The Love Hunter

Chapter 9

Crystalveil Academy—The First Day

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Pagkatapos ng ilang oras na pagtulog, nagising ako nang may excitement na bumabalot sa buong katawan ko. Today is the day—ang simula ng lahat ng plano ko. First day ko sa Crystalveil Academy, and I couldn't be more ready.

"Today's the start of something big," bulong ko sa sarili ko habang tinitignan ang sarili sa salamin. Hindi ako mukhang typical na sixteen-year-old. Sa totoo lang, mas marami akong alam at kaya, kaysa sa ibang estudyante rito. Pero syempre, hindi nila 'yon malalaman. 

'I have to play the part of the naive new student.' Mas masaya kapag bigla na lang silang magugulat sa tunay kong galing.

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Habang naglalakad ako patungo sa academy grounds, napansin ko agad ang kakaibang energy sa paligid. Magic was practically humming in the air. 

Marami nang estudyante ang nagtipon-tipon, bawat isa ay mukhang handa na para sa araw na ito. Ilan sa kanila, ramdam ko ang kaba. Others, they exuded confidence.

Nag-focus ako. Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts. Like a steady stream of water, the thoughts of others flowed into my mind.

"I hope I don't mess up on my first spell casting today."

"Grabe, sobrang ganda ng school! Sana hindi ako mapahiya."

"Nandito kaya si Prince Elias? Sana makita ko siya!"

I almost rolled my eyes. Sobrang normal ng takbo ng utak ng iba rito. Wala pang masyadong standout. But I knew that this place—Crystalveil Academy—was full of potential. Kung meron mang mga lalaking worth my time, nandito sila.

Habang naglalakad, binigyan ko ng pansin ang bawat estudyante na dumadaan. Some looked ordinary, pero alam ko, minsan, appearances can be deceiving. 'Sino kaya ang magiging interesting?'

Then, there he was. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted someone who immediately caught my attention. Mahaba ang kanyang buhok, at mukhang malayo ang tingin—he had a brooding aura about him. His thoughts were more closed off than others, pero ramdam ko ang fire magic na dumadaloy sa kanya.

I took a deep breath and subtly reached out with my mind-reading. Just a little taste of his thoughts, 'wala namang makakapansin'.

"I need to control this better. Too much fire, and I could burn this whole place down."

I smiled to myself. 'Fire mage, huh? Interesting.'

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Sa loob ng Crystalveil, ang mga hallways ay puno ng mga estudyanteng patungo sa kani-kanilang unang klase. The walls were lined with intricate magical runes, glowing faintly with power. I felt at home, surrounded by magic in every direction.

Pero hindi ito tungkol sa pag-aaral para sa akin. It was all about opportunity.

As I made my way to my first class, I started picking up on more thoughts from the students around me.

"I need to be the best in my elemental control class."

"Sana hindi ako mapahiya kay Sir Lydian, napakahirap niya magturo!"

"Grabe, ang guwapo ni Jasper! Sana maka-partner ko siya sa practice."

Ah, Jasper. I'll need to find out more about him later. Sounds like he's someone people are keeping an eye on. But for now, I was more focused on making my entrance.

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Pagdating ko sa classroom, napansin ko agad ang malalakas na magical auras ng mga estudyante. 'This is where the elites are,'  I thought to myself, subtly smiling.

The professor walked in, isang matandang lalaki na halatang may decades of experience in magic. His thoughts were more organized and disciplined compared to the students. "These new recruits... I wonder who will stand out this year."

Well, professor, you'll find out soon enough.

"Hmm," he began, "Welcome to Crystalveil Academy. This is not just any school. It's the finest institution for developing magic in this world. At hindi lang ito tungkol sa learning magic, kundi about understanding your place in the world."

Habang nagsasalita siya, I could feel the students around me getting more nervous. "Sana hindi ako magkamali rito." "This is it, I can't mess up."

I was perfectly calm. I wasn't here to be the best student. I was here to play the game, and I intended to win.

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As the class continued, sinubukan kong i-scan ang mga paligid ko. I was looking for potential connections—people who could be useful, interesting, or at least fun to manipulate. May isang estudyanteng tahimik sa isang sulok, his thoughts shielded from me. 

'That's new,' I mused. 'A bit of a challenge, perhaps?' He caught me looking at him and raised an eyebrow, clearly aware of my curiosity.

We'll see. 'I'll get to you later.'

After the lecture, I wasted no time introducing myself to a few classmates. Dapat, magaling kang pumili ng mga tamang taong kakausapin. Hindi ako basta-basta lumalapit kahit kanino. The first one I approached was a tall guy na mukhang masaya sa buhay niya, smiling brightly at everyone. 

His thoughts were carefree—"This place is amazing! I can't wait to make new friends."

I smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Lyra. First day mo rin ba dito?"

"Yeah!" sagot niya, tumawa pa. "Name's Theo. Nice to meet you, Lyra."

I picked up on something in his mind—telekinetic powers. Not as strong as mine, pero impressive for his age. He'd be fun to watch.

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Moving through the day, I continued to introduce myself to others, carefully picking who seemed most promising. My charm worked wonders, syempre. A little smile here, a well-timed compliment there, at hindi nila napapansin na tinitimpla ko ang bawat interaction. Thanks to my mind-reading, I always knew exactly what to say.

By lunchtime, I had already mapped out a mental list of potential candidates for my... collecting mission.

1. Theo, the telekinetic flirt. He seemed light-hearted and playful, but there was depth beneath that smile. We'll see how far I can push him.

2. Rylan, the fire mage. Strong, serious, at halatang may iniindang mabigat. Perfect tsundere material.

3. That mysterious boy from earlier. He was still a bit of a puzzle, but I wasn't one to back down from a challenge.

As I sat down to eat, I couldn't help but smile to myself. This place was going to be fun.

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The rest of the day passed by quickly. I attended more classes, continued observing my peers, and slowly built my network of "friends." Or rather, I thought, 'potential playthings.'

By the time the sun began to set, I was feeling even more confident than when I had arrived. Crystalveil Academy was everything I had hoped for—full of power, potential, and people just waiting to be influenced.

As I lay in bed that night, listening to the quiet thoughts of those around me, I felt a deep satisfaction settling in my chest. Tomorrow, I'd push harder, dig deeper, and find out just how far I could go in this new world.

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to be continued......

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