I sat at the window inside my local quaint and cramped coffee shop, there was nothing special about it per say. But it was within walking distance from my flat and the coffee was good enough to help me get through each day as it came.
From my spot I could watch London's indifferent populace stream past the window like an endlessly flowing gray river. Men and women rushed by to catch the tube on their way to work, often never looking up from their phones.
The morning drizzle clung to the glass, distorting the towering buildings that made up the concrete jungle I inhabited. Sitting here and watching everyone hurrying to start their day felt like a dystopian dream, but it was just the overbearing weight of another ordinary day.
I mindlessly stirred my lukewarm coffee latte, even though I had no intention of finishing it.
A month ago, I had watched and even helped my friends pack their bags as they set off for university, off to chase their dreams that were still within reach. We had planned to all go to the same university together, despite the fact that I had worked for it, harder than most. I mean really studied for it. I failed anyway.
I started applying for other universities, but every rejection letter felt like a nail sealing the coffin of my aspirations.
"We regret to inform you…"
"We appreciate your interest…"
"But, unfortunately…"
It didn't matter how it started any more, because every notice ended the same.
And now, I was here. Another day, another dead-end job interview that so far had ended with sympathetic frowns and a "we'll keep your application on file." Which was just corporate kool aid, their own way of saying "please don't apply again."
I didn't belong here.
Not in this city, this country, not anywhere in this world.
I pulled out my phone, scrolling through emails that I already knew would be useless. Social media, promotions, spam, and then-
Subject: Invitation to Interview at Velos Arcana University
I frowned. I couldn't remember applying to anything with that name. Curiosity got the better of me and I tapped it open.
Dear Mr. Caldwell,
We are pleased to offer you an interview for admission to Velos Arcana University. Your talents have been recognised, and we believe you would be an excellent candidate for our undergraduate bachelor's degree course.
Interview details:
Date: Tomorrow
Time: 09:00 AM
Location:
Please confirm your attendance. We look forward to hearing from you.
Admissions Office
Velos Arcana
I stared at it, going over it again and again to make sure I had read it correctly.
What the fuck was Velos Arcana?
I tried searching for it. Zero results.
No website, no alumni, no news articles. It didn't exist.
I sighed, my finger hovering over the delete button. For a brief second I had hoped… But no, it was just a scam. They could have at least tried to make the name convincing.
—
I had all but forgotten about the email, until around 09:30 AM the next day.
My phone rang, an unknown number.
I let it go to voicemail.
Seconds later, I received a text.
"We urge you to attend your interview, Mr. Caldwell."
I stopped stirring today's coffee. Okay, that was weird.
I mean, how would I even attend an interview if I didn't know where to go?
Whatever, I deleted the text.
That night, when I got home there was a letter that had been slipped under my front door.
I hesitated before picking it up. The envelope was heavy, the paper textured like parchment from another century.
Inside, the same message as the email.
I swallowed hard, and then threw the letter in the bin.
—
I had another job interview the next day, nothing exciting but if I got the job I would at least have a paycheck. I was running out of savings to live off of.
I sat slouched in a seat on the London Underground, watching the city smear past the window in flashes of light and concrete. The tube was packed with the usual crowd of overworked, half-alive commuters, the air thick with the scent of coffee, wet coats and complacency.
I closed my eyes as the tube went through a tunnel.
And then… silence.
I opened my eyes.
The world around me had frozen in place.
The man checking his watch next to me? Statue still.
The woman flipping through her book? Unmoving.
The couple hunched together mid-laugh? Stuck mid-breath.
A tightness in my chest made it difficult to catch my own breath.
A shiver crept down the nape of my neck as I looked up - and realised I wasn't alone.
The old man opposite was watching me.
Dressed in a brown suit from another decade, it was well-worn but noticeably dry. His gray eyes met mine and slowly he started to smile.
'Mr Caldwell,' he said, his voice calm, composed, like there was nothing out of the ordinary going on and he had done this a hundred times.
I couldn't answer.
'You've ignored our invitation.' He tapped his foot against the floor once. 'We were sure you would come.'
I wet my lips.
'What- who- are you?' I stammered.
He looked at me as if I had asked something unexpected.
'A messenger. You have been extended a great privilege. I urge you not to discard it so carelessly.' He said calmly with sincerity.
I gulped, looking around the carriage at the other passengers who were still frozen.
'What is this?' I asked.
'An opportunity,' he replied. 'A moment for you to reflect.'
I could feel my pulse pounding against my ribs.
Velos Arcana.
'The university?' I murmured under my breath.
The old man smiled again as if to acknowledge my train of thought.
I shook my head in disbelief and bewilderment.
'I don't know what's going on, but I don't have time-' I began to say.
'You have always felt out of place, have you not?' he interjected.
The words struck a chord within me.
'Always drifting,' he leaned forward. 'Always feeling that the world does not fit you - and you do not fit it.'
I couldn't speak.
'We know why.'
'This is ridiculous', I forced myself to break eye contact.
'No,' he said softly. 'Simply the truth.'
He extended a plain business card.
It was blank - until I took it.
The moment my fingers brushed against it, I could see words forming.
Velos Arcana University
Interview Location: 27 Ravenscroft Lane, London
Time: 09:00 AM
I inhaled.
'Don't be late,' the old man said, raising from his seat. 'We will be waiting.'
I looked back down at the card.
The tube shuddered.
I looked back up as the world resumed.
Noise, motion, the murmur of conversation and laughter, the rattling outside the windows.
The old man was gone.
I clutched the card in my hand.
It was real, it was still there.
—
That night, I collapsed onto my bed when I got home, staring at the ceiling.
I was exhausted, the job interview and the rest of the day was a blur.
My encounter on the tube that morning had occupied my thoughts all day.
Maybe I had imagined it all. Maybe I was finally losing it.
I closed my eyes.
Morning came too soon.
I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my-
I froze.
The business card lay on my pillow.
The address was burned into my mind.
27 Ravenscroft Lane.
The invitation that refused to be ignored.
What did I have to lose?