Chapter 1

ZEN

Starting a new school year is always nerve-wrecking. That goes double when you're about to enrol into an academy for witches.

Yes, boys can be witches, too. Heaven forbid you should call yourself a wizard, They're a different thing entirely, and usually take offense to being compared to us.

At least the world is starting to accept us. The more civilized places are a-ok with witches, but there's still some places where it isn't exactly seen as a good thing.

The Hollow Night has been quiet for a long time, thankfully, so maybe this is the year they finally lift the immigration ban.

Unlike most other kids, I don't get dropped off by my parents. They couldn't afford to drive all the way here, halfway across the world, so I'm forced to rely on what little knowledge of magic a person can get outside of school.

Standing in the park in the middle of the night is scary, especially with the poor lightning of this area. That was one of the necessities, though, as I wait for the full moon's reflection to hit a certain point in the pond. The reflection is slowly getting closer and closer to the shore, and when it's finally close enough to reach, I grab the token I carved out of wood and throw it at the reflection.

Rather than fall into the pond, the token lands on the reflected moon, perfectly still on the surface. Woah. I can't belleve that actually worked. I actually used magic right. Sure, it took me several weeks to get the carving right, and it's only useful for this one thing, but still, it's something. Here i am, using magic to travel somewhere.

I grab my two large suitcases, then step out onto the pond. My foot hits the moon's reflection as though it were a solid surface, allowing me to actually walk on water. Well, to stand on water, but we all start somewhere.

There isn't much room on the reflection, and the book says that only this part of the water is a solid surface, so I'm forced to hold up both suitcases, which is quickly making my arms hurt. I'm short and skinny, probably weighing less than my luggage. How I'm going to pull this off is something I have not thought out.

I look up at the moon and close my eyes, taking a deep breath. I hold my hand up to obscure the moon from my vision, making absolutely sure I see none of it once I open my eyes.

Glancing down, I find myself walking on water, no reflections in it at all, be it from the moon or anything else. The world around me is perfectly still, the trees stuck in the positions the wind was blowing them in some tilted to one side, others standing tail. The leaves that were falling from them are stuck in the air, unable to reach the ground.

Holy crap! I really did it!

Okay, calm down. You only have half a minute to do this right. Let's not get carried away now.

Setting my suitcases down on the water surface, the time of which has frozen as well, I reach into my pocket and pull out a photograph of the school I will be attending from here on out-AMA, Albion's Magic Academy. The photograph shows it to be a very large building that's more like a castle than a school, with ten pillars rising all around it. The surrounding area is nothing but greenery forests, hills, a few mountains in the distance.

I let the photo fall onto the surface of the pond. Unlike my luggage, it falls inside, melting away into a swirl of colors, which spreads out below me. It takes a few moments for the image to stabilize, but the pond is soon reflecting the school itself, exactly the way it was in the photograph.

As time starts moving again, I fall into the pond, along with my luggage. Instead of magically teleporting anywhere, I find myself gasping for air, arms sticking out of the pond as I flail around.

My legs hit the bottom of the pond suddenly, and I stand up.

The water is up to my waist only.

Well, that was embarrassing. I sure hope no one-

The sun is shining. It was total dark a moment ago, and yet now the sun is shining. An endless forest is spread before me, the trees tall enough to cast shade across the pond. I look around and see nothing but forest on either side of me. It's hotter here than it was back at the park, but a chill breeze makes it bearable. There's no heat bouncing off the cement, which is a plus, too.

Turning around, I let my eyes widen in awe. Before me is the biggest building I've ever seen in my life. It has to be at least ten stories high, the towers even higher than that. Its colors are a mix of grey and brown, aside from the black rooftops. There are hundreds of windows, inside of which I see hundreds of silhouettes. A tall wall surrounds the building, the only entrance being a large gate that opens down the middle.

Holy crap. I did it. I'm actually at the AMA. I... I traveled across the oceanten thousand kilometers in the blink of an eye. I pulled off a real spell. it was a B-ranked spell, too something not many witches can do.

Reaching down into the shallow lake, I pull out my suitcases and head toward the large gate. Everything has definitely gotten wet, so I'm really thankful I wasn't required to bring any documentation with me. Just the plant-woven bracelet I'm wearing right now.

There are cars parked alongside the wall, most of them empty. A few have people walking out of them, helping their kids get their stuff out. I'm probably the only one who came alone.

The gates open once a full group has gathered before them, perfectly silent despite their size. The air around the school does something weird as the people walk in. It sort of... ripples, like water when something small touches it.

As I stand in front of the gate, I'm left waiting. Am I supposed to yell for them to let me in? I really don't wanna do that. I'm not comfortable with being loud in public. I'll just wait for a bit. Maybe someone else will get it to open.

A family of three comes to stand beside me, the youngest a girl about my age. She's short and plump, her eyes big enough for me to tell the color even from here. Big and brown. Kind of looks familiar. Have I met her before?

The family are talking to themselves in a language I don't recognize. It makes my blood freeze over. How are we going to talk here? Does the school use English? It should, right? Albion is where the language originates, so it would only make sense. All the applications were in English, too. Maybe this girl is bilingual, then.

A second family joins us, this one with two kids a boy and a girl. She's as tall as I am, and her brother a good head above us both. They're blonde and fair skinned, with piercing blue eyes. Just like the chubby girl, they're talking in a different language. This one does not sound like the other family's though.

I guess that's to be expected from an international school Are they going to be alright with English? Must be tough to get a full education when the language it's in is secondary to you. I can speak a bit of Spanish, but no chance I can do something as complicated as math in it.

A third family joins us, this one comprised of just two people a mother and a son. The son doesn't exactly look like the sort of person I'd want to mess with. His black hair is long and tied up in a bun. His jeans and shirt are both right, and I can see two tattoos poking out one out of his sleeve, the other out of his collar.

Don't judge. You don't know what he's like. He could be very nice.

The scowi on his face isn't helping, though,

His mother is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Actually, she's someone I have seen before in magazines. That's the supermodel Belladonna Monet, a full-blown celebrity. You always think those photos are edited to make them look as good as possible, but this woman is radiating charisma even in real life. Her skin is glowing, her hair is perfectly wavy, and her smile reaches even her eyes. Most people with fake smiles can only do it with their lips. Must be all the training she's had.

She must be where the boy gets his looks from.

As he turns to look at me, I see his other arm is entirely covered in tattoos, which is truly surprising. Most schools are strict about that stuff and so are parents. To start this school, you have to be seventeen as of today, at the latest. How'd he get his mom to allow him to do that?

Actually, he doesn't look like the sort to ask for permission often.

"You good?" he asks, and I look away, focusing on the door,

"Sure"

"Where's your fam? They bounce?"

"I'm here alone."

"Oh”

This feeling Have I met him before? It feels like No, nevermind. I'd definitely remember a face like that.