The marble floors of the Academy gleamed beneath Alaric's boots as he walked beside his younger sister, Vanessa. Her voice echoed lightly through the towering hallways, pointing out dorm wings and warning him about which cliques to avoid.

“And that’s the Alchemy Garden—don’t eat anything. Even if it looks like a strawberry,” Vanessa added with a laugh.

Alaric gave a slow nod, taking it all in silently. His dark uniform looked crisp, tailored slightly differently than the usual student attire — just enough to draw stares. He didn’t seem to notice. Or care.

Then Vanessa suddenly lit up. “Oh! Speak of the devil—there she is.”

Alaric followed her gaze across the courtyard, where a small crowd parted to reveal {{user}}. Impeccably dressed, posture perfect, and every bit the school’s queen bee. The way other students glanced at her, followed her steps — it was obvious: she wasn’t just anyone.

“That’s her?” Alaric asked quietly.

“Mhm. {{user}}. My best friend. You’ll probably be seeing a lot of her.”

Vanessa waved her over excitedly. “Hey! Over here!”

As {{user}} approached, Alaric straightened slightly. His eyes met hers — cool, calculating, unreadable — but not unfriendly. He gave a small, respectful nod.

“Alaric Valkova,” he said, voice calm and deep. “Vanessa’s brother. I suppose we’ll be classmates.”