Leviara, Institute Of Thaumaturgy

  Vera walked down a wide cobblestone path etched with blue runes that pulsed, dimmed, and then gleamed with color again. Wooden lamp posts lined the path, each holding a floating crystal—dormant, with no light emanating from within. Surrounding the area was open grass and scattered trees. Passing by was a monumental statue of a crowned man—he held a giant sword that drove into the ground with both hands. Vera briefly eyed the statue before pursuing down the cobblestone path. She heard the drowned-out neighing of horses, looking towards the open grass, where people in uniforms were riding them. Ahead was the mountainous “Institute of Thaumaturgy” in bold letters that no one could mistake, even from miles away. Approaching closer to the institute was another pathway that trailed off from the one she was on. A sign was hung up that read “Student Entry.” Vera proceeded down this path and found herself enveloped in a lush garden. A woman in a blue uniform was watering the flowers. Her hair was dark and long, with a braid interlacing around her hair like a crown. The woman’s attention focused on Vera for a moment, halting the watering of the flowers.

  “Hello there! What brings you here? Today’s The Ember’s Respite.” The woman asked.

  “The Ember’s Respite? Is that some event I should be at right now?” Vera replied.

  “Oh, no, no, no, deary—It’s a holiday.” The woman walked over to her on the trail.

  “A holiday? I didn’t know that.” Vera said.

  “What’s your name?” The woman asked.

  “I’m Vera.” She replied.

  “Very nice to meet you, Vera. I’m Ms. Atkinson, one of the teachers at the institute. Since you didn’t know today’s The Ember’s Respite, I take it you’re not from Leviara?” Ms. Atkinson said.

  “No, I arrived recently and took the entrance exams. I have my invite for the orientation today.” Vera explained.

  “Ah, so you’re here for the orientation! My, my, you’re just in time. Right up ahead, we have a small group waiting—don’t worry, I’ll be there in just a moment, so we may begin!” Ms. Atkinson said.

  She went back to watering the flowers, and Vera continued. She found herself in a large courtyard with numerous other people. Most looked to be young adults and seemed to be slightly older than her. The demographic was as she expected, consisting mainly of humans, but additionally, there were a few elves and common hybrids. Amongst the crowd of people was a tiefling sitting on a bench. Her hair was jet black and wavy, her eyes a solid silver, her ears pointed, her skin a vibrant red, and dark, scaly horns protruded from her head. The tiefling’s gaze wafted through the courtyard like a chill breeze. Despite her wandering gaze, her eyes rarely met anyone else's. Vera found some distance from the crowds, sitting on a bench by herself.

  “This was her idea of a small group? Hate to see what a bigger group would look like.” Vera muttered.

  Ms. Atkinson and a few others entered the courtyard, walking ahead and lining up in front of everyone.

  “Hello, everyone! Welcome to Leviara’s Institute of Thaumaturgy, a place you all have worked tirelessly to land a spot in! We’re very delighted to have you on board with us and can’t wait to see what the future holds for every single one of you! Please, stick together while we tour the institution.” Ms. Atkinson explained.

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  Everyone was led inside the institution. The halls were grand, and Vera could barely see the ceiling—there were stairwells and platforms above them that led to upper floors, different rooms, and many other sections of the institute. Essentially, they were in the main hall. Ms. Atkinson traversed the continental-sized institute with ease, flowing through carefully and making sure nobody got lost. All of the classrooms were enormous—even the ones that Ms. Atkinson claimed to be moderate in capacity were still about the size of two homes merged. Finally, the tour concluded with room and board.

  “Once we conclude with room and board, make sure to report downstairs to receive your uniforms—and to be very clear, there is a boys' dormitory and a girls' dormitory.” Ms. Atkinson said. She began reading off names in groups and handed out cards. Vera received her card, and underneath her name was a combination of green glowing runes.

  “Yadani, Nymeria, and Vera. This here will be your shared room.” Ms. Atkinson said while guiding them to a room. Nymeria was an elf, and Yadani was the tiefling that Vera saw earlier.

  “I hope you all settle in nicely.” Ms. Atkinson added.

  Vera entered the room and sighed. It was spacious and had three beds with large drawers underneath each one. Beside the beds were wooden nightstands—the curtains were parted, sunlight beaming through the windows. Nymeria rested her bag beside the middle bed, Yadani was splayed out on the far left bed, and Vera settled for the one on the far right. Vera’s gaze fell onto Yadani.

  “So, um… Are you some kind of demon?” Vera said to Yadani.

  “Knew someone would ask me eventually. I have fiendish ancestry, which would explain why I look like a demon—but that doesn’t make me a demon. I’m still mortal, we’re called tieflings, not demons.” Yadani explained.

  “Oh, that checks out, I suppose,” Vera replied.

  “I’ve heard rumors that tieflings can be hostile. Guess that’s not true.” Nymeria added.

  “Stupid people say stupid things,” Yadani said, her tail swishing around.

  “Are you an elf, Vera? You have white hair just like me.” Nymeria asked.

  “No, I’m not an elf, I’m human,” Vera replied.

  “That’s fascinating, I’ve never seen anything like this before. Do you know any reason why you may have white hair?” Nymeria asked.

  “I… Have my guesses, but I could be wrong.” Vera said, averting her gaze.

  “Hey, you guys think they’ll have uniforms designed specifically for me? I have to wear my pants strangely just to feel a little comfortable.” Yadani said.

  “I’m sure they’ll have something for you. It’d be unfair for them not to consider unique anatomies,” Nymeria said.

  “Why don’t we go find out? We’ve got to get our uniforms anyway, right? I’ll be pissed if they don’t have something that fits.” Yadani rolled out of bed and stood up.

  “Yes, let’s go ahead and get this out of the way so we can unpack,” Nymeria said.