Dana stared at Meira, barely keeping his jaw from hitting the floor.

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Yes… your belief that creatures of legend once were real is spot on. Several still live on to this day, though we don’t like to advertise quite as much as we used to. Those of us who venture out into the so-called ‘real’ world tend to do so in disguise but that is not always an option. Tell a centaur just wear a baggy outfit and they are just as likely to kick you as not.”

“And your school… Spiritwood you called it? Is attended by?”

“Exclusively non-human species, yes. You would be the first full-blooded human to set foot on our island in nearly four hundred years.” She brushed her hair back down into place, once more hiding the pointed tip of her ear. “Each generation keeps getting more and more adventurous… more and more graduates from our school want to venture out into the world. Showing them media from movies and television isn’t preparing them for actually interacting with humans, gods help us now that they have the Internet. So that’s where you come in. Like I said… if you are interested, the position is yours, starting today if you wish.”

“You’ll excuse me… it seems like you nearly appeared out of thin air and offered me the job of my dreams.” Nervously he moved his still untouched coffee cup on the table. “The chance to really make headway in my chosen field like no one has since the middle ages… I have to wonder what is the catch?”

“It’s nothing too bad, honest… just your standard owing your soul in exchan… oh my god look at your face!” She started laughing, the sound almost musical as she pointed at him. He could feel the blood had left his face at the first mention of his soul… now, he just tried to smile… playing it off as nothing. “We don’t want your soul, Mr. Wilde. We do want you to keep our school’s location to yourself. That means no visitors without us knowing well in advance. You can leave any time you want, keep in contact with anyone from your life that you wish… though if you tell them the truth they might not believe you.”

“My dad has been out of the picture for as long as I can remember, my mom tried to have me institutionalized at age fourteen for saying I was seeing a ghost in our building so no love lost there… my sister and I get along alright but she has her own life in France and we rarely get together except over the phone.” He popped the top off his coffee and took a sip now that it had cooled down. “You’re not actually having me give up all that much. If those are your only conditions, I’ll take the job.”

The elf girl clapped her hands in delight, letting out a little squeak… a much more girly sound than he would have expected from her based on her demeanor so far. “That is great… how long do you think it will take you to pack and get prepared to relocate? I can’t wait to see the old biddy’s face when you come walking out of the portal… this will be priceless.”

“I don’t need that much time, honestly… never really felt all that home here so haven’t let myself settle in too much. Most things I can take care of once we arrive… oh… wait… I don’t suppose Amazon delivers to magical hidden islands, do they?”

The knowing smile returned to her face… she seemed to find no end of amusement at any signs he showed of confusion entering this new world. “No… no… but we do have something much better… you’ll just have to find out about it for yourself though.”

* * *

An hour later, Dana was in his apartment once more… staring at a simple pair of suitcases that the majority of his life had been able to fit into. He checked his phone one last time… he had sent his landlord a notification that he was leaving. He rented the small room month to month so there would be no lingering problems but it would have been nice to hear back before stepping into the unknown.

Another pair of E-Mails… one to Grant and the other to his sister, Adelaide took care of the only people who might find his disappearance concerning. He kept the details vague, telling them a variation of he had received an opportunity too good to pass up and might be difficult to reach for a while but would contact them as soon as he was able to. With a deep breath, he took a last look around, making sure he wasn’t forgetting anything… he hadn’t been in this apartment long enough to form any real memories here but on a grander scale the simple gray walls and simple bed represented what may be the last he would see of this world for a while. Satisfied he grabbed the two bags and headed out the door to meet Meira downstairs.

She was waiting for him in the lobby, the sun coming in through the window shining through her hair and making her already pale skin almost seem to shine in the light. She saw him step out of the elevator and grinned.

“Well, Prof… ready for the biggest adventure of your life?”

Dana simply nodded, almost afraid to speak to ruin this moment, and deep down, he was scared it might just be a dream. He watched as the elf girl moved to the door leading out into the street… muttering some words under her breath she dragged the lacquered black nail of her thumb in a quick pattern on the glass of the door. She pulled open the door with a speedy jerk and instead of the street outside he exited the building to every day there was just a swirling vortex of colored lights.

“There you go… pretty sure I worked out the bugs of the spell by now… after all, what are the chances of disintegrating two people the same way, right?” With an impishly playful wink, she stepped through the portal, leaving Dana staring dumbfounded at the light show she left behind. Those same argumentative voices from earlier began speaking up again, was he sure… did he trust this girl… a dozen questions that he clamped his mind down on tightly.

“This… is… my life… and I am damn well going to live it. If things go horribly wrong feel free to yell at me then… until that… shut up!” He admonished himself, stepping through the door to whatever awaited him on the other side.

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

* * *

When he emerged he found himself in a small cobblestone circle surrounded by ornate stone arches. Ivy crawled up and through the posts to where it met overhead to form an organic ceiling that let the moonlight through to dot the ground. A few nearby toughs looked over at their sudden appearance but none moved towards them.

“Welcome, Prof… to the Wildflower Islands… home of the esteemed Spiritwood University and for the foreseeable future… your home.” The light of a passing motorbike illuminated the broad grin on her face. “Don’t worry… all your parts are where they should be… when the last human man to visit us showed up on this very spot, I was here to greet him and I already had a handle on that spell by then.”

She grabbed his arm and led him through the arches, and out onto the street. There were a few vehicles but not nearly as many as back home. Behind the wheel, he could see the faces of the drivers… lizards, and birds… furry heads swiveling to get a look at the newcomer. “All transport spells anchor out here in the town… helps us keep track of who comes and goes and how much we should worry.”

They walked up a slight hill as Meira pointed out some of the local buildings. Stores and small factories that had grown up around the school aided in keeping it mostly self-sufficient and not needing to do much outside trade to keep things up and running. A bar playing some loud music that sounded utterly foreign to his ears let cheers out into the night.

“With the new term starting soon, a lot of the locals are probably having what fun they can before they have to begin studying again. Many of their families live and work in the town here but almost all the girls move on to campus for the semester.”

They crested the top of the hill where they could see down to a valley stretching out into the distance. The school was massive, with dozens of buildings spread out across the valley… forested areas, and lakes both located inside it walls of the peaceful-looking area. There was something about the sight of the place that seemed to click inside him as he looked down over the campus and he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, he had made the right decision coming here.

As the moment stretched on Dana became aware that Meira had paused and was watching his reaction intensely. He turned, beaming a smile at her that her face reflected. “It’s perfect… just how I imagined and yet somehow so much more than I could have hoped.”

“Come on… the President will want to meet you. The rest of the faculty can wait until school starts more officially.” With an almost infectious excitement, Meira led him down into the University campus proper. Passing among the buildings Dana couldn't help but wonder at some of the architecture on display. Ancient buildings from a myriad of cultures were on display along with some styles he couldn’t put his finger on. “It’s almost become a bragging symbol over the years to style a building you donate to the University in your own culture’s style. Some of these are dorms where different groups tend to congregate together forming almost cultural cliques. Then again these are where the more affluent families have their daughters live. We accept anyone that wants to get an education but not all families can afford to make huge donations like this.”

They entered the Administration Building near the heart of the campus, a Gothic building with grand displays of stained glass lining the walls depicting women from history in epic displays of power or grace… harpies leading charges of fierce airborne warriors, a phalanx of elven archers in a last stand against a seemingly endless horde of an opposing army, a woman bursting into bright flames as the people surrounding her recoil in awe. At the end of the hall, they stopped outside a door labeled with a shiny brass plate declaring ‘the office of President Eterna Revi’ and knocked on the heavy-looking door.

“One moment!” A voice from within called… there were noises inside as someone moved around, heading toward the door. “Do you have any idea how late it is? This is well past office hours..” The door opened to reveal a middle-aged woman with flowing red hair and yellow eyes. Her sharp features gave her face a general angled look as she took in the man at her door. She was dressed simply in an unadorned blue dress and soft leather boots that came up past her knee. “Meira! It’s you… I thought it was more students pledging their houses by pranking the President.”

The two women embraced briefly before they turned as one to Dana. “Eterna Revi, allow me to introduce Professor Dana Wilde… our new instructor of Humanities.” The President’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of Dana but she was cut off before she could say anything. “Before you dare besmirch my name by insinuating I did anything less than succeed at the task you set before me, I encourage you to think of the last time I returned from a hunt without my quarry.”

The President, rolled her eyes, the playful act tugging at the corners of her lips melting years from her face in a blink. She was beautiful but she must have been able to stop traffic as a younger woman. “Yes yes Meira, your record is perfect… no need to brag in front of our new guest. Zespa won’t be happy to hear about this.”

“The gorgon can bite me if she can catch me. Next time maybe she can actually use the computers to check her work before sending someone halfway around the world to make a blind job offer.” Meira grinned, seeming to almost enjoy the trouble her discovery would cause. “Besides… I talked with him before coming back. He’s a decent enough guy… I think he might be just what this place needs to shake things up a bit.”

The President stared at him a moment, debating internally what she should do. “Fine… well what’s done is done. Come in, we will have to make slightly different lodging arrangements due to this development but it’s nothing we can’t work with.”

She brought them both into her office, a cozy room with a roaring fire in the corner. There didn’t look to be any flue above the fire but no smoke billowed out into the room, just a warmth that Dana appreciated after the chill of the night outside.

“So Mr Wilde… you will be teaching class 6-B…. Some of our less privileged students but once you’ve proven yourself a little we will add more students to your department.” She grabbed a leather-bound book off her desk and a map, handing both to them. “School Rulebook, you don’t need to memorize any of the regulations but a passing familiarity with do you well to keep in mind. Then there is the map of the campus so you can find your way around. You will also see, once the term starts, students wearing a bright orange sash. These are volunteer guides for new students and can help you get anywhere you need or even answer most questions that don’t need to be addressed by myself.”

“I just want to thank you for this chance, President Revi. Just being here means more to me than you can imagine.” He took the book, cradling it under his arm… it was heavier than it looked. He would get reading as soon as he had the chance.

“Then don’t fuck it up.” The President pointed at his chest, her tone stern. “It was hard enough convincing the board to allow a human here, you being a man is going to ruffle more than a few feathers. Meria’s word carries a lot of weight with me… She’s known me longer than I’ve been alive and I trust her. You’ll have to win over the others who would rather you head back home. For that, I wish you luck.”

Eterna turned back to her desk, moving some papers around on it. “We’ll get you a room at the Exalted… it’s just outside the campus border so you will still be close enough and I’m sure Wilben can use the business. The place has seen better times. For now, go… get settled… take a look around the town if you want. First bell rings at 8 AM sharp, don’t be late.”