Chapter 25
Princess Diana and Akko went off to save a damsel in distress while the others cleaned the area and prepared for the summoning,
"Everything is prepared?" Amanda asked, looking at their group's handiwork, she held onto her broom provided by the school for flying.
The witches brought their brooms in case they needed to fly but what they didn't know was that they will only be using it to clean. The place was spotless. Rid of sand and crystals—the mirror world's equivalent of dust and dirt.
The Mirror version of Professor Croix stared at the book's copy and reviewed the steps. "All that's left is Atsuko's blood and Akko's blood mixed on the goblet."
"That sounds metal." Amanda began to move her body to the rhythm of broom dance steps she once taught the group one day.
"I'm disappointed at this place." Sucy sulked in the corner. "There were no mushrooms but at least I found a couple of unusual poisonous spiders."
"Sucy?" Lotte gulped. "H-how would you know if those spiders are poisonous?"
Sucy merely smirked, leaving the question unanswered. It was a great thing that Professor Croix chided in.
"I handed her a book of poisons from our world to keep herself company."
After her speech, Sucy threw a small spider in Hannah's and Barbara's general direction, causing them to scream and hold onto one another.
"Hannah shrieked. "IT'S ON YOUR HAIR!"
"GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OF ME!" Barbara cried.
Professor Croix took it upon herself to save them from the scariest bug of all.
It had been snowing all night, and lighting the fire in the old glass heater was an ordeal that put everyone in a better mood. They ate their supper in silence, huddled beneath old oilskins provided in the undercroft's old storages. They slumped over their food that Professor Croix took from the kitchen to feed the guests.
Akko turned her head just slightly, as though she sensed a presence nearby. She was there again, standing at the door, patiently waiting for the Earthens to all arrive. It has been an hour and a half and her jittery bones couldn't take any anxiety more.
She did what she had to do to ease her tension, walked in circles, cleaned the spots twice, and rechecked if all the objects needed for summoning.
Even though she and her princess had reunited earlier, it wasn't enough to extinguish the flames of passion Atsuko had for her. She's well are that her princess loves and misses her but Atsuko missed her princess more. Yet the stoicism to not to fall back on her promise had kept her strong all throughout this week, when barely waking up had seemed too hard without the shape of her princess' body resting next to her, between the sheets.
When she decided to share her thoughts with her Earthen counterpart, part of her resisted. Wanting to keep her own emotions and thoughts and feelings to herself, but if she wanted the Earthens to survive the harsh World of the Blaze, she needed to bestow Akko that gift of identity.
Akko didn't mean to pry but the fact that Atsuko let her see everything inside her mind—the memories, the feelings, and the information combined—she knew that her mirror counterpart had often dreamed of Mirror Diana, mostly blurry and dark flashbacks of their lives: the tender smiles, the raging giggles, and the way they would always steal a kiss when no one was looking.
Atsuko left the door and walked toward white velvet curtains hanging against the icy wall. There was a silver cord dangling from the ceiling, and as she pulled it, the curtains parted and revealed a mirror. It was made of glass like all mirrors, but there was something different about this one, though Atsuko could not at first discern the difference. All she knew was that she was gazing at the reflection through Akko's eyes, and she saw a beautiful princess next to her.
However, there was an uncanny feeling that overwhelmed her. This time, she felt as though she were merging into the body of the girl on the other side of the castle—the Earthen Atsuko Kagari.
Atsuko stopped in her tracks; the empty goblet she held onto nearly fell to the floor. She formed the name on her lips, Akko with the Earthen Diana beside her, and she felt the presence of both come alive. Despite the cold air, she could feel the sweat run down her spine.
"Professor," she said in a harsh whisper.
Professor Croix looked around sharply in alarm—watching, waiting, and feeling. The look on her professor's face confirmed that Akko was now in deep trouble, a fine line next to be in grave danger.
Atsuko and Professor Croix had a fast conversation with each other telepathically.
"How come we can sense Akko all the way from here? Doesn't the choker do the trick?"
"What other reason would we have managed to reach out to Akko's mind when the only possible reason was that she was caught?"
"We have to try to go and help."
"For whatever reason? I need to be here for my inventions. And besides, you will only make the rest of the Earthens skittish."
"Then I have to go."
"Lotte and Sucy are nevertheless confused about the situation. They are prone to conclusions and could easily blame you for treason."
"Then what do I do?"
"Hey," The Earthen Professor Ursula was alarmed. "Is everything okay?"
But instead of acting out and making Akko's friends worry about her, she acted as if everything's all fine and in control. Professor Croix was right, she needed to sit this one out and hope for the best. She had more witches to protect, to prevent an all-out a possible sudden war between witches and kinesis users.
Whether the human race liked it or not, bloodshed and violence was a part of their nature. So when the unknown rise up, the minority threatening to overthrow the majority, the oppressed rising up to their own rights, war is inevitable.
"There are stories about the Great Glass," Atsuko was saying as she sat down on the floor, crossing her legs.
The Earthens all looked at her apprehensively, except for Sucy who was still apathetic.
Lotte was the friendly one and the only person who had courage asides from Akko to approach her, asking. "What have you heard?"
"This mirror is connected to the magic wooden mirror back on earth. It is said in legends that this mirror is a chunk of the most mysterious part of the Great Glass."
Everyone tuned in for a history lesson, but Amanda rolled her eyes.
"The location of the Great Glass was highly debated by our scholars and philosophers. A lot theorizes that the magic it concealed is concentrated in Japan, a lot argued it's here in England and a few would say that the Great Glass is the entirety of this huge planet."
"Is it really important to learn where that glass really is?" Professor Ursula asked. "Everywhere around is made of sands and glass."
"Yeah, what makes that glass so great from the other types?" Lotte asked.
"It is crucial for us, Blazing people," Atsuko said. "To know the mystery that surrounds our existence. It was said to be the last dwelling place of the last witches in our world. We did descend from your kind, only in this parallel world, a different history happened that lead to current events. The Princess herself does believe for a fact that the Great Glass is here in England, but we told the citizens that it is located in Japan to cover the tracks of its real location."
"Why?"
"To prevent its use of power," she said, wistfully. "I've heard that things work differently in the Great Glass. If the intention is true, great magic will be bestowed upon them and if the intention is for wicked deeds, unfortunate things will come. Those people get lost, even if they have a map. That magic goes awry there; rituals go bad—that sort of thing."
They all sat in silence for several more minutes, and then Atsuko stood and walked away. The witches looked at one another in confusion.
"The consequences are really scary, but are those legends true?" Lotte asked.
Atsuko did not answer immediately, and when she did speak, her words were measured. "Every story, I think, has a grain of truth to it. But sometimes, people are misled by what they believe, and they see what they think they should see, not what is actually there."
"That could be said of almost anything in life." The bespectacled girl said.
"That doesn't mean it's not true." Atsuko paused for a moment. "I'll tell you this much. The Great Glass is a special place. It was difficult for me to leave it. Every day I spend away from it, I miss it. For me—for my family—things make more sense when we are at home there beneath the glass."
"Then why did you leave?" Amanda asked. She acted as if she wasn't listening, but she was.
"There was nothing for me to do at home. My family is not rich, and Academy offers a steady wage to their graduates." She knew she was lucky that the Academy had taken her, for her family could not afford to pay for her education. It was a compliment to her talent, yes, but it was also a reminder that she owed the Academy a great debt.
"Why did you decide to become a lady-in-waiting?" Jasminka asked she was munching on some fruits that from the castle's pantry.
"I like action," Atsuko said, a smile in her voice. "I had no talent for other stuff, and my idol, Lady Chariot graduated in that academy."
The witches nodded at the similar story, prompting Professor Ursula to ask. "How old are you, then?"
"I will be seventeen at midsummer," Atsuko replied.
"So you're just the same age as us?"
"I suppose so."
Everyone avoided everyone's stares for a while, sinking into the deep conversation they just had. There was a brief silence.
Professor Ursula met Atsuko's gaze. "Do you think Akko and Diana will come back safely?"
"They will." Atsuko instantly lied.