912 Marshall Academy ( 1 )
"Armin! I didn't know you'd be here!"
Startled, Armin looked around. He hadn't expected anyone to recognize him. Coming from an orphanage in a distant city, he thought he'd arrived at the Academy without knowing a soul.
But his confusion was quickly cleared as he smiled when he spotted a familiar face among the crowd.
It was Myla, the daughter of the innkeeper from the place he'd been staying these past few days. She was a petite girl with lively green eyes and short, curly hair that framed her face.
Armin remembered her from her shifts helping at the inn. She was really cute and was well trained by her father, as she was always quick and had a warm smile as she worked, carrying trays or organizing rooms.
'She's actually a student as well…' He was really surprised.
"Myla…" he greeted. He was a bit delighted since he finally knew someone. He hadn't been speaking to anyone since he wasn't really good at socializing.
"You're here too? I didn't expect to see you!"
"I know, right?" Myla laughed, a bit shyly but clearly pleased. "I wanted to surprise you, but I couldn't resist saying hi when I saw you. My father never told you I'd be here, did he?"
Armin shook his head. "No, not at all! I thought I was here on my own. What a relief to see a familiar face."
Myla grinned as this was what she wanted to see.
"Well, here I am! I enrolled a while back. I want to study Psychic Arts. I've always been a bit… curious about the mind's mysteries," she admitted, as he expression turned serious.
"It's amazing being here, though a bit nerve-wracking, right?"
"Oh, tell me about it," Armin chuckled, adjusting his bag as they walked down the hallway. "I still can't believe I'm actually here."
A few more students joined them as they talked—Myla's friends, who she introduced eagerly.
There was Rumi, a tall girl who wore her long hair in a neat braid; Harry, a lean boy with glasses that constantly slipped down his nose; and Finn, a silent boy with brown hair and a shy demeanor.
"Everyone, this is Armin," Myla introduced him. Her tone filled with pride as if they were long-time friends...
"He's going to study Dark Arts!"
Her friends all looked impressed, and a couple of them exchanged surprised glances.
"Dark Arts? That's intense!" Harry said in surprise. "You must have a lot of talent if you're going for that."
This confused Armin since he thought that Dark Arts were the most common here.
"Yeah," Rumi added, smiling with genuine admiration. "We all tried for Dark Arts initially, but it turns out none of us had any natural aptitude for it. Psychic Arts felt right, though, so here we are."
Armin scratched the back of his neck, smiling.
"Thanks, I'm really just learning all this too. I'm not sure what to expect either."
"Well, we're sure you'll do great," Myla said with confidence. "Dark Arts requires some serious skill. You'll have to tell us all about your classes once you're in them!"
The group chatted easily as they continued toward the dormitories, sharing laughs and stories of their first impressions of the Academy. Myla and her friends asked Armin with questions about his background and his plans, fascinated by his journey from the orphanage to the Academy and his choice of the Dark Arts path.
As they reached the staircase where they'd part ways, Myla turned to him one last time. "Good luck, Armin. See you around…"
He nodded with a smile and waved goodbye to Myla and her friends. The Academy felt a little less intimidating with familiar faces around.
"I hope they're also as friendly as her…" Armin muttered, referring to his roommates and classmates.
He then continued to find his room on the third floor. Soon, Armin pushed open the door to see a surprising sight: standing by one of the beds was a figure that looked mostly human—except for the prominent, floppy dog-like ears atop his head.
'Beastman? So they're really here…' Armin's eyes lit up as he saw this. There were already some mentions of them in the newspapers. It was mentioned that they only lived in the Shadow Immortal's Domain, but since he hadn't seen them even in the huge city, he had already forgotten about their existence.
However, now that he saw one of them around, he couldn't help but feel elated. This was such an amazing sight for him.
The boy then turned at him, revealing a pair of amber eyes, and raised a brow when he saw Armin staring.
"Uh, hi," Armin stammered, trying to keep his curiosity in check. "I didn't expect to, well…"
"Share a room with someone who has these ears?" The boy finished with a hint of amusement in his voice. He reached up, scratching one of his ears nonchalantly. "Yeah, I get that reaction a lot. I'm Valen. And yes, they're real."
Armin nodded, feeling a bit sheepish but unable to hide his interest. "I'm Armin. Didn't know we had… uh… I mean, didn't know someone like you would be at the Academy."
Valen grinned. This action showed his sharp canines, but they weren't threatening.
"Not a lot of people do. I'm from a family of beast-kin, though we're fairly humanized—well, except for a few things." He flicked his ear playfully. "They say we have an affinity for transformation arts so here I am, following my father's words. You're studying Dark Arts?"
Armin nodded. "Yes… Just got my badge and everything. You?"
"Same here! I'm also a new student. Figured I'd take advantage of the family gifts." Valen shrugged, then gave Armin a quick lookover.
'Did he get gifts from his relatives after being accepted?' Armin mused.
"Let's hope they put us in the same class. First-year classes are all about foundations anyway, so there were cases where even different Arcane Paths would go in the same class, like History, Basic Alchemy, and stuff… Right, I've heard Class 1's a tough spot to land, but they give you access to a lot of cool spell models. Do you think you'll be in Class 1?"
Armin chuckled as he had never considered that at all.
They chatted for some time before they finally heard the announcement all over the Dormitory about the entrance ceremony later this afternoon.