"Please remember to retrieve all of your belongings before leaving the ship!" An announcement rang through the cabins.

The overnight trip to Celestia Academy went by faster than I'd expected. Despite not being able to sleep last night and waking far earlier than usual in the morning, my body felt light with excitement and curiosity. I'd readied my luggage as soon as I spotted the island's silhouette on the horizon, but now that we'd reached land, I hesitated before walking down the ramp leading to the dock.

There seemed to be a small port village surrounding the docks, which I wasn't expecting since I thought this island was privately owned by Celestia. Beyond that, a massive mountain rose above the waters, surrounded by rocky beaches and covered with tall pine trees. The foliage looked thick with life, I could hear the chirps of forest birds beyond the squawking seagulls on the shore.

And...is that? Squinting my eyes, I just barely made out the peaks of what looked like castle towers from between the trees, high up on the mountain.

"Celestia Academy," I whispered in awe.

Amber gasped beside me. "Wow, this place is gorgeous. You can even see the academy from here!"

Eyeing the height of the mountain, I imagined how difficult it might be to carry our things to campus. "How are we supposed to get up there?"

"Ad Astra," a woman at the foot of the dock announced to the group of approaching students. "Welcome to Celestia."

My mouth held agape, I stood frozen after recognizing the kind woman who worked at the orphanage of my childhood. "Katheryne?"

"Hm?" She'd heard me despite the clamor of excited students spilling from the dock. "Ah, Miss Lumine. Lovely to see you. I'm glad we can all be together again."

Amber cocked her head to the side. "You know her?"

"Yeah, she was my…" I trailed off, not wanting to see the pity in Amber's eyes after learning I came from an orphanage. "I've met her once before, a long time ago."

Katheryne's blue eyes seemed to pierce through my own before she turned to address the group as a whole.

"My name is Katheryne. I am the head secretary here at Celestia Academy. First-years, please wait for the air balloons to arrive." She gestured to the sky where I could make out the growing shapes of hot air balloons slowly drifting to our location. "They will transport you and your belongings to the academy. Second-year through fourth-years, you may use the teleport waypoint in town. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me."

"See ya on the other side, girlie." Childe hopped off the deck with a kick in his step. "Oh, and here's a tip: don't trust anyone you meet with an eyepatch."

"Eyepatch?"

"Keep an eye out." He winked and ambled towards the town.

"You two are friends?" Amber asked.

"We're acquainted. He wants to spar with me."

Amber's expression went blank before morphing into a mischievous grin. "Spar with you, hm?"

"Not like that."

"That wink says otherwise." She giggled before nudging my arm. "I'm kidding! C'mon, looks like the air balloons are about ready to land!"

She dragged me forward to where students were beginning to line up into their own air balloons. We passed by Katheryne, who spared me a smile. She'd said to ask questions if necessary, but I feel like bringing up the past and asking how she came to be here today isn't what either of us had in mind right at this moment. I'll be sure to find her office once I've settled in.

There were enough air balloons for everyone to have their own. With how far away the academy seemed, the transport went by much faster than expected. I'd barely gotten a chance to appreciate the beauty of the island and pick out the small buildings of the port town.

At last, Celestia Academy came into full view. A large, iron gate adorned with the academy's sigil stood boldly in front of the pristine, white bricks that made up the campus buildings. It appeared as though no structure was safe from the lush, green ivy that wrapped itself up and over the tops of the towers on either end of the campus. Actual towers. For a place that accepted so few applicants, its size surprised me.

The air balloons floated harmlessly over the golden, pointed spikes that sat atop each iron bar of the gate, and we landed in the middle of a well-groomed courtyard at the front entrance. A group of footmen was waiting at the dropoff location to help students with their bags. My balloon came to a stop and the door swung open before I got a chance to touch it.

"Greetings, Miss…?" The footman waited for my name.

I hoisted one of my bags onto my shoulder. "Lumine."

"Oh no, please!" He held out a hand to help me off the still slightly-elevated aircraft. "Allow me to carry your luggage to your room."

"That's fine. I can carry them on my own."

Living with Madame Ping all these years meant learning to take care of laborious tasks on my own in addition to helping others when they needed it. I didn't mind it at all. This man could probably aid one of the other students about to arrive. Especially Bennett.

"Miss Lumine, I appreciate your efforts, but—"

I shook my head. "These bags are no problem for me. Just point me in the direction of the dorms and I'll be on my way."

"I don't think you understand."

Someone else stepped in.

"I'll take it from here."

Turning to face the newcomer, I was ready to decline whatever help he was about to offer. Though, I stopped short after taking in the man's appearance. His hair was the color of night in the moonlight, and his outfit was quite something as well. I would have blushed at the amount of exposed, tan chest if it weren't for his eyepatch that caught my attention.

"Don't trust anyone you meet with an eyepatch." Childe's words echoed in my mind before I mentally shook them away. I shouldn't let some guy I just met one-day prior influence my first impressions of…

He gave a slight bow. "Kaeya Alberich. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lumine."

"How do you know my name?"

"Hm?" he hummed. "I overheard your conversation here with Nimrod."

Doubtful, since Kaeya was nowhere near my air balloon when I landed. Wait, Nimrod? I turned to look again at the footman who had already begun to load up my baggage onto a cart. In what world would parents ever decide to name their child 'Nimrod'?

Kaeya smirked at my reaction as if reading my thoughts. "Please, allow him to relieve you of your things. I am acting in place of the student president and will be leading orientation for all first-years."

I eyed him. "I've been told not to trust anyone with an eyepatch."

"Oh? And who, pray tell, warned you of that?"

"Childe."

"That Tartaglia…" The furs of Kaeya's accessory rose and fell as he sighed. "Well, I can't say there isn't any truth in that statement. You should be careful of who you trust anywhere. Come on now, let's get going. We're not frozen in place, after all."

Kaeya rounded up the rest of the first-years into a group and led a tour of campus. We began with buildings that were not much different from a typical campus: faculty offices, auditorium, dining hall, gymnasium, and library. But after a few turns, I realized that was where the resemblance ended.

"This is our apothecary." Kaeya gestured to a steel dome with skylights reflecting the sun's glare. "It is often used by the Alchemy class, and sometimes those in Horticulture. Professor Kreideprinz leads the majority of the Alchemy courses here at Celestia, including the beginner's class you all will be partaking in."

The next location was a large, empty ring made of dirt and surrounded by weaponry.

"Your Physical Combat course will take place here, led by Instructor Xiao," he announced. "Some of your time may be spent building muscle in the fitness center to your left, but rest assured, there will be plenty of chances to spar with your peers to test each other's strength."

My gaze lingered on the racks of swords that hung on their posts, ready to be swung and propelled with precision. It's been a while since I've practiced my swordplay, and I'm ready to change that.

"Physical Combat is mandatory for all Vision holders, as is Vision Studies with Professor Minci. However, those without a Vision..." He paused and took moment to glance my way. "May also join, if they so choose."

The tour went on for another half hour before ending at the student dormitories.

"Dorm floors are co-ed and separated by Houses," Kaeya explained with a stifled yawn. "There is one floor per House, and each House corresponds to a Vision."

"And for those who have no Vision?" A voice piped up from the crowd, and I spotted a brunette with a ponytail raising her hand.

"Don't worry." Kaeya's attention skipped by me once again. "There's a floor for you too. Though, the House community is not as large."

I stood and watched as the previously combined group of first-years slowly began to separate into sections based on their element. I was starting to think making additional friends might be harder than Madame Ping suggested.

"Hi." The girl who spoke up earlier approached me. "I'm Ellin. You don't have a Vision either?"

"Nope, no Vision here. I'm Lumine."

"Well, us Visionless need to stick together!"

"Why?"

She lowered her voice. "I heard that, sometimes, Vision holders aren't as welcoming to people like us. It's a power dynamic thing."

I thought back to meeting Amber and Childe for the first time. Neither of them changed their opinion of me after learning I had no Vision. Even Kaeya—who seemed to know from the start—paid the same amount of attention to me as the rest of the students, if not more.

I patted her shoulder with a smile. "Ease up, Ellin. I get it. It's easy to question yourself. But we are just as deserving as the rest. With or without a Vision."

"Alright, everyone." Kaeya clapped to get our attention. "You're free to explore on your own for the rest of the weekend. If you need me for anything, it would be best to talk to Katheryne instead. Classes start Monday."