Neither Created Nor Destroyed

chapter eight

The sound bubble around us burst, and everyone's screaming became a thousand times louder.

The fireplace was fairly close to us, we were sat at the very end of the table closest to it.

It was built into the wall, and basically a huge bonfire, at least 12 foot tall flames. A few people sometimes made new logs go into it, so the fire wouldn't die.

And a man in a dark red robe and a monocle stepped out from it. There was a little ledge right in front of it that he stood on for a moment, and the first thing I thought of was that he looked like a demon from hell. He jumped down from the ledge as the whole room went silent.

"Way to make a dramatic entrance, Overseer," Noah muttered.

The Overseer had on a dark red robe with a belt tied at his waist, that held an honest-to-God sword, a few random pockets that held who knows what inside, and a book. On his neck was a high collar that touched his jaw, that was apparently a billowing black cape. In the light, I could see that the cape had swirling designs on it that seemed to almost move around, like a TV or something. He had on black leather boots that you could see the bottom of in his robe.

And he simply looked kind. And old, and tired. His face was covered in wrinkles and, of course, the monocle. He had slicked back dark gray hair that ended right at his jaw.

Looking down at my skirt, I could tell that they my sect was wearing his color. He really was dramatic.

"Hello, yes, I'm fine," he said, his voice loud and reminding me of all Santa in all those cheesy Christmas movies the whole orphanage watched on Christmas Eve.

"Well, Welcome back to the University of Magic Energy and Logic, everybody. I hope you all had a fine break with your families. I'll get right to it- we have a new sect with us tonight. All members of sect ELITE 1- stand up please."

My stomach dropped. I was not liking all this attention. We all stood up slowly. I swore that the Overseer was looking right at me.

"As you all are aware, we haven't had a new sect for the past year. Normally, we'd have about 20 more sects at this point. I'm here to tell you that these chosen few, are the last sect we'll ever receive until the Lenox is defeated."

Chaos ensued. Thousands of voices screamed questions. Noah pulled me back down. I wondered why us being the last sect was a bad thing.

"SILENCE!" The Overseer shouted, and everyone immediately shut up. "The Council of Cloves and I agreed last year, when the first attack from the Lenox on this school happened, that we would stop just cranking out regular sects. I was tasked in going all over the country to find the best of the best to have a special power- that's why they're called the ELITE 1. They are our last hope- each of them individually has the potential power of a hundred sects- they are our best weapon at defeating the Lenox. There is another war brewing, my students. One that will either make us the strongest we'll ever be, or end us all. These chosen energists are our last chance."

"Why them?" Someone from a far table called.

The Overseer looked at us, smiling with his eyes. "They all have energists in their blood. We've taught you that the reason this school was built was because all of the original families had died. But not all of them did. These children are the great-great grandchildren of people who built this very school. They are the lifeblood- and this sect is the last sect we will see until the war comes. I must go now. Ask your trainer if you have any more questions," he said. He then winked at us (me?), levitated off the ground and back into the fire. Naturally.

"So you guys are it, then," Noah said quietly, looking around at my sect. Everyone else in the room seemed to be looking at us, too.

I wanted to stand up and say something, explain what the Overseer meant. A feeling of intense dread hung over me.