The car unceremoniously dropped them at the base of the Academy. Ahead of him, long steps would carry him up towards the vast gap in the walls while behind him lay the city of Postremo Lux.

  "Come now, it's unbecoming to gawk."

  He was not gawking, just thinking about how much of a pain it was going to be to take those steps every time he needed to go out into the city.

  Alice gave a small laugh at his expense.

  "What?" His voice came out clipped.

  "The face you display has graced many before you. Fret not, there are easier ways to and fro the city. For today, tradition dictates that all newcomers must ascend the Steps of Beginning."

  He glanced around; it wasn't empty per se, but none of the people wore the same uniforms as them.

  "It's rare for someone to join during the transitional year. Classes for the Junior years started last week, and those of the Senior do not start until next week." She explained after noticing his confusion. "Now we really must be going. I may not have classes yet, but I do have appointments I must keep."

  She hurried him along; he took another glance at the city before following her up. Somewhere in that mess behind him, Olivia should be waiting. Her identity hadn't been squared away by the time he shipped out, which is why separate arrangements were made to come into contact with one another. He didn't exactly miss her, but he was looking forward to seeing her again. She was fun to tease, even if she could be a bit naggy.

  Their pace quickly had them passing others, and part of him wished he'd been here a week ago. It was a long way up, and if the sun was as strong as today, he could imagine no shortage of out-of-shape noble brats nearly passing out. Maybe he'd sneak into the city next year to see it himself.

  On his ascent, he kept his view on the steps beneath him rather than the walls that got ever nearer. The presence of them growing stronger, he subtly circulated his magic, trying to shake it off.

  With his sight limited to the floor, he failed to realize when they had reached the top. As his foot touched the final step, something washed over him. He stopped to inspect himself and found nothing amiss. Curiously, the ambient magic here was stronger. It wasn't near the level of the cabin, but it could compare to some of the outer edges of the Waste.

  "I'd thought that little increase not to be an issue for you." Alice's voice showed signs of disappointment.

  "It's not that," he answered without thinking.

  "Hmmm." She eyed him critically before she realized what he meant. "I see, not many are sensitive enough to notice the wards. They're mostly inactive now for registration. Once your name is recorded as a student, you'll have nothing to fear from them. Be careful with the magic. It's still foreign and you lack a focus on your person, so pace your consumption," she warned and then resumed walking, beckoning him.

  He ignored her advice, still focusing to see if he could find any trace the wards left on him. His scrutiny found nothing, and he shrugged to himself before following after her.

  After crossing that final step, the pressure of the walls had faded so he could look around more freely.

  Excessive? That was the only word that came to mind. The area beyond the gates split into several stone paths leading in different directions. A courtyard or greenery took up most of his view. Buildings of varying designs lined the sides, and at the far end, a clock tower stretched into the sky. It reminded him of the world expos or Smithsonian of his past, with a decidedly fantasy tilt.

  "How many people go here again?"

  "I'm not privy to the exact numbers, but it should be over a thousand per grade."

  A thousand per grade, seven grades. So north of seven thousand students. That wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. Observing the people they walked by along the way, the source of the discrepancy was made apparent. Nobles, prickly things that needed help with everything. For every one of them, there must be a dozen staff members. Which confirmed his suspicions, no one tried too hard before sticking him with the identity of a student.

  Albert was lucky Cal liked him.

  After some time, they turned off the path and came up to a large structure. Columns of black stone surrounded it, holding up the roof. The same stone of the walls, though the feeling was still muted.

  A Greek temple, if he ever saw one. It wasn't the first time he considered whether or not he was the only one to ever cross over from his world, but convergent evolution was a thing, and the design was practical. In the end, it didn't matter.

  "One of the oldest on campus," Alice explained, having seen his interest. "The registration buildi-"

  She cut off mid-sentence as her hand whipped out, intercepting a projectile. "Alllliieeeee, missheed you soo musch." The words came out mashed as the projectile spoke, Alice's hand still on her face from where she had stopped her leaping charge.

  She released her grip, and the assailant dropped to the ground with a small 'ouch'. She wore the same uniform as them, with a family crest he didn't recognize along with other bits and pieces. Some of which she shared with Alice.

  Getting up, she dusted herself off and approached Alice at a more sedate pace. Her short, dirty blond hair swayed as she embraced Alice, who did not stop her this time. More accurately, she didn't do anything besides stand with a forlorn expression on her face.

  Pressed together, he could see their new companion was a head shorter than Alice. He decided he liked this girl; not only did she have some good energy going, but she also wasn't freakishly tall like everyone else in his life. That last part may have been given more weight than it should have.

  "Lily, that's enough. People are staring." Her voice came out a little strangled.

  Lily just nuzzled further into her neck but loosened her grip. "Psh, no one important goes around here anyways."

  He glanced around; this area was deserted. Alice must have been right about his situation being rare. His movement must have reminded her of his presence because she locked on to him, looking at him as an overboard sailor might a life preserver.

  "You're being rude. Look, my… brother is right there."

  Lily perked up and put Alice at arm's length, her head moving back and forth between the two. Before he could say anything, she zipped in front of him.

  "Hmm." She looked at him with sparkling eyes. It was not an exaggeration; he could see sparks in her pupils as her purple eyes flickered back and forth. She turned her back on him, complaining to Alice, "Aww, couldn't you have at least gotten a cute brother?"

  He took back his previous statement.

  "I had no choice in the matter." That caught Lily's attention, and she turned, stepping into his personal space.

  "Hmm, he doesn't look tough." She leaned in, her nose moving slightly. Was she sniffing him?!? "He doesn't smell tough." She poked him in the chest. "He doesn't feel tough." She poked again, but this time with something more. He called his magic and stopped hers before it could probe into him. He grabbed her wrist before she could try again.

  "Sorry, house heir says I can't duel unscrupulous students without her permission."

  He felt a tingle as she tried to remove his hand without success.

  "Alieeee, your brute of a brother is accosting a lady," she whined, pointing at him with her free hand. It was a good thing no one else was here; he looked like a criminal.

  "The 'lady' accosted him first," Alice said with a sigh. "Please release her."

  He did, and she zipped behind Alice, peaking her head and rubbing her wrist with an unhappy expression. Oh, come on, he'd barely squeezed.

  "May I present Liliane Arcutien. Third daughter of Marquess Arcutien and current sixth year." She announced as if he was meant to know that name. "Lily, this is my new brother. Callum Ardere."

  He needed to thank Olivia for letting him keep his name when he next saw her. Though he suspected the decision was more so he wouldn't trip up and forget a fake one.

  He gave the girl a lazy wave.

  She reached up and dragged Alice's head down, whispering something. He doubted the importance, so he didn't make any moves to overhear. Whatever it was, Alice shook her head, and that seemed to mollify Lily.

  "Alrighty, I'll let you go for now, but you better not cause any trouble for Alie," she declared before starting to drag Alice away. "Now let's go!"

  Alice tried to resist, "W-wait, he needs to get registered first."

  "Ugh, he's a big boy. Well no, he's actually pretty short." He had at least two inches on her. "He can figure it out. Now commmee onnnn~" She sang the last bit, pulling Alice harder.

  He waved her off; he could figure out the rest. Seeing his motion, Alice's resistance subsided, and she gave him a nod before allowing herself to be pulled away.

  Odd couple those two.

  The surroundings got quiet as they left, leaving him alone in front of the registration building. He walked up the few steps before stopping at the top. Another wave washed over him, but like the last, it left no traces that he could tell. He kept going. His senses were good; if the wards were doing something, he'd notice.

  The inside was dimly lit; he watched his step as he passed the entrance. Up ahead, he spotted a single illuminated desk with a withered figure slowly writing with a quill. He sized it up as he approached.

  Something in the back of his mind spoke to him; this thing was dangerous. He stopped before the desk, which looked eerily similar to an altar.

  "Oh, a student." The figure looked up; cloudy eyes pointed in his direction. "Apologies, We weren't expecting anyone." Two of its fingers snapped together and torches lining the columns and walls lit in unison.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  If that was supposed to impress him, it'd have to try hard.

  "Name please?" It rasped.

  "Callum Ardere."

  Its spindly fingers rummaged among parchment before finding the one it searched for. "Ardere? Ah yes, now we remember." Its eyes hadn't left him the entire time.

  "We'll summon a teacher to handle the rest. For our part, Callum Ardere, do you accept your position as a student here?"

  The magic thrummed, and for the third time today, he felt the wards wash over him.

  He frowned, making no motions.

  "Students these days, so distrusting." The figure tsked while shaking its head. "It's a simple covenant; all we need is your assent. Otherwise, the wards might do something unpleasant. For you that is, and the custodians."

  Covenants, magical agreements. They could have unpredictable results if one wasn't careful.

  "And if my name changed?" Cal asked.

  "Ah yes, a bastard until recent." The figure nodded. "In the past, that would have been trouble, but they've made us relax the wards so your mixed blood won't have a problem. As for the name, it's the intent that matters."

  He didn't ponder his decision long. All covenants had one fatal flaw.

  "I accept."

  The other party had to be, at minimum, an equal to enforce it, and in terms of pure magical might, he had yet to find one.

  Anticlimactically, nothing happened.

  "Excellent, now see yourself out." It shooed him away. "There should be a teacher waiting for you already."

  He left the way he came, looking over his shoulder at the end, only to see no sign of it or the altar ever being there.

  Predictable.

  The sun seemed to have only grown stronger when he left, or maybe it was an aftereffect of the dreary building.

  There was no sign of any teacher outside, only a girl sitting on one of the steps, flipping through a book in her lap.

  She rose without prompt and stated a simple "follow" before walking away while still reading.

  He jogged a little to catch up and then settled into her pace. She did not look old enough to be a teacher. On the off chance she was, he kept quiet. No need to put his foot in his mouth just yet; he'd have plenty of chances later. They didn't have to travel far, as just a couple of buildings down they found a more traditional-looking red brick building.

  They entered without preamble, and he found the first floor to be an open space with neatly ordered empty desks. They passed through it and then up a staircase leading into a hallway. He glanced through the windows in the doors they walked by, seeing lecture halls.

  She finally stopped at a door, standing to the side of it. Did she want him to go in? She seemed to be content reading, so he reached for the handle; not seeing a reaction, he pulled it open. Inside was a man sitting at a table, open books scattered around the desk.

  Cal walked in and was hit by a musty smell. It didn't look to have been cleaned recently.

  Like the desk he sat at, the man looked disorderly. His green hair was tangled, his skin an unhealthy pale. The clothes he was wearing looked like they had gone days without washing, with stains marring his gray button-down shirt. The buttons themselves didn't look to be even done correctly.

  The man looked up, bags under his eyes. "Right," he muttered. "Thanks, Mia, I'll take it from here," he spoke louder to address the person who'd led Cal here, and the door shut, signaling her departure.

  "I'm, well, it's not important, here." The man rummaged through the drawers before producing a stack of papers and waving it at him.

  Cal stepped forward and grabbed them. "What's this?" He asked, looking through the pages. They looked to be a test of sorts. That was… not ideal. No one had told him he'd have an entrance exam. It seemed the sort of thing they'd probably assumed he could pass without issue.

  Maybe if he had been able to cram, but as it stood, he wasn't very confident.

  The man read his thoughts. "It's not an entrance exam. Your family still has some free passes, so we'll just use it to place you in classes for the structured course."

  The structured, so for the part of the curriculum from the Junior year. Alright, that was fine. He made to sit at a desk before realizing he didn't have anything to write with.

  He turned and walked back up to the desk. "Can I get something to write with?"

  The man looked to have forgotten his existence.

  "Oh."

  He opened another drawer, revealing a pile of pens. He rapidly grabbed one, scribbled with it on an open book and, when that failed, threw it back in before trying with another. On the fifth, a line was drawn, and he held it out, his focus drifting off. Cal grabbed it. It was sticky.

  Not wanting to see how long it would take for another, he went back to the desk. He didn't fancy the idea of taking a test with it, so he manifested some water to rinse it slightly.

  "Huh, did you do something?" The man questioned, looking at him tiredly.

  Strange.

  Cal hadn't meant for him to notice.

  "No."

  That seemed enough, and the man nodded before burying his nose in some text.

  Now seated, Cal went through the papers more thoroughly, seeing that most were multiple choice. He breathed a sigh of relief. Taking advantage of the desk's space, he spread the pages out into groups.

  Math, it'd been a while. If he was able to brush up an hour before, he might have been fine, but as is? He'd just hope for the best.

  Science, he had scraps of knowledge but no comprehensive studies.

  Magical theory, same as science.

  History, no problem. He'd ace that for sure.

  Law and government, in the Federation, yeah. Here? He'd guess.

  Religion, who gave a shit about dead gods.

  There were some other pages that didn't fit any category, so he set them off in one pile. He started with the math; with any luck, anything he got stuck on he'd be able to skip and go back to after finishing everything else up. It was the subject with the best chance of him digging up some past knowledge.

  Come to think of it. "Do I have a time limit?"

  "Hour and a half," the man responded.

  For all this? He'd already wasted nearly ten minutes sorting it.

  Or did he?

  "Starting now?"

  "Sure."

  The man clearly gave no fucks. Odds were he wouldn't keep close tabs on the time as long as he didn't cause any problems.

  He started going through problems, quickly marking things he knew and skipping those he didn't. If he thought he could get there with more time, he'd circle the question number. There were lots of those things that he knew he was on the edge of recalling.

  He got through the math portion quicker than he'd expected, but with more circles than he'd liked. He moved on to the sciences; it was a bit of a crap shoot. Some of it was reading or data comprehension; that was no problem. But when it got into definitions of specific principles, he was at a loss.

  Similar events played out with magical theory. He didn't have a solid foundation for either of those in this world. Millie had tried to teach him. Having a genius tutor sounded a lot better than it was. She was just too far ahead, too alien. Their minds didn't think the same way. He could remember some bits and pieces, but it was just memorization, not true understanding. It didn't help that she got distracted easily and her attention was always in high demand.

  Dispirited with how the exam was going, he went into the history portion, aiming to gain some momentum. It proved dicier than expected. Some things were simple. What is the leading theory for the Fall? Which people were primarily impacted by the great migration? What year did the Holy Enclave 'reunify' with the Empire? Easy stuff.

  Problems arose when it got to more modern history, Empire-Federation history. He still knew a lot about it but from the lens of a Federation citizen. Something told him the answer to what caused the War of Bloody Wine was not the 'Empire were dicks and seized a bunch of Federation shipping vessels, misread the casket identifications, and got themselves all poisoned'.

  So he just did his best and guessed what he thought sounded the most righteous.

  They were pompous like that.

  He guessed the entirety of law and government. The only thing he knew of the subject was that the Diet existed and it could pass laws. It must have been too basic to be a question to appear on the exam.

  Same with religion; he knew their names and barely anything else. Whatever he did know didn't exactly encourage him to learn more. The gods' sole redeeming trait was that they offed each other over a millennium ago.

  Eventually, he managed to get back to the math portion. He was able to figure out some more of the circled questions and realized he had messed up on others. With time, he came to a point where he realized no more progress was being made.

  He stretched a little, deciding to call it. As long as he couldn't get kicked out, it was fine. He walked over to the desk, finding the man fast asleep, drooling on an open book. He kicked the desk, nothing. Thinking about what happened before, he manifested a little wind, and sure enough, the man's eyes blinked open.

  Cal waved the papers in front of him. "So do I leave them here or..."

  The man blinked some before checking his watch. "You went over."

  It certainly had felt that way. "You didn't tell me to stop?"

  "Oh, okay." He lifted one of the books, revealing a phone like the one Alice had. "Take this, use the-" A yawn broke his speech. "Map function and get to field F. For the practical." He lowered his head and seemed to fall back asleep, his hand still outstretched.

  Cal grabbed the phone and was thankful when it wasn't sticky. Not wanting to stay in the dusty room, he made his way out, flicking the light switch off before leaving.