Introspection

"Besides, it's not like you can't leave the city. You can follow protected travel caravans arranged by the Academy every semester or hire official mages to accompany you wherever you want to go, since incidents rarely happen.

You probably won't be seeing me again any time soon, but any questions, comments or requests can be made through the Administrative Offices. Their contact information will be available on the letter you are going to receive.

Anyways, I should get back on track. I have been principal for 5 years, and I always get to know all of my students through a simple conversation before they start their studies. So, Leaf, are you open for a quick chat?"

I nodded.

"I will make it so that your parents can't hear us for a few moments, I hope they won't mind." He told me, clearly addressing them instead. "Now, I always start with this question: what is magic to you?"

I looked at my parents, who seemed intrigued to no end, and back at the principal. He had already put the spell, and just like with that time with Jacob, I had no clue when or how.

I recalled every word Mr. Jacob had said a year ago, so I quoted him:

"Magic is the power of knowledge."

"Hahahah, yes, that's correct. But what does it mean to you?"

Was that supposed to be a philosophical question, perhaps? Was I supposed to answer something like 'Magic to me is the power of friendship and love!'?

I tilted my head, and Zachary helped me further.

"Why do you want to be a mage?"

"Because... it's a good profession?"

"And why is it a good profession?"

"Because... I suppose it should be because it's a prestigious, no, it's because you can make a lot of money."

"Indeed. But why do mages make a lot of money?"

"I... don't know." I admitted.

"You are going to learn this once your classes start..." The principal smiled slightly before continuing: "...but I want you to think long and hard about your answers, okay? Tell me why you came here, why you chose to become a mage."

I looked into his unwavering eyes, finally seeing a semblant of an extremely powerful mage.

I mulled over the question for some time. I didn't really know what to say... because I wanted to? Because I was born this way? I had a feeling he wouldn't like any of those answers. Hmm. What's magic to me? What is a mage? Isn't a mage an all-knowing figure? The representation of authority and power?

"What do you want to find in your life?" He asked, and I missed the glint in his eyes.

"I..." I hadn't thought about it this deeply before. If I were to summarize what I want...

I recalled the memories of my First Appraisal. The Girl in The Field, Le Lae Des Cygnes, Cosmos, etc. And then the Second Appraisal, and its Sky Above The Sky, showing devastating power and equally captivating scenarios. 

Perhaps it was naive, dumb or simple, and I felt it was incomplete, but I realized I had found an answer.

"I want to find places. I want to see green fields, flower fields, snowy fields... Mountains, rivers, canopies... I want to go to space, to the moon, I want to visit constellations and other planets... I want to see more people, witness more stories. I want to know more..."

"And why do you want to become a mage?"

I answered without hesitation.

"Because it's the best way to do all of that."

I never felt so confident of an answer in my life.

"Hahahah! That may be so." He laughed out loud. "Can you answer my first question again, then?"

What is magic to you?

"To me, magic is a means of reaching all those places." Then I added, afraid of disappointing him, "A way of knowing more things."

I wondered if I should add even more, but the principal mumbled a response.

"A means..." He slowly scratched his beard as I frowned in anticipation. "...Is that really all there is?"

Though I heard him, I didn't understand what he meant. Had he judged my answer to be a poor one? 

"Don't mind me. It was a good answer, Leaf. Then, is there something you want to know from me?"

My eyes opened wide and I immediately started searching for questions to ask. Of those, I had plenty.

"Yes! Uh, for starters, why was I chosen for a prospect mage? Did something interesting show up in my Appraisal?"

"I knew you would ask that. In summary, yes, something interesting showed up. An affinity for magic."

My mouth made an 'o' as I waited for his explanation.

"Magic, objectively speaking (and this, too, you will learn during classes), is the phenomenom of creating conscience of the universe itself, like an assimilation. But the Way of Mages is not for everyone, the responsibilities we carry are too heavy, so our community worldwide created guidelines to select apprentices. Furthermore, since every mage is very busy with research, we tend to only select those with aptitude for science, the language of our magic."

"But-" I hesitated. "My STEM scores were not that good, I had friends with better grades and all."

The headmaster had a downcast look.

"Well, they aren't really dealbreakers if the prospect shows... other qualities. I will tell you something, but you must promise me to not let it get to you. Can you promise it won't affect your future, regardless of what I say?"

"I- I will do my best..."

"Good. You see, Leaf, you weren't actually supposed to have been selected. That is also why your candidacy took longer than others."

I almost stood from my seat.

"W-what do you mean?" 

"Your results academic-wise weren't spectacular, nowhere near enough to have been granted this opportunity, as only very few students get it annually. However, you showed yet other qualities a mage needs. Among them, luck."

"Luck?" I was shocked. All I had was luck?

"Yes. Mages aren't deterministic, but that is even more reason why we rely on luck for many things. Magic is a matter of probability, and the ones who can colapse the probability function into a positive result are the ones who come out on top in the end."

"I don't get it."

"Let me put it straight. Even though you had no prior information, no knowledge about mages, or any thoughts about mischief, you have found the 'Sky Above the Sky' during your Second Appraisal, have you not?"

"That test!?" 

"It was, in fact, more than just a simple test. It tested your aptitude for one of the greatest qualities a mage can have, and you did incredibly at it."

"Ohh..." I had somewhat expected something extraordinary from it, but I was still shocked.

"And as if that weren't enough, you also found and passed 'The Strawman', which shows another great correlation to magic potential."

"I... don't remember that one." I scratched the back of my head.

"The one where ancient philosophers discussed divine intervention."

"I see..." I had vague memories about it.

"Does that answer your question?" His tone indicated gentleness and patience.

"Ah, yes, it does. I thought it would have been something like 'You are a commoner, so you shouldn't have been allowed.'"

"Hmm... You've had an encounter with another student, I presume."

"I did meet a pair of siblings yesterday."

"Siblings? Red-haired, yes?"

...How did he know?

"Yeah."

"The Buffett twins. Hahah! I see now. Well, I guess that is something I should warn the three of you."

He glanced at my parents and back at me. Then continued.

"Although it embarrasses me to say this, I must do it nonetheless, for your safety. This country is not united under a single banner, hardly any country is, and this academic institution is no different. I have tried to not let any kind of prejudice or privilege inside these grounds, but there are those who oppose me even here. In your case, you will probably meet those of the so-called 'noble' faction."

I raised a brow and my parents held their breaths.

"...They are powerful families with long and ancient roots on the secular world. Many of them hold high political positions, senators, governors and military generals, not to speak of their magical lineage. You will find that most students, professors and academy staff were carefully groomed from young age." He paused and looked at each of us.

Flashing a gentle smile, he continued:

"...However, there is no institutional advantage for having noble blood. Of that, I can assure you. I myself am from a very small noble family, and rose to this position through sheer effort. I also made sure no one could flaunt their family ties while in this academy. Nevertheless, I cannot stop other kinds of discrimination."

"What... other kinds?" My mother asked.

"Historically, there has been only one way for 'commoners' to get into this academy: astonishing talent. But it's incredibly rare, so there are at most 2 students that fit that criteria every year. However, those few students managed to form their own coalition, and given their talents, they were poised to create challenges for the noble houses. In short, commoners are seen as the most talented prospect mages, on par with those students of the most ancient families. And as you may see in the future, fame begets envy, and envy spurs irrationality."

He gave us a second to process all that. My thoughts were turned on their feet, for I believed, as far as stories go, that commoners should have been less powerful than the nobles, not the other way around. But that also meant...

"That being said, Mr. and Mrs. Westernham, I believe there is no need to worry about your son. We have quite a few commoners this year, and their community still holds influence in this academy. Besides, mages tend to be well-behaved, especially inside academy grounds. I will also be here if you ever need any help with anything, as well as the trustworthy academy staff. These and more details can be found on the welcoming letter you'll surely receive soon."

I looked at the two of them, and they had their eyes cast down in thought. Soon, mother turned to the principal.

"Thank you for being honest with us, headmaster. I trust my son to your capable hands."

The old man assented.

"This should be all for today. Go ahead and talk to the man outside, his name is Godfrey, and he's my secretary. Ask him for the letter and for directions regarding Leaf's first class. It should have just started."

I heard a loud thumping sound from outside and raised my brow to the principal.

Zachary stretched his hand towards the entrance, indicating it was time for us to leave, and the doors to his office opened by themselves. We thanked him and left.

...

Outside, Godfrey was looking at us with dead eyes.

"Err-" My mother was interrupted.

"The letters, right? I have already sent them to your emails. As for student Leaf, you may proceed to the Williams' Auditorium on the 10th floor. Your class is about to start."

"Thank you, Mr. Godfrey."

"You are welcome." His rispid voice was a bit chilling.

...

I bid my parents farewell and dropped off at the tenth floor. 

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and pushed open the doors to Williams' Auditorium.

"Finally, you are here. Leaf Westernham, right? Come, take a seat." A woman gestured me as soon as I got in.

Dozens of eyes looked at me. There were some 60 people seated, whom I assumed were students, and 5 adults up on stage. I went down the auditorium stairs to get closer to the other students, and just took a seat randomly.

The woman who had spoken to me was on her mid 30s, and wore a formal suit that covered her up to the neck. Unlike the Academy's indigo-blue, her suit was simply black and white. She took a cursory glance around the auditorium and started her speech.

"Now that everyone is here, we should start. My name is Fatima Mehta and I will be your Course Coordinator for the next year. I will now start explaining how your classes are going to go, and then your other teachers will present themselves. Save your questions for after we finish. There is no need to take notes so just pay attention for now."

I did as suggested, and turned off the faint holographic keybord from my PScreen. Looking around, I found some people doing the same.