After completing preparations for something that might never happen, Eyslan advanced to the library. He approached the counter, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted by the librarian—a man with an angular face and a slightly confused look.
"Are you already disobeying direct orders?" he asked dryl
Eyslan responded immediately, his tone firm and his expression neutra
"I was on the train that got stuck in the Cavens region. I hitched a ride on a makeshift carriage. I think that excuse is good enough. And, to be fair, there was no formal announcement telling me to find a teacher today. Classes don't start until tomorrow. If I punished myself for that, it would be an act unworthy of an institution like this."
The librarian, faced with the explanation and the incisive way the boy had already defended himself—as if anticipating an accusation from the Academy—simply sighed. Without saying a word, he picked up a small glass orb and placed it against Eislan's will, before the boy could launch into another barrage of arguments.
"There. Now the communications will come directly to your communication orb
The orb began to float around Eyslan's head. Without hesitation, he grabbed it. Although it seemed trivial, the librarian had no explanation for how to use it. Even so, based on logic and visual instructions, Eislan deduced its functions: receiving general communications, accessing contacts from campus departments, adding classmates, professors, and Academy staf
As he scanned the orb's initial contents, he noticed the first message: **"Introduce yourself to your classmates. They're meeting in the library."** Then came a note: **"All freshmen arrived two days ago."** In other words, he was a full day late.
Wasting no time, he headed to the indicated table. There, a group of distinctly unusual students stared at each other like predators trying to identify the stronges
One of them had spiky hair, as if struck by lightning. On his arms, electrical marks ran across his skin—either his body was attuned to the element of lightning, or he possessed a special magical lineage.
Beside her, a pink-haired girl wore a partially zipped blazer with a discreet emblem on her chest: a stone wing, the symbol of the Magic Defense Forces. The air around her seemed to vibrate with instability.
Ahead of her, a robust young man—probably from a warrior lineage—carried a sword at his hip, indicating he was already an initiate or apprentice knigh
Beside the warrior, a girl with thick green hair slept on the table. Small flowers grew naturally among her strands. Probably a dryad—or at least a direct descendant of one.
In the corner, alone, a boy wore a black cloak over his blue academy uniform. His eyes conveyed a kind of opaque, dense energy. From his style, he seemed to belong to a coven—as some scholars prefer to call it, a "traditionalist," someone with ancient practices who isolate their emotions to achieve greater magical performance.
There was an empty chai
Eyslan sat down naturally and sai
"My name is Eyslan Brata. I'm also a first-year. The train I was on had problems, so I arrived late. I was born in the observation cities of the Sea Kingdom—more specifically, in 1-A, where the general command of these structures is located. The orb told me to introduce myself and sit here. I don't want to interrupt anyone, so feel free to continue."
At his words, an unexpected smile appeared on the green-haired girl's face. She lifted her head.
"My name is Dia Volten
Eyslan's eyes widened at the last nam
She added, without waiting for a questio
"Yes, my father is Nalos Volten. The madman who fell in love with a dryad from her family's magical forests... and actually managed to make her fall in love with him. Through sheer persistence
She smiled, as if expecting surprise or admiration, but what she heard wa
"How unfortunate..."
The tone was light, almost amused. Eislan continued:
"I should have assumed. The chances of people with unpredictable histories being at this school are extremely high. I already suspected you were from the magical forests of the World Tree. You have that trait... of flowers in your hair. And... sorry for my words
With that, the competitive tension between the group dissolve
Everyone returned to their books, except Dia, who pulled up the chair next to Eislan. She watched him silently—and then, to everyone's surprise, sat on his la
Even more surprising: Eislan didn't react.
The warrior-like boy stood up, in a defensive stance, and his eyes turned to Eisla
"What are you doing
"So you're not completely disconnected from the real world," the sword-wielding boy muttere
Eislan sighed and said, looking at Di
"I find that a bit... indecent. Don't you think
She replied with a wry smil
"I was literally born because my father's fetish for dryads was so strong it became reality. He even threatened to cut down the tree where my mother and uncles lived. The family elders had to intervene to stop him. They say he used the famous "unshakable spirit of the Volten" to continue his courtship
Eyslan paused and replie
"Very informative... but I don't think I want to be a trailblazer like him
He looked at the sword-wielding boy, his gaze pleading for hel
The boy understood. Gently, he lifted Dia from Eislan's lap, as if she were a cat, and placed her back in the chair. Then he exchanged a clear look with him: "You owe me
Everyone returned to their readin
The library fell silent again—but Eislan's presence, at that moment, was already noticeabl
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