The Academy Beyond the Lost Forest

Nicolas sighed. He couldn't say no to the elf in front of him. First off, it would be impolite. Second, the elf was one of the few people in the school who was nice to a half-demon such as himself. "Fine, but we have to hurry up and get to class. You know how the teacher gets when we're late for Elemental Magic class."

Nicolas took the ribbon out of his hair. "Sorry, but I'm not going to wear it on my head," he said. Unlike the elf, he was not like that. Instead, he tied it around Atticus's neck. "You can hold on to it for a while and give it to me later, okay?"

With that, he went to the school building and to class.

"Don't get comfy, everyone! We're heading outside!" Ms. Daia Frost said. "Less likely to cause the school to explode." She giggled at her own joke and led the class outside. "All right, everyone! Seperate into pairs!"

Nicolas rolled his eyes when Atticus latched onto his arm. They always were paired up, even though Nicolas's element was ice and Atticus's earth. No one ever wanted to pair up with the half-demon, so it wasn't like he could say "I want to work with someone else today, if that's okay." He was sort of stuck, whether he liked it or not.

"All right, we're going to practice with your specific elemental power." Ms. Frost pointed to specific places on the grounds, saying which was best for each type of element. She paused, and thinking better of it, said, "How about we practice using our elements in places that aren't under perfect conitions?" Ms. Frost smiled and said, "Everyone stay exactly where you are and try your best to use your power."

Nicolas was in a decent spot for his own power. Of course, ice and cold was an element where everywhere was a decent spot. There were rocks nearby and a bunch of vines, so the place was also decent for Atticus. "Well, we should get started," Nicolas said. He held up his claw hand and focused. An ice crystal formed in his hand and grew larger until it was a giant snowflake that sparkled like diamonds. "Not too difficult, right?"

'Again with the blue,' Nicolas thought. "It's very pretty," he replied, not wanting to offend the elf.

Nicolas flicked his claw, and the ice flake he created broke into smaller, identical ones. Once those had fallen to the ground, he held his claw out again. This time, a huge heap of snow plopped onto the ground in the form of a snowman.

And thus the class continued. Everyone but Nicolas and Atticus were struggling with the task at hand. And of course, that both of them a couple cold looks. Nicolas earned the most of them, though.

"Thanks for a great class, everyone!" Ms. Frost called to her students. She really liked teaching. "Oh, Nicolas, stay after a moment, would you?" The rest of the class snickered, thinking he was in trouble.

"I guess I'll be seeing you later," Nicolas said. "Good luck in Combat class."

He walked up to the teacher. "Is something wrong, Ms. Frost? Was I making mistakes?"

"On the contrary! You seem to have mastered ice and snow," Ms. Frost smiled. "I just wanted to tell you that you were doing well in this class. Also, don't let everyone else get to you, okay?" She patted Nicolas's shoulder. "I'm rooting for you, Nicolas. Your mother will be so happy when she hears how well you're doing. Want me to tell her anything for you?"

Nicolas shook his head. "No, that's all right." He walked away and waved. "I have to get to Magical Philosophy. See you tomorrow, Ms. Frost!"

And with that, he rushed back to the building, praying that he wouldn't be late.

Nicolas hesitated as he entered the room. Few bothered to look up at the "filthy half-demon," but the ones who did were giving him a glare colder than any ice he could ever make with his magic. He sighed and sunk into his chair. That's when he smelled something strange that he couldn't quite pinpoint

He had a stronger sense of smell than most humans, but it couldn't hold a candle to most demons. Not only was he part ice demon (which had a relatively weak sense of smell compared to other demons), but he was also human. Still, he could tell that there was a strange new scent in the air.

Nicolas glanced around until he saw a boy in green. The person looked human enough except for the ears--those looked elfish. The boy didn't smell like an elf though--Nicolas had gotten quite used to elf smell thanks to Atticus, who seemed to be in a lot of his classes. Instead, the new boy smelled strongly of pumpkin, horse, and goat. A farm boy, perhaps?

"Good morning," Nicolas said, holding out his human-like hand. It did have claw like nails, but it wasn't as bad as his black arm, which resembled talons. "My name is Nicolas. Are you new here?"