The first thing I registered was the smell.
Antiseptic. Sharp and clinical, the kind that makes your nose wrinkle and your brain immediately associate it with bad news. Then came the sounds—a steady beeping, distant footsteps, muffled voices from somewhere beyond wherever I was.
Hospital. I was in a hospital.
My eyes felt glued shut. It took genuine effort to pry them open, and when I finally managed it, fluorescent lights stabbed directly into my brain. I groaned and immediately regretted making noise, because my head felt like someone had used it as a drum in a very enthusiastic percussion solo.
"Jayden?"
I turned my head—carefully, very carefully—toward the voice. My mom sat in a plastic chair beside the bed, and she looked exhausted. More exhausted than usual, which was saying something. Her work uniform from the diner was wrinkled, her hair was coming loose from its bun, and her eyes had that red-rimmed look that came from either crying or not sleeping.
Probably both.
"Mom?" My voice came out rough, like I'd gargled sandpaper.
Her face crumpled with relief. She was on her feet in an instant, leaning over me, one hand on my shoulder and the other brushing hair back from my forehead. "Oh thank God. You scared me half to death, kiddo."
"What..." I tried to sit up and immediately discovered that was a terrible idea. Pain lanced through my skull. "Ow. What happened?"
"You tell me." Mom eased me back down against the pillows, but her expression had shifted from relief to something more complicated. Worried, yes, but also... was that embarrassment? "They found you unconscious in the girl's bathroom at school. Bleeding from a head wound."
The girl's bathroom.
Oh no.
Memory came flooding back. Marcus. Running. The bathroom. Realizing my mistake. The blonde girl. Trying to peek over the stall and then—
"I slipped," I said quickly. "It was an accident. I wasn't—I didn't—"
"A girl found you," Mom continued, and yeah, that was definitely embarrassment mixed with her concern. "Blonde girl from your class, I think. She got you to the nurse, and they called an ambulance. The school called me, and I had to leave work early."
Guilt hit me like a physical weight. Mom couldn't afford to leave work. Every hour mattered when you were juggling three jobs and barely keeping the lights on.
"I'm sorry," I mumbled.
"Jayden." Mom pulled the chair closer and sat down, taking my hand. Her expression was doing that thing where she was trying to be serious but also deeply uncomfortable. "I know you're fifteen. I know that boys your age start... noticing things. Having certain interests. It's completely natural and—"
"Mom, please no."
"—and I'm not going to judge you for being curious, but—"
"Mom, I'm begging you."
"—the girl's bathroom? Really?" She was trying so hard not to laugh. I could see it in the way her lips twitched. "Of all the places to satisfy your curiosity, you picked the one place where you were guaranteed to get caught?"
"I wasn't peeping!" My face felt like it was on fire. "I was hiding from Marcus because I owe him money, and I ran into the wrong bathroom by accident, and then someone came in so I hid in a stall, and then I slipped and hit my head on the toilet. It was not—none of that was intentional!"
Mom studied my face for a long moment. Then she sighed and squeezed my hand. "Okay. I believe you. Only you would have luck that bad."
"Right? Thank you. Can we please never talk about this again?"
"We're definitely talking about this again," she said, but she was smiling now. Then the smile faded. "The doctors said you have a concussion. You need to rest. No school for a few days. And Jayden?" Her grip on my hand tightened. "You scared me. When they called and said you were unconscious... I thought..."
She didn't finish, but she didn't have to. I knew what she thought. The same thing she always thought when something bad happened: that she was going to lose me too, like she'd lost Dad.
"I'm okay, Mom. I promise."
"You'd better be." She wiped at her eyes quickly, then stood up. "I need to get back to work. Your shift at the diner starts in an hour, and you know how Sandra gets when people are late. But I'll be back tonight to check on you, okay?"
"Mom, you don't have to—"
"I'll be back tonight," she repeated firmly. Then she leaned down and kissed my forehead. "Love you, kiddo. Try not to stumble into any more bathrooms while I'm gone."
"That's the plan."
She gathered her purse and headed for the door, but paused at the threshold. "Oh, and Jayden? The blonde girl who found you left her name with the nurse. Emma something. You should thank her when you get back to school. She probably saved your life."
Emma. The blonde girl had a name.
Great. Now I owed a stranger my life because of the most embarrassing incident in my entire existence.
Mom left, and I was alone with the beeping machines and my thoughts. Which was dangerous, because my thoughts immediately went to the dream.
Because it had to be a dream. Right?
Magic academy. Goblins. Newton with his gadgets and tokens. The entrance exam. Fighting that massive Goblin General and—
I flexed my right hand experimentally.
Pain shot through my palm.
I froze.
Slowly, like I was defusing a bomb, I lifted my hand to look at it. There was a bandage wrapped around it. Clean, white, professional medical gauze.
Why was my hand bandaged?
With trembling fingers, I started unwrapping the gauze. Layer after layer came off, falling onto the blanket, until finally my palm was exposed.
A puncture wound. Clean, circular, going straight through from front to back. Exactly where the dagger had—
No.
No, that was impossible.
The head wound was real. I'd hit my head on the toilet. That explained the hospital, the concussion, everything. But my hand...
I stared at the wound. Touched it gently with my other hand and immediately regretted it when pain flared. It was real. Completely, undeniably real.
My head wound explained the hospital.
But nothing explained this.
They kept me overnight for observation. Something about concussion protocol and making sure I didn't have brain swelling or internal bleeding or whatever other cheerful possibilities hospitals liked to worry about.
I didn't sleep.
Couldn't sleep.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the Goblin General's yellow eyes. Felt the dagger materializing in my palm. Heard Newton's voice yelling instructions while electricity crackled from his gauntlet.
It was real. It had to be real. The wound proved it.
But how?
I'd been in school. In the bathroom. Hit my head and then... woke up in another world? For hours? Took an entrance exam, fought monsters, nearly died, and then woke up in the school nurse's office like no time had passed?
None of it made sense.
By morning, I'd convinced myself I was losing my mind. Concussion-induced psychosis. That was a thing, right? The wound in my hand had some other explanation. Maybe I'd grabbed something sharp when I fell. Maybe I'd—
"Good morning, Mr. Jalayan." A nurse poked her head in, all business and clipboards. "How are we feeling?"
"Like I got hit in the head," I said honestly.
"Well, you did." She checked my vitals with practiced efficiency. "Doctor's cleared you for discharge. Your mother called—she'll pick you up after her shift ends at two. Until then, just rest. And avoid bathrooms." She said it completely straight-faced.
Great. The hospital staff was joking about it. This was my life now.
After she left, I spent the next few hours staring at the ceiling and trying to convince myself I was sane. The TV in the corner played daytime talk shows I didn't watch. Other patients shuffled past in the hallway. Everything was normal, mundane, real.
Not like magic academies and goblins. Those were crazy. I was crazy for even considering—
My phone buzzed on the side table.
I grabbed it, grateful for any distraction, and found a text from a number I didn't recognize.
Unknown: Hey, this is Emma. The nurse gave me your number. Just wanted to check if you're okay? That was a pretty bad fall.
Emma. The blonde girl who'd found me.
I stared at the message for a long moment, then typed back:
Me: Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for helping me. And sorry you had to see... that. Most embarrassing moment of my life.
Her response came almost immediately.
Emma: Don't worry about it! Just glad you're okay. See you at school when you're better!
Short, sweet, normal.
I set the phone down and went back to staring at the ceiling.
Normal. Everything was normal.
Except for the hole in my hand that shouldn't exist.
Mom picked me up at two-thirty, apologizing profusely for being late even though I told her it was fine. She'd brought me a change of clothes—my most comfortable hoodie and jeans—and kept shooting me worried glances during the drive home.
"You sure you're okay?" she asked for the fifth time.
"I'm fine, Mom. Promise."
"You'd tell me if something was wrong, right? If you were having trouble at school, or with Marcus, or—"
"Mom." I put a hand on her arm. "I'm fine. It was just a stupid accident."
She didn't look convinced, but she nodded and focused on driving.
Our apartment building looked exactly the same as always. Faded brick, narrow hallways that smelled like cooking from a dozen different apartments, stairs that creaked no matter how carefully you stepped. Home.
"I've got the night shift at the gas station," Mom said as we climbed to the third floor. "There's leftovers in the fridge. Don't stay up too late, and if your head starts hurting worse, you call me immediately. Understand?"
"Yes, Mom."
"I'm serious, Jayden."
"I know."
She hugged me tight before she left for work, holding on just a moment longer than necessary. Then she was gone, and I was alone in our small apartment with my thoughts and the hole in my hand.
I went to my room and collapsed on my bed.
Everything was normal. School, home, Mom working herself to exhaustion. This was reality. The other thing—New Genesis, magic, all of it—was just a concussion dream. It had to be.
I believed that right up until I saw the envelope on my pillow.
Pristine. Cream-colored paper. Sealed with what looked like an actual wax seal bearing some kind of crest.
My heart started pounding.
No one had been in my room. Mom hadn't mentioned anything. The apartment had been locked.
So where did this come from?
I picked up the envelope with shaking hands. It was real—solid, slightly textured paper that felt expensive. The kind of thing that didn't just appear out of nowhere.
I broke the seal and pulled out the letter inside.
Jayden Jalayan,
Congratulations on your admission to New Genesis Academy.
Your performance in the entrance examination has been noted with interest. Despite having no prior magical training, you successfully eliminated a Goblin General—a feat that has not been accomplished by an incoming student in over a decade.
You are hereby accepted as a student of New Genesis Academy, Rank: Gamma.
Orientation begins three days from receipt of this letter. Failure to attend will result in immediate forfeiture of your position.
As a student residing on Earth, you have been granted the transfer spell to facilitate movement between worlds. The incantation is as follows:
"Mystic Arts: New Genesis"
IMPORTANT: This spell may only be used THREE times per day, per student. The limitation is enforced by cosmic law and cannot be circumvented. Plan your travels accordingly.
Your uniform, supplies, and dormitory assignment await you at the academy. Further instructions will be provided upon your arrival.
Welcome to New Genesis Academy. May your path lead to enlightenment.
- Office of Student Affairs
New Genesis Academy
I read the letter three times.
Then a fourth.
The words didn't change.
It was real. All of it. The exam, the Goblin General, Newton, the magic—everything.
And I could go back.
Three times a day. The spell right there, written in elegant script.
My hands were shaking so badly I almost dropped the letter. Questions swirled through my mind faster than I could process them. How was this possible? How did the letter get here? What did my dad have to do with all this? Was he there, at New Genesis? Would I find answers?
I looked at my bedroom door. Mom was gone. I was alone.
I could test it. Right now. Just say the words and see what happened.
If nothing happened, I'd know for sure I was crazy. Could get help, deal with the concussion, move on with my life.
But if something did happen...
I stood up, the letter clutched in one hand. My heart hammered against my ribs. This was insane. Completely, utterly insane.
"Okay," I whispered to my empty room. "Let's see if I've lost my mind."
I took a deep breath and spoke clearly:
"Mystic Arts: New Genesis."
For one horrible second, nothing happened, and I felt like an absolute idiot standing in my bedroom talking to thin air.
Then blue light erupted around me.
It started as a faint glow at my feet, then rapidly spread upward like I was being scanned by something. The light was warm, almost alive, and it hummed with a frequency I could feel in my bones.
My room started to dissolve.
Not violently—it was gentle, like watercolors bleeding together. The walls, my bed, the posters I'd taped up years ago, all of it faded into streams of color and light. I felt weightless, untethered, like I was falling upward through water.
There was a moment—just a moment—of absolute nothing. No sight, no sound, no sensation except the certainty that I was moving between spaces that shouldn't connect.
Then reality reformed.
I stumbled as my feet hit solid ground, my equilibrium completely shot. The blue light faded, and I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden change.
Stone beneath my feet. Not carpet—stone. Smooth, cool, etched with faint glowing lines that pulsed like a slow heartbeat.
I was standing in a circular chamber, maybe twenty feet across. The walls were carved from what looked like white marble, decorated with symbols and patterns that hurt to look at directly. Other circles identical to mine dotted the floor, and as I watched, blue light flared in one of them.
A girl materialized—tall, dark-skinned, wearing a pristine white uniform. Apex rank. She didn't even glance at me, just stepped out of her circle and walked toward an archway with the confidence of someone who did this every day.
"New student?" A voice asked.
I turned to find a woman in official-looking robes standing near the entrance. She had a clipboard—because apparently even magical academies had bureaucracy—and was giving me an appraising look.
"Uh," I said eloquently. "Yes?"
"Name?"
"Jayden. Jayden Jalayan."
She consulted her clipboard, made a mark, and nodded. "Gamma rank. Welcome to New Genesis Academy. The Gamma dormitories are through the main courtyard, west wing, building three. You'll find your room assignment posted on the dormitory bulletin board. Orientation is in three days. Don't be late."
"Right. Thanks. Where—"
But she'd already turned to greet another arriving student, clearly done with me.
I stepped out of the transfer circle and through the archway, and—
Holy hell.
The pictures in fantasy books didn't do it justice. Neither did my memories from the exam. I was standing on a raised platform that overlooked a massive courtyard, and beyond that, the New Genesis Academy campus spread out like something from a dream.
Buildings that mixed classical architecture with impossible geometry. Towers that spiraled upward past the clouds. Gardens that glowed with bioluminescent plants. Bridges made of solid light connecting structures that floated in midair. And everywhere—everywhere—students in colored uniforms moving between buildings, practicing magic, or just existing in this impossible place.
The sky above was wrong. Not Earth's sky—this one had two moons visible even in daylight, and the clouds moved in patterns that seemed almost deliberate.
"It's something, isn't it?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Newton stood beside me, grinning behind his glasses. He was wearing his blue Beta uniform—the padded jacket and cargo pants somehow looking more official than when I'd seen him during the exam.
"Newton!" Relief flooded through me. "You're real. This is real. I didn't imagine—"
"Imagine fighting a Goblin General with a dagger through your hand? Nope, that definitely happened." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Welcome back! I was starting to wonder if you'd figure out the transfer spell. Some Earth students don't check their rooms and miss orientation entirely."
"The letter was on my pillow. In my locked apartment. How did—"
"Magic," Newton said cheerfully. "Specifically, authorized delivery spells keyed to accepted students. Don't think about it too hard, you'll give yourself a headache." He started walking, and I followed automatically. "Come on, I'll show you around. Gamma dorms aren't fancy, but they're not terrible. I'm in Beta housing, but it's close enough we can hang out."
We descended a wide staircase into the courtyard. Up close, everything was even more impressive. The stone walkways had those same glowing lines I'd seen in the transfer chamber, pulsing gently with blue light. Students passed us—some alone, others in groups, all wearing their rank colors.
I got stares. Lots of stares.
I was still in my Earth clothes—hoodie and jeans—with bandages on my head and hand. I looked like I'd wandered in from a completely different world.
Which, to be fair, I had.
"So," Newton said as we walked, "how are you handling the whole 'magic is real and you live in two worlds now' thing?"
"I spent all day yesterday convincing myself I was crazy."
"And now?"
I looked around at the impossible architecture, the floating buildings, the student practicing what looked like fire magic in a designated training circle. "Now I'm pretty sure I'm still crazy, but at least the crazy is consistent."
Newton laughed. "Fair enough. Oh, by the way—you're kind of famous."
"You mentioned that before. What do you mean famous?"
"Well, you killed a Goblin General on your first day with zero training. That's... unprecedented. People are talking. Some think it's impressive. Others think it was a fluke. The nobles mostly think you got lucky and don't deserve your spot."
"Great. I was hoping to keep a low profile."
"Yeah, that ship has sailed." Newton guided me toward a cluster of buildings at the west side of campus. They were noticeably less grand than the central structures—more utilitarian, less decorative. "The academy runs on a ranking system, remember? Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Omega, Apex. You're starting at the bottom."
"Because of course I am."
"But!" Newton held up a finger. "Rankings aren't permanent. We have evaluation exams every two months. Performance determines rank changes. Win enough, prove yourself, and you can move up. Fail too much, and you move down. Or get expelled."
"Expelled. Fantastic."
We reached a building that looked like a large dormitory—three stories, solid construction, but definitely showing its age compared to the pristine buildings near the center of campus. A wooden sign proclaimed it "Gamma Dormitory - Building 3."
"Home sweet home," Newton said. "Boys' rooms are on the second floor, girls' on third, common room and facilities on first. Room assignments are inside. The bulletin board should have your name."
We entered a common room that was... fine. Not fancy, but not terrible. Worn but clean couches, a few tables, bookshelves that looked well-used. A handful of students in green uniforms looked up when we entered, then immediately went back to their conversations or studies.
The bulletin board was near the entrance, covered in notices, schedules, and a list of room assignments. I found my name quickly:
Jayden Jalayan - Room 23
"Second floor, end of the hall," Newton said, reading over my shoulder. "Not bad. End rooms are quieter. Want to check it out?"
"Yeah. And Newton?" I turned to face him. "Thanks. For helping me during the exam. For showing me around now. For... everything."
He pushed his glasses up and smiled. "Hey, what are friends for? Besides, someone needs to make sure you don't accidentally kill yourself. Your bad luck is concerning."
"Tell me about it."
We climbed the stairs to the second floor. The hallway was narrow but clean, with numbered doors on either side. I found Room 23 at the end—a simple wooden door with my name already written on a small plaque beside it.
I pushed it open.
The room was small. A bed, a desk, a wardrobe, and a window that overlooked the campus. Simple, functional, nothing fancy. But it was mine.
And on the bed, neatly folded, was a green uniform.
I walked over and picked it up. The fabric was soft, well-made, and definitely custom—the measurements were perfect. The New Genesis crest was embroidered on the chest in silver thread.
"Your uniform," Newton said from the doorway. "You'll need to wear it for classes and official events. Earth clothes are fine for casual stuff, but professors get cranky if you show up to lectures dressed like a civilian."
I held up the uniform. It really did look like a tracksuit—athletic, practical, with lots of pockets. Exactly the kind of thing I'd have chosen if given the option.
"Three days until orientation," Newton continued. "That gives you time to get familiar with the campus, meet other students, maybe start learning some basic magic theory. I can help with that, if you want."
"I want." I set the uniform down carefully. "But Newton... I need to ask you something."
"Shoot."
"My dad. Jason Jalayan. Do you know anything about him? Was he a student here? Is he... here?"
Newton's expression shifted—something complicated flashing across his face. "I've heard the name. My family keeps records of notable alumni, and your father's name comes up in some pretty interesting contexts. But I don't know much beyond rumors."
"What kind of rumors?"
"The kind that involve Equivalent Exchange and cosmic debts." Newton leaned against the doorframe. "Look, I don't know the details, but your dad was definitely connected to New Genesis. And whatever he did, it was significant enough that people still talk about it fifteen years later."
My hand throbbed—the one with the puncture wound. "Do you think he's alive?"
"I think," Newton said carefully, "that if he's not here, someone at this academy knows where he is. Or what happened to him. You just have to find the right person to ask."
A door opened down the hallway, and another student emerged—a guy in a green uniform who shot us a curious glance before heading toward the stairs.
"Come on," Newton said. "Let me show you where the cafeteria is. You haven't eaten since the hospital, right? And then I'll give you the full campus tour. Can't have you getting lost on your first day."
"Yeah. Okay." I took one last look at my room—my room in a magical academy in another world—and followed Newton into the hallway.
As we walked, I couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said. My dad was connected to this place. People still talked about him. And somewhere in this academy, there were answers.
I just had to survive long enough to find them.
The cafeteria was massive and organized by rank, because of course it was. Gammas ate in one section, Betas in another, and so on up the hierarchy. The food was the same regardless of rank—something Newton assured me was one of the few truly equal things about New Genesis—but the seating areas got progressively nicer as you went up.
I grabbed a tray of food that looked surprisingly normal (some kind of roasted meat, vegetables, bread) and followed Newton to the Gamma section.
"So," I said as we sat down at an empty table, "three uses per day of the transfer spell. How do most students manage that?"
Newton swallowed a bite of bread. "Most Earth students use one transfer in the morning to come here for classes, one in the evening to go home, and save the third for emergencies. Classes here run from noon to evening, so you can still attend Earth school in the morning if you want to keep up appearances."
"Wait, we have to go to regular school AND magic school?"
"Only if you want to maintain your Earth life. Some students just stay here full-time, but that's hard if you have family back home who'd notice you vanishing." He paused. "Your mom doesn't know about this, right?"
"No. And I need to keep it that way. She's got enough to worry about."
"Then you'll need to be strategic. Morning transfer to attend classes here, evening transfer back home. Maybe skip some Earth school days, fake being sick, whatever works." Newton's expression turned serious. "But Jayden? Living two lives is exhausting. Don't underestimate how hard it's going to be."
I looked around the cafeteria. Students everywhere, laughing and talking and just existing in this impossible place like it was normal. Because for them, it was.
"I don't have a choice," I said quietly. "My dad left me that letter. He wanted me here. And I need to know why."
"Then we'll figure it out together." Newton raised his glass of what looked like juice but glowed faintly. "To terrible decisions and the bad luck that makes them inevitable."
I clinked my glass against his. "To bad luck."
We drank, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered what I'd just gotten myself into.
But for the first time in my life, I wasn't running away from something.
I was running toward answers.
Even if my bad luck would probably make the journey as painful as possible.