Altair Isadora-Braveheart was not accustomed to such a colorful crowd. The same could not be said of Ryan Kimura, but it had been eight years since either of them had seen a throng of people gathered together in such close proximity.

Burnished copper, deep emerald, bright turquoise, eye-catching topaz…— Altair had never seen such an extraordinary range of vibrant hair and eye colors, especially not amongst children that weren’t even only enough to be considered teenagers yet. He fought back the urge to stare as he stepped into the classroom, carrying himself with graceful poise and dignity as he scanned his field of view for empty seats.

On the other hand, Nocturne wasn’t taking quite as well, not to the unfamiliar surroundings she found herself in after having become so used to the warm comfort of her home and most certainly not to the curious, unabashed gazes her new classmates had directed towards her. Her delicate cheeks were colored in a vibrant hue of red as she sought comfort in Altair’s shadow, gently grabbing at his tunic and allowing herself to be led by her brother.

For whilst Altair had inherited the memories of Ryan Kimura’s time in both school and college, to the young Nocturne who had found herself weak and bedridden from a young age, that was an experience that life had never gotten around to offer her. While the children at her orphanage hadn’t been the most empathetic of individuals, Nocturne had still found herself looking upon those memories fondly— for that period of her life had been the first and the last time she had been able to grow in an environment that housed peers around her age.

For Nocturne, this was genuinely her first schooling experience.

Altair’s expression did not fluctuate at Nocturne’s action, but his right hand surreptitiously slipped away, only to reemerge outstretched before his sister subtly offering her the support she needed without drawing more attention to themselves than necessary. She gratefully grabbed onto it, the flush upon her cheeks intensifying by a touch; this time, out of the warmth Altair had offered her in a moment of vulnerability.

They did not need to walk for much further than a few steps, before Altair came to a halt before the first row; comprising of hand-crafted hardwood chairs that were hallmarked by plush cushioning and a writing tablet that dominated the space before them, an extension of the chair’s right wooden armrest. Before him sat a striking young girl, her silken lavender-violet hair standing out even amongst the sea of unique colors, her powder blue eyes sparkling with intelligence as she calmly met Altair’s gaze with a soft, welcoming smile resting on her lips.

On either side of her rested the classroom’s only two vacant chairs, making it quite natural for Altair to approach her.

Divide and conquer was the strategy Vorina sought to employ, wishing to serve as the interface between the two siblings and subtly develop a friendship with them as she understood more of their personalities.

“Excuse me,” Altair began, his tone carrying a polite overtone and his expression a touch too cheery for his personality. “Would it be possible for you to scoot one seat over? My sister is quite shy and we’d prefer to sit together,” he sheepishly ran his fingers through his hair as he made the request, his actions carrying a disarming charm.

He hadn’t quite expected the violet haired girl’s expression to fluctuate as much as it had, shifting from surprise, to a flicker of unwillingness and finally followed by what looked like a forced acquiescence.

“Sure.”

Tier 1 Earth Mage, Prithiva Teri-Magstra liked to quiz her students before she explained the concept in detail, hoping that it would encourage more children to brush up on their study material before class.

Although it had been a while since she had seen a new face take initiative, it had almost become an ingrained habit at this point.

“Which plant, upon being ingested, causes a stinging, burning sensation in the mouth but actually isn’t harmful and can be used as an emergency source of fire mana for a Mage or Aura Master of the corresponding element?” Prithiva Teri-Magstra asked, observing as a familiar show of hands took to the sky.

Except when she scanned the room, musing on who to pick, she noticed an unfamiliar face calmly raising his hand in the air.

Unsure if the boy was overconfident or actually knew the answer, she hesitated to pick him but… ultimately it wasn’t in Prithiva’s nature, or in the Veilands nature to deny those who sought glory an opportunity to prove themselves.

“Altair, give it a try. It’s okay if you don’t get it right,” Prithiva acknowledged, offering him a warm, encouraging smile.

“Agnisanguis Filicem.”

Miss Prithiva blinked, as she refocused her gaze on Altair.

“Correct,” She declared, sending a wave of hushed whispers coursing through the class as the students' curiosity pertaining to the two new students grew deeper.

Vorina on the other hand, found herself struggling not to tilt her gaze in Altair’s direction, though she was convinced that her initial hunch was correct— The boy, Altair, was like her, blessed by the mana of the world, allowing him to grasp the intricacies of the world from a much younger age.

Her curiosity grew even deeper, as she found herself wondering what the other twin was capable of.

Miss Prithiva continued with her lecture, explaining the distinguishing features of the red-tipped fern, Agnisanguis Filicem to the class. The students for once, paid rapt attention to her words as they ironically waited for her explanation to conclude, so that she could ask the next question in the quiz Prithiva had prepared.

The buzz amongst the students grew into a veritable furore as Altair answered the next six questions posed to the class, including one that required him to distinguish between two sketches of plants he had never seen or read about before; falling back on the generally common traits that poisonous plants shared to identify the dangerous one, even if he failed to identify or name them.

“Well children, I hope you hold onto that excitement until our next class. That will be all for today, class dismissed.”