The sun was set by the time we left the ice cream parlor. The air was brisk yet inviting, a very welcome change as contrast to the blistering summer heat. The shops were illuminated with radiance of the sunrise, and as the previous bustling street lessened into hushed conversations, it gave my mind an opportunity to digress the situation. But it didn't.

Names and words jargon to the Elucaen world swarmed my mind and gave rise to questions that started to explode like a million firecrackers going off at once; logical and illogical explanations alike started to tangle like it never did before, yet there was none that would put my mind at ease.

"Erin, we're here," Dad said, and it was then that I noticed we've came to a halt in front of a...wall. An ivory-bricked wall.

"This looks familiar," I mumbled."Well, it's the way home. After visiting here every summer ever since my teen years, your dad bounds to know some tips and tricks," he reassured, giving me a wink.

"I don't understand. How can it be a portal when there aren't any doors?"

"That's because it's not a portal. Well, not the normal kind anyways. These are calledGariam portals, which takes you to the capital of one of the five nations in the Elucaen world.Mind you, these portals are incredibly rare, and if memory serves me right, there are only five in each nation; one for each capital. In fact, the portal that took us to Berxley earlier was indeed a Gariam portal as well. But as luck would have it, this portal can take us straight to Mirstone, which we can then use to go home."

"So that's why the ivory looked familiar...but how did you know it was a Gariam portal?"

Dad leaned closer and whispered, "Well, there are some perks to being the son of agovernment official. Since these portals are really rare, only the government and its officials know the precise location for each and every one of them. Believe it or not, your grandfather used to make me memorize some of the locations just in case of an emergency; I guess that knowledge finally comes in handy."

After resuming his previous posture, he said, "Watch me carefully. And always make sure to bevery careful when saying the spell; we don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

Before I could respond, Dad swiftly muttered an incantation, and after tapping each corner three times, the bricks started to gradually disintegrate until a glowing arch remained inits place. To say I was surprised was an understatement.

"What on earth did you say?"

After glancing back and forth to make sure there was no one else in sight, he mumbled,"No doubt in my mind you would sooner or later forget this, but every time a person enters Gariam portal, they must chant 'Astalium, then the capital name, and then ends it with Indeas' three times while tapping the corners every time."

I turned to Mom. "Did you know about this?"

She shrugged. "Well, I've heard of it, but it's been so long I guess I just forgot. I have noidea how your father can remember the exact location though, even after two decades."

Dad rolled his eyes. "Don't listen to your mom, Erin. She's just jealous," he playfully whispered before walking into the arch.

Once we arrived on the other side of the portal, I felt as if a huge burden was lifted from my shoulders. Regardless of the fact that I was able to understand the language in Gallia, it stilldidn't feel as much as home as it did when we visited Almeria. Perhaps it was because Almeriawas the counterpart of America, but it just felt..right. The thought suddenly hit me that I wouldbe leaving for Anglia in less than a week, but by this point, I decided to go with the flow.We soon came to a stop in front of the familiar teal-colored door, and not a minute later,we finally returned to the sweet, dusty, attic.

"Do you guys know what time it is?" I asked, rubbing my nose as specks of dust made itway up my nostrils.

"It's almost eight at night."

"Already?"

"Well, the Elucaen world is about four hours behind our world."

"No kidding," I muttered when a thought suddenly struck me. "Wait, what are we going totell Erik?"

Mom and Dad looked at each other, and I had a feeling they didn't exactly think this through. I was wrong."

We'll tell him when he's ready. But for now, dont say anything regarding the curse or theother world; we don't want to frighten him and it would just get complicated because he wouldwant to tag along with you to Anglia."

I sighed. "That reminds me, do I actually have to come there all on my own? Couldn't oneof you guys come along with me and live in a neighboring town or something?"

Mom gave me a sympathetic smile. "Oh, we wish we could honey. Trust us, we would ifwe could. But it wouldn't be safe for any of us if our entire family moves there, especially sinceAnglia is rumored to be filled with many of Mortema's devious minions."

Once she saw the cautious look in my eyes, she quickly recanted, "But you're completelysafe, I promise. It's pretty much impossible to infiltrate Clarines, and that's what makes it oneof the top schools in the Elucaen world."

That didn't exactly helped my fears, but it did give it some reassurance.

After seeing mytired demeanor, Dad gave me a quick nod. "I know today was a very long day for you, so all we want right now is for you to get some rest, alright?"

No argument needed; I was completely exhausted. "Good night," I said as I gave themboth a peck on the cheek.

After finally making it back to my room, I collapsed on the bed, and without taking offmy shoes, rolled my face against the pillow's soft surface as I fell into a deep slumber, dutifullyignoring the throbbing headache that was escalating every minute.

----

"Erin? Are you awake?" Mom asked in a muffled tone, knocking firmly against thebedroom door.

"If I weren't before, I am now," I muttered as I groggily moved into a sitting position.

Eveerything around mewas a blur, and it seemed like my ability to focus suddenly vanished into thin air. All that stuffabout me having some sort of magical ability with only seven months left to live due to a lunatic's curse were definitely things that could make a person's head explode. Perhaps I wasable to maintain such a calm composure yesterday was because it didn't completely hit me yet,but now, I didn't even know who I am anymore.

"I'm awake!" I yelled as I made a futile attempt to tie up my bird's nest of a hair.The knocking came to a halt and Mom stepped in.She then plopped herself right next to me on the bed, her golden locks brushed neatlybehind her back.

"How are you holding up? It's almost nine, so you must have slept for almost thirteen hours, " she asked, stopping for a second to observe my conspicuous swollen eyes.

I gave a sarcastic laugh. "I wonder how much of those thirteen hours you would consider 'sleeping', Mom. But to answer your question, I feel terrible. Utterly terrible," I admitted.

"In that case...what do you say to some shopping? I know you love to shop, and it's moreconvenient as well since the headmaster just sent over your school supply list."

"So we have to go all the way to Gallia through all those portals again?"

Mom stood up and head to the door. "Of course not; there are a lot of shopping districts in Almeria as well, and the portal in the attic can take us anywhere in the nation. Meet me upstairs in 30, okay? Your dad is currently with Erik at his soccer game so it'll be just us girls,"she called out from behind, giving me a wink.

I groaned as I buried my head in the feathery pillows, but nevertheless, got ready foranother day; another day closer to my imminent death.

"So...where exactly is this shopping district?" I asked once I entered the slightly-lessdusty attic. I decided to wear a hoodie this time, even if it was a scorching hot outside, just sothere wouldn't be a target on my back in case anyone suspicious saw the mark.

"You may have visited your dad's hometown yesterday, but today we're going to visit my hometown. It's not as grand or luxurious as Mirstone, but it is a very popular and fairly large district all the same."

"So this shopping place is located in your hometown? What's it called?"

"Correct. Pretty convenient, right?"

I nodded.

"But if we're being honest, I think I spent more time in Anglia than I ever did in Almeria during my teen years, even if it's where my hometown is."

"Why is that?"

"Well, it's because Elucaens don't usually travel outside their province unless it has something to do with schooling since the best Elucaen preparatory schools are located inAnglia. So parents usually would send their kids away, and then the kids would return home after they graduate. Of course, holidays are an exception, but due to that reason, that was how I met your father."

"Are the kids sent away so they could learn how to survive on their own without a parent'shelp or something?"

She gave a firm nod. "I'm not going to sugar-coat it when I tell you this,but that was the cause for many strained relationships between parent and child back in our day."

"I hope that won't happen to us then," I smiled, "But what's the place called?"

She returned the smile and grabbed my hand, "You'll see when we get there. Now, close your eyes and hold on tight."

We dashed towards the portal, and after a few seconds, we came face to face with an enormous marble building, engraved with the name Collacia across the plaque in big silver letters. There were two gargantuan black and white pillars supporting it on both sides.

"Erin, welcome to Texania."

I started glancing around as I soaked in my surroundings, and no doubt about it, the place was breathtakingly beautiful. Unlike the vibrancy of Embergarde in Gallia, the color scheme inTexania was very neutral, consisted mostly of blacks and whites, topped with the occasionalbeige.

"It looks very sophisticated. Is that modern-day Texas or something?"

"Yep, pretty much. Anyways, this marble building right here, is the bank. Unfortunately, we can't use human money here so I would have to exchange it for some Elucaen money. Don'tsay anything and you absolutely cannot touch anything. Let's go."

Once we stepped foot inside the ginormous settlement, I was shocked to see how vacant it was. As I scoped to see if there was anyone in sight, my eyes finally landed on a person sitting at the far end of the pathway, his body positioned right in front of a set of double doors. His maroon hair was neatly groomed back into a ponytail, and his intertwined fingers were pressed gently against the hardwood table. From afar, there was a warm disposition in the way he was seated on the plush emerald chair, but his expression was anything but pleasant.

"Why does he look so-"

"Erin, don't be rude. Just let me do the talking, okay?" she whispered back before giving an apologetic smile to the not-so amused man.

"Hello, I would like to withdraw some Eludian bills, please."

"Name? And is this your first time at Collacio?"

"Kristi Mesineux, and no, it's not my first time here, but our family vault is situated in Gallia."

"Very well, please enter through here and walk straight until you reach a circular room with a blue door. Good day."

The door strung open, and without any hesitation, we entered the dark hallway. We eventually arrived at the circular room, though I did have my doubts on whether or not his instructions were credible. We didn't have to wait long since the blue door opened a few moments later, a more cheerful albeit talkative woman ushered us to hallway similar to the one we went through, but this time, it was filled with jet black rectangular vaults.

I wasn't sure how banking worked in the Elucaen world, but the teller made Mom pressed her palm against a circular pad next to one of the vaults, and to my surprise, our last name suddenly glowed against the hard black surface. After it was verified, she pulled the vault door slight open but before I could see its contents, slammed it shut once she had what she came for. I did catch a glimpse though, but based on what I knew about grandfather's career, I wasn't surprised.

Mom explained that in this world, Elucaens were able to access their money, or Eludians, from any bank as long as they were on record. The only difference was that non-members' vaults were significantly smaller so the money they were able to withdraw were more limited as well.

"If you and Dad knew there was a possibility we wouldn't ever venture into the Elucaen world, why are there still money in the vault?" I asked as we climbed down the steps of the bank.

"That's because it's the family vault, so the money also belongs to your grandparents. When your father and I are married, my family vault merged together with his, which was why my hand print worked earlier," she replied.

I nodded, getting where she was coming from. "Where are we going now?"

"Before we can go shopping, I need to give you some information regarding your trip to Anglia in five days," she paused, "if my memory served me right...it should be around this corner."

"What around what corner?"

"Adele's Celestial Delights."

"I'm guessing it's a coffee shop?"

"Along those lines, but less coffee, and more tea."

Once we turned the corner, I spotted the teashop situated between two equally baronial stores, its cream-colored borders a lovely contrast against the dark concrete of its adjacent neighbors. Compared to the rest of the buildings in the area, the shop was quite modest and homely, yet held a sophisticated aura all the same. Along with the gold and baby pink accents, it wistfully reminded me of my fairytale obsession days as a little girl. I smiled at the thought.

Once I pulled open the door with a faint creak, we were soon warmly greeted and seated in a secluded corner by an elderly woman who I learned anon was the owner, Adele. My mind immediately picked up on the the aromatic vanilla and pumpkin spice scent drifted about the room, completed with the sounds of soft laughter by the couple sitting a few seats away.

"My parents used to take me here all the time, when I was still a kid..." she wandered off before quickly recollecting herself.

"Sorry about that, let's get down to business. First off, since your father and I won't be able to accompany you there, we made sure to ask someone to help you get to the school safe and sound."

"When we get home, I'll give you a sheet of paper that generalizes everything you need to know about living in a dormitory; just some rules and other crucial instructions. Of course, you would have to share your room with a few other girls so god forbid, please be nice to your roommates and make some friends if possible."

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks mom, nice to know that you think I'm an unfriendly loner, really the energy booster that I need right now."

"You're very welcome, sweetheart. But most importantly, do not ever leave the school grounds without permission. It's very dangerous in the outside world, especially at this time, so you absolutely cannot wander outside on your own, do you understand?" she commanded in a serious tone, all hints of the playfulness I witnessed a few moments earlier suddenly vanished into thin air.

"Yes mother, I completely and utterly understand."

She sighed with relief. "Good, and that's basically it. The headmaster will give you more information upon your arrival."

"This stinks. I hate being away from you guys."

Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry dear, but you must. It's for your safety, and our family's as well. I know we already said this, but please forgive us for keeping you away from all...this. Not giving you the exposure that you need essentially does more harm than good, since now is the time that you're in dire need of your powers, which you lack."

"I know..."

And then it fell into silence. Comfortable silence. I could tell Mom was reminiscing about the past too, because she had that far-away look in her eyes; the same expression Dad had when he remembered something. But I could tell it wasn't good memory due to the slight frown that was involuntarily surfacing.

"Mom, I know Dad's Elucae had to do with water, but what was yours?" I asked, a feeble attempt at a distraction, but an attempt nonetheless.

"Well, I was an aer Elucaen, so I could utilize winds as my elemental power. I learned to control it at Clarines as well, which was actually where I met your father. However, we soon lost our powers after staying in the human world for too long, as we didn't have portentia required in order to use Elucae. But since your father and I still have Elucaen blood deep inside of us, we are still able to visit the Elucaen world."

"Does Erik have this elemental magic as well?"

"We don't know yet. I think a person's element is already pre-determined by their ancestors, so in other words, Erik can only be an aqua or aer Elucaen, if he is chosen."

"Why don't you and Dad tell him about the real reason as to why I'm moving, though? Doesn't he deserve to know the type of situation that we're in?"

"Would you want your twelve-year-old brother to know that his sister might die in less than year because of some ancient curse?"

"Well, since you put it that way, probably not. But you should still eventually fill him in Mom, like at least about the Elucaen world."

"I know, sweetie, we'll tell him soon. Anyways, ready for some shopping?"

I quickly nodded, grateful for the change in scenery. I didn't exactly have a problem with the interior of the shop, in fact it was as well appointed as the outside, but for some reason, it hit it too close to home. The cozy feeling brought back too much memories of the past, memories that would disrupt my refusal to accept the reality that I would have to leave my family behind soon. Too soon for my liking.

Mom pulled out a white sheet of paper from her bag, and after one look at the lengthy list, I had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

We first started at Frazier's Uniforms, since it was closest to the teashop. It was smaller than I expected, so I wasn't surprised when there was only a few tailors in the room. There was only one other person getting fitted for a uniform, and based on the glare she gave us upon our entrance, I assumed she wasn't too happy we took away the attention of her current tailor.

The uniform consisted of a simple white button down shirt paired with a plaid black skirt, though I already guessed it seeing as how it was the typical basis of all uniforms. I was later informed that once I arrived at the school, I would be given both a circlet and vest that were to be worn at all times, since it gives the indication of the element and the house I was going to in respectively. Topped it with knee high socks and black flats, and we were good to go.

Fortunately, the stationary store wasn't that far from the uniform place, so we didn't have to torture ourselves under the gleaming sunlight any longer. Mom wasn't sure how much we actually needed, since the list only provided the items and not the quantity, she decided to bombarded our basket with at least five of each items, claiming that it was better to have left overs than devastatingly run out of supplies during class. But seeing as how there was only five classes, I couldn't quite understand her logic.

As I peered through the windows of shops that we were aimlessly walking past, I noticed that most of the stores were more or less vacant around this time. But as soon as our sights landed on LaCouture Books, it was overwhelmingly crowded. People of all ages were pushing and shoving in such a barbaric manner, I couldn't figure what could possibly be the reason for that cause.

"Excuse me, do you know what's going on?" I asked a man as he walked past us.

"Oh, that? The store was offering some really good book deals limited just for today."

I grimaced. And here I thought it was something important. "Mom, let's go-"

"Are you kidding? This is a miracle! Come on, Erin, we're going in."

Before I could protest, she grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the entrance with the other excited customers. It was that moment that I realized how strong she actually was, based on the fact that we eventually staggered inside safely and in one piece.

"With that strength, I don't understand why you can't just beat up Mortema yourself," I muttered.

Once we finally located all the required textbooks, I finally sighed in relief. The bookstore was massive, but unfortunately, none of the textbooks were in the same section. Granted, we only needed two, but with all the crowded aisles, it was difficult to even find one.

After making it back outside- still in one piece- we decided to sit on a nearby bench for a little break. While my mom counted the money we have left, I saw that the Eludian bills was very similar to the dollar bills, after a closer look.

As if sensing the questionable glance in my eyes, she said, "They're the same. Eludian and dollar bills are of the same values, except in this world, there's no such thing as coins or taxes, so it's just straight out bills."

"That's convenient."

I started glancing around the vicinity, and a sight chilled me to the bones. It could have been a fragment of my imagination, but I could have sworn I saw a pair of eyes staring at us from the dark alleyway across the street. Before I could register what happened, the figure vanished behind the looming shadows and into the darkness.