The coin pulsed. Aresando flicked it into the air — faster than he meant to. A blinding flash swallowed everything around him. The ground beneath his feet disappeared. His stomach twisted into a knot.
He hit the dirt hard.
Face first.
"Fantastic entrance, as always," came Valkyria's voice, flat as a blade.
Aresando groaned, spitting dust, and pushed himself up on one elbow. Standing over him, arms crossed and golden eyes sharp, Valkyria stared down like she was trying to decide whether to scold him or launch him back into the sky. Her long coat flapped in the breeze, and the greatsword on her back gleamed in the Solarnis sunlight.
"Well, hi to you too," Aresando muttered, brushing dirt off his sleeves.
Valkyria exhaled through her nose, clearly irritated — but after a second, her shoulders dropped. The edge in her eyes softened.
"Tch. Whatever. I guess it's not really your fault." She waved a hand vaguely in the air. "That cursed coin has a mind of its own. You couldn't control where it dumped you even if you tried."
"Yeah, no kidding," Aresando grumbled, flipping the coin in his palm as it gave off a faint hum, as if smug. "I swear, sometimes I think this thing likes messing with me."
Valkyria rolled her eyes and turned away. "Anyway. Where's Jade? Weren't you two supposed to stay together?"
At the mention of her name, a flicker of concern crossed Aresando face. "That's what I was gonna ask you. Last time I saw her, we ducked into the tavern. One of the royal guards had been staring us down — real intense. We figured it'd be smart to disappear before he got any ideas."
Valkyria's brow furrowed slightly. "A guard? …Interesting." Her fingers tapped impatiently against her arm. "Jade went back to the guild shortly after."
Aresando nodded slowly, his mind flicking back to Jade's shy smile and how she'd nervously tucked her silver hair behind her ear when she thought he wasn't looking. His lips curled without him meaning to.
"Well, I guess she's alright then," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.
Valkyria spun on her heel, already marching off. "Enough standing around. We've got work to do. We're going to the City Hall — I'm getting you two signed up for your first mission. And you, Aresandu, you're enrolling at the Academy of Magic."
Aresando blinked. "Wait—what? You're signing me up for school?"
Valkyria shot him a glance over her shoulder, a wicked glint in her eye. "Unless you're planning to bumble around with that coin and get stabbed every other day? Yeah. You're going to need training. Proper training. Welcome to Solarnis."
Aresando sighed dramatically but fell into step behind her. As they crossed through the bustling streets of the city, with its blue rooftops and soaring white towers, he couldn't help but feel the familiar rush. New world. New trouble. And apparently… school.
This was going to be interesting.
—
The streets of Solarnis buzzed with life. Vendors shouted about freshly baked flatbread and shimmering mana crystals; kids darted between stalls with wooden swords; somewhere, a bard strummed a tune wildly off-key.
Aresando jogged a few steps to catch up to Valkyria, whose long strides cut through the crowd like a knife.
"So what's this mission about anyway?" he asked, flipping the coin between his fingers.
"You'll find out soon enough," Valkyria replied over her shoulder. "But first things first — registration. No official mission until you're in the books."
"But haven't you already done this at the guild?"
"What you did there was to join the guild, which includes lodging and the availability to sell what you find or create, and sometimes special missions." Valkirya said with a proud tone.
They rounded a corner, and the City Hall rose before them — an enormous marble building that gleamed under the sun, with wide steps and towering glass windows shaped like spirals of light. At the base of the steps, leaning casually against a stone pillar, was Jade.
She spotted them immediately. Her silver hair shimmered under the sunlight, soft wolf-like ears twitching atop her head. As Aresandu approached, her golden eyes widened slightly and a soft blush rose to her cheeks. She quickly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stood up straighter, smoothing her tunic as if she hadn't been waiting there nervously the entire time.
"Hey," she greeted quietly, her voice warm but hesitant. "You… uh… you made it back."
Aresando grinned. "Took the scenic route, but yeah. No guard trouble, I hope?"
She shook her head, the faintest smile tugging at her lips. "No. After you vanished, I waited a bit, then headed back here. Figured I'd run into you eventually." Her gaze flickered down, shy, before darting back up. "I'm glad you're okay."
For a second, Aresando felt a weird flutter in his chest — unexpected, but not exactly unpleasant. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah… I'm not that easy to get rid of."
Valkyria, standing a few steps ahead, cleared her throat loudly, breaking whatever quiet moment was brewing.
"Enough flirting," she barked, a sly smirk flickering across her face just long enough for Aresando to notice. "Inside. Now."
The grand double doors of City Hall swung open with a low creak as they stepped inside. The air grew cooler instantly — polished stone floors stretched ahead, and long banners of navy and gold draped from the ceilings. At the center of the hall, a circular desk was manned by an elf with spectacles perched on the tip of his nose and a stack of paperwork as tall as Aresandu's torso.
"New recruits?" the elf asked without looking up. His quill scratched furiously across the page.
"Two," Valkyria said firmly, jabbing a thumb toward Aresando and Jade. "Aresando here's enrolling at the Academy of Magic as well."
"I'd like to join too..." Jade said shyly.
The elf finally looked up, peering over his glasses with a look so dry it could've drained a lake. "Academy, huh? Brave ones" He slid two stacks of parchment toward them with surprising speed. "Fill these out. Full names, magical affinities if known, allergies, emergency contact, and whether or not you plan to explode anything on purpose."
Aresando blinked. "Wait, that last part—?"
"Standard formality," the elf cut him off briskly. "You'd be surprised how common it is."
Jade stifled a laugh behind her hand, and even Valkyria let out a low chuckle.
With a sigh, Aresando grabbed a quill and flopped into one of the nearby benches, papers spread before him. Jade slid into the seat next to him, her shoulder just barely brushing his. Warmth radiated between them.
"Looks like we're really doing this," she said softly, glancing sideways at him with a shy smile.
"Yeah," Aresando replied, tapping the quill against the form. "Guess we're officially adventurers now."
And maybe…
Just maybe…
That coin had better plans for him than he'd thought.
———
The grand doors of City Hall swung shut behind them with a soft thud, and the busy streets of Solarnis greeted them once again. The sun hung high above, casting long shadows over the cobblestone streets, as the hustle and bustle of the city carried on. Vendors shouted their wares, the smell of fresh bread mixed with the sweet scent of mana crystals, and somewhere in the distance, a bard strummed a rather off-key tune.
Aresando stretched his arms out, letting the cool breeze brush past his face.
"So, now that we're officially registered, what's next?" he asked, spinning the coin lazily between his fingers.
Valkyria didn't answer right away, her sharp eyes scanning the crowds as she moved with purpose. Jade walked beside her, her head slightly bowed, her silver hair catching the sunlight as she quietly observed everything around her.
And then—there was a shout.
"Look out!" a voice cried from above.
Aresando's eyes snapped upward just in time to see a large flowerpot teetering dangerously on the edge of a balcony above them. It wobbled, then began to fall.
Without thinking, Aresando moved in a blur. He grabbed Jade's arm and yanked her to the side, his muscles straining as he pulled her away from the descending pot. They stumbled together, just as the vase crashed to the ground, shattering into a thousand pieces.
Jade stood frozen, her eyes wide, looking at the broken pot at her feet. "I... I didn't even see it coming…"
Aresando, still holding her arm, let out a breath, his pulse racing. It was the first time he'd actually saved her, and the adrenaline hit him harder than expected. He glanced at her, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Guess I'm really the knight in shining armor now, huh?"
Jade's cheeks turned pink, and she looked down, her golden eyes flicking up only briefly. "Th-thank you..." she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aresando chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "No problem. Just doing my job." His grin widened as he added, "I guess this makes me your personal protector, huh?"
Valkyria, who had been watching the whole thing from a few steps behind, let out an exaggerated sigh. "Really? Again with the melodrama?" She turned her head to give Aresandu a teasing smirk. "Keep it in your pants, Romeo. The academy's waiting."
Aresando raised an eyebrow but said nothing, following Valkyria as she marched ahead. Jade, still blushing, hurried to keep pace with them.
The grand spires of the Academy soon came into view, looming in the distance like some sort of ancient fortress, its imposing stone walls seeming to challenge the very sky. As they entered, the air felt cooler, more serious. They walked through long corridors, the sounds of their footsteps echoing off the polished marble floors, until they arrived at the desk of a rather bored-looking academy clerk.
"Two new recruits, eh?" the clerk said, barely looking up from his parchment. "Sign here, fill out the forms, and we'll get you started."
Valkyria stepped forward with an air of authority. "Aresando here is joining the Academy of Magic. He's got some potential, if he doesn't blow up the place first."
Later, after they finished the paperwork, they were guided to their assigned dormitories. Aresando glanced at the note in his hand.
"Wait, this says we're in the same room?" he asked, looking up with a raised eyebrow.
The academy attendant nodded without skipping a beat. "No other rooms available, but don't worry—the beds are separated."
Aresando and Jade exchanged an awkward glance, both silently wondering how they were supposed to manage this.
Once they entered their room, Aresando let out a low whistle. The room was sparsely furnished but had a certain charm—a single window overlooking the academy courtyard, two beds, and a wooden desk that looked like it had been here for centuries.
"Well, this is... cozy," Aresando said, tossing his bag onto one of the beds. He turned to Jade, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Guess we're going to be roommates, huh?"
Jade nodded slowly, still a little shy. "I suppose... But it's not so bad. At least we'll be together."
Aresando's grin softened as he looked at her. "Yeah, I suppose that's the one perk." He settled onto his own bed, looking over at her. "It'll be fine. Probably."
Jade smiled, though there was a hint of something else in her expression—a quiet, hopeful look that she quickly masked with a soft cough.
"Yeah," she murmured, sitting on her own bed. "Probably."