CHAPTER TWO

PRESENT DAY

"Miss Sonan, Miss Sonan" madame lora's voice pulls me out of my reverie, i was thinking of what i would wear to the speculum festival coming up in 2 weeks.

"Yes madame?" i answer quickly

"Since you do not seem to be paying attention, i would presume that you know everything there is to know with regards to this class, so if you would please, come foward and tell the class what ingredients are required for a power transfer"

She is trying to embarass me before my classmates, some are sniggering already thinking i do not know the answer, but luckily for me i do.

I stand up from my chair and head to the front of the class, i face my classmates and begin "well the ingredients needed for a power transfer would depend on the magnitude of the power to be transfered and the physical strength of the individuals involved in the transfer. If the power is of a high magnitude being transfered between not so strong individuals then the ingredients include, lion's mane ash, dragon scale powder and a drop of blood, each from the persons involved in the transfer. If the power is of a lower magnitude being transfered between individuals be they strong or not then the ingredients would include sea salt, dragon scale ash and a strand of hair from the persons. Finally if the power is of a strong magnitude being transfered between strong individuals all that is needed is a drop of blood from each of them along with the translatio chant." By the time i'm done i'm a little out of breath, i look towards madame lora with a smile, she has a scowl on her face "back to your seat!" She barks out "and please endeavour to pay attention Miss Sonan"

"Of course madame" i answer and quickly head back to my seat, i look around the class and see some of my classmates looking at me with respect in their eyes while others are looking at me with disdain, i guess i cannot be loved by everyone.

My best friend lina is at the back of the class, and as i turn back i see the big smile on her face. I inwardly smile as well.

Madame lora has continued her class and just like before i'm lost in thought once more, i just cannot stop thinking about the speculum festival, speculum means mirror by the way. The speculum festival is held every 5 years, it is a time whereby people between the ages of 19 and 22 have the oppurtunity to be chosen by a mirror without a keeper. This might all be a little confusing so let me start from the beginning.

My world is a very magical one, everone has one gift or another, some have stronger gifts like healing and elemental manipulation while others have lesser gifts like a heightened sense of smell or of hearing.

I am a late bloomer since my gift has not manifested even though i turned 20 last month, some have their gifts manifest as early as 18 years. It's okay though, late bloomers are not that uncommon.

Our world is governed by the order of the five mirrors, a group of five magicals, or four now, with different gifts. Each magical possesses a mirror with a different kind of precious stone on it, the mirrors give them additional and stronger gifts. Lady ymelda is the keeper of the onyx mirror, her original gift is animal communication but the mirror bestowed upon her the gift of psych control as well, she can control a person's mind just with her thoughts. Lady zila is the keeper of the citrine mirror, her original gift is physical regeneration, and the mirror gave her the gift of precognition, she can see into the future. Then comes lord konan keeper of the ruby mirror, his gift is pyrokinesis but the mirror gave him the gift of elemental manipulation meaning that, his gifts are not just restricted to fire but also include earth, water, and wind.

Finally, comes the keeper of the sapphire mirror lord meurer, his original gift is telekinesis but with the mirror, he also has the gift of spatial relocation, he can move from one point in space to another in the blink of an eye, no matter the distance, some say he can even move between worlds.

The fifth mirror is the emerald mirror, it has no keeper now, it used to though, a woman who had the gift of astral transference, she could body jump, putting her spirit in a different body, the mirror gave her the gift of chronological displacement, she could go foward or backwards in time.

The keeper of the emerald mirror took her life 200 years ago leaving the mirror without a keeper, at the time a speculum festival was held so that the mirror would choose it's next keeper, but the mirror showed no one. The mirror chooses it's keeper by showing their face.

Since then, a speculum festival has been held every five years but the mirror has never chosen. I do not think this festival will be any different, it has mostly turned into a time to celebrate and have fun.

I am pulled out of my thoughts, this time it is not madame lora's doing but the bell signalling the end of this class.

Everyone is rushing out so i just sit back and wait, i am not in the mood to get justled, afterall there is only one door with 50 students trying to go through all at once, besides lina is still putting away her books in her desk drawer, so i have to wait for her, while she's at it i also put my books away.

"Kyla!"

"Hey lina! Are you ready to go?"

"Yes lets go"

I head out of the now empty class with lina in tow.

Lina and i are roommates here at the nebulum academy, so inbetween classes we always head back to our room for a nap or just to relax, today is no different especially since we have two hours before our next class.

After leaving the class building, the female dormitory is on the west end of the school while the male dormitory is on the east end, the two dormitories being so far apart doesn't stop the boys from sneaking out to come see their ladies in our dorm and vice versa.

After 20 minuites, lina and i are in our room, there is just us two allocated this room.

"Hey kyla, what will you be wearing to the speculum festival?" Lina asks excitedly

"I'm not really sure, i think i'll just use the fabrique spell my mother gave me for my birthday to make something"

"That would be wonderful, and i could help you make it!"

Lina is soo excited, she is also in the age bracket of those eligible to be chosen by the mirror but that's not what she's excited about, she's excited about meeting boys at the festival since she considers not having a boyfriend at 21 years her biggest failure in life.

"Hey kyla, what will you be wearing to the speculum festival?"

"I'm not really sure, i think i'll just use the fabrique spell my mother gave me for my birthday to make something"

"That would be wonderful, and i could help you make it!"

"Hey kyla, what will you be wearing to the speculum festival?"

"I'm not really sure, i think i'll just use the fabrique spell my mother gave me for my birthday to....." wait a minuite something is wrong, i feel like i've said this before.

"What?" Lina asks, since i just stopped talking mid sentence

"I.....i....i don't know, something is happening, i just don't know what..."

The ground beneath me starts to quake, mildly at first but now it's worse, lina gets up from her position on the bed and rushes over to where i'm standing, the ground has begun to crack.

"What's happening?!" She asks panicked

"I don't know, but let's get out of here"

I grab her hand and open the door but what i see is even more frightening.