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Chapter 1

  “Mayor Hoshi! Mayor Hoshi!” a young man in his mid-twenties called out, chasing after her as she began to proceed to her daily forest patrol. “Please, just a moment Mayor Hoshi!”
  Hoshi snorted, biting her tongue before she had another outburst at her absurd title. She whipped around, a smile dazzling. The young man was Leo Pyre, Hoshi realized stopped abruptly as she turned. His fiery red hair was tangled up in knots, tanned skin practically glowing. His unique orange eyes twinkled in the sunlight. The wind disrupted Hoshi’s hair as she waited patiently for what Leo had to say. He took his time gathering his thoughts, perhaps on purpose just to annoy his childhood friend. And it worked.
  “Out with it Leo,” she snapped. “And you know better than to not call me by my title. No one calls me that.”
  Leo’s head tilted backwards as he bellowed with laughter. The joyful laugh echoed through the area, bouncing off of the trees and ground.
  “I suppose I shouldn’t be calling you that anymore,” he admitted after his laughing fit subsided. “But it really is a thrill to see you squirm, Hosh.”
  “Yes, ha, ha very funny,” Hoshi said, irritated that he was taking so long to get the point. “Now if you have nothing else to say to me, I’ll be off.”
  “Actually, I was thinking that I could come with you,” Leo said, getting serious. “I’ve been hearing some rumors that the forest was getting more and more dangerous. Even with the protective shield and Moira to counsel us, it may not be enough for the beasts coming this way.”
  “Oh, so now you’re telling the future,” Hoshi snorted. “Wonderful.”
  “Hosh, this is serious,” Leo insisted, frowning. “And you could definitely use my ability in an emergency. Because, no offense, but your ability is absolutely useless if you don’t know what kind of power you’re transferring.”
  Hoshi held her ground for about a minute longer before she gave in. It was useless to argue with Leo once his mind was made up anyway. She led the way into the forest, hearing Leo’s footsteps behind her. He really wasn’t good at stealth. Hoshi tightened her lips to keep herself from laughing. Again. She had a really weird problem of laughing about things that didn’t really matter. One of her quirks, but at least it wasn’t a deadly one. Well, it could be, but Hoshi didn’t really want to think about it.
  Suddenly, Leo cleared his throat. Loudly. Hoshi jumped and narrowed her eyes at Leo. He grinned.
  “What was that for?” she demanded. “Someone could have heard us.”
  “Oh, pardon me, Your Highness,” he said, dipping into a mock-bow. “There was a tickle in my throat. Please excuse my utterly fatal noise that positively could have killed us.”
  Hoshi rolled her eyes, reluctantly smiling. “Enough with the sarcasm already. You’re killing me.”
  “You look very alive to me,” he dead-panned.
  Hoshi wanted to punch him. Instead, she clenched her fists and spun around, moving quickly on purpose, secretly hoping that she’d lose him. Out of nowhere, Leo appeared right in front of her. She managed to suppress a squeal, but did kick him in the shin. He groaned.
  “Ow, ow, ow! Ow, that hurt Hoshi,” he yelped. “Geez, you didn’t have to kick me.”
  “Sorry, but next time maybe you should not jump in front of me and scare me like that,” Hoshi growled. “You’re lucky I don’t have an ability that I can use impulsively to hurt someone.”
  “Woah,” he said, stepping back. “What’s with the attitude. Mayor duties catching up to you today?”
  “Yes, I’m behind schedule,” she answered stiffly. “Partly because someone decided to delay my patrol.”
  Leo opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it. He knew Hoshi had one that debate. Triumphantly, Hoshi marched through the rest of the forest and went back to her house. Leo, unfortunately, followed her. Hoshi sighed.
  “Do you need me to do something for you?” she asked tiredly.
  “Thought you’d never ask,” he mumbled. “Anyway, Moira wants to see you this afternoon. She told me to tell you to meet her at Terrific Treats place for lunch.”
  “You went to see Moira today?” Hoshi asked, surprised. “That’s odd. You almost never go to her. What was the problem?”
  Leo turned sheepish, and Hoshi said his cheeks turn slightly pink. Slightly.
  “Oh, it was really lame…” Leo started, clearly stalling.
  “Come on, tell me!” Hoshi pressed. “It can’t be that bad!”
  “Uh, no, it is,” he said, his blush getting more apparent.
  Hoshi stared at him, trying to figure out myself what he had asked. What would make him get red so much? And now, to him, his cuticles seemed like the most interesting in the world. Of course avoiding eye contact was what he’d do. Boys! They never shared anything.
  “Come on, tell me,” Hoshi begged. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise. Mayor’s honor!”
  “Hey, Hosh, really it’s nothing,” Leo repeated. “You’ll regret asking if I told you.”
  “A Mayor has no regrets,” Hoshi countered. “Leo, you have to tell me. If not because I’m ordering you to as Mayor, then because I’m asking you as a friend.”
  Leo’s annoyance was so obvious, but Hoshi didn’t care. For some reason, she really wanted to know what Leo and Moira had talked about. Usually Moira would tell the Mayor herself, but this time, Hoshi wanted to hear it directly from him. Leo blew out a big, loud breath, making Hoshi laugh. Then he told her, and Hoshi regretted asking, but only a little. A tiny bit.
  “You asked the Sage for girl advice?” Hoshi asked, dumb-founded. “Like what specifically? You don’t exactly need help attracting them if that was what you wanted to know.”
  Hoshi grinned, but Leo didn’t share it.
  “I asked how to ask someone out,” he elaborated. “Understand? Okay, I have to go help with the construction of the new observation tower. See you around.”
  Hoshi tilted her head, confused. Leo didn’t seem like the type of guy to have trouble asking someone out. I wonder what’s up? she thought, but quickly brushed it away from her priorities list. Sighing, she sat down in front of a tower of papers and plucked the top one off. Her eyes skimmed the page and landed on a word that seemed to leap out at her. She stilled and her blood went cold.
  War.
  Someone wanted to go to war with the Oasis. Someone was going to go to war with the Oasis. The Oasis was going to go to war.
  Hoshi stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over. She didn’t hear it clatter to the ground. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, arms trembling.
  “No,” she whispered hoarsely. “Not again. It’s too soon. It’s too-”
  “Hoshi!” a voice yelled from behind the door.
  Her head jerked towards the entrance. “Who’s there?” she hissed.
  “Hoshi, open up, it’s us!” Leo’s voice shouted, banging on the door.
  She stumbled to the door, her handing just barely hitting the button to open the door. It slid open and four faces looked down at her with worried expression. Leo went to her immediately, fear flashing in his eyes.
  “Hoshi, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?” he asked frantically.
  Hoshi sat in a daze for a few seconds before quickly coming to. She snapped to attention and sprang up. A wave of dizziness hit her, but Leo caught her before she fell.
  “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Hoshi murmured. “I’m fine. Sorry.”
  Indigo, a girl with dark violet hair and matching eyes frowned and glanced at the boy next to her, Vermilion, but they didn’t say anything. Leo pulled up the chair that Hoshi had knocked over, and Hoshi collapsed in it.
  “What’s in your hand, Hoshi?” a girl with pretty golden eyes asked. Moira Salvo, the Sage of the Oasis.
  “Huh?” Hoshi glanced down at her hand and saw the crumpled letter in it. Startled, she dropped in on the floor. She bent down to pick it up, but Leo was faster. “No, Leo, wai-”
  His eyes skimmed the sheet and stopped suddenly. “No way.”
  “What is it?” Indigo asked.
  “It’s better if you see it for yourself,” Leo muttered, handing it to them.
  Indigo and Vermilion peered at it with a discerning eyes. The two of them looked at each other in shock, then gasped. “War? And with the same people too? What do the Necromancers want with us?”
  “It’s only been five years since the last war ended, and the Oasis still hasn’t fully recovered,” Leo muttered, raking his hands through his tangled hair. “Is there any way to stop it before it starts? Moira?”
  Moira stepped backwards hesitantly, slowly shaking her head. “I’d need time to think about it.”
  Hoshi pursed her lips. “I don’t think we’ve had a lot of time. This is a week’s worth of letters, so I don’t know how recent this is. If I’d just read them once they’d arrive, we’d have a better grasp on this.”
  “Hey, it’s not your fault,” Leo soothed. “I’m sure you had a lot on your plate. Since there’s no way to avoid war with whoever these people are- Necromancers, or whatever- we should prepare the people as quickly as possible.”
  “Right.” Hoshi nodded, still shaken. “Vermilion, please alert the citizens of the Oasis about the battles in the near future. Make sure to state that they are free to flee if they want to.”
  “Are you sure you are okay with them leaving? Are numbers are significantly lower than theirs,” Indigo cut in. “Besides, everyone is still living in fear from the previous one. What if it just ends up being the five of us.”
  “I don’t want people to fight because they’re forced to,” Hoshi sighed. “But it’ll be a big blow if a lot of people leave.”
  “Listen, the Oasis was created so people could cultivate their abilities into something great without fear of being judged. Right now, I think we have the upper hand, even if it is just the five of us,” Moira said. “But, if I’m going to be completely honest, I have a feeling that there’ll be more than just us.”
  Hoshi was quiet for a few moments, then exhaled deeply. “Okay, Vermilion, please make the announcement. Indigo, go with him. Whoever decides to stay, please have them gather at the observation tower construction site. Ensure those who want to leave a safe exit. Leo, please ask the blacksmith to make the work efficient. Moira, I’d like to talk with you for a little bit.”
  “Yes, ma’am!” four voices chorused, not in a mocking way.
  Vermilion, Indigo, and Leo headed out the door to their respective spots, leaving on Moira and Hoshi.
  “So what was it that you wanted to talk about?” Moira asked.
  “You know more about the Necromancers than we do, don’t you?”
  Moira stiffened, but nodded. “Yes, I studied in their territory for some time,” she said carefully. “Why do you ask?”
  “Do you think it’s wise to try and negotiate with them?” Hoshi prodded.
Moira pondered it for some time before answering. “Knowing them, I believe that negotiations are out of the question. The Necromancers aren’t really looking for peace. They’re trying to destroy the world and build up a new one, with them as the rulers.”
  “I see.” Hoshi closed her eyes. “Moira, will you please tell me what your ability is?”
  Moira flinched and shook her head. “I’m sorry, it’d do more harm than good. I’ve taken a vow of silence regarding my ability and past.”
  Hoshi studied Moira’s eyes intently. What could be so bad about stating what her ability was? And why wouldn’t she reveal anything about what happened before she came to the Oasis? Apparently, Moira was set on not letting anyone know.
  “Alright, I’ll respect that,” Hoshi relented. “You’re dismissed.
  Moira nodded gratefully and headed out the door.
  “How am I going to pull this off,” Hoshi groaned.

Description
body div#devskin0 hr { }

Chapter 1

  “Mayor Hoshi! Mayor Hoshi!” a young man in his mid-twenties called out, chasing after her as she began to proceed to her daily forest patrol. “Please, just a moment Mayor Hoshi!”
  Hoshi snorted, biting her tongue before she had another outburst at her absurd title. She whipped around, a smile dazzling. The young man was Leo Pyre, Hoshi realized stopped abruptly as she turned. His fiery red hair was tangled up in knots, tanned skin practically glowing. His unique orange eyes twinkled in the sunlight. The wind disrupted Hoshi’s hair as she waited patiently for what Leo had to say. He took his time gathering his thoughts, perhaps on purpose just to annoy his childhood friend. And it worked.
  “Out with it Leo,” she snapped. “And you know better than to not call me by my title. No one calls me that.”
  Leo’s head tilted backwards as he bellowed with laughter. The joyful laugh echoed through the area, bouncing off of the trees and ground.
  “I suppose I shouldn’t be calling you that anymore,” he admitted after his laughing fit subsided. “But it really is a thrill to see you squirm, Hosh.”
  “Yes, ha, ha very funny,” Hoshi said, irritated that he was taking so long to get the point. “Now if you have nothing else to say to me, I’ll be off.”
  “Actually, I was thinking that I could come with you,” Leo said, getting serious. “I’ve been hearing some rumors that the forest was getting more and more dangerous. Even with the protective shield and Moira to counsel us, it may not be enough for the beasts coming this way.”
  “Oh, so now you’re telling the future,” Hoshi snorted. “Wonderful.”
  “Hosh, this is serious,” Leo insisted, frowning. “And you could definitely use my ability in an emergency. Because, no offense, but your ability is absolutely useless if you don’t know what kind of power you’re transferring.”
  Hoshi held her ground for about a minute longer before she gave in. It was useless to argue with Leo once his mind was made up anyway. She led the way into the forest, hearing Leo’s footsteps behind her. He really wasn’t good at stealth. Hoshi tightened her lips to keep herself from laughing. Again. She had a really weird problem of laughing about things that didn’t really matter. One of her quirks, but at least it wasn’t a deadly one. Well, it could be, but Hoshi didn’t really want to think about it.
  Suddenly, Leo cleared his throat. Loudly. Hoshi jumped and narrowed her eyes at Leo. He grinned.
  “What was that for?” she demanded. “Someone could have heard us.”
  “Oh, pardon me, Your Highness,” he said, dipping into a mock-bow. “There was a tickle in my throat. Please excuse my utterly fatal noise that positively could have killed us.”
  Hoshi rolled her eyes, reluctantly smiling. “Enough with the sarcasm already. You’re killing me.”
  “You look very alive to me,” he dead-panned.
  Hoshi wanted to punch him. Instead, she clenched her fists and spun around, moving quickly on purpose, secretly hoping that she’d lose him. Out of nowhere, Leo appeared right in front of her. She managed to suppress a squeal, but did kick him in the shin. He groaned.
  “Ow, ow, ow! Ow, that hurt Hoshi,” he yelped. “Geez, you didn’t have to kick me.”
  “Sorry, but next time maybe you should not jump in front of me and scare me like that,” Hoshi growled. “You’re lucky I don’t have an ability that I can use impulsively to hurt someone.”
  “Woah,” he said, stepping back. “What’s with the attitude. Mayor duties catching up to you today?”
  “Yes, I’m behind schedule,” she answered stiffly. “Partly because someone decided to delay my patrol.”
  Leo opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it. He knew Hoshi had one that debate. Triumphantly, Hoshi marched through the rest of the forest and went back to her house. Leo, unfortunately, followed her. Hoshi sighed.
  “Do you need me to do something for you?” she asked tiredly.
  “Thought you’d never ask,” he mumbled. “Anyway, Moira wants to see you this afternoon. She told me to tell you to meet her at Terrific Treats place for lunch.”
  “You went to see Moira today?” Hoshi asked, surprised. “That’s odd. You almost never go to her. What was the problem?”
  Leo turned sheepish, and Hoshi said his cheeks turn slightly pink. Slightly.
  “Oh, it was really lame…” Leo started, clearly stalling.
  “Come on, tell me!” Hoshi pressed. “It can’t be that bad!”
  “Uh, no, it is,” he said, his blush getting more apparent.
  Hoshi stared at him, trying to figure out myself what he had asked. What would make him get red so much? And now, to him, his cuticles seemed like the most interesting in the world. Of course avoiding eye contact was what he’d do. Boys! They never shared anything.
  “Come on, tell me,” Hoshi begged. “I won’t tell anyone. I promise. Mayor’s honor!”
  “Hey, Hosh, really it’s nothing,” Leo repeated. “You’ll regret asking if I told you.”
  “A Mayor has no regrets,” Hoshi countered. “Leo, you have to tell me. If not because I’m ordering you to as Mayor, then because I’m asking you as a friend.”
  Leo’s annoyance was so obvious, but Hoshi didn’t care. For some reason, she really wanted to know what Leo and Moira had talked about. Usually Moira would tell the Mayor herself, but this time, Hoshi wanted to hear it directly from him. Leo blew out a big, loud breath, making Hoshi laugh. Then he told her, and Hoshi regretted asking, but only a little. A tiny bit.
  “You asked the Sage for girl advice?” Hoshi asked, dumb-founded. “Like what specifically? You don’t exactly need help attracting them if that was what you wanted to know.”
  Hoshi grinned, but Leo didn’t share it.
  “I asked how to ask someone out,” he elaborated. “Understand? Okay, I have to go help with the construction of the new observation tower. See you around.”
  Hoshi tilted her head, confused. Leo didn’t seem like the type of guy to have trouble asking someone out. I wonder what’s up? she thought, but quickly brushed it away from her priorities list. Sighing, she sat down in front of a tower of papers and plucked the top one off. Her eyes skimmed the page and landed on a word that seemed to leap out at her. She stilled and her blood went cold.
  War.
  Someone wanted to go to war with the Oasis. Someone was going to go to war with the Oasis. The Oasis was going to go to war.
  Hoshi stood up abruptly, knocking her chair over. She didn’t hear it clatter to the ground. Her knees buckled and she fell to the ground, arms trembling.
  “No,” she whispered hoarsely. “Not again. It’s too soon. It’s too-”
  “Hoshi!” a voice yelled from behind the door.
  Her head jerked towards the entrance. “Who’s there?” she hissed.
  “Hoshi, open up, it’s us!” Leo’s voice shouted, banging on the door.
  She stumbled to the door, her handing just barely hitting the button to open the door. It slid open and four faces looked down at her with worried expression. Leo went to her immediately, fear flashing in his eyes.
  “Hoshi, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?” he asked frantically.
  Hoshi sat in a daze for a few seconds before quickly coming to. She snapped to attention and sprang up. A wave of dizziness hit her, but Leo caught her before she fell.
  “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Hoshi murmured. “I’m fine. Sorry.”
  Indigo, a girl with dark violet hair and matching eyes frowned and glanced at the boy next to her, Vermilion, but they didn’t say anything. Leo pulled up the chair that Hoshi had knocked over, and Hoshi collapsed in it.
  “What’s in your hand, Hoshi?” a girl with pretty golden eyes asked. Moira Salvo, the Sage of the Oasis.
  “Huh?” Hoshi glanced down at her hand and saw the crumpled letter in it. Startled, she dropped in on the floor. She bent down to pick it up, but Leo was faster. “No, Leo, wai-”
  His eyes skimmed the sheet and stopped suddenly. “No way.”
  “What is it?” Indigo asked.
  “It’s better if you see it for yourself,” Leo muttered, handing it to them.
  Indigo and Vermilion peered at it with a discerning eyes. The two of them looked at each other in shock, then gasped. “War? And with the same people too? What do the Necromancers want with us?”
  “It’s only been five years since the last war ended, and the Oasis still hasn’t fully recovered,” Leo muttered, raking his hands through his tangled hair. “Is there any way to stop it before it starts? Moira?”
  Moira stepped backwards hesitantly, slowly shaking her head. “I’d need time to think about it.”
  Hoshi pursed her lips. “I don’t think we’ve had a lot of time. This is a week’s worth of letters, so I don’t know how recent this is. If I’d just read them once they’d arrive, we’d have a better grasp on this.”
  “Hey, it’s not your fault,” Leo soothed. “I’m sure you had a lot on your plate. Since there’s no way to avoid war with whoever these people are- Necromancers, or whatever- we should prepare the people as quickly as possible.”
  “Right.” Hoshi nodded, still shaken. “Vermilion, please alert the citizens of the Oasis about the battles in the near future. Make sure to state that they are free to flee if they want to.”
  “Are you sure you are okay with them leaving? Are numbers are significantly lower than theirs,” Indigo cut in. “Besides, everyone is still living in fear from the previous one. What if it just ends up being the five of us.”
  “I don’t want people to fight because they’re forced to,” Hoshi sighed. “But it’ll be a big blow if a lot of people leave.”
  “Listen, the Oasis was created so people could cultivate their abilities into something great without fear of being judged. Right now, I think we have the upper hand, even if it is just the five of us,” Moira said. “But, if I’m going to be completely honest, I have a feeling that there’ll be more than just us.”
  Hoshi was quiet for a few moments, then exhaled deeply. “Okay, Vermilion, please make the announcement. Indigo, go with him. Whoever decides to stay, please have them gather at the observation tower construction site. Ensure those who want to leave a safe exit. Leo, please ask the blacksmith to make the work efficient. Moira, I’d like to talk with you for a little bit.”
  “Yes, ma’am!” four voices chorused, not in a mocking way.
  Vermilion, Indigo, and Leo headed out the door to their respective spots, leaving on Moira and Hoshi.
  “So what was it that you wanted to talk about?” Moira asked.
  “You know more about the Necromancers than we do, don’t you?”
  Moira stiffened, but nodded. “Yes, I studied in their territory for some time,” she said carefully. “Why do you ask?”
  “Do you think it’s wise to try and negotiate with them?” Hoshi prodded.
Moira pondered it for some time before answering. “Knowing them, I believe that negotiations are out of the question. The Necromancers aren’t really looking for peace. They’re trying to destroy the world and build up a new one, with them as the rulers.”
  “I see.” Hoshi closed her eyes. “Moira, will you please tell me what your ability is?”
  Moira flinched and shook her head. “I’m sorry, it’d do more harm than good. I’ve taken a vow of silence regarding my ability and past.”
  Hoshi studied Moira’s eyes intently. What could be so bad about stating what her ability was? And why wouldn’t she reveal anything about what happened before she came to the Oasis? Apparently, Moira was set on not letting anyone know.
  “Alright, I’ll respect that,” Hoshi relented. “You’re dismissed.
  Moira nodded gratefully and headed out the door.
  “How am I going to pull this off,” Hoshi groaned.