Devion had watched the strange pink-haired student walk away. He was sure he had seen her crying her eyes out, but she seemed determined not to talk about it. He wouldn't chase after her; some events were better left buried.
The library wasn't really his usual place, but the brunet had decided to try a visit to keep himself busy. Sol had already left and Orpheion was far too quiet for his taste. He turned back - well, the library wasn't the best place.
Hunger struck and Devion's stomach began to rumble furiously, so it was time to go eat. His next stop would be the institute's restaurant. With a determined step, the dark-haired man once again crossed the entire estate to get there.
When he got there, as he had suspected, there were very few students, most of whom he didn't know. Devion had always been a bit of a loner, and having accepted a bit of solitude for a meal was no problem at all. So once he had had his lunch, he went and settled down in a corner where there weren't groups of students huddled together, talking loudly.
A little further on, Devion recognized the girl he had bumped into in the library a short while earlier. She was eating, also alone, with a book in her hand, many strands of pink hair falling into her eyes, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.
Devion began to eat and continued his work of observing the students around him. It had to be said that the profiles at Orpheion were all quite varied. Although entrance to the academy used to be reserved for nobles, attitudes were gradually changing and students from all types of families, from the noblest to the most modest, were increasingly being observed.
His careful observation led the dark-haired man to conclude that the pun of people he knew had most likely gone home for the vacations.
"Mind if I sit here?"
His conclusion was perhaps a little hasty.
"Yes, go ahead."
A girl of rather petite stature sat down opposite him. Her short blue hair contrasted with her very clear yellow eyes. She had a small fringe that hid her face a little. Devion also thought that Maya Locke and Carla Artheimer had decidedly opposite physiques. Although each student had her own charm, it was hard to overlook the bewitching beauty of the Parvanian princess.
But Maya, too, had a certain charm, although she was more discreet and her modesty no less commendable.
The student took a seat opposite Devion, offering him a shy smile. She immediately lowered her eyes, her meal suddenly exciting her more than the young man in front of her.
"I'm not going to eat you." Devion raised an eyebrow, then leaned back, laughing. "I must say, I was quite surprised that you and the princess were friends. But now it makes sense, why are you both so shy like that?"
"Carla just has a big ego and a lot of responsibilities. For me, I'm just shy." Maya replied, looking at the student in front of her. "You know, it must be said that you have quite a reputation."
"Aaah, not that much."
"Devion." Maya, one elbow on the table, stepped forward to approach the teenager completely slumped in his chair with his head back. "EVERYONE is looking at you."
Devion, caught off guard, once again let his gaze sail around him. Where previously he had concentrated on imagining a thousand and one lives for the people around him, he hadn't even noticed that everyone was, in fact, staring at him.
"Eh." Devion resumed his position with a jerk and leaned toward Maya, one hand in front of his mouth, he motioned for her to come closer as if he had to tell her some information of the utmost importance. "How does it feel to be sitting in front of a superstar?"
"Silly." She laughed, poking at her plate. "I understand Carla likes you."
"Carla likes me." He leaned back. "Interesting."
Maya laughed a little harder and the lunch passed at a speed neither student saw coming. The other students continued to stare at Devion and the girl admired his nonchalance and the fact that nothing seemed to get to him.
"How do you two know each other anyway?" Devion finished his mouth. "You and Carla, I mean."
"We've been friends for a super long time. Let's just say I helped her parents motivate her to come here."
"I guess she didn't really want to, because of her sister."
"Their reputations are beyond them, too." Maya huffed and rested her head on the back of her chair. "It's been long enough that relations between the two sisters haven't been good. There's always been this competition between them and it has to be said that being a princess doesn't help."
"I understand." Devion replied, then resumed his sentence. "What about you? Aren't you going to visit your family?"
Maya lowered her head and triturated the piece of meat that remained on her plate. She wasn't the kind of person to spill the beans about her life. Her life wasn't very interesting, or so she thought. The young girl had no thrilling story to tell, no princess role to honor and even less whose magic was amazing.
"My parents live in Parvana's capital, Berdantia, and they're usually very busy with work so they're rarely at home." With her chin in her hand, Maya continued her story in a melancholic voice. "That's how I got to know Carla by the way, I often played on my own when I was little and while she was running away from the royal family's castle, we often got together to play."
Maya's thoughts drifted gradually, taking her back to memories of many years ago. Positive memories that brought back the reckless, inquisitive young girl she once was.
"Lyra, Maya, I want you to behave and be good kids, okay?" Maya's mother bent down, placing a hand on each of her daughters' heads. "Don't do anything bad while Mommy and Daddy are away." She then offered a warm smile to the eldest. "Lyra, you take good care of your sister, promise?"
The two little girls nodded their heads, and with a final wave of the hand, their parents left their home, leaving their two young children of ten and twelve alone in a house of abominable silence.
It was very common for the Locke sisters to be left alone for hours at a time, sometimes even days. Despite frequent visits from their elderly neighbor, it was rare enough to satisfy the boredom of two such young children, so they had learned to keep themselves busy.
Lyra, the eldest, was more mature and responsible than her more reckless and playful sister. In the end, however, she let her sister run away from home for a few hours in the late afternoon to play with the other children in the neighbourhood.
In reality Maya didn't play with any other children.
Maya played on her own, always ending up in a small street near the main square where the royal castle stood. She had made a friend in the form of a puppet she could create with her earth powers. She named him Milo and she was very proud of it!
Maya had recently undergone her second awakening, and since then she had managed to keep Milo by her side for much longer before.
The girl slid down the street wall, soiling her pants, and thought that Lyra would probably scold her again. Lyra didn't know that her sister didn't really have any friends; she probably thought the opposite, seeing her younger sister come home every evening with dirty clothes and a big smile on her face.
Maya knew she wouldn't have any impressive talent for magic, but she loved it and that was enough for her. Friends or not, Milo was enough for her.
One winter evening, Maya had stayed out late to play in her usual little street, and by dint of her constant invocation of Milo, she had exhausted her powers. Tired, she decided to go home, crossing the streets of Berdantia darkened by the winter night.
"A kid? Catch her if she's a scar bearer we can get a lot out of her."
Facing the little girl were three men with hideous faces and frightening grins. Two of the men pounced on her and grabbed her with one hand, carrying her like a sack over their shoulders.
"Let me go!" Maya screamed at the top of her lungs, waving her hands and hoping he'd finally let her go.
"Put her down."
A little girl who must have been the same age as Maya stood at the end of the street. A large scar crossed her neck and her dark pinkish-purple hair fluttered behind her. Her blue eyes looked hard at the men in front of her.
"Do you really think you're scaring us, kid?"
The man who hadn't moved threw himself at the little girl preparing a water spell, he hid behind him, a knife.
"Be careful! He's got a knife!" Maya screamed.
The purple-haired girl raised her hand, her scar began to glow, and an envelope of wind began to fly around her. Under Maya's amazed gaze, she summoned several fragments of ice that danced around her, spinning at breakneck speed.
"A double element user." Maya said with an open mouth and stars in her eyes.
How could such a young girl be so strong?
She then cast her spell in the direction of the three thieves, who flew into the distance before shattering a wall in their fall. The sound of rubble fell violently and Maya fell to the ground after one of the men let go of her.
The other girl approached Maya, sitting on the floor, and offered her hand. With a big smile on her lips, she tilted her head to one side. Her sublime blue eyes reflected the moon, and despite her power, Maya found in this child an incredibly reassuring side.
"My name's Carla."
"I'm Maya." She replied, grabbing her hand.
After that day, Carla joined Maya every evening in the little alley beside the castle.
Maya never summoned Milo again.
This time, she wasn't lying to her sister; when she went out, she went out with a real friend.
Devion laughed lightly and leaning both hands on the table, stood up. He had a feeling of déjà vu. Everyone had their own story, and so Maya did. He then grabbed his lunch tray.
"I'm going to go, I need to practice some spells" The young boy pronounced as he headed for the exit, then turned his head to Maya. "But if you get bored, you know where to find me. That was cool, thanks for the lunch!"
Maya nodded her thanks back to the boy, whom she watched walk away towards the dining hall exit. She definitely understood Carla's interest in him better, Devion was a unique character and despite the strange secrets and responsibilities he seemed to carry, she hoped that all would go well for him and that one day they could both pretend to be friends. Or was that already the case?
As Devion stepped out of the canteen door, a less pleasant presence greeted him outside. Herras Blanchard was waiting for him, accompanied by his usual dreadful minions. The young man turned his head towards the redhead, who seemed to be waiting for a sharp reaction from him, then continued on his way without paying the slightest attention.
"How dare you ignore a great magician from House Blanchard!" Herras approached and grabbed Devion's arm with one hand. "Look, you may be the headmistress's pet, but I don't really like the reputation you've got, you're overshadowing me."
"Uh?" Herras looked up to see a Devion whose light green eyes had turned dark and his scar was more vivid than ever. Fire and ice swirled around him. He moved closer to the redhead, hands in pockets and that terrifying air of magic swirling around him. "Let me tell you something, Cristael is my mother and I don't give a damn about my reputation, let alone yours. So you're going to leave me alone if you don't want an injury to keep you from training camp."
Herras stood his ground, head held high, and activated his powers. He had to honor his parents! A poor commoner couldn't shame him, not him, not Herras Blanchard, not the talented fire magician that he was .
"Go ahead, attack me!" The youngster replied, heading for Orpheion's central courtyard. "I'm ready."
Devion.
Devion.
Devion.
"Not again..." Devion held his head, the headaches returning and those strange voices with them. "That's enough!"
Devion, join us.
"Is he going crazy or what?" asked one of Herras' comrades as the crowd began to gather around the two students.
Devion blew erratically. All around him, everything was spinning, and the black smoke he now knew existed was once again taking shape, growing larger by the minute. His vision became blurred and it became almost impossible to discern Herras who was getting excited in front of him.
"I must resist."
Devion. The moment approaches.
The black smoke of his dark veil took possession of the space, bursting out completely and covering the entire inner courtyard of Orpheion. Faced with a magician of uncontrollable power, the students had no idea where to turn.
And Devion, as best he could, tried to prevent the void from engulfing the entire academy.