13 Actual First Day Part I

(Eh, fuck it. I was bored so I uploaded an extra chapter. Might even do another one tonight depending on when I get tired. This will not happen often so enjoy!)

I slept soundly that night. The thought that there could be other people like me was a soothing thought. I dreamed of meeting otherworlders and talking with them about Earth. I didn't even care that they might not be from the same world as I was. Just being able to share my secret with someone that is in the same situation is amazing to think about.

The next morning, I woke up to the bell. Today would be my first day of actual classes. I was eager to learn all kinds of things. I needed to get strong, and fast. I concluded from what I have been told that there are individuals out there with unfathomable strength. Since this is a world of magic, there might even be people that have been alive for thousands of years. I doubted that I'd learn about that kind of stuff at the academy though. I was hopeful that maybe the Beastly Dragon would teach me about that kind of stuff.

I quickly got up and carried out my new morning routine. I showered with Okami, brushed my teeth, and then got dressed. I decided to take a good look at myself before leaving the room.

Standing before the mirror, I smiled. I really was a good looking kid. I began to suspect that my late parents weren't just simple commoners. Between my bright blue eyes, luscious blond hair, and sharp features, I could definitely say that I lucked out with my new body's appearance. Now I just had to hope that I would keep all my hair as I grew up!

I walked out of the bathroom. As I approached the door, Okami merged with me. Upon opening the door, there was a crowd of people waiting for me. From the looks on their faces, they were not here to befriend me.

I frowned. "How can I help you guys?"

One kid was standing right in front of the door. He had a smug look on his face. "We are here to teach you where you belong. Common filth doesn't belong among our ranks."

I scoffed. "Well first, let's at least introduce ourselves. I'm Callum, no family name. You are?"

He smirked. "Well I guess it is only proper that you know my name before bowing to me as you call me your master. I am Johan Ferguson, son of Marquis Ronald Ferguson. These people around me are all from noble households under my father."

I nodded. "Well, if you'll excuse me, Johan, I shall be going. I don't want to contaminate you with my commoner breath."

Johan nearly choked. His face grew red with anger. "If you were just a commoner, you could have easily gotten by. However, you dared to be the top ranked first year. After that, you even had the gall to get cozy with the Prince and Princess. Lastly, you put the nail in your own coffin by becoming Professor Mason's assistant. These things do not suit filth like you. Keep doing stuff like this and… I shouldn't have to tell you what will happen."

I raised my brow and heaved out a quick exhale. I then crossed my arms. "So let me make sure I am getting all of this. You are jealous of me because I am better than you, I made friends among my classmates, and because I was kidnapped by a maniac. I'm sorry to say this, but the mere intelligence of a commoner is not enough to understand these irrational reasons you have provided."

Johan was fuming. He began to raise his fist, clearly preparing to punch me. "You… insolent… arrogant… low-life… you dare talk to me like that? I'll make sure you never talk again!" His fist flew towards my face.

Before I even had time to react, a white blur flew across my field of vision. Looking down, Yanni was holding Johan down on the floor. His knee was on Johan's back and he was holding both of his hands up in the air.

Yanni sighed. "Callum, I'll have you know, I'm not a morning person. Did you really have to make me do this when my eyelids still feel like boulders?"

I laughed. "Well first, thank you for intervening. I'd rather not have to punch someone on my third day here. Second, you didn't have to tackle him."

Yanni shook his head. "That punch would have broken your jaw."

I shrugged. "I'm pretty sure that it is his hand that would have been broken." I lifted my left hand and knocked on my left cheek. The sound that came from it was not of flesh, but that of what happens when you knock on a door. I had hardened that entire half of my face with ice.

Yanni chuckled. "Let's just go get some breakfast. Don't mind these idiots."

I nodded. "Don't have to tell me twice. I'm starving."

As we walked out of the crowd and towards the cafeteria, two people joined us.

Jacob gently elbowed Yanni. "Nice moves, dude."

Yanni sighed. "I don't like fighting. It's troublesome."

I laughed. "If you don't like fighting, why did you restrain him?"

Jacob and Anna giggled.

Yanni sighed again. "We drew straws. I got the shortest one so I jumped in."

Jacob nodded. "All three of us would have done it together but that would have been excessive."

I shrugged. Then I realized something. This prince has my old name. I internally cursed as I would never be able to forget that. "So how was the meeting yesterday?"

Jacob grinned. "I took the liberty of registering the four of us as a team."

I smiled. "That's great. My kidnapper said that I'd have time for it so I'm glad you went ahead and did it. What's our team name?"

Jacob sighed as Anna and Yanni nearly fell over laughing. "They keep making fun of me for the name I chose. I thought Zephyr sounded cool."

I laughed. "That's a great name. It sounds majestic."

Jacob threw his hands out and exclaimed. "That's what I said!"

I shrugged. "Don't mind the love birds. Let's just grab something to eat. I didn't have a proper dinner last night. I must not be eating enough because I've been constantly feeling hungry."

Jacob nodded. "Callum, you're eating for two now, remember?" He winked.

I nodded. "Ahhhhh. I get it. Guess I can't be stingy when it comes to meals anymore."

By now, we were at the counter to get our breakfast. Okami and I really enjoyed the quesadilla from yesterday so I decided to get another one. I added chopped ham this time and got two of them. On top of that, I got a steaming cup of black tea. Yanni got two ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches while Jacob got a large serving of eggs, bacon, and toast. Anna got a small salad since she only has to eat for herself. In terms of drinks, Anna had tea, Jacob had coffee, and Yanni had a glass of juice.

I wasn't sure if it was because it was breakfast time, or if it was because of what just happened in the hallway, but no one approached our table this time. The silence resulting from the four of us enjoying our meal was delightful.

I turned to the princess. "Anna, do you always hang out with your brother?"

Anna shook her head as he gently dabbed her mouth with a napkin. This was common etiquette for conversation during meals. "I often join Jacob's fiancee and her childhood friend for tea. They are great company unlike many other students that just try to gain my favor."

I sighed. "I guess I should count myself lucky that I wasn't born into a noble family."

Jacob laughed heartily at this. "There are the benefits, of course, but it can be quite the pain."

I nodded and sat back in my chair. "That makes sense. So, Anna, tell me about these friends. Are they nice?"

Anna nodded. "They are good people. Jacob's fiancee is the daughter of a Duke. Her friend is the daughter of a Marquis in their dukedom. I'd even go as far as saying that their families are among the few benevolent noble households in the kingdom. The Skolovsky household is also included in that short list."

Yanni smiled. "You flatter us too much."

Anna shook her head. "I would have given up on you by now if I didn't feel that you were a good person." She looked up and sighed. "Some day you'll come around."

Jacob and I made eye contact before struggling to hold in our laughter. Although we had only been a group for less than two days, we already had an inside joke. That joke being the whole dynamic between Anna and Yanni. They are absolutely perfect for one another and it is quite common that those with the same status would be engaged by their age. Yanni just refuses to make a move for god only knows why.

I poked Yanni. "Why don't you at least give her a chance?"

Yanni grumbled and fidgeted with his hands. "Women are… troublesome."

I giggled. "So I take it that you like men?"

Jacob spit his coffee all over the table upon hearing this. Anna froze mid sip of her tea.

Yanni was flustered. His face was a deep shade of red as he blushed. "NO! I mean, no."

I laughed. "So then just go on a date. We can make it a double date if you want me to come with you." I made a heroic pose. "With two handsome guys like us, the world is in the palm of our hand!" Jacob laughed hysterically.

Catching his breath, the prince was wiping the coffee that he spit everywhere. Fortunately the uniform had a self cleaning function so the coffee didn't stain it. "Callum, you are too funny. With a sense of humor like that, you'll have women lining up for you!"

I sighed. It had been nearly three years since I had gotten laid. I probably wouldn't get another chance for at least another few years. I'm only 12 in my new body after all. "I doubt I could find anyone here."

Anna giggled. "I wouldn't say that."

I raised my brow. "What do you mean?"

Anna giggled again seeing my reaction. "I'd say that if you walked up to any girl in our year, there is a great chance of not being rejected."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "What? Why?"

Anna laughed. "We often partake in some gossip over our tea. Apparently you have a fan club forming."

I grimaced. What kind of anime world am I living in? "I see. I guess I should find a girlfriend quickly."

Anna nodded. "That is probably a good idea. Aside from your looks, a promising young mage is something that no unmarried girl in this kingdom would pass up. If your rate of growth keeps its pace, you'll undoubtedly become an archmage. All archmages possess a rank of at least Marquis. They might not have any territory but they still hold the status of a higher noble nonetheless."

I sighed and shook my head. "Well, on the bright side, I have been upgraded from some country bumpkin to a trophy husband." I laughed painfully.

Jacob slapped his hands on the table and stood up. "It's almost time for our first class. Let's move, Zephyrs."

Anna and Yanni cringed. Anna shook her head. "If you ever call us that again, I'll tell Becca about that thing."

Jacob grimaced and raised his hands. "Okay, okay, I won't do it again."

Anna smiled. "Great. Let's go to history class." She got up and assertively grabbed Yanni's hand before walking off with him. I sighed and walked behind them with Jacob.

A few minutes later, we were sitting in a lecture hall. Yanni was sitting on one end of the group, then Anna was next to him, and then Jacob was sitting next to her. I sat on the other end.

As soon as the clock hit 9, the door gently opened. An old man walked in and stood at the desk. He had a slight hunch in his back and stood with his hands behind him. His narrow eyes, emphasized by his wrinkly skin, pierced through everyone in the room. He also had a well groomed beard that went down to his chest. The white beard contrasted with his dark brown skin.

The man cleared his throat. "Good morning, class. My name is Reginald Bogden. You can call me Professor Reggie. I have been teaching at this academy for sixty years. I have seen all of the tricks in the book. If you wanna try some bullshit with me, just know that you are signing your own career's death warrant. This is the only history class that you are required to take here. Any other courses are voluntary. At the end of this course, you will write a paper regarding a topic of your choosing. As long as it is a historical topic, it does not matter if we covered it in class."

He waved his hand and a large stack of papers appeared on the desk. He wiggled his fingers and the papers scattered around the room. One piece of paper went to each and every student, landing perfectly on their desks.

He then sat down in the chair behind the professor's desk. "We will start with a quiz. Each question that you answer correctly will grant you five points. Every time I catch you cheating, you will lose twenty points. Trust me, I will catch you. My sixty years as a professor of you half baked mages haven't been for nothing. You have ten minutes, begin."

I sighed as I looked down at the paper. I took the pen out of my storage ring and wrote my name on the top of the quiz. The quiz had 10 questions and they increased in difficulty. The first questions asked about mage rankings, the academies, and to name the royal family. After those, the questions become more obscure. One question asked who the first mage was. Another asked about this woman named Samira.

However, none of the questions could even compare to the last one. The question started by asking "What is this?" What was written after appeared to be written in some language I wasn't familiar with. I had been fortunate that this kingdom happens to speak and write in English. Unfortunately, I had never seen characters like these. They almost resembled the symbols I'd see in history class back on Earth when we covered ancient civilizations.

Okami scoffed in my head. 'Silly human.'

I sighed internally. 'Do you know what these characters are?'

Okami barked. 'They are runes. Inject your mana into it.'

I nodded and set my pen down. I then placed a finger on the runic letters and injected some mana into them. Suddenly, I was able to smell something delicious. Was someone cooking in the lecture hall?

Okami laughed. 'I believe that smell is pork.'

As he said this, I felt as if a pair of eyes were drilling through me. I glanced at the source and froze. Professor Reggie was staring at me with a surprised expression.

Once I made eye contact with him, he smiled. "Fifty points to Callum of Shellham."

I was shocked and confused. "Why?"

Reggie laughed. "For starters, I don't need a reason to distribute points. However, you did something that I have never seen in all of my sixty years." He then looked over the rest of the class. "It appears that everyone is done. If you have any questions that you left blank, guess. After you are done, you may keep your papers. I already know how you all did and points will be distributed accordingly."

Jacob leaned over to me and whispered. "What did you do?"

I sighed and whispered back. "A little birdie told me to inject mana into the runic letters. I smelled smoked pork as a result."

Reggie cleared his throat again. "Let's get started."

Although history had always been boring to me, there was something about learning of this new world that really roped me in. This was the only class that was taught at the academies that didn't involve magic but I didn't mind.

In today's session, we went over some geography. There were four major continents on Aetheria. They included Anaria, Lorden, Guraan, and Danarus. The map made it look as if the continents had been placed in an orderly fashion. Anaria was in the northwest, Lorden was in the northeast, Guraan was in the southwest, and Danarus was in the southeast. Each continent was unfathomably massive. From this, I would guess that Aetheria is at least three times the size of Earth. The Dragon Kingdom was situated on Anaria.

Each continent had the same types of natural formations, but they did not share the same layout. There were mountainous regions, river valleys, deserts, and forests among other types of biomes.

Humans, beasts, undead, and other races inhabit all of the continents. However, the various races of elves only inhabit the Danarus continent. They keep to themselves and avoid interaction with the other races. The reason for this is because elves are the most naturally talented mages of all the species. Their mana pools are massive. Compared to the average human, any elf would have a seemingly endless amount of mana. Occasionally they interact with the other races but it is purely on an academic level.

This information was a bit disappointing. I would have loved to have an opportunity to meet an elf but they are on the other side of the world. Maybe someday I'd get a chance.

The redeeming part about the world being so large is that spatial magic is used to move across long distances. All major cities in the world have what is called a Spatial Hub. They are subsidized by taxes and are crucial to travel and trade. Allied nations also have formations in their capitals that connect to each other. In addition to the allied nations, there is an Empire on each continent that has a formation in their capital's hub that connects to the other three continents. I was told that we would learn about how spatial magic works in our second year.

Right before class ended, Professor Reggie distributed textbooks to everyone and assigned a reading. Each day we would get a short reading assignment and would have a five question quiz on it the next day. Each question answered correctly would yield one point.

Reggie smiled. "There are few things that I enjoy more than history. I look forward to the remainder of the semester. You are dismissed. Callum, please stay behind."

Everyone looked at me and I sunk in my chair. I remained in my seat as everyone filed out of the room. When everyone had left, Reggie walked up and sat in a chair next to me.

He smiled. "Since my first year of teaching, I have put a question like number ten on that quiz. In all my sixty years, you are one of 3 students that have figured it out. The other two came from ancient noble households that are at the forefront of archaeology. How did you come to learn about ancient runes?"

I raised my brow. "That's what those are called?"

Reggie sighed and his smile disappeared. "What made you inject mana into them?"

I shrugged. "They looked magical." I obviously can't tell him the actual reason.

Reggie shook his head. "Hmmmm. Well regardless, are you interested in learning about runes?"

I thought for a moment before nodding. "It could be useful. I want to spend some time exploring at some point in my life. Is it hard?"

Reggie smiled again. "Exploration, I remember those days. I explored all four continents and even met some elves. Each of the four continents has its own ancient runes. I can give you a book that covers the runes of our continent if you'd like."

I smiled. "That'd be great." As I said this, he waved his hand and a book dropped onto my desk. The book was titled Azcali Runes. "Thank you."

Reggie smiled and nodded. "Don't sweat it kid. Nothing makes me happier than finding a student that shares my interest in history. Well, you should go. Your next class will start soon. Come find me if you have any questions or want to talk about history."

I nodded and stood up. "I'll probably take you up on that, professor. Later!" I hurried out of the room.