"Where is it? Where is it?" A teenage girl said as she walked through a forest, looking for something.

"I was told it would be out here, so where is it?" She looked to her left and saw something in the distance. "Is that it?" She said walking toward a brown house.

"This is it?" The girl said as she neared a fence that surrounded an old, broken down wooden house that had a danger sign in front of it. The girl was blonde and had green eyes. She had on a pair of faded blue jeans and a pink shirt and was carrying a rather large backpack on her back.

"Why would my parents send me to a run down shack? Well, that does seem like the type of they would do..." She said, eyeing the house. Suddenly, the door of the house opened and the girl took a few steps back. A boy emerged from the house.

He was wearing some of the strangest clothes the girl had ever seen. He wore weird purple boots and a purple robe. From his chest up, the robes seemed to get thicker and had red trimming and on his head was a slightly curved, pointed hat with red rings around it.

The girl stared at the boy's outrageous outfit as he walked toward her. When he got near the fence he stared at her for a second.

"Are you Mana?" He said. Judging from his voice, she could tell he was about one or two years older than she was.

"I was told a young man would meet me to take me to the place. Are you him?" The boy nodded and opened the gate.

"What is your name?"

"It's Mahaado. Now please, follow me." He said, walking back into the house.

Mana followed Mahaado into the house and saw it looked even worse on the inside. There was mold, there were broken, dirty pieces of wood on the floor, and many insects and small animals inside. There was also a strange violet diamond in the top-right corner.

"Step on the diamond." Mahaado said, gesturing toward it.

"O-ok…" Mana said as she walked toward it. She looked down at the diamond, then at Mahaado, who was tapping his foot on the ground.

"Go on…" He said.

Mana stepped onto the diamond and suddenly felt as though she was soaring in the air. She looked around and saw stars blinking brightly. Before she had a chance to take a good look at them, she fell face first onto a sand dune. She brushed the sand off of her face and spat out some sand as she got up. She looked around at her new surroundings and her eyes got wide.

"Whoa…"

She was now in a desert and in front of her was a huge white mansion. There was someone riding a purple horse, carrying a lance, circling the mansion. On a balcony, two identical girls were shooting blue and green sparks from their hands. At the very top of the mansion, there were three girls and a boy with wings flying around. One girl had red hair, one had yellow hair, one had blue hair and the boy had black hair. Before she could get a good look at everything, Mahaado appeared next to her.

"This mansion is beautiful, but what are we doing here?" Mana asked.

"Come inside. Everything will be explained to you." Mahaado and Mana walked up to the large golden doors of the mansion. Mahaado waved his right hand and the doors opened. Mana's eyes got even wider than before. The mansion was more beautiful on the inside. There were beautiful crystal chandeliers, plush red carpets, mysterious paintings, everything.

"Mother, father, Drake! I have returned with the girl." Mahaado yelled. Three people suddenly appeared in front of Mana and Mahaado. There was a young, tan man who looked to be about the same age as Mahaado and was wearing the same outfit as Mahaado, only his robes, boots and hat were red and black and his hair was white.

There was a woman who had on a red and green dress and a silly looking circular hat that made her eyes impossible to see. Then there was a man who looked like Mahaado, only much older. His robes were also purple and red and made him look much wider than he was and he was carrying a thick staff that had a sort of knobbly end on it.

"This is the girl, Mahaado?" The woman said.

"Yes, mother."

"Doesn't look like much…" The boy in red and white robes said.

"Drake, mind your manners!" The old man said. The man cleared his throat and said,

"My name is Sage. This is my wife Star. Welcome to our mansion. This is a place where we teach anyone who wants to know of their true powers. We can help you reach your full potential, that is if you so wish it."

"I was sent here by my parents. They said I should learn to defend myself in case I get involved." Mana said.

"Ah yes…Mahaado let Mana freshen up and Drake, get her room ready. Go!"

"Yes, father…" Drake and Mahaado said. Drake suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a small cloud of crimson smoke. Mahaado grabbed Mana's arm and they disappeared, too, leaving behind a small cloud of purple smoke.

"So, do you think she could be the one?" Sage said to Star.

"You always were awful at predicting the future. Do you have any idea what today is?" Sage glanced at Star.

"Ah yes, I remember…So it begins." Mahaado and Mana reappeared in a long hallway.

"This is as far as I can teleport. My father has placed several charms here that keep anyone from teleporting any closer." He said.

"Closer to what?"

"The guest bathrooms, of course. Now please, follow me." Mahaado led Mana down the hallway, which led to another, which led to another, which led to a tall, spiraling staircase.

"I wonder if my dad is becoming senile. He could have at least placed those charms farther away. I hate walking up these stairs." Mahaado said as he climbed the fifty-first step."

"You think you have it bad? I have to carry this heavy backpack. It feels like there's a baby elephant on my back." Mana said as she struggled to climb the steps after Mahaado.

"Oh, where are my manners?" Mahaado said as he turned around. He pointed his index finger at the backpack and it floated off of Mana's back and in front of Mahaado.

"Thanks." Mana said as she gave a sigh of relief. "So, is that Drake guy your brother?"

"Yes."

"He seems so cold and mean…"

"He just acts like a tough guy. He's really a nice guy, plus he's really reliable. Sure, he can be sort of moody and sometimes a jerk, but once you get to know him, he's not so bad."

"Hmm…Wait…" Mana said, now staring at her floating backpack.

"You're a magician?" Mana asked. Mahaado chuckled.

"We prefer to be called sorcerers. It's about time you figured it out. My codename is the Dark Magician." "So that means…this is like a school for magicians?"

"It's a school and home for many who want to learn of their powers or aren't accepted in society. You saw four winged people flying above the mansion, right?"

"Yeah."

"Those are the Harpie Lady Sisters and Harpie's Brother. They are some of the first ones to ever come to this school for help. Thanks to us, they have learned how to fly properly and use some of their other powers. They are also teachers for some of the other winged ones we have here."

"There are more like them?"

"No, but there are many other winged monsters that aren't really welcome with normal people."

"Cool. Hey, what do you have a codename for?" Mana said as they finally reached the guest bathrooms.

"Er…all that will be explained to you later. For now," Mahaado clapped three times and the jade doors opened. "You may freshen up. After you are done, clap your hands twice and someone will be sent to show you to your room. That is all for now. See ya." Mahaado bowed and teleported away.

Mana walked into the bathroom and the doors closed behind her. Without stopping to look at everything, Mana grabbed some vanilla-scented shampoo, a bar of soap and a soft towel and stepped into the shower.

"Why does Drake have to do everything half-assed?" Mahaado said to himself as he straightened out Mana's room. "He didn't put the bowl of fruit in here. He didn't conjure up the carpet. He didn't even put in a wardrobe closet. I know he remembers what mom told him. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really related to him."

"First sign of going mad: talking to yourself." Mahaado turned around to see Harpies' Brother gliding lazily around the room.

"What do you want, Hawk?"

"Just checkin' up on you. Say, who was the cute little hottie who went into the mansion with you?" That was…the one." Hawk flew over to Mahaado.

"You mean…?"

"Yes."

"Whoa, talented and cute, my kind of girl."

"Hey back off there, Wings…She's going to be my apprentice." "How do you know that?" Hawk said slyly.

"My dad has already chosen me to teach her."

"If she chooses to stay, that is. How do you know if she will stay?"

"We know something that she doesn't. If we tell her, she's going to be hunted. If she's going to be hunted, she's going to have to learn to defend herself. That's where I come in. Trust me on this. She's a girl and most girls are often very curious."

"Just remember, man," Hawk said as he flew out the window, "curiosity killed the Cat-Ear Tribe."

"It also killed the thing that killed them!" Mahaado called after him. But it was true. Mahaado wondered if telling Mana about what was happening was a really a good idea. What if she was killed before she could learn to control her powers? What if she ran away after she learned what she was getting into? Mahaado continued to ponder this as he finished up Mana's room.

30 Minutes Later

Mana turned off the water, grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower. After drying herself off, she put on a white robe near her and walked over to the door.

"Now, Mahaado said all I have to do is clap twice, right?" Mana clapped twice and the doors opened, yet no one was there to show her to her room. Mahaado did say someone would be here. After a few seconds in which Mana looked down the hallway, she heard a sort of echoing coo.

Mana looked down the left side of the hallway and saw a small brown ball of fuzz with eyes hopping towards her. She was about to try to close the doors, but something stopped her so she just stood there, staring as the ball of fuzz hopped toward her.

When it reached her, it stared at her for a few seconds, then revealed its small green arms and legs as it gave her a small roll of parchment.

"Hi, my name is Kuriboh," Mana read aloud, "I am to be your personal servant. Please follow me to your room." The parchment suddenly disappeared as she finished reading. Kuriboh cooed and hopped off. Mana followed Kuriboh down even more hallways, occasionally looking out windows to see the Harpies or what seemed to be dragons flying about.

After what seemed like another hour of walking, Kuriboh stopped, pulled out a small scroll and gave it to Mana.

"Here is your room." Mana read aloud. She looked up and saw nothing but a white brick wall. She looked back down at the parchment and read, "If you look closely at the wall, there is a golden outlining on it. Touch that part and a door will be revealed. We hope you enjoy your room." The parchment disappeared once again as she finished reading and she looked at the wall again.

She stared at the wall for a moment and saw a thin gold line forming a large rectangle. She touched the wall inside the rectangle and a gold door appeared.

"Cool." Mana muttered as she opened the door and walked in, Kuriboh hopping in behind her.

She looked at the room. It was just as beautiful as every other room in the mansion.

"Hello." A voice suddenly said, making Mana jump. Mana had been so interested in looking at the room that she hadn't even noticed Mahaado was standing right next to the bed.

"Mahaado, don't scare me like that! So, this is my room."

"It could be, if you choose to stay. Before you say yes, I want you to know what it means. Please come sit down over here." Mahaado said, gesturing toward the bed.

"O-ok…" Mana said as she walked over to Mahaado and sat on the bed. Mahaado sat down next to her and Kuriboh hopped off somewhere.

"It started a millennia ago. Magicians and other creatures roamed freely. There was a war raging between a pharaoh and a stubborn high-priest. Nobody really won the war. There were only continuous battles. There were pointless deaths, and in the end the pharaoh sealed the powers in golden relics. The war didn't end there, however.

"Two separate worlds exist here. That purple diamond you stepped on to come here was something like a portal to this world. About the same thing happens in both worlds. The pharaoh's and the high-priest's reincarnations are alive in the other world and I am afraid the high-priest's reincarnation is as stubborn as he was. As the pharaoh and the high-priest are still at war in the other world, we are still at war in this world.

"We are only at a temporary ceasefire right now and I fear that fighting will break out once again soon. The seal that locked away the powers has been broken. There are seven of them, the relics I mean. Five of them have already been taken. If the last two should fall into the wrong hands, the world shall fall into darkness.

"The dark side has made several attempts to obtain the powers and every attempt has been foiled by us. However, this time we fear that anything we do will not be able to stop them. Along with building up their army and getting more powerful generals to lead it, they have somehow acquired one of the relics without us knowing. The relic is an item called the Millennium Eye and it was given to them by a grave robber, at least that is what our spies have told us.

"With the Eye they are easily more powerful than us. We might have the one thing that can stop them now. I'm sorry but I have to stop here because if I tell you this next part, you will have to learn to defend yourself because you will be hunted for learning this information. You will join us and fight in the war. Are you sure you wish to know this?"

Mana looked down at the floor. "My parents told me about this. They said if I chose to stay here, I will have to learn about my powers and join this."

"You knew about your powers?"

"Yes. Ever since I was a little girl I have been making strange things happen. Things have exploded whenever I felt angry. I have levitated, but whenever I noticed, I fell to the ground. My parents knew I had special powers and told me to come here to this place."

"Hmm…I figured by now you would know you're a sorceress. So, do you wish to stay here and learn to control your powers? Remember, you will have to stay here and fight in the war with us." Mana looked at Mahado.

"I…"

"Stop," Mahado said, standing up, "Do not answer now. Think about this overnight. I shall return in the morning. Kuriboh should be returning any moment with your dinner. Enjoy your dinner and I hope you sleep well." He bowed and teleported out of Mana's room. Mana stared at the spot he had been in, thinking about what he had said.

'Should I stay here?' She wondered. 'I would have to join a war. On the other hand, I would learn how to use my magic.'

'On the other hand, it means I may have to use the magic to kill people. On the other hand, I'd be able to stay in this mansion.' Mana lied back on her bed and continued to think about this. She didn't know how much time had really passed, but soon it felt like five hours had passed when Kuriboh hopped back into the room, carrying a large silver platter that had many different foods on it.

As it hopped toward Mana, it waved its free paw and a small table appeared in front of Mana. It set the platter on the table, hopped onto the bed next to Mana and held out a small scroll of paper for her. Mana took it and read aloud,

"We do hope you enjoy your dinner. If there is anything else you would like just tell Kuriboh and he shall get it for you." The parchment, instead of vanishing this time, flew out of her hands onto a clear spot on the platter, changed into a candle and lit itself.

"Cool." Mana said and looked down at the food.

They had made a delicious dinner for her. There was spaghetti, garlic bread and ice cold lemon tea. She savored the meal, as it was easily the best meal she ever had. As she ate, she saw Kuriboh looking up at her.

"What, do you want something to eat?" She asked. Kuriboh shook its head and held out a piece of parchment.

"Do you want anything else to eat or drink?" It said. "No, thanks, Kuriboh." She said, looking down at him. Kuriboh bowed and hopped away. Mana returned to her dinner. When she finished, the dishes and the table disappeared. Mana, instead of going to sleep, walked over to a chair in front of a fireplace and stared into the fire.

"Should I stay here?" She wondered aloud. She would have a better life. Her life began to flash before her eyes. A small, short, blonde girl suddenly disappeared as bunch of older girls carrying sticks ran toward her and reappeared behind them. A desk exploded as a girl angrily stared down at a book report which had a bad grade on it.

Mana soon began to grow sleepy so she got up, walked to her bed and laid down on it. It was very comfortable, she thought as she got under the blankets. She fell asleep almost instantly.

Unbeknownst to Mana, two figures suddenly appeared in her room. "You think she'll bite?" Drake asked, staring down at Mana.

"Dunno. I hope she will. We're gonna need her." Mahado said.

"How do we know she's the one the prophecy speaks of anyway?" Maahado looked at his brother.

"We don't, but she's the best match so far."

"You better pray to Ra that she is. We're running out of time. Look, I'm going to go get some sleep. We've got swordsmanship training in the morning."

"Ok, g'night, bro."

"Goodnight."

Drake teleported out of Mana's room. Mahaao stayed behind and looked down at Mana sleeping.

"Ra please let her be the one." He took one last look at her and teleported into his own room to settle down for a good sleep.

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Well, here is my new story. Yes, I am a fan of Yu-gi-oh! If anyone was confused about which monster I placed in here, here's a small list to help you out.

Mahaao: Dark Magician
Drake: Arkana's Dark Magician
Mana: Dark Magician Girl
Sage: Dark Sage
Star: Cosmo Queen
Emerald and Sapphire: Gemini Elves
Gaia: Gaia the Fierce Knight
Hawk: Harpies Brother
Ruby, Ginger and Diamond: Harpie Sisters

These are only the monsters that were in this chapter. Trust me, there are way more coming up. Until next time, R&R.