The rhythmic clatter of hooves against cobblestone echoed in the still morning air as the carriage approached the gates of the Aurelia’s University. Saelwen leaned forward, peering out the small window, her breath catching as the towering spires of the academy came into view. The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon, casting a warm golden hue over the ancient stone walls, making the ivy that crept along them shimmer like threads of emerald.
As the carriage came to a halt, Saelwen's heart raced with excitement and nerves—it was her first day as a Professor at one of the most renowned and prestigious academies in the country. She took a deep breath, smoothing out her light green dress.
"Everything will be fine..." She thought, trying to calm down her emotions.
After another few deep breaths, with a swift motion, she opened the carriage door, ready to step into this new chapter of her life.
Before her stood a tall man with dark skin, matching his deep brown hair and eyes. His light pink lips stood out in contrast to his complexion. He adjusted his round glasses and gave a slight bow in Saelwen's direction, a gesture of polite respect.
"Good morning, I'm Astram." He said, stepping closer to the woman. "I'll be responsible for you from today on."
"Good morning..." Saelwen replied with an awkward smile. "He seems awfully stiff." She thought to herself.
"Come, I'll take you to your room and show you the classroom where you'll be teaching." Astram continued, turning on his heel and heading toward the main gate.
"Right behind you!" Saelwen called out, quickly grabbing her suitcases and hurrying after the professor.
Saelwen followed the professor, passing through the grand iron gate with golden accents arranged in a pattern resembling climbing grapevines
They then continued down the cobblestone path through the courtyard. The path split into two, both winding around a big garden-like place and leading to two large entrance doors.
"Professor Artair often holds his lectures on magical creatures here." Astram said, gesturing toward a wooden platform in the middle of the garden, surrounded by charred plants. "Lately, he's been looking for an assistant. If you're interested, you could apply."
"Sure..." Saelwen mumbled with a polite smile. "I'll probably pass on that." She thought to herself.
Both of them walked down the left path, passing beneath expansive arches until they entered the building. Inside, the university's walls were dark, and instead of windows, there were stained glass panels. The only sources of light were candles and small magical orbs suspended from the ceiling.
"Why is no one here?" The woman asked, glancing around.
"Because classes are still in session and should end in a few minutes." The professor replied, heading toward the stairs.
"Right..." The woman thought to herself, embarassed as she followed the professor.
Then the two of them continued in silence up the grand staircase, which spiraled toward the upper floors of the academy. Their footsteps echoed loudly off the empty walls and floors, filling the otherwise quiet space with a rhythmic sound.
Finally, they reached the third floor, where Astram stopped in front of a set of towering oak doors.
"This is where your classes will be held." He said, pushing open the heavy doors with ease.
As the doors swung open, Saelwen found herself standing in a vast, high-ceilinged room filled with rows of wooden desks, tall bookshelves lining the walls, and faint magical symbols gently glowing in the air.
The room itself wasn’t particularly large, but it had two levels, each with five rows of seats. At the very bottom, in the center, stood a small podium and a large chalkboard behind it.
“Wow…” Saelwen muttered under her breath, slowly descending the steps toward the front of the lecture hall. Her eyes wandered over the seats, imagining them filled with eager students, all looking to her for guidance. The space felt intimate yet grand, a perfect blend of tradition and magic.
"I'm glad you like it." Astram said, his voice echoing slightly as he stepped back into the hallway. "My class starts soon. The dormitories are on the floor above; you'll find your room there. You should manage just fine." He added, before quickly walking away without another word.
"Wait... wasn't he supposed to be taking care of me?" Saelwen thought, a bit irritated by the man's abruptness. His aloof attitude left her feeling dismissed, and she couldn't help but frown at his arrogance.
As Saelwen made her way to the upper floor, the muffled sounds of voices and excited chatter from the lower levels of the building began to rise - students, no doubt, finishing their classes. The lively energy of the academy was finally stirring after the morning's silence.
Just as she reached the door to her room, a loud crash echoed through the hallway, followed by a piercing scream.
"AAAAAHHH!" The scream reverberated through the building, unmistakably a woman's voice.
"What’s going on?!" Saelwen thought, alarmed. Without hesitation, she turned and sprinted back toward the stairs, rushing toward the source of the scream. Her heart raced as her boots pounded against the stone floor, dread filling her as she descended toward the chaos.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
As Saelwen rounded the corner, her eyes fell upon a student standing in the middle of the corridor. Waves of pure mana were pouring out from the girl's chest, surging uncontrollably, ricocheting off the walls and sending nearby students scrambling to avoid the blasts.
"Where is Artair?!" A professor on the far side of the hallway shouted, her voice strained as she struggled to contain the wild mana with a glowing magical scroll, its energy flickering in her hands.
The situation was spiraling out of control, and Saelwen knew there wasn’t much time to act.
"PLEASE! IT HURTS!!" The student screamed, tears streaming down her face as she desperately tried to stop the mana surging from her body, but it was futile.
Her trembling hands reached out toward the professor standing across from her, and in that instant, the chaotic mana shifted, redirecting its violent path straight toward the woman.
"HELP ME, PLEASE!" The girl cried in agony, her voice cracking as the overwhelming energy surged uncontrollably, threatening to lash out at everything in its path.
Saelwen crouched low, narrowly dodging the streams of mana ricocheting off the walls toward her. She shielded her head with her hands, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding around her.
"What’s happening?!" She thought frantically, her mind racing. "Mana burnout? A curse? Or maybe some kind of drug?!"
As she tried to assess the situation, she noticed the student’s uniform beginning to tear apart under the pressure of the overwhelming energy. Beneath the fabric, a large, pulsing red scar became visible on the girl's neck, glowing with an ominous intensity.
"Petra, calm down!" The professor on the other side shouted, her voice strained as she held the glowing scroll before her, desperately trying to redirect the mana away from the other students. But it was clear she was struggling to maintain control.
"So it is a curse?" Saelwen muttered to herself, quickly forming a small spell, conjuring a shimmering orb of mana in her hand. "If that's the case, this should do the trick."
She moved toward the struggling student, narrowly dodging the surging waves of energy that shot across the corridor.
"Get out of here!" The professor shouted to the other students as the scroll in her hands began to burn away, its power weakening under the immense pressure. Saelwen could see the strain on the woman's face, and that she wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.
Saelwen moved closer to the student, her heart pounding as she reached out and grabbed the girl's neck, right over the pulsating scar.
"AAAAHHH!" The intense heat burned her hand instantly, causing her to grit her teeth in pain.
"HELP ME!" The student screamed, turning her tear-streaked face toward Saelwen, her eyes wide with desperation.
"I'M TRYING!" Saelwen shouted back, her voice strained. Summoning all her strength, she forced the glowing orb of mana directly into the scar on the girl's neck. The mana pulsed in response, resisting her efforts as the energy crackled violently around them.
The energy orb was working, slowing the rate at which the waves of mana poured from the student, but it was also draining Saelwen completely.
“Damn it...” She thought, feeling her strength ebbing away. Her vision blurred, but she didn’t stop - she kept pressing the orb into the girl’s scar, determined to hold the spell together.
In an instant, the spell shattered. The mana burst forth with explosive force, knocking both Saelwen and the student backward in a surge of raw energy.
"AAAAHHH!!!" The student screamed in agony, clutching her neck as the mana raged out of control once more.
Saelwen hit the ground hard, gasping for breath, her body barely able to move.
"It’s not a curse?!" Saelwen thought, struggling to catch her breath as she lay on the cold stone floor. Her mind raced, but her body refused to respond.
"AAAAAAHHH!" The student continued to scream, her voice filled with agony. The mana kept pouring out, not just from her chest now, but also from the scar on her neck. The surge of energy was even more intense, swirling wildly and threatening to engulf the entire corridor.
Saelwen’s heart pounded as she watched helplessly, unable to stop the chaos unraveling before her eyes.
Suddenly, in a single moment, all the mana dissipated into the air, vanishing as if it had never been there. The student collapsed to the floor, unconscious, and the professor dropped the scroll, which burned away mid-air in a flash of ash.
"Did it work...?" Saelwen thought, struggling to stand as her limbs trembled from exhaustion.
From the distance, near the stairwell, the soft sound of clapping echoed through the now silent hallway.
"Bravo!" A cheerful voice called out, filled with amusement and admiration.
“You’re late, Artair.” The professor said, still catching her breath, her voice strained.
“Not at all. I’ve been here the whole time, Ceana.” He replied with a smug grin, leaning casually on his staff.
“Eh?” Saelwen muttered, turning to face him, confused and exhausted.
“You must be the new professor, right?” He asked, still smiling as if the chaos that had just unfolded was a mere spectacle. “You did pretty well, but if I were you, I’d have held that spell just a bit longer.”
His playful tone only added to her irritation, but she was too drained to respond.
“And now, excuse me, but I need to figure out what drugs that student took,” Artair said, moving towards the girl lying on the floor.
“Drugs?” Saelwen stammered, her confusion evident.
“Yep. I’ll handle this. You all can go back to whatever you were doing.” Artair said, effortlessly lifting the girl from the ground. His tone was dismissive, as if this was just another routine task for him.
As he began to check the student, Saelwen and Ceana exchanged bewildered glances, still trying to process the strange turn of events.
Ceana walked up to Saelwen, her concern evident.
“Are you alright?” she asked, extending a hand to help.
“Yes...” Saelwen replied, gratefully accepting the support as she struggled to her feet. Her voice was faint but sincere, and she gave Ceana a weary smile, appreciating the gesture amid the chaos.
“You were impressive, thanks for the help.” Ceana said with a slight smile.
“Thanks.” Saelwen replied, still shaken by the entire ordeal.
“So, what’s your name?” Ceana asked, glancing at the professor.
“I’m Saelwen, but you can call me Sael." The woman said, shaking Ceana’s hand firmly.
“I’m Ceana. Nice to meet you.” Ceana responded, her smile growing.
“Hey, could you both go get the headmistress?” Artair interjected, holding up a dagger smeared with a strange, reddish substance. “It looks like we’ve got more of this than I expected.”
“Sure thing,” Ceana said, heading toward the stairs. “Are you coming with me?” She asked, glancing at Saelwen.
“Yes, I’d be happy to.” Saelwen replied, falling into step beside her.
"Oh yeah, welcome to the academy. I’m sure you’ll fit right in, given how you handled things today.” Artair shouts after the woman.
"Thanks, I guess." She replies with an awkward smile. "Let's hope I'll never have to do that again."
Ceana chuckled softly as she descended the stairs, the sound a comforting contrast to the earlier chaos. Saelwen followed closely behind, both of them making their way toward the headmistress's office.
And as the evening sun cast a golden hue over the ancient stone walls of the Aurelia’s University, Saelwen stepped into her new chapter with renewed determination, knowing that she would be met with both trials and triumphs in the days to come.