Mike

(Academy Administrative Hub)

"Okay, now you're making me even more scared than I already was after I said it to La'ar. Besides, he said he liked me afterward, so…I don't think he hates me?" Mike said hopefully.

Calum's jaw lifted back up off the floor, reassessing Mike as they stood overlooking the beautiful gardens in front of the admin building,

"Michael…" Calum began.

"Come on man, it's just Mike. Michael sounds weird coming from anyone that isn't La'ar or some insanely powerful alien." Mike smirked at Calum, who was busy reconstructing his dignity after his previous outburst.

"Well, Mike, you're either the bravest, or the luckiest person alive, because no one, and I mean no one talks to him the way you did. By the sound of it, you got off scot-free from the second most powerful being in the universe. On the side of good, that is." Calum said, looking at Mike with uncertainty.

"Yay me?" Mike responded shrugging his shoulders.

Calum sighed, shook his head, and chuckled. "You know what, let's just leave that aside. Seeing as you're awake and just had a showdown with The Cultivator, how about a tour of the grounds?" Calum gestured out across what felt like a rolling expanse of gardens, forest, and mysterious unknown buildings.

Mike shrugged his shoulders. "Why not?"

"Then follow me." Calum stated as they walked down the stairs and took them down a path with signage indicating they were moving away from the dorms. The trees lining the pathway were verdant oaks, tall and towering, offering shade as the boys progressed toward some unseen destination.

"So, what were you going to do today, since your whole House is 'asleep'?" Mike asked.

"Rest!" Calum blurted out. "You have no idea how much preparation went into 300 sleep spells! La'ar's also been cracking the whip, making sure everything was up to snuff for your arrival. This place looked... well, decidedly less beautiful than what it is now, that's for sure. We've all been cleaning, planting, casting, and a few other things this whole month. I was kind of looking forward to a nap."

Mike felt a touch guilty for keeping Calum from resting, though his curiosity was piqued. "I wanted to ask you actually, how come there are people here already? According to what you just said as well, you can 'cast', so you can use magic? I thought only the Chosen were coming here. Oh, and sorry for keeping you from your own sleep, the place is beautiful though! I thought I'd been teleported back in time actually."

"Not at all, I'll get to rest today, since there really isn't more preparation to be done. As for the other stuff, I'll let you simmer on that until tomorrow. Wouldn't want to steal La'ar's job after all. What I will say is that you definitely did not go back in time, and yes, it really is beautiful." Calum replied with a lopsided smile. "Ah! Here we are, our first stop."

The trees gave way to a massive expanse and an enormous stadium filled his view. At least he thought it was a stadium. A gigantic glass dome, with what had to be thousands of panels took up most of Mike's vision. "This is the training dome," Calum grandly gestured at the massive structure. "Otherwise known as the Colosseum. Here is where you and your classmates will learn to channel and use your gifts in a variety of ways. It also lives up to its namesake, since people can and will come to watch future events and such. Believe it or not, it's the size of six football fields. You'll never have to worry about breaking anything since it can be repaired magically, it's no trouble at all. To pre-empt your question, it was made this big because depending on your gift and its use, you may or may not need a lot of room to train it."

Mike felt like his jaw was dragging on the floor as they began walking along the path outside the grandiose structure. He'd never seen anything like it in his life. "How do you get around inside? Do you have to walk everywhere? Are there..." Mike was interrupted by Calum wagging his finger.

"Sorry Mike, NDA on that today. You'll get to go inside tomorrow though and you'll also get to ask your questions, promise." Calum said with a grin as he led them down the path towards what the signage was saying was the Campus, Hospital, and OTA.

As they walked it dawned on Mike that he had no idea where on Earth he was, and he had no hints either, since there was also not a soul in sight. The Academy grounds were massive, as in, miles large he was sure, but he didn't know where in the actual world he was. "Calum, tell me, where exactly are we? As in, I know we were teleported, but where to? On Earth, on another world, or what?" He asked curiously.

Calum gave Mike a playful side-eye as they approached halfway past the large stadium. "You sure love asking exactly the questions La'ar's going to answer tomorrow Mike. I'm burning to tell you, but let's put it this way, I can't spoil the surprise, but you'll still get the special tour regardless, minus all the fun stuff. That way, you still get a small leg up on the rest, and I don’t get booted from being Vice-Chair. It's not ideal, but I'll still tell you what I can, will that satisfy you for now?" Calum shot Mike a pleading look.

Mike didn't like being kept in the dark, though in this case, it was just for a day, so he wouldn't begin catastrophizing just yet. With a small sigh, Mike acquiesced with a shrug of his shoulders. "Fine, have it your way. Though I hope La'ar won't mind me asking him about everything when you could have spared him the time." He said in playful banter.

"Trust me, I know La'ar relatively well by now, being his aide and all. He loves magic and the Chosen so much he'd probably give you brownie points for it." Calum said with a dramatic eyeroll.

From then onwards Calum showed Mike the enormous open field known as the Outdoor Training Area or OTA, it was even larger than the Colosseum. Next, they made a stop at the most aesthetically pleasing hospital he'd ever seen, which was saying something, since hospitals generally looked either dull, scary, or a bit of both. From there they moved to the Campus. An enormous quadrangle of 11 different buildings, all of which apparently served the study of magic for the Chosen.

"There are quite a few other places to see, but I think let's call it a day since we're going around on foot and all if you don't mind." Calum stated as they took a path back towards the dorms.

"That's fine," Mike said in silent relief. His feet were killing him, and he wasn't wearing walking shoes. "I'm ready to unpack and get situated myself after all. By the way, is there anywhere I can go to grab some food? I'm starving." Mike asked without reservation.

Calum clapped a hand to his head. "Mike, I'm terribly sorry, I completely forgot to grab us anything. There's a cafeteria at the dorm, and I promise, the food is to die for." Calum said apologetically. "By the way, I just want to intercept a question you might have about getting around. It's NDA, buuuut..." As Calum drew out the word Mike could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising, his instincts telling him to turn around. As he did so, the quietest golf cart he'd ever seen had seemingly materialized out of nowhere and trundled silently up to them. Mike looked at Calum askance.

"You couldn't have gotten this thing to us earlier by any chance?" Mike asked incredulously.

Calum motioned for him to climb in the cart with him. Once seated, he turned to Mike with a very serious look on his face, but an unmistakable glint in his eye.

"NDA."

With that they took off at a pace Mike could have sworn was more fitting for a motorway, though he had a sneaking suspicion this wasn't the first time Calum had done this. With a grin on his face, Calum zipped them along with only the quiet hum of the tires, the wind whipping their hair about, and Mike's laughter as they quickly made their way back to House Zayin. As they approached the dorm area, Mike could vaguely tell that there were indeed 10 Dorm houses, though they weren't laid out in typical fashion. Mike was certain he'd find out more eventually, though right now, he was enjoying his incredibly fast joyride with Calum.

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They arrived with windswept hair at the entrance to their House courtyard, where they hopped off the cart, and Mike watched dumbfoundedly as it turned itself around and zoomed away, far more slowly than Calum had of course. Calum seemed to have perked up considerably after that as he walked them up the stairs into the House. "Well, that was fun! I promise I'll be done with all the NDA stuff tomorrow once La'ar has gone over everything with you guys. Don't want you to think I'm some 'stiff' who can't break a rule or two." he said with a knowing grin. Once inside, Mike let out a small sigh of relief. He saw a few people at the Reception desk. The trek around the Academy without a person in sight had been somewhat...unnerving. Calum led Mike towards the Dining Hall, where they were met with yet another grandiose sight. Dark wooden floors, multitudes of tables, and chairs, decked out with extravagant-looking furnishings were all across the Hall. In front of them, where Calum led Mike, was a long serving bar, with an exposed kitchen behind it. There was only one person standing behind it though, who looked like he was playing imaginary piano in the air, clearly using the Link.

"Grant!" Calum called out as they walked towards the serving bar. The man looked up at Calum's arrival before grunting and looking slightly surprised at the interruption. "Master Erlesen, what can I do for you... And your guest today." Grant said, eyeing Mike with suspicion.

"Don't worry Grant, Mike here had a bit of an accident with the sleep spell, so he's up and about. Would you mind fixing us a small lunch please?" Calum said warmly.

Grant looked mortified and addressed Mike directly. "My apologies, Master Mike. I didn't know you were a Chosen. Please, forgive any indiscretion on my part." he said before bowing his head slightly towards Mike. "I'll have some food whipped up in no time. Please take a seat, sirs." Grant righted before implements sprang to life behind him, whilst ingredients emerged from unknown places and began assembling themselves.

Mike had no clue what to make of such an overt display of magic. He had, after all, only ever seen a few instances of magic in front of his eyes. He was enamored and would have probably stood there until the entire process was complete had Calum not dragged him away to a nearby table. "You'll have time to gawk later, for now, just sit. Your food's almost here." he grinned.

No sooner had Calum and Mike sat down than a pair of plates floated over to their table, boasting the most delicious-looking sandwich Mike swore he'd ever seen. It wasn't that it looked particularly foreign or exotic, more that it looked like the lettuce, cucumber, and tomato had just been plucked from the soil, rinsed in a cool mountain spring, and then lovingly deposited onto bread baked by an angel. That was the quality of the club sandwich before him. He couldn't think much further because before he knew it, he was biting into the most divine-tasting meal he'd ever had. He ate nonstop, not even stopping to make conversation. Just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was finished, and Mike was left feeling distraught. He found himself becoming...emotional?

"Don't worry, you get to eat here every day for the next few years. It's incredible right?" Calum said as he finished off his own meal. "Grant is the best there is at cooking, hands down. His Gift is a Conjuring-type, specifically, the conjuring of non-living biomatter. It's kinda specific, but once he realized its applications, he became famous even amongst the Livari. He sometimes cooks for big important functions for them."

Mike's mind was a rollercoaster. Not only was there a Chosen behind the counter who had food magic, but he also worked for the Livari...as a chef! The Agreement wasn't lying when it said you could be called up for anything! It was so...innocuous though. Almost absurd! Here Mike had mentally prepared himself to become a soldier on day one, launched into the fray without any help and told to swim, but this?...

"Wow, I thought we were all just supposed to be...weapons, I guess? That's kind of a relief!" Mike said, letting go of a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. Calum didn't say anything, so Mike took it as a confirmation.

Calum stood with Mike as they returned their plates to the counter. Mike thanked Grant profusely, which Grant found flattering before Mike and Calum found themselves walking towards the dorm rooms.

"Mike, I didn't say anything in there since Grant's hearing is amazing, but you need to know something. NDA or not." Calum said to Mike seriously as they traversed the reception area and down the hallway. "The thing is, you're not exactly wrong. Grant is an amazing cook, but there are other applications to bio-matter conjuring than you think. Say, for instance, there's a particularly troublesome and paranoid general from an opposing faction that needs to be...dealt with. Grant can be genetically altered to look like said general's race, and transported in to infiltrate their ranks...as a chef of course. There, he can work his way up the ranks until he's serving his incredible food to the general himself. Now, all food is rigorously tested of course, but what if all it takes for someone to die is a nanogram of Botulinum toxin? As someone who can manipulate and conjure said toxin out of nothing, well, you do the math." Calum stated in hushed tones.

Mike hadn't even begun to consider the potential application of Grant's Gift past what he'd just witnessed. He tried to piece it together. "Calum, what are you saying? Are we..."

"You see Mike," Calum calmly interrupted, "One of the things about us humans is that, for all intents and purposes, we are the boogeymen of the galactic stage. We may not be the strongest, nor the fastest, nor the most magically endowed, at all, in fact. However, we are most certainly the cleverest. Next to the Livari, of course."

They came to a stop in front of Mike's door, number 57. "This is what I want to impress upon you, Mike. We may be small, seemingly weak even to the others out there, but since you seem to be special for...reasons, I think it's only fair for you to know just where we rank in the pecking order. This is an Academy, and yes, you will learn many good and practical things here too. But make no mistake, in many ways, the Academy is a place to hone Earth's best into becoming the very thing you say. Weapons. In the mere 220 years since the Academy's founding, guess what the Livari's favorite tools have become in over 10,000 years of battle against their enemies?" Calum stated matter-of-factly, as though he were giving a lecture to a classroom of students.

Mike had no idea how to respond, so he simply shrugged.

"It's us, Mike. The Humans. There have been very few of us until now, however, compared to the rest of the Galaxy, we are possibly the best at what we do. We've perfected it without the help of magic, which almost every race out there has, but not us. I'll let you be the one to decide what it is we do best." he said ominously.

Mike had been watching Calum speak as they had walked, and now as they stood in front of Mike's door. Calum had seemed proud of what he was saying, that humans were the Livari's new favorites, but Mike couldn't help but see an underlying sadness behind Calum's eyes at that last statement.

He's not trying to scare me, Mike realized, He's trying to prepare me. I think...

"Thanks for the lowdown, I guess," Mike said with an awkward smile. "Though, what are you getting at Calum? You've spoken in statements, but I don't really know what you're trying to say." Mike asked cautiously.

Calum sighed and looked both ways down the corridor. "I've already said too much, and if I'll be punished for this, so be it. What I'm saying is, I don't know why, but you seem important. To La'ar, and to..." Calum seemed conflicted. "Well, to whoever else you were speaking to in La'ar's office."

Mike didn't know whether to be offended or impressed that Calum had eavesdropped on them without anyone noticing.

"In any case, I just want to warn you. Watch your back, and don't take what you're doing here lightly. If you are who I think you might be, then you've got a longer and harder road ahead of you than anyone else has ever walked. There will be...people, here at the Academy that are not as altruistic in nature as the Livari. If they find out who and what you are, you may end up in a very difficult position. Choose your friends wisely, and don't get caught up in the fluff. There's more at stake here than you know." Calum said quietly, before clapping Mike twice on the shoulder and snapping into a much more boisterous and jovial disposition. "Thanks for that Mike, I hope you enjoyed today as much as I did. Sleep well, and get some rest before tomorrow! It's going to be a big day after all." Calum smiled before turning back down the corridor and waving as he walked away.

• Contact Request - Calum Welf Erlesen

Accept?

Y/N

The request startled Mike as he blinked, almost feeling as though he'd woken up from sleep. He mentally accepted the request, watching as Calum faded down the corridor. Mike stepped into his room, allowing the door to shut before putting his hands on his hips. He was confused. It felt as though Calum had just dumped a bucket of cold water on him after a rather epic day. His whole demeanor had changed as well once Mike had mentioned the Chosen being 'Weapons'.

What is going on with you Calum? Mike wondered quietly.

• Message Request - Calum Welf Erlesen

Accept?

Y/N

Weird. He'd just spoken to Mike, why would he message him randomly? Mike accepted the message, which read: "Mike, thank you for today. I apologize for my behavior after lunch. I imagine you are more confused than ever, though I ask for patience and understanding. I will explain everything as soon as I can, but right now is not the time. See you tomorrow. Rest well. Calum."

Mike was more confused than ever, but he was getting too tired to be worried about Calum's weird behavior. He said he'd explain himself, so who was Mike to judge?

Mike looked over to his bedroom and found himself trudging over to the enchanted bed. He felt the unnatural pull of what must have been the sleep spell as it threatened to overtake Mike's senses. In the back of his mind, he felt that he could pull away if he wanted to, though he had no such desire. THe rest of his classmates were asleep, and they'd all face the same things tomorrow when they awoke, so why should he be any different? Mike decided to flop onto the bed just as he was, and allowed the sleep spell to wash over him. He let his mind to wander, and before he knew it, sleep had claimed him for yet another day