Gossip spread around her as she walked up the lengthy staircase, with a new uniform into the prestige future that had been granted to her, to attend Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy.
Everyone knew who she was already, she was the unfortunate heiress who lost her parents and her fortune due to an epidemic four years ago.
Her hair was black like it had been dipped in oil and her eyes were a rare copper, and she tried her hardest despite everything to appear cheerful in front of others, she had a certain elegance when she walked that made others stare in appreciation but most people were too focused on her tragic tale of becoming an orphan.
Both her parents had been extremely gifted in the talent of magic, they were professors for a time of white magic and the study of herbology, they became renowned doctors but failed to acknowledge their own health and ironically passed due an epidemic. Their only daughter Arden Strouss did not inherit the same magical properties as her parents, in fact her magic was weak, she could not continue her parents practices and lost the life she was accustomed to.
She was irritated but if she reacted it would cause a scene, so she ignored it, briskly walking passed the curious students. They would not ruin this invitation for her, it was her dream to follow in the steps of her parents and become a remarkable wizardess.
There was one unique ability she possessed, she could converse with animals, it was a great gift but it had a condition that all her magic only worked in relation to animals, thus far. Hopefully time here would make her able to use magic on other people and become a doctor like her parents.
First thing was she needed to find the dormitory and finally settle, she was in such a panic the previous night that sleep escaped her, plus she was anxious to finally have a roommate instead of living alone like she did back in her home town. But needless to say, she was hopelessly lost. Every time she tried to ask someone for directions they would ignore her, too wrapped up in gossip to get to know a fellow student. So she continued to explore on her own.
A considerable amount of time seemed to pass and it started to pour rain outside, Arden did her best to take cover but was quickly drenched by the downpour. Her clothes cling to her body uncomfortably, and her lengthy hair dripped onto the stone flooring of a nearby room she took cover in.
The room was massive, with only a few rows of pews stretching from wall to wall, at first she thought it was church but upon closer inspection she noticed a stand, an imposing wooden chair with a gavel. It was a courtroom. It had balconies that lined the walls above her, and a brass scale that stood so perfectly in the room. With turquoise stones and engravings, she reached to touch it but her hand was violently ripped back.
"Ah!", she exclaimed surprised.
"Didn't your parents teach you not to touch anything that isn't yours?", a male voice sounded behind her.
"I'm sorry, I just wanted a closer look"
Her eyes finally met his and her face slightly softened at the handsome man who was scolding her. He had hair like the most beautiful golden honey and eyes like violets that sprouted gloriously in the midst of spring. He was very tall, beaming down at her with discontempt. It looked as if he had also been caught in the rain for the strains of his hair also dripped with shimmering beads of water.
"What are you doing in this room? It is off limits to students", he warned her.
"It was raining and this was closest room, so I-", she began to explain but he gripped her hand tighter with a growing, menacing glare.
"What is your homeroom, students like you need to be punished to learn", he said in such a powerful way that she felt herself shrinking back.
"I don't… have a homeroom, I'm a new student here and I was just-", she was interrupted again and her let go of her hand, letting it fall to the side, his glare slowly receeding.
"You wouldn't happen to be Arden Strouss would you?", he asked.
"Ah, yes, that's me I'm Arden Strouss"
"Typical", he clicked his tongue in annoyance "I waited for you at the train station for almost an hour, I tried to track you with magic but something was interfering with the signal, it must have been the Scale of Judgement", he looked over to the scale she previously tried to touch.
"You mean.. that's the scale of judgement?", she was suddenly relieved she did not dare to touch it, it was an important magical artifact, one of the twelve that were magical phenomenons.
"I am Perfect Klaus Goldstein, I have been instructed to take you to see the Headmaster, so instead of wasting time I suggest we go promptly", he said curtly as if her presence wasted his time.
She knew that name, Goldstein, everyone knew that name, the Goldsteins acquired their fortune through many magical tool innovations, needless to say they were practically nobility. That meant he was a scion of one of the most prestige family lineages in the country.
"Thanks to you I'm dripping wet; I can't expect the headmaster to see you looking like a drown rat on my watch, hold still", he readied his wand, perplexed she watched in awe at the flawless stance of his casting.
"Fervor Sirus!", a steady hot wind engulfed her and within seconds her clothes were dry.
"What was that?!", eagerly Arden questioned the convenient magic
"A simple warm wind spell, do you know nothing of magic?", he scoffed.
At a loss for words she simply followed him, holding her tongue not to comment on his terrible attitude, but it was easier to keep quiet than to start a problem. Though she couldn't help but stare at him as they silently walked, she had never seen such a handsome man before and it as hard not to sneak a peek.
"We're here", Klaus said as he stopped at a large wooden door that reached up to the thirty foot ceiling.
Nervously she stepped in behind him, looking face to face with quite a large number of people who all stopped to stare at her simultaneously.
"Welcome Arden Strouss to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy", a man greeted her with a warm smile, that was Randolph Odair, the headmaster of the academy and famous wizard.
"R-Randolph Odair", she was surprised, to meet him in the flesh.
"You look just like your mother, but you got your father's black hair", he laughed.
Her excitement of meeting him disappeared when a new question that she knew would strike her hard arose in her mind "You… knew my parents?"
"Of course, we were classmates over twenty years ago. Marianne was always such a great wizardess it was no surprise that she met someone strong like Claude", Randolph was too caught up in his reminiscing to notice the pained look on Arden's face.
"Sir", Klaus interrupted the moment "Why did you request to see me?"
"Yes, about that", the headmaster turned to the other three male students in the room.
Noisily a stack of papers were handed to Klaus, he scanned over the contents and his face contorted with disagreement.
"Sir, you can't be serious…", Klaus sounded so malcontent.
"You have all the credentials to become a professor Klaus, well almost, you lack experience in actual teaching so in order to test you I have comprised a class for you to teach after school, most of these students are already gifted in magic but require aid to gain what they lack, however Arden Strouss needs to be taught the basics of magic as well as advance to a higher status, if you can construct this team to successfully place first in the trial at the end of the first semester then you will have a place in this school and Arden will be administered a full student for the next five years", Randolph informed; everyone was taken by complete surprise.
"What if we refused?", one of the students asked, he had a laid back atmosphere about him that made it seem like he never really took anything seriously, the way he sat with his feet on the desk and his uniform wasn't even properly buttoned.
"You have no choice Luca, your attendance is terrible, although you may be powerful, you are sloppy and will soon be in the process of expulsion"
Luca sighed heavily and flicked back his head of green sage hair, revealing his emerald earring. His discontempt angered the blonde man next to him, who looked a lot like Klaus, Arden knew of him too, the younger scion, Elias Goldstein who seemed as haughty as his older brother. The last man was peculiar, he did not show agreement nor disagreement to the situation but sat quietly, he fashioned an eyepatch over his left eye and a wolf at his side and his black hair reminded her of her own. They were an odd bunch all in all.
"From now on you five will act as a team", those we Randolph's finally words before we were all dismissed from his office, everyone parted in different ways and she followed Klaus who was escorting her to the girls dormitory. They all agreed to meet after tomorrow's classes in the courtyard.
"The House Mother will get you settled", Klaus left after bringing her to the front door of the dormitory.
The House Mother was frail old woman, who didn't say much but led her to her new room where she could finally get some well needed rest.
"Hello!", a girl with bright orange hair jumped up the second Arden stepped into the room.
"I'm Amelia Nile, you must be Arden Strouss, I'm so happy to finally have a roommate", Amelia tightly hugged her.
"I got you a welcome gift", Amelia gestured to the mountain of candy stacked on Arden's bed, neatly towering in rows, it made her stomach hurt just looking at it.
"It's nice to meet you too Amelia, I hope we can be great friends", Arden smiled at her.
She hoped her time at the academy would be a long one, and she knew it required a lot of hard work to become the type of wizardess that is suited for Gedonelune. But she felt happy at his moment because even if it was sudden, at least now she wouldn't be alone.
