Riley had checked his phone repeatedly for the last thirty minutes. There was no doubt about it, the bus was late, and he was at the edge of the city, waiting and hoping it would just get there already. It was cold, as it was still on the cusp of spring, not to mention Carrowick was a mountainous city and practically elevated a little higher than most civilized cities in the world. (The ones that were left, at least.)
It had been three months since he lost his [Courier] class and manifested as a max-level [magical novice]. Even though he had kept most of his courier skills, his employers no longer saw him as a nascent youth and had laid him off. Accepting a job at a rival company had been easy, but the pay was horrible for what he got.
Mira, his sister, had practically forced applications for magical academies onto him. Yes, yes, he was a late bloomer in magical society. Could you blame him for it? Most people manifested in their late teens at the latest, and then there was him. Sure, he could do some magic now, levitate his phone if he concentrated hard enough, but if he was going to be involved in the broader workforce, protecting city states from monsters or contributing to humanity's recovering magical era, he'd rather have been chosen as some kind of warrior at a young age.
But alas. He was still bitter about being jobless, having no money, and being legally compelled to manage his magical outbursts outside of public spaces. He didn't want to think about the exact incident that got him fired.
He swiped at his phone, swearing, stomping his foot on the ground, then threw himself back against the bench. This magical academy, Ardent-Bloom, yeah, maybe, just maybe, it might actually be a nice place. Cute girls to meet. He wasn't exactly a social genius, but if it was anything like his high school years, he might actually do better than the loser he had been. Hot girls, a dorm to sleep in, and crazy activities that came with being a student. A covered food allowance and the lump sum of money he got from his sister, he would be okay…for a while. He thought. Girls, huh? He stroked his hair for a moment. Would they even like him?
It didn't matter. What mattered was getting on the damn bus whenever it decided to show. He looked up, then at his phone again. It was still chilly this time of year, and the forest to the north was probably teeming with little monsters. Scary to think that one day he'd probably be out there walking beyond the walls. For now, he needed to alleviate his boredom.
Scroll, swipe, tap and hold. Over and over again. The problem was that inevitably he'd stumble onto something erotic and his brain would be fried for the rest of the day. Honestly, he could do without a phone.
Riley slapped both his cheeks at the same time, turned his head and blinked. A figure in a dark hoodie was walking toward him, male or female, hard to tell from here, but they were definitely heading to sit next to him at the same bench. He didn't suffer much from social anxiety, but the fear of being displaced and moved around was nerve-wracking. He tapped his frail chest, cleared his throat, and looked up.
The other person was already next to him, smiling. "Hey there! Waiting for the bus?" A woman, he thought, but the voice was deeper than he expected. This "person", because he couldn't determine whether or not they were male or female, sat next to him. The next few moments would make that very, very apparent.
"Um, yes, I'm assuming there's some kind of holdup, though I've been sitting here for a while."
"Oh, don't worry about it. That particular academy has a habit of turning up late, which is why I took my sweet time getting here." The voice was clearly male, but on the very soft side. Hard to distinguish from a well-spoken woman with a voice quirk.
Though there was something to be said about that. Something was off about his demeanor and appearance. Painted nails, slightly smaller than Riley, lipstick, strangely braided hair, hanging earrings, and the absence of a typical shirt underneath the hoodie. Oh, Riley thought. Just another student, a bit more liberal and queer than he was.
Would "femboy" be an offensive term in this case? Maybe it was better to ask first.
"Don't look so startled, I'm not going to bite you. What's your name?" He held a hand to his chest. "I'm Dion."
Okay, so he was male. Dion was a clearly male name. He supposed he could get comfortable, no one was around but them, and he had been bored for the last few hours. "I'm Riley. Not the greatest name, but then again, my parents couldn't decide what to call me."
"Riley, huh? First year at Ardent-Bloom? It's quite the scandalous academy. You should probably prepare yourself for the shitstorm. There's always one."
Now, of course he'd heard it was a problematic magical academy, but he didn't have many choices. They had accepted him, it was close to the city, how could he not accept?
"Yeah, so I've heard, but I'm prepared, I guess. At least culture shock doesn't work on me, whether it's sorority or frat-like..."
"Oh no, this place is nothing like a normal university, it's... You'll see when you get there. So you have some kind of initiate class, I'm guessing. Thoughts on what you want to be?"
Riley had a moment of surprise when he realized the implications. It could be totally random, random enough that a bad class could ruin future opportunities. Magical butler was not something to be excited about.
"I'm guessing some kind of combat class. I want to see the world, you know, it's so boring here inside the city. I've heard great stories about the world beyond the city states."
Dion hummed, pulled off his hoodie and freed his hair. Riley couldn't help but stare and admire him. Why was he so feminine? Why did his face lean to the female side of androgyny? Who was he, and why did he make Riley feel funny and warm?
"Um…what year are you?"
Dion looked perplexed, smiled, and then answered. "Oh, me? Finished courses about a thousand years ago. Mainly I just survey and advise some students, here and there."
He ignored the metaphor. "Oh, you're like a substitute teacher, a reserve lecturer? Do you research or work for the academy?"
"Something like that. A bit confidential to say to someone who might drop out in a year. No offense."
"Oh, um, none taken."
And yet the question and curiosity in his heart made him jump. He didn't resort to asking that invasive question: are you a man or a woman? Instead, he checked the time again.
Dion spoke thoughtfully. "Amazing, isn't it, the smartphone. In older times, people would use magic to communicate over long distances, and yet today we do it at the drop of a button."
Riley nodded. It was an odd subject to bring up. Though he had to admit, magic had never been the predominant way of passing on messages. The old ritualists and practitioners, sure, but before the age of the fall of man, it had always been tech.
Dion leaned a bit closer to him, just looking at him and genuinely smiling, and for some twisted fucking reason, Riley felt his pants stiffen. Yes, blame him all you want, call him a name or a slur, but there was seriously something weird going on with this person. They looked so nice, and they made him feel things, hard enough that he was stiff in his pants.
"Here's some advice from a senior: when you enter the sorting room, speak your real intent. Don't let some willy-nilly lecturer take that away from you."
Oh hey, stranger who looks very feminine , smaller and fuckable, can I have your phone number? No one would know. Oh, you're a senior, that's bad news. Where did that come from. Riley snapped out of his stupor and tried to replay the words in his head so he didn't lose track of the conversation.
"...sorting room?"
"Yes, the sorting room. It's where the System will decide your class for the year. Of course, there are no second chances, so be honest. If you want, I can share a bit of my luck with you?"
"Luck?" He didn't follow. The words just danced in his head. But if this "luck" was an actual benefit, why would he say no?
"Um, sure, I guess." He moved his hands to cover his groin and tried not to stare at the pretty face in front of him. He was a disgrace, honestly. If Mira could see this.
Dion put both of his very thin hands on his shoulders, and an electric current ran up his spine. The senior mage closed their eyes and started speaking in "whistles," like they were talking to the wind.
A sharp jolt tickled his spine and he jumped as the words labeled themselves into his vision.
[Dionysus's Luck received.] You will have great success in the harder endeavors, and great success in the lottery of life.
Riley jumped. "Wait, a buff, an actual buff?" But then he paused. Dionysious was a strange name, very strange indeed. But would questioning it take away from the boon he had just been given?
"Yeah, I can do that sometimes. It takes an incredible amount of mana though, so I hope you'll enjoy the success that comes with it, though don't expect to win a lottery."
"How did you do this? I feel a little funny."
Dion, or Dionysious, just laughed. He didn't answer but pointed at an incoming vehicle. A black and quite old-fashioned bus had come from uphill. Riley checked the time on his phone. Yep, he was going to be completely late for the opening ceremony by two hours. That was fine, he guessed. Less stress.
"Forget about that, it's just magic. Come on, get on the bus, you're new, so you have a whole day to get sorted."
Right. He had forgotten about it: an interview, the stress of meeting strangers, and then he would be assigned to a dorm. But he was so overjoyed experiencing what a "buff" was that he had completely forgotten about his priorities. Dionysious had handed him his very large suitcase.
"Thanks, and sorry for your effort."
"It's not an issue. Golden boy."
Riley didn't understand what he meant by that as the bus pulled up. Dion stood next to him as the driver stepped out of her seat, walked outside, stared at them, and then swiftly took his luggage. Her name was Angelica and she was kind of, how could it put it, like walking sunshine.
"Sorry we're late. You're a new student, are you? There was an issue with a 'thingy' that might have escaped a few miles from here, so we got stranded."
Riley stared at the other occupants in the seats. They did not look happy about this, but what frightened him most was the scrutiny he got..
"It's not a problem, ma'am." Angelica was quite robust, and the juvenile part of him resented that, but she was thicc, heavy on the hooters, so to speak. She was wearing what looked like a crop top and a cowboy hat. Definitely an old-school gal, though she didn't look that much older than him.
She pointed at the entrance, and Dion nudged him along, walking with him. He was still slightly conflicted about the feeling he'd had, but he let it slide. He scanned the occupants of the bus. All of them looked totally disinterested in him, especially the girl with the purplish hair in the back. Now, was that an unusual genetic trait or had she dyed it? Either way, he made his way to the front, close to the driver. He heard someone murmur from the back.
"Wouldn't sit there, bus lady is quite the talker. Like, she doesn't shut up." He nodded at them but pretended not to make it an issue.
"I can hear ya just fine," Angelica called from the back of the bus. Riley heard the stranger laugh at that but didn't say much. He sat down at the front. The strange senior postgraduate sat next to him for a moment.
"Nervous?" Dion asked. Riley started relaxing, most of the other people didn't bat an eye at Dion, so surely he didn't have to either. The bus driver certainly didn't. "An academy with mostly women, I bet you'll be just fine."
"It's nothing like that. Just a little lost in life."
Dion nodded. "I can reciprocate the feeling. Just keep your head, and maybe your pants as well," Dion whispered. Riley blinked, stared down, and profusely apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry, um, blood pressure happens sometimes. Lots of women, don't get me wrong," he said, watching the androgynous Dion glance toward the back of the bus. "They are they. But don't worry, I won't judge you."
Sure, he could blame it on two people by now.
"So, any thoughts on what kind of magic you're really into? There's all kinds, I'm sure, though most are on the academic side," Dionysious asked. At this moment, the bus driver had entered, closed the doors, and started the engine.
She shouted to the back. "Anybody need a toilet break?" No one answered. It seemed all the occupants were getting sick of waiting to get to Ardent. Riley turned to his new "friend" and answered him.
"The flashy type. Is that bad? Throwing lightning and fire around, it's every boy's dream as a kid."
"True, and I can say the same, although it was a lot more lightning bolts for me, seriously a lot more. There was this asshole, I knew once who'd chuck it at pretty much anyone with it. Take note, though, that magic, real magic, is far more complex. You might not like what you find here…" The last few words sounded cryptic, too cryptic, and it was only now that Riley noticed Dionysious had less of a happy expression on his face and looked stoic, very much so. Although, what sane person would throw lightning bolts at people.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm…fine. I did what I came here for. Good luck, Riley. The wards are getting too strong from here on out, I'll see you on the other side. Soon anyway…"
"Huh?" Riley didn't comprehend. He didn't understand, and Dionysious was just sitting there, staring at the roof of the moving vehicle. Was he on drugs or something?
The woman from the front called out to him very very softly. "You, new student. You're Riley, right? If I'm not wrong?" He nodded but didn't understand why she was whispering. "Who are you talking to?"
His face went blank, and all he could mutter was "Huh?"
"Um, my friend Dionysious here." He matched her tone, then pointed at the androgynous figure and blinked. Riley looked at the seat next to him. Empty. It was empty, it had been empty, and no one at the back would meet his eyes. Everyone was looking away. No one pretended to see shit.
The driver coughed, nudged him toward the front seat, and asked him to sit. There was mild panic at the back of the bus as books started flying for no conceivable reason. Riley's heart lurched, but he listened to her anyway. Her face looked blue, almost purple, and she was holding her breath.
"Who were you talking to?" she whispered, like it was some great secret.
He was panicking, shivering, and his own voice held no weight. "Dionysious, the postgraduate student? A mage. He walked in with me on the bus. You looked at both of us when you stopped." She shook her head slowly. His heart stuttered in the overload department. She shifted the bus to a lower gear and leaned forward.
"You're new here, aren't you. Obviously."
He could only nod.
"You're absolutely sure you spoke to someone?"
He nodded again.
"And you were talking to Dionysious character." She was frowning this time, looking uneasy.
He nodded again. "Okay, listen to me. Here's a hard lesson on day one dear. If you witness the unseeable, keep to yourself. Please trust me. This happens on the roads some times, can't say These "people" i meet make me excited.
He cleared his throat. Was she stupid? Was he? No, it didn't make sense, though the evasive nature of everyone in the back, refusing to acknowledge him, made him uneasy.
"Trust me? Life is going to get weird for you from here on out, just nod, smile and wave."
He hesitated. She was asking him to deny reality in a sense. It was too much too fast.
'I….I get it."
"Good. Good. I suspect you're about to have an interesting year." and nudged at him and tried to drag him away from the window. "And don't be so shy, these roads get lonely, scoot a little closer, lets a have conversation. I'll start, my names angelica, what's yours."
"It's riley, ma'am."
"Ma'am." she blew out air. "I'm only 25, nothing old about that, I don't have wrinkles on my face do I?"
The conversations went on for a while, his nervous system alarmed, and his body on the edge. It never really calmed down. He focused on the system, and the words [Dionysious's Luck] were still there. He didn't say another word. He knew it would be weird but he hand't even stepped into Ardent-bloom yet.
What the fuck!