"Huh? Where am I?"
Terla opened her eyes only to see a void around her.
"Am I dead, already?"
*sigh*
"Guess, I couldn't even beat him for once."
"Ahh…" a light blinded Terla and suddenly but gradually a screen appeared in front of her as if it was uncovered slowly.
There, she saw her own hands forming a giant light sword in the midst of a "solar eclipse".
The hands held the grip tightly as they swung it towards a man, "Nick?"
The light sword rapidly approached the man's shoulder, seeming like it intended to cut his shoulder off.
"What? Wait, wait! Anna!"
Terla wanted to control her own hands but they didn't move a little.
"Anna! You can't!!"
Then she was blinded again.
When she opened her eyes again, it was still the same scene but this time she was seeing it with her own eyes and she could feel the heaviness of the giant light sword in her hands.
In the void where Terla was standing, Anna appeared.
She looked at the screen with wide eyes, "No!".
She ran towards it but before she could reach, *Thud*, she collapsed.
Terla panicked watching the sword in her hands reach Nick's shoulder.
The sword was just too heavy for her to control as its fall paced up.
"No!!!!"
She focused on the grip as she used any drop of energy she had to redirect the giant sword.
The light sword didn't move but fell straight onto Nick's shoulder.
His uniform on the shoulder was torn like thin air and a piercing pain warned his bones.
"Uhhhhhh!!!"
The giant sword was lifted a little and it passed his shoulder by the skin of his teeth, falling to the ground just beside him.
The wind stilled for several seconds and the golden light in Terla's eyes slowly died down.
The light sword disappeared and the world went back to its normal state.
The battleground was stormed with dirt for some seconds and only then could the audience open their eyes.
Nick also opened his eyes and he could only feel pain from his left shoulder.
However, he had no concerns about his bloody shoulder as he stared soullessly at Terla who was now also covered in blood.
When the audience saw the scene, their eyes were all filled with bewilderment because they saw a boy with a bloody shoulder sitting with his knees on the ground which is now smashed with a deep giant scar on it and at the opposite end, a girl standing upright although she too was covered in blood.
Everyone was speechless staring at the battleground for several seconds.
"Miss Rita!" someone called out to the host and she was woken up from amazement.
She looked back and forth between Nick and Terla before looking up at the authorities.
The Hodgkins and the highpriest after a minute of shock and amazement nodded their heads.
"Victory to Miss Terla Ophelia!", the host announced and the stadium roared with applause.
"What happened?" applause filled the air but some people were still in confusion.
"Lord, did I hear it right? Terla won!"
"She won?"
"Yes!" Mr and Mrs Ophelia looked at each other murmuring to themselves.
On the other hand, Terla couldn't hear the applause anymore and her vision was all blurry.
Through her bleary eyes, she saw a figure, emitting a blinding gold light from her body, walk towards her.
"Who…?" she asked in her weak voice.
"So, you really are a spiritualist."
'?'
"Girl, you know Anastasia, right?"
The gold light burned her already weary eyes and she couldn't help but cover her eyes.
The figure slanted her eyes and then smiled again.
"Girl, tell me where did you learn that ability just now?"
"Ability?" her head had been messed up already but the question made her more confused.
She couldn't hold herself anymore and almost collapsed but a warm stream of light embraced her and healed her.
She looked up again and her vision became a little clearer.
"Yes, the ability you just used." the figure answered softly as she smiled gracefully.
"I…, I don't…. know."
The figure seemed to become impatient but Terla saw her force a smile.
"Girl, do you know how to make contracts?"
"Ah…, yes?"
"Then, do you wanna make one with me?"
'Terla….' she heard Adair's mother's voice.
"Mmmmm... no?"
The figure's eyes became more slanted as she frowned harder.
"Hmmm…, I was going to save you, but it seems like there's no use."
She smiled and laughed heartily as she gradually disappeared, "Oh, my poor Anna. It's already so sad you died just like that but to know that even your oh-so-powerful ability didn't end up well….haha..ha…ha..."
With her disappearance, Terla collapsed.
"Terla!!!"
"Terla!!" she heard footsteps and shouts but she couldn't make out the voice anymore.
"Terla!!!!" Nick got up from where he was being treated and shouted intending to run towards her but
"Hold on. Nick!! You can't move now!" his friends held him back.
"Oh no. Hold him down. We need to stitch the wound before it tears apart." the nurse warned his friends.
"Where are the healing mages?"
"They are coming….they are coming."
Nick couldn't hear the warnings or voices but could only watch Terla faint from afar as he was helplessly tied down.
"Terla…."
# # #
Terla wakes up in the void again.
She slowly opens her eyes and the lights from the chandeliers greet her.
"Hmmm….am I really dead this time?"
The space was completely void except for the lighted chandeliers attached to nothing and endless bookshelves filled with ancient-looking books.
Terla felt unfamiliar and familiar at the same time looking at the magnificent library.
"You have come." a woman's voice rang in Terla's ears.
'?'
When she turned around, she saw Adair's mother.
"Little oak's mom."
The lady smiled gently as she answered, "Yes, you can call me, Ilana."
"Op… Lady Ilana."
Terla was in a state of confusion because the lady in front of her right now has the same body size as hers or she might even be a little taller.
'What's going on?' Terla thought to herself just to be reminded of something and held her mouth.
*He…he*
"Don't worry, we can't hear your thoughts like Anna."
Terla was amazed again as Lady Ilana's laugh was as sweet as a young girl's despite her graceful appearance and her status as a mother.
"Mmmm… Lady Ilana, where is this place?"
"Oh, this? Your inner world."
"My… inner….world? So this library…."
"Yes." Lady Ilana smiled again.
'Holly…. It was this large? My inner world.'
"Oh ahhh….lady Ilana, is Anna here too?"
"Yes, but she has fainted too just before you."
"Huh? Anna fainted??"
"Yes. She did what she shouldn't…. for you."
"Mmmm… I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It was her choice. Come to think of it, you two are alike."
"Ahh?"
*He..he*
"Whatever, thank you."
"Huh, for what?" Lady Ilana's words kept confusing Terla.
"For…staying alive and…. for not accepting her offer."
"Offer?", then Terla remembered the figure before she fainted.
The figure offered to make a contract but she was all messed up at that time that she couldn't even think straight.
"Anna won't wake up for two or three months…, so Miss Terla, please be careful."
The two continued to talk as they walked about in the void.
"Yes…oh then what about me? I am not dead, you say. So, why am I here?"
"You absorbed too much magic and used them all at the same time. It would be ok if you could control your magic but it is not the case now, right?"
"Mmmm….yes."
"Many of your vessels exploded from extreme pressure and work that you could have died, you know."
"___"
"But don't worry. During the week you've been unconscious, light spirits have been working their best to heal them."
"Week? I've been asleep for a week?"
"Yes." Ilana seemed amused by Terla's expression as she smiled playfully
"Then when will I wake up? You know, when my real body will wake up."
"Hmmm….I think it's not that long anymore…" after saying the words Ilana smiled strangely
Suddenly, Terla's vision became blurred and vague voices slowly entered her ears.
".....what do you mean there's no hope…..aren't you a healer?.... She is there alive….breathing well…."
An unclear voice of a woman first filled her ears. She sounded angry and worried but somehow sad at the same time.
"Sorry, Madam….I swear with my name that I, myself, have no clue what is happening to her. It seemed like she dragged out every single drop of her magic and from my experience…..sigh….she should have been dead at that point. I don't really know…. what kind of miracle is keeping her alive to this day….."
A man answered in a discouraged manner.
"Shut up. I am not asking you the reason, treat her!!! Wake her up!!!!" the woman became more angered.
"Wife….! Hold yourself together! Sorry, doctor. You can go back now. Phaba, see him off."
"Yes, Lord."
'These voices….mom? Dad?' Terla slowly opened her eyes.
"Hmmm….."
"?!" the faint mourn alarmed the couple and they turned around
"Terla?!!!"
"Hmmm….mommy?"
Lady Ophelia ran to her bedside, "Yes, yes, can you see me?"
"Terla, my daughter, do you remember me?"
"Dad?"
"Good girl, you are finally awake."
'Seriously, why are you two acting weird?'
*Bam* "Big sister!!!!!" The room door opened and Jack came running in with teary eyes.
'What's up with this boy again?' Terla felt like rolling her eyes
# # #
After her wake-up, everyone started caring about her a little bit which is strange and she started hearing crazy questions such as, "Daughter, are you hungry? Mom cooked this chicken curry for you."
"Sister, is it still hurt?"
"Daughter, where do you wanna eat out tonight? BBQs…or 'Royals' Delicacy'?"
And Terla, on the other hand, is going crazy 'What the heck! Don't start caring about me now. I'm used to being alone….okay?'
.
.
.
.
.
*sigh*
Terla threw herself into the bed as she sighed, "Life is so difficult."
"When will I be free, doing anything I want, minding no one's but my own business without having to care about anyone's face?"
Then she saw her callo on the bedside table and reached out for it.
She searched through all the message boxes but there doesn't seem to be a single message.
"How funny. They don't even give a damn."
She threw the callo carelessly into the bed as she got up and walked to her desk.
It's already been 3 days since she woke up and she has been studying to understand the nature of the magic she possesses. Although she couldn't go into the void again, she now can feel its existence and take out some books under the instruction of Lady Ilana.
She learned from the books that she doesn't need runes to use magic.
["...because it is nothing. It can be anything."] she can now faintly understand Anna's words although they might not be as simple.
She can now control the pure magic to come out and turn it into any other type of magic she could think of.
"Light…, fire…., water.…" Terla held up her fingers and tapped the air one by one as light, fire and water formed and disappeared with each tap.
She supported her head with one hand and she palmed up another.
She created a light ball in her palm and quietly observed the light as a series of thoughts flowed in her mind.
'Tomorrow, it's the day of the tea party….'