Chapter 4 #3
“That ‘little girl,’ as you so kindly put it, is twenty-five,” I said through gritted teeth.
God, I hated it when people questioned my intelligence.
“And you don’t look much older yourself,” I shot back.
“Appearances in Istarus can be deceiving,” one corner of his mouth lifted.
“Oh really?” I raised a brow.
“How old are you?”
“Over a hundred.”
The answer was short.
But it hit hard enough that I couldn’t hide my reaction.
Right now, my face was probably easy to read from a mile away.
“You’re joking.”
“The average lifespan of a mage is around three hundred and forty-seven years,” he said, clearly entertained by my expression.
“And me?” I asked, forcing myself to ignore his smug look.
“Do I fall into that category too? Or does growing up in Vuduarus change that? Like... make it shorter? More human?”
“Very possible,” Airis said thoughtfully.
“Especially if you don’t eat. Then I’d say it might get even shorter.”
I snorted.
“For the love of—just eat the damn pastry already!” Aars snapped, suddenly appearing right in front of my face.
I barely stopped myself from jumping.
His predator-like eyes narrowed.
“Tomorrow you’ll be practicing your magic,” he continued.
“How long do you think you’ll last without energy?”
I scoffed.
His ears twitched in irritation.
“And who do you think will protect your little human family if war reaches Vuduarus?”
I froze.
It felt like my heart stopped with me.
“Do you really think mages will drop everything to protect useless humans?”
Images of Gwendolyn, Mike, and Dwayne flashed through my mind.
I knew he was manipulating me.
But...
what if he was right?
With a quiet breath, I reached out, picked up one of the pastries, and took a bite.
And I had to fight not to react—
as the buttery filling, mixed with herbs—something like basil—melted on my tongue.
It felt like tasting a tiny fragment of heaven.
“Let’s hold off on the names for now,” Airis said.
“We’ll set them aside and move on to the elements.”
I just kept chewing, waiting.
“The remaining six worlds are tied to elements like air—”
He was about to continue—
but for some reason, I spoke first.
“Is that where you were born?” The question slipped out.
“In the air world?”
I had no idea why I suddenly wanted to know more about him.
But it was already said.
And now—
I’d have to deal with the consequences.
“Why would you even ask that?” His brows drew together slightly.
His body tensed instantly.
I froze at that reaction.
And realized:
That wasn’t just a question to him.
“Why does it surprise you so much?” I swallowed the first bite and immediately took another.
“What’s so strange about asking an air mage if he was born in the air world?”
Silence followed.
Communication between us was... difficult, I’d noticed.
We either suffocated in silence
or poisoned each other with words.
But this time—
the atmosphere felt different.
“The next world is tied to the power of death.”
He ignored my question.
Just like that.
Which told me everything I needed to know—
we were never going to be anything close to friends.
Not really.
I noted that.
“Great.” I nodded, thinking out loud as I chewed.
“So the worlds are connected to the four natural elements, illusions or dreams, lightning, light... and death.”
The last one—
I definitely needed to learn more about.
Hopefully, Moirz, Louise, and Aars would help with that.
“And magic,” I added, glancing at him.
Airis Kairos nodded slowly.
“Istarus is the ninth world.”
His body still hadn’t relaxed after my question.
It made me uneasy.
Like I could physically feel that tension pressing against me.
But I forced myself to focus.
“Alright... then what about the other three worlds?” I swallowed and reached for my cup.
The tea had already gone cold.
“Darkness, the voice of knowledge... and the last one...” he paused,
“is a mystery. Nothing is known about it at all.”
“How is that possible?” I frowned.
“Its location, element, and any connections to the other worlds—it’s all classified.”
“Why?”
“That was the will of the being who created it.” He shrugged.
“It was created by a fox named Quartai, by the way,” Aars jumped in.
“Which translates from Urpis as ‘cunning fox.’”
“So...” I began, going over everything in my head.
“Four natural elements, illusions or dreams, light and darkness...”
I kept counting.
“Magic, lightning, death, knowledge... and—” I paused, frowning.
“The unknown.”
“Not the right order, but yes,” Aars said.
“Does the order matter?” I asked—
and noticed Airis’s gaze shift past me, toward the clock on the wall.
Eleven p.m.
I blinked.
Time had slipped by far too quickly.
Though, to be fair, I had no idea what time I’d even arrived here.
The last time I’d checked the clock—in that psychiatric hospital—it had been two in the afternoon.
“We’ll talk about the order tomorrow,” Airis said.
“After your magic training.”
I nodded—
but then the memory hit me again.
The hospital.
The moment.
Angela.
“Angela.”
I said her name—and noticed his expression didn’t change at all.
“What happened to her? Is she alive?”
“She’s dead,” he said simply.
“Who killed her?”
“Harold’s people. They came for you.”