The idea of magic had always given Alec's world color. Ever since he was able to understand English, magic was always a huge part of his life. So, when he lifted the dusty blinds and saw what his father had been describing for years... he thought he was dreaming. He thought that there was no way the stories his father told him could be real. That just wouldn't make any sense, right?
He leaned in closer and placed both of his hands on the window. "I'm in... Kroywen..." he whispered intensely. His face was so close to the window that his breath left a mark on it after whispering.
I should probably explain what he saw through the window, shouldn't I? Well, to put it simply, it was magical. Everyday people living their everyday lives walking down the street, but there was so much more than just the norm. Mages flying around on brooms, wearing capes and cloaks. Cars surrounded by some sort of aura that caused them to float, too. There was even a man using a wand to hover a newspaper in front of him.
Without even realizing, Alec started to cry. Seeing all this magic was like watching his firstborn child say their first word or getting married to the person he loved. It was a once in a lifetime experience that he never thought would happen. A dream come true, so to speak. But, he didn't want to waste any time. He hastily wiped the tears off of his face and turned away from the window.
"I need to get out there," he said, harboring a huge smile on his face.
Seeing as it was the only way out, he maneuvered around the boxes until he arrived at the door, the exit to this storage room. He gulped in order to swallow his fear. There was no telling what would be outside this door waiting for him. Even so, he reached out his hand to grab the doorknob. As his hand met the doorknob, Alec felt a familiar feeling. The doorknob was the same style and made out of the same material as the doorknobs in his own house.
Obviously, this is pretty common for most houses in the same town or city, but Alec was too busy overthinking everything to even consider that.
He frantically looked around the storage room. At the floor, the walls, the window placement, and the ceiling. It was the exact same layout as his room back in the other world.
"Wait... If this is the same layout as my room..." he thought out loud with his hand placed on his chin. "Then this must be..."
Before finishing his own thought, Alec opened the storage room door and walked out. He was correct, the place he was transported to was his home from his world. But, the decor was all different. The home was filled with tons of mystical items like jars with eyeballs in them, jewels just laying around, and swords lined up on the walls.
"Whoa, this place is crazy..." he said while strolling around the halls and rooms.
As he was walking around, Alec entered the kitchen and noticed a picture inside a frame laying on a table. Gradually, he made his way closer to the table, still continuing to look around at the other parts of the kitchen. Once he made it to the table, he stared at the photo in disbelief. It was an old photo. An old photo of a person that Alec recognized.
In the photo were his father, Erick Cindercloud, and a beautiful woman standing next to him. Erick and the woman dawned pristine white robes with a symbol embroidered into it near their hearts. It was the exact same symbol imprinted on the wax seal on the letter Alec had received earlier.
"What the...?" questioned Alec. "Why is there a picture of dad and this woman here? And that symbol... it's that school's logo,"
Alec rapidly shook his head back and forth. His mind was going at a million miles a minute and he was close to reaching his limit.
"There are too many things to wrap my head around here..." he said. "Maybe if I go outside I'll find some answers,"
Part of that choice was just Alec attempting to find an excuse to go outside, but he was also searching for answers in any way he could. He wasn't a smart kid. At this point, I'm assuming you listening have figured out the answer already. Oh, sorry, I'm not really supposed to talk to the people listening... Anyway, back to Alec.
Since his home was on the second floor, there were stairs that led to a door to the outside. He cautiously walked down the stairs one step at a time. Each creak of the wooden stairs beneath him making him increasingly more anxious.
Once he arrived at the door leading outside, he hesitated. He was about to enter a world that has always been inside his head. A world that he had always wanted to visit, but was never able. If he chose to open the door in front of him, he would, figuratively, be opening a much larger door to his future. And obviously, he chose to open it.
"Okay, here we go..." he whispered, slowly reaching for the doorknob. His hand met with the cold, bronze handle. Then, after taking several deep breaths, he turned the handle and pulled.
Words can't quite describe the beauty that greeted Alec, but I'll try anyway.
Glistening water flowed through the air seemingly without any problem. It rippled and splashed as the caster rode upon it like a dragon. Vehicles like cars and brooms soared through the air like they were weightless. Civilians wore robes, cloaks, and scarves as normal fashion. They even carried their belongings with rugged bags and satchels just like real adventurers. Wild animals that you would never see in the city such as wolves and tigers strolled around the streets, keeping close to their owners. And the air was filled with the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread. Everything that surrounded Alec was, well, magical. Everything except for Alec himself, but he didn't mind. His dream, his most favorite thing in the world, was staring at him directly in the face. As he did in the storage room before, he started crying without even realizing. But, he was crying with the biggest smile on his face.
While he was in the middle of gawking over everything around him, someone suddenly bumped into him, shocking his focus back. He stumbled back a few steps before catching himself and turned to look at who it was.
The person had beautiful aqua, long hair that was hip-length and wore a bright white robe, covering their whole body. Abruptly, a gust of wind flew by and caused the person's hair to fly around aimlessly, revealing the back of their robe. The symbol on the wax seal, Kroywen's School of Magic Arts' symbol, was located directly in the center of the robe.
Not even a second after noticing the symbol, Alec called out for the person. "Hey! You with the white robe and blue hair! I have a question!" he shouted while walking after the stranger.
They stopped in place almost instantaneously. Gracefully, they spun around to face Alec, their robe flowing through the wind. The stranger was a girl. She was on the shorter side but had her flowing long hair to make up for it. Her eyes were turquoise, keeping with the blue color scheme.
Alec had never seen a girl so beautiful, but he didn't let that distract him. He had questions that he needed to be answered or he wouldn't be able to get where he needed to be.
"Sorry to bother you, but that symbol on your robe is Kroywen's School of Magic Arts' symbol, right?" he asked.
The girl calmly nodded.
"Oh, cool!" exclaimed Alec, clasping his hands together. "Actually, I was wondering if you could show me the way to the school? I'm a bit lost and-"
"What business do you have with the school?" asked the girl. Alec stood in place after being cut off, speechless.
"Huh?"
The girl sighed, obviously out of annoyance, and took a loud step forward.
"I asked, what business do you have with the school?" she asked again, but with an impatient tone and a stern expression. "You obviously don't look like you'd have any reason to be there. So, state your reasoning,"
Alec chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head in confusion. This was the last thing he expected to happen, so he was nowhere near planned for this situation.
"I... um... Well, you see... Uh..." he stuttered, fidgeting with his thumbs.
All of a sudden, without any warning, the girl started dying of laughter.
"Huh...? What...?" whispered Alec, terrified of the girl's unpredictability. After almost thirty seconds of the girl laughing, she gradually came to a stop and smiled.
"I'm just joking!" she exclaimed with a smile, her previously stern look wiped away.
"J-just joking?" Alec stuttered.
"Yep! Sorry if I scared you..." she said apologetically. "I could tell you're probably new around here, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to have a little fun,"
"Oh, I see... It's all good," said Alec, still slightly terrified.
"You said you're looking for the school, right?" she asked. Alec nodded in response.
"Yes, I am! I'd really appreciate it if you could help me out," he said. The girl smiled and quickly flashed a thumbs up.
"Don't worry, I'll help you out!"
"Thanks a lot, um..." muttered Alec. The girl tilted her head in confusion.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Well, I don't know your name,"
"Oh, right!" she said, placing her hand on her chest. "I'm Fay. Fay Aquafreeda. It's a pleasure,"