Tavaline Academy Vol.1; The Uprising of a Heroine

Prolouge

Sweat trickles down her face as she burns the midnight oil, training late into the night until the early morning.

Her whip feels heavy as the sound of lashing echoes through the empty training room.

Her body is peppered with bruises.

Her body aches with every step she takes.

And yet she perseveres.

Raising her whip for the umpteenth time she lashes out with a shout. Her eyelids are drooping but the nightmares keep her awake. What she sees when she closes her eyes are far worse than any pain she has ever experienced.

Feeling her old wound open she collapses to her knees with searing pain. Moving her fingers in an upward motion she heals the wound quickly. Though it has stopped bleeding the wound is only healing. Her magic is thoroughly depleted: the last being used for days without stop.

Barely able to keep on going, she trembles before getting back on her feet. No matter how many scars and bruises pepper her body she will continue to heal. She will continue to rise even after the highest fall.

Feeling a wave of heat wash over her she knows her body is trying to fight back the magic being drained from it. She opens her eyes, sapphire orbs holding determination and defiance until the very end.

She continues to lash out, continuing until she collapses to the ground, body still emanating heat even when a wave of cold air wafts into the room.

¿

The girl stirred slowly. Seething in pain, she sat up without delay. Kora Harlow stood up wobbly despite all her wounds. Feeling her magic replenished and restored she healed her wounds with apparent ease.

Letting out a soothing sigh she crossed the room and went upstairs. Her mother greeted her from the dining table.

She took her seat gracefully, pushing her hair out of her eyes. Inwardly, she frowned. She needed to cut her hair.

"You pulled an all-nighter again?" her mother demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"En." replied Kora bluntly. "I needed more training."

Her mother's forehead creased, just as a tall, young man entered the room. Dark, locks of ebony framed his attractive face as his pale green eyes similar to their mother glistened slightly.

"Luca." said Kora, "Do you not think my endurance is lower than it was three months ago? I need to increase it again before I leave for Tavaline Academy."

Luca frowned. "Don't die pushing yourself."

Kora did not look disgruntled but instead slightly dissapointed. She no longer refused her mother's medicine and took it, gulping the bitter potion with a swift flourish.

She felt better. After eating she stood and made her way to her bedroom, to prepare for next week.

Tavaline Academy. A monstrous academy the size of a country-just kidding.

Anyways, yes, Tavaline Academy. A school that was the hardest to get into, and even harder to stay at.

It was every spell-casters dream school. Even if you didn't attend any schooling before, as long as you passed the test, you'd be able to get in. No matter what background, no matter how poor one might be, anyone was able to attend the test.

The test holders were swift in weeding out the best of each group. A hundred thousand students tried out per batch, but only two hundred would remain.

Kora had yet to pass the test, but she herself and her family had faith in her, and that was all she needed.

¿

She lay under the covers, completely still as her blue eyes fluttered open. She couldn't sleep. Not now, when she was so used to training and doing something, anything really.

A scene flashed inside her head.

Her older brother, Zeke, patted her head as he tucked her into bed. He kissed her forehead and told her to get some rest.

"Why?"

Zeke frowned. He screwed up his face to look as if he was genuinely confused, thinking it over. Kora hardly believed it but let her older brother play his games.

"Being frank, I don't know either." her brother's blunt words made her beam, ready to jump out of bed. "But I got plenty of rest when I tried for the test. And you don't want to fail that, do you, Kora?"

Kora felt herself seriously frown.

"No, no I don't."

Zeke ruffled her hair. "Well, then there's your answer. Get some rest strawberry puff."

Kora reached out and ruffled his light brown hair in return, earning a soft smile from Zeke. He had heterochromia, causing his one eye to be a slightly pale blue and the other to be a beautiful green.

"Goodnight, Z."

"Sweet dreams, strawberry puff."

Zeke smiled once more, before turning off the lights and leaving the room.

Kora clenched her fists.

One day.

Kora felt her sky blue eyes blaze with a deep determination.

One day she'll get her revenge.