Chapter 4

Elara woke up the next day due to the light of the sun. She opened her eyes and blinked for a couple of seconds, adjusting her vision. She sat up and looked around at the new environment. Her eyes then landed on her Black Bulls robe that was neatly folded in the lonesome nightstand beside the bed.

That's right. I'm a Magic Knight now. I'm a Black Bull.

A grin formed on her lips at the thought.

My dreams are coming true mother, father. I'll make you both proud soon. So please continue to watch me.

She freshened herself up and threw on her Black Bulls robe, admiring herself in it before making her way outside. Vanessa offered her and Asta a tour around the base yesterday, but she politely declined. She needed to go home and pack some of her stuff. She didn't actually plan on getting scouted yesterday, it was all just so sudden.

Asta accepted the offer though, but Magna insisted that he would show the newbie around.

Elara walked through the base, following the path she thought she and Vanessa walked through yesterday night to get to her room, but was confused when she found herself lost instead. She swore this was the right path.

Finral, who was on his way towards the lounge found Elara standing in the middle of three intersecting hallways, scratching her cheek with her forefinger in utter confusion.

"Lost, huh?" Elara turned as she heard a voice, smiling in relief when she saw Finral walking towards her.

Oh thank goodness! I was so worried I'd be lost in here forever!

"Yeah..I swore I took the right path though" she replied with a sheepish and at the same time confused expression on her face.

"Well, it's not actually very new here for the newbies to get lost, hell, even us who's been here longer gets lost sometimes" Finral admitted scratching the back of his head with a close eye smile, arriving in front of her. "The whole base rearranges sometimes, you see."

Elara gaped at that, "You mean to say...that this building rearranges its rooms and whatnot?" She asked just to clarify if what she heard was correct.

Finral nodded, "Yup!"

Elara nodded in understanding, looking down and cupping her chin with her thumb and forefinger, looking thoughtful as she mentally took note of that in her head, "I understand..."

She then looked up with a sheepish smile towards her senpai, "Uhm..could you maybe, show me where the exit is, please?" She asked timidly, embarrassed.

Akk! She's so cute! Captain Yami! Thank you for bringing in two new cute recruits! Finral thought as his inner self looked up, his fists in front of him, with comical tears running down his face.

He then turned his charming mode on and made a gun sign with his thumb and forefinger, bringing it up under his chin, as he looked at his kouhai charmingly, "A pretty lady in distress. Of course I'll help you, Elara-chan!"

"Eheh.." Elara sweatdropped but decided that she should just be grateful that he was willing to help.

"Thank you, Finral senpai!" She bowed in gratitude.

S-s-s-senpai?! Captain Yami sir! Thank you! Finral's inner self had another set of comical tears running down his face.

~

Elara and Finral arrived at the lounge area where they saw Vanessa on the couch, who was drinking, but was slightly less tipsy than yesterday, and Grey who was in his usual spot and doing his usual thing.

"Thank you again, Finral senpai!" Elara said gratefully.

"Anything for our cute new kouhai!"

"Oh? You're leaving already, darling?" Vanessa slurred, lifting his bottle of booze up a bit.

"Yes! I promise, I'll be back as soon as I finish!" Elara replied with a polite smile.

"You're going somewhere?" Finral asked in curiosity.

"Mhm! I'll be going home a bit to pack some of my stuff. I wasn't actually expecting on getting recruited yesterday" Elara said with her ever so polite replies and soft eye smile.

Vanessa and Finral noticed that she was less chipper and excited, and more polite and reserved today than yesterday. They couldn't help but wonder if she had a double personality.

She was like this too when we first met her. They both thought.

The truth behind that was simple. After that fateful incident six years ago, Elara lost a part of herself. Those who were close to her noticed this but didn't know how to approach her about it, so they just let her be. The once excited, chipper, and carefree Elara had turned reserved, quiet, and mostly kept to herself unless directly spoken to. There were instances where they would get a glimpse of her past self but that would only be when she would witness something she had a strong passion for; fighting, battling, or training: basically anything that involved magic being used for combat. That, as it is, was a very rare sight for her to see for the past 6 years because she wouldn't go out of the house voluntarily anymore, too afraid of the judgement of those who knew of the incident.

Yesterday, Elara's past self resurfaced because of the initiation but she instantly changed back the moment she was left alone in her new room.

Vanessa and Finral watched as Elara left the base on her broom and took off to the skies, gracefully.

"Have you noticed?" Vanessa asked Finral when Elara was out of sight.

Finral hummed and nodded, "If we're thinking the same thing, then yes, I have. I've caught a glimpse of the emblem she wears. She's a noble. I knew I heard her name from somewhere. My parents thought of arranging a marriage with the Lunates before, but for a reason our parents refused to tell us about, the mere thought of it was pushed away and now Langris is probably going to get engaged with the niece of the King instead." He blushed a bit at the thought of the said woman.

"I wonder how Captain ended up scouting her. She could've just taken the entrance exam and get herself into one of the other squads. I wonder why she came to the Black Bulls..." Finral continued, thoughtfully.

"She could've gotten into the other squads easily, too. I mean, Lunar Magic is pretty rare. I didn't even know such magic existed until last night." Vanessa commented.

"Yes, it is. In fact, I think I heard from somewhere that only the House of Lunate possesses that kind of magic." Finral said.

"We sure have interesting newbies this year, huh?" Vanessa slurred after taking a chug from her bottle.

"We sure have"

~

"Lady Elara! Where have you been all this time? We were all so worried when we didn't find you in the house yesterday and didn't come back when it got dark."

Was the first thing Elara heard the moment she stepped through the doors of Lunate Manor. She smiled as she looked up ahead to see Benjamin, or as she likes to call him Benjy.

Benjy is Elara's personal butler. He is a middle aged man with short and neatly styled blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was with her for as long as she could remember and she considered him as her first ever best friend.

"Good morning Benjy! I apologize if I worried you. It's just.." Elara trailed off, not knowing how to phrase the events that happened the day before.

Benjy who just arrived in front of her, smiled knowingly, "The Magic Knights Entrance Exam was yesterday and you wanted to participate, is this correct?" He asked as he led Elara to one of their drawing rooms and let her sit on one of the chairs. A maid came inside and brought tea for the young Lunate, setting it down on the coffee table in front of her.

Elara thanked the maid before grinning sheepishly at Benjy, "You know me so well. I was actually able to get out of the house this time too!"

Benjy chuckled, "Yes, considering you were out the whole day and night." He then furrowed his brows in concern at the last thought, "but please tell me, my lady. Where did you go that you were out all night?"

Elara laughed awkwardly as she brought the teacup up to her lips, "Hehe, funny story actually..."

Elara then went on, explaining the events that happened the day before. This caused quite the reaction from Benjy, ending in him shedding tears at his mistress' dreams coming true.

"Oh that's wonderful, lady Elara! You've finally become a magic knight! I'm sure your mother and father would've been very proud of you!" Benjy said while dramatically shedding tears.

Elara sweatdropped at Benjy's dramatics, "There, there Benjy. You didn't have to be so dramatic about this."

"I'm sorry, young mistress. I'm just really happy for you at the moment"

"Thank you, Benjy. I'm glad that you're happy for me"

~

With the help of Benjy, Elara was able to pack everything she needed in just less than 2 hours. Near the end of their packing session, Benjy started to cry again but for a whole different reason.

"Young mistress Elara is growing up so fast! She's already leaving the house to follow her dreams! We will miss you dearly, Lady Elara!" Benjy cried as comical tears ran down his face.

Elara frowned upon hearing this, "I'll miss you too, Benjy. I promise I'll write a letter to you and nan every week, or sooner if I'll have the time"

She then opened her arms and wrapped them around Benjy's tall frame. Benjy only cried harder at the action as he reminisced the last time she hugged him. Elara was 10 at that time. Without hesitation, Benjy returned the hug, wishing his mistress good luck on her new journey.

After that rather emotional moment in her room, Elara was now walking through the second floor of the manor with Benjy in tow, helping her with her luggage. As they were about to reach the staircase, Elara passed by the grand balcony where her grandmother was sitting in her wheelchair, facing the horizon.

Benjy watched as his young mistress paused, staring at the sitting figure of her grandmother, contemplating whether she should say goodbye or just leave.

She and her grandmother used to have a strong bond when she was younger. Her nanna would play with her, sing her songs, tell her stories ranging from myths, legends, fairytales, or even the adventures of her grandfather, who she was very unfortunate to not meet. Their bond was only second best to that of her parents, but it all stopped due to that fateful day 6 years ago that basically changed more of her life than she'd like to admit. Her grandmother stopped talking to her and would ignore her when she tried to start up a conversation. She came to the conclusion that her grandmother probably resented her for what she did all those years ago, so she stopped trying after 2 years.

Elara sighed and shook her head in defeat. What's the point? It's not like I'll be getting a word out of her anytime soon.

"Let's go" she told Benjy, earning a nod from the said man.

They picked up her luggage and were about to walk away when, "So you became a magic knight?"

The two stopped mid-step, in shock. This was the first time Reighan Lunate spoke to her granddaughter in 6 years.

Elara shook her head, snapping herself out of her reverie, "Y-yes.." she managed to stutter out.

"Benjamin, would you kindly leave us alone for a moment?" Reighan asked, not even sparing a glance back at the two.

"Yes, madame." Benjy bowed before picking up Elara's luggage and taking his leave, "I'll send your luggage to the Black Bulls headquarters, young mistress"

Elara nodded in gratitude before turning to face her grandmother again.

"Come, Ella dear" Elara's breath hitched at the endearing name that she hadn't heard for years.

She gulped in nervousness before timidly making her way towards her grandmother's side.

"Y-yes, nanna?" The familiar term felt foreign coming out of her lips.

There was a pause in which only the singing of the birds, howl of the wind, and the chatter of the people below were heard. Elara took this time to reminisce the moments of her childhood where she would sit on her grandmother's lap in this very balcony, listening to her sing with the birds. She'd always end up falling asleep in the middle of the song though, and then her father would be tasked to come and pick her up to tuck her in bed.

Elara smiled in nostalgia at those precious moments. But that was just it, those precious moments were just mere memories. Memories, in which their only function is to be remembered.

"I don't blame you for what happened to them."

Elara snapped her attention back to her grandmother, her mouth agape. It was one thing to hear her grandmother speak to her for the first time in years, but to hear her say such a thing to her? It was just astonishing.

"Y-you don't?" Elara managed to say.

Her grandmother hummed in agreement, which made Elara frown and look away from her.

"Well you should. It's only right for you to do so. I can't deny that what happened to them was because of my incompetence." She said bitterly, her fist clenching tightly it almost drew blood.

Reighan sighed. She knew that her granddaughter was blaming herself for her parents' unfortunate deaths when she shouldn't be. She chastised herself for not telling her granddaughter the truth, it would've caused Elara less pain to know that her parents' passing wasn't her fault.

"No, it's not. You were doing perfectly fine dear. In fact, you were doing spectacular for someone your age back then. It was-" Reighan tried to explain but was cut off by a frustrated Elara.

"Of course it was my fault! I killed them! I couldn't control my magic and it blew up in my face! You were also harmed too! It was only fortunate that you were a teensy bit away from the explosion zone because if you were a mere centimeter closer, you would've died with them!" Elara basically yelled in grief and resentment towards herself that by the end of it she was in tears.

Reighan, for the first time in years, finally looked up at her granddaughter in the eye, before she pulled Elara down into a strong embrace.

Elara sank into her grandmother's hold as she let out all of her anger, frustration, and grief. Reighan tried her best to comfort the child, caressing her hair and back, while whispering words of comfort. The way she was holding her granddaughter like this again brought back a warm feeling in her chest that she didn't know she missed so dearly until that moment.

~

After calming down, Elara was now sat at the other end of the coffee table out in the balcony, opposite of her grandmother. A maid brought in some tea and some pastries and placed them on top of the table as Elara and Reighan sat in silence for a while, giving Elara some time to compose herself.

When the maid left and they were alone again, Reighan spoke, "It was a curse."

Elara turned her head so fast that she almost got whiplashed, "What?"

"Ed and Eupheme's passing were caused by the Lunate Family curse"

The Lunate Family was the only family of humans that were able to  possess the very rare Lunar Magic. Lunar Magic is actually not that much different from the also rare Light Magic. The only difference between the two is that Light Magic can be used anywhere and at anytime in full capacity, while as Lunar Magic had it's limits. A Lunar Magic user when using their magic at day would only be able to use fifty percent of their powers. They could only release their full capabilities at night when the moon is up. Some spells also can't function without the moon's presence. It was also proven that at full moons, Lunar Magic users' powers heighten to twice it's full capacity. With this information, the Lunate Family ancestors started finding ways to permanently make their powers twice it's full capacity so that their powers would be limitless and in the end, made a spell that could disturb and defy the forces of nature and natural order. The gods were enraged that mere mortals could have the power that only they were supposed to have, so they placed a curse on the Lunate Family. Every Lunate that could learn and use that particular spell would be cursed of destruction.

Elara's eyes widened as her grandmother finished explaining to her the Lunate Family curse, "..so that day..that day my parents died..that was when-"

"When you activated the curse, yes." Her grandmother cut her off, "That new spell you learned that day was the spell that could disturb and defy the forces of nature and natural order. The spell that the gods despised. The reason why your mana overflowed and combusted was because of the curse, not because you couldn't control your magic."

Elara gulped in nervousness at the newfound information. I mean who wouldn't be nervous? She was cursed. It's not every day, you learn that you're actually cursed and by the gods no less.

"What's the curse of destruction, if I may ask?" Elara cautiously asked, completely torn between wanting to know and wanting to not know anything about it at all, too afraid to know the truth.

"The curse of destruction. It's based on human emotions. The intensity of your emotions measures the intensity of the destruction you will cause. For example, the day you learned that spell and activated the curse, you were no doubt very excited to show it off to your parents, correct?" Reighan asked her granddaughter, earning a nod from Elara.

"Since you were completely overflowing with excitement that day, your mana was overflowing too until it all finally combusted. I concluded that the reason why it was so powerful that day was because it was when the curse was first activated, the first time the curse took action. After that, I expect that you still had these episodes but less destructive, correct?"

Elara started to remember the incidents she had caused around the Manor. She remembered how she felt strong emotions before the areas surrounding her blew up. It all made sense now.

"Is there a possible way I can control this curse?" Elara asked her grandmother in urgency.

I'm a magic knight now. I'm bound to have to feel strong emotions every once in a while, and I can't have myself always combusting. That would endanger the people around me. What if I was on a mission and I have one of these episodes? I can't have that happening!

Reighan nodded, "If you can control your emotions, you can control the curse. That's what your grandfather did."

Elara's eyes widened in shock, "Grandfather had the curse too!?"

Reighan smiled and nodded, "Yes, he did. Although, he'd sometimes forget to suppress his emotions and blow up. It was all too funny when that happens too" she chuckled a bit, remembering her late husband.

"Wasn't he a former Magic Knight? How'd he handle the curse so well while doing his job?" Elara inquired, in awe.

"Well, with a lot of training, dedication, and hard work, at some point he was able to use that curse to his advantage. He harnessed the curse's destructive mana and used it against his enemies. It was surprising for most of us, since there were no records in the family history about someone actually controlling the curse before."

"Woah..Grandfather must've been pretty amazing!" Elara breathed out in pure amazement, stars could be seen in her eyes.

"He indeed, was." Reighan smiled at the thought of her late husband.

Elara looked down, staring at her hands, deep in thought.

If I want to become a Magic Knight that could save the Kingdom and not destroy it, I'd have to control this curse first. If grandfather can do it, I can. With lots of training, dedication, and hard work! Just you wait, you blasted curse! I'll be able to control you soon! And if that moment finally comes, I'm gonna try and use that spell again.

Elara clenched her fist in determination. A pair of hands suddenly engulfed hers' which made her look up at her grandmother, who had a guilty smile on her face.

"I'm sorry if I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most, Ella dear. I should've been there to help you get through the curse. More importantly, I should've been there for you when you lost your parents.." Reighan then looked away, her grip on Elara's hands tightening, "But instead I pushed you away. I was being selfish. I lost a son that day too, and it was one of the most painful experiences I've ever had to live through."

"It was unfair that his life had to be taken away. He was simply at the wrong place, at the wrong time. I thought that if I would blame you for everything, it would lessen the pain, but I was wrong." Reighan finally had the courage to look back into her granddaughter's eyes with her own teary ones, "Very wrong...it not only caused me more pain, it did to you too....and I'm very sorry that you had to go through all those years of grieving alone, all because of my selfishness."

Elara watched as her grandmother broke down in front of her. Reighan Lunate always was a very strong and independent woman, even at this age, so Elara has never really seen her be this vulnerable before. It was absolutely heartbreaking.

She immediately stood up from her seat and rushed to pull her grandmother into a very much need hug.

"It's alright nanna, I forgive you.." she whispered as she burried her face into her grandmother's neck.

I'm gonna control this curse. Just you wait mother, father, grandfather, and nanna, I'll make you all proud.