All the students gathered at the training camp, where they were taught how to fight as knights and warriors in preparation for future wars or conflicts. These lessons would continue until they graduated from the school.
To ensure safety, the students were divided into two groups: the gifted and the non-gifted. The school board enforced this separation to prevent unnecessary injuries, as the gifted students possessed abilities that could be dangerous to those without them.
As they walked toward their training session, Xavier and Jupiter strolled side by side, laughing and joking.
"How long have you been drawing?" Xavier asked curiously.
Jupiter thought for a moment before replying, "For as long as I can remember."
Xavier's eyes lit up. "Wow, that's amazing! It must be so cool to draw like that."
Jupiter flushed slightly at the praise. "Thanks, Xavier. That means a lot."
"Come on, who wouldn't appreciate your art? It's incredible!" Xavier grinned.
Jupiter smiled softly, his voice laced with gratitude. "Only my mother, aunty, and grandmother ever really complimented me on it before."
"Well, now you've got me too!" Xavier said with a playful nudge.
They continued walking when, suddenly, Jupiter accidentally bumped into another student, causing his sketches to spill onto the ground.
Jupiter's face paled. "I'm... I'm so sorry!"
The boy he had collided with turned, his eyes narrowing with disdain. "How dare you bump into a royal like me? Do you wish to die?"
Jupiter swallowed nervously. "I-I wasn't paying attention. I didn't mean—"
One of the boy's friends sneered, "You better apologize properly, peasant."
Another chimed in, "Don't you realize who you're talking to? This is Prince Magnus Flashstride, the second prince of Norway. Show some respect!"
Jupiter and Xavier instinctively lowered their heads in acknowledgment. Magnus, however, barely spared them a glance, his eyes drawn instead to one of Jupiter's fallen sketches. He picked it up, sneering as he examined the delicate lines.
"What is this filth?" Magnus scoffed. "Did you draw this garbage?"
Jupiter hesitated, then nodded. "Y-yes..."
With a cruel smirk, Magnus tossed the sketch onto the ground and deliberately stepped on it. "What a worthless talent."
Jupiter froze, his breath hitching. It was a drawing of his mother. Seeing it crushed and spat on, his eyes welled with tears.
Xavier's jaw clenched. He had only just met Jupiter, but seeing his friend in pain ignited a fury inside him. Lifting his head, he glared at Magnus. "Who do you think you are, belittling someone's talent like that?"
One of Magnus's friends grabbed Xavier by the collar, yanking him forward. "Watch your mouth, kid. Unless you have a death wish."
Magnus chuckled, raising a hand to stop his friend. "Let him go. I like his spirit."
The grip on Xavier loosened, and the boy scoffed. "You're lucky the prince is feeling generous."
Magnus turned to leave, but Xavier wasn't done. "Cowards! Where do you think you're going? Come back here and apologize to Jupiter!"
Jupiter tugged at Xavier's sleeve, whispering, "Xavier, let it go. It's not worth it."
But Xavier stood firm, his eyes locked on Magnus.
The prince stopped mid-step. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Xavier, his palm slamming against Xavier's face. The speed caught Xavier off guard—he barely had time to react.
Magnus smirked, his voice low and menacing. "I was willing to let you walk away because I admired your loyalty. But now? You've tested my patience."
Xavier, undeterred, grinned through the pressure against his face. "Bring it on."
Magnus's smirk deepened, a spark of respect flashing in his eyes. But before either of them could make a move, a commanding voice rang out.
"Prince Magnus Flashstride! What do you think you're doing?"
Magnus turned toward the voice. His expression shifted as he recognized the figure approaching.
Princess Jasmine Jin-ah Lee, the first princess of the Grand Empire of Korea, stood at the entrance of the training grounds. She was around the same age as Violet, her striking green hazel eyes sharp beneath her snow-white hair. Several armed guards flanked her, each one radiating discipline and authority.
At the sight of the princess, Magnus's companions immediately knelt. "Greetings, Princess Jin-ah Lee."
Magnus, however, merely grinned. "Well, if it isn't Senior Jasmine."
One of Jasmine's bodyguards scowled. "It's Princess Jin-ah Lee, and you will address her properly."
Magnus chuckled, his tone dripping with arrogance. "I'll address her however I please."
The guards bristled at the disrespect, but Jasmine lifted a hand, stopping them. She chuckled lightly, unfazed by Magnus's defiance.
"Still as arrogant as ever, I see," she mused. "The first day of school, and you're already picking fights? Some things never change."
Magnus smirked, puffing out his chest with pride. "I will do whatever I want in this school, Senior Jasmine, and you won't be able to do anything about it."
Princess Jasmine tilted her head, amused. "What a spoiled brat you are for a four-year-old child."
Magnus scoffed. "Child? Oh, please, Jasmine. You're just seven. You're no different from me."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Jasmine's knights stiffened, barely restraining themselves from stepping forward to demand Magnus answer for his disrespect toward a royal.
Jasmine simply smiled, unbothered. "Then show me why I shouldn't treat you like a child."
Magnus grinned. "I would love to."
Blue electricity crackled around him as he crouched, ready to strike. In a blink, he launched forward at lightning speed, a streak of blue surging toward Jasmine. The air hummed with power. But just as Magnus was about to close the gap—
"Mighty Aionel: Tempus Stasis."
The world froze.
Birds suspended mid-flight. Leaves halted in midair. The rustling wind went silent. Every single person—Magnus, Xavier, Jupiter, Magnus's friends, even Jasmine's knights—stood completely still, trapped in time's grasp.
Only Princess Jasmine moved. Her eyes glowed an eerie green, the irises resembling the shifting gears of a clock.
She giggled, walking leisurely toward Magnus, her expression one of pure amusement. "You looked so confident a second ago," she mused, standing before his frozen form.
She lifted a hand, pressing her palm near his face. "Let's turn back the clock, shall we?"
"Mighty Aionel: Chrono Regress."
Magnus's body trembled. Then, before everyone's frozen eyes, he began to shrink. His limbs retracted, his muscles softened, and his regal robes collapsed around his diminishing frame. Within seconds, he was no longer a boy, but an infant, wailing on the ground where he once stood.
The world resumed. The wind rushed back, birds flapped away, and Magnus's friends staggered in confusion.
"Where's Prince Magnus?!" one of them shouted.
Jasmine grinned, holding up the crying infant. "Right here."
Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd.
One of her knights hesitated. "Your Highness… what did you do?"
Jasmine waved a hand dismissively. "Relax. I only turned back his age. It's temporary. He'll be back to normal in ten minutes."
Then, as Magnus's friends stared in horror, Jasmine cradled the infant version of the arrogant prince. "This age suits you better. You were already acting like a baby, anyway."
She handed him off to his trembling companions. "Make sure you take good care of him, okay?" she said, her sweet smile sending shivers down their spines.
They bolted, disappearing with their tiny prince in tow.
Jasmine turned back to Jupiter, picking up the damaged drawing Magnus had trampled earlier. She waved a hand over it, and the creases, rips, and smudges vanished, restoring it to its original state.
"Here you go. Good as new," she said, handing it back.
Jupiter's eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Thank you so much, Miss!"
Jasmine scrunched her nose playfully. "Miss? That makes me sound like I'm thirty. Call me Senior Jasmine."
Xavier raised a brow. "You won't get mad if we call you that?"
"Nope!" Jasmine shrugged. "I like you guys. So I don't mind if you treat me a little formally."
She knelt down, helping Jupiter pick up his scattered drawings. As they finished, she asked, "By the way, what are your names?"
Jupiter stood up straight and bowed slightly. "Oh! Forgive us for not introducing ourselves sooner. My name is Jupiter Cavendish. It's an honor to meet you, Senior Jasmine."
Jasmine giggled. "Oh, no need to be so formal, Jupiter. It's fine."
Then, she turned to Xavier. "And you? What's your name, dear friend?"
Xavier hesitated. For the first time, he really took in Jasmine's appearance. She was beautiful—far more than he had initially noticed. A faint blush dusted his cheeks. "My name is Xavier Ashford," he said quickly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Senior Jasmine."
Jasmine blinked in surprise. "Ashford?" Her head tilted, curiosity flashing in her gaze. "Wait… are you Violet's younger brother?"
"Yes," Xavier replied. "How do you know my sister?"
Jasmine smirked. "We're classmates. She never shuts up about you. Always boasting about how her little brother is the cutest kid ever." She giggled. "And now, I see why."
Xavier laughed awkwardly. "Yeah… that sounds like her."
Jasmine's gaze dropped to his glasses. "By the way, where did you get those?"
"Oh, my grandfather gave them to me as a present," Xavier said cheerfully.
Jasmine hummed, her expression unreadable. "Your grandfather, huh…?"
For a brief moment, a thoughtful silence hung between them. Then, Jasmine straightened up, dusting off her hands. "Well, I have to go. I hope we meet again, Jupiter and Xavier."
She waved, flashing them a dazzling smile before walking off with her knights. Jupiter and Xavier waved back as she disappeared into the crowd.
As they left for their training classes, one of Jasmine's knights muttered under his breath, "I didn't expect to see that monster Aleksander's little brother."
Jasmine's gaze remained forward, but a shadow of intrigue crossed her face. "That was unexpected," she admitted. "But what's more shocking is what he carries."
Her knights exchanged glances. "What do you mean, Your Highness?"
Jasmine smirked, her voice dropping to a murmur. "He has the ethereal instrument of my ancestor, Merlin the Wise."
"The Mother of Time?" one knight whispered, stunned.
"If he has that, then… he must be from a royal family," another knight speculated.
Jasmine's smirk deepened. "That might be possible… but who knows?"