"They're just legends to you, aren't they? I can't say that all of your legends are true, and I don't know them all, but they contain some truth... The portal doesn't just work one way. Over the centuries, some of our people have ventured on your side. A few lucky ones managed to cross them again to come back and tell us what they saw there."

Okay. Let's assume for a moment that what he was saying was the truth. If the legends were true, at least in this world... What was she to expect from its inhabitants? From one version to another, certain creatures were depicted as bloodthirsty beasts. Should she fear for her life? Hadn't she been told that humans had disappeared from this world? Images of horror crept into her mind.

Her hands began to shake and become sweaty as she imagined a thousand and one scenario leading to her death. All of a sudden, she would have preferred to be told that she was in fact in a psychiatric hospital, safe in her straight jacket. A prisoner between four walls, but a safe one.

"You have nothing to fear here, if that's what's freaking you out" Vassili reassured, sensing the young woman's panic.

"But... you said that humans..." she questioned, not daring to finish her sentence.

"Ah, yes... A sad period. Now is not the time to go into details, but our world has been greatly ravaged by the war between peoples. Humans were... the weakest."

She swallowed, not reassured by this discovery. He was telling her that humans had been decimated, concretely. And she was told she had nothing to fear here?

So he wanted her to believe that she had arrived in an imaginary world populated by unreal creatures and that she was the only one of her kind?

Well, lucky me... If it's all true and I really fell into a parallel universe, couldn't it be the world of the Teletubbies? Or My Little Pony? Just any world I would have been safe in?

And the man who was explaining all these things to her, what kind of creature was he? Did she really want to find out? Her curious nature told him yes, even if it was at her expense.

"And what about you?"

In a few seconds, his features became more emaciated, his complexion took on a cadaverous color, his eyes were injected with red, and a row of fangs sharper than razor blades replaced his human teeth.

Mia jumped back in surprise, placing her hands in front of her face to protect herself in a survival reflex. She suddenly felt like prey cornered by a predator who was dying to make her his four o'clock, so much did the man's sudden transformation look more like a vision of horror than a simple demonstration.

A second later, he looked human again. Cold sweats went up the spine of the young human, the nightmarish portrait of the man forever impregnated in her mind. A vampire! And not those nice vampires she saw in the movies, no, he looked more like a creature straight out of hell!

"That must be pretty impressive for you. Again, you have nothing to fear. The war ended decades ago. We created this school for this purpose, to maintain a balance of peace between peoples. I can't promise you that everyone will accept you, but no one should hurt you."

When an unknown man who hid a terrifying monster under an elegant face explained to you that you had nothing to fear, he should not have been surprised that she received his remarks with great skepticism.

"Anyway," he resumed as if nothing had happened, "the Arena. Young adults of all races come here for several years to learn how to master their specific skills to compete in tournaments organized by the school. It may sound barbaric, but it is an appropriate framework for channeling displays of power between different peoples. Here, you don't kill your opponent. The tournaments are subject to strict rules and allow the different races to show who is the strongest in complete safety."

Mia had no doubts about Vassili's strength. Her gaze fell on Lily, the little fairy. Was she fighting too? She didn't really look cut out for combat, but it was impossible to know what she could become if she transformed like the vampire in front of her. A smile tugged at Lily's lips. She seemed to have expected the young human to ask herself such questions.

"Fairies do not fight. We excel in healing and protective magic. That's why we usually work in the infirmary. Since we dedicate our lives to caring for others, we don't need to prove that we are the best because we just are," she smiled proudly.

Mia would have liked to see this magic at work if it truly existed. It seemed so... harmless. Much closer to the image that humans had of a marvelous and magical world. Perhaps she would have the opportunity to observe her during her healing duties...

Again, doubt and confusion reigned supreme in her mind. Rationally, all of this was impossible to believe. Yet, if she accepted the evidence that had been shoved under her nose – the absence of wounds, the wings, the vampire, white magic... – the existence of a magical world was the safest hypothesis. The logical one, even if it was unbelievable. And Mia liked to think logically when she had the chance.

Anyway, no need to argue more about it. Let's assume that all of this is indeed true. We discover things every day that we never thought possible, it's not that different, is it?

Where could she go, anyway? If she had understood correctly, unless she found one of these portals by chance, she was stuck here. The only thing she could do was to get used to it, and quickly, please. She didn't want to be one of those stupid heroines who chained blunders and problems because their brains couldn't understand and assimilate their new reality. Especially since it seemed to her that she was far from being at the end of her troubles concerning the discoveries in this new world, so she might as well be careful and intelligent.

"And I'm going to stay here, then?" she inquired, returning her attention to Vassili.

"Yes. I don't really know what we're going to do with you..." he laughed. "It would be too dangerous for you outside of the school perimeter, and besides, you don't know our world. It would be... cruel to let you loose in the wild. Anyway, I'll leave you in Lily's care, my presence is expected elsewhere," he concluded with a smile on his lips as he got up and left the room.

Lily walked over and approached the wardrobe that the blonde hadn't taken the time to explore to pull out a pile of clothes. She laid it on the bed, next to her patient. Mia still had a ton of questions to ask her, but quickly understood when she saw the fairy busying herself that the time was over for explanations.

"Here, get dressed. I have to get back to work, but Arry will pick you up in half an hour to show you around. Don't worry, she's very nice!"

"Thanks," Mia replied, grabbing the clothes.

When Lily left the room, she found herself all alone. She took the opportunity to change quickly, abandoning the white dress that they gave her to replace her damaged clothes while she was unconscious. This time it was a flowing cream-colored dress that made her look classy with her California blonde hair. With her chin raised high, she might give the impression of being strong against all these menacing creatures...

The young human cursed when she saw that Lily hadn't given her any shoes and started rummaging through the cupboards to find a brand new pair of leather sandals which she quickly put on. At least the fashion seemed relatively similar to her contemporary world, if only it was perhaps less eccentric.

She had about twenty-five minutes left to kill if her sense of time didn't fool her. She decided to spend them on the bed, sitting against her pillow, thinking about what she had been taught. Decidedly, she still felt like she was swimming in a dream.Her heart sank as the image of her loved ones flashed through her mind. Was she dead on Earth or had her body just disappeared? Her friends must be completely freaking out. Her parents would agonize with grief when they would learn that their daughter was gone. Mia wished she could tell them she was alive and safe right now, but she suspected that it was obviously impossible.

The blonde would no doubt make headlines because of Lydie, taking her friend's journalist career to the next level. To be honest, she couldn't even blame her. At least her disappearance would have some positive effects on the lives of those she loved.

The young woman finally decided to put away and seal these depressing thoughts in a corner of her head. There was no point in complaining about the reaction of those close to her, she couldn't do anything about it. On the other hand, coming back on a more positive note, she couldn't deny that the vampire's explanations had really tickled her curiosity...

Dream or not, danger or not... it would still be stupid not to take advantage of it, right? Who can boast of having the opportunity to discover a whole new world? And a magic world at that!