[Flashback - ]

Nightfall Academy

-

Emily was still struggling to control the fire spirit that had been trying to burst out from the protective shield.

As sweat dripped down her face and neck, she realized that controlling the fire spirit was taking even more time and energy than the wind spirit.

She started mastering the elemental powers in the third month of the first semester and it took her nearly four months to master all five levels of Wind Spirit.

After the wind, Shadow gave her fire as her next target. However, even though she had been trying her best for over a month by now, she had not mastered even the first level of Fire Spirit.

Since she was distracted by her thoughts, her control over the struggling Spirit and received a powerful push that made her lose her balance.

Thankfully, Shane was there to catch her before she could have landed against the cold hard wall.

"Why are you distracted?" Rylan asked while passing her a water bottle.

Her two friends always made sure to spend at least an hour every evening with her to observe and help her with her practices.

Emily sighed as she took a seat on the bench before taking a huge sip of the chilled water. Her eyes were looking at the statue of the Goddess as she answered, "I have no idea what I'm doing wrong this time. I'm following the same steps that Professor Trix taught me but..."

The rest of the words did not make their way through her lips as she once again got lost in her thoughts.

A sharp cry of pain escaped her mouth when Rylan suddenly flicked her on her forehead, making her glare at him in anger and distrust.

"What was that for? Cruel...!" She commented with a huff as she slowly rubbed her forehead to ease down the pain.

"You keep getting lost in your thoughts and you still have the face to ask about what is wrong with your method of practicing the spells. You are really something." Rylan reprimanded her with a shake of his head, making Emily pout in response to his accusations.

"He's right. Seeing you losing control over your thoughts so easily while practicing, I'm quite surprised that you ended up mastering the Wind Spirit in the first place. What's the point of following all the steps correctly when you are forgetting to implement the first and most important step - to keep your mind blank and focused?" Shane questioned her while arching his eyebrows as he looked at her to hear her response.

But Emily had no words to say in response. She knew that he was stating the facts. She was aware that she kept getting lost in her thoughts frequently nowadays but that was because there was so much going on around her and she barely had time to sit down and think about it all.

There were still two months left before the end of her first academic year but she already was feeling like both her body and mind were unable to take the burden.

Ever since she left City-A, she had become a slave of her life. She not only needed to study business but she also had to take special classes for magic. She had to finish homework for both streams. She needed to practice for hours to learn spells and charms while her defense classes with Shadow were still giving her sour muscles. And as if this was not enough, she had her newly formed business to take care of.

Nowadays, she barely had the time to either sleep or eat properly, relaxing was not even an option in her schedule. She had started to feel like a robot whose only function was to perform the daily tasks without any break.

"Look at you. Again lost in your thoughts." Emily heard Rylan again reprimanding her and as she shook her head to get rid of her thoughts, she realized that Shadow had finally appeared in the garden.

"Don't be too hard on her. You guys can take a break now. I'll take over from here." The man told her best friends as he approached the bench where they were sitting.

"Hey! That's not right, Shadow. You are making it sound like we are bullying her but the truth is we are only following your orders. Why you are acting as a fairy in disguise?" Shane questioned as he looked at Shadow with a question expression.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Don't throw mud at me." Shadow was just as shameless as a person could ever be. There was no way he would ever let anyone ruin his perfect image in front of his Princess.

Emily smiled as she watched Rylan, Shane, and Shadow bicker sweetly. The three of them had grown closer during the past eight months and she could tell that Shadow was letting a few of his guards down around the boys.

She waved her hand as both Rylan and Shane left after a few minutes, heading back to their dorm room to finish their homework.

"Are you tired?" Shadow asked as he took a seat beside her on the bench and placed his palm against her forehead to check her temperature.

"Kind of," Emily replied sincerely, not even trying to pretend that she was alright. There was no point, the man seemed to be able to read her like an open book. It was impossible for her to lie to him.

"Come on, I'll take you somewhere nice." He suddenly spoke as he stood up and took hold of her hand to pull her on her feet.

Emily silently followed him, not knowing what place he would be taking her.

Once a student or their companions entered the Academy grounds, they were not allowed to leave the premises until they finish their academy years. The wards around the Academy were so strong and ancient that they made it impossible for anyone to disobey the rule.

These wards were the main reason why none of her brothers or even her enemies got the chance to contact her through her four years in the Academy.

The academy was really the safest place for anyone in their world but it was also one of the most dangerous places too.

--

"Are you sure we are doing this?" Emily asked as she looked around the yard to confirm if they were really alone or not.

Her heart was beating at such a rapid speed that she feared it would pop out of her chest at any minute. Her hands were sweating as she continuously rubbed them against her jeans to calm herself down.

"Trust me," Shadow said those two magic words but Emily just smiled weaker at him.

She did trust him but the same could not be said about her lick and the patrol team of the academy guards. She did not even want to imagine the punishment that she would receive after getting caught by the guards or any staff of the academy.

"You are trembling, Princess," Shadow commented as he took hold of her hand and started walking towards the portal that he had opened in the old oak tree.

"That's because I'm scared." She whispered in response as she clutched his arm with her other hand and followed closely behind him.

The electric sensations swarmed over her entire body as she stepped into the portal. The world of darkness greeted her for a mere second before she was standing on the other side of the portal.

A place out of a beautiful world was waiting for her as she took in the mesmerizing scenery in front of her eyes.

It took her a few seconds to realize that she was bare feet and standing on the cool surface of a lake. The water kept brushing against her feet, making her feet calm and relaxed.

Her eyes once again shifted back to the garden on the other end of the lake. It was filled with different colored flowers which were filling the air with their floral scent.

Her eyes traveled towards the tall green trees that were covered in moss and ivy. A seeing of ivy was also hanging on a lower branch of one of the old trees.

She also noticed the beautiful butterflies that were flying over the place as they collected the nectar from various flowers.

"This is so beautiful." She could not help but comment as she let her body soak into the warmth of nature.

The sunlight that was falling over her body and the area around her seemed to be different from what she was used to in her daily life.

Even though it was summertime, the sunlight did not burn her skin. Rather, it felt like a calming balm against her soft smooth skin. A soft breeze was blowing, making her hair ruffle.

"The weather... it's perfect here." She again complimented as she closed her eyes to enjoy the beautiful moment.

"It's good that you like it here. Go on, relax and enjoy the beauty of nature. It has the power of taking away all your worries."