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

PoVs: Sanya | Aisha

The three of them went to a fancy tavern for lunch—it was called a "restaurant." It had less alcohol and fewer gruffy men.

And higher prices.

It was located down at the bottom of the cavern, with the other important buildings. The tailor shop had been off to the side, on the first level above the floor. The higher one went, the less expensive things got, but also slightly less reputable—still good, though. The poorer parts of town were along cavern tunnels in other sections of Speleothem.

They sat down to eat, and papers were handed to them with the meal options listed out. A servant attended to their every need—a waiter, they called them.

Sanya and the others ate here the last time they were in Speleothem, a year ago. It was good, and novel.

The price came out to one gold—or three silver and three copper per person. A lot of money for food, it was good.

Afterwards, they visited a small library. Kind of pathetic compared to the one that the academy had. Apparently they had more books, but older ones that needed repairing and needed to be kept safe. There was an archive for those books. They could be accessed with the proper documentation, but couldn't be bought. So, they too, had some books from before the tempest.

Then, they wandered into a mage shop. Staves and other items were on display.

Aisha appeared appalled at seeing staves on display. Presumably because it was a big piece of Glorestrian culture to make one's own staff.

Apparently the local forge did provide that service. These staves were made by a hobbyist (and also collected from deceased mages). A staff-making hobbyist, huh. Sanya guessed there was a hobby for everything.

To everyone, Aisha seemed like a (very sickly) grandmother having a bonding day with her daughters. She was only eleven years older than Sanya and Mai—Mai celebrated her birthday recently—but Aisha passed as their grandmother at the young age of twenty-nine. And Sanya had inherited all of Aisha's height.

It soon became time for dinner. They went back to the same place and handed them yet another gold coin. For both meals, Mai spent too little time actually eating and too much time staring at Sanya.

After a fulfilling day of tourism and commerce, Sanya and the two headed for the highest-rated inn in the cavern, on the first level above the floor, off to the right side.

Mai pushed open the door and entered. She stopped there, holding the door for Sanya and Aisha to go through. Mai grinned and nodded to both as they passed. She closed the door behind them and bounded up to the counter.

“Two rooms!” She said to the receptionist behind the counter. “One night. The cheapest you've got!”

The receptionist nodded, digging in a drawer for two keys. He handed them to Mai. “That will be nine silver—forty-five copper per night for the cheaper rooms. One bedroom, one washroom.”

Two beds . . . Three of them.

Oh.

This girl.

Sanya didn't even have the mind to walk up and protest for three rooms—or a bigger room.

“[Pocket Repository]!” Mai retrieved the coins and handed them to the receptionist.

The receptionist paused, mouth agape, eyes staring at the Repository. He shook himself together as it dissolved. He took the coins in hand.

“Thank you!” Mai headed towards the stairs, beckoning Mai and Sanya

The receptionist cleared his throat. “They're down that hall, not upstairs.” He pointed to an entryway that led deeper into the wall of the cavern.

“Oh, thank you,” Mai turned away from the staircase and headed into the hallway.

Mai looked down at the keys—each had a number etched into it. She walked through the hall, checking each number by the doors and counting them off.

In moments, Mai stopped. “Here we are! Eight and nine!” She pointed to doors across the small hall from each other.

She outstretched a hand for Aisha. She took the key from Mai and inserted it into her door. “See you both tomorrow . . . Um. It was cool, getting to see Speleothem. Thanks for letting me tag along.”

Sanya blinked. “Thank yourself for joining us—or, like, it wasn't really us. Um . . . you're welcome?” Sanya tried.

Aisha paused, then grinned.

Mai giggled at Sanya's attempt at language.

Aisha opened the door to her room and closed the door behind her.

Mai stepped towards their own door.

Sanya turned to face that way. “You're shaking.”

Mai had a hard time inserting the key, her coordination and stability was a bit off. Once she got it in, she opened the door to their room.

“Oh, you're so red.”

“You . . . Um . . . You were cute today,” Mai squeaked out.

“I'm always cute, to you.”

Mai stepped into the room and muttered. “Yeah, and it's unfair.”

Sanya paused at the doorway.

“Are you . . . coming inside?” Mai did not even turn to face Sanya. She must have been hiding a most depraved face.

“You're not going to do anything freaky, are you?”

Mai stepped off to the side. “Get in so I can close the door.”

“I'm going for a walk,” Sanya turned to leave—for the inn lobby, and eventually to go outside.

Mai sighed. “Please?”

Sanya stopped. “‘Please’ what?”

Mai said nothing.

“What?”

“I-it’s nothing. Forget it. I know you don't like . . . this.”

Sanya sighed. Mai was such a freak, and Sanya never did anything with Mai, for that. Yet, Mai wanted Sanya so badly . . .

What did Sanya do? Mai always asked, hoping that maybe this one day, Sanya would give in.

Mai closed the door to their room. Sanya remained standing in the hall.

Sanya felt . . . bad. Did this strain their relationship? Should they even continue like this if to be or not to be intimate would hurt it? If Sanya said no?

Mai would be fine. Maybe once she was less freaky.

Yet, each time Sanya said no, it felt like their connection frayed. That definitely wasn't healthy, though.

Sanya would need to communicate that to Mai . . . eventually. Maybe Mai already knew.

How frustrating was it to Mai? What went through her mind, whenever she wanted but was denied? Could Sanya come up with any hint as to what it was like? To fathom in even the slightest?

Sanya had been freaky once. She had hated it . . . and the biology of it.

So, um, she had done something, years and years ago. She had done something irreparable to her body.

Suffice to say, she did not get freaky like that anymore. She could not find pleasure there. There was no need for it.

There was only a blissful nothing—she was no longer distracted by human sexuality.

It wouldn't hurt Sanya at all to do it . . . she'd just use her fingers or something . . . Mai wouldn't have to do anything to Sanya. Yet, Sanya just didn't want to. Mai could do it herself.

Nope! She wasn't thinking about this! Nuh uh!

Sanya went to take her walk.

☆ ☆ ☆

Aisha woke up. Something bonked against her door, then chirped. Something thunked against the ground outside.

W-what time was it?

She rubbed her eyes and stepped up to her door, leaving the comfortable warmth of the bed. She unlocked the door and opened it.

A bird flapped in place. It chirped again, then flew off. A raven? Really? Like the stories? Notably not a carrier pigeon. Nor a human annoying her in the middle of the night.

Aisha blinked.

That could only mean one thing. The Fauna mage Nadiyya had sent a message. The librarian from the academy had made sure the old grimoires got rounds. Nadiyya had chosen Fauna magic and joined the adventurers’ guild early on.

She bent down and grabbed the paper rolled up at her feet, tied up in a string.

She untied, unrolled the paper, and read it.

It listed half a dozen reasons desperately requesting Aisha to get back. Aisha tried her best to ignore the random animal noises spelt out on the page. She almost laughed, but this was a more concerning matter than that. Also, Nadiyya's grammar was bad and her handwriting was even worse.

Another town far out west was devoured by some monster!

Zahira and Esmat came back bloodied—the agents of a southeastern warlord found them.

That warlord is heading northward, after getting to the shallow sea south and east!

A blue portal opened up on Lake Hope!

The lich cast a death field around the black portal.

Emissaries from the north, out-tempest, have arrived.

Aisha groaned.

She went to go pick up her satchel, grabbing the room key on the nightstand. She had not packed for much, unfortunately, so she only brought the robes around her for clothes. She simply threw her satchel over her head and stepped out of her room.

She crossed the hall and rapped a fist against the opposite door.

Aisha stood there awkwardly for thirty seconds. Nothing. Aisha guessed they were asleep, and her knock was too quiet. Or they were taking time to get dressed.

She knocked again, louder this time.

Thirty more seconds. Nothing.

Then, she heard feet tapping against stone.

The door opened slightly.

“Um,” Mai's voice said. “Aisha?”

Aisha looked down. Mai face was peeking around the door, tomato-red and frowning.

“Mai. Are you okay? You're really red . . . Is Sanya in there?”

They weren't . . . uh, being intimate with each other inside the room, were they? Had Aisha just intruded on them? . . . Oh no.

Mai's face somehow got even redder. “Uh. N-nooooo?”

Aisha raised an eyebrow. “Sorry! This was clearly a terrible time. Um, where did she go?”

So . . . Sanya wasn't in the room. Which meant . . . Mai was probably . . . Um.

Aisha swallowed.

It didn't matter if Sanya was there or not, it didn't make Aisha intruding in this any better . . . oops.

“What did you need Sanya for?” Mai asked.

“I need an Anchor back towards Calderae,” Aisha said, pretending like she was oblivious.

“Oh,” Mai couldn't Anchor yet, so Aisha could not ask Mai to do it. “She went for a walk.”

Did . . . Should Aisha apologize? Nah. She was going to go with the whole “nothing at all happened and I noticed nothing” thing.

“Okay, thank you.”

“G-goodnight,” Mai said quickly, shutting the door.

Aisha stood there for a moment, blinking. Then she decided it was probably best to not stand around in the doorway. And also to find Sanya.

☆ ☆ ☆

Sanya opened the door to the inn.

She jumped back. Her heart skipped a beat, and she sucked in a deep breath.

Aisha stood there too, a hand halfway to where the doorknob had been.

“A-Aisha,” Sanya gathered her breath. It was just Aisha . . . Not some monster or demon hiding behind the door and waiting to pounce on her, or stare into her soul. Gah! She hadn't expected some tall hundred and ninety-three centimeter giant to be waiting behind the door!

“Sanya!” Aisha exclaimed. “I was just going to look for you.”

“What did you need?”

“Can you Globetrot me back to Calderae? I have a lot of messes that need my attention.”

“Did you forget you need to cuddle Fazl in order to sleep?" Sanya muttered.

Aisha blinked, tilting her head. “What? It's not like that. Wh-why was that your response? . . . Whatever.”

“Oh. It's not? Sorry.”

“Can you Globetrot?”

“Uhhh yeah. What about our Temporal mage? Will you be coming back?”

Aisha shook her head. “I'll get a replacement for me by sometime in the morning. Say . . . when you get to Emergentia. Globetrot back to Calderae and pick them up after setting an Anchor in Emergentia.”

“Okay. [Pocket Repository].”

Reality tore open. Sanya's hand disappeared beyond the black rip. She instantly became aware of every item in the space. She mentally took hold of her staff and pulled her hand out. Her staff came with her.

“[Globetrot Anchor - Create ‘Interior Speleothem’]. [Globetrot Anchor - Calderae].”

Sanya and Aisha were dismantled. Reality ate them up and then tossed them back out at Sanya's Anchor, after rebuilding them.

Aisha shuddered. “I'm never getting used to that.”

“You said that last time.”

Lights glowed in the distance. Beyond that, a steep mound of earth rose up from the ground—the lip of the caldera.

Calderae did not have walls—only a ditch filled with rain water like a moat. That was enough. Nobody expected war—or had, anyway. Sanya could see the houses on the edge of the city—all stone walls and slate or thatched roofing.

“You . . . Your Anchor isn't in the city. Again.”

Sanya waved a hand, smiling slyly. “See you around.”

Aisha sighed. She handed Sanya something. Oh! Aisha's room key. Sanya took it.

There was something nice about putting her Anchors outside the city, where you could walk up towards them. It was away from the crowded cacophony of dense civilization, and away from suddenly appearing out of nowhere and surprising people.

If Sanya was really in a hurry for something, she could [Organic Displacement] up the front gate or even through. Not that Calderae had gates. Just bridges above the ditches flanked by guards.

“See you,” Aisha responded. She headed towards the nearest road, in the direction of Calderae.

“[Globetrot Anchor - Interior Speleothem].”

Just like that, Sanya was back in Speleothem.

“[Pocket Repository],” Sanya's staff disappeared.

The door to the inn was still open. Sanya walked inside.

The sleepy receptionist at the desk had been staring at the door. He blinked rapidly, watching Sanya. It was no doubt weird to watch two people vanish in front of your eyes, and one to appear again in the exact same spot.

Sanya waved to the receptionist and headed toward her room.

She curled her hand into a fist and moved to knock on the door. She paused halfway. Was Mai asleep or not? If awake, did Sanya want to intrude on if Mai was doing something or peacefully trying to sleep? If asleep, did Sanya wake Mai up? Would Sanya's knock be enough to wake her up? Was Mai waiting for Sanya to come back, in order to go to bed?

Sanya also had Aisha's key, and she hadn't given it back to the receptionist . . .

Sanya turned and stepped across the thin hallway. She inserted the key into Aisha's door and got ready to sleep.