I looked over my shoulder to see our tour guide, Dominus walking over.

“It’s just Hercule” I corrected softly, I’ve had people saying my name wrong my entire life it’s nothing new and it’ll never be something entirely gone.

“Oh, like the detective?” he asked, which gave me pause.

“Y-yes, you know Christie?” I asked

“Not too familiar, but I know that name” he shrugged, “I received word from the dean of students that you are a…legacy of Mystic, no?”

“I…I guess, my mother did attend here” I said looking around

“Well, I’m sorry I said your name wrong, the note I received spelt your name with the additional s, I’m sure it was a simple miscommunication at some point.” He said, folding his hands in font of him, giving a soft apologetic nod/bow to his head.

“Thank you, a lot of people don’t apologize when they get my name wrong, nor do they let me explain the name. Usually they instantly comment about my parents spelling my own name wrong or how it’s stupid or something along those lines.”

“People can be fickle at times, a lot of people are not sure of themselves to be able to admit their wrongness, they’d rather pass on than admit their wrongness.”

“I am very familiar with people who are like that.” I laughed

“Please, follow me, there’s something I’m sure you’d like to see.” He said as he gestured with a soft nod, so I did. He led me out of the large lobby of the central tower which was the end of the tour, down this extremely wide hall that led to the offices, at first I thought I was in trouble for some reason or something along those lines before he paused and motioned. There was a large archway ahead of us that led into a large half-moon shaped room, Hall of Honor, across the archway. I stepped forward through the airway as I looked around, Dominus walked in behind me as he glanced around. “Over here” he said before motioning to a picture frame, the room had probably two-three hundred or so photos, all not huge, but a foot tall each, there was a followable timeframe by the style of the photos; the far left of the half-moon in gritty, grainy pinpoint photography styling to the far right which were entirely modern digital photos that almost looked animated if you looked at them too long.

“What is this?”

“Every valedictorian of the school, your mother was favorable student according to the professors. When the staff got your name on an application, they were frothing at the mouth to get you here.” He laughed a little, I laughed a little too.

“Mom always speaks favorably of her college years” I said quietly, the photo he motioned to was of a younger woman, but was obviously my mother; Purnima Khan, across the plague, but…the lava-stone horns, defined dimples or the mole on the left temple…it was Mom. I smiled softly as I saw it. “Thank you, Dominus, for showing me this. I was…a bit nervous to be here.”

“Why?”

“I…only unlocked my magic and…all of this” I said gesturing towards myself then around me, “rather recently.”

“Late bloomer?” he asked, I nodded, “Ah, I see.”

“I just…feel really awkward about…how behind all of magic I am compared to everyone, I’m a sorcerer, so that makes learning my magic fairly easy, but anything that’s from books or on paper, I’m lost. I don’t know the formulas, the glyphs or symbols or sigils, I don’t know the potion recipes or how to go about learning exactly what kind of magic is in my wheelhouse. I am…just nervous about how I’ll do.” I said, just speaking about all of that to someone felt like a weight off my shoulders, but it was also embarrassing in its own right because I had all, but word-vomited all of that to him. He didn’t seem put off by it though, no recoil or expression that showed he was feeing anything odd about me, just a kind, soft smile as he softly nodded.

“Well, from what I’ve heard about you, I’m sure that you’ll do grand here” he said with a soft smile.

“I’m guessing the school doesn’t have like a magical tutoring program?” I asked

“We do, but if you’re worried about being behind in magic, I’d be more than happy to assist you.”

“You?” I asked as I looked at him, “You’d…want to tutor me?”

“You seem very bright and while I was not a late-bloomer, I understand the pressure to uphold certain expectations” he said as he looked up and to the right as he motioned to a higher photo, the picture was high enough I couldn’t make out a lot of details, but I did see the last name was Nero. “And I know the feeling of wanting to keep that nervousness, apprehension and…pressure to oneself, I had the idea that having a tutor that at least knows a little about what you’re going through would be comforting for you.”

“…thank you” I whispered as I met those featureless eyes of his, it was hard to tell exactly where he was looking due to the lack of pupils, but when they were locked on you, you felt it, you knew he was looking at you, “but won’t tutoring me be…a strain to your own study?” I asked

“Well, I’m a student teacher here, not a student” he laughed quietly, “So, I’m far more open to some extensive tutoring, sorcery teaching is not my forte, but the paperwork side of magic is…quite far in my wheelhouse.”

“I couldn’t trouble you with something like that.” I said, shaking my head softly, he laughed at that.

“Nonsense” he laughed, “I’m more than happy to teach you, Hercule, I understand how difficult it is to stand up to certain expectations that the world around you has for you” he added as he looked up towards the glassy dome above, his wings falling a little lax as the feathers glimmered like oil slicks.

“Are…are you a dragon?” I asked, he laughed with a soft smile and a slight shrug.

“Adjacent, true dragons as people see them; wings, four limbed, extremely smart and magical…fairly rare, other forms however are very plentiful; hydra, wyrms, sea serpents, all of the various sort like that…so many are out there, but true dragons; quite rare” he explained, “I’m an amphithere”

“A…what?” I asked confused

“We’re a limbless draconic type, big beautiful, feathered wings, no limbs.” He explained, “I only have limbs when in this humanoid body, as myself I don’t, just my wings.” He shrugged softly

“Must be a little awkward at times” I said

“No idea” he laughed, “But I’m sure as a rakshasa, you have issues of your own.”

“Mainly the horns”

“People have no idea how awkward it can be to have them.”

“I know!” I laughed, “I smack them on so many things, sleeping is hella-awkward and…I almost ripped one of my favorite sweaters in half because of them.”

“Exactly!” he agreed, “Coffee?”