bang bang bang! Belle hears as the first sounds of the day startling her awake. Still in a daze she looks around an unfamiliar room. Her desk, usually filled with flimsy pieces of paper, was replaced by a large circular alcove with a wide open window.
Bang bang bang! The sound sound rung out again this time followed by a familiar yet unrecognizable voice.
"Am sorry for banging on your door so hard but there's an assembly happening in a few minutes and I thought we could go together?" the voice asked from beyond the door.
"Oh yeah that's right." Belle responded as the fog finally lifted from her brain. She was sleeping in one the Avril academy's dorm rooms after having arrived the night before.
Outside the window groups of people were all headed towards the assembly hall, laughing amongst themselves as they did.
on the other side of the door Mara stood fidgeting as she wondered how Belle would react to her being there considering she didn't seem to recognize her voice. Whether she would hate her, ignore her or maybe even hit her. Any one of those reactions would be completely fair but she hoped that she would get a chance to apologize beforehand.
A few moments later Belle stepped out into the hallway and froze as she saw Mara standing right in front of her.
"oh! It was you." she said in surprise as she closed the door behind her shut. Her last meeting with Mara was less than a Steller experience so Belle wasn't really eager to follow her anywhere. "I know my way from here so..."
"Am sorry for what I did last time we talked." Mara blurted out as Belle attempted to make a quick exit then without even waiting for a reply she continued.
"I really didn't want to do that to you but August threatened me and I know that doesn't make it any better but I still just really really wanted to apologize."
"...." Belle was stunned. A part of her really wanted to believe that Mara was truly sorry about everything that happened that day but another, less optimistic side of her was sure that this was another trick.
"Well." Mara asked as Belle as she continued to remain silent.
"I don't think I an forgive you." Belle finally answered to Mara's disappointment.
"I... I understand." she turned around dejected but understanding of Belles response When Belle called back to her
"I don't think I can forgive you but you might be able to make it up to me later if we became friends."
Mara rushed to hug Belle, happy that she was being given a chance to make it up to her. "I will definitely make to up to you I promise, thank you!"
At the assembly Belle and Mara made small talk while teacher after teacher came up discussing topics ranging from a new curriculum to the route and plan they would all be using when going to the capital. they also explained that for the week until departure to the capital no classes would be mandatory meaning students were free to roam as they wished. Then finally principal Modi took up the pedestal.
He first got everyone's attention with loud clap before straightening his tie and beginning. "This is an unprecedented situation we now find ourselves in today with war and conflicts emerging in all directions." His voice was calm yet imposing instilling in everyone the severity of the situation.
"But even in times like this, I, as principal of this academy promise to put my life on the line to ensure the safety of each and every one of you."
the ha erupted in buts of clapping in cheers as Modi concluded his speech and with it the assembly after which Mara left saying she had something important she had to tend to leaving Belle aimlessly walking around compass peaking into lectures until she came across principle Modi having what appeared to be a serious conversation with a man.
"Speak of the devil." He said as he said Belle approached him. "This is professor Vance, he's teaching intermediate fire this year and I just convinced him to accept you as a new student."
"oh I would love too but wait, did you say intermediate" Belle asked confused as she just assumed she would naturally start with the beginner class.
"intermediate yes." Principal Modi said confidently before professor Vance chimed in.
"The intermediate class might seem a bit daunting now since you just recently awakened your magic but principal Modi has spoken highly of your potential. So how about it, will you be joining my class?"
"Can I think about it a little more?" Belle responded deciding this decision needed a little more thought.
Principle Modi and Vance shared a look for a moment before principle Modi stepped forward and with a hand on Belles shoulder began to talk.
"Take all the time you want to think about it but if at any point you decide to attend his lessons they're held in the fire departments third training hall."
Later as Belle was roaming around she wound up at a universal training hall where some duals were being conducted.
One combatant was girl with light blue hair wielding a trident made entirely out of ice. with every swing her trident froze the air around while also sending a torrent of ice spikes outwards anytime it made contact with the ground creating an aura of mist around her as the fight progressed.
Her opponent, a boy with long and brown curly hair circled the girl slowly while three semi transparent hawks, his soul fragments, attacked the girl with invisible blades of wind.
As the fight drew on the girls stamina drew thin and her opponent noticing this rushed in attacking her with his hawks until she was pushed all the way to the edge of the arena. Then in an instant the boys hawks disappeared and the air in the training hall pulled towards the arena converging before the boy forming of a giant hawk twice his size.
Along with the size the speed and power of the hawk had also increased evident by how it immediately charged at the girl sending her flying out of the arena and into the watching crowd where she was caught, marking a win for the boy and his hawk.
the next five or so matches followed the same format of one command user verses one soul user with the soul users winning about sixty percent of the time. The few command users that did win usually did so by wide area moves attacking both the soul and the person at the same time.
eventually after a few more matches a professor stepped up into the ring. As he began to talk many of the scattered students began to converge until the professor had quite the crowd.
"For those of you who joined us just as the sparring matches concluded or those who weren't listening the first time I explained this todays class was about the advantages and disadvantages in combat that come with the two different types of magic. Namely the speed disadvantage command users face and the power disadvantage soul users face."
"To remedy these disadvantages you all will have to play to your strong suits based on your individual elements and push any advantages you see. to demonstrate what I mean lets get Ain up here."
At the professors request a blue haired boy with what looked to be a blue tiger cub resting on is his shoulder stepped up into the ring looking quite disinterested at being picked on. He was fairly short in stature but all the same exuded an aura of certainty that Belle hadn't seen in any of the sparring matches thus far.
"okay and would a command user like to volunteer." The professor asked the crowd to a jarring silence. "come on anyone will do."
The crowd about shifted awkwardly as the professor continued trying to convince just one person to volunteer until The professors eyes met Belle's. "You there with the black hair and purple eyes, I've never seen you before, come up and introduce yourself."
Awkwardly Belle went up into the ring introducing her self by her name, age, as well as what element and type of magic she used.
"Okay Belle go over there." The professor said gesturing to the side of the arena farthest from where Ain was standing. "Now on the count of three I want the both of you to fire your strongest magic at each other don't hold back.
"Sir are you sure she can handle this." Ain asked while summoning two larger tigers. " don't want to be responsible if she gets hurt."
"I'll live!" Belle found herself shouting from across the arena. "But I'll need something like a sword to concentrate my magic with if I want t give it my all." Belle had found during through practice that using a weapon as a medium for mana allowed her to use more concentrated attacks although Lucas had thoroughly discouraged reliance on such methods.
"that's the spirit Belle." The professor said excitedly as he armed her with a training sword. "okay now, at the count of three I want you both to give it your all."
"Got it." Belle said enthusiastically trying to hype herself up.
"Yeah yeah yeah lets just get this over with."
"One two... Three."
On three Belle channeled all the mana she could muster into the edge of her sword and with a swing she sent a horizontal blade of flame forward where it instantly collided with a ball of lightening from Ain exploding right in Belle's face blinding her for a moment.
When her eyesight finally returned the professor was standing in front of Belle, his outstretched hand slightly burned from blocking the explosion. "As you just saw miss Belle's attack hadn't even made it close to half way before it made impact with Ain's." He began to explain wandering around the crater left by the explosion. "But even though Ain was faster at casting Belle's magic was still stronger."
He pointed to the wall behind Ain where a slash shaped impact crater was left as a result of Belles slash making it through the clash. The impact was slightly off center from where Belle had Been aiming either because the clash had knocked it off course or Ain himself deflected it.
"Thank you for your demonstration Ain, Belle, You can go back into the crowd now.
later that day during lunch Belle walked into the cafeteria food tray in one hand set of utensils in the other. She scanned all the surrounding seats looking for what would be the quietest place to eat when a group in the far corner of the cafeteria caught her eye.
Among this group was the boy and girl from the first duel she had witnessed earlier sitting together arguing about something and across from them were Ain, still as aloof as when she last saw him, and Mara who was laughing at the bickering pair when she spotted Belle.
"Belle!!!" She shouted as she rushed and grabbed her food tray, placing it on the seat next to hers. "Come on and join us."
"OH, umm okay, thank you." Belle said, unsure of if she could really just join a friend group that easily.
The arguing pair quit their bickering as Belle and Mara approached arm outstretched. "Hey you're the girl from before right, my names Alex Morrow this is Caitlyn Moore." Caitlyn waved as she was introduced. "And you already Know Ain over here, Ain Elphid."
"You guys Met before." Mara asked while she and Belle sat down.
"Just once during some sparring matches their class was having but yeah we met."
"Wait you attended the gold class and during their sparring matches that's insane." Mara exclaimed as she heard where Belle had met everyone. "Wait did you actually spar wit them?
For context classes in Greysha were separated into three classes, Bronze, The lowest out of the three reserved for the untalented or the unruly. silver, for all the regular unremarkable students who were somewhat capable and gold. Reserved for the best of the best the truly one in a million talents of the country that were destined for greatness or at least that's what was always spouted out by the Greysha royal family
Belle and Mara were both place in the silver class, Belle with her fathers connections and Mara out of her own natural talent. "I wouldn't have called it much of a spar with how badly I lost."
"Hey you did better than most do when they go against Ain." Caitlyn said trying to lift Belle's spirit to a resounding failure.
"Honestly she's right though the last guy that fought Ain got completely laid out before the professor could even intervene. That's actually why no one wanted to volunteer."
Off in the distance a bell rang out across the school signifying the end of lunch and the beginning of the next session of classes. Alex Caitlyn and Ain immediately got up and rushed out of the cafeteria taking abut how the the professor they had next was a pain to deal with whenever they were late.
"you ditching again." Mara asked Belle as they were leaving
"Yeah am gonna be researching something in the library."
"I'll come check on you later then."
Later in the library Belle was browsing through the all the ancient history books she could find still looking for any information related to calamities. reading through all the books regarding ancient history she could find she wound up at dead end after dead end. She was going through her twelfth world history book when one of the librarians passed by her rolling a cart full of books.
For some odd reason she couldn't explain Belle there was something within that cart that she needed to read. It took some persuading but after promising to take the book cart to collections Belle was able to rummage through it freely.
The cart consisted mostly of normal school material Belle had already in her day to day classes leaving only three books that seemed useful.
one book was a guide book by the title of original flame. "Looks old as hell." Belle thought to herself as she opened the book and one of its pages fell out onto the ground. she picked the page up off the floor and stuffed it and the book into her bag for later. might as well she thought.
The last two books were both novels from the same series the first titled seats of ruin: book 6. The cover of one illustrated a king wielding a spear as if it were a cane as he overlooked the aftermath of a bloody battle from which he was the only survivor. The book itself looked immaculately well maintained, the black metal that lined it's edges gleaming faintly as belle examined it.
the last book, seats of ruin: book 7 was pristine as well, lining its edges was a scarlet crystal looking material. The cover itself had a large blue pond, in the middle of which was a young girl reaching out with one hand from beneath the ponds calm waters, a few bubbles of air escaping her mouth as she did.
Interesting, Belle thought to herself as she opened the book to the first chapter of the book.
After a few hours of switching between the three books in her possession, Belle having decided that she had had enough of being alone and wandered over to her class room. Half the class was empty filled only with the most diligent of students and now Belle.
She took a seat besides Mara who was so intently focused on the lecture that she didn't even notice Belles presence. Belle respected her dedication to the class and left her be.
The rest of the day went by in a flash as Belle accompanied Mara to supper before calling it a night the entire week following that was a mash of routine. wake up, attend a lecture, lunch with friends lecture again supper sleep and repeat until Saturday morning finally arrived the day Belle would finally be taking her rank assessment exam.