“I did not see you return last few days. Is everything all right?” Asked a concerned voice.

An intense pain pulsated through Janine’s body as she opened her eyes and attempted to get up, her blurred vision slowly clearing up. ‘H-how long have I been out?’ she thought, unable to feel her hands or feet for a few minutes.

“Janine, are you listening? Do you want me to get the nurse?” Asked the roommate, disturbed by the silence and Janine’s erratic movement of the eyes.

“T-thank you, but I am fine,” replied the girl as she slowly crawled up — head spinning and causing nausea. ‘On second thought, perhaps it’s best that I go and get myself checked… I need to discuss this with Mira… crap, this hurts’ thought Janine as she touched her burning forehead, little droplets of blood visible on her hands.

Folding her pocket watch, the girl got up and quickly got dressed in the casual clothing that was scattered around; going to the restroom and cleaning her face up. Janine was messed up, her eyes bagged, her lips burst, and her hands slightly trembling as she washed them and reached for her mouth, removing a broken tooth, and spitting out blood.

“Fucking psychos,” murmured Janine as she watched her reflection and recalled the night before; anger overtaking her before slamming her fist into the wall.

The girl had been in pursuit of the mystery behind the hidden note for quite some time now. No matter how hard she searched, the student had miraculously disappeared — gone without a trace. Having recreated his image within her mind, Janine went as far as going through the archives of every student attending the Academy of Dalei, a feat that took her many sleepless nights to achieve. In the end, she could not get any lead: No name, no picture, no documents of him even existing — nothing.

And yet, the girl did not give up. This matter was alarming for such notes could only be planted by top-tier spies when an exchange of information was due. It could be some students learning and testing their skills with the said profession in mind. Yes, probably that was it. However, that did not shed any light on the unusual disappearance or rather non-existence of the said person; neither did it excuse the usage of such ability or methodology inside the institution.

Who permitted it?

Furthermore, the person was clearly nervous; perhaps scared of the deed he was to commit.

Was he forced to do something?

If this were the case, then Janine had to investigate and gather enough evidence before making any accusations and bringing the headmaster’s attention to the matter.

Cleaning herself up and putting a bandage around her wrist that had a deep cut, Janine moved towards the door.

“Hey, you are right. I do need to get a check-up done, so I’ll go to the nurse’s office. Are you going to be all right? Do you want me to get anything on my way back?” Asked Janine to her roommate who was combing her hair.

Why did that girl not care too much? Was she also involved? “I think I’m gettin’ paranoid,” thought Janine with a pout.

“Yeah, it’s okay. Just be careful. Don’t get yourself beaten to a pulp again; try to avoid that group…” said the roommate in a low voice as if to avoid prying ears inside the room, which Janine had checked and knew was empty.

“You appear to be terribly nervous. Anything you want to tell me?” Asked Janine with a firm and a severe tone, preparing to [Mind Tap] inside the girl’s head if need be.

“N-no… Just that group… They are bullies of sorts, obsessed with making Cornelia Davenfall’s life as miserable as possible,” said the roommate nervously.

“And why is that? Care to enlighten me?” Asked Janine, leaning her body forward as to slightly intimidate the girl.

“I-I dunno,” she replied with a saddened expression. “But I do feel bad for that student. From what I was told, she’s been harassed ever since she began studying here. Something to do with her background?”

Yes. Of this Janine was aware. She had thoroughly investigated Cornelia, despite the documents being kept in the secret archives that were guarded by several high-ranking officers. While they were trained to resist common Psychic attacks, for a professional illusionist, who had years-upon-years of experience from battlefields it proved to be rather easy to penetrate the defenses. Guarded or not, this was not a battlefield; the officers could keep the spoiled children of the nobles at bay but not Janine.

“I suppose I am glad that I hid my stats when we enrolled,” she thought as she walked towards the medical building.

It was the middle of the spring season; the smell of tree bark post rain, the sweet aroma of flowers blossoming, and the itchiness caused by pollen spreading in the air caused Janine to recall the nostalgic feel of her country. How long had it been that she had the freedom of experiencing such a simple pleasantry? True, she was in the military, but when being distracted by training, preparations for war, and her family feud, there was little time to stop for a minute and enjoy the purest joys of life such as nature.

“Funny,” she thought as she recalled how she came to be in such a situation. Janine did not hate her life, per say; nor did she resent the entirety of her family. Her mother was a gentle woman who had raised the child to the best of her ability. Her father had passed away while quite young, but she still remembered the kind-hearted man.

No, what Janine hated was what came after that.

“Whatever. It is irrelevant now,” said the girl with a loud sigh as she approached the door that read “Mira” on it.

Knock, Knock.

Nobody answered.

Knock, Knock.

Silence.

“Hm, is she out? Perhaps I…” Janine could not finish the thought as she heard Mira’s voice down the hallway, talking to someone. It was Alviona’s voice. “Damn it! I can’t let the curious one see me like this. I gotta hide,” thought Janine as she quickly moved the plant that stood beside the door, taking its place — in shadows — while casting [Scrambling], [Active Camouflage], and [Silence].

“Grandma, do you truly believe that I can do it?” Asked Alviona chirpily, her eyes sparkling as she followed Mira.

“It sure will! I really like that idea of yours. It resembles a concept that I am well acquainted with,” replied Mira, stopping to pat Alviona’s head who in turn became ecstatic from the usual pampering received.

Observing them, Janine could not hold her grin back. “Good grief, kiddo. You really love getting spoiled. Just like a child,” she thought. And yet, the girl was not fooled. She knew very well what was hiding beneath what Alviona called a Vessel, the inner beast — something that she had not told anyone back in residence. ‘Gotta be careful. That voice… I will never forget the whispers… they ring in my mind even today, and it’s been nearly three months now!’

And yet, whenever she checked the condition window, nothing abnormal was displayed.

Odd.

Mira approached the door and stopped her chatter, ears wiggling several times before slowly turning the knob and entering her office.

“What?! Did she sense my presence?” Wondered Janine as she eavesdropped the conversation that the two party members were having. Speaking of which, where was Solomon?

“Grandma, I keep telling you… whenever Janine is not nearby, I feel sad. Did I upset her somehow? Almost two months passed since she told me that she would come with me to a library… I…”

“I can assure you that she is doing something important.”

“But can’t I help her?” Asked Alviona, her voice expressing frustration.

“I am sorry, kiddo… I really need to get to the root of this,” thought Janine as she kept listening, slightly disappointed by her own actions and inability to get any results. To some degree, she was also trying to avoid the child so that any feelings she might have harbored towards her would be figured out. Cornelia’s “Lovey-dovey” remark bothered Janine to no ends as if a splinter was stuck inside of her body that she could not remove. Was there a possibility that Janine was in love with Alviona? She did not admit it, but then she did not deny it either. ‘I’ll give it time—’ she kept thinking.

Carried away in her fantasies, Janine missed out on the rest of the conversation, and Alviona slowly walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind her. Seeing her face, Janine could not help but ponder as to what made her go into that state. The child’s visage was lit up with excitement, slowly caressing her cheeks and having a smile reminiscent of a pink rose to blossom. It was entrancing, so much that had she not paid attention and kept calm, her concealment would have come off. Even so, part of Janine wished that she could apologize to Alviona right here and now, offering her to share another ice-cream… “God damn it! Sparkle-sparkle delight. I am such a loser.” Watching the child leave, the girl was finally able to ease up and control her breathing pattern.

“Well, you can come out now. I know you are here,” said Mira who poked her head out of the office.

“What?!” Thought Janine as she walked from her position, removing her camouflage and giving Mira a dumb stare.

“Oh, my. What happened to your face?!” Asked the elf as she dragged the girl inside, closing the door behind and securing it with the lock. “[Silence], [Fortification], [Untrackable]—” chanted Mira, before turning to her patient and thoroughly examining her. “Well, I am waiting.”

“Hooligans,” scoffed Janine as she told her of the encounter with the noble family of Laveius, the two siblings that were actively trying run a group of sorts that discriminated and aimed to separate the lower class attending the Dalei Academy from the upper ones. Even the middle-class nobility was not immune from their behavior. Best part? The Institution closed their eyes on most of the happening due to the amount of reputation gained from their house. What could one do? Such was the societal norm.

“I bit off more than I should have and did not watch my back. I was far too overconfident, as such here I am, beaten. I apologize, madame Mira.”

“I can see that,” replied the elf with a concerned face as she disinfected Janine’s wounds, healing them up. “You haven’t checked the rag under my door that got soaked, your footprints were visible.”

“I am losing focus!” Janine was not pleased by the developments thus far. “Look, Mira. I need to figure this out… I do not think that being around Alviona…”

“Have you heard what she told me?” Said the elf curiously with an impish grin.

“Part of it, yeah. She is disappointed in me, isn’t she?” Said Janine saddened.

“Not disappointed, but confused. Alviona believes that she has angered you. Currently, the girl is trying her best to train her water-related abilities to impress her two parents — working day and night for it. On top of that, she is doing her research. There is something else… but I should not say it for it would be too cruel of me,” said Mira with genuine laughter.

“I don’t understand…”

“Regardless, how did things go on your end?”

“It’s as if he never existed.”

Mira fell into thought and walked towards a drawer, opening and removing a vial from it.

‘That. Is that…’

Looking at her demeanor, the elf grinned and nodded. “Yes, it is possible that somebody is illegally using something similar to this. What do you think?”

It was possible, considering that the institution had a class dedicated to potion-brewing. But then, who was producing such a high-quality transformation potion? Mira was a legend, this was undisputed, but she was on Alviona and Janine’s side. Then, an instructor?

Foolish.

Only but one person in millions would be gifted enough to brew such a rarity; then there was the part of obtaining materials. Was it Possible?

Impossible.

Why would a teacher want to go out of their way to spend so many resources on one particular subject? What did it achieve? If they had the funds to brew that, then it meant that they probably could hire an assassin, no?

Alviona’s identity was unknown to the students. Currently, she was safe. Solomon being with her would get rid of most bullies or idiots that would try to harm the girl. That and Janine herself was not going to allow anything happening with the child. After all, she had dealt with her assailants by [Mind Tapping] and erasing the memories of her encounter. Then there was Mira.

“Is Cornelia even worth it?” Wondered Janine as she battled herself with logic, trying to make sense out of this mess. “Mira, can you give me anything to boost [Mind Tap]?” she asked in hopes of preparing in case something urgent happened.

The elf pondered for a moment

“Just give it up,” said Mira with a severe expression, handing Janine two different potions from underneath a hidden compartment in her desk. “Here, if someone shows up again drink the yellow vial first, it boosts the sensory nervous system. Your potential of penetrating someone’s mind will also go up significantly. Beware, I only have this one potion so do not use it unless it is an emergency. After ten minutes, drink the green vial. It will help with the side-effects.”

“Are you…”

“I am sure. Leave the matter for now, and observe. When the opportunity presents itself, strike at it like a vicious snake.” Mira turned her back and walked some distance, not paying attention to the puzzled girl. “Leave the professors to me. I am monitoring them. If anyone makes some sort of dumb move, I will catch them like mice.”

“A witty woman,” thought Janine as she listened to the elf. “We are on the same page then,” she said.

“Mhm. Anywho, Cornelia was permanently assigned to Alviona for the duration of her stay. I think you shouldn’t worry about seeking trouble as it will naturally find its way to you…”

At that moment Janine spotted something within Mira that she had not seen before, something abnormal — the elf was grinning like a predator. A druid, one that people would go to for healing, was actively displaying a face akin to professional assassins—ones that were devoid of any emotions.

“…Thing is, little does it know that we will wait for it, prepared,” finished Mira with her light-hearted smile, causing a chill to run down the listener’s spine.

After finishing the talk with Mira, Janine inspected her watch before heading towards the bathing area. The warm water should have relaxed her nerves and ease up the psychological battle she conducted the other day. She soon found herself stopping in her tracks.

“I wonder what’s Alviona doing right now,” she thought as a hand touched her shoulder, causing her to jump some distance with her [Escape] ability, drawing out her small orb and preparing [Mind Tap] before stopping.

“How did you creep up on me? My passive ability (Heightened Senses) should have picked up on your presence!”

“Even I do not quite understand this,” replied Solomon with an amused voice. “From the little that I am allowed to know, my goddess’s passive ability affects me as well.”

Janine knew nothing about Alviona’s abilities. Not that she was not curious, but instead she was afraid to be curious. And yet, here she was asking Solomon about the child’s well-being.

“Is she taking a bath? Is that why you are here?” She asked.

The man nodded and allowed Janine through.

“Erm, that. Perhaps I should turn around and leave?” Thought the girl as she walked forward. After passing the changing room which would usually be filled with students, Alviona’s figure came into view. She was sitting by the pool, staring at her reflection, and appeared to be carried away in thought. Her majestic wings were revealed and were resting on the ground, resembling a black gown.

Splash, splash.

Janine looked towards the origins of the sound and witnessed liquid attempting to get out of its original space only to splash itself back, sprinkling all over the naked girl.

“How peculiar!” said Alviona rapturously as she replicated the phenomenon. ‘Life is truly fascinating!’

Janine could not hold her laughter back, causing Alviona to look behind and quickly get up — her eyes lighting up and a clock appearing in her left one before settling down.

“You truly scared me. How are you, friend?” Asked the girl politely, but not being able to wholly cover her excitement.

Guilt flooded Janine’s mind as she watched the innocent girl flap her wings. With a deep sigh, she moved towards her and extended her hand, patting the child’s head as if she were a domestic pet, never taking her eyes off her mesmerizing visage or figure.

Alviona seemed to welcome and enjoy it.

“I am sorry, kiddo. I had to take care of some serious matters and was unable to spend much time with you after classes. Please, forgive me.”

Getting over pleasantries and getting into the bath, the child caught her up to everything she has learned from the past three months, surprising Janine by her advanced knowledge of mechanics behind magic spells. Alviona was currently working on an ability that would splash the allies and heal them, while de-buff enemies and restrain their movements. In other words, a combination of Divine Healing properties and an offensive Water Element — Crowd Control.

“Interesting,” said Janine as Alviona finished her story. “Kiddo, you are truly amazing.”

“Can you please stop calling me that? It is rather unnerving,” replied Alviona with a slight blush.

“What do I call you then? Aren’t you younger than me in every way—” teased Janine.

The girl pondered before quickly shaking her head and lightly pinching Janine’s arm.

Ow!

“Meanie,” chuckled Alviona as she slowly landed her head against Janine’s shoulders, manipulating water and splashing the warm liquid against her cheeks.

“You!” Thought Janine as she laughed and splashed water against the child’s face, causing an all-out battlefield between them. After settling down, both girls grinned and chuckled wholeheartedly.

Alviona’s innocent, sincere, and an ecstatic visage trapped Janine — causing her to slowly mover body forward and leaning against Alviona, cornering her against the wall of the bathing pool — unable to resist looking into her mysterious eyes.

The child was taken aback by the sudden actions taken by the human; so much that Janine could hear the loud, erratic heartbeat of the girl in question. Her widened eyes, blushing face, and pink lips were entrancing.

How did the students resist their sexual urges? How did Solomon, a man who was linked to the beauty, resist this girl’s charms? How come nobody had confessed to Alviona yet?

These were the questions that flooded Janine’s mind. “Would it be all right for me to take her first kiss?”

“Kiddo, do you like me?” Asked Janine with a firm tone.

“Of course I do!” replied Alviona instantly, her eyes trembling and her face blushing from angst.

“But do you love me?”

The child nimbly jolted her head forward, landing a kiss on Janine’s cheeks. “I love, love, love you—” she replied.

Janine was taken aback, unknown to her emotions slowly settling within her heart and mind.

“Child,” she said with a trembling voice, “Are you certain that you understand the meanings behind your words?”

Seeing that she pondered for a moment, Janine was relieved. “But what is there to be relieved about? It’s my fault. Didn’t I just allow my sexual drive to get the better of me? Besides, she is a monster! I can’t have a relationship with her!”

“I am sure,” replied Alviona with a grin, gently moving her hands to caress Janine’s cheeks.

What?!

Without realizing it, she reached for Alviona’s wings — an action so out of the blue that the child could not react in time — causing her breathing to intensify, and her body to tremble.

Realizing what she had done, the girl let go of her limbs, apologizing for her actions.

“I-it’s fine,” replied Alviona with erratic breathing, desperately trying to get some air into her lungs. After a moment, she plunged under water.

“What the… why is the temperature of the pool rising—” thought Janine as she witnessed bubbles coming out from beneath the water that danced around where Alviona had submerged, only to be popped shortly after her surfacing.

For a moment, she could have sworn of catching a glimpse of an apparition that slowly floated out and away from Alviona’s body, melodically rejoicing by the events thus far.

“Are you all right,” asked Janine, panicked from what she was witnessing.

The hair color changed too rapidly. One moment it was blue, then pink, then green, pitch black, orange, white, silver, grey… Every color and every shade existing in the world, some even invisible. What was going on?

“Kiddo…”

Silence.

“Kiddo?”

No reply.

Fear overtook Janine’s body. No, it was a worse than that. Her breathing became heavy, the air felt dry — every inhale scratching her lungs — her hands trembled violently, and her face expressed the definition of horror.

“What have I done?!” She thought, dragging her out of the water, checking her pulse and breathing pattern.

Everything was normal. So then why was the child displaying such an unusual condition? But then again, the child was extraordinary, and this was further proved by her gently opening her eyes and coming to senses; hair turning back to original color.

“W-what did you just do?” Stuttered Janine as she embraced Alviona, not willing to let go of her.

Regardless of what happened in the past, Janine was thankful to this girl for sparing her life and bringing her on an adventure. She was grateful for the little joys she had experienced over the course of three months spent with the company.

At that moment, the girl realized something — hugging Alviona even tighter than before — slight droplets of tears falling from her eyes.

“Not like my little brother! I won’t let the same fate befall you! No, never! I refuse—” screamed Janine in her mind, landing multiple kisses on Alviona’s cheeks. “Kiddo, I too love, love, love you!”

Yes.

Finally true to her feelings, Janine rejoiced. Why did she deny this for so long? For now, it was a small crush. But essentially, it was a start — a solid foundation for a future relationship. No matter the cost of sustaining this feeling, she was willing to sell her soul just to cling to it, enjoy it, and never let go of it. Except, she had to do none of this, for her happiness was right in front of her.

Cornelia was right. They were close, just like “Lovey-Dovey.”

Janine could tell that Alviona’s feelings were similar, but lacked direction. She too was trying to figure it all out. It did not come as a surprise, for she was still young to this world. 18-years-old or not, the child was still learning alien to her concepts. Janine respected that, and it was for this reason that she refused to take her first kiss. Looking into the mysterious, orange-colored eyes, she knew that neither her nor Alviona was wholly ready to commit to each other. Both of them had to work for it.

Seeing the child’s blushing face, Janine realized how long she’s been in her embrace.

“I apologize, kiddo,” she said, slightly separating herself from the girl whose face was as red as a tomato.

No more words were necessary. Looking at Alviona’s entrancing visage, Janine chuckled and extended her pinky.

“I promise that we will figure this out, together. And I will start spending more time with you,” said Janine with a chuckle.

Alviona understood and responded similarly, her heart beating ever so slightly faster.

Finishing up their bathing, drying up and changing into the casual clothing, Janine left Alviona in Solomon’s care before separating.

Tired but relieved from stress, she could not help but once more be entranced by nature around her; stopping in her tracks before contemplating over the recent developments. A hint of fear and a premonition of the storm heading towards the world was something she could not shake off. Something was going to happen.

“But it is irrelevant right now. As Mira said it, I should focus on the present and not chase a ghost that fell into the abyss. A mysterious note, and Cornelia’s situation. I do not care! If she is a friend of Alviona, I’ll swallow and tolerate it. Try and get near her, and I will chew you alive. I want to protect her. I want to love her. I am not bound by anything, it is my choice. My FREEDOM” thought Janine as she looked into the distance at the descending sun.

Everything was irrelevant. A monster hiding beneath Alviona? So what! It did not matter to Janine anymore. She had made up her mind, and for the first time in her life, it was her choice.

Looking back at her life, a miraculous thing happened to Janine. Something she has not experienced in fifteen years.

A sincere smile, one birthed from pure joy.