We emerged onto a wide balcony that overlooked what could only be described as a city unto itself, suspended in the sky. Spires of crystal, stone, and living wood stretched toward the heavens, connected by bridges that arced between them like frozen rainbows. Gardens flourished in impossible places, hanging vertically along the sides of towers, floating in midair with no visible means of support, spiraling around columns in defiance of conventional growth patterns.
Below us spread a central plaza where fountains danced to music I could almost hear, their waters forming complex yet mesmerizing shapes and patterns. Students moved through the spaces like colorful birds, their uniforms varying subtly in trim and detail, with varying colored collars for the different grades, though all shared the same deep blue base.
The sky above was a tapestry of color, shifting between normal daylight and something else entirely, glimpses of cosmic bodies that shouldn't be visible, stars that pulsed in rhythm with the fountains below, clouds that formed equations and dissolved into solutions.
"That," Finn said, pointing to the largest structure at the academy's center, "is the Nexus Spire. Main classrooms, administrative offices, and the Great Hall are there." He gestured toward two elegant towers that flanked the central spire, connected by suspended crystalline walkways. "And those are the freshman dormitories, Solaris Hall for boys on the east, and Lunaris Hall for girls on the west."
"Which one is ours?" I asked, still trying to process the sheer scale and impossibility of what I was seeing.
"Solaris, is the one with the bronze-tinted windows and the floating observatory platform at the top," Finn replied, pointing to the eastern tower where sunlight glinted off metallic accents. "The first year is when they evaluate our affinities and potential. We all take the same core curriculum."
I squinted at the distant structures. "And what are those other buildings?"
"Those are the Faculty Towers," Finn explained, indicating the five ornate structures arranged in a crescent beyond the main spire. "After freshman year, students specialize and align with one of the faculties based on their magical affinities and academic interests."
He pointed to each tower in turn. "The Arcane Studies focus on theoretical magic and ancient practices. The Elemental Arts explore the fundamental forces and their applications. The Conjuration College deals with evoking and summoning. The Transmutation Institute specializes in transformation and enhancement. And the Divination Observatory studies foresight and cosmic connections."
He started walking, guiding me down a staircase whose steps seemed to form beneath our feet just before we needed them. "Each faculty has its own specialties, but they all work together. Some exceptional students even pursue joint paths."
"So all twenty-two of us who passed the exam will be together?" I asked, watching in fascination as the stairs behind us dissolved back into the air, leaving no trace of their existence.
Finn nodded. "For the first year, at least. Makes sense with so few survivors, I mean graduates, from the admission trials. The real sorting happens once we've proven we can actually survive the academy's curriculum."
We traversed more impossible architecture, walkways that shifted direction as we stepped on them, archways that widened or narrowed depending on how many people passed through, gardens where flowers turned to follow our movement like curious spectators. Each new wonder left me more speechless than the last.
We entered through a massive doorway inscribed with symbols that seemed to rearrange themselves as I tried to read them. The entrance hall of Solaris was a soaring space with a central spiral staircase that extended upward farther than seemed physically possible given the tower's external dimensions.
"Spatial magic," Finn explained, noticing my confusion. "It's bigger on the inside, and before you ask, yes, that's intentionally cliché. The founders had a sense of humor."
We climbed to the third level, where Finn led me down a corridor lined with doors set at irregular intervals. Each door was uniquely designed, some obvious reflections of their occupants' personalities, one was covered in constantly shifting mathematical equations, another seemed to be made entirely of living wood that bloomed with different flowers as we passed.
"Here we are," Finn announced, stopping before a door that appeared deceptively ordinary compared to its neighbors. "Home sweet extradimensional home."
He pushed the door open to reveal our humble common room. The space extended outward to a private balcony that seemed to hover at the edge of a drop into infinity. A living area with comfortable-looking furniture occupied the center, with three doors leading off to what I assumed were individual bedrooms.
Sprawled across one of the couches was a familiar figure, Gavril, his injured side now showing no signs of the wound that had nearly claimed his life during the trials. He looked up from the book he was reading and broke into a grin.
"The sleeper awakens!" he declared, setting aside his book and standing. "We were beginning to think you'd make hibernation a permanent lifestyle choice."
"Believe me, I considered it," I replied, returning his smile. "This place is..."
"Overwhelming? Impossible? A massive architectural flex designed solely to make new students feel small and insignificant?" Gavril offered.
I laughed. "I see you and Finn share an analytical framework."
"Great minds and all that," Finn said, flopping onto an armchair that seemed to mold itself to his form. "Gavril here has been catching me up on all the Academy gossip while you were beautifying yourself in the infirmary."
"Speaking of which," Gavril said, his expression growing more serious, "your little fainting spell has become quite the topic of conversation. Especially among certain... higher circles."
I frowned. "Higher circles?"
"The elite students," Finn clarified. "Like Gavril's intimidating cousin."
"Vael isn't intimidating," Gavril protested. "She's just... intensely focused."
"On making everyone around her feel inadequate," Finn muttered.
Gavril shrugged, not exactly disagreeing. "Anyway, word has spread about your... luck situation. The way you manipulated probabilities during the trial has caught people's attention."
A knot formed in my stomach. Attention was the last thing I wanted, especially regarding something I couldn't even control. "Great," I sighed. "Just what I need."
"Look on the bright side," Finn said cheerfully. "With your reputation for catastrophic luck, no one will want to sit near you during exams. More elbow room!"
Despite myself, I laughed. The tension in my shoulders eased slightly. "So, what's next on the agenda? More trials? Some fresh form of torture disguised as education?"
"Actually," Gavril said, glancing at an ornate timepiece on the wall, whose hands appeared to be moving in several directions simultaneously, "we have about an hour before the Welcoming Feast in the Great Hall. It's tradition for new students to be formally introduced to the Academy's full faculty."
"Another ceremony?" I groaned. "Haven't we proven ourselves enough?"
"This one doesn't involve fighting for your life," Gavril assured me. "Just awkward small talk and pretending to remember dozens of names."
"Although," Finn added with a mischievous glint in his eye, "with your luck, who knows? Perhaps the ceiling will collapse just as you're introduced."
"That's not funny," I protested, but found myself smiling anyway.
"It's a little funny," Finn insisted. "Now, shall we prepare to dazzle the Academy with our barely-recovered presences? I, for one, plan to fail at impressing everyone spectacularly."
As we began preparing for the feast, I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of anticipation and dread. The Academy of Arcanis was more wondrous and terrifying than I could have imagined, and I had somehow found myself at its heart.
Whatever came next, at least I wouldn't face it alone. Between Finn's irreverent humor and Gavril's insider knowledge, I had allies in this impossible place. And after surviving the trials, a simple welcoming feast couldn't possibly be that challenging… right?