Chapter 4: Dream Academy

Stepping out of the dark tunnel Zel's eyes took a moment to adjust and even one moment longer to truly understand what exactly she was looking at. She had expected a large building, or maybe a castle, or something tremendous at the top of the mountain, but instead what she saw was nearly the complete opposite.

There was no 'peak' at the top of this mountain, instead the group found themselves standing in an enormous crater, its edges jagged and higher still than where they stood, surrounding the edges of the indentation completely. Within the crater itself there was a large field of tall, waist-high white grass and equally tall white flowers that seemed almost to be glowing under the moonlight.

Other than that there was, far out in the middle of the field, a single small building that looked odd from this distance, though Zel couldn't quite place why. There was no 'academy' or facilities that Zel could see and everyone else around her seemed to share an equal amount of surprise and confusion. They all looked to the Representative, their disappointed faces expectantly awaiting an explanation.

"Welcome to Dream Academy's main campus. This is not the location that you will be taking most of your classes." She said, quickly addressing the group's concerns. " This field is commonly used for outdoor activities such as combat exercises, but it is also used for a variety of observations and, if you look closely at the sides of the crater walls, you can get your first peak at some of the classrooms here at Dream Academy."

Zel and the others took another look at the edges of the crater. This Zel noticed that there were specks on the walls in the distance. Little lights that shone like gemstones in the jagged stone. They could be seen anywhere in the crater walls and Zel realized after seeing one closer that each of the sparkles was a window or a doorway, though they were too far to see any of them properly. It seemed that they really were finally on campus grounds.

"But you will have plenty of time to visit those during your classes later." The Representative continued, for now we must continue. Quickly now, follow me." And with that she was off like a flash into the field of white with the students hurriedly catching up to her once again.

The group made their way through the field and as they did so every flower or blade of grass that they touched would glow lightly as they were jostled, creating a wake of light behind the group as they went. Zel had never seen plats like this before and was curious as to what they were. She found them very pretty.

"How d'ya think all this grass is growing straight out of the rock?" Zel asked Miriya."

"I don't know. Maybe these plants don't need dirt? I've never seen anything like them before." Miriya responded, she grabbed the end of one long blade and gave it a healthy tug, but the plant did not move at all, seemingly rooted solidly into the ground.

"I can't break it!" Miriya said, giving it another tug. The grass was entirely resilient to her efforts to remove it from the stone. Zel wanted to give it a try as they were walking, but she was disappointed to find that they had already reached their destination, the strange building in the center of the field. There was no grass or flowers directly around it, and Zel resigned herself to checking out the strange plants later.

The building itself was very odd indeed. It was a large and circular structure made of two rows of pillars that wrapped around from where the students entered to the opposite end with a large courtyard between them, almost mimicking the crater around them. There was a roof that connected the two rows of pillars, but no roof in the courtyard, allowing the moonlight to shine down on the one feature of the courtyard: a pit. It appeared to be a hole that dropped straight down, and looked out of place in the structure.

The Representative strode toward the pit with confidence, causing no small amount of worry in Zel and the others as she precariously approached the edge. They all then watched in horror as the Representative stepped out over the pit without a care in the world, and they were all surprised as the Representative did not fall, but rather bobbed as if she were climbing down stairs. The group gathered around the edge of the pit and collectively took a look down. Zel and Miriya manage to navigate around everyone else and get a look. Zel couldn't help but gasp.

Below them was a sheer drop, hundreds, perhaps thousands of feet down, but between them and the ground there was a massive spiral staircase that spread out wider as it went further down like a massive cone and they were at the tip. On the walls all throughout there were doors and hallways and lights and odd devices that Zel couldn't even recognize, and more people than she had ever seen before wandering about. Even more than any layer of the city of Dream Squall. It almost didn't make sense when she looked at it

"This is Dream Academy," the Representative said, dramatically, bringing Zel and the other's attention back to her. "When the academy was founded they began to make use of this mountain as a structure and campus for learning. Over time they expanded the campus from the top of the mountain's peak, the crater which you were just standing in, all the way to the very bottom, utilizing the entire mountain as Dream Academy's main campus. The truth is that there are hundreds of entrances to the campus all along the side of the mountain, you can enter from almost anywhere on any layer, you only need to know where to look. Now follow along, I'll explain the rest as we go."

The Representative led the group down the spiral stairs, the only thing protecting them from a deadly drop was a stone handrail that was seemingly carved from the same rock as the floor, as if the entire structure had been synthesized from the mountain. The Representative did as she promised and explained exactly where the students were and what they were seeing.

Dream Academy had originally been founded by itself on this mountain, a place for mana users to come and hone their skills and share their knowledge with others, but as the Academy grew, so did the population, and as the population grew, it no longer made sense to just have the Academy be a standalone institution, and Dream Squall was erected around it, utilizing the space on the outside of the mountains and leaving the core of it for the Academy.

She also explained that, as a result of this unusual construction, there was a need to expand the Academy's entrances to places all throughout the mountains corresponding with the district they poured out into.

"The entrance we came through is the first entrance to the top of the crater and Dream Academy that was ever constructed." The Representative explained. "I felt it appropriate that prospective new students should enter from there."

"So we climbed all those stairs for nothing!?" Miriya complained after hearing this news, not quite loud enough for the Representative to hear.

"Ah, shut up. Not like you can't use the exercise! Just look at all the flab building up on your tail!" Zel exclaimed enthusiastically before grabbing the base of Miriya's fluffy tail, giving it a squeeze.

"Eep!" Miriya jumped from the contact before turning around and wresting her tail from Zel's grip. Instead of coming up with a retort, she simply extended her long tongue at Zel before turning away, hugging her tail close. The betrayal was still fresh in her mind.

Zel laughed as they continued further down into the mountain. She again tried her best to learn as much as she could from the Representative, but found her eyes wandering. Most of the rooms were simply designed, a door with a sign on it or next to it that explained the internal workings of the room, many of them intrigued Zel. Things like 'Allied Enhancement Practice, Liquid Specialization Techniques, Advanced Principles of Magical Flexibility, Familiar Summoning' all caught her eye, and those were only a drop in the ocean of how many different and unique rooms there were. There were also some rooms that were ominously left unmarked, one in particular had a massive metal door nearly twice as tall as the ordinary wooden or stone ones, a telling dent punched into the center of it from within the room.

Most of the classrooms were devoid of windows to see through, but occasionally there was a doorway that allowed the students to see inside a classroom. From within these rooms Zel noticed all sorts of magical devices, scrolls, clothing, and other items that she could either not determine the function of, or she felt like she could easily, which was probably worse given how little she knew about enchantments.

One room had a Splitfolk gentleman who was working with what appeared to be a glove with a layer of indistinct foam floating above it, its purpose entirely alien to Zel. Apparently the unfortunate man in the room had the same understanding of the device as Zel, when the group walked by, he gave them a wave before the glove suddenly glew very bright and the entire room was instantly filled with the floating foam. The Representative assured the group that the man was alright. Probably.

I think I should do my best to not touch anything, Zel thought. It was a terrible thought to have due to the sheer amount of touchable things in the Academy, but a prudent thought nonetheless.

Zel was lost in the sights and giggling with Miriya when the two of them almost crashed into some others in the group as suddenly the Representative abruptly stopped her rapid tour of the school in front of an odd room with huge and ornate wooden doors.

The room was odd because of the stone that it was made out of. Most of the mountain was the same gray stone from the top to bottom, but this room seemed to be made out of something translucent, Zel was just able to make out some shapes through the walls and she could tell easily that the room within was dark.

"We have arrived." The Representative said. She walked up to the large doors and with a single, effortless motion, swung one open, revealing the room within.

"Enter, please." She said, and the prospective students did so, filtering in one by one.

It was quite dark within the room, even for the Splitfolk. Zel couldn't make out anything past a few rows of what appeared to be benches. As the students filtered in there was less room by the doorway, forcing some into the darkness. She heard a crash followed by an annoyed clicking and whistling sound, clearly a Clickfolk had gotten into some kind of trouble in the dark. She did not envy their lack of vision in the dark. To them it was probably pitch black in the space. As soon as the last of them trickled through the door slammed shut behind them, making it darker still. The voice of the Representative echoed through the darkness.

"Stay where you are for just a moment!" her voice boomed. The group did so, save for the one poor Clickfolk who was struggling to their feet somewhere in the darkness. The prospective students could hear a steady clicking getting further and further away as the Representative moved about in the dark.

Eventually the footsteps stopped and Zel could just make out a couple of voices in the distant dark, though what they were saying she had no idea. Then the room grew quiet and the students waited in anticipation for further instruction or anything to happen in the blackness. They did not have to wait long as the walls of the room started to change.

The room began to get brighter. Zel thought initially that her eyes had finally started to become accustomed to the darkness but she just as quickly realized that this was incorrect. The room was rapidly growing brighter, with no discernable light source. Someone let out a laugh, and now that they could see more clearly Zel recognized that it was Flint.

"That old coot sure does like to put on a show!" He exclaimed. He was in the center of the room and seemed to be focused on the far side of the hall. Zel followed his gaze across the room where she noticed the Representative was standing with a hunched over and cloaked figure. The figure's spindly hand was gently touching the furthest wall of the room.

"Zel! The room is getting brighter! Look!" Miriya held out her arms gesturing in every direction. Zel thought that her sister was just pointing out the obvious, but then she realized what Miriya meant.

Rather than the room being lit by a single light source, it was the entire room itself that was now producing a gentle light that was rapidly growing in intensity. It became brighter and brighter to the point that it became difficult for Zel and the other students to see anything at all, but right as it reached that point it stopped and settled down to a comfortable glow for the Splitfolk at least, though it may have been a little dark for the others.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

As the students got their first look at the room, a large hall filled with dozens of rows of wooden benches that lead to an ornate podium at the far end, the figure that had been touching the wall had separated from it and was now making their way down the center aisle with the Representative by their side.

As the cloaked figure approached, it became clear to Zel that he was a Splitfolk as well. He was hunched over, so it was difficult to gauge his height, but Zel determined that when he stood up straight, if he could, he would be quite tall, but for now he relied on a cane to hold himself up even to the poor degree he managed. He was entirely bald with fair blue skin. On top of his head he wore many different tattoos, though Zel could not recognize any pattern among them. The tattoos continued even onto his face and arms, though interestingly, his right arm, the one that he had placed against the wall to light the room, was entirely devoid of tattoos, but that seemed like the only part of his body like this. As he and the Representative reached the group, he stopped and placed both his hands upon his cane before addressing them.

"Welcome," he said in a raspy tone, "I am the headmaster of Dream Academy." He smiled a wrinkly smile and his arched back moved down and back up in a nearly imperceptible motion that Zel supposed was most likely intended to be a bow.

The headmaster's introduction caused an immediate change in the atmosphere of the room. The group of well dressed Splitfolk suddenly dropped down on one knee, each of them placing their hands across their chests. The group of Clickfolk did their own demonstration of respect. Placing their two lower hands behind their back, clasping them together, while their two upper hands did the same but with the tips of their fingers facing up towards the ceiling. Some of the other Splitfolk had their own acts that they used in reverence to the headmaster, but luckily for Zel and Miriya, there were several others like them, who had no idea what to do at all.

"Soooo, should we be doing something?" Miriya whispered to Zel, panic in her voice.

"Uhhhh…" Zel responded, thoughtfully.

The moment passed before they could decide.

The headmaster observed the disorganized group of prospects with patient eyes, and by the time everyone had done whatever they wished to do, he laughed.

"Everyone rise, please. We have much to discuss." He said, with an amused grin that seemed to be at least a little bit younger than moments before.

Everyone in the group stood back up, save for the few like Zel and Miriya, who were still very much confused and already standing in the first place.

"Excellent." The headmaster began, "Allow me to continue with my introduction. My name is Bellius Whitethrow. As I have already explained, I am in charge of the Academy each of you is hoping to join. At least I hope you want to join. Normally, this room would already have been well lit with several of our teachers having already prepared for your arrival. But I can see that Miracle did not take her duties of 'show the new students around town before orientation.' to heart. Your arrival was not scheduled for some time yet." He explained. He looked at the Representative with a disappointed scowl, when he did this his tattoos remained in place, almost as if his skin moved independently

"I showed them around all the parts of town that I deemed relevant, Sir." Miracle responded, showing no emotional change despite being reprimanded.

"Then I'll bet you showed them around all the relevant first year classrooms as well to give them a grasp of what kinds of activities the Academy partakes in, and did not just let them observe through the windows our various empty facilities without any sort of context?" the headmaster asked pointedly, letting out a sigh in anticipation of the response he knew was coming.

"I did not, Sir." Miracle replied, still showing no concern.

The headmaster followed this up with an even more defeated sigh. "Next time you bring in a group of prospective students, please give them a more proper tour. This is a big city we live in, and we want everyone to feel welcome. I just don't understand how I could make it more clear… Anyway!" the headmaster changed his attention from Miracle to the students.

"Our teachers will be arriving relatively shortly, and I need to give a speech either way, so get comfortable and bear with me, there is a lot of information I need to get through." He began, "As I'm sure most of you are aware, Dream Academy is a unique institution that focuses on improving the magical ability and comprehension of its students. It is also unique in that it is not a university that focuses on classical magical studies such as agricultural applications of magic or perhaps cooking applications that a normal citizen would make use of. No, while we do have such classes available, the bulk of our courses are combat oriented, and in fact, our students are expected to participate in various combat groups that specialize in eliminating dangers in Split Sky. For second year students and upward participation is mandatory. For this reason I am also in charge of managing the labor services that students and faculty of Dream Academy provide to Split Sky. This can include, well, anything really. Combat, construction, negotiation and others are not uncommon. Should you be successful in entering Dream Academy, I will be directly or indirectly responsible for your education as well as these other duties."

"Furthermore," he continued, "The Academy is something of a meritocracy. Most of you in this room are beginners, and while there will be some standouts among you just as there always are, you should understand that every position at Dream Academy can be earned through hard work and accomplishments. This is especially true in the field. You will learn more about the specifics as you begin your education here. But there is at least a basic example you should be aware of to start with." The headmaster seemed to grow weary for a moment, pausing before he continued.

"Dream Academy values individual excellency over mass adequacy, a philosophy that makes us unique throughout Tenyarn. Ranks and responsibilities are given to those who prove themselves to be exceptional among their peers, the first rank of which being that of 'captain,' the minimum rank required to teach courses."

"Most captains have around five to seven years of experience before they are promoted, some never make it that far." The headmaster scratched his chin as he spoke. "But it is not unheard of for individuals to be promoted sooner. There is a captain who was promoted recently that stood where you stand now exactly one year ago.

A wave of whispering rippled through the crowd.

"You're saying that they're a second year!?" Zel blurted out.

"Correct." The headmaster said cooly, "The individual in question has demonstrated an abnormal mastery of the qualities that are in high demand in our business, and has put in the work to truly earn their position and the benefits therein. The point that I am making is that if you are here to work hard and improve yourself, then you will be successful at Dream Academy." Again he smiled a wrinkly and toothy smile, perhaps meant to put the students at ease, but for Zel it made the scales on her arms tingle.

As the headmaster finished speaking the door behind the group of students opened with a whoosh and a new voice was heard from the other side.

"Aw, damnit." The voice spoke.

"Ah, speaking of your instructors, here they come now." The headmaster said, raising one spindly hand to the newcomers.

Five people entered the room one after another, the students making room for them as they came through. They made their way to the headmaster, who seemed more than happy to receive them.

They were an odd bunch, or at least they seemed so to Zel. Between the five of them there wasn't a single shared article of clothing or accessories or anything at all that would suggest that they were affiliated with Dream Academy or each other. Beyond that, each of them were so totally different from one another on a physical level that it was almost comical.

There were two Splitfolk among them. One was very short, almost as short as the Clickfolk Jammy that Zel had met earlier, and fully clad in what appeared to be heavy plate armor that shone white, however, she had a round and plump face that looked kind. She also wore some kind of weapon on her back that Zel could not get a look at, only able to see the handle of it which rose into the air at least twice the Splitfolks height.

The other Splitfolk seemed oddly familiar to Zel, though she couldn't quite place it, but right as the thought seemed to escape her she latched onto it. He was a tall and handsome Splitfolk man and he was wearing the same robes as the Fancy Splitfolk group from earlier! A quick glance at the both of them confirmed it. Zel also noticed that the new handsome Splitfolk man looked rather similar to the one she had seen earlier.

The three that remained were the ones that felt most out of place, at least in Split Sky. One of them was a Trailfolk woman about the same height as Zel or Miriya. She was wearing very breathable clothing like Miriya was and even gave Miriya a wave when she saw that there was another Trailfolk among the clustered students. Zel's sister seemed practically giddy to see another of her kind for the first time in a long while.

One of the remaining two had already broken away from the other four that surrounded the headmaster, and they were walking towards the wall. There was something entirely bizarre about this person, and Zel found them hard to focus on. They were wearing a red hood and scarf that mostly covered their face while the rest of their clothing was black but seemed almost taught around their skin, like bandages. When Zel tried to see what they looked like it felt like her eyes weren't working, becoming blurry and unfocused. She tried to rub them away, but it didn't change anything. She gave up and looked at the last one of the group, the person leading the pack and whom she presumed had spoken when they all entered.

Zel had never seen someone quite like him. He was tall, very tall. He towered over the next closest in the room by almost two full heads and he was very skinny. That isn't to say he wasn't muscular, but the muscles that he did have were wiry and chorded. HIs clothes were a bit odd, pants covered his long legs and a shirt that was probably a size or two too small. He wore a wide-brimmed hat that covered a head full of greasy looking brown hair.

But the part that was the strangest to Zel was that she didn't know what he was. He was shaped like a Splitfolk, but there was something off. His skin was a sickly pallor, almost beige or even white at some points and was pocked all over with little dots of various colors. He also didn't have pointed ears of Splitfolk, which wasn't entirely unheard of but definitely not common, they were rounded and small. But the strangest part to Zel was the complete absence of scales. All Splitfolk had scales to some degree. Some had them growing like wild and all over their body, giving them a kind of shimmer coat throughout, some were closer to Zel where they just had a few scales sprinkled around their bodies, but Zel had never heard of a Splitfolk who had none at all, and she had certainly never heard of one that looked like this man.

Hmmm, but I guess some Splitfolks have tails, Zel thought with a shrug. She doubted that this would be the strangest thing she saw at Dream Academy.

"Hey Chief, are we late? It kinda looks like we're late?" The tall man asked the headmaster, he wore a broad smile across his face.

"No, you are perfectly on time, just as you always are, Crans. It was Miracle who brought the students here early that has made for this unusual… arrangement." The headmaster said, casting another glare in Miracles direction. It bounced off her like a ball against a brick wall.

"Well right on! Where are we then? You already get to the gist of what our pretty little academy here is all about?" The tall man, who Zel now knew as Crans, inquired.

"I have." The headmaster said with a nod. "In fact, your timing is quite impeccable. I have just finished the explanation as to the basic function of the academy. Would one of you be so kind as to tell the students what they are going to do now?" The headmaster then raised his eyebrows if having a very important thought and turned to address the students.

"Excuse me, I seem to have forgotten something important." He said, seeming rather disappointed with himself. "These five people here are all Captains of Dream Academy, several of whom will teach your main classes this year. Please, give them your full attention, and please, ask any questions you need to as they will happily answer. You may introduce the exams, Captains." The headmaster then hobbled over to one of the many benches in the room, taking a seat and leaving the floor to the Captains.

"Well, I do think that Miss Skylee might be the best amongst us for that." Captain Crans said. He gestured to the Trailfolk woman with his hat before returning it to the top of his head. The woman, Captain Skylee, stepped forward.

"Just as the headmaster said we will now begin the first of the two examinations," she began. "The first test is an affinity test. For some of you this test will be something of a formality, but please take it seriously."

Zel hadn't known what to expect of Captain Skylee before she had begun talking, but her voice took her a bit by surprise. Zel had thought that she would have a high and quick voice like Miriya's, but Captain Skylee spoke in a very calm and controlled fashion, her voice was deeper and solid like stone.

"Affinities, as you should all know, are the types of magic that our bodies are most compatible with." Captain Skylee continued. "We discover what they are at a young age and gradually grow accustomed to them throughout our lives. This test will give us an idea of how in-tune with your mana you are via the use of your affinity. Now, please line up on the wall behind you and I will call each of you forward. I will ask your name, your affinity, and then you will give a demonstration. Crans, if you would be so kind, could you act as our dummy during this trial?"

"Aww, you always find some way to call me a dummy, dontcha Sky?" Crans said as he stepped away from the other four. Captain Skylee did not respond to his complaint.

The students moved towards the back wall, save for Flint who went and joined the Captains who were not participating, having already passed this exam two years ago. The room was large, but it was difficult to line up on the wall unless they stood shoulder to shoulder. Zel and Miriya found themselves on the far end of the room to the left of the door, nearly towards the very end.

"Excellent," Captain Skylee said. "Now we will have each of you come up after another and direct your magical affinity towards Captain Crans, and please don't be afraid to go all out. The stone in this room is easily repaired." The short captain in the plate armor walked up behind Captain Skylee, handing her a clipboard before returning to her spot.

"What about me?" Captain Crans said in a dramatic and worried tone.

"You can take it, dummy." Skylee said, without looking up from her clipboard.

Captain Crans let out a depressed sigh before pulling up his sleeve and swinging one of his arms in a circle as if he were winding it up.

"Alright, come on!" He barked aggressively. "Who's up first?"

"You on the far wall, please step forward." Captain Skylee beckoned one of the prospects to approach.

The exam had begun.