Gwyn stopped walking and Nyx also slowed down beside her. Gwyn folded her arm with the good arm folded across her chest, and the cast arm resting on top of it. Her eyes narrowed.
"Hello, stranger. You finally decide to show your face. After like... what? Three days, huh?"
Reynold let out a small laugh and raised the jar a little higher.
"Sorry for disappearing without telling you. I got you strawberries. And... hopefully I’m forgiven."
Gwyn’s eyes moved from the jar to his face. She took the jar with her good hand.
"I’ll take the jar," she said. "As for the apology... I don’t know about that one yet."
She put the jar under her cast arm, twisted the lid of the jar open with her free hand, and picked one strawberry and throw it into her mouth. Juice touched the corner of her lips. She chewed slowly.
Reynold smiled. Then his eyes shifted past her to Nyx.
"Hello, Nyx."
Nyx nodded. "Hi."
Reynold’s smile shifted when his gaze dropped back to the white plaster on Gwyn’s arm. He stepped closer.
"What happened to your hand?"
Gwyn shrugged one shoulder. "This? Oh. It’s nothing."
Reynold studied her face. He could not tell if she was lying. He reached out carefully and touched the edge of the cast with two fingers.
"Does it hurt?"
"No. It’s already healed up. I’m going to the infirmary later today to get the cast off."
Cadets walking past slowed down as they started murmuring.
"That is the Starweaver boy..."
"He came all the way to the magic side just to bring her strawberries."
"Gwyn’s the only one he seems to care about."
"I wish I had a friend who brought me fruit like that."
Laena who was standing a few steps away, with her blond hair bright under the sun frown as she watched Reynold.
He was not looking in her direction not even once. It was like she wasn’t even there. Back in Terraverde City he used to bring her things too. Small gifts, sweets and little tokens. Now those same hands was holding a jar filled with strawberries for someone else.
Laena’s mouth tightened. She swallowed and spoke loud enough for the everyone to hear.
"Funny how Gwyn is standing here laughing and taking gifts from the same boy who is the reason her hand got broken in the first place."
Reynold’s eyebrow shifted. He turned his head toward Gwyn.
"What is she talking about?"
Gwyn didn’t even look at Laena. "Stay out of my business, you dragon rider."
Then she faced Reynold again. "Don’t listen to her."
Nyx spoke quietly. "Actually... you are the reason Gwyn’s hand is in a cast."
Reynold stared at Gwyn. "How is your broken arm my fault?"
"See, this is exactly what I mean," Laena said, stepping forward. "Trouble follows you, Starweaver. Even when you are not around, your name still causes problems. You should leave her alone. Or better stay in your lane and stop trying to do too much."
Gwyn’s patience snapped. "Dammit, Laena. You’re not my sibling, you’re not my friend so stop meddling in my business."
Laena’s head lifted and she spotted Pell walking toward them and raised her voice.
"Over here, Pell! Come tell this Starweaver boy to stay the fu*k out of your cousin’s life. He is the reason she got beaten and ended up with a broken arm in the first place."
Pell said nothing as he walked toward them. His eyes moved from Reynold to the cast on Gwyn’s arm.
The Starweaver name always brought trouble, that one was true. But Pell could not bring himself to tell Gwyn who she could or couldn’t be friends with. Outside of Nyx, Reynold was the only person at this academy Gwyn is close to. And it wasn’t like the boy had never had Gwyn back before.
Pell was a senior. He’d be gone from Wyrmwood soon. And when he thought about who he would actually trust to look out for his cousin after he left better than the Starweaver boy who is a Two?
Pell let out a sigh.
"Gwyn is old enough to know which friends are good for her."
Laena looked like she had been slapped on the face. She has been trying hard to get close to Pell since he was the heir to the Kaidaron mineral empire. She was building her useful alliance here inside the academy so when she is out, she will have powerful alliance outside.
She swallowed again. "You must be kidding. Clearly Gwyn is not old enough if she keeps letting the Starweaver boy drag her into trouble."
Pell’s voice stayed calm. "That’s enough, Laena."
Laena scoffed and turned her face away.
Gwyn rolled her eyes at the her back, then stepped closer to Reynold. She stood on her toes and whispered near his ear.
"What did you do to that girl? She really seems to really dislike you."
Reynold almost chuckled. He whispered back, "Let’s just say we have a little history. She was my childhood crush."
Gwyn’s eyes widened for a second. She whispered again, "Ohhh... mmm. I didn’t take the Starweaver boy for a lover boy. You’re going to give me the tea later. But right now I need to go before your childhood crush explodes again."
She turned, grabbed Nyx’s hand, and started walking. Pell looked at Reynold. Reynold gave a small nod. Pell returned it and followed after the two girls.
Reynold’s eyes drifted back to Laena. She was still staring at him, and frowning.
Location: Hidden South
The houses here were few miles apart from each other. No neighbors close enough to hear a screaming voice.
Professor Valerius pushed the door handle of a small wooden house. The handle cracked under his hand. The door was unlocked.
He stood outside for a moment as he took a deep breath. He did not know if he was ready to see the face inside. Finally he pushed the door open and stepped in.
A woman was in a blue cloak with her back to Valerius. She stirring a pot on the table with a wooden spoon. When the door opened her hand froze in the air.
"How did you find me?" she muttered. Then she started stirring again without turning around.
Valerius scanned the room. Simple furniture, a single bed and a curtains drawn tight.
"It wasn’t hard once I found your hitman from thirty-five years ago." He paused. "Stay away from the boy."
The woman stopped stirring as she turned slowly. Her face was older than Valerius remembered, but the eyes were the same.
"Wow. I always knew you had my brain. It’s a pity you wanted nothing to do with the throne. If it had come down to a duel, I know you would have won over your brother."
Valerius scoffed. "Stay away from the boy and leave him alone."
She tilted her head, as if she was in deep thought. Then a smile touched her mouth.
"I’m afraid I can not. You now know what his real identity is. You know how much of a threat he is to you... and to your brother."
"He is not a fu*king threat, Mother. He is just a boy."
She shook her head. "I can’t believe you tracked me all the way out here just to say to tell me to stay away from him. Here I was, hoping my son had actually come to see me because he missed me."
"Nobody sent you away from the tower. That was your decision."
She chuckled softly. "I’m afraid I still cannot leave the boy."
Valerius’s voice dropped. "Then I’m not letting you go anywhere near him."
Blue magic threads began to seep from both of his hands. He turned his palms slowly as the threads thickened.
The woman opened her mouth. "You’re going to fight your own mo..."
Before she could finish, Valerius flung his hands forward and the threads shot out and wrapped around her neck, slamming her against the wall.
She struggled for a few seconds, fingers clawing at the glowing blue lines. Then she flicked her own wrist.
Valerius flew backward. His body hit the opposite wall hard and dropped to the floor.
He tried to stand up. The woman eyes shifted at the table. A kitchen knife was there. She flicked her fingers and the knife lifted into the air and streaked toward him. It only cut the side of his stomach. Valerius winced and let out a short groan.
She raised her hand again and valerius’s body was lifted off the floor, floating. She flickered her hand and he was sent crashing into the wall. Valerius landed in a heap.
He groaned and tried to push himself up. The woman rolled her wrist. Blue threads spun into a ball of light and she slammed it into his chest. Valerius collapsed, blood spilling from his mouth.
The woman sighed. She walked over, crouched, and brushed her fingers across his face. She lifted his head gently.
"You have always been my favorite child," she said. "I’m sorry. But the boy is a threat. He should not be alive."
She placed a soft kiss on his cheek, then stood up and walked toward the door.
Valerius groaned and managed to turn his head. His hand deep into his pocket. He pulled out a small sphere the size of a marble and threw it. The sphere rolled across the floor and stopped near her feet.
Valerius closed his eyes and started muttering quickly..
"Exul vantar, sever mundis. Ad Voidsera te relegar!"
The woman turn around quickly. Her eyes stared at the sphere and the glowing runes already forming around it.
"No...!"
The word cut off as her body stretched, pulled inward, and vanished into the sphere. The sphere also vanished out of existence a second later.
Valerius spat out more blood. He dragged himself a few inches across the floor, muttering another short spell. Blue light flared around him and he vanished.
.....
Inside a Inn, Valerius reappeared, already falling. Several people gasped as his body hit the wooden floor and did not move.
Sabel who was mixing a drink behind the counter. When she saw who it was, her heart jumped. She dropped the glass and ran to him.
.....
Location: Voidsera (the Endless Desert-Realm)
White sand covered every direction. No sky, no sun. Only pale light that never changed.
The woman appeared high above the sand and fell hard. She groaned as she rolled onto her side, and slowly pushed herself up.
It took her several breaths to understand where she stood.
"No...no...no..no.." Her heart was beating fast as she dragged her feet and muttering no over and over.
She raised both hands and tried to use her magic. Nothing was working..
She threw her head back and screamed. "NO ooooooo!"
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