Chapter 1 | Breakfast

"Wake up, sleepy head."

Rowan exploded out from his bed and screamed. "Am I late for breakfast?"

"Almost. You still have ten seconds to do everything."

Rowan looked up at his kid brother and scowled at him. If he didn't make it to breakfast on time, Mr. Williams was sure to get angry at him and shout out him. His brother, Lucas, was always a sinister child. He would always pull pranks on Rowan, only Rowan, and not the other children. Even though Lucas is 13, he was very intelligent. Lucas would always act nice around Mr. Williams and everybody else except Rowan. It seemed like he hates him for some reason.

"I'm going to beat the crap out of you," said Rowan.

"Like hell you are," replied Lucas. He then ran out of his room and went downstairs.

The Williams Orphanage was always lively. Ever since Rowan and his twin sister, Yui, lived in the orphanage, Mr. Williams brought more children into the household. Rowan then got out of his bed and went to his closet and grabbed his clothes. He wore a plain white shirt and a black jacket that went just below his waist. After that, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Rowan's hair was always messy; he never brushed it, but the messiest his hair has been was when his whole right side got messed up because of how he was sleeping. His hair curled a little on the ends, but that was just about it.

Rowan headed down the polished spruce stairs. The stairs never seem to get old; it would not even creak when Rowan stepped on it. He went to the long rectangular table and reached for his chair and sat down. All the children are supposed to be at the dining room by 8:00. If someone was late, Mr. Williams would punish him or her by giving him or her extra chores. There were 13 children in the Williams Orphanage. Rowan and his sister are the oldest at 14 and Lucas is the third oldest.

"Rowan, you're late again!" someone yelled.

Crap, I thought Mr. Williams wouldn't notice me, thought Rowan.

"If it wasn't your birthday today, I would've assigned you all the chores for a week!" shouted Mr. Williams. He walked towards the dining table and sat down. "As I said, today is Yui and Rowan's birthday. They'll be given their grimoires today!"

Grimoires, or spellbooks, enhances a person's magic. A person will receive a grimoire when they turn fifteen. Grimoires contain spells that cannot be done by the user itself, so part of the user's potential magic is stored inside his or her grimoire. Most grimoires are red, blue, brown, gray, and yellow. They stand for the five basic elements.

"This also means that they will just be in time for the Vlares Academy Exams. They only happen once a year!" said Mr. Williams.

The Vlares Academy Exam is a test to get in the Vlares Academy in the capital of Neshair, Vlares. The Vlares Academy is the most prestigious wizard academy in Neshari; it is even well known in other nations. They train only the best, so it will be hard to get in.

"Stop blabbering about the exam, old man. I'm going to get into the academy and be Haruko!" exclaimed Rowan.

"You, Haruko? You don't even have magic, and you want to be Haruko? I'm laughing so hard right now!" chuckled Lucas.

"Now, now, everyone. No need to laugh at Rowan. Even if you guys think that Rowan isn't fit to be a wizard, it's worth a try," said Mr. Williams. "What do you think Yui? Is it worth a shot?"

Mr. Williams then looked at Yui. Yui was always calm and independent. Unlike Rowan, Yui always excelled in magic. She got the best scores on her test and was popular at school. Yui even discovered her magic when she was five when most children used their first magic at ten. Even for a ten-year-old, the magic that she showed when she was five was absurd. Her primary element is fire, and the first time she used it, she burned down half of the orphanage with just a single fireball. Yui was beloved by everyone at Arkfield.

Apart from her magic and intelligence, Yui was attractive as well. Yui has hair was pure white that reached down to her waist. Her skin was pale and smooth. She always dressed nice. Yui and Rowan looked nothing alike, yet they are twins. Rowan thinks that she's just a haughty sister, but deep down he knew that he was just jealous of her.

"Maybe. Although I doubt that he'll get in," replied Yui.

"You too? Even if we're nothing alike, we're still twins, so I might unlock my powers at the exam! You never know!" shouted Rowan.

"I won't waste my time arguing with an idiot like you," said Yui.

Rowan was flustered. He was going to get in Vlares Academy no matter what. He was going to become a wizard and be the Haruko of Neshari. He'll let everyone know that a peasant from Arkfield will surpass the nobles and royals from Vlares.

Rowan then felt a tug on his shirt. "Rowan, can we just eat please?" It was Rowan's little sister, Olivia. She was seven years old and had short, blond hair.

"Yeah, sure whatever," said Rowan casually, trying to suppress his anger.