At the end of December, the annual Winter Festival gala began.
Derived from the ancient traditions of the Third Era, the festival had deeply rooted itself in people's lives. In the past, it was a ti when one could stop to rest for the year, families reunited, sitting under windows adorned with frozen branches and leaves, enjoying roasted warm food, and reflecting on the changes of the year.
Similar to the common folk, nearly every school would hold competitions on the eve of winter to assess the year's achievents and as a ti to relax before the holidays, allowing students to participate together.
Burnt orange flas descended from the sky, spraying the ground, burning the weeds and dry branches within, then turning into charred soil.
Continuous dew fell from the sky, moistening this charred soil, followed by seeds sprinkling down, landing in the damp and dark earth.
Soon, sprouts erged, the tender branches with soft green and white interlaced twigs pulsated, growing rapidly.
Trees full of bright yellow flowered leaves spread throughout the venue, and the ground was also covered with a sea of tender grass, which created ripples that expanded under the breeze through the woods, the tiny waves winding towards the far horizon.
This was the vast Winter Festival tournant grounds, resembling an enlarged stadium in appearance, bustling with noise inside as tourists and spectators from all places gathered, cheering excitedly as they admired the beautiful flower-filled woodland at the venue.
The the for the Winter Festival tournant grounds varied annually—three years ago, it featured hills covered with Purple Distant Grass, where students fought amongst the deep purple sea of grass that reached waist-high, the whirling Sword Edges and drifting purple fluff frad into beautiful images.
Two years ago were ponds filled with Falling Fla Flowers, an extraordinary species branch of the water lily whose surface leaves were exceptionally sturdy, capable of supporting hundreds of pounds without collapsing, while its orange-red fire-like blossoms emitted heat, making them strikingly beautiful floating on the water.
This year, the venue was covered with a woodland of fan-shaped ginkgo trees, their light and tender yellow leaves scattered across the branches, forming a continuous expanse in the sunlight. The fan-shaped ginkgo was a modified Transcendent species whose foliage released a faint fragrance, and their leaves would produce tiny tornadoes when burned, which caused the flaming red leaves to rise spontaneously and fill the sky.
"It's about to begin,"
Hexia Tilan stood on the platform, watching the open pathway ahead as light gradually illuminated the interior hall, murmuring softly.
Then she turned around and looked down at the students from Edith Academy standing before her, all dressed in black uniforms, standing straight with an orderly formation, their eyes burning with fervor and fighting spirit, like soldiers about to march to war.
Tilan's attire today was quite bold, distinctly different from her usual style.
She was dressed in a black-based witch's dress adorned with purple, with a white petticoat beneath the hem. The gauzy, wavy petticoat served in so way as safety shorts, its fluffiness filling the underside of the skirt, preventing anyone from seeing too far up her thighs. On her feet, she wore boots with a traditional design decorated with stars and moons, her legs encased in checkered lace stockings that were slightly transparent in the middle, contrasting with the overall stocking to create an enticing play of light and dark.
Her snow-white shoulders peeked out from the dress that wrapped around her chest, starkly contrasting with the black ruffled lace fabric there.
And, finally, that excessively large witch hat on her head, its tip bending, adorned with star and moon ornants with blue-purple gems set in the center, while the edges were smooth tal, reflecting the light with a sparkle.
Such an outfit was more suitable for role-playing than for combat, but tonight was the opening ceremony, and she wouldn't need to participate in the re warm-up match.
As for the Edith Academy students before her, they all wore long black cloaks, adding an air of mystery, like followers of an ancient witch-worshipping sect.
Contrasting with Saint Yingo Academy's promotion of brightness, nobility, and splendor, Edith Academy's style had always leaned towards darkness, mystery, allure, and strength.
The other academies had their own distinct styles as well—one of Swarm's Reign Academy was stately, elegant, ladylike; Crystal Lattice School tended towards technology, crystal, transparency; while Lelysia Academy was clearly styled after the church, with thes of Angels, wings, and holiness, and Thunder Edge advocated knightly honor, glory, and discipline.
Blinking her sapphire-like eyes, the young girl's gaze swept over all the students present, their expectant eyes eting hers. Words of encouragent had already been said many tis before, and there was no need to emphasize them again now.
She opened her mouth slightly, her finger gently touched her chest, and she bowed slightly before rising again.
"For tonight's battle, shimr like the morning star."
To this, everyone present responded with a hand to the shoulder, bowing in unison.
"For tonight's battle, shimr like the morning star!"
Their voices so uniform, echoing through the hall, lingering for a long ti.
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Under the convergence of countless lights and the focus of caras, teams of students from the various academies erged from their respective preparation halls, led by their top representatives, marching towards the center of the venue.
Beneath the tall ginkgo trees, these students—confident and calm in their academy uniforms—walked over the ground showered with ginkgo fan leaves and faced the light yellow butterflies flitting among the woodland. These butterflies were bionic Autonomous Units with caras, faithfully recording scenes from all angles, then broadcasting the feeds to projectors above the venue and into the hos of countless viewers across the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain.
The students from the six major academies gathered, forming a six-petalled snowflake shape around a high platform in the center, where a golden Holy Grail was set, its sides entwined with roses, and contained brimming clear water.
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