Our Destiny

1. The chosen ones

"Logan, you idiot, what have you done?!" That's how his best friends reacted when he confessed that he had signed them up for a government project aimed at protecting their entire world. A project that carried such a tremendous burden. Because one wrong move was all it would take for the centuries-old secret of the wizarding world to become just a memory. And then? Chaos would ensue.

But what were the chances that they would be the ones chosen out of so many people?

***

An elderly, gray-haired man walked leisurely through the corridors of the school. There wasn't a soul around, as every student was in the room he was heading to. He walked, looking straight ahead and gently swaying his head from side to side, causing his gray hair to move alternately to the right and left. The quiet tapping of his footsteps echoed off the surrounding walls. Each time his foot landed on the cold floor, there was a muffled rustle of his suit pants rubbing against each other. He knew that everyone was probably just waiting for him, because how else could the school year begin without the principal? Thinking about it, he quickened his pace, meanwhile stroking his long, gray mustache curled at the very end.

He finally reached the door of the room where everyone was gathered. With both hands, he pushed the wooden double doors, causing them to open with a terrifying creak. As he did so, every pair of eyes turned directly to him. The principal began to walk through the center of the room, which also served as a hall during the school year for various events. It was no different this time.

Wooden round tables floated at various heights above the ground, with students sitting around them. The room wouldn't have accommodated everyone, but thanks to a simple spell, there was still plenty of space. Various ceremonial banners hung from the ceiling, displaying dates, events, or figures important to the wizards. Because the truth was, their existence wasn't always so obvious. Just a few hundred years ago, they couldn't sit in one room feeling as damn comfortable as they did now. They had to hide, run. Because back then, their whole lives were a constant escape. An endless escape.

The man finally stopped at the table, placing his hands on its beechwood surface. All conversations ceased instantly, and the students looked attentively, waiting for any word to come from his mouth. He ran his fingertips gently along the wooden edge of the table. Taking a deep breath, he cast a spell with a single movement of his hand. No one really knew what spell it was until he spoke.

"Dear students," his voice was now as loud as if he were speaking through a microphone. It reached every corner of the great hall.

He captured the attention of all the students and teachers, well, almost all. Somewhere in the middle, three boys were talking, currently paying more attention to something completely different than Mr. Omniscient's speech. Each of them tried to knock the other two to the ground, finding it quite amusing. It was only after a few other students noticed them that they calmed down, but still chuckled quietly to themselves.

"As you know, this year our school is participating in one of the government projects aimed at protecting our world. You're probably aware that lately the surrounding residents have been increasingly monitoring the activities of our school, and not only ours. The whole Brooklyn is under scrutiny, being increasingly observed and studied for unexplained phenomena." Everyone in the room was aware of this, but no one knew how serious it was. "Wizards from other cities don't have this problem yet, or if they do, it's on a much smaller scale. The government has already taken a lot of measures to prevent the revelation of our existence. However, our school is currently considered the most dangerous, which is why this project has been entrusted to us. It will take the form of a student exchange." This time, the man cast a spell on the platform in front of him. Immediately after, a marble column began to rise from the ground. In the center of the column stood a huge, golden chalice, somewhat resembling a vase. "Two people. Two lucky individuals, sitting among us, will spend a whole year in the sightless world. Finally, you'll have a chance to see what it's like to be an ordinary human, but at the same time, you must not forget the true purpose of this project. You must do everything to protect our existence." These words caused a slight buzz among the others. Because it was inconceivable that they finally had a chance to take a close look at the world of ordinary people. For the past few years, any closer contact with non-magical people had been strictly forbidden. Authorities imposed this ban when suspicions against them began to grow. They had to suppress them at all costs. Because no one could find out.