The university building wasn't far from the highschool. It was where a lot of people who went to highschool in two rivers ended up going, unless they achieved escape velocity and left town. Since all three of the highschools tend to feed into it, not to mention out of state students, it's a lot bigger than any of the highschools, a red brick building at the center of a complex of smaller buildings dominating grounds of rolling green, though with summer threatening to turn into autumn the grin is starting to get tinged with brown. And the rolling green grounds are almost impossible to see, clogged as they are with so many new students.

"This is a lot of people," Kyle said, looking over the crowd. Thanks to the benefits of a magically enhanced body, he was one of the tallest people there.

"Just like the royal bazaar back home!" Jenny said delightedly. "Come on, the trick to moving in a crowd like this is to use your elbows and abandon the concept of empathy. Oh look, it's Ammeline!"

"Really? I could have sworn she was going out of state!"

They caught up to Ammeline in the crowd.

"Ahahahahahahaha! I know what you're wondering. Yes, my parents wanted me to go to a more prestigious institution. It was out of the question, of course, for me to leave town with everything going on. But I did have to promise perfect grades, along with...other concessions."

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"Aren't you legally an adult? Can your parents still control that?"

Ammeline gave Jenny a long, complicated look.

"It's not that simple. Sometimes I forget you're from a million years ago."

"A million years ago in Uzbedi you were technically your family's property until you turned forty. I'm going by what I read to catch up here. Also I don't think it was actually that long. Right? It can't be."

"Nobody's told me to completely abandon the fossil record or the theory of evolution since I became part of all this magic insanity so probably not," Kyle said. "Assuming time only goes in one direction."

"Oh let's not get into time travel," Ammeline rubbed her temples. "This horrible crowd is giving me a headache as it is."

"Actually I think that's magic sense," Kyle said. "I'm not good at it yet, but I think I've been sensing a lot of magic power ever since we got here."

"No you're right," Jenny said. "Me too. Some of the people here are strong. Like...him."

Kyle was one of the tallest people here, but not THE tallest. The tallest person here was a long, lanky man with tanned skin and piercing yellow eyes. He radiated magic like a beacon.

"Her too," Ammeline said. "If we're going by my headache."

An Asian woman with hair so pale blonde it was almost white walked through the crowd. There was something off about her movements, they were graceful but somehow robotic. Emotionless.

"And that teacher," Kyle said. "Since we're all picking someone."

He gestured to an older woman, short and thick set without being fat. She was answering questions to a group of confused new students.

"This doesn't have to be anything sinister," Jenny pointed out. "This is a big group of people from all over. It makes sense a few of them have got magical power, even if it's a lot rarer now right?"

"Yeah! Besides, it's the ones who are HIDING their power you really gotta watch out for."

The voice was familiar, but it still took Kyle a moment to place it. He whirled around, fist raised, ready to fight.

"Heya!" Sylvanandra said, winking and waving at them.