Morning at Willowwand Academy did not begin with bells.
It began with movement.
Soft light slid through the willow leaves outside Euryale's window, scattering pale shapes across the floor. The stream beneath the sill flowed steadily, its sound calm and constant. Somewhere, a bridge creaked. Somewhere else, a door opened and closed.
Euryale woke slowly.
He lay still for a moment, listening.
The academy was awake—but not loud. It felt like a place that expected people to notice things.
He sat up, washed his face, and dressed carefully. His clothes were simple compared to what he'd seen on other students yesterday, but they were clean, practical, and familiar.
Before leaving, he glanced once at the stream.
It flowed on, unchanged.
"Alright," he murmured. "First day."
The paths had changed again.
Euryale stopped when he noticed it. Yesterday's straight path curved today, and a set of stone steps had appeared where grass had been before.
He remembered the rule.
If disoriented, lost, or confused, students are advised to stop moving.
So he did.
He stood still.
A group of students passed nearby.
One of them—a tall boy in a neatly pressed coat—looked him up and down.
"…Isn't that the one?" the boy muttered.
"The one who skipped the test?" another whispered.
Euryale pretended not to hear.
The path revealed itself between two trees, smooth and pale.
"…Huh," he said quietly, then followed it.
Behind him, someone scoffed.
__________________________________
The open-air classroom beside the pool was already filling up when Euryale arrived.
Stone seats formed a gentle arc. No desks. No walls. Just water, sky, and sound.
He took a seat near the edge.
A boy with messy brown hair sat beside him and glanced over.
"You're the no-test guy, right?" he asked openly.
Euryale blinked. "I… I didn't ask for that."
The boy snorted. "Figures. Name's Rowan. Earth element." He tapped the stone beneath them. "Don't worry. Half of them think you bribed someone."
"That's… comforting," Euryale said.
Rowan grinned. "You'll get used to it."
Instructor Halden arrived, and the chatter died instantly.
"Magic is not power first," Halden said calmly. "It is relationship."
The lesson began.
When Halden passed behind Euryale, he paused again—just briefly—before moving on.
Rowan noticed.
"…Yeah," Rowan muttered. "They're definitely watching you."
As students filtered out, the whispers followed.
"That's him."
"He didn't even touch the platform."
"My family paid three donations and I still had to test."
A girl with silver-threaded sleeves walked past Euryale and deliberately bumped his shoulder.
"Careful," she said coldly. "Wouldn't want you to fall and drown."
Euryale stepped aside without replying.
Rowan scowled. "Ignore her. Her family buys influence, then complains when it doesn't work."
"That happens a lot?" Euryale asked.
Rowan laughed. "Welcome to Willowwand."
Second Class: Theory and Sharp Words
The indoor classroom smelled of old paper and ink.
Euryale sat near the window.
Two students behind him whispered openly.
"He's from some fishing village."
"Does he had money to even bribe someone?."
Euryale kept writing.
The instructor paused by his desk.
"Hm," she said softly, then moved on.
The whispers stopped.
Not because they were convinced.
Because instructors noticing you was never a good thing.
_____________________________
The dining hall buzzed with noise.
Euryale sat at the end of a table, quietly eating soup.
Rowan dropped into the seat across from him. "Mind if I sit?"
"No," Euryale said. "I mean—yes—no, it's fine."
Rowan laughed.
A girl with dark skin and braided hair joined them, balancing a tray.
"Ignore them," she said easily. "Name's Mira. Fire, controlled." She emphasized the last word.
"Euryale," he replied.
She studied him. "You don't act like someone who cheated their way in."
"I wouldn't know how," Euryale said honestly.
She smiled. "Good answer."
Across the hall, a group of well-dressed students watched them.
One of them scoffed. "Look at him. Already making friends."
Another muttered, "Won't last."
By afternoon, tension had settled in.
During the water-channel exercise, Euryale felt eyes on him—not instructors this time, but students.
Waiting.
Watching.
When his turn came, the water aligned smoothly, quietly.
No splash.
No display.
Just control.
The instructor nodded once. "Good."
Someone behind him clicked their tongue.
"Of course it's good," a voice muttered. "Probably trained privately."
Euryale stepped back without reacting.
Rowan leaned over. "They want you to mess up."
"I know," Euryale said softly.
By evening, exhaustion settled in.
Euryale returned to his room, only to find Rowan and Mira waiting near the stream outside.
"You survived," Rowan said.
"Barely," Euryale replied.
Mira shrugged. "People here hate what they don't understand. Especially when it looks unfair."
"I don't want special treatment," Euryale said.
Rowan tilted his head. "Academy doesn't care what you want. Only what you can handle."
Back in his room, Euryale lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Not everyone would like him.
Some would resent him.
That was fine.
He hadn't come to be liked.