Welcome to Mantra!

Still free-falling and screaming, Stefanie, Milo, and Palomar rubbed their eyes from a blinding light, revealing a land more colorful than back home. Suddenly, a giant purple bubble engulfed them inside safely. The group took in a deep breath as a sign of relief. They knew they were far from home. Each one looked around to take in the scenic views of the vibrant place while riding in their new transportation. The roaring, sandy hills glistened from a distant north; the vast, gentle sea echoed from the east with three small islands; and the multicolored fields would never be ignored from its shimmer in the west. The whimsical landscapes amazed the teens.

While inside the purple bubble, Milo adjusted himself to stand with his friends and asked, “Guys, where are we?”

A recognizable, soothing female voice proclaimed, “Pupils, welcome to the realm of Mantra!”

“Wait,” Palomar interrupted, “that’s Lilia, Milo’s cousin!”

“I hope you’re fascinated by this place! We will be landing in Amatus soon.”

Puzzled, Stefanie questioned her, "Mantra is a 'sacred province,' and… um..."

“Yes, Mantra is a hidden place your ancient ancestors found many, many eons ago. You and your classmates are genetically connected to the early founders of this world.”

“So, that’s why this Elite Honors class is very selective."

"And," Palomar added, "I think we're not talking to her directly."

“By now, you should know this is a pre-recording. Please remain standing for landing.”

Milo panicked, “WAIT, THIS THING IS GOING TO LAND?!”

The group started to feel little turbulence while lowering down into a woodland area. They saw a variety of animals walking on two feet and talking like humans from a distance. We’re so far from Kansas now, Palomar thought. Once the purple bubble popped, they landed on the grass in one piece. Even on grasslands, they still could not believe how great the place was. The group saw two rows of numbered camping tents with RAS faculty members and the rest of their future classmates by an open field nearby. Each tent had a picture of a different bird on top. Lilia whistled loudly to her pupils to walk to Camp Ten.

Stefanie, taking charge, said, "Let's get going to Lilia. She'll likely have all the answers we need to ask."

"So,” Palomar started commenting and walking to the group’s tent, “it’s like we’re in a cartoon movie or TV show. We need to use our imaginations now."

"Maybe,” Milo suggested, “we’re in a video game. Do you think someone is controlling us?”

"I highly doubt that, Milo. We are moving on our own, you know.”

"Either way,” Stefanie interjected, “we’re nowhere near home. Almost every animal is walking and talking like us; it’s not a norm for us!”

"This will be a crazy adventure for sure."

While walking, the three friends noticed there were twenty-seven students by the numbered camping tents. Except for the RAS faculty members, everyone was surprised that Team Ten was not the last group to arrive. The students started to gossip: One student suggested they went to a different destination while another thought they died. It didn't surprise the three that some of them had foreign accents. They finally arrived at their camp to see their belongings organized and placed accordingly.

Milo, still surprised, exclaimed, “How did you do ALL of this, Lilia?!”

Lilia happily sighed and answered while handing out a cup of tea and Pan de Sal to each teen, “Milo, it’s just magic, relax! I swear I brought Xanax for you. All of you, eat your sweet bread and tea!”

“Did you just say magic?!”

“Are you deaf, Mi-li-to?”

“Did you make tea with magic?” Stefanie asked the newly wise Alum Guardian. “Isn’t it—huh?”

“I brought a single burner, Steffi! You cannot use magic every time; it has a price! My goodness, someone, please make sense out of this!"

"Before we do that," a bewildered Carmen began, "there's only twenty-seven of us, students. Where are the other three?"

Lilia knowingly replied as she grabbed her pupils’ backpacks, “The other group of transfer students, aka Team Nine, was penalized for a student doing pot in the janitor’s closet. As a result, the Alum Guardian and students are in a different tent, four miles away from here, going over the school's policy in a monotone manner by Mr. Mono.”

“That sounds excruciating and boring.”

"Believe me, it is! No one wants to get in trouble with Mr. Mono. That means the group will be starting late with a shorter deadline to qualify for the final exam."

“We have to do an exam?!” Lilia’s students whined. “This is a summer retreat!”

Steffi (aka Stefanie), Milo, and Paloma (aka Palomar) were stunned to hear the awfulness of a due date and final test. They all thought it was going to be a relaxing time, not doing work. They just wanted to escape without thinking about what happened back home. Homework and summer should not be together, Steffi thought. We all just want a break! RAS faculty members suddenly arrived in different shapes and sizes with Mr. Nigh between Camp One and Six; he still wore his tag, yet the name changed to show a small picture of a knight next to it. One faculty member dressed in an aquamarine nurse uniform, two wore white lab coats; and the rest were in navy blue suits. Some of the students feared they were going to be lab rats in a top-secret government experiment.

Mr. Nigh ordered the students to gather with their Alum Guardians and assigned camping tents; he began after clearing his throat, "Good morning, everyone! Welcome to Mantra, a realm that many do not know exists. I am known as Mr. Nigh. We do not use our real names here due to safety purposes. It is part of this world's tradition when outsiders enter, you will see your name change on the first page of your assignment pad, top right corner. I know many of you have so many questions. I can start answering some of yours now in this introduction. Before we begin, students, please grab your pads from your Guardian and come back."

All present, excited juniors grabbed their own from their Alum Guardians and returned to Mr. Nigh between Camp Two and Seven. They opened them to see their names alter in glitter. Steffi saw her last name change to Piers, Dace for Milo, and Opel for Paloma. Afterward, all the students' eyes widen to see the drawings come to life from the beginning pages of their assignment pads. Each picture twirled around to amuse them until it was summoned by Mr. Nigh to step outside of them. The muted reaction of the incoming junior class had the adults softly chuckle to themselves.

The teacher continued as he interacted with each illustration, "Long ago in ancient history, four deities were gifted elementary powers from the gods with colored rings to wear: Earth (green/brown), Fire (red), Wind (gray), and Water (blue). They created and lived here in Mantra."

The girl the three and Lilia met earlier, now named Jewel Tara, raised her hand and asked, "Excuse me, why Earth has two colors?"

“Earth has two subcategories to equal Earth: Green for Plants and Brown for Ground. One may possess one or both subcategories, depending on the individual, of course!”

The boy next to Jewel, now named Daljeet Rio, raised his hand and asked, "Isn't Mantra part of Hinduism?"

A short plucky woman happily jumped in to answer the pupil's question, "All of you have ancestors that date back when Hinduism and Buddhism were new and exciting to practice! I am Mrs. Carper; I am a History teacher back at RAS. We got an intelligent bunch in front of us this year!"

"May I continue, Mrs. Carper?” Mr. Nigh politely asked as he tried to regain his spotlight.

"Of course, Mr. Nigh, but why are the faculty members for the incoming Seniors here? These students are the incoming Juniors! Shouldn’t they be back in Earth realm?!”

"Oh, yes, thank you for that; incoming Juniors, the faculty you see in dark blue are the ones for the incoming seniors. Don't worry; they are not that scary. Some of you will deal with them later. For now, they will leave."

The RAS faculty members, in navy suits, vanished into smoke, shocking the students. Mrs. Carper assured them that the disappearance was used purely by the staff's magic. Steffi, Milo, and Paloma were impressed by that magical stunt. They hoped to perform it in the future.

Mr. Nigh continued, "The early followers of Hinduism and Buddhism randomly chose two people from their religion to fulfill the creation of Mantra with the four founders. The individuals were mainly cowmen and milkmaids, ironically speaking, because they had the magical skills to create 'special' milk: Magic-In-Liquid-Kind."

“Milk is not just good for bones and vitamin D.” The happy-go-lucky teacher commented without any shame of interrupting.

"Anyways, simple, peaceful years passed by until two more deities came with new powers: Electricity (yellow) and Psychic (purple). With the new additions, they became 'The Sole Six.' They created more phenomena for Mantra than usual–"

"Procreation between divine and mortal beings… which we will not get into further details, you hormonal teens! You all keep it together!”

"Mrs. Carper," Mr. Nigh edgily retrieved his speech over the giggling students and then silenced them, "thank you again! You always like to entertain the students! However, the two recent members realized they 'overused' their abilities due to their colored rings fading. Once they discussed this with the rest of the deities and chosen individuals, they all agreed that each elemental power must separate into three regions: Amatus, Iuvo, and Mandare. I welcome our Vice-Principal and this retreat's coordinator to explain the rest of the event, Mrs. Nada!"

In wearing a tight black dress, Mrs. Nada (Mrs. Dayan) walked out of Camp One's tent and joined Mr. Nigh, Mrs. Carper, and the remaining RAS faculty members. She then cast magic onto the live animations to return to the students' assignment pads. The student sighed as they went back inside.

"Hello,” Mrs. Nada greeted the incoming juniors and Alum Guardians, “welcome to this extravagant retreat. This event is such a big turnout! What a record! Now, I know many or all of you have mixed emotions about this event. First, we are in the Amatus section; in Latin, it means, 'to love,' and hopefully, you will 'love' this place."

Milo raised his hand and asked, "Excuse me, why are there animals walking and talking like us?"

"That's a good question! Although The Sole Six were content, they decided to slowly open their realm to selective, mature adolescents that were part of the founders' lineage and could handle the elemental powers by wearing the rings The Sole Six created. They had no idea how powerful the elemental powers could advance until the fifth year of trial and error."

"What happened?" Paloma followed up on her friend's question.

Mr. Nigh sadly sighed and interjected, "The founding members had an incident with a few students that possessed powers with 'negative' impact. One of the deities accidentally turned into a lizard."

Some of the students gasped in shock and disbelief. It was horrible for them to hear. A few demanded to go back home. Mrs. Carper calmed the students down, assuring them that another deity volunteered to transform into an animal so that particular one did not feel alone; she felt guilty that they were not the same species. The situation worsened with more angry students. I don't want to turn into an animal, Milo worried. I already have enough problems as is!

Mr. Nigh instantly silenced the pupils with a loud hush and continued with regret, "Anywho, The Sole Six discovered that there must be a balance between light and dark energy within humans, which will affect positive and negative effects. So, they created three different trials for the selective humans to fulfill their gift of the power ring completely."

"So,” Steffi cut in, “our summer retreat is really a trial?”

Mrs. Nada answered with poise, "Yes, you're correct, Miss Piers. You all must try to obtain your elemental power ring this year. If you pass, you advance to next year's trial, which determines what effect one possesses, also known as Charmers or Harmers [positive or negative respectively]. And, the final test is to examine how well each person can utilize their power rings AND their effects with the option to attend TRUE University in Amatus or other distinguished colleges throughout Mantra and earn the title 'TRUE Ringmaster.' If you want to get that fancy name, you must pass your first summer trial; not all will succeed, as we, RAS, reminded you earlier.

"Once one completes their final trial successfully, the power ring would officially be awarded to you and used for the greater good; hopefully, various federal agencies will catch no one back on Earth realm. We protect our home in secrecy, students. The public cannot know. For all of you, it is a sacred privilege to be here in Mantra. We like to keep it that way. We're happy to have many alumni apply to become Alum Guardians of a group for the incoming juniors. After high school graduation, you can come back and explore the entire world of Mantra on your own if you so desire.

"Now, it is 1111 in Amatus. Students, let me introduce to you the rest of the faculty that will be part of your retreat: the two wearing lab coats are Mr. Proctor and Mrs. Sergei; they will track your every move and whereabouts, thanks to the vests you are all wearing that have tracking devices. The small blonde in the light blue uniform is Nurse Hart; she is your super healer if anyone is sick or injured! Please ask any questions now before it's too late. Once you're ready to venture off, you're on your own with your Alum Guardians."

After various students asked different RAS faculty members their questions, some returned to their camps and rejoined with their Alum Guardians. Steffi, Milo, and Paloma could see Lilia waving personalized folders with their names on each one as they strolled back. Their hearts raced with excitement, mixed with nerves and joy. This experience could be a good time for all of us, Steffi thought in hope.

Once they settled in their cozy camp, Lilia began, "Please open your folders and review your Orientation Day papers for September. In short, RAS originally came out of the brand academia, Regent Academia. As you may know, there are various institutions called 'Regent' or 'Regency,' back in the Earth realm. Our school was rewarded with the name, 'Regency Academic,' as an honor to have special placement for 'gifted' students like you: people that can wield elemental powers and energy via rings."

Milo had to shout, "I just cannot see milk as I used to: Milk is magic!"

Lilia took her time to answer carefully, "Let's just say it is a marker to detect who will have magical powers from the Earth realm. Can you think about your favorite drink with milk in it?”

"Milo is my favorite, of course!”

"You’re a simple creature, kid. What about you, Paloma and Steffi?”

"My favorite would be Dulce de Leche, which my family and I would make together.” Paloma jumped in.

"So,” Steffi pondered and asked, “my mom’s virgin Kremas indicated my likelihood of having powers?”

“You’re right on the money!” Lilia exclaimed. “Your parents have helped build up your magic from birth to now.”

“So, we all were already destined to come here regardless, right?”

“Your parents tried to rebel for you three to have normal lives; however, it went a different way… unfortunately.”

All three students and Lilia reflected on the high school shooting. Everything changed on that day with or without the naked eye. Despite their parents trying to avoid magical lives for their kids, the event triggered the three to have magic awake from hibernation. I wish I were not so hard on ma and daddy, Steffi thought in guilt. They were trying to give me a life without magic.

Paloma, getting excited over Lilia's purple ring glimmering, asked, "Can we see YOUR ring?!"

"Of course, kiddo, here you go!”

Lilia showed it off to the three amused teens. It shimmered so brightly, leaving them speechless. Their eagerness elevated as she packed essential items in each student's backpack by using her ring. All three could not shake their shocked faces for some time.

"So, what are you exactly: Charmer or Harmer? I mean, not every Harmer is a bad person, right?"

"You're right, Paloma. Not every Harmer is a bad apple. When a person uses their power rings, its effect would be good or bad. They must direct their gift very carefully. A pal of mine is a Fire Harmer and uses her ring to burn bad guys on the sly. I am a Psychic Charmer; my effects are mainly beneficial, which is very rare.”

"Why is that?”

"Out of the six elemental powers, Psychic tends to be the unsteady one. It's not easy to handle because it involves your mind. Those that cannot handle it likely become a far-end Psychic Harmer, which you don't need to know yet, or something even worse. Either way, they can do damage to others and themselves. An individual needs absolute mindfulness and awareness for it to be tamed. Thank goodness, you all will learn about that next year if you pass successfully."

"So,” Milo butted in, “have you ever used magic back home?”

Lilia heatedly responded, "What did I say before?! Magic always has a price! The power rings are visible at RAS and in Mantra only. It can't be known outside the school's premises completely; that's why you have assigned lockers early. Once you officially graduate, they become a part of you, in and out of Earth."

"Wait, the valet guy, a/k/a Jewel's brother, you exchanged for your car key had your ring?"

"Well, I am glad someone is somewhat catching on! He slipped in a little ‘fun’ magic for us, Alum Guardians, to use for you all to look forward to at your new school; it’s a cool custom! My ring had been on my finger all this time as it was incognito to you three.”

"You tricked us, especially me!" Steffi, in shock, exclaimed, "You could have told me to put my graphic novels in my locker!"

“Then, the tradition would have been ruined, duh! Before we go, we have two other important RAS faculty members: Mrs. Sergei and Nurse Hart. Mr. Proctor is the main evaluator on how well one can control their power rings. It's not a biggie yet."

Carmen then asked, "I figure Nurse Hart's job, but what about Mrs. Sergei's role?"

"She does security, and it is EXTREMELY TIGHT! Please don’t mess with her, okay?”

"Did anyone get hurt?”

A disturbed Lilia responded, "Let's just say your wise-ass cousin, aka my older brother, made a 'dick' move as an Alum Guardian when I was your age, and I saw Mrs. Sergei's wrath... so, please behave."

Steffi, Milo, and Paloma nodded frighteningly without hesitation. They did not want to experience the same wrath as Lilia's older brother did in the past. The teens rechecked their backpacks and surroundings before starting their journey. Out of the blue, the second group of transfer students arrived at Camp Nine. Its tent immediately turned red with its bird crying blood. Under her lab coat, Mrs. Sergei, wearing a military outfit, marched to a podium between Camps Five and Ten.

Mrs. Sergei commanded firmly, "Students, face me! As you can see, that red tent means trouble, and now, they are endangering themselves for elimination. You cause trouble, and you deal with me! Ask your questions now!"

The brief, light wind was the only noise heard from that extreme moment. The students quickly shook their heads in fear as she glared at them. Mrs. Sergei left the podium in disgust as Nurse Hart, candidly graceful, carried ten brown sacks with Mr. Proctor.

After he helped place the rest on top of the table next to the podium, Nurse Hart sweetly started her greeting, "Good morning all! I hope you have an understanding of Mrs. Sergei's warning. She's a delightful lady once you all get to know her. As you can see, there are ten unique sacks for each team. When I call your team to get it, please return outside your tent to line up with your backpacks; your Alum Guardians will do the rest. I will also announce your new team name since numbers tend to get boring."

The students' mood changed with joy to hear their new team names. She announced each team's name in order:

Summer 2016 Team Names

One: Owls

Two: Turtledoves

Three: Thrashers

Four: Falcons

Five: Finches

Six: Sandpipers

Seven: Sparrows

Eight: Eagles

Nine: Nightingales

Nurse Hart then announced Team Ten's name as Teals. Lilia walked to the table, grabbing the last sack. She noticed the light-blue bag was a bit heavy and called Milo to assist in carrying it. She sarcastically mentioned her exercising and dieting as they struggled to bring it to their tent, which was not far away. They saw a big label stating, "Don't open until Nurse Hart says so!" The two dropped it as they plotted down inside their tent. Steffi handed out water bottles to Lilia and Milo for refreshments. They gulped their drinks as if they were in a hot desert. What could be in there? The young woman thought as she stretched out.

Paloma questioned her, "So, why do we have a bird's name for our retreat?"

Lilia finally winded down and replied, "Every summer retreat, RAS rotates the theme for teams' names with a specific vertebrate, animals with backbones. They really try hard to make the experience fun for the students."

"Doesn’t the school know they’re already making the summer retreat fun as is?"

"We compete with another school, which you don’t need to know now."

"Back home and now, you all call this, ‘RAS Summer Retreat.’ But, when we go out to the places in Amatus, is it the same name?"

"The Amatus citizens will understand what you mean if you mistakenly say the RAS name instead of Mantra's name. They all know who you are since you're wearing the vests the school gave you."

"So,” Steffi spoke, "what does Mantra call this retreat?"

Nurse Hart clapped loudly to grab everyone's attention. She ordered the Alum Guardians to take out their Heroes' Journals showing blank pages. They did so and placed them in front of their tents; the students stood behind their own Alum Guardian. Clouds swiftly blocked the sun, with winds blowing harshly. Speaking louder due to the sudden weather, she directed them to chant the following, six times: From concrete to abstract, inside my Heroes’ Journal at last.

While reciting the words, each Alum Guardian revealed one's elemental powers to magically swallow all the teams' belongings and spread inside the pages of their leather journal. The only item still present was the teams' sacks. Each Alum Guardian cast an enchantment to levitate the teams' bag in the air. All the students could not believe they just saw them go crazy with magic. Their excitement overwhelmingly reached new heights. This retreat was a worthwhile trip to not forget for these lucky students, especially for Steffi, Milo, and Paloma.

After clouds faded away, Nurse Hart pulled out a pink whistle and continued her lecture, "As mentioned previously, this retreat is a trial. You and your teammates will face various obstacles before your FINAL EXAM if you qualify. Each team has a map towards the end site. In Amatus, you will be exploring the settlements of Mystique, Aqua, and Norte. The three communities have different color paths for you to follow, so you don't get lost; it's an extra precaution, that's all! We can't just heavily rely on your vests. What if you lose it?! When I blow my whistle, all teams can leave camping grounds, but be mindful where you go. Are you ready?"

The incoming Juniors' readiness exploded with a loud cheer. Once Nurse Hart whistled loudly to go, each team ran in different directions to exit. Team Teal hurried onto a purple path since it was closer to them. They saw Jewel and Daljeet in Team Eagle following them. All of a sudden, a mudslide blocked their trail to catch up with them. It came out of nowhere, Paloma exclaimed in thought.

"Hey!” Steffi shouted with disgust while staying on the purple path, "They could have joined us! They did not have to take a different path!"

Lilia responded as she grabbed the map from the levitating sack, "Referring to your question earlier, this summer's trial examines how you do with 'unimaginable' circumstances… ladies and gentlemen, welcome to your first trial with TRIO: The Ringmasters' Institute of Obstacles."