Elianna needed to consciously think about two things: controlling her breathing and maintaining a fast pace. The chilly morning wind slapped her in the face as she ran as quickly as possible. She raised her hand, eyeing the pocket watch she was holding. She considered checking the time since she was trying to achieve a personal running record today, but she quickly dismissed the idea.

  Elianna knew that checking the time now would cause her to overthink, which would mess with her pace. Seeing how she wasn't even at the halfway point, she didn't want that to happen, so she continued to hold the pocket watch in her hand. This way, she could quickly see the time when she arrived at the finish line.

  Looking forward, she continued running and could see the end of the cul-de-sac arriving quickly, marking the halfway point. Seeing how she hadn't been going to the garrison recently, Elianna had been doing all her morning workouts in her family mansion or the cul-de-sac.

  Unfortunately, the cul-de-sac was nowhere near the length of the running path she had created at the garrison, so she had to improvise. She decided that instead of focusing on distance, she would focus on speed. So, there were days when she would practice sprinting as fast as she could for a minute and then walking for two. Then, there were days like today when she wanted to test herself on how fast she could sprint in one setting, which was always a personal competition for her.

  Elianna's eyes were locked on the halfway point, thinking that this was the fastest she had made it here so far. She felt elated, thinking she was going to beat her fastest time. However, those thoughts quickly vanished when a figure walked out of the park. The figure froze, standing on the sidewalk, looking at Elianna with wide eyes.

  A sense of deja vu and annoyance washed over Elianna, thinking she had been in this very situation once before. Seeing how the figure was just standing there with a surprised look, not making any motion to move out of the way, Elianna slowed her pace.

  Coming to a slow walk, Elianna breathed heavily and looked at the figure with cold indifference, "You're in my way."

  Sarah's eyes fell, and she nodded, "Oh, sorry." She sidestepped, moving back into the park and off the sidewalk. "I didn't mean to get in your way. I was just going for an early morning walk."

  Elianna rolled her eyes as she continued to walk past Sarah, "You still could have moved instead of just standing there. Now, you messed up my run time." Elianna looked over her shoulder, seeing Sarah looking down and not answering her. With a mental scoff, Elianna looked back forward and was about to continue her run.

  "It never sat well with me, you know."

  Elianna froze, her eyes narrowing. Slowly, she turned around, her gaze falling on Sarah, who was just standing there with a downcast look.

  A few awkward moments of silence passed between them before Sarah looked up, seeing Elianna staring at her. Sarah's eyes fell, unable to meet her piercing gaze. "What Tyler and Dylan did... I-"

  "And you," Elianna cut in sharply, and Sarah flinched. "Don't forget that you were there all those times."

  Sarah shallowly nodded and whispered, "I know." Sarah gave a low sigh before forcing herself to look up and meet her gaze. "I just wanted to let you know that it never sat right with me."

  Elianna scoffed, shaking her head, "What, are you only saying this now because Tyler and Dylan are off at the academy?" Her beautiful celestial blue eyes, currently filled with anger, narrowed on the pink-haired girl. "Let me guess, you're feeling a little lonely, so you decided to come hang out with the freak?"

  Sarah flinched at the harshness of Elianna's tone. "I-I never thought of you as a freak, you know."

  "No. I don't know. You never said anything otherwise or defended me," Elianna said coldly.

  Sarah's eyes fell, "I know. And I'm sorry."

  Elianna stared at Sarah, seeing her standing there with a dejected gaze. "Actions speak louder than words," Elianna said, her voice tight. "And you saying nothing spoke volumes."

  Sarah looked up, seeming like she wanted to say something else. However, Elianna didn't give her a chance as she quickly turned around and dashed off.

  The elated feeling Elianna had felt not long ago had been washed away, replaced with irritation. She didn't know if Sarah felt guilty for the things her old friends said to her when she was younger or what, but she didn't care. Sarah may not have said horrible things to her directly, but in Elianna's mind, she was guilty by association.

  Elianna let out a frustrated sigh and tried to focus on her run. Looking at her hand, she decided to put her pocket watch back into her spatial ring since she definitely wasn't going to beat her time with Sarah's interruption. She mentally scolded herself, saying she should've just run onto the road and gone around Sarah. But it didn't matter now since what was done was done. She decided to take her run back nice and slow, trying to relax her mind so she wouldn't be in a bad mood when she got home. And, in the end, it worked.

  Running into the driveway of her family's mansion, Elianna's eyes fell on the two carriages out front. She concluded that her mom and dad were still at home and hadn't left yet. Quickening her pace, Elianna rapidly made her way up the front steps and walked into the mansion. The warm and comforting air inside the mansion felt blissful against Elianna's ivory skin, feeling glad to be out of the cold.

  "Good morning, Lady Elianna."

  Elianna looked up and saw one of the maids upstairs, holding bedsheets in her hands and smiling down at her. Elianna returned the maid's smile, "Good morning. Are my parents still upstairs?"

  The maid shook her head, "No, My Lady. Lord and Lady Vail are currently in the dining room."

  Elianna nodded, "Thank you."

  The maid returned Elianna's nod before returning to her task at hand while Elianna began to make her way to the dining room.

  "Maybe you should rest?"

  Elianna's pace slowed as she heard her mother's voice.

  Her father sighed, "I can't. Everyone is working on this. Hopefully, we will get good news today."

  There was silence for a moment before Katarina spoke, "I'm just worried you're pushing yourself too hard."

  Lucian scoffed, "All I do is sit behind a desk giving orders and reading reports. I should be out there, on the hunt with the others."

  "Lucian," Katarina said gently. "Don't sell yourself short. You're doing more than enough."

  Lucian sighed, "Sometimes it doesn't feel that way."

  "I know," Katarina began. "But-"

  Lucian shushed Katarina, and the dining room fell silent. Elianna's brows furrowed, wondering if they were whispering.

  "You can come in, Munchkin," Lucian said loudly, his voice full of warmth.

  Elianna started and suddenly felt awkward, seeing how she was caught. She even wondered how her father knew she was there. With a sigh, she stepped into the dining room and gave her parents a sheepish smile. "Good morning."

  Lucian, who was sitting at the head of the table, gave Elianna a comical smile, "Eavesdropping, are we?"

  Elianna cleared her throat and looked to the side, "I didn't mean to."

  Katarina gave a soft chuckle and scooted out the chair beside her, "Come sit down."

  Elianna smiled and nodded as she began to walk around the table.

  Lucian looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen doors, "Palo!"

  The doors soon opened, and a human male wearing a chef's uniform came out, "Yes, Lord Lucian?"

  Lucian shifted so he could better look at their family chef, "Can you please make Elianna some breakfast?"

  Palo nodded and looked at Elianna, who took her seat beside her mom, "What can I get you, Lady Elianna?"

  Elianna pursed her lips and thought for a moment before she smiled and said, "An omelet, please."

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  "The usual?" Palo asked, and Elianna nodded. Palo smiled, "Coming right up."

  "Thank you," Elianna said as Palo went back into the kitchen.

  "How was your run?" Lucian asked, curiously looking at his daughter. "Did you beat your time?"

  Elianna shrugged, "Not this time." She kept a nonchalant composure since she didn't need to bother her parents with her Sarah drama.

  "You'll get it next time, don't worry," Katarina reassured.

  "I'm sure I will," Elianna smiled. She was sure she was going to beat it this time, too, if not for Sarah's interruption. Elianna's eyes shifted to her father, preparing to ask the same question she had been asking almost every other morning.

  Lucian's smile faded when he saw his daughter's inquiring gaze. He sighed and shook his head, "Not today."

  Elianna frowned and somberly leaned back into her chair. "That's okay; I understand." She smiled slightly. "You've been busy."

  Lucian's eyes softened, knowing his daughter yearned for the day she could return to the garrison. In truth, Lucian would love to take her with him, as he missed the days when they would train together. However, with him and the other members of the garrison busy, he didn't think taking her with him would be a good idea.

  Lucian smiled, "Maybe next week."

  Elianna's face brightened, and she sat straight, "Really?!"

  Lucian chuckled and nodded, "Yes. I'll make some arrangements."

  Katarina leaned toward Lucian and whispered, "You sure you won't be too busy?"

  Lucian shook his head and whispered back, "I'll be fine."

  Katarina nodded and looked up as the kitchen door opened. She watched as a maid entered the dining room, carrying a plate that held Elianna's freshly made omelet.

  "Thank you," Elianna said as the maid placed the plate in front of her.

  The maid nodded before turning and walking back into the kitchen.

  Lucian smiled and chuckled as Elianna hummed contently as she took the first bite of her omelet. However, his smile quickly disappeared as his eyes shifted to the clock, seeing the time.

  Lucian cursed and stood up, "I need to get going."

  Katarina looked toward the clock and nodded, "So should I."

  Elianna looked at her parents and smiled as Katarina kissed the top of her head, "See you guys later."

  "See you later, Munchkin," Lucian said warmly before he left the room.

  Katarina smiled at Elianna and was about to leave when she stopped in the doorway. She looked at Elianna and said, "Say hi to Nick for me when you invite him over."

  Elianna raised a brow, "What makes you think-" She stopped when she saw her mother's knowing look. Elianna smiled slightly, "I will."

  Katarina nodded and said bye one last time before she left the room.

  With her parents gone, Elianna quickly finished her omelet before neatly placing the fork on her plate. Once she was done eating, she got up from the table and left the dining room, making her way upstairs to her room. Once in her room, she quickly removed her workout gear, took a shower, performed basic hygiene, put on a shirt and leggings, and tied her hair back.

  Once she was ready for the day, Elianna cheerfully jumped onto the bed, landing stomach first. She hummed happily and kicked her feet in the air as she pulled her telemirror out of her spatial ring and pushed magic into it while thinking of Nicholas. A moment later, Elianna smiled wide as his image appeared. "Hey, Nick!"

  Nicholas returned her smile. "Hey, Lia. Parents leave already?"

  Elianna nodded, seeing Nicholas' hair was a little wet, and concluded he had just gotten out of the shower, "Yeah. Wanna come over and hang out?"

  "Sure," Nicholas chirped and placed the mirror down.

  Elianna's smile faded, and her cheeks reddened heavily, seeing Nicholas standing there shirtless. He looked up, obviously looking at his bathroom mirror, as he brushed his hair to the side with his hand. She looked to the side, trying to hide her blush, with her eyes periodically darting between her telemirror and her wall.

  "I'll be over shortly," Nicholas said and looked at Elianna with a smile.

  Elianna nodded and cleared her throat, continuing to look to the side. "C-Cool. I'll probably be in the gym practicing, so meet me there."

  Nicholas nodded. " That sounds good." His lips curled slightly. "And I have a little surprise for when I get there."

  Elianna fully looked at the mirror, eyeing Nicholas curiously, "What is it?"

  Nicholas smirked. "You'll see."

  Elianna raised a brow and was about to ask when Nicholas reached out and cut off the communication. Seeing her reflection staring back at her, Elianna shrugged and placed her telemirror back into her spatial ring.

  Excitedly, Elianna hopped out of bed and put her shoes and socks on before heading downstairs. She walked into the gym and made her way to the center, where she did her quick stretches, making sure she was limber.

  After she stretched out, Elianna took her sword out of her spatial ring and got into an attack stance. She stood still momentarily before lunging forward and slicing at the air. She moved fluidly as she waved her blade in different horizontal and vertical patterns, all the while moving her body. While training with a target dummy was effective, she also found that shadow sparring, which she was currently doing, helped with maintaining and developing her technique.

  With another swing of her sword, Elianna decided to practice augmentation. She pushed mana through her limbs, and her movement speed instantly increased. Like an ocean current, she moved smoothly back and forth in the center of the gym, fighting against her imaginary opponent.

  With another thrust of her sword, Elianna coated her blade with ice magic before bringing her sword back and delivering a vertical slice. She spun around, delivering a horizontal slash, before performing another thrust attack. Elianna stilled, with her eyes flicking to a dummy across the room.

  Wanting to practice her ranged attack, Elianna brought her sword back, and ice magic swirled around her blade. With her eyes locked on the dummy, she slashed her sword horizontally, launching an ice spike at it. Elianna watched the ice spike intently and grinned, seeing it was going to hit its mark with deadly precision. However, her eyes widened as a mana shield formed in front of the dummy, blocking the ice attack.

  Elianna's lips curled into a blissful smile as the mana shield dissipated. She stood straight and turned around, with her eyes falling on Nicholas, who was standing casually behind her with a grin.

  "Nick!" Elianna chirped.

  Elianna stored her sword in her spatial ring and lunged forward. Nicholas let out an oof sound as Elianna took him into a tight hug.

  Nicholas chuckled and returned the hug, "Nice swordsmanship."

  "Thanks!" Elianna said happily as they broke the hug. She looked at him curiously, "So?"

  Nicholas raised a brow, "So, what?"

  Elianna gave him a deadpan look, "What's the surprise?"

  Nicholas smiled brightly as he gestured to himself, "I achieved my third circle!"

  Elianna's eyes widened before she moved forward and gave him another hug, "Oh my gosh! Congrats!!"

  "Thanks," Nicholas said contently, returning the hug.

  They broke the hug, and Elianna looked at him inquisitively, "Did you achieve it last night?"

  Nicholas smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Aunt Freya was helping me practice with my new staff, and I unlocked it while working on my core."

  Elianna smiled jovially. "I'm glad! Congrats, Nick. I know you've been working hard to break past the second circle."

  "Thank you," Nicholas said proudly. He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Though, now it feels like there is so much more room in my mana core. It feels harder to refine and progress."

  Elianna nodded. "Yeah, I noticed the same thing when I reached my third star. My father told me that individuals usually find their mana core progression slows around the third level due to the mana core growing as you get stronger. So don't be surprised if it takes you longer to reach the fourth level."

  "Say's the girl who already reached the fourth level," Nick jested.

  Elianna chuckled and shrugged, "Maybe I'm just special."

  Nicholas genuinely smiled. "I have no doubt about that."

  Elianna's brows raised, her stomach fluttered, and her cheeks heated.

  Nicholas' eyes widened slightly, with a tinge of red forming on his cheeks. He quickly cleared his throat and took his grimoire out. "But, uh, yeah. My aunt told me the same thing. The stronger you get, the longer your mana core progression will take." He flipped through the pages and smiled. "Though, now that I have reached the third circle, there is a lot more I can do."

  Elianna stared at Nicholas for a moment, admiring him. Her soft-looking lips curled into a soft smile, and she felt warmth in her chest. "Like what?"

  Nicholas looked at her and grinned. "Like this."

  Nicholas put his grimoire back into the spatial ring while taking his staff out. He stood straight, and the mana gem on the staff began to glow. A moment later, wind magic swirled around Nicholas like a cloak, and his feet slightly lifted off the ground.

  Elianna's eyes widened, "Y-You can fly?!"

  Nicholas chuckled and shook his head, "No, not yet. This is a spell called glide. It allows me to levitate a little off the ground with wind magic and move swiftly. Watch."

  Elianna watched as Nicholas leaned back, and the wind surrounding Nicholas swiftly and quickly carried him backward. As he shifted to the right, he then glided to the right. Elianna chuckled and smiled comically as she watched Nicholas glide quickly around her before coming to a stop where he was when he first cast the spell.

  Elianna smiled and clapped, "Not bad." She grinned, "Maybe now you can win at tag."

  Nicholas narrowed his eyes on her and smirked, "Well, you would need to see me to tag me."

  Elianna's brows furrowed, "Huh? What do you—"

  Elianna's eyes widened as Nicholas disappeared in a flash of green light. She stepped back in shock and quickly looked around. A moment later, Elianna yelped as Nicholas appeared beside her in another flash of green light."

  "Y-You..." Elianna stuttered. "Did you just teleport?"

  Nicholas laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I just turned invisible." He curiously glanced to the side and said, "Actually, I don't think there is a teleport spell. I know there is a portal one, though."

  Elianna stared at Nicholas in awe, "T-That's incredible."

  Nicholas looked at Elianna and smiled, "Thanks! My aunt said that reaching the third circle opens up many new things for mages. We can use nature magic to a higher degree at the third circle for better healing spells or illusions, like the invisibility spell."

  Elianna smiled, "Wanna show me more third-circle magic?"

  Nicholas smiled eagerly, "You sure? There's a lot. It could take a while."

  Elianna nodded, "I'm sure. We have all day." She blushed slightly. "Plus, I always love watching you practice."

  Nicholas smiled happily, "Alright then. He took out his grimoire and handed it to Elianna. Pick a spell."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas curiously, "You want me to pick?"

  Nicholas nodded, "Yeah. You pick, and I cast. Deal?"

  Elianna's lips curled. She loved how excited Nicholas looked. In truth, she was excited, too, because she would get to see more magic, which she loved, all of which was from Nicholas himself.

  Elianna gleefully nodded, "Deal."

  ***

  Lucian stared grimly at the report in front of him, "Damn it." He looked up, his gaze darting between the leaders of the Tri-Union mage and knight orders sitting at the table. "So, after everything, we found nothing?" He looked at Matilda, who was sitting beside him, "Absolutely nothing?"

  Matilda sighed and shook her head, "Nope. The trails our scouts were following have gone cold. We lost all trace of the Infernal Cult."

  Maurus cleared his throat, "I also received reports from Gavaria, Duridie, and Thearyah. They're all reporting the same thing. They've lost all leads."

  Lucian cursed and leaned back into his chair, glaring at the report, "So, they've gone back underground."

  "Good riddance," Alric scoffed.

  Matilda scowled at him, "This isn't good." Alric looked confused. "Now, we are completely in the dark. We have no leads, no information, nothing. Now, if they decide to attack again, we won't know until it happens."

  Lucian grimaced and shook his head, "It's not a question of if." Everyone at the table looked at him. Lucian's eyes narrowed, "It's a question of when."