Kianna's Story Market

                                                                              Photo by Yaoqi on Unsplash          “You humans confuse me. You try so very hard to be as boring as everybody else, and, when some gifted soul is born that has some small degree of uniqueness to it, you beat and break it until it fits into a dull little box that you can understand. Explain this to me, if you please.”      Leslie blinked at the butch demon that looked exactly like her type standing in the middle of the summoning circle. Her living room was dimly lit with candles. She dug her big toe in the carpet, hands behind her back. A sense of shame pulled her eyes down. How much had she beat and broken herself to fit into what she thought was normal? “I- I- it’s hard to explain,” she finally said after this butch demon stared at her way too long, waiting for an answer. She blushed, but she couldn’t tell if the heat rising to her cheeks came from the intensity of the demon’s gaze or how hot this

                                                                       Photo by Sean Thomas on Unsplash         "The academy is doing so well," said Xaranda as she crossed her arms and lifted her chin. Five hundred years after she founded the Institute of the Arcane, and it had produced some of the strongest mages in the world.      However, Lilian frowned and turned away. "You mean the elitist system you call a school?"      Xaranda's face dropped. A scornful voice was not what she was expecting from someone she considered a mentor, a rival, and secretly a crush. "I thought you would be proud of me."      "Proud?" She snorted, a long puff of smoke bellowing from her nostrils. "Have you forgotten what I've told you?" When she faced Xaranda, the sun wove through the thick, loose curls over her wide shoulders. Her face was lit with conviction. "Everyone deserves a chance. Talent can be nurtured in unexpected places."