So here's the very first chapter darlings. I really hope you'll enjoy the story and - if you happen to have played at least one route in the game - that you'll enjoy the spin I put on certain events. Also, just for clarification purposes:
This is normal speech
'This' is transcription of thoughts
"This" is what I like to call "special speech" such as dreams, visions, flashbacks etc.
So I hope you'll all have a great time with this story, and enjoy it just as much as I enjoyed writing it. Don't forget to toss me a little review and let me know what you think ;)
Enjoy, lovelies~
P.S. Every Shall we date?: Wizardess Heart character belongs to NTT Solmare Corp. I only own Rosetta and any other OCs involved in the story :)
1. A safe trip
Knock-knock
"Miss?"
The only reply coming from the young woman bent over a boiling cauldron was the raising of a finger, gesturing for the butler to wait. And so the elderly male closed the door, again setting his gentle gaze upon the girl before him who was counting drops of a rosy potion that she was pouring into the larger container.
"There..." she said, straightening her posture and capping the small phial.
Placing it back in its wooden holster on the nearby table she finally looked to the servant and smiled lightly.
"What is it, Marcus?"
"You have a letter, Miss." the old man replied with a light bow, offering her the fairly sized envelope.
For but a moment she stared at the name of the sender; then she looked back up at the butler who smiled knowingly, before a grin stretched onto her lips and she jumped in his arms with a joyful laughter.
"I can't believe this! I'm going to the Academy!"
"I never doubted your application would be approved, Miss..." the old man chuckled softly. "In all my years I have yet to see a more talented magic user than you."
Releasing him, the young girl practically tore open the envelope in her haste to get the letter out, only to have it fly out of her hands and settle floating near them. Before the girl could ask any questions, however, the paper straightened itself as if puffing up its chest with pride, and began speaking.
"Good day, I am the Acceptance Letter. Through my presence here it is the wish of Headmaster Randolph to inform Miss Rosetta Whitehorn that your application to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy has been approved. You are hereby summoned to the Academy to begin your training as a student of our prestigious school. You have until tonight to pack any and all things necessary to your stay at the dormitories, after which I shall lead you to the Academy."
"I will inform my father of my acceptance, and begin preparing." she replied calmly, in spite of the excitement bubbling within her. "Come with me..."
"Very well; lead the way."
Leaving Marcus to clean up her unfinished potion, Rosetta left the laboratory with a skip in her walk until at last she was unable to hold back from running toward the other side of the mansion where her father's office was. Upon arriving at the door, she took a deep breath to settle her pulse before knocking.
"Come in." the male responded from within.
"Father, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, opening the door to the spacious room.
Raising his gaze from the papers he had been reading, and sighting the letter floating behind his daughter, Remus arched a brow.
"Well... I am impressed. You did get accepted, after all."
"Headmaster Randolph was most pleased with her resume." the letter replied before the girl could say a word. "He is looking forward to having Miss Whitehorn studying at the Academy."
"I'm sure he is..." the man grumbled, almost like a growl.
After all, he would never forget the shame which had fallen upon their family fifteen years prior, when Randolph had recommended Walter Goldstein to be the King's primary maker of magic tools. And all that in spite of the fact that the Whitehorns had been producing such items for generations in advance and were clearly superior to those blonde imbeciles.
"Well, if you want to go I won't stop you." he finally said. "The teachers there are of the highest caliber, no one in the kingdom can doubt that. Just stay away from the Goldstein boys... I've heard two of them are already studying there. So you make sure to stay clear of them; nothing good can ever come from us associating with the likes of them."
Biting back a sigh, Rosetta nodded.
"Yes, Father..." she replied, trying her best to not let her voice drone on.
She was so utterly sick of hearing about that stupid rivalry between her family and the Goldsteins. Could they not simply get along and work together? They were the only two families in Gedonelune who crafted magical items... surely the kingdom would have benefited more from their business partnership, than from this ongoing feud. But she knew better than to make another failed attempt at getting her father to see reason, and jumped at the opportunity to leave when he waved his hand dismissively and went back to his papers.
Only upon reaching her room did she release the sigh which had been building in her chest, afterwards heading to her dresser to pack a few clothes. A few moments of silence in, and she found herself talking out of mere habit.
"Is it true? Are two of the Goldstein boys students there?" she asked, casting a fleeting glance to the letter floating nearby.
"Of course! Prefect Klaus Goldstein will be waiting for you at the train station tomorrow morning, when we will arrive."
"Prefect...?"
"Yes, Klaus was named Prefect six months after he joined the Academy, and to this day he alone holds this prestigious position. He is also an Elite Magic Knight, and has been knighted by the King himself three years ago."
"Alright, you don't have to put in that much effort to sell him to me... I'm not planning to marry him." she chuckled, causing the letter to snort in disapproval.
"Hmph, well I am merely relaying facts. Klaus is the student our school takes most pride in."
"Not if I knock him down a few pegs." Rosetta retorted in jest.
"Ha! I'd love to see a silly girl like you achieving that. Now finish packing already, or we'll fall behind schedule!"
"Yes, sir..."
Leaving the letter to grumble about her lack of respect, the girl took the time to ponder on just how much her life would change once she arrived at the Academy, while packing her things. The prospect of living there for the next few years excited her as much as it scared her; it was the first time she would ever be away from home for more than a couple days, without her father. At the same time, the idea of meeting so many new people and tying new friendships, while deepening her magic knowledge and skills, was something she had been looking forward to ever since she had convinced her father to let her apply.
"Oh, here..." the letter suddenly said, startling her out of her thoughts.
In a whirlwind of light what looked like a folded uniform appeared on her bed; and atop it lay a golden badge depicting the Dragon of Time.
"This is the uniform you will be wearing during your stay at the Academy." the letter informed Rosetta as she picked up the badge to examine it closer. "Of course, you will be provided with a few others, in the undesired case that this one should get damaged. And make sure you don't lose that badge, that's the most important part of your attire."
"Then why am I taking my other clothes?"
"Well, I suppose you'd like to spend all your days off in the Academy, then. Now enough chatter. Change into your uniform and finish packing, or we'll miss the train!"
Two hours later the Whitehorn heiress was standing in front of the mansion with a small bag carrying her personal effects – the rest had been transported straight to the Academy by the letter through a charm that Rosetta was eager to learn. Her father hadn't even bothered to see her off, claiming he was much too busy, so Marcus and a few of the other servants had gathered there instead.
"Take care, Miss..." the old butler said, his eyes teary as he embraced her. "Don't forget to eat properly and rest from time to time."
"Nagging me to the last moment, huh?" she giggled.
"Someone has to look after you, Miss... and it's been made clear over the years that you are not interested in doing that."
"I'll be perfectly fine, Marcus. I promise."
"Have a safe trip, Miss." the head maid wished her. "Write to us often, or we'll miss you too much."
"Of course I will, you don't need to worry about that." the girl smiled, briefly grasping the woman's hand. "I'll miss all of you as well."
Wiping away a couple of tears, the elder woman kissed her forehead and heaved a sigh, watching as Rosetta headed toward the gates following the floating letter. The carriage ride to the train station was short and, not too long after bidding goodbye to the coachman, the young girl found herself in a compartment of the train that was taking her to her new future.
~ oOoOo ~
It was the middle of the night and the moon shining inside the car gave everything a shimmering, ghostly aura, when Rosetta was startled from her sleep not by the rhythmic clicks and clacks of the train, nor by any other sound. No, what had roused her was the sensation of someone watching her. A quick glance around the empty compartment stirred her curiosity, because she could have sworn she hadn't imagined that feeling. Standing she finally noticed the letter lying on the bench across from hers, but oddly enough it didn't react in any way to her call.
Frowning in confusion, she decided to check the hallway only to find it utterly devoid of any presence. Then again, she imagined anyone who was on that train was asleep at such an ungodly hour. Upon closing the door and turning around, she nearly jumped out of her boots at the sight of the woman seated next to the window where Rosetta herself had been sitting just moments before.
"Who are you?" she asked, trying her best to keep her voice in check and not let it tremble.
When the young female turned her head toward the girl, Rosetta's heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. She would recognize that face anywhere, even in her dreams...
"Mother?" she murmured hesitantly.
"Why have you come here?" the woman replied, and the concern in her tone was heart wrenching. "You must go... you cannot be here!"
"What do you mean? Go where?"
When Rosetta stepped forward, the young woman stood and clasped her face, kissing her forehead.
"It isn't safe for you out here. My precious child... I need to know you are safe."
"I don't understand... please tell me what you mean." she pleaded, unable to resist embracing the one person she missed more than anything.
Before she could get an answer the silvery light faded as if engulfed by the clouds, and she felt her mother's body stiffening.
"Mom?"
"He's here..."
The elder female's whisper could not have been more chilling, and in a sudden surge of curiosity Rosetta rushed to the window to look outside.
"No!" she heard her mother crying out, just before the woman wrapped her in her arms again.
But it was too late... she was now staring at what looked to be a swirling mass of... darkness, as far as she could tell. And then, against the starry sky, bits of it began to pour out like a deathly rain. It was when they approached the rushing train that she could finally see the small red eyes glowing from within their shrouded depths, and a feeling of terror unlike any she had known before took hold of her.
"Wake up!"
The sound of the letter's voice startled her, but in the darkness which now consumed the entire train she couldn't see anything anymore.
"Wake up!"
Where was it? It sounded so close, yet so far away... she felt around her for her mother's arms, but the woman was gone and those terrible shadows soon gathered around, trapping her in a circle of fiery eyes which was growing smaller and smaller each moment.
"Wake..."
~ ooo ~
"...up! Wake up, you stupid girl! Do you want to die?"
With a gasp Rosetta's eyes flew open, to the sight of the letter frantically brushing its corner against her cheek as if it was trying to slap her awake. Her first reaction was a relieved sigh, but the words of gratitude she wanted to offer the letter for snapping her out of that nightmare stuck in her throat when she realized the entire train was shaking violently as if it was about to fall apart.
"What... what's going on?"
"Oh, you're finally awake! Good heavens, I thought you had a death wish! Grab your things, we have to go!"
Upon standing Rosetta immediately found herself thrown against the door by the sways of the car, grunting as she hit the wooden surface. Trying her best to steady her balance she pulled herself away from it after a moment and reached to grab her bag.
"We're almost at the station... this won't end well if the train derails." the letter said urgently.
"What about... aren't there people around there?" the girl asked, already picturing grotesque injuries and dead bodies lying amidst the ruins of the train.
"Prefect Klaus will be there, they have nothing to worry about. But we need to move towards the back of the train. If he stops it, the impact will be worst for the front cars."
"What do you mean 'if he stops it'? How can he...?" she blinked in sheer awe.
Wasn't Klaus just a student like her? Surely, stopping an entire train barreling down the tracks called for immense power and experience.
"If you're this airheaded, I'm afraid to think how you'll fare in class." the letter sighed, clearly annoyed.
"Oh, right... Elite Knight..." she nodded after a moment, recalling that he was probably one of the most skilled wizards in their kingdom.
"Precisely! Now come on, unless you wish to become as thin as me."
Once she had opened the door, the letter darted out into the hallway. Fortunately it seemed there were very few people on that train, but with how violently everything around swayed, throwing her from side to side, it was nigh impossible for the girl to move faster than at a snail's pace no matter how much the letter urged her on. And then, with an ominous groan and a deathly tremor, the train came to an abrupt halt projecting the girl head-first into the nearest wall.
"Ow..." she moaned, too dizzy now to get up from where she had crumpled to the floor in a heap.
"Well, looks like we arrived at the station."
At the letter's words she glanced around to see the few patrons nearby trying to get over their own dizziness and stand. Still holding her head, which now hurt with a sharp, searing pain, Rosetta glanced around.
"Oh, dear heavens..." she then heard the letter gasping. "You're bleeding!"
Feeling her head, the girl hissed in pain when her fingers brushed the right side of her forehead; in the collision it seemed her skin had peeled off against the wall enough to draw a few drops of blood which had now slithered along the side of her face.
"It's nothing too bad..." she replied at long last.
When she grasped the bag nearby, however, that same sensation of dread and terror from her dream overtook her and she froze at the sight of her hand trembling on the bag strap.
"What's going on?"
The letter's confused question reached her ears at the same time as the darkness swallowing the sunlight which had been pouring in through the windows, turning the bright day into a cold grey twilight.
"Oh, dear..."
The letter's whispered words next to her ear startled the young girl who now glanced up, only for her eyes to widen in horror at the sight of what seemed to be five formless shadows swallowing up helpless people as they advanced toward her. Their only definite feature was the fiery eyes she could see staring at her from the swirling black masses.
"What are you doing? Get your wand!" the letter yelled in her ear, snapping her out of the panic-induced shock.
Pulling the bag closer Rosetta began to frantically search it, while outside the sounds of conflict grew ever louder amidst frightened screams and ear-piercing shrieks.
"Oh, no..." she suddenly winced. "It's at the Academy in one of the bags."
"Heavens help us." the letter sighed in resignation.
Looking up when a cold shiver crawled down her spine, to see the Shadows looming over her, the girl was stunned under the intensity of their burning eyes. She could barely hear the letter's frantic calls to her; sure, she knew she had to move away but her body wouldn't listen to her anymore as if she was glued to the floor.
'No... please, someone... anyone... I don't want to die!'
As her mind screamed those words in her head over and over, she thought she heard someone running up behind her, but the sound was much too distorted by the pounding of her heart which had filled her ears.
"Sagitta Lumen!"
The unfamiliar male voice coming from somewhere above her head – cold and precise like a blade – was immediately followed by five Light Arrows piercing the Shadows. And in the horrible symphony of shrieks emanating from them as they slowly disintegrated, Rosetta finally surrendered to the darkness creeping at the edges of her vision.