August 13, 2000

"Master. The power of the ancient ones has reincarnated once again. I have seen it in a vision. A baby girl will bear the mark."

"Thank you, Seer. This is excellent news. Bring her here. Use any means necessary. We must have her on our side."

18 years later

"Alright, students. The bell's about to ring, so I'll let you out early. Azalea, please stay behind. I want to talk to you about your recent assignment."

I roll my eyes and groan as my classmates begin packing up their belongings all around me. Mr. Floyd is waiting for me at his desk, so I take my time putting my notebook in my bag.

"Azalea. I don't have all day." He says.

I sling my backpack over one shoulder and sulk over to his desk.

"What? And I told you not to call me that."

"Okay, Zale. You know the 'Post-Graduation Plan' essay I had you students write a while ago? I read over yours this morning and it is completely unacceptable."

"Why?"

He puts on his glasses and holds up my essay. "You wrote, and I quote: 'After graduation I plan to spend my life as a magical sorcerer, fighting evil with my awesome powers. After that I'll grow old and be a scary witch that lives in a haunted house. All the local children will fear me.'"

"Oh yeah, I remember writing that." I laugh.

"Azalea- sorry. Zale, you graduate high school in less than two months. I suggest that you take things a bit more seriously. I'd hoped that your friend Declan would rub off on you more." He sighs.

"Oh, he's in my essay too. Did you see that part?"

"Yes. I find it hard to believe that he can- what was it… 'summon fire and manipulate it to his will?' Really Azalea. I'm going to have to fail you for this unless you re-write it. I expect it by Monday."

"Fine." I groan.

As I walk through the school to the parking lot, I can't help but grin to myself. Little does Mr. Floyd know- My essay was completely honest. I was raised by a society of Mages- people with supernatural powers. My best friend Declan was too. And he can manipulate fire to his will, unbelievable as it may be.

I don't have any powers- at least not yet. Claudius, our leader, says that high-pressure situations usually cause them to emerge. He's been putting me through all sorts of 'catalyst' trials in an attempt to bring them out.

I go through the school doors out into the parking lot, and I see Declan already waiting for me by the car. His yellow hoodie makes him stick out like a traffic cone. Its pretty warm out, but he has to wear it to hide the wrist-cuff tattoos, or 'halos' as we call them, that signify his status as a mage. They appear when your powers emerge- so my wrists are bare.

He sees me approaching and shakes his head. "Were you talking to Floyd? He told me what you wrote in your essay."

"Yeah. Pretty funny, right? He thinks I'm a crazy person now." I chuckle.

"You shouldn't have written that Azalea. You know its against the rules to talk about The Order."

"Oh, come on. I didn't even mention them by name."

He grins. "Okay, It was kinda funny."

Declan is the only one I let call me Azalea. Normally I go by Zale, because my full name feels too formal. But coming from him, I don't mind it.

We get in the car and start the commute to Headquaters- the place we call home. All mages are required to live there. Together we practice techniques, go on missions, and refine our powers. Its in the middle of nowhere. I switch on some music while Declan drives. It takes over an hour to get there, so we usually jam to good songs on the way.

He brakes at a stoplight right outside the parking lot, and I notice some girls from our school in the car next to us. One of them points at Declan, and they giggle and blush. He's focused on the road, oblivious as always to the attention. With his medium-brown skin and loose fluffy curls, he's always turning heads. He could easily be one of the most popular guys at school, but he's to mellow to enjoy large friend groups.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

He and I have been best friends since I can remember. The Order of Mages adopted me when I was a baby, and Declan's uncle, Claudius, raised him at Headquarters. So we grew up together in this hidden world of mystic power. He's my whole family, and the only person I really care about.

We continue driving. The city passes by, then the suburbs, and then there's nothing but trees. The roads are winding and narrow as we move farther from civilization.

I'm looking for a new song to play, when his phone buzzes on the dashboard.

"Can you check that?" He asks. "I don't want to take my eyes off the road."

"Sure." I grab his phone and check the text. "Ah, its from Claudius. He says there's a new recruit and- hey! She's our age, that’s cool. He wants you to do her orientation… oh. And he wants to try another catalyst on me tonight." My stomach sinks at the thought of going through another catalyst. I think Declan can tell I'm upset-he turns down the music and furrows his brow.

"Are you gonna be okay? You've had to do a lot of those lately."

"Yeah, it's not a big deal. Maybe I'll actually get my halos this time." I try to sound optimistic, but I barely believe myself. "I wonder what the new girl is like." I try to change the subject.

"Hopefully she's not to crazy. We could use more Element Class mages."

"Hey, maybe they'll make me one." I joke.

"With how hot headed you are? Come on Azalea. You'll be lucky if they even let you use your powers." He laughs.

Most of humanity is unaware of the fact that they have the potential to develop superhuman abilities. When our bodies go into fight or flight, a very small percent of people untap powers in the moment of desperation. They gain the ability to use the energy that all living things posses to influence the world around them. Their halos appear and from that moment on, they are mages.

The Order of Mages takes these people in and trains them to fight for justice. Among mages, there are different classes. After training for a year, mages are assigned to a class. Another year or so after that, their powers will have 'ingrained' in them, and they will only be able to use their power in accordance with that class.

Declan got his halos very young, which is usually the case when people are raised by other mages. He's an Element Class mage, specializing in fire. Classes are assigned based on your personality. Declan makes a great fire-user because he's generally calm and levelheaded, so there's no risk that he will accidentally blow something up. I definitely won't be assigned Element class.

We turn off onto a narrow drive, and soon the main building comes into view. Declan pulls right and parks by the dorms.

"We'd better go straight to Claudius if he's got the new girl waiting, don't you think?" Declan asks.

"Yeah."

Instead of heading to our dorms like we normally would, we walk up a paved path to the main building. Pine trees and foliage fill the surrounding landscape, shrouding the sprawling community from view. I hear distant clangs coming from the training grounds.

The main building reminds me of a capitol, or maybe a fancy library. Stone steps lead to the entrance, The entrance doors are tall and heavy. We push through them to the airy atrium beyond. The lofted ceilings and marble walls made me feel like I was in a castle when I was a kid. Other mages mill around within, passing from one place to another, entering and exiting the doors and passageways leading out of the atrium, attending to their own business.

I see Claudius waiting near a massive statue of a muscled man. He's a serious-faced man who always wears formal robes that signify his status. Mages nod to him respectfully as they pass by.

Before heading over to him, Declan and I have to say our daily affirmations- they're kind of like a pledge. We turn to a plaque next to the door and recite the words written on it.

"We swear to remain loyal to The Order of Mages, and always live a life in accordance with its laws. We will never use our power upon another human being, including ourselves. As mages, it is our duty to work towards a world of peace and order. If we should ever stray, may Salvare forgive our shameful betrayal."

We finish and walk quickly to where Claudius stands in wait.

"Ah, finally. I have been waiting for you two." Claudius states. Declan fidgets next to me.

"Sorry Uncle Claudius. I'll have to drive faster next time."

"Declan- not in uniform, I see. Well, the new recruit is waiting so there's no time to change. Go meet her at the dorms and give her a tour." Claudius orders. Declan nods and heads back outside. I turn to follow him.

"Not you, Zale."

I turn back around slowly. "The catalyst isn't until later, right?"

"Yes. But I have not told you where yet."

"Yeah, I was kinda hoping you wouldn't tell me so I could just not go." I shrug. Claudius appears unamused.

"Meet me in room B13 at 8 pm. We will be doing shocks again."

I cringe. Electrocution has been Claudius' preferred trial lately. I absolutely hate it, but I have to remember its for the best.

Claudius notices my anxiety. "Do you… doubt my methods?" His tone indicates that I must be careful what I say next.

"No, of course not- its just…Why don't you give up on me? We've been doing this for so long. Maybe I'm just one of the billions of people that never gets my halos."

"Remember, Zale. It's for your good. You want to help people, right? This is the only way." He looks me up and down. "Put on your uniform before you do anything else today. And inform Declan that he is to wear his too. You are to join him and the new recruit for the orientation lessons tomorrow."

"Oh? Do you want me to help Declan teach her?"

"No. I want you to learn the orientation again."

"What?! I've literally lived here since infanthood. I know everything." I complain.

"Still, I think you can benefit from reviewing the rules. Your behavior borders on unruly. We have overlooked it for far too long." He says.

"That’s so stupid!" I complain. He looks at me pointedly. "I mean, yes sir. I'll do the lessons again sir." I correct myself.

"Good."