Oliver Finn and the Origin Seed

Prologue

Oliver looked out his dorm room window as he watched his grandparents' car drive off into the

distance. Waves of homesickness and excitement washed over him simultaneously. Tomorrow

he would be starting at his new school and he was filled with equal parts anticipation and

nerves. Oliver was only 13-years old and had never been to a boarding school. He had grown up

his entire life knowing this day would come, but it always felt like it was so far off that it never

would... but yet here it was. And here he was at Hawthorne Prep about to start the first year of

his magical education.

Magic had been an everyday part of Oliver's childhood growing up, albeit a complicated one.

His grandma and grandpa had raised him since he could remember, and they had decided to raise

him with a knowledge of the existence of magic even though they lived in a non-magical world.

Because of the dangers of a young kid blabbing to all of his friends about magic, his

grandparents had been pretty minimal in what they taught him. They had also been very clear though that he wasn't to tell anyone outside their home anything about magic. Regardless, the few times he had said something to a friend, they usually laughed him off or called him a liar. He learned pretty quickly that other people just didn't believe in magic.

Oliver didn't totally understand how it all worked, but he figured that's what this new school was for. His grandparents had taught him the basics. He knew that there was a magical world and a non-magical world, but he wasn't sure how they were connected, and he had never before visited the magical one. He also knew that Hawthorne Prep, the school he was currently at, wasn't where he'd actually be spending his days. During school hours, Oliver would be going to Marwood Prep. Hawthorne was just where he'd be living.

Even though it didn't make total sense to Oliver yet, he was confident it would all work out. He had spent the last few days driving to Hawthorne Prep with his grandparents and getting his things situated in his dorm room. They had been sad to say goodbye but were excited for him to start his journey into their world. He might have dozens of questions right now, but if his grandparents were confident everything would be alright, so was he. Before leaving, they had told him that he would get more information on Marwood Prep in the evening.

Thinking about his grandparents made the homesickness and anxiety bubble up in his stomach. Their car was long gone by now and the sun was beginning to set. Oliver stepped away from the window and breathed in deeply while closing his eyes slowly. This was the beginning of new and exciting adventure for him.

He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes. For the first time in several days, he was truly alone. He hadn't yet met his roommate which was a surprise to him since school started tomorrow. The dorm room was bigger than he had expected, but it was old just like the rest of Hawthorne Prep. The school had originally been built as a sprawling mansion estate but had turned into a boarding school some years ago. There were several massive wings and plenty of room for dormitories, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, a swimming pool, and classrooms. And that was just the building! The grounds were even bigger with plenty of open, grassy areas, a garden maze, sports fields, orchards, greenhouses, and outdoor seating.

With a sigh, Oliver realized he was kind of sad that he wouldn't be spending much of his time here at Hawthorne Prep. It really was an incredible place and he just hoped that Marwood Prep was half as cool.

Who am I kidding he thought to himself it's probably going to be some old, rundown fortress or castle. The sun was fully set now and the only thing illuminating his room was the soft glow of the incandescent lightbulbs. The emotions of the past few days seemed to wash over him fully now and he found that he was completely exhausted. Well, I guess I better get to sleep. It's going to be a big day tomorrow.

Oliver put on his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and finished getting ready for bed. He was about to slip under his covers when he remembered what his grandparents had told him before they left: he was supposed to have gotten instructions for how to get to Marwood.

As if summoned by his realization, there was a slight rap on the door and the sound of something sliding underneath it on the floor. Oliver rushed to the door and looked at his late-night delivery. Laying on the floor was a simple, white envelope. And it was addressed to him.