Evan woke the next morning in a small chamber the academy had prepared for him. The bed was firm the blankets surprisingly soft and the air smelled faintly of warm stone and morning mist. A single window looked over the courtyard where students already practiced spells in scattered groups. He heard bursts of fire sudden echoes of wind small sparks of light and one very confused goat bleating in terror. Someone had clearly mispronounced something important.

He pushed himself up rubbing his face. He had barely slept. His mind kept replaying the explosion from yesterday the wind blast the way Arilon had looked at him with awe and expectation. It was overwhelming but a small part of him felt a strange sense of belonging like he had stepped into the one classroom he was always meant to teach in.

His door opened abruptly. Serin stood there already dressed in her uniform armor plates over dark cloth her expression sharp enough to cut stone.

“Morning” Evan said “Do people here knock or is that a luxury item”

Serin ignored the sarcasm “You are needed in the South Hall The apprentices have gathered Arilon wants a demonstration”

Evan blinked “A demonstration of what”

“Your method” she said “Your way of fixing broken spells The academy is hungry for it Everyone wants to know how a single outsider tripled two spells in one day”

Evan groaned but stood “Alright lead the way”

They walked through long hallways filled with carved runes and glowing lanterns. When they reached the South Hall Evan stopped breathing for half a second. Almost fifty apprentices stood waiting inside the giant room each holding a staff or spellbook. Their expressions mixed between excitement hope terror and the unique desperation of students about to take a quiz they were not ready for.

Arilon stood at the front his hands clasped calmly. “Students this is Evan Hartley our new guest He has demonstrated methods of spell articulation previously unknown to our academy and today he will observe your chanting and offer correction where appropriate”

The students whispered loudly enough that nobody needed magic to hear.

“He looks normal”
“Where is his robe”
“Why is his hair short”
“Is he a specialist from another kingdom”
“He boosted fire magic with pronunciation”
“That makes no sense and I love it”

Evan took a quiet breath and stepped forward “Alright I need a volunteer Someone who will not cry if I tell them their consonants are a disaster”

Every apprentice suddenly pretended to examine the ceiling or floor anything except him. Except one girl in the front row with curly dark hair and sharp brown eyes. She raised her hand confidently.

“I will try sir My name is Lira”

“You are brave Lira I respect that” Evan said “What spell are you practicing”

“The Lightflare chant” she answered “I can barely produce more than a spark”

“Show me”

She inhaled shakily lifted her hand and spoke “Luma therin kal”

A tiny dot of light flickered barely enough to illuminate her palm before sputtering out like a cheap flashlight. Evan walked closer studying her mouth.

“Alright Lira here is the truth Your vowels are too tight You are squeezing your voice instead of letting it flow And your consonants are collapsing at the edges like you are afraid of them Do not fear the consonant Embrace the consonant Make it crisp”

The students looked at him like he had spoken a holy scripture. Lira nodded seriously like she had been handed the missing line of prophecy.

“Try it again but loosen the vowel Keep the airflow steady imagine breathing through a warm window You want softness not tension”

Lira tried again “Luma therin kal”

A bright sphere of pure white light burst to life hovering above her palm like a miniature star. Gasps filled the hall. Some students even stumbled backward. A few clapped until Arilon silenced them with a single stern look.

“That is one hundred eighty percent improvement in luminosity” Serin murmured “Impossible”

“Not impossible” Evan said “Just articulation”

Lira stared at her hand her eyes shining “I did it I really did it”

“You did” Evan said smiling “Now who is next Because someone in here definitely has a consonant disaster going on and I am ready to fix it”

Hands shot up from almost everyone in the hall.

Arilon whispered “You have started a storm Evan”

“It is just a classroom” Evan said “This is normal”

Arilon stared at him “Normal for you perhaps but not for our world You have taken knowledge that should be impossible and made it accessible to every mage here”

For the next hour Evan moved from student to student correcting articulation adjusting tongue placement demonstrating airflow pacing and teaching vocal techniques. Every time a student corrected their pronunciation the spell strengthened sometimes doubling sometimes tripling.

Serin watched from the side her expression shifting from disbelief to respect to something like awe.

Arilon finally stepped forward “That is enough for today Students you may return to your assignments Reflect on what you have learned”

The hall emptied quickly buzzing with excited chatter. Evan felt sweat rolling down his neck and sat heavily on a nearby bench.

Serin approached him “You look exhausted”

“I just taught forty students articulation for magic” Evan said “My soul is leaving my body”

Yet he smiled a tired smile because there was something addicting about watching their faces light up when their spells finally worked.

Arilon approached “Evan you have proven your ability beyond doubt I must ask you something more serious Will you consider a formal role here as an instructor”

Evan hesitated “Teaching is not the issue The issue is I am stuck here I do not know how to get home I do not even know if I can”

Arilon’s voice softened “Until you find your answer you will have a place here and protection You are not alone Evan Hartley not in this world”

Evan stared at the stone floor then nodded slowly “Alright I will teach But on one condition”

Arilon raised an eyebrow “Name it”

“I want permission to study your spell language in depth I want every scroll every text every chant I want to map out the phonetics of your entire magic system”

Arilon smiled “Then let us begin rewriting the foundation of magic together”