Black Rose

Prologue

"Have you seen Sabastian?" She asked. I shook my head. Sabastian Pheon was our other friend from the Academy. Though it took him almost half a year to warm up to me, nevertheless we soon became close friends. After a few minutes of listening to Lola's chattering, the magi came in and dismissed us all to our dorms. I waved goodbye to Lola and contemplated for a second if I should tell her to be safe. I wasn't a talkative or emotional person, telling her to stay safe would make me feel really uncomfortable. Before I could decide, the magi ushered us in opposite directions to our dorms. I left without saying a word.

As I entered the over-crowded dorm, suddenly the people's loud chattering faded into hushed whispers as they moved away from me. I kept my head down and headed towards where I was told my bed would be. I opened my bag and got my cargo pyjamas and toiletries before heading back outside towards the bathroom. As soon as I got outside, the voices immediately grew louder and words of concern, surprise, and anger flew around the room.

Taking a shower really helped calm my thoughts. There was no heater in the underground bunkers, so the water was cold. But I didn't mind it, it reminded me of my life back at the small village of Upton. Back when nothing had happened. Back when I was normal.

I changed into the stiff cargo shirt and pants. They only provided a little more comfort compared to our battle attire. When I entered back into the dark dorm, most of the women had fallen asleep. They had shut off the lights, so nobody could tell who I was. As I climbed into bed, the announcement came on warning us that they would lock the dorm doors soon and that anybody still wandering outside the dorm area should return to the dorms. Anyone caught outside the dorms would be subjected to interrogation and punishment.

The long day of walking had tired me out more than I expected. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I dreamed of my old life. My life before I found my power and was trust into the world of magic. I dreamed of my parents and my siblings. They had a sad look on their face. I recognized the green scenery of Upton. I saw the lush fields full of grain and vegetables that we grew for the nobles. The small children played the pond that we all adored as a child. The small, evenly stacked houses stood tall and proud, even though they had started to fall apart. As I looked back to my family, their smiles grew into faces of dismay, shock, and surprise. My surroundings changed from the lush green hills to a fiery hell. The trees had all been burnt. The hills browned and were covered in blood. Everybody in the village was frantically running around, trying to escape, but to no avail. I screamed towards them. I asked them what was happening. But no sound would escape my mouth. All I could do was watch in horror at my family's torment. There was nothing I could do.

My eyes flew open. Sweat drenches my back. At first all I could hear was the loud thumping of my heart and the blood from the dreams clouded my eyes. But slowly, my senses came back to me. And something was wrong. Very wrong.

All the girls around my bunk were scurrying around. I looked at the large clock in the center of the room. 9:37 PM. I layed there, confused. Everyone was running around and shouting at each other to hurry up and get ready, After a few seconds, a woman caught sight of me and rushed over.

"Get up. We have to move." She said sternly, sweat beads trimming her forehead.

"Wait what? What's going on?" I asked her.

"They've infiltrated." She said coldly. Her brief explanation was enough to send shivers down my spine as my eyes widened in horror. She didn't need to tell me anymore for me to understand: the soldiers from Haethon Hall had found out we were here and ambushed us.

I quickly got out of bed and slung the cargo jacket over my shirt. I grabbed the gun by my bed and strapped it to my back, even though I knew I probably wouldn't need it. Magi usually found with their magic. They only used weapons either if they were the fighter type or ran out of mana. But nevertheless, we always kept them on us just in case.

I ran out of the room along with the other women. Immediately, we were surrounded with the dead bodies of our comrades and the familiar scent of blood. But we couldn't be baffled for long. We continued to run through the corridors until we reached the mess hall. There, mass conflict was happening. The heavily armed soldiers of Haethon Hall were easily dominating our own soldiers. Gun fire from the non-magi soldiers were being exchanged and powerful beams of magic were being shot from the magi. My vision turned red as I saw countless soldiers dropping one after another. A familiar sense of power rushed over me. My whole body tingled at the sensation.

"Stop." I loudly, but calmly said. A wave of amber and purple light pushed forward from me, waving into everyone in the room. The magic powerfully spread out, pushing our own comrades back along with the soldiers from Haethon Hall. Everyone was frozen, nobody could move. It wasn't from shock either, it was from Alaska's magic. I was a different kind of mage. The first of my kind and the only one to ever exist. Usually mages had something to help them cast spells, like a wand or a weapon; however, I was able to use my voice. This made people fear me.

The magic didn't last for long. A few seconds passed and everyone regained their motor skills. But that time was all we needed for our soldiers to regain their moral and strength. We fared better, but we were still losing. I killed countless soldiers, one after another. Their red blood stained my hands. I couldn't keep this up forever. My spoken magic had drained me significantly. I looked over to see Lola battling a soldier. She was breathing heavily and had blood dripping down her forehead. The soldier advanced on her until she was pressed against a wall. I was about to warn her that the soldier was going to cast a spell, but no words came out of my mouth. I was exhausted. I saw the soldier plunge a knife into her stomach, blood spewing everywhere. My vision went red as I dove for her, clenching her in my arms. I barked a sharp command and the soldier dropped dead. I looked at Lola, she had a faint smile on her face as she looked at me.

"Lola! No... You can't leave me..." I felt a warm liquid run across my face and drip onto hers. She weakly reached up a hand to brush my tears. I blinked. I hadn't cried in at least three years. I wanted to say a spell to save her, but she put a hand over my mouth.

"Don't Alaska. If you try to save my wound, you'll end up killing yourself." She was right. To save someone with such a large wound would require a huge amount of energy, and Lightning didn't have it in her anymore. "Thank you for giving me all these happy memories." Lola said. Lightning continued to cry. Lola was the first girl to accept Alaska at the academy and befriend her.

"No Lola! Stop talking like that! You're not going to die!" Alaska screamed. Lola only weakly smiled.

"Please Alaska... You have to win the war... You are our only hope..." She said weakly. "I-I love you..." Lola said quietly as her eyes fluttered close. Her body went still and her breathing stopped.

"NO! LOLA!" Alaska roared. Her vision went red as Lola's blood stained her clothes. With the new found adrenaline, Alaska shouted words that she never should have said. She wasn't thinking clearly. She shouted something without limits, one that would kill both her friends and her enemies. Her foes and her allies. "EVERYONE. DIE." *She screamed. The last of her power was seeped as the amber and purple light rippled violently out of her body. Her vision went dark and she blacked out.

Woohoo! First chapter up and over 2200 words! I hope you enjoy my story! :)

~Love, Zero <3