The Warmth of the Hearth
Claire Blaise

In front of Luke lies a pair of brown training trousers and a long-sleeved shirt with small shoulder plates on both sides. The Agni quarters shone brightly with its red painted walls; a light scent of charcoal fills the place. Along with Luke are a couple hundred other Agni mages waiting in line to get their equipment. Luke hurriedly takes his gear and proceeds to walk to the changing room. On his way, he comes across Carson talking to another familiar female student in the distance. They seem to be talking about a matter which Carson looks to be taking seriously. As he gets closer, he hears bits of the conversation.

“A free-for-all huh? How’s it set up?” Carson crosses his arms, looking stern and attentive.

The girl takes a deep breathe, before continuing the conversation. “By element, students grouped according to their manna trait. Most likely to ensure that they eliminate as much of the variables in a single sweep.” She notices Luke approaching and gives him a nod. “Laisren. For a goofball, you’re looking awfully quiet today.”

Up close, Luke finally realizes who the girl was. Claire Blaise, Carson’s little sister. She was shorter than Luke, sporting a slim figure and the same white hair as her brother. Her crimson eyes study him intently, as if looking for something that may or may not be there. “And for someone younger than me, you still act like an old lady. What are you guys all serious about?”

Claire shows no reaction to his retort, proceeding to bid both of them farewell and walking away from the conversation. Luke looks at Carson for an explanation, to which Carson simply gives him a puzzled look.

“She never did like me, did she?” Luke laughs, a truth that he has grown accustomed to. Nobody likes Luke Laisren, the only heir to a house that never had any reputation to begin with. The guy with a flame that never burns, a weakling.

“She doesn’t like anyone, you know that.” Carson answers. He bids Luke farewell and Luke proceeds to head to the changing room. He quickly gets suited up in the training gear, a loose fit for his rather skinny frame. He ponders on whether he should gain weight but then thinks about how much of a drag it’ll be. Luke trashes the thought and proceeds to close his locker. A loud ring echoes throughout the quarters and students hurry to proceed to the training center. Luke joins the crowd as they quickly exit the building.

The training center lies in the northern part of the Academy, with a pristine white frame that glistens in the daylight. The structure is known to be the biggest in the Academy, a facility that is built to resist even the most powerful magic, fit for examinations that involve combat and field training. Luke heads inside and he searches for Carson and Eli, both of which are nowhere to be found. The air is cool despite the crowd, a perk of having Zephyr users around the area. He squeezes his way through until he arrives to the front of the crowd. He sees Claire reading a book, unbothered by the constant shifting of the students. In a moment, the second ring is heard, followed by the appearance of Ms. Loft on the platform along with the three other headmasters. The student body immediately falls in organized lines, synchronized in their motions.

Ms. Loft overlooks the students, a calm demeanor governs her actions. Her eyes glow a subtle white once again as she begins to address the students. “Students of the Academy, I appreciate your cooperation in ensuring that everything goes smoothly. You have all done well to arrive to this point, and for that, give yourselves a round of applause.” A thunderous applause follows, with some students seen jeering and laughing with one another. The noise dies, and the principal proceeds with her address. “On to the examinations. The Examinations will follow a free-for-all format that will put students against their own element, leaving only the top three students to compete in the next round. You and your quartermates will be divided into four groups: Sprites, Pixies, Elves, and Treants. The groupings have been done via lottery, ensuring randomness in the groupings of the students. The groupings will be posted on the announcement boards shortly, you may view where you belong then. The training center will be divided into four parts which will host different forms of environments.” Four huge walls immediately rise from the ground, creating four equal spaces as the principal described. “The environments will be revealed once you begin. We will start with the students of Agni, followed by Llyr, Terra, then Zephyr. You will be given an hour, use this time to make your final preparations. Goodluck to all of you.” The glow in her eyes dissipate, as she proceeds to walk away, followed by the other headmasters.

The crowd then proceeds to look at the announcement boards. Top 3. Luke senses despair, creeping at the pit of his stomach as if it’s threatening to eat him inside out. He knew his chances were slim, even without having to go up against Carson. He was well-known as the weakling, an easy target, prey to devour. He comes back to his senses, and proceeds to search for his name on the list for Agni mages. His eyes scour for a few minutes and he finally found it. Pixie no. 58: Luke Laisren. His eyes look at his competitors, noting a few that will pose a threat, not that there are any who won’t. His eyes catch a familiar name, his heart skips a bit. At the bottom of the list, floating with glowing letters, Pixie no. 100: Claire Blaise.

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