A throbbing headache, that was the sensation I currently felt. It was like being awake in the middle of the night while sick with a fever.

  Ugh.. my head hurts. I’m so tired.

  Slowly gaining consciousness, I blinked a couple times.

  What a horrible, sickly feeling; my skin was cold all over with a numb tingle, and my mind was cloudier than cotton candy.

  Why’s it so cold? Where’s my blanket..? Wait. Blanket? I’m not in my bed.

  —I’m not in my bed!

  The realization struck through me like lightning and I gasped in panic, nearly jolting awake as if catching myself napping in the middle of class at school.

  Not.. that I ever did that of course. Haha. Definitely not.

  What’s wrong with me, is it time to make jokes right now?

  I tried shaking my head as I thought so, but I was unable to move. I wasn't even lying down; I was standing.

  Okay. So, I woke up to find myself paralyzed. Okay then…

  Or was I paralyzed? Rather than being paralyzed, I was unable to move as if being held in place by something, in some kind of pose.

  The pose had me standing tall in a commanding position with my left hand outstretched in front of me, and my right hand balled up in a fist to my side as if gripping something.

  I'm posing like a statue, I could tell because I had a statue made for me before. They're always in poses no one would actually ever be in.

  Seriously, what's happening?!

  Lack of sight and inability to move.

  Claustrophobic.

  That was the first thing that came to mind.

  This felt very claustrophobic.

  Normally, I’m not someone that suffers from claustrophobia; tight spaces are uncomfortable but as long as I knew my life wasn’t in danger I wouldn’t really fall into some irrational panic.

  But right now? Right now it was a different story: I woke up feeling terrible in some unknown place, in a weird situation, and with a hazy memory.

  I couldn’t help that my heart pounded in my chest as my breath grew quick and shallow.

  No..

  My breath wasn’t just quick and shallow, there was something wrong with my breathing.

  My lungs screamed for oxygen, sending off the loudest natural alarm possible for the message of ‘HEY! HEYYY! Something is NOT right!’:

  Pain.

  I was breathing, yes, but not breathing. My lungs filled up with air, stale air, but didn’t feel the relief of absorbing oxygen. The lack of oxygen in my lungs was very apparent as the intense feeling of asphyxiation hit me full force.

  But I wasn't dying. At least, not yet. It was odd but there was no feeling of despair that I'd expect myself to have when faced with death. Was this a survival instinct that knew my life wasn't threatened?

  Regardless, my breathing was painful and uncomfortable on so many levels I didn't even know existed. It was like I held my breath for a long time and was at my absolute limit, but instead of passing out, I just kind of lingered here, conscious and suffering.

  I wriggled but whatever was preventing my movement was as tough as concrete.

  But really smooth.

  Plus, it was hard to push against something when you only could at an awkward angle.

  I imagined it was similar to how it would feel if someone duct taped your hands to your thighs and you had to separate them by moving your hands outwards with no leverage. Only in my case, the duct-tape covered my entire body and not just my hands. Oh, and the duct-tape is rock solid.

  It was a weird analogy, yes, but I didn’t exactly have the luxury of.. well, thinking up not-weird analogies.

  I squirmed.

  Adrenaline was already coursing through my body, washing away fatigue as I continued pushing against the stone-like material imprisoning me but to no apparent avail. Whether my efforts did anything or not didn’t matter. My body had to resist, I had to do something.

  And thus I struggled, I squirmed, and I pushed against this cage of mine. For a few minutes, nothing happened.

  My expectations were low and my hope was plummeting, but a small crack sounding from my left hand reinvigorated my efforts.

  It’s not over yet!

  Feeling it slowly give way, I started asserting more and more pressure by attempting to make a ‘squeezing’ motion. More and more cracks sounded, the fissures were music to my ears as I could feel it's overall structure getting weaker.

  Alright.

  I braced myself for a brief moment and then went all out with the next squeeze. The stone-like material burst, freeing my hand. I frowned internally.

  The stone in my palms crumbled to dust. That’s.. weird to say the least.

  The cool outside air caressed my hand as the numb tingle that I once felt all over my body began fading away.

  Oh! I can breathe without feeling like I’m dying!

  Albeit strained, it felt as though I breathed in life itself.

  The feeling of freedom my hand felt was euphoric, but that wasn’t important, I had to free the rest of my body first.

  Starting from my now free left hand, I wriggled my arm as more and more of the stuff crumbled and broke off. The more that broke away, the easier it was to keep at it, until eventually I leaned forward to free myself.

  The upper parts around my torso broke off and I lurched forward from the sudden lack of resistance.

  Nice– wai- wait! Waiiiit!!!

  I had too much momentum!

  I toppled over as my upper body tore free but my feet remained glued in place essentially tripping me.

  "Oof."

  The wind rushed past my ears and the dim moonlit world blurred furiously.

  Gracelessly I fell forward while flailing and landed on the ground with a thud.

  I remained still, waiting for the pain to overwhelm me.

  But there was nothing.

  Huh.

  I may have landed in grass, but it was quite the fall so I still expected something.

  After relaxing for a minute or two I actually felt my body feel better with time. I rolled over onto my back and looked at the remnants of what I was caged in.

  *Sigh*

  It was a statue. One set up on a pedestal.

  That's so weird. Why was I there? Is this some kind of reality show prank?

  Am I dreaming? But it all felt too real. Lucid dreaming? In that case I would know I was dreaming.

  I heard noise from the ground and shifted my gaze.

  !

  The remnants of the statue rolled and crashed into each other as they skittered across the ground and levitated into the air.

  The statue.. it was repairing itself!

  It- it's like a timelapse video.

  The countless different pieces flung themselves to the ruined sculpture and shifted into place, rebuilding it from bottom up at an impressive speed.

  A weird feeling of familiarity washed over me as I examined the statue under repair.

  While it was uniform white under the moonlight, there was no doubt about it. The clothing...

  It was my outfit for Celia.

  I felt my left palm tickle and glanced at it, some residue from the statue was still in my hand but quickly skittered away to its main body. What caught my attention though was my hand itself, or rather, my nails.

  They were longer and sharper than my nails.

  Huh. This is almost like..

  Upon further inspection, I realized my skin tone was also fairer than it should be even with moonlight as my only source of light.

  Plus, I recognized these hands.

  They were Celia’s.

  I gulped as I pondered the meaning of this.

  I’m in an unknown world, with hands that look like Celia’s? No, don’t be dumb. This must mean I’m in Celia’s body.

  I came out of a statue depicting Celia. But why?

  Reluctantly, I sat up and examined myself. Unlike the statue of myself I was encased in, my own attire was a letdown.

  In fact, it was the default starting outfit of a mage class in Adventuria.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  A trench coat-like robe, a shirt, trousers, and leather boots, all over linen wrap undergarments.

  It was basic and somewhat shabby. I pinched the sleeves of the robe between my fingertips and felt the fabric.

  Luckily, it didn’t feel that bad to wear. I had always imagined medieval clothing to be super itchy or uncomfortable. But it makes sense, they must’ve figured that out to some extent even in the middle ages.

  Ah, but.. Do the Middle Ages even matter now? This clearly isn’t my world. It’s obvious from seeing the statue repair itself magically.

  Magically.

  Magic.

  I flushed at the thought. My eyes wide and heart pumping, I picked myself up off the floor.

  If there’s magic, it's not Earth..!

  My body complained a little bit as I stood, but I paid no heed and brushed off whatever dirt and grass I got on myself.

  I reached up with my hands and patted my head. One pat, two pat, three—!

  I let out a small squeal as a shiver went down my spine.

  Quickly covering my mouth, I glanced around at my surroundings.

  Dead silent.

  Whew. I don’t think anyone is around luckily.

  Confirming my suspicions, feathery things on top of my head were flattened by my hands. It was, without a doubt, my antennae from evolving into a dragon monarch species. Without a shred of doubt, I was Celia.

  And Celia is a mage.

  Could I do magic?

  It was the only conclusion someone in my situation would come to. Obviously.

  I shook my head to clear my thoughts.

  Okay wait. So, I’m now Celia in an unknown place while wearing a basic mage outfit from Adventuria.

  I counted my observations on one hand as I thought so.

  Oh, and I came out of a statue. I raised another finger.

  Currently I was in some kind of open courtyard with large buildings at all sides of it. It was similar to pictures of university campuses I’ve seen online.

  Except, there were no lights illuminating the environment, anywhere. That gave everything a bit of a spooky aura that made me uneasy.

  On the other hand, there was this giddy feeling of excitement at the thought of discovering the unknown and seeing what the world has to offer. Just like when I first started playing Adventuria but this time with a tang of reality grounding me.

  No lights.. really? Even if it's not as technologically advanced here, there ought to be torches or something right?

  I looked up to the sky and gasped. A large moon, at least twice the size of the moon we see on Earth, casted light upon anything openly exposed to the night air. Countless stars brightly embellished the dark expanse of the sky.

  Though the moonlight did provide enough lighting for me to get my bearings, it was still uncomfortable for the denizen of the modern world that I was to be out in the dark like this. After all, every corner of civilization within the modern world was lit up through various means. This courtyard I was in would have been filled to the brim with street lamps.

  But, perhaps it was this lack of light pollution that made the night sky so dazzling. I had never seen such an abundance of stars on Earth; at best I could faintly see a few stars if I got lucky with a clear night sky.

  And even that had me dazzled and happy.

  “...”

  Maybe it was for the best that the night here remained without the convenient tendencies of the modern world.

  I sighed as I shook the train of thought away. I had more important things to think of. For example, what now?

  I guess I should do some information gathering and find out exactly where I am and why or how I got here. If I was in the world of Adventuria, is this still a game? And—

  *Rumble~*

  I frowned and set a hand on my stomach.

  “Oh god, I’m starving.”

  Maybe it wasn’t a game after all.

  If I remember correctly, I had tons of food stored at my Wizard Tower. As Celia, I should be able to teleport there right?

  [Teleport: Home]!

  A gasp escaped me as a sharp pain seemingly tore my body from the inside when I tried to cast [Teleport].

  Crying out, I fell forward with my body trembling. I gasped for air as the sudden pain knocked the wind out of me.

  Fortunately it subsided after a few moments leaving me sprawled out on the floor, shivering.

  Ugh.

  I felt incredibly fatigued. My arms felt as heavy as lead, and my eyelids were already struggling to stay open. It was beyond any normal tiredness. I felt my very being aching with fatigue.

  Unable to stay awake, I collapsed and saw the world fade away for the second time.

  Not.. again.

  ~ ~ ~

  Hey there, I’m Serwin.

  A brave, powerful, and amazing young noble simply down on his luck. I paced about my candle-lit dorm room in agitation, unable to sleep.

  How long has it been since the acceptance ceremony?

  A month? A whole month?

  Usually, students would find their magical capabilities awakened within the first two weeks after the acceptance ceremony. I knew that my own Mana Heart must’ve been fairly weak from the results of the ceremony, but that didn’t worry me. I could simply train and groom it once it awakened after all.

  There were precedents of powerful mages borne with weak Mana Hearts. I wasn’t worried in the slightest, until now that is.

  All the other plebeians had awakened their Mana Hearts. I would’ve been fine with lagging behind as long as it awakened. It didn’t matter as long as my Mana Heart awakened.

  I would surpass everyone, I knew I would. But my Mana Heart didn’t awaken, I could barely cast magic as it stood.

  My brows furrowed as I thought so and I heaved a sigh as I had done so many times tonight. Stopping to look at my reflection in the wall-mounted mirror, I glared at my chest.

  “Why? Why won’t you awaken?!” I hissed at my Mana Heart. My future, everything I was worth depended on it, and yet it remained dormant?

  Was I really that talentless? Was I that worthless?

  I clutched my hair with my hands and fell to my bed, curling up into a ball.

  Was this my destiny?

  “Destiny…” I muttered. My nose slowly congested and my eyes grew warm.

  No!

  I jumped out of bed and angrily exited my dorm room only stopping after my door slammed shut, no doubt awakening some of my neighbors. Flinching at the noise, I calmed down and started walking onwards.

  I'm obviously tired, so some fresh air would do well to freshen my mind. That way I could plan my course of actions for the future with clarity. I knew my Mana Heart would awaken, it was simply taking its time. But if it didn’t— if it didn’t, I would need a plan.

  With the disheartening thought crossing my mind, I exited the boy’s dormitory and faced the chilling air of the night.

  “Whew. I can already feel myself cooling down,” I thought out loud. I ran a hand through my hair as I embraced a slight breeze.

  Once the breeze passed by, my feet continued to walk. I had no destination in mind and went where my feet took me as my steady footfall upon cobblestone sent me back into thought.

  If my Mana Heart didn’t awaken.. what were my options? As a noble, I’d have to find a talent in something respectable, else I be disowned and face shame for the rest of eternity.

  Hm.

  I trained in swordsmanship as was mandatory for all noble men, and while I wasn’t exceptionally talented, I felt I was above average. So I could become a knight if I endured arduous physical training.

  I swung my arm, mimicking blocks, feints, and sword strikes from when I practiced with my mentor. After not practicing for some time, I realized how sluggish my movements were which made me frown.

  “That isn’t ideal.. but it’s an option,” I muttered.

  I should start training my body daily through physical exercises when I have time. Just in case. Not to mention some swordsmanship practice as I was taught, if only a bit.

  Another option is to be a scholar. I could be a scholar, mage scholar or not, that conducts research at the academy or elsewhere. Perhaps I could maybe even be an alchemist. No, being an alchemist would get me disowned without a doubt.

  A mage scholar is an option, definitely lower on the list than being a knight, but an option nonetheless. Though my magic would have to develop at least a little more, otherwise I’d be a normal scholar. And a normal scholar is closer to a last resort. I may be smart, but my brain simply isn’t trained in a way that’s ideal for scholarly work.

  But wait, what exactly is my goal? Reputation? Money? It’s my future isn’t it? Preferably I’ll be a notable noble— heh —with a comfortable sum of wealth I could throw around leisurely. But for the most part I want to be able to survive respectably on my own if I can’t fit in as a mage with the rest of my family.

  Easier said than done though.

  A merchant— I shook my head —is out of the question. My family and I don’t have the right connections and it’s not exactly a reputable profession for nobles. Although, there are some renowned noble merchants.

  Hmm.

  Nope, I shouldn’t even begin considering it. Those noble merchants are a special case that had all the connections and wealth they would need to go down such a path. And if they weren’t wealthy, they still had the unique ingenuity or immense luck to make it. I couldn’t rely on unreliable conditions such as immense luck and connections that I didn’t have. But if I did happen to fill in such unreliable conditions, I guess it may be an option.

  The last thing I could think of.. would be my absolute last resort, where I cast aside everything in my life as I know it and focus solely on my own survival by any means necessary. I had heard that being an adventurer was always an option for anyone of any status if they could walk no other paths. While such a dreadful thing gave me goosebumps, I should consider all options, even one as unreasonable or impossible as this.

  “Adventuring huh..” I muttered aloud.

  It was odd.

  A lot of popular recreational books that nobles— noble children like me at least —read for entertainment, had something to do with adventuring or adventurers.

  Some expand on the heroic tales of the past depicting the ascended ones, legendary figures that are known as the pinnacle of humanity, most of whom used to be adventurers while others highlight fictitious characters mimicking a rise to the same legendary status.

  The latter was completely unrealistic— as if someone could get strong that easily and reach the same status as the ascended —but was still entertaining.

  Regardless, I’ve noticed that this type of story was popular. Yet, being an adventurer was such a downtrodden occupation that even commoners look down upon the prospect of being an adventurer.

  Though it seems that most don’t dislike the people themselves that have said occupation. I couldn’t make heads or tails of this contradicting public opinion. So it was best to avoid such things I presume.

  “Yeah, Adventuring? Not gonna happen.”

  I shook my head while taking in my new surroundings. I was in the Magicademy’s courtyard, to no surprise. I had a tendency to come here and sit at the bench behind the Cosmic Witch’s statue.

  And that I did; I plopped myself down on the bench and leaned back.

  I closed my eyes, body relaxed and mood serene. I don’t know what it was about this location. Perhaps I found it comforting to be in the shadow of a legend? A legendary mage at that.

  Perhaps being in the presence— statue or not —of such a figure reassured me of my goals. That somehow I could be the one casting this shadow.

  One day. One day for sure! I'll become the strongest—!

  A faint sound pulled me from my thoughts.

  Huh? What was that?

  There was nothing but silence and the gentle night breeze for a few moments. It was the usual calm of the night, so peaceful I doubted my hearing—

  “[Homewrk]..?”.

  —there it was again. I was hearing something humanly, like a voice, someone was here without a doubt. It was from behind!

  'Who's there?!" I exclaimed as I leapt off the bench and whirled around.

  Nothing. Just the Cosmic Witch’s statue standing tall and proud as usual.

  “[—mmyea ehehe I frgot agin].”

  “Huh?”

  Is.. the statue saying something? The sound was certainly coming from the same direction. My heart raced as I listened intently.

  “[Dun be mad Chloe… Oh Unc—.. wow burnt macroni]…”

  I frowned as I racked my brains for any spell incantations. I couldn’t think of anything remotely similar, maybe one but, no, it was different. This wasn’t like anything I’ve heard before.

  “[Zzz]”

  I froze as I heard a soft snore.

  Wait, that’s not coming from the statue, that’s from the other side of the statue!

  I facepalmed internally and crept around the statue, giving it a wide berth in case something jumped out to catch me off guard. I gulped as the area in front of the statue came into sight.

  “Oh, it’s just a person collapsed on the grass,” I muttered.

  Why?!

  I rushed over and knelt beside them.

  They wore shabby clothes not foreign to a commoner mage. It was possible he or she was a student here, despite it being the Royal Magicademy. After all, the Magicademy hardly discriminated when it came to applicants. As long as there was potential or merit.

  “Hey. Hey!” I hissed, worried.

  How I didn’t see them before, I had no clue. What was this person doing out here and why?

  I started rolling them over to get a better look as their hat covered their entire head. Confusion gripped my mind as I reluctantly grabbed their arm.

  "!"

  I hate to admit it, but her beauty stole my breath away.

  Flawless.

  Delicate and unblemished, it was more on the immature side implying she was around my age.

  C-cute, but not my type!

  It was lucky she was unconscious though, otherwise I might’ve been rebuked by the girl for staring too long. As I slowly tore my eyes off of her features, an inhuman feature caught my eye.

  “Her ears..," I whispered aloud.

  Her ears were longer than a human’s and pointed. W-was she an elf?!

  I froze, my heart thumping loudly. Elves were a thing of legends, all but erased from existence. No one knows what happened, though everyone has theories. I've read numerous books mentioning such elves; they're a common occurrence in stories involving the Ascended, which puts them onto a similar level of reverence and awe.

  And one thing that was the same across any description of an elf.. they had unmatched beauty.

  I shook my head.

  Her ears are longer, but barely. In fact, they were only longer because they were pointed. The descriptions of elven ears implied their ears would be a lot longer. So she's merely a demihuman.

  Wait, a demihuman?

  “Wait a second..”

  I reeled back in surprise and looked around just in case.

  Is this a ploy to get me in trouble?

  Though nobody appeared, I couldn’t be too wary. After all, I was the subject of.. interesting surprises from a select few of my fellow classmates thanks to my still dormant Mana Heart.

  “I’m not.. obligated to help her out. Right?” I thought aloud. “There's nothing I can do anyways.”

  Yes. As a demihuman commoner, she must be used to things like this. It’s something a human noble like me can’t comprehend.

  I backed up and turned to leave.

  What can I do anyways?

  ...I only lasted a few steps.

  “*Sigh*”