Chapter 14

Akko felt like she was being held underwater. Her lungs constricted tight in her chest, begging for air as wave after wave rolled over her body. She could sense herself gasping, her mouth opening and closing as she desperately sucked in shallow breaths.

"You're alright, Akko. Just focus on breathing."

She could barely make sense of the garbling voice at her side. She tried to sit up, but felt a hand on her shoulder holding her tightly down. Someone moved around her and she felt cold hands pulling roughly at different areas of her body.

Remembering the breathing technique that Madam Wong had taught during one of their sessions, she started to use it. In through the nose, out through the mouth, in through the mouth, out through the mouth. Again and again in an endless pattern until she could feel her desperately quivering muscles slowly relaxing, the pain that throbbed in her chest fading into a dull memory. The clouds that fogged her eyes drifted away to find Croix hovered at her side, Madam Wong carefully putting away all the medical equipment that had previously been attached to her body.

"Gotta—get—back," Akko wheezed, dry lips pressing together as she gulped down a long breath of air. She could feel the sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead and upper lip, her hair damp against her scalp. Her entire body felt weak and exhausted and she desperately just wanted to nap, but she knew that she had to get back to Diana. They were running out of time and she was running out of ideas.

Croix shook her head, lilac hair swaying against her shoulders. Her shadowed eyes did nothing to hide her own frustration. "Not today, Akko," she said, pushing the girl back down when she tried, once more, to sit up. "You're in no condition to try again. It would be too dangerous. We'll go back after you get some rest, alright?"

Akko snorted with the effort of fighting against Croix's hand, clenching her clammy hands against the bright white sheets of the small bed. "But time is—"

"Short. I know. We'll get her back, Akko. For now, we need to get you back to your room so you can get some rest."

Akko turned away from Croix, blinking away from the fringe that was plastered against her forehead and tickling her eyes, to find Diana. The green glow of magic engulfed her body, making her look almost surreal.

"Can I—" She hesitated, squeezing her fists tight and swallowing more air. "Can I stay here? With Diana?"

Croix blinked up to Madam Wong, assessing the nurse for a response that she didn't feel entitled to give. With a deep breath, the nurse offered a slow nod.

"That would be… fine," she said after a moment, hand lingering against the railing at the foot of the bed. "I've already told the Headmistress that this area is too volatile for the presence of anyone more than myself. A—lie, obviously," she added at Croix's raised eyebrow. "But seeing as Miss Kagari is expected in class tomorrow…"

"I'll take care of that," Croix muttered, standing up straight and folding her arms over her chest. "Akko, you have the flu, right?"

Akko turned her head back to her former instructor, eyebrows knitting in confusion. "No?"

Croix rolled her teal eyes, shaking her head and moving her lips in what Akko knew was a disguised insult, before saying, "Yes, you do. Akko has the flu. I'll let Char—Professor Ursula know that she is too ill to attend her classes. But I'll be returning after, if that's alright, Feng. That way as soon as Akko is ready, we can send her back in."

Madam Wong nodded once more, sighing heavily as she finished putting away the equipment before muttering, "I swear, if I lose my license over this—Croix, just make sure you bring the girl some food, would you?" she added before tossing the curtain aside and stalking off.

"Alright, Akko. You rest and let me know when you're feeling better. And don't lie," she added, countering whatever was about to come out of the girl's opening mouth, "because the better you feel, the more time you'll have in the spirit realm. And time is everything. Now is there anything I can bring you from the cafeteria?"

Akko squeezed her eyes shut, rolling over onto her side to face Diana and taking the girl's hand in her own to give it a small squeeze. "Just… anything but mashed potatoes."

Akko didn't know how long she slept—it could have been anywhere from half an hour to a full eight for all she knew. And she would have kept sleeping, too, had it not been for Madam Wong's kind voice rousing her from slumber.

"Miss Kagari," the nurse said gently, placing an arm on Akko's shoulder and giving her skin a small squeeze.

"Eh?" Akko's eyes flickered slowly open, the fog of her vision clearing. Her skin was tingling in a strange way that made her feel on edge, and it wasn't until she noticed that she was clutching Diana's arm to her body that she realized it was foreign magic transfer. She turned her head to blink sleepily up at Madam Wong.

"I believe you roommates are here to pay you a visit. I would prefer they not stay long as it is near curfew and you need rest, but I will permit them to stay for a while if that's alright with you."

"Yeah," Akko grunted in approval, vaguely aware that she was stroking the soft skin of Diana's forearm. She rolled onto her back, finding Madam Wong gazing down at her with a terse smile of remorse.

"I'll send them in," she said quietly, letting her hand slide from Akko's shoulder. "And I would advise you not to interact with her bo—with Diana too much. That is medical magic that is primarily for the use of restoring lost power. The additional magic will heighten your anxiety."

Akko nodded, pushing herself up into a sitting position. For the first time, she noticed Croix passed out in a chair nearby, arms splayed to the sides with an open book in her lap. Her mouth hung open as low, grunting snores filtered from her lips.

"Akko! Oh—sorry Miss Meridies, I didn't know you were here."

The former professor snorted awake at Lotte's shrill voice, nearly dropping the book but regaining it after scrunching up a few pages. Her teal eyes narrowed into a glare at the two students slipping through the curtain and into the room.

"Hey," Akko said back, lips spreading in a welcome grin. "You two must have guessed where I was."

"Well, when you never came back to the room, we kind of figured you got your way." Sucy shrugged and stepped forward, dark eyebrows stitching together as she analyzed the rods surrounding Diana's bed and the green light that pulsed over the girl's motionless body. "Interesting," she hummed, cupping her chin in thought. "Life support, eh?"

"Life support?" Lotte reeled back at the other girl's comment, worried eyes darting to Diana. "She's on life support? And how do you even know what that is, Sucy?"

Sucy shot the Finnish witch a glare. "Uh, I've studied basic magic medicine to get an idea of fatal effects of certain poisons on the body," she stated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "How else would I know how powerful a poison is?"

"You're right," Lotte grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I should have known."

"Please don't mess with that," Croix scolded as Sucy started waving her hands in front of the snaking green tendrils to interrupt the flow of magic. Akko could see Diana's lips twitching as though in a muted conversation with herself.

"Huh, weird," Sucy murmured, taking a step back.

Lotte pulled up a chair next to Akko's bed and took a seat, scrutinizing the Japanese witch from behind her thick lenses. "You look awful," she said, reaching up to push Akko's stringy fringe from her eyes and smooth the side of her hair with her fingers. Akko found herself leaning into the touch—it felt good. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Well, I don't feel that bad," Akko replied, grateful for Lotte's fingernails against her scalp as the other girl raked some knots out of her limp hair. "Besides, Croix's watching out for me."

Croix grunted from her chair, where she had lifted her book and was once again reading through it as though it was the most interesting thing in the world. Akko could make out the title: Dream Realms and Magical Properties. She was doing research. Maybe she'd find something helpful for their next attempt.

"Cool," Sucy was whispering to herself as she sifted through Madam Wong's multiple vials of liquids in a nearby cabinet. "She has minotaur urine. I could concoct so many different variations of my recipes with this. Do you think she'd notice if I—"

"No," Akko and Lotte said in unison.

"Aw, it's not like she would miss it. Besides, there's plenty of minotaurs around here to pee in a cup for her, and it'd be weird if I asked one—"

"No!" her two roommates repeated, more forcefully.

Sucy rolled her eyes and returned the vial. "Whatever," she mumbled.

"So how is it going?" Lotte asked, turning her attention back to Akko and letting her hand drop back down to the bed, much to Akko's disappointment. "Have you made any progress?"

"Um…" Akko frowned, glancing at Diana's quiet face and unmoving features. Her eyes looked a little more sunken, a little more tired, and the usual glow of her hair was losing its luster. She hesitated before saying, "I'm not sure how to answer that."

"There's been some progress," Croix spoke up from behind her book. She lowered her glasses on her nose and peered at the three girls with squinted eyes. "The key to spirit realm walking is to recognize the state of the host in order to return the spirit to the correct realm. We have—well, Akko has—identified that Diana's spirit is in a limbo of sorts. The curse has manifested in a way to cause enough confusion as to where the host can no longer discern the original dimension. According to this text," she motioned to the book in her arms, "Akko just needs to find a trigger to remind the spirit of its origin."

Sucy was watching Croix from where she stood beside Lotte, maroon eyes narrowed in thought. "And what kind of trigger would that be?" she asked.

Croix straightened up, running a hand through her scattered lilac locks as her eyes fell on Diana. "The trigger would vary based on the scenario, but usually it's a reminder of her own reality—an item, maybe, or a specific word. Something important and easily recognizable." She rolled her shoulders in a shrug. "I'd say we've made progress in the sense that Akko has associated herself with the spirit's current pseudo-reality and expected behavior."

A trigger? Akko's dark eyebrows folded together as she stared down at her fidgeting hands. So she would need to find out what that was—and if there was one game she wasn't good at, it was guessing. She groaned and squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm sure you'll figure it out, Akko," Lotte reassured, offering her roommate a comforting smile when her red eyes blinked back open. "You know Diana really well, if there's anyone who can figure it out, it's you."

"Girls." Madam Wong's torso appeared around the curtain. "It's time for you to get back to your room. Curfew is in 15 minutes."

"Aw, alright," Lotte sighed, smile drifting back into a frown. "Are you staying here tonight, Akko?"

"Yeah," Akko said, only half paying attention as her mind turned over the possibilities of triggers. A spell, maybe?

"Madam Wong," Sucy spoke up, turning an inquiring gaze to the nurse. "I see you have multiple vials of minotaur urine, and I was just wondering—"

"Absolutely not, Miss Manbavaran," Madam Wong scolded, pulling the curtain open for the two girls to leave. "Those are for medical purposes, not your rudimentary experiments."

"Fine," Sucy grumbled, walking away without even glancing back at Akko. "But if you ever find yourself in possession of too much piss, please let me know."

"Sucy," Lotte said, rolling her eyes. She offered one final sad smile to Akko before saying, "Goodnight," and following the lavender-haired girl. Madam Wong, shaking her head, trailed after the two.

Croix stood, setting the book down on the table next to Diana and leveling a gaze at Akko. "Any ideas on what that could be?" she asked, analyzing the Japanese witch's thoughtful expression. "It should be something that will remind her of—"

"I have an idea!" Akko chirped, grinning as she stared over Diana to the possessions that lay next to Croix's newly placed book.

Croix's teal eyes followed her gaze to Diana's Luna Nova uniform, which was stacked beneath her robe, hat, sash, and—

"Her wand!"

Croix scratched at her temple, nodding thoughtfully. "That… might work," she agreed. "That item may be familiarization enough to bring the knowledge of her home realm. Good thinking, Akko."

Akko nodded with excitement, sitting up a little bit more. "Alright, great. Hook me up, let's go."

The lilac-haired witch couldn't stop the chuckle that filtered through her lips as she turned back to the excited girl. "In the morning, Akko. You look exhausted. Get some more rest."

Akko frowned—though she couldn't really argue. She was tired. With a heavy sigh, she settled back against her pillow and squeezed her eyes shut. She could sense Croix moving around for a little while before ultimately growing silent.

All she had to do was remind Diana where she was meant to be—where home was. Her wand would definitely do that, right? After all, it was something the girl carried with her every day, had used for years.

Besides, if it wasn't her wand… Akko honestly didn't know where else to turn.

Diana grumbled to herself as she shoved her flashcards across her desk, leaning back in the wooden chair and closing her eyes. She didn't even know why she was still trying to study. She hadn't retained any of it because she just couldn't get her mind off Akko and her most recent hallucinations.

She stared blankly at her Google search results, where she'd tried to find some kind of answer for what had been happening to her. Not that she'd expected someone else in the world to see some strange girl named Akko who appeared at the most random times and said the strangest stuff, but she was hoping she could find someone that at least related in what she had been experiencing.

But… nothing.

With a sigh, she slammed her MacBook shut and stared through her window at the darkness of the late evening, at the few lights that still lingered in the flats across the street. It had started raining right around suppertime, and the drops streaked sideways down the glass pane. At least it would be a comfortable night to sleep—the rain always lulled her into her dreams, and she was so exhausted she was sure she would drift off as soon as her head hit the pillow.

A noise in the hall made her whirl for what felt like the hundredth time that night. She'd been so ridiculously on edge since Akko had appeared once more that she couldn't help but think it would happen again. But it was all so random. Both times, there hadn't been any common denominator that could have predicted it. Her hallucinations usually came when she was stressed out or very tired, and neither time had her mood met those criteria. Especially riding Luna—the mare always gave her a quiet mind.

But the noise wasn't Akko, of course. It was her mother, who appeared in the doorframe with a calm smile. "Finished studying?"

Diana nodded, rising to push her chair in and flick off her desk lamp. "I am."

"I hope the test goes well, then." Bernadette stepped forward, pushing blonde hair behind her ears. "I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Wong tomorrow for after school. She had a cancellation and was able to fit you in. Is that alright?"

Nodding again, Diana glanced over to her unmade bed, a deep frown etching across her lips. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Bernadette said, stepping forward. "You never have to be sorry for something you can't control."

Diana reached up and scratched at her temple as she stared at her shuffling feet, at the blue and red striped socks that her mother had given her as a gift for Christmas. She knew that she couldn't control her hallucinations or the sudden onset of her illness. But she felt like she should—after all, it was her own mind, and everyone else seemed to be able to behave normally. She gnawed at her bottom lip, which already had a sore on the inside from chewing on it, and sighed.

Bernadette could sense her daughter's turmoil. Reading both her and Damien's emotions had become secondhand, even if they weren't standing in front of her. She assumed it was a mother's sixth sense, something that came with bringing a being into the world with her own flesh and blood, but she couldn't be certain. In a fluid motion, she strode to Diana and engulfed the girl in a tight hug, feeling the slightly shorter girl sink gratefully into her arms.

"Thanks," Diana mumbled into her mother's shoulder, squeezing her eyes shut and resting in the warmth of affection. Her mother always seemed to know what she needed and when she needed it, and this was no exception. She could feel her mother's fingers threading through her thick hair, kneading at the back of her neck in loving reassurance.

"It's all going to be okay, dear," Bernadette hummed, rocking her daughter gently just like she used to when she was young. She was nearly an adult now—or she would be in just a couple of short weeks, and the older woman couldn't discern when Diana made the transition from a bubbling girl to a beautiful young woman. But she had, and she had done so carrying a larger burden than Bernadette could have ever imagined. She was proud, but also so undeniably scared for the girl's future. She would be there for her as long as she could, but that obviously wouldn't be forever. "I love you, Diana," she added, smiling into the girl's hair.

"I love you too, mum," Diana murmured. "You're my favorite person."

"And you're mine."

Diana made no move to let go, and so neither did Bernadette. She sighed into her mother's familiar embrace, grateful for the woman who had carried her so far, had believed in her the whole time. She didn't know what she would have done without her mother, who had been her rock for so long that Diana wasn't sure what she would do when the day came for her to stand alone.

As Akko's fingers ran over the handle of the wand, smooth from years of use in Diana's hand, she mulled over the prospective scenario. All she had to do was convince Diana to take her wand and hopefully the other girl would remember exactly where she was from.

She had to. They had less than 24 hours.

"Don't forget," Croix was saying as she powered up the machine, source magic flowing readily between the two girls, "Mashed potatoes."

"How could I forget," Akko grumbled, rolling her eyes and leaning forward to meet the mask that Madam Wong pressed over her face. She settled down against the pillow, letting her fingers tickle the back of Diana's hand as she took a deep breath and disappeared.

When the darkness that was her world cleared into Diana's, Akko wasn't surprised, this time, to find herself standing somewhere completely new.

She was in the middle of a classroom—not one like Luna Nova lecture halls, where benches ascended to the back of the room. This one was flat, with multiple tables, all filled with students and facing the front, which held a whiteboard, an overhead projector that wasn't turned on, and… Professor Lukic?

Akko narrowed her eyes for a moment, then rolled her shoulders in a shrug. There was already Diana's whole family and Chariot, so it didn't shock to her to see another familiar face. Though, that didn't stop her from being wholly unexcited at seeing an authority figure, especially one so, well, unnerving.

"Fuck."

Akko glanced to her right, where Diana sat hunched over a few pieces of paper. The girl's blue eyes had shifted to the side, eyeing her warily.

"Did you just swear?" Akko muttered, taking a step backwards to calm her racing heart while at the same time peering over Diana's shoulder to see what she was working on. She recognized none of it.

"Not now," Diana groaned to herself, turning away and pressing her palm into her forehead. "I'm taking an exam."

"Oh." Akko frowned. She seemed to always catch Diana at a bad time.

Wait, that didn't matter, this wasn't Diana's stupid world anyway and she needed to get back to her own pronto, so who cared what was going on?

But Akko at least knew that the other girl would be less inclined to have a conversation, much less take a wand, in front of a bunch of other silent students. So she said, "I'll wait, then," and decided to explore Diana's new world instead.

Diana sighed heavily, but sank down a little lower in her chair and actively avoided Akko as she continued taking her test. She didn't have much time left as it was and there was still the short answer section, so she had to concentrate if she wanted to finish. She was vaguely aware of the strange girl wandering through the room and prodding at things, but she made a purpose not to look.

Akko hummed as she bent down in front of Hannah, reaching out to poke at her nose and finding her finger passing right through. "Weird," she muttered to herself, studying the girl's face. She watched the girl's brown eyes glance down awkwardly and followed her eyes to find her staring at something in her lap.

"Hey, she's cheating!" Akko blurted out. Hannah had her phone hidden between her legs and was most definitely looking at answers she'd typed out.

Diana's eyes shot up momentarily, but then she just grumbled something that sounded an awful lot like another word that real Diana would never say.

Barbara was there, too, right next to Hannah. She wasn't cheating, though, and she looked like she knew exactly what she was doing. The black-haired girl was on the last page of the exam and was scribbling furiously.

There were other familiar faces, too. Avery, back in one of the far corners. Wangari, too.

And even Andrew, who was sitting right behind Diana. He kept lifting his eyes to stare at the back of Diana's head before going back to whatever he was drawing on a blank notebook. Apparently he had completed his exam. Akko stalked over and glanced down with nosy curiosity.

He was writing DIANA HANBRIDGE with little hearts around it. Akko's eyebrows knit together as a loud laugh slipped from the back of her throat. She covered her mouth with her hand and snickered into it, glancing back at Diana, who had looked over her shoulder before returning to her test.

"How cute," she said, watching as he filled in one of the hearts with his pencil and pierced it with a crude arrow while staring at Diana's hair with a dreamy look in his eyes. "He likes you! Too bad you're a big gaybo."

"Pardon?" Diana's head shot up and she almost whirled, blue eyes wide, but Lukic lifted her head from where she sat at her desk and glared. "Please shut up," Diana grumbled. The girl seated next to her glanced over and looked at the blonde curiously, but just casually shrugged and went back to her own exam.

Akko frowned and let herself settle into silence, knowing that she wouldn't get what she wanted accomplished if she pissed the other girl off. After all, this Diana was equally stubborn as the real Diana. Twisting the handle of the wand in her sash, she moved over to the window and rocked back onto her heels, watching the slow movement of the thick grey clouds and the misty drizzle that fell against a very pretty looking courtyard. It almost looked like the one at Luna Nova—actually, she took that back. It was the same courtyard from Luna Nova. Of course. Made sense.

Suddenly, Lukic shrieked, "Time's up! Turn in your exams and get out," from behind her and Akko leapt back in surprise. Chairs scraped against the floor with a grinding squeak that made the hair on her arms stand up as every single student rushed to gather their belongings and leave the classroom. Diana stood slowly, glancing over her shoulder and frowning at the sight of Akko still there, before slinging her bag over her shoulder and taking the exam to the front of the class.

"Hey, wait up," Akko said as she rushed after. It was crowded, and students were everywhere, but Akko found that she could effortlessly walk through them which was super strange and rather unnerving but handy nonetheless.

"Hey, want to have tea together?" Andrew asked right as Akko was nearing. The Japanese girl watched as Diana waved her hand in the air in a quick dismissal.

"Not today, Andrew," Diana grunted, earning a nod from the tall young man who looked disappointed but unbothered as he moved off on his own in a different direction.

"I need you to go," Diana murmured from the corner of her mouth as Akko caught her stride and walked next to her, cautiously leaving some space between them. "I do not need people thinking I'm a—"

"Hey, freak, talking to yourself again?"

Hannah was laughing as she walked by Diana. The girl flipped her red braid over her shoulder and strode on by. Barbara, on the other side, slammed into the back of Diana's shoulder and followed suit, muttering, "Spaz," under her breath.

"Wow," Akko said, staring after the two girls with shocked red eyes. "That was mean. They're supposed to be your best friends!"

"Friends?" Diana faked a laugh, rolling her eyes and shoving by a few students who were chatting in the middle of the hall (couldn't they move off to the side?) and heading over to an empty area near a window. "Yeah, right."

"Look, I need to talk to you, it's—"

She lost her train of thought as her gaze fell on very familiar lavender hair that belonged to a girl with a confident smirk and an arm full of books. "Sucy?"

Diana followed Akko's eyes, scrunching her eyebrows together and rolling her shoulders in a shrug as she came to a stop. "I suppose. I don't know her name, she's new. And a bit strange."

"Ah, whatever. Her name is Sucy. She's cool, you should meet her. But yeah, she is kind of strange—wait, what am I saying? You know her. Look, can we talk somewhere?"

Diana tilted her head back and let out a pained groan. "I can't believe this is happening at school. Fine, if it'll make you go away." She turned to the window so people couldn't see her talking. "I have a free period, anyway. Let's go somewhere private so people don't see me talking to myself."

A girl nearby was already side-eyeing her nervously.

"You're not talking to yourself," Akko grumbled as she followed Diana once more. "You're talking to me."

Diana said nothing, but instead led the Japanese witch through a series of hallways. As they walked, Akko founding herself looking around curiously. The school was not really anything like Luna Nova on the inside. It was old, but at the same time very modern, if that was possible. Like they had upgraded everything. Not quite so modern as schools back in Japan, especially with the lack of technology, but… remodeled, at least.

Diana walked hurriedly with her head down and eyes trained on the ground in front of her. There was no semblance of the girl from Luna Nova, whose long strides and confident posture put off an air of importance and self-awareness. This wasn't even the same girl who Akko had seen riding the horse with graceful ease. No, this Diana shrank into herself, closed herself off from others around her.

The blonde girl pushed her way through some large double doors and led Akko into the same courtyard that she had been staring at earlier. A group of girls were standing in the corner near a column chatting, and Akko recognized them immediately as the Green Team and Lotte. Without thinking, she raised her hand in a wave to her Finnish friend, but quickly remembered that no one but Diana could see her and let it drop back to her side with an embarrassed blush.

Finally, Diana stopped on the far side of the courtyard where no one was around. And rightfully so—it was kind of cold and damp, and the mist was stinging the side of Akko's face uncomfortably.

"Alright," Diana mumbled, folding her arms across her chest and whirling to face the brunette. "What do you want?"

"Oh." Akko paused, studying Diana for the first time that day—she hadn't had a chance to even look because her head had been down or she'd been rushing away—and feeling a heat rise into the tips of her ears. She was wearing a school uniform that wasn't entirely unlike the one they wore at Luna Nova, except her vest, blazer, and tie were black. Akko glanced down at the long stockings, the short skirt that Diana had clearly altered to be shorter, and chuckled. "And you say my skirt is short."

Diana's blonde eyebrows scrunched together and she glanced down at Akko's skirt. She rolled her shoulders in a shrug and looked back up with an expression that clearly said, 'so what?'

"Oh, right." Akko cleared her throat, reaching to her side and unholstering the wand that she'd brought. "I brought you this. To remember. Here, take it."

She flicked the wand to extend it and turned it in her hands, pushing the handle towards the girl who was shuffling uncomfortably and glancing around as if someone else was going to appear at any moment.

Diana recognized the item from her hallucinations—it was always one that stuck with her—and drew a deep breath. She shook her head and stepped back. "That's not real," she said, clenching her teeth and rolling her jaw as she stared at the wand in Akko's hand.

"Yes it is." Akko pushed the wand out for emphasis, raising crimson eyes to study Diana's face. The blonde girl looked confused and, honestly, kind of scared. "Take it. Please."

"Is this some kind of a trick?" Diana asked, though she did look genuinely curious. She slowly reached forward, wrapping her fingers around the handle of the wand and taking it cautiously from the other girl.

Akko shook her head. "No trick. Just… try to remember home, I suppose? I know you don't really know what's going on, and that's fine, but we are really running out of time and I just need you to remember where you belong. That's what Croix said, anyway."

Diana turned the light metal rod in her hand, sucking in air as she analyzed it. "Remember where I belong?" She squinted her eyes and swallowed. "I don't get it."

Akko hummed. "You will. Just… give it a minute."

The witch took the moment of quiet to glance around the courtyard, finding the group of girls once more. Amanda had turned and was eyeing Diana curiously, though not from a place of hostility—she just looked intrigued and maybe a little concerned.

"Where am I?" Akko asked after a moment, turning her attention back to Diana.

Diana looked up, cool blue eyes meeting red before regarding the wand in her hand once more. "Pardon?"

"Everyone's here," Akko stated. "Your family. Chariot. Andrew. Hannah. Barbara. Sucy and Lotte, too. Everyone." She raised one hand and gestured back to the group of girls for emphasis. "This is like some kind of weird alternate reality. So where am I?"

"I'm not certain what you mean," Diana mumbled, pushing the wand back to Akko. "I don't know an Akko. I have never seen you before in my life. And here's this… wand," she added, hooking the thumb of her spare hand under the strap of her bag. "I don't know what this is supposed to do, but it's not doing anything."

"There's no…. me?"

Akko's brows stitched together as she glanced between Diana's quiet face and the wand being held out to her.

"Uh, no," Diana said, shrugging. "And please, take this thing back."

Akko felt herself frowning. Her breath hitched in her throat and she swallowed hard as she reached back out and took the wand. "It's… it's not working," she said, more to herself than the other girl. She took a deep breath, feeling her eyes misting as she searched Diana's face as though maybe it held some kind of answer. "Why isn't this working?" she asked, feeling her nose twitch as she fought off frustrated tears. She couldn't let herself get emotional—she had to get Diana back—but all at once it slammed her that, in this world, she didn't even exist to Diana. It was like she had been erased completely from the other girl's life.

And this Diana was… okay… with that?

"Um." Diana narrowed her eyes, analyzing the change of emotion in the other girl's face as she lowered her now empty hand to her side. "You can… go now? If that's all? I don't need to be seeing things at school."

Akko could feel her eyes soften as she watched Diana's lips move. Her heart rate was lifting, drumming through her body in an uncomfortably quickening rhythm. Akko didn't want to give up—she couldn't—and the words to pull her out of the spirit realm hung behind her teeth, though she didn't utter them. Darkness ebbed into the corners of her vision, but she tried to fight it off.

"How can I bring you back?" Akko whispered, desperation blending with the pain that laced her voice as she stared into impassive blue eyes.

But she didn't get an answer. Not that she would have, anyway.

The darkness took over, swallowing her mind like the crash of a wave, and Akko felt herself falling away.