»Well, the evening is still young. What do we do now?« asks Alivia, full of energy.

The last rays of sun are fighting their way onto the school grounds, but in a few hours it will be pitch black.

»How about sleeping?« suggests Jaxon.

While Levi could eat something almost anytime, Jaxon manages to fall asleep anywhere, even at the most inopportune moments.

Once he fell asleep in the middle of history class and hit his head on the table so loudly that even our teacher was startled. Jaxon, however, was not deterred and just continued sleeping. He has already been tested for a type of sleeping sickness, but to no avail.

Alivia, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She always wants to do something and is always full of energy and drive. Nothing can stop her. Levi often jokes that Alivia Jaxon should give some of her seemingly endless energy to her, but no Lux can transfer energy from one living being to another.

Well, except for my father, who as a star warrior has the ability to manipulate energy, and Queen Aurora, the founder of the Lux and the last known owner of the Phoenix magic.

The Phoenix magic is the most powerful force in Aquilia. You can do anything with it.

Aurora used it back then to create peace between the magical peoples, but it can also be used for dark purposes and destruction.

That is also the reason why shadow warriors attacked our palace thirteen lunar cycles ago. They were desperate to get their hands on the Phoenix magic, which was suspected to be in my sister's possession.

Due to the destruction she caused in our room, no one doubts that she was the bearer.

Even the oldest Lux do not know exactly how the Phoenix magic is inherited.

It is said that Aquilia chooses a special child at birth and gives him the gift, a child who will one day be the hope of all Lux.

When Lucca and I were born, it was probably already clear from the beginning that the firstborn would become the new bearer of the Phoenix magic.

Some ancient prophecy, the exact wording of which only very few people know, predicted this. This prophecy is said to have been written by Aurora herself.

My father once told me the story of a lost princess who would rise up in the greatest need of her people and lead them back into the light, as Aurora herself had done so long ago.

For me, it was always just a bedtime story and since my sister died and with it the Phoenix magic disappeared from our generation, I quickly stopped thinking about it.

My own children could be considered for the fulfillment of the prophecy at the earliest and many more lunar cycles will pass before that happens.

I am so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice Alivia stopping in front of me. I run into her and we both fall down.

»So we decided to sit down here in the grass? I think that's good,« Jaxon comments in a sleepy voice.

He lies down next to us in the damp grass and immediately falls asleep.

»Well, that took a long time this time,« Levi jokes at Jaxon's expense, who doesn't notice.

He also lies down next to us and looks into the darkening night sky.

The sun has now completely set and only a faint pink stripe on the horizon testifies to its existence.

Alivia and I also fall backwards into the grass, making sure that our heads are in the middle with those of Levi and Jaxon. We stretch our legs outwards.

Alivia's short, jet-black hair has spread around her head and forms a circle of darkness on the green of the grass. Her green eyes look into the infinity of the sky. Her second tattoo stands out against her sun-tanned skin. A golden tendril pattern disappears on either side of her hairline and runs across her forehead, making it look like a delicate tiara.

All nobles are born with this additional mark.

In the past, before the great unification, the peoples were ruled by their nobles. Today, this vine pattern is just a symbol of their blue blood, even if it is not really blue, at least for most of them.

The nobles are not quite as powerful as they once were. They are more representative in nature.

As a sign of respect, however, they have a place on the king's council and are thus heard by him. This makes it easier for them to present issues that affect their peoples to the king and to discuss a solution directly with him.

Most nobles of a people have chosen a family among themselves that is invited to the council on their behalf.

Jaxon's mother comes to us for all the djinns and Alivia's mother to represent the sirens. The vine diadem, as it is commonly called, is not only given to native nobles, but also to those who marry into this title.

The members of the royal family also wear it, only ours is not gold, but silver. It is hardly noticeable on my pale skin, unless it is illuminated by moonlight, as it is now, when it has a light-reflecting effect. My silver-blonde hair also shines in the light of the night sky.

If I were wearing a silver dress instead of my dark blue dress, I would look like a star in the night sky, at least that is what my parents say.

My gaze wanders to the sky above me. The first stars are fighting for their place in the firmament. The grass beneath me is still warm from the previous day, but the first drops of dew are soaked up by my dress. My back gets wet and suddenly I am no longer lying on the school grounds, but in the courtyard of the palace.

I try to remember how I got here. A breaking branch catches my attention and I sit up.

The darkness between the trees slowly creeps across the ground towards me. Fear grips my heart.

I try to run away, but I can't move. My feet are fused to the ground. I can't free them.

The shadows are getting closer and closer. They've almost reached me and I can't do anything to stop them.

They will devour me and I will become a forgotten person in them.

Nobody is with me.

Nobody can help me.

I'm all alone.

Despair joins the fear and blocks any access to my magic.

They'll soon reach me.

There's no escape.

I won't be able to defend myself.

The shadows are impenetrable. They now completely envelop me. I can't see anything, can't feel anything and I'm falling into an endless hole.

My attempts to blink the darkness away are hopeless. It's hopeless, literally.

It's only when I stop resisting, when I let myself in to the darkness and its secrets, that I feel that I'm not alone after all.

Someone is with me.

The strange presence becomes stronger the less I concentrate.

Keep fighting, a voice inside me screams. You can't give up now. You've almost found her.

Found who?

Who are you looking for?

The voice answers me?

I can talk to it, it doesn't come from inside me. It doesn't belong to me, but to this presence and it seems familiar to me.

How do I know it from? I can't figure it out.

Who am I looking for? I ask it.

You must know that better than anyone.

But I don't know.

But you do know. Concentrate. Who do you think you've lost?

I've lost many.

Who is lost and yet not lost?

Who is with you and yet so far away?

Who are you longing for, who is calling you deep inside?

Who tells you not to give up?

Who pulls you away from the abyss when you want to jump?

Who is dead and yet alive?

My sister.

Lucca.

The darkness retreats. I blink and open my eyes and see the starry sky above me again. I am lying with my friends in the grass on the academy grounds again.

Was it all just a dream or did it really happen?

I turn my head to look around at the others.

Jaxon is still sleeping, Alivia and Levi are deep in conversation about tomorrow's duels.

Everything seems normal.

Did I really just imagine it?

The constant dreaming of my sister, coupled with the events of today and the excitement of what was to come, must have been the trigger. That seems to have affected me more than I initially suspected.

Alivia and Levi have now come to their own duels.

»I hope I don't have to fight a mermaid again,« complains Alivia.

»That mermaid really messed you up in the last test,« Levi interjects.

»That could be true. I don't remember.«

»You got hit pretty hard,« Jaxon mumbles sleepily. His deep sleep phase is probably over.

»Well, it wasn't that bad,« Alivia tries to defend herself.

»Oh yes. She literally tore you apart,« Levi interjects. »If the time hadn't run out, they could have taken you straight to the hospital room.«

»That reminds me, I wanted to go to the elf and Laima from earlier and see how they were doing,« I interject.

»Why? Do you think you could help them better than the nurses?« Jaxon asks me with his eyes closed.

»Hey, don't make fun of it. You should know the extent of their powers better than us,« Alivia defends me.

Jaxon grunts in agreement.

Last time we had to fight each other and I took him out of action after his first attack with my powers. He didn't get over that defeat for a long time.

Other genies made fun of him after that until I let them feel my magic. Since then, these genies have avoided me or quickly looked away when I'm around.

Fear is also an effective weapon, but not one I want to use often.

»I'll go with you. The boys can go back to their room,« Alivia decides without further ado.

We get up and say goodbye to the boys for now. Their room is about fifty steps from ours, so we'll see each other again later.

Alivia and I stroll back to the main building together.

»Tell me, Micah,« Alivia begins, but stops when she sees the thoughtful expression on my face.

»What is it?« I encourage her to ask me her question.

»Oh, nothing important. I actually just wanted to know if there is anyone you absolutely don't want to fight tomorrow?« she evades.

She wanted to know something else, but I'm grateful that she isn't asking me any serious questions right now. I just don't have the energy to deal with something like that anymore.

»For one thing, there's a siren I wouldn't want to meet on the field.«

She smiles.

»For another, there's a Puk I'd probably lose to and a Djinn I'd hate to defeat in front of everyone again.«

Alivia stops abruptly. »You think you'd lose to Levi?«

I stop too and turn to her. A grin creeps across my lips as I answer her.

»Maybe not lose outright. But he'd probably stall for time until the teachers call off the fight and declare it a draw.«

She laughs and we walk on.

I hadn't really thought about the competition that much. It's our second practical test. But this time we wouldn't know who we were fighting against until we got to the battlefield.

Last time we found out on the morning of the fight and were able to prepare accordingly.

This time we'll have to expect anything.

I'm not afraid of the fight.

Last time I won easily, so why should it be any different this time?