It’s been around a day since Dad mentioned about me going to school. With my hands tightly gripping the straps of my tiny backpack, I could see Mom’s eyes brimming with affection as she looked at Maria and I. 

 

“Awwww!” Mom yelled out as she pinched my cheeks. 

 

“Look at you, all ready to go to school!” she squealed. 

 

I shrugged her hand away from my face, kindly telling her to stop before massaging my cheeks as we walked out of the house and ventured down the street. 

 

“Seriously, please don’t do that Mom.” I said. “I’m 25 years old. It’s just weird.”

 

“You’re 25?” Maria asked. 

 

I facepalmed myself, realizing that Maria could understand everything I say. 

 

“Sorry, I lied.” 

 

“I thought so. You know, it’s not good if you keep lying, Raiden.”

 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” 

 

“As long as you know now.” she said proudly with both hands on her hips. 

 

When we arrived at the school, I was astonished by how clean it looked. With white pillars standing tall at the entrance and a little staircase going up to double doors made out of glass and metal colored to be gold, I couldn’t find anything wrong with this place. 

 

“How much does it cost to be in this kind of school Mom?”  

 

“Hmm? What’d you say Raiden?”

 

“He asked how much it costs for him to enroll in this school.” Maria said. 

 

“How much… hmm, probably around 75 bricks a year.” Mom said. 

 

“75 bricks… How much would that be in USD?” I asked. 

 

“USD? What’s that?” Maria asked. 

 

“Oh, fuck.” I softly said as I facepalmed myself once more. “It’s nothing. Just some stupid thing I made up.”

 

“Is it really?” she said with her eyebrows raised. 

 

“Yes, really.”

 

We walked through the front hall and made a left, saying goodbye to Maria for the day as she left for her classroom. 

 

Now it was just me, Mom, and an assistant teacher with short black hair,  who was leading us to the classroom I would attend for the year. 

 

And before we even reached the classroom I heard the noise of children screaming and objects knocking on the ground. 

 

“Well, gosh, hah, you know what Mom, there’s really no need to put me here now that I think about it.” I said in a cold sweat. 

 

“Are you nervous sweety?” Mom asked. 

 

“No.” I quickly replied. “I’m gonna be honest, I think I’m gonna be more annoyed than I am nervous heading into this classroom.” 

 

The assistant teacher chuckled as she wasn’t able to comprehend what I had said just now. 

 

“It’s okay sweetie, it happens to many kids who are dropped off for the first time.” she said in a high pitched voice. 

 

“Say,” Mom said. “I don’t think I ever got your name?”

 

“Oh, sorry about that!” she said smiling with her tongue out and head tilted. “My name’s Berri Jones.” she said with her hand stretched out. 

 

“Mina Smith.” Mom cheerfully replied as she shook hands with Ms. Jones. 

 

Ms. Jones then looked over to me and rubbed my curly brown hair. 

 

“And you are?”

 

“Um… Raiden Smith.” I said, my voice slightly shaking. 

 

“Well it’s nice meeting you Raiden.” Ms. Jones said with a bright smile on her face. 

 

She reached out to my hand, devouring it with just her palm as she shook it. 

 

“And how old are you dear?” 

 

“T-three and a half years old...” 

 

“My, for a three year old, you sure know a lot of vocab words.” she said with a cute smile. 

 

I looked at her once more, her face silky smooth with no acne in sight. 

 

- ‘There’s no way.’

 

“Um... Ms. Jones.” I said nervously.

 

“Hm? What is it?”

 

“Um… how old are you?”

 

“Me? Well,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m 22 years old. I’m pretty old aren’t I.” 

 

I lowered my head. 

 

- ‘WHAT THE FUCK?!’ I thought to myself. - ‘22?! I’m older than her?!’

 

“You’re 22? My, you’re not that much younger than me.” Mom said with her hand covering her mouth. 

 

“Oh, really Ms. Smith? How old are you?”

 

“I turn 24 this year in March.”

 

“TWENTY FOUR?!” I yelled out. 

 

Mom let out a small laugh. “Yes Raiden, I’m that old.” 

 

My eyes began spinning. I crouched down with my hands on my ears, dripping sweat as if I was some sort of cartoon character. 

 

- ‘There's no way. There’s just no way….. WHY THE HELL AM I OLDER THAN MY OWN MOM?! WHY WOULD THE UNIVERSE CREATE ME THIS WAY?!’ 

 

I felt as if I was going to cry. 

 

“I need some orange juice.” I said as I got up and tiptoed to the doorknob that was separating us from the classroom. 

 

“You guys have orange juice in this world right? If not, I'll take apple juice or even carrot juice. I just need something to drink other than water.” 

 

Struggling to open the door, once I had a good grip on the doorknob, I jumped up and down, springing the door open. I soon fell on my hands and knees, slightly crying. 

 

“Aw fuck!” I yelled out. “Why does falling hurt so much more when you’re a baby!”

 

Watching my disgraceful fall, Mom hurriedly rushed over. 

 

“Gosh, Raiden, are you okay?” she asked. 

 

“No, I’m not okay! Nothing that’s happened in the past minute has gone okay!” I yelled, my hand covering my mouth and I lightly wept.

 

The class soon got quiet. The 9 other kids who were playing with each other stopped what they were doing and stared at me, causing my body to sweat bullets. 

 

I took a deep breath and let out a small cough. 

 

“Sorry about that.” I said in composure, my balled up fist covering my mouth. 

 

“It’s all good sweetie.” Ms. Jones said with a chuckle. “Look, why don’t you play with all your other classmates here.” 

 

“Good idea.” Mom added on. “Go on Raiden, play with the others.” 

 

It was clear that Mom was yearning to be alone with a person she could really talk to. And so, I looked around the classroom that was filled with tables on one half, a large rug on the other half, and bookshelves with dolls and various toys. 

 

Taking in the classroom atmosphere, I felt a sudden tap on my shoulder. 

 

“Um…” said a girl with short yellow hair. “Why were you crying earlier?” she said in a high pitched voice. 

 

“Oh… you heard that?” I said as I gently swiped my eyes with my arm. “Well, I was crying because I fell and hurt my knee.” 

 

What I had just said to her wasn’t a lie, but it also wasn’t the complete truth. 

 

“Really, does it hurt that badly?” she asked with a curious tone.

 

“I mean, eh it kinda hurts.”

 

“Let me see.” she asked, pointing at my leg. 

 

“See what, my knee?”

 

The girl nodded. 

 

I rolled my black pants up all the way to my knee. Seeing just my bare skin on my legs made me cringe a bit. Maybe I was too used to having leg hair in my old body. But above the smooth, pale skin of my leg, laid a bruise on my knee. 

 

“Holy crap. I didn’t think falling as a kid would be this bad.”

 

The girl gave a sour face. She was worried about the bruise on my knee, disgusted even. 

 

“Do you want me to heal it for you?” she asked me. 

 

“Heal it?”

 

“Mhm.” 

 

The girl grabbed me by the shoulders and gently lowered me onto the rug. 

 

“Ah wait,” she said. “I need to bring over some water. Wait right here!”

 

I looked over at Mom and Ms. Jones. They were both looking right at me with smiles on their faces. 

 

“Has your son ever had a spell cast on him?” Ms. Jones asked. 

 

“No, never.” Mom said with a smile. 

 

I gulped in anticipation. 

 

“Alright I’m back!” the short haired girl said with a small canteen in her hands. 

 

Putting it down next to her, my eyes widened as her hand went over my knee. This all seemed fake, as if this whole thing was staged, but then the girl spoke. 

 

“Heal!” 

 

Upon chanting the spell, the world before me changed in her accordance. The small canteen which was filled with water, rushed out, making its way towards the bruise on my knee. I felt the soothing sensation that came with it. The feeling of water seeping through my pores and into my bloodstream, aiding it with the task of fixing any broken vessels within me. 

 

My jaw dropped. I looked over to Mom dumbfounded. 

 

“Ah...” I couldn’t express my feelings in words. I just looked at Mom, who was smiling from ear to ear at the sight of me experiencing magic for the first time. 

 

I looked back at the girl. 

 

“Um….ah… thank you!” 

 

“Ehehe, don’t mention it!” she said with a bright smile. “Anyways, what’s your name?” she asked. 

 

“My name? Um, it’s Raiden. Raiden Smith.” 

 

“Ehehe, nice to meet you. I’m Kora. Kora Nim.” she said as she stretched her hand out. I gently took hold of her hand and shook it before using her hand as a tool to help me up. 

 

“Say, Raiden.” she asked. “Do you wanna play with me and the others?” 

 

“Yeah, I’ll do that in a moment.” I replied. “I just need to talk to my Mom first.”

 

I walked over to Mom after Kora said alright and ran to her friends. 

 

She was with Ms. Jones, talking to her about Maria and I. 

 

“Hey Mom. Mom. Mom. Mommy! Mommy!” Tugging onto her pants as I obnoxiously called out for her, Mom stopped her conservation before asking me what I wanted. 

 

“Will they be teaching me how to use magic in this school?”

 

She looked over to Ms. Jones. 

 

“Of course buddy.” she said with a smile on her face. “But you gotta wait.” 

 

I turn once more to the classroom with my jaw dropped, my eyes glimmering as I thought, 

 

- ‘This is it! This is the fantasy world that I’ve always dreamed of living in!’