Chapter 7: Unexpected Roots
The buzz from General World Studies followed students into the midday break. As they spilled out of the lecture hall and toward the food court, the earlier morning's surprise was replaced by anticipated feast. The academy had set a standard, and the students now expected it to be met.
They were not disappointed.
If breakfast had been lavish, lunch was strategic. The spread was slightly different—lighter, focused on sustained energy and mental clarity. There were fillets of pale, flakyMindfin from high-altitude lakes, it mention on the menu that, its in aid concentration. The StarlightRice was now seasoned with herbs that glittered with subtle energy. Steamed bundles of Mage-Kale and glowing Lumen-Berries completed the offering. It was food designed not just to fill, but to optimize body's nutrition and performance.
Oliver and Leo collected their trays, the aromas making Oliver's stomach growl loudly. "See! It sure is Optimize ," Leo said with a grin, piling berries onto his plate. "They certainly don't cut corners when it comes to food. Now, let's find a spot before the stampede."
But the bronze class's food court, while well-appointed, was not enormous. The long communal tables were rapidly filling with the chatter of sixty recruits. They scanned the room, trays in hand, seeing no obvious pairs of empty seats together.
"Over there," Oliver said, nodding to a quieter corner. A table for four had two occupants. Two girls who looked identical, with the same chestnut hair braided down their backs and the same sharp, intelligent features. Yet, their demeanors were worlds apart. One sat hunched slightly, eating with meticulous, quiet focus, her eyes on her plate. The other was gesturing animatedly with her fork as she explained something, her expression vibrant and open.
Approaching, Leo took the lead. "Pardon us. Everywhere else is full. Mind if we join you?"
The animated twin looked up, her face breaking into an immediate, welcoming smile. The quieter one glanced up, gave a shy nod, and then looked back down.
"Absolutely! More the merrier! I'm Elara," said the energetic one, "and this is my sister, Ilana. Don't worry, she's not rude, she just uses up all her words on plants." Ilana gave a slight, exasperated sigh but a tiny smile touched her lips.
"Oliver. And this is Leo," Oliver said as they sat.
"So, you're the talk of the class," Elara said, her eyes dancing between them, lingering on Oliver. "The Fire-Kin and the Grey-Weaver who made the resonance plate take a nap."
Oliver almost choked on a Lumen-Berry. Leo laughed. "News travels fast. And what's your story? Besides being a matched set."
Ilana spoke softly, her voice a contrast to her sister's. "PlantlifeAffinity, C-Grade." She held up a hand, and a tiny, perfect shamrock sprouted and twirled on her fingertip before dissolving into green motes.
"And I'm Water, C-Grade," Elara said, summoning a shimmering, walnut-sized orb that danced between her knuckles before she let it splash harmlessly on her tray. "Nothing flashy. Our parents are school teachers of a small city in the eastern agricultural region of state lyr. Mom teaches Herbology, Dad teaches Basic Aquatics. Very… sensible."
"It's a good combination," Oliver found himself saying. "Plant and Water. Complement each other, one nurture life and other promote life."
Ilana looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time. There was a quiet intensity there. "It is. Everyone wants the flashy hybrids affinity. But a strong, simple Plantlife and Water synergy can restore a blighted field, nurture a sacred grove, or purify a village well."
Leo leaned in, enjoying the banter. "So, middle-class academia rebels. I like it. My world is all merchant ledgers and political favors. This is refreshing."
The conversation flowed easily. Elara asked Leo pointed questions about the Council of Houses, which he answered with a mix of knowledge and humor. Ilana, drawn out by Oliver's genuine interest in the practical limits of C-Grade plant magic, explained the painstaking process of encouraging root systems to stabilize soil.
Oliver listened, spoke, and even laughed. The tight, cold knot he'd carried since the Awakening Ceremony began to loosen, just a little. Here, at this corner table, there was no Platinum tier, no Bronze tire. There was just a wealthy fire-kin, two pragmatic sisters from a farming region, and him. All of them were "soft ore" in the academy's forge, all being fed the same exquisite fuel to see what they might become.
As the lunch period wound down, Leo polished off the last of his berries. "Right. Next is 'Practical Applications: Basic Mana Manipulation.' Sounds thrillingly . What do you say we all march in there together? Strength in numbers, and all that."
Elara beamed. "oh! I approve." Ilana gave another small, decisive nod. "Sensible."
Oliver looked at the three of them—the first real connections he'd made in this new, daunting life. "Yeah," he said, a sense of tentative solidarity warming him more than the magic food ever could. "Let's go together."
As they stood, clearing their trays, Oliver felt a shift. He was no longer just Oliver Rill, the Grey-Weaver anomaly. He was part of a group. However small, however humble their affinities, they were navigating the academy's hidden curriculum together. And for the first time, the path ahead didn't look quite so lonely.