...I walked for three days....
...No food. No water. No fatigue. Not even a sniffle....
...My body was indestructible. My stamina? Infinite. My legs glowed with untouched potential. I passed through wild magic storms, stepped over sleeping dragons (genuinely), and even pet a griffin that looked at me with what I swear was romantic interest....
...“You’re too pretty,” it growled, nuzzling my leg....
...“Uh… thanks?” I said, patting it awkwardly. “Please don’t eat me.”...
...It didn’t. It just sighed and walked away, heartbroken....
...Eventually, I saw them... The city lights....
...Not just any lights. Glowing spires. Floating castles. A sky full of flying horses and winged demons doing what looked like sky surfing....
...And a massive sign in golden runes:...
...“Elyndor Academy of Arcane Arts, Open for Spring Enrollment.”...
...“Oh,” I said. “A magic school.”...
...I approached a tall wooden post covered in flyers. One stood out, pinned with a dagger:...
...“MAGIC ACADEMY RECRUITMENT DAY...
...Show your talent! Join the elite!...
...Only the truly gifted shall ascend!”...
...And below it, a list of acceptable species:...
...Elves...
...Demons...
...Dragons...
...Dryads...
...Alien hybrids...
...Celestial beings...
...Divine relatives...
...And at the very bottom, in tiny font:...
...Humans (rarely accepted)...
...“Well,” I said, “I am human. And technically… I am gifted. Just not in magic.”...
...I could punch a mountain and turn it into a hill, but I couldn’t cast Light a Candle....
...So… I’d have to be careful....
...I walked toward the academy gate....
...And immediately, every male creature in a ten mile radius turned....
...Elves dropped their spellbooks....
...Demons choked on their soul-smoke....
...Dragon shifters stumbled mid-transformation....
...And a floating jellyfish creature exploded....
...I… didn’t realize I was this attractive....
...I looked down. Long black hair swayed in the wind. My light blue eyes sparkled with innocence. My body… well, it was unfairly proportioned. I looked like a fantasy novel cover girl....
...And I was wearing a silk dress....
...“I need pants,” I muttered....
...But before I could protest, hundreds of eyes locked onto me....
...“Who is she?”...
...“Is she a divine being?”...
...“She looks like a goddess!”...
...“A human girl?"...
...I ignored them....
...I walked up to the front desk....
...An old man with a long beard and eight eyes (yes, eight) looked up....
...He gasped....
...“…A human woman?”...
...“Yes,” I said politely. “I’d like to apply.”...
...He squinted. “But… you’re not a mage?”...
...“No.”...
...“You have no elemental affinity?”...
...“No.”...
...“No lineage of power?”...
...“No.”...
...“No magical aura?”...
...“…Not that I know of.”...
...He stared. Then burst out laughing....
...“HA! A human girl with no magic? In Elyndor Academy? Do you know what it takes to get in?!”...
...“I saw a post,” I said....
...He wiped a tear. “That post was for actual magic users. The weak aren’t allowed.”...
...I frowned. “I’m not weak.”...
...He snorted. “Then prove it.”...
...He reached under the desk and pulled out a sword. An obsidian black, glowing with runes....
...“Hold this. Channel your magic into it. If it glows, you’re in.”...
...I took the sword....
...And stared at it....
...Now, I had held swords before. As a cop, I trained with batons, nightsticks, and once, a ceremonial katana during a cultural exchange....
...But I didn’t know how to “channel magic” into a sword....
...So I gripped it… the wrong way....
...And squeezed, just a little....
...SNAP....
...The sword broke in half like a dry twig....
...Silence....
...The old man’s eight eyes bulged....
...The crowd behind me froze....
...I looked at the two pieces in my hand....
...“Uh… oops?”...
...The old man stammered. “T-that… that sword was forged in dragon fire! It can’t be broken by hand!”...
...“I didn’t mean to,” I said, handing back the pieces....
...He stared at me like I’d just slapped the laws of physics....
...Then, slowly, he handed me the application scroll....
...“…J-just fill it out.”...
...I did....
...Name:...
...Yuki Aiko...
...I paused. That was the only female name I could think of. It sounded soft. Pretty. Not like Konua Jung, which meant “Steel Peace” and sounded like a Yakuza boss....
...Age:...
...25 (in my human life anyway)...
...Race:...
...Human...
...Affiliation:...
...None...
...Magic Type:...
...None...
...I dropped the scroll into the box....
...And just like that…...
...I was in....
...****************...
...After the academy, I needed a place to stay....
...I wandered the city streets. Elyndor was alive....
...Goblins sold enchanted popcorn....
...Mermaids rode skateboards....
...A giant floating eyeball gave people psychic readings for candy....
...And everywhere I walked, people stared....
...Not because I was the only human woman, though I was....
...But because I looked like a missing princess from a lost kingdom....
...Eventually, I found an inn. The “Moonlit Petal.” It looked fancy. Expensive....
...I approached the landlady, a plump woman with fox ears and nine tails....
...“Hello,” I said. “Do you have a room available?”...
...She sniffed. “For you? No. This is a high-class establishment. Our cheapest room is 1,000 gold pendants.”...
...I blinked. “How much?”...
...“One thousand. And you don’t look like you have that.”...
...I reached into my pocket....
...And pulled out a bag....
...Not a pouch. Not a coin purse....
...A bag of gold pendants....
...The landlady froze....
...Her nine tails stood straight up....
...“That’s… that’s a bag of Amune,” she whispered....
...I frowned. “Amune?”...
...“One Amune is worth ten million gold pendants,” she said, trembling. “This bag… could buy my entire life. My children’s lives. My grandchildren’s inheritance!”...
...I shrugged. “Take it.”...
...She stared. “You’re… giving it to me?”...
...“I just need a room.”...
...She dropped to her knees. “Please! Let me serve you! I’ll clean your boots! I’ll cook for you! I’ll—”...
...“Just a room. The biggest, quietest one.”...
...She scrambled up. “Y-yes! The Royal Bloom Suite! Reserved for queens and goddesses!”...
...“Perfect.”...
...She led me up a golden staircase to a room with a bed that looked like it was carved from clouds....
...“This is yours,” she said, bowing. “For… as long as you wish.”...
...I smiled. “Thank you.”...
...She left, still trembling....
...I sat on the bed....
...It was so soft. So luxurious....
...And I realized…...
...I was rich....
...I was powerful....
...I was beautiful....
...And I didn’t have the faintest idea what to do......
...****************...
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