introducing my favorite archon barsibato...bartobas?

I woke with a start as the wind-up alarm clock that sat on my nightstand chirped incessantly. Flipping the switch that shut it off, I rubbed the grogginess from my eyes and glanced around my dorm room.

I'd slept here two nights already, the weekend passing by in a blur after meeting so many people and getting adjusted to the academy. Luckily, I didn't have to share the room with anyone. I don't know if it's because there weren't as many students without a Vision that our floor had enough single-use dorms for everyone, but I appreciated it.

The room was furnished with a standard-sized wardrobe in the corner, a desk and wooden chair stationed by the window, a single nightstand, and a bed just large enough that I could fully stretch without my feet hanging off. There was even a full-length mirror hanging on the wall. While I had the room to myself, our bathrooms were communal and split by gender on either end of the hall.

Rolling off of the mattress, my feet landed on the plush rug that covered most of the wooden floorboards. Time to begin my first day of classes.

After walking down the hall to wash up, I returned back to my dorm room and selected my outfit from the wardrobe. The school uniform. I sighed as I donned the stockings and plaid skirt that fell just above my knees. While I would prefer to wear my own clothing throughout the day, our uniform didn't look all the bad and was only mandatory during official school operating hours. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and admired the academy's crest stitched in gold thread.

Double-checking to make sure my schoolbag had the necessities, I glanced over my schedule once more. First up: Beginner's Gliding with Instructor Barbatos.

"Let's do this." I squared my shoulders and walked out the door.

According to the school map, the location for this particular class is at the back end of campus, close to the cliffs. Luckily, I had done enough exploring around campus that I knew which paths to take without getting lost.

A light breeze tickled my face as I crunched along the gravel path that split from the main stone walkway. The walk took a bit longer than I thought it might, but I was still one of the first students to arrive in the clearing. Natural bleachers were carved out of the ground, facing a row of platforms and a wide, empty field that led to the cliffside.

Each of the platforms stood in order of height, with the shortest being about my size, and the largest could pass for a slender building. I craned my neck to see the top of it, spotting a tiny figure sitting on the edge. How did they get up there?

"Oh," the person's voice seemed to be carried by the wind to my ears. "I see my students are finally arriving."

The figure hopped off the platform in a freefall, and I had to stop myself from reaching out to catch him. At the last moment, his descent slowed enough for him to gracefully land in the field. Though I've never glided before, I was still aware that in order to do so, one would need a windglider. But this boy wasn't equipped with anything but a...was that a lyre?

I gaped. "How did you do that?"

"Do what?" he blinked and then looked at his instrument. "Oh, this? You flatter me. My skill with a lyre has been honed for longer than you could imagine. Of course, you're impressed. I'd be surprised if you weren't."

He thought I was talking about his lyre? I hadn't even heard him play. "No, the gliding without a glider."

"I don't need a glider for that," he smiled. "I trust you're here for Beginner's Gliding? I will be your instructor for the course."

"You're Professor Barbatos?" I couldn't keep the shock from my voice. "I thought you were a student." Or a student's younger sibling.

"Please, call me Venti."

"Lumine, hey!" a bright voice interrupted and I turned to see Amber enter the clearing along with a group of other students. "It's so great we have Beginner's Gliding together! I've been wanting to glide for ages ."

The excitement from other students was audible in their growing murmurs and optimistic expressions. Venti introduced himself to the rest of the class before instructing us to have a seat.

"Welcome to Beginner's Gliding," he began. "Now, I'm sure all of you are eager to shoot off into the skies with the wind in your hair and worries cast aside, but we first must go over formalities. Number one: a windglider is not a plaything. Treat it with care and try not to lose any feathers. Number two: it's always important to glide responsibly. That means no using Anemo slimes to boost you into the air."

"Why not?" someone from the crowd asked.

"The currents created after an Anemo slime's death are unpredictable and often difficult to maneuver," Venti responded. "Number three: always make sure you have enough stamina before taking a trip off a cliff. Your glider won't save you if you don't have the energy to support it."

Venti continued on like this for quite some time with a seriousness that would convince anyone that he was an instructor at Celestia, despite his appearance. I noticed the other students express signs of boredom as he went on, but not me. Not Amber, either.

I smiled as her eyes twinkled with delight after Venti finished up with his speech and wheeled out a cart full of windgliders.

"Today, we will be starting small. See these platforms here? You will practice jumping off each one with your windgliders. Starting with the shortest. I will provide a demonstration!"

Venti equipped his own windglider, a magnificent set of wings that gleamed azure. Beginning with the shortest platform, he stepped up and hopped off. Because the distance was so short, his glider was only out for a brief moment before landing.

"And because we're also here to have fun." He was magically lifted to the tallest platform. No, not magically—using Anemo. With a leap, Venti flew through the air with his windglider. A chorus of oohs and ahhs echoed as we watched him do a fancy trick in the air before landing. "You lot probably won't get to the final platform until much later, ehe. Go on, pick your glider and line up!"

We didn't need to be told twice. Students rushed over to where the gliders were and grabbed the first ones within reach. I waited a bit for the frenzy to die down before selecting one of the remaining ones.

Up close, the glider looked a lot larger than I was expecting. Surprisingly enough, it didn't feel nearly as bulky as I thought it would, once I had it fashioned on my back.

"How do I look?" Amber grinned and did a twirl before striking a pose.

"Like you're ready to become a gliding champion."

We waited for our turn as students hopped off the first platform with varying degrees of success. Some were able to snap the wings out, but lost control of their balance and had a rocky landing. A few students couldn't manage to activate their gliders at all , so Venti coached them through natural movements and mechanisms.

My turn finally arrived, and I hesitated for only a brief moment before going with my gut and leaping off the platform. I felt the wings at my back catch in the wind and lift my whole body slightly before touching the ground.

"Nice work, Lumine!" Venti praised.

Amber was a natural. She jumped off, got her glider out, and landed with a pep in her step. "Ready for the next one?"

"You bet," I nodded and moved to the second pillar.

A few other students also successfully passed the first height, while others had to stay behind until they got it right. The next few platforms were a breeze. The more time I got to spend in the air, the more I wished I could actually fly.

"I'm so jealous of birds." Amber looked to the skies, echoing my thoughts.

At this point, the platforms we took on were tall enough that we had to climb up a ladder to get on top, rather than go up steps. I went first, hauling myself and my glider up the rungs and reaching the top with a satisfied huff. The wind blew slightly stronger at this elevation, and I could sense that this height might be a challenge.

I stood, ready to take flight, but then a sudden chill shot down my spine. I shivered.

"Must be the wind," I rolled my shoulders. "Maybe I should have brought a sweater."

Disregarding the momentary cold, I jumped off the platform as I had gotten used to, but the wings of my windglider didn't snap open. My heart rate kicked up a notch as I tried to get the feathers to spread. They wouldn't budge.

"Lumine!" I could hear Amber's worried shout. "Open your wings!"

I can't! I tried to yell but choked on the wind.

The ground was quickly approaching, and I was still struggling. For a moment, it seemed that I might not make it out of this class with all of my bones intact. Suddenly, a whoosh of air came up from below me, the bright glow of Anemo power catching my fall.

"Lumine! Are you alright?" Venti outstretched his hand for me to grab, pulling me off of the current. "What happened?"

"I...I don't know," I breathed and rubbed my shoulders. "My windglider...it wouldn't deploy."

"Strange," he frowned. "May I take a look?"

I nodded and slung off the glider, handing it to him.

After inspecting the feathers and joints, he said, "Other than a bit of dampness at the center, there's nothing out of the ordinary with this pair."

"Dampness?"

"Here," he pointed to where the two wings met. "Though, I can't see how that would affect the glider's performance. How odd. These should be brand new, so this shouldn't have happened."

I drew in a shaky breath. "Good thing you were here."

"But of course! As your instructor, it may be my job to teach, but protection is a priority for my students. I'll take this windglider for further inspection and double-check the others," he turned to face the rest of the class, who I noticed had paused their gliding activities to gather and see what happened. "That's a wrap for class today!"

Some students reluctantly removed their windgliders while others seemed happy to be rid of theirs. I guess gliding wasn't for everyone. As students began to break off into their own groups and head back towards the main campus, I could have sworn I saw a flash of blue and white in the crowd.

Amber's concerned face came into view. "Are you alright? I was super scared, and it wasn't even me who was falling!"

"Did you sense anything...different up there?" I asked her, remembering the chill I had felt.

She shook her head. "I didn't even get the chance to climb up before I saw you go down. Why? Did something happen?"

"It's nothing." I shook away the thought. "I'm fine now, really."

She stared at me for a moment, truly making sure I was alright before moving on. "Well, that was certainly enough excitement for one day, and it's still morning! What's your next class?"

"Physical Combat."

"Good luck," she patted my shoulder. "I hear Professor Xiao doesn't go easy. Not even for first-years."

"It can't possibly be any worse than almost falling to my doom," I joked. "Right?"