Ripping her hand off of his mouth, Ja 'har stared incredulously at his friend.

"Sorry!" He whispered. "Are you sure?"

Tah' ra nodded. She knew there were times when she lied, but she also knew that he could tell the difference between the truth and a lie. After all, they were best friends since before they remembered.

"But your parents," Ja 'har said, a bit confused.

"I'm confused too," she admitted. "I know they aren't, but I am, so that makes me..."

Getting the idea, he switched to a different subject.

"How did you know?"

Tah 'ra lowered her voice even more.

"This morning, I made a mug of water appear. I only figured it out because the mug was glowing."

"Glowing?" Ja 'har nearly shouted again.

"Will you stop shouting!" Tah 'ra hissed. "You nearly told the entire world!"

Ja 'har blushed sheepishly, and was glad that his friend couldn't see his face too clearly in the darkness. But a single thought struck his mind, sobering him up instantly, just as he was being pulled back into the sunlight of the day. Blinking desperately in the light, he looked around for Tah 'ra, only to find that she was gone.

Tah 'ra was running down a practically invisible path through the wood that surrounded her little town. Hopping over a fallen log, she thought she lost the path for a second, until she saw her destination, a little hut hidden behind the curtain of trees.

Approaching cautiously, Tah 'ra looked around. 

"Hello? Mirar, are you here?" She called.

The door to the hut crept open. Its hinges squeaked loudly.

"Tah 'ra, darling, is that you calling me?" A ragged, raspy voice said from behind the door.

"I need answers," Tah 'ra said, walking up to the door.

Noting the seriousness in her tone, the door opened all the way, revealing a tall, elderly lady. With her shiny white hair tied behind the back of her head, Mirar looked like more like a mother than an old witch.

Tah 'ra blinked with surprise. She never saw that form of her dear friend before. Wondering why Mirar chose to use an unfamiliar form, the girl stepped through the doorway, only to find herself in someplace other than the hut.

Gasping in surprise, Tah 'ra spun around to look at Mirar. Along the way, she saw that there were strange inscriptions carved into the walls. Instead of the cozy hut she remembered, she found herself in a strange room, filled with fiery torches and strange, exotic objects.

Mirar smiled, pleased that she could finally show Tah 'ra exactly how she lived.

"I see you discovered something important today," she said.

The girl just stared. Instead of a hard, raspy voice, Mirar spoke in a soft, creamy, sweet, gentle voice.

Seeing confusion fluster all around her face, the "old" witch glided over to a soft, plushy chair and sat down, indicating that Tah 'ra should follow. Waiting for the girl to gather herself and sit down, Mirar prepared herself to be barraged with more than a barrel full of questions.

"This is my real form," she began once the girl sat down in the seat next to her. "And my real voice."

"But why didn't you tell me, or show me?" Tah 'ra asked.

"Because we cannot let our real form be seen by non-magicians. It's a very important rule, if anyone saw our true selves, we would be deprived of our true magic. Don't worry, all will be explained today."

Tah 'ra just gave up trying to put two and two together, she just made herself comfortable for a long explanation on practically everything she needed to know.

See the girl accept the confusion, Mirar smiled and continued.

"Mirar's not even my real name," she continued. "But as it goes, whoever possesses knowledge of any magician's real name, one can control that magician. Now all this can be taught to you later on, what you most need to know is your own story."

"When the war against magic broke out, magicians fled everywhere, used every trick they knew, but yet the people still pursued and killed. It was the king that started it all. He was convinced that magicians killed his only son, but the truth lies in the true murderer, the illness the prince possessed. It was strange, and incurable, the poor boy had it from birth, but the king would not believe the Healers and ordered every magician killed when his son finally died."

"When you were born, it was years after the prince had died, but it was also the height of the 'war'. Your parents, both magicians, in attempt to save your life, gave you to a young, childless couple. These people became your parents. They never really knew the truth about you, only that they were blessed to receive such a splendid gift. Naming you Tah 'ra, they raised you to the girl you are now."

"What about my true name?" Tah 'ra asked.

"That is a thing that makes you special. You do not have a true name, making you quite a powerful person. Without one, no one can control you, darling, and that makes you quite invincible."

Tah 'ra smiled at the idea. Being invincible meant no one could harm her.

"Oh people can harm you, darling." Mirar said, apparently reading her mind. "It's just that they can't control you. Now back to the subject at hand. We magicians have rules."

Something registered in the girl's mind, something she should have realized from the beginning.

"There are more magicians out there?"

"Of course there are. A holocaust cannot kill everybody."

Nodding, Tah 'ra allowed her friend to continue.

"The rules aren't many and are simple: Don't tell just anyone your real name, don't show your true form to non-magicians, never abuse your powers, and never, EVER break your promises. These rules cannot be broken, my dear, for there are dire consequences for those that break the rules."

"But my true form..."

"Will show itself when you become an adult."