Chapter 1

"New Beginnings"

Gordan

Today is finally here. Today is the day that me and my friends have been waiting for for our entire lives, for this is the day where we can get into the school of our dreams, Aggin's School for Future Leaders. Me and my two best friends Justina and her younger brother Lirim trained since we were little kids in the forest near our town and as we got older we took on harder monsters. As I'm packing away my things to bring with me to school a memory emerges that happened to us while in there.

It was just after sunset, the time that we usually decide to head back home, when I saw a weird ord of white light a couple yards away just floating there. I decided to investigate it ,and as I approach it I felt a strange presence from it but it felt so famaliar like I knew this orb. Justina and Lirim called out to me ,trying to get me to turn back, but this orb was bringing me closer like it was calling out to me. When I got to it it was hovering in the moon's light off a cliff where you can see our whole town. The moon had completely encase it within its light but I was barely able to make out where it was due to it's hovering. Then the weirdest thing happened, it spoke to me. It's voice sounded like a girl who was very mystical and elegant but was worried about something very important. " My dearest hero, I have wait many long years for your re-awakenment, but now finally we will be soon be able to speak once again."

"Ok, but what are you?" I respond to it.

"All shall be revealed in time my brave hero, but for now have patience." As she was finishing her sentence my name was hearable again in the distance. Jus and Lirim was close by. When I turned around they were running up to me, asking me why I ran off. I told what happen and they had confused faces on them. When I told them to look behind me they didn't see anything out the usual, and when I turned back around their were telling the truth the orb had vanished into thin air. I made a huge fuss over this trying to prove that I wasn't crazy for a few minutes until we heard a large howling in the distance so we decide we'll work this out later and head home. As we were going back we heard the howling again but this time it was much closer so we decided to run. We started to run faster but it kept it's chase and now its sounds like it brought some friends along due to the excessive howling. Then out of the darkness a wolf lunges from a brush to pounce on us. Jus was back when this happened so she twirled to her left side to first block the attack then she followed through with the twirl to her right side where her blade was to slash away the wolf. At the time, but we would shortly realize, that we were surrounded on all sides so when we tried

to escape another wolf pounced again but this time in the front. Me and Lirim was in the front and either of us carried a shield but unlike Lirim I carried a sword. I pushed Lirim to the side, accidentally knocking him down, and unsheath my blade to parry the attack, making it fall back to the ground. However it wasn't finish yet, the wolf then lunged towards me trying to bite me. I brought my sword to my left side to do a full power slash into it's mouth. It tied bite down on my blade but my blade was gonna cut through all the tendons in it's mouth making it forced to drop it's jaw releasing my sword. I then followed up by kicking it in the face to get it away from us making it flee in the process. Lirim lookes at me saying that was bit to much but I responded with its either it or us. Just then all large howl exited from where we came from, and the wolves that were hidden came into the moonlight revealing that we were surrounded. All the hostility from the wolves fleed like a mouse that's been chased by a cat. Then from out the darkness a large dark wolf with a mane darker than midnight approached. The large wolf was hunched over, standing on it's hind legs, it's claws were large enough to crush us into pebbles. The large wolf charged towards us knocking Jus back a few feet passed us into a dense tree and grasping me and Lirim within each of it's mighty claws. We were helpless to free ourself, I thought we were all goners pass that point but something truly amazing happened: Justina's eyes started glow a bright electrified yellow and a yellow seal started to form on the ground around her, she slowly lifted off the ground, dropping her sword and shield , electricity started eminenting out of her hands, her body gave off a faint yellow glow. We all watched in awe; me, Lirim and all the wolves, even the large wolf, were staring in both fear and wonderment. Justina was the first one out of us to unlock her unique trait .

Shortly after the seal beneath her faded away, she softly fell back to the ground and as she did her faint glow dwindled with her descent. She closed her eyes and after a short period reopened them to reveal that her eyes turned back to normal. Most of the wolves fled back to thier den but the large wolf remained. The wolf stared dead at her, checking all her weak spots. It toss me and Lirim to the ground and charge towards her, on all four building immense speed.

She grabbed her sword, firmly grasping it with both of her hands, running towards the wolf, but when she was about 2 yards away, she came to a complete stop to start a slash. However, this time when she started, electricity started to fizz out from her hand to her sword, as she continues into her slash the energy from within her blade came out as a golden energy slash. As it traveled through the air, it transforming into twin tailed sparrow just before hitting the wolf directly in face, causing an prolonged area of effect on its head. That attack cause the large wolf to flee with the rest of the wolves, with the a.o.e to follow. When we reached home we promised each other that we were never tell our parents about this for they would either be: overjoyed that one of us finally unlocked our unique trait or pissed that we were out way pass our curfew.

I found an old box filled with my stuff. When I opened it it only had two books: one is a very old story that my parents used to read to me when I was younger. The other was a notebook that had the topic of trait in it. I opened the book to the first page to refresh myself on the topic. "A trait is an ability that can change the way we live our lives. There are three different types of peculiari: magic manipulation, body modification, and buffs. Traits can draw from one, two or, in extremely rare cases( like Justina), all three types, but usually uses one or two. Unlocking one's trait is extremely difficult and is different from everyone else. It's usually comes after a need it not want it, but that only accounts for a mere five percent of the time." I put both books into my last box and with that I'm finish all my packing for my school. Jus and Lirim said that we would meet outside my house for its the closest to the exit of our town between all of us.

I grab my backpack and my box to bring in the front yard.

Outside was such a good day: the sun was high in the sky, not a single cloud in the sky, winds from the ocean ran through this valley bringing salty but crisp air to all the residents of Valdo, and I will miss every single one of these and many more. However this is will be very rememberible for this is where we start our journey to Aggin.

Justina, Lirim, their parents, my parents, and a horse-drawn carriage were all wait outside for me. They seemed to have all been talking, but when I came, all heads were turned to me.

"What took you so long?"Justina spoke with frustrated tone.

"I had to pack some more things that I forgot to earlier." I replied

"Well because of you and your fondness of doing things at the last minute, we are a now few hours off schedule."

"Well... I sorry" I said with a smile, fully knowing what kind of response I'll get from her.

"I am going to kill you." she replied with every emotion from her face drop in less than a second.

"Why don't you just put your stuff in the luggage compartment and we get you three on your way." their father, Mr Palmer said.

"Yes sir." I replied while Jus hopped on the driver seat to get ready to guide the horses. I walked over to the carriage opening the door to a small seating area where their stuff were underneath the seats barely any room for my stuff. The seats were more like uncomfortable looking padded benches, which it only had two both facing each other in the front and back, than seats and look like it could seat a few more people but only one person could sleep on it which means one of us will be sleeping on the floor. Their weapons were resting on each other on the front seat, reminding me that my brother took my sword to sharpen it.

"Oh my gosh, it seemed like only yesterday we gave birth to y'all three, but now y'all are all ready to leave bird's nest."my mom cried out.

"Don't worry about us Mrs Matthews, this is what we've been training for since we moved here all those years ago..."Lirim replied. He glanced at me struggling to fit my stuff in the small spot that they reserved for me and finished with " even though he doesn't show it Gor has been training for his whole life and has kinda influenced my dream it be the same like his"

"Awww that's so adorable, well I'm glad that he help you realize yours." she cried out.

When she finished I finally got my stuff under the seat of carriage. "There all done."

I turned to my dad, then remembered that my brother said that he was gonna be out of town on an urgent mission when I was leaving. The bad thing, is that he had my sword and said we was gonna sharpen it and mail it back. However my guess is that it didn't come yet."Hey dad, what am I gonna use as a weapon?"

He stood there puzzled for a minute. He clamp his hand on his chin. He had no idea on how to answer this question until he snap his fingers " Ah, you just reminded on that..." he ran into the causing a ton of noise as he knocked over most of our vases to get the closet. He came back out with a sword that was pretty close to his but a bit smaller for a person my age to use."...I figured that it would take a long time for your sword to come so thats why last week I brought this just in case it didn't come." he said with a grin.

The sword was recently made mainz type roman gladius with an out of place Scottish basket hilt and a small bulky spike as the pommel. That type of blade is mostly used for a thrusting sword but with that hilt on it gives it some versatile in the slash, thats my dad for you, he alwasy things with that type of hilt and pummel for in his words 'It can better the cut, cover all you hand defenses and help immensely when you just wanna pummel your opponent into submission.'.

"Thanks dad your a really lifesaver!" I said while gladly take the sword. I really love the roman gladius type of sword, they favored the thrust way of sword, but the type my dad got is good for both the cut and thrusting.

I took the sword behind the carriage to do some very basic practices with it: I place my left hand behind and grasped the sword in my right, I started with a downward slash to the right - it's a bit heavier than I thought but its pretty manageable- I did a few more slashes some downwards some upwards then ended with a thrust. Thrusting with this sword is gonna be hard to get used to for the hilt and I'm used to grabbing my sword with both hands but I can get used to it.

I put it back into it's scabbard and back towards the, putting the strap of the around my waist making the sword be on my left side. My dad walked up to me, placing his left arm on my left shoulder cupping my neck in the process and asked "So, son how does it feel in your hands?".

"It felt pretty good but I'm not used to the thrust of it yet." I replied

"You'll get used to it in no time." he commented while rummaging his right hand into my hair.

"You two." Jus called out. "We have to go now or we'll be even more late."

"Coming!" we replied as we ran to the front of the carriage to seat next to Jus, Lirim was on the left of her and me to her right.We waved goodbye to our parents causing the females (and my dad) to cry. Seeing this made Lirim start to tear up as we started to go off, once we were outside the town placed my hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that this is not a day for tears but for celebration cause this isn't a day of goodbyes but of keeping a dream alive for the three us. However, I couldn't even say that without tear up myself for I knew the truth myself, that I was gonna miss every little detail of our town from the largest tree to the blade of grass.