Arcana Two: The High Priestess' Intuition
Inside Arcana Academy, a girl in her room woke up. It was abrupt, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her pillows and sheets were we with sweat. Her breathing ragged, and her eyes darted from corner to corner, however, she couldn't see anything with them. No matter how powerful her magic was, she was permanently blind since her birth. That was not a detriment to her abilities at all.
As a matter of fact, at the young age of 16, she was inducted into the academy as an instructor in Auxillary Magic. She was now 22, and was very frustrated to still carry the figure of a child.
Her sudden shock was what concerned her. It was not normal, and when it did happen, it meant that an event of great significance was about to happen. She called it 'Intuition', and even the Grandmaster knew her 'Intuitions' were never ever wrong. She closed her eyes and tried to read the atmosphere, within and beyond the walls of the Academy. Pushing further, she connected to a Leyline, allowing her to read the entire Mirror World, and Earth at the same time. Normally, it takes a lot of energy from her, but she figured that she was already in bed, even if she passed out it would not be an issue.
What matters is that she found what her 'Intuition' wanted her to know.
She encountered a large surge of power from two distinct places in the Mirror World. One outside the gates, the Spiritron signature of the Grandmaster, and...
"Someone else?" She wondered. Near the Grandmaster was a Spiritron signature of near equal magnitude as his. "That's... impossible..." To find someone even close to the Grandmaster's Spiritron magnitude was extremely unlikely, because he was not even supposed to exist. That was a secret divulged to her, and a select few others. This must be what her 'Intuition' found.
The other surge was from the other side of the Mirror World. Six signatures more powerful than the Grandmaster, and growing stronger. That was a cause for a different concern. They will all have to deal with it in time, but for now, there was no immediate problem.
Just the appearance of a human with the strength of a God.
She heard a knock. "Come in."
A man in a white suit opened the door. Tall, with graying hair and a handlebar mustache. He leaned on the door.
"Madam Alice-"
"Sheridan, I told you, Alice is just fine." The blind girl moved to the side of her bed and found her slippers. "What's your business?"
"Oh, fine. You know pleasantries are part of my personality." The middle-aged man pouted, not that Alice could see.
"It's awkward for everyone involved."
"Ouch!" He held his chest in false pain. "Direct as always, Madam Alice. Well, the opening ceremony is about to start, the Grandmaster wants all instructors there. He specifically asked me to get you."
Alice felt her face flush, but her face remained stoic. Sheridan, however, sensed the short spike in energy. "Did he say why?"
He shook his head. "No reason at all. I'll leave it to your imagination." Sheridan smiled and winked.
"I'll be there in a few then." With a wave of her hand, Alice magically slammed the door in Sheridan's face. The door hit the gentleman's nose, causing him to fall over. He stood up and brushed off his white suit.
"She was quite distressed." He spoke to himself as he walked towards the Grand Hall. "I wonder why?" Alice being in distress was a cause for concern, always. She saw things more in perspective than anyone he knew, except maybe the Grandmaster, but even he trusts her so much that he only rarely uses his own foresight except to confirm hers.
"Time to welcome the new fledgelings. I do hope some interesting ones show up." He made his way to the Grand Hall, the very center of Arcana Academy.
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The Grand Hall was a wide, cavernous space, lit up solely by candlelight. It was a massive space, capable of easily fitting a hundred thousand people. The structure was simple. There were a total of 20 entrances. Seven doors each from the east and the west, three doors each from the north and the south. The north was blocked of by a table higher than the rest, appearing to be on a sort of stage one might find at an auditorium. This was where the instructors sat to eat.
The rest of the area was on flat ground, with five long tables, reaching from end to end. Each table can hold over a thousand people, though there were never that many people there. All the tables were being lined up with food from every culture, so as to appease picky appetites among the fledglings.
None of the food was created through magic. All of it was manually cooked by the staff. Most, if not all of them had a certain standard when it came to food. A common saying passing the kitchen was "Magic gives food no love."
The Grandmaster himself guided the fledglings towards the Grand Hall, before taking his place at the head of the hall. Soon, the chairs were filled with people, finding fast friends, and murmuring consumed the hall. The tables were now near overflowing with food, with the chefs laying down the last of the carefully prepared meals.
Once everything was in place, the Grandmaster stood up and the entire hall felt silent. He swayed his golden hair so that everyone can easily see his face. He cleared his throat and began to speak.
"Welcome to Arcana Academy." He nodded to each of the individual tables. "I'd like to congratulate each and everyone of you for making it this far. You are all aware that a large number of other people have died outside the walls of this institution." A fast wave of murmurings passed. "Let us have a moment of silence for them."
"Arcana Academy is an institution that does not exist in the human world. The same that the world of magic does not exist." He continued. "However, we serve one purpose. The protection of Humanity from the threats it cannot protect itself from. The beasts you encountered are all hostile towards humans, and seek to harm, if not destroy it. They are not the only ones. That is why we exist. I hope all of you understand that, that we dedicate our lives, and would not think twice to give our lives to this cause." He stopped, and let his words sink in. "All of you have been enrolled in this academy because you are all exceptional people, and seek to improve yourselves. Remember this. After you graduate, we do not hold you to anything. You may do as you please. The repercussions of what you do will be yours alone."
"I will say this. Not all of you will survive until then." The atmosphere became tense. "We will do our utmost to keep all safe and alive, hence the strong barrier around this academy, but we can not guarantee anything. You must all be aware of this by now. So become strong and survive."
Alice nodded. She now wore a white dress that complimented her figure very well.
"Isn't he scaring them?" Sheridan whispered to her.
"No. He's being straightforward. You and I both know the dangers of being even remotely related to the world of magic." She leered at him. "We accepted death. If they are scared, let them be." She turned to face the fledgelings. "This is the reality. Some of them were just unfortunate enough to not have a choice."
Sheridan sighed. "You too are way too perfect for each other." He sensed a larger spike of emotional energy from her this time. Soon, he felt his chair burn.
"Finally, I would like to thank you all. After this banquet, you will all be escorted to your own staying areas. Now, let the Opening Banquet commence!" His voice boomed over the hall as fireworks exploded up towards the ceiling, where they showed different figures.
Alice scanned the fledgeling for the one with the same Spiritron magnitude as before, but couldn't find them. She wondered if the person was just good at hiding, but if they were among the new blood, they wouldn't even be aware of their Spiritrons.
She huffed in frustration.
"What's wrong, Alice?" The Grandmaster asked her with concern, causing her to flush once more.
"Nothing." was her fast reply.
"Alice, I know that face. Something's bothering you, isn't it?" He moved his face closer to hers.
She could not see it, but she could feel the heat of his face. 'Yes, you are too close, but at the same time not close enough!' was her thoughts, but "It's nothing to be concerned about." was her answer.
"Ok. Let me know if you don't feel fine." He backed away and went to eating.
'If its here, then they're an ally.' Alice thought as she ate. 'I hope.'