The moment he stepped in, there was utter darkness. He could not see anything. He could not hear anything except a strange, soft whistling noise. It felt like he was flying through space while standing. It only lasted a few moments, And then he saw a light approaching him at impossible speeds… or was he approaching the light?
As soon as the light reached him - or he reached it - he felt a pull on his body and tensed, before stumbling forward onto solid ground, unable to find his footing. His legs almost locked together and he would have fallen over had it not been for the pair of arms that suddenly caught and steadied him.
He panted softly as he finally regained his balance. He straightened and immediately felt a little dizzy. He stepped back, shaking his head.
“Easy there,” a female voice spoke up beside him. “First time portal travel is always the worst.”
Emilio looked up and saw a young woman standing beside him. She must be the gatekeeper of this portal. Although she looked to be in her twenties, she was actually a bit shorter than him. Emilio smiled at her. “Thank you, Miss.”
She chuckled. “It’s Madam,” she said, making him notice the ring on her finger.
“Madam,” he corrected sheepishly. “Where is my luggage?”
“Oh silly me! Give me your ticket. I’ll have the luggage brought to you.”
He nodded and handed her his ticket. She took it and walked to the smaller gate of the pair. Every travel portal gate had its paired luggage gate. Wherever the traveler went, the luggage would go. The difference between the gates for commoners and nobility was that commoners had go find their own luggage and the nobility had the luggage brought to them.
It didn’t take her long to come back. He was the only one traveling through the nobility area today. Behind her was a broad man and he was carrying a bag in each hand. The man approached him and bowed. “Here they are, my lord. Please go to the counter and get your documents checked. I shall follow you with these.”
Emilio sighed softly in relief. He knew he could carry them, but he also knew his arms would hurt as all hell if he did. “Thank you,” he said softly before making his way inside the portal station. Unlike the station in the Florian Barony, this station had two rows of counters … he counted five in each row… for the nobility area. It made sense. This place probably had the largest gathering of nobility in the entire continent. Albeit most of them were empty now.
He walked upto the nearest counter that had someone sitting behind it. “Hello.”
The man behind the counter lazily raised his half-lidded eyes. “Purpose of your visit?” He asked in a monotone voice.
Emilio fished out an envelope from his breast pocket. “Here,” he passed it over to the man. “I am here on an invitation from Archmaster Loren.”
The man sat up straight at that. He opened the envelope and looked over the contents of the letter inside. He frowned. “Wait a moment. I need to confirm.”
Emilio nodded. He watched as the man took a communication crystal. This was one of the things anyone could use. You only had to press the correct sequence of numbers in order to connect to another crystal. They were expensive though. So only the nobility and some handful of wealthy commoners could afford them. It was only at the Academy that it would be used so casually.
“Yes, Assistant Coden?” The man spoke. “There is a young man here. He says he’s here to meet with the Archmaster?”
There was a pause. “Have you asked his name?” A clear female voice spoke on the other side.
The man turned to him. “What’s your name?”
“Emilio Florian.”
The man frowned for a moment before turning to the crystal and repeating it.
“One moment.”
There was a ding and Emilio knew that the woman had paused the communication. They both waited for a few long moments before there was another ding and an exasperated voice coming through. “Yes, he’s fine. Don’t worry. Tell him to brace himself.”
The communication was then cut off. The man and Emilio now looked at each other in confusion. Before they could do anything, however, there was a sudden thud behind Emilio.
“Ah, my dear Emilio, you’re here!”
Emilio felt the hair on his back stand.
He turned around and saw the Archmaster standing there with a broad smile on his face and his arms opened as if waiting for an embrace.
Emilio sighed and gave him a dry look. “You did not have to come here, Archmaster. I could have managed to come to you myself.”
“Nonsense!” He waved a hand dismissively. “You are my guest - for now - and it is only natural that I come to receive you myself.”
That ‘for now’ was … not good, he felt. But before he could inquire, the man clapped excitedly. “Come, come. Let me show you around!” He said as he gently put a hand on his back and led him out.
“But my bags-”
“Oh don't you worry about that! I shall have someone come to deliver them to their destination. Now, come on. Let’s show you around the Academy.”
Portal stations were regulated by the Portal Authority in each nation. There were portal stations at certain checkpoints all around the Kingdom of Aeloria and no institution or individual was allowed a portal to itself. There were only two exceptions to this - Royalty and the Academy. This portal station was inside the Academy itself.
They stepped out. On his left, he could see a large gate, five times Emilio’s height and twice as wide as the town roads through which his carriage traveled today. It probably led outside the academy. On his right, he could see the beginning of a series of castle and mansion-like structures. It was true. Irantha Academy was massive. People said it was bigger than the Capital of Aeloria. He hadn’t believed those words until now.
“Come, come,” the man smiled. “It’s been a long time since I have shown someone around. I am excited.”
More excited than Emilio, who looked like a rather pale doll being dragged around by the eccentric Archmaster.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The Academy was quite beautiful though. There were large buildings, castles, and towers, all spaced and organized according to - most probably - function. Lush green forest surrounded the Academy on three sides and Emilio was sure he could hear the sound of running water. Their immediate surroundings were silent but there were so many sounds coming from different directions, the sound of students talking, the sound of something crackling, the sound of the birds flying overhead, the sound of something crashing to the ground… the Archmaster seemed unbothered. Instead, he was excitedly pointing at different things.
“That’s the administration building.” he pointed at a rather plain-looking, two-storied building, made of wood. “You need to get some paperwork done? Documents? Fees? That’s where you go.”
“That way,” he points to the narrow path that was surrounded by bushes and vines. “That’s the Department of Herbology. All our green thumbs always love to hide there… hm, maybe you’ll like it! There is little magic required in that.”
If Emilio wasn’t so overwhelmed, he would have felt another bout of hurt by that. The man really didn’t hold his tongue, did he?
And then after walking forward a few more steps, they saw a smaller version of the main gate. “This one leads to the Elemental Department! There are different buildings for different elements!”
He then walked forward a bit more. “Ah, this is the Staff Tower. I am on the top floor. Different departments are distributed on different floors. If you need any of us, we will be here from after classes to a little after dinner. And now-”
“Archmaster,” Emilio called, trying to hold onto his patience. “This is all well and good, but I am tired from the journey. If you could kindly tell me what I am to do here and allow me to rest for the day, I would be much obliged.”
The Archmaster sighed, as if in exasperation. “Impatient little thing, aren’t you?” Emilio stared at him, raising an eyebrow. “Very well. Come on.”
He took his hand and then pulled him along. They passed a few more buildings before they came in front of what looked like a large mansion. Emilio read the large, bold letters on its sign.
Research Department.
Archmaster Loren pulled him along, stepping inside. Even though it looked like a luxurious mansion on the outside, the inside of it was quite sparse. They stepped into a large circular space right after the door, several doors surrounding it. Did these all lead to workspaces for certain subjects? In front of him were the main stairs that led to the second floor. He could also see another floor above that. Were they all similar?
Emilio was startled out of his thoughts when he heard sudden aggressive bangs. He turned around to see the Archmaster banging on the door. The sound was jarring in the silence. And then he yelled, “Research heads, over here!”
A moment of silence.
And then Emilio heard the sound of footsteps thudding against the floor. All of the doors opened and out stepped people in different states of disarray. He counted three men and two women. And then he heard several someones running down the stairs. He turned to see another assortment of men and women coming down. He counted 17 people in total. They all stared at him with an unnerving amount of focus. He looked at the Archmaster, feeling lost.
“Is this him?” One of the women spoke.
The Archmaster nodded. “Yes, this is the boy I was talking about. From now on, he is the new subject of your research!”
They all started to talk over each other excitedly.
“Well, seems like I have a new subject!”
“You research enchantment! What on earth do you need him for? He talks to animals! Beast Taming would be the best way!”
“Well, I-”
“Beast Taming? What’s he to do with those massive creatures? He has no magic! Oh no, he’s coming to Herbology. The Archmaster said he communicated with a tree.”
“Oh, fuck your trees!”
“What the heck are you guys talking about? It’s a new kind of magic! Of course, he’s coming to Magical Discovery!”
“Oh you’d love to get your hands on-”
“Enough!” The Archmaster’s voice boomed in the room. Everyone went silent.
“Each of you can have a go at him at first. I’ll be there to supervise. And then he will work with whichever departments he is most compatible with. Does that sound fair?”
They all glanced at each other before mumbling their consent.
“Good.” He nodded. “The work starts tomorrow, after classes. And don’t pester him. He won’t be available all the time.”
“I won’t?” He asked, frowning. What else would he do? This was far better than he assumed. He would just work with these people, keep himself away from the rest of the Academy and go home once he was satisfied that he had learned enough. What else was he supposed to do here? He had all the time available to give to them.
“No,” the Archmaster shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. Emilio noticed the mischievous glint on his eyes and was immediately on guard.
“Follow me,” he said and walked out. Emilio sighed softly and did so, having no other choice. The Archmaster was now walking at a much more sober pace and Emilio could easily look around to take in the beauty and majesty of the Academy. The Academy was created around 1500 hundred years again. It was said that the construction took more than a hundred years to be completed and Irantha, the greatest Mage of that millennium, oversaw it herself. He could imagine the love and care and magic that went into building such a mammoth. He had thought he would never get to see it himself.
“We are here,” the Archmaster’s voice made him pause in his step. He realized he hadn’t been paying attention to where he was going, too busy swinging his head to and fro to take everything in. Emilio looked up at the large building in front of it.
“Student Hall,” the Archmaster supplied. “This is where the students eat and play around. There’s the dining hall, duel halls, practice chambers, and playrooms!”
“Playrooms?”
“Yes,” he nodded. “They come here as children you know. Children need breaks and recreation! You can play all sorts of games in these rooms. Magic is restricted!”
“Okay…” he tilted his head. “Why did you bring me here?”
Archmaster Loren grinned. “Come along now. The students must be having lunch.”
Emilio frowned and followed the man inside. One corridor later, they entered a massive hall. Tall pillars on all sides and floor-length windows spaced out across the walls on both sides. There were at least a hundred round tables scattered across the room on both sides, five or six chairs at each table. Almost all of them were occupied completely. The Hall seemed filled to the brim. Until now, the students were talking loud enough for the room to seem like a commoner market. As soon as the Archmaster stepped inside, they all went silent.
Archmaster Loren said nothing, he strode forward, leaving Emilio with no choice but to follow him. Emilio could feel the eyes on him. Soft murmurs started to float around the room. He was pretty sure he heard a “What is he doing here?” He kept looking forward, trying not to pay attention to any of it.
Once the man reached the front of the Hall, he turned around. Emilio turned around as well, quickly standing a step behind him. He was not hiding.
“Everyone!” The man clapped. “I have a very special announcement today.”
He stepped back and put a hand on Emilio’s back, pushing him gently to step forward. “This is Emilio Florian, a special person in that he bloomed late and in a different way than normal. He’s here to help our Research Department with new discoveries! Isn’t it exciting?!”
There were enough dissatisfied murmurs among the crowd to let Emilio know that they didn’t agree.
“However,” the man continued. “He will not be enclosed in just research. This is the Academy of Magical Education, after all! Her job is to educate and expand young minds, not use them. As such, young Emilio Florian will be attending classed with you tomorrow.”
Emilio’s head snapped towards the man, eyes widening.
What?
He felt as if his silent question resonated within the room.
No one spoke for a moment.
And then…
Uproar.