Chapter 2

Reality

*CRASH!* 

The once beautiful plate shattered into a million pieces as it met the floor. Its intricate design became an impossible jigsaw--a malformed mockery of its former glory. The young calico girl tripped and fell, the plate slipping out of her hand as a sudden force stopped her from smashing into the floor below. After a brief hesitation she looked up and saw the teen she was tasked to look after had caught her. Realization dawned on her and she quickly pulled away from him and adjusted her clothes. 

“I-I’m so sorry!” Her eyes filled with fear and her hands trembled as she fiddled with her skirt. Vyrion reached towards her, wanting to comfort her, to let her know he wasn’t going to hurt her, when he heard his name being called.

“Vyrion, come along.” Vyrion’s mother called to him in a soft voice. Looking away briefly he turned back around and looked through the aisles of the library he was standing in. The little Infurnal girl was nowhere to be seen, and his mind quickly drifted away from any thought of her. He always enjoyed getting lost in the labyrinth of scrolls and old books and the information he could find deep within the pages of the old leather-bound tomes; he especially enjoyed the stories about the old world and the creatures that came to be. His favorites were the stories of the first Casters that battled the ferocious beasts.

“Okay mom. I’ll be done in a minute. I’m just trying to decide which one to take.” His eyes never left the collection of books on the shelf in front of him. Something was off though. None of the titles were coming into focus. They were nothing more than odd scribblings. 

Confused, he pulled one of the books down. There was a familiar image of a beastly face etched into the cover of the book. A shaky breath escaped from his lips, his hands trembling slightly while trying to calm himself. Opening to the first page, he was met with more illegible lines. Flipping through the pages, each one was filled with the same images. 

“Mom!” He looked back over his shoulder and saw she wasn’t near him. “Mom! Something’s wrong!” 

Clutching the book in both hands he stepped out from between the bookcases and looked down the hall of the library. She wasn’t there. Starting at a quick pace, Vyrion made his way to the front of the library, but was blocked off by a new bookcase he didn’t recognize. Turning he started moving faster through the library and yet more bookcases appeared as if out of thin air, each one forcing him to take another turn deeper into the maze forming around him. 

“Mom! Where are you?” 

“She’s not here. You killed her.” A familiar, heavy voice came from within the labyrinth of books. 

“What? What do you mean? I would never hurt her!” Vyrion pressed his back against the nearest wall of books, holding the book close to his chest as his eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice. 

“You allowed her to die!” The voice growled, angry and venomous. 

“No!” 

“You wanted to be a protector! What kind of protector can’t even protect their own mother!”

“Shut up!” Vyrion was fighting back the tears in his eyes when he noticed the walls of books surrounding him were beginning to crumble. Books and bricks fell to the ground and stone turned to dust, and out of the mess he was able to make out the owner of the voice. He had to blink away the tears to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. In front of him stood his father, as tall and intimidating as ever. Leon motioned to the destroyed books surrounding them both, and finally pointed to the book Vyrion was still clinging to. 

“You studied all these years. You spent days, weeks even with your nose buried in all these books. You always told me you would become a Caster instead of taking on your role within our business. That you wanted to protect all those who could not protect themselves.” Leon stepped closer and let loose a sarcastic laugh, the remains of the books crumpling under his weight until he was standing close to his son, looking down on him. 

Vyrion stared up at his father, an emptiness filling him as the tears began to fall freely from his eyes. 

“I didn’t kill her. I didn’t kill her or you! I just-” 

“You just aren’t strong enough.” Leon finished for his son. 

“I’m sorry father. I tried.” His voice broke as he tried to find the words. 

“You tried and you failed, son.” His voice softened as he placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder. “You weren’t able to protect us because you are not a Caster. You were never meant to face such things in your life. Forget this Caster nonsense already and live the life your mother and I worked so hard to give you! Don’t waste all that we have done for you!” 

“Mom! Dad!” Vyrion quickly sat up, breaking out of the hellish nightmare and resulting in a sharp pain shooting through his side. Instinctively he reached down and touched his side, wincing as he saw the white of the bandages wrapped around his stomach, covering a large pad of gauze that was stained with dried blood. He couldn’t allow himself to get distracted by the pain though, he knew he had to find his parents, no matter how mad they might be. He had to figure out where he was and what was going on, and why he was inside this room he had never seen before; surrounded by nothing but the pure color of white.

The room was small, bathed completely white without a drop of any other color. Filled only with a few monitors recording his vitals stationed next to the rough bed he was on and what he thought to be cameras in the corners of the room watching his every movement; little red lights blinking at him every few seconds as he watched them. The room was silent apart from his own breathing that he was finally starting to get under control, mixed with the light beep of one of the machines every now and then. Pushing off of the rough slab of metal he had been sleeping on with a groan, he dragged his feet as he made his way to the single door inside of the room. Trying the handle, he found it to be locked and he grumbled; his anger, pain, and confusion all melding into one as he tried pulling harder on it and in turn causing another shot of pain to course through his side.

“Dammit!” Vyrion shook his head, slamming his fist against the heavy steel door in frustration. “Where am I!? Let me out! Let me see my parents!” His fears and concerns were becoming too much for him as flashes of the nightmare ran through his mind again. The beast, the butler; or what was left of him being devoured in front of him and the maid, and then the  strong image of his father standing against the creature being slashed through by one of the enormous claws. It was too much for him to manage. He fell to his knees, tears welling up in his eyes as he questioned if he was the sole survivor of his family. Another moment and he glared at the door through watery eyes from his kneeling position before letting out a pain-filled scream and beating his fists against the door. The pain shot through his body with every movement. His exhausted body pleading with him to stop. His weary mind tells him every horrid possibility. Vyrion ignored them all. “Someone answer me!” 

A weak gasp escaped his mouth as his head began to feel fuzzy. Reaching up, he gripped his head as his breathing came in quick, short raspy breaths. Where was he? Who brought him here? Why was no one answering him? Did anyone else survive that monster, that IMP that had attacked their home? That IMP. How had it even gotten into the city? Where were the guards?

The thoughts continued to attack his mind one after another and suddenly a hand was on his shoulder. This shook him enough to help save him from the onslaught of his own mind as he looked up to see the freckle-faced woman who had saved him from the monster’s attacks. “You, you were there last night. You saved me. My mom and dad, are they okay?” Vyrion looked past her and at the door she had entered through to see it had closed once again. His hopeful eyes moved to look back into her’s and the look he received in return caused all hope to drain out of him. He knew what she was going to say, and he didn’t want to hear it, but she held his hands firmly, stopping him from covering his ears as she spoke to him in as soft a manner she could manage.

“I’m sorry, but neither of them made it. I reached your home as quickly as possible, but I was only able to save you and the Infurnal girl that I found you with.” She could see what little color was left in the young boy’s face slowly drain away. “I’m truly sorry. Your mother and father sacrificed themselves to keep you alive though. I promise you, on my honor as a Caster, I will do all that I can to find you a new home and get your family the peace it deserves for all its done for our city.” As she spoke to him she gently helped him onto his feet, walking him back to the stiff slab of a bed in the room.

Once Vyrion was lying back down he looked to her, gaining control of his thoughts once again. “You did what you could. They’re dead because of me, because I wasn’t strong enough.” He continued to speak before the woman could interject. Even after everything, perhaps due to everything that had happened that night, he knew what he wanted now more than ever. “I want to be stronger. I’ve always wanted to be a Caster, but now I know that’s what is meant for me! You said your name was Chelsea, right?” He reached up and this time it was his turn to hold her hands as he looked up at her, pleading with her. “Please, I have no home, no other family, nothing left except for this. I need your help to be the Caster I’ve always wanted to be! So I can get revenge for my parents! So I can protect others from this happening to them!”

Chelsea looked down at the poor bandage covered boy, listening to his words closely. Bloodied and bruised from his first encounter with an IMP. She could feel he meant it. He truly wanted this. 

“The life of a Caster is not easy.” She said matter of factly. There was no turning back from the life he wanted.

“I know! I don’t care! It’s the life I want!” His eyes stayed firm, his weak grip tightening around her hands as he mustered up any energy he still had.

“What about your schooling?” She knew she had to give him any opportunity to choose another life. Casters’ lives were not nearly as glamorous as the holovids and media portrayed them.

“I’ll finish it in the Caster school. Any student of the Caster school is taught the same classes as what they’re taught in regular schools, along with what they learn in the Caster classes.” Vyrion had always wanted to be a Caster. He studied everything he could find about them, though the government made sure to keep most Caster information hidden from the general public. They always claimed it was to help keep the peace, and it seemed to do exactly that. Besides, Vyrion had no need to question the government that had always treated him so well.

Chelsea was unable to hide her surprise at how much he knew about the Caster life and schools. “What about your family’s business? Your family helps to manufacture and process the Crystals that are found. Without your family, we wouldn’t have the same access to magic we have right now in our nation. Your family is powerful and well known; the city, as well as many others, depend on your family’s business.”

“I’m not old enough to run it and I never wanted to run it anyway! Give it to the city to use to help everyone who needs it. I just want to be a Caster! Please!” Tears were starting to reform in his reddened eyes from the mix of emotions and the pain still coursing through him.

With a heavy sigh the woman brushed a hand through her longer hair, moving a few red strands out of her face, revealing her green eyes more clearly. “I can’t guarantee anything, being as we don’t even know if you’re able to use magic well enough, but I promise to talk to the Caster school and see what I can do. You be sure to rest and heal up and work on getting your strength back, all right?” She waited a moment before receiving a confirming nod from the hospitalized boy before turning and leaving the room.

The week slowly dragged on as Vyrion was made to stay in his bed the first three days to rest and let his wounds heal. The strike to his side had been much worse than he had realized; according to the medics it was his adrenaline that had kept him alive long enough to be saved. Thanks to the advancements in science, on the third day, the worst of his injuries were decently healed to the point of mild scarring and there were no remnants of the minor bruises and cuts he had suffered from that dreadful night. By the third day he was allowed to stand and leave the room, but only enough to walk around the matching white halls of the hospital he was in. With each passing day he could feel himself getting more agitated by the color white that constantly surrounded him. The bed and walls in his room. The hallways he now walked for his rehabilitation. Even the staff wore white lab coats with white masks and matching white caps and gloves. They were starting to remind him of the ghost stories his mother told him when he was younger. Silent white specters that would roam the hallways and occupy otherwise empty rooms, longing for something they could never find. The clothes he was made to wear were nothing more than a large white sheet along with white padded socks. He had asked a few of the staff, the Ghosts as he started to refer to them in his mind, exactly where he was, and all he would get were quick practiced responses of how it was confidential and it was safer for him not to know.

The 8th day of being trapped in the plain building, or was it the 9th day? It was getting hard for him to keep track through all the visits of the Ghosts; prodding him with needles, examinationing him with different machines all void of any color, and rehabilitation when he was first woken up and again before he was put back in his room to sleep. He was at least thankful for the meals. Bland as they were in taste, at least there were some colors splashed into the monotonous life he had started to live here. Besides the lethargic feeling of living in this all white life, he felt like he was back to his normal self; and still the doctors would not let him out, continuing to use the excuse of wanting to keep him one more night just to make sure he was fully healed.

A paranoia started to set in on Vyrion’s mind. Trapped in a small, bland room inside a larger, just as bland building. The persistent buzz of the lights was becoming distracting. Constant drawings of his blood, consistent x-/rays, and his physical therapy had actually become all-out exercises. No one was willing, or able to tell him where he was. He had decided that today was the day he would find out where he was, and find a way out. Even if just for a few minutes, all he wanted was some fresh air and natural light.

He waited awhile, but finally the doors opened and one of the familiar doctors walked in to check on him. Vyrion was still lying on his bed, watching the familiar masked face of the older man as he came over to him with some needles on a tray. Another blood drawing. Hadn’t they taken enough from him? The doctor’s words caught him off guard, bringing him back from his own thoughts.

“What did you just say doctor?”

“Didn’t you hear me? The Caster that saved you. She said she had some big news for you today. She should be here shortly.”

“Really? It’s been at least a week though. I had thought she forgot about me?” The information was unbelievable.

“Not at all. You gotta remember kid, she’s a Caster. She’s very busy, just like all other Casters. They can’t drop everything just to take care of all of your wants and needs, even if your last name is Gale.”

Vyrion held his tongue at the doctor’s harsh tone. He’d never asked to have the last name Gale. He didn’t care about the fame the name brought. Sure, he had enjoyed the life he lived, and having people to cater to him, but that wasn’t a bad thing. His family had worked hard for that place in society after all. They had even shared their wealth and put it to so much good use. Even helping out so many Infurnals. His eyes widened and it dawned on him. He had never once thought to ask about the girl or anyone else in his time here.

“The calico girl. Is she okay?” Every morning she woke up. Every day she cleaned up his messes. Every night she made sure his bed was ready for him for a good night’s sleep. Yet he couldn’t even remember the girl’s name? Calico girl.

“Hm? Ah yes, she’s fine. Thanks to you and the Caster who protected you two, she managed to make it without a scratch. She was sent back to her home.”

Vyrion gave a small nod and winced at the familiar prick of the needle piercing his skin before feeling more of his blood drawn from him once again. With practiced skill the doctor was done and left the room without another word.

Left lying there light headed from the constant blood drawings, the teenager’s thoughts wandered back to the maid girl briefly. The image of her was a little fuzzy. Her cute little ears and tail stood prominent in his mind, but her face remained fuzzy. He had protected her, risked everything for her and even went against his father’s orders to protect her. Would his father still be alive if he had left her there like his father had commanded? Still, saving the helpless girl was the right thing to do, wasn’t it?

The door opened and Chelsea stepped into the room in her trademark jet black Caster outfit with red trim. She stood by the door with an air of confidence as she watched the young man sit up, looking at her expectantly. “Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. The city’s been a real mess since the incident. They’ve been calling for Casters to work double shifts to try and figure out how the beast even got into the city.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” Brushing the hair from his eyes, he watched her every movement as she unfolded a piece of paper from her jacket pocket and brought it to him along with a pen.

“I also needed to give the tests some time. I’m sure you were wondering about all the blood tests? Well, normally a Caster candidate is found by the person themself unleashing some form of their magical abilities in a more natural state in a dire situation, such as the one you faced. You were able to do so, but at a smaller scale than what we normally would find.”

“You mean-” He trailed off, too nervous to speak what he hoped for. Feeling as though saying it himself would make the possibility vanish from reality.

“Yes, that’s right. You have awakened to your magical abilities, it just looks to be that it hasn’t developed to the point we normally see by your age.”

“Then that means I can be a Caster, right?” The fear of jinxing his dreams quickly dashed from his mind. He started to look over the paper as he held the pen firmly. It was really happening. He’d finally be able to be a Caster!

“Well, not quite. It means you’re a Caster candidate and that the school will allow you to enter at the start of next month. This means you’ll be about two months behind your class at the earliest, which means a much harder workload for you. They’re willing to accept you though and give you the chance you want. If it’s too much for you though-”

“No!” Vyrion quickly interrupted her. “This is what I’ve always wanted! I don’t care how much hard work I have to put in, I want to avenge my family and keep others from going through this same thing! Being a Caster has always been my dream!”

Chelsea gave a proud smile and motioned to the paper she had handed him. “Then sign along the bottom, and that will be your agreement to enroll in the Caster school. Just remember, this means the Caster school is in charge of you, so this is your last chance to change your mind. After this, you belong to the Casters. Your life will no longer be your own.”

The shaggy haired boy wasted no time in signing his name and handing the paper back to her. “I won’t ever change my mind. This is what I’ve always been meant to do.”

With a wave of her hand, Chelsea turned and began to leave the room. “Good. Then keep up your exercises here, and you should be set to join your classes when I come back to get you.” The door closed behind her, leaving Vyrion to think about the future he just signed up for.

Next Chapter: Training For The Better