The sunlight glittered off the surface of the small lake, the wind moved through the cattails creating a rustling sound, the ones that were broken open creating what's known as summer snow. Standing beside the water, her bare feet barely touching the cool water as the waves washed the shore line, soft mid shoulder length golden hair shone like the sun as light hit it reflecting back more light than should be possible was a young woman. Her doe colored eyes scanned the surface as if she was looking for something or someone.

"Yes this will do nicely and there should be plenty around here for a lake this size." She whispered to herself as she moved to pick up a large glass vile that she had placed at her feet. With a quick flick of her wrist the light vanished from the surface of the water. She knew that she could not hold that spell for long but even in the short time she had she achieved her goal. The moment the light vanished from the water almost instantly twenty or so pixies poured over the water chattering among themselves. Once they had gathered at the water's edge she returned the light to the surface causing a blinding light that stunned the group of pixies causing them to land on the bank rubbing their eyes.

"Sorry little ones but you don't sit still long enough to collect your dust any other way." The woman said as she carefully picked each one of the little fairies up and brushed their wings with her finger tips, being careful not to take too much dust off the wings, or to damage the fragile wings in any way. The dust that she did remove would be replaced in about an hour or so. After she had collected small amounts of dust from each of the pixies she moved all of them up to a large enough branch as high as she could reach. That way they could recover away from anything that would want to harm them or eat them.

After the delicate task was complete, she collected her belongings from where she had hid them in the brush before she headed back to the main road. 'Don't worry dear brother I will find them and make them pay for separating us. I will tear this world asunder if I have to.' She thought a small crazed smile on her lips. It took little more than a half hour for her to reach the town. After asking directions to the inn she went to get a room. Once she entered the inn she made her way to the bar area where she located the innkeeper.

" I would like a room for the week, please." She said to the innkeeper as she dug into her pocket for her purse.

"That cost of the room for the week is one silver coin meals included twice a day breakfast and supper. Your room number is 5. " The innkeep said as she pulled the silver coin out of her purse and exchanged it for the key to her room.

"Names please for the registry miss." The innkeep stated as he picked up the quill that was resting in an ink pot.

"Rixxa." She answered as she placed the key in her pocket until she got to the room

"That is quite an unusual name you must not be from around here." The innkeep said as he tried to make small talk with the blonde stranger. Upon realizing that Rixxa was in no mood for small talk the innkeep left to continue his duties.

With a polite wave Rixxa left to find her room. Walking down a hallway lit by torch light has until she came upon a wooden door with the number 5 branded into it. Unlocking the she opened the door, the room was nothing special just a simple twin sized solid wood bed with a down feather mattress. Plain undyed bed sheets were made up nice and neat with a feather pillow resting at the head of the bed. She did a quick walk around the room muttering to herself as she drew runes in the air. The runes glowed with a soft golden light for a few seconds before fading. With the task of placing temporary protection wards around the room she carefully put her bags down by the foot of the bed before she headed down to the dining room in search of food.

"What can I get for you ma'am?" A maid asked as Rixxa sat at an empty table near the back of the room.

"Water to drink and whatever the cook's special is for today thank you." Rixxa replied as she looked around the room. The dining room was simple like any other inn, strurdy square tables with wooden chairs. All and all, nothing that special. 'The town doesn't look like they would have a regular library let alone one that would contain the books I'm looking for. But the last town was much the same but they did have a magic library. It just didn't look very special from the outside so who knows.' She thought to herself

Rixxa and her brother were orphaned when something had killed their parents when they were really young. The two of them were inseparable, the only time that they were apart was at night. Life was ok for a while until one night her brother woke from a nightmare on the night of the first new moon just after their tenth birthday. Suddenly everything went pitch black and a dark colored aura began to surround him and his bed causing all the other boys in the room to panic as he sat frozen in fear on his bed.

When the master of the orphanage came to see what was going on, the first thing he did was try and rebuild the fire using fresh wood and his mage fire but the moment he lit his flame the light from it was immediately changed to a deep purple color that casted no light but the heat of the flame was still present. The following week some strange men came and took her brother to go live in the capital where he could receive training for his gift. Rixxa had pleaded and begged to go with him but since her magic had not awakened yet she was forbidden to go with him.

"You are of no use to us child begone" one of the men said as they pushed her away from her brother causing her to fall to the ground. Her brother looked back at her with a sad look and tried to hold back tears.

"I will stay in contact." Her brother said to her with a single tear falling from his eyes as he half climbed half shoved into a waiting carriage.

She waited for her brother's letters for almost two years, powerless to do anything until one day one of the new kids had decided to make her his target. Rixxa after her brother was taken from her she spent most of her days walking around heartbroken and in a daze, her only "friends" were the pixies that played in the garden. They had found her one day crying by a small pond and had done their best to make her smile. On that fateful day she walked out with a small bottle of cream and some cookies that she swiped from the kitchen.

She heard a boy's laughter near the garden. She paid no mind to it. The pixies were not a secret. It wasn't until she say what had the boy laughing that she lost it. The boy was an earth mage who parents were sent away for some reason or another she didn't care. He had trapped the pixies in an earthen cage and was holding them in the ever shrinking cage causing them to damage their wings in an attempt to escape.

To this day she isn't entirely sure what happened the next thing she knew her and the boy were surrounded in a blinding white light causing him to drop the cage freeing the captives in side and the boy to cover his eyes screaming in pain. As quickly as the light had appeared, it vanished leaving only the two of them bathed in natural sunlight. Before she knew it her feet were running away from the only home she had known. For the rest of that day she ran she wasn't sure where she was going all she knew was that she couldn't go back.

It was against the rules to attack another person with the intention to harm them. Doing so would result in your powers being stripped from you, even though she could try to explain that it was an accident and that she was sorry. The truth was yes it was an accident but she wasn't in the least bit sorry that it happened. Some time around sunset she came across a small cottage that looked to be abandoned so she went inside.

"Ma'am are you ok the fire from your candle is getting rather bright? " the maid asked as she sat down the plate of food and a glass of water.

"Huh? Oh yes I'm alright I just got lost in thought. Sorry if I scared you." Rixxa apologized, shaking her head trying to clear the thoughts of the past. She knew it did her no good to dwell on the past. Her brother for the moment was far from her and there was nothing she could do about it.

"It's ok I'm a water mage so a small flame like that is nothing, thank you for your concern." The maid said with a laugh before leaving her alone with her food.

'Perhaps I should put my search off until tomorrow. It seems tonight my mind is occupied with the past.' She thought as she began to eat.

Meanwhile two towns over

"Gods my feet are killing me carrying me please"? Young woman with chocolate short cropped hair who looked no more than twenty whined as she put her head in the middle of a large man's back who also looked no more than twenty himself. He was built like a wall with his own brown locks cut close to his head and stood over the young lady by a good two feet making the already petite woman look much smaller than she was.

"Caill little sister I love you I really do, but if your feet hurt then what makes you think that means mine don't as well, So no I'm not going to carry you we are almost there anyway." The man said as he continued to walk causing the young woman to take two steps for every one of his.

"But I can't carry you I would get crushed. Markus please? I will make sure the water for a bath stays that steaming hot you like so much, just don't ask me to reheat it that takes too long." She said using her hazel eyes to give her best puppy dog eyes, her lips set in a pout as well. About thirty seconds later she felt herself get scooped up and thrown over her brother's shoulder causing her to yelp a little in surprise.

"You drive a hard bargain sis." He said with a laugh as his own grass green eyes met hers. As he carried her the rest of the way to the inn they filled the rest of the trip talking. Once they arrived and were settled in their rooms. They collected what they would need for the bath.

"I know we are the best at finding people but do you have any idea how to find a light or darkness mage? I mean the one that is locked up in the tower is kinda of a bad example. His magic seems kinda dull and looks as if something is wrong with it. When I think of Darkness I picture mysterious, shades of blues and purple, with an odd sense of beauty and comfort and just a hint of the unknown. Not his, it feels sad, sickly, and full of a mix of maybe madness and pain." Markus said as the two of them headed to the bathhouse. Turns out his sister had felt the heat from this town's natural hot spring that fed the bathhouse.

"When I think of Light I see someone who is warm, inviting not like a fire warm but like the sunlight on a bright summer's day. With shades of golds some an outgoing personality like you, but nicer." Markus said with a laugh as he dodged his sister's towel as she laughed as well.

"I know what you mean about that young man. You maybe able to "see" his magic but he looks like he hasn't seen the light of day in so long that, yes he element may be Darkness but, I'm not sure how to describe it. It's almost like something is missing." Caill said when they arrived at the bathhouse.

"Or maybe someone." Markus said. "I'll explain after our bath for now I'm covered in dirt and sweat and sore all over." He continued after seeing the confused look on his sister's face, before he entered the men's only side of the bathhouse.