A branch had fallen from one of the surrounding trees, landing with a splash in the pool. The sound shattered the tension, and Evelyn let out a nervous laugh. "Maybe the forest doesn't want me to say it," she joked weakly. Her eyes darted around the clearing, as if searching for an escape from the heavy conversation they were about to have.
The magical glow of the flowers seemed to dim slightly, mirroring the shift in mood. The air grew cooler, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying with it the sweet scent of night-blooming flowers. Despite the beauty around them, an undercurrent of unease hung in the air.
Kai smiled at her attempt at humor, but his eyes remained serious. The moonlight reflected in them, showing a mix of concern and love. "Evelyn, whatever it is, I'm here. I love you, and nothing you say will change that." His voice was soft but firm, a gentle reassurance in the quiet of the night.
His words seemed to give her strength. She straightened her shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes. The fear was still there, but now there was determination too. Her silk gown shimmered in the soft light of the glowing flowers, making her look almost ethereal.
"I..." The courage she gathered disappeared when she heard a swoosh in the air. Turning around, she saw a round dark object flying towards Kai with speed. The object cut through the night air like a silent arrow, disrupting the peaceful atmosphere of the clearing.
Kai stretched out his hand to catch the object, then held it on his palm. Words appeared on it, glowing faintly in the darkness: (You have an urgent summon from the Transcendent) it read. The words seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy, a reminder of the duties and responsibilities that always loomed over them.
Kai, seeing it, had a troubled look on his face. His brow furrowed, and his jaw clenched slightly. He didn't want to leave Evelyn now, not when she had something to tell him, but he had to go see the Transcendent. The weight of his duty settled heavily on his shoulders, visible in the slight slump of his posture.
"I am sorry, Eve," he called the short form of her name. His voice was thick with regret, the words seeming to catch in his throat.
"It's okay," she whispered back, her voice barely audible over the gentle sound of the waterfall. "Please be safe," she said as she leaned in for a kiss once more. The kiss was tender but tinged with sadness and worry. She knew that Kai was called in for a mission, and missions aren't always rosy. They're always fraught with dangers and a chance of death. But... she was disappointed. Today was supposed to be their day. She came during the night specifically for this.
As they pulled apart, Evelyn's eyes glistened with unshed tears. The magical flowers around them seemed to pulse in sympathy, their light growing and fading like heartbeats.
"I will take you back," Kai said as his body got covered in electric sparks. The air crackled with energy, small arcs of lightning dancing across his skin. The display of power was impressive, but to Evelyn, it was just another reminder of the dangerous world they lived in.
"It's okay, I can go myself," she smiled at him. That smile alone, Kai could tell he messed up bad. It didn't reach her eyes, which remained sad and a little distant. The expression cut through him like a knife, making him feel worse than any physical wound ever could.
"You know," he said as the electric sparks around him died down, "I could stay if you tell me to." Kai's voice was hopeful, almost pleading. He wanted her to ask him to stay, to give him a reason to ignore the summons, even if just for a little while longer.
"And disobey the orders of a Transcendent? They are the highest-ranking warriors in the Black Corps, you know?" Evelyn said. Her tone was light, trying to be understanding, but there was an undercurrent of disappointment that she couldn't quite hide. "Go, I am okay. We could always catch up."
The clearing suddenly felt colder, the magical atmosphere diminished by the reality of their situation. The glowing flowers seemed to dim further, as if sensing the sadness in the air.
"I am sorry," Kai said again. He hated not being strong enough, he hated not being among the highest-ranking officials in the Corps. The frustration was clear in his voice, in the way his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
With a heavy heart, Kai sped along in a flash of lightning. He had to respond to a Transcendent's call no matter what; it was a law. The sudden burst of light and energy startled the wildlife in the clearing. A few birds took flight, their wings beating frantically as they disappeared into the night sky.
As Kai raced through the forest, the trees became a blur around him. The cool night air whipped past him, carrying the scents of pine and earth. His mind raced as fast as his body, thoughts of Evelyn and the Corps swirling together in a confusing mix.
Before joining the academy, one must be at least a level 2 sorcerer or warrior. Kai, before getting in, was a level two sorcerer. Getting into the academy, he was trained to be a warrior instead of a sorcerer, though he had already started training to be one due to his heritage back home. But the academy made it simpler for him to adapt to the change in occupation.
The sorcerers were high-level magic users. They had higher magic powers and lower stamina. The warriors were the opposite; they had higher combat skills and stamina but lower magic powers.
Kai was among the very few who was different, having very large reserves of magic power for a Warrior. He was well-rounded, but you couldn't blame him for that. He was not overpowered; it was something all those from where he came from, the northern part of the Ariel kingdom, from the upper world he came from, had.
As he sped along, the forest gave way to more open terrain. The moonlight bathed the landscape in a soft, silvery glow. In the distance, he could see the outline of the Black Corps headquarters, a imposing structure that seemed to blend with the shadows.
"I hope it's for something good. If it's not..." As Kai sped along, he already had the thought of confronting the Transcendent even if he died trying if his summon was not something reasonable. The lower levels of the sorcerers or warriors ended at level 5. If he didn't go through the academy, he would have started planning to take a step further to level 7, then a demigod. But the academy taught them differently. You could only use 'will' if you instead stop at level five and go through the ranks of 'steps,' and only a few could go through that process, so not all those who went to the Academy could become a member of the Black Corps. There is the first step, to the third step, then Transcendent. Kai was in the second step, so far away from Transcendent.
As Kai disappeared from view, the magical clearing fell silent. The only sounds were the gentle rush of the waterfall and the soft rustling of leaves in the breeze. Evelyn stood alone, her silk gown fluttering gently in the night air.
"I wish you could have stayed a little longer," Evelyn said as she watched Kai vanish from her view. The fairytale-like garden became bland to her, its magic seeming to fade without Kai's presence. She shook for a few times and made a weird noise, then she started changing, slowly but surely.
First was her skin turning purple, the color spreading like ink in water. Her dark silky hair began turning blue, the color seeming to flow from her roots to the tips. Then her eyes changed, the pupils elongating into slits like a cat's. The transformation was both beautiful and terrifying, a testament to the strange and dangerous world they lived in.