The roaring sound deafened his ears, being a fae with a keen hearing backfired sometimes. A lean figure stumbled out of the whirling vortex, the Dean was mad to have crafted such a dangerous medium for teleporting the new cadets. 

  "Are you alright?" Nikolai asked, extending a hand to help the girl up. 

  "What the fuck was that?" Despite the tight grip on his hand she narrowed her fox like eyes at him. Ah, not a sweet little teen then, Nikolai thought to himself. She'd be an interesting addition to the Academy.

  "I am Nikolai and this is the Golden Quill Academy, I hope you've brought your letter with you," He said, steadying her swaying figure as he focused on healing the damage done to her body by the vortex. 

 "Alright, Niko- whatever.. I'm not even going to ask how the letter got to me and how I got here," She straightened, colour returning to her cheeks and lips parting in awe as she beheld the marvelous and imposing picture the academy cut across the horizon. 

Nikolai followed her russet gaze with his own,"You should get going, turn right at the corridor, the registrations are going on in the hall. You'll be sorted into your cadre and squad." He told her, pointing towards the corridor, "and you might want to reign in your sass, the mages don't take kindly to that." 

  "Lily," the girl muttered, Nikolai didn't miss the eye roll as she walked towards the corridor. The joys of being a rebellious teenager, he thought, chuckling to himself. 

  Silver strands whipped against his face and Nikolai lifted a hand to brace his eyes. What was wrong with the Dean this year? The portals were getting dangerous one after the next. He put his hand down and tied his hair up in a bun, if there were going to be more of this he better have his hair out of the way. 

  Leather clad legs and knives strapped to the thighs were what he noticed first. Slightly built, the owner of those knives had long flowing locks of white. Not human. He met her icy gaze with his stormy ones, definitely not human.

  "What are you?" He asked.

  "How do I get out of here, Fae?" She retorted.

  "You can't, I am Nikolai. I hope you have your letter with you."

   "This?" She asked, reaching for her pocket and pulling out a sheet of paper not very different from what he had received a year ago.

Sapphire, Nikolai noted the cursive lettering of her name. 

  "Keep this with you,my lady. You'll need it for the registration, as for getting out of here you need to take it up with the Dean," Nikolai winced at his words, a year and he was already losing his courtly manners and speech. 

  Sapphire didn't need to see his silver locks or slightly pointed pinnae to know he was Fae, his aura did that for him. It sang to her, her fingers almost brushed against his muscular arms, so much sorrow and longing. Mate. He has a mate. Not here, somewhere far away. 

  Nikolai's heart skipped a beat. He felt exposed, the golden rims of her icy eyes glowed like she was reading the deepest, darkest part of his existence. 

  "Uh, What the fuck." Both of them jumped apart at the loud thud. A few feet away a boy lay sprawled on the pavement, "What the fuck," the boy groaned, wobbling as he tried to get up. 

 Nikolai rushed to his side, placing a hand on his forehead as he healed him. 

  "Do you feel better?" He asked, palpating his chest and legs for any further injury. 

  "Uh.. I.. Who are you?" The boy spluttered, the teleportation might have overwhelmed him, Nikolai thought. The poor boy's cheeks were red from the extertion. Not all humans could smoothly teleport, it took a toll on their system. Exactly why Nikolai had been given the responsibility to receive the cadets at the Academy gate. 

  "I am Nikolai and this is-" he turned to introduce Sapphire but she was already gone,"Nevermind, take a left at the corridor," before he could complete his instruction another body crashed into them. Nikolai didn't need to help her stand, she was already doing that on her own. A resilient human. 

  "Andrew, what are you doing here?" Her blue eyes flashed with recognition as she took in the boy sprawled in the pavement. 

 "I got this letter and on reading it I got here, somehow. I don't understand this at all, is this some kind of Hogwarts?" Andrew dusted his pants as he got up, trying to divert his attention from the handsome hunk with silver braids crouched beside him. 

  "What is Hogwarts?" The handsome guy asked, brows furrowed in confusion. Did he really not know about Hogwarts?

  "Uh.. A school for magic," Andrew answered, the pretty face on that muscular build was immensely distractive and the towering building behind him added to his nerves. Amanda however seemed unfazed by the teleportation, her pale cheeks were tinted pink as she looked up at Nikolai. 

  "Hi handsome, I'm Amanda." She smiled up at Nikolai, startling blue eyes peering beneath her sooty lashes.

"Nikolai," he smiled, the slightly sharper canines grazing his lips, "Andrew will lead you, I've explained it to him. I'll take your leave for now." He said, looking over to the vortex being formed some meters away from them.

  Amanda watched him walk away, the muscles on his back moving like that of a panther. Not that she had ever seen one but she imagined that's how it'd be. 

  "Are you done undressing him with your eyes?" Andrew's bored drawl drew her out.

 "You weren't complaining when he was crouched over you," She retorted, turning to look at him,"was it a blush tinting your cheeks Andrew?"

  Purely white eyes set under a forehead branded in a pentagram stared right at him before getting out of the vortex and walking towards the corridor. Nikolai sensed waves of dark magic emitting from him, not the person's own but of something branded onto him. He shook his head, walking over to the next vortex forming to his left.

  A pale hand reached out to him, firmly taking hold of his wrist as he helped her out smoothly before the vortex spat her out like it did with Andrew. Nikolai squinted his eyes at the bright pink hair, 

  "Are you alright?" He asked, his senses seeking out any damage the vortex might have caused. 

  "I'm fine, I guess. Where am I?" The pink haired girl mumbled, massaging her temple with the other hand.

  "Golden Quill Academy, I believe you have the letter with you?" He asked her. 

 She nodded letting go of his wrist, "Yeah, here it is," after a few moments of looking into her backpack she drew a cream envelope. Engraved in gold it was addressed to Cora Warner. 

  He directed her towards the corridor and moved on to the other vortexes. The Dean should have sent some of the other older candidates with him, the vortexes were forming faster, he doubted if he would be able to keep up. With that thought in mind he grabbed the peculiar object called a cell phone and typed a message to the Dean.

  Gideon stood at the pavement, his eyes still blurry and head still reeling. An archiac castle shadowed him from the sun. Where was he? Not a moment ago he was reading a letter and now he was here, standing in front of a gold embossed door and a silver haired warrior walking towards him. 

  "What sorcery is this?" He asked, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

  "I know not of sorcery, good sir but you have arrived at Golden Quill Academy, I am Nikolai," The grey eyes of the warrior rested on his sword,  
  "You will have to ask one of the mage's permission to keep it." He smiled,"Most of them were opposed to it when I wanted to keep my fighting staffs, I was the only non human last year. This year we might need to keep our weapons close." 

  "Why?" Gideon asked perturbed, his letter had mentioned about writings and quills, nothing about fighting.

  "You will see," Nikolai said, a shiver going down his spine as he remembered a certain pentagram and the dark magic that surrounded him. A gentle tap on his shoulder cleared his mind, as though he hadn't felt the darkness at all.

  "Hi," he turned to the soft voice, "I am Alanna," the girl smiled, pushing away auburn strands from her face. 

  "Nikolai and this is," he looked at the blonde knight beside him, "Gideon, at your service" the knight executed a slight bow.

  "Are you guys cosplaying or something?" Alanna giggled, looking at the guys. They were built like trees and dressed really weird, they also had weapons on them. 

  "Cosplay?" Alanna glanced at Gideon's furrowed brows, did he really not know what cosplay was? She was about to tell him about cosplay when Nikolai interrupted.

  "Alanna, the registration hall is by the corridor. It is getting darker," the sun was setting, he observed, "You should proceed, we will see you later." He added with a smile, not to seem very dismissing. 

  "Sure, um.. Do I need to show any ID?" 

  "Just the letter you received," he answered, watching her retreating form and then turned to find the blonde knight gawping at denim clad Alanna.

  "It is ill-mannered to stare at a lady," Nikolai remarked,

  "Pardon me, but the lady was dressed in a trouser and I haven't seen it ever,I was surprised,"

 His lips curled into a smile, Gideon will be well surprised once he sees all the other ladies. 

  "Don't be too surprised when you see all the others," Nikolai drawled, ushering Gideon towards the golden doors.