It was dark, it was always dark there. Chandeliers on the walls projected a reddish light into the halls of the Academy, but they could not dispel the shadows cast by the ornate moldings and carved wooden doors lining either side of the corridor leading to the classrooms. Walking past me, through the corridors, I could see all kinds of bizarre and monstrous creatures passing by — Harpies, orcs, ghosts, goblins, demons, manticores, centaurs, werewolves... Some of them looked humanoid enough that you could even say they were humans wearing costumes and body paint, while others were not even bipeds. I was, as I realized on my very first day studying there, the only human in the whole Academy. Maybe that's why all the monsters in the Academy looked at me funny, like I was the weirdo there. Ha!
Well, there was some truth in that. I was not a common student there, in fact, I was not there to study. That was just my facade. Ever since the governments of earth had learned of the Academy's existence, a growing concern began to arise that the creatures studying there might one day try to invade our dimension and become a threat to human society. There was extensive discussion about this among the world's ruling states, and soon they began to plan a way to ensure Earth's safety.
My name is ${Character name}, and I am the result of this initiative. I had been trained in all kinds of mystical and occult arts, as well as techniques of persuasion and martial arts, and sent as an agent of Earth to infiltrate among the monsters of the Academy to detect the most dangerous ones and use my skills to neutralize them. However, using lethal force unnecessarily was not my intention. You see, my specialty in the occult arts turned out to be the various techniques of hypnosis, and to enhance this, I am great at seduction. So I developed a technique I call "Purge Seals", where I combine small paper seals with hypnotic sigils which I use to rewrite the will of my targets and render them harmless to humans... And I get a little fun out of it too.
And there I was, on my way to my classroom to take my first class of the day, when a creature blocked my path. Its body, from the waist down, was like that of a giant serpent, its white, almost metallic scales reflecting the light of the torches. Its other half was like that of a girl who would look human if not for the scales on her neck, her pointed ears, and her reptilian pineal eyes — she was a Lamia, I realized.
Her serpentine body blocked the corridor like a fallen tree. She had a smug smile on her lips, her chin lifted as she looked down at me with her hands on her waist.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the new human student... ${Character name}, isn't it? You're a little far from home, aren't you, sweetie?" Her tone was playful, but full of malice. "A human, poor and defenseless, walking through these corridors amidst predatory beings... You should be careful... You could get hurt or worse, eaten." Lamia tilted her torso sinuously toward me, coming dangerously close to my face, her reptilian tongue licking the air as if trying to taste my scent. "And you know... Nobody would really notice your absence here if that happened." I sensed threat in those words. To confirm, I looked around. The other students, and even professors, who were passing by the corridor didn't seem to give a damn what was going on there.
"Please, I just want to get to my first class, ma'am," I tried to reason with her. But her expression was still cold, and I saw the glint in her reptilian eyes which told me there was no use.
"You're not going anywhere" a snake hiss came from the creature's serpentine mouth, and I could clearly see the fangs in her mouth as she spoke. Was that Lamia really not kidding? Would she devour me right then and there, without even a second thought?
Heh, I didn't feel an ounce of fear. I had been trained for this kind of situation, after all. Discreetly, without Lamia noticing, I took from my pocket one of my "Purge Seals" and held it in my hand secretly.
"S-sorry, ma'am. But I have to go." I stammered, feigning fear in my voice. I tried to get out of her way and pass through her vibora body, and as expected, Lamia quickly turned toward me with a frown and a mouth open wider than would be possible for a human.
"I SAID YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" She shouted in a sibilant voice, about to lunge at my head, just as planned. Without her noticing, I glued one of my Purge Seals to her reptilian tail and raised my arms in feigned surrender.
"Wait, wait, wait!" The Lamia stopped abruptly, her body leaning over mine, her mouth open ready to swallow me. She still looked at me with disdain, but stopped, as I had said. Possibly that order had created intense curiosity in her mind, making her restrain her attack to see what I would say. "But you wouldn't want to eat me, right? You wouldn't do such a thing to a new student like me." Lamia faltered, looking away, and slowly moved her body away from me, closing her mouth and returning to her semi-human appearance. Even if what I had said was a lie, the Purge Seal had worked, and now, everything I said or did became a fact to her, something unquestionable and normal.
"Right..." She murmured, apparently uncomfortable, but not knowing why.
"Actually... You think I'm even kind of cute, don't you?" As expected, those words penetrated Lamia's mind and immediately became a fact. A slight smile, this time friendly, appeared on her lips.
"Right." She spoke up, putting her hands on his waist and trying to return to her earlier arrogant posture, but visibly less aggressive. "Yeah, MAYBE you're right... I will spare your life for now, human." She bluffed, moving her snake body out of the way so that I could continue toward my classroom. I thanked her, and continued on my way.
That had been a close one. I had almost been devoured, and I hadn't even had my first class at the Academy! My year there would be interesting indeed.
***
My first class was history. It was normal, even boring. All my monstrous classmates were avoiding me, obviously, but none of them even tried to talk to me during the whole class, which was better than nothing.
It was during the break between one class and another that something interesting happened.
I was sitting at the desk by the window, looking up at the eternal night sky of that strange dimension, when I felt the terrible sensation of being watched. Turning my head, I realized that a monster was effectively staring at me from the desk next to mine. She was a