Konna

~Chapter 22~

Crack! The crystal ball shattered into hundreds of pieces across the wooden podium. The entire hall was completely silent. It was soo silent one could hear a pin drop. I began to panic. I looked around at the pillars to see a single pillar glow a dull brown colour before fading. I silently sighed in relief before panicking again on what to do with the broken crystal ball.

"Cough cough," a voice sounded. "Help me out!" Startled, I looked down towards the source of the voice. All that was visible was a blanket of crystal pieces. I used my finger to move away the pieces. As they fell away, a small dragon's head poked through. It blinked it's golden eyes at me. It then wiggled free before floating in the air beside me.

"It feels soo good to be free," the dragon said. I stared at it dumbfounded. It looked identical to the dragon I saw during my elemental affinity test. What exactly was going on?

"Impossible. It's impossible," Sylvia exclaimed in disbelief as she looked at the crystal ball remains and then at me. Worried, I asked the little dragon quietly, "can she see you?" The little dragon shook its head. "The only person who can see me is you," explained the little dragon.

Sylvia walked towards the shattered pieces of the crystal ball. The moment she picked up a piece, it flew out of her hand as if it were sucked away by some force. The pieces merged together to form a blooming lotus flower before vanishing.

I looked guiltily at Sylvia. The crystal ball looked very expensive to replace. I could feel the soul leave from my empty wallet filled with cobwebs. "I'm really sorry. How much does one crystal ball cost?" I asked meekly. With each word my voice became a bit quieter until it had become a whisper.

"Never mind that. What exactly did you experience? I've never heard of a case where a crystal ball shattered," questioned Sylvia. Her blue eyes stared intently at me, as if she were peering into my soul.

The little dragon hovered next to my shoulder. It said in a warning tone, "you mustn't tell her or anyone about my existence. I'll give you a proper explanation at a more suitable time. But until then, trust me."

I took a deep breath to compose myself. I then began to recount the events I had experienced. But I kept the little dragon's existence a secret.

"I woke up in a cave with a statue of a goddess. There were 6 orbs behind her, each representing a different element. Each elemental orb disappeared except for the earth orb. Curious, I touched the earth orb. When I returned back to reality the crystal ball had already shattered."

"Is that all that happened?" Sylvia asked suspiciously. She leaned closer to me. She was so close that I could feel her warm breath against my face. It felt both ticklish and uncomfortable. I took a step back.

"Everything I've said is the complete truth," I lied with a straight face. The candidates began to debate amongst themselves, trying to guess the cause. Whilst Sylvia didn't completely believe me, she couldn't find any fault with my words. After pondering for a while, she conceded.

"Alright then. Let's proceed with the test. Congratulations on awakening tier 1 earth magic," stated Sylvia. She then produced another crystal ball from her storage ring and placed it down where the old one once was. Seeing that Sylvia didn't press for compensation for the broken crystal ball, I heaved a sigh of relief.

As I walked off the stage with Renna, I felt an intense stare. I turned around to see an elder looking at me with a strange gaze. Her amber eyes were shaped like a cat's. Even her pupil had slits making her seem not quite human. She had long brown hair that was tied up into two low messy buns. Upon noticing my gaze, she smiled back warmly. It felt like she could see me looking at her from behind my blindfold. Feel unnerved, I held onto Renna's hand tightly and fled like a frightened bunny back to my seat.