Elianna's eyes were heavy and puffy, with bags under them, as she lay in her bed. She was on her back, staring at the ceiling—the same ceiling she had been staring at all night. She hadn't gotten a second of sleep last night, and her body was exhausted. However, her mind kept racing, keeping her awake.

Elianna kept thinking about yesterday's events and what she and Nicholas had managed to do. She kept thinking about the thrum of power and how amazing it felt. But then, she remembered the horror of the aftermath. The images of the scorched earth and the apprehensive expressions of the people around her were seared into her mind. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see their wary gazes looking at her. It was like they were afraid of her like they thought she was... a freak.

However, the spell, the scorched earth, everyone's expressions, none of that bothered her as much as her thoughts about Nicholas. After the event, she and Nicholas barely said anything to each other besides asking the other if they were okay. They spent most of the time at the tree line with Celine, who kept reassuring both of them that everything was okay. Nicholas had just nodded and began drawing while she sat against a tree, contemplating what had happened, until her father came to get her shortly after and brought her home.

Elianna kept wondering about that interaction with her and Nicholas. Had his view of her changed after seeing this display of power? Would he be wary of her? Would he... would he think she was a freak? These questions swirled in Elianna's mind like a hurricane, and she wanted to talk to Nicholas but was afraid of what he would say to her. Sure, she remembered what he had said to her on her eleventh birthday, but he had never seen her do something like this before. Now that he had, she had no idea what he would think of her.

Elianna's head turned toward the door, hearing someone knock. In a tired voice, Elianna said, "Come in."

The door opened, and a young human maid with green hair and brown eyes peeked her head in. Her eyes fell on Elianna, and her expression instantly turned to concern. "My Lady?!" The maid quickly stepped into the room, approaching Elianna's bed. "Are you feeling alright?"

Elianna shrugged, "I'm just tired."

The maid looked at Elianna, studying her face. She saw that her eyes were red and watery, with bags under them, and her hair was an absolute mess, like she had been tossing and turning.

The maid eyed Elianna worriedly, "Have you slept at all, My Lady?"

Elianna bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head, "No."

"My Lady," The maid began and reached down, placing her palm gently on Elianna's forehead. She felt a slight bit of relief, feeling Elianna didn't have a fever. "Sleep is important, especially for a growing young lady such as yourself."

"I know," Elianna said, her voice tired and raspy.

The maid sighed, taking her hand away from Elianna's forehead. "Would you like to try to eat something? Maybe you can sleep better on a full stomach." She smiled, "I could even have the kitchen staff make you pancakes with chocolate chips."

Elianna shook her head, with food being the last thing on her mind. "No thanks. I'm not hungry."

The maid's smile faded, and she eyed Elianna for a moment. Of all the years she had happily worked under the Vail's, she had never known Elianna to reject pancakes. Concern washed over her, but it wasn't like she could force Elianna to eat.

"Would you like me to get you anything?" The maid asked.

Elianna shook her head, giving the maid a small smile, "No, thank you. I'm fine."

The maid nodded, "Okay." She backed away from the bed and walked to the door. Grabbing the door handle, she looked back at Elianna one more time, seeing her just lying there and staring at the ceiling. She sighed worriedly before leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

With the maid gone, the room fell silent, leaving Elianna alone with her thoughts. Her heavy eyes traced the white ceiling, thinking about Nicholas, the spell, and the aftermath. She closed her eyes, and for a moment, she saw peaceful darkness. However, that darkness soon erupted into a raging fire, and Elianna's eyes shot wide open, and she breathed heavily.

Another knock had Elianna looking at her door, and she didn't even say anything before it opened. She watched as her mother peeked her head in before entering the room.

Katarina's brows furrowed as she eyed her daughter worriedly, closing the bedroom door behind her. She came to the room immediately after the maid approached her, telling her about Elianna's current state. She had been worried about her daughter last night as well after noticing her change in demeanor. She noticed how Elianna had barely said a word at dinner and didn't eat much. Her husband had told her what had happened at the garrison, but she hadn't asked Elianna about her account of the events since she had requested to go to bed early.

"Sweetheart," Katarina began, approaching her daughter's bed. She sat on the bed, bedside her daughter, and gently stroked her hair, looking into her tired celestial blue eyes. "Are you feeling alright?"

Elianna nodded slightly, "I'm fine. I'm just tired."

Katarina eyed her daughter, studying her, "Did you not sleep at all last night?"

Elianna's eyes fell, and she shook her head.

"Is it because of what happened yesterday?"

Elianna nodded slightly.

Katarina let out a disquieted sigh before she climbed into bed and lay beside her daughter. Feeling her mother's warmth beside her, Elianna smiled slightly before shuffling closer to her. Katarina wrapped her arms around her daughter, bringing her into a comforting cuddle. They continued to lay there silently, not saying a word, enjoying each other's company.

"I keep thinking about it," Elianna finally said, her voice tired.

Katarina gingerly kissed the top of her daughter's forehead, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Elianna shrugged.

"That's okay," Katarina said, her voice full of warmth and understanding. "We can just lay her if you want to. You don't need to say anything."

They both fell silent, feeling each other's comforting embrace. Feeling her mother beside her, Elianna began to feel slightly better and relaxed.

"Nicholas was practicing channeling," Elianna began, breaking the silence, and her mother gently stroked her hair, listening to her. "I told Mrs. Argyle I would help, and Nicholas and I channeled each other." Her lips curved into a smile, "It felt cool at first. The magic power I felt was amazing." Her smile immediately faded, "But then I heard Celine yelling, and when we stopped... When I realized what happened..." Elianna's eyes fell, "Everything was burned. And I can't get over how everyone was looking at me like they were afraid of me."

"I'm sure they weren't afraid of you," Katarina said comfortingly. "You and Nicholas just did something they weren't expecting." She smiled, "The people at the garrison have known you for years and know you're capable of incredible things. They were probably just surprised."

"What about Nick?"

Katarina looked at her daughter curiously, "What about him?"

"We barely spoke after what happened," Elianna sighed. "Sure, he asked if I was okay, but that was it." Her lips began to wobble a little, "W-What if... what if he thinks about me differently now? What if he thinks I'm a freak?"

Katarina's gaze softened, and she smiled warmly and reassuringly, "Sweetheart, you weren't the only one who was surprised by what happened. Nicholas must've been wondering what happened as well. Besides, I've seen you two together. I highly doubt he will think any different of you."

Elianna looked up, her tired eyes meeting her mom's gaze, "You think so?"

Katarina nodded, "I do." Katarina lifted her hand and gently brushed her daughter's cheek with the back of her fingers, "So, don't worry yourself." Katarina leaned down, pressing a motherly kiss on her forehead, and Elianna's lips curved into a small smile. "Why don't you go ahead and try to get some sleep." Katarina got out of bed and adjusted the sheets, tucking her daughter in. "I'll contact Justine and cancel your classes today. This way, you can relax."

Elianna nodded before looking at her mother curiously, "Hey, Mom? Where is Dad?"

"He left early this morning. There were some things he needed to handle at the garrison."

Elianna looked to the side, "Because of me?"

Katarina shook her head, "Don't blame yourself for anything, Sweetheart. Training accidents happen." She chuckled, "I ended up setting several trees on fire when I formed my first elemental core."

Elianna looked up, "You did?"

Katarina nodded, "I did. You're not the first person to burn some grass, and you won't be the last." She gently ran her hand through her daughter's hair, "Now, get some sleep, okay?"

Elianna gave a small smile and nodded, "Okay."

Katarina leaned down, giving her daughter a kiss on her forehead, before she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Elianna looked at the door for a moment before looking up and staring at the ceiling again. Her eyes traced the white ceiling, growing heavier by the second, and she blinked once, twice, and on the third time, she closed her heavy eyelids.

***

The high noon sun beamed brightly upon Elianna as she walked through the garrison. However, the atmosphere felt completely different. She no longer felt comfortable as she walked around, seeing all the knights and mages standing still, staring at her warily.

"H-Hello?" Elianna stuttered, her eyes darting across the individuals. "Is everything oka-"

Elianna froze as she heard something crunch under her shoe. She looked down, and her eyes widened in horror, seeing the scorched earth beneath her.

"See."

Elianna whirled around, and her stomach dropped. Her eyes fell on Tyler and Dylan, who were looking at her with disgust and their arms crossed.

"I told you she was a freak," Tyler spat.

Elianna opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Dylan scoffed, "There is no telling what else a freak like her will do." Dylan looked behind her, "Come on, Nick. You're better hanging out with us."

Elianna stiffened and slowly turned around. Her gaze fell on Nicholas, who was looking at her with an expression she had never seen before.

Nicholas looked her up and down, shaking his head, "Why did I ever hang out with you?"

Elianna's lips began to wobble, and her eyes teared up, "N-Nick..."

Nicholas scoffed as he walked past her, and Elianna watched him as he approached and stood beside Tyler. "They were right," Nicholas spat, looking at Elianna with disgust. "You are a freak. I never should've been your friend."

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Elianna's heart sank, and tears began to fall from her eyes, "N-No... I'm n-"

Elianna yelped and flinched as the world around her burst into flames. She looked around in horror before she fell to her knees, hugging herself tightly.

"I- I'm not..." Elianna cried. "I'm not a freak."

Elianna gasped as her eyes shot open, and she shot up into a sitting position. She was breathing heavily, and she was soaked in sweat. Looking around, she quickly realized she was still in her room, sitting in bed. She looked at the window and quickly deduced it was now the afternoon by how bright it was outside.

Elianna looked down and sighed, glad that what just happened was only a dream... no, a nightmare. Feeling rested enough, she quickly got out of bed and pulled out a pink T-shirt, gray sweatpants, and undergarments. She placed the clothes on her bed before she went to the bathroom, where she got undressed and took a relaxing bath. As she sat there in the bath, she slowly realized something: she was hungry. She finished bathing and got out of the bath, where she dried herself off before getting dressed and putting on the clothes she picked out. Elianna didn't bother fixing her hair, and she let it dangle in a mess, as she didn't feel like messing with it.

Elianna left her room, walked through the mansion, descended the grand staircase, and made her way to the dining room, where her eyes widened in a pleasant surprise. Her eyes fell on her mother, who was sitting casually in her seat, reading a book with a half-eaten sandwich before her.

Hearing someone walk into the room, Katarina looked up and smiled affectionately, seeing her daughter, "Hello, Sweetie. Did you get some sleep?"

Elianna smiled a little and nodded, "Yeah." She began to walk around the table, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the school?"

Katarina shrugged and pushed the chair beside her out, "I took the day off." She smiled as Elianna took her seat beside her. "I felt like staying home and spending some time with you. You don't mind, do you?"

Elianna shook her head and scootched the chair closer to her mother, "No."

"I thought not," Katarina chuckled. Her eyes flicked to Elianna's hair, and she grinned humorously, "Do you want me to help you with your hair?"

Elianna sighed and shook her head, "No, just leave it."

"Okay. Well, are you hungry?"

Elianna nodded, "Yeah."

Katarina looked at her daughter curiously, "What would you want?" Her lips curved into a smile, "Perhaps a peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

Elianna's smile widened at the mention of her favorite sandwich. She nodded, "Yeah, that sounds good."

Katarina stood up, placing a kiss atop her daughter's head, "I'll be right back."

Elianna watched as her mother walked into the kitchen and heard her say something to the kitchen staff. A few moments later, her mother exited the kitchen with a sandwich on a plate in one hand and a glass of milk in the other.

Katarina placed the sandwich and glass of milk on the table in front of her daughter before she sat down beside her, "There you go, Sweetie."

"Thanks, Mom," Elianna said as she picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

Elianna hummed happily as the blast of flavors from the sandwich hit her mouth. She had underestimated how hungry she was as she quickly devoured the sandwich.

Katarina chuckled a little, "Do you want another sandwich?"

Elianna shook her head and took a few gulps of her milk, "No thanks." Elianna finished drinking her milk and set the glass down on the table before looking at her empty plate.

Katarina looked at her daughter inquisitively, wanting to keep her active so she wouldn't dwell on what happened at the garrison. "So, is there something you want to do?"

Elianna looked at her mother; her eyes fell, and she shrugged. "I don't know. Usually, I would go to the gym and train for a little."

"Would you like to go to the gym now?"

Elianna thought for a second before she nodded slightly, "Sure."

Elianna got up from her seat, and Katarina followed her as she left the dining room. They made their way over to the gym, and when they entered, Elianna looked around, seeing the training area, the gym equipment, and the training dummies. Usually, she knew exactly what she wanted to do, but now, she was at a loss.

Katarina's eyes darted around the gym before falling on her daughter, seeing her looking around aimlessly. "Is there anything you want to do?"

Elianna shrugged, "I don't know."

Elianna began walking toward the middle of the training area with her mother following her. When Elianna reached the center of the training area, she just looked down at the floor. The wooden floor beneath her flashed, and for a moment, she saw the scorched earth beneath her feet. Elianna flinched as she closed her eyes and shook her head, composing herself.

"Sweetheart?" Katarina said worriedly.

"I'm okay."

Elianna raised her hands, picturing herself manipulating water magic in her hands, something she often loved doing. She reached into her mana core, beginning to push mana out, but immediately flinched at the sensation, with the images of the scorched earth and fire raging all around her flashing behind her eyes.

Katarina gently placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elianna lied, her voice tight.

In truth, Elianna was afraid. She didn't know why she and Nicholas exerted that much power. She didn't even know if something like that would randomly happen again. She thought about how what if, one day, she was using magic, and she lost control again? Would she hurt someone she cared about? Or would she cause more unintentional damage? It was thoughts like these that made Elianna second guess herself about using magic.

Elianna sighed deeply before she sat on the ground and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

Katarina eyed her daughter worriedly before lying beside her. Trying to lighten the mood, she looked at her daughter and jested, "This training doesn't seem very productive."

Elianna shrugged and flatly said, "I don't know." She stared at the high white ceiling above her, "I don't feel like training, I guess."

Katarina's brows furrowed, concern building inside her. She desperately wanted to help her daughter feel better and tried to think of different ways to make her happy. "Would you like to go watch an illusionaire?"

Elianna shook her head, "No."

"We could go for a walk."

"No, thanks."

"Do you want to go to the shopping district?"

"Not really."

Katarina sighed, running out of ideas, "What would you like to do?"

Elianna shrugged, "I don-"

"Forgive the intrusion," Augustus' voice rang. Katarina and Elianna looked up simultaneously, seeing him standing in the doorway. Augustus smiled, "Lady Elianna has a visitor." Augustus stepped to the side, revealing Nicholas standing behind him.

Nicholas smiled and waved, "Hello."

Elianna bolted up into a sitting position, her expression a mix of surprise and bliss, "N-Nick?!!"

Katarina sat up, and her lips curved into a small smile, seeing the happiness plastered on Elianna's face. Warmth filled her heart to see that sparkle in her daughter's eyes again, and she immediately felt thankful for Nicholas' appearance.

Katarina stood up and smiled at Nicholas, "Hello, Nicholas, It's good to see you."

Nicholas returned her smile, "You as well, Mrs. Vail." His eyes flicked between her and Elianna, "I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

Katarina shook her head and began to walk toward the entrance, "Not at all. I'll leave you two alone."

Katarina gave Nicholas a thankful pat on the shoulder before instructing Augustus to follow her out of the room, leaving Nicholas and Elianna alone.

Elianna sat motionlessly, her eyes locked on Nicholas as he watched Katarina and Augustus leave. She couldn't believe her eyes—Nicholas was here. She had been so afraid that Nicholas would see her differently that she didn't think he would come.

Nicholas looked at Elianna and smiled as he began to walk toward her. However, his smile faded the closer he got to her, seeing something about her was off. Nicholas eyed her messy hair and said, "Are you okay?"

Elianna's eyes widened as she noticed Nicholas' gaze, remembering she didn't fix her hair. Not wanting Nicholas to see her hair like this, she quickly took her hair band out of her spatial ring, tugged her hair back, and tied it into a ponytail. "Y-Yeah." Her lips curved into a small smile as she eyed Nicholas, "I'm fine."

Nicholas looked her up and down, sensing something was wrong. He approached her but winced a little as he sat down facing her, crossing his legs.

Seeing him wince, Elianna looked at Nicholas, a little worried, "Is something wrong?"

Nicholas smiled a little and shook his head, "No. I'm just a little sore."

Elianna looked at him curiously, "Why?"

Nicholas stretched his arm across his chest, "Remember how Celine said I could ask my uncle to work out with him?" Elianna nodded. Nicholas chuckled, "Well, I asked him this morning." Nicholas relaxed and stretched his other arm, "And I learned that he is a monster at working out."

Elianna's eyes widened as her lips curved into a smile, and a genuine laugh escaped her lips, filling the room. Warmth filled her expression, and she turned to face Nicholas, crossing her legs. "Well, I'm glad to see you made it out in one piece."

"Barley," Nicholas jested. Nicholas looked around the gym before curiously asking Elianna, "So, were you in the middle of training?"

Elianna's smile faded; she looked down and shook her head, "No."

Seeing her attitude change, Nicholas knew something was wrong. He looked at Elianna for a moment before saying, "Are you still thinking about yesterday?"

Elianna's eyes shot up, meeting his gaze, before she looked to the side and nodded.

Nicholas sighed and looked down, "I admit, I was thinking about it earlier, too."

Elianna stiffened a little, looking at Nicholas out of the corner of her eye, "And, about me?"

Nicholas nodded, and Elianna's stomach dropped, thinking this was where Nicholas was going to leave. "I was worried about you."

Elianna's eyes widened, and her head snapped to him, "Y-You were??"

Nicholas nodded a little, "To be honest, what we did yesterday made me feel a little uneasy. I was even afraid of using magic at first." His smile widened slightly, "But my aunt helped me today during training. She showed me that there isn't anything to be afraid of. I was worried you would be afraid to." His eyes flicked up, and his smile immediately faded. He looked at Elianna with concern as he noticed her eyes were a little watery. "Are yo-"

Nicholas didn't even finish as Elianna lunged forward, taking him into a tight hug. Nicholas froze with surprise, his arms stiff as Elianna held him closely, placing her face into the crook of his neck. He sat there, a little awkwardly, not knowing what to do as he felt her shake, and his neck began to become wet with Elianna's tears.

"I-I thought you would view me differently," Elianna sniffled. Nicholas' eyes narrowed in confusion. "After what happened, I thought you would think I was a freak and never speak to me again."

Realization dawned on Nicholas of what Elianna was talking about. He smiled a little, wrapped his arms around her, and returned the hug. "Lia," Nicholas said, and warmth shot through Elianna, hearing the nickname he and only he called her. "You are my friend, and nothing will change that."

Elianna's lips wobbled, and bliss washed over her hearing Nicholas' words. She felt like an idiot for ever doubting Nicholas and felt her connection to him deepen. "You're my friend, too."

They continued to hold the hug until they slowly broke apart and looked at each other. They smiled at each other, with Elianna's teary celestial blue pearls locked on Nicholas' sea green gems.

"So," Nicholas asked, looking at Elianna curiously. "Have you used magic today?"

Elianna sighed and shook her head, "No. As you had guessed, I was a little afraid."

Nicholas smiled, "Here, let me show you how my aunt helped me."

Nicholas held his hands before him, palms up. Elianna watched as fire magic swirled in his palm, and she flinched as he conjured a firebolt.

"It's okay," Nicholas reassured with a calm tone. "Magic is a tool, and we are its users. We control it, not the other way around."

Elianna stared at the fire in Nicholas's hand, which was the size of a chicken's egg. However, this fire was tame and under Nicholas' control instead of the raging inferno that she saw every time she closed her eyes.

"The fire won't do anything unless I tell it," Nicholas said, staring at the flame. He looked up at Elianna, "And will go out when commanded." The fire went out harmlessly, and Nicholas lowered his hands.

Nicholas smiled and gestured to Elianna, "Go ahead." She looked up, meeting his gaze. "Conjure a small ball of water."

Elianna looked down, feeling unsure, "I don-"

Nicholas reached out, reassuringly grabbing her hand, "You can do it."

Elianna's eyes flicked to their hands before she looked up, seeing the confidence in his eyes. She smiled at his confidence and the comforting warmth she felt from his hand, her uneasiness subsiding, and she nodded.

Nicholas let go of Elianna as he watched her raise her hands, palms up. She took a deep breath and looked deep in concentration. Elianna began to push mana out of her mana core and flinched slightly at the sensation of mana going through her channels.

"Remember," Nicholas began calmly. "We are in control."

Elianna took a reassuring breath and continued pushing mana out of her core. She directed the mana to her elemental core, where she felt the water mana begin to swirl. She directed the tranquil water mana through her channels, and her lips curved into a smile as water magic formed at the tips of her fingers. She directed the water magic, pushing it out before her, watching it swirl around and form a ball of water.

Warmth filled Elianna, and her lips curved into a blissful smile as she watched and felt the water magic in her hands. She had almost forgotten how much she loved using magic. She looked up, seeing Nicholas smiling as he watched her use her magic. Elianna eyed him, feeling comfortable and totally relaxed with him, no longer concerned about yesterday.

With her playfulness returning, Elianna chucked the water ball at Nicholas, and he flinched as it harmless splashed against his face. Nicholas sat there, stunned, as water dripped off his face.

Elianna giggled, "You're it."

Nicholas's lips slowly curved into a playful smile, "Oh, you are so on."

Elianna yelped gleefully as she stood up and began running around the room as Nicholas took out his wand and harmlessly shot small balls of water at her.

***

Katarina smiled warmly as she subtly stood in the doorway, watching Elianna and Nicholas run around, playing water tag. She felt thankful for Nicholas, seeing he was there for her daughter and didn't treat her differently.

"She seems better."

Katarina looked over her shoulder, seeing her husband standing behind her, smiling happily as he watched Nicholas and Elianna play.

Katarina nodded and looked forward, "She is. She was depressed all day. Luckily, Nicholas came by and cheered her up."

Lucian sighed, "I see. Well, no one at the garrison thinks any differently of her. So, that should make her happy, too."

Katarina remained silent for a moment, continuing to watch Elianna and Nicholas before saying, "You need to talk with her, Lucian."

Lucian raised a brow, "I thought the talk was your job?"

Katarina aggressively spun around, meeting his gaze, "That's not what I mean, and you know it."

Lucian sighed, "I know." He looked over her shoulder at Elianna, seeing how happy and playful she looked, "Not yet. When she is older." His eyes flicked to Katarina, "Right now, she is too young to understand. Plus, we're not one hundred percent sure about our theory."

Katarina sighed as she looked down and nodded, knowing he was right. "I just hate seeing her like that."

"Me too," Lucian said, looking up as he heard Nicholas and Elianna laugh. "But for now, let her be a child and have fun."

Katarina looked behind her and smiled as she watched Elianna and Nicholas playing.

"Come on," Lucian said, and Katarina looked at him, seeing him reaching out to her. "Let's go relax."

Katarina smiled and nodded, hooking her arm around Lucian's. She leaned her head against his shoulder and smiled warmly as they walked off, listening to Nicholas and Elianna laugh blissfully behind them.