*29*

Eventually, I came to. I let out a small groan as I held my head. Where am I? I remember being attacked, but what happened afterwards?

"Kyrene!" I gasped in pain as something rammed into my body.

"Myla?" My voice barely managed to get out. "Where am I? What happened?"

"You don't remember the two drunk men?" She asked as she sat in a chair next to me.

"I remember that, but what happened afterwards?" I slowly sat up, grimacing.

"You used Dark magic." Her voice trembled. "I was so scared for you... after you had shot the Propulsion orb back at them, you started coughing up black blood. I didn't know what to do. Then, Elementals came out of no where and carried us to the healing room."

"How long have I been out?" I glanced over to see a glass of water on the small table beside me.

"About two days." Myla replied. "Striker and I have hardly left your side."

My eyes widened at his name. "Where is he? Is he okay? He hit that tree pretty hard."

"He's fine." She assured me. "He had a huge bruise, but the Healers took care of it. As for where he is, he said he had to grab something from town. He should be back soon."

A knock at the door startled the both of us. I held back a relieved sigh as Professor Rodnik and Striker stepped in. "I was told to come in and assist Kyrene with something. Is she alright?"

Myla nodded. "She's awake."

"What do I need assistance with?" I asked as Striker paced towards me.

He took up my hand and placed a small object in it. "Add this to your staff. It will help you."

I pulled my hand back and opened it. "What is it?"

Professor Rodnik took a step closer. "That's a piece of obsidian. It's meant to help with channeling Dark magic so it doesn't cause too much harm to the caster."

"Where's my staff?" I shifted and held my head, grimacing once more.

"We can add it later." Professor Rodnik placed a hand on my shoulder. "Right now, you need to rest. But before that, I need you to answer me a question. How many times did you feel your heart beat like it was wanting to come out of your chest?"

I thought for a moment. "Three. It was three times, one every two seconds."

Professor Rodnik scratched his chin. "Three times. Three years."

"I'm sorry?"

He took a breath. "Kyrene, from what Myla told me, you used the combo spells Absorption and Propulsion against the man attacking you. For every two to three seconds those spells are used, one year of your life is taken."

I gulped. "So, I'll live three less years in my life time? Is that what you're saying?"

"I'm afraid so." He said softly as Striker stiffened and Myla gasped. "We don't know how long you actually have. It could be ten years, twenty years, or five. The only way to get a decently accurate reading,"

"Is with an Orelie." Striker finished for him and punched the wall. "Damn it all."

"Control yourself." Professor Rodnik scolded him. "This is a place of healing. Any more violence, and I'll kick you out."

"Yes, sir..." Striker turned and crossed his arms.

"Try not to think about it too much," Professor Rodnik gave my shoulder a comforting pat. "We'll let you rest now."

"But-"

"It's time for her to rest." Professor Rodnik cut off what Myla was going to say. With a sigh, she followed him out of the room.

"Let's go, Aero."

"I'll be there in a minute, Professor." Striker turned back towards me as the door shut. "Are you really alright?"

I felt tears pricking at my eyes. "I don't know... so that's what he meant when he said Dark magic kills it's user... Use it too much..." I choked on the sob that threatened to spill over.

"It's going to be okay," he assured me as he sat on the bed. "You've gotten so much stronger since being in this world. I bet you have many prosperous years ahead of you."

"And if I don't?"

"Don't talk like that." He said firmly. "You will live for many years. And if in the off chance it doesn't happen, I give you permission to haunt me for the rest of my life."

I gave a weak chuckle as I tried to dry my eyes. "I'll hold you to that."

"Good." He stood and headed for the door. "Get some rest. Class has been boring without you." With that, he shut the door.

I sighed and stared at the obsidian on the small side table. Just like my other gems, it'll store Dark magic I may use or come in contact with. I squeezed a hand over my heart. I never want to use that again. It was so painful, I thought my heart would explode.

I curled up in on myself. Was it really a good idea to come to Fucrya? What if Ella never got taken over by a Witch? Would I still be there now? Would... would he have never found me? Would he have still taken me from Earth?

I whimpered as I held myself tighter. All these questions of "What if?" raced through my mind. I couldn't hold them back as more tears streamed down my cheeks. Why me? Why can I use every magic? Why Dark magic?

For the first time in many months, I felt small, helpless, and weak.

~~~

I was able to return to my classes a few days later. I tried my hardest to push the events out of my head. It was difficult to do, especially since word had gotten around and I was being bombarded by questions from the other students. Some crazy rumors had started, and I wanted to put an end to them.

Striker, Myla, and I had found a secluded area to eat our meals at. They knew I wanted to avoid people for as long as possible. They're not even sure how word got out. When we asked, no one said a thing, except that they heard it from someone who got their information from another.

My head was hurting again from all this.

"Everything will be fine," Myla grinned reassuringly. "The rumors will die down eventually and you can get back to a normal life."

"Normal as it will ever be." I mumbled as I picked at my food.

Striker lightly pushed my arm. "Don't talk like that. It's all gonna be okay. I promise. So cheer up and smile. Got it?"

"Fine," I tried my hand at a smile. "It feels forced. Maybe I just need more time to process my impeding death."

"Stop it!" Striker snapped. "We already talked about this. Smile, move on, and live life happily!"

"Alright, jeez." I shied away from him a bit. "No need to be so aggressive."

"Kyrene," we stopped and looked up as Professor Rodnik approached us. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I'd like to speak with you in private."

"Okay," I stood and waved to my friends. They waved back and watched us leave.

Once we were away from them, Professor Rodnik stopped us. "Kyrene, I think it's time I took you to the area that can help you."

My eyes widened. "Really? You think I'm ready?"

He nodded. "After the way you took care of your attackers and pulled through quickly after a high level Dark magic spell, I think you are strong enough to handle your new training for your Visions."

"I'm ready." I gripped my staff, determined to start my training.

"Good," he lead the way. "When we get close, I will let you lead the way as I tell you where to go. It's best you see the area for yourself first."

Off we went to the secluded area of the academy. I was excited and trying to contain myself. I wanted to rush ahead, to push on and open a new chapter of magic.

We headed past his office down a long, narrow, and dark hallway. The wall lights were dim and spaced so far apart, there was darkness for about ten paces before any sort of light could be seen again. I gripped my staff nervously. Is it only like this because it used to be a secret training area for Orelie, but now that they're gone, it's not lit anymore?

"Alright, Kyrene." I jumped at his sudden voice. "You may take the lead. Just keep heading straight down until the hall makes a right turn. There will be a door at the end."

"Okay," I walked past him and continued on. I listened for his feet behind me, relieved that I could still hear them. What even is this hallway? How has he kept this hidden?

Soon, the air started to grow thick. "Professor, what is that?" I coughed.

"It's a bit musty from not being used." He explained. "Back when the Orelie were abundant, there were people going down this hall every hour of the day. I promise it'll get a nice cleaning once your training kicks off."

I nodded, though he probably didn't see it. I held a hand over my nose to block out the smell of mold and the ever thickening air. I tried to hold back another cough.

"Professor," another cough. "It's... kind of getting hard to breathe."

"It's okay, Kyrene," he assured me. His voice was a bit farther back and almost sounded muted. "We're almost to the end. There's a window we can open through the door."

The farther I pressed on, the harder it got to breathe. My lungs ached and my eyes were getting heavy. I used my staff for support.

"Professor-"

"It's alright." Does he... sound irritated? "Just keep going."

"Professor-" my vision spun as I tried to face him. I quickly lost my balance and fell to the floor. "Professor..." he had a bubble of air around his head. Why does he need that?

Through blurred vision, I watched the sinister smirk spread across his lips. "Sleep now, little Orelie." He waved his hand over me. I fought to keep my eyes open, but it was no use.

"Why..." I succumbed to the darkness.