Watching Trixan capture that demon so easily had given Narvari the impression that it was that easy. She couldn’t have been more wrong about anything. It took her one hundred and fifty-four tries in five hours before she successfully captured a seventh-order demon for the first time. She died one hundred and fifty-three times in the simulation.

Narvari closed her eyes as the warm shower poured over her aching body. She would have been dead a long time if that had been real life. She still had a lot to learn until her missions in the real world began. Trixan, however, had assured her that her Finals would begin in two weeks, which meant she had until two weeks to practice everything she had learned.

There had not been a time when Narvari had had to study so hard for an exam. Not even for her Captain’s Test, which involved rigorous physical and mental exercises. Training to become a vanquisher was the hardest thing she had ever done. She sighed, feeling the warmth of the water on her face.

She soon got out of the shower and curled herself up in bed. She’d had a long week, and all she wanted to do was sleep. As soon as she fell onto the bed, her body and mind just shut down. She woke up three days later feeling more energetic than ever. Now she understood why Trixan insisted on the need for rest.

Narvari used the short time she had until her Finals to keep practicing sacred combat. Trixan permitted her to do her training in the simulation to refine her skills at capturing demons. In the evenings, when she was in her room resting, she would often think about her friends. She had not seen Pheera and Yanvirrak in a month. It made Narvari wonder what kind of mission they were on.

Two days before her Finals, there was a knock on her door. Her tired eyes glanced at the clock. It was five minutes past 10 pm. She groaned. Trixan had made it a habit of sending people to her room at the oddest hours. Boundaries meant nothing to the Elder. The knock came again.

“Christ, I’m coming.” She dragged herself out of her bed, her eyes heavy with slumber. She opened the door with a scowl. “Okay, what do you–”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Narvari froze, gazing at the sparkling blue eyes staring back at her. Her mouth twitched in embarrassment, all words eluding her. “What? No, no,” she finally said when she found her voice. She opened the door wider to invite Pheera in. “Sorry about that. I thought you were someone else.” She took a closer look at Pheera. It was hard to believe that the girl was actually here in her room. She wasn’t imagining this, was she? She had hit her head pretty hard back in the simulation while fighting a demon that looked a lot like a T-Rex. Was that making her hallucinate?

“Are you alright?” Pheera asked.

Realizing she had been caught staring, Narvari cleared her throat awkwardly. “I’m fine. When did you arrive?”

“Right now.” She bit her lips. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

Narvari smiled. “Don’t be. I’m wide awake now.” The sleep had utterly disappeared now that Pheera was here. “How was your mission?”

“It was,” Pheera paused as if looking for the right word, “educational. Things got a little complicated so we took longer than expected.”

“You didn’t get hurt, did you?” Narvari wanted to hide in embarrassment as soon as the words fled her mouth. Pheera was a trained vanquisher who knew how to handle herself. Narvari had had the pleasure of seeing for herself firsthand. So what the hell was this cheesy ass question?

“I’m okay.” Pheera smiled softly. “It’s just…” She stared at her feet in silence.

“What is it, Pheera?” Narvari lifted Pheera’s chin until they were both staring into each other’s eyes.

“I just really missed you,” Pheera whispered. “I couldn’t wait until tomorrow so I came to see you right away. And I got you something.” It wasn’t until Pheera lifted the red gift bag that Narvari noticed it. She had only been transfixed by the girl in front of her. “It’s yours,” said Pheera.

It seemed every time Pheera came into her room, she had a gift for her. Narvari rubbed her neck. “You didn’t have to.”

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“We got a nice bonus after the mission and I wanted to get you something. You should take it.”

Narvari hesitated but the sincerity in Pheera’s eyes stopped her from rejecting the gift. She took the bag.

“You can open it.”

Narvari sighed. “Okay,” she whispered breathlessly.

What the hell was wrong with her? She knew that Pheera was not using her captivation on her. By now, Narvari fully understood that Pheera had to simply ask anything and she would do it. The thought scared her but it also sent tingles to her toes.

Narvari sat on her bed and Pheera sat by her side. She felt Pheera’s gaze on her as she took out the gift from the bag and slowly unwrapped it.

Her eyes widened. “Pheera, this must cost a fortune. I really can’t take it.”

“But I want you to have it,” said Pheera. “I thought you should have a new one since you lost the old one.”

Narvari eyed the expensive-looking phone. It was flatter and thinner than any phone Narvari had ever seen. Almost paper-thin.

“Paxher.” Narvari ran her fingers over the inscribed letters on the back of the phone. “Never heard of this brand.”

Pheera chuckled. “That’s because it’s made in Agon.”

“You bought this in the Central Domain?”

“No. I bought it in Greece. I know someone there who trades in goods from Agon.”

“Oh.” Narvari fingered the thin edges of the phone.

“It doesn’t look too different from the phones in the Outer Sphere, but it has more advanced features.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Well,” said Pheera, “it can be used to communicate across domains.”

Narvari froze. “Wait, you’re saying I can call someone in Agon with this phone?”

“If you have their SEC, yes.”

Narvari narrowed her eyes. Pheera must have sensed her confusion because she said, “Sacred energy code. Before you can use the phone, you need to activate it with your sacred energy. That will produce a code unique to only you. I’ll explain more later. But what matters is that I have stored my SEC on your phone.”

Narvari nodded. “That is very thoughtful, Pheera. Thank you. But I’m afraid I can’t just accept this without doing something for you in return.”

“Don’t worry. I want nothing in return.”

“I know.” Narvari smiled. She had known Pheera for a short while but she had come to understand what a selfless and thoughtful person the girl was. It was for this same reason that Narvari did not want to feel like she was taking advantage of Pheera’s kindness. “I still want to pay you back. How much is it?”

“I don’t want you to pay me back. But if you insist, you can do so by sparring with me.”

“Eh?”

Pheera laughed. “I will take my payment in the form of a spar. I can sense how strong you’ve become. I want to see it for myself.”

“Really?” Narvari scratched her head coyly. “I guess I have. I’m having my Finals in two days.”

“So soon?” Pheera’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing.”

So soon, huh? She had been training for a whole month. That was a long time. But then again Trixan did say that many rookies attempted their Finals after at least twelve months of training. Even still, Narvari had hoped her Finals would have been sooner. But it was here now so it didn’t matter.

She could start her mission of finding her father. She had to know where her mother was. She didn’t even know the woman’s name. What did she look like? What was she like? Why did she leave her? Did her mother not want her? Narvari tightened her grip on her phone.

“Narvari.” Electricity surged through Narvari’s skin as Pheera’s soft hand brushed against hers. It quickly broke her thoughts about her parents. Pheera was staring at her. The worry in her eyes tugged at Narvari’s heart. “Are you okay?” Pheera asked.

Narvari forced a smile. “Yes. I’m just really tired.”

Pheera watched her silently. There was an uncertainty in her eyes, as though she knew Narvari was hiding something. Narvari avoided Pheera’s gaze mostly because she could not bear to look at her while being dishonest to her. Well, at least she wasn’t being entirely dishonest. She was indeed tired, though she didn’t mind talking to Pheera right now.

“I’ll let you rest then,” said Pheera standing up.

“Pheera, wait.” Gosh, the way this girl looked at her was just unreal. “I… just want to say thank you. For the gift.”

Pheera smiled. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m glad you’re back.” Her eyes fell on Pheera’s lips. After what felt like an eternity of just standing there and staring, Narvari coughed. “Good night,” she said too quickly. She could have sworn she saw a hint of disappointment in Pheera’s eyes. But Pheera simply nodded with a polite smile. Had she imagined that disappointment?

“Good night, Narvari.”

Maybe she had imagined it.

She fell on her bed as soon as Pheera left. Her heart swelled with happiness at the mere thought of Pheera being back. At the same time a strange feeling she could not explain brewed within her. Being around Pheera made her feel things she had never felt before. It made her heart pound with anxiety and yet she relished it. It made no sense.

Narvari touched her chest to feel the rapid beating in her heart. The sleep was completely gone from her eyes. All she could see in her mind was that stunning coffee-brown face with eyes that blazed like a forest of blue fire. Her body tingled when she replayed the touch of Pheera’s soft hands on her skin. It was like honey on her tongue. Narvari shut her eyes and rubbed her forehead. All this was giving her a migraine.

Why did Pheera buy her such an expensive gift? Could there be more to this? Narvari sighed. Who was she kidding? This was Pheera they were talking about. She was simply being generous to Narvari, nothing more.

For some reason, Narvari didn’t like it one bit.