The Aura Wake Series

~Outside Avalon City, 5 hours after the conclusion of the Mage's games.~

*standing there is a male Erinn elf in his early twenties. He has ashen gray hair that is long and tied back in a ponytail while his bangs and some shorter parts of his hair hand loosely. He is wearing a gray mage's robe trimmed in red with a red shirt. His pants are gray cloth just like his robes. He is wearing iron gauntlets on his hands and iron boots on his feet with iron shin guards. His eyes are deep crimson and on his head is a dark gray broad-rimmed wizard's hat. He smiles carelessly as he walks towards the Magics District*

???: Well, looks like I'm home. Time to check out the College!

~The College of Avalon, Mess Hall~

*there is a huge celebration taking place. Food of all kinds is being served. Music plays loudly. Students dance and cheer and sing. And on top of all of it is the members of Aura Wake. Noah is over talking to the Arch Mage. Ai is getting hit on by some of the College students, only to have her blush so wildly that her glasses steam up and steam comes out from her ears. Mercer is attacking a giant pile of food with a sign at the top that says "For Mercer". On a communications crystal, Shuriken is talking to Aero, congratulating her on her win. Suddenly, a loud alarm starts blaring*

Alarm: ATTENTION CITIZENS OF AVALON CITY! ATTENTION CITIZENS OF AVALON CITY! WE ARE NOW IN CODE ASHCROFT! I REPEAT! WE ARE NOW IN CODE ASHCROFT!

Mercer: *the sound startles him so much he nearly has a heart attack as he falls off the pile of food* GAH! *crash!* ARE WE UNDER ATTACK!? IS THE BLACKWALD FIVE ATTACKING TO TAKE REVENGE?!

Ai: *she looks around, startled*

Noah: Arch Mage, what is the meaning of this?!

Savanos: Simple, Noah. The strongest mage in Aura Wake has returned.

Noah, Ai, and Mercer: THE STRONGEST MAGE?!

Rex: *he jumps down from a rafter and cushions his landing with a small burst of sound* Yeah! He's the only mage in the College from the planet Erinn! He's an elf! His name is Ashcroft, the only X-rank in all of Aura Wake!

Noah: Is he strong?

Rex: IS HE STRONG?! THE MAN IS A RAGING VOLCANO! He uses a type of magic that he himself came up with by merging Erinn Magic with Mobian Magic. Its called Burst Magic.

Mercer: What does it do exactly?

Rex: You'll find out. Lets go watch the Code be put into effect!

*the group runs out to the entrance to the College. The sight is unbelievable. The entire city is encased in the same magic glass that protects the College except for a tunnel that leads from the College entrance straight through to the other side of the city where the entrance to the city is. Walking down the tunnel towards the College is the elf in gray.*

Rex: See, Ashcroft is really absent-minded. And his magic is that he releases his aura and the mana in the air causes anything that his aura touches to explode violently in a flash of flames and energy. Its the ultimate magic. If he wanted to, he could destroy a whole planet in a flash. But, he has to keep his mind focused on keeping his aura under control. He can do this subconsciously, but if his mind wanders too much, boom! There goes a town house in his path!

Noah: ._. no way.....

Mercer: Now that's power!

Ai: Such destructive force....I didn't think anybody could be that strong!

Noah: Is he stronger than you, Rex?

Rex: Yep. And Morpheus. And Salem. All three of us combined couldn't even take him.

Noah: No way...Wait....If he can destroy anything, why hasn't the College been destroyed by him?!

Rex: Because the Arch Mage uses a special ward that renders his explosions ineffective in the College. Its really specific. Took the Arch Mage ten years to master it!

Noah: How long has Ashcroft been away from the College?

Savanos: *he appears next to Noah* Five years....he left at age 19 to take care of a 10 year mission. He completed it in half the time, as I am told by the client.

Noah: A TEN YEAR MISSION IN FIVE YEARS?!

Mercer: No wonder he's the strongest...

Ashcroft: *he walks up to the College and smiles warmly* I'm home, Arch Mage.

Savanos: *he steps forward and shakes Ashcroft's hand* Welcome home, Ashcroft. We were just in the middle of celebrating. Ashcroft, these are Noah, Mercer, Ai, and Aero. They worked with Rex and won the Mage's Games. They are also full-fledged members of Aura Wake.

Ashcroft: They are? And so young! They must be real strong then! Nice to meet all of you!

*an Adept from Dark Rune runs out*

Adept: Arch Mage, you have a visitor. She wishes to apply for a job as a teacher. She told me to tell you "The Memory Mage sent me.".

Savanos: Right. I'll go to my office straight away. Students, you can acquaint yourselves with Ashcroft. I will be in my office if you need me. *he warps away*

Rex: ASHCROFT! *he charges forward, sound on his fist* FIGHT ME!

Ashcroft: You never learn, do you Rex? *he blocks Rex's fist with one hand and flips Rex over by using his one arm to juggle Rex over his back and fling him into the ground behind him*

Rex: *he coughs as the wind is knocked out of him when he lands and starts laughing* THAT'S ASHCROFT! ALWAYS SUPER STRONG!

Sparkai: *She is waiting is the Arch Mage's Study*Hello sir~ I was hoping there was an opening for a teacher here?

Aero: Its a pleasure to Meet you. So, your from Errin?

Savanos: Ah, yes. I was told that you are looking for a teaching position here at the College. Well, since we study magic and Erinn's history is steeped in magic, and since the Memory Mage sent you, then we could use a professor on Erinn culture and magics at our college. Welcome aboard, Miss?

Ashcroft: Indeed I am. Name's Ashcroft. Born in Filia and taught magic by the best human mage on Erinn. Then I came to this galaxy when I was exploring. So, I tried the magic here and found a way to merge the two types into one powerful magic. My Burst Magic can't be deflected or defended. And you are who, if I may ask?

Noah: I'm Noah Marcusson, Atronach Battle Mage.

Mercer: Mercer Law, Warlock.

Ai: Ai Sendo, Support Mage!

Sparki: Mrs. Sparkai. :3

Aero: Aero Lamanto; Battle Mage.

Savanos: Then a warm and hearty welcome to you, Mrs. Sparkai.

Ashcroft: so this is the new face of Aura Wake? I gotta say, the Arch Mage may be on to something with this one. Anyway, thanks for the warm welcome, kids. I'm gonna look forward to hanging out here for a few days.

~The Next Day, in the new Classroom in Section 5 of the College~

Noah: So this is the new class that we have to take?

Mercer: Its a history class....I hate history class. Too many pop quizzes. I always get zeros.

Ai: But Mercer-kun, That's because you can't read or write in Mobian or Iciaurian. You can only read and write in demonic...

Rex: Well, I think this is gonna be a kick-ass class! I hear there's even a new teacher for this one!

*into the room walks Ashcroft, who simply leans against a wall to watch the class*

Ashcroft: The new teacher....I hear she's from Erinn....

Sparkai: *she has her name written on the board; Sparkai Whitman. She looks up from behind the desk and smiles at the incoming class. As the last students take their seats, Sparkai Stands up.* Greetings. First off, I don't care if you call me Sparkai, or Mrs. Whitman. Second off, If you think you don't need to know history, you're dead wrong. This class is called "History of Erinn. So sit back, shut up, and allow me to teach. *she looks around the room and is greeted by dead slience.* Good. Now Listen up. I am an Alchemist, not a mage. I will not tolerate misuse of magic, whether it be pure or synthetic. Now let us begin. *she walks to the board, and begins to write;

Today's lesson: History of Erinn's Magic.

Noah: *he and Ai take out their notebooks and pencils. They had never heard of Erinn until Rex brought it up at the Mage's games during Ai's fight with Stein. So, they were pretty interested.*

Mercer: *he crosses his arms and sits back. Even though he couldn't read or write, he had an amazing memory. He would be able to remember the entire lesson.*

Rex: *he takes his earphones off and also takes out a pencil and paper. IF he could find out Erinn's history, then he might just be able to find a weakness in Ashcroft's magic! Then he could finally beat Ashcroft.*

Ashcroft: *he smirks at Sparkai. He knew very well who she was* I wonder how my old master is doing....

Sparkai: The world of Erinn was founded around 2,000 years ago by beings known as Fomorians. They were a peaceful race; using their magic to enhance their production and crop growth. The fomorians were led by a powerful being known as Cichol. These fomorians live a peaceful life until about 500 years later, until the Tuatha de Danann arrived. The Tuatha de were agressive, horrible people. They tried forcing the Fomorians out of their land, which triggered the First Battle of Mag Turied. The fomorians couldn't fight back; they never used ther magic for offensive reasons.

The Tuatha de's leader, Nuadha, managed to harbor a deal with Cichol. So from that moment on, The Tuatha de ruled over the Fomorians, with a harsh ruling.

As time went by, the Fomorians had been developing their magic, advancing it further the the Tuatha de could ever imagine! The fomorians were ready to strike back when another group of settlers had arrived. They too were peaceful, but they had done their share of fighting in the past. The Milletians. With the help of this newcoming group, the Fomorians were able to take back what was theirs, through the Second Battle of Mag Turied.

Nuadha, however, wouldn't go down so easily. He arranged an attack on the Fomorians, but Cichol was one step ahead of him. Cichol had made a pact with a small tribe known as Fir Bolg. Because of this, Nuadha lost an arm, which was later replaced with an arm of silver. To this day, Fomorians, Tuatha De, and the Milletians, still exist. And their magic advancing, slower then in the past, but still advancing. The Milletian and Tuatha de live together in peace, but the Fomorians still try to rid erinn of both of those groups. *Sparkai pauses for a bit.* Are there any questions so far?

Mercer: *he raises his hand* If Erinn is so secluded in their galaxy, how have elves, giants, and humans from that planet gotten into our galaxy? I mean, I heard interplanetary space travel via ships was impossible between Erinn and the Mobius System?

Sparkai: That is correct. On Erinn, we travel Via Moongates and Mana Tunnels. The Moongates are only usable at night and can only be found in Uladh. The Mana Tunnels are useable in the day, and are found in Iria.

There are specialty portals that allow us to travel between galaxies, but they can be a hassle to find. there are a few of us who managed to work out a sort of... schedule for these portals.

Noah: *he raises his hand* In this galaxy, we access magical power in the form of Aura that is found in our bodies and recharges over time. Through training, we can increase our Aura capacity so we can cast more powerful spells. How does Erinn magic work?

Sparkai: Here, you use your aura. On Erinn, you use your mana. BUT on Erinn, you only have so much. when its gon, you must either wait for it to slowly return to you, drink a special poition, or sit by a Mana Tunnel.

Ai: *she raises her hand* What is Erinn like? I've never read about it, so I have no idea....

Sparkai: Erinn is a vast world, full of oppurtunity. There is the Snowy region of Vales, where the Giants reside. The hot, dry deserts of Filia where the elves are, and the lush green hills of Uladh, where the hunames are. To get from one continent to another, everyone has a special ability known as Continent Warp. they envision themselves on the other continent, and they teleport there.
Aero: *she raises her hand* Can you tell us about the mages there? What are they like?
Sparkai: *she sighs deeply* There are only a small handfull of Mages left on Erinn.
Aero: Why's that?
Sparkai: Magic whas how everything got done. Until someone came up with a simpler yet more eficient way... Alchemy. The battle to see what was better took a turn for the worst, when a magic spell went wrong, killing many innocent people. From then on, Magic was deemed misused and highly dangerous. Anyone caught using it of is suspected of being a mage will be arrested and has the strong possibility of being sentenced to death. After this got around, many mages turned in their wands and staves for cylinders and dry ovens... There are still several mages out there who fight for the rights of magic including the greatest mage to ever be born; The Memory Mage.

Ashcroft: *he hears that name and smirks* My old teacher....

Noah: Ashcroft, you know the Memory Mage?

Ashcroft: Know her? Yeah, I do. And let me tell you, she can have quite the temper. Sparkai, could I make a suggestion? Perhaps we should take Aura Wake to Erinn? Show them how things on the other side really are!

Sparkai: Excellent Idea. Come with me then.

Noah: *he and the others along with Ashcroft follow Sparkai. All except for Rex.*

Rex: I wish I could go, but the Arch Mage gave me a mission for after class. I'm going with Master Crimson on this one. I'll see you all later, okay? *he runs off down the hall while Noah, Ai, Aero, Mercer, and Ashcroft follow Sparkai.*

Sparkai: *she leads them through a portal. They appear behind a church of the busy Merchant town, Dunbarton* Welcome to Dunbarton. This is the merchant capital of Erinn.

Noah: *he looks around, intrigued by the bustling city* Wow....It might not be as advanced as Avalon City, but still this place is beautiful!

Mercer: *he looks at Noah and his eyes widen* Noah! If magic is outlawed, then we need to hide your staff!

Noah: Oh! Right! *he presses a switch on the staff and it compresses into a small cylinder which he stores in mage's pack*

Ai: *she looks across the street at the market* So many people...

Ashcroft: Its because Dunbarton is the trading capital of Erinn. People from far and wide come here to trade, buy items, set up shops, or even just to meet up. There are also various guilds here that hire adventurers to deal with monsters, obtain items, and discover artifacts.

*As they walk through Dunbarton, they come to a destroyed school.*
Aero: What is this place?
Sparkai: This is er...... WAS the Dunbarton Magic School. You can see what happened after magic was banned.
Aero: *she looks around and sees several guards surrounding a girl. Her right hand was mempty, but her left head a weird looking "cane"* Whats going on?! Shouldn't we help her?
Sparkai: No. Just watch... I've seen her around, and she knows how to get out of things. *She smirks and looks at Ashcroft signaling to him to not reveal who she is* Sadly I dont know who she is...

Guard 1: You are under arrest for suspicion of being a mage. Come with us.
Girl: *she waves her empty hand in front of her face; steel blue eyes.* Why are you accusing me? In case you haven't noticed... I'M BLIND.
Guard 2: No excuse. That cane you have. Where did you get it?
Girl: *she speaks with a lazy air, as if she's been through this on multiple occasions.* This was an heirloom passed down for generations on my mother's side.
Guard 1: *he growls at the girl, who is smirking happily* Fine! You're free to go. Next time, you're finished. Hear me?!
Girl: Yeah yeah... *she turns away and walks past the Aura Wake. Her steel blue eyes change back to there original red as she looks at the group. She whispers as she walks past* Hello.... mages.

Noah: *his eyes widen* How did she-

Ashcroft: Don't say anything about that. Just know that she's a friend.

Mercer: If she's a mage like us, then she's good at hiding it, crafty tidbit....

Ai: I bet she's strong...

Ashcroft: Sparkai, what's our next move?

Sparkai: Well, we need to get you aquainted with the towns. *she points to Ai* Quick! Pick a direction!

Ai: @_@ um um um.....south!

Sparkai: Mining town it is! *she looks at a small mechanism on her wrist.*Ohohoho! What luck! the moongates go there tonight!
Aero: The moongates only go to one place a night?
Sparkai: Correct. Soon, us alch will be able to modify them so they are exactly like mana tunnels, only without mana regeneration and only being usable at night.

Noah: then what are we standing around here for? Lets go check it out!

Mercer: A mining town, eh? I once lived in one with a friend. Lets go, tidbits!

Ai: Lead the way, Sparkai-sensei....