Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 23: The First Lesson

Elara:

I watched in disbelief as the four of them walked into the classroom behind Professor Fenrith.

Surely... this couldn’t be happening.

Professor Fenrith set the stack of books onto his desk before finally turning toward the four men lingering near the entrance. His green eyes swept over them one by one before stopping on the brown-haired man I’d seen in the hallway.

"Mr. Ravenshade," he said calmly. "You are expected in this class." Then his gaze shifted toward the other three. "But why are the rest of you here?"

I blinked.

Mr. Ravenshade? So... it was the brown-haired one.

Before either of the other three could speak, Reign casually threw one arm around the brunet’s shoulders as though the entire situation were perfectly normal.

"We are just accompanying Alaric." His tone carried that same lazy confidence that somehow managed to sound arrogant without him even trying. "And since none of us have another class this hour..." He shrugged. "...we figured we might as well learn something."

The excuse sounded paper-thin even to me.

Then, his gaze moved past Professor Fenrith and straight toward me. Those impossibly blue eyes locked onto mine with such intensity that, for the briefest moment, my eyes wanted to look away. But I refused. Instead, I met his stare head-on. Neither of us blinked or smiled. It felt less like eye contact and more like a silent challenge.

Professor Fenrith watched the exchange with an expression that clearly said he wasn’t convinced by Reign’s explanation. Not even a little. Still, after a few seconds, he merely sighed.

"You may stay. But there shouldn’t be any interference from your part."

The four exchanged knowing looks before heading toward the very back row of the lecture hall.

Wonderful. Now they were all here. As if one encounter with Reign this morning hadn’t been enough.

Once everyone settled into their seats, Professor Fenrith stepped before the enormous blackboard dominating the front of the classroom. He looked around at the students.

"Before we begin..." His gaze landed on me. "...we have a new student joining Advanced Elemental Studies. Ms. Eleanora Argentis."

Every pair of eyes in the room turned toward me.

I slowly stood. Suddenly becoming the center of attention in a room filled with complete strangers was far from comfortable, but there was no avoiding it. I offered a small respectful bow.

"It’s a pleasure to meet all of you." I said and straightened.

Silence followed.

Back in the human world, introducing a new student usually earned applause. Sometimes cheers. At the very least, a few welcoming smiles.

But here... nothing.

Only whispers.

Dozens of quiet conversations immediately broke out across the lecture hall.

"That’s really her?"

"The Lost Princess..."

"So she actually came."

"I heard she grew up among groundlings."

"I heard she doesn’t even have magic."

The whispers blended together until they became little more than background noise. Then, a loud whistle echoed from the back row, followed by exaggerated clapping.

"Woo!"

"Welcome, Princess!"

More clapping. I didn’t need to turn around to know exactly who it was.

The four idiots.

Professor Fenrith shot them a single warning glance and the clapping stopped. Barely. Before he could continue the lecture, a confident female voice rang out.

"Professor."

I turned to look at the source and recognized her immediately. It was the same blonde girl who had practically been hanging off Reign two nights ago. She still looked graceful even as she vomited nothing but poison.

"I believe the academy has made a mistake."

Professor Fenrith raised one eyebrow. "Oh?"

She smiled politely. "Shouldn’t the groundling princess be attending lessons in Feeb Tower instead?" The smile never left her face. "Wouldn’t she be more comfortable studying with the other groundlings?"

The classroom exploded into laughter.mSome students tried hiding it behind their hands, while others made no attempt whatsoever.

Feeb Tower.

Apparently there was actually a tower dedicated to... groundlings? Or perhaps weaker students. Either way... the implication was obvious.

Before the laughter completely died down, another girl seated beside the blonde leaned forward. "I also heard..." She glanced toward me with poorly concealed amusement. "...that our dear Princess doesn’t possess any magic at all."

Fresh laughter erupted.

Someone snorted. Another student actually applauded the comment. But I just settled down in my seat, paying them no attention. I didn’t bother fighting them. Instead, my gaze wandered toward the enormous windows lining the left side of the classroom. Then the magical diagrams carved into the ceiling. Then the strange symbols decorating the walls.

I was looking at anything and everything, except the students. If they wanted a reaction, they weren’t getting one. Eventually, the laughter subsided on its own.

Professor Fenrith hadn’t defended me, nor had he encouraged them. He’d simply... waited. Once the room quieted naturally, he picked up a piece of chalk.

"Today..." He began writing across the blackboard. "...we’ll review the fundamentals of Elemental Magic."

The response from the classroom surprised me. A collective groan filled the room.

"Oh, come on..."

"We learned this years ago."

"This is children’s material." Someone muttered dramatically.

Professor Fenrith remained completely unfazed. "Then this should be an easy revision."

More groaning.

Meanwhile, I leaned forward slightly, giving him my complete attention. Unlike everyone else, I needed this. Every single word, every explanation, and every definition.

I wasn’t embarrassed to admit it. If everyone else had learned this when they were ten years old, then I’d simply start learning it now.

Professor Fenrith began explaining the origins of elemental magic, how different affinities resonated with different natural forces, and why attempting to force an incompatible element could permanently damage a person’s magic pathways.

I listened carefully, taking notes as quickly as I could.

About ten minutes into the lecture, something caught my eye. An orange flicker. I frowned. It reflected faintly off the glossy cover of my notebook. At first I assumed sunlight had shifted. But then, the reflection moved.

My eyes narrowed.

"...What?"

The tiny orange glow suddenly expanded.

Whoosh.

Bright flames erupted across the surface of my notebook. I gasped as the fire exploded upward so suddenly that instinct completely took over.

"Ah!"

I stumbled to my feet so quickly that my chair scraped loudly against the floor. The classroom burst into laughter once again, but louder than before. Confused, I stared at the blazing notebook.

Why wasn’t it burning?

The flames looked completely real. Heat radiated from them. Yet, the pages beneath remained untouched. I looked around in panic, and that was when I saw him.

Reign.

He was sitting comfortably at the back. Watching me.

Then, I heard Professor Fenrith sigh. It was a genuinely tired sigh. He casually flicked two fingers and the flames disappeared instantly, as though they had never existed.

My notebook lay exactly where I’d left it. Perfectly unharmed. There wasn’t even a scorch mark remained.

I stared in complete confusion.

"...What..."

Professor Fenrith looked toward the back row. "Excellent control, Mr. Ravenshade." He nodded approvingly. "Ten points."

My head snapped toward the brown-haired young man.

Alaric Ravenshade.

He leaned back comfortably in his chair, the smallest hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. Understanding dawned almost immediately.

The fire. It hadn’t been real. Or... perhaps it had. Either way, he had been the one behind it.

I looked from him... to Professor Fenrith... then back again. Completely stunned.

Ten points?

Not detention. Not a warning. Not even a reprimand. He’d just set my notebook on fire in the middle of class, and been rewarded for it.

What kind of academy was this?