FireWing

Momo quickly looked down and began poking and prodding at the food in front of her.

"I... I'm not nearly as talented as Lucy. Sorry for that," the girl grumbled.

"What do you mean? You're really talented," Arthur quickly denied.

"And what are you apologising for? We are more than happy to have you with us. I'm actually relieved," Darius added.

"Exactly… and it doesn't matter what you say. We know what we saw during the Hunter Test. I didn't even see Carol do what you did," Tara pitched in, pulling her friend into a hug.

Despite Momo's lack of confidence, everyone that had been present during their final fight against the Behemoth had witnessed her undeniably incredible abilities during the Sorting Test and found her unbelievably strong.

Darius and Leo had even seen her fire pinpoint accurate shots at a Demon Bear while being carried on Darius' back when she was injured.

That kind of skill was hard to come by… nearly impossible even.

"I appreciate the gesture, really," the brown-haired girl frowned, "But there is a reason I had to go through the Sorting Test while my sister simply came here on recommendation."

Arthur's eyes widened in realisation. The facts were laid bare for all of them…

He'd never really seen Lucy in action but Momo's sudden change in confidence spoke volumes.

"Is there that much of a difference?" he wondered. His sapphire eyes wandered off to the silver-haired prodigy as she walked up to the group of cheery girls.

"Yes, there is."

"Well, then you'll just have to get a lot stronger. You'll train like your life depends on it," the prince announced.

"You make it sound so simple. I've been training nearly my…"

"Don't give me that. You're in Barthlorn now and your role on our squad says you're an archer. Which means you definitely have the talent for it," Arthur cut her off.

"Okay."

..............

Arthur and the other Squads watched as the rest of the noble students went through, one by one, getting assigned to the different squads.

Unlike the diamonds-in-the-rough like Arthur, Sullivan and Cade that were fawned over from the first years that came out of the Hunter Test, these were prodigies who were experts in their crafts. Each one was a powerful addition to the Squads capable of accomplishing great feats.

As it turned out, almost none of them got assigned to Squad Six.

Almost…

But by some odd twist of fate, one of them did. One of the students admitted on recommendation got assigned to Squad Six.

Arthur felt his heart sink when he set his eyes on her. Memories of their first encounter flashed through his mind and he could swear he could have felt his flame core surge.

A girl with crimson hair and a fiery aura stepped forward and sat in the chair. The Rune circles began to spin and flicker. For a moment, there was a calm silence… interrupted by the soft hum of magic, almost as if the magic was taking so many variables into account.

It felt like an eternity before the voice spoke, its melodic tone reverberating throughout the Great Hall:

"Name: Lyra Scarlet FireWing

Course: Dragon

Category: FireBreather

Squad: Squad… Six"

The Mess Hall was silent for a few moments before becoming entombed in a frenzy of silent murmurs.

'Did I hear right?' 'Squad Six, really?' 'That was... unexpected.' 'Maybe it was some sort of mistake?' 'I've never heard of the Sorting Spell making a mistake.' 'You think she's a noble outcast or something?'

Arthur stared at the girl who'd just been assigned to his new squad, his ears picking up on bits and pieces of the mortifying gossip and speculations flying about the Great Hall.

The prince also noticed her eyes go wide at the mention of her assigned squad. It was almost like she didn't expect herself to be placed into Squad Six.

Looking around, he noticed similar looks of shock on the upperclassmen of Squad Six. Perhaps there was some other reason for their shocked expressions. Arthur did not know.

Dragons! The one supernatural creature that phoenixes were afraid of. While exposing their existence was certainly bad news, it was worse if the one that found out was indeed a dragon.

For reasons still unknown to Arthur, dragons were the most hostile beings towards phoenixes whether good or bad.

"Wow! A dragon has been assigned to Squad Six. We haven't had that one in… a few years."

"A decade, Baxter," Edgar cut off the boy in round glasses, specifying how long it had been since they had a dragon in the squad.

"I know that, Edgar. I wonder what the reason is... for sending her to our squad and why it had to her of all people."

Arthur knew this girl from his incident up on the Landing pad, but he didn't know much beyond that. It was only now that he was getting to know her name.

"What about her?"

"She's Lyra Scarlet 'Firewing.'" Darius said in a hushed tone, putting emphasis on her last name and hoping the prince would not... embarrass him.

Arthur simply stared back wondering how he was supposed to be using that information. A flickering lightbulb went on and off in the prince's head. Tilting his head in curiosity, he asked, "The Royal Family FireWing?"

"Yes, the Royal Family Firewing," Darius replied, now perturbed. The prince still looked confused.

"That's cool and all… but what's wrong with a princess joining our Squad?" Arthur asked.

'I am a prince after all. Though I doubt that counts as a reason in this case,' he wanted to say.

"Have you looked at this squad? It's full of commoners—" turning to Momo, "No offence, Momo."

'Hey, what about me? And Darius! Mostly Darius…' Arthur wanted to scream.

"So, you mean… under normal circumstances, she would have been sent to a squad like…"

"Any other squad would have been fine. For certain reasons, squad Six is the last place a royal would be assigned," the boy sighed.

Arthur turned his attention back to the stage and felt his blood go cold when he locked eyes with Lyra. The fiery-haired girl kept their gaze for a short moment before turning to the Vice Principal.

In a hushed tone, she asked, "Is this some sort of mistake?"

"No, there is no mistake. If you've been assigned to Squad Six, then there is a reason. The Sorting makes sure to send you to the Squad in which you'll develop the fastest and reach your highest potential. Good luck to you, your Highness," Professor Draul responded with a slight bow.

The girl stood up from her seat, her grey robes taking on the green colours of Squad Six and walked off stage. All the way to the left row, stares and murmurs followed her, threatening to burn a hole in the back of her head.

As she passed by Arthur, the phoenix felt his hairs stand on ends as a fierce wave of heat came and went along with her.

'She has a strong fire core,' he thought to himself. Next to his own, Arthur felt like his flames were comparable to a frozen wasteland.

'She's not even trying to burn anything.'

The prince was nothing short of impressed. This was going to be an interesting year indeed.