Joe

(Mike's Place)

The rainbow ring blipped around Mike and he was gone. Joe was truly alone now for the first time in years.

Mike, wherever you are, you better give it your best. I'll find a way to still be there with you, just like you were there for me. I'll study hard, and give it my best. I promise one day when you stand at the top, I'll stand proudly with you, and say we made it there together.

The Frakes said their goodbyes to Lauren and Ray and headed home after the emotional farewell. In the car ride home, Joe stared out the window, just like he did going home on that fateful day…

* * * * *

(School, 7 years prior)

Joe's first day in the 3rd Grade was already disastrous. Having been greeted with 'Hey new fatty' at the lunch break sucked royally, but already it was something he was getting used to. Lots of kids were mean when no one told them to be nice, especially when nobody was watching.

Joe's family wasn't flush, but they could at least give him a dollar to get something nice for himself at the tuck shop. He bought his favorite Doritos that first day. After all, he needed all the comfort he could get. School could never be faulted for being fun. Before he could eat them though, they had PE, Joe's worst class ever. Oh, he hated the class alright, but it was changing he loathed most. Something always went wrong.

"Whoa, fatty, you gotta stop eating the crisps man, or you'll never get thin. That's what my dad says is wrong with fattys like you, you just can't stop eating." Tommy, the class bully mocked him as they changed, his 2 buddies snickering as he spoke.

"You know what fatty, since you're new, I wanna help you. Gimme your crisps and you can get skinny. It would suck if you got even fatter because I never helped you. I won't get fat and ugly like you, cause my dad says I'm gonna be a football star one day. I'm gonna be the best there is and make a million dollars!" he said reaching for the Doritos in Joe's bag.

Joe slapped his hand away. "They're not yours Tommy, I don't care how special your daddy says you are, buy your own." Joe stated firmly. He wasn't an idiot. Kids like Tommy took you for a ride if you let them. What you needed to do was be firm and…

Joe gasped as he was sent flying backward, his head striking the bathroom cubicle. He was more shocked than hurt, but most of all, he was scared. Tommy was That kind of bully. The scary kind that wasn't weak if you pushed back. "What did you say piggy?" Tommy said, approaching Joe and shoving him hard against the cubicle once more. "No one talks bad about my dad, he's the best in the world, and he's strong, not a fat pig like you, or anyone else." he punctuated his sentence by punching Joe in the chest. Joe was crying at this point. No 8-year-old could ever hold back tears against an assault like that.

Tommy's buddies grabbed Joe's bag and gave it to Tommy. "Awww, little piggy's crying! Don’t worry you stupid fatso, I won't keep hitting you, just give me your crisps next time, your lunch money too okay, and if you ever say anything about my dad ever again…" he said, dumping the contents of Joe's bag in a sink and turning on the tap to wet all his things, "It'll be your head doing this, in a dirty toilet." he said triumphantly, laughing as he high fived his friends and grabbed the packet of crisps.

Joe slumped to the floor, shocked at the needless violence. This kid was crazy, and the bullying here was next level. His first day, and already he was done for. No one would be his friend now. He watched through teary eyes as Tommy and his buddies opened his crisps and began chowing on them, slinging their bags over their shoulders as they moved to walk out. He'd have to change schools, he'd…

Just then, as Tommy reached for the heavy door to heave it open, the door, already beginning its inward swing caught Tommy unawares as it swung right into his face hard, knocking him against the wall, before slamming into his face again, making a cracking sound.

"Ahhh!!!" Tommy cried out, dropping his bag and Joe's crisps, clutching his now gushing nose. A blur shot into the bathroom, swinging a gym bag into Tommy's two buddies, catching one in the groin, and the other in the chest, winding him. Joe felt his arm get tugged as he was dragged to his feet and pulled along out of the bathroom faster than he could think, his legs churning beneath him, trying to keep pace. Behind him, he could hear Tommy screaming, enraged.

"Keep running! Joe, right?" the strange skinny boy asked. Joe could only give a small "…yeah!" between his sobs and his now heavy breathing.

"I'm Mike, also new! Nice to meet ya!" He beamed back at Joe, flashing his phone at him. "I got it all on camera, don't worry, we won't get in trouble, they're in big shit now!" Mike said with a sneaky giggle and the biggest grin Joe had ever seen.

At that moment, as they tore down the hallways to the principal's office, time slowed for Joe. Ahead of him, with a firm grip and a beaming smile, his new friend…no, hero more like, ran ahead of him. Joe was no idiot. He always sucked at being friends with people, because he didn't trust them. They always used him, and when things got bad, no one helped him. This time though…

They reached the door to the office, and they stopped, gulping air down. Mike was about to reach for the handle when Joe grabbed his wrist abruptly.

"What's up?" Mike asked.

Between short breaths, Joe gasped out the words he knew he'd never regret asking.

"Will…you…be my…friend?"

Mike cocked an eyebrow up, looking at Joe quizzically. "Are you sure? I'm a bit of a dumbass, and very unlucky. You okay with that?" he asked skeptically.

"Mmmhmm!" Joe managed between breaths. "If you're…a dumbass… Then I'm one too." He said, smiling back at Mike.

Mike laughed. "Alright, if you're sure…dumbass." he said, turning the handle.

* * * * *

Joe smiled as he watched the streets roll by. That had been a week to remember. Tommy got expelled, but not before his father was arrested for punching the Principal in the face for not telling him who the boy was that beat Tommy up. The apple didn't fall far from the tree it seemed. Looking back, it was sheer luck they got off with only a warning. Funny to think that 'Luck' was one of Mike's actual attributes.

And he called himself 'unlucky', hah!

Mike's video showed a door peeking open, showing Tommy shoving Joe, and then punching him, before dumping his bag in the sink. More proof they didn't need apparently.

"Joe, have they sent you any more emails?" Nathan asked his son.

Joe opened his phone and scrolled to the email app. "Not yet Dad." he answered. There, unbeknownst to Mike, was a string of emails from a certain 'Esteemed Va'rtek of the Livari Society of the Sciences'. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. Joe still couldn't believe it, he was literally a nobody, just a kid. Though through correspondence Joe discovered that a mysterious benefactor was responsible for the contact. Nonetheless, Joe was not going to be going to school anymore. He had his own future ahead of him, and there was no way Mike would be outdoing him. Joe was keeping it a surprise.

Especially since I'll get to unravel the very mysteries of Magic itself. He thought giddily. He didn't know how science and magic were supposed to interact, but he did know one thing; you didn't get an invitation from an 'Esteemed' alien to study the mysteries of Magic under them only to turn it down.

No.

He'd made up his mind long before this email had ever arrived. Even if he never got powers, he would still support Mike however he could. This opportunity just gave him the perfect opportunity to make good on that decision. He would stand by Mike no matter what.

After all, that's what brothers are for.

* * * * *

Mike

(The Academy Square)

Mike's world was color. Every shade of color imaginable was coalescing and deforming all at the same time, becoming colors he'd never even known existed. He felt like he was floating, weightlessly watching his body from outside it almost…

Huh? That's weird, how come I can see myself like this? Mike wondered as he watched himself float. He saw his body, surrounded, as it were, by a colorful glow. It looked like it was coming from…

Suddenly, he was pulled back into his body as the lights swirling around him dissipated, gradually revealing an alcove where he had been deposited. In reality, the journey had been almost instantaneous. He looked at the alcove, realizing that the roof and floor were covered in glittering filaments, not dissimilar to the colors he'd just seen. The alcove was bathed in a dull orange glow, that Mike could have sworn dimmed as though it were dissipating heat. Mike, still holding onto his bags finally stepped out of the alcove, and that's when he could finally take in the scene before him.

So splendid and majestic was the view, that it looked as if Mike had been transported to an English manor in the British countryside. The square he was standing in was flanked by two massive fountains, running perpendicular to the main building in front of them. Trees and flowers grew in abundance around them, clearly well-kept and shaped to complement the grandiose building. Mike noticed that there were quite a number of students around him, but certainly not all 3000 of the Chosen.

"Welcome, Chosen, to the Academy." a voice shook Mike and those around of their reverie. "My name is Calum Erlessen, and I am the Vice Chairman of the Student Council here at the Academy. I am beyond pleased to meet you all here today."

There, at the top of the staircase leading into the building stood a tall yet well-built young blond man, his hands on his hips and a gentle smile creasing his face. He spoke politely, and authority seemed to ooze out of him effortlessly. His speech, though far away, could easily be heard.

"The building before you will be your home, for the duration of your tenure at the Academy. It is known as House Zayin, or 7, the house of Completion. You will have most of your questions answered at the assembly, which begins in 30 minutes. For now, please make your way to your designated rooms, make yourselves presentable if you aren't already, and meet back in the courtyard you're presently standing in within 20 minutes. I will see you then." he spoke with finality.

Mike had so many questions, but just as he wanted to voice one, a display he never thought he'd witness exploded into view. Everyone except Calum gasped as Hundreds of papers flew into the air, scattering as if a colossal wind had blown them about. The moment it seemed as though they would come raining down, they each zipped about like a flock of birds together, darting this way and that, before separating and each one coming upright before gently gliding down, one into every waiting hand.

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Mike's paper landed softly, opening itself up to reveal instructions on which room was his.

That... Was awesome! He stared dumbfounded at the seemingly living paper.

He glanced up to where Calum was standing who smirked at them all, before turning to walk into the House.

More like Manor. This place would be fit for royalty, let alone some teenagers. He thought incredulously.

"I wonder if they have WiFi." Mike blurted out.

"Wahahaha! Are you serious dude?" A girl's voice spoke next to him. "You were literally teleported across the world a minute ago, and given a magic flying paper and you wonder if there's WiFi?" She said cackling some more.

Mike's ears felt like they were burning. "Well, I don't know what they have and don't have! Also, I'll need it for my gaming laptop for sure, so.

She looked at Mike in disbelief. "Wait, you're a gamer and you haven't even played on the Link yet?"

Mike felt like he was seriously lagging in the experimentation department now. He hadn't really played with the Link since the tutorial of it. He felt he should wait until beginning classes. Maybe he could learn from his new teachers?

Clearly, it hadn't been very well thought out.

"Well, I've only had it 3 days, so I guess not." he said sheepishly as they both began walking across the courtyard towards the main house.

"Whoa! You really took your time huh? Though, didn't you read where it said it can do social media, calls, messaging, etc? You should have put it together that you could play games too you know." she said matter-of-factly. Mike felt like he should have put that together sooner, especially since he loved gaming so much.

"You seem a little slow on the uptake dude." she said giggling, "Oh! Were you one of those who let their parents read all the T's and C's for them so you don't sign up for a scam?" she said laughing some more.

Mike stiffened at the jab. "If I had parents, I would have loved that." he replied coldly.

The girl looked shocked at the reply, then stopped Mike by his wrist. "Hey, sorry. I didn't know." she said genuinely. "My name's Samantha, though my friends call me Sam. I'm sorry about your parents. I…run my mouth a lot, it’s a problem.' She apologized hastily.

Mike should have been angrier, but a number of things prevented him from staying that way. Firstly, a beautiful blonde with long hair tied up in a ponytail, long legs, and a miniskirt was speaking to him. Secondly, said beautiful girl just took him by the wrist so she could talk with him. Thirdly, unbeknownst to said girl, Mike had never even had a friend who was a girl, preferring the uncomplicated company of his best friend. This meant that speaking to girls, let alone gorgeous ones up close, was not something an absolute nerd like him was used to, regardless of his ballet training.

In essence, a 15-year-old boy was currently in the throes of having very few thoughts running through his brain, chief of which had to do with bare skin touching bare skin. Having all moisture drain out of his mouth and blood drain out of his brain, Mike struggled to form coherent thoughts thanks to an increasingly concerned gamer-girl with a knack for saying just the wrong things at the worst of times. She had not an inkling that Mike was in such a dilemma of course.

Clearing his throat to try to buy himself a moment or two, Mike did his best to hide his burning cheeks. "You're alright, you didn't know. Sorry for getting snappy, I just miss them is all. I'm Mike, by the way." he held up a hand which was suddenly feeling very sweaty.

You idiot! How many times have you heard girls get grossed out by clammy hands? You should have wiped them first.

He quickly retracted his hand behind his head bashfully, trying unsuccessfully to surreptitiously dry his hand off. The trouble was, Sam, in her quest to extend an olive branch to make up for her social faux pas had now clutched confusedly at thin air where his hand had just been. Mike, mortified at missing the hand, reached back to grab hers, but as he did so, she pulled her hand back behind her back, giggling as she looked down at his now proffered hand once again.

"Maybe we should just wave for now?" she said with a smirk.

Mike's blush had now reached his ears. "Sorry." he said brushing his hand against his side. Just then, a thought struck him. "Hey, Samantha, you know the Link pretty well compared to me right? Is there a way we can contact each other by Link, without using your phone? Cause, if I may, Could I get you as a contact?"

Sam smirked. She typed in the air in front of her briefly.

• Contact Request - Samantha Ricario Briceau

Accept?

Y/N

Mike was astonished, it was literally like he was playing a game in real life. He couldn't believe it, a girl was inviting him to…

Wait a sec…

Mike might not be the quickest on the uptake at all times, but when he was, he noticed minute little details, especially in people. She had just typed in the air, whereas he used the Link mentally with commands. Joe's words rang in his head. 'Don't give away more than you're comfortable with'.

Mike realized he had never actually used his hands with the Link before. He had just assumed it only worked one way. He raised his hand and pressed the 'Y' on the contact request.

• Chosen - Samantha Ricario Briceau is now one of your contacts.

"Wow, Michael Seagal Baker, quite a name! You can video or voice call, text, and even ping me if I allow it. It's in the 'contacts' portion of the menu, top right of your HUD." she said with a smile.

"Thanks, Samantha, you can just call me Mike, everyone does." Mike began.

"Well then, you can call me Sam. I'm glad I found someone nice here already. Let's get to our rooms before we run out of time, I don't feel like doing assembly with all my luggage." she said before setting off towards the steps. Mike's cheeks burned at the compliment. Feeling incredibly lucky, he followed suit.

She has quite a long name too, wonder if all the Chosen have long names. Wait, are we all going to be staying in the same place? How will they separate the girls and boys?

"Which room number do you have, if I may?" Mike asked, before realizing how it sounded. "Uh, actually never mind, forget I asked." he said, mentally berating himself.

"Don’t stress, It's cool. I think I'm on the second floor, 208." she said, matter-of-factly.

"That's cool! I'm in 57, so…no idea where I am." He said lamely.

Sam grinned humourously. "How have you been alive this long? Sounds like you've been living under a rock to me. You're probably on the ground floor since you're only double digits and it looks like the building has three or four floors. 300 of us need to fit in here, so." she allowed Mike to finish the logical train of thought with a shrug of her shoulders. He was still a little lost, so he just nodded and pretended to understand.

They approached the rounded steps leading into the building from the courtyard. They were made of a white stone, flecked with bits of shiny black in-between. He felt like he'd been transported a hundred years back in time to when people cared about how things looked and built things to last, not spend as little as possible and cut every corner. This place was amazing. He and Sam, alongside some other stragglers picked up their bags and alighted the steps. The more they climbed and the closer they got to the House the bigger and more impressive it seemed to become.

As they reached the top and approached the doors, Mike gaped at the display before him. Massive wooden arch double doors, intricately carved with seemingly historical depictions on them stood wide open, bidding the students welcome. The lintel above them showcased an exquisite sword, glowing with a warm light, and what looked like smoke or steam rising from it. How they managed to carve that out of stone was beyond Mike, and what did it stand for? The House emblem perhaps?

Once inside, it was clear that the comparison to a centuries-old manor was not unwarranted. The majestic spectacle of a large reception area filled to the brim with all the bells and whistles of a period drama screamed time travel to Mike, who patted his pocket to feel that his phone was indeed on him. To the left and right were large halls, and in front of him was a large, round, and grandiose reception desk, with several staff standing or sitting around it, talking amiably with some arriving students.

Behind the reception area was one of the most cliché staircases he'd seen, leading to the second floor, branching off at a sharp angle into two staircases halfway up, one leading to the left, the other, to the right. That was when he noticed the signage. To his left, he saw signage stating 1-100, and to the right was signage for the Gymnasium, Dining Hall, and Recreation Lounge. On the first floor up the staircase to the left, the signage showed 101-200, and up the staircase to the right, 201-300.

"Wow, this place is huge!" Sam said next to him, snapping him out of his reverie. "Look at all the wood! They must have chopped a forest down to build this place. I can't wait to take it all in later! See you in a bit, Mike." she said, rushing off to the staircase. Mike checked the time and realized he didn't have that much time himself, naturally. Some of the Chosen around him looked like they were also in a hurry.

He set a brisk pace and walked down the left hallway toward his assigned room. It was quite a walk, with the numbered rooms being rather far apart…

Is this place…bigger on the inside than the outside? I mean, it did look huge on the outside, but this…

He came to a stop in front of door 57. He hadn't received a key, so he had no idea if it was locked, nor how he would lock it in the first place. His letter told him to go first thing to his room, so he did just that. As he placed his hand on the round embossed handle, a lock clearly clicked, and as he turned to handle, the door opened. He didn't know what he was expecting inside, though the Agreement had stated that basic accommodations would be provided. What he walked into was arguably more luxurious than anything he'd previously encountered.

He walked into what he could only describe as a large fully-furnished luxury apartment.

I must be in the wrong place.

He looked around inside. A lounge greeted him at first, with a state-of-the-art kitchen to his left, divided by an arch.

Definitely in the wrong place.

He walked in and shut the door behind him. As he moved into the lounge, he noticed a short hallway, which he couldn't help but admire for its aesthetics. Art hung on the walls, the decor was present almost everywhere you looked, and an air of comfort greeted him as he wandered forward until he came to 3 different doors. They were each open, the one to his right looked to be a study of some sort, while the room he could tell at a glance was a very spacious gymnasium with very odd-looking paneling within. In front of him, the door revealed his bedroom and the most comfy-looking bed he'd ever seen.

The Bed. It called him.

I shouldn't…

Mike trundled his things inside, dumped his laptop bag down, and with the reservation of a child in a candy store, flew onto the bed with a running leap.

He landed in what felt like a fluffy cloud, embracing him, coercing him to simply stay there forever, and never get up again. Time seemed to slow, as a strange drowsiness swept over him. With a satisfied groan, he rolled himself over onto his back, staring up at a mostly featureless roof.

That's weird, did they run out of paint?

One side of the roof had some color to it, but…

"Shit! How long have I been here, I gotta go!" he saw the timer he'd mentally placed in the top right of his vision counting down with 3 minutes to go. He shook the weird lulling sensation of sleep away and threw himself off the bed, which had no right being as comfy or strangely captivating as it was, and ran for the door, marveling once more at how insane the place was.

I really hope I'm not gonna arrive back here and somebody else is wondering why the hell there are bags in their room.

He ran down the hallway, his legs pumping as he picked up speed. There was no one else in the hallway, which made him even more nervous. He messaged Sam mentally. 'Hey, where's everyone? You already outside?' He ran faster, pushing his legs to work harder. As he came to the end of the hall, Sam still hadn't responded and he entered the reception area, where an important-looking lady eyed him with a hint of what Mike thought was disapproval.

Weird, what did I do wrong? Oh, it's probably the running.

Mike slowed down and set a brisk walking pace towards the House's entrance. He exited, only to see an empty courtyard, save for a single person at the top of the stairs.

Calum Erlessen? Why is he the only one here? There are supposed to be 300 students here. Oh no, does that mean I'm…

Mike approached the Vice Chairman, who was presently leaning on the stone railing overlooking the courtyard.

"Hello, Vice Chairman. My apologies if I'm late, I'm terribly sorry! Could you point me in the direction of the assembly by any chance, please? I could still make it if I…" Mike rambled, before trailing off when he saw Calum's face.

Calum's face looked perplexed and somewhat frightened. "Uhhh, what are you doing here?"

Mike's stomach sank. He was sure he set the timer right, but he must have been extremely late if the Vice Chairman was asking him that question. "I'm so sorry sir, I shouldn't have taken so long."

Calum's face changed from perplexed to intrigued. "No, you're not late at all. You're actually a whole day early!"

Mike was confused. "Wait, but how could I be early? I set a timer for 20 minutes, and it's just expired. How..."

Calum burst out laughing, adding confusion to Mike's situation.

"Wow, you must be something else!" Calum's eyes lit up. "What's your name, little man?"

"Mike. Though, if you don't mind, what's going on exactly?" Mike asked suspiciously.

"Mike! Pleased to meet you. I don't know if you remember, but I'm Calum. I'm your House representative, as well as the Vice Chairman, as you so politely remembered. To answer your question, we at the Academy like to play a little magical prank. A practical ritual that's been upheld for hundreds of years and worked without fail."

Mike's brain had to do a bit of mental gymnastics to put the implications of that statement together.

"So, I'm?..." Mike began.

"Weird?" Calum finished. "Definitely."

Mike had just put to final pieces together when Claum answered his actual question.

"You, my good Chosen. are supposed to be asleep." Calum said with a grin.

As Mike's eyes basically popped out his head at that statement, a very familiar thought crossed his mind, not for the first or the last time.

What. The. Hell!?