The Moonlight Swordsman

A swirl of whispers and murmurs filled the air as Seraphine and the others entered. Many of the mages couldn't help but make comments and gossip about the newcomers.

A woman in the group stood up and approached them. Her beautiful white hair swayed in the breeze as she walked, drawing the interest of many with her alluring figure. Her gaze was fixed on Seraphine, her eyes almost piercing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you again Seraphine, come sit with me."

"Piss off." Seraphine walked past the lady and found a vacant seat at the far end of the hall, where she sat.

"So cool!" Aizel and Hazel both thought at the same time.

Hazel followed Seraphine's lead, attempting to imitate her as she passed the woman and took a seat on her right side.

"I have to be just like her, mind my own business, and stay away from everyone." Aizel thought.

As Aizel was about to walk past the woman, she let out a deep hum, which he couldn't help but notice. He quickly went past her and took a seat on Seraphine's left.

The woman's lips curled up into a gentle smile as she returned to her seat.

"She didn't give a shit about you, Lysandra." Another woman who was sitting close to her spoke.

Lysandra didn't respond.

"Is everyone here?" The door to the hall creaked open, and a woman marched in, headed straight for the podium.

She wore a flowing black robe embroidered with a fierce flying griffin, marking her as one of the institute's professors. Her red hair was neatly tucked into a bun, and she looked around the room with a sharp, piercing gaze.

"Let me introduce the five new mages who have joined us today.

"First Jareth and Jaxon from the Baroth family. Some of you already know them." As she stood at the podium, the professor gestured towards the two young men seated beside their friends, introducing them to the rest of the class. "And the Lady who needs no introduction, Miss Seraphine Felgura."

"Tsk, daughter of the whore."  One of the mages commented and caused a few to giggle.

"Silence. Now moving ahead, sitting beside her is Miss Hazel."

"And last but not the least, the personal student of the "War Goddess" of Felgura Kingdom, Mr. Aizel."

Gasps filled the room when Aizel's introduction was announced; all eyes were fixed on him. Seraphine's gaze shifted towards him, intrigued by the sudden attention he had garnered.

"I am going to kill that woman once I become strong enough." He thought trying to hide his frustration behind an emotionless face.

"Now that introductions are over, we are going to start our close combat class.

"Follow me."

She moved to the right, and a magical gate appeared out of thin air, leading to a large expanse of green grassland ahead.

The group of mages trailed behind the professor as Seraphine tugged on Aizel's sleeve, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Can we talk for a moment?" she murmured.

As the other mages passed by, Aizel and Seraphine stood out of their way and let them through. Hazel seemed hesitant to leave, but Seraphine shook her head, signaling for her to go with the others.

"So?" Aizel asked.

"Is there any way I can meet her?" She asked with a plain expression on her face.

"I will have to ask her first."

"Okay, I shall wait patiently." After that, she headed towards the grass field.

"Are you a fan or something?" he asked, following her.

"I have some business with her."

Aizel remained silent as they arrived at their destination.

"Now who wants to see our royal princess in action?" One of the mages asked.

"You know I always wanted to see how strong the royal family mages are. Finally, I can test the waters with this bastard first." A tall, bald man with a chiseled physique stepped forward and spoke up. He summoned a longsword from his ring and locked his gaze with the professor.

"Seraphine, would you like to do the honors?" The professor asked. Seraphine simply nodded and headed towards the bald man.

"Titan Damarius."

"Seraphine Felgura."

The two mages introduced themselves with honor; the others stepped back to give them space to fight.

"Remember you can't use your magic core; only use of mana is allowed." The professor warned.

Under the bright sun, Seraphine summoned a long spear that radiated white and blue colors.

Aizel's eyes were fixed on Seraphine and the bald man called Titan. He was determined to learn and master as much as he could from their battle, knowing that he could use it for his own benefit in the future.

"What do you think the outcome is going to be?" The woman named Lysandra asked Aizel.

"I don't know; I haven't seen them fight before."

"This will be an easy win for Seraphine."

"Hmm…."

*****

As Aizel immersed himself in the magical institute, a gathering of elites was taking place on the other side of the land. On a desolate hill with a small river flowing like a waterfall, there was a flat hill with opulent sofas and furniture scattered everywhere.

Each noble family had their own symbol displayed on flagpoles behind their respective sofas, signaling their presence at the gathering on the barren hill.

However, the largest and most lavish sofa sat in the center, occupied by the royal family. Behind them, a massive flag emblazoned with a flying griffin announced their presence as the ruling power.

"Oh my, isn't Leah starting to look more like her mother?" One of the ladies from the Eudora family spoke up.

"She is starting to act more like a leader these days" Yelena replied with a smile.

"The meeting hasn't even started and she is already trying to get in our good books," Leah whispered softly to her mother.

"Well, because of us, they are now part of the 12 major noble families in the kingdom" her mother explained.

The 12 major families were the cream of the crop in the Felgura kingdom, rivaling the royal family in power and influence. No other faction could contest or resist their authority or decrees.