AN IMPRESSIVE two-story A-frame cabin stood alone at the end of a gravel path. It had been built away from the greenhouse, in the middle of a shady pocket of redwoods, so its steep, triangular roof and the vast open lawn in front of it were covered with a blanket of fallen needles. There was a nice grassy patch with some picnic tables, but the main attraction was the cabin itself. More than half of it looked like it was made of glass, all wide, tinted windows, and open sliding doors.
Clara, Emir, and Maxwell neared the grounds. Students huddled together in a circle around a huge floating diamond crystal, carved with intricacy and a lot of jagged corners. Bright energy was encased inside, it pulsed as if breathing in air. And in every beat was a wave of gentle push like how the sea wave gently lapped the shore.
Next to Clara, a girl squealed. As she squeezed her friend by the shoulder and rambled words in a whisper, Clara traced the girl's line of sight where she spotted an older man next to the school staff during the orientation—the one that had horns and hooves.
The man in question had a thin face, stylish rectangular glasses, and a thick head of wavy salt-and-pepper hair.
"Oh, wow. Someone's finally here." A whiny, bloodcurdling voice slithered its way into Clara's ears.
Her forehead scrunched the moment she found the owner of the voice, closing in with a devious grin. The girl was dressed up in glamour—a long ruffled dress that reached her mid-thigh, accessories that might be in a way, and flashy stuff that seemed to be too much, making it look heavy atop her head. Her dress code didn't match today's activity.
The girl stopped in front of Clara, too close to her liking. The way she was eyed from head to toe as if assessing her whole being, delivered an unsettling gut-wrench in her stomach. Clara kept on switching glances between the girl and the academy staff, who were obviously unbothered by a rule-breaker in the open.
Realizing Clara was not alone, the evil look was gone. Her facade softened and glowed.
"Prince Emir, Lord Maxwell." Untangling her crossed arms from her chest, she transformed into a modest woman and curtsied. Even her shrill, catty tone changed into a gentle purr.
Clara knew nothing of Anneliese's deal with this girl, but she just found herself raising a brow—something that was so out of her character.
"Um, hi?" Clara said, trying to make a conversation between them. But her face crumpled like a paper when the insolent girl disregarded her presence even if they were only three steps apart.
The girl smiled sweetly. "Prince Emir, fancy seeing you here. It's not all the time we get to see each other."
To what extent would Clara surprise herself today? She couldn't predict that much. But she found herself rolling her eyes openly.
Clara wasn't aware of Emir's reaction if he was the least bit interested in talking to this girl. Was he wearing the same cold mask he always put on every day? Or did he give her the same small, radiant smile he pulled off earlier? The idea of it brought a pang in her chest.
"I don't see Prince Henry around here. Were you with him this morning, Princess Eleanora?" Maxwell, being the usual conversation saver, cut off the awkward silence when Emir didn't respond.
"Prince Henry, my brother, is in the clock tower for his placement exam." A sugary smile stretched across her face, her voice laced with pride. "Though it's only for formality. I mean, where else would he be but only in the top class? And just like him, I don't even know why I needed to be here," she finished, giggling.
Clara sighed. The privilege of power.
Princess Eleanora grimaced when no one responded to her boastful remark. And when she finally spared Clara a single glance, her face turned sour in an instant.
"What are you doing, Prince Emir, wasting your time around her." Gone was Princess Eleanora's voice which was as sweet as sugar. Her teeth were gritting. She resembled a vicious tiger ready to prowl on her prey. "You've inhaled enough bad air."
"Are you done yet?" Emir asked, feigning a yawn.
Clara turned to look at him, a little surprised. It's the first word he said since Eleanora barged into their little peaceful space.
"Let's all be a little quiet, shall we?" As soon as he said those words, he stepped forward and bent down to crouch, face to face in front of her. "If Anneliese brings bad air, then you're no better." The coldness of his voice brought a chill to Clara's spine. And before she knew it, she was being dragged away from Eleanora towards where the staff and sages were.
"Thanks," she whispered, but clear enough to be heard. Though there was no response—keeping a straight face as always—the mere fact that he stood up for her was enough proof that he wasn't heartless after all.
"Students of Blaire Academy." A hoarse bass voice like an echo in an empty house resounded in the wide-open space. A clip-clop resounded, and the man with the lower limb of an animal moved forth, giving each examinee a straight eye. "By now you must all have noticed that we're welcoming a new staff member here with us. From now on, he will be a part of your higher learning to hone your magic-wielding ability. Professor Kendrick."
He motioned his hand to point at the salt-and-pepper-haired man with rectangular-rimmed glasses, the one whom the girls from earlier were squealing at. Professor Kendrick smiled, showing a flash of brilliant white teeth. "He'll be your Charms and Relics teacher. And all of you will be meeting him no matter which class you will belong to."
A series of blatant eyeing and giggles filled the air as if the initial heavy feeling of the placement exam were off everyone's shoulders. Clara even heard someone say "I don't care if I'd be in the last class anymore" and "I'm more than okay flunking this test now. We're all winners anyway with a handsome teacher like him."
Professor Rhyb cleared his throat and everyone was submitted to a hushed silence. "Without much dilly-dallying, you all know what to do. The exam is the same as last year's. All you have to do is hit the diamond crystal with all you've got. Professor Mabel," he called out, and an old woman in her fine and elegant dress stepped forward, her thin and frail fingers enclosing around a neatly-rolled scroll.
Professor Mabel's gray hair shone brightly in the sunshine. Indeed she was old and Clara thought she might be weaker. Her age was surplus and people at her age generally began to wither. Wrinkles invaded her face with a few teeth on her mouth. But no, the beauty of her youth was left in wonder. There was something with the way she walked, confident and strong, that made her appear younger than her age.
"What's the point of hitting the diamond crystal? And with that?" Clara asked Emir beside her, she could feel her heart race and her palms grow damp.
Emir sighed. "It feels like I'm really showing a new seedling around." He pointed at the object floating in the center of the lawn, exactly where Professor Rhyb stood. "That huge floating crystal in the middle, it's an energy meter. Each power varies in strength. It always is, depending on the user's core. And that crystal meter will glow in every power that hits. The amount of glow depends on the intensity of the power; hence, the amount of strength released."
Clara cupped the marble she bought from Neith inside her robe. A dreadful day like this would come. She was relieved to have this with her. At first, she didn't know when was the right time to use it. But here she was in the kind of situation she'd be forced to use magic.
Professor Rhyb unrolled the scroll given by Professor Mabel. Squinting his eyes, he read one by one the names of the examinees. And one by one, each of them was assigned to classes, all in the crystal's judgment by the worth of their power. Just like the girl named Ami who only managed to make the crystal blink like a firefly blinking its butt.
"Ugh." Max groaned. "That sucks."
Clara shushed him to which he returned with a sheepish smile.
"Maxwell Finn Beaumont," Professor Rhyb called out, and Max confidently strutted with their hands inside his pockets.
Clara had never doubted his strength despite being the crackhead he was. He wouldn't be a prince's right-hand man for nothing.
And when he summoned his magic, yielding a gigantic sword out of the air, he had greatly exceeded her already high expectations.
The sword the size of a two-story building sucked all the air around them as if taking all the energy it needed. And in one swift motion, Maxwell sliced down into the crystal. Emir shielded her with his body when a strong wave of shock sent other students flying a few meters backward.
The crystal glowed a brighter yellow. It pulsed with warmth like a sun setting below the horizon.
"He's always been a show-off every year," Emir remarked, but no sign of disapproval laced under his tone. And as if hearing what the prince said, Maxwell turned around and stuck out a thumbs up to them.
"Beaumont. Class 1," Professor Rhyb announced.
"Yes!" Maxwell shouted in glee, his hands punching the air.
"Prince Zeid Emir Castellan."
As his name was called, Emir walked towards the middle, leaving Clara shuffling from foot to foot.
"Beat that, Emir," Maxwell rambled. And being the less competitive one, Emir shrugged him off and sauntered where the crystal awaited another judgment.
"What do you think, princess? Will the prince make it?" That's the first thing Maxwell asked as soon as he settled beside Clara, eyes focused on the prince's next move.
In all honesty, Emir didn't strike her as a strong person. His lazy step, droopy eyes, and frequent yawning didn't make him someone who could even kill a bug. But each day, she got to spend every bit of her time with him—especially every time she got to look straight through his striking midnight eyes—he screamed of power, like a shadow just hiding in the backdrop, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
"Of course," she finally answered, not once leaving the sight of the prince's relaxed frame. "There's no doubt about it."
The air was sweet. The weather was fine. There were birds in the sky and she could hear water not far away. Amidst the dead silence, the air was so brittle it could snap. No one spoke, not even a single whisper. Clara could feel the tension constricting her chest, waiting to take over.
Air churned behind him, gathering and molding into what she could make out like birds—ten of them—flapping their wings in a beat. The small birds did a little show in a swooping arc and glided. The flutter of their small wings had Clara's heart doing the same. As they glided in swiftness, a flash of rich browns and brilliant blues followed them in a trail.
Then slowly, they switched their pace, disappearing into blurry lines that were too much of a strain on the eye to follow. And in one swift motion, none of them could predict, all birds fast-attacked the crystal—all coming from different directions. The contact caused a series of explosions, dissipating the birds in the process. But its aftermath left them tumbling on their backs as it caused the ground to tremor. The amount of power those harmless-looking little birds had was too much. It became a reminder that they shouldn't be underestimated.
Her brain stuttered for a moment and her eyes took in more light than expected—the brightest from the crystal so far. Every part of her went on pause. The shock brought quietness within, a moment to feel the surge of power from the prince, like how it came as a declaration—a threat in silence—that he was someone who should not be messed with. And Emir just made it clear to everyone.
"Prince Zeid Emir Castellan," Professor Rhyb, the only one who seemed unfazed, spoke. "Class 1."
Without saying anything, the prince walked in an easy grace as if strolling in a parkland. He yawned as if every reaction on their faces were nothing but a boring sight to him.
"Y-You did great." She racked her brain with more compliments to say. "And—"
"I know," Emir replied, shrugging her off as if she was dumb enough to point out the obvious.
"Princess Anneliese Noa Leighton."
Clara stilled, hearing Anneliese's name being called. This was it. From the very start, she knew this moment was inevitable. Clara let out a slow controlled breath and attempted to loosen her body movements. Like a clockwork soldier, she walked. She gave her shoulders a wiggle and lolled her head in a circle, acting brave and unbothered. Her stride slackened into a more casual pace. It was a decent effort, enough to fool the casual observers, but for the onlooker with a keen eye, Clara walked through the advert for tension. Just how she could feel from the corner of her eye the unwavering stare from Professor Kendrick, following her every move. And so her eyes moved with an alertness that came from heavy stress and her hands remained clenched by subconscious demand.
The crystal looked even bigger up close, she wouldn't be able to look far up without hurting her neck. To make this faster, and for this to be over, Clara grabbed the air marble from the inside pocket of her vest. Much to her dismay, it earned whispers of mockery. Some expressed their confusion and didn't even bother to lower their voice to make them more discrete.
And the first to throw a hurtful blade of words on her back was Princess Eleanora. "Marbles? So lame."
Clara tightened her grip around it. There's hotness bubbling in her gut. She knew what it meant—she was starting to feel anger. Not for herself, but for Anneliese.
"Princess Anneliese." Professor Rhyb's voice snagged her attention. "We strictly discourage the use of miracle marbles in the placement exam. Why do you have one with you?"
There was kindness in his voice, unlike the rest of the people there. He was simply asking a question.
The pressure was intense. She felt like the temperature had dropped, making her sweat trickle with coldness. She was forced to put it back inside her robe. Inside, she'd been racking her brain with ways to get out of this situation.
"Princess?" the professor called out again.
Her focus on her surroundings wavered a bit. Clara's eyes found Emir. Her eyes might be fooling her, she caught a hint of worry in his midnight-black orbs. He gave a single nod as if encouraging Clara to go on.
With shaking hands, she put the marble back inside the inner pocket. Her next decision would affect what was yet to happen in the future. That was what she was sure of at the moment.
So, she closed her eyes as Clara found the familiar heat sleeping in the deepest part of her body's core. The warmth of it slowly spread across her body, gathering at her fingertips. And with the energy wanting release, wanting to come out, she let it be.
The next thing she knew, she was thrown back once more. But this time, someone managed to catch her, serving as a soft cushion. As Clara opened her eyes, she didn't know if she should be simply amazed or scared.
The crystal meter crumbled into dust. What was left in its place was a thick cloud of smoke, not a sign it had been there.