Enis stood in the middle of the hallway, a sword in his hand. Lightning flashed across his body. He was about to unleash his power and kill everyone who stood in his way like a whirlwind. I had seen him do that many times. The other guards had no chance against him on the training ground when he first got really angry. And now, there was no doubt about it, he was really angry. And he would not hold back, like he did against his friends. He would kill them all.

But before he could even take a step towards us, the tip of a sword protruded from his chest. His eyes widened and our attackers began to laugh. With a jerk, the sword was pulled out of him again. Enis felt the wound with his free hand and stared in disbelief at the blood on his fingertips. His sword clattered from his hand and he fell to his knees. His gaze stubbornly fixed on me, his eyes told me everything he already lacked the strength for.

I saw the sadness that he couldn't keep his promise, that he couldn't protect me, that he couldn't save my sister, and the resignation that he would now find his end here. But there was something else in his eyes, it was hope.

Hope that, despite everything, everything would be OK again. Hope for our kingdom. Hope for our future. And then the veil of death fell over his eyes and his lightning stopped.

I heard neither the impact of his body nor the laughter of his murderer. A dull pain spread through me and surrounded my heart, barricaded it behind a thick wall, locked away my feelings. A power was building up inside me that I had only scratched the surface of. It took control of my body, filled every last corner and continued to swell.

I started screaming and my magic made its way out. It shot through everything and everyone around me.

I felt everyone's confidence in victory, fear, hurt, sadness, hope, confidence and much more. And I felt their life energy. I knew how much time everyone had left.

But that time was now up.

I made sure of that.

None of the attackers in the hall would survive. My magic consumed them all and I couldn't stop them even if I wanted to.

This was the moment I knew that from now on, nothing would be the same.

The world around me began to spin, and when my magic consumed the last of them, an impenetrable blackness spread from the edges of my vision and swallowed me, leading me into a realm without dreams.

The stories about that cruel night still cause fear and terror in everyone who hears or tells them. That night, not only twenty attackers died, but also many good guards, maids and servants.

A veil of grief spread across the country. But what shocked all Lux the most was the death of my sister. I myself only have a vague memory of what happened after my collapse.

I know that other palace guards found me in the entrance hall among all the dead. They tried to find out from me what had happened, but I could only cry and not a word came out of my mouth. It was only weeks later that I managed to talk to my parents about what had happened. That same day I learned that my sister had disappeared.

Our room had burned down completely and the guards suspected that it was my sister's magic that had caused it. My parents were also convinced of this. The charred remains of two men were also found in the room, or at least that is what is assumed. Identification was impossible. The fire was too strong for that.

There was a chance that my sister had survived and was hiding somewhere. My father sent soldiers throughout the kingdom and had everyone search for the missing princess.

It was only after one lunar cycle and one day of endless searching that it became clear that she was no longer with us. That day, I wore a black, long dress and a black scarf over my face. My mother wore a similar outfit and my father wore a black suit. Everyone in the land wore black and the grief when my father officially announced my sister's death was overwhelming.

I had learned in that one cycle to send out my magic and search for its energy. A deep and indescribable connection had been built between me and our land. I could feel how it wanted to help me find my sister and how it mourned her when we ended the search.

Our people were deeply scarred and the loss built a nest deep in their hearts and lingered there. Ominously, it threatened to tear apart anyone who dared to think of that day. And yet my father demanded that this night and its sacrifices never be forgotten.

He declared the Day of Remembrance. A day on which everyone should remember those who were lost and their sacrifices should be honored. In every lunar cycle, this day is celebrated throughout the country, and in every cycle at the stroke of midnight, I stand in front of the palace and let my magic roam the land, hoping perhaps one day to find a sign or a clue from my sister. And every time I was disappointed. I found nothing of the sort and only felt the grief of our people and the sorrow of the country.

Seven lunar cycles after the day of my sister's death, I began to dream of her. In my dreams, she grew up like me, grew older and more beautiful. She lived in a world far away from me, where I would never be able to reach her. She laughed and cried, was angry and excited. She loved and was loved.

At first, these dreams were nothing more than that, dreams of a lost sister. But with each cycle that passed, as my powers grew and I learned to control them better, the dreams became clearer.

Sometimes I see her sitting at a table writing something in a notebook, laughing with other girls our age, and watching a boy when she thinks he won't notice.

I never told my father about my dreams. He didn't understand my powers like my mother did. I described everything I saw to her in great detail.

At least, that's what I used to do. Every time I told her about my sister's life, she told me that they were just dreams and I saw tears well up in her eyes. She always tried to stay strong for me and my father and not show any weakness, but I see how hard it is for her to think of Lucca or say her name.

On the Day of Remembrance, the names of all those who lost their lives defending our palace are always mentioned. My sister's name is also mentioned and my mother always flinches when she is mentioned. It is hard to believe that she is doing well, as she tried to show everyone when you hear her crying behind closed doors or feel the pain in her soul.

Two cycles ago, my parents allowed me to attend the Phoenix Academy. All Lux were required to attend school from the seventeenth to the nineteenth cycle of their life. Even though only three lunar cycles were compulsory, most were already educated at schools in their home towns before then.

The Phoenix Academy is funded by the royal family and all Lux are allowed to attend. Here, children of all races are supposed to learn how to get along with each other and learn about the traditions and powers of others.

Even though Aurora united the peoples a thousand lunar cycles ago and they now live together in the cities, there are still riots between them. My parents are very committed to ensuring peace and set a good example.

They did not marry within their race, as many still do. While my father is one of the legendary star warriors, my mother is a Valkyrie. My sister and I were born as star warriors, like our father.

But long before we were born, many suspected that there would be no children from the union of the king and queen. That one day, without an heir to the throne, our people would once again strike each other down on the battlefield.

Then they were surprised by the announcement of the birth of twins. Since then, they have been more well-disposed towards the royal family again, and when we survived this terrible attack by the shadow warriors, as they call themselves, their trust was strengthened than ever.

It was all the more astonishing for me how the other students treated me in my first week at the Phoenix Academy. They showed me no respect and insulted me in the most outrageous way. I hadn't expected that. Not even the teachers supported me. At that time I wanted to temporarily end my schooling.

But just before I gave up everything and was standing in front of the headmistress's office, my magic stirred again. I felt the spirit of my ancestors. They were disappointed in me because I hadn't managed to earn the respect of my classmates. At that moment I realized that the others were just waiting for me to fail and I didn't want to do them that favor. I turned on my heel and fought for the respect of all those who tested me.

I became the best student, learned to control my magic and my feelings and was even elected student representative in the same lunar cycle. I also found three very good friends who help me where they can and make sure that no one forgets who I was.

I am currently about to complete my second lunar cycle at the academy. At the end of each school phase, the students have to pass a number of exams. These consist of a practical and a theoretical part.

In the theory part, we have to fill out a questionnaire. Our accumulated knowledge from the entire school phase is tested. In addition to the history of Aquilia and the Lux, this also includes general knowledge in the areas of mathematics, nature and its laws and languages. For me and some others, it was also about diplomacy and communication, but that depends on our respective elective subjects.

This time, in the practical part of the final exam, we have to compete against each other and prove our progress in a magical duel. The whole thing is always a big, spectacular event that friends and family can watch. On the first two days, the first-years fight against each other, on the third and fourth days the second-years and the highlight is the tournament for the third-years, for whom this also affects their final grade.

As student representative, I also have to keep an overview of everything. There are organizational teams that take care of the detailed planning, but I oversee everything.

The final exams usually go off without much fanfare, but since I've been at school, a large part of the royal court also attends the celebrations, led by my parents, the King and Queen of Lux.

I'm just about to take a final tour of the battlefield when I hear my name.

»Micah, wait. Micah,« Levi shouts loudly across the square.

I stop and turn to him. Just in time to see him slip on the loose sand and land face down in the dirt. I can't help but laugh and I see his body shake with laughter.

Levi is my best friend and a Puk. He is known for having nothing but nonsense in his head, but he always manages to make me laugh and when I'm in despair, he brings me back out of my bad mood. I'm very grateful to him for that.

Especially because he was able to use his powers to make not only me but everyone else feel good. He is a master at mediating disputes, although he and his fellow Puks are usually the ones who start arguments.

He rests his elbows in the sand and his chin on his folded hands. He swings his legs up and down. He often lies on the ground, looking so innocent and vulnerable that I immediately feel encouraged to lie down next to him. I often lie on my back in the grass and tell him about my dreams while he lies next to me, watching me attentively.

Sometimes I wonder how much he believes me or whether he secretly agrees with my parents.

I suddenly stop laughing and look at him carefully.

Something is different this time.

He seems... serious and that just doesn't fit with his carefree and happy personality.

I've never seen Levi like this before and I've known him for almost ten lunar cycles. His father often visits our palace as an envoy of the Puks and likes to take his son with him since he noticed how well Levi and I get along.

»What's wrong, Levi?«

»Nothing's wrong. What could be wrong?« he asks with an innocent expression.

I look at him suspiciously. »You don't come all the way from the school building here for no reason, just to lie in the sand for a bit.«

»Well, first of all, I'm not lying in the sand, but in the dirt. You should stop talking so loftily. It makes it difficult for us normal Lux to follow you.«

I roll my eyes. He can follow me very well.

»And secondly: can't I make the long journey from the school building here,« he quotes me theatrically, »to keep my best friend company?«

»Of course you can keep me company. In fact, I'm very happy to have you here.« I smile down at him.

He raises an eyebrow attentively, a curious sparkle appears in his eyes and his muscles tense slightly. Now comes the question he likes to ask me most.

»Have you dreamed about Lucca again and not told me about it yet?«

»No, no new dreams,« I hang my head resignedly.

Even though these dreams sometimes keep me awake all night, I can't get enough of them. Even after five lunar cycles, I still believe that these dreams show me my sister's life, that she didn't die in the attack thirteen lunar cycles ago, as everyone believes.

Levi shrugs, turns around and sits down in the sand with his back to me. I can see that he's also crossing his arms in front of his chest because of the tension in his dark blue T-shirt over his back.

I sigh quietly.

»And what's wrong now?« I ask him, and maybe he can hear in my tone that I'm not really interested in his games.

»Nothing,« he says mockingly.

I roll my eyes again. When I talk to Levi, this movement happens very often.

I walk towards him and walk around him at a safe distance. Who knows what he's hatching in his crazy brain. As soon as I appear in his field of vision, he turns away from me again.

I try again to stand in front of him, but every time I'm almost there, he just keeps turning in circles so that I'm facing his back again.

We repeat this little silliness, but with each turn I get a little closer to him. With each turn I go a little faster and he turns away from me faster.

Suddenly I lose my footing and fall straight on top of him.