Phantom Hunters | Saphir Casters Academy

14 | First Class

XIV | FIRST CLASS

    The next week passed by in a flash. Kael had gone to the arena to watch the other examinees and had his mouth coated in bitterness when he found out Roder had joined — and passed with flying colours. It seemed to him that no matter where he was or what he did, Roder would follow and do even better.

    When the exams were over, Kael took the time to get to know all the other dorms. In addition to the ones Rita had shown him, he'd found three other dorms: the Phantom Aura House, Noble Monarch Tower, and the Azure Wings Palace.

    Roder had easily chosen the Noble Monarch Tower, leaving Kael relieved that he hadn't come to the Silver Wolf.

    When he wasn't gathering information, Kael explored the academy while helping Rita pick up trash left behind from the student market. And just like that, the week had gone by before he could blink.

    Now, he sat in a large lecture hall, trembling from excitement and nerves as he waited for a teacher to enter the room. The room buzzed with students greeting one another and chatting about what their attendance at the academy would be like.

    "Hello, there." A shadow fell over Kael, and he looked up to see a pretty Arridian girl standing next him. "You're also from the Silver Wolf Den, right?"

    "Uh, yeah. Hi..." Kael's brain whirred as he tried to remember her name. He recalled seeing her before. She was the only girl who signed up to the Silver Wolf on the day Kael passed the exam. Her long black hair had been tied into a bun this time, and she had replaced the headpiece with a simple flower pin, but he recognised her immediately.

    "I'm Fadhia," she said, taking a seat next to him.

    "Fadhia, right! Yeah, I remember you. Uh, I'm Kael."

    She giggled. "You're the Silver Wolf proctor's brother, right? Everyone's been talking about you."

    "They have?" Kael felt his neck prickle as if everyone was watching him at this very moment. "Uh...what are they saying?"

    Fadhia shrugged. "I heard a few second and third-year students saying they should get to know you. The girls in particular seemed pretty interested."

    "The girls? Why would they—"

    "Oi, duke! Whatcha doing?" Rita dropped in next to Kael, startling him.

    "Rita! You're in this class, too?"

    Rita grinned and pumped her fists. "Oh, yeah. This is gonna be awesome. Who do you think will be our sponsors? Wouldn't it be cool if one of them was your brother?"

    The corner of Kael's lips quirked into a regretful half-smile. "Kly can't be our sponsor because he's a proctor."

    "Oh." Rita cringed in disappointment. "I forgot about that." She noticed Fadhia. "Hey, who's that? Is she your girlfriend?"

    "What? No! It's not like that!" Kael waved his hands frantically as his cheeks tinged pink. For a second, he thought of Aisa. He mentally kicked himself. Why was he thinking of her?

    Fadhia laughed. "I'm Fadhia. Nice to meet you. I think your room is right next to mine."

    "Oh, yeah! You're the girl who keeps singing."

    Fadhia bit her lip in embarrassment. "Sorry. Do you not like it?"

    Rita waved it away. "No, no. It's fine. You're a good singer. I can't sing if my life depended on it."