My heart sinks as I walk out of the library.
One, I have to leave Ivy's side yet again. I wave goodbye to her as I turn the corner. Two, why does Justus Amin want me in his office? Did I piss off the Keepers?
Is this about the last duel that is supposed to take place in two days?
My feet feel like lead as people watch me walk down the hallway.
Their hands are up to their mouths, whispering to each other. Great, now the whole academy knows I am in the middle of some drama or something. I turn another corner and walk up the long spiral staircase to the second floor.
You would think they would install a magic elevator, but no, they have to be "classic" and "grand."
I make it up the staircase onto the second floor. Thankfully, that is where the Vice Principal Keeper's office is located. On each floor of the academy, there is one office of an Administration Keeper. This way, there can be an Admin Keeper to watch every floor. I navigate my way through the second floor until I find the hallway that leads to the office.
My footsteps echo throughout the large, empty hall. The walls and floor have black tiles lined with gold.
The floor is so shiny it reflects my face like a mirror. I knock on the door of the office and wait patiently. As the door swings open, I immediately feel a shift of tension in the atmosphere for a moment. What stands before me is a tall man in a suit with a dignified and powerful sense of aura. I hold my breath for a moment, feeling like if I make one wrong move, I will be toast.
"Welcome in, Nico! Please have a seat," Justus Amin says to me warmly.
He walks back to his desk and sits down in his black leather chair. After remembering I can move my limbs, I sit down in one of the two chairs facing the desk. "We will be having an important discussion," Justus says to me in a grave tone.
"Discussion about what?" I ask with a tone of aggression while standing up from my seat. Justus's aura changes into something dangerous, yet very controlled. I feel oddly at ease, though, because I sense this cautiousness is not because of me but of our surroundings.
"I am about to say a name. A very powerful name. I want you to tell me what you experience when I say this name. If it is too much for you, tell me. What you say matters, and I promise it will stay between us. Are you ready?" Justus asks me with a determined look in his eyes.
"Yes, I am," I reply nervously. For some reason, my gut tells me this mysterious man has a lot of layers to him. It tells me that there is a lot more than meets the eye, and I am about to find out some of what that mystery is at this very moment.
I hold my breath in anticipation.
"Amara."
Amara? I ask myself inside my head. Almost immediately, my head throbs, and I quickly sit down in the chair in slight agony. Flashing scenes of the familiar face of a woman surge into my mind. In one scene, this woman is reading me bedtime stories, and in another, she is cooking food in the kitchen of my house.
The flashing scenes continue in my head for a good few seconds before shutting off quickly. I hold my head in my hands, not being able to say a single word except,
"Mom?"
I whisper in a hollow voice.
Justus grimly nods to me while saying, "She was your loving mother. I am surprised your mental abilities can recall that much against the memory magic placed by the Keepers in your head as a child. I cannot go into too much depth with this right now. All I can tell you is that she was a wonderful human and mother.
"I was best friends with your father as well. He died a hero in my eyes. Just know you are the key to changing this godforsaken world, and your abilities can alter the state of the universe."
Justus points at my heart with determination, and he looks into me with a new sense of purpose.
"This extends past dark and light magic. You possess a hidden magic that goes beyond the paths of the birth of the universe. Knowing how to bring together what is separated makes you the origin. This power does not guarantee success. Just because you are the key does not mean you will unlock freedom."
"To properly overthrow the Eradicators, the light mages who are gone too far, you will receive training from me," he says in a grave tone.
This wave of information keeps crashing into me, taking the wind and air out of me. "What do you mean, your kind? Why would you help me against the Keepers? What do you know about my parents?!"
I tell him in a tone that is growing more aggressive, desperate, and loud.
He raises his hand into the air, which makes me shut up because I do not want to be vaporized into a million pieces by any chance. I know this guy is incredibly dangerous and mysterious. If he is truly on my side and if he knows about me in the past, maybe it is better to keep him on my good side.
"I will answer all of this in due time. I know you have a lot of dying questions you want answered, but you must, no, you need to be patient. If anything, know that I am on your side. Go get rest now back in your dorm for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow, meet me back in my office at 8:00 a.m. sharp. I promise to answer some of your questions then," he tells me.
My mind and heart are still in shock from all the information I learn within the past ten minutes. I can do nothing except nod and walk out of the office like a ghost. My soul and body drift back to my dorm. I do not care that it is still early in the evening. I crawl into my bed and curl up into a ball.
Amara? Mom?
All I remember about my parents is their faces in my mind. Their names are foggy at most, but my memories of them never seem to materialize. I assume my parents just never cared about me much. I thought they abandoned me so I learned how to manage myself.
If they took care of me, though, and cared about me, why did I never know? How much of my life is a lie? I think I wouldn't care about the truth, but the truth matters the most to me.
These thoughts run through my mind as I cry myself to sleep.