After checking the room briefly, Alex turned towards the desk where some books were placed.
There were three books:
Mana Introduction
Spell Theory
Language for Dummies
They were slim, new books. He picked up Language for Dummies. It wasn't about a foreign language but a simple introduction to magic runes and symbolic logic to shape a spell. The first page showed a magic circle with a triangle in its middle, etched with runes.
As he read the first page, a question arose in his heart: how was he able to understand it, according to his memories? He had never learned this language. The writing should have been gibberish.
He stared at the page. Still wondering about the unnatural understanding, when the watch on his hand started ringing. He checked it.
[Dinner Time]
[West Wing Cafeteria]
It was time for dinner. Alex closed the book, straightened his clothes, and opened the door.
The hallway outside was no longer empty.
Students streamed towards the cafeteria for dinner. All moving in the same direction. Alex observed the flow of uniforms.
"Alex"
Blake's door opened beside him. "Let's go together," he said. "Better hurry up. My body is feeling like I haven't eaten in ages."
Alex nodded, because he was having the same feeling now.
They both moved towards the cafeteria, all while Alex was giving occasional nods as Blake talked non-stop.
"Alex, you don't know," Blake chattered as they walked. "My sister said the food here doesn't taste good. She said, "Sometimes students died because of the terrible taste of the food."
As Blake was sharing his grim podcast, they arrived at the entrance of the cafeteria. It was less like the hell Blake had described, with students dying because of horrible food. The scene in front of him was more like a banquet for the wealthy.
The hall wasn't filled with silence. There were occasional hums and laughter echoing through it.
The servers weren't humans, but the food was automatically delivered like magic.
Alex, after observing for a while, turned his head towards Blake. His eyes were clearly asking, Where is the scene you told me about?
Blake, seeing the question in Alex's eyes, started sweating and said, "I don't know! It was all what my sister said. "He mumbled, his voice faded to a mosquito-like whisper at the end, too ashamed to speak louder.
Alex nodded, too lazy to question further. At this stage, even a child would know that his sister had been lying to him.
They both found an empty seat and sat. The food arrived on its own. It included soft bread with mutton stew. Seeing the food, Alex swallowed his saliva. The smell of the food hitting his nostrils was the most beautiful scent he had ever made contact with.
Alex and Blake both looked at each other, smiled, and then started eating like hungry ghosts.
Alex was in the midst of eating when Blake shook his elbow. Alex looked towards him.
Blake pointed in a specific direction.
Alex looked over and saw two girls entering the cafeteria. One with blue hair and a face so cold it seemed like winter itself. The other had golden hair with an upright nose, as if the world owed her everything.
"The girl with the blue hair is the cousin of the water kingdom's empress. Her name is Mikayla," Blake said, pointing towards the first girl. "And the girl with the arrogant personality is the daughter of the King of Aethelgard. Her name's Ariel."
Even across the room, the student's chatter and laughter died down. All focus shifted from food to the newcomers.
Alex barely looked, then focused his attention back on his meal. His face said clearly: it's none of my business.
Blake, seeing Alex's uninterested look, also wisely shut his mouth and focused on finishing his meal.
They each finished their meal when the watches on their wrists started buzzing again. On the screen, a message flashed:
[15 minutes until curfew. Return to dormitories. Non-compliance may result in expulsion.]
Seeing the announcement, students quickly stood up and began returning to their dormitories. Alex and Blake joined the crowd.
At his room door, Alex said goodbye to Blake and entered his own room.
After changing into the sleepwear already in the closet, he lay on the bed. Maybe it was exhaustion from the day's events, or something else, but his eyes grew heavy, and sleep instantly enveloped him.
The next day after waking, Alex changed into a fresh uniform and met Blake at the entrance of his room. Together, they both ate breakfast and then headed towards the classroom according to the route their watch indicated.
The classroom was different from yesterday. Now they were on a training ground. Students were gathering in small clusters, each examining the ground with a mix of anxiety and anticipation for their first lecture.
Instructor Gordon entered the training ground. His posture was upright, his back straight. The same disdain was present on his never-smiling face.
"Attention," Gordon shouted. His deep voice snapped the students out of their murmuring.
"Today you will not learn fancy spells." Gordon paused for a few seconds and continued.
Then his lips twisted into something that was not a smile.
"But..."