Ever since the death of her mother, Ember Spark had been a lonely and miserable child. Being unable to see her younger brother in fear of corruption, and the abuse from her peers drove her to depression.

The Spark family was a large, strict family line of the strongest Fire Mages in the entire kingdom. Because of this, they cast out the weak and embrace the strong.

Ember had been born different from the rest of the Spark children. Instead of the usual red hair the Spark family had, she was born with black. And instead of the usual green eyes they had, she was born with black. For this, they called her the ‘cursed child’ and she was immediately separated from other children at birth by her mother's request. When her mother died, she was released into public and bullied excessively. 

It was completely unheard of for the direct descendant of the first fire mage ‘Perite Spark’ to be born without the ability to use fire magic. If she were the daughter of another family line, it would’ve been accepted. However fate was cruel.

The day had been like any other for Ember, the only difference from any other day was the fact that it was her fifteenth birthday. After once again being bullied by her peers (who always seemed to light her on fire), she was called to her father’s Meeting Room. At first she was hopeful that perhaps he remembered her birthday.

That was not the case.

After he called her a disgrace to the family line, she was immediately disowned from her family line and revoked the title of Noble.

Five years later is where our story begins.

 

Magic.

There are five types of magic: Fire, Water, Rock, Wind and Shadow. These five magics make up the Pentagon.
At the head of the Pentagon are the five magic leaders, direct descendants from the first (and strongest) mages. The Pentagon is the governing head of the land.

Magic is mixed with blood. If even one of your ancestors has magic, there is a possibility you could be born with magic. It is the same as if one of your ancestors has ordinary blood, you could be born ordinary.
Those born with magic or are from magic lineage are immediately considered Noble. You can be stripped of your Noble title by the head of your magic.

2: Chapter One: Night

In the green field, a young woman of twenty years sat on her galloping horse with a wide smile on her face. Happy with her profits, she rode her horse up to her small cottage. She smiled as it came to view. It may be small, but it was her home.

She stopped her horse at the barn near the cottage, putting him into his stall and feeding him the high-quality hay she had recently bought. As the horse fed, she looked up at the tall mountain near her home. It was a spectacular view. The lush green mountain held a beautiful forest and a breathtaking waterfall, free from civilisation. She looked up at this scenery every day to the point of knowing it all by heart.

She walked to the cottage, holding a small brown sack full of silver coins. At first glance, one would think this young woman was still the age of sixteen. She hated her petite looks, and the constant questioning about her age. Her long black hair was tied in a braid over her right shoulder, ending at her just below her elbows. She wore simple clothes: black pants and a black shirt, covered by a coat and simple boots.

Despite her being small, she was very powerful in her magic. There were legends all over the kingdom about the mysterious Night Mage, a powerful Shadow Mage who could be hired by money. She was the Night Mage.

She opened the front door of the cottage with ease, sighing as she relaxed. She massaged her right shoulder, relieving herself from the pain in her muscles.

She stepped into the main room, smiling at her Uncle who was reading the daily newsletter.

“I am home, Uncle.” She called putting the sack of coins on the table next to him. “Thirty silvers, pretty good for a quick job.”

“I see you handled those thieves quite well.” He replied, putting down the paper in his hands and picking up the sack. He poured its contents onto the table and started to count.

She took a seat at the other end of the table, picking up the paper. “It took me all of thirty minutes.”

Her uncle sighed as he put the coins back in the sack, successfully counting thirty. He looked up at her, who was too busy reading the paper to notice his gaze.

“Alexandra.” He called, gaining her attention. She looked up to him, putting the paper down after seeing how serious his face looked.

“Uncle, what is the matter?” She asked.

“You have been requested for a new job.” He paused, taking a deep breath, “I would usually send Felicity for jobs like these however they specifically requested you.”

She looked up at him in confusion.

“You see, they need you to investigate a brutal murder.” He began, looking into her eyes. “Two murders, actually.”

“What is the problem?” She asked with confusion evident on her face. She had solved murders before, none of which had worried her uncle to this extent.

“The problem is not with the task, it is with the employers.”

“I have been employed by the Ma’Elur, however you were not worried about that. How dangerous could this employer be?”

“The employer is Edward Spark.”

If she were holding a coffee mug at the moment, she would have dropped it to the ground. Edward Spark was a name she gladly hadn’t heard in years. Years of torment and neglect soared through her mind. The room around her began to shake slightly, the shadows moving as if it was an earthquake. She clenched her fists in an attempt to control her power. Breathing in deeply, she released her fists and the room stopped shaking.

For fifteen years Alexandra called that man her father. Fifteen whole years she tricked herself into thinking he was a good person. In her mind, he was the personification of the devil himself.

“I must have incredible luck!” She laughed, talking to herself. “First, I am born like this. After years of torment I finally left that place. And now this happens. Even with a new name and a new identity, that damned Spark name still follows me.” She buried her face in her hands, however her pride did not allow her to cry. She made a promise to herself five years ago that she would never cry ever again.

“Right now I believe we should send Felicity in the guise of you.” He said, unable to console her.

“No.” She croaked. She cleared her throat. “No, I will go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I know I cannot keep running forever.”

She stood, giving him one last smile before leaving the main room. She went directly to her room and fell onto the bed, allowing the sweet embrace of sleep take over her body.

 

It was dark. Alexandra could see nothing but black. Even with her eyes wide open, it was too dark to see a thing.

Out of nowhere, a flash of red passed by her like a wave. The darkness turned to ruins of an old city, and the wave of red turned to a beautiful woman with stunning red hair, falling down her body like waves. The woman laughed sweetly as a drop of blood dripped down her face. The woman was somewhat familiar to Alexandra, however she couldn’t quite place it.

The scene changed yet again to a dimly lit room. She heard humming from behind her, causing her to turn her head. Inside a dungeon cell was an old, sick man. He was silently singing to himself, too quiet for her to hear. She stepped closer, wanting to catch the lyrics to the catchy tune.

“The golden men are crying,
The resistance is dying,
The war bells are ringing,
Those old rags are singing.

 “As green plagues the skies,
Covers for the lies,
The war bells are ringing,
And the whole world is changing.

“The silver booms ahead,
Those with brains have fled,
The war bells are ringing,
Those old rags are singing.

“Wind blows the clock to midday,
The mute now have a say,
The war bells are ringing,
And the whole world is changing.

“The war bells are ringing,
What could this be bringing?
The war bells have stopped.
The whole world has changed.”

 

Alexandra opened her eyes to the morning sun shining at her face. She briefly wondered about her dream and the tune she had never heard before, however the song left her mind once she was reminded of her new mission.

After packing her bag, she slung it over her left shoulder and left the cottage. She groomed and fed her horse before jumping on her back. Unlike for her last few jobs, Alexandra did not need directions. She knew exactly where she was going.

She trotted on the long, dirt road leading to Maralough, a medium-sized town in the middle of three major cities: Flame City, Summerville and Grazed Hills. Just the thought of the road to Flame City made her skin crawl. She knew it was going to be a long day.

After fifteen minutes, she made it to Maralough. She had very fond memories of this town. It was where she first met Benjamin, who introduced her to  her Uncle and Felicity, her small, make-shift family. It was here she first realised she was a Shadow Mage and it was here she learnt of freedom.

Her trek through the streets of Maralough was brief as she made it up to the main road. It was finally time to hide her past and face Flame City, the place she hated the most. 

3: Chapter Two: Flame City

Alexandra rode her horse down the long dirt road, entertaining herself with the beautiful greenery around her. The cold wind blew from behind her, making her shiver slightly. She hugged her coat tightly, allowing it to warm up her body.

“Hyah!”

She heard a yell from behind her, along with the sounds of a horse’s hooves running against the road. Suddenly alert, she moved to the side just in time for the horse to race past her.

“Be careful!” She yelled out, glaring at the dangerous rider. A moment later the horse and the man riding it disappeared over the hill. “How dangerous.” She muttered to herself before continuing her slow journey.

As she rode over the hill she noticed a beautiful flowing river cutting through her path. Frowning, she made it towards the river.

The dirt road continued on the other side of the river, however there was no bridge to cross. It must have collapsed, she thought, as there had been one the last time she was here.

She sat on her horse, watching as the clear water flowed downhill.

“How am I supposed to cross this?” She asked herself, knowing she would not make it across with such a flow.

“There is a bridge further uphill.”

She jumped at the sudden noise. She whipped around to see a handsome white-haired man next to a drinking horse. The horse was the one that had passed her earlier.
She wondered how she didn’t notice he was there that entire time.

“You’re that dangerous rider from earlier.” She said, staring at him. She couldn’t tell the colour of his eyes as they were closed, but she knew they would be blue. His white hair was an indicator to his Wind magic, which was always accompanied by blue eyes.

“I didn’t realise.” He replied, laughing slightly. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance before turning around and riding uphill. As she rode further uphill, she noticed a rickety wooden bridge. She doubted it could hold her horse’s weight.

Jumping off her horse and giving it a pat, she stepped towards the bridge with a frown. Slowly and carefully, she took a step on one of the boards. Satisfied with its sturdiness, she took another step and jumped on the board. She did this for all the wooden boards on the bridge before stepping back to her horse.

“It should be safe, Lilli.” She murmured, taking the horse by her lead and leading it across the bridge.

She sighed in relief as they made it across safely.

After this, they quickly made it back to the dirt road and continued their trek. In the distance, Alexandra noticed smoke, a clear indicator of the city. From then on it didn’t take very long for them to reach the familiar city borders.

She slowly rode through the city streets, trying to remember all the streets and taverns. She’d be darned if she got lost in this large city. So much had changed from five years ago. After losing her way twice, she finally made it to the large mansion directly in the middle of the city.

Making it to the front gate, she noticed nothing had changed about the mansion.

“What is your business here?” Said one of the three large guards as she stopped at the gate.

“I have been called here by the Fire Head himself.” She replied. Another guard looked at the papers he had in hand, before nodding to the third. At the nod, the third guard opened the large gate.

“Please leave your horse with us. Welcome to Spark Manor.” The first one said. Nodding, she stepped off her horse and picked up her bag. Two guards took the horse through the gates and around the mansion, leaving Alexandra with the third.

“Follow me.” He said, walking towards the front door. She followed, marvelling at the intricacy of the mansion’s design. Even after fifteen years of living there she hadn’t gotten used to it.

Opening the door, the guard lead her into the mansion.

“The others will notify the head of your arrival, meanwhile I will lead you to the room you will be staying at.”

He walked up the stairs, leading her through the maze-like hallways to her room. She stepped inside, smiling at how large it was.

The walls were white and tall, with a large fluffy bed right in the centre of the room. To the right of the bed was a large window with blue curtains. On the other side was a large wardrobe with a door leading to the bathroom next to it.

Tossing her bag carelessly next to the wardrobe, she quickly jumped on the bed. It was softer than she had imagined, if that was even possible.

The door to the room opened, the guard from earlier behind it.

“The head will meet with you now.”

She nodded, getting off the bed and following the guard through the maze. After a few moments of walking, they reached a large door. The guard opened it, walking in.

The room was larger than her bedroom, with a large circular table in the centre and a chandelier on the roof. Around the table were six chairs in total, with two of them being occupied.

The guard left the room, leaving her alone with the two. She took a seat opposite to them.

Across from her on the left was the man she knew as George Spark, her elder brother. When she lived here, she rarely saw him, their only meetings being passing each other through the hallways.

Next to him was her father, an aging man who she had met regularly when she was here.

She was relieved when they did not recognise her. Perhaps it was because she had always had short hair when she lived here, or the thought she was Ember didn’t pass through their minds.

“Welcome to the Spark Manor, Night Mage.” Said her father who stared into her eyes.

“Glad to be here.” She sat tall with a smile on her face.

“As you probably already know, I am Edward Spark and this is my son, George Spark.”

“Pleasure to meet you, I am Alexandra Night, more commonly known as the Night Mage.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” George replied courteously.

“Recently, there have been two murders just outside the mansion. Both of them were high-ranking Fire Mages, and not ones to be easily killed. We wish for you to investigate the deaths, as it seems what we are dealing with is a magic we have never seen before.” Edward explained, blinking only once. Alex was slightly creeped out by this, but still sat tall.

“I see. Before I begin, what will be the pay?” She asked, leaning forward.

“Ten-thousand gold coins.”

She sputtered, nearly choking on her own saliva. Ten-thousand gold coins. With this much money, she nor any children she might have would ever have to work again.

“I will need one-thousand of that upfront.” She composed herself.

“You have a deal. We will deliver the money to your room. You start tomorrow.”

She left the room soon after, closing the door behind her.

She was still shocked by the pay. She had never even seen a hundred gold coins in one place, yet alone ten-thousand. Just how rich were they?

She walked back to her room, nearly getting lost on the way.

She couldn’t believe herself as she realised she was excited for this job. 

4: Chapter Three: Ruins

Chapter Three: Ruins

 

“Nine-hundred and ninety-nine,” Alexandra picked up the last coin, dropping it into the large, heavy bag, “One thousand.”

She laughed, carefully pulling out a small handful of gold coins and pushed them into her pockets. She hummed the tune to the poem she heard in her dream as she pushed the bag underneath her bed.

She had no place to hide it otherwise, and despite how safe this mansion could be, and how rich the occupants were, she did not want anybody to find her stack of gold.

She lied down on her bed, slowly getting used to its softness. She knew that she should get used to it soon, since after she got her pay she was going to be living like this. The number ten-thousand echoed through her mind.

Looking at the time, she realised there was about an hour until sunset. The one thing she missed the most about this city – and her old life – were the beautiful sunsets. Sunrise wasn’t as beautiful as the sunsets, mainly because of the tall buildings of the Eastern Ruins. However she loved going out to the ocean to watch the beautiful red sky.

She laughed and closed her eyes, imagining the scene.

I have to watch it tonight.

She thought with her eyes still closed, the colours echoing through her mind.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud bang, bringing her to her senses. She jumped at the noise, the sudden movement causing her to fall off the bed and onto the floor.

“Ow...” She moaned, wondering what had caused that unnatural sound.

George knocked on her door three times before letting himself in to see her sprawled on the ground. Ignoring his curiosity, he helped her up from her position.

“It seems your work will have to start earlier than scheduled.” He sighed, dragging her out of the room. She narrowed her eyes at him, pulling her arm out of his grip and following him.

“I’m assuming it was one of these murders, then?” She asked. George knew she knew the answer to the question, so he chose to ignore it. He led her outside the mansion and through the gates, straight towards the scene.

It was a beautiful garden, filled with colourful flowers and nicely crafted wooden seats. The grass was bright green, reminding her of the grass back at the cottage.

Staining the beautiful scene was a dead body.

Sure, she had seen dead bodies before. Quite a few, actually. However, this body was nothing like she had ever seen. She winced at it, ignoring the sick feeling she had in her stomach. She looked around the body for anything that could have caused it. Under the glistening sunlight, she saw a small fragment of metal.

She picked it up slowly, making sure she didn’t touch anything else. Especially the body. She examined it, immediately knowing that it was somehow the murder weapon. Or at least, a part of it.

No level of magic, no matter how powerful could cause a human head to, well, explode for lack of a better term.

Noticing a man who seemed much more frightened than anyone else, she walked up to him.

“Hey, may you tell me what happened here?” She asked, putting a hand calmly on his shoulder.

“W-we were just talking about our hangovers,” he stuttered, obviously dazed and frightened, “then out of nowhere there was that boom. His head just exploded like that.”

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, staring at the man. “Hangover?” She asked.

“Y-yeah. We went to the Billiard Tavern last night.”

Nodding her head, she turned back, ignoring George and the thin crowd of bystanders. She walked straight through the gates and into the mansion, the metal tight in her hands. Without getting lost, she made it to her room.

She put the metal on a table as she examined it closely. After minutes or thinking, she reached a conclusion. Magic had not caused this – Well, at least not directly. This small piece of metal must have been launched through the air in speeds difficult to detect and hit his skull dead-on. Whatever launched it must have been a machine of some sort, perhaps it was also the cause of the sound. It made sense.

She groaned when she realised it was the result of some sort of science. She knew nothing about science. Immediately after that, she grinned widely. She has never had such an interesting and difficult case.

As if a light bulb flashed above her head, a thought made its way into her mind.

The machine must have been set up on a building in the Eastern Ruins.

They were smart, she realised. By the time it would take to realise the origin, and search through all the buildings there, they would’ve cleaned up all evidence of them being there. She wasn’t dealing with ordinary crooks like before.

This made her smile go even wider.

If it was not caused by magic, she knew what the motive would be. Any noble visiting a bar like the Billiard Tavern (which she knew from her childhood) would only be there for one reason: Power. Billiard was at the outskirts of the city, filled with the poor. They must have flaunted their wealth and made somebody angry. A very smart and powerful somebody.

Revenge was a thing she saw very commonly in her line of work. It rarely ever worked out well for the person enacting the revenge.

They just made their first mistake.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as the room started to get filled by red and orange. She frowned, realising in her thoughts she had forgotten the time. The sunset filled her rooms in colours artists dreamed of using, tranquil and beautiful.

She would just have to watch the sunset tomorrow. 

5: Chapter Four: Introductions

Chapter Four: Introductions

 

Alexandra was surrounded in darkness, the only thing she could see was a flicker of a light in the distance. Around her, she heard hurried voices.

“Quickly! We need to stop it!”

“You guys check the ruins, we’ll check the bases.”

“I’ll keep you safe.”

The voices were unrecognisable, yet familiar to her.

“Found it!”

“Where?”

The next voice, she recognised as her own, “Pull it, quickly!”

Laughter filled her ears.

“It’s too late.”

“Why?”

“As green plagues the sky, my friend.” 

“How could you?”

Bells started ringing around her.

“Hear those? Those bells mark the end.”

“The war bells.”

“They’re ringing.”

“They stopped?”

“That can only mean one thing.”

“I win.”

The last thing she heard was a high pitched scream, before the light rushed towards her.

 

The bright sun shone through the slightly open curtains, the light in a perfect position to hid Alexandra’s face. She groaned, turning to her side and pulling her blanket up to cover her face from the intense light. Despite the blanket being thick to fight against the cold winter air, it hardly helped.

She wanted to go back to sleep and continue the dream. She wondered why she was getting these strange dreams. She needed to go back to sleep.

Ten minutes passed before she gave up. She sat up groggily on her bed, the clock next to her saying it was seven in the morning. It took her all of five minutes to finally get off her bed and stretch. She looked at herself in the mirror and flinched at her reflection. Her hair was everywhere, defying gravity as it stood up like a tree. The slight bags under her eyes reflected her three hours of sleep, as she was not used to sleeping in a bed like that one. Her skin was pale and lifeless, and her eyes dull.

With determination, she pulled out her hairbrush and tried to tame the feral beast. It took her half an hour to finally get her hair under control and tied in a quick ponytail. She quickly changed clothes before stepping out of the room, gold coins filling her pockets. She slipped outside, glancing at the children running around in the grass, and their parents enjoying tea in the sidelines.

She left the confines of the mansion, deciding to explore the city. She payed little attention to the streets around the mansion, which were full of large and expensive houses. Instead, she decided to explore the outer-city where the poorer were located. The transition from rich to poor was very quick, the line between the two clear.

The marketplace in the poor area was full of life, people too busily selling and buying to pay much attention to others.

Ignoring the rush of traders trying to sell their products, Alexandra walked slowly through looking at the stalls in mild interest. She had forgotten how populace Flame City really was. She briefly wondered how crowded the capital city must be.

She bought a bit of bread from one of the vendors to ease her hungry stomach as she remembered how she didn’t eat breakfast back at the mansion.

She walked out of the marketplace and decided to head towards the Eastern Ruins. She remembered the story her mother told her about how the Eastern Ruins came to be, the history was very interesting to her.

The Eastern Ruins used to be called the Eastern Dives, a populous part of Flame City with tall buildings made from quality concrete. However, a year or two before her birth, there was a war dubbed The Eycra War, where tensions between the Shadow-Fire alliance and the Water-Rock alliance escalated. In the end, the two alliances managed to call a truce with no clear winner. Flame City and Reitentown were the worst hit cities.

While most of Flame City had been rebuilt, the Eastern Dives were left untouched for reasons unknown to most. Some say it was the unstable conditions the buildings were in, and others say it was some sort of government conspiracy. Alexandra believed they were just too lazy to fix it, and had no need to.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a strong male arm pulling her away, causing her to yelp in surprise.

“Well, ‘ello girly.” A hoarse-voiced, obviously drunk man said. She narrowed her eyes in disgust at the man, who didn’t see due to her facing away from him.

She elbowed him in the gut, forcing the man to topple over in pain. For good measure, she kicked him behind the neck to send him sprawling to the floor. She roughly put her foot on his back to keep him there.

“Don’t touch me.” She said with pure malice. If she weren’t so disgusted by the man she would’ve laughed at his position.

A blonde man turned the corner. As soon as he saw what was happening his eyes widened before he started chuckling, “And here I thought I would save the day and be a hero, but I guess I was too late.”

She stared at him in the eyes, forgetting about the man in pain on the floor.

“Do I know you?” She asked in confusion, tilting her head slightly.

“I believe we met briefly at the river.” He replied, smiling. Her eyes widened slightly in realisation before a soft smile landed on her face.

“Ah, the suicidal horse-rider.” She took her foot of the man, letting him run away in fear.

“I wouldn’t say suicidal...” He scratched the back of his head and laughed lightly, “I am Axel Farnhill, by the way.”

“Alexandra Night, pleasure to meet you,” She responded, “I better be off now, goodbye Axel Farnhill.” She waved at him before turning away.

“Bye!”

She walked off, deciding to head back to the mansion. During the walk back, her mind formulated a plan  to get to the bottom of the case. She wanted it to end quickly so the dreams would stop, else she would turn into an insomniac.

That was a daunting term for her, as sleep was her favourite past time.

A cold gust of wind hit her, causing her to shiver and pull her coat closer to her to preserve the heat. Times like this she wishes she were born with fire magic. Shadow magic did nothing to fight against the natural elements.

When she made it back to the mansion, she saw that nothing had changed. The children were still playing, the adults were still drinking tea with their idle chatter. It was boring.

George sat with another man as they read the newspaper and drank coffee. Walking up to him, she cleared her throat to catch their attention.

“Ah, Alexandra. What is the problem?” He spoke, putting his mug down.

“May I speak to your wife, please?” She asked with a smile. 

6: Chapter Five: Disguise

Chapter Five: Disguise

 

Alexandra stood next to a walk-in closet, a small but polite smile etched on her face. It had been ten minutes since George’s wife dragged her there and started rummaging through her old dresses. Her feet were starting to ache, however she did her best to ignore it.

After an eternity (or what felt like an eternity for the mage), the young woman stepped out of the closet carrying a beautiful red dress.

“It’s a little old,” She spoke, her voice melodic, “But I have only worn it once. It no longer fits me, so you may keep it.” Alexandra smiled and nodded in gratitude, taking the dress and walking into the closet. She closed the door behind her before quickly changing into the dress. The velvet dress was long and sophisticated, as if screaming ‘high-class’. It fit her perfectly.
She examined herself in the mirror, unable to keep the smile off her face. Normally, she hated dresses, however this dress was amazing.

I wonder how much this costs?

She wondered briefly, trying to estimate how many gold coins Erika Larden (Or should she say Erika Spark?) paid for this one-use dress. The only answer that came to mind was ‘a lot’.

Once she was done examining herself in the mirror (which she had to admit she spent too long doing), she walked out the closet to nearly be tackled by the excited girl.

“You look gorgeous!” She yelled excitedly, before dragging her over to a table covered in make-up and hair clips. She started rambling on about her hair and jewellery, which Alexandra made no attempt to listen.

Once Erika was done, Alexandra looked like a princess. Her long, black hair was curled in a beautiful up-do, kept up by beautiful gold hair-pieces. Around her neck was a beautiful gold pendant, covered in diamonds. She adamantly refused to wear anything around her hands.

She slipped on the red high heels Erika gave before leaving the room.

She sighed as she left the mansion, realising she would miss another beautiful sunset.

Tomorrow.

 

The Billiard Tavern was lively that night, causing many bystanders to be curious as to what was happening in there. Whispers broke out from the townspeople, and soon enough the liveliness of the tavern was a hot-topic for gossip.

“Some sort of party?” A middle-aged woman spoke as she walked past.

“Seems like it.” Replied her husband, a man who looked no older.

The inside of the tavern was full, all the tables and chairs were occupied for the first time in a long while. In the centre table, six men were drinking from their mugs as they chanted ‘Happy Birthday’ to the seventh man. Everybody was drunk and happy.

A carriage stopped outside the tavern, catching the eyes of everybody who saw it. Slowly and gracefully, Alexandra stepped out, ignoring the stares of the people around her. She held her head high as she walked into the tavern, opening the door forcefully.

As soon as she arrived everybody went quiet, watching her. A few regulars knew exactly what was going to happen as they stepped back to the side of the room. She stared at the middle table with a slight smirk on her face, indicating to the seven sitting there that she had plans to sit there.

She stalked around the table, her hand grazing the top of the chairs as she made her way over to the one empty chair. She sat down and crossed her legs, looking at the men around her expectedly.

“My apologies, sirs, but may you move?” She spoke loud enough for everybody in the tavern to hear (Not that it was difficult with the lack of noise), “I have company coming here soon.”

The man celebrating his birthday was the first to leave the table, and was soon followed by five of his friends. The only person that stayed was a larger-looking man who stared at her angrily.

“My apologies,” He mocked her tone, nearly causing her to break her cover and smile, “We were ‘ere first, lady.” He spat out in his heavy accent. She raised an eyebrow at his bravery (stupidity?), before narrowing her eyes at him.

“Vivienne Spade,” She introduced, venom laced in her voice, “High-ranking Shadow Mage. I am a rare sight around here, you are lucky to even be in my presence, yet alone talking to scum like you.” She waved her hands at the bartender, who scampered across the room towards her, “Your most expensive beer, please.”

“I wouldn’t ever consider it lucky to be ‘round a pretentious noble like you.”

Alexandra wanted to commend his bravery (or, once again, stupidity?), however she was undercover. “I would sit here and argue, however, dare I say it, I have no time to talk to trash from the street.”

The bartender returned with a large mug filled with the alcohol. She forcefully grabbed it from him and took a sip.

This is good.

She thought simply, inwardly sighing at herself. She feigned disgust, spitting the alcohol back in the mug.

“You dare give a noble like I a dirty drink like this?” She stood up, sneering at him. He tried to stutter an apology, however was cut off as she grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up into the air. His eyes widened in fear and his mouth was open as if he was going to say something, but nothing could come out.

“To think I have wasted my precious energy on a worm such as yourself.” She took the full mug and poured it over the bartender’s head before pushing him to the side, causing him to fall limply on the floor. She turned around and stormed out of the bar, paying no attention to the man who decided to follow her. That was until he pushed her towards the wall next to the door.

“It’s usually against me to his ladies,” He sneered, “But there’re always exceptions.”

It was the man who refused to leave the table from earlier. His muscles bulged out from under his shirt, indicating his strength and how much of his time he takes to work out.

She smiled at him sweetly as she pushed him off her, sending him sprawling to the floor. He quickly stood up and swung at her, his posture terrible for a fight.

For someone so big, I wouldn’t have assumed this would be your first fight.

She dodged each of his punches easily, barely moving from her spot. Even if she wasn’t a mage, someone with her experience would never lose to him.

Soon enough she got bored at his attempts to hit her. With a nearby shadow, she formed a small blade and held it against his throat.

“You should be glad I do not wish to cause a scene.” She said, even though she already made one. She stepped back from the frightened man and dispersed the shadow before leaving the tavern. Glaring at the bystanders, she stepped into her carriage.

On the ride back to the Spark Mansion, Alexandra felt nothing but disgust to Vivienne. Playing the role left a bitter taste in her tongue, causing her to crave something sweet, perhaps cake. 

7: Chapter Six: Revelations

Chapter Six: Revelations

Alexandra’s eyes fluttered open. All around her was what looked like a city turned to ashes, rubble was littered everywhere around her. The steaming ruins were covered in water, obvious signs of a fight including water and fire mages. Never in her life had she seen something like this, yet it seemed so familiar.
In front of her she saw two people alone in the ruins, hugging as if not noticing the destruction around them. It was as if Alexandra stumbled into some tragic romance novel, however she knew this was not the case.

Alexandra tried to step closer to get a better look at the two, but her feet were firmly placed on the ground. From the short distance she was from the two, she could tell that they both looked very familiar.
One of them was a woman. Her hair was short and messy, sticking out everywhere as if she had just woken up. She looked no older than Alexandra’s brother, George. She wore a white flowing dress covered in holes and blood. She herself didn’t look injured.
The other person was a man who was much taller than the woman, however didn’t seem much older. His hair was a raven-black, reminding Alexandra of the night sky, and looked as messy as the woman’s. As if to match his hair, he wore black clothes which were also littered with holes.

It wouldn’t take a genius to know they had just gone through a battle.

The woman sighed sadly, “I cannot believe it is finally over. I guess it will soon be my time to take leave.” Even though she did not talk very loudly, Alexandra could hear her loudly and clearly.

“As much as I oppose that idea, I oppose another war as well.” The man replied, using his left hand to move some of her hair away from her eyes.

“I will miss you.” She pushed her head into his chest, letting out a cry of anguish. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let go. Alexandra’s heart nearly ached at the scene in front of her. As soon as that happened, the world turned black around her, and as quickly as it turned black it changed to a livelier scene.

It was of the same two people hugging in the exact same way. The only difference was the scene around them and their attire. The woman’s hair was styled neatly with a green pin to match the fine silk dress she wore. She looked as uncomfortable in the clothes as she looked pretty.
The man seemed to wear the same clothes as he did before, without the holes, and his hair was combed and clean.

“If staying here did not mean death for the two of you, I would never let you leave.” The man whispered into the woman’s ear, confusing Alexandra.

“You know how much I hate that place, but it is inevitable.” The woman sighed, leaning into him and staring into his eyes with such intensity.

“I guess our love is some tragic cliché play.” The man laughed, his laughter seeming forced.

“I wish it were some play, and then maybe we would get a happy ending.”

The two pulled away from the hug, ending their goodbyes with a long kiss. With tears brimming in their eyes, they pulled away from each other. They muttered their goodbyes as the woman turned around, stepping into a carriage that Alexandra did not notice before-hand. She waved at the man, signalling her final goodbye.

“Wait!” The man called out, forcing her to look once more, “Andrew or Ember.”

The woman no longer hid her tears as the carriage rode off into the distance. Alexandra nearly gasped as her name was called, wondering why this scene was devastatingly familiar to her. That woman especially.

Alexandra opened her eyes, only to immediately close them as the warm sunlight shone directly onto her eyes. After a few moments adjusting, she opened her eyes again and sat up.

Another strange dream.

She thought, sending the dream to the back of her mind. She had no time to wonder over a dream, she had far more important things to do.

Forty-five minutes later, Alexandra stood at the same garden the man was killed previously. The hairs on her neck stood up, indicating danger. In her hand was a copy of ‘Love Under the Full Moon’, a romance book she saw was popular throughout this city. Personally, she was uninterested in romance books, preferring action and adventure books instead.

She had sent George and some other fire mages to patrol the Eastern Ruins. If all went well, the case would be over today.

A loud noise and a slight bit of pain in the back of her head cut off her thoughts. She looked to the ground and saw the same piece of metal she saw kill the other man. She smiled in victory for a moment before realising she was facing the ruins. The shot came from behind her.

She turned around and faced the mansion, seeing a figure of a person on the roof. As quickly as she could, she used shadows to propel herself up to the roof and chased the black-clothed man. He jumped off the roof, landing on the green grass below him before continuing his run. Without hesitation, she followed his exact movements. When she was the fence surrounding the mansion ahead of them, she sighed in relief. She slowed herself down, ready to pounce in the direction he would turn.

But he didn’t turn.

In one swift motion, the man jumped all the way over the fence and landed on the other side before disappearing into the distance. She stopped chasing after him, knowing he had too much of a lead for her to catch up.

She growled in anger, punching the fence with all her strength, leaving a fist-sized hole. She was frustrated and tired.
She leaned against the fence, focusing on her breathing. She knew any time now George and the other mages would show up, angry at her. They would never trust her judgement again.

Knowing the inevitable, she walked away from the fence and slowly walked her way around the mansion. By the time she arrived at the front, she saw George and the others laughing in what seemed like victory. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, she walked up to them. That was when she noticed the young man behind them.

“Your plan worked!” George smiled, “I knew it would be the best to hire you.” She was about to open her mouth in protest, to say the boy wasn’t it, however she was interrupted by another mage.

“Follow us to the meeting room, we’ll get your money sorted.”

She briefly wondered if she should just take the money and disappear, but she shook her head at that notion. The murderer probably planned this all along. He must have seen the mages at the ruins, so chose to come to the mansion instead. She was fooled.

“Stop!” She yelled, forcing George and the other to stare at her in confusion, “I do not know who this boy is, but he is not the murderer.”

“How can he not be the murderer? He was up on the roof with some sort of metal device.” George asked, confusion apparent in his tone.

“The murderer was on the roof of the mansion. He got away.”

Widening his eyes, George grabbed a small piece of metal out of the guard’s hand. He looked at it in confusion as she stared at George. She took the metal from his hands.

Alexandra always thought her brother was meant to be smart.

“George, I- No, w-. Never mind. Let the poor kid go.” She shook her head, barely able to form a coherent sentence. She threw the device in her hand behind her, not wanting to see it ever again. She used to look up to George’s intellect.

Used to.

The poor boy had gone up to the Eastern Ruins holding a matchbox, of all things. She wondered how George could mistake a matchbox for a murder weapon. 

8: Chapter Seven: Plan

Chapter Seven: Plan

 

Ember sat on the side of the road with her hands wrapped around her chest to shield her from the cold. Her eyes were red and puffy from all the useless crying she did earlier that day. She stared at the large clock tower looming ahead of her as it struck midnight, notifying her that her fifteenth birthday was wasted.

She stood up, trying her best to ignore the cold air. She wasn’t in Flame City anymore. After her father kicked her out, she quickly left the city and headed to Maralough. Despite the cheap lodgings in Maralough, Ember had no money on her. Her only possessions were the clothes on her back, which was barely enough to keep her from getting hypothermia.

She aimlessly walked around the near-empty streets with her hands deep in her jacket pockets. Her thoughts were stuck on what she should do. For her entire life, she wished to escape from that mansion, but now that she left she realised she had no idea of what it was like outside nobility.

It was cold being poor.

Despite wondering around for most of the day, Ember was hardly tired. Perhaps it was her thoughts that kept her mind away from the fact that she needed sleep, or maybe it was that if she were to sleep she would be vulnerable to both the elements and other people. Either way, she was glad she felt no need at that moment.

She knew she was stupid for running out of the mansion as soon as he said those words. She should have packed some clothes and money. But her thoughts at that moment were on the feelings of betrayal and heartbreak. She realised that, despite her academic smarts, she had absolutely no street smarts.

After twelve long minutes, Ember was bored of her aimless walking. She decided to take a small nap despite her alertness. She knew what the affects of lack of sleep did to the body. She sat herself down next to a small building, the words ‘Mary’s Hair Parlour’ hanging above the door. She had no idea that sitting in that spot would lead her to where she was today.

 

Three days had passed since Alexandra nearly died (although, nearly perhaps wasn’t the right word to say) and she was frustrated. For the past three days, she only left her room to eat, and even then she didn’t stay outside for very long. Bundles of papers were littered around her room and her hair was starting to resemble some sort of deformed afro, sticking up everywhere. The bags under her eyes showed her lack of sleep clearly.

If one were to open a piece of paper from the floor, they would see an array of words and scribbles that in her mind formulated a plan of some sort.

She was dazed. The paper she had been formulating a plan on (which would end up as more litter on the floor anyway) was covered in the scribbles she drew mindlessly.

The pencil snapping in her palm brought her back to the real world, startling her slightly. Her frustration started to turn to anger as she threw the pencil towards a bundle of papers, which was soon followed by the one she was scribbling on.

She stood up and stared at the mirror in front of her.

How did I let myself get like this?

She thought, brushing her hair slightly with her hand. She stared at the bags under her eyes for a minute before her eyes flashed up, a plan formulating in her head. She grinned at her thoughts, however stopped grinning when she saw herself in the mirror. She looked terrible.

I can use this.

She launched herself to her bag containing all her clothes. As quickly as possible, she took out a baggy t-shirt and pants. Back home, Benjamin gave her these clothes as a joke of sorts. For some reason she decided to keep it, and even pack it on this trip.

She stripped from the clothes she was wearing before wrapping a bunch of bandages around her chest, before changing into the clothes. She glanced at herself in the mirror, her reflection causing her to wince.

Making a small, sharp knife with a shadow, she cut holes in the clothes. Using a candle conveniently placed near her, she carefully burnt parts of the clothes. Finishing her look, she pinned her hair up to a boyish hair style.

She could pass of as a girlish boy now, she grinned.

 

“Who is he?”

“Never seen him ‘round ‘ere before.”

“Poor boy, he looks so young.”

“Can he even afford the drinks here?”

The tavern filled with gossip, not a single person not talking about the young man who walked in moments before. It was unheard of for such a young man to go to a tavern in this side of town, and even more so if the man looked like he did. His poor clothing easily matched his depressed look. Even for a cheap tavern as the Billiard Tavern, many doubted he could actually pay for the alcohol here.

“A mug of your strongest beer, please.” His voice sounded forced and hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken for days.

“Ya sure ya can afford that, kid?” The bartender laughed harshly. The boy noted the bartender wasn’t the one who she spoke to earlier that week. Digging into his pockets, the boy took out a few silver coins. Taking two of them, the bartender poured the drink into a mug and placed it in front of him.

Taking a seat next to him, an older-looking man also ordered the same drink.

“If ya keep that frown on ya face, it’ll be there forever.” The man spoke, taking a sip of his beer. Looking up, the boy laughed monotonously.

“Well, forever’s not as long as I thought it would be.”

“What’s that supposed ta mean?”

Taking a sip of his drink, the boy responded, “I’m not gonna last long anyways.” The man looked at him with obvious curiosity, silently asking him to continue.

“This fuckin’ noble bought out my home,” He slammed his now-empty mug onto the counter, “No fuckin’ warnin’ or anything. ‘I need a house in this city, I might use it someday.’ Ha! How pathetic.”

The man laughed, also finishing his mug. “I know exactly you ya feel, kiddo. I’m sick of them ruining the lives of others for their own amusement.”

"Makes me sick." The boy nodded. 

"A fuckin' noble kills someone, it's all fine, but as soon as a noble is killed all shit breaks loose. They killed my wife - No compensation or anything. 'She was in the way' they fuckin' said."

Sticking his arm out to the boy, the man smiled, "Nicholas Cross." 

"Andrew Bard." He replied, shaking his hand.

The two sat in silence, filling up and drinking their mugs in mutual respect. Andrew, slightly worried about getting too drunk to function, (Although she was not a lightweight, she couldn't handle too much) stopped asking for refills and just sat in peace. Noticing his stop, Nicholas turned to him. 

"Gettin' too drunk?" He laughed, getting another refill. 

"Just ran out of money. I 'ought to go now, nothin' to live for anymore." He stood up, turning to leave. 

"Wait," Nicholas grabbed his arm, "If you're sick of life 'cause of those noble freaks, follow me." 

Nicholas walked to the back end of the bar and through a door, closely followed by a curious Andrew. Closing the door behind them, the two walked downstairs and through a dimly lit corridor. 

"Where are we going?" Andrew asking as he looked around at the ominous and damp tunnel. 

"To 'The Underworld', trust me you'll like it." 

The two walked in silence through the extremely long corridor. Andrew noticed a few closed doors on the way, thinking they were other entrances to wherever they were going. Managing to hide her delight, she forced herself to concentrate on her powers. She can't have her shadow shield go back up in the middle of this. 

After five long minutes, they arrived at the end of the tunnel to a large metal door. Nicholas grabbed the metal doorknob, pulling it down with all his might and pushing the rusted door. 
The sight behind the door caused Andrew's eyes to widen in amazement. 

Surrounding her was a massive room the size of a small castle, with a tall roof and a futuristic feel. Her light-blue surroundings were filled with what she could best describe as science. Plans, blueprints, chemicals, everything made her eyes fill with amazement. These people did not use magic at all, yet as she looked the right she saw swords of fire, and to the left she saw small lightning bolts contained in balls. 
She quickly stopped looking around and focused on her shadow once again as she followed Nicholas to the other end of the room. 

As they got closer, Andrew started to notice the loud bangs that were causing her ears to ring. Nicholas handed her something to cover her ears which she gladly wore. 

"This is our secret weapon," Nicholas yelled just loud enough for her to hear, "They have many names." 

He picked up a device, slightly larger than his palm. 

"The most common name is 'Firearm'. I prefer the name 'Gun' though. This is what I like to call a 'Handgun.'"

Putting the Handgun down, they walked towards a rack of much bigger guns. 

"These are my favourites!" He said, pointing to the massive firearms, "These are 'Machine Guns', they fire super quickly, and those are 'Rifles' for long distances."

Nicholas explained the very basics of the firearms to Andrew, from everything to 'trigger', to 'ammunition'. She could barely keep her eyes from being so wide. She had no idea that something like this could possibly exist, yet alone be right underneath the city. 

"What is this place?" She managed to ask in her stupor. 

"This is The Underworld, a society that loathes the existence of nobles. To be short, we want them dead. Gone." 

"Who's the leader of this Underworld?" 

"Somebody as low a rank as me has never even heard The Leader's name. We don't even know if The Leader is a male or female. Only three people have ever seen The Leader." 

She furrowed her eyebrows. She was hoping she could finish the operation now that she had infiltrated their base, however without getting the leader, it would be useless. She wondered who those three people were.

She highly doubted their leader would be here. 

"Here, take this to protect yourself. All recruits have one." Nicholas gave her a suitcase. Looking inside, she noticed inside was two 'Handguns' and a lot (or the equivalent of what she believed was a lot) of ammunition. She closed the case, taking it in her hands. 

“What do you mean by recruit?” Andrew asked. In response to the question, Nicholas dragged her towards two men in suits. The two men looked completely different from each other. The larger one wore an expression of anger, with his arms crossed against his chest, his muscles clearly visible through his shirt. The smaller one was staring at her expressionlessly as if staring into her soul.

"Weak and frail." The tall one said, before moving his glare away to Nicholas, "Pathetic." 

The smaller one was still looking her over, making her uncomfortable. She wondered if he somehow saw through her disguise.

"I have to agree with him here, this man would not make a good recruit." He said, emphasising the word man. She gulped at the implication. Nicholas looked at them, then at Andrew. 

"Why not?" Nicholas asked in his confusion.

"Because Shadow Mages aren't allowed in this place." He yelled, taking out his firearm and pointing it at her. 

9: Chapter Eight: Shattered

Chapter Eight: Shattered

 

The smaller man took out his firearm, pointing it straight at Alexandra. “Because, Shadow Mages aren’t allowed in this place.”

It was then that Alexandra realised that the discomfort of the man’s stare caused her to lose concentration. Right before their eyes, it seemed, the shadow wrapped around her body protectively. She could only stare as Nicholas’ eyes turned straight from confusion to sheer anger.

She quickly whipped around and ran as fast as she could towards the exit. The clips in her hair flew to the side, leaving her hair to flow in the wind as she ran as fast as she could.

“Kill her!” She heard the large man yell from not far behind her. They fired at her, leaving her shadow shield to take the brunt of the attack. She felt the shield strain, knowing it cannot take too many bullets.

As she advanced to the door, she realised it was guarded by five (rather large) guards and sealed tightly. If the situation was different, she could’ve taken down five ordinary guards without a problem. Cursing herself for the sudden turn of events, as well as her foolishness, she sharply turned to the left where she spotted a window. It was small and very high up, however she knew due to her small figure she could (hopefully) fit through.

She hugged the case to her chest with one hand as she ran full speed towards the window. Using the shadows around her, she formed a few stairs to allow her to launch up to the window.

With her empty hand in front of her, she dived straight through the window, sending bits of broken glass in all directions. The next few seconds were like a blur for her. Ignoring the pain of glass making it past her weakened shield, she used shadows to break her fall and land onto the ground with minimal injuries before continuing her sprint.

As soon as she looked back, she saw the smaller man from earlier climbing through the window and landing on the ground with a barrel roll. She had no time to admire his efforts as he too chased after her in a sprint.

All around them were ruins of tall buildings. She hadn’t realised during the walk in the tunnel they went so far east, and this meant she couldn’t hide in masses of people.

The man behind her fired some shots, narrowly missing her. If her shield was at full power, she could turn around and fight him head-on, however one or two more shots on the shield would make it shatter. In his hand was a fast-firing handgun (to which she had not learnt the name of). She knew that unless she could surprise him, she stood no chance.

As if on cue, six more shots were fired, one of them connecting with her shield. Much like from the window from earlier, the shadow shattered and spent sharp shards everywhere before dissipating.

She felt warm blood run down her face and her arms, reminding her she was injured. With the adrenaline in her system, she barely felt the pain. Only one thought was on her mind as she ran.

I’m never diving through a window ever again.

She tried to repair her shield, however she did not have enough energy to use her magic to their full extent. As more shots whizzed past her, barely missing her head, she had an idea.

She turned to the left, running into the closest ruins and up more sets of stairs than she could count. Taking this time, she hid behind a wall and opened the case, taking out one of the handguns from its hold. Inserting ammunition like she was shown, she got ready. 

Listening to the footsteps from the stairwell, she counted down in her head.

Three.

She cocked her gun.

Two.

Her legs widened to a position for optimal movement.

One.

Closing her eyes, she turned around the wall and started shooting aimlessly, hoping one of them would hit. When she heard no counter, she opened her eyes and immediately loosened her guard as she stared at the hole in his chest.

Relief went through her system as the adrenaline wore off, allowing the pain to be felt.

One more shot could have killed her.

She sat down in exhaustion, ripping parts of her clothes apart to use as bandages. Moments later she closed her eyes and fell asleep, exhausted from her long day. 

 

The first thing she felt when she woke up was the horrid headache, throbbing painfully. Then she felt the pain of her wounds. She opened her eyes to unfamiliar surroundings, remembering what had happened earlier that day. She looked down to her wounds, noting that they only recently stopped bleeding. She hadn't been asleep for too long, thankfully. 

Slowly standing up, she leaned against the wall to get her bearings. 

She put her gun back in its case, closing the latch tightly. Ignoring the dead body near her, she limped down the stairs, wondering why she had chosen such a tall building. 

When she finally made it to town, she made sure she wasn't seen by bystanders. She was glad the mansion wasn't too far away from the ruins. Who knew what the reaction would be to a bloody woman walking down the streets.

As soon as she made it to the mansion, George rushed her and carried her to her room. She drifted in and out of consciousness as she watched George tend to her wounds properly (she was glad none of the wounds required her to take off any clothes).

Another foolish mistake.

Were her last thoughts before she fell into a dreamless slumber, one of which she hadn’t had for a long time.

 

"This seems to be an interesting turn of events." 

 Twirling the wine glass absentmindedly, an unknown figure sat tall on a throne, looking down at the three frightened men kneeling below. With narrowed eyes, the figure smirked evilly with obvious amusement at the events that recently took place. The three men could feel the malice coming off the figure like waves. 

Even though the room was dimly-lit, the figure could easily see the fear in the faces of the men. The man in the middle was frightened most of all, since he knew if the figure got too angry he would be the one targeted. 

"Y-your highness," The man stuttered, trying not to invoke the figure's anger, "They are getting close. I b-believe we should take action." 

The figure's eyes narrowed at him, causing the man to close his eyes tightly in fear. The figure leaned forward, getting slightly closer to the man before going back to sitting up. The figure watched as the man squirmed in fear before speaking up. 

"Whatever you believe does not matter to me in the slightest," The figure spoke clearly, "It is I who will decide what to do." 

The man on the right looked up into the figure's eyes, "I agree with J here. That woman could jeopardize this entire operation!" 

The figure sighed, taking a sip of the red wine before putting it down to the side of the throne. The figure glared at the man before leaning back into the throne. 

"You must believe in this strongly to dare to raise your voice against me." 

"My sincerest apologies, your highness." He muttered. 

The man on the right looked at his two companions before looking back up to the figure, speaking up for the first time. "Our orders, your highness?" 

The room was silent for the next few seconds, the figure deep in thought. The three men relaxed slightly, glad they were not going to take any punishments. The figure was in a good mood. 

"In two weeks from now," The figure began, taking the wine glass back in hand, "Send some soldiers down to the Spark Mansion. Make sure that property takes a substantial amount of damage, and their tenants even more so. However, make sure no harm comes to the woman in question. She is important to the mission." 

"Understood, your highness." The three men spoke in unison, knowing better than to question his orders. They all stood and left the room, leaving the figure alone with the wine. 

"Those fools." 

 

 

When Alexandra opened her eyes the morning after, the first thing she felt was the pain everywhere. Looking down at her bandaged body, she sighed in defeat. 

That would take at least two weeks to heal.

Looking out the window at the side of the room, she realised that it was already past noon. Groaning, she slowly stood up, ignoring the pain. She immediately sat back down on the bed as a rush of dizziness caused her to lose her balance. 

At that moment, her door knocked. 

"Come in." 

George slowly opened the door and stepped into the room. He left the door open behind him, and took one step closer. 

"You don't look well." He said. 

"Glass hurts." Was her reply as she sighed. She leaned forward, leaning her head against her hands. 

"I take it that your operation did not end well." 

"Yes well, I have good news, great news, bad news and some worse news." She said sarcastically, standing back up after the dizziness passed completely. 

George raised his eyebrows, amused. 

"Bad news is that I was found out. Worse news is that they know who I am, and know I currently reside here." 

"So, you fear they will attack the mansion?" George asked, leaning on the doorframe. She nodded, before continuing. 

"The good news is I found their base. And, the great news is that," She stopped talking. 

"What is it?" George asked. He watched as she leaned over and took out a briefcase from underneath her bed. She opened it to reveal the firearms and ammunition. 

"I have figured out how they managed to kill us so easily." 

"What is this?" George walked forward to take a closer look. 

"They call them firearms, or guns. These are handguns," She pointed at the gun, and then to the ammo, "And this is ammunition." 

"How does it work?" He asked, looking at the contraption in confusion. He never was good with technology.

"The ammunition - Bullets, as they are called, are fired at such a fast speed from the gun. I have no idea how it works but their science is unbelievable. A few shots from these got my shadow shield to break." 

She closed the case, hiding it back underneath her bed. She stood back up before looking back at George. 

“Now, please leave the room and allow me to get changed.” She chuckled, stretching her muscles carefully. With that, he left the room.

Instead of her normal choice of attire, she decided to wear a nice dress she had never got the chance of trying out. This dress was one of the only ones she owned. The reason she never wore it was because it was too girly for her, as the dress was a bright pink and had thrills. 

The dress ended at her knees, which was perfect for her injuries. She didn't want to go to the bother of wearing pants with the wounds on her legs. 

To complete her outfit, she pulled on a black coat so nobody would see the dress she was wearing. 

 

The unknown figure watched as Alexandra walked out of the mansion, and followed her as she walked. The figure smiled while watching the young woman. 

Yes, everything was going according to plan. 

"You're mine, Alexandra Night." 

10: Chapter Nine: Wind

Chapter Nine: Wind

 

Alexandra was sitting on her bed, changing the bandages from the wounds she acquired the day before. She did it slowly and neatly, making every wrap perfect and delicate. By the time she got to the last wound, her patience started to wear thin as she wrapped it roughly instead.

There was one thing Alexandra hated more than entitlement, and that was boredom. After she finished tending to her wounds, she realised she had nothing to do. Usually, on her free days she would go for a walk and take in the scenery, but she knew if she did that the wounds would reopen. Even if the wounds didn’t reopen, she would be left unprotected from attacks as she’s putting all her energy into healing.

Using her magic was out of the question.

With a sigh of defeat, she lied back down on her bed and closed her eyes, allowing herself to ruin her sleep schedule.

 

It was dark. It took a moment for Alexandra to realise it was just that her eyes were closed, yet she was unsure as to why she couldn’t open them. For some reason, she was sad. She felt absolutely powerless and she didn’t know why.

“Please stop this.” She whispered for a reason that was beyond her. She had no control over her own body.

“...planning... stop... because... said so?” The voice... She could only pick up a few words from the familiar voice. However no matter how familiar it was she just couldn’t place it.

She felt her hands drawing something on the ground. Magic symbols. Circle of containment.

“Were these past months, these past years a lie?” She spoke, her voice shaky. She drew another symbol on the ground – Cross of the gods. There were many magic incantations that included the two symbols, so she had no idea what she was trying to draw.

“No.” Was all she heard from the voice before her eyes were forced open.

It felt as if she was being pulled through air – through dreams, perhaps. Yes, this was another one of her strange dreams.

 

Her eyes flickered open. The first thing she realised that she had only been asleep for two hours (something she would hardly call a sleep – more like a nap).  Even if she hadn’t looked at the time she would’ve known it was still early in the morning.

With falling back asleep out of the question, Alexandra took out the firearms she acquired and decided to inspect them. Even though she wasn’t the worst with technology (that title belonged to George), she wasn’t the best either. With the limited amounts she had, she didn’t wish to break anything.

After getting bored with the inspection, she decided to relax with a good book for the rest of the day.

 

Five days (and eleven novels) later, Alexandra felt as if her wounds were healed enough for her to do some light exercise. With that thought in mind, she left the mansion and went for a stroll around the area.

The wind blew the bottom half of her coat behind her, allowing the cold breeze to hit her legs. Goose bumps formed as she forced her coat to cover her freezing legs before she decided she had walked long enough. But before she could turn back, a familiar person came into view.

Axel’s face drew into a smile as he caught sight of her. He jogged up towards her with his hands up in a wave. “Good morning, Alexandra.”

She stopped walking as he drew closer. “Morning, Axel.” She unconsciously let go of her coat and pushed her hair behind her ears. When she did this, Axel’s eyes drifted to the bandages on her legs. Alexandra did not miss the worried look on his face.

“Are you okay?” He asked, motioning to the bandages.

She laughed slightly, “I’m fine. It was just a little accident.” His eyes narrowed at her words before he noticed the bandages on her wrists.

“It doesn’t seem like just a little accident.” His voice was laced with concern. She just scoffed at this, unable to hide the small smile that found its way on her face.

“It’s just fine. It should be healed in about a week’s time.”  Axel didn’t hide his relief.

“That’s good, you had me worried for a moment there.”

“Well I better be going back, I’ll see you soon Axel.” She smiled, turning around slightly.

“Nonsense, I can’t let an injured woman walk back home by herself.” He stepped up to her. She just smiled at this.

“I’m a strong woman, I don’t need protection.” She started walking back towards the mansion, Axel quickly following.

“Yes, but you’re injured.” He called. She laughed.

“Barely.”

“I doubt it is barely injured if it would take over a week to heal.” He matched her pace, smirking when she tried to walk faster than him. His longer legs allowed him to catch up easily.

“I just heal slowly.” She gave up trying to walk faster than him, and decided to walk at her normal speed. He shook his head at her before lifting her up bridal style.

“Hey!” She yelled out, trying to release herself from his grip, “Let me go.”

“I could let you go right now, but I don’t think you would like it.” He chuckled. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realised they were now floating in the air. She couldn’t hold back the surprised gasp.

Her protests were caught in her throat as they launched in the direction of the mansion. She stared at Flame City below her, realising just how beautiful the city looked from above. It would be a lie to say she wouldn’t want to be up there again.

Before long, they landed at the front of the mansion.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.” He laughed, before turning away and flying off.

She stared at the sky with a look of jealousy.

Damn wind mages and their flight abilities.

After five minutes of staring dumbly at the sky, she decided to turn around and go back to the mansion. She had to admit their little chat had lifted her boredom for that time. However now that the chat was finished, it was time to get back to her reading until she was healed enough to make a move.

 

Eight boring days passed, her wounds finally healed, leaving only a few scars littered around her body. For the past eight days she formulated a plan to get to the leader of the ‘Underworld’. Her plan, she believed, was foolproof.

Her thoughts, however, were crashed as a loud noise boomed throughout the mansion. Her body stiffened and she went alert as she left the room, realising that the noise was an explosion. 

11: Chapter Ten: Beginning

Chapter Ten: Beginning

 

It was a sunny day when Alexandra found the cave; her haven, in other words. Unlike the others, she enjoyed the thrill of danger. Actually, she found that danger was therapeutic to her. It was on this day she was climbing on the side of Mount Kilmoore, the steepness deterring even the bravest of mountain-climbers. One slip up and she would surely be dead.

That made her grin.

Even to this day, Alexandra doesn’t know whether it was fate or pure luck that helped her find the cave. Usually, she was very careful when climbing, but she assumed her mind was elsewhere when she stepped on the loose rock that caused her fall. She was sure she would die.

But she didn’t die. She landed on a very small platform that she had not noticed before. She sighed in relief as she stood and gripped the vines connected to the mountain.

Her heart nearly stopped when she fell straight through.

That was when she had found the cave. Despite spending the past two years around the mountain, she had never noticed the cave there. These days, the walls of the cave were covered in cuts caused by her emotional outbursts.

 

When Alexandra saw the extent of the explosion she couldn’t help but gasp. Two-thirds of the mansion was nearly completely destroyed, bits of rubble barely left behind. She stopped moving completely and stared at the smoke and fire, her eyes wide in fear.

Shaking her head to get the image out of her mind, she ran towards the rubble in hopes of finding survivors. Seeing dead bodies was a regular occurrence in her field of work, but despite that, she had never seen something this brutal. She doubted anybody under the rubble lived.

What if George was in that rubble?

She panicked and whipped around, finally noticing the battles behind her. Even though she was finally healed, she wasn’t pack to her full power yet. She could only stare as people died in front of her, and what made her fear the most was that she was doing nothing about it.

She came back to her senses when somebody touched her shoulder. She turned quickly, sighing in relief when she realised it was George.

“We have to go!” He yelled out. In his arms was a child who looked no older than thirteen, unconscious with blood dripping down his face. Next to him was his wife holding a baby in her hands. Their baby.

“Escape to Maralough,” Alexandra yelled over the loud sounds of battle, “I will catch up.” Before they could protest, she ran back into the left-over mansion which started to go up in flames. How glad she was that her bedroom was on the opposite end of the mansion to the explosion. With the adrenaline souring through her veins, she didn’t realise that unlike anybody else, she wasn’t being attacked.

As she made it to her room, she quickly grabbed the suitcase with the firearms in one hand, and as much gold as she could fit in her pockets. She ran out her room to the hallway, but stopped when she realised that the fire had spread quickly. Cursing herself, she ran back in her room and opened the window.

She ran out, briefly staring back at the burning mansion. Screams and loud booms filled her ears, but she could barely hear them in her panic. Flame city was up in flames.

She had never seen something like this before.

Alexandra used to be glad that the Great War ended before her birth, but now... She wasn’t too sure. Alexandra was one to always trust her instincts and gut-feelings, but what her gut was telling her now was not something she wished to believe.

This will be far worse than the Great War.

She remembered back to when she was learning about the Great War. They had said that, after the war ended, they had signed the ‘Treaty of Spade’, and considered the Great War to be ‘The final war’. People had celebrated what they believed to be the end of war itself – At least, the end of war as long as the Pentagon System was still running.

No, She suddenly realised, this isn’t that kind of war...

This is a revolution.

As she heard the bells ringing in the background, she suddenly remembered the song she had heard in her dreams, back when she was still far away from Flame City – far away from the fire. More specifically, one verse stood out.

“The silver booms ahead,

She heard the gunshots ringing around.

Those with brains have fled,

George and his cohort had fled back to Maralough instead of fighting against this. They were smart enough to know they didn’t stand a chance, no matter how strong they were. Their numbers were far greater.

The war bells are ringing,
Those old rags are singing.

She felt sick to her stomach. For the first time in her life, she felt homesick. She wanted to go back to Uncle Samuel, back to her family.

They will know we fled to Maralough. Mount Kilmoore should be safe.

She was about to turn and run away and head to the main road. She knew the town exits would be filled with people trying to leave the city. Maralough would soon be filled with refugees. Mount Kilmoore would be safe.

Home.

As she turned to run, she jumped back in shock as Axel landed right near her.

“Thank goodness you’re here.” She spoke as he picked her up.

He smirked back at her, “I wouldn’t leave you alone in this mess.” His smirk turned into a frown as they flew up. Alexandra finally saw the destruction. The mansion was utterly destroyed; the city was up in flames. The gates grid-locked with people trying to leave the city. Fire Mages were fighting against the revolutionaries; the revolutionaries having an obvious advantage.

She refused to cry.

“We need to get to Maralough – George and the others will be waiting there.” She yelled out above the sounds of death. He nodded, tearing his eyes away from the carnage and started to fly. Once again, despite the inappropriate timing, she wished she could fly.

She shook that thought out of her mind. If she could fly, she wouldn’t be a Shadow Mage. If she weren’t a Shadow Mage, she wouldn’t have met Samuel.

She felt her body shaking in Axel’s arms.

She needed her cave.