FSE

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What? Was it that easy? Just show up with the right person and get on the team? Then I felt guilty because I felt like I used Lucas

"I want to join for sure, but I want to make sure Lucas is ok,"

"Relax, just make sure to contact me or Rayna when you do sign up. Secondly, Lucas was poisoned by something, or someone. I've identified it as Ilk poisoning. Fortunately, it wasn't lethal. A bit more, and he would have died in twenty minutes."

I looked back on the train, remembering the potion that he drank half way before he casted the spell. Someone was out to kill him, or worse. "Check Lucas' bag!" I said so urgently, that Francis jumped.

"All right," Francis agreed and he went to take a look at Lucas's apothecary satchel. When he brought it over, I looked in horror and saw the potion he drank on the Train.

"Is this the one?" Francis asked me.

"Yes." I said looking at the potion

"Did he finish all of it?"

"No he spilt it and was unable to finish the lethal dose."

Francis nodded, talking the empty phial from me. "I'll put it under examination, but drops and leftovers are a bit harder to look at. Whoever did this is going to pay!" he said furiously talking off up the stairs.

"I'm going to check up on Lucas," I said leaving my cocoa on the side table.

Lucas hadn't moved an inch since I last saw him. He seemed paler that I remembered, debilitated by the potion. His short golden hair fell flat as he laid on his back on the table, and his coat had a large hole where the bolt of magic hit him. But despite his injured state, his face looked peaceful, as if it had not known rest in a long while.

Francis walked into the room with the potion in his hand. "This was ilk poisoning" he said with a lazy gaze, "This was imported from somewhere, I don't know where, and it's one of the most expensive poisons on the market. Someone must have gone out of their way to get to Lucas." Francis finished

"And their wallet" Rayna added walking into the room.

Francis nodded crushing more herbs and roots on his mortar and pestle.

"Well, are you going to make an antidote?" Rayna asked Francis expecting a yes and not wanting a no

"Of course!" Francis said irritated "what do you think I'm doing right now?

Rayna looked at what he was doing and left him to it, leaving the room for more songs, and her cocoa.

"What exactly is ilk?" I asked Francis who was absorbed in crushing the ingredients.

"It's a type of spider venom that causes paralyses. The spider can easily eat you or me, and trying to get the poison will get anyone with the guts a small fortune. Smugglers on the north east coast sneak the stuff into the area to get large amounts of Claufs. You should get to bed." Francis said placing the ingredients into a miniature caldron. "You can sleep in my bed if you want, ill sleep on the ground, I don't mind. I think all the rooms are taken anyways."

"No! I can't ..."

"Rin its fine," he said cutting me off. "Your first day at the college is tomorrow. You're in for a full day. My classes don't start until later, so I can sleep in, but your classes usually start at 6:45 or 7:00, so get some sleep. It's room 4-L

"Thanks Francis"

He attended back to the roots "mhm." He said concentrating on the caldron.

The beds were feathered and comfortable at least, I felt guilty talking Francis bed from him though. I wished I still had that cocoa though. That may have made my stomach stop growling. The last I remembered eating was right before I got on the train, and my stomach yearned for anything to eat. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and set the timer to 6:30 giving myself 15 minutes to get ready. It was too cold to sleep in boxers, so I took off my snow coat and fell onto the feathered bed.

Feathers were not plucked from birds, but rather made artificially, by some form of alternative magic. They use to be plumage, but it was considered inhumane, and so they turned to science to fix the problem. Somehow, finding comfort in this, I was able to fall asleep

I felt a cold aura around me when I woke up.

"Hello Rin Suleiman" said a cold voice that echoed around the emptiness "it's so glad to see you"

I rubbed my eyes "Francis? Rayna?" I asked the voice

"Come to me, and I will show you." The unworldly voice said.

I opened the door and found that this was not the tavern at all. Complete and utter blackness stretching out into oblivion.

"Rin..." the apathetic voice continued "You uncle has been suppressing my contact to you. Nevertheless, I knew I would talk to you when the time was right."

"What are you?" I asked drawing my wand.

"I'm here to help you." The voice said "you're a very powerful wolf, Rin. More powerful than you will ever know. You know your uncle? He was jealous, and tried to take the gift I'm giving to you, for himself.

"Show yourself." I said ignoring what he was saying

A wolf stepped out. A black wolf with occasional red stripes, darker than an ocean of blood. His eyes glowed red with power and both his hands were surrounded by red fire. "This is my weakest form. The only form that you can ever see of me." He said

"What gift?" I asked

"My power." The voice said

"What if I don't accept your gift?" I said defiantly.

"Then, your soul will disintegrate in my realm." The voice said forcing me to accept. I watched my fingers, shiver and blend with the darkness. "Mortal souls cannot exist here in my plain. Here is my gift, to you." He raised his hand outward to me

A necklace appeared around me out of thin air. It wrapped around me with a solid gold chain, and a blood red tear drop which solidified when it touched me.

"This is my amulet, crafted by my own hands." He said lowering his hand, but continuing his gaze on me. I know that it will be of great importance later.

I stood there admiring the beautiful teardrop, examining it as the wolf stood there and smiled at my reaction. "Why me?"

"Because you are the most powerful thing in your world." The figure said.

"I'm of very little importance." I said humbly "I think you're making a mistake" I took off the necklace and handed it back to him, but instantly, I saw my hands shimmer as if it were dissolving into oblivion.

The figure laughed at my quaint notion "put that back on if you don't want your soul to disappear forever" he said smiling at my cluelessness.

Without questioning him, I placed the necklace back on and my fingers stopped disappearing. "Do you just love to toy with the stupid of the world?" I said angrily

"If I did that, anyone stupid would die of a heart attack in their sleep" he said without care "Your one of the few people who can enter my realm without instantly dying."

I remained silent for a long time, sitting down on the cold stone floor. I'm the most insignificant person that I know. Why not choose someone else? Someone smarter, or stronger, or braver.

_ _

"I chose you because you are the most powerful person you millennia" he said and I was startled"I hear your thoughts Rin, but only in my realm."

"Can you please send me back now?" I begged wanting to escape.

"Yes, and I could also make you stay here for the rest of eternity, but that doesn't make for an interesting story now would it?" He laughed "Lets thicken the plot? Shall we? I want you to wonder about someone. Someone who almost matches you power, but is more threatening than you at the time. The name is Artemis." He smiled because of his own cleverness.

_ _

Artemis could be a girl's name, or a boys. That doesn't even narrow it down to half of either gender. Great. He smiled and I knew he heard my thoughts. And that he heard that thought too as well as this one.

_ _

"One last thing, do not tell anyone about me."

"What if I do?" I said defiantly

"Or don't. It won't hurt me."

I glared maliciously at the wolf.

He just smiled all the same. "This will make for an interesting story" he smiled and vanished into the black

I woke up from one of my worst dreams ever. Well when I say dreams, I really mean nightmares. My head ached and not only that, but also I was still hungry. My entire body was sweating from the thick clothes I was wearing, and I regretted not going down to my boxers. What time is it? My hand searched for the phone, moving blindly through the dark until I found it. When I turned it on, the glaring monitor hurt my eyes, and I turned away until my eyes adjusted. Ugh, seeing that it was 2:39 in the morning, I hate waking up in the middle of the night, I thought falling back on the bed and staring at the black ceiling.

Artemis... Who is Artemis? I thought rubbing my eyes in confusion. I felt something heavy on my chest. It started glowing a crimson color, illuminating the room with a faint red. It was that wolfs gift. What does he want with me? I grabbed it with my right hand and examined it with care. Inside of the tear was a symbol, etched in black, one that I have never seen before. The tear itself seemed like a liquid, with the crimsons and scarlet colors changing colors and mixing like a lava lamp. Some gift. I thought sarcastically chucking it into the corner of the room where it stopped glowing.I don't want your power, and I never will.

I heard Francis's snores coming from the ground. When my eyes adjusted to the dark, I saw that he wrapped a blanket around his entire body, and improvised, using a folded towel as a pillow. Clever, I thought. I got off the bed to take of my long pants, and long sleeve shirt, exchanging the long sleeve shirt for a t-shirt. I felt better, but my stomach still roared as loud as Francis snored. I can't do anything about that right now, I guess I'll just have to wait until breakfast. I went back to sleep, hoping that I would have a dreamless sleep.

My phone went off at 6:30 in the morning, and the horrible repeated sound woke me up in an instant. I quickly turned it off so that Francis wouldn't be woken up, but he got up as quickly as I did, stretching, wearing only a pair of blue boxer briefs.

"I meant to give you this in the morning Rin" he slurred as if he was drunk. He handed me a small phial of blue liquid. "Relax, it regenerates your body, giving you three hours of rested sleep. I would have given you six, but I decided against it since it's your first day and you would have been groggy because of too much sleep."

"Thanks!" I said optimistically, but Francis had already drank a potion, and was out as quickly as he got up.

Lucas on the other side of the floor with an almost identical blanket and towel, having no sign of ilk in him. Francis is a miracle worker, I thought, then looking at the snoring, half naked tiger, I couldn't help but laughing silently.

I got dressed using my phones light to discern the clothes I wanted to wear then, when I was all dressed, I left for the bathroom brushing my teeth. By a sink and mirror at the end of the hallway.

In the mirror, I saw the necklace again. Great, my first day at the college, I get a curse...

I sneaked back into Francis room, and snuck it on him while he was asleep.

"Hey Doffus! Get out of the way!" a pseudo masculine voice said to me

"Rayna!" I said turning to see who was trying to be tough

"How was my impersonation of Francis?"

"A bit flamboyant" I said laughing with Rayna "I'm" glad Lucas is alright"

"He's a bit of a downer all the time," she said sighing after she finished the sentence. "I'm guessing he tried to talk you out of Oblivion too?" she continued knowing I would ask how she knew "He doesn't like it. I don't know why. As far as I'm concerned, it keeps my stomach full and gives me place to rest my head. So, you heading to the college too?"

"Yeah, but I have no idea what to do. There were absolutely no instructions other that show up." I said a bit annoyed. "Other than get a bunch of books and hope for the best

"We need a better Archmage, and more of a system to help new students. Not that I don't like the Archmage, just that I don't like his organization skills."

We walked outside simultaneously. The sunlight seemed to purge all of the cold, and the snowflakes reflected the light like a million diamonds, gliding downward at a slow and steady pace.

Rayna flicked out her wand and made a circle starting at the bottom point. When the movement completed the circle, she flicked from bottom to top quickly. A snow ball obediently darted from the ground levitating in front of her smug face and wand pointed directly at me. With a flick, she sent it flying, and it made a jet sound as it approached me. I dodged to the right and drew my wand instantaneously. I matched the circular motion and a gold thread appeared just like last night. Then, flicked in an upward motion and a snowball appeared in front of my wand.

"You're a fast learner!" Rayne shouted from the other side of town.

A giant snowball as large as a head shot out from the ground and in front of my face. I flicked it like Rayna did, and it darted toward Rayna. She didn't even flinch, drawing a circle as tall as she was from to back to the top, and flicked downward. A clear shield appeared in front of her, and my snow ball proved obsolete splattering on her shield in all directions.

"Hey! That's not fair" I shouted back

"Is this fair?" she shouted. She pointed her wand to her side, and then started to twirl in a circle with her wand still out. Snow collected with it, swirling like a tornado around her. She pointed her wand directly upward forming a sphere of snow circling above her. Whoa... I thought amazed at the power of magic. She flung downward pointing directly at me, and it rushed forward belligerently, taking no prisoners. I was swept off my feet when it hit me, twirling with the circular motion Rayna made. Fortunately, I landed on a pillow of snow as opposed to the cobble.

"That, was beyond unfair!" I shouted more amazed than angered. I got up, dizzily trying to regain my footing.

She laughed and helped me brush off the snow. "Just because you can cast Gold Thread doesn't mean you are done learning" she said playfully.

"What exactly is so special about Gold Thread?" I asked

"It's really powerful magic, Rin. Why didn't you start learning magic at an earlier age?"

I looked at the ground breaking eye contact, "My uncle didn't want to give me a wand. Everyone was surprised at the time, but he said he had a reason." I said. Then I remembered something that the wolf in my dream said you know your uncle? He was jealous, and tried to take the gift I'm giving to you, for himself... The voice echoed in my head. I clenched my fist tightly.

"What's wrong?" Rayna said with a concerned tone.

"It's my uncle. It always is. I don't want to talk about it right now".

"Uncle issues?" she asked me "Hey? Where did you get that necklace?"

"Yeah", I sighed. "It's probably cursed" I said knowing full well that it was, as well as trying to change the subject. I sighed the plot has thickened I thought sarcastically