CHAPTER 2

*Chapter 2: The Flicker of Magic

The next few days passed in a blur for Seraphina. Every time she walked through the halls of *Aeloria Academy*, she felt the weight of those strange moments—the flickering of power, the tingling in her fingers, the odd sensation that something was *waiting* inside her, just beneath the surface. But when she tried to focus on it, nothing happened.

Magic, at least in the way most students here experienced it, was meant to be practiced. Refined. And *Seraphina's* magic had always been dormant, an afterthought in her quiet, uneventful life. But now... *something* felt different.

Her conversations with Maria had become more strained. The tension between them had grown, though neither of them dared to say it aloud. It was clear that Maria's focus had shifted. She had started to spend more time with the more powerful students—those who had perfected their magic and carried themselves like royalty. Seraphina, who could never fit into that world, couldn't help but feel the gulf widening between them.

Still, Maria remained kind, often reaching out to her. But today, something felt off.

"Hey, Seraphina," Maria's voice broke through her thoughts as they walked to their next class. "You're coming with me to the library after school, right? We're going to study for the *Elemental Convergence* test. You've been looking pretty distant lately, you sure you're okay?"

Seraphina smiled faintly, though the smile didn't reach her eyes. *Study.* That word always felt like a mask, like the perfect excuse to keep Maria from seeing the restlessness inside her. Maria didn't know what was happening. She couldn't.

"I'll be fine," Seraphina said, her voice softer than she intended. "I've just been distracted with... other things."

Maria didn't seem convinced. She frowned, glancing sideways at Seraphina. "You've got something on your mind, haven't you? If it's about the whole 'elite group' thing, I didn't mean to make you feel weird about it. You know you're my best friend, right?"

Seraphina's heart clenched at the words. Best friend. She wanted to believe Maria, but the distance between them felt like an invisible wall, growing taller every day.

"You've been different lately too, Maria," Seraphina said quietly, looking at her shoes as they walked. "Changing. I get it... You want to be a part of something more. I just don't think it's my place."

The silence between them lingered for a moment before Maria spoke again, her voice quieter than before. "Maybe it's time for *you* to change too, Seraphina. You're not like them, I know, but you could be. You have so much potential. You just have to believe it."

Seraphina stopped in her tracks, the words hitting her like a sudden storm. *Potential.* The word echoed in her mind as she watched Maria walk ahead, clearly unaware of the storm brewing within her friend.

But what did Maria mean? *Could she be like them?*

A sudden pulse of warmth shot through her chest, the magic that she'd been hiding so long threatening to rise up. Seraphina squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to calm down. It was always like this—whenever she felt strongly about something, the power inside her began to stir. But she couldn't control it. Not yet.

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After classes ended, Seraphina slipped into the library, her usual safe haven. The smell of parchment and old books comforted her, the silence enveloping her like a soft blanket. It was here, away from the noise of her classmates, that she felt most at peace.

But even in the quiet, she couldn't escape the nagging feeling that something *big* was coming. She could sense it, a shift in the air that made her feel as though the entire world was holding its breath.

She found a table in the back, pulling out a book on magical history, trying to distract herself. The more she read about ancient bloodlines and lost legacies, the more she realized how little she knew about her own family's history. What had Elias and Elara been hiding? Why had they kept her in the dark all these years?

As she flipped through the pages, one particular name caught her eye—*The Temporal Order.* An ancient faction known for controlling the flow of time, erased from history after the last battle over the magic was fought centuries ago. The Order had been rumored to have wielded the most powerful magic of all: Time itself.

*Could her family be part of this Order?*

Seraphina's heart pounded. She reached for the book to read more, but as she touched it, her fingers brushed against the pages—and they *fluttered* as if caught by a breeze. Startled, Seraphina pulled her hand back.

It wasn't the book that moved.

The air around her seemed to shimmer for a second, like a ripple in the fabric of reality itself. Her pulse quickened, and a sudden wave of nausea hit her.

*No. No, no, no.* She couldn't control it. She didn't know how.

Before she could even think about running, she heard footsteps approaching. Startled, she turned quickly, only to find a figure standing in front of her. A young man, tall, with dark, wind-swept hair and a look in his eyes that seemed to know far too much about her.

"You're Seraphina, aren't you?" His voice was smooth but edged with an authority that caught her off guard. "I've been looking for you."

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