The last bit of daylight had drained away, leaving a muted orange glow outside the window by the time they were done cleaning.
The room wasn't perfect, but at least it didn't feel like a disaster zone anymore. Clothes were either folded or stacked in a somewhat neat pile. Books were back on the shelves, and you could actually see the floor again.
Acarme collapsed onto his bed with a loud groan.
Jeez... I forgot I owned so much stuff.
Garry perched on the edge of his bed, rolling his shoulders to ease the tension. Do you forget things often?
Acarme glanced at him. You'll see. This place has a way of making you forget.
A brief, tired silence settled between them. It wasn't uncomfortable, just heavy with exhaustion.
So, Garry said, breaking the quiet, you said you got here last year.
Yep, Acarme replied, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
But you're still a first-year?
Mm-hmm.
Garry hesitated. Did you... not pass?
Acarme turned his head to look at him. Then he started to laugh.
Happens to most of us.
Garry frowned slightly. Really?
Arcaseic doesn't care how long you've been around, Acarme said. A year here isn't like a year anywhere else. You don't just automatically move to the next level because time went by.
Then how do you advance?
Points.
Garry blinked. Points?
Acarme nodded. Everything you do gets counted. Or taken away.
That sounds... Garry searched for the right word. Kind of complicated.
It is, Acarme said casually. And exhausting.
He sat up, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
The way it works, he continued, is that each year has a point requirement. To go from first to second year, you need ten thousand points.
Garry's eyes widened. Ten thousand?
That's what I said, Acarme said. Second year needs forty thousand. Third year is even higher.
How does anyone get that many?
Most don't, Acarme replied. That's why people repeat years. Or drop out.
Garry was quiet for a moment. So how do you get points?
Acarme started counting on his fingers.
Attendance, he said. Barely gives you anything. Five to ten points per class.
That's... nothing.
Exactly, Acarme said. But if you skip too many, you lose points.
What about how you act?
It depends, Acarme shrugged. Follow the rules, don't make trouble—you get a few points. Break the rules? You lose way more than you could ever get.
What about fighting? Garry asked.
Acarme smiled slightly. That's where you get most of your points.
How many?
Two hundred if you lose, Acarme said. Up to a thousand if you win.
Garry frowned. Even if you lose?
If you put in the effort, Acarme nodded. If you get beat in five seconds, you get nothing.
So strength matters.
Effort matters more, Acarme corrected. Strength just helps you show that effort faster.
Garry took that in.
What about tests? he asked.
Special ones, Acarme replied. Not often. Hard. Big reward. Big risk.
How big?
Acarme tilted his head. A few thousand points.
Garry exhaled slowly. No wonder you didn't pass.
Acarme snorted. Hey. That's not nice.
But it's true, he added after a moment.
They were quiet again.
After a while, Garry spoke. The student council head... Liluous Kart.
Yeah?
She's a third-year. But she looks like she's our age.
She is, Acarme said. Seventeen. Maybe eighteen.
Garry looked at him sharply. Then how—
She got through first and second year in a single year each, Acarme said. She's talented. Really disciplined.
He hesitated. There's also a rumor.
What's the rumor?
That she's the daughter of an important spell caster, Acarme said. A really strong one.
Is it true?
Acarme shrugged. Who knows? Doesn't matter anyway. She earned her points.
Garry nodded slowly.
After a moment, he asked, So... about magic.
Acarme grinned. Finally.
At the welcome event, Garry said, they said picking an element wakes up your core.
Right, Acarme said. The element isn't really what matters. It's your core that does.
So once I learn Earth, I can learn everything else?
Acarme laughed.
No way.
Garry blinked. Oh.
Learning just one element is hard enough, Acarme said. There are maybe fifty students here who've completely mastered their core.
That's not many.
Nope.
So what about other elements?
It's doable, Acarme said. If your core gets strong enough.
And a third?
Acarme's expression turned serious. Bad idea.
How bad?
Core problems, he replied. You get stuck. You get hurt. Some people don't get better.
Garry swallowed. So people don't try?
Some do, Acarme said. Most wish they hadn't.
What about how they work together? Garry asked. Are some elements better than others?
They're all different, Acarme said. They're part of the same world, but they don't always get along.
He thought for a moment. Earth has issues with Water. Fire has issues with Earth. Water has issues with Fire. Air has issues with Water.
So what's your core?
Air, Acarme said. Still working on learning it.
But you can use Fire.
A little, he nodded. Enough to do some stuff. Not enough to be good at it.
Garry leaned back a little. This place is harder than I thought it would be.
Acarme smiled tiredly. Welcome to Arcaseic.
A bell rang somewhere outside.
Time for dinner.
Acarme stood up and stretched. Let's go. Food first. Worry later.
Garry stood too.
For the first time since he got here, the academy felt less scary.
Still hard.
But he could deal with it.
The dining hall was louder than Garry was ready for.
It wasn't a mess, just packed. Voices overlapped and bounced off the tall ceiling, making a constant noise that didn't stop. Rows of tables filled the big room, more than Garry could count. Students were already sitting at most of them, plates clattering, chairs scraping, and talking.
It's bigger than it looks, Acarme said next to him. Over a hundred tables.
Garry slowed down without thinking, looking around the hall.
Some tables were pretty quiet. A few tables were strangely silent, with everyone eating without talking and staring straight ahead. Some students had uniforms like his, but others had clothes that looked more fancy.
Do we just... sit anywhere? Garry asked.
Acarme nodded. If you're not dumb about it."
They picked up trays and got in line. The food was simple but a lot of it—warm bread, roasted meat, and veggies cooked with spices Garry didn't know. He took what they gave him without complaining.
When they got away from the counter, Acarme looked around the room and headed them toward an empty table on the side.
They barely put their trays down when they heard footsteps.
Garry looked up.
Four students were nearby.
Three guys and one girl.
The girl had light blonde hair that fell over her shoulders and sharp green eyes that looked at Garry and Acarme. One of the guys was wide and tall, taking up space. Dark hair. Brown eyes. The other two stayed close behind him.
Move, the big guy said.
He wasn't loud or angry.
Just sure of himself.
Garry frowned a little. Is there a reason—
Acarme touched his arm.
Let's go, Acarme said quietly.
Garry stopped what he was saying, then stood up. They grabbed their trays and moved to another table without saying anything else.
Only when they were sitting again—by themselves this time—did Garry speak.
Who was that? he asked.
Acarme didn't answer right away. He kept eating, chewing slowly, as if he thought about what to say.
Torrik Anntel, he said. Second year.
So? Garry asked.
So he's bad news, Acarme replied. And looking for something to do.
That doesn't sound like a reason.
It is here.
Garry looked back at the first table. Torrik hadn't even looked at them again.
Is he strong? Garry asked.
Strong enough, Acarme said. More importantly, he knows the right people.
Knows how?
Acarme shrugged. Family. Donors. Help. It doesn't matter. You don't cause trouble with people like that if you don't want to lose more than just points.
Garry looked down at his food. It tasted the same, but the hall felt different now.
They finished eating without anything else happening.
Later, as the noise got quieter and students started to leave, Acarme leaned back a little.
Classes start tomorrow, he said.
Garry nodded.
When they left the dining hall, the school hallways felt quieter. He could hear footsteps ahead and voices behind them.
Back in Room 409, Garry sat on his bed and took off his shoes. All the stuff that happened during the day hit him at once—traveling, the welcome event, waking up his magic, getting info, the noise.
Acarme dropped onto his bed with a happy sigh.
Get some sleep, he said. First classes are the worst.
Why?
Everyone thinks they're set, Acarme replied. And they're not.
Garry lay back and looked up at the ceiling.
The weight in his chest was still there.
Not moving.
Waiting.
He would find out what it wanted tomorrow.
...
Garry! Wake up!
Garry's eyes snapped open.
The room was way too bright. For a second, he just stared at the ceiling, totally lost. Then it hit him.
Morning.
Class.
He sat up fast, making the room spin. He grabbed for his uniform, his fingers all thumbs from sleep.
I'm up, he mumbled.
Acarme was by the door, already dressed and ready to go. He seemed totally cool.
You slept in, Acarme said.
Garry froze. How bad is it?
Acarme thought about it. Bad enough that you won't get a good seat. But the teacher's probably not there yet.
Not great, but not a total disaster.
Garry snatched his bag and bolted into the hall. Students were moving like they had somewhere to be, not running, just walking like they knew exactly where they were going.
That made him feel even worse.
He was breathing hard when he got to the classroom.
The door was open.
Every seat was taken.
The room was filled with chatter and the sound of chairs moving. Garry hung back, feeling like everyone was staring at him.
The teacher wasn't there!
He felt a little better.
He slipped inside, checking for a spot. He saw a tiny space in the middle between two students.
He hurried over, apologized, and sat down.
To his left was a boy with light blue hair and eyes. On his right, a girl with red hair and black eyes sat straight up, not showing any feelings.
No one said anything.
Garry didn't either.
A few minutes went by.
Then the door opened.
The room went quiet right away.
A man walked in, holding a book. He wasn't tall or strong. His robes were simple, and he looked kind, but there was something about him that made everyone pay attention.
Good morning, he said kindly. Thank you for waiting.
He put the book on the desk.
My name is Boliclader Bhola, he said. I'll be your homeroom teacher.
He looked around the class, not mean or judgmental, just watching.
I know you're all wanting to learn magic, he said. But before we get to spells, we need to talk about what magic is.
He held up his hand.
A small shimmer appeared above his hand, so small Garry almost missed it.
Magic isn't just power, Boliclader said. It's how you connect.
Garry leaned back a bit.
He'd heard this before.
When you picked an element yesterday, the teacher went on, you weren't picking strength. You were waking up your core.
A student raised his hand.
Sir, what's a core?
Boliclader smiled. He knew that was coming.
The core is where magic flows. It changes how you change the world, and how the world changes you.
So the element and the core are the same? another student asked.
Not really, Boliclader said. The element is what your core is like. It's the way it grows.
He moved his hand.
Earth is about strength and being steady.
Water is about changing and moving.
Fire is about changing and meaning.
Air is about seeing and being free.
Garry yawned.
Acarme had said this almost the same way last night, just faster.
These elements are different, Boliclader said, but they're all related. They're all part of the same world.
A girl raised her hand. If they're related, can one element become another?
No, Boliclader said. A mountain can't become a river. Fire can't become wind. They all need each other.
Another student leaned forward. So why not learn all of them?
Boliclader nodded. You could, in theory.
He paused to let that sink in.
But in real life, he added, just being good at one element is hard.
How hard? someone asked from the back.
Out of all the students here, Boliclader said, less than fifty ever get really good at their core element.
The room buzzed with voices.
So learning a second element is impossible? someone else asked.
Not impossible, Boliclader said. But it takes a lot. Your core has to be strong enough.
What about a third? a student asked, sounding worried.
Boliclader didn't smile.
A third element puts way too much stress on the core. Most people fail.
Garry sat up a little.
What happens when they fail? the red-haired girl asked quietly.
They stop growing, Boliclader said. They get hurt. Sometimes they lose what they've learned.
The room went quiet.
For now, he said, closing his book, you won't be doing magic.
Some students looked bummed.
Today, Boliclader went on, you'll be watching.
He pointed to the right side of the hall outside.
The combat hall is that way. Follow the signs.
He looked at the class one last time.
Watch carefully, he said. You'll learn just as much from seeing others mess up as you will from doing it yourself.
Chairs moved as students stood up.
They walked down the hall until they came to a big open space.
Garry stopped.
The combat hall was huge.
Seats went up the sides like a small arena. In the middle was a wide stone platform with lines on it.
Garry swallowed.