6 Chapter 3

"Whoa what the hell!" Favian screamed as his body materialized into the scroll. He'd been pulled into it with such a strong force that he'd had no time to put up any defenses.

'Ahh if I'd kept my shadow materialized at the academy, maybe…' he thought. His line of logic was that he probably could have teleported to his shadow before being sucked into the scroll, but at the same time having his shadow materialized at the academy didn't sit too well with him. What if somebody studied this unique spell of his?

Favian looked at his surroundings, trying to figure out where he was right now. He was able to make out that he was stood by a beach. He could hear the waves crashing against the sand, and seawater entered his nostrils. It was pitch black outside, so it was only with extreme difficulty that Favian was able to make out any of his surroundings. The only source of light seemed to come from the sky.

'Weird. What is that?' Favian thought as he looked at the sky. There were none of the numerous dots he'd expected to see when he looked up, which showcased the light from distant stars. Not even a single one. The only thing visible was a purple vortex, similar to the symbol that was on the cover of the scroll. The vortex was huge. When compared to the moon, Favian believed it to be almost 100 times bigger.

The moment Favian focused his eyes on the vortex, the surrounding area brightened up in a purple color. It seemed that the darkness was lifted once he focused on the object in the sky. Suddenly, Favian's body was moved off the ground, and sent hurtling into the sky. He was being sucked into the vortex at a rapid speed, the wind surging against his face and almost piercing his skin.

"AHHHH!" Favian screamed, but his voice was unable to pierce through the atmosphere. By now he was in space, and was unable to take even a single breath. He would be able to hold his breath for a substantial amount of time, but this didn't bode well for him. Even if he was able to survive for hours without taking a breath, he would definitely meet his end at the vortex, or so he thought.

Everything next happened in a blur. Favian opened his eyes, only to see that he was back at the library. He was standing at the exact position he'd been before being pulled into the vortex, the only difference was that the scroll was gone.

'What the hell? System, what happened?' he asked.

[DING!Error! Unknown energy has scrambled the host's memories]

"What?" Favian shouted in alarm. He could still remember being sucked into the scroll, but it seemed that other stuff happened whilst he was there that he couldn't remember. An artifact that could alter his memories, when he even had his game system, must be immensely powerful. 'Damn it, if only I could've gotten my hands on it.' Favian was under the belief that he'd completely lost the scroll.

"Favian! Why are you still at the library? You promised to go to the cafe with me!" a female voice suddenly erupted from behind him.

"Huh? Ahh shit, sorry Licht, I completely forgot about it," Favian said, pleading for her to take it easy on him. Usually he would go to the library in the evening, but today was a special day. Today was the last day of term at the Dusk Academy, so Favian had gone to the library early in the morning instead. His previous preoccupations had left him forgetting his lunch date with Licht.

"That's fine, I just want us to get there before it gets too busy," she replied, smiling at him warmly. Licht wore a simple mage's robes, and had adorned her hair with a pink flower.

"How do you like it?" she asked, pointing at the flower in her hair.

Favian wasn't sure how to respond. Frankly, he didn't care about accessories too much. "Yea looks good," he said. With that, the two walked over to Cafe Elegantia. This was Favian's favorite spot to grab food from. The two quickly ordered large amounts of confectionery and desserts, which would usually have surprised anyone, but the two had already been to this place frequently enough for the staff to know their gluttonous tendencies.

Licht currently had buried herself in a pool of molten chocolate cake, devouring it as if it was the last time she'd ever have food again. "So, today is the final day of our first year here at the academy. I can't believe it went by so quickly," she said.

The nostalgia of his first year brought back lots of different memories. Pain, shame, anger, sadness. These were all things he'd experienced a multitude of times. "I wonder what Dunkel would've said if he was here," Favian said.

Suddenly Licht stopped eating, something that was rare for her. If she had food, she didn't care what it was but she'd finish eating it. A sad glint could be seen in her eyes, and she replied, "Probably some stupid rumor about how a demon will eat us on the last day of term."

"Haha, yea, you're probably right." Favian's face was filled with sadness when he thought back on his memories of Dunkel, an emotion Licht was also feeling after she'd said her part.

"So Favian… What have you found out so far?" she asked.

Favian rubbed his temple in a circular motion, before saying, "Nothing much. Honestly, the information on places outside of Ortu Solis is so limited. I even asked the headmaster but he was really vague and didn't really answer my questions. All I do know is that apparently there's some sort of method to teleport from here to the southern lands, but again, the explanations aren't good at all. I have found that the continent to the south is called Luna, however. What about you? What have you gotten so far?"

"Hmm, that sounds pretty bad for us. I mean you've spent months looking for answers and only found this much," she said, only realizing how harsh it sounded after the words left her lips. "Ahh that's not what I meant, you've worked really hard but we are just being blocked off from the good information. And to answer your question, I haven't gotten much information either. I kept pestering my dad about the lands to the south, but his mouth has been shut tightly on that subject, it's like he's trying to hide something."

The sun was currently at its apex, signaling that it was noon time. It was only now that the pair remembered they had to go to the assembly hall for their end of year graduation. "Shit!" they both shouted, after which Favian took a big chunk out of his last pancake and sprinted away. It only took a couple of minutes for the two to arrive at the assembly hall, where they promptly found themselves seats. Only moments after they arrived, the assembly began.

"Good Afternoon my hardworking students! I'd like to congratulate all of you for reaching the end of this academic year. I know that it has not been easy, and many have been expelled along the way for not meeting our strict requirements. However, those of you left are the creme de la creme. We are all extremely proud of you for making the leap from an initiate to a proper Level 1 Magician," headmaster Anansi said. He wore a striking black suit, that fit onto his body perfectly. Applause filled the room after he said this, and some cheers were even heard from some of the more rowdy students. Stood by all the other professors, Aria could be seen clapping and cheering as well as she looked on at Favian.

Anansi cleared his throat, after which he continued with his speech. "Now now, settle down everyone. I have some very important news for you today. Firstly, I want you all to know that I'm terribly sorry for this, but this has been the tradition for countless centuries already. My big announcement is that a select number of you will be taking part in the annual Inter-Academy Championship which will begin in a month. We will be choosing the five brightest students from only the first-year cohort to accompany us, and you'll have to battle it out with each other at the Colosseum to see who can make it. If bringing glory and honor to our academy isn't enough of an incentive for you all, then let me announce that the first ranked student will receive 500 contribution points."

The assembly hall erupted in outrage. Favian was unsure whether the students were being extremely loud right now in joy or anger. Personally, he didn't really care either way. 500 contribution points was a lot, but it seemed that he'd be getting more than that once his second year at the academy began, or at least Aria had told him this. There were definitely perks to being the direct student of a professor at the academy, and talent really did influence the chances a person could get in life. If Favian didn't have his game system and wasn't talented in magic in the first place, then he sure as hell would not have even close of the growth spurt that he had. Heaps of beast cores and medicinal herbs were bought by him through the contribution points he'd gathered over his first year at the academy, and helped to move him immensely in his cultivation. Right now, he was very close to breaking through to the inner Level 1 Magician. Without the help of these resources, it would have taken a lot longer to achieve this rate of cultivation.

"What do you think about this Licht?" he asked.

"I'm not too sure, but it sounds like a good deal right? Do you even know the amount of rare food I can buy with 500 contribution points? I could even get some griffin wings or unicorn thighs by the boatload with so many points," Licht replied. Her face flared up with energy as she thought about the different types of food she could buy if she was ranked as the best student.

"Whoa slow down there. Bruh, is that slobber I see on your lips?" Favian asked, pointing to the side of her mouth where she had clearly just been salivating.

Licht started to blush the moment Favian pointed it out, instead deciding to divert his attention away from her. "Shut up! Anyway, if the two of us end up having to fight each other, you better not go easy on me!" she exclaimed.

"You know I wouldn't dare to do that, you'll find some way to annoy me if I did," he replied, laughing at the seriousness in her voice.