By age five Helena hadn’t shown any signs that she was a Fire Mage. In fact, Helena hadn’t shown any signs that she was a Mage of any kind at all. Helena is now ten years old, an age which we refer to as ‘The Age of Insight’.
Ten years old is the age where every child has a growth spurt – so to speak. Up until this age, evidence of Power is very minimal. The Healer children might be able to recover after a grazed knee twice as fast as any other kid. The Water Mage might be able to hold his breath underwater for ten seconds longer than anyone else. Or a Fire Mage like me might be able to keep their dinner warm by sticking a finger into it – or of course in my case I could snap my fingers and have a flame flicker there for the briefest second. Like I said, all it takes is a tiny flame to burn down a forest.
When a child turns ten years old you always notice a change. Their Powers become a little stronger, more defined, and continue to grow. This “growth spurt” often lasts up until the age of eighteen. Gradual growth over a period of time often helps the host to control their Powers. So at the age of ten the little Healers might discover that they can now mend a broken leg with a little concentration. Not only their leg, but someone else’s leg as well. A particularly strong Healer might be able to cut an arm off all together and be able to grow one right back. The Water Mage would be able to hold their breath underwater for hours. I’d even heard of amazingly talented Water Mages who lived under the water for days at a time. This kind of Power was exceptionally rare however. Then there was me. Once I had turned ten I wasn’t allowed to hang around the other kids anymore. I’d skip through a paddock, a trail of flames in my wake. It wasn’t because I was a ridiculously talented and powerful Mage, oh no, far from it. I just couldn’t control my Power. The other kids could do amazing things like read minds, morph, talk to animals, predict things, or turn water to solid ice in the blink of an eye. Poor pathetic Avalon Redding is cursed with hands of fire.
So I barely left the house. My stupid “talent” would put others in danger if I got too close to someone who wasn’t immune to the heat like my family. Well … most of my family.
So now I’m eighteen, and my “growth spurt” has finally decided to come to a quivering halt. My Powers have reached their limit, and are still as dangerous as they were when I was a child. I have gained minimal control over them during the past few years, yet there is always a slip up every now and then. My parents have mastered their fire skills, so they aren’t a threat to poor little Helena anymore.
My Helena. Ten years old and not even the slightest hint that she possesses any Power what so ever. This was terrifying for my family, not only because it was dangerous for her to be living in a house where fires often occurred, but another reason entirely.
Those who are void of Power are called Humans. Pre-apocalyptic beings that have been dying out for the past 1000 years, and are only used for one purpose. Slavery. Humans are seen as scum.
It’s easy to understand now why we couldn’t let anyone know that Helena was not showing any signs of being a Mage at all. We were positive she would be taken away from us if anyone ever found out. She would probably be forced into slavery.
No one had ever heard of someone with a Mage bloodline being totally void of Power.
We spread rumour that Helena had become fragile and sickly, so that no one would wonder why she never left our home. We told people that she was too delicate to be around anyone, and in the end no one asked questions about the matter. Helena was able to stay at home away from prying, accusing eyes. In order to protect her, my family and I had to keep her secret.
Everything seemed to be going fine for the first few months of Helena’s confinement. She didn’t mind too much, so long as she had things to keep her mind occupied. Yet my mind was far from at ease. I was getting nightmares more and more frequently now that I had to worry about Helena being discovered by the townspeople. In a small minded community like Mortlock, word spread fast and it would only be a matter of time before the Realm of Mages found out that there was a human living amongst us as an equal. Humans are probably seen as the most revolting thing to walk the earth. Insects, plague, a disease that threatens our way of life.
The Realm of Mages, also known as the Concord Keepers, maintain balance and harmony across the land. They ensure that no harm befalls a Mage, and that no Human is a threat to our way of life. It’s a widely known fact that the Realm does not tolerate kindness or acceptance of Humans. Many Mages admire the Realm, while others fear it and believe that the system is now corrupt. What used to be a community based on the well-being of others now appeared to be a group of Power hungry zombies.