Chris positively had a sparkle in his vigilant eyes. He always reviewed his surroundings before taking any sort if action. That was an awesome trait.

"There were undoubtedly some novices. There were ten of them. We had a memorable fight. It was like someone was testing us. You know, there are no physical tests in Initiation." I turned towards our mentor and saw him frowning. The balcony had a perfect view of the main path to the administration building entrance. It was lined with trees on both sides which made it look like it was a part of a forest. I loved it in the winter when flowers bloomed and it looked like a place in a fairy tale.

"You are right. There must be ideally a projector too, if we take the theory that someone orchestrated this entire thing. To keep an eye on novices, of course. Did you happen to, fortunately, see him?"

"No. They promptly vanished before we could see properly."I shrugged helplessly.

"The specific way you describe things, I genuinely think, there were no people involved. Only projections. You were set up in this fight. That was remarkably a Projection trap. Whoever set this up was near you and observed you for a long time."

That sounded so creepy. That person had observed us for quite some time without our knowledge. It made me want to hit somebody.

"But then, why would they vanish instantly?" Chris pointed out. He kept quiet the whole time but now he was asking these questions when there were more impkemrtant matters to discuss. Like how someone was spying?

"That's typically something I'm not sure of. Whoever carefully planned this must have been undoubtedly doing this for a long time. It seems like a part of some major plan."

We glanced at each other. Chris turned towards Jim, " Should we tell that to authorized test officials? They might not know about this, right? Then they can help us in catching whoever it was."

Jim nodded thoughtfully, " They would not. The standard test was naturally conducted in the Enchanted Forest. So your testing limit would not be outside the forest. Even if they were observing you which isn't the case now as we started using projection holograms, they will just make a joke that you are paranoid. They would be none the wiser even if it had happened in the forest. You don't worry about it. I will make an inquiry and see what I can do."

We nodded politely.

"Other key thing. You would be in your advanced classes now. We would pursue our specialized training in the evening. Also combat training for you, Chris. Aria, you will have mind training at the same time. So buckle up for this incredible ride."

The combat training part caught my attention. I was hoping from a long time that I would be allowed after the Initiation. But things never seemed to go my way.

"Hey, will I not be in combat training?"

"No. You will naturally have to concentrate fiercely on your projection skills for now. You know, there hasn't been a Mind shifter in the royal family or any other for a long time. You are special, and it makes you vulnerable. We are not taking any possible chances, so do not whine."

"Argh. You guys typically get the fun stuff. I get all the concentrate-clean your mind part. It is not reasonable. Why should I not learn how to properly defend myself?"

"We are not against you learning properly. It's only just that you are not traditionally supposed to be in the fight. With you being a beloved princess and all, your parents would not approve of you being in close proximity to imminent danger."

"I sincerely want to fight if we are in potential danger. What happens if he isn't there to proactively protect me? No offense, Chris."

"Well, he will be. As far as your question goes, in my opinion, I do think you should learn. It never hurts knowing how to properly defend yourself."

"Thanks."

Even he agreed to that.

"It doesn't matter anyway. Tomorrow, I want you to go to Teaching Hall in the council building. You will be having History, New spells -Verbal and Nonverbal, Mind projections and your own special projection ability-mind reading class."

"Just the ordinary stuff, right. Mind reading - You will be monitoring that class, right?" Chris asked Jim who moved towards the railing.

"Yeah. That means - no slacking allowed." He said turning towards us.

"We cannot wait for this to start. And di you lose a bet or something. You aren't making any jokes and you are talking somewhat weird."

His smile said it all.

We stood up, bowed and promptly left his private quarters.

The lawns were freshly mowed, and the roads were perfectly clean. There was a crossing which led to Council, Royal Housing and of course all the modern buildings where the excellent staff housed and coordinated everything. We cut towards the right and moved towards the housing.

We got separate apartments which were spacious enough with nice facilities. Chris's father was a council member- Advisor. And we were best friends. It was also a good thing that we conveniently got nearly the same Projection ability. He was a Mind Reader while I was a Mind Shifter. I could carefully plant anything in anyone's conscious mind if I could of course break their protecting barriers. Chris just knew if anyone was intentionally lying, their genuine feelings and sincere emotions. I cannot willingly do that but if I properly broke in anyone's active mind, it was like an open book. It came naturally to him to know others feelings instantly. That's why I had to practice meditating, directing my imaginative mind and all the other stuff. I had to carefully hone my magical skills to get specialization and to complete my training. Then I could choose any job-related to Projectors or maybe I could perform my official Political duties. And no one outside our family and my instructor knew I was a Mind shifter.
There was some long-standing rumor about a prophecy about protectors and I thought it was the work of some bored people. Who knows anything about prophecies, anyway?

Chris was an ideal candidate for a Protector because of his special Mind reading skills making him perfect to fight anyone who tried harming the one he was protecting. I just did not like the specific idea of him protecting, well, me. So the astonishing thing was that we did not decide anything about him being my protector. We had a huge fight over that and nevertheless did not make the ultimate decision. My parents thought it would be good option if anyone tried to hurt me. So we mutually decided to willingly leave the matter alone until we graduated.

Why couldn't I be a protector? I can fight properly. It didn't matter if anyone gave me permission or not. I wasn't allowed me to do anything. I was going to learn it myself. But things were not in support of me being a protector. No one allowed me anywhere near fighting lessons.

We parted, and I went into my apartment. It was uniquely designed to change its ornate furnishing every day matching to my prevailing mood and today it was golden furniture with green floor and light orange ceiling. The intricate designs came alive and started changing constantly. I gently opened the blinds and saw the view outside. I could see the glorious sky. It was nearing sunset. I was sure my face conveyed how much tired I was. Because my hair was messy instead of a plait and I couldn't stand straight in front of the mirror to look at myself. I took a refreshing bath and got ready. I surveyed myself. I was dressed in a proper attire like my mother always said and my hair was good which was definitely something miraculous. There were many incidents of my hair getting stuck and I was tired of it. I was about to step outside when I saw a letter floating towards me.

It was likely, the result of the Initiation Test. The letter said that I had done well, and the detailed report was handed over to my mentor. Well, nothing new there.

I went towards my parent's sitting room where they would be working enthusiastically. I never understood how they worked in the evenings with so much energy. They were sitting and discussing something animatedly. The room was very large and it had all sorts of files and papers. There were some paintings too which were of our ancestors. I recognized only some of them. The room was always bright and spotless. I had spilled ink many times and gotten myself with no access to the room.

They saw me and got up. They were both impeccably dressed unlike me. My mother hugged me. I looked a lot like her. We both had brown eyes and brown hair unlike my father with blue eyes and black hair. And I was taller than her.

"We heard you passed your initiation in flying colors, little girl."

"Yes, Father."

"You did great. We knew you would. Sit down. Tell us everything."

I politely told them all about the test and dark novices. There were many  expressions on their expressive faces as I told them about everything, worry remaining at last.

Father stood up and turned around. He then vanished. I figured it would take some time for him to return. So, I turned towards my mother, "How was your day?"

"Typical. Naturally, worried at first when I knew you had your Initiation test, then pre-arranged meetings with the Council, recent laws and creative departments and other stuff." She grimaced.

"So did you tell someone else about all those specific events?" She implored further.

"Jim knows about it. He instantly summoned us when we returned and insisted on training from tomorrow. I wanted combat, though."

No point, telling my sneaky plan.

"You know how we feel about that. You are not to be involved in such a mess. Don't bring it up again."

"Fine. I will leave that." For now, I added mentally.

An immediate flash. Father had returned.

"You should do what Jim says. He presented a good argument. We think we know what happened. Regardless, you can learn to properly defend yourself. You did great in your test anyway. So you can learn some basic things for now. We can decide later about formal training."

I was genuinely shocked. Deciding not to take chances, I heartily agreed and we enjoyed our dinner. It didn't matter that I got to learn some moves. It was better than not learning anything. Time to rest. Big day tomorrow.  

Author's note:
Hey guys.Thanks for reading :)