Chapter 1

With a swift wave of my gloved hand, I set three straw dummies on fire. They moaned softly, then fell to the ground and faded away. I quickly climbed up a wooden ladder and retreated to the safety of an empty platform as I saw more dummies appearing. I pulled off my white gloves and wiped the sweat off my forehead. It was my second week at Maple Leaf Academy and I kinda enjoyed myself here. There were cool training halls and cool kids with different jobs. The only thing I hated about this place was the snobs.

I'm Hermione, a level 158 Fire/Poison mage. I've never been to a school before, let alone a huge, famous academy in the city before. I used to live in the outskirts of Ellinia with my beloved grandmother who raised and took care of me since I was a baby. My parents had died in war when I was 1. Ironically, I don't miss them. I didn't really know them at all. But it was said that my mother was a kind Bishop, loved by all the citizens of Ellinia and my father, a powerful Battle Mage who led the army during the invasion of the Black Mage.

It was only a month ago when the school sent a letter to the little cottage me and my grandmother lived in. It turned out to be an invitation to enrol at the Maple Leaf Academy…for free. No huge bomb of a payment and shit. My grandmother practically forced me to accept it. She told me it was for my future and stuff. I'm 15 and able. I didn't think I needed to even go to school. If I really wasn't, how do you suppose I reach level 158 in 5 years…without knowledge from school.

I was starting to warm up to some of the kids there and I got use to the school in a matter of days. Big problem was; I still didn't have any friends. And I was also constantly being bugged by the snobby school bullies who think they rock. People whom I refer to as poopheads in my head, knowing that if I said that out loud, I would end up being beaten up. Well, the poopheads are 5 snobby assholes: A dumb blonde girl who probably would die without her makeup, a creepy dude who smoked like…two packs of cigarettes in a day, a fat, rich man's son who wouldn't be spotted dead NOT eating, a black-haired girl with huge boobs (Okay, I don't know why I even observed that) and of course, the leader or the biggest ass of all, this dark-blue-haired guy who wedgies or teases anyone whom he passes by.

I took in deep breaths. I had been training for three whole hours without stopping now. No matter what, I was going to become a level 200 magician, just like my parents, and I will avenge them. With a cry, I leapt off the platform, clapping my hands together. The whole training hall was set ablaze along with the straw dummies. I got up from my crouching position and stood in the midst of my flames. I was actually enjoying the heat. The fire. How it felt like in a war. Suddenly, the heat died down as ice in spear-like forms shot pass me, killing my mighty flames, saving the entire hall from burning to the ground.

I spun around, angry at the person who interrupted my training. It turned out to be no other than a snob…a fucking snob who deserved to die.

"It won't help burning the-WHOA!" I swung a bolt of fire at him before he could even attempt to taunt me. Nobody would stand in my way. NOBODY. Anger boiled up inside me as I continuously and effortlessly threw flames at him. Without hesitation, he countered my attacks by throwing ice spears at me. I dodged them easily at first, but the fight grew more intense as the ice spears he threw grew larger in number.

The first thought that came into my mind was that he was a hacker. I ran towards him, a blaze of fire glowing in my right hand. He narrowed his eyes and before I took another step forward, a spear of ice pierced my right shoulder. I winced as I dropped to the ground, the flame in my hand disappearing. I glanced at my bleeding shoulder. Who knew ice could be that tough?

"Who do you think you are, interfering with my training?" I yelled at the boy. He sighed and shook his dark locks from his face. If that's how the thinks he could get girls, he could burn in hell.

"I was just stopping you from burning down the entire training hall." He reasoned as he knelt down beside me and held out a hand. I slapped his hand away, not lightly, but with all the strength I had left in my body. I admit, I was completely exhausted.

"I don't accept help from the likes of you." I glared at him, "You're a snob. Go back to your gang. Go back to your bullying and stupid antics."

I got up by myself, clutching my right shoulder. I was too full of pride to get my wound treated by the academy doctor. A thought crossed my mind. Fire! Fire heals and closes up wounds. Without thinking, I produced a flame from my left hand and squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for the pain. The boy stared at me as if I had just grown an extra head.

I slapped my left hand against the wound on my right shoulder. I could feel the fire burning my skin. It somehow felt…soothing. The pain worsened but however, no tears were shed from my eyes. I certainly couldn't allow it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, are you crazy?" the boy shot me an exasperated look as he grabbed my hand away from my shoulder. The flame immediately went off and I quickly shook his hand away. I looked at my wound. It worked! It was all patched up…though it left an ugly scar.

"I'm a Fire mage. This is normal to me. It probably isn't to a rich man's son like you. If this scares you, go home and cry to your daddy." I said gruffly as I trudged out of the training hall. In one half of my mind, I was thinking of how I was going to explain the damage to the headmaster, but in the other, I was wondering why that son of a bitch hadn't ruined my day with one of his silly insults yet.