Zodiac Academy (Draft 1)

Prologue

**This is the beginning of Zodiac Academy, Draft 2. If you have any questions, please read the section titled: Important Notice, for further details! And last but not least, enjoy~

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The sun always shone on the Academy of the Zodiacs. It always reflected off the surface of the waves that lapped the shoreline, always setting along the water's horizon. There was rarely grey weather for long, and so today's forecast was strange.

A midsummer storm. Rain poured from the skies as if to drown the earth, and the ocean itself was relentless. Raging waves pummeled against the Academy's beach, coming dangerously close inland. The forest bordering the perimeter shook and crackled; the treetops brushing together constructed an ominous melody as if to forewarn what was to come.

A woman robed in blue dashed towards a white marble building that dwarfed every other structure. It was a miracle she remained completely dry, only using her hands to shield herself from the harsh downpour. It was as though the rain parted itself for her.

She sprinted up the stone steps and threw open the tall heavy doors, rushing inside the main Court. Dusting off any stray water particles on her robes, her fingers brushed against a stitched insignia on her chest: ♏, the symbol of Scorpio.

A small group had gathered around a podium, whispering amongst themselves in hushed tones. She joined them. "Is it true? Has it happened?" She asked, looking to each council member's grim face.

"Has the book unlocked, you mean?" Garrett said, a bearded man dressed in green. "Then yes, Sage, it has happened."

Sage inhaled sharply, striding past the others towards the object resting on the podium. It was a worn book. A book that was so thick, it rivaled a dictionary. The tome was flipped open to a page near the beginning, a faded sketch inked its yellow paper. She reached out instinctively to touch it. The paper was course, but felt like it would fall apart should anyone have simply coughed.

"Marvelous, isn't it?" Garrett murmured. "After so many years, we finally get to see its secrets." His eyes traced the page hungrily. "This book contains everything since the beginning of the Zodiac's time. It even tells the future, according to the myths."

"The future?" Sage asked. "Like the Prophecy in the legends?"

A woman wearing red, Arita, answered her. "Not just the Prophecy, but the future of the Zodiacs." She stepped forward next to Garrett and Sage, pointing her sharp painted nail at the picture. "This shows how the Zodiacs came to be. Aries rose first, followed by Taurus...and well, you know the drill."

"But," Garrett continued, flipping to a different section near the end of the book. "The future it seems, remains empty. To be determined." Disappointment lined his words. He walked away from the podium, joining a few of the others seated on the bottom row of lecture-styled benches.

Sage turned back to the tome, skimming through some more empty sections. "Even the zodiacs couldn't predict everything."

Arita placed her hand over Sage's to pause her search, "May I?"

She took a step back as Arita began to move towards the beginning again. Lightning struck outside and illuminated the room through the tall glass windows, quickly followed by the ground shaking sound of thunder. When Sage returned her attention to what was in front of her, she saw that Arita had stopped on a spine-chilling page.

It was an image that was eerily familiar. Sage let out a gasp as she realized what it depicted. "That's...that's us...right now. Looking at..." Two figures were sketched standing around a podium identical to the one in real life. From the shading of the drawing and a zig-zagged line outside of a window, lightning had just struck. "No way..." She turned the page in a fervor, nearly tearing it out.

A new figure had joined the two ladies in the drawing, standing just behind Sage's counterpart. "I know, we found it hard to believe too." A voice said.

Sage flinched, startled to see that Lance had snuck up on her. She looked back at the image, "That's you. That's you standing behind us, Lance. How does the book know?" She questioned, noticing his hair and robes were still damp.

Lance shrugged as Arita turned the page eagerly. "I'm flattered that you think I hold all the answers to your questions, Sage." He said jauntily. "But I'm sorry to say I have no idea. It's like asking how did the universe begin? Probably lonely is my guess, but we may never know."

"There's no more," Arita declared before Sage could come up with something to say. "That's it. So much for knowing the future." She closed the book with a dull thud, a cloud of dust poofed from the pages.

"How did it unlock?" Sage asked. "It's been shut for centuries, no one and nothing could get it to open."

"I―" Arita started to say, but Garrett interjected, answering for her.

"Because the Prophecy has started," He stood up from his seat. "The Zodiac's plan has been put into motion. Who knows what fate has in store for us now. I would have been delusional to even believe this would happen in my lifetime."

"What do we do?" Someone said from behind Arita. Sage looked around and saw it was Lizanne. She had a small frame, but her demeanor was not something to be taken lightly. "In a few months, the students will return. We can't keep this from them, they'll know something is up, that something has changed around here."

"Lizanne's right," Lance agreed. "Word of the Prophecy will get out, it always does. Even if we keep our lips sealed there's no guarantee it will stay a secret for long."

All eyes turned to Garrett for answers, but it wasn't he who responded. "It must remain silent. For the safety of our students and our Academy, we all must work to keep this under wraps. No one else can know about the book or that the prophecy has started, not until we figure out who the prophesized are."

"Giselle." Sage said in acknowledgement. She didn't see her standing silently by a pillar.

Giselle was Garrett's twin sister, together they lead the house of Gemini at the Academy. She gave everyone a curt nod, "Are we all in agreement? To keep this event quiet until further notice?" Giselle scanned around the room, as if challenging anyone to object. Eventually there were mutters of agreement from the group.

Garrett clapped his hands when his sister nodded in satisfaction. "Good! I will keep the book safe and hidden in the library. We'll take turns keeping watch; Giselle and I will take the first shift tonight." He exchanged glances with his sister. "See if there's any progress on its predictions." Giselle moved to retrieve the book, clasping the lock on its cover shut.

"Wait," Sage called out, "The prophecy. I didn't see it, was it written on one of the pages?" She didn't have much time to look through it, but surely something so major would've caught her eye?

"It is, but written in the language of the Zodiacs." Giselle said, carefully holding the book. "We have yet to decrypt it, but if anything I doubt it's like what the legends say."

"The legends are as old as the Zodiacs themselves, as is their language." Sage added, "Do you need help decrypting it?"

Giselle offered her a smile, "I wouldn't object. We'll start tomorrow morning, and since a lot of the language has been lost over the centuries, we have our work cut out for us."

"As for everyone else, please return to your quarters and get some rest. We have a lot to do tomorrow." Garrett led the group to the doors, the muffled sound of heavy rain could still be heard. "Stay dry, I will see you all in the morning." He propped open the entrance.

Sage was one of the last to leave, stepping out onto the muddy (and slightly flooded) grounds wasn't high on her list. As Garrett and Giselle closed up the main Court and headed their own ways with the ancient tome, Sage descended the steps. She waved a hand over her head and the rain parted around her as she headed to her chambers.

As each council member retreated to find shelter, the storm raged on. Even nature had a say about the ancient Zodiac tome and its secrets.