She was nowhere. She was no one. Her senses were extinguished. Until they weren’t. She became Velaya again. She blinked and took in her surroundings.

In a matter of seconds, she had gone from standing at the end of the pier in the buzzing city of Moongate, to the quiet hush of Manatide Island’s small pier. Where the ocean had once been roaring against the rocks, the sound of water quietly lapping against the sandy shore below was jarring. It made no sense. The island was located well out into the bay off the Navalonge Sea. The waters in Moongate had been rough and white chop had sprayed the air with salted mist but here, the seas were calm, barely more than a ripple.

The pier itself was quite short, and she could see the back of Athone’s light brown head bobbing its way down the dock towards a small mass of people all clad in the purple and grey Tides. They were standing in a lowland grassy area at the edge of the pier.

Drawing her eyes up from those who’d gathered there, Velaya took in the rest of the island. It was far bigger than the books she’d read had made it out to be. Beyond the students, the lowlands gave way to a low rolling hill and higher land above. It was on this highland, overlooking the ocean where a bunch of buildings stood. They weren’t very tall, only one or two stories in height. They were quite basic, made of simple grey stones with plain wooden doors and windows cut into them. Some of these buildings were long, and looked as though they could hold hundreds of people, while others appeared more like one-room cottages. These ran all around the perimeter of the island.

Velaya knew that these structures all supported the school’s various needs. Those located closest to them, on the southern side of the island, were where the student dormitories were. The buildings that ran along the northern side of the island were where the Magi, the school’s magical instructors, resided. To the eastern side, various cottages there served as temporary homes for alumni who stayed at the school, making use of its resources to continue their magical studies, conducting research or experiments. Along the western side of the island was the great hall that served as the island’s main dining space. But it was what stood in the middle of the island, surrounded by these buildings, that the school got its namesake.

A massive, perfectly round column of aged and weathered stone rose unimaginably high into the air. Similar to the Gate, it too was covered in sprawling vines of greenery. So high it stood that the very tip of it was not currently visible through pillowy white clouds. The width of this tower was easily the size of a large castle’s courtyard. A strange aura seemed to pulsate in and around the building and a soft sapphire coloured glow emanated from its hundreds of windows. This was the heart of the school. Manatide’s Tower served as part library, part classroom, part laboratory, and Magi only knew what else.

Velaya’s mana whirled and spun excitedly around inside her, begging her to release it. She knew it was reacting to the powerful ley lines, highways of pure and raw magical power that ran under the world’s surface. Aesor’s veins, as they were known, culminated together at the base of Manatide Tower.

Tampering the desire to let her mana loose, Velaya hurried down the end of the pier to join the group of students who whispered and chatted excitedly amongst each other.

“Can you feel it?” Velaya said eagerly to Athone and Lime who stood towards the back of the crowd.

“Feel what?” Athone asked.

“The magic! I’d imagine it’s from Aesor’s veins?”

“I don’t feel anything,” Lime said, shaking her head, her green hair flowing back and forth across her shoulders.

“Me either,” Athone said, looking a little bemused. “Are you feeling ok? Teleporting can cause disorientation and other discomforts.”

She felt fine. Better than fine. She felt a strange sense of purpose. It was as though she knew this was exactly where she was meant to be.

“Have either of you seen Aila?” Lime asked, before Velaya could answer.

“I have not,” Athone said, still eying Velaya.

“She’s a third year. Her teleportal would have taken her directly to their dormitories,” Velaya said, ignoring Athone’s stare.

“Oh, well that would explain why there’s so few of us,” Lime said cheerfully.

And sure enough the crowd that had gathered was nowhere near as large as the one that had descended on Moongate’s pier. There looked to only be a little over a hundred people. Velaya started. The world of Aesor was massive, with hundreds of millions upon millions of civilians. How was it that so few had been recruited? She knew Manatide Tower was exclusive but from everything she had read, each year they would open their island to hundreds of eighteen year olds. Was something happening with the world, limiting its offerings of spellcasters? The excited buzz of mana within her was suddenly still and she could feel her stomach drop. She already knew the answer to that. And perhaps that didn’t make her so special after all. Had the school resorted to lowering their standards, offering residence to those without fully developed mana pools in order to fill its ranks? As far as she had heard, she was the youngest recruit ever, but were there others like her?

“How old are you, Lime?” Velaya asked.

If Athone was curious about her well-being before, this question didn’t seem to help.

“Eighteen of course. Everyone here is. Well, except you that is,” she said, smiling courteously.

“Do you know that for certain?” Velaya pressed.

Lime looked around. She was a full head taller than anyone else. “I … suppose I can’t say for certain.”

“They are,” Athone said firmly.

“And you’re positive about that?”

“Yes, Vel. My Kingd-” Athone cut himself off before continuing, “Manatide Island still resides within the Ayradora Kingdom and as such, the King and Queen do tend to keep up on the school’s affairs. What’s this all about?”

“I was just wondering why there were so few of us,” she said, swatting his hand away when he went to reach up to lay the back of it against her forehead.

“I think we’re about to find out,” Lime said, gesturing towards the front of the crowd.

The buzzing of voices ceased as a lone figure appeared from over the hill and descended upon the group. She was of average height with long, loose, brilliant white hair that swooshed along with her Tides cloak behind her. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties and carried a no-nonsense look, with her sharp facial features. She had a long stern nose, smaller periwinkle eyes and full, blush lips. Her skin was so fair that it almost had a blue tint to it, as though the colour of her hair and eyes had collaborated together, and the result was quite stunning. The way her ears pointed up slightly at the tip helped explain why she looked so young.

“Who is she?” Lime whispered.

“Magus Ena,” Velaya said.

“Archmagus Ena,” Athone corrected quietly. “She’s the school’s Headmistress.”

Velaya snapped her attention to Athone. “Headmistress? What happened to Archmagus Barrett?”

“He stepped down,” Athone said. “You, of all people, didn’t know this?”

Velaya frowned. “She never said anything to me.”

Lime’s eyes widened. “You two know the Archmagus?” She shook her head and chuckled quietly. “I suppose I really shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I do not,” Athone said, “although my parents are acquainted.”

“How do you know her, Velaya?” Lime asked.

“She was the Magus that came to recruit me. I didn’t know she’d been promoted,” Velaya said.

Archmagus Barrett had been the school’s Headmaster for two hundred years. From all Velaya had read or heard about him, he had planned to live the rest of his life as the leader of the school’s Magi. To hear that he had removed himself as Headmaster seemed out of character.

“Why did he step down?” Velaya asked Athone, who shushed her suddenly.

Archmagus Ena stopped before the group of first years. Her hair continued to sway behind her in a non-existent breeze. Though humbly dressed in the Tides, she seemed to radiate a power that would rival the sharpest dressed Kings or Queens.

“Greetings to you all,” she said, her voice clear and deep, but pleasant. “I am Archmagus Ena and Headmistress here at Manatide Tower. It is my distinct pleasure to welcome you all.” Some of the students stirred, sharing quick glances and whispers with one another. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like for us to begin.”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

She raised her hands in the air above her head suddenly, emitting a bright blue light between her fingers that expanded outwards to encompass the swell of students. The world was blanketed in white, temporarily blinding everyone who had to shield their eyes. A whooshing sensation swept over them and Velaya felt her mana purr.

The white light faded and students gasped in surprise to find that they were standing inside a grand circular space resembling a great hall, that moments ago did not exist. Save for the students, the space was empty, void of any furniture. Pillars of white marble with an iridescent blue-purple veining reached high into the ceiling and massive windows with brilliant indigo stained glass artwork stretched between them along the smooth surface of the stone walls, bathing the room in a tinted blue light. Beyond the windows a few lazy clouds floating idly by. The Archmagus had transported them all into a room high within the Tower.

The floor below them was made of the same veined white marble tile as the pillars, each piece as large as a small carriage. The veins coalesced together at the centre of the room to where a violet coloured starburst symbol was engraved into the floor below the student’s feet. It was one of five symbols in the space, as the veining snaked out along the circumference of the room to where other emblems were cut into the marble. It was as though they stood in the centre of a compass and to the north the floor had a large symbol of a sun, to the east was a flame, the south had a moon and the western side had a tree emblem. These outer emblems represented the four schools of magic.

The sun was a symbol for those known as Paladins - spellcasters who could draw on magic of the Light. The moon was for those who could draw on the magic of the Dark and were known as Sorcerers. The flame represented those who could draw on the magic of the Elements, and were called Shamans. The tree was for the Druids, who had the ability to draw Physical magic from one’s self and the earth and soil. Each of these four schools stood in balance with one another.

The star, represented in the middle of the room, was for a class of spellcasters known as Mages. Mages, such as Velaya, were capable of drawing on all four schools of magic, and as such, they were highly sought out by Manatide Tower.

Archmagus Ena stood on a small round stone platform hovering well above their heads that hung in midair, suspended by absolutely nothing.

“You have been recruited to study here at Manatide Tower because you represent the most gifted young spellcasters in all of Aesor,” the Headmistress said, addressing the students below. “The Magi here have hand selected each and every one of you based on a merit of magical potential. It is our duty to nurture this potential to ensure that when you leave here, your magical knowledge and expertise will transcend generations in order to better serve this world.

However, with that being said, we recognize that many of you here are not currently on the same footing. There are those amongst you who may have already received some formal training and who possess a solid understanding of how to utilise their gifts,” she continued and Velaya could’ve sworn her periwinkle eyes lingered on her and Athone for a breath. “We recognize that not everyone here will have been afforded those same luxuries. In fact, there are many here who have very little knowledge or expertise of their own capabilities. Yet, you have all arrived here from every corner of Aesor with the same goal in mind… to study magic. Regardless of your background or your experience, it is my promise that you will all receive the same level of instruction, care and dedication from the Magi. I would like to make it clear to each and every one of you here that we will not tolerate discrimination at Manatide Tower. It is why we must all wear the Tides. Though your magical classes and abilities may stand apart from your peers, you are all equals here.”

Velaya, like many others, took a second to scan her fellow freshmen. While everyone wore the same grey and violet, looking more closely she noticed that some people’s hair was dirty or dishevelled, some of their faces were pocketed or scarred. There was one student, standing three rows ahead of her, who had a large scar across the side of his head and appeared to be missing an ear. There were elves, humans and those who shared a mixed bloodline of the two.

She couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. She had received formal training ever since she was a young girl. Her parents had hired some of the best magical tutors in all of Bellaurose. She was unsure of how she felt now, standing in a room full of people who likely didn’t have anywhere near the same training she had. A part of her was relieved to know that despite her age, she already had a leg up on them. The other part of her knew that regardless of what Archmagus Ena said, she was still a Princess and she doubted that she would be seen as anything less than a spoiled one. Sure enough there were some students who were now whispering to one another, casting dubious looks towards her and Athone.

“Relax Vel,” Athone whispered to her. Clearly he’d felt her stiffen beside him. “Some people have never been this close to royalty before. I’d imagine many here have never left their hometowns or villages until now.” There was nothing vain or arrogant about the way he spoke, he was simply stating a fact. A fact that did little to reassure her.

“With that being said, I’d like to see this year’s dispersion,” Archmagus Ena continued, regaining the attention of the students. “I’d like to ask you all to please separate yourselves into your respective schools of magic. All Paladins to the sun,” she pointed towards the northern sun on the marble floor. “Sorcerers to the moon,” she spun around to face the moon directly across from the sun. “Druids to the tree and Shamans to the flame please,” she finished by pointing towards the western, then eastern sides of the room.

The crowd broke apart as students jostled to arrange themselves. Athone smiled at Velaya before walking towards the sun. Lime had taken off towards the west. The man with the missing ear had gone south.

It took a few minutes for everyone to situate themselves, and Velaya was left standing in the centre of the room along with nine others. They acknowledged each other with a tight smile or a nod of the head, but no one in their little group said anything further. Velaya could see that the other classes, the Paladins, Druids, Sorcerers and Shamans, were all talking amongst each other, introducing themselves. Athone seemed to be steering the Paladin’s conversation.

Velaya’s attention was drawn upwards to Archmagus Ena who quietly circled the room above the chattering students below. The Headmistress appeared to be counting the number of pupils within each class, and when her eyes again returned to Velaya and the other Mages standing with her, Ena’s lips thinned and her brows furrowed. She hovered about, seemingly lost in thought for a while while the conversations all around the room continued.

“Otto,” said a voice suddenly from Velaya’s right. A man with long ginger-coloured hair that was tied up in a knot at the top of his head, with a small nose ring, held out a hand to her.

“Velaya,” she said, noting the calluses on his hand as she shook it and smiled politely to him, relieved that someone had the nerve to break their group’s silence.

“Ah, so you’re the Princess amongst us then,” he said. Velaya tried to discern if there was any sort of ire within the tone of his voice but couldn’t detect anything more than a polite interest.

“Not here she isn’t,” said a tall elf woman, joining the conversation. Her pink hair was buzzed short, making her long ears appear even bigger. As was the case with all elves, she was beautiful. Her voice was sharp as she peered down her nose at Velaya through narrowed grey eyes.

Velaya was spared the discomfort of responding when Otto cut in.

“And you are?” he said to the elf.

“Rhosylynn Rallothyra, of the Elyzeme Kingdom,” she said.

“Otto Carson of Trelladain,” he said, extending his hand to her. She looked down at it and for a moment Velaya didn’t think she would accept it. Eventually she did, if only for a second, before dropping it.

“This is Velaya Rosemore of Bellaurose,” he said, waving his hand in Velaya’s direction.

“Yes I know very well who she is,” Rhosylynn said curtly, before turning her back to her and looking up towards the Headmistress, who still seemed to be working something out within her mind.

Otto, Aesor bless him, gave Velaya an apologetic smile and shrugged.

“Well, she seems nice,” he said quietly, earning a small smile from her. “I always thought the Bellaurose and Elyzeme Kingdoms got along well, what with both of you being on the Western Continent together and all that.”

“You’d be surprised,” she said, staring at the back of Rhosylnn’s pink head.

As far as Velaya knew, their two Kingdoms had always been close, but in light of recent events they had started to drift away from one another, prefering to meet only when necessary. Most of the people of Elyzeme were of elfish blood and they seemed content to deal with the Corruption on their own.

For a moment Velaya thought about Doriel and his mission to the islands in the south of the Elyzeme Kingdom. Whatever was going on there must have been dire enough for them to seek the aid of the Bellaurose Prince.

“I wouldn’t worry about her. She’s probably pissed that a sixteen year old is better at magic than her,” he continued in a low voice. “I’m certainly jealous.”

“Well you’ve no reason to be. My mana pool is not matured like the rest of yours are. I’d imagine that’d put me at a disadvantage,” she said, trying to keep her tone even.

“Relax kid,” he placed his hand on her shoulder and when he smiled it was kind, reaching his mischievous, hazel eyes. “I’m hoping you’ll be able to show me a thing or two. I come from a small farming village in south Trelladain - you’ve probably never even heard of it. You don’t get a lot of time to practise magic when you’re tending the fields all day. Hell, I’m not entirely sure I know what I’ve gotten myself into here.”

Velaya was going to ask the name of the village, sure that she would know of it from all the hours spent pouring over maps back home, when Archmagus Ena began to address them again.

“Thank you all,” she called out and the crowd immediately fell silent again. “I see that we have quite a unique blend of students this year.”

That was one way of putting it. In all the years past, the school had always trained more Mages than any other class. Yet looking around the room today, they were vastly outnumbered. The group of Paladins gathered above the sun symbol appeared to be the largest of the five with about thirty to forty students. The Shamans and Druids had a little under thirty each and the Sorcerers had about twenty.

“Given the current state of Aesor today, this is not overly surprising,” she said and the crowd seemed to still themselves further, as though collectively holding their breath. “As many of you are aware, our world is under siege. We face a Corruption that has turned a humble dog into a rabid beast. Corruption that has festered for years and now spills out onto every shore, affecting every Kingdom.”

Velaya and Athone’s eyes met from across the room. His face was solemn. It was rare for matters outside of Manatide Tower to affect the pupils within. They intentionally excluded themselves from world affairs. The study of magic was all that mattered. What someone did with their knowledge and powers after graduation was up to the individual. Many would find highly ranked positions within a court or army of one of the four Kingdoms. Others would stay at the school, continuing to learn and study magic long after the standard four years of education.

“I would like to assure you all of your safety while you are here at Manatide Tower,” Archmagus Ena said. “The Magi and I will continue to monitor the situation and should a need arise to address it further, we shall at that time. For now, we want you all to focus explicitly on your studies of the magical arts, for there may come a time when your skills as a spellcaster will be called upon to help those in need.”

She paused to let her words sink in and the students exchanged apprehensive glances with one another.

“You will all begin your studies in earnest, starting tomorrow,” the Headmistress said, her voice taking on a lighter tone. “You will find further instruction on your agendas within your dormitories. Which is where you will now be directed to. Please take some time to acquaint yourselves with one another and then join us all for the welcome dinner in the Great Hall, located on the western side of the island. I look forward to seeing your progress and wish you well.”

And with that she disappeared.