After exchanging final goodbyes, Thornewood left. Elara showed Ardwyn to another wing of the citadel. There was a large hallway with a thick carpet rug that felt comforting to walk on during the snowy blizzard outside. The hallway had a series of student dorm rooms, also with wooden doors similar to Elara’s but not as large.

“Here we are,” Elara said, looking down the hall. “You might run into a student or two. They shouldn’t really bother you or anything.”

She unlocked the door with an old metal key.

“Here is the key to the dorm.” She handed Ardwyn the key. “Should you need anything, I am in my office most of the time. Classes will begin next week, and the students should start arriving in the following days shortly.”

Ardwyn walked inside of the room. There were two simple beds in the corner, an empty book shelf, and a desk by the window that faced the courtyard.

“This is a standard dorm room. Nothing fancy,” Elara said. “Down the hall is a dining area, should you want anything to eat.”

Ardwyn wondered what kind of food they served. His stomach let out a growl.

“I should be getting back to my office,” Elara said. “One more thing, Ardwyn. You’ve shown quite an affinity to the Ethereal Blossoms. You might want to consider the opportunity of enrolling in the Academy.”

Ardwyn considered the possibility for a moment. “What will that take?”

“An aptitude test. A simple test, really. Nothing to worry about. It’s more of a matter of whether you would like to dedicate your time to stay here at the Academy. The training can be long and arduous.”

“I’ll consider it,” Ardwyn said. He didn’t want to commit himself to any decisions just yet.

“Very well,” Elara said. “You can find me in my office tomorrow if you’d like, and we can discuss the matter further.”

After Elara had left Ardwyn made himself comfortable in the room, trying out the bed, and looking out the window onto the courtyard. He had placed the Ethereal Blossoms in the corner of the empty bookcase. The place still felt somewhat strange to him. Empty. However, out here in the middle of nowhere he at least started to feel at ease after everything that had happened to him in the last few days.

His thoughts turned to his father, and the house that disappeared. Was his father okay? He wondered if his parents had started to worry about him, considering he had just disappeared into thin air.

His stomach let out another grow and he couldn’t fight his hunger anymore.

Ardwyn made his way out of the dormitory and into the labyrinthine halls of the Academy, following the savory scents that drifted through the corridors. As he entered the dining hall, he was struck by its sheer size and grandeur. The ceiling, high above, was supported by massive stone pillars. Torches, glowing bright, hung near the ceiling, bathing the room in a warm glow. Long wooden tables stretched the length of the hall.

Despite the late hour, a few students were scattered around the hall, wearing mage robes, a sort of uniform, as the robes were similar in cut and design. The students hunched over steaming bowls of stew and mugs of hot beverages. They talked quietly with each other and seemed to not pay any attention to Ardwyn when he entered the hall.

Ardwyn approach the serving area, which was empty of any staff. There the food was laid out for anyone to help themselves. He filled his plate with a stew of some sort, fresh bread and roasted vegetables. Then he found a seat at the end of one of the long tables away from the other students.

He dug into the stew. The flavor was a combination of meats, potatoes, onions, garlic, being slightly spicy. He lifted the spoon, and blew on the hot stew, trying to hide how much he was enjoying the meal. At least here he didn’t have to pay for lunch like back home. He could have never afforded a lunch like this.

The other students continued to talk with each other without looking back at him. One of the students sat two tables down from him, alone, with her head buried in a large leather-bound tome, furiously taking notes as if she was in a hurry.

She was hunched over the book, her long hair falling on the pages. She used a quill on a piece of parchment, scratching the nib against the paper. She seemed to not look up at her surroundings.

Ardwyn observed her while he ate. There was an intensity to her focus, a sense of urgency in the way her hands moved across the page, as if she was racing to capture some fleeting insight before it slipped away. Every so often, she would pause, looking into the middle distance, away from others, her brow furrowed in concentration.

As if sensing Ardwyn’s gaze, she looked up, suddenly her eyes meeting his across the expanse of the tables. They were a striking color, seeming to glow with some sort of keen intelligence that was almost startling in its intensity. For a heartbeat, she held Ardwyn’s gaze, a flicker of curiosity crossed her features, before she broke the contact and returned back to her work.

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Ardwyn suddenly became acutely aware of his own appearance. He looked down at his threadbare clothes, the fabric worn thin in places, the colors faded. Compared to the rich, ornate robes of the other students, his garments seemed shabby, out of place.

Ardwyn felt the heat of embarrassment creep up his neck, spreading across his cheeks. Was there anywhere in the universe he could get away to where his lack of money would not be a fact reality? He imagined the others in the hall looking at him, their gazes sharp and judging.

He hunched his shoulders, feeling smaller, wishing to disappear into the shadows of the hall. He imagined the other students sneaking glances at him.

Now he wanted to finish the meal as quickly as possible, and retreat to the solitude of his room. But before getting away he would greet the student at the other table. She seemed to strike an intense attraction in him. What’s the worst that could happen? She would laugh at him? That was okay. The fact that he found himself in a different world, far away from home, made the resolve somewhat easier. These students would probably never see him ever again.

With a deep breath, he stood up. The chair scraped against the stone floor. The sound echoed loudly in the vast hall, and for a moment he froze, certain that every eye in the hall would turn to him. But the murmur of conversation continued, unbroken.

Ardwyn walked towards her table. The first thing he noticed were the intricate details on her mage robes, woven into arcane patterns.

He stopped at her table. His shadow fell across the pages of her book. For a long moment, she did not seem to look up.

“Hi,” Ardwyn said. “I’m Ardwyn. I’m new here.”

A small smile formed at the corners of her mouth. “I gathered as much,” she said. "I’m Myriel.”

She gestured to the seat across from her. An invitation. Ardwyn hesitated for a heartbeat before sitting down.

“What are you studying?” he asked, sitting down, and nodded towards the tome in front of her.

Myriel’s eyes sparkled. “Chronomancy,” she said. “The magic of time.” She tilted her head, considering him. “And how about you? Which year are you?”

Ardwyn’s mouth went dry. He considered whether to tell her the truth, all the way from the start, that he had found himself transported to this strange world, and he was trying to get back, and the conversation with the teacher —- but all that seemed too much right now.

“I’m considering enrolling,” he said, simply.

“I see,” she said. “Actually this will be my first year at the academy. I’m prestudying the subjects.”

“Prestudying?” Ardwyn asked.

She nodded. “I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. Studying, practicing, honing my skills.”

Ardwyn leaned forward, intrigued. “That sounds like a lot of pressure,” he said.

“It can be,” Myriel said. “But I’m used to it. I come from a long line of mages, who have all studied here at the academy. It’s more of a tradition for everyone in the family to do well and excel in the program.” She said. “Something I intend to uphold.” Her gaze turned to the distance, and seemed lost focusing on some far off space beyond them.

Myriel’s gaze returned to him. “And how about you? What brings you to the Academy?”

The question caught Ardwyn off guard.

“I—,“Ardwyn began, “I’m not entirely sure…”

“That’s okay,” Myriel said. “Not knowing is the first step to discovery. The Academy has a way of helping you find your path, even if you don’t know what you’re looking for. At least that’s what my parents say all the time.”

“Oh, really?” Ardwyn said.

Myriel said, “My parents, they both met here at the Academy. My father was one year ahead of my mother, but my mother always did better at him in school, and still to this day rubs it in.” Myriel laughed. Her voice echoed in the halls of the dining chamber, and some students looked back at them for a moment and then turned back to their conversations.

“What about your parents?” Myriel asked. “Are they supportive of your decision to join the Academy?”

“They don’t know,” Ardwyn said.

“What do you mean they don’t know?” Myriel said. “You don’t want to tell them?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to tell them. More like… I can’t.” Ardwyn said, hesitating, weighing his words carefully. “I went through the Nexus portal, and can’t seem to get back. On the other side is my home, my parents, everything I know.” Ardwyn said slowly, observing how she would react at him telling the truth.

“That’s incredible,” she said. “I’ve studied all sorts of portals, in particularly the Nexus portal, which is one of the most oldest known portals, but I have never heard of anyone crossing over.”

“I know it sounds crazy,” he said.

“Maybe this is more than just a chance, you know? Maybe you were brought here for a reason.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Anything is possible.”

They sat there, Ardwyn, and Myriel, in the quiet comforting silence of the grand dining chamber, their voices carrying softly with echoes. The hour had gotten late, now with the outside surrounding being completely pitch black. The snow had picked up, beating against the windows. Inside here of the chamber, the air was warm and comforting. Ardwyn started to feel the tug of sleep pulling him.

“Which dorm are you staying in?” Myriel asked.

“I’m not quite sure,” Ardwyn said. “I just got here, but it’s right down the corridor, to the left, I believe.”

“I’m staying in the east wing, in the Aurorian Quarters,” Myriel said. “We should catch up sometime before classes start.”

“That would be cool.” Ardwyn said. For a moment he wondered if she knew the meaning of the word cool in this realm.

“Well, I’m off. The hour is getting late.” Myriel flashed him a smile.

She packed up her books, and walked out, disappearing behind the turn of the hall. When she left, some of the other students cast curious glances toward him, and then at the hallway where she had left, wondering what the two had talked about.

Shortly after, Ardwyn strode out of the dining halls, his footsteps echoing on the stones. As he walked through the winding corridors, he recalled the way back to his dorm. Moments later he had found the door, and opened the lock with the key that the professor had gave him.

The door to his dorm opened with a metallic grind, revealing the spartan surroundings just like he had left them before with the Ethereal Blossoms in the corner. He wondered if Myriel knew of the Ethereal Blossoms and whether they would react the same way towards her, a sparkle of energy emanating every time he got near them himself.

With only one change of clothes, Ardwyn got into bed, and stared at the ceiling, with his hands folded behind his head. He wondered some more about his situation, and then shortly after, fell into a deep sleep.