3 Chapter 3 - Visions of the Future (1/2)

Terri headed for the front door where the car was pulling up to while I made my way around back. I slipped through the bamboo and entered the onsen area. Skirting around the edge of the hot spring, I snuck inside the house and made it to my room without anyone seeing me, not that I was avoiding anyone, but Alice. I hopped in my shower long enough to rinse off the light layer of sweat that had accumulated on me throughout the morning then I switched into some comfortable clothes, including a light jacket that could hide my horns when the hood was pulled up.

About the time I finished, a knock came from the other side of my door. Terri poked her head in a moment later with a bit of disappointment in her eyes, but it quickly vanished as she opened the door completely and smiled at me.

”Alice wants you in her study,” she said.

I nodded as I fixed my hood then stepped over to her. ”Is there anything else?” I asked in a playful, hushed voice.

She pushed me away as she snickered, ”You are worse than your brother.”

”You wound me,” I said, holding a hand over my heart in a dramatic fashion.

She rolled her eyes as she turned and left my doorway. While chuckling, I followed her down the hall and turned for Alice's study while Terri made her way to the main room. I took a deep breath in before I placed a hand on the knob and opened the door.

Alice's study was nearly as large as a bedroom and even had its own personal bathroom, which made me wonder if it was originally a bedroom. The walls were filled with built-in bookshelves that were jammed-packed with books, journals, and random knick-knacks. There was a desk along the back wall under the window which was open to the garden, allowing the comfortable smells of flowers and herbs waft in throughout the room. In the center of the room were two couches placed across from each other with a small wooden table in between. A seemingly simple crystal ball was placed on a small marble pedestal, but it was the focus for Alice's visions.

Alice was sitting so that she was facing the door and was now wearing a red blouse, that was on the verge of acceptability in most social settings, and form-fitting black leggings. She gave me a smile as I entered the room while another head turned to face me.

The woman sitting across from her was obviously Katye, our brand-new member of this strange group. Her hair was a bright violet color and was nearly as short as my own, but what was captivating about it, was that the ends seemed to release an illusion of flames and electricity. My eyes went straight for her neck and saw the same suppressing collar I had to wear for the first year after my bloodline had awakened because I had no way to control myself at the time. Her eyes were the same bright purple as her hair and clearly contained fear and confusion which I easily understood.

I made my way around the couch and sat down while I introduced myself and held out a hand, ”Good morning, my name is Rebecca Cox, but everyone calls me Becca.”

She looked down at my hand nervously, without any attempt to touch it, and said, ”H… hi, I'm Katye. I'm sorry, but I can't shake your hand.”

”Go ahead and try Katye. Becca is like you and has a chaos bloodline, so there shouldn't be any problem,” Alice chimed in.

”Oh… okay,” she responded.

She slowly reached out a hand and, only with a finger at first, touched my hand. I instantly understood her hesitation as electricity jumped from her hand to mine, but there was something about the energy that was unlike any of the other magic that the girls had. It didn't hurt, in fact, it felt quiet pleasant as the bolt of energy danced around my hand and travel up my arm before it was absorbed by my skin.

”I'm so sorry, it's never done that before,” she said quickly.

”No, it actually felt nice. Care to explain, Alice?”

”It is because both of your bloodlines have been corrupted by chaos energy and, while its harmful to most people, it is beneficial to your body in particular. Dragons strengthen themselves by bathing in the natural forms of energy, so her chaos energy is the closest you can get to a natural source for the time being.”

”Dragons?” Katye asked.

With a sigh, I pulled back by hood, revealing my horns, and said, ”That is the source of my bloodline.”

Her eyes widened at the sight of my horns, but she still had the best reaction of anyone so far as that was the only response she had to them.

”Your bloodline originates from a fairy, but like Becca, it is corrupted with chaos energy. It gives you amazing power, but it is far harder to control than normal forms of energy,” Alice said.

Katye gave a small sigh then asked, ”So, is this when you explain why this is happening to me and why the bloody American government kidnapped me?”

I gave a wry smile as Alice nodded and began her rehearsed speech. ”Long before written history, people told stories of creatures like minotaurs, qilin, thunderbirds, and such as well as stories of people who wielded powers that made them gods. By all modern understanding, it seems like they are just myths, but within ten years' time, likely sooner, the Earth will be plunged into a world of 'myth'.

”You, Becca, and the others that I have gathered here are all a part of the catalyst that started the ending of 'Magicless Age'. The 'Great Ward' which had been blocking all forms of mana from entering Earth is now beginning to collapse. The ten of you are just the first to generate your own mana, but now, more people will begin to awaken the magics that have long slumbered in their blood.