The Lumen Princess

Chapter 16

I was alone in my own room, thinking about what happened yesterday and thinking about what I should do.

After what happened yesterday, I asked Kyle to take me back to the palace. It was awkward, but I didn't have much choice. I don't know the way out of that cave. I don't have any idea at all how to fly a broom!

We were silent on the way back to the palace. I could feel his stares as he watched me walk into my room, but I chose to ignore him.

"Stop thinking about him, Shanel," I told myself and got up from my bed. I decided to go to my room's balcony to get some fresh air.

The wind kissed my skin when I opened the balcony's window and blew my hair. I sighed and stared at the moon.

"What about tomorrow?" I asked myself. I will be having a training session with him tomorrow. It is supposed to be my rest day today but I just spent my whole day thinking about Gallens. It's frustrating me!

I closed the window and decided to go back to my bed to try and get some sleep. I'll just end up staying up all night if I keep thinking about him.

-

The cold wind coming from my window woke me up. I slowly opened my eyes. It's still dark outside. Probably it's just about 2 or 3am.

I was about to get up to shut the open window but I froze at where I was sitting.

With the small light from the moon coming from my window, I saw a woman standing by my bed. It's the same woman from my dream. The same woman who has 2 katanas on her back, a black cloth that covers half of her face and her red eyes. Only this time, I'm not sure if this is also a dream or a reality.

I looked at her with fear in my eyes.

"Wh-what..." I couldn't even form a sentence! I could also feel myself trembling but I tried to get up from my bed and ready myself for her attack.

"You're awake, at last," she said to me and started walking towards me. I told myself to calm down and attacked her first before its too late for me.

"Just who the hell are you?!" I asked her but she did not answer. Instead, she laughed.

This time, she tried to attack me but I quickly moved and dodged her attempt. I used the water from the flower vase beside my table. I wrapped her hands using this water and turned it to ice.

"Seems like you have a little knowledge of using your power now," she said and, with a lot of force, she managed to break the ice I created. "But you need to train more. This little knowledge won't even be enough to stand against a low dark wizard."

She tried to attack me again and I did my best to dodge all her attacks and use the little water from the flower vases in my room.

The door of my room suddenly burst open and there I saw Gallens standing.

Because my attention turned to him, the girl in black used it as an opportunity. She strangled my neck and pushed her katana against my neck.

"H-help," I cried for him. I couldn't breathe when the girl tightened her hold. I could even feel her katana slowly slicing into my skin.

I'm not sure if Kyle heard me. He just stood there, watching me until I saw it. His hazel-browneyes turned into red.

"You did a great job," he said and smirked. "Now let me have the pleasure of taking her life."

My eyes went wider because of what he just said. Did I even hear him right? Gallens? Is Kyle going to take my life?

I felt my body getting numb.

Maybe this is his plan. He tried to befriend me, make me fall for him, so when I'm already wrapped around his fingers, he can just kill me easily.

The girl's hands around my neck tightened. My vision is already turning dark as it gets harder to gasp for air to breathe in. I saw Kyle walked beside her and got the other katana from her.

I don't want to die like this, but I am so weak that even when she lets me go, I don't have the strength to stand. Kyle held my chin to make me look at him.

"I want you to see the face of the one who will take your life," he said and smirked at me.

I closed my eyes and just waited for that katana to stab me straight to the heart.

"Shana," I heard a faint voice calling me, but I was too weak to open my eyes again. I just wanted to rest. I just want this to be over.

"SHANA!"

That's when I opened my eyes and suddenly got up from my bed. I was catching my breath as I looked around my room. The girl is nowhere to be found. Then I looked at Kyle, who looked so worried at me.

Another nightmare. It's just another nightmare, but this one seems more intense than the others. It felt so real that up until now I am still shaking because of fear. I thought it was my end. I thought that the only person I started to trust in this foreign world will be the reason of my demise.

I felt someone wiping something on my face. I didn't even realize that I was crying.

"It's just a bad dream. A nightmare," he said.

The person in my nightmare and the person that's causing me pain right now is right in front of me. Wiping my tears and telling me it was just a bad dream.

"G-gallens," I removed his hands away from my face. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been waiting for you. Today is the start of our training but you've been so late that's why I decided to wait for you outside your room when I heard you shouting and crying in pain that's why I decided to enter your room," he explained.

"Thanks for waking me up. Just wait for me outside," I said to push him away.

I don't want to talk to him right now. My head is a mess because of what happened last night and because of that nightmare.

He was about to say something but he stops himself. He might have felt that I don't want to talk to him for now. That's why he just left me in my room.

When he closes the door, I sigh and look around my room.

Everything is in place. The water in the vases are still full and no signs of fighting. It was really just a bad dream.

I touched my neck where that woman strangled me and wined when I remembered how it was so hard to breathe.

I stood up and looked in the mirror. Particularly on my neck where I felt the sharp blade of her katana. But there is nothing in there. No wound.

I sighed and went straight to the tub.

I guess it really was just a bad dream.