The following morning, Alexander woke up groggy, which was unusual for him. Most days, he woke up feeling great. However, last night's string of nightmares left him with little sleep, and he yawned as he showered and dressed for the day. Alexander found it challenging to adjust to his new accommodations. The room was much larger than what he was generally used to and seemed more elegant, too.

The bed was sizable with tasteful wine-colored pillows and satin sheets, and end tables that seemed made from the trees themselves sat on either side of the bed. They were adorned with the petals of flowers. The window, which was made into the tree itself, was draped with soft, frail curtains, while the floor had a similar sanguine rug like that which sat in the throne room. Alexander couldn't help but fear damaging something in the luxurious room. It was hard to shake the sinking feeling that something was wrong, though. He couldn't help but feel that the nightmares were simply a warning of what was yet to come.

After breakfast, Shauna led the way to her teacher's home, and Alexander made a mental note to come back out at some point to explore the city. It was amazing and different from the cities back home. However, he felt that bringing anything back with him was a bad idea, as it would raise questions that he wouldn't be able to answer.

In the time it took them to reach his home. Alexander learned that the teacher's name was Ronan, and he was far higher up than Alexander initially thought. Not only was he Shauna's teacher, but he was also her grandfather and the previous King. In other words, Alexander needed to watch himself around this man or risk getting into a lot of trouble. Though they hadn't said as much aloud, Alexander didn't know anything about their society or culture here, and he didn't want to offend anyone or worse.

As they entered the large home, the reflective light of the day brought the house's roof to a million warm hues of brown and green. The strange scents burned Alexander's nose with a woody smell, a floral note, and hints of spice. Even though he couldn't exactly pinpoint what they were. However, he imagined they were likely this world's version of incense or something similar. Maybe even potions.

Soon enough, a smaller-framed man with small round glasses and long dusty brown hair with hints of white came around the corner and greeted them. "Ah, your father mentioned you were coming today." His voice was soft but hinted at both wisdom and authority. Alexander dipped his head in respect and introduced himself. Ronan smiled, "so you're Alexander? Interesting, very interesting. Your aura is definitely clouded." He was mostly talking to himself as he closely inspected Alexander. Making him more than a little uncomfortable.

Shortly after, Ronan invited them in while Owen and Shauna stayed behind in the kitchen, making themselves comfortable and chatting among themselves. Alexander went with Ronan outside. He led Alexander down a grassy hillside behind his home, which led right up to the lake's edge. The water was still and tranquil. No sound rang out from the shimmering depths as if all life had left it at this moment. That was until the heavy echo of a raven’s caw caught his attention. Farther out into the lake, it came to life as trout splashed at the water's surface. Hoping to catch one of the many bugs that buzzed about. The pleasant smell of pungent wildflowers and grass nearly caused him to sneeze.

Ronan motioned for Alexander to sit next to him on the grass overlooking the lake. Alexander did as instructed, "Excuse me for asking, sir, but what are we doing out here?" He asked him. Ronan's response was unexpected, however. "Alexander. Let me paint this for you as clearly as possible so it is easy to understand. See this lake?" He nodded, "imagine if mud were to get stirred up, the water would cease to be the clear blue and turn a dark, murky color, wouldn't it? Now, imagine that's your aura. Normally, an aura is clear and easy to read, but yours is dark and clouded. Difficult but not impossible for someone skilled."

Alexander frowned, "what does that mean?"

Ronan drew in a deep breath, "to put it simply, someone has cursed you."

Alexander's eyes widened, and he felt his breath catch in his throat. "Cursed me? Then… what's going to happen?"

Ronan shook his head. "Normally, for this type of curse, nothing life-threatening, it does make it impossible for you to practice magic, but you are in luck. I can remove this curse for you. If you so, choose."

Alexander thought for a moment. He thought about his current situation and everything that had happened so far and about everything that could happen. He nodded, "Please." He bowed his head to Ronan, "Please remove the curse and… please teach me." He asked him, well, perhaps begged him is more accurate.

Ronan nodded with a small smile, "Very well, face me." Alexander did as he was told and turned to where he now faced Ronan while still sitting on the grass. Ronan placed one hand over Alexander's heart and the other over his forehead, where his third eye would have been located. He then told Alexander to close his eyes, which he did.

"Brace yourself." He heard Ronan say before he heard him, muttering something that Alexander couldn't understand before his entire body suddenly began to feel hot. The kind of hot that comes with a fever and feels like it's burning you from the inside. But when Alexander instinctively tried to pull away, he found he was unable to move. Finally, the pain grew so great that Alexander felt his world grow dark, and he lost consciousness.

Faint chatter seemed to battle at Alexander's ears, causing him to make sense of it as he forced himself awake. Before him, the strange room slowly began to make sense to him as his vision became more apparent and his perception sharpened. Alerting him that he was still not home but instead in a strange land with strange people.

Ronan smiled at Alexander, "Ah, good to see you're finally awake." Alexander slowly sat up. His head was spinning. He was handed a cup of water from Owen, "you've been out for a few hours now. We were beginning to worry, but Grandfather said not to." Alexander gratefully took the water and sipped on it, trying to regain his bearings.

"I was out for that long…." He muttered, still reeling from the whole event.

Ronan nodded, "I forget that humans aren't always as durable as us elves, so I didn't think about how badly the spell could affect you. How are you feeling?"

Alexander rubbed his temple, "I feel like I was hit by a truck, but did it work at least?"

Ronan nodded, "It did indeed work. You should be able to cast magic freely, of course, with some training, which I recall you asking me to teach you. I'm giving you tomorrow to rest up, and the next day, come report to me."

Alexander nodded. He felt both eager to begin and nervous all at the same time. He would finally be able to practice magic. Something he had wanted for ages and felt would never happen. Now he knew why, though. Someone had cursed him. The question was, why? That made Alexander remember something that Ronan had said earlier. He had been so focused on the bit about him being cursed that he had glazed over something important.

"I remember before you had mentioned that, normally, the curse I was under isn't life-threatening. Does that mean this one was?" Alexander braced himself for any possible answer.

He noticed Owen and Shauna tense up as well.

Ronan thought for a moment before he responded, "I believe it may have affected your life span, yes. However, your life isn't in any immediate danger."

Alexander nodded, "I… I see. I won't ask how badly it affected my lifespan. I honestly don't think I want to know. Thank you for answering me honestly." He then realized that it seemed to him that Ronan was holding something back. He wasn't the only one who noticed it either since Owen was the one to ask.

"Grandfather. What are you still keeping from him? I do not think it right for you to withhold information when it could affect someone's life."

Ronan sighed, "I had hoped you wouldn't notice. Seems I'm getting sloppy at my age." He sat beside Alexander, "I apologize, but I was trying to keep this from you. When I cleansed your aura and removed the curse, I noticed something."

He closed his eyes, thinking about how to word what he would reveal. He opened them again before continuing, "You see, in our lands, there is a prophecy that speaks of a traveler from another world. After seeing your aura, I have good reason to believe that traveler is you."

Owen and Shauna both noticeably reacted to Ronan's words. Alexander found it hard to tell if the reaction was bad or not.

"What does that mean?"

Ronan shook his head, "it is a little tricky to explain, and I would rather not tell you anyhow. There is always the chance I am wrong, and I would rather not scare you unnecessarily."

Alexander tried to protest but was shot down each time. He even tried to ask Owen and Shauna on the way back to the castle, but all he got were sideways glances, excuses, and topic changes. So, finally, Alexander gave up. If it were that important, he would be told eventually, right?

Later that evening, as dinner had finished, Owen asked Alexander if he wanted to accompany him into town tomorrow. Eager to see more of the city, Alexander agreed, and as he lay in bed, he couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow had in store for him. Not to mention, he still worried about the prophecy and what that could mean for Alexander. If Ronan was right, that is.