Geometric Mage: First Spell, Circle

"I-I am Lian, Lian Veyr… a pleasure to meet you, Headmaster!" His head was completely bowed as he paid his respects, his voice trembling with nervous deference.

"Lian, eh? Nice name! Your parents must have raised you very well." The headmaster's tone warm and approving.

The moment he said those words, Lian immediately remembered them! A flood of guilt crashing over him.

His eyes widened. "My parents! How are they? Do they know I am alive?!" His voice urgent and pleading.

I cannot believe it- am I also a shitty son now? Did I really forget to contact them? That should have been the first thing to do! And instead? Coming out of the Gate, I thought about Sera and Seline… I am truly a mess- His thoughts spiraling in self-reproach.

"Do not worry, they have been informed. They are on their way; they will be here by tomorrow." The headmaster's words a soothing balm.

Lian sighed as he listened to the headmaster's reassuring words, relief flooding his chest.

On the other hand, Bibo had his head slightly lowered as he thought about other things. Since when is this guy so nice and kind? Why was he a crazy training dog with me? His mind grumbling with indignation.

"But now-" The headmaster's face grew more serious. "It is time for you to tell us what happened in that Gate during this month. Bibo has told me several things, but he and the others arrived at the end. We want to know things from the beginning. And before you can ask, do not fear. Everyone else is safe. It seems each of you experienced something different and, at the same time, obtained something different.

But do not worry. The things you have obtained are yours; we are not here to rob you. After all, they are called legacies for a reason, and if you were chosen to obtain them, so be it." his voice firm yet fair.

Lian listened in silence as the headmaster continued to express his concerns and reasons for wanting to know more about the Gate, his words measured and thoughtful.

He had not kept track of time precisely, but he could swear he had been in the Gate for less than a month… his sense of time warped by the ordeal.

Apart from that, Lian told the headmaster everything, starting from how he had met Patrick and Sera, his first Gate in Dustwall, his arrival at the academy, the random and senseless entry into the unstable Gate, the Gate within the Gate, each memory vivid and raw.

He recounted everything, except the parts related to the system, of course. Moreover, as he had done with Seline, he attributed his ability to become stronger in such a short time to his talent, a convenient half-truth.

"By the way-" Lian, whose voice became slightly hoarser after recounting everything that had happened to him, spoke again. "What about Patrick and Sera? Do you know them? Patrick should already be a Silver Mage. He is amazing, kind, and caring! The only downside is that Sera. She is really annoying." his tone a mix of admiration and irritation.

Lian continued talking about them, unaware that the faces of the headmaster and Bibo had stopped being cheerful, their expressions darkening like storm clouds.

"Enough, stop it, Lian," Bibo raised a hand to interrupt the boy. His usual silly smile turned into a serious look as he continued, his voice heavy with gravity.

"It is not your fault; after all, you have been in the Gate all this time, but things have changed…" his words trailing with unease.

The atmosphere grew tenser as Lian stopped talking and began to listen carefully to Bibo's words, his heart sinking with each syllable.

"What you knew as Patrick Dawnstrike is, in fact, a persona, a façade. He is a traitor; you should not speak of him like that anymore." Bibo's tone sharp and final.

"Eh?" Lian's voice barely a whisper.

"As for Sera, the daughter of Mage Fireclock… she was kidnapped by Patrick, along with other people." The headmaster added, his voice grave.

Lian was speechless. "What?" His mind reeling in disbelief.

He struggled to understand what was happening, his world crumbling under the weight of the revelation.

Bibo and the headmaster continued to explain the situation as Lian's mood darkened, his heart heavy with betrayal and loss.

---

Lian sat on the edge of his bed, his eyes lost in the void beyond the window, the world outside a stark contrast to his inner turmoil.

The sun shining in the sky above Grimreach was bright, cheerfully coloring the entire Astralis Academy, its rays painting the stone walls with warmth.

"So that is how things are…" With a frowning sigh and shattered memories, Lian stood up from the bed he was sitting on, his body heavy with the weight of new truths.

Despite having slept a lot in the bathtub, Lian still felt tired, slightly dazed, his mind struggling to catch up with the whirlwind of events.

That morning had been intense. From his conversation with Bibo and the headmaster, he had learned many things, from the anti-empire terrorist cell to the monster siege at the kingdom's borders, each revelation a heavy blow to his fragile hopes.

"If what the headmaster said is true, then I have no time to waste. No one knows what is happening, and the only way to ensure survival is to be strong." his resolve hardening like tempered steel.

His gaze was filled with determination as he opened the door and left his room. He was currently in the dormitories for Bronze-rank students. Each student had a single room with basic necessities inside. Nothing too fancy, but not unpleasant either, a simple yet functional space.

It was the afternoon, and Lian had just begun his academic life, stepping into a new chapter of his journey.

The academy was different from how Lian had imagined it. He thought it would be like a school, a huge structure where magic was studied, a place of books and quiet study.

He was wrong.

It was a complex of enormous buildings, each with different functions. There were classrooms for theoretical lessons, others for practical lessons. Combat zones, buildings dedicated to the buying and selling of rare materials, others for weapons, a bustling ecosystem of magic and ambition.