The month had finally ended and today was my 13th birthday. I yearned to go make up with Malia and everyone including seeing mother again, but I knew it wasn’t time yet. I would return in the next academic year, that was my plan but for now I’d train my ass off.

In the past month I had accomplished a lot, I was able to master meditating while sleeping and controlling my mana more efficiently. With 1 to 1 guidance from Gramps and a harsh training regime I could feel myself getting stronger already; My level was at 60 and my ‘lightning aura’ skill was also at level 60. Therefore I was able to raise my base power level higher.

I had sparred a few times with Gramps and the outcomes were much different to the first time, I was actually able to put up a fight by not making stupid moves and using my mana much more cleverly.

**

I woke up in the middle of the night, breaking out of my meditation. For some reason I had a dream about my past life, compared to this life. It still felt so surreal, I had a loving mother, a chill grandpa, friends. Did I deserve all this? My mind wandered as I traced patterns on the tent’s fabric with my finger tips. Gramps laid on his section of the tent, snoring soundly.

I couldn’t sleep.

Getting up, I left the tent and wandered to the lake again. Gramps had told me not to go near it but that just made me even more eager to go check it out. Every night I’d go near the lake and try to figure out what was so important, but each time I turned back. Today was going to be different, I would venture past that waterfall.

The water glowed a shade of seafoam green and I peered past the waterfall, squinting at the cave with my inspect skill. It wouldn’t hurt to just look, would it?

I froze the surface of the water, creating a pathway for me as I made my way across the lake and near the cave that was behind the waterfall .

The further away from the land I walked, the more I could hear quiet hums beneath me. The darkness of the night was eerie and although I convinced myself that it was somewhat peaceful, my instincts were causing me to be unsettled and cautious. The hums started to become singing and the tune was oddly calming, drawing me further from the solid ground and onto the glass bridge I had created for myself.

My eyes followed the noise, forgetting about the cave. I stood in the middle of the lake, reaching my hand down to touch the tip of the water and follow the singing.

Suddenly, a hybrid humanoid fish creature leaped out from the water, jumping at my face with its razor teeth. I stumbled back, barely dodging it while it screamed an unholy sound.

It was a Siren!

**

Sirens were dangerous and mystical creatures. They used to be included in a race called the “mermen”.

The monarchs had assigned them the job of protecting the 5 key totems of power; these totems were artefacts that held deep secrets of the past, no one could explain. Rumours stated that the artefacts granted immeasurable power.

However, the mermen race became tempted to exploit the artefacts. This caused a huge riot and all the monarchs descended for the first time in order to fix the issue. Their punishment was severe. They were formed into hideous and mindless creatures, who became obsessed with only guarding the totems.

The monarchs thought nothing of the ethical issues this might have raised as the mermen or ‘Sirens’ still got the job done. Anyone who invades the radius of the protected totem, will be slaughtered by the coven of sirens.

**

I covered my ears in pain as the siren flopped onto the ice surface, flopping its way towards me like a fish out of the water, with its eyes rolled back and jaw snapping in the air.

More screams joined it and sirens started to leap out of the water like dolphins, diving back in. They all swam towards my ice carpet across the lake; panic rising in me, as they did. I ran across the ice, flame mana lighting up my hands in case they decided to get touchy.

A siren pulled my feet and the ice behind me shattered by the weight of hundreds of sirens flopping behind me. I quickly threw fire at the siren’s face, leaping for the cave, I pushed apart the waterfall with my gravity mana, flinging my arms apart in a curtain opening motion. Falling through the gap I had made, I rolled onto the rocky surface.

The sirens leaped the same as I did but I closed the gap and froze a wall of water, watching their faces crash against the ice and slide down.

I spun around to the cave, dripping in sweat and water. I hope gramps didn’t hear anything. Probably not. He was a deep sleeper.

Cautiously, I entered, creating a line of harmless fire as I walked, for light. Droplets of water dripped down onto the floor, the noise of my footsteps echoing through the cold air. I continued walking until I quickly reached the end, a stone wall with carved symbols, blocked my path.

The wall had intricate details, 7 circles within a large circle. Each circle held a jewel of a different colour, spiralling around like a swirl. There were patterns filling up the walls and symbols at the top of each symbol, which I couldn’t understand.

I extended my hand, touching the gem I found most appealing. It was a light blue sapphire, shaped in a lightning bolt. As I did, the circles and patterns started to light up and the spirals spun around, forming into a straight line of jewels.

The door slid open and to my surprise: it was a water cave, with a staircase leading up to a stone statue, chained against the wall with ropes of ivy. The water was glowing and everything in the room symbolized purity.

Did this place really hold a totem? Is that why Gramps told me to stay away?

“Oh, Zeref. Destiny has brought thou my way, just like I had foreseen.” a voice protruded from the stone statue, bouncing off the rocky walls.

My eyes widened in shock and I flinched slightly causing my gravity magic to accidentally explode the statue into smithereens. Damn, get yourself back into control! I mentally scolded myself, curling my hands into balls and regulating mana through my meridians.

A man stood, covered in rubble. He had been buried inside the statue… and I had just released him. He opened his red shot eyes and suddenly, the long distance between us, didn’t feel long enough. The ivy ropes that restrained him were torn off his body and now he was free.

My legs failed under me as I found myself falling onto my knees at the sight of him, feeling the need to bow at his overwhelming presence. I found it hard to break eye contact, trying to find my voice.

Who was this man?!

“Happy Birthday, King James Lance the Lightning Contestant. Now known as Zeref Amara.” he stalked his way down the steps and towards me. My body stiffened in the kneeling position I was in and my jaw clenched at not being able to breath in his suffocating presence. I felt powerless.

“Who a-are you?” I spoke cautiously while trying my best to hold his overbearing stare. A few fleeting moments of silence passed by and the temperature in the cave chilled to a freezing level.

“The Sovereign, or in other words the first monarch to occupy all the seats.” as the words left his mouth, the cave rumbled and the stone statue I had destroyed, fixed itself back together. Tiny rocks fell from the ceiling and the ground under me shook. My arms fell in front of me and my body kowtowed at his declaration.

The worst part was his level above his head. It was question marked…