Students were mingling about as usual at the entrance hall of the Lily building, the main school building of the prestigious Nymphaea Academy of Magic.

At the entrance was a lobby full with chattering children milling about. White marble floors glinted with colorful shadows casted from the rainbow colored windows. Pink crystals taller than men reflected the pool they were submerged in. Lily pads and flowers floated on the water, while koi fishes larger than an adult man lazily swam around. Columns carved with blue geometric details held up the mezzanine, while purple crawling ivy splattered with yellow and pink flowers twisted around the railings overlooking the open area.

“Did you feel that energy earlier?” a student said.

“What energy?”

An air of equal excitement and devastation emanated from the students as they waited for their friends and classmates to pass through the doors they lovingly called the dungeon. The place where the annual summoning ritual took place and the place students refuse to call its official name.

The double door was right across the entrance of the building. On both sides of the door, were stairs leading up to the mezzanine.

Today marked a new beginning for the majority of the students. They can finally become part of the Blossoms and study more advanced magic. They wouldn’t have to worry about their magic getting sealed either and becoming an outcast in society.

Eager voices and laughter were shared between friends as more and more students exited the dungeons. Blossom students with their pure white and golden robes, watched the giddy friends chattering amongst each other while they passed by the lobby to get to their final classes. The pearlescent capes split down the middle of their backs fluttered like wings with every step they took.

“I passed the exam!”

“Oh, what did you summon?”

“As if I’ll tell you! It’s a secret!”

“Must be something embarrassing and weak then.”

“Hahaha!”

Leaning on the leaf covered railings of the entresol was a woman with wine red hair. She had a sweet air about her that had people flocking to catch her attention. Perfectly manicured fingers tapped on the marble railings. Her gaze never wavered from the double doors leading to the dungeon.

“Oh, your Highness, thank you so much for waiting for me! It’s an honour!” a girl with short blonde hair said cheerfully.

Hazel eyes tore themselves from the doors to smile at a tanned girl with short blonde hair wearing the white and silver uniform of a Seedling student. She skipped cheerfully in the red heads’ direction.

“Dream on Elmira, as if Princess Carmela came all this way to congratulate you! She’s obviously here for Lord Noah,” the brunette–who stood quietly this whole time by Carmela’s side–said with a roll of her eyes. Despite her words, there was no malice in her tone.

Elmira pouted. “Come on Alexia, let me have some hope!”

Carmela laughed at their banter with a slight blush on her cheeks. She pushed her red hair off her face and smiled softly. “You guys, stop being so silly. Congratulations on passing the summoning examination, Elmira.”

Alexia smirked. “Oh, she’s not denying it.”

“Well, she’s always been by his side at every summoning examination!” Elmira said after thanking the princess.

“Please stop, you’re embarrassing me,” Carmela whispered as she pressed the palm of her hands to her warm cheeks.

Her two attendants laughed at her face that slowly matched her hair. The laughter soon ceased when the chatter of students around them quieted down. Alexia peered over her shoulder towards the scene below.

“Hm? Isn’t that Lord Noah?”

Carmela quickly turned to look and let out a soft gasp.

Silence followed Noah with every step he took. His serious mien was reflected on the large pink crystals in the middle of the lobby.

People looked at him curiously, whispering to each other under their breaths. Their gaze travelled along his hands bound with golden light connected to the professor.

Noah has always known Professor Angharad disliked him because of his family. It was no secret really, the whole school knew. The professor has been passively showing his distaste for Noah ever since he stepped foot in Nymphaea when he was nothing but a fourteen year old boy.

Eyes were closed when Noah’s classmates tried to bully him during his lessons. Professor Angharad punished Noah whenever he decided to fight back with his catty remarks. He graded Noah’s papers harsher than the rest of his students and would always pick on the young boy during their arithmancy and invocation classes.

Noah glanced at his hands, cuffed together by a string of light like a criminal about to be sentenced to death. It was not too far from the truth, Noah will admit. He did summon and made a contract with a demon after all, even if it wasn’t his intention. Technically speaking, he is a criminal.

Still, it’s not like he killed someone. What's a little demon summoning compared to murder?

If he never summoned a demon, but they found out he used forbidden magic to force the spirit realm open anyway, would he also be cuffed and paraded around like a criminal for all his peers to see? Probably, if the person who found out was named Angharad.

He straightened his back and ignored the whispers as best as he could.

“Noah?” The voice made him stop. “What’s going on?” He turned around and came face to face with Carmela, the schools’ sweetheart and his fiancée. She looked worriedly at his hands.

Noah gave her a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry love, it’s just a small problem.”

“I must not show any weakness,” he thought while looking at the students slowly forming a crowd.

Acting as if he did not just commit a felony, Noah followed the professor with his head held up high. But try as he might, it was hard to ignore the whispers about him when his classmates were so close and loud.

“Is that Noah von Vinter?”

“Do you think he failed to summon an elemental guide again?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised. He’s failed every summoning exam so far. He tried every year.”

“Shush, don’t talk about him like that if you ever want to work for Orion.”

“Eh, really? But wouldn’t that mean they will seal his magic away today? Is that why his hands are tied together?”

“It’s his last chance to summon one after all.”

“It would be great if he did.”

“What a stain in Nymphaea’s record.”

“He’s so arrogant just because he’s rich.”

“Well, it’s about time he was brought down a peg or two.”

Back when Noah first stepped foot in Nymphaea, his peers flocked to him like bees to a flower. He knew from a young age that they were sent by their parents to form a connection with Orion, the business empire his mother built. He wasn’t exactly easy to befriend, especially after the incident that made him join Nymphaea a year later, but he tried his best to be cordial with them.

That wasn’t enough and somehow, he gained the reputation of someone who looked down on students.

The nobles and wealthy children of merchants distanced themselves and shared dark whispers among each other. That was fine with Noah. He’s become numb to the rumors about him. It was fine to him if he only had a handful of close friends, but his mother wanted him to network for the future of Orion.

Even if he disliked the majority of his classmates, ties weren’t supposed to be cut off completely, his mother taught him that. Networking was an important part of business after all.

He’s just glad that she’s fine with him befriending some students who weren’t part of the wealthy.

“Acting like he owns the place just because he’s from the von Vinter family.”

“Never had to work a single day in his life.”

“Everything is handed to him on a silver platter.”

Noah pressed his lips together. Is it his fault for wanting to be the best at school? He worked harder on his academics because his magical abilities were lacking thanks to his Imperfekta. He had to balance his grades somehow to make sure his mother wouldn't be ashamed to have a son like him.

Is it his fault for having ambition?

“A leader does not follow sheep,” his mother said to him once upon a time. “You are my son, never forget that.”

With a grit of his teeth, Noah looked at the crowd with his nose up high.

“Hey,” he said and watched as they quieted down. “Have your parents never taught you any manners? Don’t talk about others behind their back, especially when they’re within earshot. But most importantly, know your place, peasants.”