“Is that going to cling to me? Oh, well. I guess Divinity, when is registration?”

She tilted her head as if the action itself would jog her memories, “Oh, hmm, given that yesterday was the Day of Light and today is the Day of Magic... En, today is the last day for registration.” Wow, she likes to beat around the bush.

“You have got to be kidding me.” Sola just shook her head, “Well, if I am to scale this mountain, it would be faster if I do this by myself. You, come here.” I demanded Sola come closer to me as I opened a portal to the the Homescreen.

I walked into the familiar Gothic styled gate ending up in a clearing with my castle in full view and the forest behind. Sola looked around anxiously as I made way to a very busy Seraphine-sii. “Good evening, Seraphine-sii. I see you are busy building a shelter it seems. I'm sorry I haven't seen you in a week.”

Seraphine-sii jumped a little out of surprise and ended up biting me. “Oi, don't bite me!” I ended up biting her back on impulse. Upon doing so, I was greeted with the familiar tarty flavor that accompanied her blood, as well as the sensation of relief as a dull throbbing I hadn't noticed has been lifted.

-Having fed on a Lamia, Viper subspecies, You have gained Poison Resistance III-

Before I was any wiser, her tail had already coiled around my legs, causing me to topple over and bring her down with me. It was then I felt the presence of someone staring at us. Oh, I had forgotten about Sola. I looked over at her and saw the face of a scientist observing some interesting specimens. It sent a shiver down my spine. Sola then inserted, “Don't mind me, I would like to witness the inter species mating ritual between a vampire and Lamia.”

We then quickly untangled ourselves, and Seraphine-sii then introduced herself, “Ah, my name is Seraphine-sii, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Sola then gave a curt nod and slight smile as she responded, “I see, my name is Nin-Solana, but you may call me Sola.” She then stepped forward to study Seraphine-sii, “I couldn't help but noticed that your name has a suffix, much like mine has a prefix. By any chance, does it have something to with marriage status?” Wait, is she speaking in the Elvish Tongue?

“How did you know? Perhaps you are an elf? The Immortal Elves are all gone, so a Common Elf?” Seraphine-sii raised an eyebrow.

“I am an elf, yes. I am an Allovian Elf though, a Dwarf if you will. Maybe there is a correlation between naming conventions. Nin- is used for single women, while Sin- is used for single men. Fin- is used for a married person, and Din- is used for widows and widowers. What about the Lamia people?” Sola pressed, visibly eager for more information.

“Hmm, well -sii is used for unmarried people, while -shi means married. We also have title suffixes such -ses, which is reserved for leaders like the village chief.” Seraphine-sii answered.

I then spoke up when I saw a pause in the conversation, “You are a Dwarf?”

“Officially, we are called Allovian Elves, but you may call us dwarf as we gained the nickname when our ancestors veered off from the rest of the Common Elves path, many were afflicted with dwarfism.” Sola said.

“I see, even though you are not affected with dwarfism, you are still a dwarf. Well as much as I would love to continue this conversation, time is short. I will be back soon.” I was about to go through the portal, but I was stopped by Sola.

“Hold up, you might be too late now, if this is where I think it is, then the time here moves incredibly fast compared to that of Aezorish. I believe, that spending a second here is like spending thirty two seconds on Aezorish. Since we spent around five minutes here, it is almost two and a half hours there! You won't have time to climb the mountain.”

I tried to will the settings to come popping up, but I just got a message instead.

System Notice

Due to obtaining a subject, Settings have been transferred to the throne room. Please use the throne to configure settings from now on.

Great. “Follow me.” Quickly, found our way past the hazardous, creepy path that led to the massive entrance into a grand throne room, that was mostly empty. It was such a room that seemed to be expecting a massive audience. I then sat on the throne and noticed a screen that was familiar in the corner of my eye. I thought of time settings, and was quickly presented with related screens. Let's see, time of day, no. Time of year, no. Season, no. Ah, here we are, time relatedness. Home = Aezorish.

“It appears that you have nothing to worry about. Time here is equal with Aezorish at present, now I must be going. Bye for now.” I then left the confused Sola and Seraphine-sii behind as set the Portal to a room that was adjacent to the throne room. I then proceeded through it and left my castle behind, and was faced with some astonished villagers. I chose to ignore them and set my sights at the lofty mountain that was my goal.

I lowered my self into a running stance before bolting forward. With my current speed, I am almost twice as fast as a normal person. Of course I also had increased strength as well, so along with my fast strides, I took very long strides as well. I practically flew to the foot of the Mountain. I then cast several Ice Totems that were aim beneath my feet to launch me in the air toward the top. I would cast another, one after the other when I came close to hitting the ground. This probably took a few hours, but I made it almost to the peak before I felt that familiar mental drain that accompanied Mana depletion. So I then just sprinted the rest of the way.

When I got to the peak, I looked over and into the caldera. There was a massive, pristine lake that only reflected the heavens above. There was also long pathway that stretched from the edge of the caldera, roughly where I was, to the center where a ruin appeared. It is hard to tell what the ruin had been at one point. I was in a daze by the beauty and mystery of this place but I then found a sign that was out of place. I then marched over to this sign.

The sign read, 'Welcome to the Heart of the Stars and Celestial Lake! Up ahead is the ruins of the Marble Throne Palace of the Celestial Empire. It was destroyed about 1,200 years ago by a failed summoning of now lost cult. Under the lakes surface is the entrance to Divinity, an Academy of Mages. Divinity, Academy of Mages, is built in a pocket realm that is connected in a singular point on each of the continents. Should war break out on one of the continents, the single point of entry is closed off for that continent. This gate process requires an enormous amount of magic to stay active, which is why Celestial Lake's water has no magic properties. Status of the Silent Kingdom's point of entry: Open.'

Wow, a brief history lesson. Hmm, I think the history of this world is very extensive, but with little progress in technology from what I can see. Being as I was into heavy engineering projects, machines, and robotics, I find myself astounded by the little breakthroughs they have had. Even if they were in continuous conflict, war gives birth to marvelous inventions as well.

Well, now that I think about it, they probably relied heavily on magic. There was probably a world wide consensus that magic was everything, and didn't need to be improved, only the skill in acquiring it.

Happy with my hypothesis, I thought about the entrance. It said that the entrance was beneath the surface. So I walked along the path and found myself half way to the ruin before I faced the edge of the walkway. I peered into the water that only showed me the sky. Seeing as the only way to progress is to stop observing but to move, I then jumped into Celestial Lake.

A strange vertigo came over me as I had the feeling of falling and rising at the same time. Just as I was about to reach my limit it all stopped. I opened my eyes after I was sure that the uneasiness inside me had subsided. Before me was a massive Iron spiked gate that exuded power. They were left wide open to welcome me inside along a path that seemed to made basalt, to a cathedral of might and magical power. The very air was humming with radiance. I was taken aback by such splendor, I had to lean on my metal staff in case my knees gave from such awe.

After I recovered from the sight, I remembered that I must enter the building and bring Sola out of the Homescreen. I then forced myself toward the grand entrance and walked through the threshold and was greeted by a mass of people buzzing by. I haven't seen so many people since I was told my soul belongs to this world. Hmm, this is a place that will take awhile of getting used to.

I then opened the Homescreen portal, and walked into the familiar Gothic gate. When I made my way to the throne room, I saw that Sola and Seraphine-sii had also just entered the room. Though their faces were ashen when I saw them, I still approached them. It took them awhile to notice me but that is fine. What caught me off guard was them staring at me.

“Is something on my face?” this was the only thing I could think to say to break the silence.

It was after another moment of silence that one of them actually spoke. Seraphine-sii opened up, “You weren't kidding when you said you had an 'unspeakable wealth,' that room had three mountains of gold, three!”

Sola then piped up, “There is, maybe, half of that amount in all of Aezorish, and half of that amount is even lost in random locations. How do you have so much gold?”

“Interesting, is there a fee for entry, administration o paperwork?” I decided to brush off the issue.

Sola then shook her head, “There are none, however do keep money on you, because food isn't free in Divinity. Also, there is an aptitude test that everyone must partake.”

“I see, that is fine by me. Hey, Seraphine-sii, do you want to learn that this school? It will give you plenty of skills you can use to help people?” I offered.

Seraphine-sii then glanced at Sola, whom nodded, then looked back at me with a timid smile, “Yes, I would like to study magic. It might help me broaden my horizons.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Alright then, it is time we set out, we don't want to miss registration!” I hurriedly made my way to the portal room and walked through the open portal to be greeted by another scene of onlookers waiting for us on the other side. This time however, they made a ring around us that made it impossible to pass through as they looked at my portal gate with studious gazes.

Besides the low murmurs, the crowd remained still and silent. It remained this way until a withered voice called out, “Is that Sola?” everyone allowed a old man whom had the body to match his voice. He had a wrinkled face that time was not kind to, and had donned a highly decorated, deep blue robe that was more intricate than the students around him. When they locked eyes, the old man bowed his head slightly and said, “Welcome back, Nin-Solana. I see you have gathered guests, friendly I hope.”

Sola then returned the slight bow, “Good to see you as well, Professor Iceshield. I have brought new registrants, in particular, this one,” she motioned at me, I'm pretty sure you guys can't wait to ask about the gate that appeared and disappeared just now, but do know that he had just scaled this mountain in under a day, with only his stamina and basic tier spells. He did it in a matter of a few hours, so he must be mentally and physically exhausted.” Among the murmurs that grew louder, there some scoffs and awes.

Professor Iceshield looked me over, and made the same mumbles as Sola did when we first met. After a thorough investigation, he smiled satisfied, “Well, one would assume that you are a sickly elf at first glance. After further examination, I find that not to be the case, I see a robust, physically healthy being, despite his pale appearance. You must be a being from the Plane of Creation, but I can't place my tongue on what you are.” He started to grumble and mumble incoherently. “What are you?”

“Oh, I am-” I was cut off by Sola.

“Just place him in the Elven halls. His appearance is that of an elf anyway, so it shouldn't matter. It's not like we have many from that realm attending.” Sola casually said, but from the undertones, she seemed eager. I wonder what her motives were.

Professor Iceshield gave it some thought, “What is your name young man?”

To that I answered, “Jack Frost.”

“From now on, you will reside in the Elven halls during your stay here, in Divinity, Academy of Mages. The Elven halls is located in the West wing. And you miss? What is your name?” Professor Iceshield asked. It sounded like his got a little whimsical at the end there.

“My name is Seraphine-sii.” Seraphine-sii bowed.

“Right, I apologize, but you will not be in the Elven halls like your acquaintance, Jack Frost, instead you will be residing in the Bestial hall, in the East wing.”

Sola then jumped in, “Even though, the beastmen have been eliminated from the Silent Continent, they are still the unquestioned rulers of the Wild Continent to the North. Divinity, by the way is actually a pocket realm of Aezorish. It has multiple entry points, one on each Continent. Though the entry point of the continent is closed if there are any wars on that continent. Right now, there is a war going on in the Hidden Continent, East of the Silent Continent. Most of the Elves withdrew from the academy before the entry point closed, to participate in the war, so you won't see many elves here, right now. You wont see many beastmen either, because the Wild Continent is hardly at peace, those tribes are always butting heads, and even in peace, most of the brutes don't like magic, many view as dishonorable, or lowly to learn magic. The Chaos Continent's entry point is always open, because their aren't any actual kingdoms or the sort over there to make any wars now a days, only Great Hunts, for lesser beings. Though I have heard of the having a King before though.”

Beastmen aren't around on my continent either? Wow, this is an interesting fantasy setting here. Even though I read most of this information on the sign by the lake, something was nagging me for her entire speech, “This conversation was in Elvish, wasn't it?” I asked he professor.

“...Yes.” He seemed confused as to why I was asking so obvious.

“Sorry, I can understand all languages, but I can't tell which one is being used, only when I listen closely, do I know the difference.” I admitted.

“How peculiar...” Professor Iceshield, started to rub his stubble in fascination.

“Back off! This is my Research Subject! Where is yours? Go get your Silver Forest String Root. I'll have you know, that my research subject is far more interesting than yours.”

The old professor nodded, “Alright, one last question,” he faced toward me, “How many fingers, I holding?” The professor had both his hands firmly by his side. I am thinking that this a trick question. I wonder what he is trying to pull, his speech wasn't very good either.

“I am sorry, I do not know what you are trying to do. Is this a trick question? My answer is none.” I say.

“Oh, this is extraordinary, I did have some doubts to your statement earlier, but now I am convinced. I am sorry, this was a test to see if you could understand Xernurochii. I have a minimal understanding of the language myself. You must talk to the Xernuroch students we host here.” The old professor stroked his stubbly chin even more from excitement. I guess he used to have a beard, until recently.

Seraphine-sii looked a little worried and even furrowed her brow in doing so, to which Sola reassured her, “No worries, they can't hurt you here. Any aggressors in violence, outside designated areas, are transported to another pocket realm, where they are paralyzed and interrogated. It is immediate, and effective. If you have a particular disdain for them, like a lot of people, then you still don't have to worry, there are only two of them on campus. And they keep to themselves mostly.”

Seraphine-sii looked a little relieved and even breathed out a sigh. I then ask, “Is there a test for registration?”

The old professor then nodded his head, “There is, however inhabitants of the Plane of Creation register free, even then, you have demonstrated a useful skill, so you'd get in anyway. If you were an inhabitant of the Mortal Plane, you have to pay and do an ability test, the more skillful you were, the less you would have to pay. Beside that matter, there is a class registration going on tomorrow morning, for now we need you to fill out paperwork, it will be due on the Day of the Mage. The prefects will show you to your dorms.” He bowed and dismissed himself. Day of the Mage, Day of the Mage, Day of the Mage... a holiday, perhaps?

I didn't notice it but the crowd that formed around us had disappeared and was only us; Seraphine-sii, myself, Sola, a girl whom reminded me strikingly like a monkey, and a man whom had dragon like details. Sola excused herself to catch up with the professor, leaving the four of us.

The monkey like girl in Simple Orange robes led Seraphine-sii by the arm away from the other man and I. I then received a tap on my shoulder by the only person near me, so I turned to look at him. He had a gray, youthful, but solemn face, with black spikes for hair, even had some rigid looking eyebrows, he also had a pair of black reptile-like wings. He had weird red markings that reminded me of tribal tattoos, on all exposed skin. He was dressed in Jet Black robes that had intricate silver embroidery, that I swore were made to look creepy.

“Good evening, I noticed you spoke Xernurochii earlier, surely you know this much?” He raised a spike eyebrow, as if to test me.

“I apologize for not noticing you earlier, you must be the prefect? My name is Jack Frost,” I gave a short bow. I noticed my voice sounded a little guttural. Maybe next time, if I choose which tone to go for, I can decide which language I speak. I will have a small test with this hypothesis later.

At this time, both his eyebrows had risen, “I am impressed, you speak Xernurochii very fluently. However, I am more impressed with the fact that you are comfortable around me, most people at least flinch.”He leaned in close as if discern the answer from me. I think he over exaggerates with body language, because he can't quite communicate with others with verbal perfection... maybe he can't speak the common tongue?

“Why should I be uncomfortable? Is it because you are a Xernuroch? No, I would say that it is because you are one that, I can be more than comfortable around you.” I stretch nonchalantly.

“Oh, is that right?” He leaned back.

“Yes,the reason is because of the rules and punishments put in place. You won't risk the reason you are here for, just to harm me.”

“Ha ha, I like your guts. Let us be friends. My name is Xerfic'mion Lun. Call me Fic. I make up half of the Xernurochs on campus. As you can tell from my robes, I am a Dark Mage.” He gestured toward his robes. “You can tell what school of magic one is proficient in, and how proficient, by their robes. Fire mages have red robes, Water mages have blue robes, Earth mages in Orange, and Air mages in light violet. Those are the most common of mages. Next we have, Ice mages in light blue, Storm mages in dark blue, Swamp mages in green, Sand mages in yellow, Lava mages in dark red, Dark mages in black,and Light mages in gray. For the specialized mages, we have Curse mages in violet, Undead mages in dark green, Metal mages in dark gray, and Holy mages in White.”

“Undead mages...”

“An Undead mage is not a mage whom is afflicted with undeath, but practices Undead magics. A mage whom is afflicted with undeath is identified with the type of undead the mage has become, such as a skeletal mage” He clarified. He then motioned for me to walk with him. “If the color of the robes tell you what the person in proficient in, then the embroidery tells you how proficient they are. The Beastman you saw earlier, she had a simple orange robe. That tells you she is a Basic Earth mage. Basic means she is in the entry level course at this academy. I don't if you saw any, but a simple embroidery belongs to the Advanced level course, and the embroidery like mine, belongs to the Elite course. Professors have the highly decorated, gaudy looking robes. Of course these robes are only used inside this school as a way of determining skill, but mage communities and even nobility look to these robes as badges of honor. Or so I hear, where I come from, these have absolutely no meaning. Maybe if the information is provided, maybe they will become part of the trophies in the Great Hunts.” He seemed to be temporarily lost in thought.

“Right, so the registration for tomorrow will determine which course I will be in?”

“That is correct. The classes will be determined in battles. The first round of battles will decide if you need to be placed in remedial courses, or if you move on to the next round, should you be willing. The second round will decide if you stay in Basic course, or move on to the next round. The third battle will determine if you stay in the Advanced course or move on to the Elite course. If you make it in to the Elite course, there will be a battle sometime after all registrants turn in all their papers. This battle is for the honor of being the Archmage's apprentice. A battle for this seat goes on every trimester.”

“Interesting, is this the dorms?” I ask as we stopped in front of a pair of massive wooden doors, that had a certain aura about them.

“Dorms? No, I took you to the library. I pegged you for the night owl type, so I brought you here,” he shrugged.

“Wait, actually, this is better.” I gave him a wave as I opened the large wooden doors.