The Bronze emblem with two gleaming lines shone on Ren's uniform as he observed the landscape through the carriage window. It was a beautiful day, the kind that made even ordinary scenery seem somehow enchanted.
Normally, he would be traveling home at night, but Luna, Larissa, and Liora had convinced Julius, Sirius, and Selphira to grant an exception, allowing him to leave early... skipping the closing ceremony, where they would have bestowed the honor upon him before everyone.
Ignatius had been irritated at having to present the prestigious "Best's Honor" in such an unceremonious and hurried manner, but the pressure from the three young nobles had been substantial.
The old director had muttered something about "protocol" and "tradition" before reluctantly yielding to the combined forces of Ashenway, Dravenholm and a bit of Starweaver influence.
A full year had passed since Ren first crossed the Academy's gates, a skinny boy with a supposedly useless mushroom on his head.
