Dark Reincarnation: Nightshade

Chapter 49

                       Alice's POV

       The next morning I had breakfast with the girls then, after making sure they were going to be ok without me, I headed off in the direction of the magic institute. With my speed it didn't take very long to get there.

        It was a pretty impressive place. The wall around it was at least a mile wide and about thirty feet tall. The gate seemed to be made of iron and had a slight shimmer to it. Using my magic sense I could see that the entirety of the place was surrounded by a pretty strong magical barrier. You could see a giant palace like structure even above the walls.

       I casually walked up to the gate and went straight to one of the people standing guard.

         "Excuse me sir, I would like to look into the institute to see about my daughter attending. Is there any way I would be able to get an audience with the headmaster?"

                 "Certainly miss, the headmaster is always looking forward to new students. I'll send someone inform her of your request right away."

          "Thanks, I appreciate it."

     While I was waiting for word from the headmaster, I talked a bit to the guards to get their opinions on this place. Both of them seemed to hold the place in pretty high regards.

     According to them, the current headmaster actually established this particular institute around fifty years ago. Apparently she was the type of person who was fed up with the norm and all the bullshit.

      Not only was she strictly anti-military but had no racial qualms or animosity towards the other races. To top it off, apparently the institute admits anyone no matter their social class as long as they can both pass the entrance exam and pay the entrance fee afterwards.

     All in all, it was actually sounding too good to be true. But using my Lie Detector skill I was able to see they were telling the truth.

     A little while later the gate started to open and an panther beastkin walked up to me with a smile. She looked to be in her late twenties but something told me she was much older. The amount of magical energy coming from her was extremely immense. And albeit peaceful, she had a very potent aura.

           "Hello, my name is Vira, I am the headmaster of this institute. I hear you would like to inquire about my academy to see if it's suitable for your daughter, is that correct?"

                    "Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Vira, my name is Alice. You would be correct, my daughter will be able to attend an academy next year and is wishing to go to one.

    "However I will only allow her to go somewhere I deem suitable. I was told that your institute is strictly stand alone and has no government or military affiliation. Is that true?"

    I decided to cut straight to the chase and ask the most pressing question to see her reaction. To my surprise, although she did seem a little taking back, she didn't seem worried at all. She simply smiled.

         "Before I answer that question I must ask one of my own, would you care to come with me so we could talk somewhere more comfortable?"

               "If you insist, then I don't mind. After you then Mrs. Vira."

     With a nod of her head she then turned around and held out her hand. A second later a portal suddenly appeared just big enough for a person to step through. After glancing back at me still wearing a smile she proceeded to step through the portal.

     Figuring why not, I then followed after the headmaster. Stepping through the portal I ended up in a huge office with windows from the floor to the ceiling on one side. On the other there were a few long bookshelves loaded with all manner of books.

      By the wall in front of me was a good sized desk and office chair. Directly in the center of the room was a cream colored sofa set and a small coffee table. The headmaster sat on one of the sofas and beckoned for me to do the same.

       "So, the answer to my question?" I asked while sitting down on the sofa opposite of her.

  
            "Well I can assure you that it's true. The reason for our change of location for this talk however is because I wanted some privacy for the remainder of the conversation.

      "Judging by your asking that particular question before all else, I assume that you've had history with another academy, am I correct?"

                      "I guess you can say that..."

        
        "Don't worry, I know exactly what type of things really goes on in the government/military academies. I myself was victim to some of the atrocities of one such place."

     Hearing her say that and using my skill to see that she's not lying, plus the pained look that flashed across her face as she said it, I suddenly found myself looking at her in a different light.

           "I can assure you miss Alice, nothing of the sort occurs in or around this institute. I'd be willing to stake my life on that promise."

                  "Are you sure about that? Be careful what you say."

          "And what do you mean by that?"

                   "Simple. If you're willing to stake so much on your word, then you wouldn't mind doing a Blood Oath to swear it's true. Or do you wish to add anything?"

         "Very well, should we get started then?"