THE CUPID AND THE MAGICIAN OF AVALON MAGICAL LIBRARY

I stood at the registrar's front desk, a smile stretching across my face as I waited to be welcomed back into the Cupid Realm.

My eyes darted around until they landed on the bright golden scrolls that had now merged into one, with my name, Elara, boldly written at the bottom as their successful matchmaker.

I slowly turned to the registrar, waiting for her to tick my name green on the leather board. But she seemed hesitant.

"I'm sorry, Elara," she muttered, her eyes fixed on the desk. "You can't be granted entrance."

The smile on my face vanished, and my cheeks flushed with fury.

"What do you mean, I'm not being granted entrance into the realm?" I yelled, my voice ringing through the registrar's office so loudly that the carefully arranged scrolls hanging on the walls rattled.

"Elara, calm down." She waved her hands in the air, gesturing for me to remain calm.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" I cut her off. "How do you expect me to remain calm after spending months on Earth, working so hard to complete my mission and make those stubborn creatures fall for each other? Now that I'm back with a completed mission, you're telling me I can't enter the realm because another mission is pending?"

"Elara."

A familiar, cold voice sounded behind me.

I turned swiftly to see Master Ollie leaning against the doorframe with his usual unreadable expression.

"Come and see me in my office," he ordered before walking away.

I turned back to the registrar, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"I'll be back soon. You just wait!"

Once I was inside Master Ollie's office, I found him pacing like someone who had just discovered something dangerous but didn't know how to break the news.

When he sensed my presence, he paused and turned toward me.

"Elara," he called softly, his voice unusually low and careful. "You have been..."

He hesitated and cleared his throat.

"The Matchmaking Bureau has assigned a new mission to you."

His words boomed in my ears like a heavy bell.

"What?" I choked out in disbelief. "Are you referring to me, Elara, or..." I turned to see if anyone else was standing behind me. "Are you referring to someone else?"

He let out a tired sigh.

"It's you, Elara."

A jagged laugh escaped my lips, burning with annoyance.

"Master Ollie, that's impossible!" I snapped.

My eyes scanned the thousands of pictures of couples who had been successfully matched until they landed on the couples I'd just brought together. They were all cuddling and smiling at each other as if they were the only people in the world.

"You see those?" I pointed at them. "That was the mission I just completed. So how the hell do you expect me to return to Earth without recovering from the stress of my previous assignment?"

"Elara, your permission isn't required in this matter. The Bureau has already made its decision. That's why you weren't granted entry."

"But—"

"No buts, Elara. It's already settled."

His voice cut cleanly through my protests as he stood up and shifted his gaze toward the towering window.

"And this time, you'll be given a reward."

He paused, letting the silence hang between us.

"Your greatest wish will be granted... a seat in the Matchmaking Bureau."

My face tightened with disbelief.

Throughout all my years of completing difficult assignments, I'd never been given a reward. Now, I was being offered the chance to become a member of the Bureau itself.

Something was definitely wrong with this mission.

"Really?" I asked, leaning forward suspiciously.

"Yes, Elara. Consider this your last chance to become what you've always wanted."

I hesitated, but the temptation was too strong.

"Fine. I'll do it."

It wasn't a big deal anyway. It was just a matter of getting close to the people involved, shooting a few arrows, and, if those didn't work, using a bonding spell.

It couldn't be that difficult or worse than my previous assignments.

Master Ollie smiled and stretched out his hand. A glowing golden parchment scroll appeared in his palm.

"His name is Calvin Erado. He's the magician of the Avadon Magical Library. Here are the details you need to know about him."

He held the scroll out to me.

My eyebrows furrowed as I stared at it.

"Aren't there supposed to be two? The male and the female?"

Something resembling worry flickered across his face for a fraction of a second, but he quickly masked it.

"He has no soulmate."

"So?"

"You are to find him a soulmate and make them fall in love," he said, whispering the last few words.

I almost laughed.

Now I understood why the mission came with a reward. Where would I even start? Finding a soulmate was one thing; making them fall in love was another entirely.

"Absolutely not."

I shook my head and started toward the exit.

"This can't work."

I wanted to march straight into the Bureau's office and lodge a complaint. But then again, the offer was far too tempting. Refusing it could put my carefully built record of never failing a mission at risk.

I stopped and turned back.

"Fine. I'll do it," I said.

Master Ollie's face lit up.

He handed me the scroll. I unrolled it and studied the sparse lines of text.

As usual, there was no photograph or physical description of the man—just basic details such as his age, height, and habits.

He was twenty-five years old, had never been in a relationship, and had a cold personality.

After a moment, I rolled the scroll back up, planted my feet firmly, and looked at Master Ollie.

"I'm ready."

"Remember the golden rule..."

"A Cupid must never fall in love with their assignment. If they do, they'll be banished from the Cupid Realm forever," I recited without hesitation.

"Good girl."

He nodded, picked up his bracelet from his locker, and stretched out his hand.

The bracelet floated toward my right wrist. The moment it touched my skin, it melted into it.

In the blink of an eye, I looked human again. My wings disappeared, and my arrows turned invisible.

With a surge of energy, I squeezed my eyes shut.

Then it hit me—not with pain, but with a massive jolt.

When I opened my eyes, I was plummeting toward Earth at a terrifying speed!

I screamed, but the rushing wind swallowed my voice, forcing air into my open mouth until it produced a ridiculous whistling sound.

Why was I falling? Was this some kind of mistake, or had someone done this deliberately?

I frantically tried to spread my tiny wings to steady myself, only to remember that I was now wingless.

Panic seized me.

The hard ground rushed closer, and I had no idea how to stop myself from crashing into it.

Then, just a few feet before impact, a guy stepped directly into my landing zone.