Still leaning against the damaged table, Ivelis lifted her head and placed a hard gaze on him. She wasn't lying.

The letter sent to her had specific instructions. It mentioned several rules and a notice to attend the meeting held tomorrow noon. Apparently, her presence was compulsory.

"Am I free to leave?" he asked.

She chose to stare at the fireplace.

"I wish you were. I'm afraid there are parts of the letter that prove otherwise. It says here that you are considered my... servant, I have jurisdiction over you until the day you die. In which they might have expected, was today."

"So, I have to leave with you."

"Unfortunately, yes," she gritted.

Mischief gleamed in her eyes and she knew that Thael had caught her plotting.

"I doubt the woman just now would let you slaughter me," he smirked.

"Gianne?"

He nodded,"If that's her name."

"Accidents happen, don't they?" tempted Ivelis.

She half expected the man to start begging for mercy and she almost choked when he replied,"Well, falling for me wouldn't be such a bad accident."

Bastard.

Before a string of curses could leave her mouth, the man grinned as an apology was uttered.

"Someone as beautiful as you can't possibly fall in love with me, Ivelis."

Her breath almost stopped.

“Just kidding.”

A scowl was etched onto her face.

There was something about her name on his tongue that just sounded smooth and natural. It bothered her that she didn't react immediately. The compliment he offered had caught her off guard and when she turned to him, their eyes started to stare intensely at each other. Her cheeks heated up slightly at the situation.

A moment passed but neither moved.

The moment shared between them felt like an eternity. An abyss began to swirl between the connection, each filling it with a silent language that only they seemed to understand. Taunts now came from one to the other, seeing who dared to swim in the dark pool first.

Ivelis only had the courage to look away.

She ignored the compliment as she made her way to the stairs and walked up, Thael following her trail.

"If you slow me down, I will leave you behind. Pack your sh- I mean stuff, we're leaving soon."

"I don't have much to pack, I won't be slowing you down either."

Good.

She didn't bother replying and continued walking to her room.

A calm feeling had seeped into her mind, every step she made was nearly soundless and effortless. Immortality and grace ran through her blood, evident in every movement her slender figure made. Ivelis loved it. Now this, this was her usual self. Controlled but flexible. Not how she acted a few moments ago. Whatever part of her had jumped out then, it was anything but controlled.

Throughout the walk her face remained blank while she continued to ponder about it.

Thael joined her a few moments later.

Gianne was just leaving her room when she arrived. Two bags dangled off her forearms as she reported,"All packed, both mine and yours. I'm coming too, right?"

Ivelis nodded and thanked her as they made their way to the lower levels of the fortress she lived in. Taking different turns and a few occasional stairs.

Thael raised his eyebrows.

Gianne offered an explanation as they made their way to the lower part of the house.

The ancient building Ivelis and her cousin lived in was surrounded by a small forest. Below the dirt, there were rooms for magic practice and built in passages, just in case of emergencies.

The two of them always used the passages but never as a result of danger. Instead, Ivelis and her cousin had used it as a way of getting around. A few of the lower passages were closed off due to being flooded by a river. However, her ability to manipulate water had allowed them to access it.

The river was connected to all the other water sources around the Land. Hence, it was the fastest way to any far place.

After making a last turn, they were finally there.

Familiar cracks splayed like a web across the walls. Moss grew between each crack making it look like vines wrapped around the corners. Carvings older than her decorated every part of the room, stories written in some forgotten old language.

She frowned at the moss. How the hell did that grow? Sunlight wouldn't have reached down here, they had to light torches as a light source.

She averted her gaze to the carvings. The place they were in was damp. Sounds of sloshing water lead their sight to a swirling movement right in front of them. It was a pool moving in a clockwise sequence that filled what they could see was a large hole in the wall.

"Stand back," she said as Ivelis held her arms out.

They obeyed.

She clasped her hands together then pulled her fingers away from each other to unclasp them, one by one. A hazy glow gently pulsed from her eyes. As she unclasped her hands, the swirling puddle moved to mix with the water. When the pool had completely disappeared, she made a motion of pushing something away from each other, as if wanting them to break off of each other. The water followed her gestures, it moved faster and faster.

Soon, a clear entrance appeared.

When she turned the water into a tunnel, Ivelis made sure the way was large enough to fit them. In the distance, the road lying ahead seemed to be muddy from the body of water that was laying over it before.

“The pool covering the hole was made by Ivelis when we first found it. It’s accessible only to her,” informed Gianne. “Just in case you were wondering, my element is earth. That’s how Ivelis and I can travel using this path. She keeps it clear, I keep it solid.”

Thael whistled his amazement.

Gianne waved her hand in the air and the mud-splattered road seemed to harden. Not completely, but just enough to stop their legs from sinking.

"The Grand Court's Palace is behind the mountains. If I’m not mistaken, it's close to the edge of the forest. This is a shorter route because it leads straight to the lake there," Ivelis informed. She honestly didn’t know why she even bothered to.

Torches in hands, the three of them entered the tunnel carefully. They began walking.

As they travelled deeper into the water tunnel, behind them water gathered once more, sealing their entrance. Water would cover the previous steps they made, circling them like an orb.

The road was peppered with pebbles and stones. Most of the ground was still muddy and slick even as Gianne tried to keep it solid with her powers. Occasionally, some random weapon could be seen just lying around. No doubt it was from passing strangers who foolishly thought a river was a place where things can never be found. Ivelis scoffed when she saw a discarded ruby necklace. Although it was beautiful, she knew not to take things thrown into the river, it might’ve been an offering or some sort.

How futile.

Their journey was calm for the most part. Ivelis often only exchanged words when required, most of the chatter was from the man. She kept her word, not once did she look back. Even when Thael accidentally slipped on a small blue rock, she ignorantly kept on going. Gianne would laugh every now and then as she watched over him.

Ivelis would smile tentatively when she heard the laughter but she also hid it well.

In the dome shaped bubble, they could see tendrils of blue swirling around them constantly. They brought torches along for even during the day the depth of a river was dark. It was essential now considering they were traveling during the night.

Thael had noted that the colours would match the shade of rings that circled her eyes whenever they put light close to it. He kept on trying to touch the walls and ceiling, hardly believing that they were practically in a thick bubble made of water.

Lots of water. The river was vast.

"It's so beautiful. How do you control this?" the man asked, as he walked in a slower pace behind them.

Gianne looked to Ivelis for an answer but she kept her mouth shut, choosing to just saunter off. Her cousin rolled her eyes,"It depends."

He continued questioning.

"How hard it is to control your magic depends partly on what element you have. Fire is commonly known to be the hardest one to get a hold of. Water is just its deadly twin."

"Does your personality have anything to do with your magic?"

Gianne looked up and reached to touch the water there,"To some extent, it does. Each magic wielder must learn to control themselves before their magic. The magic bows to you, not the other way around. One can only say it truly happened when you feel this painful tug inside you."

"Some self-control you showed, Ivelis."

The woman remained quiet as her feet steadily moved forward. She could practically hear the smirk forming, she desperately wanted to claw his face off. He opened his mouth again but Ivelis opened hers first.

"It's called a Fusing or Fusion."

Thael tilted his head, beckoning her to go on.

But instead it was her cousin who went on,"She means the painful tug. A Fusion is when your magic Shard and body Shard combine to create what most mage beings call a Domerite. It's what makes most of us immortal. The earlier you fuse in your life, the stronger your magic."

He scrunched up his eyebrows.

"What are shards?"

Gianne whirled to face him. Deeply perplexed.

"You've never heard of it?"

"Of course not, Anne. He's human."

Before Thael even tried to question her, the woman beside her defused the situation.

"Shards are part of our soul, it's like when you build something and you need your materials. They're known to be sacred and all but, I was never sure about that."

He muttered a thank you and silently continued to look around in awe.

Yet, deep down Ivelis somehow heard what the silence said. A blank mask remained on her face.

"I hardly believe sacred can be connected to hating other creatures."