Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story. They are owned by Kore Yamazaki. I just play with her characters. 'No-Magic' is owned by J.K. Rowling.
Author's Notes: It really took me some time to write this chapter as it is plot-heavy and required a lot of planning. Nonetheless, if you are still reading, thank you for patiently waiting! I hope you enjoy reading this! :)
Chapter 12: The True Nature of a Monster
Joseph stood quite a distance, hidden in the trees, in front of the Webster Estate entrance with a sinister smile. It was located in South Oxfordshire, surrounded by vast acres of lands, but out of all the Seven Shields manors he had surveyed, it was the one with the least amount of security. He did not understand why; surely, being part of the Seven Shields demanded the utmost protection and safety, but here its estate was, with its long stretch of iron gates at its entrance guarded only by one sentry, ready and ripe for his plans.
He decided to walk closer to the iron gates, and in an instant, the male guard inside noticed his approach.
"Halt! You are about to enter the Webster Estate. Kindly state your business, boy." The guard declared strictly, eyeing Joseph all over with routine suspicion.
Joseph smirked inwardly at the guard's assumption of his age. No matter how much he hated how he never aged a day older than thirteen, he surmised that it had some use sometimes. He quickly put on an innocent and distressed face, "I'm sorry, sir. I am here for a vacation and got separated from my parents when I went for a walk. I was hoping if you could tell me the directions back to the train station."
"Train station? You're a long way away, boy." The guard scratched his head, but he looked at Joseph once again and decided that the child was not a threat. That was one of his biggest mistakes. "Let's see. Head straight to your right from here for about a kilometer. You'll see a fork in the road. Take the left road and walk again for around five-hundred meters and you'll see a bus stop. Take the bus and tell the conductor to drop you in the train station."
"Thank you, sir. That was very helpful." Joseph beamed with delight and turned his heel. But after walking a few steps, he dropped to his knees on the ground and clutched his chest tightly. Then he let out a groan of pain.
The guard saw this and immediately opened the iron gate to rush to Joseph's side. "Boy! Boy! What's wrong?" Filled with a lot of worry, he crouched to Joseph's level and placed a hand on the boy's back.
And in an instant, Joseph stabbed him through his chest with his dragon arm. The guard didn't even see it coming. He slumped to the ground immediately, dead and gone.
"What's wrong? The fact that you are stupid, I guess." Joseph chuckled darkly and shook his dragon arm to rid it of blood. He looked at the guard's dead body, thinking. "Should I have drained your magical energy? Ah, but you are not a member of Seven Shields. It's only their magical energy I need. Still, I should not leave you lying dead in front of here, should I?"
Joseph looked back at the great Webster mansion behind him, before dragging the guard's body to a more secluded spot inside its premises.
"Well then, I'm off to a good start. Now, the real show begins."
xxxx
Chise and Lian sat at their usual table in the education building cafeteria for lunch. The food today were lasagna and chicken parmigiana, and they were both happy for it for they were craving for something Italian. When they sat at the table though, together with their friends, they couldn't help but feel a heavy feeling of tension in the air. Not just in their table but all around the campus. It was something they noticed since this morning, but they had decided to ignore it. Now though, the air was pregnant and they couldn't help but feel like they were being choked.
"Is there something wrong, Isaac?" Lian asked his childhood friend, Fowler, who was playing with his chicken absentmindedly. They had been together since primary school, and Lian knew him the longest among his friends.
"Y-You haven't heard?" Fowler raised his head towards Lian in surprise. The Scrimgeour boy only returned him a confused look.
"Heard what?"
Fowler looked around for a moment, as if something he was about to say was taboo. "About the House of Webster." He whispered.
"What about them? Has Lucy been troubling you?" Lian cocked his head to the side, wondering what about the Websters that warranted caution in Fowler's manner of speaking.
"They were all killed, two days after the New Year. Well, all except for Lucy. She was staying here at that time." Veronica Rickenbacker answered for Fowler who was back to playing with his chicken. Lian, on the other hand, dropped his fork in shock from the news she shared.
"K-Killed?" Chise repeated in disbelief. No wonder there was something grim in the atmosphere. A whole Seven Shields House killed? Who could've done such a thing?
"Yes, killed. A massacre. Lucy's family's magical energies were drained, and then they were killed. Even the spiders were taken. No one knows the motive." Veronica continued, sharing a look of understanding with her close friend, Philomela Sargent.
"How is Lucy now? Has anyone talked to her?" Lian asked, filled with concern. Though he and Lucy were never really on good terms, he wasn't that heartless as to feel no sympathy towards her current situation.
"Devastated, of course. Anyone would be. Heard she was given an indefinite bereavement leave by the College staff." It was Violet of the St. George twins who spoke up.
"We should go to her then. We should—" Lian stood up from his chair suddenly, ready to leave.
Fowler, though, stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Leave it, Lian. You will only do more damage. You two were never even close in the first place."
"Still, there must be something we can do."
"There is. And that is to be very careful. You know our houses have many enemies, no matter how hard we try to act normal." Veronica turned her eyes to the Scrimgeour boy, all serious and admonishing. "I know you don't keep up with the news of yours, Lian. But if it happened to the Websters, it can happen to any of us. Even my house warns me to be cautious now."
And with that, Lian sat back down on his chair, his clenched fists resting on his lap. The only thing Chise could do as a comfort was to place her hand over his.
xxxx
Elias sat in his usual spot beside Renfred in the conference room of Headmistress Quillyn. Every now and then, he shifted in his seat, unable to get comfortable. Nonetheless, when he looked at everyone in the room, he realized that he wasn't the only one who was listless. He knew that the horrible news that broke out today was on every College staff member's mind.
"Thank you everyone for joining me here in this meeting even though it is in such a short notice." Headmistress Quillyn stated as she addressed the College staff before her. She folded her hands and rested her chin on top of it with a grim expression. Ever since Mikhail's arm was taken, she was already feeling a foreboding premonition about the whole thing. About their seemingly invisible enemy. But having something happen at this magnitude was something she did not foresee. "I'm sure you now have already heard about the tragedy that happened to the House of Webster. What I believe is not known is how it relates to the recent events that happened to us. Professor Renfred, if you could take over?"
Renfred cleared his throat and stood up. All the College staff then turned their gazes on him. "Following the investigation of the crime scenes in the Webster Manor, we have concluded that the perpetrator is the same person who stole the Testament of Carnamagos."
"Why would you say that?" Director Bachaman asked gently, and Renfred could see that the same question was reflected on everyone's eyes.
"As Professor Ainsworth had mentioned regarding the Testament of Carnamagos, the book contains spells on how to drain someone's magical energy. All the Webster victims' magical energies were drained before they were killed. Thus, the connection."
"But what would the killer use the drained magical energy for? And why from a Seven Shields House?" Gideon Liones enquired, and everyone nodded in agreement to his question.
"It is long written in history that the magical energy of a Seven Shields House member is many times more potent than any ordinary Sorcerer. This is because of the purity in their blood stemming from the forefathers of Sorcery." Professor Blake answered confidently as this was his area of expertise.
Renfred nodded his head in acknowledgement, having heard the same rumor before though not being able to confirm it. "As to the purpose of collecting magical energy, we surmised that it must be to do something forbidden, something that would require a high amount of exchange. Like reviving the dead, as it is written in the Testament of Carnamagos, or something else equally sinister."
The whole conference room fell silent at that, as there was nothing they could do but speculate. It was then that Headmistress Quillyn took the reins of the meeting once again. "Now that we are all informed, there is one thing I'd like to run by everyone. Most especially to the middle school faculty. The Survival Camp in Scotland for the middle school students in the final year usually occurs at this time of the year. Should we discontinue it?"
"Of course, Lisa. Included in that batch are the current Seven Shields heirs, why should we risk them harm considering what happened to the House of Webst—" Blake replied almost instantly, yet he was interrupted by Renfred.
"I say we continue." The Advanced Sorcery professor suggested out loud, against all the protests of his colleagues. He waited for everyone's murmurings to die down before he continued to say his mind. "It's the only chance we'll get to catch him. To catch the killer."
"Are you out of your mind? Are you saying to make the other heirs a bait?" Blake countered immediately.
"Yes. It's the only situation in which we have control. For all the other alternatives, we do not have an inch of it. Do you want the killer to murder another whole Seven Shields House? No, I say, we dangle what he wants in front of him and capture him right then and there." Renfred adamantly argued, and the whole conference room was in an uproar again, until Headmistress Quillyn raised her hand to make them all stop.
Even Elias was surprised at Renfred's bold and outrageous suggestion, for the Magus's mind immediately turned to Chise. If the Survival Camp pushed through, she would also be included and caught up in all of this. And he could never bear it if harm ever came to her.
When everyone was calm again, Headmistress Quillyn placed her elbow on the conference table and settled her chin on her hand. For a few seconds she was silent and contemplative, until she faced Renfred with a determined look, seemingly having made up her mind. "I think I agree with you, Mikhail. It is dangerous and risky, but not taking this initiative would be a zero-sum with the loss on our end, nonetheless. I'm sure each of the Seven Shields Houses is on high alert on their own. Having them cooperate once again in this would be really helpful. I will talk to them, maybe even convince them to let them bring their own Protectors, if that would appease them. One thing though, how sure are you that this killer will bite the bait?"
"Because of the Blood Aggregate." Renfred said with certainty. "The theory that if you gather the magical energies of one whole house and pooled them, it will be more potent. That's the reason the killer targeted a whole Seven Shields House. He will think he needs Lucy Webster's magical energy, or else the magical energy he collected from the other Webster members will not compound. Yet what he doesn't know is that he chose the wrong house in the first place. The House of Webster will never reach a Blood Aggregate. Because they sired a No-Magic son, Lucy Webster's exiled brother."
xxxx
Chise suppressed a shiver as a cold wind blew past her. They were now in Scotland for their Survival Camp, huddled together as a group while their professors brief them on the things they should do to survive in the wild. A week before, they were already informed of the plan the College staff had. The whole camp was to be a pretense, at least that was what they were told. They were all to act as bait, most especially the heirs, to catch the killer who stole the Testament of Carnamagos and killed the Webster family. Even the rest of the six Seven Shields Houses agreed to it and sent their Protectors. The whole of their batch were then given self-defense training the week prior, both in physical and magical combat. Chise could still feel the soreness in her muscles that came from it. She winced at the pain as she rotated her right shoulder while listening to Professor Nile Walker.
"So as you may not know, the first steps in surviving in the wild are securing shelter, drinking water, and fire. We've divided you into groups of two, and we'd like you to setup your tent, find drinking water, and build your own fire as a start. Now, let me call on the names who would be partners." Professor Walker announced, and he began calling out the names of the students. The paired students, in turn, walked to the front to gather their tents and other needed materials for their tasks.
Chise looked around her and wondered who she would be paired with. The number of the students who were not yet called began dwindling down. Finally, Professor Walker called out her name, together with Lucy Webster's. Chise's eyes widened in shock, but nonetheless, she walked to the front without her usual timidity. Lucy only looked at her indifferently.
"Tsk. I would have been fine on my own." Lucy sneered disapprovingly, as she eyed Chise from head to toe.
"No one is allowed to be alone here, Ms. Webster. Anyhow, off you go, you two." Professor Walker chided, and the he proceeded to call the names of the next pair of students.
Chise took the initiative to carry the tent, while Lucy wordlessly carried the flint, water bottles, and canned goods. They walked silently for a few meters when Chise finally decided to break the silence.
"Um, where should we set up our tent?" She asked the Webster heir gently.
"The farthest place possible." Lucy answered in a clipped tone.
"Would that place be ok?" Chise pointed to a spot in between some pine trees. It was far enough from the other students' tents, and the trees would make a good cover. Lucy looked at it and nodded her head.
After setting up their tent, the two then gathered sticks and twigs to be used as tinder and firewood. They laid them on the ground, and Lucy handed Chise the flint. Chise then scraped the flint with the steel roughly, but try as she might, she couldn't keep a fire going. Lucy watched this with impatience, and after Chise's third failed attempt, the Webster heir grudgingly took over. This led to Chise drawing drinking water from the nearby river instead.
Chise let out a sigh as she knelt beside the riverbank and filled their water bottles. In truth, she wasn't as bothered by Lucy's somehow hostile attitude as she was before. The Sleigh Beggy mused that the Webster heir was hurting, and that was her way of venting her grief and frustrations. Still, Chise felt like she was being choked by the tension and awkwardness whenever they were together. She just didn't know what to say or do to make their relationship amiable. Lost in her thoughts, she looked around the river and was greatly surprised at what she saw at the far end of the opposite river bank.
There was a fae. A magical creature that had a wolf for a head but with a masculine, human body covered with thick furs. It was holding a fishing rod and was sitting on a rock silently. Chise racked her brain to identify what fae it was. She recalled Elias's lectures regarding the different fae in Scotland and finally found the answer. It was a Wulver, a wolf-like humanoid fae. It was generally harmless if not provoked, and she remembered that Elias mentioned that it was actually one of the friendly fae one would see in Scotland because they sometimes even share the fish they caught with the locals by leaving it on the windowsill of some houses.
The Wulver turned its head towards Chise, and the Sleigh Beggy immediately stopped her movements. She then realized that she was staring, which seemed rude enough even for her. So she looked at the Wulver warmly, smiled gently, and bowed her head to show her respect. The Wulver only looked at her and returned a nod, and then its focus went back to fishing. Relieved in knowing that she had not offended the Wulver and having finished filling their drinking bottles with water, Chise walked back to the camp.
That was when she took in her present surroundings. Almost all of the middle school students in her batch had already set up their tents, with some tending to their own fire and even cooking the canned goods they have. Chise looked at her far right and saw Lian together with Isaac Fowler sitting on the ground in a lotus position. The Scrimgeour heir waved at her, and Chise smiled and waved back. On her left, she saw Veronica Rickenbacker together with Philomela Sargent, calmly fixing their tent. Farther away from them were the St. George twins who looked to be bickering. It could have been a normal camp at first sight, but she knew it wasn't so. Chise's eyes turned to the perimeters of their camp and saw the Protectors and the professors vigilantly standing guard. They were all on watch, waiting to see if an attack will indeed happen as they predicted. Chise wished there wouldn't be any, but then again she knew that she shouldn't be complacent.
A vibration on her pocket caught her attention. She looked at her mobile phone and saw that she had a message from Elias. She clicked the messaging icon and started to read it.
Everything alright?
Chise smiled at his thoughtfulness. She didn't see him all throughout their journey to Scotland for the Survival Camp, but Elias had told her beforehand that he would be there. That somehow eased her anxiety for the whole thing.
All is fine. I was paired with Lucy Webster. Where are you? Are you here now?
Chise typed and sent her message. She looked at the screen and saw an ellipsis under Elias's name. She surmised that he was in the process of typing and sending her his reply. She stood rooted to her spot waiting for it to come.
That sly Renfred. I told him not to do it. Anyway, that is for precaution in case Ms. Webster's magical energy is drained. Since you release magical energy, you being close to her would make her recover faster. I am near the camp now. Just patrolling beyond the perimeters.
Elias sent her this message, but Chise knew that he was still typing and was about to send another one. So she patiently waited before sending back her own reply.
Please be careful, Chise.
The next message for her said. Chise knew that Elias was reminding her of the dangers they would be facing. But she understood that he was equally in danger too, being charged of the task of protecting them. She typed her reply which reflected her worry for him.
You too. Please be safe, Elias.
She sent her message and she saw that there was no longer an ellipsis under his name. Yet an icon on her message box showed that he was able to read it. Feeling reassured that he will heed her words, Chise put her mobile phone back in her pocket and walked back to her tent. When she arrived, Lucy was heating their canned goods on a small cooking pot over the fire. Chise handed her her drinking bottle, and the Webster heir handed the Sleigh Beggy her share of the food without another word. They ate together in silence, yet Chise found that she no longer minded the tension between them, having understood the reason why they were paired together in the first place.
In the evening, after dinner, the professors built a huge bonfire at the center of the camp. All of the students gathered around it, with some even roasting marshmallows and some playing card games. Chise sat beside her usual cafeteria lunch group consisting of Lian, Fowler, Veronica, Philomela, Violet and Jasmine, and Zoey. They were playing some sort of Sorcery puzzle game made of circular wooden blocks. The group already played three rounds, with Lian winning against them all. Though not participating, Chise was happy just watching them, until the Scrimgeour heir decided to invite her to play. He handed her one of the circular wooden puzzles, and she received it with curiosity.
"We used to play this in primary school. You just need to rotate the circular pieces until you find the right combination to unlock it. Your opponent, though, creates the rules made through Sorcery, and you need to uncover them and solve them with your magical energy to disassemble the puzzle. The player who has the best time wins." Lian explained, and Chise once more examined the circular block puzzle she was holding. It was indeed exuding magical energy yet something about it felt like it was locked with chains. If she used her magical energy as a Magus would, what would happen then?
"Want to give it a try first, Chise?" Lian asked as he raised his digital wristwatch, getting himself ready to time the activity. Chise nodded, and after a count of three, Lian started his timer. Yet he didn't have to wait long enough, for just after five seconds, Chise was able to disassemble the puzzle already. Everyone in the group gasped in shock at the phenomenon. It usually took around a minute at best for that to happen. The whole group quickly gathered around Chise, questions of how she did what she did coming out of their mouths. It wasn't long until Professor Nile Walker, who was observing them and was just seated on a log a few paces to their right, made his presence known.
"You used your magical energy like a Magus would instead of solving it through Sorcery, didn't you, Ms. Hatori?" The Magical Creatures professor asked the Sleigh Beggy with a knowing smile. Chise only nodded and blushed in embarrassment at having been caught.
"Like a Magus would?" Lian repeated dumbfoundedly, turning to Professor Nile Walker with questioning eyes.
"Well, I don't know how far you've gone with your Magecraft studies with Professor Ainsworth, guys, but I guess I have to explain. A Sorcerer's magical energy can only operate within certain rules. A Magus's on the other hand has a certain duality. It has a free form which can break the natural laws Sorcery operates in, or in some cases adapt to the very natural laws itself if they wish to." Professor Nile Walker explained, and seeing that the whole of Chise's group was listening to him intently, he continued. "Ms. Hatori here has the magical energy of a Magus. To use an analogy, when you guys solve this Sorcery puzzle, you have to find the right key to unlock it. Ms. Hatori here doesn't have to. She can just easily break the locks through the sheer will of her magical energy."
"Ah, is that why you are so good at Magecraft?" Isaac Fowler wondered out loud to Chise, and the whole group looked like they had an epiphany. Chise could only nod her head and blush again, unused to being the center of everyone's attention. She deemed it lucky enough that Professor Nile Walker did not reveal to her classmates that she was a Sleigh Beggy. That would take a lot more explaining to do.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of Ms. Hatori. In this day and age, Sorcerers are a dying breed, and Magi even more so. I must admit, by being founded by families of Sorcerers, the College's population predominantly consists of them. Yet we still do have Magecraft courses and Magi staff—your Professor Ainsworth being one of them." Professor Walker chided Chise gently upon seeing her uneasiness. And then he addressed the rest of her group, "By the way, have you guys already chosen a learning track for your high school studies? It would be better to think about it as soon as you can rather than decide on something on the spot when the time comes."
And then the conversation with Professor Nile Walker changed into what learning tracks every member of Chise's group would take once they reach high school. One by one they gave their answer, and Professor Walker gave them advice on what subjects to take. For instance, since Fowler came from a family of blacksmiths and wanted to be a Smith, Professor Walker advised that he should take advanced electives on Instruments and Artifice. Veronica Rickenbacker and Philomela Sargent answered that they would like to be Healers, so they were advised to take subjects like Herbology and Healing. Zoey Ivey and Lian Scrimgeour answered that they'd choose the normal Sorcery track. Violet and Jasmine St. George still had not decided yet, both being known for having a knack for Magecraft too, despite coming from a Seven Shields house that were known as 'Hunters of Beasts'.
When it was Chise's turn to answer, she told her group and Professor Walker that she would like to specialize in Magecraft. The Magical Creatures professor then gave her a smile of approval, saying that it was a good choice that suited her. He was explaining to her the different branches of Magecraft subjects she could take, but Chise's focus unintentionally changed towards where Lucy Webster was. She was seated on a log on the very opposite end from their group, and she was staring intently at the flames of the bonfire. And then she suddenly looked up and caught sight of Chise staring at her. The Webster heir only knitted her eyebrows and looked away. Afterwards, she stood up, turned her heel, and headed for their tent. Chise could only watch her retreating form with a worry.
"Ms. Hatori? Is something wrong?" Professor Walker asked, noticing that Chise was no longer listening to him.
"I'm sorry, professor. I think I'll retire for the night." Chise said as an excuse, her mind wandering to Lucy Webster and wanting to know if she was alright.
"Eh? Already, Chise? But we still haven't gotten to the good part." Lian countered in surprise.
"Yeah, we still haven't even shared ghost stories yet. And I have really good ones to tell." Zoey chimed in. The rest of the group let out a cheer of approval at that.
Chise only gave her two friends a weak smile. "I'm sorry, I think I'll pass for now, Zoey. You can tell me tomorrow if you want. I guess… I'm just tired from the trip from London to here." She added the latter, hoping that this was a valid enough reason that they would buy.
The group then relented, and Chise bid them good night and headed towards her tent. When she reached it and entered it, Lucy Webster was sitting on a lotus position on top of her bedroll and glaring at her intensely.
"Are you following me?" The Webster heir hissed at her.
"No, I—"
"Listen, you little bitch. I don't know what they assigned you to do, but I won't have it. We're not friends, and I don't need to be watched. The only reason I agreed to join this stupid camp is to kill the bastard who killed my family, and you can't stop me. Now go ahead, run your mouth to the nearest professor you can find and tell on me. See if I care." Lucy said all her words in one breath, not even letting Chise get a word in. Afterwards, the Webster heir lied down on her bedroll but turned her back against Chise.
This left Chise almost speechless, and the Sleigh Beggy wondered what to say to her. Perhaps it had been more appropriate to give Lucy some space to be alone rather than to follow her to their tent to see if she was ok. Nonetheless, what was done was done. Clearly, the Webster heir wasn't ok if she met Chise with hostility again. "I'm not assigned to watch you, Lucy. I just worry about you. And I just want to be with you to let you know that you are not alone. That's all." Chise managed to say sincerely, though if Lucy was able to hear her, she didn't know. The Webster heir never gave a reaction to what she just said.
Letting out a silent sigh at how hopeless her relationship with Lucy seemed, Chise secured the entrance of their tent with a tent lock. And then, as it had been a habit ever since she received her mobile phone from Elias, she sent him a message bidding him good night. Afterwards, she settled herself on her bedroll to try to get some sleep. Feeling tired for it had been a long day, Chise immediately fell to a deep slumber. Yet she never dreamt of anything. There was only a period of blank, quiet darkness, and then she felt her body being jerked awake suddenly. She sat up instantly from her bedroll and looked around her. Lucy was no longer lying in hers at the other side of the tent, and the tent lock was open. Worried and confused, Chise decided to maneuver herself out of their tent in search of Lucy.
When she was out of the tent, Chise noticed the stillness around the camp. The bonfire was gone, but around the fire pit, torches stood in place. At the perimeters of their camp, Protectors were standing guard. They didn't notice her for they were all facing away from her. All the middle school students of her batch too were inside their respective tents, probably soundly sleeping. Chise wondered what time it was and looked at her watch. It was around 2:49 am. Where could Lucy be at this hour? Noticing that her throat was parched, Chise went back to her tent to get her water bottle and resolved to get water by the river.
On her way there, though, she found Mr. Renfred and Lucy talking by the river, the Sorcery professor looking displeased while the Webster heir was seemingly defiant. Chise hid behind a tree, half of her relieved that she had found Lucy safe and well.
"You said he'd be after me. Where is he now then?" The Webster heir demanded, impatience marring her features.
Renfred only shrugged it off nonchalantly and said, "We don't know. But one thing's for sure is that he will come. You shouldn't be out here. It isn't safe."
"It's me he wants. Shouldn't I parade myself out here even more, so this whole stupid thing would work?"
Renfred sighed at the Webster heir's petulance. There was already a lot on his mind, and he didn't want to deal with her rebellious attitude too. So with a firmer voice, he told her, "We've got it all covered. Go back to your tent, Ms. Webster."
Chise took that as a cue not to eavesdrop anymore. After all, she didn't mean to, she just happened to hear them as she was on her way to the river. Deciding that she didn't need the water that much, she turned her heel and headed back to her tent. Yet she stepped on a twig, and the sound resonated in the silent night.
Renfred immediately caught the sound and with vigilance asked, "Who's there!?" He took out his gun and pointed it quickly at the direction the sound came from.
Chise had no choice but to step out of the shadows of the trees to show herself. Upon seeing her, Renfred immediately placed his gun back to his holster, deeming that it was safe. Lucy though was instantly livid at having seen Chise again.
"You! Do you always have to pry into my business!?" Lucy angrily snarled again and, once she was in a close distance with Chise, shoved the Sleigh Beggy hard.
"Ms. Webster!" Renfred called out and stepped in to act as an arbitrator. He pulled the Webster heir's arm as she was about to shove Chise again.
"I—I was just going to draw some water from the river. I swear, Lucy." Chise explained with as much sincere apology as she could offer. She couldn't help that she overheard Lucy and Mr. Renfred's conversation after all.
"Yeah, right. You know what? To hell with you." Lucy hissed with so much vitriol. And then she walked back to their tent without another word.
"Are you alright, Ms. Hatori?" Renfred asked the Sleigh Beggy who only shrugged. "I know she can be a handful. I'm sorry that I had to pair you together though."
"It's ok. I think I sort of understand why though." Chise answered with a smile. She didn't add anymore that it was Elias who opened her eyes as to why she was in her current situation.
"Do you reall—"
A loud scream pierced through the quiet night around them. It came from the direction of the camp and both Sorcery professor and Sleigh Beggy rushed back to it. There at the northern perimeter was a violent fae, devouring a Protector greedily. It had a large equine body, standing around nine feet tall, with a human torso attached on its back. It also had no skin with black blood clearly running through its exposed sinews and yellow veins. Its human head had a single giant eye burning like a red flame. It exhaled a breath, and an intensely putrid scent wafted around them.
Students ran out of their tents, wondering what the commotion was all about only to be frightened in shock as they saw the mysterious fae. One by one, the Protectors tried to fight it off, keeping it from advancing further into the camp. At a distance, Renfred fired his gun twice but it was to no avail. Elias immediately materialized before him, surprising Chise as she saw him once again in his Naga form.
"Renfred, it's a Nuckelavee! The only thing that will hold it off is freshwater." Elias warned the Sorcery professor who didn't take heed and still fired his gun at the fae. It didn't even scratch its skinless arm, yet it got even angrier and struck the nearest Protector.
"Where the hell were you!?" Renfred screamed his frustration as he watched another Protector get eaten by the Nuckelavee.
"I was at the southern perimeter. Forgive me, I didn't hear it approach." Elias said with a regretful tone.
"It doesn't matter now. Heavens, we're here for the Webster killer and not a fae. Ainsworth, take the students to the other side of the river! We'll create a barrier and contain it here. And then we'll follow you there!" Renfred reloaded his gun quickly. And then at the corner of his eye, he saw Nile Walker casting ice magic at the fae and called out for him. "Nile! The barrier!"
"Already? But aren't we supposed to use that for—"
"Just use it!" Renfred yelled at his colleague.
Chise was in a daze in the whole ordeal until she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Lian's, and she didn't even notice that most of the students were already gathered behind Elias. Though fazed by seeing the Naga form of his professor for the very first time, Lian never expressed it and instead opted to keep a collected demeanor.
"The other side of the river, right, Professor Ainsworth?" Lian confirmed, and Elias nodded his great wolf-skull head, part of him a little self-conscious at his appearance. Lian then turned to the rest of the students, some of them visibly trembling with fear. "You heard our teacher. A Nuckelavee will never cross a freshwater. Now, let's go!" He urged and then he started running towards the river, the rest of the students following close after.
Elias remained at the back of the students, mindful of the possibility that the Nuckelavee would break through Renfred and Nile Walker. Once they reached the riverside, he created a footpath of black vines that connected where they were to the other side of the river bank. The students one by one carefully crossed it to reach the other side safely. Chise and Lucy Webster were the last ones to cross before Elias dispelled his vines and joined them.
Now at the other side of the river and feeling safe from the danger of the Nuckelavee, all the students took their time to catch their breaths. Yet it didn't even take a minute until something was amiss again. One of the students let out a scream, and Elias, coming from the river bank, immediately rushed to its direction. There, before him, was a young teenage boy dressed in a purple suit, a student's body—Veronica Rickenbacker's—clutched tightly by the neck in his dragon fist.
"Faes are so easy to fool, wouldn't you say, Pilum Murialis? Especially here in Scotland, and I never really understood why. Just burn seaweed by the seaside during winter, and you'll get one angry Nuckelavee."
"You…" Elias exhaled a heavy breath, finally understanding the course of events that happened to them all.
"From then on, it was easy dragging the poor fae here cloaked in a camouflage. Wouldn't want you to notice it beforehand after all, would I? And aren't you the most dangerous of them all here?" The teenage boy mocked, and as soon as he saw a flicker of movement in Elias's body, his grip on Veronica Rickenbacker tightened even more. "Don't move! Or I'll snap her neck in two!"
Elias stopped, knowing that the teenage boy would follow through on his threat. The Magus looked at him closely and saw a blurry vision of overlapping human faces. And then Elias finally realized who he was dealing with. "I know you. Cartaphilus." He said in a level tone, though in his Naga form, it came out deep and growling. At the sound of his name, the teenage boy only looked back at the Magus with calculated rage in his eyes. Yet Elias didn't mind it one bit and added, "What are you collecting magical energies for?"
The teenage boy only laughed darkly at Elias's question. "The name's Joseph, little Magus boy. And you seem to think you are in a position to question me." Joseph then glared at Lucy Webster. "A trade is in order. Hand over the last Webster, and I'll let this one go."
"Why you evil piece of shit!" Lucy snarled in anger and motioned towards Joseph, but Elias stopped her by extending his arm.
"Evil?" Joseph spat the word out of his mouth with undisguised mockery.
"Isn't that what you are with what you are doing, Joseph?" Elias asked, calmly stalling for time and waiting for the right moment to execute an attack. He sensed movement behind his towering black form and knew exactly what it would be.
"Ha? You calling me evil? What right do you have, Pilum Murialis? Didn't you eat your master and sucked the life out of her for your own surviv—"
"Veronica, close your eyes!" Someone shouted, and Elias immediately crouched to the ground to reveal Zoey Ivey behind him. The middle school student was in Gorgon form and all of the snakes in his head fixed a stare at Joseph who immediately became paralyzed by his attack. Lian then threw a dagger at Joseph's dragon arm, stabbing it and making him let go of his hold of Veronica. The Rickenbacker heir then scrambled to her feet and hurriedly ran to Elias's direction, the Magus summoning a barricade of thorns to keep Joseph from chasing after her just in time when Ivey's paralysis became undone.
"Why you damn kids!" Joseph screamed his frustration. He took the dagger out of his bleeding dragon arm, the pain reminding him to collect himself. He then took a deep breath, thinking of his next move. "Things just don't go the way you planned, doesn't it? Oh, well. I guess it has to come to this." He uttered to no one, smiling to himself once again.
Elias wasted no time in transforming to his own fiercest Chimera form. Shadows and black thorny vines danced and engulfed him, and his physique grew even larger. The fish tail in his Naga form disappeared and was then replaced by two strong lower limbs with large claws. His forearms too lengthened, and the fangs on his skeletal head sharpened even more. He stood at a height of thirteen feet, and he growled at Joseph.
"Eh? So you can still transform. Isn't this the form you used when you fought my Manticore?" Joseph wondered out loud, not even perturbed by Elias's inhuman transformation. It was as if it was something common he would see every day. "But that fight was only one on one, and you ended up almost dead. I wonder, Pilum Murialis, how would you fare if it is three on one?" He flicked his wrist and without delay, three Spider Chimeras appeared behind him.
It was Lucy who gasped in shock as she saw the Chimeras Joseph summoned. Each of them was a composite made of the dismembered body parts of her family members and of the spiders they keep and use for their craft. They were large, standing at around ten feet, and had eight legs and eight arms, each upper limb bearing a scythe. The first two Spider Chimeras had the heads of Lucy's mother and father, while the other one had her uncle's. The Webster heir unintentionally fell down to her knees, grief and anger mixing together in her chest. Joseph only laughed at her anguish.
"Oh, they put up a fight, but it wasn't enough if you ask me. Don't worry, I put their deaths into good use. This is what you call recycling, little Webster." He mocked Lucy as he caressed the body of one of the Spider Chimeras, the one with the Webster heir's mother's head. It inclined its head towards him, as if pleased by his affection. And then without another word, Joseph commanded them to attack Elias.
Elias braced himself for the attack. He blocked the advance of one Spider Chimera with a blockade of his thorns but another sliced him deeply at the side. Yet he paid no mind at the pain and opened his skeletal mouth wide to tear the limbs of the one in front of him. The other Spider Chimera on his right then stabbed him with two of its scythes. He let out a wail of pain. Still, he kept biting on the one in front of him, deeming that it would be better to take one down that to attack them all alternately.
The middle school students watched at how their Magecraft professor struggled to fight the three Spider Chimeras. Most of them were frightened with fear, whether because of their inhuman professor or the Spider Chimeras, no one could tell. But Lian had had enough of just watching their professor struggle to fight. He turned to Lucy and Chise. "Chise, take Lucy and run from here!" Then the Scrimgeour heir turned to his other classmates. "The rest, come on! Are we just going to stand here and watch Professor Ainsworth die for us? Aren't we Sorcerers? I say we fight too!"
Fowler threw a key towards Lian, and upon catching it with his hand, it turned to a large axe. He was about to run towards where Professor Ainsworth was when Lucy stopped him.
"I'm fighting too!" The Webster heir insisted, a hand on Lian's arm.
"Lucy, if he gets a hold of you, then it's all over. Think of it this way, your fight is to not let him take you. So, please run!" Lian advised her, hoping that she would understand. Though they were never on good terms, he would never want harm to come to Lucy too.
It took a moment, but Lucy finally acceded. She squeezed Lian's arm and said, "Make him pay." The Scrimgeour heir only nodded, and then, together with Fowler, Ivey, Veronica, and the St. George twins, rushed to Professor Ainsworth's side to help him.
Chise then grabbed Lucy's hand and they both made their escape. Joseph, however, noticed it and commanded one of his Spider Chimeras to follow after them. Elias tried to block it from going after Chise and Lucy with another barricade of his thorny vines, but it jumped high enough to elude them, and then both of the remaining Spider Chimeras attacked him once again. Knowing that they were being chased, Chise urged Lucy to run faster. They reached the riverside, and there Chise spotted the Wulver she had seen when she was drawing drinking water that afternoon.
"Please, help us!" Chise pleaded to the fae. It only looked at her curiously and didn't even make a move. Lucy was about to say that it would be futile when Chise entreated more sincerely one more time. "I'm begging you, help us!"
The Wulver then dropped its fishing rod and stood at a full height of around ten feet, claws extended and fangs bared. It looked at farther beyond Chise's direction and noticed the Spider Chimera making their way towards them. "Sleigh beggy… need help." It muttered to himself and then charged at the Spider Chimera with its jaws open.
Discerning that they had another chance to escape, Chise and Lucy ran again along the river bank. But this time it was Joseph himself in front of them that made them stop their tracks.
"Going somewhere?" He sneered at them, and then he flashed his dragon arm. "It's a good thing I made everyone busy, right? Tell you what, I'd give you a deal. I won't kill them if you hand over the last Webster."
"You! Why won't you stop? Why are you doing this?" This time, it was Chise's eyes that were filled with fury. She let go of Lucy's hand, and she felt magical energy rising up inside her, manifesting into balls of fire around her.
"To end my suffering. Not that I'd expect you to understand, little Magus girl." Joseph answered so confidently with a dark chuckle, not even afraid of Chise's rising magic.
"Then let me end your suffering now." Renfred said calmly behind Joseph's back. And then he shot the teenage boy at the back of the head with his gun. Joseph immediately fell unceremoniously to the ground, seemingly dead and lifeless. Renfred turned to the two girls who gave a deep sigh of relief upon seeing their Sorcery professor and what transpired between them. "I put a spell on the bullet. There is no way he could recover from that. Anyway, I'm sorry it took me some time to get here. The Nuckelavee put up quite a fight. Are you two hurt?"
The two girls both shook their heads, no longer able to form words because of what just took place before them. Renfred noticed their shocked faces and he patted each of their heads with his one hand. "Come, let's all go to where Ainsworth is."
They all made their way to where Elias and the rest of the middle school students were, and as they walked by the riverside, Chise saw the Wulver again, standing tall amidst the torn limbs and body of a Spider Chimera. The Sleigh Beggy gave it a smile and mouthed a 'thank you'. It nodded its wolf-head and went back to the jutting rock in the river and resumed fishing. When they reached Elias, Chise saw that he was badly injured. Large gashes and wounds can be seen all over his black body. He was lying on the ground in his Chimera form, and most of the students were gathered around him, with Veronica Rickenbacker doing what little she could to heal him.
Renfred immediately crouched beside the Magus. Elias's eyes opened upon sensing his warden. "Thank you for telling me through your telepathy that it was Cartaphilus. He's dead. I shot him in the head, Ainsworth. You can rest easy now."
Elias could only weakly nod, and then his eyes closed. One of the middle school students placed a hand on Renfred's shoulder. It was the Scrimgeour heir. "He protected all of us, professor. He'll still live, right?"
"Yes. He's badly injured, but he'll liv—"
"Oh, what pain! The brain is a fascinating thing, isn't it? I always found it the hardest to regenerate." Joseph announced before them. He stood a little farther before Renfred's group, and all their heads turned to his direction with shock. He had purple tendrils growing out of the empty socket of his eye that it seemed like he was a walking dead.
"You!" Renfred exclaimed, immediately drawing his gun and pointing it at the teenage boy.
"Now, now, little Sorcerer boy. Don't be so hasty. I no longer have minions I could make you fight with, and you know you can't kill me with your gun. I guess we have reached what we call a stalemate." Joseph said and tilted his head to the side.
"So, you're giving up?" Renfred asked, still vigilantly holding his gun and finding what Joseph said incredulous.
Joseph nodded with a smile. "When you reach my age, little boy, you will learn to give up easily. Until next time then."
Renfred pursed his lips at the last words of Cartaphilus. The Sorcery professor understood then that cursed Sorcerer will still continue to pursue Lucy Webster. So, he thought of finally putting a stop to it. "You won't reach a Blood Aggregate through the Webster's magical energies. They're not a purely magic-enriched house. They have a No-Magic son."
"Well, if that's true or not, I realized that I want something better. Thank you for telling me though. Maybe you should've told me before I slaughtered them, but, oh well." Joseph shrugged and then he vanished instantly from their sight.
It was only then that Renfred was able to lower his gun. And all the middle school students finally let out a cry of relief and anguish after all the things they went through that night.
xxxx
Chise opened her eyes and found herself back in Rahab's cabin again. So she was in a memory again, though how she got here seemed a little fuzzy to her as it had been quite a long time since she was in one. Nonetheless, she felt a sense of nostalgia as she looked around her. She was in the same study with bookshelves brimming with books surrounding her and two desks at the opposite ends. Elias was sitting on his chair behind his own, and Rahab was standing close next to him. Yet there was something different. Elias was without his normal attire of black trousers, white dress shirt, and black vest. He was wearing a black, one-piece clothing that covered him from his shoulders down to his ankles. Around his neck, there was a thick, gray cloth that seemed to be like fleece.
"Clothing?" He asked Rahab and tilted his head to the side.
"Hm-hm. Do you have any preferences?" Rahab asked gently, placing a hand at his back and touching the black, one-piece clothing he wore. It looked very thin and worn out, and she gave a concerned look.
"I must admit, I never thought about it. Does my current appearance offend people?"
"Well, not to me, of course. But there may be a time when you want to blend in in human society."
"Ah, thus the need for garments? Because humans wear them?" Elias concluded out loud, his crimson eyes filled with wonder and innocence.
Rahab nodded and smiled at him, happy that he was complying. She placed a men's fashion magazine on top of his desk. "Choose something you'd like, and I'll make them for you."
"Make?" Elias repeated, finding the word odd.
It was Rahab's turn to place both her hands on her waist in jest, pretending to be a little offended. "What, didn't I tell you I could sew? And my hands are itching to make something. Indulge this old Mage's hobby, will you?"
"Hmm." Elias flipped a page of the magazine, scanning the clothing the male models wore one by one. There was one page where the men were wearing white dress shirts, brown trousers, and black suspenders. It didn't seem appealing to him, so he turned another page. This time, he looked at it closely, and then he tilted his head upwards with eyes closed. Chise surmised that he was imagining something.
"Have you chosen something?" Rahab put a hand on his shoulder, and Elias's eyes opened and turned to her.
"This?" He pointed at the picture of a man wearing black trousers and a white oxford shirt topped with a black vest.
Rahab gave him another smile, "Good choice! I believe you'll look absolutely dashing in that. Now let's start getting your measurements."
Chise watched as Rahab urged Elias to stand. The Magus Master then took a measuring tape, a pencil, and a sheet of paper from her desk. Afterwards, she took Elias's measurements while he asked questions on what she was doing from time to time. Rahab kindly answered and gave her explanations. Chise mused that this was how Elias probably began to learn how to sew. But as always, the scene before her began to distort and warp. The Sleigh Beggy was being swallowed up by darkness again, and she heard the same loud cry as she had before.
"NO!—"
Chise woke up with a force that set her back straight. She looked at her surroundings, and found that she was in the College's infirmary, sitting on a chair beside Elias's bed, with Elias already sitting upright and looking at her curiously.
"When I woke, you were sound asleep. I didn't think it right to wake you." The Magus said scratching the top of his wolf-skull head. Chise only gave him a wide smile, happy that he was alive and seemed well.
"How are you feeling?" She asked, reaching out to brush his skeletal jaw. Elias's eyes immediately closed, relishing her touch.
"My wounds don't hurt and just feel numb. My memory is foggy though. I only remember falling unconscious with Renfred beside me."
"Alexandra stitched your wounds and treated them with medicine. You were badly injured by fighting the Spider Chimeras of Cartaphilus. When Mr. Renfred and we came to you, you were already almost unconscious. He pushed you to go back to your refined wolf-skull form before you completely passed out. And then he transported you here with his transportation device."
"How long was I passed out? Is there anyone else who was hurt?" Elias asked, feeling an urgent need to know if there were any casualties from what the College planned.
"Around two days I think. I heard there were Protectors who died fighting the Nuckelavee, but none died from the staff of the College itself."
"I see." He gave a sigh of relief. Considering the fiasco that their trap for the Webster killer had been, he deemed the outcome enough of a good fortune for no one on their end was dead. They now knew who their enemy was: a boy named Joseph who seemed to have melded with Cartaphilus. He shivered at the thought of what the cursed Sorcerer would do next.
"Elias?" Chise softly called out, knocking Elias out of his train of thought. She gave him a warm smile and said, "Thank you for protecting us all."
"It's nothing. I—" Elias shook his head and happened to look at his side table where he saw a bunch of get-well-soon cards and bouquets of roses and poppies on top of it. He turned to Chise with an amused look. "You sure are giving me lots of gifts this time."
"Oh, they're not from me. They're from other students."
"Other students?" Elias reached for the biggest card on the side table. It was from his own Magecraft class in the middle school. He looked at it and read what was written there. Veronica Rickenbacker was thanking him for not letting Cartaphilus get to her when she hurriedly ran towards him after she got free of his hold. Lian Scrimgeour was commending his courage and bravery for fighting three Spider Chimeras. Zoey Ivey told him that he was cool and he 'rocks', beside a rough sketch of his fiercest Chimera form. The St. George twins said he was an 'awesome' Magus. Finally, Fowler thanked him for protecting them and commented that he'll fight beside him again should the need ever arise.
Elias felt something indescribable well up inside him as he read what his students wrote. It was like getting a lungful of spring's freshest air after being enclosed alone and inside for so long; or like eating a mouthful of a hearty soup during a cold winter's night. He wanted to know what this new emotion was. So, he turned to Chise and knew that he should ask her.
"Elias?" Chise noticed his gaze at her, feeling concerned because his hand was trembling when he was reading the card, and his crimson eyes now became somehow misty. "Are you… crying?"
"Chise… I don't know what I'm feeling." He confessed weakly and tilted his head upwards, both his jaws agape. He knew he was feeling something pleasant, but why he was driven to the point of crying was unknown to him. He didn't even know he could cry. Was it all because of the fact that his students thanked him for something he never expected to be thanked for?
Chise only reached out for his hand and squeezed it, "Tell me, and I'll teach you."
xxxx
Joseph stared at the vessel where he contained the magical energies he collected from the Webster's. It was a large, glass container, and the magical energies inside it swirled in various hues of green. Earlier, he did an experiment to confirm if what Renfred told him about the Blood Aggregate of the Websters was true. It took him a bit of effort, but suffice it to say, what the Sorcery professor said was not a lie.
It won't do though. For what he was planning—to transfer his curse of immortality to someone else—he needed more magical energy. Where would he get them? Should he slaughter another Seven Shields house? No, these houses would surely be on red alert after what happened in Scotland. Should he poach more dragons then? They seemed to be creatures with high magical energy, and he could use their body parts to meld them to himself. But then again, the Dragon Keeper already knew of his modus operandi for poaching. And it would be tougher to trick him this time.
No, he needed something more. Something that was easy to obtain but had a high return. And then he remembered again what it was. A Sleigh Beggy. Someone with an inexhaustible supply of magical energy. Yes, that was right. That redhead with green eyes. Joseph heard the Wulver whisper that she was one. It wasn't a wonder that it obeyed her request to help their escape when Wulvers were so indifferent by nature.
Joseph gleefully clapped his hands. Yes, now he knew what his next move would be. He had to have her. That Sleigh Beggy. And he would gladly milk all her magical energy until she was dead and dried. All to stop his seemingly endless suffering.
All to be free from his curse of being unable to die.
xxxx
Additional Notes: As I was writing this, I realized I made an oversight on my part. I named Rahab's fictional husband 'Isaac' when there is another character named 'Isaac' (Fowler) in the story—he's a real character in the manga. I just completely forgot about it. I would like to edit the previous chapters and change Rahab's fictional husband's name, though I don't know if I still can. If someone can tell me if there's a way, that would be great. Anyway, in this chapter and the next ones, I'll just refer to Isaac Fowler as Fowler. Sorry for that.
A Wulver is really a mythological creature from the folklore of Scotland. It is a wolf-like humanoid that likes to fish by the river. If you have read the manga, you would know that I changed the fae Chise's group encountered in their Scotland trip from an Each-uisge to a Wulver. All because a Wulver is more likely to come to Chise's aid. The Nuckelavee stayed as it is though.
AL-AB93, BlueNachturne: Thank you for still faithfully reviewing every chapter. I hope you had fun reading this one too! :)