Here's the expanded version of your chapter
Just as the rustling of students settling into their seats reached a crescendo, Kael caught a flash of familiar dark curls near the hall's entrance. Lara stood on tiptoe, scanning the crowd until her gaze locked onto him. A hesitant smile touched her lips as she raised her hand in greeting. Kael returned the gesture with a small wave, watching as she navigated through clusters of students toward him. The faint scent of lavender—her signature fragrance from home—reached him before she did, an unexpected whisper of nostalgia in this imposing new world.
"You made it," Lara said breathlessly as she arrived, her chest rising and falling slightly from the effort of crossing the cavernous hall. Her warm brown eyes flickered past Kael, widening imperceptibly as they landed on Thea. "And you've... met someone?" The unspoken question hung between them, laced with a curiosity Kael hadn't heard in Lara's voice since their village festivals.
Before he could formulate a response—before he'd even decided how to explain the blue-haired enigma beside him—Thea extended a graceful hand. "Thea Vermont," she introduced herself, her golden eyes glinting with amusement at Kael's obvious discomfort.
Lara's fingers barely grazed Thea's in greeting before she froze. "Vermont?" The name left her lips like a struck bell, clear and resonant with disbelief. Her hand dropped limply to her side. "As in... the *Vermont* family?"
Thea's smile deepened, revealing a dimple Kael hadn't noticed before. "Unless there's another lineage unfortunate enough to share our name, yes."
Kael glanced between them, the weight of this exchange lost on him. "What's significant about the name Vermont?" he asked, his brow furrowing. Back in his remote village, noble houses were the stuff of fireside tales, not living, breathing people who bumped into you on academy pathways.
Lara turned to him with an expression torn between awe and exasperation. "Only one of the most powerful awakened families in the world," she hissed, as if this were common knowledge every child learned with their letters. "Their ancestral seat is Storm's Keep, where lightning literally dances along the battlements during thunderstorms. And their heir—" Lara's gaze snapped back to Thea, realization dawning. "A young woman with S-class lightning affinity. Who's reportedly attending Valerion this year."
Thea executed a playful half-bow, her blue hair cascading over one shoulder. "Guilty as charged," she said, though her eyes never left Kael's face, watching for his reaction with undisguised interest.
Kael felt the world tilt slightly beneath him. The girl he'd literally knocked off her feet moments ago wasn't just beautiful—she was nobility incarnate, scion of a house that doubtless had vaults filled with ancient knowledge about systems like his. His mind raced with possibilities even as his instincts screamed caution. Powerful families meant powerful enemies, intricate political webs he had no desire to become entangled in.
Lara seemed to have been rendered speechless—a rare state for her—but Kael's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden hush falling over the hall. All eyes turned toward the raised dais where a tall, imposing figure had appeared as if from the shadows themselves. The woman's silver-threaded black robes shimmered with every measured step, the fabric seeming to drink in the light rather than reflect it. Her face, though lined with age, held an undeniable sharpness, an intelligence that felt like a physical weight as her gaze swept the assembled students.
"Principal Clara Vermont," Thea murmured beside him, her voice barely audible. Before Kael could process this new revelation, Thea added, "My aunt," with a nonchalance that belied the significance of the statement.
Kael's head snapped toward her. "Your—" he began, but the principal's voice, deep and resonant as a cathedral bell, filled the hall, cutting off all whispers and thoughts alike.
"Welcome, new blossoms of Valerion," she began, her hands clasped before her. "You sit here today because you have survived the crucible of our entrance trials—a feat that separates the merely talented from the truly determined." Her piercing gaze seemed to find every student individually. "Some of you came to us with illustrious names," her eyes flickered briefly toward Thea, "others with nothing but the clothes on your backs and fire in your hearts. Here, only one currency matters: mastery."
A ripple passed through the crowd at the word. Kael felt it like a live wire against his skin.
Principal Vermont continued, "This is the finest awakening academy in the world not because of our ancient stones or storied history, but because we understand a fundamental truth: affinity without discipline is like a sword forever sheathed." She paced slowly across the dais, her robes whispering against the stone. "An S-class affinity with Grade 5 mastery will fall to a C-class with Grade 8 every time. There are ten mastery grades in total—each more difficult to achieve than the last. To date, only one man has reached Grade 9 in any affinity." A proud, almost fierce smile touched her lips. "My brother, James Vermont, the world's foremost lightning wielder."
Murmurs spread through the hall like wildfire. Kael's fingers twitched at his sides. The system within him seemed to pulse in response to the principal's words, as if recognizing a kindred spirit in this discussion of power and progression.
"Let this be your first lesson," the principal continued, her voice dropping to a near whisper that somehow carried to every corner of the vast space. "Do not become intoxicated by the letter of your affinity. The path from potential to power is paved with sweat, failure, and relentless perseverance. Work hard," she paused, her stern expression softening marginally, "but do not forget to steal moments of joy where you can. Even the mightest oak must bend in the wind sometimes." With that, she clapped her hands once, the sound sharp as a thunderclap. "Let the festivities begin!"
As applause erupted around them, the grand doors at the rear of the hall burst open with unfortunate timing. All heads turned to see a disheveled Darius stumbling in, his tunic half-untucked, hair sticking up at improbable angles, clearly having raced across the academy grounds. A hush fell as Principal Vermont's gaze pinned him in place like a butterfly to a collector's board.
"And what," she asked, her voice deceptively calm, "is the meaning of this... dramatic entrance, young man?"
Darius opened and closed his mouth several times, resembling nothing so much as a beached fish. "I, uh—overslept?" he offered weakly.
The principal's eyebrow arched toward her hairline. "An auspicious start indeed." She turned to address the hall at large. "Let this serve as an object lesson: at Valerion, discipline is not optional. For his... creative interpretation of punctuality, this student will forfeit fifty of his ceremonial merit points."
A collective wince passed through the new students. Kael leaned toward Lara. "What are merit points?"
"Academic currency," she whispered back. "We're each given one hundred to start. They can be spent on special training sessions, rare materials from the vaults, even private tutoring from upperclassmen. Losing half right out the gate is... not ideal."
Darius slunk into the nearest available seat, his face a picture of abject misery, as a procession of senior students entered carrying ornate wooden boxes. They moved through the rows, distributing what appeared to be sleek metallic wristbands. When one reached Kael's group, he examined his closely. The band was forged from a strange alloy that seemed to shift between silver and blue depending on the light, cool to the touch yet somehow alive with latent energy.
"Your academy identifiers," explained a senior with close-cropped hair and an impressive scar across his nose. "They'll track your schedule, house your merit points, and most importantly—" he tapped his own band, which projected a shimmering holographic display above his wrist, "—measure and display your affinity and mastery levels. Put them on; they'll attune to you automatically."
Kael slipped the band onto his left wrist. Immediately, it contracted slightly, molding itself perfectly to his anatomy with a sensation like gentle static. A holographic screen flickered to life above it, displaying:
**KAEL VANCE**
Affinity: Destruction & War (Grade S)
Mastery: Level 1
He barely had time to process this before gasps erupted around him. Thea's display shone brilliant gold:
**THEA VERMONT**
Affinity: Lightning (Grade S)
Mastery: Level 3
Even Darius, despite his disastrous first impression, commanded respect with:
**DARIUS KANE**
Affinity: Earth ( Grade A
Mastery: level 2
Lara's profile drew admiring glances as well:
**LIRA MENDES**
Affinity: Shadow (Grade A)
Mastery: Level 2
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