Echoes of the Lost Elf-Chapter 49 - 48 : The Festival

A couple of days had passed since the "Culinary Incident"—a dark memory that still haunted Kael's soul.

The students sat in class, waiting for the professor, when suddenly, the door swung open.

Instead of their professor, a group of second and third-year students walked in, wearing their academy badges with an air of authority.

One of them, a tall third-year with slick black hair and a confident smirk, stepped forward.

"Alright, first-years! Listen up!" He clapped his hands together. "I'm Lucian Verath, a third-year and part of the Student Council. This here is—"

He gestured toward the others:

Seraphine Lioris, a second-year with silver hair and sharp blue eyes, arms crossed, looking slightly bored. Gareth Ironwood, a burly third-year with short brown hair and an easygoing grin. Vivienne Rosmont, a second-year with wavy auburn hair and glasses, looking at a clipboard.

Lucian continued, "We're here to make an important announcement. In two weeks, Castellas Academy will be holding its annual Academy Festival!"

At this, the class immediately perked up—whispers and murmurs of excitement filled the room.

Seraphine sighed, pushing up her sleeve. "Let me guess. You lot have no idea what that means."

Gareth laughed. "Don't worry, that's why we're here!" He cracked his knuckles. "So here's the deal—this festival is a huge event. We set up stalls, events, tournaments, performances—you name it!"

Vivienne adjusted her glasses. "It's also open to nobility and foreign dignitaries, which means we will be expecting a few very important guests from the Elven and Human Kingdoms. So, we expect everyone to be on their best behavior."

Lucian grinned. "Basically, don't embarrass the academy."

Leon leaned over to Zephyr. "I feel like they're talking directly to us."

Zephyr sighed. "Yeah, we definitely have 'potential embarrassment' written all over us."

Ignoring them, Vivienne continued, flipping through her notes. "The festival will feature various events, including:

A Combat Tournament – For those who want to show off their swordsmanship, magic, or any combat skill. A Magic Showcase – Students can perform creative spells, enchantments, or magical arts. An Auction – Featuring rare artifacts, magical items, and potions. Cultural & Cuisine Booths – Food from different regions will be available. No, Adriana and Historias, you may not cook."

The two culprits blinked in genuine confusion.

"...Why not?" Historias asked.

Lucian pointed at Kael.

Kael, still pale, visibly shuddered.

"Ah." Historias nodded. "Fair."

Seraphine ignored them and continued, "There will also be games, fortune telling, a haunted house, a dance performance, and a masquerade ball in the evening."

Adriana sat up at that. "Wait—a masquerade?"

Lucian smirked. "That's right. And everyone's expected to participate."

Zephyr groaned. "Ugh, a formal event?"

Gareth clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, man! It's fun! Besides, you can anonymously mess with people and get away with it."

Zephyr immediately perked up. "Oh. I like this now."

Lucian clapped his hands again. "Alright, listen up! First-years are expected to contribute to the festival in some way—whether by helping with stalls, participating in competitions, or performing. So start thinking about what you want to do."

With that, the upperclassmen dismissed themselves, leaving the classroom buzzing with excitement.

Leon grinned. "This is going to be awesome!"

Kael, still traumatized, muttered, "Unless you eat something cursed."

Lucian paused at the doorway and turned back to face the class. "Oh, and one more thing!"

Vivienne adjusted her glasses and held up a clipboard. "If anyone is interested in participating in any of the events—whether it's the **combat tournament, magic showcase, performances, or running a stall—you'll need to submit your names to the Student Council Secretary along with what you want to participate in."

She tapped the clipboard. "You have until the end of the week to decide, so don't wait until the last minute."

Gareth grinned. "And if you don't sign up for anything... don't be surprised if you get volunteered by your classmates."

Zephyr and Leon exchanged nervous glances.

"...We should probably sign up for something before someone forces us into the masquerade dance performance, huh?" Zephyr muttered.

Leon shuddered. "Yeah. Survival instincts kicking in."

As the upperclassmen finally left, the classroom exploded into chatter, with everyone excitedly discussing what they wanted to do.

Adriana ignored him. "What should we do? Join an event? Run a stall?"

As the class buzzed with excitement, everyone was throwing out ideas—some wanted to run a food stall, others were debating about joining the combat tournament, and a few were considering musical performances. But then, Diana clapped her hands together.

"Why don't we create a haunted house?" she suggested with a grin.

There was a brief silence as everyone processed the idea.

Then Zephyr's eyes lit up. "Ooh, that could be fun! We could set up illusions, eerie sounds, maybe even have things move on their own—"

Leon nudged him. "We could also have fake zombies!"

"Or real monsters!" Zephyr said excitedly.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"...Okay, maybe not that." He coughed.

As the discussion picked up, Diana suddenly turned to Historias, giving him a long, thoughtful look.

"But your looks would be wasted there," she sighed dramatically. "A face like yours should be in a princely role, not lurking in the shadows to scare people."

Historias blinked at her, visibly confused. "I fail to see how that is relevant," he said, tilting his head slightly.

Diana groaned. "Of course, you wouldn't get it..."

Historias shrugged. "Whatever. I'm joining anyway."

That caught everyone's attention.

"You?" Zephyr raised a brow. "In a haunted house?"

Adriana crossed her arms. "I thought you didn't care about these kinds of things."

"I don't," Historias said flatly. "But it sounds mildly entertaining."

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Leon grinned. "Alright, if Mr. Mysterious is in, then this is definitely happening."

Kael sighed, already sensing trouble. "Fine. But no real ghosts, no real monsters, and no actual death traps."

Leon and Zephyr immediately looked away.

"...Right?" Kael repeated suspiciously.

"Sure, sure," Zephyr said far too quickly.

Kael was not convinced.

.............