Sunlight spilled through the curtains into Kalia and Astra's bedroom.
"Morning." Astra rolled over with a yawn.
"Good..." Kalia stretched her back. "...morning."
"Gonna get up?"
"Not yet." Kalia suddenly pulled Astra close to her.
"Eep!" Astra squealed. "Lia, what's gotten into you?"
"Could be that I'm just too comfy to get out of bed right now."
Astra broke into a mischievous grin. "Maybe I can stay here for a bit longer."
The two snuggled deeper beneath the blankets, enjoying the time alone, until a gentle knock on the door echoed through the room.
All good things must come to an end...
"Master Lia? Astra?" It was Fio. "Are you two coming down for breakfast?"
"Do we have to?" Astra whispered.
"I did promise Lora we would go into town..." Kalia sighed.
"True..."
"I know you can hear me, Master Lia." Fio knocked again. "Are you coming or not?"
"She's just gonna keep asking."
"Yeah, we're coming." Kalia dragged herself out from under the covers.
"Alright then, better hurry or it'll get cold."
"Astra, next time I start making promises, just shove your hand in my mouth..."
"Hehe, like that would stop you." Astra teased.
As the two entered the dining room, they were greeted by the sight of their growing family gathered around the table, already dressed and eating breakfast.
"Morning!" Everyone said in unison.
"Good morning, girls." Kalia grabbed two plates and passed one to Astra. "Thanks for making breakfast, Fio."
"Actually, Lora made it." Fio nodded toward the woman already scrubbing out the pots and pans.
"Oh, thanks Lora!"
"Of course! I hope you like it!" Lora called over her shoulder. "If there's anything you don't like, please let me know so I can make adjustments."
Kalia took a bite of the sausage. "This is great!"
"Mhmm!" Astra mumbled through a mouthful of roasted potatoes.
"Astra, you'll eat anything." Milena chuckled.
"It's not good to be picky!" Astra retorted.
Kalia glanced back into the kitchen. Lora was still scrubbing away at the cookware. "Not eating?"
"I'll eat after I finish cleaning up."
"Come eat with us. You aren't just hired help, you know."
Lora started to protest, until she remembered what Fio told her the night before. Just go with it.
Lora dried her hands, made herself a plate, and took a seat at the end of the table.
"Much better." Kalia smiled. "So, did you sleep well last night?"
"Yes, very much so. It's been years since I've been able to sleep in a proper bed."
Oh, right... Stupid question, Kalia...
"That's good..." Kalia shoved another piece of sausage in her mouth instead of digging that hole any deeper.
Sarah finished eating her breakfast and took her plate into the kitchen. "Are we going into town today?"
"Mhmm, Lora needs some new clothes and a few other things."
"Can we come?"
Kalia glanced around the table. Several pairs of eyes were fixed on her.
"It has been a while since we all went shopping together." Kalia collected her and Astra's plates and placed them in the wash basin. "And I think we've earned an afternoon of fun, so sure."
Astra timidly raised one hand. "Scrolls?"
"Yes, Astra. We can go look at the scroll shop."
"Yay! Scrolls!" Astra jumped out of her chair. "I'll go get the carriage!"
"Don't leave without us!" Milena shouted after her.
"Tora's bakery!" Sarah beamed.
Eron shot Eliane a look. "You're gonna love the herb shop!"
"Why?"
"You'll see." Eron grinned.
"O-okay then..."
"We'd better get going. Astra will leave us."
Lucy tugged at Kalia's sleeve. "Can we see the Tallis Academy of Magic?"
"Yeah, but why?"
"Just wanna see what it's like, is all."
"Sure."
Lucy took off out the door with a smile.
Fio poked her head through the doorway. "C'mon, Master Lia. Astra is getting impatient."
"Alright, so here's the plan. We'll drop Milena and Sarah off at the bakery. Lora and Fio will go to Kurika's, Eliane and Eron are heading to the herb shop, and Astra's going to the scroll shop."
"What are you going to do, Master Lia?"
"Lucy wanted to see the Tallis Academy of Magic, so I'll go with her."
Astra's eyes lit up. "I get to go alone?"
"Don't go spending all our gold on scrolls, Astra..."
"I wasn't..."
"Uh-huh..." Kalia tossed Astra a small sack of coins. "Here's your budget."
"That's it...?" Astra pouted.
"That's it. Do you want more scrolls or dinner?"
Astra paused for a few moments. "Dinner..."
"Thought so."
Kalia tossed each of the girls an identical sack of coins. "Here, some spending money."
"You guys can use it however you want."
Eliane glanced at the bag in her hands. "B-but I wasn't a member..."
"You are now."
"You sure?"
"Of course, you worked hard in Shella, so you get a share just like everyone else."
"Thank you, Master Lia!"
"Let's go, Eli!" Eron grabbed the girl's hand.
"O-okay!"
"I'm off too!" Astra took off at a sprint toward the guildhall.
"We should get going too." Fio motioned for Lora to follow her. "Kurika is gonna want to get your measurements."
"Milena." Kalia turned to the last pair. "Keep an eye on Sarah. Don't let her wander off, okay?"
"Yes, Master Lia!" Milena saluted.
"Anything you want to do before we get to the academy?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not in particular."
"Academy it is, then."
The two started down the street together. Lucy was clearly unable to contain her excitement and kept skipping ahead.
"For someone who just wanted to see, you sure are in a hurry."
"I-I just wanted to get there before it gets dark, is all."
Kalia gazed up at the blazing sun directly over their heads. It's barely midday...
She decided not to press the girl. I'll just let her ask.
It wasn't long before the Tallis Academy of Magic came into view.
The sprawling campus dominated an entire section of the city, surrounded by tall iron fencing and low stone walls. Several towers rose above the surrounding buildings, their pointed roofs decorated with banners bearing the academy's crest.
Lucy stopped dead in her tracks.
"Whoa..." The two of them whispered, equally impressed. Its grandeur rivaled even that of the palace.
Lucy's eyes sparkled as she stared up at one of the towers. "Do you think they'd let us take a tour?"
"No idea. Let's ask the guard at the gates."
Lucy sprinted toward the guard and immediately bombarded him with questions. "Hello! My name's Lucy! Do you know if the academy allows visitors? Do they do tours? Can anyone go to school here? How much does it cost to attend?"
"I, uh..." The guard couldn't respond fast enough to the girl.
"Sorry about that. She's just a little bit excited." Kalia finally caught up to the girl.
"I'm Kalia Waywrenn, and this is Lucy. We were just wondering if the school allowed visitors to tour the grounds or if there is someone we could talk to for some information."
"Oh, yeah." The guard pointed to a small building at the far end of the courtyard. "That's the student registration office. They'll be able to answer any questions you may have."
"Thanks!" Lucy took off. "C'mon, Master Lia!"
"Thank you." Kalia smiled at the guard before following Lucy.
"Slow down, Lucy. The office isn't going anywhere!"
Lucy reached the building well ahead of Kalia but stopped dead in front of the ornate doors.
Kalia eventually caught up to the girl.
"Not going in? Where'd all that energy go?"
Lucy stared at the door for a moment. "We're just asking for a tour, right?"
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Then let's go ask them." Kalia pulled the double doors open. "No need to be shy now, go on in."
"O-okay."
"Welcome to the Tallis Academy of Magic!" The pair was greeted by a friendly clerk behind the counter. "I'm Aisha. What can I help you with today?"
"Hello, Aisha. I'm Kalia Waywrenn and this is..." Kalia glanced at the nervous girl beside her.
"Oh, I-I'm Lucy."
"We were wondering if you offered tours of the grounds."
"Ah, a prospective student, I see. We certainly do." The clerk returned with a smile. "Just give me a moment to get you some visitor passes and we can begin the tour."
"Really?!" Lucy was practically vibrating with excitement again.
"Of course." Aisha chuckled as she reached beneath the counter. "We encourage any potential student to see the academy before applying."
Lucy's head dipped. "A-applying? I-I'm not..."
"Naturally. It's important that a student know what a school has to offer before deciding on which one to attend."
Aisha placed two small badges on the counter. "Keep these visible while you're on the grounds."
"Thank you!" Lucy immediately pinned hers to her shirt.
"You're welcome." Aisha smiled. "If you have any questions or need help, feel free to ask any of the faculty. They'll be wearing brown and gold robes with the school crest on the back."
"Let's go, Master Lia!"
"Alright, alright. We have all day, no need to rush." Kalia chuckled.
"Enjoy your tour!" Aisha waved as the pair exited the building and headed toward the main entrance.
Lucy paused at the main entrance. The massive double doors gleamed in the afternoon sun.
Tallis Academy... Lucy took a deep breath and opened the doors.
As she took her first step inside, her vision was filled with students chatting casually as they made their way to class. Some showed off new spells they had just learned to friends while others hastily copied notes from each other's notebooks.
Lucy stood motionless in the doorway.
A student passed nearby, a small flame dancing above the tip of her finger as she chatted with her friends.
Lucy's eyes followed it until they disappeared around a corner.
"This place is incredible..." Lucy whispered in awe.
Kalia had to admit, Lucy wasn't the only one having trouble deciding where to look.
An actual magic school...
Even after everything she'd seen since arriving in this world, there was something surreal about it.
It's just like in the manga... down to the very last detail...
"No kidding..." Kalia whispered, causing Lucy to jump as she snapped out of her trance.
"So, what do you want to see first?"
"The library!"
"Didn't even have to think about that one, huh?"
"Nope!"
"Library it is." Kalia glanced down the branching corridors. "Now we just need to figure out where that is."
A woman in brown robes noticed their visitor badges and approached the pair. "Need help finding something?"
"Oh, yeah. Can you point us toward the library?"
"Certainly." The woman pointed down the corridor to Kalia's left. "It's at the end of this hall."
"Thanks."
"Mhmm." The woman gave them a friendly nod before disappearing into one of the classrooms.
"Easy enough." Kalia started down the corridor with Lucy already several steps ahead.
"Lucy."
The girl looked over her shoulder. "Hmm?"
"Slow down, we shouldn't run in the halls."
Lucy slowed down and allowed Kalia to catch up to her. "...Sorry."
Kalia smiled at the girl. "I know you're excited, but if we rush, we won't be able to fully enjoy the tour."
"I guess that makes sense."
Before long, the pair arrived at an enormous set of double doors with the words 'Tallis Academy Library' emblazoned in gold on them.
"This is it..." Lucy tugged at the door handle and stepped inside.
Rows upon rows of books stretched farther than Kalia expected, filling shelves that rose several stories toward the vaulted ceiling. Narrow balconies connected the upper levels, while glowing orbs drifted lazily overhead.
Books occasionally floated by to find their homes on a shelf or into the waiting hands of a student.
Kalia stared. This is definitely a magic-school library...
Lucy immediately went to a shelf and ran her finger over the spine of a book. Introduction to Mana Theory.
"This is just like the book Astra made me read!" She read another title: Advanced Spellweaving
"I wonder what this one is about!" Lucy thumbed through the first few pages of Maelstra Corrvin's Guide to Complex Rituals. A look of both joy and confusion spread across her face. "I didn't understand any of that!"
Kalia laughed. "You seem awfully happy about it."
"Because there's so much stuff I don't know!" Lucy gestured excitedly toward the shelves. "I could spend forever in here!"
"You have been spending way too much time with Astra."
"Mhmm, I wanna be just like her!"
Kalia paused. "Just like Astra?"
Lucy broke into a wide smile. "Mhmm! I wanna be a researcher just like her!"
Is the world ready for two Astras...?
"So you want to be a researcher, huh?"
"Yup! Hearing Astra tell me stories about her adventures exploring ruins, discovering lost magic, finding ancient relics..." Lucy's excitement grew with every word. "It made me realize what I want to do when I grow up."
"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"
"I have!" Lucy held the book to her chest. "There are so many things we haven't discovered yet. Astra says there are ruins even she hasn't been able to find."
"I wanna find them." Lucy pointed to the shelves. "What if the answer is right here and everyone hasn't looked in the right spot?"
"Is that why you wanted to come here?"
Lucy stiffened. "Maybe..."
"Just a 'maybe'?" Kalia gave the girl a knowing look.
"...Yes." Lucy stared at the book in her hands. "Master Lia, c-could I go to school here?"
"I don't know."
Lucy's smile faded as she moved to put the book on the shelf.
"We would have to see what you need to do to get enrolled."
"Really?!"
"Yes, really." Kalia patted the girl on her head. "Why don't we head back to the registration office and ask?"
"Okay!" Lucy practically skipped the entire way back to the office.
"Welcome ba—"
"Can I be a student here?" Lucy blurted out.
Kalia finally caught up a moment later.
"Sorry about that."
Aisha couldn't help but laugh. "Did you enjoy the tour that much?"
"Uh-huh! There were so many books in the library!"
"That's all it took," Kalia replied with a slight chuckle. "She didn't even need to see the rest."
Lucy bounced on the balls of her feet. "So can I go here?"
"Well, that depends. Tallis Academy is open to anyone with an aptitude for magic." Aisha set a small book on the counter.
"First we need to measure every prospective student's mana and figure out what their elements are."
"That's the same book Astra used!"
"Astra?" Aisha blinked at the name. "The Astra?"
"Yeah! She's been teaching me magic for a while now!"
"Wait..." Aisha paused as she connected the dots. "Are you Kalia Waywrenn?"
"Guilty as charged."
"!!!" Aisha suddenly ran around the side of the counter and took Kalia's hand. "It is an honor to meet you! You saved my kid sister, Keera, in Shella!"
"Oh? It was no trouble..." Kalia twisted her tail nervously between her fingers. "Really."
"No trouble!" Tears welled in Aisha's eyes. "I thought she was dead!"
"She had been missing for months, we nearly gave up hope." Aisha brushed a tear from her cheek. "Until you came along."
"I'm just glad we were able to get her home safe."
"Still, I can never thank you enough."
Aisha wiped at her eyes and took a breath. "Sorry. You came here about enrollment, not to listen to me ramble."
"Don't apologize."
"Still..." Aisha smiled at Lucy. "Let's see if we can get this young lady enrolled."
Lucy immediately perked up. "Okay!"
"If you'll just write your name in the book, we can get an official record of your aptitude."
Lucy took the quill and wrote her name across the blank page. The moment she finished, the letters began to glow before slowly sinking into the parchment.
A few seconds later, new writing appeared across the page.
Aisha's eyes widened.
"This is..." She glanced between Lucy and Kalia. "I've never seen anyone..."
"Yeah..." Kalia nodded. "Astra said she was special."
"Special?!" Aisha spun the book toward Kalia. "She has an affinity for every element and an astounding amount of mana!"
"That's why Astra was training her. She was worried about Lucy's ability to control all that power."
"You have these abilities and received personal training from Astra?!" Aisha caught herself on the edge of the counter.
"Mhmm! I got real good at making sure my spells don't blow up!" Lucy stated proudly. "Does that mean I can go here?"
"Your abilities more than meet our requirements, but we still have to give you an entrance exam."
"What's that?"
"Just a small test to determine what classes you should be placed in. Nothing too serious."
"Okay!"
"I have to ask, Lucy. If Lady Astra is already personally training you, what made you interested in attending Tallis as well?"
"Cuz I wanna be just like her! Astra has taught me so much, but I feel like I need to go to a real school if I ever wanna be a real researcher like her."
Aisha smiled. "That's a very mature answer."
"You think so?"
"Absolutely. Having Astra as your mentor is something that any aspiring mage in Rela could only dream of, but there's value in a formal education as well."
Lucy's smile widened.
"Besides..." Aisha glanced down at the book again. "With an aptitude like yours, I believe you will achieve great things here."
"Really?"
"Definitely."
Kalia knelt down to Lucy's level. "So, Lucy, do you want to go to school here?"
"More than anything! Can I?"
"Alright then." Kalia nodded. "We'll get you enrolled."
"Yay!" Lucy threw her arms up.
"If that's the case..." Aisha placed a small stack of forms on the counter. "...we just need a few signatures from you and then we'll get her exam scheduled."
Kalia thumbed through the paperwork. Short and efficient... The guildhall could learn a thing or two from them...
"I see you have options for boarding here, is that required or can Lucy commute since we are local to Tuugo?"
"She can do either. Boarding is an additional fifty gold per term, but that includes meals."
"Which would you like to do?"
"Umm..." Lucy paused for a moment. "...I'd like to stay here."
"Are you sure?" Kalia was a bit surprised with the answer. "You'll have to share a room with other people and clean up after yourself."
"I know, but if I stay at home, Astra might try to help me too much. I want to do this on my own."
"If that's what you want, then okay." Kalia fought back a tear. "But you're coming home on the weekends."
"Okay!"
"Well, there you have it, Aisha. When can we schedule her entrance exam?"
"With the new term starting in a couple of weeks..." Aisha flipped through her calendar. "...a week from today."
"That soon?"
"If you'd like, we can schedule it for later, but she will have to wait until the next term to start."
"No, I wanna start as soon as I can!" Lucy protested.
"Okay, okay." Kalia chuckled. "Next week is fine, then."
"Excellent!" Aisha made a note on her calendar. "That's all I need from you for now. Any questions?"
"What about tuition?"
"Each term is a hundred gold, plus the fifty for boarding. After that there will be some fees for books and school uniforms."
Lucy frowned. "That's a lot of money..."
Seems pretty reasonable...
Kalia patted the girl on the head. "Not if it's for your education."
"Well, if that's settled..." Aisha smiled. "I'll see you two next week!"
"Thanks for everything."
"Bye, Miss Aisha!" Lucy waved enthusiastically.
Once they were outside, Kalia glanced down at her. "Ready to head home and share the news with everyone?"
"Mhmm! I can't wait to tell Astra I'm going to Tallis!"
Kalia laughed. "Slow down. You have to pass the exam first."
"I'm gonna pass," Lucy stated confidently. "I'm going to the academy."
Kalia smiled. "Oh, well excuse me for doubting you."
Fio shaded her eyes from the evening sun. "There she is." She pointed to the pair wandering their way up the street.
"Where have you been?" Astra tapped her foot impatiently. "We've been waiting here forever."
"Sorry, Lucy wanted to go see Tallis Academy."
"The academy? Why?"
"Cuz I signed up for the entrance exam!" Lucy exclaimed proudly. "It's next week!"
"Really?" Astra smiled. "That's great!"
"Why would you want to go to school?" Eron snorted. "Aren't Astra's lessons boring enough?"
"Hey! They're not boring!"
Eron rolled her eyes. "Sure they aren't."
"I wanna be just like Astra when I grow up!"
"Like me?" Astra blinked.
"Mhmm! I want to be a researcher! You have so many amazing stories and I love reading through all those old tomes you have."
"You...wanna be a researcher because of me?"
"Yup! You made me realize there is so much out there I don't know."
For once, the usually energetic Astra was at a loss for words.
"I did all that?"
"Mhmm!" Lucy nodded eagerly. "Every lesson with you just leaves me with more questions I want to find the answers to!"
Astra puffed out her chest with a smile. "That's the best part! There is always another mystery to solve!"
"Exactly!"
"See, Eron!" Astra spun toward Eron. "She thinks my lessons are fun!"
"I get it, I get it." Eron threw up her hands.
Lucy tugged excitedly at Astra's sleeve. "And, and, Tallis had this huge library! There were so many books!"
"Tallis does have an impressive library." Astra nodded. "I could spend all day in there."
"Me too!"
Kalia watched the two feed off each other's excitement.
And then there were two...
"Okay you two." Kalia interrupted. "As much as I would love to stand here and listen to you ramble, we should get on home."
"Okies! I'll go get the carriage!" Astra skipped off toward the stables.
Kalia turned to Sarah and Milena, who had been quietly munching on their snacks. "So what did you guys get at Tora's?"
"Cookies!" Sarah opened her bag. "Want one?"
"No, thank you." Kalia smiled. "You enjoy them."
"I got more candied apples."
"You really like those, don't you?"
"Mhmm." Milena took another big bite of her treat. "They're my favorite."
"What about you two? Have fun at the herb shop?"
"You shoulda seen Eli when we got there." Eron chuckled. "I knew she would love that place."
"They had so many different bottles!" Eliane opened her pack to show off her spoils.
"I got glass ones, stone ones, and look at this." Eliane carefully pulled out an ornate crystal bottle with an image of twin torgas inlaid in gold.
"Wow, that's really pretty!"
"I know!" Eliane gently tucked it back into her pack.
"She kept going back to look at it," Eron added with a laugh.
"It was expensive."
"And that's why I bought it for you."
"You didn't have to do that, Eron..."
"I know."
"That was a very nice thing to do, Eron." Kalia smiled.
"Eli never got to go shopping before so I wanted to make the trip extra special."
"You're the best!" Eliane threw her arms around Eron.
"Easy, easy!" Eron tried to hide her smile.
Kalia turned toward Fio and Lora. "And how'd clothes shopping go?"
Fio grinned.
"Kurika may have gotten a little carried away."
"A little?" Lora stared at the mountain of packages beside them.
"You needed clothes."
"I don't think I needed that many!"
Kalia laughed. "Looks like you two had fun."
"Fio did."
"You looked pretty happy trying everything on."
Lora's cheeks reddened. "That's beside the point."
Astra pulled the carriage around beside the group.
"Alright, in you go, girls." Kalia reached for the door handle.
"Lia! Wai—" Astra jumped to stop Kalia from opening the door.
"Wha..." Kalia's question was lost as an avalanche of scrolls fell out of the carriage on top of her.
"Astra..." Kalia pushed her way through the pile. "...how many scrolls did you buy?"
"Hehe..." Astra rubbed the back of her head. "...Just a few."
"You know what? Never mind..." She sighed. "I don't have the energy. Let's just cram all this back in there and go home."
"Okies!"