"I feel like it's been a really long time since I've been here, but it hasn't," I said, walking up the walk-way to Elijah's mansion with Gerrard.

"It's only been two weeks," Gerrard replied.

"I know, but it was such a long two weeks," I said. He chuckled and I smiled.

"I take it classes are going fine?" he asked. I nodded.

"They're good. I'm learning a lot, that's for sure. But the work load has definitely intensified ten-fold," I replied.

"Well, it's University, so that's expected," Gerrard said, opening the door to the mansion by tapping the door with his silver branch. We walked inside.

"I know, but I never get a chance to just relax," I told him.

"It's just the beginning. You have to figure out how to manage your time," he said as we walked upstairs to my room. I had to change into my training clothes first.

"That's easier said than done," I replied. He chuckled and shook his head as we entered my room.

"So, how are things going on this end?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Busy, I guess. Elijah's been preoccupied. He's recruiting people to come to our side," he explained.

"He was doing that before, too, though, wasn't he?" I asked. He nodded.

"But it's more urgent now. The more people we have, the longer we have to train them and the stronger we'll be," he said. I nodded. "Have you worked on getting on better terms with your father?" he asked. I gave him a sheepish smile. "Caley..." he said.

I was supposed to begin my role as double agent once I got to school. My task was to apologize to my father about my behavior and tell him that I was willing to give our relationship another shot, as long as we were open with one another. That meant that I would have to tell him about how things were going with me and Trey, how classes were, and my progress in magic. This was to build up a good, trusting relationship with him.

After establishing the relationship, I was supposed to try to get in to my father's inner circle. Apparently, there was a society called the Order of the Light. My father was the heir to the head of the group. Apparently, several hundred generations ago, the Order was created by some of my ancestors. And now, my father was in charge of it.

The purpose of the Order was primarily to fight off evil. It was made up of a group of elite witches and wizards that were powerful and who agreed completely with the opposing view of the Trinity. I was surprised to find out that some of my professors from Trinity High were apart of the Order. Professors Little, Mika, and Coach Pulitz were all in the Order. In addition, many of the government officials that I had now grown familiar to were in it. These included the minister of the Trinity government, John Blackwood, and his assistant Peter Long.

John Blackwood was a tall African man with a deep voice and strong build. He was intimidating, but at the same time, charming. His speech was eloquent and it was easy to see why he was minister of the magical community. Everyone liked him. Well, everyone except for Elijah.

Peter Long, Blackwood's assistant, was a brainy Asian man. He was intelligent and handy and was the only reason Blackwood was doing so well in his position. If it wasn't for Long, war would have struck out long ago. But with his input on policies regarding all areas of magical governance, he was definitely an important asset.

But to us--to Elijah's crew--he was a liability. We needed to get rid of him. And that was currently one of the missions Elijah was working on, besides recruitment. The options were the following: either curse Long into coming to our side, but still work for Blackwood and act as a spy for us at the Ministry or we kill him and replace him with a man of our own: Isaac. Personally, I hoped we would just curse him so he fell to our power. I wanted as little death as possible, but I knew that that wouldn't happen. When the war would come around, death would be inevitable. I just hoped no one I cared about would get hurt..

"Talking to my father is harder than to do than you think," I defended, walking into my closet. Gerrard sighed, frustrated.

"You realize that Elijah's going to be on my ass about this, right?" he asked from the room.

"Why? It's my fault," I responded.

"But you're my responsibility," he replied.

"I'll work on it!" I called, closing the door. I changed into a tight tank top and a pair of yoga capri pants. I pulled on my tennis shoes and walked out, throwing my hair up in a ponytail.

"Stop looking at me like that," I snapped as Gerrard looked at me with a disappointed expression.

"I would if you weren't such a wimp about getting closer to your father," he replied.

"Get off my back, will you?" I said, aggravated.

"Caley, we need you to get us information," he said.

"I know! Just give me another couple weeks," I said. He gave me a look, butI  stood my ground, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Wimp," he said, coming up to me.

"Oooh. Ouch, that really hurts," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. He smirked and tickled my sides. I started laughing uncontrollably, trying to fight him off, but his grip around my waist was tight.

"What's going on?" we heard. Gerrard stopped tickling me, holding me around my stomach with his arms. We both looked up to see Isobel standing in the doorway, looking infuriated.

"Ummm--" I said.

"Uhhh--" Gerrard mumbled. We both looked at each other and then pushed away, creating a distance of three feet between us. Isobel glared in my direction before stomping out of the room.

"You know, you never told me why she hates me," I told Gerrard.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," he replied, starting to walk out of the room. I followed him out.

"But I do," I said.

"No, you don't," he said.

"Gerrard," I said.

"Caley," he replied. I gave him a look, which he returned.

"You're impossible, you know that?" I told him.

"I could say the same about you," he said.

"Whatever, loser," I said, rolling my eyes at him. We walked into the dungeons, were the equipment was all set-up for my training session.

"Gianna," I said, curtlly nodding my head at her.

"Caley," she replied in a strained voice.

Gianna was my permanent trainer. She taught me all the battle and defensive spells I knew. Although I didn't like her harsh methods, they were effective. In just a few months, she had me stronger and more knowledgable than I could have ever imagined. It was because of her that I was the witch I was today.

"What's the lesson for today?" I asked, stretching my limbs out to get relaxed and focused.

"Force fields," she replied.

"Like in Fantastic Four?" I asked. Gianna and Gerrard exchanged a look.

"Will you do the honors?" Gianna asked.

"Of course," Gerrard replied, hitting me in the back of my head with his hand. I scowled and he grinned.

"You don't need to be here for the session, Gerrard. You may leave," Gianna said.

Often, Gerrard would help me train. He would serve as my opponent, but that would usually be towards the end of a session or if I was practicing my spells over again.

"Good luck," he whispered in my ear before walking up the stairs.

We had stopped pretending to be more than friends, as Elijah suggested. He wasn't happy when he heard about this, but I told him bluntly that I was with Trey and that I would never cheat on him, no matter how much Elijah threatened me.

"So, are force fields difficult?" I asked. Gianna nodded.

"Very. And this is because they require you to manipulate the air around you," she answered. "It's easier for people who are masters of air," she added.

"Well, good thing I'm a master of air," I said sarcastically. She ignored this comment and continued to explain the theory of force fields.

"The spell is 'Atomi unum, formare murum'," she said.

"Atoms unite, form a wall," I translated. She nodded.

"The importance of the spell is that you are controlling the atoms of the air around you and commanding them to create a wall. The effect of those words is that an invisible shield will arise between you and your enemy," she explained.

"The reason the spell is so difficult is because not only is manipulating air hard, but it takes a huge toll on your energy. It is of the utmost importance that you use this spell wisely. I have taught you numerous spells that suck the energy out of you. This spell will by far be the worst, which is why I'm warning you now. Don't use this spell unless absolutely necessary," she continued.

"In your opinion, when would the best time be to use the spell?" I asked.

"If your enemy is using a spell that conjures up a curse that is too powerful to counteract with," she answered. "For example, if your enemy uses the spell Incendium, one of the most powerful spells known to the Magii, it would be wise to use the shield. But only use it to block yourself temporarily. Get yourself out of the way of whatever attack your enemy is using and take your shield down right away. The longer the shield is up, the more energy you're using up," Gianna explained. "Do you understand the risks associated with the spells?" she asked.

I nodded.

Before teaching me how to do the actual spell, Gianna would explain to me all of the risks and dangers associated with the spell in question. This was to make sure I knew how much energy to allocate for the spell. I knew that we wouldn't be able to practice this spell for very long. If it took as much energy as she was saying it did, I would only be able to practice it for about an hour before I would have to quit.

So for the remainder of my session, which was short as I predicted, I learned first how to conjure up the shield and then how to use it to defend myself. Learning how to put up the shield took a great effort because I had to concentrate my mind so much so that I could sense each individual atom in the air around me. Once I got a feel for them, I whispered the spell and right before my eyes, a glittering transparent shield appeared in front of me.

I realized immediately what Gianna meant by it using up a lot of energy. Right when I conjured up the shield the first time, I felt my energy levels decreasing quickly. In total, I had the shield up for about seven seconds before I had to let it down. I passed out a few times, as well. By the end of my session, I was only able to hold the shield up for about thirty seconds.

I was disheartened and frustrated by the end of the session. I hated not being able to master a spell in one sitting. But just as with other difficult spells like the shield spell, I knew it would take me several tries. Most offensive battle spells were fairly manageable and I understood and mastered them quickly. But other spells were trickier. And this was most definitely one of them.

I was so weakend from my training that I had to go to my room for a bit and just lie down to recollect my energy. I was weary and dizzy and I felt extremely nauseous. Gerrard walked in after about a half hour with a glass of an electric blue drink. It was called Electrite and it was supposed to be a sort of supplemental drink that restored energy reserves. It was tangy and always ice cold, even though it was at room temperature.

"How was training?" he asked.

"I feel sick," I replied. He helped me sit up and put the glass to my lips. I couldn't see straight I was so weak. I felt like vomiting. But when the burning coolness of the liquid went down my throat, I felt revitalized almost immediately.

"Force fields are difficult. I had trouble with them when I was learning, too," he said to me. I downed the rest of the drink and leaned back against the headboard. I was still tired, but at least I didn't have the sickening feeling in my stomach anymore.

"Better?" he asked.

"A bit," I said hoarsely. He leaned against the headboard next to me and I rested my head on his shoulder, my eyes closed.

"You have to make sure you find time to practice the other spells you've learned, Caley. It wasn't a big difference, but since we last saw you, you've gotten a bit weaker. You need to find ways to keep your energy levels up. We need you to be strong," Gerrard said, stroking my hair.

"I know. I'll just have to convince my friends to come to the gym with me," I said.

"Caley..." Gerrard said after a few moments of silence.

"Mmm?"

"You need to be careful about your friends. You don't want to get too attached to them," he said cautiously. Now I opened my eyes. I turned so that I was looking at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"What I mean is that at this point, war is inevitable and a lot of people are going to get involved. Friends are a distraction. If you get too close, it'll be harder when you lose them," he answered. My gaze turned stony.

"When I lose them? Don't you mean if I lose them?" I asked, my voice hard. He shook his head.

"You think the people you call your friends will want to call themselves that once they find out who you actually are and what you're trying to do?" he replied.

I felt my heart beat loudly in my chest.

He was right. I hadn't thought about it at all until he brought it up. What would Abbey and Lance and Trey think of me once I revealed who I truly was and what I was doing? They would never forgive me. They would never support me. They would choose the good side, my father's side. They would never join me on Elijah's side. Losing my friends would be inevitable.

But my friends were one matter. Would I be able to stand losing Trey?

I felt a shudder run down my spine just thinking about it. I decided to push the matter to the back of my mind. I didn't want to think about it just yet. When the time came to deal with it, I would figure it out. Right now, I needed to focus on my training.

"I think I should go back now," I said to Gerrard. He nodded and we got up to leave.

                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~

                                                      Trey's POV

I walked towards the administrative office buildings that were between the South and East campuses. I had my second meeting with Dean Lucia today.

Earlier, I had told Caley that I had some errands to run. She told me she was busy, as well, but didn't tell me what she was up to. It bothered me a little that we both seemed to be keeping secrets from each other. As I walked, I wondered what it was that she was busy with.

I entered the Dean's building and was met with a blast of cold air. I shivered and cursed the school for having the air conditioning on so high. It definitely wasn't that cold out; it was really unnecessary.

The Dean's building was, in a word, elegant. The floors were made sleek tiled black and beige granite that was arranged to form geometric diamonds all over. The walls were painted a dark brown. In the lobby, where the secretary sat, was a shiny wooden desk. There were wooden stairs that led up to where the dean's office was on the left side, going up and then disappearing in a turn.

"How can I help you?" the secretary, whose name was Natasha, asked.

"I'm here to see Dean Lucia," I told her.

"Name?" she asked, pulling out a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it.

"Trey Vulcan," I answered. She ran her finger down a list of names and stopped at mine.

"There you are. You can go ahead on up," she said, highlighting my name with a yellow marker to cross me off of the list. I thanked her and walked up the stairs.

There were two turns before I got to the second level. On the second floor, there was a narrow landing that led to a door. The door was made out of a heavy, dark-stained oakwood. Mounted onto it was a brass knocker that was in the shape of a fleur de lis. I knocked on the door using this. Without a response, the door opened of its own accord. I stood at the entrance, a little surprised at what I saw before me.

The dean's office was expansive. It was enormous. The floors were made of a smooth, textured tile and the walls were painted a light cream color. There were enormous windows that stretched high into the ceiling. The ceiling itself was domed and made entirely out of colorful stained glass that made the image of a glowing orange sun. In front of the farthest large window was the dean's desk. It faced away from the window, but there was a swivel chair. Since TUM was located in a mountain range, the view was absolutely spectacular.

Dean Lucia was standing by those windows, a shadowy silohouette against the tall windows. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring silently out the window.

The dean to me seemed like a very deep and intellectual man. He seemed to have gone through a lot, losing his wife and then having to deal with Caley's mood swings. On top of that, he was the dean of several different schools. He had a lot of work cut out for him and I held a great respect for him because of that.

"Trey. It has been a while. I'm glad you could make it," Dean Lucia said, not looking at me.

"I wouldn't have missed it, sir," I replied. He turned towards me now and gave me a small smile.

I was taken aback at how much he seemed to have aged. His appearance was more or less the same as before, but his eyes looked as if they'd seen a thousand years. He was weary and tired and it was blatantly evident that he was filled with sorrow.

"I told you to call me Michael," he said. I nodded.

"Right. Sorry," I replied. He shook his head and walked towards his desk. He gestured to the seats in front of the desk and I sat.

"I must apologize for not meeting with you again after that first meeting. We have waited much too long to start these lessons. The fault is entirely my own," he said to me.

"In all honesty, the last part of the semester was pretty hectic for me and I'm sure it was the same for you, as well," I replied. He nodded.

"With that being said, we should probably begin your training," he said.

"All right," I agreed, nodding my head.

"You remember what I told you last time?" he asked. I nodded.

"I'll be doing extra magic to train myself to be a better and more able leader," I answered.

"I'm glad you remembered," he said. "I feel as if I should begin this lesson with why exactly you need to learn these skills," he began. "I'm not sure if you've heard anything from your parents, especially from your father, but there is a stirring in the magical world," he said.

"I haven't heard anything, really. I guess the only thing that's off that I've heard of is that the Ministry is undergoing some strict changes and that it's affecting a lot of people," I replied. Michael nodded.

"Yes, this is true. The Ministry is beginning to take extra precautions to make sure that its employees are not guilty of any previous crimes. This includes doing and in most cases, re-doing background checks. This time, however, the checks are far more absolute, which is bothersome to most," he informed me.

"Can I ask why the Ministry is doing this?" I asked.

"Because, as I said, there is a stirring in the magical world. There have been several reports of dark magic being done and we're afraid that war may end up being inevitable," he replied.

"There's going to be a war?" I asked, leaning back in my seat, feeling shocked.

"You'll learn in your history courses here about something called the Trinity Wars. A long, long while ago, when the magical government was first established, something called the Trinity of Magic was created. Do you know what the Trinity of Magic is?" he said.

I furrowed my brow, trying to recollect if I'd heard of it or not. I was pretty sure it was mentioned briefly in my history class in high school, but I couldn't remember for sure.

"I think I've heard of it, but I don't remember what exactly it was about," I answered.

"We don't have enough time to go into too much detail, but basically, the Trinity government was formed because there needed to be an establishment for the Magii that implemented rules that kept those with magical power from abusing it. From this, the Trinity was made. You have no doubt seen signs of the Trinity around you. It was the crest of Trinity High and of this university. It is made up of the sword, the branch, and the staff. The sword represents power. The staff represents magic. And the branch represents peace," Michael explained.

"The Trinity withheld that magic and power must come together in order to keep peace between the Magii and the mortal humans. After the Trinity was established, however, another interpretation arose. It was that in order to keep peace, magical power must be used. This, of course, was a severe abuse of the Trinity law. However, the other interpretation continued to exist and more and more people began to agree with it. That led to the first Trinity war. Those of us who believe in the first interpretation were on one side and the others, the ones who believed in using magic for evil, were on the other," he continued.

"Every few centuries, a Trinity war comes about, leaving devastation upon the magical and mortal worlds. It's been less than a century since the last one, which is why this war is even more alarming," he said.

"So, there's going to be another Trinity war?" I asked. Michael nodded. I let out a long sigh.

"So that's why I need to train? You want me to help lead our side? The good side?" I questioned.

"Precisely," Michael replied. "I led the movement for the last war and I need to train someone so that they can carry on teaching others after I'm gone. I'm getting old, and although Magii live longer than normal human beings, I won't be around forever. I'm getting weaker and I'm aging and I make mistakes. That is why it is important to have someone new and young and I see a lot of potential in you, Trey," he said.

I felt like a heavy weight had just been set on my shoulders. How could I, a young man not even of twenty years, lead a whole movement to war? How would I be a leader? How would I be able to convince people to follow and believe me?

"I know you may be having doubts as to your abilities as a leader, Trey, but you should know that I would have never chosen you unless I was completely sure of your capabilities," he said.

I really didn't know what to think. On the one hand, I completely disagreed with the dean. I was definitely not skilled enough to be a leader during a war. If the war was on the forefront like the dean was making it sound, that meant I had very little time to train and build up my magical abilities. I knew zero defensive spells, let alone battle spells. Hell, I could barely clear my mind long enough to focus on even a basic spell.

But on the other hand, Dean Lucia was extremely knowledgeable. If he felt that this was a task that I could do, then surely he was right and surely I could do it.

I still had a dreaded feeling in the pit of my stomach, but I complied, and told the dean I was ready to take on the challenge. Besides, I couldn't let down my girlfriend's father.

"Trust me when I say this, but you are making the right decision," he told me. I nodded, wishing I could believe him as wholly as he wanted me to.

"So how am I supposed to train?" I asked him.

"For starters, I'm going to give you a daily routine of exercises that you must do everyday. I need you to build up your strength and endurance. You will begin to do this anyway during your classes, but I need you to get a head start. So what you must do is run at least three miles a day. If you can, run more than that, but at the very least you must run three. Additionally, you need to work out and lift weights. Utilize the school's recreation center. Getting in shape is the first step," he told me.

"While you do this, it would be smart to also practice controlling your mind. You need to focus on concentrating and shutting other forces out of your mind. This will also be very important in your training and you must begin right away, starting today, right after I finish telling you what you are to do," he continued.

"After that, you will learn defensive spells and then battle spells once you are ready. Along the way, I will teach you ways to be more relateable and charismatic, so that you can be an excellent leader. Do you understand?" he finished.

"Yes, I understand," I said.

"Good. I have nothing else to say to you, so what I want you to do now is sit and relax and focus your mind completely on just one thing in this room. Once you have done that, you may leave," he said. I nodded.

He got up and left his office, leaving me alone in the enormous room.

Now all I had to do was focus.

This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

                                                            End of Trey's POV

__________________________________________________________________

A/N: Quite a bit going on in this chapter. I really wanted to use this chapter to give you insight as to what's going on in the world outside of the shelter of their school lives. I hope you get the sense of what's going on in terms of the conflict.

I'm going to try harder to incorporate outside events into this story. For example, I'm going to definitely play up the Blackwood/Long thing and the problems in the Ministry.

Let me know how this chapter was and if you liked the layout of it. I wanted to show how completely different Caley's training is from Trey's, but at the same time, how similar they are.

Leave me a comment! And please vote!

XOXO