*23*

I felt empty. Nothing seemed right. Everything I thought I knew about him was a lie. I felt betrayed; broken. I thought I could trust him. Why would he lie to me? What did he have to gain from keeping this from me?

My heart ached as I curled into a tighter ball on Mystic's couch. How could he lie to me? To everyone? Was he really protecting me, or keeping me for himself? Did he only want me for my blood?

"Hey," I barely looked up as Mystic entered the room. "I brought you some tea."

"I don't want it," I mumbled into the cushions. "Just leave me alone. I don't know what's real anymore, and I just feel so..."

"Hurt? Angry? Betrayed?" She set the tray down and smiled. "I understand exactly what you're going through. I know how you feel."

"How?" I sat up, allowing her to sit on the couch. "You don't know what this is like for me. He used me! He drank from me, then pretended to be distraught when he found out! I don't even know if he really cared about me. I just..." my breath stuck in my throat.

I swallowed to clear it. "I don't know why I'm feeling like this, Mystic. Yeah, I'm upset, but why this much? I've been hurt and lied to before, but I've never felt like a piece of my heart had been ripped out."

A sad smile fell across her lips. "You love him."

My head snapped up. "Love? What do you mean?"

"You care deeply about him," she handed me a cup. "You look up to him, respect him, and trust him unconditionally. He took you from a bad place and showed you a new world of magic and wonder. You associated him with happiness and light. Now that he's broken your trust, you feel as if your light has gone out."

"But how could I love him?" I sipped from the cup. "I'm still not sure what that is. No one really cared enough about me. But Crae..." my heart grew heavy saying his name.

"You might not have known it, but your heart did," she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Love is a tricky emotion. It can be difficult to spot and understand. Once you and the other person can talk things through and understand each other more, it can be revealed."

I sighed and hung my head. "I don't know. It still doesn't make much sense. And I don't want to see him any time soon. Maybe never again."

My eyes looked over the room and spotted my staff. I slowly sat up and stood. My hand brushed over the smooth wood, tracing the details. My hand wrapped around it and lifted it from its spot against the wall.

"But I do know what I want to do." I turned to Mystic, my staff gripped tightly in my hands. "Crae didn't want me to go to the academy because he thought I wasn't ready. Will you take me? I want to further strengthen my magic abilities."

Mystic stood and nodded. "Of course. We can leave first thing tomorrow. I'll make us something to eat then prepare for the trip tomorrow."

"Sounds good," I sat back down on the couch and stared at my staff in my hands. It's been a while since I used my magic with it. I know my magic has gotten stronger after my fight with the witch. Will it even still be able to absorb my excess magic?

"Kyrene, I have an idea what to make, but I need to-" she stopped. "You're... worried about your magic, aren't you?"

I nodded. "I used a lot of magic back in that mountain. I don't know if my staff can still connect to me. I... might need a new one. But if I do, I only want a branch from the sycamore."

"It's okay, Kyrene," she assured me. "Come with me to the market. After we shop for our trip, we can go to the river and practice. Sound good?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." I used my staff to help me stand, hiding the soreness in my muscles. I haven't completely recovered from the ordeal, but I don't want Mystic to worry.

I glanced down to my arm, spotting the scar across the demon brand. Sadness washed over me as I stared at the jagged line through the bite marks. It was still hard for me to wrap my head around who Crae actually is. All this time...

I shook my head and followed Mystic out of the house. She gathered many ingredients and different items we needed for our trip. It was starting to get dark by the time we finished shopping.

Mystic made a quick meal for us before we headed to our rooms. I packed everything I would need and set my bag by the door. Once ready, I leaned my staff against the wall and climbed into bed.

Practice will have to wait until tomorrow. We weren't planning on being out so late. My stomach was in knots as I tried to sleep. I was nervous about tomorrow, not knowing if my staff would still take to me.

Eventually, I fell asleep to my constant nightmares. It was always the same; the Witch attacking me, and Crae revealing himself to be a terrible monster. I hardly slept, and I knew it was preventing me from properly healing. I didn't want to be a bother to Mystic, so I haven't told her.

I need to get over this myself.

Like I did every morning, I woke up sore and exhausted. To help ease the soreness away, I stretched a bit to loosen my muscles. Once finished, I ignored the dull ache and headed for the dining room for breakfast. Like every morning, Mystic already had it prepared.

"Eat up," she said with a smile. "Once we're done here, we're heading to the river to practice, then we'll be on our way to the academy."

"Right," I ate quickly, but not fast enough to upset my stomach. I was anxious; I had to know if my staff would still accept my magic surplus.

Once I was finished, Mystic grabbed the bags and locked the place up. We walked swiftly towards the river. My stomach was in knots, the feeling growing stronger the closer we got. My grip tightened on my staff as I hoped it still worked.

"Alright," we knelt down next to the water. "Show me the basics."

I took a deep breath to clear my head. When I felt ready, I stuck my hand in and began moving the current.

"That's it..." Mystic softly encouraged. I slowly made the current speed up with each stroke. So far so good. Now for the ultimate test. I squeezed my eyes shut and thrust my arm out, sending a raging river downstream.

Mystic cried out in surprise and fell back. We were soaked from the water. I turned my hand over and stared at my arms. I felt under my nose, checking for blood.

Nothing.

"You okay, Kyrene?" Mystic asked worriedly.

I nodded. "Yeah, I feel fine. I don't feel dizzy, my head doesn't hurt, and I don't feel like my insides are trying to explode."

"That's wonderful!" She clapped happily. "Your staff is still taking your magic energy! How wonderful!" She used her magic to dry us off, then stood me up.

"Alright, we better get moving. We have a long journey ahead of us." I followed behind her as we made our way to the academy.

I wonder what it's like. How are the students? The teachers? Will I even be able to find someone to help me?

No, I know I can. Someone is there, and they can help me understand who I am. They can teach me anything. I can't wait to get there.

Along the way, we stopped a few times to let me practice other elemental magic. Each time proved successful, and I wasn't feeling any drawbacks.

Half way there, we stopped at the small town of Fusda. We ate a quick meal and stopped by a healing house to make sure I really was okay. The healer was a little concerned about the demon mark, but Mystic assured him everything was alright; that the demon won't come if he touches it.

After a thorough check-up, we were on our way. The healer had helped me a little with my sore muscles and told me I needed to stretch more before casting magic. Even though I'm better, it still courses through me and affects my body.

A couple hours later, we left the town and continued on. Merchant carts passed us by, a few waving. The forest and fields around us were full of Elementals and Fairies. They chased and played with each other; I could hear the giggles and squeals from here.

"We'll stop at another town just farther ahead for the night." Mystic suddenly said. "We still have another days journey before we reach Crystal View."

"Will you stay in the city with me?" I asked. "I'd rather not be alone there. I don't know where to go."

"Sorry, kiddo." She ruffled my hair. "I still have work to do. But I'll stop by once in a while to check on you. I promise."

I smiled up at her and fixed my hair. "Okay."

After a few more stops for practice on our journey, the sun was starting to set. We found the town Esdu and checked in at one of the small inns. We got a shared room so Mystic could watch over me as I slept. She says this area is known for having random Demons walk in.

Just before bed, Mystic reinforced the salt around the doors and windows. I snuggled under the covers of my bed and watched her blow out the candle. The room became covered in darkness, the only light coming from the moon through the windows.

I laid awake, unable to fall asleep. Normally Mystic's soft snores would help me drift to sleep, but this time they didn't. I was nervous about the possibility of a Demon walking through the town. My hand moved on its own and covered the mark. I'm scared.

By the time morning came, I had gotten very little sleep. I was groggy and almost refused to get out of bed. With some coaxing of food, I eventually got up and got ready for the day.

"You were holding your arm when I came to wake you," Mystic suddenly said after we ate.

I shrugged it off. "I've slept in weirder positions."

"You were cradling it." She grabbed our bags and led the way out of the inn.

I sighed. "Alright, I was scared. I didn't sleep well at night. I kept thinking about a Demon walking through the town." I looked down and saw my hand holding the mark again.

Mystic gently held my shoulder. "Everything was fine, I promise. Nothing like that went through the town. Besides, if one did, someone in the guard tower would alert everyone. The hunters come out and take care of it."

I huffed and crossed my arms. "That would have been nice to know..."

She chuckled. "Alright, that's enough moping around. We have to make it to Crystal View by tonight. Hopefully sooner, but that depends on how many breaks we take."

"I can try practicing while walking." I offered. "There might be a time where I have to cast magic while running."

"Hm, that is true." She tapped her chin. "Alright, we can try that. When you see me start running, try to use your magic to stop me."

"Got it." The rest of the journey continued on as such. Randomly, Mystic would take off and I had to think quick to slow her down so I wouldn't lose sight of her. As a result, my aim and dexterity were improving.

I'm just grateful that my body hasn't started turning against me.