Chapter 12: Singers
And he only occasionally had dreams about Calista.
In the past few months, Aiden's visits to the Sanctum of Solace had become strangely eventful. The beautiful healer there had finally introduced herself—Nysira Green Duskwind. She had a habit of sharing random bits of her life every time Aiden came to her about his dreams: her favourite colour, her favourite food, favourite places… and even her love story.
She was engaged. Her fiancé's name was Noah Rain Wilburn.
Aiden had no idea why she felt the need to tell him all of this, and what it had to do with him. All he wanted was to be freed from what he believed to be mind control.
But Nysira didn't stop there. She said her fiancé was a Nine-Circle Knight—a Celestial Knight. And when she began to speak about Noah's accomplishments, Aiden listened carefully. This was about a knight, after all, something he was deeply interested in.
She told him how Noah had single-handedly taken down hordes of monsters, devils, and demons. At that point, Aiden leaned in slightly, intrigued. But then she added that Noah was a year senior to her in a different academy—because she herself was a mage.
They had met three years ago when she was twenty-one, at a ballroom event. That's when Aiden's patience began to falter. 'Why is she so hellbent on telling me her love story? I came here to break a curse, not get a free romance novel.'
He even considered complaining, but decided against it.
Nysira didn't notice his annoyance and continued. She said they accidentally met during a ballroom dance, shared a moment, and from then on, met frequently at other occasions. That's how they eventually got engaged. Now, they were planning to marry sometime this year.
Aiden couldn't help but think 'How does this have anything to do with me?'
Finally, he gathered the courage to ask, "Ma'am, how is your love story related to me?"
Nysira laughed again, took a pause, and answered a full minute later.
"You'll know in the future."
---
In the present, Aiden was debating whether he should go to the Sanctum of Solace. Nysira's constant chatting and the endless talk of her fiancé were seriously exhausting.
'I think she just wants to show off her relationship—while I'm still single. She's already engaged and wants to marry soon. I swear she's just a child. And if she thinks I'm falling for her little show-off parade, then… she's dreaming.'
During the Time Magic class, Aiden and Calista sat together while the professor explained the functions, advantages, and disadvantages of time magic. Though the disadvantages existed, the advantages clearly outweighed them.
But Aiden couldn't focus—because of Calista.
He had dreamt of her again, and this time it was different. In the dream, Calista was preparing lunch. 'What the hell is going on with my brain today?' he thought.
After the class, he went to the Sanctum of Solace, hoping the healer could finally free him from the strange dreams he suspected were a result of mind control.
When he told Nysira about this new dream, she once again burst into laughter. But today's laughter sounded more comical than usual. And, as always, she said,
"You don't have any problems."
Then, she repeated her love story again—the one Aiden had already memorized by heart.
---
Five days before the midterms, in the middle of the night, Aiden had a nightmare he never expected.
He dreamt that he was in a forest… attending a live concert. Not just any concert—but a cat concert.
When he looked down, he saw that he had transformed into a cute white cat. He was among many other cats in the audience, watching four cat singers perform on stage. They sang in a language he couldn't understand:
> "Meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow, me-ow me-ow, meow… meow..."
All the cats were dancing in rhythm, lost in the bizarre performance. Aiden stood there, stupefied and dumbfounded.
Suddenly, he jolted awake, drenched in sweat. He stared at the ceiling in confusion.
'What the hell just happened?'
---
The next day, he attended his classes in a daze. That night, he once again attempted to form his first magic circle. He had already failed multiple times and had suffered minor injuries. But this time, he felt closer than ever.
His mana spun rapidly in his heart—like planets orbiting a sun. His heart was the center.
Suddenly—
Boom.
Everything went dark.
He lost consciousness, but when he woke up hours later and checked his body, he realized something: he had done it. He had successfully formed his first magic circle.
He had officially become an Initiate.
The next morning, he was bursting with excitement. After a quick shower, dressing in his grey suit, and scarfing down breakfast, he headed straight to the Dominion Hall.
Today, he would discover his magic affinity.