Yesterday, Sebastian noticed the unfamiliar cloak I was wearing. He asked how or where I got it, and I lied, telling him that I bought it from the market while I was looking for them. After asking a lot of questions about the incident that took place, they decided that we should head home so I could rest.

As we walked to the carriage, Sebastian observed me, likely still skeptical about my story regarding the cloak. It seemed he was not convinced that I had bought it.

Before I entered the carriage, he asked if he could talk to me. “Astrid, please be honest with me; what really happened when you got separated from us.” he asked in a calm yet serious tone.

“Before I tell you, promise me that you won’t tell anyone, not even Leah. I don’t want her to worry about this anymore.” I said, and he nodded in reply.

I began to recount everything that happened while I was away from them. I told him about the robbery and the man who helped me, explaining that the cloak belonged to this man, who he let me use it since my dress was torn by the robbers who assaulted me. Sebastian’s face went from calm to irate, as if he was ready to go find those robbers and confront them.

“Sebastian, it is fine. I am tired; can we please just go back? It’s been a long day.”

“Yes, I am sorry; let us go back.” he replied, as he escorted me back to the carriage.

----------

It’s the first day of my training and the fifth day since I fell inside the mirror.

As I entered the study room dedicated to me, I was greeted by a lady in her 30s. She introduced herself Carolle, stating that she came from House Suralli. She mentioned that her ancestors were responsible for training the heirs of Goddess Asteria, and that the knowledge she would impart had been passed down through generations.

“I am assuming you’ve already been educated over the past years about the history of this country, like any noble lady. That is why I’ll be skipping that part and jumping straight into the history of the battles that took place every century in this empire. Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course. But if you have some time, you can refresh my memory.” I laughed awkwardly, lying to her.

“Very well, let us begin.”

We started the lecture with the first centennial war that happened after the guardians died, which was the 8th war, counting from the very beginning. She taught me about the heirs: their name, age, statuses, and how long it took them to fully manifest the gods’ and goddesses' powers.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Every heir had their unique style of wielding the sacred power given to them and how they applied it in combat. According to Lady Carolle, some used swords, staffs, bow and arrows, while others used their bare hands or minds. She said that I would soon discover my own method once I fully manifest my powers and once we completed the discussions in the room and moved on to the training ground.

Lady Carolle also showed me an initial list of illustrations depicting different types of demons. Some of them were terrifying, it made me wonder if I’d be able to defeat one when encountered.

…

Time passed, and we were finishing our first day of lessons.

“Did you know there’s a rumor that a book written by the three guardians is in a restricted section of the palace library? That book contains the true history of the Araceli Empire and holds many secrets. Only one person has ever read the first few pages, but he died afterward. No one has attempted to read that book since, as it’s said that whoever reads it will die.” Lady Carolle said while I was taking notes from our previous discussion.

I suddenly became attentive. “Do they know what that person read before he died?”

Lady Carolle shook her head.

“Do you think they’d let me borrow that book?”

“You just heard me say that whoever reads it will die, and you still want to read it? If you want to learn about the centennial war, there are books written by the mages who assisted the heirs of the gods and goddesses. The records began after the 8th centennial war, the first generation of heirs.”

She also mentioned that each generation of heirs had its own book, and that in the next two years, the 12th book would be released, detailing everything that would happen in the upcoming war. We ended our discussion there and thanked each other for the day.

…

I sighed heavily as I walked through the long corridor of the mansion.

‘I think I need to start reading that golden book; I need to find my way out of here. Those demons looked terrifying; what will I do when I face one? But first, I need to learn that language in my free time. I should ask Mara or Leah if they have a library here.’ I thought while slightly trembling in fear.

“What is the problem, Astrid? You look troubled.” Sebastian asked.

I almost screamed in shock when I realized Sebastian was behind me. “How long have you been there?!”

“Since you finished your class, I’ve been here the entire time. Is something troubling you?” he asked sincerely.

“It’s nothing, just some nonsense thoughts. Where are we going anyway?”

“I am not sure; I’m just following you.” he said, as I looked at him in confusion.

“His Grace has already arrived; I will take you there.” he added.

Sebastian led the way, and I walked beside him, still in that corridor. We were both quiet; the only sound was the stomping of our shoes as we walked toward our destination.

I looked at Sebastian and noticed he wanted to talk; he was mumbling something, but I could not understand it. I was about to ask him what it was, but we arrived in front of the duke’s personal office in no time; Dan was already there, waiting for us.

He bowed, greeted me, and asked if I was ready to meet the duke. I simply nodded in reply.

Dan knocked on the door and opened it for me. My eyes widened when I saw the person standing behind the man sitting at his desk inside the room.

“It’s him.” I whispered, as our eyes locked on each other.

To be continued.