Chương 709: Chapter 707 – Stomach Butterflies.

"Luci..."

"Hey, LUCI!"

"Oh!? W-what?" Lucienne flinched as one of her friends shouted from behind her. She had been staring out the dorm room window when Atasuna called her name.

"Are you nervous? Don't worry. We all believe in you!" Atasuna flashed her a bright, encouraging grin, completely oblivious to the real reason for Lucienne's distraction. Another dormmate, a young girl with braided hair and large round glasses, looked up from where she was checking the contents of what appeared to be a magical spatial satchel.

"It's normal to be nervous, but you've been practicing diligently for almost half a year. There's nothing to worry about. Just go out there and do what you've learned."

"That's easy for you to say, Marlein... What if we fail? Just look at them." Lucienne held a hand against her stomach as the stress returned. Through the window, she could see banners bearing Xander Institute's crest and crowds of excited people. She knew that if she failed to perform well, everyone would be disappointed, and that thought had kept her awake for the past few nights.

"They do look excited." Atasuna's gray wolven ears twitched as she stepped beside Lucienne and looked outside. Groups of younger and older students filled the grounds. Those participating in the convocation were treated like celebrities, at least for the moment. They carried the hopes of their entire school, and if they failed to deliver, they would be looked down upon, as had happened in the past.

"And all of them will be cheering for you, Luci! Just like us! So don't worry. Just do your best." The wolven girl smiled brightly as she opened the window, letting the chatter from outside drift into the room. The excitement was infectious, and even the three longtime friends were beginning to share in it.

"You're just making it worse, Atasuna!" Atasuna let out a playful laugh, her tail giving a quick, cheerful flick as she leaned against the window frame.

"Oh, come on! I'm just trying to boost her confidence! Luci, you made it through that hellish training. If you could survive that, this competition will be nothing. Just believe in yourself!"

"Hah..." Lucienne could only sigh and nod. She looked out at the banners and the cheering crowds one last time before turning to her friends and pulling them both into a hug.

"Thank you, you two. I'll do my best!"

"That's what I like to hear!" Atasuna beamed.

"I know you can do it." Marlein smiled as they embraced, but their moment was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Lucienne Arden? It's time to leave." Lucienne turned toward the door and quickly grabbed her satchel.

"It must be one of the assistant teachers. I waited too long. I'm going to be late!" The other girls chuckled as they watched Lucienne scramble to gather her belongings before hurrying to the door. Waiting outside was an unfamiliar teacher holding a sheet of parchment with dorm room numbers and students' names neatly listed across it.

"Gather with everyone else in the main auditorium. From there, the professors will guide you." The man adjusted his glasses as he spoke to Lucienne, who simply nodded.

"Of course!"

"We'll be cheering for you! Don't ever forget that!" Atasuna peeked her head out from the room, with Marlein standing beside her and nodding in agreement. The butterflies in Lucienne's stomach eased slightly. She answered them with a smile before turning away and hurrying toward the class where she was supposed to meet the other students. Once outside her room, Lucienne took a deep breath. Clutching the strap of her spatial satchel, she hurried through the bustling dormitory corridors.

Excited chatter echoed from every direction, and some students noticed her passing and waved.

"See that badge? She's one of the contestants!"

"Show them the power of Xandar's Institute!" The cheers made her blush, and she quickened her pace. Pinned to her school uniform was a special badge that identified her as a participant. It resembled a magical tome with a pentagram at its center, representing the five academies of the Quinquennial Arcane Institute Convocation. The badge allowed contestants to pass through various checkpoints with ease, but it also ensured that everyone noticed them.

'Where is Brother Roland when I need him…' She slipped through the crowds as people stepped aside the moment they spotted her badge, which only made the knot in her stomach tighten. Passing beneath the main archway, Lucienne entered the central courtyard that led toward the main auditorium. The sun climbed higher into the sky, casting long shadows from the statues of the former headmasters, including Xandar himself.

More and more people gathered around her as students formed clusters according to their respective disciplines. High above, from the surrounding buildings and mage towers, teachers and students watched as everyone assembled for this event that took place only once every five years. She adjusted the strap of her satchel and scanned the enormous crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar armored figure.

Surrounded by hundreds of cheering students and towering banners, the weight of the occasion felt heavier than ever. Before she could find him, however, someone else caught her eye. Someone wearing an oversized hat.

"Selphie?" It was her new friend, Selphie Astarel, whose oversized hat made her easy to spot even in the middle of the crowd.

"Is that Lucienne I hear?" Although Lucienne had spoken softly, Selphie's hat twitched before turning toward her. A moment later, the girl hurried over.

"Hey! Lucienne!"

"Good to see you, Selphie!" Lucienne smiled as the purple haired girl approached. Even though they had only known each other for half a year, she already considered Selphie a close friend. Her boundless enthusiasm, along with the adorable habit of pulling her oversized hat down to hide her flushed face whenever she embarrassed herself, never failed to make Lucienne smile.

"Ahh... this is killing me. We're going to be okay, right? We did everything we could, didn't we? I just want to crawl into bed and sleep!" The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. To Lucienne's surprise, her friend seemed even more nervous about the competition than she was.

"Don't say that! You were amazing during practice, Selphie. If anyone can handle it, it's you!" Lucienne offered a reassuring smile, finding a sudden spark of courage now that she was the one offering comfort. Selphie pulled her oversized hat down low, her cheeks turning red as she let out a muffled groan.

"I know, I know, but looking at all these people... it's just so much pressure! What if I trip over my own robes or fumble my spells?"

"You won't." Lucienne said, giving Selphie's arm a gentle squeeze.

"We trained under the Deputy Professor's nightmare schedule. If we survived that, we can survive anything." Selphie let out a nervous giggle as she adjusted her hat back into place.

"You're right. Deputy Professor Wayland didn't let us rest for a single second. It would be a crime to fail after everything he put us through." Before they could say another word, someone else they knew appeared before them. The young man had once looked disheveled, with messy hair and poor posture, but now his entire demeanor had changed.

"Oh, if it isn't Elian." Selphie greeted him with a smile, and the young man nodded.

"Good day, Selphie and Lucienne." Lucienne wasn't sure what to say. The smudges of charcoal dust that had once covered his cheeks were gone, and his hair was now tied into a surprisingly stylish ponytail. He had gained a bit of muscle after nearly half a year of training, though that training had left him with a few unusual side effects.

"Hey, Elian. How are you?" As she spoke, a few people passed nearby. Without thinking, Elian stepped back to avoid them, then sidestepped a few more as they crossed his path. The relentless drills in the training chamber, where he had been taught to avoid every incoming attack, had taken their toll. Now he instinctively avoided almost any movement in his surroundings.

"I see you're still happily training!" Selphie commented, making Lucienne mumble,"I'm not sure that's training anymore..." After weaving around a few more people, Elian finally stepped close enough to respond.

"My avoidance rate has increased by another 0. 43% since yesterday. I am ready. I hope you two are as well." The two girls laughed, and the conversation continued. The other two members of their group were also present, though they kept their distance. Oxian had settled near a wall so he could lean against it, while Leron, as always, was practicing his hiding skills. They knew he was somewhere nearby, even if he remained completely out of sight.

Eventually, the heavy wooden doors of the main auditorium swung open, and several professors stepped inside. Among them were familiar faces, including Vice Headmaster Rathos, who took center stage, presumably to deliver a speech. To Lucienne, however, only one person mattered. Her brother, Roland. At first she couldn't spot him, but then a familiar floating cat drifted through the doorway. A moment later, Roland followed behind it. He was impossible to miss.

As always, he carried himself with an intimidating presence, as though he were ready to walk straight into battle. In truth, he probably was. Although she didn't know her older brother all that well, she knew enough about the life he had lived. They had spoken about his past in Albrook, and after seeing the way he had dealt with Viola Castellane, she knew he feared very little and possessed remarkable skill. Yet to the people gathered here, he was no longer someone to fear.

He had become someone they looked up to instead.

"It's the Full Mithril Deputy Professor!"

"I just want to see how he looks under that helmet. I bet he's handsome!"

"Of course he is. I talked to him once. His voice is just so gallant!" A few girls standing off to the side began whispering among themselves, giving Lucienne a strange sense of pride. At first, people had feared her brother and refused to accept him, but now they knew his true character, which shone through his actions. Even though he sometimes presented himself as a villain, he always seemed to put good deeds above everything else.

He was also responsible for the months of training that everyone here had gone through.

'He said Robert would be here... but I don't see anyone who could be him.' She knew that her other brother, Robert, would come to see her, but he had to conceal his identity. It was not surprising that he would not be allowed inside the auditorium, since he was not part of the Institute.

"Welcome, everyone. Please lower your voices. I know you are all excited, but first, I have a few words I would like you to hear." Vice Headmaster Rathos' voice boomed across the auditorium as he floated into the air. There were no runic monitors here like there were in many other parts of the Institute. Instead, a massive illusion of the elderly mage was projected above him, making the presentation even more imposing. Rathos raised a hand, and the excited chatter gradually faded away.

"Five years ago, Xandar's Institute of Wizardry stood tall, but we left the Convocation with mixed feelings." Rathos began, his projected image mirroring his every movement as he drifted through the auditorium.

"Today, we send forth a new generation of talent. You carry not only the weight of our long history, but also the rewards of grueling preparation. Look around you. The people standing beside you are not merely classmates. They are allies who have bled and sweated alongside you." Lucienne glanced at Selphie, who was gripping the brim of her hat, then at Elian, who was subtly shifting his stance to avoid a nearby student's swinging sleeve.

Farther back, Oxian gave a solemn nod, while the shadows near one of the rear pillars rippled ever so slightly, hinting at Leron's presence.

"You have spent the last six months preparing for this very moment." Rathos continued as the students listened in silence. His voice was calm and steady, yet carried the wisdom that only a mage of his age could possess.

"You have trained under relentless discipline, adapted to new doctrines, and honed your magic until it became second nature. The mage academies gather not merely to test skill, but to prove which institution shapes the future of the arcane arts." The speech was grand and placed tremendous weight on the students' shoulders. Even so, the atmosphere throughout the Institute remained cheerful, and Lucienne knew why.

After enduring the rigorous training prepared by the Runic Department, every mage present was eager to show just how much they had improved.

"You are not going to this Convocation simply to participate. You are going there to show the world the true strength of Xandar's Institute of Wizardry! You shall not yield in the face of adversity, and you shall not doubt the knowledge you have gained. Go forth, and let them remember the name of our Institute!" The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.

Banners waved furiously through the air as the students gathered outside the auditorium celebrated as well, having witnessed the speech delivered by one of the Institute's most prominent professors." Xandar!"

"Xandar!" People cheered as the institute's phoenix emblem was raised high into the air when the speech came to an end. Soon afterward, the professor's illusory figure vanished, making way for Professor Arion.

"What a wonderful speech from the Vice Headmaster! It is such an honor to take part in this wonderful event and witness so much promise. Mages of the highest order, students of remarkable potential, today you embark on a grand journey!" Professor Arion swept his arms wide, or at least he tried to. As a small black cat, he was hardly noticeable to some of the students standing at the back.

"The location for this year's convocation is none other than the Grand Sanctum of Arch Magus Eldoria! We will now proceed through the great teleportation gate. Once we arrive, please do not wander away from the group. People have been known to vanish within the arcane energies that surround the sanctum!" Lucienne was not particularly knowledgeable about the place. Because of the secrecy surrounding the event, there had been little opportunity to research it.

The professors themselves had likely only learned the location earlier that day before immediately announcing it.

"Grand Sanctum of Arch Magus Eldoria... She is a lesser known magus from the Old Age. They say she reached Tier Five during her lifetime but vanished soon afterward!" Selphie seemed far more knowledgeable about the obscure arch magus. The three friends continued chatting as they were led out of the auditorium and toward the teleportation gate.

"Some speculate that she perished during one of her many experiments, while others believe she opened a rift to another world where she still resides. How interesting is that?" Lucienne nodded as she listened, but her attention drifted elsewhere. As the students were instructed to line up, she noticed someone. Numerous assistant teachers and professors had gathered before the gate, and one of them immediately caught her eye.

'Could that be...?' A man stood beside her brother Roland. He had a similar build and wore a strange black helmet that did not resemble anything a knight would wear. Light reflected off the polished visor, and although it appeared to be made of glass, she could not make out the face behind it. The man faced away from the students, watching a large rectangular container as a group of golems slowly pushed it toward the teleportation gate.

Then, for a brief moment, he turned his head in her direction and held her gaze.

'It has to be him... Brother Robert is alive…' For a moment, she felt like crying, but she knew she could not. The same thought seemed to cross his mind, as he looked away after realizing he had been staring for too long. Even though they were brother and sister, they were not permitted to meet under normal circumstances.

'Once we are inside the competition, there will be a chance…' She clenched her fists as the line moved forward. One by one, the students passed through the great teleportation gate. Lucienne stole one last glance at the masked figure dressed in black and watched him disappear into the shimmering blue barrier. Soon she too would arrive at the Sanctum. Once there, they would finally meet again. She believed it with all her heart and could hardly wait for their reunion.