Chapter 20: Karen is… nice?

I didn't feel like going to class. I just wanted to stay on bed all day and dream of a better life in which the shiny rod didn't exist and my life isn't a complicated mess, and I can just hang out with Croix without a care in the world.

But of course, that wasn't happening.

I had classes to attend, six stupid words to find and a friend to reconcile with.

Thankfully, after yesterday's events Croix no longer hates my guts, but… she was still distant. And her eyes hardened every time she saw the shiny rod, which was the reason I ended up burying it under a pile of dirty clothes, promising myself to only grab it if I was alone or Croix specifically asked for it.

Maybe, just maybe, we will be able to fix the cracks in our friendship. Or so I hope.

For now though, I have other things to worry about. Like the endless Numerology class, or the deadly boring Magical Languages class, or the many other stupid classes I have to sit through during the day and that I had definitely not missed during Samhain break. Like, seriously, just one week is not enough! After all I went through I deserved a whole month of vacations! … Although I don't think I could survive all that time by myself. After just a few days I was already going crazy!

But anyways, point is, by the time classes end for the day, all I can do is drop down on my bed and mope because I'm tired, frustrated, and I haven't seen Croix since yesterday. Like she's avoiding me.

Ugh! Why did this stupid rod have to choose me?

Subconsciously, I let my hand drop from the mattress and search under the bed until I come across a metallic object. Like I've been doing ever since I got it, I raise it above me as I lay on my back, practically having a staring contest with it. Like, sure, it's been a huge help when it comes to my spectacles; it proved as much yesterday, but… I just wished the whole seven words quest didn't come with it. Like, not only do I have the entire fate of the magical world on my shoulders, but now things with Croix has been awkward as ever! And for what? Just because of this shiny, stupid thing!

"What's that?" I startle out of my contemplations once I hear my roommate's voice, and I let go of the rod involuntarily, which of course makes it fall onto my face.

"Ow!" I exclaim, rubbing my forehead. Gosh, how does it hurt! The rod sure is heavy. I wonder how many neurons I lost right now? It's not like I have many to spare.

"Chariot? Are you okay?" She asks, coming to stand next to my bed.

"Y-yeah… yeah, this is nothing." I lie, faking a smile and finally looking up at Karen, who has a rather skeptical stare.

"Okay. If you say so." She says at the end, her eyes deviating again towards the rod that's fallen down next to me. "Anyways, where did you get that staff? It looks… important."

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me." I simply answer, sitting up even at the risk of getting dizzy. I just don't like looking up at Karen from so far down.

"Probably." She admits, smiling… though she doesn't seem to be mocking me. Yet. "But I'm still curious as to what your answer would be."

"It's the rod of seven stars." I shrug, already expecting her to laugh on my face. "Claiomh Solais. The first wand. The rod that belonged to Woodward."

"… Now I see why you said I wouldn't believe you." She says, raising an eyebrow.

"Told you." Well, at least she isn't laughing.

"Why would you have such a thing anyways?"

"I don't know." I answer honestly, deflating a bit. I've been meaning to talk with someone about this for a while and, even though Karen wouldn't normally be my first option, there's no one else here, so… "It chose me for some reason, even if it should have chosen Croix instead. And now I have to revive seven ancient spells and break the seal of the Grand Triskelion, or whatever." I groan, venting out my frustrations on her. "Not by choice, obviously."

"Sounds like you have too much on your plate." She says, and I have to agree with a little defeated hum. "And I doubt you have made much progress, correct?"

"Well, at least I can use it now." I answer defensively, glaring at Karen as if daring her to make another one of her mean comments. "But when it comes to the words… no such luck." I then admit with a grimace.

Why am I opening up to my most hated roommate? I don't really know. Maybe I'm a bit lonely, maybe I need someone to talk to, and maybe she's the smartest person I know aside from Croix. So, perhaps a part of me is hoping she'll help me, but I'm too proud to ask. And she probably won't do it willingly.

"I see…" She trails off, looking to the side, frowning as if considering something, and then her eyes land again on the rod, a thoughtful expression clear in her features. "Have you tried summoning the rod's spirit? I mean, if it really is as ancient as you say, it must have one living inside it."

"How would that help me?" I ask , staring at Karen with newfound interest.

"Well, if there really is a spirit in there, maybe it knows how to unlock the seven words, and could therefore tell you about it."

… Well, that's actually not a bad idea. I'm surprised I didn't think of it before, really. There's only one little problem.

"I don't know how to talk to spirits. Or even summon them, for that matter."

"I could try it." She immediately offers, surprising us both. Then, she coughs and looks to the side, trying to appear disinterested. "I mean, I don't have anything better to do right now, and it would be irresponsible to just leave such an important task in your hands, so…"

"Okay?" Did Karen really just offer to help me? Am I in a parallel universe or something? But then again, I can't let an opportunity like this pass, right?

"Good. Come on, let's go somewhere secluded and with more spiritual energy. That will help with the process."


We end up at the top of the New Moon tower, just under the Sorcerer's stone. We are sitting cross legged in front of each other, while the rod is just lying there between us; inanimate and silent as always.

"Turuto estida!" Karen says once more. She's been casting the same spell for several minutes now, trying different pronunciations and wand movements, but nothing seems to work and, honestly? I'm starting to lose hope. "Ugh! It's useless!" She exclaims, frustrated. "But I don't understand, this thing is old. It's spirit really should be answering by now."

"And… is there no other spell?" I ask, but of course, Karen just rolls her eyes at this, probably exasperated at my lack of knowledge, though she does take a moment to explain.

"Turuto estida is the most powerful communication spell there is, being able to summon even the most ancient and powerful spirits." Her eyes deviate to the rod, glaring at it in frustration. "So, you see, I could use Turuto tarumare or any other spell, and there would still be no results."

I just pout in protest to the condescending tone she used but decide against saying anything. After all, she's out here helping me even if I didn't ask, so I should be grateful, right?

Now, I know Karen isn't exactly an expert when it comes to this type of magic, but I have seen her use this spell a couple of times, and exchange a few words with the spirits. Plus, she's the best of our class and I'm just a dunce, so I really, really, should just keep my mouth shut, but…

"Maybe it just won't work if you do it." I say before I can stop myself. At this, Karen shoots me a death glare that actually makes me cringe. Ugh, why do her green eyes have to be so scary?!

"Excuse me?!"

"I… i-it's just…" I swallow, searching for the right words as to not offend her even more. "It's no ordinary object, right? It specifically chose me, so maybe it will only be able to connect with it's owner."

Karen looks to the side, thinking, before a grimace appears on her face, like she just swallowed a particularly awful-tasting thing.

"That… that would make sense. I guess." She admits reluctantly. "Unfortunately, you don't know the spell and you also don't know how to talk to spirits, so that means this whole thing was a big waste of time."

"Oh, come on! I've gotten better at spells." I protest.

"Yeah, but that's not saying much." I pout at her mean comment, but otherwise decide to ignore her and continue on explaining my idea.

"It can't be that hard, right? And once I summon the spirit maybe you'll be able to talk to it."

"I mean… I guess it's worth a try." She shrugs. "I doubt anything will come out of it though."

"Great! So… what was the spell again?" I ask sheepishly, only to earn an exasperated sigh and an eye-roll from my roommate.

"Turuto estida. And you have to be very concentrated and calm for it to work, so… this may take a few tries."

"Right, right." I close my eyes and ready my wand, trying to concentrate solely on the rod that's in front of me; on the connection we have. On my heart, and my love for magic. Like I always do while practicing with this thing. And surprisingly, even if I'm not touching it, I feel it react to me somewhat. Like there's some sort of force responding to my thoughts.

Then, I cast the spell.

"Turuto estida."

Instantly, I start hearing something. Like a whisper. More accurately, many whispers. A chorus. But I can't understand what those voices are saying! I then open my eyes, and find Karen looking at me with a bored expression, not at all disturbed by the voices.

"I told you it wouldn't work the first time. Try again." She says.

"But… don't you hear them?" Even as I speak, the whispers intensify, making it difficult to even hear myself.

"Hear what?" She asks, confused.

"The voices! They… they're coming from…" I look at the rod, which surprisingly isn't lit, and the whispers grow in volume and number. It's like they're encouraging me to get closer, to… to touch it.

Before I can really comprehend what's going on, my hand has already extended on its own to reach for the rod, and as soon as my fingers come into contact with the cold metal…

I see Woodward, when she was alive, wielding some sort of axe. I see the base of the New Moon tower. I see some sort of cave, and then many flashes of things that pass too quickly for me to really distinguish anything. And finally… a full moon.

I gasp as the last vision ends. I'm still sitting under the Sorcerer's stone with Karen, and it doesn't seem like anything has changed, but… what the hell was that?! All those whispers, all those visions… were they because of the spell? But… wasn't there supposed to appear a tiny spirit that would simply speak to Karen? I don't understand!

"Chariot? Are you alright?" Karen asks, somewhat concerned, no doubt noticing my utter confusion.

"Fine! I'm… I'm fine." I quickly answer. "I just… uh…" Then, I proceed to explain everything that happened, which makes her adopt a thoughtful expression.

"I see…" She frowns once I finish my explanation. "I don't think I've ever heard of something like this before, but then again, I doubt the Claiomh Solais works like most other objects."

"So… what now?"

"I think it would be good for you to learn spirit language, so you can at least understand the whispers, in case they're saying something important." I nod slowly. That sounds like a lot of work! But then again, I promised Croix I would get the seven words, and I'm not going to back down at the first inconvenience. "I can teach you, if you want."

My head shoots up in an instant, as I startle at Karen's suggestion. I think my ears are deceiving me, or maybe I'm asleep, or something. There's no way Karen just offered me that much help.

"W-what?" I stutter out.

"I mean, I could give you a few lessons after classes, or on weekends. It's not that hard, really. And, as I said, it'd be irresponsible to just let the whole fate of magic rest on your clumsy shoulders."

I open and close my mouth like a gaping fish for a few seconds, searching for an answer, but all that comes out of my mouth is a question.

"Since when are you so nice to me?"

To my surprise, Karen blushes and looks to the side sheepishly.

"Yes, I know. I've been quite harsh with you this whole time, so this can seem a bit weird." She sighs. "But, we're teammates, we're supposed to help each other, and I have to admit, after getting to know you more… you're not that bad."

"What?!" Okay, so I'm still in shock by what she's saying. My mind hasn't quite processed what's happening.

"What I'm trying to say, Chariot, is… I underestimated you. At the broom race you proved you were a capable witch, then in classes you… you've been doing better, somewhat, all thanks to Croix. And also at the Samhain Festival you actually helped decorate the statue instead of being lazy or blowing everything up. So… yeah, I appreciate all the effort you're putting and I… I will try to be a little bit nicer in the future." She shoots me a tiny smile to finish off her little speech, but I still feel weird at hearing so many nice things come out of Karen's mouth. All directed to me, nonetheless!

"So… we're friends now?" I ask hesitantly.

"Don't push it." She immediately makes a face. "Acquaintances?" She extends her hand, like a peace offering.

"Sure." I grab her hand.


A/N: No Charoix, sorry, but I hope you liked it nontheless. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review/favorite/follow. See you in two weeks :)

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.