Magic Academy of Elorah

Chapter 2

What a strange kitchen—not a single window. Damn, how was I supposed to orient myself in here? Standing in the doorway, I looked around. There was a row of upper cabinets, and below them one large continuous countertop—how nice. Everything was made from light-colored wood.

Turning my head, I noticed a semi-circular opening leading to a small dining nook. A round table with four dark brown chairs stood there. I was so charmed, I walked over to take a closer look. I pulled one chair back and gasped softly—the seat and the backrest were upholstered in beautiful fabric with a natural pattern. I sat down. It was soft, cozy. Finally, something to smile about.

I stretched my arms and touched the curtains—what an unusual fabric. From a distance, you could mistake them for a wall. Wow! Behind the curtain, there was a window stretching from ceiling to floor. I sat frozen, overwhelmed. The view of the meadow outside was breathtaking. I just sat there and stared, completely enchanted.

While I sat, I kept thinking—where can I find a bucket? But I couldn’t come up with anything. I figured, maybe I could find a couple of pots in the drawers—better than nothing, right?

Then another issue popped into my head—where would I find a rag?

I started going through drawer after drawer. One of them had either spices or dried herbs—I wasn’t sure. Next was a drawer full of dishes. Then another with something else dried. Finally, in the last drawer, I found pots and something like a large kettle—perfect! That’s what I took.

Finding the sink wasn’t hard, but figuring out how to turn on the water took some thinking. There were no knobs or faucets like I was used to. All I saw nearby was a small bird figurine—and that was it!

After checking everything else around, I decided to take a closer look at the little bird. It was so intricately crafted, not a single line out of place. I reached out and pressed lightly on its neck—and suddenly, a thin stream of water trickled from the faucet! I pressed again, and the water pressure increased. So that’s how it works!

As I lifted the kettle from the sink, my knee accidentally pressed against a panel underneath it, and I heard a click. I looked down and found a hidden cabinet door, and behind it—a bucket and several cleaning cloths.

Maybe there’s even more hidden stuff? I decided to test everything. Pressing around under the countertop, I triggered several more hidden panels. One held jars of grains, another opened what looked like a refrigerator—inside was dried meat and some mysterious little jars.

Now that I had everything I needed, I started cleaning in full force. After I finished the windows, I wiped down the walls and every surface in the room. It was only when the sun disappeared behind the trees that I realized how much time had passed.

Tired, I decided to go check out the bathroom I had seen earlier. It was almost exactly like ours—a combined bath and toilet.

A little chair with a hole in it and a lever on the side—that was the toilet. The bathtub was also there, looking like a large trough made of some unknown metal. Strange... how do you heat the water here? I already figured out how to fill it. Instead of a typical faucet, there was a flower-shaped knob.

Looking up, I noticed a small box with symbols—a flame and a funnel. Interesting… what happens if I press them? I turned on the tap and filled the tub with a little water. Then I touched the flame symbol—nothing happened.

I figured I’d have to drain the water. But when I put my hand into the tub, the water was slightly warm. What if I hold my hand on the flame symbol longer? As I did, steam started rising from the water. Oops, overheated it, I realized.

I added some cold water and decided it was finally time to take a bath.

Then again, how do I drain it afterward? Something told me that the funnel symbol was the key. And I was right!

After bathing, I stepped out of the bathroom, walked over to the sofa, sat down…

…and drifted off to sleep without noticing.

I woke up in the morning to the grumbling of my stomach, clearly begging for food. There’s that dried meat, I thought. I should eat just a little, or I’ll “kick the bucket!” After that, I’d have to go through all the supplies and see what exactly was here.

Sitting at the table, I remembered something my mom used to tell me about tough times, but all memories before the age of eight were gone. That strange lady did warn me that I would forget everything eventually. The weirdest part? I’m glad. That life needs to stay in the past—it was full of pain and sadness. And no memory will make it any better. This is a chance to start fresh, from a clean slate.

It’s interesting—there doesn’t seem to be anything like tea here, but I found something very similar. A mix of herbs, and it smelled amazing. But I’m a caffeine fan, and it looks like there’s no coffee in this world. There were lots of spices, too—I really want to learn their names. I also found grains, so I figured I’d cook some kind of porridge. That’s how I planned to spend my morning.

But turns out, I messed up big time. That grain turned out to be more like peas, and I ended up making pea purée with meat instead. Not bad, actually. I marked the jar so I wouldn’t mix it up next time.

Then I grabbed a book with pictures and went outside to warm up in the sun. It felt so nice. The book was actually really interesting—just right for me! There were pictures with letters next to them, kind of like a children’s alphabet book.

But how do I figure out what the letters mean? I thought. Maybe I can try drawing them in the dirt? Worth a shot.

The meaning kind of flashed through me the first time, too fast to catch. I tried again… nothing. How frustrating! To start a new life and not even know how to read or write? That thought really got me down, and my mood soured. I went back inside.

What now? I wandered around the room. There was a fireplace, but no firewood. I’d have to head into the forest and gather some branches.

I wonder… does this place even have winter? I thought. I guess I’ll find out eventually—I’ve got all the time in the world.

In the evening, I was sitting on the couch, watching the firelight dancing on the walls. That’s when I noticed something odd—one wooden wall had a faint pattern on it. I got up to see if I was imagining things… Nope, it was real! I pressed on the wall, and it opened.

In front of me was a staircase leading up. I carefully began to climb—there wasn’t much light except from a nearby lamp. By the way, everything here runs on magic. If you want to use something, there’s a special symbol for it. All you have to do is touch the symbol—a flame means heat or fire, a sun means light, and so on.

At the top of the stairs, I found a bedroom, and wow—it made me so happy. The bed took up most of the attic space, but I didn’t mind. There were also shelves with books, and—oh my gosh—a real closet with handles! I’d almost given up hope that closets even existed in this world!

The closet was basically a mini room on its own. It had bedding, clothes—though only men’s clothing—and all kinds of little jars and bottles. I grabbed some sheets and went to make the bed. After that, I washed up, sat by the fireplace for a bit, and then went to sleep.

The next morning, a ray of sunlight kept trying to wake me up, very persistently, I might add. I really didn’t want to get up! But eventually, I gave in, opened my eyes, and rolled away so it wouldn’t shine straight into them. What a gorgeous bedroom—everything made from light wood, and an enormous window stretching from floor to ceiling. The previous owner must’ve had a thing for big windows.

…It’s been thirty-one days—I’ve been keeping track with little marks. And something incredible has happened: as my memories fade, I’ve started gaining knowledge of this world! I’m honestly so happy about it! It’s helped me settle in, understand the local food, and just get my bearings.

I decided to try reading the letters again… and it worked! Now I just need to keep learning until I can fully read. One step at a time.