Chapter 65: Ch65 – Protect Those I Love.

Ryan glanced at the small clock mounted on the wall near the door. 11:15.

Fifteen minutes.

He stood and tucked the schedule back into the drawer. “I’ve got Elemental Theory next. Main Tower, Floor 3, Room 12.”

Eleanor swung her legs off the bed. “Same. I’ll come with you.”

“Good luck,” James said from his bed, not looking up from his whetstone.

Ryan and Eleanor left the room.

The corridors of Dormitory Six were busier now, students moving between classes or heading back to their rooms for breaks. Ryan and Eleanor descended the stairs and stepped out onto the academy grounds.

The main building’s tower loomed ahead, its spire cutting into the sky. The grey stone walls were lined with narrow windows, sunlight glinting off the glass. Banners displaying the Rupes Kingdom’s modified sigil hung from the upper levels, the grey mountains with gold peaks stark against the black fabric.

They walked in silence for a moment before Eleanor spoke.

“You know,” she said, tilting her head thoughtfully, “I had the most wonderful sleep this morning.”

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Good for you.”

“I didn’t wake up until ten,” she continued, her tone casual, almost dreamy. “The sun was coming through the window. Birds were singing. It was lovely.”

Ryan stared at her. “I was doing push-ups in the dark at five in the morning while being screamed at by an old man.”

“Awww.” Eleanor acted overly sympathetic. “That sounds terrible.”

“It was.”

“I’m glad I’m just a mage,” she said cheerfully.

Ryan pointed a finger at her. “Enjoy it while it lasts. When I’m a tier 6 knight as well as a tier 6 mage while you’re still struggling to light a campfire, we’ll see who’s laughing.”

Eleanor laughed. “A Tier 6 knight already! After one morning of training. That’s very impressive.” She began clapping slowly.

“I’m a fast learner.”

“You do remember that I was there when you were training back in the hideout?” She said rhetorically. “I’m pretty sure that you got worse as the session went on.”

“Well now I have a great teacher,” Ryan said. “I even blocked several attacks from James.”

“After getting hit a hundred times first, I bet.”

“I let him hit me, I didn’t want to show up James too quickly,” Ryan said firmly.

“Intentional was it.” Eleanor shook her head, still smiling.

They soon reached the main building and stepped through the massive wooden doors.

Ryan looked around the hub, past all of the hurrying students passing around them.

“Okay, so how do we get to…”

“Room twelve of floor three.” Eleanor interrupted.

“That’s the one.”

“Well, I guess it’s upstairs.” Eleanor said.

“Thanks, Sherlock.” Ryan said.

Eleanor’s eyebrows raised. “Who’s Sherlock?”

Of course… different planets.

“Forget about it.” Ryan said.

They went up the main staircase in the hub, it was massive, tens of students could go down and up at the same time without a single one of them bumping into another. The duo passed two other floors before they reached their destination.

They went down a corridor until Eleanor stopped at a door slightly ajar. It had the number 12 on a plaque to its side.

“Here we are,” she said.

Ryan pushed the door completely open.

What they found inside was beyond chaotic.

It wasn’t large, maybe big enough for thirty students, but it felt cramped. Desks were arranged haphazardly, some facing the front, others turned at odd angles. Bookshelves lined the walls, stuffed with volumes that looked ready to topple over at any moment. A chalkboard hung at the front of the room, covered in half-erased diagrams and notes that overlapped each other in a barely legible mess.

Students were already seated, some chatting quietly, others flipping through notebooks.

Ryan’s eyes locked on to a familiar figure near the back.

Navius.

He sat with his arms crossed, leaning back in his chair, smirking at something another student had said. His amber eyes flicked towards the door as Ryan and Eleanor entered, and the smirk widened slightly.

So he’s also trying to be both a mage and knight.

Ryan looked away and found an empty desk near the middle of the room. Eleanor sat beside him, setting her bag down with a soft thud.

“Is it always like this?” Ryan muttered, glancing around.

Eleanor followed his gaze. “Like what?”

“Disorganised.”

“You won’t believe this, Ryan, but this is my first ever lesson at this school. And so… I have no idea whether it’s always like this.”

The stark difference between the Knight lessons and the Mage lessons made Ryan queasy.

How can these heathens learn like this!

Suddenly, the door burst open, and in stepped a towering man. He had long black hair with black robes so long they swept the floor like a broom.

The man opened his mouth, but his voice did not at all match his body, “Good morning all of you lovely people who decided to show up!” His voice was squeaky like a mouse.

The man’s eyes swept across the room.

“It seems there are two new students! How riveting, what are your names you two? Introduce yourselves! I’m Malick!” The man said with a cheerful smile.

This guy slept on the right side of the bed.

“I’m Eleanor,” Eleanor said reluctantly, partially disgusted by the man’s overflowing happiness.

“And I’m Ryan.”

“Welcome, welcome! However, that is no introduction! What are your elements, what are your desires! Why are you here in this academy, do you want to be the strongest mages alive or are you just curious of what’s out there in our lovely world?”

Ryan was now embarrassed, being put on the spot infront of twenty or so students was definitely a nightmare of his.

Eleanor answered first. “My elements fire, I want to be strong enough to protect those that I love, and that’s why I am here, to become more powerful.”

Ryan took a moment before he answered. He was slightly surprised by how serious Eleanor’s response was. “My element is light,” before Ryan could utter a single word more, Malick gasped.

“Light! Wow, you are the first ever light mage I have met. And I’m even lucky enough to be your teacher, I will not fail you, Ryan!” Malick bowed.

“I’m… glad to hear it.” Ryan scratched his head awkwardly.

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