The Only Way

"Did you really have to do that?" I asked, rubbing my head,

Nina's punch still stung.

"I could tell you had weird thoughts," she snorted before we continued our walk.

According to her, the professor was available to see us in his room, so that's where we headed. I tried to prepare myself mentally for whatever the outcome of this meeting might be. Not that I expected disappointing news, but I had to be ready for the worst.

Nina pushed the door. The room smelled of old parchment and fresh ink. A gray-haired man, with formal clothes and his back slightly arched, adjusted his glasses while scribbling complicated symbols on papers scattered all over his desk.

And not only on his desk. The wall was also covered with the same mysterious symbols, geometric patterns, and sheets pinned with crooked clips. It was like stepping inside someone's obsessive mind. I understood that feeling.

In a way, those marks reminded me of the same marks I had drawn with my sister during the ritual. A glimpse of hope lit inside me.

"Professor Arven," Nina said. "I've brought someone who needs your help."

The man lifted his eyes with a serious expression. But there was something else beneath it, a hidden spark that made it clear. He lived for this kind of subject.

"Of course, how can I help?" he asked. Adjusting a pile of papers.

Nina started telling him about how she had found me, and how I seemed lost near the city. I filled in the rest, saying about the little game with my sister, the drawings, and the light that swallowed us.

The silence that followed made my throat tighten.

Then, the professor sprang to life, nothing like my first impression. He grabbed me by the shoulders, unable to contain his excitement.

"You used teleportation magic? How? What did you draw? How did you feel? Did you arrive intact?"

As I prepared to answer a question, he bombarded me with two more. Nina stepped in, pulling him back.

"Control yourself, professor."

With her intervention, he regained his composure, resuming the pose he had when we first entered the room.

He cleared his throat, adjusted his glasses, and straightened his tie.

"fascinating..." he murmured, with a personality completely different from moments earlier. "Very fascinating."

"So? Can you help me find her?" I asked.

Arven sank into the chair by his desk, with his hands clasped before his face.

"I'm afraid not. Not the way you expect."

The weight of his words crushed me. The last sparks of hope were fading once again. I expected this outcome, but hearing it like that hit harder than I thought it would.

And yet, before I could give in to despair, I saw something in the professor's gaze.

"This ritual you described isn't something familiar. At least, it's not like the ones I've been studying."

He stood up and paced the room like a man who had just stumbled upon buried treasure.

"I need to study this. I need to understand how it worked."

"And what about my sister?" I asked.

I didn't care about the magic. I wanted help to find her. That was the reason why I had come all the way here.

"She can be anywhere in this world." Arven turned toward me, firm. "If you leave now, wandering aimlessly, you may never find her. But I want to propose something. If you stay, study, learn... then you'll have the tools to locate her."

My hands trembled. Part of me wanted to get out of there, screaming her name until the world gave her back. But another part knew he was right. I didn't have many options.

"And what are you offering?"

"Become a student of this school," he said without hesitation. "This way, you'll gain access to our library, to knowledge and magical practice. And, at the same time. I want you to help me uncover the pattern that brought you here. That's the safest path for you to find your sister."

"A student...?" The word sounded strange in my mouth. I hadn't come here to study.

I looked at Nina, as if there was something about her that could help me figure out what to do. Unlike me, she didn't seem to have any doubts about what was best. Her ears twitched discreetly, as if they held a hidden answer.

I took a deep breath,

"Fine. I'll do that."

The professor smiled, satisfied, and returned to his pile of papers. "Excellent. Tomorrow, after the classes, I'll be waiting for you in this room so that we can begin."

Nina crossed her arms, trying to hide the sparkle in her eyes with a look of disdain. "Just don't fall behind in class," she muttered. Her hurried steps to the door, however, betrayed her.

Before we could leave, the professor said one last thing.

"And Nina..."

She turned.

"It's good to see you back."

She froze for an instant, as if the words held a meaning she didn't expect. They carried a far heavier weight than it looked. So she just nodded, tugging me out of the room.

The corridor looked different and colder than when I had entered the room. I didn't really know what all that meant, nor what I was supposed to do next.

I only had one thing clear in my mind. The search for my sister was connected to this place.

I hadn't given up on finding her, but I knew that staying here was the best strategy to gather the information I needed to lead me to her. And I would do everything in my power to understand what had brought me to this world.

So that I could finally fix my mistake.