*** 2009

'How long had it been since Ambrose kicked me out of his tower to enroll in the Wizard City campus and fight monsters?' This was a question I pondered while sitting on a rooftop somewhere in Unicorn Way.

I was currently watching the people below move around and sloppily patrol the district as others were moving to and from wherever they were headed. It wasn't so bad considering, a lot of chaos had been going on in Wizard City, and despite being able to make the district safe, we are still unable to find the one responsible for whats been going on. And whats been going on? You might be wondering... Well, it actually isn't so terrifying as it is annoying.

Firstly, there is a random upsurge of blue ghosts who spontaneously sing "Let it go" from frozen. Then there's a brigade of thuggish skeletons that, for some reason, always pester you for crowns and tell an awful set of "yo-momma" jokes if you refuse to give your money away. Finally, the worst of them all would be the pixies... They're basically these mini humanoid mosquitoes that will do everything the other creatures do combined (in addition to pulling your hair.) The worst part is not being able to find the guy responsible for the whole mess in the first place.

Just last week, a pixie flew into a fire wizards face while she was riding a bicycle. The fire girl reacted so crazily violent that her bike swerved out of control and crashed into a building... The next thing we knew she spontaneously bursted into explosive flames.

It's been only a few months since I've enrolled and people have been casting barriers and fighting monsters non-stop. Other people have been investigating and studying their magic harder than ever... And what have I done? Nothing. You see, I have my own problems...But at the end of the day, none of that didn't really change the fact that I was doing everything in my power to make excuses and avoid it all. It's always been my attitude and I have a hard time thinking any force in the spiral could change that.

Besides, it wasn't like there was anyone really worth talking to... To put it all bluntly, no one felt friendly here. I was just doing assignments and finding ways to distract myself if only to get through another day. I felt non-existent and I probably deserved it because I just did not want to be a part of anyone boring existence.

I even dressed the same way I felt. I hid behind a black hood and a mask that covered the lower half of my face almost entirely. At first, I was a little nervous about dressing in such a strange way, but after being in Wizard City awhile, I soon realized that I was hardly strange enough to be considered the odd man out. People still treated me exactly the same. I was just another face in the crowd. It almost felt like it was my fate, but I was too stubborn to accept such a fate. If I were to be ignored it would be on my terms. I refused to go through my days being rejected, and so I merely chose to not even bother with people and merely roam alone.

As I watched the people mindlessly go about their day below me, I took notice of a few footsteps approaching me from behind.

'Someone else on the rooftops?' I think. The following thought I had was just wondering what exactly was I supposed to say or do? I didn't want to be rude but, at the same time, I did not really have a reason to speak.

"Hello." Said a voice from behind me.

It was the voice of a girl. The tone was gently, kind, and almost child like... The sound of things had me concerned with the thought of a child being on the rooftops. Everything about this mere moment only seemed raise further questions.

"Who are you?" I say almost immediately. I didn't mean to, but I must have sounded like the biggest jerk in the spiral with my cold monotone vocals.

"Deena." Replied the girl. There was no sign of nervousness or fear in her voice. The reaction had me turn around to see just who I was dealing with.

In appearance she seemed to be younger than me by good amount of years. She had a plain look on her face but, at the same time, this girl was not what I would consider a little kid. The wind revealed a long set of black hair that she had tied behind her back and, just by looking, I was able to tell she was almost the same height as I was.

I came to my feet to take notice of the very strange long skirt she was wearing. It was mostly black but seemed to have a variety of mixed colors that still made it appear dark. Most people dressed strange in the city, but her's would of easily been considered inappropriate when you look at the massive slit in the dress. I mean, it would of exposed her legs if she hadn't been wearing a set of black tights underneath. The whole thing was held up by a belt that took up most of her waist. More noticeably than this was the emblem of a skull that sat in the center amongst decorate bones.

"And what brought you here?" I say in dull monotone.

Part of me felt a little guilty merely knowing that I must have looked like the biggest jerk ever to this girl, but I had been alone and distrusting for so long that the feeling would only last for a few seconds before I finally decided that I didn't care. Upon looking in her direction, I noticed that her eyes were looking rather plainly towards mine as the wind used the moment to brush against the short sleeves of her shirt. Her blank focus on me, in the moment, was almost identical to the bland tone of my voice.

"There are negative forces close by... Forces that are far stronger than anything going on in this city." She said calmly.

"You wouldn't know that until you figured out the culprit behind what's been going here first." I reply dryly.

"What's your name, stranger?" Deena asked politely.

"Call me Shad." I say refusing to use the name Ambrose had given me.

"Interesting." Deena said with a smile.

"Yeah, I don't like the name Ambrose gives me... I'll be the one to decide who I am. Not some old man."

"I like your vision." Deena said, avoiding the reality that her name was not on the roster either.

"If you're trying to get to the bottom of what's been going on, I can assure you it's not on the roofs."

"Are you sure?" Deena says calmly. "I always feel like this is the best place to go... When you're up high, you can see the big picture so much more clearly."

We stared at the city for a few seconds trying to collect our thoughts. Maybe Deena was looking for clues, but I was just trying to avoid a conversation. I felt like I had already looked like a big enough jerk and just wanted things to stay right where they were at... That was when it hit me.

"Shad?" Deena said tapping my shoulder. Apparently the expression of enlightenment was noticeable to her.

"The ghosts, the skeleton thugs... And even the pixies... Their positions never change. They always stay and spawn in the same areas."

"Someone has to be using an enchantment then." Denna said widening her eyes into the same state of shock.

"AH-HA! I HAVE STUMBLED ACROSS A MOST BRILLIANT IDEA!" Chanted a voice from below.

The boy was just standing on the ground floor of the building roof Deena and I were discussing on. At the moment her was running across the sidewalk to a group of his friends on the other side of the block.

"I'VE NOTICED THAT THE MONSTERS APPEAR IN THE SAME PLACES... THUS SOMEONE MUST BE ENCHANTING THEM!" He squealed as the students around his gasped in a mixture of shock and amazement.

In a matter of minutes a crowd of people surrounded themselves around the strange boy praising his efforts and talents. Even one of the most well known wizards around unicorn way, Ceren Nightchant, had made his way over to praise the mysterious boy.

Meanwhile on the rooftop, I had found myself staring plainly. It might of been possible that he listened in on Deena and I. But it was also possible that we merely came to the same conclusion at the same time.

"T-That cheat..." Deena said clenching her fists and glaring at the boy with a genuine expression that could of been evil. "He will pay... I'll make sure of it."