Chapter 24: Fern flower.

Mimosa Forest isn't nearly as ancient and dangerous as the Arcturus forest, but it's almost as magical. It's the only place where you can find Mimosa leaves with magical properties too! Which by themselves are pretty valuable for making potions, as they're used in a ton of different recipes. Still, it's filled to the brim with monsters. Even the dangerous Cockatrice! But alas, it's the only place where the Fern Flower appearance has been properly described and documented, so… here we are.

Sneaking out of school was quite easy, to be honest. Croix casted a spell on me to make it look like I was sick so I could take the day off. She, on the other hand, talked to Holbrooke and said she needed to go to town that day in order to get some things she needed for her thesis project (yes, she's already started to work on it, that nerd). So, after that, it was only a matter of getting the hell out of the school before someone saw us.

Then, while on the way to Mimosa Forest, Croix cast the same protection spell she did when we went to Arcturus forest on our clothes. She also made sure to remind me of all the dangers and to warn me not to use my powers recklessly (i.e. casting Vega varulus at the first sign of danger).

Surprisingly though, the journey to the forest was pretty fast and without much trouble. When we arrived, the sun was just setting, actually. Which is a good thing, because ferns are only supposed to bloom at midnight, which gives us enough time to search. According to legend, the flower will only appear in secluded parts of the forest, where magic rituals have taken place, so it shouldn't be that hard to find. I mean, thousands of witches come here every year to collect Mimosa leaves! Surely some of them also conduct magic rituals! And if not, maybe we can conduct a ritual ourselves. That should count… right?

"We'll leave our brooms here." Croix says, placing hers against a tree next to the Leyline. "It will be easier to search on foot."

"Okay." I easily agree and do as she said, before starting to follow her into the forest.

The forest itself isn't nearly as scary as I expected after being in Arcturus. Despite being winter, the air is moist and warm, and there's no snow in sight. The trees also have a very nice bright green color, and even their trunks are covered by moss and ferns! And there's also bigger ferns growing in the ground, together with Mimosa plants, which are smaller and of a metallic golden-pinkish color, and also close their leaves as we walk next to them.

Of course, I just have to touch every single Mimosa we pass in our way, marveling every time they move. They're just too cute! Kinda like Croix, really; they don't seem to like physical contact, but their reaction to it is just too adorable for me to resist!

"Chariot." My friend speaks in her usual exasperated tone. "If you keep stopping to touch every single plant in the forest, we'll never get far enough away from the main path to actually find a fern flower. If they even exist." In response, I blow a raspberry at her.

"Such a killjoy! It's my birthday, remember? I can do whatever I want, and you can't complain about it."

"I thought the whole point of this trip was to find a fern flower, or rather to not find anything and prove it doesn't exist." She says somewhat grumpily, but there's still some amusement in her voice, so I don't pay her any mind.

"But if we don't find it, it could still exist." I argue.

"I mean, sure, but then again no one has seen a pink flying elephant, but I'm still positive they don't exist." I don't have to look to know she just rolled her eyes.

"Maybe they do." I tease.

"Right." She answers sarcastically. "Next time you'll tell me you actually have more than two neurons inside that big head of yours."

I bump her shoulder lightly in retaliation, but she ends up tripping and hitting a nearby trunk, grunting in pain.

"Ups! I'm so sorry, Croix. I didn't mean to do that!"

"Ugh. It's alright." She answers, trying to compose herself before resuming her walking through the forest. "You're still getting used to your new strength, right?"

"Yeah…" I trail off, giving her an apologetic smile. "But at least that should prove to you that I'm improving."

"At a snail's pace, but sure." She deadpans.

"Hey!" I pout.

"Anyways." She clears her throat. "What are you gonna wish for if we find the fern flower?"

"You mean when we find the fern flower?" I quickly correct her.

"Sure. What are you gonna wish for, then?" She asks, clearly dismissive of what I just said. Still, I decide to answer.

"I'll wish for the revival of magic. That way I can forget about the seven words."

"I don't think a fern flower can grant you a wish that ambitious." She answers. "The seven words are there for a reason, you know? The seal of the Grand Triskelion needs a great amount of energy to be unlocked."

"Well, then I'll wish for the seven words to be unlocked without me having to make an effort! How does that sound?" I huff, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Lazy." Croix deadpans, and I'm about to bump her shoulder once again, but she quickly avoids me, probably not wanting to slam into a tree once more. After that, she keeps a safe distance between us, and I smile shyly.

"Well, then what would you wish for?" I ask. If she thinks my wishes are lazy, then she better have a good one!

"Uh…" She trails off, staring at the sky above us as if in deep thought. "I honestly don't know. Maybe to be the most powerful witch ever."

"Laaame!" I taunt, and she shoots me an annoyed glare.

"What? It's smarter than your wish. If I was more powerful I wouldn't have to struggle with learning spells or casting magic." She says defensively.

"Oh, believe me, I'm pretty freaking powerful (you know, descendant of the Nine and all that), but I'm still bad at school."

"Because you don't pay attention in class and are always lazing around instead of taking some responsibility?" She answers, raising an eyebrow. "But I'm already the top student in Luna Nova. Just imagine what I would do with a little more power!"

Well… I guess she has a point. But I'm not lazy! Or am I? I'll admit lately I haven't been putting that much of an effort, mainly because I don't really care about grades and, as long as I pass, that's enough for me. And thanks to Croix I'm already at that level. I don't need straight A's to know I'm good at magic!

"Anyways." Croix interrupts my thoughts. "I don't know why we're even discussing this. The fern flower doesn't exist, and even if it did, there's lots of interpretations as to what it's powers are."

"Really?" I only read that one book, so I simply assumed the myth went the same in all other books describing the fern flower.

"Yeah. Some say it gives you immense wisdom, or the secrets of the universe, or whatever. Others say it grants you and your true love some sort of blessing. That's why many people used to search for it in couples, and the term "searching for the fern flower" eventually came to mean… getting busy in the woods with someone, if you know what I mean."

"Busy?" I tilt my head in confusion. Is there another meaning of busy I don't know about?

"You know…" She blushes, turning away to look at the distance. "Kisses, caresses… and ya know, sex."

"Oh." I blush too. So that's what she meant by it. "But why would someone prefer getting busy, as you said, instead of searching for a magical flower?"

"Because the fern flower doesn't exist, and sex does, and it's supposed to feel pretty good?" She deadpans.

"So… would you'd rather have sex than search for the fern flower with me?" I pout. Such a good friend she is!

"What? No! I didn't say that! Just…" She trails off, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "You know what? Let's just search for the fern flower and leave it at that, okay?"


We walk for a few more hours, encounter a few monsters along the way, even a mandrake, but we're able to deal with them quickly and efficiently, as expected. However, even though we find all kinds of ferns, there's not a single one with a flower. Sure, at some point I do think I found one, but it's just a stupid plant blooming right under a fern, giving the illusion that the fern itself was flowering.

And Croix's been getting even smugger every passing minute, and I've gotten more and more frustrated, and the sky is already dark, and it's getting cold, and… just why did I think it was a good idea to search for a stupid flower on my birthday? No wish is worth this!

"Can't you just admit I was right so we can go home? I'm starving!" Croix says with an annoyed tone.

"It's not midnight yet!" I protest.

"Will you keep searching until midnight?" She pretty much whines.

"I will keep searching until dawn if necessary!" Gosh, I wished I was as determined as I sounded.

"Ugh. Why can't you say that about studying? Or reading? Even training! You put effort in the least important things and slack off when it really matters."

"Hey! I thought you would at least be nice to me on my birthday." I pout.

"Yeah, but… just saying, you need to get your priorities straight."

"My priorities are just fine, thank you."

"Your priorities are trash, like everything else you do."

I stop dead in my tracks at her words, glaring at her. Seriously, she's not helping! Her negative attitude, her mean remarks, her frustrating confidence that we're not going to find the fern flower any time soon… Ugh! I just wanna punch her in the face!

But… I can't do that. We're friends, despite everything, and I'm way too strong to punch Croix without breaking her nose, so…

"Fine! Then I'll search for the flower on my own!" I yell before storming off, walking briskly into the opposite direction to where we were going. I was expecting Croix to come after me, honestly. To chase me, try to apologize, and promise me we will find the flower, but… no.

"Don't come crying to me when all you find is loneliness!" She taunts instead, letting me walk away until we can't even see each other's wands glowing.

And, you know, as determined as I am to finding the flower… being all alone is making me want to run back to Croix and beg her to go back to Luna Nova. But anyways… the sooner I find the flower the better, right? I mean, what's the worst that could happen?

I'm thinking, maybe I should just rest under this tree and wait until midnight, since the fern flower won't bloom before then, and it's described as having a blue glow, so it should be easy to spot, especially in the middle of the night.

Yeah. I'll just wait here. Under this rather peculiar tree… huh. It's trunk is actually fluffy, with some sort of fibers sprouting from it like fur. And… gosh, is it comfy! It makes me wanna just close my eyes and relax, and…


"Chariot! Save me!" I hear my friend scream, as the looming monster, a giant that is as tall as the eye can see, and has red marks on his flesh, grabs her and lifts her in the air. I panic, punching him and with as much strength as I can, kicking him, and using some of the spells Croix taught me.

But at the end of the day I'm too weak, and the monster ends up crushing her between his fingers, silencing her screams with a sickening crack. I can only stare in horror as her blood floods out of his fist, a malicious voice repeating one thing over and over again in my head.

"If only you were stronger, or smarter… if you had trained harder, maybe she'd still be alive."


I wake up with a start, feeling dizzy and disoriented, and also extremely exhausted. I'm also covered in sweat, and… wait...

"C-Croix?" I croak out, looking up at my friend's concerned face. She's sitting next to me, and has some sort of leaf in her hand.

"Idiot." She only says, a clear exasperated tone in her voice.

"Wha-… what happened?" I'm pretty sure I stormed off in a fit of rage, and that she didn't follow me. So what is she doing here?

"Since you're apparently determined to kill yourself by the power of sheer stupidity, I figured I'd better follow you before you ended up dead." She deadpans. "As it turns out, I was right."

"I was just taking a nap." I try to defend myself.

"Right. Under the Bad Tree." She keeps staring at me with a somewhat angry expression.

"The what?" I frown. Trees can't harm you… right? They are just trees! They can't be evil.

"Of course you didn't even research the local flora before deciding to come." She sighs in annoyance. "The Bad Tree is a tree that feeds on people's dreams. Its bark is comfy as a blanket, and it lures you into sleep… and then you never wake up."

"Oh." I see. That's why the bark had those fibers! That's why I fell asleep as soon as I touched it.

"The only antidote are the leaves of the Good Tree." I raise an eyebrow at the explanation, and she quickly continues. "Yeah, quite original names, I know. But thankfully I paid enough attention in class to identify it even in the darkness of the night."

Wait. The Good Tree, The Bad Tree… yeah, I believe I've heard something like that. In class, maybe. Or research I did for homework. But of course I didn't remember at all. And even if I had, I probably wouldn't have been able to identify them.

Ugh. Maybe Croix has a point. Maybe I should put a little more effort in my studies. Maybe I shouldn't be chasing myths in the middle of a dangerous forest in order to ignore my responsibilities. Maybe, just maybe, I should have stayed in bed all day as I'd planned.

"I'm so stupid." I sob out, trying to get up, but having to be helped by Croix due to the feeling of dizziness having not yet gone away.

"Chariot." Croix sighs, taking one of my hands between hers. "Cherry, please don't say that."

"You say it all the time." I argue. And come on, if Croix says it, it must be true.

"Yeah, but… I don't actually believe it." She admits, sending me an apologetic smile. "I don't think you are actually stupid. You just… you should put a bit more effort, that's all. And stop expecting the solution to all your problems to literally fall down the sky."

"I'm sorry." I sob, burying my face in her neck. Thankfully, this time she doesn't pull away like she always does. "You're right. I'm lazy, I'm avoiding my responsibilities, but it's just… sometimes it's too much, you know? Having the fate of magic literally on my shoulders even when I know I'm not the best with in the school by far." I chuckle bitterly.

"Cherry." Croix sighs, her right hand coming to caress my hair softly. "I know this can be tough, but there must be a reason you were chosen. You are brave, and kind, and strong, and have an innate talent for magic that even I can't hope to ever match. Chariot, I'm sure that, if you just made an effort, you could easily change the world."

At her words, I sob even harder and try to get closer to her. I didn't expect such kindness from my usually stern friend, much less after I dragged her into a dangerous forest in the middle of the night, started a fight with her and then almost died to some weird tree. I don't deserve her. I really don't.

"I will make an effort." I promise, separating from her just enough to look at her eyes. "Really, from now on I'll try harder. I just wish one day I'll be worthy of calling myself the friend of someone as amazing as you."

In response, Croix simply smiles softly and moves her hand so it's now cupping my cheek.

"You dummy. You are already worthy." She says. "Even if you're lazy and are always getting in trouble, you have a heart of gold, and always see the good in the worst situations. That's what I like most about you, and I wouldn't trade if for anything in the world."

"Croix…" I can't believe I'm hearing such since words directed at me from her, spoken with so much sincerity and devotion expressed from her eyes. I wished I could reciprocate the gesture, say something just as nice, but… it seems like my breath has been taken away, and so I just kept staring at her with my mouth open like a gaping fish.

"The truth is, Chariot, that…" She gulps, blushing. "I see you as more than a friend. Actually, I li…" Whatever she was going to say is cut off hastily when a bright light suddenly erupts from somewhere to my left. We quickly turn around, still holding hands, but assuming defensive positions, trying to see if there's danger nearby.

But, when the light recedes slightly and our eyes adapt to it, we see… No way! There's… there's a… that's…

"A fern flower!" I exclaim as soon as my eyes land on a plant with bright green leaves and a big blue flower blooming at its center, coated with a mysterious blueish glow.

"What?" Croix asks, confused, apparently still trying to process what she's seeing.

"They really exist! Croix I told you!" I exclaim, going to try and touch it, but being immediately stopped by my friend.

"Wait. It could be a trap." She says, pulling me back. "Let me look at it first."

"Okay." I pout, but end up relenting, letting go of her hand and allowing her to approach the plant first while I keep looking at it from afar. Gosh, it's so pretty!

"I see…" Croix says, frowning as she intently looks at the leaves. "This doesn't look like a fern at all."

"It does to me." I argue, but she shakes her head.

"The leaves are slightly different. Rounder. With a more defined border." She says, but I roll my eyes. Maybe magical ferns just look different to normal ferns! Doesn't mean it's dangerous. "It actually looks like…" She reaches out and touches one leaf, which immediately responds by closing as if scared. Just like…

"A mimosa?" I say, now also approaching to the plant and looking at it intently. I should have imagined! It does look a lot like one from up close. But its leaves are actually similar to that of ferns, so from the distance it's difficult to tell the difference.

"Yep." She chuckles. "This is definitely a mimosa, but a rare variety, apparently, because normal magical mimosas are smaller, with golden leaves and pink flowers."

"But… but it bloomed at midnight, and its flower looks like the illustration I saw in the book, and…"

"Yes. Fern flowers are probably based on this plant's flower." She answers. "But it's still just a mimosa, and I doubt it could grant wishes, but… I guess it's worth a try." And with that, she goes to pick the flower from the plant, holding it in her hands for a moment before offering it to me. "Happy birthday." She says with a tender smile.

I receive the flower, almost trembling from happiness, and stare at it for a long moment, contemplating my wish. Should I wish for the revival of magic? For gaining mastery over strengthening magic without having to train everyday? As I stare into its bright yellow stamens and its glowing blue petals, obviously oozing with power, something tells me it won't grant me those wishes. No. Something this special, which bloomed just when Croix and I were having such a meaningful conversation… it needs to be something I wish from deep inside my heart.

"I wish… that we could be together forever." I say, imbedding those words with all the feelings deep inside me, conveying as much emotion as I can. And suddenly, the flower explodes in a million particles, coating me and Croix with a glowing blue powder.

I laugh when I see her face completely covered by the stuff, and she laughs too, going to wipe her glasses with her sleeve. We must look so ridiculous! But that's okay. I just hope the magic will work; that we will always be together. Speaking of which…

"Just so you know, I wanted to say, before we were interrupted by the flower, that I also see you as more than a friend." At my words, Croix pauses wiping her glasses and stares at me with wide eyes. "You're my best friend." I smile, but she just chuckles and shakes her head. "That's what you meant… right?" I ask, confused at her answer.

"Sure, Chariot." She reassures me, taking my hand once more. "We're best friends."

"Great!" I smile at her, but… is it just me or her gaze looks a bit sad? Maybe it's just because it's dark and we're tired. Yeah. That must be it.

"Come on, let's get back to Luna Nova before something else happens."


A/N: Sorry for the delay. things were crazy last week and I didn't even want to write :p. But anyways, it's done now and it has a whole bunch of Charoix, so hopefully that makes up for it. Well, thanks for reading and, as usual, please leave a review/favorite/follow if you enjoyed, okay? Well, see you in two weeks! :D

PS: I posted an image based on this chapter on my Tumblr, if you want to see it. I'll also post it later on Instagram. My user name in both pages is Tania Hylian.

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.