Chapter 36: Preparations.
"Croix! Croix!" I call my best friend as I run towards her, people getting out of the way in an attempt to not get run down by me. I honestly think they're used to it by now. Croix, on the other hand, stares at me with wide eyes, like she can't quite believe I'm here. And I mean, I don't blame her. The last time she saw me was yesterday morning, and I was a complete, sobbing wreck.
"Ch-Chariot?" She stutters out when I tackle her into a bear hug. I just beam at her not releasing my grip on her midsection, too happy for what I'm going to tell her. "Did… did something happen?"
"Oh, you have no idea." I chuckle. "But I gotta go to class now, and then I'll have to talk with Karen and Amelia, and Enid, and Anaid… Plus, I want to show you, rather than tell you, so… meet me at the North Campus around eight?"
"Okay?" She says, unsure. "You're not doing something reckless, are you?"
"I'm already expelled." I shrug. Weirdly enough, I don't feel so bad about that anymore. I feel powerful, and elated, and full of energy. Like a new leaf has been turned. Me leaving Luna Nova isn't an ending; it's a beginning.
"Chariot." She warns me.
"Fine." I roll my eyes. "I'm not doing anything reckless… before I talk to you about it."
"I can live with that." She shrugs, finally smiling down at me. One of those tiny smiles that are barely noticeable, but with how close we are, I can see it clearly. And it's beautiful.
"Good." I finally let go of her. "8 pm. Don't forget." And with that, I'm off, trying not to be late for my first class.
"So… you'll help me?" I ask the twins as I finish telling them my crazy plan for Samhain festival.
"Of course! It's like the last big prank we'll get to do together." Enid smiles mischievously.
"Consider it our goodbye gift." Anaid adds.
"Great! Thanks." I exclaim excitedly. I mean, I never doubted my friends would help me, but it's reassuring to know they'll be at my side no matter what.
But then I catch a look at the clock and curse internally. I'm already ten minutes late for Magic Languages! And I know it doesn't really matter, but I do want to make the most of my last days at the academy, even if that means going to classes.
"Uhm… I have to go, but I'll let you know the whole plan as soon as I have it, okay?" I say, already running off to my classroom.
"Okay!" The twins wave at me, huge smiles on their faces; obviously relieved I'm acting like myself again.
"That… I mean… it's not the worst idea you've ever had, but…" Karen trails off, looking at Amelia for help, who's sitting next to her at the cafeteria.
"You do realize the teachers hate your shows, right?" Amelia finishes for her.
"It's not like they can extra-expel me." I shrug. "Look, all I want is your support. If Finnelan gets too mad, I'll just take all the blame; you can say I forced you to help me or something."
Karen makes a face, but Amelia actually smiles.
"I'll help you. It's the least I can do after you've been such a good roommate."
"Tolerable would be a better word." Karen corrects her. "But, I mean, we're teammates. We're supposed to help each other anyways, so…" She shrugs, like it's not a big deal, with her stiff and cold attitude. Yet, I can see she's relieved to see me being so much more upbeat than yesterday, evident in the fact she didn't threaten to tell Finnelan about my plans, or something. She's actually gonna help me, which is a relief.
Now there's just one more thing to do before the festival. Well… two, actually.
"Arcas! Arcas, it's me!" I say as I enter the North Campus, holding a big piece of meat with my hands. I stole it from the kitchen earlier, figuring it'd make this little meeting go more smoothly.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alcor, who is perched on my shoulder, asks. His feathers are ruffled, and he's visibly nervous about this whole thing. "Arcas may be a descendant of the guardian of the fountain, but I have never gotten along with bears."
"Oh, come on. Arcas is just a big ball of fluff! And he's like my best friend in the entire world!" I answer, eager to introduce my two animal companions to each other.
"No, he's not. That would be Croix." Alcor deadpans. Yikes, I keep forgetting he can read my thoughts. Stupid bird.
"He's still my oldest friend." I retort. "So if you're going to be my familiar, you're gonna have to meet him and get along with him, whether you like it or not." I huff, stopping at the entrance of the building to search for Arcas with my eyes, but he's nowhere to be seen. Weird. He usually comes greet me right away, so maybe he's asleep? But the sun is still in the sky!
Suddenly, a loud road behind me makes me jump out of my skin, while Alcor flies up from my shoulder, cowering in fear as he regards the polar bear that scared us. When I turn around I see that, effectively, Arcas was the one who roared at us, and I'm instantly relieved it's not some vicious monster instead.
"Arcas!" I exclaim excitedly as I go hug him, but he remains as rigid as a rock, staring at Alcor with furious eyes, so I decide to give him his food, hoping it'll help calming him down. "Look at what I brought to you: it's dragon steak, your favorite! Well, it's not actually dragon steak, it's just flavored that way, because you know the school doesn't have enough money to buy dragon meat, but, you know, it's good enough. I guess." I ramble, holding the piece of meat in front of his face. Yet he just ignores it, his eyes focused on my new familiar as he roars again, so loud and so close to me that I have to cover my ears with my hands so I don't get deaf.
"Looks like your friend here isn't just a cute fluff ball." Alcor remarks, obviously mad at me. I groan. This isn't going as planned at all.
"Okay." I drop the steak to the ground, realizing I should just get to the point. "Arcas, I want you to meet Alcor. He's my new familiar." I say pointing to the crow.
Unlike what I was hoping, Arcas just roars louder and tries to attack my bird, so I instinctively place myself between them and raise my hands, effectively preventing one from hurting the other. Stupid bear! What's going on with him today? Normally he's pretty friendly.
"He's jealous!" Alcor answers, flying a bit higher when Arcas swipes a paw in his general direction. "He was your only familiar until now, and he doesn't like the competition!"
"Arcas isn't my familiar, he's the guardian of the fountain." I respond, now having to physically hold the giant polar bear down with my bare hands. I guess all that training is paying off then… though maybe not as much as I'd like to. I don't know how much longer I'll resist.
"He can be both." Is Alcor's answer. "I can feel it, thanks to our connection. It is always the animal who chooses the witch, and Arcas chose you the day he saved you at these very ruins!"
When Arcas starts fighting more fiercely against my grip, I grit my teeth as I feel my muscles get sore and start to give in. In other circumstances I'd be thrilled to hear Arcas is actually my familiar, and that I was probably the youngest witch to get one in centuries, but this isn't really helping my current situation, is it?
"Great. And how do I deal with a jealous giant polar bear?!" I yell, irritated.
"This is why witches normally don't have more than one familiar." Alcor sighs.
In that very moment, Arcas finally breaks out of my grasp with a particularly hard shake, sending me flying to the ground as he jumps, trying to trap Alcor within his massive paws. I shake my head, trying to get my bearings, and I wince when I feel a couple of bruises on my back. Then, I turn to look at my familiars, being very concerned for Alcor. Now, normally a crow wouldn't have a problem evading a polar bear out in the open, but in the tiny space of the North Campus ruins where there are plenty of obstacles that impede the bird's maneuverability? Yeah, the odds aren't exactly on his favor.
I need to get them outside! Or else Alcor won't last long.
"Alcor!" I yell as I get up, jumping and waving my hands to get their attention. "Follow me!" I start running as fast as I can towards the entrance, not daring to look back and see if they're following me, though due to the thunderous sound of Arcas' footsteps getting dangerously closer, and the flapping of wings over my head, I'd say it's working.
Just when we're about to exit though, Arcas' paw manages to make contact with Alcor's right wing. It's only a light touch, not enough to injure him, but he ends up losing altitude fast nonetheless. Panicked, as he starts falling, he does the only thing he can think of; entering me though my back.
The sensation is weird and unexpected enough to send me tumbling to the ground. It's like when you get chills, but amplified a thousand times, and coupled with the feeling you get you get all air knocked out of your lungs. It serves to numb the pain I feel as I roll around the ground and get scratches all over my body, the hard rocks on the ground being little help to cushion my fall.
I groan, trying to get up, but wincing when the scratches on my hands make contact with the ground. Just then, however, I feel something tugging at my uniform's hood, effectively pulling me off the ground and onto my feet. Then, a big nose gently rubs my back as a deep apologetic grumble is heard. When I turn around, I see that effectively, it's not other than my big polar bear himself, wearing a sad pout.
"Oh, I can't be mad at you!" I say as I reach out to pet his massive head.
I can. I hear Alcor's voice inside my head.
Shut up, Alcor.
Just saying, I really don't think he's ready to meet me. He sees me as his dinner!
He just needs some time. I argue. I'm planning on coming here every day for a while until my two familiars get acquainted. That should work, right?
That's… a horrible idea.
Well, you're stuck with me, so be a good crow, will you?
In that moment, Arcas starts licking my hand gently, but his tongue feels like sandpaper on my injured skin, and makes me wince.
"Wait, Arcas…" I try to protest, but I'm silenced by a lick to my face that gets me all covered in saliva. And then another, and another, until I'm sure even my uniform is wet with bear drool. My hands are little help against the affectionate attack, however, and my protests fall in deaf ears. But honestly, I understand it's his way of apologizing for what just happened, and I end up laughing and petting him once more.
"Alright, big guy." I say after a while, when I assume he's not going to protest if I go now. "Time to go to bed. Croix is going to arrive soon enough and I really need to practice if I want to impress her, so… see you tomorrow?"
He huffs in agreement and nuzzles against my chest. I hug briefly his big head and then send him off with a little pat. Sure enough, he then turns around and enters the ruined building once again, disappearing from sight.
Almost instantly, I feel a weird tingling sensation in my chest as a star starts glowing in it before Alcor finally comes out and starts glaring at me as he hovers in front of my face.
"That was awfully dangerous." He chastises me.
"Hey, Arcas was my familiar first, you said so yourself!" I glare back. "You two will have to get along if you want to be on my team." I huff, crossing my arms over my chest. "Now, I believe you were going to help me master my new powers." I add with a mischievous smile.
"Was I now?" The crow responds, raising an eyebrow.
I'm sitting on the broken down stone fence that surrounds the North Campus. After practicing my new magic with Alcor for about two hours, I believe I'm ready to show it to Croix… even if it's really drained most of my energy and I feel like crawling into bed and sleeping for twenty four hours straight. Not that my injuries, as small as they are, are helping much either.
But anyways, it's almost eight. Croix should be here soon enough, and I have to do my best if I want to impress her!
Why do you want to impress her so much? Alcor, who is currently residing inside the shiny rod, asks me telepathically.
Because if I can impress Croix, I can impress everyone! I swiftly answer what I've been telling myself all this time.
You and I both know there's more to it than that.
Huh?
Before I can question him any further, however, I hear a familiar voice calling my name from behind, and I quickly get up and turn around, a face-splitting smile appearing naturally on my face as I see none other than my best friend standing there.
"You're here!" I exclaim excitedly as I jog towards her. However, her expression turns into one of confusion as soon as she sees me up close.
"What happened to you?" She asks, raising one eyebrow. "Your uniform is all ragged and covered in dirt."
What? I think as I look down to see my own body, realizing a second later that, effectively, Croix is right. I had totally forgotten about the nasty fall I took and the consequences it had on my appearance. Silly me.
"What am I going to do with you?" Croix says amused, which makes me smile sheepishly, grabbing my hat and pulling it over my face.
"Anyways." She says after a brief pause, her expression turning slightly more serious, though a small smile still remains on her face. Granted, it looks kinda strained, but with Croix it's hard to know for sure. "Was there something you wanted to show me? I couldn't ask you earlier this morning."
"Yes!" I exclaim excitedly, practically jumping as I approach Croix, dangerously invading her personal space merely on impulse. "Croix, you're not going to believe what happened last night! Where do I even start? Oh! Yes, I was hiding from Finnelan, and there was a mirror, and it showed me weird things, and then Woodward appeared, and the shiny rod came to me, and then it guided me to the fountain of Polaris, and I unlocked the third word and got the power of the stars, including a grumpy crow that can read my mind!"
"A… crow?" Croix blinks, evidently trying to process everything I just said. Then she shakes her head and looks unbelievingly at me. "Wait… did you just say you got the third word?!"
"Yes, yes, I'll show you!" I answer, practically jumping in excitement and taking a few steps back in preparation for my little show. "Watch me! I can feel the power in my heart when I say this chant!" And with that, I cast the spell, deciding to start off by taking the appearance of a winged witch, or an angel of sorts. I hear Croix gasp and I'm barely able to suppress a giggle, far too pleased by her reaction.
I turn back into human form after having flown around Croix, making patterns in the sky as I'd practiced with Alcor. Then, I just give myself a moment of rest, casting the spell once more when I see Croix starting to slowly approach.
I follow it with the most spectacular transformation I have right now; dozens and dozens of pink butterflies. It's a weird sensation, having to control so many individual organisms instead of just my body, and seeing through so many eyes. Not to mention, it takes a lot of magical energy. But seeing Croix's jaw practically hit the ground makes it all worth it.
Yesterday I wouldn't have even dreamed of doing something like that, more so considering my less-than-ideal mental state, but now? I'm probably the only witch currently able to cast this sort of spell, at least at Luna Nova, and I can't help but wonder if I could have ever gotten this ability if I hadn't been expelled. Maybe the old wise crow was right; it doesn't matter if I can't finish my studies at the academy, my dream is still within my grasp.
Who are you calling old?!
Ignoring Alcor, I turn into a cat, but I also use levitation magic (without pronouncing the spell out loud, by the way) to run around in the sky, my luminous form being no doubt a sight to behold, judging by Croix's stunned expression as she watches, barely blinking at all.
I proceed to change form in midair, this time turning into a wolf. I start running in circles then, simulating the way a dog walks when it's playing, excited. But, just a few moments later, I start feeling lightheaded.
Chariot! Stop, this magic is too much for you! Alcor chastises me, but it's too late. The spell breaks before I can consciously do so, and I end up falling to the ground, landing painfully on my rear.
"Chariot!" I hear Croix's voice as I rub my behind to stop it from hurting so much. She runs towards me, wearing a concerned expression. "Are you okay?"
Not wanting her to worry since, after all, I've had injuries way worse than this one, I manage to put on a cheerful smile as I look up to her, silently communicating that yes, I'm fine.
"Geez." She chuckles, extending her hand in my direction. "Here." She offers to help me up, and I take her hand gladly, feeling giddy at the contact. "You used too much magic! You should be more careful." She says as she lets go of me, allowing me to start brushing off my uniform (not that I can do much; it's too dirty).
"I have to be able to hold the spell a little longer if I want to impress you." I shrug, but then realize what I said and hastily add. "And… everyone else in the school." For some reason, I feel an intense warmth creeping up my cheeks and ears at my little slip up, and I deviate my gaze, unable to look at Croix's precious eyes.
"Why would you want to do that?" Croix raises an eyebrow. "I mean, it's not like you're ever going to see most of them after the end of this semester." She flinches a little at how harsh her words sound, and I'm not gonna lie, I actually felt my heart clenching at what she said, and the painful reminder of what's going to be of my future, but I still try to hide my feelings behind a forced smile… that Croix apparently sees right past. "Sorry." She says after a moment.
"It's okay." I shrug. "You were just telling the truth anyways." Then I smile, more genuinely this time, preparing a response to her question.
"But even if I don't ever see anyone in this school ever again, I still want to leave an impression on them, you know? I want them to look back at their days in Luna Nova and remember this Samhain festival as the one in which they remembered why they love magic in the first place! I want them to see my performance and laugh in mirth and gasp in awe! I want the teachers to realize they were wrong about me, and about the 'proper' use of magic, so that when someone else like me comes along, they won't turn her away."
It's easy to inject my words with as much emotion as I can muster, since this is something so important to me. It's my last gift to them before I go, but it's much more than that. If I succeed, it'll be proof that my dream is within my grasp, even if I leave Luna Nova.
As I look into Croix's eyes, I see how much my words affected her. She's staring at me with wide eyes, her expression something akin to admiration mixed with concern. Then, after a few seconds, her gaze softens and she smiles, determination now expressing on her features.
"Then I'll help you, if it's really that important to you." She says, reaching to ruffle my hair with her hand, in an affectionate gesture that makes my smile widen even more, as well as a warm feeling to appear on my chest. "Who knows? Maybe if you impress them enough, the Headmistress will let you stay."
"I think I'd need more than just an amazing performance in the festival to make up for everything I've done." I say with a grimace, unwilling to let the hope for the possibility to develop inside me, knowing that if I do, I'll then be crushed when it doesn't happen. "I'd have to, like, save the school from another dragon, or something." I joke, but then Croix's expression turns thoughtful as she rubs her chin with one of her hands.
"That could work." She says. "Maybe we could stage something, I'm sure I could buy a dangerous creature online, and then I could teach you how to defeat it, and release it during the Samhain festival!" She seems rather enthusiastic about it, but honestly? That's the worst idea I've ever heard. And coming from me, that's saying something.
"People could get hurt." I point out.
"So?" She raises an eyebrow. "If it saves you from expulsion, I'm more than willing to make that sacrifice." I look for any trace of doubt in her face, any indication that she's joking, but… I don't find any, and that honestly scares me.
"Why? It's not like we won't see each other after I'm expelled." I point out, trying to sound reassuring. "I could visit you every weekend, if you want."
"But it won't be enough!" She bursts out, showing far more emotion than she usually does, and surprising me so much that I end up jumping a little and staring at her with confusion. It won't be enough for her to see each other every weekend? What?
She notices me staring and turns to look at the side, blushing profusely.
"Uh… b-because I need to help you unlock the seven words." She stammers, obviously lying. "A-and besides, who would help me with my crazy experiments? I don't feel like finding another assistant." She then adds, a bit more composed, and obviously trying to sound angry.
I shake my head and chuckle at the display, before firmly wrapping my arms around Croix and feeling her stiffen under my touch.
"You know? It's okay to admit you'll miss me." I say softly, leaning against her and relishing on her warmth. "I know I will." I add sadly, feeling tears start to from in my eyes at the prospect of having to say goodbye to my best friend. Even if I do intend to keep my promise of visiting as often as I can.
"Y-yeah." She chokes out after a moment, apparently taken aback by the sudden contact, before she hesitantly places her arms around me as well and pulls me closer. "But… uhm… didn't you want help with your show? I wouldn't mind watching you and giving you some insight." Even then, she doesn't pull away, and I take that as an invitation to stay in the embrace a bit longer.
"Sure. Just a sec." I answer, closing my eyes and sighing in content, more than comfortable in my friend's arms. And I wish that, somehow, time could freeze and make this tender moment last forever. Because I sure don't want to let go of Croix; I don't want to be away from her. But there's nothing I can really do to stay here.
A/N: Well, that's all for now. I hope you liked it! Samhain festival is up next, so see you next weel! And if you leave a review/favorite/follow that'd be great XD
See you in two weeks!
Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.
