Part 1: The First Day

Video- “Al-Revis”

Watch How It Starts





Do you mean my name? …It’s Sulpher.
Sulpher… Are you all alone, too?
…Yes, just like you.
I see… Can I stay with you?
…Sure. That’s not a bad idea.
Thank you. Um, I’m…
Vayne. That’s what he called you.
Vayne… is my name…




It has come to our attention that a relative of Theofratus Aurelius has been discovered.



Wh-who are you?
……
Is this your Mana?
Mana? Sulpher is my friend.
My apologies… Please don’t stare at me with those terrified eyes.
……
Umm… do you… I mean you two live here alone?
…When we go into town, everyone is frightened.
I would assume so. People around here probably have no knowledge of alchemy.
Your powers may seem inexplicable to them.
Al-che-my…?
Oh, you don’t know about alchemy either?

Needless to say if Theofratus did indeed have a son he belongs here at Al-Revis, despite the… opinions of certain members of the faculty regarding his father.



Really?
Yes. He locked himself away. No one really liked him, either.
I see…
Do you know… anything about this place?
I can’t remember much. Only vague images…
Hmm, I see. No wonder finding you was so difficult.
What is he doing here, anyway?
Um, why are you here?
…That’s what Sulpher wants to know.
Hmm? Oh my, excuse me, I completely forgot.

We don’t know much about his current arrangements, but as you are well known for putting people at ease we are comfortable trusting you with this assignment, Zeppel.



Al-Revis… Academy?
Yes. It’s a school for young alchemists from all over the world…
You see… I came here today to invite you to the Academy!
…Me?

Needless to say, this task requires all proper discretion. Good luck.
- Internal Memo, Al-Revis Academy

It’s… been a busy day today. We had an orientation shortly after I arrived on campus.



Lastly, once again, congratulations on your enrollment to this school.
Orientation is over. Students will return to their classrooms now.
……
Cornelia: Hey, you’re in the way. Move it.
Oh, uh, sorry.
What a bitch…
Yeah, but, we were kinda standing in her way…
Hahaha. Cheer up, my boy!
Wha!!

After orientation I ran into Mr. Zeppel, which was good because I had no idea where I was supposed to go.



Oh… it’s nice to see you again, Mister… Zeppel.
Yes, it sure is. Oh and by the way, I’ll be your homeroom teacher.
So you must show your respect by calling me Professor Zeppel.
Oh, okay. I’m sorry…
I was kidding. Now, let’s go to class. Do you… know where it is?
I have no idea…
Then we’ll go together. Don’t want to get lost on your first day now.
Okay.



I followed him to homeroom.

Video- “A Friend”

Watch Vayne Make A Friend

Students: Nice to meet you, too!
It can be difficult at times, so please come talk to me if you need help.
If I’m not too busy, I’ll be happy to discuss anything with you.
Now, I’m sure you’re all tired, so today’s intro will be quick and simple.
That’s it for today! Classes start tomorrow, so don’t be late.

I have to say I was already getting worried.



What’s wrong? You look so down.
???: Hey, can I ask you something?
Well< I was just thinking. Will I be able to keep up with someone else…?
If you’re already worried about it, your future’s looking pretty dark.
W-well I mean…
???: Hello!? Can you hear me?
You’re the one who decided to come here in the first place…
I’m sorry. I was just feeling a little faint at heart is all…
???: Helloooo!?
Wha!?

So worried, I think I sort of spaced out.



S-sorry…
Who were you talking to?
Huh? Oh, Sulpher…
Meow.
Aww, how cute! Is he your Mana? He can’t speak? How unusual.
Really?
Well, it’s not like I’ve met a lot of Mana, either. This one’s mine.
Hello, Jess. What’s going on?
I wanna introduce you. Come on, say hello.
Oh, hi. Nice to meet you.
Oh, uh… Nice to meet you, too…
Okay, you can go home now.
Wha-what? That’s all the stage time I get? Wait a minute!
See? She talks normally.
Yeah… I guess you’re right…

I almost missed out on the chance to make my first human friend.



I was worried the guy sitting next to me was… crazy.
Uh…
My name’s Jessica. You can call me Jess. What about you?
I’m Vayne. Vayne Aurelius.
Vayne, huh? Say, are you doing anything after this?
Wanna explore the campus together?
Huh? You…and me?
Do you have plans?
No, but…
Great! C’mon, let’s go!
System Message: Jess has joined your party.
You first human friend. Good luck.
Yeah, you’re right… I’ll do my best.
Vayne! Hurry up!

This place is still so confusing. It sort of feels good not to be alone in not knowing what’s going on.



What are they all doing?
You two! I suggest you don’t stand there. You’re blocking everyone’s way.
Oh, excuse m- Oh, you’re the principal!
Hmm? You are… Vayne and Jess, I believe. I’ve heard rumors about you.
Rumors?
Ah, hahaha… More importantly, what is everyone doing here?
They’re looking for work. This is the Student Affairs Center, you see.
Work?
That’s right. They provide on-campus jobs, such as lawn-mowing and sweeping.
It’s a good chance for students to make a little spending money.
So that’s why there’s so many people…
You should come by some time. Though, there may not be any jobs at first.
Okay.
Well then, I will excuse myself. I still have a little work to do.
We should get going, too.
Alright.

There’s so much going on here.



There’s a lot of stuff. Hmm, the clerk must be…
Ooh? A customer?
Ah, here she is!
What is it? Whatcha wanna buy?
Um, we’re just looking around…
And we didn’t bring any money.
Ah, penniless rascals… Just looking, huh? You Freshmen?
Yep. We just had our orientation earlier today.
I see… In other words, a valuable customer for the next three years.
What kind of things do you sell here?
Pretty much anything basic. As long as you bring money.
Ah… I’ll remember that.
Well then, we’re gonna go now.
Alrighty then. Next time, bring lotsa money. Okay?

And it seems things are somewhat dangerous.



Oh, excuse us. We should’ve knocked before coming in.
We were visiting places on campus…
This is the infirmary. Were you planning to be naughty with her?
Naughty?
What do you mean, “naughty”?
You two are no fun… There was a time when I was innocent, too…
???
Never mind. If you’re not hurt or sick, you should go home.
Oh, excuse us. We didn’t mean to interrupt your work…
I don’t mind. While you’re at this school, you’ll be coming here a lot.
…What do you mean?
Hehe. You’ll see soon enough.
Are classes really that dangerous?
I wish I didn’t hear that…

We were getting ready to head back to our separate dorms when things got a bit… weird.

Video- “Enter The Flay”

Watch the A Suspenseful Scene!

I think… I should go back to the dorms soon.
???: Hey.

A pair of older students came up to us.



That’s right.
Do you know him?
No, not at all…
Are you sure this is him? He doesn’t look too bright to me.
Who cares? His name matches. That’s good enough for me.
Hmph, whatever. Let’s just take him already.
Um… Do you want something?
We’re supposed to take you back. Come on, hurry up.
Huh?
H-hey!
???: Stop right there!!

Whatever they had planned for us was interrupted, though.



Don’t get in our way. I wanna go home already.
Then don’t interfere with me. Hey, you two!
…Who? Us?
Yes, you. I already got you two booked.
Booked? Like…
No way! We got here first! You can’t do that!
Sure I can. We’ll settle this like men. A test of strength, perhaps?
Bring it on!
Give it up. I’m pretty sure you can’t beat him.
With your help, there’s no way he’ll beat us two-on-one!
No way. I just had my nails done and I’m not ruining them.
You’re such a...!!
…And the conversation continues without us.
Yeah… What should we do?
Hahaa! Come face the might of Flay!
…Damn you! I’ll get you next time!

And they ended up running off.



Now that those losers are gone, come with me.
Umm… what’s going on?
Those two were Tony and Renee. You could say they’re the peons of evil.
Evil…?
You were almost kidnapped. Luckily I, The Flay, was here to stop them.
Y-Yes, well… Thank you, very… much?
So, where are we supposed to go?
Like most secret lairs, I can’t tell you until we get there. Now, come on!
Should we…?
Let’s give him a chance, it sounds kinda fun.

We followed Flay back to his ‘secret lair’, which turned out to be a workshop on campus. It seemed he’d been busy earlier, too, because someone else was there.

Video- “Atelier Flay”

Peer into the Mysterious Flay Cave

Ah, yes. I have returned.
Are there your new victims?
Not victims! Comrades!
Ooh… a workshop!
Wow…
How nostalgic.
Surprise! This is my workshop… I call it the Flay Cave!
But, it’s not a cave…
How dare you say that! What do you know about secret lairs!?
???: What’s all this commotion?

Just then the Vice Principal came in, and we learned why Flay had gone to so much trouble.



Address me as Vice Principal. How many times must I tell you?
I show my respect by calling you Madame.
Anyway, three recruits. That’s four including me. So, is the problem solved?
Oh? But they’re all Freshmen, I believe.
That’s right. Hopeful, fresh meat!
I worry about entrusting Freshmen to you. You put their futures at risk.
Nonsense. There’s no one better to learn from.
…I cannot allow this.
That’s not what you promised!
Should we maybe… Stop them?

Jess and the other girl, Nikki, weren’t paying that much attention to what was going on in front of us.



Yup! I’m Nikki. He brought me cuz beastmen are rare around here.
Your tail is so cute! Can I touch it?
Of course. Just don’t tickle me, ‘kay?
Yay! Thanks.
Um, uh. You two…
Then we will prove to you that we can do this!
Fair enough. When you fail, you’ll have to give up.
You have two weeks. Make me a Nicro Cloth by then.
A Nicro Cloth, huh? Fine by me. I’m going to hold you to this!
If you fail, your permission to use this workshop will be revoked.
Until then, it’s yours. Keep it clean for your replacements.
You’re Vayne…hmm.
Yes, that’s right…
…Hmph.
?

With that, the Vice Principal left, and what she’d asked of us began to sink in.



It sounded more like you were the one picking the fight.
It’s not picking a fight when you’re defending freedom!
But, you heard the lady. I’ll leave the Nicro Cloth synthesis to you.
What? But we’re not ready yet…
I have other matters to deal with. Good luck!
Flay!?
There he goes…
…What was that about?

Nikki was able to fill us in on what was going on.



No.
He just brought us here.
I see… oh well.
At this school, you can claim a communal workshop with 4 or more people.
And Flaya had this workshop last year, but everyone else graduated.
So now he’s alone and was about to get kicked out.
So that’s why he chose us?
I guess so. With me, that makes exactly 4 people.
But now we only have 2 weeks to make a NIcro Cloth…
Without any help? But that’s just…
Hahaha. And Flaya ran off somewhere, too.
It’s not funny. I don’t know anything about alchemy.

Jess says she knows about alchemy, I hope she’s telling the truth.



Really?
Yep, I think we’ll be okay. I mean, 2 weeks is a long time.
But, will it really be that easy?
Well, it’s not much use in thinking, so let’s just go back for today.
You’re right. I’ll just look up some stuff about Nicro Cloth.
If you find anything, just meet us back here.
System Message: Nikki has joined your party.
How can they be so carefree?
You’re thinking too much. You’re at school. Just relax and have fun.
Have fun, huh?

Sulpher’s right, no use worrying about it right now. Jess said she’ll look into it, and I’ll just have to trust her. That’s what you do when you’ve got a friend, right?