Some Things Begin, Something Ends (chapter)

Some Things Begin, Something Ends is the 1st chapter of the web serial, and the 1st chapter of Volume 1 of the published series, written by David J. Wuto, a.k.a. Wutosama.

Summary
Gwen awakens as a 15 year old in her childhood bedroom. The previous night, September 20th of 2017, she had been celebrating her consultancy's second anniversary at a staff party, where she danced and drank Moët & Chandon. The alarm clock radio identifies the date as September 21st, 2001. The radio reports an ancient Red Dragon attack on the London Metro, attributed to Spectre. She investigates her surroundings, which are mostly as she remembers them from her childhood, but with differences such as the presence of unfamiliar textbooks: Allenberg's Primer for Astral Theory and Otsu's Primer for Evokers. She struggles with a sudden flood of memories, and recalls that today is the day of her Projected Magical Aptitude Exam (PMAE).

Percy arrives to wake her up for the test, and she tells him to get out of her room. When he is gone, she examines herself: she is a teenager again, but unlike her past, she is pale and underfed. Her eyes are crusty, as though she had been crying. She dresses and leaves for the train, with Percy giving her cheese and Vegemite toast as she goes.

As she rides to school, she remembers more aspects of the metaworld, such as the endangered state of humanity and the separation of mages from NoMs. When she arrives, she is greeted by her friend Yue Bai. The principal, Magus Jules Bartlett, gives a welcoming speech, speaking about the dangers facing humanity, and humanity's survival through sorcery.

Literary / Pop Culture References

 * The title is a reference to the Something Ends, Something Begins quest in Witcher 3.
 * The 1927 cyberpunk film Metropolis: For the moment, Gwen was glad that no airships sailed across the horizon, completing the vision of a dystopian Weimar Metropolis.
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Was this budget Hogwarts? You're a Witch, Gwen?
 * Macbeth: Though faint and spectral, she could sense her alter ego hovering around somewhere in the dark recess of her brain like the Ghost of Banquo, only she hadn't done anything to warrant its unpleasant haunting.