"Let's get back to the hall," she brushed past my shoulder making me grab her wrist. "You don't have to act so strong you know." I said, she lightly pushed away my hand off of her. "If you're expecting a thank you, thank you, now please. Just leave me alone, I'm fine," she faked a smile and walked off. "You can turn off your emotions and go back to how you were a couple days back. But tell me one thing."

"How are you going to shut your heart from things you don't want to feel? How are you going to shut your brain from remembering incidents you wish to erase from your memories forever?" I spoke out, making her stop in her steps and turn around, I approached her and looked into her eyes. "But hey, what do I care. You do you." I spat out coldly, brushing past her like she did to me. It's not like I'm dying to be friends with her, if she wants to act like that so be it. It's not my job to comfort her.

I walked back into the hall, the door opened again shortly after and Jewel walked in, silently making her way to a worried Nova. The headteacher clinked on his glass cup, gathering everyones attention. "As enjoyable as this years ball as been, I would like to bring it to a close." He spoke, garnering very disappointed sighs from all the students.

"Now as you all know, today is the day you move into the Paradox, I apologise for a 4 month delay, but our new dorms are more perfect than ever, and they're waiting for you. Accordingly to your houses, your dorms have been set. But but but, we can't forget there's someone in this room who hasn't been assigned a house." Professor Zeke smiled while he looked into Jewel's direction.

He gestured her to come to the front, where the usual chair with the sorting hat was placed. "What do you mean by... sorting me into a house?" She questioned him as she hesitantly took a seat. "We have 4 flowers. They each symbolise different things, and the traits of the house you fit best, is given to you by our very own sorting hat," he explained.

"First we have Lilith, house of the Lily flower. Lily's give out their beauty in the daytime even though they do not live for long. It's the flower of light, and symbolises selflessness and integrity."

"Then Clemess, house of the Clematis flower. This flower is often called 'the queen of the climbers' because it uses it's mental beauty to climb walls of obstacles. It symbolises ingenuity and hard-work." He said, this was the house Nova was sorted into, and no surprise there, she's a genius.

"Next Ixorus, house of the Ixora flower. It's new Latin, irregular from Ishvara, Hindu divinity, from Sanskrit īśvara ruler, lord. In short, it symbolises leadership and passion."

"Finally we have Amone, home to the Anemone flower. It has quite a long list of meanings, but we think of it with it's main one. Protection against all evil, it symbolises bravery and strength. Our greatest warriors have graduated from this house," he finished.

"Now enough talking, let's let the hat tell us what house you fit in best, accordingly to your own traits." He said, placing the hat on her head.

"AMONE!" It yelled, my eyebrow naturally went up even though I wasn't surprised. Jewel was about to get up when the hat yelled out again, "LILITH!" Everyone was incredibly confused, including out headmaster who was in deep thought. "CLEMESS!" Jewel was so puzzled, I could tell that she was probably thinking the hat had some malfunction. "IXORUS!" It yelled out again, Headteacher Zeke immediately yanked the hat off of her head, faking a reassuring smile.

"But this can't be..."

I read the professors thoughts, even I had furrowed my eyebrows because that hat never yells out more than one house. "You're going to be sorted into the first house it yelled out. JEWEL IS PART OF AMONE, I hope everyone is welcomes her." He clapped and looked towards me when he said that, oh right shit I'm in Amone too.

"Uhm, now, all your luggage has already been sent to your dorms. But before we leave, I'd like to introduce a new teacher, specifically a new history of magic teacher. I'm sure all of you already know him, Mr Yoon." Everyone bursted into applause since he was quite the respected person around here. Not only was he the king's best friend, his son died in honour. Seojun...

One person standing still during all of this was Jewel, she was weirdly analysing Mr Yoon as he smiled to all the students. I rolled my eyes, this girl and her over thinking about small things to seem smart. The 4 houses split, going into different directions to head to their dorms. Jewel walked on her own, everyone seemed to make a clear distance with her after the incidents from earlier. I didn't make an effort to go to her, instead I just went to the boys side of the dorms, getting ready for bed since it was quite late.

jewel pov - next day

"The red uniform looks splendid on you. Welcome Azriel, to Paradox, the academy of enchantments." Professor Zeke spoke from behind the desk, I was called into his office before first lesson. "I don't feel very welcomed," I replied, faking a smile. "Oh why ever so do you feel that way?" He asked making me furrow my eyebrows in confusion.

"Am I the only one who can see these chains?" I asked back, looking down at the my arms that were chained down to the chair. "Oh that, I apologise," he flicked his wrist and the chains disappeared.

"That was the other teachers idea, they wanted to take precautions just in case uhm, you were dangerous." He said. "You do know I'm powerless right?" I tilted my head at his statement. "That will change very soon I hope," he smiled. "Anyways, why did you want to see me?" I asked, "if it's about that whole incident with me running out the hall, I'm fine don't worry about it-"

"It's not," he cut me off. "Then about the hat? Ok it called out 4 houses for me and that's not normal but c'mon, it was just a malfunction." I said. "That hat is centuries old, created by founder of this school, a very powerful demon," he replied. "More reason for it to malfunction, old stuff is bound to stop working-"

"Don't you get it?" He cut me off once again, "the hat cannot malfunction, it only speaks what it feels from you. From your traits. In it's history it has never yelled out all 4 of the houses for a singular person," he informed. "So should I be worried or?" I raised an eyebrow, "you don't need to be, but the rest of us, we'll have to be on edge won't we," he sighed, massaging his temples. "Moving onward, the nefarious." He spoke out.

"You've been told that they're after you correct?" He tilted his head making me nod. "Has anyone ever told you why?" He crossed his arms, "I mean no, but after finding about this whole prophecy, I don't question why everyone wants me gone," I replied.

"The nefarious wanted to kill you, as in past tense. When you were about 4, your parents noticed that the attacks on you had decreased, they noticed that the nefarious had backed off. The attacks were from normal citizens of our realms, people terrified for their own families," he expounded.

"I don't understand, last year-"

"They were rebellions. As far as we know they had gone against the orders of the nefarious leader, and ended up killing Seojun instead. Was it fear of what the leader would do to them? We have no idea. All of us sat around and wondered why on earth they weren't getting rid of the only threat they have, the only person that can overpower them," he said. "They want to use me don't they..." I sighed, "but it doesn't matter, no way would I take the side of evil," I rested back onto the chair.

"They'll want to use you to get in here first, they're banned, the barrier locks them out and only someone as powerful as a halfblood can break it. Then I predict they'll use you to kill anyone who doesn't stand with them. So basically the entire population, and I promise they aren't planning on asking," he warned.

"So what are they going to HyPnOtiSe me- fuck."

I came to realisation that it was exactly what they were planning on doing. "But why wait so long? They could've taken me on their side ages ago," I said. "We know nothing, but their plan has been in works for more than a decade," he said, making me scoff in disbelief, a decade? Really? What bullshit. "The spell for hypnotising someone is forbidden, but as you may realise, they don't abide by the rules," told me.

"What can I do to prevent being hypnotised by them? What can I do to prevent the prophecy? I don't wanna hurt anyone..."

"You can't. You can't prevent being hypnotised. But although it's rare to actually be done, you can learn to, snap out of it." He started, "and about the prophecy," he sighed before chuckling.

"You can't rewrite the stars."