“And in the latest news, several rogue demons were spotted on Academy Island late last night. According to reports, they attacked one of the research facilities owned and operated by Nametech, a company well-known for their creation of advanced prosthetics that are said to feel as real as your own limbs. Nobody knows where these rogue demons came from or what they wanted. However, the Academy Island Private Security Forces were able to swiftly arrive on the scene and apprehend all of the rogue demons, which are now being detained inside of the North Island Academy Detention Facility. Back to you, Sheral.”
It sounded like the werewolf he’d fought wasn’t the only rogue demon who had been running amok on Academy Island. He wondered where all these rogue demons had come from, but he didn’t have long to ponder these thoughts. A glance at the clock revealed that half an hour had passed. He needed to be at school before 9:30.
Anthony threw away his now empty box of instant breakfast, cleaned his teeth, grabbed his laptop case, and slipped his converse on at the front door. The apartment door slid open and locked behind him as he left. He glanced at his wristwatch just to confirm that the door had indeed locked. Then he moved toward the elevator, took it down to the first floor, and walked through the mostly empty lobby, out onto the street, and merged into the mass of people that surged through the bustling city like a school of fish.
Academy Island was incredibly busy. There were all kinds of people located within this massive island city, and not all of them were human.
A young woman was walking to his left. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and looked relatively normal—until he noticed the fuzzy tail sticking out of her pants and the triangle-shaped ears on her head. It looked like she was a nekomimi, a catgirl variant of therianthrope. Several meters to his right were a group of young men around his age. Their skin was even paler than his, their eyes glowed with an inhuman vibrancy, and they carried themselves with incredible grace. Vampires.
The apartment block Anthony lived in was located about thirty miles from the Institution of Magical Sciences. To get there, Anthony traveled to the maglev station, which was even more crowded than the streets. He pushed his way through the throng of people and clambered into one of the maglev’s long cars along with a horde of other people.
Maglevs operated on the principles of magnetic levitation. The maglev levitated several dozen centimeters above the railway and used magnetism to propel itself forward. Not only was the ride incredibly smooth, with not the slightest bit of jostling, it was also fast.
That was a very good thing. Anthony did not enjoy being squashed between so many people.
As he stood in the maglev, he noticed how several people glared at him. All of them were men. Of course, he didn’t know any of them. They were just glaring at him because of their natural instincts, something that he didn’t blame them for, though it still made him uncomfortable even after dealing with these looks for more than a year.
The women on the maglev ignored him.
The maglev soon reached his stop, and Anthony checked his wristwatch as he got off. It was 9:15am. He would have to hurry if he didn’t want to be late.
It was fortunate that the maglev station was literally right next to the Institution of Magical Sciences. He walked across the street and toward a series of massive buildings at least ten stories tall situated together. The structures were a blend of modern aesthetics. Many of them featured asymmetrical shapes, or had strange extensions protruding from them. All of them were also connected via a series of walkways at several story intervals. The largest building was the one in the very center, which reminded Anthony of a helix spiral.
Walking along the winding walkway, Anthony did his best to ignore the looks sent his way as he made it to the large building in the very center. It was easier with so many people. Even if men felt threatened by his existence, his presence was so weak right now that most of them could easily ignore him. He was even more fortunate that none of the women were drawn to him—at least, he told himself that was a good thing.
Entering the building through a sliding door, Anthony traveled through a lobby filled with people, reached the elevator, and took it to the third floor. He exited the elevator and entered a hallway with several doors. The door he entered through was room C-2. Underneath the room name, which flashed on a screen, were the words Theoretical Principles of Magic Catastrophes.
The room on the other side was a lecture hall. There was a stage backed into a wall and shaped like a half-circle. A podium sat in the center and a holographic projector was located on top of it.
Anthony made his way up the tertiary seats, which were already filled with men and women of both the human and non-human variety, and sat near the very back of the class in the top row of seats. He placed his case on the desk and pulled out his laptop. It was a sleek black model with glowing red lines and a logo that looked like an atom. That was the Institution of Magical Sciences’ logo.
He turned it on. A holographic screen appeared and asked for his password. He typed it in, then watched as the screen changed to his main page, which featured several apps and programs that he used for school like his ebook library, word processor, calculator, and so on.
At that very moment, the doors opened and in walked a small woman. Standing at a height of about 4’10”, the woman who walked into the room possessed a young face that would have caused most people to mistake her for a girl in her teens. Of course, the moment they looked into her eyes and noticed the sharpness present, they would probably think otherwise.
Professor Incanscino’s cute face was framed by locks of blonde ringlets the color of honey, which complimented her soft skin, pale blue eyes, and small pink lips. She wore a sharp white business suit that contrasted with her youthful appearance. As she walked onto the stage and moved over to the podium, she set her expensive-looking purse on the podium and turned to face the students.
“Good morning, class. Today, I am going to give you all a general overview on Magic Catastrophes. In a show of hands, how many of you know what a Magic Catastrophe is?” Nearly everyone raised their hands, which caused Professor Incanscino to snort. “I’d be very worried if even a single one of you didn’t know about Magic Catastrophes.” A number of people chortled. However, they were silenced by her dark glare. “To put it bluntly, Magic Catastrophes are the term we use to describe magical events that create widespread chaos and changes within the world. A good example of this is the event from one and a half years ago known as the Lilith Incident.”
As she spoke, Professor Incanscino’s eyes landed on Anthony, causing him to shift in his seat. Her eyes fortunately didn’t stay on him for long before they swept across the rest of the class. He shuddered and released a weary sigh.
“Magic Catastrophes are relegated into a ranking system. There are seven ranks that Magic Catastrophes fall under. They go from F to S, with F being the weakest and least dangerous Magic Catastrophe, and S being the strongest and most dangerous. Can anyone here tell me what ranking the Lilith Incident was?”
As she finished speaking, Professor Incanscino looked around at all of the people present, as though expecting one of them to raise their hands. No one did. However, Anthony didn’t think it was because no one knew about the incident. Everyone and their mother had heard of the Lilith Incident. It had been all the news would talk about for several months.
“Mr. Amasius,” Professor Incanscino called him out.
With a sigh, Anthony stood up and ignored the men glaring his way as he looked at the woman. “It was an S-rank Magic Catastrophe.”
“And why was it an S-rank Magic Catastrophe.”
“Because over one hundred thousand people died. The level of damage done to the surroundings was also on the same scale as a large earthquake. Not only did the event cause a lot of damage, but the environment changed significantly, transforming a once prosperous city surrounded by countryside into a desolate wasteland.”
When Professor Incanscino continued to look at him
like she expected him to say more, Anthony looked away. This caused the woman to sigh.
“You are close enough,” she said as he sat back down. “Generally speaking, the number of deaths doesn’t actually matter to the Magic Catastrophe Classification System, but bigger Magic Catastrophes that cause more destruction are always ranked higher because they affect a higher number of people. The Lilith Incident is one that happened when the Succubus Queen Lilith fought against the Vampire Warlord Cane in a battle that wiped an entire city and the surrounding countryside off the map. However, the widespread destruction is not the reason this incident was listed as an S-rank Magic Catastrophe.”
The professor raised her left arm, revealing a purple wristwatch, which she activated, creating a holographic image that she tapped on once. When she did, the projector inside of the podium suddenly lit up. An image was projected above the podium. This image was of a massive crater that had a strange black miasma drifting through it. In the very center of this miasmic crater was a black dot, a sphere hovering several feet off the ground.
“When Lilith and Cane clashed, their mana erupted between them and not only created a ghastly poison that is toxic to both humans and demons, it created a quantum black hole. Even though a year has passed, you can see how the miasma inside of this crater remains. Also, while the quantum black hole has not grown at all since it was created, it still remains present. Even the best magical scientists have been unable to figure out how to close it, though several theories were proposed. One theory actually states that closing it would require a being with two times more magical power than Lilith and Cane combined. Of course, there are no beings with such power in existence, and thus the black hole remains.”
As he typed on his laptop, taking notes, Anthony could only sigh and ignore the sharp pain in his chest as he listened to the woman speak.
When class ended, Anthony traveled down the staircase alongside the other students. Before he could leave, Professor Incanscino called out to him.
“Mr. Amasius, stop by my office after school.”
Anthony turned around and looked at the short professor, but then he nodded. It was about that time.
“Will do, professor.”
“Good. See you then.”
Professor Incanscino dismissed him after getting a confirmation that he would stop by her office. Upon leaving her classroom, Anthony took a walkway that led to Building #2, which was located on the north side of the school campus. This building did not have any classrooms. Instead, it was a massive shopping center. It was, in many ways, a mall filled with places to buy items and food. There were all kinds of shops, restaurants, and also a library where people could check out electronic books.
Anthony took an elevator and traveled to a small restaurant called Italiano Pizzeria. As he entered the shop, the scent of cheese, sauce, and freshly baked garlic bread hit his nose. He might have remained by the front door, smelling the delectable combinations of mouth-watering scents, but someone called his name.
“Hey, Anthony! What are you standing around like an idiot for? Come over here!”
The person who spoke to him was a woman with curly dark hair, smooth skin, and a wide smile. Dressed in the latest fashion, the young woman’s somewhat short skirt revealed almost all of her long, lean legs. She was wearing white platform shoes that gave her an extra few inches. Her shirt was stretched taut across her large chest, to the point where Anthony could see the straps of bra—not that it mattered since she was also wearing a short-sleeved jacket, which adequately covered her.
She was waving him over.
Sitting next to her was a young man who wore a somewhat cocky-looking grin. His blond hair was swept back from his face. He had green eyes, pale skin, and several earrings. His rumpled clothing and piercings made him look like a delinquent. Like Anthony, he wasn’t muscular but thin and a bit boney. Unlike Anthony, he still looked healthy and not emaciated.
“Secilia. Alex,” Anthony greeted the pair as he sat down next to them. They had already ordered a large pizza, which sat on the table. One half was pepperoni and sausage, while the other was just cheese.
“You look half-dead,” Secilia joked. “Long night?”
“Something like that,” Anthony admitted.
“You went to the hospital again, right?” She continued prodding him with questions. “How’s your brother?”
Anthony gave her a pained smile. “Same as always, I’m afraid.”
“That’s good, though, right?” Alex said in an upbeat voice that was at odds with his delinquent appearance. “If he’s the same as always, it means he hasn’t gotten worse.”
“You idiot!” Secilia scolded the man. “It also means he hasn’t gotten better.”
“That might be true, but if he hasn’t gotten worse, then we can only consider that a good thing,” Alex rebutted.
Anthony smiled as he listened to the pair argue. Alex and Secilia were his only two friends right now. He had met them bickering just like they were now. At first, he had assumed they were a couple because of how close they seemed, but he eventually found out they were half-siblings. Same father. Different mothers. Both of them were attending college for a degree in magical engineering.
As the scent of pizza continued wafting into his nose, Anthony felt his stomach gurgle. He reached over and grabbed a slice of the meat pizza. Taking a bite as the pair continued to argue, he enjoyed the taste of mozzarella, tomato sauce, sausage, and pepperoni. No matter the day or age, pizza would always be one of the best foods in the entire world. Hands down. Anyone who said otherwise was fooling themselves.
“Oh! Did you hear about what happened last night?” asked Secilia, turning to Anthony.
“Are you talking about the rogue demons?”
“Yeah. That. It’s crazy, isn’t it?” Secilia said, continuing before he could answer her. “I managed to hack into the Academy Island Private Security Forces’s database, and the reports claim there were over a hundred rogue demons that just randomly showed up out of the blue. They were all therianthropes too. No one knows where they came from, but all of them appeared out of nowhere and began attacking a Nametech research facility.”
“You really should use that brilliant mind of yours for something other than illegally hacking into private databases,” Alex said with a sigh.
“Oh, stuff it.” Secilia stuck out her tongue and blew him a raspberry.
“Did the reports say what the Nametech facility was researching?” asked Anthony.
Secilia shook her head. “No, but there is a rumor about that.” She leaned over, turquoise eyes lighting up with a conspiratorial look as she cupped a hand to her mouth. “The rumor that’s been going around is that the Nametech research facility was experimenting with cloning technology.”
“Isn’t cloning illegal?” Anthony asked with a frown.
“It is,” Alex confirmed. “Ever since the now defunct Kurōn Conglomerate was discovered using clones for inhumane experiments, cloning has become illegal. Every cloning facility has been shut down. The fines for being caught cloning even single-celled organisms is astronomical and can land you with life in prison.”
Cloning was considered one of the four biggest magical felonies. It was different from felonies like assassination, murder, and even genocide. A magical felony was a felony that involved inhumane magical research. The four biggest ones were cloning, inhumane and non-consensual experimentation, experiments involving the replication of Magic Catastrophes outside of theoretical application, and necromancy. Each one of these four would cause a person caught doing them to spend their entire life in prison and any company or research association to be forcibly shut down.
“By the way, Anthony, what are you doing after school ends?” asked Secilia as she placed her elbows on the table, leaned forward, and twirled her hair between her fingers.
“Professor Incanscino wanted to speak with me,” Anthony said.
Secilia clicked her tongue.
“What’s this
?” Alex chuckled. “Feeling threatened by everyone’s favorite lolita teacher?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Secilia said as she took a vicious bite of her pizza. A long trail of cheese connected her to the slice as she moved back. “Why would I be threatened by a woman who looks like a child?”
“I don’t know.” Alex plastered a smug grin on his face. “You tell me.”
Secilia looked toward Anthony, then looked away.
Anthony sighed when he saw this look, but he didn’t say anything because there was nothing he could do about it. He continued speaking with the pair until it was time to begin his next class. Then he made his way to his classroom, where another professor he had taught them about the creation and application of medicine.
School lasted for about four hours after lunch. When he finished all of his classes, he traveled toward the south building, known as Building #4, and headed to the top floor.
The top floor was Professor Incanscino’s office, though it looked more like a penthouse suite to him. The soft carpet looked expensive. Furthermore, this office had several paintings from famous and long dead artists hanging from the walls. A sweeping staircase with an extravagantly decorated balustrade led to an upstairs area where Anthony assumed his teacher slept.
Professor Incanscino was sitting behind her desk when he entered. She looked very tiny behind the large desk, which had numerous nick knacks and magical implements, along with a large holographic screen that the professor was currently using to read. He couldn’t tell what she was reading. Even though he could see the contents (which were viewed by him in reverse), he didn’t know what the strange symbols covering the monitor meant. It looked like a magic formula.
“I’m glad you showed up,” Professor Incanscino said as she flipped off the holograph and hopped off her chair. She walked around her desk and over to him. “You’re nearly out of mana, right? You should have had enough to last you for at least another week.”
“Yeah…” Anthony rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry. I didn’t think chasing down that werewolf last night would use so much mana.”
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