AXIUM

PROLOGUE

Mathis Nylander Axium Junior walked through the ancient oak door way into headmaster Alton's office.

The headmaster stood at the opposite end of the room gazing out the window stroking his long white beard. "Have a seat Mathis," he said waving to the chair in front of his desk.

Mathis made his way over and hopped up on the wooden chair warn smooth over the centuries of the other students just like him. Or maybe not just like him, in fact no other student in the world was anything like him.

Alton turned around strolled over and picked up Mathis file. "You have completed all of the courses the school has to offer and as such you will be receiving your diploma with the highest honors this afternoon."

Mathis felt that but hanging in the air and raised his eyebrow at the wizened old man.

"Ah, Yes you are very perceptive for someone of your . . . Age. In fact your age is the very reason we are having this conversation. It is common for children of your stature to make mistakes because they lack the wisdom that comes with life and time. In most cases a child of eleven such as yourself is not capable of doing any serious harm however this is not the case in your situation. If you were to make even one of the aberrations that are common among your peers it could very well change the face of our planet."

Mathis closed his eyes the headmaster was dancing around the point with his words. "So I am to be kept prisoner here because of these mistakes I might possibly make?"

"Oh, not at all. In fact I'm offering you a job as a teacher here."

"And if I refuse your offer?"

Headmaster Alton dropped the file and firmly placed his hand on it. "That is not an option. It be ill responsible for me to unleash someone of your magical capabilities and lack of experience on our world."

***

It had been months since that conversation with the headmaster and this was the first time sense that I had been allowed off campus. I walked through row after row of perfectly trimmed assorted fruit trees with my students following closely behind me. This was the start of their senior year and it was my job on this field trip to teach them the supposed intricacies of weaving an automatic harvest spell. A spell I had learned how to cast when I was five years old.

It would be a miracle if the morons that my students consisted of could properly cast the spell without cutting their own arms off. I swear for the life of me I couldn't figure out how half of them had passed their previous year. I knew for a fact the most popular one among them could barely read much less actually properly craft a spell. So much for quality public education. I murmur to myself. What made my job all the more difficult though was the fact that my students clearly seem to think orchard tending was beneath them. When in reality in today's economy they'd be blessed if even one of them got a job here at the end of their senior year.

We arrived at one of the road like streams running through the orchard. I walked out onto the water. Dozens of different types of fruit flowed downstream underneath my feet and I watched them as I waited for my class to gather at the stream's edge. "As you can see this orchard provides for most of the..."

Someone was coming. I glance skyward just in time to see the giant magical dome that covered the entire orchard ripple. Whoever it was, was at least decently talent to, in magic.

A rift less than ten feet away from me opened up. A woman with long flowing black hair clad in black leather stepped out onto the water. A smile spread across her high cheek boned face as her eyes lit on me. "Mathis son of Mathis Nylander and grandson of Archlend the devourer slayer I presume? It's a great pleasure to finally meet you and I must say it's about time they let you out of their little cage."