Chapter 4

"It..." Anna didn't know how to describe it. Even from where she stood, it looked like one of the vastest buildings by width she had ever seen. "...Looks like it belongs to an Emperor." Yet even that utterance didn't do it justice.

But that wasn't even close to all the imposing island had. Even outside the confines of the lake, every building was reminiscent of medieval Europe and fantasy, with shapes like octagons, triangles, or circles. Closer to her, she could see what looked like a large observatory, with its huge telescope pointed… at the sun.

A dense forest with towering trees prevented her from seeing the rest of the island, but there appeared to be the tops of more colosseums in the distance! Foreboding—but just as cool.

How did such a massive place go unnoticed by Earthlings? Magic, obviously. But it was such a ridiculous notion to consider.

"It took years for them to build: terraforming the land, getting the materials to the island, and finding the staff." Even Aria had a trace of admiration in her voice. "A difficult task; they place great importance in this place."

Anna absentmindedly nodded.

Someone bumped into her, nearly sending her smaller frame to the ground if it weren't for Aria's quick reflexes saving her from that. "S-sorry."

However, the man had already gone into the crowd behind them.

"Why apologize?" Aria pulled her up. "It was his fault."

Anna shook her head. "I... wasn't really paying attention to the... road?" It was more like a cobblestone path.

Aria stopped and looked down into Anna's eyes like she was searching for something. "If I wasn't here, he'd have sent you to the ground and possibly injured you. Would you have apologized then?"

The presence of those cold amber eyes made it hard to maintain eye contact, especially with how severe they appeared. Aria didn't say that in a tone of ridicule; it was more akin to a curiosity. Or, it kind of felt that way.

However, Anna was still reeling from the sights and sounds around her; she couldn't care less for such a silly thing. "Maybe? Why?"

"You should find the answer, or your time here will not be pleasant." She tore her eyes away and led them forward again.

"Uh... ok. If you're trying to imply I'm a pushover, then you're wrong!" She sped up to Aria's front and looked up into those amber eyes. "Intent is important, and I can recognize it most of the time."

"We'll see."

Anna snorted. "How ominous."

It seemed like some odd way for Aria to show concern. The Academy was bound to be hyper-competitive, add magic and independent resources to the mix, and it was a recipe for pushovers to get beaten down.

Aria didn't say anything else on the matter, and Anna returned to admiring the scenery around the island.

Soon after, they reached the end of the long lines that stretched from the castle all the way across the bridge. Lined across the bridge's walls were the open, stone mouths of dragons with white orbs inside them. The center had a massive arch with two human statues on either side, their staves meeting in the center. Through those staves was a long line that went from the castle steps all the way to the bridge's start.

"Here," Aria said as they approached.

"Oh god."

It was going to be a dreadful wait!

Not to mention the noises of chatter; there were so many concurrent conversations that Anna couldn't pinpoint a specific one. She'd love to chat with some of the people—kill time. Presumably, she had no choice but to wait this time.

However, she had forgotten about the omnipotent power of her tour guide—Aria walked right past the end of the line and onto the stone bridge.

"What?" Anna exclaimed. "We don't have to wait?!"

"I will not wait for their painfully slow process."

"You... really?"

Aria nodded and then checked Anna's outfit. "It will be easy to skip past it."

"Devious!" Anna did look a little more stylish than most people in that line, but it was hardly her that gave the impression. "I like—wait... are you a student here, too?"

"Yes."

She hadn't made that assumption at all! Aria looked as much like a fictional character as one could; Anna assumed she was already a mage! Some kind of assistant to Alisha. However, she spoke like she should be in line!

The confirmation only made it weirder.

"Then why did you pick me up? Actually, I haven't seen anyone else with someone like you accompanying them. Why?"

".I haven't attended the Academy, but I knew about magic, and now I finally get to learn it. I accompanied you because I was asked to... Don't ask; I do not know."

That was a little too honest, which threw Anna for a loop. "Should that really be something you admit?"

Bastion did pay Anna some special attention, or at least Alisha did. The only reasons she could come up with were her parents and their wealth, but surely that meant nothing to a mage organization. Alternatively, maybe Anna had a hidden talent. She didn't like uninformed speculation; either way, she wouldn't get the answer unless they told her. If she did have hidden talent, she'd find out by comparing herself to her peers. As long as it didn't affect how others treated her, the special treatment didn't really matter.

"I don't care to lie."

"That's... admirable." Anna looked up at Aria's face but couldn't get anything from it. "But I feel like you just gave away a big secret."

"If it was a big secret, they should have told me to keep it that way."

"And that's the difference between telling me or not? Just like that?"

"Yes." No change in her body language or tone indicated it was anything more than that.

Anna giggled. "You're an odd one, you know."

She walked beside Aria, a newfound sense of friendship forming in her mind with the odd girl beside her. Her first mage friend.

"You too."

Words Anna's heard enough times to treat them as air, though it was likely the same for Aria.