The Last Graduate

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence and illness.

It is the first day of Galadriel “El” Higgins’s senior year at the sentient magic school known as the Scholomance. Her day starts with a letter from her mother warning her to stay away from fellow student Orion Lake. El destroys the letter, then leaves very early for breakfast so that she can avoid getting the rotten food that is generally left for latecomers. When she enters the cafeteria, she feels the oddness of having actual friends like Lui, who asks her if anything is wrong. El doesn’t say anything about the letter and instead forces a smile, which is an odd sensation for her. Over breakfast, she sits with her allies and friends and again feels the strange sensation of being someone with power and popularity.

Later that day, El makes her way to a class but is disgusted when she realizes that all the other students—including Sudarat, a girl from the Bangkok enclave—are first-year students. A cousin of Liu’s is also present. El grabs the safest seat in the room and tries to ignore the first-year students’ vulnerable seat positions.