《Spellcaster series #1: The Lucky Orphan》


 Prologue

    <strong>HEIDI</strong>


    ¡°You said you wanted to be bigger than yourself.¡±


    I lifted my head off the ground and pried my eyes open. My vision was red and I could feel blood trickling from the cut on my head. The heat from the mes enveloped us as the smoke got thicker. I coughed.


    ¡°Look around you,¡± he spread his arms. ¡°There is nothing left of your past. There is nothing left to fight for, Heidi!¡±


    His golden eyes glowed brighter. I pushed myself off the ground. My bad shoulder was aching badly again¡ªso much for the recovery. I held my wand with my good arm and pointed towards him.


    ¡°My past does not define me,¡± I croaked. My throat was dry.


    He bore his wild gaze on me, ¡°If you kill me, <i>He</i> will take us both down.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    I looked around us as the fire swallowed the ce. It might have been a bare, concrete building but it was once my home. I took a deep breath and waved my wand.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll both die here so no one else gets hurt.¡±

 Vampirism

    <strong>HEIDI</strong>


    I counted the footsteps every time I heard them: <i>One, two...three, four...five, six¡­</i>


    Grandma said counting would help me sleep. The scent ofvender wafted through the bedroom. It was particrly windy outside too. The branches of the tree tapped onto the window several times like it wanted toe in.


    Maybe it was a djinn, like from the stories of the neighbourhood kids. Grandma always scolded me for believing them. She said that djinns could not kill us so we must not be afraid of them. But what if I saw its hideous face at the window? I froze at the thought of it.


    The shuffling of footsteps got louder, closer, like they were right above me. ¡°Grandma!¡±


    My grandmother was seventy-two with a bad knee after herst operation. The footsteps moved about, heavily, convincing my nine-year-old imaginative mind that there was actually someone in the attic above me.


    <i>One, two...three, four</i>¡ªa pause. The room had turned cold all of a sudden. I checked to see if the window was open and the wind had made its way into my bedroom.


    ¡°Grandma!¡± I cried again. I pulled the covers up over my head.


    Quick footsteps came from her bedroom. She opened the door, ¡°Heidi, what did I tell you¡ª¡±


    She stopped midway. I lowered the covers to peek. Her face paled and hazel eyes widened. Without tearing her eyes from the window on my left, she beckoned me. I was about to ask when a loud knock banged onto the window. I jumped from the bed and ran towards her.


    My grandmother picked me up so swiftly like her body had forgotten that she was past seventy with a weak knee. She held the back of my head down and I buried my face into her shoulder as we headed for the main door. I could hear her staggered breaths as she raced through the hallway to head to the main door. I could hear her mutter something under her breath¡ªa prayer?


    We lived in a single-storey house in the outskirts of Orchidville. <i>Who could hear us?</i>


    She unlocked the door to escape. We could have been free. We could have asked for help from the orphanage nearby and things might have been different.


    An unseen force yanked us both and we flung backwards. I flew out of my grandmother¡¯s arms and crashed onto a wall, my right shoulder first. I cried out for her when I saw somethingrge and ck drag her into the dark kitchen.


    ¡°Grandma!¡±


    I pushed myself off the floor. A sharp ache jolted from my shoulder. Tears streamed down my face. It was pitch dark, I was nine and beyond terrified.


    But I ran after her anyway. Portraits of myte parents that hung on the wall were cracked and loose in their frames as I entered the dining area. My bare feet stepped on a ss fragment and I yelped. I shook it off and did not stop chasing after my grandmother.


    Her screams echoed in the distance. The house was notrge but she waspletely out of sight. I turned on my heels and made my way for the door. I felt helpless. I had my hand on the doorknob when I saw it in the corridor outside the bedrooms. It blended in with the shadows, its white eyes like two floating glowing dots. It was a sight I had always seen in my nightmares and in a blink of an eye, it caught me too.


    A crash in the kitchen¡ªsomeone had broken in. That was the first moment I saw her. She flew in from the window, swift and nimble. The djinn saw her and dropped me immediately.


    Her hair was long and ck and she had bloodless skin. Her red eyes shone in the dark as her gaze fell onto the djinn. The djinn wasrger than her but she fought back fiercely.


    I was about to crawl away while the djinn was distracted, when two more Vampires kicked the front door open and spotted me. I picked myself up and ran towards them. They worked so methodically¡ªI was saved within minutes of their arrival.


    ***


    <i>(NINETEEN YEARS LATER)</i>


    ¡°You know, once you pick up Spellcasting, you could just <i>abra-cadabra</i> and make this apartment bigger,¡± Vicky said as she looked around my one-bedroom apartment.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not how spellcasting works,¡± I retortedmely. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry that this ce isn¡¯t as grand as your boyfriend¡¯sir.¡±


    We stood in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner. Butters, my ginger British shorthair cat, hopped onto the kitchen counter and rolled on it, its belly exposed. Vicky rubbed it with her ivory hands.


    ¡°Nothing is. Which reminds me, he has invited us to the Underworld for a ball.¡±


    ¡°A <i>ball</i>?¡± I smirked as I rinsed the dishes on the dish rack. I wiped my hands with a towel. ¡°Isn¡¯t that for people in the 18th century?¡±


    She rolled her red eyes and moved her long ck hair behind her shoulders. Vicky was as I remembered from that night I first saw her¡ªtall, lean and muscr. She, like every other Vampire, had red eyes that would glow when excited by anger, happiness and many other emotions. Vicky was also part of an elite group of Vampires who were trained forbat. She was personally trained by the King of the Underworld himself, Lord Francis Voltaire.


    Vicky and I grew close after the attack at my grandmother¡¯s house. She took me in when I had no other family¡ªmy parents died when I was too young to remember while my grandfather disappeared in the nearby forest and was found dead ten monthster.


    Vicky took me to The Lucky Orphans where I was raised until I was eighteen. There she would visit me from time to time¡ªsomehow she was the only visitor the orphanage ever had and I was, to say, pretty lucky to have an outsider care for me¡ªlet alone by a strong elite immortal being.


    That was also when she woulde by the orphanage to secretly teach me several different martial arts¡ªVicky was a ck belt¡ªso that I would know how to fend for myself. She only did so after I begged her several times. She would bond with the other children too, but she was particrly there for me. She had been my best friend ever since.


    My eyes darted around the kitchen¡ªfrom the countertops to the rusty sink to the green and white linoleum beneath my bare feet. Vicky stood beside me, palms on the kitchen counter with her back leaning against it.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    I would be away at the Magic Realm for six months. We stood side by side in silence, letting our minds wander. I nced at her red eyes which were dimmed with welled-up tears. I knew she was thinking of my absence as well. Vicky had always been expressive and never hid her emotions from me. In fact, she expressed herself better than I ever would in my mortal lifetime.


    ¡°Well,¡± she cleared her throat and stepped in front of me. She adjusted her ck dress¡ªsomething I <i>rarely</i> saw her in¡ªand turned to me, ¡°it¡¯s time to get ready for the ball. Call me when you¡¯re ready and I¡¯ll open the portal.¡±


    I nodded and turned back to my cat. Butters was asleep on the countertop. I ced some wet tuna into his bowl and ced it beside him. He awoke, meowed, and chowed down his dinner. I went into my room to change and soon I was ready. I held my charm ne with her blood in it and shut my eyes.


    A portal materialised in front of me. I strapped on my heels and walked through it, stepping right into a whole other dimension. I had never been to the Underworld before and I was nervous. The portal immediately closed behind me as I stood onrge wooden tiles of a dinner hall. Vicky was waiting there.


    The Lair was massive and impressive. It was mostly made of wood with its parquet tiles and wall panelling, embroidered with handcrafted beading. Vicky took my hand immediately and we moved through the crowd. She introduced me to every Vampire that bowed and curtsied.


    I tailed her to a crowd that had circled around a tall and regal Vampire. He wore a ck coat jacket with a starched cor and buttoned cuffs. He had long blond hair that tied into a ponytail and a pair of deep-set red eyes above a pair of high cheekbones. He spoke andughed in a rich baritone, a very distinct character that stood apart from everyone else there. Vampires from all ranks circled around him to listen to his stories. When Vicky shouldered her way through the gathering crowd, his red eyes lit up and a wide grin broke across his face.


    ¡°Victoria, my beautifuldy! You have returned to me. So is this your lovely friend?¡± He asked. Then his eyes bore on me which made me feel absolutely <i>seen</i>.


    ¡°Lord Voltaire, this is Heidi.¡±


    Lord Voltaire took my hand, his red eyes glowing with excitement. He nted a cold kiss on the back of my palm, ¡°It is lovely to finally meet the famous Heidi. Victoria has told me so much about you.¡±


    I curtsied. I felt like I was transported back into those <i>Bronte</i> books that used to apany me on sleepless nights back in the orphanage.


    He then took Vicky¡¯s hand, ¡°Come,dies. Let¡¯s have our feast!¡±


    At the long table, Vicky was brought to sit by Lord Voltaire¡¯s right hand while I sat on his left. He seemed like a peculiar Vampire but there was humility to him and the way he treated his Vampires. Especially Vicky¡ªhe treated her like a queen.


    ¡°My love,¡± Vicky turned to Lord Voltaire. He leaned in. ¡°Heidi here wants to be a Spellcaster.¡±


    His eyes flickered to me. ¡°Ah, lovely! A Spellcaster is not an easy feat. I know Jesse White very well¡ªhe is the Sage of Practical magic as well as a dear friend. I can write him a rmendation letter for you. Just send me your particrs and I will take care of the rest.¡±


    ¡°Oh but I wouldn¡¯t want to trouble you.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Vicky waved me off. ¡°A Voltaire rmendation means you¡¯re a V.I.P. You¡¯ve got special privileges and you¡¯ll be personally trained by the three Sages.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± I said slowly, ¡°thank you. How¡¯d you be friends with one of the Sages, anyway?¡±


    ¡°I saved his life once,¡± Lord Voltaire responded. ¡°Perhaps he feels obligated to owe me, though I was only doing what was best. Besides, I have only ever rmended one other person.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Vicky asked.


    ¡°That sixteen-year-old, remember? Red hair and pasty-faced? Anyway, if you must know, Heidi, Jesse had lost his wife to a djinn. It was a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s awful.¡±


    At that moment, appetisers were served; tuna tartar and some other things I did not recognise.


    ¡°It is. The djinns entered his home through another mortal¡¯s request.¡±


    ¡°I hate that,¡± I muttered. ¡°Some people just want that power.¡±


    He nodded sullenly. ¡°I was summoned by his neighbour. The neighbour was another Spellcaster. By the time I arrived at the scene, there were seven djinns that had raided the house and possessed his wife to climb onto the roof. It took me and several other police officers to try and calm her down for twenty minutes. But s, her fate met her that night.¡±


    Vicky remained silent. She nced at me and then back at her te of tuna tartar.


    ¡°But I¡¯m sure she is at peace now, free from the tortures of the djinn,¡± he concluded. Then he clinked his ss and raised it.


    ¡°I would like to thank you all for attending tonight and epting my invitation. I would also like to extend my gratitude to my fellow Grand Masters for aiding me in throwing this wonderful dinner banquet that is before us. Lastly, but most importantly, we have a mortal joining us for this dinner party. Wee to our Lair, Heidi! Tonight, we feast!¡±


    Lord Voltaire had a ir and charm that always excited people. Perhaps it was his supernatural abilities that could easily charm anyone, but it was mostly his charisma and genuine love for his kind. He respected anyone that deserved it while maintaining his high position as the lord of Vampires. Lord Voltaire also believed in maintaining healthy rtionships among the Vampires, mortals and the Spellcasters.


    I nced around the table and witnessed the sophistication that the Vampires possessed. The Lair was basically a civilisation, a society that lingered in its own realm and culture. While the Worldly Realm was already in the twenty-first century, the Underworld was still set in the neenth.


    I sat and watched everyone chat heartily and lively. Vicky was conversing with some other Vampires of her rank, the Masters, who surrounded her and told stories of what happened when she had been away fighting djinns in the Worldly Realm.


    Seeing that Lord Voltaire was not engaged, I decided to strike a conversation to make things less...<i>awkward</i>. I cleared my throat.


    ¡°Are all of them high-ranking Vampires?¡±


    ¡°Not all,¡± he replied and waved his hand vaguely at our table, ¡°Most of these are, yes. But the ones at the other tables, those are the Fledglings and the Minors. Those over there, they are the Primes and some new Masters. The ones with us at this table are mostly the Masters and Grand Masters.¡±


    The dinner partysted a whole night. By the end of it, I was drained. Lord Voltaire had wanted to send us home through the portal¡ªmostly because he was following Vicky who apanied me home. When the portal closed behind us, he turned to me solemnly.


    ¡°Heidi, this might be a rude question but did you ever learn of what happened to your grandmother?¡±


    Vicky shot him a look. I admit, that question caught me off-guard.


    ¡°No, actually. Why?¡±


    His red eyes were riddled with concern. ¡°I make no promises but I can help you look for the answers. In the meantime, I believe you must get ready for your training tomorrow. As a thank you for being such a wonderful guest, I shall transport you to The Academy myself.¡±


    ***


    My bag was all packed and I was ready. I scratched Butters¡¯ ears and handed him to Vicky as I stood up from the bed. I put on mybat boots.


    ¡°Butters is in good hands,¡± Vicky held her tears and leaned in for a hug. She had nned to stay at the apartment while I was away. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ll be gone for that long. Butters and I are going to miss you.¡±


    I pulled away and lifted my duffle bag. I <i>sucked</i> at goodbyes.


    ¡°<i>Au revoir</i>, Heidi. Please extend my greetings to Jesse when you meet him,¡± Lord Voltiare said in his soothing voice.


    ¡°I will, Lord Voltaire. Thank you for helping me with this. I owe you.¡±


    He held up a white palm forward, ¡°Nothing that I cannot do. Are you ready?¡±


    I closed my eyes and braced myself. My heart was racing and I began counting my breathing, the seconds between breaths, the way my grandmother taught me. I could feel Vicky¡¯s presence nearby, anxious and desperately holding back her sniffles. I felt Voltaire¡¯s palms on my shoulders and chanted something in an ancient tongue.


    In mere seconds, the current world fell away. My knees began to sway and shake but I held on. Soon I felt solid ground again, but this time, neither Vicky nor Voltaire were with me. I knew I was not in my cosy one-bedroom in Orchidville anymore.


    I counted to ten. I slowly pried my eyes open and took in the sight. Lush green surrounded me and purple skies hung above. An endless spray of stars dotted across lie ember freckles of the universe. I had learned what the Magic Realm looked like but seeing it in person did note close to what I had always imagined.

 The Worldly Realm

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    The mansion was newly-repainted but otherwise it looked exactly as I remembered. The gardener was mowing thewn as I passed the gates. He looked up and waved.


    ¡°Young Mister Embers! It has been a year!¡± He greeted and hugged me.


    ¡°It¡¯s great to see you again, Robert. You look healthy as always. The flora is flourishing, might I add.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Last week, Mrs Ryans dropped by. She invited your mother into her book club. And there were a few mailmen who delivered some parcels, nothing more. Your father has been very busy working from his office. His construction firm seems to be sessful. Just a contractor, engineer and an architect that came by for meetings.¡±


    ¡°How often?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Bi-weekly. Them folks always have them in the conference room where your father conducts them. Sometimes I can see them through the window when I trim the hedges near the gates.¡±


    ¡°I hope my parents are well?¡±


    Robert grinned, ¡°Healthy as horses, aside from the event fromst night.¡±


    ¡°Was Mrs Ryans involved?¡±


    ¡°I believe she was the culprit, or at least <i>it</i> mimicked her. Just a week before her visit, she came over to the house looking for your mother. Said her daughter just had a baby and wanted to invite your mother to her home but your mother turned her down wisely.¡±


    ¡°<i>Daughter</i>?¡± I asked, quizzical. ¡°Did she mean Delh? As far as I¡¯m concerned, I thought she lives alone.¡±


    ¡°Yes. She may only be in her forties but her mind is in the gutter, sadly.¡±


    I nced at the house next door. ¡°Is she all right? Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°There is a nurse thates by fortnightly to check on her. Your mother worries but she keeps her distance.¡±


    I nodded, mentally keeping note. ¡°Thank you, Robert.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re most wee, dear Mr Embers. Your father is in his office,¡± he said, pointing to the third storey. ¡°Would you like me to ring him first?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± I smiled. My presence was to be a surprise.


    Robert nodded and led me to the door. With a pair of gardening pliers in one hand, he rang the doorbell with the other. I straightened my coat and looked around. The cameras I ced a year before were still intact and functioning. Robert had been cleverly identifying all theings and goings of the guests and my parents.


    The door opened. My mother¡¯s olive-green eyes bore on me, her mouth agape. Without further hesitation, she pulled me into her arms and we embraced. A year was too long for my dear mother.


    ¡°My boy,¡± she uttered into my hair. ¡°I¡¯ve been worried.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here, mama. Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all right, my love.¡± She pulled away and held my gaze, ¡°Would you like something to eat? How long are you nning to stay?¡±


    ¡°A week, if you and father don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°More than happy,¡± she hugged again. She led me in and Robert closed the door.


    ¡°Robert deserves a raise,¡± I said, removing my coat and hanging it on the rack. My mother was already halfway to the kitchen.


    ¡°We¡¯ve doubled his sry after what happened thisst night.¡±


    I followed her. ¡°Walk me through it.¡±


    She poured hot tea into a mug. ¡°Mrs Ryans came by to ask me to join her book club. I said no but she insisted. We thought that was normal, considering her, you know, <i>waning</i> mind.¡±


    ¡°But she¡¯s only forty-three?¡±


    ¡°She has a condition, Tristan. Anyway, she came by the night after I rejected her offer to ask for sugar. Then she told me that her daughter just had a baby and asked if I wanted to go and visit.¡±


    I leaned against the kitchen counter and crossed my arms. ¡°Why is she talking to you, after all these years? And what¡¯s this I hear about Delh? Did she not pass away neen years ago? We were all at her funeral.¡±


    My mother did not look up from the teapot. She daintily ced it back onto the stove and brought the mug to me. She closed the distance between us and lowered her voice, ¡°She¡¯s been acting rather strangely these days, I¡¯m not sure what to believe. Evenst night, I believed she was...<i>deranged</i>.¡±


    She stepped away to get to the refrigerator. She bent over and pulled out a te of leftover cheesecake wrapped in cling wrap. With her hands holding the te, she eyed me, ¡°Your father suspects that she wasn¡¯t herself because she might be dabbling in some dark magic.¡±


    I could not resist a smirk, ¡°Mama, there is no such thing. Casting such spells would require the Spellcaster to summon the Unholy ck aura which is impossible for mortals. Only Vampires have this aura andst I looked, they can¡¯t cast spells.¡±


    She smiled like she was amused. ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that. Anyway, your father went over to her house one night to see if she was all right. We were worried. When he stood on her porch, he saw that she was not alone.¡±


    ¡°The nurse?¡± I asked.


    She shook her head. ¡°No, sweetie, your father saw Delh.¡±


    I was digesting so much information. ¡°But she¡ª¡±


    ¡°Dead? Yes, but your father insisted. The same red curls, the rosy cheeks and she was rather animated. They chatted away so lively in the night. She still looked eighteen, ording to your father. Poor man, he hardly slept that night.


    ¡°It was a quarter past midnight. Your father kept tossing and turning. Then he woke me up because the lights started flickering. When the lights turned off again, we both sat up in the dark. I held his hand and I could feel shivers up and down my spine. The hairs on the back of our necks stood¡ªwe knew what was toe.


    ¡°A soft snicker. It sounded female. Your father reached out for his wand on his nightstand but that was when it attacked us.¡±


    My mother ced the te on the countertop. Her voice began to shake but she cleared her throat. ¡°Let¡¯s go check on your father. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s been wanting to see you again.¡±


    We climbed up the stairs to the third floor. My father had turned two guest rooms into his office and conference room. They were modern with a minimalist bookshelf, aputer desk and wide window frames. He was typing away when we entered the office.


    ¡°Tristan!¡± He looked up through his reading sses. He put them away and stood up. We embraced for a minute or so before he pulled away to grip my shoulders and looked squarely in my face.


    ¡°You look more and more like your grandfather in his heyday.¡±


    I returned a smile and we took a seat. I chose an armchair and my mother perched on the armrest to my left. She set her hands on my shoulders as my father swung his office chair to face me.


    ¡°Mama was telling me about Mrs Ryans. You were attacked?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But we escaped the scene unscathed, thanks to Robert. He was alerted by the breaking of one of ourmps when I was wrestling with Mrs Ryans. He knocked her almost unconscious and I managed to cast the oblivion spell. But she escaped and fled. She hasn¡¯te by since.¡±


    I rubbed my face and leaned back. ¡°May I see the footage, father? From the cameras?¡±


    He whirled his chair back to theputer and began clicking. I got up from the chair and stood behind him to watch.


    ¡°I¡¯ve brightened the picture,¡± he said and lifted a brown finger to a corner of the screen. ¡°She¡¯s right there at the doorway.¡±


    It was their bedroom, just as my mother had said. I squinted to look. It was a silhouette of ady, but it did not look like Mrs Ryans.


    ¡°Could you zoom in, please? And turn up the audio?¡±


    He did and handed me a pair of headphones. The silhouette stayed there the whole time my father tossed and turned and my mother slept. It appeared at approximately eleven, an hour before the lights flickered and made itself known to my parents.


    ¡°That is not Mrs Ryans. No human can pass the motion sensors without setting off the rm. If it really was Mrs Ryans, Robert would have known,¡± I said and listened carefully. ¡°I can hear someone murmuring.¡±


    ¡°What is it, son?¡±


    ¡°Indistinct chatter, I presume. The intonation sounds repeated; I believe it could be a chant. Like a spell, maybe?¡±


    I listened again. I could not make out what spell it was. I removed the headphones and turned to my father, whose brown eyes still glued to theputer. ¡°I¡¯ll need to speak to Mrs Ryans.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s too dangerous¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± I assured my worried mother, ¡°You and father must stay here. I¡¯ll have Robert to look out for anything unusual.¡±


    ¡°Yes my dear, I trust that Tristan can take good care of himself,¡± my father chimed in. ¡°After all, he is a Sage.¡±


    ***


    Evening was approaching by the time I set out. Autumn in suburban Orchidville could get very chilly. I put on my grey beanie and my red coat and headed out the door. I pocketed my gloves and felt for my wand in my inner coat pocket. <i>Still there</i>. I held the box of brownies which my mother baked; an excuse.


    I left the front gates of the mansion and watched the sky darken. My boots crunched the gravel as I made my way down the road towards Mrs Ryans¡¯s house. Along the way, I noticed a peculiar trend among the other houses on that street¡ªthey were all empty.


    Suburban Orchidville was ced up a hill where we could look down onto the city centre. My parents¡¯ house was situated at the end of the street, for it was the biggest one yet, while the other mansions were still grand but not asrge. I arrived at Mrs Ryans¡¯ house after ten minutes of walking. The gates were opened and the buzzer did not work. I walked up to the porch.


    ¡°Hello? Mrs Ryans?¡± I knocked on the door. The sun had fully sunken beneath the horizon. Night had arrived.


    The locked clinked and the door opened. Mrs Ryans stood before me, a head barely reaching my shoulders. I held out the box of brownies.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tristan, Margaret Embers¡¯s son? I¡¯vee to say hello and brought you these. I baked them earlier this afternoon, and thought I¡¯d drop by. How have you been?¡± <i>Just as I had rehearsed in my head</i>.


    Mrs Ryans was small in stature and looked older than she really was. Robert said she might be suffering from early onset Alzheimer¡¯s, but I highly doubted it. She looked sane and genuine when she greeted me.


    ¡°Tristan, of course! What a pleasant surprise,¡± she received the brownies from my hands. She held my wrist and towed me in. ¡°Has it been so long?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been neen years since west saw each other.¡±


    ¡°The funeral, yes,¡± she smiled. Her teeth were yellow and the rims of her pupils were greyish. She was not even forty-five yet.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    Mrs Ryans closed the door behind us. ¡°I¡¯ll put these in the kitchen.¡±


    She disappeared through the beaded curtain. Junk from the seventies strewn about in the living room; vinyls on top of an old record yer, a dusty dimvamp, red-painted walls and a retro movie poster half hung on the wall, its top half caked in dust. The floorboards beneath my boots creaked from my weight. I stood awkwardly in the middle, hands in my pockets.


    ¡°Lovely ce,¡± I said out loud, ¡°very cosy.¡±


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± she replied from the kitchen andughed, ¡°The world has moved on to the new century but I¡¯m still living in the seventies.¡±


    <i>Seems normal</i>, I thought. <i>The Carpenters</i> were ying from the record yer. Mrs Ryans began talking loudly about her new book club. My eyes noticed the dark stairwell next to the kitchen. The only lights were the one from the kitchen and an old-fashioned string of christmas lights hanging above the mantelpiece. I eyed the knick-knacks that were aligned above the unused firece. The temperature had dropped and I could see my own breath.


    ¡°Mrs Ryans? Would you mind turning up the heat? It¡¯s a little chilly out,¡± I asked. <i>No answer</i>.


    I waited. I scanned the room to look for a thermostat. ¡°Mrs Ryans?¡±


    I turned to the kitchen but it was dark. The only light source wasing from the colourful lights in front of me. My heart began to race but it was not because I was afraid. The hair at the back of my neck began to stand.


    As a mortal, these are the signs that one should start to be wary of. I looked around me, my eyes adjusting in the dark. The only sounds emitted were <i>The Carpenters</i> and the floorboards. I reached into my coat pocket for my wand.


    A movement. I caught a glimpse of it from the stairwell. The room got much colder. Mrs Ryans would not have been able to move <i>that</i> quick. No mortal could.


    It fleeted from one end of the room to another,ing closer. Then it stopped at the main door. A silhouette of ady, simr to the one in my parents¡¯ bedroom from that night. I light up my wand with the light of the Lunar. It began to shine bright like a torchlight.


    ¡°Show yourself,¡± I demanded. The shadow stepped forward into my light. I almost dropped my wand, ¡°Delh?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me!¡± She cried, holding her hands to her face. ¡°Please, Tristan.¡±


    I could not see her face. I recognised her red hair and pale skin and my thoughts flew to her. But of course, that was <i>not</i> Delh.


    ¡°Every mortal knows that magic cannot kill.¡±


    She moved back into the shadow. There was a glint of her true form before she was obscured by the dark. Then sheughed, a deep-throated, maniacalugh.


    ¡°Show me your true form, <i>djinn</i>!¡± I pulled out my wand and pointed it towards it, ¡°<i>Arsonion!</i>¡±.


    White mes extended my wand towards the door but the silhouette dematerialised just in time. Instead of meeting their intended target, the mes melted the door knob.


    From behind, I felt it appeared. As I was about to turn, it swung me forward and I fell hit hard onto the door.


    ¡°Useless, Sage!¡± It raged. It did not sound like Delh anymore.


    The djinn grabbed my throat and lifted me from the floor. I struggled and choked as itughed. I shut my eyes and channelled all my energy into the spell, ¡°<i>Arsonion oblivion!</i>¡±


    It dropped me and stumbled back. The spell cast a ck hole within its target as it caught in mes. I watched as it screamed in agony into the dark. Its strength could not overpower the ck hole as it absorbed every part of its body, down to thest, ck w.


    Soon, the room returned to its silence, even the record yer stopped ying. I felt an ache in my lower left rib as I stood up for the door. Then I remembered about Mrs Ryans.


    ¡°Mrs Ryans?¡± I asked, holding up my wand. Absolute silence.


    ¡°Mrs Ryans, the djinn is gone now.¡± I coughed and then winced. <i>I definitely broke a rib or two</i>.


    I made my way up the stairs to look for her. I let my instincts lead me to one of the bedrooms on the upper floor. All the rooms were open except one. The door was shut and there was a blood handprint on the door frame and knob. I froze the doorknob with a freezing spell and kicked it open. A gust of cold air rushed out of the room.


    The room was immacte, to my surprise. I turned on the light but it did not work. I shone my wand inside. Everything was caked in dust. The furniture in that room was simple¡ªa wardrobe, a dresser with drawers and a bed. I scanned inside the wardrobe. Just clothes. I moved to the dresser with a mirror and a stool. Looked like my grandmother¡¯s.


    There was a pile of unsent letters written to Mr Ryans. I remembered him¡ªa sailor with rough hands who never returned from sea. No one knew what happened to him and his crew. I looked up from the papers to the mirror. A small scratch on my cheekbone. Then I noticed something behind me on the bed. I straightened myself and whirled on my heels to see it.


    A fully intact skeletonid on the bed, clutching a portrait of Delh.

 The Academy

    <strong>HEIDI</strong>


    Locked.


    I sighed. I did not travel through space to be locked out. I scanned the shrubbery and bushes around me, looking for anything that might unlock the gates. Maybe it was magic? Could it be a riddle? Maybe it was a test to all new Spellcasters-to-be? Ibed through the bushes and reached into one. I thought I saw something silver; a key? A burning sensation suddenly shot through my arm.


    <i>Damn! </i>Poison ivy. Of <i>all</i> things.


    I walked back to the gates and stared at them. My arm began to swell and itch. <i>Not</i> a good start.


    ¡°Hey,¡± a voice came from behind, ¡°um, you need to buzz the guards to let you in.¡±


    I turned to see a green-eyed boy staring back at me. His eyes were round and oogly behind rimless sses. He looked fourteen.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, could you help me with that?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± the kid shrugged. He moved to an inte beside the gates¡ªI had not realised it was there¡ªand pushed a button on it. It buzzed and the gates creaked open.


    ¡°Wee to The Academy,¡± he greeted, his voice breaking between a young child and an awkwardly growing teenager.


    I was about to thank him when my eyes were greeted by the sight of a massive building that seemed to loom out of nowhere. It stood before us, mystical and daring. There were curved walls and arc doors and windows, ck roofs and dark walls. The building was made of stone, spreading fifty-four acres wide.


    ¡°You must be new here. I¡¯m Elton,¡± the boy said as he struck out an arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m Heidi. Nice to meet you too, kid. Do you know where Jesse White¡¯s office might be?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± he answered and nodded towards someone over my shoulder with his chin. ¡°And you¡¯re about to find out. Hello Jesse!¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    I turned around to see a tall, sand-coloured-haired, middle-aged man. His wavy locks were tied into a low ponytail and he wore a long blue overcoat that ended at his knees. His cuffs were neatly folded with a sapphire pin on his right cuff. His white cor was straight and sharp, his shirt buttoned up. He looked regal, if I would describe him, and he was exactly how Lord Voltaire said he would look and act.


    ¡°Hello Elton, how are you?¡± Jesse grinned, revealing wrinkles in the corners of his sharp blue eyes. They were as blue as the gem on his cuff.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been practising!¡± The kid eximed.


    ¡°Wonderful!¡± Jesse turned to me, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you again, Miss Danielson. Please,e inside. I¡¯d like to introduce you to a couple of my colleagues for your start here in The Academy.¡±


    ¡°That kid sure has a lot of energy,¡± I said in a lower voice, as soon as Elton was far enough while we headed towards Jesse¡¯s office through the Gardens. The night sky seemed perpetuating. I scratched my arm.


    ¡°Well, he is fourteen¡ªgood <i>heavens</i>!¡± Jesse gasped. I looked up to see him staring at my gnarly arm with his mouth agape. ¡°Did you get poison ivy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s nothing¡ª¡°


    Without hesitation, Jesse held my arm with both of his hands and closed his eyes. At first it was a tingling sensationing from his fingertips, soon a refreshing feeling overtook the itch and swelling of my arm. The redness disappeared and the swelling calmed down. In a mere minute, my arm reverted back to what it used to look like before.


    ¡°Oh, whoa,¡± I uttered.


    ¡°I am a healer, as anyone who learns Practical magic would be,¡± Jesse exined. ¡°Soon you will be one too.¡±


    The Gardens wereid out before the Headquarters where the offices were. All the pathways led to the Headquarters, or HQ, from the entrance.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jesse said, he is fourteen. He radiates a pure, white aura and it¡¯s blissful to see.¡±


    I raised my eyebrows, ¡°<i>Aura?</i> Oh, you gotta teach me some of that stuff.¡±


    ¡°And I will,¡± he replied. ¡°During training. THe aura is so important to learn and understand about. The world will not be seen the same way again.¡±


    ¡°Ever since I¡¯ve been to the Underworld, it never did. <i>Man</i>, Vampires sure can party like it¡¯s 1885.¡±


    Jesse chuckled and shook his head. After crossing the park, we finally arrived at the HQ. Jesse toured me around, showing the different ssrooms and even the lecture hall. The Academy looked like a school for the prestigious, one that I could only dream of when I was a child. Or when I was Elton¡¯s age.


    Jesse stopped in front of an office. The door had his name que on it. ¡°Come inside, Heidi, we¡¯ll wait for the other two sages for their introduction in my office.¡±


    He closed the door behind us as I scanned the room. Carpeted flooring on parquet, off-white walls lined with bookshelves all around. Jesse¡¯s desk was a beautiful dark polished oak, where he sat behind on his ck leather chair. He lifted a pair of reading sses and picked up some papers with my name on them.


    ¡°Heidi Elizabeth Danielson, aged twenty-eight. It says here that you were a trained teacher in an orphanage you grew up in?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s called the Lucky Orphans. But I only worked there for eleven months.¡±


    ¡°Why did you leave it?¡±


    ¡°I felt like it.¡± Then I paused. ¡°I wanted to be a Spellcaster. I just...never really had the guts to, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jesse added and smiled, ¡°you¡¯re here now.¡±


    He continued to peruse when there were a few quick raps on the door. Without any further response, a blue-haireddy waltzed in with herbat boots and a long purple overcoat.


    ¡°Sorry, I just ended a meeting with some of my teachers,¡± she said and then turned to me. Her violet eyes bore on me as she held out a hand, ¡°I¡¯m Wynona, please to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± I shook her hand. There was an amethyst pinned to the cuff of her coat.


    ¡°Wynona is our other Sage. She is the Sage of Mischief magic,¡± Jesse introduced without looking up from the papers.


    Wynona took a seat near the door. There was one more empty seat beside her.


    ¡°Tristan isn¡¯t avable just yet. I think we should start without him.¡±


    Jesse arranged the papers neatly in front of him. His desk was immacte. ¡°Very well. Wynona, Heidi here is a rmendation of Lord Voltaire¡¯s.¡±


    Her eyebrows raised. ¡°Lord Voltaire? Well, he¡¯s nice, but he can be a handful.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it!¡± I rolled my eyes, ¡°I mean he¡¯s good for my best friend and all, but he needs to take it down a notch sometimes, you know what I mean? Like, put on a shirt once in a while.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Wynona agreed.


    Jesse cleared his throat, ¡°Moving on, Wynona, our Heidi here wants to be a Spellcaster and I think she¡¯ll be a fine one.¡±


    ¡°I agree. She¡¯s got great taste in music too,¡± Wynona¡¯s violet eyes bore on my <i>Green Day</i> t-shirt under my jacket.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be training her first, since she¡¯s a ¡®Lord Voltaire rmendation¡¯. You can take her after, and then Tristan.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Jesse turned to me. ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    * * *


    Jesse and Wynona stood some metres apart. They took their stances; one foot in front of the other, knees bent and wands pointing towards each other. Wynona¡¯s purple hair glistened under themp post. Other students gathered to watch in excitement. Some cheered for Wynona, others for Jesse. I stood on the sidelines,pletely in awe.


    ¡°Ready when you are, old man,¡± Wynona teased.


    Jesse shook his head and smiled. His poise was gentle but firm, his sandy hair in the wind.


    ¡°You know we are the same age, right?¡± He chuckled.


    Jesse shot his first spell. He teleported to another spot in a blink of an eye and shot another spell that sent Wynona hurtling backwards. She got up almost immediately and shot back. A mystical veil surrounded them and then dispersed. Jesse almost lost his footing but remained upright. He looked dizzy for a moment.


    Taking this chance, she teleported to another spot and, from right behind Jesse, shot another spell towards him but he ducked. Itnded straight onto a grass patch in the field and caught fire. Some other students put out the fire immediately.


    Jesse straightened himself. ¡°All right. That¡¯s enough for now.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re not finished!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll finish it here before you burn down the Academy. Besides, that was to showcase our spells to Heidi, and what you just did was an Untamed spell¡ªwhich is not your specialty.¡±


    Jesse walked towards me and dusted his blue coat. He looked like he had warmed up and was ready for another marathon. ¡°Ready for training? You will start off with Practical magic. Since I am the Sage, I will train you myself.¡±


    The other students dispersed. We were standing on the training ground where Jesse would start on his first training session with me.


    ¡°Follow my lead,¡± Jesse began.

 Dark Magic

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    The police confirmed that the skeleton belonged to Mrs Ryans. They sealed off the house for further investigation. The detective assigned to the case interviewed me, asking why I was in her bedroom. I described to him all that had happened. He jotted down in his notepad, never reacting or emoting to my recount.


    ¡°How close are you to Mrs. Ryans?¡±


    ¡°Not close, detective.¡±


    The man nodded and scratched his pencil onto his notepad. Then he pocketed them in his pants and eyed me for a second.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°Come with me for a moment, Mr. Embers.¡±


    I followed him to the side of the road, away from the scene. His blue eyes squinted then exhaled. ¡°There are numerous reports on djinn activity. People have been using them,municating with them for their own gain.¡±


    I kept quiet and he continued, ¡°More people are dying. Justst week, a student hung herself in her room. My¡ª¡± his voice broke and quickly patted his coat for his cigarette pack. He pulled it out of his jacket pocket, took one out and lit it up before continuing, ¡°my daughter used to go to school with her.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°This is grim news, detective. I will alert the other two Sages.¡±


    I returned home after that, weary and drained. The paramedic advised me to go to the hospital to check on the <i>suspected</i> broken rib. I ignored this and decided to heal it myself. I locked myself in the bathroom and removed my jacket and shirt. There was a bruise the size of my fist on the middle-left of my torso.


    ¡°Tristan,¡± my mother called out from the other side of the door. ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    I ced my palm on it and channelled the healing spell. In mere minutes, the aching dulled and then disappeared. I sighed and put on my shirt.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, mama,¡± I opened the door.


    My mother held her hand to her chest, her green eyes watching me. My father was drawing the day curtains in the living area.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m d you¡¯re staying with us for the week,¡± she said and ced her warm hand on my cheek. ¡°I¡¯ll go make some dinner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± I told her and nted a kiss on her cheek. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep now. The djinn drained my energy. Goodnight, mama.¡±


    I made my way up my old bedroom. It was left untouched and maintained well. I threw myself on the bed and I fell asleep immediately.


    * * *


    A piercing scream startled me awake. I sat up and reached for my wand upon instinct. It sounded like my mother. I raced to my parents¡¯ bedroom across the hallway. My father rushed down the stairs from his office on the third floor.


    ¡°What happened?¡± He asked, eyes peering at the darkness of the corridor.


    The bedroom door was closed. From downstairs, Robert climbed his way up, eyes wide in frantic horror.


    ¡°The garden!¡± He yelled. We followed him to the garden at the back of the house.


    It was past midnight. Robert was a rtively collected person but at that moment, he was visibly shaking. In the middle of the garden, in the dead of night, we saw something we did not expect.


    ¡°Delh?¡± Robert uttered.


    She was in a white gown, her material state shifting and morphing. It was desperately trying to look human but my father and I knew it was not.


    ¡°Do you have your wand with you?¡± I asked my father. He nodded silently, our eyes still fixated on the djinn.


    ¡°Go back inside, Robert, and look for my wife. Make sure she¡¯s okay.¡± My father instructed.


    Robert dashed into the house. My father and I readied our stances.


    ¡°You think someone sent her?¡± He asked. ¡°She looks a little...off.¡±


    ¡°She does not look like a wandering djinn. Someone definitely sent her.¡±


    I stepped forward and raised my wand. Just as I was about to cast my spell, I was flung backwards and crashed onto the ss window behind me. My father screamed my name as Inded. It happened so fast.


    The djinn was nowhere in sight. My father held me up and returned my wand. We scanned the garden but could see nothing. Whatever it was, it hid in the dark very well.


    ¡°This thing is clever,¡± he said, ¡°its moves are strategic and calcted.¡±


    ¡°<i>Scrubbiro!</i>¡± I chanted a Practical spell and banished the fragments of ss from my clothes and hair.


    From a distance, a silhouette moved between the trees. I spotted it and pointed my wand towards it.


    ¡°<i>Frozium!</i>¡± I cried out as a sheet of ice shot out.


    It caught the silhouette and fell. My father and I jogged towards it as it struggled to recover. When it did, its face shone in the moonlight above us.


    ¡°Dean Ryans?¡± My father blurted. I could not believe my eyes.


    Dean Ryans was sixteen when his sister, Delh, mysteriously died. He was a young, scrawny Spellcaster who was trained by my grandfather. He was one of my grandfather¡¯s most favoured students due to his steadfast attitude and quick-learning. He and I used to y together when we were young.


    Dean brushed off some ice from his ck coat and red curly hair. He wore a pair of ck-rimmed sses and had grown in stature as well.


    ¡°Mr. Embers,¡± he greeted my father before turning to me. He grinned that boyish grin when he was amused. ¡°Good to see you too, Tristan. My, have you been working out?¡±


    ¡°What were you doing in my garden, Dean?¡± My father asked, his voice curt.


    Dean was catching his breath. His olive green eyes darted between my father and I, a slight smirk on his face.


    ¡°I was just testing out some spells, Mr Embers, sorry ¡®bout that.¡± Then he turned to me, ¡°So, you¡¯re a Sage now, huh Tristan? I¡¯ve always known you¡¯d be that good. You are Sir Williams¡¯ grandson after all.¡±


    I did not return a smile. There was something off about him. My father lowered his wand and pocketed it back into his jacket. My fingers tightened mine.


    ¡°You scared us all,¡± he said. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe inside?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s better off here,¡± I said. An rm went off somewhere inside me. <i>Something was not right</i>.


    Dean narrowed his eyes for a split second then turned to my father. ¡°I¡¯ll make my way home, thank you for the offer Mr Embers.¡±


    ¡°Did you return from the city because you heard about your mother?¡± My father asked, good-naturedly.


    ¡°No,¡± I cut in. Dean eyed me a look as I remained fixated on him. ¡°He has been back a while now.¡±


    ¡°Tristan?¡± My father was confused.


    Dean locked his jawline. I continued, ¡°Mrs Ryans has been dead a long time. <i>Dean</i>, on the other hand, has been up to no good.¡±


    His aura began to radiate. At first it began with the Untamed red, then it shifted into a colour I had never seen before from a mortal; the Unholy ck. The green shade in his eyes also darkened to match his aura.


    ¡°<i>Ignatus Liquidus!</i>¡± He yelled, pointing his wand towards us. mes shot out and projected directly on us. Somehow I had predicted it and quickly cast a protective shield around my father and me. The spell reflected off the shield and ¡®returned to sender¡¯, as Wynona called it. The mes bounced back to him but he ducked, causing a mini explosion.


    My father and I watched as one of the trees caught fire from it. I had never seen such a spell that could potentially <i>kill</i> a human.


    ¡°Stay here in the shield, I will stop him,¡± I said before stepping out. My father made no objections.


    I turned back to Dean and warned, ¡°You do not want to fight me.¡±


    Dean smirked. His aura was so strong but it did not pulsate. ¡°<i>Gornius Attus!</i>¡±


    Materialising from my peripheral vision, arge ck shadow lunged towards me. Dean let out augh as I jostled with a fairlyrge djinn. Its strength was twice the usual kind and I was pinned within minutes.


    ¡°Tristan!¡± My father yelled. He left the shield to help me.


    Big mistake.


    A lightning bolt shot at him from Dean¡¯s wand. The wind picked up at this point and my father was flung backwards. He crashed onto the back porch.


    I cried out to him. I shut my eyes and channelled my energy into the oblivion spell. I was about to cast it when a swift, dark mass flew past me and right into Dean. The djinn let go of me but I cast the spell anyway. I watched it get sucked into oblivion and got up off the ground.


    Robert had summoned a Vampire to help. He had been watching the whole thing unfold from the window discreetly. He came rushing down to help my unconscious father. Dean was throwing every spell he had in his arsenal onto the Vampire. I took two steps forward and waved my wand towards him.


    ¡°<i>Arsonio¡ª</i>¡±


    ¡°No, Tristan!¡± My father yelled from behind. He hade to.


    Dean took the chance the second I got distracted. He realised that I was about to set him on fire and then disappeared out of sight. The Vampire looked around and then shook his head at me when he couldn¡¯t find him. We headed over to my father and Robert.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I said to the Vampire.


    ¡°Anytime. Is your father all right?¡±


    I turned to my old man who was still on the floor, head on Robert¡¯sp.


    ¡°It hurts a lot,¡± he croaked. ¡°Cast me the healing spell and I¡¯ll be off my merry way.¡±


    My father had a peculiar way of hiding his emotions by masking his fears with jokes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call Jesse. He is capable of doing the heavy-duty healing.¡±


    We brought him inside the house. I asked Robert to check on my mother while the Vampire and I brought my father to my room. It was best that we keep this from my mother, or at least let her sleep through the night undisturbed.


    ¡°Did that man¡¯s aura turn ck?¡± The Vampire asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was possible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not supposed to,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m going to consult the other two Sages on this. I think you might need to warn Lord Voltaire.¡±


    * * *


    I stayed for a week longer than I nned. I made sure my father was a hundred percent before I began packing. Jesse had been his nurse for the past two weeks. He even told me that I was to be back at the Academy soon to train a new Spellcaster.


    ¡°Another Lord Voltaire rmendation?¡± I asked. ¡°Last I heard, that turned out to be Dean Ryans. And look what he did.¡±


    ¡°Dean is different,¡± Jesse replied. ¡°Besides, this girl is promising. Her stubbornness reminds me a little bit of you.¡±


    We were strolling in the garden where the duel took ce two weeks before. I sat on a bench and Jesse joined me.


    ¡°I have not the heart to leave just yet. How urgent is this?¡±


    ¡°Not urgent but it is your duty.¡± Then he looked at me, ¡°Your father is in good hands. Lord Voltaire has sent his elite Vampires to safeguard your parents¡¯ house.¡±


    I sped my hands together and wove my fingers. Then I looked into his blue eyes, as deep as the ocean. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll return to The Academy by tomorrow.¡±


    We left the garden and I began packing. I had work to do.

 Aura

    <b>HEIDI</b>N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    ¡°The first rule of magic¡ªalways control your aura with your energy.¡±


    Jesse took a few steps back. ¡°I can see your aura but barely. You need to be one with it. Close your eyes and count your breath. Inhale, count to three, and exhale. You will feel that your mind will calm and be cleared.¡±


    I closed my eyes.


    ¡°Your energies are the different focal points in your body when you meditate. Now, feel all the energies align within yourself so you can feel your current flow.¡±


    I opened an eye, ¡°So...how do I do that?¡±


    ¡°Close your eyes!¡±


    I did. ¡°How do I align my...<i>energies</i>?¡±


    ¡°Feel the universe flow through you, in and out. Embrace its fluidity.¡±


    I focused and let my mind take control. ¡°I feel¡­<i>something</i>.¡±


    ¡°I can see your aura, it¡¯s white and pure, as every new Spellcaster would have. Now, concentrate. Good...good. It¡¯s turning into a blue hue. The blue resembles Practical magic so I know what your mind and aura are leaning towards. Feel its presence and embrace it. The aura is constant, never changing. Let it move with you.¡±


    I breathed.


    ¡°Focus. Bend your aura to your will. Let it move your energy and flow out of your¡ª¡°


    <i>ZAP!</i> A current flowed through and out of my fingertips. It burst before me, leaving a surge of current around us.


    ¡°I did it! Jesse I did it!¡±


    Jesse beamed. ¡°You did. Now, focus on your willpower. Point to that pile of dirt on the bench over there.¡±


    Another surge of current, this time I could feel it pulsate through my body from my head. It shot out this time, instead of bursting, andnded on the pile of dirt. The dirt dissipated and the bench looked clean.


    ¡°Congrattions, you have acquired <i>Scrubbiro</i>, the cleaning spell.¡±


    Over the course of eight weeks, as nned, I had achieved the basics of Practical magic. I worked through my exhaustion and frustration just to master them. Jesse was patient, thank goodness, and focused on my capabilities to push to my limits. I could remain focused easily during my training.


    As a Sage of Practical Magic, he taught me to tap into my logic and lean into it to summon my aura. I only had six months until I wouldplete my basic training and move up the rank from a Neophyte to an Acolyte.


    One evening, two nights before I would start on Mischief magic training, I woke up startled. I was soaked in sweat and my heart was palpitating. I looked down on my hands and they were glistening from the light outside the dormitory window. I nced at the digital clock which read ¡¯3.30 A.M., TWENTY-ONE DEGREES CELSIUS¡¯. That dream was too vivid to ignore.


    In it, I was at a dinner party with the Vampires. Everyone was enjoying themselves when the lights and candles were put out. A secondter, the lighting was restored and Lord Voltaire was cradling Vicky¡¯s decapitated head in his arms. He had a wide grin on his face, uncharacteristically ghastly, and wiped the blood off with bloodied hands. Vicky¡¯s bodyid lifeless before me, writhing.


    I got breathless. I tried to run but the Vampires captured me and chained my wrists and ankles in the middle of the dining hall. They spread my limbs apart like a starfish. I wanted to scream but I was running out of breath. <i>How</i>?


    Lord Voltaire floated to me and pulled out a knife. He carved some symbols onto my arms and legs. I could not see what symbols they represented¡ªthe pain was too unbearable. Atst, Lord Voltaire swiped my head off my neck like it was a twig from a tree branch with his bare hands, his ck nails long.


    That was when I awoke.


    The next morning, I met with Jesse and Wynona for their training. They were in the midst of a conversation when I interrupted.


    ¡°Sorry, I waste¡ª¡°


    ¡°Rule number one: <i>never</i> arriveter than stipted time,¡± Jesse warned. He paused, then eyed me warily, ¡°But I suppose you¡¯ll never do that again. Is everything okay, Heidi? Your aura is pulsating.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. Can we get started on the training?¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Wynona cut in. She stood up and ced herself before me. She held my shoulders, ¡°You don¡¯t look good. Have a seat. A Spellcaster cannot cast her spell if she is not at ease.¡±


    I did as instructed. She continued, ¡°Tell us, what¡¯s bothering you?¡±


    I exhaled slowly. <i>This was going to sound awkward</i>.


    ¡°I, uh, I had a dream of Lord Voltairest night.¡±


    Jesse¡¯s cheeks turned bright red and Wynona let out a smallugh. Then she cleared her throat, ¡°I mean, well, I guess he <i>does</i> have a charm¡ª¡°


    ¡°What no! Goodness no! It was a bad dream. I dreamt that he killed my best friend¡ª<i>his girlfriend</i>¡ªand then me. It was very...<i>vivid</i>.¡±


    The two Sages turned to each other, and might I add, a little relieved. Then Jesse turned to me.


    ¡°Well, perhaps the dream mirrors your feelings, like maybe of your distrust of Vampires? Or...Lord Voltaire himself?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you, it wasn¡¯t like that. This dream felt like it was trying to <i>warn</i> me about something. Like an omen. I¡¯ve had this dream a year before my parents died. Except that in that dream, it wasn¡¯t Voltaire. It was my dad. <i>He</i> killed my mum and then me. Somehow in these dreams, I always diest.¡±


    Jesse looked thoughtfully. ¡°There is a chance that it could be an omen.¡±


    ¡°Or it¡¯s simply post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD,¡± Wynona chimed in. ¡°There have been cases of PTSD victims reliving their trauma over and over, especially with her childhood experience. Such memories are only more vivid as you be a Spellcaster when your spiritual connection grows. We¡¯ll keep an eye on this as long as you¡¯re here. I¡¯ll inform Tristan before he trains you.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jesse said. ¡°In the meantime, we¡¯ll keep training.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you heal me with your healing magic?¡± I asked, a tad annoyed.


    Jesse shook his head, ¡°No, this isn¡¯t like getting poison ivy on your arm. This is your psychology that has been affected, and no magic can cure that. Only your own strength, with our help, of course.¡±


    * * *


    On thest day of Practical magic training, I arrived at the training grounds early. The dream came back to haunt me and I refused to sleep another wink.


    ¡°You¡¯re early on yourst day,¡± Jesse arrived with a pleasant smile but with a tinge of concern. ¡°The same dreamst night?¡±


    ¡°I think it was trying to tell me something, Jesse. Something¡¯s about to happen to the Vampires, I just don¡¯t know what yet.¡±


    He thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Then perhaps thisst spell can aid you, albeit for a short time.¡±


    My eyes widened, ¡°Is it time to learn the healing spell?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But to acquire this, you must rx your mind and focus on your white aura instead of blue.¡±


    ¡°If I focus on my mind to get the blue aura, how am I supposed to get the white?¡±


    Jesse sat on the ground and folded his legs. ¡°¡±Well, meditation, of course! Once you meditate and align all your energies, you will feel lightness and ease. Now, try it.¡±


    I did as instructed. I sat before him and crossed my legs. I shut my eyes and breathed.


    ¡°Feel the quietness around you.¡±


    My heart began to race and my mind formed visions. I was losing my breath for some reason and I was starting to get antsy. The clearer my visions were getting, the louder my breathing became.


    During all that, I could not open my eyes¡ªit was as if some force took over and I was trapped in that position. Soon I felt a dark aura envelop me and in a mere second, the present world fell away and I was back at the Vampire Lair and chained.


    My vision picked up where my dream had left off. The lucidity of the vision wrangled my logic and held my consciousness. As the Vampires beneath me began to fight for my limbs and torso, I struggled hard to break free somehow. My instincts started to kick in¡ªI was about to cast a spell when I was viciously and suddenly yanked out of my subconsciousness, and back into the present realm.


    ¡°Heidi!¡±


    I awoke, startled, but in Jesse¡¯s arms. He held me up and held a palm to my forehead. I was too weak to move, like my energy was drained. I steadied my breathing and, when I finally had enough energy, I sat myself up.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t respond for a moment there. What did you see?¡±


    ¡°I was Vampire food,¡± I croaked. <i>Why was my throat so dry?</i>


    ¡°Well,¡± Jesse stood me up, ¡°let¡¯s bring you back to the dormitory and have Nurse Hilda check up on you. We¡¯ll finish the training some other time.¡±


    I straightened myself as much as I could. ¡°Jesse, I got this.¡±


    He stared at me and shook his head. Then his voice got stern, which sounded almost like my grandmother when she got tired of my stubbornness.


    ¡°I cannot allow you to carry on after that. We will finish this another time.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Another time, then.¡±


    I eventually learned the magic, two days after. Jesse became extra wary of me and put me on ¡®high alert¡¯, as he informed Nurse Hilda. I was to be cared for by the nurse until I was ¡®healthy¡¯ enough, <i>whenever </i>that<i> would be</i>.


    * * *


    In the following months, I had mastered the basics of Mischief magic. Wynona was a fantastic trainer, in my opinion, and a fun one too. I could shift my aura from white to blue to purple effortlessly, and I was left with two more months in The Academy before my six-month Neophyte rank training was up. All that was next was the Untamed magic training, and I had yet to meet the third Sage.


    Wynona felt my impatience. I had asked to be trained by another Untamed magic trainer but <i>rules were rules</i>¡ªa Voltaire rmendation had to be trained under a Sage. I gave up and decided to wait it out. That was when Wynona offered to train me herself.


    ¡°Untamed magic?¡± I asked, ¡°You can do that?¡±


    ¡°Every Sage knows all the different magic types, although not as exceptional as their own magic specialty. I can teach you the first spell and its basics, but it won¡¯t be as easy as Practical and Mischief magic.¡±


    I thought about it for a second but time was running short. ¡°It¡¯s a head-start. I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    The training grounds were empty after midnight. No students were allowed, unless there was a Sage present.


    ¡°What I¡¯m about to teach you is Untamed Magic. As its name, I would advise that it is best taught by the Sage himself. But I¡¯ve taken you as my favourite,¡± sheughed. ¡°Okay, in all seriousness, are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Born ready.¡±


    Wynona nodded to a grass patch on the field. ¡°You see that spot over there? This spell is called <i>Arsonion. </i>Think of fire, heat,va, fumes<i>.</i> Feel the aura around you.¡±


    I took my stance and breathed. The surge rose from inside me, but instead of my head like it always did, the current came from my lungs. Like the breath of fire, maybe? It seemed difficult to control. My limbs fought to keep my stance and my breath felt white-hot.


    ¡°Control, Heidi.¡±


    In a split second, the current shot out onto the grass and white mes formed. I stared, mouth agape as Wynona cast a freezing spell on it immediately. The mes soon dissipated and ice shards were left on the grass patch.


    ¡°Well,¡± Wynona recovered herself, her voice shaken. ¡°That was a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°That was rather...<i>mischievous</i>,¡± I blurted. ¡°Sorry, I had to.¡±


    Wynona stared for a moment and then let out augh. ¡°Because I¡¯m the Sage of Mischief magic! I get it!¡± Then herugh faded and sheposed herself.


    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t tell Jesse or Tristan? They¡¯re not as forgiving or as fun as I am. Especially Tristan.¡±


    ¡°Something tells me this <i>Tristan</i> isn¡¯t going to make his training as fun and easy-going as I had hoped.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance, Danielson,¡± she replied, scoffing. ¡°He is the Sage of Untamed magic after all, and if he finds out that I tried to teach you an Untamed magic skill without his knowledge¡ªI¡¯m <i>done</i> for.¡±


    We headed back to the dormitories afterwards, keeping our secret to ourselves. I appreciated her effort and thought in allowing me to learn, even if it was just for a small price to pay.


    In the next three days, I kept practising the spell of arson. I tried conjuring the aura but nothing. I hid myself somewhere in the Gardens in front of the HQ, hoping that the open air would be safer than casting an arson spell indoors. I found a spot near a tree where it wasrge enough to cover me if anyone saw me. I had no clue what Tristan looked like and would not dare to be caught by him.


    I breathed, shut my eyes, and exhaled. <i>Fire, fumes,va...</i>I wanted to feel the heat. I thought I felt it in my lungs and I grew excited. I steadied the energy within me and¡ª<i>POP! </i>A small me burst from my fingertips. I almost dropped my wand in agony.


    ¡°Are you trying to cast <i>Arsonion</i>? That¡¯s easy!¡±


    I turned to see Elton, the fourteen-year-old kid, watching me from one of the pathways leading from the gates. I had heard that he had be one rank my senior, an Acolyte. He snatched my wand and waved. <i>Teenagers.</i>


    ¡°Oh but Elton, that is the¡ª¡±


    Elton waved the wand towards the tree beside us. mes shot out of the wand and straight to it. The tree that stood erected in the middle of the Academy grounds caught fire immediately as they enveloped the bark and leaves. It was a rather old, massive tree and I could not believe my eyes. I turned to Elton who looked quite smug, proud of his little ol¡¯ self.


    ¡°See, Heidi, all you gotta do is¡ª¡±


    ¡°<i>Elton!</i>¡± I eximed in my panic-stricken voice, ¡°The tree is <i>smouldering</i>!¡±


    The heat from the tree grew intense as the blue mes were beginning to change into a lighter shade, and eventually white. The shrubbery around it would have caught the mes too if it didn¡¯t capture the attention of everyone in The Academy. Everyone including Jesse and Wynona.


    ¡°Put that fire out!¡± Yelled Jesse over the cackling of the mes.


    Before either of us could react, a dark-haired man cried out, ¡°<i>Frozium</i>!¡±


    A cier of ice formed from his wand to the roots of the tree and shot up to the sky, extinguishing therge mes.


    My heart rammed against my ribcage. Elton looked small and pale. Jesse and Wynona looked furious. The third man, whom I had never seen before, looked graven. This man turned his attention to Elton and me, breathing through his nose. His jaw clenched.


    Jesse whispered to him when they got close to us, ¡°Not too harsh on her, Tristan, she is new.¡±


    ¡°I deal with her whichever way I deem worthy.¡± Tristan uttered as he walked over to us. ¡°Come with me to my office.¡±


    Elton and I followed the man. He wore a simr overcoat to Jesse and Wynona, but unlike theirs, his was red. I felt a wave of shame and fear throughout my body.


    We were brought to his office. Elton and I stood in the middle of it awkwardly, like two children in the principal¡¯s office. Well, one of us <i>was</i> an awkwardly overgrown child. Mr Red-Coat closed the door behind us and slid behind his dark oak desk, simr to Jesse¡¯s. Even his office was immacte too.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Tristan, please don¡¯t expel me! I¡¯ll go to detention, anything but expulsion!¡± Cried Elton. I felt sorry for the kid.


    ¡°Elton, please, let me speak.¡± Tristan was calm. He had red eyes, like rubies, and they darted from Elton to me. I shrank a little underneath his gaze. ¡°You must be the Neophyte, Heidi.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. If you¡¯re going to expel anyone, it should be me. I went ahead to practise Untamed magic without your supervision...I didn¡¯t think it through.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, you <i>didn¡¯t</i>. Such irresponsibility is uneptable. Elton, I¡¯m utterly disappointed in you. And Heidi, you are not that new despite what Jesse said. You may still be a Neophyte but you have already mastered Practical and Mischief magic. You have been here for eight weeks. I think I may know who taught you <i>Arsonion</i> without my supervision and you don¡¯t have to tell me. This means you¡¯re not held fully ountable for this. However, you two still burnt the tree on Academy grounds. I will send you both to detention for three weeks.¡±


    We nodded silently and exited the office.


    ¡°Heidi,¡± Tristan called, ¡°I need to speak to you privately before you leave.¡±


    He closed the door behind me and sat behind his desk. ¡°I hear that you are close to Lord Voltaire?¡±


    I did not realise that I had been holding my breath until I sighed. ¡°Not close <i>per se</i>, but¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you are his rmendation?¡± Tristan asked, waving a stack of papers in the air with my name on them.


    ¡°Yes, but he is dating my best friend. So yeah, he has to be nice to me,¡± I jested.


    Tristan¡¯s face looked unamused. He lowered his hand onto the desk and perused through my personal particrs and letter of rmendation. I was not sure why but I felt a knot in my stomach.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying,¡± he said slowly, like it just clicked, ¡°that the only reason why you¡¯re rmended by the High Lord of the Vampires is because he¡¯s sleeping with your best friend?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I owe him. I didn¡¯t ask him to and he didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°What was it like when you first cast <i>Arsonion</i>?¡±


    I paused, then checked myself. ¡°You...did you just cut me off?¡±


    Tristan blinked. ¡°Well, what was it like?¡±


    I frowned, ¡°You just cut me off and changed the subject. You¡¯re much ruder than the other two Sages.¡±


    ¡°I think you may find that I am much <i>stricter</i> than my colleagues.¡±


    ¡°Good for you. Look, I¡¯m really sorry. I know I should¡¯ve waited for you, but time is running short for me. I have proven to Jesse and Wynona that I am good¡ª¡±


    ¡°Show me, then.¡± Tristan crossed his arms.


    I paused. ¡°Show¡­?¡±


    Tristan stood and straightened his red coat. He stood almost two metres tall, towering over me as he nted his feet in front of me. ¡°I will bring you to the training grounds and you will <i>show</i> me what you have.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Jesse demanded from a distance. He and Wynona jogged over to the training grounds where Tristan and I were.


    ¡°Tristan, what are you doing?¡± Wynona added, her voice wary.


    Tristan ignored them. ¡°Are you ready, Neophyte? You told me you were good.¡±


    ¡°Born ready.¡± I did not waiver.


    Tristan¡¯s ruby pin on his right cuff shone in the light. His red eyes glimmered, a slight smirk formed on his face like he was enjoying it. Jesse strode to my side and whispered.


    ¡°Heidi, you don¡¯t have to do this. Tristan isn¡¯t just a Sage, he <i>specialises</i> in duels.¡±


    ¡°I got this.¡±


    We readied our stances. I steadied my breathing to keep the nerves calm and cleared my mind. <i>Just like training</i>.


    Tristan was calm but his eyes were glimmering. He watched me carefully as I could feel the strength of his aura even as we stood five metres apart. I shut my eyes and let my energy flow from my mind to my limbs.


    <i>Go for the basics</i>, my instincts whispered. A surge of current flowed through my arm and out of my fingertips.


    ¡°<i>Delirium!</i>¡±


    The first bolt shot out and towards Tristan, a Mischief magic spell that caused one to be delirious. He dodged it effortlessly like he knew it wasing. Had he been calcting my moves? I refused to back down.


    I shot out one spell after another but missed each time. Atst, Tristan concluded the duel¡ªhe shot out a lightning-speed bolt and right on target. It was a spell I had never seen before but it sent electrical shockwaves through my limbs that sent me backwards and paralysed for two seconds. I crashed onto the ground and dropped my wand. That was it¡ª<i>game over.</i>


    ¡°Heidi! Are you okay?¡± Jesse asked as Wynona hovered over and lifted my shoulders.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hurt her too much, don¡¯t worry,¡± Tristan responded, pocketing his wand back into the inside of his red coat.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, just a hard fall,¡± I answered. Jesse sighed in relief as Wynona scowled at Tristan.


    ¡°That was unnecessary.¡±


    Tristan walked over and knelt in front of me. I was still reeling from the fall. His face was indifferent.


    ¡°I do apologise if there was any injury done but that was to teach you a lesson.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Three weeks of suspension,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°Rules are rules. Come back after three weeks and I will train you.¡±


    * * *


    The three Sages brought me to the portal to the Worldly realm. It was hidden somewhere in the Gardens. My heart was heavy and it grew heavier after seeing the disappointed faces on Jesse and Wynona. They had be special to me. <i>Sentimental</i>, I know.


    Tristan? He remained nonchnt to my temporary departure.


    ¡°I¡¯ll return and be better.¡±


    ¡°I sure hope so,¡± Tristan said. There was no trace of sarcasm¡ªhe was sincere. He took a step forward and right in my face. <i>Too close, buddy</i>.


    But right before I could tell him to back up, I noticed his youth. He seemed much younger than Jesse and Wynona. His red eyes were calm and they reminded me of Vicky and Lord Voltaire, except his were more soothing and less <i>Underworldly</i>.


    ¡°You have a lot of potential, Heidi. Spellcasting is a skill, not a talent. There¡¯s nothing to celebrate about if you have mastered any of the three Magic types. Us Sages, we protect the sanctity of our realm and knowledge. You must understand the severity of your punishment. See you in three weeks.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the lesson. I will see you then,¡± I nodded before entering the portal.

 Reminiscence

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    Through my years of being a Spellcaster, I grew quite fond of my fellow Sages, Jesse and Wynona. I always trusted their instincts and they did the same for me.


    I told Wynona everything about the possibility of dark magic. Her face, ever so expressive, cringed and gasped as I told her the detailed ounts of my two weeks with my parents. Jesse sat in his chair in deep thought, blue eyes asionally casting on me and Wynona. When I finished, she leaned back and sank a little into her chair.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Dean Ryans a Voltaire rmendation?¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    I nodded. ¡°He was. But only my grandfather was able to train him for a time before he disappeared.¡±


    ¡°You seem greatly affected by it. Were you two close?¡± Jesse observed.


    ¡°Fondly. We were childhood friends. I cannot deny I am utterly disappointed with his choices.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that his dark magic had something to do with the fate of his family?¡± Wynona asked, her voice small. I nodded again.


    ¡°The Unholy aura,¡± I said leaning back into my chair, ¡°was somehow channelled into his energy which resulted in deadly spells. They seemed like spells we do all the time, just more heightened and potentially fatal. The lightning bolt, for instance, almost killed my old man.¡±


    Wynona thought for a moment and asked, ¡°Do you think he could¡¯ve killed your father with it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what his true intention was. His aura did not pulsate the way it should be¡ªI believe he was channelling half of the energy from the djinn that was attacking me. But that¡¯s only my theory.¡±


    We sat in silence for a moment. Atst, Jesse spoke, ¡°We¡¯ll need to consult Lord Voltaire regarding this, in case he has any thoughts that could contribute to your theory.¡±


    He got up off the chair and picked up the phone.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about thister,¡± Wynona said. ¡°It¡¯s gettingte. We should get some rest.¡±


    But just as we were about to depart from Jesse¡¯s office, chaos arose in the Gardens in front of the HQ. The oldest and very first tree was engulfed in mes. It looked like somebody was trying to cast a me spell and misfired. The three of us fled to the scene without hesitation.


    * * *


    I sat in bed and ced a lit candle beside me. I began to write letters that were to be sent to my parents, asking how everything was. I admit¡ªI was letting the incident get to my head.


    Night was perpetual in the Magic Realm. I zed over my words and began nodding off. I had not had a good rest since that night I found Mrs Ryans¡¯ remains in her bed. Perhaps it was the trauma of finding a neighbour¡¯s skeletons in her safe boudoir, clutching onto her deceased daughter¡¯s portrait that got to me. Or perhaps it was the fact that Dean was still out there and there was a chance that he might have killed his family by design. Or simply that he had discovered dark magic by controlling djinns.


    A whirlwind of uneasiness inside me.


    I admired the scenery outside my bedroom. Violet skies and infinite starsid out across the heavens above everything else that mattered to us mortals. I put the letter aside and let my mind wander.


    At the age of eight, Dean and I had gotten close. We shared a lot together and he would frequent my parents¡¯ mansion. Dean was my age with light green eyes just like Mrs Ryans¡¯. He had pale skin with curly red locks that would get in his eyes. He also had freckles that sprayed across his face. His curiosity with spellcasting was never a secret.


    When he turned sixteen, he began his spellcast training under my grandfather. He was recognised by the King of the Void, Lord Voltaire, as a ¡®promising Spellcaster¡¯. A yearter, his father set sail and never returned. A few monthster, his sister passed. In grief, Mrs Ryans had strained her rtionship with her son. Dean then left his mother to move into the city.


    I always thought he would move into The Academy¡ªthe way some Spellcasters sought refuge here. However, Dean did not findfort surrounded by any form of support. My grandfather was dismayed. He looked everywhere for him but Dean just disappeared off the Worldly Realm.


    Two yearster, I turned eighteen. I was at the age where I would soon be entitled a Sage. My grandfather wanted to retire to look for Dean discreetly but fate had met him the night before his departure¡ªhe died peacefully in his sleep. At this point, I was given the title of a Sage¡ªat the age of twenty¡ªand had taken over him. We held a grand funeral for my grandfather.


    Still, no sign of Dean.


    Years passed and the memory of him waned. I got busy and soon forgot about fulfilling my grandfather¡¯s wish, which was to find him and bring him to The Academy.


    s, he found us.


    Earlier that evening after the conversation with the other two Sages, Lord Voltaire returned Jesse¡¯s call; he had summoned us for counsel at the Lair in the Underworld.

 The Djinn

    <b>HEIDI</b>


    Vicky was scrubbing the toilet when I stepped out of the portal. I knew she felt my pulse¡ªshe could always feel when I was nearby. She dropped the toilet brush when she noticed me standing in the middle of the apartment. There was something amusing about seeing a muscr elite Vampire bent over the toilet and scrubbing off dirt and grime with a pair of pink rubber gloves.


    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± Was all that came out of her.


    From a distance, a long, loud <i>meeeooo</i> interrupted my thoughts. Butters ran to my feet and purred loudly. He sniffed and licked my jeans and shoes, reaching his paws upwards. I picked him up and gave quick, motherly kisses before putting him back down. He went off to continue minding his business.


    Then I sighed, a low, long sigh. I moved to the small, worn-out leather sofa and threw myself on it. Vicky hovered over me, her red eyes wide with worry.


    ¡°You¡¯re back earlier than you said you would be. And your aura is telling me that it¡¯s not for a good reason.¡±


    ¡°Could you just read my aura or look at my memories? I¡¯m too tired and frankly a little too embarrassed to exin my misdemeanour.¡±


    Vicky sat herself on the coffee table facing me. She scanned my slumped shoulders as I leaned my head back. She told me that my aura was dim and weakly pulsating. She then held my palm and closed her eyes, reaching into my memories. Years ago I had learnt that this ability was gifted to her when she gave in to Vampirism. It allowed her to extend her supernatural abilities to emotions and the spiritual being.


    Vicky sucked in her breath when she finished, ¡°<i>Yikes</i>, Heidi. After eight weeks, just like that?¡± Then she opened her eyes and grinned, ¡°So, Tristan, huh?¡±


    I snapped my head up and widened my eyes at her. <i>What?</i>


    She could not hide her smile. ¡°He¡¯s attractive.¡±


    I felt my face warm but kept my cool. I knew she could read me anyway but <i>whatever</i>. ¡°He suspended me, Vick. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and for just reasons.¡±


    ¡°I know, I screwed up.¡±


    Vicky got up and picked up her brush to resume cleaning the bathroom. I knew I had to shake off my frustration with myself¡ªand Tristan, maybe. ¡°I¡¯m going to the park. I want to practise my magic there.¡±


    ¡°Want me to go with you? It¡¯s almost sun down,¡± offered Vicky. ¡°Besides, I want to see this magic stuff.¡±


    * * *


    We arrived at the park by the time the sun was fully set. I knew a spot that was secluded and I began my practice there.


    Vicky sat herself on arge boulder and watched. I practised Practical and Mischief magic spells, casting and warping reality and reverting them to their worldly state. I could feel my aura glow, like an expansion of my spirit surrounding me. I would nce at Vicky from time to time, and I had never seen such a bewildered expression on her pale face. Then she pursed her lips.


    ¡°Your aura is so...strong. Even the birds and squirrels are watching you.¡±


    I snapped out of my focus for a moment and looked around us. Hummingbirds on trees and squirrels poked their heads out of their hiding holes with acorns in their mouths. They had be my involuntary audience. I smiled and got back into concentration.


    ¡°The only kind of magic that I cannot practise on is Untamed magic. I haven¡¯t begun my training for that yet and it¡¯s frustrating me.¡±


    It was as if I jinxed it¡ªI attempted to cast another Mischief spell but it backfired. It burst upon contact with my fingertips and I quickly retracted my arm. Pain shot through for a millisecond.


    ¡°<i>Ow!</i> I don¡¯t get it!¡± I grumbled.


    Vicky looked thoughtful and moved closer. She held my wrists and bore her red eyes on me, ¡°Clear your mind. I noticed that your aura dissipated when you got frustrated.¡±


    I paused for a moment then closed my eyes and breathed. Vicky released my wrists and went back to her boulder.


    <i>One...two...three...breathe</i>. I opened my eyes and felt the current surge through me, but this time, from my lungs. It was the same feeling I had back in The Academy with Wynona. My heart began to hammer against my chest. My frustration was churned and channelled into my spell from my lungs and diaphragm.


    ¡°Whoa, Heidi, your aura¡¯spletely red.¡±


    I shifted my weight and clenched my wand. <i>Do not lose focus</i>.


    ¡°Heidi¡­?¡±


    I shut my eyes and counted my breathing. <i>Inhale, two, three four...exhale, two, three, four</i>.


    ¡°I got this,¡± I held my hand up, signalling to not stop me when she tried to move closer. The fire in my lungs formed but I put all my energy and aura into controlling its motions and pulse. Through all of this, I recalled Jesse¡¯s words.


    <i>¡°Remember the alignment of your energies. They form a structure to allow control of the flow. The fluidity of your aura shifts in and out, but only under yourmand.¡±</i>


    I opened my eyes and the current from my lungs flowed out through my fingertips. It shot out of my wand and, two metres before me, a me materialised. Vicky gasped, her eyes wide in horror.


    ¡°Heidi! The <i>fire</i>!¡±


    I snapped back into reality. A fire had formed on a grass patch. I stared at it, a recollection of the tree that burnt at The Academy. But unlike that, the me in front of us at that moment was small. And controlled.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    With supernatural speed, Vicky stomped on the mes and kicked some soil into it. When they were put out, she sighed.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve burned the whole park, Heidi! What were you¡ª¡°


    ¡°Vicky! I did it! I finally controlled the current and the mes were <i>small</i>, Vick! They didn¡¯t burn the tree down like at The Academy!¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Well, let¡¯s not do that, okay? That seemed dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, Vick. That was an Untamed magic spell. That wasn¡¯t easy control. Untamed magic takes a lot of discipline, one that I didn¡¯t have back in The Academy.¡± Then Iughed, ¡°I understand it now. I¡¯ll need to practise more.¡±


    Vicky looked around. Her red eyes glimmered in the dark as she scanned the park. Anxiety shed across her face as the park got quiet that evening. It was only a quarter before eight.


    ¡°Heidi, I think we need to go. Something doesn¡¯t feel right. The air is too still,¡± she muttered, tugging my arm.


    The birds and squirrels had gone into hiding. That was when I felt the hair at the back of my neck stand.


    ¡°You feel that too?¡± Vicky asked, her red eyes beginning to glow.


    ¡°My mortal instincts are kicking in pretty fast, yeah.¡±


    I recognised the tell-tale signs; goosebumps on the neck and arms, heart pounding and the temperature got cold all of a sudden.


    <i>Djinns</i>. And I <i>loathed</i> them.


    Vicky hissed, disrupting the silence. I turned to see her snarling at something behind the tree. Her teeth were bare and she was in her shadow form. Before being a Spellcaster, I could never witness these djinns whenever I pleased¡ªno mortal could. They could slip in and out of mortal sight easily due to their deathly realm being interwoven with the Worldly realm. And even when they would reveal themselves, these cunning things could influence our minds to trick us into seeing them as humanlike or even more beautiful.


    As a Spellcaster, however, my spiritual connection became stronger and more expandable. I was able to push certain mortal boundaries through controlling my aura and aligning my energies.


    And on that evening, right in the seclusion of the corner of the park, I finally saw a djinn in its true form¡ªhideous andpletely inhuman. It hung on the tree branch nearby, its ck eyes scrutinising. Vicky¡¯s red Vampire eyes could see it clear as day, but my mortal eyes could only make out its silhouette. It shifted and stared, gnarly ck limbs moving in utter silence.


    ¡°Now, now, Vampire. Don¡¯t get all unholy on me,¡± the thing let out a deep-throated chuckle. It was wet, hoarse and absolutely ghastly to listen to. I held back from hurling.


    ¡°You have no ce here,¡± Vicky growled. Her ck aura morphed and shifted to red, and then back to ck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t I?¡± The djinn stopped moving. It remained closely and carefully in the shadows of the tree. Its ws dug into the bark. I gripped onto my wand and it snapped its head towards me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like us,¡± it hissed. It revealed its long tongue and snapped back into its mortifying mouth. ¡°Oh, Danielson, if you could learn the truth about these Vampires, you would not be so friendly.¡±


    I did not budge. Djinns lied a lot.


    ¡°It takes a lot to shake my faith,¡± I said. I admit, it took a lot to hide the shakiness in my voice.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure it does,¡± the thing hissed. ¡°But you mortals are <i>weak</i>. You need us. We can keep shaking you until you break. And who knows what this Vampire knows? She won¡¯t tell you the truth, anyway. <i>When mortals fall and darkness reigns, may Synto the Fallen arise again</i>.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to it, Heidi,¡± Vicky warned. Her fangs were full and exposed.


    ¡°Yes, Heidi, don¡¯t listen to me. Don¡¯t listen to the sound of this truth-telling being. Whereas your Vampire friend knows more than you know but is keeping you in the <i>dark</i>!¡±


    At thatst word, it lunged itself towards me. It happened in a mere second that I had not had the reflexes quick enough to ovee its speed or strength. In the next second, I was on the ground as its ws dug into my flesh. I yelped, but right before I could cast a spell, Vicky threw herself with a salted dagger and aimed at its throat. She slit its jugr and decapitated it. I shoved its lifeless body to the side as it shrank into dust. I coughed and lifted my hand onto my shoulder. I could feel its w marks.


    ¡°I was doing fine,¡± I said, getting up. Vicky¡¯s eyes were still glowering as she scanned the area. No animals were in sight¡ªthey had fled from the undeadly being.


    ¡°Come on, we have to go,¡± she pulled my arm and we left the park.


    Back at the apartment, Vicky bandaged my shoulder where the djinn left its ¡®souvenir¡¯. Lord Voltaire was already there¡ªhe¡¯d arrived a minute after Vicky called him about the incident.


    ¡°Any idea who Synto the Fallen is?¡± I asked, eyeing on the Vampire King. Butters rubbed its head on my stomach as hezed on myps.


    Lord Voltaire looked visibly perturbed but remainedposed. ¡°Synto is not exactly a person. It is a dark being of malice and evil. <i>It</i> is the leader of the djinns.


    My head was spinning. ¡°Okay whoa, <i>leader</i>? What does it look like?¡±


    Lord Voltaire leaned against the doorway of the main entrance. His blond hair was tied, not a hair out of ce. His red eyes fell on the floor and he stayed in thought for a moment before they flickered to me.


    ¡°Synto uses a vessel as a way to spread its malice. It would appoint someone to be the leader of the djinns to lead them into eternal domination. But this ¡®someone¡¯ is always a mortal, Spellcaster included. When he dies, another reces¡ªand this happens often until it finds the right vessel. It¡¯s very rare that a mortal¡¯s biological vessel can withstand the evil powers of Synto. So Synto bes whoever that leads them.¡±


    I stayed silent, processing.


    ¡°I have summoned the Grand Masters and the three Sages for council on this matter. There is no time to lose. However, we will not utter a word about Synto, for his name shall not be uttered in the Underworld. There is malice afoot, and I do not put my whole trust in anyone at this moment.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all set,¡± Vicky patted my shoulder lightly. I put on my jacket.


    She turned to Lord Voltaire, ¡°We¡¯ll need to go to the council, pronto.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°You twodies wille with me.¡± Then he turned to me and added, ¡°I¡¯m more concerned for Vicky but I know she would not part from you at this moment.¡±


    * * *


    The Vampire Lair was filled with Vampires of the different ranks. The Fledglings and Minors huddled near the entrance while the higher ranks like the Primes, Masters and Grand Masters gathered at the centre, underneath a grand chandelier.


    We shouldered our way through the sea of anxious, pale faces. I could feel their <i>underworldly</i> auras¡ªsome red, some ck. Vicky had mentioned once that their auras were Unholy ck by default, but they could also shift to the hue of Untamed red. And right on cue, my sight befell a familiar face with his red coat and dark curly hair.


    <i>Speak of the devil.</i>


    He stood tall and unwavering among the nervous immortal bodies. Beside him were Jesse and Wynona. He had his back on me while the other two Sages were deep in conversation. Their eyes darted around the dining hall, as if they were on a lookout. Or merely gossiping. For some reason, I involuntarily ducked when Tristan turned andnded his gaze in my direction.


    ¡°Good grief, is <i>every</i> Vampire here?¡± Vicky wondered aloud, cutting my thoughts.


    ¡°They must have received word regarding the council. They are looking forfort and reassurance,¡± Lord Voltaire responded, ¡°even though it was not meant to be for them.¡±


    After shaking hands and receiving bows with some Grand Masters, he took Vicky¡¯s hand and spoke in a low voice, ¡°I will take us to the dining room. This hall is too public for such matters.¡±


    He led us into a smaller, guarded room where only the high ranks were permitted to enter.

 The Council

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    ¡°Why would Lord Voltaire invite us exclusively while there are still basically every other Vampire present?¡± Jesse asked, his eyes scanning the Lair.


    ¡°Something tells me they¡¯re scared,¡± I replied. ¡°Look at their faces, their bodynguage¡ªlike refugees from a war-torn ce.¡±


    Wynona chimed in, ¡°I agree. There¡¯s something <i>off</i>. Did Lord Voltaire tell you anything?¡±


    Jesse shook his head, ¡°Not much. But he did mention that there was a surge in reports about djinn attacks in the Worldly realm.¡±


    <i>Father</i>. I turned to Jesse, reading his expression. ¡°Do you think it is rted to the attack at my parents¡¯ home?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we are here to find out.¡±


    ¡°Good grief, is <i>every</i> Vampire here?¡± A voice wondered aloud.


    I turned to see a long, ck-haired female Vampire with Lord Voltaire. Beside her was the Neophyte, Heidi. She was only as tall as the female Vampire¡¯s shoulders but still stood out like a sore thumb in her band t-shirt and ck leather jacket. There was a scar above her right eyebrow that was not there before. <i>Did she get into more trouble?</i>


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re going in,¡± Wynona said as the doors to the dining room opened.


    Vampire ushers stood at the sides of the entrances as we walked in. We all took our seats and the council began after the doors were shut. Lord Voltaire began by thanking everyone for attending. The High Court, as he called it, was attended by all nine Grand Masters and us three. And Heidi, <i>I supposed</i>.


    I turned to her, something made me, and caught her looking away. Did she hold a grudge against me? She was not the first student to do so.


    ¡°Thank you all for joining me at such short notice. We must prepare ourselves for the worst, I believe,¡± Lord Voltaire began in his rich baritone. ¡°We must not look for trouble until ites to us. We do not know what or who is sending them. We must prepare our defences and work as one. Together, we will be stronger.¡±


    The others nodded in agreement. He continued, ¡°Do we have any objections? Speak out, if you will, for this is the time for counsel.¡±


    ¡°What defences do we have?¡± A voice asked from the other end of the long dining table. I knew that voice very well. My grandfather and many other former Sages knew it very well too. I suppressed an eye-roll.


    The air in the room grew tense. I nced at Heidi, wondering what she took of all this, but she remainedposed and curious. For a Neophyte, I admit, she impressed me. I turned to Lord Voltaire who waited patiently for <i>that</i> voice to continue and it did.


    ¡°I believe that our defences are not up to par with what we haveing for us. But if we strike first, we can win this war.¡±


    ¡°Our defences,¡± Lord Voltaire replied, ¡°are our forces, allies and kingdom. We have a civilised society designed to move freely between different realms. We interact with each other closely. We are one unit, Grand Master Augustin, and we shall work with that.¡±


    Grand Master <i>Oldie</i> let out augh through his nose. Then he scoffed, ¡°You speak like a Vampire who has forgotten his power and responsibility. I say we go out there and fight this war.¡±


    <i>I could not resist it any longer</i>. I rebutted, ¡°It is not a war yet. However, it <i>will</i> be if we go in <i>guns-azing</i> like you suggest. I agree with Lord Voltaire. We do not know what we have in store for us so we cannot judge our defences with weak reasons to attack.¡±


    My arms were on the table and my back felt tense. The urge to freeze him in his chair was too great. However, I maintained myposure and leaned back on my chair. <i>I could not lose my temper on him again</i>.


    Grand Master Augustin straightened his back. He leaned forward and spoke in his typical condescending tone, ¡°You are brave but a mere child, my dear mortal, with such vast wisdom. But you are untamed, as your specialised magic suggests, so you best watch your tone with me.¡±


    I could not resist a smirk. His snarky remark was predictable, and so was that jab at my youth. I knew he never liked me¡ªhe always thought that I was too young to be a Sage. Wynona and Jesse remained silent but I could see their eyebrows knit. Lord Voltaire scowled, eyes on the table, listening.


    When he was ready to speak, he raised his head and his booming voice projected as the King of Vampires, ¡°Tell us, then, O¡¯ Grand Master of the Void, why should we go in blind? We do not know who or what we are up against. The djinns could just be the tip of the iceberg. There has been talk of The Fallen¡¯s return.¡±


    The other vampires shifted uneasily in their seats at the thought of Synto.


    Grand Master Augustin stood and leaned forward, his red eyes wild, ¡°You asked if there was anyone who opposed your suggestion and I did. There wille a battle where your throne will be usurped, my Lord. Let not this battle be it.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes. <i>Usurped?</i> This old man was senile. Either that or he had let slip a plot.


    Lord Voltaire rxed and responded patiently, ¡°And when that timees, Grand Master Augustin, that would be my fate. I understand your concerns, but for now, we must fortify our strategies and defences.¡±


    Heidi¡¯s eyes darted from that cranky old Vampire to Lord Voltaire. I could tell she was trying to digest all of this. I would too, if I were her. Grand Master Augustin adjusted his cor from slight embarrassment that the King of Vampires was not persuaded to side his nonsensical ims. He fixed his gaze on me, as if he was targeting. I returned with indifference.


    ¡°If I may interject, my Lord,¡± Grand Master Ingram spoke. Her voice was soft and velvety, like any Vampire had when they had motive, usually an unsavoury one. ¡°I believe Grand Master Augustin has a point.¡±


    ¡°And what point would that be? To attack and y the djinns in their nest?¡± Jesse blurted. I was startled slightly. I had never witnessed him this frustrated.


    The female elderly Vampire was also caught off-guard, but remainedposed. ¡°This <i>is</i> a war. We have seen this war for thousands of years and yet we lose our kind from these djinns and their...<i>king</i>. If we have to invade their nest, then we must. We cannot lose anymore of our kind for the sake of defending the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Yes, my Lord, we must seek our enemies and destroy them once and for all!¡± The other old bag chimed in.


    I had enough. There was heat inside me that would be channelled into mes if I held myself back any longer.


    ¡°That is <i>hunting</i>! You know that is against <i>your</i> rules. If you seek them, you will either find yourself trapped or an end to your civilisation!¡± I raised my voice, but not enough to be shouting.


    Jesse looked like he was ready to hold me back. When I finished, thest word rang in the cold air. It was so thick with tension at this point that no one moved. I had not realised that I was standing up. Jesse tugged my arm to sit back down.


    ¡°My fair Grand Mistress Ingram,¡± Lord Voltaire finally spoke, breaking the tension. ¡°I understand and agree with you. But storming into the nest of the beast on the basis of our defence is merely murder and nothing more. We have rules in our kingdom which I am sure you remember.¡±


    Lord Voltaire was clearly taking my side but threaded it carefully. Of course, to the two old bags, they could not ept that their King sided with mortals instead. Deep down, I knew that we were the bane of their existence. No one would speak of it. No one would speak against their King. Until now.


    ¡°And if they take your throne from you, after they kill you, what then, my Lord?¡± Asked Grand Master Ingram.


    Her voice was riddled with concern and sympathy although I knew her intentions consisted neither of those. I resisted another eye-roll.


    ¡°You are thinking of my own interest,¡± Lord Voltaire reminded, ¡°and not the kingdom¡¯s. I apologise but I shall not manage the kingdom¡¯s defence if it is on the basis of mainly protecting me.¡±


    The two Grand Masters agreed to disagree and sat quietly for the remainder of the council. Lord Voltaire then continued his strategies when no one else opposed his suggestions. I shifted my attention to Heidi who sat and took everything in. She might have realised how deep in the council she was in.


    asionally, throughout the council, I nced at the two deluded Grand Masters but they listened without another word. When Lord Voltaire began discussing the different defence strategies, I felt my aura pulsate. The others had their auras pulsate and shift too.


    We could all feel a heavy sense of unease nketing the dining room, like a dark veil trapping us. I slowly slid my hand into my coat pocket for my wand. Before I could alert Wynona and Jesse, the dining room doors burst open and a Prime Vampire stumbled in. His hair was dishevelled and clothes ripped. Bruises and scars were all over his face and he was panting.


    ¡°Djinns everywhere! The Lair is under attack!¡±


    The Vampires dashed out of the dining room as soon as they heard the informant. I pulled out my wand and headed for the door without hesitation. A swarm of djinns in their true forms broke through the ss ceilings and windows. The Vampires were fighting off for their lives. Blood was everywhere. <i>Had we been toote?</i>


    I turned to see Heidiing towards the door but Wynona held her back.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Stay put, Heidi! This is not your battle, you are not ready!¡±


    Wynona shut the doors and ced a magical Mischief rune on them. Her violet eyes glimmered as we turned to face the battle between us and the djinns. I readied my stance and channelled my current for <i>Arsonion</i>, a personal favourite¡ªthe spell of arson. Whatever being that stood my way would be singed immediately.


    * * *


    Chaos persisted for more than twenty minutes at that point. More djinns wereing in, breaking the stained ss all the way from the ceilings. Jesse and Wynona stood behind me.


    ¡°I may know why there are so many Vampires gathered here tonight,¡± Jesse shouted above the noise. We were in the middle of the battlefield with djinns and Vampires around us.


    ¡°You think someone tipped them off? Or purposely called them?¡± I asked.


    Wynona formed a magic shield around us. Some of the Vampires entered it for shelter while the djinns burned upon contact.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think these djinns are here to take over the throne, like the old fellow imed. This looks like they¡¯re out for blood,¡± Wynona concluded.


    ¡°You must get Heidi to safety,¡± Jesse said. His voice was dead serious.


    I turned to him, his blue eyes darting back and forth. ¡°But...what about the both of you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine. Bring her back to The Academy and keep her safe. It¡¯s the safest ce for now.¡±


    I knew I could not argue with Jesse. Wynona added, ¡°I locked her in the dining room with my magic.¡±


    I nodded and exited the shield. Pieces of ss shattered and the walls crumbled around us. I had to move swiftly. Before I could reach the dining room, a djinn lunged itself onto me and we wrestled across the floor. Wended near the entrance of the Lair, under the broken windows.


    A piece of broken ss pierced through my cks and cut my calf. I felt my lips bleed from the scuffle as the djinn pinned me down. It hissed and snarled and let out a revolting stench. I had not realised that my wand had dropped a metre away. The djinn roared, like an unholy beast, and I shut my eyes.


    ¡°<i>Arsonion oblivion!</i>¡± I yelled, channelling every ounce of energy I had in me, like the spell always did.


    The djinn released me as it began to get sucked into itself with orange mes, and eventually into oblivion. I pushed myself off the floor and picked up my wand before darting for the dining room to break Wynona¡¯s lock spell.


    ¡°Heidi! Heidi, are you all right?¡± I called. She was standing in the corner, eyes wide with worry.


    ¡°I need to do something! Vicky is out there¡ª¡±


    ¡°<i>No!</i>¡± I eximed. ¡°I¡¯m taking us back to The Academy. Hold still.¡±


    She did not argue. I waved my wand and chanted, ¡°<i>Homewordial Transportatus!</i>¡±


    Heidi braced herself and shut her eyes. So did I. When we opened our eyes again, wended on The Academy grounds, wrapped in total peace and silence.

 History Lesson

    <b>HEIDI</b>


    I tried to pry the doors open but they would not budge. It had been twenty minutes or so. There was a rune marked on them and I knew it was the symbol of Mischief magic. Wynona had locked me in the dining room with her spell. The djinn¡¯s w marks in my shoulder did not have the time to heal¡ªthey ached so much I had to stop. I winced and clutched my right shoulder with my left hand.


    I sat in the corner and waited, thinking of ways to escape the magic lock. I could hear the chaos just beyond the doors. I closed my eyes and began to meditate.


    <i>Vicky</i>. My eyes opened wide as the memories of my recurring dream returned. <i>Oh no, oh no, oh no</i>¡ª


    A loud thud and the walls shook. Somehow the aching in my shoulder got worse. <i>What if Vicky was in trouble and I could not save her? What if my dream was an omen and it was about this?</i>


    Just as I was about to go back into meditation, the doors swung open and the spell was broken. I got my stance ready to attack but instead of a djinn, a familiar, desperate voice called my name.


    I remembered his ruby eyes, glimmering wildly and brightly, like they were on fire. His dark brown hair was in his eyes and his red coat torn. His knuckles were bruised as he held his hand out to grab my wrist. I did not dare to go against him so I let him take me back to The Academy.


    When we arrived, Tristan wasted no time in heading straight to his office. I was not sure if I should follow him but I did. He said nothing so I asked nothing. He opened the gate for both of us and walked ahead, shoulders tense. My shoulder was still aching.


    Reaching the HQ, he nced over his shoulder for a millisecond and instructed, ¡°This way.¡± I nodded like he could see me. <i>That way it was</i>.


    He stopped in front of a door with his name que on it. His office. We went in and he shut the door behind me. Our footsteps were muffled by the carpet beneath us. Tristan finally levelled his gaze on me, darting his ruby eyes on the scar above my left eyebrow.


    ¡°You all right?¡± He pointed vaguely to my forehead.


    ¡°Tango¡¯d with a djinn,¡± I replied. He blinked, a tinge of worry in his eyes. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Have you learnt the healing spell?¡± He took a step closer and held up his palm, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°I do, actually, but thanks,¡± I said, a little guilty. ¡°I¡¯m just notfortable with physical contact with anyone. Sorry.¡±


    Tristan took a step back and put his hand down. His face reddened and then unclenched his jaw. Whatever that was tense in him rxed. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, it¡¯s your space.¡±


    ¡°Cool,¡± I said. <i>And meant it</i>.


    ¡°Well,¡± he snapped back to his intense Tristan self. ¡°Jesse had instructed me to bring you here because here you will be safe. And because you were suspended and sent home not two days ago, I have given your room away to another Spellcaster.¡±


    He slid behind his desk and took a seat, ¡°In the meantime, you may use Wynona¡¯s room. She has permitted me and Jesse to give her room to a female Spellcaster in danger.¡±


    ¡°<i>In danger?</i>¡± I asked, eyes wide. ¡°Am I?¡±


    Tristan held his hand up, ¡°You were. You will stay with us for now, it isn¡¯t safe in the Worldly Realm. In the meantime, you may stay here until Nurse Hildaes to check on you.¡±


    I took a seat near the window and looked around the office. It was big and bright with a housent in the corner next to an antique globe. I let out a whistle.


    ¡°Nice digs.¡±


    He lifted his face from the desk. He was writing a letter. ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very well-decorated,¡± I exined. He thanked me and returned to his writing. He looked thoughtful for a while before looking back at me.


    ¡°How much of the counsel did you understand?¡±


    I pursed my lips. ¡°Well¡­¡± then I remembered about Synto the Fallen. There was a knot in my stomach that tightened. ¡°It might have been rted to this scar on my forehead.¡±


    Tristan raised an eyebrow. He ced his pen on the desk andid his hands on it, weaving his fingers.


    ¡°Please, spare me no detail.¡±


    I began the story. I told him about meeting the djinn in the park¡ªI skipped the part where I cast <i>Arsonion</i> onto some grass¡ªand that Vicky and I were there. I mentioned the part about Synto the Fallen and the little poem the djinn made about him. Tristan¡¯s ruby eyes glowed at the name.


    ¡°So you told Lord Voltaire about the name?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That was when he called the rest of you guys.¡±


    His eyes traced my face and asked, ¡°What about the scar? Did the djinn attack you?¡±


    ¡°It throttled me a little and left me with this. But I¡¯ll be fine, it¡¯s not my first battle with a djinn.¡±


    Tristan went silent for a moment. Then he asked, ¡°Well, since you¡¯re already deep in it, I might as well lecture you a little bit about history. Would you care to lend an ear?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all yours,¡± I replied. I did not know why I cringed at that.


    He continued anyway, ¡°My ancestor, Sir Morgan Embers, founded Untamed magic while he was practising spellcasting. He was a mage¡ªthat was what they were called before we changed the name to ¡®Spellcaster¡¯. My title of a Sage can only be passed down to my kin. Not a friend or neighbour, only my son or daughter. Not even my wife.¡±


    At this point, I had leaned in so much I did not realise until my shoulder started to ache. Tristan was beginning to sound more alive as he spoke about his lineage. This quiet, stoic man was as animated as I never thought he was capable of. He continued.


    ¡°In my childhood, I was raised by a father who was training to be a Sage. He was to take over my grandfather. Now, my grandfather was a strict man and he was not easy on either of us. He knew I was to be a Sage too, for I was the only child and for that, he trained me as well. My father gave up the title due to his poor rtionship with my grandfather, so when he suddenly passed, I became the youngest Sage to ever be entitled with the position in The Academy.¡±


    ¡°How long have you been a Sage? You don¡¯t look that much older than I am,¡± I asked when he paused for a short while.


    ¡°Ten years,¡± he replied. ¡°And if you must know, my father and I are on good terms, but he did not wish upon his son such a responsibility. I, however, probably think more like my grandfather and thus chose to fulfil his wishes. When my grandfather passed, I knew I had to carry his legacy. Jesse was already a Sage at the time, and he promised my grandfather to watch over me until he retires.


    ¡°Now that you know my history, you must know Wynona¡¯s and Jesse¡¯s. Wynona was born into a rich family where she started training in The Academy immediately. She was trained by <i>her</i> grandmother. the former Sage of Mischief magic. She became a Sage some time after Jesse did. Jesse got the title on the anniversary of his wife¡¯s passing.


    There have been countless incidents where we encountered the djinns. My grandfather fought with a few while Wynona¡¯s grandaunt sumbed to a disease spread by another. And Jesse¡¯s wife got murdered by the Synto the Fallen.¡±


    I froze. Somehow, shbacks of that dreadful night reyed in my head like a fast, silent film reel. From my mother¡¯s soulless eyes to my father picking up the kitchen knife and chasing me into my closet.


    I saw my four-year-old self running in the dark, in the dead of night, scurrying from under the kitchen table to the staircase. I stumbled up the stairs and dashed straight into my bedroom. I could hear his thundering footsteps behind. As I reached the closet and entered it, I found myself in the present, hands shaking and fingers syed.


    ¡°How much do you know about Synto the Fallen?¡± Tristan asked, startling me out of my thoughts.


    I blinked, catching my breath. I tried not to show it but nothing escaped his scrutiny. His eyebrows knitted then rxed.


    ¡°Are you all right, Heidi?¡±


    ¡°Um,¡± I cleared my throat, ¡°Yeah, uh, Lord Voltaire exined. But do you think he is behind the attack at the Lair?¡±


    ¡°I believe so,¡± Tristan paused. ¡°Sorry we had to lock you in there, but it was for your own protection. I¡¯m sure you must be angry and helpless. I know I would be.¡±


    I leaned back, calmer than before. My thoughts realigned as I spoke, ¡°I was, initially, but not anymore after that. I don¡¯t know, maybe it was because I understood that she did it for my sake. It would have been foolish to fight right there and then, only to die in the hands of reckless danger.¡±


    Tristan raised his dark eyebrows, his ruby eyes glimmered. ¡°You have learned your lesson on discipline and responsibility. That is a mark of a promising Spellcaster.¡±


    ¡°Thanks to you, O¡¯ great Sage of Untamed magic,¡± I replied in an exaggerated tone. To my surprise, Tristanughed.


    ¡°Whoa, did you just make a noise that sounded like augh?¡± I asked, bewildered. ¡°Well, this is one for the books.¡±


    He cleared his throat, ¡°Well, I admit, that was funny. Anyway, now that you have understood the discipline and responsibility thates with spellcasting, how about we continue your training? You have one more magic type to master before you can be promoted to an Acolyte.¡±


    ¡°You mean that?¡± I sat up.


    ¡°Come,¡± he got up from his chair, ¡°let¡¯s make haste if we want that new rank.¡±


    We made our way to the training grounds. It was past midnight so it was just the two of us. Ironically, it was the same time and spot where Wynona taught me <i>Arsonion</i> thest time.


    ¡°Untamed magic,¡± Tristan spoke, casting the spell of <i>Arsonion</i>, ¡°is as its name suggests. I believe you are very familiar with that. Simrly to the other magic types, when you channel your aura through your energies, you must lean into your heart. You will feel the surgeing from your lungs to your fingertips.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I realign my energies and clear my headspace to form the magic?¡±


    Tristan took his stance and readied his wand. ¡°That¡¯s for Practical and Mischief magic because they require you to be calctive and precise. But not for Untamed magic.¡±


    He waved his wand and cast <i>Arsonion</i> onto a grass patch in the distance. ¡°With Untamed magic, you must learn to embrace your emotions and learn to channel them through your energies and spirit. Through embracing your emotions, your aura bes unstable and wild, like a highly-charged ma.¡±


    His ruby-red eyes glowered as he cast another spell, a freezing one, to subdue the mes and extinguish them. The gem on his cuff began to glow as well.


    ¡°Show me what you got with that spell, Danielson. Lean into your emotions. You will feel the surge in your lungs.¡±


    I breathed. I thought about my right shoulder and held my wand in my left hand. I pointed it towards a grassy patch in the distance. Slowly, I felt the surge of current from my lungs shift and form inside me. I steadied my breathing and closed my eyes the way I did at the park. The current formed into heat and moved inside me, finding its way out through my fingertips. And it did.


    The current shot out of my wand and straight onto the grass patch. The me was small and Tristan put it out quickly. He beamed from ear to ear.


    ¡°Very good, Heidi. You¡¯re a quick learner.¡±


    I winced. The heat could be felt throughout my body, aching the wounds in my shoulder.


    ¡°But you don¡¯t look okay,¡± Tristan walked towards me. ¡°Let me see that shoulder.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll heal, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Tristan eyed me and stopped in his tracks. ¡°I¡¯ll have Nurse Hilda to check up on you as soon as possible. You get some rest. We¡¯ll continue training when you¡¯re better.¡±


    * * *


    ¡°This looks bad,¡± Nurse Hilda said, unwinding the bandage. She made the tut-tutting sound as she did. ¡°It could be a potential infection.¡±


    I was seated in the middle of the nurse¡¯s office while Nurse Hilda attended to my shoulder. She had my arm ced on a table, under the bright light to get a better look at my wounds. The white linoleum squeaked underneath her ck shoes every time she turned to get a tool. She ced a pair of reading sses on her nose as her olive-green eyes bore on me.


    ¡°It has been aching a lot, but I thought that¡¯s because the wounds are still pretty fresh.¡±


    It had been two days since the djinn wed me. I tilted my head away from my right shoulder as she bent over to take a closer look. Tristan stood behind her and watched. When he saw the wounds, his eyes widened. Nurse Hilda readied her hands and hovered over the wounds. The ache got worse.


    ¡°Hold still,¡± she closed her eyes and began the healing.


    I could feel a stinging pain in my right torso and entire arm. They felt like knives piercing through my skin and slicing me open. I winced, teeth clenching. She moved her palms to my fingertips.


    ¡°Something is lodged in your hand. Could be poison. Do you feel any pain or numbness?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°Not really, the only pain I feel is my shoulder. What¡¯s in there?¡±


    Nurse Hilda frowned as she eyed my wounds. There was a sh of worry in her pale green eyes. Nurse Hilda is a stout woman with strong hands. Her thick, pink fingers syed apart as she moved them up and down my arm. She paused at my hand and looked down on me, concern written all over her face. A stray red curl from under her nurse hat looked auburn under the fluorescent light. Tristan¡¯s ruby eyes looked a shade brighter.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to remove the poison now,¡± she warned, ¡°It may hurt a lot.¡±


    I took two deep breaths and nodded to her. She inhaled and uttered some spell. It started with a dull ache in my fingertips, then a sting. As the pain heightened, it gradually became hot. Like fire.


    ¡°Hold still,¡± Nurse Hilda said.


    I had not realised that I was squirming. Tristan¡¯s eyes did not leave my shoulder nor did he budge at all. I almost forgot that he was still there. I shut my eyes and felt the heat¡ªpoison or whatever¡ªmove from my fingers to my wrist. Carefully, she brought it up my elbow and towards my shoulder¡ª<i>I yelped</i>.


    ¡°Okay! It¡¯s out! You did a great job,¡± she cheered like I was her daughter who had finally learnt how to ride a two-wheeled bicycle.


    I let out a sigh. Nurse Hilda dabbed the poison from my wounds with cotton wool and hovered her hand on the side of my abdomen. ¡°All right, one more area to go.¡±


    Tristan raised his eyebrows. ¡°You mean you didn¡¯t get them <i>all</i> out?¡±


    ¡°The poison has been spreading inside her. There are some lodged in her torso.¡± Nurse Hilda readied her spell and brought me to the bed behind us. Iid there and gave the signal to proceed.


    This time, the heat was heightened tenfold. The poison moved towards my right rib cage and then up my arm. My head began to spin.


    ¡°Steady, Hilda,¡± Tristan warned.


    ¡°Just a little bit more, hold on tight, Heidi.¡±


    My vision blurred. Everything I saw manifested another identical self, two exact copies shifting in and out of a central focus, a kaleidoscopic pattern of colours.


    ¡°You will kill her!¡±


    ¡°Hold her, Tristan!¡±


    My head fell first and Inded on someone¡¯s arms. My blurry vision became worse but I was still conscious. I felt an arm around my shoulders and a hand on my forehead. Voices around me grew muffled and far away. Numbness. <i>What was happening?</i> <i>Maybe if I closed my eyes¡­</i>


    ¡°Heidi.¡±


    I could not lift my heavy lids. I pried them open and all I saw was a dark silhouette of a man.


    ¡°Can you hear me?¡± <i>He sounded like a man too.</i>


    I nodded slowly. My head felt like lead.


    ¡°Good,¡± the silhouette moved towards me. It stopped inches away from my face yet I could not make out its features. My heart raced. ¡°Meet me at the old Lucky Orphans. We can talk about your visions. Tell no one.¡±


    And he was gone.


    ¡°Heidi!¡±


    I jolted awake. Nurse Hilda had injected adrenaline into me. Tristan was holding me while she hovered over. He had been calling me but I was not responding.


    ¡°Your heart rate lowered so much we thought you weren¡¯t going to make it,¡± Tristan said. ¡°Are you okay now?¡±


    I was back at the clinic. I was in his arms and somehow that feltforting...until he turned me to him and steadied me by the shoulders, ¡°Your aura was fading and it scared us. Are you with us, Heidi?¡±


    He was so wide-eyed that I could see the fiery-red pupils dte. I had never seen him <i>this</i> up close.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine! I¡¯m here,¡± I said.


    Nurse Hilda took the bandage and wrapped my shoulder. ¡°The poison got to you so badly I had to remove it as soon as I could. Any minute longer and you would¡¯ve been a goner.¡±


    I felt the cold sweat on my forehead. Nurse Hilda patted me dry, ¡°You¡¯ll need to stay in Wynona¡¯s room until you get better. You¡¯re not going anywhere until we know you are one hundred percent.¡±Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure of it,¡± Tristan added.

 The Case of Dean Ryans

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    When Nurse Hilda was busy attending to other students, I would check on Heidi from time to time.


    She would be awake for some hours but the medication would put her to sleep for most of the day. I woulde by when she allowed, otherwise I conducted training with the Virtuosos.


    During this time, Heidi and I began to bond. Her orphan life humbled me but she would have none of my pity since she did not want it. I learnt, from her stories, that Vicky was her only trusted friend. Our bond began in that week, exchanging stories of our childhood from two ends of the privilege poles. A small part of me, I confessed, grew fond of her.


    She remained partially immobile in her right side¡ªher arm and hip, but only for the time being. I assured her that she would regain enough strength once her recovery process waspleted. I could tell that she was getting impatient, like she wanted to return to her home in the Worldly Realm.


    ¡°You know,¡± she said drowsily after taking her medication, ¡°You¡¯re not as intense and annoying as before.¡±


    I smiled a little but she fell into a deep slumber right after.


    I continued to hold sses although my heart was not at ease. The Ryans had had a hard life and Dean was the missing piece. Trouble settled in my dreams every night and somehow he was in the thick of it all.


    One night, I summoned the portal to the Underworld. It had almost been a week since the council. Jesse and Wynona had not returned.


    I peeked into the Lair on the other side of the portal. It was mostly darkness but there were candles and a lowly-illuminated chandelier. I stepped into it and the portal behind me closed. Silence enveloped me as soon as I stood in the middle of what was once the grand hall.


    The Lair was still windowless and the cracked walls were left alone. Fragments of ss and other rubble crunched beneath my boots. I scanned the deserted Lair and my eyesnded on the spot where I jostled with the djinn while racing my way to Heidi.


    A freezing gust of wind blew in and around the Lair like a metaphorical aftermath. I had never seen it so defeated and cold. Vampires who used to swarm the ce were no longer in sight. <i>Where was everyone?</i>


    ¡°State your business,¡± a voicemanded from behind me.


    I turned to see a figure cloaked in arge ck hood. The face and identity remained unseen.


    ¡°I am Tristan Embers. I am looking for Wynona Wilkins and Jesse White,¡± I replied, one hand gripping my wand inside my coat.


    The hooded figure moved slightly and then removed its hood. She was a Vampire with her fangspletely visible. Her defences were up. She was as tall as I was and her facial features were delicate, somewhat vulnerable. I was <i>almost</i> enamoured by her beauty.


    ¡°You were the one who brought Heidi to safety,¡± her tone softened immediately, almost a whisper. ¡°Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°You must be her Vampire friend. Heidi is resting.¡± I looked around and lowered my voice, ¡°What happened during the battle?¡±


    Her red eyes darted around before gesturing to me to follow her. She took me to the dining room¡ªwhere it all began. She extended a muscr arm and pulled a door open. I entered first and she followed after.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°We¡¯ll be safe in here,¡± she removed the cloak and took a seat. ¡°Sit with me and I will show you what happened after the battle.¡±


    ¡°<i>Show</i> me?¡±


    ¡°My name is Vicky. I am Lord Voltaire¡¯s right hand and I have the ability to see and show you visions of what was. You can trust me.¡±


    I sat in front of her. I let her take my hands and she held her palms in mine. I closed my eyes and in no time, I was entranced as she entwined her memories into me. She then proceeded to narrate the events through telepathy:


    <i>The battle went on for another half an hour. I stood by Lord Voltaire as he unveiled his true shadow form. Every high-ranking Vampire had one. The shadow form is not something we would reveal unless necessary. He towered above everything, dark and menacing, watching out for something¡ªor someone. His fangs barred and eyes ck. I fought off the djinns that attempted to attack him.</i>


    <i>I had a hunch that he was looking for Synto the Fallen. He had been fighting that dark being for centuries. Unfortunately, he saw instead what became the fall of the Lair.</i>


    <i>Synto hade indeed but we could not catch a glimpse of his mortal form. Synto walked into the Lair, his Unholy aura a thick, dark veil around him. It was so dark that the earth quaked beneath him and the lights went out. It had a pair of golden yellow eyes that peered out of its dark mist. The djinns we were fighting possessed more strength than ever. They were strong and intelligent because he controlled them. No mortal can control djinns the way dark magic can.</i>


    <i>Lord Voltaire garnered all his rage but I held his wrist. ¡°Do not fall for it just yet, my lord, let it speak. See what it wants and maybe it can let us be.¡±</i>


    <i>He snapped his head back to the dark being. It approached us, all with purpose like it was ready for some kind of negotiation. Lord Voltaire bent his long torso, ready to pounce, and growled.</i>


    <i>¡°Speak! Or thou shalt find thyself beheaded in three seconds.¡±</i>


    <i>The thing snickered. When it spoke, its voice was so distorted and the most ghastly sound came forth, ¡°Thou hath not changed, Voltaire. Thou may be centuries old, but thou art young in mine eyes. Thou seest thy fate in these halls, but Ie not to y thee or thy children. Ie for the mortal.¡±</i>


    <i>Lord Voltaire tilted his head. ¡°Which one? There are three of them and thou cannot win against any. They are the strongest Sages I have ever known. I warn thee.¡±</i>


    <i>The thingughed and the walls shook. ¡°Only three, thou sayst? Thou may be the Lord of Vampires but thou art showing thy weakness through deceit. I speak not of the Sages, for they mean nothing to me.¡±</i>


    <i>I froze, my eyes slowly darted to the ck thing. It was all mist but there was a solid form moving within its ck aura. Its golden eyes, which were fixated on Lord Voltaire, shifted to me.</i>


    <i>¡°No,¡± I blurted a whisper. Lord Voltaire held me, his red eyes signalling to remain calm. He turned back to Synto, red eyes turning ck once more.</i>


    <i>¡°If thou art looking for a mortal who is not the three Sages, then why art thou here? My Lair is for the immortal and the asional visits from the three most powerful Spellcasters.¡±</i>


    <i>Synto¡¯s golden eyes narrowed and disappeared as unceremoniously as he had arrived. But that was when he sent ten more djinns to conclude the battle, each one asrge as an elephant. They caused nothing but destruction to the architecture and tore the ce apart. Synto did note to bargain¡ªhe came to demand.</i>


    I opened my eyes. Vicky ended her vision there and let go of my hands. I could feel my throat close up. My thoughts flew to Heidi.


    Vicky¡¯s eyes were round and apologetic. ¡°I immediately looked for Heidi after that. I met Jesse and he told me you had taken her back to The Academy. We fled the Lair afterwards and regrouped at a makeshift one in the Worldly Realm. We have no ce here, not now. Not as long as Synto is walking about again.¡±


    ¡°Synto is controlling these djinns through dark magic,¡± I said, my voice low. A knot in my stomach tightened. ¡°I know a Spellcaster who could cast dark magic, but that¡¯s only a theory.¡±


    Vicky¡¯s head tilted.


    ¡°His name is Dean Ryans. He is a strong Spellcaster, almost as strong as a Sage. He and I were trained together by my grandfather.¡±


    ¡°He was a Voltaire rmendation too,¡± she said. ¡°We need to warn them. I can take you to Lord Voltaire. Once Synto finds Heidi, he¡¯s going to bring destruction to all the three realms...and who knows what he would do to her.¡±


    * * *


    Their ¡®makeshift Lair¡¯, as Vicky called it, was merely an abandoned mansion up on the other side of Orchidville, the highest peak of the hills overlooking the city centre.


    Vines crept across its brick walls like dark veins. Overgrown grass in thewn brushed our knees and the pathway leading to the front door was broken and cracked from the tree root that forced its way from beside the front porch. This mansion had been here for decades. Despite the thriving nts, there were no animals in sight, not even a cricket. The mansion had always been isted from most other houses. It was no doubt that the Vampires had made this into their home.


    ¡°What were you doing at the Lair back in the Underworld?¡± I asked Vicky as we stood on the porch.


    Vicky did not turn to me. She pulled out a key from her pocket and unlocked the door. ¡°I was sent to question anyone who entered it. We were looking out for any suspicious activities. We believe that there were traitors among us who nted the seeds during the council. We thought they might return to do something there.¡±


    ¡°So you can sense if someone enters the Underworld?¡±


    ¡°No, but Lord Voltaire can. Only the King of the realm possesses that ability.¡±


    We entered through the front door. Lord Voltaire, Wynona and Jesse were in the living room, or what used to be one. The ce was clean¡ªperhaps Jesse <i>Scrubbiro¡¯d</i> the ce¡ªand there were no furniture. Our presence interrupted their deep conversation.


    ¡°Tristan!¡± Wynona got up and hugged me. ¡°What brought you here?¡±


    ¡°Vicky did,¡± I replied. ¡°I was at the Lair looking for you.¡±


    Lord Voltaire turned to me, a grin broke across his face. Ever since Vicky¡¯s vision, I could not <i>un-see</i> his shadow form and no amount of smiles from him could fix that.


    ¡°Is Heidi safe?¡± He asked, his voice riddled with concern.


    I nodded. ¡°Our nurse checks up on her from time to time. She was poisoned before by a djinn but that¡¯s all been taken care of. She¡¯s healthy now.¡±


    ¡°I have fortified the Magic Realm so Synto cannot pass through the portals. We¡¯ll just have to make sure Heidi stays there,¡± Jesse said.


    ¡°What do we have on Synto?¡± I asked. Lord Voltaire¡¯s red eyes flickered.


    ¡°Well,¡± he began, ¡°We know that he is looking for our dear mortal, Heidi. I know Synto for all the centuries that I have been alive¡ªmortal life included¡ªthat it is a cunning and vicious spirit being. It moves through the realities of mortal time and space to get to another realm. Jesse and I have locked our two realms so no djinn can even summon a portal.


    ¡°Synto¡¯s dark history dates back to thousands of years¡ªhe is timeless. Because he is a spirit being, he needs a vessel to go about his deeds. Of course, he cannot embody a Vampire, otherwise we¡¯d both be cancelled out¡ªlike two Unholy negatives. A mortal¡¯s vessel is pure and innocent, as it is designed to be, so it is just right for Synto¡¯s needs. Synto¡¯s current vessel, I believe, belongs to a Spellcaster.¡±


    Silence fell on all five of us. I turned to Jesse and Wynona who said nothing, heads hung in shame. A rogue Spellcaster was not something unusual¡ªthere were plenty of Spellcasters who abandoned the integrity of spellcasting and used magic for their misdeeds. But because we believed in the freedom of choice, we had no policy to stop them.


    ¡°Tell him about Heidi, Voltaire,¡± Vicky said, nodding towards me.


    My thoughts paused. ¡°Am I missing something?¡±


    Lord Voltaire darted his eyes at me and then away. ¡°Heidi is in grave danger. And I believe it was my fault.¡±


    I waited for him to speak but absolute silence. So I added, ¡°I think I know who Synto¡¯s vessel might be. I believe it¡¯s Dean Ryans, a former friend of mine. He¡¯s a fellow Spellcaster and very powerful. I think he has discovered dark magic and is using the djinns to bend to his will.¡±


    Lord Voltaire¡¯s red eyes widened, ¡°Dark magic? But that¡¯s impossible!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Jesse chimed in, ¡°Ryans attacked Tristan¡¯s father with a dark magic spell which almost killed him. Even his spell summoned arge djinn that almost killed Tristan too.¡±


    ¡°One of ours, Marcus, was summoned to help them that night,¡± Vicky turned to Lord Voltaire. ¡°I remember this story.¡±


    ¡°Well then he did not inform me of the dark magic,¡± Lord Voltaire said.


    ¡°I was nning to inform you myself during the council but ns changed,¡± I spoke. ¡°Anyway, we think that he had somehow manifested the Unholy ck aura and channeled it into his spells.¡±


    Wynona shifted her weight and Jesse stood still, eyebrows furrowed. Vicky¡¯s eyes darted from the window to us from time to time.


    Lord Voltaire turned to me. ¡°We are not sure why he is looking for Heidi, but whatever his purpose may be, we must not let him reach her before we do.¡±


    I nodded and summoned the portal back to the Magic realm.

 The Lucky Orphan

    <b>HEIDI</b>


    I was finally alone after a full week.


    I awoke in the middle of the night, perturbed by the recurring nightmares. My head spun; a side effect of the painkiller. Or maybe the poison had secretly made its way to my brain. Nurse Hilda only checked up on me in the mornings, between nine and ten o¡¯clock. Tristan, however, had been taking the time to give me ¡®surprise visits¡¯.


    There was a tinge of guilt in me that I had to deceive him.


    I tossed aside the nket and sat on the edge of the bed. The headache made my head heavy and my neck stiff. His voice still rang in my ear.


    <i>We can talk about your visions</i>.


    I pushed myself off the bed and the room tilted. I steadied myself onto the bedpost. I shut my eyes and breathed. No amount of healing spells could get rid of the migraine and dizziness.


    I remembered my nightmare. It was the same thing¡ªhung by the limbs with Vampires underneath me. But thest one was a little different. As I hung hopelessly, a man appeared. The Vampires were gone at this point, vanished somehow, and he spoke in that same voice from Nurse Hilda¡¯s office. He had bright-red hair, green eyes and very pale skin. He looked human¡ªmore <i>human</i> than human¡ªand his voice thick with concern.


    I could not speak. He moved closer and freed me. There was an aura of caution but wanting. A push and a pull.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°Follow me when you are ready. You know where to find me,¡± he spoke before fading away. I woke up right after.


    When the room stopped tilting, I garnered enough strength to grab my things and soon I was out the door. I borrowed Wynona¡¯s grey beanie and put on my lucky leather jacket. Lucky because it was my father¡¯s that my grandmother had kept all these years. I put on mybat boots, grabbed my wand and I was out the door.


    I had not learned to summon a portal just yet so I needed to get to the one at the Gardens in front of the HQ. It would be tricky since it would be in in sight so I nned to sneak in and out, making sure that I would be unseen. <i>Easy</i>-<i>peasy</i>, right?


    I lowered the beanie and lifted the cor of my jacket. I lifted my boots as much as I could andnded on my heels. That way, it would make less noise. My heart raced as I made my way out of the HQ and towards the portal.


    The stars above were gazing down. If anyone asked, I would tell them that I needed to feed my cat. If <i>Tristan</i> asked¡­


    ...well, I actually missed my cat.


    <i>Sess</i>, I thought, as I got close to the portal. Without looking back, I stepped into it and I was finally back in the Worldly Realm. A cold breeze rushed past me. The portal brought me to the park near my apartment where I had the encounter with the djinn that poisoned me. Immediately, I was on high alert.


    I made my way out of the park and onto the streets. People walked about, families and friends making their way home from restaurants and movie theatres. I nced at my watch; half past nine. I zipped up my jacket and kept my head down, in case Vicky sensed where I was.


    Tucked away towards the outskirts of the town centre, I finally reached the old Lucky Orphans orphanage. I had to g a cab to get there. When I stepped out of the vehicle, the familiar sight greeted me in its quietness and deserted state¡ªthe orphanage had relocated to the city but the building remained. It still looked the way it did when I lived there; a tacky-coloured cement-building with its name still disyed on a wooden signboard.


    The door was unlocked. I entered the building, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of anyone. Nothing. Maybe I was too early or maybe¡ª


    ¡°I have not seen you in so long,¡± a voice materialised from my left where the staircase was.


    There was a movement in the shadow and then it stopped. It was tall, like Tristan, but it had a pair of eyes with glowing golden irises.


    ¡°You know, if you showed yourself, it would be moreforting,¡± I said, remaining nonchnt.


    The shadow stepped into the moonlight that shone through the window. He wore a ck coat and had red hair. His skin was pale but not like a Vampire. He looked definitely human, with the exception of his eyes. He was smiling.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to finally meet you in person, Heidi. My name is Dean. My father was a good friend of yours.¡±


    My thoughts halted. ¡°My father has been dead a long time.¡±


    ¡°So is mine,¡± he replied. His voice was velvety and low. I had to step closer to really listen carefully. There was nothing menacing about him¡ªhe had no aura¡ªjust human.


    ¡°So what¡¯s with the secret meeting, Dean?¡± I asked, getting bored.


    If he was some creep that just wanted to trap me then I had my wand andbat boots ready to kick his ¡®behind¡¯.


    Dean took a few steps back and sat on the second step of the staircase. He had loafers on¡ªsomehow to my surprise¡ªand lifted one leg onto one step higher than the other. He rested his elbow on the higher knee. There was something about him that was unnaturally calm, like he had a cleverly hidden plot. I pretended to remain nonchnt when really, I was on high alert.


    ¡°Well,¡± he spoke casually in his Abercrombie-model pose, ¡°I am an orphan, just like you. My parents died because they were caught in a magical crossfire. For me, it was my grandmother who made a deal with djinns. For you, your grandfather.¡±


    I scoffed, ¡°And where did you get that lie from? <i>Orphans Weekly?</i>¡±


    Dean¡¯s face broke into a wide grin and looked down. He chuckled, ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t know about your family history. My father and yours were close. They would confide in each other¡ªthey were colleagues then¡ªand exchange stories of how the djinns would destroy their marriage and family ties. Tell me, Heidi, how much do you know about your grandfather?¡±


    I stayed silent. Somehow I was ready to leave. I should have but my legs would not obey.


    ¡°He used djinns to help make his life better. He was a poor man but he suddenly had the money to buy a house and n a wedding. After he married your grandmother and had your father, he decided that he did not need the djinns anymore.


    ¡°You see Heidi, you can¡¯t just <i>discard</i> djinns like they¡¯re objects. But your grandfather grew desperate and decided to dispose of them in the forest by the foot of the hills. They decided to take him with them, so he disappeared. Soon after, they return to the house to take revenge on the people he loved. Your parents¡¯ fate came earlier than your grandmother¡¯s, but it happened nheless.¡±


    ¡°<i>Bull</i>,¡± I muttered.


    Dean shrugged. ¡°Believe or don¡¯t, that¡¯s your choice. But don¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t being honest.¡±


    A movement behind him in the shadow. My eyes followed it but it was too dark to be sure. When it disappeared I looked back at him.


    ¡°And you?¡± I retorted, the current in my lungs heating up, ¡°What¡¯s <i>your</i> story with me? My family¡¯s dark history is not my story.¡±


    The corner of his lips upturned. ¡°But you <i>are</i> your grandfather¡¯s granddaughter¡ªhis blood flows through you. You may have befriended a Vampire but why do you think she chose to stick to you? To <i>take care</i> of you? Vampires don¡¯t think about anyone else but their own kingdom. They don¡¯t <i>trust </i>you.¡±


    I stared at him wordlessly. The shadow behind him moved again, this time it scurried behind me. I could feel goosebumps at the back of my neck.


    ¡°From an orphan to a fellow orphan,¡± he continued and stood up. ¡°You have no family, no matter what they want you to think. The three Sages? You¡¯re just a tool for their ego. Spellcasting bes useless if you don¡¯t utilise it for something bigger than yourself.¡±


    ¡°You sound like you¡¯ve been trained by them personally,¡± I remarked. Then it clicked. ¡°You must be the other Lord Voltaire rmendation.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°You¡¯re intelligent, Heidi, you always figure it out. Didn¡¯t you master the basics of Practical and Mischief magic? You did so effortlessly. Your Untamed magic training is hindered because of the Sage, not you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯splicated,¡± I defended. ¡°Tristan had other things to take care of.¡±


    ¡°I can teach you, Heidi. I was trained by his grandfather, Sir William Embers himself. I trained side by side with Tristan. What he can do, in fact, I can do better.¡±


    He was getting excited as his golden eyes glowed a shade brighter than before. I frowned and took a step back, ¡°I don¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°And you trust <i>him</i>?¡± His voice went an octave higher at thest word. ¡°Come on, Heidi! We are alike. We are highly-driven by motivation. We are the products of what life has thrown at us and we hone our strengths by fighting back. We <i>don¡¯t</i> back down from opportunities. What does <i>he</i> know about hardship? A rich, undeserving grandson of a once-respected Sage!¡±


    His dark aura began to pulsate. I had not noticed it before, I thought it was just his shadow the whole time. I readied my stance to defend.


    ¡°Your aura¡­¡± my voice trailed before I paused. Then it all hit me. ¡°You killed your family for your powers, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°A sacrifice I had to make!¡± He raised his voice. Then he inhaled, with one corner of his lips curled skywards in a crooked smile. His golden yellow eyes slowly turned ck. ¡°Besides, my vessel is only temporary. I have found another that is...<i>stronger</i>.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sick...you¡¯re an orphan <i>by choice</i>.¡±


    He pursed his lips, ¡°I prefer a <i>lucky </i>orphan. You know, because at least I know who my parents were.¡±


    I gritted my teeth. ¡°And what does all this have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°I can show you so much more than anyone ever could, Heidi. More than the three useless Sages, more than the King of the Void himself. You have no idea how lucky you are to have a vessel like yours. Join me, Heidi.¡±


    I resisted pulling out my wand. I took a deep breath and flicked some hair away from my eyes impatiently. I was ready to kick that smug look off his face. ¡°I reject your offer.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said andughed. ¡°Oh, and one more thing, Heidi, I forgot to mention.¡±


    Dean took a few steps closer until he was inches away from my face. I had to stretch my neck just to maintain my gaze.


    In a split-second, he grabbed my wrist but I was able to reverse. Then I kneed him in the groyne and turned on my heels to head for the door. I could hear him groan behind me as my heart raced.


    I had not gotten too far when I was knocked backwards by an unseen force. When Inded, a djinn got hold of me and we locked eyes for a split second before I kneed it off me. After twenty-eight years, I wondered, would they get hurt in the groyne? <i>Do they even have one?</i>


    Either way, the djinn rolled off and I pushed myself off the floor. I pulled out my wand and waved at it, ¡°<i>Delirium!</i>¡±


    The djinn dematerialised. From behind where Dean was, I heard him yell, ¡°Get <i>her</i>!¡±


    More djinns came out of the shadows. They lunged towards me but I evaded every one of them. Then arge djinn loomed over me and caught me in its grasp. I could not get out of this one.


    Dean recovered and stood in front of me. His eyes were pitch-ck and ck aura pulsated like a frantic heartbeat. ¡°You didn¡¯t think I¡¯d let you off without making you keep my secret, did you?¡±


    With his inhuman super strength, he pinned my wrists to my back before a djinn forced a choker onto my neck.


    Yes, a choker. Like the essory.


    I pulled at it toe off but it tightened and strangled me. I let go and it stopped.


    ¡°What did you¡ª¡±


    ¡°You resisted so I had to do it the hard way. You see, that is an anti-magic choker that I specifically designed for you. It¡¯s not an odd look at all, so no one will be suspicious of an added essory.¡± His yellow eyes were glowing, voice shifting into something less human.


    ¡°So you will do as Imand you, when the timees. Oh, and if you told anyone, it will snap your head right off your pretty shoulders.¡±


    I didn¡¯t waste any more time. I bent my torso slightly and charged after him. We both crashed through the wooden walls of the living area and into the old kitchen. In the seconds when he was still in shock, I got up and made for the door. Unfortunately, those seconds did notst. A djinn shut the door and I was trapped once again. This time, Dean was angrier than ever.


    He loomed over me, his ck aura taking over him. He looked less human and more...<i>otherworldly</i>. Eventually he was engulfed in a thick ck mist.


    ¡°<i>Arsonion!</i>¡± I cried out, waving my wand towards him.


    Without flinching, his ckness swallowed my magic. I stood there, stunned at what I just witnessed. <i>This couldn¡¯t be</i>.


    ¡°That choker makes your magic weak, Neophyte!¡± He growled and the floor shook. ¡°Once it blocks your aurapletely, you are no match for what¡¯s toe unless you join me.¡±


    A howl in the distance.


    More djinns appeared from the windows and made their way in. My heart was racing. I knew I was trapped but I didn¡¯t expect to be outnumbered by this many. If I were being honest, I was ready to die there.


    Dean was radiating heat at this point. I moved to the corner of the old kitchen and readied my stance. Two djinns crashed through the window and headed straight for me. I countered their moves and fought them off. Thank goodness for the years of training with Vicky.


    <i>Vicky</i>. I thought about her, hoping she could hear me somehow. Was she still in the Underworld? <i>I hope she survived the battle¡­</i>


    Another djinn grabbed me from behind. Its ws dug into my skin. I reversed, kneed it and kicked its head. Then another massive djinn squeezed its way through the door. It was as tall as the ceiling and twice the size of a car, if that made any sense.


    How the hell was I going to fight off <i>that</i> one?


    It came straight for me and in the next second, I waved my wand towards the wooden flooring. ¡°<i>Arsonion!</i>¡±


    A spark formed. I chanted again and nothing. I knew what I had to do. I needed a distraction. I gathered all my energy and felt for my aura. Instead of summoning a spell, I loosened my muscles and fought more nimbly than before. Being a Spellcaster could not help me much but I had to save myself. I cleared my mind and tried to cast <i>Arsonion</i> again.


    This time, without my wand, I felt the current run from my lungs to my fingertips. I let the current flow through every gap of my muscles and bones. I pointed my fingers towards the wooden walls. I cast the spell as the current shot outwards and onto it. The blue mes wererge enough that it caught fire immediately. I spent everyst energy I had on that spell before the anti-magic choker drained mepletely.


    Bewildered, Dean let out a roar. The fire began to spread fast and licked every wooden flooring and other walls. As he and the djinns were distracted, I escaped the kitchen and found an opening that led into the staircase. I could hear the djinns roar behind me. My heart was racing and the adrenaline was pumping through me, helping me run as fast as I could. I took two steps at a time until I reached the third storey. It was subconscious, but I felt like I knew where my body was taking me.


    I ran straight for a familiar room where I spent my remaining childhood and teenage years. I shut the door behind me. Fire crackled and burned the rest of the house. The smoke was getting thick and I was finally exhausted. I opened one of the windows and looked out. Djinnsing towards the orphanage from the woods behind the building. I had to find a way to make it out alive.


    They banged the door and it rattled. They had found me. Their roars were so loud and wild like untamed animals.


    I looked out the window again. There was a drain pipe that ran down from the roof. I lifted my boots and stepped onto the ledge. Carefully, I stretched out an arm towards the drainpipe. <i>If I could just get a hold of it¡ª</i>


    A strong force yanked me back into the room. I stumbled backwards andnded right on top of something. Or someone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t scream,¡± he whispered. ¡°Just hold still.¡±


    I knew that voice instantly but I needed to take a good look just in case. A pair of ruby-red eyes stared back at me, some of his brown hair in his eyebrows. That face was all too familiar in a surprisingly good way.


    Without wasting another second, Tristan muttered, ¡°<i>Homewordial Transportatus!</i>¡±


    Nothing. We stared at each other in the dark, stumped and confused.

 Instinct

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    Her jacket and boots were missing. Her painkillers were still on the side table. Vicky scanned the room, her red eyes glowing.


    ¡°I thought you said she was here?¡±


    ¡°She was,¡± I said, dumbfounded. <i>Where could she have possibly gone off to?</i>


    Vicky closed her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t feel too good about this.¡±


    I recalled our conversations. ¡°Perhaps we could try your apartment in the Worldly Realm. My instincts are telling me that she must¡¯ve gone back to feed her cat.¡±


    She nodded and I immediately opened a portal. We stepped through it and arrived at her apartment.


    The fat cat ran to Vicky¡¯s feet and greeted her. It meowed very loudly.


    ¡°Her heartbeat is faint,¡± Vicky said, bending down and petting the feline.


    Anxiety was starting to inch its way up my throat. I sighed, ¡°Then she has to be here, somewhere in this realm.¡±


    ¡°We should split up,¡± Vicky suggested. ¡°Come back here in twenty-four hours if she still isn¡¯t found.¡±


    Soon after, she hopped out the window and I made my way out the door. I contacted Jesse and Wynona before continuing the search.


    I walked down the streets of Orchidville, autumn settling her presence in the amber-coloured trees and crispy winds. Some heads turned as I walked past them, hands in my red coat. A man tipped his hat at me and a woman eyed me head to toe, neither of whom were Spellcasters. I looked inside every shop and cafe in the centre of the town, all the restaurants that I could find.


    ¡°She is <i>this</i> tall, ck hair with a fringe?¡± I exined to a barista working in a nearby cafe, my palm levelling with my shoulder. ¡°She might be wearing a ck leather jacket and boots as well.¡± The barista shook his head and went back to the other customers.


    I exited the cafe, my anxiety peaking. I was running out of ces to go to and wanted to ask for my parents¡¯ help. And then a thought struck me.<i> The Lucky Orphan orphanage.</i>


    I didn¡¯t teleport myself there, in case I met her in the streets. I walked to the two-storey building beside the sheriff¡¯s department that had its name written in bold on its facade. I went up to the front door, straightened my coat and knocked.


    A pair of soft, round eyes greeted me. She looked barely twenty. And curious.


    ¡°I¡¯m Tristan Embers, from the Academy. I¡¯m looking for a former resident of yours.¡±


    Her brown eyes read me before she tilted her head. ¡°Mr Embers, yes, we know who you are. But which former resident are you referring to? If you¡¯re referring to a child that had grown up and left, we have plenty.¡±


    ¡°Heidi Danielson,¡± I replied and proceeded to describe her physical attributes.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I know where she is,¡± she shook her head. Then she widened the door, ¡°Pleasee in, maybe you can speak to Mrs Tabitha.¡±


    I stepped through the threshold and felt like a hundred pairs of eyes bore on me. Some stopped what they were doing. I cleared my throat and my movements became quite...<i>awkward.</i>Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    ¡°Move on, now, children, nothing interesting to see,¡± the girl said. Then she turned to me. ¡°I¡¯m Dora, by the way.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Nice to meet you, Dora. Is Mrs Tabitha¡­?¡±


    ¡°Right this way,¡± she said and walked in front of me.


    Dora had a fairplexion and dark brown hair, parted in the middle. She tied it in a bun and had a white apron around her waist. Her small frame reminded me a little bit of Heidi.


    ¡°Mrs Tabitha, Mr Embers is here to ask you some questions,¡± she spoke as we entered the dining area where the staff were setting the table. I had just realised that it was approaching dinner time.


    The staff looked up. One older woman in particr, widened her eyes when she saw me. She looked matronly, her blonde hair also tied into a bun. This might be Mrs Tabitha.


    ¡°Gracious,¡± she muttered, her face reddening a little. ¡°<i>The</i> Tristan Embers?¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± I spoke. ¡°May I trouble you to speak with me in person?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all,¡± the matronlydy said. She then ushered me into another room, one smaller than the dining.


    ¡°Would you care for some¡ª¡°


    ¡°No, thank you. I am pressing for time, so please pardon my impatience. I am here to ask about a former resident of yours. Her name is Heidi Danielson and I¡¯m wondering if she has visited here today or yesterday.¡±


    Her hazel eyes widened at Heidi¡¯s name. She wiped her hands onto her white apron mindlessly, her mouth agape. ¡°Heidi? <i>Our</i> Heidi? Is she in trouble?¡±


    ¡°I hope not, ma¡¯am. Have you seen her recently?¡±


    Her pencilled eyebrows furrowed for two seconds before responding with the negative. ¡°No, sir, I haven¡¯t seen her at all. In fact, she¡¯s never visited us since she left a year ago.¡±


    My heart sank. <i>Back to square one.</i> Dora stood by the doorway and listened to our conversation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr Embers. Perhaps we would keep a lookout for you and let you know if we find anything,¡± Mrs Tabitha said. Then almost to herself, ¡°I hope she¡¯s okay.¡±


    I smiled and nodded at the twodies, ¡°Well, thank you for your time.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not here,¡± Dora blurted right as I was at the door. ¡°Maybe she went to visit the old address?¡±


    ¡°And where would that be?¡± I asked eagerly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hand it to you,¡± Mrs Tabitha said and passed me a piece of paper before I made my way out the door with a spark of hope.


    * * *


    The sun had sunk beneath the horizon by the time I arrived at the given address. The dark sky melted across the heavens but there were no stars. Night clouds hung ominously above. If anything happened to Heidi, I ought to be responsible.


    The address took me to an old part of town located in the outskirts of Orchidville. I remembered this area where it was lively and modern in its time, about two decades ago. Today, it was a ghost town upied by rundown buildings and tumbleweed everywhere.


    ¡°They told you she¡¯d be here too, huh?¡±


    I turned to see Vicky¡¯s glowing red eyes, her cheek slightly red-stained. Her fangs were white and visible.


    ¡°You look like you got into a fight,¡± I said, eyeing her blood-stained fingers.


    ¡°I was at her grandmother¡¯s old house, thinking she¡¯d be there. A couple of djinns decided to join in the party.¡±


    ¡°They told you she¡¯d be here?¡±


    She shook her long, ebony hair. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t say a word so I had to read their memories.¡±


    I cringed. ¡°What did that feel like?¡±


    Her lips twisted like she tasted something vile, ¡°Like if hell and purgatory had a baby.¡±


    We stood before the dark former orphanage that had be merely a shell of a building.


    ¡°Do you think Dean found her?¡± Vicky asked, almost a whisper.


    ¡°If he did, we best get ready for a fight,¡± I replied before walking up to the front door.


    Two distinct voices. We lowered our bodies and stayed close to the shadows. The voices seemed to being from inside the building.


    ¡°That sounds a lot like Heidi,¡± Vicky whispered. I nodded.


    I waited for the other voice to speak. I peeked into the room from the porch. Heidi¡¯s back was facing me, her leather jacket, ck hair and all. My heart leapt at the sight of her standing and alive, but it dropped as soon as I saw whom she was standing in front of.


    ¡°He found her,¡± was all I could utter.


    Vicky stared at me, eyes wide in horror. Then sheposed herself, ¡°We need to split up. If anything happens, you cover the roof and I cover the ground.¡±


    I nodded and teleported to the second storey. I remained as still as possible and listened to their conversation. But as soon as I found a room to settle in, a scuffle broke out below. Heidi fought off the djinns. Instinctively I wanted to aid her, but seeing her capabilities, I stopped myself. Dean Ryans must not know I was there.


    Not yet.


    ¡°You think I would let you off so easily?¡± I heard him bellow beneath me. Heat was radiating from him as his ck aura grew.


    The fight moved into the kitchen as the living area caught fire. In the distance, I heard a howl. I moved into one of the three bedrooms and hid myself in there. I took my wand from my pocket and pointed to therge djinns that ran towards the building. Hundreds of them emerged from the forest nearby. My heart raced in their presence¡ªas the mortal heart always did¡ªand I cast the oblivion spell. <i>One down, two, three, four...</i>


    Fire burst the wooden door in the kitchen. A giant djinn breached the perimeters. How did I not see it?


    A djinn flew in from the window. It crashed the ss and set its ck eyes on me.


    ¡°<i>Oblivion!</i>¡± I cast my spell sessfully.


    Then another djinn crashed through a window and wrestled me. I fought back as its fangs attempted to pierce my skin. I kicked it and cast another spell.


    ¡°<i>Frozium!</i>¡± I waved my wand and the djinn froze.


    I gave a roundhouse kick and broke it in half. The fire from below was licking away at the first storey, the rotting wood dissipating and breaking its foundations apart. The building would notst.


    I was about to leave the room and make my way down to Heidi when she raced up the stairs and into another bedroom. I followed after her before fighting another djinn. She shut the door.


    After sessfully fighting it off, I busted the door open with my boot. I found her at the window with one leg out. I yanked her by the shoulders and we fell onto the dusty floor. Smoke was rising to the second storey as Dean¡¯s thunderous roars echoed through the halls.


    She looked dazed. Her eyes searched the dark and body tightened. I locked my gaze into hers and whispered, ¡°You¡¯re safe now. Close your eyes.¡±


    She did as told and I chanted the <i>Homewardial</i> spell. Nothing. I nced at the door where it burst open. A ck mass of smokey mist stood there with its golden yellow eyes fixated on me. I was revealed.


    Unmistakably, that was Dean Ryans in full ¡®Synto form¡¯.

 The New Recruit

    <b>HEIDI</b>


    Tristan shut his eyes and chanted again. <i>Nothing</i>.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± he muttered. Dean was still standing at the doorway.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I asked, my voice two octaves higher than usual.


    We stayed on the floor as if Dean couldn¡¯t see us then.


    ¡°I-I think he¡¯s blocking my spell,¡± he muttered to me, dumbfounded.


    I looked up at the thick smoke that engulfed Dean¡¯s human body. <i>How the hell did I get myself into this?</i>


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not him,¡± I whispered, remembering my new essory. Then I tugged at his arm, ¡°We need to get out of here.¡±


    Tristan¡¯s ruby eyes glowered as he stood up. He pulled out his wand from his coat pocket and readied his stance.


    ¡°Go. I¡¯ll distract him.¡±


    ¡°Distract me?¡± The ck smoke spoke in a disembodied voice. Only its yellow eyes were visible. ¡°Thou art but an infant! Thy magic means nothing.¡±


    I stared, wide-eyed. That was not Dean¡¯s voice at all.


    ¡°Heidi, <i>run</i>,¡± Tristan said, almost a snarl.


    His ruby eyes were the brightest I had ever seen them. He did not look away from Synto. I could feel the choker tighten.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± I said, desperately looking for an excuse to stay. ¡°I¡¯ll stop the djinns from getting to you.¡±


    Fortunately for me, grunt djinns dide and try to intervene. They lunged towards him but I managed to fight them off.


    ¡°Doth thou seeketh death, Sage?¡± Synto threatened. Its voice rumbled and quaked the floor but Tristan stood his ground.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for round two,¡± Tristan shot back.


    Syntoughed and it resonated through the deserted old town. It then moved, quick as lightning, towards Tristan. He swerved just in time and held up his defences. His precision and calcted movements were what made him a Duel Master, ording to Jesse. It seemed like not even Synto could ovee his quick-thinking. Synto got knocked back by the electricity that shot out of his wand. I, on the other hand, was busy fighting off the other djinns.


    Each time Synto made a move, Tristan blocked immediately. He had put up a magic shield, but no offences were made. He hardly attacked.


    <i>Tristan!</i> I wanted to yell while pushing a djinn off of me, <i>Cast a fire spell! Freeze him! Do something!</i>


    Tristan didn¡¯t even lift his wand. <i>What was going through his mind?</i>


    Out of nowhere, a djinn lunged towards me and we crashed through the window of the second storey.Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Upon instinct, I grabbed onto the rainwater pipe that I was about to climb down from before. The djinn wasn¡¯t as lucky, but djinns <i>were</i> djinns after all¡ªit dematerialised before it crashed onto the ground. I hung onto the pipe and quickly grabbed onto the window ledge. More djinns wereing from the forest, a whole scenery of a raided deserted town. The night seemed to go on forever at that point.


    I scanned around me to look for a ledge to put my feet on to steady myself. The djinns had found me and they were making their way up the side of the building where I was. The choker got tighter too¡ªSynto wasn¡¯t too happy, which meant that there was a chance of my survival.


    Chaos was heard from the bedroom window. Tristan and Synto were starting their actual duel, fairly somehow. I heard Tristan yelling his spell chants and Synto roaring. Soon its voice became Dean¡¯s again, while the djinns were reaching me. I found my way to the other window where another bedroom was. I inched my way along the side of the building to get to it.


    ¡°Heidi!¡±


    I looked up to this other window. Vicky reached out a hand, her red eyes bright and fiery. I took her hand and she pulled me in, almost easily.


    ¡°You okay?¡± She asked.


    I panted, ¡°I¡¯m fine. <i>That</i> was a workout.¡±


    Vicky shook her head, ¡°What in the hell are you doing here?¡±


    I knew that question woulde up. ¡°I¡¯ll exinter. We need to get Tristan out of here now.¡±


    ¡°Okay, wait here and I¡¯ll go get¡ª¡±


    ¡°Go get whom?¡± A voice asked from the doorway.


    We both turned to see a tall man, as tall as Vicky, with dark hair and red eyes leaning against the door frame. I had never seen him before.


    ¡°Marcus,¡± Vicky¡¯s face lit up for a second, and then looked puzzled. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Marcus walked in with his tall stature and muscr arms, all confident with a smug smile. ¡°Join us, Victoria. We¡¯d make a great team.¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°What? Are you...are you working for <i>Synto</i>?¡±


    His grin got wider, teeth bared. ¡°I work <i>with</i> him. You know, after all these decades, you¡¯re the only Vampire I trust. I don¡¯t even trust that spineless ignorant you call King.¡±


    ¡°Vick,¡± I said, my eyes ncing out the window where the djinns wereing towards. ¡°Leave him, we really have to go now.¡±


    ¡°Marcus,¡± her voice sounded pained. ¡°You...I¡¯d never expected you to betray us. You and I worked together so well. What made you switch sides?¡±


    ¡°A few weeks ago,¡± he said casually, unhindered by her shaky voice. ¡°In fact, that was when I learned about dark magic and how...useful it is.¡±


    I narrowed my eyes, ¡°What are you, Synto¡¯s <i>new recruit</i>? He will kill you, you know.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s taught me so much that Voltaire failed to do. The Vampires have always been selfish!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the nature of Vampires isn¡¯t magic, Marcus,¡± Vicky raised her voice. ¡°You can <i>die</i> from whatever power he¡¯s feeding you!¡±


    His red aura radiated ck. His red eyes shone and held his palm towards us, fingers syed.


    ¡°<i>Malleficus arcanum!</i>¡± He yelled as we jumped away just in time.


    A blue and orange bolt of energy shot out from his palm and obliterated all loose matter in its path. That included Vicky and me.


    Upon instinct, I threw my hands over my face. Vicky, instead, threw herself in front of me and took the brunt of it. The energy from the spell was so strong that it flung us backwards.


    I saw her face¡ªhalf of it was torn out like she was chewed up by an animal. Ragged breathing came out of her, chest heaving up and down. I couldn¡¯t believe what I was seeing.


    I looked up to the other Vampire, oveing with rage. Then he raised his palm again and chanted his spell. In between those seconds, I either wanted to kill him or let him kill me.


    ¡°<i>Malleficus arcanum!</i>¡± The energy projected towards us.


    With one hand cradling Vicky and the other in front of my face, I didn¡¯t get to see what happened exactly. Somehow, the spell bounced back towards him and obliterated the Vampire. I stared at his body being annihted by the dark energy, befuddled.


    ¡°Now <i>that¡¯s</i> how you return to sender,¡± Wynona said, walking through the threshold. Her purple coat like a cape, she strode in clean and untouched by chaos.


    ¡°Vicky,¡± I muttered, my voice breaking. ¡°You can¡¯t leave me, you¡¯re all I have.¡±


    ¡°The spell did a number on her,¡± Wynona knelt down and felt for her pulse on her pale, skinny wrist. ¡°Her aura is fading away too.¡±


    I shut her eyelids. Her ragged breathing slowly calmed into one, long breath. And then she was gone.


    Wynona straightened herself. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Heidi, while Synto is distracted.¡±


    I stood up but whatever she was saying fell on deaf ears. All I felt was rage.


    I passed the threshold of the room and out to the hallway. I had made up my mind¡ªit needed to be done. I could feel Wynona following me but I ignored her. I stood by the door of the room where Synto was.


    His back was facing me. He had Tristan cornered to the window with a graze above his eyebrow and a busted lip. Tristan was trying his best to fight back but none of his magic worked. The djinns were being held back by Lord Voltaire and Jesse, who fiercely fought their way to us.


    ¡°Let him go!¡± I cried. My knees were shaking.

 Sacrifice

    <b>TRISTAN</b>Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    The adrenaline pumping in me from before did notst. I admit, I was winded out at one point, but Dean kept going.


    So I strengthened the magic shield¡ªsomething I learned from Wynona after my first duel with Dean¡ªand waited for him to tire out. Despite Synto¡¯s spirit, Dean¡¯s biological vessel was still human¡ªand it was wearing thin.


    ¡°Face me, you <i>coward</i>!¡± He yelled impatiently.


    <i>Typical Dean</i>. I was starting to miss Synto¡¯s polished manners.


    ¡°I would lift this shield if you allow me to use my magic. If <i>I¡¯m</i> the coward, why don¡¯t you let this be a fair fight?¡±


    That made him let out a deep-throatedugh. ¡°Yourck of magic is not because of me, Embers. If you¡¯re smarter than you think you are, you would¡¯ve figured out that <i>she</i> was holding you back this whole time!¡±


    I stifled an eye roll. ¡°That effort is alsoing from you, Dean. At least lie intelligently.¡±


    That angered him more. Dean tried all he could to break the magic shield. Synto blocked my attack magic but could not touch my defence magic. All my Untamed magic spells were attacks. I needed to think of a n.


    ¡°You know, Tristan. Out of all the Spellcasters I¡¯ve met, I like you the least. You wanna know why?¡±


    <i>Practical magic might do well if I could transport myself out of here but Synto blocked that too. Perhaps he was only blocking my active attack spells?</i>


    ¡°You¡¯re just like your grandfather, Tristan! You think you¡¯re better than everybody who isn¡¯t a Sage, or from such a lineage. You¡¯re just a <i>lucky</i>, spoiled brat who was born into a wealthy family!¡±


    <i>Cursify? Or Delirium? They both attack, but are passive spells. Worth a sh</i>¡ª


    ¡°Ignoring me won¡¯t do you any good, Embers!¡± Dean yelled like a child wanting attention.


    <i>Time to lift the shield. One, two</i>¡ª


    ¡°<i>Cursify!</i>¡± I chanted the spell as my wand pointed to him. It was a split-second moment where the spell caught him off-guard.


    Dean cried out as he flew backwards upon impact. He looked less sane each time I saw him. The spell actually managed to get him, which, I admitted, was a surprise. His muscles began to twitch immediately. That would buy me some time before the curse wore off.


    Quickly, I pointed my wand towards him, ¡°<i>Frozium!</i>¡±


    Nothing.


    ¡°You will die,¡± Dean growled before his ck aura engulfed him and Synto reappeared once again.


    ¡°You first,¡± I said. I watched him transform into Synto¡¯s ck mist. Its yellow eyes illuminated. ¡°You look like you could use some help with that vessel. Synto is eating you alive, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    His golden eyes emerged from the ck smoke. ¡°Infant! Thy words hath no power over me.¡±


    I stifled a flinch. I hated that voice.


    ¡°My army hath arrived,¡± its booming voice quaked the floor beneath us, ¡°and it hatheth to take the souls of all mortals until none is left alive. The Vampires will work for us until they can no longer. The djinns shalt roam the earth free, once again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your n?¡± I asked, unamused. <i>Predictable</i>.


    ¡°Even the Vampires have been recruited. There are more of us now.¡±


    ¡°But the vessel isn¡¯t going tost. Dean is¡­¡± my voice trailed. Then it hit me. ¡°Dean is just a temporary vessel, isn¡¯t it? You have found the right one and you brought her here.¡±


    The thingughed, a demonic rumble. Chills went down my spine. <i>Heidi</i>.


    ¡°Thou art a smart mortal but weak, as mortals art.¡±


    I could feel the magic energy in me diminishing. Synto was strong enough to even <i>steal </i>my aura. I needed to think of a way and fast.


    ¡°You leave her alone,¡± I said, gathering as much energy as I could.


    Synto roared withughter and cast a spell I had never seen before. An arcane spell, made up of pure energy that could obliterate anything.


    ¡°<i>Malleficus arcanum!</i>¡±


    I had not gotten rid of my magic shield when the magic was cast. The sheer force of energy broke my shield and sent me flying backwards to the window. I crashed into it but fell forward, a huge piece of ss cut my eyebrow and lower lip. I fell hard onto the floor, my hands protecting my face. I groaned.


    Synto towered over me as Iid on the wooden floor. Then her voice called from behind it.


    ¡°Let him go!¡±


    We both turned to the direction of the voice. Heidi stood at the doorway, her hazel eyes glowering.


    ¡°No,¡± I croaked, ¡°Heidi, get back!¡±


    She ignored me. ¡°If you let him go, I will go with you.¡±


    ¡°No, Heidi!¡± I yelled and winced from the pain in my head. I must have hit it hard onto the ss.


    ¡°Leave him and take me. That¡¯s what you wanted, right?¡± She asked and pointed to her choker, ¡°And you can take this off too.¡±


    Without wasting a minute, Synto reverted into Dean¡¯s vessel.


    ¡°Very well,¡± he said and smiled at her.


    My limbs were weak. Synto cast a portal, one that looked into ckness, like a scar of the material world. He held out his hand to Heidi.


    ¡°Do not listen to him, Heidi!¡± I yelled.


    Her eyes looked cold but before she followed him into the darkness, she stole a nce at me¡ªand smiled.


    I gathered all my strength and pushed myself off the ground but I was toote. The portal closed and she was gone.

 The Morning After

    <b>JESSE</b>


    The djinns were retreating, to our surprise. Voltaire and I had fought back as much as we could. A thought came across my mind that Synto was dead but Voltaire thought otherwise.


    ¡°Do not trust the hope,¡± he warned as if he read my mind. Perhaps he thought about it too.


    In a few minutes, we saw Wynona appear on the ground level of the building with Tristan hanging onto her shoulder. He did not look well¡ªand there was no sign of Heidi and Vicky.


    ¡°We¡¯ll exin at the Lair,¡± Wynona said before we were transported back.


    At the Lair, Tristan asked to be excused for a while before returning to tell us exactly what happened. Before he did, Wynona broke the news.


    ¡°Vicky died saving Heidi,¡± was all she could say. Voltaire was in deep despair.


    He sighed to himself. I had known Voltaire for a long time and knew enough that he would not lose his spirits. Vicky was the love of his life even though he had lost plenty throughout the centuries. He had learned to ept what happened and honoured her instead.


    ¡°Then this next n will be justice for all those that have fallen,¡± he spoke, voice thin and weary.


    Wynona darted her violet eyes from Voltaire to me. ¡°There¡¯s also one more thing but we¡¯ll wait for Tristan¡ª¡°


    ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Tristan walked into the living room, straightening his red coat. He always dressed exceptionally well, although there was pain in his eyes.


    ¡°Are you all right, Tristan?¡± Voltaire asked, looking up from deep thought.


    We were all seated in dated lounge chairs that were donated by Wynona¡¯s parents. Tristan nodded, his silent, slight nod. He was hiding his thoughts.


    I eyed the scars on his face. Wynona said the ss had shattered and it was telling. Tristan sat on an armchair and his gaze fell on the floor. Wynona shifted in her seat.


    ¡°Where do I begin?¡± He asked, breaking the silence. Wynona and I bore our gaze onto Voltaire.


    ¡°When you first found Heidi at the orphanage,¡± he replied. His red eyes levelled with Tristan¡¯s.


    A slight flinch at her name. It was so subtle that it might have slipped from Wynona¡¯s and Voltaire¡¯s sight but not mine. I knew this boy like my own son. He ced his forearms onto the armrest and let his long fingers dangle at the edge. He bent one leg and straightened the other, knees apart. His body was rxed but tense above the shoulders. His ruby eyes glowed.


    ¡°Vicky and I decided to split up and make sure Heidi could escape. We fought as many djinns as we could although we knew we needed backup. I found Heidi in the bedroom of the second floor,¡± he paused. He blinked twice each time he said her name. Like he was holding back tears.


    Voltaire inhaled deeply. ¡°What happened to Vicky? How did she...pass?¡±


    Tristan¡¯s eyes darted quickly from the floor to Voltaire, and then to the rest of us. He didn¡¯t know either.


    Silence fell. Then Wynona spoke, ¡°She died saving Heidi before Heidi decided to go with Synto. It was a way to save us, to save Tristan. I tried to snap her out of it but...she turned a deaf ear.¡±


    Tristan stared at her, dumbfounded.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°We lost a good soldier,¡± she added.


    ¡°We need a n,¡± I interjected. ¡°Every second counts. From what I have gathered, Synto has been influencing many Vampires to work for him. He¡¯s building an army. We must fight back.¡±


    Voltaire nodded, ¡°I agree. I will summon the rest of my elite. We will council then.¡±


    He stood up and tapped on Tristan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°In the meantime, you need rest.¡±


    * * *


    It was just Tristan and I in the room as we had to share one with separate beds. Voltaire took another with one queen-sized bed while Wynona took the master bedroom.


    ¡°Do you feel responsible, Tristan?¡± I asked as he sat in his bed.


    ¡°I feel like I have failed her. I lost sight of her once and now she is gone.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on yourself, Tristan. She did all she could to save us. And you did all you could to save her.¡±


    ¡°It was stupid of her to make such a decision.¡± He rose from the bed and turned to me.


    ¡°Grief is in her nature. She lost someone dear to her whom she saw as family. That is hard to bear.¡±


    Tristan took a deep breath. After all, he was a young Sage and had a lot to learn.


    ¡°Are we not her family?¡± He asked. I was slightly taken aback. I thought about the question for a minute before I realised what he meant.


    ¡°We are,¡± I said carefully, ¡°But I believe you mean if <i>you</i> meant anything to her enough for her not to sacrifice herself.¡±


    He nodded, his face vulnerable and open. So I continued.


    ¡°The very fact that you mean a lot to her is why she did what she did. You could have died, Tristan. The responsibility of a Sage is to guide the Spellcasters, but there is only so much that we can control. Synto is far beyond our means, let alone a Neophyte¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Well, she used none of her magic,¡± he said, his tone returning to reason. A little bit of his normal self was starting to surface.


    ¡°Her instincts are herbat skills¡ªshe did grow up being taught by an elite Vampire. She is stubborn as well, which makes you both ratherpatible,¡± I said.


    His ruby eyes bore on me like he was trying to read me. I returned a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen how close you have gotten with her and listened to the way you speak of her. I¡¯ve known you since you were a child and I can tell when you are in love.¡±


    ¡°I never saw iting,¡± he shook his head, as if to himself. ¡°She¡¯s a little ill-mannered but I grew fond of her easily.¡±


    ¡°Your idea of love is naive, Tristan Embers. You would not have judged her manners if you knew better. I have always found her rather charming in a...goofy way.¡±


    Heughed, ¡°I¡¯m d I have you to confide in. I hadn¡¯t realised my feelings got in the way of reason this past week.¡±


    Then he paused like an epiphany struck him. ¡°I just got it.¡±


    ¡°Got what?¡±


    Tristan started pacing the room. ¡°My spell was blocked because of Heidi. Synto wanted her for his own use, and <i>he</i> didn¡¯t intentionally block me. There was something else that was causing my energy to misalign and fail!¡±


    ¡°You mean¡ª¡°


    ¡°Something on her so whoever stands near her will not be able to cast their spells. Like a ring, or, or a pendant.¡±


    ¡°She wears no such essory,¡± I said.


    Tristan halted. Then he turned to me, ruby eyes wild. ¡°Her choker! I knew it looked slightly odd. I have never seen it on her until just now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying the choker is a magic repellent?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a guess,¡± he said and then his tone returned to reason. ¡°But I¡¯m willing to take a chance on it.¡±


    * * *


    Lord Voltaire was out gathering his Vampires. Wynona went to get us breakfast while I pored over the map of the Worldly Realm on the dining table. Tristan climbed down the stairs.


    ¡°How was your sleep?¡± I asked as he straightened his ck turtleneck.


    The floorboards squeaked beneath his boots as he hung his red coat over his right forearm. His ruby eyes immediately bore on the map.


    ¡°Not the kindest of dreams,¡± he replied nonchntly and then levelled his gaze on me. ¡°Are we strategizing?¡±


    ¡°Voltaire ns to start a war. I¡¯m looking for a location to re.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± he said, donning his red coat. ¡°Anything to keep me moving.¡±


    ¡°Well then you¡¯ll need this map. I¡¯ve marked out every potential coordinate where the war could take ce that does not disturb any civilisation.¡±


    He nodded and received the map. His face was as grim as I¡¯d ever seen.


    I ced a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. ¡°We¡¯re doing all that we can to save her.¡±


    His expression remained unchanged.


    When Wynona returned, Tristan nodded towards her and disappeared through the door.

 Surprises

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    Sleep was close to torture as I tossed and turned the whole night. The fatigue from the night before hadden my limbs and torso with lead but my mind was cluttered with unease.


    As a Sage, I was trained not to favour any trainee specifically while I was still their active trainer¡ªmy grandfather would have frowned upon me if he had known.


    But Heidi was different.


    I needed to regroup. I must not allow reason to escape me again. She was taken by Synto and we must free her. <i>I</i> must free her. But I could not do so if I was careless like before. I needed a n.


    The map brought me to an old parking lot of a town that was only used once. Here I summoned the portal where the points of the location in the Worldly realm mirrored the exact location in the Underworld. I cleared my mind and stepped through the portal.


    The Deste Lands. <i>Did Jesse think this ce was a good idea?</i> The name was as the ce would be¡ªan empty desert with endless sand. <i>Could be</i>, although we could die from thirst and heat. I walked back into the portal and closed it behind me.


    As soon as I did, I sensed a presence and pulled out my wand. I pointed at him, all six feet tall. Almost as tall as I was.


    ¡°I knew I¡¯d find you here,¡± old Grand Master Augustine spoke. His voice was low like he was telling a secret.


    ¡°What do you want, traitor?¡±


    The old Vampire lifted the left corner of his lips. The right corner remained thin and downward like a deep crease. His right eye was also grey, like it was blind, and a scar ran along the centre of his forehead down the middle of his right cheek. I knew he was old but he had always looked healthy.


    ¡°I am no traitor to my kingdom but Grand Mistress Ingram is. This,¡± he waved his fingers to his scar, ¡°is the product of escaping her.¡±


    ¡°You look like hell,¡± I blurted. ¡°That must¡¯ve been some fight.¡±


    ¡°And you look lost,¡± he said, his voice a little louder. It was slightly scratchy too. ¡°I¡¯m certain that you have been contacting Lord Voltaire.¡±


    ¡°Who needs to know?¡± I asked. My guard was always up around that old fool.


    Grand Master Augustineughed through his nose, ¡°I understand that you do not trust me, as you shouldn¡¯t. So tell him that I have information about Synto and I must speak to my king.¡±


    Then he took a few steps closer, ¡°We may have our differences but I would never betray my kingdom.¡±


    ¡°All right,¡± I said, eyeing him warily, ¡°But make no mistake¡ªI will send you into oblivion without hesitation should you try anything funny.¡±


    * * *


    We seated ourselves where west discussed the attack at the old Lucky Orphan orphanage. Lord Voltaire sat in deep thought whereas Jesse and Wynona watched as Grand Master Augustine paced back and forth. I scrutinised him from head to toe¡ªanything out of line would result in his permanent end. I gripped my wand in my coat pocket.


    ¡°Speak now,¡± Lord Voltaire uttered. There was slight hostility in his tone. ¡°Spare no details, Grand Master.¡±


    Augustine began his recount. ¡°Synto is nning to attack the Worldly Realm tomorrow at sunset. Grand Master Ingram will lead the army on his right, and there¡¯s one more thing.¡±


    ¡°Out with it, Grand Master,¡± Jesse demanded impatiently. The old Vampire swallowed.


    ¡°Synto has a new vessel. And she will lead the army into battle.¡±


    ¡°She?¡± Lord Voltaire asked, his eyes beginning to re.


    ¡°Heidi,¡± I muttered. Then I spoke louder, ¡°But if it¡¯s tomorrow you say, then we have some time.¡±


    Augustine took a seat and levelled his gaze on mine with his good eye. ¡°What do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°I know a ce where we can hold the battle that will not disrupt the Worldly Realm. We can bring them to the Underworld.¡±


    ¡°Out of the question,¡± Jesse opposed. ¡°The Underworld deserves to be preserved and rebuilt afterwards. Besides, Synto has nned to attack the Worldly realm to end human existence. We will let theme and hold the fort as much as we can.¡±


    Lord Voltaire stood up and turned to the window. His lean profile faced outward, hands behind his back. We remained silent for a while and let Jesse¡¯s words sink in.


    ¡°Then we will give it our best shot,¡± Lord Voltaire uttered, words dripping with dread and despair.


    I turned to Grand Master Augustine, ¡°Any other Vampires who joined Synto¡¯s army?¡±


    ¡°At least a dozen others, all practising dark magic. But,¡± the old Vampire sighed heavily, ¡°their aura is unstable and they¡¯re wearing out. Their immortality is at question.¡±


    ¡°Vampires are not meant to possess such powers,¡± Lord Voltaire turned to us, arms loose by his sides. His red eyes bore on the Grand Master, as a king to his kinsman. ¡°I have seen the attempt, some two hundred years ago, of a Vampire unknowingly sacrificing his immortality to Synto by giving away his Unholy aura, much like what Ingram the others have done. However, Synto was not powerful enough at the time to transfer its dark magic onto the Vampire.¡±


    ¡°She is on the verge of death,¡± Grand Master Augustine shook his head. ¡°I have known her for as long as I have been a Vampire. I¡¯d never thought this is how she would go.¡±


    ¡°Keep your spirits up, Grand Master,¡± Jesse spoke, ¡°We¡¯ll need it for the war.¡±


    * * *


    The night wore on as I stood by the bedroom window. I traced the ruby on my cuff. My grandfather never had to face this vile devil in his lifetime and my father skipped the responsibility.


    Jesse entered the bedroom but I did not turn away from the window. The ckness of the night was more bleak than usual, dark clouds gathering above. An ominous loom.


    Jesse said, ¡°You must get some rest, Tristan. Tomorrow will be a long day.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°I know it will be hard to see her, but she is not her anymore. We will do our best to save her.¡±


    ¡°Is it even possible?¡± I turned to him. ¡°At this point, I have thrown out all hope. Heidi is as good as dead. This is her fate. Her family¡¯s wrongs will end with her.¡±


    Jesse sat on his bed quietly for a moment. Then he spoke, ¡°Synto will unleash his army by nightfall tomorrow. I have rounded all the Spellcasters; the Adepts, Masters and Virtuosos. The Vampires who are loyal to Voltaire outnumber the traitors. There is hope, Tristan.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I will send my parents a letter. They can¡ª¡°


    <i>BOOM, </i>a blinding sh of light.


    An unexpected force of energy flung me out of the second-storey window. I was thrown hard onto the ground andnded shoulder-first. Soon after, intense heat radiated from the direction of the explosion. mes lit the first storey of the mansion, the wood crackled and glowed.


    Inhuman growls and roars. I tried to push myself off the ground but my arms would not obey. My wand was in my coat somewhere in my bedroom. My vision turned red¡ªI was bleeding from the head. I could feel the dislocation in my shoulder. I inhaled and shoved it back in ce.


    The growls got nearer. I summoned all my energy to get up off the ground. I steadied myself and tried to follow the direction of the ghastly noises.


    A djinn was spotted not too far away from where I was. It moved through the bushes and headed straight for the mansion.


    <i>Jesse and Wynona.</i> I raced back to the mansion before the djinns could. I lifted my hand and waved towards the approaching djinn.


    ¡°<i>Arsonion oblivion!</i>¡± I cried. A massive warped portal appeared and three djinns disintegrated in it.


    mes engulfed the entrance. I held out my hand again and yelled, ¡°<i>Frozium!</i>¡±


    Sheets of ice shot out from my fingertips and extinguished the mes. Inside, I heard Voltaire¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Voltaire, are you okay?¡± I cried out. He was heard but unseen.


    A djinn lunged from behind me and we crashed into the living area. Chaos descended on the mansion that night. Had the war already begun? How were we blind-sided again? Could this be Grand Master Augustine¡¯s doing? Was he a double agent somehow?


    After wrestling with the djinn, I cast the oblivion spell and sent the djinn into it. I looked around the living room to see Grand Master Augustineid on the dated armchair¡­


    ...burnt to a crisp.


    ¡°Tristan!¡± Wynona screamed as arge djinn tackled me through the window and back outside the mansion. It lifted its sharp ws to swipe me but Wynona got to it first. She cast <i>delirium</i> and I sent it to oblivion.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jesse?¡± I asked as she pulled me up. ¡°And Voltaire?¡±


    ¡°Upstairs. They¡¯re both trapped. We have to help them!¡±


    More djinns approached the mansion. I turned to Wynona¡¯s glowing purple eyes, ¡°Go get them. I¡¯ll hold them off.¡±


    Wynona teleported herself upstairs as I stood in the middle of the first storey. Its walls were broken and the inside of the house had been exposed. There was no line of defence between where I was and whatever that was lurking outside. Synto wasted no time in introducing the fall of the makeshift Lair.


    I had no time to retrieve my wand¡ªmy limbs were my only weapons. I kept my eyes peeled for any oing foe. Nothing. No rustling of the bushes, no ominous wind. No demonic howls. Utter darkness and silence.


    ¡°Something isn¡¯t right,¡± I muttered under my breath. Before I knew it, another explosion urred, hurling me forward and out of the mansion. The explosion came from the second storey.


    * * *


    When I came to, I felt a pair of hands lifting me from the ground. The world was a spinning disarray of shing red and blue lights. Several footsteps crunched the gravel and a male voice talking in my ear. I could not make out the words¡ªeverything was muffled.


    My vision was only as clear as my hearing. A blurry beige mass waved in my face¡ªthe paramedic was trying to tell me something. Soon the cloudiness lifted from my sight and hearing. The red and blue lights became distracting as the paramedic in front of me ced a nket on my shoulders.


    ¡°Mr Embers, you¡¯re likely to have a concussion. We¡¯re going to check you up, okay?¡± The man spoke in a calm voice, juxtaposing the chaos in the background.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± I croaked. I stopped his hand from reaching my head.


    ¡°Mr Embers, the cut on your head needs stitching.¡±


    ¡°I need to know if they¡¯re alive,¡± I said out loud to no one in particr. I pushed him aside and headed back to the mansion¡ªonly half of it was still standing.


    ¡°Sir you¡ª¡°


    Tworge djinns tackled and mauled the paramedic. I turned to see them wing his abdomen.


    ¡°<i>Frozium!</i>¡± I cried beforeying a roundhouse kick and shattering them to pieces. I knelt on the ground next to the paramedic and yelled out to the others, ¡°He needs medical attention!¡±


    Djinns were approaching and sneaking about in the night like moving shadows. They seem to be making use of the element of surprise on us. Two other paramedics rushed my way and began their work on the poor man.


    ¡°Leave while you can, I need to find my friends,¡± I said and stood up. ¡°It isn¡¯t safe here.¡±


    I inhaled and held out my hand, ¡°<i>Elemento Inferniate!</i>¡±


    I drew a circle with my arms around us, hoping to get everyone within radius. I cast a spell, a ring of fire, surrounding the mansion. The djinns that were near enough burned and fled while the others stopped in their tracks. One of the paramedics tapped my hand, her eyes fixated on what was behind me. I turned.


    Grand Master Ingram was nothing but a walking dposing corpse. Her porcin skin was bruised, her blue veins stretched underneath its thin casing of skin. I pushed down the bile that rose up my throat.


    ¡°Hello child!¡± She shrieked, her eyes a wild thing. I readied my stance. There was a chance to destroy her right there and then.


    ¡°You¡¯re a little early to the party,¡± I said, trying to remain calm. The ghoulish sight of her upset me.


    She let out a maniacalugh, ¡°Fool! Do you think we would give away our ns to that silly Augustine? You are all toote! They will march into your safest sanctuary and she will lead the way. Under endless suns, she knows the way!¡±


    Here she pulled Voltaire¡¯s unconscious body forward. The paramedics behind me gasped.


    ¡°Unfortunately, he¡¯s still alive,¡± she scoffed.


    ¡°So end him then,¡± I taunted, one hand behind my back, garnering all the energy I could. ¡°Why waste time?¡±


    The Grand Master narrowed her eyes. ¡°End him now? With the Sage of Untamed magic standing free and unrestrained before me? How stupid do you think I am?¡±


    I could not resist a smirk. However, it faded quickly when she held Voltaire by the neck in one hand and revealed a machete in the other.


    ¡°So I improvise.¡± The Grand Master then looked behind me and cried, ¡°Take him out!¡±


    I turned to see arge djinn, as big as the mansion, dashing towards me from the trees. It was massive enough to snuff out one part of the ring of fire without getting hurt. It hadrge hands that could wipe me out from existence. As big as it was, it was quick too.


    Upon instinct, I raised my palm towards it and yelled, ¡°<i>Elemento Lightningus!</i>¡±


    Current from the dark clouds above us gathered and travelled down into my fingers, then with my energy I transferred the current out of my fingertips and directed it to the monstrous being. As the spell struck, the djinn seized and dropped in front of me and the paramedics.


    ¡°<i>Nooo!</i> You fool¡ª¡±


    ¡°<i>Tristan! </i>Behind you!¡± Yelled one of the para-medics.


    I turned instinctively and struck the remainder of the lightning towards Grand Master Ingram who appeared right behind me. Her ck eyes widened and mouth hung open as the pure electricity coursed through her, catching her off-guard.


    ¡°Voltaire may have spared you after all that you have done,¡± I snarled through gritted teeth and levelled my eyes with hers, ¡°but <i>I</i> hold no sympathy for traitors.¡±


    Her wild ck eyes stared back without blinking as her blue lips twisted into a lopsided grin, ¡°The Academy and all its mortals will fall.¡±


    Slowly, Grand Master Ingram fell to her knees. Her once white skin turned ck and she was no more than ash. The djinns around us retreated as soon as she reached the ground, seizing and heaving until she no longer moved.


    I headed over to Voltaire who was arousing. The paramedics attended to him as I headed to the second storey.


    ¡°They¡¯re okay,¡± Voltaire muttered, his long blond hair draping over his face. ¡°Ingram cast some kind of holding spell to withhold them. But they should still be one piece.¡±


    ¡°Tristan! What happened?¡± Jesse eximed as he and Wynona descended the stairs.


    Voltaire lifted his head with a faint smile, ¡°Your Sage here just single-handedly yed a gigantic djinn and one of my Grand Masters without his Sage¡¯s ruby. His own energy was so pure that his spellcasting was the single most powerful thing I have ever witnessed. Imagine him channeling all that spell <i>with</i> the Sage¡¯s gem! We have hope indeed.¡±


    ¡°Whoa,¡± Wynona uttered and her violet eyes flickered to mine, ¡°Yeah...I haven¡¯t seen the colour of your eyes without the ruby. Never realised how...green they are.¡±


    I heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Are you guys okay? The djinns have already retreated but Grand Master Augustine was not spared.¡±C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°We¡¯re okay, just tensed in the muscles. Grand Master Ingram paralysed us with her dark magic. Not the most fun feeling,¡± She said as she stretched her neck and arms. The paramedics were sent away by Jesse who began healing Voltaire.


    <i>The Academy</i>. ¡°I know where they¡¯ll go. I know where Synto is leading the army.¡±


    The three of them looked up at me and eyed wide with curiosity.


    ¡°And we need to go there now.¡±

 Syntos Army

    <b>TRISTAN</b>


    Red lights streaked the night sky, hovering above The Academy. A foretelling of what was toe¡ªwhich meant Synto had not arrived yet.


    The four of us stood in the middle of the Garden in peace, as The Academy always was in. Some of the spellcast trainees stuck their heads out their dorm windows to witness the red strings of light in the sky.


    Jesse and Voltaire headed to the office while I cast the spell of <i>Elemento Electricus</i>, a spell that electrified the gates and fences of The Academy and encircled the school with the ring of fire. The cosmic energy was descended as Wynona cast the spell of <i>Elemento Cosmos</i>, a spell that would strengthen every spellcaster when churning up their pure energies.


    ¡°Keep that up,¡± Wynona said with a smile, ¡°and you might just be a stronger spellcaster than your grandfather.¡±


    I teleported to my office and retrieved a new red coat and cuffed my ruby on it. My old one was still back in the makeshift Lair, shredded and singed from the explosions. Jesse managed to retrieve my ruby and wand from my old coat right before he and Wynona were attacked by Ingram.


    I put on the coat and adjusted its cor. I fastened the ruby and let its energy flow through me. In the mirror I adjusted my hair and watched as my olive-green irises turned to an orange hue and deepened into red.


    ¡°Ready?¡± I asked Wynona as I teleported back to the entrance of The Academy. She smiled and nodded with a mischievous spark in her eyes.


    We held up our hands, palms facing the gates and shut our eyes. In mere seconds, a portal tore through the dimension and crowds of Vampires spilled through it. Another portal also opened and other Spellcasters from the Worldly Realm arrived.


    Synto had his army, we have ours.


    After thest Vampire and Spellcaster had entered our realm, we shut the portals as soon as we could. We feared that Synto was awaiting the unlocking of the portals¡ª


    ¡ªand our fear came true.


    A couple of djinns slid through the portals and started attacking the Vampires. Wynona immediately cast <i>Strangify</i>, a spell that made the target confused as being in a strange ce. Then a spellcaster finished them off with <i>Arsonion</i>.


    ¡°She¡¯s not far behind,¡± Wynona said as she gathered the others at The Academy.


    <i>She</i>. My heart sank a little.


    As Wynona ushered them away, I locked the realms to stall Synto and his¡ªor <i>her</i> army.


    ¡°Wynona, alert Jesse and Voltaire. I can feel her dark energy.¡±


    ¡°I feel it too.¡±


    Wynona left as the spellcasters and Vampires took their ce behind me. I shut my eyes and let the cosmic energy flow through me.


    ¡°Uh, Tristan,¡± A Spellcaster nudged. His voice sounded tight and unsure.


    I opened my eyes. His gaze was fixated at the gates. I turned to see.


    There she nted her feet on the other side of the gates, all five feet and two inches tall. Her irises of golden yellow eyed me. She wore a ck robe that ended at her feet, her thin lips curled skywards. Her dark hair parted in the middle and fell straight on the sides of her face, slighting brushing her cheekbones.


    It was at that moment that I began to feel angered while the energy bubbling in me started to swirl. I put in all my energy to tame it but not for long.


    ¡°Thou dareth taint this realm with thy presence,¡± Lord Voltaire spoke from behind me. He walked to my side in full shadow form¡ªjust as I thought I had forgotten it.


    Heidi, or Synto, stood still. The smile never left her face. Her army roared behind her.


    Lord Voltaire stood in front of his loyal Vampires, his aura ck as the Void. He snarled, ¡°Thou hath no ce here. By crossing the Realms which thou hath been forbidden to enter, thou hath sealed thy fate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Heidi,¡± I muttered involuntarily. Jesse, who joined my side, turned to me.


    ¡°We will do our best to save her,¡± he said.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    The electricity from the gates began to increase in voltage as Synto stood closer to it. It backed away and growled at me.


    ¡°Thou magic is weak! Thou art but a lowly mortal, made out of dirt!¡±


    ¡°Nice to see you again too, Synto,¡± I retorted dryly. Lord Voltaire raised an eyebrow at me.


    ¡°The love thou possesseth for this vessel will be the end of thee,¡± it let out a maniacalugh at the end of its sentence.


    Jesse stood forward. ¡°Enough of this foolishness!¡± He cast the first spell, ¡°<i>Duplicato!</i>¡± and there were several duplicates of Jesse materialising in front of us, forming a wall of Jesses.


    Heidi transformed into Synto¡¯s true form, a shadow mass, and the djinns charged to the fences. One by one they were electrocuted, which gave me time to garner the energy for the cosmos to send lightning to them. Several of them dropped dead like flies while the others took their ce.


    Synto quaked the ground beneath it which began to tear the gates and fences asunder. When they broke through the outer defence, I raised the ring of fire higher which seemed to stop them.


    ¡°I walketh through mes and thou shalt taste death!¡± Synto cried before striking me backwards.


    I was flung and crashed onto the ground, bruising my back. Voltaire, in his supernatural speed, swung his iron dagger and Synto ducked. Jesse and Wynona fought the other djinns whirl I got up off the ground.


    I ducked, jumped and swerved from the attacking djinns. My mind was focused on aiding Voltaire. From a distance, I shot some ice on the ground, fighting off other djinns while I made my way to Voltaire¡¯s side. They stumbled over the ice and lost bnce. When I got a clear shot, I inhaled and allowed the cosmic energy to flow through me. The lightning current above us gathered and I channelled it into my wand and within me.


    Synto turned to me with its golden eyes so full of hate and disgust. Voltaire was hurled to the side before it paid its attention to me.


    The wind around us started to pick up. The lightning bolts became stronger and longer. My ruby, the Sage¡¯s gem, glowed its brightest.


    ¡°Let her go,¡± I said, my voice low. ¡°Or I will end you right here.¡±


    ¡°Fool! No mortal can end me!¡± It bellowed and the ground rumbled.


    I wasted no time in striking the pure lightning towards Synto. The bolt travelled in its speed¡ª


    ¡ªonly to have Synto pull itself out of Heidi¡¯s vessel and transported away from my lightning spell.


    ¡°<i>Heidi!</i>¡± I yelled and dropped the wand. I was a little toote¡ªsome of the lightning had struck her.


    She fell back. I raced to get to her but a djinn tackled me and I was on the ground. Synto was powerful enough to form its own vessel and was no longer a shadowy mass. It was in full solid form.


    It took after a humanoid shape¡ªit stood over me, eight feet tall, leathery ck skin and gold irises. Its arms were long and they almost reached his knees. It lifted one long leg and pinned me to the ground with itsrge foot, suffocating me.


    It looked down on me with indifference in its eyes. In its ghastly voice it spoke, ¡°Thou hath killed her, I warned thee.¡±


    Voltaire was knocked out cold. Jesse and Wynona were held up in their own battles. Synto pushed its leg up my neck as I struggled to fight it.


    ¡°Thy realm will fall, and thou along with it. My djinns art strong, as I am the strongest I have been.¡± Synto leaned his weight on his foot to crush my neck.


    A me shot at its back. Another me shot at its head but it ducked, immediately followed by a double shot that got its attention.


    ¡°Not kicking any buckets any time soon, buddy,¡± Heidi said, her stance wide and her hand held high towards Synto.


    ¡°Heidi,¡± I whispered. Its foot was still on my neck.


    ¡°Let him go,¡± she demanded.


    <i>Now was my chance</i>. ¡°<i>Elemento Lightningus!</i>¡± I cried and directed the lightning to Synto. It shrieked and let go of my neck, letting me wriggle away from his pin.


    Once I was freed, I pointed my wand and yelled, ¡°<i>Arsonion Oblivion!</i>¡±. My favourite spell.


    An orb of oblivion warped the atmosphere of the Magic Realm and began to consume Synto¡­


    ¡­until Synto reversed my spell.


    Its rage glowed in its eyes as it came after me. It raised its hand towards me but I diverted his spell by quickly casting a shield in front of me.


    Voltaire, recovered from the knockout, sliced Synto¡¯s ck skin with his iron dagger. It shrieked in anger but Voltaire managed to evade every attack Synto had in its arsenal. Voltaire then stabbed right into its spine with his dagger. It knelt in agony and Voltaire nodded at me. I cast my oblivion spell and we watched Synto get consumed by the orb. When it was over, the djinns began retreating and the traitor Vampires followed.


    Voltaire and I headed to Heidi who was on the ground, weak and semi-conscious.


    ¡°We will heal you,¡± I assured and carried her in my arms.


    The Academy was saved but some parts of the building were destroyed. Cheers for Voltaire and I echoed through the realm but I could not celebrate just yet.


    Heidi¡¯s aura was faint.

 The Funeral

    <b>HEIDI</b>


    Nurse Hilda chatted away as I pried my eyes open. She and I were alone in Wynona¡¯s room. I was in Wynona¡¯s bed¡ªexactly where I was before the mess happened.


    It was half past nine in the morning. Nurse Hilda went on about some kid¡¯s parents whom she had to exin to how their daughter broke a corbone during spellcasting training.


    ¡°They don¡¯t know how hard we work, you know? Day in, day out. But here, I am at peace because you don¡¯t argue back to me,¡± then she paused. ¡°You¡¯re awake, aren¡¯t ya?¡±


    A weak smile crept on my face, ¡°For thest five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bless you my dear,¡± Nurse Hilda said, her eyes watery. ¡°I shall call the Sages, they would be so thrilled.¡±


    She sat me up and handed me a cup of water. I was parched. ¡°How long was I out?¡±


    ¡°A week and a half. We couldn¡¯t tell if you¡¯d even wake, to be honest with ya. Mr Embers insists that I stay with you, make sure you¡¯re all right. Bless you, you are indeed. No bruises¡ªnone of that at all.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Hilda, for nursing me back to health.¡±


    She shrugged her thick shoulders, ¡°To tell you the truth, love, I only did as instructed. Mr White did most of the deep healing¡ªsays you have been through much. You were pale and almost lifeless when they brought you in.¡±


    Three raps at the door¡ªthe Sages had arrived.C¨°ntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Wynona asked, her violet eyes round and worried.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine, she just needs to exercise her legs. Do bring her out for some fresh air,¡± Nurse Hilda said before leaving the room.


    Jesse and Wynona helped me up and put on my shoes for me. Wynona linked arms and we made our way to the Gardens.


    ¡°Is my hair okay?¡± I asked, suddenly bing self-conscious the moment we stepped outside.


    ¡°You look great, Heidi,¡± Wynona smiled. Jesse walked beside us.


    The past few days had been a blur. All I remembered was chaos at the Lucky Orphan orphanage¡­


    ¡­and Vicky. My heart sank and I felt my eyes water.


    ¡°Tell us if you¡¯re hurting,¡± Jesse said as we sat ourselves on a bench.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± I choked. Wynona eyed me warily. I looked up and caught her gaze, ¡°Where¡¯s Lord Voltaire? Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°Vampires heal rapidly,¡± she replied. ¡°He is rebuilding the Lair with the help of Tristan and some other Spellcasters.¡±


    ¡°Now that you are up and about,¡± Jesse spoke, his ocean-blue eyes deep and calm, ¡°they will be preparing for Vicky¡¯s funeral. It will be held tonight.¡±


    I felt Wynona¡¯s hand pat my shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll be okay. I want to say goodbye to her onest time.¡±


    * * *


    I stepped out of the shower but it wasn¡¯t enough to scrub off the emptiness.


    After my grandma passed, Vicky took me in like I was her sister. Like I was family. Now that she was gone, I had nothing. I belonged to no one.


    I borrowed Wynona¡¯s blow dryer and dried my hair. I curled it¡ªsince I had time¡ªand put on my long ck dress. It belonged to my mother. I put on a pair if Wynona¡¯s heels that she lent me and¡ª


    ¡ªI stopped. I took them off and slipped out of my dress. I sat on the bed and shut my eyes. I realigned my energies to calm myself. To feel better, I needed to be myself. Vicky wouldn¡¯t care about what dress I wore. She raised me to kick evil butts.


    I slid on my skinny jeans and a <i>Metallica</i> shirt. I wriggled into my lucky leather jacket andced up mybat boots. I put on my red beanie and maroon lipstick. <i>There¡¯s the girl that Vicky raised.</i>


    I headed to the opened portal to the Underworld. I hadn¡¯t been there since the attack. I stepped through it. I remembered when the Lair was filled with joy and Vampires fraternised with each other. I remembered the way Lord Voltaire lit up when his eyes fell on Vicky. I remembered when he sat her on his right, as his lover and elite soldier, as his girlfriend and protector. I remembered when he protected me out of his love for Vicky.


    ¡°She was my bravest soldier,¡± Lord Voltaire stood by my shoulder and lowered his voice to me. I turned. His blond hair tied into a low ponytail, he stood tall and regal. He looked fresh and rested, a calm smile stretched across his face. But his red eyes¡ªthey seemed to hold a lot of wisdom and witnessed many events throughout his lifetime. Even the grievances.


    ¡°She was,¡± I returned a smile. ¡°You look well-rested.¡±


    ¡°So do you,¡± he replied. ¡°And sad.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    ¡°Barely,¡± he smiled, almost augh, ¡°but I must hold myself together for my Vampires. They deserve a strong King.¡±


    ¡°I believe they already know that.¡±


    Lord Voltaire held out his arm and nodded to the seating area, ¡°Come, we shall join the others.¡±


    Vampires rarely held funerals, and when they did, they were grand, depending on the rank. For Vicky, she was given the honorary salute of an elite Vampire soldier who died at battle.


    Lord Voltaire and I sat in the front row while the three Sages were seated elsewhere. Different Vampires came forward and took turns speaking about how fond they were of Vicky. Voltaire and I did not¡ªwe sat together, holding the bond of our shared love towards her in silence and grief.


    During the burial, the other elite Vampires carried her coffin with Lord Voltaire at the helm. Tristan was among them as well.


    * * *


    Many Spellcasters mourned the loss of Vicky. They knew her well, though not as well as I did.


    But most of them decided to also celebrate the fact that Synto was defeated. They decided to throw a party in our honour and everyone was invited.


    I sat in the corner of the training hall where the party was held. I swirled the soda in my stic cup as I watched other Spellcasters y different party games with Jesse and Wynona. Lord Voltaire joined me as we watched the others enjoy themselves. Tristan was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you both join us?¡± Jesse invited as he made his way to us.


    I was avoiding as much physical contact as I could help it. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to go crazy, still recovering.¡±


    Lord Voltaire held up his hand and rejected politely. Then he lowered his voice. ¡°My dear Jesse, don¡¯t you think that it might be a bad idea to throw this party?¡±


    ¡°Oh the trainees want it, I think they just need an excuse to let off some steam.¡±


    ¡°I understand. But I overheard from some of these students that they think Synto is defeated? Dead?¡± Lord Voltaire¡¯s face was grim. I shuddered at the name.


    Jesse¡¯s smile diminished quickly. ¡°Are you saying¡ª¡°


    ¡°Synto cannot <i>die</i>, my good friend. It is a spirit being made to torment the living.¡± Then he turned to me, ¡°You need to be protected at all times, Heidi. Now more than ever.¡±


    I blinked. <i>What was I supposed to say to that?</i>


    ¡°She will be taken care of,¡± Jesse responded for me.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I cleared my throat. ¡°I¡¯m just going to be at The Gardens, gonna stretch my legs.¡± I left them and headed out of the training hall.


    Out in The Gardens, I felt the cool breeze surrounding me. From the corner of my eye, I caught a familiar silhouette approaching me. He stopped before I turned.


    ¡°Avoiding the crowd?¡± Tristan asked. There was a slight curl on his lips.


    It was the first time that I had seen him since the orphanage. That felt like a lifetime ago.


    ¡°That makes the two of us,¡± he continued. ¡°Let¡¯s sit over there, it¡¯s quieter.¡±


    We sat on a bench and listened to the peacefulness of the night. The stars shimmered above us, dancing in eternal dusk. Like endless suns.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to thank you. You saved my life,¡± Tristan spoke, his ruby eyes glistening under the starlight. ¡°I think I owe you.¡±


    ¡°You <i>think</i>?¡± I raised my eyebrows andughed.


    He chuckled. ¡°I <i>do</i> owe you. But there is another thing that has been on my mind for a while.¡±


    His eyes grew a little sad. His dark hair reflected blue and white lights from themps around us. His red coat was sharp and crisp while his ruby on his cuff released a soft pulsating glow. My heart began to race.


    When he spoke, his voice was low and velvety. ¡°It drove me mad to think of what Synto did to you. I did not realise my feelings for you until I was deep into it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± was all that came out of my <i>damn</i> mouth.


    I realised that I had never materialised any sort of feelings towards a man. I grew up with my grandmother and my orphanage was all female. All my life, I was taught to fight and defend against djinns and other evil things. I was taught by a <i>female</i> Vampire. Icked the experience of being around men that I had never paid attention to that part of me.


    It would be great to be loved. Vicky reced my grandmother and I thought I was full. Then I lost Vicky and now that love could take the form of a new love. But to what extent was this new love? It would not be the same as my grandmother or Vicky. Tristan¡¯s love would be...<i>different</i>.


    ¡°Bear with me,¡± he grinned sheepishly, ¡°this is my first time.¡±


    I could not stifle a smile. ¡°Me too.¡±


    He leaned in, his eyes darted back and forth, waiting. A permission. I nodded and let him hold and kiss me on the bench of the Gardens, underneath the ember dots of the Magic realm.

 The Ranking Ceremony

    <b>HEIDI</b>


    Spellcasters from all over The Academy and the Worldly Realm congregated at The Academy hall for the big annual event. I sat on a wooden chair¡ªcarefully carved by highly-skilled carpenters, Jesse prided¡ªnear the front row of the stage. I donned a white robe with a symbol of The Academy; a flying dove. I hadn¡¯t realised The Academy had one.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be on stage with Wynona and Jesse,¡± Tristan said before the event. ¡°Jesse will be giving out the badges, so you¡¯ll see some familiar faces.¡±


    The clock struck eleven in the morning. Spellcasters got seated and the three Sages made their way on stage. They dressed formally, a way I had never seen them. Wynona adorned a white choker that entuated her corbone. The upper half of her violet hair was braided to the back while the rest flowed past her shoulders. Underneath her purple coat was a ck tube dress that stopped an inch above her knees. On her finger was a diamond ring.


    Jesse¡¯s sandy-blond hair was neatly parted in the middle, as it always was, like a Tolkien elf. His smile was as wide as ever, ocean-blue eyes scanning the hall at every spellcaster, like a proud father. He was a white turtle neck tucked neatly into ck trousers and belted at the waist underneath his crisp blue coat.


    Tristan,st but never the least, donned a ck cored shirt tucked into ck trousers, also belted. His red coat flowed past his knees and he wore a pair of ck loafers instead of his usualbat boots. His dark brown curls hovered neatly just above just his inky eyebrows. His ruby eyes glimmered as he nodded at the audience who was cheering from them. Somewhere inside he was smiling, I was sure.


    All three Sages had their amethyst, sapphire and ruby gems pinned to the front pockets of their coats respectively instead of their cuffs as they usually did. They shone underneath the stage lights. As Wynona and Tristan took their seats, Jesse strode forward with a microphone in hand. More apuse and he held up his hand. The cheers subsided.


    ¡°Once again we are weed by this beautiful sight of enthusiastic Spellcasters attending our very special annual event; the Ranking Ceremony.¡±


    While Jesse went on, a kid sat next to me in his green robe. An Adept.


    ¡°Elton!¡± I said, noticing the familiar mousey face from my first day at The Academy.


    The teenage boy¡¯s face broke into a wide grin. His round eyes widened behind his spectacles. ¡°Heidi! You¡¯re finally going to be an Acolyte, huh?¡±


    ¡°d your little fire magic didn¡¯t expel mepletely,¡± I jested.


    The boy let out a nervousughter. ¡°I heard you were possessed by Synto. Are you okay?¡±


    I was moved. ¡°I¡¯m okay, kid. Thanks.¡±


    When Jesse finished his speech, the Neophytes were asked to stand in line for their turn to receive the Acolyte badges. Elton nudged me a ¡®good luck¡¯ and I made my way with the other Neophytes. The hall remained silent, watching every move and apuded every time a Neophyte received their new rank. They also shook hands with Wynona and Tristan, thanking them for their support.


    I was up next. Jesse¡¯s blue eyes bore on me from the stage, in one hand he held a silver-coloured badge with the symbol of an eagle, the symbol of an Acolyte, and in the other hand he held out to receive my hand.


    I ascended the steps to the stage and shook his hand. His smile widened and whispered, ¡°Good job, Heidi. I knew you had it in you.¡±


    I nodded and thanked him. An apuse erupted, some louder than others. I bowed to the audience and made my way across the stage. As I headed for the two Sages, Wynona stood up and hugged me.


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Heidi.¡±Content ? provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    I held back a tear. We pulled away and I stuck out a hand to Tristan. I did not know why I felt nervous seeing him there, like he was silently waiting on me. I kept reying the kiss in my head, blushing at the thought of the hundred pairs of eyes scrutinising the way my gaze involuntarily fell on his lips.


    He took my hand, his face nonchnt as ever. He remained professional, like he always did, and nodded with a glimmer in his ruby eyes.


    ¡°Wee to the family.¡±


    I nodded and smiled before getting off the stage as a newly-ranked Acolyte.


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