Ethan scanned the room, desperate to latch onto anything that he could center himself on. The figure who sat before him wasn’t imposing on his own. There was a sensation that came from him that brought with it an intimidating aura, causing him to hesitate. The headmaster noticed this and gestured to the seat on the opposite side of the desk.

  “Please. This is all a formality. I know the loss of a world all too well but we’re here to help you.”

  It wasn’t that Ethan didn’t trust the person sitting before him. Instead, it was the questions mounting in his head that didn’t end. This experience had been a string of unanswered things that clawed at the back of his mind. He focused on what he saw before him. A desk with a scatter of discolored parchment, a small crystal lamp, and a guy wearing clothes that looked suspiciously like wizard’s robes. If Ethan thought of this meeting as a meeting with a wise wizard, allowing himself to fall into that fiction, his mind would be at ease.

  “Okay.” Ethan’s voice was tentative as he pulled the chair out and took his seat. “What do you have for me, wise wizard?”

  The headmaster perked up, his head tilting to the side. “You’re from a magical world? Maybe one of the primordial planets?”

  “Oh, uh… No.” Perhaps he had fallen too far into that fiction. “You just look like a wizard.”

  Clicking his tongue, Vesper looked at the papers before him. “Our records on you are incomplete. You’re one of the many souls kept in storage. Mind telling me the name of your world, or the designation if you know it.”

  “Earth.”

  Vesper snapped his fingers. “Now it makes sense. You’re from what we call a technological world. A rather important world for this sector, actually.”

  “I’m really gonna need some answers pretty soon. This dam in my brain can only hold back so much.”

  “That’s fine.” Vesper clapped his hands. “But you’re not in any state to tackle the heavy questions of the world. Instead, I’ll give you a quick rundown. Is that okay with you?”

  Ethan leaned in, allowing his eyes to glance over the papers. His brows knit when he saw the words in a foreign language. “Let’s hear it.”

  “Enchanted paper. For privacy, of course,” Vesper held the paper up for Ethan to see. The words weren’t just in a language he couldn’t understand. They also moved around the page. “Your world has been destroyed. For some reason, someone thought you should show up here at this specific time. That likely means they want you to attend the academy. You don’t have a system we recognize, which means it could be quite powerful or otherwise useful.”

  Now that was a lot of information to take in. Ethan remembered the ghost that he had seen and realized that he had died. The feeling of cold that had washed over him in that alley was undeniable, even if it defied reason. “These Systems you keep talking about… what are they?”

  “That question is far more complicated than you might think.” Vesper produced a dramatic sigh, but his eyes glittered. “For us here at the academy, it presents a way for people to get stronger. We hope our students use that strength for the betterment of distant worlds. That might mean defending those worlds, or helping the people there. It all depends on which system and class you gain.”

  Ethan rubbed his face, mentally going through everything he knew. He was in a place he didn’t know, which was apparently another world. There was a magical mechanism that did a few things for him already. First, it had brought him back from the dead. Second, it had transported him to another planet, which was a fact he would have to address later. Third, it allowed him to understand some alien language, since he assumed the mantis-person wasn’t running around speaking English.

  Last, he had some unknown ‘system’ which represented a means for getting stronger. Ethan’s brain went in every direction, trying to find some fact of logic to grasp onto. He only realized he had been gripping the desk’s edge hard enough to turn his knuckles white when the headmaster placed a calming hand over his.

  “The transition can be hard. I recommend you find something you can latch onto. What did you do in your previous life?”

  “Information Technologies, I was trying to be… How could I explain this?” Ethan asked. “I helped people solve technological problems.”

  The headmaster snapped his fingers. “Perfect. Here at the academy, and especially within Gale House, you’ll have a chance to solve problems of a magical nature. Research is a large part of our student body’s daily life.”

  Ethan had to admit that this guy was good. Maybe it was that dam that had been implanted in his head, but he felt himself leaning forward at the suggestion. There was already a lot for him to parse, and he didn’t doubt how different a magic-based world would be compared to one using technology. He had to shake himself to pull out of that spiral.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  I was just dead. The guard the mantis placed in my mind must be strong, since I don’t feel any of the normal anxiety. Technology versus magic shouldn’t even be a question. Magic isn’t real.

  And yet he couldn’t stop thinking about how interesting it might be.

  “Magic is real here?” Ethan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

  The headmaster smiled widely, holding his hand out with his palm facing upward. A dancing flame appeared, illuminating the inside of the cramped room with a flickering orange light. “Indeed. We might not understand how your system works yet, but I can feel your sensitivity to the art. At the very least, I believe you can do basic spells with enough practice.”

  “I can’t believe that helped,” Ethan breathed, shaking his head.

  “Excellent!” Vesper boomed. He clapped his hands together and the flame burst out, vanishing a moment later. “I suggest you take time to acclimate to your new life. If you push yourself too hard, the barriers in your mind might fail. With this in mind, I’m suggesting you spend a few days outside of classes. The semester already started before both of you arrived, so a few more missed classes won’t kill you.”

  “What’s next?”

  “Great question. We’re currently in Barg City… No, I did not name it. But, we need to take the Gate to Gale House City. There, I shall assign you a guide to show you how things work in our school.”

  Ethan shrugged. It seemed like as good a plan as any. “Lead the way.”

  Headmaster Vesper provided his final dramatic hand clap of the day. “As you could imagine, being the headmaster of a house fills my schedule. I’ll leave you in the capable hands of an administrator. Graduate of Quillwyn, of course. Top of her class.”

  “Of course.”

  With that, the headmaster stood, scooted past Ethan, and made for the door. After Vesper’s vanishing act, he was left to stand there awkwardly. Just as he was about to speak up, the door swung open again. A woman with white hair cut into a bob appeared, bowing her head as she entered. She had a tired look on her face as she flipped through a few folders she had previously tucked under her arm.

  “Ethan Walsh, unknown system, assigned to Gale House as a tentative first year.” She barely looked up as she spoke, seeming completely uninterested in all of this. “We’re taking the Gate under the authority of the headmaster and… Great, he hasn’t assigned you to a dorm. Why am I not surprised?”

  “Is that going to be a problem?” Ethan asked.

  “I’ll fix it. I’m Olivia, by the way,” the woman said, looking up at him for only a moment before returning her attention to the paperwork.

  “Olivia… Why would you have a name from Earth?”

  “The Grand System interprets names in this sector. Follow me.” Grumbling under her breath more to herself than to him, “We have to collect the idiot along the way.”

  “The idiot?”

  Olivia didn’t explain. She left the room, rushing down the hall and giving Ethan almost no time to join her. He jogged, finding the action to be awkward in his sandals, but caught up. Her hard-soled shoes clicked against the ground as she went. Like the headmaster, she was wearing some wizard-style robes. But hers seemed more practical, not flowing along the ground like Vesper’s robes had. She forged an expert path through the confusing halls, eventually leading him out into a small courtyard. It was cloistered, only having access to sunlight directly above them, but displayed a fair amount of healthy looking plants.

  “About time!” A burly man in the corner made himself known. He was only wearing the provided boxer shorts with his robe flung over his shoulders. His sandals were nowhere to be found. “We going?”

  “Ethan Walsh, I’d like you to meet Barry. He’s our other esteemed guest. One person showing up with a new system is fine. But two in one day?” Olivia shook her head, groaning. “The paperwork is going to kill me.”

  Barry strode across the room, chest thrust out as he displayed his gleaming smile. He had a tangle of wild, dirty blond hair and the makings of a beard on his face. “Congratulations! I guess we’re both dead.”

  Ethan chuckled nervously. “Where did your clothes go?”

  “Too hot around here,” Barry said. “And I’m hungry.”

  Olivia offered another groan. “Can you settle down for five minutes? I have clearance for our travel, but finding an approved place for you two to stay is going to be a pain.”

  “I don’t need much. Give me a corner on the ground and I’m good.” Barry thrust his chest out, hands on his hips and he smiled.

  Ethan wasn’t so eager to accept a place on the ground, but felt himself recoil at the thought of voicing his objections. Olivia was swamped, that was clear to see, and he didn’t want to saddle her with more problems. She completely ignored Barry, instead just jerking her head to the side as they made their way through a confusing series of tunnels and alleyways. That’s when he got his first decent look at the open sky above, a far better look than the cramped courtyard.

  Whatever this city was, the area they were in was notable for white marble structures and gardens that seemed to grow everywhere. No building was complete without hanging plants, either potted or growing naturally in planters built into the structures themselves. Trees dotted the area here and there, creating occasional canopies that blocked out the heat of the sun overhead. As the group moved into a more open area, finally giving them a better view of the architectural landscape, a haze rolled over them.

  “It’s kind of smoky around here,” Barry complained, waving his hand in front of his face as though to drive the humid fog away.

  “That’s a cloud,” Olivia corrected. “The city is floating a few hundred feet above ground level. That’s a long story you shouldn’t worry about right now.”

  Ethan followed along, not even daring to tackle that can of worms right now. He was too busy looking upon beings he couldn’t comprehend. He saw a cat person, a bear person, and a few others that were of an origin he couldn’t even guess. It was a fantasy menagerie, and for now, he just needed to accept it as reality.

  “You’ll have the opportunity to visit the city again, but I doubt that’ll happen anytime soon. Gale House City has everything you need. It’s a fully contained ecosystem. The locals produce their own food, mostly from the sea, and as tentative first years, I doubt you’ll need anything more than what they provide.” Olivia turned another corner, finally turning to smile at both men. “Welcome to the Zephyr Gate.”

  Ethan’s mouth fell open as his eyes dragged over the massive marble structure.

  Barry let out a sharp laugh. “Now we’re talking. Giant alien architecture. Neat.”