Something Immortal

03: The Arcane Academy

Som only read about the renowned institution in books; he had seen illustrations on the pages and imagined the rest inside his head. It sits on top of the summit, a castle-like fort in a shape of a star, and beneath it is a city surrounded by vivid lights coming from the bell-shaped faunas that float around the place.

The moment Som arrived after a long trip away from The Valley, he thought he was in another world or time. But unlike those who were sent outside for the first time, Som displayed neither weariness nor fear. Simply put, his heart was filled with inexplicable excitement, as though he had tampered with something forbidden.

Before the event at the Arcane Academy, a gathering was held in the same city. It will be held in an exclusive place, a Grand Hall that was an extension of the said academy. Speaking of "The Summit Isle," it was the most popular city in the novel where a lot of the scenes take place.

However, after what Som has discovered prior to his conversation with Irin, the thrill of meeting the protagonist lessened. In this version, he wasn't friends with Kali. This left him blind and uncertain, wondering which of the scenes in the novel would be retained.

"Welcome to the Arcane Academy," a gentleman with a rather flamboyant haircut and bangles for earrings greeted Som with a big smile. He was thin and a little shorter than him, wearing an off-white robe or perhaps a fur-hooded cloak. He continued, "Jarl Sri, and your brother Som. I presumed?"

"Ah yes," Som bowed his head but was unable to take his gaze off of the stranger, bemused by his fashion choice and colorful attire.

"You're just as what Sri has described," the man chuckled softly. "My name is Phet, and I'm one of the proposers and lecturers here. Well, mostly a librarian." Phet introduced himself and gestured for them to follow him as he continued talking, "How is the journey? I heard this is the first time you're traveling away from The Valley?"

It has become apparent that Phet was indeed very interested in Som, and Sri looks proud of this. It seems that he wanted to expose Som to a lot of influential people. This Phet might be someone important, yet Som couldn't remember reading his part in the novel.

The Grand Hall was more majestic inside than outside, and they were ushered to the table with their name on it. Som noticed that the words were written on the table via gold dust. It looked so magical, and he fought the urge not to touch it unless he wanted these people's interests fixed on him.

Som continued to roam his eyes around the place, admiring the murals on the walls and high ceilings, as well as those strange paintings hanging on the wall that seemed to depict a story. These might be the "origin" paintings that the author has mentioned a couple of times in the original novel. The still images portrayed the creation of Asturia and the birth of the legions.

"Are we early?" Som couldn't hold his tongue anymore and felt the need to ask. This was some boring assembly, to be honest, but then again, what did he even expect?

Sri took a sip of wine from his glass before paying him any attention. "We're just in time."

"Really? Then the others might be late."

Sri was amused. "What's going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've been very outspoken since yesterday. Very unusual of you."

Right, Som thought bitterly. This was most likely one of the things that have changed. The original story stated that Som was a chatterbox just like him. Nevertheless, he indulged his brother and kept his mouth shut.

Soon enough, the guests arrived. Som was looking forward to this, and he was under the impression that he would be meeting Kali in this scene. He did his best to guess the character's profile, but it was difficult unless they transformed into their ancestral form. For instance, the Draconians have the ability to transform themselves into the majestic winged serpent of legends.