《Wings of Silver》


 Chapter One

    Chapter One


    A huddled group of people was fawning over a small baby. ¡°She is adorable! Grey eyes might not hold any power, but they sure are pretty!¡± A woman exclaimed. Her eyes were electric blue, and her hair was a solid black.


    ¡°Her hair looks like yours, Natalie!¡± She said to the older woman next to her.


    ¡°And she has Patrick¡¯s smile,¡± Natalie responded.


    ¡°She looks a lot like you Nora. Minus the eyes.¡±


    The child¡¯s small hands grabbing at the air in front of her. Unbeknownst to the people in the room, there were in fact three spirits floating in front of the child.


    ¡°Are you sure she¡¯s the one?¡± It asked.


    ¡°Yes, I am sure. She is very probable, and her eyes are silver. That means she holds the potential of the ancients. She is definitely the one Adrielle.¡± A different one retorted.


    ¡°Are you sure her eyes aren¡¯t grey? They look very similar and there hasn¡¯t been a child born with silver eyes in years, Nova.¡± The third spirit pointed out.


    Nova responded, ¡°She definitely has silver eyes. Plus, they weren¡¯t ever supposed to die out remember? There is no way they just upped and disappeared like that permanently.¡±


    ¡°I guess we just have to wait and see, now won¡¯t we?


    The child was soon after named Ember, after one of the many great warriors that fought in the great wars. For the first few years, trouble was beside them. Life was simple and easy, but we all know that it was never made to be that way.


    ¡°MOM!!!!!¡± Ember screamed for her mother, her last hope, but that hope, like her mother, was dying fast, painfully slipping out of the young one¡¯s hands. A fire was raging around her small body, the buildings and churches blazing. Her feet were bare, and the ground was burning hot, but she didn¡¯t care.¡°MOM!!! You can¡¯t leave me!!!¡± She wept. Tears running down her face in an endless stream of sorrow. She kneeled next to the motionless body of her mother. ¡°You can¡¯t¡­¡­.¡± She whispered. ¡°You just can¡¯t¡­.¡± she said in between raspy cries.


    Suddenly she realized she wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°Come out, child. We won¡¯t hurt you, We promise.¡±A disgusting creature appeared out of the blurry smoke, then more and more surrounded her. Her eyes bulged in fear, and she began to run. She ran as fast and as far as her short legs would take her, but the beasts still lingered behind her, each with six brutally long legs, and revolting wings arching from their backs. ¡°HAHAHA!!! You think you can run from us?!¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    After running for a few minutes, she began to get tired, but thankfully a huge wall got into view. Two soldiers were stationed on top of the wall. They both saw the silhouette of her tiny figure running, and the many beasts behind her. Shouting ran through the darkness, accompanied by lights. Arrows whistled through the air behind her, screeches of pain followed close behind.


    Ember¡¯s body was pressed against the tall wall, heart racing. A door next to her opened, revealing a woman that grabbed her and pulled her inside. Soon after, there was only silence. Ember let out a breath she had been holding, and slid down to the ground and let the death of both her parents sink in. A tear fell down her cheek, followed by buckets more.


    In the middle, The woman that pulled her in picked the small girl up into her arms, and carried her into a bedroom and laid her down on the bed, running her fingers through her hair. In a few minutes, Ember was asleep, and the woman was gone.


    ¡°How is she doing?¡± The woman asked while pacing in front of a dark wooden door.


    The man answered, ¡°stop asking Nimue. I have already told you she isn¡¯t saying anything. You can go talk to her, but I doubt you¡¯ll get much more than we did, but she is still quite young, maybe four, or five, so be wary of your words. ¡±


    Nimue closed her eyes and slid open the door while opening them again to see Ember sitting on a chair, curled up and rocking herself, her face wet from tears. Her eyes were filled with pain no person, let alone a child should have in their eyes. Her eyes were red with tears and her dress was damp as well. Nimue sat down in front of this sorrowful girl.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± She asked tenderly. A few moments passed in silence.


    ¡°Ember,¡± She whispered.


    ¡°Ember¡¯s a pretty name. How about you tell me what village you come from.¡± Nimue said, a bit more confident.


    ¡°The one that doesn¡¯t¡­. Doesn¡¯t exist anymore.¡± A tear fell from the poor girl''s eyes.


    Nimue went to the door and whispered, ¡°Check the surrounding villages. The one that is destroyed will be the one she comes from.¡±


    ¡°Can I have some water¡± Ember¡¯s voice chirped from behind her. Nimue nodded to the man. He walked away. She went back to her chair.


    ¡°Your parents,¡± she scrambled for words,¡± or, um¡­?¡± Ember looked up for a moment, then looked away again, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Nimue understood.


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a bit blunt. How old are you? We may be able to enrol you in our school.¡± Her eyes went up. Shock and happiness dancing through her eyes. Though she felt no excitement, the need to be solitary overthrew her. She wanted to distract herself from the aching in her heart. ¡°C-c-ca-can I?¡± She gasped. The excitement was dancing through her. ¡°I am four years old, five in October.¡±


    ¡°You just need to promise you will work as hard as you can. Then you can come with me to see the school¡± Nimue said. A smile was gathering on her face due to the succession of distraction from the girl¡¯s sadness. The girl may even be a good new addition to the school. Her optimism would definitely pay for her lack of potential that her grey eyes showed. A smile was gathering on her face too. She guessed it was infectious.

 Chapter Two

    Chapter Two


    Nimue sat on a park bench next to Ember and watched the children play.¡°So what happened?¡± Nimue asked Ember, who just arrived.


    ¡°First, bandits came to invade our village. Luckily, a few soldiers were visiting their families so they fought them off, but not super easy. They were still hurt by them. After that, the monsters came. At least twenty came into our village and ended up killing all the soldiers first. As I ran, I saw¡­. I saw my family being torn apart.¡± Ember shivered. ¡°In the end, only six of the monsters survived but they still managed to destroy everything.¡±


    Nimue noticed that Ember was much more mature than other children her age. Ember acted like she was completely fine, but after an incident like that, Nimue imagined that she would never have a child-like moment for the rest of her life, even if she wanted too. Her childhood ended as soon as the attack started.


    ¡°How about we go to meet your new teacher?¡± Nimue exclaimed, trying to change the subject. Ember¡¯s eyes opened again, with an extravagant sparkle.


    ¡°Can we?!¡±


    Later that day, Ember was sitting on the wall, looking out to the forest. She made herself seem easily distracted by other things, but no matter what she did, she saw her mother''s body motionless on the ground, her brother and sister being torn apart and eaten, and her father¡­¡­.. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She lost everyone. Her neighbours, friends, and even family. She lost everyone she knew. One of the guards walked up to her. ¡°Hey kid, It is dangerous up here. You should get down.¡± She ignored him and sat unmoving for a few seconds. ¡°Hey, kid¡­¡± He put his hand on her shoulder. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, almost making fall down off the wall.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was just lost in thought. I didn¡¯t hear you.¡± she said, helping him up. She started to walk to the stairs leading down.


    ¡°I would recommend coming here past midnight. The guards posted here at night are super nice and lax. Don¡¯t lose your sleep though.¡± The guard called to her.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She called back. She went to the grass park and sat under one of the trees planted there. She began to read, in an attempt to distract herself. People were pointing at her and whispering to the others around them. It looked odd to see such a young child looking so mature. Some children started to play with a ball nearby. ¡°Hey, guys.¡± One of the boys whispered. He pointed to Ember. All the children smiled knowingly. The best thrower in their group aimed and threw their ball. Right then, Ember stood up and walked away, having the ball barely skim her. She picked up the ball and threw it into a tree so that they could not reach it. They glared at her as she walked away. The boy flushed with embarrassment, then quickly turned red with anger. He knew right then that he hated her. Ember was extremely annoyed, but she didn¡¯t show it. Three of the kids were in her class, and she would be stuck with them for the next thirteen years.


    ¡°Eye colours rank our society by power. People with grey eyes foretell no great things and usually become farmers. Brown eyes show a bit of potential, and usually become farmers or guards for minor towns. Grey-blue eyes hold a bit more ability and most of them become good mages.¡± One of the girls seemed happy with that.


    The teacher continued. ¡°Dark green eyes are slightly better with magic powers. The rarest eyes are emerald green, bright purple, and electric blue. All of these have extreme magical potential, all in order from least to greatest. There is one colour of the eye that hasn¡¯t been seen in centuries, but if you do find a person with silver eyes, it is very likely that they will beat you in battle, even without the proper training, as they have the ancient spirits backing them, even though they look very similar to grey eyes.¡± The teacher eyed Ember but quickly looked away.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°The only way to differentiate the two is their magical power. If you face someone with silver eyes in a fight, you will definitely lose. If you are extremely skilled in sword fighting, and they are just magic-based, it that will not just end badly for you, but for the people around you.¡±


    Ember was intrigued by the eye colour¡¯s potential, and she pretended she had silver eyes. Soon after though, she stopped pretending.


    Ember loved her moments alone on the bench, but to the other children, it was something that drew her apart. She loathed her classmates. They hated her because she had grey eyes instead of electric blue, or maybe even an emerald green like all of the others, but that didn¡¯t matter to her. At least she hoped it wouldn¡¯t get to her, but how she longed for eyes that everyone else wouldn¡¯t frown upon.


    Instead of talking to everyone about what she was going to do once she finished school, she would stay in her room and study, hoping to make up for her grey eyes. All the children had dorms, and many had older siblings or cousins they would stay with until they were old enough to stay in the school alone. The only exception was Ember. She had her own room that was closer to the guard towers. It was larger than the other rooms and had access to the outer walls. She had a large desk in the opposite corner of the door, and a bookshelf across from it. The bed was hidden on the same wall as the door in the corner, and the closet was right next to it. Her room was bland and flavourless. She only had what she needed, and she liked it that way.


    Ember was sitting at the desk, with a book open on the dark wood. The book was about magic theory, even though they weren¡¯t supposed to start magic until they were twelve. Ember wanted to show her classmates that eye colour meant nothing if they didn¡¯t try. If she tried as hard as she could, while they were fooling around, she might be able to become the head of the royal guard; Her dream. To be at the top of everything, and to be able to show people her power. She smiled when she thought about it.


    She kept reading, and soon she had completed the book and moved onto the next one; Lost Magics. This one she had to bribe their librarian to give to her if you could call it that at least. She had made a deal with the librarian that if she read the whole book within a week, along with two other books, he would let her keep the book, and give her a different book, Forbidden Magics. From her teacher, she had borrowed some reading glasses that helped her process the information faster. It was a bit harder because she was so young, but the glasses helped.


    ,|?:; She let out a sigh. Her eyes turned to the window, where she saw children running around and laughing. It brought tears to her eyes. She knew that no matter how hard she tried, she wouldn¡¯t ever get the chance to feel that joy again. She knew that she could never feel the joy of the wind on her face, to know the joy of being surrounded by lifelong friends. She would never feel the same. She saw the cruelty of the world. The hate. She looked at her hands. They clenched closed. She closed her eyes to stop the tears from flowing. One tear grazed her hand, and a surge of energy was released. It didn¡¯t seem like a great wizard¡¯s blow, but it did make a small black flame burst from the skin that was struck for a second and then disappear.


    ¡°Did you see that?!¡±


    ¡°Of course I saw it! It was as unmistakable as a flare!¡± The three spirits were watching over her to see what would happen next.


    ¡°That does prove she is a Potential though. If she is also a silver then she will be perfect for a host.¡± Nova said with wonder.


    ¡° We must take care to keep her pure though. You know what happens to most of her kind. Especially when Halo spoke to the first.¡± Adrielle looked towards the third spirit.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. You refused to speak to them and I couldn¡¯t just let them be killed off.¡± Halo said angrily.


    ¡°We also cannot let her see us though. If she gets older with us near her for her whole life, she might be able to see spirits earlier than the others.¡± Nova reasoned, distracting their child-like quarrel.


    Adrielle sighed. ¡°I guess you are right. Just one more thing though. We should watch the headmistress closely. Something about her reeks of malice. We wouldn¡¯t want her to Turn because of a human.¡±


    Midnight came fast. Ember was sitting on the edge of the walls looking out towards the mountains. Below her, she could see a group of foxes playing among the trees and heard the howl of the wolves. She took a deep breath of air, turned around, and walked to one of the watchtowers. As she was walking, she felt something brush against her shoulder but saw nothing there. She shook off the butterflies in her stomach. She wouldn¡¯t let her fear overcome her again. She would prove that she was better than the others; Prove that her weaknesses wouldn¡¯t overcome her and that she could fight a war.

 Chapter Three

    Chapter Three


    She dodged backward, flipping, her hands barely scraping the ground. She landed in a crouch and launched herself towards her opponent. They stepped back to avoid her swords but she ducked and hit their leg with her foot, catching them off balance. They fell backward and hit the floor hard. Her foot was placed on their chest, and her sword angled at their heart. ¡°That is enough!¡± Rang out from the mouth of their instructor. Ember¡¯s foot moved to the ground and her sword was moved to her side and into its sheath as she heaved.


    ¡°Both of you have improved very much these past few years.¡± The instructor said delightedly. ¡°Soon, due to all of your progress, all of you will be going to the praetorian tree.¡± There was a discussion at those words. Everyone was delighted to go to the praetorian tree because it meant they would get their permanent armour and weapons. The closer to the tree, and the higher in the tree you go, the more dangerous it becomes, including more powerful weapons.


    ¡°I am obviously going to the highest.¡± A voice said from a small clump of people in the centre of the room.


    ¡°Of course you are Sorrell. You are the best fighter our year after all.¡± One of the girls said dreamily. Sorrel was the most obnoxious of everyone that was in Ember¡¯s year. She hated him, and could easily beat him if she wanted to, but they would claim she was cheating or get mad at her because she was better than the best, especially she is only a grey.


    She was quite excited to go to the tree though. Many others had weapons and armour their families had given them due to their noble status, but she was forced to borrow a sword from the guards and wore simple leather armour. She would finally get the chance to get a decent set of armour and noteworthy weapons that made her old, rusty ones look like they were from the dumpster ¡°I will let you go early today to prepare for tomorrow. Remember, This is an opportunity not everyone gets, and you only get one, so once you have received your weapons and armour, make sure it is what you want. But do not be overzealous and go too far. After all, It could cost you your life.¡±


    Nimue and Ember sat on the balcony talking over some tea. Nimue started the conversation."The captain offered a temporary space in the guard for you. She wanted you to train with them."


    "She offered me a spot? Why?" Ember asked, taking a sip. She was surprised at the offer. She knew she didn''t have the best record with the guard, though that was only because she went to Pheranomia. They hated the kids that went there because almost all of them neglected the opportunity of going to Pheranomia. They never got that chance, and they, of course, saw her the same, especially with her on the wall every night.


    "The captain saw how well you were doing in class, and when she learned how much of a knack for sword fighting you have, she thought it would be good for you to train with the guard as well." Ember wasn''t sure how she felt about it. It would be an amazing opportunity, but she wasn''t sure it was sincere.


    "Can I decide after tomorrow?" She asked.


    "Of course Ember," Nimue said. For a few more seconds, they sat in silence.


    "Excuse me, I am going to get started on my homework." Ember stood up and went back to her dorm. When she looked in the mirror, she still got excited at her uniform. It was quite simple, a blue jacket, with a white shirt underneath and a blue skirt to match. She let out a breath of air. Tomorrow, she would be wearing her armour instead. It brought a smile to her face.


    The next morning she got up feeling a long missed glow of happiness. She was wearing a simple short angled skirt dress with one long sleeve, and a flourish of silver piping. Over that, she put on a long, dark green jacket with a hood, and tied up like a corset in the front.


    She was sitting on one of two airships that were heading to the praetorian tree. Her cheeks turned pale realizing that it would not be an easy task due to the spirits said to be residing there. They made people mess up on easy tasks without the victim''s knowledge, and some of them cost people''s lives.


    She had grey eyes, and in turn, little connections to the ancients. Sorrell had the greatest connections, due to his heritage and his blue eyes. Though nobody had silver eyes. If they did, they would be able to make the spirits get the armour for them. She smiled at that thought. ¡®Must be great to have silver eyes huh?¡¯ she suddenly felt at ease. She was calm and felt like she had nothing to worry about. She looked around and everyone seemed to be on edge, and at this she was confused. She looked towards the head of the ship and saw a tree.


    It was actually multiple trees, intertwined around a giant, blue crystal. Around that, there were mountains and ruins. The remains of the ancient civilization that used to live here. The tree leaves were a pale orange, and the bark was almost white, though, at closer inspection, it looked silver. The tree was close to floating, the only thing holding it up was large roots digging into the ground. We knew of course, that they were hollow, and we would have to travel underground to enter them, to get into the tree itself. They also weren¡¯t actually roots, but tunnels left by the ancients to enter the tree.


    ¡°All of you must feel uncomfortable right now. That is the influence of the ancients, and it is completely normal. Everyone gets affected.¡± Ember tensed up at the last part, thinking there was something wrong. ¡°Don¡¯t stress out if you feel uncomfortable, just calm down. You will become used to it. We will soon be going into the tunnels, and from there, you will be able to receive your weapon.¡± At those words, the ship went down, and a plank was let down so everyone could get off. Ember was the first to walk down to the ground. Her classmates followed, and the supervisors were last. A few were giving her spiteful glares due to them being nobles, and thinking she didn''t deserve to go to Pheranomia. All of them chose one of the tunnels and began walking down.


    They soon split up in many of the branching tunnels, and only three left to go down the centre. Ember was first of them, cutting down her share of monsters, and bypassing all the sets of armour and weapons. As soon she reached the root, and the ledges leading up the root. She jumped up to the highest one she could, and began climbing. The others were lagging behind, having the spirits to deal with as well. She was soon in one of two trunks in the tree.  There were many monsters in her way, but she mostly ignored them, as they were not the target. This trunk looked much like a library, with many floors and ladder to each individual one. The only difference was that instead of books, you would find monsters and weapons. Ember stood and Marveled the beautiful patterns around the room in the bookshelves and even the floor.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    She went to the nearest ladder and began to climb to the top of the towering armoury. Some of the creatures would grab the weapons off the shelves, and brandish them at her, but she mostly just laughed and continued. After all, most of the creatures were smaller than the weapon itself, as they were tiny foxes and chipmunk creatures. She did know that they were quite dangerous though. Soon she found herself at the top, after climbing numerous amounts of stairs and ladders alike, and saw a giant, blue door. It seemed to be made from the same material as the crystal in the centre of the tree. It was an open room, and many other pathways were available, but her curiosity overcame her. She moved towards it and touched the crystal, as she did this, an explosion of mana was pushed into her hand, but it only calmed down her excitement and filled it with disappointment. It suddenly stopped, and then she looked at her arm.


    She took off the jacket she was wearing to see in full view the image peeking out from underneath. There was a tattoo of a dragon snaking around from her wrist to her shoulder. She touched the door again, and the same symbol appeared on the door, and it opened. Sleeping there, was a dragon. Dragons were mythical creatures and had only been told of in the stories. Suddenly, her legs gave in, and she collapsed to the floor, too little energy to stay awake. The last thing she saw was the door closing behind her.


    Nova was circling around the dragon and suddenly stopped in front of its face. ¡°What?¡± The dragon asked, opening its one of its eyes.


    ¡°Why are you here Selan?¡± Nova asked the dragon.


    ¡°I am here because I want to be. Is that a problem?¡± He asked. Nova sighed. Selan looked towards Halo.


    ¡°What happened to her?¡± He asked obliviously. To this, Halo pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.


    ¡°Your door is broken,¡± Adrielle explained.


    ¡°Oh. I should fix that.¡± He stood up and walked towards the girl lying in front of the door.


    ¡°DON¡¯T WAKE HER UP YET!!!!¡± All three spirits shouted in unison.


    ¡°Why not?¡± He asked them.


    ¡°She thinks she is a grey. She doesn¡¯t know about us yet.¡± Halo explained.


    ¡°Well, that is stupid. Why didn¡¯t someone tell her?¡± He asked.


    Nova let out a sigh. ¡°They either don¡¯t know or want to hide it from her for some reason.¡±


    Selan looked towards the girl, and back towards the spirits. ¡°War?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± they said in unison.


    Ember woke up, feeling a hard snout against her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, a bright orange eye was staring back. She crossed her arms. ¡°What are you looking at, ya scaly drake??¡± She said, narrowing her eyes.


    ¡°Hoping I could scare you. Darn it. Stupid drakes. Always been dragon rip-offs.¡± he muttered. She sat up. The dragon was a dark purple, almost black. It had two sets of horns, the one on top was long and angled down all the way till the end, where it curved up slightly. The second pair was longer, and it started underneath the first pair. From there, it twisted around it all the way to the end where it came to a spiral that seemed sharp enough to cut. Its wings were normal at first glance, but underneath, it had a pattern that looked like stars.


    Ember stood up and walked towards him. I think your door is a little broken by the way.¡± She said, pointing towards the door.


    ¡°I know.¡± He said seeming embarrassed. ¡°Well if you would like, I can help you get the rest of your stuff.¡± He offered. Ember was surprised.


    ¡°First, what do you mean rest, second, I can get it myself.¡± The dragon laughed.


    ¡°Well, now that you have found me, I am your dragon.¡± He said, giving her a watch. ¡°And second, I was just offering. No need to be insulted!¡± Ember put on the watch. When she tapped the face, it looked like there was a cut in space. A rift. ¡°If you ever need my help, just tap the face like that, and I will be able to come through.¡± He seemed happy at the prospect of helping her.


    ¡°Tha¡­ thank you!!¡± She stuttered, confused at why he wanted to suddenly help her.


    ¡°Now come with me. I will give you access to the next area, where you will be able to get your weapons and armour. He walked into the back wall, and as soon as he touched it with his claw, it rippled and faded, opening up into a massive room. Suddenly, all the light was sucked away, and Selan was gone. All she saw was a horrifying and deformed monster.  It had shallow, small black eyes, and it had five legs, each one from a different creature. It seemed to have blood dripping from its neck. It smiled, but instead of lips, it had a rip at the bottom of its face. Its mouth was open, a pure black surface inside. The teeth were a dark red, and so was the dripping saliva that spilled out from the corners of its mouth.


    ¡°Are you trying to scare me?¡± Ember asked. She crossed her arms, unimpressed. It laughed. It sounded like a nail to a chalkboard. The scene lit up, and the demon was gone. She saw the town. Her town. She was confused and scared. A flash and she saw the monsters once again. Not even worth being called animals. Fires were burning, and she heard a voice through the screaming. ¡°MOM!!!!!!!!¡± Rang out through the ash; Her voice. Her eyes went wide as she made her way to where she remembered her home to be. She saw herself. Herself crying over her mother''s body. She was a scared little girl, that didn''t know what to do.


    She heard growling, and she snapped out of her pain. She saw a monster approaching her younger, more vulnerable self. When it lunged, Ember spun underneath it and stabbed it in the heart. A howl from the beast summoned more to the scene. She looked back at the girl and didn''t see herself anymore. She saw a scared child, that died that night. She saw lives that could have been saved. Something clicked inside her brain. ¡®the smoke went for a few hours. They could have made it in time. The trees aren''t tall enough for it to be invisible to Pheranomia. After the bandit attack, we sent hunters to ask for help against any more bandits, but they never came back.¡¯


    A monster lunged at her, and right before it touched her, it turned to ash. She saw a blue, open room now, with a table. This table had a necklace, a kind of rose pendant, a bow, and two sheaths with swords in them. ¡°Congratulations. You faced your biggest fear, and opened your eyes to the truth of your biggest lie.¡± Selan said sarcastically from behind her.


    ¡° I didn''t realize they would be one and the same,¡± Ember said, crestfallen.


    ¡°Sometimes It happens that you are scared of knowing the truth. I was a very long time ago.¡± Selan reassured Ember. She looked up again and moved towards the table. She put on the necklace and grabbed the other weapons. Then she picked up the last pendant and closed her hand around it. She brought her hand to her chest, and suddenly a metal choker formed around it, and a corset around her body. Metal and scale arm bracers appeared on her arms, the arm with the dragon going higher and covering it.


    A skirt with a length of cloth going down the side, the skirt being an angle, making the illusion that it was bundled to make it shorter, on her legs metal plates to protect them. When she looked closer at the skirt, she noticed they were embroidered with tiny dragon scales. When she brought her hand to her ear, she noticed a metal ring around the whole ear, and on the other side, there was a flame clip holding her hair out of her face. She touched the pendant again, and the armour disappeared, her old outfit returned. She then looked at the necklace and asked herself what it was, and a notification popped up right above it.


    Storage Necklace. Holds 1000 items. Used slots- 3/1000


    She willed her bow, which was still strapped across her back, and the swords, which were at her sides, into the necklace. Then she put the pendant in the necklace and looked almost exactly the same as before. Only additions were the watch and the necklace. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She said, tapping the watch. Selan then walked through the rift created, and once he was through, she tapped her watch again, closing the rift. She then left for the base of the tree, only looking back to where her past self stood.

 Chapter Four

    Chapter Four


    Ember was the last one to get back to the starting point. She came with nothing in her hands and no armour in sight. The others began to laugh. She spent all that time out there, and to come back with nothing? They never paid attention to her, so they didn¡¯t notice the new accessories she picked up. Of course, the adults did. They knew the only reason someone would come back with nothing is that they had found something. A valuable something. They were terrified because the last time someone came out like that was¡­. Was the last potential, and she turned dark. They were worried, they knew what game Nimue was trying to play, and if she was a potential, this could turn out worse than the last war.


    Ember moved through the crowd and went onto one of the ships. She sat down at the table, and summoned three daggers from the necklace, looking them over. Each of them had various enchantments on them, including poison, and paralysis. One was also a curse, a power that made anyone that got hit by it take excessive amounts of internal damage for a long period of time. Not many survived, especially since it was increasingly distracting while fighting a foe since you could feel it affect your mind as well. Ember was quite satisfied with what she had found and decided to practice a bit after.


    Ember was in the training area, with her bow and swords. She had convinced her teacher to spar with her, to get a test of her weapons. She didn¡¯t have her armour since she decided not to reveal it quite yet. In her bout, she realized that the swords had a little trick to them as well. If she pushed them together, they would form a greatsword, that was heavy but had quite a punch to it. She would often at the beginning of a fight start with a greatsword and then split them. When she got distance, she would use her bow and daggers. The daggers would always miss, but they did have another effect. Every surface they hit would become infected, and if you walked into it, your feet would sink. This worked in her favour because she could surround her teacher with those spots, and use her bow after. Within a few hours, their match was done, and Ember barely won. They were both breathing hard, but Ember was happy with her results.


    When she got back to her room, she passed her mirror and paused to look at the dragon, now painted across her arm. When she focused and put mana into it, It would begin to move up and down her arm, changing colours. She decided that if she weren¡¯t to wear her armour, she must always wear her jacket, since it was on the same arm that didn¡¯t have a sleeve, and no one knew about the markings yet. She decided not to tell anyone, especially not after what she figured out. She didn''t know if she could trust anyone for now.


    "We are going to start your first hunt today. Each of you has a lead and will be catching an animal to ride on future hunts. You will be given a bag full of different foods for the creature you will tame, and if there is not a food to match up with your rider, and it is not tamed, you will be told to let it go and choose a new pet. Is all of this clear?" An expert had come to their school to help them tame an animal to ride to the locations of the hunt. Ember would be able to stay behind because she had hers already, but she didn¡¯t want to reveal that quite yet. She would wait until everyone had one of their own. One of the tamer''s apprentices was giving everyone a bag for the food, and as soon as they got it, they took off into the trees.


    Ember was one of the first to leave and quickly left for the cliff inside the forest. She was jumping from tree to tree, to ensure that she did not disturb any of the creatures of the forest. She soon reached the cliff, overlooking the sea, with a large island near the beach a few miles away. On the island was damp ruins. There used to be a town on the island, but a few months ago, a leviathan attacked the village, and they were forced to evacuate, and the bridge to the island was destroyed, causing many people to die. It reminded her of her town, but a place that can be restored, and saved from complete destruction.


    She began to get up when she heard laughter behind her. Her finger brushed against her watch, then she summoned her swords from her necklace. As she turned around, the rift opened, and Nadred stepped out. They stood facing Sorrell and two other students. They stood the wide-eyed, as Ember reopened Nadred¡¯s rift, and he walked back, them making eye contact. Ember nodded. She turned back to her classmates and pulled up her hood, and at the same time put her swords back into her necklace. She walked past her classmates, bumping against Sorrell¡¯s shoulder. He grabbed her shoulder. ¡°Where did you get that one Ember? Or did you just get that from your mommy?¡± He snickered. The others began to laugh.


    ¡°I got him myself. It was my talent and abilities that got me him. Oh wait, you don¡¯t know what that is, because your parents practically bought it for you.¡± She said, facing them. Her arms were crossed and she heard a twig snap behind her. Each of their animals was surrounding her. She smiled at their growling. Two black wolves, and a Fae tiger. Nothing scary. She turned on her heel and took one step, when all three animals pounced, and fell to the ground, as she flickered out of existence and appeared among the trees. She was facing towards them, her arms crossed. Then she turned on her heel and walked towards the camp, her classmates noticing only at the last second as she disappeared into the trees.


    The clearing where they had begun was full of beasts magical and non-magical alike. Many of the creatures were wolves or horses, though there were a few magical ones and a Fae tiger that belonged to Sorrel. Everyone was bragging to one another about how amazing their creature was, all except for Ember. She was under a tree, reading a book.


    ¡°Now now, everyone settle down!¡± Came from their instructor. ¡°I understand all of you are excited to finally have your hunting animals, but you must not get carried away. Before we head back to Nabarmena, each of you will be giving your animals a collar. Your collar will link the animal to a bracelet you will be given so that they will not leave your side, and will stay with you till death. Now, everyone line up!¡± Each person was given a leather collar to put on their animal. The only person to not stand up was Ember. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Where is your animal Ember? It is required, and if you returned without one, you will be punished, and you will struggle in other hunts.¡± The instructor said annoyed. Ember looked up from her book, annoyed herself. She tapped her watch, and everyone turned to the tear that seemed to appear next to her. Nadred stepped out, growling. She put her hand out and scratched behind his horns. He looked towards her and sent a message directly to her mind. ¡®Are you sure you don¡¯t want me to bite one?¡¯ He asked.


    ¡®Yes,¡¯ She responded. Everyone looked at her traumatized and surprised. ¡°I don¡¯t think that is necessary. After all, I already have mine.¡± She said annoyed. She Jumped onto Nadred¡¯s back ¡°I¡¯ll meet you back at the school.¡± She said coldly, glaring at her classmates. Nadred took off into the sky, and they flew off.


    Minutes before the class broke through the treeline, Nadred landed on the ground. ¡°They are jerks. I see why you hate them. Though luckily you don¡¯t have to endure all your classes with them. Won¡¯t you be doing magic with the Ninth years? You will also be doing sparring with the guard. Neither of those you have to do with idiots.¡± He said.


    ¡°True, Though I still have to deal with them in my other classes too. I will also have to deal with them when we go to visit the light kingdom. Luckily only the three of them, but they are the ones that are incompetent in everything except for sparring, and also have powerful family members.¡± Ember spat.


    ¡°Ooh! You guys are going to the light kingdom? You will be able to apply to a guild then. They will hold a position for you now, and then you will have a higher chance of getting in at the tournament.¡± Nadred said slyly.


    ¡°That is surprisingly a really good idea.¡± Ember sarcastically said.


    ¡°Jerk.¡± He whispered as Ember opened his rift as the main gate opened for her. She walked through and the first of her classmates entered the clearing. Them seeing her back as she walked, the gates closing behind her.


    Ember was walking to the guard¡¯s barracks for her first training course with the new guards coming in from the west and the Light Kingdom. She opened the door to the barracks, and there were ten people, that didn¡¯t look much older than herself. Many were sparring or chatting amongst themselves. She heard the door open behind her once again, and she saw the captain of the guard walk through. ¡°It is good to see you joined us today Ember.¡± She said cheerfully.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to be here.¡± She responded, smiling. Her arm brushed her leg, activating an enchantment that gave her the ability to sense everything around her. She finally had a reason to try it out, to make sure it worked.


    ¡°Listen up everyone. We are going to have a few matches between each other to see what level everyone is at, and then we can work from there.¡± Everyone nodded in unison and began to strap on their armour. Ember decided to stand in a corner where no one could see her well. Not like anyone was paying attention to her anyway. She summoned her armour pendant and put it to her chest. Soon her black armour appeared on her, and she disappeared into the shadows, only a few glints of silver visible to suggest anything was there.


    She then closed her eyes and waited. Soon after, she felt something floating above her, and her eyes flashed open, but she saw nothing there. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, not knowing what she had sensed there. She shook it off and steadied her breathing. Then she looked up as the captain began to speak. ¡°If everyone is ready, I believe we can begin pairing everyone up.¡± She looked to Ember, and she nodded in response. ¡°Ember will be with Lydia, Coren is with Kaydie¡­.¡± This went on for the next few minutes as the captain paired everyone up.


    Ember¡¯s partner, Lydia, began to walk to the wall at the other side of the room, and Ember lined up with her on her side. She forced her swords into her hands through the necklace as her partner picked up her own. ¡°3¡­..2¡­..1¡­.. GO!!!!!!¡± Rang out from the crowd. Both girl¡¯s legs pushed off the ground as they launched themselves at each other. There was a brief moment when Ember was in the air but pushed her weight down into a roll as she pivoted and slashed at Lydia¡¯s back. It barely grazed her side as she tried to dodge the attack, but Ember used her momentum from the attack and she used her leg to trip her opponent and stopped in a crouch.


    Then, using her weight and momentum, Lydia pushed herself back up to a standing position as Ember rose. ¡°Your better than I thought you would be,¡± Lydia said, her green eyes boring into Ember¡¯s.


    Ember responded, ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t underestimate your opponents because of what they look like¡±


    ¡°Go Ember!!!!!¡± The three spirits were cheering on Ember from the side.


    ¡°That Lydia isn¡¯t half bad,¡± Adrielle said.


    ¡°Seriously? She is nothing. Look at Ember''s eyes. She is testing her, to try to push her limit.¡± Nova responded.


    ¡°If that is true, she really is as good as we thought she was. Though we have to start becoming careful. She did sense us earlier. Hopefully, we will be able to hold out for a little while longer. I still think it might be a bit dangerous to speak to her right now.¡± Halo worried.


    ¡°If we do have to speak to her, I will be the one to do it first. It might be dangerous otherwise.¡± Nova said


    ¡°I agree. We don¡¯t want it to be repeated after all.¡± Adrielle said, soon after realizing the battle was over. It seemed that Ember had won the battle, and was walking back to the edge of the room, and out of the way. The next two fighters were now lined up across from each other, and Ember was watching them as well, to know what she might have to fight against in future training sessions.

 Chapter Five

    Chapter Five


    In a few hours, the fighting was over, and everyone had left, all except Ember, who stayed behind to speak with the captain. ¡°So you should be starting actual magic classes soon correct?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes, though I do know quite a bit of magic already,¡± Ember responded.


    ¡°Well, I will speak to some of the magic teachers to move you up to a higher level magic class, maybe even with the soldier, as they will be taking magic classes as well. Most of them did not get the chance to learn any.¡± She kindly offered.


    ¡°Thank you. It would help greatly in my fighting.¡± Ember said, Smiling. She nodded her head, and waved goodbye, walking out of the building.


    ¡°Oh look who it is,¡± Sorrel called out from a few meters away. ¡°Our little Ember who thinks she is so cool because she is training with the guard. Well, it just proves that they think you need more practice with fighting.¡± He mocked. Ember rolled her eyes. She already knew that she wouldn¡¯t actually be getting extra practice because the guard training was right when their sparring class happened. Also, with her magic, they would replace it with the advanced magic as well. She let out a sigh, smiling at that thought for a moment.


    A short while later, she walked towards her room, thinking to study a few more of her magic books. She would have to visit the library again for more, but she always dreaded those trips since the current librarian hated her. The reason was that she kept taking the advanced books. The former librarian loved her because of her advanced abilities in magic, though he had gotten an offer in the main kingdom¡¯s library. She did miss him quite a bit, though she could manage with postponing her magic book replacement until the last second.


    When she sat down at her desk, she opened up one of her books and began to read, and had her palm faced up next to her, practising some of the elemental magic in her hand. It was peaceful for the first few minutes, though soon after, she felt a rumble in the ground and yelling. It was muffled, but she made out the words, ¡°Drake attack!!!¡± Through the roaring. She rushed outside and then towards the front gate, where the drake had appeared. She saw the drake clearly, as it was much larger than most, with its dark red scales, and beady black eyes.


    It roared once again, and Ember activated a teleportation spell, and teleported to the bridge above the gate, blocking its tail that came down with her sword, her arms straining against the weight of it. Soon, she pushed it up and off of her and it slashed the drake, but the blow barely fazed it. Her armour was soon on her body, and she hurled herself into the air using air magic to launch herself onto the drake. Soon after, her two swords were digging into the flesh of the beast. It whelped, trying to shake her off, but it failed, her swords cut deep in the flesh.


    She then swung herself up onto the back of the monster, and pulled her swords out of its side, making a deafening scream, that made the pain apparent. Its attention was now focused on her, making it easier for the others to thrust magical blows onto the monster. She then ran up to its head and then grabbed onto its horn, and jumped off the edge, swinging her weight towards its neck as the horn broke, then deeply plummeted her swords into the drake¡¯s chest, and burst its lungs, bringing out a gurgling yell. Her weight swung to the side, and the drake went with it, now lying on the ground. It was barely alive, and Ember got up to stab the mighty monster in the heart, ending its misery.


    Ember was breathing heavily, but felt at peace, being able to let some of her energy out. She then replaced her swords in her necklace, as well as her armour, and stretched her arms up. When she turned to walk back, a few of the guards surrounded her to welcome her victory. They were impressed with her skills, but Ember wasn¡¯t really paying attention, hoping she would be able to get back to her magic. She did feel a lot better though, being able to freely use her magic in a true fight. She almost wished her parents were there to see her.


    ¡°I must get back to my studies,¡± Ember said after they had all finished talking. As she walked away, she heard thank you¡¯s coming from behind her. She was slightly disturbed by her sudden thoughts of her parents. She hadn¡¯t thought of them in a very long time and regretted it profoundly.


    Once she got back to her room, she decided to open her closet and took out an old picture. Some of the guards had brought it back from the ruins of her village when she was younger. It was of her sister, brother, and parents, along with her in the middle. It was taken right before the attack. She was smiling, with no idea how much would be taken away from her. She looked at her desk and opened a drawer. Inside was a few picture frames that she had never used. She picked one and put the picture inside, then put the picture on her desk. She put her hands on the surface of the desk to stop their shaking.


    What happened, happened, and she wasn¡¯t going to back to those memories now. Her fists clenched, and she decided to leave her room to take a walk to clear her head.


    She was leaning on the railing on the outer wall of Nabarmena, breathing in the cool, fresh air, her eyes shimmering in the dark. She opened her hand, and a tear fell into the centre of it, a black flare coming from it. She had seen this many times and always made sure no one ever perceived it. When she first saw it a few years ago, she decided to research it, and found out that they were what many people used to call potentials, the only people able to match a silver in a fight, though the first silver potential went mad, corrupted by power, and destroyed cities, but when they decided to challenge the dragons, they were destroyed. No one speaks of the potentials, in fear that another will rise again, and do the same exact thing, and possibly even beat the dragons one day. She became scared and didn¡¯t look into it further.


    She heard footsteps behind her and turned towards the noise. A few guards were just patrolling. They noticed her and walked towards her. ¡°You were the one to take out the drake, right? Thanks for that. I don¡¯t think It would¡¯ve been so fast otherwise. We might¡¯ve also had to rebuild the wall again too. It was really appreciated.¡± One said.


    Ember replied, ¡°I had to. I couldn¡¯t study, and it was good practice too. I won¡¯t get much practice fighting actual monsters until next year anyway.¡± The guards chuckled and walked away while waving to her. Ember smiled to herself and turned back to the forest in front of her, enjoying the peace until it became dark. She then decided to go back to her room to get some sleep. On the way, she sensed something near her once again but found nothing there. From there, she walked a bit faster to her room.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    A few weeks after that night, she was in the courtyard outside Nabarmena with her classmates. Nimue was standing on a small platform so everyone could see her. ¡°Soon the new year will begin in the light kingdom. Our allied school, Tirith, will be hosting four of you to learn about their culture and their fighting styles. Today, you will all be excused from your classes, and instead, we will be hosting a tournament. We will have pairs fight each other, the loser will be out of the tournament. The winner fighting the next person. The last four people will be able to go to Tirith for the year.¡± Nimue announced. Everyone was excited.


    The Light Kingdom was their neighbouring kingdom to the East, the Forbidden Kingdom to the North, and the Last Kingdom in the opposite corner is the Torian Kingdom. Their ally is the Light Kingdom, though they are at general peace with the other kingdoms, as the Forbidden Kingdom is ruled by the Dragons, Griffons, and Phoenixes after their war long ago, though their wishes to be left alone have been respected not just because of fear, but also because they are the reason Nephiadroma exists at all, because they pushed all the continents together in that war. Ember snapped back to attention as Nimue began to speak once again. ¡°You do have permission to not take part if you do not wish to leave the star kingdom, after all, you will not receive the option to visit your family.¡± She looked at Ember. At that, five people stepped away, knowing they would not be willing to do that. ¡°I believe we can now begin.¡±


    Ember¡¯s fights were fast and uneventful. She defeated everyone with ease, and she was now in the last 8, all of them being paired up for their last battle. Ember stood in front of her final opponent, him tired, herself unfazed. She heard a go from the crowd, but only barely, as her opponent shot at her. She stood unmoving until the last second when she sidestepped his attack. He dove into a role, scowling at her. He then dashed at her again, but this time, Ember summoned her sword, and blocked the attack, pushing his sword away, and then she slashed back at his stomach, making him stumble to try to avoid her attack. He tripped and ended up on the ground, her sword at his throat. He was supposed to be the second-best sword fighter in their year, and what had happened. She grunted. She was not impressed, though it did mean she might get a challenge in the Light Kingdom, after all, she would be going.


    Ember was sitting on the train to Tirith, but she wasn¡¯t exactly happy with who was coming with her. They had potential and were decent, but they were the most annoying three people at Nabarmena. Sorrel, Tori, and Phaelet. Phaelet was known to like Sorrel, and of course, Tori was her best friend so she was always by her side. The three were all talking amongst themselves while Ember was sitting by a window, looking to the fields passing by. She let out a sigh and looked forward, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Sorrel was walking towards her. Instead of looking at him, she decided to read her book instead. ¡°Wow. You must have really gotten lucky to be able to make it onto the train Ember. Or maybe he was blackmailed into going easy on you. I wouldn¡¯t put it beneath you.¡± He sneered.


    ¡°You are just a lowlife that doesn¡¯t even have a real family anymore,¡± Phaelet remarked. That made Ember snap. Her book closed and she rose to look at them, her hand behind her back.


    ¡°What? You got a problem with us?¡± Tori taunted. Her three daggers were now in her hand. Ember let her air magic carry them up, and to their throats. ¡°It would be quite sad if a great beast suddenly attacked the train, and everyone aboard suddenly died due to the impact, me being, once again, the only survivor. Wouldn¡¯t it?¡± She proposed. Her smile scaring them.


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Phaelet grumbled, trying hard not to stutter. The three walked away, trying not to show the deep fear they truly have of her. Ember sat back down and continued to read. This trip wouldn¡¯t be as bad as she thought.


    ¡°It is a pleasure to have all of you here today!¡± The headmaster boomed. He was a large and portly man with purple eyes.


    Ember stepped forward, making sure that none of the others could answer. ¡°The pleasure is ours. My name is Ember and they are Sorrel, Tori, and Phaelet.¡± Ember said, smiling.


    ¡°I shall take you to the 7th year class. They should be getting ready for sparring at the moment.¡± He thundered. He walked back through the door to his office, and the four followed. They soon reached a large room, with mats and weapon racks everywhere. On the opposite side of the room, there were approximately twenty students lined up. They were all in a uniform, that was a pure white, and a dazzling ruby red. The style was much like their own old one, though they do not need to wear it anymore.


    Everyone in the class seemed excited to have four students from another kingdom coming. ¡°Welcome students! It is good that you have come from the Star Kingdom to come and see us today. My name is Elizabeth Fernow. Before we start our class, I would like one of you to fight against one of our students so we can figure out your general capabilities.¡±The instructor said. She looked at one of the students, and the student walked forward, and in turn, so did Ember. Both girls put their hand to their chest, making armour gather around them. Both smiled. ¡°My name is Fiorei.¡± The girl revealed.


    ¡°And I am Ember.¡± She said. Fiorei picked up two swords from the ground, but Ember did not move to summon hers. ¡°GO!!!!!¡± The instructor yelled. Both girls risked leaping at each other, Fiorei slashing with her swords, but Ember dodged, her knife in her hand, and going into the girl¡¯s leg. Fiorei yelped in pain, and pulled out the knife, making it clatter to the ground.


    Ember now had the other two knives in hand, throwing both of them to either end of the arena, confining their space even more. She then summoned her swords, ready to strike. Fiorei had realized she underestimated her opponent, feeling the cold pain running through her body. She then used a spell to get rid of the paralytic poison in her system and keeping her nerves alive. While she was doing that, Ember pushed off of the ground and launched herself at her opponent. She turned midair, using her momentum to smash her swords to the ground, aiming at her legs. Fiorei dove out of the way, standing up a second later.


    Ember moved back to the place she was earlier, staying low to the ground, but made sure she was not vulnerable. Fiorei now launched herself forward. Pushing her feet towards Ember''s chest. Ember wasn¡¯t fast enough, and fell to the ground, Fiorei landing next to her. Ember put her hands next to the girls two feet, and summoned her bow, pulling it towards her to trip the girl. She then swung herself up as she was falling, put her foot on her chest, and aimed her sword at Fiorei¡¯s chest. ¡°Ember wins!!!!¡± Elizabeth announced. Ember put her swords back in her necklace and moved her foot from Fiorei¡¯s chest. She then offered her hand to her former opponent, smiling. Fiorei took Ember¡¯s hand and began to silently laugh. They now stood next to each other, Elizabeth smiling at them. ¡°If you have time after your classes, I would like to speak with both of you,¡± she said.


    The felt a pulse through the earth, and everyone moved to grab their belongings. Both girls looked at each other and smiled, tapping the pendants that decorated their chests, their original clothing returning to their bodies. ¡°Lead the way. I have no idea where I am going.¡± Ember confessed with a smile.


    ¡°Well we can¡¯t have that now can we?¡± Fiorei laughed. The pair walked to rejoin the group, leaving behind the other three. Annoyed, they followed them down the halls to their next classroom. Ember, for the first time in her life, felt like she fit in. Like she was normal. The only thing nagging at her mind was the figures she always sensed following her. Suspecting there might be more than what she might think.

 Chapter Six

    Chapter Six


    Fiorei and ember were sitting on their animals, Ember a small, black dragon, Fiorei a red drake. They were listening to their instructor for their first official hunt. Nabarmena had been notified about a few bandits in the area, and they were using them to try to attempt to take over their camp by killing as little of them as possible. They all split up to find the camp and were given flares to signal when they found it, using a rune making it almost invisible except for if you had the rune painted on you. Ember decided to go north, to one of the mountains. Near her, she heard rustling and drew her bow in an instant. From the bush, emerged a harmless bunny, and she put away her bow.


    As she kept walking, she heard talking coming in the direction ahead of her. She walked behind a tree, and peered from behind it and saw bandits by the base of the mountain talking to each other. Behind them, she saw a path going up to the summit, and presumably their camp. She then drew her bow as Nadred snuck around the trees to get behind them. As her arrow flew, Nadred pounced on the other bandit. The arrow bolted out of her bow and hit the man in his leg, making him scream out in pain. She then switched out her bow for her swords and attacked. He didn¡¯t put up much of a fight, but Ember did receive a few beatings. She had him on the ground and bashed him on the head with the hilt of her sword to knock him out.


    She then turned to Nadred but noticed that the man had a horn to his mouth. ¡°NO!!!!¡± She screamed. But it was too late. Soon enough, ten more people had come into the clearing, surrounding them entirely. Nadred roared as both of them lunged towards their enemies. Ember let her instincts take over in her attempt to take out her foes. Next to her, Nadred reared up, swiping bandits with his tail, and clawing at them with his talons, but then Ember heard the sound of a sword cutting deeply through soft flesh. Her head turned to see Nadred¡¯s lifeless body in a pool of blood that still flowed out of the dragon. Her eyes went wide with fear and anger. Time seemed to freeze the image of the demon from the tree flashed into her sight,  a small shard of the memory that haunted her, and then the village came to life in her mind, then grew into a vision.


    ¡°Mom! Look at me!! I can do a cartwheel!!!¡± She giggled with a beaming smile plastered on her face. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Good job Ember!¡± Her mother exclaimed. ¡°You are so talented!¡± Ember¡¯s smile grew even larger. Suddenly, they heard screams in terror. ¡°MONSTERS!!!!!!!¡±


    Ember¡¯s father came out. ¡°We have to leave.¡± He said urgently.¡±We should leave for Nabarmena.¡±


    Ember at the time was confused. ¡°It isn¡¯t time for school though¡­¡± She said, tilting her head at her parents. A fire began to emerge into view on the other side of town.


    ¡°Get everything important. Herlot and Amere are on the other side of town already, we can pick them up on the way.¡± Her father ordered. He picked up Ember and put her on his hip. She was clinging to him, never wanting to let go. Her mother ran out of their home carrying a backpack, and they then ran to the west side of the village, but they were stopped by a group of monsters. Her father then put down Ember and said, ¡°I will distract them. Get away from here, and head for Nabarmena.¡±


    They then ran from the horrifying monsters and her father being torn to shreds. They soon reached the square where her brother and sister were meant to be. All they found were monsters tearing them limb from limb. Ember now began to realize that she was in danger. She then began to run, her mother beginning to fall behind. She ran past so many streets, seeing monsters being slain, and humans being eaten alive. She then heard the high pitched scream of her mother coming from behind her. Her chest was open, her heart missing. Magic was used to get rid of her heart. ¡°MOM!!!!!


    The memory faded, and time began again. A strong pulse of magic was pushed out from her. Her eyes glowing. She sensed the figures behind her once again, but this time, they did not disappear. They stayed with her. Against these foes, her sword became one with her body, twirling and dodging through the numerous attacks. Her mind was full of anger and soon she found every enemy lying on the ground, dead. She sunk to her knees and cried. She couldn¡¯t find any joy inside her soul to make her happy. She cried until she had no tears left, as she felt the pain of losing her first friend in over eight years.


    After a few minutes, she stood up and travelled up the mountain. She thought about shooting her flare, but she was too angry to think straight. She walked up that mountain and took over the bandit camp. The only difference is that no blood was shed. None other than the cuts that riddled her body. She then shot the flare and left. She left that place behind, angry, and hurt. She wouldn¡¯t recover, her pain cutting too deep. The hate burning too brightly in her soul.

 Chapter Seven

    Chapter Seven


    Ifera sat down on her bed. She then let out a deep breath and said, ¡°I know you are there. Don¡¯t hide anymore, I already know how long you¡¯ve been here.¡± She looked to the window.


    Surely enough, in front of it, was a blue shimmer. ¡°It took you a while to figure out what you were.¡± The shimmer said. ¡°I am Rihella, and yes, I have been with you since you were a child. Since you were born in fact.¡± There was a short silence.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just you though is it?¡± Ifera asked solemnly.


    ¡°No. Purua and Lianli are also here, though the last time Purua spoke to a silver, it did not end well.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°You mean a silver potential? The one that went corrupt¡­.¡± Ifera mumbled. She stood up and walked to the other side of the room. Ifera then looked through one of the many bookshelves, and when she found the one she was looking for pulled it out and went back to the bed. She then opened the book, looking for a certain page. ¡°There. Pure souls are black, and black souls are pure. The truth is a lie, but the lies always tell the truth. It makes sense now that I think about it. If Purua is a pure spirit, she turned the silver¡¯s soul black, but if anyone else had gone to talk, they would have stayed¡­¡­¡± Something seemed to click. ¡°You wanted them as a host didn¡¯t you?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We did. We were selfish and wanted to be able to speak again and to feel something. We didn¡¯t care what happened to the people we chose. Not back then. When we saw you though, we realized we couldn¡¯t hurt you. You were an innocent child, and after your village burned, you went through enough as it was and now¡­.. Well, we weren¡¯t going to bring you physical pain too.¡± She professed.


    There were a few moments of silence. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll be your host.¡± She said, looking up.


    ¡°Just remIfera, you can¡¯t go back from this. Ever.¡± She said.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    By the mountain, Ifera looked as if she were alone. This mountain was where many graduated, as it was full of magic. It had a well-carved pedestal that Ifera was now standing over, her hand facing up. ¡°This is going to hurt, isn¡¯t it.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°Only a little.¡± A voice promised. Ifera looked at the air in front of her.


    Then there was a shimmer when the voice spoke again. ¡°Ok, maybe I am lying. It doesn¡¯t matter though because there is no chance that you are chickening out now.¡±


    Ifera let out a sigh. ¡°Fine, but just tell me what to do.¡± She sighed.


    ¡°OK. All you need to do is let me write a rune on your arm. This is going to hurt, but after this, you are just going to have major migraines for the next day or two.¡± She said sarcastically.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with,¡± she mumbled. Soon enough, drawing appeared on her forearm. She recognized the rune partially as a binding rune, and part as a mind rune. When the writing stopped, there was a moment of silence before Ifera jumped back, feeling a searing in her arm. The rune was glowing, and it stopped when the pain did, sinking into her skin. ¡°Thanks for the warning Lianli.¡± She muttered sarcastically.


    ¡®Your welcome.¡¯ a voice echoed directly from her mind. She was mumbling about how she might kill someone to deal with three spirits bound to her mind. She, of course, didn¡¯t know the worst of it.


    One month later, Ifera had her bow out, pulling on the string with an arrow notched. ¡°Just relax your shoulders! It isn¡¯t that hard!¡±  Purua screamed from behind her.


    ¡°It is if you are yelling at me!!!¡± Ifera retorted. She let out a sigh and relaxed her spine. She then let go of the string, her arrow flying through the air and hitting the centre of her target. ¡°Remind me again why you are teaching me? I know I am not the best at using a bow, but still.¡± Ifera demanded, bringing her bow to her side.


    ¡°Because it will be a useful tool when you fight. You may be good with a sword, but what happens when you run into someone better? You have to have more than swords and magic on your side.¡± Purua reminded her.


    ¡°Fine. Though you can¡¯t blame me if I never end up using it.¡± Ifera scowled. She reluctantly raised her bow again and hit the target perfectly in the centre.


    ¡°I guess now we can move onto magic arrows then.¡± Purua grinned.


    Ifera collapsed onto her bed, exhausted from her practice. Every day, she had normal classes, but immediately after she went to the woods to practice, every other day she was doing target practice, the rest were sword fighting. Rihella was sparring with her and helping her with different fighting styles, especially when fighting alone. She realized this would make her struggle with team projects, but she could be hopeful that it didn¡¯t hurt too much for now. It didn¡¯t take long for a letter to reach her after a few weeks of training with them. It was the magic guilds. She had sent a letter along with Fiorei to join a guild as soon as their classes were over, and she was hoping it would be the acceptance letter. She opened the letter slowly as she read the contents.


    Dear Ms Ifera Corinth,


    We have received your letter and we have thought deeply at the thought of you joining the guilds once you are older. We have come to an agreement that we would like to see your capabilities before we make our decision final, but we seem to be leaning towards the prospect of your acceptance. Once you have graduated from your school, we must ask that you will come to the Fall Tournament and compete. It will be an honour to have you fight and possibly join one of our many guilds. We hope to see you then.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Sincerely,


    Douglas of the magic council


    Ifera stared at the paper. She then read it over, and over again to make sure it was real. Most people wanting to join the magic guilds had to fight in the tournament. Only nobles and royals did not have to compete, but that was because it was ¡®beneath them¡¯. This did give her pride because they were almost certain she would make it in.


    Unlike most, she sent a magic letter to the council other than a regular letter. Magic letters weren¡¯t uncommon to be sent, though it is fairly advanced magic to be doing, and not many people had the capabilities. She let out a breath, smiling. She put her letter in her bag and went outside to the field where Fiorei was reading.


    She looked up from her book. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± She asked. Ifera pulled out her letter and opened it, showing it to Fiorei.


    ¡°You got in!!!¡± Fiorei squealed. She ran a few steps and jumped to a strangling hug.


    ¡°My letter is probably still outside my door. We can go check later too. I really hope I got in...¡± She looked worried.


    ¡°I am sure you did. You are one of the best in school! There is no way you didn¡¯t make it.¡± Ifera reassured Fiorei, putting a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°I hope so¡­¡± Fiorei said nervously.


    ¡°Come on. Why don¡¯t we go check?¡± Ifera prodded.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Fiorei sighed.


    They were sitting on Fiorei¡¯s bed, looking at the letter she received. Fiorei breathed out a sigh of relief. ¡°I made it.¡± She said content.


    ¡°I told you that you made it!¡± Ifera smiled. She wrapped her arm around her friend''s shoulders and said, ¡°How about we go celebrate!?¡± The girls stood up and grabbed their bags.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a bad idea. Quite surprising coming from you.¡± Fiorei smirked.


    ¡°Hey!!!¡± Ifera fumed.


    ¡°That was uncalled for.¡± They began their walk to the town nearby. ¡°But that face you made¡­¡± Fiorei gasped between laughs. Ifera playfully punched her arm as they laughed and talked on the way to the square. Rihella smiled as she saw a rarity; true smile coming from Ifera. It proved not all happiness had been taken from her.


    Jumping back onto an invisible platform, Ifera blocked an attack coming from Rihella, skidding back a few meters. She was panting hard, and her armour was fully equipped. Her two swords were crossed in front of her to block Rihella¡¯s powerful attack. In their bouts, Ifera aimed not to use magic, in order to refine her sword fighting. Rihella pushed off the ground right as Ifera recovered, knocking her down and aiming her sword at her neck. Ifera let out a groan and Rihella put out her hand. ¡°You¡¯re getting better,¡± Rihella reassured Ifera.


    ¡°Not fast enough apparently,¡± Ifera complained as she took Rihella¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Well, you can easily beat Lianli and Purua now. You almost match Purua in using a bow, and that is impressive.¡± Rihella said.


    ¡°Thanks, but It¡¯ll still take a while,¡± Ifera said discouragingly.


    ¡°You are catching up and it has barely been 3 months!¡± Rihella exclaimed.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Ifera said laughing. They walked back to the mountain summit.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be going back soon, correct?¡± Rihella asked as they were walking.


    ¡°In three months, but It feels like that just isn¡¯t enough for us to do anything. But it''s not like I don¡¯t feel grateful for the scenery, but our deadline is pretty close. I just don¡¯t feel like going back at this point, especially because they are probably already ahead in magic.¡± Ifera stressed. She summoned a spiral of different elements in her hand.


    ¡°Yeah right. You can already harness multiple elements, create them, and solidify half of them. In six months, they won¡¯t even be able to master one element.¡± Rihella boasted for Ifera.


    ¡°Ok, maybe I am freaking out a bit too much. If anything, I need to worry more about the other three holding us back.¡± Ifera chuckled.


    Rihella let out a laugh. ¡°Especially since you will probably be the one mentoring them!¡± Rihella exclaimed.


    Ifera let out a groan ¡°Don¡¯t remind me. They are nightmarish enough as classmates!¡±


    Rihella let off a calm smile. ¡°Well, just make yourself too busy to take care of them then.¡± She suggested. ¡°That will be your only way out.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you are leaving!¡± Fiorei exclaimed.


    ¡°I know, but it is necessary. I can¡¯t really transfer, and we¡¯ll see each other again at the competition anyway.¡± Ifera reassured her. It was still early, and Ifera, Sorrel, Tori and Phaelet would be leaving to go back to their school. Iferas hair had grown out since they came and now wore it in a small bun. Their year would be having a party to celebrate their visit to the school. Fiorei wasn¡¯t happy Ifera was leaving as they had grown close over the last few months.


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t make me happy you know.¡± She said defiantly.


    ¡°I know you hate it¡­.¡± Ifera began. ¡°But if I don¡¯t we won¡¯t make it in together. I won¡¯t get enough practice, and I am still training with the guard.¡± There were a few moments of silence between them before Fiorei jumped into a hug.


    ¡°I am really going to miss you!¡± She cried.


    Ifera glanced at her watch. ¡°We¡¯re gonna be late!!!¡±


    Ifera grabbed her bag and ran down the halls with Fiorei. It seemed they were going in circles through a maze, though we knew exactly where we were going. We had run this route countless times to make sure in case we were late, we would know where to go. We finally made it outside when the others came out from the stables where their ¡®horses¡¯ lived. They had an enchantment to hide them from bandits that had a tenancy to hide as students, stealing their well-earned animals.


    Ifera then hugged Fiorei one last time. ¡°Be careful.¡± She whispered.


    ¡°You too Ifera. You too.¡±


    Ifera had been waiting at the train station for the last hour, as she had teleported with her being without a steed. She was leaning against one of the pillars reading a book. Three trains had come and gone, and they were due for the next one. Over the last few months, Ifera¡¯s eyes had changed. Instead of the shiny grey that it was before, it was a split iris with a striking blue circling the pupil. Every now and then, there would be a flux, and her whole eye would turn blue. The blue, same as Rihella¡¯s, was slowly taking over, and almost corrupting her eyes. Though, it didn¡¯t seem like anyone had noticed this. Ifera lifted her head when she heard footsteps next to her.


    ¡°Had you been any later, we may have missed our train.¡± Ifera glowered. She then turned away and walked up to a train that had just stopped. She stepped onto it, followed by her classmates. The animals followed a man to the back into a stable cart. Ifera walked directly to a room in the back near the animals. She could hear the growling as they hated confined spaces. She sat down near the window and let out a sigh.


    ¡°Annoyed? Or bored?¡± Rihella said from the space next to her.


    ¡°Can¡¯t it be both?¡± She chuckled.


    There was a moment of silence before Rihella spoke. ¡°You seem bitter, and it isn¡¯t because you left school, is it?¡±


    Ifera let out a sigh as she stood up. ¡°No, not really. I just have a bad feeling about going back. Something just doesn¡¯t feel right, and it¡¯s making me nervous.¡± She said while pacing. ¡°Something is off.¡±

 chapter Eight

    Chapter Eight


    Ifera was pacing back and forth in her room. Ever since last year, she had been looking into the history of the kingdom. She had looked towards what was going on in the kingdom and was told there was a secret war going on for years between the rebels and the actual kingdom. The rebels wanted to make their own kingdom separate from the star kingdom. She was about to meet with someone about some information about the war.


    Since she left the Light kingdom, she had changed her outfit. She felt more aware since Rihella and the others joined her, and she was more aware that it was dangerous and she wouldn¡¯t always have time to protect herself. Many would call it paranoia, but she wouldn¡¯t always have her armour on. Though she did have a dragon scale outfit mixed with a few pieces from her armour set.


    All that she was learning, she knew it might not be a bad idea. Her new outfit also would blend into the shadows quite a bit better. It was a midnight blue mixed with black and covered most of her body. The skirt was a similar style to the armour, but the top was quite different. It was a high necked flame style, and there was one sleeve. The other arm had an arm bracer tight against her skin. There were twisting lines of dark blue scales on each side of her arm, and her leg was the same as her armour¡¯s. Her hair was in a high braid, held up by a thin ribbon that had begun to wear out. Part of her hair was too short and framed her face, hiding her left eye partially. The back of her outfit was open, though it was to Ifera¡¯s dislike.


    Rihella wouldn¡¯t explain why and only told her that she would need it. ¡°Calm down Ifera. We don¡¯t know what information we will be getting.¡± Rihella reasoned.


    ¡°I can¡¯t calm down Rihella. This is the answer to everything. If I calm down, I am going to lose this opportunity!¡± Ifera retaliated. She started wringing her hands in an attempt to calm herself down a bit.


    Rihella put a hand on her shoulder and said, ¡° Ifera, this is only going to tell you what happened back then. You don¡¯t have to worry about what might happen. We have your back.¡±


    Ifera let out a sigh. ¡°I guess we should go then.¡±


    A few miles away from Nabarmena, a new town had been built. It was protected by a royal magic guild, and the school and many missions had been set up to protect it.


    Ifera sat at a table outside one of the cafe¡¯s, talking to Rihella. A man then walked up to them. He had a large build and a woollen beard. His coat covered the sword than hung at his side, and he had a stern expression. He loomed over the pair, but they continued to ignore him. ¡°It is rude to call someone somewhere and then ignore them you know.¡± He growled.


    ¡°And it is rude to interrupt a conversation,¡± Ifera noted as she stood up.


    ¡°Well,¡± He began, ¡°You wanted information about the war, I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    The war began when the people of the Western star kingdom decided they didn¡¯t want to be ruled by king Ixionas. They banded together to make an army against him, and they slowly but surely began to sway the hearts and minds of others to their side. Soon, they were evenly matched in skill and in numbers, they only thing holding either side back was a rumour. A rumour that a child somewhere in a small town in the East had silver eyes. The king soon found the town with the child inside and learned it was near their esteemed school of Mages and warriors, Nabarmena. Nabarmena tried to convince the town to hand the child over to them for the sake of ¡®The greater good¡¯.  They refused. They isolated the child and protected them from the outside walls, and even called back some of their warriors from the war to protect them from their own ruler. When they were four years old, they decided they would move to the West once they were older, as they lost all trust in the king. That never happened. Over eleven years ago, all contact from the village was lost, and the bodies of all that lived there were found among the rubble, all except the child. They were gone without a trace, and haven¡¯t been found since.


    The three sat in silence for a few seconds after, Ifera thinking bout what had happened that night, and the story. Her suspicions were confirmed. Nimue had burned down her village using the Horcrae and lied to her to get her to fight for them. She fought back the urge to break the table they were sitting at. ¡°Not many people find value in my stories, especially around these parts. They don¡¯t exactly¡­.. Favour the rebels.¡± The man began.


    Ifera stood up and said, ¡°Thank you. This will be quite useful information, story or not.¡±


    She was walking back towards Nabarmena when the man yelled after her, ¡°Choose wisely silver! Don¡¯t fight for the wrong side, not when you are so close.¡±


    When both Rihella and Ifera had made it back to the school, no one was outside except the guards. When they walked to the gate, one of them said, ¡°All of the students were called to the practice arena. Nimue wants to talk to everyone about something that was offered by the kingdom. You might want to hurry though. I believe she will start in a few minutes.¡± Ifera said thank you and rushed off towards the arena.


    She barely made it in time as Nimue began to speak. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, most of you have been at this school for a while, and know that recently a town has been set up a few miles away recently. The town is under our protection, but the mayor has proposed to us an offer. Soon you will see a board with a list of requests that you may do with different restrictions. In your next class, you will be given a pen that will have your information on it, and it will be what determines if you may do a quest or not. The number of marks on a quest is how many years of experience you must have at a minimum, and it will allow you to take a quest if you match the standard. That is all, but do be careful, especially if it just barely is in your category.¡±


    All the students began to file out, but Ifera began to push her way to the front towards Nimue. She was speaking with one of the instructors along with the mayor of the nearby town. Nimue noticed her and beckoned her towards her. ¡°This is my daughter Ifera. I believe she will take an interest in these requests.¡±


    She said questioning.


    ¡°I believe I will. It will be good practice to see other things. I haven¡¯t gotten much chance to see other places other than Tarrin in the light kingdom.¡± She said.


    The mayor let out a chuckle. ¡°That is quite good! I wished to give you a request from the king himself in fact!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°He wishes for you to help some scientists explore the Praetorian tree. They want to see if they can find out more about it since it is so out of place.¡±


    A few seconds passed as Ifera mulled it over. ¡°I would be quite willing to go with the scientists.¡± She said nodding.


    In the back, hella smiled. It would give them an excuse to get closer to the tree. They had to do their own experiments, and hopefully, they would be successful.


    They were on one of the airships, and getting to the Praetorian tree fast. Many of the scientists that had come along were pointing at her, whispering. She believed they wondered why a grey-eyed girl had been chosen for the expedition. Soon she felt the air around her thicken, and she felt people brushing against her arms. She heard their pleading whispers to save them, and the treacherous ones telling her to join them in death. It was like a symphony she was forced to drone out of her head. She let out a breath she didn¡¯t know she was holding when she succeeded.


    She then felt the large ship land, and the wood plank fell. She was pushed forward to leave the ship first, and when her feet hit the ground, she saw something she didn¡¯t see before. She saw a castle, and a kingdom surrounding it. There were all sorts of magical creatures that flew around. Some of them were the creatures of the Forbidden Kingdom. Small dragons, Phoenixes, and even Griffons. She saw the beautiful multi-coloured lights of the faeries and magic flying through the air from the goblins. Everything looked like they were at home. It felt like home.


    The image flashed itself before her eyes only for a second, but it was burned into her mind afterwards. I couldn¡¯t forget that beautiful image that I saw. The beautiful possibility in that world.


    ¡°I am guessing you saw it too?¡± Ifera asked herself. ¡°Yes. I forgot about what this place looked like back then. It was¡­ Beautiful.¡±


    Rihella pushed the thought into her mind. Ifera let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll go ¡®help¡¯ these guys. You should go to the crystal.¡± She soon felt the absence of Rihella in her mind.


    ¡°We are thinking of starting at the crystal inside the tree unless you believe we should begin somewhere else.¡± One of the scientists told her.


    ¡° Start at the ruins around this place. There might be a clue somewhere there, and it is much less dangerous.¡± She instructed. ¡°I will look around the crystal.¡±


    She disappeared in the blink of an eye and reappeared right by the base of the tree, hanging onto a root. She flung herself up to the crystal and looked closer into it. Her hand reached out to touch the crystal and she saw a new vision. The kingdom that was here was in flames. She heard the cries of children of all species, and the roars of the dragons. She saw the phoenixes trying to keep the flames at bay, but they were one by one shot down by¡­. She saw them. They had the emblem of the Star kingdom on them. They were trying to kill everyone in the kingdom. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Then she saw it. There was a huge dragon, the size of the kingdom itself. It towered over everyone, and everything that laid eyes on it seemed to tremble. The dragons flew back toward the large dragon, and many of the magical creatures followed close behind.


    ¡°How Dare you attack this kingdom!¡± The dragon roared. ¡°You are a disgrace, and do not deserve to be known as part of the mother¡¯s creation!.¡± Everyone down below seemed to be terrified of this mighty being.¡°We try and establish an alliance with you humans but no! You do not accept us because all you see in your eyes is competition and war! But no longer. Heed this warning humans! If you come into our territory again, we will not hesitate to strike you down.¡±


    The dragon flew to the North, and the kingdom was left in ruins. The only thing left was a small tree, with orange leaves and silver bark. When a soldier was sent to investigate, a near-invisible wave spread out, and as soon as it touched them, they were sent moaning in pain. Soon, all of them were dead, and the tree began to grow. It twisted and opened, and the crystal appeared in the centre.


    She could see the silhouettes of people moaning inside. Their spirits in agony swirled around inside, but she heard of shattering glass and saw the crystal had broken. While this had happened, the sky had changed hundreds, maybe thousands of times from day to night. It was like a time-lapse, and it was clearly showing what had happened to this place. The spirits weren¡¯t supposed to be released, but they did. It was supposed to be a cage¡­ She forced her mind out of the vision and jumped down the tree, praying that she would make it in time.


    Right before she hit the ground, she realised, she can¡¯t fly. She was about to cut through the air with her sword to create a rift when her whole body went sideways, parallel to the ground. She then felt the beating of wings on her back and when she looked back, she found a pair of large dragon wings on her back. They were similar to Nadred¡¯s wings, as they had stars on the underside.


    She then dove into a role when she saw a group of scientists. When she stood upright, her wings folded and faded into her back. When she looked towards them from behind a broken, and mossy wall. They were looking at something on the ground, and it seemed it was a crystal flower.


    One of the scientists put his hand in his bag, but instead of pulling out a small bag, which is what would be expected, he pulled out a knife. His eyes were completely reversed. The whites were black, the pupil white, and his blue irises turned red. He had an evil smile about him that reminded Ifera of the captain¡¯s smile.


    She screamed, ¡°Duck!¡± As she pulled out her bow and aimed it at the sneering scientist, and shot. The arrow embedded itself in his heart as they heard the scream of something inhuman, though his mouth did not open. When his body hit the ground, it seemed to burn away with it, and Ifera lost touch with his soul, and the one occupying him.


    ¡°What was he?¡± A young scientist asked.


    ¡°He was possessed by one of the spirits of this place. You have to be careful about coming in contact with things, and if you hear voices in your mind, tell someone immediately.¡± She instructed them. They nodded as she went off to find another group.


    Luckily by the time she got to the other groups, they were all safe, and they were no longer in danger. ¡°Get back on the ship, and go back to Nabarmena. Tell your chief it was too dangerous and I am going to continue the experiments.¡± She told them. Some looked ready to argue, but they didn¡¯t say anything. One came and instructed her on the tests she should do, and they left.


    "Finally. It was hard to do our tests with them snooping around, though it is unfortunate the one had to die in such a way." Rihella said from next to her.


    "It will be quite convenient, but we will have to come up with some random results for the tests. We can''t have them finding what actually happened." Ifera reminded Rihella.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I prepared some fake ones already. They will have enough to show that you should come back to do some more tests, but not enough to tell them anything.¡± Rihella reassured her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get to running these tests. Shall we?¡±


    For the next few hours, they sat near the tree and used magic to draw minerals from the crystal, and tested mixing them with other elements. Most of them only became stronger and larger, though some seemed to stay away from the crystal. Magic such as reaper magic refused to come near the crystal.


    ¡°It might be because it is spirit-based. The reaper mana doesn¡¯t like how it can control it and trap it.¡± Ifera pondered.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised. Magic seems to have a mind of its own at times.¡± Rihella looked around. ¡°It is getting late and we should begin to get back. We wouldn¡¯t want them to worry too much yet. They can¡¯t have suspicions.¡± Ifera let out a sigh. She knew exactly what Rihella was talking about because they had already begun their plan. They had convinced Lianli and Purua to go speak to the rebels while they dealt with what was happening over by the tree.


    Soon, Ifera would confront her mother and¡­ She would lose the family she had left. She pushed the thought out of her mind. Nimue was never her family. At most, she was a mentor. Ifera began to rub her temples.


    ¡°Are we sure that there isn¡¯t a better way? This is giving me a headache.¡± She said.


    Rihella sighed, ¡°I wish there was. She is going to be a pain and a half to deal with at this point. She¡¯ll probably talk so much about how you are her daughter and she devoted her time to your care and all that.¡± Rihella groaned, resting her head in her hand. ¡°I think I am also getting a headache.¡± The pair laughed. They stood up and Rihella opened a pair of wings from her back. ¡°Think you can fly?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Who do you take me for? I did it once already. Doing it again should be simple.¡± Ifera assured her. The large wings appeared on her back and unfolded, and a large dragon tail right below it to help her balance. The pair jumped up, using their powerful wings to push them higher. They flew into the clouds, admiring the pastel colours of the setting sky. They flew back towards Nabarmena, and Rihella noticed she was smiling. For the first time in the last year, she was smiling a real smile.


    They both dove into the trees, out of sight when they appeared just past the tree lines, with bags on their backs. The scientists were waiting just inside the walls and were delighted to see the two.


    ¡°Now I know why you made me keep the opening in the back. You knew it would appear sooner or later.¡± Ifera whispered to Rihella.


    ¡°Well I was more hoping, but I guessed it might be better than having to hope that it didn¡¯t come without warning.¡± She whispered back.


    Ifera let out a small chuckle as they approached the scientists.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have had the pleasure to meet your new friend.¡± one of the scientists said cautiously.


    ¡°I called in my friend to help me finish as many tests as I could in such a limited time.¡± She said, being careful not to disclose Rihella¡¯s name. They handed the scientists one of the bags.


    ¡°We would like our last two bags if you will.¡± he sneered.


    ¡°These are our own. The other bags are still inside that bag. Unless you want me to report you for theft.¡± Rihella retorted. The two moved past them towards Ifera¡¯s room. When they turn the corner, Rihella fades away, taking the bag she was holding. Then Ifera broke into a sprint towards her room, jumping past other students in her way. She ran into her room and opened a rift as she ran, tossing her bag onto her bed as she passed through.


    She could feel her body warping slightly as she passed through a whole other world, and reappeared back in her own, in a small room, full of different minerals, and full of so much mana, you could almost feel it on your skin. She felt like she could breathe again. She began to work, and within a few hours, she had compressed mana into a small piece of metal and put it in her pocket. She let out a sigh.


    ¡°Ready to tell her?¡± Rihella said from behind her.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think I can keep this in much longer.¡± She said, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, they glowed with an abnormal light.


    ¡°Hey Ifera, there is a formal party happening, and you have to attend. It is tonight, and it is to welcome the newest family member to the royal family. It is supposed to be this huge deal apparently.¡± The message came from a small orb on the table next to her.


    ¡°Try doing it before you talk to Nimue, because we might be able to learn something, and we don¡¯t want to ruin the baby¡¯s special day would we?¡±


    Ifera let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, but you guys continue trying to find something.¡± She said, tapping buttons on the orb as she said it.


    ¡°Have fun! It is still a party after all.¡±


    The parties location was quite beautiful. Even Ifera had to admit it. It was a beautiful mansion with delicate fairy-like creatures flitting around. Ifera walked inside, and quickly disappeared into the crowd, as for a rare instance, she fit in among those around her.


    She was wearing a short black dress, and in the back came a long ball gown like-skirt that was white. The dress had long, lace sleeves, that resembled twisting dragons. Her long hair was twisted, and small gemstones laid among it like water droplets. On her hands were delicate, white lace gloves that held a similar pattern to the sleeves.


    She moved towards where the small newborn was lying. People were fawning over the beautiful girl that lay in the soft blankets. Her parents were standing over her, protecting her from any harm that may befall her. It made Ifera smile, knowing that some people cared about a young child¡¯s safety. The new parents noticed her looking their way, and beckoned her towards them.


    ¡°You must be Ifera.¡± The man said.


    ¡°I am. You must be Fornes and Meregan.¡± Ifera responded. She looked towards their daughter. ¡°What will her name be?¡± She asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know yet. We are thinking about Rose.¡± He beamed. He seemed to be lost in an old memory.


    ¡°That is quite a beautiful name. It will be quite fitting. Princess Rose Thorn.¡± Ifera Extolled.


    Meregan brought her daughter into her arms. Rose began to laugh when she began to tickle her. ¡°Well, Nimue has people she wants me to meet, so I should be going. I wish you well, and your daughter a good life.¡± She bowed slightly and walked away, looking for Nimue.


    ¡°There you are! I was getting worried!¡± Nimue called out to her. As Ifera stood next to her, Nimue wrapped her arm around her shoulders. Ifera tensed slightly, but put on a fake smile so the people in front of her wouldn¡¯t notice. Nimue began to introduce them, and then spoke about how proud she was and her amazing achievements. ¡®Rihella, I think you have a while. This is going to be a long night.¡¯ She sent the message to Rihella.


    ¡®I don¡¯t envy you. See you tomorrow then. I¡¯ll continue working on the samples, and hopefully we will get results.¡¯


    Ifera stood in her doorway, the walls of her room bare. The once bright and colourful room was now as dull as when Ifera first slept there. She took a deep breath in, and closed the door behind her. She walked to where she knew Nimue¡¯s office sat.


    She knocked on the door and heard Nimues voice say, ¡°Come in.¡± Ifera opened the door. When she saw Nimue, she was angry. She looked happy, knowing she destroyed a little girl''s life. She held back from stabbing her in the heart right there. ¡°You were busy this last while. You are my daughter all right.¡± She said, looking up from her papers. She saw the angry look on her face. ¡°What is wrong Ifera?¡± She asked, oblivious to the thoughts racing through Ifera¡¯s head.


    ¡°What is wrong!? What is wrong is that, You aren¡¯t my mother.¡± Ifera hissed at Nimue. ¡°My mother died 11 years ago Nimue.¡± Her head snapped back to Nimue¡¯s face. ¡°She was killed by you. I came to say goodbye, but I don''t think it was worth the effort.¡± She spat. Nimue sat dumbfounded as Ifera walked out of her office. Nimue ran after her, but it was too late. Ifera had opened a rift and was stepping through it. ¡°You made a mistake Nimue.¡±