Slipping the three slim books into my pocket, I strode back down the hallway towards the Academy’s entrance, replaying the last few minutes in my head. Although I doubted that Master Julian was doing this all for selfless reasons, I still had gained enough from our meeting.

I was moving in now, and I was authorized to take additional lessons that could prove invaluable. Most importantly, by the end of today, I could begin learning about magic. Real knowledge, not rumors, stories, and legends told over a mug of ale.

Yet despite that, I knew that I was still in a very precarious position. If the Duke or Girem ever became aware I was not planning to join the Estton household after graduation, it would be disastrous. At a minimum, they would no longer support me financially, and I would have to find a way to pay for my remaining training and raise the money to survive when not at the Academy.

Even worse would be the social backlash I would face as a result. Legally, benefactors did not force sponsored students to join their household, but it was incredibly rare not to do so. For a smaller family, this insult would be a long-lasting stain on reputations of all involved parties. The defector would be blacklisted and would struggle to find a way to support themselves.

For a family as well-known as the Esttons, it was not unrealistic to have me disappear rather than make such an embarrassment public. After all, if a simple commoner who had been reliant upon their family for years was able to ignore their wishes, why should other noble families respect them?

Officially, all the noble families were united in pursuit of prosperity for Ferris as a whole. But in practice, the majority seemed far more interested in their self-interests. The Esttons had always been good to me, and a part of me disliked betraying their trust. But I could not shake the feeling that I wanted more from life than serving them.

In the distance, I could see Girem standing in the entrance hall where we had left him. Cynthia was standing nearby, conversing politely with him. It seems my meeting had ended before Leon or Sophia’s, as they were nowhere in sight.

“Vayne, you are done already? Strange, I thought your meeting would take longer. It’s barely been a half-hour since you left.” said Girem in surprise, narrowing his eyes at me.

I nodded briefly. “Yes sir, we just finished a few minutes ago. My advisor recommended I move into the dormitories today, to acclimate to student life as soon as possible.”

Raising an eyebrow, Girem folding his arms behind his back and stared at me in silence.

“Why would he do that?”

I had considered what I would say to Girem and settled on honesty, at least to a point.

“He feels I have a good deal of potential and would benefit from getting an early start on my studies. In addition to the two required magic classes, I will be attending Alchemy, Enchanting, Magical Beasts, and War Theory. To better serve the household, it would be helpful if I could have as much time as possible to study and research class materials.”

Girem considered my words for a few tense seconds, before nodding once.

“Understandable, you have much to learn if you will serve as Leon and Sophia’s right hand. I will inform the Duke of your arrangement and have your remaining possessions brought here.”

Not much point, in my opinion, but I knew better than to argue. All I owned were a few sets of clothing and a couple of books. Nothing irreplaceable, but it would be rude to turn down the offer.

“Thank you, sir, I am forever in your debt,” I said, adding a bow of my head for effect.

Interjecting into the conversation with an apologetic expression, Cynthia stepped closer to me.

“In that case, Apprentice Vayne, I will lead you to your room. Your identification should have a number on the back of the coin that denotes your room number.”

Digging into my pocket, I pulled out the bracelet and flipped over the coin, seeing “651” debossed into the back. Taking a moment to slip the bracelet onto my right arm, I turned to Cynthia and smiled.

“That would be great, thank you.”

Walking away from Girem further towards the center of the Academy, I saw smaller hallways leading off the entrance hall. Noticing my examinations, Cynthia gestured towards one side.

“Down these corridors are primarily classrooms and offices for the Academy faculty. On the higher floors, most rooms are laboratories for experimentation, often under the direction of a master or appointed journeyman mage. Younger apprentices spend their days in classrooms, but as you progress in your training, you will often have lessons located off-campus or self-directed studies outside of a class altogether.”

Continuing further into the Academy, we passed through a large archway into a giant square-shaped space, with staircases leading up to further floors and two hallways leading away, one on each side.

“This is the main corridor of the Academy, the location for most of the living quarters, and student accommodations. In addition to the dormitories, there are several dozen leisure spaces and three dining halls for student usage located in the main square of the Academy.” Cynthia explained as we walked towards one set of stairs.

“There are floors two to six are dormitories, roughly divided by year and located down the smaller hallways to our left and right. As a general rule, rooms are larger the closer to the ground floor, and the more senior students are preferential housing. Because the final years of training consists of mostly self-directed studies, these students are assigned those rooms to give them as much privacy as possible. It also tends to cut down on accidental injuries. Magic is often unsafe, and magic wielded by apprentices even more so.”

I did my best to absorb the information, but my head was already beginning to swim with details. After our tour, I would have to do some exploring on my own to get more familiar with the layout. As we approached the stairs, Cynthia indicated the two broad hallways leading off of this central space.

“Down the left corridor is the Grand Library, the largest repository of information in all of Ferris. While we are most renowned for our magical knowledge, our collection includes a myriad of topics ranging from poetry and literature to forging techniques and ship design. The right leads to exercise facilities, including an open field and weight training devices. Our research has found that regular physical exertion can slow the effects of mana-burn on the body and extend a mage’s lifespan. Now, if you will follow me up to your room, we can get you settled!”

As we climbed the stairs, I looked around in open wonder at the sheer scale of the Academy. I had been inside of the Duke’s central estate before, but this place made it look closer to a broom closet than a noble’s home. Stopping on the sixth floor, Cynthia turned and led me down the right hallway before halting near the end.

“You got lucky. Your room is one of the larger ones on the sixth floor. Far from the size you may be accustomed to, but still not a bad place to lay your head.” Cynthia said with a bright smile.

As we stood before the door, Cynthia pointed to the leather strap around my wrist. “Your bracelet automatically links with the door lock enchantment, and only you can disengage it. Well, technically, you and any master in the Academy. But they will only enter a room if they suspect you have broken rules of the Academy or are in danger. “

Nodding, I held my arm close to the door and mentally focused on opening the lock. After a second, I heard a faint clicking sound from inside the wood. I reached down, turned the reflective knob, and pushed it open, before stopping in surprise at the space inside.

Whatever Cynthia had meant, this was not what I had expected. The main room was massive, nearly four times the size of my bedroom on the Estton estate. The floor was made of dark wooden planks and partially covered by an ornate red rug. I spotted a large oval-shaped wooden table with a half dozen chairs around it, likely to serve as a dining table. The far wall had several long windows that overlooked the verdant fields outside and even further in the distance, the sprawl of Volaris.

Several bookshelves were against one wall, though I noticed they were devoid of any actual books. A sofa and several comfortable chairs were close to the other wall, surrounding a low table. Rounding out the space was a small fireplace, inside of which roared a burning fire. I could see a door on the right side of the room past the bookshelves, which I suspected led to my bedroom.

Cynthia stepped past me into the room and turned towards me with a smile.

“So, this is where you will be staying for the next five months. The fireplace is magical, and will not produce any smoke or ash. An adjustment device on the top of the stonework controls the flame’s size and intensity and will respond to mental commands. The bookshelves are yours to fill up with as many books as you wish, which will certainly help you begin your collection. Lastly, through the door is your bedroom and private washroom. There is a bath, toilet, and sink, which contain similar enchantments to the fireplace. Several devices can adjust the water temperature, so feel free to play around at your leisure.” she said, walking around the square room as she spoke.

Moving back over to the door outside, Cynthia turned and held up her arm to indicate her identification bracelet.

“Keep this on you at all times. It is the only way to get into your room or access your funds. Every semester one hundred gold coins are placed into your account to spend on supplies as you see fit. The Academy provides three regular meals a day. If you have no questions, then I will let you get situated. Welcome to the Academy, Apprentice Vayne, and I hope to see you around.”

With one last smile, Cynthia turned and walked out before closing the door after her. Stepping further into the room, I turned in place slowly, marveling at the space. If this was the sort of living quarters they gave to the new students, what kind of rooms did they give to the senior Apprentices?

A quick examination of my bedroom showed that I would be sleeping in a bed three times the size of my old one. A large dresser in the corner contained a half dozen sets of clothing almost identical to Cynthia’s uniform. The only difference that I could spot was the shirt was a dark blue shade, and it lacked the bronze decorations that adorned her set.

I retrieved the vial I had taken from my Awakening and slipped it into the back of the dresser, behind the hanging uniforms. I was not entirely sure what I would do with the remnants of the potion, but I still felt holding onto it could prove useful in the future.

Moving over to the tiled washroom, I saw a bathtub that could fit four fully grown men comfortably standing in the corner. A marble toilet sat in one corner, with a nearby sink and a mirror edged in beautiful decorative silverwork hanging on the wall. Like the rest of my quarters, the entire room was opulent in the extreme and likely cost a fortune.

Stepping into the main room, I shook off my shock and excitement at seeing my quarters. I had plenty of time to relax and enjoy this room later. Instead, I dug into my pocket and removed the three books I had acquired from Master Julian before placing them on the table next to the windows.

I had spent ten years waiting to learn magic, and I decided the time for waiting was long over. Reaching down, I grabbed the first book and examined the title. “Introduction to Magic” was certainly far from the most gripping name, but it seemed books were where Mages drew the line for their theatricality. Surprisingly, the book was tiny and likely was only a few dozen pages long.

As I sat down near the windows, I opened to the first page and began reading.