Chapter 2 (The unseen beauty )

Rainer stood up, walking with her head held high as she walked towards the big, furnished door. She walked into the room that was painted all white; it had only one window, which was a surprise given how big the room was; the only furniture in the room was just a big rectangular table, two chairs, and a shelf full of books; and there was a strange flag with the logo of a red fox and a red flaming flower. The room was indeed strange; it was big, but why was there so little furniture in it?

"Good day, Mrs. White," Rainer greeted as she took a seat,

"Oh, Rainer, just call me mom," The blond woman with deep blue eyes said with a polite smile on her face, 

"What's my assignment, Mrs. White? I don't have all day."

The lady just chuckled at Rainer's lack of sense of humor. She brought out an old book and began going through it.

"Okay, Rainer Before I tell you what your assignment is, I have to tell you the little change that we, the school, have made. This year's assignment won't be tested by mere strength or the amount of magic one could will. So this year's test is quite easy. Instead of fighting to the death or all those things, you guys would just have to bring some supplies for the school."

"So we're going on a scavenger hunt?" Pathetic," she sneered, earning a light chuckle from the principal.

"Call it whatever name you want, Rainer, but that is what it is,"

"Why? Why stop something that served its purpose in the first place? "And why do I feel like this new system of yours has more meaning behind it than you let on?" Rainer gave the principal a suspicious look.

"This is the reason why I like you, Rainer: you never just accept things; you ask questions." You are literally the only person who can challenge me and honestly, I like it. But as you know, not everything lasts. Well, I mean, the system was already old, and in this modern age, wars are not likely to happen, and people are not just judged by their rough strength but also by their brilliance. So that's why changes had to be made. So tell me, Rainer, do you still need any clarification?

Mrs. White asked, sitting back in her chair. What she said was convincing but still suspicious. Rainer didn't say a word to Mrs. White, but one thing was very clear, even to Mrs. White, and that was that she was still very skeptical about all this. She knows her stepmother all too well, and nice isn't who she is. Most times, Rainer asked the heavens why Mindy was born by a woman like Stella. Let them do what they want, but they better not hurt the people she cares about.

"So then, let's see what task you are meant to do." Mrs. White picked up a small glass bow that had a few plain white cards in it. Rainer questionably looked at Mrs. White.

"Pick a card, any card."

Seeing the annoying smile on her stepmother's face, Rainer quickly picked up a card, not wanting to spend even a second with her. She faced the plain card towards the direction of the sun. Abruptly, the white card changed to black, and words written with white ink began materializing on the card. Rainer's eyes nearly bulged out seeing the words in the paper, 

"What does it say, Rainer?" 

Rainer heard the annoying voice of Mrs. White, but Rainer couldn't care less as she was having an internal tremor go on. Rainer looked at Mrs. White, who had a blank look on her face, and then back at the card before letting out a dry laugh. She laughed at her endless bad luck. Upon all the cards that she saw to choose from, she ended up with this one. Now she was finally convinced that she was not meant to live a long life.

"Get a hand full of sand from the COLD DESERT," she said dryly.

"Oh, my rain, that's. I don't know what to say."

"Well, I do; why add such a dangerous task to the list in the first place?" Everyone knows that no one can ever make it out alive of the desert."

"Maybe that's the reason it was added, to test the endurance of the person."

"Endurance, my ass." 

She said standing up and walking out of the office with so many thoughts buzzing through her mind. She had decided not to go along with this. Going to the cold desert was like going on a suicide mission. Rainer was going to her grandmother to talk; she just wanted to run away, but how could she?

Rainer hurled herself onto her track. She realized that not doing this meant staying here for an extra year. She had already promised her grandmother and sister that she would take them away from here. But she doesn't they would have to say there for one extra year. No, she won't let that task discourage her. She would endure this for the last time.

Rainer walked out of the building and began walking on the school's premises. She walked past the garden and park where people were and was headed into an isolated place where the only things that could be seen were tombstones and overgrown grass. She walked deeper into the eerie cemetery, in the direction of an old wooden house. It was so quiet that the only thing one could hear was the whispering of the wind blowing the dried leaves and the gentle dancing of the trees. 

Finally, Rainer arrived at the small wooden house that still stood strong despite its age. Yes, the house was old, but it was well taken care of. They were small pots well placed on the windows, with the light blue curtains gently swaying to the wind. Rainer raised her hand to knock on the gray wooden door but stopped when she heard the light clicking of glass.

Mother must be at the back having her morning tea, she thought to herself as she made her way to the back of the house. There she saw her grandmother sitting on a bench, looking out into the horizon.

"Good morning, grandma," Rainer said, walking over to her grandmother, 

"Good morning, my dear, "How was your night?" her grandmother asked, taping the space on the bench, indecently inviting Rainer to sit next to her. 

Rainer sat with her grandmother, who was still looking in the direction of the desert as if she were watching something fascinating.

"Grandma, you wanted to see me?" Rainer asked, looking up at her grandmother, who just nodded in response as she sipped her tea.

"What is so interesting about the desert that makes you get lost while looking at it?" Rainer asked, not able to keep her curiosity at bay.

"What do you see when you look at the desert?" Her grandma asked, still looking at the horizon,

"I see a wasteland," Rainer honestly said, looking at her grandmother, who just smiled back at her, finally looking in her direction.

"Rainer, my dear, explain what you see when you look at the desert." Her grandma asked once again, this time placing her hand gently on Raine's shoulder. Rainer looked in the direction of the desert, looking for a better way she could explain it to her grandma.

"Umm, I see an endless land full of sand, dust, and some dead plants." 

"Haha, is that all you see, my child?" Can't you see the endless beauty and grace of the desert? with all the mystery it embodies."

"It is beautiful if you look at it that way, but still, grandma, why do you look at the desert?" "The forest is a more beautiful place than the desert; there are a lot of colors, and there are also animals, rivers with lots of life in them, but yet you chose the desert over that,

"You won't understand Rainer, my child; not all animals with teeth bit to kill." The desert may look plain and unyielding, but beneath those sands is a whole lot of mystery. "You know something, my child's life is just like the desert; you never know where the wind will blow and take you."

"Forget about that; come join me; let's eat," her grandma said, taking Rainer to the small round table that was covered with a light blue tablecloth, with the cutlery gently placed and arranged.

"No grandma here." "I have something else to do; when I come back, we'll have lunch together."

"Okay, dear, please do not work too hard; do you understand?"

"Yes, gran, I love you." Rainer places a quick kiss on her grandma's cheek before quickly running off.

***""""

The road to the desert was indeed far; she needed to be quick with her task because nightfall, it was a very dangerous time, especially in the forest or desert. 

Rainer took her mini spell book and a bow and arrow with her. She wore a turtleneck shirt with jeans, black boots, and a glove to cover the marks on her body. She then cast a spell that teleported her outside her hostel. If it were other witches, they would have appeared at the forest front by now, but it didn't matter as long as she got back quickly.

Finally, Rainer arrived at the forest. The forest was huge and full of colors and beauty, but it was weird how a desert could be so close to such beauty. Rainer headed north, to where the desert stood, with the help of her compass. One wrong turn and one may end up in the territory of the Lycan, which would lead to war all over again.

As Rainer kept teleporting, she wondered what the school needed the cold sand for. It felt weird because the desert has always been off-limits after the long war that transported people between the witches and desert people. What kind of spell was the school cooking? It seemed like the school was making a much stronger spell; no, it felt more like a curse, but for whom? That was the question that kept crossing her mind each time she got near the dark valley of poisons. People believed it was a mint while the reset said it was true, but all Rainer knew was that the dessert was dangerous.

Rainer wasn't sure it was right for her to go to the cold desert, especially with all the deaths that have been occurring there, but a part of her wanted to see this desert for herself. It was already past noon, but it was still very bright, and she was not actually going to stay there for long, just long enough for her to get some sand and see the desert's beauty that her grandma has always talked about.

Rainer had never gone this deep into the forest, but instead of fear, she felt thrilled and excited. But as she walked towards the end of the forest, she felt an intense gaze on her, but anytime she turned around, all she saw were just trees. Rainer quickly opened her mini spell book and began reciting a spell, 

She snapped her head to the left when she suddenly heard the snapping of a twig, but then she felt someone behind her, but when she turned, there was no one. A golden glow quickly passed through Rainer's hazel eye, then suddenly a huge blast was realized from Rainer, which sent her flying toward a nearby tree.