Four spires reached high into the sky. I had to rub my eyes when I arrived at Messa. The gigantic pillars stood at the center of a sprawling city—even larger than the capital of Arris. I felt like I could walk for weeks and not be able to circle it.
The city had things floating around, and there were many more golems here. There was a certain magical aura that permeated all of the buildings, and the spires were even more noticeable. They seemed to be the roots of the entire construct.
The spires were all connected. There were diagonal stone tubes, connecting to a massive central structure—almost floating there if not for the pillars. However, from the city down below it was all hard to make out. I noticed our carriage slowly made way to the southern pillar.
Janie asked Yumi my silent question. “What are those things?”
Yumi smiled. “They’re quite huge, aren’t they? It’s a work of magic. Those pillars bring people to the magic academy. They’re transport devices.”
I wondered if it was something like an elevator, but I didn’t have to worry long. Our carriage soon pulled up to it.
Janie’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.
I was sure mine did the same. To call it a work of art and engineering would be an understatement. First of all, from under it there was no way to see the top. You had to strain your neck to even look at it, going beyond the clouds.
The entryway had massive glowing blue arches, and the inside held floating golem guards. The blue metal guards either waved people in or sent them away. And beyond them was a black metal platform with a blue hue.
I was certain this would be a wonder of the world. My heart pounded, and four of us held hands. Janie, Adelisa, Yumi and I walked into the spire, passing the arch.
A blue floating golem soon arrived. There was a speaker on its chest that produced a robotic voice. “Please produce proof of entry.”
Yumi nodded and pulled out a metal card. “Here it is.”
The robot didn’t say anything at first. Green lasers from its face began examining the card. Once it scanned the card fully, it spoke. “You may pass. Welcome to Messa Magic Academy.”
There were already many people waiting on the platform as we arrived. At the helm of it was an android in a maid outfit. She simply bowed to us when we passed by.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
More parents and children entered the platform until there was at least fifty children. My heart pounded even harder in my chest, but Yumi’s hand was a nice relaxant.
The android clapped, gathering all attention towards her. “Make sure you do not try to activate magic before we go up.” She smiled. “You may feel a prickly sensation in your body. That is especially true for all first time teleporters.”
Before anyone could say anything she pulled a lever. A loud ping sounded before the blue hue surrounded our bodies. The tiny blue dots reminded me of spirits, but I didn’t have time to dwell on that. There was a strong pulling sensation, and we were ripped from there to a new floor.
There was a twinge of something in my gut—reminiscent of riding a roller coaster, but Janie took it even worse. Her head twisted, and I swear I could see swirly hypnotic eyes.
Yumi held her up until Janie steadied herself.
We all looked forward, and off the lift, there were words built into a piece of stone ceiling hanging down. The sign read “Floor One: South Atrium.”
Light flooded in from the walls—which were actually windows on this side. The phenomenon amazed me and had me questioning. How did they get it to look like a stone pillar on the outside? How were there even floors inside of the pillars? On the outside they were massive, but I had no idea how anyone could engineer this. It was definitely an impossibility on Earth.
The maid at the front put her hand up. “Now, everyone please follow me.”
Everyone did as she said, and we were led towards a round counter top. Behind it, there was a woman with red skin and tall black horns. In front of the counter were rows of seats. There was a little floating golem next to the front row with a small slit.
The maid dismissed us with a bow and walked back towards the platform. I watched her disappear into particles of blue after pulling the lever.
Our receptionist voice boomed loud enough for everyone to hear it. “Please, form a line and each group shall take only one slip.”
I had no clue what she meant, but we all formed up in a line, and the first group walked towards the golem. From out of the slit came a small white slip with the tag “S1.”
The next group walked up and received the tag “S2.” This continued until our group got the tag “S8.”
Yumi helped guide us to black seats, and we waited for everyone to get a slip.
The receptionist nodded as the last group sat down. “Please, come up to the desk when your number is called. Don’t worry about the “S.” It means South. This is for room assignments. As par for the course, everyone will get a roommate, and attendants will get an adjacent room. If you do not have a roommate, one will be assigned to you.” Her fiery eyes seemed to light up for a second. “Oh, and don’t even think about getting noisy.”
She grinned widely. “You can consider this the first test of the academy.”
“I’m so bored!”
And before class could even start, Janie had failed the first test. The receptionist looked over at her with hawk eyes and a smile. The smile was bright and beautiful, but something about it made me reconsider.
I sighed and slumped into my seat as Yumi caught Janie before she could take off running.