Chapter 2. The Basilisk Academy of Magic

The Basilisk Academy of Magic was located on the outskirts of Brumewick. It was separated from the south by a turbulent river, always changing the direction of its flow due to the higgledy-piggledy mermen that lived in it. It was dangerous to swim in it, as the undercurrents or the water mermaids could drag you to the depths.

A bridge ran across the river, the only and, therefore, the main entrance to the Academy. The rear of the Academy was bordered by the Eternal Forest, stretching for miles around. They say adepts who failed to pass their final exams stayed there forever. A high, ornate iron fence surrounded the Academy with a string of protective spells around its perimeter. Beyond the wall was a park, and in the center of the grounds were towering academic campuses and residential dormitories.

Lyra approached the front gate just as the first beam of light cut through the sky. She listened to what was happening outside the gate and heard a measured snuffle, meaning the keykeeper was still in his third dream. Lyra turned quietly and tiptoed toward the western part of the Academy, where a secret passage was located.

Although the Basilisk Academy of Magic had a central entrance, many other hidden passageways were only known to some. Students often used these secret passages to sneak out at night and have fun in the city despite it being strictly forbidden. The thrill of the forbidden excited the students, but those who were caught faced severe punishment, including sealing up the secret passage and being reprimanded.

Lyra counted fifty steps along the fence and approached a broad willow, where she parted the branches and stepped under its canopy. There, on a pillar, was the sign of a portal with a slit. Taking a minor silver key from her pocket, Lyra carefully inserted it into the slit, turned it all the way, and whispered a spell. She was pulled into the slit and spat out behind the fence. Those who created these secret passages chose the weakest places in the weaving of protective magic.

Somewhere the web of magic weaves was weakening, and somewhere they had not been updated for a long time, creating gaps for the adepts. Lyra knew four entrances and exits, but it was likely that there were more. Jumping over thickets of sharp rosehips, she stepped onto the park path, and at that moment, she heard a guttural growl from the left. It was a watchdog named Cerberus.

"But I didn't bring any presents for him," Lyra thought to herself.

"Don't worry," an inner voice quipped, "you'll soon become a guest."

A grinning muzzle poked out from behind the bushes, ready to pounce on the intruder at any moment.

"I can't run - he will catch up. I won't have time to fly up - he will bite. To fight back and damage the official property of the Academy - that's for sure, I will be kicked out. " Lyra considered all the options in her mind and came to a single rational decision - to use trickery.

"Who is this cute little one?" she whispered.

"What the hell am I talking about," flew through her head. But it was too late to retreat.

"Who is the best guard dog around here?" the growl subsided slightly.

"Who does not sleep all night but watches over the safety of the Academy?" interest appeared on the face of the creature.

"Keep it up, Lyra," an inner voice cheered.

"Who should be given a rewarding bone for faithful service?" the dog already showed with his eyes: "To him and only to him."

And since there was no bone in sight but the desire to be whole, oh what. Having made a deceitful gesture that she would now take a bone out of her pocket, Lyra fluttered sharply upwards and hovered about three meters above the ground. While the Cerberus didn't guess the deception, Lyra was flying at full speed toward the residential buildings, dodging the branches.

"If only no one saw it. I'll fly home as soon as possible, take a bath, drink a soothing tincture, and never go out again," she repeated like a mantra.

Leaving the Cerberus far away in the parking area, he could not go beyond it. Lyra landed at the forking roads. If you go to the right, you can enter student dormitories; if you turn left, you can enter the residential buildings for professors. That's where she kept her way.

Being the head of the group, the Academy granted her the privilege of living in a separate house. Having stumbled into the desired abode, slamming the door tightly, the girl fell to the floor without strength.

"Levitation is exhausting," the translucent spirit hovering in front of her stated instructively.

"You're right, Lucas, but there was no way out," Lyra rolled over onto her back wearily.

"I saw, and others might have also noticed," he lamented.

"Others are still sleeping at this time," the girl disagreed.

"Who knows," whispered the spirit. "What have I always told you?"

"Be quieter than water, lower than grass," the girl muttered.

"That's the same. But if they find out about your true powers, oh, what will happen, what will happen?" he wailed. Grasping his transparent head with his hands, he began to fly along the living room. "It means that you will be forced to marry. Your strength will be taken away. And I, my dear, will be dispelled because of concealing the truth. Wo-o-o," he began to howl, no worse than the castle ghost.

"Lucas!" Lyra yelled. "Stop panicking. It won't help you or me." Rubbing her nose with her fingers, she softened. "Better prepare a bathroom. I urgently need to remove my smell. And pour more gel!" the girl shouted to the spirit who left to carry out her order.

Lying in the bathroom, surrounded by foam and the scent of essential oils, Lyra couldn't shake Lucas's words from her mind. But he was right. Her powers grew more potent daily, and she couldn't hide forever. And today was no exception.

The problem is that in their Empire, when a woman marries a man, most of the wife's magical powers forever pass to her husband. A woman has left only strength for household magic. And if the bride had not been with a man before, her powers were enormous. And the longer she remained unmarried, the more powerful she would become. Great magicians and wicked men tried to capture such girls through force or deception, but usually by force.

The marriage ritual could only be carried out once in a lifetime; the second time a girl attempted it, she would die. So, men who craved more power explored the Empire in search of innocent girls. Lyra could have gotten rid of the problem long ago - just sleeping with a man. But she is already 21 years old, and her powers have become very powerful and could kill her and her partner during sex. But Lyra wanted to live. She enrolled in the Academy, a neutral zone where various creatures could study.

Lyra had been studying within the walls of the Academy for four years, using cunning to remain unnoticed. Girls who had never been with men had a distinct smell, saturated with the scent of lilies and juicy peaches, so sweet that it could be detected from several meters away. And every year, the scent grew stronger. Any active actions were forbidden, as even sweat could reveal the secret. Lyra applied special oils on her body twice a day to disguise the smell.

Among her fellow students, Lyra was such a nerd, a monster in theoretical knowledge, and a complete layman in practice: in casting active spells, self-defense, running, etc. And only the position of the headman of the class on the Faculty of Household Magic saved her from trouble. Lost in thought, Lyra eventually fell asleep in the bathroom.

She had a dream. She was back in the alleyway where she had first met the stranger. She had been on edge, sensing danger, and when he had stepped out of the shadows, she had instinctively attacked him with a battle ball.

He dodged and, in a second, without a word, he pressed her gently against the soft brick wall, sheltering her from the rain.

She could feel his heart beating against her chest, matching her rhythm. They were so close now, and yet it wasn't close enough.

His hands moved slowly up her arms, sending shivers down her spine. She looked up at him, and his gaze was filled with desire and curiosity.

He reached out a hand to stroke her cheek, and Lyra leaned into his touch, feeling a rush of electricity through her body. She wanted to feel his lips on hers, but she was hesitant.

He leaned in even closer, his lips just a whisper away from hers. Lyra closed her eyes and waited for the kiss, feeling her heart pounding.

And then, just as their lips were about to touch, the dream ended, leaving Lyra feeling breathless and wanting. She opened her eyes, still caught in the moment, but the stranger was gone, and she was left alone in her bed, longing for something she couldn't quite name.