As a lone breeze swept up leaves from the stone-slated plaza floor, and as people exited and entered the various school-department headquarters scattered nearby, a teenager lied on one of the foundations of a statue at the edge of the plaza.
His brown hair was long enough to follow the breeze but too short to obstruct his face.

Looking at the different buildings surrounding this main plaza, one could see otherworldly structures, each with its own unique character: some reached the clouds with their twirling spires, some were constructed entirely out of crystal quartz, and some looked like forest cottages

There were also various eccentric figures walking around: some were surrounded by a deep, impenetrable shadow, and some preferred to levitate a few inches above the ground to walking normally.

But what attracted Dean’s attention weren’t these examples of aspect elementalism, applied alchemy or spell models, it was a lone bird flying directly above, weathering not only the strong winds but also the occasional mana surge.

Sensing approaching footsteps he spoke solemnly:
“If I was a bird, who would I be?” he grasped at the sky and tried to look as melancholic as possible before his somber expression cracked and he started snickering to himself.

“How wise, as expected from the astute magus, Doorknob, himself.”
A voice traveled to his ears from beneath the statue, it was a girl with delicately braided black hair, who held two sandwiches in her hand.
This was Adeline, and although they were both teenagers, one could feel an air of confidence from her aura, which her expression always mimicked.

“Naturally, my wisdom exceeds that of the common people. Hmm, apprentice Adeline; you shall call me by my real name.” Jumping down, Dean pretended to fix his collar and raised his nose high, before breaking out into a smile and taking a sandwich for himself: “Thanks.”

“What?! Doorknob isn’t your real name? But it is so…” While Dean was ravaging his sandwich, Adeline resumed their farce, “… so fitting,” while directly staring at his nose.

“You dare insult me?! I didn’t spend years upon years researching the bugs of the abyss to be called Doorknob instead of Knox. Pah, I’ll report you to the Headmistress herself!”

While they were walking down the street they continued their bickering, not having anything serious to talk about, they chose to find enjoyment in pretending to be and ridiculing others. The people around them didn’t care, they had better things to do than to eavesdrop on two new students.

However, when Headmistress Grandtryst was mentioned, everyone turned to them and watched them with scorning eyes. Their message was obvious: “No one disrespects the Headmistress.”
Dean and Adeline quickly fell silent and their steps grew faster until they were farther away.

“Ah, I shouldn’t have said that.” Dean's face was already beet red, but he knew he was in the wrong.
“You’re right, you shouldn’t have. But that’s not going to kill you, is it?” Adeline flashed a bright smile and ruffled his hair before continuing forward.
And as the sky gained a red tinge, the two teenagers walked along the stone-slated road of Grandtryst Academy.

Then, a reverberating sound reverberated throughout the world. It was a sigh that shook the ground and cleared the clouds. However, not one single person reacted to it, those that were asleep didn’t wake up and those that meditated didn’t stop, nobody seemed to have heard it.
In the sky, a face materialized, it was Dean.

However, his face gained scars, wrinkles, blood, and dirt, his hair stuck to his forehead, clumped together, and his eyes were lightless with dark circles around them. He looked miserable.
And when he closed his eyes, the world vanished.