The Academy

Argenius and Elina opened the car doors and stepped out. The castle loomed high above them, surrounded by a wall that encircled the entire estate. The siblings turned back to the car and retrieved their suitcases. Their driver pointed towards the castle gate and said, "Go to the gate and knock three times. Give this letter to the guard, and he will let you in." Argenius took the letter, and the two of them walked towards the gate. Upon arrival, Argenius knocked three times on a small door embedded in the gate. After a few seconds, a young man opened it and asked, "What do you want?" Argenius handed him the letter and said, "We are the honor students for this year." The man glanced at the letter and then said, "Professor Marzestra informed me that you would arrive early. Please follow me, I'll take you to her."

The siblings picked up their suitcases and followed the gate guard. They entered the castle through a large entrance portal, which automatically opened its wings upon the guard's signal. The three of them stepped into the hall, where corridors branched off regularly along the walls. The gate guard turned into one of them. The corridor was illuminated by LED strips on the wall and led to a spiral staircase, which the guard and the siblings ascended. After a while, they arrived at a larger corridor adorned with grand chandeliers, a carpet laid on the floor, and wooden paneling on the walls. Argenius, Elina, and the guard walked along the corridor until they finally reached a wooden door with a sign that read "Director's Office" and beneath it, "Professor Marzestra." The gate guard knocked three times on the door. After a few seconds, they heard a woman's voice say, "Come in." The guard opened the door and stepped inside. Professor Marzestra sat behind a large desk, working on some documents while a radio played a song.

The professor turned off the radio and turned towards them. "I've been waiting for you," she said, gesturing towards a sofa in the middle of the room. Argenius and Elina sat down and waited for the professor. She stood up and took a seat on a chair in front of them. "There you are," she said, crossing her legs. "So, have you guessed what makes my beautiful academy so special?" she asked. The two of them looked at each other, realizing they hadn't noticed anything. The professor laughed. "It's clear from your faces that you have no idea. Let me enlighten you," she said, raising her hand.

Argenius wondered what Professor Marzestra had in mind when her palm began to glow white, and a cool wind filled the room. Argenius looked around, unable to believe his eyes as snowflakes floated through the space. He looked at Professor Marzestra, and she smiled. "Can you now guess what makes it special?" she asked, as books flew off the shelves and started fluttering their pages like birds, soaring through the room. "Magic," said the professor.