Agate’s spell sent Dorin back in his room with Sebastian. Sebastian took out his slate and has been writing vigorously since they arrived. He’s been asking him so many questions when all Dorin wanted was to have some breakfast.

[How did you see the spell?] he asked, [my locking spell is a 1st class charm! you can’t just unravel it by cutting a ‘thaum’!]

“But, that’s just what I did, I can’t explain it further...” Dorin said for the nth time, yet the other can’t seem to accept his explanation.

[Then teach me!] Sebastian finally wrote. Dorin sighed.

“Well, I guess that’s the best way to show you...” He went to the door which was recently locked by his roommate and closed his eyes to concentrate. “Just feel the spell and look for the beginning, then trace the threads that make it up, thus you find out what the spell is all about, then you follow the pattern to find the end and look for the part that loops it together – that’s what holds the spell... and you... cut it.”

Dorin flipped his forefinger, cutting the invisible thread.

He looked at Sebastian, a little smug smile on his face. Sebastian has removed his glasses, his lilac eyes squinting, trying to see the invisible threads of thaum.

“You need to feel it inside... in your gut!” he added helpfully, “Like... Brrrrrr... it vibrates!”

Sebastian wrote on his slab and held it up to Dorin. [AGAIN!] then hurriedly added [PLEASE!]

“But I’m hungry!”

Sebastian stared at him. With a raised eyebrow, he wrote on his slate once more.

[Breakfast was moved since you blew up the kitchen.] then, [We would probably have to go to the canteen outside.]

With that, Sebastian took some clothes from his closet and went to the toilet to change. He came out later wearing a black long-sleeved turtle neck shirt and black slacks. He put on a pair of black gloves and took his long black coat from inside his closet.

The inner lining of the coat was full of small pockets bulging with unknown contents. Before Dorin could inquire about them, he pulled open the door and stepped outside. There were people everywhere in the halls, talking in groups, walking around, standing idle in a corner.

“Sebastian!” a handsome young man with bright yellow hair called, waving a hand at them, “Are you two heading out?”

Sebastian did not reply.

“Hello, you must be the new kid?” the young man said, taking Dorin’s hand to shake it, “I am Leonard Luther, I live in the room next door.”

“I’m Dorin Silvius,” the other replied with a big grin.

“Must be tough, having this kind of accident on your first day in the dorms.”

“Not really, I’ve been through worst,” Dorin replied honestly. Sebastian jabbed him discreetly in the ribs.

“Well, I guess, being a magician, this wouldn’t be such a big deal,” Leonard said with a laugh, “this is the magic division’s dormitory after all.”

[Dorin, aren’t you hungry?] wrote Sebastian, going between the two.

“Ah, is that so? Shall I join you – ”

[NO]

“Sebastian, Isn’t that quite rude of you?” asked Dorin, a bit surprised at Sebastian’s behavior.

“Oh, it’s okay,” said Leonard, giving Dorin a dashing smile, “I’ll just hang out with you some other time, hopefully, we can talk in private.”

[Let’s go.] Sebastian pulled Dorin after him. While descending the stairs, he wrote [Don’t get near that manipulative bastard. He is a liar and a thief.]

“Really? But he looked like a nice person...”

[He approached me the very same way last year and stole my spells.] he continued. [Don’t trust him.]

“He took your spells?”

[No. He stole one of my notebooks. With DOZENS of spells.]

“Is that why you have a 1st class locking spell on the door?”

Sebastian didn’t answer. A woman was approaching them, looking very annoyed. She was holding a wand made of ivory wood and wore something that looked like a blue scarf over a lilac toga. Her greying hair was tied in a tight bun on top of her head.

“Revious. Silvius.” She called to them. “In my room. Both of you. Now.”

They followed her to a room on the ground floor. File cabinets lined a wall while a table at the end was partly covered by piles of paperwork. The woman sat behind the table and motioned the 2 students to do the same.

[How may I help you, Ms. Ermingard?] wrote Sebastian.

“Cut the crap, Revious. I know you did it. I found traces of your translocation spell in the western garden!” She looked at Dorin who flinched at her sharp stare. “And you, if Professor Althea didn’t bring you here herself, I would have kicked your sorry ass out of my dorm this very instant!”

“Sorry... It was all my fault, all I wanted was to make some breakfast...” there suddenly came a large growl from his stomach. Dorin reddened.

“If I had my way, I would lock you down in the cellars and starve you for the rest of the day! You little imbecile! Which part of ‘NO MAGIC IN THE DORMS’ don’t you understand!?!?”

“But it was just a simple spell....”

“A simple spell that blew up my oven as well as half of my kitchen! You want me to shove you into that old brick oven you’re forcing us to use right now?”

“... sorry...”

“Now for compensation...” Ms. Ermingard interrupted, Dorin brightened a bit.

“I can pay for...”

“Wrong!” Yelled Ms. Ermingard. “You are going to work for it!”

“Eh?”

[Ms. Ermingard, he’s only here for three days] Wrote Sebastian.

“Which will be taken up by working in the kitchens. Every morning at five and in the evenings till the day he leaves.”

“I can work with that,” Dorin grinned. “I’ve been cooking for myself since I was five!” The two stared at him.

“No, really?” asked the dorm head.

“Well, my mother is usually out of the house so I had no choice,” he explained, “It was either that or stale bread for three weeks.”

Ms. Ermingard looked at him, a hint of pity in her eyes, which was immediately replaced with irritation. “Then be back early for kitchen duty.” She stood up from the table and picked up some sheets of paper. “Now bugger off before I send you both to the cellars!”

“I’m sooo hungry...” Dorin complained as they made their way to the old detached dining hall to the north of the dormitory, satchel and camera case slung over his shoulder. “And it’s already past seven! I didn’t even get the chance to look around the dorm grounds.”

[Well, whose fault is that?]

“Sorry...” they entered the old dining hall and groaned when he saw the long line. “I don’t think I can make it...” he held on to Sebastian’s shoulder, bowed his head, and sobbed.

“Hey, Sebastian, what’s up? Is this the new guy?” asked a person in front of them. Dorin looked up and saw a small group of students looking curiously at him.

“Hello, I’m Dorin Silvius,” he said with a weak grin. The students introduced themselves.

“I heard the head called you in her office? What was that about?” asked one called Rylie, magic rank 4.

[He forgot to finish some paperwork.] Sebastian wrote quickly.

“Ah, knowing the head, she probably broke another casket...” said Rylie’s big brother Stephen, magic rank 5, with a laugh.

“Actually, it was the oven that broke...” replied Dorin seriously.

[It was probably a gas leak.] saved Sebastian.

Finally, the group got to the end of the line. Dorin’s tray was piled with hot porridge, sausages, and pastries as they made their way to one of the long benches in the hall where he sat down with his new friends.

[I’ll be right back.] Sebastian wrote, leaving his tray behind. He went to a tall, weaselly-looking guy with damp straight hair falling to his back and showed him his slate. The guy looked around before he discreetly pulled Sebastian into a corner.

“So, where are you from, Dorin?” asked Nathan, a magic rank 5 student. Dorin gulped his last pastry and washed it down with milk.

“Monarch Forest,” he replied. The others leaned over in surprise.

“Really? All the way from the Quercus Kingdom?” asked Stephen. “That’s at the easternmost end of the Empire!”

“There was a documentary made from that kingdom recently, showing the royalty currently seated on the throne, it looked like a very backward place... more sheep and other livestock than actual people,” said Robert, magic rank 5. “How come you don’t have an accent?”

“Oh, my mother used to live in the city,” Dorin replied.

“I hear there are hardly any people living there, the place being mostly mountain ranges,” said Rylie, “although, years ago, some refugees were relocated in the area, mostly plebeians or non-magic citizens.”

“I think I remember that news report, brother,” Stephen cuts in, “we touched on the subject during our history class last year, I think that was after the ‘Great Revolt’ when the thunder gods tried to usurp the Emperor’s throne.”

“Yes, they say there are hardly any students from that kingdom because all the young magi – if there were any left, were sent to Quercus Castle as pages,” said Ivanov, magic rank 6, the eldest in the group.

“I read about it from my botanical class... Is it true that Monarch forest is the only known terra where the very rare herb ‘Devil’s Claw’ grows?” asked Nathan, his eyes shining. “Do you think you can get me some next time you go home?”

“I’m not really sure about the kingdom, I don’t get out much or hear news from the nearby villages...” Dorin replied to their questions, “but I think my mother has some Devil’s Claw in the greenhouse...”

Before his new acquaintances could bombard him with more questions, Sebastian suddenly appeared beside him, his slate in hand.

[It is almost 8 am] he wrote as he stuffed some food on his tray into a coat pocket.

“Oh no! The Photography Camp!” cried Dorin, standing up. “You gonna eat that porridge?” Sebastian looked at him then shook his head. Dorin gulped the porridge down before he followed Sebastian who was already headed for the door.

“See you guys later!” Stephen called, waving his hand.

“Do we have enough time to get there?” Dorin asked as they left the hall.

[We run.]