The Vial of Oradon | ON HOLD

Chapter 1

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The Vial of Oradon is a standalone, and is my first fantasy novel on Wattpad! I hope you enjoying reading it :) Don't forget to vote and comment if you like it!

And now, my dear readers, it's time to dig in!

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I sheathed my swords as the Master approached me with the vial.

I stood--covered in grime and face marked with sweat--on the rough soil in the centre of the stadium packed with students. Cheers were erupting from all four sides. Chants of 'Audrey! Audrey!' made my heart swell with happiness as I moved forward to accept the Vial of Oradon from the Master, or principal of my school, SWSC.

Wearing white robes for the occasion, the Master smiled at me in that typical old, mature way of his, like an elder admiring a youth. "Congratulations, Audrey. You are worthy of your victory."

"Th--thank you," I stuttered. I opened my hand, partly embarrassed because it was caked with dirt, but the Master took no notice as his clean hand placed the vial in mine.

"Thank you," I said again, unable to comprehend the Matser himself congratulating me personally. My hands, sore from all the fighting, shook in excitement as I held it. A golden, sparkling liquid swished inside, the vial itself only about the size of my palm. I stood straighter, beaming.

As the winner of the Golden Warrior's Championship, I was awarded with the responsibility of protecting the Vial of Oradon. Created by Oradon himself, it possessed the powers of healing every ailment, not to mention immortality.

It was crazy. Conferring such a huge responsibility on a sixteen-year-old like me was a miracle.

Later at dinner, I sat at one of the long tables in the cafeteria of SWSC, the School of Warriors and Skilled Crafts. In celebration of the Championship, the lights of the chandeliers shone with different colours and golden ribbon wreaths adorned the white, spotless walls. The whole place was buzzing with talking and laughter. The long, marble tables were decorated with special streamers that would occasionally change colour by themselves--a trick I knew only some of the great teachers at SWSC could pull off, with magic.

Magic was rare among humans. It took a lifetime to learn magic, and only the teachers and scholars who had specialized in the field could perform it. It was uncommon because it was such a difficult, if not impossible, task.

People were occasionally coming to congratulate me and I couldn't help but feel elated. It was surreal. I actually possessed the Vial of Oradon. Oradon: the great chemist and warrior, a combination that took decades to master. Every time I thought about it, every time I saw the image of the Master handing the vial over to me--my heart flitted around inside my chest.

"I still can't believe you did it!" my best friend, Hayden Fletcher said, gobbling a donut like his life depended on it. "That last girl was so hard to beat!"

Hayden was tall and handsome, with of course, the black eyes, olive skin, and black hair that was so common in SWSC. There were only a few blondes and even less brown haired, long-nosed ones like me, and I knew why.

My parents, both with a desire to become excellent chemists, moved to SWSC when I was one year old. Hayden's parents, on the other hand, worked as teachers here. Most students were like him: studying at this school because they belonged in regions nearby.

"I know, right?" I said, remembering the final round. The girl, Genia, had almost disarmed me thrice. I used two swords for combat and for all I knew, I wasn't easy to beat. She put up a good fight.