Author's Notes: I'll make this short and sweet: There's almost 3000 words here, mostly consisting of dialogue. Beware!

Disclaimer: I do not own Wizard101. I do, however, own some OCs. I'll mention every character I own in the chapter they're introduced. In this chapter Julia Lifegem is introduced.


Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm, or a Tour Around the Spiral Ark

A few days earlier...

In the Arcanum, home of the greatest Wizards and Wizardesses in the Spiral and beyond it, a bat-winged monkey named Fitzhume was flying circles around the Panopticon, the area where the Great Scholars resided, seemingly waiting for someone. And one thing every Arcanum Scholar knows is that the Librarian absolutely despises waiting.

-Where is that wizardess. She's almost as irresponsible as a pirate is! Ugh, and don't get me started with her taste... -He kept mumbling under his breath.

After some time, a teenager, about the age of 16, with dark-blonde hair and grey-blue eyes and a pale complexion, wearing a dark green marleybonian dress and top hat, came rushing through the richly decorated halls of the college, while at the same time carrying four bags of seemingly clothing. Accidentally, she had bumped into the monkey, making both fall down.

-Sorry... Fitzhume, I... Was... -She panted.

-...Shopping in Polaris and Marleybone for outfits, - He picked up a pair of ushankas and dresses, - When you should be researching about those worlds, INITIATE Lifegem.

The Wizardess, cleaning up her mess, stood up and gasped. -WHAAATT?!

He flew away to his desk, grabbing a scroll, ink, and a quill. – You heard correctly. You never signed your Arcanum Rank Promotion paperwork yet, so you aren't an Understudy yet. So here, sign already.

The Librarian gave Lifegem the items and she quickly wrote her signature on the scroll.

- Done? Congratulations. Blah, blah. Now, on the subject of thoroughness I hear you failed to submit your full Post-Mirage report.

- Okay it was a day late and I was busy trying to stop some bandits there with my friend Ozzy. Err, sort of. He's a floating, talking skull so-

Fitzhume cut her off – Here's the thing: I don't care about that. But I do want to want to point out that whatever you did in Mirage managed to pull several of the Scholars' noses out of their books and get them all worked up about something.

She didn't know what to say. The whole point of her trying to do things that aren't related to the Arcanum is to distract herself from what happened in Mirage. What horrible things had happened there...

- Oh, and Miss Julia, good old Baba Yaga has been ranting and raving more than usual lately. I think she's even been crying...

Wait a minute... Baba Yaga... Mellori... Oh no." Julia thought, - Oh. I think I'll go give her a visit... And hopefully come back in one piece...

- Yes. Good luck with that. – After replying, Fitzhume flew back to his post and the Wizardess went to visit the Hall of Conjuration.

When she went through the golden door with the symbol of the Myth Wizards above it, a chair instantaneously slided to Julia, making her fall on it. After that it flew forwards up to the scholar's desk, passing all of the pictures of Polaris on the wall and all of the strange trinkets scattered around the room. When it stopped, Lifegem saw a rather interesting, but at the same time saddening sight. Baba Yaga, the crazy Myth Scholar, was crying.

Julia sat in a normal position and, while she was dazed and confused, she still started to speak,- Oh, err, hi there B-

- Julia! We have to hurry! Mellori...- The old witch sniffled, -We have to save her! You have to save her!

- I know... You have no idea how long this has been bugging m-

- Can you please not interrupt? -She sniffled again, - Grandmother Raven entrusted her to me and I raised her like my own... But she wanted to be a heroic wizard... Like you.

I never really thought about that... I knew Mellori wanted some adventure but still... Is it really because of me?"

- So... Where's my next destination? Cool Ranch? Monquista? E-

- Empyrea! - Baba Yaga blew her nose, her tone then became much more serious, - That's where Spider has taken my sweet Mellori. But Ione and some other scholars have a plan to rescue her.

Lifegem gulped – E-E-Empyrea?! The home of the Sky Squids and the land surrounded by constant, horrible thunderstorms?! That's worse than Khrysalis! And if it actually has more freaky bug creatures then it's beyond horrifying!

- Please. After everything you've done don't be cravenly now. The stakes are... – The old witch sniffled, - Too high.

- Alright, alright, I'll do it. It's basically my job anyway and I hate the feeling of not helping someone... Okay! What do I do?

- Go visit Ione and ask her how you can help, - Baba Yaga blew her nose.

After the old Conjuress had finished her sentence, she sent the chair Julia was sitting on towards the doors and the chair threw her off of it.

-Ouch! Geez... – The Theurgist stood up and went towards the Hall of Divination.

Entering the room full of electricity in the air and test dummies on chairs the Wizardess saw that the Storm Scholar, Ione, had already been awaiting her.

- Understudy! At last. Your exploits in Mirage, while impressive, resulted in a situation we at the Arcanum find... Concerning. – The scholar walked up to her.

- I know, I know... I'm not chill about this either. So, what's going on in general, though?!

- In an unprecedented occurrence several scholars have paused their studies and convened to address Spider's increasing threat to the Spiral. We've learned that Grandfather Spider aims to recover his Chaos Heart and that he plans to use Mellori in some way to do so. And if the Chaos Heart is removed from its bonds in Empyrea, it will unravel the very fabric of existence. Needless to say, that would be bad.

- Yea I got that last part already... Alright. What else?

-The committee of Scholars has determined that a mission to Empyrea is required. And that you should lead it. Do you accept this responsibility?

Julia stood in a determined pose, - I do. Well, someone's gotta do it anyway so yeah.

- Good. Head to the Dry Docks immediately. The committee of Scholars will brief you on the mission. I will join you all momentarily.

- Okay! – The Wizardess ran out of the room instantly, but came back very quickly, - Um... Where are the Dry Docks...?


Once Julia Lifegem had entered the Dry Docks, she sensed the smell of dust and the palpable anxiety of the busy Fire and Ice Scholars, Ignus and Tarrak, respectively.

She coughed, - Wow, has anyone even been here before n-

Her eyes were quickly drawn to the magnificent Ship, moored close by.

The Theurgist's jaw dropped, - WOAH...

Wait a minute, did I see this before..?"

- Impressive, is she not? – She heard a voice from the Ship. A man, resembling Ione, wearing robes, had asked the Wizardess.

Who the heck is that?!" Not knowing what to say, Lifegem simply nodded.

- It is hard not to admire Cabalist aesthetics, even if their intergalactic navigational systems are less than stellar.

Julia heard a voice coming from her left side. It was Tarrak's. – And you ain't going to get those systems updated with weak puns. Get back to work, bub. Ignus and I will be there to help in a minute. – After that the man had returned to the ship. Then the moose turned toward the Wizardess, - As for you, Understudy, now's not the best time to chat. Unless you're here for the Empyrea mission...

- Yup. I'm pretty much going to lead it. Or, well, that's what Ione said... – The Understudy ran up to the platform the Scholars were on.

- Great! Though, I feel the need to warn you: Empyrea ain't exactly a toboggan ride down the hill.

- I already got that from what I read about it. Also where I come from, toboggan rides aren't exactly safe and easy either. You gotta be careful, or else you can get crushed by something or fall in a lake... But that's not the point. So, what are the problems?

- You see, Raven created Empyrea specifically to keep Spider out. As such, travel and communications with Empyrea are exceedingly difficult.

Ignus chimed in, while measuring Julia and jotting the measurements down on a piece of paper,- Difficult, but not impossible. Raven shrouded Empyrea in a magical storm called the Aethyr, which shields the Chaos Heart from Spider.

- Wait, Ignus, why are you measuring my outfit sizes..?

- I'm going to make some special outfits for the mission. No spoilers, though! – He replied, - Now, back to Empyrea. The Aethyr even keeps Raven herself out! Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be a deterrent to the semi-divine, like Spider's children.

Tarrak continued the explanation, - Recently, Ione received a jumbled message from the Empyrean city of Zanadu that leads us to expect that Spider's son, the Bat, is there. Then, one of our Adjunct Scholars decided he'd take it upon himself to investigate by 'borrowing' Sparck's Streamportal prototype.

- Aye, and no one' heard from poor Medulla since. Oh, 'tis a right shame, that. He seemed like a bright enough fellow, if not a wee bit impetuous.

- Yeah... Prototypes don't usually end up working very well, do they... – Julia gulped.

I just hope that I won't end up disappearing like that as well..."

- Precisely why we are being extra meticulous now. There is no room for error with this mission, - Ione had just entered the docks.

- Oh, hello there, Ione! – The Fire Scholar greeted her, - We were just briefing the Understudy on the particulars of the mission to Empyrea.

- And you're just in time to tell her all about the ship! Come on, Ignus. Sparck needs our help. – The two elemental Scholars entered the ship, leaving Ione and the Understudy.

- Very well. Since the Arcanum's last voyage to Empyrea resulted in... depressing failure, a more reliable mode of transportation has become priority one. Thus, the great Sky Ship you see before you. - The Storm Scholar pointed to the ship, - It's called The Spiral Ark. Does it seem familiar to you? It should...

- It does, I just can't remember where I saw it before... – The Wizardess was still astounded by the great ship.

- Perhaps you recall seeing it referenced in 'The History of the Great Schism'? Those that would be known as the Cabal built it as a lifeboat to usher them through the violent end of the Spiral that they believed inevitable.

-...Oh yeah! That's where it's from! I remember now! Oh, sorry for interrupting...

-... After the Schism, The Spiral Ark was forgotten, until a young man with an incorrigible interest in technology found it here collecting dust. As fate would have it, the young man, named Sparck, hails from Empyrea and has dedicated his life to solving the enigma of Empyrean travel. And despite my many objections he has volunteered to join you on this mission. He is also my brother, but that is inconsequential.

Oh NOW I get why they look so similar! Wait a minute... Doesn't this mean they're BOTH from Empyrea?"

- You and Sparck should become acquainted. Here, give him this Ion Dust he requested, and lend him any further aid he may require. – Ione handed a small bag to the Understudy

- Alright! This is so awesome! – Julia ran towards the ship and entered it.

When our heroine entered the Sky Ship, at first glance everything seemed pretty simplistic. There were a few shelves in the entrance, all of them had boxes stacked on them. To the right Tarrak was standing next to a world door, while Sparck stood on the left.

- There we are! The homemade World Door is secured and ready for transport. You sure we shouldn't test it first? – Tarrak asked Ione's brother.

- This World Door will serve as the initial Streamportal link in what I hope will eventually become an Empyrean-wide teleportation network.

- Ahh. Kinda like how the lead climber does the first free climb to install the guide rope so everyone else could use it to scale the mountain.

- I suppose so, yes.

- Just gotta get that first anchor point down right- Oh hey there, Julia. 'Scuse me, I gotta check the status of the hull, - With that the Ice Scholar left.

Please don't let me make the first move please don't let me make the first move to introduce myself..."

- Greetings, Understudy. I am pleased that we may finally be formally introduced.

Thank goodness for that... I hate you, shyness..."

- I am called Sparck. It is my pleasure to serve as your Science Officer for this mission.

- My name's Julia Lifegem. It's my pleasure to be the leader, I guess..? Anyway, it's nice to meet you.

- Hm. Do I detect the invigorating smell of Ion Dust?

- Oh yeah! Here. Ione told me to give this to you, - She handed the small bag to him.

- Excellent. Come. I will show you what this Ion Dust is for. And along the way, I can show you around The Spiral Ark. Please, follow me.

This... is... so... COOL!"


- Here we find the heart of my Intro-Aethyrial Navigational Guidance System: the Lux Capacitor.

Julia Lifegem, however, didn't pay attention much to the science related parts.

-... Its design came to me after I slipped and hit my head in the aforementioned Arcanum lavatory. Shall we continue to the bridge?

Wait a minute isn't the Lux Capacitor and hitting his head in the bathroom from 'Back to the Future', or something? This is weird..."

- Huh? Oh, yeah.

After a few steps, they reached a large room, the one in the front of the ship. There were 5 seats, with one being a large one in the middle.

- Our tour comes to conclusion on the Bridge.

Why does this look so familiar? I know that it's not an actual place back on Earth, but at the same time I feel like I've seen it before... Maybe a movie? But that doesn't make sense..."

Because she dozed of, yet again, she didn't hear anything science related that Sparck was talking about...

- ...And we will conclude our tour with the one detail technology cannot update: the Captain's chair. Rather, the person in it.

- How come? – She asked.

- Without a Sky Captain experienced in Aethyrial travel, the chair and this mission are utterly futile.

Yet again this reminds me of something... Actually... No, that can't be it..."

- Oh.

- Fortunately, the Scholars have this issue mostly figured out. It would be prudent for you to check on that. I really should get back to work.

- Oh, okay, I won't bother you. Thanks for the tour. It was nice meeting you! – The Theurgist quickly ran back to the Docks.

I don't know why but this seems both awesome and horrifying... And awfully familiar too. And I refuse to believe that characters from a TV show actually have counterparts in the Spiral, like, there is no way that's possible!"

Tarrak had already returned, - 'Bout time! We should've told Sparck to skip the lavatory tour.

Yeah, I have no idea why we needed to tour that at all... I mean, a simple mention would've been appreciated instead of a tour..."

- So, what's our next move? – The Wizardess asked.

- Listen up. We need to discuss the recruitment of the Sky Captain.


Phew... That was a lot... Nothing too interesting yet, but in the next chapter we'll get to see our heroine's first battle! ...In this story, I mean. Not her very first battle on Unicorn Way...

Anyways, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I hope you all have a great day/night/evening/morning!