Alive?! Who does he think he is asking such a question?! he thinks to himself knowing that the entire kingdom should be aware of the announcement of his father, so it enrages him that he would ask such a question regarding a delicate matter.

Cecilia notices the shift of Henry's aura and realizes that his hand now closed off, veins manifesting out of it, Henry is going to smack this news reporter and she knows if she does not intervene soon, this is going to be a really big deal that the reporters would love. Finally, the royals are indeed average folks and not this perfect perception they see on their screens. If the news of his father still being alive does not turn out to be true, which is a big deal, then painting this reporter in vermillion would absolutely break the news outlets.

“He will not be taking any further questions, thanks, BYEE,” Cecilia intervenes immediately and grabs Henry’s hand with the closed hand, quickly walks, and calls for security. Once security has full handle on the situation, they see his mother walk out the palace and ask the two how they are faring after being swarmed by these animals. They nod to let her know they are okay as they can be from the event, but are now told by the queen to get into a limousine which would be taking them to school today. Walking is not permitted today.

The entire ride to school is quiet, not that it is an hour’s journey to the school. More like a five minute ride with a still upset Henry, but with Henry not having any type of awareness with his surroundings, it is Cecilia who snaps him back to reality as the car parked into the entrance and tells them not to worry as news loves to create and stir drama during peace times.

They both walk through the giant mosaic doors of the gothic structure, probably from what Henry remembers it was erected as the first school for any citizen of the consolidated Gorgus kingdom to attend. The principal of the school greets them and with the reporters on their trail outside, they both received a security escort to their first class of the day. History.

Henry always loves this class, not as much as having both Theo and Cecilia there, but also learning his mother has been ruling since her eighteenth birthday which was almost two decades ago though he gets bore learning about the two cathedrals and their duty. Cecilia on the other hand is excited when they got to that chapter the other day. "I wish my powers would come so I can start helping at the cathedrals," Cecilia whispers to Henry as the teacher presents Grimoire and Credulity, the two religions.

"Which one would you inherit?" Henry says in a low tone pushing his body to be as near as possible to Cecilia, trying to prevent the teacher from noticing.

"What do you mean?" she responds. Henry proceeds to inform her that she is a single child with two parents owning technically a business and typically a child's parents would expect them to inherit the fortune that they had built, so the question does linger in her thoughts now that it is clear. Which would she inherit? Would she need to combine them and create a consolidated cathedral?

It continues to linger in her thoughts, but before they could sit back up on their seats and refocus their attention on the presentation, their teacher is already standing in front of them and shocks them both. He tells them just because Henry is top of the class and a noble does not allow them to interrupt his teaching time and will both be sent to the headmistress's office regardless of his noble title if they continue conversing amongst another, then proceeds to smack Henry's desk with the ruler he is holding, used for pointing at the presentation, sending a shock through the ears of the students in the classroom before she returns to the board.

"He's a bit of a rubbish character, don't you think?" Theo breaks the silence whisperingly as he chuckles at them both. He then asks them if they could all go practice together during the training hours of the day. Henry hesitates at the thought of it, but Cecilia accepts for him. Theo nods and he returns his attention to the board.

“Gotta learn that spell from your scroll, right?” Cecilia raises her eyebrow and turns her attention to the board. Pfft! Henry thinks.

Noon finally comes around, classes begin dissolving into their lunch hours while some focus on training their special gifts like the spellcasters materializing a small fire bolt from their fist when they punch or the monk using his healing powers to mitigate the burn the fire bolt had dealt to a passing student.

OUCH! Henry thinks as he scrunches his nose looking at the scene. Of course, they are not all harmful spells of course as Cecilia's mother showcased her beautiful icicle chandelier conjurer by mixing water and air magic. Cecilia, on the other hand, is known as a late bloomer which has never happened for their people, but her parents remain hopeful. Thus, she continuously beats herself up for it everyday when time permits and by time, it is usually during practice with Henry.

"Did you see that water I just conjured?!" Cecilia yells at Henry, but he notices standing behind her is Mallorie Hart. Henry and Cecilia prefers to refer to her simple as Mal. Well-suited for the girl as she continuously bullies Cecilia for not being able to cast out a single element spell.

She also remains as the only other student whose grades remain on par with Henry. Their rivalry has spanned all their academia years. "Go away or I'll beat you!" Henry comments to Mal as he thinks what is she up to now. The last incident she caused was setting fire to Cecilia's textbooks as she was attempting to cast out a fire bolt which ended up burning Henry's year end essay that year, resulting in Mal climbing pass Henry in the academia rankins to number one.

"Oh yea pretty boy," Mal taunts, "what're you going to do about it?" and now has this stance mantis like as Henry quickly punches his fist towards her direction and conjures out water running like his fist has the hole of a hose, but right before it reaches Mal, she ducts and swiftly maneuvers towards Henry. Her pointed hands punctures slightly on his side striking him back, but he quickly grabs her wrists with his free hand and uses his strength to move the other hand still spitting out water to her chest and transforms it into ice. She is now caged except for her head.

"Put me down!" she commands. Henry rejects with a smirk and they leave to the courtyard corner unbeknownst to most students except them to provide Cecilia some privacy for training.

"How's this?" Cecilia asks as she places her hands up in the air, palm flattened, aiming to the sky. "Do you see the wind breeze I just created?" she asks turning her head towards Henry who is occupied with the scroll he retrieved from the forbidden library of the palace.

"That's weird, so did I," Henry responds finally shifting his eyes to Cecilia. "And perhaps, the garden gate too because that breeze is absolutely killer right now," he finishes with a slight smirk painted on his face.

Cecilia pouts."So did I," she mocks him verbatim and sends him another sarcastic remark as a response, then proceeds to ask him to stop paying attention to the stupid scroll and help her out. She tells him that she would like to learn at least one spell before her graduation. If not for her parents, at least she does not want to find out that she has been performing yearly rituals with her parents to sacrifice another human heart for consumption.

And that is the limit to the Prestidigitation clan. While spellcasters alike can conjure and materialize items using the four elements freely, they must renew their blood contract at the end of the year to Sitan, God of Grimoire. If they fail to appease him, their powers will be revoked and exiled to Foundlingland where all the outcasts whom have yet manifested powers by their eighteenth year have been sent and now live their days stuck on the island, unable to visit their families.

Henry could not fathom thinking about Cecilia going there because who will be his best friend then? The one person who knows Henry's secrets like him being gay or when he accidentally sprayed the power generator with water and it caused Atrax to be lightless at night for a whole month. He would not know how to travel to it either as it is kept in secret and all he has been told is a darkness cloud surrounds it to prevent anyone entering and exiting, so yes, Henry is now helping Cecilia.

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"Watch and learn," he says positioning his hands towards the branches by the walls, then he exhales a massive breath before finally pressing his lips together so there is just an extremely small opening and conjuring a cyclone with the center cone materializing from his mouth.

"Holy Celestia!" a familiar voice enters the garden.

It is Theo!

Henry stops the cyclone and they both turn to Theo before asking him where he has been. "You're late," Henry says. Theo responds that he was stopped by the principal to interview him about the events that occurred earlier. Something about a teenage girl entrapped in ice.

"Sounds familiar?" Theo asks smirkingly.

Henry and Cecilia lies, conjuring a story that they had been in the library right before they came out to the courtyard, but it is a good thing Henry is better at conjuring elements than conjuring lies because the lie is not that good. He also forgot that Theo can absolutely read his mind which is what is what he was focusing on while Henry continues retelling the story of how he and Cecilia went to the library to study for their graduation exams.

Theo chuckles as Henry finishes the legendary tale of lies and now he is trying to catch his breath from talking a little too fast. It did not help when he was holding his breath earlier to control the cyclone he had conjurer. "I like you," Theo says.

"Oh shut up," Henry responds curling his lips, pointing his hips, and now crossing his arms. Ugh! What do I find attractive in him? he thinks to himself then he remembers and then he finally he remembers people from Oathland are bound to a sacred oath as knights to never lie. In exchange, they have strong telekinetic powers that allows them not only moving objects with their minds, but read them as they choose to do so. Similarly, if a knight lies, breaking their oath to Kristoff, God of Credulity, he or she is inbound for Foundingland as well.

"I really really like you," Theo says breaking the award silence between the three which then allows Cecilia to continue to prevent the silence. All while she asks Theo about the upcoming festival, Henry thinks to himself, again, Theo's gay?! hoping Theo had turned off his powers as it is extremely rude to always be listening. What's more is Theo likes Henry, "I really really like you," he whispers to himself which makes the two turn and ask what he mumbled. In disbelief, Henry denies Theo's statement to be true, but it would not be feasible because that would break his oath as a knight.

"Earth to Henry?" Cecilia snaps her fingers in front of Henry's eyes breaking the entrancement that Henry was under, then waves her hand at him when she notices his focus is now on the conversation. "Did you hear any of that?" she asks. Henry shakes his head. She repeats the plan for the festival where all three of them are going to attend together and support His Royal Highness as he gives his speech for the masses, his first official duty as a crowned noble.

Theo proceeds to let them know his mother was here to pick him up and they all say and wave goodbyes to each other, but before Theo closes the gate to the garden, he tells them stay hidden and do not get caught. Then, he winks, closes the gate, and storms off.

He was right when he told them to stay hidden as if it is a warning that the headmistress is still looking to scold them about using their powers like that. By now, Mal is for sure no longer caged under all that ice and has told the headmistress the culprits of the accident as how Henry plans on spinning it if they are caught. He and Cecilia and laughs at the thought of it all, including trapping Mal in ice. "What a marvelous sculpture you did," Cecilia says.

Their laughter however is interrupted by the passing sirens. Of course, surrounded by walls, they are unable to see what is going on, but they told themselves it is best to mind their business for now and stay hidden obviously.

Cecilia suggests if they could practice some more and Henry agrees. She wants to try out the cycle, so Henry tells her it requires a lot of endurance, "are you ready?" he asks her and she nods back at him.

He teaches her the beginner pose for the spell that is much more feasible for those who have never casted a cyclone. He places both of his palms flattened on his stomach, inhales a plentiful of air, makes the small opening with his mouth, then he releases it. Well, not really. He is only showing Cecilia the technique, but he knows that is the easiest way for any spellcasters of any ages in Prestidigitation to conjure a cyclone. Unfortunately, the only thing Cecilia is spitting is spit itself as it falls down her neck from her mouth before it inevitably with gravity drops to the grass.

She ends up slapping the ground with her buttocks and giving up on the spell for the day. On top of it all, the sirens passing by does not seem to stop. And focusing on it, Cecilia realizes the sound is going towards the direction of the palace and now remains anxious, but does not budge because she does not want to worry Henry anymore than he already is with his ceremonial speech at the festival.

"We should pack up and head out of here," she breaks the silence between them, as silent as any can be with the passing sirens.

Cecilia walks over to the tree where she had thrown her backpack, picks it up, and places it over her shoulder. Henry on the other side by the pillars where the bench that he used while reading is stationed is putting back the scroll into his backpack, then places it over his shoulder.

After closing the gate to the garden, they scan their surroundings to make sure none one was looking, specifically the headmistress to avoid being scolded for caging up Mal in ice. "Wow, I had forgotten about that already," Cecilia says as she looks with Henry. They both chuckle again as they remember the memory again before strolling in the corridors of the school and onwards to enter the cafeteria where they had been previously.

Passing the hallways, there seems to be a commotion, but they choose to ignore it and decide this might be the best time to stealthily make an escape to the front before the headmistress notices them. Looking through the doors of the classroom, Cecilia notices, "I wonder where'd everyone go?" seeing the extremely empty rooms. There must be a massive fight breaking out that is causing the commotion they think to themselves.

They speed up their pace, still keeping a stealthy movement towards the front doors. Not a single person around, or so they think.

“Mr. Hale,” a voice echoes projecting from the other side of the hallway, “where do you two think you’re going?”

They did not have to turn around to know whose voice that is. It is none other than the queen herself or in this instead the queen of Sage Academy, Headmaster Freya. "Can you come to my office, both of you," she says across the hall with such a shakiness in her voice, but she is not terrified, no, maybe more so anxious than anything, but Henry could not figure out why and neither could Cecilia according to her shrug towards Henry.

Henry leads them both to following the headmistress, her stilettos echoing through the halls with every step she takes. They are both scared of her. Well, every student is scared of what she can do, not just within school property, but outside those limits. Her biceps make every man quake in their boots and as she should. She’s independent with no partner, and no children, only living her life or as she told Henry when they sat down for dinner at the palace when she visited.

Henry doubts this conversation will go as smoothly as that dinner as they sit down, opposite of each other. The only difference is the table is not filled with food, but piles of paper stacked on top of each other. “Make yourself comfortable,” she gestures to the two chairs.

“It was us!” Henry spits out, “were guilty,” and cries in fake tears covering his face with both his palms, but peeking through with one eye to watch her reaction. He hears a voice echo in his head what the hell are you doing but when he looks at Cecilia, it does not look like she had opened her mouth, but he is absolutely certain this was her voice. He knows her more than anyone else would know her.

"Forget about that accident, Henry," Freya says as she closes her hands together, sits upright, and exhales a sigh. Henry shakes his head away and turns to her, trying to ignore the weird thing that just happened.

Did I just hear Cecilia's thoughts? he asks himself.

He tries to focus on his mind in hopes he can repeat whatever he just did because it is unheard of to have two powers unless your parents are both from different clans. And even when an individual is born mixed, they typically are known to genetically be born with just the one power. No record at the moment that tells a story unless mixed families keep these identities hidden to the public. After all, it is still not as wildly accepted by the masses segregating clans regarding marriages afraid of what their Gods would do at such horrible act of treason towards their faiths.

Henry gives up in his attempt to read Cecilia's mind, and loosens up his shoulders and sits back to hear whatever Freya needs to say. And at that moment, time around him slows down again, the metronome in the corner starts following his pulsing heart as Freya finally opens her mouth ready to utter her words after one last sigh. But before she could release the words from her mouth, Henry had already heard her thoughts a few seconds ago.

His mother is dead.