An artifact that had been close to the school, had been secretly stolen. Because of this, Headmaster Azure Dray Whitlock, an older man in his late sixties who was a master of magic, needed help to locate the artifact. Because he couldn't leave the school. He had to call on the aid of the Ilymere, which was a guild of a few hand picked and extremely talented Mystics. Small towns and villages who request help from the school, and the Ilymere would be sent to aid them. These requests for help ranged from delivering goods, escorting someone or even helping to rescue someone. The magical ability of the students in the Ilymere outweighed the average student, enabling them to take care of themselves and complete most of these requests for help with ease. Professor Whitlock ventured down to the Ilymere, which operates out of the school's underground tunnels. He finds the now sixteen-year-old Cyrus, who was the young protege of the Ilymere. Cyrus had already mastered the art of conjuration, the youngest to ever master it. It was morning and no classes had started, so Professor Whitlock entered and asked Ajax, the teacher who led the Ilymere, if he could borrow Cyrus. Cyrus got up from the table he was sitting at, closing the book he was reading and followed Professor Whitlock upstairs and through the halls of the school. The torches lined the long and beautiful halls of Stormyrose. Stormyrose School of Magic, an ancient structure that is nestled in between a few mountains called the Levisay Mountains named after one of the founders of the school. The location gives off a beautiful view seeing mountains surround the school and some off in the distance. Each balcony in the school, of which there are many, allowed this beautiful view to be seen. Stormyrose is a place where many gifted children grow and learn to harness their abilities, and they eventually mature into a Mystic. From the ages of four to eight, students are in the smaller building behind Stormyrose, called Stormyrose Grade School which acts as a normal school where students learn Math, English, History, Science, and basic social skills. At age eight, students move to Stormyrose and stay on the first floor in the corner of the building out of the way of the older kids, still learning their regular studies. At age nine students start to get a slight introduction to magic during their studies, and then at age ten they drop the regular subjects and start attending magic classes. The first two or three years were mainly bookwork and maybe a few little spells. Cyrus had been attending here since he was young, along with his best friends Madison McKenna, a beautiful and very intelligent girl who is extremely polite but also isn’t a pushover. Cyrus has much love for her, and Henry Collymere, a boy who didn’t apply himself in school, and who was shy and nervous to do magic in front of others but was very skilled at fighting and dueling, once he got past his nerves. He and Cyrus are very close friends. These two were both also part of the Ilymere. He had met them at a young age at Stormyrose. Cyrus and the others in the Ilymere, including Madison and Henry were a special case, as they had magical promise from the age of six, where they were moved out of the grade school and into the big school and began learning magic. By age ten, every member in the Ilymere was competent in both fighting and magical ability, even being able to take on some adults if the situation called for it, though the school attempted to keep them away from those situations. Cyrus followed Professor Whitlock to his study. He sits down and listens as Professor Whitlock begins to speak. "The Hourglass. The artifact that had been sitting in the Hall Of Magic History. It’s very powerful. It holds extreme magical properties. It can be used to end, start or resume life," Whitlock says. "Yeah, I know this. Surprisingly, I attend a magic school that has classes called ‘Magic History’ and I have attended every class. I assume you know, that I know this. Otherwise I wouldn't be here talking to you about it," Cyrus says sarcastically with a smile. "Cyrus, this is serious. We have no idea where it could've gone or who could've stolen it. But we need your help," Whitlock says. "I can't just abandon all my classes," Cyrus says. "All your professors have been spoken to. You will be allowed to leave until you return, and you will be allowed to miss classes. You can take anyone you want with you as well," Whitlock says. "Is this hourglass really as powerful as everyone says?" Cyrus asked. "According to history, yes. It hasn't been used in many many years, long before any of us were born," Professor Whitlock says. Cyrus thinks for a minute. He then asks for any Information that Professor Whitlock might have. What he has is very minimal. But, Cyrus agrees and leaves to tell his friends. He exits Professor Whitlocks chambers and heads to the courtyard. The courtyard was a beautiful stone area in the middle of the school with two statues of the founders of the school, Arlys Kenric Levisay and Einar Hale Caspian that sat over the fountain in the middle of the courtyard. This is an area where plenty of students would find themselves later in the day after classes were over. Some would be practicing magic, others would be selling potion ingredients, some were studying while others just sat and talked. He finds Madison and Henry sitting on the fountain while Henry looks at Madison’s notebook. "Cheating off Maddie as usual Henry?" Cyrus says with a smile. "She's the only way I'm gonna pass," Henry says with a chuckle. "She's the only way either of us have ever passed," Cyrus replies with a laugh. He explains to his friends that they have a task. One of the first real serious adventures they would go on together. “You know the hourglass that used to be in the Hall Of Magic History?” Cyrus asks. Madison and Henry both nod, showing they know what he is referencing. “Well, Professor Whitlock just had me in his office and he told me it was stolen,” He says. “Do we know who stole it?” Maddie asks. “Nope, but it’s our job to figure out and find it,” Cyrus says. Before any further conversation could start, they heard the bell ring signifying that it was time for their first class. Their current schedule had Conjuration as their morning class. Conjuration was the one class that could change very often. It could be in the morning, or an afternoon class. Sometimes it was also an evening class. Nonetheless, this was an easy class for Cyrus, who acted more as an aid to the Professor than a student, as Conjuration was the one skill he had mastered. Conjuration in its simplest form is magic that allows one to summon entities or things. It was a popular subject at the school. In fact, the first spell all students will learn when getting to Stormyrose, is a conjuration spell. They are taught how to summon a ball of light. They are taught the incantation, “Coniurtes Lux," When studied and practiced correctly, a ball of light would summon and serve as a flashlight to the summoner. Students in their later years learn to summon entities to help them fight if they ever needed to. But even though Cyrus was young, he still mastered Conjuration. He was the most talented in the school when it came to conjuration, even more talented than students in years above him. Students in their first year were given one Conjuration class in the beginning of the year as an introduction, but after that it wouldn’t become available to learn until students reached their fourth year. Cyrus was in his sixth year, and with the school holding twelve years with a possible extra four, Cyrus and his friends weren’t even halfway done at Stormyrose, and were still very young mystics. Cyrus and his friends made their way to the Conjuration classroom which was on the third floor on the far left. They entered the classroom and took their seats. They were soon greeted by Professor Armis, an older man in his forties with hair that was buzzed on the sides but a little longer on the top and grayish stubble with black robes who looked more evil than he actually was. He was known around Stormyrose to be one of if not the most liked Professor with his extreme kindness and his love for teaching. He was Cyrus’s idol, as he raised Cyrus since he was young and helped teach him Conjuration from a young age, where they discovered that Cyrus was a genius when it came to Conjuration. “Good Morning Class. There will be no hands on today, I would like you to continue reading Chapter seventeen in your textbooks, and then do the quiz at the end of the chapter," He said. The students all pulled out their textbooks and opened them up to chapter seventeen. Cyrus loved the smell of the fresh pages in a textbook, and the whipping sound the pages made. Instead of reading through the chapter which he had already done multiple times, he got up and walked over to Professor Armis’s desk after all the students were engaged in reading. Cyrus grabbed a chair and dragged it over next to Professor Armis. “Professor, I have a question,” Cyrus said. “Yes, Cyrus?” Professor Armis said. “I know you are aware that the hourglass was stolen, and I also assume you know that I have been assigned to help find it. Do you have any information for me, maybe someone who would want to take it?” Cyrus asked. “Unfortunately Cyrus, I don’t have any information for you. I don’t know who would want to steal it. But, what I do know is it had to be someone in this building already. We haven’t had any visitors in a while," Professor Armis said. “Would a student even have enough information to steal that hourglass?," Cyrus asked. “It might not have been a student. At least, I don’t believe it was a student," Professor Armis said. Cyrus thought for a minute. “No way it was one of the Professors,” Cyrus whispered. “I hate thinking about that possibility as well. But we can’t ignore that it is a true possibility, and maybe the most likely possibility,” Professor Armis said. “I believe you are right though. It had to be someone in this building,” Cyrus said. “None of it makes any sense yet, but I will keep my ears open, and If I hear anything I will relay the information to you immediately, Cyrus,” Professor Armis said. “Thank you Professor," Cyrus said. Cyrus walked back to his seat and pulled out his notebook and started writing all the information that he had down. The hourglass has been taken. It had to have been by someone that was already in the building as they have no records of any visitors lately and it would be difficult for anyone to break in. “Hey, Cyrus!” Someone whispered. Cyrus looked around to see Henry waving at him behind him. Cyrus spun around. “What?” Cyrus said. “What’s the answer to number three?” Henry asked. Cyrus looked at Maddie who was laughing. Cyrus put his hand over his face and shook his head. “It’s B,” Cyrus said with a chuckle. The relief from the bell put an end to the boredom brought on by the bookwork. Professor Armis dismissed all of the students. Cyrus grouped up with his friends. Maddie walked up to Cyrus. “What did Professor Armis say?” Maddie asked. “Someone who is already in the building must’ve stolen it, because no visitors have been to the school in a while. I just can’t figure out who in the building would be brave enough to enter the Hall Of Magic History and steal that," Cyrus said. After only a few minutes, the bell rang signifying the start of their next class, which was Alteration. They made their way to the Alteration class on the second floor. Alteration was taught by Professor Dawson, who was a middle aged man who was balding on top with some hair around the side and back of his head and a clean shaven face. He was another Professor who was willing to help any student in need. Simply put, Alteration is the manipulation of the physical world, allowing Mystics to breath under water and block spells. Cyrus had been in this class, but didn’t actually know very many spells as the first two years of Alteration are mostly bookwork. Cyrus took a seat with his friends and Professor Dawson entered. “Good Morning class, I know we haven’t done much other than bookwork, but today I am going to teach you how to summon a shield. Please watch me," Professor Dawson said. Professor Dawson walked to the middle of the room. He held his hand out and said “Clipovus” and a wall of blue energy formed in front of him. He held it for a few seconds before letting it go. “Now, this spell can deflect any type of magic, whether it’s fire, lightning, or even ice. It’s very, very useful in the midst of battle. Cyrus, would you please help me demonstrate?” Professor Dawson asked. Cyrus stood up and walked over to Professor Dawson. “Now, stand a few feet away from me and cast a spell in my direction," Professor Dawson said. Cyrus looked at him with a look of uncertainty. “Don’t worry Cyrus, it will not hit me," Professor Dawson said. Cyrus stood about five feet away from Professor Dawson and held his hand out. Cyrus was a little unsure about casting a spell at a professor, especially a spell that could severely hurt someone. He was going to use a fire spell he learned his second year. “Flamus,” Cyrus said while throwing his hand forward. A small flame fired from his hand at Professor Dawson who held his hand out and yelled “Clipovus.” The shield formed and blocked Cyrus’s spell. Professor Dawson let the shield go. “Fantastic work Cyrus. Now, Everyone open up to page thirty six and study the history of the spell before we start practice," Professor Dawson said. The students opened up their textbooks and started studying the spell. It was a basic spell but was used very heavily in the previous wars. It was actually discovered back before the time of the First Mystic War by a man named Aslan Elio to protect his sister from a group of scavengers that had raided their village. He had begun to develop it after he was attacked and stabbed while out hunting. After using it to save his sister, he began to teach it to others and it quickly spread, becoming one of the most easily learned and one of the most utilized spells, especially back then. After studying the spell for a half hour, Professor Dawson got the attention of the class. “Attention class. We are going to practice the spell now. Cyrus, since you did a good job earlier, would you like to be the first one to attempt the spell?” Professor Dawson asked. “Of course Professor Dawson," Cyrus said. He stood up from his seat and stood in the same spot as earlier. “Now Cyrus, this is very important. This goes for everyone, so listen up. There are two things you need for the spell to work, you need to first have an understanding of the spell which you guys all do because you hopefully read the chapter. Secondly, before casting the spell, you need to imagine yourself harnessing the energy around you, and imagine the shield before casting the spell. I will cast a spell at you, it won’t be dangerous. Get ready to cast the spell," Professor Dawson explained. Cyrus stood at the same distance as before. Professor Dawson held his hand up, and Cyrus held his hand up and imagined the energy around him being manipulated into the shape of a shield. Cyrus said “Clipovus!” A blue shield formed around Cyrus just as a blast of air came from Professor Dawsons hand. Cyrus stumbled back because of the force of the spell that was cast from Professor Dawson, but he blocked the blast of air. “Good job Cyrus, ground yourself and keep yourself steady,” Professor Dawson said. They tried one again, with Cyrus bracing himself this time. The blast of air did not cause Cyrus to stumble. He blocked the spell and kept himself stable. “Outstanding Cyrus! Keep practicing the spell. Everyone, line up and get ready to practice," Professor Dawson said. As Cyrus sat down, he watched the other students line up. Maddie was the first one to go. Cyrus watched Maddie, and she got it on the first try. Cyrus wasn’t surprised as Maddie was extremely smart. It was very common for her to get the spell on her first try, no matter what the class was. A few more kids went up. Then Henry went up. He stood in the same spot as the other students, but his nerves almost got the best of him and he almost backed out. Cyrus could tell he was nervous, so he got up and ran over to him. “Henry, what’s wrong?” Cyrus asked. “I can’t do this,” Henry said. “Why not?” Cyrus asked. “I’m too nervous everyone’s watching me," Henry said. “That doesn’t matter, no one else knows how to do this spell. We are all learning together. Henry, you are part of the Ilymere, you know how to perform magic, and you know how to fight very well. This is easy. Hold your hand up, imagine the shield forming in front of you and say the incantation. You got this," Cyrus said. Cyrus headed back to his seat and sat down. This usually happened whenever learning something new. Henry would get nervous but after Cyrus calmed him down, he would get it. Professor Dawson asked if he was ready, and Henry nodded, yes. He held his hand out and yelled “Clipovus!” The shield formed and blocked the blast of air from Professor Dawson. Henry dropped the spell and Professor Armis praised Henry. He sat down and Cyrus and Maddie clapped for him. Cyrus patted him on the shoulder. “I told you that you would be fine," Cyrus said. They watched on as the rest of the class attempted the spell, some succeeded on the first try, others failed to summon the shield and had to try again. Once everyone had succeeded in casting the spell, Professor Dawson had everyone pair up and practice the spell until the bell. It rang after fifteen minutes or so and he dismissed the class. There was a morning break that lasted forty minutes, so Cyrus and his friends walked over to Professor Dawson. “Excuse me Professor. I know you know that the hourglass was stolen, and I have been assigned to help look for it. Would you happen to have any information?” Cyrus asked. “I don’t know who could’ve taken it,” Professor Dawson said. “Professor Armis and I believe it may be someone who was already in the building,” Cyrus said. “As much as it pains me to say it, I would have to agree, because it had to be someone who knew the school inside and out. There is no way they hid it in the school, Professor Whitlock would’ve felt its presence. It had to be someone who knew just where to go to leave the building," Professor Dawson said. “This isn’t going to be easy," Cyrus said. “No, it won’t. But I know you will figure it out. I will keep investigating as well, and will tell you any information I find," Professor Dawson said. “Thank you Professor," Cyrus said. Because they were on their break, Cyrus and his friends went down to the Hall of Magic History to investigate. They walked up to the display case that once housed the Hourglass. The glass was not shattered, and the lock was not broken. “Someone used magic to open the case,” Cyrus said. Cyrus scanned his surroundings. He walked down one of the corridors and that led to a doorway that was locked. Cyrus tried bashing the door open but it wouldn’t budge. He walked back over to his friends who were still over by the display case looking around. Cyrus mentions the door and that they should try to find a way to open it. “I’ll look for a way to get it open," Maddie says. “Ok, let me know what you find," Cyrus says. The bell rings so they leave the hall and start to head for the fourth floor. As they walk, Cyrus hears a voice. “Good old Cyrus, the man, the myth, the master Conjurer too afraid to be separated from his little friends," The voice says. Cyrus stops, as he knows who the voice is. “Is there any real reason you’re up here…Arlo?” Cyrus says while turning around. Maddie and Henry turn around as well. “Or are you just here to cause aggravation?” Cyrus continues. “I’m here to let you know that you aren’t going to find that hourglass. What makes you think you can find the hourglass? Just because you are part of the Ilymere, and you're good at magic, doesn't mean you are skilled enough to find an ancient artifact that has been around for thousands of years," Arlo says. “Shouldn’t you be in the study hall, wondering why you aren’t skilled enough to be part of the Ilymere?” Cyrus responds, shutting him down. Arlo gets a look of hatred on his face and turns, before walking away he looks back. “You better watch your back, all three of you," He says before walking away. “What is that guy's problem?” Henry asks. “He’s just upset that he isn’t part of the Ilymere. Forget him, let’s get to class," Cyrus says. They walk into the class at the end of the hall. It was a new class for Cyrus and his friends as it only became available recently. It was Healing class with Professor Hope. Cyrus and his friends entered and sat down. They had only been to the class a few other times, and really hadn’t learned anything, it had been more of an introduction. Some new kids entered the class as well. Professor Hope entered. She was a kind, pretty and happy lady who was in a good mood and seemed to be always smiling. “Good Afternoon class! I see we have a couple of new students. So, to those who have met me, welcome back! To those that are new, welcome! I am Professor Hope and I will be teaching you Healing," She said. After a long explanation about healing, including why it was created and why it was important. “Healing can save you and an entire group. A mastery of magic cna turn the tide for you in a fight, even if your opponent is more skilled than you, as long as you have an understanding of healing, you can continue fighting and find a way to either escape or defeat your opponent,” Professor Hope said. She finally explains what the day's lesson was going to be. “So, today I am going to teach you a simple healing spell, Sanio. Watch me," She says. Professor Hope holds her hand out with her open palm facing up and says “Sanio” and a medium sized yellow ball of energy appears in her palm. “Now, once you cast the spell, all that’s left is to squeeze the ball of energy, like this," She says. She squeezes it and it crushes. A faint yellow glow surrounds her for a few seconds before dissipating. Her veins even glow yellow before fading and returning back to their normal color. “Now, when you use this spell, any wounds you have whether interior or exterior will heal and any pain will cease. But, I must stress, this spell isn’t easy to use in the midst of battle. I would recommend creating distance between you and your opponent before performing this spell if you ever need it in a battle, but hopefully you won’t. Open up your textbooks and read through Chapter five, to understand the spell," Professor Hope says. Cyrus studies the spell, making sure to read the history of the spell. Celeste Alisa created the spell hundreds of years ago at the age of twelve. Due to the time period, even young kids were fighting for their town or village, as there were constant battles and raids back then. Most of the younger kids would get injured and some would even die as they had no way to heal them unless they had a potion which wasn’t often that they did. Celeste would find herself meditating on top of a mountain everyday until eventually she found a way to create the healing spell. She would test it on herself, by giving herself small cuts and attempting the spell. Most of the time it would fail, but finally one time her cut healed. She tried it a few more times, and each cut was healed. She then began to perform it when anyone in her village was injured. As she got older, she was able to apply the spell to larger wounds, and Celeste became one of the first proficient healers. “Why is it so important that we study the history of every spell we learn?” Henry says. “Because if we didn’t it would be impossible for us to cast it," Cyrus said. Professor Hope eventually got the attention of the class, and asked everyone to line up to perform the spell. Cyrus was first in line. When he approached Professor Hope, her smile began to fade slightly. He held his hand out, palm up. “Sanio," He said. The yellow ball formed. He squeezed it, surprised at how much pressure he needed to use to actually crush it and felt a warm sensation flow through his body. His muscles felt relaxed and that little pain he had in his neck from sleeping the wrong way faded instantly. Cyrus was surprised he did it on the first try. He then noticed that Professor Hope’s grin had faded slightly. Professor Hope then brought her smile back and congratulated him for doing the spell. “It is not often that the first student performs this spell on their first try, that’s very impressive Cyrus!” Professor Hope said. Professor Hope goes on to explain that this spell won’t permanently heal deep wounds. It’s made for a quick fix. “This spell will heal wounds and dull the pain, but when you can try to get to a doctor. On the other hand, the spell will heal small wounds or small pains," Professor Hope says. After every student had performed the spell correctly, Professor Hope then instructs the class to continue practicing with their friends. Maddie in particular had a very good grasp on the spell, performing it perfectly every single time. Even Professor Hope had high praise for Maddie’s quick grasp of the spell. After some time, the bell rang and Professor Hope dismissed the class. This was one of the rare times that students didn’t want to leave. Professor Hope’s bubbly and positive personality was infectious and it made everyone in the class feel happy and comfortable. Even Henry didn’t feel nervous when performing the spell due to the positivity and the encouragement of Professor Hope. The class was dismissed. Cyrus waited until all of the students had left and he met with Professor Hope. “Excuse me Professor?” Cyrus said. “Yes Cyrus?” She replied. Professor Hope seemed tense around Cyrus. “I assume you heard about the hourglass being stolen. I was just wondering if you happened to know anything about it?” Cyrus asked. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any idea,” Professor Hope said. “A few of the professors and I have thought of the possibility that it may have been someone in the school. Maybe even a professor,” Cyrus said. Professor Hope didn’t know what to say at first. “I sure hope it’s not any of the professors. But if I hear anything I will come and find you,” Professor Hope said. “Thank you Professor,” Cyrus said. Most of the students had different schedules, and some students went on to their next class, but Cyrus, Maddie and Henry were off to lunch.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.