City of Colors

One: Test

"Our magic comes from our ancestors. With them gone, we are fading. We must come together to stay strong, and leave the unworthy. That is the way of the Ancients. And it is the way of the Aurorans." -Mistress Ivory Inglenook

Chapter one

Year 145

Aurora was a perfect place.

Perfect with its towers and trees. The harmony and peace. Perfect with the wall, that would protect them from the wilderness. The perfect market place, that everyone in the city went to. The city of colours was bright with life. Familiars would play in the grounds. The people would go about their everyday life, with little to no crime. Kira wouldn't want to change a thing. Especially the magic.

She was pretty sure magic was the best thing in the world, besides music. She wanted to become a very powerful magician. Just like her parents. They were amazing. Just like all the magicians. The Magicians ran Aurora. They watched over it it care and calculation. They were the grand judges. They decided your rank. Your academy. Your future.

"What do you think about the future?"

Kira and her best friend Aria sat on the orphanage roof, shoulder to shoulder. Kira sat closer to the edge than Aria, swinging her feet excitedly. Aria was noticeably more stiff today, sitting awkwardly on her hands. "Aria?" Kira asked again, tilting her head.

"Huh?" Aria met her eyes, and Kira saw the worry in them. She frowned. "You worried about the test?" when Aria didn't respond, she continued. "Don't worry, you'll do great."

"You think?" Aria looked up with a small smile. "Me, who's never practiced magic in my life."

Kira shrugged. "Yeah. But you're the coolest person I know. You got more courage than the rest of those kids. That's all it takes, right?"

"Psh, I'm not courageous." Said Aria.

"You don't give yourself enough credit."

"Neither do you," Aria pushed Kira playfully. "Cake baked with salt, now that's something to be proud of."

Kira cracked a small smile. "But I also kinda wanted some real cake. Lee was so mad cause we made her taste test. She called us pranksters."

"Psh, of course she did." Aria laid back on the orphanage roof, staring up. She watched the leaves rustle in the light breeze. And the merchants rolling by. It was so peaceful. Like a whisper from the wind. It seemed to be saying that everything would turn out right.

Kira laid back too. The sky was a perfect blue today, she noticed. Not a single dark cloud in the sky.

Maybe that was a good sign.

They lay like that for a while, soaking in the sun. Enjoying the peacefulness of the scene. Until Kira broke the silence. "What is it like, not knowing what the test will be like?"

Aria thought for a moment. The wind rustled again, and she had the answer. "It's like...A tightness in your heart. A seed nestled in there, bursting with everything. Excitement, fear, it's all there. It feels like a force of its own. "

"I like that." Said Kira after a moment. "I like that a lot."

"Bet you'll like the sun rise more." She was referring to the promise they had made each other a year before. On the morning after each of their tests, they would watch the sunrise together.

"I can't wait. Maybe afterwards we can even set up a prank, no one will be up."

Aria smiled. "Yeah, that sounds great. I have an idea on what we can do with all that salt Mrs. Armitage bought."