It was official, Alchemy was way more interesting than regular, boring old science class.
I mean, duh, ignoring the fact that they were being taught a magical science by a literal giant. The stuff that they were going to be taught was insane, even for a Freshman. They were literally going to be performing magic in a bottle.
Sure, it wasn't going to be explosions or toxic chemicals like he had hoped for, but this was still awesome stuff.
When Mrs. Andre went over the class syllabus, she explained that they'd be learning about transmutation and potion-making. Stuff like turning a block of wood into iron or making a bottle of liquid that could change the color of your eyes. They were even gonna learn how to put lightning in a bottle.
Something apparently so easy that she was going to demonstrate to them right now.
"Okay, everyone, come closer. Leave your bags by your tables, oh, and mind the ledge. We don't want anyone falling over this year." Setting down one of the massive sharpies on her whiteboard, Mrs. Andre left to gather her supplies as everyone nervously got up from their tables.
Not Isaac, though. As soon as she gave permission, Isaac was the first to leave his table. Going up, he stood at the very front near the ledge while the rest of the class nervously hung back behind him.
A few of the braver kids joined, but none got as close to the edge as he did. One of them was the dark-skinned girl who sat next to him.
Though she didn't look particularly happy being crowded. In fact, she looked like she was seconds away from booting some poor kid over the edge just for bumping into her.
The last group of kids stayed seated at their tables. Unwilling to come forward, either out of fear of heights or fear of the giant coming towards them, they were the ones who looked ready to bolt out the door at the first sign of trouble.
Isaac chuckled. Cowards; if they were going to be like that, then why even come to a magical school in another world? Much better if they had just stayed on Earth and become an accountant or something.
Going over to the cabinets by her desk, Mrs. Andre pulled out a glass flask filled halfway with a silver, shimmering liquid. Placing the flask in a pouch on her hip, she then stopped in front of a wall of tiny cabinets and picked out three smaller vials of sand, rocks, and twigs.
Sticking them into her belt as well, she made her way over to them.
Stopping in front of their cubbyhole of a classroom, Mrs. Andre held up the flask by its stem, her thumb firmly on the cork so she wouldn't spill anything.
"Now, because we don't have much time, I'm not going to go over everything today. Most of this you will learn later on in the year. But this-" Mrs. Andre shook the flask. Inside the glittery syrup lazily sloshed around. Slow-moving waves crashing against the bulbous glass body. "- This is Parraviqua. Or as it is more commonly known, Stasiro. It is the most common reactive binding agent for many of the alchemic solutions that we will cover this year. You can identify Stasiro by its color and viscosity. "
Holding the glass closer for the class to see, Mrs. Andre smiled as they all gasped in awe. The way the greyish-white syrup sparkled like a pool of silver glitter caught their eyes as it swirled around itself inside the flask. Even Isaac was mesmerized by it.
Man, imagine if he could swim in that; he'd probably come out looking like a walking disco ball.
Everyone would be looking at him, watching as he walked down the hallway. Definitely with a trail of shiny footprints behind him. That would be so funny. And if he hugged someone, that'd be hilarious.
Them, all mad as they chased Isaac around the school, both of them covered in Stasiro, leaving smudges and streaks all across the school. It would be the perfect start to the school year.
There was only one problem he saw with that plan - oh well, two problems. First was how he was gonna get himself into that flask. Second, who was he gonna hug?
It couldn't just be anyone. It had to be someone that he knew he could get to chase him.
That didn't leave a lot of options. What with this being a brand new school and all. He could try to find Luci, but he forgot what class she had. And even if he did, he didn't know where it was. No, there was no way he could find her with enough time to both hug her and run away before the teachers showed up.
Same deal with Anne.
Hmm, Isaac hummed as he took a peek at the girl with the afro behind him. She looked angry enough to chase him. And since she was right there, they had more time to cover the school. Literally and figuratively.
But Isaac put those plans on hold for now. He wanted to see what a real lightning in a bottle looked like.
"It's so pretty."
"It looks like stars."
"What do you think it tastes like?"
Behind him, the other kids were already starting to get over their earlier fear of Mrs. Andre.
But while everyone seemed content to stay where they were, Isaac was the only one to move closer. Taking another step towards the ledge, Isaac leaned forward, watching as the Stasiro slowly swirled around itself inside the flask.
"Now on its own, Stasiro is a stable solvent. But when I add these ingredients..."
Using her thumb, Mrs. Andre popped the cork off of the flask with a loud bang. Startling a few kids with sensitive ears. Giving them an apologetic smile for the noise, Mrs. Andre grabbed the vials from her belt and started feeding them into the Stasiro with a practiced grace.
Sealing the opening with her thumb, Mrs. Andre tightened her grip along the stem and started shaking the flask like a can of soda. Mixing the ingredients together to finish the potion.
Through her waving arm, they could make out the faintest of glow coming from the flask. And the longer that she shook the flask, the brighter it became, until.
Pop
A bright yellow flash briefly lit up in front of their face. It didn't last long, like the pop of a firework; it was there for a second and then gone the next. But it was bright.
A few kids shouted out in pain as they tried to rub the spots out of their eyes. The dark-skinned girl next to him cursed under her breath, digging the heel of her palm into her eye as she tried to glare at Mrs. Andre through squinted eyes.
Isaac, on the other hand, was unfazed. The bright flash barely a tickle in his eyes. Years of pranks and surprised from his family had conditioned him to not be fazed. He did think it was extremely funny that everyone else got hurt, though.
"Hahaha!" Isaac laughed at them.
Holding up the finished potion, Mrs. Andre turned towards the class.
"Now, once the potion pops, that's when you know to stop mixing. I personally like to give it a few extra shakes just to make sure everything's -"
Noticing the disheveled kids rubbing their eyes, Mrs. Andre gave them an apologetic smile.
"-Oh, I'm sorry I forgot to have you kids wear your safety goggles. It is too late now, but for future reference, all lab safety equipment is kept over there in the drawers and closets to the left. For now… just try not to rub your eyes too much; you should be fine. If you still can't see by the time class ends, you can head to the nurse's office. I'll have a Golem escort you."
Getting a few nods in response, Mrs. Andre waited for them to get situated again before continuing the demonstration.
"This class is Glyn. One of the easiest and simplest potions that you will be learning this year. Its quick mixing and relatively cheap ingredients make it teh perfect potion for children just learning Alchemy. Do not think, though, that means that you can play around with this, because while this potion only creates a tiny spark - it can still give you a pretty good shock if you are not careful."
Mrs. Andre looked at him in particular as she warned the class. Oh, look at that, looks like she knew about him.
Isaac was used to that. Teachers were probably the most gossipy clique in any school. Especially when it came to warning other teachers about kids to look out for.
Giving a happy grin, Isaac waved back. Frowning, Mrs. Andre gave a little hum before moving on.
Isaac chuckled. Well, it's gonna be a little bit more difficult getting to bathe in Starsiro with the teacher watching him. But he'll find a way to do it.
Still keeping her thumb over the opening, Mrs. Andre brought the flask closer so that they could have a better look.
A tiny spark, she said; yeah, right.
Sure it was, tiny for her. But everything was tiny for her. To them, it looked like a thunderstorm. Lightning bolts slammed against the glass with a fury when she brought the bottle closer to their cubby hole. Thunderous crackles only slightly muffled by the glass.
"Ahh!"
A few of the kids jumped back. Just being that close, the electrical charge had made their hair stand up. Isaac looked at them, confused. Why is everyone acting so scared over a little lightning?
It's like none of them have ever been spearfishing during a thunderstorm with a metal spear before.
"Yes, yes, Glyn at this size can look a little scary. But don't worry, even at this size, the shock from a bottle of Glyn will at most give you a mild jolt. Doesn't matter how you scale up the ingredients; the results will always be the same. It is why Glyn is one of the favorite potions to teach beginners."
Reaching out beside her, Mrs. Andre picked up the forgotten cork left on the table and quickly used it to replace her thumb over the spout. Closing the flask, Mrs. Andre tore a piece of tape from her desk and placed it over the cork, taping it down and sealing it shut.
Leaving the bottle of Glyn on her desk, Mrs. Andre turned back to the class to continue the lesson. But just as she opened her mouth to speak, the symphony in the hall started up again.
Stopping, Mrs. Andre looked at the giant clock over the whiteboard. She sighed. "Unfortunately, that's all we have time for today. Please pick up a supply sheet by the door before you leave, and anyone still having trouble seeing, please stay behind."
Isaac blinked; it's over already. That can't be right, the class just started. But sure enough, looking at the clock, it was already time for third period.
He didn't even notice the time passing. A whole class had gone by, and he hadn't daydreamed once. More than that, he actually paid attention in class.
Whoa, Isaac thought, that's never happened before.
Normally, time at school had always felt syrup to him. Slowly crawling forward and pulling him back whenever he tried to go faster.
And the teachers never helped. Constantly droning on and on about the lesson when he was already finished and ready to move on. It's why he had started daydreaming in the first place. Everything had become so slow and boring that he needed someplace to escape or else he'd lose his mind.
But here, the things that they were learning were so new and alien that Isaac didn't want to miss a second of it.
So many new and exciting things to learn and play with. And this was just the first class. Ahh, he screamed in his head. Why did class have to end right now?
He had so many questions that he wanted to ask. All of them crowding and bouncing around in his head. It felt like his brain was gonna explode just from the sheer pressure of it all. He didn't know if he could wait until tomorrow.
What was Stasiro? What were the ingredients that Mr.s Andre put in? Was Mrs. Andre an actual giant, and if so were there more giants? Why does increasing a potion's ingredient portion make a giant potion but not make it any stronger?
What does touching Glyn feel like? Mrs. Andre said it would be like a mild jolt, but does that mean like a jolt from an outlet or from actual lightning? He knows the difference.
What do all those ingredients in her cupboards taste like? What would happen if he mixed them all together? Does Glyn conduct through water? If he threw a bottle of Glyn at his sister, could he make her hair frizz up?
All these super important questions and no way to find out the answers.
Pouting on his way back to his table, Isaac picked up his bag and headed toward the door. Next to him, his new table buddy was grabbing her bag. Though in a noticeably worse mood than he was.
"Goddamm stupid school and their insane giant hags." She muttered, angrily swinging her bag over her shoulder.
Her hair, still frizzy from the Glyn, gave her a bit of static shock when her hand passed near it. Which appeared to just her mood worse.
Isaac hummed to himself. Guess not everyone is taking to being in a magic school as well as he is. It's to be expected, after all, not everyone can be blessed to have grown up in a family like his.
Well, this seemed like the perfect time to introduce himself. And who knows, maybe he can help her acclimate to her new environment.
Putting on his best 'hey let's be friends' smile, Isaac reached out his hand.
"Hey, I'm Isaac. Cool class, huh?"
Barely glancing at him, she smacked his hand away, pushed past him, and left him with a growl. "Buzz off."
Stomping away, she stopped to snatch the supply list by the door, shoved it into her backpack, and left.
Still smiling, Isaac rubbed his wrist where she hit him as he watched her leave. She seemed fun. Look at that, first day at a new school, and already he's making friends. His mom was worried about nothing.
Taking one of the supply papers as he left, Isaac looked it over on his way to his next class.
Reading the supply list, he saw most of it was normal stuff he could find anywhere. Pens, paper, notebooks, tape. In fact, Isaac was pretty sure they had most of this stuff in their supply closet back home. Kind of boring, but whatever. Other supplies, though-
Hanfield safety gloves, Hanfield mask, BeaRose potion starting kit? Where was he supposed to find this stuff?
Aw well, Isaac shrugged; he'll just ask his mom when he gets home. Right now, though, he's got to get to class before the - bell?
Isaac started staring off into space. Is it right to call it a bell? This entire time, he's been calling it a symphony, but it feels weird to keep calling it that. But at the same time, it's not really a bell either.
Near the ceiling, a group of Golems leaned out of the wall to play the trumpets. Down the hall, a couple more Golems banged on the drums, while behind him someone was playing the guitar.
Just a random cascade of noise that somehow came together to make music. Calling it a regular school bell would just be a lie. Especially when it's an entire orchestra playing it.
Eh, Isaac shrugged his shoulders; whatever, symphony it was. It's the only word that he can think of right now, and he doesn't care enough to come up with something better.
Back to getting to class, though. Double-checking his schedule, Isaac saw that he had History next, and that was…Room 1T23 in the 1T hall, third corridor on the left from Alchemy.
Which, if the map that they gave them was correct, meant he had a bit of walking to do. Stuffing the rest of the papers in his bag, Isaac squeezed himself into the flow of people and started walking.
The hallway during passing period was crowded. There was no other way to put it. People pushed in from all sides, trying to get where they needed to be before the Golems stopped playing their instruments.
And while this kind of environment is generally typical for any school. Isaac, while having his shoulders squeezed from both sides, found it strange that no one was walking down the left or right side of the hall.
Instead, everyone stayed in the middle, acting as if the hallway were half the size it was when they could probably race cars through here with no problem.
Isaac hated crowds. He hated the feeling of being squished, hated the feeling of multiple people's breaths on him, and he hated how he couldn't even hear himself think with how loud it was.
If they weren't gonna take advantage of all this free space, then Isaac was gonna take it for himself.
"Hey!"
"Whatch it."
"Dude, what are you doing?"
"Don't do it."
Ignoring them, Isaac pushed his way through to the other side of the crowd, coming out on the right side of the hall. Once he was out, Isaac took a second to fix his shirt and get a bit of feeling back in his arms.
He was about to start walking toward class again when a hot, sandy breeze brushed against his face. Isaac looked up. It was the weather from inside the walls. But this time, instead of scenes of the ocean or the forest, it was a desert.
Sandy dunes carved into the wall stood beneath a blazing sun, spewing forth hot desert winds across his face, raising the temperature around him by a few degrees. Golems living in caravans in the distance looked so small; a few of them stopped what they were doing to stare at Isaac.
Isaac stared back in awe. These walls were so cool to him. They were like their own little worlds for the Golems living inside.
And the really cool part was the ceramic tiles jotted all up and down the walls. These were the same kind of tiles from the front entrance. Though these were positioned a little differently.
Some were scattered around like seashells on the beach, while others lay half-buried in the sand, the wall seemingly swallowing them up wherever the sand overlapped them.
Forgetting about class for a second, Isaac took a step closer towards the wall.
You know, it's funny, at his church they have the same kind of tiles on their walls. Well, except the ones at church are just plain white squares with the names of donors painted on them, stuck to the wall with glue. These- these are different.
Each one a different shape or color, with no kind of theme or reason connecting them together. And the way they were stuck to the wall, touching one, Isaac felt around the edges of one of the tiles; it was almost like they were fused into the stone.
Thinking about the tiles at the church, Isaac let out a chuckle. Those tiles used to get him into so much trouble with his Mom.
Every Sunday, whether he was walking in or leaving, Isaac would always touch each and every tile on the wall. Letting his fingers gloss over them like the pages of a book.
His Mom hated that. She would always smack him upside the head and tell him to "Stop that, or they'll fall," and she "Didn't want to deal with the priest's whining over a couple of tiles".
Well, he showed her, cause he's been touching those tiles for over eight years, and not once has any one of them fallen off the wall.
After so long, touching those tiles so many times, it's pretty much become a habit now. No, more than that, it made him feel like he was a part of those tiles' history, like he had become part of their story.
That's what touching these tiles felt like now. The bees and turtles, trees and flowers, and the odd little character in a top hat. These bits of history from students way in the past. Their likeness engraved into stone and mounted on the wall for all to see. And now he was part of their stories.
It made him feel special. And-
Jerking his hand back as fast as he could, Isaac barely dodged the stone hand shooting towards his wrist.
"Hmm." Isaac hummed; that was unexpected. Though not really something that could surprise him anymore.
Maybe if he was seven, that would have scared him, but now - eh. You learn to expect these kinds of things with his family. If you want to surprise him, you've got to be better.
Above him, a tiny Golem dressed in desert garb peeked his head out of the wall and looked down at him. The towel around his head was messily tied together, with one end hanging down beside his face.
"Hehehe," The little Golem giggled, sticking his tongue out at Isaac.
Raising his eyebrow, Isaac kept his eye on the Golem as he slowly scooted down the hall. Stopping in front of another tile, Isaac looked up into the Golem's mischievous eyes and reached out again.
His fingers just brushed the tile when he saw the stone in front of him start to shift.
Ducking his head, Isaac barely dodged the stone hand reaching for his hair. Quickly. Isaac yanked his hand back as a second hand went for his wrist while a third tried to grab his satchel.
Jumping away from the wall, Isaac stopped and stared in fascination as three stone arms flailed against the wall, trying to reach him.
"Hah." Isaac smugly huffed out. If these Golems want to play, they've got to be quicker. His little cousin Enrique could do better than that.
" Aaagh!"
"Let Go!"
Unfortunately, not everyone could be as awesome as him.
Behind him, small Golems from all over the hall leaned out of their walls, grabbing unsuspecting kids who got too close. Tugging on clothes, grabbing bags, pulling hair- anything they could do to hold them back.
"Stop!" A red-haired kid was dragged back as a Golem behind him put him in a headlock and started to give him a noogie. Its stone fist rubbing through the kid's red locks.
"Put Me Down!"A heavy-set kid yelled as five Golems struggled to hoist him up the wall and hang him from a light fixture.
An older kid with bright blue hair next to Isaac sighed. "Every year."
He turned to face Isaac.
"You're pretty lucky to get away." He praised. "The younger Golems like to play pranks sometimes. They won't leave their walls, but if you get too close, they'll hold you back until the song stops making you late to class."
Looking at the kids that got caught, he frowned. "Everyone knows to stick to the middle if you don't want to get caught, but every year kids from the Waste think they know better and cause a scene."
Shaking his head, he left, heading towards the stairs at the end of the hall.
'Weirdo,' Isaac thought, watching him leave. His eyes followed him up the stairs with a blank stare. How can he just say some weird stuff like that and then walk away?
What's the Waste? Why doesn't he like kids from there? Why was his hair so bright? And Blue?
Whatever. He seems boring anyway. Isaac's got something way more fun to think about. Like whether these Golem kids want to play or not.
Grabbing onto his stachel, Isaac tucked it under his arm and got into a running position. Counting down from three in his head, Isaac tensed his legs.
'3-2-1.' Once he got to one, he shot off, sprinting down the hall as close to the wall as he could. At the same time, he reached out, letting his fingers glide over the decorative tiles as he went by.
Beside him, stone hands extended from within the walls, trying to grab onto Isaac. Bobbing his head out of the way of some and moving his arm for others, Isaac just barely stayed out of their grasp.
But no matter how close they came to catching him, Isaac never let go of the wall.
Dodging grasping hands and confused kids, Isaac laughed. "Hahahaha!"
Would they catch him before he made it to class, or could he remain just out of their reach?
Let's find out.