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13th day of the 12th month of the 10298th year of the Phantasian Calendar

 

The room was big and multiple pillars could be seen luxuriously decorated with gold and silver depictions of battle and of everyday life. At the center of the room, two Demons could be seen at the foot of a silver Throne. Xagadeth a red-skinned demon in armor and black cape, knelt in front of the throne, his Horde Lord was trying to convince the Master to give him another chance. Because he really did fail, multiple times. He couldn’t take the Dwermer Kingdom, because it was impossible! Those half mongrel water demons possessed magic and technology surpassing everything the Demon Fist army possessed. Xagadeth cursed the Phantasian Empress in his heart once more if she didn’t enter her defensive sleep and lock all the technology of the empire under the Prometheus Seal by doing so, his army would have taken the Dwermer.

*It was as if we were stone-throwing savages fighting against armored and better-armed knight squads.* Xagadeth lamented.

Suddenly a lance of dark light pierced the Horde Lord, blood pooled from his downed body. Xagadeth kept his head low, not daring to move as if by doing so, his Master would forget about him. But it wasn't meant to be.

“You have failed me.” The voice of his master echoed in the throne room.

“Yes… Master.” The trembling demon general said.

“I have given you three chances to redeem yourself, and they were all squandered.”

“I am sorry, Master.”

“As am I.”The Master deep voice sounded sad.

The general looked at his Lord, but what he saw scared him. His master smiled, he knew this smile. He had seen it appear when he was about to punish someone. Xagadeth was propulsed toward the wall near the throne room's entrance and he was pinned against it by an invisible pressure that crushed him and raised more as the master approached him. To the general, his Lord was a giant; eight feet tall, a dark blood red armor covered his powerful body and his skin and jeweled horns gleamed in the light of the torches.

“General Xagadeth… you have betrayed the express command of your Lord. Through your stupidity, you have condemned us to a direct war we might not win! You are unworthy of this Demon Sword,” The master took Xagadeth’s sword from its sheath and kept it in hand and continued speaking. “you’re unworthy of your position, you’re unworthy… of my friendship, you have betrayed me! I now take from you your power!” The Master plunged his hand in Xagadeth's breast, stabbing it and taking the general's Demon core in his hand and sucking out the infernal energy inside. The demon general’s screams of agony echoed in the throne room, in fact, they could be heard in the entire palace. Once the Master finished, he felt the red energy coursing through him and reinforcing his own.

“In the name of Dökkur Dath’tas, your soul will be imbued in that Demon Sword.” The Master said and Xagadeth knew no more.

His ink black soul flew into the red jewel of the guard of the Demon Sword that began to glow an eerie scarlet. The Dark Lord Dökkur Dath’tas started to incant a spell and when he was done a planar rift was torn in reality and created an interdimensional portal.

“Xagadeth you are no more, and now you have become the Demon Sword, Mind Flayer. I give you a task, find me Phantasia's lost heir, and bring her back to me! I shall not live in fear of some prophecy, do this for me and I shall give you back a body and a place at my side once more!” The master murmured to the sword.

Just like that, the Demon Lord threw the sword in the space-time wormhole, the sword passed in the portal corridor, the light of thousands of stars sped by as the portal curved and went into straight lines. The sword arrived at destination as its blade stabbed into the ground. The sky of this new landscape was pink and purple, floating islands could be seen flying in the sky. The soul of the sword despaired, but after a moment its jewel glowed ruby red in resolves.

<I WILL FIND HER!!!> It screamed in rage.

---

Planet Earth

March 2nd, 2018

Seattle, Mercer Island

Tesla Academy

 

Elissa couldn’t believe that she was there! Excitement coursed through her, she could barely stay in place. Everything looked awesome. This Academy was a fortress city in itself, like most cities in the US nowadays. A modern one, Elissa could see skyscrapers all around the school, forming some kind of ring, the seven buildings were connected by some kind of bridge leading to a central place, some kind of platform she couldn’t see from her position; under it the Academy that was just a big pyramid of steel and glass shone under the rays of the sun like a diamond. There was a park all around it with woods and artificial lakes. All this overwhelmed Elissa so that she felt like a country bumpkin the more she stared at everything with wonder.

“Oh, My Goddess is that a VTOL I am seeing?!” The engine of the jet blared and it passed overhead.

Nikola Tesla bought half of the island, divided it up and filled it with the technological wonders his company had created to support it. Elissa had always secretly wanted to come here, but her mother wouldn’t let her move out of the house, saying her magical education comes first.

---

A month ago when Tesla and her dad came back home together, they went to speak with her mom and the epic shouting match between her and her dad had shaken the mansion’s foundations. They argued for three hours straight, well into the night, until it stopped and she couldn’t hear anything else. Elissa realized that her mother had thrown a privacy bubble spell in her office.

Elissa remembered keeping her sister in her arms on their leaf bed all night and waking up with her this way… When they woke up the next day there was a scary atmosphere. Their parents not being their lovey-dovey self were eating their breakfast in silence; it was even more shocking that their mom didn’t scream at their dad for reading his tablet while eating his burnt toast. Yes, when their mother deliberately sabotaged their food something is wrong. Heracles seemed to still be in his under armor, his eyes looked tired as if he barely slept and his hair looked unkempt; Elissa’s mother, Malicia still looked alright but she could see her mom’s eyes were red as if she had cried. The young girl was in a state of panic, her mother was a Lady and never showed signs of distress, she always wanted to look in control as if nothing could disturb her.

It was when the girls had finished eating their pains au chocolat and homemade fruit juice that the reason for their parent’s fight was revealed.

“Elissa, your father and I have decided that you should stop going into the normals’ schools,” Malicia said without preamble.

The young girl’s eyes widened in shock, she exploded into outrage at hearing this.

“What?! But I need to study, mom!” Elissa whined.

“I said the normals’ schools, silly girl.” Malicia retorted after laughing darkly.

“Are there any other-” Elissa just realized and looked at her mother with her mouth wide open.

Malicia looked at her, and flashed her a grin; she recognized that her daughter could be slow sometimes.

“Ah, I see that your brain is finally working.”

“Mom!” Elissa shouted in indignation.

“You know she’s right, Eli; you aren’t exactly a morning person.” Cassandra drank a bit of orange juice from her favorite fairy mug.

Elissa looked between her mother and sister, her face red with embarrassment.

*With her red hair doing contrast with her face it is cute to see,* thought Malicia.

“Cass!!” Elissa looked at the ceiling in prayer. “By the Goddess! Why are you two against me this morning?!”

The little girl looked at her big sister and rolled her eyes. “Great she is in Diva mode.” Cassandra murmured. Elissa was always graceful and reserved in public, but in moments like this between friends or family she let go and acted her age.

But Elissa heard her, so she proceeded to pinch her arm.

“Aouch, you meanie!” Cass was about to retaliate with a slap but her father interrupted them.

Heracles looked at them with his inscrutable face, there was no trace of his usual jovial smile; the girls looked down for an instant and leaned in their chairs looking at their father. The hero nodded at them and then spoke. “Girls, this is not the time. We were talking about Elissa going to Tesla Academy.”

Elissa’s face alternated between shock disbelief and excitement.

“Tesla Academy?! Really?! Not the Charles Institute?” Elissa asked.

Tesla Academy and the Charles Institute were two schools for the superhumans but there was a difference in their ways of doing things; Tesla accepted all superhumans and enhanced humans and nurtured them and guided them even after they graduated. The Charles institute only existed to help the bigger and weirder cases of superhuman triggers, like those people who changed genders, become unable to communicate or can’t control their powers.

“Nikola is my friend, you’ll be going to Tesla Academy. He guaranteed me that you will enter this school and receive the highest grade of education.” Heracles put his elbows on the table.

He looked at the growing excitement of his oldest girl, smiling at her. Elissa looked at her sister, and then at him. Heracles knew that what she was getting at, Tesla Academy was a boarding school. Elissa will only be able to come for weekends and holidays, her sister will be essentially alone.

“Cass too?” Elissa said, hope filling her voice.

Heracles was about to answer, but Malicia cut him short.

“No, Cassandra will stay homeschooled till she reaches the rank of adept as a sorceress,” Malicia said in a tone that didn’t leave any room to argue.

“Aww, but I wan-” Cass tried to say.

“Don’t discuss my decision.” But Malicia cut off her younger daughter with a glare.

“Yes, mom.” Cassandra lowered her gaze and looked at her empty plate and proceeded to angrily shovel the last of the bacon and eggs into her mouth.

The shadow of a smile appeared on Heracles’ face when he watched his family’s interaction.

Malicia’s gaze speared Elissa, the young girl recoiling from the intensity of the feelings she could feel from it. Her mother had never been this intense with her.

“I will let you go to Tesla Academy, Elissa. I had conditions to let you attend and Mister Tesla had no choice but to humor me, you will enroll in the supernatural division and continue your magical education to become a Mage. As of this moment, I am the chairwoman of a new branch of Tesla Academy, but don’t count on me to go easy on you. You have one month to prepare yourself, I hope that you’ll prove to me that I can trust you to keep your education and manners up to my standards.”

“I will do it.” Elissa nodded, her gaze locked with her mom’s with determination.

---

Elissa remembered the promise she made to her mother and now she was before Tesla Academy’s entrance. It was a small building with white exterior walls and glass showing inside. Posters of superheroes and American flags decorated the reception room. Elissa sighed to calm herself, breathing in and out to calm the excitement inside. Seconds later, Elissa walked with purpose towards it and entered the reception hall, she had on her blue combat top with a leather jacket plus her trusty tight black leather pants with her Dr. Martens Molly Black Combat Boot. Elissa cut a dashing figure that didn’t go unnoticed, she turned lots of heads, mainly the boys and some girls. The young girl waited for her turn in the queue that was there, until she reached the reception desk.

“Hello, my name is Grace what can I do for you today?” A woman with blue hair greeted Elissa.

She wore a tasteful white pantsuit, Elissa envied her make up skills as Grace was a gorgeous woman. She decided that later she will become friends with Grace and make her teach her about it. Malicia refused to teach her magical makeup, saying that it’s a waste of good magic. Elissa couldn’t believe her after all her mother always looked fabulous.

“Hello Grace, I have come for the entrance exams.”

“Oh! Great, go sit there,” Grace pointed her fingers toward a room whose door was open. “A recruiter will come to get this group.”

“Thank you.” Elissa turned to leave.

Waiting for Elissa in the room was a group of boys and girls her own age, there were ten of them. Two African American and three Caucasian girls and a girl who seemed like half Asian. She looked shy and the silent type. The boys, three of them were African American, and the last one Caucasian and blonde. Trying out to transfer at this time of the year, Elissa guessed that there were not a lot of applicants or was it that Tesla Academy scouted specific talents and scouted them? The young girl would love to know. Elissa went to sit in the grey plastic chair next to the Asian girl who looked at her like a deer in headlights. As Elissa smiled at her, her face became a beautiful shade of red.

*Well, she’s really introverted.* Elissa thought.

The young girl took her smartphone from her jacket pocket and began to surf the internet.

“H-hi.” A cute and soft voice said.

Elissa turned her head, it was the young girl at her side; she wore a black sweater with blue ripped jeans. Her face was round and delicate and she had long brown hair, it was a shame that her eyes were hidden by her long bangs but Elissa saw a flash of light brown eyes. Her button like nose and her pink like lips made her attractive, combined with an air of mystery that Elissa wished she had time to unravel. On her head there were black and white headphones with a Mana rune on the earpads, Elissa asked herself if they were custom made.

“Hello. I am Elissa.” She extended her hand.

The Asian girl took Elissa’s hand in her delicate one, and her face reddened.

“Dawn.”

Gold and Purple auras surrounded their linked hands, Elissa wasn’t surprised as she had guessed that Dawn was a magic user. It was a way for a student of the arcane to know who their peers are. Dawn looked at her, surprised but didn’t remove her hand; a hesitant smile appeared. Elissa traced a rune of privacy around them with her other hand. Dawn looked at the casual display of foreign magic and marveled at it.

“Mage?” Dawn asked.

“Uh-huh.” Elissa acknowledged.

“Space.” Dawn said pointing her free hand at herself.

“Ice.” Elissa smiled at the girl.

She'd barely arrived and she was already making a friend, how amazing was that? Elissa took her hand back and Dawn did the same. A friendly smile was all it took for them to start talking and opening themselves. Dawn couldn’t believe that she was speaking with this beautiful girl, at first she seemed like one of those queen bees from her previous school but as she chose to sit near her she couldn’t help being curious about her so she took her courage in hand and greeted her. The result, a mage like her in this school. Dawn wanted to know more about her.

“Line?”

Elissa flashed her a grin, her pearly and perfect white teeth showing. “Halliwell, you?” She answered.

“...Kisaragi, branch family.” Dawn said, she crossed her fingers and hoped that Elissa wasn’t one of those elitist stuck ups proud of the purity of their magic bloodlines.

Her hope was not dashed when Elissa answered her. “Nice, no political shenanigans.”

*She must be like me, someone from a branch family or from a line that just doesn’t care about those things!* Dawn said in her heart.

“Amaterasu yes! I like my life free of drama.” With reason, after all, politics in the supernatural world was bloody and violent.

“I totally agree, but my mother loves them.” Elissa looked uncomfortable, her smile wilting a bit.

Dawn didn’t like seeing this expression on the cheerful girl. “The Halliwell from Ireland or the one from here?” She inquired.

“The one from here, my mother is Malicia Von Braun-Halliwell,” Elissa said proudly.

Dawn looked at Elissa in awe and became speechless, she looked at Elissa and put a hand on her arm. “Really?! She’s a legend!”

Malicia Von Braun-Halliwell was a sorceress, a rare class of magic user! She was powerful beyond belief, the Elven and Dwarven clans didn’t want to mess with her and offered her fair prices for their magical materials. She Annihilated the Vampire nest of Count Sartre in France, took down a circle of Dark Witches in England. And she wrecked the Corvinus Conclave in Europe, killing Archmage Brennan when he attempted to forcefully imprison her. Malica Von Braun wasn’t someone you went after anymore; if she wanted something you gave it to her and smiled. It didn’t stop people from hiring her services to ward their houses or property.

“Living with a legend can be burdensome.” Elissa sighed, leaning in her chair.

“But I would sell my firstborn to learn magic from her!” Dawn piped up.

Elissa looked at Dawn with pity, patted her hand gently and said, “Oh, Dawn you don’t… really, but you will not have to sell your first kid.” Elissa bent toward her murmuring at her ear, “She will teach here.”

Dawn struggled to not squeal like a fangirl at this revelation. Learning magic from THE Malicia, this was a dream come true! Dawn has been a fan of hers since she wrecked that Vampire nest in France, Dawn was getting excited when someone entered the room. It was an adult man with Sandy blonde hair, black eyes and silver-rimmed glasses; he wore a dark blue sports outfit with the Tesla Academy logo on it, a coil with a lightning bolt on it.

“Good, you are all here, recruits. I am Hugh Vinson and I will be the one that will test you for the placement exam. If you would follow me, please.”

Everyone rose from their seats, the girls went all together in front and the guys followed; Elissa and Dawn were last to leave the room. Elissa didn’t mind. She had noticed the glares the girls gave her, she was used to it, they felt threatened by her looks and the fact that she chose to sit near the dorky Asian girl didn’t endear her to them. The boys had looked at her but as she ignored them, they didn’t have the courage to come to her. The magic seemed to have scared them off too.

*Good.*

“Come with me Dawn, we will see how this exam fairs against magic users.” Elissa walked determined to shine.

Her mother had told her to let loose, and she intended to do just that. Dawn began to really like Elissa. “Oh, I hope it’s a better one than the Jean Arcane School! It was so easy.” Dawn bragged and gave Elissa a cute smile.

The two girls walked out of the reception building, following the gaggle of kids.