Chapter VI

His first appraisal from the painting appeared accurate as he stepped in. A glass window circled around the entire room, save for a space of stone wall behind him where a painting showcasing the hallway hung. A ladder led up to a loft overhead, but that seemed to be as high as the tower reached. He glanced out the window and wondered how far the fall would be if thrown out it. Any ground below them was concealed by a layer of fluffy clouds.

In the center of the room, a brazier let off heat with several chairs and couches around it. Only one other boy was in the room. His features were plain and utterly forgettable. Brown hair cut to the brow. A face that wasn’t thin but wasn’t chubby. He looked up from his book and glanced at Kizu.

“Lost? This is the third-year’s common room. Go back out the way you came.”

“I am a third year,” Kizu replied coolly. “Where are the living quarters at?”

The boy laughed with no humor. “I know all the third-years. I have for three years even, if you can believe that. You’re not one of them. Get out, monkey boy, or I’ll make you get out.”

“Gladly. Just point me in the direction of my quarters.”

The boy vaulted to his feet. Kizu finally noticed something abnormal about him. His eyes glinted with an unfettered fury. He drew a wand from his waistband and pointed it at Kizu.

“Last warning.” He flicked his wand between Kizu and the painting behind him.

As if reflecting the pulsing anger from the other boy, something in Kizu snapped. He lifted a hand and the entire room darkened. Outside the window, blocking out the sun, the silhouette of a dragon descended on them. It grew closer with each powerful pump of its dark wings.

The boy visibly froze in place, wand dangling in his hand as he gawked in horror at the creature descending on them.

Kizu stepped forward and slammed a fist into the boy’s jaw, sending him tumbling to the ground. The wand skittered uselessly on the stone floor.

“How’s that for confusion?” Kizu muttered to himself as he dropped the illusion. He flexed his fingers. His knuckles ached and on his head. Mort purred his satisfaction.

Turning away from the downed boy, he looked around the room again and noticed a spiral staircase leading down on the other side of the couch.

The doors to each of the chambers were labeled, just as James had said earlier. He scanned them, looking for his name. He had to descend down a second staircase before locating it at the very end of the hall. Kaga Kizu and above it, Basil.

He slid open the door and was forced back out again by the assaulting aroma of perfumes. Blinking ferociously and taking a deep breath, he dived back inside the room again. A quick glance showed him a room full of outfits. And not just men’s clothes. Women’s clothes lay draped over the desks and hung from the ceiling. Everything from the girl’s uniform, to elaborate ballgowns.

With shallow breaths, Kizu began to adjust to the odors. He tried to process what he was seeing. He noticed on one of the desks an assortment of threads and a cloth ball pricked with a dozen needles.

“A tailor, Basil must be some sort of tailor.”

He lifted up a pile of men’s jackets from what he assumed to be his bed and set them over on the bed that looked more slept in. Thankfully, he didn’t have very much to unpack, because the room seemed in scarce supply of storage. He left his one outfit from the crone in his satchel, not even bothering to open the closet.

Opening the drawer of the desk without the thread and needles, he deposited some basic brewing supplies from his satchel along with the peaches he’d preserved.

On his pillow rested a small silvery orb. Assuming it to be Basil’s, he picked it up, intending to move it over to Basil’s bed.

It lit up and floated just above his hand.

“Welcome, Kaga Kizu. I will be your guide these next few years. Please ponder and establish a name for me in the near future.”

“What do you think, Mort?” Kizu asked.

Mort climbed down his arm and quizzically reached out to the floating orb. It bounced slightly at his touch.

“Information. Owl monkey. A species named for its owl-like eyes and nocturnal habits. In the known world, it is the only fully nocturnal monkey. Like most primates, they’re highly intelligent, rivaling the smartest non-magical creatures. This specific breed is known to be found most commonly in the Hon Basin.”

“This is Mort,” Kizu told the orb. “He’s my familiar.”

“Connection established.”

Mort cocked his head and hummed.

“What can you tell me about my roommate, Basil?” he asked it.

“Basil, Third-Year- Combat-299, Astronomy-346, Divination-411, History-398, Politics-401, Rejuvenation and Restoration- 182, Conjuring-532, Brewing- 501, Alchemy- 396, Music- 377 (Piano), Enchanting- 291 , Illusion- 212, Elemental 233.”

“So, if there are 800 students, for a third year, he’s pretty average?”

“That would be an appropriate evaluation. With the exception of his Rejuvenation and Restoration talents which are almost in the A class.”

In a way, he found it concerning that anyone could look up his placements with only a few words. But he also saw how it might motivate students. Nobody wants to be the absolute lowest person in any given subject. Which pretty much meant, nobody wanted to be him. At least it would be extremely difficult for him to fall down in the rankings.

“What can you tell me about him though, besides his academic standing?”

“You are not authorized to access any behavioral or disciplinary records.”

He gave up, better to just ask in person. Instead he changed the subject.

“What is my schedule for tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow all students have a settling in period. You have nothing recorded for your schedule.”

“What about for the semester? What classes am I signed up for?”

“Period I- History, Period II- Combat, Period III- Astronomy, Period IV- Enchanting, Period V- Music, Period VI- Elemental, Period VII- Brewing. You are signed up to attend three classes a day and they will rotate through the seven classes throughout the week.”

“And which three for my first day?”

“Your first day of classes will be an exception. You are scheduled to attend all seven classes for shortened periods.”

He lay back in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Mort swung from the hanging clothes like vines.

“What do I do for food?” he asked the orb.

“The cafeteria is open six until ten in the evening for students in the dormitories.”

“And the current time?”

“6:23 in the evening.”

“How difficult would it be to enchant something like you?”

“Based on your current enchanting ranking, impossible.”

“What ranking would I need?”

“S for the mere slim possibility to present itself.”

He considered that. “Do I have books to study?”

“Yes, you will be presented with the required texts tomorrow after your first lessons. The library is also available to all students from six in the morning to midnight. Though certain texts may be restricted based on your ranking due to the danger of the contents.”

“What do you think, Mort? Dinner or the library?”

The monkey answered by jumping on his shoulder and nipping his ear.

“Dinner it is. Orb, show us the way.”