Such wonderful reviews! I hafta answer 'em all! n.n

KittyCavalier: Yes, Kent make city go boom. Kent make city go very big boom. Not that he remembers it yet.

Koriku: Ooooooo I hooked ya? Yay! 's what I was trying to do!

Amethyst Bubble: You faved my story?! -=hyper now=- No explinations just yet, hafta keep reeeeeeading. n.n

Cathy Barton: Pairings? e.e Forgot to list those! They're right below.

Riannehime: Anonymous reviews aren't crummy; I know how picky login can be at times. -.-;; Hope you like the coming chapters.

Now, since I forgot this earlier... my bad e.e;;; ... pairings! Lesse here... we have KentSain, RathWil, LuciusRaven, LeggyHeath, and MattGuy at the very least. Hetero I haven't really decided yet except for PentLouise (by default) and JaffarNino, but the het pairings won't be so obvious.

Same warnings as before, so on with the chapter! n.n

Chapter two: Warning of love and Trouble

Kent lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling and groaning softly. Canas had taken him on a whirlwind tour of the keep, showing him everything from the spiral stairs to the Dragon's gate and the chronicles library to the Archsage's study and the observation platform, otherwise known as training ground C. In addition to that, he'd been prattling on about the rules and restrictions of magic, as well as the chemistry and range of abilities it provided. There were even more things than that which the conversation had included as well.

Needless to say, Kent had a splitting headache.

The Rune giving him the tour had been very sympathetic once Kent asked to slow down, as he was becoming light-headed, and had escorted the dazed redhead to his room. He'd then left, promising to bring a map of the keep by later in order for him to be able to familiarize himself with the layout of the twisted passages which made up the magic school.

Kent sat up slowly to avoid further injuring his back, (he still couldn't quite remember how he hurt it) but his head pounded even with the added caution. Leaning against the wall, he looked around the room he'd been given.

Stone walls plastered and painted a gold-tinted tan accented a dark-stained wood floor. The bed he sat on currently had white sheets, and was in the corner opposite from the door. Empty shelves were to his left, having yet to be filled with personal belongings, not that he really had any idea of where to acquire any. Woven mats dyed a deep scarlet covered the sitting area floor, where three comfortable-looking black chairs were situated around a table having a similar stain as the floor. Two windows were on his right, two watercolors on the opposite wall directly across from windows. A door on the opposite wall from the shelves lined up with the foot of the bed, and seemed to lead to a closet of sorts. A door to what Kent presumed was a bathroom lay beyond the shelves, and could be seen if he bothered to lean over from where he sat now. Next to that door were a desk and chair of the same style as the furniture in the sitting area.

Canas had said he could re-decorate the room as he saw fit, but he'd that for later, if ever. All he wanted right now was something to soothe his head, but it didn't seem that would be happening soon. Rather, he settled for writing down what he could remember of Canas' earlier lecture.

Less than a minute later, a pen dipped in ink and started scratching along paper.

"Of mages, there are two kinds. Naturals have had their abilities since birth, and their magic has set limits. They can use one of the three divisions of attack magic (light, dark, and elemental, also known as anima) as well as healing abilities. All are born with a magic ability, though for most, it is dormant. If awoken for some reason, they become known as Kindred. They have no rules as to what their abilities may become. Those with similar magics are divided into classes, the power they possess varying depending on what their past experiences are, and what caused their suppressed abilities to awaken."

"... your head is going to explode if you try to remember all that at once." Kent jumped slightly, then growled in mild annoyance as he tried to whack the intruder, who dodged easily. "Don't blame me; you left your door wide open!"

"... actually, that was Canas."

"Eh? Oh, I see. Well, anyway, he sent me to guide you to the great hall for dinner. I'm sure you're hungry, right?"

Kent suppressed a groan at the thought of spending time with yet another person who could prattle on endlessly, but let he let himself be lead through the maze of halls anyway. He'd bumped into Wil during the tour, and the cheery youth had been accompanied by a somewhat frazzled-looking Sacaean. From the first three seconds (or so it seemed) of chatter, he'd learned that Wil was a levitation-class Kindred, as was his teacher Rath, though their exact abilities differed.

"Canas said something earlier about you needing an identification test tomorrow. Do you know which training ground it'll be in?" Wil turned to walk backwards, keeping eye contact with Kent as his already cheery smile widened further.

Startled out of his thoughts by the abrupt question, Kent fumbled for an answer. "Ah, I think he might've said something about it earlier... but I can't remember."

"Ah, well, it's understandable. He tends to talk a lot when he's explaining things to people. Actually, people tell me that I talk a lot regardless. Sometimes I just can't seem to shut my trap. That's how Legault would put it, anyway. Do you ever run into that feeling?" Wil didn't even wait for his companion's answer before changing topics.

Due to walking backwards and not really paying attention because of talking so much, it wasn't long before the levitation mage walked into someone. "Oops! I'm sorry! I didn't me-ah, Rath." Wil's face flushed noticeably. "Ah, I, um, didn't mean to do that. Really!"

The older man looked down at his student and sighed wearily. Wil seemed a tad nervous at the accented exhale, but calmed down instantly when his teacher nodded and continued on his way, traversing the corridor with quick, ground-eating strides. Staring after the departed for some time, Wil snapped back to reality and turned bright crimson once he remembered Kent was there. The latter simply raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. The levitation mage was unusually quiet as the pair continued on in the opposite direction from Rather, but spoke up again as they reached a large set of carved oak doors.

"Here's the great hall. I've already eaten, as has most everyone, so you'll be one of the few in there. I think you'll welcome that after such a confusing day, eh?" Wil waved and jogged back up the stairs they'd just descended, again not bothering to wait for an answer. He was soon out of sight around a corner.

Placing a hand on the doors in front of him, Kent took some time tracing the carved patterns; Ones of dragons flying and eating, unicorns on vast plains, gryphons standing regally atop high cliffs. All were races long vanished from the world. How had the artist for these doors, which were clearly recent, been able to picture them in such a lifelike way? Shrugging that thought off for later, he pushed one of the doors open and slipped in, closing it quietly behind him.

Though dimly lit, Kent could still make out the six occupants in the room. Two fairly burly men were playing chess in front of the large fireplace, and a red-haired girl with wing ornaments behind her ears was clearing several plates off one of the long tables. Two women, one blonde and the other Sacaean, were sitting at the other end of the table from the chess players, talking softly. And then there was an old woman hunched over in the corner most shrouded by darkness, cackling to herself.

Going over to a long table pushed against the opposite wall, he piled a moderate amount of food on his plate. About to sit in the closest seat, Kent's attention was caught as the blonde woman waved her arm, beckoning to the seat beside her. Though a tad surprised, Kent politely sat where she'd indicated.

"So, you must be the new one. Kent, right?" The Sacaean offered her hand in greeting, and Kent took it. Her grip was gentle yet firm, with calluses from sword work. "I'm Lyn, nice to meet you."

"And you, milady?"

The blonde's eyebrows rose ever so slightly, then blue eyes closed and a small chuckle escaped her mouth. "I should've expected that. But it HAS been a while since anyone new has arrived." Lyn was laughing outright at the confused expression on Kent's face. "I'm Lucius, the bishop always mistaken for a female." Lucius ended his statement with an overdramatic sigh.

The girl clearing plates off the next table over looked up from her work and said, "Perhaps if you cut your hair?"

"But I LIKE my hair the way it is!" Lucius said something else, but it was drowned out by a roar of victory from one of the two chess players. He huffed slightly and crossed his arms, drawing a shy laugh from the red-haired girl. Lucius turned to Kent as Priscilla balanced the plates in her arms and hurried off to the kitchens and asked, "So how much do you know about the people here?"

"Ah..." Kent fumbled for an answer, but Lucius smiled kindly.

"If you have any questions, just come to me. I'll be a little busy, what with my students and training Lyn to be a teacher like myself, but I'll find time to help. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a bit of work to do." Standing, the feminine bishop nodded to the two before leaving the room, his white cape billowing out behind him.

Lyn excused herself soon afterwards, saying she needed to catch up on her studies a little. Kent finished his meal in silence, Priscilla whisking the dishes away and out of sight as soon as he stood to leave. He considered finding someone to guide him back to his room, but decided he needed a walk to clear his head. Setting off down the twisted passages, he soon found himself in one of the informal receiving rooms, one with a view of the more elaborate inner gardens.

"Kyeh kyeh kyeh... I sense trouble in your future, my little pretty." Kent whirled to find the old woman from the great hall standing in the doorframe, effectively blocking his escape in that direction. "Power of unknown amounts, danger, and several possible love interests. Dagnabbit, some guys get all the luck." She frowned at the blue crystal orb clasped in her gnarled hands. "No chance for me in sight. Damn whippersnappers these days."

The old woman waddled further into the room, moving until she stood less than three feet from Kent. Despite having been taught to respect his elders, the red-head couldn't quite control a rising urge to bolt. "Hm, fine young man you are too. The one you'll wind up with... he'll be a mighty happy lad." Cackling again, she waddled out of the room off to who-knows-where.

More than slightly disturbed, Kent re-entered the vast halls of the keep once he thought the coast was clear, and managing to bump into Wil, got the levitation mage to guide him back to his room. Along the way, Wil informed him that the old woman was Hannah, the Mani, or fortune teller, of the place. And while a creepy old hag, she told the truth. Sometimes. But given that her little crystal was with her, she had been.

It wasn't until later, when Kent was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling, that the full effect of Hannah's words sank in.

"He'll be a mighty happy lad"

Groaning, Kent threw an arm over his eyes, chased the thought out of his head and went to sleep.

Admittedly not the most interesting chapter I've ever written, but I needed parts for plot purposes. Even if it wouldn't let itself be named, and thus delayed the update time for a day. The next chapter picks up, I swear!

Dark: Namely, Sain shows up.

Legault: Oooooooo that'll be fun. -=evil grin=-

Heath: But with what happens to me, are you so sure?

Legault: 'course! I get to fuss and worry and-

-=covers Legault's mouth=- No revealing any more plot just yet, eh? Anyhoo, I'll try to update in a week or less, but reviews shall always speed the process. n.n