Selena Estrell

  I am the youngest daughter of the King of Ailenor, Nicholas Estrel.

  A princess? That's just a formality. Our family isn't like those you read about in books: we're not schemers or villains. Just strict parents, caring brothers and sisters.

  My place is far from the throne. I was being groomed for government work, for meetings, laws, and negotiations. Over time, I realized politics wasn't for me. I watched my brothers learning swordsmanship and my sisters weaving spells, and I dreamed of magic.

  After much persuasion, I finally ended up here: at the academy. But I can't relax: I'm in the "Elite Class," and I constantly have to prove I belong here.

  "Hello, Princess. I'm Vanessa Thorn. I'd like to congratulate you on passing all the exams."

  Vanessa was very formal. She probably expected coldness from me due to our families' positions.

  "Thank you. I'd also like to congratulate you on the same. If I recall correctly, your family is an active member of the conservative party."

  "Please, don't pay attention to my family's position. We're students here. Being in the same class is an honor for me and motivation to speak with you."

  "Let's switch to informal speech? We're the same age after all."

  I noticed Vanessa smile, but her gaze remained appraising.

  "Of course. My parents know some professors. Everyone says it's going to be an eventful year."

  "Really? That's awesome! If only they'd told us about the exams beforehand..."

  "Well... they did tell me some things. It's not exactly a secret, but they don't tell just anyone. This year they decided that not only our class will be trained for team combat from the first semester. There'll be a couple more classes with the same methods."

  "I've heard talk about this for a while now, so they've decided to expand this experimental program? Before, besides our class, they only taught this in the army itself."

  Lowering my voice slightly as I asked.

  "Aren't you afraid? Demons, real battles..."

  "I am afraid. But this is what we came here for, right? Princess, did you observe their fight?"

  "No, but I was in the same group for the written exam."

  "The one on the left is Elliot. I observed him during our second exam. He manipulates metal magic skillfully but rather slowly. His brother is more fascinating. Luten completed all types of tests without showing what magic he has. None of the students figured it out, and probably not even all the teachers know."

  "I think Luten is... different. How should I put it—more mature, perhaps."

  "More like Elliot is shyer."

  Weeks of study passed, and I seemed to be keeping up with the others. I managed to build good, friendly relationships with the boys in the group. For the first time in many years, people addressed me as just another student. How little it takes to make me happy!

  My attention kept being drawn to Luten. Like the main character of some boring novel, he kept surfacing in class events. Though he always pretended he wasn't important at all and tried not to stand out.

  I was returning to the classroom when I tripped over something near the doorway. For some reason, I reflexively turned back and noticed nothing strange except the air feeling too tense, as if someone had been casting. The corridor was empty. Strange! Oh well, strange thoughts: the main character should have caught the falling girl. Oh, the things I imagine.

  "Selena, are you hurt?"

  "Ah, oh, sorry. No, no, no. Everything's fine. Really."

  "What, didn't expect to fall at all?"

  "Yes, this has never happened to me."

  "Hmm, in any case, let me take a look."

  He was already taking me in his arms and carrying me. Carefully starting to remove my stocking from my leg. But no, I'm imagining things again. He just brought his hand near my knee, and I felt blood suddenly rush to that spot. It stung a bit, but the pain passed. My face burned. I'm probably red as a beet.

  And he didn't even notice. He simply stood up, brushed off his hands, and looked at me with the same calm seriousness. As if healing princesses was his daily routine.

  Idiot, I thought, and didn't understand myself: was I angry or admiring?

  "Now, children, it's not time to roll around on the floor, it's time to descend into the labyrinths. Everyone to your places!"

  They explained that we would now be training spells under controlled conditions with low-level demons in a special bunker.

  Just a couple of years ago, I heard discussions about this project. The academy held parliamentary hearings about permission to use Otherworlder technologies in their new project. Its main goal was the secure containment of demons under lock. All this was intended for further training and testing by the academy's scholars and students.

  The bunker was located far from the academy and villages, so we traveled there for a couple of hours on a bus allocated for us. It was my first time inside.

  From the outside, it was an ordinary but very large automobile. All these technologies were copied from observations of Otherworlders, so they always turned out to be some kind of monsters. Inside was much more spacious than in a car or carriage. Down the center was an aisle where two people could pass, albeit sideways. Along the edges of the entire bus were seats, two per row.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "Class, attention please. Behind me is the entrance to the complex. The building is constructed like a spiral. On each level—demons. Since this is our first time here, we'll be accompanied by the head scholar from the group of sages who manage this place."

  Before us appeared a man. He was tall but slightly hunched; time had clearly not been kind to him. The warlock's robe was dark green, almost black, with runic patterns along the edges. It touched the floor, just like a shadow sliding behind him.

  Around his neck was draped a wide collar, trimmed with patterns of ancient runes. Beneath the robe, massive silver bracelets were visible on his wrists, inlaid with purple crystals that glowed dimly with each movement. In his hands, he held a staff of black wood with elegant carved symbols. At the top of the staff shone a blue crystal, slightly pulsing as if alive.

  The warlock's face was wrinkled, but his eyes were bright and attentive, with a piercing gaze. Long gray hair framed his face, and his beard, woven into several thin braids, reached his chest.

  "Greetings, young enchanters and future defenders of this world."

  This man's voice was deep and resonant. He paused, carefully surveying us all.

  "The place before which you stand is not merely an ordinary training complex. This is a labyrinth, the heart of our collaboration with the Otherworlders, created not only for your training but for the protection of this world."

  The warlock lightly struck his staff against the ground, and the blue crystal at its tip flashed brighter for a moment.

  "This bunker was erected a couple of years ago on the site of an ancient sanctuary. Its foundation consists of sorcerous stones carved from mountain depths, and the magical diamonds were woven by the finest mages and Otherworlder scholars. You now stand directly upon the symbol of our alliance. The Otherworlders provided us with technology, and we, in turn, infused this labyrinth with our ancient magic."

  He paused again, as if checking whether we understood the importance of his words.

  "Each coil of this spiral is saturated with ancient power. The demons you'll encounter here were captured during the first great expedition of the Otherworlders. They are lesser but dangerous creatures, and their presence here is the result of delicate work on the barriers. But this place was created not only for your training. It's also a test for everyone. Each class passing through these halls proves they're worthy not only of power but of wisdom."

  Wait, "each class"? Something's not right here. We all reflexively looked at the professor.

  "Yes, it's true. We were supposed to inform you of this later, but no matter. This year, the Academy Council decided that additional classes would be formed. They will have access to places like this, at the same level as the Elite Class. You'll study separately. The Council believes you need stiffer competition to develop your powers. Well then, let's go inside and begin the first day."

  The bunker looked imposing and grim: a massive, gray concrete structure hidden beneath a rocky hill, as if part of the earth. Thick metal doors, compressed deep within a stone arch, seemed to warn that entry here was a ticket to another, dangerous world. Above the entrance, carved into old stone, runes were visible, flickering with dim red light, maintained by magic guarding the labyrinth.

  Emblems were fastened everywhere, apparently belonging to this research group. They also resembled runes. Diamond-shaped, their tips extended beyond the frame, as if repeating the style of old manor houses. Various symbols could be read inside. Each surely had its own meaning.

  Entering inside, we immediately felt the temperature drop—the air was heavy, cool, and damp. The bunker walls were covered with metal plates bearing symbols, some of which had rusted in places.

  The labyrinth consisted of narrow, winding corridors, some illuminated by dim lights that left shadows. They seemed to move on their own. The floor was laid with gray stones and in places covered with metal grates. Underfoot, a strange muffled groan could sometimes be heard—as if demons imprisoned in the labyrinth were waiting below, hidden by traps and barriers.

  Blood on the walls and floors—traces of conducted tests: I think they're trying to scare us this way. Next to the narrow passages were embedded control panels that allowed teachers to change the labyrinth's configuration, complicating or easing the path depending on the assignment.

  The training halls—central rooms expanding into enormous halls with high ceilings, filled with magical barriers that separated lesser demons from students if the situation got out of control. The barriers shimmered with blue light, creating a sensation as if water was about to pour from them. In these halls were also observation areas, from where teachers could monitor training progress through magical projections.

  "So, gentlemen, attention please. Though today is the first day of classes in the complex, we'll mainly be going through briefings and training with each other. At the end, you'll face your first demons in small teams."

  Everyone immediately began protesting and demanding to fight right away. Fools, they don't understand the danger even from lesser creatures! Will I be able to? After everything that's happened. I mustn't let them down.

  "Let's start with simple training to warm up and be ready to work as a team. The pairs will be: Selena with Luten, Elliot with Rainer, and Darius with Cassandra. We'll start with first-rank spells, then you can intensify. Show us what you're capable of."

  I stood opposite Luten, trying to maintain composure. He looked focused, but I sensed his tension. Magical barriers slowly tightened around us, filtering out everything except the two of us. The very air seemed to vibrate, preparing for our duel.

  Luten might have been successful in magic, but his strength lay elsewhere—in cunning and the ability to use even weak opportunities to his advantage. This worried me.

  I started first. Raising my hand, I seemed to direct the air where to fly. A light breeze instantly transformed into swift ribbons that wrapped around my arms. Feeling confident, I sent the first whirlwinds in his direction, intending to test his reaction. Luten stepped aside, avoiding direct collision. His eyes flashed with a weak blue light, as always when he began concentrating his magic. I can't let him hit me. I can stay in the air for some time, and even if I can't see Luten, I'll be able to sense him.

  Concentrating, I altered the air flow, making it envelop the space between us, turning it into fog. Heavy, damp banks of fog began to thicken, gradually concealing my movements. He won't be able to see me, and this will give me an advantage. I'd only recently managed to make air condense like this, so it wasn't coming out as elegantly.

  Contrary to my expectations, Luten didn't stop. Instead of avoiding the fog, he entered it, step by step moving toward me. I felt the magic in the fog seeming to submit to something new. He didn't suppress it. For him, it was as if the fog didn't exist. It was a strange feeling: as if my own spells were being used against me.

  Luten approached almost unnoticeably, and before I could react, he was beside me. I felt his hand on my shoulder—a light but confident touch. And immediately something changed in my chest.

  Something changed in the air. Not physically—magically. As if my spells suddenly became foreign, disobedient. As if Luten somehow... absorbed them? Or redirected them?

  The flows of magic crumbled, becoming clumsy. My breathing quickened, my heart pounded. Magic slipped from control like water through fingers. The more I tried to hold it, the more it crumbled to pieces.

  The whirlwinds I'd created around myself were fading and breaking apart, losing clarity and form. My power hadn't disappeared, but controlling it had become exhausting, as if Luten had disrupted my concentration with just one touch.

  I raised my hand, trying to gather the air flows again, but the spell came out crooked, as if resisting me. Part of the fog dissipated, and I saw Luten's gaze—he stood just a few steps away. In his eyes, I saw neither malice nor superiority. He understood he'd won.

  Luten sighed, lowering his hand.

  "I think you need to practice with air a bit more. I surrender."

  "What?!"

  "I only recently learned this. It happened by accident while I was training another skill. This trick wouldn't work on you a second time."

  My heart clenched. Why?! The fight was his... But instead of disappointment, I felt relief. I exhaled and, barely suppressing a smile, nodded in response.