Nia breathed in and out as calmly as she could, the pink aura surrounding her expanding and retracting in sync with her breath. A few days had passed since Alexander had begun teaching her, and while most of it was just learning to keep her magic from spiraling out of control, she wasn't complaining. At least she wasn't completely terrified of losing control anymore.

Besides, this was actually kind of relaxing. For a little while she could put everything out of her head and just focus on something else. And unlike eating she could do it pretty much anywhere at any time. If she hid her aura she could even get away with it in the middle of class. The only time she really had any trouble doing it was lunch.

And that was because AJ was there.

She blushed as she sat on the roof. "AJ, knock it off…"

"I'm not even doing anything," the boy said sitting a few feet away. He had been eating as silently as possible so he wouldn't disturb her.

"I can feel you staring at me," she whined, blushing even more.

AJ raised an eyebrow. "You feel me staring? How does that even work?" he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich. He didn't deny that he'd been staring, but he couldn't tell how she knew. It was so weird. She seemed like she was always hyper aware of everything when she was meditating now. With how she always looked he could have sworn she was asleep.

"I just do," she said, flopping onto her back.

He shrugged. "Well I still don't get why that bothers you. I stare at you all the time," he muttered. The princess just barely caught it, and she blushed even harder before turning on her side away from him.

With everything going on she still had something else to worry about, and that was AJ. The boy had been responsible for more than a few of her slip ups before. And even now that she had things somewhat under control, she couldn't help but get flustered around him sometimes.

"Yo blondie, you okay?" AJ asked, leaning over her.

She covered her face. "I-I'm fine!"

AJ reached up and grabbed her wrist, moving her hands from her face. Nia was surprised to see he had a serious expression on his face. "That Alexander guy. Do you really think you can trust him?" he asked.

She blinked before sitting back up. "I mean I guess so. So far what he's been teaching me has worked. I feel way more in control," she said. It really had felt like a burden was off of her shoulders now. She was a far cry from mastering her magic, but it was a start.

"Yeah, I know. But I looked up some stuff on his company and they used to be up to some shady shit. He might be trying to use you or something," he said worried.

She sighed. "I know. But he's the only one teaching me anything. Magic wise at least." She really couldn't tell if Alexander had something up his sleeve. The way he carried himself just made him unreadable. "I won't fall into whatever he's planning though. I'll just learn what I can and keep my distance."

"That's what everybody says blondie," AJ said rolling his eyes. "Then they end up getting played like a fiddle. My mom is one of the smartest people on the planet, but even she got played back in the day."

Nia blew a raspberry at him. "I'll be fine AJ. Besides, even if I do fall into some crazy trap you'll help me out right?" she asked, smiling towards him.

He smiled back. "Always."

The two suddenly heard the school bell ring, signaling that lunch was over. "Uh, first bell. Time to get back to class. I really don't know how they expect me to stay up in science right after lunch," Nia complained. Just as they were about to go through the door however, she stopped.

She turned around and looked towards the building across from them, but saw nothing. She kept staring for a few moments. "Hey Blondie, what's wrong?" AJ asked curiously.

Nia hummed. "Nothing I guess. I just thought I… felt something."

"Felt something? Like a disturbance in the force or whatever?" he asked chuckling.

"The what?"

"Oh crap, that's right. You've never seen Star Wars. Well, I know what movie we're watching for movie night next time!"

The two made their way down the stairs, completely unaware of the three figures standing across the building. The figure in the front let out an amused laugh. "Looks like my baby cousin is finally starting to tap into her latent power. But I think we need to give her a little push in the right direction. You know what to do," she said. The two larger figures behind her nodded.

"Yes Lady Cressida."

"We will not fail you."

The two figures both turned and began to leave, while the girl smiled. "We're going to see just how worthy you are of the family name Titania…"

Of all of her classes, Nia found science the most boring. Match wasn't much better, but at least that was in the morning and out of the way quickly. The last thing she wanted to hear after she finished mediating or filling her stomach was formulas and equations. It was taking everything she had to stay awake right now.

"Ms. Butterfly." Nia looked up and saw the teacher looking down at her with a frown. "You seem to have trouble staying awake. Am I boring you?"

Nia yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Yes," she answered honestly.

The teacher scowled as the rest of the class giggled at her response. "Very funny young lady. But one day you're going to need to learn all of this." Nia hummed. That… definitely wasn't true. She didn't know every detail about her mother's job, but she had never seen her have to use any of this stuff.

The teacher then looked over towards AJ, who hadn't even bothered trying to stay awake. The boy was face down on his desk. "Oh for god's sake." The teacher picked up a piece of chalk and then hurled it at his head with rather impressive accuracy. "Wake up Jones!"

AJ quickly sat up and then scowled. "Hey! What the hell man?!"

"My class is not naptime! You're supposed to be learning, not catching up on your sleep! Perhaps you and Ms. Butterfly would like to stand to help you stay awake?"

Nia got up. "I guess so. I really don't think I'm going to be able to stay up otherwise," she said stretching her arms. If she ended up falling asleep now she would stay up later. The whole class once again started giggling, and the teacher looked like he was about to snap at her.

But suddenly they heard a loud crash from the window. Nia didn't even have time to turn her head before something flew right by her face. Her eyes widened and she turned to see what looked like a feather implanted in the wall. "Uh…"

Another crash, this one much bigger, smashed a hole in the wall. The entire class turned to see a hulking figure making its way through the hole. The figure had to be at least twelve feet tall, and was covered in green scales. It had yellow slits for eyes, and a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. A second figure flew down and perched itself on his shoulder.

This one looked more feminine, and had the appearance like some sort of harpy. She was covered in colorful feathers, and had a pair of wings where her arms were, as well as two large talons on her feet. "Lady Titania. We're going to need you to come with us…"

There was nothing but silence for a few moments, and then everyone got up and rushed towards the door. Nia frowned and pulled out her wand, turning it into it's sword form. Erin and Sky both got up and stood beside her. She glanced over towards AJ. "Go tell the others!" she said. AJ nodded and then headed out. He knew when he was out of his depth.

After he left she turned back towards the two monsters. "Who are you guys? Are you with the youngblood?" Ezra asked, pulling out his claw.

Neither of the two monsters before them responded. They kept their eyes locked onto Nia. "If you would kindly come along with us lady Titania, we can do as little damage here as possible. If you resist however, there's no guarantee that we won't crush any of these… insects, but mistake," the larger one glancing towards Sky and Ezra.

"Rude," Sky said, narrowing her eyes.

Ezra looked annoyed. "I said who are you?"

They once again ignored him and began moving forward towards Nia. The princess raised her sword. "Did Drake send you? Or was it Oberon?" she asked.

The large one smiled. "I don't know who this Drake fellow is. And Lord Oberon hasn't given any order towards you yet. But Lady Cressida desires to see what you're capable of. And so she has sent us to retrieve you," he explained. "I am Geryon."

The harpy landed down in front of him and bowed. "And I am Peak. We are Lady Cressida's most powerful and trusted attendants. We have never failed her, and we have no intention of doing so today. So young Titania, your options are to either come with us, or to be taken. I would prefer not to harm someone of Oberon's blood, but that all depends on you."

Nia tilted her head, clearly confused. "Uh… w-wait. Who's Cressida?" she asked. She knew about Oberon and Titania, but nobody had mentioned anyone else. Well, she knew her dad was related to them, but they had said lady. Not lord. So it couldn't have been him.

Geryon sighed. "It seems your mother neglected to fill you in on all the details. But I suppose it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that you come with us," he said reaching down towards her. Ezra stepped in front of her and swung his claw. Geryon glared at him.

"We're not letting you take her," Sky said, getting ready for a fight. She knew they just had to hold them off long enough for the others to get here. The other younger members could get here quick, and buy them even more time for the older ones.

Peak looked towards Sky and Ezra with disgust. "Lady Titania… I assumed that you were here because you were seeking amusement. But are these things really your minions? Surely you could find better ones than this," she said.

Nia glared. "They're not my minions, they're my friends! And I'm not going with you! Go away and tell Cressida or whoever to leave me alone!" she ordered.

Geryon shook his head. "I'm afraid we just can't do that," he said holding his arm up. His scales moved slightly, and suddenly a number of snakes shot out from underneath them.

"Oh crap!"

Ezra and Sky both rolled out of the way while Nia flew up. She sped towards him and turned the want into a hammer. She swung at him, but he easily reached up and caught it in his hand. "Hm, what an interesting little weapon you have. I didn't think mortals were capable of crafting such powerful magical artifacts."

Nia growled and tried to pull the wand from his grip, but it didn't budge. He was so strong. It was insane. "But it's clear your magic isn't compatible with it. Relying on this is more of a setback than an advantage," he said, smirking.

"Let her go!" Sky said before summoning up two of her roblade monsters. They spun around and headed towards Geryon. The large monster didn't even bother turning around. He lifted his foot and then stomped down on the both of them, crushing them. Sky looked shocked.

"This place is crawling with pests."

Another snake shot out from his back and headed right towards Sky, but Ezra flew in front of her and blocked it with his claw. "Leave her alone you jolly green giant knockoff!" He tried using his powers to control him, but it didn't seem to be doing anything.

Geryon growled and turned towards him with a look of fury. "You little welp! Why does a pathetic little mortal like you hold traces of Kur's power?!" he asked turning towards him.

Ezra looked surprised. "You know about Kur?"

"I knew Kur…" he said angrily. "You're coming with us as well!"

He lifted his hand and got ready to swing at him, but suddenly a blast of wind hit him from behind. "Hey, I'm the one your after!" Nia shouted. "Come and get me if you can!" She zipped out of the hole they made earlier and outside. She didn't want to keep this fight inside of the school too many people could get hurt.

Not to mention her magic had a bigger advantage outside. She flew into the courtyard, but before she could get much further she heard laughing. She looked up and saw Peak above her. "You must still be getting used to the air my lady." Nia panicked and lifted her sword, but Peak spun around and kicked her down to the ground.

Nia landed and groaned as Peak landed down in front of her. "I really would recommend you just surrender Lady Titania. It would make this a much less painful experience."

"Shut up!" Nia yelled and rolled back up to her feet. "I'm not going anywhere!" She fired another blast of wind at Peak, but the harpy laughed and easily moved out of the way. Nia took aim at her again, but then noticed a shadow looming over her. Geryon raised his fist and punched down at her, but she quickly made a dome of air to shield herself.

Nia was barely able to hold it together when his fist slammed into the barrier of wind. "I don't think you're ready to stand toe to toe with us Lady Titania. If you'd simply come along our mistress would be able to show you how to properly use your abilities," he said.

She glared. "I said, I'm not going anywhere!" she shouted holding her arms out. The barrier grew outwards and managed to push the giant back. "I don't care what my family wants or why! They don't get to decide where I belong! I do!"

Peak swooped down at her, but she flew out of the way. "So young and foolish. Oberon decides everything for everyone, and it's absurd to think otherwise!" She got ready to charge in again, but suddenly a blast of fire cut her off.

They all looked over and saw Raleigh walking towards them, a smile on his face. "You know I was about to skip the rest of class today cause I wanted to get into some interesting shit. But who the hell would have thought I'd find it right here," he said making two fireballs in his hands.

He threw them towards Peak who frowned as she skillfully flew between them. Geryon narrowed his eyes. "Gorgon Eye!" He shot a blast from his eyes towards Raleigh, but the fire dragon jumped out of the way. The spot the blast hit was turned to stone.

He growled and got ready to fire again, but suddenly a blur zipped by and punched him right in the face. He stumbled back and then looked up to see Cayenne. "Sup bitches…" she said crossing her arms. "So, I'm in class trying to stay awake, get through the day. I look outside and there's a jolly green giant and a bird outside jumping my friend. What the hell?"

Geryon scowled. "These humans keep crawling out of the woodworks like cockroaches."

Cayenne rolled her eyes. "Ha-ha, a bug joke. I've never heard that one before," she said before turning towards Nia. "Get out of here kid. We'll deal with this."

Nia frowned. "No! I can fight too!"

"I know you can. But you're the one there after, so we need to keep you away. Go find that dumbass brother of yours and let us beat these guys," she said getting ready to charge.

"You're not going anywhere!" Peak screeched getting ready to rush at her.

Everyone got ready to charge, but just as they were about to move a flash of lightning struck down in front of them, sending a cloud of smoke flying into the air. Cayenne, Raleigh, and Nia looked shocked, while Geryon and Peak both frowned.

"Well, this was a bust."

The smoke began to clear and a single figure stood between all of them. It was a girl who looked like she was around fourteen, though she clearly wasn't human. She had blue skin, pointy ears, and short light pink hair tied into a bun. She wore a pink shirt and baggy grey pants..

Geryon and Peak both bowed down towards her. "Lady Cressida! You didn't have to show yourself before these lowly beings," Peak said shaking her head.

The girl waved her hand. "No, it's fine. This whole thing is a bust so there's no point in sticking around anymore. I only sent you here to try and force her into that weird state of hers, but with these nobodies here and more on the way it's looking impossible," she said.

Cayenne scowled and stepped toward her. "Hey Santa's little helper! Who the hell are you?! What are you doing here?!" she snapped.

The girl seemed to ignore her and then looked towards Nia. The princess was sweating bullets right now. The moment this girl had touched down she felt like there was some huge weight pressing down on her entire body. Her head was just screaming that this person was dangerous, and she needed to get as far away from her as possible.

"You know, surrounding yourself with these people will only hinder your growth. Even if Alexander is teaching you it won't do you any good since you're being dragged down," she said walking towards her. Cayenne and Raleigh both stepped in front of her, and she laughed. "Are they actually trying to protect you? That's cute. They're like pets that have grown attached."

Cayenne growled. "Bitch, I'm getting sick of you ignoring us! I asked you who the hell you were! Start talking before I beat your ass down to Citiesville!"

For the first time the girl seemed to acknowledge her presence. "Would you be quiet already? I have nothing to speak with you about. I mean really, do you stop to have a conversation with every ant on the sidewalk?" she said before turning right back to Nia.

"Why you little-?!"

Cayenne charged at her, but the girl seemed to suddenly vanish. She reappeared right behind Nia and put on hand on her shoulder. Nia jumped and quickly turned around, pointing her sword at her. "Our grandfather is convinced that you're the one destined to succeed him, and I want to see it for myself. And I always get what I want, baby cousin. I'll be watching."

With that, she suddenly vanished. Geryon and Peak both disappeared as well. Cayenne and Raleigh looked around confused, but Nia let out a breath and fell to her knees.

That girl called her baby cousin. There wasn't much of a family resemblance aside from the hair, but her magic felt way too familiar to Alexander's. Only even stronger.

And if she was that strong, how much stronger was Oberon?"