Chapter 7: First day of school

Chapter 7: First day of school

Ezekiel woke up in the early morning, his mind clear and alert. But the excitement of the previous day was gone, and he felt a weight on his heart as he made his way downstairs. He was staying at Armin's house, Markus's uncle. The idea of living under someone else's roof again so soon after arriving in the city was disheartening.

This was supposed to be a time in his life when he would gain independence. He had even started to dream of one day owning his own house in the capital. But after yesterday's evaluation, those dreams felt further away than ever.

Ezekiel tried to push the negative thoughts from his mind as he entered the kitchen. There he found Markus and Armin, already up and about.

Armin greeted him with a warm smile, "Good morning, Ezekiel. Did you sleep well?"

Ezekiel nodded, his expression giving away nothing of the tumultuous emotions within. Despite the events of the previous day sapping his energy, he had slept soundly through the night. Upon entering his bed, his body had immediately given into exhaustion.

Armin, undeterred by Ezekiel's reserved demeanor, continued the conversation with cheer.

"Excited about your first day at Elementium?" he asked.

Ezekiel considered the question. He was searching within himself for the excitement he had felt just a day before. The memory of the other students' gazes weighed heavily upon him, casting doubt upon his initial enthusiasm.

Yet, he remembered Lilly, his friend, and classmate, who would be by his side. Her high potential in Wind Magic was a source of comfort, a beacon of hope in uncertain times. And with that thought, Ezekiel couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement kindle within his heart.

He replied with newfound vigor, "I can't wait."

Armin smiled, pleased with the change in Ezekiel's demeanor. They spent the rest of their meal discussing Armin's work as a blacksmith and Markus's plans to assist him. Ezekiel was happy for Markus, who was eager to start his apprenticeship.

After breakfast, Ezekiel set out on his journey to the academy. He took his time to marvel at the sights of the capital city. As he walked, he noticed numerous guards posted in the crafting district. This was a sign of the city's dedication to the safety of its artisans.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

The contrast was stark compared to the lack of security in the outermost district. Yesterday, Ezekiel made a promise to one day help the people there. Reality hit him hard as he realized he would soon be joining the struggling people of the outermost district, rather than helping them. Shaking off these thoughts, Ezekiel quickened his pace towards the entrance of the Elementium Academy.

The guards at the entrance gate were still unfamiliar with Ezekiel. He had never entered through the official entrance on foot before. However, they remained unalarmed by his approach. The boy was already donning the official robes he received the previous day.

Upon arriving at the gate, he rummaged through his pockets in search of the token he had received the day before. Finally finding the insignia, he presented it to the guard. The man, in turn, held out a strange device toward Ezekiel.

The guard's device came to life as a crystal lit up, breaking the slight tension that had filled the air. The guards relaxed their stance. It was only then that Ezekiel realized just how alert they were to any potential threats.

The boy was given the green light to pass. He made his way to the reception desk. On his way there, he was reflecting on how he had completely missed the guards' readiness to strike. He had no doubts that they would be able to subdue him in seconds, had the identification process failed.

Ezekiel arrived at the reception desk for first-year students. Ahead of him, a queue had formed, with each person seeking information about their classes and schedules. He took his place in line and took note of his surroundings.

He was disappointed that he wasn't in the same class as Lilly for this subject. But he had several more classes in the morning, and he was bound to run into her at some point.

Against all odds, Ezekiel found himself not sharing a single class with Lilly. He didn't catch a glimpse of her throughout the entire day. This was only one of the concerning trends Ezekiel noticed in his subsequent classes. Most of the teachers displayed an attitude of disdain towards Blood Magic.

Even the teacher for Blood Magic was no different. The man seemed to view his own Blood affinity as more of an inconvenient fact than a gift.

Ezekiel was stunned by the negative tone with which everyone spoke of this school of Magic. He gathered that this disdain was rooted in the fact that most Blood Mages hailed from a kingdom at war with the Empire. He didn't understand how this was reason enough to look down on him personally though. Moreover, the teachers' attitudes left little hope of changing these preconceptions anytime soon.

As the day went on, Ezekiel noticed another disturbing trend. The warning against hurting other students seemed to not apply to the nobles. While most commoners appeared content to ignore him, the nobles seemed to make a sport out of committing small acts of cruelty. The boy lost count of the number of times he was tripped or shoved by passing students.

Ezekiel walked down the corridor, heading towards his final class of the day, Mind Magic. In a moment of inattention, he felt the shoulder of a passing student collide with his own. The student was tall and well-built and appeared to be an upperclassman. The impact caught Ezekiel off guard, and he stumbled into a nearby pillar.

"Watch where you're going, Valorian scum," the student snarled. "The empire has no place for your kind."

Ezekiel regained his balance and squared up to the student. "It was clearly you who ran into me, senior. Furthermore, I don't know what a Valorian is, but I'm pretty certain I'm not one of them."

The student was about to reply when a young woman rounded the corner and called out to him. "Arnold, that's enough. We're going to be late for class if you waste any more time."

Arnold turned to the girl with a sheepish look on his face. He immediately tried to make excuses. "The Blood Mage boy ran into me and was disrespectful!" he whined.

The woman raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "I'm sure that's what happened. I've had it with your excuses, Arnold. It's never your fault, is it?"

She strode over and grabbed his arm, pulling him away. As she passed Ezekiel, she gave him a pitying look before turning her attention back to Arnold. "Have you no shame, bullying a first-year?" she scolded as she marched him down the hall.

"You know just as well as I, that no noble family will take him in. That means he'll be stuck, unable to access resources after becoming a True Mage. Why must you add to his troubles? He hasn't done anything to you personally."

The words echoed in Ezekiel's mind as the two rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Though he didn't fully grasp the woman's meaning, Ezekiel felt a growing sense of unease. The prospects ahead of him seemed even bleaker than he had anticipated.

He stood there, listening to the sound of their voices fading into the distance. He couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness at the encounter. Why did everyone have to treat him with caution, fear, or disdain? He could tell that the nobles knew something he didn't.

From what he could gather, mages needed a mysterious resource to advance at some point. The only way to gain access to those resources seemed to be to join a noble family. The boy had figured out by now that it was harder for him to advance than it would be for other mages. However, didn't that also mean that he would be stronger? He had two greater and a perfect affinity after all.

Ezekiel refused to believe that there was no noble family out there willing to invest in him. No matter how generally despised his Blood affinity seemed to be. He only needed a single person to take a chance on him.

The boy gathered his resolve, his determination to achieve his aspirations undiminished. He pressed on, marching towards the final lecture of the day. The other students could try to stop him, but he wouldn't let this academy defeat him.