At the Elemental Practices, a surprise announcement awaited Maya.

As she was tying her shoelaces, glad they could finally dress according to the cold weather in winter uniforms, a supervisor announced that all Daughters of Water of freshman year were eligible for this year's position of Harvester. That naturally included Maya.

Each year, a harvesting ritual would be held in a different element, allowing one student, acting as the medium, to grow immensely powerful in that element as they brought forth and channelled the ambient elemental energy from nature for everyone to bask in. It was a role of great importance and honour.

Naturally, the selected students needed to hold power above their peers to be up to the difficult task, and Maya knew she had pretty good chances since she was a water mage already above standards. This could give her the push she needed and help her gather the power she would need later down the line to save the world.

There was only one obstacle—Elena. Although Elena didn't care about proving her powers, or was interested in the religious part of magehood, she was a spiteful person—one who knew Maya would be aiming for the spot of the Harvester.

It was a long day. Maya had pushed the morning's events to the back of her mind. Concentrating on school enabled her to delay confronting the fallout, dealing with the loss of her sole reminder of her parents. Yet, it was the first thing she noticed upon her return to the room. It was as if the small, four-by-six-inch photograph, now gone from its usual spot above her bed, was the most striking object in their chaotic and cluttered room.

She took it in her hands as if it were a small child, assessing the damage that had been done to it. It was burned only on one edge, but the heat had melted and distorted half of the image. Tears rolled down her cheek, falling on the photograph.

If her tears could mend things…

"I hate to say it, but I told you so." Leo rested on the chair beside her desk. Haunting her room when she would return, like a domesticated cat.

Since Maya had been busy occupying herself with anything and everything to avoid feeling down about her tragic love life, Leo also suffered. The chances for him to freely converse with Maya were few and far between, often only occurring when Elena was also present.

However, Leo didn't seem to like being around Elena. It was strange seeing a ghost avoiding someone who can't even be aware of their presence.

Maya was grateful for her busy schedule. Her grades began to suffer due to the lack of free time to study, but she didn't have to face the pain left in her heart. Since the book she thought had all the answers wasn't easily decipherable, it was also put on hold, and for the past month, Maya focused on living the normal teenage life of a mage.

Getting into a fight with Elena derailed the routine she had started getting used to. She dreaded it evolving into the same pattern she had with Adam—spending the rest of her school life avoiding her roommate because they were unable to resolve their issues. However, what Elena had done to her family picture deeply hurt her, and she wasn't able to brush it off and forgive easily. It was a deadlock.

She thought about her parents, remembering them as vividly as she could. But without this photograph, she had to face that their faces were fading from her mind. It had happened with her mother long before. Now, she had to face that it had already started happening with her father.

Whenever she thought of them, she saw them as they were in this photograph—happy and loving. That image was how she visualized them in her mind. Now, she feared this damaged and distorted photograph would become her lasting mental picture of them.

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She should have let it burn… If it had withered away, she would have only memories of them. Now, those memories would be tainted by this contorted image.

Maya laid on her bed in a fetal position, letting her bedsheets get soaked up with tears. Leo sat next to her, stroking her arm to comfort her.

"I wish they were here," Maya whispered. "Why can't they be here, like you are?"

Maya felt hollow inside, aching with longing for them.

"Maybe they are. Only we can't see them," Leo comforted her.

"Why wouldn't I be able to see them?" she asked.

"You don't see every ghost that has ever died. Maybe they were dead for too long."

Maya looked at him. "Leo… I frequently talk to a fifteenth-century witch," she pointed out.

"Ah…" Leo scratched his chin. "Good point."

"I really miss them…"

Maya cried silently and soon drifted asleep.

In her dream, she was outside the Walls. Stormy clouds were racing across the sky, raging silently. Maya was calm—calmer than she had ever been. She was walking barefoot in a trance-like state, searching for a specific marking stone, remembering it distinctly.

There she stopped and reached toward the sky with her hand. Lightning furiously detached from the clouds, striking down to her risen palm. She gripped it, as if it were something that could be held in hand—malleable like a rope—and lassoed it through the heavens.

It caught the beast of the sky in its noose. The beast screeched, as she heard it many times before, in her dreams.

Reeling it in, it appeared as a magnificent creature, as big as a house even without spreading its wings. With shiny, tar-like, glistening scales and wings that could cut open skies, its mere appearance—sharp teeth, fierce talons, and twisted horns—would send terror seeping deep into your bones, even before hearing its roar.

It was forced to land where it bowed to her and told her, with its deep rumbling voice, that she was its master, now. It will obey her.

Familiar muffled voices awoke her from the surreal dream. Elena and Keith were approaching the room.

Keith was speaking. "…I've told you, I don't like it when you go to that dump."

"But you like to smoke dope with me?" There was annoyance in Elena's voice. "That's where I get it from, moron."

They were in front of the door, now. Maya could hear keys jiggling and unlocking it.

"But you don't have to spend time there. You can just go in and out," Keith continued.

They walked into the room, carrying boxes filled with Elena's painting supplies, only to find a drowsy Maya startled by the sudden switch-on of lights. Elena chose to ignore her. After finding a spot for the boxes amidst the clutter, she turned her attention back to Keith.

"We share one to maintain good relations. I can't just be rude and leave."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to worry about offending your drug dealers. You don't care about anyone's opinion, so why do some junkie's opinions matter?"

"It does matter if I care about the quality of my goods."

Keith pressed his lips, unable to counter her argument. "I don't like how that guy looks at you."

Elena placed her hands on her hips. "So, that's the real reason. You are just jealous," Elena teased him.

"No. I just don't like him."

"You're afraid I'm going to ditch you for a drug dealer? That would be downright embarrassing for you," she teased.

"Stop it!" Keith snapped, becoming upset.

"I'm messing with you, babe. I go there, so you don't have to. You get the goods, and your reputation as a good boy stays intact." Elena patted him on the chest and rose to her toes to kiss him. "It makes absolutely no sense that one guy looking at me bothers you. They all stare—it doesn't mean they have a chance with me."

"I know, I know…" Keith sighed and pressed money into her hand. "Come find me when you're done."

"Sure," Elena answered absent-mindedly as she looked at the money.

At the doorstep, Keith paused and looked around. "Sorry for disturbing you, Maya. And babe, please tidy up your room—don't make Maya live in this mess," he added, lecturing Elena before waving to Maya. "See you later."

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