Mirabilia Vitae

[Lexi_Lush]

College…

The thought felt weird, some part of my brain acknowledging that it was the natural next step of my life, that finishing school obviously meant I had to go to college, and yet...

I didn't really feel like it. Going to school or not never really was an option, but college was a choice, and frankly, I wasn't really that interested in it.

Of course that left me with the question of what to do now.

I eyed the various unpacked bags in the room, opened solely for the purpose of taking what I needed from them without ever actually unpacking my limited stuff.

My apartment was small, with one sleeping area and one bathroom, a portable stove set up across the room from my mattress, and the little sink doing some heavy lifting for the whole 'kitchen' part of the flat.

The only other furniture here was a chair and desk pushed up against the only remaining free wall, giving me a space to sit and eat or write if I felt like it.

It wasn't much, but it was mine.

Not like I needed much when I had everything I needed right here.

I twirled the black ink pen around, golden engravings reflecting light into my eyes whenever the angles aligned just right.

I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself now that I was legally considered an adult and wholeheartedly independent in the eyes of the law, but maybe I could use my favorite—and only—hobby for something productive.

I scrunched my nose in displeasure, an unpleasant thought worming its way to the forefront of my mind. Right, maybe it was best that I kept my one remaining interest as far away as possible from any sort of obligation, even if I could probably make a decent profit with whatever idle thoughts my brain conjured up while writing.

Right, I should have maybe a little fun while I ponder what to do.

---

"Whatcha writing there?"

"The aftermath of the Founding War." I replied automatically, continuing to write down Walmir's discovery of the Vespyres' chitin fragments that would serve as the basis for their new society.

Then, I paused.

I lived alone.

Letting the effects of my Dreamwriter fade away, my apartment that still didn't feel like home reasserted itself as the remnants of the Haven Isles I crafted from my own imagination slipped away.

Carefully I looked around. While it was all too easy to forget that I lived in a world of magic and myth when I had to contend with the mundane for the vast majority of my life, my Dreamwriter served as a constant reminder that magic did in fact exist.

I couldn't see anything, but that meant little when the fae, spirits, and incorporeal undead existed.

"Oh, don't be so on edge; here, take a sip."

I brought the glass of apple juice to my lips and took a drink before freezing, realization reasserting itself as I was suddenly sitting at a table outside, fully clothed.

"You know, this is actually pretty good; if you didn't have magic, I bet you'd make a killing as an author, maybe even literally with that artifact of yours."

I moved slightly to the side to grant a better view of the scroll I was writing in, the ink from my dreamwriter still drying as the almost dark blue letters permanently etched themselves into the parchment.

My head snapped to the side fast enough that a rush of dizziness quickly followed, but I still couldn't see anyone or even anything. I was back in my apartment, the exact same position as previously.

Did I even leave in the first place?

I could still taste the barest hint of apple on my tongue as I tried to figure out what was happening. Slowly I stood up and immediately averted my eyes, looking for anywhere that didn't prominently feature people of all shapes and sizes engaging in enthusiastic carnal activities with each other.

"Less your vibe, huh? See this is exactly what I like about you."

Thankfully I found myself in the comfort of my room the moment I looked directly up, though this time I was sitting comfortably on my bed, one of my stuffed toys on my lap. My arms were naturally wrapped around it, the soft fur a grounding presence as I tried to forget what I had just seen, my mind incapable of remembering any of the sights in the first place.

"I've seen the stuff you've written; considering you get to experience all of it personally, it's intriguing that you'd shy away from such acts once they're actually happening. It's a contradiction, and I love contradictions."

I turned around to face the voice, fully expecting to find myself somewhere entirely new, but for once I wasn't alone in what was supposed to be my private sanctum.

She looked both older and younger than me, like she'd been around for decades and was just out of high school. The most striking part about my newfound tormentor was her clothes, a coat that was open just enough to display the bikini beneath, and from my position near the ground I could see that it was a complete set before I focused my eyes elsewhere.

Her hair was split down the middle, one pigtail a stark black while the other was a brilliant white; the odd color scheme further extended down the rest of her outfit, down to even the bottom half of her bikini, which was an odd sight to realize before my eyes snapped back up again to look at her face.

One of her eyes was a dull dark gray, but the other was a bright brilliant purple that seemed to glow with an otherworldly intensity as she patiently waited for me to stop admiring her sudden form, my cheeks heating up slightly at the realization; the smug grin of satisfaction on her face only added further fuel to the fire.

"Welcome back, CC. I can call you CC, right? Great. So yeah, you're full of contradictions; you want to do so much and yet do nothing, but when you do something, you never actually want to do it."

I nodded slowly in agreement. There was nothing I could really refute about her words, and besides, even someone like me who was about as far-fetched from any of the religions as one could be without outright sinning knew of the five Eternals.

"But your contradictions aren't very fun; they just make your life boring."

I could feel myself freeze in place; the notion that a Grand Being could consider my life boring was strangely unpleasant to think about. I didn't want to live a boring life, a comfortable one, sure, but not something boring.

The flame of motivation within me to do something about my life so it wouldn't be considered boring flickered out almost as soon as it began. I couldn't be bothered. Even if a literal goddess deemed my life boring, there wasn't really anything I could do about it.

I wasn't special. I wasn't even ordinary.

I had just enough to live and distract myself from the passage of time and everything else using my writings, no less, and certainly not more.

I reeled back in sudden pain, a welt blooming on my forehead where she had flicked me, despite never having even moved an inch, an unparsable expression on her face as she stared at me.

"Okay, you know what? I've decided; have fun!"

I looked up at the opulent engravings denoting the entrance to one of Geolocus's most prestigious magical academies.

Bellafonte Academy for Magic
The 'S is silent
​

I squinted at the shimmering slogan-like phrase, the words fading out of existence before my very eyes as I tried to make sense of the words.

Eventually I gave up and headed through the large entrance doors, small groups of people who had to be other students chatting among themselves as they moved through the building without even a moment's awe at the marvel of construction that surrounded them.

The marble flooring reflected my image back at me whenever I looked down to avoid some especially skimpily clad passersby, a part of my mind acknowledging that I would have to get used to the sight, especially if I were going to attend here for the next four years.

I eventually manage to make my way over to the receptionist, the bright blue hair almost blinding when illuminated by the array of floating luminous crystals above, and I find myself looking into a familiar set of eyes, though her shade of green is far more eccentric than my own.

She's supernaturally beautiful, and my eyes can't help but trace every feature of her face in a vain attempt to make sense of it all without the explanation simply being 'magic.'

"Welcome, how may I help you?" The receptionist—my eyes glance down, reading her nametag briefly—Laura, greets me with a cheerful voice.

"Hi, I'm here to…" My voice trails off, my eyebrows furrowing together as I try and recall what I'm here for. I know I've been accepted into the academy but… When? How? What?

"Ah, Corporea Crescent, right? Yeah, I have you here for twelve thirty; you did mention you might be a bit confused when arriving, probably something magic-related, but as a non-caster, I wouldn't know."

I watch, still confused as she rapidly types on her keyboard, the steady clicking and clacking of the mechanical apparatus joining the steadily growing cacophony of background noises until she stops with a pause and hands me a sheet of paper, the parchment still warm from when the printer spat it out.

I read the printed words over, still in a bit of a fugue as I try and comprehend what is happening, memories I could have sworn I never experienced mixing with the things I could last recall.

Right, I'd submitted an application to the academy and gotten an acceptance letter… But why did I even submit one in the first place…? I'm not a Caster, I can't do magic. But I am, and I did; for the application, I had to perform a small spell.

I could recall my hands turning into liquid, not molten, glass when I finished the incantation and gestures, the clearly magical feat not having fazed me at all at the time, for some reason.

As I walked to the specified location, parting from Laura with a quick thanks, my memories gradually caught up with the present, conversations with a representative from the academy regarding tuition fees and accommodations providing context as to where I'm currently heading, and fewer students passing by as I made my way to the administration accommodations.

There were a variety of potential accommodations both on campus and outside, the academy being very lenient and permitting of even some outright absurd housing locations, like just in the campus's wild forests, but tuition was expensive, and even though I barely had any expenses up until this point, my meager life savings still didn't cover all of them.

Thankfully, it wasn't an unprecedented situation, and other people had similar experiences beforehand, leading to the teachers' accommodations serving as a two-in-one package deal, providing housing and a way to 'pay' back any missing funds from the tuition.

While I'd be technically helping all of the staff, I'd likely be spending far more time with my assigned tutor than the others whenever the time for choosing one rolled around anyways, which was entirely fine by me.

Having reached my destination, I knocked a few times on the dark wooden door, my fist producing a surprisingly complex melody on impact, and waited, occupying myself by watching the few people who were out and about in the area.

It only took maybe a minute until the door was opened, and I had to crane my neck up to take in her whole stature, her massive black and white scaled serpent lower half propping her up so that I was about at eye level with where her navel would be.

She wore a black, almost ceremonial-looking dress with golden trimmings and an extravagant royal red velvet cape that draped over her shoulders seemlessly, giving her a striking backdrop.

Noticing me a moment later, she gradually lowered herself so I didn't quite need to strain my neck to look at her face, which coincidentally put her chest directly in front of my face. I did my best to ignore her plentiful cleavage, instead mesmerized by her vibrant pink eyes that peered at me from behind her dull purple bangs.

She seemed a bit confused and surprised, judging by the slight tilt of her head as she stared down at me. I shuffled in place a bit, unsure of what exactly to say; just because I could vaguely remember signing up to be essentially a servant for the next three years didn't mean I had any sort of confidence in the matter.

"Are you here for the reading assignment?" She eventually decided to ask after finishing appraising me, an odd glimmer in her eye, like a cat about to catch the canary.

"…I don't think so?"

"Oh."

She seemed to deflate slightly, an excitement I hadn't even known existed escaping her posture as she gave me another look over.

"Then what are you here for?" She asked in a much more muted and exhausted-sounding tone, the tip of her tail flicking from side to side impatiently as if she couldn't get back to her previous activities fast enough.

"I, uh, I'm here for the accommodations, ma'am?" I hedge, holding out the sheet of paper handed to me by the receptionist earlier. I still wasn't sure how this worked or if I was missing anything, but she took the document from me with the beginnings of a smile forming on her glossy lips, quirking up further and further as she skimmed the writing.

"Well, you're not Ako, but I'm excited to have you regardless. Come, come, there is much to read!"

An indignant squeak escapes my lips before I can stop it, the lamia having lifted me bodily with her two hands and rushing inside faster than I could achieve by running.

As I'm being carried with ease through a central living space and many different rooms, I can't help but wonder to myself if all of the teachers will be this eccentric.

 

[Lexi_Lush]

As I had officially moved in full-time into the teachers' quarters almost a month before the start of the semester, a good number of staff members were absent from the academy, which was entirely fine by me.

Even with a limited number of the academy's administration, I found myself quite busy around the clock, though the various tasks each of them had me do weren't usually that tiring.

Case in point, getting up with the rising sun still somehow left me feeling more refreshed than if I had slept for twelve hours rather than only seven. Instead of snoozing my alarm six times in a row, I simply opened my eyes, feeling wide awake.

Still, I remained in bed for a few more moments, enjoying the warm comfort beneath my weighted blanket, as the room was quite chilly so early. My arms were still in the same position as when I went to sleep, wrapped around the purple shark plush that was almost my size, one of the few things I'd taken with me onto campus.

It was still a bit weird to think about Bellafonte Academy being in a whole pocket dimension; the castle complex and surrounding wilderness were absolutely massive, far larger than what my limited knowledge of magic told me was possible.

Not to mention that one of the Naturamancy professors had his own pocket space farm, which could be accessed from within the academy, which even I knew wasn't supposed to be possible. And yet there were plenty of other cases of pocket dimensions of all sorts being accessed from within the campus.

Speaking of said professor, I finally got out of bed, regretfully leaving behind the warm comfort in order to pursue my ultimate goal of not being boring, which dilly-dallying in bed for an additional eight hours a day after waking up did not in fact support.

I eyed the empty bed on the far side of the room as I stripped off my snow leopard-themed pajamas; my roommate hadn't arrived yet, if I even got one, so I could enjoy the luxury of privacy for now. Later on, I'd probably change in the attached bathroom or something, but that wasn't relevant for now.

Undressed save for my underwear, I stepped into the bathroom anyway, using the mirror above the sink to brush my hair into order, straightening and combing through it without much care until I no longer felt any resistance. Meanwhile, my other hand idled with my black collar, the internal red fur comforting against the bare skin of my throat with every movement.

While chokers were far more widespread, it wasn't uncommon for people to wear collars and even leashes outside, the accessory being ultimately just a small part of the various sexual attires that most didn't bat an eye at.

I was pretty sure I'd seen one of the future students arrive on campus entirely naked, and since the academy was specifically designed to bar any sort of entry to those underage, nobody really cared or even paid them any more attention than they would someone fully clothed.

For me, though, it was still a bit embarrassing, though for the complete opposite reasons that you'd expect. It wasnt that I was opposed to wearing revealing attire and whatnot, though I obviously had no inclination to do so, but rather…

It wasn't a sex thing?

Like collars were undeniably a sex or slavery thing as far as I could tell, which made me feel off since I liked them for neither of those purposes. There was just something comforting having something constantly around my neck, and the odd bells or other additions were pretty neat too.

I grabbed the toothpaste I bought during one of my short excursions into the town surrounding the academy, the specific tube I'd gotten having a slightly sweet flavor rather than the strongly minty one most toothpastes tended to have for some reason… because it was supposed to be for children.

I'd made peace with the once embarrassing tidbit a while ago, instead counting the seconds as I hurriedly brushed, making sure to dedicate a full thirty seconds to each section before eventually spitting out the slightly pink foam and rinsing my mouth thoroughly.

The faint taste of blood lingered as I dressed up in what I'd unoffically dubbed my work clothes. I started with the bottoms, a pair of leathery pants that unfortunately wouldn't look out of place in a bedroom instead of my usual preference for skirts, followed by a plain bralette and t-shirt.

Last came the shoes, which I put over a pair of thick socks, my feet fitting snugly into the steel-toed boots, my fingers already moving to tie the shoelaces before moving onto the next one. I'd rather not go outside wearing this specific getup; it wasn't that I had a particularly strong sense of fashion, but this did stray pretty far from my usual preferred apparel.

Lastly, I swapped out my sleeping collar for a choker; this specific one was made out of black faux leather and wrapped tightly around my neck, the silver prong buckle being in the shape of a heart that made it look pretty cute.

I also strung a gray hair tie on my wrist for when I'd inevitably have to tie my hair back, either out of simple necessity or to prevent it from covering my face when my hands were really occupied.

With all of my morning preparations complete in less than twenty minutes, I finally stepped out of my room, a minute of walking carrying me to my target destination, where I knocked on the spruce—I thought it was spruce at least—door.

Professor Asclei, or just Hans as he preferred to be called, opened the door soon after, a warm smile beaming down at me from above like the literal sun as he calmly welcomed me inside.

"Good morning, Miss Crescent, early as always." He remarked while closing the door behind me, as if I couldn't spot the thin sheen of sweat that already covered his mostly exposed chest, his choice in outfit only covering his arms and body from the navel down save for the bulky golden neckpiece with large blue jewels imbedded in the center and edges.

"Good morning, Professor Asclei." I nodded at him, looking around for any changes in his room since the last time I'd been here. There were none, of course; the accommodations he had here were merely a formality since he spent most of his time in an entirely different dimension comprised solely of his massive farm estate that was responsible for supplying most of the food on campus.

"Please, I told you, just Hans is fine." He responded calmly, disappearing for a moment through one of the doors that lead to the small kitchen I knew each of the professors' accommodations included, returning a moment later with two cups of tea.

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem right to do so if you won't use my first name too." I point out, accepting the piping-hot tea with a quick thanks and inhaling some of the steam, letting out a relaxed sigh.

"Of course, Corporea." He responded with a smile, taking a sip from his own cup. Both of us knew, of course, that this wouldn't change anything following this exchange, just like it hadn't all of the previous times. Still, it was a comforting exchange I suspected both of us had grown used to in the few weeks I'd been here so far.

Of course the nagging thought that all of this had been intentional and planned ahead of time by Paradox in order to make me less boring tried to rear its little head, but I squashed it down with barely any effort. There wasn't really any point in worrying about things like that, and even if such were the case, it wasn't like I didn't enjoy my stay on campus thus far way more than most of my life beforehand.

Some other, more personal part of me wished that this could just go on forever, that even after my three years here were up I could continue to partake in this comfortable routine for the end of time, but despite knowing that such a change was actually likely possible with the involvement of magic, I knew it wasn't what I or Paradox had wanted for myself.

"Thank you, Hans," I replied absentmindedly as my thoughts stewed, taking a sip of the tea, my eyebrows quirking in pleasant surprise. I would never understand the obsession with making toothpaste so minty it burned, and I had a pretty high spice tolerance if I did say so myself, but mint tea was usually always delightful.

"Is this the new apple mint you planted last week?" I asked curiously, recalling the experience as I tried to parse the fruity, slightly citrusy, yet undeniably minty flavor of the tea. It was sweeter than the mint usually used commercially, and the second flavoring component made me wonder if there was maybe a little lemon or orange added to the drink.

"Of course you can tell," Hans huffed lightheartedly before his lips twisted into a light smirk. "Not."The kind Miss Bellafonte was so kind as to help me breed a new strain of mint from the applemint; I call it Pineapple Mint."

His lips quirked in amusement as I parsed his words, slowly trying to make sense of them. I took another sip just to confirm my suspicions before giving him a pout.

"You're just messing with me; this is the apple mint from last week." I declared confidently, carefully watching his reaction, which immediately cued me in that I was right all along.

"Alright, you got me. What gave it away?" He relented easily, a comfortable smile still resting on his lips as he looked down at me expectedly.

"Well, you wouldn't need the headmistress's help for breeding a new species of plant, but also pineapple mint is already a thing, and there's no way you'd accidentally use an already taken name for one of your own creations."

He nodded as I explained myself, stopping only to continue sipping his glass until it was empty, and I belatedly remembered to do the same, downing the second half of my cup in one go, the delicious brew having already cooled down enough to be only moderately warm.

"You are correct, Miss Crescent, though that's exactly what we will be doing today." With a snap of his fingers, a Gate appeared beside us, the gentle breeze flowing through the opening in space causing his wheat-blond ponytail to flutter slightly as he stepped through the gateway to his own personal slice of reality.

I stepped through a moment later, both of our cups having vanished into thin air, as if manifesting a Gate was the starting shot for using magic. Magic was fascinating; besides being told I used a minute amount of epidromancy unconsciously with the help of my mutagenic aura to shift my facial features, I didn't actually know any.

The faculty had been strangely adamant about not teaching me anything before the semester began, having made it very clear that I wasn't to try practicing magic on my own until then. I had read about a few events of accidental magic and the often devastating consequences thereof, so despite my eagerness and excitement to learn magic and not be boring, I held off, instead busying myself with whatever tasks the present professors had for me.

Speaking of which, I took in the always breathtaking sight of Han's farm estate, vast fields stretching for as far as my eyes could see, and crops of all shapes and sizes growing, some familiar, like the swathes of golden wheat, while others were entirely alien, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did actually originate from a world besides our own or were just straight up created for the academy's needs.

I followed Hans down the cobbled pathway, a lingering suspicion that he could have brought us directly into the plaza of his miniature village further up ahead, and merely didn't do so in order to show me and perhaps everyone else who entered the same incredible view each time.

Contrary to the academy, where the sun had just begun to rise, rays of sunlight barely making it through the windows of his room, here the sun was up ahead, shining with full force, the blazing heat not unpleasant on my skin.

Despite working for sometimes hours in the sun, I never seemed to develop a tan; the sun behaved slightly differently here, which I didn't particularly mind either way, but it also didn't dehydrate me like the normal sun tended to do, saving me plenty of annoyingly timed bathroom breaks.

And the migraines, of course, though those in general had become less of an issue when I could just go to the school nursery and have them magicked away with ease, taking those stupid, useless migraine pills. 'Take it before the migraine happens.' How am I supposed to know when I'll have a migraine before it happens? That doesn't even make any sense.

As my thoughts wandered, questioning if there was a spell for making my absurdly small bladder bigger or just removing the need to drink and thus pee entirely, Hans and I had finally reached the little community he had built by himself, though not for himself. Though I guess that depended on your interpretation of self in this context.

He freely admitted to enjoying nurturing things and seeing them grow, whether they be plants, animals, or even other people, though I'd argue those that he'd taken under his wing to mentor benefitted far more from this arrangement than he did.

Just because I couldn't see anybody at the moment didn't mean they weren't here, either inside their respective little cabins or further out in the fields, though being outside the pocket space entirely was obviously also always an option.

Hans led me to the biggest building, a mansion that he considered his actual home instead of the accommodations provided by the academy, though we didn't head inside, instead following alongside the outer wall of the building until we entered the smaller crop garden housing some of his personal projects.

While despite the rustic look of the houses, he wasn't opposed to using more modern equipment if it got the job done; here everything was done lovingly by hand, even the use of magic being restricted barring the most extreme of circumstances, though not literally, of course. While such effects probably were possible, I doubted they were cheap or effective enough to be used in a place that the only Caster who tended to frequent was Hans himself.

Hans didn't wait for me to finish thinking my thoughts, already dropping down near a crop bed further back, a bundle of small pots positioned next to the trough, already prepared ahead of time. He didn't tell me what to do, but I didn't really need any instructions for this part; I used to do gardening years ago, not to mention my repeated sessions with Hans only served to further expand my agricultural knowledge.

I got down on my knees in the only way I was willing, my shins digging into the soft dirt as I grabbed one of the small pots containing a sprout of fuzzy-looking mint that had white edges to its leaves.

I smelled it briefly, taking the minty aroma and slight tanginess in the air before getting to work. The soil that the mints were planted in was well-watered, practically soaked, so I suspected this was what he had been up to before opening the door for me earlier.

Not that I minded, of course; it made the job far easier, if anything. Carefully I squished the small plastic plant container from all sides, loosening the root-filled dirt within until I could remove the plant and soil entirely from their former shell.

Pushing the three plant stalks to the sides, two right and one left, I very, very gently began tearing the round block of roots and dirt apart, splitting it evenly down the middle and setting one of the halves aside.

With my free hand I dug a nicely spaced hole into the wooden trough before me, making enough space that I could neatly fit half of the former potted plant and pack the dirt around it densely to make sure it'd stay.

I spent what felt like the better part of an hour repeating the steps with every other potted mint until all of them had been planted into the trough together. Eventually, once I was finished, I stood up slowly and wiped down my pants, the leather easily letting me wipe off the dirt and grime that had accumulated from walking on my knees through the dirt.

Looking over to where I'd last seen Hans, I spotted him sitting on a wooden stool I was pretty sure he carved himself a while back. He was evidently long done with his own work, and looking past him, I could spot several finished rows done compared to the one I just finished.

Watching him warmly smile at me, I did my best to ignore the rising heat in my cheeks, instead walking over to where I could wash my hands. Hans's little garden had a water basin installed at the edge attached to one of the mansion's walls, one of those rustic-looking ones carved out of a block of stone with a stainless steel faucet providing the water.

Rinsing my hands and making sure to rid myself of the dirt gathered beneath my nonexistent fingernails—nail-biting for the win—I made sure to thoroughly scrub my arms as well from the grime that had gathered on them while I worked, the occasional clump of dirt falling on them requiring the extra attention. Only once I was certain I was squeaky clean did I return to Hans, still somehow having to look up at him despite him sitting down.

"So, what's next?" I asked, somewhat eager to continue to the next task. To my surprise, though, he simply laughed and waved me off, his chuckling eventually petering out as he caught his breath, a wide smile still on his face.

I didn't get it; what was so funny? I looked around to make sure there were no additional pots that required planting but couldn't spot any. Surely I was missing something, right? There was no way this was it; there always was more stuff to do, even if he wasn't quite willing to let me handle the farm 'animals' since I still didn't know a speck of magic.

"What's so funny?" I eventually had to ask, tilting my head in slight confusion. I still couldn't think of anything, but he just waved me off again, clear amusement coating his features.

"Nothing, nothing, though I suspect you are forgetting something?" He hinted at, bemusement still evident on his face as I tried to puzzle out the meaning.

The moment I realized what he meant, it felt so incredibly obvious, the blush from before returning furiously as I realized, "I forgot the semester starts today…"

"Uh, what's the time?" I asked slightly desperately, Hans responding only a moment later with a chuckle.

"Why, I believe a quarter past eight in the morning." He told me without even having to check any sort of watch or alternative timekeeping device. I wondered how he knew, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"Oh… can I…?"

I didn't even get to complete the question before a gate opened next to me, letting me step through and find myself in my room a single moment later, everything looking exactly how I left it.

For the second time today I began stripping, though this time much more quickly and completely, everything coming off before I stepped into the shower. A perk of being in a magical academy was that there was always hot water available.

I wanted to make a good impression on all of the other students, so I put in the extra effort of shampooing my hair and using rose-scented conditioner to get it nice and silky. I didn't actually spend that much time in the shower, barely twenty minutes, and the majority of that was waiting for the conditioner to do its thing, but it certainly felt like an eternity.

Once I finished washing all the soap from my body, I dried down swiftly, using a towel to abuse my hair in a way I could vaguely recall my mom telling me was bad for it, but it did the trick effectively and quickly.

It was only a few minutes later that I stepped out of my room, dressed in my chosen attire for the day, which included a long black pleated skirt over some stockings and a shirt of the same color with a colorful parrot depiction around the collar, my head positioned right where the birds would be.

The choker I picked out was among my fancier ones, the stretchy and somewhat translucent fabric wrapped snuggly around my neck, the reflective pearl pendant lightly bouncing against my throat with every step, a small constant reminder of its presence.

With ten minutes to spare, I checked up on probably my favorite tutor, finding her room empty, which likely meant someone had already made sure she woke up—or was hanging out somewhere in the wilderness, having entirely forgotten about the headmistress's speech today, like myself—so I left the faculty accommodations with a pep in my step.

The auditorium was absolutely massive, capable of probably holding a thousand students at once, with a decorated ceiling, intricate carvings covering the walls, and what I thought might be a gigantic mural covering the entire floor, though it's hard to make out with the hundreds of students taking up space literally everywhere, whether they stood around and chatted among themselves or sat on the foldable chairs that littered the auditorium.

I tried looking for a chair of my own and somehow ended up standing in the front row before the stage, front and center, to witness one of the most well-known casters in the entire world stepping onto the raised platform, radiant red hair shimmering in the late morning sun, blazing blue eyes sweeping over the gathered crowd, silencing the ongoing murmurs and chats without a word.

Snapping once, she begins talking, her voice clear and crisp in my ears yet not overwhelming in any capacity.

"Hello, new students of Bellefonte Academy. I am the head mistress, Elizabeth Bellefonte. Today, I am here to introduce you to the academy and to explain a few things for those who haven't read the handbook."

The handbook was a little pamphlet I'd been given on my first day here containing a myriad of expected and wholly reasonable rules that I genuinely hoped everyone would follow without too much of a fuss. I was no stranger to rules, and for some reason it seemed that literally everyone else took personal offense to them, even if they were something like "No using the couch as an ashtray."

Still, I continued listening raptly, fighting the urge to look in odd directions as if there was something waiting for me there. Her voice was sensual and smooth like butter, a delight to listen to that made me kind of look forward to her classes.

"First: Try not to kill anyone, especially by accident. Second: The teachers are not responsible for your safety outside of the Academy. Not to say they can't help you; they just don't have to. And finally, third: You will be given power beyond imagination. If you misuse it, expect consequences beyond imagination."

I nod along to her words, nothing new being shared here, though I was morbidly curious to see what consequences beyond imagination referred to, my mind spinning up all sorts of horrific fates arguably worse than death without even a moment's hesitation.

Of course, I had no plans to break any of the rules. The thought of committing murder left a sour taste in my mouth that I had no desire to taste in case it was somehow sweet. The same went for misusing magic; I knew Malumancy was the magic school of curses, which were taught plenty at the academy, but also protection spells against such curses.

I definitely knew which of the two I would spend my efforts on; the concept of using magic to force effects on others was… weird. I didn't really want to deal with people more than necessary, and doing such a thing was practically a guarantee to involve myself with them further since most spells were finite in duration from what I gathered so far.

Once again the strange urge to look to the side returned, this time twice as strong, and taking the lull in words from Headmistress Bellafonte as an opportunity, I glanced to the side, expecting to see absolutely nothing.

And I was right; there was nothing to see there besides a wall of students all enraptured by one of the most important casters in history, which was entirely understandable.

Wait, no, one of the students is directly looking at me for some reason. Did I have something on my face? I continue to stare at the brown-haired, brown-eyed girl until she finally looks away. Instinctively I follow her stare and barely catch a glimpse of a blonde in the crowd before someone moves and breaks my line of sight.

I guess the one staring at me just liked staring at people in general.

Weird.

"I won't lie, most of you will fade into obscurity. You'll all be full casters if you manage to complete the year, but even full casters have to suffer the banalities of life. Mostly." Madam Bellafonte continues, wiggling her hand at us before continuing easily.

"You won't be the next Bronwyn Black," She was a Black Cowl, the magical equivalent of a police force, and from one of the more renowned magical families. I hadn't met her so far, and based on what I'd heard about her, I wished I could keep it that way.

"Or Steff Ictomi," Who I had met; he was a girly and incredibly pretty enchanter with long blond hair and sparkling orange eyes. He was known for his exploits in the… toy creation industry. I'd helped him organize a lot of the filework in the last two weeks, and even the occasional… testing.

I could feel my cheeks begin to heat up at the memory, so I tried to focus on something different, almost missing the rest of the speech.

"Unless you put in the effort, and then you'll have to contend with all the other graduates to make your mark on the world. All I ask is that you don't cause a mess while learning here, and we'll all have a good time."

Mind still tinged with thoughts from earlier, I couldn't help but think about all the 'messes' that would undoubtedly be created even just today. The thought almost made me chuckle, until I remembered I might get a new roommate today who could be among those creating said messes.

The elven headmistress vanished with those words, the amassed student body slowly beginning to resume previous conversations or start brand new ones before being suddenly silenced once more by the abrupt reappearance of said headmistress.

"Dismissed."

She vanished just as quickly, simply popping out of existence like she was never even here in the first place. I wondered if she actually maybe was somewhere entirely else and just casting an illusion or something to make it seem like she was here giving the speech.

It made sense that she'd be a busy woman; not only was she the one in charge of practically everything here, but she also taught all of the subjects along with all of the other professors.

I wondered if cloning magic existed, an annoyingly stubborn part of my mind attaching itself to the thought immediately and adding all sorts of unintended connotations. Thinking about it, there probably was.

Ears burning, I was almost glad to run into Naga on my way back to my room, the energetic lamia sweeping me in a crushing hug for just a moment before remembering my preferences regarding physical contact and setting me down without missing a beat, just the slightest of apologetic smiles on her face as she motioned for me to follow her.

"Corporea! Just who I was looking for; you simply must come read my latest work."

A smile on my own face this time, I gladly followed her, knowing full well that I was likely on my way to read yet another absolutely horrible monstergirl bondage short story, though the raunchiness of it all was so far removed from my personal preferences that I could treat it like reading any other fic, or just as generic work, I supposed, though even if I wasn't under the obligation of practically being a servant for the faculty, I would likely have taken the few minutes required out of my day to still read her works; she was, despite all odds, improving pretty quickly, actually.

I suspect her vast amounts of 'hands-on' experience helped in that regard.

I could never.

 

[Lexi_Lush]

It is cacophany that reaches my ears as I walk along the paved stone path towards the gates of Bellafonte Academy. The sounds of footsteps and luggage rattle and clack and all around put me on edge. There are simply too many sounds and too many variables to keep track of.

Beside me strides my uncle, my greatest and only ally in the past 18 years of my suffering. 18 years of looking over my shoulder, peering into shadows to ensure one of my siblings hadn't hid in waiting, ensuring that any and all I talked to hadn't a concealed blade, garotte or bludgeon up their sleeve.

It was not a peaceful childhood, though it was not many who were afforded such a luxury, least of all a member of a Family.

The footfalls of Uncle Ethan shook the ground and obscured the sun from my vision where it rose in the west. There were those who stared, naturally, it was not common to meet a full caster, let alone one sharing the form of a Mythical Creature.

For many this would be an event they would return home, to their hamlets and homesteads, and gossip about, sharing the story of the time they had seen a Collosi in person.

But then again, all who walked atop the road to Bellafonte were adjacent to the future makers of history, and perhaps that in its own right was more impressive.

The gates of Bronze and Silver loom overhead, large ornate bars laid vertical were more of a metaphorical and symbolic division between the outside world and the world of intense academia.

Bellafonte resided at the very outskirts of the town which shared its name and could be reached with a short 20 minute or so walk.

The town itself was rather simple, mundane even. There were no flying girls on broomsticks nor everyday citizens utilising magic for daily tasks, instead they were average, non-human casters, as was the majority of the population of Town Bellafonte.

A small woman, a foot smaller than me perhaps, approached the gate from the opposite side. Atop her head drooped a wide brimmed hat, typical of witches, the dip of which obscured soft eyes with green irises.

In the attire of a barmaid, she approached with only kindness and familiarity in her smile, for a moment I thought she was a student before she craned her head upwards, keeping her hat fixed to her head with a hand and shouted "Hello, Ethan!"

Her voice was light and airy, and the angle of her hat let me catch a batter look at her face. Framed by long platinum locks was the epitome of 'cute', a permanent flush smattered across her face. Slender limbs that looked like they might break under a particularly strong breeze and the dangerously youthful attitude she exuded gave me the impression that she was quite well sought after.

Innocent, was the word that came to mind.

"Hello, Miss Black." My uncle boomed, his voice sounding closer to that of thunder rumbling than any real words.

She giggled and waved her hand playfully, charmed by the honourific, "You can call me Cora, you know," bringing a hand up to her cheek.

"Of course, Cora." He leaned down, getting his head closer to the ground to hopefully disturb less of the nearby population.

"So, what brings you here? Just missing your old tutor?" She clasped her hands together by her waist and made herself look cuter.

"I'm actually dropping off my Niece."

Only then did Cora actually turn to look at me, eyes locking with mine for a moment, an overwhelming urge to look away filled me but my body didn't listen.

"Oh! You must be Miss Locust! We've been waiting for you." She chirped, then looked back up to Uncle Ethan, "I'm so sorry but you'll have to stay out here, the only full casters allowed on school grounds are students and faculty."

He rumbled in agreement and rose to his full height, easily towering over Castle Bellafonte as he did so. "Sorry, Carrie, this is where we part."

I nodded, finality washing over me, it wouldn't be the last time I saw him but it would be the last time he would protect me and I had to acknowledge that.

"Keep her safe, Cora."

"I can't promise that but I'll make sure she won't die!" She paused and thought to herself for a moment, "Before you go, do you think you could step on me?"

Huh?

My eyebrows furrowed and I watched my uncle chuckle, turn around and stomp the ground where Cora was standing moments ago, a spray of blood escaping from the arch of his foot and between his toes.

In awe and shock I just stood there.

My uncle had just killed a teacher at Bellafonte in cold blood, without even thinking twice.

At her request no less.

Then, slowly, the blood was drawn back towards the foot which rose above the ground to its original position. Big splotches of red coalescing, forming organs, bones, muscles. A person shaped from nothing. Skin wrapped them in sheets before sealing around the joints.

Then consciousness struck her violently, an erotic scream ripping from her throat before descending into moans as her legs shook. I didn't dare look as I saw something reflective running down her leg.

Fighting the urge to step back I just weathered the sexual explosion occurring next to me.

It took her a moment or two to regain her composure, at which point she acted like nothing had happened.

The two exchanged parting words, all of which went over my head, then guided by Cora, I walked past the gates of Bellafonte towards the castle, my body on autopilot.

Inside was an antechamber, the entirety of Castle Bellafonte being a hollow expanse for the Gate, the tear in reality that bridged our world to that of the school's.

It too, I stepped through in autopilot.

I was here. I was at Bellafonte Academy.

---

Several hours later I waited in my Dorm room, one bed already claimed whilst the other was left to myself. And the only thing I did whilst alone was ruminate. In this case, on the day's events.

Atop a distant mountain Uncle Ethan sat whilst I was greeted by Peter, watching with the scrutiny of a punishment-happy parent waiting for their child to taboo.

It was thinly veiled threats between my brother and I, whilst he was the current Grand Caster of our family and awarded the funds required to enter Bellafonte, I would tear the role from him with my teeth if I had to.

Still, as a caster entering his second year, Uncle Ethan would not have been able to intervene before my skull was cooked with a well placed fireball nor my brain reduced to slurry by any of his Psionomantic spells.

But Peter was a child to the staff of Bellafonte. And unauthorised combat between casters was not just prohibited but struck down with an iron fist backed by multiple centuries of unrivaled magical power.

Not even a child such as Peter would be willing to get on the bad side of Elizabeth Bellafonte.

A foot collided with the brick of my dorm wall at the thought of her. It hurt yes, but not more than the sting of rejection and, more significantly, regret that she had released onto my shoulders.

Her speech, whilst uninspiring and sounding little more than routine for her, was supposed to give me an in. I had sought her out afterwards, chasing after her like a baby with a blanket.

A slew of platitudes and flattery that I had been taught by Michelle fell on unimpressed ears. Her expression was not only sour but disappointed at my attempt.

"Please. Tutor me." I had begged her in earnest and received only a curious look followed with,

"I'm afraid Tutor selection is not for two weeks, come see me again when they start."

My expression contorted to a cringe at the thought of ruining my only chance at a first impression. Overconfident, I was. I'd assumed that my status would allow me priviledges kept from other students.

Fuck.

The door behind me opened and I nearly jumped from my skin. My aura flared as a spiral of divine energy spun around my body whilst crystalline growths reminiscient of gemstones formed a sawing edge within the stream, ready to rip and flay anything that came in contact to it.

But it was no threat I saw, not a sibling nor someone with any degree of bloodlust at all.

Just a rather short girl. She didn't mind me at all and walked in with a degree of familiarity I could only assume would belong to one other person.

My new roommate.

I took her in, her tan skin, cascading white strands of hair that appeared finer than the richest of silks that the wealthy could own, the way they ran over her… sizeable and uncovered breasts.

My eyes flicked upwards, away from her assets and the rest of her seemingly nude body.

Only then did I notice the crown of black and blue she wore, lines of deep navy traced the edges of the crown whilst black metal filled in the gaps.

"hI-" My voice caught in my throat, shooting up an octave, "Ahem- Hi, I'm Carol." And held out a hand.

She giggled and smiled, amusing herself with my misstep.

"Yuri." She imitated my posture, straightening her back and puffing her chest out before stiffly shaking my hand up and down.

Where her skin met mine, electricity crackled, running up my arm and lodging itself firmly in my heart which beat faster than before.

I wanted to make a good impression this time.

Her eyes jumped from my face to my hand to my face to my hand before I realised I hadn't let go.

An awkward smile graced my lips, attempting to play off the mistake like a joke with a small chuckle.

She played along, chuckling in kind.

A duo of voices trailed down the hallway towards our room, a muffled discussion between the two.

Yuri took note,"Whelp, I gotta go. See ya," and performed a lazy two fingered salute before sauntering out of the room only for the moment the door to close, it reopened, this time behind which was Naga, the Epidromancy Tutor.

Oh, not just Naga.

Alongside her was a girl in dark clothes who had paused mid sentence once she'd realised that there was someone else watching her. There was a deep eeriness about her features, like they were artificial or fake in some way. The way the moment the light hit her eyes, the forest green hue shifted to an uncharacteristically bright one. Her hair was long, black and straight and hung over her face.

"Oh wonderful, your roomate is already here." She chirped before pausing, "Unless you of course choose to spend your nights in someone elses room." She smiled inwards at the thought.

It took the girl a moment to get her bearings as she realised I was in the dorm room, at which point she straightened herself out and patted off her skirt.

"Thank you, Miss Naga." She muttered as a faint blush crept onto her cheeks, her voice reminded me of honey in some way, the way it was rich and dark yet viscous, it took time for her words to leave her mouth but I could tell that she spoke from deep in her throat.

"No problem, Love, have fun getting to know each other!" She called before returning to wherever she had come from.

Once the rush of Teacher interaction had faded away, a thick blanket of unfamiliarity draped over the room.

"I was under the assumption that there were only two people per room." I announced.

The girl's head swept from side to side, looking around as if searching for anyone else.

The dorm was by no means cramped, it had space for a desk each and a bed on either side. Both were built from a rather mundane looking wood. Perhaps it was silly of me to expect everything at Bellafonte to be magical in some capacity but atop each desk rested a lamp with a bending metal stalk, a notebook with the school's logo; an ornate curving capital B bisected with a swooping S-shape in gold, and a matching pen.

The design ethos of the entire Teaching accommodation building was rather simple in that it was a series of three rectangles of equal length connected in a C-shape with the parallel ones being at right angles to the third and a courtyard sitting in the middle.

Everything seemed to be of wood or red brick, a strangely nostalgic look for a building of the modern day to have, but then again, Bellafonte was old.

"Oh." The girl responded without much surprise in her voice, "No its just us."

"Are you sure?" I suddenly wasn't sure if this was my room. I was certain I'd read it right but at this point I wasn't sure I could trust my own competence.

The girl didn't move, her eyes just flicked from each side of the room until she'd come to a decision.

Then to mine, that piercing green boring into my gaze. "I think so."

She'd sat down on the bed that had already been claimed since before I arrived, the one with a few stuffed animals and articles of clothing. It looked like she'd been here for a while, but the semester only started today, so why?

Springs squeaked under her weight and she let out a sigh of relief. A relief from what though? The travel? The process? General exhaustion?

All of a sudden I wasn't feeling the most alert myself. Perhaps I'd deluded myself to the degree at which I could operate.

The sun hadn't set and the day wasn't over yet, I'd just rest for a bit. My back hit the mattress and my head bounced.

"I'm Carol by the way," Maybe I'd see Yuri around later, she might have been mistaken.

I didn't get a response for a couple long moments and I was certain she'd fallen asleep.

"Corporea."

"Nice to meet you."