Surely he was hallucinating. After all, a lot of things happened today. He found out that he was invited to join a magical academy, he learned some important things about his and the history of Mages overall and he made two new friends who didn’t judge him based on his lineage and who were very supportive of him. It was understandable that the emotional toll on him was vast and so he was imagining things but this seemed almost too real.

Jon rubbed his eyes as best as he could and leaned again to look at her. She was standing at the farthest corner, closest to the second-years, surrounded by two boys and one girl. Behind his other future classmates and Adam’s imposing figure, there was no way she could notice him. She was too busy giggling and mingling with her small group of friends. Jon’s eyes were open wide, he wasn’t blinking at all. As much as he wanted to deny it and not to admit to himself, there was no doubting it. Long blonde hair, twin pigtails, dark blue eyes, a wide smile with white teeth, a pretty face, her lean build, that was Lara, Jon’s former friend and girlfriend and the one who spilled the beans on his secret which he wasn’t even aware of.

“Hey bro, you okay? You look like you’re having a staring contest with a ghost.” Adam waved his palm comically in front of Jon as if he was checking his eyesight. Jon winced as he shook his head.

“Yeah I’m good. Just got some thoughts in my head.”

The elderly man that was standing in front of the four groups of students made a poor attempt at coughing as he stepped closer to them and locked his hands behind him. He was of average height with some grey hair peppered over his head and was wearing rugged pants, a plain shirt and some old worker’s coat.

“Greetings kids, for those of you who are returning here, you already know who I am. For the ones who are here for the first time, my name is Peter McClellan and I work as a janitor for the Ashford Magical Academy. I will help you get acquainted and comfortable here since you’ll be spending the next four years here and this building will act as your second home.”

“What building, sir? I only see these old and ancient looking houses and shops around us...” Some of the first-years asked.

“Oh, that’s right, it can’t be seen from here. The Academy is of course hidden from view, it’s right there in the sky behind the clouds. Come, follow me.”

The first-years were looking around and acting very excited while the older students didn’t react since they were already used to this. Jon and Adam looked at each other in awe but Artemis was just nodding her head.

“In the sky? That’s awesome!” Jon said as one by one the students went up some old stairs made of stone and followed the janitor up the hill.

“I mean I knew about this; my sister told me but to actually see it is a whole other experience. Hey, why are you acting so aloof, you don’t think this is a cool thing?” Adam was grateful that his older sister was so far ahead and he turned his attention now to Artemis who was walking behind him and Jon.

“I also knew about this, however not because someone told me but because I read about it. It’s hidden to everyone who can’t use magic and its main purpose is as a defensive measure. By being in the sky and hidden by clouds, it can only be accessed by a certain spell and nobody can teleport inside of it.”

Adam rolled his eyes at her explaining as Jon was making sure that the three of them were walking and were the last of the entire group. He was watching all the time in front of him at Lara’s direction and his emergency plan included hiding behind Adam if she looked behind her for whatever reason. The fact that she was to become a Mage in training with him still sounded like fantasy to him but there it was. Just like his lineage, he couldn’t do nothing to change or affect it, he just had to live through it.

The one thing that did put some ease into Jon’s mind were his surroundings. He didn’t know what this place was called that they landed into but there weren’t any tall buildings at all around them. Only houses with deeply carved walls decorated with marbles or sea stone and each building also had a wide chimney. There weren’t many people around, in fact, Jon only saw glimpses of several men and women who looked like they were wearing long robes, which he assumed were Mage robes.

When the janitor, Peter, arrived at the top of the small hill, which was surrounded by overgrown trees and grass, the four groups of students halted and took the time to catch their breaths. Jon looked behind him and the vegetation was so dense and opaque here at the top that he could only barely see down the stone stairs they climbed to arrive here and barely anything of the small town and the train in which they arrived. This definitely looked like a good place to hide something or keep a secret. But he couldn’t see what could be hidden here.

“Getting up here gets harder and harder every year, that much I can tell you. Well you folks are still young and healthy but when you get to my age then you’ll see what I’m talking about. With the knees gone and that...” And Peter started to mumble something under his breath, shaking his head dismissively, which caused some of the older students to giggle and whisper amongst themselves and soon even the younger ones joined them. Jon got immediately reminded of his grandma and her struggle with dementia and forgetting about mundane things and talking incomprehensibly. This thought made him feel sad about her and he also felt a great amount of sympathy for the old janitor.

“Where did I put it again... ah there it is!” Peter pulled out a small stone which was a dirty red color and contained some markings that didn’t resemble anything Jon had ever seen before.

“Those are teleportation runes, I read about those in-” Artemis whispered but was cut off by Adam.

“We don’t care where you read it, shush now.” He looked down upon her with scoff and she squinted her eyes at him and pouted her small lips, looking red in the face. Jon decided to ignore them both for now.

Peter pointed the stone at the sky above him and with a whooshing and swishing sound an adult man-sized hole formed vertically behind him from which a faint trace of a small island could be seen and some bright white sparkles surrounded the hole. Peter stepped outside, stuffed the stone back into his pocket and pointed to the hole.

“Returning ones, you know what to do. First-years, just follow what your seniors are doing.”

One by one all the older students walked through the hole and seemingly disappeared. Jon narrowed his eyes as he tried to understand how this thing worked. He had almost expected for Artemis to start explaining until Adam went ahead and was the first of the juniors to enter. Everyone went ahead, even Artemis, leaving only Jon behind. He still looked ahead in surprise.

“After you son, don’t be shy now.” Peter patted Jon’s shoulder as he stepped ahead. Jon nodded and entered the portal, with Peter following shortly after.

An experience that he had never felt before, like he was thrown through the air and he could feel some sort of wind flowing through his body as he blanked out for a moment and then everything was clear again. Jon was standing on shaky legs but soon a strong grip on him stabilized him.

“Are you okay? You look a bit wobbly.” Adam punched his shoulder lightly.

“Yes, I’m good. Never went through a portal before though. Does it always feel so dizzy?”

“At first, yes. My sister talked about it and Artemis already explained before you arrived that she read about it... duh. Come on, we’re late.” Jon had trouble trying to keep up with Adam’s fast pace and his longer legs but he still had time to look around. They were in a completely different place now, as if on some island, surrounded by a lake with mountains around. A large palace or castle-like building was in front of them and there was a red carpet on the stairs leading up to it. Entering through the main door, there were statues of past legendary Mages standing around and also portraits with various fantastical and mythical creatures painted with vibrant colors. Jon could swear that he saw from the edge of his eyes that some of the creatures from the pictures were looking at him and whispering something behind his back.

After passing through the Long Hall, the duo arrived at the Entrance Area, which consisted of a large room surrounded by huge windows and a large podium at its northern end. Jon and Adam joined up behind Artemis who scoffed and shook her head as she was the only one to notice them arriving.

“What’s the matter with you two? You’re late! Be thankful that nobody had noticed since everyone was talking loudly.”

“Well I didn’t want to leave my new friend behind, unlike a certain someone with glasses and long hair.” Adam grinned and almost instantly Artemis fired back and they started arguing again but stifling their voices this time as not to attract attention.

Jon ignored this and looked around, seeing Lara deep in conversation with her clique. There was absolutely no indication that she had noticed him or even his two friends at all, which Jon found as a facilitating circumstance. But he also found it odd that she didn’t notice him since it wasn’t as if there were hundreds of students around, especially the first-years. Maybe she was purposefully ignoring him as if attempting to make up for her past sins of exposing his family line? Even after everything that had happened between them, Jon still couldn’t get himself to completely hate her.

“Now, now, some silence please. The Headmistress would like to say some things if you may.”

A deep male voice silenced the eager crowd of young would-be Mages as they all stopped talking and looked forward towards the podium. Jon saw the line-up of what he presumed to be professors. The man who was talking appeared to be in his sixties and he was tall with light skin, slicked-back graying hair with a widow’s peak, and he wore a double-breasted black suit and pants with a red tie and his arms were folded. To his right, stood a slightly shorter man with short brown hair, square glasses and a similar suit to his fellow professor, except that instead of a red necktie he wore a red bow tie. Fourth from the last stood a tall dark-skinned man who looked the biggest with broad shoulders. He appeared middle-aged and his head was shiny bald. He appeared even bigger since he wore a purple robe and his hands were also folded. To his left, there was a brown woman of average height with several golden necklaces hanging around her neck and her head was covered by a red-and-blue headdress and she wore a dark-yellow robe. And finally, in the middle, the shortest and smallest person, an old woman with her white hair tied in a hair bun, a very wrinkly face with closed eyes and a relaxed expression. She wore a gray dress with a black coat draped over her shoulders and was standing while leaning over a cane.

“Thank you Albert. My dear children, welcome to another year at the Ashford Magical Academy. For this school year we will be introducing fifteen new powerful individuals to start their studying and training in the art of magic. Fifteen new potential Mages. I expect of the returning students to approach their juniors with patience and understanding and provide any help necessary. Your belongings will all be brought here by our other staff so don’t worry.”

The old woman tapped her cane on the podium as she took a rather slow step forward and still kept her eyes closed and a faint smile on her face. Jon took a closer look at her; her skin was very wrinkly, with noticeable jowls, suggesting that she was at least as old as Jon’s grandmother or even older. It was also hard to deduce whether she was blind or just kept her eyes closed.

“Oh, look at my manners, I didn’t even introduce myself to our first-years. My name is Moirrey Walsh, I am the Headmistress of the Academy. I was also a professor a long time ago but I have stepped up when the need had risen. To my right, there is Professor of Arcane Magic, Albert Meadow. To his right, Professor of Other Magic, Barry Buchanan. And to my left, Professor of Elemental Magic, Denzel Moore. To his left, Professor of History of Magic, Fatmata Mugabe. There are other Professors too but they aren’t here now, however, worry not since you’ll be meeting them very soon anyway.”

Each professor reacted differently to their introduction. Buchanan adjusted his large square glasses across his nose with a smile, Meadow just shrugged his shoulders and folded his arms with a bored expression, Moore entwined his fingers as he nodded while Mugabe put her right hand over her left hand and also nodded at the students. Jon felt some relief as the first impressions of his future professors were good so far, no alarming signs and he hoped it would stay that way.

“And with that we conclude our little introduction speech. Now, as you might have heard from your older friends, boys and girls are placed into separate Dormitories, each with its own Common Room. The boys Dorms and Common Room are located through a door on the right from the Main Hall while the girls' ones are in the opposite direction, on the left side from the Main Hall. Access to each of the Dormitory and Common Room is exclusive to its respective gender of course but if you want to hang out together, you can do it in the Saloon, which is located up on the second floor, just above the Main Hall. Classes start tomorrow at eight o’clock for every year. Good luck kids.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

And with that, the headmistress and the four professors by her sides left the podium and went ahead climbing the stairs that were located just behind the podium. The second, third and fourth-years started laughing and joking almost immediately after they left and dispersed into two waves; the boys went right to their Dorms while the girls went to the left side of the Main Hall to their own Dorms.

“Hey it’s not that late, let’s go upstairs and check out the Saloon like that old woman mentioned!” One of the first-years suggested and the rest followed after him upstairs, including Lara. As the trio went up, they were stopped by a female voice behind them.

“Oi, hold up!”

The three teenagers halted just as they approached the steps made of ancient stone, standing on the red silk carpet behind the podium. The trio turned around, with Adam groaning in annoyance while Jon and Artemis looked at each other in confusion.

“What an unpleasant surprise, you couldn’t at least wait until tomorrow to annoy me?” Adam let out a heavy sigh.

“Is that how you talk to your older sister, twerp? Shame on you.” Emily grinned as she approached the three of them. She was shorter than Adam, being around the same height as Jon. Her face was also prettier than Adam’s, not that Adam was ugly but unlike her younger brother, her facial features were softer with a rounder face. They still looked fairly alike though, with the same nose, hair and eye color, except that unlike Adam’s short hair, Emily’s hair was tied into a loose ponytail with two bangs of hair sticking from both of her sides.

“Right, sorry. So, what’s up?” Adam straightened himself up and his expression mellowed.

“Mom said that you should try and not cause any problems, at least during the first week or month. Also try not to embarrass me as you always did at our previous school.” Emily folded her arms as she teased him.

“Oh be quiet, I never did any of that...” Adam’s face and ears were turning scarlet as Artemis giggled and Jon patted his friend’s shoulder, giving him some support here.

“Regardless, pay good attention to the professors and we’ll be seeing each other more often than last year, since you’re here too now. Let’s at least try and act as normal siblings here, okay? Nighty night then, twerp.” Emily pecked her younger brother on the cheek as she went to the left side and disappeared to the girls’ Dorms.

“And that was my older sister... trust me, she’s even worse at home...” Adam said apologetically.

“Adam, I envy you so much, I always wanted siblings, growing up without any was so boring. Sure, it gave me more time to read and study about everything but still it would have been awesome to have a brother or sister to share that knowledge to.” Artemis glanced at the ground dreamily as Jon nodded. At least Artemis’ parents were still alive and she still had a chance of having siblings. But Jon’s parents were gone, there was no way he was ever going to be a younger or older brother to his siblings. He was all alone.

“Believe me when I say this, Artemis, I am the one who envies you. Growing up with siblings, both older and young, was hell. Especially when you’re in the middle like me. The younger ones were always on our parents’ softer side while the older one was more on the responsible side. While I was just there, floating in the middle...” And then Adam glanced at Jon and his mouth went wide open. He put his strong hand on his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry mate, I didn’t mean it like that. Your parents are gone and I’m just spouting nonsense here.”

“Yeah, Adam’s right, we were so insensitive. Can you forgive us?” Added Artemis.

“Huh? What? There is nothing to forgive, it’s fine really, no hard feelings. Let’s just say that Adam doesn’t like the idea of siblings, Artemis likes them, and I’ll stay neutral. How does that sound?”

Both Adam and Artemis nodded and chuckled.

“Yeah, if you say so. Come now, let us go upstairs and meet with our fellow first-years in the Saloon.”

* * *

The more they walked through the Academy, the more mystical it felt. Even just climbing up the stairs and ascending to the second floor to enter the Saloon made their mouths go wide open. Apart from colorful pictures which portrayed various fantastical creatures, locations and famous Mages in history, there were also many strange magical artifacts laying on cupboards and tables, ranging from ancient weapons and tools to gemstones and frail looking scrolls. The Saloon itself was a large room with tables and chairs spread around, along with chess sets, beverages and refreshments, a massive window was hidden behind a large red curtain behind which the bleakness of the night sky had timidly crept down. Their fellow first-years were already deep in conversation so the trio found an empty table and sat down.

“So, where exactly are we? We were on that hill then went through that portal and now we’re on this island surrounded by a lake and mountains. Are we still in Britannia?” Jon asked as he looked around the many candles that were scattered around the walls and at last the large crystal chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling.

“Yeah we’re still in our country. In fact, we’re still in Stone’s Rest, the small town where our train arrived, we’re just floating in the sky. And the lake and the mountains aren’t actually there, it’s only an illusion. It’s only to appear easier on the eye but the truth is that we’re hidden by the clouds and by a very powerful magical barrier that only the Headmistress knows and can harness, so as long as she’s here, we’re completely safe.” Artemis explained as she rolled a rainbow-colored piece of candy in her fingers which she took from a small bowl on the table.

“And how do you know all that?” Adam asked grumpily.

“From reading books, duh. I don’t know why you’re getting so irritated by my knowledge so far. That’s the reason why books exist in the first place, to give us knowledge so that our future gets easier.” Artemis sighed as she put the candy in her mouth and purred in ecstasy from the immense sweetness she just tasted.

“Must be some heavy books then, my parents and older sister are all Mages and yet they never told me any of that.”

“Maybe they thought you wouldn’t be able to understand?” Jon grinned.

Artemis let out a hearty laugh.

“Heh that’s a good one. But seriously though, you should read more books, Adam, especially when you’re still young and can process words more easily. If you’re to become a capable Mage you also need to be well-read and educated, which means that practice without theory isn’t enough.”

Adam sighed as he folded his arms over the table and put his head over his arms.

“Easy for you to say when you grew up in the city with all the time you need. I could barely keep up with my primary school considering all the work I had to attend at home since we have a large farm and when dad’s at work, my mom needs all the help she can get. See this? That’s what I’m talking about.” Adam then showed his palms which were rough and hardened with blisters and scars from work and labor. Jon had already felt it when he shook his hand back on the train but it was the first time he and Artemis took a good look at them which caused her to let out a stifled gasp as she covered her mouth.

“Oh my, did you use some cream or any herb soap for it? You’re far too young to have the skin on your hands so much damaged. Let me see...” Artemis tried to reach out for his palms but Adam retracted his hands back under the table.

“I’m sorry Adam... that was reckless of me, I did grow up in a big city, in fact I’ve never been in the countryside so I can only guess how hard it was for you.” Artemis’ small nose went pink as she looked to the ground and Jon glanced at Adam and his face was also getting crimson.

“I feel happy there, I would never change it, never ever. My farm and my village. You simply have to be there to fully see and feel the beauty of nature around you.”

The somber mood lightened up as Adam started to talk about his life at his farm and with his family but as much as Jon was interested, he still felt odd about the whole Lara thing. There were fifteen first-year students, minus the trio, that’s twelve. They were all behind his back, chatting and mingling and he could hear them the whole time but he was ignoring them. And out of the twelve voices, he could still recognize hers clearly. Did Lara finally figure him out or was she still ignoring him?

Jon could have sworn he saw some shadows approaching him from the left. And at first he thought it was just his eyes getting sleepy and tired but when he heard footsteps approaching him from behind, he straightened up in his chair and gulped.

“Excuse me? Are you Jonathan Phoenix?”

A cold and calculated voice whistled through the air behind Jon like an arrow shot straight from its quiver as he twitched and stood up rather hastily. Turning around he saw the source of the voice. A boy slightly taller than him but shorter than Adam, with dark neatly combed hair, onyx eyes, pale and handsome with a curious look in his eyes and he appeared to be biracial.

“Yes, I am. And who are you, if I may ask?” Jon said proudly and with mock courtesy as there was no point hiding it anymore since everyone will find our sooner or later about his heritage.

“Jason Kawada. Pleasure.” Kawada smirked as he extended his arm and Jon wasted no second shaking his hand and felt an instant chill surge through him as he locked eyes with this peculiar individual. Kawada wasn’t taking the smirk off his face as they broke off the handshake.

“Your fame or should I rather say, infamy, has preceded you, Jonathan.”

“Jon is fine.”

“Already on the nickname basis? Fine by me. Like I said, you are quite the attraction in the Mage society and even the non-magic folk have heard of you. But only in negative light. Is that correct?” Kawada put his hands in his pockets and Jon glanced over his full body. His suit, shoes and even a golden watch must have costed immense wealth, far bigger than Jon could possibly imagine spending or even owning which suggested that this was some rich guy. Adam and Artemis had also stood up and joined with their friend, standing on either side of him.

“Indeed, my experiences have been less than ideal ever since the truth about my family came out into the light, but don’t worry, I can handle it. Still, I do appreciate your support, a stranger empathizing with another stranger brings out the best of us, doesn’t it?” Jon replied sarcastically. If this rich snob was about to fight him, Jon might as well fight back.

Some of the other first-years snorted but three more joined Kawada and stood at his side. To his right was Lara, who Jon ignored, while to his left was a tall boy, even taller than Adam, with dark-brown skin, a small afro, sharp gray eyes, a lean build, long arms, legs and fingers. There was also another girl which stood next to the tall boy, who was just slightly taller than Artemis, and just as slim as her, with short dark hair styled in a bob hairstyle, brown eyes and fair skin. While the tall boy looked on Jon and his friends with no visible emotion on his face, the girl had a very disdainful expression as she was staring at Jon.

“You have tough skin, I’ll give you that, Phoenix, but out here in the open, it’s a different world. No senile granny to protect you, only yourself.” Kawada grinned with delight as Jon opened his mouth in shock.

“What did you say, punk?” Adam asked in a low voice and with a fierce look on his eyes.

“Judging by the way you look and your unpleasant behavior and no manners, I assume you’re a peasant from some rathole. What pathetic name did your parents curse you with?”

“You son of a bi-” Adam lunged forward with his clenched fist but Artemis grabbed his arms and jumped in front of him, halting him in the last second.

“Wait, stop! Do you want to get expelled before even starting your education here? He’s taunting you on purpose to bait you into attacking him.” Artemis cried as her small frame could barely even stand up to the much taller and stronger Adam. Still, Adam conceded and finally calmed down.

“Artemis... I’m disappointed in your choice of friends. Remember what Teacher McLarin told us on the final day of school? ‘Surround yourself with powerful people to secure yourself a powerful future.’ And who did you surround yourself with? A future war criminal from a terrorist family and his peasant friend, who looks like an overgrown rat.” Kawada chuckled with a foul grin as the boy and girl to his left also smiled while Lara just looked at Jon with an odd expression.

Adam clenched his fists again but resisted the urge to rip Kawada apart as he looked at Jon, who nodded. This was a clear sign of him landing over leadership to Jon.

“You know this guy, Artemis?” Adam appeared bewildered as he glanced at her.

“I... well...” Artemis let out a deep sigh. “We come from the same city, New Yorkshire and we went to the same Primary school. Our parents know each other and they’re all prestigious and influential people. But I swear he wasn’t like this... okay, maybe not just to the same extent. Jason, please...”

And she even calls him by his first name, only Jon seemed to hear Adam talk to himself through clenched teeth. It was definitely a surprising fact that Artemis and Kawada knew each other and attended the same Primary school and seemed very close. So why was he attacking them all now if they were such great friends? Did something change so much or was Jon just that much of a menace?

“Your friend Lara told me a lot about you, Phoenix. Some very valuable information which I will use to my full advantage just like my father and mother taught me.” Kawada continued to poke Jon but he ignored him for a moment and instead glanced from Artemis, who gave him a ‘so that’s Lara’ look to Adam who still seemed angry about being taunted and bemoaned. Jon had told them both on the train about Lara and their past as there was no reason not to. One less burden from his back to his new trusted friends felt like relief, especially since his back was already overloaded with many burdens which he didn’t want to carry.

Jon then looked at Lara and tried to decipher her expression. She wasn’t sulking like the boy and girl to Kawada’s left did but she also didn’t show any empathy towards Jon whatsoever. If only he could have gotten into her mind and ask her why she chose to ally herself to this idiot Kawada... did he promise her money and fame in return for spilling his secrets to him? Whatever the reason Jon wasn’t going to back down no matter what.

“Were you ever punched in the face, rich boy?” A female voice caused everyone to look at one girl who was sitting all by herself in the corner of the Saloon under a large picture of the legendary Mage Merlin and away from the group of neutral first-years who were watching the Jon versus Kawada stand-off.

“Is someone speaking to me? Another peasant rat?” Kawada looked left-and-right in a mocking manner as if he was finding out where the voice was coming from.

The girl didn’t waste a moment as she leapt to her feet and walked over to the two opposing groups, standing right in front of Jon and locking eyes with Kawada.

She was just a bit shorter than Jon, with fiery red medium-length hair that was messy and unkempt, tanned skin, emerald green eyes and a confident look on her face. She put her hands on her hips as she smirked.

“Nah, not a peasant rat, just a girl willing to rearrange your face. Are you up for it?” The red girl punched her palm, seemingly ready to actually act on her intrusive thoughts.

“I can’t say that it’s on my plan for today. What’s your name girl?” Kawada smirked, but Jon could swear that his lips twitched; was he showing fear for the first time?

“Amber, I guess. Now, it would be best if all of us went to our respective dorms and got a good night’s rest. Tomorrow is a long day and we need to be ready for our first lessons, don’t you think so, rich boy?” Amber folded her arms as Adam and Artemis looked on in awe at the girl’s bravery.

Kawada opened his mouth as if wanting to say something but closed it and snorted, going down the stairs quickly, followed by the other first-years. Only Lara stayed behind a little longer, her gaze lingering on Jon, without having said a word during this tense encounter and went downstairs.

“That was easier than I thought. Now my friends, I really meant what I said so we should go and get some sleep. The train ride really tired me out.” Amber said as she yawned and stretched out her arms in a lazy manner and slipped down the stairs, leaving only the trio behind.

“What. Just. Happened.” Artemis asked first as she raised her palms.

“Now that’s a girl with a strong personality. Good thing she was on our side, right?” Adam added, his anger being replaced by utter confusion.

“You could say that twice. Now let’s go to sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”