Aralyn's POV
I tried to act normal as I made my way toward the back of the classroom, but the intensity of a hundred eyes on me made it nearly impossible. Everyone was staring, and they were not staring subtly or politely. They were all just... staring, like I was a museum exhibit brought in for observation, or worse, a creature they weren't sure should be there.
Unfortunately, Elyra and Penna were seated right in front, and there were no empty seats beside them, so that meant I was on my own again. As usual.
My boots echoed softly against the floors as I walked past row after row of desks, all filled with students who looked like they'd stepped out of some otherworldly catalog. Long ears, glowing eyes, shimmering skin, wings, scales, hair in every color imaginable—even silver and violet.
And then there was me. Aralyn, the plain human girl with boring brown hair and zero magical abilities.
I could hear them whispering. I wasn't trying to, but their voices weren't exactly quiet.
"She looks... normal."
"Like a human."
"Why would they let one of those in?"
I clenched my fists by my sides and forced myself to keep walking. I was this close, this close, to turning around and saying, "You're right. I'm human. Got a problem with that?" But I didn't.
Mostly because I had no idea how they'd react, and partly because my throat felt like it was closing up from the pressure.
After debating between two empty seats in the back, I finally slid into one beside the window, where I could at least distract myself by looking outside if things got too overwhelming. The desk felt a little too big for me, or maybe it was just that the air around me felt thick with judgment.
I sat down and tried not to fidget.
The classroom itself looked pretty similar to the ones back in Vasthral, except newer, cleaner, and way more... magical.
As I sat there, I started to panic just a little.
'How does this work? Do they take notes? Do they even use pens? Do I need a wand? Am I going to be expected to cast something?'
No one had told me what to expect.
I took a deep breath and opened the notebook I had found tucked into my school supplies the night before. It looked like a regular notebook, but when I flipped to the first page, glowing symbols shined faintly in the margins. I had no idea what they meant, but I was too afraid to ask.
Penna hadn't exactly been warm this morning, and while Elyra seemed friendly enough, I didn't want to look like a total fool in front of either of them. So I kept my mouth shut.
The seat beside me remained empty, and part of me hoped it would stay that way. The other part felt a little pathetic for wanting to hide in a corner, but what could I do?
Just as I was trying to calm myself, a soft gust of wind swept across the room, even though the windows were shut. A hush fell over the class, and I looked up to see a tall woman walking in.
The teacher.
She didn't need to say anything. The class snapped to attention like she had them all under some kind of spell, and maybe she did.
The tall woman began scanning the class slowly, and I quickly dropped my eyes to my desk, praying she wouldn't notice me. My heart was still trying to recover from the embarrassment of walking into the room under a hundred stares, but then her eyes landed on me, and just like that, I was done for.
"You," she said, pointing straight at me. "Stand up."
For a moment, I genuinely thought she had mistaken me for someone else. I looked behind me, hoping another unfortunate soul had walked in late or done something worse, but nope. I was the only one at the back, sitting awkwardly, clearly out of place.
I stood up slowly, feeling the weight of every single eye in the room. My throat was dry, and I could barely swallow.
"Come to the front," the woman said again, this time with a tone that made it very clear it wasn't a request.
I froze.
Come to the front? Did she want me to die?
My legs felt like they weren't mine. The panic inside me bubbled up like lava, ready to explode, and I just knew I'd look ridiculous walking up there. I wasn't tall or graceful or magical-looking. I was just… me, and nothing made me stand out, except maybe the fact that I didn't belong here.
I looked around the class again and accidentally locked eyes with Elyra. She gave me a small, encouraging smile and mouthed, "It's okay."
And for some reason, that was all I needed.
I forced myself to breathe, then walked down the narrow path between the desks, and it felt like it took hours. My boots clicked too loudly against the floor, and I could practically feel my ears burning. I wanted to disappear.
When I reached the front, the teacher gave me the faintest smile. "I'm Professor Ilven," she said, her voice calm but full of authority. "Introduce yourself to the class. Your name, where you're from, and your specialty."
My specialty.
Right, because I definitely had one of those.
I opened my mouth and closed it again, my mind going blank for a moment. I could feel the tension building in the room; everyone was staring and waiting. Some with curiosity, others with a little too much interest, and a few with what could only be described as judgment.
"I… um," I started, already wishing I could run away. "My name is Aralyn. I'm… I'm from Vasthral."
A few students whispered at the mention of Vasthral because clearly, it wasn't a place they've heard of around here.
Professor Ilven tilted her head. "And your specialty?"
I froze again. This was the part I had dreaded the most.
What was I supposed to say? That I had none? That I was just a regular girl who got dragged into this world by some freak accident and had no idea what she was doing?
"My specialty is…" I began slowly, trying to think of anything that wouldn't make me sound completely useless. "… I'm still in the process of discovering."
There was a brief silence, and then, to my surprise, Professor Ilven gave a small nod, like that was a perfectly acceptable answer.
"Very well," she said. "You may sit."
I didn't need to be told twice. I turned around quickly and made my way back to my seat, refusing to meet anyone's gaze on the way.
The moment I sat down, I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. My hands were shaking under the desk, and my heartbeat was still hammering like it wanted to escape my chest.
I heard a few whispers here and there, but I tried to tune them out and kept my eyes glued to the front as Professor Ilven started to speak again, moving into the day's lesson like my little introduction hadn't just made me want to sink into the floor.
By the time Professor Ilven started walking around the front of the classroom, I had already decided that this was going to be the longest class of my life.
Everything she said flew over my head, talk of realms, magical theory, energy alignment, rune applications… I had no clue what any of it meant, and this was supposed to be general studies?
I tried my best to follow along for the first ten minutes, but eventually, I gave up. My brain was already doing acrobatics just trying to understand where I was and how I ended up in a school with creatures that belonged more in fairy tales than a classroom.
I made a mental note to ask Elyra for a full summary later, preferably in a language I could actually understand.
It wasn't until I noticed the students starting to stand up from their seats that I realized something was happening. Panic started to bubble up in my chest as I looked around and tried to understand what was going on.
Professor Ilven's voice finally registered again, just in time for me to hear her say something about "moving to the practice hall for practicals." Practicals? I hadn't even figured out how to hold a wand or if I even needed to have one.
I bolted toward Elyra the second we were out of the classroom. "What's going on?" I whispered, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice.
Elyra gave me a sympathetic look as she adjusted her satchel. "We're heading to the practice hall. It's a practical class, they want to see how far everyone's come in terms of using their magic."
My stomach dropped. "Wait. You mean… We're doing magic? Like real magic? Out loud? In front of everyone?"
Before Elyra could respond, Penna, who had apparently been listening in, turned to me with a smirk. "Obviously. It's a magical academy, remember? You might want to figure out what your specialty is fast, unless you plan to entertain us with a grand performance of clueless human flailing."
I turned back to Elyra, trying not to let Penna's words get to me. "What do I do?"
She gave a small shrug. "Honestly? Just fake it. Mimic someone else's movements. Most of the professors will just assume you're a late bloomer if you mess up. Happens all the time with first-years."
Fake it. Right, because mimicking magical powers I didn't have sounded like a perfectly solid plan.