Chapter 3 Be Careful Not to Get Burned

Mia's POV

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the burning pain, but it never came. Instead, I felt a cool breeze.

I was genuinely surprised. I'd heard that people can unlock hidden powers when facing life-threatening danger!

Could this be my ability? Did I just use magic?

When I opened my eyes, I found myself surrounded by a pale blue transparent dome.

Whoa! Was this my passive skill?

I was still feeling pretty pleased with myself when I turned around and spotted a woman standing at the podium. Her white hair was pinned up neatly, and she wore a crisp white suit. She looked dignified and commanding.

She held out her hand toward me, a thin blue thread of light connecting her palm to the dome, as if she was controlling it.

Wait, so this was her magic?

She saved me?

Well. So much for my moment of glory.

"Draven! Put out your flames!" she called out to him, her voice sharp and firm.

Draven looked like he was in pain, his expression slowly shifting from rage to something calmer.

The fire around him began to die down little by little. When the last flame went out, he looked completely drained, like he could barely stand.

I suddenly realized he hadn't been trying to hurt anyone. He just couldn't control his own power.

"Are you okay?"

I stepped toward him, but he spun around and pulled back before I could touch him. "Don't touch me!"

The look in his eyes was pure disgust. That stung a little.

I was just trying to help. What was this dragon's problem? No wonder nobody liked him.

The woman at the podium swept the room with a sharp gaze, then spoke in a clear, carrying voice. "Everyone return to your seats immediately!"

Everyone obeyed at once. I sat back down next to Draven.

"Good morning, everyone," she said. "I'm your headmistress, Aurora Jones. Whether you're a new student or returning, I want you to remember. Do not cause trouble in this academy."

Her eyes moved to Draven and Liam, then briefly landed on me.

The whole hall went dead silent. I tensed up.

She continued, "Classes begin at noon today. You have time now to settle in. Your dorm assignments are already set, two students per room. The list is posted on the bulletin board outside. Meals are served at 8 in the morning and 7 in the evening. I won't go over anything else."

Just when I thought she was wrapping up, she looked directly at Draven and Liam. "Mr. Liam Snake and Mr. Draven Ignis, come to my office when this is over. That's all for today."

The moment the opening ceremony ended, Lyra rushed over to me. She looked me over to make sure I was okay, then let out a long breath of relief.

Then she looked at me dead serious. "Rule number one at this school: stay away from dragons. You need to burn that into your brain."

I thought back to the rules in my acceptance letter. That one definitely wasn't on the list.

"That rule matters way more than anything in that letter," Lyra said. "They bring nothing but trouble."

We went to check the dorm assignment list and were thrilled to find out we'd been placed together.

I was so happy. She was the first person I'd met here, after all.

A girl from an upper year walked over to us. "I'm Laura Finch. I can show you around campus if you'd like."

She led us through the old stone hallways, and I quickly realized the inside of this castle was even more breathtaking than I'd imagined.

Every few steps along the stone walls, there was a floating candelabra, no chains, no brackets, just hovering quietly in midair. The flames weren't orange, but a mix of icy blue and silver-white, like frozen starlight.

Below our dorm building was a stretch of lawn with an ornate fountain at its center. A mermaid carved in stunning detail.

The moment we walked past, the mermaid started singing. Every strand of her hair was a tiny snake, all hissing and flicking their tongues at us.

I jumped back, but Laura just smiled. "Don't worry. As long as you don't climb into the fountain, she won't hurt you. Every morning at seven, she starts singing. Shee's basically your alarm clock. Pretty convenient, right?"

Convenient didn't even begin to cover it.

Waking up to a mermaid's song? That sounded absolutely amazing.

A little further along, Laura pointed to a building in the distance. "That's the boys' dorm over there. Don't get any ideas about sneaking over at night. There's a garden maze between the two dorms, and whatever you do, don't go in there after dark."

"What happens if you do?" I asked.

"You get lost, and everyone finds out you were trying to sneak into the boys' dorm. Same goes for them trying to come over here."

I glanced at the garden maze nearby. The hedges were barely shoulder height on me. Could something that small really trap anyone?

We finally reached our building. Laura turned to us before leaving. "One last thing and this one's important. It's not safe to be outside at night. Stay in your room, no matter what. Especially on a full moon."

I wanted to ask more, but Laura had already turned and walked away.

Our room was on the sixth floor.

I pushed open the door. The room wasn't big, but it was spotlessly clean.

The oak floors were polished to a shine, faintly reflecting our faces as we stepped in.

Two beds sat on opposite sides of the room, each pushed against the wall.

Deep red curtains hung from copper rods, embroidered with fine golden patterns.

The bedding was folded perfectly, and the pillows were so fluffy they looked like clouds.

Each bedside had a small lamp, a brass base with a frosted glass shade, giving off a soft, warm glow.

On the windowsill sat a potted plant with deep purple leaves and silver veins, slowly unfurling its leaves like it was stretching after a long nap.

When I moved closer, one of the leaves turned in my direction, like it was looking at me.

My suitcase had somehow already made its way to the foot of my bed on its own, sitting there quietly.

Everything here was incredible. Aside from nearly getting burned alive in the hall, I loved this place.

I threw myself onto the bed, ready to sleep for a week.

But Lyra reminded me that class was starting soon.

So I unpacked quickly and followed her to the classroom.

The room was already filling up. I was looking around for two empty seats when I turned back and found that Lyra had already been pulled away by another girl.

Lyra gave me an apologetic smile. Theyy clearly already knew each other. Just like that, I was on my own again.

I scanned the room and spotted Draven in the back row. The seat next to him was empty.

He'd clearly seen me too, but he looked away.

I walked over. "Is anyone sitting here?"

He turned to look at me, golden eyes wide with disbelief.

"You actually want to sit next to me?"

I nodded. "Is that okay?"

He thought about it for a long moment, then finally gave a small nod.

The first class was Magical Defense. The teacher was an old man, short and slight.

He introduced himself as Arthur Bellamy, then immediately transformed into a pangolin right in front of us and sat on the podium.

He asked Liam, who was sitting in the front row, to attack him.

Liam looked like he wanted to make an impression. He summoned three ice blades in front of his chest and launched them at Mr. Bellamy.

Mr. Bellamy curled into a ball. The moment the ice blades hit his scales, they shattered into pieces.

I was stunned. It happened in an instant. I never would have guessed that this small, quiet old man was so powerful.

Mr. Bellamy shifted back into his human form. "Alright. Now I'd like each of you to introduce yourself. Tell us what kind of shifter you are and what your abilities are."

Students stood up one by one. Some were wolves, some were foxes. The girl sitting next to Lyra was a kestrel.

No wonder they got along so well. They were the same kind.

When it was my turn, I stood up and said, a little awkwardly, "I... don't actually know what form I take yet."

A bunch of people started laughing. Liam was the loudest, making sure everyone heard him.

"You're probably just a regular human. A totally useless ordinary person sitting next to a filthy, evil dragon, honestly, perfect match. Ha!"

Draven stared at him. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet, Liam?"

"You think I'm actually scared of you?" Liam began forming ice blades in front of his chest again.

I noticed the temperature around me spiking. Draven was getting angry. I was about to warn him to keep his flames in check.

But it was too late.

Fire wrapped around me again.

Mr. Bellamy started to reach toward me, but then he stopped.

He didn't cast anything. He just stood there, frozen in shock.

He wasn't the only one. Every single person in the room was staring at me.

What just happened?

Had I been burned to a crisp?