Remember how I brought up the idea of all of us hanging out together?
I am not so sure if that was a great idea. First, we have the most powerful heirs from each of the noble families representing their chosen element to the highest degree.
These noble families often compete with each other for different territory and resources, and they even had a few skirmishes in the past.
Yet somehow, Keeper Academy brings us all together, I think to myself as I munch on a piece of bread, watching Leena and Zephyr debate over whether fire or wind is the better element.
"Of course, fire is the better element. At least you can see it clearly with your own eyes, and it can provide light in the darkness!" Leena says while throwing a piece of bread at Zephyr's face.
"Huh?! Wind is so much better than fire because at least we have so much more daily use out of it," Zephyr says while throwing a napkin at Leena's face.
This interaction amuses me because it is the opposite of how they greet each other yesterday. Maybe this is how they act all the time, I think to myself as I take a sip of water.
Leena, Neve, Matteo, and Zephyr all gathered together with me to have some lunch in the dining hall. I invited Ivy as well because I noticed her walking past me before I entered the dining hall.
We are all super tired from the combat test yesterday, and most of us slept until noon. I do not know how we all agreed to meet, as our personalities are so different.
Leena is the definition of spitfire. She is full of radiating energy and is a very expressive person. Neve Frost, on the other hand, gives me the impression that she is quiet and shy.
Matteo seems fairly energetic, but he keeps spouting about girls and getting stronger. Zephyr is trigger-happy like Leena, but different.
Ivy, who just joined us, is quite a calm person as well. I am just socially awkward.
Leena and Zephyr keep going at it until Ivy somehow pulls them apart to calm them down. You can call it cliché, but Ivy, a strong Earth user, is a grounded person. I know that is a terrible pun, but I had to say it.
Haha. Okay nevermind.
"I am going to head to the training grounds after we finish our meal. Who wants to go with me?" Matteo says happily.
"I do!" Leena and Zephyr shout at the same time. The water in my mouth almost comes out.
In some ways, they are opposites, but in other instances, they are like the same person. Ivy and Neve both say they have nothing better to do, so they agree to come along with us.
As we finish our meal and head toward the training grounds, I ask Ivy, "How did your first class go?" Ivy tells all of us that her class is boring and for the first day they just go over the syllabus, etc.
All our faces look priceless as we realize the Keepers enjoy torturing the noble class students. Many of us have some form of PTSD for dragons now because of the fight we had to do yesterday.
Frankly, in my case, anytime I feel too cold, I feel like Frost Fang is gonna jump-scare me.
"Here it is!" Matteo shouts in excitement as we enter the training grounds while striking a pose. It is as if Matteo is even more energetic than Leena when it comes to training.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. The only offensive fire magic you actually know are Axel of Flames technique and Phoenix punch technique," Leena says while grabbing Matteo's ear.
"Well, at least I don't spam the flaro spell and I know magic above the fourth affinity level," Matteo snaps back at her while sticking out his tongue.
These siblings are so immature, I think to myself as Zephyr, Neve, and Ivy walk past the bickering siblings to survey the entire training grounds.
The training grounds are large spaces of land that have four large magic walls all around it, like a perimeter as a square. Powerful magic enhances these walls to allow people to train to their full potential without worrying about destroying anything else in their way.
There are bullseye targets at the far end of the training grounds to practice aiming with long-distance magic. Besides, the targets are armored dummies to practice martial arts against and other forms of magic.
There is also a deadly obstacle course on the right side to practice agility. By deadly, I mean fairly deadly with spikes, unexpected flames, cannon balls, etc. appearing from anywhere along the course.
"Hey guys, sorry about my little brother. Since we are heading to the training grounds, I forced my little brother to grab my older brother to help train us. Ignis is in perfect shape, by the way. He just needed a night to sleep well to get his energy back," Leena says to all of us.
In the meantime, while we wait for Matteo and Ignis to arrive, the rest of us practice our long-range magic. Since no one allows me to and because I fear the Keepers, I only use my flame magic, which is kind of embarrassing to use in public.
"Flaro!" I chant out loud while aiming at a target that is one hundred feet away. A little small ball of fire forms at the tip of my wand, launching itself at the target at full speed. About halfway to the target, the small fireball fizzles out into oblivion.
When that happens, my expression turns another shade of grey that I didn't even know existed.
"Not bad, Nico. Especially considering you are a first-year student and your primary element isn't flame magic," Ignis says calmly as he walks up to us alongside his brother, Matteo.
"I forgot to mention that I watched your battle with my sister, Leena. Even though you lost to her, you fought impressively. In terms of raw output, Leena's magic power surpasses me. You did well to last as long as you did with her in the fight."
"Thanks," I grumble in a monotone voice.
"The trick to fire magic, to establish basics, is to increase your raw magic output until it's at a decent level. There is no point in having superior control over the magic until you have something to work with, if you know what I mean. It's like saying you know how to be a master swordsman, but you can only fight with a 2-inch stick."
"The trick to mastering any element is to find the dominant emotion that brings it to life and make it connect with you on a personal level."
Hearing this information opens my eyes a lot in terms of how magic works in this world. My heart wants to tell everyone the truth about the world, but the words get stuck in my throat.
The time hasn't come yet. I just hope we all live long enough for me to tell them the truth.