Chapter 6: Chapter SIX

"What are you studying here?" inquired the blonde to change her mind from the fear.

"Oh, it depends on your race. Magicians, for example, have a lot of practical lessons to master their magic. History, both of ours and other races, is taught to everyone. What else... Geography, anthropology, diplomacy, etiquette... Each race made a custom program. Essentially, we all get to know other races and people in hopes of bonding closer."

"And is it working? Is everybody getting along?" couldn't help asking Mia.The redhead's grimace was enough of an answer.

"What should I expect from the... people who live here?" Mia continued, trying somehow to hide the anxiety rising in her voice.

"Let's walk a bit, I'll explain when we're outside."

When they crossed the huge hall, they passed a few students in a hurry who threw curious glances at the blonde. They all looked human, like her, and yet...what were they? How to recognize them? She felt like she was walking on eggshells, playing Russian roulette with every person she passed. In short, she was not very comfortable, to put it mildly. She felt downright foreign, navigating in open enemy territory, always having to be on her guard, mistrust becoming her main fuel. The idea of ​​landing in a magical world no longer seemed so appealing to her as she confronted the reality of what it meant. The sound of her footsteps echoing on the cut stones did not soothe her anguish.

We'll come back for discretion, she told herself.

Mia didn't have time to carefully observe the hall, too focused on scrutinizing the least of its inhabitants in search of a possible sign of attack. Anyway, she would have plenty of time to discover the place in more detail in the next few days.

She had to blink several times to get used to the bright rays of the sun when the two young women reached the outside of the structure. Amazed, the blonde observed the surroundings, devouring each parcel of the landscape that declined before her eyes.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Arry said, visibly proud of her school.

"It's... beautiful," Mia whispered, lost in contemplation.

There were gardens and trees as far as the eye could see. All kinds of plants and all kinds of trees lined brick paths wandering through the vegetation. And these colors... From purple to red, through green, it was a rainbow of colors. A smell of flowers and nature accompanied the place, to the delight of her sense of smell which was unfortunately far too accustomed to the stench of urban pollution. In the distance, she could see snow-capped peaks surrounding the structure.

"The school was built between two mountain ranges. Normally it should be bitterly cold there because the area is always snowy, but the magicians have managed to create a kind of biome all around the school with its self ecosystem and climate. Don't ask me how, even I don't know, it's very complex magic. But I'm not going to complain about it: we alternate between spring and autumn all year round!"

Mia didn't even bother to answer, since the whole thing left her speechless. She could spend hours strolling through these gardens. To be exact, she could even spend hours just observing all its flora and breathing in the fresh, pure air that tickled her nostrils.

Arry turned to the school and Mia followed suit, reluctantly looking away from that surreal nature. The view of the castle was not to be neglected either, she noted, absorbing the landscape with her gaze. The building was huge and constructed of black stone, contrasting ominously with the wild ivy that grew disorderly on the dark walls. Huge glass windows partially covered the walls, allowing sunlight to stream in. She could see through the lower level windows rows of students in classrooms that looked like those in her world.

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The blonde swallowed hard, feeling ridiculously small in comparison to the huge castle and the number of inhabitants she could watch moving about in its rooms. And that was just the ground floor.

"The school is divided into several wings, each accommodating a different race. Apart from a few activities such as some training, tournaments or meals, they prefer not to meet too much."

Her guide pointed out the different parts of the castle, punctuating them with her explanations. Mia concentrated carefully on what she explained, preferring to ignore that the redhead had just confirmed to her that the school was filled with tensions between the different races. If they were already hostile to each other, she didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like with her...

"In the basement live the vampires–"

"Can they support light?" Mia cut her off abruptly, her curiosity taking over.

"Of course," she laughed, "I don't even want to know where you got that idea from! On the other hand, they prefer cold and humid environments. Again, it's not a question of supporting or not supporting it, it's a preference due to their usual places of residence. The fairies live in the infirmary, the whole wing belongs to them. The centaurs live in the forest behind the school. I advise you not to approach it, they do not accept foreigners very well... The werewolves live in the east wing, over there," she pointed, "and the magicians in the west wing. We have the biggest district because there are more of us. And, finally... do you see the big tower, behind the west wing? This is the Vilas district."

"Vila?" she repeated, her face reflecting her incomprehension.

Mia had never heard of such a creature. To put it mildly, she wasn't even sure there was a legend in her world about magical beings with that name. And that wasn't necessarily a good thing."Avoid them like the plague. Never upset them. They may look like nothing in their human form, but... they're the most dangerous of them all. You would think that they are entirely pacifists because they rarely participate in tournaments and don't seem interested in fighting, but, really, be wary of them and always be on your guard in their presence. Actually, pretend that they don't exist, that they notice you as little as possible. They have a special history with humans... I don't want to scare you, but it's not a nice story."

Arry underlined her words with a serious, focused look at the blonde.

OK, big danger, it's duly noted, she thought nervously, if you didn't want to scare me, you failed, just like the blonde guy.

The two young women spent the next hour visiting the interior of the castle under the supervision of Oz who was still suspicious of Mia. The blonde was finally able to better observe the hall through which they had passed to leave outside, deciding to ignore the gazes of the other occupants. In itself, there was nothing extraordinary about it except its spectacular size, as much in its size as in its height. A large crystal chandelier provided the lighting for the room, also reflecting the sun's rays off the gray brick walls. A gigantic black stone staircase splitting into two staircases in opposite directions allowed to go upstairs. The massive wooden doors looked like arches since they were all fully open. A large billboard half covered the right wall, wedged between two doors, and she could see some texts and drawings there that she didn't have time to observe too much.

The rest of the visit came down to showing her the entrance to the different wings of the castle, the few empty classrooms, the toilets, and the door to the library. What she saw confirmed to her that she did not notice any significant differences between her world and that one, except for the glaring absence of any digital technology. The structure looked like any inhabited castle and fitted with modern conveniences, minus the telephones and televisions. Obviously, if they could control the weather, they probably had to rely on magic to supply the building with water, light, and heating.

Afterward, they headed to the canteen to have a bite to eat. The wolf abandoned them after a nod from the redhead and disappeared at the edge of the forest. The blonde relaxed slightly, not that she was afraid of the animal, but his presence made her a little uneasy since the wolf was constantly watching her.

Mia wasn't exactly in the mood to have an appetite, but she followed her guide anyway, for lack of anything better to do. She was still torn between the wonder and anguish of her new surroundings, and the nervousness resulting from her interlocutor's warnings about her possible encounter with Vilas. And she didn't even know what they looked like or what they were capable of... In other words, she expected the worst.

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