Viaan was surprised by the girl. She

was clearly trained, and she wasn't

holding back. She could have hurt him

real bad but she just immobilized him.

And then she asked him to follow her.

They walked through the passages

unseen. It could be considered a feat because they weren't detected and Viaan was a criminal as far as anyone was concerned. If they were caught both of them would be punished and the final verdict would be a death sentence. Viaan tried to notice his surroundings. The girl seemed to know more about the passageways than he did. She twisted and turned and then halted before a large statue of the Sun God. Viaan loved to watch the statue when he was young. The Sun God was standing tall and he seemed to be dancing. The statue would look beautiful in sun light but it looked ghastly in the moon light. The girl kneeled at the god's feet and touched the grass. Was something supposed to happen? Viaan was about to tell her that she was wasting time but then the wall split open. It was a door actually which was hidden in plain sight all this time. How come no one triggered it open all these years? How come Viaan didn't open it when he played here? He stopped his musings and followed her silently. It was better not to agitate the only person who was helping him, he thought. The door opened into a dimly lit hallway and its architecture was beyond his knowledge. How was it lit? Viaan noticed some blue crystals on the roof which emitted light and that was an answer to his question. This was the hallway full of mysteries. In normal circumstances, Viaan would have brought his siblings. But these weren't normal circumstances, Viaan reminded himself. He was very tired and sweaty. The tunnel seemed to go on forever and Viaan wanted to rest. His disappearance would cause quite a stir and everyone would believe that he was guilty. He would benefit from running away than facing imminent death. "How long are we supposed to walk?" Viaan couldn't help himself but ask. "Just few minutes. We aren't safe here. Let us cross the barrier and then you can rest and ask all questions. But now, we must hurry." Viaan could sense the urgency in the girl's voice. He wouldn't cause a scene because he was tired. He walked faster with renewed determination. They entered a room which had three doors. The girl stopped and touched each of them. After touching them, she closed her eyes for a few moments. Then she moved towards the first door and opened it. She turned back and motioned for him to follow. He stepped through the door and entered other room. The only difference he noticed was the orange light crystals which he brushed off as trivial information. Soon they were standing in an opening. The wind was strong but Viaan felt it was liberating him. Again, the girl lead him towards a house he didn't notice. The interior of the house was entirely different from the exterior environment. There were people all talking animatedly and some of them were working. They were huddled in groups and before Viaan could see anything more, he was led into a room. The room looked like an office and a stern looking man sat behind the desk. He was in his fifties and had sharp blue eyes. He wore a hat and Viaan didn't want to get on the bad side of him. He had sharp features and a relieved look on his face. The girl sat in the chair opposite to the man. The man got up and exclaimed, "Prince Viaan, welcome to Adhira." The kingdom Adhira was very far from Mihira. Certainly not a night's walk by foot. Viaan was so confused. "Prince Viaan, you realise you came here through the portal." He certainly didn't realise that. "Please sit down. We have lot to talk." Viaan sat beside the girl who removed her hood. Viaan saw her for the first time. She was beautiful and she had long hair. He glanced at the man who was watching him expectantly. The man must have known what questions Viaan intended to ask because he started talking. "You weren't safe in Mihira. You know what happened and we thought it was better to bring you by the easy portal for the first time. This portal is for normal use and not for emergencies. And it is your first time, we didn't want you to feel the effects and get sick. That's why you had to walk for so long. Immediate portals have certain effects on people who aren't familiar to them." "Okay, sir. But may I know who you are? And why did you bring me here, to Adhira?" "Prince Viaan, I am the head of ministers here in Adhira and also the head of The Secret Society. I'm Adhyay and I know everything about you." "With all due respect sir, that doesn't answer my questions." Viaan said impatiently. Adhyay nodded. He gestured towards the girl, "Nairiti here was sent yesterday to bring you here safely. You were not safe and we had to keep you all safe. I know your family. Your parents were also a part of this. I am so sorry for your loss." Viaan couldn't bring himself to talk so he nodded. "We take control over the magical aspects of our kingdoms. There are many kinds of powers which were gifted to us by the gods. Some people use them and some don't. But you still have your family's magic in you. You never practiced it. And if we hadn't come to save you, you would have revealed it to everyone. You wouldn't have been harmed if you used your magic but

The walls were dimly lit but they were filled with paintings and maps. There weren't any portraits like the offices in Mihira. It seemed like an unknown secret organisation which operated from the depths of the kingdom. The table was strewn with papers and many pens, quills and royal documents. The person sitting across Viaan was waiting for his reaction. Viaan was so much filled with emotions that his face was devoid of any emotion. He took time to process the information he was told. He didn't want to think about anything. He wanted to sleep and wake up to his daily life. His life where he was still an apprentice, learning from all departments and spending his free time with his family. He wished it all to be nightmare. He prayed franticly to any God who might be listening. He didn't want to ponder implications of the words he just heard. He wanted some anchor, something which kept him from collapsing in endless sorrow and breaking apart into pieces. There were voices around him, mumbling something but he didn't understand them. He could see the girl and the guy beside him. Why were they surrounding him? He found no reason. Before he could utter another word, he fainted. Viaan could feel his head throbbing before he opened his eyes. He recollected what bad happened but it may, very well be a dream, as far as he was concerned. He sat up and looked around. The room was happy coloured, it was the one feeling, he wasn't feeling. The bright light streaming through the window illuminated the room perfectly. The light blue and orange hues reminded him of the sky. He walked towards the window and saw greenery extending as far as he could see. The house seemed like an outpost people didn't bother checking in. Or it was an outpost serving both purposes. Either way, he didn't want to stay there amidst strangers who knew more about him than he did. He remembered what made him faint. It wasn't the best reaction by a prince. He didn't think Vivaan would faint or even Ahana. In his defense, he was branded a traitor and then escaped to a far away kingdom and then learned that his mother knew of her nearing death. Certainly these circumstances would make any brave person faint. Those words comforted him and he sighed. He was always the best when he gave himself pep talks. They worked like a charm too. And he needed them more and more. Because his life changed completely. His stable, content life with the people he loved didn't exist anymore. And he had to deal and come to terms with it. He heard some incoming footsteps and turned around. A boy, Viaan's age entered the room. He looked very excited and happy to meet him. The boy was tall and lanky with emerald green eyes and short black hair. He totally reminded Viaan of Vivaan. The boy gasped when he saw him standing by the window. "Prince Viaan. You are up? I am here to help you in this place. My name is Vidyut." He bowed. Viaan was no longer a prince so he didn't need to be treated as one. Back when he was home, he hated people bowing to him. "Please Vidyut, don't bow to me. We aren't acquainted and we don't need to observe royal pleasantries. Tell me, what happened when I fainted?" Viaan asked him. "The chief brought you here, so you can rest. Sir, I'm sorry," Vidyut said solemnly. Viaan nodded. "Who are the people living here?" "There are few people who know about the Magical Society in Adhira. We are the new apprentices so we are training. There are five of us. You will meet my group later during lunch. Because now, all are away on their duties. Nairiti trains us. She is here from when she was fifteen years old. And she isn't from here. We don't know much about her but she is awesome, she fights best and her magic power is incredible." He remembered the name Nairiti. She was the one who brought him here. He admired her but he didn't know her. He could trust her because she wouldn't betray him. He didn't know how he knew that but he did. It wasn't like a Mind Reader but he could sense some things now. Like how Vidyut was best at fighting. He didn't know what was happening to him but he could trust some people here. "Vidyut, I want to clean myself and change into other clothes. Can you help me?" "We got all your necessities like how you lived in your palace. This room is yours. You will find everything you need here. Come downstairs when you are done. We can have breakfast. And then you can meet everyone else and talk to the chief." "Thank you!" People were talking and eating. They seem different somehow. They must be the travellers. Viaan searched for a familiar face. He dressed like them, not his usual attire with a cloak. He then remembered the room which was hidden. He entered the room and saw Vidyut sitting alone near the window. He smiled when he saw Viaan. "I guessed you liked to sit in the light and here, we have some soup and I don't know what it is but its healthy. It's made of all pulses and grains." The food was great and Viaan loved it. "The chief asked me to bring you to the meeting room. We can go when you want." "Let's go now." There was no point in delaying the inevitable, Viaan thought. He entered the same room where he fainted. He didn't want to face them again and be looked down as coward and weak.

Wait, what? Viaan was deluding himself because there was no way he heard that right. He was not qualified to be a proper prince let alone the leader of a not so secret magical organisation. He gaped at Adhyay. That man was looking very intently at Viaan which made Viaan more nervous. Viaan was so deeply engrossed in his monologue that he did not see the expectant look from Adhyay. Viaan didn't know why the man wanted him to be a leader. As far as he knew, he didn't have any exceptional quality. He loved reading very much and that's why he spent most of his time at the library. Even if he was asked to be a scholar, it would have been hard for him. He wasn't leading type. He liked to be in shadows observing everyone. "I don't get why you want me to be a leader, sir. I'm not the best fighter, not a good strategist and I have no idea about this organisation. I wouldn't be a good leader. You must be mistaken, sir." Adhyay got up and leaned against the window. "You are most adaptive than all others who intend to get this position. And they see it as a climbing step. I want a person who will see it as a responsibility not a birth right. I have met them and they weren't qualified for this. You would do a remarkable job. Just trust me and also your instincts. Out of everyone, I think you are my best choice." "How many people are there?" "One from each kingdom and two of them aren't competing. The other six aren't qualified enough. I see some extraordinary things in you and I don't think you believe in yourself. I have a deal for you, if you are interested?" "What's that?" "By the end of the year. you can decide if you want to be the leader or not. Only you have to train with us like every other apprentice. The decision is yours in the end. What do you say?" No harm in that, Viaan thought. He was getting trained which he will definitely require when he went back to his kingdom and it was always good to know that he would be able to defend himself. And he was sure he would say no when Adhyay would ask him later. It was a total win-win situation for him. So he did not delay in saying yes. But Viaan did not concentrate on the fact that Adhyay would never gamble if the situation resulted in his loss. Adhyay did get documents and made Viaan sign one. It was just a letter that, said Viaan would become a student of magic. Viaan was happy that this matter was being dropped. His happiness was shortlived when Vidyut entered the room. "Take him to the training room and teach him the basics." Viaan looked at Adhyay and tried to gauge his feelings. He had no success in that. He got up and followed Vidyut out of the room. Vidyut was very animated and he soon started talking once they were out of Adhyay's earshot. "You will learn magic control and fighting with it. And also you are now one of us." Viaan didn't expect the room to be so big and filled with people. They were all fighting in pairs. Some with swords, some with magic and some with both. Vidyut took Viaan to the back of the room where there was nothing but he somehow opened a hidden door. Viaan didn't see how he did that. He deducted that the door required some magical password and decided to ask him later. This room was empty and it had many cushions lying around. "First, I'll tell you something about us. We are all specialised in a particular magic. I'll tell you mine. I use lightning. I don't know what powers other students have. Its secret till we finish our training. You will have to read basics, practice them and learn weapon fighting. Today I will teach you a simple magic manoeuvre. But first we have to determine what your power is? Then you will get a nickname. I don't think it will catch on since everyone knows your name."" "Does everyone get a nickname?" "Yeah. That's because no one tells their name here. They are running from their past and want to rebuild their life. Maybe except Adhyay and obviously you, we know no one's real name. It wasn't like this before. But times have changed. So what do you think your power is?" Viaan shrugged. "I don't know. I never practiced magic. So wouldn't it be hard to know what I can do?" "We can test it." Viaan tried to retaliate to many attacks from air, water, lightning, earth, energy and fire users. And he couldn't. So his power was either dormant or he had no magic. The latter case was strictly argued by Vidyut. Vidyut was so confident that Viaan had some sort of super power where he could use any power which Viaan found absurd. Vidyut was gone for some supplies and Viaan tried to focus on his magic which was only fruitless. "You should give it time." Viaan e t didn't notice the girl hiding in the plain sight there. Nairiti was standing like a phantom beside him. He saw her in the daylight and thought she was beautiful with sea green eyes and long black hair. She had a calm expression. She was also good at sneaking. He didn't know that she was there. He suddenly remembered that her name was also a nickname. The nicknames had some meanings to the persons. Her name only indicated a direction, southwest. Then something hit him. "You aren't from here, right?" "So what?" "I think your name indicates where you come from." "That's my past and you aren't allowed to ask or tell anyone." "It isn't my secret to tell." She just left when she saw Vidyut coming back with some books and crystals. "What was she telling you? Don't tell me she is your mentor and I'm not. I know she is the best but I'm doing the best I can." "Whoa. Whoa, Stop. She was just telling me not to stress about my powers. And you are doing great. You already ruled out most of the powers in what, two hours. Its impressive. Those guys came fast and left without wasting any time. You organised everything perfectly well." "Thank you! What more did she say? She looked very scary." "Uh, nothing. Only that." Viaan couldn't tell him that she was the only everyone.