Without so much as a word, his hand raised, bringing about my attention, and before I even blinked, his palm exploded in light, a glowing blue brightness shining out from his skin, getting brighter and brighter until it outshined the star, and I raised my arm to shield myself from the intensity of it, staggering back, but then it was gone, and his hand lowered.

“What was that?” I wondered, staring bug-eyed at his hand, resting to his side. It was any normal hand, skin and all, and no longer did a light rest there. There was no flashlight or any sort of technology in this world that could trick my eyes with such a feat.

Whatever it was, it was real, and it came from utterly nowhere.

“Magic,” he answered. “I cannot say that I know the real Princess, but you, Eleanor, are now her, and I’d like to believe that you experienced another life while you slept, and maybe now, it was finally time for you to wake up.”

I stood agape, staring up at the sharp edge of his jaw and the black of his brows, eyeing closely the mismatch of his left and right eyes, and no words came to mind. So many things rested on my lips, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Magic? That couldn’t be possible.

“I- Okay. I’m… is that all you can do?” I inquired.

Wren grinned, and the air suddenly felt cold, the area between us beginning to form bubbles in the midst of the air, as if water vapor turned liquid, and before my very eyes, proper water droplets formed midair, as if time had been paused during a rain, and the droplets formed together with the manipulation of his fingers a foot away.

A horse made purely out of liquid water rested at the palm of his hand, and when I reached forward, he did not protest. The tip of my finger dared to touch the edge of the water, and it felt cool to the touch, but the liquid horse collapsed into a puddle over his hand, seeping through the cracks of his fingers and over the edge of his palm.

My eyes stared wide, and after a few blinks, I merely nodded. Okay, I thought. Magic is real. I was… cursed by a sorceress, then.

“So, what now?” I asked, turning back up to face him.

Wren raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“Are you going to tell the King and Queen that I’ve been lying?” I questioned. It would likely all be over if those vain royals knew the truth. They didn’t seem like horribly awful people, but I hadn’t seen all sides to them quite yet.

“No,” he answered promptly. “It’s your responsibility to admit to your lying on your own.”

I took a step back, my guard shooting high. It didn’t seem normal for him to just leave it to me- unless he planned to blackmail. “Why not?”

He must have noticed that distrust written all over the edges of my face. “I don’t think you’re a bad person,” he admitted. “I was suspicious, but hearing the peculiar truth, I still don’t understand, but you seemed to genuine to be lying. While you may not trust me, I trust you to an extent, so I’ll respect your wishes and say nothing of it.”

“I-I don’t really know what to say,” I replied. There was a ring of truth to his words, each one coming from the heart, and early on, I already got a sort of vibe from Wren that he wasn’t a bad person at all, but he had just tackled me minutes ago, leaving me with a peculiar sense of distrust and trust, wavering between the two. “But… how did you know I was lying?”

“It… was a part of my magic,” he drawled, averting his eyes for a moment. Mystery shrouded his words, and I picked up on something suspicious.

“What’s with that evasiveness suddenly? Do you expect me to trust you like this?”

Wren closed his eyes and sighed. “Fine. Read up on light magic. I shouldn’t even be capable of it, but I am, and so far, few even know of it. I’ll trust you with my secret, Eleanor, so you can trust me with yours.”

Carefully, I keenly observed each part of his face to detect any hint of a lie, but in his round mismatched eyes and sharp jaw, I saw no twitch or clench, not a single quiver of a lip. He didn’t seem to be an excellent liar, but neither did Jonathon. There was no telling if Wren was being honest, but the aura around him felt true- it felt comfortable. There was something about Wren that felt warm and kind, but I wouldn’t trust him fully just yet.

There was always the chance he’d out that I was from some other world, but so what? What are they going to do? I had an inkling that my suspecting I might be killed was a bit over the top, but considering my recent situation just over a week ago, it seemed plausible at the time. It still sort of did.

Trust was never easily earned, so I decided to test his “secret.” There must be something odd about this “light” magic, I thought. If he’s right in saying that it’s something he’d keep secret, then I’ll consider his sincerity.

Heaving an exhausted sigh, I closed my eyes and said, “I’ll look it up, but this doesn’t mean I trust you.”

He nodded. “I won’t say anything, but I might warn you of something.”

“What?”

“It would be better for you to reveal the truth to the King and Queen sooner rather than later. I have been informed that in a few weeks, your brother is returning home.”

I froze, and perplexion struck me. “Brother?” I uttered, raising a brow and cocking my head. “I have a brother?”

“An entire week spent researching a world in the library, and you did not hear of your brother?” he laughed. “Well, he has been gone for three years, so I suppose talk of him isn’t common, but considering his return, the King and Queen are ecstatic.”

“It would have been nice if they could mention something as important as that instead of what that nobleman Banras did on his damned birthday,” I groaned. “What is he like- my brother?”

A shadow passed over Wren’s face, and whatever hint of a smile he had faded. I blinked at him, surprised to see his sudden change in demeanor, and from the saddened look in his glittering eyes, I almost didn’t want to know anymore- almost regretted even asking.

“He’s older. Nine years older than you,” Wren replied. “And other than that, I suppose you will have to wait and see.”

“I- y-yeah. I’ll...wait,” I replied awkwardly, chewing on my lower lip to occupy myself with something other than standing amidst the awkwardness of an empty hallway. We’d been standing there for a while, wide windows spread out behind him, and if I peered beside him, I could see the city spread below, people filling the streets in a way that was similar yet different from any big city in the United States. Likely less populated than New York.

“Do you want to return to the library, then?” Wren asked, flashing away that look over his face back to neutrality.

“Actually,” I drawled. “I think I’ll take my books to my room. You don’t have to keep spying on me.”

“I was told to watch you for your safety, Eleanor.”

“Well. Safety or not, I can handle myself.”

“As you wish.” He nodded and turned the other way, taking his leave down the hall opposite of where the library was located. I watched him walk away, standing tall with shoulders broad and body toned. He seemed like a guard of sorts, but I wondered what sort of thing he was responsible for before I woke up.

And I wonder what happened between my supposed brother and him, I thought, turning away from the man.

Just as he said, I looked for a book on light magic- which happened to be situated close by books on spirits and demons which I decided to leave alone for today- and I snatched it, taking it as well as that book on fire magic with me. Surprisingly, the light magic book felt like any other, but the one on fire had that tingling feeling to it, and I felt like I had an itch to scratch that I could never reach, and the unsatisfying feeling wouldn’t go away no matter how much I willed it so.