Merham's streets bustled with activity as the Shmidt family made their way toward the academy. Merchants hawked their wares from colorful stalls, the scent of fresh bread and spices mingling in the morning air.
"Watch your step." Greg pulled Felix away from a puddle. "These cobblestones are treacherous after rain."
Leo walked ahead, his stride purposeful as he navigated the crowded marketplace. The spires of Power and Magic rose above the city's skyline, their white stone gleaming in the sunlight.
"It's bigger than I expected." Elly craned her neck.
"Five years of study in those halls." Elen's boots clicked against the pavement. "The finest magical education in the empire."
They passed through the merchant district into the noble quarter. The streets widened, lined with mansions and manicured gardens. Other families walked the same path, their fine clothes marking them as prospective students and their parents.
"Look at their rings." Felix nodded toward a group ahead. "House Blackthorn."
"And House Silverleaf behind us." Greg's voice dropped. "Half the noble families in the region must be here."
The crowd thickened as they approached the academy gates. Guards in crimson uniforms directed the flow of visitors, checking papers and credentials.
"Papers ready?" Leo pulled out their documents.
Elly smoothed her dress. "Do I have ink on my hands from practicing?"
"You're fine." Elen squeezed her shoulder. "Stand tall. You belong here as much as any of them."
The gates loomed closer, intricate patterns of silver and gold woven into the metalwork. Magic hummed in the air, making Leo's skin tingle. He could feel the wards - layers of protection built up over centuries.
"Next group." A guard waved them forward.
The Shmidt family stepped through the gates of Power and Magic Academy, their boots crunching on white gravel. A broad courtyard spread before them, dotted with fountains and statues of famous graduates.
Leo's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the courtyard. Beneath the pristine façade and grand architecture, patterns emerged. Students clustered in distinct groups, their positions as telling as any banner or crest.
"The commoner applicants." Elen nodded toward a huddle of plainly dressed families near the edge of the courtyard. "Barely two dozen."
"And hundreds of nobles." Leo's voice carried a sharp edge. "Strange math for an academy that claims to care only about ability."
A well-dressed woman swept past them, her nose wrinkling as she steered her children away from the common-born applicants. Her rings caught the sunlight - House Dawnforge, old money.
"The pamphlets spoke of merit." Elly's shoulders tensed. "But look at the testing groups."
She was right. The registration tables split the crowd - elaborate pavilions for noble families, simple wooden desks for commoners. Even the forms were different colors.
"Two paths through these gates." Elen's jaw tightened. "One paved in gold, the other..."
"In broken promises." Leo watched a common family turn away, their daughter wiping tears. "The noble houses have their fingers deep in every crack of these walls."
A bell tolled across the courtyard. The noble children strode toward the main hall, their path clear. The commoners waited, shuffling in place.
"Different entrance times." Leo's voice dropped low. "Different tests. Different chances."
"We knew it wouldn't be fair." Elen placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. "But seeing it..."
"Makes your blood boil." Elly finished, her green eyes hard as jade.
The gap between promise and reality stretched wide as the morning shadows. Power and Magic Academy stood proud and gleaming, but its foundations rested on the same old prejudices that plagued the empire.
The Shmidts moved through the courtyard, but a subtle barrier seemed to follow them. Other noble families shifted away, their conversations dropping to whispers.
"House Shmidt." A woman in silk robes curled her lip. "The merchant knights."
Her companion's rings clinked against her fan. "Barely noble at all. Did you see their carriage? Last season's make."
Leo caught the exchange, noting how the crowd parted around them like water around a stone. Their clothes, while fine, lacked the elaborate embroidery and precious gems that adorned the other families. Their manner of speech, direct and unaffected, marked them as outsiders.
"Mother, why are they-" A young noble girl's question cut off as her mother yanked her arm.
Elly's shoulders stiffened. The other applicants her age formed tight circles, trading practiced courtesies and social signals she'd never learned. When she stepped closer, their circles closed.
"Your father was a merchant before his knighthood, wasn't he?" A boy's voice carried across the space between groups. "How... quaint."
Elen's face flushed red, but he kept his stance neutral. Years of trading had taught him when to weather insults with dignity.
"The new money." Another whisper floated past. "They don't understand our ways."
Even their attempts to blend in backfired. Elly's careful curtsy drew smirks - too deep, too eager to please. Elen's formal bow earned raised eyebrows - a merchant's habits showing through the veneer of nobility.
The registration official barely glanced at their papers before directing them to the lesser noble's section, far from the prestigious houses. Their names, when called, earned none of the murmured respect given to ancient bloodlines.
"Fourth-level knight." The whispers followed about Elen. "Barely above common blood."
The social dynamics of the courtyard played out like a dance they'd never learned the steps to. Every gesture, every word marked them as outsiders trying to climb above their station.
Leo's eyes swept across the courtyard one final time, taking in every detail of the carefully orchestrated social hierarchy. His jaw tightened, but his expression remained neutral.
He turned to Elen and spoke in a low voice. "We're leaving."
"But the registration-" Elly started.
"Is not worth our time." Leo's tone left no room for argument. "This institution's reputation exceeds its reality."
Elen studied Leo's face, then nodded. "The boy's right."
They moved against the flow of incoming families, their departure drawing curious glances. A few nobles smirked, assuming they'd been rejected or lost their nerve.
"Such a shame when people recognize their limitations," a silk-clad woman stage-whispered.
Leo guided their group toward the gates, his steps measured and unhurried. He didn't spare the woman a glance - she wasn't worth the effort of acknowledgment.
Elly fell into step beside him, her initial disappointment giving way to understanding. "The pamphlets were beautiful lies, weren't they?"
"Beautiful lies wrapped in a gold leaf." Leo's voice carried only to their group. "But lies nonetheless."
They passed under the ornate gates, leaving behind the pristine courtyards and polished facades. The morning sun still shone, the city still buzzed with life, and suddenly the air felt easier to breathe.
"Five years in that pit of vipers?" Elen loosened his collar. "They can keep their precious academy."
"There are other paths to power." Leo led them away from Power and Magic's towering spires. "Better ones, built on real merit rather than ancient names."
The family walked together, their steps growing lighter with each block between them and the academy. They hadn't made a scene or stooped to trading insults. They'd simply chosen to walk away - and in doing so, maintained more dignity than all the preening nobles behind those gates.