A photo and a letter

His cold black eyes, like a winter night.

His shining raven hair.

His broad shoulders, his strong features that resembled more a powerful warrior than a wizard.

I sighed for what must have been the hundredth time, admiring the photo of Sir Aldric, my idol.

Of humble origins, people said that he was the only wizard to have successfully completed the final exam of Duelcrest, the Royal Academy of Magic.

Just two years after graduation, Aldric had embarked with the kingdom's finest warriors on a campaign to defeat the Demon King, whose forces had long threatened our reign's western borders.

According to reports, the young wizard had personally defeated the King with a single spell.

Since then, in these times of peace, he had become a true celebrity with thousands of admirers.

I was one of them.

I wasn't one of those who dreamed of nothing but marrying him though (although maybe I wouldn't have minded...).

He just was the wizard I looked up to the most. In a society where nobility looked down on simple citizens like me, he had shown that social status was irrelevant when it came to magical power.

My bookshelf was full of books and magazines about him, his portraits adorned the walls of my room, and I had that photo, my most prized treasure.

It was a perfect reproduction of his appearance, the result of a recently invented spell. I had saved for months to afford one!

"And now, perhaps I'll have the opportunity to meet him!" I thought, shifting my gaze to the letter, resting on the desk next to the photograph.

I had read and reread that missive dozens of times since it had arrived, about a month ago. The first time I opened it, I almost fainted.

Might as well take one last look, just to make sure it wasn't all a beautiful dream.

I opened the envelope, separating the two parts of the wax seal, which depicted two crossed swords with a magic wand in the center.

"Dear Miss Elizabeth Belvoir,

It is my pleasure to inform you that you have been selected to attend Duelcrest, the Royal Academy of Magic. By royal mandate, once selected, attendance is mandatory. The duration of your stay will be of a maximum of two years and will begin on the first day of September. Make sure by then to have a functional wand and a sword, or another white weapon of your choice, in good conditions. Also, make sure to bring clothing and other personal effects that you deem necessary for a serene stay at our school.

It is strongly advised that you do not communicate the contents of this letter to anyone, except your parents.

On the designated day, an official will come to your residence to accompany you to your destination.

The Headmaster, Professor Evander Skylark."

Below was printed the royal seal to confirm the authenticity of the letter. That symbol was enchanted with a powerful spell that made it irreproducible except by officials who had received the right directly from the sovereign.

And it was a good thing that it was there.

Otherwise, I would have probably thought that it was all some kind of elaborate joke.

Those peculiar instructions had initially raised more than one doubt in me.

What did they mean by a maximum of two years?

But after thinking about it for a while, maybe they weren't so strange after all.

Duelcrest Academy was shrouded in mystery, to the extent that many doubted its existence. Aldric was the only person known to have attended it and was the only one to have obtained the diploma. I was almost certain that all the other failed students had undergone a memory-wipe spell, otherwise a lot more would've been known about it.

There was a good possibility that the spells taught in the school were extremely dangerous, and those who couldn't complete their studies weren't considered worthy of using them.

On the other hand, maybe it was for better that a spell capable of defeating the Demon King in one blow wasn't circulating among the wide population.

There were probably conditions under which one could fail even before the end of the course, so in the letter, it said a maximum of two years.

"But I won't fail!" I hyped myself up.

The idea that only one student had successfully completed the two years wasn't very encouraging. But the prospect that if I succeeded, I would surely have the opportunity to meet sir Aldric, filled me with conviction.

I grabbed the letter and the photo, and gently tucked them into the suitcase resting beside the bed.

I had finished filling it with all my belongings the night before.

It was 8 in the morning, today was the designated day for the start of the school year. The letter didn't specify the time, so I had woken up at 6.

Not that I had slept a much...

"Now, one last touch."

I made sure that my wand was in the holster secured to the right side of my belt. Then I grabbed the sword I had bought a few days before and fastened its sheath to the left.

"I hope they'll teach me how to use it."

If there was one thing that could make me fail, it was surely my skill with the sword.

So far, I had relied on my great aptitude for magic and had never felt the need to learn to fight with a weapon.

I turned to the mirror to make sure I looked presentable. They hadn't sent me a uniform, so I wore the gray, anonymous one from my old school. It certainly wasn't at the level of a royal academy, probably full of nobles.

Except for rare cases like Sir Aldric, magical power and blue blood usually went hand in hand. Like him, I hoped to be the exception that proved the rule.

My parents were simple merchants. Nevertheless, since childhood, I had shown a great propensity for magic, also aided by impressive levels of mana .

"I hope they won't make fun of me," I thought, smoothing out the wrinkled skirt and straightening the bow attached to my blonde hair.

It was better to wait in the kitchen, otherwise, the anxiety would devour me.

I went down the stairs and crossed the house immersed in silence.

My parents weren't here.

Maybe it was better that way, my mom would only make things worse. The night before, when she and dad left for the capital with the cart loaded with goods, she had shed quite a few tears.

Deep down, I understood her. I had never left our small town on the border of the realm. But that was also why, in addition to anxiety, I couldn't contain my excitement.

I sat in the kitchen and lit a candle. My gaze got lost in its flickering flame, with a thousand thoughts and worries swirling in my head. It was only when I heard a knock on the door that I snapped out of that trance-like state. I had lost track of time, maybe I had even fallen asleep.

I jumped up, smoothed my skirt once again, and headed towards the entrance.

I opened the door. In front of me stood an imposing bearded man, probably in his forties. He wore a black and white uniform, with the same emblem printed on his chest as the wax seal that sealed the letter.

«Miss Belvoir, I assume?» he asked, staring at me with a serious expression.

«Y-yes, it's me,» I replied, my voice trembling slightly.

I don't know why, but that man made me a little uneasy.

«Very well,» and he offered me a gloved hand.

«Nice to me-» I started, reaching out to shake it.

But the man didn't return the handshake. Before I realized it, his hand grabbed my wrist, closing it in an iron grip.

«B-but wh-»

Before I could finish the sentence, a strange sense of numbness seized my body, and the world suddenly turned black.