Jack made his way slowly down the hallway, his footsteps echoing in the silent space. His mind was running with questions and uncertainty. The recent event has turned his life upside down.

  People have questioned his skirmish with Christopher. But as hard as he tried to remember, all in all, it was a blank canvas.

  And then came his newly founded abilities. This has completely taken him by surprise. He had read dozens of books about magic manipulation, but nothing could make him ready for what he saw.

  To add the cherry on top, the government is now involved. Testing him and documenting it in a single note. It was all too suspicious.

  He stopped at the windows and saw the other students at the open training fields, manipulating magic with ease. He felt a wave of mixed feelings in his chest. Deep down, he used to be envious of them. But now his perspective has changed.

  Placing his hand on the cold surface of the glass window, he let out a deep sigh.

  "Haaah, what an eventful week... Is this the effect when magic is used? With all the commotion, restless nights, and public outcry?” he questioned. "Maybe this is a good sign…" a whisper escaped from his breath.

  Realising what he said, he shook his head, silencing the naive thoughts in his mind.

  "No, you idiot. You forgot what happened last time.”

  He was clutching his trembling hand, suppressing the same memory that was threatening to overwhelm him.

  “This time, things are going to be different. I will not use this thing willingly, not until I find the truth behind it.”

  His eyes lowered to his left arm.

  “Not again.”

  "NO." A sharp whisper rang in his right ear.

  A sudden voice sent a shiver down his spine. He jolted into the empty hallway, searching for who or what was speaking to him.

  He found nothing.

  He wiped off sweats from his forehead, wondering what that was.

  Before Jack managed to settle down, the voice boomed to his ears once more.

  "I WILL NOT LET YOU DO THIS."

  His ears started to ring. Jack was looking around him, searching for the origin of the sound. His vision was spinning as the ringing overwhelmed his ear. He felt the nausea washed over him, threatening to fully engulf him.

  Clutching his head, he could feel the ringing piercing into his head. He could hear the glass windows cracking from the pressure. Losing his strength, he fell to his knees.

  But as fast as the ringing started, it quickly faded, replacing the sound of footsteps approaching. Gasping for air, he looked up, his vision was still blurry, and his head was still throbbing.

  As the footsteps drew nearer, he saw a familiar face. He breathed a sigh of relief.

  “Jack! Jack! Are you okay? You look terrible. Is something wrong?” Estenia took a step forward, but Jack's hand stopped her.

  “Hey Estenia, fancy seeing you here. I’m fine, just a little shaken up." Jack tried to downplay the issue, trying to stand up but failing.

  "You are sweating like a pig, and your face is as white as a ghost, so do not lie to me. Now tell me, what happened?"

  She took a look at the glass window. Her eyes widened as she examined the cracked glass. "Did you do this?” Her voice tingled with suspicion. “How? Are you hiding something from me?" With hesitation, she took a closer look at him.

  "No, I'm fine, really. Look.” He replied.

  Estenia watched in pity as Jack’s weak attempt to convince her that he is alright, but the paleness of his face betrayed his words.

  But as he finished his words, the ringing returned.

  Clutching his head, his scream penetrated the air.

  Flinching from the scream, Estenia quickly moved closer to her friend. Trying to calm him down.

  "Jack, focus on me.” she called out to him. But he failed to even hear her voice.

  Breathing heavily, he looked down. “Get out of my head! I would not make the same mistake again.” He screamed at no one.

  His words sent chills down her spine.

  “What are you talking about?" Estenia became worried, her face uncertain.

  The sudden shift of ground caught her attention. Quickly, she observed the surrounding area, watching everything treamble around her.

  As the shaking is not enough, chaos erupted when Jack unleashed unexpected energy. The cracked windows shattered under immense pressure.

  Estenia instinctively shielded herself from the shattering glass, but she was taken aback by what she saw. The shattered glass was floating in the air.

  Her heart races with a mixture of fear and curiosity. “What kind of power is this? Is this really Jack's ability? Why didn’t I notice this?” With cautious movement, she extended her arm, trying to touch the floating shard.

  But as her fingertips reached the shard, everything rewind itself. The broken glass has returned to its original state, and the floor seems to be repairing itself.

  It was as though the chaos had never happened.

  Gasping Estenia’s attention turned to Jack, who was laying unconscious on the ground. Without hesitation, she rushed to his side, her heart was pounding with concern.

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  “Jack, wake up.” She shook his shoulders. Her voice was layce with worry. She checked for any signs of injuries, her mind was running wild as she tried to understand what was wrong with her friend.

  Seeing Jack's silent answer, she clapped her hands together, and it glowed green.

  As her hand hovered over Jack’s body, a blue aura quickly enveloped him, resembling a cocoon. Despite it being surprisingly thin, it effectively blocked Estenia’s attempt to scan him. Seeing this, she intensified her energy beam. But the cocoon branched out swiftly before engulfing her hand.

  Surprise, Estenia tried to pull her hand, but the cocoon held it firmly in place. She felt a tickling sensation as the cocoon absorbed the energy beam.

  The cocoon dissolved as the beam died down, leaving energy particles in the air.

  Estenia lowered her hands to her sides, Confusion was shown on her face

  “What the.” She questioned herself.

  Her mind was racing with wild questions and thoughts with what she just saw. The sight of Jack released some demonic energy and absorbing her energy has left her bewildered. Could it be that Jack was not someone that he portrayed himself to be?

  Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she pushed all the questions aside and focused on the task in front of her. She needed to bring Jack to the school infirmary, it was too dangerous to leave him there.

  She hoisted Jack’s unconscious body to her shoulder, ignoring the strain as she dragged his body slowly.

  ***

  The infirmary was quiet. Jack lay on the bed with Estenia right next to him. Frustration was shown on her face, the same enigmatic aura kept blocking her attempt.

  Her frustration amplified as she tried to understand the gravity of the situation. She cannot give up on Jack when the rest have turned their backs on him.

  With fiery eyes and unwavering determination, she took a deep breath before fully attacking the aura that had been gatekeeping Jack. She employed every trick in her arsenal to break down the seemingly indestructible aura.

  As she kept pushing herself to the point of exhaustion, she heightened her focus. She channelled her entire energy into a single action, amplifying her skill to the razor-sharp precision as she refused to give it even a moment to catch its breath.

  With her final determination, she released all of her energy at once. A sudden burst of light filled the whole infirmary, illuminating every corner with its light. Even with that, Estenia remained focused and kept channelling the beam into the aura.

  As the light faded, Estenia hoped that all her hard work had paid off. But it was useless. The aura still stood strong after being put under so much stress.

  Her legs gave away as the feeling of disbelief swept over her like a tidal wave.

  “God Dammit!” Estenia curses.

  The door of the infirmary swung open, and a tall figure rushed in. Her footsteps were barely audible against the hardened tiles. Her giggle was the only thing that gave away her position.

  Hearing a voice behind her, Estenia turned around. Shocked by the creature's aesthetics, she rose in defence, “Who are you? How did you come to this school?”

  The creature continued to smile.

  The figure was a tall elven woman, adorned in exotic armour made from bronze and gold. Her white hari cascaded around her shoulders, and a half mask covered the left side of her face. A golden trident was elegantly strapped across her back.

  “My name is Merida.” The figure was taking a second to gaze at her before bowing down. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Estenia, daughter of Bishop Alexander."

  “What?!” Her eyes widened in surprise.

  ***

  Estenia was shaken, this was the first time someone had called her by her full title. A title that she swore to have been forgotten.

  Her fist pulsed golden, a manifestation of fear and anger.

  “You have one chance,” she said, repeating her question with a hint of anger. “Tell me who you are and what you are doing here?" Estenia clenched her fist.

  The figure smiled and raised both of her arms, showing that she was unarmed. “Relax, I mean you no harm. My name is Merida. I’m a former Grand Maiden of Daeven. As for the boy, he is an acquaintance of mine.”

  Estenia’s eyes narrowed at Merida's response; her scepticism amplified despite receiving the answer.

  “Merida, a former Grand Maiden of Daeven,” she repeated the sentence. “Why would she be here? And on top of that, she said she was an acquaintance of Jack?”

  Merida’s eyes turned to Estenia's arm. Noticing that it was glowing, she raised her eyebrow, tilted her head forward, and gestured to her arm. “I don't think that is a good idea. If you do that now, the whole building will be caught on fire.”

  Those words continued to make Estenia even more confused. However, as the glow faded, her vision became blurry. She had drained all her energy when she was trying to help Jack.

  Noticing her condition, Merida placed her arm on Estenia's shoulder, convincing her to rest.

  “Take a rest, little one, you have been pushing yourself for quite some time." Estenia first protested, but her movements got even sloppier over time.

  Catching Estenia as she fainted, Merida couldn't help but smile. Her determination to help her friends in trouble was a noble trait.

  “Just like her mother,” she thought.

  Looking around, she saw there was an empty bed right next to Jack. Carrying her with ease, Merida placed Estenia on the bed. Letting her rest after a tiring day.

  With the blanket covering her, she turned to the door.

  “You can come in now, my dear. The situation was cleared."

  Two familiars walked into the infirmary.

  “Thanks a lot for dealing with her, Merida," a female gave her gratitude.

  “You’re welcome, dear. Anything for a friend. Now, back to your son. I sensed something odd from him." Merida stated as she placed her hand on her chin.

  “My son is fine, right?" The father asked in a cold tone, but his face betrayed his monotonous voice.

  “No need to fake your feelings, Andrew," Amaya patted on her husband's back. “We can hear your heartbeat the moment you set foot in this school."

  Andrew sighed deeply. “I don’t have any connection with my son. I even heard that he has despised me for not making time with him."

  “It’s okay, honey. I’m sure Jack will understand if you explain what happened. Besides, it's not even your fault to begin with.” Amaya said softly, trying to soothe her husband.

  “I hope so, darling. I hope so." Andrew sounds defeated.

  Merida coughed, drawing the pair’s attention. “Let us turn our focus to Jack."

  Jack’s body glowed with a light blue aura, the light swirling around him as if attempting to envelop him completely. For a moment, it seemed that the aura would consume him whole, but it suddenly went away.

  As soon as the aura vanished, Jack’s body trembled uncontrollably, his limbs shook as though fighting an unseen enemy.

  Amaya’s eyes widened with alarm. She screamed, rushing to her son as she tried to stabilise him.

  “Is he having a seizure?” Andrew questioned.

  “No. He is just shivering.” Amaya placed her hand on top of his forehead. The cold, feeling like ice, ran through her hand.

  “This is weird, Jack never gets this sick.”

  Amaya was looking at Merida, searching for an answer. Merida placed her trident above Jack’s body.

  A moment passed and the trident showed an engraving at the tip. After she read those words, Merida's eyes widened before she calmed herself.

  “What's wrong, Merida?” Andrew questioned again.

  “This is a unique circumstance," Merida said with her finger on her chin, thinking.

  “What is it?” His patience ran thinend.

  “The aura that Jack is emitting is his source of magic. The problem is.” Merida looked into their eyes. “He rejected it.”

  Both of the parents turned their eyes to her, full of shock.