The Realm Protectors

Chapter 52 - Ciana

I grit my teeth in frustration, finishing my last exercise. I collapse into the chair behind me afterward, tired, hungry, and ready to be done.

"Good, Ciana." My physical therapist, Calleah, says with a smile. She makes a mark on her clipboard. "You've made amazing progress these past nine weeks."

"This is my last session, right?" I ask.

"Yup! You're all done. Woo-hoo!" Calleah shakes her fists in the air. "Now you get to go party tonight." She winks. I perk up at the thought.

The last nine weeks have been absolute torture. Between catching up with all my classes, physical therapy for my leg, and normal Right Arch stuff, my days have been jam-packed. I think I've earned myself a night of fancy dresses and loud music.

"Have a good night, your Highness!" Calleah calls after me when I leave. I wave behind me, hurrying back to the Arch Residence. The sun warms my face deliciously, lighting up my veins with delectable power. It's a relief to feel the sun on my face and in my blood, after so many weeks of darkness in my head. Flashes of my comatose dreams rise from my memory, sending chills down my spine. Crows, shadows, oily black. I shove them down with a shudder and keep walking toward Asavanra. I stop by one of the sandwich stands on my way back, since I skip lunch at school to go to physical therapy. I didn't like the idea at first, but then I also realized it meant I got to skip blended physical education, so I was more okay with the timing.

Students crisscross across the main campus of Asavanra Academy, making their way to their physical kinesis classes. I turn the corner and head towards light campus, the pain in my leg limited o minor discomfort. As tedious as physical therapy was, I'm back to normal finally.

Students of all four grades stream through the doors of the Light Facility, making their way to one of the four gyms for class. Fourth sect light elementals make shapes out of light elementals, chasing each other around with light swords and light... balloons?

Not a balloon, I realize with a wince as the fourth sect guy finishes forming his shape. The girls all roll their eyes at him, but the guys all laugh as the one who made the vulgar shape sends it rocketing around the room. Such a child.

I finally reach the first sect gym, hurrying into the locker room to change. It's mostly clear already, all the other first sects changing quickly to prepare for class. I take extra care not to pull anything in my chest as I change my shirt, only wincing a little bit. I can hear Professor Hanlon start to talk out in the gym, so I tie my shoes quickly and hurry out of the locker room.

Hanlon nods when he sees me enter, an encouraging smile on his face. "Today, we're going to really stretch your abilities. Most of you have probably worked a little bit with illusions, but today we're going to see just how good your illusions are." Professor Hanlon waggles his eyebrows in excitement. "Bending light is a powerful tool, and when you do it right..." Hanlon trails off, waving his hands. Light bends around him, reshaping itself until an exact duplicate of Professor Hanlon stands next to the original.

"You can make incredible things happen," Hanlon finishes. Both professors move their mouths, but the sound only comes from the real Hanlon. If I had had my eyes closed when the illusion was created, I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference between them. "If you partner with an air elemental, you can make the illusions even more real with sound amplification."

My classmates make sounds of excitement around me. I try to eavesdrop and see how difficult illusions typically are. Most people seem excited with a hint of nerves, so I'm guessing it's a little bit tricky.

"To help you all find the motivation to do your best, I have prepared a challenge," Professor Hanlon says with a grin. "The person who can create the most realistic illusion will win a special prize."