Chapter 1: The Crimson Witch and Forbidden Expectation
Aethelgard Imperial Academy was like a second heart beating in the center of the Empire.
Calling it just a school would be underestimating this massive structure; this place was a sovereign city in itself, surrounded by walls.
Mana barriers swirling around the ivory towers piercing the sky shone like iridescent soap bubbles in the morning sun.
In the northern wing of the academy lay the forbidden zone known as the "Whispering Forest," filled with century-old trees stretching to the horizon.
In the south lay the Trade Square, functioning like a beehive where all kinds of shops, from alchemists to magical weapon merchants meeting the students' needs, were located.
The massive training grounds were as vast as if they were the battlefields of ancient giants; the soil was blended with sweat and magic residue spilled for thousands of years.
This was the place where dreams were both born and brutally crushed. And today was the day those dreams would be weighed.
In the room on the third floor of the girls' dormitory, the first lights of the morning glided in, dancing with dust particles.
Alicia Emberlune was sitting on the edge of her bed. She took a deep breath. In the silence of the room, she could only hear her own heartbeat.
She stood up and reached for the uniform that would change her life today.
She started putting on her underwear first. Her movements were slow and careful as she placed her delicate lace bra over her breasts; she felt a slight shiver on her skin as she clasped it behind her back.
Her reflection in the mirror was pale, but her body was fit and firm enough to bear the traces of the harsh training she had received.
Then, she slipped on her snow-white shirt. Her fingers trembled slightly as she buttoned it up one by one.
Each button snapped into place with a seriousness as if she were donning armor.
It was time for the dark navy blue, pleated skirt. A rustling sound echoed as she slowly slid the skirt up her legs, the fabric brushing against her smooth thighs.
When she zipped it up at the small of her back, the skirt tightly embraced her thin waist and perfectly accentuated the roundness of her hips.
For the final touch, she sat on the edge of the bed and parted her legs slightly. She slowly pulled her black, silky-textured long socks up from her toes.
From her ankles to her shapely calves, and from there over her knees. When the lace elastic part of the socks gently squeezed and gripped the soft flesh just above her knees, the perfect school uniform revealing the smoothness and length of her legs was complete.
She stood in front of the full-length mirror.
The image she saw was the visage the empire hated. Her hair, red as blood and vivid as fire, reaching down to her waist, cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall. And those eyes... Deep, ocean blue eyes.
Alicia raised her hand and gently fixed the bangs falling on her forehead with her fingertips.
As she tucked her hair behind her ear, she caught that expression in her eyes: Fear. And excitement.
Suddenly, she raised both hands and slapped her own cheeks hard.
"SLAP!"
The pinkness appearing on her cheeks brought life to her pale face. She pointed a finger at her reflection in the mirror. "No matter what happens today..." she whispered, her voice determined. "Today I will make everyone shut their stupid mouths. Get ready to be surprised."
She put on that fake but flawless cheerful mask she had worn for years.
Her lips curled up, the blueness in her eyes shone even brighter. When she opened the door and stepped into the corridor, Alicia was no longer just a student, but an actress preparing to take the stage.
The air in the Academy today was tense like the calm before an electrically charged storm.
The hum in the corridors was louder than usual. Because today was "Soul Bond Day", where the fate of the first-year students would be determined.
In this world, every individual possessing mana veins had the right to summon an entity that resonated with the depths of their soul, a "Contracted Beast," only once in their life.
This was not a lottery; it was the embodiment of one's potential, soul, and destiny.
The vast majority of students would return with creatures of average strength, ranked C or D. These were reliable, functional, but ordinary beings.
However, everyone's mind was on the extremes. On one side, S Rank and above (EX) divine beings, heard only in legends, possessing the power to bring empires to their knees single-handedly. This meant infinite potential.
On the other side... F Rank. The symbol of shame, inadequacy, and despair. Entities even more dysfunctional than a slug. Ironically, summoning an F Rank beast was a lower probability than summoning an EX Rank beast. F Rank was the universe's way of saying "You are nothing."
Alicia's steps were confident as she walked on the cobblestone path leading to the main building. Her skirt waved slightly in the wind, her red hair billowing behind her. However, the world around her was filled with a darkness contrasting this joy.
The crowd parted as she approached. But this stemmed not from respect shown to a princess, but from fleeing a plague patient.
"Look at that..." whispered a noble student standing on the side, nudging his friend. "How can she walk with her head held high without shame?"
"What do you expect?" the other replied, grimacing. "She is an Emberlune. That cursed Witch blood flows in her veins. Treason is ingrained in her genes."
Alicia pretended not to hear these whispers, but every word was like a thin needle stabbing her heart. Her family... The most rooted but most hated lineage of the Empire.
Her family, hunted for centuries for being "Witches," and finally executed on charges of treason against the empire. Alicia was the last leaf of that bloody history. There was only one thing she learned while growing up between the cold walls of the orphanage: If you are weak, you are just a target.
A female student deliberately raised her voice as Alicia passed: "I hope she summons a demon in the ritual so the temple knights cleanse her right there. She is polluting the air of our school."
Alicia did not pause. Her blue eyes continued to shine like a lighthouse in the middle of this sea of hate.
She lifted her chin a bit higher. Although people looking at her with disgust made her nauseous, she did not reflect this outwardly.
Look, she thought to herself. Look at me with disgust. Because even I will be more surprised than all of you by what you are about to see.
When she reached the door of her classroom, the noise coming from inside ceased. All eyes turned to the red-haired girl at the door, the last representative of her lineage. Alicia stepped into the classroom with that indestructible smile on her face.
The show was about to begin.