The sweet scent of roses, daisies, lavender, and dozens of other flowers permeated the air. There were no buildings here, only walls of green hedges and trees. An entrance made of vines stood between the hedges. The word Rahsun, written in a stylish font, dangled above the entrance. Narvari felt as though she would be scooped into a magical trance if she watched the letters of Rahsun for too long.

“What is this place?”

“My favorite place in the school,” Pheera said. She entered whatever Rahsun was and Narvari followed.

“Wow.” Narvari’s eyes bulged as they took in the sight of strange but beautiful trees with pink leaves and purple fruits. It blended seamlessly with the green hedges and flowers of all kinds of colors. In the distance, a blue lake glistened. “This is amazing.”

“I know. That’s why it’s my favorite.”

A deep sense of calm settled over Narvari as she watched the breathtaking scene before her. She glanced quietly at her companion and her breathing quickened upon witnessing the warmth that radiated from Pheera’s eyes. She needed to keep it together, thought Narvari.

“Let’s sit over there.” Pheera pointed to a bench under the shade of one of those trees with pink leaves.

When the two were comfortably seated, Narvari asked, “What’s Rahsun?”

“Who.”

“Huh?” Narvari narrowed her eyes.

“Rahsun Draghein. The woman who designed this garden.”

“Draghein? As in Draghein School?”

Pheera nodded. She paused. “Have you heard of Agon?”

“Yes. The Central Domain?”

“That’s right,” Pheera said. “The Draghein Family is one of the Dominant Families in Agon.”

Dominant Families. Trixan mentioned that. According to the Elder, the Dominant Families came together to form the Ancient Order of Vanquishers. So Draghein School was created by the Draghein Family. Did that mean the same applied to the other eleven schools?

“What about Zoleris?”

Pheera’s smile disappeared. “What?”

“I mean your family name is Zoleris, right?” Narvari shrugged. “And Zoleris School is one of the Twelve Schools. So is it also one of the Dominant Families in Agon?”

“Yes,” whispered Pheera.

Narvari was about to ask her next question when a chill suddenly ran down her spine. Goosebumps covered her arms and she shivered from the unnatural coldness. What the hell? She lurched to her feet, her eyes turning cold and wary as she carefully looked around. Pheera was the only one here with her so why the hell did it feel like someone was watching her?

“Narvari, what’s wrong?” Pheera was instantly by her side. “You’re shaking.”

“I-I thought I heard something.” Narvari’s gaze swept over the garden. Someone had been watching her. No, maliciously watching her.

“I think we’re alone here.” Narvari stiffened when Pheera took her hands. “No one comes here. Except for Trixan, I guess. I think it’s her favorite place too.” Pheera smiled sweetly.

Narvari gulped, completely transfixed by the girl before her. As she gazed into those fiery eyes of azure, Narvari felt like she was falling into a bottomless well — a well from which she did not want to come out. Logic told her to stay far away from Pheera but the rest of her wanted to be close to Pheera for as long as she could. This girl was so beautiful… so warm… so captivating… Wait, captivating. Captivation. Did Pheera captivate her? Was that why she was so drawn to the girl? Narvari looked at Pheera’s hand on her arm. She quickly pulled away from Pheera.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I’m sorry,” said Pheera. “I didn’t mean to touch you.”

“It’s fine.” Narvari sat on the bench, looking at everything but Pheera. What just happened?

“Do you want us to go back? It’s getting late anyway.”

Panic filled Narvari’s heart. She didn’t want this to end. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she enjoyed Pheera’s company. She just didn’t like how her emotions were all over the place when she was around Pheera.

Summoning the remnants of her courage, Narvari looked at Pheera. The girl looked unsure of herself and it made Narvari feel guilty for pulling away from her so abruptly. “Can we stay here for a while?”

“Alright.” Pheera sat beside her but kept a reasonable distance between themselves. “So what do you think?”

“About what?”

“Draghein School.”

“It’s okay.” Narvari shrugged.

Pheera raised a brow. “Just okay?”

“Fine,” she chuckled. “You’re right. It’s amazing.”

“I know. Which is why you should join.”

Narvari smiled. Maybe she should join. The more she learned about the school, the more she felt at home. Training to become a vanquisher was not that bad an idea. Trixan did mention that she could earn money when she became a professional vanquisher. Earning money while vanquishing malevolent demons sounded great. And she would…

Wait. What I want is to find my parents. I want to become a zoologist, not a vanquisher.

Narvari’s smile faded. She stared at Pheera in disbelief. “Did she put you up to this?”

For a moment Pheera said nothing but simply stared at Narvari in confusion. “What do you mean?” Wow, this girl was good at pretending.

“Don’t act dumb. I’m talking about Trixan. She keeps talking about how this is my choice. Such bullshit.”

“Narvari-”

“No, Pheera. I told you never to pull that shit on me ever again.”

Pheera opened her mouth, but no words came out. She shook her head as if she could not fathom what Narvari was talking about. “What’re you saying?”

Narvari balled her fist. “I think you know what I’m saying. I’m going to ask you one last time, Pheera. Did Trixan tell you to captivate me to stay?”

Pheera clenched her jaws. The hurt in her eyes made Narvari want to pull her in a hug. But Narvari hardened her heart. Who knew if Pheera was manipulating her emotions like that? Was it possible that the girl had been toying with her feelings ever since they met? Was that why she was so attracted to Pheera? That could be the only explanation for the silly dances her heart made whenever she was close to her. Nothing else made sense but that.

“The only thing Trixan asked me to do was show you around and make you feel comfortable.” She didn’t raise her voice, but Narvari could sense the anger in her words. “I never captivated you. I merely asked you to stay because you seem so happy being here.”

Narvari’s rage faltered for a second. Had she been wrong about the whole thing? But Pheera had just touched her. And for some reason, she was now harboring thoughts of staying in Draghein School. At the same time, the girl sounded so sincere. But if Pheera had captivated her to do something against her will, would she have even known it? The last time Pheera captivated her to sleep, Narvari simply slept. She couldn’t even control herself. If she was in control of her actions and thoughts, didn’t that mean that she wasn’t under any control?

Shit. “Pheera, I-”

“It’s okay. This is my fault.”

“Pheera–”

“I’m serious.” She sighed. “I gave you a reason to mistrust me. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have used my power on you in the first place. It was a violation. No one should be made to do anything against their will. I’m really sorry about that. But I]promised you I’d never do it again. And I have no intention of breaking that promise.”

“I’m sorry,” Narvari said. “I guess I didn’t want to admit that I like it here.”

Pheera gave a small smile. “You do?”

Narvari nodded. “Yes. But don’t tell Trixan that. I can already see her knitting my uniform.”

Pheera laughed. Hearing Pheera laugh once more made Narvari’s heart swell with happiness. If Narvari had not seen Pheera actually fight, she would never have believed that such a gentle soul hunted demons for a living. How did someone like that end up as a vanquisher and more importantly why wasn’t she in Zoleris School when she was a Zoleris?

“Can I ask you something?” Narvari asked.

Pheera nodded.

“Why are you in Draghein School?”

“Well. I’ve always wanted to be a vanquisher. Draghein School grants me the strength to be a better vanquisher.”

“I think you misunderstood my question,” said Narvari. “I meant why are you in this particular school? Why are you and Zemeron in Draghein School and not in Zoleris School? I mean, you’re both Zoleris, right?”

With each word Narvari uttered, the light dimmed in Pheera’s eyes and a cloud of anger appeared. It scared Narvari a little, though it was nothing like she had experienced from Trixan.

Pheera stood up. Her voice was sharp and cold. “I should go.”

Before Narvari could stop her, Pheera’s white and blue sacros appeared around her. She dashed away with the speed of light leaving Narvari all by herself.

Narvari sat in complete puzzlement. What the hell just happened? All she did was ask a simple question about Pheera’s family. Why would she react like that? It was the first time she had seen her so angry and she didn’t like it at all. Narvari wished she knew what she had done to cause that anger.

Sighing, Narvari stood up. It seemed she would have to continue this tour by herself. How hard could it be anyway?