Morning light spilled across the marble towers of the Royal Magic Academy of Valtheria.
From a distance the academy looked like a fortress of learning. Tall spires pierced the sky, their white stone reflecting the golden sunrise. Bridges connected towers across open courtyards, and ancient statues of legendary mages watched silently over the grounds.
Takemi stood on the balcony outside his dormitory room.
The air was cool.
Below him the academy slowly awakened.
Students crossed the courtyards in groups, some carrying spellbooks thick with runic markings, others wearing swords or staves across their backs. Mana lamps that had glowed throughout the night faded as the sunlight grew stronger.
Takemi rested his elbows on the railing.
"…This place is huge."
Cedric stood beside the doorway.
"The academy was built nearly four hundred years ago. It has expanded many times since then."
Takemi looked toward the far side of the campus.
There were training fields stretching toward the forest, towers that likely held libraries, and distant structures that looked almost like small fortresses of their own.
"Feels more like a city than a school."
Cedric nodded.
"For many students, it is their entire world."
The dining hall was already filled when Takemi arrived.
Rows of long oak tables stretched across the massive chamber. Chandeliers made of enchanted crystal floated above the room, casting a soft white glow that never flickered.
Students talked loudly across the hall.
Noble heirs sat beside children of merchants.
Future knights sat beside future scholars.
Takemi carried a simple tray of breakfast.
Bread.
Eggs.
A bowl of vegetable stew.
As he searched for a seat, he noticed a familiar figure already sitting near the center table.
Rauk.
The red-haired swordsman was eating quietly, his massive iron training sword leaning against the bench beside him.
Takemi sat across from him.
"Didn't expect you to wake up this early."
Rauk didn't look up from his meal.
"I always wake up early."
Takemi chuckled.
"Training?"
"Observation."
Takemi raised an eyebrow.
"Observation?"
Rauk finally looked up.
"This academy is full of people who think they're strong."
Takemi grinned.
"And you're checking if they are."
Rauk shrugged.
"Most aren't."
Takemi laughed.
"Guess that means we'll have to fix that."
Their first class was held inside the Hall of Fundamental Magic Theory.
The room resembled a small amphitheater.
Stone seats rose in curved rows around a circular teaching floor where a massive crystal floated in mid-air.
When the professor entered, the room instantly fell silent.
The man looked elderly, but his presence filled the entire chamber like a mountain.
"Welcome to the Royal Magic Academy," he began.
His voice was calm, but every word carried across the hall effortlessly.
"You may believe magic is power."
He gestured toward the floating crystal.
"But magic is not power."
The crystal slowly rotated.
"Magic is understanding."
With a flick of his hand, threads of light appeared around the crystal like glowing strands weaving through the air.
"These are the flows of mana."
The threads moved like currents in a river.
"Every living thing exists within this current."
Takemi leaned forward slightly.
Even from where he sat he could feel the faint pull of energy surrounding the crystal.
"Control the flow," the professor continued, "and magic obeys."
After lectures, students were guided to the academy's training grounds.
The fields stretched across a vast valley beyond the main campus.
Wooden practice dummies stood in rows.
Stone pillars carved with magical runes formed defensive barriers.
Farther away, advanced students practiced real combat magic under the watch of instructors.
Takemi picked up a handful of stones from the ground.
Rauk watched him.
"You're doing it again."
Takemi tossed one lightly into the air.
"Doing what?"
"Thinking."
Takemi caught the stone.
"In my old life, everything was about timing."
He flicked his wrist.
The stone shot forward.
CRACK.
A distant wooden target split cleanly down the middle.
Several nearby students stared.
Rauk crossed his arms.
"…Still don't understand how that works."
Takemi grinned.
"Neither do I."
Days passed quickly.
The academy had its own rhythm.
Morning lectures.
Afternoon training.
Evening study hours.
Takemi began noticing the patterns.
Certain students always gathered at the western training fields.
Others spent nearly every evening inside the enormous central library.
Rauk often disappeared before sunrise.
When Takemi finally asked about it one morning, Rauk simply replied:
"Training."
Takemi laughed.
"Of course."
One evening Takemi walked through the upper courtyard alone.
From the academy's highest terrace he could see the entire capital city of Solmire.
Thousands of lanterns illuminated the streets below like scattered stars.
Carriages moved along the main roads.
Ships rested in the distant harbor.
Takemi rested his arms against the stone railing.
"This world…"
He took a deep breath.
"…is bigger than I imagined."
Cedric stood beside him quietly.
"And you've only seen a single city."
Takemi smiled.
"Good."
His eyes turned back toward the academy grounds.
"Because I plan to see the rest."