"The start of the magical beginning"

The next day

Ring...ring...ring...

Miro woke up yawning softly. Sitting up at his bed still feeling disoriented. He rubbed his eyes and swung his feet down touching the cold floor once again. He took a moment to steady himself and greeted again by his familiar surroundings.

As the sun rose, its light pass through the windows of Miro's modest house, casting a warm glow over the small room. The single bed, old wooden dresser, and small table were all neatly arranged, ready for the day ahead. The pamphlets from the Academy of Arcana sat neatly stacked on the table.

Miro remembered what happened yesterday and quickly bathe and dressed in his most looking uniform clothe. Without having breakfast Miro quickly left the house and went to the academy. Few minutes later Miro arrived at the Academy, panting slightly feeling a bit tired because he just ran all the way through here. He looked up and saw Luna waving at him.

"Hey!!! Come over here at my table!!" Luna said her voice still full of energy,

Miro looked at her with a tired and frustrated look.

"geez does she never run out of energy.." Miro thought.

With a sigh Miro went up to her and sat at the chair. As they sat at the table, Luna suddenly turned to Miro with a mischievous grin.

"Hey, I've been thinking," she said with a hint of teasing in her voice. "We need to give you a proper nickname if we're going to be attending the Academy together. 'Miro' just sounds too serious, don't you think?". Miro rolled his eyes, feeling a mix of amusement and resignation. "And what exactly did you have in mind?" he asked, half-expecting the answer to be something humiliating.

Luna leaned back in her chair, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well," she said slowly, drawing out the word, "I was thinking something simple. Something like..." She paused, feigning thought, before finally announcing, "Dragonboy!"

Miro groaned inwardly. Of all the nicknames she could have come up with, why did it have to be something so embarrassing? "Dragonboy?" he repeated, his tone dripping with disdain. "Really, Luna? That's the best you could come up with? And how did you even thought about dragon I'm not even a dragon you idiot."

Luna let out a soft giggle at Miro's protest. "Oh, relax, Dragonboy. It's just a nickname. It doesn't mean you're actually a dragon. It's more about your serious demeanor and your intense focus. You know, like a dragon hoarding its treasure?." Miro grumbled, still not particularly fond of the nickname. "That's a bit of a stretch," he mumbled, feeling a bit self-conscious. "I don't hoard treasure, or breathe fire, or anything like that. I'm just... me."

Luna smiled at his protests, clearly enjoying getting a rise out of him. "Oh, come on," she said, nudging him playfully. "Don't be such a killjoy. It's just a bit of fun. Besides, I think it suits you." Miro was about to protest again but he was cut off by a bell. "Hu-huh? What's the bell for Luna?" Miro asked confusingly. "oh!! It's signalling for us to go to the training area! Maybe that's where they will introduce first! Come!" Luna grabbed his hand and quickly went at the training grounds. While Miro he was shocked but didn't try to pull away.

They finally reached the training ground. It's full of cheers and yells filling the atmosphere. Luna found some seats and quickly went there, still pulling Miro leading him to their seats. As they settled into their seats, Miro couldn't help but feel a sense of exhaustion already setting in. The noise and energy of the crowd were almost overwhelming. He took a moment to look around, taking in the faces of the other students who were attending the Academy of Arcana. Some of the students looked as tired and disheveled as he felt, while others were filled with barely contained excitement.

Luna, on the other hand, was bouncing in her chair with energy. "This is so exciting!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with anticipation. "I can't wait to see what they have in store for us. Do you think we'll get to cast spells right away? Or maybe they'll teach us some kind of secret magic technique...?"

Miro grumbled under his breath, struggling to keep up with her enthusiasm. "Let's just wait and see, okay?" he said, his voice a mixture of weariness and resignation. "There's no point in speculating now."

As the crowd quieted down and the announcer took his place on the podium, he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Attention everyone. Before we begin with the demonstrations, I would like to go over some important information with you all. First, I would like to remind you that the premises of the Academy are off-limits to non-students and non-staff members. This rule is in place for the safety and security of everyone here. Understood?" The crowd muttered in agreement, the importance of safety not lost on them. Miro paid special attention to this rule, knowing that the Academy was likely to be a target for unscrupulous types who sought power and knowledge for their own gain.

As the announcer finished up his instructions, he moved on to the next order of business.

"Alright, now that we have that out of the way, we will now begin the process of testing each student's magical aptitude. There will be five batches in total, and each batch will consist of ten students. Please listen carefully as I call out each student's name, and when I do, please make your way to the test area up front. Understood?"

The crowd nodded in understanding, their eyes flickering from the announcer to the test area, filled with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. Miro glanced over at Luna, who was practically vibrating with excitement in her seat.The announcer began reading off the names of the students in the first batch, ten in all. One by one, the students rose from their seats and made their way towards the testing area. The process seemed to be going quite quickly, which Miro was grateful for. The longer it took to get this underway, the more his legs would start to cramp. Miro is also glad he was not on the first batch.

As the announcer called out the names of each batch, Miro paid close attention, waiting for his turn. When he heard his name called for batch five, he felt a small pang of disappointment that he wasn't in the same batch as Luna. But he quickly pushed aside the thought, focusing instead on what was to come.He stood up, straightening his clothes and taking a deep breath to try and calm his nerves. As he made his way to the test area, he saw the other students in his batch already gathered, each of them looking just as nervous as he felt.

The test area was a large open space, with a row of instructors standing near the edge. Miro guessed that they were the teachers who would be testing their magical aptitude. One of the teachers, a stern-looking woman with graying hair, looked up from her paper and spoke. "Welcome, batch five. I am Professor Liana, and this is Professor Gandor. We will be overseeing your tests today."

Professor Gandor, an old man with sharp eyes, nodded in acknowledgment. "We will be testing each of you one by one," he said, his voice no-nonsense. "Please wait patiently until it is your turn." Miro took a seat on the floor, crossing his legs and trying to keep his breathing steady. He could hear the others around him muttering quietly, their nervous energy filling the air. He glanced over at Professor Liana and Professor Gandor, seeing their hawk-like gazes taking stock of each student.

The testing began, and one by one, the students in the batch were tested. Each student would go up to the center of the room and be asked to perform a simple spell, such as making a small object levitate or creating a small flame. Each student was observed closely by Professor Liana and Professor Gandor, their pens scratching furiously on their sheets of paper.

Miro watched each test with a mix of trepidation and curiosity. Some students seemed to do well, executing their spells with ease and confidence. Others struggled, with their attempts fizzling out or not working at all. He couldn't help but wonder how he would fare when it was his turn.After a few minutes, it was finally Miro's turn. He felt a small flutter of anxiety in his stomach as he stood up and made his way to the center of the room. He could feel Professor Liana and Professor Gandor's eyes on him, looking at every move he made.

Professor Liana handed him a small pebble, its surface smooth and gray. "Your task is to levitate this object," she told him firmly. "Focus your energy and the pebble will rise into the air." Miro took the pebble in his hand, closing his eyes for a moment to focus himself. He could feel the weight of the pebble in his palm, the smoothness of its surface against his skin. He took a deep breath and tried to focus his energy, picturing the pebble rising into the air.

He opened his eyes and began to concentrate. He could feel the energy building within him, a warm, tingling sensation in his fingertips. With a swift flick of his wrist, he sent the energy towards the pebble, hoping that it would lift off the ground.For a second, nothing happened. Miro felt a pang of disappointment, thinking that he had failed already. But then, slowly and shakily, the pebble began to rise from his palm, floating a few inches off the ground.

Miro was surprised, he wasn't expecting it to actually work. He could hear the students around him murmuring in surprise and intrigue. Even Professor Liana and Professor Gandor leaned in closer to observe the hovering pebble.

"Good," Professor Liana said, her voice betraying a hint of surprise. "You have basic control over your magic."

She wrote something on her paper before gesturing for Miro to step back. "That is sufficient," she said. "You can return to your seat now." Miro stepped back, relief flooding through him. He had passed the test, at least for now. He resumed his seat on the floor, his mind racing with thoughts about what had just happened.

The testing continued, and more students were called up to demonstrate their abilities. Miro felt a mix of anxiety and excitement as he watched each test unfold. Some students did incredibly well, while others struggled to execute even the simplest of spells.

As the batch began to dwindle, Miro found himself growing more and more nervous. It was getting closer to the end, and he still hadn't gotten Luna's turn. He wondered how she was doing in her batch, if she was feeling as nervous as he was.

Finally, the last student had been tested and returned to their seat. Professor Liana looked over her notes, then turned to Professor Gandor. They muttered something under their breath, too low for Miro to hear.Professor Liana finally looked up and cleared her throat. "That is the end of batch five," she said, her voice carrying over the room. "Only six has passed the basic magical aptitude test."

Professor Gandor pulled out a sheet of paper, clearing his throat before speaking. "The students who have passed in batch five are the following..."

Miro held his breath for what seemed like an eternity as Professor Gandor slowly read off the list of names. With each name that wasn't his, he felt a small flicker of disappointment, hoping that his name would be called."Miro Dragoner." Miro's heart leapt as he heard Professor Gandor call out his name. He had passed, just barely, but he had passed nonetheless. He felt... Relief.. now they'll move on to the second part..