James stood in the mottled shade of wooden beams overhead. He stood in the concrete entrance to a courtyard with a fountain in the center and surrounded on all sides by buildings. On the far side a path led down between two buildings and out of sight. Scattered here and there around the edges of the courtyard were wooden benches. James saw no one else in the clearing, which didn't really surprise him. At this time of day people were generally in one of two groups: the ones who got up early and had classes in the morning and those who slept until lunchtime regularly. This was a lull in the school's activity.

James fell into the early-to-rise category, normally, but today he overslept, and as he stood regarding the empty courtyard he was missing his math class. He was frozen in indecision. Better to go in late and make a fool of himself or just to miss this lecture? He could still go to the study group later. He wasn't sure to do, and his heart had begun to race. Was he going to miss something important in today's lecture?

Quickly he sketched a figure in the air in front of him, the symbol of inner peace, and muttered "vohla" as an invocation. Thankfully, he began to calm down. All the same, his hand went into his pocket and closed around a small vile; a relaxation concoction he had made a few weeks ago at home, before he had come out to college. It was comforting to know it was there if he needed it, though he didn't have to remind himself of the trouble it had been to mix it, and the ingredients weren't cheap.

He had calmed down now; a combination of his simple invocation and deep breathing. He could survive missing one math lecture, and he'd still go to the study session, of course. Putting his hands in his pockets, James started toward the path at the other end of the courtyard. The path led down into a small wooded area that stood between several buildings and went down to the winding road.

James walked along the path in the cool shade of the trees, turning his head from side to side to take it all in. He hadn't been at CS UC very long, and he still had quite a bit of exploring to do. Something glittery, like the sun off water, caught his eye and he turned, but saw nothing more than the forest. Quizzically, he slowly etched the most basic symbol for magic, just to see what would happen. Some of the trees in the area that had caught his eye took on an eerie, almost iridescent look. Now he was genuinely interested. On a hunch, he sketched the symbol for the afterworld. As soon as he had finished the symbol, an image flashed across his vision; a great flash of light and picture so full of magic that it burst out at him, throwing him backwards and knocking him unconscious.