Hundreds of people gather now right in the center of Dragons' Gate village, many plebeians but mostly young Nobles and their families, all seeking the same thing: a golden ticket into the Royal Academy of Dragon Riders.
In front of two arenas, there's a large line that splits into two each, and near the beginning, are some of the most influential nobles with the highest potential, waiting for their moment to shine in the combat tests. And while they wait, they talk excitedly, analyzing each other.
Even among nobility, there are the Elite that stand out above the rest, nobles with older and therefore more powerful bloodlines. In one part of the line is a group of several young people, boys and girls, who seem to have made friends and are now commenting on many other nobles around.
"Look at those tacky ones in matching green outfits…" A girl with a nice appearance points at a couple wearing matching clothes, and her friends start laughing, but a young man watches the peculiar pair with a curious expression. "The Everens. I suggest not messing with them; I heard they specialize in undetectable poisons."
"Huh!" The mean girl makes a disgusted face and finds more people to point her finger at. "What about those guys with feathered hats? Don't tell me they own a chicken farm or something?"
The young man analyzes a group of four people in luxurious clothes full of bluish feathers. "Wingravers. They train killer birds in the hills south of Rocky Beach, but you shouldn't mess with them either, not because of the birds but because their family is filthy rich."
"Damn! You know everyone here?" The mean girl frowns at the young man. But then she sees a group of boys and girls in luxurious black and gold clothes staring at them from the other line. "Those ones I know…"
"The Dalemmar." The boy comments in a low tone, avoiding eye contact with the group. "Don't stare at them, please." He warns his own group. "I heard the Dalemmar family is one of the five noble houses responsible for the most 'accidental' student deaths inside the Academy."
"Accidental?" Another guy in the group asks in a scared tone. "Aren't people expelled for things like that?" The man asks, and the smart young man shrugs. "Some were, but most have powerful allies in the Four Kingdoms, people who can ensure they don't get punished."
Everyone in the group of gossiping youths make similar expressions, but a beautiful woman next to the mean girl whispers something else. "I heard that this year the younger generation of the Dalemmar is full of promising members."
"Of course," The smart guy says sarcastically while he glances quickly at the group in black. "Look at them, some have more beard than my father. Many are much over eighteen; they wait for the younger members to reach enrollment age so they can come in larger groups and help each other inside the Academy."
"What a despicable tactic!" Another group member comments, and the smart young man signals for him to speak more quietly. "Shh! Don't let anyone hear you say that. As long as the person is between eighteen and twenty-five years old, nothing stops them from enrolling as a freshman along with everyone else."
The group goes oddly quiet, then the mean girl starts looking around, and the smart guy quickly throws her a displeased look. "Clarice! Stop looking for targets to point your cruel finger at, or you'll get us into trouble."
"Hey! Don't get on my case, Hermes," Clarice complains in a familiar tone with the smart boy and then smiles at the rest of the group. "We have to exchange as much valuable information as possible about our competitors before our turn in the tests."
Hermes doesn't deny that, but before Clarice finds another noble to gossip about, the girl next to her points behind their line. "Look at the group coming over there."
Everyone turns around and sees a guard bringing three individuals in simple clothes, but with appearances that draw attention no matter where they go. That's Theo and his new friends, naturally.
Clarice's group watches the trio walk past them, and then the guard opens space for them a few meters ahead in that same line. The arrival of the trio cutting the line causes a huge commotion, and of course, Clarice and her friends couldn't help but get even more curious.
"Look at that tall guy with black hair, fucking handsome!" Clarice's eyes shine, and the girl next to her nods. "He's not bad at all, but a kind of skinny..." Clarice agrees, but the boys have their eyes fixed on Sarah. "That girl is so gorgeous! Yeah, she must be a princess!"
"Who are they, Hermes?" a member of the group asks, but this time, the clever Hermes stays silent, staring at the trio with a curious expression just like his friends. "I've never heard of people like those two... I know many crests, but not that one on the girl's clothes. And the guy has actually dark red hair..."
"Did you see how he was walking?" the pretty girl comments. "I might be wrong, but that didn't look anything like the way nobles walk. He seemed a little tense, suspicious, like a..."
"Don't you dare say commoner, Lianna!" Clarice threatens her friend as her eyes fill with admiration for Theo. "Look at him, his bloodline must be purer than anyone else's here."
"Well, he doesn't have any crest on his clothes," Hermes says. "I've heard of lucky commoners, but I don't think that's the case with him either. Anyway, I'm more interested in the third member of the trio..."
"The little white-haired girl? She's not bad either," a guy comments next to Hermes, and he shakes his head, disappointed. "Look again, you idiot, that's a boy, not a girl."
"A boy???" The man feels a bitter taste in his mouth, and the rest of the group frowns, especially Clarice. "Damn! My eyes almost fooled me for a second! He could at least cut that long hair, or he'll keep getting mistaken for a girl."
"Maybe that's the intention..." Lianna comments in a mocking tone, and the rest of the group once again makes disgusted faces. "Are there really guys who do that on purpose? Wait, does the Academy accept that kind of people?"
"There's nothing in the rules that prevents it," Hermes comments casually, being the only one in the group not mocking Lorien. "Also, you shouldn't mess with that guy, too."
"You know him?" Clarice asks, and Hermes shakes his head. "No, but think for a second, how many young nobles with white hair have you seen out there?" As soon as he suggests that, Lianna starts naming a few. "There's the Cryndels, Rimekars, Iskaryn..."
"Caelis," a young man in the group says. "He's a Caelis." As soon as he says that, Hermes makes a thoughtful face. "Are you sure?" he asks, and the young man nods. "Yeah, my family is also from the north, and we've heard many rumors about the Caelis. They say the third son of Count Caelis has a rather peculiar appearance... something like cute as a girl."
"He's not cute!" Clarice scoffs, and Lianna laughs sarcastically. "Come on! You're just jealous because that faggot is prettier than you." Her provocation makes Clarice angry. "In that case, he'd be prettier than you, too!"
While the girls start arguing about Lorien, Hermes notices something. "Hey, you two, shut up!" He also points forward, and when everyone looks in that direction, they see a man from the group dressed in black and gold stepping out of his line and walking toward Theo's trio with an arrogant face, especially focused on Sarah. "Look, we're about to see something interesting."
Not only does Hermes' group notice it, but also all the nobles around. A strange silence takes over the place as everyone watches the arrogant young man walking with his head held high toward Sarah. He starts to bow respectfully as he gets near her. "My Lady-"
"Stay away from me, you little piece of shit." Surprising everyone, Sarah speaks in a loud and firm tone, shocking especially the young man in front of her, who stares at her with a confused expression. "I think there's been some mistake here-"
"No mistake," Sarah looks at the man with an irritated expression. "I despise your kind so much. You are disgusting creeps, and I will crush you like rats under my feet."
Sarah's bold words spark all kinds of reactions among the nobles who can't hold back their comments. "Wow! That girl is wild! Look at his face, she destroyed him! So humiliated… I've never seen a Dalemmar be massacred publicly like that."
The nobles' comments hurt the pride of the young man in black more than Sarah's rejection, and he stares at her with eyes burning with rage. "You bitch!" He raises his hand, pointing a finger at her. "I'll teach you-"
But before he realizes it, a broad chest steps in front of his finger. The man in black is 1.70 meters tall, which isn't exactly short, but he has to look up to see Theo's face right in front of him, staring at him with those sharp brown eyes.
"Will you… what?" Theo asks in a cold and sarcastic tone, but the man in black doesn't back down and presses Theo's chest with his finger. "Get out of my way, you-" Theo doesn't respond with words, but simply steps forward slowly, and the man in black can only step back as he feels his finger ache against Theo's chest.
That action draws even more diverse reactions from the nobles, who seem ready to watch some kind of show. The other members of House Dalemmar act quickly, moving toward Theo as he pushes the young man in black into the middle of the street. Even other nobles join the Delammar group, clearly siding with them, while on Theo's side, only Sarah and Lorien follow him.
And while for most of the nobles there, Theo's group looks vastly outnumbered, he doesn't see it that way and instead faces his numerous opponents with an excited smile. "Come on! All of you."
There is no fear in Theo's voice, which sparks a wave of admiration and anticipation from the lively audience, but the young man in black before him is so afraid that he backs away behind his companions, making Theo laugh. That also makes a taller member of the Dalemmar glare at him with a dark expression, but before the groups can clash, the guards take action.
"What's going on here?" A man in elegant formal clothing, not looking older than his early twenties, appears along with the guards and throws a stern look at both Theo's and the Dalemmar's groups. "You don't want to break Academy rules before even being accepted, do you? I have no problem expelling you right now if that's the case."
The men in black cast hostile looks at the man in elegant clothes, but Sarah holds Theo's hand and smiles at him. "Professor Luke? Forgive me for this mess. I think our friends from the south are not aware of the Academy's laws regarding harassment, and this gentleman here was merely defending my honor."
"Lady Malveryn?" The man in elegant clothing smiles kindly at Sarah. "I'm glad the lady is finally joining us." He glances at Theo with curious eyes, but then turns his attention back to the group in black. "This doesn't look like a fair fight, does it? Why don't you all go back to the line and save that energy for the arena?"
The men in black are upset but end up returning to the line in silence, then Luke turns his attention to Theo's trio. "And you, try not to make more enemies for now, alright? You'll be next in the arena, so get ready."
"Yes, Professor," Sarah responds respectfully as she pulls Theo by the hand back to the line. Lorien also follows them back, but not before casting a cold and hostile look at the Dalemmar family's members, making the hairs on their necks stand on end.