As Bill opens the door, he sees a grey wolf standing by a window looking over the school grounds. 

The wolf already notices Bill's arrival before Bill even touches a doorknob. He turns to look at Bill as he opens a door, his eyes pass over Bill analyses a possible threat that he could pose. Then, as he determines that this man is but a weak human who does not pose a threat, he turns his head and goes back to watch over the school ground.  

Bill, seeing his roommate looking at him before turn his head away stands awkward at a door for quite some time, expected a replied or a question from his roommate but no sound ever comes.  

Bill coughed before spoke “Hello my name is Bill nice to meet you” he tries his best to give an unintimidated smile.  

The wolf utters “Calamity”  

“What?” 

Calamity sighs and explains, “My name is Calamity. We have 2 beds left, you pick one by the door or window...and don’t touch my stuff”   

Starting to look around Bill sees that this room is just the right size for 3 people not too big or too small. The wall is made of plain metal with no decoration but it does have a fade soot stains and a claw mark; It possible these room once had a decoration and a good furniture but after many “Incidents” they change to use a regular one instead.  

Bill put his bag down and walked to the window, trying to look at whatever his roommate finds so interesting. Outside their room below is a playground and road with many groups of people and a horse pulling wagon passing by. There is even some truck drive by once in a while. 

“Pretty crowded for a school”, said Bill.  

“The school set in the center so a lot of people pass through here. Not to mention all the building they share for public use.” said Calamity without looking at Bill.  

“It has such a nice view!” Bill expresses thinking of his old home where their window must be closed at all times or else be choked by smog “I guess I'll be taking this bed by the window then.”  

“Suit yourself”, Calamity said without care before his nose started to make a sniff sound “Why do you have a coal smell on you?”  

The factory works! Bill starts to panic, “What do you mean?”  

‘A coal factory work is a mark of a third-class citizen. I don’t know how much Calamity knows about human life but I can’t risk this detail getting out.’  

“You reek of coal, did you work in a factory before or something?” Calamity moves his nose closer to inspect Bill. 

Seeing a jaw with sharp teeth coming close Bill back away “What no, no! I would never work in a place like that but my house in New Terra was close to the factory may be that why you smell some coal on me?”  

Calamity narrows his eyes and decides to stop pursuing this pointless topic “Just make sure to shower more, I would hate to throw something foul out of window tonight”  

“Of course,” Bill relieved and determined that tonight is going to be the cleanest shower in his life.  

As Bill starts to unpack his bag, he stares at his roommate in the corner of his eyes from time to time. He has been seeing a lot of other races for the first time today and still can’t take his eyes off any of them as they walk past him. He knows it must be rude to stare but for a boy from a poor family who only sees old machinery all day and night, these new people of other races sure make a very new exciting experience for him.  

Calamity himself is a grey wolf with tall body, lean and muscular with two white crescent marking on side of his eyes, he is taller than Bill but act very reserved, from Bill experience on the street he knows that Calamity is in the category of people that should not be mess with when you walk pass by. He gives off a dangerous presence but at the same time it’s as if he’s not there at all which puzzles Bill. 

He is in a school uniform, a white short-sleeved shirt with the school sigil and dark blue trousers. The same one from Princess Alana foundation.  

“It seems our last roommate is here”, Calamity stepped back from the window.  

Bill turns his head to the door but to his surprise a gust of wind come from the window instead and standing there is a crow as tall as Bill.  

“Sorry, is this room 306?” a friendly crow asked.  

“Yes”  

“Oh great, I was worry I might count the window wrong but I got the right one this time.” a crow put down his bag and introduce himself.  

“My name is Josh, nice to meet you guy. Please don’t eat me” Josh said half joking half serious.  

Bill smiled at Josh’s joke which was clearly directed to Calamity, “I’m Bill, nice to meet you”  

Calamity not smiling, “Calamity”  

He sure is sunshine, isn’t he? Bill wonders if all wolves are like this.  

“I guess that is my bed”, Josh points his wing to the last bed by the door but his eyes caught Bill’s MAM “Woah, is that your MAM?”  

Bill, taken by surprise unsure of what to do, “Yeah...it's mine”  

“Can I see it?” Josh walks closer to Bill with his shiny big beak and black sharp talons.  

Bill who feels very intimidated by Josh gives a relucted answer, “Sure, but please be careful with it”  

Holding MAM in his hand Bill wonder if Josh will grab it with his beak and damage it. Instead, Josh just flaps his wing a little “Evenio espiro” and a wind blow his MAM up into the air in front of Josh eyes.  

‘A wind magic!’  

“I never saw a MAM like this before, well, actually I never saw a MAM before in my life, just designs from the book”  

Bill’s MAM is a rust metal glove with many parts connect together from finger down to wrist. A small pipe installs on the back wrist for shooting magic. If you open a panel under the pipe and look inside you can see an empty space for placement of a core with small wires connects to the slot on front wrist where one can place a drawing of glyph.  

“My father made this one himself and I modified it afterwards”   

“You can make MAM?” Calamity seems to come alive for the first time. Or perhaps he just accepted Bill's existence into his reality.  

“Well, I try my best but it properly not as good as the one school sells though”   

“Can you explain to me how does it work?” Calamity asked while Josh turn his head to Bill with interest.  

Hearing a question Bill thinks for a moment of how to explain it to someone who never seen MAM before.  

“MAM is a tool that is made of copper, gold or steel which allows humans to draw magic from objects of power or a core to control magic element according to glyph design. Nowadays, since we no longer use it as a weapon, it has become a tool in people's daily lives and integrated into many machines from a small radio up to a giant generator that powers a city. Many machines in fact can use magic in place of electricity if it’s made to be compatible.”  

“Really? That it? From the book I read, I thought humans could summon a firestorm and lightning from the sky with just a wave of hand” Josh spread his wings and completely blocked all light from the window.  

“Haha, I don't know any human that can do that though even Major Howitzers use artillery canon that is powered by magic to fire all that fire bombs in the war. Maybe it’s a machine that generates electricity? If it broke, it might look like a lightning storm”  

“Yeah, I guess the book exaggerates it a bit.” Josh seemed disappointed. “Even we Corvidae are only able to use magic that is related to wind...Not that wolf is any worse you know,” Josh clarified his words when he remembered that wolf can’t use magic at all. They only have the strength of their own body and yet they survive the great cleansing and become one of the major powers in the new world.  

Calamity stays silent without expression which worries Josh even more.  

“So what did your book say about MAM?” Bill tries to help.  

Josh can see that Calamity is interested in MAM, so he gives his best answer “They said that MAM designs date back to the time of the old world, a complicated mechanism which allows for a harvest of magic from a core and execute action according to its design. The only way to create a core is to mine a Mercury then ask an Ameil to transform it into a core before filling it with magic inside... or you can also use a pieces of lady Estellia” Josh say the last part with contempt but it a fact that everyone who learn about MAM will know eventually.  

“You mean the meteorite that gave birth to magic?”  

“Yes, for us she is the goddess who lifts our consciousness. So it’s very disrespectful to us who worship her to see some human use her like that”  

“Well you don’t have to worry about me” Bill tap his chest, normally MAM is a device which a boy from slum could never hope to acquire if not for his father, an engineer who made one himself during the war.  

‘A piece of star? Ha! I would be lucky if I could even afford a broken core to power this thing.’  

In New Terra, only government agent and military are allowed to carry a core, all other were confiscate after the war has ended. To this day the republic seeks to gather every piece of star that destroy the world but Bill isn’t going to tell his new friend that.  

“So you choose to come study here because you want to learn from the major, right?” Josh concluded.  

‘What? Does he mean Major Howitzers?’  

“Oh yeah, he is a legend among MAM mechanics” Bill doesn’t want to tell them that he is only here because he got a scholarship which can imply about his financial standing.  

“Make sense, I’m here because this place is like the center of the world, all the nation's trade routes pass through here at some point, so I thought the library must have all kinds of books that I have never seen before”  

‘So, Josh is a bookworm. Maybe I should check the library sometime, they properly have a book about MAM I can read that is not MAM theory of magic.’  

“What about you Calamity?” Josh turns his head to our lonely wolf and Bill feel an uneasiness that this might provoke him.  

“To study”, he answers.  

The conversation did not continue much after this because Calamity keep answer briefly so Josh suggests the three of them go out of their room to tour the school area.  

“Are you sure you want to walk with us?” Bill asks Josh who has a wing that can fly him anywhere faster than walking.  

“It’s ok I like to sit all day reading so walking once in a while is good for leg” Josh head move forth and back as he walk and talk which make his sound go up and down, it is quite amusing to Bill.  

“Can I ask you a question?” Calamity speaks up which surprises both Bill and Josh.  

“Anything!” Josh answer with enthusiasm. This would be great opportunity to get closer with his new friends.  

“Why do you bird move your head like that when you walk?” Calamity asks without ill intent but Bill can see that some bird might take this as an offence.  

‘But Josh properly doesn’t mind’  

“Oh yeah it a bird thing” he smiles “It not that we intent to bob our head though it is actually about our visual” Josh blink one of his eyes.  

“Visual?”  

“That right, vision doesn't mix well with movement even you guy for example swing your arm when you walk right.”  

“Oh yeah”  

“We do the same somewhat, but we don’t have arms and our wings are for flapping up and down, not forward-backwards. As we move, our heads and eyes lock in place while our body catches up. Then the head darts forward again, locks onto something new, and our body keeps moving forward with our head, it helps stabilise the world that we see. In a way, the bobbing is an illusion”  

“Huh”, both Bill and Calamity are surprised by this information.  

“What about you, Calamity?”  

“Me?” Calamity points at himself.  

“I talk about myself now, it's your turn to talk about you.”  

Calamity thinking for a moment then nod in agreement “What do you want to know?”  

“Did you eat crow meat before?”  

“Yes”  

Bill, who was already shocked by the question, stuns when Calamity answers without remorse.  

“What about humans?” Josh continues, clearly enjoying Bill's reaction.  

“That too”  

‘What!’  

“Who tastes better?”  

“Human”  

‘Nooooooooo!’  

“Haha, at least I can sleep at night without worry of getting take off menu first”   

Bill who seems to have lost all hope look at Calamity “You are not going to eat me right?”  

“Of course, not”, Calamity answered with a grin for the first time.