The Heir of Opal

It’s illegal to use magic when you’re underage. Most kids get their first spell capsules as an eighteenth birthday present. Leo’s birthday present was an eviction notice.

Leo had grown up in the foster care system. He never had a family, he never had a home where he felt loved or even safe. Now, his current foster parents were going to kick him out as soon as their last government check clears. When magic came into the world, things got better for a lot of people. Leo wasn't one of them.

Leo’s face dropped as he read the eviction notice posted to his bedroom door. He needed to find another place to live by the end of the week or his foster parents were going to throw his stuff out onto the street. Leo had never heard of another kid getting thrown out with so little warning, but the notice looked official.

Leo had never had any particularly good birthday’s growing up, but he couldn’t imagine one starting off worse than this. Leo went downstairs for breakfast and he could hear two of his foster siblings snickering.

“Hope you like living on the street like a bum, Leo. It’s how a loser like you was always going to end up.” Brett, the larger of the two, shoveled cereal into his mouth to stop laughing.

Dirk, who was Brett’s lackey, pulled the cereal box out of Leo’s reach before Leo could grab it. “Hey, breakfast is for those of us who actually live here. I think I saw some trash out in the gutter. Why don’t you eat that for breakfast, Leo?”

Leo had been bullied by Brett and Dirk since the day he was transferred to this foster home. If there was one good thing about Leo getting kicked out, it was that he wouldn’t have to deal with the two of them ever again. “You two realize this same thing is going to happen to you when you turn eighteen, right?”

Brett spat out his cereal in another laughing fit. “Yeah right. By the time we’re eighteen we’re already going to be billionaires working for Opal Corp.”

Leo knew that Brett was full of it. Opal Corp was the biggest, most successful company in the world, they were the first ones able to sell magic to ordinary people. “You two are orphans just like me, why would Opal Corp ever hire you?”

Dirk flicked a spoonful of cereal at Leo’s face. “Because we’re not complete loser dorks who aren’t worth the air they breathe.”

Leo wanted to lunge at Dirk, but he knew that Brett was too strong and could knock Leo out with a single punch. Leo didn’t want to suffer a beat down on his own birthday.

Brett could tell what Leo was thinking. “Your birthday present from us is we won’t cave your face in for annoying us to death. Go figure out how you’re going to survive as a bum already.”

Leo was fuming with anger but he left the house without breakfast. He had bigger problems right now than an empty stomach. He was a product of the foster care system, it’s not like this was the first time he’d been hungry.

Leo had never expected his parents to kick him out so early. He had only recently been able to get a job and saving enough money had been tough. His only hope now was to ask his boss for an advance on his paycheck.

Leo arrived at the spell capsule store where he worked. Huge L.E.D. screens out front showed a wide range of people casting powerful spells. A housewife casting a fireball, a man in a business suit scrying into the future, a professional athlete leaping hundreds of feet into the air and sprouting wings.

Leo had hoped to use a little bit of his savings along with his employee discount to buy himself a level zero spell as a small present to himself, but now he had to put even that out of his mind. Some people were born as Sorcerers, people who have magic in their blood, and could use spells without having to rely on buying spell capsules. Leo, on the other hand, had been born without a family, without magic, and without money. Maybe Brett and Dirk were right, he was three times a loser.

The one thing Leo had going for him besides his job was his girlfriend, Freya. Leo had never had much luck with friends, let alone girlfriends, so he was really grateful he was able to meet her through work. Freya was actually supposed to be working the spell capsule counter that day.

Leo found the store empty when he came in. “Freya, are you here?”

Leo heard some noise in the back storeroom and a moment later Freya stumbled out of it. She frowned as she saw Leo; she looked a little sweaty and disheveled. “Uh, what are you doing here today, Leo? You’re supposed to be off.”

Leo was surprised Freya wasn’t more happy to see him. “I needed to come in here to ask Paul for an advance on my paycheck. I got some tough news this morning. Is Paul here?”

Freya looked nervous for some reason. “No. He’s not here. You should leave, Leo. I’m trying to work.”

Leo was confused. “I’m not going to stay long, okay? Did Paul say where he was going to be today? It’s important.”

Freya fumbled for what to say next. The door to the stockroom behind Freya swung open and Paul walked through while buttoning his pants. “What the heck, Freya? You left me hanging back there.”

Freya’s eyes went wide. Leo couldn’t believe it. “You and Paul? Are you serious?”

Paul’s mouth hung open when he saw Leo. “Oh crap, what are you doing here, Leo?”

Freya let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “I was going to wait until after your birthday, but yeah, we’re done, Leo. Paul just has more going on, you know? He’s less, how do I put this, pathetic.”

Leo looked between Freya and Paul. His boss and his girlfriend. How could this get worse? Paul cleared his throat. “Yeah, you’re also done at the store, Leo. The three of us working together would be pretty freaking awkward.”

Leo’s heartbreak over Freya immediately gave way to fear. He needed this job to survive. “Paul, you can’t do that. I’ve been one of the best employees you’ve ever had. I’ve beaten my quotas every week since I started.”

Freya motioned for Paul to take a step back. “It’s time for you to leave, Leo. Don’t try to step foot in this store again or I’ll call the police.”

Behind Freya, Paul just shrugged. “Tough break, Leo. Happy birthday though.”

Leo backed out of the store in a daze. Freya was clearly not the girl he thought she was, but when someone was as desperate as Leo was for connection, red flags were hard to see.

Leo stood outside the store wondering what to do. So what if rich people could buy little capsules that let them summon lightning and turn invisible? A decent job, a roof over his head or a girlfriend he could trust were all equally unattainable fantasies for Leo.

Leo pulled out his phone and opened his bank account. He’d have to make his savings work somehow to find a place to live. A hotel room would suck up money quickly but at least he wouldn’t be immediately on the street.

When Leo saw his bank balance, his heart sank. His account was completely empty. His foster parents had been his legal guardians and had drained his account during the night.

Leo called them again and again but they didn’t answer. Finally, he got a single text message from them. He read it. “Under threat of legal action do not contact us again. If this is in regards to the savings account, understand that we are within our rights to reimburse ourselves for repairs and renovations to your room after you move out. Challenge us if you like, but we will sue you into oblivion.”

Leo had been robbed, but it was clear that his so-called foster parents knew how to rig the system from the beginning. Leo didn’t have any resources to fight back, he didn’t have anywhere to turn to.

Leo wandered the streets trying to come up with a plan. He stopped when he heard a small cat cry out in pain. Leo turned the corner and found a group of four teens surrounding a trembling street cat.

One of the teens crushed a spell capsule in her hand and her hand burst into flame. She smiled cruelly. “Hold that mangy thing still, I want to see if I can light its tail on fire.”

Leo had enough. The world could kick him around as much as it liked, but he wouldn’t let the same thing happen to a helpless animal. “Leave that cat alone.”

The teens looked up at Leo and laughed. The tougher looking guy in the group eyed Leo. “What are you going to do about it, twerp? We’re just practicing some new spells. How about we practice a few on you instead?”

Leo didn’t care if all four were the most powerful Sorcerers on the planet. He was ready to fight back. Leo raised his fists. “Do your worst. I’m not going to make it easy.”

Each of the teens crushed a spell capsule. One’s eyes glowed green. The other had electricity flowing up and down their body. The last’s arms stretched and twisted, ready to pull Leo apart limb by limb.

Leo didn’t care. He had nothing to lose. This was his last stand.

Seconds before the teens attacked, rays of pure light shot over Leo’s head. Each one struck a teen and sent them sailing backwards. More rays shot towards the teens, they scrambled and ran as fast as they could.

The little street cat took this moment to scurry off to safety. Leo was stunned, he turned around to see where the rays of light came from.

It was an old man in a finely tailored suit. He brushed the shards of the spell capsule he just used from his hands. “Are you Leo?”

Leo had never seen this man before in his life. “Uh, yeah. I’m Leo.”

The old man smiled and picked up a briefcase at his side. “My name is Volus. Follow me.”

This old man, Volus, motioned for Leo to follow him into a nearby alley. Leo didn’t hesitate to follow him, he still had nothing to lose after all.

Volus looked around to make sure the coast was clear. He clicked open the briefcase. It was filled with stacks of high value bills. Leo had never seen so much money in his life. The cash floated out of the briefcase and spun in midair, almost like it was dancing.

Volus smiled. “This is for you, Leo. Just a little something to get your attention. I want to offer you a deal. You listen to me for five minutes and I’ll make you the richest, most powerful person who ever lived.”