Serene’s POV

Zeph took out his books and began to complete his homework while I just sat with him and tried to relax. After half an hour Ralph appeared with some snacks and a hearty smile.

He sat down with us, we shared snacks and got talking.

"Boys back at home miss you, Serene. They wouldn’t stop talking about you." Ralph told me with a chuckle.

"Ahh! really? I miss them as well. Hopefully, we will meet soon." I replied.

"Yes, Zavrian won’t shut up about how lucky I am to have you. He still doesn’t believe you chose me instead of the other way around." Zeph added rather dryly making us laugh.

The afternoon turned into evening and Kilamin arrived on the ground. Although I was sure he never left and was sitting somewhere near.

"Serene, time to train." He pointed towards the far end of the ground.

"Yes, Sensei." I got up and followed him.

"Boys you can leave I will drop Serene to her dorm later." He dismissed them.

"Zeph! I will catch you later, wait for me in the common room," I added.

"Sure," They headed back to the Institute while Kilamin and I practised for another hour.

"You didn’t take my advice I see." He referred to the fact I didn’t break up with Zeph.

"I haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him. I will talk to him tonight. It will be a mutual decision and whatever he will decide I will abide by it. I can’t break his heart again and again." My voice was a bit raised as I spoke. He didn’t dwell further on that topic.

After our session, he dropped me in our common room where Zeph was waiting for me and instructed him to safely drop me at my dorm before leaving.

Once he was gone we settled down and I told Zeph everything Kilamin had said. His expressions dangled between disbelief and rage.

"Serene let’s not go down that road again. We tried it once and it didn’t work well for either of us. I don’t know what the future holds but facing it with you beside me is what I want to do. And if the need arises where you have to decide between me and saving the world, I am confident that you will make the right decision. You are smart and you can make your own decisions. Let’s not be miserable because of what others have to say about our relationship. It’s ours and we get to decide what we want." With these words, he took my face in his warm hands and kissed me passionately, leaving me breathless.

I spoke out of breath when he finally let me go: "It’s final then you are never getting rid of me." A smile played on my lips as he caressed my cheeks.

We sat there talking for a while and then decided to head back to our rooms. Tomorrow was going to be a big day with new Institutes coming to ours for the Contest Sarim Sensei had announced, earlier.

The next day the Institute was bustling with activity. New decorations had been placed and Senseis told us all to be on our best behaviour as other Academies and Institutes were arriving.

It was time to welcome the other Institutes. It was announced that they had arrived by the portal and were now heading here. Our seniors were on welcome duty. The Institutes which graced us with their presence included:

Wanison High (Folkshel Realm)

Fairy Enchantment Institute (Fae Realm)

Witches of Tomorrow Institute (Haxum Realm)

Red Valtire Academy (Wampir Realm)

Moonlight Institute (Lycanus Realm)

Each Institute had sent between 3-5 students along with a Sensei. They came in sight one by one. I knew Fairy Enchantment didn’t have a dress code and was looking forward to seeing how others dressed.

Wanison High was the first to arrive. There were two boys and two girls along with their Sensei. They were carrying various weapons ranging from swords to axes. They were in coloured clothes so they didn’t have uniforms either. Arrangements had been made outside in the Training Ground, so Zilver and Alvene showed them to their respective seats.

Witches of Tomorrow was next. And I was astonished to notice that all of the participants sent were girls. It was an all-girl Institute and they were dressed in Deep Purple Dress robes with matching Witch hats. All of them looked gorgeous as they walked elegantly to their allocated seats and settled down. They were five in strength.

Next was Moonlight Institute which had sent three students. Two boys and a girl. The boys were brawny and muscular while the girl was tall and beautiful and carried herself with grace. They were dressed in coloured clothes as well.

Red Valtire Academy followed them and just like the name of their Institute they were adorned in red shirts and black pants. Their total number was four, consisting of one girl and three boys. All of them had a dark aura about them just like Arlo. They were shown to their seats next to Moonlight Institute.

Fairy Enchantment Institute was the last to arrive and I was excited to see whom they had sent. Because my class fellows in School were attending the Institute now, back in Fae Realm. I was hoping they would send Zian but when I looked at the lineup my spirits dampened. Leading the herd was Layla, seriously they sent Layla. I gritted my teeth in annoyance.

"What happened? Recognize someone?" Zeph who was standing near me observed that I had clenched my fists looking at the Fae batch.

"Yes, my nemesis. See the girl in the pink dress. Well, she is my arch-rival."

"Wow, so you had an arch-rival back in your realm as well." Zeph joked.

"Yeah, it’s complicated. We used to be best friends." I replied as a nostalgic feeling washed over me.

"Really? I am sorry. What happened?" Zeph inquired while patting my back, there was concern in his eyes.

"She fell in love with Zian and then got jealous of Zian and my friendship. She made his life hell and didn’t let him talk to any girl including me. So he broke up with her and thus she became our arch-enemy. Jealousy is such a strange feeling, it destroys everything." I narrated the story with a sigh and glanced over at Layla.

There were two boys with her and she was getting chummy with one of them. Trikile was his name as I recalled. I didn’t recognise the other boy nor did their Sensei because teachers were different at the Institute from the school.

"Well seems like she found someone else." Zeph pointed with his eyes as she snuggled close to Trikile.

"Without a doubt," I finally took my eyes off her.

Sarim Sensei stepped forward with an announcement. He welcomed everyone on the behalf of the Institute and explained the rules of the Contest. The Contest was spread over two days. And we had to fight the Institutes from our respective realms. All battles were to be team battles and the use of magic, powers and weapons were permissible.

But wait a minute, I didn’t have a team. Will I have to face them alone? Well, we will see when the time comes. I thought to myself.

Refreshments were served and everyone began to mingle with the guests. A strict watch was being kept by Senseis to avoid any ugly situation. Kilamin was standing close by to keep a watch on me. Some of our novices knew people who belonged to their Realms. Ralph and Zeph knew one of the guys from Folkshel Realm. They went to greet him. Ayrden was acquainted with witches from her Realm as well so she was welcoming them as well.

It was time for me to go and welcome Layla. No matter the differences, I was a host so I had to welcome her. I approached her quietly.

"Layla, Welcome to our prestigious institute." She turned towards me and replied with a fake smile:

"Oh! Serene, I almost forgot you were here as well. It’s not as beautiful and charming as our Institute but not bad considering Witches and Warlocks built it." She had a frown on her face and her left arm was interlinked with Trikile. While the other boy stood beside her. His long light brown hair was tied in a neat ponytail and his dark brown eyes shone in the sun.

"Princess Serene, it’s an honour to meet you. I am Druine." He smiled at me and offered his hand.

I shook hands with him and replied: "Likewise, Druine. Call me Serene." He nodded, respectfully. His handsome features brightened up with his smile which was spread broadly.

"Seems like you are forever alone here as well, Serene." Layla took another jab at me, her nose perked up as if there was something rotten under it and she didn’t like the smell of it. Trikile tried to stifle a peal of laughter at her remarks while Druine gave her an annoyed expression.

"Not quite," I felt a hand around my waist as a kiss was planted on my temple.