I knew my peace wouldn't last long when I heard the sound of approaching horses. Two riders were getting closer, and within minutes, they would reach me. Straightening up from where I had been crouched, I continued stroking my horse's mane, waiting for them to arrive.
"Thank God you're alright!" Ms. Wood exclaimed as she dismounted and rushed toward me.
"That was very dangerous, Rachel!" she scolded, throwing her arms around me. I remained still, not returning the hug.
"I lost control of the horse," I said, realizing I was unfairly blaming the innocent creature. Pursing my lips, I silently apologized to the horse. I could feel that she understood me.
It was then that I noticed the other rider. She was watching me with her striking green eyes.
"Mina sensed the disturbance in the ground, which led us to you. You're lucky we found you before anything happened," Ms. Wood continued her endless scolding. But the moment I laid eyes on Mina, her words faded into background noise.
"Ride behind Mina, Rachel. Your horse is too unruly."
"No need, Ms. Wood. I'm sure she'll behave now," I replied. Placing my foot in the stirrup, I easily mounted my horse.
Leaning down, I stroked her mane. "Playtime is over, girl. We have to behave now."
She neighed, and I nearly burst out laughing. It was as if she was responding to me.
On the way back, we followed Mina. She seemed to know the way perfectly. Several times, she dismounted and touched the ground before continuing the journey.
I couldn't take my eyes off her. I had no idea why I was so fixated on her. How could I explain it? She was like nature itself—drawing me in, filling me with admiration. She hadn't spoken a single word. She just led her horse forward without even glancing back.
Even the landscapes I had loved on my way here paled in comparison to her. I realized that she was more beautiful than anything I had ever seen.
We soon returned to the riding field. The moment I dismounted, Hope came running and threw herself at me.
"Are you okay, Rachel?"
"I'm fine, Hope," I said, trying to pry her octopus-like grip from my neck. "Hope, I can't breathe."
When I finally freed myself, I noticed that everyone was watching us. Mina was watching too, and for the first time, I felt overwhelmed under someone's gaze. Was she this cold because she was from the Earth Princess Bloodline?
After getting permission, I went up to Liz's office. There wasn't much time left until the next class, so I figured I could talk to her now.
With an unexpected politeness, I knocked on the door. When I heard her voice from inside, I opened it and stepped in. I was sure I would never stop admiring this room each time I entered. It was unlike the classrooms or the rest of the school's walls. It felt like the heart of the entire building beat from here.
"Rachel?" she asked in a questioning tone.
"I need to talk to you."
"Of course, please sit," she said, gesturing to the chairs in front of her desk.
Since I had no idea how to ease into the topic, I decided to be direct.
"I think I have water element powers."
Her eyebrows first raised in surprise, then furrowed.
"How did you realize this?"
"The Water Princess appeared in my dream and told me my power had awakened."
"The Water Princess?"
"Yes, and she mentioned that Dohsen is waiting in line—that my other powers are eager to awaken too."
"We never expected this to happen so quickly!" she said with excitement. I continued looking at her with a blank expression.
"You were rejecting your powers, so we thought your awakening would take much longer."
"Who is 'we'?"
"The Doh Elders."
"I see."
"I'll inform the water element instructor. Until your other elements awaken, you'll attend water element classes. But until then, please don't tell anyone how special you are."
"You're too late, Liz. Jess and Hope already figured it out."
"A few people knowing is fine. But until your powers fully awaken, you are vulnerable."
"Am I not safe here?"
She seemed taken aback by my question. She stared at me for a few seconds before answering.
"Of course, you're safe. You can be sure we'll protect you from any danger." She smiled as she said this, but something inside me didn't believe her. I didn't trust her. Leaving her office, I returned to class.
After horseback riding, elemental training began. These classes were held outdoors, with all student years combined. Fire element users trained surrounded by flames. Water users gathered around the pond on the left side of the yard. Earth and air users were at an advantage since their elements were abundant everywhere.
I joined the water element group. A few students looked surprised and began whispering among themselves, wondering why I had suddenly joined midway through the year. There were about thirteen of us, and Jonathan was among them. He was glaring at me with seething anger.
"Alright, everyone, Rachel is new to our school. Let's give her a warm welcome and jump straight into our lesson," the instructor said before turning to me with a smile. "Welcome, Rachel."
I nodded silently in response, wanting to avoid unnecessary conversation and get straight to the lesson.
"I am Dylan Paters, the water element instructor. Here, you will learn to use your power without harming yourself or others. Are you excited for the lesson?"
I was barely holding myself back from saying, "Just start already." Instead, I settled for, "Yes, can we begin now?" That seemed to satisfy him.
I wanted to test it. I needed to know if what the Water Princess said was true. Still, I decided to hold back and follow the others' instructions first.
"While you practice, I'll start teaching Rachel the basics," he announced, stepping toward me. The other students were focusing on drawing water from the pond and holding it in the air. The amount varied for each student, but Jonathan controlled the most by far. I supposed he didn't reach the seventh rank for nothing.
"First, I want you to summon water. Since water is your natural element, it will respond to you. Extend your hand toward the pond and ask the water to come to you."
According to the Princess, I just needed to command it. This was my chance to test that claim. However, since Jess had told me that Princess Bloodlines could summon water without a source but that it would draw too much attention, I decided to use the pond first.
"I don't have to say it out loud, do I?"
"No, you just have to feel it. Feel the water being drawn to you."
With my palm facing upward, I extended my hand toward the pond. I focused entirely on the water, willing a portion of it to break away and come to me. "Come to me!" I commanded in my mind.
The water rippled before lifting into the air, curling toward me. It hovered over my palm.
"Now, disconnect it from the pond and hold it in your hand."
"Stay in my palm," I thought, and the water obediently detached from the pond, forming a large sphere that quivered as if eagerly waiting for my next command.
"Like this?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at my instructor.
"Yes! That's amazing! Some students take a month to do this! I've never seen anyone succeed on their first try!" he exclaimed excitedly.
He really should have been more aware of his surroundings. Jonathan's rage had multiplied, and the other students' jealous gazes bore into me, trying to crush me with their silent resentment.
The water that wasn't in direct contact with my palm continued to quiver. There were so many things I wanted to try. I wanted to shape the water, to touch it freely. But with all eyes on me, I simply followed my instructor's commands.
"You're still holding it. Right now, we're working on maintaining control over the element after summoning it. It seems you can hold this amount easily. How about summoning more?" Dylan looked at me as if he had just found gold in a mine, eager to see what else I could do.
I knew that even if I called for it, the water would come. Still, I stretched my hand toward the pond and summoned a large sphere, at least the size of the one Jonathan had formed. It merged with the small sphere in my palm, quivering with restless energy. But this time, it felt different. I could feel more pressure on me—the water was pressing against me, almost begging for commands. The entire class watched in astonishment.
"Go, Rachel!" I heard Hope's voice behind me. Turning toward the fire element class, I saw her smiling despite being scolded by her instructor. I smiled back before refocusing on the water.
"Are you kidding me?" Jonathan said loudly. His own sphere had collapsed, splashing water all over him.
"What?" I asked, tilting my head slightly.
"How can you maintain control even when distracted? That's impossible."
"Maybe I can multitask," I shrugged. "Unlike you."
As the class chuckled, Jonathan fumed and stormed toward me. Instead of attacking with the water in my palm, I calmly lifted my hand toward the pond and commanded, "Return." Instantly, the water soared back into the pond.
"I challenge you to a duel!" Jonathan roared. The other students turned toward us, whispering excitedly about the impending duel.
"Since I'm new, I'm currently ranked last. If you're willing to risk dropping to last place, I have no problem accepting," I said with feigned indifference, watching him seethe.
"It's too early for a duel," Dylan intervened.
"I have no objections."
"I'll kill you," Jonathan hissed.
"Good luck with that," I said before turning to Dylan. "What do I need to do?"
"Stand across from Jonathan and place your palms toward each other. You'll swear to follow the duel's rules. Jonathan is far more experienced than you, Rachel. I don't want you to get hurt."
A thought crossed my mind: Water cannot harm me. I was certain of it. Water would never hurt me.
I didn't know the duel rules, but I didn't care. Even if I accidentally killed him, I could always claim ignorance. So, I didn't bother asking.
"Repeat after me," Dylan said as we positioned ourselves beside the pond.
"I swear to abide by the duel's rules," he said. I repeated his words, and so did Jonathan. When I looked into Jonathan's eyes, I could see the excitement there—he was enjoying this.
The other classes had stopped their lessons to watch us. "Bind," Dylan commanded. Jonathan and I repeated, "Bind!" A tattoo formed on the back of my hand, displaying the number 55. The same appeared on Jonathan's, marked with the number 7.
"I should've wished for something else," Hope's loud voice rang through the crowd. I barely held back my laughter. Judging by Jess's expression, she felt the same.
"The duel ends when one of you surrenders or loses consciousness," Dylan explained.
"Crush him, Rachel!" Hope cheered loudly. The entire crowd held their breath, watching the match unfold. I couldn't help it—I burst into laughter.
"Calm down, Hope, and just watch quietly."
"Fine," she pouted.
"Begin," Dylan commanded.
Before I could react, a water ball struck me from the side. That cheater! He didn't even wait for me to prepare. Despite this, the attack did nothing. The moment the water touched my skin, it dispersed harmlessly. My clothes were soaked, but Jonathan looked shocked—he must have expected the attack to hurt me or at least throw me off balance.
I remained still, watching him carefully, analyzing his attacks. A whip of water rose from the pond, lashing toward me. I figured I should defend myself but had no idea how. So, I went with my instincts—I lifted my hand and ordered the whip to stop.
The water froze mid-air, just inches from my palm, waiting for my next command. Jonathan, along with the entire class, stared in disbelief. Oh well, not my problem. I commanded the whip to return to the pond, then gathered an even larger mass of water above Jonathan's head.
Stop his breathing until he loses consciousness, I ordered.
The water trapped Jonathan before he could react. He flailed inside, panicking. He was so desperate that he forgot to use his own power. As his thrashing slowed, Dylan's urgent voice cut through the air.
"You'll kill him, Rachel! Stop immediately!"
When Jonathan stopped moving, I commanded the water to return to me. It obediently released him and floated toward me, awaiting further instructions.
Water can be dangerous when wielded carelessly, the Water Princess's words echoed in my mind. If I had let it continue just a few moments longer, Jonathan would have died.
My hand itched, and when I looked down, my tattoo had changed. The number 7 replaced the 55. The water still hovered beside me, waiting. I reached out and touched it, smiling as a tingling sensation ran through my fingers. I could feel it. It wanted to speak to me, to tell me something.
"I understand," I whispered, still smiling. Then, I guided the water back into the pond to avoid raising suspicion.
"Rachel, you're amazing!" Hope shrieked, throwing herself onto me again. That was twice today. Jess had to pry her off me.
"Even I didn't expect that," Jess admitted with a grin.
"Jonathan is ranked 55th! Jonathan is ranked 55th!" Hope sang, dancing around like an excited child.
"Rachel, what have you done?!" Dylan's furious voice made me shift my gaze toward him.
"I simply asked the water to drown him," I said, raising a brow.
"You could've killed him!"
"Was that against the rules?" I countered.
"Of course, it is!"
"You're yelling too much. My ears are sensitive," I sighed, rubbing them. "Could you lower your voice?"
Dylan glared at me as I continued. "No one told me the rules. Jonathan should've considered the risks before challenging someone whose powers had just awakened. I could've lost control."
Ignoring his fuming expression, I walked over to Jonathan, who was now being treated. He had swallowed a lot of water. I wanted to test something. Placing my hand over his chest, I commanded the water in his lungs to leave his body. I focused only on what was inside his lungs—if I lost control, I might drain all the water from his body, which would definitely kill him.
When Jonathan coughed and sat up, I stood.
"What did you do now?!" Dylan demanded.
"I simply asked the water to leave his lungs," I said, keeping my voice even. "He's fine now."
Dylan hesitated, looking between me and Jonathan. "Such control…" he murmured under his breath. No one else heard, but I did.
Jess and Hope had returned to their own training areas, but they, along with many other students, kept sneaking glances in my direction.
Jonathan was taken to the infirmary, and class resumed. Dylan made me do the simplest exercises—just holding water in my palm—for the rest of the lesson.
But I wanted to do more.
I wanted to push my limits.
I wanted to see how far the water would obey me.