The Queen Of Death and Ruins

To Drop A Mask

"I thought you said you weren't good at this!" Caelum laughed between ragged breaths.

"You're an exceptionally good teacher." I beamed.

Hours must have gone by because when I looked up at the sky, the gloomy gray clouds were now replaced with the dark starry night of Coleste. In the back of my mind I knew that there was something I needed to do, but I was having too much fun to dwell on it for too long.

With Mr. Blackthorn, my lessons mainly consisted of using the nature around me to conjure and control my magic. Caelum opted for a very different method.

"Attack me." He had said when we first started and I had almost run away. I had thought he was crazy or worse, suicidal, but after a while the exercise turned out to be insanely helpful. He had said that the best way to learn how to control your magic is to stimulate your energy as if you were in battle, and as we ran around attacking each other, using shadows and moonlight to fight each other off, I was surprised to find out that he had a point. I had never felt so powerful, so in control.  It was like the magic that had been suppressed for years inside of me finally burst out and enveloped me in an invisible halo. I could feel it running through my veins, tingling in my spine and exploding out of my fingertips. I had even managed to burn a big chunk of his coat using nothing but a concentrated beam of light. He was very proud of that.

"I never thought magic could be so fun." I sighed in contentment.

For as long as I have been here at the academy, not a day had gone by without me stressing about the fact that I was a Mystic that could not control her element. I worried about my inability to conjure my magic at will, I got anxious when I couldn't feel the energy in my core and I cried myself to sleep for endless nights as I thought about giving up the magical life. I had thought I was a failure as a Mystic, that somehow someone made a mistake and gave me magic that simply did not belong to me.

But this evening, everything was different.

I could feel my magic in every cell and every crevice in my body. My power felt like my own shadow, following my every move naturally and without being forced out of me. I had won my first fake magic battle and had the best time in a long time, and it was all thanks to Caelum.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." He smiled warmly at me.

Under the light of the stars, he looked even more heavenly than he did in daylight and my mind briefly flashed to a dream I had a while ago. I felt the blood rush to my face as the sensation of his lips on mine crashed into the forefront of my mind, and I cleared my throat in an attempt to clear the fog.

Caelum was thankfully unaware of my inner turmoil as he took a few steps closer to me. "We should do this again, I have a lot more to teach you."

"I would love that," I whispered, afraid my voice would betray my unstable state of mind.

"You did great, Nyx." His warm smile never left his features. "You should be proud of yourself." His voice was deep yet warm, sending shivers down my skin.

He slowly lifted his arm towards my face and for a second I could swear my heart stopped beating. I stood frozen, barely able to breathe as he swiped his thumb against my cheek gently. “Dirt," He said with a smile when he was done and dropped his hand. I nodded in understanding, suddenly my face felt cold and deserted without his touch.

What the hell was happening to me?

"Let's meet up here tomorrow!" Caelum suggested cheerfully and I immediately perked up. "At around 4 P.M?"

"Yeah that sounds great!" I nodded. "But maybe don't wear something so fancy, I already feel terrible about your coat."

The sound of his melodious laugh rang through the silent night and I couldn't help but feel proud to have changed his mood.