The last night passed quietly, without any major issues. Emma, the maid assigned by Valentine, brought Reese her dinner. Reese appreciated the stillness after a long day. After finishing her meal, she sat down and wrote a long letter to send to a specific person.

~

Dear O,

I hope you're doing well by the time this letter reaches you—and I’m still holding you responsible for getting that ridiculous cold all of a sudden and leaving me to fend off this academy on my own! Seriously, only you could mess this up so perfectly. What kind of timing is that, huh? In any case, I’m here now, on my own, handling it all, so you better be getting better fast!

So, where do I start? Aetherium Academy is massive. I mean, really, you wouldn’t believe how huge this place is. There are courtyards, training grounds, towers—enough to make you feel like you’re living inside a fortress. It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest. I think it will take me quite sometime to fully explore it.

But let me tell you something more exciting. I know you’ll love this part: I’ve already gotten into a fight. Not my fault, though! You remember those Crimson Claws right? The arrogant, full-of-themselves group led by Liam Rosedale? Well, they tried to humiliate me as soon as I arrived. Day one, and they’re already picking fight with me. They couldn’t believe I got permission to join the third-year swordsmanship class right away and demanded I “prove my worth.” They went as far as going against the decision made by the Headmaster himself! As if their little clique had the right to challenge me.

I could tell from their smug expressions they thought they’d crush me easily, like I'm some insignificant little ant. Just one of them was supposed to my opponent, but of course, I didn't let them off that easy. I requested to fight four of them at once. I can practically hear you laughing right now, but trust me, it was worth it! You should’ve seen their faces when I made that demand. They were so sure I’d regret it.

Well, guess what? I didn’t regret a single moment. In the first half of the match I fooled by making me believe I was struggling to keep up against them. But the later half of the fight was quick. Too quick, probably. I turned the tables on them before they even knew what hit them. The entire arena was dead silent afterward—no one could believe what they saw. I guess they never encountered a genius like me before, Haha! Not just beat them, I completely outmatched them. It felt good, especially since they were all so confident they’d teach me a lesson. I can’t wait for you to get here and watch me do it again, just to rub it in. May you can join me too! I know you definitely would.

Sister Valentine is very excited amd happy about my victory...She was practically glowing with approval after the fight, which, for her, is a big deal (not for me though, since already knew that I'd win). Oh, by the way Frederick—yes, the royal prince himself— congratulated me. Despite his status, he was pretty casual while talking to me, a commoner, which is honestly surprising. It turned out he’s really a nice and down-to-earth person.

Then there were two of my upperclassmen, Cedric and Julius. Both of them are from Azure wings too. They have been nothing but nice, which has been a relief after dealing with the Crimson Claws.

Later I met with Juniper, the girl who is my next-door neighbour in the dormitory. She us really a friendly person. She’s been super sweet, even brought me some delicious cookies to cheer me up. So yeah, I’ve already made one friend at least.

Despite all the chaos here, if you ask me, I will say that the academy is incredible. There’s so much to learn, and the people—well, some of them—are amazing. It will be pretty fun to mess with crimson claw members. More problematic people are there, more ways to get rid of boredom I guess!

But the one I'm most mad at is 'you'. You were supposed to be here with me! Instead, I’m here dealing with everything alone because someone couldn’t keep themselves from getting a cold. You’re stupid, you know that? An idiot for messing things up all the time.

And no, I won’t forgive you easily for this. You owe me. Big time.

Anyway, I’m expecting you to arrive soon, so hurry up and recover. The academy won’t be nearly as much fun without you here, and I need someone to share the workload of dealing with all these gossips and side-eyes. Plus, I need you to watch my back when I’m putting these Crimson Claws in their place again.

So, stop being sick and get here already! You’ll love it, and I’ll need someone to help me laugh at the people who thought they could get rid of me.

My hands hurts from writing all this, so I will stop now.

Yours (begrudgingly),

Reese

P.S. You still owe me those snacks you promised, don’t think I’ve forgotten. Bring them when you come. //

Finishing her letter, Reese tied it in the leg of Pippi,the carrier pigeon she brought with her. It's lesser time for letters to pass this way than through mail.

.

.

.

The next morning, Reese and Juniper headed to class together, walking side by side through the bustling academy halls.

As they arrived, many students eagerly approached them to speak with Reese. She was, after all, the center of attention at the academy after yesterday's turn of events. However, members of the Crimson Claw remained distant, throwing her cold side-glances. Many of the other students seemed curious about her decision to join the Azure Wings, seeing the wing badge shaped having a blue stone in the middle, pinned to her uniform clearly displayed her new allegiance.

Juniper, ever friendly and energetic, introduced Reese to her circle of friends. There were several introductions, and while the girls chatted away, the conversations quickly shifted to gossip—who was doing what, rumors, and other trivial matters. Reese found it exhausting, but she kept her discomfort to herself, nodding and smiling when needed. It was her first day, after all, and she didn’t want to appear rude, at least for sake of Juniper.

Just when Reese thought she couldn’t take any more of the endless chatter, the professor entered the room. A wave of relief washed over her. The lecture began, and everyone took their seats. Reese was thankful for the moment of calm that came with focusing on the lesson. It allowed her to distance herself from the curious stares and murmurs, though she still felt several gazes thrown towards her from time to time from various directions.

After the lecture, Reese and Juniper had to part ways for their next classes. Juniper had a different subject, so she waved goodbye with a cheerful smile, and Reese made her way to the swordsmanship class, as scheduled.

The swordsmanship class was held outside on the academy’s training grounds. The area was vast, with rows of training dummies lined up neatly. Sunlight glinted off the rows of swords and other weapons resting in racks. The air was filled with the sounds of steel clashing, and students sparred in pairs, their movements quick and precise. A cool breeze drifted across the grounds, carrying with it the earthy scent of the open space.

As Reese stepped into the training grounds, the atmosphere shifted. Conversations stopped, and she could feel eyes turning in her direction. The students’ reactions were a mix of curiosity and tension. She noticed several of the Crimson Claw members including the ones she had defeated before. Their expressions were stiff, their displeasure clear. Some of them exchanged whispers, their faces tight with barely hidden annoyance.

"She's here," a girl muttered to her friend, her voice laced with disdain.

Her opponents from the previous day, narrowed thier eyes at Reese, their jaw clenched in frustration. Their resentment was obvious. The fact that Reese had bested them before, and now wore the badge of Azure Wings, their rival faction, only seemed to add fuel to the fire.

Despite the unwelcoming atmosphere from the Crimson Claw members, a few students looked at her with interest. They were curious, maybe even impressed by her previous victories. Still, the majority of students kept their distance, unsure of what to make of her.

Reese stayed focused, her face calm and composed, ignoring the tension that buzzed around her. She was here to learn, and she wouldn’t let their hostility shake her. Reese knew how to handle herself. She moved forward confidently, ready to face whatever the day had in store.

The professor hadn't arrived yet, so the training ground was filled with the murmurs of students waiting for the lesson to begin. Reese, standing calmly amidst the crowd, was preparing to unseal her sword when she felt a presence behind her. Before she could turn to face it, a cheerful and lively familiar voice greeted her from close by, almost from behind her ears.

"Hello, Miss Lysander! So, we meet again!"

___

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