The Mystics Of Valenthia

0.5 The Spark

I'd never seen an angrier Lady Freya before. Not that I had seen her more than twice. But she was angry. Angry was not the word for what I saw. She was mad.

"Is that how you treat a guest, Carter?" she yelled at the boy with blue-green eyes. Sadly, he was a whole new level of hotness compared to Ferdinand.

Hey, what am I even thinking?

"Neither does one treat their host by spilling burning milk all over them. Or do you?" he smirked my way.

I shrugged like it didn't matter.

"I don't care what happened here!" Lady Freya snapped. "But if you put one more toe out of the line, Carter, you'd better watch it." She sounded scary.

She walked away waving her hand in my direction. I was as dry as before without a drop of water. Carter walked off in the opposite direction.

"Come on. Classes will start in an hour." It was Nova. She pulled me along. Bex and Eva tagged along.

We killed an hour by just hanging around and them giving me a tour of the place. Warmage Academy was basically a palace. A huge palace. It was a hostel. I was to share my room with Nova, Bex and Eva. I didn't mind that a bit. They were good people.

"Lady Freya and Sir Ferdinand shall visit your parents tomorrow.", Nova said.

A cold realization swept over me as I realized that for my parents, I had been missing for a week!

"Will they tell them the truth?" I asked.

"I don't know," admitted Nova. "But it won't be bad."

I scoffed. Of course not.

My parents were the definition of impossible. First off, they weren't even my parents. I was adopted. And spoilt. And pampered. My dad was a filthy rich guy who once had a handsome face. Now, he looks pretty haggard due to working on "How to make myself more money" projects.
Mom was a shopaholic. Usually she loved buying branded clothes for me so I didn't mind her much. But for her, her first priority is shopping. Then comes the rest.

"Here we are." Bex cracked her knuckles, and smiles mischievously.

"Where are we?" I asked, sceptical.

"It is your first class. You're gonna love Warmage Wimbsky." Eva told me.

I entered through the double doors into an arena. Rows of seat surround the vast ground. I saw target boards set up at a distance. Sparkling letters floated reading Target Practice With Bows And Arrows.
Many of them, I see, are already gathered, gossiping in groups.

As soon as I stepped forward with Nova, Bex and Eva by my side, all conversation ceased . Some looked at me curiously, some just stared at me as if I was a ghost, out of place. Maybe, I was out of place.

Everyone just played the stare-game until a cheerful squeaky voice said, "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen!"

I jumped at the sudden sound of his voice. He appeared out of nowhere, barely inches from my face.

"You must be Florentyna! Honoured to meet you! Trust me, my classes are going to be lots of fun, especially for you! You're going love me-ahem-my classes! We shall have loads of fun and...."

That is where I zoned out. Warmage Wimbsky was short, almost like a dwarf. He had neat cropped hair. His warm, brown eyes twinkled. He wore a tee and pants.

These Valenthians do have a fashion sense, surprisingly.

Sizing him up, he was pretty cheerful.

"Whoooaa!" That is when he slipped on his own pants and burst out laughing.

"Don't mind me kiddos!"
A bunch of guys helped him up.

Pretty cheerful and bonkers.

"Alright then! Let us get started! Now I'm going to call you all one by one. All you have to do it shoot the target with your arrow possessing your magical powers. Pretty basic so I want all of you to ace it!"

He looked at all of us gleefully and winked at me. I stared at him blankly, barely registering the words.

"Now then, Nova? Won't you give it a try? Perhaps a demonstration for Florentyna?"

Nova walked up and took her position. She picked up a bow and a bunch of arrows. She took aim and concentrated at the tip of the arrow. It began glowing in a way only the sun would. The arrow zoomed past and hit bullseye. Warmage Wimbsky clapped joyfully. "Wonderful!"

Nova shrugged as if it was no big deal. And for all you know, it wasn't.

"Next up! Our new student, Florentyna!"

I gulped. I admit that I was nervous. I took my bow and aimed an arrow. I tried concentrating on the arrowtip just like Nova. I chanted a prayer in my mind and let it go. The arrow possessed no powers and did not even hit the target. I was sweating excessively.

"Take another shot!'' Wimbsky shouted.

I took another shot. And another. And another; facing the same result. Not once did my arrow possess any magic or hit the target. I threw my bow and arrow in frustration.

A laugh rang out in the arena, clear and amused. Searching for the source of laughter, my eyes fell on a tuft of messy black hair and a face consisting of blue-green eyes. That person! Carter. He gave me a condescending look, shook his head and burst out laughing again. Slowly, everyone else joined him. Everyone, excluding Nova, Bex, Eva and Warmage Wimbsky.

Humiliated. I felt humiliated. My face flushed. I didn't know what to do. My eyes found Warmage Wimbsky's when he held up a hand signifying silence.

"What is it, Florentyna?" He asked, concerned.

"N-nothing. I-I just can't Warmage Wimbsky. It is s-so..I cannot."

"Of course, you can! All you need is time and a little practice. How about, you sit and observe our other students? It will help you."

The last thing I wanted to do was sit and watch others do better than me. Especially Carter. But I did not have much of an option. I nodded my head in agreement.

I took a seat in one of the front rows in the arena and watched. They were no doubt good. I couldn't help but appreciate them.

"Carter!" Wimbsky called out.

He walked up ahead. While taking his bow and arrow he glanced at me and smirked. I wanted to wipe that smirk off his face badly.

He took his aim, his arms poised. He didn't seem to concentrate on his arrow as others. He was relaxed. Confident that he would hit the bullseye. I stared at the arrow hard, wishing it wouldn't. I wanted to destroy the arrow. My fists clenched and my eyes narrowed. Stupid, arrogant person! The arrow zoomed ahead. The tip of the arrow consisted of a spark. Soon the spark consumed the arrow and the before I knew it, the arrowed transformed into ash. Everyone gasped. I broke out of my anger trance. I stared at the powdered ash.

It was just a spark.