The first thing Aria noticed about Magi Core Academy was the size.
It was enormous.
The main gates alone were tall enough to give a dragon vertigo. Towering obsidian arches glinted with runes she couldn't quite read—some ancient, others clearly custom, probably meant to keep prank spells out or overly ambitious students in. Beyond the gates, the Academy sprawled like a small city: massive stone towers, hovering walkways, floating gardens spinning slowly in orbit around crystalline lecture halls. The air itself shimmered with enchantment.
It was awe-inspiring.
And annoying.
Because the second thing Aria noticed… was that it looked exactly like the kind of school where she would've been bullied in her old life.
Aria frowned at that thought as the carriage rolled past a trio of students gliding on brooms and laughing like they knew exactly how much they were better than you.
Her memories flickered.
She remembered cramped desks and blank-eyed teachers. How her voice had been small, her presence easy to ignore. How even when she'd answered every question right, no one seemed to care. She remembered the girl with red nails who poured water into her bag. The boys who'd "accidentally" pushed her down stairs.
"Oops," they used to say. "Didn't see you there."
Yeah, right.
Her knuckles tensed on her lap. That was then.
This was now.
She wasn't some invisible kid anymore. Not some powerless girl with a cracked phone and a too-big hoodie trying to make herself small. This time… she was fire.
No—gold.
Aria Valemir, bearer of an unnatural gift, apprentice of a shadowy warrior tutor, wielder of gold-burned magic, survivor of assassination, and master of blowing things up with flair.
And if anyone thought they could try that bullying nonsense here?
Well.
She hoped the Academy had fire insurance.
The carriage stopped in a grand circular courtyard paved with enchanted marble that shifted colors when stepped on. A handful of students were already milling about—new arrivals, judging by their stiff posture and the way they kept looking around like they'd just stepped into a dream or a panic attack.
Aria stepped down from the carriage, hair fluttering as a wind spell caught her cloak.
She adjusted the golden pins in her dark curls and looked around like she owned the place.
(Spoiler: she might one day.)
A slender girl with two thick braids and a clipboard approached, dressed in regulation navy robes with a faint silver trim.
"Aria Valemir?" the girl asked, eyes scanning down a long list. "You're late."
Aria tilted her head. "Oh no, what a tragedy. I suppose you'll have to expel me immediately and save everyone the trouble."
The girl blinked. "That was sarcasm, wasn't it?"
"A new skill I've picked up. Still deciding if it suits me."
The girl—whose name tag read Mina, Orientation Liaison, Probably Overworked—sighed and handed Aria a glowing map scroll. "Welcome to Magi Core Academy. Try not to set anything on fire your first week."
"No promises."
"Of course not."
Aria stepped through the main archway, and a low thrumming sensation ran across her skin as she passed the ward line. It was like the air itself acknowledged her, pressing in with gentle curiosity.
Immediately, her senses opened.
The academy was alive with magic.
The students around her weren't just talking—they were murmuring spells. A boy sneezed and accidentally summoned a swarm of butterflies. A girl walking past wore a glowing crown of ice that didn't melt. A first-year ran past screaming, his shoes on fire and a ghost cackling behind him.
Aria stared for a second, deadpan.
"Well," she muttered. "Nice to see the bar for chaos is already set low."
A disembodied voice beside her snorted. "Oh, you're going to be fun."
She turned quickly. "Who said that?"
A small creature floated near her shoulder—a pale wisp of magic that shimmered with hints of mischief. It grinned with a mouth it probably shouldn't have had.
"A stray thought-echo from the orientation spell," it said cheerfully. "You're very loud inside, you know."
Aria batted it away, mildly annoyed. "You're violating several boundaries, including personal, magical, and existential."
"Noted," it said, vanishing in a puff of glitter.
She sighed.
This place was going to drive her insane. And yet… she liked it.
No parents watching every move. No guards trailing behind her. No Riven hurling wooden blades at her head while growling about balance and composure.
Just magic. People. Mystery. Chaos.
Freedom.
But also danger. She could feel it.
There were students here with power that rivaled hers—barely, but still. She spotted one across the courtyard, cloaked in red, with twin blades strapped across his back and an aura that pulsed like molten rock. Another girl she passed had white hair, eyes that flickered like moonlight, and a smile that didn't quite reach her ears.
Aria smiled too. It wasn't warm.
Because this time, she wasn't going to wait for trouble.
This time, she'd see it coming—and burn it down first.