The cold water pierced through her skin and clothes as she came in contact with it, the slight warmth of the sun not merely enough to warm her up. Dark strands of hair clung to her pale face, her figure shaking as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Try not to drown, Alesandria!" A taunting voice called out to her, capturing her attention and her eyes green-grey eyes narrowed. A curse fell from her lips, her legs willing to swim her body to the edge of the lake before she planted her palms on the grass and pulled herself out of the water.

Dropping onto the grass, she was barely able to recover her breath when shadows blocked the rays of the sun, her body becoming colder. Above her, Venix, Yongui, and Onyx stood with their arms crossed and brows raised.

It was barely dawn, the wind still cold and the silhouette of the mountain towering over the trees. Souls were still asleep, even the sun had risen yet but the water was still as unwelcoming and freezing as ever.

Waking up at four in the morning was not the way Alesandria wanted to start off her day, especially on an empty stomach. She was hoping for a few more hours of sleep under her warm sheets, maybe an apple or two for breakfast before training.

But turns out, magical beings had an appetite for danger and were restless, especially when a few hours of the night still lingered in the sky.

Damn their restless, immortal souls.

"If you want to kill me, there are easier ways besides drowning me" she spat, her chest expanding for more air. The magic beings towering over her shared a laugh or two, empty and dry.

"Please, if we wanted to kill you, we would have done it the hard way," Onyx said, kicking at her sides. The village girl frowned again, rushing her fingers through her hair before pulling herself up off the ground. "What is the point in this?" she hissed at all three of them. "Besides taunting me?"

"Trust me, there are easier, funnier ways to taunt with your half immortal soul, Alesandria" Yongui purred, curling her nails at her. "But you need to master the art of water mental training if you want to survive half of the oath." The village girl scuffed, hugging her arms around her white shirt. "And how is drowning me going to help me?" she asked, raising her brows.

Venix raised her brows, her violet eyes twinkling even in the mere presence of darkness. "To you mortals, water is a friend. A simple substance you frolick around into cool or wash off or live off of" she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she paced around the girl in teasing circles. "But to us immortals, water can be a friend and an enemy. It is filled with powerful creatures and lingers down into the deepest, darkest depths of the world. The waves are killers and the oceans are a damning kingdom that won't think twice to kill you."

The BloodBone stopped in front of the girl, tilting her head up to meet her gaze. "Following the drift?" she asked, a sly smirk on her lips. Fear pierced through Alesandria's body and she instantly nodded, the sight of those violet orbs sending a chill down her spine.

"Learn to use your words, Alesandria" Onyx said, capturing the village's girl attention. Her frown pulled deeper as she turned to face the Mind Siphon who was standing in front of her in black, silk pajamas. Yet when her eyes caught sight of those golden orbs, hate was replaced with fear as she watched her eyes flicker with a distinct darkness.

"The only way to defend yourself against the waters is to become one with it" the Siphon explained, walking near the edge of the lake. She casually dipped her toe into the fragile surface and the entire lake rippled, rings expanding into the wavering water. "You are fighting our restraints, the water's restraints and in return, the water senses danger. It senses you are not one with its soul and is, therefore, hurting you, trying to kill you."

This time, Onyx dipped her whole foot into the water's surface, the cold substance kissing her bare skin. The water didn't attack the Siphon like it attacked her, instead seeming to embrace the magical being, welcoming her. "The water has a mind of its own" Yongui stepped up, wrapping her black floral robe around her body. Her black hair brushed past her face, twisting into curls against the wind. "You just have to know how to be balanced with it."

"What if I can't be one with the water?" Alesandria asked, digging her nails into the skin of her arm. The magical beings shrugged, hugging their silk pajamas close to their bodies. "We'll be you a nice coffin" Yongui reassured, waving her hand.

The village girl scowled, shivering against the brush of the cold wind against her flushed cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, to curse even but a raw magic slammed into her body with a might push and her body submerged into the icy depths of the lake.

Cold water rushed into her lung, her eyes blinded and stinging from the water rushing around her. She could see nothing but darkness, hear nothing but the silence that reigned around her. Her legs lingered on a bottomless abyss, wisps of water swirling around her.

She gasped for air, for anything but only got the bad taste of water in her mouth and the slightest touch of death on the tip of her tongue. Pain rippled through her body, the water becoming rough and violent as it pushed her towards invisible walls. Her heart panicked against her ribcage, her soul refusing to be one with such a dark monster.

The gold light illuminated from her veins and shot out from her skin in bright strings, lightening up the underwater realm she was in. Eyes of red and silver watched her from below, unknown creatures waiting to sink their teeth into her mortal skin.

Pain rippled through her body as she fought against the drowning waves that tried to kill her, gasping for the little breath of air she needed but left with nothing but death.

Magical Bonds bit into her body, grasping onto her waist and legs as they constricted around her. They burned like hellfire, sealing her throat shut as she so desperately tried to scream. It seemed like forever until Alesandria finally gave up, accepting her gruesome fate and letting her body sink into the water.

Every single strength in her soul was down, wary of what was going on. Her limbs were weak, her mind a catastrophe of blended colors and memories that blurred into a puddle of water.

Everything was quiet, everything was calm and for a while, everything seemed right in the world. The water swirled around Alesandria's unconscious body, calm for a minute before finally accepting her resting soul.

Power rippled through her unconscious body, combining with her natural powers that were hidden deep in her bones. A new sense of control, of knowledge, overwhelmed her mind until every ounce of sanity fractured within her.

Only then did the magical bonds of her body snap and the air in her lungs restores itself, a breath rushing in and out of her lungs. Life kissed her once on the lips before her body lurched and everything seemed to drown, the early sun meeting her eyes before her body met the grass's soft embrace.

The sting burning in her lungs and the terrible ache in her chest was enough to wake Alesandria up from her deep slumber.

A silk blanket was wrapped around her body and the smell of fresh spring met her nose as she turned around, a groan escaping from her lips when the crack of her spine caused her body to seize in pain.

"Bloody heavens!" she hissed, curling her nails into the silk blankets as she pulled herself up, crossing her legs underneath the blanket. Her head hummed painfully, her lips swollen as she attempted to refocus her vision.

"About time you're awake" a voice greeted her, soft hands landing on her shoulders. Alesandria groaned again but looked up to see the kind eyes of Castrin sitting beside her, his hair disheveled and his aRm wrapped around her shoulders.

"What happened?" she asked, licking her chapped lips. She casted her gaze around her room again, this time noticing Onyx, Yongui, and Venix standing by her bed. "You took a mean fall out of the water" Onyx explained in a tired voice. "It seemed as if the water finally accepted you as its own but our magical bonds must have upset the balance."

"So we are only going to tell her the partial truth?" Yongui questioned the Siphon, earning herself a dagger-sharpened glare from the magical beings herself.

Alesandria frowned, doubt weighing in her heart. "But I managed to be one with the water?" the village girl asked once again, more eagerness sprinkled within her voice. Silence filled the room, a relaxing silence that didn't seem so heavy and dwelling. Venix smiled at her, leaning against the bed. "You did good, Alesandria. Not bad for a first timer."

The village girl smiled proudly, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. "If you count not dying as good, then yes you did well" Yongui added, crossing her arms over her shoulder. Her smile dropped a bit as she stared at the hybrid. "What do you mean?" she asked, briefly meeting Castrin's gaze who tore away from her face.

"Do you always have to ruin the mood?" the Dark Magic Summoner hissed at the hybrid, his starry eyes becoming dark and stormy. His friend showed no remorse, only raising her brows to question him. "I don't tell lies sweetheart" she replied back.

"Please fill me in before I find answer myself" Alesandria threatened, her green-grey eyes scowling everyone in the room. Castrin sighed, running his hand through his tangled locks of dark curls. "While you did somehow manage to become one with the water, your mortal heart couldn't handle the stress and you almost died. The fact that their magical bonds disrupted your powers also played a role in your near death but the truth is, your heart is dying. It can't stand the pressure of your powers and if we can't initiate you under the oath, you might die altogether."

The village girl could practically hear the struggling breath of her heart as it attempted to pump blood through her body. She could hear every single beat, every strained flow of blood dancing through her veins. He was right, she was dying, inside and out.

There was no way backing out of this now. It was either immortality and death. And there were no blurred lines in this choice.

Kicking the blanket off of her body, Alesandria weakly rose up from the bed, her muscles sore and her feet wincing with each step she took to slip her feet into her boots. "Then there is no time to waste. If I am going to survive, I have to build up the strength."

Even those words burned her lips as she spoke them but the satisfied smiles of the three women standing in front of her were enough to make her push aside the pain that shook her body and push on forward. "Are you sure you don't need a break?" Castrin asked, staying close to her as they all walked towards the door.

She nodded, limping with every other step towards the door. "There is no time for breaks now. If I want to survive, I have to deal with the pain or die painfully."

Those words were enough to keep him shut as they all walked out the room and up the windy staircase that led to the sparring room above. The double doors were already opened as they approached and awaiting them in the big, open space was Draco, Lucien, and Rheynoak, all dressed in black with sharpened swords in their hands.

"And she awakens from her beauty nap" Draco purred, swinging the sword once so that the silver skin of the weapon could glitter on the early sun of the morning. Alesandria mustered a smile, weakly limping to the center of the sparring room.

The room was like a big and roomy with scarlet drapes dancing around the window and swords and weapons plastered against the walls in a crossed manner. "Let's just get this over with," she said, heaving as Venix handed her a sword.

She took it and held it with an iron grip, rather surprised to see that the weapon wasn't as heavy as she intended it to be. "So, I am going to be fighting all of you?" she asked, inspecting the men in front of her, clearly trained after centuries of practice. "That hardly seems fair."

A laugh escaped Draco's lips, his ruby ringed eyes twinkling as he did so. "You are going to be fighting all of us but not at once" he explained, shuffling to the left as everyone spread out, standing with their legs apart and a determined look on their faces. "We have to build some self-defense moves and also gain for prior instinct on your side. Physical strength is important but if you don't know how to use it to your advantage, it is kind of a waste."

"And since all of us have been clearly trained and know our way around a sword, we want to see if you have some natural skills in you before setting out to do some building" Lucien added on.

The village girl frowned, twisting the sword in her hand. "I say again, this hardly seems fair." Yongui offered her a smile. "This isn't about fairness, darling. This is about strength and whether you have enough of it."

Alesandria grinned. "Bring it on."

For the next few hours, swords clashed against each other as they all attempted to bring the village girl down but she proved herself to be much more worthy of that.

Even in the time of weakness when she was ready to give up and begging for air, she didn't stop until her skin became raw from her constant falls and her sword was sharpened by the others' weapons.

They fought until high noon approached, the sun raining its rays down on earth in strong waves.

Draco charged at her with his sword, Castrin, and Onyx on either side of her while Rheynoak stood at her back with his sword pointed at her back. The others were examining from afar, leaning against the walls with their judging eyes. Green-grey eyes examined her surrounding quickly, knowing charging at him would only be foolish.

So instead, she headed for attacking Onyx, catching the Mind Siphon by surprise as she aimed a kick at her abdomen. A grunt escaped her lips and that spared Alesandria a moment to wrap the sword around the Siphon's neck.

Draco stopped himself just in time from crashing from Rheynoak, his eyes wide and full of terror. Castrin headed towards her, leaping in the air with his sword raised high. Alesandria raised her sword and crashed it against his, the force enough to knock down on the floor.

Seeing her opportunity, Onyx grabbed the village girl's hand and siphoned her for a moment. Images flashed before her eyes and a scream tore through her mind before she flipped the girl over her shoulder and watched as her body landed on the floor.

"Not bad. You did pretty well" Onyx commented, watching as Alesandria picked herself up, wiping her mouth clean of any blood. "But you still need to practice on those attacks. Remember, you're not a full blooded immortal so our powers surpass yours."

"But she still beat all your asses so none of you can talk," Yongui said, directing her gaze over to Castrin who was picking himself up. "Especially you, Castrin." The others shared a laugh, watching as he rolled his eyes. He swore at her in return, picking up the two swords that rested on the ground.

"Well, we can take a short break for now. Get some rest before we continue our training" Draco added, cracking his knuckles. "But The Catalyst Moon is just right around the corner. We can't stop now" the village girl protested, raising her brows. The emperor passed a smile to Alesandria. "I know but you don't want to be completely drained out of energy either. Join us when you're ready."

As everyone began to put the swords back in their place and exit the training room, Alesandria looked over her shoulder to see Onyx securing her borrowed sword on the wall, sweat sticking her hair to her forehead.

Remorse settled deep within her stomach, her heart twisting. Guilt settled deep on her shoulders, a frown pulling on her lips. "Onyx" she breathed, capturing the Siphon's attention. She turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Question?" she asked, golden eyes twinkling.

"No, I just wanted to apologize for how I acted not so long ago. I was angry and upset and I truly thought you didn't care for me. I realize now that I was wrong and I am sorry about accusing you of such heartlessness."

The Mind Siphon mustered a smile, relaxing her shoulders. "Don't worry about it. You weren't wrong about half the things you said. I am heartless and selfish. Maybe I deserve your wrath in all honesty" she said, shrugging her shoulders. "But all is forgiven. I truly do care about you and I wouldn't have stayed for so long if I didn't."

"Thank you" Alesandria breathed. "Thank you for helping me through this difficult time."

This time Onyx smiled brightly. "No need to thank me."

A/N: And that is the end of another chapter!

One more chapter and then The Catalyst Moon will be upon us! I am so excited and ready for all the plot-twists and shock I have planned for the next few chapters.

I can't wait to write them! And to break all your- I mean to write a happy ending! *laughs nervously*

Thank you guys for all your constant support. It means so much to me that you enjoy this book. I enjoy writing it and to hear your feedback always makes my day!

So tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter and don't forget to comment down below and vote if you liked it.

Until next time Lovelies!

With love, May