Opening a Magic Academy at the End of the World [Yuri, Transgender, Book 1 Complete]

Finally, Barakat and one other individual moved enough crates from the wagon to allow Sanya and the other two to climb out. Mai and the others had since put the robes they had used as mattresses back into their crate.

Mai was the first, jumping out like a springy cat. She stretched her arms out, joints cracking. She let out a content sigh. Her eyes were closed, and she took a deep breath.

“So nice!” She exclaimed.

Sanya and Zahira exited the wagon with much less enthusiasm. Sanya had not a clue about where Mai got her energy from. Sanya also did not know if she would ever get used to such a bubbly person being near her. Maybe once they got accustomed to the academy, they would separate and not see each other often.

Why did thinking about that hurt Sanya so much?

She knew the answer, but didn't want to accept it.

Mai turned to look their way. Except she jerked back, and looked upwards with her mouth agape. “What is all this?”

Barakat chuckled. “Ah. Yes, the old cathedral to Heliux.”

What was he talking about? What were they both talking about? What got Mai all—Why didn't Sanya just look? She turned and looked in the direction they had headed towards.

Woah.

A ruin of massive proportion loomed in front of them. One wall stood to the left, with a much shorter, half-circle wall beyond. It connected to the right wall, which was in a much worse state than the left one.

Sanya didn't know how to describe it—it was a weathered, gray stone, dusted by sand and dirt. It must have been eight stories tall, maybe even more, divided into two parts. It had an even distribution of massive arch-topped holes, perhaps once windows? Flying buttresses stood like lone columns, holding up the other four stories, which was inward from the bottom half. The upper half had holes for windows or something too.

Beyond that was the remnants of a great, vaulted roof. Most of it had vanished due to time and tempest.

On the other side of the left wall from the half-circle—closest to the caravan—the ghost of a tower stood, reaching up to the skies, about eight stories like the left wall. Sanya could not believe even this much of a building remained.

The scale of it all warranted disbelief . . .

“I never knew this existed,” Mai said. Neither did Sanya.

“It's what you get growing up in an orphanage,” Zahira responded. “No time for a good, comprehensive education, no time for useless bits of history like this.”

“When was this from?”

“From before the tempest. It dates back to far beyond a hundred and seventy years ago . . .” Answered Barakat.

“Wow.”

“Soooooo . . .” Zahira turned from the cathedral ruins to Barakat. “Where's the school? You can't be telling us this is it. We're going to study in the ruins of an ancient, forgotten religious landmark like homeless people clinging to the open streets?”

Barakat winked at Zahira. “You'll see.”

“Ooh!” Mai exclaimed. “Is it magic? Is it hidden from us? Will you reveal the way?”

Barakat laughed. “No. It's not that interesting, I'm afraid. Come. Take a crate if you can, everyone.”

Barakat hefted up a crate.

Mai tried. She grunted, visibly putting all her strength into carrying one. She couldn't lift it off the ground.

“I appreciate the effort, Mai.”

Sanya picked a crate up with relative ease. Zahira silently struggled for a moment before she, too, picked one up.

Sanya frowned. Maybe she should pretend like she can't hold it—to drop it onto the sand beneath them. She was surprised she could hold it, actually. She was either stronger than she thought or Mai was pathetically weak . . . given, that, well, Sanya no longer had the advantage in this particular area that she once had. Ah! That's something for another time!

“Unfair,” Mai crossed her arms, frowning. Sanya felt even worse now.

From beyond the tempest, early rays of light illuminated the world. Just beyond the cathedral, and in the near distance otherwise, the tempest raged.

Barakat walked to the front of the caravan. Everyone else followed. They picked up Ismael, the third individual, and others along the way. Aeolian, thermal, and temporal mages . . . and Nur. Someone had unhooked the lanterns from the wagons.

They cleared the caravan, and more of the cathedral revealed itself, including the remnants of the raised chancel on which the altar would have been.

Oh, and the gaping maw in the ground, leading down into the dark. It was as big as the chancel itself, if not larger. It was as if the entire middle of the cathedral had sunk towards the earth, or if the cathedral was built around and worshiped the great hole.

Nur walked up to Mai and handed her a lantern. “Since you have no crate.”

Sanya noticed Ismael carried both a crate and a lantern, perhaps wanting to show off how strong or useful he was.

“Alright,” Nur said. “Let us go.”

Mai swallowed, then glanced up at Sanya.

Okay, the crate was starting to strain Sanya's muscles. It, like, really hurt. Yay for validation, I guess.

The group walked towards the cave. Two people stayed behind to tend to the camels. One thermal mage and one aeolian mage, it looked like. The entourage included Sanya and the four, Barakat, Nur, two temporal mages, and an aeolian mage.

The elevation declined as they went. Earthy walls rose up around them, and the surface was soon behind them.

As quickly as the sky disappeared over their heads, an imposing door stood in front of them.

Well, two doors, easily twelve feet tall, enough for the caravan to get through, probably. Darkness consumed the group, fought back by the lantern light.

Nur took out a key from his robes and slotted it into the doorway. He turned it, it clicked, and then he took the key back out. He pushed with both hands—well, a hand and a fist, because one held a lantern—and the doors gave way.

A large, cavern-like foyer greeted them.

A few crates clung to the sides of the floor, otherwise smooth and open. The foyer opened up into various hallways, all nice and breathable.

“We have to . . . live in a cave all semester?” Disappointment laced Mai's words.

“Don't worry,” Barakat reassured. “These doors will be open always, for fresh air. There's other little shafts leading to the surface for air. I don't know why the doors were closed. There's about a hundred other people here right now.”

“A hundred!” Ismael cried. “Wow.”

“Well, more like ninety?”

“Ninety people are in here already? Must be big!”

“Our faculty ratio is unfortunately going to be about fifteen students to one teacher, and then we have maintenance staff and chefs.”

“Where do these go?” Ismael ignored Barakat's previous statement, instead focusing on the tunnels.

Barakat set down his crate and pointed to the left cave. “That's mostly for storage, it's the smallest of the wings.” He turned his arm to the largest opening, in front of them. “This one leads to mostly everything. It branches off into the classrooms, kitchen and dining, dorms—everything! The school proper!”

He did not, in fact, point to the one on the right.

Ismael did, however. “And what about that one?”

“Nur's personal wing.”

“Oh.” Ismael frowned.

“Oh indeed.”

Nur got his own wing? Maybe he was kind of like the headmaster. The most silent headmaster in existence. He didn't have to talk if Barakat did all of it, Sanya guessed.

Barakat clapped his hands. “Let's head to breakfast! After, I'll show you all to your dorm rooms—I believe I know all the vacancies. Once you've settled in, head to the grand hall—you don't know what that I'd yet—and orientation can begin!”

“Can we place our crates here?” Ismael asked.

“Indeed!”

The group placed their crates down. Sanya let out a relieved sigh. Barakat headed towards the cavernous hallway in front of them. Everyone followed, including Nur.

“After months of planning, after Nur first found his magic and since his dream of opening an academy for more abyssal mages—project Diuskel can finally commence!

“Project Diuskel?” Mai raised an eyebrow and nudged Sanya with her elbow. “He makes us sound like a government project.”

Sanya just blinked thrice. She almost laughed.

“Erm. I meant Diuskel Academy,” Barakat said.

“Why Diuskel?” Mai asked. “Aren't they, ya know, the bad god?”

“No! The point is abyssal mages are about shadow and darkness! While Heliux was light, Diuskel balanced with dark! Thus we chose Diuskel, it fits!”

“Sure,” Mai said, unconvinced. “Whatever. Just don't make us evil.”

“That'll be for you to decide,” Barakat glanced back at Mai with a wink.

This hallway-like cave soon opened up to another foyer-like cave. This one was larger though, everyone in the cave system could stand in here comfortably, probably. Stalagmites and stalactites had long since been cleared. This room also branched off into various tunnels—three, not unlike the last. A plus-shape of path connected the tunnels together, while tables and picnic benches dotted the corners of the foyer, avoiding the center by more.

Unlike before, people did walk around this foyer. A group of four sat around one of the tables, engaged in chatting and drinking something that wasn't water from cups. They had empty plates as well.

Llumifruits lit up the cave in a caressing glow, quite nearly simulating daylight. As a result of the yummy lighting, some plants grew around where the tables were. It felt like a sunny garden, yet was quite literally some dozens of fear under the ground, hundreds more feet away from the closest exit.

A warmth radiated from the fruits too, which Sanya had never felt before. Maybe because it was always so hot on the surface, or maybe just the sheer volume of llumifruits hanging from the ceiling. One thing Sanya noticed was just how cool it was down here. Compared to the surface, it was practically freezing. She wouldn't mind wearing an extra layer of clothing, which sounded crazy to her.

The group of four glanced towards the new group.

“Master Barakat!” One called out, waving. “You're back!”

Barakat put his fists on his hips. “What did I tell you about taking food from the dining room!”

“But it is so nice in here!” A second argued.

Barakat sighed. “Just clean up after yourselves and return everything to the kitchens when you're done.”

“Thank you, you're the best, Barakat!”

“Barakat is back?” A pair of individuals entered the foyer from the tunnel to the right.

“Mutamid?” The other of the pair turned her head and body as if to try and look around the group. “Is Mutamid back too?”

“He . . .” Barakat said. “He decided to stay behind for now.”

Who is Mutamid? Sanya had thought everyone in the building had come along with them. Maybe then, this man hadn't been in the building.

Sanya noticed that they all wore rather tattered clothing, whether robes, or trousers and skirts with tunics. Barakat and Nur had seriously raided the streets and underfunded orphanages for this . . .

“I brought the clothing shipment! Sorry it took so long,” Barakat said, voice projecting to reach those at the bench and the few wandering the paths. There were various enthusiastic responses.

“Clothes!”

“That's awesome!”

“New people!”

“Oh,” Barakat said. “Yes, these are the last five. Classes will officially begin tomorrow! Orientation in an hour, everyone! Spread the information.”

“We will!”

Barakat turned to the other aeolian mage and the thermal mages. “You three do the same.”

They saluted and promptly dispersed.

That left Nur, Barakat, Sanya, and the other four.

“Dorms to the right, library and gardens to the left, and classrooms and everything of the institution straight ahead,” Barakat revealed simply.

“So, breakfast is forward?” Ismael's stomach rumbled.

“Yes! Let us go eat!”

The group headed towards the other end of the cavern. Where they had come from was a bit more elevated than the rest of the cavern, and so was the tunnel ahead of them. They walked down the slope, and then it leveled for a bit, before gradually going up a few feet. It, once again, leveled for a bit, like a small staging area.

They entered the tunnel.

It was much like the hallway of a building, only it had walls, floor, and a ceiling made of uneven stone. Someone had done a decent job keeping the floor flat, at least. The hallway was large enough to feel like they were fit for a palace or the legislature, not some cave complex in the middle of nowhere.

Which got Sanya wondering how this all got here. Was it natural? Was it carved out from a rougher cave system?

Off to the immediate right side, there was a large space set aside, like someone had turned a bowl befit for gods upside down and scooped out the earth. Stone couches with meager cushions and other chairs circled a center table—a kind of cozy lounge. Of course, llumifruits hung from the ceiling here too, but few, creating a dim, sleepy atmosphere, perfect for resting, studying, or cuddling . . . Cuddling? What?

Anyway, a mage with a temporal staff sat lazily on one of the couches, reading from a book.

“Oh, yes,” Barakat explained. “For matters of timeliness, we will have temporal mages speeding up time for us here. What passes for a day here will be maybe thirteen hours outside. I hope nobody minds if they are a month older than you should be when this is over.”

On the other side from the lounge cubby, a door-less entry led down into an auditorium-like space. Would this be where orientation would take place?

“What did this used to be?” Mai asked.

Bless you, Mai.

Barakat gave off a grin. “I'm so glad you asked!”

Nur sighed, putting a hand to his forehead and shaking his head.

“This was the largest monastery for Diuskel-devotees on the continent! Right under the largest cathedral ever, at least twice the size of Glorestra’s very own! Funny that they were directly below the building dedicated to Heliux. Where they built tall to the skies and next to oceans, they brought Diuskel devotion into the darkness, towards the core of the world.”

Uh oh. I think we found his special interest. Barakat's a history nerd. Or a religious fanatic? Okay maybe his interest is yet to be seen, actually. Maybe both?

“This was by an ocean!?” Mai shouted.

“Yes!” Barakat nearly shouted back. “Maybe if you do good on your studies, we can go on a little field trip out to the empty shores.”

Mai's eyes sparkled, yet her expression was wistful. “Wow . . . I wish I could see an actual ocean . . .”

Barakat chuckled. “Don't we all?”

The irony that Glorestrians and beyond worshipped the god of the seas was not lost to Sanya. How could they grovel to a deity of oceans, and yet, have lost all of their oceans? At least they still had the light of the two suns shining down on them.

What of the cavern cities? Did they worship Heliux still, as well? It would be extra ironic down there, not having light from the suns. Maybe they worshiped Diuskel instead?

The group continued their tour through the academy. It did not take long to find the dining area. In fact, it was the next door from the theater-looking place, maybe a few dozen feet away.

“Presenting, the dining room,” Barakat stopped and outstretched his arms in the direction of the entryway.

“Food!” Mai cheered, rushing from the hallway and into the dining area. She turned towards it suddenly, not checking to see if anyone was close to coming out from the room.

Thus, at the doorway, she collided with another student.