Secrets of Elemental Kingdoms

The Unseen Pull

An Encounter That Defies Fate

Lucian's POV:

Standing by the window, my thoughts drifted to that new girl I had heard about earlier from my friends. It was unusual—I wasn't one to fixate on anyone, especially someone I hadn't even seen yet. But from the moment my friends had mentioned her, she'd occupied my thoughts in an unexplainable way.

All day, through classes and on the combat field, my mind kept trailing back to her. No matter how I tried to push the thought away, her presence lingered in my head, an uninvited distraction I couldn't seem to shake. Why was I even thinking about her?

Zane and Ryker were sitting on the other side of the room, talking about something trivial, but I wasn't listening. My gaze was fixed on the world outside, trying to make sense of the inexplicable pull I felt toward her.

"Lucian, you're barely paying attention, man," Ryker said, his voice snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, what's got you so distracted?" Zane added, leaning back in his chair, looking at me with an amused expression.

I grunted, unwilling to admit that the girl had completely hijacked my mind. I turned my attention back to the window, my eyes scanning the campus grounds.

I wasn't sure what I was searching for, but there was an undeniable urge to see her, to understand why she had become such a focal point in my thoughts.

As if on cue, I caught a glimpse of something—or rather, someone—standing on the balcony of one of the rooms in the North Dormitory, where the air elementals were housed. My heart skipped a beat. There she was, that new girl, standing at the balcony with a faint, almost ethereal glow surrounding her in the dim light.

Zane and Ryker, sensing my shift in attention, both leaned over to look out the window, following my gaze.

"That's her, right?" Zane asked, squinting as he tried to get a better look at her.

I didn't answer immediately, my focus solely on the girl. She was looking in our direction, as though sensing our eyes on her, but the night was too dark to make out any details of her face. I could barely see the outline of her figure, but there was something magnetic about her stance, something that called to me.

"Yeah, that's the new girl," Ryker added, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity. "What's up with you, Lucian? You've been looking out that window for what feels like forever."

I didn't know how to respond, so I just stood there, rooted to the spot. There was something about her—something strange. I didn't know what it was, but it was undeniable.

My friends chatted amongst themselves, but I remained silent, staring out the window as if I were waiting for something to happen. She tried to look at me, but after a few moments, she seemed to retreat, disappearing from view. My heart sank slightly, a feeling of unspoken disappointment settling over me.

"Lucian, are we going to dinner or not?" Zane's voice broke through his reverie.

I finally tore my gaze away from the window. "Yeah, let's go," I muttered, though my mind was still on the girl.

We made our way to the mess hall. As me and my friends entered the mess hall, a familiar hush fell over the room. The students' eyes turned toward us, a mix of awe and curiosity written on their faces, but I wasn't paying attention to them.

My mind was still locked on the girl—the new girl—whose image refused to leave me. I scanned the room, hoping to catch another glimpse of her.

And then, there she was.