The grand white pillars of the Academy loomed ahead, but the gates weren't empty. Students in pristine uniforms lingered in the courtyard, and as Ryker skidded to a halt, gasping for air, a hundred pairs of eyes locked onto him. The whispers started instantly, sharp and jagged.
"Isn't that the one from the slums? The Beast Tamer?"
"I heard he went missing for two weeks because he was too ashamed to show his face."
"Look at his boots. He still has mud from the gutter on them."
Ryker ignored them, wiping the sweat from his brow. (They're always going to be like this. High nobles looking for a target, and since I'm from the lower district, they won't stop. This is going to be a long two years.)
As he navigated the crowded hallway toward the registrar's office to grab his schedule, a girl with messy, shoulder-length crimson hair stepped into his path. She wore the same frayed, low-quality undershirt Ryker did beneath her academy blazer-a clear sign she was a fellow "slum rat" who had scraped her way in. Her face was dusted with freckles, and her bright green eyes held a spark of defiant energy.
"You're the one everyone's gossiping about, right? Ryker?" she asked, falling into step beside him. "I'm Mara. I got pegged as a Scout. Not much better than a Tamer in their eyes, but hey, we're here."
"I'm late, Mara," Ryker muttered, glancing at the clock.
"What classes did you pick?"
Ryker glanced at the parchment he'd just been handed. "Magic Theory, Mana Sensitivity, and Sword Combat for the afternoons. But my first period... it's the specialized class. Beast Taming."
"Yikes. Good luck with that. I hear that department is basically a closet in the basement," Mara laughed, waving as she headed toward the agility labs. "See ya around, Tamer!"
Ryker followed the map to the lowest level of the west wing. When he pushed open the heavy oak door, he didn't find a grand lecture hall. It was a dusty room filled with old cages and the smell of hay.
There were only three other students.
Sitting on a wooden crate was a boy with shaggy, forest-green hair that fell over his eyes. He wore a loose, oversized tunic and was busy whittling a piece of wood into the shape of a bird. He looked like he'd rather be sleeping under a tree than sitting in a classroom. This was Silas.
Across from him sat a woman with sharp, platinum-blonde hair tied back in a high, tight ponytail. Her uniform was pressed perfectly, and she sat with her back straight as a spear, her icy blue eyes scanning a thick manual on creature anatomy. She looked like a noble who had been insulted by her own placement. Her name was Elena.
The last student was a girl with ink-black hair that reached her waist, partially hidden under a dark hood. She sat in the shadows of the corner, her pale hands folded neatly in her lap. She didn't look up when Ryker entered, but the air around her felt strangely heavy, as if she were suppressed by a weight no one else could see. This was Nyx.
The heavy door creaked open again, and a man with a messy beard and a stained lab coat wandered in, clutching a thermos that smelled faintly of fermented herbs.
"Only four of you this year?" the Professor grunted, dropping a stack of papers onto the desk. "Usually we get five before two drop out. I'm Professor Vance. Welcome to the Beast tamer class."
He looked at Ryker, squinting through thick glasses. "You're late. Sit down. Today we discuss why 90% of you will be eaten by your first summon before the midterms."