Chapter 5

The grass, adorned with delicate white and pink flowers, stood tall and lush, resembling the graceful Autumn Zephyrlily swaying in a gentle breeze, alive with quiet magic. It towered over the new students, brushing their shoulders as they passed, the cool blades caressing their skin with each step. A cobblestone path wound through the sea of green, appearing for only a moment before vanishing as they moved forward, like an ancient secret revealed briefly, then hidden once more.

For Alena, who walked at the very back, every blade of grass she passed seemed almost playful, tickling her feet and occasionally brushing her cheek. She smiled, reaching out to stroke a particularly soft blade of grass, enjoying the peaceful rustling sound as the blades swayed together. It felt as though the grass itself was warmly welcoming her, happy that she had come, its soft caresses a gentle reassurance.

“Hey, you might lose your fingers if you’re not careful.”

A girl walking beside her warned, her tone sharp.

“Huh?”

Startled, Alena quickly withdrew her hand, and the girl smirked, looking pleased with herself.

“This is Alderin bloom. You could call it the guard of the magic realm. It grows all over the Protector’s Hill.”

“…Alderin bloom?”

Alena repeated blankly, and the girl shrugged.

“I thought I’d never seen you before. You’re not from Cora, are you?”

“Oh… no. I came from far away.”

The girl nodded with a slightly arrogant expression, then moved ahead to chat with another student.

She seemed to lose interest in Alena upon realizing she wasn’t from Cora.

Alena’s father, Roland, rarely spoke about the magic realm, but even she knew that Cora was the capital of the magic realm.

"So, it’s the same in the magic realm, huh? Looking down on people from the countryside?"

Back in her hometown, the human children always grumbled about how their city-dwelling relatives called them "hillbillies."

Hoping to make friends, Alena had been looking forward to this journey, but now she felt dejected. As she trudged forward, she overheard snippets of conversation from the other children.

“I’m so lucky. I get to enroll in Arcanum alongside Lord Lucian.”

“Yeah. My twin sister wasn’t chosen by Arcanum, so she had to go to another school.”

“I heard that past Evergale only had two or three Luminari at most. But Lord Lucian Evergale is the first in history to take in almost all the children from the Ancient Guardian Houses as his Luminari. My family kept reminding me to build connections with them.”

“I just hope I don’t get on their bad side.”

Alena assumed that the ‘Luminari’ they were talking about must be the five children who had accompanied the Evergale like some sort of aides for them.

Even though they were all the same age and attending the same school, there seemed to be an invisible wall between them.

Alena was usually a cheerful child, quick to smile and chat.

But the children’s conversation was entirely unfamiliar and mostly related to the magic realm, so she remained silent and followed quietly.

By the time they arrived at the castle, night had fallen.

Despite being called a castle, the outer walls were rough, built of crudely stacked stones, with ancient tree roots entwining them in a way that made them look ready to crumble at any moment.

Celyn approached the base of a massive tree that seemed to be holding the statues of an owl.

“O Great Gaia, by your sacred will, Arcanum welcomes new children. Please open your roots and grant passage to the wizards of the future.”

The tree called Gaia was an ancient spirit tree, so old that one could hardly guess how long it had stood there.

Its trunk, extending deep beneath the castle walls, was so thick that even if all the children joined hands around it, they would not be able to encircle it.

Crack, crack…

A twisting sound echoed, and then, with a deep groan, Gaia’s trunk split open.

Between the parted wood stood a grand door, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly glow. Intricate runes pulsed faintly along its frame, casting shifting patterns of light across the ground. As the door slowly creaked open, it revealed not a room but a vast passage of brilliance—so bright it seemed to radiate light, stretching endlessly like a road into the unknown, with no discernible end in sight.

With a solemn expression, Celyn addressed the children.

“From here on, you are in the domain of Arcanum. I will now explain Arcanum's rules. First, within Arcanum, all names are spoken equally. No honorifics, not even for the Evergale.”

The children murmured in surprise.

They cast anxious glances at Lucian Evergale, and even the children who had stayed by his side the whole time now looked at him with awkward expressions.

However, Lucian Evergale himself remained unfazed, as if it didn’t matter to him.

Celyn waited for the murmuring to subside.

“The second rule to remember: until your coming-of-age ceremony, you must never remove your cloak while on school grounds. It is enchanted with an ancient spell to mark you as students of Arcanum, ensuring that all beings recognize and do not harm you. No one can take it off against your will—not even by force, tearing, or removing your hood. Only you have the power to remove it yourself.”

Recalling the deep forests they had passed on the way here, the children nodded in understanding.

“And wherever you are, in whatever circumstances, if you are not alone, you must wear your cloak. Premature romantic relationships are not allowed before adulthood.”

Most of the young students somewhat grasped what she meant by ‘premature romantic relationships’; they obediently nodded along, thinking that love, of course, was just another stepping stone in their journey. In their world, where magic and bloodline dictated status, children were trained from an early age to recognize the importance of building connections—whether through friendship, alliance, or even romance—to elevate their family’s standing. Many already saw love as a strategic tool rather than a matter of the heart.

Only Alena was different. Romantic relationships, or anything remotely related, had no place in her mind. Unlike the others, whose ambitions revolved around strengthening their lineage, her only goal was to become a worthy witch—one capable of bringing her parents to the magic realm. To her, that was the only thing that mattered.

Celyn’s voice cut through the moment. “And of course, don’t forget to take pride in wearing the Arcanum cloak.”

At that, the children glanced down at their cloaks, adjusting them with newfound care and pride.

“Now, when I call your house and name, step inside.”

The children fell silent and turned to look at the heir of Evergale.

They knew his name would be called first.

“Evergale, Lucian.”

Celyn smiled warmly as she called the name, her demeanor shifting from formal politeness to something more akin to a mentor addressing a student.

Without hesitation, Lucian stepped into the glowing passage through the door in the split trunk of the tree.

Celyn nodded slightly before continuing.

“Ravenhurst, Lucas”

A boy with short blue hair stepped forward.

It was the same boy who had coldly told another boy, Noel, to stay put.

“Forestheart, Ava.”

A girl with striking green hair—the first Alena had ever seen—followed after.

“Silvermist, Lily.”

A girl with long brown hair cascading down her back raised her head.

“Blackwood, Noel.”

Noel, flashing a grin at Celyn, confidently strode in after Lily.

“Emberfel, Mia.”

With fiery red hair and equally intense red eyes, Mia Emberfel swept her gaze across the children.

Her demeanor was so intimidating that Alena instinctively furrowed her brows.

One by one, the children from the Noble Guardian Houses entered the passage.

Alena realized that the order of entry corresponded to their family status.

So, she stretched her neck, looking around to see who would be called next.

“Alderin, Alena.”

A sharp intake of breath echoed around her.

The children who had been chatting with Alena suddenly distanced themselves as if she were something filthy.

Dozens of eyes bore into her, freezing her in place.

“……”

Celyn sighed almost imperceptibly and called again.

“Alderin, Alena.”

In the tense silence, Alena swallowed hard and looked at her.

But Celyn merely gestured toward the entrance, her expression unreadable.

Disappointed by her indifference, Alena lowered her head and dragged her feet toward the glowing passage.

The dazzling light overwhelmed her for a moment, and when her vision finally cleared, she found herself standing in a grand hall, its high ceilings stretching endlessly above. Towering pillars lined the expansive space, and long wooden tables stretched across the floor, bathed in the glow of hundreds of floating spheres, each one radiating a soft, magical light. The gentle orbs drifted gracefully through the air, casting flickering reflections across the stone walls

Not far away, Lucian Evergale and his Luminari stood before one of the pillars.

Lucian leaned against it, arms crossed, watching Alena.

Unlike earlier, the children now formed a tight barrier between Alena and Lucian, their eyes filled with disdain.

Only Noel looked slightly uncomfortable, avoiding looking at her.

‘…’

Alena felt utterly lost.

Given the order of names, Alderin must be an esteemed house—so why were the children reacting this way?

Her question was answered when all the students had gathered.

Celyn, the last to enter, spoke.

“Wait here. Soon, a spirit will come to guide you. They will assist you in all aspects of life at Arcanum. Classes begin tomorrow, so follow your spirit home and rest well.”

Celyn glanced at Alena for a moment before disappearing without another word.

Once they were alone, the children surrounded Alena, whispering.

“My god, I’ve never seen something as disgusting as half-blood before.”

“Roland Alderin’s exiled daughter got into Arcanum?”

Half-blood. Exile.

‘Father said he came to the human world just to be with mother because father love mother… but exile?’

Spiteful words, mocking stares.

Alena felt dizzy.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

She wanted to scream, to deny every spiteful word, but the silence swallowed her voice, and the words only echoed painfully inside her. Her father had promised—once she graduated and became a full-fledged worthy witch, they would all live in the magic realm together! He wasn’t exiled—he had chosen to leave his home, to come to the human world for her mother,his true love. How could they say such things?

Yet that thought clung to her like a fragile thread, a fleeting hope against the harsh reality unfolding around her. But the spiteful whispers cut through, shredding that hope, leaving a bitter, gnawing emptiness inside her.

She could feel the weight of their judgment, the isolation creeping up around her.

At that moment, a voice cut through the murmurs.

“Ganging up on one person—how pathetic.”

The hall fell silent.

The children exchanged uneasy glances.

They had hoped to impress the heir of Evergale, the future ruler of Elandria.

But because of that half-blood filthy Alena Alderin…

They had ruined their chance.

Some of the children felt a growing hatred towards the filthy half-blood, wishing she would be kicked out of Arcanum altogether.

Others, with sneers on their faces, only wanted to pull back her hood to see just how ugly a trashy half-blood could be—probably uglier than even the most hideous of trolls.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***