As Ardwyn felt his new long hairy ears, he heard loud laughter behind him. It was the older student from earlier who had come by their table. He was laughing hysterically almost rolling over the floor. This time he had a group of friends with him who were also laughing and pointing at his ears.

The large ears twitched, with heightened sensitivity, picking up the laughter and snickers from all around the hall. Ardwyn reached up again and with his fingers traced the contours of his ears. They were long, easily twice the size of his old ears, and covered in soft fur.

The older student, having recovered from his laughing fit, came up to Ardwyn’s table. His group of friends followed him.

“Tell me,” he said, “Ardwyn of Elmbrook, do all the villagers there have such pretty long ears?” The comment elicited another round of laughter from the surrounding students.

Myriel stood up. “That’s enough! Undo this spell right now,” she said.

“Me?” the older student said, “I haven’t done anything. Perhaps your new friend is just coming into his own.”

A serious voice cut through the crowd. “What is the meaning of this?” All heads turned to see a professor from the Academy walking towards them. The professor wore thick glasses partially covered by his long gray hair. He seemed to have no time for pranks, carrying a serious expression showing no amusement for the scene.

With a flick of his wand, a shower of gold sparkles came down on Ardwyn’s head. Ardwyn felt a strange popping sensation in his ears, and then suddenly, they were back to normal. Ardwyn let his shoulders down with relief, feeling his human ears.

The professor looked around suspiciously. “Who did this?” he asked.

The older student shrugged and looked around. His other friends also looked around quizzically as if they had no idea who committed the prank.

The professor grunted and narrowed his eyes. “Don’t let me catch something like this ever happening again. And if I do,” the professor turned to the older student who seemed the primary suspect, “there will be serious consequences.” With that, the professor left and the hall returned to normal.

When Ardwyn turned back to his breakfast he noticed Flynn half smirking. “What?” he said to Flynn defensively.

“At least you’re popular,” Flynn said and laughed. Noticing that Ardwyn wasn’t laughing in return he said, “Come on, it was just a silly prank.”

Ardwyn didn’t say anything. Just wait until I learn some magic. He thought to himself.

Later when they had finished breakfast, Ardwyn along with Flynn walked down the hall of one of the Academy’s main walkways. On both sides of the walls of the walkway were oak-paneled lockers, where students could store their textbooks and other things. Some of the students stood by and conversed with each other, catching up on gossip and other news of interest. Ardwyn walked with Flynn, acting much more naturally than previously.

Myriel had left them earlier, mentioning she would join them in their first class - Basic Magic Theory.

“You know why he probably played that prank on you?” Flynn asked as they walked around the turn of the corridor with few students around.

“Why?” Ardwyn asked.

“He was probably jealous you were sitting next to Myriel,” Flynn said. “He wanted to embarrass you.”

Ardwyn thought for a moment. It made sense.

“I’m not worried about it,” Ardwyn said. He had experience with bullies after all back home. This was nothing new. The fact that he had crossed over into another realm, and now was at a magical school seemed to be incredible enough that the experience didn’t phase him much. He was actually surprised at how little he cared. What he cared more about was how Myriel had perceived the situation, perhaps thinking he was shy or too weak to stand up for himself.

Moments later he had almost forgotten about what happened and found himself studying his new environment. The next corridor was full of excited students rushing to their classes. Some carried thick heavy tomes underneath their arms.

Whatever embarrassment Ardwyn had experienced earlier seemed to dissipate. He felt comfortable walking down the hallway with Flynn, wearing the school mage uniforms. Ardwyn had never been at a school where uniforms were required. Here he found himself strangely liking wearing a uniform. The robe felt cool, and loose on him. The fabric was elegant and high quality. The other students all mostly had similar variations of the mage uniform robe, with the same shoes. This was the first time that Ardwyn had attended a school where he wasn’t self-conscious about his clothes. In a way that seemed to free his mind from the more material aspects of peer pressure, and instead, his mind drifted towards academics — what his classes would be like, would they be hard to pass?

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Here we are,” Flynn said pausing in front of a large wooden door with black metal handles. The door stood in the center of a hallway. Beside the door sat wooden benches with some students sitting, waiting for class, and reviewing the first few pages of a brown leathered tome. Basic Magic Theory.

When they walked into class, they didn’t expect the room to be this large. Inside there was an auditorium with a stage in front. Since class was starting soon many of the seats began to be filled up. From the corner of the room, they noticed Myriel waving at them. She had saved them two seats.

As they sat down next to her, Myriel said, “My parents told me about this class. This was the class that they both met in.”

“How long ago was that?” Ardwyn asked.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Myriel said and started calculating in her head. “Maybe twenty years ago or so?”

“I wish my parents were mages,” Flynn said. “Father is a blacksmith. The only craft he practiced all his life. And mom just takes care of the family and helps about the house.”

Interrupting their conversation, the professor walked out on stage from a side door. He hurried across the floor, checking his gold pocket watch, which he slipped afterward back into his vest. The vest was stylish, a matching gray to the long dark blazer he wore that hung behind him as we walked across the stage. His hair was long, and black, falling just above his shoulders. There was something refined about his movements, as if he had been in all sorts of situations and nothing much ever surprised him.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” the professor said, “I am professor Walzon, and this is Basic Magic Theory. Let’s get started, shall we?”

The talking in the auditorium quieted down.

The professor opened a large book in front of him. He looked around the class, carefully studying all of the students.

“I want you to look to your right,” the professor said. “And then look to your left. By the end of the class, you are likely to never see them again.” The professor paused and studied the room carefully, his eyes scanning all the way to the back. “I regret to be the one to inform you that this class will be an indicator of whether you are likely to pass the rigorous program we have here at the Academy.”

Ardwyn gulped. Would he be gone by the end of the semester, or perhaps Flynn? Myriel seemed like a study-hard type. She probably would pass, especially since both of her parents were mages and had taken the class before.

“However, if you do the work,” the professor continued, “try your hardest, you do have a good chance of making it through.”

With those comments, a silent atmosphere passed over the auditorium. The students seemed to realize this was serious now. Their future was at stake depending on how well they did in the class.

“What is magic exactly?” the professor said, pacing confidently across the stage, with his arms locked behind his back. “Anyone care to tell me?”

One student raised his hand. “Magic is creating something out of nothing.”

“That’s not a bad definition,” the professor said without shifting his serious look. “Anyone else would like to expand on that? Or perhaps have another definition?”

The auditorium fell silent as students pondered the professor’s question. Ardwyn considered how he would answer the question. He wanted to say something that wouldn’t make him sound foolish or naive. He glanced over at Myriel, who seemed deep in thought. Her eyebrows were tensed in concentration.

A timid voice spoke up from the back of the room. “Magic is the manipulation of energy to affect reality?” The statement sounded more like a question.

The professor’s eyebrows raised slightly. His stern expression softened. “An interesting perspective. Can you elaborate?”

The student, a slender girl with auburn hair, straightened in her chair. “Well, I’ve read that magic involves tapping into an unseen force that permeates our world. By learning to control and direct this energy, we can cause changes in the physical realm that might seem impossible by other means.”

“Very good,” the professor nodded. He turned to address the entire class. “Magic, at its core, is indeed about harnessing and manipulating energy. But you see, it’s not just any energy — it’s the very fabric of reality itself.”

The professor waved his head, and suddenly the air around him lit up with sparkles of dazzling patterns, swirling and dancing. Ardwyn leaned forward, mesmerized by the display.

“What you see before you,” the professor continued, “is a visualization of the magical energy that surrounds us at all times. We call it Aether. It is invisible to the untrained eye, but it is always there, waiting to be shaped by those who understand its nature.”

The light patterns swirled together, forming into one giant sphere, and then expanded until the sphere popped, sending a wave of energy across the auditorium. The wave hit Ardwyn in the face. The effect felt like a cool rush of air on a spring day. A collective gasp of wonder from the students spread through the auditorium.

“Your journey as mages begins with understanding this one fundamental truth: magic is not about breaking the laws of nature, but about learning the deeper laws that govern reality itself. It requires discipline, focus, and a willingness to expand your perception beyond what you believe to be possible.”

Ardwyn looked over at Myriel. She was furiously taking notes, trying to keep up with what the professor had said.

“Now,” the professor continued, “I would like to call on a volunteer. Who would like to come up to the stage and help me demonstrate something?”

Ardwyn turned towards the room. No one seemed like they wanted to volunteer. Silence spread across the room. This was his chance, Ardwyn thought. This was his chance to prove himself in front of Myriel. Earlier the students who had played a prank on him made him seem like he was some sort of an ordinary fool. Now he could prove himself that he was brave and perhaps win Myriel over, or at least convince her that he could be confident even in front of a large crowd.

Ardwyn raised his hand.

“Yes, sir?” The professor looked toward him. “Would you like to come up to the front of the class and volunteer?”

Ardwyn nodded. He got up from his chair. He felt the entire class staring at him, watching his every move.