Aeonia

Chapter Four

The week passed quickly. Aelia was appalled by all the knowledge she had learned in her new lessons. Aelia quickly found herself fascinated watching her classmates in Core-Gifts class, even if she still hadn't discovered what her gift was yet. Leilani and Jaspa had been supportive, making her feel comfortable during and outside of lessons. Nevertheless, it still didn't make her forget that she was unable to participate in what seemed to be the most fun lesson.

Nerissa was still showing a hard front towards Aelia, however, and she wasn't sure what to do about it. It had been terribly disheartening to witness, until Malcom reassured Aelia that Nerissa just needed time to accustom herself towards people. He mentioned that she hadn't exactly had it easy, and that knowledge only brought more questions into Aelia's mind. Not wanted to pry – and annoy Nerissa more – she pushed her questions to the back of her mind, deciding that Nerissa would open up when she was comfortable to.

Combat was by far the most frustrating subject Aelia had to participate in. Two of the boys, Greyson and Freyr (who seemed to be hunks of muscle and cockiness), had been endlessly taunting Aelia in not-so-subtle ways that clearly communicated their message. This ended up with Aelia visiting Finian in the Clinic more than she had hoped for, knocked around with various injuries. But if only, it helped create a bond between the two, making him feel more like an older brother.

After finishing her first week and having barely seen the entire campus, Aelia told her friends that she wanted to 'Explore a bit,' and headed off on her own. Jaspa and Leilani had Core-Gifts homework, something that pushed Aelia's annoyance to the extreme, as she hadn't been given any due to not having discovered her gift yet. Huffing about the class she so dearly wanted to be able to boast about participating in, Aelia left them to work.

Looking back at her friends as she wandered away from them, she admired their friendship, the way Jaspa was always sharing a joke, and caring Leilani, always checking in on Aelia. She couldn't ask for better friends.

This warm Saturday morning, she was wanting an adventure, some kind of escape. Somewhere to go and learn something useful. Unsure where she could find all that, Aelia pointed herself in a random direction, and roamed around. She passed multiple buildings, still astounded by the architecture, even after seeing them every day. Being there for a week had only made Aelia become more intrigued by the similarities between Lundor and the descriptions of Ancient Greece.

A building was drawn faintly in the back of her mind, and she instantly knew she wanted to check it out. Remembering the path Aelia, Jaspa and Leilani took from the Clinic when showing her around, Aelia eventually found the building she had been looking for.

"Harna ti Iliana," Aelia whispered softly, imagining someone capturing light.

It was an odd statement, and it only increased her curiosity to find out more about the building. Imagining the endless possibilities of what the building could be about, she opened the door. It had a light, sparkling golden sheen covering the entrance. But it sparked Aelia's curiosity more when she realised that it wasn't a room past the sheen. Instead, it was a beautiful beach setting, tempting Aelia to go for a beautiful swim and relax in the sand. Tilting her head in confusion, Aelia slowly reached out to tentatively touch the golden coating. As soon as her hand made contact, a warm and welcoming feeling spread through her arm, sending a tingling sensation into her nerves as she embraced the feeling. Pushing her hand through the golden covering, Aelia's scream was forced into silence as her lungs constricted tightly, her vision going pitch black.

After the feeling drifted away, Aelia built the confidence to open her eyes and inhale deeply. Searching around her, she admired the oceanic landscape. There was an overwhelming scent of salt in the air, lingering around her as she knelt down to glide her fingers across the warm sand. Looking up, the sky was clear, but half of it was being blocked by a tall cliff-face that you'd have to be crazy to climb up. Whistling through her teeth, Aelia turned back to face the water to find another way back to Fortuna Institute, only to find a muscular chest blocking her vision.