The High Governor

The High Governor arrived at Erwoe one week later. Now, the five chosen mages-in-training must compete for the position as his right-hand.

"I don't like this. I wish Vander hadn't chosen me," Liana grumbled to herself.

She headed to the practice room. There, she worked on the most advanced magic known to mages. Liana had mastered it back in her past life and decided to see if she could in this one.

"Come on, Liana. You can do this."

Her magic flared, and as she did the spell perfectly, the High Governor walked by. Without her noticing him. He watched her perform the spell and is amazed by her power.

"Wow, I must as the Headmaster about her."

He walked on.

Liana continued to practice her magic, performing many other very difficult spells.

"Woah, I can't believe I can still do all of these. Looks like I can probably survive being Raevyn. Her body doesn't impair my magical potential."

"Raevyn."

She jumped and spun around.

"Oh, Headmaster," she said nervously. "Hello."

Liana saw another man with him and recognized him almost instantly. She nearly snarled.

"This is Preston, the High Governor of Sonic. He said that he would like for you to be his mage. Now, how did that choice come about? He hasn't even seen you perform yet."

Liana swallowed. She knew she was doomed.

"Umm, I don't know."

Vander turned to the High Governor.

"What was she doing when you saw her, Preston?"

"It seemed difficult. There was an array of colors. Gold, silver, red, blue, et cetera."

Vander turned back to Liana.

'Damn.'

"Show me, Raevyn."

Liana nodded slowly. She started to make the most difficult spell know to magekind. Magic flowed from her hands. Swirling colors of red and yellow shot out as she created a comet out of nothing. In between her hands, the comet grew. Fire light it up; and soon, the whole room was basked in light and heat. Once she had grown the comet enough, Liana shot it straight for the ceiling. It hit the domed roof and ensured it would explode like a firework. Bits and pieces of the comet fell back down to the floor.

"How did you manage to learn that?" Vander asked, shocked.

"Practice," Liana shrugged.

"You see," Preston said. "She would be perfect for my mage. I don't need to see the others. I choose her."

Vander nodded slowly. Liana could tell he was thinking about something, but she didn't know what.

"Why don't both of you come with me to the hatchery. There's something I need you for, Raevyn."

"Umm, okay."

They followed Vander out of the practice room and to the hatchery, Liana's favorite room at the school. There, she saw a broken dragon egg. She nearly cried out at the sight of it.

Liana moved over to it. The High Governor was about to follow her, but Headmaster Davies held him back.

"You poor thing," Liana said quietly.

Before she realized what she was doing, she had already begun a healing spell. The same one she had used on Vander.

"You can do this," she murmured to herself.

Glowing gold magic flowed from her fingertips as she drew them across the crack on the eggshell. It healed and re-melded together. When the spell was done, she set the healed egg back down and took a step back. Turning back around to face the men, she finally realized that healing the egg was exactly what Vander had wanted her to do.

The veins under her eyes had begun to turn black. Blood began to drip from her nose.

"Liana? No, no, no. Not again."

She held up a hand.

"It's okay, Vander. This time wasn't nearly as taxing as the last. I'll be fine after a few minutes."

He looked so concerned for her.

"But you died the last time!"

"Wha, what?" Preston gasped.

"Yeah, saving your ass. What I don't know is how I'm this Raevyn girl."

"What do you mean, Liana?" Vander asked.

"I looked at every book in the damn library that mentions reincarnation. Every one said it's impossible, a myth, even for mages. So technically, I'm beyond a myth now."

Vander chuckled.

"Wait," the High Governor said, realization dawning on him. "Liana? As in the Mage Queen Liana?"

"Yes, that's me," she said.

"But how? You could just be an imposter that made up a reincarnation story to gain fame and attention."

"No," Vander interrupted. "I know it's her."

"How?"

"Because of the healing spell she just did. Liana came up with it; she invented it and is the only one who knows how to correctly perform it. The last mage to invent a spell was the last Queen of Sonic."

"Is that why you were called the Mage Queen?"

Liana shook her head. "No, they called me that because I was respected and honored like a queen. there hasn't been an actual ruler on Sonic for centuries. Erwoe used to be the ruling family's palace, but now it's the mages' training school. Pretty hand too, being on top of the convergence point of four ley lines. It makes Erwoe a very powerful place to study our craft."

"You seem to know everything," Preston said.

Vander laughed, "Yeah. My perfect sister."

"Flatterer," Liana muttered.

"Then you really should be my mage, since you're the Headmaster's sister and the Mage Queen!"

"No, I died trying to keep your Mainlander paws off of Sonic. Why would I stand with you and willingly become your servant? Why would i turn my back on my fellow mages?"

"You wouldn't have to. Just show them that we can work together."

"I will never serve you. I'd rather die again that work with, or under you."

He smirked. "That last bit can be arranged."

"Is that a threat?" she growled.

Small flames ignited on her fingertips.

"Liana, don't," Vander pleaded.

She ignored him and shot a fireball straight at the High Governor.

"Oh, we're doing this are we?"

He caught the fireball and redirected it back at her. She dove out of the way and spun back to stare at him. Vander stared too.

"You're a mage," she breathed in shock.

'How couldn't I tell?' she thought.

"Yes, just don't tell the Council."

Her nostrils flared.

"Traitor," she growled.

Liana summoned a blast of wind and shoved it at him, trying to blow him backwards.

"Haha! You think a little wind is going to bother me?"

He clapped his hands together in front of him and part the blast on either side of him. Liana's eyes narrowed with hatred.

"You are the most infuriating person I've met so far. In both of my lives."

In a flash, she flicked a ninja star at him. Nearly imperceptible, it buried itself in his thigh. He grunted as he pulled it out.

"You shouldn't have done that, little mage."

"Little? Ha, I'll show you little!"

Magical black smoke swirled around her, starting at her feet and snaking its way up her body towards her head. Once she was engulfed in the smoke, she grew. Liana transformed into a colossal peridot green and black dragon.

Both men gasped and stumbled back in shock.

She roared peridot green fire and transformed back into human form.

"Liana, how?" Vander asked.

"We started out on the mainland, brother. No magical abilities whatsoever. Then, we were kidnapped by the previous Headmistress and brought to Erwoe to learn the Old Way and become mages. Once we graduated, I continued to study further magic and eventually became a Draman."

"A Draman; a human able to turn into a dragon. Impressive," Preston said.

"But how did I not even know this, Liana? And very few mages can even become a Draman."

"I don't know," she admitted. "I guess I just didn't want it to lead to sibling rivalry and ambition."

"Oh, Liana."

"Plus... it may be difficult to become a Draman, but it's even harder to become a Phoeman."

"By the gods..." Vander breathed.

"What's that?"

Liana smirked at Preston. "You'll see."

Magical red and orange smoke swirled around her again and she changed into a bright red and orange phoenix.

"Scrawwwww!" she screeched.

Flames burned on her feathers.

"A human able to become a Phoenix," Vander said.

Then, Liana changed back into human form. The men stared at her, shocked again. She laughed at their disbelieving faces.

"i don't usually brag about myself, but I am--perhaps not the best--but the most powerful mage Sonic has seen in centuries. So there's no way I would ever degrade myself, or magekind, by answering to the likes of you."

"Pity," Preston said. "I had rather hoped that you would agree after seeing... well, the real me. Though I was never trained at Erwoe, we're not that much different. You and I."

"Yes, we are. I will never stand at your side. Sonic deserves to remain autonomous from the mainland."

"Someday, you will regret not saying yes, Liana."

"Is this another one of your baseless threats?" she asked. "Because I will never serve the Council of Kings."

Then, she brushed past them and walked proudly out of the hatchery.

Back in the practice room, Liana raged. She shot balls of fire everywhere.

"Liana!"

Vander walked in and tried to calm his sister down to no avail.

She snarled to her brother, "I will make him hate the fact that he ever stepped foot on Sonic."