Evergreen University was located in the heart of Evergreen City. It shared its na with the city and had been an integral part of its history since its founding four hundred years ago.
Originally a small college with only a handful of departnts, it had grown into a colossal institution, easily ranking among the top three universities in the world. Over the centuries, the university expanded in every direction, yet its roots remained deeply entwined with the ancient library around which it was initially built.
The library, with its stone walls weathered by ti and the weight of knowledge, still stood at the center of the sprawling campus, a silent witness to the evolution of one of the world's most prestigious academic institutions.
Ali couldn't help but feel a swell of pride when he walked through the university's gates. He had passed the hellish entrance criteria for this elite institution, and despite everything he had been through—like that one ti when he had a sword in his chest—he was determined not to let anything bring him down.
After asking for directions a few tis, he was led to a massive building. The entire structure served as the administration office, an imposing sight with its tall columns and grand, arched windows that gave it the air of a governnt building or a courthouse.
The sheer size of it made Ali feel small for a mont, a reminder of the bureaucratic redtapist nonsense he was about to navigate.
He needed to submit his acceptance letter, handle a bit more paperwork, and set up his student account, among other formalities. Stepping inside, he was greeted by a high ceiling with intricate designs that spoke of the building's long history. The floor was a polished marble, echoing the footsteps of countless students who had walked these halls before him.
After speaking to the receptionist, he took the elevator to the third floor, where he was further instructed to wait until his na was called. There were two other students waiting there with him, but after five minutes, he was the only one left.
He regretted not having tried to make conversation with the others.
'They were probably freshn in the sa departnt or faculty,' he thought, chiding himself. Still lost in his thoughts, he almost missed it when his na was called, but sothing was off.
"Alicarde Asad," the voice announced.
He didn't answer for a mont, unsure of what to do.
'That can't be right,' he thought, but then he realized he was the only one left in the waiting area.
'It has to be .... right' Carrisa had been calling him Alicarde lately, so he figured there must have been so mix-up. Determined to clear the misunderstanding, he walked into the office.
The room was well-furnished, with dark wood furniture and plush chairs that made it feel more like the office of a high-ranking executive than a university administrator. The lady behind the desk greeted him with a polite nod as he handed over the envelope containing his docunts.
As she reviewed the paperwork, Ali noticed sothing that made his heart skip a beat—all the docunts were assigned to the na Alicarde Asad.
The birth certificate, the acceptance letter, even his old school records—everything bore the na Alicarde instead of Ali. The docunts weren't new; he recognized the smudges and wear on his birth certificate.
'What the hell?' he thought, his mind racing. 'This has to be Carrisa. She's the only one who calls Alicarde. But how did she manage this?'
His legs froze up for a mont, but after a deep breath, he found his voice.
"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but I think there's been a mistake. My na is Ali Asad, not Alicarde Asad."
The lady looked up from her computer and gave him a reassuring smile. "Mr. Asad, I assure you there is no mistake. The na on all your docunts, including the ones you just gave , is indeed Alicarde Asad. So I don't see where the issue is."
He stared at her, his mind racing. She handed him back the envelope, and he opened it to examine the docunts more closely. To his shock, every single docunt listed his na as Alicarde Asad. The birth certificate, the acceptance letter, every school certificate from elentary to high school—it was all there, but with the wrong na.
'How is this possible?' he thought, his heart pounding.
'Carrisa must have done sothing—so kind of trick or magic to change my na. But why?'
Controlling his growing anger, he thanked the lady and left the office. She stopped him briefly to give further instructions on what he needed to do next. For the next three hours, he went through the motions, completing one task after another—submitting forms, attending orientation sessions, setting up his student account—until he was finally done.
Exhausted, he looked over the list of courses he could take, both compulsory and elective. His mind was drained, not physically, but ntally.
'Guess that she-devil Carrisa was right; my body really isn't human anymore,' he thought. And thinking of Carrisa, he realized that most of his anger had faded during the three hours he had spent running around.
He sat down on a bench and sighed, not noticing the girl sitting beside him until he had already sat down.
"Hello," she said gently, waving her hand a bit.
"Are you new here too?" she asked.
"Too?" he inquired, picking up on her phrasing.
"I'm Anne Amicus, a freshman in the Departnt of Psychology. Nice to et you," she introduced herself.
"Oh, hi Anne. It's nice to et you. I'm Alicarde Asad, also from the sa departnt," he answered, not even realizing he had referred to himself as Alicarde.
"It's a pleasure eting you, Mr. Alicarde Asad," she said, smiling as she repeated the na.
Ali quickly beca aware of his own words. "Oh, sorry. Um… you can call Ali. No, please call Ali," he stamred, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The girl adjusted her glasses and pushed her short blonde hair behind her ear. She was average-looking, with a petite build that suggested she was a bit shorter than him. She couldn't compete with Carrisa in terms of looks, but Ali found her to have her own unique kind of charm.
"So, are you new to the city?" he asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah, is it that obvious?" Anne replied.
"No, not really. I an, I'm new here too, so I just took a guess," he said with a shrug.
"So, you're new too, huh? Guess we're in this together then," Anne smirked.
"Guess we are," he laughed.
They ended up having a long conversation, getting to know each other better. They laughed and joked, quickly becoming friends. It was easy to connect, given that they were both new to the city and the college. Before parting ways, they exchanged contact information to stay in touch.
As Ali left, agreeing to call or text if anything ca up, he felt a bit lighter. But that relief was short-lived. He called a car through his ridesharing app and headed straight to confront Carrisa. He had no idea what kind of magic or voodoo she had used to change his na, but she had better undo it.
When the car stopped on the main road, he opted to walk the rest of the way. He didn't want to involve anyone else in whatever ss this was.
After a while, he reached the gates of the mansion. They swung open as if to welco him back, but he wasn't in the mood to care. Keeping his temper in check, he stord into the mansion, heading straight for Carrisa.
He eventually found her on the fourth floor.
"Welco back ho," she greeted him calmly.
"What the hell, Carrisa? What the actual hell? Why did you change my na on my official docunts?" he demanded, his voice hard.
"I didn't," she replied steadily.
"You're the only person who calls Alicarde. Who else could it be?" he asked, trying to stay calm.
"I didn't change your na on your docunts. I changed your na on a more fundantal level," she said, rising from her chair.
"That day, the person known as Ali Asad died. He was dead in every sense of the word—the Grim Reaper had already claid you. But I brought you back. However, the one I brought back was not Ali Asad; the one I brought back was Alicarde Asad," she explained, her tone calm.
"So, what you're saying is I'm a different person?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"No, you are the sa person. I simply rewrote your na. This must have affected how the world perceives your existence, leading to this outco. You could think of your return as a kind of rebirth, which is why the influence of your new na is so powerful," she clarified.
"So, what, I'm supposed to just accept this?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Yes, you are. Besides, your na would have changed eventually as you grew more powerful and earned titles to add to your true na," she said, her tone matter-of-fact.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" he asked coldly.
Carrisa sighed, showing the first signs of weariness. "So, what do you want, Ali?" she asked, her voice aloof but tinged with exasperation.
"Change it back!" he snapped.
"I cannot. What is done cannot be undone," she replied, her tone unyielding.
Glaring at her nacingly, his eyes began to glow with a violet hue as he locked gazes with her. But Carrisa remained unfazed, her expression as aloof as ever.
As Ali's anger simred, the presence of a maid erged from behind him. She moved with the quiet grace typical of her station, her voice calm as she spoke.
"I assure you, my mistress did not intend to change your na. Rather, by bringing you back, she was put in a situation where she had no choice but to give you a new na, as the individual known as Ali Asad had already died. Therefore, the new na was necessary.
My mistress also took care to give you a na that closely resembled your original mortal na," she explained with a asured tone, almost chanical in its precision.
Ali turned to look at the maid, her composed deanor contrasting sharply with his own turmoil. Then his gaze shifted back to Carrisa, who still showed no sign of emotion. Her expression remained as unreadable as ever. Despite his frustration, he found himself calming down a bit.
The maid's explanation, while clinical, did make so sense—at least as much as anything in his current situation could. He didn't fully understand the mystical or supernatural forces at play, but he had no choice but to accept her words for now. She also assured him that while his docunts might have been affected, he could still go by the na Ali, as a shortened version of Alicarde.
She further clarified that his family wouldn't notice the difference in his na on the docunts; to them, and to any other mundane person, it would be as if nothing had changed.
Reluctantly, Ali let go of his anger. There was sothing instinctual, a deep-seated feeling, that kept him from directing his full wrath at Carrisa. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't maintain his fury towards her. And given his efforts to keep a cool head in the face of everything he had been through, he found himself slowly resigning to the situation.
'Maybe this is just part of my new reality,' he thought, feeling the weight of the situation begin to settle on his shoulders. Ali decided, at least for now, to put the matter to rest and contemplate what his new reality would look like moving forward.
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