The building was enormous. It was made of brick and was wider than some of the parks he had visited. And this was only one of three almost identical buildings. The councilor had told him that each residence was separated by class ranking, a simple method employed to incentivize hard work. He, however, did not know which building this was. Each dorm was named after one of the primary types of chanters. The first and lowest ranking dorm was the sub-chanter. A common insult used for those who had the gift but couldn’t do anything with it. Next, was for the most basic chanters, and rightfully called the alchanter dorm. Finally, was the enchanter dorm, duly named for those who achieved true greatness. Every one of the councilors was supposedly an enchanter.

All he wished for was not to be placed into the sub-chanter dorm. While not a disrespectful position, it was not something he wanted to hover around him. He tried to see if there was another dorm, he could compare this one too, but wasn’t so lucky. The main institution covered his sight of the rest of the grounds. He realized that he was procrastinating and forced himself to continue towards the dorm.

The building was tall, and the rows of windows told him that hundreds of students could comfortably fit here. The I.C.S took in every chanter and had thousands of students. Honestly, the building seemed small when he considered how many people went to the institute. That probably meant it was either the sub-chanter or enchanter dorm, as the alchanter dorm would need to be much larger. Wilt assumed that was where most students would fall, and he couldn’t help but grimace as he imagined being in the sub-chanter dorm.

That was a dumb thought, as he should be glad to attend the school. It was just the name of the dorm, and the students there weren’t actually sub-chanters. Nobody that weak would even be able to enter the I.C.S and would have to settle for the basic general chants. After having discovered his talent last year, even Wilt had learned the most basic of them. They were extraordinarily useful for helping around the shop and made his life a whole lot easier. The reason these thoughts came to mind was the strange doors that blocked his path.

They were made of glass and had no discernable handles or hinges. Wilt wasn’t completely lost though, as he had seen a few kids touch a small gem on the side of the door before it slid open for them. It was a strange sight, seeing a glass door rise like the city gate did. He was tempted to follow someone in, but since no one else tried it, he also chose to avoid that course of action. He wasn’t so inattentive that he could ignore such an obvious act.

Trying to appear as casual as possible he shuffled along the stone path. It was laid out smoothly like the roads outside, but not wide enough to fit carriages or automobiles. The paths were surrounded by lush grass and flowers, and he even spotted the occasional tree. Even with all that, it was the students that took up much of the grounds. Sitting on the grass or nearby trees, groups of students merely idled around the walkway.

He wasn’t sure if he liked the atmosphere. His family’s library never got crowded, and he only ever had to deal with around two people at a time. Currently though, his eyes were lingering on a group of almost thirty kids who were talking obnoxiously loudly. He might have stayed and observed the grounds, if not for the fact that the group was casually edging towards him. Not wanting or needing to face them, he approached the door. He could handle crowds but wasn’t up for it at that moment. A clear crystal was pressed into the wall, and grey stone surrounded the otherwise plain gem.

Pressing his palm against it, he was a little surprised to find that it felt cool. It was hot out, and people had been touching the jewel constantly. Shouldn’t the gem be hot? Maybe he was supposed to heat it up. It was the only thing he could think of to activate it. He could try pushing raw Ein out of his hands, but he had never managed that before. However, he did know the basic chant to light a candle and began muttering it softly.

“Fundamental element of fire. I impose my will upon the world, using my heat to invoke yours. Call flame.”

He whispered the words, his cheeks reddening as he finished the chant. The words always embarrassed him, sounding far too grand for a trick meant to light candles. He never liked this chant, as it seemed to treat fire as more than what it was. Fire was simple, and the personification rubbed him the wrong way. It was common though and would become a part of his life moving forward.

The crystal did warm, and the door slid up quickly. He didn’t linger and slid inside. The door closed as soon as he entered, and he noticed that it happened sooner than it did for the last person. It must work on something other than a set time. He was tempted to ask someone about it, but that could wait until classes started. He didn’t even know how to phrase the question yet. For now, he wanted to finish moving in, and visit the library if he had time.

The inside of the building was more grandiose than the outside. Clean unblemished floors reflected some of the light from above. Looking up, he was surprised to see the ceiling was very high up, and the light came from big chandeliers that hung in a pattern from the ceiling. Magical crystals hung from them and radiated light across the room. This room alone was bigger than his library. Losing himself in the beautiful pattern, he flinched when he felt someone touch his shoulder.

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“Hello, good sir. I am Jeffrey Holden, and I am here to answer any questions and direct you to your room.”

The voice was extremely respectful, and the tone gave none of his feelings away. Turning, Wilt was surprised to face a man who was taller than him. Wilt had always been tall for his age and was taller than most of the people he had seen. This man, however, was a good two heads taller than him. His eyes were a strange amber shade too, and Wilt realized who, or rather what he was looking at. A native of Larkin! Immediately, Wilt felt his shoulders tense. How was someone like this here, wasn’t he an enemy?

“I’m sorry sir. If you find it difficult to work with me, I can call for another to take my place. Please forgive my presence.”

Jeffrey’s face gave away none of his emotions, but Wilt was able to pick out a hint of disappointment from his tone. He had always been good at picking out how his sister really felt, and this large man reminded him of her. Strange as that was, it got him to relax and properly process his words. It would be easy to dismiss the man and get another person to help him, but he wouldn’t be here if he wanted such an easy life. Plus, that seemed mean.

“Sorry, that wasn’t a fair reaction. I’m just not used to seeing someone like you. Oh, and the name is Alrick Wilton, but please just call me Wilt, and can we talk while we walk to the rooms. This case is annoyingly heavy, and I would like to set it down as soon as possible.”

Wilt had tried to sound jovial, but the man’s eyes went wide. Moving inhumanly quickly, he snatched the carrying case that Wilt had tried lifting to show him how heavy it was. The motion was swift, and the big man carried the case like it was a piece of paper. He seemed greatly disturbed by his own actions, but gladly started leading Wilt toward his room.

“Thank you, mister Wilt, and there is no need to apologize. I should be the one apologizing for not immediately offering my help. Now any questions?”

Jeffrey seemed a lot more relaxed now, and Wilt followed him easily. Several questions popped into his mind, so he started simply.

“How do you know where my room is?”

“The rooms are ordered by the last name, as such, it is easy to find anybody’s room.”

Jeffrey answered the question promptly, and Wilt followed up with another.

“What about the building? What if my room is in another dorm? Also, how does getting food work?”

Wilt added the last question, as he felt his stomach growl. He had missed lunch because he needed to rush and pack once the councilor had arrived.

“You would not have been able to enter the building if you did not belong here. This is the enchanter dorm, congratulations on your admittance. As for meals, you can request freely from any servant such as myself, or you may visit the kitchens or dining halls. Those can be found on the first floor. If you wish I can send for a meal once we are done here.”

His words came out with the same emotionless face, though his tone seemed much friendlier now. His eyes gleamed a bit more too, and Wilt was glad he chose to be friendly to the man. It wouldn’t be fair if he judged him for the actions of a few.

“That sounds good. Could you just give me a rundown of some basic things I should know, like the location of the library and other buildings?”

Wilt didn’t have many specific questions and decided to leave it to someone else. Jeffrey looked well informed, and obviously had experience with how things operated.

They talked about a lot of things as they walked, and Wilt was disappointed that they hadn’t made it to his room yet. He wasn’t even carrying anything at this point yet still felt like he would need a break soon. He distracted himself by observing the names and signs that were placed on the doors.

Each door was made of dark wood, and the walls were all painted white. The whole building was clean, and the white paint seemed to prove that fact. The floor was made of wood too. It probably took six or seven minutes to get to his room, and he had needed to walk up four flights of stairs. He was doubly glad for having Jeffrey now, as he doubted that he could walk up the stairs while carrying his case.

The room was large, with a bed table, and two other desks. Furthermore, there was a bathroom connected to his room and even a closet that was big enough to stand in comfortably. The shock of the room had passed, as he laughed like a crazy person

He learned a lot about the school between Jeffrey and the councilor. Lying on his bed, he contemplated what he wanted to do. At first, his plan had been to go to the library, but the bed had crushed that idea. Honestly, he didn’t even think clouds could be as fluffy as the bed. No, he would not be leaving it today. Instead, he reached over to the suitcase which rested on a half-table that was beside the bed. He slid it closer, and cracked it open, by flipping the crude metal hatch and lifting the leather flap.

He searched for the papers that the councilor had handed him and grabbed the first his fingers could coil around. It was a schedule, and he held it carefully as he rolled onto his back. Opening the slightly crumpled papers, he read over his schedule again.

He had two classes scheduled for tomorrow. One was labeled as “Beginner study of Ein,” and the other was called “Intro to the derivatives of chanting.” The second class was taught by the councilor from earlier and didn’t sound like one of the basic classes that Jeffrey had mentioned. Had the councilor signed him up for it? He considered why she might do that, but the thoughts passed as he heard a knock at the door. Still, unwilling to get up, he merely called to them.

“The door is unlocked, you may enter.”

He couldn’t stop himself from smiling, as he saw a cart of food getting rolled in. The smells as the servant unveiled the food were enough to get him to sit up. Well, he could find out about the class tomorrow. He had something far more urgent and delicious to deal with. However, he still wanted to stay on the bed and opted to call out to the servant.

“Can you slide the meals to me?”