The fourth and final day on the Sapphire Coast began with a silence that felt heavy and expectant. Usually the morning was filled with the sound of the twins arguing or Euphyne announcing his presence to the world, but today the only sound was the rhythmic dragging of the tide against the shore. I woke up on my bed bag and noticed Elphyete was already awake, sitting up and staring out the large window at the ocean. Her silver hair caught the early light in a way that made it look like spun moonlight. We shared a quiet look, a silent acknowledgement that our brief escape was coming to an end. We both knew that once we left this beach, the reality of being a prince and a princess would come crashing back down, along with the dangerous mysteries of the university.
Euphyne eventually rose, stretching his arms with a dramatic yawn that could have been heard in the next county. He immediately went to check on Snowball, who was curled up on a velvet cushion Euphyne had brought from the mansion. The rest of the class started to stir as well. Lucian was already talking about one last swim, while Aria was challenging him to a race to the buoy. Vela looked as tired as ever, her dark hair a mess as she trudged toward the kitchen area. Celdrich and Zane were already standing by the door, perfectly alert as if they had been standing guard all night. The twins, Elfrich and Elfhine, were whispering to each other, likely planning one last prank on the unsuspecting students.
Sir Vael appeared in the center of the hall without a sound. He didn't say a word about breakfast. He just stood there with a faint, almost imperceptible smirk on his face. We all ate a quick meal of leftover fruits and bread, then headed down to the sand. The heat was already intense, the sun a white-hot coin in the sky. Everyone was trying to squeeze the last bit of fun out of the vacation. Lucian and Aria were wrestling in the shallows, splashing water everywhere, while the twins were building a massive sand pit to trap anyone who walked by. Euphyne sat under an umbrella, meticulously brushing Snowball's fur to keep the sand out.
Around mid-morning, while the sun was at its peak, the first strange thing happened. I was standing near the water with Elphyete, pointing out a particularly large seagull, when the world simply broke. In the span of a heartbeat, the vibrant blue of the ocean, the golden yellow of the sand, and the green of the palm trees vanished. They didn't fade; they were deleted. The world became a high-contrast ink drawing. Everything was either absolute, blinding white or deep, bottomless black. There was no grey. There were no shadows, only hard edges where the white met the black. It was jarring and terrifying. I looked at Elphyete, and she looked like a white silhouette against a black void. Her eyes were two black dots. It was impossible to tell depth or distance. I reached out and stumbled, nearly falling because I couldn't tell where the sand ended and the air began.
And then, just as quickly as it had happened, the color snapped back. The blue was so blue it hurt my eyes, and the green was almost neon. Everyone froze in place. Lucian was mid-dive, his body tensed. Aria was standing with a bucket of water. We all looked at each other, our faces pale.
Did anyone else see that? Lucian shouted, his voice cracking. The ocean just turned black!
Vael, who was standing a few yards away leaning against a palm tree, didn't even look up from a small book he was reading. He looked at Lucian with a bored expression. See what, Lucian? The heat is clearly getting to you. Maybe you should sit in the shade before you start seeing dragons in the clouds.
But it was all black and white! Elfrich yelled, gesturing wildly at the horizon. Everything! There wasn't any color!
Vela rubbed her temples, looking confused. I thought I had a stroke for a second. The world just became a stencil.
Sir Vael let out a short, dry laugh. You students have been in the sun too long. There is no such thing as a world without color. Look around you. The water is blue, the sand is yellow. Stop making excuses for your lack of focus. Now, get back to whatever nonsense you were doing.
We all stood there for several minutes, looking at each other in total disbelief. I knew what I had seen. The lack of grey had been the most disturbing part; it was like the concept of light and shadow had been simplified by a child. But Vael's voice was so calm and dismissive that some of the others started to doubt themselves. Celdrich looked at his hands, then at the sea, and simply grunted before walking back into the water. Zane didn't say anything, but he kept blinking, trying to clear his vision.
An hour later, we gathered for lunch under the large canopy. The spread was incredible. There were grilled skewers of meat that smelled of garlic and herbs, bowls of chilled pasta, and large pitchers of ice-cold lemonade. We were all starving after the morning of swimming. I took a large bite of a skewer, expecting the burst of savory flavor and spice I had enjoyed the day before.
Nothing.
I chewed, but there was no taste. It wasn't that the food was bland; it was that the idea of taste had been removed from my brain. I could feel the texture of the meat, the warmth of the juice, and the crunch of the vegetables, but my tongue felt like it was touching wet paper. I looked around the table. Everyone had stopped eating. Aria was staring at a piece of fruit in her hand as if it were a poison. Euphyne had a fork halfway to his mouth, his eyes wide.
It has no taste, Elphyete whispered, looking at me with concern. I can't taste anything, Sogha.
Lucian spat out a mouthful of pasta. What is this? Is this a prank? Did the chef forget everything?
Vela took a long sip of her lemonade and then made a face. This is just cold water. There's no lemon. There's no sugar. It's nothing.
We all looked at Sir Vael. He was sitting at the end of the table, calmly eating his own meal. He seemed to be enjoying it immensely. He took a bite of a grilled pepper and chewed slowly, a look of satisfaction on his face. He noticed us staring and raised an eyebrow. Is there a problem? The food is excellent today. The seasoning is perfect.
Sir Vael, the food has no taste, Celdrich said, his voice low and dangerous. Not a single thing on this table has a flavor.
Vael sighed, putting down his fork. Honestly, you all are becoming quite the bunch of complainers. First the color, now the food? Perhaps your human and elven palates are just too unrefined for high-quality beach fare. Or perhaps the salt in the air has numbed your tongues. Try again.
I took another bite. Suddenly, the flavor exploded in my mouth. It was so intense it was almost overwhelming. The garlic, the salt, the heat of the pepper—it all came rushing back with double the intensity. Everyone at the table gasped or choked as their senses were flooded with flavor.
See? Vael said, not looking up. You just needed to pay attention. Eat your lunch and be quiet. We have a long evening ahead of us.
The gaslighting was working. By the time lunch was over, the twins were arguing about whether they had just imagined the lack of taste, and Lucian was convinced it was some kind of temporary allergy. But Elphyete stayed close to me, her hand brushing against mine. She knew. We both knew Vael was messing with the very fabric of our reality.
The afternoon passed in a haze of heat. We played one last game of beach volleyball, though the energy was lower than the days before. Even Euphyne seemed a bit subdued, staying close to his sandcastle and making sure Snowball was comfortable. As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, painting the sky in deep oranges and violets, we all gathered our things to head back toward the hotel for the final dinner.
The transition from day to night was always fast on the coast, but this was different. As the last sliver of the sun vanished below the waves, the world didn't just get dark. It became a void. It was as if the concept of light had never existed. Usually, even in the darkest night, your eyes adjust. You can see the faint outline of the trees, the white foam of the waves, or the stars in the sky. But this was absolute. I held my hand up to my face and couldn't see a single thing. I couldn't see the person standing next to me. I couldn't see the sand at my feet. It was a sensory deprivation chamber that spanned the entire world.
A wave of panic hit the group instantly.
I can't see! Elfrich screamed. I'm blind! Elfhine, where are you?!
I'm here! Elfhine yelled back, her voice sounding far away even though I knew she was only a few feet to my left. I can't see anything!
Euphyne let out a high-pitched wail. Snowball! Snowball, where are you?! I can't find the cat! My eyes! My beautiful eyes have failed me!
Lucian and Aria were shouting for each other, their voices filled with a raw fear I had never heard from them before. Even Celdrich sounded tense as he called out for everyone to stay still. Zane was silent, but I could hear his rapid breathing nearby.
I felt a sudden, frantic weight press into my side. Elphyete had lunged toward me in the darkness, her arms wrapping around my waist as she buried her face in my chest. She was trembling violently. I could feel her heart racing against me. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to provide some sense of physical grounding in the void. It was the only thing that felt real—the warmth of her body and the sound of her breath.
Stay calm, I said, though my own voice sounded small in the infinite blackness. It's just the night. It'll pass.
It's not the night, Sogha! she whispered, her voice trembling. There's no light. Not even in my mind. I can't even imagine what light looks like right now. It's gone.
The darkness lasted for two agonizing minutes. In that time, the world felt like it had ceased to exist. We were just voices in a vacuum, drifting in nothingness. The panic reached a fever pitch as the students started to stumble around, tripping over each other in the dark. I held Elphyete tighter, refusing to let go, acting as her anchor in the abyss.
Then, the world snapped back to life.
The stars were out, the moon was a bright silver crescent, and the bonfire we had started earlier was roaring with orange flames. The transition was so sudden it was like being hit in the face. Everyone was in a state of disarray. Euphyne was on his hands and knees, frantically hugging Snowball, who looked perfectly fine. Lucian and Aria were holding onto each other's shoulders, blinking rapidly. Vela was sitting on the sand, her head in her hands.
Sir Vael was standing by the bonfire, poking the logs with a stick. He looked completely unbothered. Are you all quite finished with your dramatics? Honestly, the sun goes down and you all act like the world is ending. It's called nightfall. You've experienced it every day of your lives.
That wasn't nightfall! Lucian screamed, his face red with fury. That was total darkness! I couldn't even see my own hands!
Vael looked at him with a look of mock concern. Lucian, I think the stress of the semester is finally catching up to you. You're having sensory hallucinations. Perhaps you should see a healer when we get back. Now, sit down. Dinner is ready, and I am not in the mood for any more ghost stories.
We ate the final dinner in a strange, heavy silence. The food was delicious—grilled lobster, spicy rice, and fresh bread—and the taste was perfectly normal. The colors of the fire and the ocean were vibrant. But the atmosphere was broken. We all knew that Vael had just spent the day playing with our minds, stripping away the very foundations of how we perceived the world. He had shown us how easily he could delete color, taste, and light, and then he had convinced us—or tried to—that it was all in our heads. It was the ultimate display of power, a reminder that while we were playing at the beach, he was a force of nature that we couldn't even begin to understand.
Elphyete sat next to me, her shoulder pressed against mine. She didn't eat much. She just watched the fire, her hand resting on my knee as if to make sure I was still there. We were all exhausted, the mental strain of the day weighing more than any physical training could have.
As the last of the food was cleared away, the moon reached its highest point in the sky. The Sapphire Coast was beautiful in the silver light, the waves turning into liquid mercury as they hit the shore. Sir Vael stood up and walked to the center of the group. He looked at each of us, his gaze lingering on me and Elphyete for a second longer than the others.
The vacation is over, Vael said. His voice was no longer mocking; it was cold and professional. You have four days of rest behind you. Tomorrow, the real work begins. I expect you all to be in the training hall at dawn. No excuses. No delusions.
He didn't wait for a response. He simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The sound was like a gunshot in the quiet night. The beach, the ocean, the fire, and the smell of salt air vanished instantly. The warmth of the sand was replaced by the cool, polished wood of the mansion's entrance hall. One second we were under the stars of the Sapphire Coast, and the next we were standing in the familiar, dimly lit hallway of our home in the capital.
The transition was so fast that half the class stumbled or fell. Euphyne ended up on his butt, still clutching Snowball, who let out a startled meow. Lucian and Aria were leaning against the wall, trying to find their balance. Celdrich and Zane were the only ones who stayed perfectly upright, though even they looked slightly dazed.
Sir Vael was nowhere to be seen. He had dropped us off and vanished to wherever he spent his nights.
We stood there for a long time, the silence of the mansion feeling heavy and strange after the sound of the ocean. Nobody spoke. There were no jokes, no arguments, no dramatic announcements from Euphyne. One by one, the students started to head toward their rooms. Vela went first, dragging her feet, followed by the twins and then Aria and Lucian.
Euphyne stood up, dusted off his pajamas, and looked at us. He didn't have his usual sparkle. See you tomorrow, I suppose, he muttered, before heading up the stairs with Snowball trailing behind him.
Finally, it was just me and Elphyete in the hall. We stood by the door, the moonlight from the window casting long shadows on the floor. I looked at her, and she looked back, her silver eyes filled with a quiet, lingering fear.
We're home, I said softly.
She nodded, but she didn't move. She reached out and took my hand, her grip tight and desperate. Sogha, when the light went out... and when the color was gone... the only thing I could feel was you. Please don't let that change when we start classes again.
I squeezed her hand back. I won't. I promise.
We walked up the stairs together, the sound of our footsteps echoing through the house. The vacation was over, and the games were finished. Tomorrow, we would go back to being students, back to being a prince and a princess, and back to whatever dangerous path Sir Vael had laid out for us. But as we reached the top of the stairs and prepared to go to our rooms, I knew that the four days on the beach had changed things between us forever. The world could lose its color, its taste, and its light, but as long as we were together, it wouldn't be empty.