In 2025, the world was blessed with magic, but Elijah Myers, a 15-year-old from the UK, was left seemingly powerless. Despite his weaker powers, fate led him to the distant Sanctum Academy in Seoul, a haven for gifted teenagers mastering their magic...
Spring had painted Seoul with a gentle touch of cherry blossoms. As I disembarked from the plane that had carried me across the world from the UK, I couldn't help but feel a wave of disbelief wash over me. How had I ended up here, at Sanctum Academy of all places? The idea of magic, combat skills, and the likes seemed more like a fantasy novel than my reality.
My journey from the UK had been a blur of airports and in-flight meals that tasted like cardboard. It had all happened so fast. One minute, I was a regular 15-year-old dealing with the usual teenage woes, and the next, I received a letter that changed everything. It informed me that I'd been accepted into Sanctum Academy, a prestigious institution I'd never even heard of until that moment.
The bustling crowd at Incheon International Airport was a stark contrast to the calm of the English countryside I'd grown up in. People hurried past, speaking in a language I couldn't understand. My luggage, a mismatched collection of bags and suitcases, felt heavy in my hand. I had no family in Seoul, no friends, and my knowledge of Korean culture was limited to a few random facts I'd picked up from the internet.
I tried to remind myself that this was an opportunity, even if I couldn't explain how or why I'd gotten it. But it was hard not to feel like an imposter, an outsider. I knew nothing about magic or combat. My abilities, if I even had any, were dormant or non-existent, unlike the students who surrounded me.
A sudden announcement over the airport's intercom snapped me out of my thoughts, and I realized I needed to find my way to Sanctum Academy. I checked my phone for directions, hoping the GPS would guide me to this mysterious place that had somehow become my destination. As I hailed a taxi, the uncertainty of what lay ahead settled heavily on my shoulders.
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I climbed into the taxi, struggling to convey my destination to the driver. "Sanctum Academy," I said, pointing at the address on my phone. My Korean pronunciation must have been way off because the driver gave me a puzzled look and said, "San...Sanctum? Ah, okay."
As the taxi pulled away from the airport, the driver tried to make small talk. "You... student?" he asked in broken English.
I nodded, relieved that he understood. "Yes, I am a new student."
The driver smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Ah, new student! Good. Good." He pointed at me and then at himself. "My English, not good. But I try."
I chuckled. "It's okay. My Korean, isn't good either."
We both laughed, breaking the ice as the taxi merged into the bustling Seoul traffic. I took a quick glance at my phone and noted the date. "April 11th, 2055." I mumbled more to myself than to the driver.
The driver, noticing my interest, tried to strike up another conversation. "You like Seoul? Spring nice here."
"Yeah!" I replied, looking out at the blooming cherry blossoms. "Spring is beautiful."
