Chapter 5

First Meetings

Vyrion couldn’t believe his eyes as he leaned against the railing of the large airship. The deck offered little defense against the cold morning air; the breeze was almost freezing as it struck against his bare face. The sharp sting of the icy wind rushing against his cheeks helped keep him awake after a long night of restless sleep. If it had been any weekend before now, he would have had his maid activate the heating crystal in his room and he would have slept in until the warmth of the sun had fought away the cold he hated so much. Today was different though. Today the cold air would have no effect on his eager attitude. 

Clasping the cold steel railing to steady himself, he smiled as he saw the large school coming into view. In the distance he could already make out the massive building highlighted by the rising sun. A very sturdy and old looking building stood in the form of a castle, even at a distance Vyrion could tell this was a structure built to stand against the harshest of elements and the most terrifying attacks. It stood taller than any mansion he had seen before, with a multitude of different wings and rooms added to it throughout the decades. As they flew closer the teenager was better able to make out the school.

The walls were tall and made of strong stone, adding to the mighty, impenetrable presence of the school. There were ramparts along the sides of the castle where he could now make out the images of many different people wandering about. He was still too far away to discern what role any of the small figures might play, and at best he guessed they were a mix of teachers as well as students like him.

“I’m really here. I’m one of them. It took me a lot longer than I expected, but I’m finally going to be a Caster!” His smile broadened into a grin, stretching across his face as he felt himself taking another step towards his dreams becoming reality.

He was startled as the airship gave a heavy lurch, nearly sending him over the railing he was leaning against. Quickly bracing himself and double checking his footing he cursed at the fact he had to ride such an inferior airship. Before his anger could rise too high, he heard the sharp crackling of lightning running through the inner workings of the airship and into the speaker on the deck. The voice that came through sounded distorted by the constant buzzing of power.

“Sorry about that little bump any of our passengers might have felt. The winds in the Northern Kingdom can get a bit rough this time of year. Nothing to worry about though. We’ll be landing in a matter of minutes, so make sure you have your things.” With a fizzling pop the speaker shut back off.

Shaking his head Vyrion stepped back away from the railing and stared at the speaker. He was no longer able to ignore the sounds it made; the puttering of the engine, and the unsteady movements along with the constant ricketing of the airship panels were enough to take him out of his excitable state. He could feel the butterflies filling his stomach as he looked back towards the school they were approaching.

Just a little longer and I’ll be off of this death trap.

With a small thud, the airship landed in the designated area on the massive lawn at the front of the school and Vyrion wasted no time in slinging his bag over his shoulder and escaping the flying nightmare. Only when his feet touched solid ground did he realize how much his excitement had protected him from his fear of flying on an airship he was certain only had a few more trips left in it.

While taking in a deep breath of fresh air to calm his nerves, he took this chance to take another look up at the school in front of him. The view from the skies had done little in preparing him for the true brilliance of Caster Academy.

The school was a masterpiece; everyone knew that. However, the texts and vids had done it little justice. Calling it a marvel was an understatement. The school was massive--as wide as three mansions sitting side by side and stood around forty feet tall. The solid gray stones used for the base of the structure made for impenetrable walls. Magic that powered the school was pumping through varying sizes of pipes and cords in radiant colors, running from the attached machinery and winding the walls and across the ground and into the school like ivy giving it life. The different crystals embedded throughout each of the machines he could see pulsed with a faint, warm glow. The sight of magic and technology combined to enhance an already impervious fortress was even more amazing than Vyrion had ever dreamed.

Looking around briefly, he noted the front of the school was surprisingly quiet, minus the sounds of the crew of the airship unloading their shipment and their captain bellowing out orders. A design of three circles interlocking one another in a triangular shape were emblazoned on each of the large crates they were hauling. It was an emblem known by everyone; the Caster insignia. He was still having difficulty coming to terms with the idea that he had just flown on a ship that had been designed for delivering items and goods, not humans. It had managed to bring him here though, and that was what mattered.

Reaching down into his pocket, he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and looked it over; he had lost count of how many times he had read it by now.

Congratulations on passing your Caster Aptitude test! The following are your results.

Magical Aptitude: Gravity

Physical Aptitude: C

Efficiency Aptitude: C

These results are based on a grading of ‘D’ through ‘S’ and show that you’re capable of a number of possibilities, but you are not gifted in any one category. You have been assigned the best classes according to your abilities and to aid you in becoming the best Caster you are capable of being. 

He didn’t bother to take the time to read past that point of the letter again, filled with simple information about his room he’d be living in, his classrooms, and other such information that he would bother with when the time called for it. With a proud smirk, Vyrion felt proud of the part he bothered to read. He didn’t care about the fact they claimed he wasn’t gifted. They’d be proven wrong soon enough. He had always been exceptional in school, and the school for Casters would be no different. 

Realizing there seemed to be no staff or students outside any longer, and with the cold air starting to annoy him, Vyrion shrugged and repositioned his bag over his shoulder and made his way through the large doors.

The sight before his eyes as soon as he stepped inside caught him off guard. The main entrance was packed with many around his age wearing the school uniform. He recognized it instantly, since the outfit looked identical in style to the one that Chelsea had worn when she saved him. Some of the students wore their own additions to their outfit, but each uniform had a deep black color to it along with red accents and golden buttons. The Caster emblem emblazoned on each collar in a bright gold that matched the coloring of the buttons.  Some of the students looked a couple years younger and others a few years older than him, but they were all quite close in age and they were all with their own friends or groups, reminding him of his old school. What came as a true surprise to him though was the fact that he saw a number of Infurnal kids mixed in with them, wearing the same school outfit.

Pushing past one of the groups and ignoring some of the eyes he felt on him as the newcomer, he kept his paper in hand and flipped it over to look at the map that was provided to help new students find their way around the labyrinth of a school. He didn’t have time to make friends or give polite introductions. Spending so much time with the Ghosts had pushed him even further behind the other students new to the school this year and he had to make up for more than a month in lost time.

It took him longer than expected and proved to be more difficult than he was willing to admit to himself, but after some effort he managed to find his way to the proper room. He felt a little uneasy as it dawned on him that he was about to talk to someone of such renown. Teachers of Casters were some of the most well respected people in the entire world. They were seen as being above the most powerful nobles, no matter what their background. After all, only the best Casters were permitted to teach new Casters. A job like this came with the utmost responsibility as well as the most danger. It was something that many aimed for, and only a select few managed to achieve.

Knocking on the door he waited a moment to be called in by the soft voice before entering. Looking around the room he was surprised that it looked so similar to the simple offices his teachers had used in the past. Leaning back comfortably in a chair behind a desk with the nameplate that read “Mx. Valda” was a larger person with curly blonde hair who wore a similar styled outfit as the students and Chelsea, only this one was black and had beautiful gold coloring where the other outfits had been red; the golden coloring was only further enhanced as it matched their painted lips, nails, and eyeshadow. Peeking around the room, Vyrion also noticed a window looking out onto the school grounds, and a shelf filled with numerous books of different sizes; the only thing that stood out to him were the number of plants decorating the room. They varied in size and type and gave the room a very peaceful, earthy aroma. Everything in the room proved that the heavy set person sitting behind the desk was certainly comfortable in their role here.

“You must be the new kid. Gale, right? Or do you prefer Vyrion? Or perhaps something else?”

“Oh, um yes. I mean Vyrion is fine…” The boy stumbled over his words a bit, trying to find the proper words for the elite Caster in front of him.

“It’s okay Vyrion.” They let out a little chuckle, as though used to the reaction. “You can just call me Mx. Valda, or just Valda is fine. Either way, I’m happy to meet you.” 

Standing from their desk, they made their way closer to Vyrion and took his hand in a firm handshake as they continued to speak. “I won’t bother dancing around the subject. I know you’ve been through a lot. You’ve lost a lot and you’ve worked hard to make your way here so I won’t take up too much of your time. I’m the counselor, the greeting committee, and anything else I might need to be to help young Casters like yourself. Comes with being a jack of all trades I suppose. Now then, your paper please?”

Vyrion couldn’t find the words to respond, so he simply handed them his paper and watched as the golden haired person sat back down at their desk and began to look over the document in full detail. He could make out only a few words as they mumbled to themselves reading out loud and took out a pen and signed it. They then flipped it over to the map side and took a moment to mark a few spots throughout the map.

“Congratulations Vyrion. You’re fully registered in the Caster School. It’s a good thing you came on the first flight you could too, since you should have time to go to your room and get situated before getting to your first class.” Handing the paper back to Vyrion, they smiled a warm smile that felt infectious. “I know you must be eager to get out of here so i jotted down a few things on your map to help you out. Nothing special, just the quickest paths to get to and from places along with which room is yours. This place is amazing once you’re used to it, but I know a number of kids that got lost several times their first week here. Now, you can get going but I’m right here if you have any questions.”

Vyrion took the map back and smiled back at the friendly counselor. “No, I’m good for now. But I really appreciate all the help Mx Valda. I better be on my way.”

“Before you go please remember, being a Caster is no easy feat and you’re not alone in having lost something before coming here. I help many students, and I’m not going to pester you, but I am here to help you as well.”

There was a small pause as the young teenager’s mind replayed the horrible events of that night yet again, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak on the matter. Not yet. With a wave of his hand and a quick thank you Vyrion left the room and looked over the map, immediately thankful for the guiding lines and marks that would lead him to his new room and his classes.

In a matter of minutes, Vyrion managed to find his way to his new room through winding halls brightened by the power of the cords running along the walls and a flight of stairs thanks to the alterations made to the map by Valda.  He used the map to compare the number to the one on the door.

“303. This is it.”

He entered the room with his heart beating rapidly against his chest. The excitement of finally being here, of seeing this place, meeting Caster Valda, and rushing through the Caster School for the first time in his life was almost too much for him to bear. It was all so much to take in and his day had barely even started.

At that moment everything stopped for Vyrion as he noticed the extra bed in this room. He had never even thought about this before. The idea that he’d be sharing a room with another was something he couldn’t wrap his head around.

Instantly relief overcame him as he didn’t see anything personal added to either side of the room. It was only him and his own items that he brought. “Looks like I got lucky and I don’t have a roommate.” 

Smiling to himself, Vyrion tossed his stuff onto the nearest bed and made his way to his first class after changing into his Caster uniform. He wasn’t going to be late and the few items he brought with him could be put away properly later. He had to catch up to all the other students that had the advantage of starting their training at the beginning of the year. Better yet, he had to surpass them. To prove to everyone, including himself, that he could protect anyone who needed it.

Next Chapter: Classes