Surviving at the Magic Academy

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Dreams tend to vanish in an instant. Like bubbles popping. Rumira’s dream was no different. Yet, the aftermath of that dream was rather complicated.

I glanced across the room. Even though the owner of that dream, Rumira, had already departed, traces of her dream lingered, emitting a dull magical aura.

It swirled between the circuits that formed the magical circle leading to the dream. Koit let out a light sigh as he looked at those impurities. It didn’t seem like the right time to discuss my dream yet.

“This is why preparing such a massive dream is tough. I have to create another magical circle.”

Koit waved his fingers around, and the magic swirling at his fingertips spread out in all directions. I could see the dolls stirring from their sleep as they received the magic.

The dolls responded to Koit’s signal and slowly approached the magical circle. They cautiously began to dismantle it. Koit delicately directed each of their movements.

Under his guidance, the magical circle was dismantled in no time. At the end, the entire room was neatly organized. It was incredibly efficient.

After finishing the whole process, Koit moved toward the spot where the coffin lay. He gingerly rummaged through it and pulled out a large orb. A satisfied grin spread across his face.

It seemed to be Rumira’s dream. Koit examined it from various angles, nodded, and then looked at us, beaming with joy. It was clear he felt good about successfully wrapping everything up.

“Alright, now we need to reconstruct this room, so let’s head out, friends.”

He lightly patted his belly and chuckled, then began to walk with a spring in his step. His carefree demeanor was palpable as he turned back towards us at the door.

“What are you waiting for? Come on, I’ll show you to a place where you can relax. The work is done, so let’s chill together. If you have anything to talk about, feel free.”

He gestured towards us with his chin. Mira leaned slightly against me. I nodded slightly at Koit and guided Mira toward the door. He chuckled softly and exited the room first.

The place he led us to was a room located deep within the theater building. He swung the door open and strode in without hesitation. We followed him into the room.

I quickly surveyed the space. High-quality furniture adorned the room, with various treasures decorating the walls and ceiling, radiating pure magic.

It resembled a makeshift office of sorts. I stole a glance at the huge sofas placed in the center of the room. They could easily pass for a lounge setup. No doubt about it, this was Koit’s domain.

He tossed his robe aside, the decorations jingling with a clatter. It was the ceremonial robe he wore to face Rumira.

Now in a more comfortable attire, he flopped onto the long sofa, sinking down as he waved lightly at us. He pointed to another sofa across from him and grinned.

“Come on, sit down. Just relax.”

Nodding, Mira and I headed towards the sofa. As I leaned back against it, a pleasant sensation enveloped me. I understood why Koit liked lounging like this.

Koit clapped his hands lightly, and a doll entered the room. I glanced at the doll.

It was a familiar female doll. Perhaps she hadn’t changed her outfit yet, as the rabbit ears on her head bounced lightly. She held a small tray, atop which was a single bottle.

The doll gently twisted the bottle open, filling the room with a delightful aroma. She poured it into glasses, serving it on the table.

The vibrant red caught my eye. Could it be wine? Koit eagerly lifted it, gulping it down with a casual burp, followed by a satisfied chuckle.

“Alright, let’s all have a drink.”

Saying this, Koit offered a glass. I raised mine and clinked it with his. Mira caught a whiff of the scent and smiled gently.

“Oh, it smells lovely.”

“It’s celebratory wine! So drink up! It’s pricey stuff.”

“Hehe, then I won’t hold back.”

Mira playfully brought the glass to her lips, giving me a light wink. I too took a sip of the wine. I nodded subtly, enjoying the rich flavors bursting on my tongue.

There was no need for food. This alone was incredible. The slight bitterness mixed in with the sweetness elevated the flavor even further. I began to sip the wine, relishing the soft yet intense taste.

The warmth from the wine began to seep into my body, making the atmosphere of the room a bit cozier. I loosened my tensed muscles, sinking into the sofa like Koit.

As we relaxed, the haziness from earlier dreams began to fade significantly. I glanced at Koit. He was grinning brightly, gulping down the wine.

Maybe that was his purpose in making us relax—just like Rumira, we needed to fully emerge from our dreams. We had also lingered in our dreams for too long. As I sipped the wine, my mind began to clear.

“Wow, this feels amazing. We wrapped this up nicely, didn’t we?”

Koit remarked, lightly tapping his belly. The sound was quite a cheerful one. He seemed in a very good mood, which suggested this dream had brought him quite a bounty.

“How much did you make? Seeing you so happy makes me curious.”

I asked, shrugging my shoulders slightly. It was a sudden curiosity. He seemed to be anticipating that question. Koit smiled broadly at my inquiry, giving me a thumbs up as he nodded.

“Curious, huh? Well, after deducting the material costs, it should be around one point five million. Hehe, it’s splendid. Quite a score.”

I was taken aback. That’s a lot of profit! I smacked my lips slightly. The scent of gold seemed to linger in the air.

I wondered if I could do something similar, but then shook my head. This dream theater was only possible because of Koit. His unique magical skill as a dream weaver was the source that made this world what it is.

Unique magic—pondering that, a thought struck me. Perhaps I could find a way. Just as he formed the world through dreams, I had something of my own too. The Shadow Tree.

Sure, it was a dreamlike notion. I shook my head. If it were that easy to create, others would have already taken notice. My skills simply weren’t up to par.

“Don’t worry, I’ll set aside a bit for you too. You played the role of the fairy in the dream, after all, so I owe you.”

Koit chuckled lightly, casually mentioning the fairy title. Mira set her glass down, starting to snicker beside me. She glanced at me and flashed a playful grin.

“Hehe, it was hilarious when it was revealed that Ian is actually Ebron.”

Mira’s eyes sparkled as she laughed lightly, scratching her head slightly. I recalled Rumira’s shocked expression. Was it really that shocking? I was just giving my best.

After a good laugh, Koit set his glass down, pausing his laughter slightly. He turned his gaze towards me, sinking deeper into the sofa.

“Well, there should be a bit of a cut, seeing as there was a bit of a problem. But you handled the mess pretty well, so count yourself lucky.”

He glanced at me with a coy look. I lowered my head slightly, knowing the issue stemmed from my doll. It seemed he had somewhat caught onto the peculiarities of my doll.

“But since it ended well, let’s leave it at that. It was fun too…”

He trailed off, lost in thought, stroking his chin. Soon he nodded and clapped his hands. With that, he grinned and tapped the table.

“Now that I think about it, it’s not that bad. A doll that can overcome the dream’s owner by devouring the Magical Heart. You don’t see that every day. Making a dream arena setup would be nice too.”

He pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket and started jotting down words and sketches. After filling the entire page, he tucked it back with a satisfied smile, then fixed his gaze on me.

“So what I’m saying is, you should join our business. You’ve experienced it now, you know. You have a talent for this work. You can find your place here.”

His eyes lit up, and I could clearly see myself reflected in them tainted with greed. Just the thought of finding a place here made me glance around. The glimmering colors of the expensive items caught my eye.

“Hehe, that sounds interesting.”

Mira leaned towards me and chimed in. The scent of wine wafted off her. I smiled slightly as I noticed her eyes gleaming. She seemed intrigued by the idea of dreams.

And it made sense. She had a blast in this dream. She feasted on me and Rumira. Even if it was pretend, it must have satisfied her hunger.

I shook my head gently as I observed them. Preparing for this had been quite the ordeal. I had to keep shuttling between the tower and the city.

Of course, if I were solely in the city, it would have been a tempting proposition. But I needed to assist the Professor. That was the contract, and also my current intention.

“Regrettably, I have responsibilities to attend to. So, I’ll promise to see you next time. If you need help, just ask. This endeavor started from a request after all.”

“Well, I expected that. But feel free to come anytime. If you can’t make it, just send that doll, or rather, Mira, along.”

Koit winked at Mira, who returned his gaze with a smile, her eyes twinkling.

“Oh, I’m quite interested in that. Ebron hasn’t been giving me much attention lately. It’s all about the Professor, how sad!”

Mira chuckled lightly, raising her wine glass slightly. She gave it a gentle shake. Koit brought his glass to hers, producing a soft clink, and they both giggled.

I frowned slightly watching Mira. Having her come alone was quite an enticing idea if only looking at the scores. Just as she demonstrated in today’s dream, she had exceptional talent for handling dreams.

Yet, I felt a stirring unease in my gut as I entertained the thought. That faint ripple was jealousy, or perhaps possessiveness. After all, she was my doll. Realizing this, I offered a small, wry smile.

Perhaps that’s why others in the guild didn’t join him. To thrust my doll into someone else’s dreams was a horrifying thought.

If I hadn’t known the plan beforehand, I might have hesitated to participate till the end. Even if confirming my dreams was important, my doll held equal importance to me.

Seeing my expression, Mira chuckled lightly. She then extended her glass towards me. Accepting, I took a small sip.

“Hehe, just kidding. Jealousy? How cute of you.”

Mira kept on laughing at me. I could clearly see the mischievous glint on her lips. She leaned against my arm lightly.

I sighed lightly at her antics. Right, the dreams. I blinked a bit. I had almost forgotten because of the wine. It was about time I brought this up. I glanced at Koit.

Koit was tilting his glass towards us. Upon noticing my gaze, he turned his attention back to me. I bowed my head slightly. It was time to receive my reward for the hard work I’d put in.

“I’d like to talk about my dream now.”

Koit blinked at those words. He sank deeper into the sofa. He placed his glass down and crossed his arms.

“I was wondering when you’d bring this up. Your dream, huh. Well, it’s going to take some time. Roughly a week or so. I have some preparations to make.”

I stared at him intently. A week? That was a wait I could manage. The reason I was bringing up my dream now was that I had a solid reason to enter it.

I placed my hand over my chest. Koit had mentioned before that while discussing my dream, something unusual mixed in with my essence. It rang true.

It was a clue I’d gained from analyzing the dolls in Rumira’s dream. There was something within my tree, or my soul. An inclination towards desire and obsession was starting to emerge.

I couldn’t enter that realm of the soul alone. With Koit’s help, I had to use that dream to reach deep into my psyche. After all, Rumira’s Magical Heart was etched within that soul.

Speaking of which, I had something to ask him. A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I snapped my fingers, opening my mouth.

“By the way, you mentioned you caught on to the roots of my obsession. You seemed to hint at being able to discern it further. Would you be able to tell me what that is?”

Koit scratched his head at my inquiry, lifting his glass with an awkward smile. He began to look away slightly.

“I just said that to get your attention. Back then, I was in a rush to handle dreams, you know, trying to catch you by any means.”

And just like that, he laughed heartily. Wait, so it was just meaningless flattery? Frowning slightly, he waved his hand at me.

“Nah, I’m just messing with you. But hey, I do have an idea. Dreams are my specialty after all.”

Koit raised a finger as he spoke. He then pointed it lightly at my chest. His finger, which had been hovering nearby, morphed into a hook shape and tapped gently as if knocking.

“Did I mention this before? A dream can only have one anchor. Yet, you have too many anchors inside you. That’s strange. So I thought it over.”

He paused momentarily, placing his hand over his chest. Those anchors inside me? I could grasp what that referred to right away. It was a memory from the dream I had perceived here as a trial run.

That memory was etched vividly into my mind. It was unavoidable. The scenery filled with the Professor was unforgettable.

And if the Professor had donned different outfits and flaunted their various charms, that was even more so. I cast a glance at the doll standing behind Koit. That rabbit costume originated from my dream.

I liked that outfit quite a bit. Nodding, I thought to myself—what if I managed the Professor’s outfits? If another chance arises, maybe I could dress the Professor up in one of those outfits myself!

I suddenly shivered. Ahem, it seemed my obsession had flared up. I collected my tangled thoughts and offered a small, wry smile.

This was my reason for wanting to eliminate the obsession. I reflexively felt my actions drowning in this fixation, one that I was all too aware of. The more things like this happened, the harder it became to have confidence in my choices.

No matter what I did, doubts lingered whether it stemmed from my obsession. This was a critical issue for a Mage, who relied heavily on unwavering self-belief for growth. Thus, solving this problem was essential.

Koit rubbed his chin and slightly pulled back. He pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it on the table. Then, he began drawing several hooks on it.

He drew a total of around fifty hooks. After that, he circled them. As he looked down at it, he tapped his stomach, opening his mouth.

“Having this many anchors suggests that their connections are incredibly strong. The existence that dropped those anchors must have locked eyes with the entity beyond the crystal. That means there’s a channel connecting those anchors.”

Koit cast a sidelong glance at me. He continued.

“I think that’s you. That, what do you call it? Since everyone appears in the form of the Professor, clearly whatever’s inside you has a lot to reveal. I wouldn’t really know how you’re structured inside. The entities themselves would know best. Just have to meet them.”

That was a rather vague explanation. It was hard to grasp. Noticing my bewilderment, Koit chuckled and patted the paper.

“Well, to summarize, it means the beings tied to your dream are just as numerous as the anchors. Whether they’re specters or spirits. What you encountered in your dreams is those kinds of entities. And likely your peculiarities stemmed from them.”

His words made me blink. Koit looked at me, his eyes sparkling with intrigue, and he tilted his head gently. Despite my outward appearance, it didn’t seem to show. His playful muttering went with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Well, I gave your dreams quite some thought too. Figured out some ways to structure them.”

“Oh my, talking about dreams is quite interesting. If it’s Ebron’s dream, I’d love to join in! Can I even enter?”

Mira’s eyes twinkled as she inquired to Koit. He glanced back at her, shaking his head slightly. Mira puffed her cheeks in displeasure at his response.

“Why not? I’m a doll of that person, so why can’t I enter their dream?”

“Well, it’s because this dream can only allow one person in. The kind of play we did before just isn’t possible here.”

Koit flashed me a sideways glance and added on.

“There are two types of dreams I can create.”

He said, crossing his arms and lifting two fingers, folding one as he continued.

“The first is the theatrical performance we saw earlier. I’m the one planning from start to finish, making it safe and easy to control. It’s my preferred method.”

He paused for a moment and folded the second finger. Koit then shook his fist lightly on the table, shrugging his shoulder.

“But your dream is special. If you dive deep enough to explore your soul like Rumira, I can’t interfere. The crystal can’t observe it either. So you’ll have to explore the dream yourself. That’s how the second method works.”

I glanced at Mira. She was glancing at me with a pout, clearly disappointed. She must have really wanted to see the dream.

But, was there an issue with me wandering around alone in that dream? I looked at Koit, carrying that question in my gaze. He lightly scratched his chin.

“Well, dreams are fundamentally irregular. I don’t know what sort of dangers lie in wild dreams like that. Therefore, it wouldn’t hurt to prepare safety measures. That’s why I charged forty thousand last time.”

After saying that, he clapped his hands lightly. The rabbit-eared doll brought in another tray, placing a bottle of wine on the table. Koit poured wine into his glass as he waved his hand dismissively.

“For now, let’s cut the dream talk. I’ll make sure everything is ready for a proper dream in a week. For now, let’s just drink. You’ve worked hard today, so you ought to relax.”

Koit raised his glass and chugged the wine in one gulp. His reluctance to discuss work was evident. I chuckled softly and raised my glass.

After enjoying wine grandly, it didn’t take long to return to the Tower. Mira looked up at the tower quietly. Turning her body lightly, she offered me a warm smile.

“Hehe, it’s been a while since we came to the Tower.”

“Seems so.”

I nodded. Over the past month, she had been away from the Tower. I had been busy shuttling back and forth between the Dream Theater and the Tower, but it was crucial not to leave it empty.

“It was really fun! Just as Koit said, shall we visit again next time?”

Mira stretched her arms wide. I scratched my chin lightly seeing her manner. Although she spoke lightly, I was slightly worried if she’d truly return to the Dream Theater.

Well, I wouldn’t oppose her going if she chose to, given she had her free will. Separate from those thoughts, I felt a slight awkwardness blooming in my heart.

That unease was likely evident on my face, as Mira burst into a cheeky grin at me. Her expression was full of teasing. She leaned against my arm slightly, beaming with mischief.

“Hehe, don’t worry. Staying right here beside Ebron is way more entertaining. I’ll just head off to pack, then!”

Saying that, Mira lightly tapped my chest before opening the tower door and stepping inside. Following her lead, I climbed the Tower as well. The Professor’s room was still firmly locked.

Thus, the daily rhythm of the Tower resumed its slow flow. In no time, a week passed. Was a week truly into its course? At noon on that day, the delivery Mage arrived.

He handed me Koit’s letter. It stated that all the dreams were ready and that I just had to come. Holding the letter in hand, I raised my body. It was finally time to enter my dream.

 

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