The school of Bermuda - Volume 2 - The Sea Monster

-8-

The two centaur warriors were relieved to see Lulis alive.

"Sorry," apologized the student. "I preferred not to go alone into the forest."

"You did the right thing," replied the horse woman. "Even though you are now a werewolf, you wouldn't have survived. Come, your teachers are looking for you."

Lulis nodded, embraced his friends, and climbed onto the back of the centaur who blew into a wooden horn to alert the others before leaving with his comrade, taking the lost human with them.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Lulis!"

Lili and Ree both threw themselves at their friend who fell backwards. Izãdo stayed behind but sighed with relief.

"You smell really bad," Ree remarked, moving away.

"Ah... a kappa child absolutely insisted on hugging me," his friend apologized.

Professor Howler approached as well, kneeling to be at eye level with Lulis.

"I'm terribly sorry," he murmured. "I feel so guilty."

"It's not your fault, it wasn't your own will."

"But now you're a werewolf too."

"Will you teach me to control myself?"

"Of course."

"We have to go back now," Viktor said, pulling his hood over his head. "The rain spell was very successful Lili, but it's still too bright for me."

They thanked the centaurs again and headed together towards the school, just as a new tremor shook the island.

"I hope the monster stays quiet during Pall elus training," Ree remarked. "We're in the air, but imagine if the stadium collapses."

~~~~~~~

After this incident, classes were able to continue without further problems.

Ree was chosen to represent their year in the races, and she jumped for joy.

"By the way," Lili asked, "who won last year?"

"The fifth years," the prince answered. "But no one paid attention, Drovella was furious."

"Drovella?"

"Drovella Einerson. The older sister of the triplets," Lulis explained. "She was chosen for the fifth year. But since you were in the forest, no one cared about her victory, we were too worried about you."

"But you thought I was dead."

"No," Ree interrupted. "Because that albino guy kept appearing and pointing at the forest, as if to tell us to go find you."

Who exactly was this albino guy, Alonzo? Lili pushed him out of her mind. She had more important things to think about.

During their free time, she questioned her magic book about the Leviathan or went to the library to do some research on him. Worried at first about this obsession, her friends eventually joined her in her searches, whether it was Ree, Izãdo, Lulis, or even Charity, Victoire, Sissy, Auruo, Luil, or Khalil. They all eagerly searched for where the Leviathan could be. Doan Namarié, the school librarian and non-magical twin brother of the headmistress, eventually asked them why they came so often, trying to find as many books on the subject as possible and even helping them a little.

Lili closed another book and dropped her head on the table.

"We'll never find it..."

"Calm down," Ree murmured. "Come on, let's take advantage of the last days of summer to cool off. The monster is too big for the depths, so as long as we stay close to the beach, we're safe."

After a moment of hesitation, Lili agreed, following her friend to the courtyard and then to the beach for hot days.

A few students were already there, enjoying the sun by swimming. The half-fairy Ree, Lulis, and Izãdo joined them, but the prince preferred to stay on the sand, dry.

After an hour of swimming, Ree ran towards him to pull him into the water, even though he struggled with rage.

"I don't want to swim!" the prince shouted.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the monster," the blonde teased. "I said it, it won't attack in this area!"

She managed to pull him until his feet were in ankle-deep water, but Izãdo fought back, panicked, and managed to make her let go before running back to dry land. Ree wanted to attack again, but Lili stopped her and approached Izãdo.

"It's not the monster.. You're afraid of the water, aren't you?"

The prince clenched his teeth, sitting in the sand, he brought his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs.

"I was seven years old... when Karel Mause killed my mother," he murmured. "We were by the sea, watching the horizon from a cliff when he arrived. My mother ordered me to run while she engaged in combat with him, but I was too close to the edge, I fell into the water, it's a miracle I didn't crash into the rocks."

"But how did you get out?" Lili asked.

"I almost drowned... But when I was running out of air, someone dived in and brought me up to put me on the beach further away. Lili, it was your father who saved my life."

The half-fairy widened her eyes. Why would he kill the queen and then save Izãdo? It was incomprehensible.

"I dream of the day when I will face Karel Mause myself," the prince continued. "I'm burning to ask him why he pulled me out of the water that day. If you ever fight him before I do, please ask him for me, will you?"

Ree, Lulis, and Lili exchanged a glance before making the promise to their friend.

The hunter's behavior had been more than strange that day. Lili didn't understand why her father had acted that way, even though she was grateful to him for saving Izãdo's life.

Stretching, she finally got up, inviting her friends to do the same.

This little moment at the beach had been beneficial, they had been able to relax and rest.

Tomorrow, they would resume their Pall elus training.