Wayne stirred beneath his bedsheets, rousing himself and gathering his willpower. He rose, casting aside his silken blankets. Slowly, he stumbled over to the window and pulled the drapes aside, letting daylight from the sunrise into the room. He stretched, yawned, and blearily rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He walked over and through the doorframe into the bathroom. He groggily stumbled his way over to the wash tub, undressed, and lowered himself inside. Turning the nozzle, he heard the water being heated by the low-level magicrystal in the wall, it's dull hum the tell-tale sign of mana being gathered and used. a few minutes later, once the crystal brought the water to the intended heat, it spilled from the faucet into the tub. The water washed over Wayne, as he was jolted out of his tired and sleepy state by the comforting warmth.
He smiled, remembering the significance of today. Today was his first day of school at Hillchester academy, his first steps into the world of magic and wizardry. He reached for the soap bar by the side of the tub, easily within reach, and began to scrub himself down. He took about 20 minutes. Shorter than usual, but not for lack of cleaning. Instead the excitement had made him rub more thoroughly, and faster too. After giving himself a thorough cleansing, he moved on to the shampoo bottle as he started to scrub his hair. Wayne finished after about ten more minutes and started draining the tub before dragging himself out and towards a towel. Drying himself, he grabs the silver bell on his nightstand, and rings it once. A scant few seconds pass by before a well-dressed butler enters the room, in his arms a fresh set of clothes. The butler is on the older side, looking to be about in his late fifties. He has a neat combover of grey hair, successfully hiding his receding hair line. His weathered face sports a warm, grandfatherly smile.
"Good morning, sir, I do hope you rested well?" The man asks, setting the clothes down at the foot of Wayne's bed.
"I did, Ferrick, and good morning to you too." Wayne replies as he picks up the clothes and walks behind the dressing wall divider.
"Good. Breakfast will be prepared for you when you are done preparing." He states, before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.
Wayne finished dressing himself in a formal uniform of the academy and headed into the bathroom to comb his hair. He grabbed his comb off the counter and brushed his black hair into a simple hairstyle. He had a handsome face, large black eyes, and a sharp chin. The nobility's beauty care was useful, in times like these, no matter how annoying, he thought as he applied his skin cream. First impressions are important, and one's looks can go a long way in helping that, after all. He made his way into the long hallway his room resided at the end of, passing paintings of distant relatives and influential characters from history. He never liked the one of king Barnley the second. The carciature's eyes always seemed like they were following him. Eventually, he stepped into a grand dining room lined with stone busts and depictions of landscapes decorating the space, a single rectangular table adorned with intricate carvings as the centerpiece. On top lay three plates of eggs, bacon and toast. Sitting at the table were his father, mother, and sister. Wayne's father, Bryan McMayther, was a grizzled man of large stature that oversees McMayther county, and a retired sergeant from the beast-kin wars of twenty eight years ago. His mother, Saralea Lyrin, is the daughter of a wealthy merchant who married into his family twenty five years ago. And finally, Alison McMayther, his sister, being bottle fed in his mother's arms. Wayne walked over and took his seat at the table, the butler Ferrick pulling out his chair.
"Good morning, everyone!" Wayne said with a smile, before starting to eat.
"And good morning to you, son." His father replied in kind with his deep, rough, gravelly voice.
"Your father and I would like to talk to you about school before you leave." Wayne's mother spoke in a much more delicate manor as compared to his father.
"Okay mother." Wayne replied off-handedly.
As Wayne continued to eat, his father spoke up again, remembering something.
"Oh, we hired a new gardener. The last one retired last week, so make sure to greet the new one on your way out. His name is Argus." Bryan said.
"Alright father. Jacobs was only fifty two though, why did he retire so early?" Wayne asked.
"His daughter has recently had a child, so he is stepping down to help take care of his grandson. His son-in-law works as a tailor in Landel and provides enough that he won't have to worry about finances." Saralea cut in, answering Wayne's question.
Wayne had never been to Landel, a town residing just a carriage day's travel away. In fact, he hadn't been anywhere except Fetell Grove, the larger city in McMayther county. The county consisted of two cities and five towns, Fetell Grove being popular for it's magicrystal production. Magicrystals were a valuable commodity in most places, and the existence of Hillchester academy gave rise to the only people capable of producing them: enchanters. Enchanters were a sub-type of wizard or witch, and specialized in imbuing magic to items. They were the reason Wayne was able to enjoy hot water for baths, and shock-proof carriages. He respected them, even if he wasn't sure yet which branch of magic he wanted to practice.
After Wayne and his family finished breakfast, Wayne left to double check the bag he had packed yesterday. He made sure he had his General Textbook for Magical Competency, his vial of mana-conductive ink, his notebook, his pen, and his lunch were all packed. After making sure he had all his necessary materials, He brushed his teeth, memorized his schedule, and finally went to speak to his parents. When he found them, they were at the entrance foyer to the house. He walked in front of the large, marble door frame with it's fine mahogany doors. They were both standing in front of the double doors, his sister presumably being taken care of by the caretaker. Both his mother and Father had serious expressions.
"You said you wanted to speak to me?" Wayne started, now slightly apprehensive at the seemingly somber atmosphere.
"We wanted to talk to you about the responsibilities that come with being a spell caster, Wayne." His mother replied, easing Wayne's nerves.
"We want to make sure you know that magic is not a toy, and you should always take it very seriously." His father stated, looking expectantly at his son.
"Okay. I can do that." Wayne replied. He's never taken magic as a joke, and had always been interested in it from a young age. As such, he had heard stories about what happened to people who used it recklessly, mad mages who ended up dead or worse from an experiment gone awry.
"As long as you understand that. We love you, now go and make us proud." His mother interjected, and both of them seized Wayne in a hug, which Wayne reciprocated.
"Ok. Bye, I love you!" Wayne said as he started to walk out the door.
Little did Wayne know, this would be the last time he would ever talk to his parents.
