"So nice to finally see you in person, Bailey," Xaemarra said, "and your... friends."
"I'd like you to call me Amos," Amos responded.
Xaemarra raised a grey eyebrow at the firmness in his tone, but seemed otherwise nonplussed.
They were in her private office, located in the far corner of the main building of the Avidia Institute, up several flights of shockingly steep stairs. Amos thought it must be in one of the towers he had noticed earlier, with the domed roofs.
Xaemarra's stooped form sat behind a long desk stacked high with papers covered in strange runes. A staff leaned against a bookshelf lined wall behind her. She nursed a steaming cup of tea as they spoke.
"I thank you for bringing the Vessel, as requested," the elderly Drai said.
"Ink," Amos bristled. "His name is Ink."
Xaemarra waved her hand. "Whatever his name, he will draw attention in the open. It is fortuitous you brang him early in the day while the campus was mostly empty. The Trenmir are still looking for him."
"I'm not going back to them," Ink said.
"Yes, dear, of course," Xaemarra reached forward and patted his bicep. "We'll keep you safe here, just like we'll keep Amos safe."
"I have a few questions," Amos said.
"No doubt, child," Xaemarra said, "our conversation was cut short all that time ago."
"Let's start with this place. The Avidia Institute. How will you keep me safe? Who is we?"
Xaemarra sipped her tea and settled into her chair to prepare for a lengthy explanation. Her eyes flicked to the door to make sure that it was properly closed. "The Avidia Institute is the most well-renowned university in the Maurish Empire. It has existed in this place for long before the Emperor's bloodline, and will continue to host knowledge long after the fall of the Empire. In the olden days, part of that knowledge was dedicated to exploring and cultivating the abilities of Drai. This is the reason our insignia is of twelve stars; they represent the Outer Gods and the interconnectedness of their powers.
When Emperor Maur I began to spread anti-Drai propaganda and promote the use of Alchemy, the Institute was no longer able to openly foster Drai. We still recognise our roots through our insignia and the maintenance of our twelve houses - one for each of the Zodiac. There was persecution on a mass scale. Executions and imprisonment.
Naturally, the university stopped teaching about the use of mana and the eclipse - these fell into the realm of religion and superstition under the Divine Emperor's Will. However, it is not so easy to quash the influence of the Gods. The Drai persist, in secret. We exist as a collective here to protect each other and bring new born Drai into the fold. The high-ranking Drai teach the lower Ranks control. We are still an institution of learning, after all. This place represents a great opportunity for you, Amos. You can grow in safety here."
Amos was skeptical. "What about Yakob?"
"Yakob is on a mission of which the details I can not divulge. Occasionally we will send a Drai into the world to complete tasks to ensure our safety. Your brother is doing good work."
"How many Drai are here?"
"Enough," Xaemarra smiled. "I'm sorry I cannot tell you more, but if any of the Drai here were to be captured by the Trenmir, they become a liability. You will meet some, but I will not endanger the entirety of our flock to assuage your anxiety."
"What about us?" Arria piped up.
"Well," Xaemarra considered, "if Amos chooses to join the Institute as a student and a Drai initiate, I will personally sponsor your enrolments. We look after our own."
"Nothing's free," Mondir said. "What'll it cost us?"
"The enrolment fee comes to a total of one thousand chimes. But I fear that may not be what you ask of me. Your payment will be loyalty to the Institute and silence in relation to the Drai stationed here. We will use you to ensure our safety as necessary."
Amos looked at Ink, Arria, and Mondir. Each of them nodded, one by one. He turned to the crone gently sipping her tea behind her desk. "And if I refuse?" he asked.
"Well," she put the teacup down. "I've told you all our secrets. I couldn't just let you walk away, now could I?"
Amos felt his heart skip a beat. He looked down to see the ethereal red string piercing his body, linked to Xaemarra's pinky finger. She tugged it again, ever so slightly, and Amos' heart lurched once more. He clutched his chest, but his hands passed through the string ineffectually.
I'm outmatched. She can kill me with a twitch of her finger!
What Rank was she again?
"Fine," Amos said. "I accept."
"Splendid," Xaemarra tied a knot in the red string, and each of Amos' friends looked down at their own bodies, making exclamations as she seemed to do the same for each of them. Amos could see only his own string of fate. "Please get some rest. You all look dreadfully tired. On the morrow, I will personally give you a tour of the campus and ensure you are enrolled in classes. You will find your beds in the tower corresponding to your star sign. The doors will not open for anyone except for those of your zodiac. Amos, stick to Aries while you're here. Don't try to enter Cancer, it'll just cause a stir."
Ink raised his hand. "I wasn't born, so I don't have a star sign. Where should I go?"
"Oh, dear..." Xaemarra scratched her chin, "go with Amos. You can be an Aries from here on out."
Ink grinned and nodded.
"See you all tomorrow morning," Amos said. He shuffled off, head spinning with the amount of new information stuffed into it. Ink helped him find the Aries tower and he pressed a hand to the stone door carved with the outline of the constellation. It rolled open like a sliding door from his old world, then shut behind them.
It was bright in the Aries tower. Red drapery covered the walls and there were stacks of books strewn about. In one corner was a stack of training dummies laid on top of each other with straw sticking out of their heads.
A few students wore robes with the Aries constellation stitched into the back. They all eyed Ink and Amos with apprehension, an emotion which was not helped by Amos plowing through to the dormitories and flopping onto a soft bed. After a long period of travel, anything with a blanket would do, but this bed was genuinely cloud-like. Amos passed out face down and Ink followed suit shortly after.
...
Amos, Ink, Mondir, and Arria convened in what they learned was called the Central Hall; the open plan room of desks and dining tables they had first entered. Some rudimentary exploration had revealed empty atriums in sparse hallways, various libraries, and even a few workshops that looked too technologically intense even for Amos.
Xaemarra greeted the group with a warm smile and presented each of them robes to match their new Houses. Amos and Ink received ones with the Aries constellation in red stitching in the back, while Mondir got a Virgo in green, and Arria got Capricorn in yellow.
She launched into detailed explanations of the history of each building and their purpose. Amos was still waking up and gleaned only the following information from the tirade of knowledge spewing from the old woman:
The Central Hall was for students to mingle, a common space. The twelve Houses connected here and housed the dormitories. It was the busiest place in the entire campus.
The Laboratories hosted scientific experiments, explorations of runic application, and any other practical works.
The Great Library held a majority of the university's knowledge, but was mostly underground.
"Now," Xaemarra continued without taking a breath, "you will be required to enrol in Alchemy and Religion classes due to state policy. Otherwise, you are free to choose any classes from the following list."
The old woman handed out four slips of paper with checkboxes next to indecipherable script. Amos squinted at it for a moment. Some of the letters were recognisable, but he couldn't make out entire words.
"Is there a problem, Amos?" Xaemarra inquired.
"Um," Amos looked up nervously, "I can't read this."
"Me neither," Ink said.
"Oh dear, is my handwriting that bad?" Xaemarra asked.
"No, uh," Amos said, "I can't read. At all."
"Me neither!" Ink said.
"Oh," Xaemarra looked down at the boys, despite being shorter than them. "This will have to be rectified first. You will have private lessons with me for the first few weeks until I deem your abilities serviceable. Until then, you may fill your time with..." she plucked Amos' paper from his hands and read from the list. "Literature, history, geography, runic, natural sciences, metallurgy, arithmetic, physical, visual, or verbal arts, or mutazoology."
Mondir's eyes lit up at the mention of mutazoology. He may have something to teach them, being the leader of a Wildman clan.
Arria chewed her lip and wandered off with her paper, making her own decisions.
"That's a lot..." Ink said.
Xaemarra grinned. "Welcome to the Avidia Institute!"