• Chapter 1
    The Boy in the Chest

    A small bus drove up the winding path into the rural part of the city of Markston. Only one person sat inside the bus besides the bus driver. Sitting farthest in the back of the bus was a young girl. The young girl had waist long silver hair with two small braids on each side. The rest of her hair flowed back behind her as she stared out the window with her dull golden eyes. As the girl looked out the window, she noticed her bus stop coming up. She got up from her seat grabbing her suitcase beside her. She walked up to the front of the bus and stopped by the door. The bus slowed to a stop and stopped at the bus stop. She got off the bus and and looked around. From behind her, the bus driver spoke.
    "Good luck, Miss Ronwen." She turned around and smiled at him.
    "Thanks. But please, call me Mayu." The bus driver nodded at her and closed the door. Mayu watched the bus continue up the road and out of sight. In her hand, she held a letter and a map. The letter was from her deceased grandparents. The letter stated that they left her their old home that the raised their family in to her. She walked up the old pathway leading up to the house. Her white lace dress swayed with the wind. The large blue bow tied around her waist swayed with her every step. Just as she entered the clearing, she saw the large two story house. She walked up the steps and to the front door. She pulled out the key to the door unlocking the door. She entered the dust covered house and set her suitcase down.
    "What a mess." Mayu rolled up her sleeves and looked around the house. "Time to get to work." She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and started cleaning the house from top to bottom. She first started in the living room making her way to kitchen. After completing that, she moved into the pantry and first bathroom. After the first floor was cleaned she moved up to the second floor. She cleaned the two bedrooms and the second bathroom. Once she was all done, it was already late into the afternoon. She brought her suitcase up to the master bedroom and laid on the bed. She undid her ponytail and let it hang down. She sighed a little and looked out the window. "It's gotten late. I hope the stores are still open when I get there." She walked out into the hallway and looked up to notice something. There was a attic door in the hallway. "Odd." She pulled on the string and out came a ladder leading to the attic. She climbed up the stairs and looked around. The attic was littered with old furniture and dust covered mirrors. Fartherest in the back, she noticed something covered by an old sheet. She walked over and pulled the sheet off. A cloud of dust filled the air as she tossed the sheet aside. Underneth the sheet, there was an antique chest with a rusty lock. As she reached to touch the lock, it unlocked and fell to the ground. She carefully opened the chest and looked inside. As she peered inside, a rush of things came out of chest. She fell backwards as she watched the things come flying out of the chest. One of the things rushed in her direction and vanished inside her. Her chest was in pain when the thing went inside her. Soon all things were gone and there was an empty chest. The pain in her chest was gone and she looked at the chest. From inside the chest she heard something move. She watched the chest as a hand was placed on the edge of the chest. Out from the chest, sat up a little boy. The boy short wavy white hair with a small ponytail and sapphire blue eyes. The boy rubbed his eyes and looked around.
    "Where am I?" The boy soon laid his eyes on Mayu. The boy and Mayu simply stared at each silently for few minutes. Finally, the boy broke the silence between them. "Did you open this chest?" Mayu nodded her head at the boy.
    "Yes." The boy climbed out of the chest and walked over to her. Mayu noticed the boy was wearing clothes a few sizes too big for him. The boy crouched down to her eye level.
    "Where are the magic? Where did they go?" Mayu shook her head and looked down.
    "I don't know. The things took off as soon as the chest was open." She paused and looked at the boy. "Wait. You called it magic, didn't you." The boy stood up and nodded at her.
    "Yes I did. Don't you know about magic?" Mayu stood up and looked down at him.
    "Yes but, I have only heard of it in fairy tales." The boy stepped back a little bit in shock. Mayu tilted her head and looked at the boy. "Is something wrong?"
    "When did people become giants?" Mayu looked at the boy with a confused look.
    "Giants? What are you talking about, little boy?" The boy looked up at Mayu.
    "Little boy? Now what are you talking about? I happen to be..." The boy looked at his hands and was in shock. "What happened to me?!" The boy rushed over to one of the mirrors and wiped away the dust. The boy looked into the mirror with a look of shock. "Why am I child? What's going on here?" The boy looked down at his clothes that wore loosely on him. Mayu went to dresser and went through the drawers. She pulled out a set of clothes and looked at the boy.
    "Come on. Let's get you into some clothes that fit." She made her way down the ladder and watched the boy come down behind her. Mayu pointed to the other bedroom. "You can change in there." She handed the boy the clothes and watched him walk inside and close the door. After sometime, the boy walked out of the bedroom. The boy's new clothes were a white undershirt, dark blue tailcoat, black shorts, black sock and shoes. His hair was tied back into a ponytail with a black ribbon. On his hands were white gloves and around his neck was another black ribbon. Mayu smiled at the boy as she looked at his new clothes. "It looks good on you. It belong to grandfather's grandfather when he was a boy. I'm sure he doesn't mind you using it." She looked out a window and noticed how dark it was. "Oh no! Is it already this late? All the stores will be closed now. I guess there will be no dinner tonight." The boy looked up at her with a serious look on his face.
    "Shall we get down to business?" Mayu and the boy walked into the master bedroom. Mayu sat on the bed while the boy pulled up a chair and sat across from her. "My name is Takuma Adalward. I am the guardian of the magic. Who are you?"
    "Mayu Ronwen. Can you tell me what that magic is and why where you in the chest?" Takuma nodded at her and closed his eyes.
    "Centeries ago, the was a powerful wizard named Kang-Dae. Kang-Dae was the one who created the magic. The magic was given it's own appearance and a mind and will of it's own. But soon the magic got out of control and started attacking innocent people. So Kang-Dae captured all the magic and placed it within the chest. But the problem was how to keep the magic inside until the time is right. I am Kang-Dae's only son and the most likely to guard the magic. So, I volunteered to guard the magic so that it wouldn't escape from the chest. I was sealed within the chest to guard it until someone can control it. But it seems, you opened the chest after so many years."
    "I didn't mean to open it. The lock on it can off by itself and then when I opened it those things came out."
    "Those things were the magic I was told to guard. But now that they are free, we must collect them all once again." Mayu was shocked that Takuma said we.
    "What do you mean we? I thought you were suppose to guard them."
    "But you let them out so you have to have to help me capture them all again." Takuma stood up from his chair and walked up to Mayu. "Whatever the case may be, the magic is loose and I need help to retrieve them. Besides, I can tell one of the magics is already inside you. So, will you help me?" Mayu thought about for a minute and looked at Takuma.
    "Okay. I'll help you." Takuma placed his hand on Mayu's forehead.
    "Very well." The room was being filled with a bright light. Mayu's eyes were being blinded by the light in the room. She heard Takuma's voice change from his child's voice into a deeper tone. "I, Takuma Adalward, son of Kang-Dae hereby decree that this girl, Mayu Ronwen, to now be the Keeper of the Magic from this point on, until the day she dies." The light soon faded down back to its orignal state and Takuma removed his hand from her forehead. "Now, you look at the palm of your hand." Mayu turned the palm of her right hand towards her. On the palm of her hand was a magic circle of some sorts. "That will allow you to control the magic within you now." Takuma pulled her off the bed and pulled her outside and stopped in the yard. "Now call upon the magic." Mayu looked at Takuma confused.
    "How do I do that?" Takuma sighed and shook his head.
    "Repeat after me. 'I call upon thee. The ever eternal magic that aids me. Come forth!' Then you call out the magic's name. But since you don't know the magic's name, just say that and the magic will show itself." Mayu nodded and closed her eyes.
    "I call upon thee. The ever eternal magic that aids me. Come forth!" In front of her, a magic circle appeared. Within the circle, a human figure started to take shape. Soon the magic circle faded away and a girl was left there. The girl had short brown hair and chestnut brown eyes. She wore a prisetess's kimono. At her sides, there was two closed fans. One was large as a person and the other the size of a regular fan. The girl looked at Mayu and Takuma and smiled.
    "You called me?" Takuma smiled and nodded at her.
    "Yes." Takuma pointed at Mayu. "Mayu here is the new Keeper of the Magic. So you shall introduce yourself to your new Master." The girl smiled and bowed before Mayu.
    "Hello, new Master. I am Kastha and I control the winds." Kastha pulled out her fans, the large one in her right hand and the small in her left hand. With the swing of her right hand, a great gust of wind began to blow. Then with her left hand, the wind calm down to a small breeze. Kastha placed the fans back in their spots and then looked at Mayu. "If you ever need me, just call me Master." With that, Kastha disappeared and went back to Mayu. Takuma turned to Mayu.
    "It's late. We should get some sleep." Takuma and Mayu walked back in the house and up the stairs. As they reached their bedrooms, Mayu turned to Takuma.
    "Good night." Takuma nodded and smiled at her.
    "Good night." She watched Takuma walk into his bedroom and close the door. Mayu walked into her room and changed into her pajamas. Mayu crawled into her bed and pulled the sheets over her. She lay there in bed and awake for some time thinking about everything that has happened today. I need to get some sleep, she thought. She turned over to her left side and drifted off to sleep.