Prologue: The Day You Were Taken from Me

“There’s supposed to be a lunar eclipse next month. The first one in years!” Squealed one of the girls.

The sun had almost completely set over Raze, and the moon was emitting its vibrant light, illuminating the courtyard of the Academy of Sorcery. Two girls sat on old swings in the courtyard, and they swayed back and forth with the wind.

“So soon?” muttered the girl with the braided rolls on her head. Both girls were blonde, but this one’s blue eyes were shifty.

The girl whose hair barely touched the back of her neck but came down over both of her ears looked to her friend. “What do you mean by that?”

The blue eyed girl threw her round head back and shook her head quickly, staring into the other girl’s light brown eyes. “It’s nothing,” she told her. “Nothing at all.”

The brown eyed girl’s thin blonde eyebrow’s curved with worry. “Is something wrong, Conwei?”

Conwei, the other girl, slapped a false smile on her face. “Why would there be? Sorcerers gain more power on a lunar eclipse.”

The other girl’s eyes glinted and her thin face brightened. “Of course! I think it’s the same night as our exams! Maybe we can pass into the next level and be assigned to an element. I hope I get air! You know how I love the sky.”

Conwei let out a small giggle. “I hope I get water. It’s so gentle.”

“You think so?” the other girl cocked her head from curiosity. She shrugged. “Water isn’t always so gentle. You know, with hurricanes being apart of it and all.”

“Don’t look at it in the negative light, Benign.” Conwei scolded her.

Benign flinched. She laughed with embarrassment. “Right, right! Always be an optimist.”

“Yes.” Conwei nodded her head, proudly.

Benign lifted her head to the sky and gazed longingly at the big moon. “It’s hard to believe we’re almost complete with our training.” Benign’s eyes widened when she came to a sudden realization. “Hey! Both of our birthdays are on the night of the eclipse!” She squealed.

Conwei frowned. Her stare threw Benign off complete. “Your birthday is two days before, Benign,” she told her.

Benign felt her face heat up with embarrassment. “Right! How could I not remember that?”

Conwei laughed. “How could you forget we don’t have the same birthday is what I’m wondering?”

Benign looked away from Conwei, much too embarrassed. She poked out her lips and said, “Don’t make fun of me.”

“Sorry,” the girl smiled. She slid off of her swing and stood beside Benign. Even though she was still sitting, Benign was taller than Conwei by about six inches. Conwei offered a hand to her. “We should be heading back inside before the elders realize we snuck out.”

Benign ceased her pouting and faced Conwei’s smiling face. She smiled back and took her hand. Conwei gently helped her out of the swing and both girls proceeded to the school, hand in hand. While Benign was smiling and upbeat, Conwei lagged behind slightly with her head facing the ground.

“B-Benign…” a murmur came from the girl.

“Yeah?”

“…You’ll always be my best friend.”

Benign lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at her suddenly depressed friend. Her worry set in again. “Conwei, what’s the problem?”

Conwei lifted her head slightly, sadness in her eyes. “I’ll always be your best friend, right?”

Benign faced her, her heart began to feel like it was tearing suddenly. “Of course, Conwei. But why are you asking?”

“It’s nothing.” Conwei told her, having lifted her head and straightened out her night gown. She began to walk towards the building, pulling Benign behind. “I was just curious.”

Benign felt a sense of doubt suddenly. As they walked, she gripped Conwei’s hand as tight as she could.

--

It was time for magic practice and the girls stood in a line-up of their peers while waiting for instructions from their elder that would be supervising their practice that morning. Oddly enough, no elder had entered the practice room in almost fifteen minutes. There was chatter amongst the children, many of them pondering aloud about why the elder was so late for practice.

“Maybe she fell down the stairs and broke her hip.” Commented one of the boys.

“Maybe she was fraternizing with one of the trainees. You know she likes them young.” Gossiped one of the girls.

“I heard a novice in another class used a spells to blow up her bed in her sleep. They said one her legs is missing now.” Another boy stated.

Benign couldn’t help but listen to all the rumors the other novices in their class were spewing. Some of them, she knew were flat out lies. But others seemed quite plausible to her. “Oh man. I hope they find her leg.” She nudged Conwei standing next to her. “Conwei, what do you think is wrong with her?”

Conwei didn’t respond. Benign blinked. She anticipated some sort of response from her, but none came. Conwei’s face was pale, and her eyes were focused on the door they were facing. Maybe she’s waiting on the elder, wondered Benign. Or one of the other ones to tell us what happened to her.

Another ten minutes went by, and no adult entered the room, not even a trainee. By that time, the entire class had ceased standing in the lineup. They were all sitting on the floor and scattered across the practice room. While Benign sat, contemplating what she’d eat for lunch that day, Conwei stood next to here, still in her daze. Eventually, Benign looked up and noticed Conwei was the only one standing in the room.

Benign tugged gently on her friend’s wrists from her place on the floor. “Conwei,” she whined as she tugged her downward, “come sit with me. Let’s think about what we’re having for lunch today!” Benign’s eyes flash at the mere mention of lunch.

Conwei was completely stiff. No matter how much or how hard Benign tugged her, she didn’t bend over or even kneel down to her friend’s level.

Benign blinked in curiosity. Then her eyebrows curved with worry. She got on her knees and raised herself up. She put her hands on Conwei’s shoulders and turned her to face her, but Conwei’s eyes remained on the door. “Conwei, why won’t you say something?” Benign asked her. Conwei remained quiet. “Conwei, please. Give me some kind of reassurance here!” Benign pleaded, but again, Conwei remained quiet.

Conwei’s eyes widened suddenly. She collapsed to her knees and clung to Benign like and infant. Benign could feel her friend shaking against her body. When Benign, and the other novices looked up, they saw that three people had entered the room. Two were grown men in golden armor with a red crest on their breast plates that Benign had never seen before. The third was a boy with hair like fire and deep brown eyes a regret that looked like he had recently graduated from novice level. He too, bore the same crest as the men, but he was dressed normally.

“Knights?” the other novices wondered out loud.

“No way. Look at the way they’re dressed. They aren’t from around here.” Said another novice.

“Does that make them enemies?” asked another student.

“Enemy?” Benign repeated. She looked down at her frightened friend and held her tighter. Conwei was looking at the three intruders with glassy eyes.

One of the men held up a hand as if to calm to the children in the room. “Have no fear, children,” he said in a deep, yet soothing voice. “We’re not here to bring harm to any of you. We’re purely here on an order.” The man looked to his companion and pointed a finger to Benign. Benign flinched. The other man followed his companion’s finger and headed their way.

Frozen with fear, the other children went silent. One could almost hear Conwei’s shaking, but not over the sound of clanking footsteps coming from the armored man headed towards the two girls.

Benign’s eyes were wide with fear. As the man drew closer, her embrace on Conwei tightened. The man reached them, and knelt down to their level. Benign flinched again when her eyes locked with the mysterious man’s eyes. He reached a hand out to her as if he wanted her to hand him something. “Little miss,” the man said in a calming tone. “We’re not here to harm you. We’re just here for your friend.”

Benign’s eyes quickly shifted to Conwei, then back up to the man. “W-What are you going to do with her?” She stammered.

“We’re going to take her somewhere. She’ll like it there.” The man told her.

Conwei gripped Benign’s arm. Benign’s protectiveness began to show through when she tried to shield her friend from the man. “I don’t believe you!”

The man shook his head. He looked over his shoulder to his companion. The other man tapped the sorry looking boy on the shoulder. He jumped. His shaky brown eyes went up to the man. “Go ahead, Benrei.”

The boy slowly looked away from the man. He reached behind him and pulled out a sword with a long blade and golden handle. When Benign and the other students caught sight of that, they all gasped. The boy walked over to Benign, with unsteadiness. He stood before her. Benign grew terrified. I thought they weren’t going to hurt us!

The boy raised the sword above Benign’s head. She could only watch him since she was frozen with fear. The boy’s arms grew shaky as he struggled to follow through with his next move. He looked down at Benign with pitiful eyes as he mouthed the word, “Sorry.” He pointed the tip of the sword down, aimed for the center of her forehead. The sword blade glistened as it began to emit a small, white glow. He slowly lowered the sword and touched Benign’s forehead with the tip.

At first, she was confused. Though, not too shortly after his sword touched her, Benign felt a strange feeling flow throughout her body from the sword. She grew tired, and weak. Her muscles loosened. Her arms fell from Conwei. Conwei sat up and watched her best friend collapse onto the floor with tears in her eyes. “Benign!” The other girl shrieked.

The boy lowered his sword to his side, his grip on it loose as he looked down at the collapsed Benign with sympathy. Benign could only look up at him for she was completely immobilized. She was also feeling very tired, and struggled against falling asleep.

The man gently took Conwei by the arm and pulled her to her feet; she didn’t try to resist him. The man nodded to the boy. The boy looked away from him, ashamed. He let his sword fall from his hand. The man gripping Conwei looked around the room and said to them, “We are sorry for this inconvenience. We will leave you now.”

The man pulled Conwei to the door where his companion was standing, leaving the boy in the room. Conwei looked back at Benign, tears falling down her round cheeks. She reached for her and whispered, “Good-bye.”

Benign still could not move. She was quickly fading into unconsciousness. “C-Conwei…” was all that escaped her lips.