All the students had finally gone back to their classes for their remaining lessons, leaving the halls empty and quiet. The only sounds heard were four pairs of footsteps that echoed through. No one dared talk till they reached the dormitories.
"How would it be?" Princess Nyara's tone was cool, deliberate. "The peasant is to remain with me, to attend to my every need…" Her eyes lingered on Lucen, cutting through him with quiet precision. "…but this one is different." She said, clearly talking about gender here.
"No worries, My Princess. This is the path separating the chambers, male and female. Each is also subdivided into the factions of the students. The chambers for the Royals are separated for diplomatic reasons and because they are not as much as the High-ranks. The rooms there are much spacious and not many, plus we added a special feature for this occasion where Lucen here would be prompted whenever you need him." The second female among them explained.
"And you are?" Princess Nyreal asked, her eyes finding their second victim.
"The Student Council President representing the females in The Soulbourne Academy, Elara Venn." Elara answered with a bow.
"I see. So much explanation for a simple question." Princess Nyara commented, then turned to the other. "You were with two boys when you came to meet me earlier, right?"
"Yes, My Princess." He answered with a bow. "They are the representatives of the mage and scribe factions."
Princess Nyara nodded. "So who heads overall?"
"No one. We are all equal in power. This arrangement is there for order and easy management of the Academy's student body, My Princess." He answered with a bow.
"So, that makes five of you in all?" Princess Nyara asked, her eyes narrowing.
He bowed his head. "Yes, My Princess."
"Interesting…" Princess Nyara turned to Elara. "To the Royal Quarters?"
Elara nods. "Yes, My Princess. Right this way…" She gestured across the hallway of the chambers, and everyone followed.
They arrived at the Royal Quarters, and the sight was true to its name — majestic in stature, elegant in every detail, and grand enough to command a gasp from all who entered.
The two presidents stopped and turned to the new students with a bow.
"All study materials are in your rooms, along with your other uniforms." Elara said and turned to Princess Nyreal. "If My Princess needs anything, there is a special mechanism designed in your room that would alert Lucen to rush to your aid." She reminded.
They bowed, then left the two to get ready.
Lucen felt his secrets unravel beneath Princess Nyreal's stone-cold gaze, as though her eyes were chiseling into the very core of him.
"Can I help you, My Princess?" Lucen said with a bow, trying hard to keep his posture in check.
"Nothing." Princess Nyreal answered before entering the quarters.
Once inside, Princess Nyreal turned back to Lucen. "You can freshen up and meet me back here in an hour so I can go to class." She said and walked down to the Noxmere Royalty section.
"Who takes an hour to get ready? She was already in uniform…" The thought nagged at him until it struck — Princess Nyreal had told him to freshen up, though he was already dressed. Lucen's eyes widened. He sniffed himself quickly, then lifted his head, jaw tightening, teeth gritted in reluctant realization.
"Oh, serving her is going to be… fun."
With that muttered vow, he turned and strode back toward his room.
The moment Lucen's left foot sank into the soft carpet of his room, a piercing ring split the air, so sharp it felt as though the walls themselves might shatter. His eyes darted wildly, searching for the source, or at least something solid to cling to until it passed. But the longer he waited, the louder it grew, pressing against his skull like a relentless tide.
He hated the thought, but there was only one explanation. With a heavy sigh, he turned away, forcing himself down the corridor until he stood before Princess Nyreal's door.
"My Princess, you summoned me?" Lucen asked through the door.
"Get in here now!" Princess Nyreal ordered, Lucen entering with alert.
"How could you be so careless?!" Princess Nyreal scolded.
"What happened, My Princess." Lucen asked, confused.
"You are supposed to check the perimeter to ensure my safety before you leave my side for even a second." Princess Nyreal demanded.
Lucen blinked, confused. "But, My Princess, the 'perimeter' was checked before your arrival. Or you found something that did not please you…"
"You did not just talk back to me." Princess Nyreal narrowed her eyes dangerously.
Lucen bows. "I sincerely apologise, My Princess."
"Do not just stand there, go check!" Princess Nyreal ordered.
Lucen made a thorough search of the room and once everything was clear and accounted for, He went back to Princess Nyreal. "There is nothing of any threat to you here, My Princess."
Princess Nyreal nodded. "Good, you are excused now."
Lucen bowed and withdrew. At last, he stepped into his room, ready to unpack, but before he could draw a breath, the alarm shrieked again, a sound so sudden it nearly tore him from his sandals. Heart pounding, he had no choice but to abandon his respite and rush straight toward Princess Nyreal's chamber.
"You summoned me, My Princess…" Lucen said, panting.
"Water." Princess Nyreal said calmly as she took her time organizing her things.
"Water?" Lucen asked, confused.
Princess Nyreal turned her head to Lucen, slightly tilted, then nodded once. "Mm, over there at the table." She pointed with her chin, the table right behind her.
Lucen's eyes dropped to the glass of water on the table, then lifted back to Princess Nyreal. He fought to keep his face steady, every muscle straining against the expression that threatened to betray him. Drawing in a deep breath, he forced the words out. "Yes, My Princess."
The tone carried a faint edge of discomfort, but he pressed on, lifting the glass toward her with deliberate care. "Your water, My Princess."
"Can you not see my hands are full?" Princess Nyreal said, her focus on the clothes she was packing.
Lucen exhaled, hoping that all his frustrations and anger left his body alongside it, then gently took the straw to Princess Nyreal's mouth. "Here, My Princess."
"Thank you…" Princess Nyreal's words carried a quiet edge, meant to linger. She lifted the straw to her lips, drinking with deliberate slowness, her eyes never leaving Lucen's face. Each sip felt like a test, her gaze pressing against him with calculated weight.
When she finished, she gave a single, measured nod. "Thank you. You are excused."
With that, she turned back to her task, dismissing him as though the moment had never existed.
If Lucen thought his torment had ended, he was mistaken; it had only just begun. The intervals were deliberate, as though Princess Nyreal knew the exact moments when he was busiest, or had barely stepped into his room. Those were the times she chose to summon him, again and again, until what felt like the twentieth call.
The alarm shrieked, louder and more earth-shattering with each ring. Lucen ignored it, forcing himself to remain still, no matter how it clawed at his ears. But Princess Nyreal did not take kindly to being ignored. Not at all.
Princess Nyreal turned, ready to storm into Lucen's room when she saw a note on the door.
"Use only during emergencies; In cases where there is an emergency and Lucen is nowhere to be found, this spell would summon him within seconds."
Princess Nyreal nodded, clearly pleased by the convenience. "Ah… The learning process has begun."
Princess Nyreal stepped into the center of the chamber, her presence commanding silence before a single word was spoken. Her right hand stretched outward, fingers trembling with restrained power, while her eyes closed in deliberate focus. The air thickened, her aura unfurling like a violent storm contained within her perfect form, violet light outlining her silhouette, sharp and unyielding. The room seemed to lean toward her, as if the walls themselves were listening. Her lips parted. "No road, no gate, only will…" Her voice was low, yet it carried like a blade drawn slowly. Her hair lifted, caught in a wind that came from nowhere, while the rest of the chamber fell utterly still, breathless, waiting. "…step forth, the distance undone." The words struck like a command. Above her, the air tore open, folding into itself until a violet portal bloomed, a wound in reality, pulsing with raw energy. The glow painted her face in shadow and flame, her aura pressing against every soul in the room. Princess Nyreal's eyes opened, gleaming with dangerous calm.
"Transitus Aeternum." Then, there was a huge crash.
Princess Nyreal's eyes fluttered open, and met his.
Dark, fathomless, they held her in place, a song echoing in their depths. Hers glowed like pearls, luminous against the shadow, two lights caught in collision. Their noses brushed, a fragile touch that carried the weight of something forbidden. Breath mingled, tailored to each other, as if the air itself conspired to keep them close. The world narrowed to centimeters, lips trembling on the edge of a choice neither dared to make. Suspense hung heavy, a silence louder than any spell.
And in that silence, it was no longer clear who had summoned whom.
…
Meanwhile, in the darkest side of the Academy, a place which knew no sunlight and never let the moon in on their secrets…
"The Princess has finally entered Solaran Soil." One voice echoed.
"Good. It is time to end this oppression once and for all. After Noxmere's Treasure is successfully detained, The King would finally have no choice but to bend to our demands." Another said.
"But would it work? The Princess's power is unmatched, one we have never witnessed before. She could wipe us out with just her finger." An uncertain voice whispered.
"Oh, comrade, have you no faith. We have come too far to back out now. Do you not know that we are not alone in this fight? We have the full support of the crown. Our years of pain and suffering would soon come to an end." The person from earlier said.
"And what of the boy that came with her?"
Everyone present laughed.
"Boy? The peasant? I felt nothing off him, he as no Talent." One reported.
"Nonetheless, do not mistake him for harmless. Peasant or not, he found his way into the House of the Flame of Dawn, and that alone makes him dangerous. We must tread with caution.
Hold fast to the plan, and we shall not falter. The heads of the House of the Sovereign of Silence will be our trophies, and with them, the final fall of Noxmere… or the song of our victory."