The morning breeze drifted across the academy courtyard, carrying the scent of damp earth and crushed pine needles a sharp, refreshing sun-baked air of Solaris. The great bells of the Zephyros Academy rang through the halls, a deep, resonant sound that seemed to vibrate against the stone walls, signaling the start of a new day.
Students hurried inside for their lessons, a river of different uniforms and family crests flowing through the massive oak doors. Seyana walked calmly against the rush, her posture straight, her expression composed. To anyone watching, she was the picture of royal grace, the daughter of King Raezon. But inside, her heart was beating a little faster than usual, not from fear, but from a strange, bubbling anticipation she hadn't felt before.
She entered Class Hall A, the room smelling of old chalk dust. Light streamed in through high, arched windows, illuminating floating particles of dust that danced in the air like tiny spirits. She took her usual seat in the second row, smoothing her skirt.
"Good morning!"
The voice was bright and nervous. Raksha slid into the seat beside her, clutching a stack of books to her chest as if they were a shield.
Seyana turned, her mask of royalty melting into a genuine, soft smile. "Good morning, Raksha."
The professor, an elderly man with a beard like spun silver and robes that seemed to ripple even when he stood still, tapped the blackboard with a wand made of twisted driftwood. The chatter in the room died down instantly.
"Today," the professor's voice scratched like dry leaves, "we discuss the fundamentals of mana flow and the dangers of elemental mixing without proper stabilization."
He drew a circle in the air. Glowing blue lines trailed behind his wand, hovering in the space before the blackboard. "Magic is not merely power. It is a river. If you force a river into a channel too small, it bursts. If you mix fire and water without a buffer of air or earth, you create steam that burns not only your enemy but your own mana veins."
Seyana leaned forward, captivated. In the palace, tutors taught magic as a weapon how to destroy, how to defend, how to intimidate. But here, the professor spoke of it as a science, a natural law that required respect rather than dominance.
For an hour, he lectured on the subtle currents of energy that existed in the atmosphere. Seyana took notes diligently, her quill scratching against the paper. Beside her, Raksha looked a little overwhelmed, her brow furrowed as she tried to sketch the complex diagrams floating in the air.
When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of the theory session, the sound was met with the shuffling of chairs and the loud exhale of students released from focus. They headed toward the practical grounds.
The instructors, wearing the thick protective leather of the battle-magicians, began to shout orders. "Form pairs! Do not waste time! Element against counter-element where possible!"
Raksha instantly grabbed Seyana's hand, her grip tight. "You're my partner. Don't even think of escaping."
Seyana laughed lightly, the sound surprising even herself. "I wouldn't dream of it."
They found a space near the edge of the field. The air here crackled with residual energy the ozone smell of lightning, the sulfur of fire, the dampness of summoned rain.
"Ready?" Raksha asked, taking a deep breath. She closed her eyes, and the air around her began to shimmer with heat.
"Ready," Seyana whispered.
They practiced together, fire against water. Raksha extended her hand, and a burst of orange flame erupted from her palm. It wasn't the disciplined, militaristic fire of the Solaris soldiers, it was wild, bright, and enthusiastic, much like Raksha herself.
Seyana responded instinctively. She didn't force her power; she invited it. Moisture gathered from the air, swirling around her fingers. With a graceful flick of her wrist, she shaped the water into a gentle spiral that floated forward to meet the fire.
Hiss.
The two elements met, creating a cloud of white mist that swirled around them. Seyana controlled the water effortlessly, shaping it into rings, then spheres, dancing around Raksha's flames without extinguishing them completely. It was a dance of control and chaos.
"Your magic is beautiful.." Raksha whispered, her eyes wide as she watched the water glisten in the sunlight. "It doesn't look like a weapon. It looks like... art."
Seyana lowered her eyes, shy. A flush of pink touched her cheeks. "Thank you. I... I never thought of it that way."
By the time the lunch bell rang, the students were exhausted, their mana reserves dipped low. The cafeteria roared with noise the clattering of trays, the shouting of friends, the hum of a hundred conversations overlapping. It was a chaotic symphony of freedom.
Raksha and Seyana found a corner table, away from the center of the storm. They set down their trays, filled with roasted chicken and fresh bread.
Suddenly, Raksha leaned in across the table, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't look right away, but Kairos is staring at you."
Seyana froze, her fork hovering halfway to her mouth. She didn't turn. She didn't need to. Her cheeks already knew, she could feel the heat rising in them, a betrayal of her composure.
"Is he?" she asked, trying to sound indifferent and failing miserably.
Across the courtyard, at a table bathed in sunlight, Kairos sat with two other boys. One was the calm, dark-skinned boy from the day before, Luna. The other was the loud, confident Velanor Banner. They were laughing loudly at some joke, shaking the table with their mirth, until Velanor noticed Kairos wasn't laughing. He was looking past them, his gaze fixed on the corner table.
Velanor grinned, a mischievous, shark-like expression. "Ohh, look who fell in love."
Kairos nearly choked on his drink. He coughed violently, pounding his chest. "Shut up."
Luna chuckled softly, shaking his head as he calmly cut his food. "Stop bullying him, Velanor."
"I'm not bullying! I'm observing!" Velanor declared loudly. "Look at him. He's lost. Gone. We've lost a soldier to the battlefield of romance."
"I am not lost." Kairos muttered, wiping his mouth. But that didn't stop him from looking again. His eyes drifted back to Seyana, drawn to her like compass needle drawn to north.
Soon, Luna sighed, wiped his hands, and waved. "Let's just go over there. Before Kairos snaps his neck turning around."
The three boys stood up and approached the corner table. Seyana saw them coming out of the corner of her eye. Her heart began to hammer against her ribs. Be calm, she told herself. You are Princess Seyana Solaris. You do not get flustered by a boy in a pink shirt.
"Mind if we sit here together?" Luna asked politely, his voice smooth and grounding.
Seyana looked up and nodded, trying to look calm, though her fingers were gripping her fork tightly. "Please."
The boys slid into the seats. The dynamic of the table shifted instantly. It became louder, brighter.
Velanor immediately turned to Raksha, pointing a spoon at her. "I saw your fire practice earlier. Too much dispersion. You're wasting heat."
Raksha bristled, her shyness vanishing in the face of criticism. "It's called 'area of effect,' Velanor. Not everyone wants to just punch things with a rock."
"Earth magic is superior!" Velanor argued, slamming his hand on the table playfully. "It is the foundation of the world!"
"Fire is the spark of life!" Raksha countered.
Luna observed them with a quiet gaze, sipping his water, occasionally interjecting with a single, calm sentence that diffused the argument before it got too heated.
And Kairos... Kairos pretended to eat normally.
He picked at his bread. He moved his vegetables around. But every few seconds, he stole small glances at Seyana. He looked at the way her hair fell over her shoulder, the way she politely covered her mouth when she laughed at Velanor's jokes.
Seyana kept her eyes on her food, but she could feel his attention like warmth physically touching her skin. It was heavier than the sunlight coming through the windows.
Raksha whispered from the corner of her mouth, barely moving her lips, "He looks at you like you're the only person alive."
Seyana's heart became uncontrollable. It fluttered in her chest like a trapped bird. She had never been looked at like this, as a girl rather than royalty.
After classes ended for the day, the golden hour settled over the academy. The sky turned a bruising purple and gold. Seyana sought refuge in the library, needing the silence to settle her racing thoughts. She sat near a window where the sunlight pooled on the wooden table, reading silently.
The library was vast, filled with towering shelves that smelled of history. It was quiet, save for the turning of pages and the distant rustle of robes.
A chair across from her dragged on the floor softly. Scrrrrape.
Seyana didn't look up, but she knew who it was. She could smell the faint scent of soap and fresh air that clung to him.
Kairos sat down. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"Can I sit here?" he asked, his voice hushed in the quiet library.
"You already did..." she answered without looking up, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
He laughed quietly, a warm, breathy sound. He opened a book he had brought with him, laying it flat on the table. He didn't turn a single page. He just stared at the text, then at her, then back at the text.
Seyana tried to focus on her own book - a history of the elemental wars, but the words swam before her eyes. The silence between them felt like an invisible bond, thick and electric. It wasn't an awkward silence... it was a loaded one, filled with things unsaid.
Kairos finally spoke, his voice low, dropping an octave so only she could hear.
"From now on... I'll call you Seyana. Not princess."
Her eyes lifted in surprise, meeting his. His gaze was serious, stripping away the playful charm he usually wore.
It was such a simple promise. To anyone else, it meant nothing. But to her? It felt like he was cutting the strings that held her to her father's throne. It felt cute, rebellious, and deeply personal.
"Thank you!!" she whispered. The words were barely breath, but in the quiet library, they rang clear.
They sat there until the library closed, the librarian shooing them out as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Kairos, Seyana, Raksha, Luna, and Velanor walked back across the courtyard together. The air had cooled, the wind from the mountains picking up. Raksha and Velanor kept arguing about spell efficiency, their voices echoing off the stone walls.
"If you use wind to accelerate the fire..." Raksha started.
"But if you use earth to block the wind..." Velanor interrupted.
Luna walked a pace behind them, smiling quietly, watching everyone like a shepherd watching his flock.
Kairos and Seyana walked side by side. They didn't speak. Their hands brushed against each other once, accidentally, and they both pulled away quickly, electric shocks running up their arms. But they didn't move apart. They walked close enough to feel the heat radiating from each other. The space between them felt full.
Later, Seyana stood on the balcony of her dormitory room. The night air of Zephyros was cool, chilling her skin, but she felt warm inside. She watched the moon, a pale coin hanging in the dark sky.
Her fingers slowly pressed against her chest, right over her heart, as she whispered into the night.
"Why do I feel like this when I'm near him?"
She didn't know the answer. She knew duty. She knew discipline. She knew fear of her father. She did not know this fluttering, terrifying lightness.
For the first time in her life, she didn't want to be a queen, or a symbol, or a daughter. She wanted something for herself. She wanted to know what it felt like to be looked at by those kind, dark eyes again.
She wanted something.
Chapter 2 ends - Five sparkles shines!