The girls began putting aside their things as they settled into their room. With curtains drawn around each bed, they changed into their school attire. With a slight in chill in the air, they nearly all opted for the school sweater hiding a buttoned shirt underneath. Raven and Sonia were among the few to either roll up their sleeves or at least forgo a tie.
Being among the last to finish dressing, Emery reached for her phone. She reminded herself to call her father once she settled in.
"Lamb Chop!" Raven called out from the door. "We're waiting on you!”
Tucking her phone away, Emery ran through the curtain with her hands busy tying up her hair.
Raven smirked as Emery made it out the door, "I'm messing with you. It’s just A-List and I."
"A-List?" Emery repeated.
Alice folded her arms, leaning against the hallway. "Don't."
"You know." Raven added. "Because she's going to be super popular with that attitude.”
Hiding a small laugh, Emery followed the two out into the common room. The main body of second years were trailing out with most of the first years following close behind to avoid getting lost. Still at the center of the room were Thomas and Ed, dressed and waiting.
Thomas relaxed as he tried to adjust his uniform at the shoulders. The bottom of his undershirt was untucked. Ed didn’t seem to chafe as much under the uniform, careful not to cause a wrinkle.
“This is Raven. She's rooming with us." Emery introduced.
"What's up?" Raven nodded to the boys.
"Nice to meet you, I’m Thomas."
"And I'm Ed; knight in training."
Raven raised her eyebrows, "Oh yeah? You gonna 'save us' hero?" Raven said as she rolled her eyes. "I'm going to catch an early seat."
As the group watched her make for the exit, Ed was confused, "Did I say something wrong?"
Alice sighed, "Really? Knights are your idea of heroes?”
"Of course." Ed replied. "They stand for what's right."
"Tell that to the Amaranths whose doors get kicked down whenever something goes wrong in the neighborhood." Alice said.
"I'm gonna be different from those knights." Ed assured her, as well as himself.
Alice relented. "Are we going or what?"
With the way clear, the four continued on, trailing behind the other first years in silence. The teenagers made some small talk, Ed and Alice maintaining a noticeable distance at opposite ends of their crew.
Emery huddled close to Thomas; her tone hushed. "Is that really true?"
Thomas snapped out of some daydream. "About knights? It happens."
"Doesn't anybody do anything about it?" Emery prodded.
"The Covenant tries, being the government and all. We’d have better luck if there were more inquisitors.” Feeling Emery curious eyes, Thomas continued, “Inquisitors are like crisis specialists. Knights are good at fighting, but inquisitors fix issues... and are also good at fighting.”
Before her curiosity could carry on being satisfied, the first years emptied out into the grand hall. Where the ceiling constellations in the lobby were fixed, the ones in the grand hall were constantly shifting. The hall was beautifully lit with a colorful array of candles to the side and just above the tables. Fifth years and up sat towards the entrance with the first years up front by the faculty table.
Mr. Potts stood at the head of the first years, ready to escort them to the front of the hall before moving on to his spot with the rest of the faculty. While still composed, Mr. Potts seemed unable to tear himself away from keeping one eye on Dr. Isen who was making faces at him from his seat. The rest of the faculty seemed to be just as colorful as the ones Emery had met.
One was a woman with pink hair, polishing a long blade on the dinner table. Her expression could barely contain her wicked smile as she ignored her food. Beside her was a slender figure, wrapped in black robes from head to toe, Gilligan Aster most likely. The figure nodded their head with approval. Further down the table, an Asian woman dressed in minimalist chic offered a standing ovation to the far-off floating instruments while her nearby colleague counted constellations in Spanish. Looking away from the table, Emery's eyes wandered over to one side of the room where Ms. Mason leaned against a sturdy pillar. Catching Emery's gaze, the ship captain waved before pointing back to the faculty table.
The first years found their seats as the hall quieted. The Archmage stood up from her chair at the center table. Corinne's attire radiated warmth as well as an air of confidence and tenderness. Her smile washed over the students. Like rolling thunder, her voice commanded the attention of the hall.
"Hello students! For all those who are returning, welcome back, you were sorely missed. And for those here for the first time..." The Archmage leaned in, her voice still powerful enough to shatter walls. "It’s an honor to have you.
"My name is Lucille Corinne; Archmage of Radiance. As with any new year, I can't help but mark the occasion with a few words... Radiance isn't just a school. It's a place for both young and old, mage and mundane, any walk of life." Corinne produced a blue orb of light in her hand that twisted with every sentence she uttered. "Radiance exists because within each of us exists a light. At times, there are things in our world that can dim that light, overshadow it, or even extinguish it."
The blue orb in her hand vanished as Corinne snapped her fingers. "But light, like many things, is not so easily cast aside." The orb suddenly appeared from behind her back and floated around her like a puppy. "Take pride in who you are, where you come from, your dreams and remember... together we shine a light brighter than any darkness. You only need to have enough compassion to join hands with the person sitting next to you."
The grand hall broke into a roaring round of applause. Corinne took a bow and returned to her seat. What followed were several announcements concerning school clubs being available to first years after winter break, codes of conduct, and so on.
“Oh, and students, before you enjoy your food.” Corinne announced. “The orchard is still off limits without supervision from one of the teachers. Rumors or not, there are dangers in the orchard that are not for the unprepared. I'll thank you to remember.”
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