THE academy was full of chaotic students. There are some who had wings and they were chasing each other in the hallway, not caring if they crashed into the property of the academy.
Chloe noticed that land origins are what distinguished every student, not by their elemental powers. They wore white robes with color and design at the back.
There are three land origins that were classified in the Krystalline Academy: Deirdre with its inhabitants are called peasants, Markus with its denizens, and Vestia with its residents.
Deirdre peasants are wearing a white robe with green and yellow linings that looked like vines with a circling one at the back of their robes and a parakeet bird at the center. Chloe knew that the parakeet bird was a common bird in Deirdre and it symbolizes stealth. Deirdre has been the only land associated with pure nature. No wonder it was designed like vines.
Markus denizens had their robes designed with metallic gray. Two swords were cross at the back of their robes, signifying the mighty hands of Markus' weapon-making skills with an owl on its foreground.
The residents of Vestia, the mainland of Demetrius, had their robes designed with crystal specks that glittered whenever they were hit by the sun's light. At the back of their robes, the figure of a crystallized lion was designed. Their robes were the finest cloth Chloe had ever seen. Indeed, Vestia was the richest among the three largest lands of Demetrius.
Chloe sat at the back of the class with two vacant seats from her left. Since the school year had just begun, the first-year students were not wearing their robes.
Jucel only wore her Vestia robe after giving her a tour in the academy. The silver-haired woman insisted not to wear it so that Chloe will not feel out of place on her first day.
Her new friend separated from her when Chloe was in the right room.
Chloe was writing something in her notebook when the whole classroom erupted in whispers and loud giggles. She decided to look up to see what made them so excited all of a sudden.
Two guys, one with a cool smile and dirty blond hair and one with an emotionless face and black messy hair, walked inside. The latter was taller and has more built than the former. The taller man paused and stared at her while the other made his way to the vacant chairs beside her.
Chloe quickly noticed the stares of the girls around her so she kept her head down.
"Hi, you looked new here," the shorter one of the newcomers suddenly said beside her.
Chloe smiled, the side of her lips was quivering in awkwardness. "Yeah. You seem to know I have just enrolled here."
The emotionless guy shot the blonde a look before he made his way to the chair beside his friend. He glanced at her before looking away without a word. Chloe could see the slight twitch of the side of his lips. The blonde just chuckled.
Chloe could hear the sigh of the girls around her and realized that they were observing these guys. Hmmm... They seem popular.
"Well~," the blonde said in a singsong voice. He looked at the ceiling before looking back at her with a cute smile. "He kind of stopped last year and I just tagged along."
Chloe's eyebrows rose. She remembered that Barbie and Jus mentioned a friend.
"Oh. Okay," Chloe said with a smile then decided to now the names of these gentlemen. "I'm Chloe. Chloe Liu."
Both guys looked at Chloe, bewildered. "You mean, sister of Lucian Liu?" The blonde blurted.
The mere mention of Lucian's name made the girls gasped and frantic. Don't tell me that my brother's famous among girls, too, Chloe internally vomited. She nodded slightly.
The blonde broke into a big grin, which caused a murmur among the people in the room.
The emotionless guy looked at the crowd and spoke in a loud hateful voice. "What are you looking at? Teacher's not coming. Get out of my sight."
In an instant, as if scared of this guy's words, the students went out. He then stood and walked towards the door.
The blonde looked at his friend with a pout. "Stop doing that, dude." He turned to Chloe who had her gray eyes both surprised and silently asking what had just happened. "Don't mind him. He just had a, what we call, a grumpy syndrome that was always there even if he's wide awake. I'm Zabdiel Lewelyn. Call me Zab. And that one's Jared Dale." The blonde named Zabdiel didn't wait for her to digest what he had said. He stood up with his bag on his shoulder. "You're the little sis of Lucian?"
Chloe nodded again. "I--"
"Nice to meet you, Chloe. But J's right, Teacher's not coming," he grinned and jog his way out of the classroom. All Chloe could do was follow him with her eyes and her mouth open.
Zabdiel Lewelyn has a fair look with elegant cool movements, totally in contrast with the way he talks. Jared Dale, however, has the very characteristics of a bad guy. She could still recall how his piercing eyes look at each one of the people in the classroom, and how sharp his tone of voice towards all of them. Almost as if he was angry at the world.
Almost.
~O~O~O~
KRYSTALLINE Academy is a beautiful school than those in Deirdre, in Chloe's opinion. There are four towers and they were separated by the tree lines and gardens of flowers. Butterflies, bees, and other insects were flying around and it just added to the enchanting feeling of the walkways.
Chloe wondered if there are any of the students in this academy who has an allergy to flowers. If there is, she'd pity them.
Each building has its own antiquity. The Rubi Tower was located in the northern part of the academy and it served as their academic building where students are learning in a classroom. It's not likely a tower but a large and tall building. Just a normal looking building.
The Opall Tower, located in the eastern part of the academy. It serves as the magic training building. This one's kind of Chloe's favorite as she saw several students practicing their magic there. The tower was literally a tower with several magical bigger rooms that brings you to a different place for your training. The tower changes its color from blue to green to yellow to orange as a representation of the morning sky, and Jucel mentioned that at night it becomes white to gray to black. Truly magical.
Eshmirald Tower, the tower of all offices for professors and business transactions. It was located in the western part of the academy. Nothing really stands out for this one but it's just as old as the others.
"You're different," the Nursing Erie told her in their high-pitched, creaky voice as it gave her the Deirdre Krystalline robes.
Chloe scrunched her eyebrows as she accepted the item from the other side of the glass. "What do you mean different?"
The Nursing Erie's pointed ears tweaked. "You're not from Deirdre. But you're from Deirdre."
Chloe blinked her eyes. She didn't understand. But because there were students coming, she decided to let it slide and thanked the Nursing Erie.
The Clothing Section was just right beside the Textbook Section. There were several books given to her, some are heavy while some are thin. Nothing happened in the Textbook Section as the Nursing Erie that attended to her was busy with the inventory.
With new books in her arms, Chloe walked out of the Textbook Section. She passed a small window that faced the southern part of the academy and saw a tall building surrounded by a thick forest just about a few kilometers away from the Eshmirald Tower.
Chloe remembered Jucel telling her that it was the Agatē Tower. The only building in this school where students and teachers alike are prohibited from going to. The forest that surrounds it was called the Dark Forest. Jucel didn't tell her more about it, but the more Chloe stared at the tower, the more enchanting it became. She started to wonder why going there was prohibited.
Suddenly, something slammed into her, and her books scattered down on the ground.
"Will you be careful, you witch?" a high-pitched voice of a woman started to berate her.
She was picking up her books when she felt her face heat up. There are no other people in the hall which made it more advantageous for bullies. She stood straight and in a calm voice, she asked, "Pardon me. What did you call me again?"
There were three girls in front of Chloe. And the one at the center seemed to be their leader. She had curled brown hair that reached her shoulders and doe-like eyes. The other two looked twins as they had pigtails and the same makeup and the same faces together. They all wore the crystal designed robes of Vestia.
The leader looked back at her two friends who all had a smirk on their faces. "Go ahead, Kir. No one's around anyway," one of them urged.
The girl named Kir looked back at Chloe who was still standing and observing them. Kir took a step forward with a heel on one of the new books. "I said... Witch. Now, who do you think you are....?" She gazed at Chloe from head to toe then back to her face and smiled sinisterly. "Witch."
Chloe narrowed her eyes. In the Kingdom of Demetrius, calling someone a witch is like saying that they belong to the Kingdom of Illinor - Demetrius' archenemy. It is the worst name-calling you can ever give a Kryst, much more a Demetri. Plus the fact that this girl was stepping on her new book.
Without thinking so much, Chloe ducked and her leg flew under Kir. She swiped her leg across the book which the bully was stepping on. The latter lost her balance and landed her butt on the hard ground. Neither of the bully's friends was able to help her because they were stunned, too.
Chloe quickly moved her hands in a circular motion above her head. The water rose from the ground, without any source of it around. The water then washed over Kir and her friends who screamed in panic.
The young brunette picked up her books carefully, still surprised by her own reaction. "Sorry," she managed to mumble.
The girls were heating up in anger and were ready to pounce on her like an angry cat when the time seemed to slow down all of their movements. Then a calm, authoritative voice echoed in the hall, "Don't touch her, Lady Kirsten."
A man in a dark brown robe dropped to the ground out of nowhere and walked towards them. He's taller and lean-built and half of his face was covered with a hood.
The time moved again and even Chloe struggled to breathe. The girl, now named Kirsten, glanced warily at the man.
"Who are you?" she snapped.
"That's not for you to know," he answered. Chloe slightly tilted her head. She couldn't see his eyes and nose because of the hood, but she could feel that he was irritated by the way Kirsten addressed him. "Go."
Kirsten glared her light brown eyes before she sneered at Chloe. She faced the intruder and huffed before she and her friends hurried away.
Chloe continued to pick up her books and the man helped her with it. He helped her stand, a spark of electricity running through her skin when he touched her. The man seemed to feel it, too because he retracted his hand immediately.
The man chuckled nervously. "Forgive me. Are you okay?"
Chloe smiled and hugged her books against her chest. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for helping me."
The man gave her a sheepish smile before he consciously pulled down his hood further. "Sorry, I am not allowed to show my face around. I am kind of not allowed here in general."
His voice was light and laid-back. Chloe couldn't see anything under that coat as it covered him from head to his black combat shoes that only warriors of Demetrius have... Wait, leather?
"Wh-"
A wolf howled and both of them looked above. It signifies that it's time for going home. Wolves of the Krystalline Palace were trained for such duty, she remembered Jus saying.
When Chloe looked back at the man, he was already gone, as if she was alone all along.
What was your name? She wanted to ask.
CHLOE went out of the Eshmirald Tower with her academic supplies. She was greeted by the blinding light of the sun as she stepped out of the shadows. Chloe had to cover her eyes with the back of her hand.She wondered who that man could be. He was acting mysterious when he saved her from that bully, Kirsten, and her friends but when they were gone, he was flustered."Chloe!" The said girl jolted from her thoughts and turned to that familiar energetic voice.Barbie was waving her hand from the distance while dragging the dazed Jucel with her other hand. Lucian and some guys were following the two girls. She could even see Zabdiel and Jared with them.Chloe noticed that one of them was a man with a white cloth covering his eyes. But the amazing thing was that this man was able to walk steadier without guidance.Barbie stopped at Chloe's side and quickly draped her free arm around the younger woman's waist. Chloe was taller than Barbie which made the
AT THE CENTER of the city of Galenus, the Krystalline Palace was glinting under the sunlight, flaunting the royal symbol of the main Capital of Demetrius. The walls that surround the palace were painted with silver and it was eight feet tall. Several Defense Krysts were stationed at each entrance with few Cimēræ accompanying them.Inside the palace, a man in his 20's was sitting on the stairs of the palace, putting on his black combat boots when the queen and her personal servants descended. The queen smiled as she made her way to her son."Ciaran, it's still early in the morning. Are you going back to the city of Markus?"The man was the 2nd prince of Demetrius, Prince Ciaran, but he was the 1st heir to the throne for several reasons. He stood up, fixing his belt on his white and gold suit before he faced his mother. He smiled softly at her, his emerald green eyes seemed twinkling. Some of his auburn locks are covering his eyes."I want to check on the progress my men made in Helengre
"HAVE you identified what caused his death?" Prince Ciaran asked Tara who checked on the dead Kryst they saw at the border of the forest. Drake and Theo went to bury the dead.The three Krysts were his direct subordinates and close friends. They were with the royal siblings since their younger years. This is why Prince Ciaran was more comfortable with them than anyone else in the palace, other than his siblings.Tara shook her head. For once her sleep-deprived eyes seemed alert this time. "The mist around the memories of the Defense Kryst was thicker than usual, Your Highness. But it seemed that the soldier was on the run. We can assume that he was attacked.""But by whom?" Ciaran asked, more likely to himself rather than Tara.Drake and Theo went back to them and they all set forth towards the gate of the fortress. As Theo and Drake opened the gate, Ciaran could already sense something was wrong. There was a faint smell of rotten things, and the fort seemed deserted.Ciaran unsheathed
CHLOE let out a loud gasp and closed her eyes tightly; a sharp scream escaped her throat.She waited for her body to smash against the rocky ground when a pair of strong arms caught her from mid-air. She instinctively clutched her savior's shirt. They landed with a soft thud. "Are you okay?" a concerned voice asked. She blinked her eyes open and looked up before her jaw dropped. He was looking at her with his thick eyebrows scrunched in obvious worry. He has that strong perfect jaws, and the perfect curved eyes... and those thin pinkish lips... "J-Jared..." she stuttered. She realized that she was still in Jared's arms. She scrambled off him and steadied her balance. "Y-Yeah... Thanks for helping me." His lips curled in a lopsided smile. For once, Chloe was mesmerized. His face lightened up when he smiles... even a little. His eyes gazed upon the branch then back at her. "What are you doing up the tree?" he asked. He still had that emotionless tone of voice that she knew would erup
SHE'S absolutely not going inside without Lucian. That was Chloe's decision. She knew that Lucian's room will be in the Opall tower so she tried to find him.With more than fifty rooms in the Opall tower, Chloe knew she will not be able to find him before the said interrogation ended. Nobody knows what will happen if she's late.Goodness! Where, in the name of Demetrius, are you, Lulu-chi? she nearly screamed in her mind.Chloe started to wring her fingers together at her back as she stood at the stairs inside the tower. If Lucian was indeed inside, he must know that she didn't arrive yet. He will come to find her."Hey," a smooth, manly voice called out from the entrance of the tower.Chloe turned to him, recognizing her brother's voice immediately. She instantly saw him because of his blonde hair, blue eyes, and the white cloth that was covering his ears."Lulu-chi! Where have you been?" she exclaimed.Lucian jerked his thumb at his back. "We had some errands. Barbie and the others w
CHLOE was terrified. Lucian was calm. And the Teachers were all harder to read.When Master Levi lost his temper, Chloe thought they were dead. It turned out that it was just his nature. Because after Lucian said that he already knew that their parents were suspected, he sat down and relaxed. Chloe didn't know what to do or say at all."W-what.." Chloe felt a stone on her throat and she was having hard time to gulp it. "What do you mean?""It's true that our parents are members of the Knights of Shaula. We were not lucky to enter this academy. We're privileged." Lucian looked at her with his blue eyes glinting. It held many secrets, enough to deem it as betrayal on her part. How much does she not know? "Our powers are not just any other Kryst. Combined by two Knights, we're above them.""Miss Chloe Liu," Master Hunn called to her softly. She turned to the old man. "We would like to talk to Lucian alone. You can leave now."The said girl hesitated. She slowly looked at Lucian. "Brother?
LUCIAN landed on the ground, butt first. "Aw.." He groaned as he rubbed his painful rear.Jucel landed more smoothly, doing a full turn before landing on her feet. "S-Sorry for that," she said as she helped him up. Lucian stood before he quickly scanned the field around them. They were in an open field, anyone could see them if they were just going to walk across the road."Where are we?" Lucian asked. His blue eyes were alert and narrowed, ready for any danger that might come to him."We're i-in a secluded field of Graire Province," she answered. He turned to her questioningly, and she pushed the rim of her thick eyeglasses up her nose. "You.. y-you were ready to kill me. I needed to bring you s-somewhere you can't use your p-power. You can't invade my mind, ei-either."Lucian inhaled sharply and tilted his head. His eyebrows are scrunched while his hands on his hips. "You seemed to know my powers more than I do." Why would I invade your mind when I can't even look through it the mome
THE night was high. The moon shone upon the river that ran from the Diana Province to Galenus City. There are few residents going back and forth but most of the stores in the market were already closed.Along the banks of the river in the city, two figures were walking. One of the figures bent down and traced the hand on the ground. The other stopped to watch the actions of its companion."Do you see the blue light?" a drawling accent came from the bending figure. Jucel Greyn looked around once more before she stood.Lucian Liu furrowed his eyebrows, his handsome face scrunched in concentration. "All I see is the ground with stones around."Jucel laughed a little bit, covering her lips with the back of her hand. "I forgot that you need to see beyond what's seen.""Beyond what's seen?"The silver-haired woman nodded then she pointed at the ground before them. "You saw the floor of this place as normal, nothing happened to it, right?"Lucian nodded quickly. He stepped back in alert when