Waking up as a prince was nice.
Waking up to a horn blast, magical alarms, and a floating schedule shouting "CLASS IN 10 MINUTES" at full volume?
Less nice.
I rolled out of bed, half-dressed and barely alive, and scrambled to slap on my uniform. The navy-blue coat shimmered with sky-blue trim, and a silver wing emblem pulsed softly over my chest. Apparently, this thing adjusted temperature and repaired itself with minor magic.
Useful, considering I was probably going to blow it up at some point.
---
House Zephyr Common Room – 7:52 AM
I sprinted into the common room and nearly collided with a girl doing yoga on a floating mat.
"Whoa—!"
She blinked up at me upside down. Silver-blonde hair. Calm, glacier-blue eyes. A cup of tea balanced on her foot.
"You must be Kian," she said serenely. "I'm Alexa. Princess of Frosthaven. Ice magic. Please don't trip."
"Uh, noted."
Another voice snorted nearby. "Late on day one? Prince or not, that's amateur."
I turned to see a boy with layered dark-blue hair, leaning against the balcony. He wore gloves with blue gem cores.
"I'm Yuta," he said flatly. "Water magic. Try not to melt the school."
"I'll do my best," I muttered.
Then a familiar voice boomed from the stairwell. "Kian! My rival! You're awake!"
"Vinny—!"
He swung an arm around my shoulder, already in full uniform with his massive sword strapped across his back. "I'm saving you a seat in Combat Theory. If you sit next to anyone else, I'll be personally offended."
"Noted again…"
A girl stepped past us all, ponytail swishing and bow over her shoulder.
Aria.
"Don't slow us down, Flying Prince," she said with a smug grin. "Oh, and warm up after class. I booked the sparring ring."
"You're really not going to let that go, huh?"
She smirked. "Nope."
---
Imperial Magic Academy, Class 1S
The classroom was shaped like a dome, with floating rows of seats and a hovering blackboard that projected spells in midair.
I slid into a seat between a friendly-looking boy with glasses and a girl flipping through a flaming spellbook.
"You must be Kian!" the girl said brightly. She had red-gold eyes and a regal posture. "I'm Luna, your cousin from your mother's side. We met when we were two. You bit me."
"I—what? I did?!"
She grinned. "Don't worry. I bit back."
"...Good to know."
The boy offered a hand. "Sage. Baron's son. Strategy major, alchemy minor, sword enthusiast, tea addict."
"That's a lot of things."
"I multitask."
Behind us, someone cleared her throat.
I turned to see a tall, commanding girl with fiery auburn hair and eyes like molten gold.
"Astrid," she said curtly. "Your cousin. Father's side. Flame magic. Combat and leadership track."
"Cool," I said.
"No. Hot."
"...Right."
The teacher floated in—literally. He was riding a cloud.
"Welcome, Class 1S! The S stands for 'Special,' 'Superior,' and 'Scandalous'—because we'll break a few rules this year!"
Half the class looked nervous.
The other half looked excited.
I… just wanted breakfast.
---
After Class – The Duel Arena
"Do I really have to do this?" I groaned as Aria dragged me to the dueling platform.
"Yup. You broke the orb, you show us what you've got."
"But it was an accident!"
"Sure. And I accidentally scheduled this duel."
The duel arena was a circular floating ring surrounded by cheering students. Magic barriers shimmered along the edge.
Aria stepped in with a confident flourish, drawing her wind-etched bow.
I stepped in holding… nothing.
"Begin!" shouted the referee.
Aria fired an arrow—and it turned into a mini tornado.
"Whoa—!"
I panicked and summoned a wall of ice. The arrow shattered harmlessly, but the wind backlash slammed into the barrier—and then into the audience.
Students screamed as papers, hats, and one unlucky professor went flying.
"Oops," Aria said.
"You call that a warm-up?!" Vinny roared from the stands.
"Oh please, like you could've done better!" Aria shot back.
I sighed and turned to the crowd. "Sorry! Newbie here!"
Then, I lost my balance and accidentally summoned water under my feet.
Which froze.
I slipped, fell flat on my back, and the barrier shattered into sparkles.
Everyone went silent.
Then erupted into laughter.
"…Well," I wheezed. "That went great."
---
Later – Rooftop of House Zephyr
That night, I sat with Sage, Luna, and Astrid watching the stars. The city lights from floating islands shimmered far below.
"So," Sage said. "First day thoughts?"
"I'm overpowered and undertrained," I said. "Also I slipped on my own spell and got publicly humiliated."
Luna giggled. "You'll fit in perfectly."
Astrid crossed her arms. "Don't slack. You have the potential to lead armies, not comedy shows."
"Maybe both?" I offered.
The wind shifted. Aria landed beside us, gliding in on a gust of air.
"You did okay, Flying Prince."
"Just okay?"
"You froze your feet, got flattened by a tornado, and made half the professors panic. That's legendary."
"I'll take it."
---
Far Below the Academy…
Deep underground, in a sealed chamber lined with forgotten runes, something shifted.
The crystal at the center of the seal pulsed once. Then again.
The Demon Emperor stirred.
And far above, in the academy, Kian Everveil sneezed.
"Someone's talking about me," he muttered.
Sage nodded. "Probably everyone."