Elianna was motionless as she lay in her bed in her bedroom. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was rhythmic as she slept peacefully.

Sitting beside Elianna's bed was her mother, who had an expression full of concern. She held onto Elianna's left hand with both of her hands, not taking her eyes off her daughter. The moments that lead up to where they are now played in her mind over and over again.

***

*Before*

Katarina hadn't even arrived at Tri-Union Academy when her spatial ring began to vibrate. Katarina had always appreciated her spacial ring, as it was enchanted to hold items like a backpack, making carrying items around convenient. She looked at her right hand, where she kept her spatial ring on her right ring finger, and could tell it was her telemirror activating. Feeling the telemirror activating, Katarina wondered who would be using the enchanted communication device to contact her.

Katarina, using her intent and the raw power that is the root of all magical energy, known as mana, willed the mirror in her ring to appear. The mirror was pulled out of her ring and appeared in her right hand in a flash of green radiant light. The oval-shaped mirror was about the size of one's palm and had a silver border with an intricate design.

Katarina pushed mana from her mana core into the mirror, willing it to answer, and was surprised to see Isabelle's face appear in the reflection part of the mirror.

"Isabelle?" Katarina said, confused and curious, wondering why she was calling. "Is everything o-"

"Katarina!" Isabelle yelled. Alarm bells immediately started sounding in Katarina's head, and her thoughts began to race, wondering what was wrong. "You need to get back here quick! It's Elianna!"

Katarina's stomach dropped, and she didn't need to hear anything else as she said, "I'm on my way!"

Katarina willed the communication to end, and Isabelle's image faded. She stored the mirror back into her ring and slid open the small communication window at the front of the carriage to speak with the coachman.

"Change of plans!" Katarina practically yelled, startling the carriage driver. The driver whirled his head to look at Katarina. "Take me back to Isabella's! Now!"

Hearing the urgency in Katarina's voice, the driver responded hastily, "Right away!"

Katarina quickly closed the window and sat back into her carriage, feeling the driver turn them around. She pulled her mirror back out of her spatial ring and pushed magic into it, picturing her husband's image, willing him to appear.

After a few moments of Katarina staring at the shimmering mirror, Lucian's face appeared. He smiled, seeing Katarina, but before he could say anything, Katarina yelled.

"Get back to Isabelle's! I'm on my way there now! It's Elianna! I don't know exactly what happened!"

Lucian's eyes widened to the size of moons, and he nodded. "I'm on my way."

Their communication ended, and Katarina placed the mirror back into her ring. The next several minutes were agonizing for Katarina as she sat in the carriage, picturing the worst-case scenarios. She just wanted to jump out of the carriage and start running down the street, but she could tell the carriage driver was going as fast as he could.

She stared out the window, watching the different colored brick buildings, humans, dwarves, and elves who were all walking on the sidewalk, go by as they rode past. They soon entered the noble residential area, and Katarina was feeling anxious, just wanting to be at Isabelle's already.

Katarina was already grabbing the door handle when they turned down her street. As soon as the carriage rolled up to the front of Isabelle's mansion, Katarina flung the door open and ran up the steps toward the front door. She could tell she beat her husband to Isabelle's as his carriage wasn't out front.

Katarina didn't even need to knock on the front door of the mansion, as a maid opened it just as she approached it. Katarina and the maid didn't exchange greetings. Katarina charged inside and looked around in a panic. The mansion seemed to all be in one piece, and there were no signs of distress or nefarious activities.

Katarina whirled around, facing the maid, and snapped, "Where is my daughter?!"

The maid looked upstairs and pointed, "Upstairs and to the left. First door on your right."

Katarina didn't say thank you as she ran up the stairs and turned left. She immediately noticed Isabelle standing outside the room, almost looking apprehensive. Isabelle's eyes flicked to Katarina, and she looked relieved.

"Thank goodness you're here," Isabelle said.

Katarina quickly approached Isabelle, still in a panic. "Where is my daughter?! What happened?!"

Isabelle looked toward the room and pointed, "She's in there."

Katarina rushed past Isabelle and froze as she entered the room. Lying on the bed, sleeping peacefully, was Elianna. Her dress was disheveled and had dirt on it, and her hair was a mess.

A sense of relief washed over Katarina like a tidal wave. She walked up to Elianna, smiling warmly, and knelt beside her, brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face.

Footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Lucian called out, "Where is Elianna?!"

"We're in here!" Katarina called out, not taking her eyes off her daughter.

A moment later, Lucian entered the room and sighed happily, seeing Elianna was okay, sleeping peacefully on the bed. He approached the bed and stood beside Katarina as she continued to brush Elianna's hair.

"Be careful," Isabelle said from the doorway.

Katarina and Lucian looked at Isabelle over their shoulders, seeing she was still standing outside the room, staring at Elianna cautiously.

Katarina eyed Isabelle with confusion, "What are you doing? Why are you standing out there? And what happened?"

Isabelle seemed to hesitate for a moment, her eyes darting between Elianna and Katarina.

"Isabelle?" Lucian said, confused. "Are you okay?"

Isabelle swallowed hard, and all she said was, "Look at Elianna's heart with your mana vision."

"Her heart?" Lucian said, perplexed, and Isabelle nodded.

Lucian and Katarina exchanged glances before they looked at Elianna. They pushed mana into their eyes, which allowed them to see the mana particles in whatever they were looking at. Katarina and Lucian's eyes widened in surprise, suddenly speechless, for inside Elianna's heart was a shimmering white light that looked like a star.

"She's awakened," Katarina whispered in disbelief. "Her mana core has formed. But that's impossible."

"Well, it happened!" Isabelle snapped. Lucian's and Katarina's heads whirled toward her. Isabelle pointed to the backyard of her mansion. "She awakened with such force that it sent out a shockwave that shook the house and knocked Tyler down!"

Lucian looked at Isabelle, concerned, "Is Tyler okay."

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"He's fine," Isabelle said defensively, her eyes flicking to Elianna. "He's been taken to another room with the other kids."

"Then why is Elianna here by herself?" Katarina asked.

Isabelle scoffed, "And put her with the other kids?! I don't think so! This is unheard of! I don't know what else will happen when she's around! I've never heard of someone awakening so early or in such a way!"

Lucian narrowed his eyes on Isabelle, "My daughter isn't dangerous."

"Evidence to the contrary," Isabelle contradicted harshly. "She could've seriously hurt the other kids. She might still if she's around. Who knows what will happen."

Katarina didn't appreciate how Isabelle was speaking about her daughter but bit her tongue. She could tell Lucian was about to say something, so she quickly spoke up.

"Thank you for contacting us," Katarina said plainly. She swiftly got to her feet and picked up her daughter, holding her tightly. "We'll be going."

As Katarina and Lucian walked past her, Isabelle stepped back, almost as if she were afraid. Lucian shot Isabelle a slight glare as he walked past, staying close to his wife and daughter. The staff in Isabelle's mansion seemed to keep their distance from the three of them as they left the residence, which only irritated Lucian and Katarina more.

***

*Present*

What happened at Isabelle's still lingered in Katarina's mind. She was irritated with Isabelle for calling her daughter dangerous. While Katarina herself was concerned and didn't know what was happening to her daughter, she would never be afraid of her.

Katarina smiled warmly at her daughter, running a hand through her slivery-white hair, which she had fixed while Elianna was lying down. While she was happy to see her daughter resting peacefully, she couldn't help but be a little worried. While Katarina didn't like how Isabelle called Elianna dangerous, she knew that Isabelle was right about this situation being one big unknown. She didn't know what else could happen with Elianna, and the thought weighed on her mind.

"She's in here," Lucian's voice sounded from the hallway.

Katarina looked toward the door and watched as Lucian walked inside. Behind him, an older human woman who looked in her fifties, with graying black hair tied back into a bun and teal eyes, stepped in. She wore Tri-Union mage apparel, consisting of a deep brown shirt that was covered by a deep brown robe with a golden trim that was connected at the waist and open at the bottom. A gold sash wrapped around her waist, and she had deep brown pants, shin-high deep brown boots, and a white cloak that was snapped together with an elegant golden chain. Golden olive branches that had a golden leaf in the center were embroidered on the collar of her shirt, signifying her rank as the Arch-Mage of the Tri-Union forces. The gold trim and the sheen of her clothing gave her apparel an opulent look, which was well-known for mages.

Katarina felt relieved to see the woman had finally arrived. As soon as she and Lucian had arrived home, Lucian had called her to request that she come check on Elianna, to make sure she was okay.

Katarina stood up and respectfully bowed to the woman, "Arch-mage Matilda. Thank you for coming."

Matilda smiled friendly at Katarina. "Hello, Katarina, and of course." Her eyes flicked to Elianna, and her smile faded. "Has she woken up?"

Katarina shook her head and looked at Elianna, concerned, "No. I'm not sure if something is wrong. I'm not even sure about what is happening exactly."

Matilda hummed and stepped up to Elianna's bed. "Well, let me take a look."

Matilda held her hands over Elianna's unconscious body and closed her eyes. A radiant emerald green energy poured from Matilda's hands, washing over Elianna. Katarina and Lucian anxiously watched as Matilda concentrated and cast her nature magic spell.

After a few moments, the energy subsided, and Matilda lowered her hands and opened her eyes. She looked at Katarina and Lucian with a reassuring smile, "She's fine. There's physically nothing wrong with her."

Katarina and Lucian sighed with relief, and Lucian asked, "Why hasn't she woken up yet?"

"Her body is resting," Matilda said and looked back at Elianna. "It's normal for a body to rest after awakening. The mana core forming can take a physical toll."

"But are you able to tell why she awakened now?" Katarina asked, looking at her daughter. "The mana core doesn't usually form until around eight years old."

"True," Matilda nodded. "Some can even awaken as early as seven with the proper training."

"But she's only four, almost five, and she's had no training," Katarina said. Katarina's concerned-filled gaze fell on her sleeping daughter. "She's still a small child. Her body isn't developed enough to handle this strain of mana. What if problems should surface because of this? Isabelle even considered my daughter dangerous since she didn't know what else could happen to her."

"To be honest, I'm not sure why she awakened early as there are no indicators why," Matilda admitted. "However, She definitely has a strong sense of mana about her, and there is nothing physically wrong with her. Everything about her physically is working normally. In fact, it seems that her core has stabilized and integrated nicely with her body." Matilda smiled softly, "So no, I don't sense anything that would make her dangerous."

Katarina relaxed a little hearing that, "What about the shockwave Isabelle mentioned?" Her eyes flicked to Matilda. "Isabelle told us her mansion shook from the sheer force of Elianna's awakening. That isn't normal. Usually, a small wave of mana washes over someone when they awaken."

Matilda sighed, looking at Elianna curiously. "I can't say for certain. I've never encountered this before." Matilda looked at Katarina cautiously, "To be honest, it's not her physical state that I'm worried about, especially since she's fine. It's her psyche."

"What do you mean?" Katarina asked worriedly.

Matilda's eyes flicked to Elianna, then back to Katarina, "Who knows what she remembers. This could've been a traumatic experience for her." She smiled softly at Katarina. "When she wakes, she needs to be watched with love, perhaps even caution."

Katarina looked at her sleeping daughter, emotions of love and concern swirling in her chest. "We will keep an eye on her."

"Do you know when she will wake up?" Lucian inquired.

Matilda shook her head, "No." She looked toward Lucian. "But don't be concerned. As I said, her body is just resting, and she's physically fine. She should wake up soon."

Lucian nodded, seeming to relax, "Okay." He smiled at Matilda, "Thank you."

Matilda returned his smile, "Of course. I came right away when you told me what happened." Matilda stepped away from the bed, "Now, I should be going." She chuckled, "I do have a mage order to run, after all."

"I will walk you out," Lucian said.

"I appreciate that," Matilda said and looked to Katarina. "It was good to see you again, Katarina."

Katarina smiled at Matilda, "You as well, and thank you again."

Katarina watched as Matilda walked out of the room, Lucian following her. With both of them gone, Katarina sat back down beside Elianna's bed and took her hand. The room was quiet, with the only noise coming from Elianna as she breathed rhythmically.

After a few moments of silence, Lucian walked back into the room, "Matilda left." He walked around the bed and stood beside Katarina, watching his daughter. "I told her to let my lieutenant commander know I would not be coming in today."

"I should probably call the school," Katarina mumbled. "They're probably wondering where I am."

"I already did," Lucian advised. "I called them after Matilda left."

Katarina smiled at Lucian, "Thank you." Her smile faded, and she looked at her husband curiously, "I-Is this what I think it is?"

Lucian's smile also faded, and he sighed, "I'm honestly not sure."

Lucian and Katarina whirled their heads to Elianna, hearing her grumble. She stirred slightly, furrowing her brows.

Katarina's heart nearly skipped a beat, her grip on Elianna's hand tightening, and her eyes began to tear up. "Elianna? Sweetie?"

Elianna grumbled again, and her eyes fluttered open. Her eyes traced the ceiling of her room before she looked to her side, feeling someone holding her hand. Her eyes fell on her mom and dad, who were looking at her teary-eyed, with smiles of relief.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Elianna said, her voice sounding tired.

"Hey, sweetie," Katarina said, letting out a joyful laugh, glad to see her daughter was awake and talking. She stood up, sat beside Elianna, and pulled her into a hug.

"What happened?" Elianna asked, feeling a little sore.

Lucian walked around the bed, sat beside his wife and daughter, and joined them in their hug, holding them tightly. "What do you remember?"

Katarina and Lucian looked concerned, anxiously waiting to hear what Elianna was about to say. Matilda's words about this incident affecting Elianna's psyche had them both concerned about her mental state.

Elianna hummed, "I was playing tag, but I started not to feel good. Then I woke up here."

"Well, you awakened, sweetie," Katarina said a little cautiously.

"Awakened?" Elianna repeated, confused. She then laughed a little, "Yeah. I'm awake, silly mommy."

Lucian and Katarina chuckled lightheartedly, their concern washing away, glad to hear their daughters laugh.

Katarina asked, "How are you feeling, sweetie?"

Elianna hummed for a moment, "Hungry."

Lucian and Katarina paused for a moment, as they expected her to say tired or sore. They shared a glance before they laughed and smiled.

"What do you want to eat?" Lucian asked.

Elianna hummed before she looked at her father inquiringly, "What about ice cream?"

Katarina and Lucian looked at each other, smiled, and nodded.

"Sure, sweetie," Katarina said lovingly. "We can have ice cream."

"Yay!" Elianna yelped with glee and climbed out of her parent's embrace. Lucian and Katarina watched their daughter with warm smiles as she hopped down from the bed. "Come on!" She ran out the door, yelling, "Ice cream!"

"I guess she's feeling fine," Lucian laughed, glad to see that this incident wasn't affecting her mentally.

Katarina nodded before her smile faded, "But her awakening. Does this change things?"

"I'm not sure," Lucian admitted. He looked at Katarina with a reassuring smile. "We'll just take it one day at a time and follow Matilda's advice. We'll watch her with all the love we can give."

Katarina returned her husband's smile and nodded, "Okay."

Lucian and Katarina leaned in and shared a loving kiss.

"EEEWWW!"

Lucian and Katarina looked at the doorway and saw Elianna standing there, her nose scrunched up with disgust.

"I thought you went to get ice cream," Lucian said with amusement.

Elianna shook her head and smiled wide, "I'm waiting for you!"

Lucian and Katarina smiled and stood from the bed.

"Alright," Lucian said, and Elianna giggled as he picked her up. "Let's go."

Elianna yelled happily while Katarina and Lucian lovingly smiled as they went to eat ice cream together.