The Transfer Student

Those last words struck Tomoki as strange. “Magus Academia? I thought this was Seimei Academy,” he inquired Ruka.

“Only on paper,” she simply replied back. “Magus Academia is the premier magic institute in the world. Magi from around the world study here.”

“That’s impressive,” agreed Tomoki with a breathless sigh as he marvelled at the grand edifice before his eyes.

The school looked just like a castle straight out of the Middle Ages! It had pointed rooftops and towers made of cobblestone, windows the size of doors with beautiful stained glass which depicted scenes from various mythology and folklore across the world, sturdy stone walls that appeared to stretch all the way to the moon, and wonderfully sculpted stairways at every entrance around the school. Moreover, the school was surrounded by a moat of emerald water and enclosed inside a brick gate. Standing in front of the school was the massive entrance gate that bore the school’s name on a giant placard: ‘Magus Academia’.

Ruka reached into her coat again and brought out a paper for Tomoki. “Here is your schedule and the location of your dorm,” she said, pushing the paper to him.

“Thanks,” said Tomoki as he took it.

“For now, just go to the staff office. While there, ask for Professor Sasaki,” she told him. “Now that we’re done here, I’m going to class.”

Tomoki wanted to ask her where the staff office but she had already left before he even finished glancing down at the paper. He let out a heavy sigh. “I guess I’m on my own now,” he groaned to himself.

He made it inside the gate and looked around for someone to help him. There were more people than he thought, and many of them were people from other countries! But what surprised him even more than that was the fact that they all spoke Japanese! Yet, given some of the things he heard while walking around, it was clear that many of them weren’t from Japan to begin with. He could only assume what made this all possible.

‘At least this’ll make it easier to communicate and ask for directions,’ he confidently reasoned. While still looking for someone to help him, Tomoki was drawn to a nearby exchange.

Leaning on a column with his hand running through his hair while chatting up two female students was a guy with a gaudy cloak wrapped around his uniform. He had glistening blonde hair like strings of pure gold and sparkling aquamarine eyes. Dangling from his left ear was a cross earring and his neck was adorned with a golden chain necklace. He wore a smile so effortlessly that one would assume he came out sporting one the day he was born! However, those with a more trained eye, someone like Tomoki, could see that the smile carried no sincerity at all but instead acted as a veil for something more sinister. There are only two reasons for someone to do something like this: 1) to hide negative feelings such as depression or melancholy; 2) to disguise motives founded on carnal desires. And it was clear that this very person was using his smile for the latter.

“I’ve never seen blossoms such as yourselves before,” said the guy in the most suave of voices. “If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask me. I would be more than honored to aid a couple of blossoms such as yourselves. It is my duty to help you bloom.” The two girls, understandably, exchanged unpleasant glances and quickly declined his offer. They then briskly walked away while using their arms to cover their faces until they passed him.

“Pfft,” snickered Tomoki.

Tomoki’s voice caught the guy’s attention. “Hey, what are you laughing about?” asked the guy angrily.

“Oh, that wasn’t a laugh. It was an appreciation for what a smooth show that was,” said Tomoki with a smirk. “Still, harvesting for blossoms this season is hard, don’t you know? We’re right in the middle of Autumn.”

The guy’s face quickly turned a bright red. “If you have something to say, then say it to my face!” he snapped.

Tomoki cleared his throat. “Actually, on a more serious note, if you’re still offering, I was wondering if you could show me to the staff office.”

“Hah?! Why would I help you? If you were a cute girl, maybe. But I don’t offer my hand to help men. Especially those with the face of a common criminal,” responded the guy mockingly.

“It’s not my fault that my face is like this!” argued back Tomoki. The guy let out a huff and promptly left. Tomoki unleashed one of the heaviest sighs of his life. ‘Looks like that was a no go,’ he complained to himself. He continued forward with no idea where he was going. He came to a corner and stopped himself from bumping into someone who had just appeared right then and there. “Ah, I’m sorry,” he genuinely apologized with a sincere smile.

“Tis alright,” returned the person. She was a tall and beautiful mature woman with golden brown hair the same hue as brilliant tiger’s eye. Her hair, long and luscious like the mane of a fine horse, was tied in a ponytail with a large loop atop her head; her rights bangs curtained her right eye, reaching down to her cheek. Her left eye was a mysterious grey that contrasted with her hair, but this contrast seamlessly worked as a compliment that made her all the more beautiful, like a fairy. And her figure—if it could be summarized, the only correct word would be: Venusian (the goddess, not the aliens).

Tomoki couldn’t take his eyes off of her and his cheeks were dyed a bright shade of red. If Ruka was a natural beauty that could make any girl jealous, then this person right here was a divine being that could shame every female entity in the universe! Looks aside, she carried about her a very mysterious aura that both enchanted and unnerved Tomoki at the same time. And the smile that she carried on her lips—it was dangerous like the smirk of a wolf but also kind like the grin of a child.

“Thou needs the staff office, dost thou not?” she asked Tomoki with a gleam in her eye. With the same smile, she pointed over to the northwest and said, “Tis there is where thou shall go.”

“A-A-Ah! Thank you!” said Tomoki, bowing profusely in gratitude. He then quickly took off in that very direction. Before he turned the corner, he glanced back at the beautiful girl. ‘I’ll need to ask for her name next time,’ he told himself.

Tomoki finally reached the staff office and walked in. Professor Sasaki jumped out of his seat and quickly made his way over to Tomoki. “Ah, Kentarou-kun!” shouted the professor in greeting.

“It’s Tomoki,” he corrected the professor. “Ruka told me to come here.”

“Just like I told her,” said Professor Sasaki with a nod. “Before we get started, an introduction is in order. Welcome to Magus Academia, the premier magic academy in the world! Here, people who are gifted with magical powers learn to harness them to become magi. But you, Kimura-kun, are different. You were not born with magical powers, but rather were given them by someone who was.” He sucked in his breath before continuing. “Say, Toshi-kun, do you know what an Asura is?” His head was tilted and his lips were pulled into a thin line in curiosity.

“Isn’t that something from Buddhist mythology? Though I’m not that familiar with it,” answered Tomoki.

“Asura, often referred to as Titans or Demi-Gods, are a different breed of gods who are often in conflict with the real gods who are in control,” explained Professor Sasaki. “In short, they are not true gods. At least when compared to those who are worshipped as true gods and are the rightful rulers of our world. And you, Tomoki, are what we refer to as an Asura Magus.”

“Asura Magus?” asked Tomoki with a tilt of his head.

“A false magus. Or, more specifically, a magus who was not born as one,” explained the professor.

“What’s a magus anyway?” Tomoki asked the professor. “Ruka told me a little bit, but I’m still a little confused.”

“A good question!” exclaimed Professor Sasaki with applause, “Of course you are familiar with the Theory of Evolution, right?” Tomoki nodded his head to show that he was. “To put it simply, we magi are humans who have evolved to be able to harness the forces of nature in the form of magic. We have split off from regular humans around 110,000 years ago. Scientifically, we would be called Homo sapiens magia. Of course, this is only known to us Magi. Regular humans, however, are unaware of our existence. That is natural, of course, since magi only make up about eight percent of the entire human race. Our existence have been exposed to regular human society before throughout different periods of history, but they never ended well.”

“Why’s that?” interjected Tomoki out of curiosity.

Professor Sasaki brought a hand to his forehead in a dramatic pose. “Witch trials, inquisitions, executions, sacrifices, persecutions….”

“I-I get it now,” quickly interrupted Tomoki.

“Well, because of that, we magi have created a parallel world of sorts to practice our craft,” the professor continued from their previous conversation, “However, we have also managed to blend in well with modern human society, too. It is the only way we can survive if we want to live among our talentless cousins.”

“So I’m an Asura Magus because I wasn’t naturally born with magic. I get it now,” understood Tomoki. “Are Asura Magi common?” he suddenly asked.

Professor Sasaki let out a very deafening laugh as if he had just heard the funniest joke ever. “Of course not,” he said, wiping away a tear. “They have existed before, sure, but they are about as common as sending a lovey-dovey text to your brother when you meant to send it to your girlfriend but hadn’t noticed the mistake until you receive a call from him the next morning!”

‘Again, I don’t understand that metaphor one bit,’ thought Tomoki with a frown.

“While you are here, I recommend you refrain from revealing your identity as an Asura Magus,” warned Professor Sasaki. “Asura Magi are frowned upon by magi. The reason why should be obvious. If your identity gets revealed, however, your life here will be hell. Ostracization, harassment, isolation, neglect—there’s no telling what will happen to you.”

“Is it too late to ask to transfer back to my old school?” asked Tomoki anxiously.

“Ah, you’ll be fine!” declared Professor Sasaki with a strong slap to Tomoki’s back. “You’ll always have me and Ruka on your side!” he added with a thumbs-up and a wink. “Now, it’s time for you to get to class. I believe around this time, you should be in World History.”

Tomoki glanced down at his schedule and said, “Ah, you’re right!”

“That’s great! Just follow me!” said the professor with a big smile. “After all, I’m the World History Professor!”

“You are?!” exclaimed Tomoki in genuine surprise.

“Of course! Why? What did you think I teach?” asked Professor Sasaki.

“Maybe something like Literature,” answered Tomoki honestly. “I mean, with those hard-to-understand metaphors, it only seemed like the right answer,” he added to the side in a low voice.

“Toshiro-kun, since you are new to being a magus, I will help you with your magic training,” revealed the professor. “After your classes are over, you will come meet with me in the auxiliary gym to practice magic.”

“Understood,” nodded Tomoki.

“Great! Now, let’s go!”

"Everyone, I would like to introduce our new transfer student!” announced Professor Sasaki. “Please, come in!”

Tomoki took a deep breath and entered the room. He walked up to the front and turned to face the class. He was initially taken aback to see such a diverse classroom—the entire class were made up of students from different parts of the world; but recovered and greeted them with confidence. “My name is Kimoto Tomoki! I will be starting here today! A pleasure to make your acquaintance!”

“Thank you very much, Toyotomi-kun!” said the professor with a clap of his hands.

“Hah?! What the hell are you doing here?!” shouted a voice from the back of the class. The guy with blonde hair that Tomoki had crossed paths with this morning stood up from his seat.

“Ah, Mr. Edwards, do you know Kirito-kun?” asked Professor Sasaki. “Perfect! Then he can sit next to you!”

“Wait a minute, professor, that wasn’t what I—!” objected Edwards.

“Please take you seat, Kita-kun,” the professor told Tomoki.

“Hey, listen to what I have to say!” demanded Edwards, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Tomoki walked over to his seat, and as he did, he spotted Ruka. She sat in the seat in front of Edwards. Tomoki wondered if he should acknowledge her, but her aversion to his gaze told him that he should do the same. He made it to his seat and sat down.

“Professor Sasaki, that seat is Kurama’s!” suddenly spoke one of the other students.

“Is Kurama sick?” asked another.

“I haven’t seen him at all today!” joined a third.

“Ah! Well, you see, Kurama-kun won’t be joining us for a while! He has a family matter to attend to! It’ll be some time before he gets back,” said Professor Sasaki. “Meanwhile, I ask that you treat our new friend, Kintarō-kun, well.”

“Professor, his name is Kimoto,” corrected one of the students.

“Now, shall we begin?” said Professor Sasaki with a clap of his hands.

After class ended, Professor Sasaki asked for Ruka and Tomoki to stay behind. He then assigned Ruka to show Tomoki around school, much to her chagrin; but she still accepted it with respect and poise.

And so, Tomoki’s adventure to learn more about the school began. He marveled at the giant cafeteria with buffet-style dining and an international menu of the highest quality; he admired the five floor tower library stocked with books and documents from across the world and history; he almost fainted upon learning of the detached school building that was dedicated to housing the more than two hundred school-sponsored clubs; he gawked in awe at the large auditorium with its five-thousand seating capacity for musical and theatrical performances; and he was beyond impressed upon witnessing the athletics department, which consisted of, among other things, a large fitness gym the size of a community center, a colosseum-style stadium for sport games, and an Olympic-sized swimming pool! By the end of the school day, Tomoki became more-or-less familiar with the school.

Tomoki made his way to the athletic buildings and entered the auxiliary gym. Professor Sasaki was already waiting for him inside. “I’m happy you remembered!” greeted the professor happily, “Now, shall we get started?” Tomoki answered with a nod. “First thing first, we must familiarize ourselves with the concept of magic. To put it simply, magic is an energy that is present in our everyday life. It is generated by the forces of nature and has existed since the beginning of time. Now, you may be asking how magi evolved to harness this power. Well, the only working theory we have tells us that our ancestors must’ve developed this evolutionary trait for one purpose and one purpose only. And this purpose is the same purpose that all living creatures are resigned to: survival. Just as how normal humans have evolved to be able to create tools to ensure their survival, magi have evolved to harness the very forces of nature for the very same reason.” He paused, then asked, “Any questions so far?”

Tomoki shook his head. “Then, let’s continue,” said Professor Sasaki. “As you might’ve already guessed, magic also evolved along with us. Just like comparing modern technology to ancient technology, modern magic is more refined and efficient than magic back then. Now, I advise you to pay close attention to the following content.” Tomoki nodded his head. “There are six classes of magic: Vocatios, Naturas, Mutatus, Incanto, Divinus, and Signum. Vocatios is the magic of conjuring; it covers everything from summoning familiars and objects to manipulating their positions in spacetime. This is the class of magic that you, Tomoro-kun, possess. Naturas is the magic of elementalism; users of this class possess sovereignty over the elements of nature. This is Ruka’s magic class. Mutatus is the magic of alchemy; alchemists can create virtually anything and manipulate their properties on a subatomic level. Incanto is the magic of enchantment; these users are mentalists and illusionists and psychics whose strongest weapon are their minds and limitless imagination. Divinus is the magic of divination; anything dealing with fortune-telling, clairvoyance, or invoking the blessings of the divine fall under this magic class. Lastly, Signum is the magic of symbology; simply put, these users utilize magical symbols to bring their ideas to life and manipulate the world around them.”

Tomoki repeated the six classes to himself to really drill them into his brain. Once he was certain that the information was safely stored in his head, he asked the professor the question that was on his mind since the talk of magic classes: “Which class are you, Professor Sasaki?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” said the professor with a mischievous smile. He held out his hand and chanted, “Vocatios: Evocare Gabriel!” A white magic circle appeared, its edges were lined with Latin letters. In the center of the circle was the image of some kind of winged creature. Suddenly, that very creature popped out of the circle. Tomoki jumped back in surprise at what he saw floating right in front of him: a human-sized humanoid creature with an eagle-like beak and piercing sea-green eyes, longs talons at the end of each finger, and two pairs of giant light-grey angelic wings. Furthermore, the creature was clad in a toga.

“I-I see, you’re a conjurer,” said Tomoki, his eyes still glued on the magnificent creature in front of him. He couldn’t help but be enamored by the creature’s mighty and divine-like aura that simultaneously intimidated and awed him.

“Gabriel, return!” ordered Professor Sasaki. “Now, I think we should stop here for today. We’ll continue with our lessons tomorrow.”

“Alright,” replied Tomoki.