A Trip Down Memory Lane!

JASMINE had always tried to follow her instincts, not just in the field, but in all areas of her life. They had kept her alive since she came here, and right now, her instincts were telling her that Ryan was going to get her killed.

It wasn't like her to be so parochial about someone, despite his flaws he was a competent enough combatant, deadly even, but for some reason, the fact that she just couldn't stand him was distressingly evident. Maybe it was because he had dropped a building on her and left her for dead, although that had been an accident and he had apologized for that.

Now, in spite of her uncharacteristic disdain for Ryan, Keeper Stephanie had paired the two of them up together and sent them venturing to one of the most dangerous places on earth. What could possibly go wrong?

As Jasmine got to the ranger dorms, she bumped into a small mob of rangers.

"That Reins kid was quite something last night," Jason, one of the senior rangers said, "he really held his own in the thick of it."

"I'm not so sure about him, " another said "I heard what happened to Rasheed while trying to save him, and Melody is still in the ICU, it doesn't look like she'll wake up anytime soon, all because of him."

Another guy added, "Maybe she's letting her attachment to him get in the way."

"Watch what you say about the Keeper," another warned, "You don't want to be disrespecting 'Lady Vulcanika'."

"Now guys I think we should give him a chance," another girl said in Ryan's defense, "I mean, it's not like he planned for all this to happen. Plus, imagine what it must be like for him."

"Are we even sure he's a Reins? He's a magik dud, who can only misfire." another commented, "Not to mention that weird sword of his, no one normal would have that much chaos element with them. What's even worse is that the Keeper let him keep it."

"What're you guys doing gossiping like a bunch of schoolgirls?" Jasmine snapped, drawing their attention.

"Jasmine" Jason called, "what did the Keeper want to see you about?"

"I've got a mission, with Ryan," she emphasized that last part so that they knew she had heard them, "the Keeper wouldn't be happy to hear you badmouthing her nephew,"

"She shouldn't be sending a dud rookie out on assignment," one of the others said, "maybe we could talk to the Keeper, get her to reconsider sending him out with you?"

Jasmine scoffed, "Keeper Stephanie isn't one to let others change her mind, it's one of her few flaws," she said with folded arms, "and she's made it clear that I'm stuck with Ryan for the time being."

"Who knows, maybe he could turn out to be of use in the field?" the girl from before offered

"Maybe," Jasmine sighed, "he's definitely good in a fight, I'll give him that,"

"What's your take on him, Jasmine?" Jason asked,

"He's an idiot," Jasmine stated, "but then, so was Lily when she first started out, now look at her,"

The group chuckled, "He rubs me the wrong way, but I don't really think he's a threat to us." Jasmine admitted, "Besides, he's a Reins, so like it or not, his name carries some serious weight."

"That's harsh but fair," the girl said

"Well Aubrey, I'm not exactly going to be kind in my critical analysis," Jasmine stated

"Don't let that golden glare fool you," Jason smirked, playfully nudging her side, "Jasmine here is a real softie,"

"And Jason has been known to actually make sense on occasion," Jasmine said, returning the smirk,

"You're just mad you don't get to go with Diana, and are instead stuck with the rookie," another joked as Jasmine walked towards the stairs

"Well we were all rookies at one point in our lives," Jasmine retorted, not looking back, "I know I sure as hell was."

Leaving the group of laughing rangers behind, her smile melted away. As she walked towards her room, her mind drifted to before she came to the Argus, the worst time of her life.

… )]≥( …

Several Years Earlier

Young Jasmine Sumner was walking home from school late that afternoon. The shirt and jeans she wore were dirty from the days teasing, her unusually pale hair was now a tangled mess, she wiped some tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. Her day had been terrible; she'd spent recess alone until Tommy McKennan came and stole her glasses again. The popular girls made fun of her during lunch again, and one of them had eve tripped her when she was walking past them. She had learned how to ignore most of their abuse, but the thing that hurt her the most was when they would call her a freak. She already knew that her pale hair and yellow eyes were unusual, and she was already massively self conscious about these traits of hers, but them calling them out made her feel like even more of a misfit. It had been after school, when Tommy stole her glasses and made her chase him to get them back, now a lens was cracked, she had just ran away crying.

Instead of running all the way home, she ran to her favorite place, an old abandoned warehouse that was on her route home. 

This had been her secret place for years now, she often came here to think when she couldn't be at home. She sat there, on top of some old boxes, staring into the vast darkness. She would stay there for hours just listening to her own echo and practicing with the slingshot she kept there, then when she got bored, she would go home. 

Today was just like any other. She wandered the streets on her way home, passing closing shops and restaurants. Eventually she arrived at her house a two story house with the walls painted a faded sky blue. She opened the small gate of the old picket fence and walked up to the porch. 

Even from there, she could hear the shouting coming from inside. She heaved a resigned sigh, wishing she had stayed at the warehouse a little longer. The front door swung open and her twenty-year-old sister, Rose, stormed out after another argument with their mother.

Rose's face immediately brightened as soon as she saw her little sister, and she hugged Jasmine as she walked up onto the porch. 

"Hey you, what you been up to, Jazz?" Rose asked

Rose was the kind of person Jasmine wanted to be, she was beautiful and ageless, like those women Jasmine saw in fashion magazines. She had the same white hair, and bright golden eyes, her complexion was much lighter than Jasmine's deep caramel skin skin tone.

"Hi Roro." Jasmine greeted, "I just hung out at the warehouse. Got into another fight with mom?" 

"Nothing new there," Rose rolled her eyes, "she doesn't like me working at the Argus, she thinks its dangerous."

"It is dangerous," Jasmine pointed out, "you're a ranger; you fight monsters,"

"I watch over a depot station," Rose scoffed, "I'm basically a glorified security guard."

"What about that lady you told me about, Stephanie? You said you're one of her most valued subordinates."

Rose grinned sheepishly, "I might've been telling a tiny bit of a white lie,"

"So you lied to me?" Jasmine demanded, "your own niñera?"

"Well, I wouldn't want you to see me as just some nobody, so of course I stretched the truth a little bit." she chuckled, still holding on to Jasmine tightly, "But enough about me. Tell me; how was your last day of being twelve?"

"Not much change," Jasmine answered, "Like the last day of being eleven, and ten, and nine…" 

"Don't worry, this is your last day of being just human. Tomorrow you'll be thirteen, you'll officially be a teenager and lots of things are going to start changing about you." 

"Urgh! You're talking about puberty aren't you?" Jasmine recoiled, "¡eso es tan asqueroso!" 

The older girl laughed, "Yeah, I suppose to you it is; your body starts changing, you start feeling so many emotions… so many urges…" Rose teased 

"No! I don't want to hear this!" Jasmine cried, pulling from Rose's grasp. 

"Well do you want to hear about how that would affect you as a magus?" Rose asked

"Ooh, that I would like to hear," Jasmine said,

"Well tough," Rose smirked, "I got to head out anyway, I'm late for my shift."

"So you won't even be here at midnight to wish me happy birthday?" Jasmine pouted

"Afraid not," Rose sighed, "but I will be there for you when you wake up tomorrow."

Waving her off, Jasmine proceeded inside, where she met her mother, Katherine Sumner, in the kitchen.

"Hello, my flor pequeña," her mom greeted with a warm smile, "how was school?"

"Hi mom," Jasmine said, dropping her book bag on the dining table, "school was fine," 

"Well dinner will be ready in a bit," Katherine said, "will your sister be back soon?"

Jasmine could hear the slight tension in her voice, it honestly baffled her how her mother and sister hardly ever saw eye to eye on things, especially the whole ranger thing.

"No, she said she'll be out late," Jasmine replied, "she also said she can take care of herself,"

"I'm her mother," Katherine said, "it's my job to worry about mi dulce rosa,"

After dinner, Jasmine did her homework then watched some TV, until Nine O'clock, when her mom came to hurry her off to bed. 

When Jasmine awoke the next day, she definitely felt different. Sitting up in her bed, she realized that she could see perfectly fine without her glasses. For as long as she could remember, her eyesight was always terrible, blurry and unfocused, which was why she needed glasses, yet here she was, without her glasses and seeing the world around her in high definition. She got out of bed and rushed to her mirror, getting a good look at herself for the first time, she didn't really look that different, but her colors were a lot more vibrant; her hair wasn't just pale, it was as pure white as snow; her skin was a rich golden brown; and her eyes… they shimmered a brilliant golden color in the light, almost like they were glowing.

In that moment, Jasmine felt like she'd lived her life in black and white, now for the first time ever, the world was in full color. It was overwhelming. She was so enraptured in studying every detail of herself in the mirror she jumped when she heard Rose speak, 

"Stare at yourself any harder and you just might crack the mirror."

"¡No me asustes así, Roro!" Jasmine snapped, catching her sister's reflection in the mirror, "You scared me half to death."

"Sorry, couldn't resist," Rose chuckled, "Anyway, you probably noticed some changes already?"

"Was the world always this bright?" Jasmine asked

"I know what you mean, it started with my eyes too," Rose said, "your body has already begun to change, thought I might impart some sisterly wisdom onto you,"

"I swear, I better not hear the words 'joys of womanhood' come out of your mouth," Jasmine threatened

"Are you kidding? I'm still traumatized from when mom had the talk with me. Yikes." Rose smirked with a warm smile, then her face turned serious, "There is something important I will need to talk to you about; let me do your hair."

"M-my hair?" Jasmine asked

"Of course," Rose smirked, "you're a teenager now, you need to look the part."

After school that day, Jasmine was surprised that the day had gone by with almost no trouble. Sure the popular girls still teased her, but it seemed almost like they were doing so out of jealousy. Were they jealous of her now? Even Tommy had kept his distance from her.

On her way home, she couldn't keep her eyes straight, they would dart to every little thing that appeared within her vision. It wasn't just that the world had gotten brighter, it had gotten clearer, and she could read the faded signs on the corner store, and see the flecks of old paint on the walls. Her eyes had gotten a major upgrade overnight.

That was when she saw it, in the corner of her eye, the thing that looked like a cat that traveled between shadows. Before she would've assumed it was just an ordinary stray, but now she could see through the veil, and she saw that it was an odd creature in the shape of a cat, benign, otherwise Rose wouldn't have left it be. It looked at her, with the white pinpricks of light that were probably its eyes, cocking its head to one side curiously, before slipping into a shadow and disappearing.

That was her first ever encounter with something magikal. She felt excitement course through her, as she both wanted to witness something else, and at he same time didn't. 

Over the coming months, more changes started to develop about Jasmine; she was getting faster and stronger than before. Her aim was pretty good before, but now she was hitting targets accurately every time with little effort.

Rose had taken to guiding her into the world of magik, only to discover that Jasmine had a problem projecting sigils. Rose had even taken Jasmine to the depot where she worked, though that had prompted another argument between Rose and their mother once they'd returned home at 1AM.

With the newfound confidence Jasmine found herself with, Rose encouraged her to come out of her shell, be less timid around other people, and it worked. She found herself more active than before in social interactions, and people actually listened to her. Even the popular girls who had used to torment her not even half a year prior were now clamoring to have her sit with them at lunch. With all the newfound energy, Jasmine had taken up archery as a hobby, it was quite expensive, but Rose was there to support her interests.

As Jasmine continued to grow more accustomed to the life of a magus, Rose began filling her in on the finer points of magus society, particularly in regards to bloodline. The Sumner sisters were half-bloods, although their mother was a regular human she wasn't a mundane, being innately able to see through the veil, apparently that had been one of the things that had drawn their father's interest in her. Jasmine had never met her father, she didn't even know his name, he had left shortly after she was born, and Rose barely even remembered what he looked like. Their mother refused to talk about him which had led them to invent all sorts of wild stories why.

One night, after leaving the old warehouse she stopped at the corner store to do some last minute window shopping. Upon realizing how late it was getting, she decided to head home, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Now aware of her surroundings, she noticed two people were following her some distance away, she made a full loop around the block, but they were still on her, so once she was certain they were after her, she took off running and they gave chase. 

She ran as fast as she could, but in her panic, she took a wrong turn into an alley and found herself trapped in a dead-end. Turning around, she saw the two people, a man and a woman blocking off her only exit.

"Why hello there little magus girl!" said the woman, "What are you doing out here all by yourself at this hour?"

"Yeah, a pretty little thing like you all on your own this late, it's not safe." said the brutish looking man

"W-ho are you? W-what do you want?" Jasmine demanded, although she was scared, she had to think rationally. There was always a way out.

"You don't need to be so wary of us," the woman said, "but all we want is to take you home."

"What?" Jasmine demanded

"Honestly, we just want to get you home safe," the woman said, a tender smile on her face. She seemed to be the one in charge,

"Why?" Jasmine asked, skeptical

"We're magi also," he man said, "is it so wrong for us to make sure one of our own is alright?"

Jasmine was conflicted, they sounded genuine, but she knew they must have some ulterior motive behind this act of random altruism.

"What makes you think I'm a magus?" Jasmine questioned

The guy chuckled, "You don't exactly blend in, girlie, we could sense your aura. And besides, you're the only other person we know that has white hair."

The woman flashed him a sharp look and he stopped talking. They were after Rose, and they wanted to use her to find out where she lives.

"You know Rose?"

"Y-yes, we're familiar with her," the woman said, recovering, "you're her sister, yes?"

"Well Rose doesn't live with us any more," Jasmine lied, "she and mom got in a big fight a year ago and she hasn't been back since."

"Well you never know," the woman shrugged as they started to approach

"Why are you after Rose?" Jasmine demanded

"She caused us a fair bit of trouble the last time we met," the man stated, "so she owes us."

"You're criminals?"

"According to who?" the woman retorted harshly, "so snobby, stuck-up purebloods who made up a bunch of rules about how we should act, while they enjoy all their fancy privileges under the protection of Argus? They look down on half-bloods like us, why should they get a say in how we live our lives?"

"Rangers like your sister are nothing but lapdogs to those bastard nobles," the man said, "she thinks she's better than us just because she has a shiny silver badge?"

"You're coming with us girl, now." the woman ordered, all friendliness gone from her voice, "I'm sure you have someway of reaching your sister."

"S-stay back!" Jasmine yelled, grabbing a piece of broken pipe from the wall.

"Look at that," the man laughed harshly, "little girlie thinks she's tough. Adorable."

"Grab her and let's get out of here." the woman ordered.

As they approached, she started throwing whatever she could find at them,

"Come here, you little brat!" he snarled as he does his best to block Jasmine's assault.

The guy managed to grab her by the arms, and started dragging her out of the alley.

"Let me go!" Jasmine screamed, struggling to break free, "SOMEBODY HELP!"

"What are you bastards doing to my sister?" Rose snarled as she stood above them, glaring down at the two strangers.

She jumped down, landing gracefully between the strangers and Jasmine, as the guy had backed away as soon as he saw Rose.

"There she is," the woman said, slowly applauding, "Rose Sumner, the Emerald Flame, herself."

"Reggie, Viper," Rose said, "Figured you'd still be hiding under a rock, licking your wounds from when we took down your operation."

"Well what can I say?" the woman, Reggie sneered, "I learned the white-haired bitch who ruined my life has a little sister out there, and just couldn't resist a chance at paying you back for what you did to Robbie."

Rose's eyes hardened, "I gave him the chance to surrender, he chose to be stupid. Are you going to be stupid?"

"It took a whole squad of you crows to bring down my gang," Reggie said, "what do you think you can do against me and Viper on your own?"

"Oh, I know how to handle bottom feeders like the two of you," Rose said, cracking her knuckles, 

The big guy lunges at her, but Rose weaves under his charge, grabbing his by the arm and flipping him over her shoulder as if he weighed next to nothing.

She then pulled her wand from her belt pocket, pressing it to Viper's arm and he convulsed as if he had been electrocuted. She then pointed it at Reggie as its gem glowed and shot out a bolt of energy the struck her in the right shoulder as she was reaching for a knife.

The other woman screamed as she writhes on the ground,

"You bitch!" she cried,

"I ought to arrest you two for attempted assaulting and kidnapping," Rose growled, holstering her wand, "but I actually have more important things to take care of, so get out of here."

"You expect us to just believe that?" Reggie sneered

"I don't care what you believe, all I know is that you're going to crawl back to whatever hole you came from, and never come back." Rose glared, "because if I ever catch you in the area again, or if you ever appear in front of my sister again…" her hands were suddenly engulfed in bright green flames. And she shot a burst of flame beside Viper's head.

"W-we understand," Reggie gulped, her eyes filled with fear. She seemed to care a great deal about Viper.

"Good," Rose said, extinguishing her flames.

Rose stood there menacingly as Reggie helped Viper up to his feet, they then scurried away, but not before Reggie turned back to give Jasmine one more glare.

"You'd better watch your back," she snarled, "that white hair is going to make you a target."

They waited for a few minutes after the two of them left, before Rose wrapped Jasmine in a trembling embrace.

"Omigod, I'm so sorry Jazz!" she sobs, "I'd heard they were in the area, but I didn't think they'd try to go after you. You must've been so scared."

"W-who were those two?" Jasmine asked, her own voice trembling with emotion

"They were part of a magus gang we took down a month ago," Rose explained, "the two of them had escaped custody and gone into hiding since."

"Why did that woman, Reggie, hate you?"

"Her best friend was hut badly when we brought their gang down, and I was the one who hurt him." Rose replied, "he's still alive, but he wont be the same again."

"They were bad guys, right?"

"Of course," Rose assured her, "they had already hurt a lot of people, including mundanes, magi, and other rangers. They were planning to hurt a lot more people, which was why we had to stop them."

"That's good, they shouldn't be allowed to just hurt people." Jasmine said, hugging her, "But why didn't you capture them? You said they had been in hiding for a month."

"If I had, arrested them, I'd have to call it in," Rose said, "then there'd be a whole investigation, and you'd have to be interviewed as a witness. Mom would absolutely freak out once she was informed of this incident, and we argue enough as is."

"So you don't want mom to find out?" Jasmine surmised

"Definitely not." Rose said, "so can you keep this little incident between us? Please?"

"Alright," Jasmine nodded, "but you have to take me to the sanctum over the summer."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Rose accused, "your own hermana mayor?"

"Yes," Jasmine smirked

"Fine," Rose grinned,

It had almost been over a year since Jasmine's thirteenth birthday when everything went wrong.

One night, as the family were sitting down to have dinner, happily chatting about their day, when Jasmine and Rose suddenly looked towards the window.

"What was that?" Jasmine asked nervously, it wasn't a sound, but an… off feeling.

"Proximity alarm," Rose replied, "something uninvited just breached my territory."

"What's wrong?" Katherine asked

Getting up, Rose and Jasmine rushed to the window, down the street, three robed figures were walking towards their house. They were still some distance away, but with their eyes, both sisters could make out their red and black robes, and once she saw them, Rose's eye went wide as she backed away from the window.

"The Nyx Court? Here?" she said, slightly panicked,

"What?" Katherine demanded, "How did they find us?" 

"Who?" Jasmine asked

"This is very bad," Rose said, her eyes wild and unfocused, "we can't stay here."

"W-what is going on?" Jasmine asked, not a fan of being left out, "who are these Nyx Court?"

"They're very bad people," Katherine explained, "I thought they wouldn't be able to find us."

"Why? What do they want?" Jasmine asked

"They want… us." Rose answered, then she held her head, as if she had a headache, "why do I know that? My head…?"

"Rose, now is not the time for that," Katherine snapped, "you need to activate the bounded field."

"R-right," Rose said, as she removed a picture of the wall, on the back of the frame, a sigil had been carved into it. She traced her finger over the sigil and the whole house shook briefly as outside a transparent green dome appeared around their yard, made of a pattern of interlocking sigils.

Rose then drew another sigil over the carved one, and a ring of fire appeared around the barrier, separating the three figures and the house.

"That won't hold them for long," Rose said, then she paused, as if unsure of what she just said,

"We need to leave," their mom said as she took Jasmines' hand, "if he sent them, they're after you so we need to get out of town fast,"

"Who?" Rose asked, holding her head again, "what's going on with my head?"

"Rose, this is really not the time for you to be having a mental relapse," their mom said

"Mental relapse?" Rose demanded, "you messed with my memories?"

"Rose!" Katherine snapped, standing in front of her eldest daughter and looking her in the eye, "for twelve years I have been dreading this day. I know it feels like your mind is unraveling, but I need you to focus on right now. We need to get out of here."

"I… I have a way out," Rose said, "a sort of back door, a friend showed it to me shortly after I joined the Argus,"

"Then we'll use that," Katherine said,

Rose hesitated, "but… it only works for magi."

There was a brief silence as they digested that news; their mother may not be mundane, but she was still just human, she'd be stuck.

"No, there has to be another way," Jasmine protested, "I don't want to leave you mom."

Outside a window, they could see the glow from the fire fade as the flames went out. Then they heard the sound of glass cracking.

"There's no time." their mom said as they ran for the stairs, their mom went into a closet and pulled out a shotgun, "You girls go on. Leave now!"

"Mom, I-I can't." Jasmine protested

"Jasmine Elena Sumner, I am your mother and you will do as I say." Katherine scolded, "Rose, take her. Get out of here, I'll buy you some time."

Rose looked torn and fragile, the most vulnerable Jasmine had ever seen her. With tears in her eyes she hugged her mom, "¡te quiero, mamá!"

"Yo también, mi dulce rosa." Katherine said, returning the hug with watery eyes. Jasmine also joined in on the family hug, her own tears falling.

Another sound of glass shattering and the house shuddering, brought the hug to a close, Katherine smiled and pushed them towards the stairs, "Go, now."

Rose dragged Jasmine upstairs, just as the front door burst open and the three robed figures walked in.

The last they saw of their mom, she was brandishing the shotgun and facing the door.

"We are here for them." said the first robed figures, "we know they're here."

"I got them away from you once before," Katherine scowled, "and I'll be damned if I let you take them now!"

"Give them over to us," the second robed figure said, "we promise you, they will not come to harm."

"You're not touching my girls!" Katherine snarled as she raised the shotgun and fired,

Upstairs, Rose and Jasmine heard the shot, followed by a yell of pained. There was a struggle, with a few more shots fired, followed by the sound of magik being cast for a few minutes, and then the sound of a body sliding to the floor.

With their improved hearing, they could hear their mother's pained groaning, and then choking, as if someone was strangling her.

"You put up a valiant fight, Katherine Sumner, but you could never overcome us," one of the figures asked, which was followed by a soft and terrible CRACK! that silenced their mother. Then the voice spoke, "Know peace in the endlessly night."

A female voice repeated the chant, "Know peace in the endlessly night."

The third voice spoke, filled with pain, "Let's find the girls and get out of here. I-I need a healer fast."

"You will live," the female voice said, "and as for the girls, Katherine must have done something, their scent is all over the place, I can't get a fix."

With their enhanced senses, the sisters had heard everything, even as they were at Rose's bedroom door, farthest from the stairs. Jasmine held her mouth to stop herself from screaming as followed her sister, Rose just let the tears run freely and silently down her face.

Once inside Rose's room, she locked the door and set up another barrier around the door, then she went straight to her closet. Inside, on the back wall, Rose had carved a complex sigil. Rose placed her hand in the middle of the sigil, and it started to glow, but then the glow flickered and flashed, before the sigil exploded, breaking the wall and setting her clothes in the closet on fire.

"Dammit!" Rose exclaimed in frustration, waving her hand and extinguishing the small fire that had started in her closet.

"What?" Jasmine asked, wiping her eyes, "What happened?"

"It isn't working! They must be doing something, cutting off my back door."

"You mean we're trapped?" Jasmine asked

Rose rushed to her desk, where a utility belt sat, she pulled out the silver compact that was her badge and spoke into it, "This is ranger senior C-class, Rose Sumner, declaring absolute emergency and requesting immediate assistance. The Nyx Court have invaded my home, and have me and my sister cornered… they also killed my mother. Escape seems unlikely at this time, please dispatch rescue and recovery, now!"

"So, what do we do?" Jasmine asked, "we could try climbing out the window?"

"It won't work," Rose said, "that transfer point in my closet was our only way out." 

"S-so, we're trapped until help comes?" Jasmine asked

Just then, someone banged at the door,

"If it gets here in time," Rose sighed, muttering something under her breath. She then looked at Jasmine, "You've got to hide! In my closet, like you used to do when we were little!"

"W-what about you?" Jasmine asked frightened.

"That barrier isn't going to slow them for long." Rose stated, "I have to hold them back until help arrives. Now hide!" Rose ordered

Before Jasmine could even do anything, the door bursts apart and the three figures step in, one of them was cradling their left arm, which was bloody. Embroidered onto the hoods that shrouded their face was a symbol Jasmine would never forget. 

"We have you now." the woman states, her face was still hidden in the fold of her hood, "Come quietly and we will not use force."

"'Come quietly'? You killed my mother, you crazy bastards!" Rose snarled, he arms engulfed in fire.

"Why are you doing this?" Jasmine cried, "What do you want with us?"

"You were created to serve a grand purpose," the lead figure stated, "Within you blood lies power so miraculous and terrible, thought lost to time until providence delivered you unto us. It is your duty to wield that power as it was intended."

"You want this power so much?" Rose sneered, hate blazing in her eyes as they start to glow solid gold, "Well come and take it!"

Her green flames suddenly turn to gold, as the entire room spontaneously catches fire as well. If she wasn't so scared, it would've been the most beautiful thing Jasmine had ever seen. Rose raised a wall of golden flames in the middle of the room, between them and the robed figures.

She then turned to Jasmine, "I will not let them have you!" she pushed her sister towards the still-open closet, just as the robed female leapt through the wall of fire, her robes and body already burning. She used that momentary distraction to lunge right at her, burying a dagger in Rose's gut as she was turning around. 

"This blade is coated with a fast-acting venom that will paralyze you but leave you very much alive." she said as she drove the dagger deeper in. "I would have rather not done this, but you have chosen the path of suffering, just as your mother did when-"

Her speech is cut short as Rose pressed her hand onto the other woman's face and released a burst of golden flames. She didn't even get to scream as her head was incinerated.

"Don't talk about my mother, you bitch!" Rose growled as the body fell to the bed.

"Rose!" Jasmine screamed as her big sister slumped against the wall, red blood seeping from the wound in her gut.

"Damn, when she said fast-acting, she wasn't kidding," Rose said, as her hands started to tremble. She smiled as she put her hands on Jasmines head, "Remember Jazz; hermana mayor te ama… always."

"Rose wha…?" Jasmine suddenly felt woozy, as a strange haze settled over her. Before everything went black, she remembered her sister, almost completely on fire, smiling at her as she closed the closet doors, then from the gap in the doors, there was a gold flash… then nothing.

Jasmine awoke to the sound of voices. She was still in her sister's closet, and opening the door, she found herself in what was left of her room. She didn't see the robed figures, or Rose, and in her hands was Rose's silver badge, letting out a soft beeping.

The voices get closer and enter the room, two people; a man and a woman. They both looked about Rose's age, wearing the same belts around their waist, with dark gray cowls covering their torsos.

The girl looks at Jasmine with soft eyes, "Hey," she said softly, "We've come to help."

Jasmine looked up at her, "Did… did my sister send you? Are you with Argus?"

The girl nodded, "My name is Jessica, and this is Ben, we're friends of Rose. We're magi, just like you." 

"Jess," The boy named Ben called, "We need to move, I can only keep the firefighters out of this room for so long."

"C'mon Jasmine," Jessica says outstretching her hand to Jasmine, "You're safe now, I promise. Just come with us."

Jasmine took her hand. She trusted her, her eyes were too kind to belong to anyone evil. After they left her house, they went south to the sanctum. And there she has spent the last several years.

… )]≥( …

When Jasmine came back to the present, she was in another dorm building, in front of a door. She knocked on it a couple of times, moments later it opened and a friendly voice addressed her, "Hey Ms. Jasmine, is there something I can help you with?"

She looked at the young man before here, Simon Ross, her protege. He was about seventeen years old, with dark blond hair and deep brown eyes. His had a dark tan complexion from all the time he spent at the forge, but his smile was warm and friendly.

She smiled at him, "Hey Simon, I got a job for you!"

He looked at her curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Congrats Simon, it's time for your first assignment!"

Simon's eyes lit up. He nodded enthusiastically, "Thank you, ma'am,"

"I've told you not to call me that," Jasmine said, "now get packed. You need to get ready for Thren."

… )]≥( …

While Jasmine was having her blast from the past, Ryan was in Stephanie's office.

Stephanie sat there facing Ryan, "Y'know, you were really something yesterday. You've convinced me."

"Thanks… I guess." Ryan replied, trying to not sound awkward.

"I've decided on a few things."

"You're making me a ranger?" he asked semi-seriously

Stephanie laughed, "You, a ranger? Of course not! You've still got quite some time before you're ready for that. No, I noticed that you're unfocused, unorganized. You need structure so I'm assigning you to a mentor to shadow."

"You're making me a protege?" Ryan asked dejected,

"You'll benefit from the experience," Stephanie assured,

"So, who's to be my new mentor?" Ryan asked

"Jasmine," she said "the two of you already have a professional relationship."

Great, Ryan thought, she's going to be super happy with that.

"Also," Stephanie added, "I think it's time you got a wand."

"A wand?" Ryan echoed, he'd seen others using them around the sanctum, they were useful tools. Basically like a magus smartphone crossed with a Swiss army knife.

"Yeah," she said, "Come with me to the workshops."

They left the Main Hall and went down a lonely path that led to a fenced off area which held a large squat building that looked like a mechanic shop, each bay occupied by people working on different projects, at the back of the building were large smokestacks billowing smoke into the sky. By the entrance was a plaque that read; 

Brickfort Forge is Foundry Certified.

Ryan was briefly curious, but figured it'd come up again if it was important. They walked into through the front door, going down some steps into the main body of the workshop. There were worktables littered with gadgets and do-dads; sheets of metal, incomplete projects like the arm of a suit of armor, a helicopter hat, even what looked like a jetpack. To the left wall was a row of large industrial furnaces, all piping the excess heat out the chimneys and other pieces of machinery. On the right wall were shelves and cubbyholes full of rolled up papers probably blueprints, schematics, models and other parts. At the far wall was a large worktable, shaped like a 'C'.

Over the din of machinery Stephanie let out a deafening yell, "Mas! Get your old ass out here!"

From another room by the far wall, a man came out. He walked quickly through the rows of workstations up to them. Now that he was closer, Ryan could get a good look at him, and he was an absolute beast of a man. He was easily about eight feet tall and looked in his mid-fifties with gray hair covering most of his dark brown mane. He had a fuzzy chin and wore work goggles with different lenses around his neck. His body had been well sculpted from years of working in the forge, he had lean rippling muscles. He wore black overalls and a tool belt and his right leg had been replaced with a steel prosthetic.

He looked at Stephanie, "Whadya wan'? M'busy" he said in a heavy accent Ryan couldn't place.

"Nice to see you too, old man," Stephanie commented under her breath, "Mas, this is Ryan, he nee-"

"Hol'it!" Mas said as he grabbed Ryan's right arm and inspected his wrist, he brought out a tape measure from his hand and measured it.

"Yer just the right size 've been look'n fer!" he dragged Ryan to a shelf, where he took a gauntlet and strapped it onto Ryan's hand, it fit perfectly, "D'me a fav'r" he said, "Clench yer fist!"

Ryan did as asked and the gauntlet expanded into a kite-shaped shield.

"Eureka! Success!" Mas thundered triumphantly, "How's dat feel?"

"Pretty light," Ryan grunted, "actually, it's a little tight in the middle,"

"Mas, what are you doing?" Stephanie demanded

"Ligh'weight c'llaps'ble shield," He said proudly, "needs s'me readjustments, st'll a good f'rst try!"

Ryan unstrapped the shield and dropped it on the nearby worktable

Once Mas had gotten over the excitement of his invention, he turned his focus back to Stephanie, "Yea, ya said ya needed somth'n?"

"Ryan, he needs a wand!" Stephanie said

"Easy!" Mas declared leading them into a corridor filled with private workshops. He took Ryan into one of the workshops with the word WANDS written on a plaque above it. At the back of the room was a massive cluster of machines, then there were display cases of different types of wands. Behind a counter sat a girl in overalls reading a gossip magazine. She looked up when they entered, "Boss man, what's up?"

"Lany, this's Ryan. Keep'r says he needs a w'nd." Mas said.

Lany grinned at them, "Well he's come to the right place."

"Lany's th' best wand maker 'n the w'rkshop." Mas explained as Lany led Ryan through a selection of different wands.

"If you want, we could make a fresh wand for you?" she asked when she saw Ryan was still undecided.

He agreed and they went to a machine with a large screen and Lany showed him the design tool. It took several minutes, but Ryan was able to finish with the custom exterior shell for his wand. It resembled a Doctor Who sonic screwdriver from the Matt Smith era [one of my favorite doctors, I'm a nerd, sue me.] Lany went to a 3-D printer and uploaded the design, while this machine is working on the shell, she pulls out a long crystalline tube the size of a pencil with circuits engraved onto its surface, she sets it into another machine that is connected to a stone tablet she hands to Ryan,

"Hand." she instructs and Ryan complies, placing his hand in the palm-shaped imprint on the tablet, he feels his hand tingle as all the hairs on his arm stand up, the imprint glows a clear blue and the machine dings, as the tube's circuits are now glowing the same blue.

By now, the rendering of the wand shell is done so Lany takes the shell pieces and assembled them around the crystal tube . She then took it to a steel tank, placing it in a rack before submerging it. then she hits a switch and two nodes on either side of the tank come alive with energy that crackles across the surface of the tank. Once that is done, she removes the rack and retrieves the steaming wand, using a thick glove she takes the wand to a worktable where she hooks it into another contraption that looks like connected to a computer. she hits some keys and a cap with a blue crystal is affixed onto the top. Finally, the computer beeps and the crystal gives off a slight pulse of energy.

Lany pulled the wand out of the contraption, inspected it, then handed it to Ryan proudly.

"A thing of beauty, custom made by yours truly." she boasted, "try her out."

Ryan held it, it was about ten inches long, there was a single control pad at the side that could be operated by the thumb.

"How does it work?"

"It's intuitive circuit will need a bit to calibrate to your mental patterns. I also threw in a holographic display feature," Lany said giving him a wink.

"So what can it do?" He asked

"Almost anything," Stephanie told him, "It's the single most revolutionary pieces of magik technology in the last century, a veritable multi-tool for the modern magus."

"Cool!" Ryan said, pointing the wand at a sheet of plastic on one of the displays.

"So, just point and think, right?" Ryan said

Lany nodded with thumbs up. Ryan focused on the sheet, then the wand hummed, the crystal glowed bright blue, then a blue pulse shot out of the tip and blasted the sheet.

"I meant to make it float, not blow it up." Ryan admitted

"Ther's yer probl'm" Mas said taking it from Ryan, "It's set fer th' wrong frequ'ncy."

He recalibrated the device and it started humming at different frequencies and the tip started glowing at different shades of blue until it matched his lightning blue eyes.

"There! That should fix it," He said handing it over

"Thanks!" Ryan told Lany, as he put the wand in his pocket.

"No problem. And I won't bill you this time, cuz' you're cute." She replied, winking at him.

As they left the workshops, Stephanie said, "I hope you like your new wand,"

"Yeah," Ryan said, "but does it come with a manual?"

… )]≥( …

When Ryan got back to his room, the first thing he thought about was using the bathroom. He went straight for the bathroom door, barging in, he was met by a yelp.

In front of him was a naked Christie, just getting out of the shower with her towel just having been wrapped around her. Ryan kept his eyes fixed on her face in an attempt to make the situation less awkward. [Like that's possible]

"You know you should lock the door when you're in here if you don't want this to happen again." He said as he closed the door.

With his plans dashed, he brought out his wand, studying it. He looked at all the details, now that he knew how to work it, and he was itching to try it out, but he decided to wait until the opportunity came.

A few minutes later, Christie came out, her face red from blushing, "Um…" She said awkwardly, "… about what just happened!"

Ryan looked at her, "Listen, I already said my peace, if you still want to discuss it, it will get awkward" he said

She looked at him, "But…"

"I didn't see anything for you to get too embarrassed by, so there is nothing to discuss." He gave her a look: Don't worry, you can just forget it!

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, forget I said anything."

"Already have." Ryan declared, "but I will say this; you have a great figure for a bookworm."

Christie blushed, then snatched the wand from his hand and studied it. "I see your morning was productive." She said, not taking her eyes of the wand, "Lany still has impeccable workmanship I see."

"Yeah," he said, "and there's another bit of news,"

She smiled, looking at him, "What is it?"

"Okay, so, don't freak out,"

"Oh no, what did you do?" she said, her smile fading instantly

He took a deep breath, "I recommended you to come with Jasmine, me and some guy named Simon on a mission to Thren."

She stared at him for a minute, as if she was still processing what he had just said, then she threw the wand at him and smiled, "No."

"No?"

"Nope. Not happening." she said, "this bookworm is happy staying right here."

"What's the big deal?" Ryan asked getting up from the bed.

"I was brought here to be safe. Thren is the farthest thing from safe as you can get."

"How do you know?" Ryan asked

"I've read about Thren! All the books all say the same thing: if you go there, you will most likely die! There's a reason it is called the deadliest place in the world."

"C'mon Christie!" Ryan said kneeling and begging, "You said it yourself; there is still an insanely slim chance we might survive!"

"I didn't say that, I said we would most likely die."

"That means that there's a chance, no matter how small, that we won't die."

She folded her arms and looked away

"Please!" he pleaded, "I really need you on this."

She turned around to see his brilliant blue eyes staring at her pleadingly, as helpless and clueless as a puppy dog. Dammit, she shouldn't have looked.

"I am really going to regret this," she sighed,

"Great!" Ryan said, "Cuz' the Keeper already cleared you to go and we leave in an hour." he said as he ran into the bathroom.

"Wait! What?" she chased after him, but he locked the door behind him, "And next time, lock the door!"

With nothing left to do, Christie started packing; she'll have plenty of opportunities to get Ryan back when they were in Thren.

… )]≥( …

Christie had finished getting dressed and was underway preparing for the assignment when Ryan came out of the bathroom, towel around his waist. She marveled at his lean body, his wet black hair, and his striking electric blue eyes. She didn't know what it was, but something about Ryan just made her feel strange. He was so comfortable with himself that he could walk around half-naked in her presence. Sometimes she wished she could be that bold, she had to turn around to stop herself from gawking any longer. She turned around after confirming that he had put on some pants, when she turned back, he was wearing faded black cargo pants, with a belt securing it around his waist, around his neck was a string chord with a pendant of white ivory carved with intricate patterns.

"What's that?" she asked pointing at his necklace

"Stephanie gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday, said it was a talisman for good luck she'd picked up on one of her exotic trips." he chuckled,

"That looks like genuine dragon ivory," Christie said, "nice."

"Wait, dragons are real?" Ryan asked,

"They were," Christie corrected, "and from the inscription, it is a good luck charm."

"Good, I figured I'm going to need all the luck I can get, especially if Thren is as dangerous as you made it sound."

Ryan brought out a black T-shirt with blue designs that slashed from the left shoulder across the torso, like claw marks. He put it on then he got a fished out his favorite black jacket. He looked in a mirror in his closet and winked at his reflection.

"All set!" he said then he took his wand from off the bed and Draxonn's handle and tucked them into the inner pockets of his jacket.

He looked at Christie, "Are they serving lunch?" Ryan asked

"Uh, yeah, they should, but hurry."

"Thanks, I haven't eaten all day and I am starving!" he said as he ran out of the room.

After Ryan was gone, Christie found herself still staring at where he had been.

What are you doing, she asked herself, get a grip, he's not that hot.

Still she felt herself still staring, she sighed and she continued packing while images of Ryan danced in her mind.