Chapter 9: The Price of the Flare
Darkness... A white abyss... and then I saw it again: the blue fire. The moment I touched it, I felt icy claws squeezing my heart. My heart beat once... twice... and I forced my eyes open.
"Where... am I?" I croaked, trying to push myself up on my elbows.
"You're in the infirmary." Tomris was sitting next to me, her face tight with worry. "Are you alright?"
I sat up, my head spinning. "I... I think so. But what happened? I remember we were in class, and then..." My eyes widened in terror. "Nobody was hurt, right?" My voice trembled as I grabbed Tomris's arm.
"Everyone is fine, except for you. You were the one who collapsed," Tomris reassured me. "We don't know exactly what Professor Isolda did, but if it wasn't for her, you would have been history."
"She's awake!" we heard Felix's voice.
The captain of our squad, Castian, appeared at the doorway. Felix and Silas were right behind him.
"You're up," Silas said, his voice as neutral as ever.
"Damn, Elain, I really thought you were going to blow up right there and leave me alone with these nerds," Felix joked, pointing at Silas and Tomris, though his grin didn't quite reach his eyes.
"She'll blow up soon enough at this rate," Castian cut him off, stepping forward. "You need to take control of your Flare. Now."
"She's trying—" Tomris began, but Castian stopped her with a sharp wave of his hand.
"You have no idea what awaits you out there," Castian said, pointing toward the window where the jagged, distant mountains loomed under a leaden sky. "Soon, you'll be sent there for Field Strategy. You won't just be sitting around; they'll drop you in the heart of the waste with a specific objective to complete. If you want to make it back alive, you'd better manifest that power faster. Otherwise, you're already dead."
I snapped. The frustration of the blue crystal and the cold void boiled over. "It's not like I don't want to! I know the consequences. I just... I need time. It was our first class..."
"And almost everyone else manifested their Flare," Castian spat, his eyes cold. "We don't have room for the weak here. Do your best if you want to stay."
He turned on his heel and left without another word.
"He's impulsive," Silas said calmly after the silence stretched too long. "Don't let it get to you. You still have time. But Professor Isolda expects you to go to her as soon as you can walk."
"You know, I'm more scared of how calmly you say that," Felix muttered, glancing at Silas. "It gives me more chills than the Captain's shouting."
Silas just rolled his eyes. "Can you stand? Do you need help?"
"Yeah... I can. Go on, I'll catch up with you later," I said, swinging my legs off the bed.
Once they left, I headed back to the Flare Theory classroom. The grey marble felt even colder now that the room was empty. Professor Isolda was sitting at her desk, her eyes closed.
"Come in," she said quietly, without opening them.
I entered and moved toward the front row.
"No. Come here," she commanded, her eyes suddenly snapping open. They were as piercing as shards of glass.
I walked closer to her desk, my pulse quickening.
"I knew only one family with blue mana. How is it that you carry the same?" she asked, her gaze boring into me.
I flinched, trying to keep my expression neutral. "I... I don't understand, Professor."
"What exactly did you see?" she cut me off.
"A massive blue flame crystal," I admitted, my voice small. "When I touched it, I felt as if it were absorbing me."
She studied me for a long, agonizing moment. "The last person with blue mana died five years ago. Arion Arcanum. Have you heard of him?"
"Y-yes," I whispered. Arion. The name felt like a weight in my chest.
"That is the signature trait of the Arcanum Ducal line. And yet, here you are," she murmured, her voice trailing off.
"I... I am from the Northern province," I lied, the words tasting like ash. "I don't know why my mana manifested this way."
Isolda narrowed her eyes, clearly not convinced, but she didn't press further. "Who knows... fine. You will be coming here every day after classes. We have to help you manifest your Flare before it consumes you from the inside."
"Alright. Thank you, Professor," I said, bowing slightly before rushing out of the room.
Weeks went by as I settled into a grueling routine of classes and training.
However, the class I truly despised was 'High Strategy and Ethics,' taught by Commander Alaric, the Duke of the Western Province. He taught us to think steps ahead, to show the cunning of a fox and the cold determination of a serpent. He spoke of sacrifice and the high cost of power. And for some reason, his special attention was always focused on my humble self. I hated him, even though I had never seen his face clearly before this year. Sometimes I had a hunch he knew exactly who I was.
"I swear, Commander Alaric has a special relationship with your little persona," Felix whispered one day after a particularly sharp remark from the Duke. "He can't even breathe without finding something to pick on you about!" Tomris and I laughed quietly, and Silas allowed himself a slight smirk. "It's not just Elain," Tomris added. "Every remark feels like revenge for some ancient, unknown battle. Maybe you two have some unresolved business?" "I don't know," I muttered, looking at the Commander's distant figure. "I feel like he just looks at me like a serpent watching its prey."
My sessions with Professor Isolda were the most taxing. One afternoon, as I stood before the familiar crystal, she pushed me harder than ever.
"Focus, Elain! Don't just tap the surface of your mana—reach into the void!" she commanded, her voice echoing in the cold hall. I closed my eyes, reaching for that icy blue core. The air in the room dropped ten degrees. Suddenly, a hairline fracture appeared on the surface of the massive crystal, and a spark of sapphire light hissed like a trapped snake. Isolda stepped back, her eyes wide with a mix of awe and terror. "Enough! That is... dangerous. Your mana doesn't just burn; it consumes." I shrugged, wiping sweat from my forehead, unable to explain that I couldn't help it—the fire wanted out.
One night when everyone were asleep, I managed to slip into the archives again. I found a few scrolls regarding the attacks from five years ago, but only one mentioned the Northern Province of Arcanumgard, and it held nothing useful. Determined, I pushed deeper until I stumbled upon the Forbidden Section. The locks were heavy, but my desperate curiosity was stronger. I managed to click them open and stepped into a room that smelled of ancient dust and forgotten magic.
In the center stood a pedestal with three massive volumes: The First Flame, Draconis Lex, and The Reidar's Ascent. My heart hammered against my ribs. I reached out, my fingers trembling as they brushed the leather of the first book. The First Flame felt warm, almost alive. Knowing the guards would return soon, I grabbed it, hiding it beneath my tunic. It was heavy—a weight of treason against my chest—but I couldn't leave it behind.
"How is it going with Professor Isolda?" Tomris asked as we walked toward the central area. "Not much progress, but I can use a little mana now. I even managed to crack the crystal," I shrugged. Tomris stopped, her eyes wide. "I don't understand... we all saw the fire on the crystal stands, not inside them. That's strange, Elain."
I remained silent as we reached the citadel square where all the cadets were gathering. "Why are we all here?" Felix asked. "Because you were told to be," Grayon snapped. Commander Alaric stepped forward onto the stone platform, his presence casting a long, dark shadow. "I guess you are all curious why you were summoned. Let me enlighten you. You are going to undergo Zenkai—the trial that brings you one step closer to becoming a Reidar. You must survive for five days in the mountains using only what you have learned. You have one hour to eat and gather your supplies. Your time starts now!"
We hurried to the Refectory, eating quickly and packing what we could. But as Tomris and I reached our room to grab our gear, a wave of unnatural heaviness hit me. "T-Tomris? I..." My head began to spin violently. "My head... it's spinning..." she gasped, her knees buckling. She collapsed to the floor, and that was the last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me too.
Something wet and warm swiped across my cheek.
I groaned, my eyelids feeling like they were made of lead. I forced them open, squinting against a harsh, golden light. A large, dark shape stood over me, puffing warm air into my face.
"Nyx?" I croaked. My horse nudged me again, his coat dusty and cold.
I sat up, my head throbbing. I wasn't in the citadel. I was in the middle of a jagged mountain clearing, surrounded by towering, snow-capped peaks that looked like dragon's teeth against the sky. The sun was setting, bleeding deep purples and bruised oranges across the horizon.
A few yards away, the rest of my squad lay scattered on the frozen ground, still unconscious. Their horses stood nearby, huffing in the thin air. Beside me, a single piece of parchment was pinned to a supply crate by a black dagger.
The trial had begun.