Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16

Demitria Frostine

"River is being held captive in the Shadow Kingdom."

My eyes widened with what I heard. No words were coming out of my mouth. I did not know what to say. My brother is being held captive in the enemy's kingdom.

What if... What if they had hurt him in any way? What if they decided to kill him?

"Our spy said that he jas been there for a while now."

I aggressively sat on the chair behind me. I have been living my best days in the Academy and River is suffering there. What kind of sister am I?

"Nothing is your fault, Demitria. No one wanted this to happen."

"Y-yeah... S-sure..."

"Hey..."

I massaged my temple to help my self to control my temper and maintained my composure. This news is still a good one since now that I know, he was alive.

I sighed before uttering a word.

"Thank you for this, Headmaster. This is still a piece of good news for me. At least he's alive. That's all I need to know for now."

"For now, you have to prepare yourself for the incoming battle of the best. Train harder, push yourself to your limit, time is another opponent during the game," The Headmaster explained.

"I will, Headmaster. Thank you for everything you have done for me."

I went outside the office but I chose not to go back to my room in the meantime. I felt that I need air to breathe properly and find my comfort place.

The garden.

I sat on one of the benches there and enjoyed the silence of the night. Only the hummings of the wind rule the garden. The silence was bringing so much peacefulness within me.

The night sky was as blue as the ocean and the moon still shines the brightest. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ahh, finally."

A place where I could say that I'm at peace. A place where I could prove myself to no one. A comfortable place. I decided to stay a little bit longer since I needed a break from everything that had happened in the past few days.

"How I hope to shine bright like the moon or even the stars."

Don't worry, Demi. I will shine on my own perfect time.

I opened my eyes when I heard a crackle behind me. As far as I can remember everyone was now asleep on their beds. Well, except for Lorcan and the headmaster.

I took my steps gently towards the bushes to check who created the noise but a little bunny jump on me and then jumped away from me again.

This garden was huge that it almost looks like a forest at night. I thought I saw a human figure behind a tree but I thought that that was just because of the light that created a shadow.

"I should go back to sleep," I said and walked towards my bed.

When I got back to my room, my door was slightly open so I pushed it so I can go inside. Craig and Camellia already left but they left the bottles of whiskey and some other trash.

Maybe they are still drunk but since the daily room checking will start at 6 am they decided to go back to their respective rooms. I still have time to sleep so I cleaned all the mess in my room and laid myself down.

"Just a little more time... I will get you out of that hell."

*

"You are not supposed to hold the spear like that or it will fall off your hand," said the instructor.

He aggressively took the spear away from that it hit my hands and created a small wound. He has pissed me off already because he keeps on repeating everything to me.

The spear was long and It always falls when I tried to hold it. I am already embarrassed with him shouting at me. Everyone's eyes were sticking into me and my position.

"Try again!" He shouted.

He pointed at a cardboard figure meters away from us. He wants me to throw the spear towards the target, hit it on the chest part and he will be as satisfied as he wants.

I threw the spear and it did not hit the target but it got pierced on the wall. I massaged my temple out of disappointment and desperation to hit the only target in front of me.

"Are you born only to embarrassed yourself?" The instructor walked towards me slowly, his eyes were staring at me as his eyebrows were meeting each other at the middle of his face.

His hands were already closed and his veins were already visible in my eyes.

"Do you think, just because you ended up being included in the next battle, you are great and powerful already?" He said not daring to break his stare into my eyes. He was so pissed off that I could almost see smokes coming out of his nose.

"What an arrogant, ungrateful brat," He said.

He walked away and shouted at my classmates to go back at their own weapon training. My grip has tightened hearing those words coming out of his lips and shouting at me in front of his other students.

Was it my fault that I did not have the chance to enhance my weapon skills because I am poor and not like them?

My teeth gritted in anger as I hold the spear tightly. You shall never embarrass other people like that, Remember me as a person you have made to feel ashamed of existing.

The field became silent as no one dared to make a move nor say a word. The spear that I was holding is now pierced on the wall with the target that the instructor was holding.

Everyone around me gasped for air as I walk slowly towards him, with a smirk on my face.

"Oops. I failed to hit the target," I said and walk pass him. His face was still in shock that in a blink of an eye, he almost lost his hands.

That is what words can do. They hit you hard and dig deep until it reaches your soul. While you did not know, those painful words had become your foundation.

_

For the next classes, I pushed myself to get as much information as I need. I might be needing all of them during the next battle, using those information will help me at least.

"Legends believe that this pearl was not just any simple pearl. It is the pearl that was given and gifted by the Gods of the universe."

"But where is it now, why does it remained as a legend?" One of my classmates said quoting the word legend.

"The last sighting of the stone was hundreds of years now. No one knows where the hell the stone was," The instructor explained.

"I heard that this pearl might be the reason why a war is already coming."

"What?"

"For real?"

"Where did you get that?"

Everyone has become furious about the news. I remembered hearing about the black pearl when the shadow warriors had broken the borders and injured many civilians including me.

"It was so powerful that the council has taken some measurements just in case the war suddenly began. Finding the pearl has now become a racing for which who will find it will possess a never-ending power and will rule over the eight kingdoms," The instructor was already pale and his voice was almost shaking.

If someone must be terrified when that war started, It is the council and the instructors.

"So when the next battle starts, some of you might be sent to a mission to look for the missing pearl."

No one dared to say a word not even make a move. It was already time for our snacks and no one is daring to move. All of us were as concerned as we should because the war will not only affect those in position but everyone in the eight kingdoms.

"Are you okay?" Camellia asked handing me a pack of sandwiches.

"Yes, I am. Why?"

"Nothing, you just look bothered. What is it?"

"My mind was just stuck about what the instructor said. I did not even know that there will be an existing war."

"You shall not worry yourself too much. The war has been a wide talk for our parents since then but no one knows when s the time so the council just prepared something to protect Ingram," She explained and continues eating as if she was unbothered.

"Can you tell me more about the eight kingdoms?"

"Sure, why not?"

She put down her food and sit facing me. Camellia crossed her hands in front of me and the side of her lips rose.

"The eight kingdoms is consist of-"

*