The academy was an island in every sense of the word. Isolated from the rest of Ilcor, surrounded by water and large enough that it cut out a big chunk from Ilcor, all the while being on top of a lake in the centre of the kingdom.

The academy had five parts. The biggest one was the central structure. It was a castle in its own right and housed its own market and town centre of a kind. Students who crafted magical items could sell their items at this market while outsiders are given temporary access once a week to sell their goods to the students who would be isolated from the outside otherwise.

The fire mage that gave them their robes acted as their tour guide as they made their way to the fire tower. He told of events that would be hosted in the castle square as well as festivals for the different seasons to commemorate the gods, each of whom represented a different season; Eimhir represented Autumn, Muirin represented winter, Laos represented summer and treasa represented spring.

There were even several farms surrounding the academy beyond its walls. A select few commoners are chosen to tend the academy’s fields which provided a large portion of the food they consumed. It was also where a lot of herbology and alchemist type mages camped out to do experiments and natural resources for their potions and cures. The lake of course was the academy’s main source of water. Self contained and not an easy place to infiltrate, almost as hard as the dragon rider’s sanctuary which was only accessible through flying, if a disaster was to ever happen, the mages would be the first to feel safe. This also meant that the students would not have many opportunities to leave the gates, nor would they have a need to. It was almost as claustrophobic as being in the monastery, and yet the scale of the academy made it impossible to feel that way for long. Getting lost in the grey stone halls would be like getting lost in a maze.

Had they not had their guide, along with the tower’s head closing out the back, they would not have been able to find their way through, even with the fire tower high above them and visible even down amongst the stone walls.

The tower head was watching the children from the back, probably observing which one of them would be left behind as the year progressed. Jasper would not be one of them, he thought firmly. Both a promise and a demand to himself that no matter what, no matter who, he would not be held back from fighting for his right to be here.

After what seemed like hours, they made it to the gate which would lead them to the fire tower. At the gate stood a guard who opened at the sight of the possession. Through the gate was another courtyard surrounded by grey walls and at the base of the tower were a collection of stone buildings. It was like they had walked down into a stone village off of the side of a big city. The tower was thick and wide. Jasper would not have been able to picture it had he not seen it for himself, or rather, tried to. To look up and find the end of the tower was to lie on your back and stare at the sky. It was not a smooth tower either. It had various structures poking out and verandas, all with red tinted roofs that reminded him of the monastery. The thought of how they would be ascending the tower, and if they would have to go up and down the tower on a daily basis from now on.

His answer was soon resolved. One of the buildings attached to the tower seemed to be an administrative building with their uniforms and specialized items.

They each got measured for and given a set of black clothes, seemingly their uniforms other than the robes. A scarf, a regular shirt, black trousers, black leather shoes and a black turtleneck long sleeved shirt. The only indication it belonged to a fire mage was the red stripes on the cuff of the sleeves and a similar fire insignia to the one on the robe on the left side of the shirt. Along with the clothes they were given a charm bracelet already set with three charms. A charm of a flame to represent the tower they were a part of, a charm that resembled the Eolas and a pentagram. Once he put it on he felt a subtle magic emanating from them. It could be because he was new to magic, but it felt as if he was more sensitive to magic than he had ever been before. When they passed the magic lamps that lined the walls of the academy, not yet lit due to the glaring sun, but still he felt a wave of magic from them, lying dormant and waiting for the sun to go down.

“As you can see, there are three charms on your bracelet. You are not to remove these bracelets. If you are found without one you will be faced with disciplinary actions.

The fire charm represents your tower. If there is a tower-wide emergency and your presence is required, the charm will heat up and it will signal that you must make your way to the tower immediately.

The second charm is your power monitor. If the charm senses that you are overusing your power it will glow and send you a spark to call attention to it and to remind you not to use our powers beyond your capabilities both for your sake, for others sake as well as for the sake of maintaining order. It will also alert you when it senses your mana levels are too low. You will learn more about mana in your lessons. Until you can fully understand your power, you might need to rely on that charm to let you know when you are overusing your power.

The third charm is your teleportation key. Your current one is a level 1 teleportation key. Different levels give you access to different levels of the tower. Each level has a teleportation room with a magic circle that you can step into and state the floor you wish to visit or the floor’s name and if you have access to it, you will be teleported to it.

In the future you might gain yourself more charms for better or for worse depending on your actions. As you advance through your learning you will also unlock more levels and gain more privileges that require a charm as a key to unlock.

Do not worry; these bracelets cannot be removed unless you yourself choose to remove it. You cannot be coerced to remove it either.” The moment the guide finished his explanation, the room rippled with conversation and deliberation. Jasper was filled with wonder and curiosity about what other charms he might be able to gain and unlock, what other new knowledge he would gain while in the academy. He had never heard of mana, he had never heard of magic circles nor of teleportation magic. Only in rumours of the mage’s capability but never would he have thought it would be an ability he would be able to experience himself.

After they all put their bracelets on they were called out one by one by name and given a unique charm with their names on it. This would be their dorm key as well as the communication method if the teachers needed to talk to the individual student.

The one benefit of the favouritism in the academy is the segregated dorm rooms. Those of higher class were assigned better dorms with fewer students and only put together with other high class children, while the lower class children got put in dorms that looked in need of maintenance.

Jasper didn’t mind this. He was used to his simple room at the monastery and used to the dirty and moldy streets of the city. He was just grateful he would not get a room with Jonathan or any other noble children who would make his life harder. The dorm would give him a safe place with others on his level at the very least.

The teleportation room on the ground floor was not really a room but a hallway that seemingly led to the outside. The only thing different from the norm was the magic circle etched into the stone floor. As the children passed it one by one, it glowed a subtle purple and they disappeared in a brief flash of purple light.

It didn’t feel like anything. It happened so fast it only felt like he was walking down that hallway and into the room; his dorm.

The dorm was relatively large, especially considering it was meant for the low born. Sixe canopy beds on a raised floor on either side of the room, three on each side, each with a box at the feet for storage. It wasn’t large but they weren’t going to own much more than their uniforms anyways. The robes of course deserved more respect and had a dedicated hook atop the wall. There was a simple chandelier in the middle of the room as well as smaller lights next to each bed and area of the room, currently unneeded as the morning sun poured vibrantly through the arched windows surrounding the room, framed by simple windows that open outwards and closed with a wooden latch.

To the farthest area from the entryway was a smaller room which was dedicated to bathing and their other needs. The washrooms in the mage’s castle operated with magical artifacts that apparated water sourced from the lake and another one that disapperated it elsewhere once used. He later learnt that the water would be used for the crops so as to not waste the fresher ones on what was meant for the humans on plants. Everywhere he looked, magic tools that made everyday tasks simple were there to provide a simple solution.

In the middle was a small coach area with one long coach that would seat three, and two single person coach chairs facing it with a wooden table in the middle. Next to the table stood a heating magic tool that would replace the traditional fireplace during the winter seasons.

There was another level for the common area with a more elaborate living area however Jasper mused that the place he would visit the most while here would be the library.

Each tower had their own library with more common books and books specified for the fire tiered magicians, while the main area had a much larger and more stocked library.

Jasper made his way into the living space and scanned the beds on either side. Four of which were already claimed.

Jasper went to the right side and chose the bed closest to the entry way’s side, putting his uniform inside his trunk and sitting on his bed with real bedding and cushions. He admired the red duna and drapes that would give him privacy and layed back for a moment to admire the feel of having a real bed.

Just like that first night in the monastery, he was swept with a wave of emotion. Relief, anxiety and excitement at the new phase of his life that was about to start.