you're incredibly wicked

31: waning gibbous in cancer

Nikolai was deep in thought as he watched the sunrise. The thought of what he told her in the fast few weeks was staring to catch up to him. There was a few truths that he hadn't had the courage to talk about. If Serena heard him talk about them, then he worried that she would lose all hope and faith in him. 

After her first morning lecture, he and her met up at an intersection where both of their classes intersected at. The halls were strangly dead, but due to the fact that the Magic Exams would be happening later in the month. It was now November, and time seemed to fly by when Nikolai was with Serena. 

"Hey." Serena said shyly.

"Hi."

The two walked in silence down the hall.

"There has been something in my mind that I wanted to tell you about, and to be truthful I'm afraid that you'll think of me in a negative light."

"Nikolai.... why would you ever think such a thing?"

He took a breath to calm down his nerves.

"It's not that simple to break down. I never told anybody about this at all, since I never really had any friends that I trusted enough."

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's ok. You don't have to."

"That's the thing. I have to tell you."

"Whenever you're ready. I'm all ears."

Nikolai sighed and took a deep breath.

"I wasn't actually born in Palato. The parents I told you about were never my true parents. To tell you the truth, I don't actually know too much about where I'm from. All that I was told was that my true parents passed away when I was a baby and I was found on a doorstep in a basket in Palato with the words "Nikolai. Reve de moi ce soir." Who knows if Reve is my actual last name? I assumed that it was my whole life."

"Wow. Truly, I'm sorry that you've been going through that. Did you ever find anything about your parents?"

Nikolai shook his head.

"All I can assume was that they were extremly powerful and potentially lived in an estate near the castle. But, I could never find any information. That's what I would do when we had breaks in the academy: I would travel to various cities, pick up a random job for a cook, and do my research. All of my theories seemed to fall flat, as nobody knew anybody with my last name."

"Really? How long have you been searching for the truths?"

"My entire life. It was the one question I could never find the answer to. At one point, I assumed that I could've been part of the royal family. But, as the legend goes, henchmen killed all three of them. The mother, father, and the child. Even then, nobody knew if the child was a boy or a girl. It was a Grozinian royal tradition: they would not tell the Grozianians about the child until they were 18 months old in case the child passes away from infection. Their child was 6 months old."

"Reve? I may have heard the last name. But, they passed away before I was born."

"They must be in heaven. Living a peaceful life."

"Unless, like you said: Reve may not be your true last name. It could be another name and everybody had adapted to calling you Nikolai Reve."

"It just sounds like a bunch of pappycock to me at the end. Besides, even if I was the prince of Grozine, I wouldn't think that I would live up to the expectations of many. Also, look at me. Do I look like a prince to you?"

"Of course, you're absolutely magical."

Nikolai sighed.

"And you're astronomically beautiful. That's not the point though. I'm powerful, but would I be capable? Actually, scratch that. Being a royal is not want I want to be in life. All I want is to find closure about my parents and I'd be fine living a simple life. No maisons, mansions, nothing."

"I'm the same way too. I don't want the fanicest things in life. I'd be fine living in a cottage in a more rural setting. To thrive is to find true happiness in a place where you find happiest the easiest to obtain.

"You understand. People think that because we're powerful means that we want only the finest things in life."

"Like instead of dining at an estate, you'd rather get ale at a pub?"

"Exactly! And, cooking at home too."

"When you come here, it's often a competition for the best of the best. There's barely anybody here who is under Levela 3, and even they strive for power and validation."

"That's what I hate about this academy. It's always a competition. With the magical exams coming up, people will either gain a Levela or even lose a Levela. In these walls, it's hard to trust others."

"No wonder. My roommates warned me about the exams. One part is tests, another part is combat, and then there's individual powers as well."

"I know what to expect. And, I know you're studying all of the time when you're not with me or in class. Despite this being your first, I'll be there to cheer you on."

Serena's eyes brightened up.

"I won't let you down! I'll get the top in my ranks for you!"

"You're already at the top of my ranks."

By then, they were talking for so long that they reached a dead end. There was a door that was at the end, windows lined up much of one side of the walls. 

"I thought this place was a myth." Nikolai murmured.

"Myth.... Wait."

"You know what I'm talking about?"

"Of course, behind this door lies the Orb of the Academy. It protects the academy grounds from dark magic in multiple forms. With it taken, then dark magic can seep its way into the academy. However, it's not that easy to take, protected by multiple traps and hidden behind the clock tower."

"How did you learn about it?"

"I read about it. It's a well kept secret, and one that should be kept. Or else, there could be a dark invasion. Hopefully, that doesn't happen anytime soon."

"We should probably get going before the clock tower..."

DING! DING! DING!

The ringing of the clocktower bells was nearly defeaning, Nikolai and Serena had to cover their ears and quickly ran away before they teleported to their next class.