With these words I get up from the bench and leave the courtyard straight into my room. Only when I already have the door handle in my hand does Levi manage to catch up with me. He follows me into my room.

»What are you planning to do, Micah?«

»I told you. I'm going to bring my sister home.«

While I'm still walking to my closet, I'm already starting to unzip my dress.

»Wow. Are you going to undress in front of me now? I didn't want to see so many details from you tonight."

I throw Levi a disturbed look over my shoulder.

»Although...when I think about it...go ahead.« He tilts his head and now I can't help but laugh.

I turn to him and slowly brush first one and then the other strap from my shoulder, throwing Levi a lascivious look. He, in turn, can't take his eyes off my now completely bare shoulders and his mouth is open a crack. I slowly raise my hand and reach for my tiara.

»Catch,« I call to Levi before throwing my headpiece at him.

I've only seen him react so quickly before when there was something to eat. But he manages to catch the tiara before it falls to the floor.

Laughing, I turn around and disappear into my closet. There I let the black ball gown fall to the floor and quickly slip into a simple dark blue knee-length summer dress. It is one of my most comfortable and inconspicuous dresses, as it is made of just one piece of fabric and has no decorations. I also put on my reinforced black combat boots with silver lacing.

As I leave the closet, I untie the knot in my hair and braid it into a single long braid, which I then put over my shoulder.

»You can give me the tiara back now, Levi.«

He wakes up from his trance and comes towards me.

»Wow. Where are you going?«

»I don't know yet. Please get the bag from under my bed,« I ask him.

In the meantime, I put my belt with the dagger around my waist and take off my jewelry. Everything except for a chain, which I briefly press to myself.

The pendant is made of a silver flame and is the only thing I have left from my sister. It was given to her when she was born, while my necklace has a star on it. When we first used our powers, we decided to swap necklaces. That way, each of us always has a part of the other with us.

»You're really well prepared,« Levi remarks, coming towards me with my bag.

»You know me.«

I take the bag from him and double-check that I've packed everything. The crystal is still wrapped in its cloth on top. I put the strap over my shoulder and walk to the wall next to the door.

My silver bow is lying on two sticks. This bow is special. As soon as I draw it, a magical arrow attaches itself to the string. I raise the bow above my head and lower it as if I wanted to put it around my neck. During this movement, it turns into a silver necklace with a bow without a string as a pendant.

A black cloak hangs over a hook next to me, and I put it over my shoulders last.

The moon is just about to reach its zenith.

Now or never.

I turn to Levi. He just stares at me with his mouth open and can't believe his eyes.

»This is your last chance. Either you come with me and help me, or you stay here. I'd prefer if you came with me,« I give him the choice.

A few seconds pass in which he seems to really weigh up whether he should come with me or rat me out to the guards. Finally he comes to a decision. Before he even says it, I already know what he's planning.

»I'll help you, like always.«

»Okay, come on then.«

I turn to leave. But instead of leaving the room through the door, I go to another secret door next to my table.

»Wow, you're really serious, aren't you?« Levi asks me in surprise as I open the door.

I throw him a meaningful look over my shoulder before I go into the secret passage. Levi follows me in silence.

The passage consists of a narrow staircase that spirals ever downwards. It seems like an eternity until the steps finally give way to rocks. We have reached the end of the passage.

Below us, the waves break on the cliffs, and above us stretches a rough stone massif. If you don't know where the entrance to the secret passage is, it's impossible to find it from this side.

Behind me, Levi starts to curse. I turn to him and see him looking at the damage to his suit.

»This is going to be expensive,« he says dryly.

I struggle to suppress a laugh. »I'll replace it for you.«

»You can count on that.«

Shaking my head, I turn back to the sea. Above us, the moon is just pushing over the edge of the cliffs. As soon as it's at its zenith, I'll be able to see it completely from here. It will shine down on us in all its glory.

»So, how do we find your sister now?« Levi asks next to me.

I look at him and reach into my pocket with one hand. My fingers wrap around the cloth and I pull out the crystal.

»With this.«

Levi's eyes widen in amazement. »Where did you get a portal crystal? I thought they were all lost or destroyed.«

»They are.«

I look at the small stone in my hand.

»I found this one between the stones here a few lunar cycles ago.«

I point vaguely to a spot behind me. Levi wants to see where I'm pointing and slips away as he tries to turn around. Striving to keep his balance, he straightens up again.

»Do you know how to use it?«

I nod slightly and look back at the moon. Only a tiny part is missing. I watch its journey with excitement.

My magic is bubbling excitedly under my skin.

It's about to start.

Just a few more seconds...

Now.

The moon appears in all its fullness above us. Its light shines down on us. The crystal in my hand gets warmer, it absorbs the moonlight and reflects it.

»Crazy,« Levi comments in awe.

I know he doesn't mean the suddenly glowing crystal in my hand, because that isn't the only one reflecting the moonlight. My hair also shines in the light of the moon.

»Give me your hand,« I tell Levi.

Our fingers quickly intertwine.

»Don't let go.«

»I didn't mean to.«

I concentrate all my magic on the crystal in my hand. It starts to shine brighter and brighter.

»Here we go.«

I feel its immense power. It literally draws me into itself. My thoughts revolve only around Lucca. The light becomes so bright that I have to close my eyes.

»I'm coming, sister,« I whisper into the night.

And then I lose the ground beneath my feet.

Everything is spinning around me. I cling convulsively to Levi's hand, with the other I hold the crystal.

I don't know which way is up and which way is down.

I feel sick. Luckily I haven't eaten too much.

Next to me I feel Levi doubled over. He must have eaten a bit more.

Hopefully it won't affect our journey if he throws up while teleporting.

I feel a pain in my left hand coming from the crystal. I don't know how much longer I can hold out. Suddenly I feel the ground beneath my feet again. But not just the ground.

A pressure that I've never felt before is weighing me down. My senses are completely overloaded. My head can't interpret what they're transmitting.

I try to breathe deeply to be able to think clearly again, but instead of air, something liquid and salty fills my lungs. I try to get rid of it again, but the attempt only causes more water to flow in.

Instinctively, I push myself off the ground and try to somehow get to the surface. Levi still holds my hand tightly, so I pull him up with me.

Without opening my eyes, I hope I'm swimming in the right direction. The pressure around me is decreasing.

That's a good sign.

Levi has now caught himself and is moving us forward with determined, powerful movements. Suddenly we break the surface of the water.

I spit the water out of my lungs and greedily breathe in the fresh air. Levi does the same. Coughing, we try to catch our breath.

Only now do I open my eyes and am overwhelmed by the sight that greets me. The shore doesn't seem far away, at least if I assume that all the lights are coming from the land.

It's night here too and the stars are shining above us. I look up at the moon and realize that it's not quite full yet. It should be in two days.

That's good, because it means we don't have to stay here for thirty days. Maybe then my parents won't be quite so mad at me.

On the other hand, I don't know if I can find my sister within those two days.

Don't lose hope.

I sense that she is very close. When I look deeper into myself, I realize that this is not just a vague guess. No, Lucca is very close.

»We should go to land. Who knows what's swimming around in these waters,« Levi remarks.

We swim towards the lights together, but without holding hands. The closer we get to the lights, the more clearly I can hear conversations and laughter from living beings. From a distance, they sound like Lux. But that's impossible, because that would mean that we're still on Aquilia.

We're already so close to the beach that I can see individual individuals sitting by the water. From the outside they look like Lux, but I can't yet say which species they come from.

I feel the ground beneath my feet again and stop swimming. We stand in the water together.

»Can you feel what they are?« Levi asks me.

I look at the shapes on the beach and concentrate on my magic.

»No, I can't,« I say, frightened.

Levi looks at me worriedly. »What's wrong?«

»The trip has weakened me. I...but that can't be the reason. I mean, I can still feel very clearly that you are a Puk.«

Levi snorts. »We shouldn't use that as a control value. We spend too much time together for that.«

»That's true too. But I know what I feel. And those there,« I point to the shapes on the beach, »are not Lux.«

»But what are they then?«

Yes, what are they then?

If only I knew...

I let my gaze wander thoughtfully over the figures. 

»I'm afraid there's only one way to find out.«

»You're kidding me, aren't you?«

»I'm afraid not.«

Before Levi can raise any objections, I walk towards the beach. Walking in the water is just as difficult here as it was on Aquilia, and yet I'm sure we're no longer on Aquilia.

Where have we ended up?

Wet and heavy, my cloak and dress stick to my body.

»I guess I can forget about the suit,« Levi says dryly.

I can't suppress a grin. The water is only up to our hips when the figures on the beach notice us. Their conversations stop and they point excitedly in our direction. We come out of the water about twenty steps away from them, looking very pathetic.

I brush a wet strand of hair from my face. My braid lies wet on my back. In a quick movement, I pull it over my shoulder and try to wring it out a little.

»I don't think there's any point.«

I stop my efforts and look at Levi reproachfully.

»What?« he asks innocently and raises his hands defensively.

I notice a movement at the edge of my field of vision. I turn to the group, which is still looking at us carefully. A figure stands up, breaks away from the others and comes towards us.

It is walking barefoot across the stony ground and is only wearing two tightly cut pieces of fabric. Her short, dark hair falls in strands to her shoulders. She is holding something in her hand that I can make out to be a towel. I look uncertainly at Levi.

»We can still run away,« he whispers to me while he looks at the girl suspiciously.

»I think it's already too late for that,« I reply and turn back to the stranger.

She stops in front of us a few steps away.

»Mon Dieu! Vous êtes venu d’où tout à coup? Ça va?« she asks us in a language I have never heard before, and yet I understand every word.

I hesitate to answer. I'm not sure what she knows or how much I can say, let alone whether she would even understand me if I answered her now. She looks uncertainly between Levi and me, examining our different outfits.

»You don't speak French? Can you understand me now?« she asks us in another foreign language, switching from one language to the other as effortlessly as if she did it every day.

»No, it's fine. We understand you,« I finally answer in the first language she spoke to us in, which seems to be French.

»We're fine. We just got a little wet,« Levi answers her first questions, just as I did in this foreign language.

I know from Aurora's diaries that we Lux are very adaptable. It's in our blood to master other languages ​​right away. It helps us communicate with other living beings and to stand out less.

»You're not from here, are you?« the girl asks us, tilting her head.

I shake my head, and wet strands of hair come loose from my braid.

»And you don't talk much,« she says.

Because we don't know you, flashes through my mind, but I refrain from making that comment.

»Where is here?« Levi asks the question, to which I am also very curious to hear the answer.

»»In Marseille,« the girl replies.

I give Levi a confused look, which the girl doesn't miss.

»In the south of France,« she clarifies her statement, apparently hoping that this would tell us more.

No luck.

The girl looks uncertainly between us before turning to her friends. They are still watching us suspiciously, but don't get up to come over to us. She turns her attention back to us.

»You don't know where France is?«

»What is France?« Levi asks quietly.

The girl in front of us starts to laugh. She probably thinks it was a joke. But we're not in the mood for jokes right now. She notices that too and stops laughing. She looks at us uncertainly.

»That wasn't a joke at all?«

Levi shakes his head. She carefully takes a step towards us. She looks at us even more intensely now than before.

»Are you looking for something specific?« I can't help but ask her.

The situation is slowly becoming very uncomfortable for me.

»Are you sure you're not hurt? Didn't you hit your head or anything?«

»Yes, I'm sure,« I reply irritably.

Can't she just tell us where we are and then leave us alone?

She doesn't seem to believe me and takes another step closer to me. I have to give her credit for one thing: she is braver than I would have thought she was capable of.

She looks me intently in the eyes. I hold her gaze, but I feel my magic stirring inside me.

Suddenly she opens her eyes wide and staggers back a few steps. She holds her breath in shock. Her friends stand up and want to rush to her, but Levi gives them a look that freezes her.

»Who are you?« she asks in a shaky voice.

»The question is, what are you?« Levi counters, without taking his eyes off the group.

»I...I...I'm a human, just like you,« she stutters uncertainly.

Levi snorts. »We are not human,« he states. »We are Lux.«