Circe Academy Chronicles

Circe Academy Chronicles

Chapter 1

I read over the letter again, still not believing what it said.

(Congratulations, Miss Janis Deja! You have been accepted into Circe Academy!)

Okay, that part wasn't too strange, other than the fact that I didn’t remember ever applying to a school with that name. It was the stuff after that which was unbelievable.

(As an internationally renowned school for our dedication to guiding young people in both magic and personal identity, we must be very strict with our admissions guidelines. The fact that you have been selected from amongst our many applicants, be they Elf, Centaur, Human, Naga, Harpy, Werebeast, or even Demon, among many others, should be a source of pride in your potential for magic.)

That was the part where it got weird. Really weird. I would have assumed it was all some strange Harry Potter joke and thrown the letter away at that point, but this couldn't be a joke. This was printed on really, really nice paper, the kind that some colleges print their diplomas on! And the seal on the top seemed completely legit. I kept reading...if this was a joke, someone had at least gone to a lot of trouble and cost for it, so the least I could do was fall for it!

(Because of the nature of our studies and lifestyle on campus, you don't need to worry about packing or planning what to bring...your personal belongings will stay at your home. Your basic essentials, class materials, and starter master-slave kits will be provided to you at no cost. Whatever other comforts you wish for can be purchased from our on-campus convenience store.)

Well that was good, Crazy Town provided me with everything I would need! No wonder hobos were always going nuts...the perks were great! And what was a master-slave kit?

(As a first year, you'll be visited soon by one of our esteemed staff, who will bring you to the school, answer your questions, help you adjust, explain our school's purpose and procedures and your part in them, and give you a sample of submission. Your time with them will be limited due to the number of other students they'll need to initiate that day, but we hope it will give you a satisfactory experience of our what our school's about.)

Sounded like being kidnapped. And what was a "sample of submission?" Was this written by a cheesy cartoon villain?

(Please note that your time with our staff member will be submissive only; while Circe Academy offers full encouragement of any interest in domination, and tries to treat both sides of your new lifestyle equally, we cannot allow, for the purpose of your education, you to establish a feeling of authority over a teacher you may potentially be assigned to in your time with us. Please also note that your staff member will be same-sex. While Circe Academy holds no bias toward bi- and heterosexuality and encourages our students to be true to themselves, and will be happy to accommodate assigned student-student relationships to your preferences in your second year, all partners assigned during your first year will follow tradition, and be same-sex. In order to foster a proper community of tolerance and appreciation for all beauty, your first year partners will be, when possible, a species different from your own. And, needless to say, to maintain our staff's position and authority, any relationship with a member of the staff is completely forbidden and subject to harsh reprisal.

(Congratulations again, and we look forward to seeing you this year!)

Yeah...I probably don't have to explain why that part seemed weirdest of all.

I look at the date listed for when the “teacher” is supposed to arrive, and quickly realize that it’s tomorrow. That can’t be right! I look at the date on the envelope and see that it was supposed to have arrived a week ago.

Great, so I don’t get any extra time to prepare for any of this...if it's real. I wonder if I should tell anyone about this just in case. After a few moments I decide to send an e-mail to my friend Becky telling her everything, but as soon as I click the send button, a message appears on the screen.

(We regret to inform you that this message cannot be sent. Those who are not students cannot be informed of Circe Academy).

No way, there is no way they could do something like that! I scroll down the message a little farther to read the rest.

(Furthermore, to prevent any potential trouble, you will now be put to sleep, and will not awaken until your teacher arrives. We apologize for the inconvenience, but Circe Academy's secrecy is understandably essential to our ability to function and provide you, the student, with a proper guide to living your life).

I try to pull my covers over my head to block out the creeping morning light, but no matter how hard I try to move my arms, they won’t respond...wait, when did I even go to bed? I never remember going to sleep, but I always remember going to bed. I open my eyes wide, immediately regretting it as I’m blinded by the first rays of the sun. But I quickly adjust and see a strange woman with long silver hair wearing what looks like a long dress covered in dull sliver feathers that match her hair. She’s reading the titles of the books on the shelf in the corner of my room.

“Huh, so finally awake eh?” she says in a strange accent as she looks at me.

I try to open my mouth to ask her who she is and how she got into my house, but just like my arms, my jaw feels like it’s glued shut.

“I bet you're rather confused right now eh,” she says, cocking her head slightly. It’s then that I notice that her eyes are bright violet, and over them she has a tiny pair of glasses, like the ones you see old people and jewelers wear in movies. “I looked over your record, and I have to say I’m amazed. It’s very rare for humans in this world to have magical powers, much less serious potential for them! Anyways, I’m a 1st Year Runic Arts Teacher for Circe Academy, here for your initiation to the school and to submission. My name is Ms. Euphrasia eh.”

Okay, this is getting stranger all the time. (I CANT USE MAGIC!!!!) I scream out in my mind, but she doesn’t seem to be able to read minds, as she keeps going on about things I don’t even know how to try and understand. She just goes on about how many credits I'll get from classes each semester and required courses and the grading systems and...how am I supposed to concentrate on this stuff when it's all crazy and I CAN'T MOVE?

“Well anyways, I suppose it’s time we got to the fun part eh?" she says, cocking her head again. “I suppose I should release the binding spell I put on you...at least for your mouth eh.”

And with that she stretches out her arm...or should I say, wing! Wait, why does she have wings? Then I remember what the letter said. A few of her feathers brush across my forehead, and right away I can tell that something has changed.

“Okay, what the hell are you and what the hell is going on?!?” I demand, the freakiness of all of this getting to be more than I can stand.

Euphrasia’s face reddens slightly as she lifts up one of her legs, which is covered in yellow, scaly-looking skin. Her foot ends in four sharp talons, one of which she uses to adjust her glasses. She clears her throat slightly.

“Well, I wasn’t excepting this. I suppose you are still rather perturbed by all of this, but I, and any other teacher you may have, don’t appreciate that kind of language. You had best work to control your mouth, young lady eh,” she said with a frown.

“Now then, I guess I’ll have to give you a bit of punishment,” she says as she hops up onto my bed.

“You’ll start by giving me cunnilingus eh,” she says as uses her wings to brush away some feathers away from her crotch. I’m rather surprised to see that her vagina is nearly identical to a human’s, aside from the feathers all around it. It’s just then that what she said really sets in.

“No way,” I tell her. Even as freaked out as I am, I can stay calm enough to know that there is no way I’ll do anything like that, especially for some freaky half-bird woman who broke into my house.

“It wasn’t a request. And in the future, you'll need to address your mistress with a respectful title when you're being a sub eh,” she says as she presses herself against my face. I close my mouth as tight as I can.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you think I’m attractive eh?” she asks as she rocks her hips, the musky scent of her pussy tickling my nose.

Of course not! First of all, you aren’t human, and secondly, you’re a woman, and the only time I’ve ever done anything with another girl was that time at Becky’s 16th birth day when we broke into her dad’s liquor cabinet, and even then I never went below the waist!

“Fine then. If you don’t wish to cooperate, then I guess I’ll have to be a bit forceful eh,” Euphrasia said, before she muttered something under her breath that I couldn’t understand. But I knew it wasn’t good, because just like when I woke up, I could tell that I wasn’t in control of my body any more.

“Now lick eh!” she said in a commanding voice. My lips part despite how hard I try to keep them shut, and my tongue begins to stretch out, and before I can think of protesting the tip of my tongue brushes against her labia. Right away my mouth is filled with a salty, somewhat sour taste. Euphrasia lets out a deep moan.

“That’s much better, eh,” she says in a relaxed, happy voice, before bucking her hips forward slightly, brushing her clit against the tip of my nose. When she does, the smell of her pussy is nearly overwhelming, and I can’t help but find it almost pleasant...

No! No...no, I can’t think like that! I’m not enjoying this! But as I say this to myself, my tongue plunges deeper into her. Euphrasia moans again as she starts rocking her hips more. As she does, I can’t help but keep licking. The strange taste of it isn’t really that bad!

“You're...ehhhh, doing really well considering I’ve already undone the spell that I put on you eh,” she mutters as she takes a deep breath.

(Wait, I’m doing this on my own!?) I think as I keep licking I decide to test it, and to my surprise I can stop...but for some reason I don’t really want to, and I start doing it again right away, because there’s something really interesting about all of this.

As I keep licking, I start to feel myself getting really turned on. I want to reach down and masturbate, but my arms still refuse to work. The more I eat her out, the hornier I get, and I’m really starting to enjoy the taste of her. I can’t believe I said that! There’s no way I should be getting turned on by this! I mean, I’m not a lesbian or anything! But I can’t help but want to get more of her delicious juices, and the sight of the lovely light pink combined with the musky scent of her all together...I’ve never been this turned on in my life! Damn, this is driving me crazy! I have to touch myself, or, or...I don’t know, but I do know I can’t stand this any longer!

Suddenly Euphrasia lets out one long, loud moan as she cums. "EeeehhhhHHHHhhhh..." I gulp down every last drop, moaning lightly as I do so.

After she rests for a few momnts, she rises up, a few lingering drops of her pussy juice dripping onto my face. “See, it’s much easier and a lot more fun when you go along with what you're told eh,” she says with a grin.

“In fact, I think you might have some real talent as a submissive, once you improve that attitude eh,” she comments as she uses one of her feet to pull away my blanket. It’s only now that I realize that I’m completely naked, but there’s something more important on my mind right now.

“Just why are you doing this?” I ask. I know I should be more upset about the fact that she just forced me to perform oral sex, yet I’m more curious than anything. Euphrasia shrugs her shoulders as best as she can, considering she has wings rather than arms.

“Didn’t you read the letter eh?” she asks, using that odd verbal tic again. "It's a small introduction to submission, like the letter says eh."

“Yeah, but that doesn’t explain why you're basically raping me!” I shout, trying to sound angrier than I actually am. Euphrasia’s face goes completely pale.

“W...What!? I would never rape anyone!” she says defensively, ruffling her feathers.

“Than how come I can’t move? And on top of that, you forced me to do that just now!” I snap back at her. She shakes her head.

“I knew you didn’t have much knowledge of magic and the school, but still eh...” she shakes her head a bit before pushing her glasses up with one of her wings.

“Inhibited movement is standard for a sub during sex; it's part of the experience. And that spell did nothing more than bring out you own latent desires and remove your inhibitions. Anything more would constitute mind control, which is not only highly illegal and easily detected (meaning that the police would have gotten here by now had I used it), but also beyond my abilities, as it is beyond almost everyone else's. You did that just know because you wanted to eh,” she explains in the same tone of voice as my old math teacher when he talked about long division.

“I don’t believe you! I’m not interested in girls! Especially not--not FREAKS like whatever you are!” I say. For a second she looks almost hurt by my words, and I feel a twinge of guilt.

“In case you didn’t know, I’m a Harpy eh,” she says, huffing slightly. "And I'll have you know that harpies are no less common in our community than humans like yourself!"

A harpy? Like the one in the Greek myths? I don’t know why I didn’t realize it before. Suddenly she interrupts my train of thought.

“And if you didn’t enjoy it, then why are you so aroused eh?” she asks as she brushes the top of one of her talons along my slit. The smooth, warm feel of it is nearly enough to make me cum right away, but she quickly pulls her foot away.

“Now then, as I said earlier, you need to be punished, so I’m not going to let you climax before taking you to the school,” she says, before she reaches into a pocket of her shirt using her foot (her legs and feet are pretty flexible!). She pulls out a rolled-up piece of paper and unfurls it. In the middle of it is a large circle, surrounded by all kinds of strange symbols.

“Now then, say goodbye to your home for a while. You won’t be back for quite some time,” she says, before muttering some more words under her breath. There’s a bright flash of light...

(Damn that was bright!) I think to myself as my sight returns. I find myself standing in a large, plush-looking room with a large circular couch surrounding a fire place that has a low flame going. All around the room are paintings. Some are of landscapes that look like they belong in a Lord Of The Rings fan boy's bedroom. Others are of people dressed in robes, holding books or swords. In addition to all of that, there are a few depicting some pretty kinky stuff.

“Welcome to the Morgan le Fay dormitory, where you’ll be spending the next several months eh,” Euphrasia says, spreading her wings in a grand display.

I look around some more. It does look a lot better than the apartment I’d been living in ever since I left home.

“Okay, so this is a impressive place and all, but I still have a ton of things I want to know! For one thing, WHAT is going on? I told you I can’t do magic!” I snap.

“Could you please put some clothing on before we talk any further? It is VERY distracting for me eh,” Euphrasia says, using one of her talons to point at my bare crotch. I feel myself blush slightly before using my hands to cover myself up.

“Your room is at the top of those stairs. You’ll find a temporary uniform in there eh,” she explains, tilting her head to the left. I look and see a staircase I didn’t notice before. Each step is covered in plush red carpet.

“Okay, but you aren’t going anywhere, are you?” I ask, still confused by all of this.

"I won't leave you unattended, but I might have to leave at some point. Each staff member has many students to induct today, so I can't spend too long with any one. I'll make sure you're attended to, though, eh."

I walk up the stairs. I start to feel my horniness return. Now that I think about it, this must all be a dream...a very realistic, not to mention messed up, dream. Oh God, I’d hate to hear what Freud would have to say about all this!

Well, dream or real, it’s better to just go along with it for now. Yeah, that should work. Just as I reach that conclusion, I reach the top of the stairs, and right there is my room, a plain-looking door with a name plate on it. (Janis Deja) is written in fancy calligraphy. I look back down the stairs and see that Euphrasia is sitting on the couch, prodding the fire with a poker she holds in the talon of her right leg. I let out a sigh and open the door.

Wow, it’s like something out of a magazine! Right in the middle of the room is a huge bed, easily half the size of my old bedroom. The sheets look like they're made of red silk, and the whole thing is surrounded by pink lace bed curtains. Built into one wall is a large fire place, which is flickering lightly. The moment that I step through the door, it gently shuts on its own.

“Wow!” I murmur out loud.

I take a few more steps into the room, still overwhelmed by everything that’s going on. I notice a pair of packages sitting in the middle of the bed. When I get a closer look at them, one is labeled (Uniform), whereas the second one has (Sub/Dom) on it. After lifting it, I discover that it’s surprisingly heavy. Guess this must be that Master/Slave kit thing the letter told me about. I can look through it later, though. For now I need to get dressed, I tell myself...but as I look at the bed, I can’t help but think about how nice it would be to lie down and take care of the unfinished business from earlier. I guess it would okay if I let her wait for a little while...

I brush both packages to the floor and lie down on the bed. The cool, smooth feeling of the sheets sends a shiver up my spine. After a few seconds of enjoying the feel of it, I get started. Not wasting any time on foreplay, I quickly jam a couple of fingers into my quim and start pumping. As I do, I can’t help but think about the sight of Euphrasia’s pink folds.

I stop for a second and shake my head, trying to banish the images, and go back to it. I normally don’t fantasize about anything in particular, but for some reason, no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to help but recall the musky smell and tangy taste of the harpy’s cunny. And her feet...ohh, those long, smooth, black talons...something about them was really sexy, in a strange way...mmm, an exotic way...and the feeling of them against my labia...Ahh...!

I feel my pussy tighten up around my fingers as I have a small, light orgasm...yet it somehow feels very satisfying, more than some of the more intense ones I've had before. At any rate, it's enough to take the edge off from earlier.

I move to wipe my hand on the sheets like always, but this time I pause, and bring it up to my face. I look at my fingers, glistening slightly with moisture. I never really tasted my own cum before...I mean, it always seemed kind of gross. But after what I did earlier...a quick sniff, and I realize I kind of like the smell. So I very lightly extend my tongue and give it a little taste. Hmm...it's a lot different from Euphrasia’s...but really good! I think I may like the taste of cum in general...

What the hell is going on with me? I’m accepting all of this way too fast for it to be real! It has to be a dream! I mean, there’s no way that things like magic and harpies can really exist. I reach up and pinch my cheek.

Ow! So much for waking myself up that way.

Letting out a sigh, I decide that it’s best to just keep going along with this. I get up and lift the uniform box off the floor. I wonder what it’ll look like as I start to pull away the paper on the box. Probably some big flowing robe or something...Harry Potter chic, no doubt.

After getting all the wrapping off, I pull open the lid of the box, and to my surprise sitting right on top is a plain white dress shirt, and the rest of it is a dark red, pleated skirt, along with a pair of knee socks and black Mary Jane shoes, as well as a plain white bra and matching panties. It looks like something a Catholic schoolgirl would wear. But it’s not too bad, I guess...I'd rather have a school of people wearing school uniforms than be walking down a hallway with hundreds of people tripping over their excessively long robes.

I dress quickly and walk over to a mirror in the corner of the room, and look myself over. Aside from my hair being rather messy from not having been brushed, I look pretty good in this. After trying unsuccessfully to smooth my hair out with my hands, I leave my room. Right away I’m greeted by the sight of a Japanese girl with chestnut colored hair, and rather large breasts and wide hips, dressed in the same outfit as myself. But it looks much better on her, due to her being so much more curvy than I am.

She gives me a slight bow, while saying, “Ohayou gozaimasu.” I’ve never really heard much Japanese, but I know enough to realize she’s saying good morning.

“Um...Good morning to you, too,” I say politely. A few seconds go by before she speaks.

“Euphrasia-sensei was called away, so she asked me to help explain some of the basics to you,” she says, before walking towards the stairs. “I’m sure you are still really freaked out by all of this. I know how you feel. Last year when I was brought here, I thought it was all a dream for a while.”

Yeah, I’m still not sure if this is real or if I’ve just gone insane. Her saying that could just be a cunning trick my subconscious is trying to use to get me to believe it.

“Anyways, I’m sure you didn’t get to eat breakfast yet, and you're probably hungry, so let’s go to the kitchen. My name is Sugimori Yuu, by the way.”

I follow after Sugimori Yuu, trying to figure out if she’s actually human or not.

“Just in case you're wondering, I’m a pure blood, not a Demi,” she says suddenly.

“A what?” I ask. She giggles.

“I forgot...you still probably don’t know much. Demi is a general term for any of the many races that are partway human, as opposed to monsters, who have no real relation to humans. It's a pretty general term, especially when you consider how many more Demis there are than humans in the magic community, but no one seems to care, so those are the only terms we really use for the differences between us all, besides just species names.”

Gee, that clears thing up so much. “So how did you get brought here?” I ask.

“Oh, my family has been coming here for generations. It’s my second year, in fact, but last year was my first time in fact that was when I learned that I had magic myself.” she comments as she pushes open the door to the kitchen. Just like everything else in this place, it’s amazing with a large island with a sink and stove both built right in the middle, and a freezer that’s easily the size of a long car on the far right, and several rows of shelves filled with all kinds of dried and canned food and ingredients, with plenty of space to move around. On the far left is a breakfast nook with a nice table in the corner. As Yuu starts going through the refrigerator, I take a seat at one of the chairs and decide to find out a bit more about all of this. My brain doesn't seem too eager to wake up if this is a dream, so I might as well get acclimated.

“I still don’t get any of this. I don’t have magical powers or anything! I’ve never really even believed in that stuff, either,” I tell her.

“Yes I’m sure that it is rather unsettling, considering this is your first time here, but I assure you that you do have some degree of power, enough to be brought to Circe...which is really saying something, since you're from Earth. Circe's one of the most prestigious and competitive schools for magic out there, and Earth barely ever has a person born with enough ability to even make it into one of the lower schools. If you're here, you've got magic, and lots of it.”

As she explains, she gets to work making an omelet, which smells extremely good. “Anyways, you’ll learn how to use magic soon enough. That's what most of the classes are about. Now is there anything else you’d like to know?” she asks as she brings over the omelet, before going back to make one for herself.

“A lot. I don’t even know where to start,” I say before taking a quick bite of my omelet.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted,” I say out loud without even thinking. And it’s true. I’ve eaten at a few five-star restaurants, and none were even half as good as this. Well, to be fair, I wasn't ordering omelets from them, so I didn't have a perfect comparison, but the rest of their main courses hadn't been this good.

“Thank you. I love to cook, so I’ve gotten really good. Now then, how about I just explain some of the most important stuff.

“You see, there have always been two worlds. Earth and Terra both exist side by side, yet separate, and in the ancient times there were many points where the two meet. But then...something happened that closed off most of the points.”

I stop her. “What was it?” I ask, but she shakes her head.

“No one’s really sure, but that’s not important. What does matter is that some people from each side got stuck in the opposite world of which they were born in. Some of them started families, and those who were living on Earth had the magic in their blood lines fade for most. And those who still had strong magic tended to hide it, unless they knew they were around other users, because those who didn’t have powers began to hate and fear them.”

“Why? I mean, if they have magic, couldn’t they just turn people into frogs or zap them with lighting and stuff like that?” I ask.

Yuu sighs heavily. “Well, transforming someone is a very high-leveled spell that isn’t very useful, and like I said, they were out-numbered. And of course, no matter how strong someone is, they have to sleep, and then they’d be easy prey. Just being magic doesn't mean you won't die if someone stabs you with a sword. It's not unbeatable by a long shot. So it was safer to hide,” she explains as she finishes off the last of her meal. “But the important thing is that a lot of people kept their powers hidden, and ended up not telling their children, who never learned of their powers. Every now and then, two people descended of them will meet and have children, and they’ll have a great deal of power. Most likely, you just so happen to be one of them.”

Okay that explains a little bit. “Alright, so where is this school? I mean, it can’t be Earth, since that whole thing about hiding it and everything.”

Yuu nods. “True. This school is in the magical world, or Terra, as it’s more commonly known. It's just as well...I hear that Earth is pretty crowded now anyway. Terra's a much bigger world, so we've got more space for Circe and the other magic schools.”

“So then how did we get here? I thought the ways between the worlds were closed?” I ask.

“Not all of them, just most. They're very rare, but not really needed, because as time went on a lot of people figured out how to create temporary portals that can be opened anywhere with the right knowledge.“

Well I guess that explains the whole scroll thing with Euphrasia. "But what's to stop people from this world going to Earth, then? You said there's barely anyone there who can use magic."

"Well, that's true and it's not. Earth and Terra have an understanding...people who are trained in magic can live on Earth if they want, but they have to do it in secret, and they can't have families, or if they do, the families have to live on Terra. There are plenty of magic-using Humans and Demis who can pass for human who live there. But Earth likes being non-magic in general, and so it's rare to find anyone on Earth with magic who didn't come from Terra, like you. And honestly, most people from Terra feel out of place there. The energy produced by technology is rather unpleasant to more sensitive people and, there's a lack of species diversity that's strange to everyone when we're surrounded by so many different kinds of people, and there's the sexuality thing."

"Sexuality thing?" I ask.

"I don't want to go into any real details about it, since your teachers will anyway, but the big thing with it is that Terra and Earth kind of have their sexualities opposed to each other. Like...on Earth, it's about 10% of people that are gay, right? And most of the rest are heterosexual? Exactly the opposite with Terra. Most Terra people aren't comfortable with the idea that they could hit on someone of the same sex and that person would actually get offended, which is what happens on Earth a lot."

"How do you guys keep up a population, then?" I ask. 10% isn't very much.

Yuu shrugs. "It seems to work out for us. Most people figure it's because a lot of the species on Terra live a very long time by Human standards. Centaurs and Elves can live into their 200s, and Nagas and a few Nature Children (plant people) can live past 1000. Humans like you and me are some of the shortest-lived beings on the planet. So with that many people living to be that old, 10% of the population having the urge to have children is enough. And anyway, Terra long ago found magic ways for having kids that didn't involve biology, so anyone can have a kid if they really want to, even if they're the same gender or different species. Although the magic way takes a lot longer than normal pregnancies, so not everyone does that."

This was getting really off-track now. I decided to get back to the school itself. "So, what's the point of this school? It's to teach me magic, I get that, but why do I need it? And what's the other stuff in that letter about lifestyle?"

"Well," Yuu says, "If a person DOES have magic, then the government want them to know how to use it. And when I say "how," I mean they want the person to have the ability to use it, but to also know why and when to use it responsibly. Academies like Circe are set up so that those of us born with magic won't hurt others who can't use it, or ourselves with it (even Terra only has 40% of its people born with magical ability, you know, so it's a concern for each world). This school teaches us to use our abilities well and responsibly, because without guidance we're dangerous to the world. That's why it's absolutely mandatory. You HAVE to go to a school for magic if you can use it, and you CAN'T leave until the school's satisfied you're going to use it well. That's part of the lifestyle part of the education. The other part...well, there are certain basic lifestyle needs that we magic-users have that we should understand and become comfortable with, or it hinders our abilities and makes us miserable. I'll...let the teachers explain that part, though."

"So...I CAN'T leave here? What's to stop me from just walking out the front gate or whatever?" I ask.

"Well, it's locked, for one," she answers. "Secondly, there are armed guards set up around the school's perimeter to make sure no one makes a break for it...if someone's desperate enough to try to escape without learning how to make sure they don't hurt other people with their gift, well, the government figure they're going to be too dangerous and hurt someone sooner or later, so...well, to be blunt, they take care of you then and there. And the school's got a field of magic around it so that only staff members can successfully use the teleporting scrolls. So the only way out's past the guards."

"What, do they have some kind of death spells or something?" I ask. I'm not sure how much I like the idea of being trapped here.

"Nah, they're actually not magic-users at all. They're all soldiers with normal weapons."

"So...they can't actually use magic to stop us?" I ask, confused.

"No. They have iron weapons because no matter how strong someone’s magic iron goes right trough it," she answers.

“Now then," she says, "since you're new to all this, I should tell you that there are a lot of students who aren’t human, and you’ll probably get rather freaked out by some of them. I mean, the first time I met a Minotaur, I was shocked--I'm from Japan and have seen a lot of freaky things. But you need to keep in mind, no matter what they may look like, they're all students here, so you should treat them the way you would other people around your age,” she tells me.

“Okay, but there is one more thing that I still don’t get. What's with the whole master-slave thing?”

She smiles. "You'll learn that soon enough, trust me. It's always the first thing they talk about in your Pursuit of Happiness class, and everyone has that on their first day."