Redsky was a city founded by necromages a long time ago. It started as a simple settlement built by a group of people seeking refuge from those who opposed necromagic. The location was ideal because not only was it far enough from any other town at the time, but also, the red-dyed skies of the region reacted well with the crafts of necromagic, making them more powerful. The town began to grow as it became a safe space for mages, wizards and witches of all kinds. But in the last few decades, as the non-magician population increased and necromagic was more and more stigmatized, Redsky was in danger of losing its original purpose – although only on the outside, because the local black market community was still as strong as ever.
Seir’s mind was heavy with thoughts as he tried to understand the situation. The whole case seemed really odd to him. Hayley didn’t seem at all like someone who had any experience with magic, but somehow she had managed to set up a lucan vivification with no previous knowledge. That must mean that she had external help. Could it be whoever she made a promise to? Or maybe she just claimed someone else’s craft? But whatever was the case, Seir had a strange feeling about it. He wanted to stop thinking about it, but he couldn’t. Not only those circumstances but also the craft itself intrigued him. That light flash wasn’t normal; nothing about that craft was normal. Had he encountered something more than just a vivification?Seir was so distracted that he didn’t even notice time passing, and soon enough, he was at his destination. There was a long wall of tall fences which concealed the inside of the large building complex. He walked up to the main entrance, passing by a pair of raven statues on each side of it. “Redsky College of Necromagic,” it read on an arch at the top of the black iron gate, which also featured a large canine skull in its intricate iron patterns.
The gate was locked at this time, but Seir had a pass. He took a card from his wallet and approached it to the open jaw of a skull statue on the square pillar to the right side of the gate. This skull, as well as its closed-jaw twin on the other side, was enchanted with a transmutation spell which made it change shapes. Each day, the skull statues resembled a different animal skull, a trick which kept the curious students entertained trying to guess the skull of the day. Today, it was a cat. But the skull was actually part of the gate opening system. By placing a valid pass card onto its jaw, its eye sockets glowed red, and then the massive gate doors were opened. 
The Redsky College of Necromagic – or as it was often nicknamed, Redsky Necro – was one of the last magic schools dedicated exclusively to teaching necromagic. There had been multiple attempts of shutting it down as the war on necromagic started to gain support, and though at times it almost lost hope, it still stood strong today. It was once the best in the world and the place where one would go to learn everything that is known about necromagic, but in order to stay alive, the college was forced to comply with certain restrictions about the content they could teach. Some considered this a great loss and the sign that the college was heading towards its death, but others appreciated that the changes at least allowed it to endure and pass on some of the knowledge on the art of necromagic. After all, most mages nowadays agreed that not all the dark secrets of the craft were truly safe to be shared.But one thing had remained intact: Redsky Necro’s mission of being as accessible as possible for anyone who wanted to learn. Especially being one of the last of its kind, prospective students would come from all over the world, and from many different backgrounds. The college offered conditions for those who needed it, including free housing at their dormitory buildings, if necessary. Seir himself had come to the college under these circumstances and it had been his home for the last four years. Although he was done with studies, he now had a job as a lab assistant, which allowed him to keep one of the small apartment units in the building reserved specifically for college staff. Those were typically used temporarily by new hires from outside until they were stable enough to find their own place, but some members chose to stay because they liked the place and the community.
Seir crossed the front yard and made his way into the staff building, which was one of the last buildings on the east side of the campus. He passed by some teachers he knew but he didn’t want to talk to anyone right now, which wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, especially when he was coming in at odd hours. His unit was at the end of the corridor on the fourth floor. Upon stepping into his home, the first thing he did was take off his jacket and throw it on the couch. But as it landed with a heavier sound than it should, Seir remembered that the phoenix heart was still in its pocket. The sturdy box would protect it, but this was not the kind of item to be thrown around. He picked up the small black box and took it to his bedroom, placing it inside his desk’s drawer. It wasn’t the safest place to keep it, but he was too tired now to think about it.
Seir felt like the stench of that vivification had clung to him, even though he couldn’t really smell it. But he was so tired that he just changed his clothes and went to bed. He thought he would return home feeling excited about his purchase, but instead, his mind was puzzled by a situation unrelated to him that he just couldn’t keep his curiosity from being interested in. He still wanted that rogue craft to be destroyed before the police got their hands on it, but he wasn’t sure if he could do it himself. Either way, there was nothing else he should do at this moment other than get some sleep. He lay on his back, looking at the ceiling, but then tried closing his eyes. What had he just gotten himself into?
