Varin felt the mirror steal part of Cateline that evening. It was faint, but it was enough to be noted. He led her to her chambers and told her to rest, but he made little effort to follow that advice himself. He went right back to that attic and stared face to face with the doppelganger of Cateline.

She was a witty little thing, smiling at him each time he passed her by. She even waved and curtsied in the most sarcastic way. It earned a chuckle out of him, sure, but it was impossible to ignore how terrifying she was. The origins of such magic are dark and unknown to him—he could only wonder how it wound up in this academy in the first place.

The why was what burned a hole in his brain. He could have torn that room apart if he was not disciplined, but luckily he knew better than to leave a mess after doing some digging.

He recalled those letters he stumbled upon when Leolina asked him to run that errand for her. They were right where he left them, with the key and all. He would investigate the key later—for now, he was more curious about the contents of these letters.

Varin had no idea if this would resolve the issue of doppelgangers, or clarify Leolina's true intent, but he had to know something. And with how little the headmistress came up here, surely she would not notice if he opened them carefully and returned them safe and sound once he was done.

In theory, it was the perfect plan. He was fully expecting it to not go smoothly, though. Things rarely went his way.

Carefully sliding the tip of his fingernail under the wax seal, he opened the loosely bound envelope and pulled the parchment out. The fold of the paper was worn, corners so soft and faded it could have crumbled in his hands. This letter had been folded and unfolded nearly a thousand times by the look of it, but the wax seal itself was still perfectly intact.

It was an official letter, the emblem a royal blue and had the imprint of a lion surrounded by a rose on it. Expensive and dated back so many cruel and deceitful years. The handwriting was cursive and faded, some words an unsolvable mystery. Bringing his free hand up, he whispered a fundamental spell that illuminated the tips of his fingers a warm glow. Not brighter than a candle, but enough to make do.

Queen Emmeline,

The existence of your daughter yields greater power than King Airen would ever begin to consider. A weapon that could level mountains if not properly educated. It is my understanding that the King is unaware of the existence of her magic, and I urge you to reconsider your refusal of allowing her to explore Lighthelm in her youth.

The child will perish if that power is left untapped. It is important to Axulran, it is important to our region of Ellixus, and it is important to our beautiful world of Denzethea. Prophecies are spoken and considered folklore to your people, I understand, but certain things must heed a warning and action will be necessary—sooner rather than later, ideally.

It is your decision, but I, as well as Alleyn and all the other magical and non magical creatures of Denzethea, pray that you do what is in best interest for Cateline’s fate.

Your dearest friend,

Leolina Virensant

Varin carefully folded the paper, tracing his fingertips over the wax seal once more. Suddenly, it all made sense—the lion being encompassed by a royal rose, the Queen of Axulran, and Leolina’s newest toy… Cateline, a princess disguised as a mage, was sent here to destroy the academy with her untapped magic and uncontrollable energy. After placing the note back in the envelope and returning it to the box, Varin eyed Cateline’s doppelganger with curiosity.

“Can you hear me?” he asked.

She stared at him with a playful grin, nodding her head without any movement of his own. He cleared his throat and got closer to the mirror.

“Are you and Cateline one in the same? Same mind, same mission?”

Again, she nodded and got closer to the barrier as well. Her icy eyes were wild, her gaze moving across his features with curiosity as she awaited his next question.

“Are you out to overtake Traburg in your family’s name?”

She shook her head no.

“Are you in danger?”

Cateline’s reflection flinched and met his stare, neither affirming nor denying his question. She simply looked in pain. He asked another question.

“Is your family out to overtake Traburg?”

This time, she lowered her eyes down and shrugged. She mouthed something, but it was silent—the barrier blocking any answer she sought to give him. He frowned.

“I cannot hear you,” he informed her. She nodded knowingly, lifting her finger to point behind him. Varin turned at her command, staring at the mess scattered about the room. With a furrowed brow, he turned back to ask another question but she was gone. “Cateline?”

Varin was set on figuring out why Cateline was in Traburg, and why her family had her attending this academy. He had to assume she was in on the plan, so he could not simply approach her. He did what any sane, intelligent man would do.

He followed her from the second she awoke, to the second she fell asleep.

Unfortunately for him, that girl had the sleeping habits of an owl. Throughout the nights, he would find her roaming the halls and eavesdropping on other restless scholars. Cateline was a curious cat, one that was about to find herself in a snakepit once Varin had sufficient evidence.

Luckily, she was following her agenda accordingly tonight. He was made aware by Aiora that she was set to train with Leolina tonight. It was rare that the headmistress taught, but now knowing her relations to the royal family of Axulran, he had no reason to question why. Leolina was as much of a traitor as anybody else who supports the Bennett lineage.

Varin leaned on the balcony perimeter, rubbing the dust off the top of the fencing. As of right now, they were simply sitting and discussing by a small fire pit. Eventually, the floorboards behind him creaked and a small voice greeted him.

“Hello, Varin.”

Varin turned to look over his shoulder and nodded toward the elven girl. Aiora smiled up at him, joining him on the balcony. “I am glad you came.”

“Why are you sitting up on this balcony tonight, anyway? I don’t see why you would show much interest in Leolina’s mundane lecture with Cateline.”

Varin rested his eyes on the duo once more, his lips pursed into a thin and straight line. He shrugged. “Have you put much thought into where she came from? Why she washed up on the Liverstone farm?”

Aiora hesitated before nodding. “I thought you’d never catch on. She has said more than a few strange things, sure. I don’t trust the likes of her.”

“What would happen if those strange things left these walls and were given free will to roam our cities? Kingdom? World? Her thoughts are dangerous.”

“I would say you are a fool if you think they haven’t already.”

“Exactly. That’s precisely my point. She is more powerful than we could have hoped for.”

Aiora chuckled, resting a hand on his shoulder with unease. “Are you feeling unwell? She can hardly harness light when the sun is at its peak.”

Varin nodded. “I’m feeling perfectly fine. I have my concerns about what we are training her for, though. It’s not like she’s going to stay in this academy forever—she has a home.”

“Does she?” Aiora asked and returned her stare to Cateline. “I have never put thought into it. The way she washed up onto shore like that… her family is either dead, lost, or threw her off a ship. I’d say she belongs to the heretics.”

The two of them watched as Cateline stood with Leolina, moving away from the fire and into a clearing of the meadow. Leolina placed her feet shoulder-width apart, holding her hands cupped together at her core. This was an ancient power stance said to channel the uncontrolled mana at the mage’s core—a fundamental state even the most inexperienced person who wields magic should know. Cateline tried to mimic it, but did so clumsily

Varin snickered. “I did a little digging.”

Aiora hummed in response.

“Do you trust her?” Varin asked.

Aiora shook her head. “I think there is little to be trusted of a heretic.”

“What makes you so sure such an inexperienced mage would be a heretic?”

Aiora gripped onto the fence. “I trust very few people, I guess. I doubt she’s as ignorant as she seems... Why? What did you find?”

Leolina’s hands began to radiate, her head lifting to the sky and her hand soon following. Shards of ice flew up, melting before they could fall back. They were weak shards, but Varin was sure she could make them stronger. Cateline tried a few times, and eventually her hands radiated with the weak mana. It was still an unsuccessful attempt, but she was closer than she had ever been before.

“I found a letter in the attic, amongst other things. But there is much to be learned of our newest little friend, Aiora.”

“I am still confused, Varin? Can you stop speaking in tongues?”

Varin smiled, nodding slowly. He saw Cateline’s hands begin to glow, so he paused in his response. He wanted to see what she was capable of.

Her hands shed light much brighter than Leolina’s, so much so that her forearm glowed too. Her back arched and she stumbled out of her stance, falling backwards as the shards of ice flung out of her in every direction. Leolina ducked down the moment she lost control, and Varin fell to the ground as a razor sharp fragment grazed the wisps of his hair and pierced into the wall above his head. Aiora gasped and dodged any debris as well, crawling over to Varin with worry. The ice had cut his forehead, but it was nothing more than a surface level scratch.

Still, this was enough to make him shake. He looked down at the duo on the ground with rage, scowling with his words. “She’s a royal member of the Bennett family—daughter to the Queen of Axulran. That mage that washed up onto Traburg soil is a direct descendant to the Kings and Queens who murdered our families. Right in time for Lunarseve.”

Cateline fell backward, her fingertips cold but her body on fire. Her core was warm to the touch as she rubbed her sore abdomen. Pulling herself to sit upright, she accepted Leolina’s hand to stand.

“What just happened?” She asked between breaths, struggling to calm her nerves. She had never experienced such a feeling—the feeling of every ounce of energy in her body being expelled in such a violent manner. She felt lighter on her feet, but in the same breath fatigued.

“Magic.”

Cateline scoffed and straightened the wrinkles of her gown. She looked up at the balcony, eyeing the shards that stuck into the wooden frames of the roof. Two figures stood at the balcony’s edge, shaking their heads down at them before disappearing inside. Varin and Aiora, by the looks of it.

Blinking, she returned her focus back to Leolina and nodded. “I understand that much, headmistress. I am wondering how that was possible. It was so uncontrolled, so sudden—I had no warning before it set off.”

Leolina nodded without expression, waving her back to the firepit. “It is normally not so sudden, yes… I have a question, Cateline.”

Cateline hummed and sat down on the wooden stump, eyeing the tips of her fingers. They were still blue from the frost. Numb, too.

“Where is your pendant?” Leolina pressed on.

Cateline’s attention jumped back to Leolina, her eyes widening and breath catching in her throat. “Pendant?”

She was playing dumb—nobody else knew about that pendant outside her family. When she washed up on shore, her necklace was already missing. To any passerby, it was a normal piece of jewelry. It wasn’t even extravagant or stately—there was no rhyme or reason for somebody to be questioning its whereabouts.

“The pendant that was gifted to you when your powers first emerged, Cateline.”

Gulping, she nodded slowly. “I am not so sure—surely, at the bottom of the ocean by now! It was simply an heir—”

“No,” Leolina interrupted, “it was more than an heirloom, and you are well aware of that. I ask because I am the one who gifted it to your family. When they refused to send you here, I offered them a gift. That kept you under their control until you mysteriously ended up here in Traburg.”

Her heart began to race, dropping her hands to her side and gripping onto the edge of the chair. “You created it? How? How do you know my family?”

Leolina chuckled and turned her focus to the embers that flew away from the fire. “I am a master of more than just spells, child. I have a close friend in the outskirts of town who assisted me with the enchantment, but that necklace is a powerful tool. It can also become a dangerous weapon, should it fall into the wrong hands. Tell me, did you give it to anybody before arriving here?”

Cateline shook her head. She wouldn’t elaborate on the vague memories of the party she attended before awakening in the forest—she did not trust the headmistress enough. Especially if she was involved in extinguishing her instinctual desire to master her mana as a child.

“Leolina, I am honest when I say I remember nothing up until I got here. The last thing I remember of my home was playing a quick game of chase with my youngest brother, Kristof.”

“Hmm, your family was always so cynical of magic. That never changed, I presume?”

Cateline nodded and lowered her stare to the ground. There were many nights where her family, brothers included, would attack her for the things she could not control. She was deemed an outcast to them, but unfortunately they could do little about it. They tried to get her married to a prince far away as soon as possible—presumably one that hailed from a kingdom that embraced magic. In fact, that was exactly what the party was for before she woke up in the forest.

“Your forgetfulness should not be in shame, Cateline. It is intentional, and able to be broken. Do you understand?”

Cateline nodded, although she did not understand.

“The person who put this blockade in your mind has been toying with you for years, probably since you first showed your magical capabilities, but they don’t want you to remember how you got here for a good reason.”

Cateline wondered if Leolina genuinely did not know who would have wanted to place such a purposeful fog to make her last night in Axulran hazy, or if she did not care to share.

“What is that reason?”

“Child, I am a mage, not a fortune teller. I cannot predict your fate. However, I can work with you and give you a fair chance at breaking this curse.”

Cateline gulped, nodding carefully. Her mind was running through all of the oddities she had experienced over her few weeks at Lighthelm—first, and most prominently, the beautiful woman from the bathhouse that haunted her. She was so real. Despite her curious tickle to ask, she kept her mouth shut on that subject.

So, she decided to ask the second and safest question: “How were the twins' memories wiped after Jaspar revealed my title to them?”

Leolina grinned, folding her hands across her lap. “Some things are better left unsaid, however I feel you already know that answer. It is best to focus your curiosity on things that have not been indirectly answered, is it not?”