The Academy (1)

"... I might need some time to get used to this." said the voice. it was weak, Angel could barely hear it. he spoke to it but the voice didn't answer back.

"Does it need more time? whatever, i'll wait." said Angel as he started cleaning up.

The place was a mess, bottles of beer everywhere and pillows on the ground with food containers. After he was done, he closed the TV, took a shower and then he went to bed.

****

RING! RING! RING!

"Who's calling me this early? it's 8 am" Angel woke up. His room was simple, a bed with white sheets with a black wooden frame, grey curtains, a table with a laptop on top of it facing the wall, a built-in closet and 2 night stands on each side of the bed.

he grabs the phone and answers "Hello?".

"Yes hello, mr. Angel it seems like you left some of your personal belongings in the office, we would like it if you'd pass by and grab them please." the voice on the other side spoke. Angel could recognize it, it was the security manager 'Tom'.

"What personal items exactly, tom?" asked Angel, holding his anger in. Tom was one of the security who threw him out that day, and he's one of Aus's men.

"I believe you've left a jacket, a flower vase and a phone charger. if you do not come by to pick them up we'll have to throw them out sir." Tom answered, with a mocking tone.

"You can shove them up somewhere Tom" Angel hung up. He didn't care about the items, they wanted him to return there to humiliate him even more, Angel was fuming.

"Calm down kid, they're nothing but mortals." a voice spoke. Angel looked at his hand, a black ring was shining slightly.

"Hey, it's you. you can speak normally now." said Angel.

"Yeah, i had to stabilize my soul. My name is Epmisnilo Loijin Pomino. nice to meet you Angel." said the voice.

"The WHAT?" Angel was a bit surprised, he didn't think anyone could have such a ridiculous name.

"Just call me Loi." he sighed. how ignorant, he thought.

"ok Loi, remember what you told me yesterday? what do i have to do to break my existence?" Angel asked.

"It's already done. The chant you performed yesterday was the key, we managed to merge together, enhancing your soul and creating a new existence for both of us." Loi answered.

"What do we do now?" Angel asked.

"I've been in slumber for years, plus i don't know this realm yet so i'm unfamiliar with the laws of the reborn here" said Loi.

"Reborn?" asked Angel "Is that what they call our kind? and what do you mean by laws?"

"The realms I'm familiar with have academies in which the reborn are sent into, they learn what talents they have and how to control them." said loi "talents differ from one person to another, talents are dependent on one's soul."

"One's soul? does it mean i'll have the same talent you got since our souls merged?" said Angel "and what do you mean by talent?"

"I'm not sure child, you might have your own talent or both our talents would merge as well." Loi continued "A talent is an elemental ability, there are basic elements, which are fire, water, earth and air, then there are the advanced elements which are the different combinations of the basic elements."

"What do you mean?" asked Angel.

"Ok, for example let's say you combine fire and air, you get lightning. This applies to all elements as well. you understand?." explained loi.

"Yeah, i think." said Angel "so that's why they're called basic elements."

"Yeah, now having a basic element as one of your talents is common, but having an advanced element is extremely rare. mostly whenever someone wants to use an advanced element, they have to combine the basic elements in their talent." loi continued "A talent can only have 2 spots available for an element. so there are possibilities for combinations."

"Can you combine advanced elements?" asked Angel.

"That's way too advanced for you kid, you're still a couple of years too early." said loi.

"So, how am i going to find the academy in this realm?" said Angel.

"Well, in all academies, a divine relic is used as the core, that's for the protection of the territory and to detect all the reborn, if i am right, they should have already detected your existence and will contact you somehow." said loi.

"What would they do if they knew about your existence though?" asked Angel.

"They can't know about me kid, I'm a former god, people will hunt you down for me when you leave." loi continued " you don't have to know about the outside yet, you're gonna have to graduate from the academy and master your elements before doing so, or it'll be dangerous."

"Ok, how do i know about my talent? can you help me find out?" asked Angel.

"I can't do that kid, I'm no longer a god, I'm just a consciousness in a ring. the only valuable thing i have is my experiences and knowledge." loi continued "even my soul is combined with yours and no longer completely belongs to me."

After hearing that, Angel felt bad for Loi. He lost everything and the only chance he got to stay alive was to acquire help.

The day was long, loi advised Angel to sell whatever he had to get some money, from what loi explained, money is as valuable in the academy as it is in the mortal world.

"How will i survive there?" asked Angel.

"Do not worry, registering in the academy is free, you'll study there and will be provided with a room and the basic necessary food and water." loi continued "you'll need the money for a lot of things like a proper wand, the one provided by the academy will be of poor quality and will only slow you down. you'll also need the money for learning materials that will help you advance faster. casting spells is not easy, you'll need proper control and knowledge of the element you're trying to summon, so books and revising materials are needed"

"Ok, i'll try to get as much money as i can for now, i'm 24 years old, how long will it take for me to graduate?" asked Angel.

"you're an immortal soul now kid, an existence neglected by the WorldLaw. age is no longer an issue, learning how to control your powers must be your only goal for now." said loi

"Am i an immortal now?" asked Angel excitedly.

"Don't get that excited kid. You're not an immortal, your lifespan increased but that's it, you're gonna have to work your way there. The WorldLaw is trying to kick you out of this realm, when you get your invite to the academy, you must leave at once. the academy is located in a different space, with the relic protecting it from outside interference." said loi

"Wait, what do you mean by outside interference?" asked Angel.

"I mean the souls of sinners, demons, mutants, creatures from the different realms and a lot more. like i said, you'll learn all of this when the time is right." said loi.

"So when i leave, i'll no longer be welcomed back in this realm? are all students there will be from this realm as well?" asked Angel.

"No, the space the academy is located in will host all the reborn from all the realms closest to it plus the residents of that space as well." explained Loi "you will be kicked out of this realm, but when you're strong enough, you'll be able to force yourself back in, or even into any realm you want, as long as you're strong enough to reach it. since you were born here, you'll have a connection which will make it easier for you to return later"

****

Angel needed to get ready, he sold everything he didn't need to take with him. the TV, furniture and a lot more.

He managed to get 4620$ from selling his things and what was left in his bank account.

loi advised him to buy metal and other junk. Angel didn't understand why, but he must know what he's doing. so he went to a junkyard and spoke with the one in charge. Angel managed to buy 1620$ worth of different types of metals. The man helped him move it closer to the door of the yard but he had to get back to work, Angel didn't know how he would take all of this with him, the amount was too much to even fit in a truck.

"Hey, let me handle it." said loi "check if there's anybody around and get closer to the pile."

Looking left and right, Angel couldn't find anybody, so he did what he was told.

"Repeat after me." loi continued "ausich."

"What?" Angel was confused but he did it anyway. "ausich".

Suddenly the ring shone in a dim white light, and the pile emitted the same glow. Just like a vacuum sucking dust, the pile was sucked in. it changed shape to the size of the ring, flew then disappeared the moment it touched it.

"What the hell was that?" Angel was surprised. it happened so fast he barely saw it.

"It's a small trick I know. This ring is an existence created by the void, a type of container. i used the last of my powers to create it, it has infinite space and you can use it as a type of storage." said loi.

"Why didn't you say it can do this from the start? what else can it do?" said Angel.

"I didn't know that it'd succeed, but I wanted to check, that's all." said loi.

****

Angel went home, he put all his things inside the ring, then looked around. the place was empty, he felt sad. this place was the first apartment he ever owned, he was so happy when he rented it, but now look at it. back the way it used to be.

Selling his things, getting the metal and preparing took Angel 3 days, but he heard nothing from this academy loi was talking about.

"Maybe it's different for every realm?" asked Angel.

"No, it's not a replaceable existence kid, without the barrier put up by it, this realm would not be this peaceful. all the creatures and cursed existences would be walking free and devouring all these mortals, but look outside, the worst thing these people can worry about is a break up or losing their phone, their oblivious." loi continued "The academy exists, and from this realms state, i can tell that it's a powerful one. the realm i was born in was peaceful as well but creatures and monsters still existed just not enough of a threat. you understand what i mean?"

"Yeah, I do. it's just taking too long, and i'm feeling uncomfortable for some reason." said Angel.

"That's the realm refusing you, don't worry, since the realm is reacting against you it means the academy got your signal and will contact you soon." said loi.

"Stop saying soon. whatever, i'll get some sleep then." Angel sold a lot of his furniture but left the bed. Loi was impressed by the development of this realm without the use of magic or any supernatural devices. He was especially impressed with the technological advancements. He said this bed and a lot of things he saw were very well made, even the average quality clothes Angel had loi thought were good compared to a lot of realms.

****

"HEY." loi yelled.

"What's wrong loi, why're you screaming." Angel woke up startled.

"They're here," said loi.

"What? how did you know?" asked Angel.

"The messengers are here. I sensed the energy wave, they teleported here and are looking for you, get up and get ready." said loi.

Angel got up, took a shower and wore a white t-shirt with a black jacket and black pants. then waited.

"Ok, go and open your door, they entered your building, we can't delay this any longer, the realm is getting stronger, we have to leave." said Loi with urgency in his voice.

Angel could feel that his whole body was numb, he got up, put his bed and his things back in the ring and opened his front door. from what he saw, 2 people stood there, they were about to knock on the door but Angel opened before they did.

the first one was a female, she wore jeans with a black shirt and an orange coat. the other was a male, he had grey pants with a long brown coat and a beanie. Angel held in his laugh, from what I told him, they might be visiting the realm for the first time and were trying to fit in but failed to do so.

"How did you know we were here?" asked the female.

"Does it matter? we have to get going. i'm 'motin' and she's 'lizi', we'll be your guides, this realm is a bit difficult to enter, there are eyes everywhere so we were a bit late. let's get moving." the man spoke.

They both walked into Angel's apartment and closed the door, motioning his hands on Angel's shoulder. "Ok, let's go." The moment he finished his words, Angel's view blurred, he felt like he was falling.

Then everything stopped, he opened his eyes and looked around.

He was in the middle of a huge garden with a spacious grass field, a path where people in weird clothes were walking in, flowers of different colors and trees were everywhere. the trees each one occupied by people under it.

"Welcome to the academy, kid."