Zyda was woken up by the nostalgic sun rays. Besides her was her now mysterious necklace which produced a buzzing sound. She didn't know what time it was because this magical world seemed ancient. She groggily flickered her eyes open and then came face to face with the grey ceiling. The room had become very sombre. From afar, she could hear people laughing heartily.
They seemed to be the elite magicians from the academy, she wished to smile once again but after all that happened to her, smiling would be a heavy wish to ask for. She made up her mind and left the bed, quickly freshened up and headed for the academy. She wore a black short-sleeved top that reached her thighs and a long trouser that fitted her perfectly, tied up her hair into a ponytail, and then the strange black boots on her feet that she found in her dressing chamber.
She opened up her system to check her status and see if she had any quests. But nothing new was up. When she the frontal doors of the academy, she bit back her nervousness and hauled the doors open, everyone was surprised to see her. Her eyes quickly scanned the room for her friend, Yurie but fate had different plans for her. Her eyes landed on Shino, his expression neutral but Zyda knew what lied behind the poker face. This time she didn't quiver from his poker face that she knew was filled with disdain.
Heading towards her the old master who everyone knew was called Professor Kontos greeted her, "Good morning Zyda, make yourself at home." He smiled at her.
"Good morning master, thank you," she smiled slightly.
"I've come to train!" she solemnly resolved her eyes directly stared at the old man in front of her.
"Ok.. but are you sure about it?" he asked with concerned eyes. She simply nodded in approval.
Gasps of incredulity erupted in the crowd behind them. Professor Kontos immediately led Zyda into another chamber. Zyda met a solemn-looking girl, with brown hair, the colour of hay tied in a neat ponytail for which a few strands frayed uncontrollably from the morning breeze, this emphasised her beauty. Her sleep laden and seductive hazel eyes batted with seriousness. She looked tired since a few drops of sweat lingered on the pale incandescent skin of her forehead. Her sharp nose and prominent cheeks shone with pride. Her slender body which looked fragile moved swiftly as she approached them.
"Welcome master!" she bowed slightly endorsing their arrival.
"This is Nova. She will teach you all the basic sword skills," he informed. "Nova, Zyda hope you two get along well." He introduced the two girls to each other and after completing the formalities he exited the chamber leaving them behind.
Finally, the girls were all alone, each bore a prim and proper look but in the next moment, the juveniles were whirling their bodies, weapons in hand expertly displaying magnificent moves with a few shouts during counterattacking in their friendly match. Zyda hadn't talked to Nova during their training and it bored her to death and for a moment she wished Yurie was present. An hour later both girls were worn out from their training as they breathlessly sat down to cool down.
The next day Zyda spent her day in the library to get some relevant knowledge about her elemental system. She laid out the encoded book on the table. For the last 24 hours, she had not received any updates from her system since her illusion classes with Winx. She opted to sit in a quiet corner at the furthest end of the library.
The library had long wooden tables were lit by old-fashioned green lamps and aisles of books that went on farther than she could see. A pin-drop silence occupied the library with only the shouting flames burning the wood in the fire brick hearth that laid on one of the walls. It provided a warm atmosphere as Zyda quietly perused through the book.
However, in a pitch dark room was a black-haired boy lying on the floor unconsciously. A red-bearded old man had sat on a chair staring at the unconscious body. The old man gave off different energy, something dark and sinister. His red eyes glinted danger, he smirked barring off his canines as if he was sinking his teeth into something.
A few minutes earlier, Rolam locked horns with a couple of guards in a red enchanting castle as he tried to escape but alas! he was knocked unconscious by the seemingly strong red-bearded old man. Rolam had been a captive in the castle for quite some time ever since his encounter with her sister in the infirmary. He wanted to convey some important information to her but he met trouble on his way.
Rolam had been pretending to be unconscious so he can talk to a sister through a portal screen and he was lucky the old man eventually left. Rolam had no external injuries but his interior structures were damaged for he coughed out some blood as he tried to lift himself. The blow that he got from the old man was quite strong and a little force would have killed him.
He managed to sit up with difficulty. Rolam opened up a small portal and briskly sent a scroll. Zyda who boredly flipped the pages of a maroon book with sleep threatening to claim her had a strange sound and for a second she became alert. She scanned her surroundings but everything seemed perfectly normal. When she stared at her table she saw a scroll.
"I remember this wasn't here," she thought to herself. She scrutinized her vicinities for the second time in search of any abnormalities but nothing was there. She quickly hauled the scroll open her ears wide open. The content in the scroll was written in black ink, familiar handwriting that she knew who it belonged to. It was Rolam's and she was sure that none could forge her brother's writing style.
"Dear Zyd," she read out silently this time with the eagerness of the content. She managed to grasp a few of the content but what caught her curiosity were the names in the letter.
"Be careful of these Erdem, Kontos and Lodomore," she subconsciously read out loudly. But lucky for her none heard except her and the walls.
Status: Elemental level 3
Elemental points: 20/100
Skills: 2
Villains detected
Earlier on during her illusion training, the person who appeared to her was an illusion so she could train and master her skills properly.
Her elemental system had finally updated her. Her facial expression turned grave with more suspicion.
"Who is this Erdem guy?" Her suspicion about the old man was right all along. Her first time in the academy earned her devilish grins and charms which eventually had created a path of suspicion in her.
Luckily she had been conscious of her surroundings and she had been careful with everyone. She now made up her mind not to trust anyone at the academy. Zyda had lost track of time for the atmosphere had turned hotter. Her stomach suddenly growled from hunger.
"Oh! I think that's the bell for lunch." she thought to herself embarrassment crawling up her face. She packed her things in her system core a technique she had learnt earlier while reading the book. She seemed not to trust even the walls, she headed for the dining hall for her lunch. Everyone sat in quadrals at the dining tables. The dining room was vast, it had a linoleum marble floor and large chandeliers perfectly dangling from the ceiling and with blue lights glued on the walls that sparkled brilliantly.
At the right side of the dining was an isolated caged room that had a large window from which one could see a couple of hot dishes arranged on trays. The arrangement of the seats was One by four. This was a large table and four seats for which two seats were placed opposite each other.
Zyda sat at an empty table with her meal in front of her. She received and felt a few disdained and shocked filled eyes but she ignored them. She was enjoying her meal when she heard footsteps approaching her. She didn't turn to see who it was but a sweet scent of female wafted into her nostrils and surprisingly it was familiar. The person sat on a chair opposite her with a meal.
"Hey Zyda!" she greeted.
"Hey Nova," she replied, lifting her head to look at her. The rest of the crowd thought that they had locked horns for Nova was unapproachable and anyone who tried to offend her would face it rough. The two girls continued eating silently. The crowd murmured but they resorted to their businesses.
Zyda's mind was far away from reality. Her thoughts had drifted to the three names in the scroll and the quest granted to complete.