《The Joke's Son》 Prologue : Chapter 1 - Bedtime There is a story, between a human and a bored god. The mortal was a princess, the daughter of a tyrant. Fearing that she would be his weakness, he locked her inside a tower. Twelve stories high, acres of land in construction filled with the most precious metals. Showing kindness to his own kindship, he kept her well fed and clothed. Though she still felt lonely, servants feared her father, trying their best to please her. For what seemed to be a grand tower, felt more like a birdcage, and the single lonely blue jay was her. Until one fateful day, a mischievous god noticed her perching on her balcony. He who had not else to do disguised himself as a servant. He easily sneaked passed the security. ¡°Halt! Seek your name¡± The god looked up, a knight coated in full iron expect for the helmet stood tall. The god smirked. ¡°Well hello! I¡¯m the jester hired by the king to cheer up the little princess! Nice to meet you esteemed knight¡± He said. The knight quite pleased with his title, ¡°Nice to know the king didn¡¯t forget about his little maiden, now! What¡¯s the password?¡± The god was stumped, but quickly thought of a solution. ¡°Easy! The password is¡­¡­ stultus regem!¡± The knight admired himself, then looked at the jester. ¡°Tha-¡° ¡°The king also informed me to tell you he changed the password! Holy knight you must believe me! Never mind that, Esteemed knight, did I also tell you how brilliant you look! You must swoon all the ladies!¡± The knight pulled out a hand mirror, ¡°Well, you can say that again, they don¡¯t call me the greatest knight of the table for nothing! All the ladies want me and all I want is a fine lady. How come a knight like me can¡¯t even get a proper lady! Preposterous!¡± ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right esteemed knight! ¡°When am I ever wrong! Answer me jester!¡± ¡°Never Sir!¡± The knight sighed, ¡°For someone was good looking as me, to still not have a lovely wife is against the king, no, against the gods! May the heavens help us!¡± ¡°Sir, I¡¯m just trying to do my job¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Oh right, what was I about to say? Oh forget it, just go ahead¡± The god entered the princess¡¯s room. Instinctively, he covered his eyes. Bright pink neon walls glared into the eyes. The feather bed easily taking a fourth of the massive room, filled to the brim with plushies, seemingly used to build a fort. Though in the corner of the room stood out. Piled with books, the princess cramming away through thick leather books. The floor littered with paper, her drawings, stories, even a to do list. ¡°Princess?¡± ¡°Ahh!¡± The princess fumbled the book out of her hands and the god got a closer look at her. ¡°Goodness! Do all princess look like this?¡± ¡°Lunch doesn¡¯t start until 5, that¡¯s an hour 38 minutes and 25 seconds from now!¡± The princess had a stern face on her. The god shocked. ¡°HYGIENE PLEASE MORTAL PRINCESS¡± The god thought The princess wore rough sleeveless shirt, paired with padded pants faded due to washing. Her originally blonde hair now a messy dirty blonde flowing passed her back. Unfortunately, her face itself had makeup, if you count grease and oil as such. The god kneeled, ¡°Miss Majesty, this lowly one is a jester, appointed make you happy!¡± The god gave his best joking smile, but the princess¡¯s facial muscle didn¡¯t change. ¡°Tough crowd¡± ¡°Ah, it seems you¡¯re intrigued! Ready for my first trick!¡± The ¡°jester¡± pull out a hat seemingly out of air! ¡°How¡¯d you like that princess!¡± Still, her emotions were set in stone. The god grew nervous, he made the hat disappear and reappear. Still, the princess seemed unimpressed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you wondering how I¡¯m doing this?¡± The god asked. ¡°Not really, give me the stupid hat.¡± He complied a gave her the magician hat. She grabbed it by the rims and made it disappear, then reappear. The god was shocked. ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°What do you mean? Just flip it like ¡°this¡± then bring it back to view, isn¡¯t that how you did it¡± ¡°S-sure¡± The story states god actually used his magic just to do this trick, but he was too prideful to admit it. ¡°How about this!¡± The god used another trick, ¡°Too easy¡± ¡°Another!¡± ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m a child? ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time to stop being easy!¡± ¡°This Is supposed to be hard?¡± ¡­ ¡°Come on, you give up?¡± The jester frustrated, while the princess accomplished. The god used trick after trick to best the princess but alas, he failed... or did he? ¡°Very clever my princess, but can you figure out this trick!¡± Out of thin air he produced a cape. ¡°You alre-¡° ¡°The trick¡¯s not done yet princess!¡± The god covered himself with the cape and it fell to the floor. The princess cautiously walked up and picked up the blanket, not to her surprise, she found nothing. She checked the floor, stomping at the bricks, trying to pick one out of the floor. Stuck, as she thought. She tested other theories, all seemingly not fitting in the puzzle. ¡°Alright, you stumped me, where are you?¡± As she said that, the she felt a poke on her back, ¡°AH!¡± ¡°HAAHAHA¡± The god held his stomach as he laughed, the princess stared at him from the floor. ¡°FINALLY! See you tomorrow Princess!¡± He triumphantly walked out the door, with the Princess stunned at the events. Then it finally hit her. ¡°HEY! WAIT! I could easily solve that in a second, no, even less! Come back here Jester!!!¡± But he was long gone. She waited, until she finally heard a knock. She got up and quickly opened the door, startling the servant. ¡°M-miss, your lunch is ready, fresh caught deer with a mixed variety of dried fruits just as you like.¡± The servant quickly got on his knees and held up the plate. The princess stared in shock, has it been 1 hour and 30 minutes! It only seemed to be around 30 minutes. ¡°Thanks Tom¡± She mutter as she took the plate, with the servant, Tom, quickly escaping out of her sight. ¡°See you tomorrow Princess!¡± She thought, and smirked at the idea. Prologue : Chapter 2 - Day On the second day, the jester came, as he promised. The princess awaiting patiently, with a smug grin stuck in her face. The princess ushered him to the side, where she built a contraption to copy his trick from before. A mortal grasping the concept of invisibility! What a fairy tale! The jester grew interested, such a young human, able to grasp knowledge far beyond her years, it¡¯s unheard of! Whether if it was out of curiosity or a challenge, the jester decided to do more tricks, varying from teleporting and pulling things out of the air. After showing her his tricks, he left once again. On the third day, the god became shocked from her advancements, she once again replicated it! On the fourth day, again! On the fifth day, again! On the sixth, once again! ¡­ Sadly, this is where the fairytale turns to the worst. On the fateful day, frost formed outside the tower steps. The guards rushing in with logs of wood, fueling the flames inside the tower. The flames within the tower gave it a cozy atmosphere, with a radiating golden haze coming out of it. The jester walked in, the torches hung from the walls, not only lighting the halls, but contributing to the warmth. The active guards rushed wood inside, while guards off-duty cheered with cups of rum. They smiled at the jester, faces red from the alcohol. The jester smiled back. He walked up the tower to the princess, as he did before cursing who ever made this stairway. The jester walked up to the door, but noticed something missing. The Knight! The jester rushed inside the room, the sound of the door slamming against the wall startled the princess, a breath of relief escaped his mouth. Except, it was not the princess, it was just the maid. ¡°Where¡¯s the princess?¡± ¡°The princess? I believe she¡¯s at the castle¡± The maid replied in confusion The jester was obviously confused, ¡°When? I was just here yesterday¡± ¡°At night, a few hours after you left, the king¡¯s men came to escort her highness to the castle¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°She¡¯s getting married! What a lucky gal, marrying such a dashing man!¡± The jester tensed, ¡°What?¡± ¡°She¡¯s getting married to the top knight! Knight Gwine! I¡¯m sure you met him before, jester?¡± The jester stood still for a few seconds, ¡°That idiot?¡± He thought, but decidedRoyal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Good for her¡­¡± He left. ¡­ The princess impatiently walked around the castle room. Opposed than her usual look, her hair was cleaned and straightened, tied into a golden braid. Her face was covered in a veil, her body clothed in fine white silk, matching her pale skin. Her strikingly emerald eyes pierced through the veil, making the maid uncomfortable. In contrast with her calm look, she was internally panicking. All the tricks she learned was useless without her contraptions. It was unlike herself to panic, so she tried to calm down. Planned for her escape. Sneakily pass all the guards? Nah, she¡¯s as graceful as a rock. Plant a bomb and escape when it goes off? With what ingredients. Become invisible? She needs brass roses and a flame, where¡¯s she going to find that stuff besides her room? The groom was narcissist, rude, snobby, and a bunch of other words unsuitable for children. She knew this, her father didn¡¯t, though it probably wouldn¡¯t change her father¡¯s wishes. When has he ever accounted for her feelings. She had no one to trust, except¡­¡­. a jester. ¡°What¡¯s a jester gonna do, come on, you sound silly¡± She felt hopeless. ¡°p-Princess, the celebration¡¯s starting, let¡¯s hurry you into the hall¡± Whispered a maid. ¡°Yes! Let¡¯s ruin my life!¡± The princess thought. ¡­ As she walked into the hall, the seats erupted in clapping. Nobles stood up, cheering her as she walked up the hall. The groom waved his hand to all those people, accepted the praises, and offered his hand to her. She hesitated but took it. A violent jerk from the groom helped her on the podium. The crowd got quiet, and everyone took a seat. On her left, the priest opened his book. ¡°As everyone knows this ceremony, and it could be quite boring, let¡¯s just get right into the point!¡± The crowd excitedly agreed, and the priest continued, ¡°Do you swear, by your knighthood, to take the princess as your main wife?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± The Knight Dwine replied ¡°And the king also gave his consent to marry the princess, and with all those preparation¡± The knight in his suit reached over and grabbed the princess by the hands, ¡°You may kiss the bride!¡± The knight leaned over, getting close to the princess. ¡°This sucks¡­¡± The princess closed her eyes¡­. Nothing happened. The princess opened her eyes, in front of her was right hand. She quickly looked to her left. A smiling Jester. The crowd gasp, the priest stepped back, the knight stared at him. The jester just stood there, smiling. Creepy, sure, but somehow reassuring, the princess smiled. ¡°You got to at least hire a jester for this kind of event!¡± The jester joked The crowd still stood shocked, someone opposed the royal marriage! Is this commoner asking for a death sentence?! ¡°TREASON!¡± Yelled the crowd. In response, the jester plugged his ears, ¡°Too loud, could you guys turn in down a few¡± He joked The knight quickly drew his sword, ¡°How dare you jester! This is my wedding, and nothings ruining it! To death you!¡± The knight tried to swing but to everyone¡¯s amazement, he disappeared from that spot. ¡°I¡¯m not a jester¡± He opened the door with a snap, ¡°Just a trickster!¡± The crowd grew scared, and rushed to get out the door. The princess stared at him, ¡°Yes?¡± Asked the god ¡°You gotta teach me that trick, how did you do it?¡± She began to search for any clues. The god stumbled, she began to calm down, only to smile, ¡°Thank you¡± The god smiled back, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, but we don¡¯t have much time, do you trust me?¡± The princess looked confused, but answered, ¡°Yep!¡± ¡°Hold out your hand-¡± Lightning struck the castle, evaporating everything inside it, the traces of the princess and god were nowhere to be seen. The god of lightning looked down and sadly shook his head. ¡°Brother, you should know the rule¡± God¡¯s should never influence the mortal lands, and the ¡°Jester¡± and the princess payed to price. ¡­ ¡°Grandpa, that¡¯s such a boring story¡± Inside a suburb house, a child is laying back on his chair, as his grandpa rocked a rocking chair. ¡°Come on! That¡¯s a story my grandfather told me, it¡¯s not that bad!¡± The child pulled out his phone, and started to play, with the grandpa sighing to himself. ¡­.. Just outside the house, a child sat around the window shivering. Enduring the cold with just a t-shirt, and ripped pants. Brown eyes, short brown hair, with a pale complexion. The child listened to the story, hoping to forget the cold. Seeing that it was over, he decided to leave, only ending up crashing the trash can. Panicked, he quickly ran back into the alleyway, dropping a name tag on the way. It reads, ¡°LEO¡± Chapter 3 - Orphans Sheets of snow piled on the rusted roof, through sub-zero temperatures, the children huddled together for warmth. Some glanced at the unopened door, most kept their eyes glued to the floor, shivering. Leo was no different, using his dirt-caked hands, he fastened the ripped blanket around him, hoping to get warmer. ¡°A few more minutes¡± Leo thought, counting the seconds as they go by, distracting him from the cold. Bells chimed within the building, Leo and the children focused on the door. ¡°178, 179, 180, 181- ¡°. The door opened, an adult walked out and surveyed the group. The adult walked up to a pair of siblings, a boy and a girl. Obviously, the boy was older. He stepped in front of the girl. The adult screamed something out, but due to the snow and distance, Leo couldn¡¯t make it out. Though he did know the adult wasn¡¯t happy, his actions obviously reflected that. He harshly kicked the boy, leaving him in the snow, and walked back inside where the rest of the children followed. The sister trying to help her brother out, but she was too frail to lift him up. It seems like we all are¡­ Leo got up and started to limp towards the door, he wanted nothing to do we those siblings. All until he heard cries, ¡°Brother¡­ Please¡­ Help¡­ My Brother¡­¡± She barely got it out and started to look at the other children, all not giving her a second glace. Leo was no different. Though he stopped dead on his tracks, and clenched his head. ¡°Help¡­ Them¡­¡± Leo clenched his teeth. This voice, who is it? What does it want? Just get out of my head! Leo tried to continue, but the pain persisted. He sighed and slowly limped towards the siblings, the sister taking notice and ushered her brother. Leo finally got to the siblings and grabbed the brother, too heavy. ¡°You¡­ grab your¡­ brother¡¯s¡­ shoulder¡­¡±. The pain from hunger made it difficult for Leo to speak. Leo took the left side of the brother and the sister took the right side. Slowly, they started to drag the brother to the door. Leo started the think of stories, especially the story of Atlas, where he too must carry someone else¡¯s weight. Leo looked over, the sister wasn¡¯t looking to good either, but she looked determined. Leo decided to suck it up and walk, one step at a time. They finally got through the door where the adults where feeding the children. Leo and the sister set the brother on a table and lined up. Half a piece of black bread and a small scoop of soup, Leo seemed content, it was better than yesterday¡¯s food. Leo was about of take a bite, then he suddenly had a thought. Maybe he should give the piece of bread to the siblings, they need it more than he did. Leo slapped himself on the wrist, has he finally gone crazy and trusting the voice inside his head? Leo decided to down the soup and almost bit the bread. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw the sister trying to feed the brother, giving most of her portion to him. Leo stood up and walked to them. This is my decision, not the stupid voice¡¯s. Leo reached the sister and held out the bread.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Here¡± The sister looked up, and Leo made eye contact. He quickly averted his gaze and continued to hold out the bread. ¡°Thank¡­ Thank you¡± Whispered the sister and grabbed the bread. The siblings quickly ate their lunch. After a few minutes, the bell struck. ¡­ Every child started to walk towards the classroom. Leo and the sister once again supporting the brother though unlike last time, it was easier since the brother was now fully conscious. They reached the classroom and sat down on the floor. The teacher came to the classroom, the same adult from this morning. Leo started doze off, he knew what was about to happen. The entire group of children, including Leo, were orphans, whether the parents died off, or left them, they were all dirty stupid orphans. The exact same lecture was engrained into the child¡¯s mind, to find an adult willing the adopt them. ¡°Why do you think we bother to keep you! For the money! If you can¡¯t even bring someone to look at you, you¡¯re worthless to us!¡± Leo knew how these rotten orphanages get their money, they just let people ¡°adopt¡± children for a hefty price, the family gets a child, and the orphanage gets more money to repeat the cycle. He didn¡¯t know how they used the money, but could easily guess that it¡¯s used to satisfy the greed owner, since the building¡¯s last repairs seemed to be decades ago. Leo smirked, why would any family want to adopt them? 300 gold per child? A child who hasn¡¯t seen a bath in years, riddled in disease, probably disabled in a way, only the stupid rich would ever consider the idea. ¡°Class dismissed! Now all of you go out there and attract a family!¡± The adult left the room, and rushed over to the main building, where Leo could hear cheers. What a joyful life, not having to care about food¡­ Once all the children left the orphanage, the door behind them shut close again. Leo looked at the group of children, holding their blankets as they walk towards the towns. Leo sneered, pathetic. Though he probably didn¡¯t look any better. Leo looked over the town and shook his head. He tried the town, too many times to count. The town¡¯s people weren¡¯t rich, they couldn¡¯t pay to adopt them. Leo walked towards the forest, and once he was inside, ran. Every time he heard a voice, he hid behind a tree, a bush, or whatever covered him. The forest was a locked zone, only allowing people with a permit to pass. Why they did that? Probably to earn more money for the towns, but that¡¯s what Leo thought. After a while, Leo made his way through the forest, without being spotted. Leo brushed of some leaves and started to walk in. ¡°Time to start begging again¡± Leo thought Leo scouted out the classes. Low, middle, and high. The classes usually lived together, so it was easy to know who to target. Leo decided to target the middle class first. ¡°Hello sir! I was wond- ¡° ¡°Scram kid!¡± The door slammed in front of his face¡­ ¡°Hello madam! I- ¡°. The door slammed shut again¡­ However, Leo didn¡¯t quit, for that little chance. ¡­ It was the afternoon, still freezing, though the sun¡¯s rays did help. Leo walked house to house, hoping one would give a chance, a just hear him out. Nothing. Leo kicked a pebble, letting out his frustration. He decided to sit on a bench, wondering to do next. Should he go back to the orphanage, with the probability that the one getting kicked next is him? Maybe. It¡¯s better than starving to death. There were no more middle-class houses to check, all rejected him, and he didn¡¯t even think about a high-class, he¡¯s not stupid. Leo thought, and decided to go back, a physical beating is a physical beating. ¡°Look¡­ right¡­¡± This stupid voice again! Leo clenched his head, and tried to go to the forest, only making the pain sharper. ¡°Fine¡± Leo yelled. He looked over to his right. A poster. It read, ¡°Low class, middle class, high class, no matter, as long as you have magic, Come to our school!¡± Leo scratched his head and nervously laughed, ¡°What does this say, I can¡¯t read it¡± Leo than felt a sharp pain, like the voice in his head did a face palm. Chapter 4 - Campus After a while, Leo got the information from his voice. Strange, he wondered how the voice knew how to read if he didn¡¯t know how to. He didn¡¯t think too hard on it, the crazy voice always seemed weird and he probably learned how to read as a child but forgot. Leo ran from alley to alley, sneaking around the neighborhoods, until he heard a firecracker, rather it wasn¡¯t a firecracker. Leo got up and looked on top of the stage. A man dressed in a robe was controlling a fireball, about the size of tennis ball but exploded into a breath-taking view, cascading down to the audience. Leo reached out to its remnants, warm. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen! I am an only a teacher in this grand school! Just see what I can do! If you enroll your son or daughter here, it is guarantee that they would be a great magician! We will accept anybody, low class, middle class, high class, it doesn¡¯t matter!!! As long as you can use magic!¡± The crowd applauded, low-class parents ushering their children to the stages, in the hopes of them becoming magicians. Children lined up on the stage from the edge of the stage to the booth, easily hundreds of children. Leo folded his arms, ¡°So, you wanted me to go to this sketchy school¡¯s invitation booth for what?¡± Leo thought to the voice. ¡°Try¡­ it¡­¡± The voice responded. Leo wasn¡¯t stupid, ¡°This line would at least take an hour to finish beginning to end, I¡¯ll be late to the food at the orphanage, no¡± Leo started to walk back, then felt a sharp pain within his brain. ¡°Fine, Fine¡± Leo muttered as he got in line. ¡­ Leo tapped his feet was he slowly advanced the line. ¡°Not qualified!¡± ¡°Not qualified!¡± Leo heard multiple families leaving after their child failed. Leo rubbed stomach, wishing this to be finished so he could go back to the orphanage. Curse the crazy voice, Leo thought. ¡°Qualified! Our first enrollment! Strong Ice and Dark affinity¡± Leo looked in front, to see the lucky kid. Emotionless and dull were the first words to come to mind. Unevenly cut shoulder length hair, chilling black eyes, around Leo¡¯s age. She looked just like an orphan, but the air around her seemed different, though Leo could easily tell. She, like a lot of children, decided not to join an orphanage, and learned to live off the street. Leo just stared at her as she stood by the examiners, dangerous. Let¡¯s not get in her way, Leo didn¡¯t want to die.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Next!¡± The next kid in line walked up¡­ A couple hours past, with the examiner yelling next, it was finally Leo¡¯s turn so he walked up to the examiner. ¡°Name and age¡± the examiner asked Leo cleared his throat, ¡°Leo, and ten years old.¡± ¡°Alright Leo, give me your hand.¡± Leo complied and waited as the examiner held his hand. Nothing yet, how is this supposed to feel? The examiner smiled, ¡°Barely Qualified! Weak in all elements except light and dark you don¡¯t have affinities for those. Please wait over there with her.¡± Leo walked over, shocked. The crazy voice in his head was right? What a lucky guess! Leo looked over to the girl, who was still looking at the line. Out of all these children, and the only ones picked are orphans, weird. At least he thought she was an orphan. After a while, the line emptied, with another child joining them, surprisingly, not an orphan, a high-class boy. He clenched his nose as he passed the girl and Leo. Leo smirked, it wasn¡¯t his fault that he can¡¯t take a bath, water is limited to him! ¡°Alright! Three kids, better than last time! Alright, follow me!¡± The examiner got in his bus with Leo following. Since Leo didn¡¯t trust these people, he sat near the back door of the bus, just in case he needs a ¡°surprise¡± leave. The noble sat in the front and the girl sat in the middle. ¡°Be¡­ careful¡­¡± The voice said. Though unlike last time, Leo trusted it, since he already knew this. ¡­ The bus parked in the campus, next to the dorms. ¡°Alright, we¡¯re here, please follow me.¡± They followed him up the dorms, then he stopped and pointed at Leo and the girl. ¡°Leo and Iris, you stop here. This floor is where you would stay for this campus, your seniors will lead you two to your room. The welcoming will happen tomorrow at the main entrance, be there to assign your classes.¡± A teenager led us to our room, a bunk bed and a desk. Graffiti everywhere, the wood on the beds and desk were rotting. Though Leo didn¡¯t mind, it was nicer than the orphanage. ¡°I¡¯ll take the top bed¡± The girl, Iris, said. Leo agreed and sat on the lower bed. Since he didn¡¯t own much, he didn¡¯t have to unpack. Leo walked over to the desk, and opened its drawers. Nothing, as Leo expected. ¡°I¡¯m going to walk around.¡± Leo said as he left the room. Leo walked around, asked a couple of seniors for places around the campus, which was no help since all they did was laugh, so he decided to figure it out himself. Leo found a campus map, and surveyed the campus. He found out the main entrance, and the basic structure of the campus. As Leo walked, he started to have a sharp headache, immediately knowing the cause. ¡°What do you want?¡± Leo thought ¡°Go¡­ to¡­ the¡­ lib--¡­rary¡­.¡± The voice said ¡°Can¡¯t read, sorry¡± ¡°I¡­ will¡­ teach¡­ you¡­¡± Leo¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Really? You¡¯re not a half bad voice¡± Leo went through the campus and snuck into the library and hid in the back. ¡°What to pick?¡± Leo thought. The bright red one, the one with the cool design, or the thin one, so many choices! ¡°Top¡­ right¡­¡± Leo looked around the area, grabbed the book and opened it. It was filled with letters, from the beginning to end, no pictures, Leo smiled wryly and closed his eyes. ¡°Introduction¡­ of¡­ Fire¡­ magic¡±. The voice started¡­ After a while, it hit dusk. Leo closed the book and returned it back on the shelf. Leo smiled and snapped his fingers, a small flame appeared. He stood up satisfied and went back to his dorm, in which he found Iris standing in front of him. ¡°Where did you learn to read?¡± She asked Leo started to sweat, ¡°I can¡¯t read, what are you talking about?¡± Iris pulled out the book he was reading earlier, Leo cursed himself, how did he not spot her? ¡°Fine, I taught himself, what about it?¡± Leo was not about to reveal that he has a make-believe voice in his head telling him the words. Iris pulled out a book, ¡°Read this to me, I can¡¯t read.¡± She muttered. Leo looked at the book, a covered filled with knights and kings, Cool! Maybe he could get into this. ¡°Romance¡­ between¡­ Castles¡± The voice replied. Never mind, Not cool! Chapter 5 - Welcome! Leo woke up, and checked his surroundings, where am I? After a few minutes of day dreaming he heard rustling above them, and instinctively realized where he was. He was at some sketchy magic school he didn¡¯t even know the name of. Great, Fantastic even! Leo thought sarcastically. Leo wondered what he was supposed to do in this school anyway, what this ¡°Welcoming¡± was about? Leo shrugged and decided to wing it, that¡¯s how he lived life, why change it now? Leo¡¯s stomach growled, he grimaced. He hasn¡¯t eaten anything since at the orphanage, and that was over 9 hours ago, maybe 8. Maybe there will be food at the ¡°Welcoming¡±, well he hoped there will be food, otherwise, he may have to get food by ¡°other¡± means. Leo walked out the door, sunlight from the window shined upon him, too bright to see properly so Leo provided shade by using his arms. After walking a few steps, Leo felt a hand grasping his shoulder. Leo grew shocked, how did he not hear them. He quickly turned around and kicked the stranger, pushing him back to gain a few feet, just in case he needed to run. Turns out he didn¡¯t, all he saw was an angry girl, Iris, staring at him with intent. Leo felt a wave of relief wash over him, then guilt. Leo stared as Iris dusted herself off, and stared back at him. They stared at each other for a few seconds until Leo broke the ice. ¡°Look, you don¡¯t just-¡° ¡°I know, don¡¯t like people touching you. Scared they¡¯ll beat you up. Been there¡­¡± Iris intercepted. Leo looked at her, with a gaze of surprise, and a hint of sadness. ¡°Glad you understand¡± was all he could say. They awkwardly avoided each other¡¯s gaze for a few seconds. Leo tapped his foot on the concrete floor, trying to fill to void of silence. ¡°Do you know where we¡¯re supposed to go?¡± Iris asked. Leo thought for a few seconds, ¡°Yeah, I guess, follow me¡­¡± A few minutes past before they reached the front gate, Leo led the way into the building, Iris following like a shadow. As they walked in, the sheer size of the room astonished Leo, wider than the dorms combined, easily covering thousands of acres of land. Leo stood in shock for a few seconds, until he smelled something. Something edible, something fragrant. Near the door stood a buffet of food, rows upon rows of rich man food, something a slum dog like Leo couldn¡¯t ever eat! There was one catch though, no one was there! Leo was self-conscious, how would the rich, and the teachers think of him if they saw him munching on food! With his stomach rumbling, Leo quickly choose through his opinions and decided. He started to slowly walk towards the buffet, trying to make it seem like he wasn¡¯t dying to starvation. As Leo slowly shuffled to the deserted, he felt a tug on his shirt. Like a bubble of realization popped, he forgot that he was leading Iris. A warm sensation creeped up his face. ¡°Ah, umm, the classes are over there¡± Leo whispered trying to hide his burning face.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I can¡¯t read¡± Iris replied Leo mentally slapped himself on the head, looked longingly to the food. ¡°Here¡± Iris held out a plate. It was filled with food like she read his mind. Leo grabbed it by instinct, not even savoring the food, he shoved it down his throat. The void in his stomach filled with treats, renewed with energy, Leo thanked her. He placed the dirty dish on a table and continued to the booths. ¡°To¡­ your¡­ left¡­¡± The voice said Leo looked over to the left, a short line was formed. He ushered Iris to the line, and waited for their turn. Soon after, it was Leo¡¯s turn. The attendant smiled, ¡°Hello! How can I help you?¡± Leo asked about the classes and the attendant helped him pick out classes for him. ¡°Basic Magic and Survival Training are the best for beginners! I would recommend them to you!¡± Leo waited for any interjection from the voice, nothing. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll choose those classes¡± ¡°Perfect!¡± Leo remembered about Iris. ¡°Oh, can you do the same for the girl behind me, she¡¯s a beginner too.¡± Iris silently nodded. ¡°Ok! What are your names?¡± ¡°My name is Leo, and this is Iris¡± ¡°Any surnames?¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°What about her?¡± Leo looked over and Iris glanced somewhere else. ¡°No¡± ¡°Ages?¡± Leo surprising knew his age, weirdly enough for an orphan. ¡°Nine, and she¡¯s ¡­ umm¡± ¡°Nine¡± Iris responded The attendant typed the information into a computer. ¡°Perfect! For Basic Magic, it¡¯s in the 300s and the survival is in the 500s, I also got your sister in the same classes as you, perfect! No need to thank me, I know!¡± Leo looked at the attendant confused, sister? She called next and ushered Leo out. Leo decided to not care and left. With nothing to do, he started to search around the large room. Grand arches held up the ceiling, the walls were decorated with painted gold, or maybe real gold! Leo looked around a saw a guy cooking in a pot, with the generic green bubbles boiling in it. Singing a happy lullaby, the guy took his pot and poured it into a tray. The moment the green gel touched the tray, they turned into muffins! Perfectly baked muffins, the fresh fragrance peaked Leo¡¯s appetite. The tray was put under a try one sign, and Leo helped himself. Leo took a bite and immediately regretted the decision. He spat out the muffin, which turned back into green gel. Leo backed back to the senior, half-expecting him to slap his knee and laugh at him. Rather, all Leo saw was a frown. ¡°What did they taste like?¡± The senior asked Leo studied the guy, he seems like a genuine guy. ¡°Like copper¡± Leo said bluntly The senior walked back and forth, and asked another question. ¡°But they smelled amazing right!¡± Leo agreed, which put a smile on the senior¡¯s face. The senior turned back, and decided the change the recipe. Leo decided to explore the room even more. The room was filled with booths that varied, from crafts to weapons! Leo spotted a ball of fire, with a sign stating that it¡¯s harmless. People walked in and out of it, not even their clothes burned! What is this magic!? Leo ran through the fireball, amazed on how it worked, it wasn¡¯t even hot! Just a little lukewarm. Leo continued the search the room. After a while, he decided to go back to his room, as he felt a little bored. He walked out of the room into the open field, which still had many booths outside and continued back. After walking a few feet, he heard a noise, ¡°All those who want to participate in the yearly competition, please sign up here! The prize this year is anything the head-master approves of! New books! Free tuition! You name it!¡± Leo got shocked by the rewards and became greedy. What if he won the competition, what should he ask? Leo decided to join, since there¡¯s nothing to lose! Leo lined up but saw that everyone had a partner. ¡°Partner¡­ Required¡­¡± The voice read off a sign. Leo sulked, he didn¡¯t know anybody at this school. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder, Leo flinched and turned around, just to see Iris, where did she come from? Iris stared at him, and pointed towards the booth, ¡°Do you want to sign up?¡± Leo looked at Iris, and back to the booth. ¡°Will you be my partner?¡± ¡°Partner?¡± ¡°This competition requires one.¡± Iris thought about it and agreed. Leo excitedly pulled Iris into the line and they both waited.