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There is no other feeling in the world like being ripped through a portal from one universe to another. There is no possible way to put in any understandable terms just what it feels like as your body ripples and jolts from the force of a foreign universe exerting itself upon you. Any terminology that could in any way make sense of this feeling simply doesn’t exist, and it never will.
She is feeling this indescribable, un-nameable feeling. She is a square peg being shot through a star-shaped hole. She is burning alive.
Then, she feels nothing except the cool, stale air of a study.
It’s disorienting, really, going from feeling every single piece of the universe all at once to suddenly being able to breathe again. It makes her deeply motion sick.
A voice, belonging to an older man she hadn’t even noticed was in the room, begins speaking. “Ah, good - you made it all in one piece! Wonderful, truly… ah…” He trails off, shuffling around behind a lectern with a hefty book on it.
All she can do is stare uselessly, her mind too busy rebooting to even conceptualize how to process any of this. In fact, in order to simply compartmentalize, or maybe as a symptom of shock, her mind doesn’t even register the fact that she’s never seen this man in her life, nor does she register that she has no memory of “her life” in the first place.
Time and place for everything, of course. It’ll come with time.
Then, the man speaks again. “The spell worked - thank goodness, I don’t know what I’d have done if I couldn’t… hmm… Ah - right… First, tell me - what is your name, child?”
Instinctually, she bristles. Why do you need to know? What’s yours? But another part of her relaxes, and if it’s for a reason she’s completely clueless as to what, and she lets her gaze drift.
What is her name?
She thinks about it, truly. She really, really thinks about it. After all, she must have one - everyone does, and everyone has a life story as well, and yet both of these things are completely lost to her, like they’ve been tucked away. Disturbing.
Before she can even open her mouth, the man interjects once more, “Of course, I expect that may be troublesome to answer. Not to worry, child. We’ll call you-” he pauses, staring at her for a moment; really staring at her, but like he is looking past her, like he is no longer looking at the girl standing in that room but the girl long past all this. Instinctually, she shivers a bit.
“Destiny. Destiny, yes, that sounds right,” he decides.
It does sound right. As far as she could guess, anyway. And it’s better than anything she’d come up with.
“But of course, that can’t be all - you must have a last name, too-”
“Skullwalker,” she speaks for the first time, and it is with such definitive clarity that it surprises even herself, much less the man in front of her. He seems almost intimidated by the declaration, and by the choice, and once again he eyes her for just a moment before continuing on.
“Wonderful. It’s wonderful to meet you, Destiny Skullwalker. I suppose you haven’t any idea why you’ve been summoned here? No matter,” he lets out a tsk sound, “we’ll sort that quickly. I am Merle Ambrose, Headmaster of the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, and you are chosen. ”
Stupidly, all she continues to do is stare, her face nigh-unreadable. Though to be concise, she is pondering what on Earth (or not, anymore?) is wrong with this man.
He notices this, maybe, she guesses, and he opens up a book, humming. “Of course, first, we must consult with the Book of Secrets to determine just what school of magic you will harness.” He says, like it’s just nothing. Like that’s a completely normal, usual thing to say.
Magic. What is going on, exactly?
He reads to her what the Book is asking, and she offers answers with very minimal effort, and if he notices this he definitely doesn’t say anything. Instead, as she finishes, he flips the page and stares at it for a moment. Something complicated lies in his gaze, and it opens up a deep pit in her stomach.
Finally, he looks up from the Book, and now he is smiling. Confusing. “Perhaps you could already sense this - but the Book has determined, young Destiny, that you are a Necromancer at heart. Quite exciting. I’ve known many very talented Necromancers, in my time.”
But something is off about what he just said, and it troubles her to identify it. She clears her head, eyeing this ‘Ambrose’ still. “What’s that?”
“Hm? Necromancy, is it, my child? In time. In time, yes, it will be very clear to you indeed.”
What a non-answer. She barely has any time to even feel offended as he takes her shoulder, then raises his staff and hits it against the ground - and suddenly, sunlight.
She stops being surprised, at this point. Instead of a dimly lit room, they are now outside, in a small courtyard. The grass is an unusually bright green, the sky an even brighter blue, and the only real attention-grabber in the area is a very tall brick tower in the center of the courtyard. It feels like she’s on a set.
Maybe she is. That’d be cool, she thinks, her mind wandering for just a moment to ponder it before she’s brought back to reality (well, if it can even be called that) as Ambrose walks in front of her and a white owl flies to his shoulder and perches there. For whatever reason, it’s wearing a little hat, and scarf, and even glasses. Do owls need glasses?
“Welcome, Destiny!” it speaks. Oh. Okay. The owl is talking now.
“It is very miraculous that I found you, indeed. Welcome to the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. I am Gamma, here to help with your enrollment!”
Once again, she can only stare in disbelief. How is the owl speaking? She knows some breeds of birds can, in a way, like parrots, but that’s just mimicry and not real speech after all - and besides, what about vocal cords? There’s no way this owl can utilize human speech so seamlessly, so perhaps the structure of his vocal cords is different? Though surely, normal owls have them the way they do for a reason, so…
“I understand this is all very new to you, and may be confusing,” the owl continues, breaking her line of thought. Maybe she can ask later. “But worry not, young Destiny, for we will assist you in making sure your enrollment proceeds smoothly!”
That’s the very least of her concerns. In fact, it hadn’t even come up as a concern at all. She doesn’t want to enroll in a magic school, she’s already enrolled in a normal school in… well… the name escapes her, but it’s… there. In fact, she’s just about to finish fifth grade this year. Why would she throw all that work away?
She’s about to voice that very thing, but is succinctly cut off by the loud boom of a lightning strike, and a sudden downpour of rain. Ambrose acts fast, raising his staff, and suddenly the drops don’t touch them. She glances up, curious, and - nothing. They’re hitting, making contact with something above her, but she can’t see a thing.
Ambrose must have seen something while she was distracted, because he says lowly, “Malistaire! I should have known he’d intervene… Come now, Destiny. Follow myself and Gamma into Golem Tower. I will teach you what to do. Hurry.” He walks there himself, much faster than she would have expected from a man his age.
Still stunned, and still somehow safe from the rain, she glances around before, having no other choice, following Ambrose into the tower. She carefully shuts the door behind her, turning around and jumping when she sees the new man.
“Ambrose. It’s a pleasure. I see you’ve found a new pet,” he sneers, the red orb on his staff faintly glowing. In the very dim lighting of the room, it casts an eerie glow.
“Malistaire. What reason have you to return?” Ambrose’s tone is sharp and quick, like he’s scolding the man. Really, she doesn’t have to guess that it must be because the man is some evil wizard - he’s doing quite a good job at looking the part.
Malistaire casts a quick look over at her, and her skin crawls. Then he looks back to Ambrose. “I have unfinished business here. I was just leaving, but… well, I can’t have this, now can I?” He raises his staff, and from the ground arise two beasts, as if they’re being pulled together into existence right that very moment.
She gawks at the things. They look like… like lizards, or, well… but they have these giant wings, and their scales… But they’re in robes, and on two feet - sort of. She’d say dragons, but they’re hardly any taller than her.
Before she can say a word, her body is being wrenched forward, dragged into a large circle on the ground that was definitely not there a moment ago.
“Be cautious, young Destiny! I will guide you!” Ambrose calls from behind, and she can’t even bear to look back at him, fear gripping her whole being as she looks into the eyes of the two beasts. There is nothing there except hatred.
Something happens, and a pendulum appears on the floor ahead of her, between her and the beasts. A controlled white sphere of light appears at her feet, and for some reason, it’s like she can feel it. It’s warm. This is so disorienting.
Then, in front of her face, there is a hand of cards - but none like any she’d ever seen before, she thinks. Each has a different creature on them, along with words and symbols she can’t decipher. “Destiny, use those cards I’ve given you to fight! They are spells - you must cast one to weaken these beasts!” Ambrose instructed.
She is still so deeply confused. None of this makes sense. None of this feels real. In a daze, she reaches up her hand and taps the one titled ‘Scarab,’ and suddenly the card burns up and disappears, and she feels her hands move independently of her as they accompany a large symbol being drawn into the air in front of her. Then, a well of sand opens up and fills the room, and a giant brown scarab emerges from the floor and rushes the first beast, attacking him before vanishing just like the card itself.
She really can’t question anything anymore, at this point.
The pendulum spins, landing in front of the first beast, and he, too, summons up a card and a monster. She turns pale at the sight of the snake swiftly approaching her, and she tries to feel ready in some way for what she assumes will be an inevitable attack - a correct assumption - but nothing could have quite prepared her for what it would actually feel like. Shocks ring throughout her body, and she heaves, her head spinning and vision blurring. Somehow, she doesn’t collapse.
The second beast tries to go at her, too, but his symbol cracks and dissolves into ash. She can barely take the time to feel relieved before the pendulum spins again.
“Your pet’s not quite ready, is she now, Ambrose?” Malistaire taunts from across the room, and he looks incredibly nonchalant for the circumstances. It makes her feel… a bit angry.
“She is not of your concern! There is no reason for this violence, Malistaire, and you know it!” Ambrose shoots back, the grip on his staff tightening. She wonders why he can’t just fight these things himself, bitterly.
“Of course there is. I can’t have you sending children after me, now can I?”
Ambrose decides not to respond and turns to her, pointing his staff to her, and suddenly she feels that warmth again. She glances down to see three of those white spheres this time.
“Here, young Destiny. I have given you more Pips and another spell. Use this Unicorn to heal yourself, quickly!” he says, and were she not so desperate to be rid of this shocking pain, she’d be angry at him. But she does as told, and touches the spell card, and just as before it dissolves before her eyes.
A circle of green grass appears in the center of the circle, a beautiful white unicorn accompanying it. It lets out a whinny and then approaches her, bending down to point its horn at her, and then… it’s like nothing she’s ever experienced. Warmth - different from that of the white things (Pips, did he say?), more intense - spreads throughout her body, enveloping her like a blanket, and just as soon as it’s come, it’s gone, and the pain she felt before leaves with it. As if it had never happened.
A part of her feels… violated, in a way. Another part feels a rush.
Malistaire scoffs, slamming his staff on the ground. “You fools, you let that whelp heal! Defeat her, now, else you’ll suffer for it!”
The pendulum swings once more. A panicked-looking beast casts… something, and a floating, slowly-spinning disc with a blade and spikes on it appears above her head. She jolts, looking up at it in fear, and then at Ambrose - he puts up a placating hand as the other beast casts another attack. This time, it’s a bright blue snake surrounded by chunks of ice, and it spits out a chunk at her. Direct hit, right in the chest; the impact blinds her for a second, knocking the wind from her.
“Destiny, I’ve given you another card. The blade - use it!”
Shut up, old man.
“Come now, young wizard! You must act fast!”
It hurts. It all hurts, so much. She doesn’t want to do this. But she reaches out a hand and blindly taps a card in front of her.
As it dissolves and she feels herself drawing the symbol, another disc appears above her, similar to the one already there, but this one looks cleaner and lacks the spikes.
The pendulum spins. Both of the beasts’ spells dissolve into nothing.
Across the room, Malistaire seems deeply angry, muttering something to himself. She looks to her feet and sees four of those Pips now. “Now, the meteor! Cast it, and it will hit them both!” Ambrose’s voice, again.
She does as told, again.
The spell works as promised, and the first beast falls to its knees and then disintegrates into nothing. She thinks perhaps she’s expected to feel proud, but a knot grows in her stomach, and instead she just feels ill.
The remaining beast looks scared, too, just to rub salt in the wound. It draws up another spell, this time hitting her with a strange-looking brown bat. More searing pain. She didn’t expect to get used to it this fast.
Ambrose says something to her about casting a spell and she blanks it out, tapping the first one she sees. A blazing, fiery cat is summoned in front of her, and it pounces at the beast. This does the trick - it wails, falls to its knees, dies. She wants to throw up.
The circle she was stood in dissipates, allowing her freedom of movement once more. She stumbles on her feet, mindlessly moving back to the wall to find something to hold onto.
“This is nothing! Let this pathetic child learn all you like, but she will not be able to undo my work. I’m afraid now I must depart. Good luck, Ambrose. You will need it,” Malistaire sneers, and he raises his staff, disappearing with a flash of light. A cold wind blows as he does.
Ambrose stares after where he once stood for a moment, something dark in his eyes, before he closes them for a moment and then turns to face her. “Congratulations, young Destiny. You performed exceedingly well. Here - allow me to mend your wounds.” He moves his staff, and its light grows brighter - and then, a warm wave envelops her body once again. She’s almost perturbed by the sudden change after accustoming herself to the pain.
“I sincerely apologize that you had to experience such a dreadful thing. Malistaire, he’s… He has lost his way. But attacking students like this - well, I never would have… ah… No matter. We must get your enrollment under way! Ah - but first,” he pauses, opening his palm, and a hefty-looking book and a grey, pointed wand appear in it. “Your spellbook and wand. No wizard must be without them!”
Carefully, she takes them, inspecting the objects. They’re… strange, that’s for sure. The wand feels cool in her hand, like metal. But the texture is completely different. It’s a peculiar feeling.
“Now, I must return to my office - there is much to clean up, oh dear… hm, and papers to grade… Ah - but another time. Well, I will tidy up, and summon you very soon when it is ready. Just a moment.” With that, he vanishes in a very similar manner to Malistaire just minutes prior, and it makes her feel… uncomfortable, maybe. Eerie.
She looks down to her hands, back at the weird book and wand. She wonders if this is all an exceedingly strange, elaborate dream. A nightmare. Would she prefer it?
She can’t answer that.
Her head is still swimming, even after Ambrose healing her wounds. Everything here feels so… wrong. It’s like a facsimile of reality - wait, no, that word doesn’t quite mean what she thinks it means, does it? It’s more like… an imitation, meant to look like it could be the real world but using different materials. If you tried to create air, but you had to use entirely different elements, would it even still be air? Suppose you could still breathe it just fine, somehow, but no matter what you’d always be able to feel how different it is from normal air. A plastic plant can look incredibly real but no matter what, a caterpillar can never gain the same nutrients from eating it as a normal plant.
She ponders this while surveying the books on a shelf. Most of them are history books, notably on different types of magic. A few on different worlds, and the history of Ravenwood itself. There’s one fiction book, probably, and it seems like it might be about a crab.
Suddenly, a gust of wind surrounds her and she very briefly feels, again, like she’s being pulled through space, only to find herself in completely new surroundings. How many times will this happen to her? Ambrose greets her, and she slowly approaches him to receive new instructions.
It doesn’t dawn on her until a good few years later that there is no way any of those books were written in English, or that anyone here could be speaking English, or that it would even exist in this world at all. But Destiny understood every word.