Can I Really Stay Here?

“Good morning, Ethan.”

“Good morning, Professor Ophelia.”

The Initiation Ceremony had ended a day ago and, as promised, Professor Ophelia came to find Ethan at Dud Manor to talk about important things.

“Come,” Professor Ophelia said. “We have many things to do, but we will not talk here.”

Ethan glanced at the Gryphon who was standing a few meters away from them. He had seen Astraeus when the Professor arrived at the Plaza of Beginnings, so he wasn’t surprised to see him here.

“Will it eat me?” Ethan asked.

“Don’t worry,” Professor Ophelia replied with an amused smile on her face. “A spell has been placed on Astraeus forbidding him to attack any student of the Academy. You will be safe with him.”

Ethan looked at the magical beast anxiously, but the Gryphon merely nudged the boy’s body with the side of his beak. It was as if Astraeus was urging him to hurry up, and climb on its back.

After sensing that the Gryphon meant him no harm, the young man became braver and finally managed to mount the magical beast without too much difficulty.

Professor Ophelia sat behind him, and instructed Ethan to hold the reins firmly, so he wouldn’t fall off, once they were up in the sky.

He took this advice seriously and held the reins as if his life depended on it. Falling from the sky wasn't a good day to die, you know?

“Fly to Limeburgh, Astraeus,” Professor Ophelia ordered. “And take your time getting there.”

The Gryphon nodded before flapping its wings to rise up in the air.

To his surprise, Ethan didn’t find the act of flying high in the sky scary. In fact, he even enjoyed the feeling of the wind brushing past his face, and seeing the scenery around the academy.

“Good.” Professor Ophelia nodded in satisfaction. “At least you don’t have a fear of heights. We might make a wizard out of you yet.”

It took four hours to reach Limeburgh Town by carriage, but if one were to fly in the air, they could reach it in less than an hour.

Professor Ophelia’s goal was to buy Ethan the basic tools of a Wizard, which the boy didn’t have in his belongings.

“The name of this land is called East Shire,” Professor Ophelia explained as the Gryphon glided leisurely in the sky, allowing Ethan to see the beautiful scenery in the surroundings. “It is a vast expanse of land that spans for miles on end. A world hidden from the Ordinarius, which is a term we use to call the normal people, who didn’t possess and are not aware of the existence of Magic.”

Ethan listened seriously as the Professor explained to him about this magical world which he had accidentally stumbled upon.

“To the North, which we also call Northshire, is the place where the proud Dwarfs of Stone Haven craft magical items that circulate around this continent.

“To the West, is Westshire. An Eden for the Elves, and the Fairies who live alongside nature. They are magically blessed creatures that don’t need to use a wand in order to cast their magic. Although some Humans can do that as well, their numbers are very few when compared to the races who are magically blessed by the World Tree.

“For the most part, we don’t have any conflicts with them. As long as you don’t desecrate their home, you will get along with them just fine.”

Professor Ophelia smiled as if she remembered a memory from long ago. However, she set this aside in order to continue her explanation about the world that Ethan was going to be a part of.

“The South is where the Beastkins rule,” Professor Ophelia stated. “Although not all of them were blessed with magic, they have superhuman strength, speed, and senses that far surpass the Elves and Humans.

“They are a stubborn lot, and it will be best if you don’t get into a conflict with them. You see, Beastkins like to hold onto grudges. Some of these grudges last for generations, and even if you don’t know anything about what your great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents did, they will remember, and they will make you pay for it.”

Ethan shuddered after hearing the Professor's explanation. He hoped with all of his heart that his ancestors didn’t have any conflicts with the Beastkins, which he might pay for even after hundreds of years had passed.

“I don’t have enough time to explain everything about these four bordering territories, so make sure to go to the Library during your free time to do some research,” Professor Ophelia said. “The more you know about this world, the safer you will be.”

“B-But Professor, I just arrived in this world by accident,” Ethan replied. “Can I really stay here?”

Professor Ophelia didn’t answer right away. It was as if she was thinking of the proper way to answer the young man's questions.

“If the Appraisal Stone hadn’t detected any magical powers coming from you, the Headmaster would have been forced to wipe your entire memory clean,” Professor Ophelia stated. “You would not have forgotten your name, your family, or anything for the past 17 years of your life. Although this is a cruel thing to do, it is important to safeguard the secrets of the Magical World.

“Of course, we would find a way to bring you back to your family using the memories that we extracted from you, but you would never get those memories back for the rest of your life. The only silver-lining is that you are still alive. If you happened to go to a different Magical Academy by accident, they might just use your body as fertilizer to grow some mandrakes.”

Ethan shuddered a second time after hearing the Professor’s revelation. If not for the fact that the Appraisal Stone managed to show a spark of magical power inside him, he might have lost all of his memories by now.

“But, you don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Professor Ophelia said softly. “Although you have nearly no magic power in your body, a spark was seen in the Appraisal Stone, which saved your life. Although you are a Dud, people like you are still considered to be Half-Wizards and Half-Witches in his world.”

Neither Ethan nor Professor Ophelia were aware that the spark that they had seen during the Appraisal Ceremony was caused by the black bracelet that the he had received from the middle-aged woman on the train that was selling snacks from her trolley.

Sometimes, ignorance was bliss, and this saved Ethan from being punished by the Wizards of Brynhildr Academy. If by chance, he had removed the bracelet when he touched the Appraisal Stone, the young man would definitely not be as carefree as he was today.

Professor Ophelia continued to tell him more about the Wizard World until they arrived at the Town of Limeburgh, where Ethan would acquire the magical tools he would need in order to properly study in Brynhildr Academy.