Crackle.

"Well, that was one hell of a day," Liam said with an exhausted smile, glancing at Nora. She was sitting a bit far from everyone else, though her personal guards remained close by, maintaining a vigilant perimeter.

"...."

There was no response from her. She just kept staring intently at the burning flames of the campfire.

"Nora," he called her name, softening his tone to get her attention.

"...."

There was still no response. Her gaze was distant, fixed on the moving fire.

"Nora," Liam added a bit more intensity to his voice, and she jolted slightly.

"H-huh?" she whispered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, just a little out of it," she replied, blinking rapidly to refocus on him.

"I understand. It must be the first time you've seen this much blood," he said with a sigh, looking around at the tired group.

"...Maybe it was really a bad idea to come out here," she said, breathing warm air into her cupped palms, which she then rubbed together.

"...What made you come here?" Liam asked, also staring into the campfire, taking in the sight of the people gathered about it.

"I just... wanted to get away from the mansion for a while. It was starting to feel suffocating there," she explained, offering a thin, weary smile.

"Really? Does it have anything to do with your brother?"

"Everything, actually," she exhaled softly. "I mean, I love my brother, I really do, but sometimes it's hard to be his sister."

"Yeah, having someone so talented in the family must cast a huge shadow," Liam agreed.

"Exactly. The crazy expectations Father keeps having aren't funny anymore. Just because my brother has talent in swordsmanship doesn't mean I would have it as well." The frustration was clear in her voice.

"So you came here to get away from home, then?"

"And to have a little adventure of my own. Father can be a little overprotective... most of the time," she chuckled softly, a familiar mischievous light returning to her eyes.

"That I can agree to," Liam said. He had a complicated, slightly pained expression when he said that.

"Don't worry. I won't tell him you followed me here," she nudged him playfully with a sly smirk.

"W-what?! This is a complete coincidence! What makes you think I would follow you?" He immediately went on the defensive, but her only response was a dry, skeptical look.

"Really? Taking leave from the academy coincidentally at the exact moment I was coming out here as well?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

"...Fine, yes, I came for you. It's been... a while since we last talked. I missed you," he admitted, his defensiveness melting away.

"Okay, no, no, no. Don't go all emotional on me. I don't handle those well," she grimaced, to which he simply glared.

"Fine, I missed you as well... kind of," she added the last part quickly and nudged him again, softening the slight insult. "But seriously, you shouldn't have come. It's going to take a lot to get my guards not to spill," she whispered, glancing back toward the sentinels who remained ever watchful.

"...It reminds me of that day," Liam said, his voice dropping.

"Oh, you don't mean the day you snuck into my chamber to confess your 'feelings' and got caught by Father?" She asked, giving him a pointed, disapproving look.

"Does he still hate me?" Liam asked.

"He doesn't hate you, Liam. He just doesn't like any male coming close to me. It's not just you," she whispered, letting out an exhausted sigh.

"It's really cold, huh?" she suddenly changed the subject, rubbing her hands again. He nodded in agreement.

"Yes, freezing," he confirmed.

They both fell silent for a short while, watching the smoke rise from the fire. After the brief quiet, he finally spoke.

"Your father, has he still not told you why he won't let you attend the academy, like your brother?"

She leaned back on the thick log they were sitting on, resting her weight on it with both her hands placed behind her. "No, but he did say I would be attending Trinity Nevas. I just need to be a bit more patient," she explained.

"...I know I shouldn't be asking this, Nora, but... what I said that day at your chamb—"

"A shooting star?" she suddenly cut him off. He looked up, and just as she said, a streak of light was visible in the distance.

"That's strange," Liam commented, confused by its appearance.

"Come on! Let's make a wish!" Nora urged, clapping her hands together.

"It's not even a real one," he pointed out, reminding her of their current reality. She frowned, her excitement deflating.

"That's right... I almost forgot this world isn't real," Nora realized and groaned softly.

They sat for a while in silence, watching the star. But...

The falling light was still falling, and it was visibly expanding.

"Is that really a falling star?" she had to ask after a minute, her tone turning cautious.

"I don't think so," Liam said, standing up quickly, just as many other people around the campfire rose to their feet, their relaxation replaced by alarm.

It kept expanding, growing larger by the second, and with time, it was an undeniable fact.

This thing was not a falling star. Sure, it was falling, but whatever that was, it was not a star.

"IT'S GROWING!" someone amongst the many seated around the fire screamed in panic.

"PROTECT THE LADY!" The guards snapped into action, taking a protective, defensive stance around Nora. Everyone else was running to protect themselves, scattering away from the expected impact zone.

"What is that?!" Liam already had his sword drawn, the steel gleaming in the firelight.

"Fire,"

That was all Nora could say, as what now appeared to be a humongous blue fireball detonated suddenly, directly above the camp.

KABOOOOOOOOOOOM!

...

…

..

.

"Still nothing?" Jenica asked the blue-haired girl leaning against a cold wall across from her.

"Nothing," Liona responded, her voice strained.

Right now, both girls were in what could generously be called a cave, both leaning against the cold stone walls, unable to risk starting a fire. They were fully aware of the ominous creatures creeping just outside.

"How is it even possible? How can you lose your powers?" Jenica asked the panting Liona, who was still struggling to catch her breath and finding it difficult to hold back a wince of pain.

Liona was seriously injured, a wound she had sustained from the brutal assault of the mana creatures that both she and Jenica had to endure. The major problem right now, and the reason for their current desperate hiding, was that for some inexplicable reason, Liona had lost her ability to heal.

And that was a major problem as she couldn't figure out why.

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