"No, I swear! Someone really stole my letter!" Houshao'nao protested, voice trembling with frustration.
The headmaster chuckled. "Young man, do you think *I*, the headmaster of Aifar, Grand Mage, Protector of the Realm, would lie? You must be mistaken. Check the registrar if you doubt me."
Houshao'nao's last hope died. He'd pinned everything on the headmaster, but the man's logic was unassailable. "I understand, sir. Sorry to bother you."
The headmaster nodded, dismissive. "Sympathize, but rules are rules. Even I can't bend them. Best of luck."
Houshao'nao staggered out, only to find the donkey gone from the grass. "Damned donkey—where'd you run off to?"
A roar split the air—a dragon's cry—followed by thundering hooves. The donkey rounded the building, panicked: "Run! The she-dragon's after us!"
"What?!"
"No time! Move!"
Houshao'nao fled, glancing back to see a silver-scaled dragon gliding overhead, spitting icy breath to herd them. Students poured from classrooms, laughing at the absurd chase—all except three: Anna, who cheered at the sight of Houshao'nao; a girl with a shocked stare; and a cloaked figure who wept, nails piercing her palms.
Gram burst from the gatehouse, took one look at the dragon, and tried to retreat. "Gram, help!" Houshao'nao screamed.
"Save yourself, kid—"
"I'm Gris! Your pupil!"
Gram froze, spinning to face him, eyes blazing. "*Gris?*"
"Drunkard master, quit gawking! Your prodigy's about to die!"
Gram raised a hand, conjuring a magic shield that shattered the dragon's breath. "Enough, Beryl! Stop torturing them."
"Out of my way, human!" the dragon roared.
"Tired of your games, old sow." Gram chanted, summoning a swirling black tornado—Inferno Wind Vortex—that tore up the ground, blocking the dragon.
The headmaster appeared, shouting: "Cease, Gram! Don't harm my darling!"
Beryl froze at "darling," plummeting to the ground with a *thud*. "You know I hate that nickname, you old fool!" she snarled, though her fury faded.
Gram dismissed the tornado, glancing at Houshao'nao, who shook his head subtly. "Well, headmaster? Your 'darling' nearly killed my… friend."
The headmaster coughed. "Apologies for Beryl's… enthusiasm. All settled?"
Houshao'nao eyed the crater Beryl left. "Lucky we survived. Thanks to your 'drunkard' guard here."
Gram snorted. "Flattery won't get you in, kid."
The headmaster vanished with a flick of his wrist, leaving Gram to sigh. "So—Gris, eh? What cursed magic twisted you into this?"
Houshao'nao glared at the donkey. "Long story, master. Can you get me into the academy?"
Gram hesitated. "I'm a * (honorary professor)*, no real power. Only the headmaster can admit you."
Hope drained from Houshao'nao. *How else can I stay? Dier must be here—I have to find her.*
The student crowd cheered Gram's magic, until a sharp voice cut through: "Return to class *now*, or kiss your mage dreams goodbye."
Students fled, even Anna, but the cloaked girl lingered, removing her hood to reveal tear-streaked beauty that stunned the dean. She walked away without a word, leaving him dazed, all anger forgotten.
As the commotion died, Houshao'nao stared at the academy gates, the donkey munching grass nearby. *Dier, I know you're here. And I'll find you—even if it means cleaning Beryl's pen for the rest of my cursed life.*
Somewhere in the crowd, the girl with the ruby necklace pressed a hand to her chest, the pendant hidden, her resolve hardening. The stage was set, the players aligned, and destiny, once a distant storm, now roared at their heels.
The dragon soared away, Gram grumbled back to his post, and Houshao'nao squared his shoulders. *Aifar may reject me, but I'll carve my way in. For Dier, for answers, and to unravel the lies that bind us all.*
And so the tale deepened, secrets simmering beneath the academy's grand halls, where magic and malice danced, and two souls, bound by theft and loss, edged closer to a reunion that would shake the foundations of their world.