Hey, so the story might not get updated for a week or two because I will be away from home and college will take most of my time. I'd also like you ask you to make sure to review the next few chapters along with this one cuz the story is nearing its end. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chariot sat up in the middle of the night. She was panting, having suffered from a nightmare. She rested a hand on her chest, trying to calm down from what she just saw.
"A nightmare?" She heard a soft whisper, and looked at her side to find Croix awake. She sat up as well and wrapped an arm around her. Chariot nodded, and smiled when her girlfriend kissed her cheek. "I'm here." She whispered in her ear, and the red head hugged her, resting against her chest listening to her heartbeats.
"I'm sorry for waking you up." Chariot apologized, but Croix shushed her. She was stroking her hair and occasionally kissing her. Chariot was quivering.
Croix used her flame to light up the room and to warm her. The flame always calmed her, not only was it warm, but it was also the same color as Croix's eyes.
Chariot felt her heart beats returning to their normal pace. She then had a strange sensation in her back and narrowed her eyes. She pulled away and stared at Croix.
"Take off your shirt." She said, and Croix had to quickly put away her flame or else she would have lost control over it.
"Chariot?!" She blushed. "Right NOW?!"
"Should I take it off for you?" Chariot deadpanned. "Your scar is itching."
"Oh…"
Croix shuddered as she felt the cold potion against her back. Chariot was applying it to the scar, and it did ease the pain. The two sat in silence. It was the type of comforting silence, where they didn't need any words. They were just content sitting near each other.
"The scar looks better than before. It seems like the potion is working, I don't think it will disappear though." Chariot stated, her eyes fixated on the scar. She tenderly kissed it, surprising the lilac haired witch. "You're beautiful." She simply said, taking her breath away.
Croix put her shirt back and turned to Chariot. Her eyes widened when she saw the red head's tears flowing like rivers. "Chariot?" She whispered and immediately took her in her arms.
Chariot buried her face in her shoulder, and gripped the fabric of her shirt. "I'm… glad I met you." She said, and that made Croix pull away to wipe her tears.
"What's wrong?" She asked, cupping her face. Chariot just smiled.
"Can you promise me something?"
"Anything."
"Promise me you'll stay alive." Chariot whispered as she took both her hands and rested her forehead on hers. "That'd be enough."
Chariot's eyes couldn't look away from Croix's, because if she did, she would see her lying in a pool of her blood like every nightmare she has.
"That would be more than enough."
-Everlasting Darkness chapter 25: Fragments.-
"That's enough for now." Croix said, crossing her arms and smiling. "You're doing well, Akko." She said as the brunette let out a long sigh, but beamed nonetheless.
"You think so?" The brunette chuckled, and put away her wand. "I do feel like magic is coming more naturally to me."
The lilac haired witch nodded. They have been practicing magic early before classes would start. It has been more than a week since they came back from the Cavendish mansion, and since the training started. The darkness did not make any moves during that time period.
While it did grant them more time to prepare, it left them uneasy.
"You should go before classes start." She said, patting the brunette's head.
Once Akko was out of sight, she turned back to her screen, and sat on her chair. She checked the sensors, but there was nothing new. There was no sign of the darkness. Her flames couldn't have killed him, but how did he manage to hide himself?
Croix felt uneasy. She sighed and put on her cape before leaving the laboratory.
Perhaps she should try looking from him? That could turn out to be a trap.
She stopped walking when she felt her phone buzzing. She pulled it out to check, but there was nothing on screen. She stared at it in confusion.
A number of codes then appeared on the screen, before fading away.
Croix stared at it for the longest time, trying to figure out what that meant.
One thing was for sure, and it was that this meant bad news.
She put her phone away and got on her Roomba. She headed towards the school, intending to speak with the headmistress. Either there was something wrong with the sensors, or it was something else. She hoped it was just the sensors malfunctioning.
The sensors did not detect the darkness at all. There were records of him being detected while she wasn't allowed to use her lab. However, there was nothing since their last meeting.
Perhaps she did manage to kill him?
She doubted that.
Meanwhile, Chariot carried a large pile of books towards the library. She has been running from one place to another, and she had to teach a class later. She was exhausted, not to mention that she only slept for a few hours.
On the bright side, work did help her forget about the nightmare. She has been feeling off since last night. There was a terrible feeling in her gut that she couldn't shake. Perhaps she was just anxious, then again, the longer it took them to confront the darkness, the worse she felt.
They'd make it through, they have to make it through. That doesn't mean she wasn't scared. She was terrified at the idea of not being able to do anything, of losing again because she was scared.
Deep in thoughts, she ended up walking into a table and almost dropped all the books if it weren't for someone using magic to catch them and put them on the table.
"Professor, are you alright?" Diana asked, putting her wand away. "You look pale. Would you like me to help you?" She said.
Chariot smiled at the sight of her student. "There's no need for that, I can do it myself."
"I insist." Diana smiled as she took one of the books. "You work a lot, I wouldn't want you to fall sick." She said with affection. Their relationship has become a lot better ever since the mansion incident.
"Thank you." Chariot nodded, and they both started arranging the books.
"I feel like I should be the one thanking you." Diana said, staring at the book shelf. "I know I already have, but it doesn't feel enough. You, professor Croix, and Akko saved my life." She turned to her professor. "I really owe you."
The red head shook her head and placed both hands on her student's shoulders. "You don't owe us anything, Diana. We're your teachers, we'd put our lives on the line to protect our students."
"That's the thing. I no longer see you as my professors." The prodigy muttered, looking away, unsure if she should say what's on her mind. "I see you more as a family. Is that strange?" She asked, and looked back at her professor to see her teary eyed. "Professor?! Did I say something wrong?"
"No!" Chariot shook her head and chuckled. "I'm just happy to hear that." She wiped the tears.
They both smiled.
However, the smile quickly left the moment Diana's eyes darkened and she fell.
-ED-
"None of the sensors have detected anything." Croix said, while the headmistress sighed. "I'm not sure if that's a good sign."
"Do you think he found a way to hide himself?" Miranda asked, clearly concerned.
"That is a possibility." Croix said, crossing her arms. "We have to prepare for the worst. We must secure the sorcerer's stone."
"Could it be that he's already here?"
Croix's eyes widened, and she tried to analyze the possibility. If he was near, he would have been detected. How would he be able to hide his presence?
Finneran then walked into the office, alarming them. She looked out of breath, and they both prepared for the worst.
"Diana collapsed." She said, and it only took these two words for Croix to run outside and towards the infirmary.
She ran as fast as she could, almost bumping into some students. She arrived there, panting. She stood at the doorway, and saw her girlfriend sitting next to Diana, holding her hand.
"What happened?" Croix asked, as she stood next to the red head, who looked at her with concern. "Is she okay?"
"I don't know." Chariot whispered. "She's so cold and they don't know what's wrong with her. It all happened in the blink of an eye…"
"Diana…" Croix said, walking to the side and taking her other hand. "Wake up, Diana!" She begged her, but she received no answer. The prodigy was in deep sleep.
She looked at Chariot, who has been staring at her with sad eyes. There were no words to exchange, no words to reassure each other. Not with Diana looking pale and frozen.
They were both feeling helpless.
The lilac haired witch's phone started buzzing again, but she ignored it, as she stared at her student, waiting for any sign or movement. Unfortunately, she got nothing.
Groaning, she looked at her phone, and read something on the screen, before it turned into a number of codes again.
"Menace detected. Error."
"What?" Her eyes narrowed at the screen, and she tried to get her phone out of that screen. Could it be that he around? How did he get past the sensors undetected?
"Croix." She felt a hand on her cheek, and turned to see Chariot standing beside her. "If it's something important, you should go."
"But Diana…!"
"I won't leave her side." Chariot reassured her, brushing her thumb against her cheek to calm her a little. "She'll be fine." She kissed her softly, and it seemed like her method of calming her was working.
Croix stared at her for the longest time, before taking her hand off her cheek and kissing her palm. "I'll come back as soon as I can." She said, and her girlfriend nodded.
The lilac haired witch looked at Diana for one last time, before heading towards her laboratory.
Chariot sighed, and sat next to Diana. Should she tell Akko about her? The professors said not to mention what happened, but if she stays in this state, shouldn't her friends know?
She had no idea how much time has passed, but she hasn't left her side. Nothing has changed in that time.
That was until Chariot started sensing a familiar and disturbing presence. She stood up and looked at the window. The sky seemed to darken as clouds shielded them from the sun. She frowned, then saw something floating around. She tried to get a better look, but the thing flew towards the window, broke through it and went inside Diana.
It was followed by other dark orbs that prevented the red head from approaching the prodigy.
Diana then stood tall, getting back on her feet in what seemed like an unnatural move. She stood on the bed, and turned to Chariot with a smile.
Chariot's heart stopped when she saw her eyes.
Red eyes.
"To think I had to break my form into a tiny piece and plant it into this child. I have to admit, Meridies is a tough enemy. Fortunately, the darkness inside the children here is enough to help me take back my form." The darkness spoke, and smiled at the sight of the distressed red head.
"You've been inside her this whole time? You're showing the students your hallucinations?!" Chariot yelled, furious. When did he do that? How? Did he break himself into fragments so small that they couldn't be detected?
"Chariot Du Nord, we meet again. I've been waiting for this moment." He laughed, and it felt so wrong considering he used Diana's body. "You'll pay for ruining my plans."
"If it's me that you want, then let Diana go!" She yelled, but it only made him laugh louder.
"If I can't possess Meridies anymore, the only other way to hurt you is by possessing this child. The last time you tried to fight me, you got your lover killed." He said, and his smirk widened at the sight of guilt in Chariot's eyes. He jumped off the bed and walked towards her. "Go on, hit me. Kill her like you killed Meridies."
He took a step forward, she took a step back.
Chariot couldn't do it, not again. She couldn't point her wand at Diana like she pointed it at Croix, resulting her death.
The darkness punched her in the stomach with enough power to make her fly a few feet back, causing her to collide against the wall and spit out blood.
"This body doesn't cause much damage, perhaps I should take my own form. This girl did serve her purpose after all." He said as he clenched and unclenched his fist. He then looked at Chariot who clenched her stomach in pain. He has been waiting for the chance to cause her pain and kill her for what she did.
Chariot pulled her wand, hoping to separate them without hurting Diana, but he used his magic, creating a shadowy arm that grasped her hand and made her let go of the wand. He broke the window and took a shard of glass.
"How much can I make you bleed before you die?" He wondered, as he pulled her closer. Fortunately, when he tried to hit her with it, She managed to move around and avoid it, having it barely cutting her cheek. She tried to use her free arm to touch him, but he moved them towards the window.
He floated outside, this time wrapping the shadow around her neck. They were in the air, and far away from the ground.
Chariot tried to grasp into the shadow as much as she could, but she knew that if he let her go, she'd fall to her death.
"This is what you get for fighting against me. None of you ever stood a chance." He said, and it felt heartbreaking, to see that cruel expression and to hear that voice from Diana.
Chariot struggled as much as she could. She couldn't lose. She couldn't lose to him again.
And yet…
"I'm sorry…" She whispered.
The darkness could only scoff as he let her fall down to her death.