The train didn't even slow down, it just appeared inside the station. One moment Jonah was staring at miles of green, and the next, they were surrounded by marble arches and glowing crystal. It was so big, so bright, it made his head hurt.
The station wasn't built of steel and concrete. It was carved from pristine white stone and inlaid with so much gleaming gold that it hurt to look at. Sunlight streamed through a ceiling made of crystal, painting rainbows on the marble floor. Through the massive archways, Jonah could see the academy itself.
It wasn't a school. It was a mountain. A man-made mountain of white towers, soaring bridges, and floating gardens that defied gravity. It didn't just look like a palace; it looked like a palace that had eaten several other palaces for breakfast. This was the Mystic Pheonix Academy. Cinderfall wasn't just a different city; it was a different planet.
The doors of the train hissed open. The twelve new students, Jonah included, shuffled out onto the platform, looking like a pack of stray dogs that had accidentally wandered into the king's ballroom.
A woman with a stern face and hair pulled back so tightly it looked painful was waiting for them. She wore the clean, sharp uniform of an academy professor.
"Welcome to the Mystic Phoenix Academy," she said, her voice crisp and devoid of warmth. "I am Professor Valen. For the next four years, this will be your battlefield, your sanctuary, and your home. Here, you will be forged into the weapons the nation needs."
She eyed their small, nervous group. "As of today, you are all Commons, the lowest rank at the academy. You will work to prove you deserve the power you were given."
An attendant moved down their line, handing each of them a small, simple pin. It was a circular badge of plain white enamel. A White Badge. A mark of the beginner, the rookie, the nobody. Jonah pinned his to the collar of his worn-out shirt. It felt heavier than it looked.
"Your first task is to select your living quarters," Professor Valen continued, tapping a button on her wrist. A holographic map of a large building materialized in the air between them. It showed dozens of colored squares, each representing a room. "These are the first-year dorms. Standard procedure is first come, first served. Choose wisely."
Instantly, the other students rushed forward, pointing and shouting.
"I want that one! The big corner room!"
"Look, that one has its own balcony!"
"The one closest to the training grounds!"
They were all clamoring for the largest rooms, the ones with the best views or the most space. Jonah hung back, overwhelmed by the noise. His eyes drifted across the map, ignoring the blocks and measurements. He was looking for something different.
A strange, new sense was tickling the back of his mind. Since creating Rook, he felt a faint awareness of the little creature living in his mental workshop. Now, that connection was acting like a strange antenna. As his eyes scanned the map, he felt a strange, buzzing aliveness in one spot. Faint but real, like the quiet hum of bees behind a wall.
His eyes found the source. It was a tiny blue square hidden away in a far corner of the map, far from the other rooms. The description was simple:
`Room 113. Size: Small. Features: Enclosed Patio.`
A small room, out of the way, that nobody else wanted. But the pulse of life it gave off was undeniable. Trusting the instinct that had led him to the Genesis Core, he stepped forward.
"Professor," he said, his voice quiet but clear.
Valen turned her sharp gaze on him. "Yes, Common?"
"I'll take Room 113."
One of the other boys, a brawny new Warrior with a sword mark on his neck, snorted. "You want that one? The one that's basically a closet with a patio? Suit yourself, dust-eater."
Professor Valen's eyebrow twitched slightly, but she just nodded. "Room 113 is yours. A senior will guide you."
A tall girl with a Black Badge; the next rank up, looked half-asleep as she waved him over. Without saying a word, she turned and led him toward a pair of giant oak doors, leaving the others behind.
"Don't mind them," she said. "Your room choice is your own business. The dorms are this way."
The inside of the dorm building was even stranger than the train. The hallways twisted in ways that didn't make sense, and staircases seemed to appear and disappear. It was clearly a magical building, held together by rules Jonah didn't understand.
Finally, the senior stopped in front of a plain wooden door with "113" painted on it. "Here you are. Get settled. Orientation is tomorrow at dawn. Don't be late." And with that, she was gone.
Jonah pushed the door open. The room was exactly as the Warrior had described it: a closet. It contained a simple bed, a simple desk, and a simple chair. It was Cinderfall-level luxury. A wave of doubt washed over him. Had he made a huge mistake?
On the far wall was a single window, covered by a heavy, dark green curtain. This must lead to the "patio."
With a heavy heart, he walked over and pulled the curtain aside.
His breath caught in his throat.
It wasn't a patio.
It was a jungle in a glass box.
Beyond the window was a fully enclosed, multi-level vivarium, easily three times the size of his actual room. A tiny, magical waterfall trickled down a series of mossy rocks into a small pool. Tiny trees with glowing blue leaves reached for the ceiling lights. And everywhere he looked, something was alive and growing.
Dancing Glimmermoths floated through the air with their glowing wings, Small Moss-Shelled Turtles dozed on the warm rocks.
Taped to the inside of the glass was a small, faded piece of parchment. Jonah opened the door and stepped into the warm, humid air to read it.
To the next student of life, may you find as much inspiration in this small world as I did.
— Vanessa, Druid of the Green.
Jonah stared at the tiny, thriving ecosystem, at the dozens of small, harmless magical creatures living out their lives just an arm's length away. The pulse of life he had sensed from the map was now a vibrant chorus.
A slow, wolfish smile spread across his face. He reached out and gently touched the wing of a passing moth. He had been worried about where he would find more materials, more Essences to fuel his power.
He looked around at the thriving paradise. it felt alive, like the whole world was breathing.
This wasn't a dorm room. It was a pantry. A private, all-you-can-eat buffet of Essences.