-- September 1, 2091 --

I ran through the facility, Kara by my side, away from… the creature. Its form was inconceivable, morphing and changing, flickering in and out of existence. The way it moved was extremely unusual as it teleported from place to place. Its limbs didn’t bend, they warped, morphed, distorting light around them as if each limb was controlled by fifty different people confused on which way to move.

A touch from the creature gripped at your body, threatening to pull you in. The mutilation of your limbs was terrifying, as if the ensuing silence only stood to lay the reality of the situation onto the observers. Death was instantaneous, cutting off the screams of all the unfortunate souls that failed to escape. The red flickering emergency lights were the only light source, blaring with a deafening pitch. The suffocating darkness clawed rapidly through the halls, where the specimens flicked and grabbed with their tentacle like appendages.

Running desperately for my life, I took turn after turn, pushing past the people in my way. Having finally made it to my lab, I scrambled for my desk and reached for a staff. Aiming it at the door, I waited for the abomination to come through. The seconds seemed to stretch into days as time itself seemed to convulse. That’s when I noticed. I’d finally found my way out of the chamber, but Kara was nowhere to be seen.

~ Two years later ~

How do I stop it?

“Michael.”

It’s coming closer.

“Michael!“

Help!

“Michael!” Julia yelled, waking me from my slumber.

A dream? What was that? It’s all going blurry. What does it matter anyway? I’ll just forget like always.

Julia looked at me with a concerned expression. “What’s wrong? Are you still having those nightmares?”

I looked up at her and rubbed my eyes “No, I’m just a bit tired from our trip.”

“Really? Geez, you need to get it together. We have to head to the academy in a few minutes so get your materials ready,” she ordered while rushing out of the room.

Man, she doesn’t have to be in such a rush all the time. Well, I guess it’s better than her being needlessly worried for me.

I closed my eyes and sighed. What I said to Julia wasn’t a complete lie. Since the incident three months ago I’ve been having these eerie Nightmares. They seem much too vivid to be dreams, but every time I wake up I forget everything that happened. With such horrifying experiences every night there’s no way I would get any more than a few hours of sleep. And now I have to go to school? When I asked Edward what he was planning, all he said was, “It’ll be fun!” and shipped me off to school.

I looked over at my chronograph, the LCD displaying 0800. Hell it’s not that late, we still got thirty minutes! I got up groggily and quickly scanned the empty room around me. I was surrounded by the same matte white walls, divided into cushioned square panels. Sunimert had been expanded recently due to the fall of two sectors domes nearby. We were lucky to find a domain before nightfall. I slowly got up from my bed to get ready for my new student life at an official academy.

Lyre Magic Academy. One of the most renowned educational institutions for studying Magic and Essence. I was registered there after I was transferred to this sector by Edward, my guardian. I quickly packed my projector and lunch into my bag.

Stepping out into the hall, I locked on to Julia waiting by the door. She fastened her bag to her waist, letting her long purple-violet hair rest on her back. Ever since Edward adopted us two years ago, we’ve been living together. Studious and ever yearning for knowledge, she’s always been a trustworthy and reliable friend. Julia slipped on her running shoes, and stood up looking ready for action.

She glanced up at me and frowned. “What’re you looking at? Let’s go.” I realized that I had been staring at her. Snapping out of my daze, I rushed over to the door.

By the time we left the building, the dome’s day phase was already in full throttle. The harsh light coming from the panels above reflected off the pavement and bathed the city in a comforting warmth. Waiting for us outside was a woman with dark blue hair who looked like she worked for some kind of government secret service. With her hair tied up into a bun, she wore a black suit and tie with matching pants and shoes. She turned towards us and pushed her sunglasses up, gesturing towards the car behind her.

“I heard about you two. I was sent by Sir Edward, please come with me to the school.”

If that sly old man sent her then i don’t trust this one bit. We both entered the car and the woman started the engine. The car began to slowly lift up and we started moving down the street in suspended aerial travel. With the soft thumping of the engine, I began thinking about the past.

The Institute of the Noumenal World and Essence, the first official research facility funded directly by the government, discovered the existence of Magic in the Phenomenal World. They shared their knowledge with the public and helped implement magic into our daily lives. Now flying cars and renewable energy are an everyday appliance.

I watched as we flew past the glamorous streets of Sunimert. While this area was recently built with refugees in mind, it still harbored the same technology as any of the other sectors. From the Holotech that guided public transportation and travel, to the Vigor Bots that maintained order and safety, Life has never been more efficient and orderly. The car slowed down and following the guiding holograms on the road, she pulled into a narrow street, parking to the side of the academy building. We exited the car and straightened out our uniforms. The lady rolled down the window and started typing something on her datacard.

“I’ll be here at 1800 to pick you up.” She rolled the window back up and drove away.

“It couldn’t have hurt to say good luck,” I muttered.

Julia punched my shoulder lightly. “Shut up, this is why no one likes you.”

You say that but it’s not like you have a great personality either. She silently started ahead of me and I followed closely behind. The street leading to the entrance was adjoined with a long row of two story domains, and even small cafes and restaurants.

As we walked towards the gate, I noticed students exiting their homes. There were clusters of students around us and I peered around anxiously. “It’s crazy how many students they’re admitting to the study of Magic.”

“This much is normal. Magic was only discovered ten years ago so it’s practically a gold deposit for aspiring physicists.”

“Really? Magic isn’t really all that interesting in my opinion.”

“Well do you see anyone here asking for your opinion? Everyone has come here in search of riches and knowledge. Your mindset won’t change anything.”

I glared at the back of Julia’s head but to my dismay she continued forward. We walked through the gate into the academy courtyard and were greeted by a few staff members that looked to be some of the professors. They gathered us into a large group and a yellow-haired man wearing a glamorous white suit and red bowtie walked onto the stage.

Wait, is that… oh my god.

My guardian, Edward, stepped up on the podium and his eyes began to pan over the students. His eyes locked on me and he smiled. I made sure not to react in any way. I really don’t want anyone thinking I know that guy.

He quickly turned from me and faced the crowd with a wide smile. “Welcome my promising Freshmen to Lyre Magic Academy! I am your principal and the person who will be leading you to success throughout your 4 years in this academy.”

I smirked. “How’d a clown like him become principal?” Julia elbowed me in the side and I reluctantly returned my attention to the front.

“Your acceptance here means that you are one of the most talented elites in the country! As I’m sure you all have heard, this academy is one of the best institutions for Magic research and we provide a multitude of classes on the different fields that are necessary for that research. You have all come in search of a new world of science and discovery and here is where you will find one!”

Everyone in the crowd began clapping and while I wasn’t particularly amazed, I played along as to not stand out. Edward stepped down from the podium and another man walked up.

Just how many people do we have to listen to? I watched as a man with slicked back brown hair paused in front of the podium. Wearing a gray vest over a black button up, and exuding an aura of dignified maturity, he seemed to be the polar opposite of Edward in both fashion and demeanor.

“Thank you Principal Edward for your inspiring speech. My name is Albert Melwood and I will be the adviser for the freshman class. On your student ID you will see your assigned lecture hall. All students please relocate to your classrooms and await further instructions there.”

My ID? What ID? I don’t remember being told about this!

As I was fumbling through my pockets, Julia started walking to her hall. All I found was my late father’s watch in the right pocket and a freshly chewed piece of gum in the left. What the fuck, that’s disgusting. I threw the piece of gum on the ground and looked around to see who did this, but Julia, as well as the other students and teachers, were all gone.

Oh fuck, now I’m lost. But what should I do now? If I start randomly walking into classrooms, I’ll just look like a dumbass.

With no destination in mind, I started walking down one of the halls looking at the different classrooms. “The ceiling in this place is huge…” With the chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling, and the red carpet running along the floor, the building reminded me of a noble’s castle from fantasy.

I continued wandering the halls while observing the various paintings when I saw Dr Melwood strolling towards me, organizing files on a projector.

Oh thank god I found a teacher! Julia would laugh her ass off if she heard I got lost on the first day.

“Dr Melwood!”

He looked up quickly, surprised by my sudden yell. “Aren’t you one of the freshman? Skipping class on the first day won’t serve you well in the future.”

What is this guy’s impression of me? “I’m ashamed to say that I can’t find my way to class. Could you please show me the way?”

“Sure, let me see your student ID.”

“Well, um, I don’t seem to have gotten one…”

The teacher narrowed his eyes. “You don’t have an ID?”

“No…”

I silently cursed the guy who thought that not giving me my identification was a good idea. Dr. Melwood closed his eyes and sighed.

“Here, I’ll show you to class B.”

We started down the hallway towards a door that said “Lecture Hall B” beside it. I took a breath of relief. Now I can just act like I was talking to a professor. Wait, won’t that make me seem like a suck up? Talking to the advisor on the first day? They're gonna think I’m a special or something. No, no one cares enough to-

“Watch out!”

I looked up to see what happened, and the very next moment after the classroom door opened, a wooden chair was bulleting directly towards my face.

Why is there a chair flying towards me? Isn’t this just extremely unreasonable?

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I started forming a magic script. Conjuring vector magic around my right hand, I swiftly redirected the course of the chair towards the wall on my right. The chair instantly jerked to the side and smashed into the back wall, crumbing on impact. I relaxed my shoulders, returning my hand to my side.

Dr. Melwood grabbed my left shoulder from behind. “Are you okay?” He turned his attention to the class. “Who launched that chair towards him?”

A few students start whispering amongst themselves while occasionally peeking in my direction.

Now I’m officially the teacher's pet. Fuck my life.

Another student, a small girl with short, yellow hair called out to us.

“Sorry! I lost control of my magic and it flew over there!”

“You all should know that magic use is prohibited outside of lessons and exercises.” He turned toward the girl. “Go back to your seat. I’ll let you go this time, but next it’ll be a detention.”

The girl quietly returned to her seat and I, with no friends to my name, took a vacant spot by the back.

My school life just got ten times harder. Why’re so many bad things happening today?

Dr Melwood walked over to the lectern on the far left of the room and placed his bag and clipboard down. He looked at us and grimaced.

“As you can see, you guys are all amateurs. Even those of you that have prior magic knowledge still know nothing of how to use it properly.” Dr Melwood paused and leaned toward us. “That being said, it is our job to instill that knowledge into your minds before you leave this academy. Until then, I ask that you follow directions and focus diligently on your studies.”

All the students began to settle in their seats and it was made clear. Class is now in session.

Dr Melwood pressed a button on the lectern and a screen began to slowly descend from the ceiling. A diagram of the human body was then projected on it and Dr Melwood began his lesson.

“Today we will be reviewing the basics of Magic Theory. As you all know, everything in the world possesses a substance called Essence. Does anyone here know who discovered the method of using Essence, known as Magic?

A rather tall and well-built boy raised his hand. He had long umber brown hair which he tied into a ponytail. From the air of dignity he exuded, you could conclude that he was from some noble family.

“What is your name?”

“My name is Arthur Belrick.”

Some of the students gasped at this proclamation. From what I know, the Belrick family played the biggest role in governing the sector domes after the Heaven’s Fall of 2050.

“Alright, Continue.”

“Yes. In 2083, a scientist by the name of Kelvin Magus discovered the existence of Magic, an application of Essence to change one’s environment.”

“Didn’t Magic exist before that?” The rambunctious yellow haired girl from before interjected.

“That’s a good point.” Dr Melwood pressed a button on the lectern once more and the projection changed slides. “While rudimentary methods of using Essence existed before 2083, these techniques were very crude and were not condoned by the Magic Charter due to their severe risks.”

“We’ve now improved our knowledge of Magic, and consequently Essence. For example, we now know there are three cardinal forms of magic, the one Michael used earlier being Vector Magic.”

Now he’s calling attention to me. So much for sleeping through classes.

“Vector Magic can change the direction and speed of matter, as well as create force. You will be studying it in more detail in the coming days so be prepared with the proper materials. From now on, In this class we will be discussing the different laws and functions of Magic. Today’s lesson will be cut short due to the club ceremony this evening, so I’ll be seeing you all tomorrow. Dismissed”

The bell rang and everyone began to pack their bags. I got up and headed for the door when I was stopped by the girl from earlier.

She faced toward me but averted her eyes. “So, I wanted to apologize again for what happened earlier. Even though it was an accident, I shouldn’t have been using my magic.”

Wait wait, is this what I think it is? The girl, filled with guilt, wishes to repay her victim, and begins to fall in love along the way?

I’m not so dense that I would miss such an amazing development! Don’t worry. I’m a very nice man with a very nice soul. I’ll accept you and your feelings with open arms!

… is what I was thinking when I realized I had a really creepy grin on my face.

The girl stepped back slightly in retreat. “Well that’s all I had to say, bye”

She grabbed her stuff and rushed out of the classroom.

Ugh. Such is the reality of the real world.

I slumped out of the classroom, and noticed Julia waiting across the hall. She turned towards me and walked over.

“There you are. What took you so long to finish up?”

“Oh nothing, just talking to some classmates and stuff”

Julia widened her eyes. “Are you really Michael?”

Considering how logical she usually tries to act, it’s laughable how cheeky she can be.

“So? What’d you come here for? You wouldn’t talk to me unless you had to.”

“Well you're not wrong. I received a letter from Edward telling me to meet him after school. He told me to bring you along.

“Did he say what he needed?”

“No”

Shit this is bad. Why would he invite us to his office? Is he going to put me through some hellish training again? I shivered at the mere thought of it.

Julia gave me a suspicious look, “Did you do something?”

“Of course not, It’s the first day! What do you take me for?”

“Hmm… Well whatever. Let’s get going or we’ll be late.”

After passing on the news, Julia started down the hall. Watching her as she walked away, I thought quietly to myself,

School life isn’t so bad after all, and followed closely behind.

This marks the beginning of our first day at Lyre Magic Academy and the start to a long journey of challenges and discovery.

But really, who the fuck put chewed gum in my pocket, that’s disgusting.