Chapter 3 The untamed Mage

Brielle

I dropped my hands immediately, my body already preparing to run. But I didn’t get the chance.

Like a blur, she appeared right in front of me. An older woman stood so close that I could feel the weight of her presence pressing against my chest.

Her almond-shaped eyes were sharp and scrutinising, while her silver-streaked locs fell all the way to her waist. The magic radiating from her was powerful. It rattled my bones. Nothing like what I had felt from my mothers. Hers was stronger. Heavier. Dangerous.

I took a step back, but the guards tightened their grip on my arms, holding me in place.

Her fingers came up beneath my chin, forcing my face upwards.

“Look at me.”

“No—”

I tried to resist, but her hand held me firmly in place. Her eyes shifted from black to an unnatural shade of grey.

Then I felt it.

A force pushing, or rather forcing, its way into my mind.

I pushed back instinctively. If she got inside, she would know what I was. I couldn’t let that happen. I slammed doors shut, locking away everything I could.

Each time I resisted, it felt as though my brain was being squeezed. I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth.

Don’t let her in.

The force pushed harder. My vision blurred, and pain exploded inside my head so violently that my knees buckled.

Fragments of my memories threatened to spill through. Fire. Blood. The sound of Ria screaming.

Then I did what I usually did whenever I wanted to keep my mothers out of my head. Instead of allowing my thoughts to wander, I deliberately created an image in my mind, something ridiculous enough to distract her from everything else.

A moment later, she pulled back.

The pressure vanished instantly, leaving me gasping for air.

“Which mage faction do you belong to?” she asked.

I didn’t respond. I had no idea what she was talking about.

“Untamed,” she muttered.

What did that mean?

My eyes shifted towards the destruction in the courtyard. The sea-green-eyed boy was nowhere in sight, while the red dragon’s eyes were locked directly on me. A slow, dangerous smile spread across his lips when he caught me looking.

Something about it sent a chill down my spine.

One of the guards cleared his throat.

“Principal Alexis, we found her beside the Celtic River.”

So that was who she was?

“She appeared to have been attacked on her way here,” the second guard added. “Banished mages, most likely.”

“Thank you, Jakob. You will be rewarded. You may leave.”

The guards bowed and released my arms.

Before I could step away, Alexis placed a hand on my shoulder.

The environment changed.

The courtyard vanished, and I stumbled slightly as we appeared inside a room.

The walls weren’t made of stone. They moved as though they were breathing. Veins of soft light pulsed through them, as if magic ran through the structure itself. Even the air felt thicker in here.

Alexis walked past me and settled behind a desk made of living wood. Behind her hung a painting of two dragons. One was surrounded by water, the other by fire, but their tails were connected.

Beneath it was an inscription.

WHERE FIRE EMBRACES WATER, PEACE IS BORN—KASTROS ACADEMY.

“Sit.”

I obeyed. My instincts told me not to test her.

A black book appeared in front of her. It looked like a grimoire.

“What’s your name?”

“Brielle,” I answered, my voice steadier than I felt. “Brielle Veyra Solthar.”

Her brow lifted slightly.

She repeated my name as her fingers moved through the air. Invisible ink etched itself onto the pages of the book.

“Where do you live?”

“Eirhaven Hollow.”

“It must have been a long journey,” she remarked.

Technically, it hadn’t been. “Yes,” I answered, unable to risk telling her otherwise.

I looked around the room. A massive, globe-like map of the entire Enia Vale rotated on an iron stand. It stopped when the small village where I had hidden my whole life appeared.

“Parents?”

My eyes glistened. I bit the inside of my lip and lowered my gaze to my hands. My knuckles had turned pale from how tightly I was clenching my fists.

Silence settled between us, almost as though she were giving me a moment to grieve before continuing.

I was grateful she didn’t ask how they had died. I wouldn’t have been able to tell her.

“Brielle.” Her gaze sharpened. “What happened on your way here? How did you end up in the Celtic River?”

“I was attacked.” I borrowed the words the guards had used. I wasn’t lying. I had been attacked.

Her eyes narrowed. “By whom?”

My mind immediately returned to the men who had attacked our home. My hand clenched.

“I didn’t see their faces,” I said, my voice cracking. “They were… masked.”

Silence stretched between us. I could feel her watching me, weighing every word and deciding whether to believe me.

“Admit her already.”

The voice didn’t just enter the room. It settled into it.

The air shifted. I felt the presence before I even saw him. The veins on the walls stopped moving, as though they recognised whoever had just arrived.

My head snapped towards the door.

He leaned against the wall like he owned the place. One of his eyes was black, like a bottomless pit, while the other was a light shade of crimson. His gaze was fixed entirely on me.

Cold. Interested. Uncomfortable.

His lips curled slightly.

The room went still.

“She’s Untamed,” Principal Alexis said.

“And?” he asked, adjusting his glasses as he pushed himself away from the doorframe.

He stopped a few feet from me, tilting his head as he studied me like I was something worth dissecting.

“Untamed Mages are not usually admitted into Kastros,” Alexis continued. “They’re humans who have lived among wild magic. There’s always a possibility that they’ve tapped into forbidden magic.”

“Then we teach her how to control it,” Zephue replied.

Alexis shook her head slightly. “You don’t understand. She’s already too deeply immersed in it. Her resistance to my intrusion was unusual, and the magic she displayed in the courtyard was anything but ordinary. She knows how to wield powers that most mages wouldn’t even dare to touch.”

Zephue glanced at me before turning his attention back to Alexis.

“Considering what we’re facing right now, can we really afford to turn away a mage with abilities like hers?”

Alexis’s expression hardened.

“Go wait outside, little one.”

Me? Little?

Was I? Maybe I was, but saying it aloud wasn’t necessary.

I stood and walked past him towards the opening where the vines had separated to create a path. I shot the four-eyed man a glare as I passed.

It only lasted a few seconds, perhaps a minute, but whatever discussion they were having about my admission was brief.

The vines separated again, and Principal Alexis stepped out alone. The other man was nowhere in sight.

Her silver eyes locked onto me.

“Welcome to Kastros Academy, Mage Brielle.”

She stretched out her hand, and a small book appeared. It seemed he had managed to convince her.

“Here’s everything you need to know about how this place works.”

I hesitated before taking it. Another object appeared in her hand, this time a single sheet of paper.

“This is your room number. Follow the black lines to the mages’ dormitory. Lights out by ten. Don’t be caught lurking around after that. School activities begin tomorrow.”

I collected the paper.

“Thank you,” I muttered.

I began to move, but then a sudden warmth washed over me. My clothes, which had been soaked from the river, were now completely dry.

When I turned around, Alexis was no longer there. Only the faint movement of the veins along the walls remained.

I couldn’t help wondering what they had discussed about me.

I took a deep breath and stared at the paper.

Room 9.

I didn’t know how to feel about any of this. The only people I knew to ask whenever I was confused were no longer in this world.

All they had left me was this.

I dipped my hand into my pocket and brought out the compass. They had said it would guide me.

Guide me to what?

I had to figure that out. And figuring it out meant staying here, among dragons.

How was I supposed to survive in a place like this?

I gripped the compass tightly.

Another question that bothered me was why the Ashen Sigils hadn’t appeared despite the magic I had used. Still, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

I followed the black line, which led me towards a corridor. On the doors were numbers. I pushed open the door marked 9 without knocking.

I froze.

Never once in my life had I imagined I would witness such a scene.