GLASS || The Catalysts Series, #1

XXIII || Strength

Lena weaves through the muttering crowds of students dressed neatly in royal black, her heart racing and her head pounding. Everything around her is nothing but a blur. Her fists are clenched white, her teeth gritted as she stomps the hall aimlessly, the sole purpose to turn away from that arrogant girl.

She tries desperately to push the words coated with poison away.

How dare she —

A blue-white light. Celeste appears within milliseconds right in front of Lena, her bright, innocent green eyes wide. Lena halts, but isn't surprised.

"Hey, hey. Don't let Azalea get to you."

"I'm not," Lena denies, but still she struggles not to yell out loud. "But she —"

"Thinks she's the queen. The best. I know." Celeste sighs, and somehow Lena is calmer with her words voicing the thoughts in her own head. Lena relaxes her shoulders. "She is the most powerful girl in the Academy, though, so no one dares oppose her. But that doesn't mean what she does — running around taunting students and giving out threats like she's the top of the food chain — is right at all. Sorry for not asking before, but, you're new, right?"

"Yes," Lena says, exasperated. "It's only my first day and so much has happened. Celeste, I'm sorry I asked your brother for that duel. Maybe if he refuses, I can cancel —"

Celeste grips Lena's hands with both of hers so tightly and suddenly that Lena stops, startled. "Please, Lena. Listen."

Lena takes a deep breath, then looks Celeste in the eye. Strangely, the storm brewing in her sea green eyes that mirrors the storm her brother is capable of creating calms Lena more than anything can. Her mind eases. Celeste is genuinely kind when she smiles softly.

"I don't care about Azalea," Celeste begins slowly. "My brother can beat her in a blink of an eye. They've never been in a fight head on, but she has never dared challenged him — she knows."

"Then why did she —"

Celeste holds up her forefinger near Lena's mouth to silence her. "Azalea is a schemer, Lena. She is a ruler. If this be an empire, she'll be the empress, what with her tactics. Arcane Academy is practically under her reign since Nova has no sense of anything at all but to try and beat Caelus while my brother is simply hopelessly indifferent or just unbothered by what's going on around him. That brings us to why she challenged you. You need to know Azalea's rarely challenged anyone. But whenever she's duelled, she never lost once."

Yes, Lena remembers Azalea saying she hardly challenges anyone at all. She said it herself. Proudly, apparently. But never losing once? Lena isn't sure if feeling amazed at her opponent is appropriate.

At Lena's dumbstruck face, Celeste hurriedly adds, "She isn't savage. Like I said, her strength is in her technique. Her ability isn't exactly strong, but she is intelligent. That's how she fights. Anyway, back to you. She must have challenged you for a reason. I'm in no position to ask or butt in your business, but whatever it is, find your own strength."

"My own strength?" Lena asks dumbly.

Celeste nods, letting go of Lena's hands, both of which that fall numbly at her sides. The girl gives her a wink as she slowly disappears in the crowd. She gives a brief wave and says behind a shoulders, "Caelus can handle both of them. But I'm sure you'd want to show the queen what you've got, too."

With that, she leaves Lena alone in a sea of students making their way through the labyrinth of the Academy.

As Lena, like many other students, try to navigate through the many hallways and corridors in addition to the randomly appearing doors along the walls, she thinks about what Celeste said.