Well well well. Bet this is a surprise.
Hello again, this is indeed Wallagen updating their 5.5 year old story out of nowhere after practically abandoning this site with no warning or signs of returning ever. Rest assured, if you were for whatever reason worried for my state of being, I have been quite alright and alive, or at least, as alright as anyone could've been in the past 2 years or so. Looking at the things I posted here back in 2016 feels like I'm looking at an alternate universe.
So what is this then, and why now? Well, the other day I started reading Bed of Flowers by BewareTheDragon1 on Archive Of Our , a piece that was apparently inspired by this one! I was very flattered to find that out, and it made me wonder just how far I had gotten with Chapter 5 of this piece. Opening up my document, I found out that I had apparently run out of steam in the last 5% of the finished product. That simply just would not do, I thought, so I quickly wrote the remaining pieces together and threw it on here.
I'm afraid that the story will indeed end here though. I'm simply just more interested and focused on the projects I'm working on at the moment. But hey, despite all the years, they are still Taranza and Sectonia related! If you're ever curious about more of that, I am still (sometimes) writing on Archive Of Our Own, still as Wallagen.
This is where I will give a fair warning though. Much, but not everything, of the content I write now is adult/NSFW/explicit in nature. If you don't feel like engaging with that, don't feel incentivized to do so.
With all of that said though, I will add one final chapter to this fic, that being a full explanation of where the story would have gone from thereon out, just in more or less point form. I hope this will give all of you who have waited for the conclusion of this story closure. Thank you all again very much for still reading this in 2022, a number that feels crazy to put into perspective of little old 2016. I hope you all still enjoy Sectaranza as much as I still very much do.
C'mon Kumazaki. I believe in you. Finish the story you always wanted.
Chapter 5: Echo
_
The sunrise of today had passed several hours ago. Approaching midday, the kingdom of Dream Land was having a nice relaxing day, not terribly rare for the slow-moving society. The sky was clear, devoid of any clouds that now had migrated far west, making room for the spring sun to shine its light on every flower and blade of grass alike, lighting up the lush green fields of neatly trimmed grass. Not even a single gust of wind blew across the land, letting the mill-like trees and multitude of critters relax for once.
This morning was an awful lot better than her last.
Even though the sun had been up for what she assumed was several hours by now, she hadn't moved an inch since waking up. The comfy warmth that was spread throughout her body by the soft duvet was simply too comfortable for her to bother. The heated rays of sunlight that shone through the small window lit up the middle-sized room and comfortably warmed the bed she had grown very accustomed to. Admittedly, those rays were a bit annoying to be blinded by, but this was easily solved by simply closing her eyes again.
She felt tranquil. The wounds on her body didn't hurt nearly as much as before and her headache was gone, her mind now calm as gentle waves on the sun clad beach. Moving her wing was still completely out of the option, but with the thick blanket covering her form, she didn't feel the need to. If her stomach and responsibility agreed, she could lay here forever.
Eventually she realized that the prospect of finding out who you were and getting the random memory based headaches under control might be worth the troubles of getting out of bed. Pushing herself upwards, she ended up slightly shoving the blanket off her as she now sat upright in the king sized bed. Gently, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and let out a silent yawn, as her eyes remained half-open. Or half-closed, she still felt rather tired.
Looking around the middle-sized bedroom, she spotted a wooden tray sitting next to a potted flower on the drawer beside the bed. On the tray was a small plate with a rather crispy-looking croissant, a couple of blueberries and a small chocolate biscuit. A small folded note also laid beside the meal. Next to her apparent breakfast was a glass of juice and a lukewarm cup of tea, presumably the same type of blend from yesterday. Resisting the urge of immediately digging in, she slightly shifted her weight over to lay on her side at the edge of the bed, picked up the little tab of paper, and read it quickly:
"I'll be out of the house for a couple of hours, so just in case you wake up before I return, I prepared this for you. Enjoy the meal!"
The note ended with a quickly scribbled small and round drawing of Taranza's head smiling at her, complete with his trademark fangs and horns. The note stated that he was going to be out for a while, so it was likely she would be alone for some time. She didn't like that. She felt loneliness creep up on her, causing her to, once again, gaze over the room, reassuring herself that she truly was the only one here. She noticed a lone small bed was sitting in the other corner of the room, hugging the walls. The bedding was clean and done, not showing any signs of frequent use. Compared to her, it looked like it fit a child or maybe a young adult. Reminding herself of her extreme size, compared to the other individuals she had met, she reconsidered the scale of the bed and concluded it must be a typical normal-sized one instead. Did it belong to her host? If it did belong to him, why had he not used it? Where had he slept tonight?
Her questions and thoughts were not answered, but rather interrupted by a growling sound, filling the otherwise silent room. Loneliness and sleeping mysteries could wait, she was hungry.
Leaning over the tray and taking a small nibble of the morning pastry, it was hard not to be overwhelmed by the inherent crunchiness of its flaky texture and the indescribable explosion of various tastes and flavors that spread across her tongue. The croissant was cool, but still at a warm enough temperature to not chill her taste buds. To keep things short, this was really tasty. She immediately took another, bigger bite out of it, chewing it at a rapid pace. She hadn't realized how hungry she actually was, but here she was making a mess out of herself, ravenously eating a well-prepared breakfast, manners be damned. Realizing that having several crumbs around her lips might seem a bit uncouth, she wiped them off with her gloved hand and took a big gulp of the orange juice to wash everything down, while instinctively closing her eyes as of result of bringing the tinted glass to her mouth. Putting the glass back down to the tray, she partially reopened her eyes while letting out a sigh of relief, letting her vision rest on the eye-catching potted plant positioned next to her meal. The flower was quite a remarkable sight, being fully opened with its yellow tinted, purple carpels and light, pink petals staring back at her. Her gaze turned from one of wonder to curiosity. There was something about the shape of the flower that seemed a tad…thought-provoking to her. What could it be? It was partially the colors that spoke to her, yet the shape was somewhat familiar as well.
Nevertheless, the plant seemed to be well taken care of. In fact, everything in this house seemed to have a certain six-handed touch of quality about it. Books in a drawer were sorted after the color of their covers, the desk, although filled with stacks of papers, was neatly sorted, and the small bed was as well tidied up as it was the last time she glanced at it. Even the breakfast she had been eating had "perfectionism" written all over it. It was oddly charming to her that her forgotten friend had gone out of his way to do this.
She felt as if she didn't deserve it.
Conflict filled her head. She wasn't used to this kindness. All she had done for him was make his life more difficult, more demanding and tiring for him. All she was being was a weak nuisance that couldn't even carry her own weight, and here he was, spoiling her like a privileged infant. Was this friendship truly worth all that trouble? She felt he thought much too highly of her, yet she felt equally bad about questioning his judgment.
Her head was starting to hurt again. Even when she attempted at recognizing how much trouble she caused for him, she just ended up insul-
Knock knock
She snapped out of her negative line of thought, her eyes instantly widening out of surprise. Someone was knocking at the door to the bedroom. Staring at the wooden door in minor shock, her mind drew blank of what to do. She wanted to answer, but she hesitated. Fear halted her. Who was this person knocking? It certainly couldn't be Taranza, he wasn't currently home aft-
Knock knock knock
"Hello? Are you awake?"
… Or perhaps he was. Immediately recognizing his voice, she mentally sighed in relief. Only after a good second did she realize her impoliteness of not responding to his question.
"Oh, uh… y-yes, good morning!" She yelled, loudly enough to hear beyond a door, but at the same time with enough lack of confidence to indicate uncertainty. She did somewhat leave him hanging there for a while. After an awkward second or two later, the door finally opened to show her friend in the doorframe, bearing an exhausted, but still happy smile. Specks of white powder covered his otherwise shiny cape and clean gloves, definitely indicating some type of labor. It looked a bit like flour, perhaps he was a baker? A work more focused on handicraft and skill would definitely be easy with how many pair of hands he had, but she did suppose that he had an awful lot of paperwork for a baker.
"Good morning! Did you have a nice time while I was gone?" His tone was enthusiastic, overly so even. It did seem to be his usual mood. Brushing off the white from his clothing, he entered the room and went over to the bedside, taking a glance at the tray of mostly untouched food. She unintentionally studied his every movement. How his hands hung lower than usual, indicating tiredness. How he stretched out his back as if he hadn't done so in several hours. How he turned his head to her and moved his mouth at her.
"Well?"
"O-oh uh..." Busted. In truth she had heard what he asked her, but for whatever reason her mind seemed to think that saying nothing would be a perfectly appropriate response. Her brain was now kicking itself trying to come up with something to say, while still juggling with the topics of loneliness, mindless curiosity and self-loathing she struggled with earlier. She didn't want him to worry, of course. She'd certainly hate being more of a bother than what she had already been for the last few days. Convincing herself to momentarily block those thoughts out, she started pondering what parts of her morning were good. The breakfast was nice, at least judging from that one bite she had taken, and the overall peacefulness of simply lying in bed had been extremely relaxing. But everything just seemed to lead to those poisonous thoughts of being alone and lost again. She would have to try to sound convincing enough in her answer, while not overdoing it in an accidental sarcastic tone. She did realize that it wasn't healthy to bottle up these issues, now just didn't feel like a very appropriate time.
"... It was… very good. Yeah."
She failed. Spectacularly so. Nevertheless, Taranza seemed to have bought it as he nodded his head and smiled at her again. This smile was slightly wider and more wide-eyed than before, seeming more genuine than previously.
"Great! Sorry for leaving you earlier, but I had to take care of something in advance before we could do what I have planned for today." He started picking up the tray on the shelf, but stopped once he noticed how it was barely touched and gave the mostly intact breakfast a curious look before asking.
"You weren't hungry?" He turned his head to look at her. For some reason, she expected a hurt look with a sad expression accompanying it. But his eyes were welcoming. Understanding.
Perhaps it was just because she was tired, but her mind seemingly had a big issue coming up with sentences this morning, instead opting to stammer its way ahead. It was equally part frustrating and equally part embarrassing. However, her stomach came to her attempted rescue and answered for her with a defining loud outcry that usually meant; "please give me food." She made up her mind, it was definitely fully embarrassing. Taranza merely responded with a gentle laugh before picking up the tray for good.
"C'mon, let's eat up at the dinner table." With a turned back, he looked at her over his shoulder, still smiling as he did a quick gesture with his head towards the main room. Pointing towards the doorframe as if to warn her about its low hanging, he exited the bedroom while leaving the door open. She listened to the sounds of silverware placed on the wooden table and a kettle starting to boil for a few seconds, before realizing that now would be an excellent time to get out of bed.
Lifting the very comfortable blanket off her, she sat up at the bedside and gripped the mattress in a backwards grip before pushing herself off the bed, struggling a tad with her own balance, before standing up fully. Stretching out her body, she did a quick twirl of her head to crack several parts of her neck, causing a refreshing and releasing feeling to fill her body. Before leaving the room, she quickly, but efficiently brushed her dress, just in case there was any fluff on it. "Don't want to look like a complete bedhead," she thought to herself. Watching her head with the doorframe again, she closed the door, leaving the flower on the drawer to slightly sway from the resulting wind.
Taking a step into the main room, Taranza had already finished setting the table for their lunch-timed breakfast, complete with a table mat and expensive looking silverware. He was now standing in the kitchen, cleaning up the desk while making sure the new kettle of tea didn't overheat. She watched him with a gleeful wonder, as each individual pair of hands worked to tidy up his workspace. One pair was wiping the desk itself with a kitchen towel, while another pair was setting recently washed tableware into hung up drawers, causing her to recognize the teacup Taranza had drank out of from yesterday's talk. His eyes and final pair of hands seemed to be fixated with washing something under the sink. It was almost magical how well he could multitask. With a smile on her face, she took a seat and once more looked at her fulfilling breakfast.
Heavily debating with herself whether or not she should start on the chocolate biscuit, she decided against it and quickly took a single blueberry in her mouth, before restarting her efforts on the croissant. It had lost a little bit of heat, but it was still good. She could practically feel her energy returning with each tasty bite, fulfilled with the vitamin-rich juice and berries. She still ate a rapid pace, but unlike last time, she tried not to look like a homeless person that hadn't eaten in several days. Despite the reality of her situation being just that. Finishing the pastry, she figured now would be a great time to take the biscuit, just as a plate cleaner. It had an incredible flavor, overwhelming her taste buds. Perhaps it was homemade. After mowing it down, her plate was finished. Her overall opinion about her meal was definitely highly positive. Not that she claimed to be an expert in breakfast critique, though she did have the nagging feeling that she had the experience to credibly rate it. Turning her attention to the newly warmed cup of tea, she inhaled the strong aromas of the liquorice and ginger that worked amazingly as an awakener. It soothed her. The soothing scent of the warm beverage just seemed to make her happy for reasons unknown. Perhaps her brain was trying to remember happy memories, but could only recall the emotions themselves. It gave her a bittersweet feeling. Not unlike the tea itself, she supposed.
"So, how was it?"
Looking up from her cup, Taranza had taken the seat in front of her. With him, he had taken a brown paper bag to the table, now held in one of his right hands. Whatever was in it, it felt like it would be important to the conversation he was leading up to. She nodded, mumbling her thankful answer, before taking another sip of the tea. The taste was simply addicting. It really felt like it was her favorite. She looked down into the brew and shook the cup in a rotating manner, creating a small whirlpool inside it, while she contemplated her thoughts about the tea.
"This tea is rather wonderful. Do you grow the ingredients yourself?"
She stopped the rotating and let the water settle down, before looking up and giving her friend a tired smile, but with wide, curious eyes. Taranza's expression changed dramatically. His friendly smile turned into a mute expression with wide, rapidly blinking eyes. He seemed flustered for some reason. Only when he turned his head to face the window behind him did he answer.
"W-well not really, no, I… the liquorice blend is just from downtown and the uh… the ginger is… imported."
Finding his embarrassment very charming, she had to hold back a slight giggle. Don't want him to feel worse about it, of course. Now would be a good time to change subject, she thought.
"I see. The tea is very good either way." She took another opportunity to take a sip. "What's in the bag though?"
His body loosened up a little and his head jumped out of the hand he had rested on. "Oh right!" he exclaimed, leaning down under the table to grab the bag and its contents.
"I was downtown earlier this morning while you were still snoozing, and I figured you might need some basic stuff if you're planning to stay here… or even if not. So…"
Taranza then reached one of his many hands deep down into the bag and fiddled around with it. After digging around a bit, he pulled a smaller item up and then emptied the rest of the bag on the table.
"I bought you a personal toothbrush; you're taking this for a use after we're done here." He lightly threw it up in the air in her general direction, still inside a case made of plastic and paper. Catching it in midair, she adjusted the casing in her hands, analyzing the design of the toothbrush. It was rather plain looking, having a smooth white surface, spare for a handle made of blue rubber and the brush itself. A little bit… too plain, she supposed. Looking up again, Taranza had taken the other items from the bag and moved them in front of him.
"And a new blanket and pillow, always nice to have in case it gets cold."
True to his words, the blanket did look rather comfortable and warm, the pillow equally so. The blanket itself was colored a darker grey and seemed to consist of what looked like homemade fabric, while the pillow was a typical white pillowcase with no detailed bedding. Placing the items in her lap, she stared at them, holding the sides of the blanket and feeling its comfortable softness.
She didn't know what to say. She had the feeling he was nice and kind hearted, but this went past standard generosity. Questions she had asked herself before began popping up again. Why would he do this? Why does he care? How in any way did she deserve this kind of treatment?
"I... I'm unsure what to say… you really should not have bought all that just for me… It's…" She trailed off, unsure on how to elaborate or finish. Thankfully, he ended the sentence for her.
"Nothing I can't afford. You should have seen how much the flour cost then."
"Flour?"
"I'll keep that as a surprise. I'll spoil that we won't be doing anything related to baking though." He added with a smile and rose from his seat, moving over to hers.
"If I may?" He asked, gesturing to her empty plate. She nodded in approval and watched him silently as he took the plate and began carrying it over to the sink, placing it beside it on the metal grid for later. Returning to the table, he retook his seat whilst he folded a pair of hands together, putting them on the table. His eyes widened a bit as the smile that decorated his mouth turned into a straight line. Quickly, he took a deep breath. His overall expression had taken a very serious turn, making her feel a little uneasy.
"Now then…" He begun. "Take the toothbrush for a run real quick and I'll do a quick check up on your bandages afterwards. We're going on a little field trip today."
"A field trip?" She answered. The announcement admittedly caught her off guard. It sounded awfully casual for something supposedly important. What struck her most, however, was the prospect of moving. Admittedly it sounded very lethargic, but the mere idea of her travelling more than five meters a day struck fear in her worn and battered mind. Her other half reminded her that a refusal would be extremely rude to him and his abundance of courtesy.
"Somewhat, yeah." He nodded before continuing, his smile returning to his face. "I've decided that I'm going to try to teach you magic today."
Sectonia had quickly accepted that she hated walking. The two of them had been walking for quite a while now and the increasingly tiring journey didn't show any signs of stopping. The forest they were in was a bit different to the one she awoke in, sporting primarily birch trees instead of the usual oak. The luscious light green crowns of the trees gave the woods quite the color and contrasted well from the scarred white bark and blue skies. The grey clouds from days prior were now fully gone and in their place were softer looking, smaller white ones, gently floating for themselves on the horizon. The road they followed was yet another one made of dirt and rocks, but as they both floated, it wasn't too much of an issue. It did look rather bland though.
The walk itself had lasted for only a good ten minutes or so, yet the time passed felt twice as much. It was great being outside again; taking in the fresh air of the calm winds and the scent of the forest, but Sectonia was still very much exhausted from walking in her current condition, even for only a few hundred meters. Her thoughts, however, had mainly consisted of questions about where Taranza was leading her. She had to admit, she was very curious, and perhaps a tad too excited, about the prospect of learning magic. Or re-learning it, perhaps. She wasn't overly sure, as her previous hands-on experience had ended in a fantastical, total flop.
Still, her supposed friend had to have taken her all the way out here for a reason, right? He must be seeing something in her that she's clearly missing, as she herself couldn't see any shade of ability or talent within her. Then again, it seemed as if he knew more about her than she did. And, of course, there was the fact that she had only really attempted it once, at least to her knowledge. Thinking about the last time brought back quite the painful memories, as well as additionally reminding her that she was currently looking like half a mummy. She sure felt like one. Nevertheless, she accepted that the bandages were necessary. Without them she would have most likely bled to death.
Come to think of it, she never truly thanked him for all the things he's done for her. She had been rather busy sleeping most the few days away, yet in the brief moments she had been awake, she had mostly been eating, losing herself in thoughts, spying on her host and experiencing a grand deal of headaches. All rounded up with always feeling positively awful every time she woke up. Who knew sleeping could be so exhaustive. Regardless, she was getting herself sidetracked again. Taking a deep breath identical to the last couple of dozen she had taken during this exhausting stroll, she made a mental note to fully thank him for his efforts at some point in the very near future.
And yet, something about that line of thought didn't sit well with her. It felt too… insincere, perhaps? It was difficult to pinpoint. Was it her tone? In retrospect, the wording sounded very pretentious on paper. Then again, if this is how she worded it initially, that would indicate that it was a more deep-rooted issue with her overall choice of linguistics. Perhaps it was too impersonal. But if that were the case, she would have surely realized this earlier, right? Perhaps she had too much going on to really give it a thought. Now all she could wonder was if she was always this indecisive. Had she had the surplus energy to think it through, she might have thought about it more on this seemingly endless forest path, but her now growing migraine vehemently advised her not to dig further into any real lines of thought.
"Ah, we're here now."
At any rate, it seemed like they had finally arrived, thankfully. Passing by the last few trees, they both entered a clearing in the woods. Taranza sped up his walking a little, before stopping and turning around to face her, spreading his arms out and making his palms face upwards to strike a pose to present the place.
"Ta-daaaah! Your very own magical training range… area …field…"
Looking around, the small opening was defined by its oval-like shape and short grass. The open skies were now in full view, light blue and slightly cloudy. The sun, while partially hiding behind a big mass of fluffy whiteness, was shining at its fullest. She didn't mind the warmth, though she had to bring a hand up to her eyes to not be blinded by the bright day. It seemed to be around high noon. Deciding against burning her eyes, she took another more concentrated look at the area. At the end of the clearing were several thin wooden poles holding up bulky sacks, placed parallel to each other in a straight line. Square in the middle of each of them were crudely painted red circles, presumably for targeting. Quickly connecting the dots, Sectonia figured that those were going to be the victims of whatever the two of them were going to try out. She turned to face Taranza again, who looked like he had noticed her taking in the scenery. He seemed at ease, presumably happy over the excitement and joy of getting to reveal this "secret errand" of his. His warm smile was hard to miss, though it quickly went away and replaced itself with a flustered expression after he noticed how many awkward seconds they had kept the eye contact. He quickly reworked his posture, straightening his back and clearing his throat with one of his many hands curled up in front of his now straight mouth.
"Right, so, as I told you earlier, I've brought you here to teach you the delicacies and usefulness of magic. While it might sound difficult and intimidating on paper, I have full confidence that you will succeed today."
As charming and flattering as his sentiment was, she didn't quite fully agree. However, it would be quite rude to behave self-deprecating in response, as well as in this event as a whole, so Sectonia allowed herself to acknowledge and accept the compliment.
"Now, follow me, please, it's just over here." The shorter spider began traversing through the open meadow, with her following suit. She made sure not to rest on a pile of mud before taking a seat in the grass plain. Wouldn't want to dirty the beautiful dress someone had taken the time to clean.
"First things first, do you know what magic is?" He asked.
"Yes." She blurted out, quickly regretting not thinking of what he meant by the question. "… Well, no."
Spawning a warm, yet snickering smile on his face, Taranza lowered himself down to sit with her and began clarifying.
"Magic lives in everything. It is an energy helps us understand the world we live in a little more by, essentially, manipulating the foundation of existence itself. But while it is a strong energy, it can't live on its own, so it sticks to living beings that then host it. This symbiotic relationship is detrimental for its survival, so it stays with its host, even when it's passed away. It's a force that literally courses through your veins. Certain blood types can also make it easier to grasp and then control. It's therefore also genetically hereditarily. In some ways, it's like a virus that's more helpful than harmful."
Interesting, it certainly sounded as important and complex as she assumed it was. She couldn't help but wonder how much of an unfelt presence it truly was. Perhaps it impacted her day more than she realized.
"So most people can use magic?" She inquired.
"If they wanted to, yes. Some people are better at controlling and utilizing it than others, of course, as with any skill. Most people never touch it."
That sounded rather dull. From the brief experiences she had with magic, it seemed like such a useful and flexible tool in concept. Why anyone would waste the chance of being able to use such an interesting thing was beyond her. There had to be a reason, right?
"That… seems like a shame." She added, unsure if she was interrupting him too much. It didn't seem like he minded awfully though.
"It comes down to it being difficult to learn and master. If you're not good enough at it, it can have some nasty side effects as well. "
Nasty sound effects sounded about right. She pondered if the symptoms where anything like some of the headaches and migraines she had experienced during her brief span of memory. Nevertheless, she stored those thoughts away for later, deciding to fully concentrate on her friends' teachings. Wouldn't want to miss anything important. He continued;
"It's why I brought you here today, actually. To test your stability and see if it's worth looking into. I heard you tried some yesterday and failed pretty badly."
"… That might be putting it lightly." She looked away from him briefly and decided that looking at the trees seemed to be a good way to hide her substantial amount of embarrassment from that episode.
"Anyhow, let's get right to it." He rose from his own seat and stretched out all his individual hands, as well as his back. He then took a few steps back, though kept the eye contact.
"We will start off simple, with something I know we're both easily capable of."
It was hard not to notice how his choice of words had changed when he stepped into this teaching mentality. He sounded a bit more official, in a sense. It was hard not to find it a bit charming. Perhaps he had done this before and she was but another student of his.
"Now then, watch me closely."
He moved out of the way and a little to the side, causing him to be perfectly in line with one of the sacks of flour several dozen meters away. He reached on of his right palms outwards, his pupils narrowing ever so slightly to focus on his target.
Suddenly, it was as if the light around him grew slightly somber, which was followed by purple sparks igniting from thin air around his hand. It intensified until several streams of lighting in all imaginable shades of purple rotated around an epicenter of a white mass that had begun growing from Taranza's fingertips. His glittering red scarf was now blowing in the excess wind the power was creating, adding a tint of visual drama to the scene. The streams seemed to wrap themselves around the middle, until it all turned into a dark blue and byzantium colored orb. The big orb of pure energy then suddenly fired from his grasp and bolted across the field, until it hit the bag dead on, making it explode in a storm of flour that spread out in a large area, raining down on the field and coating it in a layer of white. It was almost comical how much the explosion had looked like a cloud.
Whatever just happened, it looked difficult. And dangerous.
"That was a basic 'Nox-arcanum blast'. Or at least, that's what the books call it. It's a very simple thing to execute, as it uses only pure energy with minimal focus necessary." Taranza explained, awfully casual about pulling off that flashy stunt. She tilted her head a little and gazed over to where the flour bag had been standing. Small traces of purple smoke seemed to linger from the explosion, but it quickly dissipated into the thin air. She was certain that this type of spell was a more intermediate skill, and was much too dangerous for a total new beginner like her to even attem-
"Alright then, now it's your turn!"
All color instantly drained from her face, turning it pale. All the worry, that had let itself be replaced with wonder and speculation from the show Taranza put on, instantly came back, but in tenfold.
"W-what? I can't possibly do t-that!" She quickly rose from the spot she had been more or less laying on, slightly backing away from the range as well. What he had done looked coordinated and concentrated. She could barely walk five steps without collapsing from back pains.
"Sure you can, better than most people even." His smile persisted, showing no signs of leaving. Surely his faith was misplaced, she thought, as she continued to argue.
"H-how do you know that? How do you know I w-won't make a mess out of it?"
"Because I've seen you do it before, silly! I'll help you through it though, don't worry. Now, stand over here!"
Timidly, she moved to the spot on the second row where Taranza had gestured at. She thought they would start off with something of smaller scale, not just jump right into the flashier things like this. He followed suit, stepping up next to her with confidence spread across his face, in direct opposite of hers.
"Try doing the same as me. Stand firm." He moved his torso around to face the target with his side.
"S-stand firm." She repeated, changing her stance to reflect his. She had to make sure she did everything to the letter. Wouldn't want to break anything or something the like.
"Good," He commented. "Now take aim."
"Take… aim." She took one of her palms and held it out towards the target across the field. Her hand quivered, though only for a moment before she steeled herself and shrugged it off her. She shouldn't hesitate now, she had to focus.
"Now the only thing you gotta do…" he started, his eyes still focused on the second sack on a pole from the right, slightly covered in flour from the previous explosion. "… is concentrate. Try to locate the feeling swelling up in you and tap into it. You can only do it if you want to do it."
She nodded, exhaling a deep breath before focusing on her target in front of her. Attempting to block any form of thought, she let her head relax and her nerves calm down. She severely doubted she was doing this correctly, but her main compulsion told her to do this. With another breath, she closed her eyes and let her mind wander, letting the wind fiddle around with her wingspan. She felt her pulse flowing through her whole being, from her stretched out fingertips to her calm heartbeat. Suddenly something different from deep within her jolted in her body, reverberating throughout her consciousness. Briefly astonished from the shock, she gasped and broke off the attempt, physically flinching in the progress. Taranza observantly took notice of this instantly.
"You felt something."
"There was something, yes…" She quickly collected herself. Her aiming hand retracted itself a little, as she turned it over to then study her palm more closely. Beneath the thin, pure white silk gloves, her hand was filled with an odd, yet familiar burning sensation, particularly searing in the few cuts on it. "It feels… warm."
"Tap into that. That warmth is the magic inside, calling you. It wants to work with you, but you must earn its trust first."
"And… how do I make it certain in trusting me?"
"You trust yourself."
As deadpan melodramatic as that sounded, she judged it was worth a shot. The nature of magic didn't truly seem logical in the first place, in her own opinion. Stretching her open hand outwards again, she applied herself to focus once again, attempting to relocate wherever that feeling had sprung from. Her breath slowed itself down again while her search continued… there! She had briefly tapped it, making her feel a slight tingle in her hand. She intensified her focus and stance, as she fully grasped it and channeled the magic within her. Suddenly, a cluster of raw energy spawned from thin air in front of her palm, taking form in the shape of purple sparks and smoke. She pushed on, creating a star-like epicenter that brightly glowed in all shades of blue and silver. A little bit of pride swelled up in her too, this wasn't that hard after all! The brightness of the star intensified, as two equally glowing circular lines formed, orbiting around it. It felt as if she had a small sun in the grasp of her hands, heating her fingertips through her soft gloves.
"Nice, that one looks really good! Now hit that thing, square in the center!"
Heeding Taranza's words, she retracted her hand slightly, before thrusting it outward again in a pushing motion. The glowing orb of light then launched itself across the field with blazing speed, forcing the air around it away and blowing away the grass beneath it. The trajectory of the basic incantation was perfect, quickly flying directly towards the intended target, surely resulting in a dead-on hit…
Or it would have been, had the orb not taken a sharp 90 degrees turn out of nowhere and smashed itself into a tree, completely disregarding its original path and robbing her of her achievement. Harsh crackling noises filled the otherwise serene area, as the damage the now scorched birch trunk had sustained proved too much to support the weight of the tree, causing it to fall over and collapse onto the ground completely. The two of them physically recoiled at the impact of unfortunate birch, now observing the aftermath of the attempt. After the dust had settled, Taranza was the one to break the lingering silence.
"That was… something. I have never seen magic do that before. It's like it was intentionally working against you."
Oh, splendid, she thought, so the magic doesn't like her either. She sighed, "Am I really this incompetent?" She glanced over to Taranza for acknowledgement, but only found him deep in thought. His gaze was pointed at her target, or at least, her intended target, contemplating the situation with a thoughtful hand at his chin. Seemingly conversing with himself about "experience" and "remembering," he caught her off guard when he suddenly turned and directed a question at her.
"...And yet, it worked the other day, right?"
Painful memories aside, there certainly was some sort of display of her supposed magical abilities in yesterday's encounter. That being said, the moment was so brief and filled with terror, that anything she tried to recall was too muddied and blurry to clearly remember anything distinctive.
"Forgive me, but everything happened with such haste that…" Clearly noticing her trailing off, he decided not to push the matter further. He could tell it was a difficult topic for her. Returning to his pondering, she felt a nagging guilt about not being helpful. She forced herself to replay the events in her mind again, only this time focusing on the exact moment she started to panic. Panic. Or was there more? Despite her highly limited experience with panicking as a whole, it still did not sit right with her. A thought crossed her mind. Calming her senses once more, Sectonia let a half hearted attempt at conjuring fluctuate in her palms, focusing on the materialization itself rather than the end result. It was invisible, yet she definitely felt it. It felt familiar. Slowly connecting the pieces of the puzzle, she dismissed, or rather, excused the magic and turned to the troubled Taranza thinking for himself.
"I… believe I remember the same sensation washing over me. It felt… instinctive." She struggled with the last part, but hoped she got the point across nonetheless.
"Oh." He turned around suddenly, meeting her eyes with his own wide pair. Pairs. She wasn't sure. "That sounds like a case of an emergency boost."
Before she had a chance to question what that might possibly be, Taranza had done a complete rework of his stance, shifting a pair of his hands behind his back, while a right one was cupping his chin. His eyes darted towards the sky, as if he was physically looking at his thoughts. It definitely emphasized that he was about to elaborate in a very scholar-like way. He seemed like a very expressive person in general.
"Well- "he started off, evidently struggling on how to word it. "So, magic is just as a living and aware thing as we are. It detects when its host is in danger, somewhat. It, uh… seems to flow easier or more concentrated in the blood when it feels threatened. The adrenaline that pumps into the blood when you are in a "do or die" situation essentially works as a catalyst for the magic and increases overall performance. It basically counts as somewhat of a second survival instinct. It usually ends in a nasty headache though."
"R-right…" she stammered, overwhelmed by the exposition.
"Sorry, too much information at once, I know. Let's keep things basic for now." He scratched the back of his head with a bashful, apologetic smile. "Do you want to try again?"
She nodded timidly, still determined to at least attempt. Taking yet another deep breath, she once again readied herself for another shot at the flour bag bearing a target circle.
Over the next few minutes of trial and horrendous error, Sectonia had gotten no steps closer to a successful incantation. One stab at a spell resulted in it steering off course and almost hitting a tree again, while another decided to ascend to the sky and cause a mid-air explosion. A third attempt looked somewhat promising for a few seconds, until it slowed down considerably and descended onto the ground, imploding upon collision. The fourth one simply vanished in mid-air. After seven attempts, she had only just succeeded in harming the second target bag, still struggling with the third one. Even if her patience was starting to drain away, she was still determined to achieve some sort of success today. This was supposed to be easy, was it not? Perhaps it was her mentality that was skewering her results. Maybe, if she focused on improvement rather than achievement, she might get more out of the session. She felt it was worth a try. Extending her palm for attempt number eight, she repeated the new thought process in her head before she started to cast the spell, prepared to succeed.
"Sectonia?"
Or perhaps not. Lowering her hand again, she turned around to face her acquainted arachnid, wondering what sort of request he had for her. The expression she was met with seemed troubled for some reason.
"I think it would be best if we stopped for now. The results are odd to say the least, but I'd… rather not push you in your current state."
She internally sighed, a tad disheartened at the request. He was right. Given her previous episodes of nearly fainting from overwhelming emotional and physical distress, she would most certainly be pushing her luck if she continued. Glancing over her shoulder, she turned her gaze to the painted sack at the edge of the field and gave it a stern look, before conceding to reason. He didn't miss this.
"… Do you want one last try?"
Caught off guard, Sectonia took a moment to seriously wager the offer. One last attempt at spellcasting, one now wholly focused on improvement, could help her get closer at actually understanding the magic that dwelled within her, at the off chance that her hypothesis was right, of course. Deciding to see if there was any merit in her hypothesis, she accepted the request.
"… If I may?" He nodded, smile returning to his face.
Once again turning to face the target, she calmed her mind once more, now repeating the mantra she had just developed. Seek improvement, not achievement. A new feeling of serenity flowed through her being, causing her connection with her magic to intensify and catalyze itself. The sensation had been noticeable during her previous attempts, but this bond was much stronger than she'd ever recalled feeling. Energy rushed to her hand, now in an instant. With now minimal effort, she formed yet another orb of concentrated energy in her hand. She had gotten the basic premise of materializing magic into a spell down, rather, it was the casting part itself that proved to be a great obstacle. Now, with her previous timidity gone, she threw the spell at the target with a similar, yet more refined flow and grace. Its course was straight, it showed no signs of slowing down and its form remained stable. It looked as if her endeavors were finally going to pay off in a spectacular first success.
Then the spell started flying backwards.
Suddenly barreling across the field towards its caster, her eyes widened as the familiar sensation of panic overwhelmed her. If that thing had the power to demolish a tree, she herself would be nothing short but pulverized if it hit her. Her instinct told her to get the hell out of there, but her entire body had locked itself up in a catatonic state of shock. She tried closing her eyes to avoid seeing her death approaching her, but even they would not budge in her total paralysis.
Then, in an instant, Taranza appeared out of thin air infront of her, boldly confronting the projectile with all six of his hands opened towards the rogue spell. The orb flew straight into his grasp, letting him capture it in a form of psychic headlock. Fighting against the immense power of the incantation in his grasp, he grit his teeth as the violent magic lashed out and flailed between his now shaking palms. Eventually, the spell started shrinking in size and power, until it dematerialized completely, vanishing in midair. His breathing was heavy and irregular, hands still quivering from the immense amount of strain they had just been through. Finally composing himself, he took a deep breath. He then exhaled.
"I think… that's enough magic for the day… wouldn't you say?"
Being short on air herself, it took a few seconds for her to register his words. She blinked, then twice, to reboot her thoughts. That thing could've-, no, would've killed her, and yet Taranza defused it completely without suffering a scratch. Truly, his mastery of magic was a spectacle to behold.
"Are you… unharmed?" She asked with wide, rattled eyes, scarcely believing what she just witnessed.
"Ah, yeah, don't worry. Just some quick dematerialization." He said, holding up all his hands to show his lack of scratches. They were still noticeably shaking though. She sighed, glad that he was unhurt. That sense of relief immediately disappeared though, as her attention fell back to herself and what she had just done. As little as she knew of magic, she could figure that whatever just happened wasn't natural. It didn't feel right.
"Is there… something wrong with me?" She asked with a troubled tone. Taranza did not answer. She cringed, regretting asking him such an obviously tormenting question. Her gloom only worsened when she figured how dangerous she might be if this much destructive prowess was beyond her restraint. She was starting to fear it a little. Who knows what else was dwelling hidden within her. How dangerous she had been in her prime. Eventually, he broke the silence and turned to her.
"Let's get back h-" He shook his head, catching himself before slipping up."… To the house. For now. I'll… make you some soup." He turned around towards her. His evident attempt at masking his own self-disappointment was betrayed by the melancholic tone that crept out at the end. Her heart sank. How elaborate his distress was remained a mystery to her for the moment, but one would have to be a fool not to notice how torn he was. As he passed her, she barely noticed a quiet apology form from his lips. Her heart sank. Something told her that his curt words weren't merely just for today, but had deeper meaning too. An general apology, perhaps aimed at the Sectonia she once was. The mystery of her past began popping up in her head once more. Although she had little clue what it might entail, she had a feeling it wasn't pretty.
And yet, he innately trusted her, even with today's antics. The least she could do was returning the favor. Still, she remained little more than an exhausted, wounded amnesiac, with no signs of how fast the recovery of her memories or her body would be. Repayment for his help seemed far off in the future, and a creeping sense of guilt nagged her that she should repay him with interest.
Shaking her internal monologue off herself for the upteenth time to day, she started to follow in his trail, heading towards the exit of the clearing. Quickly realizing that she was going to have walk the obscenely long distance yet again, she sighed internally and prepared herself to push onwards. At least a nice and comfy bed was awaiting her after this stroll. Hopefully a good meal too.
However, she didn't get further than a few meters before she suddenly found herself on the ground. She must have zoned out and fallen over in the process. So much for not getting the dress dirty. Hearing her apparent meeting with the dirt, Taranza quickly turned around and rushed to her side. Scanning her worn out, wounded body, his brow furrowed at the sight.
"Your bandages, they're falling apart."
Kneeling by her, he lifted her slightly to access her back where the bandages had been tied together. With a bit of awkwardness, he ran his hands across the bandages, tightening them. It stung. She grit her teeth, sharply drawing in air through them. Thankfully he didn't take long to tighten them all. However, the stint of pain, as well as the already trialing effort of trying to relearn magic, had obliterated the remaining energy she had. Taranza seemed to recognize this.
"… I might have to carry you home. Can you stand?"
She wasn't a fan of letting a few bandages dictate what she could and couldn't do, but she eventually came around once her body vehemently stated its opinion on walking. She inhaled sharply through gritted teeth, there was that familiar aftertaste. Every muscle and fiber across her body felt completely powerless, and her lungs were now burning for whatever reason. Although none of her wounds had reopened, her bandages coming loose wasn't exactly a comfort either. Her vision was annoyingly muddied, irritating her eyes enough to draw tears and making her look like even more of a helpless mess. With his assistance, she managed to turn her body over and shifted to lying on her back. Pain returned, drawing a hiss and another sharp inhale from the wounded woman, emitting a curse under her breath. Taranza half-heartedly chuckled, but wisely kept it internal. He hadn't heard her curse in a long, long time. Floating close, he gently took hold of her and slowly picked her up by her back and abdomen. Quickly caught off guard by the type of hold, her eyes widened in surprise to give him a confused, flustered look.
"S-sorry, no magic this time. I don't wanna risk anything after… all of that."
At least he seemed equally embarrassed by the necessity. Not like he could just wait here for her to get better either. Moreover, she desperately needed some rest. Rest from the exhaustive and explosive magic lesson and rest from her own, overthinking mind. Closing her eyes, she calmed down and let her body rest in his grasp. It was kind of comfortable too.
But as sleep begun taking her, her drowsy head reminded her of one of her earlier lines of thought. In fact, her consciousness seemingly begged her to show Taranza gratitude for his kindhearted courtesy. Despite how tired she was, she managed to muster up enough strength to ask.
"... T-Taranza?"
"Hm? Yes?" Snapping out of whatever was on his mind, he quickly turned his attention to the worn-out wasp-woman he was supporting.
"Thank you. For… everything."
Caught off guard, his lovely, genuine smile made its return. "No problem. That's what...friends are for, right?"
"Right… Friends… " She returned it with her own.
She couldn't recall when she fell asleep. Perhaps it was the welcome feeling of bliss that lured her from Dream Land to dreamland, but one thing was for sure, this was the first time she recalled falling into slumber whilst feeling glad. A happiness that gently carried her into a much more calmer rest. And as the daylight slowly eroded away and the stars one by one ignited in the skies, the young intellectual carrying her couldn't help but smile and hope that the warm, familiar feeling that was swelling up inside him would stay with him this time.
It didn't take her long to realize she was in a dream again.
Immediately she felt different. She felt light as a feather, yet her mind still felt as focused as ever. Or perhaps the difference was that she did not feel a thing. It was as if her thoughts and sight were disconnected entirely from her body, no, the whole world. She was like a spirit, gently floating around to watch the world she had been presented with, to enjoy it in its fullest.
The scene in front of her was once again a beautiful one. She saw a long hallway with a cobblestone floor, covered with a rose-red carpet, complete with golden embroidering shaped like several spiraling hearts. The carpet extended to the sides, starting a different pattern of golden diamond-shaped curves with a green backdrop. The simple, yet royal combination of red, gold and green made her feel a strong sense of happiness, though she was unsure why. She saw colorful and bulky pillars that started as differently patterned cylinders, but all ended in the same elongated ebony blocks that held up the sturdy, curved roof. By the side of the carpet were several robust statues, carved out of what looked to be obsidian and each with a glaring topaz at the top of their cone-like structures.
But as nice and inviting the monarchic hall looked, it did not compare to the sheer beauty of the outside.
A milky-white layer of fluffy clouds was drifting in a constant moving group, not above, but a far bit below the building's foundation. The gleaming sun reflected its light onto this layer and all around, giving this literal sea of clouds a glistering, snow-like effect, as if they were filled with small stars. The layer stretched as far as her eye could see, complementing the open skies in a wonderful clash of white and blue. She was, quite literally, on top of the world.
Her mind suddenly reacted. The booming sound of wood getting forcefully shoved and hitting a solid wall echoed out down the hallway. A split-second later the sound was replaced by the timed rhythm of polished steel colliding. She turned her view around and moved her sight behind a pillar, as if to instinctively hide. What she saw surprised her. What appeared to be Taranza and another person that bore striking resemblance to him were locked in an intense and focused duel of fencing, constantly dodging and parrying each other's blows and retaliating with their own. Left. Right. Right. Left. The sound of fine iron violently clashing rung out in the long hall. The only thing that was as loud as the sound of their elegant rapier dance, were the pre-mature battle cries the two of them yelled out on each swipe, making the scene very much overdramatic. Their tone and overall pitch of their voices indicated that they were quite young, but there was no mistaking it. Even with a noticeably less deep voice and a bit shorter cut hair, the identifiable spider was definitely Taranza.
His opponent wore a similar garb, though with a light blush-pink lining instead of a golden one that decorated their nearly identical capes. The choice of color and their tone of voice made her realize that the one Taranza was facing, and the one that was currently sweeping the floor with him, was female. Other noticeable differences were her hair being a tad longer cut and wearing a blood-red cravat with a pink sapphire tying it together, instead of a scarf. Her horns were a fair bit larger, yet curved upwards around the middle point, perhaps suggesting a species wide gender difference, or maybe stronger genetics. Either way, the opponent was not only definitely at the same age as Taranza, but quite a bit more skilled when it came to fencing it seemed. So much so that only with a few extra swipes and a quick fake-out from the young girls side, Taranza's weapon was harshly knocked off his grip and into the air, landing on the hard, cold flooring and deafening the brief silence with a dramatic clatter. The girl quickly pointed her weapon at the joust's loser with a gigantic smirk spread across her face. She was a confident one.
"A-hah! Victory is once again mine!"
Moreover, apparently a bit of a showoff.
The younger Taranza stood still for a second, still somewhat in shock of him being disarmed so quickly, before closing his eyes and tilting his head downwards with an accepting smirk of his own and answering the victorious duelist, shrugging in the process.
"Alright, alright, I admit defeat. You win this joust… again."
Finishing the last word with a half-exhausted sigh, he turned his head up once more and opened his eyes to make eye-contact, though his smile now relaxing somewhat.
The young girl continued:
"Your defeat was inevitable, yet you persisted with honor at the very least! Perhaps there is further use for you in my kingdom."
Sectonia had to admit, she didn't exactly care for the kid's tone. Confidence was good, but there was of course such a thing as too much of a good thing. This girl seemed to think quite highly of herself, at least at first glance. Her last comment even indicated some sort of weird royalty complex. Maybe they were just playing pretend.
"Gee, thanks, your majesty. That sure makes me feel better about my 54th loss in a row." Taranza answered with sarcasm practically dripping from his voice. He didn't seem particularly sad over his loss though. His smile persisted, indicating a somewhat indifferent attitude and perhaps a subtle compliment. The young girl's face unwound as a genuine and sympathetic smile appeared on her face, before gently nudging her friend on the chest with her gloved right hand.
"Hey, cheer up buddy! There are so many other things you are better at, like… history and etiquette and…" Purposefully trailing out, the girl's smile widened and took more of a mischievous form as she humored herself over her own joke. She seemed to be having fun teasing her friend. Taranza's brow furrowed as he crossed his eyes and showed what looked like a mildly irritated expression. She didn't even know he could look like that.
"Oh, ha ha." He answered with a dry laugh. "Just because you don't have to study because you're royalty and all doesn't mean you can brag about it. Aren't you leaving out something on purpose too?"
Oh. So she was actually royalty. It surprised her to say the least, but it did certainly explain a few things. It certainly gave context to her rather pompous behavior, but also why her getup was so sophisticated and why her rapier was personalized with lines of gold and over the top jewelry. Said jewelry glinted in several colors from reflecting the light of the sun, as she brought the thin blade upwards in front of her face.
"We always reach the same topic. I'm better at fencing, you're better at magic. And neither of us seem to show signs of progress in the other's field." The girl smiled again, once again going back to the genuinely cheerful expression. It seemed that she recognized her shortcomings, even though what she said still somewhat counted as boasting.
"You can say that twice." Taranza agreed, before putting a thoughtful finger to his chin in a mock-thought gesture. "Remember the time where you accidently broke the silver vase in your mother's chambers?"
"How can I forget? You keep reminding me after all." The eyes of the princess rolled very noticeably before she continued. "Didn't you also break said same vase the first time you held a sword, right after it was reassembled?"
She happily admitted she had no idea what they were talking about. It seemed to be cracking jokes at one another's lack of skills, at the expense of a mother's poor vase. It was a rather charming conversation though.
"Eh, accidents happen y'know? I rue the day when it won't be able to be reassembled anymore though."
Taranza once again shrugged, turning all his six palms upwards in an indifferent gesture, as he admitted his blame for the mentioned vase-shattering incident. She had to admit it was rather amusing, something his young friend seemed to agree on, as the bold, but friendly princess had started to giggle uncontrollably. Taranza joined in with a chuckle, before both exploded into a full-blown laughter over the inside joke.
She found herself becoming intensely happy at the sight. It was just such a delight to see Taranza be truly glad and carefree, instead of being worried all the time. It looked like a great life to have. She didn't find it odd when she realized that this was the life he deserved, a happy one. One without worries, one where he had friends to talk to, and not some useless nervous wreck of an excuse that she was. The idea of him living in a beautiful castle in the skies was fitting for a person of his kindness and valor. Perhaps it was the privilege of it, the inherent luckiness of the luxurious life in what was basically paradise. And being close friends with a princess no less. Hard thing to overlook. Everything about him in this dream world warmed her heart.
So why did she at the same time feel so confoundedly sad?
"Your majesty."
A completely new voice snapped her out of her thoughts completely. It's tone was cold, professional and slightly melancholic. She turned and let her sight now fall on a different creature, noticeably larger than the two spiderlike youngsters and holding a multi-toothed spear in its hand. Not that it's appearance mattered, it didn't look too important. The two children turned both their faces to meet the concentrated and emotionless gaze of their sudden guest. The new arrival lifted his free hand, before giving a quick salute and begun stating his business.
But as the bigger creature started to elaborate, something seemed to happen to her state of mind. Her concentration faltered as she suddenly found trouble with focusing on anything. An urge of sleepiness overtook her senses, filling her brain with a numb feeling. The green… thing, that appeared to be some type of guard, held its breath as it seemed to finish its sentence, before finally adding the few final words and closing it's eyes, with what seemed to be a sympathetic look on its otherwise almost indistinguishable face. Her vision faded out to black, before cutting back immediately as if she had blinked. She realized what was happening. She was running out of time.
Another wave of tiredness shook over her, but she tried to shake it off. She wanted hear more, she had to. Oddly enough, she felt her eyelids all of the a sudden becoming increasingly heavier and heavier by the second, making her vision start to fade as a result. The girl was now clutching her head, looking down into the ground. Their voices were growing more and more faint. Eventually, the girl looked like she yelled out in pain and then toppled over and hit the ground, shaking and quivering with tears in her eyes. Taranza, of course, rushed to her side in a matter of seconds, now sitting down beside her and picking her up before embracing her as hard as possible, comforting her.
A new and different feeling washed over Sectonia. It was something she hadn't felt in a while, something she couldn't remember what was, but it made her feel rather irritated for some reason. However the feeling seemed only to pop up for a moment, before disappearing completely and replacing itself with confusion when she heard the young image of her friend speak again.
"It's okay… Let it all out now… I'm right here for you Sectonia."
She didn't know what to feel.
First she felt shock.
Then bewilderment
Then terror.
Then nothing.
BOY what a doozy. If you made it all the way through this amalgamated 2016-2017 mess, thank you so, so much for reading this. It's quite an honor to log into this site for the first time in 5 years and see that people are STILL reading this. As I said above, I will be adding another chapter to this story that details where it would have gone and concluded. Expect that soon! (genuinely)((I swear I won't disappear again))
