“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.
“First of all, we need to get you a Raven,” Professor Ophelia said as she walked side by side with Ethan, who was busy looking at his surroundings like the country bumpkin that he was.
“A Raven?” Ethan asked, “A Raven as in a bird Raven?”
“Yes,” Professor Ophelia. “Although common people use these… telephones that were invented not long ago. Wizards and Witches still use Ravens to deliver messages to people in the Magic World. You will be staying in the Academy for a time, so it will be useful if you use a Raven to send letters to your family.”
Ethan nodded his head in understanding. When his Grandma forced him to go to a “normal academy” in order to study, he planned to leave after a few days of his arrival.
But, now, he couldn’t leave because there was a chance that the Professors of the Academy would make their move, and hunt him down, involving his Grandparents in the situation he was involved in.
This was something that Ethan didn’t want to happen, so he decided to stay in the Academy for the time being and better understand the mysteries of the Magical World.
“Are all Ravens the same?” Ethan asked with curiosity. “I mean, in my eyes, all of them look the same. Black birds that my Grandma said were the messengers of death and misfortune.”
The corner of Professor Ophelia’s lips rose as she listened to Ethan’s words.
“Well, your Grandma is half right,” Professor Ophelia replied. “In some cultures, they are seen as harbingers of misfortune, but to some, seeing a Raven brings good fortune. They are very loyal, and intelligent creatures. We have a saying here in the Magical World that a Raven knows how to hold a grudge, so you better treat them well.
“We had an incident where a student mistreated a Raven, and the bird decided to fight back by telling its kind to attack that student on sight. Well, they didn’t really hurt the child, but he found himself constantly on the lookout for bird droppings every time he found himself in an open field. Very ugly business I tell you, especially since the Academy has thousands of Ravens in its Aviary.”
The young man gulped after hearing this story. It was at that moment when he vowed to treat his Raven well, so that he wouldn’t find poop on his head every time he left Dud Manor.
Just imagining bird droppings falling on his head, while he was talking tot he academy was a scene that he didn't want to happen to him.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at a large Manor where countless Ravens could be seen circling in the sky, and countless more were perched on its windowsills and rooftops.
Some of these Ravens were sleeping, while some were curiously watching the passersby, as if they found entertainment in watching people walk past their Manor.
Professor Ophelia ignored the countless stares and walked towards the door with steady steps.
Ethan, on the other hand, was close behind the Professor, doing his best to not stare at the black birds, who were staring back at him.
“Ah… Ophelia. To think that I would see you so soon after you purchased a Raven for your niece,” a middle-aged man said with a smile as soon as Ophelia and Ethan entered the Manor. “What can I do for you on this ominous day?”
“Don’t say the word ominous, Mr. Robert,” Professor Ophelia replied. “When you use the word ominous, the day really becomes ominous.”
“Hahaha. Don’t worry, Ophelia. The Ravens tell me that the one that will suffer an ominous day is not you, but the boy beside you.”
“Oh? That’s good then. I thought you were talking about me.”
Ethan blinked in confusion as he heard the exchange between the two adults. If his understanding was correct, the middle-aged man said that today was going to be an ominous day for him!
“Hmm… have we met somewhere before, child?” Robert asked as he eyed Ethan from head to toe. “For some reason, I feel like I’ve met you in the past.”
“Sorry, Sir,” Ethan answered. “I’m very certain that this is our first meeting. I grew up on a farm you see, and this is the first time I’ve been away from home.”
“Interesting,” Robert rubbed his chin as he continued to stare at the boy in front of him.
The Raven Master was the type of person who had a very good memory, and was very sensitive when detecting the presence of a person. Even though it was faint, Ethan’s aura felt familiar to him, which made him wonder where he had seen him in the past.
‘Well, it’s not important,’ Robert thought. ‘I’ve seen countless people in the past, so I might have mistaken him for someone that looked like him.’
Robert then glanced at Professor Ophelia to talk business.
“Since you are here, that means you need a Raven, yes?” Robert smiled.
“You are right, Mr. Robert,” Professor Ophelia rested her hand on Ethan’s shoulders in order to introduce him formally. “This boy here is Ethan Gremory. We are here today to get him a Raven.”
Robert gave Ethan a devilish smile as if very eager to conduct business with him. “You came to the right place. Aside from Ravens, I don’t have anything else to trade. Come here, My Boy. It is best if we look for a Raven that is willing to become your messenger, and guide, in the Magical World.”
Robert tapped his wand on the wall, and a door magically appeared on it. With a slight push from Professor Ophelia, Ethan entered the door and found himself in what seemed to be a rainforest where Ravens lived in peace.
“I formally welcome you to Robert’s Aviary,” Robert said with pride. “Serving the Magical Community since 1449. Now, wear this leather gauntlet, and try to call out to the Ravens here. This gauntlet shares your senses and thoughts with the Ravens, allowing them to better understand you.
“They are very smart creatures, and once you resonate with one of them, they will perch on your gauntlet, which means that they recognize you as someone worthy of their services. I told you earlier that Ravens serve as guides as well. In time, you will understand what I’m talking about. For now, just focus on finding your life-long friend.”
Ethan nodded and wore the gauntlet on his hand. As soon as he did, he felt as if he was connected to countless living things, whose beating hearts, and minds, synchronized with his own.
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