A few days later, Melisa stood in front of a full-length mirror, tugging at the collar of her new school uniform, looking at herself in the mirror with the pride of a knight in a fresh suit of armor.
The deep blue fabric of her shirt was softer than anything she'd ever worn, and the silver embroidery along the edges sparkled in the morning light.
Margaret hovered nearby, her eyes misty as she fussed over every little detail.
"Oh, Mel, you look absolutely adorable!"
[I do indeed~] Melisa wriggled her eyes at herself in the mirror. [I need to be careful. This level of cuteness might cause at least a few heart attacks.]
Outwardly, however, she set aside her ego and simply said:
As Margaret continued to gush, Melisa's mind wandered. She'd never been a fan of school back on Earth. Too much pointless busywork and not enough actual learning.
But this... this was different.
[Magic school. In a fantasy world. With fox girls and half-dragons and who knows what else. I'm actually pretty excited.]
"Ready to go, kid?" Javir's voice called from downstairs.
"Coming!" Melisa shouted back, giving herself one last look in the mirror. [Let's do this!]
Javir's ethereal carriage glided smoothly through the streets of Syux, its translucent form drawing curious glances from passersby.
Melisa pressed her face against the window, drinking in every detail of the city.
"Wow, Javir, this place is amazing!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder. "Everything's so clean and shiny. It's like something out of a fairy tale!"
Javir chuckled, but there was a hint of something darker in her eyes.
"It does look pretty, doesn't it? But remember, Melisa, not everything that glitters is gold. Syux has its share of problems, just like any other place."
Melisa turned to face her mentor, curiosity piqued.
"Such as? I mean, aside from... You know."
"I don't wanna start rambling," Javir sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Let's just say that the shine you see? It comes at a cost. And not everyone pays an equal share of that cost, if you catch my drift."
[Yeah, some things never change, no matter what world you're in.]
"I'll keep that in mind."
As they approached the academy gates, Melisa felt her heart begin to race.
Unlike her previous visit, the campus was now buzzing with activity. Students of all ages hurried along the paths, carrying books in their arms and laughing with each other.
[Holy crap, this is really happening!]
Javir placed a hand on Melisa's shoulder, squeezing it.
Melisa grinned up at her, a mixture of excitement and determination shining in her eyes.
"Nah. I was born ready for this."
"That's the spirit," Javir laughed. "I'll take you to your homeroom. You'll be taking classes from 8:00 am to noon. Once you're done, just wait for me at your homeroom, alright?"
"Sure." Melisa nodded.
[Wish I had some time to run around, but whatever.]
With that said, they went into the academy.
Melisa stepped into the classroom, her eyes scanning the rows of desks until they landed on a familiar face.
[Well, well, well. Look who it is.]
Jaylin sat near the back, her gaze firmly fixed on the window as if the clouds outside were suddenly the most fascinating thing in the world.
Except, Melisa had noticed her looking her way. And, she noticed how Jaylin's head instantly snapped in the other direction.
[Ah, she's going for the 'I don't know her' act,] Melisa thought, suppressing a smirk. [Honestly, cute.]
Just then, the teacher swept into the room, her robes billowing dramatically behind her.
"Good morning, class," the teacher announced. She had a voice that was crisp and authoritative. "We have a new student joining us today. This is Melisa Blackflame. Melisa, why don't you introduce yourself?"
Melisa stepped forward, plastering on her best 'please like me' smile.
"Hi everyone, I'm Melisa. I'm, uh, really excited to be here and learn magic with you all."
A wave of whispers swept through the classroom, accompanied by a few not-so-subtle glares.
One boy near the front didn't even bother to lower his voice as he muttered:
"Since when do they let nim into the academy?"
[Ah, there's the warm welcome I was expecting. Wonderful.]
As Melisa took her seat, she couldn't help but notice the conspicuous absence of any darian students.
[Seriously, where are all those half-dragon people? Haven't seen one at all.]
"We will pick up where we left off last time. Do not worry, Miss Blackflame, you didn't miss much that will be on the next test. So, where were we? Can anyone remind me?"
From there, the teacher began her lesson, diving into what seemed to be a riveting tale about some ancient Syux battle.
A battle between, guess who. The humans and the darians.
Melisa's quill flew across her notebook, desperate to catch every detail.
[This is great! Finally, some actual info about this world that isn't-]
Melisa's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden wetness spreading across her desk. She looked up to see a boy next to her holding an empty water glass, a poorly concealed smirk on his face.
"Oops," he said, not sounding sorry at all. "My hand slipped."
Melisa stared at her now-soaked notebook, watching as the ink ran down the page.
[... At least he didn't ruin much!] She sighed. [Nice.]
She took a deep breath, reminding herself that setting her classmate on fire, while tempting, probably wouldn't be the best first impression.
[Okay, Melisa. You've dealt with office bullies before. This is just... a slightly, SLIGHTLY, less mature version of that. You've got this.]
With a forced smile, she turned to the boy.
"Thanks for the impromptu water magic demonstration. Next time, maybe aim for your own desk?"
The boy's smirk faltered, clearly not expecting Melisa to respond so calmly.
[That's right, buddy. This nim's not taking any shit from you!]
Petty pranks aside, nothing was really going to get in the way of Melisa's excitement.
Her journey toward being the best sorceress had begun...
Even if it would probably take many, many years.