A man ran up a flight of stairs. In the darkness, you would expect him to stumble, but he never missed a step. When he reached the top, he held out his arms and pushed at a wall, revealing a secret path that led to a dimly lit room. In the middle of the room was a red gem, and staring in it is a cloaked figure of a person, a pair of bony hands the only thing visible in the gem's glow.
"Did you find him?" asked the man, trying to catch his breath.
"I'm afraid we have been blocked once again." Replied the cloaked one in a hoarse voice. "We have merely narrowed his location to the kingdom of Beronia, the capital of the Alcione Empire... it seems he's in the Royal University..."
"Aubrianne..." the man says.
"I was able to scry the location, but the University's charms blocked me, and the connection was broken before I could get past them." The cloaked figure bowed low. "I am truly sorry for my incompetence, my liege."
"No. That information is enough." The man approached the red gem and stared into its depths. He saw from afar, the octagonal plateau on which Aubrianne University was built. "It is my fault for not arriving soon enough," he said. "At least we now have a location. Inform my men about your findings. We will leave before dawn."
Chapter 7
Sebastian Revious entered his room. He placed the usual charms to lock the door and soundproofed the whole area. He then went to the window to make sure the drapes were closed before he took his glasses off and placed them on his study table.
The sound of a bell suddenly breaks the silence. Seb looked in the direction of the door, his lilac eyes irate. He put his glasses back on and mumbled the spell to unlock the door.
"Hey Seeeeb!" said a voice as he removed the silence spell, "Open up. It's me, Peter, the dorm president!" Seb grudgingly turned the doorknob and opened the door a crack.
[What?] said the writing on his slate.
Outside stood the East Dormitory's president, holding a clipboard.
"You got yourself a new roommate!"
Seb opened the door wider and saw Dorin standing there, a huge grin on his face. He had his new clothes on and carried an overnight bag along with his satchel. With a sigh, he pushed the door open to let his new roommate inside.
"This is Dorin Silvius," said the dorm president before facing Dorin, "Dorin, this is Sebastian Revious, he's a second-year so you can ask him about Uni stuff..."
"Oh, we have already met earlier," replied Dorin, his grin getting even wider.
"Good, then, I don't need to introduce you further." Peter turned back to Seb with a worried frown. "Professor Althea said he's gonna be staying for just a couple of nights, so be nice."
[Roger] replied Seb.
Peter left after that. Dorin waved at him happily, then faced Seb and beamed. "Isn't this nice?" he said, "It's a good thing you don't have a roommate yet!!"
[Great.]
Seb turned to the room and pointed at the bed with a note saying [You get the bottom bunk. Let me get my stuff off the bed.]
The bottom was littered with various books and stuff. He pulled the bed sheet off the bed and hauled it to the top bunk. He then pulled the sheet from under his stuff and handed it back to Dorin.
"Thank you." Dorin took the sheet and dumped it back on his bed. "How long have you been staying here?" he asked, looking at the books piled on the 2 study tables.
Seb stared at Dorin for a while before writing on the slate. [I just came back this afternoon.] He passed his hand on the slate to remove the writing and wrote anew, [Your closet is to the right, also your desk.] after writing this, he moved the books from the right table and placed them on top of the already towering pile on the left.
"Oh, it's okay, you know I won't be staying long anyway."
[Suit yourself.] the other replied.
Dorin took his coat off and placed it on the rack behind the door, while Seb removed his cloak, carefully hanging it inside his closet. Dorin went to his side, opened his closet, and dumped the whole overnight bag inside.
"Hey, by the way," Dorin broke the silence, "Do you really have an extra camera I could buy?" Seb looked at him, a bit surprised.
[You still plan to buy one from me?] he wrote.
"Well, I wanted to go buy one today, but aunt... I mean, Professor Althea told me it was already too late... and the photography class will start early tomorrow..."
[1,500 Almas for slightly used SLR camera.] wrote Seb, pulling out a black bulky package from his luggage. Then, almost grudgingly, he added [I give discount - 1,000 Almas for camera & lens.]
"Really? Wow..." said Dorin. He picked up the camera and turned it around in his hands. Seb took it from him, snapped the buttons off the case, and pulled the camera out. "Woah!" the boy exclaimed, he took it gingerly from Seb "So, this is a camera..."
Seb took the camera once more and removed the lens. He then showed the other boy how to manually focus it. Later, Dorin is taking pictures of everything inside the room while Seb counted his Almas.
"Very interesting..." mumble Dorin, adjusting the lens. "So, how exactly does it work?" Seb handed him a thick book entitled 'Digital Photography for the Mentally challenged.' and went back to his counting. He is currently checking things off in a ledger with the words 'Inventory' written in front.
Dorin flipped through the book, turning to the glossary from time to time. He didn't notice Seb's slate until the other boy nudged him.
[Can I lock the door?] he asked.
"Sure," replied the other.
Seb went to the door. Dorin looked up as he felt magic build up into a potent locking spell.
"Um... what if I need to go to the toilet?" he asked. The other slowly turned around to face him, his face, blank as usual. He then pointed at a third door, next to the closets. Dorin stood up to inspect it.
"Woah!" surprised, he entered the small room, opened the tabs, and sat on the porcelain toilet bowl. "Running water! We've got running water!" he was saying, "And not a hint of magic in it!"
Seb merely stared at him.
"We use a magic spell back home, it opens a small portal from the river to our outhouse. I've only read about pipes once... my mother rarely brings anything but spell books, though she sometimes brings books in sciences and philosophy, they're mainly about magic theory."
[That figures.] Seb opened his luggage and starts putting stuff away in his closet. The last thing he took out was a small chemistry set and several vials.
"Making potions?" Asked Dorin. The other nodded.
[Potions sell a lot on campus.] was Seb's reply. [Unlike your forest, magic in cities is thinner. People prefer to use spells.]
"Hmm... now that you mention it... the wind is a bit heavy here, and that gray fog in the city was quite ominous..."
[Gray fog?]
"The city was covered in it from afar..."
[Ah, you mean the smog?]
"‘Smog'? What is this 'smog'?
[Pollution combined with fog.]
"Oh... isn't that... bad?"
[Welcome to the capital.]
(✿◠‿◠) thanks for reading! Don't forget to add to library! A comment or review would also be highly appreciated!
- Chapter 8 - Dorin got up early the next morning. He went to the small toilet, did his morning rituals, and put on his new clothes. He looked at the small mirror, at his light brown eyes and unruly brown hair that fell to his shoulders in waves. It was still summer, though the morning air was already chilly in the city. His aunt told him that students were required to wear proper attire when inside the campus. After dressing up in his uniform, he climbed the small ladder going up to Seb's bunk and threw the bed curtains open. "Good morning Seb!" he called energetically, "Did you have a good night's sleep?" "..." He looked at his roommate. The other had a pillow over his head, his back to him. He raised his right hand and waved angrily at Dorin. "Oh, not a morning person, huh?" asked Dorin, undaunted by the other's action, "It's already 5 in the morning! The sun will be out soon!" he jumped down and started
- Chapter 9 - Agate's spell had sent Dorin back in his room with Seb. Seb took out his slate and has been writing vigorously since they arrived. He's been asking him so many questions when all Dorin wanted was to have some breakfast. [How did you see the spell?] he asked, [my locking spell is a 1st class charm! you can't just unravel it by cutting a 'thaum'!] "But, that's just what I did, I can't explain it further..." Dorin said for the nth time, yet the other can't seem to accept his explanation. [then teach me!] Seb finally wrote. Dorin sighed. "Well, I guess that's the best way to show you..." He went to the door which was recently locked by his roommate and closed his eyes to concentrate. "Just feel the spell and look for the beginning, then trace the threads that make it up, thus you find out what the spell is all about, then you follow the pattern to find the end and look for the part that loops it togeth
- Ch 10 - Sebastian and Dorin ran. At the back of the North Dormitory, there was a small garden that opened to the woods, past that were several small buildings, one of which was a wooden cabin with a sign 'Photography Club' posted on a plank in front. Hanging on top of the double doors was a banner saying '5th Annual Photography Club Summer Camp'. Several people were standing around a table by the entrance. "Please sign here for attendance!" It was Anastasia. She brightened up when she saw Dorin with Seb and waved them closer. "Good morning Dorin! Good to see you made it on time." "Good morning!" Dorin said beaming. "Is the class about to start?" "In a couple of minutes, just sign your name here..." she pointed to a blank space in a list that was almost filled with names. Dorin signed the attendance sheet and turned around to thank Seb for taking him to the Photography Club when he noticed his friend signin
The two went on their way. From the main gates, they went straight ahead to the main school building, a vast castle which housed the business offices of the University, professors' dorms, and faculties for the 3 major Divisions, namely Military and Sports Division, Science and Technology Division, and the Magic and Arts Division. They turned to the left then, on a clockwise direction, where the main Military grounds lay. Most of the University's west side was for this division, including training grounds and sports fields which lay under the Military division. This includes horse tracks, soccer fields, basketball courts, Olympic size pools, gymnasiums and the likes. The West Dormitory is a large western style building used as barracks for the students with rooms housing as many as 60 students each. They could see 2 of them from a distance, side by side to separate the male from female soldiers. To the north was the Science Department's main building, a massive buildi
The three passed the Science department to buy some snacks on their way to the military department. The Science building had several food dispensers located in front and Dorin bought a lot of snacks from each. His satchel was near bursting when they finally went on their way to the shooting ranges. "How come we don't have food dispensers in our dorms?" Dorin asked, popping some candy inside his mouth. [Magic students kept messing around with it, the food inside always disappear in the morning] Seb with a wafer stick hanging out of his mouth. "Really, you two, hurry up and finish your snacks." Mar said with a frown, "Eating is prohibited in most areas in the Military department, particularly in the training fields." [Roger] Seb gulped his wafer. Dorin placed the rest of the candy in his mouth and chewed vigorously. "We'll be passing the Sky Gate." Mar pointed at a gatehouse with 2 guards standing in front. The grounds of the
"Sebastian!" Mar ran to her friend's side. "Are you okay?" "What the hell is going on out here?" yelled someone from behind. People in the barn rushed outside to see what all the commotion was about. "Major General Muller!" saluted Drill Sergeant Robinson, his face turning pale, "There's been a weapon malfunction." "Sir." Mar stood in attention, "A civilian has been injured by a weapon malfunction." The general approached and looked at the crater where the target used to be before checking on the two students on the ground. "Would someone tell me what happened here?" he demanded, when Dorin suddenly looked up. "Dorin?!" the general said with a gasp. "What are you doing here?!" Dorin stared at the general wide-eyed, thoughts swirling in his head. He looked down at his friend, unconscious in his arms. "Marcus," he said, staring back at the general, "my... friend... is hurt." Major General Marcus Muller stared at
"You sure you'll be okay?" Margarette asked for the umpteenth time. Sebastian nodded beside her. "If you're really sure..." "Don't worry Margarette, I'll take care of Seb," said Dorin. They were standing in front of the entrance of the East Dormitory. Sebastian's bandaged right hand hangs from a sling around his neck. It was a good thing that only the tips of his left fingers got injured. Mar looked at Seb one last time and sighed. "I'll see you guys tomorrow then," she said, turning around, "my training ends at 2 PM, I'll go to the Photography Club room as soon as I can. I'll keep in touch." The two were left in silence. They made their way to their room, not saying a word. Dorin placed his bag inside his closet and changed into a shirt. Seb took his coat off and was about to climb up his bed when Dorin stopped him. "Seb," he called to his roommate. "I want to apologize again for what happened." Seb nodded and proceeded to go up to his bunk b
Dorin woke up early the next day. He took a quick bath and hurried to the kitchen, leaving Sebastian snoozing on the top bunk. The kitchen was still under renovation, so he made his way outside to the canteen. It was still closed. He sighed, stifled a yawn, and waited for the cook to arrive with the key. He was getting hungry. Good thing he brought some snacks. He was humming while he ate, squatting on the ground, when a pair of rugged sneakers stopped in front of him. "What are you doing there?" asked a frowning guy in a frayed shirt and faded jeans. "The canteen won't open till 7 am." "Oh, I'm here for kitchen duty," Dorin said with a smile. "Do you have the keys?" he asked. "Only the head cook has the keys," the guy said, squatting on the ground away from Dorin. He had close-cropped reddish dark brown hair, a dark complexion, and sunburnt arms. "You aiming for scholarship too?" he asked, eyeing Dorin's new clothes. "Scholarship?"