“The Inbetween is the world between worlds. It’s the main realm that gets you to other realm. It’s the first one the Spirits made. Wars broke out, so they made another one . . . and when that happened again, they made another and so on. There are two main people, that’s Mages and Dividers. This realm, it’s the newest one, so that’s why people here don’t really know too much about the Inbetween. It’s still a child world in the Spirits eyes.
“Remember the story I told you, about Life and Death meeting? Well, that’s their story. You didn’t think it was real, did you?”
Jade could only stare at Mr. Moon from the kitchen table, with Noah and George on each side of her.
“I thought it was just a story.”
“A common one,” he smiled.
“Not here though,” Noah answered. “But in the Inbetween, everyone is taught as a child.”
She stared at him. He wasn’t from this world. Did that make him an alien? Or were they the aliens?
“That girl, Storm, she was a Mage?”
“Yes . . . Dividers and Mages don’t like each other too much.”
“Why?”
“Well, just like today, they keep trying to kill us off. Mages are not trustworthy, and don’t want people like us around?”
“Really?” Jade asked.
“They’re more likely to turn than a Divider. It’s in their blood.”
“Turn?”
“There are things out there, Demons. It’s in everyone, it’s like cancer almost. It’s inside you, but it takes something to wake it up.”
“Am I going to turn into a Demon?”
Mr. Moon laughed. “No child, you won’t. You’re not a monster, far from that. They have pure black eyes, and different skin color. They could be blue, pure white, midnight sky black, or yellow sometimes. They are always evolving. They seem to slip in every realm that the Spirits try to creature to get away from them.”
“Is this . . .whole Divider thing, is that why I can see things? Answers?”
“Yes, very much so. It’s your element.”
Jade turned to Noah. “You? What are you?”
“I’m a Healer,” Noah smiled proudly.
She turned to George. “You? What’s your . . . element?”543Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiefPY99t8j
“I’m not a Divider.”
“But . . . Mr. Moon, I thought you said that it was Mages and Dividers?”
“Well, George is a Guardian. And I said they were the two main race in a lot of the Realms. George can shapeshift into animals and protect people. That’s what he’s doing for you.”
“For me?” she was confused. “Why me?”
They all looked to each other, playing chicken as to who was going to explain it. In the end, Mr. Moon had sighed, and went on. “Well, Jade, that Mage today . . . she’s not the only one after you. You’re a Key . . . it’s a rare thing.”
“It is?” she asked. “Why?”
“You’re one of the more powerful elements. You see . . . Demons can be trapped in a thing called a Red Box. And using your blood can free them, hints the name, Key.”
“So, there are Mages and Demons after me?”
“Well, they’re after everyone. But Jade,” Mr. Moon got closer. “We won’t let anything happen to you, okay? That’s why I need you to trust me. You need to trust us, we are here to help you. Noah is far ahead with his training, and can show you basics of what a Divider can do. We will help you, you will be great.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“I’m sorry?” Mr. Moon laughed.
“Like . . . is there a way I can give this up, and just return to normal.”
“No, my dear, there isn’t. This is who you are, you should always embrace who you are. Even if it’s not what you had in mind, even if it’s different from what you would like to be, embrace the differences that you have.”
“So . . . I don’t have a choice.”
They all laughed, and even Jade loosen up and laughed at herself. “No, dear, you don’t have a choice.”
“Okay. Is this all I can do? Just see answers?”
“No, there is a lot more you can do,” Noah answered.
“What can you do?”
“Well, we are stronger, and can fight better. We ran faster and we are the perfect solider in a way. We can also bend elements to our own will.”
“Also, Jade, I wanted to give this to you. It’s your Soul Necklace,” Mr. Moon said, handing her a metal box. When Jade opened the box, she saw what looked like a clear marble on a medium length chain.
“What does it do?”
“It’s your way out and in of the realms. It’s how Dividers go through the Doors. Um, Doors is a term used for the way we go in and out. Anyways, it’s important. You are the first one to touch it, and it becomes yours. Go on, touch it,” Mr. Moon said.
She did, and the marble had flooded with colors. There was green, blue, and purple swimming around. But, a straight blackline came in the center.
“What’s with the colors?”
“It’s your soul,” Mr. Moon said, taking a look. He frowned at the black line. “Oh. . . well that’s interesting.”
“What is?” Jade asked, feeling like an excited kid on Christmas.
“Nothing. It’s a beautiful soul, and we will train you how to use it tomorrow, after school.”
“Why not now?” Jade protested.
Mr. Moon crossed his arms. “Oh, now she wants to train?”
Jade blushed. “It’s . . . interesting.”
Noah pulled his Soul Necklace out and showed her. His was yellow and red with sparks of purple.
“Why is yours different colors?”
“It’s my soul, it’ll be different than yours,” Noah explained, putting it back under his shirt. “Safest place for it, by the way. You don’t want yours to be stolen, or have a Mage point you out.”
“Do Mages have a Soul Necklace?”
Noah snorted. “They need souls first.”
“Uh?”
Mr. Moon cleared his throat, “Mages, they have their wands.”
“What makes us different from Mages? If they have elements and a way to go in and out of Doors, why are they different?”
She wished she didn’t ask that, because everyone looked like they had been stabbed in the head with that question. Mr. Moon cleared his voice. “Well . . . they gather their powers from around them, while Dividers gather it from inside.”
“So . . . are we really different?”
“Yes Jade,” Noah said, coldly. “We will never be like a dirty Mage.”
The way that his brown eyes stared at hers, she could see truth hatred in them. There was no changing his mind on the subject. Maybe they really were that bad? Jade didn’t know much about Mages in the first place, and like Mr. Moon said, Noah was a head in his training.
Maybe she should listen to them.
Maybe Mages really are that bad.
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