xxxi
1038 Words
Leon scanned the crowd, eyes sharp and focused, hoping to spot the marked one. But so far, there was nothing. No sign of her. His group decided to split up and search in different areas to cover more ground.
“Leon,” Esther called, walking beside him. Leon glanced at her, then looked back at the road ahead.
“Can we stop for a little, please?” she asked, her voice a bit tired. Leon let out a sigh.
“Es, you should’ve gone with Theodore,” he said, keeping his pace steady.
“Gods, I hate how dense you were,” she said.
Esther frowned and walked a little faster to stay ahead of him. Leon watched her for a moment and shook his head.
He knew Esther had feelings for him. It wasn’t hard to tell, but he had never returned those feelings. To him, she was like a younger sister—someone he cared about, but not in the way she wished. He couldn’t allow anything to distract him. This mission meant everything to him. Finding the marked one and bringing her to their leader was his only goal.
Later that day, the group met at their designated meeting spot. One by one, they reported back.
“Nothing on my end,” said Theodore.
“I didn’t see anything either,” added Clayton's.
“Same here,” Esther mumbled, avoiding Leon’s eyes.
Leon clenched his fists. Time was running out, and still, they hadn’t found her.
“We keep looking,” he said. “She’s here. I can feel it,” he added. The group nodded in silent agreement, ready to continue the search.
Out in the field, Celestia dropped to the ground, exhausted. Her chest rose and fell quickly, and her arms felt like jelly. She could barely open her eyes.
“This is alright,” Freya said gently, kneeling beside her and helping her sit up. “You did great today. Three rare spells in one session? I told you, your magic was special,” she added.
Just then, Adelaide arrived with a water container in her hand and a basket of food.
“I brought some water and food,” she said, handing it over. Celestia quickly took it and drank like she hadn’t tasted water in days.
“What happened?” Adelaide asked, noticing how tired Celestia looked.
“I taught her rare magic,” Freya answered calmly. Adelaide’s eyes widened.
“Freya, most of those spells are dangerous… Even for skilled witches,” she said.
“I know,” Freya replied. “But Celestia isn’t just any witch. She’s the marked one. Her power is far beyond normal,” she added.
Adelaide let out a long sigh and knelt next to her niece, brushing a bit of hair away from Celestia’s sweaty face.
“Are you alright? Was the lesson too much?” she asked softly.
Celestia gave a small smile, though her body still felt heavy.
“It was tough… really tough,” she admitted. “But I’m okay. I want to learn more,” she added.
Adelaide and Freya exchanged a glance. They both saw the fire in her eyes—even in her weakness, Celestia wanted to grow stronger.
“Just rest there, Celestia. Your Aunt Adelaide and I are going to talk over there,” Freya said, pointing to a tree nearby. Celestia nodded and lay down on the large cloth Adelaide had brought earlier.
Freya gently pulled Adelaide by the arm and walked with her to the tree. Once they stopped, Freya crossed her arms and faced her friend.
“What?” Adelaide asked, confused.
“What’s going on with you and Jeremiah?” Freya asked, raising an eyebrow. “Woman, you’ve been real friendly with him lately. That was a shocking scene to witness,” she added.
Adelaide quickly looked away.
“Nothing, okay? I just decided to be civil. He’s helping us right now, and I think it’s only right to be nice,” she said.
Freya didn’t look convinced. Her eyebrows stayed raised, and she stared at Adelaide.
“You’re hiding something,” she said in a teasing voice.
Before Adelaide could say anything else, they both looked toward the forest where the men started coming out. They were all sweaty, shirtless, and clearly tired from the sparring Freya had plan for them. She smirked.
“Look at that,” she said. “You boys really listened to me,” she added.
Dwayne smiled proudly while Flint nodded, wiping sweat off his forehead. Kieran didn’t say anything—he just sighed and walked straight to Celestia. Seeing her already fast asleep, Kieran slowly lay beside her, careful not to wake her up. He gently placed his arm under her head and watched her face as she slept peacefully.
A small smile formed on his lips. She looked calm and safe. And in that moment, that was all he wanted.
Meanwhile, Leon found himself walking near the field where Celestia had gone, but his brows pulled together when he noticed there were guards standing around it. He stepped forward, curious, but was stopped right away.
“You’re not allowed to go past this point. The Governor strictly forbids it,” one of the guards said firmly.
“What? But isn’t this a public place?” Leon asked, frowning. The guard gave a short nod.
“Yes, it usually is. But not today. We were told to keep everyone out,” he said.
Leon narrowed his eyes, now more curious than ever. Something important was happening in that field, and he wanted to know what.
Leon turned around and started walking slowly when he saw Esther coming his way from her search to find the marked one.
“You can make them sleep, right?” Leon asked. Esther quickly understood what he meant and nodded.
“Then do it,” he said.
Esther whispered her magic spell and aimed it at the guards. In just seconds, the guards fell to the ground, fast asleep. When Esther gave the signal, Leon quickly moved forward, and they entered the field.
Leon couldn’t stop the smile on his face. He finally saw her — the marked one.
- Writer
