The World Unknown
Chapter Three
Peculiar Abilities

I opened my eyes to find myself asleep on the slide at the playground in the Chamberlay park.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around, when did I fall asleep? I couldn't remember a thing.

Standing up, I had another look around.

Why was I here?

I tried to remember if I had drunk or done anything prior to arriving here, perhaps I had blacked out? If I did, this hangover didn't feel as bad as people made them out to be.

I decided to have a walk around the park for a few minutes to see if anything would come back to me. I couldn't remember the date, and looking up at the cloudy sky, I couldn't exactly guess the time of day either.

As I got near the trees, I got this strange feeling that told me to stay away. So I did. I decided to walk away and make my way home. Maybe there would be a clue there.

However, as I walked towards the parking lot, everything began to get fuzzy around me, I couldn't understand why. The sky and the ground all began to blend into the same shades of grey and everything just felt off but I didn't know what.

I continued to walk, but as I continued doing so, I came to find the world around me was all disappearing and turning white entirely. It made my head hurt immensely the further I walked, until suddenly -

I felt my body was stiff and opening my eyes hurt because it felt as if there was some sort of bright light right above me.

"When will she be walking up?" Asked a voice.

"I'll wake her once the others arrive." Said another, which I was able to discern was the voice of Gage Noxx himself.

"Can't you give her a few minutes to recollect herself?" I head someone ask, that someone was clearly Vlad.

"You should consider yourself fortunate we Protectors haven't the ability to expel you without the permission of the headmaster you pathetic idiot." Gage shot back, "and the five of you all knew about this nongifted and thought it wise not to tell us?" He turned his attention to who I assumed was Alfred, Matthew, Amber, Lovino, and Toni.

"Gage, please." Alfred tried to reason.

"That's Sir to you." Gage hissed, "I am a Protector, am I not?"

"There's no need to call me Sir." Alfred snickered, causing Amber and Vlad to laugh quietly,

"ENOUGH!" Gage shouted, "Don't you bunch of fools understand the severity of your crimes?"

"Please, we do! At least I know I do!" Lovino sneered, "We were chasing the thing down to try to take it to you so you could erase its memory!"

"This nongifted is a human, Lovino, not an 'it.'" Gage hissed, "And you realise if that is so, then you managed to not only be outrun by a nongifted,  but you would've lost her entirely if it had not been for Bliss's sight?"

"Wait what?" Toni asked, jerking his head, "Bliss saw her?"

I felt the feeling come back in my fingertips and I began trying to move my fingers around,.

"Not really your top concern right now, is it, Antonio?" Gage asked disapprovingly.

"No, Sir." He mumbled.

"Look. Once Bliss, and the others get here, I'll let you lot tell them your story, then we will decide what punishment you're all worthy of." He huffed.

I stretched my fingers out on the hard surface I was laying on as they continued talking and pressed my palms on the surface. I then put all my energy into trying to sit up. Eventually, I did, it was upon sitting up that all my energy seemed to find me once again like magic and I felt normal again.

"Hey!" Vlad exclaimed as his eyes met mine.

Gage turned towards me with a frown but he still managed to look surprised, "You're up."

"Why am I still here? I just want to go home." I said, feeling insecure.

Vlad walked over to me, passing Gage stood beside me with a funny grin on his face, and across the room, everyone was leaning against the wall just watching me in a shared confusion.

"You'll go home soon enough, all of you will just have to wait here until the others are available. Bliss knows the obviation spell and so she'll take care of you." Gage responded, "Then you'll be free to go home."

Vlad seemed to be conflicted by that statement, "But wait, she was able to wake up from a sleeping spell just now, you are witnessed it! That has to be some sign of magic? Right?"

"You can't just pull at strings, Vladimir, she's not one of us or she would have been requested to attend this school." Gage answered, "Besides, you know the law."

I had heard about their law before, but it still frustrated me, I couldn't understand what kind of law this was that demanded if you didn't have magical abilities, your mind was to be erased.

Amber shared my look of confusion, or perhaps it was pity I was seeing, "Gage, what if she promised to keep quiet about us? Can't she just keep her memories?"

"She's returning home, of what use would it be to her to remember this day? To remember that she was about to be killed by an Illendotter if not for Vladimir's advanced, but still illegal ability to teleport without a wand. Honestly tell me what use to her everyday life would this memory serve her?"

He was going to leave it at that, but Alfred looked like he was about to speak, so he doubled down, "It's pointless for her to remember a world she's got no role in. She won't be returning."

His words were cold. Seeing the slight smirk on Lovino's face however, not everyone thought so.

"Why do we have to be so quiet about our existence and abilities?" Amber blurted out.

It seemed to be this question that lead Gage to let down his walls a little, he frowned, "To prevent any drastic and unnecessary bloodshed from the fearful, pathetic, hateful humans." He spat.

As soon as he spoke, he realized what he said and his look changed to a sympathetic one, "I'm not saying it's right. I'm just doing my part as a Protector and ensuring others don't end up in the pit for breaking the law under my watch."

Once again, Gage's blue eyes fell down for a while as we all sat in silence.

I turned over towards Vladimir who looked somewhat conflicted, he leaned over and whispered in the quiet room so as to not allow any one else to listen in, "I for one, think you just might be magical, ________."

"I don't understand why."

"Gage had you under a sleeping spell, those usually last around two days, but you came out of it really quickly. About fifteen minutes quickly, _______."

"I don't even remember how I did it, he perhaps messed up when he cast his spell." I said lamely thinking back.

"Regardless, I don't know much about you yet, ______." He spoke as he leaned in closer while staring in my eyes and put a hand on my shoulder, "but my name is Vladimir Lupei and it was an pleasure to meet you."

Once he finished, he leaned back again and broke our eye contact, "Well..." I began awkwardly, "I'm _______ ________, but you lot already seem to know that."

"I just heard Gage use your first name when he was scolding us earlier, I don't know how he got it though." He took in a deep breath and glanced back at Gage then at me, "Maybe I am pulling at strings... I think there's something magical in you that you don't know yet."

"If I were magical, I'd be going here apparently. You know this."

"No, I know that's the rule, but maybe... I dunno, what if--"

He had lost his thought suddenly as we all felt the ground suddenly rumble loudly. Lovino who wasn't leaning on the wall like the others even lost his balance and fell foreword while on the bookshelves, some items which weren't secured, came tumbling down.

The rumbling disappeared as quickly as it came and Gage rose his wand and waved it towards the called books, immediately they all flew back up into their positions on the shelf.

"What was that?" Alfred asked.

"That," began Gage, "must've been Noir."

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I'm personally a really big fan of magical stuff, I'm working on the next part, hope you're as excited as meeeee :")