Prologue: Welcome to Magic
Alexis ran, her legs hurting and her lungs burning. Where was she? Where were her parents? Were they worried? Had someone kidnapped her? Her head was swimming when she tripped over her foot. The world seemed to slow to a stop as the ground came up to her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.
It never came. Instead, she felt her feet lift off the ground and her body becoming lighter. She found herself standing upright again, dazed and confused.
“Are you alright?” a gentle voice called out to her. Alexis turned to see a woman with blue hair and eyes. She was wearing a blue dress that resembled flowers and shoes that matched. She smiled at Alexis.
“I, I’m fine, now,” Alexis managed to stammer out. The woman made her way over to her, her shoes never seemingly touching the ground. She stopped in front of her and smiled.
“Don’t worry, my dear, you are in a safe place.”
Although Alexis felt doubtful, she found that a part of her felt safe with this person. Alexis nodded her head, which made the woman smile a bit more. She reached out and gently took Alexis’s hand in hers.
“Wonderful. My name is Ruri Lazuli, I am one of the professors here at Pure Heart Academy. I teach Advanced Magic and Rune Reading here. I don’t think you will be able to take my classes until your second or third year though. Oh, but I will more than happily assist you in any magic related classes.”
Alexis tried to follow the conservation, but felt completely lost. Did they think she was a student here? Why? She didn’t have any magic after all. Ruri led her down a hallway to a large set of doors. With a flick of her finger, the doors opened, revealing a large office space, where there were other people waiting.
“Ruri! There you are! You left so suddenly! And is that the student who ran away during the orientation ceremony? You should be ashamed of disappearing like that! Do you understand how much trouble you caused? Why, if I were in charge, I would-”
“Lady Devlin, that is enough,” a voice cut through the air. The others turned to look at the source. Alexis remembered her from the opening ceremony, the Headmistress Alessandra Prim. The woman who she had silenced, Lady Devlin, huffed but stayed silent.
“Firstly, I would like to apologize to you, young lady. I understand that waking up in a strange place can be overwhelming and terrifying.”
Alexis nodded her head in understanding. The headmistress watched her, her eyes sharp, but also kind and warm.
“As I explained at the opening ceremony, Pure Heart Academy is a magic school, aimed at helping young women, such as yourself, molding them into proud pillars of society. However, your gemstone did not change color, which indicates to me that you do not have magic. Is that correct?”
Alexis nodded her head and the headmistress sighed. It wasn't a bad or angry sigh. It felt more like a tired and worried sigh.
“If you do not have magic, then I am sad to say that we cannot allow you to stay here. We must send you back to where you came from.”
Alexis felt some hope blossom in her heart. But there was another part that wanted to stay and explore this new world, become someone new. Ruri watched her with interest, Lady Devlin with a hint of disgust.
“Ruri, can you try and send her home?” the Headmistress asked. Ruri smiled and took Alexis’s hands in hers again. She smiled at her.
“Now, think of home,” she instructed. “Close your eyes and envision everything that matters to you. Your house, your family, your friends, a pet, maybe even those who have departed.”
Alexis did as she was told. She closed her eyes and made mental images of her home and family, her books in her bedroom. She could feel Ruri’s magic spread over her hands. It felt warm and relaxing, like she was in a flower field. She didn’t want to let go of her hands.
However, she never felt Ruri’s hands disappear from hers. In fact, she could feel them. Alexis opened her eyes and saw that Ruri was still standing before her, her face twisted in confusion. She looked around and saw that she was still in the headmistress’s office.
“What’s wrong, Ruri?” the headmistress asked. “Did anything happen?”
“No, that’s not it,” Ruri said, taking her hands away from Alexis’s, looking thoughtful. “I cannot send her back.”
The room was quiet for a moment. Then Lady Devlin spoke up.
“What is that supposed to mean? Could it be that a great and powerful fairy such as yourself cannot send one simple human girl back to where she came from?”
Ruri’s eyes flickered with something dangerous for a moment, but she quickly composed herself.
“In a way,” she admitted, her voice calm. “It seems that there is something keeping her here. Something much more powerful than me.”
The room returned to its quiet nature. Alexis felt herself spiral. She couldn't return home? Did that mean that she was stuck here? What was going to happen to her now? What about her family? Weren’t they going to worry about her? What or who was keeping her here?
Alexis felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Ruri looking at her, with a sad but serene look on her face.
“I have an idea,” she said, looking at the headmistress. “Would you like to hear it?”
The headmistress looked at the two of them, and nodded. Ruri continued.
“Even if her gemstone did not change color, she could still enroll here as a student. As you explained before, Pure Heart is a school that was made to help young ladies. Why should we turn our backs on her?”
“Why? Because this girl has no magic!” Lady Devlin said, regaining the room’s attention. “Need I remind you, the gemstone did not change color! That is a clear indicator that she has no magic! No magic, no entry!”
The headmistress looked between the two parties. She stood up from her desk and walked over to her.
“Ruri, what do you see in this girl?” she asked. Ruri smiled and reached into Alexis’s dress pocket, and pulled out something.
“This,” she said, holding up an ornate item. It had a golden base, with a pink tip and purple lines making its way up to the top, where a purple gemstone sat. The room fell into silence once again.
“Is that… is that a magic wand?” Lady Devlin said, her voice shaking. Ruri nodded her head.
“Indeed it is. I believe it appeared in her pocket after she stepped onto the school grounds.”
The headmistress put her head in her hand, looking thoughtful.
“Magic wands are rare,” she said. The room stilled as she looked at Alexis. “What is your name?”
“A-Alexis Ly-Lyndon, ma’am,” she answered, her voice small. Headmistress Prim nodded, and turned towards Lady Devlin.
“Please ask the dorm leaders if they have any extra room.” Lady Devlin looked at her, shocked, but slowly nodded her head and left, casting Alexis one last look before closing the door. The Headmistress turned back towards Alexis.
“Alexis Lyndon, I will allow you to enroll here and find a way to send you home,” she said. Alexis felt a wave of relief wash over her, as Ruri put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
“I will help as well. I can help you train in magic and look for a way home.”
Alexis looked between the two women and found herself close to crying.
“Th-thank you,” she said, shedding a tear.
