IN THE LIFE HOUSE

My consciousness was a little groggy when we reached the ward. Cellon looked for a bed for me and Ren. As soon as I settled, I laid down and stared at the bright but calming light. This light is different from ours. Ours is a glaring one, while this one is a soothing one. I have to have this at home.

Cellon came back, bringing two people in tow.

"Nina, this is Nana and Dana. They'll be taking care of you."

I smiled at them gratefully, "Then I'll be under your wings. Thank you."

Cellon left to check on Ren. Nana and Dana immediately started looking for and tending for my wounds.

With the soothing light and their refreshing healing magic, I finally fell asleep.

I woke up with the sounds of chirping and a pair of voices talking softly beside me.

I opened my eyes slowly as I adjusted to the change of light. Ren and Cellon were the owners of the voices.

"Hi to you two!" I said cheerfully. "What are you talking about?"

Ren sat on my bed and caressed my face. Well, this is new. But I don't dislike this Ren. Go on Ren, please continue. I giggled inwardly.

"Are you alright Nina?"

I smiled, "Of course I am! I'm a very, very tough woman." I flexed my fit body and muscular arms at him to prove my point.

He chuckled. "Okay fine. Are you hungry? Let's go eat. They serve the best meals here."

This man, he really knows what I want when I want.

Their mess hall was magnificent. I really don't know how they can maintain so much lighting in this place. I mean, do they use electricity or is this all magic? Probably, this is magic. Whew, why didn't we know about all this.

"Uh Cellon, do you have the cure for cancer?" I asked him out of the blue.

He looked at me sadly, "Unfortunately, no. Healing magic has its limits. Yes we could heal cancer at the early stages as we know that there is a limited area to use healing. But when it metastasizes, it's endgame. Too much organs are damaged already, and the caster could only do as much. Collective healing doesn't work because each magic has its different imprint. Mixing it with another's could create adverse reactions."

"Whoa. I thought everything is possible with magic," I said, ticking off the things I believed about magic.

"So, are there people who are capable of using magic with another mage?"

"Ren, you're right. She is really a curious and a pestering fellow."

I glared angrily at Ren, "That's your impression of me? How pathetic. I don't meddle with the likes of you."

I turned back to Cellon, raising my brows to signal him I'm still waiting for an answer.

He scratched his head, "Uh mages are all capable. It's just that, we need to find that one. And they are what we call our soulmates."

"Oh wow. You also believe in those?"

"No. Soulmates does not necessarily mean the romantic type. It just means your souls were bound together before you were born. Souls were believed to be created in pairs. As to why they separate when taking physical forms, I don't know how. So, it could be between different gender or of the same. So yeah."

"Have you found yours?"

Cellon sighed, "Soulmates are difficult to find. If you found yours, great things are bound to happen. The last recorded soulmates was 50 years ago. And mind you, only 20 soulmates were recorded in the span of a thousand years since the recording began."

"And all 20 were born in an era of great history?"

"You guessed that right."

We finally arrived at our table. Their mess hall was really like the Great Hall in Hogwarts. Realization dawned on me. Hah! Am I witch now? And do they have magic academies like Hogwarts? But I do not have a wand. Sad.

As soon as we sat, the food magically appeared on our table. Whoa! Is this - ?

"Are we at Hogwarts?" I exclaimed.

Ren laughed, while Cellon contained his in a funny manner.

"Why? What's funny?"

Ren replied after his laughing fit, "Far from it actually. But that book has hit some points too, although not very accurate. But no, this is not Hogwarts and we don't have magical schools. Magic comes out to us naturally. By practicing it everyday, we refine our magic to use it at its best."

"But how do you know how to use it?"

"We just know it because its ours. It resonates to what you think and feel. It follows your every command up to the very little details. The magic talks to its owner as soon as it develops and until the mage grows, the magic continues to put input on his mind on the things his magic can do."

I looked down and chowed on my food. I thought of the arena in my dream. Maybe it was my magic talking to me that time. My magic is a late bloomer.

What a bum.