《Princess Of A Painted Prison》


 The Forever Sleeping Family

    The clock chimed nine.


    It always did that, all the time, regardless of the hour.


    Right now, it meant that Lux was late.


    She ran through the empty hallway that seemed to go on forever, decked with dozens of paintings that seemed to watch her as she moved. The floors were slippery, making it difficult to run, and every window she passed by shone bright light in her face, making it hard to see. Finally, she reached doors twice her size, painted navy blue and adorned with gold handles. Lux swallowed hard before throwing them open.


    And there she laid.


    Her mother.


    Her hair, as grey as storm clouds, billowed out behind her, with eyes like rubies and skin as smooth as silk. She wore a beautiful red dress, layered to perfection, and sat upon a golden throne as she looked down at her oldest daughter.


    Her mother had told her that she was a queen. Which, she supposed, made Lux a princess.


    "Lux." Her mother''s voice was like a chill in the air. "You''re late."


    "Uh, well..." Lux played with her hair while she thought of an excuse. She didn''t want her mother to know she had gotten caught up playing with the mirth again, as her mother would much rather she improve her swordsmanship or magic, for example.


    Eventually, Lux thought of an excuse and beamed at her mother. "I was playing with Aurelia and Mer-"


    She didn''t get to finish her sentence, because in a flash of light, her mother was down from her throne and pinching her cheeks.


    "Lux Junia Callis! It would be wise not to lie to your own mother; I just saw Aurelia and Merce a minute ago! The fact that I just saw them raises even more questions!" She let go of Lux''s cheeks and put her hands on her hips.


    "Didn''t I tell you to gather all of your siblings?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.


    Lux didn''t know what to say then, seeing as her lie had obviously fallen short. Instead, she made an "err..." sound.


    Her mother sighed and returned to her throne. "It would be quicker if you used your connection and told them all to come here." She crossed her legs and rested her head on her arm.


    Lux and her siblings had something called "the connection." They weren''t sure exactly what caused it, as it wasn''t like other magic, but it was something their family had always had. In fact, her mother had the same connection with her aunt. The connection allowed all her siblings to communicate in their heads without even being near each other. Her mother said that the connection would work differently outside the castle, but Lux had no idea if that was true. She couldn''t go outside, after all.


    A slow grin spread across Lux''s face as she looked her mother in the eyes. "But dear mother, finding them is the fun part!"


    Her mother chuckled at her declaration. "Off with you then." She used her hand to shoo her away, and Lux set off with a bounce.


    ???


    Lux navigated the labyrinth that was her home, Adamas Palace, nicknamed the Sword on a Cushion of Stars. Lux knew this palace even better than she knew the map of her face and in turn was well-acquainted with its twists, traps, and where everyone would be.


    First on her list: Aurelia and Merce, her youngest siblings, both aged five. As twins, they were always together, despite getting along as well as a cat would with a dog. Her mother had said she had just seen them, so that meant... Aha! She had them now. One would assume they''d be in their playroom, a repurposed music room tailored just for them. Every time Lux thought of that room, she shed a tear inside. She and her siblings had slaved away painting the walls and moving Aurelia and Merce''s toys from their bedrooms upstairs, but they scarcely used the room. Instead...


    Lux turned a corner to find a crack in the wall, attempted to be covered by a fluttering sheet of brown fabric. She sucked in a breath and climbed in, finding her younger brother and sister sitting on upside-down pails. Instead of using their playroom, Aurelia and Merce preferred to play in this empty space decorated with cobwebs in a random wall. It frustrated Lux to no end. She would have loved a personal playroom separate from her bedroom when she was little.


    "Auri, Merce, what are you doing?" Lux crossed her arms and tried to look intimidating. Her mother had been telling her to get them to stop playing here, but they didn''t care to listen. Rayne was the one they always obeyed. Once the little boy and girl noticed Lux in the room, they both brightened and jumped on her.


    "Luuuxxx!" Aurelia slung her arms around her as she cried. "Merce''s being mean to me. He said we could play my game after ten minutes, but he''s saying we still have five minutes! But it''s been ten!"


    "Nuh-uh! It''s been five; I''ve been counting!" Merce shouted from her other shoulder.


    Lux sucked in a breath and set them both down. "Auri, Merce, do you know how many seconds there are in a minute?"


    "Sixteen!" "Sixty!" they both replied simultaneously.


    "See, Merce is right, Auri, which means you''ve been playing for five minutes." Lux lectured them with a smile. It was cute to see them arguing like this.


    Tears started to well in Aurelia''s eyes, and she covered her face with her dirt-covered sleeve. "B-but..."


    "Don''t worry; it doesn''t matter anyway." She patted their heads. "Mother''s calling us. She has been for the past few minutes."


    "R-really!?" They both said together again.


    "Yes, she''s been expecting you both for a while now. If you don''t hurry, she''s most likely going to be extremely mad..."


    They both rushed to collect their toys and dashed toward the exit. "W-we''ll go now." Merce trembled, and as they both left for the throne room, Lux was sure she heard "If she''s mad at us, it''s all your fault!" echo down the hallway.


    Lux chuckled to herself. Too easy. Two down, six to go.


    Next, it would be best to look for Luther. He should be around here at this time of day.


    The twins'' hole in the wall was near their playroom, so they could easily transport their toys without much trouble. Seeing as the playroom used to be a music room, it was next to the many other music rooms on this floor of the castle. Many years ago, when there were other people in the castle besides her family, the music rooms were open for anyone to use. It''s where many hidden artists discovered their patrons, according to her mother.


    Lux raced down the hall, past the playroom, and around a corner until she started to hear the hum of a piano. She had definitely got him now. The trick for finding Luther was to simply follow the sound of music. She finally arrived at a grand door and pushed it open to find him sitting at the piano.


    He was completely lost in the melody, pressing the keys without a care in the world.


    I wonder how long he''s been doing this, Lux thought to herself. Luther sometimes spent an unhealthy amount of time playing the piano, especially for a boy who was only twelve.


    Luther finished his piece and snapped his head up to find Lux watching him.


    "Oh, do you need something, Lux?"


    "Nothing important. Play another piece for me." She flopped down on the nearest sofa and stretched, allowing herself a moment to rest.


    "But if it''s something important..." Luther hesitated and put his hand on the piano.


    "Are you questioning your big sister?" Lux stared at him so hard it could have pierced his soul. Luther flinched and put his hands back on the keys. "Uh, of course not."


    "Then play, Luther." She swung her leg and closed her eyes.


    Luther started to play another piece, one he used to play with their father every time there was something worth celebrating. Lux nearly fell asleep, but the music soon came to a halt, and Luther snapped his head up again, as if he had forgotten that Lux was even there.


    "So, what did you want to tell me?" He stood up and closed the lid of the piano.


    "Oh, yeah, mother has been calling you." Lux jumped up from the sofa and started fiddling with the strings of a harp. "What?! Really! Why didn''t you... You should''ve!" Luther continued sputtering all the way down the hall until Lux couldn''t hear him anymore.


    Another one down. Maybe she could make a new record.


    Next, she should go and look for Kaia, but finding her was always quite tricky. Kaia spent equal time in her bedroom and the ballroom, so it was always a gamble. But seeing as the stairs were right outside this music room, which would lead directly to her room, it was a gamble Lux was willing to take.


    Lux bolted up the stairs, not wanting to waste any time if Kaia wasn''t there. Not bothering to knock, she threw open the doors to Kaia''s completely baby blue bedroom. And in the middle...


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    Lux almost fell over laughing. Not only did she find Kaia, but also her brother, Arden, and they were both wearing bright pink ballerina dresses.


    "ARDEN!" Kaia screeched at the top of her lungs. "YOU POINT YOUR TOES. POINT. THEM." Her eyes found Lux''s, and she visibly calmed down. "Oh, Lux, is there something you need?"


    Arden turned around and looked at Lux as if she were a deity, before rushing up to her and nearly starting to cry. "Lux! Save me, please! She wanted me to return a favour, but I would never have agreed if I had known this was what she wanted!"


    Lux almost burst out laughing again. Kaia often tricked Arden into doing things like this. One would think he''d have learned by now. Kaia and Arden were both fifteen, though they weren''t twins; they had been born in the same year, which often made Lux wonder what on earth her parents were doing. Since they were the same age, Kaia often picked on Arden, despite him being the older one. Lux would stop it, but the situations it led to were too funny, especially since Kaia loved dancing and Arden often got caught up in her crazy routines.


    "Don''t worry, dear brother. I''m here to save you." Lux patted him on the shoulder and smiled at Kaia. "Kaia, you and Arden need to go see Mother downstairs. She''s waiting for you."


    "Oh goodness, I''d better go." Kaia brushed off her tutu and headed toward the door. "Hurry up, Arden." She didn''t spare a second glance at Lux as she left. "Oh, well, uh, I should leave too. Thanks, sister." Arden didn''t even bother to take off the tutu before he left.


    As Lux watched them leave, she thought about how she was convinced she''d make a new personal record today, as she only needed to find Vivianne, Lyra, and Rayne. She decided to find Vivianne next, but she''d have to go all the way to the gardens. Well, nothing a little magic couldn''t fix.


    Lux looked out the window of Kaia''s room. On the ground lay a gigantic basket, three times her size. It was a passion project of Vivianne''s, but Aurelia and Merce had ruined it with paint they had found. Vivianne had then abandoned the project and left it in view from Kaia''s room. Kaia claimed it annoyed her to no end, but she hadn''t actually attempted to move it. Lux was glad she hadn''t, because it meant she could do this.


    She swung open the window and held her hands up to summon a large pool of water before dropping it into the basket. Then, holding her breath, Lux jumped, and she landed with a plop. She kicked her legs and swam to the top. Magic was fun if you used it right.


    Climbing out of the basket, Lux used her magic to dry her clothes and continued to survey the garden in hopes of finding Vivianne. Despite it permanently being autumn, Vivianne always persisted in painting outside. She did always make stellar paintings in the end.


    Lux continued through the garden, around a hedge, and under a tree...


    And there was her little sister Vivianne, age eleven. "Vivi!" Lux called out to her. Vivianne turned to face her with angry eyes; she didn''t like being disturbed while painting. "What do you want?" Lux pouted; Vivi could be such a downer sometimes. "Well, Mother''s calling you." Vivianne got up from her painting and vanished back into the palace without a second glance at Lux.


    Lux sighed and went back into the palace. Next on her list was Lyra. Lyra was a bookworm, so she would be in the library. In fact, she was so much of a bookworm that Lux often found her sleeping there. Lyra often ranted about the strangest things, and despite being only fourteen, Lux often felt like Lyra was smarter than her.


    Eventually, Lux arrived at a colossal door, almost as big as the one for the throne room. She walked in and immediately started coughing. The dust from the books was worse than ever since there were no servants to clean them, and no one wanted to do it themselves, as the library was one of the biggest rooms in the castle.


    Thankfully, Lux didn''t have to look far, as she spotted a familiar clump of blonde hair on a table. Lyra was the only one of her siblings who had inherited blonde hair from their father. The rest had dark grey hair, like their mother''s.


    She walked across the room to Lyra and peeked at the book she was reading:


    ''The Capital City of Flei- Polemus''


    This was one of those instances where Lux felt like Lyra was smarter than her. She had no idea what Polemus was, but she knew it had something to do with the outside world, at the very least.


    With a quick roll of her shoulders, Lux tapped Lyra on the head.


    "Where¡ªwhat¡ªwho?" Lyra sputtered as she awoke.


    "Good morning, my dear sleepyhead. I''m not sure if you''ll care much with all your oh-so-important books, but Mother is calling if you''d like to go." Lux teased as she brushed Lyra''s hair with her hand.


    "Oh Lord! I''ll go, thanks for waking me, Lux." Lyra closed her book and took it with her to the throne room.


    Lux sighed; she was pretty much done now. Rayne would be in the same place he always was, which was no fun. When it came to her other siblings, the time of day would determine where they were, but Rayne stayed in one place.


    Lux made her way to the training yard, humming a tune in her head as she switched from marble floor to rock. Eventually, she arrived and was about to call out to her brother, but he spoke to her first, despite being in the middle of a routine with his sword.


    "Do you have a new record today?" he said between lunges.


    Lux grinned. Her brother, her only older sibling and crown prince, knew that when she went to find all her siblings¡ªthe "sibling hunt," she called it¡ªshe would always come to him last. It just felt right to finish with the oldest.


    "Yeah, I did it in around ten minutes." Her slowest ever was three hours, on a day when all her siblings had decided to play hide and seek without telling her, using the whole castle for their game. Well, not Rayne; he was always at the training yard.


    "Good job." He stabbed the nearest dummy through the heart. She didn''t know why he trained so hard, seeing as there was no one he needed to fight. "So, I''m going to guess that Mother wants us, right?"


    "Mhm."


    "Well, wait here. I need to get changed." And he hurried off behind the old shed.


    Whenever Lux finished the sibling hunt, she walked back with Rayne to wherever they were going. It was great to have a moment of calm after running around in a panic.


    "Alright, let''s get going." He came out just as he pulled a shirt over his head, and they walked together while Lux described the sibling hunt to him. He chuckled when she told him about Aurelia and Merce''s argument, Kaia and Arden''s dance routine, and how Lyra had fallen asleep in the library. Rayne was a stoic person, but he did adore his siblings.


    They were still talking when they reached the doors of the throne room. They opened them to find their mother looking down at them. All their siblings were sitting in a straight line, as if being disciplined.


    "Ah, Rayne, Lux, you''re finally here. Now we can begin."


    They both sat down next to Lyra, and Lux started to play with her hair again.


    "Lux, you had fun on your quest, I hope?" Their mother looked down at her with her piercing eyes, the same ones that Lux had inherited, though they didn''t seem to have the same effect on people.


    "Yes, Mother. I set a new high score today." Lux was proud of herself; she had been aiming for a new best for a while now.


    "Good, good..." Her mother''s eyes returned to the others. "Children, you may be wondering why I called you all here." Her mother''s voice was strong and resolute. "I, hmm..." That was strange; her mother never stumbled over her words. "I have something to ask of you: do you want to go outside?"


    Outside? O¡ªoutside? Lux''s mind was reeling. When she was one and Rayne was three, her family had been sealed away in the palace. The rest of her siblings had never even set foot outside before. Lux was sure that Aurelia and Merce thought that the outside was a myth. Lux barely remembered the outside herself, but she had faint memories of... noise.


    Lux looked at the rest of her siblings. Rayne had clearly stiffened, and the rest had various stages of shock painted on their faces.


    "Soon it will be possible," her mother continued, looking at Rayne and Lux. "Rayne and Lux, I am assigning you a task."


    Me and Rayne?! Lux panicked internally; she wasn''t sure what this task was going to entail.


    "You and Rayne will train for two months, then I will give you the chance to leave this palace and find out what has been trapping us for all this time."


    Lux couldn''t believe what she was hearing. Leave? The palace? The thought had never even occurred to her. She believed she would die in this palace without ever meeting a soul she wasn''t related to.


    Suddenly Lyra piped up. "Mother, may I go too?"


    Their mother raised an eyebrow at this request. "Really, Lyra?"


    "Yes, my knowledge would be valuable on this quest." Lyra clearly wanted to go outside very much, seeing as she read about it all the time, but Lux was against it. When it came down to it: Lyra couldn''t harm a fly. She wouldn''t be safe.


    "Mother, may I object to Lyra''s request?" Lux asked. Lyra seemed shocked at first, but then her expression changed to one that showed she had been expecting this.


    "Oh, why do you object, Lux?" Her mother raised her eyebrow even higher.


    "Because... she isn''t made for things like this." Lux whispered reluctantly.


    "Hmm." Her mother looked up as if contemplating it.


    "Lyra, you can go."


    Lyra''s face lit up. "Really!?"


    Lux interjected again. "But she¡ª"


    "No ''buts.'' I am your mother, and your queen." Her look made it clear that the decision was final.


    Lux frowned. Her mother was the queen of what, she didn''t know.


    "I gathered you all here as you should all know about your siblings'' departure." Her mother addressed the rest of her siblings again. "And it''s almost lunchtime. Go and set the table."


    A few of them groaned, but they all left the room one by one, until only Lyra, Rayne, and Lux remained. They also started to head for the door, but their mother stopped them. "There is more to this quest, but I will provide the rest of the details at a later time." They all nodded and left for the dining room, their minds filled with many thoughts.


    ???


    They didn''t need to do much to set the table, as it set itself every day. No one ever saw the table set itself, though. Once, Lux camped in the dining room to see if it would still set itself if she was there. It did not, and lunch was late that day, resulting in Lux getting her ear pulled.


    Even though the table set itself, it had the same food every day, and although lunch was always a banquet, one could get sick of the same food. However, in the garden lay a mini farm with tons of vegetables and fruits. If you harvested them, they''d regrow in a week, and her siblings often used them to make dishes from cookbooks.


    Making food together was usually fun, but today it was tense. Everyone was surely thinking about the quest that Lux, Rayne, and Lyra would embark on. As Lux peeled potatoes, Lyra came over to her.


    "I wonder why we''re trapped in this palace," she whispered while chopping carrots.


    "I''ve never thought about it much; I don''t really care for going outside," Lux said with as much enthusiasm as a tortoise.


    "Hm." Lyra looked up as if she could see something only she could.


    ???


    Lux stared up at the ceiling of her room.


    Outside, in two months, she was going outside.


    And she''d have to find what was trapping them here.


    It was too much, and she needed to sleep it off, but the stress was keeping her awake.


    That''s when she heard a voice in her head.


    "Waaa." The voice of Aurelia rang through her mind. This was common, as sometimes Aurelia and Merce couldn''t differentiate between speaking in their own heads and speaking in the heads of others.


    "What''s wrong, Auri?" Silence, but then:


    "I don''t want you guys to go..."


    "Don''t worry, it''ll be alright, Auri. We''ll return, and you can go outside. Don''t you want to leave the palace?"


    "I guess..."


    "Good, sleep now. I''m sure you''re disturbing everyone else."


    Lux rolled over, and just as she closed her eyes:


    "Could you all come to my room?" Aurelia''s voice pleaded in her head. She often asked this, and each time Lux didn''t know how to say no.


    "Okay, Auri, I''m on my way." Lux threw off her covers and made her way to Aurelia''s bedroom.


    "I''ll come too!" Merce''s voice echoed through her mind.


    "If I come, will you all be quiet!?" Vivianne complained.


    "I guess I have to come then. Arden, if you don''t come, I''ll tell them all about¡ª"


    "No! It''s okay, I''ll come! Hehe..." Arden cut Kaia off anxiously.


    "I''ll go as well." Luther said, not wanting to be left out.


    "I''m already on my way." Lyra said with a perfectly awake voice; maybe she had been reading.


    Rayne didn''t say anything, but Lux knew he would come anyway. That''s how it went every time this happened.


    Lux opened the door to Aurelia''s room, where Aurelia was sitting up in bed, clutching the blankets and waiting for everyone to arrive.


    "Do you have room for one more?" Lux chuckled and jumped on the bed, causing Aurelia to smile in return.


    Eventually, everyone arrived, one by one, until they were all squashed together in Aurelia''s bright pink bed.


    Lux had been troubled just a few minutes ago, but on nights like these, with the rest of her siblings, she felt safe and at peace. It wasn''t long at all until she fell into a restful sleep.

 ?Chapter 2?

    Lux was sitting at a table in the library with Lyra.


    As part of her training, she needed to learn more about the outside world, so there she was, reading. In her entire life, Lux had never imagined that she would ever read with Lyra, considering Lux wasn''t one to sit still for hours on end. Unlike the rest of her siblings, she didn''t have a specific hobby; she did whatever struck her as fun that day, always making sure to incorporate magic somehow.


    Humming a tune, Lyra turned a page and beamed at something she had read. Lux had no idea why she was so happy. This was killing her. Though, to be fair, she was learning things she didn''t know before. For example:


    Her mother was a queen because she was the queen of the country. They were the royal family.


    The country they lived in was called Flei, and the capital city was called Polemus. However, her family wasn''t in Polemus right now. Adamas Palace was in Sidus, a village next to the sea. The palace was built there because one of her ancestors had a connection to the place. It was nicknamed "The Sword on a Cushion of Stars" because of how unusual it was for a palace to be in a fishing village. The main castle was in Polemus, where her family should theoretically be. But in the main castle...


    Lux had learned something else in her studies.


    There were two royal families: hers, the Callis, and the other family, the Athas. Both of their ancestors had founded Flei together, agreeing that there was no need to fight over rulership, and both established separate families. The families ruled side by side, completely at peace with one another, both living together in the main castle, Chaconas.


    Well, until now. They didn''t seem to be ruling anything at the moment.


    "Lux, did you know there was recently a coronation in the Athas family?" Lyra asked, turning a page with an even brighter smile than before.


    "Lyra, it''s most likely not that recent now," Lux said with little enthusiasm as she turned a page.


    "Come on, be a little more excited! I''ve found five more books for us to read!" Lyra''s smile somehow grew even wider.


    Lux groaned so loudly she was sure the heavens could hear her.


    ???


    "Come on!" "Over here!" "Too slow!" Multiple voices whispered in Lux''s ear as she darted around aimlessly, trying to grab something she couldn''t.


    "I think that''s quite enough now," said a voice almost as regal as her mother''s from somewhere nearby.


    "Aww." "No fun." "Boo." A chorus of protests went up in the air, and Lux got up from her knees to face the voice.


    It was her aunt, the Queen of the Mirth.


    "Aunt, can''t I play a little longer?" Lux protested, trying to make her eyes as cute as possible. Her aunt shook her head as she chuckled, her messy blonde hair freely bouncing around.


    "If you stay here any longer, you''ll risk turning into one of them." Her aunt smiled up at her with ruby eyes, the same as her mother''s.


    Lux sighed, but she knew her aunt was right. The Mirth were troublesome magical creatures¡ªfun to play with, but that''s how they trapped you. Her aunt had told her that she estimated half of the Mirth were actually once human but had been lured in by their games.


    As Queen of the Mirth, her aunt''s job was to look after them, but it meant she rarely left her room. Lux had asked her if it got lonely, but she chuckled and said that with the Mirth, she never was. Eventually, though, her aunt would join the Mirth herself before old age took her. Lux wasn''t sure if a new queen would need to be crowned then, but she didn''t want to find out. There was a big possibility she was next in line, and she shuddered at the idea of staying in one room all day.


    "Oh, Aunt, there''s something I''ve been meaning to ask you." Lux walked out of the mist of the Mirth and back into the room, following her aunt as they both exited.


    "What is it, Lux? You can ask me anything." She smiled again, her hands resting on her throne made of leaves and twigs as she sat down.


    "I''m sure you already know, but Rayne, Lyra, and I will be leaving for the outside soon, and I was wondering what you know... about the outside, I mean."


    Her aunt''s face visibly darkened, and she shifted on her throne.


    "The outside won''t be what you expect." Her gaze turned to a window, and she continued with stone-hard eyes.


    "It can be a dark place, and it''s easy to get tricked. Be careful." Her eyes met Lux''s once again, and a chill ran down her spine.


    Lux glanced behind her aunt''s throne, at the small forest where the Mirth lived, and she wondered if her aunt was somehow confusing the two.


    ???


    Lux''s bum was cold.


    She was sitting directly on the marble floor of the throne room with Lyra and Rayne. It seemed that it was time for them to learn more about their quest.


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    "My children, I''m sure you''ve been training well?" Their mother studied them from atop her throne.


    Lyra spoke up first. "Yes, we have. I''ve made sure to read even more than I usually do."


    Lux frowned. She was still against Lyra going outside, even more so now when she hadn''t made a single attempt to learn any kind of self-defense.


    "That''s good, Lyra. How about you two? How fares your training?" Their mother crossed her legs and looked at them like she was more interested in hearing their answers.


    "It''s been going well so far," Lux said, twirling her hair, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt.


    Rayne nodded beside her. Lux was jealous; he was most likely going to be fine on this trip.


    "That''s good. Make sure you continue your training..." She trailed off, and her face darkened.


    "I''m sure... that in your studies, you''ve learned about the Athas family, yes?"


    Lyra nodded straight away. "I know everything about them and their ancestors, not to mention¡ª"


    Their mother cut her off. "Then I''m sure you know that they are most likely the ones who trapped us in this palace."


    Lyra nodded gloomily, no doubt sad about being interrupted.


    "When you leave this palace, you will go to Chaconas in Polemus, where the Athas should be at the moment. Ever since we''ve been trapped here, I have been keeping track of the time, and if I''m correct, this is the time of year when new maids and soldiers are most common." Their mother continued on, her face still dark.


    "Lux and Lyra, you will be maids. It should not be hard for you to make your way in, especially as we have extra uniforms in the old servants'' quarters. Rayne, you shall be a guard. There will most likely be a test, but I have no doubt that you will pass it with ease."


    Rayne nodded again. Lux was even more jealous now¡ªbeing a guard sounded fun.


    Their mother''s face somehow grew even darker, and she leaned forward on her throne, looking Lux straight in the eyes.


    "Lux, unless it is absolutely necessary, under no circumstances must you use your magic. It is true that among your siblings, you have the best magical ability, but in the outside world, it is uncommon to have magic. Using your water abilities could reveal your true identity, and that cannot happen." Her eyes were cold, her tone serious as she spoke to Lux.


    Lux fought a shiver and nodded so hard her head might''ve snapped off.


    Their mother sat back on her throne and rested her head on her hand. "When you enter the outside world, it will become harder to use your connection. It will only function in areas of high magic concentration, but there are many in the castle. Make sure to use your connection whenever possible so that your siblings may give me frequent updates."


    Closing her eyes like she was about to go to sleep, she lazily waved her hand, dismissing them.


    As Lux strolled out of the throne room, she studied Rayne.


    He was the silent type, but he had said nothing during the meeting with their mother.


    "Are you okay?" She stopped walking and looked him straight in the eyes.


    He turned to the side like he was about to walk away, but eventually, he whispered, "I''m just... worried."


    Lux smiled softly. "We all are. Don''t worry, you''ll be okay."


    Rayne smiled in return and nodded before walking away.


    As she looked at his back, she frowned. She didn''t know if she believed that herself.


    ???


    Lux picked up a leaf and blew it into the air. She rolled over and almost slammed head-first into the headstone on her father''s grave.


    She sighed and stared at it. Three years ago, her father had fallen ill, and as there were no doctors in the palace, he had passed away, with all his crying children surrounding him.


    Lux was at the grave because she felt it was only right to visit him before she left. Two months of training had flown by quickly, and tomorrow would be the day she left the palace.


    It didn''t seem real to her, even though it was so close. This palace was her world, and it was strange to think there was anything more than it.


    Somewhere in the distance, Lux heard leaves rustling, and she snapped her head up to find Vivianne staring at her.


    "You need something, Vivi?" Lux questioned, a playful smile tugging at her lips.


    Her sister ignored her but sat down right next to her, holding her legs.


    Lux studied her sister more closely and noticed that she looked... sad. Vivianne was a naturally angry person, so seeing her like this was rare.


    "I miss him too, you know," Lux whispered. She got up from where she was sitting, deciding she had spent enough time there and that it''d be better to leave Vivianne alone.


    As she walked away, she thought she heard, "He''s not the only one I''ll be missing," somewhere in the wind.


    And that''s when she saw it.


    A painting, depicting her family. Her aunt and mother, with their ruby eyes; Aurelia and Merce, with wide grins; Luther, whose hair was getting in his eyes; Kaia, who was grabbing Arden around the neck; Rayne, who had a small smile on his face that was easy to miss; Lyra, who was clutching a book; Lux herself, waving enthusiastically; and the artist, Vivianne, who looked fed up on the outside but whose eyes were definitely smiling. And...


    Lux sucked in a breath and looked at the blonde figure that was her father, standing next to Vivianne and smiling proudly at his children, as if he had never died.


    ???


    Lux was traveling down a long set of stairs. Her hands were shaking, and she thought she might vomit from nerves.


    Tonight was the night Lux would leave the palace, along with Rayne and Lyra.


    Her mother had told her they would need maid uniforms, which were in the servants'' quarters, so she was walking down the stairs into a room she''d only been in twice in her life. Lux thought the servants'' quarters were creepy, but she had still volunteered to go and collect the uniforms herself.


    As she looked at the dust on the walls, she wished she had come down here sooner so that she could wash the dreaded uniforms and feel at least somewhat clean when she had to wear them at the castle.


    Eventually, Lux arrived, and instantly a chill ran down her spine. The room was barren of any possessions, with only what seemed like an endless number of beds, stretching on forever.


    Now she was nervous and terrified.


    Lux somehow managed to lift her feet and start moving, beginning to search each bed for a uniform, resulting in tons of dust getting on her hands. It wasn''t long before she eventually found a bunch of uniforms tangled together on a bed.


    Thankfully, it looked like they had been washed before the servants all left the castle. Lux released a breath she didn''t know she was holding, relieved she wouldn''t have to wear filthy clothes, as she had never had to wear them in her whole life. In all their rooms, there was a laundry chute, and if you put clothes in them at the end of the week, they''d be returned cleaner than ever.


    Seeing as she had acquired what she''d come for, Lux made her way to the stairs, preparing herself for the hike.


    But suddenly, she heard a cacophony of noise, coming from... somewhere, somewhere, SOMEWHERE, and everything was chaos, distorted, unnatural, EVIL, IT''S EVIL.


    And then it was normal again.


    Lux clutched her head in shock.


    What on earth was that?


    She kept shaking her head in disbelief, but after clutching her heart for two minutes, she decided it was just nerves and headed toward the stairs.


    But she was almost sure that something was calling her name.


    ???

 ?Chapter 3?

    "From the moment you step out of this place, your new name shall be Kira." Lux''s mother stood at the edge of the palace grounds, facing her children.


    Lux nodded slightly. If she said anything, she thought she might cry. In a few moments, she was going to leave this palace and go out into something completely new to her.


    Her mother''s head turned to Rayne, and she took his hands in hers.


    "The same for you, Rayne. Your name will be Darrion."


    If Lux weren''t so sad and nervous, she might have laughed. The name sounded stupid to her.


    Rayne nodded in response, clutching the reins of his horse.


    Their mother stopped and looked tenderly at both of them, which was a rare show, as she always put on an air of absolute indifference.


    Their close moment was interrupted when Lyra coughed.


    "What is it, Lyra?" Their mother asked, seeming somewhat annoyed.


    "Well, you haven''t given me a name yet, Mother." Lyra replied, rubbing her hands together nervously, Lux noted.


    "Oh." Their mother stared at her as if she were caught off guard. "You can think of one for yourself."


    "Oh, um, alright." Lyra glanced at the ground nervously, looking out of place without a book in her hands.


    Lux looked at her siblings, standing silently behind their mother.


    Luther was holding Aurelia and Merce, who both looked like they might fall asleep any minute. It was past the time they were supposed to go to bed, but they had both insisted on seeing them off, despite the fact that they would most likely fall asleep before they were able to. Kaia was holding herself with her arms and looked like she was about to cry. Arden was crying. Vivianne somehow managed to maintain a look of nonchalance but still looked on with unblinking eyes.


    Managing to smile, Lux walked towards them.


    "Bye, everyone." Was all she said, all she could say, without breaking out into tears.


    But someone broke out into tears for her.


    Kaia flung her arms around her, sobbing uncontrollably.


    She couldn''t take it anymore and burst into tears herself.


    "I''m¡ªI''m going to m-miss you, Lux." Kaia closed her eyes, grabbing on even tighter.


    "I¡ªI''m going to miss you too, Kaia, but we''ll come back soon." Lux managed to get a hold of herself, and Kaia stepped back, drying her own eyes as a smile came to her face.


    "That''s the first and only time you''ll ever hear me say that," she teased.


    Lux chuckled and looked at the rest of her siblings. She was going to miss them more than they would ever know. They were her entire world.


    "We''ll be back soon. I swear." She would come back. It was a promise.


    "You must depart soon. Check your bags again and make sure you have everything," their mother said, knowing they were short on time.


    For what felt like the millionth time that evening, Lux took off her bag and checked that she had everything.


    A map, to find their way to Chaconas, food, small pouches of money, and their maid uniforms. She looked at Rayne to see if he also had everything¡ªmore pouches of money and clothes for himself. He also had a sword on his back, his favorite, in fact.


    He nodded at her, and Lux set the bag back on her back, not bothering to look at Lyra, who hadn''t volunteered to carry anything important.


    Looking at them one last time, their mother nodded at them and pulled an amulet out from a bag on her shoulder.


    It was absolutely beautiful.


    It somehow caught light that wasn''t there, shimmering in the black abyss that was the night. Gold wrapped around it, like the warm embrace of a mother, and in the gold lay the shape of a crown, carved perfectly.


    Their mother didn''t say anything about the amulet, laying it out in her hands and moving closer to the barrier of the castle.


    "Mount your horses," she ordered and held out the amulet.


    Lux obeyed, climbing onto her horse, Gilia, and grabbing the reins.


    She looked at the barrier and remembered days from long ago.


    The first time she had come to the invisible barrier, she was four and very curious. Her curiosity was soon put out when she touched it and found herself being thrown backward. Ever since then, she had looked at the forest outside the barrier with no will to go into it at all.


    Now that she was going outside, Lux found her curiosity renewed, and it managed to take away some of her nerves.


    Getting ready to exit, she looked straight at the forest, going over their story in her head.


    They were all siblings from Sidus who had gotten tired of fishing like everyone else in their family and had decided to move to Polemus for jobs in the castle and a breath of fresh air. The story was somewhat similar to the truth, making their lie a lot more believable.


    Her attention was taken back by her mother, who inhaled loudly.


    Suddenly, the amulet started glowing, shining even brighter than before.


    The ground started to tremble, as if the whole palace was coming alive, and suddenly Lux was strangely reminded of when she had gone into the servant''s quarters only hours before.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "Go now!" Their mother shouted over the tremors, struggling to stay upright.


    With a final nod, Lux kicked the reins and followed behind Rayne into a whole new world.


    But that''s when she heard a shout.


    Panic dancing within her, she looked back to see that Lyra hadn''t moved.


    She was still in the now-closed barrier, a scowl creeping up her face.


    Lux became even more panicked, wondering what had gone wrong, but when she looked at her mother, she calmed down.


    Nothing was wrong, because her mother had never meant to let Lyra out in the first place. She saw it in her cold eyes.


    Lux sighed. She had never wanted Lyra to come with them in the first place, and it looked like their mother agreed, but she still felt bad that she had been tricked. How would Lyra take this?


    Shaking her head, she decided to think about the path ahead.


    The wind was in her hair, and despite her nerves, Lux smiled. She was outside for the first time in her life, and she knew that she had a mission, but she was going to enjoy herself.


    ???


    Lux looked around her in shock. She was sure that they were in Sidus now, but she couldn''t believe it. There were smaller buildings, houses? Where she guessed people were sleeping, seeing as no lights were on. They had slowed their pace, trying not to wake anyone, but Lux was close to gasping and waking everyone regardless.


    When she found out in her studies that they were royal, she knew that it meant they were richer than others, but she still hadn''t imagined their homes to look like... this. They were barely as big as the servant''s quarters!


    She did find a certain charm in the village, though, as it reminded her of picture books that her father had read to her when she was little. She could barely resist the urge to run to one of the small houses and run her fingers along the stone.


    Rayne was riding silently in front of her, surveying the area. She had told him about Lyra, back when they were in the forest, but he had surprised her by saying that he already knew, and agreed with their mothers decision.


    It was relieving to know that Rayne felt the same way about Lyra as she did, but it was surprising to know that he already knew. Why hadn''t their mother told her? Was it because he was the heir? What else did he know that she didn''t?


    These thoughts went around in her brain as they travelled through the village, but suddenly Rayne came to a sudden halt.


    Stopping behind him, Lux craned her head to see what the problem was.


    A middle-aged man was blocking their way, looking up at them with curiosity.


    Clearing her throat, Lux got off Gilia and approached the man.


    "Good day, sir! Er, it''s actually night now. So good night, sir!" She stumbled over her words, trying to remember how to speak to a stranger. This was the first one she''d ever met.


    "Are ye headin'' somewhere?" The man ignored her greeting and crossed his arms.


    Not getting his hostility, she replied cheerily, "Oh yes, we are. It''s going to be a long journey, so we''d like to get going now, if you don''t mind."


    Suddenly turning cheery himself, the man smiled at them. "If that''s the case, ye should come an'' stay at me inn. Ye won''t be able to get anywhere in the night, what with these trees blockin'' the way."


    Lux looked back at Rayne, who had dismounted his own horse and had his hands on his sword, like he might have to fight at any moment. He seemed like he was questioning what was the best course of action, but eventually, he gave a single nod.


    "He doesn''t say much, does he?" The inn owner scratched his head and started walking, presumably toward the inn.


    "Yes, he''s the silent type." Lux followed him, taking the reins of Gilia as she did.


    "I can understand that. Me daughter''s the same."


    Lux and the inn owner ended up talking all the way to the inn, though it was the inn owner who was sharing information about himself.


    When they arrived at the doors to the inn, a little gap-toothed boy came up to them and held his hand out.


    "Uhm, err." Suddenly Lux wanted Lyra there to tell her what to do.


    With a rising eyebrow, the inn owner said, "Y''know, y''just give him a coin, and he''ll take the horses."


    "Oh, oh why yes, of course." Lux became flustered and scrambled around in her bag for a coin. When she retrieved one, she gave Gilia to the boy as he pocketed the coin and made her way into the inn.


    The inn was warm, with the faint smell of alcohol in the air. One candle flickered lightly, there was a counter at the front of the room, and to the side, there were stairs. The man got behind the counter and held a piece of paper with something written on it, and looked to the two siblings. "What are yer names?"


    "Kira." "Darrion." They answered simultaneously.


    "Right, right." He scribbled on the paper.


    "Where are ye from? I don''t recognize ye at all, and this is a small village." He questioned, folding his arms.


    "Ah, well..." Lux tried to think of an excuse, and she looked to Rayne for ideas. But he looked equally as stumped. They couldn''t stick to their original story, as the man would know they were lying. Thankfully, an idea came to her.


    "We''re from a neighboring village. We meant to be on our way to Polemus for work, but we found ourselves lost. That''s why we were out late at night," she explained with her hands.


    "Alright then... Anyway, that''ll be two Chyros. Your room''s the one with the door open." He reached out his hand, and Lux gave him the money.


    They both started making their way to their room, but Lux stopped and went back to the counter.


    "Need somethin'' already?" The man cleaned a glass as he looked at her.


    "This is Sidus, right? If so, then what do you know about the Callis family?" She had decided that she should learn more about their current situation if she was going to discover what was trapping her family.


    "Ooh, that''s a name I haven''t heard in a while." He set down the glass and looked as if he was remembering something from long ago.


    "So you know something?" Lux was onto something now.


    "Mhm." He grabbed the chair behind him and sat down. "The Callis family was well-loved around here, even though they were in Polemus most of the year. Always givin'' to the people, real involved in the community." He went on, clearly on a roll. "The queen, Astrid, I think was her name, became queen when she was only twenty-two, but she was good at it. She had two kids too, but I always forget their names. Anyway, she was a grand queen, really cared about us poorer villages, but the Athas ruined everything." Lux listened closely, with Rayne also standing close, taking everything in.


    "One day those stupid Athas said that the Callis were gone. Just disappeared. Poof! And all those cities and villages down south believed ''em! But up here, we all reckon they killed ''em and got away with it. Scoundrels! Every last one of ''em!"


    His tone became more serious. "Some folks have started to... rebel ''round here. They''re tryin'' to dethrone the Athas and put the Callis back on the throne, and the Callis alone. But they''re all dead; it''s a lost cause. The capital doesn''t even see ''em as a threat anyway."


    "Y''know, their palace is up there. Their own personal one. But they weren''t even there when they all disappeared anyway, an'' you can''t get close. It''s a labyrinth in the forest ''round it."


    That was weird; she and Rayne had gotten out of the palace just fine. Did it have something to do with what was trapping them?


    Lux nodded and started making her way to their room again. "Thank you for the information. It was very kind of you."


    The man stared at them for a minute.


    "Do y''know the helper lady?"


    She spun around at his words. For a second, she thought she''d been caught.


    "No, I... don''t think I''m familiar."


    "Oh well, I thought y''might." He returned to cleaning another glass.


    Curiosity had taken hold of her, and she asked, "Who''s the helper lady?"


    "Ah well, she goes by many names." He started what obviously was a long story.


    Lux felt a hand on her shoulder and realized it was Rayne. "I''m going to go to our room. Come fetch me if you need me." She nodded, and Rayne retreated for the night.


    "He''s your brother?" He questioned.


    "Yes, but what were you saying about the helper lady?" She said, wanting to turn the attention away from them.


    "Ah yes, like I said, she goes by many names. Some call her the Lady of Mystery, the Righteous Soul, or somethin'' daft like that. No one knows who she really is or where she came from, but four years ago she started visitin'' this village and helpin'' out with things. You see, we''ve gotten poor after the Callis died, but she brings us lots of food and bread, and one time she helped a wee lad who was stuck in a well¡ª''twas like magic! For some reason, she only comes every two months, though, but she''s done more for us than the Athas ever will."


    Lux nodded, but she realized that this story really didn''t help her at all. I mean, it helped her learn about how little the Athas cares for this village, but, to her at least, it wasn''t useful information.


    Lux sighed and thanked the owner before returning to her room for the night.


    ???

 ?Chapter 4?

    Lux woke up to an explosion outside of her room.


    Flailing around, she jumped out of bed in a panic, and her mind started racing as she tried to remember her situation.


    Where was she? In an inn in Sidus. Where was Rayne? On the other side of the room, sleeping in a bed. So what could that noise be?


    She tried to find an explanation but realized that she didn''t know, and her panic spiralled.


    Did someone know that they had left the palace? What if it was the Athas, finally deciding to get rid of their family once and for all?


    The last question wasn''t that unlikely, considering everything that she had heard, so she sprinted to the window and stuck her head outside.


    And she saw...


    People. Hundreds of people walking around, talking and laughing with one another. The smell of fresh food wafted through the air, with children following each other down the streets, and stand owners trying to convince passer-bys to come and buy something at a discount.


    Lux let out a breath and put a hand on her heart.


    She had never been outside before, so she had mistaken the noise for an explosion. How stupid.


    Calming down, she crossed her arms on the windowsill and smiled as she looked down at the village. If she was a princess, these were her people, and she would serve them, along with the rest of her family, soon.


    As she looked outside dreamily, she suddenly felt a tap on her shoulder, and she startled, but when she turned around, she realized that it was only Rayne, with messy hair as well as drooping eyes.


    "Lux. Are you okay?" he asked, trying not to yawn.


    "Oh, erm, sorry Rayne, the noise just startled me," she replied sheepishly and turned her back to the window. As she studied her brother, she realized something.


    Rayne had been trapped in the palace as long as she had, so how was he completely okay with all the chaos ensuing outside?


    She cocked her head. "Rayne, how come you''re fine with all this noise?"


    His eyes widened slightly, as if he was caught off guard, but he answered her question. "From what I can remember, it was loud at Chaconas, and despite the fact that I was only there for three years as a baby, I guess I''ve gotten used to noise because of it." He went to sit down on his bed and cleaned his sword with a cloth.


    Another question made its way into Lux''s mind.


    "What do you remember about Chaconas then?" Their mother hadn''t given them as much information as she would have liked, but she understood. She looked like she was in pain every time she even talked about the outside.


    He peered up at the ceiling, like he was thinking about it, but eventually replied, "I don''t remember much, but I do remember that it was beautiful, even more beautiful than our palace."


    More beautiful than Adamas? Suddenly her excitement spiked.


    He continued, "I also recall... playing with someone else my age." He turned his gaze back to his sword and propped it on the wall next to him. "Sorry, that''s all I can remember."


    Lux placed a hand on her chin. Maybe the child Rayne had played with was an Athas?


    She dropped her hand and sighed; she was just starting to make assumptions now.


    "I''m going to go prepare our horses." She exited the room, feeling a bit defeated.


    ???


    Lux and Rayne were stranded in a crowd.


    More and more people kept filing in, and atop their horses, it was hard to make their way through.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Lux was quickly getting overwhelmed, and she had to fight the urge to cover her ears. She quickly turned to Rayne and raised her voice so he could hear her. "I think that it would be best if we got off our horses. We can ride them again when we get out of this crowd."


    Rayne nodded, and just when she was about to dismount, she noticed something¡ªthe source of all the commotion.


    There were people at the front of the crowd, wearing blue paint on their faces while they waved a gold and blue flag with a crown in the centre. Lux was completely baffled at first, but then she remembered her conversation with the inn owner last night, and a light bulb went off in her head. Could these be rebels?


    She turned her attention back to the supposed rebels, who were shouting at the top of their lungs, but she couldn''t decipher what they were saying from this distance. Her curiosity ended up getting the better of her, and though it was hard, as she bumped into multiple people, she ended up at the front of the crowd, with the best view among anyone.


    Leading the rebels were three people, a girl and a boy with bright red hair, along with another boy with dark brown hair.


    "THE ATHAS ARE MURDERERS!" Lux realized they were screaming as she got closer.


    As she looked down on them, she thought that they weren''t the smartest. If they believed that the Athas were murderers, what was shouting and disturbing the peace going to do? It seemed pointless to her. At Adamas, if someone wanted something, they''d just ask their mother nicely, and if she said no, then that was that.


    As she pondered, she suddenly heard an angry voice call her name, and she turned around frantically to find Rayne, who looked thoroughly annoyed.


    "Kira, why did you run off? You didn''t even tell me," he asked, raising his voice so she could hear him.


    "Oh, um," She scratched her face with one hand sheepishly. "Sorry, Darrion, my... curiosity got the better of me."


    He sighed, but she knew that he wasn''t really mad. She often acted like this after all.


    "Now that we''re at the front of the crowd, we can get out more easily. Let''s leave," he told her, and Lux nodded.


    But as she made her way out, she noticed that the red-haired boy was staring her down, and a shiver made its way up her spine as she exited the sea of people.


    ???


    Lux was riding through the woods with Rayne, on her way to Polemus, and to Chaconas.


    The wind was in her hair, the moon was shining down on her, and she knew that this was truly the best feeling in the world.


    After leaving Sidus, they had continued traveling, making sure to avoid villages and cities in the area, and even though Lux would like nothing more than to go through every single one and take in the sights, she knew that they had a mission.


    It didn''t matter that much when Lux would get to the castle, as she would be sneaking and blending in, but Rayne only had one chance, seeing as the guards'' exam was annual.


    He slowed his horse in front of her, and she followed his actions.


    "Are we stopping here?" she asked, a bit annoyed that they had stopped riding.


    "Mhm." He dismounted and began setting up their camp.


    Lux also dismounted and moved to help him, but she furrowed her brows when she saw that he had taken his sword out.


    "You''re not going to practice again, are you?" she asked, but didn''t wait for an answer and sighed dejectedly.


    There''s no real reason for him to train so intensely, she thought to herself as she took her bag off of Gilia.


    Lux had no doubt in her mind that Rayne would crush the exam. He had trained relentlessly every day of his life. She was sure that no one was better than him when it came to swordsmanship, but still, he trained at every given opportunity.


    Once they had finished setting up, Lux sat down and watched her brother practice on a tree.


    "You should sleep, Kira," he said in between lunges, and she got a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    "You''re going to use that name in the middle of the woods?" she pouted.


    "Yes, and you should too. Kira." His tone showed that was the end of discussing that.


    "Okay, Darrion." She replied with a hint of salt in her voice and continued to watch him.


    After night had completely fallen, Rayne finished his routine, and Lux got up to prepare to go to sleep.


    But that''s when he tripped and fell.


    Not wasting a second, she rushed over to him in a panic and kneeled in front of him. She studied him carefully and asked, "What did you hurt?"


    He didn''t say anything at first but eventually muttered, "My knees." She nodded and moved closer to his knees, hovering her hands above them.


    Magic was useful in many ways, and this was one of them.


    Water could potentially be used to harm, but more importantly, it could be used to heal.


    Lux summoned a small pool of water above Rayne''s knees and concentrated hard. Eventually, he grunted, and she knew that her job was completed.


    "You have to be more careful. You don''t need to train as much as you do." She stood up and dusted herself off.


    He stared at the ground for a minute but eventually nodded and turned in for the night.


    ???


    Lyra was aggressively practicing her handwriting.


    It was the middle of the night, but she just couldn''t sleep.


    Yesterday, she was prepared to leave the castle with Lux and Rayne.


    But her mother had stopped her.


    She had led her to believe that she would leave along with them, but their mother didn''t even trust her enough to tell her that she was continuing to trap her in this goddamn castle.


    Everyone underestimated her all the time, just because she didn''t dance like Kaia, play the piano beautifully like Luther, paint masterpieces like Vivianne, excel at magic like Lux, or dominate the sword like Rayne.


    No, because she spent all her time in the library, gathering knowledge, everyone else thought she was weaker.


    If only they knew how wrong they were.


    She crushed her pen accidentally, causing ink to splash on her hand, and she let out a sigh.


    Staying in this stuffy palace was doing her no good.


    So she grabbed her cloak and headed for the servant''s quarters.

 ?Chapter 5?

    Lux was standing outside the gate to Polemus, holding the reins of her and Rayne''s horses.


    Many people were entering and leaving¡ªsome in carriages, some on foot, some with companions, and some alone.


    She wanted nothing more than to run right through the gate and take in everything that Polemus could offer her, but she had to go over their plans with Rayne first.


    She glanced over at her brother, who was carefully studying two maps. One map was of the city of Polemus as a whole, and the other was of Chaconas Castle, including areas not accessible to most. Since their mother had lived in Chaconas herself, she had drawn the map personally to give them a better idea of the labyrinth they were venturing into.


    Lux wanted to help Rayne with the maps, but he had insisted on studying them himself.


    Starting to get bored, she sighed, swaying on the spot, and tried to distract herself by thinking about their journey here.


    After camping in the forest where Rayne had injured himself, they travelled to a nearby village to eat since their food had run out. Lux had eaten some type of "fish stew," which she had absolutely loved. She''d never eaten anything like it in her life, and it was like a whole new world of flavours had been opened up to her. With a smile on her face, she had finished the whole thing, feeling full and content.


    After leaving the village, they decided to get changed in a nearby forest, with Lux changing into the maid uniform. It was thankfully still clean, somehow, but it was uncomfortable, and she had some trouble tying her apron. At Adamas, she had always worn simple dresses, even though her mother always sighed when she saw her wearing them. According to her, there were extra pieces she was supposed to wear with the dress, but Lux simply couldn''t be bothered.


    After she finished changing, she met back up with Rayne, who was wearing simple clothes with his sword on his back. After preparing their horses, they went over their story one last time and made their way to Polemus.


    "Kira." Rayne''s voice interrupted her train of thought, and Lux snapped her head up.


    "Yes, Darrion?" she replied, noticing that he had folded up the maps.


    "I''ve confirmed which path we''re taking. Let''s be on our way." He started to walk towards the gate.


    She nodded, and finally, they entered Polemus.


    And Lux almost collapsed.


    She had assumed that Sidus was rowdy, but it easily paled in comparison to Polemus.


    People shouted at the top of their lungs, as if in a contest to see who could shatter their vocal cords first. Cats ran through the streets, holding stolen goods from various stalls. Carriages almost ran over multiple people, not stopping for anyone, while many were sweeping the outsides of their homes, indifferent to it all.


    Lux almost had a heart attack. How could anyone ever live with this? How could she live with this? The level of noise in this city was what she imagined it would sound like in an end-of-the-world scenario.


    She looked at Rayne, expecting even him to look shocked, but to Lux''s annoyance, he still maintained his look of absolute stoicism.


    "We need to find a stable for the horses." His voice was also completely calm as he started moving away from all the noise.


    Lux nodded, though a bit miserably, following him through a surprisingly empty nearby street and to a field where a neat stable stood.


    A man wearing a cap was diligently attending to a horse, brushing its side while whistling a tune. When he heard the clopping of hooves and the taps of feet, he quickly jumped up and ran over to greet them.


    "Good afternoon, my name is Arlo. I''m the manager of this stable." He held out a hand and Rayne took it.


    Lux stared straight at Arlo, forgetting to greet him as she got lost in her thoughts. It seemed as if she had seen the man before, but she had no clue where. She barely knew anyone, after all.


    "Hello? Missy?" Arlo''s voice snapped her back to reality, and she sheepishly smiled.


    "Oh, I''m sorry. I just got... swept up in my own mind." She let go of Gilia''s reins for a second and shook his hand.


    "That''s no problem! It just means you have an active mind." He winked, and Lux chuckled.


    "Anyway, I assume you''re here to check in your horses. Is that correct?" Rayne nodded, and Arlo pulled a piece of paper as well as a pen from his pocket.


    "Okay, for how long will that be? The maximum is a week."


    Lux looked at Rayne nervously. They didn''t know how long they would be in Polemus, or how much they would be paid.


    Arlo noticed their nervous looks and chuckled slightly. "Don''t worry, every week you can come back and pay for the next week." He wrote it down on the piece of paper and looked back up at them. "Would you like a full care package or just basic boarding?"


    "The full care package," Rayne answered simply, and Lux nodded along with him. If, for some reason, they needed to escape in the middle of the night, their horses needed to be in the best condition possible.


    Arlo scribbled on the paper again. "Okay, what are your names?"


    "Kira and Darrion," they answered simultaneously, and Arlo scribbled again.


    "Okay then, I''ll take your horses. Is there anything I need to be aware of?"


    Lux shook her head and handed the reins of their horses to Arlo, but she cocked her head curiously as she looked at him.


    "Where are the other workers? I haven''t seen any at all." She asked as she watched him lead the horses away.


    He turned back to look at her with a smile on his face. "I work here by myself! And I have for the last eighteen years!"


    Lux was shocked. Eighteen years? All by himself? What about his family? Does he have any?


    A train of questions made its way into her mind, but it wasn''t her place to ask them. So she simply waved and made her way to the bustling street.


    Another question came to her mind, and this time she could say it.


    "How come you knew where the stable was?" She questioned Rayne, her voice almost blending into the cacophony of the streets.


    He shrugged slightly. "It was circled and labelled on the map."


    "Hm." She replied, looking on at the ongoing chaos.


    ???


    Eventually, as they descended further into the city, the noise started to fade away and was quickly replaced with near silence.


    Lux looked around, confused, wondering why the atmosphere had changed, but that''s when she suddenly walked into a stone wall.


    "Kira." Rayne''s voice pierced the air, and Lux was reminded of her mother.


    "Sorry, Darrion." She brushed herself off and looked more closely at the wall she had bumped into.


    Well, it was more like a gate.


    She stared at the newfound gate curiously and turned to Rayne. "Why is there another gate?"


    He raised an eyebrow. "It''s the gate to the part of the city where the nobles live. You should know; it was part of your studies."


    "Oh..." She replied sheepishly. Maybe there were some things she had missed.


    "To enter the gate, we have to talk to a guard first. It should be fine, seeing as they just ask what we''re here for, and many people have travelled here for the guard''s exam. You can easily say that you''re a maid." He didn''t wait for a response and started making his way towards the guard at the gate, who was holding a ridiculously long scroll while standing next to a small table.


    She followed after him, trying to fix her hair, despite it being completely fine.


    The guard didn''t notice them at first, looking at the scroll absently, but Lux cleared her throat loudly, and he snapped to attention.


    "Greetings. What are your names and reasons for being here?" he asked, acting as if he hadn''t been staring into the abyss a mere second ago.


    "My name is Darrion. I''m here for the annual guard''s exam. This is my sister, Kira," Rayne said effortlessly, then raised his eyebrows at her slightly, indicating that it was her turn.


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    "Yes, as my brother said, I''m Kira. I''m a maid at Chaconas Castle," she replied diligently, despite lying through her teeth.


    The guard wrote it down before setting the scroll on the table and moving to the gate, opening it quickly.


    "Thank you very much, sir." She thanked him with a smile. Rayne had been completely right; that was easy.


    They walked through the golden gates together, and Lux was surprised at how different it was from the outside.


    This section of Polemus was decorated with various buildings, all neat and tidy, glistening like silver. People chatted politely, some carrying packages, some in various uniforms, but many seemed busy, as if working.


    "Darrion, if this is where all the nobles are, why can''t I see any? These all seem to be workers," Lux asked, trying to keep her head down.


    "Most nobles would be staying in their manors. They usually don''t have much reason to go out; they send servants instead. Again, you should have known this from your studies." He replied, his voice getting frustrated.


    She giggled nervously but stared back at the ground.


    "They usually don''t have much reason to go out."


    She brushed her hair with her hand anxiously.


    A reason? Who needs a reason to go outside? They''re so privileged, but they don''t even realize it. She simply couldn''t understand. She and her family had been trapped for sixteen years, and now that she was outside, she was sure there was nothing greater. If you can go outside, why don''t you?


    Suddenly, Rayne started whispering.


    "Kira, I have to leave you here. Look." She snapped her head up quickly, wondering what was taking her brother from her so soon.


    A crowd was starting to gather at another gate¡ªsome men, some women, some young, some old¡ªbut they were all equipped with swords.


    She instantly understood that it must be the entrance to the guards'' exam.


    And if it was the entrance...


    Lux looked up at the giant structure towering before her.


    Chaconas Castle.


    Made completely of stone, many towers and turrets sprouted from it, like a many-headed dragon rearing its fangs. Numerous windows were adorned around it, like eyes glaring at anyone who looked at them. To finish it all off, the golden gate glittered as if it were rays picked directly from the sun.


    She gulped, her hands sweaty at her sides. She was intimidated, but also excited. This was the most enthusiasm she''d felt in a long time.


    Her attention was drawn away from the castle when Rayne handed her a map¡ªspecifically, the map of Chaconas.


    "Mother wanted you to take this. She circled a hidden entrance to the castle," he whispered.


    She nodded, and they both stared at each other for a moment.


    After this, they would be completely on their own.


    They had never been alone before; everyone was always there for one another. Always. How could they be apart? How would they cope?


    "Please, be safe, Lux," he broke the silence, still whispering, and Lux almost broke into tears at the use of her real name.


    All she could do was nod.


    He slowly walked away, and she watched his back move further from her, with tears slowly starting to swell in her eyes.


    Taking a deep breath, she wiped her tears, fastened her bag, and continued her mission.


    ???


    Lux walked right past the entrance that everyone else had been using, following the map Rayne had given her. It directed her to go around the castle, near the back, and eventually, she stopped hearing any noise at all, signalling that she was alone.


    Though it wasn''t visible on the map, it instructed her that once she reached the very back of the castle, she should keep going upwards until she saw a small cluster of rocks, with one blue rock at the top.


    Looking down from the map, she surveyed the area until she indeed found a small cluster of rocks with one blue rock at the top.


    The next note written on the map told her to stand on top of the rocks, and although she was unsure, she followed the instructions.


    And she started to fall.


    Lux screamed at the top of her lungs, but found herself in a dark tunnel. She felt around the area, trying to grasp how big it was, and realized that it could fit one person horizontally.


    Taking a deep breath, she assumed that she was supposed to go forward, so that''s what she did. Eventually, she bumped into something hard.


    Feeling the area in front of her, she realized that it was a ladder, though it was mouldy and out of shape.


    She gagged but climbed it regardless, feeling more nauseated with every step she took.


    Eventually, she reached the top and opened it to find...


    The sea?


    No, that couldn''t be right.


    She climbed out of the tunnel, dusting her hands off as she studied what lay in front of her.


    It wasn''t the sea, but instead, it seemed to be a small lake.


    On the other side was one of the walls of Chaconas, and a small door.


    Lux silently wondered how all this water had gotten here. If there was a door, then it must have originally been an exit, but how could one leave with an entire lake in front of them?


    Sighing, she prepared herself.


    Her mother must have known that only she could pull off something like this.


    Taking a large breath, she held her hands high above her head and concentrated so hard that she thought she might accidentally burst one of her veins.


    Eventually, the water rose gracefully above her, leaving a pit that curved.


    It would be hard to walk through, but she was sure she could do it.


    She slowly treaded down, still holding her shaking hands above her.


    She released slow breaths and eventually came to the end of the pit.


    This would be the hard part.


    Releasing a huge breath, she let go of all the water, and it crashed down violently on her.


    Now underwater, she quickly thought of a strategy. She focused only on the part of the water that surrounded her body and tried her best to make it float.


    Panicked, she looked around her and realized that she was still submerged.


    She''d quickly drown if she stayed like this! Focus. Focus. FOCUS!


    Suddenly, she felt as light as a feather, and fresh air hit her face. She had done it.


    She slowly transported herself in front of the door, despite being in the middle of a coughing fit.


    After she had calmed down, she wrung out all the water from her clothes and her bag with magic, and finally made her way towards the door.


    Putting a hand on the wall, she realized that it led to another tunnel, and she sighed. She didn''t want to see another tunnel for at least a week after this.


    However, she heard noise at the end of the passage, and she had to wait for a while, listening to see if anyone was still around. When the coast seemed clear, she pushed open the end of the tunnel and stumbled onto a lush carpet.


    She was inside.


    And it was beautiful.


    The walls were red like cherries, many paintings were framed in gold, depicting various situations, and Lux recognized a few faces in them. There were also many tables decorated with candles and bowls of fruit. The whole place smelled like a garden.


    Suddenly, a pouting maid with black hair and green eyes came around the corner, holding her hands solemnly. As soon as her eyes found Lux, she panicked and grabbed her hand.


    "What are you doing here? We''re not supposed to be in these corridors for no reason!" She shouted somehow silently, rushing through the halls while clutching her skirt.


    "Oh, I''m very sorry, Miss. I''m new, you see. I''m not sure where I''m supposed to be at the moment," Lux replied, taking advantage of the situation and grinning silently to herself.


    The maid girl looked her up and down, and her eyes widened as if she realized that she really hadn''t seen her before. "Oh, sorry, I didn''t realize you were new. We''ve had a few new maids recently; it gets a bit confusing."


    "No, no, it''s okay," Lux waved her hand dismissively.


    "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I''m Mika. I''ll show you to the servants'' quarters if you''d like," she said, still running.


    "I''m Kira, it''s very nice to meet you," Lux said, unable to stop herself from smiling even more widely.


    She''d done it.


    ???


    "It would be best for you to know that only one-quarter of applicants pass this exam." The commander of the royal guards'' voice rang through the training grounds.


    Rayne had just left Lux to take the guards'' exam, and though he didn''t show it, his heart was racing.


    What if he failed and got sent home? How would his mother react? What would happen to Lux?


    Suddenly, a haughty voice brought him back to reality, and he found himself staring at a boy who seemed to be the same age as him, wearing rich robes as he sat at the front of the crowd.


    "Pfft. I''m sure most of the people that fail will be peasants. No need for me to worry, then." The haughty boy laughed, waving his hand absently.


    "Lord Cedar. Please raise your hand if there is something you wish to say," the commander lectured, already looking fed up.


    "Lord" Cedar simply chuckled but kept quiet.


    Rayne sighed. He knew that this lord was going to cause a lot of trouble.


    ???


    Her hood covering her face, the helper lady ventured out onto the streets of Sidus.


    "Woah! Mummy! Look! It''s the helper lady!" A young voice called out from somewhere behind her.


    She chuckled. Everyone always came up with such strange names for her.


    Walking through the streets, she felt at ease. She helped these people, and, even if they didn''t know it, they helped her in return.


    "Ah. Oak. It''s you," She heard a voice, peeking up from beneath her hood to see the mayor of Sidus, who looked troubled.


    "Good evening, Mayor. I''m sorry, but I must ask, will you keep using that nickname?" She chuckled slightly.


    "But it has meaning behind it, and it''s cute, right?" He grinned, and she chuckled again. The first time the mayor had seen her was beside an oak tree, and it had quickly become her nickname.


    Oak. She didn''t mind it. If she couldn''t be called her real name, then it would definitely do.


    Coming off of her thoughts, Oak sensed that there was something else he wanted to tell her. "Mayor, is something happening? Forgive me for saying so, but you seem quite tense."


    He rubbed his hands together nervously. "You can always tell. Well, it''s the rebels."


    Her eyes widened. The rebels were a force determined to put the Callis back on the throne of Flei, but their efforts seemed rather worthless.


    "What''s happening? Are they threatening anyone?" She completely loved this village; she couldn''t bear the thought that it could be in danger.


    "Argh, no. It would be better if I just showed you. It''s really lucky that you showed up. Actually, now that I think about it, weren''t you here a few days ago?" He realized suddenly, walking towards a large crowd she somehow hadn''t noticed.


    "I was, but... special circumstances." She needed to be here right now, but he couldn''t know why.


    "Ah, well, I won''t pry. It''s good that you''re here anyway." As they got closer to the crowd, she realized that a wooden stage had been set up, and that''s why everyone was gathering.


    She had a sudden realization.


    "You''ve set me up, haven''t you?" She crossed her arms and stared at him.


    He yelped. "Ah... no... it''s not like that. Okay, well... I admit I was planning something, but I really didn''t think you''d come today."


    She raised an eyebrow; she needed more of an explanation than that.


    "The people. They want to hear what you have to say about the rebels," He finally admitted, putting his arms at his sides.


    She thought so.


    She sighed and started walking towards the stage.


    "Helper lady! Righteous soul! Saviour! You''re amazing!" A chorus of voices went up in the air, but they soon hushed as she walked to the edge of the stage, held out her hands, and said:


    "I support the rebels."


    Though more than a hundred people must have been gathered, it was completely silent. A leaf could easily be heard dancing through the wind.


    Oak sighed, moving off the stage and through the village.


    She frowned. Was that the right thing to say? She wondered as she stared up at the sky.


    Eventually, she didn''t even know where she was going anymore, but she suddenly heard the faint cries of children coming from somewhere in the distance.


    She dashed closer to the crying, afraid that someone had been hurt.


    But when she arrived at the scene, all she found was a piece of ripped paper and a sniffling boy and girl.


    "What happened here?" she said, trying to make her voice as soft as possible.


    The children''s eyes widened at the sight of the helper lady, but once they looked at the piece of paper again, they cried even harder.


    "W-we were t-trying to make a b-bird." The girl wailed, as she tried her best to stop her tears.


    Oak smiled and chuckled to herself.


    "Don''t worry, do you want to see something even better?" she questioned playfully.


    "What?" they asked simultaneously, both eager to see what the helper lady could do.


    She smiled, pulling out her hands and concentrating hard.


    She managed to focus her light magic and draw a twinkling bird with her finger in the air.


    The children giggled, and Oak''s heart warmed.


    This wasn''t nearly as good as she had seen other people do, but if it could make someone smile, it was enough.


    Laughing along with the children, she got a sudden ominous feeling that she was being watched, and turned around to see red hair fleeting in the wind.


    Who on earth was that? She wondered, but she didn''t realise that she''d find out soon.

 ?Chapter 6?

    Mika continued to drag Lux through the castle, going through the halls, oblivious to the fact that she had let a Callis inside, who was mentally trying her best to remember everything she saw.


    "Ah... you might want to know that Mrs. Rodia was lecturing all the new maids this morning. I''m not sure how you slipped under her radar, but she''s most likely going to be mad at you for wandering off," Mika quickly mentioned, leading them both down a set of well-polished stairs.


    "Oh, okay. Thank you for letting me know," Lux replied, trying her best not to trip on her skirts.


    Eventually they came to the end of the stairs, where a door waited almost ominously, and Mika inhaled.


    "Is something the matter?" Lux questioned.


    Mika slowly mumbled, "Uh... well. You know, I also wasn''t supposed to be in that hallway. And Mrs. Rodia has already told me off before... I''m just a bit wo¡ª" She was suddenly cut off as a lady with greying brown hair slammed open the door, her hands resting on her hips.


    "MIKA!" Her voice rumbled through the air. "HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU, DO NOT GET SO DIS¡ª" Her eyes suddenly found Lux, and she put on an air of hostility.


    "And who, pray tell, are you?" She raised her eyebrow, studying her.


    Lux found herself copying Mika and inhaled slightly. "My name is Kira. I''m a new maid; it''s very nice to meet you, ma''am."


    The lady, who she assumed was Mrs. Rodia, folded her arms. "Hm. And Kira, when did you arrive at the castle?"


    "This morning, ma''am. When I arrived, I was given this uniform, but at some point, I managed to get lost and found myself wandering the corridors," she replied, using her hands as she quickly made up a story.


    "Hm. I guess that does make sense. It has been one big haze of confusion lately..." She marched through the door. "Well, you''re in luck, Kira. I lectured the rest of the new maids this morning, but due to... circumstances, that''s all I have done. The training process will begin tomorrow. You won''t have to do much today, so you may get yourself settled." Her eyes made their way back to Mika. "And Mika... you will help her."


    She disappeared into the quarters, and Lux thought she heard her mutter, "How does one get lost for so long though? I really don''t know..."


    Mika grinned nervously and dusted her hands on her skirt. "Hehe... Sorry about that. While you''re here, you''ll learn that Mrs. Rodia can be very strict. It seems that today she went easy on you, but that''s most likely because you''re new. It will be harder in the coming days."


    Lux beamed up at her like a puppy. "Don''t worry, how hard could it be?"


    ???


    Mika helped Lux find an empty bed in one of the dorms, which wasn''t even as big as her own bedroom. She thought about saying something but remembered that poor girls from Sidus didn''t have rooms that you could fit elephants in.


    Mika herself had work to do, but she stayed in the dorm with Lux for a while, helping her sort through her possessions. Lux kept some things hidden in the bag, for example, the map of Chaconas, but took out her clothes and stuffed them in a small drawer.


    "Did you not bring anything personal with you?" Mika scratched the back of her head, peering at Lux''s small collection of belongings.


    "Was I supposed to?" Lux looked up at her curiously, genuinely wondering if there was something she had missed.


    "I mean, not necessarily, but you''re most likely going to be here for most of your life. Don''t you want to remember your home? Or something similar to that?" She crossed her arms, cocking her head, and Lux stared at the ground.


    ''Most of your life... ''How long would she stay here? How long would it take to find what was trapping her family?


    She shook her head. That was silly. Everything would be fine. She''d finish this and go home soon.


    Soon.


    ???


    The first day at Chaconas had gone by slowly.


    The only thing worth noting was the small lunch that she had with the other servants, despite it being very brief.


    Lux had decided to wait until she was given a tour of the castle to start investigating, but now she was wondering if that was the wrong choice.


    She sighed and settled down onto her bed. She wanted to speak with Rayne.


    Suddenly, she had a realisation and jumped up from her bed. The connection! She surely could speak to Rayne that way! She was sure that the guards exam¡ª


    She had another realisation.


    The connection only worked in areas of high magic concentration outside of Adamas. Which meant that she had to find one of those areas.


    She flopped down on her bed. Where would she ever find one? Even when she did do the tour, she was sure that Mrs. Rodia wouldn''t just point at one and say, "Look! There''s a lot of magic here!"


    A memory from earlier that day suddenly came to her mind.


    When she had travelled through the secret door, she had experienced something strange. When she had used her magic to transport herself to the door, she had almost drowned trying to lift herself with the water, but somehow she was suddenly capable of doing it. Maybe... maybe it was because¡ª


    Lux jumped up from her bed swiftly, making her blanket fly off, but she didn''t pay it any mind as she raced out of the room and towards the exit to the quarters.


    When Mika had taken her through the corridors only earlier that day, Lux had made a mental map of everything she had seen, so she remembered perfectly where the door to the secret passage was.


    When she arrived at the corridors where the passage was located, she realized that the door was actually covered by a painting of a bowl of fruit. For a second, she wondered why people would ever just paint bowls of fruit, but she suddenly remembered Vivianne''s angry eyes, so she shook her head and focused on the task at hand.


    When she had first met Mika, she had told her that they weren''t supposed to be in these corridors, so she had assumed that it meant that the nobles and royal family used them, but she still hadn''t seen any. Did these people not even bother to leave their rooms?


    Double-checking that no one was there, she grabbed the sides of the painting, and though it took a bit of effort, she forced it open and climbed inside.


    She sighed to herself as she closed the painting behind her. Hadn''t she said that she didn''t want to see another tunnel for at least a week?


    She continued to make her way through the tunnel and eventually found herself outside.


    The sun had started to set, and the sight was beautiful. She wanted to share it with her siblings, and she hoped, hoped, hoped, that it would work.


    Clutching her hands so hard that her nails were starting to make dents, Lux focused on the connection she had always felt, that was always there, in the back of her mind.


    Inhaling, she tried to reach her siblings for the first time in days.


    "Hello?" she whispered in the depths of her mind.


    For a moment, there was nothing, but then¡ª


    "Lux?" Kaias''s voice rang in her head, and she could have cried.


    Another voice suddenly joined. "Lux, is that you?" Luther asked, his tone dripping with concern.


    "I¡ª" Before she could reply, another voice interrupted.


    "I knew it! You were definitely going to be okay!" The younger voice of Merce exclaimed.


    "You are okay, right, Lux?" Aurelia added quietly.


    Lux smiled to herself.


    "Yes, I''m okay, Auri," she replied softly.


    "Oh my God. Lux?" Arden questioned.


    "I''m glad you''re okay, Lux," Vivianne mumbled unexpectedly.


    Suddenly, Lux''s face felt wet, and she raised a hand to find that she was crying. She set her hand back down and simply laughed at the setting sun.


    She was talking to her siblings.


    "Lux? Lux? Where did you go?" Arden''s voice sounded in her head again.


    "Sorry, I''m still here." She replied but realised something. "What about Lyra? Where is she?"


    For a while, there was silence, and Lux wondered if the connection had cut off somehow.


    Kaia finally answered. "She... She was mad. About what happened. She''s been sulking in her room. She can most likely hear us right now."


    Lux frowned slightly to herself. She felt bad for Lyra, but she wouldn''t even bother talk to her?


    "Ah... I see... well, how are all of you?" she questioned, trying to steer the conversation away from Lyra.


    "It''s been COMPLETELY boring. You don''t want to hear it. Can we hear about your journey instead?" Merce asked.


    She smiled at the sunset. "Of course, Merce."


    Sitting down and staring at the reflection of the sun on the lake, Lux explained her adventure to her siblings, talking about Sidus, Polemus, and the fish stew she had eaten.


    "That''s so cool! What about Rayne? Why isn''t he saying anything?" Aurelia questioned.


    Lux panicked and bolted up from the spot she was sitting on. If Rayne wasn''t saying anything, then he must have been busy. All the talking through the connection would have distracted him. What if it ruined the guards'' exam for him?


    "I''m so sorry, but I think we should stop talking. We could be disturbing Rayne, and I¡ª"


    Suddenly, she was cut off by a voice that wasn''t there before.


    Lyra.


    "That''s stupid. Rayne needs to be in an area of high magic concentration as well. That much should be obvious," she retorted.


    Hearing her younger sister''s voice for the first time in ages, she tried to plead with her. "Lyra, is that you? Can we please t¡ª"


    "Be quiet."


    Though no one could see her, Lux bowed her head in defeat.


    ???


    The next morning, Lux decided that she had to find a way to communicate with Rayne, if what Lyra said was true, but for now, she decided to focus on the next day of her training.


    She had woken up early and taken a bath, though it was strange to find that it was shared with others. Everyone had their own at Adamas.


    All the new maids had been instructed to meet outside the entrance to the stairs that led to the servants'' quarters early in the morning, so, trying her best not to trip, she made her way up the stairs, where many other maids were waiting patiently in a straight line.


    Lux joined them but glanced curiously at the other maids.


    Most of them looked tired, as if they had endured a long journey, and she realised that most of them had come from different villages and cities and all the way to Polemus to serve in this castle.


    She silently wondered to herself why anyone would willingly serve someone else, but she was interrupted by a loud voice.


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    "Good day to you all. Today commences the first day of your training." Mrs. Rodia strolled in, a maid by her side.


    "This is Hazel. She will be assisting me today."


    "Hello everyone! If you have any questions, you can ask me!" Hazel waved enthusiastically.


    "Moving on, we''ll start with a tour of the castle. I''ll tell you what we expect of you as we move. Please follow me." Mrs. Rodia started to walk down the hall, and they all followed.


    After walking for a while, they came to a door that led to a small corridor, and they all entered.


    Lux felt as if she could scream. Another passageway?


    "These are the servants'' corridors. They exist so we can perform tasks without the royal family having to lay eyes on us. There is an entrance in the servants'' quarters as well," Mrs. Rodia lectured as she moved.


    Lux was confused. Why would the royal family not want to see them?


    Mrs. Rodia arrived at another door, and she opened it to show a colossal room, which Lux assumed was the great hall.


    They all moved into the room, and everyone marvelled at the many chandeliers, paintings, and statues scattered across the room, as well as the raised stage where grand seats lay. Lux herself was impressed, as this hall seemed to be bigger than the one at the palace, but Adamas would always have a place in her heart. However, she did like how it smelled like a garden, like the corridor with the passageway.


    "This is the great hall. It''s where banquets and socializing happen. You will most likely see this room the most in the upcoming week, as a ball will be taking place." Though her voice was strong, Mrs. Rodia''s eyes seemed to be in pain. Maybe this ball was why she was so busy the day before.


    "At this upcoming ball, you will all be serving, seeing as by then you''ll at least know the basics." She went on swiftly. "Now, let''s depart."


    They travelled all over the castle using the servants'' corridor, looking through each and every room, and learning what they were to do in each of them, for example, how they would maintain the gardens, clean the castle, and such. Lux was keeping a record of where everything was, but at the same time, she wondered why there were some things the royal family weren''t able to do themselves, for example, stoke their own fire. She understood that managing a castle all by yourself would be hard, but sometimes it just seemed as if they were simply lazy.


    At the end of the tour, they met back at the entrance to the servants'' quarters, and Mrs. Rodia lined them all up.


    "You are to all have lunch in the servants'' hall now. In half an hour, you will all meet back here. And you will not be late. Is that understood?" She stared down at them all, menacing despite simply standing there.


    "Yes, Mrs. Rodia." They all replied in unison and quickly dispersed.


    Lux hummed on her way to the hall, excited about trying new foods. But when she arrived and saw the grey walls, she felt a bit disheartened. However, when she was handed simple bread and cheese, her heart completely dropped. Is that really all that the servants ate in Chaconas?


    When she looked around and saw how everyone else seemed used to the food, she sighed and persevered, though she was disappointed. Looking around, she saw Mika eating and went over to join her.


    "Good afternoon, Mika!" She sat down next to the maid enthusiastically, hoping to improve her mood by chatting with someone.


    Mika snapped her head up from her meal quickly, as if coming out of a daydream. "Oh, hello Kira. How was your first afternoon of training? I hope Mrs. Rodia didn''t go too hard on you."


    "Some things... surprised me, but I think I''ll get used to it." She lied through her teeth as she talked with her hands. "The thing I''m most worried about is this food; is this what they usually serve?" She tried to phrase it as a joke, but it was a genuine question.


    Mika seemed a bit stunned but chuckled, although a bit nervously. "Yes, this is what they usually serve, or at least for the last six years I''ve been here."


    Lux was taken aback. Six years?! She knew that Mika said that she would likely spend the rest of her life here. But she hadn''t really thought about how long the rest of her life was. She couldn''t imagine six whole years there.


    Calming down a bit, she asked, "Why... why have you been here for six years?"


    Mika didn''t say anything for a while, seemingly entering her daydream again, but she slowly looked at Lux, though her eyes were a bit sad.


    "My... family is from a poor village in the east. We were farmers, but our farm wasn''t doing as well as it was a few years ago. My family sent me off to work, and the only job I could find was as a maid here. It''s hard being away from them, but I have a little brother who needs the money. I have no other choice." She mumbled, staring at her bread.


    They both sat in silence for a while, with Lux going over everything she had said in her head. It was horrible that Mika was practically forced to work, torn away from her family. Her story had somehow reminded her of her own family, and suddenly rage rose within her. How could the kingdom... no, the Athas, allow things such as this to happen?


    She turned fiercely toward Mika. "Mika, d-" But she was suddenly cut off.


    "How about you? I''ve told you all about myself, but I don''t know anything about you." Mika smiled awkwardly, and Lux was about to continue with what she had been saying before, but when she saw the silent plea in Mika''s eyes, she dropped the topic.


    "Oh... well, I''m from Sidus. My older brother and I didn''t want to fish like everyone else in our family, so we came here to Polemus for a new experience." She went on, remembering their story in her head.


    "Wow, Sidus, isn''t that wh-" Mika suddenly cut herself off but quickly asked another question. "Where''s your brother at the moment then?"


    Lux looked at her curiously. Was she going to ask if that was where Adamas was? Why had she stopped herself?


    "My brother is going to take the guards'' exam. He''s been tr-" Suddenly, she was interrupted for the second time that day.


    "KIRA!" A voice boomed, and Lux recoiled.


    Mrs. Rodia marched into the room, practically on fire.


    "Yes... Mrs. Rodia?" She winced as she stared up at the sinister figure, who seemed as if she was about to explode.


    "Maids in training do not sit this high up the table; they sit at the end. You should know this. Everyone else has done it!" She boomed, her hands on her hips. Suddenly, she noticed Mika and somehow managed to get even angrier.


    "MIKA. Did YOU encourage her to do this?" She seethed, and Mika almost fell off her seat.


    She stuttered, "No... Mrs. Rodia... I didn-"


    "But she''s sitting next to you. Why haven''t you told her where she should be sitting?" She narrowed her eyes, and Mika sat nervously in silence.


    "This is your last chance, Mika." She walked away, leaving her practically shivering.


    Lux put a hand on her shoulder. "Mika, I''m sorry, I didn''t know that¡ª"


    "No, it''s okay, Kira. You didn''t know. It''s my fault." She told her with a dismissive wave of her hand, practically whispering.


    Lux frowned to herself as she stared at her bread.


    The outside world seemed to be completely unfair.


    ???


    Rayne stood in the grounds of Chaconas, in front of a colossal wall, along with around four hundred other participants.


    He had tried to figure out what was behind the wall, but to no avail, and he had eventually given up and tried his best to focus on the exam ahead.


    The first part of the exam was an endurance test. He wasn''t sure what exactly he would have to endure, but since it was the first part, he assumed that it wouldn''t be too difficult.


    He exhaled and did some basic stretches. They were to start soon, but the commander of the royal guard was discussing something with a strange woman with dark brown hair and peach eyes, who was wearing a beautiful-looking dress.


    "Examinees, your attention, please." The commander barked from the side, and they all turned to face him promptly.


    "This is Lady Naya. She has been kind enough to help us with the first test today. I trust that you''ll return her kindness by doing your absolute best."


    Lady Naya bowed her head slightly, though her eyes found something in the crowd, and an intrigued expression came onto her face, but she quickly masked it.


    Rayne studied her closely. If she was a Lady, then she must have been a noble, and from his research, he knew that about half of the nobles possessed magic. Did she possess magic? Was that how she was helping with today''s test?


    His evaluation was cut short by the commander''s voice again.


    "As you know, today is an endurance test. In a short moment, guards will come around and distribute a shield to each of you. You may carry it however you like, but you may not drop it at any point. If you do, you will be eliminated immediately."


    As if on cue, guards leading small wooden wagons carrying shields came around, handing one to each participant.


    When Rayne was eventually given one, he weighed it and found that it was somewhat heavy. It would be hard, but he would manage to carry it. He glanced at the other participants and almost dropped his shield when he saw others almost dropping theirs.


    Maybe he didn''t need to worry.


    "Ahead of you is a course, and you must make your way through it without breaking any rules." The commander continued, and Lady Naya moved towards the wall, her hands raised.


    "Ready yourselves."


    He was going to do this.


    Or else.


    "Go!" The commander shouted, and the wall came tumbling down to reveal an entrance that led underground, and Rayne darted in, shield in hand.


    It was completely dark, and he couldn''t see anything, but he continued running forwards.


    Running towards an unknown goal, Rayne thought back to Lady Naya and wondered if she had brought the wall down with her magic. Since that was most likely true, what else had she done to "help" with the test?


    He shook his head, determined, and continued running, even though he couldn''t see how fast or how far he had run.


    He ended up running for what felt like forever, and though it was mostly silent, he heard multiple cries, which he assumed were people dropping their shields.


    Dropping their shields.


    A sudden question hit him.


    How were they supposed to know when they had dropped their shields? The¡ª


    Rayne''s thoughts were cut off by the sudden appearance of the sky, the quite literal light at the end of the tunnel.


    He released a short breath he didn''t know he was holding, along with many others, relieved to see daylight. He looked around to observe who was left but was surprised to find that about a third of the original participants were gone.


    Were so many people meant to be out so early? He questioned, straightening up.


    "Glad all of the weaklings have left." He heard the haughty voice of Cedar from somewhere further in the crowd, and he simply ignored him, but realised that what he had said made sense.


    The first part of the exam was to pick off the weakest of them.


    He guessed that it was quite brutal, but it was right to get rid of the people who were the weakest first.


    Suddenly, the commander marched in front of them, Lady Naya by his side.


    "Congratulations to those of you who made it. But your test is not over yet." He turned to face a giant wall behind him, staring up at it.


    "Your next and final task for this part of the exam is to climb this wall." He instructed, looking at each of them with stone-hard eyes.


    Rayne studied the wall, staring at every crack and crevice, at how debris fell, and at how the smallest pebble wobbled.


    And for a fleeting second, his heart raced.


    He gripped his hands tightly, his nails almost making him bleed.


    He would be fine.


    He wasn''t scared.


    The commander continued. "And you must not drop your shields. That rule has not changed."


    Rayne heard cries of protest go up in the air, and he decided that those who had complained would most likely not pass the exam if that was their mindset.


    He strapped the shield to his back and turned to face the wall.


    The commander shouted, "Ready yourselves."


    Whimpers went up in the air.


    "Go!"


    They all darted towards the wall, many people scrambling to the wall, and shouts and screams went up in the air.


    It was pure mayhem.


    Rayne himself had to push multiple people off of him and ended up with many scratches, but compared to some of the injuries of others, he was lucky.


    Once he finally had a sure grip on the wall, he began to climb, but his attention was taken away by someone''s laugh from above him.


    Cedar.


    And he was covered in... vines?


    Rayne looked below him, trying to figure out if Cedar had somehow found an abnormally large plant, but all he saw was that the vine had come from the ground and that it was growing.


    Cedar had magic.


    Rayne peered at the commander, trying to see if it was allowed, but he didn''t say anything.


    Magic... could he use his magic to help him?


    No. That was stupid.


    His magic was light, which he had gotten from his father, and would in no way help him here. His magic would also not only hint at his identity but also wasn''t powerful. He wasn''t like Lux.


    He continued to climb, the fact that he couldn''t use magic somehow driving him to work harder, and he powered through.


    But that''s when he heard a scream.


    He turned around to find it and saw a man who had fallen from the wall, his hand trying to grasp something he no longer could.


    He screamed all the way down, his eyes wide open in fear.


    And then he stopped.


    His body splattered on the ground, blood leaking all over, his arms at unnatural angles, and his eyes lifeless, forever in a state of terror.


    Rayne''s eyes twitched, but he shook his head and continued climbing. He told himself that, if anything, he was more shocked that someone hadn''t fallen sooner.


    He heard many more screams but continued to climb, not looking down and focusing on his goal. Eventually, he reached the top, where not many others were waiting.


    He observed the others who had made it and noticed that one girl with dark brown hair and green eyes seemed surprisingly angry.


    Suddenly the commander appeared, Lady Naya by his side, and Rayne realized that maybe Naya had gotten him there so abruptly with her magic.


    "Congratulations to those of you who have passed the first test. You are among the first ten. Your quick success will be remembered and will help you if you enter our ranks." He stated, his arms behind his back.


    "You may go now; leave your shields here. The other contestants will also be dismissed in tens, if you''re curious." He added hurriedly, and then turned to inspect all the others who were climbing upwards.


    Rayne set down his shield, heading to the barracks they had been assigned to earlier in the day.


    He didn''t once look back at the place where so many had recently died.


    ???


    Lyra groaned and made her way out of the library.


    A few days had passed since Lux, along with Rayne, had left for Polemus, and they had finally arrived. She knew this because Lux had used the connection for the first time since she had departed, and though she sounded happy to talk to them, it simply distracted Lyra.


    She didn''t even have the good grace to apologize to her, instead just rambling on and on when she was trying to read.


    It annoyed her.


    Taking a breath before she opened the door, she stepped into the dining room, where the rest of her siblings were eating while they chattered.


    She took a seat opposite Arden and began serving herself.


    As she loaded a pie on her plate, she stole a quick glance at the seat at the head of the table.


    Mother hadn''t come again today.


    "It''s mine!" "No, it''s mine!" Aurelias and Merces''s bickering voices rang through the air, and Lyra rubbed her eyes. Maybe she should have eaten in her room.


    Arden sighed and ate a piece of chicken from his plate. "If Lux or Rayne were here, they would have been able to stop them from fighting."


    "You know that you''re the oldest now. That''s your job." Lyra commented, and he stiffened.


    She chuckled slightly. "Did you really not realize? You''re going to need to be responsible now, Arden. I know it''ll be hard for you."


    He stood up from his chair abruptly, leaving the room and casting an air of silence.


    Kaia glared at her, standing up from her own chair to follow her brother, but before she left, she stopped to look back at Lyra one last time.


    "I understand that you''re mad about what happened. But that doesn''t mean that you''re allowed to take it out on the rest of us."


    Lyra simply rolled her eyes and continued to eat her food.


    ???


    Mrs. Rodia bowed low.


    The candles flickered against the crimson walls slowly, giving the queen''s private chambers a feeling of comfort.


    She had requested to see her at some point tomorrow, but the queen had insisted that she come that night.


    "What is it that you want, Emery?" The queen smiled at her as she sat down on her bed, seemingly ready to turn in for the night, due to her unbound ombre brown-ginger hair trailing down her back, and her tired chocolate brown eyes.


    "I wanted to ask if you might consider moving the date of the ball, Your Majesty." Mrs. Rodia went straight to the point, not wanting to waste any time.


    She chuckled. "I''ve known you for a long time, Emery, and I''ve told you this many times, but please call me Annika."


    She winced. "Respectfully, Your Majesty, I will not."


    "Ah. I should''ve known you''d say that." The queen peered out the window for a minute, staring at the moon, seemingly lost in her thoughts.


    Mrs. Rodia stood there awkwardly. "Y¡ª"


    "I won''t move the date of the ball." Queen Annika came back to reality quickly.


    Mrs. Rodia persisted. "I was simply suggesting it, Your Majesty, seeing as it is so busy with all the new maids, as well as the guards ex¡ª"


    "I''m not moving it." She snapped, and Mrs. Rodia stood still.


    The queen fidgeted with the duvet on her bed for a few seconds before sighing.


    "I''m sorry. It''s just... you know why this ball is important, don''t you?"


    She nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, it''s because the king and queen of Ataraxia are coming. And I understand that but¡ª"


    "We haven''t had very good relations with Ataraxia in the past, and I hope to fix that. So I won''t be moving the ball. You may go, Emery." She said finally, and Mrs. Rodia strolled out of the room.


    On her way to her own chambers, she scrunched her face. How on earth would she manage all this? She was completely and utterly loyal, but the queen was clearly out of her mind.


    But...


    There seemed to be another reason behind this ball.


    ???

 ?Chapter 7?

    When Lux stretched her arms as she awoke the next morning, she had a goal in mind. She would find a way to communicate with Rayne and gather as much information as possible. She didn''t know exactly how she might manage to do it, but she had a newfound confidence and rage since her conversation with Mika the previous night.


    As Lux walked through the dormitory, making her way towards the bath, she noticed some of the other maids who had accompanied her during their training the other day.


    Opening the door to the bath, she walked in and remembered something her mother had told her.


    According to her, this time of year was when new guards and maids were most common. If that was the case, then it was likely that some of the other maids might be in the same situation as her.


    Actually, allow her to rephrase that.


    The same situation as her fake story.


    Maybe some of the others also had siblings, or possibly friends, who were taking the guards'' exam. They might know more about it than she did.


    As she climbed into the bath, she smiled to herself.


    She had a plan.


    ???


    "When addressing anyone, you will call them ''lord'' or ''lady.''" Mrs Rodia stood at the front of the room, Hazel beside her as she lectured them.


    Lux had to resist the urge to sway, twirl her hair, or do something. In the morning, they had been shown what they would usually do during the day and how they were to do it. It was completely boring, and she hadn''t had the chance to ask anyone what they might know about the exam.


    Mrs Rodia continued. "However, when you address the royal family, you will call them by their respective honorifics."


    She moved towards the board behind her and began to write something.


    "When speaking with Her Majesty Queen Annika, you will call her ''Your Majesty.''"


    Lux straightened up at the mention of the Queen. This was a good opportunity to learn more, seeing that, as of right now, she didn''t even know who the Athas were.


    "When speaking with Crown Prince Sylas, you will address him as ''Your Highness.''"


    Lux made a mental notebook in her brain and tried to take in everything Mrs Rodia was saying.


    "This is the same for his younger siblings: Princess Harper, Princess Delilah, and Prince Mikel."


    So, there were four children? What about the King?


    Lux wanted to ask, but looking at Mrs Rodia''s fiery eyes made her conclude that she would find out later.


    Suddenly, a voice whispered next to her.


    "Ha... they''re not even his siblings." Lux turned to look at the girl, who had messy blonde hair that was almost green.


    "What do you mean?" she asked quietly.


    The girl opened her eyes in surprise. "You really don''t know?"


    Lux shook her head.


    "Oh, well... I guess I can tell you then." The strange girl slightly leaned in, and Lux copied.


    "Prince Sylas is half-siblings with Princess Delilah, Harper, and Prince Mikel. Well... that''s what we''re told." She rolled her eyes.


    "Anyway, Prince Sylas''s father died when he was four. The Queen remarried and had the rest of his so-called siblings. However, their father disappeared a while ago, and I''m certain that the Queen banished him for having children with someone else. I mean, I''ve heard that the children don''t even look like her."


    Lux was completely shocked. Disappeared? Can kings really just disappear?


    "Would you mind telling me what you two are mumbling about?" A voice boomed throughout the room, and she froze.


    "Err... well¡ª" She tried her best to think of an excuse, but none came.


    Mrs Rodia smirked. "Kira, you will see me during lunch."


    Lux groaned inside her head, even though no one could hear her.


    ???


    Lux sighed as she picked up a bowl of strange mushy white liquid. At least it wasn''t more bread.


    Mrs Rodia had lectured her for ten minutes straight. When she asked why the other girl wasn''t also getting lectured, Mrs Rodia replied with "because you''re such a troublemaker," and continued for an extra ten minutes.


    Now she only had ten minutes to eat, and her spirit was deflated, even more so when she remembered that she couldn''t sit next to Mika. However, she did see the girl who had told her about the Athas earlier, and she decided to go apologise for making Mrs Rodia shout at her.


    "Hello!" She sat down, trying to be a bit enthusiastic.


    The girl looked at her, confused for a while, but suddenly recognition hit her face.


    "Oh, you''re that girl from earlier," she remarked.


    Lux swayed in her seat. Did she really not remember her from a few minutes ago?


    "Yes, I am. I just wanted to apologise for making you get yelled at," she replied.


    "Oh, don''t worry, it''s fine. You got the short end of the stick anyway," she responded, eating a spoonful of the weird mushy food.


    Lux was even more puzzled now. What did ''short end of the stick'' mean?


    Still questioning it, she began to eat the strange food herself, but remembered something.


    "I forgot to ask, but what''s your name?" she questioned.


    "My name''s Pearl. What about you?" she said nonchalantly, continuing to chew her food.


    "My name is Kira. Nice to meet you!" she exclaimed, trying to be high-spirited since Pearl wasn''t.


    Pearl continued to eat, silently staring at the wall, and Lux felt strangely intimidated.


    "Uhm... Pearl. Do you know anything about the guards'' exam?" she asked, sweating slightly.


    Pearl looked at her with a deadpan expression but did stop eating for a quick minute. "I don''t know anyone taking it, but I do know that at lunch someone takes food to the commander running it." She turned her head to the door.


    "Oh, I think that person''s going to the commander right now."


    Lux followed her eyes and did indeed see someone carrying a tray.


    She jumped up, a plan brewing in her mind, and she raced towards the maid.


    She quickly yelled over her shoulder, "Thank you, Pearl!" and walked up to the girl.


    The maid looked up at her in confusion. "Hello?"


    "Hello, I was just thinking that you might like some help taking that to the commander," Lux asked, using her hands vividly.


    The girl looked her up and down but then shrugged slightly. "If you really want to."


    Lux took the tray from the girl. "Yes, I really want to. By the way, how exactly do I get to the commander? I''m not quite sure yet."


    The girl described how to get there, and Lux thanked her with a smile. Then, she was gone.


    She smiled to herself.


    She was going to Rayne.


    ???


    Rayne finished changing behind his bed and exhaled.


    Today was the second day of the guards'' exam, and he was ready.


    However, he wondered if there was more he could be doing. He hadn''t even bothered to search for a place of high magic concentration so he could talk to his siblings, as well as his mother.


    Not to mention Lux... he hadn''t found a clear way for them to communicate yet.


    He sighed. He was ready? No. He was a failure. There was so much he still had yet to do.


    Suddenly, he heard chatter coming from the entrance, and he turned his head to find Cedar talking animatedly about something.


    Ever since the exam had started, Cedar hadn''t stopped talking. Rayne scratched the back of his head; it was annoying, but it oddly reminded him of Lux.


    Out of nowhere, a guard came through the door, panting while holding a scroll.


    "Your next e-exam is now. Please meet at the training grounds." And then she left as soon as she had come.


    Rayne stood up and dusted himself off. He wasn''t ready, but someone like him never would be. He''d just have to do the best he could.


    As he made his way to the grounds, he noticed many other guards running around frantically, and when one passed just by him, he thought he heard "Ataraxia..."


    Ataraxia. He''d read about it during his training at Adamas. They were a country that had bad relations with Flei, as the Athas and Callis descended from the land they had conquered. There were other countries that ruled parts of that land, but Ataraxia had the largest portion of it.


    But... why was Ataraxia relevant now?


    "Get into line!" the commander''s voice boomed, and Rayne shook his head. He''d think about that later.


    Rayne got into line and found himself standing next to the girl who had looked surprisingly angry the day before. However, she seemed completely fine now.


    When Rayne looked at the commander, he noticed that Lady Naya wasn''t accompanying him. Was she not needed for the next test?


    The commander continued to address them. "Today marks the second day of your exam. I hope you will all try your hardest, seeing as half of you are already gone."


    Half? That was more than he had expected. But when he thought about how many were gone from the tunnel, and then how many had... lost at the wall climb, it started to make sense.


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    The commander started to walk in front of them, his hands behind his back. "Today''s test will focus on your combat ability. In this castle, our main weapons are swords. As such, in a short moment, guards will hand out swords to each of you. The guards will then partner you with other participants. Said guards will then watch your match. You will all have ten matches each, and during the matches, you cannot kill your opponent. The match will be over when one of you is on the floor."


    So, it was combat... The only people Rayne had sparred against were Lux, who preferred magic, and his mother. He didn''t have much experience, and he started to wonder if he would be able to do it.


    "Only thirty people will be eliminated in this test. Try your hardest," the commander yelled finally, and guards came around with swords.


    When Rayne was given his, he swung it in the air to test it. It wasn''t as good as his sword, Aubrier, but it would suffice.


    Eventually, a stern-looking guard came up to him. "What is your name?"


    "Darrion," he replied flatly.


    The guard then pointed to an open area, and Rayne saw a man standing there by himself.


    "That is your opponent. I will be the one observing your match. Good luck." The guard then went to an area where other guards were gathering, and Rayne started to make his way over.


    Once he was facing his opponent, he studied him and exhaled. He seemed fairly scrawny, which meant Rayne had a good advantage over him. Maybe he would be able to do this.


    "Make yourselves ready," the commander yelled, and all the guards stood to watch the matches, a scroll in their hands.


    The tension was palpable, and the loneliest leaf could be heard dancing in the wind.


    Finally, the commander raised his hand, and the words "Go!" left his mouth.


    Rayne dashed towards the scrawny man, who tried to do the same.


    Rayne quickly noticed that the man was holding the sword too tightly, showing that he most likely didn''t know what he was doing. The man lunged at him, completely out of control, and Rayne swiftly dodged out of the way. The man tried his best to regain his balance, but Rayne slashed at him, making him fall to the ground, finishing the match rapidly.


    The guard started to write on the scroll, and the scrawny man spat on the ground.


    "Darrion is the winner. Wait for the next match," the guard stated nonchalantly and then proceeded to walk away.


    That was... surprisingly easy, Rayne thought to himself, as he was directed to his next opponent. Maybe the rest of the fights would be similar to that.


    And that was true. In his next eight matches, he managed to defeat each opponent easily, and his confidence slowly started to build.


    In his last match, he was paired against the girl who had finished in the first ten with him.


    She seemed fairly confident, her dark purple braids fluttering in the wind behind her as she stood on the other side of the arena.


    She might have been confident, but Rayne was as well. He had a rare belief in himself.


    "Make yourselves ready!" the commander shouted for the final time that day.


    Rayne got into position, his path clear.


    "Go!" he yelled finally, and Rayne dashed in, just as he had in his previous matches.


    The girl did the same, and Rayne found his pace matched. It was unexpected, and for a minute he doubted himself, but he continued, attempting to strike her, but it was met with a swift block. They managed to trade several blows before he attempted to feint to the left. However, she managed to see through it and followed him through, never letting up on her attacks.


    Rayne started to feel hopeless, thinking that there was no way he''d win this match. However, he saw an opening¡ªat least, what he thought was one¡ªand lunged with his sword at full force. The girl smirked slightly and sidestepped, tripping Rayne up and landing him on the floor.


    "The winner is Thea," the guard exclaimed finally and wrote something down on the scroll before walking away to where other guards were gathering.


    Rayne cupped his head in his hands. He was absolutely mortified. For once, he was stupid enough to believe he could do it, and his overreaching confidence had cost him the match.


    "You were fairly good," a voice muttered from somewhere, and Rayne looked up to find Thea standing in front of him.


    He turned his head to the side in shame. Now she was pitying him.


    "Thank you," he murmured.


    "No, I''m being honest. You did really well. That was some of the best swordsmanship I''ve ever seen. Don''t be hard on yourself." She then simply walked away, and Rayne decided that he could at least stand up.


    "All participants, line up," the commander boomed, and Rayne dragged himself into position.


    "We''ve now decided who the thirty that are eliminated are," the commander stated, and Rayne clenched his hands. What if they had seen how horribly he had lost the previous match? What if that was enough for him to be eliminated? What would happen then?


    "If I call your name, please leave the castle promptly. You''ll be escorted by our guards," the commander exclaimed, and Rayne took a deep breath.


    The commander went on, and Rayne was waiting for the name Darrion.


    "...Jack Tenner, Holly Lemon, Ashlyn Grace, Barry, who does not have a last name, and finally Terry Ranger," he said finally, and Rayne sighed. His name was not on the list.


    But maybe it was simply a postponed elimination.


    "If your name was called, please leave promptly. Everyone else, please return to the barracks." The commander then walked off stage, and Rayne started to make his way to his dormitory.


    On his way, he saw a maid carrying a tray of food, but he brushed it off quickly. A maid had brought the commander''s food the day before as well, so it was normal, but when he looked again, he saw grey hair and red eyes that he could never forget.


    He rushed up to her, looking around before taking her hand and hiding behind a nearby wall.


    "Oh goodness! Darrion! You had me scared!" Lux smiled widely, setting down the tray on the ground before jumping to hug her brother.


    He hugged her back tightly but then felt like he didn''t deserve it. He could have gotten himself eliminated today, and Lux would be all by herself. An older brother was supposed to protect his younger siblings.


    "Kira... I''m sorry," he murmured, and Lux released her grip on him.


    "What for?" she questioned, her face becoming more and more frightened.


    Seeing the expression on her face, he felt guilty. He hadn''t failed her yet.


    "Nothing... don''t worry. But... what about you? Why are you here?" he asked, wondering why she was delivering the commander''s food.


    "Oh! I just asked the maid carrying it if I could take it for her. I needed to see you desperately." Her face turned slightly more serious, and Rayne became more worried.


    "Why? What happened?" he asked, his face becoming the one that was frightened.


    "You don''t need to look so scared! I found an area of high magic concentration, and I talked to our siblings yesterday," she stated, and he started to feel guilty.


    Lux had communicated with their siblings before him, which meant she had already done so much more than he had.


    "Where... where was it?" he questioned.


    She placed a hand on her chin. "Er... I should have brought that map... Well, I do know that it''s behind a painting of fruit in a really nice corridor. The painting opens, and there''s a tunnel you need to climb through. It''s how I entered the castle."


    He sighed. Of course, she forgot the map. However, this was useful information; he could find the tunnel in his own time, if he needed to.


    He crossed his arms. "Is everyone okay?"


    "Yes... but Lyra..." Her face darkened, and he decided that they didn''t need to talk about her now.


    "Did you find anything useful?" he asked, and Lux''s face brightened. She seemed proud of herself.


    "I did! For starters, there''s going to be a ball at the end of this week. I''m not sure what it''s for though. I''ll also be serving, so I can learn a lot more."


    A ball... that would be a good way to learn more information, and it was extremely helpful that Lux would be serving. "What else?"


    "I learned information about the Athas! For example, the queen is called Annika, and she has four children. The oldest, the crown prince, is called Sylas, and his younger siblings are called Delilah, Harper, and Mikel, but they''re his half-siblings, apparently." She muttered the last part, but Rayne was impressed at how much she had found out. The books in the library seemed to be outdated, as he hadn''t read about a queen called Annika.


    "What do you mean by apparently?" He left his thoughts to come back to what she had said.


    "I heard from a fellow maid-in-training that there''s a widely believed rumour that Sylas''s siblings aren''t actually related to him. The queen''s first husband is missing... wait, no¡ªthat was her second, her first one is dead, and her second husband went missing. Apparently, she banished him for having children with someone else. I was told that the children don''t even look like her," she said somewhat dismissively, as if she was sceptical.


    "But... I think the Athas are the ones that sealed us in the palace..." she muttered.


    "Why do you think that? It most likely is true, but you sound as if you might have proof," he asked, and she turned to him with anger on her face.


    "Because they''re evil! They practically force people to work for them, and then they never see their families again! How can people like that not have anything to do with sealing us in the palace?! They''re the reason our siblings have never gone outside!" she shouted, and Rayne was stunned.


    "I understand why you''re mad... but... that''s... not really proof," he stated, and she calmed down.


    "Okay..." She rubbed her arms sadly. "But what about you? What have you learned?"


    Rayne turned to the side in shame, seeing as he had learned next to nothing.


    "I heard guards say Ataraxia, which is another country with bad relations to Flei," he murmured.


    "Ah... okay." She picked up the tray. "I think it would be best for me to go now. The commander is probably wondering why his food hasn''t arrived yet, and he sounds like he''s a scary man," she said with a smile, though her eyes were sad.


    "I''ll try to get this job again, and this time I''ll give you the map." She then left, and Rayne watched her back move further and further away.


    ???


    Kaia ran through the halls and all the way to the training grounds, though she was confused as to why she was needed there.


    Her aunt had left her room, which she rarely ever did, and told her that she was needed in the training grounds by her mother. She hadn''t stated why and had left as soon as she had come.


    When she arrived, she found her mother in full armour, and her siblings awkwardly standing in a line.


    "Ah, Kaia, you''ve arrived." She smiled, and Kaia joined the line.


    "I have, Mother... but may I ask, what is this?" she questioned.


    "It''s training. Rayne and Lux have left this palace because they were trained. You, the rest of my children, are not," she replied, her smile still completely intact.


    Arden raised his hand hesitantly.


    "Yes, Arden?"


    "If I may ask, Mother... why do we need to train if Rayne and Lux are going to free us from the palace?" he mumbled, still looking hesitant.


    "Arden. Do you truly believe that when we are freed, that will be the end of it? No, my sweet child. We will have to fight, and we''ll have to win," she spoke, almost like a song.


    Lyra raised her hand.


    "Yes, Lyra?"


    "Even Auri and Merce?" she asked flatly, and Kaia turned her head to look at her youngest siblings, who were practically shaking.


    "Yes, it is great to have skills at young ages. I regret not making you all train sooner. I did that for Rayne and Lux, and they both have amazing abilities," she remarked.


    Suddenly, Kaia heard someone''s steps, and she turned her head to find her aunt, her blonde hair and long robes flowing out behind her.


    "Astrid, I''m here. I''m sorry for making you wait." She stood beside her sister, and her mother''s smile grew even wider.


    "It''s fine, Lilith. We haven''t started yet." She put a singular hand on her back.


    Astrid. Her mother''s name was Astrid. She didn''t even know that. When her father was alive, he always called her "dear," and she barely saw her aunt and mother talk.


    "Okay, children. I''d like for you to do a lap around the whole palace," she chimed, and Arden audibly groaned.


    "It''s only a warmup, Arden. Now, get going." She turned to discuss something with her aunt, and they all set off.


    It was cold, and Kaia wished that she had brought her peach shawl. Despite that, she continued to run, and she did it quite easily. She was light on her toes, since that was required of a dancer. She had heard all about it in the books she had read, as well as other famous dancers. If they really did get to leave the palace, she wanted to meet them, and maybe even dance together with them on a stage.


    Suddenly, she heard a cry, and she turned to find that both Aurelia and Merce had fallen over. Not wasting a single second, she turned around and lifted them both up. It made her slower, but she would be fine.


    How could their mother expect two five-year-olds to run around the whole palace by themselves? She really couldn''t understand what she was thinking.


    "Tha-thank you, Kaia." They both cried in unison, and she smiled.


    Though it was hard, they all managed to do the full lap, panting and sweating all the way.


    Once they arrived, they discovered that their mother was gone, leaving only their aunt.


    "Good job, children," she said, and though her mother''s voice sounded as if she was singing, her aunt actually was. She was a whimsical person in that way.


    "Your mother is attending to something at the moment. She''s left me to help you practise your magic." She smiled, and Kaia wondered what on earth she could possibly be attending to.


    "Now, I''d like for us to start by simply summoning your magic. I myself have water magic, and I''m not sure if I''ll be the greatest help to those of you with light magic, but I''ll try my best."


    Kaia spread out her hands, concentrating hard, managing to summon a small ball of light.


    She looked around at everyone else, who was clearly struggling, just like her. None of them really used magic except Lux, but she was naturally gifted.


    Kaia struggled to keep the light in her hands, which was slowly starting to become too hot. She turned to Lyra, the only other sibling of hers except Rayne who had light magic.


    She was strangely relieved to see that, just like her, Lyra was struggling, seeing as Lyra was so smart. It honestly felt like Lyra was better than her sometimes, despite her being younger.


    Their aunt came around and looked at them individually, nodding her head at each.


    She clapped her hands in delight. "That''s good, children. We''ll now work on keeping that for ten minutes straight."


    Along with Arden, Kaia groaned.


    ???


    Oak silently walked the streets of Sidus at night, her steps loud and her hood hiding her face like it always did.


    She sighed; she had been coming here more than she was supposed to recently, and it wasn''t good.


    Suddenly, she felt a hand pull down her hood, and she attempted to scream, but a hand quickly covered her mouth.


    A strange figure appeared before her, and she started to sweat. It was so stupid of her to come out during the night. What had she been thinking?


    "That''s strange. People call you the helper lady, but you look like a child." The strange figure came closer, and she saw that it was a red-haired man. She suddenly remembered that she had seen him at rebel riots. Did that mean...?


    The person behind her released their grip on her, and she gasped for breath.


    "What''s your name?" he asked simply.


    "... Oak," she replied reluctantly.


    "That''s not your real name," he stated, and she didn''t reply.


    He sighed. "Okay, ''Oak'', we have a question for you."


    She straightened her shoulders. Was that his way of saying that he was going to beat her?


    "Do you really mean it when you said that you support us?" he asked, and she was a bit surprised but didn''t reply.


    The person who had been holding her suddenly came to stand beside him, and she saw that it was a woman with similar red hair to his.


    "You can answer the question, or else it will get messy here," the woman whispered intimidatingly, and Oak took a deep breath.


    "Yes. I support you," she replied, and the two rebels looked at each other.


    "Why do you support us?" the woman cocked her head, clearly not believing her.


    She was silent, but at a crack of the woman''s knuckles, she answered the question.


    "Because it is obvious that the Athas got rid of the Callis, yet no one does anything about it. I believe you''re doing the right thing¡ªthe thing that no one else will." She remarked, and the rebels looked at each other again.


    The woman spoke. "We''ll be finding you later. If you find yourself in trouble with any of us, say you know Rhea and Ronan." Then they left, leaving Oak to wonder what she had gotten herself into.

 ?Chapter 8?

    "Rayne, my child. Do you know what this is?" His mother smiled, her eyes hidden beneath the curtains of her hair.


    She dangled an amulet in front of him, and he reached out to grab it immediately with his small hands.


    It shone blue, more blue than anything he had ever seen. It reminded him of the sky or the sea, even though he hadn''t seen the latter for some time now.


    "It''s pretty," he whispered, and his mother laughed.


    "You''re right, it is pretty, but it''s so much more than just pretty." She took it from his hands, smiling even more as she watched it glow.


    "You haven''t been able to see your friends, but with this, you might be able to," she stated, almost reluctantly, before setting the amulet down on the table.


    "Rayne, you wouldn''t leave me behind, would you?" she whispered, and Rayne looked up to find tears coming from her eyes.


    Almost instinctively, he jumped to hug her, holding her tighter than anything. "No, I wouldn''t, not if it makes you sad."


    She smiled in surprise at the moon outside before wrapping her arms around her son. "I know you wouldn''t."


    ???


    Rayne jumped up from his bed, pressing a hand to his head.


    That dream... he had forgotten that it had ever happened.


    It must have been when he was around the ages of Aurelia and Merce, but if it was so long ago, why was he dreaming about it now?


    The amulet... it was the same amulet that his mother had used to let Lux and himself leave the palace. Now that he thought about it, what exactly was that amulet? If it could allow them to leave, then why¡ª


    "Good morning, participants! You''ll be expected to be in the training grounds in an hour, so be quick!" a guard shouted quickly before leaving swiftly.


    They seemed to be more composed today, Rayne thought to himself, taking off his blankets and beginning to make his way to the bath.


    However, he heard Cedar speaking with a group of people, and he groaned internally. He never seemed to be quiet.


    It looked as if some others were thinking the same thing, as a group watched Cedar speak with a strange hate in their eyes.


    "Filthy traitor. He has no shame; he even came to take the guard''s exam," one of them seethed, and the others nodded.


    "And he still talks as if he''s better than us all. Shameful," another whispered, crossing his arms.


    Filthy traitor? What could that mean?


    Rayne went up to the group and put a hand on one of their shoulders.


    "What are you talking about? Cedar, I mean?" he asked, and the group looked him up and down.


    "Who are you?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes.


    "Darrion," he replied simply, and they all shared a look.


    "You don''t know anything?" he asked, and Rayne shook his head.


    One of them sighed and sat down. "Well, if you don''t know, I''ll tell you."


    Rayne took a seat in front of him, and he began to tell a story. "When the Callis and Athas still ruled together, some families were particularly loyal to the Athas, and it was the same for the Callis. Cedar''s family, Chloros, was one of the families loyal to the Callis. However, when they all vanished, the families loyal to them became loyal to the Athas instead. Except Cedar''s family," the man scowled but continued.


    "As a punishment, they haven''t been stripped of their riches, but they made Cedar, their oldest son, take the guard''s exam. It''s way more than they deserve." He shot a look at Cedar, who was still talking about something loudly.


    Rayne stood up and thanked them, continuing to make his way to the bath to think over what he had just been told.


    If what he had learned was true, then Cedar was surprisingly happy, considering everything that was happening to him.


    Suddenly, someone bumped into Rayne, nearly causing him to topple over.


    "Out of my way. I''ll be going first." Cedar scowled at him, reaching for the door handle.


    Rayne smacked his hand away, and Cedar looked at him with surprise.


    "I was here before you. You can wait," he stood up, looking straight back at him.


    "Do you know who I am?" Cedar clenched his fists, and a piece of grass peeking in from a gap outside started to grow bigger.


    Rayne''s breath stilled. This was not a good situation. He didn''t have his sword, and his magic was useless.


    Regardless, he stepped back, putting up his hands to fight however he could.


    However, something strange occurred, as Cedar suddenly calmed down, and the grass stopped growing.


    "Hm. You''re funny. What''s your name?" he asked, his voice surprisingly lighter.


    Rayne kept his hands up in shock but somehow found himself answering the question.


    "Darrion."


    Cedar raised an eyebrow, putting a hand on his chin.


    "You don''t have a last name?" he asked, still watching him like a lion that had caught its prey.


    "No," he replied simply, though he was confused, and Cedar put his hand back down.


    "Fine. I''ll let you go before me." He chuckled and then walked away.


    Rayne was glad that he could use the bath peacefully now, but he wasn''t sure what had just happened.


    ???


    Lux followed behind Mika like a shadow.


    For her training that day, she was to follow one of the other maids and watch them do their jobs; then, in the afternoon, she was to learn how to serve at events since the ball was approaching fast.


    Thankfully, the maid that she was assigned to tail was Mika, which was a stroke of luck. It seemed that Mrs. Rodia hadn''t realized that she had paired the two of them together, and Lux was glad she hadn''t. It was nice to be around a familiar face.


    However, Mika hadn''t said anything, instead doing her job like a ghost. Lux watched her open curtains, dust tables, and stoke fires, but she still hadn''t said a word.


    Lux looked outside at a nearby window and sighed. The weather had begun to change, from the brown of autumn to the white of winter. In Adamas, it was always autumn all the time, and she wished that she could go outside and play in... what was it called again? Snow?


    Suddenly, another maid passed them by, seemingly in a hurry, but still stopped to talk to them.


    "You. We need extra help. Go to the second biggest guest room," the rushed maid said quickly, not even looking back as she dashed off.


    "Huh? What? But I''m..." Mika sputtered on the spot, reaching out to the maid, who was going further and further away.


    She shook her head and turned to Lux, her expression serious.


    "If it''s a guest room, then it''s someone important. Make sure that you don''t mess this up, Kira," she told her, her eyes cold, and Lux froze.


    She... was mad at her. And not just mad at her; she thought that she was irresponsible.


    The first person that she considered a friend in the outside world.


    Lux held her hands, lowering her head and nodding slowly.


    "Okay. Let''s go." Mika began to walk down the hall, and Lux followed, her head staying down the entire time.


    Eventually, they arrived at a magnificent set of doors, with multiple guards in front of them.


    The doors reminded her of the throne room in Adamas, and she looked around nervously, wondering if somehow they had gone to the wrong room.


    However, Mika stepped forward, rapping on the door lightly.


    A strong, regal voice came from the other side of the door. "You may come in."


    Mika stepped in, Lux tailing her, and she dipped into a curtsey.


    For a second, Lux forgot where she was, instead looking at who they were about to serve.


    It was a woman with dark skin and light hair; her eyes were bright, and they reminded Lux of stars. She seemed somewhat otherworldly, ethereal, as if she could see through everything.


    "Kira," Mika hissed, and Lux dropped into a low bow. The woman had completely taken her attention.


    "Who are you?" the woman asked, completely ignoring Lux, instead focusing on Mika.


    "We were asked to come here by another servant, my lady," Mika quickly mumbled, and for a while, it was silent.


    However, the strange woman finally spoke, putting a hand underneath her chin.


    "Okay. Rise."


    In one sweep, Mika stood up, and Lux scrambled to follow as she moved to the side of the room, where other maids stood in a single file line.


    Lux looked around in confusion, having no clue what it was that they were supposed to be doing, and since she couldn''t ask Mika, seeing as she was so angry with her, she decided to turn her attention to the lady they were supposedly serving.


    She noticed that she wore multiple pieces of jewellery, such as golden rings, a shining necklace, and a glittering pair of earrings. She also sat with an air of absolute elegance, and Lux concluded that, seeing as she had so much jewellery and was also in the second biggest guest room, she was most likely important.


    Suddenly, she shifted in the chair she was sitting in, moving to point at one of the maids lined up.


    "You. Fetch me a glass of water."


    The maid bowed, exiting the room quickly.


    The woman sat back down in her chair, but she wasn''t done. "Get me a flower."


    Another maid bowed, dashing out.


    "Get me a bowl of dates. Get me bread. Get me hairpins."


    The orders kept coming, and slowly every maid left the room. When Mika left to fetch the woman''s latest request, Lux followed after her.


    "Not you. Did I tell you that you could leave?" she hissed, and without a second glance, Mika left the room, leaving Lux alone.


    "You, come here." The woman wagged her finger, and Lux approached.


    She rested her head on her hand, looking Lux up and down. She seemed somewhat bored, even though she was the one who had called her over.


    "What is your name?"


    "Kira. My lady," she muttered at the floor, still feeling somewhat sorrowful.


    Though, as she looked more and more at the lady, she realized that in a way she reminded her of her mother. However, while all of her mother''s elegance and grace seemed natural, hers seemed more artificial.


    She smiled slightly. "What a cute name."


    Lux looked down at the ground awkwardly. This was a good way to learn who exactly she was, but she didn''t know why she had taken an interest in her.


    "You''re not from Polemus, are you? What do you like about this city?" she asked, a small smirk playing on her face.


    "Err... I like... how many people there are..." Lux stuttered, and though it was most likely rude, she started twirling her hair instinctively.


    She pouted a bit. "Really? I hate it. People can get so annoying."


    "I don''t find people annoying. In fact, I''d like to meet a lot of them since I haven''t talked to a lot of people in my life..."


    "Are you from a small village then?"


    "I''m from Sidus... it''s... a really beautiful place, with cute houses and a lively atmosphere, even though it''s so small." Lux described it with her hands, starting to ramble, a bit happy to remember Sidus.


    "Why did you leave then?" she asked, her eyes piercing.


    Lux was caught off guard; her question seemed more... testing.


    She hesitated for a minute.


    "I needed to come work here. For my family," she stated, looking straight at her.


    She looked out the window thoughtfully. "Family. Hm."


    At that moment, a line of maids started to enter the room, all of them stumbling over one another.


    "Leave what you''ve brought on the table. You''re all dismissed." She waved her hand, and one by one, the maids left, and Lux followed after Mika.


    As she exited, she stole one last glance at the lady, who was looking thoughtfully out of the window.


    Who was she?


    ???


    Rayne was stood in front of a suspicious grass wall with all the other participants.


    Today, the commander was accompanied not only by Naya, but by many other people who looked somewhat similar to her.


    "Welcome to the third day of the guards exam participants," the commander boomed, his hands behind his back like always.


    "Lady Naya will not only be helping us today, but also her family."


    They all waved slightly, their hands shaking a little.


    "I''ll trust that you''ll honour their hard work by doing your best today," he exclaimed, just like he had done on the other days, but the air felt more tense than before.


    "For your second-to-last test, you will be in pairs; however, you will be allowed to choose these pairs yourselves." His eyes narrowed.


    "You may do so now."


    Rayne panicked internally; he didn''t know anyone and frankly didn''t want to speak to anyone, but suddenly a hand touched his shoulder.


    "Do you want to be with me?" a voice asked, and Rayne turned to see a familiar face.


    A girl with two purple braids.


    Thea.


    Rayne simply stared at her. It was embarrassing enough that his confidence had made him lose his match with her, but now she wanted to pair with him?


    However, more and more people were beginning to pair with each other, and it seemed as if Rayne had no other choice.


    "Sure," he answered, his face blank.


    "If you have found a pair, move to an area in front of the wall," the commander instructed, and together they moved.


    "Let''s do our best, okay?" Thea smiled, and Rayne simply nodded.


    However, he suddenly heard distressed screaming, and he turned to find a single man being dragged away by guards.


    "We have an odd number, and the one person who did not find a pair has been disqualified," the commander explained, and Rayne watched the man be dragged further and further away.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    How much of this was a test?


    "Now, for this test, you will be trapped in a maze, and you and your partner must escape before lunch begins."


    So we have about two hours, Rayne thought to himself, trying his best to think of a strategy as soon as possible so as not to embarrass himself again. However, a voice interrupted his thoughts.


    "Your name is Darrion, right?" Thea asked, still smiling, and Rayne thought of the first time he had seen her, after the wall climb, and how different she looked now.


    "Y¡ª" he attempted to reply, but the commander cut him off abruptly.


    "Ready yourselves."


    Lady Naya and her family raised their hands, despite looking close to collapsing.


    "Go!"


    Suddenly, the grass wall opened up, revealing a passage, and Rayne and Thea dashed in, not looking behind them.


    "This is similar to the first test, right?" she asked cheerily, despite them being in the middle of a test.


    "I guess so," Rayne replied nonchalantly.


    "You don''t really talk, do you? I can understand that."


    Suddenly a wall appeared in front of them, and they were forced to make a sudden stop.


    "Is this part of the test?" Thea wondered aloud, and Rayne leaned closer to the wall.


    There was... writing.


    "There''s something on this wall," he pointed out, and Thea came closer, beginning to read it out loud.


    "I am always there, everywhere, but the only way to conceal me is to cover me with one specific thing, what am I?"


    "Wow, that''s pretty hard." Thea crossed her arms. "What''s everywhere... air maybe? But you can''t see air..."


    As Thea continued to wonder aloud, Rayne decided that while she was trying, he''d try as well.


    What was everywhere?...


    Just like Thea, the only thing he could think of was air.


    He kept trying, but the only thing he could think of was air, and he slowly started to panic.


    What if they couldn''t figure it out, stuck on the first riddle? What if they didn''t finish before lunch, and they failed? What if Lux continued to wait for him to arrive, waiting well into the night¡ª


    Night.


    "Darkness!" Rayne shouted, and the wall came down rumbling.


    "Wow, how did you figure that out?" Thea asked, and Rayne decided not to say anything about him panicking.


    "I just... realized that darkness is everywhere, and the only thing that covers it is light," he muttered, beginning to run further down the maze.


    "Oh, I get it. That''s pretty smart," she remarked, and they both continued to travel down the maze.


    "Anyways... your name is Darrion, right? You didn''t get to answer me earlier," she asked, and Rayne sighed silently. He didn''t want to talk to her; it was too embarrassing after his loss.


    "Yes."


    "That''s a nice name. You already know, but I''m Thea Lasko."


    It seemed as if she wanted to go on, but they ran into another wall.


    "Oh, another riddle," she mumbled, and Rayne went over to read it.


    "What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?"


    Thea put a fist to her hand. "That''s easy. Silence."


    The door opened, and they continued down the maze.


    As they made their way through the countless riddles, Thea continued to talk. Rayne could guess from the way that she spoke that she wasn''t usually so talkative, but he didn''t have a clue as to why she kept speaking now.


    Eventually, they came to another wall, and Rayne realized that so far, they hadn''t gotten a single one incorrect.


    "Ok, let''s see," Thea leaned in, reading the riddle from off the wall.


    "I''m in December, January and February, but not in June. What am I?"


    Rayne thought over the question, and he remembered that in the outside world, there were different seasons depending on the month. In fact, the season was in the middle of changing right now.


    "Winter," he stated, and the wall opened.


    Thea and Rayne dashed towards it; however, vines began to spring out, coming towards them with intense speed.


    Rayne froze, and sweat raced down his face. He had gotten it wrong.


    "DARRION!" Thea shouted, and he shook his head and drew his sword, Aurbrier. He had managed to bring it with him this time.


    Thea also wielded a sword, and together they moved towards the vines, cutting them up swiftly, their blades slicing through them like butter, despite Rayne''s anxiety. The sounds of their swords pierced the air, and together they were like thunder.


    After they were done, Rayne stared at the dead vines.


    He had gotten it wrong.


    What if he hadn''t been able to cut the vines? He hadn''t almost just gotten himself killed, but Thea as well.


    Why could he never do anything right?


    "It''s okay that you got it wrong," Thea placed a hand on his shoulder.


    "Sure," he muttered.


    "No, I''m being serious. It''s okay. You did most of the other riddles when I would have said the wrong answer. No one is perfect; you did great, and you should give yourself credit for that," she told him, her eyes sincere.


    Rayne turned his head away, embarrassed a bit, but still managed to mutter, "Thank you."


    Thea smiled slightly, turning her attention back to the riddle.


    The wall was closed now; however, the riddle remained.


    "I guess we still have to solve this riddle," she pouted, putting a hand to her head.


    Rayne turned to the riddle he had gotten wrong, his confidence wavering.


    He didn''t want to mess everything up again, but he decided that he could at least try; Thea was right in the fact that he had gotten many of the riddles correct.


    He stared at the riddle, concentrating hard, and he started to wonder if it was more literal.


    "The letter R!" he shouted and then quickly put a hand over his mouth; he didn''t even ask Thea what she thought. What if he had gotten it wrong again?


    He quickly reached for his sword, but to his surprise, the wall opened, and not to another passage, but to the outside.


    "Ooh! Well done, Darrion. We did well," she chimed, walking over to where the commander was waiting.


    Rayne was in shock but followed after her regardless, completely silent, like a child following their mother.


    The commander watched them leave the maze with a gleam in his eyes, his hands behind his back as he stood up tall.


    "Congratulations to the both of you; you''re the first to arrive."


    Rayne looked up in shock. They were the first to arrive?


    "Your names are Thea Lasko and Darrion. Correct?" he asked, picking up a scroll from behind him.


    Thea nodded. "Yes, sir."


    "You may return to your barracks now. Lunch will be in an hour," he said, looking between them then scribbling something down, and Thea began to walk away.


    "Goodbye, Darrion!" she called over her shoulder, and Rayne found himself alone.


    He continued to stare at the floor, thinking about all that had just happened, but he quickly shook his head, remembering that lunch was in an hour, and he had to meet Lux.


    If nothing else, he''d meet with Lux.


    ???


    Lux fiddled with strange chunks in her soup, her map tucked in her sleeve.


    After shadowing Mika all morning, it was time for lunch, and she had hoped that somehow the food would be better. It would have been better not to get her hopes up.


    She had the task of delivering lunch to the commander and, in turn, giving information as well as the map to Rayne, but it wasn''t time yet, and she still had to wait another ten minutes, so she sat bored and sad in front of her food. She considered for a second if she could ask Mrs. Rodia if she could officially take on the job, but she decided that it would raise too many questions.


    Suddenly, Mrs. Rodia herself entered the room, and Lux couldn''t be sure, but it seemed as if her eye was twitching.


    She rang a bell that she was holding frantically, and everyone snapped their heads to watch her.


    "Good afternoon, all. I have received an important notice from the queen," she stated, her eyes looking more and more deranged.


    "Her Majesty the Queen has declared... declared that." She took a deep breath, putting a hand to her chest.


    "The ball''s date shall be moved up, and it will be taking place tomorrow."


    A chorus of protest went up in the air, and Mrs. Rodia started ringing her bell, trying to rein in the chaos.


    However, Lux started to think.


    For her, it was a good opportunity. The sooner that she could find out information, the better, she supposed. Though she wasn''t in any mood to do so at the moment... and at the actual ball...


    She hoped that she''d be feeling better by then.


    "BE QUIET!" she screamed, and silence washed over the room.


    She sucked in a breath, putting her hand back on her chest.


    "Yes. Despite the guards'' exam ending on that day and despite the fact that I still have a handful of maids to train, that is what the queen has declared, and whatever the queen says is so." She sneered before leaving the room promptly.


    As soon as she left, the dining room erupted into chaos again; however, Lux spotted a maid carrying a tray, and in the middle of it all, she dashed off, a bundle of information stored in her brain.


    ???


    Lux spotted Rayne waiting for her by the same wall, and looking around carefully, she dashed to him.


    "Darrion!" she smiled, walking up to him.


    "Kira," he replied, though he wasn''t as cheery. However, he raised an eyebrow, and Lux wondered if she had done something wrong.


    "You don''t have the tray with you. You didn''t come here without an excuse, I hope?"


    Lux chuckled a bit. "Oh, I just gave the tray to the commander straight away. I was late last time, and he wasn''t very happy."


    "Oh." He looked at her a bit closely, and he adopted a frown. "What happened to you?"


    "What do you mean?" she asked, despite knowing exactly what he meant, seeing as what happened with Mika was still weighing over her, but she decided that she didn''t need to tell Rayne and worry him.


    "Never mind." He looked around quickly. "Did you bring the map with you?"


    She nodded, producing it from her sleeve.


    He took it from her, opening it and studying the circled place from the note in the corner. "I''ll go once I finish the exam," he told her, though his voice was a bit dark.


    "Do you have anything else to tell me?" he asked, putting the map in a bag he had brought with him.


    "Oh yes. I have a lot to tell you." Lux prepared herself, starting to twirl her hair.


    "First, this morning there was a strange lady in the guest room, the second biggest one in the whole castle. I ended up having to serve her."


    Rayne pressed his chin to his hand, starting to think.


    "She may have something to do with Ataraxia... though it is a wild guess, but I''m trying to link it to what we know."


    Lux nodded. "I guess that makes sense, so she''s a guest then?"


    "Most likely. What else do you know?"


    "I found out that the ball... is being moved to tomorrow," she stated, and Rayne''s eyes widened slightly.


    "Really? Despite all that''s happening?" he asked, his tone surprised.


    Lux nodded. "Mrs. Rodia, the head maid, seemed very... upset about it all."


    "I wonder what caused the queen to move it..., but Kira, you have to be prepared for it. This is one of our biggest opportunities to learn information," he whispered, and she stood up straight.


    "You can rely on me, brother," she told him, and Rayne smiled slightly.


    "Anyways, what have you learned?" she asked, and Rayne remembered what had occurred that morning.


    "When the Athas and Callis ruled together, the noble families specifically served one or the other. However, when the Athas sealed us... away, every family began to serve the Athas, but someone else who''s taking the guards'' exam, whose name is Cedar Chloros, comes from a noble family. His family continues to support the Callis, and as a punishment, he was forced to take the guards'' exam."


    Lux cocked her head. "Is he an ally then?"


    He winced slightly. "I''m not sure; he seems to be very... proud."


    "Isn''t that a good thing?" she asked, and Rayne thought about it.


    "Sometimes, I suppose," he said hesitantly.


    "But moving on... our horses," he said, making Lux confused.


    "What happened to them?" she asked, and he almost smacked his face.


    "We need to pay for them weekly."


    "Oh!" she gasped audibly. "Well, seeing as I have my first break this weekend, as well as my first payment, I can go pay for them."


    Rayne frowned. "...Once I pass the guards'' exam and get paid, I''ll pay for the horses. I should do it since I''m older than you."


    Lux wanted to protest, but when she saw the look on his face, she simply nodded.


    She started to worry if everything was too much for him.


    "Well, if that is everything, I should leave. I''m also going to try and contact our siblings tonight and give them the information," she said, beginning to walk off, but suddenly, a girl with purple braids walked up to her, a smile on her face.


    "Hello, Darrion!" Thea exclaimed, even though Rayne, as well as Lux, looked mortified.


    Lux started to panic. If someone had heard their conversation, what were they going to do then? How would they explain it to Mother? And not just her, but the rest of their siblings as well.


    When she saw their expressions, she laughed. "Don''t worry; I didn''t hear anything from your little lovers'' meeting."


    Somehow their expressions managed to look even more mortified, and she observed them both closely again.


    "Oh! Sorry! Now that I look more closely, you look like siblings. You even have the same hair; silly me." She clapped her hands, seemingly in apology.


    "Who are you?" Lux asked, forgetting to be careful.


    Thea began to speak, but Rayne cut her off.


    "This is Thea Lasko; she took the guards'' exam with me."


    Thea chuckled. "No, I didn''t just take the guards'' exam with you; I''m your friend."


    Rayne raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Lux smiled.


    "Well, my name is Kira, Thea, and I hope you''ll continue to be friends with my brother." She laughed, walking off.


    She was glad that Rayne had a friend, even though she herself didn''t have as much luck.


    ???


    Kaia made her way to the throne room, needing to give her mother new information that Lux had given her. She was glad that she had been able to speak with her older sister, even though she sounded... sad. She wished she had been able to talk it over with her, but she didn''t have the time.


    She sighed.


    She missed them.


    Eventually, she arrived at the grand doors and opened them slightly, her arms a bit tired.


    Her mother had been making her siblings train their magic almost all day, and she didn''t even allow Aurelia or Merce to take a break, resulting in them crying numerous times. Kaia often wondered if all of this was necessary.


    "Kaia, my child," her mother smiled upon her throne, looking pleased with herself for an unknown reason.


    "You should bow." She smiled even more, and Kaia raised her eyebrows in confusion.


    "What do you mean, mother?" she asked, wondering if maybe she had heard wrong.


    "You should bow. I am a queen, after all," she told her, and although Kaia was confused, she couldn''t disobey her mother, so she did as she was told.


    "Good. Rise. What is it that you wanted, Kaia?" Kaia stood up, still very much confused, but still relayed the messages to her mother.


    "We talked to Lux; she told us that Rayne is going to finish the guards'' exam tomorrow, and he''ll contact us afterward. She also told us about a family... that still supports us? I didn''t really understand what she meant by it, though," she told her, though her mother didn''t seem that interested.


    "She also told me that a ball is going to be taking place tomorrow, but she doesn''t know what it''s for specifically. The last thing that she told me was about something called... Ataraxia? I think." Kaia placed a hand on her chin, trying to remember; however, her mother was practically jumping out of her seat.


    "Kaia. Continue," she boomed, and Kaia shivered. "Yes, um, someone related to Ataraxia might have arrived. They were in the second biggest guest room in the entire castle."


    Her mother suddenly seemed far away, as if thinking, but she came back to reality as soon as she had left, rising from her throne. "Thank you for telling me, Kaia. Now, please gather all your siblings here; we are going to have another lesson."


    Kaia frowned; she was already tired. She didn''t need another lesson, but she knew better than to argue or disagree with her mother, so again, she did as she was told.


    ???


    Lyra sat with all of her siblings in the throne room. They had just finished a lesson, but her mother had called for another one.


    Lyra sighed; this was getting ridiculous. What did they need all these lessons for?


    Her mother had even made Aurelia and Merce train hard, and for the first time in a long while, she felt remorse for her siblings, as well as for herself.


    Suddenly, their mother stood in front of them all, her hands clasped together, smiling slyly.


    "Good evening, children. The first thing that I must say is that I need to apologize to you."


    "Huh?" Arden said audibly, and Kaia whacked him on the head.


    "For your second lesson today, we will not be in the throne room. Please follow me," she chimed, and began to leave the throne room.


    For a second, they all didn''t move, caught in a haze of confusion, but after a moment, they abruptly rose, following their mother in a hurry.


    As they moved through the halls of Adamas, Luther and Vivianne talked to each other, though it seemed one-sided.


    "What do you think we''re doing, Vivi?" Luther asked, and Vivianne scowled.


    "How would I know? Figure it out yourself," she sneered, and he pouted.


    Eventually, they arrived at a set of fairly old doors, and the conversation ceased.


    Surprisingly, Lyra felt a bit more at ease since the door reminded her of the library, and she began to wonder what they were to do.


    Their mother opened the doors to a room filled with shelves and a long wooden table where multiple people could sit. Ink and feathers were dotted around the room, as well as paper that lined the shelves.


    It was a comfortable room, Lyra supposed.


    "Take a seat, children," their mother said, and Lyra took a seat next to Kaia, who was sitting next to Arden.


    She noticed that Aurelia and Merce were sitting on the same chair together, and she remembered that they had somehow gotten even closer since the start of their lessons, even though it also meant that their fighting had increased.


    Their mother sat at the head of the table and handed each of them a handful of paper.


    "For this lesson, my dear children, you will simply be practicing your handwriting." She smiled and wrote something on her own piece of paper, holding it up.


    "Simply keep writing, ''the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog,'' since it contains all the letters of the alphabet."


    Lyra was confused but did as she was told, and she and her siblings began to write. They all mostly concentrated, with the exclusion of Aurelia and Merce, who were arguing over something.


    As Lyra was writing, a hand suddenly slammed on the table, and she looked up to see her mother towering over her, a glare in her eye.


    "Is... something wrong, mother?" she asked, and her mother picked up her paper.


    "What is this, Lyra?" she hissed, and Lyra winced.


    When she was in the library, she spent more time studying than she did writing. However, when she did write, it was messy. It never bothered her since all that mattered in her perspective was whether she could read it or not.


    Suddenly, her mother ripped up the paper, and Lyra watched the pieces float in the air before her.


    "Start again," she seethed, and handed her another piece of paper. However, her eyes suddenly widened a bit.


    "Oh! Excuse me, I need to get something," she exclaimed, leaving the room in a hurry, and the room turned silent.


    Lyra watched the blank sheet of paper, a sense of sorrow creeping over her. However, she felt a hand on hers, and she turned to see Kaia smiling at her.


    For a second, she considered smiling back at her, but she pulled her hand away. She was supposed to be mad at them.


    Suddenly, Kaia stood up, her hands on her hips.


    "I am completely and utterly tired of you, Lyra!" she shouted, and Lyra froze in shock.


    "Yes, I am very sorry that mother tricked you, but let us be honest here. Do you really think that you were prepared to go outside?" she boomed, going on a ramble.


    "I do agree that mother went too far, but you shouldn''t be cold to all of us! We are the only people that you have, Lyra! And we all care about you! So... suck it up already!" She sat back down, breathing heavily, as if she had run a marathon.


    Lyra turned back to her paper.


    She didn''t want to admit it, but Kaia was somewhat right. They hadn''t done anything, and they were the people closest to her.


    She turned to Kaia, looking her straight in the eyes.


    "I''m sorry."


    Kaia smiled slightly. "I forgive you."


    ???


    Oak travelled through the streets of Sidus, her cloak clinging to her face.


    After a reevaluation, maybe she really didn''t need to come here anymore, especially since she had found herself entangled with the rebels.


    She nodded slightly. Yes, the only reason she was here was to tell the rebels that she wanted nothing more to do with them.


    However, at that moment, a hand grabbed her, and she was dragged into a nearby alleyway.


    Two tall, completely cloaked figures towered over her, and she had a sudden sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    "You''re the helper lady, aren''t you?" one asked, and she crossed her arms.


    "Yes, but I''m no¡ª"


    "There''s no time for you to talk. Let''s go," the other said, taking her arm.


    "I don''t want to! Unhand me!" she shouted, but they continued regardless, dragging her further through the alley.


    She kept thrashing and screaming all the way, but still, no one came. However, they made a sudden stop, and for a moment, she wondered if they were actually about to let her go.


    Yet what happened next was worse.


    "You can''t see this. We''re going to knock you unconscious," one of them said, surprisingly nonchalantly.


    She shrieked. "You''re going to WH¡ª"


    When Oak woke up, her hood was down, and she was sitting on a chair in a fairly nice room.


    It was completely wooden, with no windows, and had many portraits and shelves against the wall.


    "I guess our reports are correct. You are just a girl," a voice called, and she turned her head to see a middle-aged man with black hair and green eyes staring at her.


    At his sides, with their hands behind their backs, were the people she had met the night before... Rhea and Ronan, if her memory served her correctly.


    "Am I in the rebel base?" she asked straight away.


    "Wow, you get straight to the point, but to answer your question: yes," he answered, looking at some paper on his desk at the same time.


    "Can I leave then?" she asked, and the man looked up.


    "Don''t you want to be here? You said you supported us."


    "I don''t want any part in what you''re doing." She stood up, reaching for the door behind her, but in a flash, Rhea and Ronan were in front of her, swords drawn.


    "Sit down," the man said, and Oak sat down. She wanted to leave, but she wasn''t stupid.


    "Do you still support us then?" he asked, and Oak thought about her answer.


    It might be better to say that she didn''t, and maybe they''d leave her alone, but it was more likely that they''d execute her on the spot.


    "I am neutral."


    "No, you''re not," the man replied, and she grimaced.


    "Fine. I support you. May I leave now?" she asked, and he smiled.


    "Why do you want no part in this if you support us? You publicly declared it, after all," he asked, picking up the piece of paper, which she guessed contained information on her.


    She would have to steal that at some point.


    "You most likely know, but I am not from Sidus. This does not involve me," she argued, beginning to become irritated.


    "But this doesn''t involve simply Sidus. It involves all of Flei," he said, but she stayed silent.


    He sighed. "What I am about to tell you is highly confidential. If you tell anyone, we will find you."


    Oak sat up slightly.


    "The Athas do not know this, but our soldiers are spread far and wide. We even have many in Polemus. They believe that we''re a minuscule movement, something they can finish when they have the free time, but that''s our strength. They underestimate us."


    Oak was interested now. If anything, she still didn''t want to have anything to do with the rebels, but if she was practically going to be forced to work with them, then information was important, especially if they were spread all the way in Polemus.


    The man grinned slyly. "I''ve persuaded you, haven''t I?"


    She nodded slowly. He was right, but not because of the reason he was thinking of.


    "Good. We''ll take you back now, and this time we''ll use a blindfold."


    She raised an eyebrow at that. She was working with them, but she wasn''t even allowed to know where their base was?


    Rhea and Ronan approached her, holding a piece of black fabric.


    "Wait!" she shouted, and they stopped.


    "What is it?" he asked in confusion.


    "Can I at least know your name, seeing as you''re the leader of all of this?"


    He smiled again. "My name is Colton, but I''m not the leader of the rebellion."


    She sighed silently; she should have known that something this big wouldn''t show their leader to her straight away.


    As Rhea and Ronan approached her again, she didn''t resist as they tied the blindfold on her, taking her arms and moving her out.


    As she was led out, Colton yelled as the door closed, "I hope I''ll be able to learn your name someday too, Oak!"


    She laughed. "Hopefully not."

 ?Chapter 9?

    A voice was calling out to Lux.


    At first, it seemed as if it was kind and loving, but when she reached closer, she found that it was... dangerous. Evil.


    Yet for some reason, she kept reaching, and reaching, and¡ª


    DING!


    Lux stirred in her bed, coming out from her covers slowly.


    She had been dreaming about... something. She couldn''t remember what exactly, but something.


    As she looked around, she realised that she wasn''t the only one to awake from their slumber, despite it still being dark outside. And as she glanced to the front of the room, she realised why.


    Mrs Rodia stood at the front, gripping her bell, her eyes heavy. Hazel was at her side as well, but amazingly, she didn''t seem to be affected by the early¡ªor late, Lux couldn''t tell¡ªhour.


    "Good morning, all. As the ball is today, we''ll need to prepare, so, everyone, is waking up at five in the MORNING..." She rested a hand on her heart, and Hazel patted her on the back.


    "So you will need to get changed, and make your way to the great hall. You all have an hour." She then turned on her heel, leaving the room as Hazel followed her like a puppy.


    Lux sighed and got out of her bed.


    When she had left Adamas, she hadn''t realised that she was to work so much. She was tired, but there were things to do, and this ball was an amazing opportunity.


    So she shook her head and made her way to the bath.


    ???


    Lux set a cloth over the table.


    It was now eight in the morning, and they were preparing the hall for the ball. It was much later in the evening, but they still needed to set up. According to Mrs Rodia, this should have all been done yesterday, or even earlier, but as the ball had been moved up so abruptly, they were doing it on short notice.


    Lunch had only been for ten minutes, and because of that, Lux hadn''t had the chance to meet Rayne yet, but she was sure that he would understand.


    "Well done, everyone! Let''s set up the cutlery now," Hazel shouted, and everyone nodded.


    Gold plates and utensils were brought out with small designs on them, and Lux was handed a few to put on the table. As she held it in her hands, she smiled slightly. They had the exact same ones at home.


    Eventually, after setting all the plates and utensils down, gold-rimmed glasses were brought out, and Lux admired how they caught the sun perfectly.


    "Kira. Hand one to me." Mika called out to her from across the table, and her eyes widened. Mika had barely talked to her, unless it was to tell her off, but now she was asking her for something, and she didn''t seem completely mad.


    She handed it to her eagerly.


    But perhaps a bit too eagerly.


    The glass flew out of her hands, falling to the ground and shattering.


    Lux''s hand flew to her mouth. "Oh my goodness... I''m so sorry! I¡ª"


    "THAT''S IT. I''M DONE WITH YOU." Mika exploded, and she froze. "Ever since you''ve come here, you''ve done nothing but cause trouble. And somehow I face the consequences for it. I can''t BELIEVE THAT I¡ª"


    "MIKA." Hazel screamed, and she froze. "That''s enough. Come with me. Now." Mika scowled but did as she was told, and Hazel began to lead her away.


    "Continue to set up," she stated, and left, leaving the room in complete silence.


    All Lux could do was stare at the ground, clenching her hands.


    Her face was wet for some reason, but she didn''t know why.


    After all, that didn''t happen. That really didn''t happen.


    Nothing happened, and she needed to focus on the ball.


    Yes, if nothing else, she needed to focus on the ball.


    ???


    Lux tried her best to go over everything that she had been told in her head.


    Since all the maids-in-training didn''t have as much experience, they were to stand at the edge of the room, at the sides, prepared to help any guests if needed. The other maids, however, were to have more important jobs, like serving, for example.


    She wanted to be more in the middle of it all, but this was the best way that was available to her. In some ways, there were advantages, like being able to observe from the shadows.


    And the fact that she didn''t want to be around people at the moment.


    She shook her head, instead focusing on what she was wearing.


    It was mostly the same as the usual uniform, but it was more... frilly. Lux thought it was beautiful, but it was horrible to put on.


    Lux peered at the grandfather clock in the corner. At home, all the clocks displayed the same time, nine o''clock. However, it chimed at every hour, so if you wanted to figure out what time it was, you had to count the chimes. However, the clocks in Chaconas worked normally, and from what Lux could tell, the time was five in the afternoon now. Guests were soon to arrive, and everyone was at their positions. She had also seen other servants, who weren''t necessarily maids, running around. She generally didn''t know that other servants existed, and she wondered how much she didn''t know.


    Suddenly, a curtain fluttered, grabbing her attention, and she went over to close the window. However, when she peered through, she realised that it was already getting dark now, and she was somewhat flabbergasted. The sun set at the normal time when she arrived at the castle, but now it was beginning to set earlier. Was there something wrong with the sky?


    She sighed to herself dejectedly; there really was a lot that she didn''t know.


    ???


    An orchestra was playing softly in the background; the room was sparkling as the floor was freshly cleaned along with the walls, and all the statues and paintings managed to look even more grand than usual.


    All the maids were lined up against the walls, somewhat spaced out. Lux had found herself next to a door, and when no one was looking, she had tried to open it, but for whatever reason, it had stayed shut. She wondered if she could investigate at a later date, but for the time being, she would focus on the ball.


    Mrs Rodia stood in front of them all, Hazel by her side. She seemed somewhat more composed than earlier, and Lux was glad that there was less chance of getting shouted at.


    She glanced at Hazel, who was standing attentively with a huge smile plastered on her face. After what had... occurred. She still hadn''t seen Mika at all.


    What if she had been...


    No, she didn''t have to think about that now.


    "Good evening, everyone. As I''m sure you''ve guessed, there are some basic rules for this ball. Keep your head bowed, and do not speak unless spoken to. If spoken to, you will address correctly and bow. Remember the basics. I will not be present during the ball, but Hazel will. If anything goes wrong, report to her." She then studied all of them, her eyes lingering on Lux for a moment, before turning on her heel and making her way up the grand stairs.


    Hazel nodded eagerly. "Let''s all do our best!"


    ???


    An attendant opened the grand doors to the hall, his head bowed as nobles poured in.


    Lux''s head was supposed to be bowed as well, but she couldn''t help but look.


    They all had an air of elegance, with long gowns and glittering jewellery as well as perfume that was wafting through the air. It somewhat reminded her of her mother, though of course none of them could compare to her.


    She watched them all chat with each other, smiles plastered on their faces. At first she thought that it would be nice to be among them, and simply talk with other human beings, but when she looked closer she realised that all of their smiles seemed... fake. She wasn''t sure what they were exactly, but they weren''t genuine.


    As time moved on, more and more people kept arriving, and Lux was amazed at the sheer number of them, of attendants. The ball had been moved on such short notice, after all. Maybe this showed how people were so dedicated and loyal to the queen.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    That was a problem though, wasn''t it?


    Suddenly silence fell over the group of nobles, and the attendant at the door called for attention.


    "Presenting the esteemed Commander of the Royal Guard, Sir Amory Raptis, defender of crown and country."


    The commander descended down the stairs, wearing fancier clothes than he usually wore. He smiled as he walked down into the crowd, and for a second he saw Lux, seeming to have a moment of recognition.


    Ignoring the split moment of attention, she cocked her head slightly. So far only the commander had been announced, why was that?


    Another person walked through the door, this time a girl who seemed to be the same age as Lux with long brown hair that looked fluffy. She was also wearing a long soft purple gown, and Lux regarded how she somewhat stood out compared to others at the event.


    "Presenting renowned vocalist Morticia Agnes, from the land of Euonia, who will be performing for us this evening."


    Chatter erupted from the nobles below, all of them whispering to one another as they eyed her.


    Morticia acted as if she hadn''t heard it though, walking down the stairs with a smile, eventually dissolving into the crowd.


    So singers are important enough to be announced... she started to wonder to herself what the criteria was.


    More people came through the grand doors, all announced, with titles such as the Duke of the Northern Lands, and the Duchess of... Lux really couldn''t keep track of them all. She could only hope that Rayne would be able to help close the gaps in her knowledge at some point in time.


    However, someone strolled through the door that she was sure that she wouldn''t forget.


    A regal man, wearing flowing robes and sparkling jewellery, with... a lady on his arm.


    A lady with light hair and eyes like the stars.


    Along with crowns on both of their heads.


    "Presenting both their Majesties, King Apollo and Queen Camilla, the rulers of the country of Ataraxia, who have strengthened the bond between our nations with their appearance today."


    That lady... she was a queen? And Ataraxia was... a country?


    She guessed that it explained a lot of things, such as her room.


    Suddenly the whole room dipped into a curtsy, and Lux copied frantically. It was so hard to get used to all the rules here.


    After they both descended down the stairs, they all rose, and Lux observed the expressions of wonder on everyone''s faces.


    However, their attention quickly was taken by someone else who had come into view.


    To be more accurate, some others.


    Two young girls and a boy, their hair all orange, but fading into brown. The oldest girl in the front, who was wearing glasses, yawned, scanning the crowd with a bored expression on her face. The second girl, who seemed younger than the first, looked around anxiously before clinging to the older one. Lastly, the boy, who seemed to be the youngest, looked at the audience curiously, before hitting the second girl on the back and whispering something to her.


    "Um... presenting their Majesties, Princess Harper." She waved nonchalantly. "Princess Delilah, and Prince Mikel." Delilah hid further in her sister''s clothes, but Mikel waved enthusiastically as they made their way down the stairs.


    Lux smiled as she watched them; it seemed as if it would be fun to play with them, like she normally did with her siblings.


    She shook her head rapidly. Fun? What was she saying? These were Athas children!


    Slightly angry with herself, she turned her attention back to the doors, wondering if they were the last to arrive.


    However, the last person made her way through the doors, and Lux''s eyes widened.


    It was a woman, wearing a colossal cream dress, decorated with frills. She wore glittering earrings and sparkling necklaces, adorned with different gemstones. Her eyes were brown and her hair like the ones who had entered before her.


    And finally, a crown was on her head.


    The whole room dipped into deep curtsies, and the orchestra began to play a different melody.


    "Presenting her Majesty, Queen Annika, ruler of the country of Flei."


    Internally, Lux panicked. Was there a certain thing that she was to do now that she had encountered the queen? Was she going to miss an opportunity? Was she going to ruin everything again?


    The queen continued to make her way down the stairs gracefully, and finally, the doors closed.


    She turned her head to the door, surprisingly frantic. It felt as if she had been trapped in a cage of lions. However, the longer she looked at the queen, the more her fear was covered with a sense of curiousness.


    Her curiousness had gotten her into trouble many times before, but maybe this time it would be able to help her.


    She would acquire information at this ball.


    Or at least that''s what she told herself.


    But as she kept watching all the members of the ball and their faces of wonder as they watched the queen, who had begun to dance, as well as the rulers of Ataraxia, it became harder to ignore her real feelings.


    She still hadn''t forgotten what had happened with Mika, and it was toiling on her.


    She couldn''t even do her job as a maid; how was she ever going to be useful to her mother?


    Mika had said it herself; maybe she did just cause problems for others.


    She was the first person that was kind to her in Chaconas, but Lux had ruined everything for her.


    Maybe, she couldn''t¡ª


    "Psst, Ruby,"


    Lux snapped up straight and looked around in confusion, finding a tall boy standing right next to her.


    He had brown hair, like the bark of trees, and hazel eyes. He seemed to be wearing a uniform like Lux''s, but masculine. If she had to make a guess, she would say that he was around Rayne''s age.


    She raised an eyebrow. She didn''t realise that there were male maids. But who was Ruby?


    She scanned the room trying to get an idea of who that might be, but the strange boy continued to stare at her.


    "Um... may you be talking to me?" She asked.


    "Well who else would I be talking to?" He replied sarcastically, folding his arms while a smirk played on his face.


    Lux was really confused now; could he be lost or something similar to that? "My name isn''t Ruby, though."


    "Haven''t you heard of a nickname?"


    She was a bit taken aback. She hadn''t spoken to him before, but he had already given her a nickname. It was actually slightly funny.


    "Well... is there something you need?"


    "I noticed that you seem somewhat depressed, so I''m here to take you away." He said, and her eyes widened.


    They didn''t know each other at all, yet he noticed how she was feeling... however¡ª


    She cocked her head slightly. "Take me away to where?"


    He shrugged. "If you come with me, you''ll see."


    Lux looked back at the ball hesitantly; the royals were still dancing, and all eyes were glued to them. Not even any servants were looking in their direction.


    She turned back to the strange boy who had appeared. She didn''t know him, and it could be dangerous, but...


    Maybe it would make her feel better, and if anything did happen to go wrong, she could use her magic, though it was a last resort.


    She nodded. "Okay, but how might we get to wherever we''re going?"


    He turned to the bolted door behind him. "Through this, of course, but I''m going to need a moment so I can open it, watch the ball, and make sure that no one''s looking."


    She nodded, turning her attention back to the dancing.


    More people had joined in now, and Lux thought about how Kaia would absolutely love this. She continued to watch, but suddenly, she noticed someone staring at her from across the room.


    He seemed to be a noble, and more Lux''s age. His hair was dark and had heavy eye bags.


    She got worried that he would alert someone that two servants were escaping, but strangely he turned his head back to the dancing, as if he had never seen her.


    "And... open! Come on!" The boy beckoned, and she nodded, slipping into the door.


    However, she turned back to look at the boy who was staring at her for a second, who was still watching the dances as if nothing had ever happened.


    ???


    Lux wanted to scream.


    She had somehow found herself walking through another tunnel.


    "Are you okay back there?"


    "Well... I will be once we get out of this tunnel."


    He chuckled. "Are you claustrophobic?"


    "What''s that?" she asked.


    "You don''t know what being claustrophobic is? That''s hilarious!" He laughed, and she pouted.


    "Well, if you know what it is, stop laughing and tell me!"


    "It''s like... being scared of small spaces."


    Lux thought about it for a second. "Hm, well I think I''m starting to be."


    Suddenly a bright red light came out from the end of the tunnel, and the boy started to walk faster.


    "Why are you going so fast?" she asked, trying her best to match his pace.


    "Because it''s just started, and the start is the best part!" he replied, practically starting to sprint to the end.


    She was confused but decided that the situation she was in was already too bizarre for her to question anything, so she ran along with him, eventually finding herself in the place the door led to.


    And it was stunning.


    From what Lux could tell, the room was made from dirt; however, it was beautiful, decorated with all different kinds of plants, all smelling of honey, and all glowing different colours, illuminating the room. They all clung to the walls and ceilings together like a piece of art, and her breath was taken away.


    "What is this?" she asked, beginning to run around, touching one of the plants on the ground, producing a dreamy melody.


    "Woah!" she exclaimed.


    He scratched his head. "I don''t know much, but I do know that it only glows like this for an hour. That''s why I was running, so we can enjoy this for as long as possible."


    Lux looked him straight in the eyes, smiling widely.


    "You''re so nice!"


    Suddenly he looked to the side, covering his face slightly. "Thanks."


    She smiled before running back to the plants, touching as many as she could, hundreds of different sounds beginning to fill the air.


    "Wow, you''re energetic," he called out, sitting on a big mushroom.


    "I''m aware. My siblings tell me that all the time!"


    "Oh, so you have siblings?"


    She nodded. "Eight of them."


    "You have... eight siblings? So your parents have NINE children?!"


    "Mhm. Isn''t that normal?" she asked, touching a plant that moved out of her grasp.


    "Well... not really. Most people have one or two siblings," he replied, still a bit shaken from the information he had just received.


    One or two? She couldn''t imagine having only Rayne and Arden as siblings.


    "Do you have any siblings?" she questioned, focusing on him instead of the plants.


    "Yeah, I have three."


    "Are you the oldest?" she asked, coming to sit next to him on the mushroom next to his.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be playing with the plants?"


    "Maybe, but you seem more interesting."


    He sighed but smirked.


    "Yeah, I''m the oldest."


    ???


    Somehow, they had found themselves talking for hours. The lights from the plants had long gone out, though they still had a dull glow, so they weren''t completely submerged in darkness.


    "I wonder what the time is now," he wondered, and Lux shot up.


    She had completely forgotten about the ball.


    "Are you okay?" he asked, and she simply stared at him.


    She had forgotten about the ball... but she really needed today.


    She''d find out information another time. There would be more balls, right?


    She sighed. "Yes, nothing... don''t worry, Bark."


    "Is Bark supposed to be me?" he questioned, standing up alongside her.


    "Well, you gave me a nickname, so it''s only fair," she replied, crossing her arms smugly.


    "Why Bark though? Why not something cool, like... Lion?"


    She pointed at his head. "Because of your hair."


    "Oh... I see..."


    "Why do you call me Ruby anyway? My name is Kira," she asked, and he smirked.


    "Because of your eyes."


    "Oh! That''s smart."


    He frowned. "Most girls would have swooned if I had said that to them."


    "What''s swooning?"


    "Never mind... anyways, if you want to see me tomorrow, you can meet me at the servant entrance to the gardens at lunch," he said, and her eyes widened.


    "I can see you tomorrow?!"


    "Um... yes?"


    "Wow, I thought you were like a fairy from a fairy-tale that only appears when you''re sad, and then never appears again!"


    He stared at her for a second, but then burst out laughing. "You say some weird things, but I like you!"


    She smiled; today was the best day she had had in Chaconas.


    "Let''s go then," she said, making her way to the tunnel.


    "You can go on ahead; it would draw attention if we both exited at the same time."


    "Oh, okay then." She put a hand on the entrance of the tunnel, hesitating for a moment. Would she really see him again?


    "I''ll see you tomorrow then."


    "See you tomorrow."


    She smiled and made her way through the tunnel.


    She trusted him; she would see him tomorrow.


    After all, they were friends. Weren''t they?

 ?Chapter 10?

    Oak was walking through Sidus.


    She hadn''t come the day before, and she imagined the rebels would try to contact her at some point. However, she didn''t have a clue as to how they would contact her, so she was simply wandering, hoping they would find her. They seemed to have eyes everywhere, after all.


    As she was walking, she encountered someone, and her eyes widened.


    It was the mayor, looking frantic, his hair looking as if he had been pulling out chunks of it, and his eyes red as if he had been crying.


    "OAK!" he screamed, dashing towards her, and she flinched.


    "Good evening, mayor," she said, trying her best to be composed, seeing as he wasn''t.


    "Why... why... did you say that?!" he cried, coming closer, grabbing her cloak.


    She winced; she knew that he wasn''t a violent person, and she could defend herself, but she still didn''t like the situation she was in. He was far too close!


    "I''m afraid you''ll have to be more specific. What did I say exactly?"


    "You know what you said!" He released her, grabbing his hair.


    She sighed. "If you''re talking about the rebels... well, I only said the truth."


    "You''ve ruined everything! Everyone was confused as to whether you really meant it at first, but slowly they decided that they''d follow whatever you said!"


    She stared at him for a second. She wasn''t sure what the citizens of Sidus would say towards her support of the rebels, but they''d support them if she did? Did they trust her that much?


    "Well, I''m sorry to say this, dear mayor, but I don''t see what the problem is. I''m sure now that the rebels won''t hurt anyone, and if everyone decides to support them then we can only go along with their decision."


    In his current condition, it didn''t seem as if he would be able to govern Sidus anyway...


    He gripped his hair even harder, blood staining his hands.


    "NO! YOU DON''T UNDERSTAND!" he yelled, and Oak couldn''t hide her discomfort. "The... citizens, they want the rebels to rule this village now... which means I won''t be mayor anymore." He broke down crying, and Oak stared down at him as she thought.


    It wouldn''t be so bad for the rebels to rule Sidus, as long as they don''t turn tyrannous. Polemus is far away, so the royal family most likely won''t notice if they''re careful.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll manage to work something out for you," she told him, beginning to walk away.


    He could serve as a puppet ruler, while the rebels rule Sidus behind the scenes...


    She nodded to herself. Yes, that could work.


    Now she needed to tell the rebels about this plan, if she could find them.


    As if on cue, Rhea and Ronan jumped at her from behind a wall, blindfolding her and carrying her away, perfectly in sync, as if it was rehearsed.


    Oak sighed to herself; these people quite clearly had no manners. They didn''t even say anything to her before beginning to haul her away.


    As she was carried through who knows where, she wondered what would be waiting for her when she got to the rebel base.


    ???


    It was warm in the base, the candles were dimly lit, and it felt comfortable, almost as if it was a trap to take people off their guard.


    "Good afternoon, Oak." Colton smiled slyly at her from across the desk, his chin rested on his hands, Rhea and Ronan by his sides.


    "Good afternoon to you, Colton."


    "You have good manners, Oak. Where do you get them from?" he asked, his smile turning into more of a smirk.


    She knew that this was quite obviously a trick to learn more about her, so she decided to be vague.


    "I''m not sure; I just simply try my best to be polite."


    Colton leaned back into the chair, and Oak was slightly relieved. She was sure that he understood now that he wouldn''t be able to find out more about her from questions like that.


    "Well, Oak, there''s something I''d like for you to do."


    She raised an eyebrow. A task? But, to be completely honest, she had been expecting it. It was an easy way to show the rebels that they would be able to trust her.


    "What''s the task?" she asked, and Colton handed her a piece of paper.


    "I need you to go find this boy, talk to him, and convince him to join us."


    She looked more closely at the paper. At the top, there was a name.


    "Lennox Eliades..." she read, looking back up at Colton.


    "Why him specifically?"


    "Keep reading."


    She did as she was told.


    "Lennox Eliades, age seventeen, the oldest son of the Eliades, adopted as a baby, and..."


    Her eyes widened.


    "A magic-user... water type."


    "Now you understand. Magic-users that aren''t nobles are rare. If he joins us, he could be a great asset."


    He was right; magic-users who were commoners were rare. He had most likely sent her to convince him since she also had magic¡ªa smart plan.


    "Okay, I''ll go convince him." She stood up, and Rhea and Ronan approached her.


    "Thanks a ton."


    ???


    Oak knocked on the door of a cottage. It was small, even for a home in Sidus. The roof seemed as if it might fall off, and its one window was cracked.


    Strangely, she was glad that Lennox lived in such a poor house; it would be easier to persuade him with money or a nicer place to stay. Though she wasn''t sure if the rebels could afford that, she was sure they had something to offer.


    Eventually, a small girl with wild light blue hair came to the door, looking up in wonder, but then abruptly scowling.


    "Hello, do you know someone named Lennox?" she asked, her tone soft.


    Her eyes darted around for a minute frantically, but she eventually responded, "No, I don''t."


    Oak frowned; she was quite obviously lying. How would she make her tell her where Lennox was?


    However, a voice came from inside the cottage.


    "Gia, who''s that?" A boy with fluffy blond hair came to the door, his face dirty as if he had been digging.


    "Are you Lennox?" Oak asked straight away, not wasting any time.


    Instead of answering her question, though, the boy''s eyes widened.


    "The helper lady..."


    She immediately assumed that he was a fan of hers and smiled at the thought of how easy it would be to convince him.


    If only she knew that this would be the start of one of her many troubles.


    ???


    Rayne was stood in line with all the other contestants in front of a grass wall. He assumed there were about a third of the original number of participants.


    How many would be left by the end of the day?


    It was the final exam, and to Rayne, the most important. This exam would decide if he would be a guard or not. If he would fail his mother, or not.


    He felt like bending over and vomiting, but his stoic demeanour had never broken before in this exam, and it would not break now.


    "Good morning, contestants," a voice called, walking in front of them. However, it was not the commander, but rather a young man.


    He seemed a few years older than Rayne and looked similar to the commander, so it was most likely his son. It made sense that the commander''s son would lead, as Rayne imagined that the commander would be attending the ball.


    The ball... he hoped that Lux would pay attention. He trusted her, but... it was hard for her to stay in one place.


    "As you may have already guessed, the commander shall not lead the final exam today. He has entrusted it to me, his eldest son, Kael Raptis." He put a hand on his heart.


    "However, I hope you will still give me the same amount of effort that you have given my father."


    Suddenly Lady Naya and her family walked behind Kael, all looking as tired as they had throughout the exam.


    "Now, for the final exam, you''ll be in teams of three."


    A guard walked up to Kael, handing him a scroll.


    "I''ll read out the teams, and you can come together as soon as I have said your name. The guards will help you find your teammates if necessary."


    Rayne wondered what they were doing for them to need to be in groups of three, and wondered even more who he would be with. Depending on who his partners were, they could potentially cause him to fail. He prayed that his partners would be competent.


    Kael read out names, and people began to form their teams.


    "Lelouch Lamperouge, Shax Lied, and Trish Una. Now, for the twenty-third team, Darrion..."


    He stepped out of line, waiting for the next names to be called.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    "Thea Lasko, and Cedar... Chloros. Heh."


    Rayne''s eyes widened. If anything, those were the last people he wanted to be with, but as they got closer to him, he slowly started to see reason.


    Cedar had magic, and Thea was a good fighter; ultimately, they would be good partners.


    "Hey, Darrion!" Thea waved, approaching him quickly.


    "Hm, it''s you," Cedar remarked, also approaching him.


    Kael quickly finished reading names and turned his attention back to the groups that had formed.


    "Now, for your final exam, you''ll be defending a fortress. Dummies will attack your fortress, controlled by Lady Naya and her family. Inside your fortresses are rods; if your rod is captured or destroyed, your whole team is eliminated. You are not allowed to touch your own rod, or your whole team is eliminated."


    This could be an easy task if the other two cooperated; if not, he would be left to defend alone, and he wasn''t sure that he''d be able to.


    Kael continued, his face serious. "The grass wall behind me is a circle, and inside it are two more circles. There are forty-four fortresses, with twenty-four on the outer circle, fifteen on the middle circle, and five on the inner circle. You''ll be able to choose which fortress you''ll be defending. However, if someone has gotten to the fortress before you, you are not allowed to take it from them, so it is first come, first served. You''ll have fifteen minutes to find a fortress and prepare, and you''ll have to defend your fortress for an hour and a half."


    He put his hand in the air, staring down all the contestants.


    His arm came down, cutting the air.


    "Go!"


    Rayne, Cedar, and Thea all rushed towards the circle, along with all the other participants.


    "So, which circle should we take?" Thea asked, her braids fluttering behind her.


    Cedar smirked. "Isn''t it obvious? We should aim for the inner circle."


    Rayne objected. "I don''t think we should. It would be best to go for the outer circle; the inner circle will be the smallest, which will mean less room to fight, and the dummies will be divided against more people in the biggest area. The dummies could also close in on the smaller circles from the bigger ones."


    Cedar stared at him for a minute, and Rayne thought he was going to argue with him, but surprisingly, he nodded.


    "Sure, good idea."


    They entered the circle, and while everyone was dashing to the middle, they made their way to the first fortress they saw.


    It was made of logs, with a simple cube structure, and in the middle was a grey rod.


    Thea pulled out her sword, sitting down and taking a rag out of her pocket to clean it while she smiled.


    Cedar wrinkled his nose. "This looks poor."


    Thea looked up for a second. "Probably because it''s only for practice."


    "This is Chaconas. I expected more."


    "It''s still just for practice." She continued to smile.


    "This is still poor."


    "It''s for practice."


    As Thea and Cedar continued to argue, Rayne scouted their surroundings.


    People were beginning to return to the outer circle now, so he assumed that the middle and inner circles'' fortresses were taken.


    He went back to their fortress, where Thea and Cedar were still arguing.


    Hopefully, this wouldn''t be too hard.


    ???


    Eventually, Thea and Cedar had calmed down, and they had come up with a basic plan. Thea and Rayne were to attack, while Cedar would defend the rod. It was simple, but they didn''t need a complicated plan.


    Suddenly, a voice rang through the air.


    "Ten!"


    A countdown. It was time.


    "Nine! Eight!"


    Rayne inhaled and gripped his sword, readying himself.


    "Seven! Six! Five!"


    This was the last test. He had to push through.


    "Four! Three!"


    For his mother, Lux, and the rest of his siblings.


    "Two! One!"


    He would pass this exam.


    "Go!"


    Suddenly, the ground began to shake slightly, and dummies made out of earth came hurling towards them.


    Thea and Rayne began to attack. The dummies didn''t have advanced moves, so it was easy to cut them down. However, their strength lay in their numbers. They didn''t stop coming, continuously launching attacks, not giving either of them the chance to breathe.


    For a split second, Rayne turned his attention back to Cedar, who was watching the area dutifully from the top of the fortress. He seemed to be doing his job.


    The dummies kept coming, but Thea and Rayne easily cut them down, and as soon as Rayne thought that it was beginning to become easy, he saw something in the mass of dummies that shocked him.


    A person.


    The dummies didn''t attack him, as their aim was the fortresses, and the man managed to move through, slipping past Rayne and Thea, who were both dealing with the dummies.


    "CEDAR!" Rayne screamed, and Cedar jumped down, blocking the attacker with his sword, stepping forward and slashing his arm.


    The man fell backwards but managed to stay on his feet. "Damn you! You stupid Chloros! Both you and the Callis rubbish deserve to burn in hell!"


    Suddenly, the grass walls shifted, closing in on the man.


    "What did you say... about the Callis?" Cedar seethed, and the man visibly seemed as if he regretted his decision to attack him.


    "Cedar! Let him go! Focus on defending!"


    Cedar scowled and for a moment, did nothing, but eventually, he released his hold on the walls, as they reverted to their original position.


    The man began to scuttle away, but a plan formed in Rayne''s head.


    "Thea, can you manage without me here?" he asked.


    Thea continued to slash the dummies but managed to look at him. "Sure. But only for a while."


    "Okay. I''ll be back," he told her, making his way through the dummies, trailing the man who had intruded on their fortress.


    It hadn''t occurred to him that they could attack other teams, and now he was even more thankful for their decision to stay in the outer circle. In the inner circle, it would definitely be easier for people to close in on them and steal others'' rods.


    However, he wondered if it was actually worth it to follow this man to take his rod. Taking his rod would put his team out of the game, but how did it benefit them?


    Rayne shook his head.


    He knew there was no benefit.


    He was just angry that this man always insulted his family.


    Eventually, the man made his way to the fortress, and Rayne found that he was right: it was considerably more congested than their circle. The other two people in the team were injured and were barely holding off the dummies.


    Rayne realised that they all were people who had been talking about Cedar and his family, and he came to the conclusion that they knew they weren''t going to be able to protect their rod, so they had decided to take Cedar down with them.


    Their plan was going to fail.


    Rayne managed to make his way through the dummies, dashing towards the fortress and grabbing their rod.


    The man guarding it didn''t notice until it was too late, and his eyes widened. He tried to hit Rayne, but he was too fast.


    As he dashed back through the dummies, a voice rang through the air.


    "DAMN YOU!"


    ???


    After that, the rest of the exam was relatively easy, with the only obstacle being fatigue. Despite that, Thea and Rayne never stopped, continuing until a bell rang throughout the circle, and the dummies returned to earth.


    "Well done to all of you! Please exit the circle now."


    "Woah! That was tiring!" Thea exclaimed, wiping sweat from her forehead.


    "No it wasn''t. You''re just weak," Cedar remarked, walking past them and to the area where everyone was gathering.


    "You could stand to be a little nicer," she complained, a smile still on her face.


    They all made their way to their original lines, where Kael stood in front of them.


    "Congratulations to all of you! Everyone who did not pass has been escorted off the premises, so it''s only our newest recruits here."


    He took a slight moment to process what Kael has just said.


    Newest recruits... He... had passed?


    "We''ll give you all the details tomorrow, after the ceremony; it will only be a small one, seeing as the castle will be exhausted from the ball today... So for now, return to your barracks," Kael said, beginning to walk off as Lady Naya and her family followed him.


    Suddenly Thea approached him, her hands thrown up in the air.


    "Darrion! We did it!" She smiled, and surprisingly, he did too, though only slightly.


    "I did it..."


    ???


    Rayne was stood in a strange fancy room in a uniform.


    It had coloured stained-glass windows and was made of marble. Banners were hung all over the room, adorning an insignia. Finally, at the front were big steps leading to a platform.


    For the ceremony, he was required to stand next to Thea and Cedar, who were arguing about something on their way in. Thankfully, they were quiet now.


    Suddenly, bells sounded, and the ceremony began.


    At some point in the evening, guards had visited the barracks and told them what they were supposed to do in the ceremony.


    They''d be called up in their groups for the final exam, and they''d raise their right hands to take the pledge of allegiance. After that, they''d receive a badge, and finally, they''d stand back in line.


    Rayne decided that it would be easy enough. Nothing would be able to go wrong, right?


    The commander walked down the aisles, in between the lines of new recruits, his many badges jingling. Others followed him in similar attire, just with not as many badges. The only one Rayne recognised other than the commander was Kael. He deduced that they were other important ranks in the guard, such as the vice-commander.


    When they all had lined up in front of them, the commander stepped forward, beginning to speak.


    "Congratulations to all of you. Out of around four hundred contestants, only a hundred of you have passed the exam. We celebrate your achievements, so today let us reward you. When your group is called, please come up to take the pledge of allegiance, and receive your badges."


    The commander began to call names, and the groups came forward, taking the pledge and receiving their badges.


    Eventually, they were called.


    "The last team today, Darrion, Thea Lasko, and Cedar Chloros."


    They climbed the stairs, standing in front of the commander, raising their right hands.


    They all began to speak in perfect unison, like true soldiers.


    "I pledge to serve my country, both with my body and spirit. I will protect the innocent, honour our lands, and obey The Athas."


    Out of the corner of his eye, Rayne caught Cedar mouthing silently, "and Callis."


    The commander attached badges to all of their uniforms, and just when they were about to return to their lines, the commander spoke again.


    "These three recruits have shown exceptional talent during the exam, and were the best out of anyone. For this, I bestow upon them the honour of Arche. I declare these three our Arche recruits!" he declared, staring all three of them down.


    Before Rayne could comprehend what was happening, another badge was being pinned to his uniform. It had the shape of a star, with a sword in the middle.


    He started to panic internally. What was Arche? He didn''t remember studying it, and now he was an Arche recruit?


    After being given the strange badge, they descended down the stairs again, and conversations broke out. Even the high-ranking guards were talking.


    Rayne winced internally. This wasn''t good. He wanted to pass, yes, but to learn what was trapping his family in the palace he needed to be not noticed.


    The commander stood at the top of the stairs, his arms behind his back, his expression stern.


    "Now that you are all official recruits, you will go under training. I trust that you will put your all into it, as you have for the exam. And not only for your training, but for the rest of your time as a guard, I hope you will remember the challenges you have overcome, and find the strength to fight each and every day."


    He looked around before continuing.


    "Now, each new team of recruits will be introduced to their mentor, who will oversee their training."


    Guards approached the groups, and Rayne''s eyes widened when he saw who their mentor was.


    Kael stood in front of them, a big smile on his face.


    "Hello, new recruits, I hope we''ll be able to get along." He stuck out his hand, but only Thea shook it.


    During the whole exam, Rayne had completely forgotten to not stand out, and now he was paying the price for it.


    "Now that you''ve all been acquainted, it is time for the first salute," the commander stated, and they all turned to the front, raising their hands to their heads. As their arms collectively lowered, Rayne made a silent promise to himself.


    He would attract no more attention.


    ???


    After the main part of the ceremony, it had turned into more of a social event, with people chatting amongst themselves and being introduced to the high-ranking guards. Rayne deduced that it must have been lunch by now, so it was time for him to go meet Lux.


    He managed to slip out of the room easily, but he was unfamiliar with the area he was in, and he ended up wandering until he came to a garden.


    "Where am I now?" he mumbled to himself, making his way to a door that he saw in the distance.


    However, just as he arrived at the door, he heard a voice behind him.


    "It''s you... YOU BRAT!" Before Rayne could react, a man lunged at him with a sword.


    And went right through his chest.


    Sharp pain spread through his body, and he staggered, swinging a punch at his attacker, who he realised was the man he had chased from the final exam.


    However, he managed to get away, and Rayne fell to the floor, clutching his chest frantically as he coughed up blood.


    He wheezed, staring up at the top of the door.


    Am I... going to die?


    ???


    Lux hummed a tune and made her way to the garden entrance. Yesterday, when she had returned from the plant room, the ball was already over. She had panicked at first, but calmed herself down by telling herself that she''d have more opportunities. Rayne would undoubtedly be mad, but she would survive.


    She was meeting with Bark now, so she''d have to miss lunch, but she trusted that he had taken care of that.


    As she happily strolled down the corridor, she remembered that now was the time that she was meant to meet with Rayne. However, she was in a good mood, so she told herself that she''d just apologise tomorrow. It was her first break day as well.


    When she turned the corner, however, she saw something that shattered her good mood and left it in pieces on the floor.


    Her older brother, on the ground, clutching his bloody chest.


    She screamed at the top of her lungs, as if the world was ending, and dashed towards her brother, immediately resting his head on her lap.


    She looked closely at his chest, her eyes welling up. It looked like a... stab wound. She watched him and panicked as his face became paler and paler.


    He can''t die... he can''t die...


    Suddenly, she realised that there was only one thing she could do.


    However, her mother''s voice rang through her head.


    "Lux, unless it is absolutely necessary, under no circumstances must you use your magic."


    She shook her head. Surely now was a time when it was absolutely necessary. Her mother wouldn''t want her son to die, and she couldn''t expect Lux to stand by and do nothing.


    She held her hand above his chest, summoning water to heal his wounds.


    For a moment, she doubted herself. What if it doesn''t work...?


    Tears began to fall down her face, but a miracle happened.


    The wound slowly began to close.


    However, there was another problem.


    The wound fully closed, and relieved, she held her brother tighter, but she noticed something.


    Or someone.


    Bark was standing there, staring at her.


    Her eyes widened, and she began to shake visibly.


    "B-b..."


    He had seen her. He knew she had magic.


    They stared at each other for what felt like forever, neither of them moving, as if time had come to a halt.


    "Don''t worry, Kira. I''ll fix this," he said, glancing at her for a second before dashing off.


    She didn''t know what he meant, but he knew she had magic, so it couldn''t be anything that was good.


    Not being able to cope with all that was happening, she began to bawl, tears racing down her face as she screamed, holding her unconscious brother tightly in her arms.


    Had she ruined it all?