Yes... It's magic..

Isabelle Long

Soon the fog started fading away and i found myself in a railway station? A man noticed me before pinning me against the wall, "who are you?" I gasped as the man slammed me against the wall, my body immediately tensing up.

"I-I'm Isabelle Long. Who are you?" I managed to reply as I wrestled with my own fear and confusion. The man narrowed his eyes, "which house you are in?"

"Excuse me?" I responded, taken aback by the strange question.

"What house am I in?" I repeated, my confusion turning into a slight annoyance. "I don't understand. What does house have to do with anything?" The man raised his eyebrows, "how did you get in?"

I looked at him incredulously, still not understanding what he was talking about.

"I...I don't know," I admitted, feeling more and more lost. "I was in a park with my friend, and then...then suddenly I was here."

"Is this some film shooting?" I asked, feeling stupid for asking such question. The man's gaze lingered on me for a moment, his eyes scrutinizing me as if I had just asked the most ridiculous question.

"Film shooting?" he echoed, a flicker of disbelief passing over his face. "You think this is a movie set?"

I looked around, "yeah.. Maybe like harry potter?" He stared at me, "what's harry potter?" I stared back at him dumbfounded, trying to process what I just heard.

"Harry Potter?" I repeated, confusion lacing my words. "You...you don't know what Harry Potter is?"

"Who the hell are you??" The man's sudden outburst caught me off guard, but I tried to regain my composure.

"I already told you who I am," I responded with a hint of irritation. "I'm Isabelle Long. And I'm still trying to figure out where I am and how I got here."

The man took a deep breath in annoyance, "come with me. And i am not asking you!!" He started dragging me. I tried to resist his grip, planting my feet firmly on the floor.

"Hey, wait! Where are you taking me?" I demanded, my voice betraying my growing fear. "You can't just drag me without explaining anything!"

As the man pulled me along, a large castle came into view, and my jaw dropped in disbelief.

"This can't be real," I whispered to myself, my eyes fixed on the towering structure before us. "Is this some kind of movie set for Harry Potter?"

The transition was jarring. One moment we were outside, and the next, we were inside a dimly lit room with a group of strange people.

I turned to the man who had been dragging me along, my eyes wide with confusion. "How...how did we get here so fast?"

The man sighed before speaking, "i found her in the station. She is acting extremely strange and her words, i can't understand anything" The group of people in the room turned their gazes towards me, their eyes filled with curiosity and suspicion.

"You found her at the station?" one of them repeated, their tone laced with disbelief. "And she's been spouting nonsense?"

"It wasn't nonsense! Just tell me what the hell is this place??" I yelled at them, "KEEP QUIET" The woman firmly said. I involuntarily took a step back as the woman's voice rang out, firm and commanding. I felt a sting of irritation, but held my tongue, knowing it would be best to not anger these people further.

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence, everyone's eyes still fixed on me.

"Who are you?" The man in center asked me. I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself.

"I'm Isabelle Long," I repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. "And I'm just as confused as you all are about how I got here."

"Isabelle Long?" The man repeated, "where are you from?" I furrowed my brow, his question only adding to my confusion.

"I'm...I'm from London," I answered, my voice faltering slightly. "But why does it matter where I'm from?"

"Which year?" The man asked. I replied, "2024" There was a subtle shift in the room's atmosphere as the man's eyes narrowed.

"2024, you say?" he responded.

The people around him exchanged glances, their faces a mix of surprise and disbelief. "You got to be kidding me!?" The man who dragged me spoke, "it can't happen. How can she be from 2024??" He asked the others. They just stared at me.

The group of people continued to stare at me, their eyes filled with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

"This...this is impossible," one of them whispered, their voice filled with a sense of awe.

Another person stepped forward, their gaze focused on me. "You...you're from the future?"

I raised my eyebrows, "i know people are working for time machine and i know many people think that magic exists and all but this is too much. Just tell me what movie's shooting is going on right now??"

The room fell into a stunned silence, each person staring at me as if I had just said something inconceivable.

"Movie...shooting?" someone echoed, the word ringing in the air.

The man who had dragged me here spoke up, his voice filled with an almost amused disbelief. "You think this is a film set, right?"

"What's a film set but?" One of them spoke while eating some snacks. The man rolled his eyes, gesturing towards the person who had spoken.

"You mean film...like movies, right?" the man clarified, his patience clearly wearing thin. I was staring at them in confusion when the woman grabbed my arm, "let's talk...in private"

The woman's grip on my arm was firm but gentle, and her suggestion to talk in private caught me off guard.

"O-okay," I hesitantly agreed, allowing her to lead me away to a quieter space.

"Tell me what happened before you came here" She calmly asked me.

"I-i was just..researching about something with my friend.. And then suddenly i came across a strange wall which gave me an electric shock.. It was extremely weird and strange.. Since we were talking with a woman at the time and then she vanished like a spirit.. Everything was going so weird before i suddenly came here" I explained, clearly panicking, still spoke in a calm tone.

The woman listened intently, her expression unreadable as I recounted the strange events that led to my unexpected arrival.

"Strange wall...electric shock..." she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. "And the woman just...vanished?"

"Y-yes" I whispered, "i-i am not lying" The woman studied me closely, her gaze intense as she scrutinized my face.

"I believe you," she said after a moment, her eyes softening a bit. "But what you're saying is...it's quite extraordinary"

"What's this place?" I asked, looking around. She took a deep breath, "welcome to Enchantesia! The realm of enchantment and magic"

My heart skipped a beat as the woman's words registered.

"E-enchanted...magic..." I echoed, my mind struggling to process what I was hearing. "You're telling me this is a realm of magic and enchantments?"

She nodded, "it's hard to believe but it's true. You are right now standing at the grounds of Enchantesia. The world of magic with no science"

My mind was spinning as the woman's words sank in. I looked around at the strange surroundings, realization slowly dawning on me.

"So...you're saying I'm in a world with magic and no technology..?" I said incredulously. "And that wall...it brought me here?"

"Well about the wall. I will have to research about it more. Cuz having someone coming here through a wall and that too from future is actually... strange."

I swallowed hard, my heart racing with a mix of fear and curiosity.

"What do you mean by strange?" I asked, my voice quivering slightly. "Is it really unusual for someone like me..to be here?"

She looked at me, "no need to be scared, dear. You will get home safely. For now, make yourself home. Enchantesia will never discriminate any person and will always welcome everyone here" A wave of relief washed over me as the woman reassured me.

"Thank you," I managed to say, my voice still shaky. "I...I'm not sure what to do or where to begin, but I'll try to make myself at home here"

"Come with me" She gently said before taking my hand, "i will guide you through the castle" I followed her lead, my hand in hers, the coolness of her skin a stark contrast to the warm flutter in my chest.

We walked through the halls of the castle, the walls lined with ancient tapestries and intricate carvings that seemed to come to life in the flickering torchlight.

"Enchantesia includes all kinds of people and all kinds of students. We have four houses" She turns to me, "Ivory" She showed the white pigeon large poster, "Peacock" then at the peacock poster, "Phoenix" there was a Phoenix poster "and at last Dragon" there was a poster with a large dragon. 

I took in the four different house emblems and names, the gravity of her words slowly sinking in.

"So...these are the houses?" I mumbled, my eyes lingering on each emblem. "And you're saying...all kinds of people and students are part of these houses?"

The woman spoke while walking, "We also have people like you, normal people, they are from the normal world from where you came but the difference is, they are from this world's timeline, and you are from future"

My mind was reeling from the information she was giving me.

"So...people like me are here...from 'normal' world?" I repeated, trying to grasp the concept. "But I'm different...I'm from the future. That's why I'm strange, right?"

She nodded. While walking, i noticed strange changes in me. "Is it only me or am i getting smaller in size?" She turns to me, "you are getting to the age of the timeline"

I looked down in confusion, lifting my hands to examine them. "What do you mean by the age of the timeline?" The woman sighed, seeing the disoriented look on my face.

"The age of the timeline" she began, her voice gentle. "Each person from normal world, gets younger or older depending on the age of the timeline they come from"

"So.. what age am i getting in?" The woman studied me for a moment.

"Well.." she began, her eyes roaming over my features. "Judging by your features and height, I would guess about...16?" I widened my eyes, "wait i am a 25 year old adult at my world, how can i turn into 16??"

The woman chuckled lightly at my panicked reaction.

"Calm down, dear" she said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "It's just the magic of the timeline age. You may be an adult at your world, but here, your age automatically adjusts to the age of the timeline"

"Will i get back to normal once i return?" She didn't say anything at first before replying, "i can't say anything right now" The vagueness of her answer made me uneasy.

"You...you can't say?" I repeated, my heart racing as the implications sank in. "What do you mean? I will get back to normal, right?" 

"Your arrival is something no one knows how happened. So first i have to know how and why this happened. Then only i can confirm your doubts"

I bit my lip, feeling a mixture of worry and helplessness.

"I see" I murmured, my voice laced with uncertainty. "So...I have to wait for you to figure things out before I can get any answers." She nodded with a hint of sympathy.

I let out a disheartened sigh, realizing I was at the mercy of the woman's investigation.

"Alright...so what do I do till then?" I asked, trying to maintain a composed facade.

She started guiding me to a large hall. I followed the woman, my gaze sweeping over the spacious hall and its occupants.

Students in their designated house colors filled the area, some chattering among themselves and others studying diligently. The four houses emblems were displayed proudly around the hall, the colors blending into a vibrant display of magic. White ivory, green peacock, blue Phoenix and red dragon.

She guided me upstairs. As I climbed the stairs, I noticed a boy eyeing me intently and how he quickly looked away once we made eye contact. I found his behavior strange but pushed the thought aside as the woman continued to lead me further.

"Sit here" She guided me to a strange chair. Feeling a mixture of curiosity and unease, I took my seat on the strange chair.

"What..what is this chair for?" I asked, looking up at the woman. "While i take note of what happened, you can't just sit here without doing anything. I want to see something" She then widened her eyes, "this can't...be"

Her sudden surprised exclamation caught me off guard. "What...what is it?" I asked, my heart racing. "What can't be?"

"If a normal person sits on this chair then nothing happens. But if a person who really belongs to the magical world, the chair gives them a house name. And you got dragon which i don't know how happened. You aren't ordinary" She explained, still in shock.

I stared at her in disbelief.

"I...I got dragon?" I repeated, my mind struggling to process her words. "But how is that even possible? You said normal people don't get a house name, right?"

The woman was getting more confused now. "This just gets stranger and stranger. Bastian, take care of her" The woman leaves me alone with the same man i met at first, the one who had dragged me inside.

I found myself left alone with the man named Bastian, my mind still reeling from the revelation.

"So...the chair gave me a house name" I muttered under my breath, still incredulous. "How can this be possible?"

Bastian comes closer, "Wear these robes and don't think about anything. Just keep calm" He said before guiding me back into the hall.

I slipped into the dragon robes, their rich fabric feeling strangely comfortable against my skin. The red color and the dragon symbol felt like a declaration of some kind.

"Keep calm, right" I mumbled to myself, taking a deep breaths to steady my racing thoughts.