To get to the imperial palace, the carriage had to pass through the heart of the city—Carnerlia's proud capital, Noven. Beneath a clear blue sky, tall buildings stood immaculately along the streets, among them were elegant structures decorated by the traditional motifs of Carnelia. Shops and restaurants bustled with people from different walks of life.
The clicking and clacking of horse hooves against the street cobblestones echoed from other carriages and ours. This was mixed with the occasional laughter and murmurs from patrons sitting outside teashops and coffee shops. Said patrons wore expensive clothing, usually with a servant in tow. Most of the residents here were nobles and aristocrats, or those who belonged to the upper-middle class—merchants, traders, businessmen, imperial officials and more.
I heaved in a breath when I saw them, my palm instantly laid flat on the window. They walked at the sides of the streets, bringing with them an air of authority and power. It was as if each of the space they had occupied belonged solely to them.
The Templars of the Order. I few of them were walking around the city in their full uniforms, color-coded to suit the element they wielded. Despite obviously looking intimidated, the citizens of Carnelia greeted the Templars, bowing and waving to show respect and adoration.
"Collect your jaw, Lily." I heard Niko say. "It's already inches from touching the floor."
My head flicked toward him in contempt. I was about to say something, but the words left my mouth. He wasn't looking at me, as I had assumed. His attention was on the Templars, as well. There were a number of them the further the carriage rode on.
Unlike me, there wasn't awe on his face. Instead, it was as if he was in deep thought. His brows were drawn together like there was a very difficult puzzle presented to him.
From this angle, I could also see how his silver hair glimmered, awash by the sunlight coming from outside.
"Hmm, that is strange indeed," he murmured beneath his breath so that I could barely hear him.
"What's strange?" I asked, following his gaze. It remained on the Templars still.
He brought his thumb to his chin, his elbow planted upon the window. He gave me a side-eye, his blue irises twinkling with tease. "You were so busy with your infatuation with them that you did not even notice."
My lips curled with distaste. "I thought we agreed not to bicker anymore."
Niko chuckled. "Forgive me, I could not resist."
"Whatever, just tell me what's bothered you so much."
"Well," he finally faced forward, folding his arms. "You know Templars are usually stationed on the borders of our country, right? Fending off threats and wars, protecting our country. And those who are not fighters stay in the libraries and archives, furthering the studies on our magics and looking for ways to enhance them. The previous ones we call the Protectors, while the latter are the Keepers."
I scoffed. How could he think that I wasn't aware of such a basic fact? It had been years since we were admitted to the academy. "You don't need to tell me that. Get to the point, Nikolas."
"So impatient." He laughed softly. "I believe you've heard, there have been rumors of trouble brewing in the outer parts of the city. The Order is probably threatened enough to deploy some of its Templars in the safest place in Carnelia."
"Oh," my shoulders slumped. "That petty gossip that someone had broken the Divine Principles of our realm. You actually meant that. It is a mere villager's tale, nothing more."
Weeks ago, news broke out in the academy that a wielder had gone against the tide of the Fates.
Our magic came from nature and all that came from it. Flowers, trees, rivers, lakes, mountains—anything that had to do with the realm. And the Divine Principles were given to us by the three goddesses of fate, laws that governed our usage of our magics. In short, there were limits.
No one was allowed to oppose the natural order.
Included in these laws was to never use our magic against nature itself. For it was the sole giver and taker of magic. Magic belonged to nature, and we were merely borrowing. One must not use nature to fight nature.
One might ask how this sort of things could happen. And it's rather simple, really: Blood Magic.
None had ever tried, but if they did they wouldn't know how to do it. Every record that mentioned this taboo was either burned or kept guarded in a special library that was monitored by the royal family.
But then a baseless talk rocked the whole academy, giving way to widespread panic—though it was the silent kind. Like the calm of the sea that's waiting for the coming of a storm.
"See," Nikolas lifted a shoulder, tilting his head toward the window. "It is not a 'mere villager's tale', if it fazes the Order so."
True enough, even while receiving flowers, the Templars were on high alert. They would thank a citizen briefly, or say "your welcome, it is our duty" before raising their guard again, eyes darting everywhere.
Chills skittered along my spine at the realization. There really was a possibility of trouble ensuing.
I took in a breath, assuring myself that even if it were real, none—not even a lawbreaker of the Divine Principles—could defeat a powerful force such as the Order of the Templars.
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to look away. "Enough of this. We have our own problem to think about."
I could see the palace gates, looming like a gigantic shadow that would swallow us to our doom.
Nikolas was staring at me with that amused smile playing on his lips. I avoided his scrutiny by pretending to fix my hair. "What are you looking at?"
I could imagine his mouth tugging further upwards as he said, "Your eyes turn to gold when it meets the sun, doesn't it?"
Heat flooded my neck up to my cheeks, and an odd feeling roiled within my stomach at what he'd said.
I was so uncomfortable that I stupidly stuttered. "H-how about shutting up for once, Nikolas? That'll do you some good."
He laughed, loud and delighted. I was silent with shame as the carriage passed through the courtyard at last.