The town was like a painting. The roads were cobblestone, and the buildings were white brick. On either side of the road, a stream flowed through the town. It reminded Sen of the water in his temporal world, at least, before it’d been destroyed. Long, thin trees rose from the waterways, and happy, smiling people littered the streets. It was an enormous improvement on the countryside town with a giant bone golem problem.

  Behind him Ilm draped her arm around Mori’s neck for support, still recovering from her disdain for flying. Sen hoped she could overcome that; flying was convenient. At least on the occasions when it was possible. For now, they’d go on foot. They knew the academy they were looking for was here. They just didn’t know where. The best place to collect information would be on the ground. Unfortunately, many of the civilians hadn’t gotten the memo. Many people refused to talk to them, or hurried off in the other direction when they approached. As Sen stopped to look at his reflection in the glass storefront of one of the buildings, he realized why. Ghoul blood was splattered over the front of his white robes. He looked as if he’d stabbed somebody in a back alley.

  “Cleansing Act.”

  The blood disappeared, as did some dirt and a few stray hairs. He sighed. In the future, he would need to be more careful about appearances.

  “I apologize for not saying anything sooner, Master. I thought it was a stylistic choice. Blood suits you!” Mori said.

  How did he get through a hundred years in society without me?

  He looked at the bracer he’d received as a quest reward. It was black and slipped easily on and off of his wrist with a simple pull when applying mana. It had small metallic spikes all around it that created an edgy look he thought worth hiding under his sleeves most of the time. He still considered the description the System had given him.

  [Galadrian Bracer - allows the user to veil their power and store small amounts of mana.]

  It was a low-grade artifact that would help him veil his power if he used spells that were a bit too strong. Storing small amounts of mana would be more useful if his own mana wasn’t already a massive ocean. But he reminded himself there would be opportunities to upgrade some of his artifacts in the future. A weak artifact could develop more useful effects as you leveled it up.

  “I was curious, master, why would you want to enroll at a magic academy?” Mori asked, drawing Sen’s attention from the artifact. Ilm perked up at the question as well. It seemed she was also curious.

  “I’m confident my strongest spells are still formidable in this era. But the threads of magic have shown me previous limitations have been lifted, and I can build upon them. The problem is, I need new magic artifacts if I’m to create spells of my own. Not to mention, new and unique spells will have sprung up over the last thousand years. Learning and collecting as many of these techniques as possible will only expand our arsenal and allow me to approach new spell creation with different perspectives. We will surpass those around us, Mori, but first, we have to play catch up. What better place to learn about magic and the state of things than a school?”

  Ilm nodded. “So, we’ll learn what we can about magic, while also learning about the world?”

  Sen nodded. “That’s right.” He looked up as they reached a crossroads. The road ahead led to a short bridge over a river that flowed through the town. In either direction, the buildings seemed to blend together. They all looked the same to him. “We need to figure out who the big players are: kingdoms, factions, individuals of great power. And there’s one other major factor to consider.”

  “What’s that, Master?” Mori asked.

  “Nobody will trust a powerful mage who came out of nowhere. We aren’t going to spend too long at this school, but we will develop a reputation while we’re here. It’ll be our cover story. If people see us fighting and we can say we’re students at a magic academy, they won’t be so wary of us.”

  That had been a problem for him in the past. People weren’t always quick to trust powerful mages, especially those that seemed to pop into existence overnight.

  He looked over and noticed a man with brown hair and heavily worn clothes standing in front of a stall. The man looked as if he’d been tied to a horse before the horse went on a run. “Yesterday you said it two pieces!”

  “And today I’m saying it’s four,” the smarmy shopkeeper shot back. “Come back tomorrow if you find the coin. Otherwise, leave. You’ll scare off actual customers.”

  Sen leaned over to see what the shop was selling. It looked like some kind of bread. As he approached, he realized it smelt nice, sweet almost, but it was thick and probably fairly filling. “I’ll take…four of those. Two a piece, right?” he asked.

  The shopkeeper smirked. “Exactly right.” He shot a look at the poorly dressed man and bagged up four pieces of bread.

  While he did that, Sen used a minor spell. He coughed into his elbow. “Pocket Swap.” He wouldn’t normally do this, but he also wouldn’t normally encounter a shopkeeper turning down a clearly starving man with the coin to pay for food. He had gold in his coin purse, but based on the reactions of the farmers from before, it was worth far too much to waste on a sleazy salesman like this. He handed the shopkeeper his own money, grabbed the bag, and hurried off.

  A rumbling stomach followed him, or rather, its owner. He passed out two of the bread pieces to his companions, who’d waited off to the side. The other two he held out without turning back. “I got them for you. You don’t need to ask.”

  The man seemed taken aback. “You…did?” he asked. “I only have two coins; I can only take one.”

  Sen turned. “I don’t need your money or the bread. Keep both. What’s your name?” he asked.

  The stranger seemed surprised Sen even cared. “Um, Zeke, my lord.” He stared down at Sen’s fine white cloak, and the matching ones that Mori and Ilm wore. “May I ask for yours? So that I might thank you.”

  “Sen. Sen Locke. This is Mori, and she’s Ilm. We’re new in town; do you know your way around?” he asked.

  Zeke was trying his best not to stare at the bag in his hands. He was clearly starving. “I do…is there something you’re looking for?”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Sen grinned. “I was, but now I’ve found him.” He clapped Zeke on the shoulder. “My new tour guide. Come, dig into that bread of yours, and show us around!”

  The town of Bright Sail was even more marvelous the more that Sen saw of it. They saw a huge theatre with the faces of performers plastered upon it with magic. The illusions moved, and when you walked by, they performed snippets, sang, or called out your name. There was a shopping district for adventurers and magicians, full of shops filled with magic artifacts, essences, and armor. Sen thought he might have to return here later. Finally, Zeke showed them a beautiful fountain in the town’s center, where children played and musicians performed pleasant songs and melodies for anyone who walked by. They settled in front of the fountain, and Sen closed his eyes. The water shot out of the top and landed on the level below it, before trickling over to the next few layers and eventually reaching the bottom. It was wonderful. It made him miss his temporal world.

  “Zeke,” he asked, without turning his attention from the pleasant sounds of water. “I’ve heard there’s a magic academy around here. Do you know how I might find it?”

  Zeke sounded surprised. Sen slowly peeled open an eye to see what was wrong.

  “You’re a…magician?” he asked.

  Sen stared at him. “Yes, is that a problem?”

  A conflicted look crossed his tour guide’s face. Mori and Ilm exchanged a look of their own.

  “I’m just not the biggest fan of magic.” Zeke stared at the ground for a few moments. “But…you’ve been kind to me. I mean, you fed me when I was hungry.”

  “He also gave you new clothes,” Mori pointed out.

  Zeke looked over at Mori before looking down. “What the—”

  Sen had noticed Zeke staring at nicer outfits in the windows of a few shops they’d walked by. He’d ask the man’s favorite color, which was green, and he’d used a spell to throw together a little outfit for him. He’d also used a cleansing spell. All while keeping Zeke from realizing he’d done any of it. All in all, it was really amusing.

  “These are…how did…”

  “My friend, you really should fire your old stylist. You’re lucky you met me when you did. The ladies will love you now. Now, you were saying something about hating magic?” Sen said.

  Zeke stared at him wide-eyed, and then he laughed. “Hah…I never thought…wow. I’ve just had some unpleasant experiences, that’s all. I never thought I’d meet a magician like you. In my experience, they’re usually stuck up.”

  [I thought he was trying to say you were different, but he’s just describing you now.]

  Sen zapped Tutor with his mind.

  “Magic should be used for good, in my opinion. I need to find the academy, Zeke. I’d like to study there, at least for a while, to see what I can pick up. Think you could show me the way?” he asked.

  Zeke nodded, apparently deciding not to ditch Sen after all. It was touch and go for a moment.

  The green gates of the academy stretched nine feet into the air and ended in jagged points. The school itself was a massive building, four floors high, with conical-tipped roofs on each of its corners. It almost resembled a large church building, and if Zeke hadn’t brought him here, that’s probably what Sen had assumed it was. There was a line of people waiting to get in, all around Sen’s age. Eighteen or nineteen, give or take a couple of years in either direction. An older, bald man talked to everyone as they reached the front. Two guards in long white shirts and pants stood on either side of them. Their faces were covered, and Sen had seen men like them patrolling through the city. Were they affiliated with the academy or the town itself? He wondered.

  The four of them waited in line as the others before them slowly moved through the gate after an exchange with the guards. When they finally reached the front, the old, bald man stood waiting for them. “Badge?” he asked. If condescension were a high-level spell, this man had mastered it with modifiers, maximizers and all. He was truly the God of Condescension.

  “Actually, I don’t have one. I’d like to enroll,” Sen informed him.

  The man exchanged a smug look with the guards on either side of him before turning back. “You missed the scholarship period, and without a benefactor to sponsor you, at this point I couldn’t possibly allow you to—”

  “I have a benefactor. He’s right here, his name is Zeke,” Sen said confidently.

  Zeke choked. Turning to look at Sen before realizing he had to play along and offering an awkward smile to the bald man.

  “And you’re willing to pay the entrance exam fee of five gold pieces?” the old man asked.

  Zeke’s face paled. He had a few coins, but those were clearly worth way less than gold.

  Mori beckoned to Zeke’s belt. “My lord, your coin pouch is on the right side today. I assume that’s why you look a bit flushed. You usually wear it on your left.”

  Zeke looked down and realized there was, in fact, a coin pouch there. Sen smiled at his reaction. The poor man was going to have a panic attack if they kept messing with him this way.

  Zeke slowly reached down and slipped a hand into the pouch. He pulled out a handful of coins, and his eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he realized they were all gold. The bald man and gate guards didn’t notice; they were staring at Zeke’s open hand as well. Zeke turned to Sen one last time for confirmation, and Sen gave him a subtle nod.

  Five gold pieces went into the bald man’s outstretched hands a moment later. He stared at it in shock. “I…I’m afraid I can’t actually accept this,” he said, swallowing.

  [He doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to give it back, though.]

  “Is there a problem?” Mori asked.

  He cleared his throat. “Forgive me, I should have introduced myself earlier, Lord Zeke. I am Professor Calabari. I oversee the entrance exams and a portion of the first-year students. You see, the registration was five days ago, and the entrance exams started four days ago. Today is a makeup day for students who missed any of the three entrance exam trials. I’d love to allow your student to enter, but he’d have to complete all three trials successfully, and that’s just not possible with the time left. Most students recover for a day in between trials to perform at their peak. If there were just two trials, maybe we could try to squeeze them in, but it’s just not possible for this…”

  “Sen,” he said.

  Calabari paused. “For Sen to do all three today. The instructors are tired and ready for the trials to be over as well. So I’m afraid I can’t take this,” Professor Calabari said. He slowly handed the coins back.

  Sen sighed. “How about this professor? I’ll take all three trials today.”

  The professor had a lot less patience for Zeke’s protégé than he did for the man with the pouch of gold on his waist. “You must be hard of hearing, as I said, you’d need time to recover, and the trial examiners would like to finish up as soon as possible. Even giving you a few hours of recovery in between each trial, we’d be here all day.”

  “You misunderstand. I’ll take all three trials at once. You’d only need to give me enough time for one test, and I’ll make it work,” Sen said.

  The professor's brow furrowed, but a glint in his eyes quickly replaced it. If he allowed Sen to try, and he failed, the school would get to keep his entrance fee. The entrance fee Sen was pretty sure they were being price gouged on.

  “I see…I suppose we could try, but know this will be extremely unfair to you and the chances of passing share a room with the impossible.”

  “Excellent. Also, I’d like to make a wager. We’ll give you fifteen gold pieces instead of five, if, in exchange, you’ll allow my two friends here to enroll as well if I’m successful in completing the trials.”

  The professor didn’t even try to hide his greed at this point; he glanced at Zeke for confirmation, who nodded, and then quickly held out a hand. “Deal.”

  They followed Professor Calabari through the gate, and Zeke shouted after them. “Thank you, Sen!” He realized the gold pouch was still on his waist and he quickly tried to unfasten it.

  Sen held a hand up. “It’s yours. Thank you for your help, Zeke.”

  Zeke was speechless. So, instead of talking, he bowed deeply.

  Sen smiled and waved at him. He turned back and followed the professor alongside Mori and Ilm.

  “Now, let’s see about these entrance exams.”