“My king, the other hybrid was just here!” Xena burst into the banquet room.

  The music abruptly stopped in the room, and everyone turned their heads toward Xena.

  “What? How did he find the manor!” King Alan rustled up from his seat.

  “I don’t know! I wanted to capture him, but I let him go.” Xena said.

  “You let that bastard dragon escape!?” King Dareth rose from his seat, walking up to Xena.

  “If I chose to fight him, we would all be burning right now!” Xena shouted.

  The room was tense with silence. King Dareth grumbled and walked away from Xena, sitting down in a chair. Queen Elysera looked towards Xena with a slight tilt, her hands folding in her lap. Queen Virelda swirled her wine around in the glass, also glancing at Xena.

  “So, he threatened to burn down the manor?... Did he say what he was after, then, Xena?” King Ivan asked.

  “He only wanted to talk to Veyric… He didn’t seem to care about anything else.” Xena replied.

  “What was he trying to tell him?” King Alan asked.

  “... Things he’s not aware of. I think he’s trying to persuade Veyric into joining his side…” Xena explained.

  Veyric walked in, and his eyes swept around the room. King Alan’s throat bobbed as he stared into Veyric’s golden gaze, which he could tell was brimming with questions.

  The library in the Institute of Thaumaturgy was approximately the same size as another institute. The bookshelves were several feet tall, grand stairs that led to the upper levels, and multiple librarians patrolled the area. Vera, Yadani, and Nymeria were sitting together with a stack of books in the center.

  “Yeah, so I still don’t get it. How the hell’s this rune any different from that one?” Yadani taps her forehead with a pen.

  Vera sighs, dropping her pen and passing both hands over her face.

  “How many times are you going to make me repeat this to you?” Vera said.

  “I suppose until she gets it?” Nymeria chuckled.

  “Okay… We’ll start from the very first category, all right? Pay attention.” Vera said.

  “Trust me, I’m trying… I think.” Yadani said.

  “Blue runes are the most common type of rune. They’re all-purpose and you’ll see them everywhere you go.” Vera pointed her pen at a rune in one of the books.

  “All-purpose? So does that mean they can do anything?” Yadani asks.

  “Yes, exactly.” Vera smiled.

  “Okay, so what’s the point in the other runes if these can do everything?” Yadani questioned.

  “That’s because blue runes have certain limitations on the extent of what they can and can’t do. They are all-purpose and can be used in almost anything, but they are generally much, much weaker than all the others.” Vera taps her pen on the book multiple times.

  “Here’s an example. If you wanted to, you could use blue runes to create an incantation on a pair of gloves to just… Wash the dishes every hour.” Vera explained.

  “Can you actually do that?” Yadani’s eyebrow raised.

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  “Um, most likely,” Vera said.

  “Now, green runes are used situationally and can also be used in unison with blue runes to make them a tad more proficient. However, certain blue runes don’t mesh well with green runes, which could cause an unwanted outcome. For example, an explosion.” Vera points to an example in the book.

  “Whoa, so… Someone could just die from experimenting with bad rune combinations?” Yadani asks.

  “Yes, which is why it’s important to know the common combinations,” Vera answers.

  “Now, the red runes. These actually have a name—they’re called Alpha Runes, and they are the most powerful kind. They also have really unique properties.” Vera added.

  “Unique? How?” Yadani asks.

  “Let’s say you want to tell me you’re sad, but you don’t think sad is a powerful way to express yourself,” Vera began to explain.

  “Right…?” Yadani looks at the red-colored rune in the book.

  “Instead of saying sad, you could say you feel depressed or disappointed,” Vera said.

  “Essentially, with red runes… There can be a variation of them that’ll have a greater impact on a spell or incantation. Yet, there’ll be less stability, and on top of that, if you’re using the other rune types? Things can get really complicated and… You could cause a bigger explosion if you don’t know what you’re doing. In fact, we’re not allowed to tamper with Alpha runes without supervision.” She further explained.

  “Ah, I think I get it now. See, that’s the explanation I was looking for. That was way more in-depth than last time!” Yadani said.

  “Show me your appreciation by getting a good score on the test next week,” Vera said.

  “You know I’m good for it,” Yadani said.

  Footsteps clicked nearby. An elven girl was walking by and looked at the group, cut-eye.

  “An elf, a human, and a demon. How revolting.” She said with a smirk.

  The girl’s hair cascaded down her back in layered waves and was neatly parted down the middle, with a sparkling platinum color. Her dark emerald eyes were sharply fixated on Nymeria, widening afterwards.

  “Demon? I’m not a demon, I’m a tiefling! Just who do you think you are?” Yadani barked out.

  “Shh, quiet. You… I’ve seen you before, back in Eyheluna. Nymeria, wasn’t it?” She said.

  “Yes, that’s me. I know who you are, too. Aephyra, right?” Nymeria said.

  “Mhm. I must say, you’re not as impressive as I thought you would be. What a thin mana presence… And you’re supposed to be a royal like me? Gods, you’re disappointing… You barely compare to me—it’d be better if you were just a commoner instead.” Aephyra rolls her eyes and continues walking.

  Nymeria fiddled with her hands in her lap, exhaling sharply.

  “What a bitch…!” Yadani grumbled, clenching her fists.

  “Yeah, what’s her issue?” Vera opened up another one of the books.

  “I don’t know,” Nymeria said.

  “Forget she even stopped to say that. Let’s just focus on studying for the next test.” Vera added.

  “I won’t forget she said that… I’ll find an excuse to kick her ass later,” Yadani said.

  “Let it go. If you do that, you’ll get detention. You know what? Recite to me everything I just told you about runes.” Vera said.

  “What?” Yadani’s anger quickly turned to confusion.

  “If you can recite to me everything I told you about runes, I’ll buy you a snack after,” Vera said.

  “That’s a fair challenge, you’re on!” Yadani grinned.

  Nymeria faintly chuckled.