𝕬 𝕯𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖓 𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌'𝖘 𝕳𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 | 𝕿𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖎𝖙𝖞 𝕾𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓『×』 𝕺𝕮

[0.2] | Fresh Start

"Okay... That's the last of them. Phew," Alphonse muttered to himself, wiping his brow of sweat.

Having taken the mysterious man's offer of attending his magical academy, as far-fetched as it sounded for it to be a thing, the black-haired teen went back to his apartment to pack up his things. The pale-haired man had gone to negotiate with the landlord to drop Alphonse's late rent charge and other fees when he was going to check out of his apartment. Needless to say, the landlord wasn't pleased about this development, especially since he wanted to milk the black-haired teen dry of money. However, he was instantly shut up as soon as the pale-haired man had dropped a hefty bag of pounds right onto his desk.

The black-haired teen soon looked around his now empty apartment. Well, not necessarily empty, but his clothes, a few pictures, and other important things were all relatively concise down into two suitcases of his. The only thing left in this apartment was the shitty and terrible bed he had, the mattress and bedframe the most he could afford in bulk aside from renting the apartment itself. But this had been his home for the past few years or so. It was like a part of him was still lingering here, and once he left, he would truly be disconnecting himself from this place.

The feeling of leaving home was all too familiar with him, but it still pained him a little each time it happened.

Soon, however, he heard a knock on his door. Pushing himself off his bed, he heads to it and opens the door, revealing the pale-haired man with that same grin he always had.

"Are you ready to depart, Mr. Euclidus?"

"Yeah, packed it all in my suitcases right here," he said, gesturing to the cases. "So, where we headed? To the airport? Train station? Or we taking a cab somewhere?"

The man's grin merely widened a bit more. "Might I step in for a moment? Oh, it would be best if you put your shoes on."

"Uh... Sure... Come on in, I guess. But there's nothing really left here, so I don't see the need to come in."

Allowing some room for the man to step in, he crouches in the foyer and puts on his shoes as instructed. The man in the uniform takes a small gander, seeing that the room was a bit of a pigsty of a place. Probably wasn't the boy's fault, this room had seen better days and was well established before he was born. The walls had some slight tearing to them, a bit of dirt and grime in some of the corners, a fairly weathered brick wall behind the walling. At least it didn't smell like something had died in here, unlike the others he had caught a whiff of as he passed them.

Raising his two hands up into the air, rather lowly, Alphonse looked at him confusedly. His two suitcases were gripped tightly in either hands, looking rather perplexed at the posture and position the man had taken. And with a certain glow of colors in his hands, the man turned his head around slightly and looked at Alphonse.

"I suggest you prepare yourself, Mr. Euclidus. Expect it to be a... Bumpy ride, per say."

"Uh, what—?"

Before any more questions could be raised, the room suddenly began to rumble and shake. Alphonse nearly lost his balance and fell over, but he was thankfully able to catch himself. However, he was still having trouble keeping himself still because the room was still shaking, dropping his suitcases onto the floor. Lights were flickering, the small chandelier overhead shaking uncontrollably, the bed frame, tables, and cabinets were making a clattering noise, their wooden frames knocking against themselves lightly against the walls and each other.

In an instant, the two of them and the suitcases' disappeared. The rumbling and shaking soon stopped, the lights returning to normal but the chandelier still swaying quite a bit, things that were on cabinets and tables had toppled over and were messily all over the floor. The front door to the small foyer was soon busted open as the landlord came in with an expression of fury, his fists balled up and his face slightly red.