Elias was getting tired of feeling lost. Literally and figuratively. The Academy was a maze, and it seemed like every hallway led to another identical hallway, with nothing but stone walls and closed doors to greet him. He'd already passed a group of students in fancy robes who had given him weird looks, probably wondering why some scruffy-looking guy was wandering around like he didn't belong. Spoiler alert: he didn't.
His plan—if he could even call it that—was simple: blend in until he could figure out what the heck was going on. Step one was finding the classrooms, but so far, all he'd found were more corridors and a suspicious number of portraits. Seriously, who needed this many pictures of old dudes staring down at you?
Elias sighed and leaned against a wall, trying to gather his thoughts. The food from earlier had filled him up, but it hadn't solved his biggest problem: he still had no idea how to use magic. For all he knew, he might never figure it out. The man had said something about unlocking his potential, but that was as clear as mud. And now, here he was, standing in the middle of some magical school with nothing but a loaf of bread and a pocket full of anxiety.
"Alright, Elias," he muttered to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "You can figure this out. You've survived worse. Probably."
Just as he was about to move again, he heard footsteps approaching. Before he could react, a girl rounded the corner, nearly running into him. She had long, silver hair tied up in a ponytail and was wearing the Academy's uniform—a dark blue robe with gold trim. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.
"Hey, watch it!" Elias blurted out, more out of reflex than anything.
The girl blinked, then tilted her head slightly. "Who are you?"
Elias felt his heart skip a beat. Crap. He needed to think fast. "Uh, I'm new here," he said, trying to sound casual. "Just… exploring."
She narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced. "New? You don't look like a student."
"Gee, thanks," Elias muttered under his breath. But he knew he had to say something that made sense. "I, uh, got transferred last minute. Haven't gotten the uniform yet."
The girl seemed to consider this for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, whatever. Just don't get in my way. I've got somewhere to be."
She brushed past him, clearly not interested in small talk. Elias watched her go, wondering if everyone here was so friendly. But as she disappeared around the corner, he realized something: she hadn't asked him any questions about why he was here, or where he was supposed to be. Maybe she didn't care, or maybe she just wasn't the nosy type. Either way, it was a small win.
Deciding to take advantage of his good luck, Elias continued down the corridor, keeping an eye out for anything that might give him a clue about where to go next. He eventually stumbled upon a large set of double doors that looked more important than the others. They were slightly ajar, and he could hear voices coming from inside.
Curiosity got the better of him, so he crept closer and peeked through the crack. Inside, there was a classroom full of students sitting at desks, all facing a chalkboard where a tall man with a thick beard was writing something in strange symbols. The students seemed focused, scribbling notes as the man spoke in a deep, droning voice.
Elias squinted, trying to make sense of what was going on. The symbols on the board didn't look like any language he'd ever seen, and the teacher's words sounded more like gibberish than anything else. Still, there was something about the way the students were paying attention that made him think this was important. Maybe this was one of those "magic theory" classes or whatever.
Then, out of nowhere, the teacher turned around and snapped his fingers. The symbols on the board lit up, glowing bright blue before they flew off the board and circled the room like a swarm of fireflies. The students didn't even flinch, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Elias, on the other hand, nearly fell over. "What the…?"
Before he could react, the teacher's eyes locked onto him, and Elias froze. For a second, he thought he was done for, but then the man simply waved his hand, and the doors shut tight, blocking Elias's view. The voices inside were muffled now, and Elias was left standing there, heart pounding.
"Guess I won't be auditing that class," he muttered, backing away slowly. Clearly, this place was way out of his league. But that just meant he had to be more careful—and smarter—if he was going to survive.
Just as he turned to leave, he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Elias whipped around, only to find a cute girl about his age standing there, arms crossed. She had round glasses perched on his nose and an expression that was somewhere between curious and annoyed.
"You know, it's not a great idea to spy on Professor Balthus," the girl said, adjusting her glasses. "He's got a temper."
Elias felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him. "I wasn't spying. I was just… uh… lost."
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Lost, huh? You must be the new kid everyone's talking about. The one who showed up out of nowhere."
Elias forced a grin. "Yeah, that's me. Name's Elias."
The girl didn't return the smile. Instead, she looked Elias up and down, as if sizing him up. "You're either really brave or really stupid to wander around here like that. Which is it?"
Elias chuckled awkwardly. "A bit of both, maybe."
The girl sighed. "Well, whatever. If you're gonna survive here, you'd better start learning fast. This place isn't like anything you've ever seen."
"Tell me about it," Elias muttered. "And who are you, exactly?"
"Me? I'm Quinn. Not that it matters." Quinn shrugged. "But if you're really lost, I can show you around. Just don't expect me to hold your hand."
Elias wasn't sure if Quinn was offering out of kindness or just out of some sense of duty, but he wasn't about to turn down help. "I'll take what I can get."
Quinn nodded, then started walking down the corridor. Elias followed, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in his gut that he was way out of his depth. But as they walked, he couldn't help but feel a tiny spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he'd figure this place out after all.
And maybe, with a bit of luck, he'd find out what that old man had seen in him.