The next day, the Academy was completely closed off, and students were required to remain in their dorms until further notice. Lucen had moved to Eiran's room earlier, before the announcement. Eiran kept blowing up his phone—a mistake on Lucen's part for giving him his number. So he rushed to his room so he would stop asking the same question for the millionth time since 11 p.m. last night, which was enough to keep him awake rather than let his eyes rest after a tiring day. Lucen's initial intent was just to pass by, let Eiran see he was fine, then head back to sleep, but it seemed he hadn't known Eiran well enough to make such conclusions.
Immediately after Lucen showed up at Eiran's door, Eiran frantically checked him, afraid the princess might have done something to him. Then he dragged him inside for more tests, which Lucen slept halfway through—and no noise in the skies or the earth could wake this exhausted boy.
Soon, chariots arrived at the Academy; nobles with soldiers followed, and after all had gathered, the queen made her entry—her face soft and calm as always: always welcoming, always pure. The student council escorted Her Majesty to the conference hall, one used only during emergencies, with the nobles behind. Her Majesty sat at the high table with the principal on her left, then the student council representatives, then the teachers; on her right sat Princess Nyreal, the kingdom's general, followed by the nobles.
The queen still wore her calm, warm smile. Princess Nyreal stared at nothing, but her aura was threatening, her eyes focused and unwavering. The student council regarded her with suspicion, making no effort to hide it; some teachers still wondered why they were there, and the remaining attendees wore serious expressions.
"The reason I asked you here today is that Noxmere's Treasure, Daughter of the Null-light, was attacked yesterday evening on Academy grounds. Someone had better start talking," Queen Nyara demanded, her smile finally vanishing, leaving a blank expression.
"I checked the security footage and performed a tracing spell with my subordinates…" Headmaster Virell reported. "No magic activity was detected anywhere along the barrier."
"So, if I understand what you are saying, which I do, these attackers were from inside the Academy?" Princess Nyreal interjected, her eyebrow raised.
Headmaster Virell was silent. As much as he didn't want to accept it, that was the only possibility. The threat was in his school, within the Academy walls, after he had already reassured the queen that safety was guaranteed. He felt he had failed not only the kingdom but also his ancestors, who had passed the Academy down to him.
"Headmaster Virell…" A soft voice called from his right ear, resonating through his body, spreading warmth and reassurance. "Do not reprimand yourself. You have done your best to keep this Academy afloat long before I ascended the Solaran Throne. If anything, we are all to blame for underestimating the situation. But we are not here today for blame games." Queen Nyara's attention turned to everyone around the table, her expression serious and resolute. "The Daughter of the Null-light, Noxmere's Treasure, was nearly attacked on our soil when we swore her protection to our king. Now, we take responsibility for our actions. Academy activities will commence as usual. Headmaster Virell will triple security internally and double-edge the Academy's protection spell so inside activities can also be monitored. Professors will continue teaching and watch for suspicious activities among their students. The student council shall plant spies in the various dormitories and classes to monitor the students. From the outside, the commander will strengthen the kingdom's defenses, allocating royal guards to this area for extra protection. The nobles shall blend among the civilians, ensuring there is no panic while also watching for suspicious activities. Are these agreed upon?"
"Yes, Your Highness!" everyone chorused, and as though rehearsed all night to perfection, they all rose, leaving Princess Nyreal more confused.
The queen then stood and, as if off-script, bowed 90 degrees to Princess Nyreal, which left the princess even more stunned.
"On behalf of Solara, I, Queen Nyara, Daughter of the Flame of Dawn, Aureon, and Queen of Solara, ask for your forgiveness," she said with her head low.
Princess Nyreal had reached her threshold of shock at this point. From the admiration of how Queen Nyara entered the Academy—so calm, so soft, so controlled—to her reassuring tone with Headmaster Virell when she reprimanded him, then to her commanding yet calm tone when she made her verdict, and lastly this. She had never seen anything like it.
Solmere was dark and lifeless, as were His people and subjects. King Noctorian ruled with a blazing iron fist. The fortress's hallways were always dead and eerie, the wind echoing King Noctorian's endless barks of command.
Princess Nyreal had grown up with her brothers, who never hid the fact that they spoiled her rotten. She was the last born, the only girl, the only ray of joy in the dark castle—no reason not to love her.
Her brothers were ruthless when it came to those who opposed the king's will or a fellow prince's order, but when it came to their little ember, they were fiercely protective, and Princess Nyreal was not complaining, not once. They even took shifts caring for her if they had a mission or were on their learning journey, so she was never alone or bored.
Initially, the king was cold, unreachable, untouchable, unapproachable, and his aura bathed the whole palace, spreading death to all the silent, disrespectful whispers. At that time, the princess was forbidden from stepping out of the fortress entirely and was never allowed to cross a designated part of it.
Princess Nyreal never complained—she never did, she wasn't supposed to. She simply grew up knowing she shared the fortress with the King of Death himself, Darkness in its utmost glory, and that was enough to kill all her curiosities.
Besides, she had her brothers' love to keep her occupied, so even though she still longed for a father, she was fine without one.
It was on her sixteenth birthday that the king requested her presence in his study, a place only a few of her brothers had ever seen. And after they came out, everything changed. Her father could finally give a small smile—not the "Joker endgame" type but the "I don't smile, but I'll try" type.
Since then, the king grew livelier behind closed doors, though only minimally, to retain his reputation as the Noxmeren King.
But the scene before Princess Nyreal was beyond comprehension. Noxmere thrived on pride, ego, reputation; they were taught never to back down, never to bow to anyone, not even those of equal rank. Yet here, right in front of her, the Queen of Solara, Daughter of the Flame of Dawn, Aureon—one who commanded life out of nothing—bowed over something that, first, had nothing to do with her, and second, had happened outside her castle walls.
Had she no ego? Was she not above all this? Yet she bowed to apologize on their behalf. Did she not feel ashamed? Embarrassed? Anything?
Princess Nyreal cleared her throat, effortlessly melting into her craved image. "You do not need to apologize for anything." She looked around, searching for a certain someone. "The only question now is…" she began with an edge in her voice. "I cannot seem to find the person you assigned to protect me. He is nowhere to be found, and interestingly, he was absent when the attack happened…" Her eyes squinted. "Where is he?"
Just then, Lucien rushed into the room, the doors flying open. "Sorry I am late…" he said, panting before looking up to see everyone still mid-bow, all eyes on him.
Princess Nyreal crossed her arms with a 'this is going to be good' look, Queen Nyara silently prayed that whatever this was had an explanation, and Principal Virell had already begun drafting his will in his head.
"Where were you when the outsiders attacked the princess, young prince?" a noble asked, breaking the ice.
Lucien bowed immediately. "I sincerely apologize for my failure to protect the princess, but I was investigating suspicious activity in the forest region of the school."
Queen Nyara rose from her bow, Princess Nyreal narrowed her eyes, and Principal Virell was relieved that he wasn't dying today.
"Explain," Queen Nyara commanded softly as she sat, everybody following.
"There is a breach in the forest barrier. That is how the intruders entered," Lucien explained.
"How did you know?" Princess Nyreal asked.
"A friend of mine," Lucien answered.
"The healer?" Princess Nyreal verified, surprised.
Lucien nodded with a low bow.
Queen Nyara was confused, as was Principal Virell. "What were you doing in the forest region? That place is out of bounds for students."
"We did not go there, Headmaster," Lucien said, which made everyone confused.
"Boy, would you stop beating about the bush and just explain it clearly?" a noble fired.
Lucien was very uncomfortable with the constant stares and biased scrutiny of past whispers about him that had already painted the nobles' judgment, and Queen Nyara could feel it.
She stood. "Lucien, can you join me at the Principal's office?" she said, and with a wave of her hand, beautiful tree vines crept into the room through the roof and the ground, then joined and enclosed before them like a sacred mirror. She brought her palm close to her lips, then blew air softly into it, the soft green aura sparks dancing in the air like ether sparkles as they formed a portal.
Queen Nyara stepped in first, then Lucien followed behind.
"You made a promise to this boy not to tell anyone about his ability, right?" Queen Nyara asked as she scanned through the books in the office.
"W-Wh-What…? I do not know what you are talking about, my queen," Lucien stammered, blinking frantically.
Queen Nyara turned to him with a warm smile, but it wasn't like the other warm smiles she gave to strangers, not even to her subjects. This one seemed unpracticed, almost maternal.
"You were never one to stutter, Lucien. Eiran, is it?" she said as she placed a calming hand on her son's shoulder.
"I can never hide anything from you, can I, Mother?" Lucien sighed.
She chuckled. "Tell me what he is like," she requested, giving Lucien her full attention.
"Mother, this is not the time…" Lucien said, playfully shoving her lightly.
"Right, sorry. You know, I am proud of you, Lucien," she said, guiding her son's face to hers. "I always worried that you would be all alone, with no one to keep you company, and probably have to bury you with your headphones on." She chuckled, Lucien joining in. "You can tell me, my dear," she said with a reassuring nod.
"Eiran is very sheltered, a background character by preference. He does not want to be part of all of this, so I opted not to mention him in this," Lucien explained.
Queen Nyara nodded in understanding. "So Eiran found out about the breach, and you checked?"
Lucien nodded.
"Lucien…" Her voice turned serious. "Sensing energy changes is an advanced technique only a few Bearers managed to obtain after eons of intense training, and a Bearer born with such prowess as a natural talent has not been identified in more than a millennium…"
Lucien slowly nodded.
"That is why you wanted to keep it a secret, right?"
"Nothing can ever be hidden from your eye, my queen,"
Lucien said with a bow.
Queen Nyara's warm smile returned. "Your secret is safe with me, my dear."
Lucien's eyes widened with gratitude. "Thank you so much." He hugged his mother.
Queen Nyara chuckled as she hugged him back. "But on one condition."
"Sure, Mother. Anything," Lucien nodded.
"Eiran's talent is natural, strong, and very useful, but I do not plan to exploit it. I just wish the child had a better understanding of this ability and used it to his advantage. So… I want him to reach out to me when he is ready to learn about it. I will ask Headmaster Virell to help him in that endeavor," Queen Nyara said with a thoughtful nod.
Lucien smiled. "Thank you, Mother."
"Now, back to the important matter. This breach you inspected—did anything stand out?" Queen Nyara asked.
"I am not sure. They were all wearing black and masks, but one thing is certain: they were on either side when casting the breach spell," Lucien explained.
Queen Nyara nodded. "The barrier spell created around her eons ago can only be altered from both sides of the barrier, knowledge no student or staff should have."
Lucien seemed puzzled. "If they managed to slip through the barrier with such primal knowledge, it is only a matter of time until they use that knowledge to do the unthinkable."
"We may not know their next move, but we do know it has something to do with Princess Nyreal. Lucien, you will have to be more vigilant and keep a close eye on the princess during her stay, and pay keen attention to your surroundings."
Lucien bowed, his eyes focused, his stance poised and resolute. "I shall protect Noxmere's Treasure with my life, my queen."