"Is this some kind of spell? Stop playing tricks on me. Cyril soon reined in his shock and tried to find an explanation for what was happening.
This was a world of magic. There existed countless spells, and he knew only a fraction of them at this moment. This must be simply some magic he hasn't heard about before.
Otherwise, did he simply imagine a woman whom no one else sees or can interact with?
There is no way I am crazy. He thought defensively.
"Of course you are not crazy. This is a natural thing." Rhamn replied while raising her eyebrow.
His outburst confused her. They were talking so well before.
"How is any of this natural? Don't try to play a joke on me," Cyril replied with a frown.
Quickly he noticed awkward stares coming from some of the passing students. They treated him like one would a random drunk on the street, by warily pretending they can't see him.
This is ridiculous. As he was feeling frustrated, suddenly he noticed a familiar person coming closer.
It was a handsome, blond-haired man in extravagant clothing; there was a tired look in his eyes.
"Hi, Cyril. Long time no see. You hadn't told me you were going to enroll here. At least that's some good news." He said with a relieved smile and continued with a frown.
"But now tell me what got you so upset that you started arguing with yourself in the middle of the street."
He was one of the few friends Cyril had. His name was Edmund Morley, but he preferred others to call him Ed.
So he also can't see her...
"Hello, Ed. I just never expected to be late to the opening ceremony of the academy." Cautiously, replied Cyril, trying to hide any possible abnormalities.
Then he quickly asked, "But I also never expected to meet you here. Why did you decide to enroll in Ailanthus of all places?"
With a face full of helplessness, Edmund started talking, venting all his frustrations. "Of course I don't want to be here! But my dad forced me to come, saying it's finally time to make something of myself. I am really not suited for this! Fighting is your thing! I am more of an... an artist!"
"Wow, he is really annoying, isn't he?" said the mysterious woman with audible disgust.
Cyril could only ignore her for now.
"Ed, let's go inside quickly. I am tired after traveling. My only wish right now is to store my things and rest." He calmly said.
I don't have time for idle chatter. First I'll move in, and then, hopefully, there will be a private place for me to figure out what is happening.
"Yeah, a private room sounds nice."
She can hear my thoughts!? What the hell is happening?
"Come on. There is nothing to hide between us."
Desperately trying to pretend nothing was wrong, Cyril hurried on, leaving Edmund behind.
The blond-haired nobleman could only hurry up after his friend with a helpless expression.
...
Having entered the castle, Cyril didn't take his time to enjoy the grand sights of its halls, with floors of marble and walls of dark wood.
As quickly as he possibly could, he went through with the formalities of enrolling.
A few staff members gave him keys and papers and briefly explained some of the information about the academy.
With the keys in hand, he urgently said goodbye to Edmund and practically ran out of the castle and some distance away until he reached one of the dormitories. There was a sizable park right nearby as well.
Though Cyril had no mood to enjoy it, he simply entered the dorm, going past the staff at the entrance and to his assigned room.
The whole way here Rhamn didn't say much, just walking beside him with pursed lips, seemingly understanding his situation.
Now, Cyril entered his spacious room, dropped his small bag on the bed, and turned towards the mysterious woman.
So far no one else in the academy acknowledged her existence.
"This is a great place, pretty spacious. We have a nice big bed, a desk, and several chairs; there is even a kitchen and a bathroom!"
She was obviously in good spirits, satisfied with their new accommodations.
Cyril, though, was not in the mood to enjoy his new home. "Now we can finally talk without interruptions. Tell me who you are and what you want."
The mysterious woman pointed to herself with a finger and made a sheepish smile.
"But I already told you. I feel like this is all quite normal, just how it should be."
She didn't seem bothered by Cyril's questions. If anything, there was a note of joy in her voice.
"What you are saying doesn't make any sense. Are you telling me that I just made you up? That I went crazy and started hallucinating?" Cyril said while narrowing his eyes.
"I am not sure what to say to that, but all of this seems right, natural."
If she was only pretending this whole time, then she would be the best actress Cyril has ever seen.
Her words sounded ridiculous but truthful.
"Alright, you don't know. Let's leave it at that. There must be a reason you appeared, and I'll find it." Cyril said with conviction.
It was clear to him that he was not going to get a good answer from her, but Cyril couldn't just accept this and move on.
I should go to the healer. Maybe they can help...
"There is nothing wrong with you. But let's go! It will be a nice tour of the academy grounds." The woman in a business suit gave a thumbs-up.
Knowing that his thoughts were constantly read by someone was extremely uncomfortable for him.
"No, I can't stop doing that. That's just how it works." Rhamn read his thoughts and replied before he could open his mouth.
I get it. You can stop saying that...
With that he put his bag on the bed and left for the castle again.
...
Finding the infirmary didn't take long. Cyril was given a map, so all he had to do was follow it.
Approaching the closest one to him, he quickly knocked on the door and entered, inviting himself in.
To his surprise, inside was a healer he was familiar with. An old, kindly looking woman named Bessie.
She was a popular healer among the nobility and even had her own clinic.
Though Cyril, perhaps by virtue of that popularity, found her to be disagreeable. He experienced a rather irrational feeling of discomfort when near her.
Her kind eyes appeared cold and lifeless to him.
Still, that didn't take away from her real skills as a healer.
So Cyril put up with his gut feeling and calmly greeted her, asking for a sudden checkup.
After going on and on about random healthy living advice, the old woman finally casted a few spells to check the state of his body.
In the end, he received a response.
"Hmm, as usual, you are in perfect health!" With a fittingly kind voice, Bessie made her verdict.
She didn't discover anything wrong? Cyril thought with a frown,
"Because there is nothing wrong! As the old crone said, you are in perfect health," Rhamn stood right nearby Bessie, smiling at him.
"Well, if you ever get hurt, don't be shy and come here! Healing people is my job." The old woman said and sat down before a wooden table, starting to scribble something in a notebook.
Not wishing to remain here for too long, Cyril swiftly left.
As he was walking down the castle's corridors, he thought about what to do next.
I should explain my situation to someone... Though not to any healer here. He warily thought.
Cyril felt extremely reluctant to let anyone familiar to him learn that he suddenly started hallucinating a beautiful woman around him.
"Thank you for calling me beautiful," Rhamn replied with a smile as he was thinking such things.
Right...
It will take some time to get used to someone reading his thoughts.
No, I don't need to get used to this! I need to solve this! He urgently corrected his thinking.
"Come on. What are you so upset about? Don't you feel that this is how we are supposed to be?" Rhamn still continued in her usual cryptic manner.
Trying to no longer think about her, Cyril left the castle's door again.
The moon was already high in the sky. At the beginning of September, the temperature was already starting to drop.
Slowly the paths to and from the castle began lighting up by magic lamps, and under them Cyril walked back to his dorm.
Arriving home, Cyril started to finally unpack his bag. Thankfully it wasn't too big, just some essentials, so he was soon done and ready for sleep.
His eyes were threatening to shut themselves already. He felt the need to sleep very strongly at the moment.
Tomorrow was the first day of lessons, and he was curious what they would teach.
Even though he now had a guest inside of his head. He will not let this impact his study life.
"That's some good thinking!" Rhamn nodded in agreement.
Trying to ignore her, he, still wearing his clothes, sat on the bed, turned on the alarm clock for the morning, and then lay down.
"Good night, Cyril." Rhamn waving her hand was the last thing he'd seen before closing his tired eyes.
Surprisingly, Cyril fell asleep quite easily despite everything.