There was a lot of fanfare that surrounded the first human to have made it to the Academy. Though it wasn’t because they were particularly well liked, or studious. Nor was it because they were in some way infamous or unsavory. In fact, they simply hadn’t had enough time to make an impact either way, as they’d emerged through the portal dead on arrival.
It was a known fact that humans were just inherently magically-deficient. Their race was the last of the adjacent realms to have even detected the existence of magic after all, let alone learning of the Nexus’ existence. What wasn’t expected however was just how truly deficient they actually were, as the death of the first human student was directly attributed to their inability to not only control, but to resist the effects of latent mana. A feat that was supposed to be inherent in all living things, as the soul naturally projected a mana-field which prevented the flow of latent mana from entering or passing through it. Yet members of the faculty and staff present at the tragedy could attest to this universal truth being missing in the humans, or at least the human student, as his soul projected nothing, causing what should have been harmless mana to simply seep through him like a filter. Destroying the physical body, and mortally wounding the intangible spirit in the process.
Now, decades after traumatizing an entire class of students, some of whom have now become faculty and staff themselves, the humans seemed confident enough to follow through with a second try.
So, as morning gave way to noon, and noon to dusk, the crowd of freshmen intakes from across the realms were carefully sorted and filed out of the foyer, leaving the most problematic for last.
Yet news had already spread about the human due for arrival. Whether it was a passing comment made by a faculty member, or a coincidental rumor run amuck, the damage was already done. Now, almost every student from freshman to senior, began making their way back to the academy’s main concourse for a chance to peek and gawk at the human’s arrival in morbid curiosity. Yet most that attempted this trek would only find themselves trapped in a maze of hallways that weren’t supposed to exist. Indeed, many would somehow find themselves inadvertently redirected back to the seminarium, or worse, straight to the Dean’s office for disobeying the one unspoken rule of the day: no entry back into the Foyer after dusk.
Whilst a simple lock would have sufficed, the faculty refused to take any chances with the human arrival this time around. A repeat of the First Human Arrival would not happen again. Especially when a few of the faculty present were there for that gruesome arrival all those years ago. So even as mana stores were drained for the purposes of this elaborate barrier, it would all be worth it. This year’s roster of freshmen students were a particularly noteworthy collection of nobility and even royalty. A velvet glove approach was necessary to maintain some level of decorum even as the rumors continue to circulate.
Nobles naturally detested being told what they could or could not do after all.
Yet despite their best efforts, a few of the more magically gifted did manage to find a way through. Making their way across hidden passageways and corridors, nominally hidden by a lesser cloaking spell, these gifted students eventually ended up in a small servant’s hideaway usually reserved for the lesser elves. Those few that managed to evade the faculty’s barriers were extraordinarily blessed by the Great Mother. Their magical potential overpowering or outright shorting out the otherwise strained and preoccupied barrier spells erected by the scant few professors and staff assigned to the task of overseeing the reception of this prospective human student.
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The Lesser Elf Hideaway
What was euphemistically referred to as a hideaway was nothing more than a hole in the wall the size of a large broom closet, yet lacking in even the height department in that regard. It was a far departure from the glitz, glamor, and comforts that the three freshmen were more than likely accustomed to, but that didn’t detract from the one perk that drew them here in the first place, a rather worrying rumor that they’d inadvertently proven right…
These rooms did have a disturbingly good vantage point of the large, open public spaces within the castle grounds.
Yet as much as there was to discuss this strange myth being proven true, all of it took a backseat as the much more pressing concern of the human arrival took center stage.
The three gifted freshmen, a Lupinor mercenary prince, a Vunerian court noble, and an Avinor Princess, struggled to find common ground despite having been immediately shunned by the rest of their gifted compatriots for reasons far beyond their personal control. Whilst misery did love company, it would seem as if there were too many differences to reconcile, at least within the span of the few short hours following arrival and orientation.
“Ilunor, for the Great Mother’s sake, if you don’t find yourself another spot, I will bite you.” The tall, fully grown Lupinor spoke. His row of razor-sharp teeth barely hidden underneath his lupine-like snout. The growling and snarling certainly did not help his species’ less than stellar reputation as brutes and savages. Even his title, the Mercenary Prince, hinted at their peoples’ troubled past. A past that not many were willing to overlook, as evidenced by their inability to shake their mercenary monikers.
“Bite me, and I’ll have your flea-ridden hide suspended, expelled, and excommunicated from the Academy and the Nexus.” The smaller, diminutive Vunerien snapped back, which seemed almost comical given his stature and his kind’s general disposition that much more resembled their second-rate Kobold cousins. Yet the Venurien were anything but second-rate. Through displays of wealth and extravagance they made certain that all who came into contact with them understood the clearly defined line between them, and the Kobolds they so very much still resembled.
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The school uniform certainly did nothing but detract from whatever distinct features Ilunor had however, as by most metrics he could easily pass as a simple Kobold playing dress up in academy regalia.
“Guys… I think we should keep it down, you’re making too much of a fuss and if the professors notice us-”
“Shut it, Thacea. If we wanted a tainted’s opinion then we would’ve asked for it.” The Vunerien practically spat back, shooting down the Avinor’s concerns as she slunk back into the background once more, something that she was more than accustomed to back in the Royal Court.
The Avinor were a particularly well regarded race that had little in the way of conflict with any other species from across the realms. Compared to the rest of the gaggle of freshmen here, nothing about her particularly stood out, especially under the cloaks and uniforms assigned by the Academy. Nothing, except for the two, sharp, predatory eyes that stared unblinkingly out from their small cubby hole into the foyer below. Indeed, underneath the constrictive shirts, pants, and cloaks, lay a plumage that served as inspiration for many a mural and fresco within the academy’s great halls. The Avinor were nothing if not stunning when in their element… an element that was certainly lacking when she found herself struggling to fit inside the cramped, and unkempt servant’s quarters.
Yet as much as her plumage would undeniably tie her back to her royal heritage, and as much as the cloaks covered even that, nothing could hide the taint that lingered over her. A miasmic aura that colored her mana-field with a dark, almost ominous glow. One that contrasted with both the Lupinor and the Vunerien’s bright, almost iridescent mana-fields.
The three struggled to find footing as they stared out from what seemed to be a particularly well designed peephole, that granted them an uninterrupted view of the foyer below, and the group of black, red, and blue-cloaked professors who were busy with the incantations necessary to maintain the uncharacteristically weak and fragile portal.
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The Foyer
Adorned more like a palace than a center of learning, the Foyer was where students from across the adjacent realms would find themselves transported to at the start of each academic year. Its marble and quartz floors could be traced back to the first Kings and Queens of the Nexus, its gilded chandeliers were likewise gifts from Kingdoms and Empires long since forgotten to time. Indeed, within these four walls laid a great volume of artifacts that no adjacent realm could hope to match.
Yet despite all of this grandeur and assurances to the Academy’s infallibility, the trio of professors worked tirelessly to ensure that this air of perfection would not be broken.
“Surely we do not need to perform a fifth blessing upon this entire room, Professor Vanavan.” The red-cloaked professor spoke incredulously, whilst busying herself with what seemed to be an entire crate full of glowing, sparkling vials of pure mana extract.
“Of course we do. The humans are like a sickly newborn, they require the extra help, all the extra help they can get.” The blue-robed professor spoke, his elvish accent coming through particularly harshly especially under the stressful circumstances. “We know how magically challenged they are, and we know how magic can pierce their non-existent manafields, straight into their unprotected souls. We all saw what happened to the first student we lost… We cannot allow chance to dominate what could very well be the next realm to join the Nexus. The Earthrealm is nothing but untapped potential, so should they become the next in our line of adjacent realms-”
“With all due respects, Professor, if humans are that sickly, perhaps we should let nature take its course? I mean, look around, the only witnesses would be us, and we could very much easily claim a no-show on the human’s end.” Announced the only black-robed professor present, and rather concerningly, one of the few who spoke with the authority of the Privy Council. Black-robes rotated on a year-by-year basis, being appointed not by the Dean or the Faculty but by the Royal Privy Council itself. Their positions only existed because of a lingering clause that came with the messily written treaty that ended the centuries-long conflict between the beings native to the Nexus Realm, and those of the Adjacent Realms.
“Well if they do make it, Professor Mal’tory, then I’d hazard to say that you might actually have something productive to report to the Privy Council, instead of the usual student roster reports and the occasional suspension.” Vanavan snapped back, a harshness to his voice was evident as the two began a fierce staredown that lasted for a scant few seconds, before, finally, the air around them started to cool.
“They’re coming.” The red-robed professor spoke warily, as she began removing seal after seal that kept her various raw mana stores from simply sublimating.
Almost as soon as each seal was uncorked from the unmarked, unlabeled vials, so too would the mana be violently drawn out, all concentrated around the incantation circle that continued to drain localized mana from the whole foyer at an alarming rate.
Indeed, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to even say that the professors felt mana being tugged from their very mana-fields, if it wasn’t for their advanced magics keeping such disturbances at bay.
The mana drain was so incredibly strong that the magically-lit lanterns adorning the colonnades began to dim, before going out entirely, leaving the entirety of the room in pitch-black darkness.
Silence now reigned as the trio of professors concentrated their energies into forming the portal into a more cohesive shape, trying desperately to fight back against the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm them.
All of this happened in complete and abject silence until suddenly-
SNAP
In a violent, almost unexpected display of brute force the portal opened just wide enough to allow not only for a single figure to materialize through, but for a glimpse of the world the creature had just arrived from to be visible to all within its immediate vicinity.
It was a world of cold, bland, oppressive grays and blacks. A world full of metal railings and metal walls, of strange metal contraptions, golems, and electrical energy shooting back and forth across entire spaces in a dizzying array of overactivity. It was… a decidedly alien world, one that the professors were glad to have only glimpsed at briefly, as the trio all struggled to stand after that entire experience.
All were so overwhelmed by this experience that they overlooked the monster that had just landed on their doorstep. What could only be described as a hulking behemoth that matched the blue-robed Elf’s height of just under 7 feet. The beast was clad in armor thicker than most ceremonial knights’, with equally thick padding underneath. A helmet of incredible craftsmanship sat atop of all of this, with a single, flexible tube connecting its side with a large, metal backpack that looked as unwieldy as it was cumbersome. Two, blue-tinted opaque lenses now stared back at the professors, as the beast raised a single hand, and slowly began to wave.
“Hi. I’m Emma. The new student from Earth?”