Chapter 1
POV Scarlett
I wish I knew then, how much a soul can hold, how much the essence of a person can be bled dry.
The sun was just peeking out from behind the clouds as I began the walk to instructions.
“Practical Applications of Thought” Riveting.
I continued to wander aimlessly. No one should have trusted me to figure out how to get there by myself, but I enjoyed the breeze flowing through my hair and tickling my cheeks as I kept walking.
The expansive estate was hard to navigate, softly glowing pathways leading to the four stone buildings, all in opposite corners. In the middle sat the plaza encased by multitudes of trees. It was odd how such a large estate felt so restrictive. I can barely see the spires of the building peeking over the trees. Swirls of iron twisted in towards the center of the plaza, meeting at the engraving of the eight pointed star. I was transfixed, staring at the patterns as my thoughts were interrupted.
“S?” I heard called through the plaza,
“You know you’re going the wrong direction right?”
I smiled as I turned and saw my friend, Karina, waving and running towards me. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her as she ran. Karina always made me feel like a giant with her short and petite frame. I often joked how I could carry her in my pocket if I wanted. Her blue eyes met mine and her face broke out in a grin. Almost tripping over her long green dress, she grabbed my hand and half-dragged me the opposite way. A laugh escaped me as we walked hand in hand towards a large stone building that towered over us. I am almost taken aback by just how massive it is.
Two stone pillars stood to either side of a sizable wooden door with iron handles. At the top of each pillar ran a connected arc of blue light that appeared to spark and crackle. I had seen many like it in front of town buildings always illuminating entrances and pathways. The cobblestone path leading to the door was infused with this blue light and emitted a soft blue glow.
I vaguely remembered my father cautioning me to be wary of trying to lift the stones or touch the arcs of light. You were always the curious one.
The phrase came unbidden in my memory, and I dismissed it as barely a thought.
“Karina, you ever wonder where the light comes from?”
“Oh of course!” she says with a smile, “Sometimes I like to throw stones at it and see how long it takes the guard to notice the sparks flaring and falling,” she giggles, “I can’t wait until we actually get to experience the Astra’s light in person!”
I give her an incredulous look and shake my head. “You’re going to get yourself in so much trouble one of these days—”
“And you will be there to get me out of trouble,” she says with the biggest grin possible. Karina has always been the one to act first, think later, with me there to keep her in balance. Though she grew up with parents who supported her endeavors, I was always under a watchful eye. I loved her wild and reckless nature to coax that spirit out of me. We were two halves to one whole, and life wouldn’t and couldn’t be the same without her.
Where we had many differences, one thing aligned us in our core, the desire for validation, and not just excellence but perfection. Pushing each other to new accolades, no one could rival our shared tenacity and love of learning.
Even though we had gone through the basic teachings, this year marked the first year of “Weathering”. Citizens were bound to secrecy about its contents, but no one ever came out quite the same, or at all it seemed. This was the required training and final induction year before being sent out into the cities for job assignments. It was also where citizens could prove aptitude for Astra level assignments or further into the unknown Veil regions. On the flip side, rumors circulated that failure to adhere to the Astra designed training could lead to being sent to the Below. History books noted that in times of war, the casualties and the worst violators of Astra rules had been used to feed the Below, whatever the hell that means. Now it was simply a threat to scare misbehaving children and scarcely anyone truly took any note of it. I was secretly hoping we would learn the mysteries of the Below, or at least be allowed to ask more questions.
My questioning had always gotten me in trouble, but certainly not in the Weathering, right?
I was immediately pulled out of my thoughts as we came up to the door, a guard slightly hidden in the shadows. As he stepped into view, the scowl on his face deepened. Prominently displayed on his chest was the mark of the Astra, an eight-pointed star that I could have sworn emitted a purple toned glow. As soon as it appeared, it was gone as he ushered us inside with a huff, “Staring is rude, you know.”
I looked up at him, and yes I mean up at the guard towering above us. He had black hair pulled back tightly behind his hood with freckles peppering his cheeks. Our eyes locked and I noticed a definitively violet hue that crackled along his irises. A chill ran down my spine, and I broke eye contact. Looking down I muttered, “Sorry.” A warmth spreads through my cheeks and I hear a soft hum behind us.
Karina stares at the guard with open curiosity as she asks, “Hey big scary guard guy, do you have a name?” My mouth drops open in shock. To my surprise, he lets out a chuckle as his shoulders release the smallest amount of tension.
“My name is Azrael, but maybe don’t call any of the others big scary guard guy, I don’t see that ending well for you.” The look he gives Karina is one of pity and maybe concern?
She loops her arm around mine and pulls me down the hall as she calls back, “Will do, big scary guard guy!”
I catch one last glance at him as we are about to round the corner.
This time I catch the moment his face snaps to attention, and all pretenses of warmth are gone. A hum begins, and this time I notice the blue arc seems to vibrate with a small rush of light.
Interesting.
***
As we enter the main room, I am surprised to see that most of the attendees are seated and silent. Creepy.
There are two more guards on either side of the entrance, scanning their eyes over every citizen that walks in, on alert at all times. Karina and I grab two seats near the front. She gets out her pen and scratch pad, placing them neatly in the corner of the table. Karina has always been extremely exacting when it comes to certain details, something I can definitely relate to.
She notices me nervously biting my inner cheek and leans over to whisper, “Scarlett, are you ok?” I look at her and see her brows knit in concern, her lips pursed in a tight line.
“Something is prickling at my brain about this, Kari, something just feels off.” I sit back in my seat and hold her thoughtful gaze.
Before she can open her mouth to respond, the main door is locked shut by the large iron bars and light footsteps are heard crossing the room. I briefly see a flash of blood red hair as she stands at the front of the room. As she turns to face us, I let out a small gasp. Firstly, she is one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. Secondly, her eyes almost explode with red light, matching her hair. It is a unique color, and one I have never seen before in a person’s eyes. She wears a light cream blouse and dark maroon pants paired with ornate golden shoes. Her earrings hang from her like flames, catching the light from the deep red stones. She twirls the ring on her hand aimlessly.
Does everyone look like that in the Above? Is she an Astra?
Questions continue to flood my thoughts as she clears her throat and begins to speak. The words poured out of her full pout like honey and my concern was immediately dampened.
“Afternoon everyone and welcome to your first day of Weathering. As you know, this is your final mandatory training before you are placed. I am sure you have many questions, and I would like to answer some of them with a quick presentation.” Before I could even blink, a flash of red light crackled to life in the palms of her hands. Intricate designs of red ran along her neck and arms, glowing brightly. A small core of light pulsed in her chest as her power flowed down to the floor like flames licking the air.
It is raw power we saw here and in that moment I was certain that this woman was not only menacingly beautiful, but incredibly powerful. I felt a pull towards the growing red light and before I realized what was happening, I stood and walked up to the podium. She smiled and places a soft touch under my cheek, lifting my gaze to meet hers. Our eye contact never broke as she said to the room, “You may refer to me as Melantha, and this is your first lesson, never let your guard down when in the presence of essence magic.”
With a quick smirk, she brushed my hair from my forehead and pressed her hand to the side of my head. When she let go, she took a step backward, and a buzzing rang in my ears. I felt my cheeks flush hot as the others gasped. Confused, I looked down at my hands to see a molten red energy stirring there, waiting to be released. Karina stared at me with her jaw slack, mesmerized.
What is going on?
Melantha gave a soft laugh as she stepped up to the podium again. She took a small inhale as she continued, “Here you will either activate your own essence magic, or learn to harness and protect yourself from it. Without magic, we will lend over some for you to experience and test with, which is exactly what I have done here. If you are demonstrated to have high levels of orange or yellow essence, you will receive the honor of an offer for Astra placement. If you have green or blue essence, your options are to remain at any position of authority that suits you in the Veil. And if you have no traceable essence magic like Scarlett here, we will teach you how to protect yourself.”
Melantha adjusted her hands slightly, and the red “essence magic” faded out completely, leaving me feeling almost violated. The immediate feeling of loss, like something has been taken from me, was poignant. Heat prickled in my chest, jagged and sharp. Something cracked in me as I realized the implications of what she had just said.
“I have no magic?” The question comes out in a frenzied whisper as I slowly sink to my knees in a sob. It feels odd to grieve something I didn’t even know I could have until today, but the uncertainty of what this means has me shaking.
“That would be correct”, she paused to look down at her notepad, “Scarlett”. Her look is all-knowing and rips me open as she studies me. A brief look to the guards, a blink and I would have missed it, solidified my confusion.
I rose to my feet, keeping my gaze lowered as I walked back to my seat next to my anchor in this moment. Refusing to break, I push down the tears threatening to spill over again onto my cheeks. Not good enough, again. Karina gave me a soft, empathetic look, and Melantha continued to speak.
“Now I am sure you all are wondering who I am and what realm I come from. In case there are any doubts or questions at this point, your gracious Astras have sent me to teach you, and that is all you need to know,” she said with an air of authority to her voice.
“Now which brave volunteer would like to go next?”