Chapter 13
"Must you sulk, Perse?" Ichiru sighed, an umbrella in his hand as he held it up for him and Perse. They were walking to the main building for lessons the next night and there was a sudden onslaught of rain and thunder coming down on the academy.
"I am not sulking."
"Tell that to the weather."
"Alright, I might be." She pouted with a scowl, linking her arm through his so they could walk a little closer and be under the umbrella a bit better. "I'm still annoyed from this morning."
Ichiru watched her glare at Kaname who was leading the group to walk to the main building, he held his umbrella as Seiren stood next to him as they discussed something. Kaname would turn his head every time he could feel Perse glaring at him, sending her a cheeky tiny smile before returning back to the conversation he was having.
It did not do well for Perse's already sour mood, making the downpour heavier and a couple strikes of thunder sounding.
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The arrival of the triplets stirred a commotion in the Day Class, making more of them attend the daily change of classes in the evening.
It made it harder for the guardians to keep them under control. Toga had to walk the Vampires, four Witches, and Ichiru to the main building and back. He wasn't happy about it but he was interested in the newest additions to the Night Class as they hadn't yet attended a class of his just yet.
"Why are these classes so much easier?" Bereket asked in English.
Perse passed a bright green can of Monster Energy to Ichiru so he could open it for her. She had trouble opening them with her long nails but she didn't like using her Magic for such a trivial thing. She nodded her thanks before sipping the neon green liquid.
"Probs because we're not actually learning anything," Perse said. "Cross started the Academy to show the Council and Association that Vampires and Humans can coexist. The Day Class actually has to learn and memorise shit, the Night Class not so much."
"What's with you speaking Japanese now?" Usher asked.
"To whoever I speak to, it sounds like I'm speaking their language. Unless I don't want them knowing so it switches to a language they don't know." Perse shrugged.
"You four, pay attention for once!" Toga shouted from the chalkboard. "Persephone, don't even think about chucking that book at me!"
She sighed sarcastically, placing the textbook down.
"I'll show you the spell later."
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Perse was a peaceful woman… And her sparring with another woman did not change that.
It was the weekend after the triplets arrived, and Perse was itching for a good spar practice with her old partner.
They were in the enclosed courtyard of the Moon Dorms, both dressed in sports outfits.
It was too hot to wear anything more than that, even if it was nearing the middle of November.
Both of them were barefooted on the raised platform where Perse once had lunch with her friends. It was emptied and had plenty of space for at least two pairs of people sparring.
Perse was hot, sweating, and aching, and she felt alive as she drew back her bandaged fists and swung it into the opposite Witch's face. Cera dodged before it reached her, sending a punch back to Perse which she had to also dodge.
With a kick to her ribs, Cera lost her breath and quickly tapped out for the moment.
"You good, Cer'?"
"Yeah," The eldest Sallow Witch heaved her words out. "You've still got a wicked round kick, cousin. Even without shoes."
"I try to keep up with working out but I don't really have the time anymore." Perse wiped her forehead with her hand. She had black hand wraps around her hands, wrists, ankles and feet. They were there for protection just as Cera was also wearing the same ones.
"I doubt those claws you call nails helped," Cera humoured, grabbing a water bottle from the side. "You still hold off with your punches, Perse. You need to send them out fully or you'll hurt your shoulder, especially with your left one."
"I know, I know," Perse sat on the ground with Cera. Her hair was tightly braided into two dutch braids, while Cera had her brown and turquoise hair tucked into a tight bun on the top of her head. .
Tsar laid on the ground, dozing off as he watched the two Witches.
She crossed her ankles.
"Want to go again?"
"Hell yeah!"
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Takuma was next to Kaname as they stood before a window which overlooked the enclosed courtyard.
While the two female Witches sparred in the courtyard, they watched. Takuma watched in amusement and fascination more than anything else, while Kaname observed in cold intrigue that was placed over hidden enchantment, but not of the Magical kind.
Takuma knew it was dangerous to get Kaname's attention.
Having the attention of any Pureblood was dangerous as it meant the Vampire would do a lot to make sure they got what they wanted.
With Perse, Takuma had no idea what Kaname actually had in plan for her.
She was a wild card, untamed and unknown in the grand scheme of things. She was attending Cross Academy for her own good and reasons, but she wasn't under the same vow as the Vampires. She had no obligation in keeping peace at the school but she did it because it would be easier for her.
Ever since she came, she brought bits of trouble with her.
Kaname wasn't affected at first, ignoring her for the week until she had hurt her hand when they got Toga Yagari as a teacher. It seemed after that, Persephone Greylight had the undivided attention of Kaname Kuran.
Takuma was just worried about what it meant for the future of the Witch and Vampire kinds.
Even he knew what a power couple they could be, unrivaled strength and social power due to their stations in life.
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A week of avoiding Kaname, Perse appeared at his door.
"We need the library," She said, jutting a thumb in the vague direction of the library. "Is that alright?"
"Of course. May I ask why you need it?"
"I want to have a quick conference with the other Crowns and their heirs," Perse said. "I want to finetune some facts with them before I start making solid plans. And here."
She passed him a small tub of pills.
"And these are?"
"Pills for Yuki's nightmares. They won't get rid of them but they will stop her from remembering them." She stepped back, ready to go to the library but something stopped her. She turned back to him. "Yuki has a right to know what is happening to her but if you think it is best for her not to know, I won't say anything."
"I appreciate that,"
"I still think it isn't fair for her. I want to get a small sample of her blood."
"Why?"
"To see how her Magic is actually influencing her and how long she has until her Magic overpowers whatever spell is placed on her."
"I'll ask her."
Perse didn't say anything after that, only biting the inside of her lip and nodding once before striding to the library.
She had a theory.
Yuki's Magic would try to overwhelm whatever spell is on her, but instead of breaking the spell, it could break her. Insanity came at the cost of Magic becoming too unstable or unbalanced. If Perse thought the Magic would break the spell, she wouldn't say anything about the other option. If there was even a small chance of Yuki breaking down, she'd tell Kaname.
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The plans were made and set.
The Crowns were projecting themselves into the library with Magic, letting something like a hologram show in there with their Heirs and Advisors. Perse sat with her cousins in there, Ichiru sitting next to her.
A private plane would be sent for the Witches and Ichiru in early June, letting them settle in before the Summer Solstice as Perse and the Crowns settled whatever unpleasantness they had for each other. Their squabbles would be put aside until after the Summer Solstice, until after the Witch who claimed to be a Redwater had been proven or not.
What Perse didn't expect was finding out that what she knew about her mother and her goals were completely false.
The other Crowns forced their own Heirs and advisors out of the room before they advised Perse to do the same.
"We need to discuss your mother," Crown Blackwood said. "In private."
"Get out."
Cera tried to stay. "But Perse—"
"I said. GET. OUT." Her voice rumbled with her Magic, enforcing the demand in their heads. The triplets left along with Ichiru when Perse nodded for him to leave too. When the door snapped shut, Perse looked back at the Crowns. "What about my mother? What could you want to discuss about her after everything you've done?"
"What we've done is what what was needed,"
"And why was Challenging my mother needed?"
"Persephone, you have to believe us when we say your mother was using Black Magic,"
She froze, a set of chills coming over her.
Black Magic was forbidden and had been for several centuries.
Dark and Black Magic were not the same. Dark meant the intentions were greater than what was needed to make a spell work, and Black Magic was just evil.
Dark just meant that Magic needed was negative and dark, it was what the Blackwoods were famous for. But Dark Magic was still part of the White and Grey range of Magic, everything that was allowed. Dark Magic could be dangerous but never as dangerous as Black Magic.
Black Magic was pure evil with the steps creating more harm than the solution could afford. It was selfish and dangerous.
"What do you mean my mother was using Black Magic?"
"Exactly as it sounds." Whitestone said.
Blackwood gave her a look. "Your mother was trying to get the whole Order under her thumb. She was using her Blood Magic to influence us into giving up our power."
"You can't be serious," She laughed. "You can't be telling me this and expect me to believe you when you killed my mum."
"We didn't kill her," Blackwood said, a serious look appearing on his face. "The Torch Flame of Magic did. Even you know that the use of the Flame is limited, it can only find worthiness of Magic in a person who has been Challenged. She Challenged us privately and we passed, and when it was her turn, she decided to make it a public event to show us that she was worthy."
They told her what her mother had been doing to them, the small amounts of mind control over the lower lords with Magic that wasn't strong enough to fend it off. The deceptions and gaslighting she did with her Magic. The damages she had done to parts of the biological Magic in Europe and England, upsetting balance in places.
No.
They couldn't be telling the truth, could they?
They were the ones to kill her mum.
They were stopping her from taking her rightful place as Crown.
They Challenged her.
Perse's eyes glowed silver for a split second, trying to find the lies and deceptions in their Magic.
There was none.
They told the truth.
Perse swallowed her pride, her anger, her pure disbelief. "And you're scared I'm going to turn out like her."
"Your Magic is volatile because your mother gave you hers," Whitestone stated, tapping a finger against the wood of the table. "It's unstable and prone to being unpredictable. We can't afford to let you take your title as Crown until we know if you're truly worthy of your Magic and your Magic has settled."
"And if I'm not worthy?" Perse hated to think this but she had to know.
The other Crowns looked at each other for a second before turning back to her.
"You don't have to die for your Magic, Persephone," Whitestone continued. "You will not be Crown or Heir for the Greylight, but you would be able to advise your successor even without your Magic."
"And the supposed Redwater?"
"If they're proven to have Blood Magic, they'll be stripped of it," Blackwood said. "Your mother having it was dangerous enough. Even if you are stripped of your Magic, they wouldn't be allowed to keep their gift because of the possibilities of their corruption."
"Who even is the person?" Perse scowled, looking at her nails and changing the topic a little.
"Minthe Vallie, she's a very distant cousin of yours. She's related to the fourth Crown Greylight after the Massacre of the Redwaters."
Perse would have been the sixteenth Crown Greylight after the Massacre, her mother being the fifteenth.
"Persephone," Blackwood said, his gaze softening as he watched Perse become more distant as she thought. "You're not your mother. We've known you since you were born. You're not her so you don't have anything to worry about. We just want to sort the situation out with Minthe Vallie and make sure we don't have a repeat of what your mother tried to do."
Perse blinked back moisture on her eyes, a corner of her lip curling up in a forced smile. "Of course. I know. I'll, uh, see you in a couple weeks."
"Alright, take care of yourself,"
"Yeah, thanks."
The projections of the other Crowns disappeared, leaving her by herself as she sat.
While she was staying still, her Magic was not.
The sky darkened outside with the Magical crackle of fresh and violent lightning, brightening the sky with bolts and thunder until a storm surrounded the school and nearby towns.
The clouds were thick and black, creating a darkness over the once clear night sky. Magic crackled in each molecule of the clouds, vibrating and creating lighting so loud and dangerous that it flashed across miles before the thunder claps shook the ground.
While it was storming, there was no rain. Not even a drop in this dry storm of Magical magnitude as Perse's emotions began to turmoil within her without a release.
Shocks of lighting struck outside, never damaging the ground but still leaving the dangerous presence of Magic that many creatures hid away in their homes. Perse wouldn't allow her Magic to touch the animals or Humans, they'd be safe if they were caught out in the dry storm, safe but scared.
"Perse?"
She turned her gaze from the table to the door, seeing Kanane stand there.
"What?"
Kaname didn't express emotions at her snappy tone. "You're brewing a dry storm again."
"And?" Perse looked at him with an expression devoid of any emotion that would reveal her state. "Nothing wrong with a little Magic in a storm."
"But when your emotions are causing it, there is," He said, walking over to stand next to her chair. "What happened to cause you to lose control?"
"I've not lost control!"
He gave her a leveled look to which she sighed, dropping her shoulder before laying her crossed arms on the table and resting her head on them.
"I just got told that everything I've been fighting for is a lie," She muttered. "My mum is a traitor to Magic and thus she lost her Magic. She's been trying to overtake the Order so she could rule as a single monarch under a single Crown."
"Your mother betrayed Magic and got what she deserved," Kaname said.
"I still have to go through the Trial," She said, an ache in her voice. "And I don't know if I'd get to keep my Magic or not. If I don't, I can still advise my successor but I don't want to do that. I want to rule. I want the best for my people and me being only an advisor will not bring it."
Kaname cautiously placed his hand on her right shoulder in comfort, and for once, Perse accepted it by placing her left hand on top of his.
"You'll get what you deserve, Perse,"
"But I don't know what I deserve."
"Realistically, none of us know what we deserve but we get what is due," He placed a tiny vial in front of her, blood.
She sat up, his hand on her shoulder still as she grabbed the vial and undid it. Placing a tiny drop of the blood on the centre of her palm, she absorbed it instantly.
She was silent for a few moments before she spoke, turning a grim gaze to him.
"Yuki will lose herself," She stated. "If you don't do something about it, her Magic will destroy her."
Kaname frowned, giving a final squeeze to her shoulder before stalking out of the library.