Reimagia

Summary: Now a graduate of Ever Realm Academy, Sofia accepts Cedric's invitation to train in a secret realm called Reimagia, which is home to some of the most powerful sorcerers on earth. However, there's a dark force lurking in the realm, destroying conjurors one by one, all while offering cryptic clues to his identity. If Cedric and Sofia can't solve the mystery, they'll be next.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First or any characters affiliated with the show. However, I do own the Kingdom of Reimagia and many new OCs mentioned in the story.

A/N: All right, guys! Here is where you'll meet some of the other conjurors in the realm, AND you'll learn more about the dark forces lingering in the beautiful land of Reimagia. 😉 Remember what they always say: don't judge a book by its cover. This gorgeous land has a darkness in it, and it's a lot graver than you think. With that said, off we go! Oh, and Happy New Year! 😊

Chapter 3: One by One

Sofia woke up early, glancing over to the other side of the room and noticing that Cedric was still fast asleep. She smiled and pushed her blankets away, standing up and stretching a bit. She then reached over to her trunk and unclasped the latch, pulling out her necessary clothing and a bag of essentials before heading downstairs to the powder room.

Once she'd cleaned up, she dressed in a long-sleeved black shirtdress and purple tights with matching black boots. Her amulet, GuardoRing, E.S. bracelet, and Enchantlet were all in their proper places. After drying and detangling her hair, she opted for another low yet tighter braid today. Satisfied, she stored her essentials in a cabinet in the corner of the powder room before hurrying back upstairs.

She'd just barely made it up the final steps when she heard a sleepy yawn. She grinned and leaned over the railing, laughing as Cedric stared up at her through his heavy eyelids. "Good morning, sunshine," she teased, snickering as he made a face and turned over, tugging his blankets over his head. "Come on, Mr. Cedric. Time to get up."

"It's far too early to be up," he whined. "I don't even see any sunshine outside." He poked his head out from the blankets and watched as his friend sat down on the bed across from him. "It must still be rather early."

"Mr. Cedric, don't take this the wrong way, but you take forever to get ready." She smiled playfully as she folded her arms. "If you get started now, we may just make it out of here before noon."

"I'll have you know that I can be efficient with my time," he grumbled as he finally shoved his blankets back and sat up, immediately regretting the swift action as his back popped. "Ow…"

"Prove it then," she laughed. "Besides, we still need to eat before meeting the other conjurors. After all, they're the ones who will likely be helping me with my training, right?"

Cedric nodded and yawned again, stretching his arms and legs out. "Yes, yes…" He grabbed his wand and muttered something under his breath, sighing as a change of clothes and his own essential bag appeared in his arms. "Very well. I won't be long." He frowned as she rolled her eyes in disagreement. "Keep up with that attitude, and I'll definitely take my precious time."

Sofia grinned. "Wouldn't surprise me at all. First you needed your beauty sleep, and now you need your luxurious preparation time. You're so spoiled, Mr. Cedric."

"Hmph." He tossed her a playful smirk as he began descending the steps to the lower level. "I'll be ready in thirty minutes. Then we can see about some breakfast."

The princess laughed and leaned over the railing, smiling at him as he returned the sentiment from the bottom of the first set of stairs. "I'll take your word for it."

Cedric chuckled before disappearing down the next set of stairs.

Once both were dressed and had eaten (there was a nice set of different food items on the bottom floor in their pantry), the friends headed back to The Galley to meet up with Sir Leignton. Thankfully, they didn't run into the same trouble as yesterday, since the guards already knew them.

"By the way, we never introduced ourselves yesterday," the female guard told the visitors as she and her partner led them to the throne room. "I'm Cataleya." Cataleya seemed to be in her late thirties, with her wavy black hair tied back into a bun. She, like her partner, wore traditional Reimagian armor: black and silver with a cursive "R" embossed into the center of the front. Each had a set of heavy black boots and dark pants, with a sword in a holster on their hips. Cataleya was a bit darker in her complexion, and her eyes were a beautiful shade of aquamarine. "This is Guillermo."

Guillermo was clearly a bit older, probably in his late fifties. He wore his shoulder-length silver hair half-tied back. He also had a full beard and mustache, and kind soft green eyes (unexpected for a guard in his position). His outfit and armor were identical to Cataleya's.

"Nice to meet you guys," Sofia acknowledged. "I guess you already know, but I'm Sofia, and this is my friend Mr. Cedric. We're from Enchancia."

"We're well aware," Guillermo told her. "Your names are well-known in the magical world."

"There was once a time when I never believed I'd hear that," Cedric told them sheepishly.

Cataleya laughed. "Well, when you save the Ever Realm or any kingdom from dark forces, or when you go up against the likes of the types of evil you two have, word is bound to get around. I've got to admit, though… You don't really look like I'd imagined." She snickered as the other two blinked at her. "I thought Sofia would be much taller and have black hair for some reason. And Cedric… I thought you were close to seventy with fading muscles." She grinned as they grimaced at their descriptions. "Whoops."

"Fading muscles?" Cedric whined, scoffing as he folded his arms, subconsciously rubbing them through his robe. "What does that even mean? And seventy?!"

"I'm sorry, okay? You can't tell me you don't hear about people and just create an image of what they look like in your mind." She shrugged.

Sofia sighed with a good-natured smile. "And I know I'm not that tall… I'm the shortest in my family. Even my little brother, who just turned one, will probably outgrow me eventually." She giggled. As they stopped before the throne room, she swept her hand from the top of her head to Cedric's shoulder, showing just how much (sort of) she'd grown over the years. "At least I made it to this height."

Cedric smirked. "Right. Only took you eight years from the moment I met you."

"Excuse me, but I can't exactly control that."

Guillermo chuckled as he glanced toward them. "Do you two always argue over pointless matters?"

"Yes," they both responded simultaneously, exchanging glances and laughing.

The guards escorted the visitors into the throne room, where Sir Leignton was standing with his advisors and court members.

"Um, is this a bad time, Sir Leignton?" Sofia wondered, frowning as she saw the serious looks on the other men's faces.

"No, it's quite all right." Sir Leignton mumbled something to the men in a language neither Enchancian recognized and turned, smiling toward the friends. "I take it you're ready for your training, young lady?"

"Y-Yeah," she said before correcting herself to, "I mean, yes, sir… I'm ready when you are."

"Oh, I will not be training you. But I have a host of trainers who can help you. They are all in the dome-shaped building you probably saw on your way in. We call it the Grand Cupola. It's a place where conjurors of all backgrounds go to either train or help others train. We have a rather skillful staff." He waved one hand, demonstrating a hologram image of a staff of five people. "First we have Lady Maeve: our Mistress of Light Magic."

Lady Maeve was older with her graying black hair woven into a Dutch braid, reaching to her midback. She wore smaller spectacles, highlighting her baby blue eyes. She also wore a floor-length green velvet robe with a gold sash secured around her waist.

"Lady Maeve is responsible for teaching people how to utilize Light Magic, which is obviously the opposite and the counter to Dark Magic. If used correctly, you can not only elevate yourself in the magical world, but you can protect yourself from dark magic attacks." He then gestured toward the next image of a man. "This is Lord Wellsworth."

Lord Wellsworth was probably close to Baileywick's age, with his salt-and-pepper hair slicked back and a gold robe (open and flowing around him) situated over his immaculate gray suit and shiny black shoes. His eyes were more of a honey brown, and despite his age, they still shimmered in mirth.

"Lord Wellsworth is the Wand Master. He knows every spell ever created and that will come into existence soon."

"Wow," Cedric murmured in awe. "Now that's a skill I'd love to have."

Sofia smiled and nudged him gently. "Maybe you need to go through the training too?"

"Maybe," he laughed.

Sir Leignton nodded toward the hologram at the next man. "This is Malvino. He is our Hand Magic Expert." He hummed as he saw Sofia's eyes widen. "He's the youngest on our team."

Malvino was twenty-one and rather pale. His black hair was combed back and tied into a half-up style just above his shoulders. His eyes were so dark that they almost appeared black. Through his left eye was a peculiar scar. Unlike the elders, he wore a navy-blue jacket and matching pants.

"Sir Leignton," Cedric began somewhat uncertainly, "forgive my asking, but that scar on the boy's eye… Isn't that indicative of…?"

The man shook his head. "We don't know for certain, and he won't say one way or the other."

Sofia turned to Cedric, but the moment she caught the look he was giving her, she knew not to question their conversation. If nothing else, she figured maybe he would elaborate later in private.

"The next on our staff is Dame Dellareese," Sir Leignton continued. "She is our Potions Mistress and has likely created potions that the two of you have used before."

Cedric appeared to be rather curious. "Such as?"

"She's helped to create advanced versions of the truth potion, the invisibility potion, and even the height-changing potion."

The younger sorcerer glanced toward Sofia, who huffed and folded her arms.

"Why did you look at me when he said that?" She rolled her eyes as he chuckled.

"Never mind." Cedric good-naturedly patted her on her back, causing her to smile.

Dame Dellareese was a middle-aged woman with darker skin and eyes. Her hair was jet black, streaming to her legs, and she wore a black hat atop her head. She was the shortest of the trainers, standing at approximately five feet tall, and her tailored dress was a short-sleeved black and blue ensemble with black boots.

"Lastly, we have the leader of the trainers: Sir Langshire. He presides over the other trainers, but he's also the Master of Magic: from the oldest to the most recent. He's written several spell books, crafted many wands, funded new magical societies, discovered new ingredients for potions, and more. He's done just about anything there is to do with magic. He's also versed in dark magic, as in knowing what it is and how it works, but he's heavily set against it…for obvious reasons."

Sir Langshire had a close-cut style of hair, though his gray fringe did spill into his burgundy eyes every now and then. His face was also covered in a finely-groomed beard and mustache. He wore an all-black ensemble: from his cloaked-tunic to his slacks and boots. He was clearly either in his seventies or nearing them, judging by his gait.

"Sir Langshire will also be the one to determine whether or not someone is promoted to a magical status, if not born into it," Sir Leignton informed Sofia, smiling gently as she looked toward him. "So, if there's anyone to impress, it's him."

"I'm not here to impress anyone, Sir Leignton," Sofia argued lightly, her determination clear. "I'm here to train to be the best I can be—and to become a sorceress and help Mr. Cedric even more in the future. No disrespect to Sir Langshire, because I will do my best to pass his qualifications, but the only person I care about impressing is Mr. Cedric."

Cedric was stunned at his former apprentice's words. He knew that she valued his opinion, but that had been unexpected. "Sofia…"

The Reimagian leader chuckled and nodded in understanding. "I can respect that. Now then, I'll have my guards escort you to the Grand Cupola. You'll find my own children training there as well."

"You have children?" Cedric tore his gaze from his friend and blinked at the older man.

"Yes. My son Hironko and my daughter Axima. Hironko is twenty-three and is looking at finishing his own master training soon; he'll be able to train other conjurors before long. It took him a bit longer due to some health complications, but I'm quite proud of his persistence. And Axima is eighteen. She's done well with her potions and some more advanced spells. She's currently classified as an entry-level conjuror, as are two of her close friends: Lamaya and Bergon."

"Wow…" Sofia laughed uncertainly, holding a hand to her head. "So many names to remember…"

"Don't worry, young one. I'm quite confident that you'll figure everything out before long." Sir Leignton nodded to the guards. "Cataleya, Guillermo, please escort our visitors to the Grand Cupola."

"Yes, sir," the guards echoed before turning and guiding the two friends onward.

As the guards walked at a few paces ahead of them, Sofia grabbed Cedric's robe sleeve and whispered to him, "What was all that about earlier? With the scar on that guy's face?"

"I'll explain tonight," he whispered back. "It's not exactly something we should be discussing in public."

Sighing, Sofia nodded and released him as they kept walking.

Soon enough, Guillermo and Cataleya stopped directly at the entrance to the Grand Cupola and turned to their temporary charges.

"A word of caution," Cataleya began, eyeing Sofia carefully, "though I'm sure you don't need it… You already know magic is dangerous a lot of times, and it can be highly unpredictable. Please be careful and keep your head clear and straight."

Sofia blinked.

"Because there have been far too many in the past who've lost sight of what was right in front of them, and it's caused their downfall." The female guard smiled kindly and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'd hate to see that happen to you, Sofia."

The princess nodded. "I'll be careful. I promise."

Guillermo opened the doors and smiled. "Then welcome to the Grand Cupola. When your training finishes, just follow the trail with the cobblestone, and it will lead you directly back to the Diamond Dormitory."

"Thank you both," Cedric said as he grasped Sofia's hand and led her into the building. "You've been most helpful." He smiled as the guards left, and then he looked toward his friend. "Ready?"

"Are you nervous?" she asked, gently squeezing his hand. "Your hand is shaking."

He cleared his throat and released her hand as they walked in through the entrance. "I'd be lying if I said no… I mean, I know things will work out well in the end, but…" He folded his arms and stopped walking, causing her to do the same. "You're my friend, Sofia… My partner." He closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "If something happened to you…"

Sofia smiled and unfolded his arms, wrapping her own around him instead, embracing him with all the love and comfort she had to offer. She didn't say anything for once, because she figured her actions spoke for themselves.

Cedric wrapped his arms around his friend and rested his head against hers. "I believe in you, Sofia," he whispered. "You're going to do well. But please stay on your guard and be careful." He smiled down at her as she looked up at him. "If for no other reason, then to just make me less anxious about this whole thing…as selfish as that sounds."

She grinned and nodded. "I can do that." She let go of him and grasped his left hand in both of hers, pulling him along. "Let's go, Mr. Cedric. It's time to see what this is all about."

As they entered what could only be described as an arena, the Enchancian duo were struck with awe at just how big the building was on the inside. It hadn't looked that large in scale from the outside.

"I guess that's why they call this place the Grand Cupola," Sofia surmised as a gray-haired man approached them.

"Are you Princess Sofia?" he asked, his burgundy eyes curious.

"I am," she responded. "Are you…Sir Langshire?"

He chuckled, nodding. "I am." He looked toward Cedric. "And this, I take it, is your mentor?"

"Well, he's my partner now," the princess corrected. "This is Mr. Cedric, the Royal Sorcerer of Enchancia."

Sir Langshire nodded and reached out, shaking Cedric's hand. "How do you do?"

Cedric laughed nervously as the man let go of his hand. "That's to be seen…" He looked around. "Seems you have a rather busy place here."

"Hmm. We have over forty trainees here currently, many of whom have been in training for nearly a year."

"A year?" Sofia was flabbergasted. She was under the impression that she could be done with her training in a few months. Some had been training a whole year?

"They're novices," Sir Langshire admitted. "Before coming to us, they hadn't had any proper outside practice with anyone. However, I'm told that you've received ample."

She shrugged and smiled modestly. "Well…"

"A Protector, the keeper of the Amulet of Avalor, practice with sorcery both at school and within your own castle walls, and even a conqueror of many evil entities in the past." He hummed, stroking his beard. "I'd say you've had plenty of experience."

"How do you know all of that?" Cedric wondered, always wary of those who seemed to know just a little too much (in his opinion).

"We've been kept well-informed of those who choose to train with us. Besides, Cedric, you are forgetting: this is Reimagia, one of the most magically-influential locations in any realm. We know far more than you may think."

The younger sorcerer swallowed nervously. "That's what I'm afraid of," he mumbled to Sofia, who smiled and gingerly patted his arm.

"Now, then, let's develop a training plan for you, shall we?" The older man snapped his fingers, producing a tablet and a quill. "What would you say are your magical strengths, Princess Sofia?"

"Spell casting," she responded. "I can do just about anything with a wand. And I guess potions aren't that complicated either. It's just a matter of mixing the right ingredients."

"Too true. And your weaknesses?" He noticed her rubbing her hands together and smiled knowingly. "Hand magic?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Yeah… It's still kind of new for me, even a few years later. I'm not as confident with it as I'd like to be, and it's still sort of a mystery to me."

"I see." He noted a few things on his tablet. "And if you were to become a sorceress, what would you do as a result?"

"I would use my knowledge, skills, and magical abilities to help others," she responded without a second thought. "With my role as a Protector, it's ingrained in me."

"And it's her nature," Cedric added, smiling as she glanced at him. "Has been since the moment I met her."

She smiled and blushed softly.

Sir Langshire nodded as he finished writing down his notes. "Very good. I think we have a training plan." He tore the bottom half of the page and passed it over to the teen. "You will spend five days a week for the next two months on the following training schedule: Malvino's Hand Magic training from 8:00 to 9:30. You'll receive a fifteen-minute break after that. At 9:45, you will meet with Lady Maeve for an hour. She will instruct you in the Light Magic skills. You will then have another fifteen-minute break. At 11:00, you'll receive extra wand training from Lord Wellsworth, and at 11:30, you'll meet with Dame Dellareese to finish out the morning training with a bit of potion awareness and practice. Since you say those are your strengths, you'll have less time training with those. We'll work on enhancing your weaknesses first."

She nodded as she looked over the list. "So, I only train from 8:00 to 12:00 each day? That's basically like school, except much shorter time spent there." She laughed.

"And it will get better." Sir Langshire tapped the tablet with his quill before penning down some notes. "After the completion of these first two months, we will be able to drop the wand and potions training altogether. Then your focus will remain solely on Hand Magic and Light Magic. Each of those will soon become one hour unless you request extra time." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "If my calculations are correct, you could be done the first of October."

Sofia laughed excitedly, startling the Master of Magic. "Sorry, but… My birthday is the first week of October. If I can actually complete everything by then, that would make an awesome birthday gift."

"That it would." He snapped his fingers, and the tablet and quill disappeared. "Now then, let me introduce you to the staff and some of our trainees, and we'll get you started on your training schedule on Monday. As it's Friday, it's sort of pointless to begin training now. And no one works on the weekends anyway."

Sofia and Cedric followed him as he led them to the first station.

"You just tell me when to come in," Sofia insisted. "If you want me to work on weekends, I will. I'm excited about this training."

Sir Langshire laughed. "If only the other trainees were as enthusiastic as you." He glanced toward Cedric. "You say she's always been like this?"

Cedric raised his eyebrows as he thought back to their first encounter, and then the first time she came to him for help, and then all the practice and performances they'd accomplished together… "Always."

Sofia beamed.

Sir Langshire introduced the friends to Dame Dellareese, Lord Wellsworth, and Lady Maeve, all of whom appeared enthusiastic about working with the princess. Last to meet was Malvino, who seemed to be otherwise preoccupied.

"Malvino?"

"Huh?!" The young sorcerer whirled around, blinking as he noticed that he now had company. He seemed rather shaky and unnerved, though he ran his fingers through his dark hair and tried to calm himself down. "Sir Langshire, I apologize," he said quickly, lowering his arms to his sides. "I was just…a little caught off guard."

"No kidding," Cedric muttered quietly, though Sofia heard and nudged him. "Ow."

"Never mind that, Malvino," the older conjuror insisted. "I'd like you to meet Princess Sofia of Enchancia and her friend Cedric the Great. Sofia will join your Hand Magic training program starting Monday: 8:00 to 9:30."

"Ohh, okay. I guess since Talia completed her training, that means there's now room for that time slot. Makes sense." He began looking around.

"Malvino, are you all right?" Sir Langshire wondered, frowning as the boy looked back toward him. "You seem rather distracted. Have you not been getting enough sleep? I told you all that lollygagging or whatever you do late at night is going to catch up with you."

"Y-Yes, sir…" He finally breathed deeply before turning to the visitors. "I'm sorry. I'm Malvino. What were your names again?"

"I'm Sofia," the teen said, smiling. "And this is Mr. Cedric. He's my partner."

The Hand Magic expert blinked. "Your what?"

"My partner… We work together in magic; we travel together to other magical lands; we—"

"Ooh! I thought you said your 'pardoner,' as in he…pardons your wrong-doings or something, and I was like, 'Eh, nope, that's going to be hard to work with.' Especially…since wrong-doings are…wrong."

Cedric and Sofia blinked.

"Excuse us just a moment, won't you?" Sir Langshire deftly grabbed the boy by his arm and tugged him away, behind a pillar. "What is the matter with you? You are acting like a bumbling fool, and you're embarrassing yourself in front of our visitors: and one a princess, no less."

Malvino's dark eyes flashed once, annoyance behind those dark depths, but he managed to calm himself down before responding, "And I apologize, Sir Langshire… Like I said, I'm just a bit…out of sorts today."

"Then perhaps you should cancel any other lessons you have today and leave early, and get yourself all 'sorted out.'" He huffed and shook his head, leaving behind a silently steaming Malvino.

"What does he know?" the twenty-one-year-old muttered to himself. "Hmph." With that, he stalked off to end his work day.

"Is he okay?" Sofia asked in concern as Sir Langshire returned to them. "He seems kind of upset."

"He'll be fine," the older man assured her. "He just gets a little in his head sometimes, and when he does that, he can be a bit…" He shrugged. "Well, you saw."

"And this is the boy who's going to be training Sofia?" Cedric asked dubiously. "Are there no others?"

"Not for Hand Magic, no. And while I'm well-versed in it, Malvino actually specialized in it. He's the best at what he does. Just give him a few days, and he'll reset and be fine."

Sofia nodded unsurely. "If you say so…"

"Hey, Langshire!"

The trio turned, seeing a quartet of people not much older than Sofia hurrying over.

"Hironko," the man greeted, nodding toward a blonde guy.

Hironko was tall with short blonde hair and dark eyes like his father. Like Malvino, he wore the navy-blue suit that most trainers wore. "Dad said we got a new recruit today." He smiled toward Sofia. "You must be Princess Sofia."

"And you must be…Sir Leignton's son?" she clarified, grinning as he shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."

The other three near him were all rather young as well. The blonde girl with her hair tied into two pigtails next to him must have been his sister and Sir Leignton's other child: Axima. Unlike the father and son duo, she had purple eyes. Her outfit, however, echoed the same color scheme as her brother's. There was also a red-haired guy with her with kind blue eyes. He was a bit darker than the siblings, and he had a sprinkle of freckles over his nose and cheeks. His outfit was more of an eggplant/dark teal color scheme. And on the other side of him was an olive-skinned girl, whose light brown hair hung straight behind her shoulders. Her sea-green eyes were calm yet clearly tired. Like the siblings, she had the same type of outfit.

"I'm Axima," the blonde girl said as Sofia shook her hand next. "The redhead is Bergon, and the brown-haired girl is Lamaya. They're my best friends." She released Sofia's hand.

"Nice to meet you guys," Sofia greeted, laughing. "Sorry, it's going to take me a while to remember all these names… Between the staff and now meeting all of you…" She shrugged. "Kind of reminds me of my time during school, with all the memorization of locations and names…"

"Ugh, school," Lamaya scoffed, laughing. "Glad I'm done with that too. Of course, Axima and I are both eighteen, so we finished a little while ago. And Bergon here, who's nineteen, actually finished at the age of fourteen. Little genius redhead."

Bergon blushed at the other teen's teasing. "I can't help it that I'm smart, Lamaya," he whined playfully, laughing.

"So you have a training schedule now, Princess Sofia?" Hironko asked kindly, steering the conversation away from the bickering teenagers. Seeing her nod, he inquired, "What is your primary study focus? I know mine was on potions. Chemistry and alchemy weren't exactly my strengths growing up." He laughed.

"Mine is Hand Magic." She glanced down at her hands, feeling them starting to tingle a bit, even at the very mention of it. "I only just recently discovered I had it."

"Really?" Lamaya asked in surprise. "Most of us knew when we were little kids. How did you just find out?"

The princess shrugged. "I don't have a magical lineage like you guys. I wasn't born with magic. I…earned it, through good deeds, through…a lot of different things." In fact, she didn't exactly feel like going into details, so she stopped, hoping they'd get the message.

They did.

"That's pretty cool," Axima giggled. "Are you guys going to the feast tonight? Dad has one at least once a month, and tonight just so happens to be the night."

Cedric frowned as he felt a chill rush through his body. He turned his head slightly after seeing something out of the corner of his eye. When he did, he noticed that Malvino was staring at him. Before he could react, the boy turned and rushed away. "Hmm."

"I think we're going to pass," Sofia told them after seeing Cedric's strange reaction. She figured the sooner she got him away from other people, the better. "It was nice getting to meet all of you though. See you Monday?"

Bergon nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! Have a good weekend." He grabbed Lamaya's hand and pulled her away. "Come on, Maya! Before they run out of pudding like last time."

Axima leaned over and whispered to Sofia, "He totally has a crush on her, but he's too scared to tell her."

Sofia giggled. "I can see that. Sounds like my sister and her almost-fiancé." She waved as they cleared out of the Grand Cupola, and before long she took her friend's arm and guided him toward the exit.

"Sofia, I—"

"Wait till we get back to the dorm," she interjected, shaking her head. "We'll talk then."

He nodded silently as they left.

Meanwhile, someone was watching them…and already planning something unspeakable.

Once they were back in the Diamond Dormitory, Sofia led Cedric down to the bottom floor of the building toward the beautiful pool, which was well-lit with several lamps along the side. There were even lily pads floating by in the water. She kicked off her shoes and glanced toward her friend. "Do you have a spell for swimming suits?"

Cedric balked at the question. "Sorry, but after the whole 'merman' incident a few years ago, I'd rather not revisit the whole swimming scenario."

She grinned. "We're not going swimming. Just trust me."

"Oh, fine. Aqua vestio." He waved his wand, causing their clothing to alter into more pool-appropriate attire. Cedric was now in knee-length black capris and a thin, loose purple tunic. It was enough to make him feel comfortable, but he still didn't care for the fact that he could now see his clearly pale legs and feet. He quickly sat down on the floor and plunged them into the water.

Sofia now wore a dark purple one-piece swimming suit, and it was covered with a light pink swim dress that was loosely tied at the waist. She sat down beside her friend and mimicked his actions, placing her feet into the water. "So… Are you going to tell me what happened at the Grand Cupola earlier?"

"I feel like we're being watched," he told her honestly, frowning. "It's something I can't seem to shake. I felt it in MÃ¥ngata. It's the same sort of presence here."

"You mean that evil spirit form Lieslendo Caves?" She frowned. "Mr. Cedric, that was in a secret world…that you had to use magic to uncover."

"Are you telling me that you don't believe wicked spirits could travel to another location? Magically? Or otherwise…"

"Well… I mean, it's possible, I guess." She shrugged. "I didn't sense anything yet."

He sighed. "Trust me. It's sort of light right now, but in time you'll start to sense it too. There will be no denying it. I just…hate it's here, where you're supposed to be training to be a sorceress."

"I'm not going to let it stop me," she told him firmly. "If something is out to get us or whatever, we'll just have to fight back." She grinned. "Right?" Seeing his concerned look, she frowned. "What now?"

"You asked me earlier about my conversation with Sir Leignton in The Galley." Seeing her nod, he sighed. "Malvino had that scar—that mark—over his left eye. The pattern of it is indicative of…dark magic."

Sofia blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I'm aware that he's supposed to be your main trainer, Sofia, but if that boy is involved with anything like that, I will not have you studying under him. I won't have you knowingly walking into a dangerous situation just because you want to be a sorceress."

"But we don't even know if he is involved in dark magic, Mr. Cedric," she argued calmly. "If he was, do you really think they'd have him working at the Grand Cupola, training people? That would be kind of stupid, right?"

"More like very stupid…" He folded his hands into his lap as he slowly kicked his feet in the water. "I just want you to be safe, Sofia. You know that."

"I know. Look, if it makes you feel better, let's ask Sir Leignton tomorrow—privately—about Malvino. And any other concerns you have. Okay?" She reached up and gently patted his back, smiling as he glanced toward her and nodded. "Everything's going to be okay. I promise. You trust me, right?"

Cedric finally smiled and nodded. "Of course."

She grinned. "Good." Without warning, she shoved him into the water, laughing as he sputtered after resurfacing, his hair drenched and his fringe blocking his vision. "Now that's an interesting look, Mr. Cedric."

The sorcerer wiped the water from his eyes and pushed his bangs aside before smirking at her. "Two can play that game, you know."

She yelped as he grasped her hand and tugged her into the water, the water splashing a bit onto the concrete floor. As she resurfaced, she glared at her laughing friend. "Very funny."

"I thought so, yes." He grinned as she splashed him, to which he returned the favor. And for the first time that day, he finally felt his anxiety melting away, and he allowed himself to relax and have fun for once. "I quite like this, actually…"

"Really?" The princess grinned and reached up, grasping her amulet. "I could wish for us to be merpeople again." She laughed as he grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away from the gem.

"Don't even think about it." He shook his head. "Once was enough, thank you."

She smiled playfully. "If you say so, Mr. Cedric."

While the two friends wound down and just enjoyed some time swimming and talking together, the watchful gaze of the stranger persisted…

The next morning, Cedric and Sofia took their concerns to Sir Leignton, who briskly pulled them aside into a private room, shutting the doors behind him. They watched as he checked the room to make sure that they were, in fact, alone, before returning to them.

"You say you feel like you're being watched?" he clarified, his gaze focused on Cedric, who nodded.

"Yes. I don't know what it is, but I can't shake the feeling that something is a bit…off."

Sir Leignton sighed. "I might have known you'd pick up on it…" He frowned as the Enchancians stared at him questioningly. "There appears to be a dark force in Reimagia right now. It began a few months ago. One by one, reports came in of conjurors—sorcerers in particular—being found…well, not alive. So far, we've lost thirteen."

Sofia gasped.

"The lucky few who've survived have never been the same, and all their magic has been drained. We have to work to replenish it, but as you know, that can take a very long time…" Sir Leignton frowned heavily. "Something is off in Reimagia, all right. And I hate to ask this, Princess Sofia, since you're supposed to be here to train for your sorcery achievement, but… As a talented Protector… Could you help us solve this mystery, before something else happens? Maybe even to one of you?"

Cedric and Sofia exchanged glances, a conclusion unspoken between them. This, like all their other journeys, would not be just a 'normal' trip.

She nodded. "Count me in, Sir Leignton."

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Some Call It Magic