Chapter 20
865 Words
Suddenly, Eleanor appeared out of nowhere, flanked by her little entourage.
“Hello, pathetic girl,” she greeted me with a mocking smile.
“Hello,” I replied calmly.
Her friends giggled, covering their noses.
“So, did you finally wash?” she asked sweetly, picking up a lock of my hair and lifting it to her nose as if to smell it.
“Yes. Thank you for asking,” I answered flatly.
Eleanor released my hair with an annoyed flick, her gaze dropping to the envelope in my hands.
“Not sure it helped. Darling, I advise you not to show yourself around people with a sensitive sense of smell.”
“Yes, thank you for the advice. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Don’t you dare talk back to me, pathetic girl!” Eleanor snapped.
“Oh no, of course not,” I said innocently. “Don’t take anything I say seriously. Remember? I was dropped on the head as a child. I’m slow, barely functional and with my terrible smell, I’ll hardly be able to socialize. I think I should leave before one of you swoons. Have a wonderful day, ladies. And you too, Eleanor, daughter of the Supreme.”
Without waiting for permission, I walked away and tossed the peach envelope into the nearest trash bin.
Then I continued my walk and headed to the Origins of Power class.
In the Origins of Elemental Power class, there were once again only first-year students.
I arrived early and took a seat in the front row of the large auditorium.
My thoughts drifted to Aria. Where had she gone?
“I haven’t gone anywhere, Ari. I’m still inside your consciousness,” her voice finally answered. “But if you don’t eat properly and on time, I won’t have any energy left to communicate with you. And you won’t have enough energy to practice magic either. Without magic, you’ll struggle to survive in this world.”
“Welcome back, Aria,” I thought with relief. “I have to admit… I’m really happy I can hear you again.”
“Pathetic,” a familiar voice cut in. “Who are you talking to?”
Edward from the House of Fire.
The same guy from archery who said I didn’t belong there.
“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” I replied sharply.
“Don’t you think that for a stinky girl, you’re awfully bold?” he smirked.
“Don’t you think it’s time for you to shut up and move as far away from me as possible?” I shot back.
His eyes flashed, literal sparks of fire flickering in his gaze.
“You’ll regret speaking to me like that. Do you even know who I am?” he demanded.
“Yes, yes, you’re right. I already regret it. Now please, leave me alone.”
“How dare you,” he snapped, grabbing the edge of my jacket.
“What is going on here?” a voice interrupted.
The professor had entered the auditorium.
“Return to your seats. I will not tolerate nonsense in my class. You will need all your energy to find the source of your elemental power.”
“Sorry, Professor,” Edward muttered. “We weren’t finished.”
“Seats,” she repeated firmly. “Last warning. Anyone disrupting my class will be expelled and forced into independent study. This applies to everyone.”
A heavy silence fell over the room as she studied us.
The professor of Origins of Elemental Power was a young, elegant woman, one of those people whose age is impossible to guess. Too beautiful, too composed, with no visible signs of time, yet her steel-hard gaze spoke of years of authority and discipline.
“My name is Sophia Varis, of the House of Water,” she said. “My task is to teach you how to find the origin of your dominant elemental power. Without this, your magic will never fully manifest, and your potential will remain locked. From this moment on, I expect full responsibility for this subject. Practice begins now.
Close your eyes and focus only on your breathing for ten minutes. I want you to feel it on a molecular level. Begin.”
I closed my eyes.
Ten minutes passed in complete silence.
At first, I simply followed my breath in and out.
Then something shifted.
Each inhale felt like a rising tide.
Each exhale like the sea retreating from the shore.
Soon, I could hear the distant sound of waves.
A soft breeze brushed against my face.
I could almost taste salt on my lips.
“Now open your eyes,” the professor said.
I didn’t want to.
The sensation was too peaceful, too grounding, too alive.
“Open your eyes,” she repeated. “Good. I’m glad you understood what to do.
From today on, you will practice this for at least one hour every day. Your mind must reach a state where you can shut down conscious thought and awaken subconscious awareness at will. Very few manage this. But even now, there are students in this academy who have already crossed into another level.”
- Writer
