Lady of Magic
Prologue
Alasse Fefalas

Reina wasn’t really interested in her lessons; she knew all of it from just reading her books anyway. The only reason she attended class was so that she would not disappoint her parents by not having a perfect attendance. She stared off into space as her teacher explained the Language lesson. When the rest were busy writing down notes, she was busy finishing her homework.

She was interested in many things but school lessons were definitely not one of them. The one thing she was highly interested in was magic. She was interested at how magicians could bend air, create flame and manipulate the magic in the atmosphere. The reason she was incredibly interested in it was because, unlike all other things, learning magic was forbidden to her. It was forbidden to all women in the country. That made it much more enticing in her eyes.

Reina hated her outdoor lessons in school simply because when the girls were playing games, the boys were learning and practicing magic. She longed for the day she could ditch her lessons to watch the boys do magic. And opportunity certainly did knock on her door. Unhesitatingly, when her instructor was absent, she skipped class and went to the field that the boys use when having the lessons.

Hiding behind a tree, Reina listened intently to the instructor of the class, taking in every single word he said. She watched as her classmates were paired off for the practical part of the lesson. Their assignment was to create a fire. Her excitement was dampened by the fact that none of them could even create a spark. Sighing, she walked backwards slowly, intending to return to class. She froze when she bumped into something behind her. Turning slowly, she saw a tall boy standing behind her watching the class too. The boy looked down and smiled at her.

“Oh hello. I saw you watching the class, and I was wondering whether it was interesting or not. It seems that I’m greatly disappointed with them. None can even create a spark of fire,” the boy said.

Reina was silent when he was talking even though she had a million things to say to him. Even after he had finished talking, she could not say anything. Only when he moved away and started to go back to the classroom building, she blurted out, “What about you? Can you do it?”

“Huh? Do what?” the boy asked, turning around to face her.

“That. You know... make a flame,” Reina said hurriedly.

“Of course. I’m not as young as you and I need to be able to make a flame in order to go on to the next year. But it has been a while since I needed to make a basic flame,” he answered, shrugging.

“What year are you in then?” Reina asked interestedly.

“I’m in my last year,” the boy replied.

“What can you do with magic then?”

“Many, many things. Want to see some tricks I learnt?” the boy asked proudly.

Reina nodded in consent and followed the boy when he gestured her to follow him. He led her to the back of the school where the garden was and asked her to sit down on the bench. He took a deep breath and let out a lease of magic. Manipulating it, he shifted the wind and blew up the leaves that rested on the ground. Creating a pattern, he made them fly around the garden and finally let out another lease of magic, combusting them.

Reina watched, awestruck. It was an exceptionally beautiful sight to watch him manipulate the magic and creating a graceful dance of the leaves. The boy smiled as he walked towards Reina. “That was beautiful!” Reina gasped.

“Thank you. Thank you,” the boy laughed.

As the chime of a bell rang through the campus, Reina’s head snapped at its direction. Jumping from her seat, she cursed under her breath.

“I’m so sorry. I have to go or I’ll be late for my next class. Erm... will I meet you again?” Reina asked.

“I’m not sure. I’m graduating next week...” the boy said apologetically.

“Oh. Okay. I understand. Well, if fate decides to bring us together again, my name is Reina Shawr. I’m sorry, I really have to go now. I really hope I’ll see you again!” Reina added, waving goodbye as she ran off.

“Reina Shawr. Well, my name is Adonis Tract, and I hope I do meet you again,” Adonis replied to her retreating figure, knowing full well that she could not hear.