Elder John and my mother spoke for some time about living arrangements. I scanned the faces of the people near me. Most were stopping briefly to try and figure out the commotion before moving on to the next thing. I was a little thankful for that. I never wanted this amount of attention.

“Aadya, how do you feel about that?” My mother asked me, snapping my attention to her. I searched her eyes for clues as to what she was asking me. I looked at Elder John who looked very excited. Thomas stood with us as well and he cleared his throat.

“How do you feel about addressing the Council and possibly the whole school?” Thomas explained. My mind raced. I would need to meet with the Wizard council as well then. It must be fair. I hadn’t returned to the Wizard school yet. I thought of silent prayer to the Gods that I was making the right decision.

“I do think we should have a full Council meeting. If you are not yet ready for such a gathering I will meet with each Council individually. As for addressing the school. That should wait until after I have met with both Councils. Only the Pyromancer’s know of my return. The Wizards do deserve some ounce of respect.” I muttered. Elder John’s smile faltered before he regained his composure and nodded his head. My mother beamed at me. I took a deep steadying breath as I tried to settle the increasing nervousness that had settled deep in my stomach.

As Elder John went back to talking to my mom a memory of my dad came to the forefront of my mind.

“Aadya I know you don’t understand it now, but you have been blessed by God's. When the time comes you must always think about keeping things fair. Always remember how it would feel to be the other party. You are going to do great things.” My father told me while we were sitting in my room. I was young. I remember not liking how serious he was being. I pushed myself further into the comfort of my fuzzy blanket.

“What if I am not ready daddy?” A small scared me asked. He smiled softly and tears brimmed his eyes.

“Oh, princess. I don’t know if you ever will be ready. The world needs you though. You already know so much. You will do great. Just trust yourself.” He almost whispered the last part. I gave a small nod before crashing myself into his chest demanding a hug.

I blinked away the burning in my eyes as I remembered my father fondly. Thomas clasped the forearm of the Elder. Elder John looked my way before offering a bow which I returned. I turned my attention to Thomas and my mother.

“Now what?” I asked. Thomas shook his head with a smile while my mom's smile faltered.

“Elder John said he would like to have you meet with the Council tonight. He suggested you make your way to the Wizard school and ask for an audience with the Council Leader.” Thomas said with a chuckle. I nodded. I glanced around the school ground and panic bubbled up.

“Thomas. I don’t know where to go anymore.” I whispered. Thomas full-belly laughed.

“Chris can stay with you and lead you around for the next couple of days. Light punishment for his actions at the school.” Thomas said. I glanced at Chris who looked annoyed. I nodded slowly contemplating everything. I looked at my mom.

“What are you going to be doing?” I asked.

“I am going to set up our apartment. Elder John said they had some empty dorms.” She said with a smile. I turned to Chris. He gave me a soft smile.

“Lead the way towards the Wizard school. ” I said with a smile. He nodded and turned to take off in a direction. I lightly jogged to be beside him before matching his stride.

We walked in silence for a couple of minutes. Chris walked with purpose and his hand was always on the hilt of his blade. It reminded me of my father. The thought made me smile.

“So Chris. What’s it like being Thomas’s apprentice? He used to be a great teacher for me when I was just starting to learn to control my flame.” I said making small talk. I do remember the walk to the Wizard school being long.

“He can be tough on me, but always fair. Always told me when he was an apprentice his mentor always told him to be fair.” I nodded and spoke at the same time as him.

“Always think of the other party. ” I said that to him. He almost stopped walking as he looked down at me with wide eyes.

“My father was Thomas’s mentor. It’s how Thomas knew I existed. He was the only one my father trusted.” I said with a smile. Chris turned his head forward and kept walking in silence. I kept up with him wrapped up in my thoughts. We approached the golden gates that signified the end of the Pyromancer land. There was a small river to cross and then bright green gates rose on the other side. The Wizard school had wizard guards standing at the gate watching us carefully.

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“Chris. I need you to travel with me through the Wizard grounds. Do not worry I will keep them from doing anything stupid.” I whispered as we stepped through the first set of gates. Chris grumbled under his breath. I whirled on him. I studied his robes for a second and then the hilt of his blade. I knew something needed to change. Magik swirled in the air around us as I turned the metal of his blade black. He gasped as the edged of his robes lightly smoked. A black metal cuff appeared on each of our arms. His eyes bore into mine.

“Wizards study our traditions more than some of us do. I need them to know they can not mess with you under any circumstances. If what you say is true and they are wanting to start a war I need my bodyguard to look the most fearsome he can. Plus, with you being trained by Thomas I have no doubt this is something you will inevitably earn.” I said when I finished. Chris looked at me with surprise.

“They are going to think I am a higher rank than Thomas.” He whispered dumbfounded. I nodded.

“Technically this makes you higher rank than me.” I laughed. I smiled at him and touched the metal cuff on my arm. It signified that we are paired together. We must protect one another at all costs and that our souls are intertwined. “I hope this is okay. I know it can be a big deal to even falsely claim a pairing.” I muttered. He grinned as he touched the cuff on his arm.

“I could care less about that. Hell, we can do the ceremony and be tied as best friends now. It doesn’t mean we are together romantically anymore.” He said with a grin. I blinked in surprise. I didn’t know they changed that. I turned back towards the gate where the two wizards squinted our way. We were too far away for them to see the changes I had made.

I began heading towards the gate and I used Chris’s footfalls as a comforting sound. As we neared the two Wizards stiffened and grabbed their staffs a little tighter. I could see the white knuckles on the staff as they fed their power into the staff.

“Stop! Pyromancers are not allowed on our grounds.” One yelled. My eyebrows came together. The schools were supposed to be open campuses to one another. I hummed as I thought of an appropriate reply.

“I bring to the Wizards the Mixed. She is looking for a meeting with the wizard Council!” Chris yelled behind me. I froze in place before grinning. It was the best move. The two guards eyed us both suspiciously. I stepped forward and unlocked the gate using Magik. They each took two steps back as the gate swung towards them.

“We need to speak to the Council Leader before allowing you entry.” One finally spoke. He disappeared in a flash. I glanced at the other wizard and offered a small smile. He looked petrified. I turned to Chris.

“How long do you want to guess before the Council Leader appears?” I asked, filling in the awkward silence. Chris glanced down at me before grinning.

“I don’t know. I don’t have much experience with the way Wizards run their guard protocol. Although, I can tell you a Pyromancer would never leave their post.” He said his grin spreading as he made the snide comment. I lightly smacked his arm and rolled my eyes.

“Yes, while that may be true at least we can quickly tell you to leave. Pyromancers are not welcome at our school.” An older voice said from behind me. I whirled around and faced the gentleman that had appeared with the original guard. I studied him for a second.

“I have proven I am not just any Pyromancer by unlocking your gate. Also according to the treaty, the schools are supposed to be open to allow for students from both schools to mingle.” I said stepping forward in the way of the gate so it could not close on us. Chris stepped up beside me with his hand on his blade. The counselor looked between us for a moment. He sighed before waving us through the gates. I smiled and followed behind him.

We walked through the campus. Eyes tracked our every move as we followed behind the Councilor. I could hear whispers, but couldn’t make out what was being said. The school was beautiful and I was surprised they didn't want to share this anymore.

“I had no idea this was so amazing. ” Chris whispered in awe. I glanced up at him and grinned. The wizard school was known for using their Magik to create an appealing infrastructure that seemed to defy the natural laws of physics. They also worshiped the Mother and firmly believed in giving back to the planet. It's part of the reason they hated Pyromancers so much. They felt the flame they carried would someday destroy the planet and everything Mother made.

“We protect these grounds with everything we have. Therefore we want them to reflect the pride we have.” The Counselor replied to Chris’s comment. I smiled slightly at the hidden jab. It amused me that both sides make these off-hand remarks trying to anger the other one.

“It is amazing the effort. I can respect that.” Chris said. We watched as the Councilor faltered briefly. I grinned and nodded towards Chris who had a smile on his face.

“So Mixed. What is your name?” The Counselor asked.

“Aadya, daughter of Nama.”

“Nama? She left the Wizard community 17 years ago. She is greatly missed.” The counselor said, glancing my way.

“Yes, she left when she fell in love with my father. She knew the Council would never approve of her marrying a Pyromancer. She used to serve on the Council didn’t she?” I asked.

“She did. She was a wonderful Counselor. She was always fair and believed in giving everyone a second chance.” He said with a smile. I nodded.

“Is she okay?” The counselor finally asked.

“She is. We moved to live in a Normie city when my father was killed. She wanted to protect me from whoever committed the crime. She trained me in my Magik and I practiced what little I knew of Pyromancy in secret. I have returned to continue my education more fully in both schools.” I lied smoothly. I knew they would never admit to the possibility of another war. They didn’t want to be responsible for that.