The Grand Academy's main campus sprawled like a maze across several hills, a warren of lecture halls, towering amphitheatres, libraries, and chambers for every branch of arcane study. Colored banners hung from pillars, rippling in the breeze. Students in every shade of house robes hurried past, clutching scrolls or magical tools, some arguing animatedly, others moving like silent monks.
Sheung trudged along a stone corridor, clutching his satchel and brush box. It felt as though he'd been walking in circles for hours.
This place is bigger than any shopping centre back home, he thought. And at least malls have signs.
He paused near a marble statue of a robed mage. The hallway forked into three passages, each labeled in unfamiliar characters.
Alchemy Hall… where even is it?
He tried asking two passing students—a pair of girls in flowing violet cloaks. They gave him a dismissive glance and drifted away without answering.
Sheung slumped onto a bench beneath a stained-glass window. His shoulders sagged, and for a moment he felt utterly alone, swallowed by the academy's endless corridors.
"Lost, are we?" said a voice.
Sheung blinked up to see a tall young man about twenty, with an elegant, noble look. He wore deep green robes parted slightly to reveal the silver shimmer of scale-patterned armor beneath. In his hand was a staff of pale wood, runes coiling up its length like ivy.
Beside him stood a massive figure—a young man built like a mountain, wearing similar robes but with a gleaming longsword strapped across his back. The big guy's expression was relaxed and good-natured.
Sheung hesitated, embarrassed. "Um… yeah. I'm supposed to be in Alchemy Hall. But I can't find it anywhere."
The noble-looking student laughed, a warm, easy sound. "Everyone gets lost their first week. Even me. Don't feel bad."
The big guy crossed his arms, grinning. "Yeah. I got lost so many times my first year, I ended up at the goat stables thinking it was the Ritual Pavilion."
Sheung cracked a small smile despite himself. "So… where is it, then?"
The older boy pointed with his staff. "You were practically on top of it. See that archway across the corridor? Go through there, take the stairs down two flights, and turn right. The entire lower level is Alchemy. Just follow the smell of burnt herbs and exploding cauldrons."
"Or follow the screaming," the big guy added helpfully, grinning.
The two warriors laughed and started walking away.
"Thanks!" Sheung called after them.
The older boy raised a hand in farewell. "Good luck, Taoist. I'm Arkell, by the way. And this brute is Brand."
Brand gave Sheung a thumbs-up. "Don't blow yourself up!"
Left alone, Sheung let out a shaky breath. Somehow, the day felt a bit less overwhelming.
Following Arkell's directions, he found the stairs and descended into the echoing gloom of the academy's lower halls.
Moments later, he paused outside a heavy wooden door marked with alchemical symbols. A burst of green smoke hissed from under the crack.
Inside, something exploded with a bang loud enough to shake dust from the ceiling.
Sheung swallowed. "Here goes nothing."
He pushed the door open and stepped into Alchemy Hall.