You Really Do Have Beautiful Eyes

Julian and all of his friends were in our room, contemplating what had just happened with the awakening of my magic.

"I'm confused. I thought you had dark magic," they say, as I continue to replay how forceful I was earlier.

"From what I witnessed," Sir Alexander begins, his voice steady but thick with unease, "it seems your emotions have an overwhelming impact on your magic. I have wind magic myself, and I've never seen anything like what you just did."

"Neither have I," Julian adds, his voice tight, a mix of awe and genuine alarm in his tone. "But I'm glad I managed to pull you out of… whatever that was, before you—" His words trail off, and he swallows hard. "Before you killed those students."

"I didn't mean to. I just couldn't stand them mocking your friends," I say, panic gripping my chest. My thoughts race, disjointed. What did I just do? How did it happen?

"You shouldn't have left the classroom in the first place," Julian snaps, his voice harsh, but it's tinged with an underlying fear that he's clearly trying to suppress.

"If everyone ridiculed you like that, I'm sure you would've done the same," I shoot back, my voice trembling with frustration. "And you didn't help by siding with that biased professor. You made me look weak."

"No," Julian responds, his voice cold, though it's clear he's struggling to make sense of everything. "I would've kept my mouth shut and pitied them for being so petty. But you had to fight back."

Normally, I'd snap back, but right now, I can't. My mind is elsewhere—still reeling from what I just did. The wind, the tornado—none of it should have been possible.

I created a tornado. A force of nature no wind magic user should be able to conjure. And the destruction didn't stop there. I shattered the magic shields that were blocking me and Sir Alexander—shields that should have been unbreakable. That wasn't just anger. This was something beyond my control.

I'm terrified. What if I can't control it again? What if it gets worse?

"That… that wasn't just anger," I whisper, my voice small, but it feels like I'm trying to convince myself. "I—I don't know what that was. It's not supposed to be possible. Wind magic doesn't work like that. It's limited."

"Julian!" Albert's voice cuts through the tension, sharp and filled with urgency. His eyes flick to me, wide with concern, then back to Julian, clearly struggling to process what just happened. "You saw it, didn't you? What just happened to her magic?" He turns to Julian, his voice cracking with frustration. "That wasn't normal. That tornado—nothing like that has ever happened. And those shields—did you see them break? What does it mean? Her magic just shattered everything."

Julian's jaw tightens, but his gaze is still unsettled. He looks at me, his eyes wide, trying to comprehend. "Those who let their emotions control themselves are unworthy," he mutters, but his usual harshness falters. The words don't carry the weight they normally would.

The silence that follows is heavy. His uncertainty is almost palpable, his confidence shattered by what he just saw.

Albert doesn't wait for Julian to respond. In a flash, he's on him, grabbing Julian by the collar and slamming him against the wall. His voice is a low growl, full of raw emotion. "You don't speak about my sister like that," Albert says, his tone furious, but there's something more underneath. Something protective, almost frantic. "Not when you saw what happened. Not when you know something is wrong."

"Guys, please!" I shout, my voice cracking. I can't stand the fighting, the fear, the anger. None of this is helping. "We need to focus on what's happening to me!"

Before things escalate further, Sir Wilfred steps in, his face serious, concern lining his features. His hand raises, and a wall of earth shoots up between Albert and Julian, stopping the confrontation in its tracks.

"Enough," he says firmly. "We need to focus on the real issue here—Lady Seraphina's wind ability. What we just witnessed… this wasn't just an uncontrolled outburst. It's something else entirely."

I glance around the room, feeling the weight of their eyes on me, each filled with confusion, fear, and something else—concern. I still don't understand what just happened, what I did.

"What happened to me?" I whisper, my voice barely audible. "That wasn't just... anger. It felt like something else—something I couldn't control."

Sir Alexander looks at me, his gaze softening with sympathy but also tinged with apprehension. "Maybe Wilfred has a point. Think about it. Your emotions were overwhelming, like nothing we've ever felt. The stronger the emotion, the more destructive the magic. But this… this goes beyond what we've seen before. This is... something else."

"Regardless of the cause. It is highly likely that the six headmasters will summon Seraphina for questioning after the recent incident. The churches may even get involved as well. Be prepared." It seemed like Julian was addressing not just me, but everyone present.

At last, the puzzle pieces clicked into place. Sir James had saved me from the ice spears, then called Sir Alexander, and when Sir Christopher arrived to help Sir James, it became clear—they were all protecting me.

"You're my bodyguards-I mean, protectors, aren't you?"

"Yay! You figured it out." Sir Christopher says gleefully.

"We were ordered by the king to protect in you secret. But we might as well tell you the truth, since you've figured it out." Sir James says.

"Why keep it a secret though?" I ask confused.

"To not raise further suspicion. However, that did not precede as planned as you know." Julian answers.

Professor Joseph bursts in with a sharp knock. "Ahem, Lady Seraphina, the six headmasters require your presence—immediately."