Original Story

Chapter I: Iris

Author's Note: This is from the first chapter of the first novella, which will explore the Magi of the Wellspring, and introduce you to one of the main protagonists.

Chapter I: Iris

            High in the Valgrind Mountains, through miles of treacherous terrain and harsh climate, lie an oasis. A deep gorge whose high walls protected it from the blizzards and snowstorms of the outside. It was like a completely different world, one where flowers bloomed, and the ice melted into a gorgeous waterfall that fed into a shallow pool at the bottom of the gorge from which rose a plateau. It was here that the Magi of the Solaran Empire called home. Through the use of their magics they carved themselves shelter into the cliff face. They created bridges to connect their shelters by way of the plateau which they turned into a grand courtyard. Stone steps cut into the edge of the mesa descended to the pool at the bottom of the ravine where a beautiful garden bloomed, tended to by the many residents of what they called the Wellspring, the heart of the arcana. A safe place for the aging magi to pass their knowledge on to the next generation.

            At that moment in time, the usual serenity of the Wellspring had been interrupted by a fight that had broken out between two young adults. A young man who had cast a slight upon one of his female peers, their raised voices eventually escalating into a brawl.

            Her hazel brown hair danced in the air as she spun, the young man's attack passing harmlessly by her left ear. Her right arm cocked as she turned back to face her opponent. Fire began to spread up her arm and gathered in her palm, the embers of the flames dancing in her violet eyes.

            Those standing at the forefront of the crowd turned their faces from the heat, though they could not help but continue to watch the fight out of the corners of their eyes. The young man crossed his arms in front of his face in a panic, a blue magic seal appearing before him just in time to shield himself from the oncoming inferno.

            "What's the matter, Lincoln?" The girl taunted. "Where's that damn smirk of yours now?"

            Lincoln scowled, gritting his teeth as the strength behind his barrier waned under the power of the never-ending flames, cracks forming in his seal like shattered glass. With a grunt of effort, he threw his arms to the side, redirecting the torrent of fire so it reflected off at an angle. Several members of the crowd shrieked while those in the front quick enough to act shielded themselves and those behind them.

            With an angry yell, Lincoln brought his fist swinging down over his head, then opening his hand, dragged his wrist upwards. Large branches of thorns broke through the ground chasing towards the girl before him. With a wave of her hands a sphere of different rotating runes appeared around her, the many glyphs fending off the brambles. Unable to penetrate the barrier, the vines instead wrapped around it, encasing the girl within its thorns, squeezing tightly. For a moment, it appeared as if the battle had been won, but then light began to seep through the cracks in the vines, and in a blinding flash, the thicket surrounding the young woman was blast to pieces, sending the remaining vines slithering back into the fissure from which they came.

            Using the flying debris and the flash of light to her advantage, the brunette launched herself at Lincoln, her arm up to her elbow surrounded in a golden aura. Her fist crashed against another magic seal as Lincoln tried desperately to hold her at bay, but every punch she threw forced him closer to the ground.

            "You're pathetic." She spat.

            She brought her fist back one last time, several magic seals appearing around her arm, and with a final blow, she punched straight through Lincoln's protective spell and grabbed him by the collar of his robes.