Chapter 15: The forbidden forest.

"So… everything's ready?" Croix asks, watching me rummage through my backpack.

"I think so?" I answer, but it comes out as a question. I don't' have to look behind me to know that Croix just rolled her eyes.

"Chariot, this is serious!" She snaps, as worked up about this as always. "We've been planning this trip for months, we can't…!"

"Relax, Croix." I laugh, turning to look at her. "I know how important this Triskelion thing is to you, and I'm almost sure I packed everything we need."

"Arcturus is dangerous! Even the most skilled witches can get lost in it." Croix reminds me for the hundredth time, making me huff in feigned exasperation. "Are you absolutely certain that you packed all the potions I gave you, as well as food and fresh water?"

"Yes, Croix. Believe it or not, I can be responsible." I answer, crossing my arms over my chest and pouting at my friend, who seems to calm down slightly at my answer, softening her gaze as she places her hand over my shoulder.

"I know you can, Cherry." She says affectionately. "I'm just worried. I want to get the Claiomh Solais, but not if I endanger us in the process."

"Please, we're like the best students at Luna Nova! What could possibly happen?" I reassure her, not so mad anymore now that I understand her concern.

"I am the best student at Luna Nova. You're still the dunce." She jokes, but her laughter dies when I punch her arm lightly. "Okay, sorry. You are the best. My bad." I only roll my eyes at her attempt at humor and instead grab my backpack and put it on my shoulders.

"Shall we go, then?"

"Sure." She nods, but then seems to remember something and pauses, getting out her wand. "Wait, hold on. We need better clothes."

"Better clothes?" I parrot, looking down at my Luna Nova robe. Sure, it isn't the most comfortable thing ever, but it's not like we can wear something else while flying.

"Magically enchanted clothes, to be precise." She answers. "If done correctly, this spell gives more power and protection against both magical and non-magical threats to the user."

Before I can ask what spell that would be, she flicks her wand and pronounces the words.

"Metamorphie vestesse." And with that, our Luna Nova uniforms flicker with light before turning white, which is the only observable difference. But, there's also something more, something like… a warm feeling surrounding me. A feeling of protection and comfort. And power. I feel with more energy than usual, even if it's the middle of the night.

"Wow!" I exclaim in awe, and though a proud smile appears on Croix's face, she dismisses it like it's nothing.

"It's a very simple spell, really. Even you could do it." When I glare at her because of her mean comment, she chuckles. "You know I'm just teasing." Then, she goes to grab her own backpack and her broom. "But we should go now, least someone sees us."

"Alright." I nod and quickly follow her out of her secret lair and towards the Leyline that will take us into a very dangerous and ancient forest. Honestly, the things I do for this girl!


We arrive to the town early in the morning, and we wait there for the sun to rise, since Croix said it's dangerous to go into the Arcturus forest while it's still dark. Then, we enter the Leyline again and, after a quick enchantment by Croix, we arrive to our real destiny: the forest of Arcturus. I've never been here before, since it's forbidden for the students, and even the most experienced witches would hesitate before entering, but my first impression after we arrive is that it looks kinda like a normal forest. At least from above.

There's a thin mist near the ground though, and the trees are all covered in moss and ferns, and their branches are twisted in weird angles. The sky is also cloudy, despite it being clear before. All in all, this place does give me a scary vibe.

"Keep your eyes open." Croix says, making me tear my gaze from the green scenery before us. "The place we are searching for must look like some kind of tower."

I nod in acknowledgment and immediately set to the task of scanning the horizon to find the tower in question. One would think a structure like that would be easily spotted, but this place is huge, extending as far as the eye can see, and the mist and clouds don't help much either.

Suddenly though, something catches my eye. It's not exactly a tower, but it is taller than the trees, and has a bright orange color. As I get closer, I realize it's some kind of tree with blue branches and orange leaves, swinging in the breeze. Oh! And it also has apple-like fruits of a very shiny pink color! And they look so yummy! Maybe I could try one? I bet they are something you can't find anywhere else.

"Chariot!" Croix's frantic scream snaps me out of my contemplation, just when I was extending my arm to take the fruit. That's when I realize I've wandered away from her and descended to get close to this tree without realizing it. But why does she look so scared? And why is she rushing towards me?

I only have a second to ponder all of this before I hear a swishing sound and turn around in time to evade one of the tree's branches, that's apparently taken a life of its own and is now trying to kill me. Heart pumping fast with adrenaline, I duck and fly through the branches, trying to get up and out of range from this thing, but no matter where I go, it changes positions in order to block all of my attempts at escaping.

"Chariot!" I hear my name being called again before I feel one of the branches making contact with my back in a very painful whip-like motion. Instantly, I'm thrown out of my broom and towards the center of this tree's top… except it's not a tree at all. There where the branches sprout is a huge mouth with hundreds of sword-sized teeth organized in multiple lines, going as far inside this thing's mouth as the eye can see. And I'm falling right into it.

I frantically try to grab onto something, but there's nothing nearly close enough for me to hold onto. The branches have all moved away in order to allow me to fall without any interference.

My stomach twists in fear as I quickly try to reach for my wand, even if I know I won't have time to cast any spell, but just when I'm about to become this monster's food, something grabs my hand and stops my descent, instead flying away from that thing. I look up to see that, as expected, my rescuer is Croix.

"Croix!" I exclaim, knowing I've never been happier to see her.

"G-get on the broom. Now!" She says, her voice strained with the effort of holding me. So, knowing that my nerdy friend won't last more than a few seconds carrying me, I rush to climb on the broom, which is easier said than done considering we're flying as fast as we can in order to get away from that beast. But at last I manage to do so, proceeding then to hold Croix's waist tightly so I don't fall off.

Just when I think the worst has passed, and I can finally get to catch my breath, the "leaves" of the monstrous tree detach themselves from the branches and fly off towards us, as if making a last-ditch effort to capture me. My eyes widen and I hold Croix closer, trying to get some reassurance. But she is tense, her back rigid and her muscles hard, which isn't reassuring at all.

"Chariot, I need you to fend off those things. I'll try to get away from them." She says urgently leaning against the broomstick in an attempt to go faster.

"But they are just leaves… right?" I say, more to myself than to Croix, even as I pull out my wand. I know her answer before she voices it.

"Of course not! And that thing isn't a tree either. They… I don't know what those leaves are, or what they do, but it can't be good!"

Wow. Croix admitted she doesn't know something? Hell will freeze over. But now is really not the time to be thinking about that, is it?

Damn! These things are getting close. Too close. I try sending a gust of wind in their direction, in order to switch their trajectory, but apparently it's not strong enough, and only managed to delay them slightly. Then I do the next logical think; burn them. And boy does it not go as planned!

I cast a fire spell, hoping the leaves will disintegrate as they pass through it, but all that happens is that they coat themselves with the flames and keep flying towards us. I barely have any time to process what's happening before they reach the end of our broom and lit the twigs on fire. I wince, trying to remember some water spell, but my mind is spinning and all I can think, over and over again, is: "I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die!"

My stomach drops when we start falling, and I'm barely aware that I'm screaming so hard my throat burns. All I can do is hold onto Croix like my life depended on it, but in these desperate moments, I know even that won't help me. We're truly going to die! And it's all my fault. I wasn't ready to enter the dangerous forest of Arcturus.

"Palais capma!" As soon as I hear those words come out of Croix's mouth, our perilous descent towards the ground is stopped and we end up being suspended in the air, surrounded by a magical bubble that gently starts lowering us to the ground. Yet, I still clutch tightly to my friend, fearing I'll fall to the ground if I let go, even when I know that's not how this spell works.

But when my feet touch the ground, I still don't loosen my grip, too shaken by everything that happened, and half-expecting to be attacked by something else at any second. I don't even realize I'm crying until I hear Croix's concerned voice.

"Chariot? Are you hurt?" I can only shake my head as sobs continue to rock my body. I don't even know why I'm crying, if because I'm scared from the attack, or because I'm relieved we're okay, or simply because I'm worried we won't ever be able to find the Claiomh Solais, much less get out of this forest. Maybe all of that and more. All that I know is that right now I can't stop crying, and I need to feel Croix's comforting warmth in order to calm down somewhat.

"H-hey, it's okay." She says in an awkward tone, hesitantly placing a hand on my back in a comforting manner. "We're safe now."

I only nod in response and try to breathe in and out. After all, I can't really be of any help while bawling my eyes out on Croix's shirt, and I highly doubt this place is anything remotely resembling of a normal forest. I need to calm down and help Croix! I won't let her down. I won't be a hindrance.

And I need to stop making her uncomfortable. I know how much she dislikes human contact, unless it's initiated by herself. Damn, she must really be regretting bringing me here. This whole situation is my fault after all.

"Croix?" I say once I'm composed enough to speak somewhat normally and let go of her.

"Y-yeah?" Her voice sounds strained, and she pointedly avoids looking at my eyes. Her posture is also stiff, and she has her fists clenched tightly in frustration.

"How will we get out of here?" I ask, looking at the burnt pieces of her broom.

"I don't know." She admits with a grimace. "But I guess we should find a Leyline portal, and hope we can open it."

"On foot?!" I almost shriek, trembling in fear just by the mere thought of wandering around this perilous forest for hours.

"We don't have a choice." Croix sighs, obviously disliking the idea as much as I do.

"And what about the rod?" I ask despite myself. That's the whole reason we came here, after all. We can't just leave without finding it!

"It's too dangerous." She frowns. "And our supplies won't last us more than a couple of days, even if we eat only the bare minimum. We need to get out of here before it's too late." She tries to conceal it, but her voice still sounds somewhat angry, and her jaw looks tense. I know this meant a lot for her, and now she's being forced to quit.

"But… your dream…" I start, now knowing if I should really be convincing her of continuing her pursue of this crazy task. But I can't just accept we came all this way for nothing!

"I know." She clenches her teeth and closes her eyes as she speaks, like it physically hurts her to pronounce the words. "I do want to get the Claiomh Solais, but I won't put you… us in danger because of it."

"Are you sure?" I ask with a small voice, feeling very guilty.

"Yes." She nods with determination. "Now come on, let's get going."

"Wait!" I stop her before she can turn around. She just gives me a questioning look. "I'm sorry." I lower my gaze to the ground, too ashamed to look at her eyes, and too afraid to find the disappointment reflecting on her face.

"It wasn't your fault, Cherry." She answers with a gentle voice as she places a hand over my shoulder. I look up, surprised when I find her smiling at me. A genuine smile, devoid of smugness or mock malice for once.

"B-but…" I still try to protest.

"Chariot." She cuts me off firmly. "Let's go. I don't want to be here when night falls."

As she turns around and starts walking away, I realize I can't really argue with that, and quickly hurry after her.


We've been walking for hours now, and the sun has started to set on the horizon. It's getting cold here, and there have started being suspicious sounds around. I feel like we're being watched. And I bet Croix feels it too, because we haven't stopped to rest once, even if we've already been attacked by monsters a couple of times.

I know we need to get out of here before it's dark and things get even more dangerous, but I'm hungry, and my feet hurt, and my head is also starting to feel a little bit sore. I wished we could rest for even a minute.

Croix seems to have the same idea though, and she looks even more exhausted than I, so it's not really that much of a surprise when she stops and turns to look at me with a serious expression.

"We should set up camp." She simply says.

"W-what?!" I exclaim, not liking the idea of sleeping in this forest tonight.

"I don't want to spend the night here either, but it's very unlikely we'll be able to find a Leyline before it's completely dark out here. And in that case, our best chance at surviving is to set camp here and wait till morning to keep searching." She says all of this in a collected tone, as if wanting to transmit some of her calm to me, but I can't stop the dread from creeping into my stomach. Still, I realize what she's saying is true, so I swallow up my fear and put on a brave face for her.

"Okay then." I give her a tiny smile. "Should we prepare some sort of shelter?"

"You do that." She nods. "It should be easy if you use magic to control some of the vines and make a tent with them."

"What will you do?" I ask curious.

"I'll go find some lumber to make a fire. And magical herbs to burn on it and help fend off evil spirits."

"Yes, good idea!" I agree in a heartbeat, even if the thought of being alone here for even a second is more than a little unsettling.

"Okay." She turns around to leave, but stops before taking even one step. "And Chariot?" She turns her head just enough to look at me. "Don't wander off. And don't touch anything." I quickly nod, promising myself that I'll obey her this time. "And if there's any danger, send me a signal."

"I will, don't worry." I reassure her.

"Me? Worried for you? Please, don't make me laugh." She scoffs, but the gentle smile and the fondness of her tone of voice let me know she's joking, so I smile at her. "Just… take care." Is the last thing she says before walking off, disappearing between the green scenery of the forest.


I set to work immediately, not having any problem building a small shelter for the two of us by using plant-controlling magic. And then all I have to do is sit there and wait. And wait. And keep waiting. How long has it been anyways? And hour? Possibly more? What if something happened to Croix? Should I go check?

I start getting restless and worried as the last rays of sunlight disappear from the horizon. I'm sure it shouldn't be taking her this long, but if something had happened to her she would have sent a signal, right?

Unless she couldn't.

Uhm… maybe I should go check the surrounding area. Just in case she's hurt or unconscious. It won't take long, and I won't go too far away. Just to check the perimeter around our camp.

With that in mind, I exit the shelter, leaving our backpacks behind because carrying them would only slow me down, and use light magic to mark one of the nearby trees with luminous sparkles that adhere to its bark. That way, I'll be able to find it even in complete darkness. Then, I start walking in the direction Croix went, hoping to find her still collecting wood around here, but not such luck. Getting more and more worried by the second, I keep walking, my clammy hands gripping my wand so tightly that my fingers turn numb.

This place is a new level of scary, especially at night. There are strange sounds all around me, and not precisely the kind you'd expect to hear at a normal forest. Sure, I hear owls ululating in the distance, but their voices are oddly unsettling. Like something bigger is imitating those noises. There's also the occasional snapping of twigs, only it seems to come from every direction at once. And the wind really sounds like it's lamenting and crying, not just passing through the canopy of trees.

My heart feels like it's trying to get out of my chest, and my stomach twists painfully at every new noise. I start getting jumpy too, but just when I think I should better go back to my shelter now, something comes out of the bushes, startling me so much I end up tripping and falling on my back.

"Aaaaahhh!" I scream, aiming my wand to whatever it is that almost scared me to death… until I realize it's none other than the girl I've been searching for.

"Chariot?" She asks, surprised.

"Croix!" I exclaim relieved as I launch myself off the ground and into her arms, hugging her tightly. She's so surprised, she lets go of the twigs she has holding and takes a step back, trying to remain in a standing position.

"I thought I told you not to wander off!" She scolds me, and I let go of her, shooting her a smile and not feeling the slightest bit intimidated by her reprimanding attitude.

"You were gone for too long. I was getting worried." I explain.

"Fine, whatever. Let's just get back to our camp." She sighs, resigning herself to just accept I'm not all that good at following orders.

"Sure, it's this wa…" My voice dies as I turn around and realize I can't see the luminous tree anymore. Weird, I swear it was there a minute ago. Confused, I scan our surroundings until I find a dim source of light, coming from far away in the distance. On the opposite direction to where I thought it was. Oh well, I guess I got disoriented.

"Over there." I amend sheepishly, pointing to the source of light.

"A luminescent spell, huh? Well done." Croix praises me as she starts walking in that direction. I smile contently at her compliment and hurry up to walk at her side.

I feel better now that I've found her, and it has little to do with her magic abilities, even though that's a big plus. No, her company is comforting to me; I feel like, as long as we're together, we can take on any challenge and be okay. You hear me, stupid forest? You can throw all your scary noises at me, I'm not afraid anymore! I have Croix!

And so we keep walking, encountering no danger whatsoever along the way, which is a relief because I believe I speak for the both of us when I say we can barely keep standing. But… when we finally arrive at the source of light, we see that it's not a luminescent tree, but a… rock? And it's at the edge of a pretty big clearing too, our improvised shelter nowhere in sight.

"What?" I exclaim as I run to the half-buried rock, hoping it's some kind of illusion.

"Chariot?" Croix asks, following me slowly towards the strange rock. "What's going on? Where's the shelter?"

"I-I…" I'm about to answer her, but I don't even know what to say, and as I finally get close enough to examine the rock, I notice it's not coated with luminescent magic as I thought. Instead, it's a small diamond-shaped crystal emitting the same kind of glow as a sorcerer's stone. Actually, it looks a lot like the one I have in my house, just slightly bigger, since I probably would have to use both of my hands to carry it.

Out of curiosity, I reach out to touch it.

"Wait, Chariot!" Croix's warning comes out too late.


A/N: Cliffhanger! *Laughs wickedly* Man, I really love those lol. Good news is, I already wrote next chapter, so you'll only have to wait one week to read it! See how nice I am? ... ok no. Anyways, thank you all for supporting the story with your reviews, favorites and follows, I really do appreciate it.

Also, I don't know if you're aware of this, but I have another LWA fic called "She's the man". It features mainly Hammanda and has tons of gay love and fun shenanigans, so I definetely would advise you to check it out. See you next week!

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.