A World Of Decree: And The Seven Laws

Located on the second floor of the Maverick High School was a senior level algebra class, lead by none other than Ms. Henzy. Maverick was a small town in the middle of Harvoria, a large country placed between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans filled with numerous towns and cities across the vast array of hills and mountains along the landscape. Ms. Henzy was a smart teacher, always dressed professionally and never seemed to take her glasses off no matter the situation.

The class she was teaching was filled with students that had all sorts of magic within them, some even secretly dabbling small sparks of enigmatic flashes of light or other interesting quirks they might possess underneath their desks. In this world, magic either develops in children around the age of 7-10, or leaves them magicless their entire lives. Once children see some of the abnormalities they can create, their magic abilities only develop further as they age, progressing in not only capacity, but power as well with the effort they put in to physically improve their performance.

The 5 rows of wooden desks located near the windows had students staring outside into the golden rays of sunlight reflecting off of the smooth stone that crafted the sidewalks, eager for the class to end any minute to release them into the freedom of the outdoors. A short, impatient boy was itching his b.u.t.t.o.c.k.s across the half-broken wooden chair he was placed on, just staring at the old clock on the wall to hit that 3pm mark.

Some girls were picking their nails, while some boys were flinging crumpled pieces of paper at each other, ignoring one of Ms. Henzy's final lectures on square roots and parabolas. She could tell no one was paying any attention to her, either looking aimlessly at the blackboard behind her, or dozing off at the numerous amounts of random posters she had hanging on the walls.

*RINGGG*

The bell finally rang through the hallways of the school, springing all the students from the confines of their wooden seats into the thought of the school day being over. Before anyone could physically exit the room, Ms. Henzy stopped them with the shear smite of her voice as it vibrated off the hardboard that was placed deep within the walls of the classroom.

She screamed, like she always did to get their attention, "All of you better remember to do your homework or you'll get ZEROES on your report card! Oh, and Atlas. I'd like to see you after class please!" A few pieces of the white paint from the walls fell to the floor, almost knowing they'd be redone over the summer break.

Atlas Bright, a young boy with short, faded black hair standing at an average height of 5'7 looked up at her with a nervous look of surprise. He wore some clothes his mother bought him months ago, with an old backpack he's used since grade school to accompany him as he slowly approached Ms. Henzy's desk towards the front of the room, waiting for the classroom to clear.

"Hi Ms. Henzy, you wanted to see me?" Atlas said with a confused look on his face.

"Yes, I wanted to ask you where you are planning on applying for school next year. You're 16 now, and are on your last month of high school before your summer break, and especially before you enter an Alchemy school. Don't tell me you haven't decided on where you're going to study!?"

Once students are on their last year of high school, they are faced with two different options in this world. The first is to apply to a University, which is basically a normal college-like education where folks without magic can learn certain types of popular professions like blacksmithing or engineering. The second option is to apply to an Alchemy school. This is a school which focuses on the sole education of advancing those that are gifted with magic to enhance and learn far greater abilities to strive for greatness in this world. Both types of schools have a rough education period of 5 years, offering the graduating class to be well prepared a.d.u.l.ts.

Ms. Henzy and Atlas always got along very well through the past year, and if Atlas ever had any personal problems he would always go to Ms. Henzy for help.

"I appreciate the positivity Ms. Henzy, but to be completely honest, I don't know if I'm really worthy to even apply to an alchemy school," Atlas replied with a dim frown. Alchemy schools were specifically designed to teach students everything they needed to know about magic in this world. And Atlas didn't have high hopes to be apart of the gifted community.

Ms Henzy jolted up from her seat, nearly scaring the poor boy, "You better take that back right now! I believe you have a gift Atlas, one you don't know how to use just quite yet. Your magic can even get you in Princewood Academy of Magical Brilliance."

"Ms.Hnezy… I truly appreciate your remarks," Atlas exaggerated his reply with a slight chuckle of embarrassment, "But I could only dream of such a thing... How could you possibly believe that I can get into the greatest Alchemy school in the world?"

Princewood requires a physical exam as an application just to show if you have enough magic essence to even be acknowledged by the administration staff. Thousands of students at age 16 apply through both the physical and writing exam every year, only to be outclassed by much greater strengths and abilities of those competing beside them.

Students who received special training on their magic at youth, outside of normal schools come into the exam with full expectations of what's to come, and how to obliterate their competition. Not only has Atlas never received special training, but he doesn't even know what his magic is, or how to use it. With his current knowledge, it wasn't much to go on.

Ms. Henzy replied with a decisive tone, "Atlas, you might not think your magic is all that impressive, but trust me on this. I want you to take the exam to get into that school. It's just a feeling that…" She paused for a moment, "I see you becoming something great in your future, and that starts with your entrance at that school."

Her statement nearly managed to bring a long lost smile to Atlas's face, but all he mustered up was a nearly invisible friendly chuckle.

"Thanks for the confidence Ms. Henzy, but I'm not going to apply, I've been pretty much an average Joe my whole life. To get into that school, you can't just be above average, you have to be the top 1%. It's not something that can just be handed over to kids in my shoes."

Based on Atlas's expression, Ms. Henzy knew she wasn't going to be the one to convince him, but she secretly knew someone who had a much more powerful persuasive touch, and Ms. Henzy was already prepared to contact him as soon as Atlas exited the room. "Very well, I can't change your answer Atlas, but I want you to strongly think about what I said, and hopefully you will reconsider. Don't forget your homework, and see you on monday."

Atlas exited the classroom with a wave and a small grin, thanking Ms. Henzy for being so supportive. Her words still remained in his head as he walked down the stairs to the first floor, continuously thinking why she gave almost no effort at all to convince him despite having such a strong belief in him.

As Atlas approached the front metal doors that bordered the thick glass between them to leave school, he saw two of his best friends from his early childhood in walking along the stone sidewalk in the distance. Atlas picked up his pace along the smooth sidewalk under him as he yelled out for the to wait, "Clouse! Patrick!"

Patrick was a very smart kid, always enjoying a good laugh from the people close to him. He had a buzzcut, which suited him well for having such a small forehead. Atlas and Clouse always joking with him for looking like a pencil, but he didn't mind. Clouse, on the other hand, was a little squeamish and never really put himself out there to meet others or go to a lot of social gatherings. He also suffered from an untreatable form of asthma, sadly prevented him from joining any sports teams or meeting friends through physical events. He had a head full of hair reaching all the way down to his chin, usually forced to move it to the sides so he can actually see what's in front of him.

However, Atlas was the one who changed the most throughout their lifetime friendship. When he was young he always strived for adventure, loving the thrill of competition. He had a quick reflex to situations and always motivated himself to come out on top. But as he grew up, so did everyone else. Magic would first start to develop in the human body as early as 7 years old, and as Atlas became older, his magic never truly showed itself as compared to all his friends. Magic required a great ordeal of concentration to be able to use, however, it's much more difficult when you don't even know what or how to concentrate.

Many students usually figured out their talents early on and developed them through their early years in grade school, leading all the way to High School. Atlas never knew about his father's magic, always being curious without any answers from his mother, who possessed no magic at all. Considering the consequences of his situation, he didn't have much to go on for intrinsic motivation.

Kids like David McCormack on the other hand, had massive amounts of magic essence, picking on Atlas for being so 'weak.' David was a well built kid, filled with large muscles and hairy like a grizzly bear, but still had a baby face like he was still stuck at grade 6. David was currently off in the distance, hoping to run into Atlas o nhis way to the Maverick Application Center.

Atlas never bothered to fight back or resist, knowing he lacked the skills to stand up for himself. But these three have known each other since childhood, and despite having other friends, they always had each others back.

"Hey! what's up Atlas? Where are you planning on applying for next year? Patrick waved as he saw Atlas approach from behind.

"Hey right back at ya, I was thinking I might apply to that business school. Clarington, I heard it's not hard to get into, and as you know, my magic is nowhere near Alchemy school level." Atlas faked his attempt of an awkward laugh, "What about you guys?"

Clouse instantly replied with excitement, "I'm gonna take the Princewood application! I know my magic isn't so good, all I can really do is talk to animals... but I feel like even with that magic I still have a chance."

Atlas and Patrick were both shocked with this news, but supportively happy to hear one of their best friends is taking the test of getting into the best Alchemy school of their generation.

"Well that's insane to hear!" Surprised, and a little jealous himself, "I wish you the best of luck, of course. What about you Patrick?" Said Atlas.

"Oh, well since I actually have no magic in my DNA as you obviously already know, I'm going to apply to Feston University. I hear they have a great education, and I want to become a traveling merchant when I'm older." He paused for a moment, looking at Atlas directly to finish his remark, "By the way Atlas, are you headed to the MAC? I think applications have opened up today."

Atlas was hesitant at first, "Uhm, I'd love to but, I gotta stop by my place for a bit to grab something, but I'll see you guys at school for finals next week!" He lied, knowing damn well he wasn't ready to make his final decisions just yet.

Patrick and Clouse waved their goodbyes and headed off to the MAC, an abbreviation most residence used for the Maverick Application Center. All the students just called it MAC for convenience. Each town had an application center located in it which would serve its purpose when students were ready to start their career paths at 16 years of age and graduating from high school. These application centers had a system where a student would approach one of the staff at the front desk, and ask to obtain an application sheet for any school in the country. All of the schools except for a select few would have a complex packet each student needed to fill out, and mail to the address of the school.

One of those few schools was Princewood Academy. This year, Princewood decided to make their applications a bit more interesting due to such a large application pool. In reality, the application sheet was just a single piece of paper, printed with an address, date, and time of when and where to arrive, "Be there, and be prepared," was also written in a large black ink towards the center of the sheet.

As Atlas was starting to head home, he couldn't believe he lied to his friends right in front of them. In reality, he didn't need to go home for anything, he was just simply embarrassed. Cautious of some of the popular kids and the bullies being at the MAC, and no need for him to start any unnecessary rivalries or brawls.

Even though Patrick wasn't going to either, he was known as one of the smartest kids in school, known for not having any magical talents his whole life, proud to be one of the few representing the non-magic users. Atlas, on the other hand, was a much greater target to pick on.

Rina Ambrose was one of the most popular and intelligent girls in the school, and it wasn't a surprise either. She had the looks, with her glistering dirty blonde hair, perfectly silky smooth skin, her distinct natural curves and her ability to control and direct the flow of water. However, she stood out from all the other popular students, her right eye had a drastically different color than her left. Her left eye was blue, the type that you see on a clear sky on a warm summer's day. While her right, pitch black, like an empty abyss in the middle of space.

Years ago, when both Rina and Atlas were in grade school they were actually very good friends. Atlas used to always compete with Rina in friendly affairs, mocking her for the unbalanced colors in her eyes. However, as they got older, their magic started to increase in capacity, granting Rina the popularity she never asked for. Atlas couldn't get a grasp of any forms of concentration required to release his magic, forcing him to see his classmates surpass him without any reason to keep up.

Atlas hated her with everything, why wouldn't he? She had what it takes to make it to Princewood, not giving a single thought about those who helped her get there. At the spite of hatred, he also admired her, her beauty and talents were like a dream come true. All of her friends and family had strong magic throughout their lives, Atlas wouldn't be surprised if they all got accepted into Princewood.

Rumors spread that her older sister was accepted years ago, not returning home after a mission she was assigned to. A tragedy, or perhaps false accusations made against Rina from grudges her rivals might have had.

Heading home from School, the one thing Atlas was trying to avoid was unironically in his way. Rina and all her friends were headed straight for the MAC, walking towards Atlas from the distance. Atlas was about to pass by them unnoticeably until Rina stopped him, "Where did you apply? University I'm assuming?" She said in a bossy tone, "Figures," not giving him a chance to even respond.

Atlas replied in a weak stutter, "J-just a normal business school, l don't think an Alchemy school is right for me."

"Not surprised. Just look at yourself, without even trying and already giving up, seriously pathetic."

Atlas didn't bother to respond, trying his best to ignore her.

"Get out of my way," Rina raised her voice as she pointed her palm towards Atlas's water bottle that was hanging off the side of his bag. Magically drenching him from head to toe with his own water. Making it seem as if he just took a dip in a pool.

As Rina decided to walk off, her friends followed her, laughing hysterically. Leaving Atlas feeling depressed, alone on the street.

Rina doesn't find power advantage amusing, she knew that she was much more powerful than Atlas. In fact, she felt bad for Atlas because she didn't truly mean anything she said. Deep inside, she actually wanted Atlas to apply to an Alchemy school, but she couldn't bring herself to sacrifice her popularity and her fake friends to tell him the honest truth.

Atlas felt powerless, there was nothing he could do to prove himself against her or anyone else in that group. Before he started to walk in the direction of his home, he decided to take a little detour towards the nearest alley.

The rotten smell of old trash and dirty cement filled the air with a musky presence. Atlas could see old shoes that were thrown away ages ago leaning against one of the brick walls. The shadows and his feeling of unease almost made him regret walking in, but he decided to take a seat on the trash covered ground regardless. The houses that sandwiched the alley weren't tall, but the sky still seemed so far away in such an abandoned place.

Not even two minutes had passed until Atlas heard a very strong voice from a distance, "That was pathetic kid, I don't know what she sees in you."

Atlas hopped up from the hard ground, yelling, "Who's there? What are you talking about?"

Without any sight or comprehension of where the voice came from, a hooded man walked out of the shadows from the surrounding houses constructing the ally. His face wasn't visible, but Atlas could tell that he was smiling. "My name is of no importance to you for now. However, I am a friend of Ms. Henzy, she told me to keep an eye on you when you go to choose your school. And it turned out exactly as she predicted, you would be too scared to go pick a school, so you would pathetically back out and go home, but I was never expecting for you to get humiliated so miserably by a girl."

Atlas was embarrassed to the point of no return, trying his best to keep a manly face towards the stranger before him, "Why would she have you spy on me? I don't need more people telling me I'm weak, I've lived my whole life with it… having no special talents. So, sorry to disappoint you, but your remarks have no effect on me." Atlas crossed his hands like a mafia boss, hoping to seem dominant to a man he's never met before.

The hooded man laughed as he said, "Oh Atlas, I'm only here to-"

"So this is where you went you little worm!" A masculin voice pierced the air like a bullet from the entrance of the ally, rudely interrupting the hooded man.

Atlas looked at the direction of the voice as he saw David McCormack approaching with three others right behind him. As David and the others got closer, Atlas quickly turned towards the hooded man and said, "Woah this is bad! If you saw what happened with the other girls, these guys are a lot worse. These kids are from my school and if you've never seen strength, than you better get out of here. They're magic is unrealistically powerful, please leave!"

The hooded man laughed once again, "Oh poor Atlas, you have so much to learn."

David was nearly a few yards away when he started to pull up his right sleeve to his shoulder, magically making his arm double in size. His veins were pounding with intense blood flow, looking as if they were hungry for rage and destruction. "I saw you made Rina get her hands dirty. But that's ok, I'll repay the debt on you." David claimed with excitement trenched deep within his vocie.

Atlas was trying his best to hold back in making a joke saying she technically cleaned her hands with the water, but he knew that would lead to further consequences.

Atlas's face was now filled with fear as he stood motionless in his soaking clothes, knowing there was no point of fighting back. As David was just a few feet away from Atlas, the hooded man grabbed Atlas's shoulder and tugged him back. Simultaneously, he reached his own hand forward in front of David's face and gently snapped his fingers in a swift flick of his wrist.

As soon as he did, David's face, as well as his group went completely blank. It was like their faces were staring at an abyss of nothingness, filled with whispers of shallow despair. Nearly two seconds went by until they fell face first, hitting the hard pavement of the ally like a group of mannequins off balance on display. A small squishy sound was made that seemed to soften the blow for their face, only signaling they landed in a heaping pile of unknown trash.

Atlas didn't understand what just happened as his pupils dilated in disbelief, all he could muster out was, "W-what, d-did you just do?"

The hooded man turned towards Atlas and uncovered his face with a friendly smirk on it. Atlas could now see a short stubble covering the bottom half of his face, and his medium-length brown hair that was originally covered by the hood. He stood tall and strong as he dropped the hooded robe on the ground, revealing very strange marks that covered the bottom right of his neck.

"My name is Calvin Pride. What I do and where I'm from is not important, but I am here for the sole purpose to help you."

Atlas's mouth nearly dropped, all that could go through his head were questions, just more and more questions, "But how? And how did you just-? And you know Ms.Henzy?"

Calvin eagerly replied, "Don't worry kid, I'll answer all your question soon enough, but first, Let's see what you can do. Show me what you can do with your MAGIC!" Calvin swung his hands in the air in overwhelming exaggeration to persuade Atlas in the heat of the moment.

Atlas's face quickly turned to disappointment as he replied, "Well.. all I have to say is if you didn't just save me, I'd be the one laying on the ground. All I can really do is..." he paused, trying to explain something simple in a much more professional way, "I guess a few times I have made things move with a very large force… How? I have no idea, and to be completely honest I don't even know if that's what I really did," Failing miserably at describing his past experiences, he continued, "I truly just don't know."

Calvin's face quickly changed from his usual smile to a more serious expression, "Hmm, Ms. Henzy might have been right about you. But there's no way a kid like you-..."He paused for a moment, scratching his chin before continuing, "Okay then. I want you to jump as high as you possibly can with all the energy inside your body focused completely on the soles of your feet. With that energy concentrated on the ground, bend your knees and jump as if trying to reach for the clouds above."

Atlas looked confused, "Uh, Okay, I'm not sure what this will show you but I'll try my best, I've never really tried to focus my magic to a certain body part at all, yet alone even use it, but..."

Atlas squatted down, his feet separated about shoulder width apart, bracing his core tight with a strong breath. He focused all his inner essence into this jump, feeling the ground below him soften as if he was standing on a pillow. A smile formed on Calvin's face as he yelled, "NOW RELEASE!"

Releasing the breath he took before, while simultaneously pushing with every force through his body to launch himself in the air, Atlas felt the ground escape his sense of touch. Within a flash, Atlas realized he was no longer on the ground, or going for a slam dunk in a friendly game of ball, but rather he was soaring through the thin air within the ally. Windows and windows passed him like a flip book until there were no more. The roofs of houses started to appear, only to slowly become smaller and smaller, and the ground further away.

Atlas wasn't scared, his entire humanity seemed to vanish from his soul, leaving nothing but thoughts to guide his descent. This is how I die. Not the best way but I guess beggars can't be choosers. He closed his eyes, ready for his days to end, and the downfall to begin.