Colle was literally frozen. He couldn't move his body, not a muscle, not even relax his tummy. All he could do was blink his eyes. His view was a white expanse, as plain as paper. With his face stuck in position, he strained his eyes; right, up, down, left. He was in a pure white room, as white as snow. He tried speaking but his lips were tight shut. He was able to hum, and he hummed the loudest he could.
Well, this seemed unreal, like a dream. But similar to a difficult reality he experienced a moment ago. This might just be another world. He pondered; it wouldn't be too bad if this world had better terms. Maybe he's popular in the 'other worlds', who knew!
'Am I that famous so much so that everyone wants to scout me?', he chuckled.
But like release me, floating is exhausting, he sighed.
It felt like 10 minutes passed with him just stuck in air. His body ached being stiff for so long. He whined release me! Suddenly, he was let go. But now falling, endlessly. The whiteness just kept sucking him down straight like gravity and he was just a falling apple that could not see its ground. The end point wasn't near, but it's likely the end of his new life was.
STOP! He screamed internally.
And he stopped moving. Just froze again.
'Am I in control of this skullduggery pit?'
'Move.' He thought.
It didn't work.
Colle tried pinpointing all his focus to his right fingers. Wriggle, he thought, as he tried to.
A few minutes of struggle later, he saw a minute tapping of his thumb. That motivated him to keep trying. Struggling and putting his entire concentration and energy on getting back his movement, one by one he could move his right fingers, right hand, and arm. Then his left upper limb, his neck, his facial expressions, and his lips. He tried moving his ears, an attribute he had since he as a kid, and it moved. He gained complete control of his upper torso. Now for the lower part.
SWISH!
Colle heard a sound like waves sliding back and forth on a beach. He looked around but there was nothing new in the unblemished whiteness.
He closed his eyes, breathed, and fixated on to his left leg. This time he mastered it quicker than before.
SWISHHH!!!
The sound was louder and closer. Colle spotted a dot straight ahead. He realized, as the dot became bigger and more prominent, something alive was advancing forward. It was translucent blue with a figure of a snake.
No, it looked more like a dragon.
He was familiar with dragons. He'd seen different kinds of pictures; ones with limbs and without. This one didn't have limbs. The blue dragon ghost slithered closer with its wings spread wide.
Colle panicked and his reflex activated. He wanted to run away as fast as he could. But he couldn't, yet. He had to gain control of his right leg which was stuck in place. He put his mind into it but he couldn't focus, the fear took control.
He turned and tried to pull his body weight backwards. But his leg was glued in place and he was too panicked to meditate onto his leg. He held his leg trying to pull it out.
'Move. MOVE!'
The dragon ghost halted a few feet away from him. Colle stopped his efforts and looked at it.
Beautiful! That was his first thought. The dragon was majestic which stood poised. He could see through its translucent wings and body. Its blue body had shades of emerald-green, lighter at its trunk. Its cone-like face was spiky at its ear and head, like a crown. And the spikes ran all the way from its head to its tail. Its wings were large and bat-like, and its sparkling eyes stared right into his. It was searching something in him.
It moved its head to the right and left, observing Colle and then slowly moved forward.
"STOP!" Colle put both his arms forward motioning with his palms. And it stopped.
"Who are you?" He asked.
It looked at Colle's face, then his palm, and moved its head forward. The mouth portion was the prominent part of its face which touched Colle's palm.
Colle jolted.
His eyes shut as various images flashed in his brain at 100x speed. He saw unfamiliar people, places. Some had conversations between individuals. But Colle couldn't comprehend anything clearly nor understand its meaning.
After it stopped, there was only word he remembered. 'Pallizar.'
He opened his eyes, and he was on the bed in Purgenheim. Maybe he was here all along and this was a dream or a premonition. Or Boulder must have done something to him. It was morning and the opened window which had no locks to unbolt welcomed sunlight, like back home. There was a garden right outside with a fountain a few feet away. Colle concurred this must be Boulder's mansion. 'Being a headmaster paid well.'
The room he was in was as magnificent as before. However, it was like a box without a door. Colle felt like a prisoner. The guidebook laid on the bed, shut, exactly where it was. He was sure that wasn't a dream, he was sucked in by that pattern. There was a lot more he wanted to read and understand but now he didn't dare open it.
He got out the bed and walked around. The walls had abstract paintings. There were vases, in it were flowers with pearls in the middle. He opened a bronze-colored cupboard and it was empty.
Ding! Ding! Ding-a-ling! The melody of bells sang which sounded all around even outside the room. This was the alarm Boulder spoke of.
A set of clothes appeared hung in the open cupboard. The pants were dark brown which had folding from the calf and below. The long blue top had golden designs at the edge and a hood. He buttoned it to the waist after which there were no buttons and had to be left open like a slit.
He looked at the large mirror. 'Looking good' he smirked, sarcastically.
A door appeared on the wall, which opened and in walked a man neatly dressed in a green robe. He looked human except his ears were pointy.
He smiled, "Hello Colledean, I'm Mr. Herristan. I hope your journey was pleasant".
Oh, only if you knew!
"I will take you to Hewton Hight. Grab your book".
Colle turned to the bed and lifted the heavy guidebook. He noticed his name was now carved in golden on the front hard cover. Herristan brought out a wand and swished it. Blue particles came out and a vortex opened.
"Come" He said and walked into it.
Colle followed.
They emerged in a wide field with students bustling. He could see vortex's opening and students coming out of it; some alone while some in a group. The students wore clothes like his, but in different colors. Everyone carried a book. Colle and Herristan walked forward like the rest.
Herristan smiled at him, "The school has a protective spell to avoid intruders. So, to newcomers the valcra will only open until here. Once you're a student you'll get a pass, and you can open the Valcra anywhere in the school".
By Valcra, he was referring to the teleporting vortex.
"Headmaster said you're from Gydalshen. I haven't met anyone from there. You're probably the first Gydalshen student here. How do you do the potylshack there with winter all year?" He asked Colle.
Colle beat himself; he should have read that darn book well. He had no idea what Herristan was talking about. Potylshack? Gydalshen? Boulder should have properly told him his introductions at least. 'I need a short version of this survival guide'.
"Like the usual", Colle vaguely answered.
Colle's like a baby. An orphan in an unknown world once again with no parents to guide. Well, at least he had a guidebook.
Colle's thoughts spiraled to the time at the orphanage. Flashbacks drew in, where he was beaten when he broke the one meal rule (their meals were meagre; a slice of bread or soup) and took bread from the shelf when he was hungry. At that time, he and the other kids didn't know they were mistreated. Kids like them needed a guidebook too, to let them know what is right in the world and what is not.
"You're a quiet one" Herristan said interrupting Colle's thoughts, "It's alright. Just don't be too quiet. After the inauguration you'll meet kids like you, plucked from their sheltering parents' bosoms. Here you'll learn to mature".
Colle smiled awkwardly.
As they were walking, he saw various students. Some looked normal, undifferentiated from humans. Some had ears or faces like animals or horns or antlers or tails. Colle remembered Boulder's warning; don't act unnatural. Colle looked around forcing himself not to show the slightest change in expression.
A view of the large gate of Hewton High came into view.
"I'll bid you goodbye here, for now. Just follow the crowd to the assembly hall". Saying he vanished, without a valcra.
Colle did as Herristan told, just walked forward. He was looking around at ease before, now he was nervous. He walked slow, hung himself low, slouching a bit, so nobody notices him nor comes up to him. He was unprepared in this alien world.
He heard two guys shouting. Just great! A fight on the first day even before entering the gate. Colle looked behind him to the source of the squabble.
"You are dead meat Hobbinrat!", a student in a purple uniform yelled.
"Let's settle this now Worrenhart", the one in red countered.
They brought out their wands and pointed towards each other. This didn't look good. Colle did not want to be involved. He turned and walked faster. A bright blue light lit from behind him, which grew bigger and brighter that he could see its light in front of him. Like a wave growing larger to gobble him up. He started running.
"LOOK OUT!"