He was almost late for his first lecture. The first lecture in his life – he would have hated himself if he hadn’t managed it on time. Robin felt dizzy with excitement. In his school time it was only a dream, but now he was a full-fledged student of the oldest Wizard University in Whitebridge. He wanted to be worthy of it.
A girl ran out from around the corner, nearly knocking him down. Several sheets of paper flew out of the folder she was holding, but she didn’t stop to pick them up. With a wave of her hand, she pulled them to herself with the magic and ran farther away, leaving Robin behind. It was surprising for him to see so many people around, who could deal with their magical energy with barely an effort. Just at the moment, he thought he got irrevocably lost in this maze of corridors, the right door appeared in front of him. Robin entered the lecture hall at the same time as a middle-aged man, who glimpsed him rather sternly. Robin immediately recognized him as the chancellor, whom he’d previously seen only in the news and imagined a bit friendlier. With a brief greeting, the man opened the door, allowing the student to step forward. Robin hurried inside and sat down at the front desk, just next to the girl who’d outrun him in the corridor.
“Hi,” she whispered, leaning towards him. “I’m Petra”.
“Robin”. He wished to show more interest in the conversation but was too busy, looking for a notebook and a pen in his bag. The chancellor wrote his name on a blackboard and after clearing his throat, demanding silence, began the official introduction:
“It’s nice to see you all here. I’m Norman Norisson, and you probably know me as the head of this university. But I will also lecture on the biology of magic. Hopefully, you will not skip the classes, or else you may find yourself confused by learning everything at once before exams. Though you aren’t likely to follow this advice,” the chancellor smiled ironically. “Today we will start with the topic of our biological energy field…”
“What’s your telephone number?” whispered Petra again in Robin’s ear, making him freeze in bewilderment.
“You’re… quite straightforward.”
“No, I mean, I’m creating a chat for all students. I can add you, if you want.”
“Well then.” Robin wrote down his number on the last page of the notebook, then ripped it out and passed it to his new acquaintance. He still hadn’t got to know all his classmates, primarily because of his timidity, so he was glad to delegate this task to an extrovert.
“The energy field blocks any magic from the outside, but still lets it flow out of our body. Well, it normally should, if no pathology occurs. Yet there are ten percent of the world’s population unable to use magic. According to the latest research, their energy field is so firm that it keeps the magical wave inside…”
Petra tried to distract him one more time, but he wished to listen to the lecture and create the impression of a diligent student.
© Anastasiia Dekhtiar 2024-06-14