I closed my eyes, yawning. "I'm ready."

My mother hugged me, kissing me on the forehead. "You look great."

"Thanks to Tehla," I slouched towards the door, rubbing my eyes.

Tehla cleared her throat. "We must go now." Guiding me out of the house, she clicked her tongue. "We'll be late."

My mother waved. "I love you, Wryn!"

I waved back, walking down the entrance.

Tehla closed the door, crossing her arms. "You slept for four hours." She maintained eye contact, shaking her head. "Next time, I'll have to inform your parents."

Scratching my head, I smiled. "No worries!" I crossed my arms, forming an X. "I won't do anything naughty anymore!"

Tehla ignored me, walking down the stairs. "You better not..."

Strolling down the street was methodical, except for one fact, a plethora of wandering eyes coated us. I speculated it was because of the uniform I wore.

I wore a black cloak extending below my knees — dark blue on the inside. The cloak perfectly contrasted my buttoned blue shirt. Additionally, the academy's emblem resided on the front of the shirt — FA. The trousers I wore were also black, accompanied by black shoes. The trousers and shoes had some light-blue patterns, but nothing too extraordinary.

I rubbed my eyes, yawning. "Can't we just get a carriage?"

"And you could have woken up earlier," Tehla replied, with a tight-lipped smile.

Ignoring Tehla, I began testing out my magic perception. Mostly because I was bored. With this new method of perception, I could discern mages. Specifically, what I saw — almost colorful, fire-like spheres.

I pressed my lips together at the thought. 'The answer was so easy, yet I never thought of it before Alren informed me. The answer being input was obvious. However, before Alren's help — I was clueless. Hopefully, the academy could bestow more answers to magic.'

"Seems like we arrived," Tehla said, handing me a card with runes encompassing it. "All you have to do is present this identification to the guard, and they'll provide you passage."

I tilted my head, questioning. "Aren't you going to accompany me?"

Tehla shook her head. "A senior student will aid you with classes and provide you with a tour." She pushed me in line. "And don't worry about Alren's experimentation nonsense — someone from the Industry of Science will assist you."

I closed my eyes, getting into line, but Tehla grabbed my shoulder.

She placed her hand on my shoulder, slightly contorting her face. "I sympathize with your frustrations, but rest assured. You'll be fine."

"Yeah," I eased up, walking onward in the line.

"Next," one of the guards yelled. "Next!"

"Good luck, Wryn," Tehla smiled, walking away.

Waving back, I gave my card to the guards.

"You're Wryn Radcliffe?" One of the guards asked.

Grabbing my identification, I responded. "Yep, that's me." I added, walking near the portal. "I need to attend the academy."

"Mhm," one of the guards murmured.

The other commanded, pointing towards the portal. "Enter the relic!"

Stepping into the teleportation relic, I arrived at another location.

"Welcome," a teenager waved, advancing towards me.

Scratching his head, the teen released a sigh. "You're Wryn, correct?"

"Yeah..." Lifting my chin, I tilted my head. "But what if another student entered this portal? How would you know it's me?"

The teen puffed out his chest, lifting his head. "Every student who attends Fech lives on campus." He added. "If it had been a break or even the start of the new semester, then it would be impossible to discern you. But because we're halfway through this semester, it's unlikely that anyone other than you would cross that portal."

Rubbing my eyes, I fake smiled. "That's great, but what's your name?"

Wide-eyed, the teen face palmed himself. "I forgot to mention my name. I apologize for that! As the president of the student board, it's imperative to-"

Zoning out, I maintained a blank stare at the boy. He seemed boring and too formal...

"...my name is David Worth the Fifth."

"That's interesting, David, but would you mind explaining what that building is," I pointed towards a small lodging to the right.

"The guard-house," David answered, ushering me to move.

I sarcastically whispered. "They seem to be doing a great job."

David remained poised, marching. "I told them that they could rest for a moment while I'm here. The guards should resume working soon."

'Talk about a party killer,' I thought, yawning.

David's blonde hair, sophisticated attitude, and academic uniform made him look like a typical posh-private school student.

"Before I forget, this map is for you," David said, handing me a map.

Grabbing the map, I looked around, only witnessing trees. "Where are the other buildings?"

David coughed. "If you would view your map, your question would be satisfied."

Rolling my eyes, I unrolled the map. To my surprise, the map had my current location. It also displayed my name, and furthermore, my name seemed to be moving forward. It was like a real-time GPS!

The map had us located at the academy entrance — a straight line that goes deep into the forest. After the entry, many buildings were located, almost like my old world's universities. The academy was shaped circularly, containing many buildings. What piqued my interest was the plethora of locations: academic centers, a training facility, recreational-terrace, dining-hall, dormitory, and many more. There were even sections allocated by age, though mostly the academic buildings.

With a blink of an eye, even my new sense of magic perception could gauge the hundreds of mages present.

"Let's run, or are you too slow?" I mocked the so-called president.

"Foolishness," David replied, marching faster towards the entry.

Mocking him, I also began fast marching towards the entry.

What I witnessed at the entry was eye-opening: dozens of mage-students. Some were idling around, probably on their break. But a plethora of students engaged in training.

I went a little further, noticing two students engaging in a fight.

One of the students conjured a fireball towards the other.

The other student received the hit, bound against an invisible wall-like material. The flame couldn't exit the invisible wall-like material — thus hitting against the wall.

It was interesting to watch, yet I couldn't sense any magic from the invisible wall. I wondered how the barrier worked. But before I could further examine, I was interrupted.

"Please keep moving," David, the smartass, stated.

"Sure thing, boss," I murmured, excitedly looking around.

David stopped walking, coughing. "The majority of your classes will take place in the first academic center. Younger mages are placed there."

Looking at the map, I raised my eyebrow. "So I take a left and go forward, then take a right?"

Sighing, David, the sassy queen, narrowed his eyes. "It's not that difficult, but to erase your worries: yes."

I walked forward while David walked the other way.

"He really left me..." I whispered, staring at my map. 'Did I get on Queen David's bad side, or does he always act like a bitch?'

Viewing the map, I could discern I was close. The first academic center was only a few buildings ahead, so I continued walking.

After a while, I began hearing some odd noises.

"Stop it, please don't," a voice whimpered.

I heard a peculiar noise, so I decided to get close to it. At the scene were four students. One student was on the floor, scared, while the others were causing chaos.

The distressed student was pinned against the wall. It was clear that he was unable to escape since he had fallen. Not to mention a child resided to his left — a lean dwarf. A human was in the middle — blond and black hair. A fatass resided to the right — there was nothing special about him except he was fat...

"Yo," I saluted, walking towards the children.

"Who the hell are you," the middle child barked, clumping towards me.

It felt like I was straight out of a movie. The typical bully situation, where abruptly the hero comes to save the day.

I grinned, reaching out my hand. "My name is Wryn. Nice to meet you."

Slapping my hand, the boy yelled. "Scram or I'll mess you up!"

I refused to let a child order me around. Grabbing the boy's hand, I shook it. "Nice to meet you."

"You asked for it," the boy's face turned red as he lifted his hand, conjuring some type of magic. I could distinctively witness the magic from his chest — flame-like ball — move towards his arm.

Yet, I couldn't move. Not from the boy, but another presence. From behind, something else stopped me from moving. It was the same sensation as when I fought Llram in an enraged state. Not paying attention to the boy, I turned my head, looking for where the presence developed.

However, I messed up. I was met with water splashed onto my face, causing me to fall to the floor.

"Let's get out of here," the egotistic boy spoke, kicking dirt onto me. "He ruined all the fun."

Not paying much attention to them, I brushed off the dirt from my clothes, nearing the victim — a dwarf with long black hair. He looked more surprised than frightened.

"How are you going to talk so big and still lose," the dwarf stood up, shaking his head. "You're pathetic."

Tilting my head in agitation, I extended my hand for a handshake. "My name is Wryn. What's yours?"

"Get lost," the dwarf snickered, walking away.

Shaking my own hand, I whispered. "Damn, kids these days are ruthless."

Luckily, I put the map in my wristband before I got wet... Taking the map out, I walked towards academic center number one.

'Queen David could have told me more instead of leaving.' I thought, entering the building.

I was dry thanks to the warm weather, but other than that, I was frustrated. Tapping one of the students, I fake smiled. "How does one know where their classes are?"

"Are you a transfer student?" The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Something like that," I answered, maintaining eye contact.

Shrugging, the girl snatched my map, tapping the corner. "Just tap the corner, not so hard..." She whipped her hair back, giving me the map.

"Thanks," I whispered, checking the map.

The classes were listed in a column: Introduction to Magic 101, Theoretics, History of magic, Manipulation, Basics to combat, and Beasts and Artifacts.

Next to each class was written a class number and a specific time. Additionally, there was a clock to the left of the map.

I developed a wide-eyed expression, muttering. "Five minutes until Intro to magic."

Speed-walking towards a random hall. I began messing with the map, hoping it would help my predicament.

I tapped the corner of the map, changing to the direction mode. Out of curiosity, I clicked the Academic building — it depicted an in-depth version of the building. I now could view where the rooms were.

Approaching the class, I forgot that school entailed learning. 'Don't I need a notebook or something?'

The atmosphere was similar to a college lecture room — an auditorium.

"You're finally here," a slender bearded Professor announced as I entered the room. "Now, if you may, find a seat. Class is commencing."

I quickly sat at the nearest open seat.

Grabbing a piece of chalk, the Professor wrote. "What are the terms?"

A student raised his hand. "Professor Nox, we were on a different lesson-"

The Professor interjected. "Recently, we found it fundamental to revise the proper terms of magic. The soon introduction of Khausfallian students has begged the question: reintroduction of proper terms."

*SCREECH*

The Professor wrote on the board. "Magic is physical, but what is magic inside a person? Mana," the Professor stated. "Any internal magic should be named mana. The magic board is not accepting any other answer even if you learned it another way."

Looking around, the Professor continued. "I will not tolerate the usage of magic-users for identification. Anyone who attends Fech shall be referred to as a mage." He murmured, aggressively writing on the board. "Magic-users should be referred to as third-class mages such as the Kh... mages who don't attend Fech." Clearing his throat, the Professor announced. "Who will recap our last lecture?"

The Professor viewed the entire class, stroking his beard. "Ash Hart, you may speak."

The child to my right began speaking.

I was left wide-eyed. It was the same boy who got bullied. Technically, it was both of us, but who cared...

Ash stood up, slightly taller than his desk. Pushing his chest out, he stood firm, explaining. "We are currently analyzing magic cores and their importance." He continued, remaining steady eye contact with the Professor. "A magic core contains orbitals. Furthermore, orbitals can estimate the strength of a mage. Not only are orbitals important to the core, but they are indicative of where our magic circuits occur."

The Professor shook his head, criticizing. "That's accurate, but you forgot to mention the connection to theoretical magic. Truth be told, the genuine reason concerning this topic is additional analysis, which will soon be performed in Theoretics." The Professor added, scratching chalk onto the board. "Now that we have reviewed the former lesson, the next lesson commences, magic absorption. In essence, magic absorption is the conversion of ambient-"

Zoning out, I glanced at Ash, but he avoided eye contact. Noticing he wasn't in any mood, I let myself zone out completely.

"...and that will conclude today's lesson. Before you leave, remember to prepare for absorption content, as this is testable knowledge," the Professor declared, dismissing us.

When I was walking towards the exit, the Professor declared. "Wryn, stay here."

I let out a sigh of exasperation, walking near the Professor. "Yes, Professor?"

Looking up and down at me, the Professor cleared his throat. "Nothing, you are dismissed."

Tilting my head, I blinked. "Alright... Have a good day."

I took out my map, examining my classes. I had one more subject for the day: The history of magic.

Slumping into the class, I noticed a familiar face. Sitting down near that individual, I asked. "How has it been?"

Allura tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "Wryn?"

The girl next to her grew a furrowed brow, questioning. "Who's that?"

"He's my friend: Wryn Radcliffe," Allura said, putting her arm over the girl next to her, then looking at me. "This is Edea Reyala."

"Nice to meet you, Edea," I waved, taking a seat next to Allura.

Another familiar face walked in. Making awkward eye contact, I smiled at them.

Ash shook his head, sitting far away from me.

Stumbling into the room, a clumsy lady panted. "P-p-professor Vanesa Ezrath is present." Organizing her books at the table, she sputtered. "I understand History is boring, but let's try to enjoy our time in this class!"

The Professor beamed. "I'm sure you all have heard about the indelible alliance between Fech, Khausfall, and Xatus. The announcement of a possible alliance between these three countries is a pivotal change in history." She opened a book, flipping the pages. "This kind of association has never been prevalent. Dating back to Xeno times-"

Yawning, I thought about the previous class. 'One can tell how powerful a mage is through orbitals, and they have to deal with the magic core as well. So, why can't I notice how many orbitals mages have?'

I focused on my output, ignoring the Professor's nonsense. I acted like I was paying attention, but I was trying to observe her core.

For over an hour, instead of detecting a fiery ball, I was able to examine a more calm version of the core. It was now a circle more so than a fiery ball.

I reckoned the observation of orbitals was what Alren hinted at. It now made sense why I couldn't understand it without knowing about orbitals. My perception may have been lacking, but so was my knowledge...

"...that will be it for class," the Professor gasped, marching out the room.

Standing up, I stretched, asking. "So, what do you guys do in your free time?"

Allura stood up, replying. "There's a lot of clubs, and honestly, I might even join one. The combat club seems interesting."

Grinning, I answered. "Let's check it out."

Edea followed us, avoiding eye contact.

Allura nudged me, whispering. "Don't call the Headmaster a Professor..." She added, covering her face with her hand. "It's a grave mistake that I've made..."

Edea laughed, continuing. "Professor Nox was furious." She shook her head, giggling. "I can't believe you made that mistake!"

Allura crossed her arms, sighing. "It's not my fault..."

*SHAKE*

My wrist began vibrating, so I stopped walking, staring at my wristband. I took out the map, noticing the vibrations were stemming from it.

Opening the map, I witnessed a message — Arrive at the entrance.

Allura stopped, looking back. "What happened?" She came closer, glancing at my map. "I guess you can't go to the clubs..."

Allura grew a smile. "I'll see you later."

Edea relaxed her posture. "Bye."

Waving at them, I let out a sigh. "Combat would have been fun..."

On my way to the entrance, I noticed a familiar face.

"How are you?" Alren motioned me to enter the portal.

Two guards stood near the portal — saluting — allowing us access.

Going through the portal was ordinary, but where we arrived was something beyond my imagination.

Alren smirked, motioning me to move. "Welcome to the laboratory."