He hadn't realized when the cold morning started to creep up on him, when he woke up to find winter embracing his spacious room, his future, with its usual coldness. From the comfort of his bed, Ethan found himself in the morning line of students, all gathered in the large courtyard where this once-a-week event was held.
On the side, professors and masters lined up in their assigned side rows, while Master Radim, the high school superintendent, gave his usual weekly speech about order, hard work, and so on.
Ethan stood among the first graders, oblivious to what was going on around him, especially since he was not accompanied by Nila or Ovend this time. He wasn't paying attention to Master Radim's raspy voice coming out of the brass microphone, and stayed that way for the five minutes it took for the speech to end.
The students thought it was time to go to class and begin a grueling school week, but they soon remembered an important event that had been forgotten in the midst of the routine. Suddenly, the ancient fireworks exploded in dazzling flashes, accompanied by dazzling sparks filling the sky.
At that moment, the little witch in white, one of the Silver Student Council's elite, elegantly flew through the air. She sparkled as she announced in a loud, almost childlike voice that a beautiful crimson moon was approaching, a rare event that occurs once every four and a half years in the skies of the Academy and the continent of Arentia.
She added one more time, soaring through the sky with such dazzling brilliance that Ethan couldn't take his eyes off her. He had never seen a magician able to fly other than old Master Camila, but for a girl of his age to have such a talent... that was truly extraordinary!
Ethan stared at her for a long time without looking away, unlike the rest of the students. Her indigo-blue hair played across her tanned skin, like molten iron gliding across her skin.
He had heard whispers from some of the students the moment she arrived, whispering that the girl on the horizon was the last descendant of the Azurian family, the Witch of the Northern Lantern, and the first lady of the Azurian Academy. But Ethan didn't pay much attention to it, instead focusing his attention on the elite student who had mentioned his name earlier... Miraslav.
In a clear voice over the microphone, Miraslav announced that everyone should prepare for the coming weeks, with festivals and tournaments that will include elementary, elementary middle, junior high, and senior high school students. The crowd erupted in applause as she returned to her seat among the Silver Elite students, those wearing the distinctive white and silver uniforms.
The morning assembly concluded with the official announcement of the Crimson Moon Festival, and the students went off to their classes, chatting excitedly about their roles and what they might do during the event.
The class was back to routine, with Mr. Isolde's heavy voice talking about ancient runes and their shapes, until the bell rang.
Before the students could rise from their seats, they were joined by an important guest, dressed in a white and silver suit characteristic of the elite high school class. She was a pointy-eared elf who belonged to the well-known Gastrin family.
She introduced herself as Darcelin, who was not shy, explaining that she saw nothing wrong with coming herself instead of her deputy, who had previously begged her to come in her place.
She noted that her presence today was to select a leader to oversee their class during the festival, just as she had done with the classes she had previously visited.
She stepped forward when Mr. Isolde gave her permission with a smile, then pulled out a report on which she based her choice of class leader on grades and some other criteria.
She announced several names, then mentioned only two who were closest to winning the job: Thalia and Radinka, with Radinka narrowly edging out Thalia.
Darcelin reiterated that Radinka and Thalia would be leading the class program during the festival, but Ethan abruptly interrupted, announcing that Radinka was absent. A few students hesitated before confirming it, before Ethan confidently stated that she had red fever and would miss several days of class.
Darcelin considered the matter for a moment, weighing it carefully, before deciding without much thought that Ethan would be the deputy who would help Thalia prepare for the first three days of the festival.
Finally, Darcelin finished her task with obvious fatigue, then excused herself from the professor and students before leaving the classroom, heading for the corridor, followed silently by her assistant.
Darcelin left, and Thalia remained standing by her wooden bench, completely unaware of the responsibility that lay ahead of her. She wasn't afraid, just nervous, but she was confident that she would be up to the task if she prepared well. However, not liking having Ethan, a sterile wizard, as her assistant, she rejected him outright and walked out of the classroom, as did the rest of the students who headed to the quad at lunchtime.
Ethan followed her as she didn't exchange words with him on the stairs down, even as she deliberately ignored him. At that moment, she was transported back to her early childhood, when he had followed her in exactly the same way, relentlessly, while she was with his mother and some of his siblings.
She stopped him several times, trying to convince him to stop trying, explaining that she would find a solution to this dilemma herself. She didn't want to work with him, especially with his persistence. She told him her reasons, one of which was that he didn't have good control over his magic, though that wasn't directly related to the issue.
It hurt Ethan somehow, but this time he chose to let her go. She didn't look back as she joined her friends, while he stood alone in the crowd of students passing by, unnoticed.
Ethan realized how stubborn she really was when they were just kids, and when he met her again at the academy after his mother died.
His mother always told him, when he was with her, that he never understood her. She would repeat to him that there is a type of person who can't tell or express their feelings clearly. They don't mean to hurt you, but they simply don't know how to express themselves. She always insisted that he should try to understand them.
Ethan knew what he had to do. He went to the nearby garden and naively plucked an innocent flower, searching tirelessly until he found Thalia among a group of her friends. He had always recognized her with those yellow locks with a touch of silver that matched her crystal blue eyes.
Without hesitation, he broke into the group and presented her with a color-coordinated flower, in keeping with her family crest, the Thalia Stromhide family, with a silver eagle and a storm.
To call her discomfort an exaggeration would be a bit of an understatement, Nyla was deeply embarrassed. Ethan had been doing this since childhood-presenting her with the beautiful silver Lunaris flower in an unusual way. But now she was surrounded by her friends, who watched the scene with amazement and wonder.
Ethan apologized to her in an apologetic voice, wondering if he had upset her in some way, not understanding why as he always did with her. To him, she was a complicated girl. Still, he wanted to help her in her role as his assistant at the festival, following her lead. He then knelt down as the students gathered around them, watching the scene with interest.
Ethan insisted that she hold the lunaris tightly, while in a moment of hesitation, she finally accepted it with obvious nervousness and blushing. She agreed, though she retracted her earlier statement, if for no other reason than that she couldn't bear the stares of the other students. Ethan was crushed by her words, even though he was only being polite.
She explained to him that she had to, otherwise she wouldn't have teamed up with him. Secretly, she swore that she would crush him later.
But Ethan couldn't care less. He received her approval with pleasure, and his soul was at peace for the day. His joy was short-lived, however, as Thalia forced him to get up quickly, unable to bear the embarrassment he had caused her in front of everyone.