Gemini

Chase strolled through the large halls of Phoenix Academy. He passed several intriguing statues as he walked.

Each more intimidating than the last.

He took step after step along the red carpeting that led him through the long hallway.

'I wonder who they are supposed to be.'

There were no names engraved on the marble figures; however, there were house sigils that had been carved into the foreheads of each statue.

Of course, Chase did not know many house sigils other than a select few he had learned at his old school.

One of those was the House of Lightning, which he only knew because his old friend was a direct descendant of said house.

As he walked through the prestigious halls, he tried to remember the look of his friend's face.

It was difficult, even causing Chase quite the frustration.

Everything at the academy was like the polar opposite of the world he grew up in. He found it hard to not compare it to the old rickety school house he had attended throughout his childhood.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, changing the topic of his daydreaming state.

Finally, he reached the next branch of the academy.

Grand doors began to fill the empty spaces within the ivory-toned wooden walls. The double doors of each room were elegantly lined with gold and silver trim and made of a darker toned wood.

Large brass handles hung from the center of the entrances.

Chase wondered which of these rooms he would end up visiting on a daily basis.

Above each of the doors hung signs that swung gently from a slight breeze.

Where was the breeze coming from? Chase had no clue; however, each of the signs had a singular object marked onto them with white paint.

On the first door to his left was some kind of ball of fire. Chase assumed that the room was some kind of classroom dedicated to elemental energy.

To his right was a small singular door, with a sign that had some kind of strange runic marking engraved on it. The room seemed to have sparked his interest, as he strayed off of the pathway and walked over to the door.

As Chase was about to grasp the bronze handle, a loud noise echoed through the empty hallway.

His attention drifted down the long hallway where one of the doors ahead had been swung wide open.

He cautiously made his way along the carpet pathway, wondering what he would find in the room that lay open in the distance.

Chase did not have his father's dagger on him, and if he did, he would have been gripping the pommel for dear life.

Social interactions did not give him anything but discomfort, but after nearly falling to his death this morning, Chase was more worried about finding some kind of mystic beast that had escaped a sick and twisted imprisonment.

He wouldn't be surprised if the headmaster had some kind of monster zoo hidden beneath the school, considering his private quarters were right next to a magic sun.

As Chase drew closer to the small room, the clanging of metal against metal could be heard within the room.

Before coming closer, he looked at the sign above the double doors.

A silver anvil swung with the sign in the mystic indoor breeze.

'A forge?'

Chase thought.

He turned the corner and slowly stepped into the room.

As soon as he entered, rays of heat hit him, causing his breathing to become weak.

Inside was a vast hall with no windows and hardly any lighting other than the cauldrons of lava that lined the outer edges of the hall.

He spotted someone in the center of the room, standing in front of a large stone furnace.

"Excuse me?"

Chase called out, still struggling from the intense heat of the forge.

The boy was leaning against a large cobblestone table in front of the forge's main smelting furnace.

He turned around slowly with a bewildered expression on his face as he looked up at the platform in front of the forge's entrance.

Chase began to slowly make his way down the stairs and onto the main floor.

The other boy tried to back away slowly, bumping into the cobblestone table, causing him to grimace in pain.

The boy was short—shorter than Chase even, which he found odd considering that he always found that he was usually the shortest person in a room.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

Chase said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

The other boy had no response and instead squinted his eyes—studying Chase with caution.

Chase followed up his apology casually.

"I'm new here, I was just trying to find the library."

He paused for a second, rubbing his face from exhaustion caused by the terrible heat.

"You wouldn't happen to know where a library is, would you?"

The boy tilted his head, seeming to come to some sort of realization.

"You're the nameless kid."

He said, sounding proud of himself for coming to the conclusion.

Chase took offense from the sudden title he had been given, but decided it was for the best to ignore it.

"I guess."

He responded.

Sweat began to form on his eyebrows, causing him to rub his forehead with his sleeve.

The boy turned around and lifted up what looked like a small bronze-sword cast.

Chase took a couple of steps closer, trying to look at what the other boy was working on.

Suddenly, the boy turned around with a huge grin on his face, while holding out the empty casting.

"Want to help me? I'm supposed to do an entrance project for my first year of forging."

He paused, taking a shallow breath.

"I'm not very strong, so I can't move the crucible on my own. I'll pay you back for your though!"

Chase felt himself relax slightly, pondering if he wanted to help the boy or not, before finally just shrugging.

'I have nothing better to do.'

He thought to himself.

"Sure, you can just tell me where the library is as payment."

He said casually.

The boy nodded and turned back to the table.

Chase slowly made his way next to the boy, studying all of the different tools laid out on the surface of the table.

Out of the corner of his eye, he began to study the shorter boy.

Something was off about him, almost as if he wasn't quite human.

He had short brown hair and wore a leather apron that looked to be three sizes too big for the boy, as well as large grey gloves on his tiny hands.

The boy seemed to be around Chase's age, even though he already had facial hair sprouting randomly around his rounded face.

He wasn't necessarily chubby, but he wasn't skinny either. He looked to be malnourished, as if his genes didn't agree with how little he seemed to be eating.

The boy turned to Chase with a huge smile on his face, his silver eyes shining from the orange firelight of the forge.

"My name is Gemini, of House Ironclad by the way."

He paused, his smile faltering for a split second.

"I'm a demi-human, if you were wondering. Other kids tend to ask me why I look the way that I do."

He said with a hint of nervousness hidden in his childish grin.

Chase blinked, his attention momentarily shifting to the boy's awkward admission. A demi-human?

He had never encountered someone of a half-race before, but in a place like Phoenix Academy, maybe it wasn't so unusual. Still, something about Gemini's voice made it clear that the boy had faced more than his fair share of stares.

"I'm Chase... just Chase."

He held out his hand, gesturing a greeting, which Gemini seemed to have a look of gratitude as he responded to the gesture.