My heart sank as I walked out of the library. One, I had to leave Ivy’s side yet again. I waved goodbye to her as I turned the corner. Two, why does Justus Amin want me in his office? Did I piss off the Keepers? Was this about the last duel that was supposed to take place in 2 days? 

My feet felt like lead as people watched me walk down the hallway. Their hands up to their mouths, whispering to each other. Great, now the whole academy knows I am in the middle of some academy drama or something. I turned another corner and walked up the long spiral staircase to the second floor. You would think they would install an elevator, but no, they have to be “classic” and “grand”. 

I made it up the staircase onto the second floor. Thankfully, that is where the Vice Principal Keeper’s office was 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 navigated my way through the second floor until I found the hallway that led to the office.

My footsteps echoed throughout the large, empty hall. The walls and floor had black tiles lined with gold. 

The floor was so shiny it reflected my face like a mirror. I knocked on the door of the office and waited patiently. As the door swung open, I immediately felt a shift of tension in the atmosphere for a moment. What stood before me was a tall man in a suit with a dignified and powerful sense of aura. I held my breath for a moment, feeling like if I made one wrong move, I would be toast. 

“Welcome in Nico! Please have a seat,” Justus Amin said to me warmly.

He walked back to his desk and sat down in his black leather chair. After remembering I could move my limbs, I sat down in one of the two chairs facing the desk. “We will be having an important discussion,” Justus said to me in a grave tone. 

“Discussion about what?”, I asked with a tone of aggression while standing up from my seat. Justus’s aura changed into something dangerous, yet very controlled. I felt oddly at ease though because I sensed this cautiousness was 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 is telling me this mysterious man has a lot of layers to him. It is telling me that there is a lot more than meets the eye and I am about to find out some of what that mystery is in this very moment. 

I hold my breath in anticipation.

“Amara.”

Amara? I say to myself inside my head. Almost immediately, my head started throbbing, and I quickly sat down in the chair in slight agony. Flashing scenes of the familiar face of a woman flashed into my mind. In one scene, this woman was reading me bedtime stories and another time she was cooking food in the kitchen in my house.

The flashing scenes continued in my head for a good few seconds before shutting off quickly. I held my head in my hands, not being able to say a single word except. 

“Mom?” 

I whisper in a hollow voice. 

Justus grimly nodded to me while saying, “She was your loving mother. I am surprised your mental abilities could 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 pointed at my heart with determination, and he looked 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 my kind, you will receive training from me.”, he said with a grave tone.

This wave of information kept 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 raised his hand into the air, which made me shut up because I did not want to be vaporized into a million pieces by any chance. I knew this guy was incredibly dangerous and mysterious. If he was truly on Nico’s side and if he knew about him in the past, maybe it was better to keep him on his 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 am sharp. I promise to answer some of your questions, then.”, he told me. 

My mind and heart were still in shock from all the information I learned within the past ten minutes. I could do nothing except nod and walk out of the office like a ghost. My soul and body drifted back to my dorm. I did not care that it was still early in the evening. I crawled into my bed and curled up into a ball. 

Amara? Mom? All I remember about my parents is their faces in my mind. Their names were foggy at most in my mind, but my memories of them never seemed to materialize. I assumed my parents just never cared about 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 thought I wouldn’t care about the truth, but the truth matters the most to me. 

These thoughts ran through my mind as I cried myself to sleep.