《Against The Elements》


 First Arc- Chapter 1

    He walked back into his room to check if had forgotten anything. It was a small room, and all its contents were a bed, a cupboard, a mirror, a desk, and a small table near the bed. Nothing in it could imply the personality of the owner. Even though his family is wealthy, his father always bought him exactly what he needed and nothing more. He stared at the room as if it was the last time he would see it.


    "Alexander!, You''re going to be late," shouted a voice, "get down here, there''s something I want to give you."


    "I am coming Dad," replied Alex, regaining his senses.


    The boy was young, not older than seventeen, with pitch black and shaggy hair, as well as even darker pupils. He possesed a lean figure and fair skin, slightly attractive but not exactly unique.


    He hurried across a narrow corridor, down a flight stairs into the living room. His father, Richard Fairchild, was an old man in his fifties, but looked much younger; he was a handsome and thin man with dark black hair, decorated with streaks of silver. He could be considered tall, but he didn¡¯t have dominating presence at all. He was the kind of person, that just by being in his presence, you would feel calm. As Alex reached him, he realized his father was holding a small wooden chest.


    His father opened the box revealing a silver pendant in which the letter "F" was curved, surrounded by frost.


    "Fairchild," thought Alex.


    His father looked at him, his eyes full of sadness, not sorrow but concern. As if it pained him let his son leave, then sighed.


    "This is a pendant I personally made, It is a magical instrument that helps the user control magic freely," said his father as he faintly smiled, signs of age appearing on his face,"Happy Birthday son."


    Alex, who had completely forgotten about his Birthday even though it''s always on the Ceremony day, simply smiled as he took the present from his father''s hands, It felt heavy on his arm as he shoved it into his pocket. His father never used magic or taught him magic before, so Alex truly appreciated it.


    "I will treasure it, See you soon Father," replied Alex as he passed his father and left the house, to reach the Ceremony on time.


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    ***


    Richard Fairchild stood facing the door for a while, before he pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat on it. He stared at the empty wooden chest as the previously barely noticable sadness overtook him.


    "It is time, I suppose." he muttered before he stood and walked toward the stairs.


    ***


    Alex gave the mansion a last look, then started walking toward the Ceremony hall.


    The Annual Awakening Ceremony is a ceremony that every sixteen years old goes to, In order to awaken their magic attribute, though most people awaken or use magic at a younger age. There are many different elements of magic such as; wind, fire, water, earth, nature, and others. Some people, though rare, are able to use two or even three different elements. There are also geniuses who are able to use ancient elements, which are the strongest elements ever to exist. Although that isn''t all there is to magic, the type of element is quite significant, as it measures one''s potential. As such, someone who has the fire attribute could never best someone with the magma attribute, using the same spell.


    This year, a Mage someone who mastered his element, came from Stella Cadens Magic Academy, the best magic academy in the continent, to attend the ceremony. This made people who already awakened come In hope of getting chosen as students there.


    The Ceremony hall wasn''t far from his house, but as he was already late, he hurried toward it.


    Moments later, Alex was waiting in the hall for his name to be called. He never managed to use magic before, so he didn''t have high hopes for the results; which is why he couldn''t understand the reason of his worry.


    "Alexander Fairchild, advance to the testing room," said a voice softly through speakers.


    And Alex followed command.


    ******************************************


    Author note: Stella Cadens is Latin for "Falling Star".


    Please feel free to comment, rate, and criticize. I am a novice in writing and would like the help to improve.

 First Arc- Chapter 2

    Author note: I managed to write another chapter before a week.


    Thanks to all my followers and Please rate.


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    The Awakening room was wide, and mostly empty, with a huge table in the middle. Behind the table sat three people, the Mage, his Assistant, and the Awakener. On the other side of the room, a circle surrounded by symbols was drawn using what seemed to be chalk on the floor, and at the center of the circle was a rock protruding from the floor; about One Hundred and Thirty centimeters with a blue stone embedded on it''s top. The Mage was a tall young man with silver hair, he had a calculating look on him as well as an aura of wisdom and power, he looked like was from a noble family. His assistant was a young girl with blonde hair, unlike the mage she looked rather annoyed but kept a straight face, as if she would prefer to be anywhere but here, she held a notebook that her attention was focused on. The Examiner, who was a Magic teacher Alex had seen before, but never actually spoken to, was busy reading some papers. As Alex entered the room, the Examiner stopped reading and glanced at him.


    "Please proceed to the center of the circle," said the Examiner, starting to walk toward Alex.


    Alex stood at the center of the circle. He had seen magic before but has never seen such symbols.


    "I take it you have never seen Magical Runes before?" said the Examiner, noticing the look on Alex''s face. Alex slightly shook his head, and the Examiner continued, "A Magical Rune is a word from the dead language of Magic."


    "There are millions of Runes, each with its own meaning and effect. The ones drawn on the floor draw magic out of the body and transfer it to the magic Orb on the table. As simple as it sounds, the process is extremely delicate and complex, that is why this many Runes are used."


    The very idea of Runes piqued Alex¡¯s interest, because if what the Examiner said was true, then their uses are limiless. He had many questions to ask, but he decided to remain on the topic.


    "What happens if there isn''t any magic to transfer?" asked Alex curiously.


    A look of puzzlement flashed across the Examiner¡¯s face, as if he hadn¡¯t ever considered it.


    "There is always magic to transfer," answered the Mage.


    "Why?" inquired Alex.


    "I believe you will learn everything concerning this topic, if you have enough talent to join an Academy," said the Mage, without any tone of sarcasm in his voice, rather he sounded apathetic.


    The Mage didn''t wait for a reply, for he had already started writing something down, as if the conversation no longer interested him. Alex wondered if all Mages were antisocial, or it was just this peculiar one.


    "Put your hand on the Orb" demanded the Examiner, clearly showing Alex that the conversation is better ended, "and feel your mana flowing into the Orb."


    Alex did as he was told, since he was taught controlling his mana before, but didn''t feel anything.


    "Allow me," said the Examiner, as he put the palm of his hand on Alex''s back. He tried pouring some of his magic energy into Alex, but was blocked, and pushed a few steps backwards.


    "Is there a problem?" said Alex noticing the obvious shock on the Examiner''s face.


    The Mage stopped writing faced Alex, with a look of slight interest.


    "When someone finds trouble in releasing his or her magic, an Examiner with a compatible magic element gives that person a push to help," explained the Examiner, "Even though my magic element is Gaia, which is compatible with all basic elements, I can''t send you any magic."


    "Elements have different levels of basic power and limitations, starting with the first group; the Basic elements, those have no combat potential and can at most be used in daily activities. The second group; the Attributed elements, are the minimum requirement to become a mage. The Third group; the Unique elements, are special elements that can either be extremely powerful or weak. The Fourth group; the Surgere elements, which can only be found in one out of ten


    thousand magic users. Lastly is the most powerful group; the Ancient elements," said the Examiner, "If the element is in the Third to fifth group, then outside help in releasing the magic is not possible."


    "Then how can I release my magic?" asked Alex, starting to get confused.


    "The steps to releasing a higher level magic are different from the regular steps," answered the Mage, as he released a grin, "Mrs. Keith would you guide Mr. Fairchild to the other room? We may have found something interesting."


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    The Mage¡¯s assistant, Jessica Keith, nodded and started walking toward Alex.


    On closer inspection, Jessica was a young girl, about seventeen years old, with slightly above average height, dark blue eyes, and porcelain skin. She was quite beautiful, but seemed difficult to approach.


    "Follow me," said Jessica, then she started walking toward the exit.


    Alex stood in his place, trying to Grasp his situation, but soon gave up and followed.


    ***


    When saying "the other room", one would expect another examination room, but it wasn¡¯t even a room, rather it wouldn''t be wrong to call it ¡°the other world¡±.


    Alex was taken to an underground level in the hall that he never heard of, and at the end of the hall was a door.


    "If you''re lucky, then a well ranked Grimoire will be chosen for you and you''ll be able to use magic," said Jessica, then continued noticing the puzzlement on Alex''s face, "You do know what''s a Grimoire is, right?"


    "Not a clue," replied Alex.


    Jessica looked at him in disbelief, then started,


    "A Grimoire is, well, you could think of it as a magic book, that records a magician''s every spell, and change experience into new abilities. There are different Grimoires with different ranks, the higher the rank, the better the assistance the Grimoire will provide, though it''s difficult to contract a high ranked Grimoire, do you get it now?"


    "I think," replied Alex, remembering the notebook Jessica was reading at the Awakening room.


    "Good enough," said Jessica, "but as a word of advice, do not choose the first books you find, instead go as deep as you can."


    Jessica placed her hand on the door, a white circle with magical runes appeared and the door slowly opened. As Alex stepped in trying to process what she said, a question popped up in his mind.


    "How do I contract a Grimoire?" asked Alex.


    But Jules wasn''t there anymore; the door has disappeared leaving Alex in a room full of white.


    The room seemed endless, and above him loomed huge shelves full of books of all sizes, shapes, and colour. The Shelves slowly decended, or was it him who accended, he was preplexed. Before he knew it, he was surrounded by books.


    "Sweet," sighed Alex, and started to traverse the shelves.


    Alex noticed a kid, about twelve years old, with white hair, wearing a grey shirt and black pants, sitting on top of a shelf. As strange as it was, Alex approached the kid.


    "Um, Hello," said Alex as he neared the kid, "Do you know where I am?"


    Alex knew he was supposed to contract a Grimoire, but no one mentioned a library.


    "Who are you?" asked the Kid, without a speck of interest.


    Alex didn¡¯t exactly like his attitude but considering he needed the kid¡¯s help, he answered.


    "My name is Alexander, I was supposed to gain a Grimoire, but I have no Idea where I am."


    The kid, hearing Alex¡¯s words, jumped and landed gracefully on the floor.


    "You''re inside the Eternal Library, where Grimoires reside," answered the Kid, with newfound enthusiasm, as if someone had lit a flame in him.


    Ignoring the sudden change in attitude, Alex asked.


    "So I am supposed to choose one of those Grimoires?"


    "No a Grimoire has already been chosen for you."


    "Then where is it?"


    "You''re looking at it, I am a living Grimoire, One of the very few there is. My name is Jack," said the Kid, with a sense of pride.


    "So humble," muttered Alex to no one in particular," Then we''re contracted?"


    "Life''s not that easy, you have to prove you''re worth being contracted to me" said Jack.


    "Figures," asked Alex mockingly.


    "Normally, I would test your strength, but let''s try something new, if you''re able to find my book form then I will form a contract with you," said Jack, looking amused, "after all this is only my mana form, and my book form is deep within the Library."


    "You''ve got to be kidding me," Said Alex, "But that would take forever."


    Jack smiled a wicked smile, and then said "Good luck."

 First Arc- Chapter 3

    Considering the size of the library, Alex could search a lifetime and not find the Grimoire. At first, he thought it was purely luck, but after a few hours of searching he knew there must be a trick to it, mostly due to the sneering kid floating behind him.


    "How could I possibly find it?" exclaimed Alex.


    "That''s for you to figure out," said Jack, "you''re a magician right?"


    Alex sighed in exasperation.


    "I am not a magician," said Alex, "I''ve been thrown here without being told a thing."


    "Not my problem," replied Jack, as he folded his hands behind his head.


    "Seriously!," exclaimed Alex, "At the very least give me a hint."


    Jack knew if he didn''t help Alex, this would''ve gone on forever, so he gave in.


    "Fine, I''ll give you a hint," sighed Jack.


    Alex couldn¡¯t help but smile, after all this wasn''t the first time he asked Jack to help.


    "Feel my energy and trace it to the book, but don''t think that just by knowing this, you''ll find it, it''s not as easy as it sounds."


    "It doesn¡¯t sound easy at all," replied Alex," I can''t feel energy, I''ve tried it before."


    "Yeah, I suppose you wouldn''t," said Jack, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.


    "What do you mean?" Alex was starting to wonder if Jack knew what he was talking about.


    "Give me that pendant you''re wearing," said Jack, as he extended his open palm toward Alex.


    "How do you even know about it?" asked Alex.


    Jack ignored the question, and kept his arm extended.


    Alex took the pendant out of his pocket.


    "Be careful, it''s a gift," said Alex, as he gave it to Jack.


    "This thing has been limiting your powers, and it isn''t something you find in any neighborhood shop, it would¡¯ve sucked you dry, if you didn''t have enough mana to satisfy it, whoever gave it to you, obviously didn''t want you to use magic."


    Alex''s mind was full of questions, why would his father limit his power? How did his father even make this pendant, since he''s just a scholar? What power could he possibly have that would drive his father to hide?


    "But that doesn''t make any sense."


    "Never mind that now, just try doing it again," replied Jack.


    Alex pushed those questions to the back of his mind for now as, noting to ask his father for an explanation latter, and focused on sensing Jack''s mana. He closed his eyes and tried to feel the mana, something that cannot be seen or touched, but nevertheless still present, he searched the air around him with a sixth sense he didn''t even know he had. Slowly but surely he started feeling it flowing through the narrow passage, in and out, through the shelves, as a glowing blue aura. When he opened his eyes, to his surprise, he saw instead of felt those thread flowing around him.


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    "What in the world is this," was all Alex could manage to say at the sight in front of him. The flow of energy was going and coming from all directions, it was like a huge network of mana.


    As Alex watched the mana flow he saw that a fine line was coming from Jack''s back and passing through the shelf to his right. As he focused on it, the other threads slowly faded away leaving only the one coming out of jack.


    Alex started following the flow, not quite convinced, was that it? Did he really just have to follow it? But as he was walking he glanced back at Jack, who was floating behind him, and suddenly felt his stomach lurch. Jack was smiling, and that would obviously mean that this test was far from over.


    ***


    It wasn¡¯t long before Alex encountered his first obstacle, the thread of mana ended. Rather it hit a huge, black, and thick wall about 6 meters tall, which seemed made out of some kind of black marble.


    The wall was arched forward, in a way which hinted it being a circular fence, and extended as far as he could see. For the time being he decided to move along the fence, following the assumption that it must have an entrance.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he came upon a huge grey gate as tall as the wall, decorated with beautiful designs of ravens. It glistened with a metallic glow.


    ¡°I¡¯m supposed to push that open!?¡± exclaimed Alex as he turned to look at Jack, who replied with a shrug.


    Sighing, Alex approached the gate. The moment his fingers touched the gate, sounds of gears moving echoed across the area as the ground shook. Alex abruptly retreated from the gate as the eyes of the ravens glowed blue and both sides of the gate opened.


    ¡°That was¡­ easy?¡± mumbled Alex no longer surprised by the flow of events.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite lucky,¡± said Jack, after observing the whole spectacle, ¡°I¡¯ll give you that.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, things could have gone much worse¡±


    Wondering what that meant, Alex entered the second section of the library.

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