Yawning in one hand, I stretch out my back, waiting for whatever we're here for to start.
The early morning air makes it slightly chilly outside, especially considering we've had to stand still for quite some time, myself mixed in with a number of other students, waiting as to the reason of this sudden and early call to class. However, it's not just the students that are here.
Professor Finnalin stands in front of the student body, having been waiting as students continue to trickle in. Behind her are a number of teachers, many of which I don't recognize, myself never having a class with them.
There is one teacher that I can name though.
Faralda stands at Finnalin's side, noticing that, like me, she's currently yawning into a hand.
Perhaps she didn't get much sleep last night either.
Seeing that all the students have now arrived, Professor Finnalin begins, clearing her throat to command our attention.
"Today, you will put your skills to the test. As you all know, this school is built nearby to the Forest of Arcturus. Today's assignment will be to go into the forest, find a hidden treasure, and retrieve it. The rarer the item your team retrieves, the higher score your team gets. Furthermore, there are wild monsters roaming around the forest, so please watch your step."
Overall, this is something that I've been looking forward too.
After weeks of helping prepare for a school parade, one that wasn't even assigned to me to begin with, spending Christmas break in Italy with Diana, and surviving for several days on an island full of monsters, returning to class has never felt so refreshing.
But still, I can't help but find this assignment all too familiar…
"Didn't we do this in The Labyrinth last semester?" Sucy questions with a deadpan expression, sharing a similar thought to my own.
"Yes." Ms. Finnalin answers the young witch with a head nod. "There are a total of two exams for artifact retrieving, the first one you had last semester. Now that you've hopefully improved your skills over the course of the year, we believe that you are all ready for the second exam. The second exam is more advanced than the last, as the forest itself is more dangerous than the labyrinth. Because of the additional dangers, we are taking additional precautions. Not only will staff be on site to intervene if need be, but Professor Faralda has volunteered herself to patrol the forest itself. If you need any assistance, simply seek her out."
"That's right, ladies…and gentleman." Faralda speaks, ensuring I'm included in her speech as she scans the crowd of students, hands on her hips as she speaks confidently. "I've got all your backs. I can turn even the toughest of monsters into a pile of ashes with one wand flick, as easy as lighting a barbecue. I would advise not crossing wands with me, I happen to be the greatest duelist in Luna Nova's history."
Professor Finnalin grimaces at her younger associate, shaking her head in disappointment, quickly regaining herself as she faces us.
"Now, does anyone have any further questions?"
"What if a giant dragon attacks us like last time?" One of the students asks.
I hear Diana exhale from her nose, obviously reliving her past mistake.
I think that's the question on most peoples' minds, and for good reason.
Even if it was settled with no serious injuries to anymore, it was quite the incident. Happening so early on, it really did set the mood for what schooling in Luna Nova had to offer.
"I wouldn't worry about that." The elder teacher responds. "With Professor Faralda ready at a moment's notice, any such threat will be quickly expelled. She may be untraditional, but her destruction magic is much to be admired."
Professor Finnalin's throat tightens upon uttering the last sentence, as if uncomfortable giving her any credit.
"That's right." The destruction magic teacher smirks, her ego massaged.
"Wait…" Another student interjects. "If Professor Faralda can do that, then why didn't she take out the dragon when it was attacking us?"
That's a fair question.
Surely someone of her skills would have been an asset in taking out the dragon. Even if the dragon seemed to feed on magical energy, perhaps the addition of Faralda may have changed things.
Everyone's attention turns towards the professor in question, awaiting an explanation from her.
Not the least bit discomforted with all eyes on her, Faralda smile still holds, crossing her arms in confidence as she states as a matter of fact
"I had a hangover."
A few sniggers arise from the students, Finnalin's brow growing even tenser by this information passed so casually.
I'm surprised Finnalin doesn't chew her out on the spot.
Putting this aside, there still is one problem, one which has been with me since the moment I enrolled in this school, one that only applies to me out of all students.
"What about me, Professor?" I begin, raising my hand to get her attention. "I don't really have a group to go to."
I remember during our Magicus Synthesis alchemy lab, I team up with Diana's group due to the same reason. I assume it'll go the same way, but I'd like to make sure first, especially if were about to enter this supposedly dangerous forest.
"Ah yes, you don't…" Finnalin trails off, pondering to herself. "Well, due to the additional dangers of this exam, it will be forbidden for you to go alone. I would advise joining a preexisting team of likeminded peers."
Nodding at her answer, I already have a group in mind to join.
Although joining Akko's group does appeal to me on a number of reasons, there is one other group, one which holds supreme in my mind for more than one case.
Diana's group, my girlfriend's group.
Although Diana and I are well suited with one another, there are two outliers which will need to be addressed, Hannah and Barbara.
My relationship with those two is complicated at best, and outright hostile at worst.
Usually I would want nothing to do with the two, and interact with them as little as possible, but I'm feeling different today.
I recall what Diana discussed during the party in the courtyard.
Maybe giving those two a chance won't be so bad. It couldn't hurt to try, especially if we can find some way to get along. That would be great.
With this in mind, I walk over to Diana, both of us smiling at my decision.
It really wasn't all that hard to decide.
Seeing that my question has now been answered, Finnalin returns to addressing the entire student body present.
"Your exam begins now, use everything you've learned so far. Good luck to you all."
With that, most of the students fan out in multiple directions, while I notice Akko, Lotte, and Sucy remain.
They approach, Akko's face a mix of aghast disbelief and slight annoyance.
Placing her hands on her hips, she shows no issue in voicing her annoyance openly.
"Ted, your joining Diana's group?!"
Before I can respond, Diana decides to do it for me.
"Yes, he is."
Akko opens her mouth to say something, perhaps to even begin yet another argument, but stops.
Perhaps Akko's thinking about the conversation she and Diana shared during the party. I know that's been on my mind.
Really, after all the bickering, all the passive aggressiveness shown by both sides over the entire school year, we witnessed the first real act of solidarity between the two. Although it was brief, I do hope it sets a precedent.
"Ok, you four have fun…" Akko gives in, twiddling her thumbs together. "Good luck to you, Ted, and you too...Diana..."
Akko's face clenches as she mutters Diana's name, as if the very act of saying it without following up with an insult were against her code.
Wishing Diana well is definitely not something Akko is used to.
Diana nods at this, replying with
"You as well, Akko."
"Good luck, Theodore!" Lotte beams, breaking the cold tension with her warming smile. "Stay safe out there!"
Honestly, if Diana, Lotte and I were in the same group, I would not complain in the slightest.
"You too, Lotte." I turn to Sucy, who's characteristically quiet, teasing her by saying "Make sure to keep an eye on them, Sucy."
Rather than respond, Sucy looks at me with a blank expression, as if saying 'not my problem'.
With that, the three of them join our fellow students, disappearing into the forest, leaving me alone with Diana and her group.
I turn to the blonde, figuring we better get started.
"So, are we ready to go?" I ask her.
"Almost."
Before I have time to ask her what she needs, she wraps one of her hands around my own, pulling me a little closer.
"There we go, now I'm ready." She speaks softly, a slim smile on her face.
Even in this cold spring morning, the warmth from Diana's affection is enough to make it feel like a summer day.
I feel my face grow slightly flustered by this display, only adding to the warm around us.
However, whatever warm feelings that linger in the air are no more, plummeted by a cold question from Hannah.
"Ugh, you're in our group now?"
"You'll just slow us down." Barbara adds, a hand on her hip.
The exam has barely started, and they already want nothing to do with me.
This is going to be a lot harder than I thought.
Quickly picking up on the growing tension in the air, I hear Diana exhale breathe deeply though her nose, a scowl growing on her face as she begins to speak.
"Children, please-"
Her scolding is cut short as I give her hand a little squeeze.
She glances at me, slightly surprised by my course of actions, emphasized by a brow raise.
She probably wasn't expecting me to take it in stride. Given how I reacted to those tomato throwing children during the parade, I'll admit I'm a tad surprised as well.
I really don't want to cause confrontation already, not only for the sake of our exam, but more importantly to not sour any relations. I don't want to create conflict between Diana and her two friends. I'll try and put up with it.
As if reading my mind, Diana nods at me, knowing full well what I wish.
I return her nod, before looking back to Hannah and Barbara.
"I'll try and keep up." I tell them.
With that, Diana and I walk into the forest, Hannah and Barbara close behind.
Scoffing at this, Hannah responds with
"Well, even if you're here, at least we have Diana with us!"
"Yup!" Barbara nods at her friend. "We can't fail when she's around."
"Come now." She responds to the two's praises. "I'm sure the both of you can endure the forest, regardless of my presence."
"Well, as long as we don't run into any more bulls, I'd say we're unstoppable!" Hannah jokes, herself and her black haired friend giggling.
"Bulls?" I question, glancing at Diana.
"We encountered one in the labyrinth, a Minotaur to be more specific." Diana informs me, her face growing a bit sour. "I'll admit, it was a tough fight. Akko's group joined, and Sucy defeated it with an especially strong potion. There's no doubt that girl has a talent in alchemy."
Yeah, Sucy really comes into her own as an expert in the craft.
Lotte is an expert with spirits, Faralda is an expert in destruction magic, and Sucy is an expert in alchemy. Diana is a jack of all trades, a master of all, and as for me? I think I'm getting along fine.
"I fought a Cyclops in the labyrinth." I recall, adding relation to Diana's discomfort. "That thing almost got me too, really did some damage. Luckily, Sucy had left her satchel behind, and I used one of her restoration potions."
Upon hearing this, Diana chuckles.
"Well, I suppose she saved both of us."
"I suppose so." She agrees.
There still is something that I wish to ask her, something that's been on my mind ever since I witnessed it.
"And what of Akko?" I bring up. "I'll admit, it really was a big shock what happened during the party. One would think you hated her."
"I never really hated her." She responds, a weary look on her face as she contemplates Akko. "I just find her very annoying."
Chuckling at this honest response, I respond with
"I think we can all find Akko annoying at times."
Diana's face brightens up, smiling at my statement.
With her mind now clearer, her expression becomes focused, now fully attentive to the situation at hand.
For Diana, this is graded exam time, no time to be schmoozing around.
"We may be able to cover more ground if we space ourselves apart."
"You mean, like splitting up?" Hannah questions.
"Yeah." Barbara contemplates. "That never goes well."
It's weird to say, but I find myself agreeing with the two.
Splitting up in a dangerous forest, one which even Professor Finnalin warned us about, doesn't seem like the best of ideas.
"No, not splitting up, just spread out a few feet." Diana explains. "The more clustered we are, the more likely we'd miss an object. And with Theodore making us a group of four, we have an advantage to the other groups in this regard."
Hannah and Barbara nod at this, seeing her point.
While I can agree with Diana's suggestion, there still is one flaw in it.
"Does that mean we're not going to hold hands anymore?" I ask, doing my best to playfully fake an upset tone.
While I may not exactly be hurt by this, the thought of having to break our hand holding does sadden me slightly.
Diana smirks at me, seeing right through my façade, finding it amusing.
Removing her hand from my own, she places it on my shoulder, saying reassuringly
"Just for a moment."
I nod.
I suppose getting a good grade on a large assignment such as this should take priority.
As Hannah, Barbara, and Diana fan out, I keep my eyes on the blonde, ensuring her safety as she moves several feet away.
Not noticing my leering, Diana's eyes scan the forest floor, searching for any valuables it may contain.
Being assured that Diana will stay in sight, I glance my eyes across the floor, searching for anything of worth.
I really don't see much, nothing outside the usual rocks and dirt.
At least in The Labyrinth, treasure was fairly easy to find. Plain stone walls and flooring made it easy to pick out a glittering jewel or some sort of weapon. But in here, there are so many rocks and logs, so many nooks and crannies, treasure hunting is made an even harder task than it already is. And that's not even taking into account the monsters in the forest.
It might take hours before we find something
"Look, I found something!" I hear.
I stand corrected.
Looking over, I see Hannah holding up a collection of what looks to be egg shaped pieces of coal, or perhaps burnt wood.
I've seen those things before.
"Oooh." Barbara's eyes light up at her friend's find. "What is that?"
"I dunno." Hannah shrugs.
"Oh, those are Smoke Weepers. It's an ingredient used in potions and rituals." I inform the two, recalling what Bruno told me awhile ago. "I wouldn't take them, though. They might be rare in most parts of the world, but not here. I doubt they would hold much value in the eyes of our professor."
Rather than respond to my information with gratitude, Hannah instead shoots me a glare, seemingly insulted.
"Ha, and what do you even know about value?"
"Yeah, you wouldn't know value if it hit you in your big nose." Barbara adds.
I bite my lip as a sigh heavily to myself, furrowing my brow, and pinching the brim of my 'big nose'.
Fighting a Roman god is one thing, asking Diana out is another, escaping an island full of monsters is something entirely else, but biting my tongue while Hannah and Barbara nip at my legs like Chihuahuas?
I might have reached my limit.
With perfect timing, Diana walks up to us, done with her own search, unaware of our current conversation.
"Have you three found something?"
"Yeah, look!" Hannah exclaims, waiting with bated breath for Diana's approval as she holds out her find. "Barbara and I found Smoke Weepers!"
"Hmm…" Diana's face grows more serious as she contemplates their find. "No, I don't believe that'll do. Smoke Weepers may be rare in most parts of the world, but not here. I doubt they would hold much value in the eyes of our professor."
As if by the flick of a switch, Hannah smoothly throws the items behind her back, dusting her hands off.
"Oh wow, I never even thought about that!" She exclaims with a smile. "Good thing we have you with us!"
"Yeah, you're so right, Diana!" Barbara adds.
Seeing those two change perspectives at the drop of a hat, my mouth drops into a frown, holding out my hands in exasperation.
"That's literally what I just-"
A sharp scowl from the duo ends my complaint before I can finish it.
I exhale from my nose, not wishing to have a confrontation with the two in front of Diana.
I'd hate for their relationship to be in jeopardy because of conflict between myself and those two. It's not worth it.
Seeing my submission, Hannah and Barbara turn their backs to me, chuckling to each other as they continue their search.
Diana looks to me, seeking an explanation to my current state of thought.
"I'm trying my hardest, it's just…" I can't help but trail off.
It seems like no matter what I do, I'm just slamming my face into a wall. No matter how hard I try, I just keep doing the exact same thing, over and over again, and expecting something to change.
Is this the definition of insanity?
"That's all I could ever ask of you, Theodore." Diana comforts me. "It means a lot to me that you're trying, even if we aren't getting the results we desire."
I sigh, walking in silence as we follow Hannah and Barbara.
Really, I imagined that I would have to do something to set them off first, even if it were a minor thing. I didn't expect those two to go off on me at the start without proper justification. I was hoping that as long as I remained friendly, things would go semi okay, but it appears that I'll just have to try harder.
I inwardly groan to myself as I come to this revelation. It's not like being nice to these two girls is going to be easy for me, far from it.
Well, as long as it means a lot to Diana.
"Are you sure it's not fake?" Hannah asks, still pushing the subject. "Or at least altered in any way?"
I roll my eyes at her question. I really don't find this as interesting she does.
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Are you positive?" Barbara asks, herself and Hannah bearing identical smirks. "After all, a student might've cast some metamorphose magic on you while you were sleeping."
"Nope. It's been like this since before I came to Luna Nova."
Really, it's always been rather large. People stare and ask me how I can deal with something so large and cumbersome. It's just something I've had my entire life. Having a large one is just as normal to me as someone have a regular sized one.
"I'm just saying, your nose is massive." Hannah declares, flashing a wide grin, taking clear joy in her statement.
"Yeah, if it were any bigger, we might mistake it for a giant banana slug!" Barbara adds.
"You know, you're not the first to make that comparison." I inform them, recalling what Beef Mc Whatnow once told me awhile ago.
Upon hearing this, Hannah and Barbara both burst into hysterical laughter, clutching to their sides as they guffaw, gasping for air.
Sighing to myself, Diana glances at me in a comforting manner, slightly embarrassed by her two friends' actions.
I return her glance, shrugging my shoulders.
Hey, I've dealt with worse at my time here in Luna Nova. Hannah and Barbara laughing over my enlarged body part is just a drop in the pool of struggles I've had to face since coming here.
Suddenly, Hannah stops laughing, Barbara soon following as she notices her comrade's turn to seriousness.
"What is it?" Diana asks, myself also curious.
Following Hannah's gaze, the three of us notice something in the dense brush.
A small twinkle, a reflection of light, a tell tale sign of something metal, perhaps an artifact.
"Ooooh…" Hannah is the first to react as she runs up to it. "That's got to be valuable!"
Pulling it out of the brush, she dusts it off, showing us.
It's a small hand held mirror, seemingly made of silver, adorned ornately with etching and designs.
I do agree with the two, that mirror does look like it's worth something.
"Why, hello, beautiful…" Hannah smiles, admiring herself in the mirror as she plays with her hair.
"I think this mirror really shows our good side." Barbara adds, also being lost in her own reflection.
"Yeah, good find!" I call out to the two, smiling as I flash them a thumbs up.
Hannah simply huffs at my remark, stomping her foot.
"Yeah, whatever!"
"We don't need your approval!" Barbara agrees, sass in plain sight.
Slapping myself in the face, I give a glance towards Diana for reassurance, trying to suppress my annoyance in the two.
I could really use some help from her right about now, any guidance or intervention would be greatly appreciated.
Tensing her brow, Diana exhales through her nose, getting ready to say something.
However, before any words can be uttered, a heavy roar echoes throughout the trees, causing all of us to jump.
"What was that?!" Hannah exclaims, losing all of her confidence as both her and Barbara dart their heads around like frightened rabbits.
Diana and I glance around the woods, completely forgetting about my issues with the two girls.
The professor did say there were plenty of monsters around here, in fact, some of them being worse than those in the labyrinth.
Each step grows louder and louder as it approaches. The thing pokes its head up from the tree line, and I really don't know what I'm looking at.
I can only describe it as a creature that resembles a gigantic rooster with a snake tail and two large leathery wings.
It twists its neck, eyes glaring at us as its beak hovers mere feet above our heads.
"What is that?!" Hannah and Barbara both cry out, clinging to each other in fright.
"A giant chicken?!" I scream in surprise.
"A cockatrice!" Diana exclaims, correcting me.
On instinct, Diana whips her wand out, firing a destruction spell towards its direction.
The spell makes contact, having little effect, the cockatrice making a clucking sound, as if more surprised than pained by Diana's attack.
Following her lead, I bare my own wand, summoning a bolt of lightning, striking the cockatrice in the neck with precision.
It doesn't even bat an eye, completely uncaring.
Seeing our spells having little to no effect on the creature, Hannah and Barbara give one last shriek, disappearing from sight as they run away.
Well, I can't say I blame them…
Not at all effected by her comrades' flee, Diana's focus remains squarely on the monster in front of us, herself charging up another magical spell.
"Come now, Theodore. We can destroy this creature!"
With that, she launches another fireball, far more powerful and larger than anything I could hope to conjure up.
Once again, Diana's spell simply bounces off the creature, not even affecting the feathers.
If Diana can't even pierce its hide, then what hope do I have? She's so much stronger than me, I doubt even our combined powers would do much.
I look towards Diana, visible frustration on her face as she continues the fight, and then towards the cockatrice, seemingly unaffected by everything "The Pride of Luna Nova" has dished out.
Processing all this information, I can only come to one conclusion.
We stand no chance.
With this thought in mind, one new conclusion takes over the other.
I need to get Diana out of here.
"No, Diana…" I tell her grabbing hold of her sleeve.
"Theodore?" She questions. "What are you-"
The rest of her words are cut off as I tug her away.
"We have to go!"
Sprinting as fast as my Italian genes will allow, I am determined to get us to safety, holding her hand as the two of us continue to run through the forest, the cockatrice not far behind.
Despite the dangerous situation at hand, I manage to catch a glance towards Diana, her face slightly glum, obviously not pleased with the choice I've made for us.
Even when we're running away from a giant chicken, seemingly invincible to both Diana and I's attacks, I can't help but comfort my girlfriend.
"If I learned anything from Filicudi, it's that it's sometimes better to cut and run. You getting hurt isn't worth it."
Diana weakly nods to herself, not exactly pleased, but still running nonetheless.
"Running away…" She muses to herself, clearly displeased. "This behavior is ill fitting of a Cavendish…"
I grimace towards her, forcing a smile as I say
"It'll be our little secret."
The four of us continue to run, a clearing coming into sight, and not just that, but someone in the clearing.
Recognizing that striking red hair anywhere, we quicken our pace, breaking into an all out sprint.
"Faralda!" Hannah and Barbara scream as they run. "Professor Faralda! Help us!"
With the two of them screaming as we break into the clearing, Faralda has no trouble noticing our arrival.
"I heard you children screaming." Faralda comments, hands in her pockets as she shows no fear. "What is it?"
"A-A-A monster!" Hannah and Barbara both blurt out, clinging to each other in fright.
Not understanding, the teacher turns towards Diana for a further explanation.
"Professor, it's a cockatrice." She elaborates, her composure as calm and sharp as usual, perhaps trying to steer attention off of herself running away.
Rather than respond with worry like I expected, Faralda's eyes glow with excitement.
"Oooh, a cockatrice?" She smirks to herself, cupping her chin in her hand as she thinks. "Those giant rooster things that can turn you to stone just by breathing?"
"Yes!" Hannah and Barbara both shout out, the very mention of its abilities shattering their already well shaken nerves.
"And they can breathe fire too, right?" Faralda continues with a smile, obviously taking pleasure of their fearful state. "And I believe their feathers contain a very deadly, rare poison. You don't want to touch that."
"YES!" Both of them scream to the heavens, grabbing each others' shaking hands as they attempt to soothe each other. "PLEASE, FARALDA! STOP TALKING AND SAVE US!"
Any further poking from Faralda ends before it begins, as a great roar comes from the forest, shaking the very trees.
Turning to face the noise, Faralda steps forward, her back to us, hands on her hips.
"Let's turn this into a teaching lesson." She suggests, turning her neck to face us. "Which spell should I use to dispatch the creature?"
"What?!" Hannah screams out, balling her fists in fear as her face grows white.
"Professor, this is no time for a lesson!" Barbara adds. "Kill that thing!"
Another ear splitting screech comes from the forest, closer this time, reminding us that the cockatrice is heading right for us.
"Sounds like we got thirty seconds until it gets here." She addresses the two, smiling in the direction of the noise. "Unless you want us to be turned into stone, I would advise coming up with an answer."
The professor's confident face slips momentarily, as she thinks to herself.
"Except for you, Diana." She adds, her confident face returning. "No offense, but you most likely have the correct answer already. Let's let the other three decide."
Diana responds with a simple nod, understanding to the professor's terms.
Barbara is the first to blurt out an answer, most likely the first thing that came to mind.
"T-Th-The Nullification spell!"
"Yeah, good idea!" Hannah nods to her friend's recommendation. "That's a powerful spell!"
Those two are petrified enough with fear, we don't even need the cockatrice's breath. Serves those two right for earlier. If this weren't a life or death moment, I'd probably be laughing.
"Nope, can't do it without a second witch, and I'd much rather take it out on my own." She simply responds, not showing any reaction to her students' fear. "What else?"
"Belga Vida?" I decide to add my own two cents in.
If I remember right, it's a very powerful spell.
"Wrong again." Faralda shakes her head, the cockatrice's roar even closer. "You use that to counter someone else's magical spell. It absorbs the energy of their attack, and redirects it back to them. The cockatrice can't cast spells. Take a second to think, and answer my question. What else?"
A brief moment of silence passes.
It would have been a moment of sheer quiet, if not for the pounding of my heart and the ever growing sound of the cockatrice's footsteps, us five now being able to feel vibration in the ground.
I bite my lip as my own nerves start to falter. Just give us the answer already!
Seeing that we're all out of suggestions, the destruction magic teacher sighs to herself, shaking her head once again.
"That's it, you kids need to study more." She declares in disappointment, before quickly recovering her bravado. "The answer to this monster is the heat blast spell…"
Faralda's lips curl into a smile as she utters the spell's incantation.
"Murowa."
Now, Diana decides to speak up.
"Murowa?" She questions, with a furrowed brow. "Professor Faralda, not to question your authority, but Murowa is a lesser spell, used to harm or kill weaker creatures. Murowa is far too weak of a spell to use against a cockatrice."
Unaffected by Luna Nova's prized pupil's remarks, Faralda's smirk transforms into a sadistic grin, reminding me of Sucy.
"Maybe for you…"
With that whisper, the cockatrice explodes out of the forest, the once large and imposing trees being knocked over like kindling.
It stands tall, craning its head downwards, glaring at us with giant eyes, beak opening as it readies a toxic blast right at us.
With one last squeal coming from the duo, Hannah and Barbara faint on the spot, collapsing on the ground in a heap.
Not giving those two any mind, Faralda points her wand at the creature towering above, muttering the spell.
"Murowa…"
A flash of light.
That's all we see, a flash of light.
Blinding, brighter and more blinding than the summer sun, with more fire and fury than an active volcano.
Burying my eyes into my arm sleeve only provides basic protection, even with my eyes closed as tight as can be. I hear a sizzling, burning sound, perhaps the spell making impact, and then nothing. All I can hear is silence, the spell's brightness growing faint. Perhaps it's already over.
Removing my face from the protection, I squint through the haze, my eyes still recovering from the spell's brightness.
And what remains?
Nothing, no cockatrice, no feathers, not even bones. Only a smoldering pile of ash, the only evidence of the once feared cockatrice, too much even for the likes of Diana, slowly but surely being scattered by the spring winds.
"Faralda, you did it!" Hannah and Barbara both exclaim, returning to their feet as they jump with joy.
"That's right." She responds rather coolly, her calm attitude in stark contrast to the duo's excitement and relief.
While the two girls continue to celebrate, Diana steps forward.
"Thank you, Professor Faralda." The blonde bows to her respectfully. "We appreciate your duty in keeping the students safe."
"Yeah, thank you, Faralda." I add. "That was really something."
The teacher coughs into one hand before waving away our praises.
"No problem, that's why I'm here."
And with that, Diana takes her leave, beginning to walk out of the clearing, taking the mirror which we found.
I raise my brow at her behavior, asking
"Where are you going, Diana?"
"Well, I'd hate for our adventure to all be for not." She comments with a smile. "I'll be taking our retrieved item back to the professors for credit."
"Oh yeah, I forgot…" I sheepishly grin, rubbing the back of my head.
Good thing Diana remembered that, the recent excitement made me completely forget. Oh Diana, even after facing near death with a giant, stone breathing chicken, school is still on her mind.
"See you in our next class." She smiles at me, giving a quick peck on the cheek goodbye.
Whatever cohesive thoughts I once had now turns into a pile of mush.
"Uh…uh…yeah…"
Diana giggles at this obvious effect, waving a goodbye as she walks off.
"G-goodbye…"
As those words slip from my mouth, I give into my emotions, my face drooping, overcome with ecstasy.
It's hard to believe one kiss on the cheek can do this to me. Either I'm in love, or she must've put a jinx on her lips.
As I continue to revel in this small act of affection, I can't help but feel something burning.
I notice Hannah and Barbara, both glaring at me, their eyes lit up like flames.
Yeah, that must've been what I felt.
"What?" I question, shrugging my shoulders at the two.
"What?" Hannah parrots me in a mocking tone, before suddenly lashing out. "What were you doing?!"
"Saying goodbye to my girlfriend?" I guess.
Really, those two are always annoyed by something.
"No, not that!" Hannah fires back. "I mean earlier!"
"Yeah, you were running away with your tail between your legs!" Barbara adds, scowling at me.
I'm really lost.
"But that's what you two were doing." I point out.
"That's beside the point!" Hannah snaps back, stomping her foot. "You've somehow become Diana's boyfriend! Aren't you supposed to be her 'protector' or something, keep her safe from harm, help her?!"
Is that what they're angry about? Because I decided it was better to run away before we got hurt rather than try and be some kind of white knight in shining armor?
"There's no way we could've taken on that cockatrice." I explain to the two. "Not even Diana could make a dent in that monster. I did keep her safe. Taking out that cockatrice was not worth the risk if Diana got hurt in the process."
I pause for a moment, collection my thoughts.
"And besides, it all worked out, didn't it?" I come to the conclusion, holding my hands out to them in peace. "We found Faralda, she took care of it quickly, and none of us got hurt. I'm just glad that my girlfriend…and friends are safe."
I struggle with those last few words, not sounding nearly as convincing as I'd like to be.
They both furrow their brow at my statement, not believing it either.
"Don't think we're friends…" Hannah informs me, scowling. "Just because you're dating Diana."
"Yeah, we're about as far from that as you can get." Barbara tells me, a slight smirk growing on her face as she continues. "Even if you tried your hardest today to please us."
"What do you mean?"
"Theodore, we're not idiots." Hannah informs me, no longer yelling at me, but not exactly calm either. "We see what you've been trying to do this whole time, trying to get on our good side. I hate to break it to you, but that's not going to happen."
Barbara nods at this, saying
"Before you, it was Diana and the two of us, and we got along just fine. Now that you're with her, it's like half of her mind is on you."
I raise a brow at this, saying the first thing that comes to mind.
"Are you two jealous?"
Hannah's face turns into a similar color as her hair, offended by my question.
Maybe I shouldn't have asked that.
"No, we're pissed! If you weren't so close to Diana, we'd show you how pissed we can get!"
"Yeah!" Barbara adds. "You're lucky we're so good at keeping our cool!"
If this is their version of keeping their cool, I'd hate to see what their version of losing it is.
I'll admit, I'm getting pretty close to losing my cool as well.
I want to yell and scream, return their anger towards me in kind, whether that be with words, or perhaps even with a few vengeful spells.
That's what I may have done before, but now that I'm dating Diana, I'd imagine getting into a duel with her two close friends would do more harm than good, and I'm honestly not quite sure if I could win fighting them both at the same time.
I bite my tongue, digging my nails into my palm; clench my teeth together, all pacifying behaviors as I attempt to suppress the negative emotions burning my nerves.
Rather than respond with anger, blind rage, and savage action, I crane my neck down, looking towards the floor in submission.
I really don't want to escalate this situation more than it already is. I just want them to go away.
With that, the two of them take their leave, sniggering to themselves as they no doubt are further insulting me.
Not able to keep it in anymore, I let out a weary sigh, falling back as I lean against one of the trees.
I close my eyes, attempting to forget about the two, what was said, the emotions and anger that came not just from them, but also what I held back in myself.
It doesn't work.
Damn, and just when I thought life at Luna Nova was returning to normal. But I suppose, what is normal in a magic academy?
Ever since my first day here, it's always been like that.
Akko accidentally setting fire to the dorms before the first day of school even started, a dragon breaking out of the labyrinth, fighting a Roman god hell bent on world domination, kids from town assaulting us with tomatoes, and the school facing a near financial collapse, just to name a few things.
All of those problems seemed to matter so much in the moment, but now they're resolved, gone but surely not forgotten.
Worrying about a Roman God or the school's financial collapse may have been on my mind then, but now I can only think of Hannah and Barbara, two close friends of Diana, two people who very much disapprove of me.
From a matter of life or death to one of romance and love, life just gives me one blow after another…
"Hey Ted, are you doing anything after school today?"
This sudden question breaks me out of my mental state.
Opening my eyes, I see Faralda standing in front of me, reminding me that she never left.
Attempting to mask my inner conflict, I clear my throat, getting my back off the tree, as I face her.
"No, I don't believe so." I tell her. "Why?"
There's no way she didn't hear what just went down. With the way Hannah and Barbara were screaming, I'd imagine all of England must know.
"Come and see me after school." She responds. "I'll be sitting on the benches by the Jennifer the Witch statue in the courtyard."
"Why?"
"Let's have a talk." She simply says.
Before I have time to respond, Faralda turns her back, wordlessly walking away, leaving me alone in the clearing.
Author's Note: And there we go, as promised three chapters to make up for lost time. I'm pleased to say that the next chapter is already in production, with 1000 words already written.
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