"I can't believe you!"

Kenneth received a hard slap across the face rendering him speechless only for mere seconds.

"But it's true! Rebecca, I need you to understand! These are dire circumstances! Even if you are pregnant, we must meet them! Don't you remember, the group has been counting on us to deliver our messages for this side of the Spiral! The others were… You saw what happened to the others! Now come on! We need to get to Zafaria as soon as possible."

Rebecca looked down at her stomach, the fear she felt completely evident and glimmering in her eyes. "I can't have him there. If they find out I'm pregnant, he might kill us, or..."

She placed her hands on her swollen abdomen. "They might kill him."

Kenneth put his head in his hands, exasperated not only with his wife, but with himself. "But... We've got no choice. You and I both know that this meeting is utterly required. It is absolutely necessary to attend if the universe is going to last. If you won't do it for me, then maybe you should think about doing it for the sake of the Spiral."

Rebecca shook her head, sadly. "I just can't believe the danger we are putting our baby in. He hasn't even been born yet and we are already jeopardizing its existence."

Kenneth rubbed her back. "Everything will be fine. Besides, who in the Spiral would ever have any reason to turn in a pregnant woman and her infant?"

It wasn't long after the meeting when Rebecca's water broke. Kenneth had rushed her to the nearest World Door and guided her through it and into Ravenwood, where Moolinda Wu had been waiting after receiving a call. Rebecca had been a previous student of hers and Professor Wu was glad to help her give birth.

Luckily the birth had no complications and Professor Wu's healing magic had somewhat eased the pain. A crowd had gathered outside the Life Tower in anticipation of the new arrival. As you may have guessed, a new baby was always a great thing in Wizard City.

The infant was completely healthy, displaying beautiful hazel eyes and raven-black hair. Its skin was somewhat of a darker tone than its parents, but not quite enough to be questionable. Most of the other Professors were sent to calm down the crowd of excited wizards before Merle Ambrose arrived. You see, every time a child is born in Wizard City, Ambrose is sent to identify its school. As he slowly made his way into the Tower with his pet Gamma, students whooped and hollered for joy at the prospect of having a new student. Of course, as Headmaster Ambrose approached, Gamma gasped and cooed at the sight, his excitement sparking through his avian eyes. As Ambrose's hands waved through the air, Kenneth Ghosthunter and Rebecca Earthbringer watched in awe at the sparks of magic that swarmed around the baby. The once multi-colored sparks, however, were soon beginning to turn into the colors of red, black, and tan, forming into the shape of the Balance Symbol. Headmaster Ambrose softly smiled at the baby and at his parents, slowly making his way outside.

"My students," his old voice echoed around Ravenwood, bellowing loud enough so every rowdy wizard could hear him above the racket. "The time has come to announce the gender, school, and name of this baby!"

The crowd cheered and many of the professors tried to calm the kids down.

"From now on, this infant shall be known as…"

The kids held their breaths in anticipation.

"Ethan Skybringer, male wizard of Balance! He shall be taught by Professor Wethersfield and Alhazred in Krokotopia!"

Arthur Wethersfield bowed his head, trying and failing to conceal his joy and excitement.

A wizard student must always start studying magic at the age of 13, and no sooner. This frustrated Ethan as he grew older, considering the fact that he hated being cooped up in a house with only his parents to talk to. Throughout all of this, though, he was still glad to be a part of such a fun family. His parents had always gone away at random points in time to go to meetings in Zafaria, but Ethan didn't ask questions. Besides, he was sure they were probably just visiting family or something. Unfortunately, however, all of this changed after Ethan had finally reached 13. It was night, and Ethan would start school the next month. His parents were sleeping soundly in their room, only letting out the occasional soft snore.

No one knew what was happening until it happened.

It was around midnight when the door unlocked downstairs. The family had been living in an average sized home close to Ravenwood, so there was no reason to fear danger. This was a freaking school of Wizards, not to mention multiple Professors who would surely eliminate any threat before it arrived at the house. Of course, however, there is always someone more powerful than one you may lay your hopes in. Ethan and his parents continued to doze, seeing as though the doorknob made no noise as it was slowly opened. A slight draft of cool air drifted in from the streets before the door was closed and locked again, to prevent any escape.

You may wonder who would want to break into a random wizard's house, or even why, but the answer should already be clear. Rebecca and Kenneth, if you can't remember, were a part of an organization. This organization met in secret on a small, secluded area in Zafaria, where many adult wizards discussed and conspired against an evil man. You see, after the defeat of Morganthe in Khrysalis, a man has been massacring many wizards throughout the Spiral, with no sort of pattern whatsoever. Merle Ambrose, however, has been used to the prospect of sending one particular student to defeat a certain villain, but this man has proven to be stronger and far more deadly than Morganthe or Malistaire combined. That is why, as Headmaster of Ravenwood School of Wizardry, he decided to head a small secret organization known as "The Desert." Of course, a membership or even knowledge of said organization was only for the most elite and powerful wizards, two of which being Kenneth and Rebecca. The evil man, the one the organization was conspiring against, had received word that an organization had been formed to defeat him. This was bad enough for him, but when a child had been born, it was going too far. That was when the man decided to take action and start eliminating every member of The Desert, so that none of the children could grow up to learn about it and be a part of it. Anyways, upon arriving at the house, the man quickly and silently made it up to the Master Bedroom.

The death was quick, but loud. Loud enough to wake up their son, Ethan. He had been asleep for a while, until he heard a loud banging in his parent's room. This immediately woke him up, so he sat up and got out of bed, not caring about his lack of clothes. He urgently charged through his door and into the hallway where he saw the silhouette of a rather large man. He was about to jump on him before he disappeared from view. Instinct told Ethan to run away, but he managed to stand his ground. However, he then heard the door unlock and open. He was about to go in before being pushed out of the way, as if he was a fly, and the man's evolved shadow magic was a sort of flyswatter. The door closed and locked behind the man once he entered, and Ethan quickly recovered from his state of mild paralysis. He dashed for the door and banged on it.

"Mom! Dad! Is something happening in there?" He continued to bang until he heard a deep, menacing voice boom from within the room. "There is no point in trying to escape. I have the whole house surrounded by my magic. One touch and your body is burned from the inside out."

This man was not his mom or his dad.

"Please! Don't hurt our baby!"

"Oh, I'm not planning on hurting a little hair on his head. I came here for you…"

Ethan ignored the man's ramblings and checked outside the window on the other side of the hallway. Sure enough, the house had been separated from the outside world by a shimmering screen of dark bluish-gray. Ethan then returned to the door to listen in.

"Please,"

This voice was his mother's.

"Please don't harm anyone. No one did anything except for us. Just…"

Ethan could hear her struggling, and he was barely able to bear it.

"Just kill us. Leave everyone else alone."

Rebecca shrieked as rage grew evident in the man's voice. "Do you think I would believe such foolishness coming from two of my enemies? Do you honestly believe that I would be vapid enough to think that you two are the only members of The Desert?"

"Mom, Dad, what the heck is he talking about? What is 'The Desert'?"Ethan shouted as he continued to slam his fists on the door.

The man snickered. "Just for that little act of "kindness", I'll make your death even MORE painful than your friends'!" The man laughed maniacally and a loud banging followed. Ethan heard his parents screaming. "Please stop! Please! Have mercy!"

The man almost shrieked as he pushed out another wheezy yet psychotic laugh. "Why would I ever stop? How else am I supposed to get my entertainment? Any wizard I meet ends up trying to kill me, so I have to kill them in seconds! It is far more enjoyable to brutally maim and kill an unarmed wizard while hearing them begging for their lives!"

Another loud bang and Ethan realized that the loud crashes were actually the man casting spells. The screams grew louder and more gut-wrenching, turning into shrieks and wails as Ethan fell to his knees and closed his ears. He couldn't handle having to listen to his parents pleading to die.

"Don't kill my parents! Please stop this! They did absolutely nothing wrong!"

Another bang and Ethan could smell the horrible stench of burning flesh. Only a few more seconds of screeching before the shouts became whimpers, and the whimpers became silence. Finally, the door opened and Ethan rushed in, tears staining his young face, only to see the man disappearing into thin air. He didn't even look once at the singed bodies of his two formerly living parents before shouting for help as the shadow-screen vanished.

That leaves us with Ethan Skybringer, a now fully-fledged Balance Wizard. He had witnessed the death of his parents, so he did what any sensible person would do and ran away. He lived alone, now fourteen years old, and he already owned his own house. He still learned new spells from his teachers, but most of his time was spent alone in his home, with his newly obtained pet, Jackson.

It had been a full year since the death of his parents, but still no one knew who had given information to this evil man. Ethan, however, was determined to find out. He had done a little research on his parent's organization, but had found nothing, and wasn't about to go looking for help. Especially not from Merle Ambrose. He must have had a lot of trouble with this.

"Not as much trouble as me." Ethan selfishly muttered to himself, thinking aloud.

He was in his room, studying for his next test from Alhazred. As previously stated, he had recently been given a pet Sabertooth from his teacher, and he was currently roaming the house, occasionally coming up to rub on Ethan's leg. Jackson was a nice pet. Almost like a cat. In battles, he would often cast a somewhat helpful balancespear, and he even talked. Of course, this didn't always prove to be helpful, or even pleasant.

"Ethan, you need to lay off the studying. Wouldn't you like to go to the park in Unicorn Way? I hear it is great for pets..."

Ethan looked up, slightly annoyed at the interruption. "Jackson, I need to study. If I don't pass this test, I might have to take it again! It's bad enough to take it once!"

"I hear ya, but you gotta have some fun sometimes, right?"

Ethan sighed in defeat. He knew when to pick his battles, and this one wasn't important enough to argue about. "Okay. I will take you to the park..."

"Yes! Now hurry up and open the door! The kitty flap won't open."

It was a beautiful day that day, Ethan soon noticed. The birds were out of their nests, chirping and singing as the Unicorn Way fountain continued to spout blue-green crystalline water in the center of the park. Everything was as it should be, including the small yet lush hedges that surrounded the small pond. Ethan let his pet happily roam the grounds and he sat on the bench facing the Unicorn Statue. He closed his eyes, enjoying the smell and feel of the nature. His latest classes had taught him to really savor the feeling and beauty of the Spiral. He started to fall asleep until he heard someone sit down beside him. He opened his eyes once more and swiveled his head slightly, hoping that whoever it was would not realize he was looking. He soon realized that it was a girl with long, black hair and blue-green eyes. Her clothes were a greenish color with baby-blue trim, clearly signifying that she was a life student.

Jackson came bounding over from his spot near his friends and newfound girlfriend whom he had met in the Khonda Desert of Khrysalis. "Everything alright, E-man?"

Ethan's thoughts stopped and he turned to Jackson. "Uh... yeah... Just...thinking, you know?"

Jackson rolled his eyes, slightly amused, and Ethan turned back to the girl. She was beautiful, he quickly came to realize. The sunlight reflected perfectly off her hair and her eyes were the color of the water flowing in front of him. She wore a small gardening hat and was currently looking down at her hands, as if unsure what to do next. He began to get mesmerized and started to stare, but Jackson stopped him. "Ethan! Love bird! Hello?"

Ethan turned back to Jackson in exasperation. "What? Can't you go play some more? It looks like you're missing out on all the fun over there! Just go and play…anywhere else."

Jackson rolled his eyes once more. "Kid, I see what you're doing. You're in love, aren't you?"

It was Ethan's turn to roll his eyes. "Yeah, right. I mean, sure she's attractive, but I wouldn't call it love..."

"I can tell that you are by how you've been trying to shoo me off. Trust me, I won't abandon my master."

He was sincere for the most part. However, he had to mutter one last thing.

"No matter how stubborn he can be…"

Luckily, Ethan was too distracted to take any offense. Or to really even know he said anything, for that matter.

Ethan sighed, somewhat tired. "I know you wouldn't. Your more loyal than any guy could ask for. It's just… I don't know."

Jackson stared at Ethan blatantly and dead-panned, "Okay... I trust you've had the talk about the birds and the bees..."

Ethan suddenly clamped his hands over his ears. "Nope! Not listening! LALALALALALALA-"

Jackson shook his head and laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll go play. Just don't mess this up, okay?"

Ethan rolled his eyes and patted Jackson on the back. "Thanks for the wonderful encouragement."

After a moment of just sitting, he finally gained the courage to talk. "Um... Hi."

The girl turned to him and smiled, making Ethan blush slightly. "Hi. What are you doing here? Doesn't Alhazred call his students for their spells at this time?"

Ethan smiled a bit, too. "Actually, I sort of graduated. I turned fourteen a few months ago. I rarely go to the school anymore. All I really do is take tests and learn an occasional spell from my teacher every so often."

"Oh, really? I turned fourteen last week! My graduation ceremony ended this morning."

Ethan awkwardly nodded, not in any way sure of what to say next. "So… What are you doing here? Did you bring your pet to play?"

Miranda shook her head. "Nope. I just... My parents died about a year ago and... This is where I come to calm down."

Ethan's eyes widened, suddenly noticing the tear stains under her eyes that he hadn't previously noticed. "Really? The same thing happened to me! Are you okay? I'm sorry for your..."

He stopped himself, knowing how frustrated and alone he felt whenever someone would say that to him. He slid closer to her, hoping some physical contact would lift her spirits. However, tears continued to stream down her face. She kept her voice steady as she continued speaking. "One night, a man broke in. Me and my parents had heard screaming coming from a few blocks down, and had woken up about an hour previously. But, we couldn't prepare soon enough. You see, my Mom was an Ice and my Dad was a Fire, they were confident that they could take him down. I was so scared, and i hid upstairs in my room. Now I wish I hadn't, because the last thing I heard my parents say was that everything was going to be okay."

She began sobbing more.

"I can't believe the last words I heard them say were lies. They lasted only a few seconds before they were…" She choked on her tears and decided to stop talking.

Ethan was completely and utterly shocked. There were other kids just like him?

"I'm so sorry. Do you want to stop by my place for something to eat? I sort of… I need the company, if you know what I mean."

The girl smiled. "Sure. That would be great." She was about to get up when Ethan stopped her. "Um... I didn't catch your name..."

"Miranda Windflower. And what's yours?"

Ethan smiled at her pretty name. It fitted a Life Wizard quite well.

"My name's Ethan Skybringer. I hope you feel better." He smiled at her before turning to his pet who had just walked up to him. Jackson winked slyly at him before going back home.

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"Jackson, how would you like your fish today? Salty or sweet?" Ethan pulled out a plate for his pet, who shrugged.

"Doesnt matter to me. Actually, do you have that special sugar?"

Ethan nodded, opening the cupboard. "Yes. I always have a private supply."

"Then can I have that? It makes me feel happy..."

"Of course you can. But please don't make it sound like a drug. You make it seem like you sniff Gnome pollen whenever you eat it."

Ethan quickly realized who was in the room, and decided to refrain from being too casual.

"Miranda, do you like macaroni? I'm sorry, it's all I have. I can go run down to the Shopping District if you want something else."

She smiled gratefully, which surprised Ethan. "Macaroni is just fine. It's actually one of my favorite foods."

Ethan smiled softly, his eyes widening. "Really? Mine, too! I can fix it instantly. I helped Dalia Falmea with her little fire elf infestation and she agreed to teach me this spell called Scald..."

He soon realized he was rambling and stopped himself. He would not be ruining his chances with this girl!

"Scald? Yeah, I use that spell to cook, too." She grinned as Ethan began to move his hands in a swirling motion as the symbol for the school of fire appeared in front of him. The room lit up as a small fire flared under the pot. However, it was gone in mere seconds when there was an obnoxious ringing noise, signalling that the Macaroni had already finished.

"Instant Macaroni." Ethan joked. "Bon appetit."

Miranda licked her lips as a plate was set in front of her.

"Hey! Lovebirds! I really hate to ruin the moment, but I wanna eat. And we can't do that before we pray..."

"Oh! Almost forgot..."

Ethan took a seat beside Miranda and held her hand. They bowed their heads and began to pray.

"Amen."

Everyone looked up and Ethan looked over to Miranda, who was crying. This startled him, but he quickly recovered. "Oh my gosh..."

He was not quite sure what to do. Had he made a wrong move and made her cry? Had he said something to hurt her feelings?

"Uh... Miranda, are you okay? Do you need some help? I..."

"No, nothing's wrong."

She wiped her tears away, embarrassed that a boy had seen her cry twice in one day.

"I just... I haven't prayed since my parents died..."

Ethan instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulder, but quickly pulled away, seeing as though they had only just become acquaintances.

This evil being had murdered innocent people and left their children extremely vulnerable. He also knew that there would likely be more teens like him and Miranda, and wherever they were, they needed help. Ethan stood up from the table. Miranda looked at him, ceasing to eat her macaroni for a moment. She could tell that he was deep in thought, and decided to leave him to ruminate over whatever was bothering him. Whatever was causing him pain was not something that even a Life Wizard could heal.

Hey guys! I hope you liked the prologue of my little story! I just wanted to get this first chapter out of the way, so I would have something to work with after I finish my other fanfictions. Also, if you are a fan of my other stories, I hope you took the time to read this one, because I will be working on this one after my others are done. R&R!