THE ACADEMY

The Academy, just like the palace, was as large as a small city. It was located away from the city. It was surrounded by huge walls about fifty metres tall. Its gates, which were just as tall as the walls looked truly magnificent.

Layla wondered if the gates were protecting those inside or if it was protecting the outside from those inside.

' Stupid thoughts. '

The gates creaked loudly as they were opened, so much that Layla had to cover her ears. Layla noticed two guards standing on each side of the gate. She couldn't see their faces because of the helmets they wore, but she was at least able to see their hair to figure out they were mages.

Entering the Academy was easier than normal because she had been transported in a carriage belonging to the Academy. She had never been to the Academy, although her parents had. The only knowledge she had regarding the Academy was all she had read in books. Looking outside, she realized things there were a little different from what she had read.

Unlike the books where mages rode on brooms and flying objects, mages here walked or rode carriages.

Another thing she noticed was that there were more non mages than mages. It wasn't that surprising as mages were very rare, hence the decree forcing them to attend the Academy.

The carriage stopped suddenly causing Layla to be thrown forward. They had already arrived at their destination. Layla alighted from the carriage along with the servant that carried her things.

A man, who wasn't a mage, came to welcome her. He hadn't bothered to introduce himself and spoke briefly. He handed her a few items and things she would need.

The servant wasn't allowed to go further, so Layla had to carry everything herself. As they walked, the man explained some things to her.

"Mages can only start learning at the age of eighteen because using magic before then may kill them. "

Layla shuddered at the mention of death. What if her power had awoken before she turned eighteen?

"When they become eighteen, they are taken to the Academy where they study for two years until they are twenty. Layla, since you are 19 already, you will continue with the second class instead of the first class. Honestly, it would be better if you started with the first class, but we can't waste any more time. You'll have to become stronger faster. Don't be discouraged by lack of experience as I believe Lady Sheila will handle it. "

"There are 3 courses of study here. The first is martial arts. Even with magic, mages still need to have some knowledge on fighting."

"The second is general studies. It is focused on teaching general subjects like history, sciences and potions too."

"The last is spell studies. In that class, you will be taught different spells, their applications and other things. "

"You'll be having these classes for six days in a week from morning till the evening. "

"Do you have any questions? "

Layla shook her head.

"Well then, that will be all. That is a school guide. It will help you with anything I forgot to mention. "

He handed her a small booklet before leaving. He had left her in front of the girls dormitory for the second class. He couldn't follow her in so she was left alone.

At the entrance, all she had to do was show them a letter to direct her on what to do. They were all surprised to see a non mage in the dormitory for mages. There were non mages everywhere in the Academy but this place was reserved for only mages. They themselves weren't mages, well, except for one, but they were there for work.

The woman who was the only mage quickly handled the situation and let her in. From the way they behaved, Layla was sure they didn't know who she was and the only mage, who she assumed was the leader, was the only one aware. Still, the rest didn't ask any questions.

Every other student was having classes, so Layla was the only one in the dorm. As soon as she entered the room, she lay on the bed tired from exhaustion. It was almost evening by the time she had entered the Academy. She had spent all day preparing for her admission into the Academy.

Everything had happened so fast that she hadn't had time to process it all. It was just yesterday that she had found out she was some savior. She stood up from the bed and shook her head, if she thought too much about it, her head might explode.

'Better do something else. '

She took a look at all the items she was given. It was a uniform. The uniform consisted of a black skirt, a black shirt, black tights. On the shirt, decorated in large, gold letters was the letter 'A'. There was also black shoes and socks.

After taking a look at the uniforms, she began arranging her things. The room was pretty spacious but empty. It only had a bed, a cupboard and a reading table and chair. She didn't bring a lot of things with her, so she was done pretty quickly.

Left with nothing to do, she decided to take a quick bath.

'Maybe I can use the remaining time to sleep. ', she thought to herself.

As she was about to sleep, she noticed the school guide that she had been given. Better to familiarize herself with how things went about in the school.

Layla had been so preoccupied with reading the guide that she had lost track of time. She jumped out of the chair and quickly wore her uniform as she was required to wear it to the dining hall.

She had to hurry up to the dining hall as it would disrespectful to arrive after the teachers. She wasn't exactly late, but she had hoped to make acquaintances with her classmates. Talking wasn't allowed during dinner so she had to snag the opportunity then.

She stopped to look in the mirror attached to the cupboard to admire herself. The uniform fitted her perfectly well and it was well made for something that was made in one day.

She hurried downstairs and met the matrons of the dormitory discussing something.

"Why do you think that girl is here?", One of them asked.

"She may have been given political asylum. The Academy is the best place to hide someone."

Layla made her presence known to them. The silence that immediately greeted was almost funny. After some time, one of them finally spoke up.

"What's your name?"

"Layla. Layla Augustine."

"Are you a part of the family, or a physician that took the family name."

The Augustine name was pretty common. Among the apprentices the Augustine's had, some of them preferred to take the family name. And there were other extended family too.

When Layla told them her father's name, their eyes widened in absolute shock. Her being the future heir to the Augustine had already disproved their theories of her being there because she was given political asylum.

Her answer would ultimately lead to more questions, but Layla couldn't really avoid it. Over time, they would eventually discover who she, so there was really no point in hiding it. All she had to do was avoid their other questions, and quickly. Sheila hadn't exactly told her to keep the fact that she was the 'savior', but there had to have been a reason why they were kept in the dark.

Before they could ask any more questions, a voice interrupted them, one Layla recognized. It was Sheila.

"I hope you will not disturb miss Layla."

The matrons, and Layla quickly gave small bows and left. The people before them were important people even if Layla didn't know how important they were.

Sheila was accompanied by three people, the head matron and two men, all mages.

"Layla is coming with me."

Sheila had a smile on her face but that did nothing to ease Layla. Even if Sheila was being nice, the others didn't make her feel uncomfortable. They weren't glaring at her but had stern faces.

***

The dining was large and decorated with simple but exquisite designs. It was designed with curtains and huge chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was a long table placed on a large podium. Two rows of tables were placed below the podiums presumably for the two classes.

Layla was being led to the table on the podium while everyone stared at her making her feel a little uncomfortable. Just like the matrons, they were shocked to see a non mage here.

However, that didn't make them forget their manners. As they approached the podium, every student except the prince offered a slight bow. It was customary for the students to stand when the teachers walked in and remain like that until they sat down. This custom was practiced by everyone including the prince.

Sheila remained standing and didn't sit.

"Everyone, meet Layla Augustine. She is the savior mentioned by the prophecy."

The silent hall immediately filled with audible gasps.

'That's a bit too dramatic. '