For a few seconds, Elora could only stare.
The academy was even bigger than it had looked from the station.
For the first time since arriving, she felt very, very small.
“Whoa…
this is amazing.” She looked around.
First-year students were coming through the main gates from every direction, dragging suitcases, hauling trunks, or excitedly talking with friends.
Some wore expensive clothes that practically announced they came from noble families.
Others looked just as overwhelmed as she felt.
Elora adjusted the strap of her backpack and followed the crowd.
The main road leading into the academy was lined with white stone lanterns engraved with glowing runes.
Their soft blue light stayed visible even in the afternoon sun.
She passed a large courtyard where dozens of students had gathered around a fountain.
Streams of water floated through the air above it, twisting into birds and animals before breaking apart and falling back as droplets.
She slowed down.
“Okay, that’s pretty cool.” No one else seemed impressed.
A few students walked past without even glancing at it.
Show-offs.
…Or maybe she was the one who hadn’t caught up to how normal magic looked here.
Further ahead, the academy grounds opened into an enormous campus.
Towering buildings stretched across the mountainside, connected by elegant bridges suspended high above the ground.
Some structures looked ancient, their stone walls covered in ivy.
Others gleamed with polished crystal and enchanted glass.
A group of students rode floating platforms between buildings.
Several professors crossed a courtyard, chatting about something that made glowing diagrams appear in the air around them.
Near one of the training fields, students practiced simple spells under an instructor’s supervision—small bursts of fire, wind, and light snapping across the ground.
Elora nearly walked into a sign because she couldn’t stop looking around.
At this point, she wasn’t even pretending she knew where she was going.
The folded academy map in her pocket suddenly felt a lot more important.
“Okay…” she muttered, taking a deep breath as she unfolded the map.
“Registration Hall…” Her eyes scanned the page.
“…where exactly am I?” A passing student gave her a sympathetic look.
Apparently she wasn’t the only one already lost.
Elora looked from the map to the road ahead, then back again.
“Who designed this thing?” she muttered.
The map looked simple enough—until she tried using it.
Roads branched into more roads, buildings connected by bridges, and enough symbols to make her head ache.
After standing there for nearly a minute, she finally picked a direction and started walking.
If I can’t be competent today, I can at least be confident.
That plan lasted less than five minutes.
She turned a corner and ended up in front of a massive greenhouse made entirely of glass and crystal.
Colorful plants filled the structure from floor to ceiling.
Some glowed softly.
Others floated several inches above the ground.
One plant near the entrance sneezed, sending a cloud of blue pollen into the air.
That made her take three steps back.
“Nope.” Whatever that was, she wanted no part of it.
A few students walked past her without reacting.
Apparently magical sneezing plants were normal here.
That realization was…
slightly concerning.
After another wrong turn and one very confusing encounter with a staircase that somehow led both up and down at the same time, Elora finally spotted a large crowd gathered in front of an enormous white building.
A polished silver sign hung above the entrance.
REGISTRATION HALL “Oh, thank goodness.” She had never been so happy to see a sign in her life.
Students lined up outside, forming several long queues that stretched across the courtyard.
Elora joined the nearest one and sighed.
At least this part looked straightforward.
For once.
The line moved surprisingly fast.
Academy staff stood behind counters, checking documents and directing students toward different sections of the hall.
As Elora slowly moved forward, she couldn’t help looking around.
The hall was enormous.
Tall pillars supported a ceiling covered in glowing magical formations.
Floating crystals drifted near the upper walls, bathing everything in a soft silver light.
Every few minutes, another student’s name appeared on a giant display suspended above the center of the hall.
The moment a name popped up, directions to their dormitory flashed beneath it.
Efficient, a little intimidating, and exactly the kind of thing she’d expected from an academy like this.
Eventually, Elora reached the front of the line.
A woman in academy robes smiled politely.
“Acceptance letter, please.” Elora quickly handed it over.
The woman scanned the document and pressed a small crystal against the paper.
Faint blue light spread across the surface for a brief moment, and when the crystal flashed once, she nodded in approval.
“Elora Veyne.
First-year student.” Hearing it out loud made everything feel real again—somehow.
The woman opened a drawer and placed several items on the counter: an academy identification badge, a class schedule, and a small silver key.
“Dormitory Building Three, Room 214,” the woman said.
Elora carefully gathered everything.
“Thank you.” “Orientation information is included in your schedule,” the woman said.
“Don’t be late.” “I’ll try not to get lost first.” The woman laughed.
“That’s usually the harder challenge.” Finding Building Three turned out to be easier than finding the Registration Hall.
Mostly because half the students leaving the hall looked like they were heading in the same direction.
After a few minutes, Elora arrived at the dormitory area.
Several tall white buildings stood near the edge of the campus, each with large silver numbers engraved above the entrances.
“Finally.” Elora looked toward the voice.
As she approached the entrance, she noticed another girl standing nearby.
She had curly blonde hair tied into a loose ponytail, bright blue eyes, and a suitcase at her side with a travel bag slung over one shoulder.
She was staring at a map with the kind of confused expression that suggested her feet had done more walking than her brain.
She looked exhausted, as though she’d been wandering around the academy for hours.
The girl looked up the second she saw Elora.
“Please tell me this is Building Three.” Elora glanced at the giant silver number above the entrance.
“It says three.” The girl visibly relaxed.
“Oh, thank the gods.” A laugh escaped Elora before she could stop it.
It seemed they had both gone through the same thing.
“I’ve been walking in circles for twenty minutes.” The girl dramatically wiped imaginary sweat from her forehead.
The dramatic gesture looked so ridiculous that Elora decided to play along.
“Only twenty?” “Oh, please don’t judge me.” “I’m not judging.” “You look like you’re judging.” That earned another laugh from Elora.
The girl shook her head dramatically, then stuck out her hand like she was sealing a treaty.
“Lyra.” “Elora.” They stepped inside together and checked their room assignments at the front desk.
“Second floor,” Lyra said.
“Same here.” They walked side by side along the second-floor corridor until they reached their rooms.
Elora stopped in front of Room 214.
This was it—her room, her first room at Arcane Academy.
She stood there for a second, simply staring at the door, as though it might change if she looked away.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside.
The room was smaller than she’d expected, but it was cozy enough to put her at ease.
A neatly made bed sat against one wall, while a desk stood beside a large window overlooking part of the academy grounds.
There was a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and just enough space for her luggage without feeling cramped.
Nothing luxurious, but it was hers.
Elora set down her suitcase and walked over to the window.
Students moved between buildings below—small figures weaving through bright walkways and bridges.
In the distance, the academy towers rose above the campus.
One tower stood noticeably higher than the rest.
After unpacking a few essentials, she sat down on the bed.
The room felt quiet after the noise of the academy.
For the first time all day, she could actually relax.
On the desk nearby, a folded schedule waited for her.
Curious, Elora picked it up.
Most of it covered arrival procedures, academy rules, and general information.
Then one line pulled her attention like it was glowing even though it wasn’t.
First-Year Affinity Evaluation — 9:00 AM Almost every student she’d passed today had been talking about affinity results, family expectations, and which element they hoped to get.
Elora couldn’t care less.
Whatever affinity she awakened, she’d accept it proudly.
She set the schedule back on the desk and lay down.
Tomorrow would be her first real day at Arcane Academy.
At least, that was what she believed.
I’d definitely choose Fire and Water.