Echoes of the Lost Elf

Historias' POV

As the entrance ceremony finally came to an end, the students slowly started dispersing, murmuring among themselves about their ranks and the speech. Historias stretched lazily, suppressing a yawn.

"Well, that was boring," he muttered under his breath.

Leon, standing beside him, chuckled. "Yeah, but at least it's over. Let's check the announcement board before the crowd gets worse."

Navigating through the sea of students, they made their way to the massive announcement board near the hall's entrance. Names and ranks were neatly listed under different class sections. Historias' eyes scanned the list quickly until he found his name.

Class 1-C

Historias Vaelcrest (Rank 2)

Leonhardt Drakos (Rank 3)

Adriana Von Athrious (Rank 1)

He sighed. "Figures."

Leon peeked over his shoulder. "Looks like we're stuck together. Oh, and the princess is with us too. Should be interesting."

Historias gave a small shrug. He still wasn't particularly interested in her, though he supposed it was inevitable that they'd interact sooner or later.

With that settled, they followed the directions to their designated classroom.

Class 1-C Lecture Hall

The room was spacious, almost like a miniature amphitheater, with rows of seats arranged in a semi-circle. At the front stood a large rune-inscribed board, faint traces of magic flickering across its surface. Historias and Leon took seats somewhere in the middle, neither too forward nor too far back.

The classroom gradually filled as students trickled in, some chatting, some nervously fidgeting. The anticipation of the first day hung heavy in the air.

Then, the door swung open.

A tall woman entered with a commanding presence, her very aura demanding attention. She was elegant, yet exuded an air of cold detachment. Her long silver hair cascaded down her back, contrasting with her deep crimson eyes. Her skin was pale, and even without fangs visible, it was obvious—

A vampire.

She strode towards the center, her black and dark red robes flowing behind her like mist.

"I am Professor Elias Duskbane," she announced, her voice smooth and firm. "I will be your instructor for Magic Theory & Arcane Studies. It is my job to ensure you all understand the foundations of magic, as well as the nuances that separate an average mage from a great one."

Her gaze swept over the room, her red eyes holding an unnatural sharpness as if she could peer into their very souls.

"Since we have a year to spend together, it is only natural we get to know who we will be learning with. State your name and rank. Keep it brief."

One by one, students stood up and introduced themselves.

"Adriana Von Athrious, Rank 1."

"Leonhardt Drakos, Rank 3."

"Historias Vaelcrest, Rank 2."

The rest followed suit, and though Historias paid little attention to most of the names, a few stood out. He caught a glimpse of a boy with sharp gray eyes and dark blue hair— Kael Viremont. Something about him seemed familiar, but Historias brushed the thought aside for now.

Once the introductions were complete, Professor Duskbane waved her hand, and stacks of parchment materialized in the air, floating toward each student before gently landing on their desks.

"This," she continued, "is your elective selection form. Each of you must choose an elective by tomorrow morning. These electives will shape your specialization, so choose wisely."

Historias glanced at the form. Various options were listed, each offering a different path of study:

Spirit Warrior – Focuses on harnessing spiritual energy to enhance combat abilities, blending martial prowess with ethereal forces.

Aether Knight – Specializes in aura reinforcement and physical augmentation, creating a hybrid of magic and raw strength.

Combat Mage – A direct offensive class focusing on destructive and battlefield magic.

Rune Scholar – Dedicated to the study of ancient runes and their applications in spellcraft and enchantments.

Elementalist – Specializes in deep attunement with elemental magic, allowing mastery over specific elements beyond general affinities.

Historias immediately circled Spirit Warrior. It aligned well with his skill set, blending swordsmanship with magical reinforcement.

Leonhardt's POV

Leon scanned the list and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I'll probably go for Aether Knight," he mused, filling in his form. "Reinforcing my aura should make me even stronger in close combat."

He looked up to see Historias already setting his form aside. "What about you?"

"Spirit Warrior."

Leon grinned. "Fitting. Though, I was half-expecting you to pick Rune Scholar, with how composed you are."

Historias rolled his eyes. "Just because I'm not swinging a sword every second doesn't mean I'm not a warrior."

Leon chuckled, but his attention drifted toward the princess, who was also filling in her form a few rows ahead. "I bet the princess is choosing Combat Mage."

Historias glanced at her briefly. "Don't care."

Leon gave him a look of disbelief. "Wait. Seriously?"

"Nope."

"Dude. You need to interact with more people with the right people it might prove to be more beneficial than you care to admit?"

Historias blinked. "Right. Still don't care."

Leon groaned. "You—never mind. I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering the guy who aced the practical but nearly flunked the history and current affairs section."

"What does that have to do with anything, and for the record I didn't fail. I just didn't bother."

Leon smirked. "Same thing."

Before their conversation could continue, Professor Duskbane clapped her hands. "That will be all for today. Take the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with your classmates or study your elective choices. Dismissed."

She turned on her heel and left, her robes billowing behind her. As soon as she exited, students immediately started chatting amongst themselves, some forming groups, others still poring over their electives.

Leon stretched. "Well, that's one class done."

He glanced at Historias. "You're planning to talk to people, right? Or are you going to vanish like a ghost?"

Historias smirked. "Haven't decided yet."

Leon rolled his eyes. "Fine, be mysterious or whatever. But you'll have to interact eventually."

Historias gave a noncommittal hum. He had already drawn more attention than he wanted today. Tomorrow, perhaps, would be different.

.......

After Leon left to take care of whatever business he had, Historias found himself wandering toward the cafeteria. The halls were less crowded now, making his walk relatively peaceful—until he stepped inside and spotted a rather amusing sight.

Leon was completely surrounded.

A small horde of noble students had practically boxed him in, their bright smiles and polished uniforms almost blinding. Some were trying to make casual conversation, others were subtly probing for connections, and a few were just… existing too close for comfort.

Leon, to his credit, kept up a polite smile, but Historias could tell—this was not where he wanted to be.

"Man, sucks to be them, right?" a voice chimed in from beside him.

Historias glanced over. A girl stood next to him, arms crossed, watching the noble student gathering like it was some kind of rare animal sighting. She had short brown hair, sharp eyes full of amusement, and a relaxed posture that screamed 'I am so glad that's not me.'

"Yeah," Historias said, smirking. "Yeah, it does."

The girl grinned. "Irene Dester, Rank 44. First-year, Class 1-A."

"Historias Vaelcrest, Rank 2, Class 1-C."

"Yeah, I know," Irene said, waving her hand. "Pretty sure everyone knows. You and that princess girl have been the main topic since the rankings went up."

Historias rolled his eyes. "Great. Just what I wanted."

Irene chuckled. "Well, at least you're not him," she said, jerking her chin toward Leon, who had just been handed what looked like a personal invitation to some noble family's evening gathering. His smile twitched.

"At times like this, I'm really glad I'm not a noble," Irene added. "No offense if you are."

"None taken," Historias said. "It's one of the few perks of not having a dozen relatives trying to marry you off or drag you into politics."

A few moments later, Leon finally noticed him. His eyes practically lit up with relief, and after a quick, hastily-made excuse—something about urgent sword maintenance—he managed to slip away from the nobles and jog over.

The second he reached Historias, Irene turned to leave. "Well, that's my cue," she said casually. "Nice meeting you, Rank 2."

With that, she walked off without a care in the world.

Leon, still slightly out of breath, gave Historias a suspicious look. "What's with that look?"

Historias smirked. "Yup. Sucks to be you."

Leon blinked. "Huh? What??"

Historias clapped him on the back. "Nothing. Just appreciating the small joys in life."

Leon narrowed his eyes. "You enjoyed watching me suffer, didn't you?"

Historias shrugged. "I don't enjoy it. I simply… acknowledge it as entertaining."

Leon groaned, rubbing his face. "I need better friends."

"You should've thought of that before approaching me.

"Leon sighed. "Why do I even try...".

...........

First-Year Timetable (Weekdays)

📌 Morning Sessions (8:00 AM – 12:00 PM)🔹 Monday - Friday

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM: Magic Theory & Arcane Studies

9:15 AM – 10:15 AM: Combat Training (Weapon & Unarmed Combat)

10:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Elemental Magic Studies (Affinity-based classes)[For Selective Students]

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM: Practical Spellcasting & Control[For Selective Students]

📌 Lunch Break (12:00 PM – 1:00 PM)

📌 Afternoon Sessions (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM)

🔹 Monday & Wednesday

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: History of Magic & Eldara

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM: Alchemy & Enchantments[For Selective Students]

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Tactical Strategy & Battle Analysis

🔹 Tuesday & Thursday

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Rune Studies (Fundamentals & Applications)[For Selective Students]

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM: Magical Creatures & Beasts

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Team-Based Combat Drills

🔹 Friday

1:00 PM – 2:00 PM: Elective Class

2:15 PM – 3:15 PM: Free Study & Research Period

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Physical Training & Endurance Drills

📌 Evening (4:00 PM – 6:00 PM)

Students may use this time for club activities, additional training, or self-study.

📌 Dinner (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM)

📌 Curfew (10:00 PM)

Students must return to dormitories.

🔹 Weekends: Free time! First-years may leave with guardian permission but must return on time, or their guardians will be informed. If excessively late, a search party will be sent.

Subjects(First Years)

Magic Theory & Arcane Studies – Understanding the principles of magic, spell formations, and arcane history.

Elemental Mastery – Practical training in elemental magic, covering affinities and their applications.

Combat Training & Tactics – Physical combat and mana/aura reinforcement techniques.

Runic Studies – The fundamentals of runes, enchantments, and magical inscriptions.

History of Eldara & Magical Civilizations – Covers historical wars, void creatures, and legendary figures.

Alchemy & Potion Crafting – Learning the basics of potion-making, magical reagents, and transmutation.

Electives (Choose 1-2 Specializations)

Spirit Warrior – Harnessing spiritual energy to enhance combat.

Aether Knight – Aura-based physical enhancements for battle.

Combat Mage – Specializing in destructive and battlefield magic.

Rune Scholar – Mastery of ancient runes and their applications.

Elementalist – Deep attunement with specific elemental magic.

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