Chapter 17

Dina was mixing her potion with the love of her life beside her.

"I want to go home." He groaned as he throw an ingredient inside the boiling pot.

"Clide, you wouldn't be here right now if only you reviewed before our mid-term exam." Dina said annoyed, a bit happy because she get to stay here with him for a week.

"Why did Mr. Agase pair me up with you every time we had exams?" Dina felt hurt that he didn't like one bit being paired up with her but she hid it anyway.

"Because Mr. Agase wanted you to pass so he paired you up with the smarted and skillful mage." She boasted.

"Besides, you didn't like following my instructions so I should be the one getting angry for failing along with you." She added. Staying at school was her plan all along but they failed the exam as a pair so Mr. Agase told them to stay and do the potion again. It takes 4 days to cure the potion and if they fail this time, they have to go to school in summer.

"It's because you're being too bossy when we're doing the potion."

"It's because you think you're always right and always do things your own way so I had to tell you what to do everytime we make potions so we could get the right result!" She's feeling irritated right now.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you make it by yourself then if I'm being such a bother?" He leaned his head towards Dina and smirked. She couldn't help but blush. Even if they're fighting, she couldn't help the butterfly in her stomach as he leaned in to her. She couldn't get completely angry at him because she's falling harder every minute they talk. The thought only made Dina angry at herself rather than the man he's fighting with then tears started to form in the corner of her eyes.

Clide was surprised to see her tears.

"Move your face away from me." She mumbled but he clearly heard it. Dina couldn't move away because she knows her knees would give in if she did. Clide didn't move too and just stared. Her jaw tensed then gave him a blow on the face. He fell on the floor but instead of getting angry, he continued to stare at Dina.

A knock came to the window. They turned and saw it was a messenger bird. Dina wiped her tears and gathered her strength to walk towards it. She opened the window and took the envelope behind it's small backpack. Dina flipped it and saw it was addressed to her from Reymund.

She walked out the room, slamming the door shut before Clide could stand up. Dina stood beside the door and opened the envelope and read the letter. Before she could read, she saw Luke passing by the window across from her. He glanced at her then saw her red eyes so he knew she recently cried.

He knocked at the window so she walked up to him then opened it for him. He jumped in and pat her head.

"What're you doing here?" She asked.

"Break time." He answered.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just fought with someone stupid." She said.

"Your classmate that's also your crush?" Dina was surprised at his question.

"What?"

"Everyone's talking about how two mage freshmen stayed here to retake the test. Plus, you look at him with adoration in your eyes whenever you cross paths with him." He said. Dina felt a sudden chill at how observant he is.

"Looks like the quiet people really does see everything." Then they both laughed.

"Go read that letter. It might be important." He said.

"Do you know anything about a black thing that comes out from a wound made by an evil beast? Does it do something like eat mana of a human?"

Dina knew the answer to it instantly.

"Why would Reymund ask this?" She asked.

"Seiran's friend wrote you a letter?" He asked. Dina nodded and showed him the letter.

The door opened beside her and Clide came out. The latter saw Luke but he ignored him and was about to say something but Dina quickly turned her back and ran away. Luke made sure to not let Clide chase her.

She knew he's about to apologize seeing his expression and she knew she'll forgive him instantly.

She went to the dorm to answer the letter. She took a sheet of paper in her study table, took her pen beside it then sat in a chair to write back.

"Yes, it's called a black mana. It only belongs to the most powerful evil beast, Grotha. According to the book I've read, it does suck out the mana of a human once it made contact with them."

She put the letter inside the envelope then went back to the building where the messenger is silently waiting where Dina found it. She saw from the corner of her eyes Clide look up to her from the book he's reading then stood up. She didn't bother to take a look at him. She put the envelope behind the bird then took flight.

"Dina, I'm really sorry for my outburst lately." He said.

"Ok." She coldly replied. She did her best to reply in that tone so she wanted to pat herself at the back for that accomplishment.

She still continued to ignore him and even made the potion by herself.

"Aren't you going to tell me what to do?" Clide asked nervously.

"I'm making it by myself aren't you happy?" She asked tonelessly. He was taken aback by her dead tone. She finished the potion before night came by herself then pour it in the glass bottle. Clide quietly watched her do things on her own because he actually didn't know what to do. She walked towards the cabinet and put the potion in the bottom shelf. All they had to do is wait for the violet potion to turn blue in the next four days.

Another knock came by the window and saw the messenger bird again. Reymund was about to get the envelope but Dina quickly took it. She also took the bird with her then returned back to her dorm along with the bird.

"If the black mana is exclusively for Grotha, do you think it can be passed down to other evil beast?" Dina felt very curious as to why Reymund seemed very interested in knowing about this.

"Krillion wrote in the book that Grotha tried it many times but failed." Everyone knew who Krillion was so Dina didn't bother to explain him to Reymund. Krillion was the last mage that existed who could use black magic circle. He was the most powerful mage that ever lived, considering he fought with the king of the evil beasts.

Looks like something happened to Seiran for him to be asking this question to her and not Seiran herself so she assured Reymund.

"I once visited Hale kingdom's library, as it contains the most information about almost everything in the whole empire so informations that I know couldn't be false unless the source is also wrong too."

She put the envelope inside the bird's backpack then it flew away again.

She wanted to ask if something did happened to Seiran but the fact that no one's bothering to tell her what happened means it must be complicated so she just have to patiently wait if they plan to tell her or not.