Page 4 of Exordium

I was excited to be Nexus. Following in Mom’s footsteps was a dream of mine. She was my hero and rightfully so. The Nexus brought out the latent abilities in their Faction when they bonded. The abilities could range from controlling the weather to invisibility and a variety of things in between. The powers Mom brought out in her Faction were nothing short of amazing!

Grumpy could control and communicate with any animal on land or sea. As long as I can remember, there had been animals everywhere. Thank God we lived relatively secluded because most of the animals were not native to Texas! Pop, being histwin, had the flip side of his power. Pop could shift into any animal he’d seen in person, on television, and in print. To say he could tell a hell of a bedtime story was putting it mildly. How many kids get to pet the actual characters in their book as the story is read? Reverie for the win!

Even though I was raised with the expectation of being Nexus, it wasn’t a known fact until I bonded with Nathan. After becoming Faction, Nathan gained the ability to teleport, and I had increased strength and speed. When I gained more Faction, we would both gain more abilities. As Nexus I shouldn’t have access until my Faction was complete.

I had learned everything my parents could teach me, and their knowledge was vast. I had trained in various fighting styles. Krav Maga was the one I enjoyed the most. It combined aikido, boxing, judo, karate, and wrestling. Also, the Aurathion culture had several fighting methods passed down through the generations that I was proficient in. I wish I could say it would improve my odds, but the truth is, most children raised in the Aurathion culture were more than familiar with those fighting styles.

I didn’t envy Nathan having to play catch up and train with Pop. His joking nature didn’t translate to the training mat. Holding back wasn’t something he did. My Psycho was going to be bitching about the bruises he was likely to collect on his “perfect ass.” I was asked to refer to it as such on his request, but the boy wasn’t lying, his ass was nice to look at.

Nathan took it all because even though he liked to rile up my fathers, being able to protect me was his priority. Nathan’s power was unstable, and he worked tirelessly to perfect it. I was so thankful he would be waiting at Emberhold. Hopefully, we could meet under the guise of friendship, until we could perform the ritual and begin building our Faction in earnest. We had a rocky start, but I couldn’t imagine my life withouthim. I doubt he cared how I felt. He was a stage five clinger from kindergarten to our senior year in high school. No way would he allow me to contemplate life without him. I should have known our bonding would be extraordinarily different.

My thoughts stopped when I pulled up to the trail leading to the portal. It was concealed from all pure-blooded humans. Aurathion illusionists had cast a mirage of a large hillside surrounded by a thick forest. I continued to drive until I saw the massive stone pillars with bright swirls of color rotating lazily in a circle.

This was it.

It was time to see if I had what it took to become the Nexus of an Aurathion Faction.

I had a huge grin on my face as I drove through the portal. I couldn’t wait to see Nathan. I had missed his crazy ass. Together we were going to form the strongest Faction Emberhold had ever seen.

Chapter 2

Reverie

The trip through the portal was uneventful. Aurathions, who created portals and pocket dimensions, were amazingly talented. Emberhold Academy existed in a pocket dimension created so Aurathions could meet and form Factions, learn, and strengthen their abilities without humans discovering their existence. The original Academy was one of the first buildings destroyed at the start of the war because it was essential in forming Factions built around a true Nexus.

I stepped out of my Jeep, inhaling the crisp, enchanted air. The beautiful trees that towered above the entrance to the Academy had a mix of gold and orange leaves. The main building was a massive gothic structure composed of a black rock native to our world. The rock was almost reflective, so it glowed when light hit the building. Quaint lampposts, benches, and tables lit the brick pathways leading to the dorms scattered throughout the campus. The dorms and training buildings were smaller structures identical to the main academy building. Houses scattered throughout the forest surrounding the Academy were built for fully formed Factions that needed to complete their training.

A small town was also located close to the Academy. Most of the businesses were run by Passives who hadn’t given up on finding their Factions. The town consisted of a few cafes, coffee bars, and small boutiques. Java and Jam was a favorite of my family. My parents often ate at the original that was destroyed at the same time as the Academy.

The gate in front of Emberhold was held up by massive posts made of the same rock as the Academy. The gate itself was constructed of material like earth’s platinum. Directly in the center of the gate was the Aurathion symbol. It was a Triquetra surrounded by two rings of flames, with a smaller Triquetra in the middle representing the Nexus.

I had no idea how extensive the forests were but assumed they were significant. There were animals of all kinds, some native to Aurathia. If this was an accurate representation of Aurathia, I could understand why my parents missed it so much. I looked around the half-full parking lot and realized most students probably used the smaller portals. A vehicle wasn’t needed to navigate around campus and the small nearby town, but leaving My Precious wasn’t an option for me.

My parents had taught me to always expect the unexpected. Sometimes, a quick getaway was the difference between life and death. After the destruction of our world, my parents didn’t leave anything to chance. Nathan could teleport anywhere he had seen or been before, but this talent had yet to appear for me and wouldn’t until my Faction was complete. Suddenly, I heard a knock coming from inside my Jeep. I jumped around and saw Nathan waving at me, sitting in my backseat.

“What the hell?” I jerked open the door and fell inside. “What are you doing here?” I whisper yelled.

“Welcoming my little Nexi to Emberhold, of course,” Nathan grinned. He had a boy next door look and he used it to his advantage. Light brown hair with a slight curl, big green eyes, a dimple in one cheek, and perfectly straight white teeth. At 6'1″, he was the perfect package- if you were into psychopaths.

Apparently, I was.

“Nathan, you know we need to be careful. You could have welcomed me somewhere a little more discreet!” I growled. Grumpy had warned us repeatedly how desperate Passives were to be part of a Faction. I didn’t need that kind of pressure my first few months at Emberhold. Not to mention Nathan becoming Faction without the ritual. The Council would put us in a lab somewhere and probably anally probe us both.

“Now, you sound like a mini–Daddy Grump”, Nathan pouted. “I couldn’t wait any longer to see you.” He wound a piece of my hair around his finger. “I just flashed in with no one the wiser. You know my power is unparalleled.” His arrogance was “unparalleled”.

“You shouldn’t be using your power at all.” I frowned. “And don’t call me daddy.” The last came out in a screech as Nathan jerked me under him.

“You’re wasting a lot of breath arguing with me when your mouth could be put to much better use.” Nathan batted hiseyes at me. “I’ve missed those plump lips, and this smell!!” He groaned out while leaning down to take a large inhale of my neck. “Chocolate chip cookies and honeysuckle.” He made a smacking noise, “I could eat you up.”

I giggled, melting under him. Resisting my Psycho was not something I was proficient in.

The first day of kindergarten is always hard, but I thought it was harder on my parents.

“It’ll be OK, Pop. I’ll be home soon,” I giggled. Pop held me so tight I could hardly breathe.

“Put Tator Tot down and stop being dramatic!” Grumpy rolled his eyes. “She’ll be home in a few short hours, get ahold of yourself, man!”

Mom started laughing and took me from Pop. It was a struggle because he wasn’t letting go. Grumpy hit him in the back of the head, and Mom was able to pull me to freedom.

---