Level Up Arcana

The grand library of Arcana High Academy stretched three stories high, with shelves that seemed to touch the painted ceiling. Dust particles floated in the afternoon sunlight that poured through the arched windows, making the whole place look like something out of a dream.

"Gather around everyone," the homeroom teacher called out, her voice echoing off the marble floors.

Over fifty students shuffled into formation, their chatter bouncing off the old stone walls. All of the students wore the standard academy uniform which was dark blue robes with silver trim, though some had already loosened their collars or rolled up their sleeves.

The teacher, Professor Aldine, was a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and red hair pulled into a tight bun. She gestured dramatically at a massive, heavy woven cloth with decorative pictorial designs hanging on the far wall.

"This library has stood for over eight hundred years," she began, pacing before the crowd. "During the Great Beast Wars, a Titan-class monster actually 'ate' the west wing." She paused for effect, enjoying the students' stunned expressions. "The librarian at the time was still inside. May his soul rest in peace."

A few students gasped, while others giggled nervously.

"There are rumors that say on quiet nights, you can still hear him reshelfing books," Professor Aldine added with a completely straight face, her voice down to almost a whisper to get maximum effect.

But surprisingly, more laughter rippled through the group.

Raiden Crowe stood near the back, only half-listening as he looked around the hall. His silver-white hair, a rare trait that drew stares wherever he went, caught the light as he turned to his friend beside him.

"Do you think that's actually true?" Jace Rowan whispered, adjusting the large medicated glasses sliding down his nose. His round face was flushed from climbing the library steps, and a few strands of brown hair stuck to his forehead.

"Which part? The monster or the ghost?" Raiden replied, keeping his voice low.

"Both."

Raiden shrugged. "Probably made up to scare first-years."

"But what if it's not?" Jace's eyes widened behind his thick lenses. "What if there really are ghosts here?"

"Then we'll make friends with them."

Jace snorted, then quickly covered his mouth when a nearby student shot them an annoyed look.

Professor Aldine continued her lecture, now pointing at a row of leather-bound books protected behind glass. "These are original spell manuscripts from the Founder's Era. Each one is worth more than your family's house — yes, even yours, Lord Fenwick."

A blond boy in the front row looked offended, which made several students snicker. Though no one dared laugh out loud.

Raiden barely registered the joke as his gray eyes had caught movement near one of the towering marble pillars.

A girl with long night-black hair slipped behind the column, her steps quick and filled with purpose. She glanced left, then right, before disappearing deeper into the library.

Raiden's eyebrows lifted. "That was Mira Valen."

Everyone at Arcana High knew Mira. She was the top student in their year and had been for two years straight already. Her test scores were sky high. Her family, the Valens, controlled half the mage towers in the Starhaven Continent. Rumor had it she could cast first-tier spells without breaking a sweat, something most students their age couldn't dream of doing.

She was also incredibly hard to approach, with a cold, distant personality that seemed to repel anyone, especially boys who wanted to make friends with her. She was the type who studied during lunch and never joined group projects unless forced.

So what was someone like her doing sneaking away from a mandatory lecture?

"Hey." Raiden nudged Jace with his elbow. "Look."

Jace followed his gaze just in time to see Mira's robes vanish around another corner.

"Is that... Mira Valen?"

"Yeah."

"Where's she going?"

"No idea." Raiden's curiosity flared. "Want to find out?"

Jace's face went pale. "Are you insane? We're in the middle of class!"

"Exactly. No one will notice."

"Professor Aldine will notice!"

Raiden glanced at their teacher, who was now showing off an enchanted quill that wrote by itself. The entire class had pressed forward to watch with their phones out, capturing video.

"She's busy, Jace. Quit being a scaredy-cat" Raiden said. "Come on."

Before Jace could protest further, Raiden grabbed his friend's sleeve and tugged him backward. They moved slowly at first, staying low, using the crowd as cover. A tall girl shifted to the left, and Raiden slipped through the gap. Jace stumbled after him, wheezing softly.

"This is a bad idea," Jace hissed. "This is a 'really' bad idea."

"You say that about everything."

"Because I'm usually right!"

They reached the pillar Mira had disappeared behind. Raiden peeked around it, scanning the shadowy rows of bookshelves ahead. The library extended far beyond the main hall where Professor Aldine was holding her lecture. There were side chambers, reading alcoves, and spiral staircases leading to restricted sections.

And somewhere in that maze, Mira Valen was going somewhere she wasn't supposed to be.

Raiden grinned. He was getting excited to discover the unknown. "Come on."

He took off at a light jog, keeping his footsteps soft. Jace groaned but followed, his robes swishing loudly with each hurried step.