Chapter 1: Expropriate Day

It was the annual "Unification" Day as the mages called it. Everywhere around the world, people were celebrating the day that the world had entered peace and the mages had apparently helped the world out of chaos and into one great country, watched over by the mages. In each country, people held festivals in honor of this day, while the Regmate Ams held a different celebration on Onnex, a small island exclusive to the Regmate Ams.

"Are there any more issues we must address before this meeting ends?" asked the head member. The Regmate Ams held a meeting once every other week in Onnex. This meeting happened to be scheduled on the same day as "Unification" Day, better known to mages as Expropriate Day. A single hand rose amidst the four hundred other members who were attending the meeting. "Yes Divi, what is your issue?" the head member patiently asked.

Divi stood up, one of the younger members in the Regmate Ams, but one of the strongest male members. "Thank you sir. I'd like to address the issue of proposition eight." Divi sternly said aloud. A loud sigh was heard through the room as many members knew what was coming. Divi, slightly insulted, kept going, "We should at least give is a chance, it can actually work out. It has before, as I've read in the library." The head member now also sighed. "Fine. Everyone in favor of proposition eight, to give power back to the other four races and allow them to live along side of us, in equal rule, please second the movement now." The head member sighed.

"You should really stop bringing this up, Divi. Our ancestors worked hard to get US to this position that we are in right now. Do you really want to destroy their work? And considering the date today is the anniversary of their conquest three hundred and twenty-four years ago..." Err snickered. Err, full name Err Cato, is one of the top ten strongest mages currently living, and is also the youngest out of them. Although Err is a few years older than Divi, Divi is not much weaker than Err, but nowhere near the top ten. Divi threw Err a cold look, only to have him throw back an even colder one. The two did not have much of a liking for each other. But Err had power and a lot of influence in the Regmate Ams and had just discouraged many members from voting for proposition eight.

Divi looked around the room nervously at the other four hundred members, many not even paying attention to him. One hand rose and a member stood up, his legs shaking a small bit, but calmed himself. "I second the movement." He declared. The member's name was Glean, also one of the younger members of the Regmate Ams, but slightly older than Divi. "If anyone is in favor of this movement, please say 'I'." The head member sighed again. A female member now stood up. "I am in favor of the movement." She stated. "You only needed to say 'I' Jynn, please stop making yourself known." The head member snapped. The room was silent for a while, and no one moved except for the three people standing, now a little nervously.

"Is no one else in favor of the movement? Going once, going twice, sold!" The head member chuckled. The other members started to laugh as Divi exchanged smiles with Jynn and Glean. The three sat back down and waited for the laughter to calm down. "Since there are no other issues, this meeting is now closed." The head member proclaimed and hit the desk with a special gavel, and a noise like a gunshot shot across the room. The members started to file out of the room, eager to get to the celebrations for Expropriate Day.

Divi waited until he was one of the last to leave. Jynn and Glean also stayed, waiting for their friend Divi. Divi walked a bit behind Jynn and Glean at a slower pace, taking in the somberness of the failure he had just committed. Again he had tried to get equal rights to all, and again he had failed, it seemed like the whole thing was just a circle and it was going to repeat again. Nevertheless, he always gained hope looking up at his friends who had supported him. His mind drifted away from the meeting and he looked at the festival being held from the front door of the meeting place.

The distant voice could be barely made out where Divi, Jynn, and Glean were standing. It was the annual speech given by anyone who volunteered to on a set-up stage. Considering everyone was a member of the Regmate Ams because they were on the island of Onnex, the true past could be talked about freely, mostly about the Mages' Revolution.

Divi pushed his way through the crowd, Glean and Jynn trailing behind him. When he reached the stage, he waited for the current speaker to step off the stage for his turn. He was burning with his thoughts and ideas, ready to spill them out to the world, or at least the Regmate Ams. The current speaker ended his speech and the audience applauded him. Divi walked up, confidently and in an intimidating manner.

The crowd went silent, knowing what was to come as Divi had become quite famous for his ideas. Some members started to yawn and sigh loudly and rudely in an effort to try to get him off the stage. Divi ignored these and started his hastily prepared speech. "Is it fair to have your powers taken from you? To have one of God's given rights taken away? To be ruled by a group of people who you don't even know or to be forced to live in shame?" Divi started, "An equal government, ruled equally by all. I propose this idea to you. If we set our gover-". Divi was cut off by a woman from the audience.

"We're living perfectly fine together in harmony. There's no reason to change it." She said.

"Maybe WE are living fine, but more than 80% of the world is living in poverty, all the non ma-"

"So what's wrong with that picture? We're fine, they got what they deserve." A man said.

"They didn't deserve that at all, the whole picture is wrong!"

"It is karma; they had it coming from their ancestors!" The man answered.

"Karma does not exist. But justice does, and this is not justice."

Divi walked off the stage after this statement, even more furious and frustrated than before. Glean and Jynn tried to calm Divi down, but all efforts seemed futile. After the group was half a mile away from the stage, the sound of cheering could be heard again, most likely from a pro-mage speech. Divi stopped walking, almost angry enough to turn back and attack the audience, but he was smart and would not let his anger get the better of him.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. Suddenly he saw light although his eyes were closed and he felt a strong wave of heat hit his back and he was knocked to the ground, then the sound of the explosion came, a nearly deafening blast. Divi opened his eyes and to find that Glean and Jynn had also fallen down, but seemed okay and were getting up. Their clothes were now a little singed in the back. The blast had come behind them from the direction they were going away from the stage. Divi smiled and even laughed a little bit; his anger had gotten the better of him.

The group turned around at the source of the blast and found people running away in panic and a column of smoke rising from where the stage had stood. Multiple trees were blocking the view, and the three had to run back to see what had happened. The three ended up in a scene of destruction, but the main inferno had already been controlled by ice mages who had been only scratched by the blast. 'The stage is gone, and so is most of the audience,' Divi thought, 'Most…' Glean and Jynn stood there in awe and shock, but in a sorrowful way unlike Devin who was still holding in some of his anger. 'I guess karma does exist…' Divi thought.

"What's that smell?" Jynn asked holding her nose. The group took their first look at the ground since they had gotten there. The three had smelled burning flesh. They were greeted by a head, half burned and half intact, the intact half showing surprise by the blast. Jynn screamed and almost fell backwards, only stopped by an arm. The place from the stage had body parts spread across it. "About three people dead," Divi assumed, analyzing the number of body parts. Jynn lurched about, trying to leave the graveyard of body parts. Divi and Glean seemed to be able to stay calm, but Divi a little calmer than a normal person would be.

Glean helped Jynn to her house, while trying to help her calm down. Divi decided to stay and watch the investigators who had just arrived. The fire was now out, and the bodies were being picked up to be analyzed and confirmed, and eventually buried. The cause of the explosion was obvious, it was the notorious Almuce. He could be identified by the mark he leaves in his attacks, which consisted of a large burn mark in the middle with five smaller marks connected with the large mark by a line. The mark looks similar to a bike wheel's spokes, but without the outside covering.

A man walked by and grabbed Divi's arm. Divi tried to fight back, but suddenly felt awkwardly compressed and could feel wind rushing through every cell in his body. He ended up in a spacious room with a high view of the ocean. Divi recognized this immediately, a group teleportation, which could force anyone to the chosen place, but they must be touching and a lot of energy is drained from the one who casts the spell. Divi turned around to see a man at the far side of the room hanging up a coat and hat. Divi walked up to the man, wanting straight and clear answers.

The man was only older than him by four or five years. "Who are you?!" Divi asked demandingly. Divi's eyes fell towards the man's hand. It had Almuce's symbol on it. Divi stumbled back a little bit. "You're Almuce... The terrorist Almuce?" The man nodded his head with a sort of cocky smile. "Call me what you want, but I do these deeds for the same reason as you. We just have different ways of doing it." Almuce said in a sort of singing voice.

"We have MUCH different ways of doing it, I use intellect you kill." Divi said, a bit insulted.

"I kill for a reason; it's obvious it's the only way. Maybe you just don't realize it yet."

"We're mages we can think of much smarter ways of fighting, especially one another!"

"I AM doing it the smarter way."

"Don't give me that, I worked my way into the Regmate Ams. All I need is a good vote."

"You're never going to get anywhere through that…"

"Oh really, and how would you know, you terrorist?"

"Because, I tried it first."

Divi went silent for a little bit, while Almuce just smiled. "So you were in the Regmate Ams before?" Divi asked. Almuce nodded his head again. "How come you aren't anymore?" Divi asked again. "I'm a fighter type of guy, and I was trying to fight for OUR ideas. They thought I was too forceful, so I left." Divi was silent again, his mind flooded with questions.

"To the mage world, you're a terrorist, a murderer. Why are you so upbeat?" Divi inquired.

"I'm trying the get our ideas into action by killing the least amount of people I can."

"This is the least? And since you keep saying 'I', I'm assuming you work alone?"

"This is a small amount compared to how we got here in the first place, and I have a team."

"One last question," Divi said, "Why did you bring me here?"

Almuce was silent for a moment. He looked down at the ground and looked back up at Divi with an even brighter upbeat smile than he had before.

"I want you to join my team." Almuce laughed.

Divi gave into Almuce's laugh and smiled.