those chocolate balls were really sweet. Where do you get them?"
"I made them myself," Lyralei said with obvious pride, then immediately hissed in anger. "Of course they were tasty—I made them! And her mind raced, they would have tasted even better if you'd eaten them slowly instead of chewing them like potato chips! You're supposed to let them melt on your tongue, you barbarian!"
She took a deep breath and forced her expression back to a pleasant smile, though her eye twitched slightly. "Anyway, bastard, the Principal giving the speech is traditional. We would have gotten to hear different stories—personal accounts from the hero himself."
"Bastard?" Agni blinked. "Why are you calling me—"
Lyralei quickly changed the topic before he could pursue that line of questioning. "You see, the Principal was a hero from the previous Demon King invasion. Just like Draekon is the Hero of this era, Principal Aurelius Voidbreaker was the Hero of his time."
That caught Agni's attention slightly. "Oh yeah? What's so special about him?"
"What's special?" Lyralei looked at him like he'd just asked why water was wet. "He was unparalleled. He actually studied at this very Academy as a student, graduated at the top of his class, and then went on to defeat the Demon King practically single-handedly. His talent was flawless, his strength was beyond measure, and his achievements are still taught in history classes across every kingdom."
She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a more reverent tone. "He's called the strongest hero of all time. Even after three hundred years, no one has surpassed his records."
"Really? The strongest?" Agni sounded skeptical.
"Really!" Lyralei insisted. "There are stories about him dueling entire armies and winning. About casting spells that reshaped landscapes. About—"
"Strongest, huh," Agni interrupted thoughtfully. Then his expression shifted back to confusion. "Hey, what did you mean by calling me 'bastard' earlier anyway?"
Lyralei mentally cursed his occasional moments of actual attention. "Forget that. The point is, the Principal normally gives the orientation speech because it's inspiring to hear from a living legend. But he's away right now, it seems."
She sighed. "It's a shame. New students usually get to at least see him on their first day."
Agni hummed noncommittally. "Must be an amazing academy then, if it's got someone like that running it."
"Of course it is!" Lyralei scoffed. "That's why it stands alone as neutral ground. The Academy doesn't lean on other powers or take sides in political conflicts. Earlier in its history, it used to be shaky during political storms—different kingdoms would try to influence or control it. But from Principal Aurelius's era onward, it's remained completely independent."
She gestured vaguely at the assembled students around them. "Even during turbulent times like these, with tensions rising between kingdoms, this place remains untouched. That's how strong the Principal's reputation is.
"You're exaggerating," Agni said flatly. "Nobody's that strong."
"I'm not!" Lyralei protested. "You should see it yourself when you meet him. He's the only living person who can wield pure Light Magic—not holy magic like priests use, but the original, purest form. He even surpassed the first hero who fought during the Age of Gods."
Another massive yawn interrupted her explanation. Agni's eyes were drooping closed.
"Those chocolate things got me drowsy," he mumbled.
Then, to Lyralei's absolute horror, he actually fell asleep. Right there. In the middle of orientation. While Professor Marcus was still delivering his speech on stage.
Her eyes went wide as saucers. She reached over and pinched his cheek hard, trying to wake him. "Get up, you idiot! You can't sleep through orientation!"
But Agni had already entered deep sleep mode, completely dead to the world.
Around them, other students were starting to notice. Whispers began spreading through the back section of the hall.
"Is Prince Agni... sleeping?"
"During orientation? That's incredibly disrespectful!"
"Well, what did you expect from someone who showed up looking like a vagrant?"
Lyralei felt her face burning with secondhand embarrassment as she continued trying—and failing—to wake the unconscious prince beside her.
Lyralei pinched harder. "Agni. Agni! This is embarrassing! People are watching!"
Professor Marcus's voice continued to boom through the Acoustic Enhancement Crystal, completely unaware that one of the most important students in the entire Academy had just checked out of consciousness in the middle of his carefully prepared speech.
Lyralei sat back with a long-suffering sigh, releasing Agni's reddened cheek.
"I'm going to kill him," she muttered under her breath. "I'm genuinely going to kill him before this week is over."
But despite her words, she shifted slightly to block him from the view of the nearby students, giving him at least some cover from the gossip that would inevitably spread.
Why am I even bothering? she thought tiredly. He's making everything so much harder than it needs to be.
On stage, Professor Marcus had moved on to discussing the Academy's core curriculum and the upcoming Class Selection Exam that would determine each student's initial placement.
Lyralei forced herself to pay attention, taking mental notes on everything important.
Someone had to, after all.
And the sleeping prince beside her clearly wasn't going to be that someone.