Chapter 8: Paradise

"Black magicians are the ones who spoil the social order. They are chasing more and more power despite being granted the greatest of all gifts. In this quest they don't care how many they have to sacrifice in order to evolve. Their arts are called the black arts because only darkness can result from their use."

"All who have the gift of magic are therefore called upon to kill black magicians on the spot, wherever they may be found, whoever they may be."

"First law of the black book."

***Nict State Free City, Tri***

***Azir***

This world is my paradise! There is no need to fear for your survival. The country is at peace and my parents are providing me with everything I want. Be it books or tools to build some interesting artifacts. My father plays with me from time to time and shows me spear techniques, but all in a very light and brave way. My body is not yet up to the task.

My mom helps me every day to train my skill. I'm fine with her, even if her lessons are a bit heavy.

So I invest an hour a day in being with my little sister, trying to teach her words and numbers. It's best to start early and she's so cute.

From time to time we are visited by my grandmother Quamar. That's the only complaint I have about my life. Quamar seems to hate me. She's a real dragon. Luckily my mom can keep her on a leash. The old witch even once tried to put some kind of curse on me. Fortunately I could fight the spell that confused her. Then she began to think something about black magic and the spawning of evil.

The other visitors to the house are a few servants who only show up for cleaning and disappear again like a breeze from the wind.

I almost forgot about Daylen, he's my dad's advisor. But he doesn't care about me. He only shows up to talk to my dad about things about the city and that there are a lot more people trying to cheat with taxes these days. Well, I guess there's less than before. The difference is that the guy who's calculating the tax reports has changed. 'Haaa'.

My Aunt Jade joins him from time to time to chat with my mom for a bit. I like her visits because she always brings me a gift. She seems to be very grateful that she saved her life.

I blink and look at the wristwatch on the table. It's a very delicate device. I used telekinesis to carve the nuts, bolts, and gears out of the metal. It's a hobby of mine to build clocks in my spare time. I'm fascinated by these devices that are meant to measure time but inevitably fail.

Just one last gear. I take a pair of tweezers and try to insert the last gear into its place. Of course I could mount the entire watch with telekinesis. But this task is like meditation for me. It would be boring to use...

*BAM!*

"Azir!"

"Dear!"

Valda kicked in the door of my room and opened it. I was so surprised that I cringed and deformed one of the gears.

"A week's work! Mommy, what happened?"

I turn to my mother and look at her frighteningly.

"Did you play all night again? I told you you have to sleep at night!"

"Whatever. I'm going to have to take a look at your sleeping habits."

She holds a purse for me.

"Take this and come. We can't be late, or you have to wait another year."

I pick up the bag which is made of hard leather and take a look inside. All of this material inside it feels strangely familiar, but I can't put it in the right context.

"Late for what?"

Valda grabs my hand and pulls me out of my chair.

"School, of course! You're five years old and a new semester is starting."

"School?"

My eyes turn big and round over the dreaded word.

"But I'm not five years old! I'm a little less than four years old in this world! And what could a school teach me? I probably know more about..."

"That's not what the falsified documents say."

Mom doesn't care and pulls me forward.

"They may not be able to teach you anything new, but you'll at least learn some common knowledge and common sense. And you'll learn how to deal with your generation. Maybe you'll be able to forge some important future connections with other clans."

I furrowed my brows as we left the house.

"How does school in this world work?"

Mom hits me on the head.

"You're so smart in most areas. I always forget that you're a complete idiot at some things. Listen. Since you are talented with magic you have to enter the big academy in the central city at the age of five. Don 't worry, it's just a short trip through the city portal with a carriage. Then you begin a standard education until the age of fifteen. If you prove yourself worthy, you can choose a higher education that lasts until you are twenty-five. This also allows access to the large Library of Patres. It is a library with all the remaining knowledge of our ancestors. You might consider this price worthy of spending some time in a classroom."

Maybe so... Maybe not... But access to a famous library would be nice. Playing the student can also be interesting. I would have more than enough time to look for a suitable girl, who is easy to manipulate. Or I could find several...

*Smack*

"Don't go by that thought!"

"Ow! What was that, Mom?"

I rubbed the back of my head as we got into a carriage. Maybe I could go with a girl on each finger? A girl for every night, as soon as I'm old enough? Or better yet, try them all!

*Smack*

"Think of our clan's reputation! It has to be a good date! I won't allow any."

I sigh.

"How... How the hell do you know what I'm thinking!"

Valda grumbles as the carriage begins to move.

"I am your mother. I know you very well."

I place the leather bag protectively between me and her.

"You've only known me for a short time, less than four years!"

She smiles with her eyes closed and puts a hand on her cheek.

"But to me it's how I've known you all your life."

I look out the window to avoid eye contact with her and watch what happens on the street. The houses are made of red brick and the streets are tidy. Tri doesn't look like a city that grew over time, but how it was designed on the drawing board and built according to plan.

The people who don't have magic are all commoners, but according to my information they live a surprisingly good life. People with magic are something of a protector for them and clans are almost worshiped.

Magic makes your life easier and the artifacts, which are created by wizards, are helping in all aspects of daily life. Of course, the clans are always working their image to achieve this. There are strict penalties for harming a non-mage.

I watch the streets with the people. Some of them are leaning over to the carriage. Then we come to the Portal. It is a simple huge ring with wide street leading through it. The portal appears to be made of silver and the sun is being reflected off the surface, which is covered with runes.

A steady stream of carriages is passing through the portal in both directions and we join the queue of waiting carriages. The row is constantly moving and it doesn't take long until we pass.

The capital Nict on the other side is no different from Tri. The only change I can recognize, is that the sun is in a slightly different position in the sky.

"What do you say about the Portal?"

Mom smiles at me.

"Tidy device, but a bit clunky. I could build it smaller if I had the materials."

I continue to pay attention to the streets until I realize that my mother is staring at me with a blank expression.

Then she sighs.

"Don't tell anyone that. That would create an uproar. Why am I surprised by this?"

She mutters as she stares at the roof of the carriage.

I frowned.

"When I tried to escape my dying world, I built a similar teleportation device."

She raises an eyebrow.

"What went wrong?"

I clear my throat.

"That erm... When I activated the teleportation, I could clearly tell that everything worked correctly. It was when I stepped on the platform that I realized something... and that was that I had no idea where I was supposed to teleport . The space is vast and most of it is empty. And I only had one try."

Valda smiles.

"That sounds like something you would do. Ah, it looks like we've arrived."

The carriage stops and we step out into a huge square. There are bigger buildings than I saw earlier all over the city. It's clearly the school's campus. Valda takes me to one of the larger buildings.

"The campus is safe, but you shouldn't walk the streets alone. The carriage will bring you here every morning and take you in the evening, just look for our clan sign on the carriage."

I nod and we go to a large building where we find a secretary waiting for us. Valda fills out some of the documents that are handed to her. Then she hugs me and we say goodbye. A servant leads me into a classroom. The port is marked 1C. From then on I am left to myself.

With no other choice, I enter the class and find it in utter chaos. Kids my age are running left and right as they play with each other and scream. That's hell!

I count eleven boys, including myself, and twenty-nine girls. Quite a large room. Forty students? The teacher's desk is in front of a large chalkboard, while the rows of desks for the students are slightly raised. The classroom looks like a stadium.

"Get moving!"

Suddenly, I'm thrust into the classroom. I look back and find a man in his early forties who makes astonishing movements. He walks over to the teacher's desk and slams his suitcase into it. Then he turns to the class.

"SILENCE! Everyone who hasn't found a seat within ten seconds has to write ten pages with all the letters of the alphabet by morning!"

Everyone stumbles to get a seat, but because I'm still close to the exit, there's no way I'm going to get to the students' desks in time. The rows fill up quickly. Only a few seats are left open in the farthest right corner at the back of the classroom.

A little girl is sitting there. Her hair is black and gradually white at the ends. That seems a little odd to me. I've never seen anyone with two hair colors in this world. Free chairs are arranged around it and I don't have much time to waste.

I throw myself in the chair next to her. Meanwhile, the teacher begins to unpack his things from her. Then I turn to the girl, smiling. First impressions matter.

"Hey! My name is Azir. What's yours?"

The girl looks at me with a confused expression as she presses her lips together, turning them white. She doesn't answer and looks out the window.

How rude! But then I hear the whispers.

"He sat next to the demon!"

"My mom said I shouldn't talk to a returnee."

"Doesn't he know what he fears is he?"

"You shouldn't mix with someone without a clan."