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A few other classmates came to make a quick visits over the week: Juniper, Nym, Verrona, Silver and even the twins stopped by.

News had reached her that two more of her classmates were sent back home.

Ruven and Nero had showed such a poor display of their abilities during the tournament that the faculty had decided they were not fit to remain at the academy.

This news did not come as a shock to Lilith, since she witnessed their lack of determination as they trained.

At first, they started off showing some potential, but as the pressure to compete escalated, they both seemed to give up.

Only the strong survive here, and any weakness is rooted out early.

Now alliances were forming. She viewed Taran and Felicia as her closest friends, keeping the rest at arm's length.

They had yet to earn her trust. Not that she fully trusted Taran and Felicia, but they were less likely to stab her in the back.

There was one person she had yet to talk to.

One that she felt the threads of trust weaving between them, but he had yet to visit.

It seemed the prince was avoiding her. A pang of loneliness hit her at the thought of not seeing him.

A shard of bitterness lodged in her heart, that he did not seem to care for her as much as she had hoped.

The morning after she was discharged, she made her way up to the women's dorm. Her class would be doing the morning training, while she used the opportunity to soak in the tub. After a week and a bit of having the healer wash her at bedside, she felt like she was covered in a thick layer of grime.

The girls bathroom was completely vacant and she scrubbed herself down before she dipped into the tub, moaning at the heavenly feeling of the hot water on her muscles.

“My gods, if any man heard you now their heads would surely explode,” said Danai as she casually entered the bathroom.

“I thought I was alone.” Lilith tensed her body.

“It’s okay.” Danai felt Lilith’s tension. “I came here to find you on behalf of Prince Demetrius. He says to meet him tonight after your last class, in the library.”

“Why do you like him so much?” Lilith stared at her curiously, “Are you in love with him?”

Danai burst into laughter. “Gods no. It has nothing to do with liking him. Gaining his trust serves a purpose. It may seem to you that I am his pawn, but he helps me too.”

“How does he help you?” Lilith felt something. Relief, maybe.

“Come tonight and maybe you’ll find out.” Danai said what she needed to say and left her.

“So cryptic,” muttered Lilith.

She changed into her uniform, noticing how lean she had become as she looked in the bathroom mirror. She looked at her runes before donning her shirt. Had they changed? The runes seemed less dark. Or was she overthinking things?

With time to spare, she grabbed her Theory and Tactics essay and headed for the class. The door was ajar; she assumed one of the upper years had class before her, but to her surprise it was empty. She nudged the door open further and gave a cough. “Hello?” she asked the darkness.

No one replied, so she went further into the room. The great stars were shining above. A twinkling contrast to the sea of darkness that shrouded the room. Drawn in by the peaceful ambience, she decided to lay down on the floor to watch the ceiling.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done that myself,” Andishmand’s voice reached her.

She sat up quickly, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. “I’m sorry, I came early to class.” She gave him her essay. “It’s a bit overdue.”

“Out of your control. I look forward to reading this. Are you feeling better?” Andishmand was polite but curious.

“Yes. However, I think the worst will be sparring with everyone again. Will they fear me? Will they hold me with higher expectations?” Lilith responded as she settled down once more to look at the flickering constellations.

“There will always be those that envy what others have and they do not. In my experience, those with powers like yours are coveted and used for one’s own gain,” Andishmand responded as he took a seat on the steps near her.

“Such is the culture of this school. Do we not form allies and “friendships” based on strength?”

“Hmm, that may be the case. What do you feel about your own abilities?”

“I am scared. Both by the idea of losing control and with the possibility that I will never feel the fullest sense of my potential. ”

“Lord Helmer has made us aware of your predicament. For what it’s worth, I am sorry.”

“Have you heard of this happening to anyone else? One’s magic being bound.”

Andishmand chose his words carefully. “I have.” Lilith was surprised by his answer.

He continued, “When men turned on mages, we were hunted down. Those that were in the capital were imprisoned, but others were able to flee to the east. Some had their hands cut off out of fear. It wasn’t until they gained the knowledge of a binding spell that is similar to your own, that they were able to sever the Mages' powers and abilities.” Andishmand lifted the long sleeves of his robe, exposing his wrists.

Like hers, he had bands of runes encircling them.

Where she had one, he had several. Rows upon rows of runes, disappearing up past where he had pushed his sleeve back. “Our own knowledge turned against us.”

“Is there a way to undo these bonds?”

“They have conditions placed on them. Mine for instance can be undone by a king or ruler of this kingdom.”

Lilith's mind raced with questions. “Can you read mine? Tell me about its conditions?”

“I could if you would be okay showing them to me. Perhaps if we had Mistress Rhodes available. Yes, I would be able to.” Lilith felt hopeful.

“What would you do if your power was returned? Would you seek revenge?” She may have crossed the line in their conversation. That question was maybe too personal.

“I have given years of thought to that question. It would depend.”

“Depend on what? ”

“On the ruler that set me free.”

They were interrupted by her class, who had filed in. Lilith got up from her spot and sat at one of the desks. Felicia looked a bit pale, but Taran cheerfully greeted her.

“You’re back!” Silver had come to sit next to Taran. “We weren’t sure if you’d be sent home. Are you feeling okay?”

She had never considered that possibility. “Yeah, I feel pretty good.”

“She hasn’t heard yet, but both Storm and Orin are unwell. They’re both expected to go through their emergence soon,” said Taran

“Well, let’s hope they have an easier time with it. I’m assuming we’re each going to be taking turns,” Lilith responded.

Felicia grew uneasy. “After what you went through, and what Silver was telling us of how Storm and Orin are cooped up in their room, I’m not looking forward to my turn.” Felicia looked a bit unwell herself. Her forehead glistened with sweat and her lips were pale.

“Yeah, but look at Lilith. I mean really look at her. She’s different. She looks stronger now than before. She’s glowing,” offered Taran.

“Such flattery. She’s been back all of two minutes and you’re already ogling her,” jested Silver. Taran’s face turned bright red.

“That’s not what I meant.” Taran rolled his eyes.

“It’s okay, Taran. I understood what you were saying,” giggled Lilith.

Andishmand called the class to attention. “I will now test your mental shields.” That was the only warning they got before he pressed into their minds .

Lilith muttered a swear before quickly shielding herself. She found her shield was easier to place and it also did not strain her as much. Must be the emergence.

Felicia, Taran and Silver looked like they felt the initial pangs as they were clearly distracted beforehand.

Today they were discussing the fall of the southern villages. After the birth of the Void, the first people to fall were those living the closest. Prince Gaius, son of King Marcus, sent a small band of soldiers to investigate. The report was sent back by one of the escaping villagers.

'My Liege, the south has fallen. We came into the village of Brandybrooke, the closest town to the chasm.

At first, everything seemed normal. The people were welcoming, showing us amiable hospitality.

I assigned a few men to approach the crevasse to find anything irregular.

While we waited, my remaining men dispersed to ask civilians for their account.

They mentioned a couple men went missing, but nothing unusual.

On the first night, we heard screams, but it was just a minor disturbance: some townspeople suffering from bad dreams. In the morning, we noticed the first signs of change.

Some of the townspeople lost their liveliness, they wandered around as if confused.

We tried to provide aid, but it was as if they could no longer understand our words.

At that point, one of the men I had sent to investigate the crevasse had returned.

He was barely alive, large claw marks marred his body, and his arm was torn off.

No, it looked like it was chewed off. I ordered the town to evacuate.

Chaos broke out. A dark shadow misted into the town, blanketing us in darkness.

Those that were mute turned on us. We rescued as many as possible and killed the attackers.

A strange clicking rang out around us. By the time this message reaches you, I fear the worst. I recommend evacuating all towns nearby. '