Magic Life in the Empire

It's finally time.

thought the young man in front of a sizeable mansion. His name was Cyril Felling. He had blue eyes and short black hair, dressed in a white shirt and black trousers.

He had a bag on his back that wasn't too heavy; in his hands, he was holding an enrollment letter to the newly established Ailanthus Academy.

His 18th birthday was not too long ago, and he now was qualified to learn magic.

It is on Abbey Street, northwest of the tower, pretty far from here. I won't make it in time if I take the carriage.

Thinking that, he put away the letter and started walking on the stone path in a specific direction. He didn't seem in a hurry and looked at all the various houses on the way.

He lived in a rather well-off district, owing it to his father, a public official and a loyal servant of the emperor.

Each house tried to showcase its wealth by using as much of the latest magic technology as possible; all kinds of decorations with the familiar blue glow unique to mana can be seen on almost every part of the stone buildings, their purpose unknown, but probably unnecessary. 

People are really bored here, so far away from the demons.

Soon Cyril arrived at his destination: the manarail. Thanks to this miracle of magic, he didn't have to spend the whole day sitting in a carriage.

All he had to do was enter the metal cabin's doors, pay a few copper coins to the conductor for his route, find a place among the crowd, and wait for a short while. 

While seated, his thoughts carried him to his new home for the next 4 years—Ailanthus Academy.

Like many other academies of this time, it not only offered its students knowledge on magic but also tried to prepare them for battle against demons.

Capable soldiers are always needed in the Empire, sometimes more so than brilliant minds.

The special thing about Ailanthus is they are going to teach, among other things, the newly invented enhanced magic circles.

Rumors are going around; it's a dangerous technique, and a single mistake in casting can lead you to injury or worse, so not many people are willing to enroll here, even if the conditions are good.

I don't understand these people. We are fighting against demons. So, of course, there are risks involved if we want to win. It's only natural that to get stronger, you need to work for it.

Soon the manarail started, and, with a sound, a vague blue glow appeared on the floor of the cabin. The slight hum of magic as it pulls the manarail forward always brought a sense of comfort to Cyril.

He looked out of the window at all the passing scenery. Outside of his home district and so close to the Tower, the city, as always, was a dense forest of grey stone buildings placed with only efficiency in mind. Only occasionally can you see a park or square that breaks this monotony.

As Cyril was absorbed in his thought, suddenly a flash of blue blinded his vision, and with a loud screech, the manarail was stopped!

After Cyril covered his eyes with his hands, he heard a pleasant female voice filled with worry: "Are you alright?"

"Yes... The light was just too bright; nothing serious."

"That's a relief. I hope we'll make it to the Academy in time. Don't want to be late on the first day, right?"

"You are also enrolling? How did you know I was going...?" As he opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice, Cyril found only a middle-aged man with some fear and confusion looking back.

Clearly it wasn't him who spoke right now. He looked around and found no one who could have been talking to him. All around are just scared people trying to find out what happened.

"Sorry," said Cyril, with some embarrassment. I was definitely talking with someone just now. Where did they go? Did they quickly leave without me noticing? That seems a bit unbelievable... Let's first find out what happened.

He didn't seem to be in any danger. Aside from the people panicking, he didn't hear any weird sounds.

As time passed, people started calming down, and the subtle glow of mana on the floor came back, with the door opening and workers passing through, explaining the situation.

"Everyone calm down. We lost contact with the main mana source and had to make an emergency stop. Don't worry, we already switched to the backup, and the manarail, after a bit of time, will continue as normal. Everything is fine." 

"What happened? Why did it happen?"

"I can't be late today! You must start the manarail as soon as possible!"

"It must be these 'Lapis' guys again! Can't they just give it a rest already!"

"Knights should have caught them all a long time ago! They are usually so arrogant, but they can't catch some ruffians!"

With confirmation of safety, some people immediately erupted in gossip, venting their frustrations and speculating about the cause.

Cyril also thought it might be 'Lapis' responsible for this incident. They were a group of people claiming that humanity's overuse of mana veins will corrupt the world, and demons are here as punishments for our sins. 

Despite their bad reputation, all sorts of people join them; some only want to make trouble, some actually think they are right, while some just hate new technology.

Bunch of lunatics. All they do is cause destruction. At least show some proof; humans have been using magic for hundreds of years, and so far nothing negative has happened to the world. Besides, without magic, how are we supposed to fight legions of demons? Just kindly ask them to leave? How did such a group even form?

After some time, the manarail started moving.

The voice didn't appear again; while he thought it was strange, Cyril could only chalk it up to his imagination. He relaxed in his seat, put this small incident behind him, and began waiting.

...

Near the Ailanthus Academy, a young woman with medium-length auburn hair and a pair of deep black eyes was walking on foot, contemplating something important. 

"I have about 10 years. There's a lot of time, so I can just take it slow. Besides, I arrived at the capital much later originally and didn't see or hear much at all." She seemed to be reassuring herself.

"There is nothing I can do about it; I can't just patrol the city every day in hopes of finding something. People can manage on their own; it was fine before. The important thing is finding answers, and that can only be done at Ailanthus. This is fine."

As she approached the entrance, an old man in a simple black robe could be seen waiting just before the gates.

Upon noticing her, he came over with an uncharacteristic speed for his age and enthusiastically started speaking.

"Myra. You are finally here. I was beginning to worry you decided to enter another academy. Trust me, with your talent, this is the best place for you; nowhere else is worthy. If there is anything you need, just tell me; I won't let anything get in the way of your learning." 

"Hello, Professor Yeron. Thank you for your words, but please, you don't have to help me so much; I don't deserve it. Being able to enroll here is more than enough; I don't want other students to think I am somehow different from them." Replied Myra, already somewhat used to the cheery nature of Yeron.

"Alright, alright, if that's what you want. You kids need to be more shameless in life; it will be much easier that way. Just head to the main building right behind me and complete the necessary process with the staff there. Don't worry about being late" He coughed and continued.

"They will give you your keys, and you can immediately move into the dormitory. Just follow the signs, and you won't get lost. Now that I have seen you, I must go; I am already quite late to an appointment. Don't forget that I am always willing to help. See you later!" With a laugh, the old man briskly walked away. 

The girl observed his departure with a complicated look. "If only I had arrived a bit sooner..." With that, she started making her way towards the main building. Her footsteps were heavy, and there was doubt hidden deep in her eyes.

Not too far from her, near the entrance, stood the newly arrived Cyril, still taking in the sight of the academy. It looks more like a castle, only bigger than usual; knowing the Empire, maybe it did have this role in the past... There are not many people around.

"We were late after all." Suddenly, the voice from the manarail rang out again. Cyril immediately turned in its direction and this time found a young woman standing there, looking at him with a smile.

She was dressed in a black suit jacket, a black skirt of the same style, black tights, and heels. Her hair was black, falling past her shoulders. She was the most beautiful woman Cyril had ever seen in his life, and her red eyes were like rubies. 

"Is there something wrong, Cyril? Oh, it seems we haven't talked much before. Consider me your best friend; I will always be on your side."

Each word she said was confusing to Cyril. He never saw her in his life, but she acted like they knew each other and were even good friends. 

As surprise passed, Cyril quickly voiced his confusion. "Who are you? I don't think I ever saw you before. How do you know about me? And where were you back on the manarail?"

Hearing what he said, the girl didn't say anything for a second. She looked awkward, as if he had asked something extremely obvious.

"Well… I think I am something like your imaginary friend? I don't really know anything. Shouldn't it be like this? I think we'll make a great team together." After saying that, she reached out her hand, asking for a handshake.

"What...? What are you talking about? This is not funny." Cyril wanted to slap away her hand, but as his hand touched her, it surprisingly just passed straight through, like she was not there at all.

"Oh… I guess we can't touch each other." There was disappointment in her voice.

What is happening right now? Am I crazy? There must be some explanation here!

"Is this some kind of advanced spell? You don't think I'll really believe that you are my 'imaginary friend;? Stop doing this and let's talk normally."

Cyril looked around and discovered that some people passing by started paying attention; there was an uncomfortable expression on their faces, and they quickly looked away, afraid to meet his eyes.

Why are they looking at me like that? It can't really be... Wait, is that?

He noticed that a new person just came close, and it was someone Cyril knew.

It was a handsome, blond-haired man in extravagant clothing; there was a tired look in his eyes.

"Hi Cyril. Long time no see. The last time we met was on my father's birthday, right? You haven't told me you were going to enroll here. At least some good news. But now tell me what got you so upset you started arguing with yourself in the middle of the street. You are scaring people!"

He was one of the few friends Cyril had. His name was Edmund Morley, but he preferred others to call him Ed. They knew each other since they were little. 

So he can't see her? Is she really "imaginary"? There must be something more to it!

"Hello, Ed, I just thought I was the only one here. I never expected to be late to the opening ceremony of the academy." cautiously replied Cyril, half-probing, trying to hide any possible abnormalities. "But I also never expected to meet you here. Why did you decide to enroll in Ailanthus of all places?"

With a face full of helplessness, Edmund started talking, venting all his frustrations. "Of course I don't want to be here! But my dad forced me to come, saying it's finally time to make something of myself. I am really not suited for this, fighting and magic are your thing, I am more of a... an artist!"

"Wow, he is really annoying, isn't he?" said the mysterious woman with audible disgust. Cyril could only ignore her for now. 

"Ed, let's go inside quickly. I am tired after traveling. My only wish right now is to store my things and rest." I don't have time for idle chatter. First I'll move in, then, hopefully, there will be a private place for me to figure out what is happening.

"Yeah, a private room sounds nice." She can even hear my thoughts! This is not good... "Come on. There is nothing to hide between us."

Desperately trying to pretend nothing is wrong, Cyril hurried on, leaving Edmund behind. "Hey! Wait for me! My servant is not far behind with my baggage! I can't abandon my stuff!"