Kaelen and Jarin stood in the center of their new room, taking in the sight of their home for the foreseeable future. House Drakar members had the privilege of choosing each other as roommates, and they had eagerly taken the chance to stick together.

The room was spacious, with two comfortable beds, a large window overlooking the academy grounds, and walls lined with enchanted shelves for their belongings.

They had only just settled in when a glowing blue circle appeared on the floor near the doorway. Before either of them could react, a shimmering portal opened, and all the bags and trunks they had left behind after registration came tumbling out, stacking themselves neatly by the beds.

But what truly startled them was the tall, broad-shouldered man who stepped out of the portal behind the luggage. He was wearing a friendly grin and a bright, almost childlike expression. Both Kaelen and Jarin instinctively jumped back.

"Whoa, easy there!" the man laughed, holding his hands in a friendly gesture. "Didn't mean to startle you. I'm Callan, and I'm here to deliver your things!"

Kaelen blinked, still trying to process how someone had just appeared out of nowhere in their room. Jarin was equally shocked, his eyes wide as he saw the man who had materialized before them.

Callan chuckled again, clearly amused by their reaction. "Don't worry," he said, waving a hand. "Your room is perfectly safe. Outside of times like this, the academy's got all sorts of fancy spells on these rooms. Soundproofing, anti-teleportation, anti-surveillance—the whole works. Nothing gets in or out unless you want it to."

Jarin, regaining his composure, shook his head with a grin. "I'm not worried—I'm impressed. How did you teleport like that? It looked so easy."

Callan chuckled at the compliment, running a hand through his messy hair. "Oh, this?" he said, pointing to the faint shimmer of the fading portal. "It's nothing special. This is what you'd call a Portal Porter's job. I can only teleport things within a small radius. Handy for luggage and deliveries, but not the magic you'd want in a real fight."

Kaelen, who had finally found his voice, asked, "So you can't teleport anywhere you want?"

"Nope," Callan said cheerfully, shaking his head. "Just a few hundred paces at most. Perfect for getting bags from one room to another, but that's about it. I leave the fancy long-distance teleportation to the real experts. That's why I'm the academy's official Luggage Porter—a title I wear with pride!" He winked, and both Kaelen and Jarin couldn't help but smile.

"Well, thanks for bringing our things," Kaelen said, feeling his initial nervousness melt away.

"Don't mention it," Callan replied with a friendly nod. "If you need anything else, just ask! I'm always around the academy."

And with that, he gave a playful salute, stepped back into the portal, and vanished, leaving the room in peaceful silence once more.

Kaelen and Jarin stood there, still trying to grasp what had happened. The room, now quiet, seemed even more surreal after Callan's sudden and unexpected appearance. The shimmering traces of the vanished portal seemed to leave energy in the air like the room was still buzzing with residual magic.

Stolen novel; please report.

"Did you catch that?" Kaelen said, half to himself, still staring at the empty space where Callan had been. "He called that teleportation 'average.' Like it was nothing."

Jarin finally tore his gaze away from the lingering glow. "Yeah, just enough for a Luggage Porter," he said, his tone tinged with disbelief. He sat down slowly on the edge of his bed, shaking his head. "I didn't even know there was a spell just for moving bags."

Kaelen let out a slow breath and flopped onto his bed, rubbing his forehead. "It's a little overwhelming," he admitted. "Especially when you don't know where to start. I barely know anything... No spells, no incantations—nothing."

Jarin looked over, genuinely surprised. "Nothing at all?" he asked, without a hint of judgment.

"Nothing," Kaelen said with a faint smile. "I'm not even sure how I passed the test."

Jarin's surprise softened into thoughtfulness. He leaned back against the headboard and crossed his arms. "I thought I'd be the one struggling," he said, his voice quiet. "My family's never had any wizards. I'm the first, and nobody back home knew what to do with me when I awakened."

Kaelen blinked, absorbing the revelation. "Really?" he asked, his curiosity growing. "I figured you knew more than I did."

Jarin chuckled, but there was no embarrassment in it. "Nope. I'm probably just as clueless. I'm here to learn from scratch, too."

Kaelen felt an unexpected sense of relief, the tension in his shoulders easing. "Where are you from?" he asked, realizing they'd barely spoken about their pasts during the registration rush.

"A little town in the middle of nowhere," Jarin said with a shrug. "Nothing special. You?"

"Small village," Kaelen said. He hesitated, then added, "I grew up with my grandmother. She... she passed away a couple of years ago, so it's just been me since then."

Jarin's expression shifted, but he didn't offer any words of sympathy. Instead, he nodded slowly. "That's a lot to take on your own," he said simply, with a quiet understanding.

Kaelen nodded, feeling a warmth in Jarin's straightforward response. "It was," he said. "But I'm here now. I have to make the most of it."

Jarin's lips curved into a grin. "Looks like we're both starting from zero," he said, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "Might as well tackle it together."

Kaelen smiled back, the weight of uncertainty lifting just a little. "Deal," he said. "Let's see where this takes us."

Jarin gave a firm nod. "We'll figure it out. One spell at a time."

And for the first time since arriving at the academy, the room felt less like an unknown world and a little more like the beginning of something real.

A sudden, sharp chime echoed through the walls as they settled into their room, unpacking their belongings and talking about what little they knew of magic.

Both boys froze, glancing toward the door.

A deep, resonant voice filled the room, echoing as if carried by magic itself. "Apprentice Wizards of House Drakar, report to the training grounds. Your first lesson begins in fifteen minutes."

Kaelen's eyes met Jarin's, excitement and nervousness dancing in their gazes. "Our first lesson," Kaelen said, feeling a surge of adrenaline.

"Looks like we're about to find out just how little we know," Jarin replied, his grin widening.

They grabbed their robes, hearts pounding, and rushed for the door, knowing that whatever awaited them outside—tests, challenges, or revelations—it would be the first step into the unknown world of magic they had only just begun to understand.

But as they hurried down the hallway, a flicker of shadow passed by the window—something quick and almost unnoticeable. Kaelen caught it from the corner of his eye, a feeling of unease tugging at him.

He hesitated but then shook it off and followed Jarin, the echo of the announcement still ringing in his ears.

Whatever it was, he knew they'd soon have much bigger things to worry about.