AN: First off, I am so so sorry that this took so long to update! Like, wow. Writers block man. It sucks. I won't bore you with the details, so onto the important stuff.

I'm no longer accepting OC's for main parts. Minor roles sure, okay, I'll see what I can do, but main parts have been taken up. Congratualtions to DeathySophia, Lewascan2, Ammaarah01, and Firestorm Nauralagos for landing main roles! Everyone else, have no fear, I'll be getting them in anywhere between the minor - major roles. If you want something specific (i.e don't want your character to die, have a love interest in someone else's char, etc.) let me know, or vice versa if I do something to your character you don't like. I'll gladly change! (This goes for everyone!)

I'll also be doing review replies from this chapter on out, but not here. This AN is long enough as it is.

Things to Know: When you see this "-O-" it means a POV switch. This won't happen much, only when I feel a scene really fits but isn't through Cerise's POV.

Warnings (Not really): My attempt at a fluffy romance scene is at the end of this chapter, and my romance sucks. Any con crit with romance especially is mucho appreciated. And the quality in this chapter is really low. Sorry. :/

AND ON THAT LONG NOTE, DO ENJOY!

Chapter 3:

Soft blankets and a fluffy pillow beneath my head were the first things I noticed when I awoke the next morning. Slowly my eyes opened, and for a moment a sharp pang of fear made my heart race as I realized I was no longer in my room at the orphanage. Where are the toys? Why is my bed so...soft? Where am I? I shot up, quickly surveying the room. My picture of Sellus and the old wooden toy were sitting promptly on the end table beside my bed, right next to an old-fashioned lamp. When I noticed the old worn frame of the picture was replaced by a shiny new silver one, I flinched, remembering just where I was.

Ravenwood… I slowly moved my feet over the side of the bed. Magic… I stood, the wood floor creaking ever so slightly. Sylvia… I hugged myself as a cold wind blew through the small open window that was a few feet above me. Malistaire… I looked up and saw the sun slowly rise over a watchtower. Adoption… I looked at the picture. Sellus…

"Cerise?" Flinching I spun around, hearing the honey-sweet voice of Sylvia from behind the door. There was a loud knock, and when I gave no response she slowly opened it. Her mossy green eyes softened when she saw me. "Are you okay sweetie?"

"Fine…" I murmured, sitting back down on the bed. Unconsciously I reached for the picture, running a finger along the engraved framing. It was made completely of silver, skulls and leaves engraved into it in the shape of a tree. It was beautiful. Anything that nice at the adoption center was rusty and worn down.

"I made you some breakfast. You should come out and eat with us." I hesitated, staring at the picture and continue tracing my finger around the engravings, then nodded. I placed the picture back onto the table and grabbed the wooden doll. Sylvia's hand squeezed my shoulder, and together we made our way out into the main living area.

The room was surprisingly much more simple than I expected. The walls were a dark, serene forest green. A fireplace - made up of light grey stone - was built into the farthest wall, and a brown leather couch and chairs made up the living room. Farther off to the side was the kitchen and dining room, which were very much the same style though the walls were crimson rather than green. The warm scent of pancakes and bacon filled the air, making my stomach rumble. Sylvia smirked beside me.

"Hope you like pancakes. I made tons!" She skipped off into the room, waving me over and humming a tune to herself. Malistaire was already seated at the table, reading a newspaper and taking small sips of orange juice. His dark eyes glanced in my direction for a brief moment, and his lips curled in the faintest hint of a smile.

"You'll love Sylvia's food. She's the best cook I know." Malistaire commented as I sat myself down beside him. The tantalizing scent of the bacon and the sound of it sizzling on the frying pan made me painfully aware of how hungry I was. My stomach rumbled again, causing Malistaire to raise an eyebrow at me. "How much did you eat at the orphanage? You look half starved."

"Not a lot." Malistaire frowned and didn't respond, instead looking back at the paper. I fiddled around with Sellus's toy, unsure what else to do, playing around with his arms and brushing off his red robe. The faceless head tilted back slightly, like it was looking at me. I ran a finger across his rough wooden cheek.

I looked up when Sylvia placed a plate in front of me, pancakes piled high with four strips of bacon laying neatly on the side. I glanced up and watched as she snatched away Malistaire's paper and placed a plate in front of him. She glared at him playfully. "No reading at the dinner table."

Malistaire rolled his eyes and planted a swift kiss on her cheek before grabbing his knife and fork, cutting a piece of his pancake off and taking a bite. As Sylvia settled down she glanced at me.

"Want me to help you cut it?" she asked gently. I quickly shook my head, reaching over to my knife and fork and slowly cutting into the pile. She exchanged a glance with Malistaire, who merely shrugged.

"We'll be leaving shortly to go to Ambrose's." Sylvia said after a while. I cocked my head curiously.

"Ambrose?"

"The Headmaster of Ravenwood," Malistaire explained. "He's also the head of Wizard City in a way. We'll be doing the adoption paperwork there and getting you officially enrolled."

"When does school start?" The two professors looked at each other, a mixture of surprise and something else glistening in their eyes. Relief maybe?

"Next Monday," Sylvia answered the question with a smile. "Are you excited?"

"Not especially," I muttered, twirling my fork around the empty plate. "I'm just attending because it's what Sellus wanted…" Again my adoptive parents exchanged a glance, looking helpless. Finally, Malistaire stood from his seat with a sigh.

"Come on. It's time we went to Ambrose's."

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Drake!" Merle Ambrose was the founder of Ravenwood. Sylvia had told me this as we made our way to the house, so I was shocked to see his room was in complete disarray. Books, scrolls, and papers were piled left and right when we entered, the floor barely noticeable under all the pages. I had thought someone as old and important as he was would have been organized, but Ambrose was the complete opposite.

"Hello Ambrose," Malistaire greeted coolly. "We have another new student ready for enrollment." The Necromancer rested his hands on my shoulders and pulled me gently in front of him. Ambrose's blue eyes looked gently down on me, a friendly gleam in their sky-blue depths.

"Ah, you must be Cerise! Sylvia has told me much about you, little one." Surprised I glanced back at my soon-to-be mother, who winked at me. I looked briefly at the wooden toy in my hand before turning back to Ambrose, who was babbling on about how the school operated and how the test would go.

"The test is a simple one," he was saying. "It's based purely on your personality, and your answers will help reflect which school you should be placed in." The Headmaster then proceeded to clear off one of the tables in the room, grabbing piles of papers and placing them off to the side. Grabbing a scroll, he opened in and laid it smoothly on the tabletop. As he fixed the test up, I felt myself grab onto Malistaire's sleeve. He glanced down at me curiously.

"You'll be alright Cerise." He assured me, squeezing my shoulder. "The test is purely based on opinion."

"Doesn't magic-blood play a part in it too?" While I only had a limited knowledge about it, I knew wizards normally had a pre-determined school depending on their mana type. Ice wizards had white mana, Fire wizards had red, Storm had purple, and so on. Jenstin had told Sellus and I that a wizards school depended purely on their natural mana type, which was called their magic-blood. That was all I knew about the magics though. Sellus was the one interested in magic, not me, and sighing I rubbed the fabric of his toy. I really don't want to be here...

"It does," Malistaire confessed. "But Ambrose is trying something different this year. He wants to see how well a wizard can learn magic if it's only based on personality." In a much quieter tone, one obviously not directed at me, he added, "Silly and idiotic if you ask me..."

As I opened my mouth to respond I saw Ambrose wave me over, a grandfatherly smile on his face. Malistaire gave me a gentle push forward, and slowly I sat down behind the table, grabbing the pen and staring at the piece of parchment. The questions were very simple. What's your favorite time of day? What disaster is the most powerful? What's your favorite animal? Things like that. I answered each of them honestly, looking at the wooden toy every now and then when I was trying to decide on something. When I was done I glanced back I saw Sylvia and Malistaire working on some papers of their own, probably the adoption paperwork. Sylvia scratched the back of her head, a frown on her face.

"Cerise, what's your last name?" I just stared at her dumbly. I never paid much mind to my last name since it would be changed some point. I thought back to how Miss Merriweather would address me and Sellus whenever we got in trouble. Mr. and Miss something…

"Redhaven," The name slipped by my lips like oil, odd and foreign on my tongue. Sylvia smiled graciously and nodded, scribbling the name on the paper. I glanced back at my test, and for lack of anything better to do I grabbed the toy and made my way over to them. I leaned over the shoulders, watching as Sylvia signed her name on the bottom of the paper, then Malistaire. Ambrose clapped his hands excitedly.

"I always wanted you two to have a child!" He exclaimed happily. He looked over the parchment with a satisfied look on his face. "Well miss Cerise, I hope you're happy living with the Drakes! I'll be sure to get this to Mr. Lincoln as soon as possible." Malistaire exchanged a dubious glance with Sylvia, who simply giggled. Suddenly Ambrose looked at me. "Oh goodness gracious! Pardon me, young one, I'm guessing your done with the test?"

"I am," I nodded, feeling my stomach do flips. I really really don't want to be here… Ambrose, oblivious to my discomfort, went back to the table and collected the test, coming back over and scribbling something on it. Malistaire rolled his eyes, examining his hand.

"This is very different from the old days, wouldn't you say Ambrose?" He said almost challengingly. The old man in front of him snorted.

"Sometimes different is good."

"Only sometimes."

As I listened to their argument I fiddled around with the toy, again brushing off the red cloak. I wondered how the old system was. I never cared much to know what my blood-school was. I knew I was a natural wizard - the adoption had sensed it in me - but it was difficult to decipher, and the doctors just gave up after a few weeks. Sylvia looked over at me. "You alright hun?"

"Fine." I looked up to see Malistaire stand abruptly from his seat, beginning to pace the room with a bored expression on his face. Ambrose was frowning now, continue to scribble stuff on the test paper. Finally he made an odd swirling design in the center and stopped writing. He placed his pen on the side and folded his fingers in front of him, staring at the paper intently. I watched, mesmerized, as the letters and designs slowly began to merge together into a bigger, more detailed symbol. It glowed a bright yellow, a navy blue light outlining what looked like a pyramid with an eye in its center.

"Congratulations Cerise!" Ambrose chirped. "You're going to be a member of the Myth school. Your new uncle will be teaching the class."

"You say that like it's a good thing." Malistaire commented with a slight snort. At this Sylvia gave him a gentle slap on the hand.

"Oh hush, Malistaire! Cyrus is a good man." The odd couple had two different views on this 'Cyrus' it seemed, and I wasn't sure which one to believe. Ambrose cleared his throat, and I turned my attention back to him.

"You're also permitted to take another class, a secondary school as it's called. This one you're free to choose. So, which will it be?" I glanced at my two adoptive parents, then at the toy hanging limply in my hand.

"Fire." I murmured absently. Ambrose nodded, scribbling the words "Conjuration" and "Pyromancy" on a blank sheet of parchment. He signed his name, stamped it, and wrote something else in writing too fancy for me to read. He handed me the paper, along with a simple brochure.

"Take this to Mr. Lincoln tomorrow at three o'clock in the afternoon. There'll be a meet-and-greet then in Golem Court. You can meet your fellow novice wizards, your professors, and even some high-ranking wizards! You'll also get your schedule by then." Ambrose smiled happily as I examined the brochure. Inside contained basic information on all the schools, their professors, and two maps, one of Wizard City and another of Ravenwood. I flipped the page to the Myth section.

The School of Conjuration

Conjuration, also known as Myth magic, is the power of creation and imagination, turning what is thought to be illusion to something real. Spells in this school summon powerful creatures from times since past, notable ones including the Cyclops, Minotaur, and even the great Medusa herself.

Meet the Professor: Cyrus Drake.

A renowned user of Conjuration and an all-around powerful wizard, Cyrus Drake is Wizard City's most powerful Conjurer and quite possibly one of the best wizards in the Spiral. He hails from the world of Dragonspyre along with his twin brother Malistaire (see 'Death for more info). He trained up to rank 50 in Ravenwood before leaving on his own studies back on his homeworld, where he would become a military commander for a time. After his military career, he returned to Ravenwood upon Ambrose's request and became the teacher of Myth.

"My brother's a very strict teacher," Malistaire's hand rested on my shoulder as I read the brochure. He let out a smirk. "I am too, but with more tolerance. Don't ask him many questions, and don't argue with him. He'll win. If you need any help with your Conjuration homework ask me; Conjuration is my secondary school." I nodded, taking in the information as I looked at Cyrus's picture in the brochure. He was completely bald and had more color in his skin than Malistaire, but aside from those things they looked to be identical. I looked up as a door opened, and a small white owl with a monocle and graduation cap flew out of one of the side rooms, carrying dark blue and yellow robes and a simple black and white wand. He laid them neatly on Ambrose's desk in front of me.

"There you go young wizard!" he chirped before flying over to Ambrose and perching himself on his shoulder. Sylvia collected the things for me.

"Thank you Ambrose!" She sang as she skipped happily out of the room. Malistaire stared after her, a soft look in his dark eyes, then waved me over and together we made our way out of the Headmaster's house.

"Are you and Cyrus close?" I asked as we walked down the street. Malistaire let out a small sigh, as if her were thinking.

"It's a complicated relationship between him and I. Yes we're close, but we have a lot of differences, so we argue a lot."

"Really? Me and Sellus never argued. Two peas in a pod Miss Merriweather would say…" I stopped in my tracks, looking at the toy in my hands. I felt a tear trickled down my cheek, dripping off my chin and landing on the rough cloth of the toys robe. Angrily I wipes away the rest of the tears that dared to fall. Enough crying already! A voice seemed to yell inside me. It's been a week now! Grow up already!

I felt long, spindly fingers run through my hair as Malistaire knelt in front of me. He pulled me into a hug, one I gratefully accepted. "Two peas in a pod, and one has fallen out." Slowly, after a few moments, he pulled away. "I can't imagine the pain of losing your other half. I only pray my brother and I will not part in the same way." He hesitated. His tone of voice was awkward, like he wasn't used to comforting others, but his words somehow made me feel better. I hugged my toy close to my chest.

"You won't Dad," I found myself murmuring. "I'll protect you guys." Malistaire's sharp features softened, and he leaned forward, pressing his lips to my forehead.

"Thank you, my daughter…"

-O-

Malistaire felt his wife curl up next to him, her arms wrapping around him as they stared into the flickering fire. Cerise had gone off to bed already, so the couple was left to enjoy their time together. Malistaire smiled to himself, interlacing his fingers with her own and pressing his lips to her autumn-colored head. Sylvia giggled lightly, her grip on him tightening.

"You seem to like your new daughter. I've never seen you so gentle," she said after a few moments of silence, half-opening her eyes and resting her chin on his shoulder so she could look at him. He raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"You've never seen me this gentle?" he asked, a slight teasing tone entering his voice. "My dear I'm always gentle with you!" Sylvia laughed and playfully punched him in the chest.

"I mean with someone other than me, silly." Malistaire smirked, pressing his forehead to hers. Sylvia smiled pecked his nose gently before burying her face in his neck. "You're like your brother when it comes to not liking children. If I recall it's the only reason we never had kids of our own, so what is it about this one that makes her so special?" With each word Malistaire could hear his wife's voice grow heavier and heavier with exhaustion. It had been a busy day of preparing for future classes and getting Cerise comfortable with her surroundings. He cradled her in his arms, idly stroking her lustrous hair with his fingers as he thought about his new daughter.

"I guess it's because she's got me thinking." He murmured after a while, absently twirling a lock of her curly hair around his finger. She let out a moan, telling him she was very close to falling asleep.

"About?"

"About my brother."

"Oh? How so?"

"Well she had a twin. She had a twin and lost him to death. She's so broken and torn because of it. It's made me wonder about how I would feel if I were ever to lose Cyrus, or he were to lose me." Malistaire pressed his cheek to Sylvia's head. He was fully aware she had drifted asleep on his shoulder, gently snoring into his cloak, and that he was just speaking to her sleeping body, but that was fine. He needed to get the thoughts out. In truth he and Cyrus weren't just brothers, but best friends. They were twins who knew exactly what the other was feeling and worked together like no other team could. They were quite possibly the most powerful duo in the entire Spiral in fact. They argued a lot, yes, but that didn't damage their friendship in any way.

They were two peas in a pod.

Malistaire sighed, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he looked at Sylvia's gentle features, brushing a few loose strands of hair out of her face. He smiled gently, thanking the Titans that he could call such a perfect creature his. He picked her up gently and slowly walked down the hallway toward their room. He paused beside Cerise's door when he saw the light had yet to be turned off.

"Sellus never named you, did he?" He heard her saying. Must be talking to the toy, he thought, wondering what was going through her tiny head. "Well I'm going to name you now. You're going to be Sellus now, okay? I know it'll be odd being called that, but I think he'd appreciate it. You're going to be my guardian now, help me so I won't cry anymore, okay?" Malistaire looked at the door sadly, then sighing he continued on to his own room. He laid his wife down on the bed, gently taking her glasses off and laying them on the end table.

"Our daughter is going to come across many struggles Syl." He murmured, staring at her peaceful face. He kissed her tenderly on the temple. "But we can protect her." And with that, he draped the covers over her and turned out the light. Soon enough, he too had drifted asleep, his arms wrapped tightly around Sylvia and his dreams filled with the expeditions he and his brother went on many years ago.