Serene’s POV

I knew that touch quite too well and I was astonished. Zeph was standing with me with his slender hand wrapped around my waist. His lips sent a warm sensation throughout me, as they left my temple and he faced them.

"I am Zeph, Serene’s boyfriend. Welcome to our Institute." He offered them a smile his hand tightening around my waist. Layla’s mouth flew open at the revelation, her face was contorted in shock but she quickly regained herself.

Druine on the other hand seemed happy with the revelation and offered his hand to Zeph.

"Heya! I am Druine, nice to meet you Zeph." Zeph shook hands with him. Layla and Trikile didn’t make much effort but I saw them eye him up and down. Trying to figure out which species he belonged to.

"Are you a Warlock? Or probably a Werewolf? Can be a Vampire too considering..."

"I am a Folkel," Zeph replied proudly not letting Layla finish. The astonishment in her eyes quickly disappeared and was replaced by meaningful mirth. She had rendered him weak in her mind and was happy that I was with someone whom she didn’t consider strong enough. She had no idea how wrong she was.

"Right, will see you around," Layla said with a smirk and left with Trikile.

"Don’t mind her, she thinks she is above us all. Ignore her." Druine said in a disappointed tone.

"I know, I have known her since childhood." I offered him a smile.

"Oh! yes, she narrated the incident to the whole Institute. I don’t believe her though, she lies a lot." Druine explained making us pass knowing looks between them.

They talked for some time more and then moved on to meet other students. Ayrden introduced them to the Witches of Tomorrow, who were very interesting to talk to. They liked me and said they have heard a lot about me and were looking forward to this meeting.

Vampires from Red Valtire gave me queer looks too. I guessed they were not happy with the fact that I was the reason a vampire was killed. Kilamin was extra vigilant too, he had told me to stay on guard around them.

The buffet was served to the guests containing numerous dishes, belonging to different realms. Black bottles with blood were available for vampires.

After the buffet, the seniors presented a small drama for the guests. A small stage was set up on the grounds for the purpose. It involved a Prince who wanted all the treasures in the world and ended up losing everything which he held dear. Zilver was the main lead and acted out the role of Prince Ricaros. His acting almost brought tears to ladies’ eyes, who felt smitten by him.

One of the girls from Witches of Tomorrow shouted: "Zilver, you beauty," and sent flying kisses to him.

Ziva heard it and shouted from off-stage: "He is taken, don’t get your hopes up." The crowd erupted in laughter at this exchange.

I turned to Zeph and whispered: "I am doing the same if someone said this to you."

"Let them say, I only have eyes for you," Zeph whispered back and my face flushed at his words. I wanted to kiss him in that instant but we were sitting in a crowd, so I tried to control my feelings.

Just then Kilamin called me and asked me to come with him to the Training room. I waved goodbye to Zeph and followed Kilamin.

Reaching the Training Room he spoke: "Serene, Fae Enchantment Institute has sent three students and since you are the only Fae here. You might have to face them alone. I know it will be unfair but life is unfair and I know for sure you can defeat them."

I agreed with Kilamin on this. "I don’t mind facing them alone if it comes down to that. I already know Layla and Trikile’s powers. I know I can handle them. But I am unaware of Druine’s powers."

"I know about his powers." Kilamin then went on to explain his powers to me.

"How did you know about his powers?" I inquired.

"I am a General, I know everything. I keep an eye on all the students and their unique powers so I can hand-pick them for our army." He explained with a hint of superiority. That made sense and I couldn’t help but gush that he thought of things from so many angles.

"Oh! understood. Let’s formulate a plan for how I can defeat them and perfect it with practice." I spoke with determination and Kilamin actually gave me a small smile.

We spent two hours formulating a plan and making it perfect with practice. I was exhausted after the two hours but gained a lot of confidence. Kilamin let me after that and as we stepped outside the Training Hall, we found Arlo waiting for me.

"I will take her from here, Sensei. Artins Sensei requires you in his office." Kilamin nodded and instructed him to stay close to me before leaving.

"So, how was your practice?" Arlo inquired.

"Good and tiring." We began to walk without a destination in mind. I noticed he was wearing a chain but it disappeared inside his clothes so I couldn’t see what was at the end of it but I had a good hint and it made me happy.

"That’s good, I just wanted to warn you to be vigilant against Red Valtire Vampires. They are ruthless and they might plan to hurt you. Although I will be keeping a watch."

"I know, Kilamin has been on the edge as well since they arrived."

"Yes, Kilamin doesn’t approve of vampires. I have seen the hate and disgust in his eyes for me and my kind." Arlo sneered, his expression was cold.

"Kilamin doesn’t trust and approve of anyone so don’t take it to heart. He hates Zeph as well and wants me to break up with him." I told him with a sigh and he laughed. His eyes lit up.

"Really? Are you?" He asked, his wishful thinking, showed.

"Nops, he can’t dictate my love life. But I did come close to thinking about it."

"I am not surprised, you are still naive and let others influence you. But I can see you change, and it makes me happy." He smiled at me, I had never seen him smile with anyone else but me in the Institute.

"Yes, I am trying and learning along the way."

"You are going to grow up into one powerful Queen and I can’t wait to see you in that position."

"Thanks, Arlo. I remembered I brought your clothes. I will hand them over to you soon."

"You are always thoughtful. That was such an experience to visit you in your Realm. I never expected to be greeted so warmly." I could see he was genuinely happy while saying this. His posture was relaxed and he occasionally glanced at me.

"Sereneee," I heard Ralph call me from the front. We had almost reached the grounds. I waved at him and he marched towards me. Nodding to Arlo he asked: "You done with your practice?"

"I am, just finished."

"We have been allotted into teams. Come we are practising."

I waved goodbye to Arlo and thanked him for accompanying me and went along with Ralph. We made our way to where Zeph was.

I noticed he wasn’t alone, Xin Li and Paul were there too. "How was your practice?" Zeph asked me as I drew closer.

"Good, I have formulated a plan for the contest."

Xin Li paid his regards too and I thanked him again for standing up for me during the Elders’ Meeting.

"Four of us have been chosen to represent the Folkels’ team. Ayrden, Mikasim, and Arlo were chosen as well. While you were away, Sarim Sensei chose the teams which will be facing their respective realms. You will be the sole representative of the Fae Realm." Zeph continued to give me the details I had missed.

"I know, I feel proud of that, being the only one." This made my heart swell with pride.

"They will need to choose whom they want to send against you. They can’t send them all." Zeph was full of doubts about how it was going to work.

"It will be a team battle. So, I don’t think they will agree on just one. Three of them came to participate and I will happily take on three of them." I declared and Zeph patted my head.

"That’s my girl. That’s the spirit. You wanna help me spar? You wanted to show me your new techniques. Let’s try them now." I nodded and he handed me a sword. Although I was exhausted I would never say no to him. So we took our stances and began sparring.

We continued for half an hour and Zeph was impressed by how much I had improved. I taught him a new move Kilamin had taught me and we practised for a while so he could get the hang of it.

As the night fell, all of us were exhausted. We lay down on the grass and panted. Ralph brought us some water to drink. Our stomachs were growling as well so we decided to head over to Dining Hall to grab some food.

Tomorrow, The Contest will begin and we had to do our best.