Background
Gates is a story about magic and modern day. To have magic in one’s blood is very rare, amounting to perhaps a couple thousand out of a million people. As such, upon the awakening of their power a mage is required to enroll in an Academy, of which there is one per continent. There, they learn to harness their powers by opening the 14 Gates (each Gate is a pathway to a different type of power) and learning how to cast spells (a mage can chant a spell or write it – writing is safer, due to being able to edit what you do before casting, where chanting, you make a mistake and it’s already done).
Upon a certain amount of proficiency (gauged by classes taken and tests passed), mages are allowed to continue to study, can start to work full-time as a mage, or can opt to have their powers sealed and attempt to live a normal life. Full-time mages take on jobs from those who pay the Academy to do something, which is usually incredibly expensive and can only be done by large companies or governments (or wealthy individuals). However, the Frade Act of 1843 forbids mages from acting aggressively in a war, and thus hiring mages to fight in a war is strictly prohibited, and mages hired out can act by their own judgement – if they deem their actions to be war-like, they can refuse to do a job with no repercussions upon them or the Academy.
Mages who continue to study are also required to take on 1-3 missions a year to help pay the cost of their living. They are usually given and cannot be rejected.
If a mage decides to seal their power and live a normal life, they are forbidden to ever undo the seals and use magic again. Doing so is under penalty of death. There are few exceptions.
The 14 Gates are:
1: Elements (earth, water, fire, wind)
2: Sound/Light
3: Mind
4: Spirit
5: Mending/Healing
6: Destruction/Undoing
7: Seals/Binding
8: Enhancing (the strengthening of natural characteristics)
9: Shield
10: Summoning
11: Constraints (changing of natural characteristics to something else)
13: Death
14: Life
There is much speculation about the missing 12th Gate. However, when people continued to attempt to find the ritual to open it, and went so far as to die in the attempt, the Academies collectively decided to make such research forbidden. It is also forbidden to perform research the Gates themselves, for much the same reasons.
Characters
Elise Vandahey
age: 19
height: 5′4″
weight: 135 lbs
hair: dark brown
eyes: hazel
Elise and Brenton Vandahey are both orphans whose relatives were deemed unfit to care for them. They were sent to several foster homes before being adopted by an elderly couple in Kansas, USA. Right now, Elise is a researching mage at the academy in England, Europe. Her power awoke when she was 9 (very young; typically they awaken in their teens), and since then she has been incredibly focused in learning more about it. Her sophomore year at the Academy in America, their adoptive parents passed on, and she switched to the European Academy, her brother Brenton tagging along. Her first day, she appropriated a desk in the library, and now practically lives there. She often forgets to eat and sleep, so Brenton has to check on her often.
Brenton Vandahey
age: 21
height: 5′ 10″
weight: 178 lbs
hair: dark brown
eyes: green
Brenton takes the role of protective older brother, and has since they were little. While several of the original foster homes wouldn’t have minded adopting Brenton, they often disliked Elise, thinking her destructive, but Brenton refused to split up with her. His dream is to open a car shop of his own, where he can fix up old cars and sell them, perhaps build one of his own, and otherwise just play with mechanical things. He’s a flirt, hitting on girls indescriminately and having a good time in general, though he has never been serious about anyone other than Elise.
Mashna Yurea
age: 24
height: 5′ 11″
weight: 140 lbs
hair: black
eyes: light blue
Not much is known of Mashna. She is a Knight, one of the rare members of the normal populace allowed the purchase and use of magical weapons; her job is to act as counter to the mages’ power, making sure they follow the rules. Knights are called upon most often to hunt down rouge mages as well as take care of magical problems the mages cannot deal with themselves, sometimes to supplement a mage on a mission. Enigmatic, she apparently worked with Elise on a mission right before the comic starts, and accompanied her back to England to retrieve contract pay from the Academy.
Chapters
