Chapter 25: Preparations.

Akko was surrounded by darkness; infinite black smoke as far as she could see in every direction. She heard noises in the distance, and saw blurry figures in the darkness, but… no matter what she did, she couldn't make out any details, or hear anything coherent out of those sounds.

Suddenly, a spotlight appeared on the distance, and it was… a tree? Not just any tree either; as she got closer, she noticed the trunk was enormous in diameter, and even more impressive in height. Though the most striking feature, were the pink… leaves? No. Flowers. A cherry blossom tree?

Where was she? She didn't remember having seen anything like that before, and yet… it felt familiar somehow. It was calling to her, beckoning her to touch it. And so, she reached out with her hand…

"Akko. Wake up."

Had… had the tree just spoken?

"Wake up."

Wake… up? Was this a dream?

"Akko!"

Akko startled awake upon hearing Diana's angry voice yelling at her. So, it wasn't a tree, huh? That made sense. She yawned and rubbed her eyes before finally trying to open them… only to be met with the bright light of the sun instead of the usual soft glow of the lamps. Huh. Had Diana forgotten to wake her up? And on such an important day, no less?

"Akko!" Finally, Akko's eyes landed on the blonde as she blinked away the sleepiness that still remained in her, noticing Diana didn't seem to be mad at her, or even in a hurry; she looked more… Eager for her wake up. Well… that was even weirder than the talking tree.

"Uhm… hi?" Is all Akko could manage so soon after waking up.

"Akko." She smiled. "Finally! I've been trying to wake you up for ages!"

"Yeah… it's quite late, isn't it?" She smiled sheepishly.

"Fortunately for you, we're not going to train today. Or else I wouldn't be so calm right now." She remarked.

"We're… not?" Oh yeah, now that she remembered, Diana had said something like that the previous day. "But we still have to get ready, right?"

"Yes." She smiled mysteriously. "And I also have a surprise for you. Hurry up; I'll meet you for breakfast when you're ready."

She didn't have to tell her twice. Akko loved surprises! And she had a good idea of what it was too. So, as soon as Diana was out of the room, she started getting dressed and ready for the challenging day she had ahead. She didn't even know what she was supposed to wear, so she just put on the first pair of jeans she found and an orange shirt before pretty much rushing out of her room and towards the dining room… only to bump into someone just before she could make it inside, falling down on her butt because of the impact.

"Oof!" She rubbed her head and looked up, finding Diana rubbing her own chin as well, with a pained expression on her face.

"Akko!" She chastised her. "You have to be more careful next time."

"Sorry… I was just too excited, you know?" She smiled sheepishly as Diana tended her a hand and helped her up. "What's my surprise?" The other girl sighed but presented her with a wooden box anyways. It had intricate carvings in it too, lined with gold, and… was it her imagination or did they represent the shiny rod? Albeit in an abstract style.

With trembling hands, Akko slowly lifted the lid and revealed its insides, lined with red velvet fabric, upon which sat a… a wand. But it was truly unlike any wand she'd even seen; a dark metal that seemed to reflect light like a mirror, carved in a spiral shape that reminded her of the unicorn horn that was the symbol of the Cavendish. And… the handle was made out of the same red wood than the box, and had two thin strips of gold lining on each extreme.

"I know you said you didn't want gold, but it will help you with your control over the spells, and it's not as ostentatious like this, I think." Diana answered before Akko could even ask. "The spiral shape should also allow you to focus your magic better, and the wooden handle is meant to give it a better grip."

"For the nine!" Akko's eyes were open wide. "I… I don't even know what to say! This is… it's my wand? My own wand?"

"Made out of the lunar tear as requested." Diana nodded. "One of the most powerful wands I've ever had the pleasure to see in person."

"I… see." Akko passed her fingers through the cold metal and felt chills run down her body. This almost didn't feel real!

"Still, I recommend you keep your mother's wand as well… at least until we find her." Diana spoke. "It's always wise to have a backup."

"Thank you!" Without thinking, Akko hugged the other girl tightly, but Diana could only tense noticeably and try to stutter something. Before she could reciprocate the hug, Akko pulled away and gave her a bright smile, while Diana simply blushed. Damn! She sure was shy when it came to physical contact, huh?

"Y-you're… you're welcome." She looked away.

"Hey, lovebirds!" In that moment Amanda arrived and messed up Akko's hair with her hand, much to the other girl's annoyance.

"Hey!" She got away from her and pouted. "We're not lovebirds! She was just giving me a new wand."

"Is that what they call it these days?" She snorted, but Akko simply stared at her dumbfounded.

"What…?"

"If you're quite done making immature jokes, Akko and I have actual important things to do." Diana said, ushering Akko towards the dining room's door.

"What? Flirt- ow!"

And with a satisfied smile, Diana closed the door on Amanda's face.

"Diana… you really don't have to do this." Akko was blushing as Diana closely examined her attire and fixed whatever wrinkles only she could see on the white coat.

"It's imperative that you're presentable if you're going to see Lady Beatrix tonight." She simply answered as she brushed a strand of her behind the other girl's ear, which made Akko all kinds of embarrassed… or at least she thought it was embarrassment. Why else would her cheeks turn as red as a ripe tomato?

"You've done more than enough preparing me! Especially since I'm your rival and all…" At her words, Diana sighed and finally took a step back, looking intently at her eyes.

"It's important that you have a fair chance at being chosen." She spoke carefully. "I don't believe Beatrix would approve of an unfair competition."

"Is that why you've been training me so much?" She asked. She couldn't help feeling… disappointed.

"At first…" She admitted, looking off towards the window of her room. "But… I also do want you to find your mother. I know how it feels to lose someone so close to your heart." As it always happened every time she was reminded of her own mother, Diana's gaze turned sad, and Akko didn't like that.

"Hey... uhm... I'm sure your mother would be proud of who you are now. And… she'd probably want you to be chosen in this ceremony and become the head of the Cavendish."

"Yeah…" She frowned. "I think so too."

"But…?" There was definitely a but there, and it didn't seem Diana was eager to disclose it.

"Only one of us can be chosen. And since meeting Beatrix could help save you mother…" She trailed off, uncomfortable. "I do want to help you, but…." She let out a long sigh; it was clear she'd thought a lot about this and had found no solution yet.

"Yeah, but… can't this ceremony take place once every solstice? Surely if I'm chosen you can just wait another six months, right?"

"Akko." Diana looked pointedly at her. "To become head of the Cavendish there's two ceremonies I have to complete." She explained. "First the initiation, to be recognized as a member of this family. Then the Oath, to become head. The former can take place once every solstice, but the later… it can only happen during a Venus eclipse. That's in four months, and then once again eight years from now. I can't wait that long."

"Oh." Akko took a moment to process this new information. Had Diana explained this before? She felt like was something she would have mentioned earlier, but she really had no recollection of it. In any case, it certainly explained her dedication when it came to this ceremony. Well… sort of.

"Why? Can't your aunt be head during that time? Surely it'd be better if you had at least finished school before going through the ceremony." She couldn't help asking.

"Yeah… my aunt… she's not the best option to lead our family." She tried to say it as politely as possible, but it still seemed to sound rude to her, because she cringed at her own words. "I'm not trying to be mean, it's just… you saw what happened with the blood witch! Whether she knew about her or not, it's a bad look for her. And not only that; she has always been vain, self-centered, and has no interest in using her magic except for personal gain. That's not what our family stands for!"

"I see…" She really didn't, since well, her only family was her mom, so she couldn't really understand such things as family traditions and legacy, but she could still try. "You're healers, right? Guess that's why you shouldn't be selfish."

"It's more than that, Akko." Diana sighed, apparently frustrated. But it was obvious that frustration wasn't aimed towards the other girl, but to her aunt. "We have healed people for thousands of years, yes, but we did so without asking for more than they could afford, and during a time when modern medicine just didn't exist. Not only that; my family has developed spells to heal the land; plants, animals… all kinds of creatures. Whenever we can help, we do. That's what we stand for; affection. That's what Beatrix wanted for us."

She was getting quite worked up about this, and… was she trying to hold back tears? Her eyes were getting kinda wet… And if there was something Akko hated, was seeing her friends sad.

"Diana…"

"I've always wanted to be like them." Diana continued; her voice breaking with emotion. "Like my mom, and Beatrix and all my ancestors… I want to keep our legacy alive, and… I won't let my aunt taint it." She closed her eyes, probably aware that she was about to cry, trying to stop her own tears, and clenched her fists. "But… I also want to help you. Not because it's what a Cavendish would do, or because you saved my life, but because I… you've become… important… for me." She hesitated as she said that last part, and finally opened her eyes to look at Akko in a shy way that was so unusual of her. "So, you see… I'm conflicted." She concluded.

Akko didn't quite know what to say at this point. She wanted to reassure her, and say that everything would be fine, but she had no idea about how this ceremony worked, beyond what she'd been told about being tested so that Beatrix would choose one of them to give her blessing to. And… well, she did want Diana to be chosen, but surely there was a reason her mom had wanted her to pass this test, right? So…

"I'm conflicted too." She chuckled, and then went to take Diana's hand in her own as a reassuring gesture. "But… I believe at this point it's beyond our control, right? So, let's just do our best and hope things turn out well for the both of us."

Diana looked at their joined hands for a moment and then looked up at Akko with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Akko." She gently squeezed her hand. "You're very kind. I have no doubt that, if Beatrix chooses you, her blessing will be in good hands."

"Ah… thanks?" She still didn't know what the blessing would even do for her, but sure. "And… same. To you." The other girl simply chuckled at her awkward attempt to give back the compliment to her.

"Come on, we should get going. It's almost time."

The entrance to the ceremony was under the Cavendish mansion; they had to descend a large set of spiral stairs, illuminating the way only with the tip of their wands and the candle that Anna, who was leading the way, was holding. It was a quiet descent, as dictated by tradition, but by the time they reached the bottom, Akko was getting uneasy.

"It's… a bit cold here, isn't it?" She shivered as she looked around the wide corridor they'd just entered. It was large and humid, with a smell of fungus and moss. And dark. Very dark, extending a large distance in front of them, and also behind. Akko couldn't shake off the sensation that something was going to jump out at them at any given second.

"I can cast a warming spell if you want." Diana answered.

"No… it's not that cold. I just… I can't help but feel like there's something down here."

"I feel it too." Diana answered, which didn't help calm nervousness at all. "This ancient enclosure is said to be home to many spirits and magical creatures, so I'm not surprised."

"Don't scare me like that!" Akko protested, but even she flinched when her loud voice resonated though the hallway.

"My apologies."

"Please be quiet." Anna said. "We're almost there."

Indeed, just a few seconds later the light of the candle illuminated a massive stone door carved with the design of what seemed to be the abstract face of a unicorn. The symbol of the Cavendish. As they got closer, Akko could also see an inscription in lunar runes, but she couldn't really read it.

"Cavendish, prove you're ready to take my power, as only the worthy will be chosen." Diana read out loud. "Only members of my family have ever set foot beyond this point. You'll be the first outsider." She then turned to Akko. The other girl could only gulp; this seemed way too ominous.

"Please excuse my impertinence, Lady Diana, but that's incorrect." Anna interfered. "She will be the second one."

"Who was the first?" Akko asked, although she had a feeling about what the answer would be.

"A peculiar girl with red hair and red eyes."

"My mom." Anna nodded to confirm her suspicions.

"She entered alone, however. And never trained with Lady Bernadette. I never knew what was the result of her expedition."

"I see." So that meant that there really was a reason her mother wanted her to complete this trial, beyond her own reasons to meet Beatrix… although she had brought the prophecy to see if she could get it translated. In any case, now she was more determined to go in and find out what her mother wanted her to get from all of this.

"Let's not waste more time then." Diana spoke, and then raised her wand, pointing towards the doors as she pronounced a spell. Instantly, the doors opened just a crack, revealing even more darkness on the other side, and cold air that hit Akko's face and made her shiver. But this didn't deter her. Her mom had done this, and she could too.

"Alright… let's go."

And so, the two girls entered the chambers side by side, but once they had passed through the gates, the doors closed firmly behind them.

A/N: I know, I know, another short chapter. But still, considering what's coming I didn't have much choice, and I hope y'all like it anyways. Thanks for reading! And please leave a review/follow/favorite if you want to support me. See you soon!

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.