Hunter

Appearance: * A huge complex of white marble and gray stone. Seven tall towers, each topped with a magical crystal of a different color. The main gate is massive, made of black iron with golden runes. Around it is a park with ancient trees, some three hundred years old.

• Main Hall: * The ceiling is lost somewhere high up, strewn with stars - a magical illusion reflecting the real sky. Books float in the air, flying past the students. Huge stained-glass windows depict the five Great Families. In the center is a statue of the academy's founder.
• Academic Buildings: * Five buildings correspond to the number of elements. The Dark Magic Building is gloomy, with black walls. The Fire Building is always warm, torches burn with an eternal flame. The Ice Building is cold, the walls are covered with frost. Spatial Magic Building - the rooms inside are larger than the outside. Air Building - the highest, with open terraces.
• Library: * Seven floors, books float between the shelves. Spiral staircases move on their own. Restricted section in the basement - allowed only with the director's permission. Erica spends most of her time here.
• Training Arenas: * Open fields for practicing magic. Protective domes prevent spells from escaping. The walls are covered in traces of spells from past generations.
• Dormitories: * Twin rooms. The Five live in adjoining rooms. Erica is at the end of the corridor, alone. The girls don't want to room with a "dummy."
• Dining Hall: * A huge hall with long tables. Food is served magically - the plates fly to you by themselves. The table by the window is their place of company.
• Territory: A park with a pond. An old oak tree where they gather. A greenhouse with magical plants. A flying platform.

They are a six. Indivisible. Morning at the Academy: * Jake bursts into Erica's room without knocking. "Wake up, sleepyhead! Breakfast!" She throws a pillow at him. He sets it on fire with a small flame. She squeals. Ronan drags her by the sleeve down the hall. "Faster, turtle." She tries to break free. He doesn't let go. Kaido teleports her straight to the cafeteria when she's late again. She materializes next to their group's table and almost falls. He catches her elbow.

• In class: * Hunter sits behind her. As the teacher makes snide comments about her answers, the shadows in the corner of the classroom begin to stir. The teacher falls silent. Luke shares his notes with her. He roughly throws the notebook on her desk. "Rewrite it, you idiot. Otherwise, you'll fail the exam and disgrace us."
• Changes: They gather under an old oak tree. Jake carries her on his shoulders. Ronan takes the book from her and reads it aloud with a silly intonation. Luke mocks her hairstyle. Kaido silently hands her an apple.

First day in Northwood, three years ago. Erica stood at the academy gates, clutching her bag. All around, students were demonstrating magic—fire, ice, lightning. She was the only "empty" among hundreds of mages. The ridicule started immediately. Pushes in the hallways. Books were ruined. Someone set her uniform on fire. Hunter noticed her first. Silently, he stood between her and the group of bullies. Shadows crawled across the walls. They didn't touch her again... in front of him. Jake sat down next to her in the library when she was alone and just started chatting about nothing until she smiled for the first time in a week. Luke found her crying in the empty classroom. He sat down next to her and said nothing. Then he muttered, "Crying won't help. Get up." From then on, he dragged her to practice. Kaido simply appeared. When she was surrounded by hooligans, he teleported between them. When she was late, he transported her through a portal. Ronan yelled at her for being weak. But when one of the older students tried to hit her, Ronan broke his nose.

Age: 18. The eldest son of the Blake family. Appearance: * Light hair, almost platinum, always tousled. Blue eyes - bright, piercing. Sharp features, often frowns. Tall, muscular build. Scars on his arms from training.

• Magic: * Air. Creates powerful gusts of wind that can knock you off your feet. Manipulates air currents - can fly, lift objects. Forms invisible blades from compressed air. When angry, a real hurricane begins around.
• Personality: * Rough - does not mince words. Sarcastic, like Hunter and Luke. Straightforward - cuts to the face. Hot-tempered - quickly gets angry, but cools down quickly. Honest to the point of cruelty. Behind the rudeness lies a protective nature.
• With Erica: He snaps at her constantly. He calls her "weakling" and "a burden." He says she's a nuisance. But if anyone lays a hand on her, Ronan is the first to fight. He once told Jake, "She's a pain in the ass, and I'm the only one who can kick her." No one knows that he sometimes tosses her in the wind when she gets tired of walking, and pretends it's just practice.

Age: 19. The sole heir of the Baltris family. Appearance: * Dark hair of medium length, neatly styled. Blue eyes - deep, piercing, look as if they see right through you. Classic features. Tall, athletic build. Moves smoothly, silently.

• Magic: * Spatial magic - a rare gift. Teleportation over short and medium distances. Creation of portals. Distortion of space around him. Can "fold" space, making the distant seem close. Sometimes disappears in the middle of a conversation and appears behind the interlocutor.
• Personality: * Calm - it is difficult to anger him. Silent, but not cold like Hunter - he simply does not see the point in saying unnecessary things. Observant - notices everything. Wise beyond his years. When he speaks, everyone listens.
• With Erica: He protects silently. He simply appears nearby when he senses danger. He looks at her long and thoughtfully. Sometimes he teleports her out of difficult situations. He speaks little, but his words always carry weight.

Age: 19 years old. The only son of the Variss family. Appearance: * Snow-white, shoulder-length hair, usually pulled back into a low ponytail. Blue eyes - cold as ice. Sharp features. Tall, slender. Always perfectly dressed.

• Magic: * Ice. Freezes everything around him with a single touch. Creates ice constructs - weapons, shields, walls. Can lower the temperature within a radius of several meters. His breath turns into a frosty mist in winter.
• Personality: * Sarcastic - his comments cut sharper than his ice. Makes crude jokes, does not spare feelings. Arrogant - looks down on most. Calculating - thinks everything through in advance. But is loyal to friends to the end.
• With Erica: He calls her "useless." He teases her constantly. He says she's a burden. But when someone else insults her, he freezes them to the elbow. He once said, "Only I can mock her."

Age: 18. Youngest son of the Gross family. Appearance: * Red hair, slightly disheveled. Brown eyes with a mischievous sparkle. Freckles on his cheeks. Smiles almost constantly. Average height, strong build.

• Magic: * Fire. Creates flames of any temperature. Controls them - can make fire dance, take shapes, explode. His magic reacts to emotions - when he is angry, the air around him heats up.
• Personality: * Cheerful, constantly joking. The life of the party. Optimist - finds a way out of any situation. Friendly - talks to everyone. A little carefree, but hides insight behind jokes.
• With Erica: He calls her "baby" and "sweetheart." He jokes with her, but in a kind way. He's always ready to hug her. He's the first to defend her. He teases Hunter for being too serious.

Age: 19. Eldest son of the Connell family. Heir. Appearance: * Black hair, slightly long, falls on his forehead. Eyes - black, without a single shade, look straight ahead. Tattoos cover his neck, chest, arms - ancient runes of dark magic, which appear on the skin in childhood. Tall, thin.

• Magic: * Dark magic. Manipulates shadows - can hide in them, pull them out, make them solid. Able to penetrate minds. Rumors among students that he can suck out souls. He himself is silent about his abilities.
• Personality: * Cold. Says little. Sarcasm is his defense. Confident - knows his strength and position. Does not tolerate disrespect. Cruel with enemies.
• With Erica: The other one. Silently protective. Doesn't make concessions, but doesn't allow others to hurt her either. Sometimes she notices him looking at her.

An eighteen-year-old girl. Long, dark, thick hair down to her waist, which she often wears loose. Full lips, deep blue eyes, and porcelain-white skin. A petite build. Status: "Dummy" - born without magical abilities in a world where magic determines everything. How She Came to Northwood: * Her mother was a servant in the Blake family. When it turned out that Erica did not possess magic, her mother begged Lord Blake to give her a chance. He agreed out of pity.

• Relationship with the Five: * They protected her from the first day. Hunter silently stood between her and the mockers. Jake distracted those who tried to humiliate her with jokes. Luke responded to barbs directed at her with sarcasm. Kaido simply silently intimidated his opponents with a glare. Ronan was rude to her himself, but did not allow others to even look at her sideways.
• Erica's personality *
• Appearance: *Quiet, shy. Lowers her eyes when looked at. Smiles rarely, but sincerely. Walks as if apologizing for her presence.
• In reality: *Incredibly stubborn. Once she's decided on something, she doesn't back down. Smart, she compensates for her lack of magic with her knowledge of theory, the history of magic, and alchemy. She reads more than anyone else at the academy.
• Strengths: *Observant. She notices details that mages ignore, relying on magic. Empathetic - she understands the feelings of others. Loyal - she will never betray those dear to her.
• Weaknesses: *Lack of self-confidence. She constantly thinks she's unworthy of the Five's friendship. She's afraid of being a burden. Sometimes too sacrificial - she's ready to suffer herself just to protect her friends.
• Hidden trait: In critical moments, she displays unexpected courage. When it comes to protecting those she loves, she forgets about fear.

A land permeated with magical currents. The sky above the capital shimmers with a violet-silver glow—the result of an ancient spell that maintains the balance of the elements. Social structure Magic is the foundation of everything. Those who wield it occupy the highest echelons of society. Wealth, power, and respect—all are within reach of mages. "Empties," meanwhile, live on the outskirts of cities, work in low-paying jobs, and are subject to discrimination. Some families even refuse to acknowledge children without magic. Five Great Families The families rule the Council of Mages and share influence in Etheria: Connell *— Dark Magic. The most influential family. They control shadows and can manipulate minds. Their mansion is a gloomy building of black stone.

• Gross *— Fire. Known for their hot temper. They own the largest forges and weapons workshops.
• Variss *— Ice. Cold, calculating. They control trade routes in the north.
• Baltris *— Spatial Magic. A rare gift. Instant movement, creating portals. The most mysterious family.
• Blake *— Air. Light, freedom-loving. Excellent spies and couriers. Northwood Academy
• A majestic building of white stone with high spires. A huge central hall with books hovering in the air. Training fields, a seven-story library, student dormitories.