The Hunter’s Guild seemed to lean into the whole ‘wild west saloon’ theme. The large sign above the door made it pretty clear what the building was for, but as Lucas stepped inside, he was suddenly bombarded with noise. The building had two levels, and the teen could see a few dozen people milling around, chatting, eating, and drinking.

  The building was split between the two floors, with a large staircase leading up to the second level that overlooked the first floor. Over to the left as he entered, Lucas could see a large bar set up against one of the walls, filled with various types of alcohol. A few people were already sat at the bar, chatting with young man who stood making drinks. Lucas thought that it seemed a bit early to get drunk, but clearly some people in the guild disagreed.

  Magnus led the two teens straight ahead, towards a reception-like counter where a young woman sat. She looked a few years older than the two teens. As the trio approached, the girl looked up, her black hair covering her left eye while the right, a rich honey brown, looked at the approaching people. With Magnus at the front, she spotted him first and her visible eye widened. Lucas could see her mood visibly brighten when she saw the man.

  “Mr. Stella! I haven’t seen you in a while! What are you doing here?”

  Despite how excited the girl seemed, Lucas noticed how Fay’s father seemed to flinch and tense up ever so slightly at her words. And at his side, he noticed Fay going quiet and trying to shrink back

  “I’ve been busy with the business lately, Clara. Haven’t had much time to come around here,” He replied. But Magnus’ tone sounded different, his voice softer than what Lucas had gotten used to from the normally cheerful man. “And I’ve told you so many times that you can just call me Magnus.”

  He then placed a hand on Lucas’ shoulder, nudging him forward. “But the kid here just got his magic and needs his affinities tested. Any chance that Leo is free?”

  Something about the dark-haired girl just seemed a bit off to Lucas. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he could feel that there was something different about her, something that he was missing.

  Her attention shifted from Magnus to the others with the man, and her eyes widened again when she spotted Fay standing behind Lucas.

  “Oh! Fay! I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there for a minute! How have you been?” Clara gushed.

  It was clear that Clara and Fay knew each other, but when Lucas glanced back at the blonde, he was stunned to see that she’d shrunk in on herself even more, looking smaller and more reserved than he’d ever seen her.

  “I’ve been busy, Clara. Sorry I haven’t visited much,” She apologized.

  “It’s ok, I know you and Mr. Stella must be busy. But mom and I would love to have you over for dinner again someday,” The older girl replied.

  Lucas didn’t miss how both father and daughter flinched at the idea. He wanted to ask questions, but it was no doubt something private, so he held his tongue.

  “Maybe someday soon, Clara. But for now, we’re trying to get Lucas’ affinities tested,” Magnus stepped in.

  “Oh! Sorry, I forgot about that.”

  The older girl quickly looked over a thick book on the desk, and Lucas began to realize that Clara was likely some kind of receptionist or secretary.

  “Let me see… Looks like Guild Master Leonidas is free now. He doesn’t have anything planned until after lunch,” She explained. “He’s down the hall in his office. I’ll let him know you’re coming. I think he’ll be really happy to see you, Uncle Magnus.”

  As she waved the group towards a door next to the stairs going up to the second floor, Lucas idly realized that they were going to meet the head of the guild.

  “Thanks, Clara. I’ll try to visit a bit more often,” Magnus replied, leading Fay and Lucas towards the door.

  As they walked away from the desk, Lucas finally figured out what had been bothering him when he looked at Clara. It had taken him time to realize it, and it was only when she gestured to the door that he even noticed it.

  On the girl’s wrists, Lucas didn’t see any sign of the tattoo that Fay had claimed was a sign of magic. Did that mean that people without magic could end up getting to the magical side of the world?

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Lucas managed to hold his tongue and stay quiet until they’d cleared the room. Once he, Fay, and her father were alone in the spacious hallway, though, he couldn’t resist.

  “Magnus…”

  “What’s up, kid?”

  “That girl back there, do you two know her?” Lucas asked. “She seemed to know you.”

  Father and daughter shared a look and Lucas watched as Magnus sighed heavily. “It’s a long story, maybe best for another time. Something happened in the past that strained our relationship with Clara and her mother.”

  He wanted to ask more, to try and get the full story. It didn’t make much sense since Clara seemed pretty happy to see Fay and Magnus. He pushed that desire down, though, and figured he would try and ask the other question that had been bothering him.

  “I thought that only people with magic could get through the portals. So, how did that girl at the desk get here if she doesn't have magic?”

  Both Fay and Magnus went quiet for a long few seconds before the older man eventually stopped and turned towards the teen.

  “Clara was born here; I know her parents and they both have magic. But she never awoke her magic. If she lived on the other side of the Mirrors, she would be stuck there. But since she was born here, she's able to stay.”

  “But,” Fay spoke up, her voice quiet as she looked back at the closed door. “If she ever leaves through one of the Mirrors, she will never be able to come back through.”

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “So… A person who's born here can stay even if they don't have magic, but someone who doesn't have magic back home can't ever come across?” Lucas asked.

  “Until they're eighteen, a child born to parents with magic can be brought through the Mirrors from the Ordinary side if they're brought by someone with magic. But after their eighteenth birthday, if their magic hasn’t awoken, they can't enter and can only leave if they’re already on this side. Magic at least gives them a chance,” Magnus explained.

  “How bad is it, then? Not having magic here?”

  Lucas could remember quite a few stories and comics that had things go poorly for people who didn't have powers or magic. Even real life had plenty of examples of how poorly someone could be treated for being different. He was worried about whether or not that would be the case here.

  “It's not as bad as you might think,” Magnus replied, likely figuring out where Lucas’ thoughts had gone. “But there will always be people who let a bit of power go to their head. People like Clara are treated well, at least here in Helstrum. But it's not common for them to stay. Most people who don't awaken their magic choose to leave after a time. It's hard to be surrounded by magic when you don't have any.”

  “There are systems in place, ways to get people who choose to live in the Ordinary world set up with a life there. And there are ways to communicate back and forth as well. It’s not perfect, but it does work,” He added.

  Lucas stayed silent as he considered what he'd been told. He knew that a world of magic wouldn't be perfect, but some part of him had hoped that the magical world would be some incredible, perfect place. His encounter with the Direwolves should have proved that wasn’t the case from the start.

  A gentle touch to his hand snapped Lucas out of those darker thoughts. He looked down to see Fay grabbing his hand looking worried.

  “Are you ok?” She asked.

  He took a deep breath and focused, smiling back at Fay. “I'm fine. Just a lot to learn about.”

  Based on the look he got from both father and daughter, Lucas could tell that neither of them fully believed him.

  “Come on, kid. Let's go see Leo and we'll figure out your affinities,” Magnus suggested, walking down the hall towards the Guild Master's office.

  “That sounds good,” Lucas agreed.

  He and Fay joined Magnus, though Lucas realized that Fay was still holding his hand halfway down the hall. He’d been so focused on the many trophies spread across the walls that he hadn’t noticed at first. Lucas nearly pulled his hand away, but stopped before he could and left it there instead, enjoying the comforting feeling of Fay’s hand in his.

  Along the walls, pelts, wings, tails, claws, fangs, and even taxidermy heads of various beasts and creatures lined the hallway. Underneath each were plaques denoting the names of the people who had slayed the creatures that the parts came from. He even recognized the sharp fangs of a Direwolf at one point, though they were much larger than the ones he’d seen already.

  The quick flash of that memory was enough to make Lucas wince and quickly look away.

  When they entered the room at the end of the hall, the other trophies paled in comparison to the actual dragon skull hanging over the Guild Master's desk where a large man sat, his silver hair cut short in a crew cut-like fashion.

  “Never thought I'd see you here again, Magnus,” The man said. His face was stern, and his black eyes were sharp and piercing as he looked at the trio. But after a moment, his expression softened. “But it's good to see you again.”

  “You know I don't like coming around here often, Leo,” Magnus replied.

  The man, Leonidas, got to his feet and Lucas found himself looking up far higher than he'd expected. The man was huge, muscular and tall enough to tower over Lucas and had to be around seven feet tall. He looked like he'd fit right in on a professional basketball team.

  “I know, I know. You've been missed, though,” The Guild Master replied. “So, what brings you here? Fay’s still a bit young to join the guild.”

  “It's only a few more weeks!” Fay protested, drawing a bit of laughter from the mountain of a man.

  “The rules are the rules, kiddo. You know that. Come back in a couple weeks when you’re eighteen and we can test you,” Leonidas replied.

  Before the blonde could reply, and it definitely looked like Fay had something she wanted to say, Magnus interrupted.

  “I’m here for an affinity test, actually. This is Lucas,” He said, gesturing to the teen. “He’s a new blood. Just got his magic a few days ago, and doesn’t know his affinities or anything, so he needs a test.”

  Leonidas’ focus shifted to Lucas, and the young man shifted nervously as the Guild Master stared at him for a few seconds in silence. Thankfully, it didn’t last long, and the man didn’t question his status as a new blood.

  “That shouldn’t be an issue.”

  The silver haired man walked across the room to an unassuming cabinet sat in the corner. Sat within was a pitch-black sphere the size of a basketball, perched atop a small pedestal of silvery metal.

  “Did you explain to the kid how this’ll work?” Leonidas asked.

  “Hadn’t gotten around to that, yet. Wanted to make sure you were free, first.”

  Lucas watched as the Guild Master set the pedestal down on the desk. With the orb in clear view, Lucas recognized what the sphere seemed to be made of. It was a solid sphere made of obsidian glass.

  “I’ll do it, then,” Leonidas’ gaze turned to Lucas again as he gestured to the sphere. “This is a resonance stone. They’re part of a network used to test affinities for new mages. Each resonance stone is linked to the first resonance stone, which we tend to call the hub. It has knowledge of every affinity that’s existed for over a thousand years.”

  A thousand years.

  Those words stuck in Lucas’ head as he stared at the ball of obsidian. It was difficult to think of anything lasting a few hundred years, much less something lasting over a thousand. It really put into perspective how long the magical side of the world had been around for.

  Lucas couldn’t help but be curious about something, though. “Where is the first one?”

  “The hub? No one really knows. The hub was a marvel of runes and enchantments, still is today, and everyone wanted to see it. Over the years, Nikolai Rezon, the man who made it, got tired of people bothering him to use his stone or see his work. He packed his things, took all of his work, and left. He was never seen again,” Leonidas said.

  “But how is this here, then?” Lucas asked as he gestured to the obsidian stone.

  “Rezon left behind a single, smaller version of his resonance stone that people could use,” Leonidas clarified. “It wasn’t as impressive as his first one, but it still worked. Every resonance stone today is a copy of the one he left behind, all connected to the hub. No one knows where he took it, and likely no one ever will.”

  “Now, to use it, just lay your hand on the resonance stone for a few seconds and it will take a sample of your mana. From there, it shouldn’t take long for it to give you an answer.”

  Lucas hesitated at first, but an encouraging nod from Magnus and the hopeful, excited look on Fay’s face nudged him forward. He rested his hand atop the pitch-black orb, and for a few seconds nothing happened. But then Lucas felt something being pulled from him into the sphere. It wasn’t painful, but it felt strange enough to make him pull away.

  Luckily, it seemed like the resonance stone had gotten what it had needed. The group watched as the surface of the sphere seemed to change, becoming clear and revealing a dark, swirling cloud within. Lucas was entranced as he watched the dark cloud within the orb, small flashes of color erupting within at times.

  For a minute, the group watched the spectacle before the roiling cloud grew calm. And then, Lucas watched as letters began to form within the sphere, made from those same, dark clouds.

  The letters formed into two words, gifting Lucas with the knowledge of his two affinities.

  Illusion and Darkness.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  You can find it here if you want to check it out. Those who join can read a full 8 chapters ahead.