~Seven months ago~
Excerpt from a fire-proofed letter recovered from the ashes of the estate of Varrish, the Calderi Emperor
"The Imperial Captain, Faust I think she's called, has pinned us down here at Fort River. The rumors about her are true, she is Drakir, and she's coming for your head after what you did to her little sister. Please retreat to the mountain palace, she won't think to look in the Fiera Mountains for you.
Hide, brother, the power of a drakir with the ability to bring the sky down on you is nothing to sneeze at. This woman, if she can even be called that, destroyed half of Fort River with a single storm of lightning. She will find you and if she does… she will gut you like a fish."
~Present day~
Headmistress Kali Faust stands on the podium in the massive main auditorium of Nephalia Academy, her signature moonstone circlet is not present today instead it is replaced by a laurel of gilded holly and her dark blue hair is pinned up into a loose yet immaculate bun.
The auditorium is packed with the academy's staggering student body, numbering in the thousands. The main administration sits in seats in the front row, this includes Kali's husband, the Healing Arts teacher Elliot, who is holding their seven year old son, Bylur.
Several seats down is Kali's twin brother, Griamore, who teaches Advanced Herbal Remedies, and his wife, Elain, who is the schools Head nurse and resident therapist.
"I hope you all have had an amazing holiday up till now here at the academy…" Kali says. A soft murmur goes through the auditorium. "I am pleased to announce the opening of the Proctor Wing… where there will be displays and showcases of the many inventions and creations of my close friend… Xaden Umber… Who unfortunately passed three months ago in the battle for the enemy capital…" Kali announced.
"But as always, absolutely no students are allowed into the wing until cleanup is finished and the new school year has begun, which is on January seventeenth." Kali hisses, giving a pointed glare to her oldest child, Dain, and his friends, who all have a knack for getting in trouble.
Someone in the back of the auditorium laughs loudly. It's well known that Dain Faust is an academic genius in all of his courses, but his mother, the immovable granite wall that is Imperial Captain Kali Faust, expects nothing but the utmost excellence from her seventeen year old son, whom graduates and leaves for the Gryphon rider sect in Calder in a year . But if she hears you harmed to either of her sons especially her youngest, its best to just duck to avoid the desk that was hurled at you than try to talk sense into the fearsome Drakir*.
A young looking Fae with light brown hair and jade green eyes whispers something in Kali's ear, to which she nods and says.
"Thank you for reminding me, Magnus. For those of you who are not aware of our schedule for Christmas, all students who do not stay here at the Academy year-round are welcome to return home for the holidays and return the week of New Year's. On New Year's Day we have shortened classes and celebrate the New year once all classes have been dismissed… At midnight myself and a friend will activate an invention of Xaden's that isn't on display, Fireless Fireworks…"
"Now, those of you who are leaving, starting with the lowest ranked**, please go to the courtyard to be picked up by your parents…" Kali says, everyone that went home walked out neatly. Most of the students had left the school, there were about two hundred students left. "Those of you who will be staying please take some time to enjoy the time you have and look forward to Christmas day. Those of us who are able to get up and get a decent cup of coffee will be exchanging gifts, enjoying the snow, and the company."
All of the children who were staying got up and started to leave. "Valor, Alastair… meet me in my office… I believe you know why…" Kali says. Then she disappeared down the hall to the Administrative Wing of the academy.