It had been a few days since my first training session with Lars. It wasn't until he worked me into the cold, stone floor that I realized how pathetic I had been up until now. I wasn't nearly prepared to defend myself in this world.
I had too many secrets and too many things to investigate. Countless questions were running through my mind: Why am I here? Is there even a reason? Who might have caused it? What was the black stuff that came out of my body? What were my parents like? Can I ever get back to Earth? These questions kept me pushing harder and harder during my workouts.
With the assistance of light magic, I was able to work myself to the bone and constantly rebuild my muscles. Their density was increasing at a rapid pace. I thought it would be wise to begin weight training.
I was already experienced with workouts from my home world. I used to go to the gym every morning before school. I was curious how I could acquire some weights so I gave Headmaster Lichstein a visit.
As I was walking up to his office door, it swung open.
A nervous Lichstein was sitting behind the desk at the far end of the room. He gestured to me. "Come in."
I nodded and walked in. Before I could even say something, he spoke. "What did you do?"
I tilted my head in confusion. "Ummmm, I don't think I did anything…"
He nodded. "If it isn't you, then what did Mason do now?"
I nearly choked. "Am I not allowed to just visit the headmaster of my academy?"
Lichstein heaved a sigh of relief and sank into his chair, reclining. "Please, take a seat."
He began waving his hands, manipulating some of the objects in his room. As I sat down, a square glass dropped in front of me. Soon after that, a large ice cube dropped into the glass.
Upon seeing this, I furrowed my brow in confusion. Was he about to pour me a drink?
As if he was reading my mind, Lichstein chuckled. "Yes, I am. How old are you?"
I hesitated for a second. "I am twelve."
Lichstein shook his head. "Nice try. How old are you really?"
As soon as I heard this, I started sweating bullets. 'Shit, I'm exposed.' "What do you mean, headmaster?"
Lichstein sighed. "I know that you are an otherworlder. In other words, you are not of this world."
I now was living my greatest fear in this world. It was much too early for this secret to be known by anyone. The worst part was that I stood zero chance in front of the archmage in front of me. Even among archmages, there only exists a short list of people who can match him.
Lichstein waved his hand in a circle impatiently. "Now, can you answer my question?"
I sunk into my chair. "I would be eighteen tomorrow."
Lichstein smiled warmly and nodded. "Happy birthday then." He proceeded to wave his hand. A cabinet in the corner of the room opened and a bottle of dark brown liquid floated out. "This is a whiskey that was aged in wine barrels for 18 years, made by the elves in Danarus. Do you know why I chose this bottle?"
I thought for a moment. "Is it because I'd be 18 tomorrow?"
Lichstein shook his head. "That is part of it, but keep guessing." The cork of the bottle popped out with a deep suction noise.
I furrowed my brow in deep thought. Why else would he choose this bottle? "Do the elves make great alcohol?"
Lichstein chuckled. "Well, you're not wrong about that. However, you are still wrong. Anyways, I've dropped the hint so I'll let you figure it out on your own. I'm sure the adventure you plan on taking after you are strong enough will answer your questions." He then poured both of our glasses half full.
I sighed. "You really do know everything. I just wanna know how."
Lichstein nodded. "Well, like you, I am a part of the Beastly Dragon academy. I graduated top of my class 97 years ago. I was very fortunate. Thanatos blessed me with a Djinn as my companion. Djinn's are some of the rarest and most peculiar magical beasts in existence. They are definitely near the top in terms of intelligence. Do you know what their most useful ability is?"
I shook my head. "I didn't even know that Djinn's were a thing."
Lichstein nodded in confirmation. "That makes sense. The ability is to read minds. In addition to that, I come from a special family. Our abilities are unique among the world of magic. We can sense the soul."
My jaw dropped upon hearing this. "I see why you poured the drink." I sighed as I reached out and picked up the glass, swirling the whiskey around. I allowed the strong but nostalgic scent to enter my nose. It was comforting.
Lichstein wore a wry smile as he lifted his glass and took a sip. "Ahhh, delicious. This is one of my favorites. And you don't have to worry. I have not and will not tell anyone. This type of thing is something the king doesn't need to be aware of."
I sighed in relief as I threw back about half of the glass. The warmth of the alcohol rushing into my system felt amazing, a feeling I had missed a great deal. "I appreciate that, headmaster."
Lichstein laughed. "I'm sure you do. I just wanted to make sure that you knew you weren't alone. I have had a few other students at this academy that were otherworlders. Fortunately, only my family and apex beasts like Thanatos can figure you out. You can feel free to confide in me."
I could only shake my head. The emotions welling up in me were so confusing. "I just came here to figure out what I can use for weight training, b-but…" I couldn't even finish my statement as a stream of tears welled up in my eyes.
Lichstein noticed this quickly. He grabbed his cup, finishing the remainder of his glass in a single gulp. He then got up and walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay. Let it out."
I broke down, my whole body feeling like it was made of gelatin. A river of tears streamed down my face, the endless storm within my mind finally releasing itself. "Why? Why am I here?"
Lichstein sighed as he patted my back a few times. "Unfortunately, that is one of the questions which I can not answer. Despite me knowing so much about the soul, I don't even understand how you were summoned."
I wasn't sure if I felt better or worse upon hearing this answer. I reached out, grabbing the cup that was only a quarter full at this point. I gulped down the remaining liquor, allowing the alcohol to completely release the pent up emotions.
Lichstein patted my back one more time before stepping away. Rather than going back to his desk chair, he went to sit down on the couch in his office. "Fortunately, in due time you will meet people other than me that you can confide in."
I nodded. "The Otherworlder Council, right?"
Lichstein tilted his head in curiosity. "You already know?"
I nodded, confirming his thought. Before I responded, I wiped the fading tears off my face. "Okami told me about it."
Lichstein laughed. "I should have known. Anyways, you can take some of these." He pulled some slips of paper out of his storage ring and sent them over to me.
I grabbed them out of the air, looking at them curiously. "What are these?"
Lichstein smirked. "Gravity seals. You can apply them to any object, even your clothing, and adjust the weight of the item. For your purposes, maybe a metal staff would work."
I nodded, wiping the last of my tears off my face. "Thank you, headmaster."
Lichstein sighed, resting his head in his hand. "Come back soon. It isn't healthy to keep all of that bottled up."
I struggled to put on a smile. "I don't know how I could repay you."
Lichstein shook his head and gestured to the door. "Don't sweat it. Now, I believe you have some sparring to get to."
I chuckled. "See you soon, headmaster." I got up wearing the smile still. I felt much better now that I had gotten some things off my chest. I no longer felt like the world was on my shoulders. With that weight lifted, I walked out of his office to look for Jacob and Yanni. I had some sparring to do!