The morning sunlight slipped through the delicate curtains, casting a warm, golden glow across the room. The gentle caress of light danced upon the walls, gradually making its way to the bed where Callisto was peacefully asleep.
With a quiet sigh, he moved beneath the blankets.
Knock knock.
A knock echoed through the room, rousing Callisto from his sleep. He blinked his eyes open, the amethyst hues within them initially blurry before sharpening to reveal their captivating depth.
Rubbing the sleep from the corners of his eyes, he shifted his attention to the sound of the turning knob. A gentle, feminine voice followed suit, it was his mother, Erzulie, "Cali, wake up. It's time for school."
Callisto stretches his body, "I'm awake."
With a languid move, he waved his hand and began walking to the bathroom. As he moved, his brilliant amethyst eyes glowed as the mana in the room gathered to organize his school supplies.
Books, binders, and pencils arranged themselves into his school bag neatly. His wardrobe opened up, displaying a range of choices for Callisto to wear today. Callisto leaned against his bathroom door, brushing his teeth, choosing what he will wear today.
Finishing his morning routine up, he tied his hair back and slipped on his square-rimmed glasses, his amethyst eyes subtly changing into a warm brown. Then he approached his chosen attire, a set of long white sleeves, an oversized light brown vest, and comfortably loose dark grey pants.
With a casual flick, he made his other outfits disappear. Callisto gazed at himself in the mirror, adjusting his glasses with admiration.
"I look good, but..."
Extending his hand, a pink lip gloss glided through the air and landed gracefully in his palm. Swiftly applying it, his reflection now portrayed a fresh scholar.
"It should do," he whispered.
Grabbing his school bag, he made his way to the door.
'It's good, but I wish I could wear something different. It looks so bland.'
Going down the stairs, he spotted his mother engrossed in a floating book, packing his and his older brother's lunch. The kitchen buzzed with kitchen supplies flying, moving around accompanied by a faint green aura—a sign of his mother's mana.
A smile graced his lips as he approached her. "Good morning, Ma."
Erzulie lifted her gaze, smiling at Callisto. "Good morning, starlight. You look as charming as always."
"I know," Callisto replied with pride, playfully flipping his hair.
Laughter spilled from his mother's lips before a cough broke the moment. His father, Ethan, seated at the dining table, intervened, "Hurry eat your breakfast, you don't want to be late."
"Yessss," Callisto replied, dragging the 's', settling down to his meal.
"Hurry, I want to go to school early today," His older brother, Zephyr, chimed in hurriedly between gulps of water.
Observing his brother, Callisto took a deliberate bite from his breakfast, "Early or just want to copy your friend's homework before the bell rings?"
Zephyr paused his action, sweating a bit, "What are you saying? Of course not, I'm not gonna do that…."
Their parents stared suspiciously at their son, "Shame on you," they echoed in unison.
Zephyr gasped in offended, "How dare thou insult thy with false statement."
Ethan flipping his newspaper, rolling his eyes, "Oh please don't try to cover it up, we know you were to absorbed playing those weird fantasy games again."
Zephyr let out a more offended gasp, prompting chuckles from both his parent and Callisto. Eventually, they went to eat their breakfast. Later, the four gathered at the front door.
Ethan grabbing his bag and kissed Erzulie's forehead, "I'll be going now."
"Stay safe," Erzulie's spoke while Zephyr nodded at him and Callisto waved his hand.
Ethan nodded his head and went to his truck and drive off. Zephyr swung the car keys playfully, "Ma, we're off."
Their mother responded, "Alright, take care, and do your best at school."
Zephyr nodded and opened the door, Callisto smiled while walking out of the door, "Sure thing, Mama. bye-bye."
.
.
.
.
Pulling up to their high school, Zephyr drove their car into a parking spot. His attention shifted to the back seat, where Callisto sat lost in thought.
"Hey, Cali."
Callisto blinked, "Yeah?"
"You alright?" Zephyr asked, undoing his seatbelt and reaching for his school bag.
Callisto nodded, his eyes avoiding his brother's gaze. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just..."
Zephyr arched an eyebrow, Callisto's grip tightened on his pants, and his voice lowered. "..Just nervous, you know. It's only my second day here."
Today was Callisto's second day in the human public high school, a sharp difference from his previous education largely set in the magical world. Unlike, his elder brother, Zephyr, who had spent his entire life in the human world.
With the Alimieres Roquelleve bloodline running in his vein, one of strongest purest witch family. Callisto exhibited exceptional magical abilities at the age of six, prompting his parents to enrol him early in one of the world's most prestigious magical academies, to control his magic.
Over the course of ten years, he trained his abilities inside the academy, rapidly becoming famous as a prodigy within the magical world. He quickly earned a reputation as a prodigy in the magical world, gathering both admiration and recognition.
Despite his recent graduation, Callisto remained a sixteen-year-old boy in the magical world, where reaching twenty-one was considered adulthood and able to work. And going to college have to be twenty years old.
Rather than allowing the next four years to simply slip away, why not waste time with trying something he never tried before?
Experiencing living as a nomag student in a nomag high school, at East Ridgeview High.
Well, the idea came from his older brother, Zephyr.
Moving from the magical world to the non-magical world left Callisto feeling confused and surprised by many things, especially during his first day at a public high school.
The same one that Zephyr attended.
Feeling the weight of Callisto's concerns, Zephyr reassured. "I get it. There might be some guys who are a little rough—"
Callisto's eyes twitched. "Some?"
Zephyr quickly raised his hand in surrender. "Alright, fine, most of the guys might be rough. And as for the girls.... Well, let's just say there might be an adjustment period. But trust me, you'll make friends in no time—"
"I'm not really concerned about making friends," Callisto interrupted, his gaze fixed on his brother, "I'm just worried those vermins will disturb my peace and quiet. It's hard to find some peace and quiet there, I don't want it to be the same here."
Zephyr found himself wordless by his younger brother's concern. Instead of the usual concerns most would have, his brother seemed more focused on keeping his quiet time in the face of possible "troubles."
Callisto bit his nail, his expression twisting into a scowl. "You've seen those movies or shows, right? Where nomag shove each other around, dunk heads into toilets, push, insult, punch, kick, and even shooting at each other?? Some even go as far as inserting toxic waste into themselve or worse, giving each other diseases in the--"
"Whoah, slow down," his brother interrupted. "My high school experience was nothing like those movies we watch. Remember, those things are often just fiction."
"We're also part of that so-called "fiction" of theirs," Callisto retorted, arching an eyebrow at his brother.
Zephyr looked away, "True..." He looked upwards, observing students flowing into the school, then turned back to Callisto with a firm nod. "But seriously, OUR high school isn't like that, alright?"
Zephyr sighed heavily as he muttered, "Why would you be worried about those, seriously..."
Callisto who heard his brother mumbling, confused, 'Should I have been worrying about something else?'
Shaking his head, Zephyr opened the car door and stepped out, prompting Callisto to do the same.
They walked side by side toward the school before parting ways. Zephyr headed off to join his group of friends, while Callisto strolled towards his first class, engrossed in a book he was reading while skilfully avoiding other people.
Then suddenly a voice rang in him.
"What are you reading, love?"
Callisto jumped a little at the sudden voice, and looked around, he sighed and realized it was the voice in his head again.
He closed his eyes and answered, 'A book about mythical creatures, I'm reading about Erumphant.'
'Oh.. another one?'
'Yes.'
For years now, a voice had been living in his mind. It started when he was eleven years old, during a wintry spell when he was having a post-Christmas break. Showering at the time, he was taken aback by the sudden intrusion.
The experience had nearly caused him to slip, an almost comedic scene.
Alarming as it was, the peculiarity of the voice's tone curbed his panic. It sounded unusual, akin to a teenager during puberty—scratchy and uncomfortably high.
Curiosity overtook fright, causing Callisto to neither panic nor reveal the situation to his family. Instead, he questions about the identity of the voice, openly critiquing its awful voice.
Four years have since passed, and the voice had undergone changes, shifting from the disconcerting timbre, it had evolved into a resonant, deep, magnetic, and strangely captivating for Callisto.
The voice continued to talk to him, trying to learn about him. Initially, Callisto had brushed aside these attempts, regarding it as an annoying fly.
Yet, as time passed, the voice's persistence was too much to the point where Callisto found it so annoying that he almost loses control, when his potion nearly exploded in potion class.
Sitting down in the empty classroom, Callisto chooses a seat in the middle second row from the front. A good place to focus on studying and not too close to teacher, that staring at them will be awkward.
and now he will be able to read the book again-
'Loveeeeee.'
Or not.
Sighing internally, Callisto paid no heed to the voice, immersing himself in reading the page on Erumphant.
'Love? Love? My love? Are you listening? Please, don't ignore me again.'
Callisto ignored the voice, the voice felt that its calls were being ignored. The sound similar to a whimpering wolf echoed in an attempt to draw Callisto's attention.
Calisto's eyebrow twitched, and with an exasperated huff, he shut his book.
'What do you want? And drop the "love" bit, I've already asked you to call me Cesar,' Callisto retorted, irritation seeping into his words due to the interruption.
Rather than responding directly, the deep voice emitted a sense of contentment—a feeling Callisto could perceive. A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The voice then asked, 'Love, can you wish me luck for today's game?'
Callisto knew the voice was intentionally disregarding his request to be addressed as Cesar. Keeping this in mind, he responded with a dash of sarcasm, 'Sure, I hope you mess up horribly and end up losing the game.'
Callisto huffed audibly, his frustration manifesting in a low grumble.
Detecting his displeasure, the voice responded with an amused chuckle, its magnetic timbre resonating, 'Hahaha, I appreciate the well-wishing, my love.'
Rolling his eyes, Callisto's irritation lingered as the bell chimed, signalling the imminent start of the class. Observing the students, either alone or in pairs, filed into the classroom, he knew it wouldn't be long before the teacher's entrance prompted the second bell to ring, marking the start of the day's lesson.
'Have fun at school, Love.'
Turning the book, Callisto answered, 'Yeah right...'