Clara would rather feel secure than be surrounded by mysteries. And Jayden Lavelle had become one of them.His presence was now gone without a trace. Not a single eye or soul turned their heads to him. It was like he was a ghost, a specter no one had noticed.“This will be the last time you’ll have the opportunity to escape again,” the prince said, his face hard with displeasure. “I hope your little escapade satisfied your wanderlust, at least for a little while.”“Wanderlust?”“The way you keep on leaving the castle? What’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting strange. You should’ve been resting, focusing on your recovery.” Alex’s voice held a lot more coldness than it had the first time she met him. “You have to stop doing that when I’m not around to look after you.”“Excuse me, Prince Alexander,” Clara said, her tone rising in irritation. She yanked her arm off his grip. He attempted to wrap his fingers around her wrist once more, but she shook him off. His eyes were wide and dark, an
Everyone ran to help put out the fire. Nivalonians who attended the celebration made use of their abilities against the fire. But the fire itself seemed to have a life of its own, not wanting to be put out, spreading more like a sea of embers. From her periphery, Alex was instructing the warriors he brought with him to give aid.“Go, Alexander. Take the princess away from here. I’ll take over Zephyrus’ troops to calm the situation down,” Prince Henry said, running his tongue at his bottom lip. His face reflected calmness, but the aura coming from his body sent a shiver crawling up her spine. The Henry Clara was seeing now was different from the one she saw from the show.Alex need not be told twice. He closed his eyes and spread his arms out at his sides. Then, gingerly and very slowly, he exhaled deeply, and his wings began to unfurl.They came gradually, starting at the base of his shoulders, two white shoots extending from his back, growing higher, wider, thicker as they spread back
A week had passed since the Fyrians’ damage to Rovenshire’s property, leaving people with nothing to save from their businesses. And only a few days were left before classes began. And in that time, Clara needed to figure out exactly how to spend the first days living as someone else.Clara was wary of the future. Of course, she had been feeling ecstatic, but a nagging voice at the back of her mind told her that it was too good to be true.But then, she began imagining herself living the life of her dreams. It would start from something simple like dining in a downtown bakery shop—having breakfast as she watched people go by their daily lives—to seizing an adventure with her own crew to retrieve a lost dragon egg. It might be a silly thought. Who would risk their lives just to get a dragon egg?Clara knew everything was temporary. Soon she might just wake up and discover all of this as a dream, or worse she’d be busted by Ariah’s parents for stealing their daughter’s body. But then aga
Now that it was the first day of class, Clara wore Blaire Academy’s uniform. The two-layered skirt was white, high-waisted, and velvety, only reaching her mid-thigh. A white inner polo was tucked under it. And over it was a long-sleeved half mantle with three pairs of gold-colored buttons connected with gold chains. Pinned to her left chest was a gleaming ash gray pin, signifying she was a citizen of the Eirinia Empire, home of air-wielders.Clara trudged her way up the grassy slope where the bronze gate was located with Willow in tow. Clara practically jumped and bounced while biting her lip as excitement filled her to the brim. Her eyes twinkled as she waited for the gate to open. It stood on the edge of a cliff, the other side of it gave nothing but a high plunge down from the rock island. So she wondered how it would take them to the academy.“I hate to spoil the moment but how will you survive the academy without Ariah’s power?”Realization dawned on her, making her heart sink. Cl
“Haven’t you taken a bath before coming here? And of all places”—the prince waved his hand at the soft streaming water — “the lake. Really?” Alex and Willow searched for Clara around the campus when they didn’t see her emerge from the portal. They were about to send a report to the court when they heard a loud splash at the lake behind them.The prince was back from being grumpy and hot-headed. No sign of the gentle and caring prince who went after Clara at Rovenshire. Being an air prince really suited him—unpredictable and inconsistent.He stared back at Clara with the same intense amount of her glare. His face showed how bored he was, but she didn’t miss the sly smirk he failed to conceal. Clara removed her eyes from him to stare at her wet clothes.“What am I going to do? I can’t go in there all soaked.”Clara felt a change in the air around the prince as he brought his clasped fists up to his mouth and blew through them. A gust of wind blew past her, its warmth the same as the sum
As they reached the massive double doors at the front of the school, an elevated podium was the first thing to be seen, facing an open area where a large crowd could gather.Floorboards were carpeted. The walls and solid wood foundation were perfectly carved with intricate complex carvings. Aside from the huge chandeliers and a few floating crystal lights, the candle sconces lighted up the whole room.Alex started toward the staircase, but the loud chiming of a bell stopped him. He looked at his golden pocket watch from his vest. “That’s the bell that signals that breakfast, as well as the orientation, have started. Come on.”She followed him up the stairs which led into an adjoining hallway. They passed through a number of doors in the hall. A short while later, they stopped in front of a pair of red ornate double doors with glistening golden handlebars.He gestured his hand towards the door, but before Clara could speak, he was already bounding away down the right hall, waving an arm
Clara could hardly concentrate on what Holly was saying, for the prospect of the placement exam was starting to weigh on her. She imagined herself in the middle of unknown faces without anything—not even her powers—in case something went terribly wrong. The placement exam was supposed to be a measure of strength. It wouldn’t start in the next few hours, yet Clara feared she would flunk it.Holly showed Clara to a bathroom. It had a large bathtub, kidney-shaped and made of the smoothest white porcelain. The high ceilings were covered by enormous frescoed portraits, depicting Hiestora’s beginning of time—how it was created by the Guardian Deity. Against each of the walls—which were papered in elaborate swirls of turquoise, pink, and gold—was an oversized, lavishly carved wooden armoire.“I sleep in Chamber 5, Your Highness,” Holly said, leaning against the bathroom doorway. “That’s downstairs. In case you need me, there’s a communication system that’s set up in your bedroom. It’s directl
No, Clara didn’t know about it. Not a single thing about the problems this empire was facing. But there was one thing she understood. Right now, she was one of those who belong in the attuneless population, considering her inability to wield this body’s attribute.“Can I also have those marbles, Neith?” The two girls looked at her like she had said something unbefitting. A rift of confusion danced in their eyes. “Uh, first day jitters. Just like everybody else.” The side of her lips quivered from the forced smile. Holly did mention it was forbidden in the placement exam, but Clara would surely find a way to get past that hurdle.“Neith, can I?” she repeated when no one made a move.It was Neith who was first to recover. “O-Of course, Your Highness. I just happen to have the right one just for you. Although I think you’re strong enough on your own. Just a minute while I get it.”Neith disappeared behind the curtain that was beside the shelf. When she came back, she looked at Clara, her