Madam Evangeline saw it again. The shadow. It seemed that she had been circling in this forest that glowed blue for a thousand years long. The woman stopped chasing the shadow, momentarily sighed harshly from too much running. The woman sat down for a while to rest.
She looked around and observed the surroundings that she finally notice for the moment. She wanted to know where she is now and found a shadowy figure that kept passing her.
This forest is strange, she thought to herself. She has traveled extensively and passed many frontier forests. But this one forest is one peculiar forest to Madam Evangeline. The lady knew she was dreaming. She is able to move her body as how she wants. The woman often used dreams like this to use her strength, or at least to practice her martial art skills. But she usually appears on the academy grounds or large grasslands. But this one dream is rather strange for her.
She became even more interested in the existence of this strange forest when she touched one of the tree trunks which was like flowed by somewhat glowing blue liquid that shines very bright in the night. The light grew brighter as her hand approached the trunk. As if this forest is alive and responding to Evangeline's moves.
Madam Evangeline walked a little further into the blue forest, following the path she found. The woman walked while gazing to all the trees around her glowed, as blue as the glowing fingers of the Sacred Light Spell students. The color suddenly changed to greenish glow. Her eyes were a little sore from opening them too long out of amazement. She does not want to miss the slightest change that may occur next.
She went on and on and on and on. She thought that if this forest did know she was there, this path might be a gift from the forest to the confused Evangeline. This path may lead her to a place that is important to her. And she wants to believe on that. So she went in, deep into the glowing forest.
***
Miya couldn't stop thinking about the chaotic situation. She had heard nothing because she had just been from Lady Sadyr's dormitory in the north tower; the tallest tower and also the furthest from her house. She looked out of the window when she heard the huge bells of the academy chapel clang. She then saw the shadows of the wings from outside the tower and the echo of the soldier's voice that Beau had sent to the academy. The soldiers flew around all the towers to ask all students to return to their units and be allowed to leave after the situation is declared safe.
A moment after that, there was a faint thud, far away from where Miya was. The girl turned towards the voice coming from the farthest corner; her house. The girl gasped and immediately ran out of the room. Quickly descending the rotating stairs, ignoring the other students' calls to her to enter any room and take shelter for a moment.
Miya ran quickly. She passed through the dormitory entrances and the corridors of the academy that glowed green from the torches on every walls. The girl ran across the park. Her thoughts raced, she remembered that her mother was still in the house and that woman had never used her strength against anyone. Seeing the damage and hearing the thump just now seemed like whoever was attacking wasn't an ordinary creature. When she was almost in front of her house, she was intercepted by several soldiers who landed right in front of her. Their huge wings covered the sight of Miya's house.
"Sorry, mis. We can't let you in yet." Said one soldier.
"Go back to your unit." Said the other.
"That's my house!" Miya pointed at the smoky house behind the soldiers.
"Sorry, little sister. But this area is the farthest place you can get to."
"But it's my house! My mother was in it!" Miya screamed, started to wet her cheeks with tears. She knew Madam Evangeline was not her real mother. But that woman is the only one who had been by her side all this time.
"Let her through." Miya turned to Aden who walked towards Miya with his adjutant. The man looked worried about Miya who had started crying a while ago. The girl cried very rarely, and the man hates to see a woman cry. Especially the one he adores.
"Sorry, young master." Said his adjutant, "with all due respect to Miss Frauser Miya. But letting her in would be difficult on her own."
"No." Aden said raising his hand, he turned to Miya with a smile, "Miss Frauser understands what she needs to do."
Miya smiled broadly while pulling her snot, she turned around then ran past the soldier who let her pass through them. She ran fast to her house which no longer had a front door. The girl looked up when she saw the shadow of all the fires around her. A figure on the roof of her house. She stopped running and looked at the people. They were all dressed in rags and there was only one woman among them. The woman covered her ears and shouted to everyone around her, pointing at the chapel bells that were still ringing.
"Oh no." Miya muttered. Looking at what the woman had pointed while screaming in agony from the ringing sound of the bell. "They will attack the chapel."
All of those people were floating low from where they were standing and immediately dashed at high speed towards the chiming bell. It seems that the mistress rules over them doesn't like chimming bells.
Miya raised her hand, shouted for the strangers to stop. She turned around, about to chase after those people who were clearly moving faster than her pace. The girl couldn't control her feelings at that time. Enough of the house they destroyed. There was only one thing that crossed the girl's mind. She had to stop those people from destroying more.
The girl had never felt this feeling before. Not about the sadness or the feeling of confusion. But this feeling. She wasn't sure how to explain it. Everything happened too fast for her to digest. But she felt power flowing through her body. Her veins glow blue from beneath her thin skin. Miya's eyes glowed blue. A blue fireball formed from the tip of her outstretched hand. The ball accidentally slipped out of her hands and flew straight towards the mistress' people, destroying their form into tiny pieces of dark shards that looked so much like the crystal lamp in the ballroom.
Miya fell to the ground. Her breath was heavy as if she had just run from Beau's castle all the way to Nayra academy. She didn't understand why she was gasping for breath, but when she looked up, the creature who were after the chapel had vanished.
Ve couldn't pretend not to see her. That girl, she just killed Ve best huntsmen in one blow. The woman narrowed her eyes at the girl who was still shining brightly on the ground, gasping for air. Ve were trying to see through all the lights that the girl radiated.
"Ash," she summoned her other huntsman. She turned her eyes to someone who stood behind her all this time. The so-called man walked to hers side while lowering her eyes, did not dare to look at Ve. "You saw it too, my sister?"
"I saw it, brother."
Ve was silent. She did not say a word, until they all disappeared and returned to their hiding place. Aden saw everything that happened and did not give any orders to the soldiers who came from his palace. The man clicked his fingers to call his adjutant and then pointed his finger to Miya. His aide immediately called the soldiers to carry the girl who had passed out, sending her to a safer place.
"How did all this happen?" Odeta arrivede and has changed back from her swan form. She had flew from the north tower, from her daughter's room to check on the girl's condition. King Ryunard was also present, accompanied by his servants. It seemed that the man was a little hurried from getting up from the bed. The man's pajamas and hair were a little messy.
"We have to check the gate." Aden said to his aide.
"Digu." Whispered Cyclops from behind the creature, "did you see it? Did you see them enter earlier?"
"I saw it, Cyclops." Said Digu while walking through the bush, following Aden's group towards the charred entrance gate.
"Arga. Diggie .. Arga." Cyclops whimpered. He could see it in Cyclops eyes. The reflection of a creature he knows well, his best buddy, Arga, the gate keeper of the academy.
But Digu wanted to see it in person. So he flew high towards the tree trunk to see through the shadows of the leaves. Cyclops teleported following him behind. He struggles to find ease, fidgetting, starting to sweat.
"Young master, your mother will arrive soon." One of Aden's adjutant flew towards Aden.
"What?" Aden turned to look at his aide who looked a little scared.
"I don't know what the purpose is either, your highness. Sir Fraus Greal has just informed me."
"Fraus Greal must learn to provide me information a bit faster." Aden muttered under his breath.
The man stopped near Arga's body. Odeta looked away from the scene while her husband, Ryunard, hugged her close. Arga's condition is far from good. The creature was still breathing, sadly. But looking at his crushed chest and his green blood flowing through his open wound, Aden knew his condition is close to an end. Even a child knew that he couldn't be saved with a simple healing spell. "Arga."
"Young master.." Argus tried to reach his sword that was lying a little far from him, wanting to pay his respects to the Beau.
"No. Don't move around much."
"Did we win?" Arga gasped and shivered, starting to feel his life slipping away, but tried to hold a little longer; at least to know whether they won or not.
Aden smiled, "Yes. We won." He said. He was lying. Arga chuckled from behind his armor. With a gasp he said, "Thank God."
Aden returns to his feet and turns to stare at the barrier that has been broken. No weapon in this world can penetrate Arga's protective shield. But without the power of Arga covering the academy, the academy's towers could now be seen clearly by people from a distant radius. Nayra Academy now has no protection and prone to another attacks.
"The person who entered..." Arga raised his hand, providing a projection of what he had seen from behind his armor.
"Ve." King Ryunard said in his breath. Aden sighed for a moment then grabbed Arga's sword and raised it to the sky. A humming gust of wind, sang a song of what they had seen, lifted the sword from Aden's hand. "Take this sword to its resting place." The man said to the wind. The sword shot away towards the place that Aden meant.
"Sleep in peace, Arga." Aden said. "Leave me here," said Arga while opening his helmet, showing his pale face filled with a smile, "I want to see the stars before I go. "
Aden was silent then turned to go back in. Beau's soldiers then create a temporary barricade after Aden and the Sadyrs enters the gate. The gate made out of fluorescent iron which are interwoven. It's created from all their strengths put together. "Call an army from the palace to come here, at least until tomorrow's Oath-taking." Aden said to his aide. "After that we will hear Madam Evangeline's decision afterward." The adjutant nodded and immediately shifted into a crow and flew away.
Digu couldn't look at this sight without teary eyes. A Wizardian Council member shouldn't be immersed in his feelings, but he couldn't hold back a million feelings when he saw Arga in this condition. He came down from hiding and drew closer to Arga, cutting the distance between them. Arga was increasingly struggling to breathe.
"Arga, my friend," said Digu in a trembling voice. "Digu? Is that you, my old friend?"
"What did they do to you?" Digu asked, putting his wings over Arga's head to see from his memory. But Argus brushed aside Diggie's wings, "Don't look. I don't want you to feel it either."
Digu wiped his tears while sobbing, "You never visited us at the mansion. Estra was so annoying when you weren't around." Arga chuckled, but quickly gasped for more air. "He always sounded like a donkey when he opened his mouth." Digu chuckled, but quicky regain his sobs and sad feelings.
"I wish we spent more time together." Arga said while slowly closing his eyes. "I'll wait for you, Digu."
Little by little Arga's body shifted into dust that glowed under the moonlight. "The moon is very bright tonight."
Diggie nodded, looking up, "The Prodigy has just released its first power."
"Too bad I can't see it up close."
"It glowed blue like the first Prodigy."
Arga smiled and nodded then completely turned into dust which was carried by the wind to other places. Diggie lowered his head, paying his last respects to his departed friend.
"Digu.." called Cyclops from behind. The creature was worried about his other friend right now, the one who he never had seen wept before. "We have to hurry." Said Digu, regaining his strength but still trembling and struggling to relocate his senses.
"After that first blue ball, there will be a second." Digu mutters. "And I can't let that other ball slips away without any warning."
***