Magic Life in the Empire

Outside the castle appeared old, almost decrepit, but inside was a different matter. If Cyril had to describe the interior with one word, it would be 'expensive'.

Smooth white marble floor, walls of dark wood. Everything was clean and grandiose.

The main hall was long with numerous pathways on the sides; thankfully, there were still staff members standing not far from the entrance, waiting for late arrivals like them.

One of them took the group around to make the necessary procedures for enrollment. 

Classes in this academy were divided based on the entrance results, from class I with the best scores to class V with the worst.

Cyril performed well and was placed in class I, while Edmund was in class III. 

They were given some papers with information about the Academy and keys for their new homes. Cyril's was room 112 of dormitory A, luckily not far from the main building.

He said goodbye to Edmund, who wasn't so lucky and still had to walk some distance, then quickly headed to his new abode.

The key was clearly magical in some way; the doors of the dormitory automatically opened as he approached. 

Following the signs, he found his room, inserted the key into the dark wooden door, and finally entered, shutting himself off from the outside world.

The whole way here his "imaginary friend" wasn't too talkative, just saying a word or two here and there, understanding his situation, but here she was finally able to talk with him.

"This is a nice place, pretty spacious. We have a nice big bed, a desk, and several chairs; there is even a kitchen and a bathroom!" She was obviously in good spirits, satisfied with their new accommodations.

Cyril, though, was not in the mood to enjoy his new home. "Now we can finally talk without interruptions. Tell me who you are and what you want."

"But I already told you. Don't you feel it? It's like I am a part of you, your very best friend." She didn't seem that bothered by Cyril's questions, and there was even a tone of joy to her voice.

"What you are saying doesn't make any sense. Are you telling me that I just made you up? That I went crazy and started hallucinating?" 

"I am not sure what to say to that, but all of this seems right, natural." If she was only pretending this whole time, then she would be the best actress Cyril has ever seen. Her words sounded ridiculous but truthful.

"Alright, you don't know; let's leave it at that. There must be a reason you appeared, and we'll need to find it." It was clear to Cyril that he was not going to get a good answer from her, but he couldn't just accept this and move on.

I should go to the library; maybe there is a book describing my situation. 

"I don't think there is anything wrong with you, but if that makes you feel better, then let's go. It will be a nice tour of the academy grounds." Knowing that his thoughts were constantly read by someone was extremely uncomfortable for him.

Cyril wanted to ask if she could stop doing that; as he opened his mouth, he realized he still doesn't know what to call her. 

"Okay, let me think about it... Right! Call me Rhamn. And I can't stop listening to you; I am a part of you after all." 

I get it; you can stop saying that... According to the map, the library should be on the first floor. It's not far, but better get going while it's still bright outside; I don't know how much time I'll spend there.

With that he put his bag on the bed and left for the main building. 

...

Following the directions of the map, he soon entered the library and was immediately shocked by the sight in front of him.

There were rows upon rows of bookshelves. It seemed as if all of the books in the world were gathered here. 

This might take much longer than I thought... Just as this saddening thought emerged in his head, he heard an elderly voice to his left.

"We have a visitor already. It's nice to see young people being so inquisitive. Well, what book do you want?" Thankfully there was a librarian here. 

"Hello, can you tell me where I can find books on medicine?" Cyril decided to first find out if what he was experiencing was a form of illness related to magic.

"All the books on medicine and healing spells are in sections 7, 8, and 9. Just go in that direction and pay attention to the signs." After saying this, the elderly woman lowered her head and resumed reading some book.

After walking for some time, he finally found his goal. Now Cyril just had to pick books at random and hope some of them would have the explanation for his current situation.

He was picking his first book when Rhamn appeared with a bored look on her face. "This will take way too long. Are you sure that's how you want to spend your first day at the academy?" 

Yes, if this will lead me to what I want, I'll gladly spend the whole day here. With these confident thoughts, Cyril began searching for any clue about his condition.

...

As the night began and darkness approached the castle, slowly the magic lamps outside started working, illuminating the surroundings.

Not many students are out now; only an occasional pair can be seen visiting the local park.

The castle itself looked imposing with barely any lights inside its windows. One of these lights was coming from the library, where Cyril was finally forced to leave by the tired librarian, criticizing him for not taking care of himself but also praising him for his thirst for knowledge.

During this long time, Cyril searched through an impressive amount of books.

He quickly looked through book after book in the medicine section and later even browsed other magic-related sections but found nothing that could be of help to him.

Walking under the lamps towards home, Cyril was thinking about what to do next. I can't go on like this. Even if there is a book that can help me here, it will take a lifetime to find it. I'll need to ask someone for help; maybe the academy's healer will know something.

"I think you should relax and experience the student life. Some things just can't be explained." Earlier she kept protesting from time to time, but Cyril ignored her. He couldn't tell if she was trying to prevent him from reaching the truth or was genuinely bored.

This is definitely not one of those things you can ignore; tomorrow after lessons we'll go straight for the healer, and you can't change that. 

"Ugh... Fine, but what will you do after that? What if they say there is nothing wrong with you?" I'll think about that when we reach that stage.

Arriving home, Cyril started to finally unpack his bag. Thankfully it wasn't too big, just some essentials, so he was soon done and ready for sleep.

Tomorrow was the first day of lessons, and he was curious what they would teach. After all, everything he has seen so far has impressed him greatly, and anticipation for his new life is slowly building up.

Now he, still wearing his clothes, sat on the bed, turned on the alarm clock for the morning, then lay down. "Good night, Cyril," and soon he fell asleep.

...

At dawn Cyril woke up before the alarm, turned it off, and got up from the bed.

"Good morning, Cyril." Rhamn was still around. He was half expecting to wake up and find out it was all a dream.

Good morning... I understand you are always here, but I hope you'll leave me at least some privacy. He didn't like the idea of going to a bathroom with a guest like this.

"Of course! Don't worry about it." Rhamn was just as positive today.

After quickly washing up, Cyril dressed himself in the grey academy uniform and stood in front of the mirror.

"You look great. Come on, we are ready to go." With her approval, he left for his first lesson in Ailanthus.

...

Cyril was among the first to arrive in the classroom. He casually picked a seat in the front and sat down, waiting for the lesson to begin.

As more and more people came in and took their places, the sound of chatter also became louder. Everyone was discussing the same thing.

"Did you hear about the 'Lapis' attack on the manarail station? The ones to take them down weren't knights, but a student in this academy, and he is in this class! He was awarded for it and everything; that's so exciting!"

"It's just some thugs; anyone can do the same."

"If you say so..."

So it actually was 'Lapis,' and they were stopped by someone my age... I wonder how strong that guy is; can I beat him?

Thinking that Cyril started paying attention to the students coming in. Eventually a good-looking young man with black hair and black eyes came in, and someone among the students near Cyril identified him as the person in question.

He seemed cheerful and wore a silly smile on his face. He looked like someone who wants to be everyone's friend.

"He looks more like a pushover; I expected something more." Rhamn appeared on the empty seat to the left of Cyril.

Looks can be deceiving; I have a feeling he will be quite good.

"I still think you will win. It's only a question if it's going to be an exciting fight or not." Her tone was filled with confidence.

Ignoring her flattery, Cyril looked at the half-full classroom. I expected more people; suddenly he found a strange girl sitting in the back row with auburn hair, staring at him intently. Seeing him look over, she quickly averted her gaze, pretending nothing happened.

He didn't think much of it and continued waiting for the beginning of the lesson.

Soon the bell rang, and a middle-aged man wearing a coat walked inside the classroom. Following him in the air was a big stack of books.

Arriving before the blackboard, he turned to the students and started speaking in a composed manner.

"Since some might have missed me yesterday, let me introduce myself again. Good morning, everyone. My name is Richard, and I am your professor of Spell Making. I will be in charge of your class, and if you have any questions regarding the academy, you can find me after the lesson is over."

He then proceeded to do a roll call in which Cyril found out the names of his fellow students.

"I hope everyone here made sure their body is ready to start learning magic. We've had people in the past lying about their age and paying for it. I repeat, only start using magic when your body has properly grown and is ready to handle the strain."

After saying this, he cast a spell with his hand, and one by one, the books following him slowly started to move towards the seated students.

The corners of the books were covered in crystal; it glowed when moving through the air.

"Open the textbook on page 4; we will start our lesson by studying Maze's pattern. I hope you can memorize it as soon as possible." The professor started the lengthy lesson. 

Cyril found the lecture to be interesting. For now it seemed like making spells would be easier than he thought.

Rhamn was still sitting in an empty seat to his left. She was also listening and didn't say much during this time.

After the bell rang, the professor quickly said goodbye and exited the classroom, leaving the students behind, who immediately began discussing the lesson.

Overall their response was good, and everyone was satisfied with the professor.

"Hope we will actually cast some spells next time." Cyril was already getting used to her presence. 

Next is combat training. Hope it's going to be good.

Mixed with the crowd, they soon arrived at their next destination. Like everything in this place, the training hall was massive, with plenty of space for hundreds of people.

Their combat instructor had a mean face, with a distinct scar over his left eye.

His voice was appropriately rough and unfriendly.

He quickly introduced himself, then immediately started the lesson. "You will begin by doing three laps around the hall."

Filled with indignation, everyone began running.

Clearly not all here were physically fit. Some students switched to walking after only 1 lap, and it took quite some time until everyone was finished.

The combat instructor was not happy with this outcome. "I am surprised this many of you are so feeble. Mages need to have great stamina if they want to survive on the battlefield." 

He then looked at the remaining people who were not lying on the ground from exhaustion. "Anyone with prior training, step forward now."

Cyril, along with a few others, came forward, ready for his next words.

"At least I have you lot. While we still have time, go grab a weapon you are familiar with, choose a sparring partner, and let me see what you have. The others can rest." 

"Finally something exciting. You have to fight that guy! It's a perfect opportunity." Rhamn, who didn't have to run before, was filled with anticipation.