The Moon and the Son

Chapter 1

"The heart of all magic is a lie", my grandfather would always say, "because lies lead to anger, and anger leads to strength."

I'd never really understood what he meant, but I believed him nevertheless. You see, nothing he had ever said was wrong. Not the weather predictions, not the fishing advice, nothing. He seemed to me to be the epitome of perfection. From a young age, he was the only one in my family who had cared for me, too. My grandfather was the one who always watched out for me: when I screwed up, he was there to help. When I struggled, he was there to support me. When I finally succeeded at something, he was always the first one to congratulate me. Of course, that's why I dedicated my life to becoming someone like him. He had never ever laid a hand on me, yet I followed everything he said: there was just something that made me trust him. I wanted to be that kind-hearted yet strong figure in other people's lives. 

A freak accident took him from me, and I found myself under the 'care' of my father. He ignored me every day. We only talked at dinner, and even then it felt like he pretended I didn't exist. I found myself feeling lonelier and lonelier.

Until one day: my father came to me in my room. He told me that I was going to be sent to the Academy, a prestigious school in the center of the city. I angrily told him that I would never go - what did he expect, after all? He had ignored me all this time, and suddenly asks me to do something? But he only smiled.

It turns out, he had checked the list of students, and one of them seemed to match the description of my grandfather's murderer. What could do, but go? After all, my grandpa's death needed avenging. 

I was told that my mission was to find this killer and bring him/her back here. 

So here I was, standing at the entrance to the school grounds; under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have bothered - social interaction, teachers, and 'friends' were just foreign objects to me. All I needed was my family's library and a light to learn and live. 

Still, I can't help but feel curious about the school. As I pass through the gates, I get an itchy feeling that there was more to this school than just the "study of the world". After all, the Academy was one of the most well known schools in the entire world. People besides me ran around playing with each other, and a few kites soared high above the school grounds.

I walked quickly along the engraved stone road leading up to the school, and wondered curiously about the day's events. Everywhere around me, returning students were being reunited with their friends, and new students were making new friends. The first day of school, huh? Would I make friends here? Would I find something I was truly interested in? I shrugged. Even if I this place was boring, no matter. I was here to just find the murderer.

As I swiftly strode towards the entrance, hordes of fellow students passed; some were joyfully chatting, while others were shyly avoiding all gazes and hanging around the entrance. I was an anomaly here because I didn't really understand the comforts of having friends, and I never really felt the struggles of the lone wolves driven out by society; with no social interaction to do, I chose to get into the school as fast as possible.

Yet the closer I got to the school, the more I was awed. From a distance, the Academy seemed to be a single spiral leading high into the air, with floating circular platforms from which much cheering could be heard. 

But the spiral itself towered high into the air, easily outclassing anything I had ever see in terms of both beauty and size. Its outer layers were a pale crimson color, and bands of cerulean blue circled around it. Windows were beautifully integrated into the spiral itself, with any non-colored area being replaced entirely with glass. I had never seen anything so wonderful in my entire life, although, I had only been alive for 15, so it doesn't really say much. Anyhow, the sheer massiveness of the structure amazed me. 

Entering through the massive double doors, I gazed up in awe. Above me, floating stuffed animals and glowing embers danced in the massive hollow in the center of the spire. A large spiral staircase wound around the sides of the building, and I soon lost count of the number of floors.

Turning slowly, I gazed out over the hundreds upon hundreds of heads, seeking out the information desk. Finding it opposite the entrance, I pushed my way through the crowd.

"Excuse me. I'm new to the school." I said. 

One of the people there, a muscular, tall man, stood up and extended his hand. The sun glinted off of his bald head and I resisted the urge to ask if he had oil there.

"Hey! I'm Praetor, your first year class mentor. How do you do?"

Taking his accent, I assumed he was Italian or some country in that area. Reaching out, I took his hand and shook it. "I'm Victorus Maine, but you can just call me Victor."

Praetor smiled and snapped. A folder appeared, floating in the air in front of me, and he pushed it over. I took it, awestruck. Magic?

"In there is a map of the campus, your room number, and your ID. You're a first year, so you'll be in the Cocytus house, room 1799, it appears. You're probably old enough to find your own way with a map, so I'll spare you the explanation." 

"Thank you," I said, and made to leave. 

"You have the next few hours off, so explore the school and make some friends. Make sure you're in the auditorium by 7."

I decided to head over and drop my pack off at my dorm and then take a walk around the school grounds. Anyhow, I would be spending five years here at the Academy, so the school building wasn't exactly something I was in a hurry to explore. 

Making up my mind, I looked down at the map. The school grounds were divided into four main parts. There was the central sector, with the spire - the actual school building itself. Around it were the three other divisions. The first, the dorms, were large facilities around the base of the spiral, which were divided into 5 areas for each grade. It was labeled  "shared", for some reason. Higher up, two large semicircular buildings floated in the air labeled "Magic Training" and "Antimagic Training". 

Magic...?

As I looked around, I began to notice small things I hadn't seen before. People here playing catch with a glowing sphere of fire, some people there doing card tricks with hovering cards. The world seemed alive to me, and I began to think that I wasn't alone.