Reverse Chronicles

Jyrian Institute of Magic

     After the feast of flavors at La Boulangerie, we continued on our way. We went through a very crowded street, where stalls that sold various bizarre products lined up. As we made our way through, I began to notice that the products were mysterious and magical. I heard a man announcing about a magical quill that does not need to be dipped in ink to write. There were also rings and necklaces that could increase an individual’s magical abilities.

     “We’re almost there, the institute is just beyond this street,” Franz called my attention when we were at the end of the long bustling street. At the end of the street, a large wall stood. There was a giant door that looked like stainless steel. Judging from the looks of it, it must be impenetrable. We stopped by the gate. Franz tied his horse to one of the rails at the gate.

     “Wouldn’t he get stolen?” I called the sake of the horse into question.

     “Mikah, wouldn’t allow anyone to ride on his back. Even if I left him in the middle of the city, no one could take him away. He would go on a rampage. Anyway, you wanted me to accompany you inside?”

     “Well, I did assume that. I don’t know my way around, what if I get lost? I need you to help me when we get inside.”

     “Okay,” he tucked Mikah one last time, and then we went in front of the gate.

     “How do we get inside?”

     “We wait.”

     “Just wait?”

     “Yes, I’ve been here before. The head of the institute knows we’re here. She is examining us right now. She should open the gates in moments,” as he finished his last sentence, the stainless steel-looking door turned into a wooden one. “The institute is protected by a powerful institute. You might have noticed the door changing color.”

     “Fascinating!” Suddenly, the door opened on its own. The two of us entered. The inside looked like a long winding tunnel. There are torches hanging on the walls that lit the tunnel until the end, which had light coming out.

     “The real institute is just beyond this tunnel,” Franz said. I began to run leaving him behind. I felt excited for the answers of the questions that have plagued my head ever since. My excitement caused my legs to run. Franz followed me the moment he realized I was way ahead. The exit is almost there. My legs did not stop and continued until I was beyond the tunnel.

     The institute was breathtaking. It felt like I was in another world inside another world. Walls encircled the entire area. They isolated this beautiful place from the city. Within the walls, different biomes were present, which piqued me. I was in a meadow filled with flowers. Beside me on my right, just a distance away, large trees that looked like the same trees from Araplene stood proudly. On my left, a savannah provided a powerful contrast. I walked away from the gate to see a snow biome beyond the large trees to my right and a scorching desert beyond the savannah to my left. In the middle of it all, a giant castle stood pristinely. It looked a lot like Neuschwanstein from my world, except that it was surrounded by different biomes. Behind it a giant waterfall provided great contrast to its white color highlighting its Romanesque style.

     “Breathtaking isn’t it? I had the same feeling when I first saw this place.” Franz finally caught up to me.

     “How do they have these different biomes inside here?”

     “I don’t know, all I know is that this is beautiful. This is the Jyrian Institute of Magic, where Pupils, Mages, Sages, and other magical people gather to study in the entire southeastern region. I have a friend here, actually, and he will help us around.”

     Franz walked towards the castle. The excitement that I feel and the nervousness inside me made me freeze. I couldn’t move an inch after seeing something so contradictory, yet so beautiful at the same time. However, I was more concerned if the answers that I seek are here or not.

     “Are you alright?” Franz held my hands. His hands were stiff, but comforting and warm. “Relax, you will have what you seek here.” Those kind words melted my worries away. Franz led me onward to the castle. We walked through the meadows of flowers inside the institute. Suddenly, I hear an explosion from the desert. Moments later, people who looked like mages wearing capes and holding tomes flew towards the area. Unlike the movies, which usually had witches and wizards riding brooms, this world was different.

     One mage saw us and descended at an intense speed. In a blink of an eye, he was right in front of us. “So this is the girl you told me about?” He walked towards us looking at me.

     “Yes, her name is Josh and there is something that he seeks here.” Franz answered to the mysterious stranger. He had brown hair, teal-silver eyes, and a white complexion. His jaw line was distinct and his face looked like he was also another model. For a mage, he wasn’t that thin and scrawny. Instead, he had muscular arms and his physique looked like an amazingly-sculpted statue.

     “Josh? That’s a strange name for a girl,” he approached me and looked at my eyes intently. As our eyes remained contact, his eyes glowed instantly for a split second. “You have the soul of a boy, Josh.”

     “That’s because I am a boy,” I replied with ironically a girl’s voice. “I was switched with the true owner of this body.”

     “So you two were switched, eh? Interesting! You are one fine specimen, Josh.”

     “Right? She is interesting and not to mention passionate and kind.”

     “There is also something different in you that my spell cannot identify. It’s strange, but I think I haven’t read it in books, yet. I should take you to the headmistress.”

     “Great! That’s where I am headed. Take me to the headmistress.”