As arrows of sunlight began piercing the veil of night, Senna clumsily fumbled in the dark with her school uniform, drowsiness dripping from her eyes. Celica had woken her about ten minutes prior, sending her nearly reeling out of bed in shock. It was probably one of the only mornings that the girl had woken up before seven AM.
The only thing worse than forced social interactions is waking up before noon. Her eyes half closed, Senna awkwardly brushed the knots out of her thick hair before tying it up into a high ponytail and donning the Brydelgard beret.
After the tour of the academy grounds, Reyna had made it a point to drag Senna out shopping to buy her a book bag and some basic school supplies. The bag she chose ended up being rather plain in design, focusing on function not form.
“Don’t you want something cuter?! Don’t tell me you’re going to be as much of a tomboy as your mom was!” Reyna balked at the choice.
Cheeks dusted with annoyance; Senna stomped a single foot forward.
“I’m going to be living in textbooks to make up for six years of lost time! ‘Cute’ isn’t going to have the backbone for how many dead trees I’ll be carrying around!”
“Ladies… It’s just a bag-” A sweat bead ran down Celica’s temple as her daughter and the catgirl bickered playfully. It was then that the latter’s comment fully sank in.
“Wait a minute, what do you mean by that, Reyna? What’s wrong with being a tomboy?” Celica’s eyes were closed, her smile matching a shared note of annoyance with her daughter.
“S’nothing wrong with being a tomboy if you’re like me! Both of you are too pretty to be sleepin’ on such natural beauty!”
Doubling down on her decision, Senna chose a bag that was popular with couriers and messengers in the city. It was an admittedly rather plain, tan leather bag with reinforced straps triple stitched into the body. Yet, it somehow fit Senna’s school uniform rather well. Senna’s arms tightened around the choice as she pulled it against her chest.
“This is the bag for me! Plus, I don’t wanna stand out too much!”
Reyna’s cheeks puffed slightly as an exasperated sigh of defeat sounded out.
“Fine, fine! When you’re ready to be the most fashionable student at school, y’all know where
to find me.” Reyna winked as she slunk past towards the counter, her wallet out.
Catching a glimpse of the price, Senna’s stomach sank into her shoes. She flipped around, trying
her best to quietly whisper to Celica.
“That’s… that’s not cheap, mom!”
“I know, but she’s been looking forward to this as much as I have. I know you’re not used to this, but this is what being family means. We all pitch in towards each other’s happiness, even if we’re only tied by fate and not blood. Besides…”
Celica’s eyes clouded for a moment.
“She only has us and the friends we’ve made. ‘Auntie Reyna’ isn’t just a nickname for her, she sincerely sees you as a niece.”
Swallowing a small knot of guilt that had formed in her throat, Senna sidestepped her mom and darted towards Reyna who was making small talk with the clerk behind a counter. She threw her arms around the woman from behind, squeezing her gently and whispered towards her ears.
“Thank you, Auntie Reyna! I love you…”
Although the words felt so foreign in her mouth, they came out naturally, before she had fully processed what she wanted to say. Reyna turned and ruffled Senna’s hair, a smile warmer than a summer day meeting her eyes.
“Make us all proud, kiddo.”
The tour of the campus kept flashing through her thoughts, as Senna absentmindedly set down the brush on her wooden vanity. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her beret and turned to walk out of the bedroom.
Downstairs, she peeked into the kitchen to see Celica had made a small breakfast for her.
Ordinarily the food would stand no chance against her appetite, but the anxiety of her first day at Brydelgard looming left her stomach in knots. A quick glance at the portion size suggested her mom had predicted the anxiousness.
“How’re you holding up, dear?”
Her voice was gentle, aiming to keep her tone calm to not rouse Senna’s anxiety any further than it already was.
“Excited. So much so that the world is spinning, and I could melt into a puddle at any time.”
She forced a pained smile, trying to convince her own heart that beating out of her rib cage wouldn’t be conducive for a good first day of school.
“I’m sorry, angel. I promise you can get through this. Try to take a bite or two, if you can.”
Taking a seat, Senna took a few minutes to pick at the eggs and begrudgingly eat a piece of bacon. Her stomach did a somersault and she decided to cut her losses and try to nibble at a piece of toast on her way to school. She quickly set the plate in the sink and casually threw her bag’s straps over her shoulders.
“You don’t have to walk me all the way there, I know you have errands to get done.”
Celica chuckled, waving the idea aside with a hand.
“Oh, don’t worry! Your sister said she’d die of embarrassment if her friends saw her getting walked to school by her mom, so I assumed you’d feel the same.”
“I don’t really care what people think… at least, not about that. I just know I gotta leave the nest and my comfort zone.”
“Comfort zone?”
Celica’s eyes lit up; she had been enjoying learning idioms from Earth.
“It’s a saying we use to describe a space you find familiar or safe, and that sometimes you can really miss out on things if you refuse to leave that safety. Plus, it’s such a simple thing, isn’t it? Walking to school, that is.”
“We have a similar saying that’s along the lines of ‘the t’resk pulls the plow at its own pace, and the farmer will sow the grain once it does.’ In other words, sometimes things may not move at the pace others demand, but as long as we reach the destination, that’s all that matters.”
Senna had learned that t’resks’ were a beast of burden not unlike an ox, but even larger and twice as strong. A popular beast of burden known for their gentle nature and somewhat timid demeanor, often slow to work unless guided by a steady hand.
“Well, shall we depart?”
Celica’s hand gave Senna’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“Yeah, let’s.”
Out of the door and into the shadows of a cool summer morning, the pair made idle small talk as Celica reminisced on her own school days decades prior. She had been a quiet child that hadn’t ever known a place that truly felt like her own, that is, until her second year at Brydelgard. That is where she had met Reyna, as well as several others, including her future husband, Petrus.
Senna didn’t interrupt once, basking in a rare moment when Celica spoke in depth about the past. The streets had still been quiet around their neighborhood, but that silence quickly dissolved into the familiar din of the market and central plaza the farther they journeyed away from home. A clock tower signaled that it was a quarter till eight in the morning, giving her a healthy forty-five minutes before class began.
Stopping at the gates leading to the Lunen district, Celica and Senna turned to say their goodbyes for the day. The former nudged her daughter forward to give her a quick head and kiss on the head.
“Do your best today. I don’t ever expect perfection, just that you always try.”
With a nod and a quick wave, Senna walked through the gates into the Lunen district, ready to face her first day.
--
At the gates of Brydelgard, several staff members wore that same red uniform that Zyrn Ci’er was wearing on orientation day. They were greeting students warmly as they entered the campus as they made idle conversation under the last warmth the summer sun had to offer. Zyrn himself was amongst them, and called out merrily to Senna, approaching her as he waved.
“Good morning, Miss Lorenz!”
Immediately becoming a deer in headlights at being acknowledged, Senna’s tired brain stumbled over her words.
“Oh! Uh.. Morin’, Zyrn, er…” She immediately remembered her manners hiding beneath the layer of morning grogginess. “I mean, Mister Ci’er!” she promptly corrected herself, adding a formal bow
to the second greeting.
Chuckling at her fumbled response, Zyrn casually waved his hand.
“I guess technically it’ll be ‘professor’ Ci’er for you, but I’m not particularly fussed about honorifics. Besides, your mother is a friend to some of the staff here, and I’d consider her a friend myself at this point. I even taught her how to write nearly thirty years ago!”
You taught her how to write… nearly thirty years ago?! Just how old IS this guy!?
A withering smile of anxiety stretched thinly across her face as she processed the statement. She thanked whatever Messarin gods were listening for the man to be so patient with her bumbling attempts at formality. Her only hope was that her face wasn’t betraying her inner thoughts to everyone around.
“But that’s a story for another day. Regardless, I’ll be seeing you in class in about half an hour or so. Did you need help finding the classroom?” His smile was gentle, reminding her vaguely of Celica’s. “No, that’s fine, I remember where it is! See you there!”
Unsure of what degree of formality professors expected, she gave a response that was deeper than a nod but not quite another bow before immediately shuffling off towards the courtyard. Senna was hoping she could manage to avoid putting her foot in her mouth today, deciding to err on the side of caution with any social interactions she’d find herself in.
Once inside the main hall, she took a pair of turns, first right at the bulletin board, then left a short way further than that, following the hall until the end. The last room on the right beside an exit was a classroom with a plaque above the door that read “109”. A sturdy door loomed beneath it, a heavily tarnished brass handle affixed to the front.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Taking a deep breath, Senna counted to four, before exhaling and pulling the handle. Although the door was weighted, it moved without too much resistance, revealing the classroom behind it. As she crossed the threshold, she saw a room that wasn’t a far cry different from the world she left behind.
A pair of large, oaken desks were positioned side by side at the front of the room, with matching chairs tucked into each. Behind them was a chalkboard, and to the left was four student desks, none of which were currently occupied. Beyond them was a compounding table that Senna had learned was for alchemy and potion making.
Alone in the quiet room, she let out a small sigh before sitting down in the back left seat. The desk itself was very similar to the traditional desks on Earth where you lifted the top to find storage beneath. Checking the compartment, she retrieved a pencil-like object that had been long forgotten by the previous occupant. Pulling a notebook out of her bag, she set it on the ground beside her desk.
Several minutes passed as she quietly gazed at her own lap, trying to focus on calming her thoughts before the first set of footsteps found their way into the room. Senna looked up to see an androgynous person wearing the issued slacks and button up, but with a long, grey scarf wrapped around their neck, obscuring the lower half of their face, its twin tails hanging down their backs. They brushed aside their lavender, jaw length hair to stare at the seated girl for a moment.
They had silver, shining eyes that were a stark contrast to their almond complexion. Offering a small wave, they nodded at Senna before taking a seat at the front right desk. The girl returned the wave and turned her gaze now towards a window on the left side of the room.
The next student that entered was a tall boy with the sides of his head shaved and his chestnut brown hair pulled into a top knot that accented the wolf-life ears on the top of his head. He looked like he was powerfully built from a lifetime of hard work, his face displaying a shockingly gentle kindness behind his dark eyes. Following him was a girl with mossy greenish hair that was braided on one side, the other wavy and free flowing down to her shoulders. Senna immediately noticed her elven ears that were nearly identical to professor Ci’er’s.
The boy was clearly trying to decide on which of the two remaining seats to choose, but the elf girl left him no choice as she darted toward the seat beside Senna. He shrugged, not particularly fussed by the final option, and sat beside the scarfed individual.
Trying to be polite, Senna turned and smiled at the girl, and gave a small wave. Without missing a beat, the girl grinned at Senna.
“Heya, I’m Lyra. Lyra Delsen! What’s your name?” Lyra extended a hand outward, offering the universal greeting of a handshake. Likewise, a country drawl hung off her voice, and it seemed having a rural accent was as universal as the handshake she was currently offering.
“Senna Lorenz. Nice to meet you!”
Accepting the handshake, she tried her best to give a natural smile in response. Smiling on command was one of Senna’s greatest weaknesses, alongside social gatherings and holding a nine to five job. Yet, she persevered.
The tall boy turned and gave a grin to them both.
“Nice to meet you ladies, I’m Zoval Celestin! Is this your first year at Brydelgard?”
“Yeah, it is. I’m only fourteen so apparently, I’m the right age to start my first year here.” Senna kept things short, not wanting to explain her situation unless asked.
Lyra delicately butted in, eager to join the conversation.
“Same story here, I turn fifteen in a couple weeks. I was originally supposed to just attend a regular school in town, but due to my natural talent with magic, Brydelgard let me in on an exception!” Lyra grinned with her fists against her sides looking extremely proud of her accomplishment.
“Wow, same for all of us, huh? What about you?” Zoval turned to the silent fourth student, who Senna assumed was Beryl Veldt per the class roster.
Beryl silently blinked at the three some of them, Senna trying to avoid staring while Lyra and Zoval looked on expectantly. They raised a flat hand perpendicular to their face to apologize, before they made several gestures in the air, their hand beginning to faintly glow.
Holding up their right index finger, the glowing light seemed to focus on the fingertip, as they began making writing gestures. Senna nearly jumped, their finger suddenly becoming a marker on a transparent whiteboard, as words filled the air. After several seconds, Beryl finished a short sentence, followed by a flick of their wrist that turned the words around to be readable to the others.
I AM BERYL VELDT. NICE TO MEET YOU. PLEASE BE PATIENT, I HAVE TROUBLE SPEAKING.
Zoval waved his hand and immediately spoke as the words faded from sight.
“No worries, we all get shy!” Zoval gently clapped his palm on Beryl’s shoulder.
Furrowing their brow for a moment in response, Beryl slowly shook their head. Signing more words in the air, they once more flipped their figurative writing board.
ALTHOUGH I CAN SPEAK, IT IS LIMITED DUE TO AN INJURY.
Senna was frantically trying to translate the writing but was able to understand the basic gist of the words. It helped that Beryl also kept their words simple and to the point. Zoval immediately blushed, embarrassed at the assumption he had made, awkwardly apologizing.
Beryl simply shook their head and gave a thumbs up to Zoval as if to say “no worries” about the misunderstanding. Lyra, however, immediately offered her own help.
“Well, I ain’t afraid of being loud or talkative enough for two, if yuh ever need me to speak up
for yuh, just say…er, write the word!”
Senna quietly giggled, noticing that the more excitable Lyra became, the more of a twang filled her voice. It was rather endearing and wasn’t something she’d ordinarily take the time to notice in another person. It had only been a few short minutes, but she felt relieved to see her classmates seemed like sincerely kind people.
A bell rang through the school, likely some kind of spell as Senna couldn’t see any speakers like in a modern school building. Almost on perfect cue, the door to the classroom swung open, and three professors walked into the room. Leading the group was Zyrn, his demeanor rather jovial and carefree as he waved at the four students.
The next one to enter behind him was a thin Qu’Len woman that was a head taller than Senna with a pair of porcelain white antlers emerging from her scalp facing down and back, with deer-like ears occasionally twitching. Her hair was a rich maroon with several striking gold highlights scattered through the front. Warm sepia eyes inquisitively scanned the students in the room, as if assessing each one.
Lastly, taking up the rear, was a Dwarf man with a chest length raven colored beard and braided hair to match that reached beyond his shoulders. He was built rather sturdily as Senna would expect of a Dwarf, but she was caught off guard by the cool icy eyes peering through each of them.
As the door gently swung shut behind them, Zyrn stepped forward to greet the class.
“Welcome new students! I’m professor Zyrn Ci’er. I’ve been teaching academics here at Brydelgard for about sixty years. I’m especially fond of working in smaller settings with students who may have different needs or require more time one on one with a professor. Both our city and the academy don’t believe that education should be one size fits all for the incredibly diverse student body that society has to offer us.”
Giving the students a moment to absorb the sentiment, he continued. “Each of you is more than qualified to be here and have the same opportunities as everyone else. However, things beyond your control have placed challenges on each one of you that could’ve otherwise denied you this opportunity. Some would say these inequalities are a part of life and that ‘life isn’t fair,’ but I think that’s a cop out for weak people who benefit from keeping the playing field imbalanced. So long as you enter this classroom with a genuine desire to learn, I will bend over backwards to work with you towards your goals.”
Professor Ci'er paused for a moment to look around the room before continuing.
“But! That’s enough rambling from me! I’ll let the other instructors introduce themselves.”
The dwarf man cleared his throat, stepping forward. “Professor Ci’er and I see eye to eye on that matter. Anyways, my name is Melchior Scarletforge, I hail from the Brenziah Hills in the southeast. My family line made various arms for the noble family that owns the land, back when they were still just Brens. I’ll be your weapons and combat instructor. For those of you here who want weapons and martial training, I’ll be yer man.”
Both men turned towards the woman that had accompanied them. She was staring longingly out the windows at the path beside the building as the sunlight lit up hair.
“Um… Eris?” Zyrn asked as politely as he could muster.
“Oh!” The woman spun around in place, a dreamy look washing away from her eyes. “Is it my turn already?”
Chuckling, Zyrn nodded while Melchior scoffed.
“Well then, my name is Eris Linhardt. I’m a Qu’Len from the Thornbriar clan in the plains north of the kingdom. I was a natural at the shamanic magic native to my people but was dazzled by different schools of magic that travelers possessed and came to Enzen to learn more about every school of magic I could. I’ll be your tutor in all things related to spellcasting! I’m especially excited because I understand that one of you has never cast a spell before!”
As the other three students looked between each other, Lyra and Zoval let out whispers of shock about how someone could be so completely unfamiliar with magic.
Zyrn raised a hand to politely hush the pair, before speaking once more..
“Indeed, Miss Linhardt is a savant when it comes to learning new forms of magic. She could easily be amongst the nation’s leading mages, but she prefers a humbler life of teaching.”
“I don’t know about that… but I do think it’s more fulfilling to serve the interests of the common person over the curiosities of scholars who can’t see beyond their own nose.”
Another awkward chuckle fell from Zyrn’s lips before continuing.
“With that said, why don’t each of you introduce yourselves!”
Ah yes, the worst part of school. Being perceived. Senna was about to raise her hand to go first, but Zoval beat her to the punch.
“Hey everyone, the name’s Zoval Celestin. My family are a ranch family from just outside the city walls, and outside of school I help them with herding and shearing sheep. I’ve wanted to learn how to be a caster and get formal martial training, but I suffer from Mana Rage, so that’s a bit of a tough one for me. Brydelgard told my family they’d help me learn to overcome the condition, so I thought I’d give it a try!”
Zyrn smiled and gave a small bow to Zoval. Giving Senna a subtle glance, he spoke.
“For those who may not know, Mana Rage is a condition where the body either can’t properly regulate how much mana it focuses into a spell. It can turn mundane spells volatile and leave the caster far more fatigued than they should be.”
“You’d be surprised at how much barrier magic can make herdin’ sheep easier, but after I accidentally launched a ram thirty feet, I was banned from casting anymore spells.”
Melchior nearly choked on a flask of water he took off his belt, while Eris looked on with great curiosity at the boy’s woes.
“Oh, and my friends at the ranch call me ‘Zo’, so feel free to call me that!”
Sitting back down, Zyrn mouthed a ‘thank you’ at the boy before eagerly awaiting the next student. A small sigh escaped Beryl, as they stood up and began scrawling their magical subtitles.
I AM BERYL VELDT. I HAVE TROUBLE SPEAKING SO I WANT TO LEARN SPELLCASTING WITH HAND SIGNS. YOU ALL SEEM LOVELY.
Eris’ eyes were practically shining with an eager zest at two students that had precarious situations with magic. Senna couldn’t tell if she was truly that excited over helping students learn the casting arts, or if she was excited about a challenge.
In harmony with Beryl sitting, Senna slowly rose to her feet.
“H-hi…” She stared at her feet and took a deep breath before raising her eyes to meet the others in the room.
“I’m Senna Lorenz. I was a victim of the sleeping sickness from Eryx, so I’ve been asleep for the last six years. I only recently awoke a little over four months ago with no memories of my life before the sickness. I’ve been spending the entire summer learning how to read and write, so please be patient with me, I’m really trying my best.”
The entire room fell silent, enough so that a pin falling to the floor could’ve been heard. Six pairs of eyes were on her, their faces a mix of pity, sadness, and surprise. Senna’s eyes watered, embarrassment rising even though there was nothing to be ashamed of.
She hated it. The feeling of transfixed stares. The tension of silence. Not knowing what they were all thinking.
“I also seem to be a summoner. I don’t even know where to begin with harnessing that power, but I’d love to learn how to use a sword, too.”
Each of the teachers sensed Senna’s discomfort and immediately leapt to her aid.
“A spear is a beginner’s tool for a casual soldier, but a sword is where our spirits shine, lass. I’ll gladly have you swinging with the best of ‘em!”
“I have NEVER gotten to work with a student who can summon! Zyrn this class is going to be INCREDIBLE”
There was practically fire in Eris’ eyes at this point, pumping a fist in excitement as Zyrn tried to calm her down. Zoval nodded thoughtfully at Senna as Beryl wrote more words in the air.
I APOLOGIZE, I DIDN’T KNOW. I WILL KEEP SENTENCES SIMPLE TO HELP.
Although most of their face was obscured, Beryl had a shine in their eyes that seemed to be hiding a smile. Senna mouthed words of thanks in return, smiling at the sincere kindness. Senna mentally wiped the sweat from her brow, wanting to thank the teachers for stepping in as she took a seat. Lyra in turn rose to her feet, striking a pose as she introduced herself.
“The name’s Lyra Delsen! I’m already ahead of the curve for my age with casting, but I’m kinda.. uh… I’m not great with books. The words get jumbled in my head as I read and due to a condition I’ve had since I was a kid, I can get winded real easy. I’ve been told that with physical therapy and certain potions, I can manage it, so that’s what I’m here for!”
Melchior folded his arms and nodded.
“I can be patient with yuh, lass. Zyrn and I dabble in alchemy quite a bit together, we’ll be sure to have you hit the ground runnin’!”
With the introductions done, Zyrn clapped his hands together. “Thank you all for feeling comfortable enough to share why you’re in this class. It takes bravery to be open to strangers, let alone many people don’t make time for those in more difficult circumstances. Today we’ll keep lessons simple and form long term goals for each of you, as well as figure out getting weapons and texts you’ll need for this school year.”
Her eyes dried and the knot in her stomach untying itself, Senna smiled to herself. In the depths of her soul, she knew this academy would become a home away from home.
