Ch. 6
Evan had a new spring in his step as he left the hospital with Robin. If Robin noticed anything different, she didn’t say anything. She once again acted as his guide, this time showing him to the dormitory. They soon arrived at the place that would act as Evan’s new home.
“This is Tipski Hall,” Robin said. “This is where the academy’s college students live. I’ve been told that your room is on the second floor.”
Evan counted out six stories. It looked much like the rest of the buildings on campus, covered in brick and ivy. He followed Robin through the front doors. There was a security desk near the entrance, and a bank of mailboxes next to that.
“The apartment manager is out today, so you will have to meet her another time.”
They then came into the dorm’s large common room.
“Nice,” Evan said as he looked around.
There were several couches and TVs, and some of the TVs had video game systems hooked up. He could see a couple of girls playing a racing game. Around the room he spied a pool table, air hockey, arcade games, and several vending machines. It looked like a fun place to relax. Besides the girls playing video games, there were only two others in the common area playing pool.
They continued through the common room and headed towards the stairwell, but not before Evan made eye contact with the two ladies playing pool. The first one that saw him was a tall redhead. Her hair was not just red, but it had some black streaks in it as well. It was different, but not as different as the furry ears on her head and the striped tail swinging behind her. The redhead gave him a big smile and waved when she saw him, and he returned it politely.
The other woman turned and looked at him when she noticed the exchange. She just watched as he left the room before resuming the game of pool. She was dark skinned with short jet-black hair, and she also had similar furry ears and tail.
Robin wasted no time in escorting him up the stairs and to his new room, and they did not cross paths with any other residents on their way. Evan was impressed with his room upon first inspection. It was like a small apartment. It had a big bed, spacious closet, wide desk area, and even a recliner. There was a small private bathroom, too. There was a large TV set up already, and he could see several of his own bags had been brought up before him. It may not be luxurious, but he felt like it was a big upgrade from his small room at home.
“If there is anything you need, you can talk to one of the employees down in the lobby,” Robin said. “For now, is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Not that I can think of,” Evan said while shrugging.
“What will you be doing now?”
“Umm, I think I’ll put some stuff away here for a bit, but then I’m going to catch up with Ms. Vaduva.”
“Will you need me to escort you?”
“No, you don’t have to. I think I can find my way.”
“Ok, thanks.”
Robin left, and Evan was truly alone for the first time since he arrived. Robin was nice, but she was very stiff. He got the feeling she was always on guard. He didn’t know if she was just serious about her job, or if she was uncomfortable around him. And he also didn’t know why he needed security anyway. Another thing he needed to ask Ms. Vaduva.
Evan unpacked his clothes and put them away in the closet and dresser. He set up his computer on the desk and found a good place for his phone charger. He soon ran out of things to unpack, and he determined it was time to see Ms. Vaduva like she had asked.
He exited the building and started walking in the direction of the administration building. He passed a few women on the way, but none of them said anything. They may not have talked, but they all continued to stare at him. In fact, he had noticed that everyone he encountered on campus watched him closely. It was like being a celebrity.
It didn’t take long to reach the administration building. He stumbled around getting his bearings in the new building for the first time, but he managed to find his way to the top floor. Signs pointed him in the right direction from there, and he soon found himself at Ms. Vaduva’s office.
“Evan! Come in,” she said upon seeing him. “I wondered when you would be by. Close the door, if you would.”
Evan closed the door behind him and took a seat in front of her desk. The office was pretty typical. She had a wide desk cluttered with work, and there were several bookcases full of various literature. A big window was behind her chair looking out onto the campus allowing for a great view.
“How has your first afternoon at the academy been?”
“It was a little… strange.”
“Strange? How so?”
“Well,” Evan said while putting his thoughts together. “For starters, I don’t know why I need a security agent? And then there’s the fact that everyone I pass on campus seems to stare at me. And also, why do I need to have medical exams and give sperm samples? I was told you were the one that was supposed to help me understand.”
“Ah, I see,” Ms. Vaduva said. “I will, of course, answer all your questions, Evan. It was never my intention to keep anything from you. I simply didn’t want to overwhelm you right from the get-go.”
“Do I not actually belong here after all?”
“No, no. Nothing like that,” Ms. Vaduva said with a soft smile. “If you would, I’d like you to answer a couple questions for me first, Evan. Did you come across many people when you were going around campus?”
“Yeah, I guess,” he said while recalling those he had seen. “There were some walking the paths, some sitting at the courtyard, others in the buildings I went into.”
“And how many of the people you saw were women?” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Ummm,” Evan said while thinking.
He tried to picture those he had seen as best he could. It took him a few seconds before he furrowed his brow and cocked his head, having just realized something odd.
“Huh,” he said. “They were all women.”
“That’s right,” Ms. Vaduva said with a solemn nod. “And there is a reason for that. Almost 80 years ago, a great tragedy befell the magical community. It was a tragedy in the form of a disease.”
“This disease,” she continued. “Specifically targeted human beings with higher concentrations of magic power in their bodies. Many suffered and died before we were able to develop a treatment. In time, doctors were able to develop a vaccine, so the disease is no longer a threat today. But the real damage came from the long-lasting side effects it had on the community.”
“You see, Evan,” she said. “One of the aftereffects of this pandemic was a drastically reduced birthrate. This was due to the disease targeting male subjects much more aggressively than female. For whatever reason, not only did a much higher percentage of the male population die from the disease, but the surviving men also had their sperm count drop to being nearly infertile.”
“It became very difficult for the next generations to be conceived, even with the help of doctors. And to make matters worse, the children that were born were overwhelmingly female. The males that were born were celebrated like never before, but eventually it was found the damaged sperm was hereditary. It has gotten to the point today where the populations of mages of all types are nearly extinct, with the vast majority of surviving members being females.”
“So… male mages are rare,” Evan said. “That’s what makes me special?”
“Yes, but that’s not all,” Ms. Vaduva said. “Let’s look at vampires, for example. A vampire baby can be born in two ways. The first is as you would expect. Two vampires get together and conceive a child. A baby vampire will be born. The second method is something a little special. You see, normally, a vampire would not be able to conceive with a normal human. But they can reproduce with a certain type of pure mage. Pure in this case meaning having unaltered DNA.”
“The problem with this method is that this particular type of mage is very rare. In fact, they have gotten much rarer since the outbreak of the disease. It seems that although the disease didn’t affect those with low magic power, it did decrease the likelihood that children of this mage class would be born.”
“Do you see it yet, Evan?” Ms. Vaduva said, leaning forward. “Do you see why you are important?”
Evan slowly shook his head as he was still trying to wrap his head around all she was throwing at him.
“The tests we did on your blood weren’t only to see if you had the capacity for magic,” she said. “It was to see what class of mage you were and determine if your DNA had been damaged by the disease. The results showed you were the rarest of the rare in today’s world. You are a male mage unharmed by the side effects of that cursed disease. One who is capable of breeding with all the different species of monster mages.”
Evan’s eyes widened as he finally understood what she was getting at.
“To the desperate populations of mages that have been pushed to the edge of extinction,” she said. “You are the only hope they have to keep their people alive.”