Radiance - The Alight Archives Book #1

63. The Melody of Nature

Tears streamed down Fearne's face, moistening the patches of grass beneath her tightly clenched fists. The sound of heavy footsteps grew louder, and when she threw back a glance, Fearne locked eyes with the auburn-haired girl who was making deliberate strides toward her. With each exhale, a cloudy breath escaped from Adeline's parted lips.

Fearne caught sight of Simon further away, where he was carefully propping up an unconscious Riktar next to a sturdy galbora tree, right near a jagged cluster of stellarium. The red glow of Riktar's weak point had vanished, indicating that Simon had indeed seen to his elimination, and with him out of the equation, Fearne knew she couldn't rely on any of her teammates to help during the exam.

Amidst her frantic escape, Fearne had failed to fully absorb the towering, steaming columns of ice ensnaring two of her teammates—Max and Lily—with expressions of horror permanently etched on their faces. It was a stark display of power—the kind possessed by an expert sorcerer, a talent against which she was utterly defenseless.

Fearne had never considered herself a fighter. This realization struck her early on when she was just an unnamed orphan at St. Helena's. Even the slightest sight of her sister crushing a spider under a book made her feel sick. The thought of violence and death repulsed her profoundly. Choosing the path of a Medical Mage, dedicated to healing lives rather than taking them, seemed like the only natural way for her to meaningfully utilize her magic.

And then, she was accepted into Glyph Academy. Thrilled though she was initially, little did Fearne know that stepping onto the campus would mark the beginning of a grueling fight for survival. Fearne's jaw tightened, and the pressure inside her built as she clenched her teeth forcefully, tears streaming down her face like relentless pellets of water.

She was weak.

She was an outsider.

She was a halfbreed.

But by far, the most pathetic aspect of herself, she reconciled, was that she was utterly helpless to challenge life's severity. How could she, in any way, shape, or form, be made a Medical Mage if she couldn't even defend herself? That question, why, it tugged on the back of her head whenever she'd the braid of her ponytail in her hands, whenever she contemplated if what she was doing was all for nothing. Would she add being a disappointment to the long list of imperfections that blemished her?

"Get up," a voice said.

Fearne closed in on herself and shook her head. "...I...I can't. I'm too weak...I'm just a..."

"Get up, Fearne." The realization struck Fearne like a bolt of lightning, making her aware that the voice she had heard didn't belong to Adeline. As she turned around on the grass, her eyes damp with emotion, she was stunned to see Elaine standing between herself and Adeline, who had since stopped in her tracks, her pale blue eyes filled with tension.

Fearne had to gulp before she was able to speak. "El...Elaine?" 

Her unmistakable fair skin, streaming blonde hair, and kind blue eyes, along with her confident, hopeful smile, identified her as...yes, this was, without a doubt, Elaine Harwood. Fearne couldn't help but observe the golden aura enveloping her, highlighting her roommate in a veil of light. So intense was its shine that Fearne half-expected to be blinded by its radiance if she continued to gawking with eyes peeled open.

But...But what was Elaine doing here? Fearne hadn't detected anybody else's Essence Signature—discounting Adeline and Simon's, of course—yet there she was, poising an assertive stance with her Common Wand equipped in her dominant hand. 

Did she overhear their confrontation and choose to intervene? It wouldn't be surprising, considering her selfless nature. After all, she was willing to risk her place at Glyph Academy for a mage she'd befriended just two days earlier. Why? Fearne thought to herself with gritted teeth. Why are you like this?!