Collegia Supernal -- Chapter 1

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Dear applicant, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the Collegia Supernal at the Five-Fold Tower. Neither your attendance nor response is mandatory, although, should you choose to enroll, you shall learn the mysteries the Art within one of the greatest of Awakened academies in the Fallen World. The path forward shall be revealed to you. All you need do is step through.

Yours sincerely,

The Board of Deans

...

It was a warm, spring morning in the month of April. Athena stood within a room she had never been in, surrounded by people she had never met before, but all of which were carrying a letter just like hers: a blue sheet of folded paper emblazoned with the pentacle, written in swirling, gold-colored ink. The room itself was quiet but for the murmuring of its occupants, and the sound of a ticking of a grandfather clock. Overstuffed furniture lined the walls, while rugs softened the clatter of feet against the floorboards. And at the far side of the room, a sign written in both High Speech and English read: "Welcome!"

[Alright, describe yourself, and proceed from there.]

Athena brushed her brown hair out of her face as she entered the room. The acceptance letter had been strange, to say the least. She didn't even remember applying. But it had been interesting, so she'd put it in her bag and gone about her day. And then proceeded to kick a can down the street in a way that bumped into the generator of a nearby food truck, causing it to short out. The guy inside had bent over to look at it, and knocked over a bottle of sauce that squirted onto the ground, just barely missing her as she took in the sight. Stepping around the mess, the light had changed, so the car that sped past the red light didn't hit her. Shaken, she decided to go back home for the day, but when she opened the door, she was here.

[Take a beat.]

Suddenly, from the bottom of Athena's line of vision, a young woman of Asian-descent popped into view.

"Hi!" she said, beaming. "I'm Teresa! Want a mint?"

Looking down, Athena saw the girl was carrying a bowl of the candies, each mint wrapped in transparent plastic.

"Sure, don't mind if I do. I'm Athena, nice to meet you!" she said, taking the mint and popping it into her mouth after she introduced herself.

"Did you fall down a manhole after being chased by a pack of wolverines, too~?"

"Nope, I opened my front door after taking a walk and almost getting hit by a car except for a whole Rube Goldberg cycle of events. I feel bad for the halal cart guy, though. He had to fix his generator and lost a bottle of sauce to the whole thing. So, where are you from, anyway?"

"Lexington Kentucky, but that's just my Consilium, I can't actually tell you about where I'm from, although I totally would--my mentor kept scolding me over it. He's such a nice guy, but so meeeeean!"

Athena raised an eyebrow, "He...doesn't let you tell people where you're from? That seems pretty neurotic to me."

"I think he just a spoop because of all my ex-boyfriends were trying to kill me that one time in Phoenix."

A pregnant pause fell over the two women, Teresa smile never once subsiding.

"...Ooh!" she said, her head turning a sharp 90, revealing her ponytail in the process. "That guy's playing Galaga!"

"Galaga, huh? I preferred Tyrian when I had a retro kick. So what Path are you, anyway? I'm an Obrimos, but actually pretty good in Matter. I heard about the Forge Masters and decided to really go for it. I like building things."

"Hm? Oh! I'm--"

She stopped. Everyone went silent, just as Athena felt the pull of the supernatural. All present turned their attention towards the back of the room, staring at the welcome sign. Already, some people were gesturing in the air or taking combative stances. Then, in the blink of an eye, the sign was replaced by a man. Dressed in a voluminous cloak of starkest grey, beneath which were a buttoned vest and red tie, the figure stepped forward, looking down at a clipboard he had in front of him.

"Afternoon to you all," he said, thumb pushing on the button of his pen. "My name is Professor Hendrickson, thank you for waiting so long, I am here to personally welcome you to the Collegia Supernal. I'm sure you all have questions, so by all means, ask away."

[Btw, how does Athena's unseen senses ping? Does she get goosebumps? Feel a dull pressure in her head? Taste or smell something in the air?]

Athena's head whipped over to the welcome banner as she felt a wave of warm heat rush over her, pinging her unseen senses in a rush of magic. Apparently this man was one of their professors? "Um, excuse me sir, but did everyone get brought here through a series of wild coincidences? And if so, why?"

[Take an arcane beat.]

"Ah, a very astute question. You are absolutely correct, my dear. To ensure the safety of all enrollees - and visitors - magic was used to lead you here. The Five-Fold Tower is an institution well regarded across the many a consillia, and the threat of infiltration or attack is taken very seriously, here."

The professor glanced upward as another person's hand was raised, this time a male with a cowlick.

"Yes, you there."

"Is this it?" he asked, his accent decidedly cockney.

"Is what it?"

"Like, this room? Is this the whole school?"

"Not at all," said Hendrickson. "Think of this as the gate-house before you enter the school proper. Once we're done here, I'll show you the Iris. Don't you worry."

Athena waiting patiently for the rest of the questions to be answered, and for them all to be taken to the Iris.

The list of questions went on, at one point being undermined by one guy asking irrelevant details or for ones with obvious answers. Yet not once did Hendrickson lose momentum or give pause, answering every one of them, clear and concise.

"Right, that’s enough questions for now," he said, smiling. "One last point of order: beyond this point, and for as long as you remain on the grounds, you are to follow the Lex Magica and treat the Collegia as a collective Consilium. That means no vandalizing, antagonizing, theft, or similarly harmful activity towards it and your fellow awakened. If this does not agree with you, please see yourself out the door you came in."

A couple of people began to ask more questions, but Hendrickson was already turning around. He lifted his hand upwards, revealing a pentacle medallion that soon burned bright as the sun. A sound like that of a temple bell rang, the medallion now floating towards the far wall, where it stretched and grew, the star inside its ring spinning faster and faster. Sparks of every color flickered like fireflies from the periphery, the star twisting into a vortex. Then, its hollow center widened, too, only instead of the wall behind it, Athena saw a verdant hill of shimmering blue grass.

Despite audible consternation from some, everyone followed the professor as he stepped through the portal.

The fresh air kissed at Athena’s face as she surveyed the new locale. The group stood at the base of a natural trench, surrounded by blue grass and the occasional rock. Hendrickson was already moving up the incline, only looking over his shoulder to gesture everyone to follow. Past narrow canyons and around polished rock formations, the professor ended the trek at the top of a hill. It was here that he turned to face the throng of magi, smiling with chin raise high as he stretched his arm at the horizon.

"Welcome," he said, "to the Five-Fold Tower."

As Athena reached the summit, she beheld a valley radiant in the light of the sun. Soaring peaks of snow-capped mountains, veiled in ponderous clouds of silver-white. Emerald forests bejeweled by lakes of the deepest blue, whose rivers stretched onto plains and arid plateaus. And at the center of it all, a tower stood miles high, it architecture familiar yet alien, as though made from different eras, nations, and styles, yet somehow brought into harmony.

Mood Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NknjE2SBPxw&ab_channel=Savathor