The Otherworlders Academy - An Original Teen Fantasy

Ep. 1.5 (R) - Welcome to the Academy: This is Why You're Here

The students are gathered in the Headmaster's wood-paneled library, a sanctuary filled with ancient texts, exotic artifacts, and the smell of old wood and leather.

A few students sit on couches, a few in armchairs by the fireplace, and a few lean against the enormous reading table sitting in the middle of the room. Predictably, the students are grouped together, self-organized, by race.

Farid, running a few minutes late, spills into the room. He spots Sebastian sitting in an armchair at the far end of Headmaster Pierce's office, but he takes a chance and heads for the much closer Shifter couch instead.

Patrick, Ava, and Jake are sitting on the large tufted couch, and Jake's backpack takes up the last empty seat next to him.

Farid approaches. "Well, it looks like I slept through my alarm." He laughs awkwardly as the Shifter kids just stare at him. Then he nods towards Jake. "Is that seat taken?"

Jake looks up at Farid, then over at his backpack, then back to Farid. His eyes narrow, and he doesn't move a muscle.

Farid blows out a slow breath. Okay, then, message received. It looks like attending this school with Shifters and Enchanteds was going to be far more fun than he ever could've imagined.

Turning away from the Shifter kids, he rolls his eyes and shakes his head, trying not to take Jake's gesture too personally. Instead, he moves on, ending up on the other side of the room, where he takes a seat on the arm of the armchair his brother's currently occupying.

Sitting behind the desk at the front of the room is Headmaster Pierce. He's a tall, thin man--a senior mage--with a mop of unruly black hair, a wise but very stern face, and soft, playful eyes. Wearing a starched white shirt, a wool vest and trousers, and a bow tie that looked like it had been made over a century ago, he was the very picture of a proper academy headmaster.

Seeing that everyone's finally arrived, Headmaster Pierce stands.

"Welcome... welcome to the Otherworlder Integrated Academy." Smiling, he moves out from behind his desk and continues. "I hope that you've all settled in well. I have two quick announcements before we begin. First, we'll be having a formal meet-and-greet with the entire staff and faculty tonight in the dining hall at 6:00 p.m." He bends his head and peers out over his glasses. "Don't be late. Second, our final student will be arriving some time tonight, which means classes begin tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. sharp."

Now..." he pauses and steeples his fingers before him, "as to why we've brought you here." As many of you know, there have been a series of incidents involving Otherworlders from every community who have mysteriously disappeared. News of these disappearances has been spreading quickly throughout the realm. But what most of you don't know—what has not yet been made public—is that many of the missing bodies have actually been found, but they have been found mangled, eviscerated, and utterly destroyed."

Gasps of horror ripple through the room. Jake, in particular, seems upset by this revelation.

Acknowledging their shock, the Headmaster holds up his hands and continues. "I know it's awful, horrid in fact. But please stay calm." He takes a deep breath and then continues. "Over 1000 years ago, there was a demon race called The Fury that plagued our land," he states. "They were a constant torment to our people until one day they were lured up into the Great Arctic by a band of very brave warriors, made up of Vampyr, Enchanted, and Shapeshifter alike. Once there, the demon horde was imprisoned within the glaciers by Zandar, the Great Wizard of the North."

Clasping his hands behind his back, he begins to pace.

"It is due to the actions of these brave souls that all of our people have been able to survive, and sometimes thrive, on this great Earth. Unfortunately, times have changed. The planet is growing warmer, and the glaciers are melting fast. The demons are being freed from their icy prison at an alarming rate. "And we believe it's these demons who are behind the attacks," he reveals.