She sat and stayed silent through the entire class. The content of the lecture was empty. She quivered after pondering over what that specter told her. Her dreams and desires hold no meaning. Her pale complexion made one of the girls next to her to gasp. Could she become a witch? The doubts in her heart and turmoil in her brain made her surroundings dizzy. She heard someone calling out to her, her friend with orange hair, glasses, and freckles. Lotte was her name. But, why Lotte called her out? Akko understood. Everything twirled and her vision turned black.
Her heavy eyelids opened. The first thing she saw was an unfamiliar ceiling. It was pure white, different from her dormitory. She moved her head sideways, noting another bed next to her own. This style of bed, she realized she was sent to the infirmary. She attempted to stand up. Her limbs meekly trembled, and she fell on the soft bed. This impotency of hers made the remarks from the dark figure from her dreams realistic. She wept silently with her fingernails pressed on the bed. Reassuring herself with motivational words, she decided to stop her crying. She would become an amazing witch, so she could not cry for every little thing, right?
She tried to stand up again. This time, she succeeded. However, she was still weak. Thus, she placed her hand on the soft bed to sustain herself. Despite being able to walk, her head hurt. She pondered what happened earlier. "...Right" She felt sick, and the reason for that—flashbacks of "that thing" shot through her head. Their conversation and how miserable was her own existence. Her heart throbbed. Nauseated, she hurried to the nearby sink. Throwing away all the bad feelings held within. Gasping for air in an internal struggle, she calmed herself after seconds which seemed eternal. She lifted her head and then, centimeters above the sink, she met the mirror placed in the wall. She closed her eyes the moment she found it. Her body quivered and cold sweat dripped from the back of her neck. She calmed herself after her panic attack. Although hesitant, she dared look in the mirror. But, nothing happened. "Haha..." She fell on the ground, leaving a jittery laugh. Everything was in her own dreams. After some time, she started thinking: was she delusional?
The door opened and a figure of an old lady appeared before her eyes. Her clothes were evidently ones used by the personnel of the infirmary. Wrinkles all over her face and her unkempt hair. It gave the atmosphere of someone who did not care about exterior appearances. Akko wanted to retort, but hold no force to do so. She gazed at the old lady in a daze. "Miss Atsuko Kagari, correct? You should be resting on your bed." Silence remained. "Miss Kagari?" Her mind returned from the trance. "I-I'm sorry, I was just a little light-headed. Hehehe" She gave an adorable laugh while stretching her own cheeks. The nurse sighed but noticed the girls face and collar soaked with water. She lifted one of her eyebrows staring at the wet collar of her uniform. Realizing the meaning of her stare, Akko laughed and brushed any weird thoughts away. "You see, my complexion was rather pallid. So, I decided to wash my face with water!" The nurse approached her, placing her fingers on her chin and lifting her head. She nodded in approval. "Indeed, your complex is bad. Well, you rested on this room's bed so it has settled a little. I recommend you go to your room and do not attend any more classes for today." Before Akko could say anything to protest her dismissal from classes, the nurse silenced her with a stern look. Dejected, she sat on her bed while the nurse checked her condition. After writing a notice for her teacher, Miss Ursula, she hurried the witch to return to her own room.
Wandering through the corridors, she thought about her future. Would she be alright If she continued studying? She had the "Shiny Rod" who was the wand from her idol. But, was she worthy of upholding it? She, perhaps, will not achieve her dream of becoming like Chariot. Her uneasy steps came to a halt. Why was she thinking such horrible things? Everything that drove her thus far was her desire of becoming an amazing witch. A witch who would spread smiles to everyone in the whole world. Could she do it? She lacked bloodline and talent. Her arsenal was only happy thoughts. Yet, the words rooted deep in her heart from that figure echoed through her head. She was arrogant—egostitical. She aspired to become something she could not. "Ha..." Changing the world after becoming an amazing witch? "...Haha" A person who could not ride a broom? "Hahaha," How naive. Her naivety hurt her heart, while her face was hot. Tears streamed from her eyes and surfed through her cheeks. "What should I... do" A wry smile on her face, she wiped the tears with her sleeve. She dashed towards her room. To her fortune, the corridor was empty. Opening the door and closing it shut. She threw herself on the bed. Endless tears dropped, as she clenched and hugged her pillow. Her cries echoed, but no one heard her pleas.
A world devoid of everything. White as snow, but dangerous as a spider web. Akko did not think of anything. She stood still, huddled on the white ground while weeping quietly. Her weeping sounds started echoing through the hollow space. She stopped crying over the echo. But, the weeping continued still. "Have you realized, yet? There is no one who can help you. The only one who can help you—is only yourself." Without lifting her head, Akko spoke. "No... I... I have my friends, my teacher, and my dreams! I am not alone!" She glared at the specter. To her surprise, its smile was sorrowful. Her heart hurt and she sympathized with it. Wait, was she supposed to care about that thing? She was bewildered by her own thoughts. "Why can you not understand, Atsuko? As someone such as yourself, unworthy of praises and struggling towards success... you should understand. You are different from others." She was agape with the statement, but refuted it with all her strength "I'm not! Shiny Rod choose me, so I can become a great magic like Chariot! If I try hard, I will achieve my dream!" The ethereal figure nodded sideways. A wry smile placed on her face. "This is nothing more than a childish dream. You are saying this, but your heart says otherwise, no?" She shivered. That thing was right. She already understood the limits of her own talents. Yet, she decided not to see it. When she failed a subject, she wore a mask to hide her deep feelings. A warm hand stroke her head. She lifted her head maintaining a puzzled look. "Do not worry. You have your own special talents, that is the reason you were chosen by your idol's wand, were you not?" Akko's complexion grew brighter, and then, the specter continued "However, you can not perform magic at the same level as your peers. How unsettling... In that case... why don't we make a contract?" She blinked in confusion to that thing's words. "...Contract?" With a bright smile on her face, she nodded in response to the young witch's question. "As you can see, I am not a normal existence. I am a spirit." Akko let out a scream, and stuttered the contents of what she heard "A s-s-s-spirit?" Due to her overreaction, the spirit giggled in amusement. "That's right. You should read more books in the library, Atsuko" She gave a warm smile to the confused lady.
"Wait, you are different from Lotte's!" She questioned with expecting eyes. The spirit tilted her head while pondering on the meaning of the girl's question. "I... suppose?" Akko pointed in her direction and declared "You are not tiny! You have the same appearance as I do. Is it because we are in my dream?" In her delusions, the spirit sighed in annoyance and explained "Spirits are not limited in size. There are numerous spirits in human-size. However, the way they manifest themselves, only demonstrates how powerful they are. In your friend case, considering she is a small witch such as yourself... the spirits she summons must be low-grade spirits. Or in your own words, "tiny spirits". Akko clapped in amusement for the explanation. "Are you willing to make a contract with me, Atsuko?" She smiled as she went back on topic. Holding her hand on her chin, Akko wondered If it was the right thing to do. She was conflicted. The one who made her suffer, but also accept reality offered her hand. She decided to question the spirit for more information. Maybe there was something shady. "What do I gain by having a contract with you? The spirit smiled and declared with conviction "Many things! As I am an older spirit that has pride in his knowledge. There are no demerits in making a contract with me. However, I am a spirit different from others. I can not materialize in the world using an object or wand. Thus, I appeared before you in the dream realm." Akko nodded but suddenly stopped. Wait, she thought. "What do you mean? You can't show yourself?" With a dejected look, the spirit answered in self-derision "I'm not like other spirits... there are conditions for me to manifest into the real world. And because of the decadence of magic, those circumstances became dire. Then, I decided to seclude myself within the Shiny Rod. Well, I decided to contact Chariot as well—" With a scream, Akko interrupted the spirit's speech. "Y-you tried to meet Shiny Chariot? Wait, If you were in the rod all along... You know about Chariot, right?" Filled with excitement to the brim, she looked to the spirit with puppy eyes. "Well... I do know about her, but... I could not contact her or make a contract" The spirit coughed to draw the attention of the daydreaming witch. "Listen attentively. The only way I can make a contract is through the action of possession. In other words, I will possess your body." With a stupified face, Akko screamed "T-that's weird! Why should you possess my body?" The spirit tried to calm her but showed disarray on her nonexistent face as well. "Wait, wait! Is not what you think! I can not materialize myself without a host, that's how it is. I can still communicate to you and I can not take over your conscience completely." Akko gave her a doubtful gaze while taking a defensive stance. "R-really?" The spirit nodded. "Yes." Then, she held out her hand to Akko as a signal for a handshake. "Are you willing to make a contract with me, Atsuko Kagari?" Although unsure, she saw the tender smile and remembered her desire of becoming an amazing witch. She gave up to the temptation and took the spirit's offer. Feeling the spirit's soft and harm hand, she gazed at her face with a smile on her face. The spirit turned into her appearance for the second time, with the same albino features as before. When she smiled at Akko, she dissipated into light in the thin air. She merged with the witch—and darkness remained.