Chapter Two: Bound By Magic
1131 Words
First-Person POV (Liora Althain)
If there’s one thing I hate more than arrogant princes…
…it’s being forced to work with one.
“Pair exercise,” sabi ng Headmaster, habang naglalakad siya sa harap ng dueling grounds.
“Magic is not only about power—it is about synchronization, control, and trust.”
Trust.
I almost laughed.
Sa paligid ko, nagsimula nang maghanap ng partners ang mga students. May kaba sa iba, excitement sa ilan. Ako? Wala akong balak makipag-partner kahit kanino. I work better alone.
“Princess Althain,” tawag ng Headmaster.
I looked up. “Yes?”
“You will be paired with…” he paused, as if savoring the moment, “…Prince Veyran.”
Of course.
Of course it had to be him.
Napabuntong-hininga ako. “How predictable.”
“Unfortunate,” dagdag ni Kael mula sa likod ko.
Lumiko ako para harapin siya. “Unfortunate for you, maybe.”
He tilted his head slightly. “We’ll see.”
We were led to a separate part of the grounds—mas tahimik, mas enclosed, at may glowing runes sa paligid.
“Your task,” sabi ng Headmaster, “is simple.”
Simple daw. Suspicious.
“You will enter a conjured domain. Inside, you must retrieve the core crystal. However—”
There’s always a however.
“—you can only succeed if your magic aligns. If not, the domain will reject you.”
I crossed my arms. “Define ‘reject.’”
“Painfully,” he answered calmly.
Great. Love that for me.
Third-Person POV (Kael Veyran)
Kael glanced at Liora as the runes activated around them. She didn’t look nervous—of course she didn’t. But there was a subtle tension in her stance. Not fear. Calculation.
Good.
He preferred opponents—and allies—who thought ahead.
“Don’t slow me down,” he said quietly.
She scoffed. “Bold of you to assume you’re faster.”
His lips curved faintly. “You talk too much.”
“And you brood too much. Balance, I guess.”
Before he could respond, the world around them shifted.
First-Person POV (Liora Althain)
One second, nasa academy grounds kami.
Next—
We were somewhere else.
A forest. Dark. Silent. The kind of silence that makes your skin crawl. The trees were twisted, shadows stretching unnaturally across the ground.
“Wow,” sabi ko. “Very welcoming. Love the vibe.”
Kael stepped forward, eyes scanning the area.
“Stay alert.”
“Obviously,” sagot ko.
Pero kahit sarcastic ako, I could feel it. The magic here was… unstable. Parang buhay. Watching.
Waiting.
“Crystal should be at the center,” sabi niya.
“And the traps?”
“Everywhere.”
“Nice. Fun.”
We walked side by side—not close enough to touch, but close enough na ramdam ko yung presence niya.
And that was the problem.
Our magic… didn’t clash.
It reacted.
Subtly. Like two forces testing each other.
Annoying.
Biglang gumalaw ang hangin.
“Down,” sabi ni Kael.
I ducked instantly—just in time for a blade of wind to slice through where my head had been.
“Okay,” sabi ko habang tumatayo. “That was rude.”
More attacks followed—shadows this time, creeping along the ground like claws.
I raised my hand, flames bursting to life, burning them away.
“Left,” sabi niya.
I turned—just as another shadow lunged. He intercepted it, dark energy slicing through it cleanly.
We moved… in sync.
Without trying.
And that?
That was unsettling.
“Don’t get used to this,” sabi ko habang nilalabanan ang isa pang wave ng attacks.
“Likewise,” sagot niya.
Pero I could hear it—he noticed too.
The way our magic wasn’t colliding…
It was cooperating.
We reached a clearing.
Sa gitna—isang floating crystal, glowing faintly.
“Finally,” sabi ko.
“Too easy,” sagot niya.
“Obviously.”
And just like that—
The ground beneath us cracked.
A massive creature rose from the shadows—humanoid, pero distorted, made of pure dark energy.
“Guardian,” sabi ni Kael.
“Of course meron,” sagot ko.
The creature roared—soundless, but powerful enough to shake the air.
“Plan?” tanong ko.
“Distract it.”
I glared at him. “Excuse me?”
“You’re faster.”
“And you’re more expendable.”
He smirked. “Unlikely.”
The creature attacked.
No time to argue.
Fine.
Game on.
I launched forward, flames wrapping around my arms, forming blades of fire. I struck first—fast, precise—hitting the creature’s side.
It staggered. Good.
But then it retaliated—massive arm swinging toward me.
“Liora—”
“I got it!”
I flipped back, barely dodging.
“Distracting!” sigaw ko.
Kael moved behind it, shadows gathering around him, forming a spear-like construct.
“Now,” sabi niya.
I didn’t hesitate.
I unleashed everything—fire, wind, raw energy—forcing the creature to focus on me.
“Hey, ugly!” sigaw ko. “Over here!”
It roared again, charging—
—and that’s when Kael struck.
The shadow spear pierced through the creature’s core.
For a second—everything froze.
Then—
The creature shattered into fragments of light.
Silence.
I exhaled, lowering my hands. “Well. That was fun.”
Kael walked toward me, calm as ever, pero medyo mabigat ang hinga.
“Efficient,” sabi niya.
“Obviously,” sagot ko. “You’re welcome.”
He looked at me—really looked this time.
“Your control,” sabi niya, “is better than I expected.”
I raised a brow. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”
“Don’t get used to it.”
“Too late.”
We turned toward the crystal.
This time, no traps. No monsters.
Just silence.
“Together?” tanong niya.
I hesitated for half a second.
Then—
“Fine.”
We reached for it at the same time.
The moment our hands touched the crystal—
A surge of magic exploded outward.
Not destructive—
But powerful.
Our magic… merged.
Fire and shadow. Light and dark.
Balanced.
Perfectly.
I pulled my hand back immediately.
“…Did that just happen?”
“Yes,” sabi niya, voice quieter than usual.
“That’s… concerning.”
“Agreed.”
The world shifted again.
And suddenly, we were back in the academy.
The Headmaster watched us, expression unreadable.
“Interesting,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. “Everyone keeps saying that.”
But deep down…
I knew.
This wasn’t just a simple exercise.
Whatever just happened—
It meant something.
And for the first time…
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.
- Writer
