Annabelle’s Bastion

Anna was in a small, empty room with granite-black walls and floors dotted with white, almost mimicking the night sky. Even her own seat was the uncomfortable stone.

She wasn’t alone, though.

Opposite her, sitting in a larger, grander chair was… herself, yet not herself.

The only sounds accompanying her were her soft breaths and taps on the hard floor. She wanted to speak but felt like she shouldn’t, like doing so would be improper; she was in a sacred place where breaking the silent sanctity was a sin.

It had only been a minute since she drank that strange vial; this had to be a lucid dream, but she had no unique control over it.

A doll, maybe? Some kind of illusion. However, closer observation showed her clone’s chest rose and fell, and her commanding green eyes never left Anna, blinking every so often and squinting ever so slightly.

Clone Anna was her, yet simultaneously wasn’t. They dressed the same, with a frilly white shirt and skirt. They looked the same, with long black hair and emerald green eyes. However, the imposing feeling from the other chair said they weren’t the same. The pressure around her clone was similar to the feeling Anna used to get around her father when she was younger. Authority.

Anna felt like she was being suppressed by the mere presence of her clone. 

That wasn’t her—it couldn’t be. But even as that harsh denial ran through Anna’s head, she instinctively knew it to be a lie.

It felt like she was sitting across a far more authoritative, ordered, and controlled version of herself.

The clone had her legs crossed, and her head rested on her arm, which leaned against the granite arm of the chair. Her face was devoid of emotion in any form, her green eyes like a frozen wasteland, and the slight upturn in her head made the girl opposite Anna look like the embodiment of the nickname given to her.

However, that felt wrong and offensive.

“Uh... hello?” Anna said, yet immediately felt like she made a huge mistake.

“Impertinent,” her clone said with a cold, emotionless tone Anna would never hear from herself.

“Wha—” Yet Anna found herself unable to continue speaking, not from a supernatural force compelling her to be silent, but a suggestion she made to herself. Yet it didn’t feel wrong. She felt like it was natural, the proper order of things.

“To think the awakened would arrive before me for the first time because of a mere toad poison.” It felt like Anna was listening to a stone statue, with her clone’s only movement being her mouth as she spoke. “Deplorable.”

Anna wanted to respond, to ask what she was talking about. But again, she felt like she shouldn’t, an internal feeling that she hadn’t received permission.

“I do not wish to speak with you; I will not hear my voice in such a pathetically weak timbre.” She waved her free hand. “I nullified the poison; you will still receive the meager mental benefit. You may leave.”

“Wait!” Anna exclaimed, surprising even herself with how the suppression disappeared like smoke. A sobering feeling that made her feel stupid for staying silent. “What are you—”

Her clone’s frozen face cracked with widened eyes, but it was too late.

---

Anna awoke to the blinding sun rays perfectly angled to hit her right in the eyes, forcing her to shield them and turn away.

She sat up, stretched, and instantly felt... different.

There was a soft thud as the empty vial fell off her bed and onto the wooden floor, rolling away.

The memory came rushing back, and she threw herself out of bed. “Magic!”

She could feel it, a strange sensation that there was something more within her—like someone added an extra limb to her body. The knowledge of how to use the limb was instinctive.

“Quiet,” came the voice of Aria, who sat crosslegged in a meditative posture atop her bed. “Sit down and feel the flow.”

“Oops.” Anna complied and moved right back to her bed, where she sat facing Aria’s direction. She copied the exact sitting posture and closed her eyes.

She recognized it immediately; magic.

Mana.

An extra limb that wasn’t physical but a flow of something she could access whenever she wished. It was a lake smoothly flowing within her body; it was everywhere, running alongside her veins and down to her toes. Rather than weird, it felt natural.

But that wasn’t all.

It was faint, but Anna’s body felt subtly different on a fundamental level. More than just having something extra flowing through her, it was a subtle feeling like she wasn’t in her own body anymore.

“You’re feeling mana, and it’s passive changes to your body,” Aria explained as she stood over Anna—she didn’t even hear the girl approach. “You’ll get used to it, but your body will feel like it isn’t yours for a while.”

Anna stood up and nodded. “It does feel like that.”

However, she couldn’t do anything with her mana, even though she felt she could control it like an extra arm. That was likely because she didn’t know any spells—a problem that would hopefully be rectified within the day.

Hopefully, she really was talented.

She took a few testing steps but stopped beside her desk before she could trip over herself. Aria was correct; being in her own body felt slightly disorienting.

As she stopped focusing on the flow in her body, its presence felt nonexistent. That was a good thing, lest she had to feel it all the time, which would quickly become uncomfortable.

“It’s so weird,” Anna said emotionally. “Just like that, with nothing really special happening, I’m able to use magic and can become an entirely different person.”

She just woke up from a pleasant dream like any other night and had a new, life-changing ability. Even that felt like an understatement. 

“Indeed.” Aria’s voice didn’t change, but Anna could tell she felt the same. Yet in a different sense than her own wander.

“It’s so…” Anna paused, unable to conjure the words for how she felt.

Aria lightly shook her head. “Check your desk for your reporting instructions,” she said as she did the same, opening her desk drawers and pulling out a packet of papers. “We might not have much time.”

“Oh… right!” Anna ran up to her desk and pulled out the papers. They really were rushing them; classes began immediately—no time to bask in the wonderous feeling of mana.

The last thing she’d want is to be on any professor’s naughty list, and missing their very first class was a surefire way to do just that!

She held up the paper.

Annabelle Frost

Class 7A

All classes start at 10AM and continue until dismissed at your professor’s discretion.

Monday; Combat Training - Western Arena 3C

Tuesday; Mana Control - Main Building, Room 31A

Wednesday; Magic Education - Main Building, Room 11A

Thursday; Otherworld Knowledge - Main Building, Room 17A

Friday; Dungeons & Exploration - Auxiliary Simulation Building 2

This will be your tentative schedule for semester one (Subject to change); there are many signs to follow to find your destination.

Anna’s hand shook as she read her schedule. “Magic, dungeons, other worlds...” she mumbled.

It had everything one might dream of in their childhood, dreams Anna was no exception to! She read the classes again… then again, as if it would disperse any moment.

She was lost for words, staring at the class names like it was a holy text.

Aria tapped her shoulder, breaking her from her reverie. “The classes are easy as a first year.”

Anna shook her head, “That’s not it... it’s just... real, you know?”

It was only now that she felt the distance she was from her old home.

How would Sarah react to these classes and seeing all of Bastion? As an avid gamer, she’d definitely be far more awed. It was a silly thought, given she was in that scenario, but she couldn’t help but picture her best friend beside her.

“No, this has always been real for me.” Aria looked over Anna’s shoulder, staring at her schedule.

How nosey!

Anna snorted. “Right... I’m fine. It just feels really weird to see all these names and not be playing some kind of video game.”

It hadn’t even been 24 hours yet, after all. Things were moving so quickly, and she wouldn’t be surprised if she was hurling fireballs by the evening!

Seeing Aria still comparing their schedules, Anna asked. “What’s wrong?”

Aria slid her paper back to her own desk. “These classes are odd.”

Anna shrugged. “It is just the first semester… Unless you know something I don’t?”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” she said, lightly shaking her head. “This will last a few weeks. Put on the uniform, and let’s go; Gromak’s breakfasts are good, and you will need the energy.”

“What do you me—” Anna nearly dropped the paper and looked pensively toward Aria. “U-uniform?” she stammered.

Aria opened the dresser beside her bed. “Yes, in your dresser already.”

Heartbroken, Anna swapped her gaze back and forth between her suitcase full of beautiful, hand-picked clothes and the dresser beside her bed. “Why... why didn’t you tell me?!”

“Because this is amusing.” Aria shut the bathroom door. “Who cares about fancy clothes?”

“I do! As any lady should!” Anna shouted. She groaned as she opened her dresser for the uniform she’d be stuck wearing every day for the next few years. “Suddenly, I’m waaay less enthusiastic about all this.”

Once Aria left the bathroom, Anna dishearteningly took her place and changed into black pants, a white shirt, and a black vest. It did look a little fancy, but to her, it was a mundane outfit. There weren’t any emblems on it, either. Utterly boring.

She understood the need for pants, but how she’d love to be able to wear a skirt!

Were there any fancy gimmicks on it? Like barriers or extreme damage resistance.

“All done...” Anna said sadly as she pat the boring, unoriginal clothes. “Boring Anna—ready to go.”

Aria shook her head like she was observing the antics of a child. “You’ll be able to earn your way to being able to wear distinct outfits.” She explained.

“Really?!”

“Nothing too ridiculous,” she warned.

A fiery passion ignited from the depths of Anna’s soul.

“Wait…” At some point, while Anna was changing, Aria removed the uniform and swapped it back to her sleeveless shirt and black light cargo pants. “More rule-breaking?”

“Yes.”

“Just like that?”

To think she criticized Anna for her not wanting to wear the uniform!

“Yes.” Aria strapped her Katana to her waist. “Mine doesn’t fit. Let’s go.”

“Okay~, Miss. Hypocrite.”

Aria ignored her and opened their door.

Anna was envious, but she wouldn’t follow that path again. Especially with her first class being combat-related. She couldn’t imagine what type of hard person would be teaching it; the last thing she’d do was show up out of uniform.

“Which class?” Aria asked as they went down the hallway.

Anna unfolded her paper to check, “7A. You?”

“10A. We won’t see each other outside of the dorms unless it’s for competition.”

“Oh... that actually kind of sucks.”

But maybe it was a good thing, a chance to broaden her horizons further. If she were to be with Aria, she might become lax and not make enough effort for more friends in the magic world.

“This is better; you will eventually have the chance to face me.”

Anna glanced at that long Katana, then back up to those amber eyes. “Yeah, whoopie—just what I wanted,” she said unenthusiastically.

“I wouldn’t use this on people,” Aria said with a slight offense in her tone. Anna was getting better at picking up those minute changes.

“Sorry.” She wanted to ask why she had it and what the story was, but they weren’t quite there yet. One day, for sure.

Aria shook her head. “There won’t be fighting between classes for a long while.”

Anna sighed. “Thank god.”

“You should find your competitive spirit; competition is one of the academy’s core principles.”

Anna shrugged. “I’m sure I will.”

She was much more focused on the possibilities of magic than competitions—at least, for now. How much she cared for those later depended on the rewards and meaning. The last thing she wanted was to make enemies for no reason or lose friends to it. Plus, fighting for the sake of it wasn’t nearly as exciting.

But if the rewards were good, Aria would see what a real competitive spirit looks like!

Better clothes were up there in value, but maybe not worth getting her face bashed in.

“Good. The rewards will be enticing.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking! Don’t you worry, young lady, I’ll be plenty fired up. I’m just focused on learning more about magic right now. After all, it was fiction until recently… for some of us.”

Aria nodded.

There were already droves of duos walking out of their rooms, all wearing the same boring uniform and faces lit in excitement as they chattered away.

Once they reached the second floor, Anna started seeing men, too. She figured it’d be like that, so she wasn’t surprised. More interestingly, everybody looked to be young; the oldest was early thirties at most.

“Come get your breakfast, pipin’ hot and good enough to prep ya for a beating,” Gromak’s voice sounded from the air around them. His dark chuckle followed. “School really pullin’ out all the stops for you. Don’t let me down!”

Anna sighed. “I knew it. We’re gonna have to fight each other right away!”

Aria nodded. “You should aim for the top of your class.” She sounded pleased.

“Yeah, let me just do that real quick,” Anna said sarcastically, then shook her head. “I can barely fight!”

“Barely.” Aria scanned Anna but didn’t seem to find what she was looking for. “You’ll learn.”

Anna clicked her tongue. “I’d rather learn how to do stuff with mana!”

“Agreed—I was never taught any of it. But both can happen.”

Surprising, given that she had been on the island for a few years.

There was a long line of people heading into the left door, between the bookshelves. Anna could see a small cafeteria through the frame; it certainly wasn’t large enough for around 200 people.

Still, it reminded her of high school with how loud it was.

“Bah, just so you know, I ain’t your butler; you guys gotta use the Academy cafeteria from now on,” Gromak’s voice came from somewhere in that crowd. “Damn them makin’ me hand out food like a maid. You lot better be grateful and be the best dorm!”

Aria and Anna were the last to receive their food, along with a wink from Gromak as he tossed in some extra bacon into his meal of eggs and sausage.

Nobody in the Dorms cared to be patient, including them; everyone quickly ate so they could head to their destinations.

After their meal, which was quite delicious, it was around 9AM. They ended up being knocked out for over 12 hours after drinking the vial. They had time to spare, but being early was usually good.

Anna and Aria walked together until they reached a crossroads, where a series of signs pointed toward each arena.

“I’m going to Northern Arenas,” Aria said. “We won’t see each other again until tonight.”

Anna nodded. “Shame we couldn’t be in the same class; I’d love to see you fight.”

“It’s better this way.”

“Because you want to fight me, right.” Anna chuckled and shook her head. “You’ll win.”

“I know. But you were chosen for a reason, and I want to find out why.”

“Hey, same here.” Anna smiled. “I can’t wait to hear how your class went!”

Aria nodded. “I’ll see you tonight.” She followed the road pointing toward the Northern arenas.

Anna turned toward the Western ones.

Before she could walk, Aria’s voice came back from behind, “Be careful. Combat training will be dangerous.”

That was cute. Anna smiled. “Thanks.”

She already expected that; Gromak and Nora made it sound as ominous as they could.

The path toward the Western arenas cut through a forest filled with people as nervous as her. Anna swallowed a lump—the energy in the air was palpable.

Every step brought more anxiety; she was not a fighter. While she had a faint hope it wouldn’t be a battle of fists, that seemed to be where it was headed. At least it could be made up for if they taught her some magic.

Healing magic sounded nice. It’d be pretty cool if she was able to dish out a ton of damage with spells and heal her own injuries!

She didn’t sign up to box!

“Here we go,” she muttered.

The gladiator-esque arenas dotting the western part of the island came into view from the forest path, and each one had a large number engraved around its circular top.

Hers was 3C, and it already had people filtering in. Her classmates, 7A, and the people she would be part of for whatever competition they had. Her companions for the next year, at least.

And the people who she’d frequently fight with.

She foresaw a lot of drama from whatever would happen in that place.