I Woke Up In A Completely Different World!

Kanna: "We"re here! I can see the city walls from here!"

I agreed to be a "servant" to Kanna, or apprentice according to some of the others, for her Magic Power in return. Thankfully, she hasn"t been demanding and only asks me to do menial tasks. Though I wasn"t required to do so, I"ve been calling her master. I only did it because I thought it sounded cool, and she didn"t mind it when we were on the Isle.

Steven: "Did you get everything, master?"

Kanna: "Don"t call me that!"

Steven: "Why not? I"ve been calling you that on the Isle."

Kanna: "It"s fine back on the Isle, but here, just call me by my name, Kanna."

Steven: "If that"s what you want, Kanna."

She didn"t carry too much baggage and I only had the backpack that was found alongside me. Everything inside was soaked from the ocean and I threw everything out, keeping some minor items and the sword, Nikitis, that was presented to me by the Elder after I did the contract.

Kanna: "My home is just past the gate."

So this is Everhand? The walls that encircle the city are huge and look like they can stretch on for miles. The gate had what looked like a small guard post and only a couple of guards were guarding the gate. We went through without any problem and the city made my jaw drop. It was amazing! Everything was made of red brick and stone. Some of the more important looking buildings were even decorated with arches. I could wander around for hours and not know half the wonders hidden in this city! This place is nothing like Los Angeles!

Kanna: "What do you think? It"s not like Toku Village, huh?"

Steven: "It"s amazing!"

Kanna: "We can look around later, let"s go to my home first."

As we walked, the city seemed modular. Some of the townhouses had shops and the housing was above them, kind of like my family"s restaurant back home.

Kanna: "This is it, home sweet home."

We arrive at one of the townhomes; there"s a sign saying "Yuuna"s Elixirs." I thought that with Kanna being a n.o.ble, she would be living in a mansion, but this looks pretty middle cla.s.s to me. Unless of course, she"s only considered n.o.bility on the Isle or she might be one those "frugal" people I see back home. Upon entering, we were in what looked like a herbal store. Different kinds of herbs and bottles lined the shelves and we were greeted by another Nekomata, just like Kanna.

Lady: "Welcome to Yuuna"s Elixirs! Oh Kanna! How I"ve missed you!"

She"s definitely royalty, dressed in an elegant satin dress and her hair long, prim and proper. Her ears appear a little smaller than Kanna"s. She"s very beautiful, young, and well-endowed. So young that she might be Kanna"s sister.

Lady: "How was Toku Village? And who"s this stranger?"

Kanna: "Mom! You won"t believe it!"

Mother?! Just how old is she?

Kanna: "I found him on the beach!"

Lady: "You don"t just find someone on the beach, Kitten."

Kanna: "But mom, I"m serious! He really washed up on the beach, you can even ask Uncle!"

Lady: "Well, alright, but why did you bring him here?"

Kanna: "Because he agreed to be my servant. We even did the ceremony."

Lady: "Oh, my stupid brother…"

For some reason, this feels like a television show; it"s set up like one too. In fact, I think I know how to introduce myself!

Lady: "It was his idea wasn"t it?"

Kanna: "No, it was mine!"

Yuuna: "Was it now?"

Kanna: "Yes, you can even ask him."

They both turn their attention to me.

Yuuna: "My name is Yuuna Hisakawa, I own this shop."

Now"s my chance!

Steven: "My name is Steven Omeo, I am a servant to your daughter, Kanna Hisakawa. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, I"d be more than happy to lend an ear to the mother of my master. I apologize for any inconveniences I may cause."

This is so much like a T.V. show; I"m getting too excited. I even did a bow, leaving them both speechless for a minute and in awe. I think I overdid it.

Kanna: "I-I… I told you not to call me master!"

Yuuna: "Ohoho! He"s more than perfect! But can he cook? If he"s going to be a servant, he needs to cook."

A test? I always did help out in my family"s restaurant; maybe I can try and cook something from the menu.

Steven: "I"d be more than happy to cook, may I see the kitchen?"

Yuuna: "Yes, please, come this way."

This place really is a townhouse. Behind the store, there was the living room, where a fireplace, coffee table, sofa, and lounge chair were. It was evenly spread apart, giving enough room to walk around freely and had a warm feeling to it. Heading into the kitchen in the back, it was as open and had a lot of room for me to work in. A stone oven was present and the first idea that came to mind was a pizza. I could easily make one from scratch. Though, there was a problem, can Kanna and Yuuna digest cheese? If they"re part cat, they might be lactose intolerant.

Steven: "Can you eat cheese?"

Yuuna: "Yeah, we both can, what did you have in mind?"

Steven: "A pizza."

Yuuna: "That sounds good. You can go ahead and get started. Kanna can stay, if she wants, I have to go and keep the store."

Before I did start, I made sure I had everything I needed. I was really surprised to see that they actually had the utensils I"d need and most of the ingredients on hand. Laying my bag down, I rubbed my hands together, ready to start.

Kanna: "What are you doing?"

Does she have to watch me so close? I don"t mind but I do need s.p.a.ce to work. Actually, I wonder if she"ll help. If not, I"ll tease her to get to back up a bit.

Steven: "I"m making art, Nosy Nellie!"

Kanna: "Kanna! I told you to call me Kanna!"

She sure can be cute; I reached out to pet her, making her blush and pull her sunhat overhead. Something she always does when I pet her, like a turtle hiding in their sh.e.l.l.

Steven: "Are you alright?"

Kanna: "Yes, I just wanted to help."

Steven: "You wanted to help? Well, why didn"t you say so? Let"s get started!"

I could"ve actually use her help, I don"t know how to turn the oven on. There"s no dials or anything. When I asked, she used fire magic to start it, surprising me.

Kanna: "There! It should take 30 minutes to heat up completely."

30 minutes? That should be enough time to make everything. Starting out, I began with the dough. Grabbing a large bowl, I began to dissolve yeast in 2 cups of warm water. Then I added in 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, 1 and a half teaspoons of salt, and 2 cups of flour, moderately beating it together for a few minutes. Adding in 4 more cups of flour to make a soft dough, turning it onto a floured surface Kanna prepared. Letting her knead the dough, I began to work on the sauce. Using another bowl to stir in 16 ounces of tomato sauce, 1 and a half teaspoons of grated onion, a teaspoon of dried oregano, a quarter teaspoon of salt, and an eighth teaspoon of pepper.

Kanna: "Wow, you"re really good at this."

Steven: "Thanks, my mother taught me. My parents actually wanted me to take over their restaurant when I graduated from school."

Kanna: "Do you miss her?"

Steven: "I do."

I wish I could see her again...

I start to tear up a bit. She reached out to pat me on the head as if I would enjoy it as she does. Still, it felt nice.

Kanna: "I"m sure you"ll see them again."

Steven: "Let"s finish making this pizza first, shall we?"

Kanna: "Of course, the oven should be ready by now."

Setting aside the sauce, I divided the dough in half and rolled each into a circle before moving them each on a greased pan; building up the edges slightly. Setting them in the oven until they became a light brown and with Kanna, spreading the sauce before sprinkling the cheese, sliced pepperoni, sliced red and green peppers, olives, a bit of onion, with a touch of basil. Letting it bake back in the oven for another 20 minutes until the cheese melted.

Yuuna: "My, it"s been more than an hour and it smells wonderful in here!"

Steven: "You can have a slice right now if you"re hungry."

Yuuna: "Yes, please, I"m a bit peckish."

Cutting the pizza up, I gave her a slice and she eagerly bit into it. Her eyes lighting up, the joy in her face made me forget why I made it in the first place. Kanna, just as eager as her mother, grabbed a slice and began to eat it. They"re just like how my cats back home were when I fed them. It makes me smile!

Yuuna: "This is amazing! Where did you learn to cook like this?"

Steven: "Thank you, my mother taught me."

Yuuna: "Your mother must be someone amazing!"

Steven: "She"s my superhero."

Kanna: "That"s right! I"ll be right back, I need to get something!"

As if she had just remembered something, Kanna ran out of the kitchen. We both looked out in her direction, confused.

Steven: "What was that about?"

Yuuna: "I have no idea, sorry, she can be a bit impulsive at times."

I think I"m used to it at this point.

Yuuna: "What else can you make?"

Steven: "Hmm, I can make appetizers like stuffed peppers."

Yuuna: "Yeah, I think I"m going to keep you."

I had my hand on the counter and she reaches out with hers to hold it. What the h.e.l.l is she trying to do? I pull away and she looks at me perplexed. Am I overreacting? Kanna comes back in quietly with a bundle of papers and hands them to me. Looking at them, they were an application for "The Mage"s Academy." I just got here and she already wants me to sign up for school?

Kanna: "You can go with me and learn magic!"

Yuuna: "Kitten, he just got here, he should settle in first."

Kanna: "But mom! Tomorrow"s the last day for late applicants!"

When I think about it, I could really go and learn magic. It would be better than just lounging around all day, too. I could even be with Kanna there.

Steven: "It"s fine, if my master wishes, I"ll go to the Academy with her."

Kanna: "I— I told you not to call me master!"

Yuuna: "You don"t have to yell, kitten. Could you buy me more ingredients for my shop, please?"

Kanna: "What do I buy?"

Yuuna: "Foxglove, Senna alexandrina, Angelica, and Thyme."

Kanna: "I"ll be right back!"

After Kanna left, it became me and Yuuna. Looking back at the application, it looks like a simple application and by telling from the start date, the first day is a week from now. I could actually get settled in and be ready for school by then. Asking Yuuna for a pen, I begin to fill out the application.

Yuuna: "I"ll help you out with it."

She moves to my side, our arms touching each other. Are Nekomatas so familiar with strangers? This is making me uncomfortable.

Steven: "Excuse me, Yuuna, do you have to be so close?"

Yuuna: "Sorry, I don"t have my gla.s.ses, so it"s hard to see."

She"s not moving away. Oh well, if she can"t see, then it should be fine. Going back to the application, it was easy to fill out at first, asking my personal details like my name and place of residence.

Yuuna: "Has my daughter been considerate?"

Steven: "She has."

Yuuna: "She hasn"t made you do something you"re not comfortable with, right?"

Steven: "No, why do you ask?"

Yuuna: "I just want to know if I raised her right."

Steven: "You have, she"s a very kind girl."

It was going well and had a few b.u.mps, like race, I"m human, not elf, and my date of birth. Yuuna helped me with those until we hit the "professional details" of the application. Current occupation? They don"t need to know this, do they?

Yuuna: "Just write what you did before."

Steven: "I was a student."

Yuuna: "A student? Just make something up then. They won"t check it, I did it when I was younger."

Steven: "What if I write Narco down?"

Yuuna: "What"s that?"

Steven: "An occupation."

I giggle.

If Yuuna doesn"t know that a Narco is a South American drug baron is, then it"s safe to a.s.sume no one else here does. It was fine with me, even though I"ll be the only one that"ll get the joke. Lucas would probably be dying from laughter if he saw this. The rest of the application, on the other hand, was easy to fill out and I finished it up rather quickly.

Yuuna: "Now we wait, I"ll show you to your room."

I feel like I made the right choice, I"d be going to school with Kanna from now on. I"d have to wait until tomorrow and see if I do get accepted. In the meantime, I"d slowly start to settle in this new world, almost forgetting why I did end up here.

(A week later)

Kanna: "Hurry up! We"re going to be late!"

The first week in Everhand flew by fast. Kanna and Yuuna showed me as much of the city as possible, from the local markets, to the landmarks. I felt like a tourist, and they were the locals showing off their home city.

Steven: "I"m ready, let"s go."

I was still in awe with the city, a medieval feeling would overwhelm me and I felt like I was in a game. I wished Lucas and William saw this, they"d probably run around like it was an amus.e.m.e.nt park.

Kanna: "How are you holding up?

Steven: "Fine, it could be worse."

Kanna: "That"s good."

I reach out and pat her on the head. She stops dead in her tracks, pulling her sunhat over her head to hide her face. I forgot that she doesn"t want to be petted in public. It comes instinctively, she might look human, her ears are that of a cat and even has a tail. I can"t help but make the resemblance.

Kanna: "Do you really like petting me or something?"

Steven: "I"m sorry, I forgot that you don"t like it in public."

Kanna: "It"s not a matter of whether I like it or not. You don"t pet me in public."

Steven: "Of course, sorry master."

Kanna: "And call me Kanna!"

We continued on and arrived at the Academy. This place wasn"t too bad. It looked like it was just built and the buildings were spread out nicely surrounding a beautiful courtyard with a large fountain in the middle.

Kanna: "Remember, it"s a half-day today and my cla.s.s is that way, I"ll catch you later."

Steven: "See ya."

I"m left on my own to figure out where I need to go. It would"ve been nice if she told me where my cla.s.s was. The administration seemed pretty sloppy here, after the entrance exam they just told me to show up. I walked around aimlessly until I found the admin building. As I entered it, the building seemed empty at first when I called out.

Steven: "h.e.l.lo?"

A man popped up and hit his head against the desk. It looked painful and I cringed.

Receptionist: "Ow, y-yes? The admin building is closed right now."

Steven: "Closed? How am I supposed to find my cla.s.s then?"

Receptionist: "Oh, are you a new student?"

Steven: "Yeah, they told me to show up after my entrance exams."

Receptionist: "Are you Steven Omeo?"

Steven: "Yeah, I am."

Receptionist: "You aced every subject except for the ones pertaining magic! Even though it"s a Mage"s Academy, the headmaster took an interest in you."

Every subject except magic, how the did I ace history and magic? The exams themselves were mostly easy. They involved simple mathematics, reading comprehension. The same stuff I learned back home. The last two were history and magic which I both guessed on, but if I pa.s.sed those, I"m not going to question it.

Steven: "Is that a good thing?"

Receptionist: "Yes, you should be able to get into any cla.s.s you want."

Steven: "What are you waiting for then? Let"s go see the headmaster!"

I was pretty excited when I heard that I had a choice of which cla.s.sroom I get to be in. I rushed the receptionist and went straight for the headmaster. His office being with the other cla.s.srooms. We went through the building and arrived at the headmaster"s office. Several other students seemingly waiting outside as well.

Steven: "Now what? There"s a line outside."

Receptionist: "It shouldn"t matter. He called for you personally, that"s hasn"t happened since the school was remodeled. Just go through, I"ll head back to the admin building if you need any more help."

He leaves me on my own. Was he scared of the headmaster? I turned the office and tried to enter before being stopped by one of the students. As I was about to enter, he grabbed my arm forcibly as to stop me. I tried shaking him loose but to no avail.

Hot-headed Student: "Are you stupid? You have to wait until they call you in."

Steven: "Dude, get off me!"

I grabbed his collar before the other students quickly intervened. Stopping the fight before it became worse. Composed Student: "Calm down! You morons are going to get everyone in trouble!"

I calmed myself and turned to the headmaster"s office a second time. This time, no one was trying to stop me.

Hot-headed Student: "You better watch yourself round ears."

I ignored him as I entered the office and was met by a young girl with gla.s.ses.

Girl: "No one called you in. Please, head back outside."

The office had a warm feeling to it and books lined the walls anywhere I looked. The headmaster must be a bookworm.

Steven: "Really? I was told the headmaster wanted to see me personally."

Girl: "No, it must be a mistake. Please head back outside."

She doesn"t believe me. The receptionist must"ve been telling the truth, the headmaster doesn"t call for people personally. I look ahead of her and see what seems to be the headmaster"s desk with the big chair turned around facing outside the window.

Steven: "Let"s ask him then, he"s sitting right there, isn"t he?"

Headmaster: "Heh, so you really do know your way around people do you, Steven?"

He turned around in his chair, revealing himself. He looked young and his hair was pearl white. Just by looking at him, I can tell he was in charge here.

Headmaster: "Let him through, Livia."

I approached the headmaster slowly as the girl instructed me to do. As if she perceived me as a threat.

Steven: "You called for me headmaster?"

Headmaster: "I did, do you know why?"

Steven: "Because I aced every subject except magic?"

Headmaster: "That"s right!"

He seemed excited, was it really that big of a deal to ace something I would"ve done back home or was it because of the subjects that had magic in them?

Headmaster: "Though you failed the magic subjects, I have taken a personal interest in you. I can put you in most of the cla.s.ses."

Steven: "Most? But I failed magic."

The idea of being able to place myself in any cla.s.s floated around my mind. I would"ve chosen to put myself in a lax cla.s.sroom right away, but I wanted to see what other cla.s.ses there were. Maybe something like honors or in the same cla.s.s as Kanna.

Headmaster: "You can learn that as a student here."

Steven: "What other choices do I have?"

Headmaster: "We can put you in the regular cla.s.ses or specialized cla.s.ses like Independent Studies. We can also put you in remedial cla.s.ses if you want to learn magic so badly, but who would want that?"

Steven: "And if I want to be in a cla.s.s with another student?"

Headmaster: "Normally, no. But I can consider it a favor."

Livia: "Headmaster, it"s against the rules."

Headmaster: "Calm down, it won"t be too much of a problem, right Steven? n.o.body has to know."

Having Kanna in the same cla.s.sroom would be nice. It would keep me calm knowing I"m not in a room full of strangers. Though I knew this guy was up to something, but I wasn"t sure what he wanted. I would have to play it cautiously from here.

Steven: "Well, what do you want?"

Headmaster: "I want you to be a student here of course! I also want to call on you for help in the future."

He seemed to be telling the truth. Though I didn"t trust his elusive nature about him needing help, he wants me to be a student. After some thought, I agreed to his terms.

Headmaster: "Who is your friend you want to be with anyway?"

Steven: "Her name"s Kanna."

Headmaster: "Hisakawa? The Nekomata?"

Steven: "Yeah, you know her?"

Headmaster: "I"ve had a few run-ins with her in the past. Is she your girlfriend or something? I don"t think it would be a good idea to put you in her cla.s.s."

What? I wanted to slug this guy. Why does everyone a.s.sume there"s something between us? Like back at the village!

Steven: "No, she"s my ma– friend."

I almost said she was my master. I didn"t really mind, but I was sure it would be a headache as I wouldn"t hear the end of it from the headmaster.

Headmaster: "She"s in remedial, you know."

Kanna seemed to be full of surprises, she"s a Nekomata, n.o.ble, and now she"s in remedial. What else am I going to find out about her?

Steven: "Why is she in remedial?"

Headmaster: "She had some personal issues and wasn"t able to come in the past year. I offered her remedial instead of kicking her out."

Steven: "Oh, um, can you put me in Kanna"s cla.s.s anyways."

The room became awkward and I tried to bring the subject back to my choice of cla.s.ses.

Headmaster: "Fine, I"ll get administration to make the changes. Livia, give Steven a tour of the school so he can familiarize himself and take him to admin after you"re finished so he can pick up his cla.s.s schedule. They should have it by then."

Livia: "Of course, headmaster."

Headmaster: "Oh, and Steven, welcome to Everhand."

Headmaster bids his farewells to me and Livia as she prepares to give me a tour of the school. We were in the honors building so we started here. It was also referred to as the "A block". I wasn"t allowed to go into any of the cla.s.ses because it would "disrupt the students". As we continued, the B and C blocks were the regular cla.s.ses and held all of the clubrooms. They were the closest to the cafeteria, known as "D block". Administration is called the "Admin building" and E block was where the remedial cla.s.ses were held. Out of all the other cla.s.ses, E block was the smallest of them. Finally, G block was the gym, auditorium, and arena in one building. The blocks went clockwise around the courtyard with the blocks going in order from A to E with the Admin building north of the entrance and with G block just beyond because of its sheer size. There was n.o.body around because cla.s.ses were already in session and it made the academy feel deserted. After Livia finished showing me around, we went into administration and the same receptionist from earlier gave me the schedule. Ready by the time we arrived, like the Headmaster said.

Livia: "Alright, that should be everything. I"ll take you to your cla.s.s and you"ll be good to go."

We arrived at E block and entered the building. The building itself wasn"t anything special. Only a few cla.s.srooms made up the building and I wondered why they even built it to begin with.

Livia: "Cla.s.sroom E-3, this is it. Wait here while I get the teacher."

She entered the cla.s.sroom and I can hear the voices, but couldn"t make out what they said. I then heard footsteps nearing and I backed away from the door. It opened and Livia appears beside another woman.

Ms. Layne: "h.e.l.lo! I"m Ms. Layne, and you are?"

Steven: "I"m Steven Omeo."

Ms. Layne: "I didn"t see your name on the roster, are you a late applicant?"

Livia: "Administration made an error in his records."

Ms. Layne: "My, I can"t imagine being in the wrong cla.s.sroom. Come on inside and introduce yourself to the cla.s.s!"

Steven: "How should I introduce myself?"

Ms. Layne: "Just tell them your name and briefly tell everyone what you did before you coming here."

Before I could move, Livia pulled my arm down towards her and whispered into my ear.

Livia: "Just say you were from that village in your application."

What?! What did she mean by it? Did she know where I was from? That I was from Los Angeles and ended up on a beach not long after? I was perplexed, maybe Kanna told them about me. That would explain why the headmaster took an interest in me. Maybe I"m overthinking things again. Before I was able to reply, Ms. Layne rushed me into the cla.s.sroom. It was empty, just about 10 or so students made up cla.s.s E-3.

Ms. Layne: "Students! We have another student. He"s a bit late considering he had an error with his schedule. Go on, introduce yourself!"

Steven: "My name is Steven Omeo, I"m from Toku Village, in Feles Isle."

Introducing myself like that left a bitter taste in my mouth. It wasn"t the best, but it"ll do for now.

Ms. Layne: "What did you do while you were there?"

Steven: "I was a narco."

Ms. Layne: "What is that like?"

Steven: "Uh, we— I cooked."

Ms. Layne: "So it"s like a chef?"

Steven: "Yes."

I should really be careful now. That was a close call. As the teacher looked through her book, possibly looking at a seating chart of some sort, I scanned the room and noticed Kanna near the windows looking at me with suspicion before looking away. She must"ve known it wasn"t a coincidence that I ended up here.

Ms. Layne: "Here, you can sit next to Kanna, behind Edward. I"m sure you two would get along; you"re both from Feles Isle after all."

I was joyful, I went to my new seat and introduce myself to the others nearby. I looked towards Kanna and noticed her staring out the window. Edward, the kid in front of me, whispered to me about Kanna.

Edward: "Dude, she"s not exactly a people person."

Not a people person? That"s not the impression I had about her the past few months.

Steven: "What do you mean?"

Edward: "Dude, I can"t say. All I know is that she"s really quiet."

Well, I know she isn"t very talkative but she"s friendly and helpful. They must have the wrong impression of her. I know she"s a great person.

Ms. Layne: "I almost forgot, Steven, what subjects were you put in remedial for?"

Steven: "The headmaster said I should focus on my studies with magic."

Ms. Layne: "Did he now? Well, we can have another student teach you, I"m not adept with magic myself. I"m here to teach general courses like language and math."

I quickly learned that remedial was for people that struggled with the general courses. I kept the fact that I aced the subjects private, as to not seem boastful or rash.

Ms. Layne: "Who wants to teach Steven magic? I"ll count it as extra credit."

Everyone seemed to jump at the opportunity, each of them having their own element they"re good with.

Edward: "Dude, I"ll show you the power of fire magic, let me do it."

Cynthia, the girl next to Edward, retorted Edwards fire magic.

Cynthia: "Not so powerful when a few drops of water can put your flames out."

Edward: "Dude! That wasn"t a few drops of water! You dropped a wave on me!"

Then Michael came into the argument, the kid across the cla.s.sroom, claiming he was better than they were.

Michael: "He needs magic that actually works. Kind of like the Light element. Not those party tricks you guys know."

As entertaining as it was, Ms. Layne came in and broke up the argument. Stating that every element has their own ups and downs.

Ms. Layne: "We"ll have Kanna do it, she"s the best with magic here."

Kanna: "But I was put in remedial for math."

Ms. Layne: "Steven can teach you, right? Make it a trade, he can teach you math can you can teach him your element."

Steven: "If you insist, math is my best subject."

Kanna: "Alright, I"ll do it. But it"ll have to be outside, wind magic can be destructive."

Ms. Layne: "I don"t mind, but don"t damage any school property. Do it at the arena."

Ms. Layne handed us both a pa.s.s that"ll let us into G block and keep the security off us. As we headed to the arena, Kanna was asking questions about me and the academy.

Kanna: "How"d you get into remedial? Tell me the truth."

I couldn"t go against her word as a servant or I could get reprimanded. One of the downsides of being in a contract, I was to do everything she requested. Though, she isn"t too strict on it and would only scold me.

Steven: "I asked the headmaster if he could."

Kanna: "And he considered it a favor, didn"t he?"

Steven: "Yeah, how"d you know?"

Kanna: "He did it to me when I first came here. Don"t be surprised if he makes you do something stupid."

I didn"t want to know what she meant. All I knew was that the hole I was in got a little deeper. I would have to face the headmaster head-on. That is if he was as sinister as I was just led to believe. As I was contemplating the situation, we arrived at the arena and Kanna had to snap me back to reality.

Kanna: "h.e.l.lo? Steven, what"s wrong all of a sudden?"

Steven: "Oh, I was thinking."

G block was indeed huge. Easily the size of a football stadium. We went to the center and the whole building was breath taking. I"ve seen the skysc.r.a.pers back home, but this is amazing!

Kanna: "You"ve never seen a building so big before?"

Steven: "Not in person."

Kanna: "They only finished building it about 6 months ago. It"s considered a pinnacle of Ostroven architecture."

Steven: "You can tell just by looking."

Kanna brought us back to where we originally were. To learn the wind element.

Kanna: "Wind magic is invisible, it"s the only element that can"t be seen by other people."

Steven: "How do I know if I"m using wind then?"

Kanna: "You can sense it. Here, let"s try a defensive one called Shielded Winds, it"s the first one I learned and doesn"t need an incantation."

Steven: "Shielded Winds? Incantation? What do I do?"

Kanna: "Close your eyes and try visualizing wind surrounding you. Let it hold you and protect you. Channel your magic to your chest while doing so."

I closed my eyes as Kanna instructed and visualized the wind. I slowly channeled my power to my torso and imagined the winds surrounding me. My body got lighter and felt like I was floating.

Kanna: "Now if you did it right, you should feel different. Open your eyes and say "Shielded Winds.""

Steven: "Shielded Winds."

That was easier than I originally thought. I felt different, but I didn"t know how to describe the feeling. Kanna said I could sense it but not see it.

Steven: "How do I know if I did it right?"

Kanna: "Well, there is one way. But I"m not sure you"d want me to."

Steven: "I could sense it, I think. Try it, it might work."

Kanna: "Please forgive me then."

Steven: "Forgive you for wha—"

Kanna: "Wind Torrent!"

For several seconds, everything blanked out. When I came to, I was lying on the wall of the building. The wall was destroyed and the ground headed in Kanna"s direction was turned over and destroyed as well. My ears were ringing as I got up. I didn"t even feel any shock or anything. I was just confused. While I was trying to make sense of what happened, Kanna ran towards me frantically.

Kanna: "Oh my G.o.d, Steven, are you alright?! I"m sorry that was a lot stronger than it was meant it to be."

Steven: "What the h.e.l.l happened? Everything was fine then I"m up against the wall the next minute."

Kanna: "I used Wind Torrent, it should"ve pushed you a couple feet back. Are you alright?"

I can"t seem to calm Kanna down. She really thinks that she overdid it and injured me.

Steven: "Seriously, I"m fine. Look, your wind magic protected me."

That seemed to calm her down, but she still looked as guilty as my cats were when I found them in the food bag in the pantry back home. For a second, she actually looked really cute and it took me by surprise.

Kanna: "What is it?"

Steven: "Ah, well, um…"

Kanna: "Tell me."

No way out of this one, is there? I hope I won"t get scolded for it.

Steven: "I-well, when you look guilty, you ah, look cute."

She turned around facing away from me. No doubt that she"s embarra.s.sed. I"m the one that"s starting to feel bad, I probably ruined her day by now.

Kanna: "I-I"ll teach you one more then we"ll have to head back, okay?"

Steven: "Okay, what are you going to teach me this time?"

Kanna composed herself again and cleared her throat.

Kanna: "Another easy one, this time an offensive spell called Slashed Winds."

Steven: "Alright, what do I do?"

Kanna: "You swing your arm like your cutting something. Channel your power towards your hands and imagine that wind being turned into a blade. Try it on the wall."

Channeling my power through my hands, I imagined the wind as a blade. With a swing of my arm, I envisioned the winds going towards the wall and cutting it. I felt as something slipped through my hands and then the wall had received a visible cut mark on it.

Kanna: "Not bad for your first time. I could be bigger though if you focused more you could"ve made a bigger mark."

I was surprised at how fast I was learning the magic. It was like riding a bike, I learned with relative ease.

Steven: "These are easy to learn, I thought I would struggle because I didn"t know anything about magic, to begin with."

Kanna: "You have my magic power, remember? You"ll pick up wind magic real fast because of it. The others a little slower, but still faster than the others."

She finished up with several pointers and we left G block and headed back to the cla.s.sroom. We told security about the damage that was done in the arena and they shrugged it off. Claiming it wasn"t a big deal as the building usually gets thrashed because of the honor students going at it in duels. As we laughed, we continued towards the cla.s.sroom together.

Ms. Layne: "Your back! How did it go?"

Steven: "It was great, Kanna was an excellent teacher."

The bells started to ring in melody, marking the end of my first day at the Academy. As I started heading home, I started thinking that I might actually enjoy being in this new world…