The northern building of the Luna Nova campus had long outgrown its former use as a lecture hall. Tonight, it was nothing more than a dark silhouette, but its imposing figure nonetheless loomed over Diana as she approached.

A rustling from a nearby tree snatched her attention. She whipped around, towards the treeline on her left, but was only met with stillness.

For perhaps the first time, the danger of the situation started to dawn on her. She had, rather naively, assumed that she would be met with a whimsical student at the end of this trail. But the notes had led her to a remote part of campus in the dead of night. And in her newfound insistence to see this through, she had come here alone. In theory, her magical proficiency provided a more-than-sufficient defense, but in truth, a potential assailant only needed to catch her off-guard for a moment or otherwise separate her from her wand.

Somehow, she had ignored all of this in her pursuit. And for what? A little adventure? Some "time off?" Diana wasn't a delinquent. She didn't seek thrills by violating the rules. Was this what happened when she acted before thinking?

If that wasn't enough, now she had let her thoughts run away from her whilst standing around in the middle of the night. She was a sitting duck.

Since no one was around, she pressed her hands to her temples in an attempt to refocus. Then she mitigated her current defenselessness by drawing her wand. "Lumos," she murmured, and at this command, a mote of potent light sprung from its tip. She swept over her now-illuminated surroundings once more. Upon seeing and hearing nothing, she continued to advance, while she choiced some words for the person at the end of this trail.

The main dirt path leading up to the building was overgrown with weeds. It occurred to Diana that the clue had only directed her towards the general location, with little to no mention of landmarks to look out for. The idea of wandering these deserted halls wasn't appealing to her, because delinquent students would be the least of her worries this far from the main campus.

But a familiar pattern was starting to emerge: if Diana didn't have to rack her brain extensively to find the next clue, it would reveal itself in due time. Since the previous clue had no information left to parse, all that was left was to wait.

Was it an illogical way to approach the situation? Perhaps.

Illogical or otherwise, her theory was confirmed, at least for the moment, when she shone her wand to her left and exposed another dirt path leading into the thicket of trees. This trail's presence was narrower and less defined. An unknown source of light showed the way, but the path's orientation leaned gradually to the right and Diana was unable to see where it led.

Everything about this path screamed "detention." The longer she stayed out, and the farther she was led from her dorm room, the higher the chances grew of someone growing suspicious. Images of scrubbing dishes, washing dirty uniforms, or simultaneously scrubbing dishes and washing uniforms appeared in Diana's mind, causing the rarest of shudders to pass through her.

But she had come this far. Should she turn back now, the risk was diminished… but then she invited the dissatisfaction of a mystery unsolved.

She took a series of steps off the beaten path and was swallowed up by the trees.

Since when was I so enraptured by inconsequential mysteries, and with such ease? The thought passed through before Diana filed it away. Not now, not when she was so close.

She didn't have to search hard to see why this passage wasn't like the rest of the forest, whose darkness was staved off on all sides by this lone dirt path. Dancing specks of pure light hovered at somewhat irregular intervals along the path. Since the frequency of the trees were dense and their canopies equally so, Diana realized these were the path's artificial source of illumination. They gave off a warm, emerald glow and floated at about eye-level. This allowed Diana to reach for one, and she was mildly surprised when the particle responded to her. In her hand, the light was no less warm. Only now, she could feel it as well as see it.

These lights were the product of simple illumination magic, identical to the kind that emanated from Diana's wand in that moment. She had picked one up and controlled it with no resistance, which was a clue in and of itself; a more experienced witch would have had more control over her casts, and as such would prevent other parties from handling the physical manifestations of her spells.

The list of potential culprits was shrinking more still. Diana strode forward with a heightened sense of confidence. As she continued along, the lights dotted the path with increasing frequency. While most of them hovered in place, only wavering up and down if stared at for too long, she realized that a select few had abandoned their posts to follow her. When she halted her steps, they flitted around her in a whirl, jumping a short distance in front before returning.

If she didn't know better, Diana would think they were welcoming her, encouraging her to continue on.

She spotted a break in the trees up ahead. Moonlight slanted through the opening, and Diana readied her wand in spite of the friendly nature of the lights, which now surrounded her. She stopped before reaching the forest's edge, instead choosing to slip behind a tree trunk and peek around its corner.

The thicket of trees gave way to a clearing, which seemed to span about 200 meters in diameter. Its one notable feature was a lone occupant: a girl, who stood at the edge of the clearing only steps away, with her back to Diana. She was clad in the Luna Nova student's uniform, with a purple hood pulled over her head. The witch muttered a string of words, unintelligible from where Diana stood, while she waved her wand to and fro.

Normally, seeing a witch out here in the dead of night was cause for surprise, if not alarm and an immediate report to the Headmistress. But Diana had come to expect this, given the nature of the clues she had followed to reach this point and the illuminated path through the forest. Still, she sought additional information that she couldn't gain by standing back and watching.

She stepped forward, raising her wand on the off-chance that this witch was a threat. The other girl didn't seem to notice the movement, so Diana closed in so that she was only a few steps away before announcing her presence. "I trust that your reasons for being out here are quite sound."

"Ahh!" The girl whipped around, her hood slipping off her head with the speed of the motion.

The shocked, unbridled nature of the scream was telltale in its own right. But even if Diana hadn't observed the scream, the guilty party's brown hair, said hair's signature half-ponytail, or the perpetual excitement in those red eyes, she had already known who would be at the end of this trail.

"Akko." Diana lowered her wand. "I'm not surprised in the slightest."

"Ah, shimatta..." The now-guilty witch looked down, rubbing the back of her neck. "I'm surprised, though! You found my secret spot!" She clapped a hand over her mouth, but the information had already slipped out of her unheeded.

Diana crossed her arms, and that was all it took for Akko to relent.

"Okay, you can take me away now." Akko bowed her head and thrust her hands in front of her, as if she was surrendering herself to the authorities. In an informal sense, Diana was an authority, so perhaps the comparison was a little too fitting. "Go ahead. What's it gonna be this time? Detention? Cleaning? Oh jeez, I don't think I can stand to see another dirty dish right now -"

"Akko." Diana cut her off with a swiftly raised hand, which she then used to lower Akko's outstretched arms. "There is no need."

Akko stared at the hand resting atop her own. "What?"

"I wasn't sent here to uncover whatever clandestine activities you've been conducting."

"Really? Then why are you here?"

Diana produced the crumpled set of notes from her pocket and handed them over. Akko rifled through them, and after a few moments, her face was alight with realization. "Ah! I forgot about these!"

"So you're responsible for them after all." Asking Akko to confirm this was all but a formality at this point, but Diana could never be too sure.

Akko nodded. "I made these notes for myself! Just in case I forgot how to get here, I could use these to remind me."

"Oh." Diana raised an eyebrow. That possibility hadn't occurred to her. "You realize that they could have been misplaced, blown away, or stolen, do you not?"

"Maybe." Akko poked her fingers together. "But it's a fun idea! Like being on a treasure hunt! And what's the worst that could've happened? Students aren't allowed here."

"A treasure hunt?"

"Yeah! They led you here, right? Isn't that what this felt like?" She waved the notes around, but before Diana could respond, Akko's eyes lit up as her attention was drawn elsewhere. "Oh, wow! They seem to like you."

"They…?" A point of emerald light fluttered in front of Diana's face, as if on cue. Their insistence impressed her, in a way. "Did you arrange for them to follow me, perchance?" The idea that Akko could implement something that complex was far-fetched, to say the least.

"Wait, I can do that?!" Akko snapped to attention. "Can you teach me how?"

That answered her question well enough. "At a more convenient time," Diana said as one came to rest on her shoulder. That was the more likely explanation: the spell's behavior was a natural reflection of its owner. Every spell a witch cast, from the simplest of flight spells to the most complex rituals, was infused with their inherent qualities - their very soul, if Diana were to put it in less tangible terms. This idea was less upheld by research and more of a central belief to the very core of magical study. Every witch believed it, to an extent.

Akko's magical proficiency was still in its formative stages, but ultimately, this dogma applied to her as much as it did any other witch.. Diana hadn't felt a hint of threat from the tiny emerald lights. That, combined with the warmth that emanated from them should have been a dead giveaway, now that she thought about it.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on magic theory, however. It was true that Diana hadn't come here to apprehend the culprit, but if said culprit (now revealed to be Akko) didn't have a substantial justification for being so far from her dorm room past curfew, her purpose could still sway in that direction. "I don't need to list all of the violations you're committing by being out here, correct?"

"Uh…" Akko's smile faded. "I'm guessing there's a lot of 'em. You're gonna report me after all, then?" Her voice had lowered to barely more than a murmur.

It was almost a pitiful sight. Diana never had a problem with disciplining Akko before, but… "It would be…" she hesitated. "...unfair of me to do so before giving you the opportunity to explain yourself."

Akko perked up. "Really?"

"Your explanation has to hold some legitimacy, of course. You said this is your secret spot."

"That's right!" Akko nodded again. "I'm very proud of it."

Diana gave the area a once-over. The clearing was a quintessential definition of the word, meaning any notable physical features were absent from her view. Other than its unfiltered view of the night sky, Diana couldn't find a reason for Akko to put herself in harm's way so needlessly. "Your reasoning is escaping me at the moment."

She turned back to Akko to see a grin forming on her face. The other girl stood, marching forward a few steps before whirling around, planting her feet so that she faced Diana. "I'd love to tell you, but you see…" She adopted a deeper tone. Diana presumed this was Akko's version of a lecture, but right now, she felt in no position to chastise her. She still sought some answers, after all.

"What's keeping you?" Diana pressed when Akko's voice had given way to a thoughtful hum.

"I'd be giving away the biggest secret of this place!" Akko threw her arms wide.

"A secret?"

"Yep! Can you keep a secret, Diana?" To emphasize her point, Akko narrowed her eyes and spun on a heel to survey the clearing.

Diana was a learned woman of many words, but at this moment, she found her vocabulary escaping her. The request was alien to her, the sheer earnestness with which it was asked only adding to this. "Pardon?"

"It's a super-super-duper-level secret, alright?" Akko hissed, still inspecting the area. If anything, she really bought into the secretive quality of this secret. "You can't tell anyone!"

If humoring Akko meant finding out the truth behind this situation, Diana didn't see the harm in doing so."Very well."

Akko stole a few more looks over her shoulder. The care with which she proceeded was almost endearing. She beckoned Diana closer, and when Diana obliged, Akko's breath grazed her ear. With the eloquence of a jet engine, she whispered: "This is an awesome place to practice magic."

Diana drew back, expecting Akko to explain further, but the other girl only offered a wide grin to emphasize her claim. Once again, Diana looked around, and once again, she saw nothing that would make this place distinct from other, safer secluded areas on campus. "Would you care to elaborate?"

Akko's smile had the power to blind. "Would I ever! I've been practicing, you know!" She marched towards the center of the clearing, taking only a few steps before turning around again. "Observe, how you can see everything in the night sky!" Her hand shot skyward. Diana followed it, and confirmed that, if anything, this clearing's one merit was its unfiltered view. The uncommon lack of clouds tonight certainly contributed to that, but outside of climbing the observation tower itself, this was one of the better spots on campus for scenic viewing.

"Okay, now I just have to…" Akko's muttering trailed off into inaudible territory as she drew her wand. As Diana watched, she put her whole body into the incantation, moving about in a one-person dance only she could understand.

Tiny points of light converged on Akko. They resembled the emerald lights that had accompanied Diana at the end of her journey, and only now did Diana realize that those lights still surrounded her. Rather, they did surround her. Now, those same lights rushed past her in droves to join the other particles that continued to gather around Akko.

Akko herself was collected in a manner that Diana had never seen in her. Her usual reckless abandon was now replaced with a quiet concentration, guiding her wand with deliberate strokes. The points of light followed her movements, joining together to reflect Akko's motions. Her flourishes, seemingly random at first, proved to have a purpose as Diana saw the features of her painting come into focus.

Through the entire process, Akko's expression remained focused, almost lost in her work. She was framed from below by the emerald orbs that gathered around her, casting the girl in a literal new light. It was a welcome respite from her usual audacious, devil-may-care self. That was not to say Diana hadn't acclimated to Akko's reckless tendencies in the year-and-change that the two had known each other, but to constantly play the foil to the other girl's antics was… a task, to put it lightly. One that she didn't mind and even admitted to enjoy on occasion, but a task nonetheless.

When Akko finally pocketed her wand, she had composed a likeness of a four-legged mammal constructed from pure light. That's what Diana's conjecture was, anyway, for she couldn't infer what, exactly, it was supposed to be; she had been so affected by Akko's uncharacteristic concentration that she momentarily overlooked the witch's inherent lack of skill. The absence of detail or distinct features meant the animal could have been a moose, a bear, a wolf, and so on.

Akko provided no explanation, either, instead gesturing towards the sky. Her likeness of light glowed with a heightened intensity for all of a moment, before fading down to its previous brightness.

Then, it barked.

Akko beamed. "Good boy!" The figure - no, it was a dog, Diana now realized - dipped low and wagged its rear end, where Diana could now see its misshapen tail. It leapt at Akko, who yelped in surprise and struggled to maintain her footing.

"This is Canis!" she finally explained as the light dog licked her cheek, causing her to giggle.

"Canis? As in the constellation?" Diana looked up, finding the corresponding pattern of stars with ease.

"That's the one! I thought he gets lonely up there by himself, so I thought: why can't I bring him down here to play?"

Akko and "Canis" proceeded to prance around each other, with the former leaping in to ruffle the animal's "fur." Every time she did, the dog barked and wagged its tail, before reciprocating with the same action. Though its mannerisms had led Diana to accurately guess its form, that didn't change the fact that Akko's depiction of said form was rather crude. His ears were lopsided, the shape of his head uneven, and his gait awkward.

Yet, seeing the pure energy with which he bounded around the clearing (if, once again, the pun could be pardoned), everything about this sight was so very Akko. This led Diana to her next observation concerning the nature of the spell Akko had just cast. "This is performance magic."

Akko nodded vigorously. "What do ya think? Pretty good, huh?"

'Pretty good' was a gross understatement, if the amount of skill required to cast such a spell was anywhere near Diana's guess. "Unless I'm mistaken," she sought to clarify, "what you're playing with is the essence of the Canis Major constellation… which means you've harnessed and condensed the power of a handful of suns?"

"Oh, no way!" Akko discarded the idea with a rapid waving of her hands. "I'm just projecting Canis' likeness."

As if to highlight this point, Canis barked. Tufts of light sloughed off of his form every time he moved, giving the dog an even more ethereal aura.

"Gosh," Akko continued, now rubbing the back of her neck, "you really think I'd be able to control that much energy?" She gave Diana a flushed smile. "You're too kind."

"Yes, that would be quite the feat."

"Nah, it took me weeks of practicing out here just to get him to move!"

Canis trotted to Diana's side, sticking out his snout to sniff at this unfamiliar person. Its celestial nature was not just visual, for Diana could feel the warmth radiating from his form every time his snout brushed across her skirt, not unlike the warmth she had felt from the constituents of this form just minutes prior.

"Hey, he likes you, Diana!" Akko called.

"Hello there..." Diana reached out a tentative hand, spurred on by Akko's encouragement. Canis sniffed at it, and wasted no time thereafter in licking it repeatedly. She withdrew, expecting her hand to be covered in celestial slobber, but it came away dry.

Akko skipped over to the two of them. "Isn't he so friendly? I'm so sure audiences would love him."

"'Audiences?'" Diana repeated. "Meaning, this is a part of your long-term plan?"

"Of course! I want to have all of the stars in my show one day! Maybe even Cassiopeia." Akko frowned. "But would a floating magical 'W' really be all that exciting? Oh, I guess I could turn it upside down and make it an 'M…'"

Diana quirked an eyebrow before Akko could continue with that tangent.

"It's a work in progress," Akko said in delayed response to her inquiry. "I still need a catchy title, though. How does 'Akko's Universal Star Show' sound? Or maybe 'Akko's Constellation Circus?'"

A sudden flash of light drew both of the girls' attention to Canis. Where he had previously emanated sparks at every movement, now the very foundations of his form started to dissolve into the night air. He seemed to stare at Akko plaintively in spite of the fact that he possessed no eyes.

"Darn it!" Akko stamped her foot with a sigh, stooping downwards to run her hands atop the dog's head. "This is the longest I've gotten him to stick around. Even keeping this representation of him here is hard." She then turned to the dog, murmuring in his ear: "I'll bring you back soon, 'kay?"

He barked in affirmation before the shape of his head vanished, leaving only a faint green glow in the space he once occupied. The two girls were left to stare at the spot.

"So, yeah," Akko said. Diana looked up to see her kicking at the ground. It wasn't until now that she realized how long that stretch of silence must have felt to the other girl. "That's why I'm out here."

Diana nodded slowly. Akko had imparted to her all the information she could. The mystery of the notes and the piecemeal trail they brought about was gone, and all that was left was for her to properly assess and judge the situation.

Akko seemed to interpret the silence as bad news, for she gulped audibly. "I mean, I know I'm breaking a ton of rules by being here..." she started. "So if you're still gonna report me, I - "

Diana held up her hand, cutting Akko's defense off. "It's certainly true that we're a ways away from the main campus. And that you're here alone. Without, dare I say, sufficient magical defenses."

"Hey!" Akko pouted. "I've gotten a lot better recently!

"In this department, you have." Diana gestured towards the spot formerly occupied by the clearing's third inhabitant. "Admittedly, your improvement there is nothing short of a miracle. But," she continued, stifling the smile that had started pull at the corners of Akko's mouth, "I didn't catch so much of a whiff of magical defenses on the way. You could even say that I waltzed in here." A part of her cringed at the mental image suggested by her wording, but she pushed it away as soon as it sprang up. "Who's to say that a hostile creature couldn't do the same?"

Akko grimaced, avoiding eye contact with Diana as she offered a long shrug in response. "Sometimes even I doze off if I'm here for too long."

It took Diana a tremendous effort not to grab Akko by the arm and tow her back to the dorms. Where to start? On top of her established transgressions, that one statement violated rules of the academy, of personal safety, of well-being, of common sense -

In the end, Diana restrained herself to a long sigh. She knew that Akko would sooner be hit by a ballistic missile before someone could force her to change her ways, and as such she wasn't going to condemn this activity outright. Rather, her proposed solution would sound outlandish, and the faculty could call for her head if they discovered she encouraged such reckless behavior, but if the threat of detention couldn't stop Akko (as it rarely ever did) then the least she could do was lower the overall danger levels.

"If you are so compelled to violate curfew and risk your own safety, at the very least you should be attended by someone who is willing to defend you while subjecting herself to the same."

"You want me to bring someone along?" Akko hummed in thought. "How about you, Diana?"

The proposal caught her off-guard. "Me?"

"Yeah! You're the best at magic by a long shot! Plus you're here already. You wouldn't mind coming back, would you?"

"You're asking me to break school rules."

"Aw, come on!" Akko pouted. Please? Can't you use your 'top-student' privileges to get the teachers to look the other way?"

"Such a thing does not exist." That wasn't entirely true, as Diana could manipulate her status to some extent. But, as she had recalled earlier, the list of infractions as it currently stood was too great, too detailed.

"Yeah, right! Besides, didn't you have fun?"

"I..." Diana paused. "I must admit that I was rather invested in seeing where it would lead me."

Akko nodded, affixing Diana with an expectant look.

"...and I'm rather pleased with what I saw out of you tonight."

Akko nodded again. Her smile grew, and the more excited she got, the more difficult it was to turn her down. Finally, Diana gave in. "If you're so dedicated to this idea, you will have to come out here less often, busy as I am with other obligations."

"Ohmygosh yes!" Akko nearly hollered, leaping forward and tackling Diana in a hug. "That's a yes, right?"

Diana was stunned by the sudden contact. "...Indeed, it is," she managed. Though she could formulate a verbal response, her arms were still frozen to her sides. "Don't forget that you have to uphold the conditions you are responsible for."

"How's every other day sound?" Akko didn't release her grip on Diana.

"That's quite frequent. I'd rather you devoted time to academic studies, as well. Twice a week should suffice."

"Hm…" Akko muttered into Diana's shoulder; she could feel the resonance that resulted from the sound. "Works for me!"

"I'm glad. Do you plan on releasing me?"

"Nope! This is how I'm thanking you."

Akko certainly kept her word; even when Diana didn't respond and they stood there in silence, she didn't release her hold. Diana started to fidget, searching for a way to rekindle the conversation, if not for a way to get Akko to step away. "I'll have you know, I had a suspicion that you were behind the notes before I arrived here."

"What?!" Akko leapt back. "I didn't sign my name on it, though!"

Comforting as Akko's prolonged embrace was, her disengagement still came as a relief. Only Akko would be so bold as to breach her composed manner by outright hugging her, and the gesture had come as a surprise to say the least. Physical displays of affection were rare in Diana's world, but now she could see a glint of its appeal.

Diana saw Akko's expression of disbelief and returned to the subject at hand. "The blatant disregard for school rules was a telling indicator. As was the irreverent tone regarding such."

"Hehe. I guess you know me too well."

Diana tilted her head. "Perhaps I do. Now, if you're done for the night, I think we have both disregarded our curfew for too long. Shall we head back?"

"How long have I been out here?" Akko muttered. The hours of fatigue seemed to catch up to her at once, for she was unable to stifle an exaggerated, protracted yawn. "That sounds like a good idea."

They set off together towards the dorms. Akko didn't seem intent on continuing the conversation, which allowed Diana to review what she had just agreed to. It was certainly not the romantic rendezvous that she had feared, since a secluded spot in the middle of the forest promised more danger than it did idyllic fantasy. Still, her busy schedule meant that she was able to spend less time with Akko than she would have preferred, given their newfound sense of camaraderie that naturally stemmed from saving the world together. This could be a nice opportunity, she supposed.

She glanced to her side to see a grinning Akko. "What amuses you so?" she asked.

"You. You're smiling, Diana~"

"Ah. Forgive me."

"Only you would apologize for smiling!"

Notes: Me updating a story within 3 days is unheard of. I still can't believe it. Hopefully the end result of this trail was interesting enough, and hopefully Akko being able to cast a complex performance spell isn't too ridiculous.

It's been long enough since I've seen LWA that I forgot if there's a canonical illumination spell, so I just went with a more ubiquitous one.