(Amaia)

The portal opens, the swirling mess of black mist with crackling electricity on the sides. Rahria and Kacir step inside first and disappear.

Min takes my hand. "Ready?" He asks.

"Yes!" Throwing one final lingering look at Saiph who gives me his special and encouraging smile, I step inside the portal with Min and Ali.

I am lifted off my feet, the head spins for a few seconds. I close my eyes, trusting my mates. Their grips remain tight on my hands as we find solid ground again.

My eyes open to find we have landed in an open dry ground. It’s warmer here, much warmer than Orion with no snow in sight.

The air in this place is heavy as if carrying sighs of all the innocent lives that their army has taken.

A tall grey wall I observe which acts like the boundary line. It has to be at least 10 meters tall. Constructed from some heavy stones, it looks foreboding.

"Amaia!" Mintaka’s soft voice pulls me out of my thoughts. "Are you alright?"

My eyes slide towards my mate and I give him a nod. Rahria and Kacir stand beside us while the portal disappears.

Alnilam has also crossed over and he is right ahead, shaking hands with people who have come to receive us.

"Welcome to Istrale Academy of Magical Arts." A woman with pixie hair steps forward and offers her hand to Alnilam.

Alnilam rigidly shakes it and dryly says, "Thanks."

Nostalgia and grief overwhelm the bond. I can sense that the last time he was here, he came with Jamina.

"I would say I am rather surprised to see you here after what happened. My condolences on the passing of your fiancée," her words are robotic, emotionless.

"If you were expecting a broken version, you are mistaken. Jamina is our hero and will always be remembered. We are here to honour her memory." Contrary to her, Alnilam’s words hold deep emotions and respect when he speaks about Jamina.

"We wouldn’t expect anything less from Orion. After all, you guys are our biggest competitors." She offers a strained smile and her eyes drift to us, cunning and sharp. The two Reavers that flank her remain alert.

"The twins are making their debut just like our Meissa." Her eyes excitedly take in my mates and I don’t like how her eyes linger on them.

Alnilam has already told us about Meissa.

She steps forward and shakes hands with us, finally stopping in front of me.

"Gaslne Marslo; head of our first years and an officiant of this year’s Inter Guild Wars." Her hand shakes mine with a raw force as if testing me. That shrewd gaze takes me in, trying to unsettle me.

"Amaia Zhāng from Guild Leo, representing Orion Academy." I know she must know all about me, but I just do it out of pettiness.

The side of her lips twitches in a mocking smile. "I like her. She may be small, but she has girth."

Alnilam’s pride-filled eyes find me but he answers Gaslne. "You have no clue."

Turning away, she addresses Alnilam with her signature smile. "Let’s settle all of you in before dinner. The candidates will be presented in front of the Renowned five." She gestures for us to follow her.

Alnilam stays ahead, falling in step with her but his body posture remains tense. There is an unspeakable amount of hatred he seems to be carrying in his heart.

My thoughts spiral again, towards the five kings. I already know four kings out of the renowned five.

1. King Orion V (our king)

2. Hathial Kane (the most powerful vampire in the supernatural world. We believed Rigel was from his kingdom.)

3. Kalit Heaz (Ramian’s father, he is a werewolf)

4. Natianu Jahaz (The mad King of Istrale. He is a warlock)

5. (That’s the only one I am unaware of and will most probably meet today. I wonder what species he belongs to.)

"Have you met Meissa?" I quietly ask my mates. Somehow that name intrigues me more than her older siblings.

"The younger sister of the B-Twins. Or you can say the youngest princess of Istrale. They say she is one of the strongest witches of our generation. We met her once and felt her overwhelming powers," Mintaka answers with disgust.

I find it strange that the B-Twins and their sister are also named after the constellation of Orion, the upper three stars of Orion while the lowers ones are all my mates.

Do their parents hold some kind of significance to the Constellation of Orion too? The mere thought is truly fascinating.

"This place is giving me hibby jibbies. Anyone else?" Rahria murmurs from beside me. Her eyes dart around.

We have left the dry ground behind and are approaching a building constructed from blue and grey striped stones. It’s humongous, at the same time ugly and suffocating to stare at.

The rectangular structure is not appealing, like a prison. There are no flowering grounds in front, just the frozen fountains and stone statues of different gods they worship.

One has the head of a bull while the other has two horns with a long red tongue hanging out. The vibe is off, they are utterly hideous to even look at.

"Yeah, look at these statues..." I agree with Rahria.

"They worship different gods. The most famous among them are Malach and Bayal." Kacir points towards them and we nod.

We are led inside the building through the gold-painted door with strange symbols engraved on it. I have never seen such symbols before.

Inside the eeriness of this place continues to grow. Strange symbols, statues and paintings decorate the interior. Unlike Orion, they use tube lights, most probably solar-powered. They have advanced technology.

The evil feeling that comes with it has my heart hardening. These are the very people who hunted and ended my kind. The hatred I carry for them can’t even be described in words.

Alnitak squeezes my shoulder and offers me his magnetic smile.

"Just breathe. I know it won’t be easy but we are with you."

We are led through a narrow corridor and at the end are four doors.

"Here, these are your rooms." Gaslne points. "This one is for Alnilam. Rest you can share." She points towards the one with a white and blue door with the word ’Reserved,’ pasted on it on a piece of paper.

"I will leave you to freshen up and change. The dinner is in an hour. Our guards will bring you to the dining hall." Gaslne turns, offering us her phoney smile before leaving with her two Reavers.

"Let’s get ready for dinner," Alnilam instructs us before opening the door and disappearing. He is trying to remain stoic but inside he is spiralling and I can sense it.

Rahria and Kacir take one room and enter through the door.

"You guys go ahead. I will check up on your brother and return," I inform my mates. They nod in understanding but more in gratitude, knowing I can handle Alnilam.

They carry our luggage inside.

Carefully, I twist the doorknob of Alnilam’s room, open the door and enter.