The noise on the platform was deafening.

  That was the first thing Theo noticed as he stepped off the train. The noise didn’t seem to originate from any one person or object but rather washed over him like a suffocating cotton blanket. Theo could hear at least 20 conversations going on at once. Two elderly people right by him were yelling into strange devices, asking to speak to a manager.

  Theo stood there for a moment longer than was necessary, trying to adapt to the noises. He had been trying to imagine the noise level for Sonitolerdam. Nothing,g thou,gh could have prepared him for this.

  Turning his attention to the station itself, Theo was served a little respite. Ancient stone arches rose overhead, etched with faded runes that constantlyoverlapped and interwove. In front of him were sleek mana rails embedded directly into the floor, glowing faintly as residual energy dissipated from the recently arrived train. Tall glass panels, with golden frames, lined the outer walls, giving a clear view into the city beyond.

  Theo swallowed.

  “This is… loud,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

  “Naturally,” Magister Corvin replied immediately, as though Theo had spoken at full volume. Corvin was already several steps ahead of Theo. Twisting through the throngs of people with a practiced efficiency.

  “Keep up,” Corvin said without turning around. “And do not stare. It makes you look provincial.”

  Theo flushed slightly and began to hurry after him, narrowly avoiding running into the old people from before.

  “Young man! Watch where you’re going.” They both yelled at the same time. Then they both muttered in a near-perfect imitation of each other. “Children these days. A hundred years ago, this would never have happened.”

  Theo’s face flushed with embarrassment as he apologized and tried to catch up to Magister Corvin, who was at least 40 feet in front of him. When he finally caught up to him, they exited the station through a wide arched doorway and stepped onto a broad thoroughfare paved with interlocking hexagonal stones.

  The street sloped upward, offering a clearer view of the city’s interior. From here, the iridescent mountain was impossible to miss.

  Cognition Keep.

  From this vantage point,t it looked very different. White iridescent gates made from the same material as the mountain they contained encircled it. Inside the gat, es there seemed to be no other entrance that led into the mountain.

  No, the dungeon, Theo realized.

  “It’s bigger up close,” Theo said.

  “Mmhmm,” Corvin absentmindedly responded.

  They continued walking. Gradually, the crowds started to thin out until they completely dispersed as they neared the keep. Only a coupof le students, accompanied by their parents, were left—each set of hugging and making the most of their limited time left. What Theo noticed was their luxurious clothing. Some wore intricately embroidered robes while others wore tunics and capes with golden detailing.

  Theo, in comparison, felt very plain.

  His clothes were clean and well-made, but practical. Sturdy boots. Nothing embroidered. No golden detailing. Unconsciously, he began to tug at his clothes andwrungd his hands in anxiety.

  “How am I going to compare to nobles? They’ve had training for this almost their whole life.

  “Stop that,” Corvin said.

  “Stop what?”

  “Fidgeting,” Corvin replied.

  Theo stopped.

  When they reached a wide plaza encircling the base of Cognition Keep. The noise of the city seemed to be somewhat muffled, as though the air was able to absorb more sound. The plaza stones were smooth and pale, etched with intricate patterns that Theo thought looked like enormous mana circuits.

  At the far edge of the plaza stood the entrance.

  The iridescent gates curved up while twisting to present an opening large enough for a herd elephant to walk through.

  “We will part here,” Corvin said.

  Theo looked up at him. “You’re not coming in?”

  Corvin shook his head. “My duty was to deliver you safely. From this point on, you will assume responsibility for your own safety. Plus, I have some business in the city to take care of.”

  “Oh,” Theo said. He hesitated. “Thank you Sir for bringing me.”

  Corvin regarded him for a moment, his sharp eyes unreadable.

  “Do well.”

  Then, without another word, Corvin turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd almost as quickly as he had appeared.

  Theo stood alone.

  He took a deep breath.

  Then another.

  And then, after clutching the strap of the small satchel he carried, which was empty, save for a few personal items and his new ring tucked discreetly away, Theo stepped forward.

  As he crossed the threshold, the world shifted. Turning from the bright,t piercing light of midday into the gentle light of a properly lit house. Immediately, the noise of the city went from muffled to absent. Looking around, nd Theo found himself in a well-lit hallway. Bright white pillars on each side rose to the ceiling.

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

  He was inside.

  A loud chime echoed in his mind.

  [WELCOME, STUDENT THEOBOLD CALDERWOOD]

  [IDENTITY VERIFIED]

  [STATUS: ENROLLED]

  [HOUSING ASSIGNMENT IN PROGRESS…]

  Moving forward until he entered what he thought was the entry hall, he looked around and saw that it stretched upward farther than Theo could see, its walls lined with balconies, staircases, and suspended walkways that defied easy categorization. Light seemed to enter from random portions of the walls, refracting through crystalline structures embedded in the walls and ceiling.

  A tall figure approached him, robes a deep gray trimmed with silver. Their face was partially obscured by a mask that covered everything but their eyes.

  “Welcome to Cognition Keep,” the figure said, their voice calm and even. “I am Warden Lyris. I will be guiding you through the initial intake.”

  “Hello,” Theo said. He paused, then added, “Ma’am?”

  “Warden will suffice.” Lyris replied.

  “Alright. Warden.”

  Lyris gestured, and a translucent panel appeared between them.

  “Please confirm your name.”

  “Theobold Calderwood.”

  The panel pulsed softly as she tapped onto it.

  “Confirmed. You have been assigned to Residential Hall Libro, Floor Five, Room Seventeen. Your belongings will be delivered within the hour. Including the ones your mother sent you.u”

  “Did they arrive that quickly?” Theo said.

  “The school doesn’t spare expenses,” Lyris replied. “Follow me.”

  They moved through the hall, ascending a wide staircase that curved gently upward. As they walked, Theo took in everything he could. Random murals were cut into the wallallll depicting scenes that seemed to be from folklore. One of them showed someone banging drums to drive out ghosts.

  “What’s behind those?” Theo asked, pointing to a door marked with a pile of books.

  “Restricted study chambers,” Lyris said. “If you are found there without permission you will be sent to detention.”

  Theo decided not to ask further.

  They passed other students, sometimes in groups, being guided by wardens who had roughly the same appearance. Some looked excited, while othelooked rs terrified.

  Eventually, they reached a quieter corridor branching off from the main hall.

  “This wing prioritizes students on a mage curriculum,” Lyris explained. “You will find it more conducive to thought than the other wings. Though there seem to be more explosions.”

  Theo felt a small surge of relief. “That sounds nice.”

  Lyris stopped before a door of polished stone inlaid with silver lines forming a complex lattice.

  “This is your room,” they said. “Before you enter, a warning.”

  Theo stiffened. “Why? It’s just a room.”

  “Yes,” Lyris said. “The room will be adaptable to you so it might take some getting used to.”

  “Adaptable?”

  “Yes, you can customize it. Also don’t miss orientation, it’s in thirty minutes.”

  Theo nodded, then reached out and placed his hand on the door. The lattice flared softly, and the door slid open without a sound.

  The room beyond was empty.

  Theo stepped inside slowly before turning around to thank the warden, only to see that she was gone. Shrugging and turning back,k he walked into his room. As soon as both feet crossed the threshold, the room changed.

  The light shifted first, warming slightly until it was vaguely reminiscent of his forest. The stone walls darkened a shade, taking on a faintly mottled texture reminiscent of old masonry. The desk popped into place and grew a few inches wider, its surface smoothing into polished wood. Shelves extruded seamlessly from the wall above it, empty but waiting.

  Theo turned in a slow circle.

  He was finally alone.

  Really alone.

  Theo sat down on the bed, which seemed to be the perfect softness. Not so soft that he sank into i,t and hard enough to keep his weight.

  “Well,” he said softly. “I live here now.”

  He lay back and stared at the ceiling. It was held up by wooden support beams, even though outside everything seemed to be made of crystal.

  He stood, walked to the desk, and ran his fingers along its surface. A small drawer slid open at his touch, revealing neatly arranged stationery and a single blank notebook.

  “Oh, this is nice,” Theo murmured.

  A soft knock sounded at the door.

  Theo startled. “Yes?”

  The door opened to reveal a floating construct. An orb of softly glowing crystal with delicate arms.

  “Delivery,” it chimed pleasantly, and deposited a small trunk at the foot of his bed before floating away.

  Theo stared at the trunk.

  “That was fast.”

  He opened it. Inside were neatly folded clothes, robes in Cognition Keep’s colors, undergarments, sturdy boots, and a few personal items he recognized from home. His books for class. An assortment of things he could only assumeweres meant for his classes. His spare clothes from home. Even the small wooden bookmark his sister had carved for him years ago.

  Theo’s throat tightened, ed and he closed the trunk carefully.

  After changing into the provided robes,bes which were as ornate as all the others he had seen. Theo took a final look around his room and headed back out for orientation.

  The Entry Hall was impossible to miss.

  It occupied a vast cavernous space carved directly into the heart of Cognition Keep. Tiered seating rose in concentric arcs around a central dais, capable of holding thousands. Students streamed in from every entrance, filling the hall with a low murmur of voices.

  Theo found an empty seat among a cluster of first-years and sat, folding his hands in his lap.

  The hall gradually quieted as a presence made itself known.

  A figure stepped onto the dais.

  The figure, who was a woman, was tall and draped in robes of deep black that held a shifting silver pattern. Though she wasn’t elderly, her hair was as white as someone’s fairy godmother.

  When they spoke, their voice carried effortlessly.

  “Welcome,” the principal said. “To Cognition Keep.”

  The words echoed throughout the hall.

  “You stand within a conquered dungeon. Not tamed. Not pacified. Conquered. Every stone around you has been argued with, and, when necessary, outwitted.”

  A few nervous laughs rippled through the first years.

  “You have been selected not because you are powerful,” the principal continued, pacing slowly. “But because you have more potential than a great majority of the kingdom. Unfortunately, that potential is often wasted through laziness. I hope that you all strive to live up to yourpotentil.

  Theo felt a chill.

  “This institution does not exist to coddle you. It exists to shape you. To refine your thought, sharpen your intellect, and challenge you in ways that you do not think possible.”

  The principal stopped, gaze sweeping the hall.

  “Some of you will thrive. Some of you will struggle. A few of you will decide this place is not for you.”

  Their lips curved faintly.

  “That is alright with me as long as one of you reaches your potential.”

  The room was utterly silent now.

  “What is not acceptable,” the principal said, “is complacency.”

  Theo leaned forward slightly.

  “Here, you will learn not only how to wield mana, but how to think. How to ask the right questions. How to recognize when silence is the better answer. What place is better to do that than in a dungeon with an ideal of learning?”

  At that, Theo felt something resonate deep within him.

  “Welcome,” the principal said once more, spreading her hands. “To the beginning of your education.”