"Looks like they managed to stop the storm." Airi stated, closing the book he was reading and looked up at the celling.
The three of them got up and went to the ship's deck. It was a mess. A few of their classmates are leaning on the railings, puking. Most of them though, was jumping up and down, proud of themselves, and delighted that the storm had stopped.
"it's you young lads who stopped the storm ey!" Some guys approached Mythica, Aqua, Rai, and Miha.
"You shouldn't have bothered but damn that was amazing!"
"That right! That storm is one hell of a big one and you young lads managed to stop it. That's one good job you did there ey!"
"Err--T-thank you" Mythica thanked them, her ears red.
"See, I told you we could do it!" Miha happily hugged her and Aqua.
"Strange..." Rai murmured to himself, his expression blank except for a bit of confusion and worry.
Although his voice was near silent, everyone heard it and turned quiet at once and looked at him.
"Why? What's so strange Rai?" Ash asked him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.
Rai looked at her first then stared at his right wrist where the guild's emblem appeared.
There was no mark on his pale skin now, but earlier, there was a dragon that looks like it's roaring. Its body was encircling a single scale that also belonged to it. Around the scale was scary figures, representing it being cursed.
"Father told me once that all of us have the guild's emblem but it was sealed to keep our identities as members of our guild secret to protect us. And, and the seal won't be broken unless were good enough to stand on our own, but...it appeared." He said as everyone listened quietly. "I never felt this feeling before. It felt as if I'm closer to everyone and we can do anything together. And then, Miha, Myth, and Aqua's magic just flowed in me just like they're my own. It was so warm, but at the same time I felt like I did something wrong. Tell me sensei, please...did I do something bad?"
Amili laid a hand on his head and smiled. "Don't worry Rai, you did nothing wrong. What happened was to be expected, so don't worry about it."
She told him the truth but she didn't tell him all her thoughts, unsure whether all the children were ready to know the guild's secret.
However, what she was worried about was the way Rai looked at her blankly with no expression, before he looked down again and continued to stare at where the emblem appeared.
She can only sigh inwardly. She knew well that her job as the children's teacher wasn't going to be easy. Not only because they are trouble makers, and their magic was beyond control, or perhaps because they have frail bodies and their magics can ruin them anytime, but rather because they are all going through a lot and their emotional states are in complete disarray.
Take Rai for example. Most people see him as a prodigy that will carry out the future of the Kingdom of Lightning as the heir despite being the second son. But under those praises, he was suffering from self anxiety.
He was afraid to do something wrong so he will do as everyone tells him to, afraid not to meet their expectations. It so happened because of being neglected by his mother and his elder brother bullying him.
As a child, all he wanted was to get his mother's love but she had gone crazy after giving birth to him, saying that she had given birth to a monster. And his elder brother on the other hand, was loved deeply by their mother, but was very mad at him, blaming him for everything that happened to their family.
Only his father was there for him, but he was always busy. Because of it, he did not want to bother anyone so he usually locked himself inside his room. Among everyone in the castle, only his nanny and his father could speak with him, but to the others he barely speaks even a single word.
But also, because the king wanted to give the boy a chance, the two brothers were to have a duel when he reaches seven to decide who among them will be suitable to become the next heir.
At first, he was uninterested. For tree whole years he did not pay heed to magic and decided not to learn it at all. He just likes to stare at the cherry blossoms from his window during spring every year.
Other than wanting his elder brother to acknowledge him, he did not want anything at all, not even the crown. But he was hopeless. He knew that despite his efforts, it will never happen. And it got only worse when their mother died a week before their duel.
As expected, his elder brother blamed him for it. After all, their mother fell ill after giving birth to him and will only get worse whenever she saw him.
Unexpectedly, all those had awakened his powers. His magic gone out of control as he sat at the corner of his room, crying while covering his ears. Everything around him was electrocuted by his lightning magic that was amplified by his water magic.
In the end, only his father was able to snap him out of it. He also won against his brother which shocked the whole court. He became the crown prince.
In that same year as well, he was engaged to Ash, the princes of the neighboring Kingdom of Fire. That engagement helped him a lot and he became able to communicate but was still unable to fully express himself.
Until now, Rai never changed and was barely speaking with others. But despite that, he was a great leader and became the president of the lightning department, but Amili can't help but worry.
Aside from him, all of the Elite-class's students were the same. Some may be a bunch of trouble makers, like Yin and Yang but the two of them are also facing their own difficulties, but decided not to worry about it much and enjoy themselves.
As their teacher, she wanted to help them more than anything. But alas, it is easier said than done. They are like her nephews as well, being that their parents are her close friends but they barely opened up to her yet, and it's been a whole year and the progress is still low.
*
As Airi, Kishi, and Kira looked around, they felt uneasy.
It might still be night, but it's still unbelievably too dark. Mist also covered the air, and there is nothing to see beyond those that the light crystals can light,
"Yin, light the water." Airi nudged him, but Yin only got annoyed.
"Stop ordering me around will you! And why should I do that!?"
"Just go ahead and do it!" Kishi and Airi snapped.
Yin was unwilling, be he got a feeling that they are noticing something he doesn't.
And so, he casted a spell and a white glowing butterfly appeared before him, before it multiplied and flew all over their ship, to the surface of the water.
To his and everyone's surprise, the illuminating white butterflies, one by one, disappeared in the mist. Their lights were quickly extinguished as if the mist have swallowed them.
"What in the bloody hell just happened?" Yin warily looked around, half expecting something bad to happen.
And all of a sudden, their ship seemed to crash into something, then everything was silent.
A sweet melody suddenly broke the silence. It was woman singing. Then the voices multiplied, and sounded like a beautiful quire in chorus. Their voices were so beautiful everyone was in daze.
Being the only ones aware of what's going on, Kishi and Kira are the only ones not affected by the spell.
"EVERYONE, SNAP OUT OF IT!!" he yelled.
Kira covered Airi's ear and chanted a simple spell. Airi came back to reality shortly, bemused of what just occurred.
"Kira?"
Ignoring him, Kira rushed to her brother's side and held his hand. Together, the two of them casted a spell that will prevent any sound from being heard from the ship, and a spell to break everyone from hypnotism.
A magic circle appeared above the ship and one under the twins' feet. It was also then when everyone was released from being hypnotized by the voices. They were all as confused as Airi is, looking around quizzically.
"Disperse."
The twin's mumbled, and the mist instantly scattered. Yin's butterflies appeared, illuminating the water's surface where they saw females with vile features, swimming in the water.
"Sirens..." Kira heard someone gasp.
"Mermaids huh?" Aqua spoke. "That explains it."
Apparently, they realized that the storm, the mist, and the spell earlier was caused by these creatures. They were lucky that Kishi and Kira wasn't least affected by their melodic voices, or they might be fish feeds by now.