It was a special day.
A special day for a yet-to-be wizard.
It was his first day of magic school, this particular wizard managed to enroll on a magic academy that taught a particular kind of magic called 'Ars Nouveau'.
He managed to enroll like how most other people managed to enroll, by recommendation, for his caretaker was a wizard that used to study in the academy.
The yet-to-be wizard was an orphan, not even knowing the name of his parents, he only knew his, Pierre, his last name was a mistery to him, so the old wizard gave him his own, 'Bienveillant'.
Mr. Bienveillant found him when he was too young to remember things right, he had to have been 5 at most, sleeping on a village's food reserve, he had ran away from something or someone, but he did not remember what. From then on out, he had been living under Mr. Bienveillant's care, of course, this lead to Pierre's fascination with magic and becoming a wizard, and he was of course influenced from his caretaker's 'job', which was helping out the village they lived in on any problem they might've had, leading to young Pierre constantly trying to help people out, a trait that he only learned to contain, he was still insistent on helping on any problem he saw the villagers have. Still, his caretaker never taught him a trickle of magic, not even allowing him to enter his magical studying room, which he only got glimpses of, he always wondered why, until he turned 16, which was when Mr. Bienveillant finally revealed his plans to enroll him on the Ars Nouveau academy, apparently, there was some sort of code that was made to prevent unofficial teachers from teaching magic.
And that resulted to now, he was standing right before the academy's entrance, the academy itself sitting on its own dimension, it was so unlike anything he ever witnessed, walls of purple and gold engravings, the closest thing he could assimilate to it was his caretaker's wizard clothing, but they were far too dirty for him to recognize it as fancy, only magical. He entered it, the only things he brought were a notebook and a quill, as well as his nicest clothes, which were still quite 'peasant-like', luckily that wasn't too out of place in this academy, it apparently was quite common for students to come from a not-so-rich background. He was escorted by a maid to a hall of doors, a dormitory, he had his own very room, no need to share it with anyone! Though it was quite small, not that Pierre minded, it was all he needed, along with his room he had also received a school uniform, far fancier than any piece of clothing he ever had!
He was told to sleep for tomorrow, for it was when the first day of school would start.
He was a bit embarrassed for the small mistake of his, this wasn't quite the first day of magic school, but still, it was very exciting.
"So, as you have probably realized, you didn't quite learn magic this bimester..." The old teacher said, overseeing a massive classroom of students "And that was very much on purpose, for we wanted to teach you the very very basics, basics that are necessary for not only magic, but everything there is, necessary for any working adult, yet not learned by many, had you not learned these basics, everything we'd tried to teach you would fall flat, and while I do recognize a sizeable portion of students already knew this, it is essential for us to teach them anyway, for many did not know of its existence at all-" The teacher said whilst looking at Pierre "So to get this over quickly, why don't we go for a quick rundown." The old teacher cleared her throat.
"First, grab the flower pot in you desk without touching it."
Pierre, as well as every other student in the classroom, extended his open hand, and with no effort, the flower pot flew to his hand, perfectly aligned.
"Good, now, what you have just done is called...?"
"Collecting..." The students said, the conglomerate of voices mostly sounding tired, save for Pierre's of course.
"Exactly, this is one of the tools that reside in every person's inner toolbox, this collecting ability allows you to collect things as long as they are close enough to you, this includes your feet. Now, store the flower pot in your 'hotbar'."
Once again, Pierre simply did what he had earlier thought to be magic, the switching of items, he had seen Mr. Bienveillant do it before, he just assumed it was because he was a veteran wizard, but as it turned out, he could've done it all along, as a child even. Although all he did right now was switch onto an empty hand.
"Good, your hotbar is the most accessible part of your inner pocket storage dimension, now open the rest of it."
He opened his 'inner pocket dimension', making a 9x4 grid of slots in front him that only he could see, the bottom row looked to be slightly separated, as it was his hotbar.
"Now, I assume you have managed to open your pocket dimension, which is called an...?"
"Inventory..."
"Correct! As you can see, your inventory is made up of slots, a slot can hold up to how many items?"
"64..."
"Good, the max amount of items is called a stack, you have also learned that there are exceptions to this, such as easily throwable items like eggs and ender pearls, whose stack only goes up to 16, unique items such as tools cannot stack, filling up an entire slot by themselves. Now, take your flower pot and place it the special way on your desk."
Pierre held the flower pot, he 'aimed' it at his desk, and through a swinging motion, placed the flower pot on the desk without touching it.
"Good, what you have just done is called building, often people just say placed for singular objects like the flower pot, but in the grand scheme of things, you are building, now lemme see if there's anything else..."
The teacher checked her desk, reading papers and looking at the time.
"It seems class is almost over, once the bell rings you'll be dismissed, and tomorrow, your true magic classes will begin, I'll see you then." The teacher sat on her desk, shortly after, the bell rang, and all of the students started to rush out of the classroom, Pierre was the last to leave, as his mind was flooded with all the possible things he could possibly learn the very next day.
Pierre woke up, he looked at the window and saw the bright sun rays flooding into his room, he groggily got out bed, his mood slightly improving once he stretched, he looked towards his room's door, and noticed a letter sitting beside it, he wondered what it was for, after all, it was said that classes weren't returning like normal, though he never quite believed that, seeing as that was a rumor among students after all.
He walked to the letter, picking it up and carefully opening it.
It read:
"Dear Pierre Bienveillant, we have written this letter to both congratulate and inform you.
First, the congratulatory part, we congratulate you for getting this far on your studious journey, sticking with us to the very end.
As for the informing part, we are happy to announce that you have been approved for the graduation trials.
For what 'graduation trials' is, it is basically one final test you'll go through to graduate, then, you'll be officially regarded an Ars Nouveau wizard.
Do note that being present in the graduation ceremony isn't necessary, nor is informing us that you've passed at all, as just going through the trials may satisfy your needs.
You must have noticed that never once did we teach you a spell, nor any kind of magic, instead we taught you the principles, the right way to think with magic, you know how to perform a spell without knowing a spell at all, that is because the trials will teach the spells, and from there, you'll quickly start to look more and more like an actual wizard, you'll grow quickly.
In order to initiate the trial, talk to Mr. Monsieur and give him this letter, he'll take care of the rest and bring you to the trial, you have 3 days to prepare.
-Signed, The Ars Conseil
P.S. Bring your notebook, you have scribbled in it so much that it is surely bound to be useful."
Pierre blinked, processing all the information from the letter, in a few moments, he was lit up with excitement all over again, he quickly changed into his uniform, which was thankfully clean, the only thing the letter mentioned for him to bring was his now worn notebook, not that he really had any other possessions anyway.
He put the letter and the notebook at the end of his hotbar, quickly exiting his room and forgetting breakfast entirely.
He ran from hallway to hallway, heading towards Mr. Monsieur's office, but when he arrived there, it was empty, the lights were off and the door was locked, he noticed a note on the door, it had a map marking a specific part of the academy he never went to before, it said that Monsieur was there.
He quickly went to the marked spot, barely reading the sign that said 'Dimensional Pathway Room'.
Mr. Monsieur was there, sitting behind a table full of documents.
"Ah! If it isn't young Pierre! You are the first to arrive, like on most occasions, do you have the letter?"
"Mornin' Mr. Monsieur!" Pierre greeted, handing Monsieur the letter.
"Alright! Let's see..." Monsieur seemed to read something on the back of the letter, before going through the documents and picking up a particular folder.
"Here! Let's see your specifications..." He opened the folder and read through the papers inside.
The first thing he did was grab a bag from a chest underneath the table, throwing it to Pierre who caught it midair.
"There's a few useful items in there to help give you a kick-start in your journey, I recommend you open it during the trial."
Pierre put away the bag in his inventory, before deciding to start asking questions to Mr. Monsieur.
"So, what is this trial?" Pierre asked while Monsieur gathered a few items.
"Well, I don't like ruining surprises, so I'll nudge towards the answer, first, where do you think lies most of the human population?"
"Uh, I dunno, I heard big cities are pretty full."
"While yes, the Alltopia is densely populated, most of the population actually resides outside of it, in the wild Overworld."
Pierre thought about the answer, then it clicked.
"I'll have to survive on my own in the wild, using the magic I learned to help me do so!"
"Attaboy! Though there is an end goal for you to achieve, you have to acquire a tier 3 glyph, only then will you be considered a true wizard." Monsieur said to Pierre, heading towards a brazier in front of a big circle of sourcestone at the end of the room.
He placed a tablet on the brazier, throwing a bar of gold into it before activating it, the brazier lit up in a bright purple flame, sucking in source from a source jar and shooting white balls of light into the center of the circle of sourcestone behind it, then, a portal was opened inside the circle of sourcestone, the brazier was still lit up.
Mr. Monsieur sighed, diverting his gaze to Pierre "I guess it's time to say goodbye Pierre, although I believe I'll still see you when you graduate, this won't be a easy journey, but it'll be one you'll beautifully overcome, and Mr. Bienveillant is proof, he was great, or so I heard, there were several stories from older teachers of how much of a brilliant person he was, and you, Pierre, seem to fit the bill. Now go, become the greatest wizard this academy has ever seen, I believe in you." He patted Pierre on the back, giving him a solemn goodbye.
Pierre smiled, he waved one last goodbye to Mr. Monsieur, then entered the portal.
The portal closed once Pierre went through, and the flame from the brazier vanished, Monsieur sat back at the table, knowing there were many more students to come.
On the other side were green grassy plains, ever so slightly bluer than usual, a bright purple portal opened up in the middle of it, Pierre coming out of it, immediately after stepping on the grass floor, the portal vanished, Pierre was now definitively on his own, it'd be lonely, but surely he find a way to pass the time.
He looked around, everything looked normal, it was very nostalgic for him, it had been at least 2 years since he last saw a normal tree.
Pierre immediately went to work, going up to the closest oak tree and punching it with his bare hands.
The usual for any non-city folk.
After harvesting all the logs from the tree, he turned the logs into planks, then made a crafting table, using the crafting table he made a wooden pickaxe, then he dug a hole till he hit stone, collected a few cobblestone, and before he knew it, he had made and entire set of stone tools.
Pick, axe, shovel, sword, the whole deal!
He was already feeling gratified, these tools signify the start of a great adventure, the things he would do in such a journey, it was all so exciting!
Pierre hopped in place with a pickaxe in hand, he looked around as if expecting something.
But as he was alone, there was no one to congratulate him but himself, he wasn't very used to this, but he had to get used to it quickly, he wasn't gonna meet anyone any soon after all...
But this thought was depressing to him, so he decided to look into the bag given to him, he might as well walk around while he does it, maybe he'd find a cave or a good spot to settle, maybe some sheep for wool!
He opened the bundle, grabbing the first items in line, which was one fourth a stack of sourceberries, Pierre was tempted to eat them, seeing as he missed breakfast (and only now realized this) but he stopped himself at the last minute, he remembered sourceberries are not at all common in nature, it'd be far better if he planted these to have an infinite supply of berries.
He grabbed the next item in line, and the bundle bag went loose as he did so, it was the last item, it appeared to be a normal, empty book, Pierre knew what its purpose was.
He put all the items back in the bundle, hearing a rumble from his stomach after he did so, he needed food quick.
And, coincidentally, his nose picked up a faint scent from the air.
Meat being cooked.
He looked around, he could not see where it came from, but he did hear a sound, the crackling sound of a campfire.
He walked towards the campfire sounds, it seemed to be right behind a mound.
He went around the mound, and saw a small modest shack, right in front of it was a campfire, beef being cooked around it, and beside the campfire was a person, sitting next to it whilst reading a book, they wore a green outfit, had long white hair and tan skin, they appeared to wear thin framed glasses, but the feature that Pierre thought was the most perplexing of them all, was the long pointy ears they possessed.
Pierre approached the individual, who seemed to hear him as they looked up from the book before closing it, they looked at Pierre with an alert face, which switched to bewilderment once they realized what they were looking at.
They stood up from their spot, approaching Pierre at a rapid pace.
Pierre could see the individual with more clarity now, and from the physique he discerned that the individual must've been female.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" The individual yelled, Pierre stood there frozen not knowing what to do.
"I SAID, WHAT ARE DOING HERE- no, HOW DID YOU GET HERE!?" She continued to yell at him.
Pierre noted, now that she was right up in his face, that she was very tall, so he had a conclusion.
"Are you an e-"
"YES I'M AN ELF! THAT MUCH IS OBVIOUS! NOW ANSWER THE QUESTION!"
Pierre composed himself, breathing in and out to calm himself.
"My name is Pierre Bienveillant, I'm a student from the Ars Nouveau Academy, I have come here to gather resources and become a true wizard, as per my academy's wishes." He said, standing proud.
"Academy... So you're from some magic school? I thought this place was far far away from any human civilization!" The elf exclaimed in a puzzled look.
"Uh... It is? I was sent here by a portal, I also thought I'd be all alone until now."
The elf simply seemed to get annoyed "UGH! Not even when I search the most remote of places that filled my conditions, I still don't get any alone time because of some stupid school!" She said, kicking a rock out of frustration.
"Uhh, well, maybe its better if you know who you're with? We could start with your name! I already told you mine after all."
She looked at him, deciding to give it a shot "Fine, my name's Vistelle."
"Good to know you Vistelle! Say, do you mind sharing one of those steaks you got cooking up? I skipped breakfast."
"Really?" Vistelle said in annoyance.
"Sorry! I'll try to make it up to you, is there any chore you need to do?"
Vistelle grabbed a steak from the campfire, throwing it to Pierre "Just stay away for now, okay kid?"
Pierre nodded, but before he could leave, the distant sound of two people talking arose.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me." Vistelle complained.
Pierre looked towards the source of the talking, and from there saw two people walk parallel to the shack.
One of them was an old wizard, wearing a blue robe and a blue pointy wizard hat.
The other was a younger one, as old as Pierre, and clearly the most excited of the two.
Pierre and Vistelle looked as the two talked to themselves, until, the younger one noticed them and approached them both, the old wizard following closely behind.
"Hey! I didn't know there were gonna be people here, who are you people?" Said the young man.
"What are YOU doing here?!" Vistelle asked in anger.
"We mean no harm, I have only come here to teach my son the magic of our family." The old wizard clarified.
"That's some cowsh-"
Pierre covered Vistelle's mouth before she could finish the swear "I-It's nice to meet you! My name's Pierre, yours?" Pierre asked politely, signaling to both of them.
"I am Bob Electro the 82nd, this is Bob Electro the 83rd, I like to call him Junior." The old wizard answered.
Pierre uncovered Vistelle mouth, who begrudgingly told them her name "Vistelle..." She said while looking away.
And on the opposite to the direction she looked at, a sudden whoosh sound was heard, and when she looked back to see what it was, she saw a man, who seemed to had just teleported there.
Said man seemed to be in his 30s, with a melancholic look in his face while wearing dark dirty clothing, he looked like he was pointing at something before teleporting, or rather, touching something. He looked at the group, his face unchanging.
"Where am I?" The man said in a rough voice.
Pierre tried to come up with an answer, but 'Mr. Electro' was first to do so.
"These lands are unnamed, but for your information, you are in the center of a zone that has incredible amounts of magic coursing through it."
"Just like I was told then, do you all live here?"
"We plan to." Said the old wizard.
"Me too!" Pierre answered in glee.
"I already settled here a while ago before these weirdos arrived, and I guess that includes you now."
"I'm not quite so sure, perhaps being alone would be best for me..."
"At least you're one person I don't have to worry about, but you three-" Vistelle cut herself off when she saw, opposite of where the Electros arrived, someone walking in absentmindedly, humming an unfamiliar song.
Said person noticed them, and froze in place.
"U-Uh, d-did I interrupt a meeting, if so I'm sorry I'll leave- I'll-"
"Don't worry you can come here! Come on!" Pierre shouted encouragingly.
"O-Oh, ok..." The anxious man said, approaching the group.
"Oh this is the worse..." Vistelle said while facepalming.
Pierre, wanting to meet and greet everyone properly, convinced the new people that just arrived to stand in a circle to introduce themselves more thoroughly, starting with himself.
"Hello everyone, my name is Pierre Bienveillant, I am an apprentice training to be a wizard under the teaching of the Ars Nouveau Academy, they sent me here as a sort of trial so I could learn magic, I thought I'd be alone, though I'm quite happy that there are actually people here." Pierre concluded, waiting for someone to go next.
"My name is Bob Electro the 82nd, this is my son, Bob Electro the 83rd, we come from a long lineage of wizards who specialize in our own magic, of course, not everyone in my ancestry had only one child, I have many far-related cousins out there who study the ways of our wizardry, I have come here to finally teach my son our magic, as this place has everything needed for him to grow." The old wizard said, his son right beside him.
The melancholic man decided to go next "My name is Marcus Donalt, I'm from Alltopia and I recently got evicted out of my house, as I was drowned in dept and got fired from my job, days later after I got evicted, the house I lived in for years got demolished, and I could only watch in helplessness, though, I saw a box sticking out of the ground while they were doing the demolition, I grabbed it and left the area. Inside the box was a book, I read it for a while, it had information on some sort of magic, as well as a note that came along with the book about some 'guy who owns whoever this book was from a favor', I talked to said guy and gave him the note, he showed me the way to some sort of tablet, and when I touched it I teleported here, I plan to use this magic from the book to help me live here in the wilderness, away from the city and debt."
After Marcus introduced himself, the group of magicians was silent for several moments, until the anxious man decided to speak up.
"H-Hi, m-my name is Theodor Visley, I-I came here because of a dream" Theo clears his throat, nervously "The dream was very realistic, and showed very specific coordinates that called me to this location, since it wasn't that far away and the dream was, very, very persuasive, I decided to come here, n-now that I look at the coordinates I scribbled down, it seems I'm at the location, I'm honestly not... sure... what to do next..." Theo gets quieter as he ends his introduction, clearly embarrassed.
The only one left was Vistelle, and seeing as everyone else was looking at her expectantly, she gave in.
"Fine! My name's Vistelle Llangioscerm, I'm an elf and I came here to grow my magical plants, that's all." She said, fed up.
"So you are an elf, I was quite perplexed, I had thought you all fled to Alfheim long before I was born." Said Mr. Electro.
"Yeah yeah, I'm the last one in the overworld, and I was quite young when all that stuff happened, doesn't matter to me."
"So, I assume you came here to learn the magic of your kind, trying to reconnect with them in any way you can?" The old man guessed.
Vistelle stayed quiet.
"I apologize if I touched on anything sensitive, we may leave you alone if you so desire, it is already noon, we should get moving and make our house, Junior." The old man said to his son.
"Alright! Will I get to go to the mines?"
"Perhaps tomorrow Junior, today we should focus on getting a few materials, mainly some wool for some beds, judging by these fellows, we'll be working with each other to aid survival."
"And I'll get to show off magic to them?"
"...Yes, perhaps."
"Heck yeah!"
Mr. Electro went into an open area in the plains that he liked, then, he brought out his wand, aiming it at the ground in front of him.
He focused, and from the ground, a giant wizard tower emerged, the old man looked back at his son.
"Can you get wool on your own?" He asked.
"Yeah! Hey dad, can I make my house on the tower's base?" Electro jr asked.
"Sure, just don't mess with the stairs." The dad said, entering his tower.
Junior brought out a stone sword, putting it above his shoulder, he looked back at group of magic misfits.
"Who wants to go exploring with me?"