Magia

This story follows a young girl, Briar, and her adventures through her magical world, through many kingdoms taking part in an unexpected adventure with her bookworm sister Paeon as they travel for the request of someone they hardly know. Will they be able to prove themselves as the strongest team, or will they fail?

Prologue
"Oh yeah, and why should we trust some scale-y bitch who just slaughtered our family?" Briar spat as she held her hand over the neck of the large dragon. Paeon had her parasol open as she stood facing the burned house, ashes of her library falling around her, the shock and sadness overwhelming her.

"I killed those people because they were not your family," the large dragon spoke. "They were demons just like the rest of this town, making a hellbent illusion just to control your minds. You two are very special, and so easily to manipulate.

Paeon mumbled.

"Speak up, brat." the scaled killer sneered.

"I said we were happy at least... You bitch." Paeon turned, and as tears rolled down her cheeks she appeared ready to kill the massive beast, no matter how immensely injured she or her sister was. Paeon was a scholar of magic and had no reason to see her magical books crumble to ash like that. "And I am no brat. I have an intelligence to rival yours, you self-proclaimed "God". Honestly, even a troglodyte would understand that any one who burns a scholar's books will pay the hefty price of their life."

"Now, now. If you don't believe me it is a simple task." the dragon began as it flew up. "It involves a lot of travel, but eventually you will learn that what I did was right, and that these people did nothing but intend to manipulate your power and mind to conquer... First I would like you to go to the Magical Academy of Tearose. You will understand upon graduation from the academy."

And so the two had nothing else to do than accept what the dragon had offered, and as it flew away, two notes of acceptance had fluttered down, both being recommended by this dragon for entrance into the academy for studies.

As a few weeks passed they had completed their trek to the academy walls, but this is where their journey truly begins.

Where their understanding truly begins.

Act One: The Briar and the Peony
"So both of you have limited magical experience gain and very slight skill or proficiency in fighting, yet were recommended by one of the top magicians in the five surrounding kingdoms?"

"Yes," smiled Paeon, it being as fake as some credentials that were forged by the dragon to get them into the academy. "I was already accepted here, due to the knowledge I possess as a scholar and how a grade point average and unrivaled intelligence like mine would be able to assist the academy."

"And I was recommended due to having what the dr- magician due to having the potential to become a very powerful fighter, as I hope to improve my forging and magic skills to be able to become a great soldier for our kingdom one day." Briar chimed.

"Well, I agree both of you appear to have the credentials to be in this school, so if you managed to pass the entrance exam on the beginning day, you will then be sorted in your skill and then put through classes until one month in where you will be tested again." the professor continued. "Now, the entrance exam is in a week, so be prepared to use magic and depending on the complexity and skill used, you will be allowed in."

"Thank you for the opportunity." Paeon bowed, then shaking her hand and beginning to leave.

"See you next week." smirked Briar as she then followed her sister from the room.

"We have to use magic,"

"Which is very problematic."

"If we don't cast a high enough spell, then we won't get in and we will really have nowhere to turn to."

"Plus, out of the types of magic we don't even know which our bodies uses mainly." sighed Briar.

"Well, I have a way of determining it due to the constellation on our birthday, then referencing it with mythology and also crosschecking with that novel I bought in Lilyvale." began Paeon as they rushed out of the building and back into the forest, back to their tree hollow home.

Paeon reached for the book she most recently bought, but also a book on constellations that survived the fire in their home town, being on Astrology, lastly grasping a notepad of legends and folktales she wrote whilst listening to the local bards in each town square along the way.

She had a very low endurance, but made up for that in her immeasurable knowledge and resourceful capabilities, for example knowing legends would at one point come in handy.

As she began to write notes down with her prized fountain pen, Briar had secured around the tree hollow with traps, to prevent any invaders, mainly hoping to send perverts running away, as she hated perverts more than anything.

Many of the traps had caught game which they could prepare for dinner, alongside berries they remembered were edible, and non-poisonous. Briar never thought of herself as being very useful to her sister, but she was glad to know that her sister was safe because the two of them worked together to guarantee that they would soon be able to provide an unforgettable entrance exam and make it into the academy.

Briar had walked back in to the tree hollow, which was luckily large enough to fit the two girls alongside their beds of leaves and sticks high above the trees. Paeon had sat up and been quickly scribbling notes as she looked up to see her sister.

"I was able to decipher what both of us should be prominent at. I was born on the 5th of Crown, which is the day of the constellation "Heart", meaning that due to both having Crown and Heart, I would be prominent at using the third corridor of magic, Wind, whereas you, being born on the 17th of Lapin, which is the day of the constellation "Stallion", both pointing you towards using the seventh corridor of magic, Life."

"Well done, Paeon." Briar smiled as they then began to attempt to use their magic.

The days had begun to go by and they had begun to work on spells that did or did not work, and eventually Paeon had managed to buy a few books of spells with the rest of their money to buy a few spell books.

Upon the sixth day they had finally been able to master a few spells and gain proficiency in both using a wand of some kind, Paeon's being short like that of the conductor of an orchestra, also using her parasol, whereas Briar's was long enough to be compared to a sword, both being made from sharpened wood from the inside of their tree hollow.

As Briar used her magic to shut the tree hollow with a layer of wood, they then took off at a run towards the academy in their new uniforms.

As they entered they saw countless staff in this academy, nearly large enough to be a kingdom in it's own entirety, judging those who wished to enter on their magical skill, each being very critical and only looking at who had the potential to increase strength and be used to help mobilize and cause their school to become even larger.

"Paeon Hart." called the examiner.

"Paeon Hart, Wind Mage, Novice." she curtsied.

"Begin your spell."

She opened her parasol and began to add wind to lift her into the sky, and once she got high enough she closed it.

"Don't fail me now..." she then flipped so her foot was about to kick the parasol. "Thousand Pound Current!" she yelled as she swung her foot down onto the handle and with her parasol, other foot hooked underneath the handle, dove to the ground, as she began to spin using her wand, drilling through the ground making a crater."

"Sixth Class." the examiner ordered.

The sixth was the lowest, and seeing as her performance was so amazing, it was very difficult to believe that she ended up in the lowest class of people whom were required to then undergo severe training to try to stay in the school, if they could last long enough.

"Briar Hart." called the examiner yet again, as Paeon walked off to the side.

"Briar Hart, Life Mage, Novice." she bowed.

"Begin your spell."

She grasped her wand tightly as she then swirled it around her in a circle. She stabbed it into the center and jumped upon it as the circle had shimmered a jade green. Suddenly from beneath her, gargantuan Venus Flytraps then sprung forwards and danced past the face of the examiner, each swirling around her, as if they would ingest any enemies nearby.

"Sixth Class." the examiner ordered, just like previously.

It made sense. The strength behind this magic was flimsy and it was a very basic spell, although it could deal damage if properly used. Paeon's performance was flawed as well, due to how her method of magic was mainly used for defense, whereas she mastered two spells, and only two.

Alongside Paeon, she rushed to their new dorm room, picked up a schedule, but nothing could prepare them for what was beyond the door. Their roommate.

Act Two: The Sunflower Puppeteer
Their roommate was beautiful, and had looked as if she had been from the region where it was always autumn, where Halloween was also celebrated monthly, as she had not only such an air to her but she also had worn something of a very gothic fashion. She appeared to be an elf, and had a very eerie aura about her.

She had been expressionless and appeared to be busy unpacking her things on one of the bunks.