Zain Black

Chapter 2 

10 years later…

Zain is playing around the castle, like how any kid should enjoy their childhood. Headmaster Feliz is watching him with Professor McGreen. Who would have thought that 10 years has passed already?

Zain Black is turning 11 years old and he will be receiving a letter from the Incantatus soon. 

"It's time, Headmaster." Professor McGreen said as they watched Zain run around the castle’s garden playing with his nannies. 

Headmaster sighed and nodded. "Yes, it's time already," he knows but he doesn't want to be comfortable with the peace that Victorium has now. 

Zain is a jolly child, he was well taken care of by the maids, He particularly grows up with the servants in the castle. He will be studying in the Incantatus soon and he will be known as the boy who killed and gave a dark curse to Miristum. 

"I will be assigning, Mr. Nones to give him the letter personally and help him get ready for the upcoming magical year." Headmaster Feliz said while looking at the wide castle grounds that can be seen in their place.

"Is he capable, Professor?" Professor McGreen asked. Headmaster Feliz looked at her. 

"I can trust him with my life, Miranda," he answered firmly.

Professor McGreen just nodded and looked at the boy playing. She smiled, she knows, the whole Victorium knows that this boy will be great, and will be known by everyone. He's gifted and may he righteously use his gift. 

--- 

"Mr. Zain, please come here!" the servant called him. 

He's looking at the flowers in the garden, they all look so beautiful, they would always say that his mother planted those and now it is already blooming.

He walked to the servant. Since then they are the ones taking care of him, they're his family that he can count on, he learned everything from them. 

“Why?” he playfully asked. The servant smiled at him.

“Eat first, okay?” she answered him. The servant prepared eggs and pieces of bread with his favorite magical drink. 

“Thank you, Mistress,” he politely said. The servant smiled back and left him alone at the garden table. 

He looked around, he’s turning 11 by next month and they said that he will be studying in a school where he belongs. At night, a man would always enter the castle and ask about him. He doesn’t know who that man is, but they call him headmaster, he never introduced himself to him. 

He's in deep thoughts when he heard a howl. He looked at his back and saw a wolf, he smiled. It’s his friend, they met when he was wandering around the forest looking for some flowers and fruits. He got scared at first but then when he shifted his form, they bonded easily. Billy is like his older brother. 

“Hello there,” he said and stood up from sitting, the wolf howled back at him. He went near the wolf and rubbed his furs.

 “Will you shift?” he asked. The wolf howled and walked a little away from him. He smiled when the wolf shifted into human form. 

“Hello, Zain!” the wolf said and immediately hugged him. 

 “Hello, Bill! Want to eat some?” he asked and led him to the table.

Bill looked amazed at the castle’s garden. Bill lives on the east side of Victorium, he is the son of the alpha of the tribe there and the next one to inherit his father’s throne but then they don’t bond well with the other creatures here in the Victorium. 

“You are living a good life, huh,” Bill said and started eating. 

Zain looked at him confused. Bill is also living a good life. He once went to where they live and he must say he loved it there, more than here. Or he is just jealous because he has a family, a mother, and a father.

“Why?” Zain curiously asked.

“You know Zain, being next on the throne is a pressure because I need to meet the standards of my dad,” he said and sighed deeply. 

He understands him because he would often talk to him about it. He doesn’t want it, he wants to live a free life, run around the forest and be with other people. 

“You know what, Bill. Let’s not talk about it, okay? I want you to think you are free here,” he loudly said. Bill laughed at him. 

Bill raised his hands, as a sign of defeat, “Okay, okay. Tell me something, we haven't seen each other for weeks.” 

They didn’t see each other for weeks, Bill was sent by his father to the world outside Victorium, full of humans, the normal world. It exists and the humans out there know that Victorium also exists. 

“I might be receiving mail from Incantatus, I’m turning 11 already,” he sadly said. Bill smiled.

 “Wait, why are you smiling?” he asked while raising his brows. 

“You know, you are my little brother, I watched you grow up and I am happy that the most powerful wizard is you, my little brother, many things await for you in the Incantatus, Zain, and you will do great things,” Bill said happily and tapped Zain’s shoulder. 

Bill eats while looking around and Zain thinks of what Bill told him. They call him the most powerful wizard, they said that he gave the dark wizard a dark curse, but that’s what he all knows, he doesn’t even know what happened to his parents. No one would answer him if he asked, they would always say that at the right time all his questions will be answered. 

Bill finished eating and told him that he needed to go back since his father was already calling him. He said okay and take care, then he was left alone again. 

It’s getting dark already when he decided to enter the castle and went to his room. He fixed his things and entered the bathroom to freshen himself up. Minutes later he was called by one of the servants telling him that his dinner was served in the dining room already and someone was waiting for him. 

“Who is that someone?” he asked when he opened the door to answer the servant. 

“It’s your aunt and his husband, Mr. Zain,” the servant answered and bowed his head before walking away. 

His aunt? He doesn’t even know that he has an aunt, a family of his own. Does he have a family? He asked him himself. He sighed and fixed himself before going downstairs. The receiving area is empty, they must be in the dining room. He heard voices, laughing and talking about something, they easily adjusted in the castle huh. 

“Uhm, hello,” he said when he entered the dining room. The woman looked at him, disgusted or something but then smiled and stood up from her seat. 

“Hello, my dear. I am your aunt, your mother’s sister,” the woman said. He looked at her and he heard her say in a low voice ‘freak’. 

“Hello, auntie, what can I do for you?” he asked in a neutral tone.

His aunt laughed and said, “We visited you, you are our family right? You are living a great life here, a great house, with servants.” 

“Uhm, yes,” he mumbled in a low voice. 

“Then we will be the one who should take care of you, let us live here and we will be taking care of you,” his aunt proudly replied. 

Are they even my real family? He doesn’t even have proof that they are my family, but the guards won’t let them in if they are not my family. 

“Sure, why not,” he said and started eating already, but on the back of his mind, he doesn’t think this is a good idea, having a chance to have a family is something he wants but not this way, in a way where he feels that they just need something from him and they don’t care about him. 

They finished eating and he told the servants that they help his aunt’s family, they were given two rooms, the other one is for their daughter that will be arriving tomorrow. He lets them do whatever they want, he walks outside to get some fresh air.

This world he is living in is unbelievable, one day he wakes up without a mother saying good morning to him nor a father that would play with him, just the servants. 

He looks at the castle he is living in, he doesn’t even know why he is here, there are many questions that no one could answer. He was seated on the floor of the gazebo when a man appears in front of him. He looks up and doesn’t know what to say. 

“Hello, Zain.” the man said, he was shocked, how did he even know his name. 

“Uhm, hello sir, who are you?” he shyly asked. The man laughed like he asked an unbelievable question. 

“I am Headmaster Feliz,” the man responded. Headmaster, is he the headmaster of the Incantatus, School of Magic? What is he doing here and why is he here? 

“Headmaster of Incantatus, Sir?” he asked. The man nodded and sat down with him. “What are you doing outside? It’s already late,” Headmaster Feliz said. 

He took a deep breath. “My head is full of questions, Sir,” he explained. “Then let me hear your questions.” Headmaster Feliz said. 

“I don’t know, Sir. I want to know what happened to my parents,” he whispered. He wanted answers, he needed answers. He doesn’t even know what his purpose is in this world. 

There comes a long silence between them. 

“You know, Zain.” Headmaster sighed. “Your parents are great, they did great things and I know that right now they are proud of you for how you handle things on your own.” He looked at him and asked, “Why?” 

Headmaster laughed at him. “You will know everything at the right time, Zain.” 

He is confused, he’s ready to listen to whatever the headmaster will say but then the headmaster won't say anything. 

"Let me just tell you one thing," the headmaster said and stood up. He placed his hands at the railings and breath deeply.

"When you enter the Incantatus, you will encounter every challenge in life and I want you to remember that you are the greatest wizard, you hold the most powerful magic there in you." 

He can't understand why the headmaster said that. He wanted to ask why but the headmaster disappeared like a thin air after saying that to him. He looks around to find him but he is not there anymore. 

He looks at the sky, magic. They look so magically, full of shining stars. He sighed and decided to enter the castle to get some sleep. He still doesn't know what tomorrow awaits him.