"So, Elly, are you excited for your first day at Starage Academy tomorrow?" Aldric Fairborne asked his daughter as he set their dinner on the dining room table.

  "Yes, Father, I'm ready for my first day. I reviewed all the material I might encounter in class, packed all my belongings, and familiarized myself with the academy's layout." Aldric chuckled at his daughter's answer.

  "I anticipated you would be prepared. However, that wasn’t my question. Let me ask again, are you looking forward to your first day?"

  "Yes," she murmured with a small blush on her face. Aldric laughed at his daughter's actions, causing her face to heat up even more.

  "I'm happy to hear that."

  "W-what about you, Father?"

  "Hmm?" He hummed while finally managing to calm himself down.

  "How is everything at WyrthWealth going? Did anything notable happen lately?" Aldric thought the question over while slowly eating before answering.

  "Everything is mostly going as predicted."

  "Mostly? Did something bad happen?"

  "No, the opposite. We're exceeding our initial sales predictions. Our newest game had sold one point five times more copies than we expected."

  "Newest game? You mean the Great Hunt?" Aldric nodded.

  "Yes, we didn't expect the game to get so popular with the older demographic, especially with soldiers. "

  "It's clear that teenagers my age enjoy it; I've seen most of my old classmates either playing the game or talking about it whenever they have some free time. However, I'm surprised that any adults would also find enjoyment in it. I would expect soldiers to find fighting monsters in a game dull compared to actual combat."

  "Yes, we thought so too. However, after some investigating, it seems that soldiers enjoy the experience of fighting monsters without the risk of actual injury or death. While adults who don't encounter monsters that frequently see the game as an outlet for their curiosity or fantasy of fighting on the front lines."

  "Maybe I should give it a try."

  "Oh, I didn't know you played games." Elly shook her head.

  "No, but a few of my acquaintances have been asking me to play with them. Apparently, they want a specific set of gear, but they're having trouble defeating the monster they need. I wasn't initially interested in playing, but I'm reconsidering after hearing what you said."

  "Do you need me to send you some Credits?"

  "No, it's ok, I still have plenty from last time you sent me some." After dinner, the duo cleaned the dining room table and dishes.

  "Good night, father."

  "Good night, Elly." They both said before going their separate ways.

  "Am I lost? No, I'm sure this is the way." A blue-haired teen murmured to herself as she wandered around, occasionally checking the map clutched in her hands. "I should have been able to see Starage Academy by now." She adjusted her glasses before leaning closer to the map, hoping a path would magically appear.

  "Accuse me?"

  "AHH!" Startled, the teen threw her map in the direction of the voice behind her, only for a gust of wind to blow back into their face.

  "Oh, sorry for startling you." Once the teen managed to remove the map from their face, they saw an apologetic-looking guy, about their age, standing in front of them.

  "Ah, no, it's my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings."

  "Then let's just say where both are at fault and move on."

  "Oh, ugh, ok!"

  "Are you lost?" The boy asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.

  "Y-yes! Was it that obvious?" The boy chuckled a bit.

  "Not really, but you did pass this street four times already."

  "What?! I've been walking in a circle this whole time?!"

  "A square, but yeah." The teen physically deflated.

  "At this rate, I'm going to be late for my first day at school!"

  "Maybe I can help. Which school are you looking for?"

  "Starage Academy."

  "Starage Academy?" The teen nodded. "Well, you're in luck, it's not far from here."

  "Really?!" The other teen nodded.

  "Yeah, it's not that far from here. Follow me, I'll show you the way." The teen folded their map and stuffed it in their pocket before catching up to the other teen. "Oh, by the way, I'm Jack," Jack said after a few minutes of silent walking.

  "Oh, pardon?"

  "I just realized I haven't introduced myself yet, and as potential classmates, I figured now is as good a time as any. So, nice to meet you, my name is Jack, Jack Verdant." The teen's eyes widen in surprise.

  "You also go to Starage Academy?" Jack nodded.

  "Yup," Jack answered, popping the p. "Today would be my first day as a proud student of the famous Starage Academy."

  "Me too!" Jack chuckled at the teen's enthusiastic reply.

  "So what's your name?"

  "Oh, right, I also need to introduce myself." The teen took a deep breath before looking straight at Jack. "I'm Crystal Waterbloom."

  "Nice to meet you, Crystal. I hope we can be good friends from now on." Crystal beamed.

  "Nice to meet you as well, Jack. And I would love to be your friend." The two teens continued chatting about various topics as they walked. "So you're not staying in the dorms?"

  "Nah, why would I waste money on that when I live so close to the academy anyway?"

  "Oh, you live close by?" Jack nodded.

  "Yup, in fact, you walked past my house several times, and I gotta admit it was quite the funny sight seeing you pass by so many times."

  "Please forget you saw that," Crystal squeaked, her face flushing. After half an hour of walking, the duo eventually arrived at Starage Academy. They marvelled at the sheer number of students around them and the massive size of the Academy.

  "We made it!" Jack cheered.

  "W-we made it?!" Crystal awkwardly copied a beat later. Before they could continue cheering, they were interrupted by a deep voice rising across the academy grounds.

  [Attention. Attention. First years, please go to Auditorium One for the welcoming assembly.]

  [Remember to sit at your designated seat number that was provided.]

  The message repeated a few times before going silent. "Auditorium One, w-where is that?" Cyrstal asked as she frantically looked around her.

  "Hmm, if I recall correctly, only first-years should be at the academy today. So if we follow the crowd, we should arrive at Auditorium One."

  "Good idea!"

  "So, Crystal, do you know the seat number they were talking about?" Jack asked as they followed the other students.

  "Oh, um, wouldn't it be the number that was on the acceptance letter they gave out?"

  "Ah, is that what it was?"

  "You do remember what it was, do you?" Jack waved her concern away.

  "Pretty much, so I should be fine." The duo eventually made their way to Auditorium One with the other first years. After a few minutes of searching, the duo found their number and bid each other goodbye before going their separate ways. After half an hour of idle chatting, the lights in the auditorium dimmed, quieting the students as a man walked up and took the mic at the front.

  "Hello, first years! I am Professor Lemonal, and I'm happy to see all the fresh faces today. Now, let me start by saying that you should all be proud of yourselves for making it this far. We at Starage Academy are looking forward to seeing all the amazing things you will eventually achieve! With that out of the way, let me make way for Starage Academy's founder, Headmaster Dreamer!" Excited whispers filled the auditorium as a tall old man walked up and took the mic from the Professor.

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  "Thank you for the introduction, Professor Lemonal." Dreamer turned towards the students. "I would like to congratulate all of you for getting accepted into Starage Academy." As Crystal tried to pay attention to the Headmaster's speech, a multi-coloured light began blinking in the corner of her vision. Looking around, she eventually discovered that the source of the annoyance was a box in the top corner at the back of the auditorium. It appeared to be a solid black cube that occasionally flashed rapidly changing colours before dimming. Crystal also noticed that no one else seemed to care about or even acknowledge the flashing light. Worried she might have missed something, Crystal ignored the light as best she could and focused on listening to the Headmaster's speech.

  "And I'm looking forward to seeing all of you tomorrow when classes officially start." The auditorium erupted in applause as the lights turned back on.

  "Hey, Crystal, wait up," Jack called out as people started filing out of the auditorium. "Got any plans for the rest of the day?" Jack asked as they made their way out of the school grounds.

  "I need to find the dorms and start unpacking. How about you?" Jack shook his head.

  "Not really, maybe hit the arcade?" He paused for a moment. "Hey, why don't I help you unpack?"

  "Really? Are you sure?" Jack shrugged.

  "Why not? Might as well help a friend in need, then waste time trying to beat my high scores." After an hour of searching and a quick lunch at a nearby food truck, the duo eventually found the student dorms. "I just realized, where's your stuff?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Shouldn't you have a suitcase or something with all your stuff? Like, I doubt the clothes you're wearing are everything you have. Unless you're planning to buy everything you need."

  "Oh! That's what you mean." Crystal let out a soft chuckle before shaking her head. "I had my things moved ahead of time; they should be in my dorm room by now." Jack let out a silent 'Ah!' before nodding.

  "Well, we'd better head to your room and start unpacking." Jack took a step forward before stopping and turned to look at Cyrstal. "You should probably be the one leading the way."

  "That might be a good idea." Heading inside, the duo took the elevator to the fifth floor and walked down the hall until they arrived in front of room 515. After using the key Crystal had in her pocket to open the door, she entered the room with Jack close behind. Once inside, they noticed that not only were there several dozen unopened boxes, but there were also several open ones. "Oh, hello, are you my new roommate?" Crystal asked a woman who was rummaging through a large box in the centre of the room. Hearing Crystal's question, the woman stood up, allowing the duo to get a better look at her. She was a tall teen with metallic silver hair cascading down to her waist.

  "Are you Crystal Waterbloom?"

  "Uh, yes?" The teen gave a small bow.

  "Sorry for not greeting you earlier; I must have been too preoccupied with unpacking." Crystal waved her hands.

  "No, no, it's no problem, uhm, Elizabeth?" Elizabeth gave a nod.

  "Correct, but you can call me Elly if you want."

  "Sure thing, Elly!" Crystal beamed. "And you can call me, uh. Well, I don't really have a nickname like Elly."

  "It's fine, Crystal is a beautiful name."

  "Thank you. Elizabeth is also a beautiful name."

  "I appreciate the compliment." Elizabeth turned to look at Jack. "So, who is this fine gentleman?" Jack looked around the room before pointing at himself. "Elizabeth nodded with a patient smile.

  "Oh, uh, this is my friend Jack." Crystal started while motioning to him.

  "Uh, hi, I'm Jack Verdant, and I'm here to help with all the unpacking." Elizabeth slightly tilted her head.

  "Have you already finished moving into your room?"

  "Huh, oh!" Jack let out a soft chuckle. "No, no, I'm not staying in the dorms. I live close by, so it saves me money if I just walk here from my house."

  "I see, well, I appreciate any help I can get. So why don't we get started before it gets too late?" Jack and Crystal nodded before getting to work unpacking the boxes.

  "Ugh, what an annoying day." Alex groaned as he flopped onto his bed. "Maybe I should have just let that last Rift go." He rapidly shook his head. "What am I saying? And miss out on a potential good trait?" With Chapter One starting, Alex could once again gain more Traits. Given the progress he's been making, he figured he could afford to be pickier about which Traits he gets. However, even after several dozen Rifts, he couldn't find any Boss Cores with any Traits worth getting.

  The day before, Alex delved into one last Rift, hoping to find something before school started, only for it to be harder than he thought it would be. This resulted in him only managing to get an hour of sleep before he needed to attend the school orientation. To make matters worse, the Boss Core had no useful trait, nor was it worth much due to its small size.

  And once Alex was at the orientation, he not only had to stay awake but also ensure he didn't show any signs of seeing the flashing lights that occurred throughout the event. "They just had to add that detail in the novels, didn't they?" Alex sighed. Despite being a relatively important setting in REALMS, the TTRPG didn't provide much information about it. Players had to wait for the first official novel for any further details on the academy. One detail was that the headmaster likes to conduct a unique test during the orientation, aimed at revealing individuals who might possess any form of Arcane Senses.

  What makes it unique? It's the fact that Starage Academy is the only school that actively searches for those with Arcane Senses. Why is Starage Academy the only school that does this, despite how useful Arcane Senses can be? One reason is that Arcane Senses isn't well-known or understood in Aetheria. People in Aetheria who awakened their Arcane Senses typically live their whole lives ignoring this ability outright. Due to this, most schools either don't bother looking or aren't equipped to train people with Arcane Senses. So why is Starage Academy different? It's due to the second reason, Headmaster Dreamer. Unlike the other faculty who aren't that knowledgeable about Mana Sense, Headmaster Dreamer not only has it, but more specifically, he can 'hear' the flow of Mana. He also isn't a native to Aetheria; Headmaster Dreamer originates from the destroyed Realm of Starage. Starage was a magically advanced realm in which society had spent centuries researching the ins and outs of all types of Arcane Senses.

  "Hard to say if he was being uncreative or sentimental when he named the Academy after his old home." The fact that Headmaster Dreamer was from a different Realm was meant to be a big secret, which was ruined when an error in a character guidebook spoiled it. Despite that, the main story director of the novels kept that plot point in. As for why Headmaster Dreamer cares so much about people with Arcane Senses, it isn't due to anything malicious, but a responsibility he feels he has as the last remaining person from his home Realm.

  "I just wish he weren't so damn determined to uphold his self-given responsibility. Ugh, my eyes still hurt from enduring that irritating blinking light," Alex said while rubbing his closed eyes. Anyone who is found having any form of Arcane Senses is placed into a unique class taught personally by Headmaster Dreamer himself. For many, this would represent a rare opportunity that most could only wish for. "I can't afford to waste time learning to use my Arcane Sight when I'm already proficient with it." Alex groaned as he got up from his bed. "On the bright side, I don't have to worry about any more annoying tests like today." There are measures in place to identify anyone with Arcane Senses who might have awakened it after orientation, or was just missed during the first round-up. But they are either easy to bypass if you know what they are, or only detect the most obvious uses of Arcane Senses

  "Better get something to eat before heading to bed." Alex paused for a bit. "I might as well also check up on Ana to see if she managed to locate the item I requested." Alex let out a long yawn before grabbing a Mana potion on a nearby nightstand and downing it in one gulp. "Must be nice to be able to sleep whenever you want and have food given to you." He complained to his sleeping companion as he walked to his kitchen.

  Nick hummed to himself while restocking the empty shelves in his store. While he worked, he reflected on the past few years of managing his shop. Despite a challenging beginning, Nick successfully built a strong reputation in the city for offering high-quality products. Initially, it was slow going; few people were willing to try his potions due to his status as an unknown alchemist and his premium prices. However, everything changed after he passed the Alchemist Guild's test and received his certification. Not only did they grant their seal of approval for the quality of his potions, but they also promoted his shop, leading to a consistent influx of customers. Even with sharing a portion of his profits with the Alchemist Guild, Nick is earning enough to be financially secure for the foreseeable future. All in all, he was happy that he chose to pursue his dream of opening a shop instead of following in his brother's shadow.

  Nick was knocked out of his thoughts by the ringing of the door chime. "Hello! Welcome to Triple E, Enchanting Elxiers of Every Kind! Oh, Alex! I'm so glad to see you!" He shouted as he ran up and hugged his friend.

  "Morning Nick, how's it going?"

  "Great! Due to a big sale I recently made, I was able to upgrade all my equipment!"

  "That's nice to hear," Alex said with a soft smile. "How about your daily life? You're not skipping meals again, are you?" Nick flushed a bit before rapidly shaking his head.

  "N-no!" Alex raised a brow, causing Nick to deflate. "Ok, maybe once or twice since we last talked."

  "And when was the last time this happened?"

  "Last night, " he answered weakly. "But! I had a good reason this time!" Alex made a 'go on' motion. "I didn't eat because I forgot; I did it because I couldn't make anything, and it was too late to go out and eat," Nick answered with a proud smile while puffing his chest out.

  "Why couldn't you cook?"

  "I didn't have any ingredients in my kitchen, Ow!" Nick cried out while clutching his forehead after Alex flicked it with his pointer finger. "What was that for?" He asked with a teary look.

  "-Sigh- Not being able to eat because you have nothing to cook with isn't much better than forgetting to eat. I helped you with your finances last week, so I know you're not short on money. So, please tell me why you don't have any food in your kitchen?"

  "Because I forgot to buy any?" He answered while covering his forehead.

  "-Sigh- Once my classes are over, I'm coming over so we can go grocery shopping together, and then we're discussing the importance of eating regularly. Do I make myself clear?"

  "Yes, sir," Nick answered weakly before perking up. " Oh, that reminds me, how are your classes going? You started them four days ago, right?" Alex nodded.

  "Yeah."

  "Are your classes fun?" Alex did a so-so motion with his hands. "I could go without some mandatory classes, but overall, yeah." The duo talked for a few more minutes before Alex had to head out. "Before I leave, do you have any Mana Potions in stock?" Nick nodded with a wide smile.

  "Yup! I always make sure to save some for my number one customer." He went to the back of the store before coming back with a box in his hand. Gently placing the box onto the counter, he opened it to reveal several dozen potions. "Forty-one Grade one Mana Potions, Thirty Grade two, Twenty-eight Grade three Mana Potions, ten Grade four, five Grade five," Nick ducked under the counter to retrieve a small sack and placed it next to the box. "And a sack of Moon Petals."

  "May I?" Alex asked while motioning toward a Grade One Potion. Nick nodded. Opening the bottle, Alex downed it in one gulp before making his lips. "Did you change the recipe? It's not as bitter as it usually is. Is this a hint of butterscotch I'm tasting?"

  "Absolutely! I've recently perfected a new recipe. Considering how many Mana Potions you consume, I thought you’d enjoy an improved taste. You don't have to worry about the quality; the Guild's already tested and approved it. Plus, you get the honour of purchasing my very first batch of these enhanced Mana Potions!" Nick replied proudly.

  "Impressive." Nick's smile grew wider at the compliment. " So, how much do I owe you?"

  "Two-Thousand-three hundred Credits." Alex did some quick mental calculation.

  "Are all of these made with your improved recipe?" Nick nodded, causing Alex to furrow his brow. "Are you charging the same rate for these?"

  "Yup."

  "Why? Shouldn't you be charging more for these if they're just as good as normal Mana Potions while not having any bitter taste?" Nick fidgeted a little.

  "Well, I originally wanted to sell these at a lower price because they're actually cheaper and easier to make. But my adviser at the Guild said that was a bad idea. I tried to argue my point, but I couldn't convince them in the end."

  "Wait, that means you're not selling them at the original rate?"

  "Uh," Nick froze when he realized what he had just said. "I didn't want to charge you the extra price. You already do so much for me, and I don't feel it's right to charge you more than you should." He eventually confessed when he couldn't think of any excuses.

  "And as your friend, I don't feel it's right to underpay you." Alex lifted a potion. "These are wonderful, Nick, and you deserve to be paid what they're worth."

  "How about this?" Nick counted, knowing he couldn't convince Alex to accept a permanent discount. "I give you these for the amount I said earlier as a gift to me for my accomplishment. And then you'll pay the increased price for future orders of the new potions."

  "Deal," Alex replied after a brief moment of thought. Paying Nick the agreed-upon amount, Alex downed a Grade One potion before putting the rest into a Storage Pouch. "Well, I'd better get going if I don't want to be late for my first class. See you in a few hours, Nick."

  "Bye!" Nick shouted while making exaggerated waves of his hands.