Anna ran to her room, her footsteps echoing through the hallway. She glanced behind her again, right in time to hear the front door closing. Yet still, Anna shut her door and turned the lock. While her parents had just left, she still needed to ensure total privacy for what was bound to happen any minute.
Without pausing, she ran to her closet and urgently pulled the sliding door aside. She grabbed the large suitcase she had purchased a few days prior—an object that earned her a fair amount of mockery from her friends—and threw it haphazardly onto her bed.
She began throwing in any article of clothing that caught her eye; it was packing time. It may have been overly large, but a lady had to be fully prepared!
Today was the day!
The day she would be introduced to magic and the day all the roads paved for her were replaced by an obscuring fog. Her ordinary, replaced by the unordinary—mystery.
Her excitement and boundless energy went into throwing as much as she could into the suitcase, like filling it up faster would accelerate their arrival.
Nobody could blame her for her rush! After all, she was told a year ago that a few weeks after she turned 18, she could attend Bastion Academy, a Magic school!
It was a reality straight out of fiction! But not only was it true—it was proven beyond any reasonable doubt. When the sun had just fallen, a looney mage woman seemingly teleported straight into her home, a highrise condo, and froze time just to offer her the opportunity.
Before the magic even happened, she felt a light, vibration-like tingling sensation across her body. Immediately after, time froze.
That woman timed it so well that there was even a frozen bird mid-flap outside her window! And, as if that weren't enough, her game froze, and every clock in her room stopped. Mix in a violet hue that blanketed the room like an almost unnoticeable thin haze, and it'd be weirder to not believe it!
The only thing missing from the theatrics was an actual mage. At least, someone who dressed like one! The purple-haired woman who came for her wore black jeans and a simple hoodie with a Metallica logo on the front. Well, she did have a face-covering mask. But Anna assumed that was to hide her Earth identity or something like that.
The silver mask did have a marking, a small symbol on the left side beneath its ear. Then, the blue eyes. Those eyes were the most powerful Anna had ever seen - in a different way than her parents - who controlled political and economic power. Finally, the mage was taller than Anna by at least two heads—not that it was hard to be.
With how quick the invitation was handed and how rushed the mage was, Anna didn't get to ask any questions; after the mage delivered the verbal invitation, Anna was forced to answer right away. Once she tentatively accepted, the mage just snapped her fingers and knocked Anna out. That was it. Just like that, she was invited into a life-changing, reality-breaking, fantastical scenario.
When she awoke next, it was to the embarrassment of her parents scolding her for falling asleep playing a stupid computer game. For that, equal blame could be distributed between the looney mage and Anna's friend Sarah for forcing her to try the game.
Anna would have thought the whole thing was a dream had it not been for the letter underneath her blanket that night letting her know the looney mage would be back in a year.
The wait was agonizing, and she pretty much paused her life for that year. She stalled her parents from forcing her to enroll in a College they wanted and didn't pursue anything else. Her excuse was that she wanted to work for a while; it worked because it was true.
Luckily, she could spend the year working at a family friend's obscure, cozy cafe tucked away in New York City. Nothing else supernatural or fantasy-esque happened during that time. Disappointing.
She stayed relatively lowkey, working and playing with friends as she always had.
But it was finally time—7 days after her birthday. Anna didn't get any sleep the prior night due to how excited she was!
Her suitcase quickly filled with clothes and various necessary items for a trip away from home.
She worried about what was likely unnecessary things, such as the types of clothes she packed. Stuff like whether she needed something more formal or maybe less formal.
The purple-hair mage certainly didn't try to look her part, so she probably didn't need to pay her dressing much heed.
Not that she would settle for boring clothes.
While she agonized over that, a familiar tingling feeling swept her body for only a second before fading. As the feeling faded, a purple hue layered the room.
She glanced at her computer, where the video she ingeniously left playing froze.
"Punctual, aren't you?" Came the soft, light British voice of the purple-haired mage. Her tone, though mature, carried a lilting, almost sing-song quality with a playfulness that made it seem like she took nothing seriously—arrogant. Her soft steps came from Anna's door like she had just walked through naturally. "Though, I suppose you would be quite excited for something like this."
"Of course!" Anna's smile was as wide as her face, and her eyes practically shined. "I've been looking forward to this ever since you broke into my home last year!"
"Broke into?" She nodded with a slight chuckle. "That's definitely a way to look at it." The purple-haired mage still wore a pair of jeans and a hoodie, only it was grey pants with a plain black hoodie this time. She had the same unmarked silver mask as last time. "Don't look at me like that, princess; I don't have to care how others perceive me. These are comfortable!"
Anna froze mid-way into throwing a skirt into her suitcase. "Don't call me— wait, how do you know that nickname?"
She definitely didn't say it like it was just an observation! But her friends were always careful; the only way for her to know that would be if she went around and questioned them. A background check. However, none of those she was close enough to allow that nickname would haphazardly hand it out to a weirdo with dyed purple hair. If they did, others would pick up on it and use it to demean her; it had occurred a couple times, but those people were promptly put in their place.
The looney woman was stalking her!
"Don't look so suspicious of me!" she said, approaching the bed and picking up one of Anna's skirts. "I've done my due diligence…" She waved the skirt around. "...and this certainly doesn't help." She sardonically chuckled.
Anna's ears felt hot, and she ripped the skirt out of those thieving hands. "Don't touch my stuff!"
"Oopsie." She waltzed over to Anna's desk, eyeing pretty much everything she had on it like Anna was a zoo animal. She took it upon herself to pull the desk chair for a seat. Crossing her legs, she looked like she was preparing for an interview. "Alright! Let's get right to it. We do have a schedule to keep, and our... policies... have changed since last we spoke." She stopped after the ominous words.
That had to be purposeful—it worked!
Anna's heart sank, and she stuttered, "Wh-what?"
"Don't be so dramatic!" The looney mage chuckled and shook her head. "I'm not about to revoke your invitation or add some crazy stipulations."
That's precisely what Anna thought.
"Then why did you pause like that!" she shouted, throwing the shirt at her.
The mage caught it and tossed it perfectly into the suitcase. "I couldn't help myself, and your reaction didn't disappoint—you're so cute!"
Anna could feel her arrogant smile through that silver mask.
Her face was on fire. "Just get on with it!".
Very few people could make fun of her like the mage who made herself at home in Anna's room! It wasn't a familiar feeling, being so embarrassed. She continued packing her suitcase instead of waiting in bated breath for what the infuriating woman might say.
"Sorry, sorry." She definitely didn't sound sorry. The mage straightened up and cleared her throat, indicating a change into the serious part. "I have a couple things I'm now required to let you know... just so you don't get into something you come to regret. Not that you'll change your mind. But, formality, you know?"
"What does that mean?" Anna stopped packing and instead sat on her bed, facing the mage. It felt like an interview, especially with how serious the mage's tone and demeanor became.
The mage sighed. "First, introductions are in order." She placed her hand on her chest and dipped her head slightly. It looked fake, like reading the action from a script. "My name is Alisha, and I am a Bastion Vanguard currently working on gathering students for my—our new Academy."
"Bastion? … Vanguard? What--"
Now that she thought of it, the mage—Alisha—hadn't mentioned the name of the academy nor her position last year.
Anna did not like those words; they brought a sense of foreboding. When she thought of Bastion, she thought of a fortress, and Vanguard brought up the front lines in an army. Neither word sat well with her, nor did they produce confidence in the organization named after what she would associate with battle.
She would not be recruited into a war!
"Turn that frown upside down." Alisha wagged her finger and then pointed at Anna's head. "I know what you're thinking—it's quite the common misconception. But you're wrong." She slid the chair closer to Anna and locked eyes with her. "We are not a military organization, and would we ever engage in war with our mages. We do strive to be the kind of group that can study magic."
Anna sighed in tentative relief. "Thank god!" She would have been devastated if her anticipation festering for over a year was killed just like that. "But what's with that name and rank, then?
"That's..." She taped Anna's nose. "…What I've come to discuss with you."
"Hey!"
If Alisha's mission was to be as aggravating as possible, she deserved a promotion!
Nobody but her closest friend had messed with her like that before.
"Bastion, dear Annabelle, is an organization dedicated to protection. We don't exist to fight wars," She shook her head. "No... we exist to defend from them." She pointedly stared at Anna as if analyzing her reaction.
However, Anna didn't know what to feel, so it certainly wouldn't show on her face.
There was a mix of things she gathered from what Alisha said and many conclusions she could make; conclusions it seemed Alisha wanted her to make on her own.
If Bastion was formed to protect humanity, it meant there was a threat to the whole race that warranted such an existence. Then, it was somewhat militaristic, given Alisha's rank. While it may not start wars, it didn't mean they weren't part of one. Her biggest takeaway was how Alisha said the last part—Bastion existed to defend against wars.
"Is there an active threat trying to... kill... all humans?" She couldn't believe those words came from her mouth.
"Technically, yes." Alisha then shook her head. "But also no; that depends on how you define an active threat."
How informative.
"Like… aliens who want to destroy Earth."
"Hmm~ ... It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes... there is a threat that could destroy Earth. Will they, though?" She snorted. "Never, as long as we stay standing."
Alisha leaned back in Anna's chair and put her hands into her hoodie pocket, betraying the gravity of the situation she just poured over Anna.
Anna wasn't so childish as to freak out over the news. She was trapped in a literal time bubble; she had long since assumed there were things like monsters and aliens; her imagination ran wild the last year.
Not to mention, they had to get something from letting her join. Her aid defense seemed like a good deal for them.
More importantly, if Bastion existed and had enough resources to create an academy rather than just batch-recruit soldiers, it had to mean the threat wasn't desperate. Then, there was Alisha's lack of concern or urgency.
"You mean there are things that want to destroy Earth but aren't actively trying," Anna said. In other words, it was a threat they were preparing for. Or, one that wasn't intelligent—beasts and monsters.
"Bingo!" Alisha clapped.
That was a weight off Anna's shoulders, and she continued packing her bag. She had worried she would immediately be thrust into a life-or-death scenario.
"Just say that, then. I still want to join if that's your concern."
"Oh, I knew that. It's magic, after all. Is anything enough to scare you away from the endless possibilities it could bring you?"
Of course not.
"Nope!"
Alisha chuckled. "Of course not. However, I do need you to understand the gravity of it and, at the very least, that you will be expected to defend your race. Job description, you know?" She slid over and grabbed Anna's shoulders, giving them a sharp pull to ensure they maintained eye contact.
"Wha..." Anna dropped a shirt.
"Listen closely, Annabelle Frost." Her tone was low and dark, traces of the easygoing, clown-like nature gone. "You will suffer if you join us. Maybe not soon, maybe not for years. But you will. Once you officially take a position, you will fight for the survival of your race. That is our caveat—that is our mission. In between the beauty of magic lies the reality of why we use it. Why we want to bring people into our fold. Understand?"
"I-I'm fine with that!" She tried to pull Alisha's hands off but failed. Those fingers wouldn't budge, like a python's grip. "Let me go!"
Those deep blue eyes ensured Anna paid close attention to every syllable out of Alisha's mouth.
But Anna knew already that she would be expected to fight, and of course, she would! She wasn't so unfeeling as to turn a blind eye toward threats to her own race!
"Understand, Annabelle, that you will suffer," she repeated, her tone a little more forceful. Her grip tightened, just short of being painful. It was like she thought Anna was a child who didn't fully comprehend the words. "You might be beaten and scarred fighting the threats we face. You will shed blood or may lose a limb in battle. You will see those you've come to love grievously harmed or even killed fighting with you. You... might be just another meaningless death in a battle for our survival."
"I..." Anna swallowed.
Alisha let go, and Anna fell to the bed.
"Just understand that it isn't a vacation to explore the wonders of magic, even though it will feel like that—at first." She grimly sighed. "I've seen too many in your position jump in and die."
Of course, the academy wasn't to teach them all about magic; it was to teach them how to use magic to fight.
She couldn't predict how she'd react to the things Alisha mentioned. They were too far outside her normality to provoke a substantial reaction other than a foreboding sadness. A sadness at the words themselves—for Alisha to say those words and how many she lost for them to be said.
However, her decision remained firm. After being told there was a threat to herself and, more importantly, her loved ones and race, there was no conceivable reason she would decline. Furthermore, it was magic. As Alisha said, could anything scare her away?
Rather than depression or anger, Anna felt something else.
Hope and desire.
She could become a part of the solution.
"I'm still joining," she mumbled, her hand atop her beating heart. "How can I not?"
"'How', indeed." Alisha shook her head, and her voice was normal again. "Forgive my crude methods. I've never been very good with words that aren't my own."
"Clearly." Anna returned to packing her suitcase. "It's fine, I get why you did it."
As for how she'd feel seeing her future peers get hurt? Well, she'd just have to prevent that from happening by becoming powerful enough. Maybe even learn some healing magic.
"You're an odd one, Annabelle Frost."
Anna scoffed. "If I got a dime every time someone said that to me," she said derisively.
Alisha left the chair and returned it to Anna's desk. Without glancing back at Anna, she said, "Maybe you'd have enough break free from your parent's position."
Anna froze. "What... did you just say?"
She must have misheard.
Alisha giggled like what she just said was a childish joke. "Someone will be here for you in a few hours tops; classes start tomorrow, and you'll probably see me at orientation… Or not." She shrugged. "Depends how I feel."
"You bitch!" Anna spat, but Alisha was gone. So was the violet hue as her computer continued the video she had on. She angrily tossed her last shirt into the suitcase and clicked her tongue, not that anyone was there to hear it.
After confirming she was alone by even checking the balcony, Anna returned to packing. She might have been overdoing it, but she didn't know what to expect! Unless they had magic-resisting clothes, it was better to have a lot.
She finished packing the last few items slowly as Alisha's words rang in her head on repeat, a grim reminder that the world of magic wasn't all magnificent exploration and power.
Oddly enough, it didn't frighten her one bit.
Possibly because it was too difficult to fathom such a concept as world destruction outside of fiction. The only images Anna could conjure were video-gamey creatures such as goblins, trolls, and slimes. It would be worse, but she'd deal with that when it came.
Bastion's existence meant hope, and she wanted to be a part of that. If anything, Alisha's words just created that desire within her.
She wouldn't die, she wouldn't let her new friends die, and she sure as hell wouldn't sit by and accept her race's annihilation.
After a few more carefully selected choices, Anna sealed her suitcase and pulled it off the bed.
"And now I'm ready!" She pulled out the handle and slid it to the front door before falling on her couch. All she had to do was the hard part—waiting.
As if God decided that Anna didn't deserve to suffer in silence, the doorbell rang before she could even flip the TV on.
"Coming!" she shouted like an eager child. It hadn't even been an hour since Alisha left!
She whipped that door open with her stuff already in her hands, ready to leave immediately.
"Hello! Are you— woah."
The most breathtaking woman Anna had ever seen stood outside her door, looking down at her from her towering height.
Short, snow-white hair and eyes like cold amber made her look straight from a video game. Her face was as stoic as they come, with the only noticeable change being a minuscule raise in her brow when she looked down at Anna from her height of at least half a foot over her.
Trying to decipher what was behind those amber eyes seemed like the greatest puzzle in the world. A rarity for Anna, who considered herself adept at deciphering people.
However, the true weird feature, and the one that cemented the situation as outlandish, was the long katana strapped to the woman's black light cargo pants.
Those pants and sleeveless white turtleneck, along with the long katana and her stoic appearance made the woman look like a mix between a stone-cold businesswoman and a modern-day warrior.
Anna closed her jaw, her face hot after realizing it was agape. She cleared her throat. "H-hello?"
"If you're done ogling me, then we can leave."
Her sound was almost precisely what Anna expected, low and commanding with a stoic grace yet pleasant, like polished marble.
Anna dipped her head and said, "Sorry, you just stand out waaay~ too much."
"Is that it?" Her eyes went toward Anna's suitcase, packed to the brim with her essentials—easily seeable from the slight bulge in it. The slight brow raise returned. "Let's go."
"I feel like you're making fun of me." Anna composed herself, but it was difficult to maintain with such a bizarre sight before her. "I'm totally ready, though!"
"I'm not; the gate closes soon." She didn't wait, already turned around toward the elevator.
"S-so soon?! Wait… gate?"
"Yes."
Anna checked her pockets for her keys.
Upon confirmation she had them, she shut her door and locked it. That would be the last time she heard that click for likely years. Waves of sorrow flooded her body, a sense of loss didn't think she would feel.
However, she had no time to mellow in it.
"I will leave you," the woman said, her voice coming from by the elevator.
"Coming!!"
Despite seemingly rushing her, the lady didn't push for the elevator until Anna pried her eyes off her door. A gesture that didn't go unnoticed.
Anna shoved her suitcase in first, then watched as the elevator doors sealed her vision of her door, the home she lived in for half her life. It wasn't forever, but it sure felt like that.
The lady hit the button for the roof, and they went up in silence. She wasn't much of a conversationalist, so all Anna could listen to was the mechanical sound of the elevator as they went upward.
But that didn't last long.
After a few floors, Anna couldn't hold her tongue any longer. "So... what's your name?" she asked hesitantly.
"Aria."
"Pretty name. I'm Annabelle."
"Thank you... you, too." It sounded awkward like she wasn't used to returning gestures.
And that was all Anna needed to get a preliminary grasp of Aria's character.
She felt more emboldened to speak. "What is the gate?"
"A portal to the academy— get ready."
"What?"
The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open a second later.
However, the roof wasn't what she saw through those doors. It was a swirling silver vortex emitting a loud hum and rays of silver light.
"No time to admire it."
"Wai-"
Aria pulled Anna's hand into the portal with her.