Bianca handed me a bow and quiver full of arrows as we stopped in front of the targets.
"Today you'll be learning how to use your bow," She said as she slung her own silver clothed quiver over her shoulder. She held up her bow that seemed to be made with the whitest colored wood there was in Arbor's Gardens.
"Who made that?" I pointed to her bow as she looked down at it.
"Carved it myself. My own Omnes predecessor taught me how to carve it as well as smelting my own sword. But I'll show that to you in a week when we get to your sword skills,"
Then she grabbed an arrow from her quiver and notched it on the string.
"Alright so, to shoot an arrow grab one from your quiver like I did," She instructed. I reached behind me and actually managed to grab exactly one arrow.
"Good," She nodded with a smile.
"Now, notch it into your string... like so..." She knelt and helped me with positioning my fingers around the back end of my arrow.
"Okay... now let it loose!"
And I did. The result, according to Bianca, wasn't that bad. The arrow was 15 inches southeast of the bulls-eye.
***
The following week, Bianca tossed me a sheathed sword that seemed to be about three feet long.
"Sword fighting this week?" I looked up at her, earning a nod.
She unsheathed her sword, revealing the blade to be pure black while the hilt shined a moon silver, almost matching her eye color.
"Oh yeah, you smelted that yourself, huh?" I asked.
"Yup. Maybe I'll teach you some time, Ida. Although my Council members did add some slight touches to the sword-"
"Council members?" I asked, confused. Why has nobody mentioned anything like these Council members, until now?
"Oh, you haven't learned about that in History yet?" I shook my head. "Well, in Terra Arbor there is the King and Queen. But, there are the people who are their right hands, as well as the people who help them make tough decisions. Whether it be for war or for the well being of Arbor. The Council consists of the male and female Leaders which are the King and Queen, as well as an Archer, Sword Fighter, Magus, Elementalist, and Healer,"
"So basically the the amount of Council members depends on the diversity in ability?" I asked.
She nodded with a smile. "And that was your history lesson for today. Now. Onto your sword skills..."
***
"Ahhh!"
Bianca lunged and tried to aim a punch right at my gut. But I immediately dodged her attack and grabbed her arm. With a firm grip, I threw her over my shoulder. But she managed to land on her feet, but I jumped back just in time as she swept her leg under me, trying to trip me. I dug my heels into the dirt and skidded to a stop, panting.
"Wow not bad, Ida," Bianca smiled as she straightened her back.
"Only a week, huh?" King Naro spoke up from the blanket the rest of the professors were sitting on.
"She's gotten good!" Magia commented.
"Can we give her the hard courses now?" Agro asked.
"Tomorrow? Please, your Highnesses?" Coda almost begged. I smiled to myself at all of the teachers' comments.
Bianca closed her eyes in thought, debating whether or not to allow this.
When she looked at all of us, her eyes held a hint of excitement.
"I'll allow it. But don't make it a course that can kill her. Like when you did that to my first course," She looked at the professors who gave her timid smiles.
"We're still sorry about that, Your Highness!" Coda declared. Bianca gave her a smile.
"I still remember your multiple apologies, Coda," Then she turned to me. "Anyway, Ida. You think you will be ready for tomorrow's training course?"
"What'll be in it?"
"We'll all be testing your Elemental abilities as well as your combat skills," Magia explained.
"But it hasn't even been a month!" I exclaimed.
"But you've excelled faster than we all imagined," Bianca walked in front of me.
"Really? I thought-"
Then I noticed her tense.
"No..." She mumbled then looked at the King as well as the other teachers.
"How did they get in?!" Magia shouted then ran off towards the doors where we entered from behind the Academy.
"What's going on?" I looked at Bianca for answers.
"I'll be blunt about it. We're under attack, Ida," Bianca grabbed my wrist and started dragging me with her behind the teachers. "And they're most likely after you,"
"And why would they be after me of all people?"
"There's no time to explain, Ida. We need to get you down into the basement of the Academy straight away," She said, panic in her voice.
But when we reached the grass behind the Academy, I could already see tons of fighting going on. I spotted many bright colors going up against dark, murky shots of light.
"It's Terra Osores, isn't it?" I asked as we all rushed right towards the fighting.
"Correct," King Naro answered.
Looking ahead, I tried to spot my friends but they were nowhere in sight which made me start to sweat with anxiety. I didn't need them hurt because of me. I didn't even understand why I was targeted.
Then I heard it...
"You're not having her!" Juniper, along with the squeaky voice of Izzy, screamed as they both grabbed a hand from each other and summoned their Chi. The hands that weren't connected glowed their respectful colors: Juniper being her light green and Izzy being a soft yellow.
But a blonde dude that was facing them, who was shirtless showing red tattoos running from his right shoulder all the way down his chest and shoulder blades with white jeans, shot a black Chi at them, making them tumble to the ground.
I felt a fire spark inside my chest, growing exponentially. So I did the expected: I wrestled out of Bianca's grip and sprinted off towards Blondie.
"How dare you!" I screamed, summoned my special black and white Chi, and shot it right at him. I saw his shoulders immediately perk up, and he turned to face me with piercing blood red eyes.
"Yes... that's exactly what I was looking for," A grin spread across his face, showing stupid, perfectly straight teeth that I wanted to punch so hard.
"Idaline!" Bianca yelled as she ran up behind me. "Why did you-"
But suddenly, Nico walked up behind Blondie, waved his hand and Bianca as well as King Naro collapsed, unconscious.
"Nico...?" I looked at his eyes to see an obvious guilt shining in his eyes. "What did you do-"
Then the Blondie dove right on me, pinning me on my stomach with my hands behind my back. I struggled against Blondie's grip.
"Who are-"
"Good job, Nico. We finally have the Newborn," Blondie smirked at the boy that I first thought as trustworthy.
"Darnel, what do you think you're-"
"Oh so you care for her now? You know I can read minds, I'm not an idiot, you peasant," Blondie interrupted him. Nico paused, frozen and tense.
"Don't go any further than that!" Nico yelled with a glare.
"Nico what is this about?" I demanded, Blondie's knee digging into my spine.
"I... Ida I'm..." Nico looked away from me, his voice faltering.
I looked up at the whole scene. The King and Queen were knocked out, Izzy was screaming at the person holding her back and Juniper was fighting off some people along with some other Intermediates.
"Nico... you can tell me," I looked up at him, tears brimming my eyes. Nico just kept his gaze away from mine, his fists clenched tight, Blondie laughing.
"I don't think he has the guts to tell you, the peasant. Mr. Avalon here has betrayed all of Terra Arbor as well as you, Newborn," Blondie's words pierced my heart. I shifted my gaze towards Nico who kept his eyes closed and his face away from me.
"Nico... what is he talking about?" My voice was dangerously low with my heart breaking bit by bit. When he didn't answer, my tears spilled down on to my cheeks. "Nico Avalon, you tell me right now!" I screamed at him, my voice cracking.
And when he did look at me, his long bangs covered his midnight blue eyes, creating a shameful shadow.
"I am a member of Terra Osores," He said, his voice emotionless. "My mission is to inform the King Darnel about the Newborn Omnes so that we could control their power and use it to take over the Earth," He recited.
"And mission successful, Mr. Avalon. As one of my faithful followers, I'm almost proud of you," I could hear a smirk in Blondie's voice. "Now any last words Newborn, before we take you away?"
I just kept my glare on the black haired boy with those midnight blue eyes that always stared.
"I hate you, Nico Avalon!"
And then my vision swirled and turned to black.