Jaux Ballad has always wanted to enter the realm of magic, but could not do so by regular means. In his desperation to become a magician he finds himself with more power, and more trouble, than he could ever have imagined.

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Something was tickling Jaux's face as he slept. No matter what direction he turned his face, the feeling was still there. Eventually, Jaux was annoyed to the point of reaching towards his face to pull off the disturbance.

"Ouch!"

Jaux woke from his slumber in pain and confusion. He had definitely just pulled his hair, but his hair was never long enough to fall over his face. Groaning, he sat up on his bed, and pitch black hair that stretched down past his waist tugged back on his scalp.

Jaux now felt everything, and now everything felt wrong. His whole body was numb, like he had never walked a day in his life. His head and chest both felt heavier than they should, while everything else seemed thin, as if he had been sick and lost all his strength.

His chest felt sensitive, and was sticking out more than should be natural. It was odd, even though his body was numb, his chest felt especially lopsided. It was as if something was glued there, but he was sure he could feel the clothes against his flesh. Jaux looked down to see what was wrong, and stared in shock at the unquestionably female breasts that bulged out.

It was all wrong, completely wrong! Yet, this impossibility was attacking him with every corner of his body. His limbs had all become much smaller than before, his hands being the most immediately noticeable. Jaux's rough and tan skin was replaced with smooth and fair skin. His hair was far too long and the wrong color, a perfect ebony rather than a tree bark brown. Finally, though he dare not visually check to face the reality, there was nothing to keep his legs from clamping completely together.

Then Jaux remembered where he was, why this bed he sat in felt wrong as well. He was still in the Marlifa Mage's Lyceum! This was the work of magic!

Had he been found out? Perhaps this transformation is what they did to prisoners! This was certainly a comfortable jail cell for an uncomfortable body. It even had a little table by the bed...

A little table that had a very familiar wand resting on top of it.

The demon root was there, waiting for his hand. The rest of Jaux's memories came pouring in. The black statue of the girl and her shining purple eyes appeared in his mind. Could it be that the mages here were not responsible for this plight?

Yes, the mages were not responsible. Why else would they leave him with the means to perform magic?

It was either the wand or the statue, maybe both. If the wand was really responsible for his transformation, then he couldn't let it out of his sight. Jaux recklessly swiped the wand off the table, half expecting it to burn him on touch. He was surprised to find that the demon root felt... perfect. It was not cold like the first time or hot like the last, it simply matched the heat of his fingers. It felt like it was almost a part of him.

The door abruptly opened just a minute afterward, and a tall bearded man strolled in. His beard was shorter than you would expect from a gray-haired wizard, it actually fit his head quite well, giving it a strict and squared look.

"Ah, you are awake at last young lady," exclaimed the tall wizard, "could you please explain to me what you were doing alone down in the research storage department?"

"Oh, uh... I was lost." Jaux replied, hearing his new voice squeak for the first time. "Then everything just kind of... went dark."

"Lost? How did that happen? How long have you been studying here?"

Jaux gave himself a second of thought. He couldn't tell the truth, since that would get him kicked out and prevent him from ever finding a way to change back. He had to stay here and get to that statue again.

"I'm new here." Jaux answered.

“Oh, you just started today?” The wizard remarked, now seeming less suspicious of Jaux, but not completely, “I did not see you at the admissions this morning, but I suppose you could have been unconscious longer than we originally believed. Where did you travel from?”

“Uh... W-Western Beradina, sir.” Jaux answered, coming up with the farthest city he could think of.

“Oh my! You came a long way to join us then, young lady.”

“Yes sir, I believe there is no better school of magic than the one under the guidance of the knowledge goddess Marlifa.” Jaux recited, spitting out the best praise he could think of on the spot.

“Well then, it is a pleasure to meet you. I do hope you ask someone for directions the next time you are lost in our halls. Some of our researchers are very protective of their materials, and tend to ward them with powerful defenses. You could have suffered from far worse than a bit of forced dreaming.” The tall mage instructed, to which Jaux nodded in understanding.

Jaux wasn’t sure if a defensive ward caused all of his... problems, but that would be something he could look into later. If he could get an opportunity to stay in Lyceum, he’ll have plenty of time to figure everything out.

“Now with that out of the way... my name is Rictor Hawkshire, I am the third chief admissions counselor and head of discipline. What is your name?” asked the wizard.

This question stumped Jaux, what exactly should he say? Jaux was not really a female name, and was definitely not a name you would find in Western Beradina. However, Jaux did know a single simple term from Beradinian history, the ancient word for ‘magic’...

“Uh… my name is Suhara, Suhara Ballad.”

“Ah, Suhara... yes, that is the elder term for magic over in those parts,” Hawkshire noted, “would I be right to assume that your parents were mages then?”

“Oh. Well, I’m an orphan sir. I wouldn’t know.” Jaux explained, this time actually being truthful. He could not pretend to know what having parents would be like, but in this case it helped to keep personal questions to a minimum.

“Hm, well that’s unfortunate, but a part of life I suppose. Well then Suhara, since you missed the admissions, I can personally test you here. You should have no problems with that, our medical staff has assured me that you are perfectly healthy.” voiced Hawkshire, as he pulled out a pouch from his robes and began to search inside.

Jaux hadn’t expected the test. He was hoping that it would at least be delayed until tomorrow’s admission hour. That’s what he gets for trying to pose as a student, but there really wasn’t any other option that he could think of. His gaze fell onto his wand, the demon root. Hopefully he could still use it, and hopefully it would be enough to get through this examination.

By the time Jaux looked back up, there was suddenly a square pane of sparkling crystal floating a couple meters in front of him. Hawkshire was studying Jaux from a short distance away, sitting on a chair that was probably conjured the same way as the crystal plate.

“Now then Miss Ballad, please strike the crystal with a targeting spell of your choice.”

This was the standard test for admission into the Lyceum. Jaux had always wanted to take it, but he knew no targeting spells. Knowing one wouldn’t guarantee admission either. The admission mages had to read the pattern you left on the testing pane. There was a certain amount of complexity and power that was required to become a student at the Lyceum, which was gauged by the pattern on the crystal pane.

Even now, Jaux didn’t know if he had such a spell. All he had was the black mist that was fired off from the demon root. He wasn’t sure what the mist did, only that it was some type of curse magic which managed to break a crystallized flame. Maybe it would count, but Jaux didn’t have any other idea to try.

Jaux slowly stood up from the bed, nearly tripping on the robes that were now much longer than he was used to. He made a mental note of his reduced height, before focusing all his attention on the crystal pane. Jaux pointed his demon root right at the pane, and then focused as much magic as he could into the wand.

A head-sized sphere of darkness erupted from the tip of wand, seeming out of place like a shadow that ignored the light. It streaked through the air soundlessly, crashing against the thin crystal plate. In the moment of contact, it looked as if the darkness was a large liquid droplet moving in slow motion, dispersing outwards from the glass in a flower-like shape. Then time seemed to speed up and all the darkness swiftly rushed into the very body of the crystal pane, darkening it to the shade of ink.

There it lingered for just a second, the once colorful crystal pane reduced to a shiny black tile. Then it began to shake violently, as if something was trying to break free, and finally the crystal pane fell onto the ground with a very sharp thump.

Jaux gaped at the pane in surprise, not expecting any of what just happened. Hawkshire was also focused on the fallen crystal pane, but with only his eyebrows raised. Jaux quickly recomposed himself before Hawkshire could look back to him.

“Well I admit I did not expect you to cast curse magic, but that was certainly impressive.” Hawkshire said as he stood up and walked over to the crystal. He did not try to pick it up to examine the pattern, but instead just bent down slightly for a closer glance. “You managed to purge the crystal of all its magic, so there is no pattern to read. Luckily for us, curse magic is already far beyond admission levels in terms of complexity, and it was definitely powerful enough as well. You undoubtedly pass, Miss Ballad.”

Jaux was... excited by the news, to say the least. He could become an official mage here! Magic was just within his reach! Then the last few words seem to echo in his head. 'Miss Ballad' Hawkshire had called him. He had passed as a girl, as someone he was sure he didn't recognize anymore. It was enough to humble his emotions quite a bit.

While Jaux was still in his dizzying emotional limbo, Hawkshire handed him a few print-heavy pages of parchment and a key.

"This first page has a map and list of the most important rooms for you here at the Lyceum. Memorize the locations and try to keep out of the retricted areas. There will be consequences if we find you near the research storage rooms again.

The second page is a certificate for the student enrollment center. Sign your name on it and then report to the enrollment center early tomorrow for your schedule.

The final page has your dormitory room number, along with all the standard student rules and a list of specialty classes on the back. I personally recommend that you look into the target-subject manipulation class, as that would benefit your curse magic the most.

Go ahead and head to your room now, Miss Ballad. It is well past the Lyceum curfew. The key should open it up without issue. I must be going now, other matters will require my attention."

All of a sudden the weight of being a student was dawning on Jaux. He had just talked his way into an actual prison. A prison built with classes, curfews, rules, and classmates. He wouldn't even be allowed outside without an escort! The idea of obtaining true magically power had clouded his judgement.

Now here he stood, living in the wrong body, holding paper bars and the key to his own cell.

Jaux needed to get out of here...