Chapter 1: A Step Outside

The morning rays penetrated the thin light-brown curtains of the only window in the room. Dark red walls surrounded the bed of a sleeping boy. Swords, wands, bows, and many other different types of weapons scattered the room like a kid’s playground.

“Wake up, Yin! You’ll be late for the first day of school if you sleep in all day!” A distant voice entered the ears of a slumbering black-hair boy. He tossed and turned in his blankets, asking for a few more seconds. The distant voice yelled once again, and the boy replied by hiding his head under his white, fluffy pillow.

The sounds of footsteps grew heavier and louder before the brown door swung opened. A man in his thirties, wearing long-sleeve pajamas with an ebony stick in his hand, stood at the entrance of the door with an annoyed expression. He pointed the stick at the slumbering boy and said, “Levitate.”

The slumbering boy floated from his bed, and abruptly dropped onto the hard wooden floor.

“Uncle, that’s not fair. I only needed a few more seconds…” Yin groggily replied. He stretched his arms and legs with his eyes half-opened. He yawned and threw the pillow and bed-sheet back on his queen-sized bed, as if it was a daily morning routine.

“Clean this mess up, and come downstairs. Breakfast is waiting for you.” Majes instructed and went to his room to change.

“I will.” Yin’s delayed reply entered the ears of his uncle next door. He changed from a one-piece pajama to a long-sleeve black shirt, and brown sweat-pants. The variety of weapons were stored into their respective shelf or container. He then headed downstairs with tired eyes.

After walking down the circular stair, he made a right at the end of the hallway and saw a long luxurious table that had eight chairs – three at each side, and one at each end of the table. A white elegant fabric laid on top of the table with many wine glasses resting on the fabric. Of the eight wine glasses, only two were filled with orange juice. Accompanying the two filled wine glasses was a plate of toast and scrambled eggs.

Yin sat down next to his uncle and sandwiched the scrambled eggs with the toast.

“Have you been keeping in touch with the other three?” Majes asked.

“Uh… not recently. I think the last time I talk to them was four years ago.” Yin replied.

“Why not?” Majes inquired.

“Those three are… difficult to deal with, to say the least. I prefer to stay far away from them if possible.” Yin said while sipping the wine glass filled with orange juice.

“Yin, you’re already fifteen years old now. Befriending people now will definitely help you in the future. Keep that in mind while attending your first semester.” Majes said.

“I know. I know, but it is so hard to like people… I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t get along with them.” Yin said while swirling the remaining juice inside the wine glass.

Majes sighed and said, “I understand, buddy. But you can’t keep being a kid forever. There will be times in your life when you find yourself in a very uncomfortable position. You have to learn to handle those situations and improve as a person.”

“Can’t I just hide somewhere on an unknown island, you know, in my own little world?” Yin softly asked.

“Sure you can, but not in this world. This is a world you share with other people.” Majes replied.

Majes looked at his nephew whom seem to be lost in thought and asked, “Remember the tale about a boy and girl climbing a hill together?”

Yin nodded and said, “Yeah. You used to tell me about it when I was in the hospital.”

“The boy and girl climbed a hill to fetch a bucket of water. The boy fell down, broke his spine, and the girl came running after. She poured the bucket of water, and the boy soon stood up after. It was then that they discover the secret world of mana. Do you get my point? There may be a time in your life when you’ll be down on your feet and I won’t be around to help you. That’s when you lean on your friends for support.” Majes advised.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. This is, what, Uncle’s Life Advice #42?” Yin chuckled.

“I do hope that you take my advice to heart. Anyway, I have something to give you.” Majes slid a small, white peace-of-paper over to Yin.

Yin placed his half-eaten toast on the plate riddled with crumbs and examined the paper with his name on it.

“What is this? Yin asked.

“Instructions to get to Highborn Academy. I’ve told you last month that you’ll be enrolling there. I’ll be leaving for business soon, and I won’t be back for quite some time. I’ve already packed your suitcase for you, and all the paperwork had been filed. I left some money in your suitcase, so don’t lose it.” Majes said while stacking his wine glass on top of his plate.

“I got it, uncle.” Yin consumed the remaining piece of toast with one bite, and swiftly brought both of their used dishes to the kitchen’s sink

“Your suitcase is waiting at the front door. I’ll be leaving now.” Majes said and left the dining room.

“Bye.” Yin said while washing the dishes. After leaving it in the dryer, Yin walked to the front door and saw a black suitcase leaning on a brown wall. After tying his shoes, he left the house with his suitcase and paper in hand, and said “Lock.” A magical translucent key appeared in the space of the keyhole. It turned and made a clicking sound before completely disappearing. Yin twisted the knob a few times, left and right, and was satisfied that the door to his uncle’s house didn’t open.

Following the directions on the small, white piece-of-paper led to a mini-adventure around the city. Many turns had to be made, and directions to be asked. Yin lived in the City of Highborn all his life, but he’d never had to venture outside the comfort of his home very much. He spent four years of his life in the hospital since the incident, and the rest at his uncle’s home.

At the end of his mini-adventure, Yin stood in front of a large gated building with a line that reached up to ten meters. Brown brick walls closed the sides of the building. He stood at the end of the line and watched as the line gradually shorten.

There were parents accompanying their children, both wearing outfits that would fit nobility. A few females wore long skirts embellished with fancy flowery patterns. The males waiting in line wore white formal clothing that would make one’s wallet cry. Taking a second glance at the people around him, Yin began to have doubts if he was in the correct location or not.

The line finally reached the end. The guard stationed in front of the gate called out to the nervous, black-hair boy.

“Next!” The guard shouted.

Yin rolled his suitcase along and arrived in front of a tall guard with a sheathed sword strapped to his hip.

“Invitation?” The guard said in a stern voice.

Yin slightly tilted his head and looked at the guard with a confused expression.

The guard examined the boy and notice a small paper held in his hand. He pointed to it and said, “Hold up your paper and say your name.”

Yin complied and said his name. The letters that spelled out Yin’s name glowed with a faint blue light upon voice recognition.

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The guard nodded and said, “An old man in a butler outfit will be waiting for you passed the gate.”

Yin walked through the gate and a butler greeted him and led him through the courtyard. Looking to his left and right, he saw a plethora of flowers and trees that gave a lively and comfortable atmosphere to the garden.

After walking for thirty feet, Yin found himself in front of a mass of people waiting outside a shack located next to a three-story building. The shack’s height fell below the height of the brick wall, hiding it from eyes outside of the area.

The butler walked to the front of the group and called for their attention.

“Noble parents and guardians of Highborn, at this point in time I ask you to give your final farewells to your children. From this point on, I will lead them to the school.” The butler said.

Yin glanced at the group of people bidding their farewells and then walked forward to the butler. The butler remained in position and waited for the rest of the students to gather. Moments later, the butler led the group of students away from the teary eyes of their parents, and into the small, wooden shack.

Entering the shack, Yin immediately notice the dense clutter of dust and cobwebs seen throughout the room. Sun rays passing through the holes on the walls and ceiling of the shack served as the shack’s light source. An enormous mirror, the size of a wall, laid directly in front of them with dust particles clouding it. Looking past the dust particles, Yin noticed the strangest thing about the mirror: there wasn’t any reflection.

“Pardon the dirtiness. This place is used once a year, so dust will inevitably build up over time. We won’t linger here much longer, so please bear with it for the time being.” The butler said.

The group of students began complaining about their high-class shoes, and expensive clothing being tainted by the dust in the room. The teenagers intentionally shouted the cost of their suits or dress, trying to impress their peers with familial wealth.

Barraged by a storm of complaints from the entitled teenagers, the butler took out a squiggly stick from his pocket. His hand moved the stick through the air in an orchestrated manner, and all the dust located in the room began swirling in the air, and forming into a ball of dust. A bright light flashed from the pointy end of the stick, and the dust of ball disappeared from the air.

Some students began clapping in appreciation of the butler’s simple-and-clean magic style. Others didn’t think much of it, because they felt his style was too plain and boorish.

“Everyone, please look here.” The butler said and stood in front of the wall-sized mirror.

“You may think that this is a mirror, but it’s not. This is a magically crafted equipment with the sole purpose of linking this place to the school. Everyone, place your invitational paper on it, and let everything flow naturally. Once you’re at the other side, please find the nearest stall and hand them your invitational paper. Also, keep your eyes closed at all times.” The butler instructed while standing to the side.

One student after another began placing their paper onto the glassed wall. Yin did the same, and for a second there, he thought he saw a replica of himself on the other side of the glass. His vision became distorted, creating all sorts of weird images around him. Yin blinked for a second, and found himself in an entirely different place.

Yin was in awe. To the east lies hundreds of students swinging their wooden swords in unison on a grassy field. Their shouts combined with their determination made Yin’s blood boiled. Looking to the west, he saw many spells colliding in a fierce, magical performance. Hundreds of students were split into two groups, with one person on each side dueling each other. To the north lies four castles, all compacted together, with a white wall surrounding the castles.

Yin regain his composure and looked behind him. Sure enough, the same glassed wall was behind him, but this time it was held in place by a metal frame. It was as if they came out of a ginormous television!

The road ahead had four trains, stationed and ready to move at a moment’s notice.

“Everyone, let’s get going! We won’t wait forever!” The conductor, who seem similar of age to the newly arrived students, shouted and waved his hat in the air.

Yin entered the nearest train, and sat himself at the windowed seat. The number of seats available heavily outnumbered the amount of students who entered the train, so finding an empty seat wasn’t too hard.

The train’s bell whistled, and departed from the stone platform. The ride on the train was uneventful. Many students were sleeping, or reading a book on the latest installment of the Magicka series. Yin found himself occupied with the scenery outside of his window. At the beginning of the departure, the surrounding forests occupied the space past the grassy field. In the middle of the ride, Yin’s eyes fell upon a beautiful ocean from his window seat. A clear blue sky, and clear waters with raging waves. The glittering light of the reflection of the sun, combined with the clear sky and water, made him feel at peace, harmony and serenity.

At the end of the ride, the train’s bell whistled once again, and a voice resembling the conductor emitted from the intercom, “Everyone, I hope you’ll enjoy your stay at Highborn Academy. After exiting the train, please find the nearest stall and show them your paper. They’ll point you in the right direction. I hope you enjoy the ride here, and good luck with the rest of the semester.”

Yin got off of the train with the other students, and crowded around one of the many stalls stationed there. It was then that he noticed a familiar figure holding a sign with his name on it.

Walking closer to the figure, he soon realized it was someone he knew. The man wore a tight grey shirt that revealed the outlines of his muscles, and a black overcoat. Brown fitted pants and leather boots made him appeared as a gentleman, rather than someone who served in the army.

“Grand General Aoblue? Wait, it’s General now, right? No, since you’re here, it must mean that you’ve been demoted again.” Yin jokingly greeted.

Aoblue forcefully rubbed the top of Yin’s head with his knuckles and said, “Still a brat, huh? Looks like Majes hasn’t taught you any manners.”

Yin tried to free himself from Aoblue’s fist, but soon found his body heavy, and restrained by a magical force.

The onlookers stared at the two of them. Some realized it was the former Grand General, which made it even more strange to see him in such a playful mood.

Aoblue finally realized the unwanted attention, and quickly regained his composure. He cleared his throat with a few coughs before asking, “What took you so long? Your friends were waiting for you since this morning.”

Yin looked at the man in his thirties with bewildered eyes. “Friends? I don’t have friends.”

“Of course you do. Remember the three kids with you in the hospital?” Aoblue said.

It was then that Yin felt the coldest storm enshrouding his back. He felt sick, and wished that he never took a step out of his warm, cozy bed.

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To my early readers: please wait a few minutes before reading any chapters I post. I always read a chapter on my word document two or three times before posting. However, for whatever reasons, I never notice a mistake until I post it here. So, until I fixed this crazy problem, future chapters may be heavily/lightly edited during the first few minutes of release. Edit: Added "School" tag.