After dinner, I returned to my room, barely functioning under the weight of the exhaustion that had been building since I first stepped foot on campus. The halls were quieter now, the bustling corridors emptied of their chatter and the scurrying of feet. Most students had retired in the lounge area or to their bedrooms for the night, leaving only the occasional flicker of light under the door.
Sophie had gone straight to her room without much of a farewell, she seemed eager to dive into her grimoire, and if I was being honest with myself, so was I.
The moment I shut my door and got comfortable, I summoned my grimoire. It appeared before me, hovering at eye level, weightless yet its presence was magnetic. I couldn't help but be drawn to it. The veins on the dark cover pulsated faintly, the embers along the edges of the pages smoldering.
I ran a hand over its surface, it felt like a fragment of my soul, like I was touching the inside of my very being. This was truly mine and mine alone. A manifestation of my magic, but it meant nothing if I didn't understand it.
I took a deep breath and opened it.
The pages were blank at first, but when I focused, words and symbols began to glow on the paper as they took shape, branding into the surface once they had finished shifting around the page. The book responded to my intent, causing the pages to shift and turn according to my needs. When I thought about fire magic, symbols and runes representing flames appeared; when I thought about defending myself, a different section would unfold before my eyes.
This wasn't just a book, it was a toolbox. Everything a magician needs to survive.
Hours passed seamlessly as I poured over the contents of the grimoire, trying to grasp even a fraction of the knowledge within. Spells, theories, diagrams - I gradually began to comprehend some, but there was a lot more that made my head spin.
Eventually, I sighed and leaned back, rubbing my eyes and finally subdued to yawning. It was getting late, well past midnight. I rested my eyes just for a moment…
Sleep took over me.
I woke up in a daze, I didn't remember falling asleep and I had woken up in the unfamiliar surroundings of my new bedroom.
I was still in Velos Arcana, it wasn't a dream.
My mouth felt unbelievably dry. Standing up, I stretched before deciding to get a drink from the lounge where I should be able to find a cold glass of water.
I stepped outside of my room.
The hallway felt… different.
During the day, the dormitory halls were straightforward - rows upon rows of doors, evenly spaced sconces, and soft crimson carpets. But now?
Now, doorways that had been there when I entered my bedroom were gone. The walls stretched in ways they hadn't before and bent at odd angles.
Was this really a dream? I remembered James' words about freshers hiding away in their rooms because they couldn't believe this was all real.
I didn't understand it at first, but is this what he meant?
Was this an enchantment? A test? Or did the campus itself play tricks on its students?
I took a deep breath and focused. I knew roughly how to get to the lounge, all I needed to do was not stray from the path.
I walked with purpose, keeping my mind on my goal: the lounge.
Occasionally I caught glimpses of movement out of the corner of my eye - not people, or creatures, just… shifts in the walls. But I didn't stop.
I had made it to the stone staircase and gone down three flights of stairs. Turning to my right and walking in a straight path. Eventually I saw the entrance to the lounge and exhaled in relief.
The warm glow of the fire in the hearth greeted me, along with the comforting presence of tables and chairs. The lounge was empty, everyone must be asleep. I poured myself a drink from a water jug in the fridge, gulping it down to settle my nerves.
I didn't linger, refilling my glass and taking it with me. I huried back the way I came, exactly the way I came.
By the time I reached my room, I was relieved to see my door was still there. I locked the door behind me, laid down on my bed and drifted off back to sleep.
I woke up later than usual, the unease of last night still lingering. After getting dressed, I made my way to the dining hall, hoping that breakfast would still be available and that it would ground me back into something normal.
The hallways were already alive with students, some half asleep, others chatting. Everything appeared to be back to normal, all of the doors I could remember accounted for.
I grabbed some toast and scanned the dining hall.
Sitting alone at a table near the far end was Sophie.
She was wearing another dark outfit - black lace sleeves with silver embroidery, her long black hair loosely tied back in a ponytail.
I walked over and took a seat across from her.
'You look like you didn't sleep,' I said, biting into my toast.
'Pot calling the kettle black,' Sophie smirked.
I shrugged.
'My grimoire is… overwhelming.'
'Yeah, mine is frustrating,' she nodded, pushing her food around with her fork. She hesitated before continuing, 'I thought it was a cold element, but… now I'm just confused.'
'What do you mean?' I puzzled, raising my eyebrow involuntarily.
She glances around, lowering her voice and leaning in over the table.
'My ice burns.'
I squinted at her, maybe I was still half asleep.
'Like… it melts?'
'No.' She met my eyes with a piercing blue stare, as if she was looking for advice or answers. 'Like fire, but it doesn't burn, it freezes.'
Before I could respond, someone approached our table.
'Miss Aldren?'
A second year girl stood nearby, looking nervous but her eyes were ablaze with excitement. She had light brown hair tied in a braid which fell over her shoulder.
'Sorry. I just wanted to say… I adore your sister.' She smiled. 'She helped me last year, so if you need anything…'
Sophie's expression barely changed, though I noticed her hand twitch before she withdrew it under the table.
'Thanks,' she replied simply.
The girl nodded enthusiastically before scurrying back.
Sophie exhaled, stirring the foot in front of her.
'You have a sister here?' I asked, leaning back in my seat.
'Emily. She graduated last year. The family prodigy. She graduated and became the youngest Magister in a few centuries.' she let out a tired sigh.
'Right…' I hesitated.
So Sophie came from a magical family? Or at least her sister was part of this world first. I could tell by her expression that now wasn't the time to press further.
A few tables over, a loud voice interrupted the morning chatter.
'Face it - you can't compare.'
I turned my head to see one of the first year students standing on his chair, holding up his grimoire for everyone to see. He was grinning like he'd already conquered the world, arguing with everyone at his table who would listen.
'I have an uncommon element,' he boasted. 'That clearly means I'm better!'
A few of the older students rolled their eyes, others laughing with each other in amusement.
Then, a third year student stood up from the far side of the hall.
'Oh?' The older student stretched lazily, a tall guy with olive skin. He looked like he had walked straight out of an advertisement.
'F-Fine! Duel me!' The first year faltered slightly, but his pride had clearly gotten the better of him.
Word spread quickly, within minutes the majority of the dining hall had gathered at the large courtyard for combat practice. The stone statues looking down on the duel as silent witnesses.
The duel began.
It was over in seconds.
The first year's spell took shape, a lance made of lightning forming in the air in front of him. But the third year countered it, shattering the spell instantly, sending his younger opponent sprawling across the ground. The older student hadn't even bothered to cast a spell - his understanding of magic and sheer brute force was enough to overpower his opponent and disrupt his spellcasting.
Gasps and laughter filled the courtyard, the cocky first year laid on his back, staring at the sky in stunned silence.
This was the difference in power and knowledge between the years.
Magic wasn't just spellcraft or power. It was mastery. Knowledge and control were powers within themselves.
And right now, just like the student lying on his back - I had none of those things.
I glanced at Sophie. Her expression was unreadable, but she looked like she was having the same revelation.
Classes would be starting in a couple of days, this really was going to be a long journey of discovery.