A Fool's Study into Witchcraft
Chapter 12: Pappiliodya
Diana Cavendish let out a tired yawn as she forced herself awake. In the darkness, she caught the green numbers of her magic alarm clock in the corner of her eye; 11:02 PM. That was a decent 4 hour nap, more than enough to keep herself functional for the next foreseeable hours.
Despite the fact she had just barely made it out of the Cognitive World alive and wanted nothing more than to just pass out for the rest of the night, her sense of duty demanded her to check what she missed during her two days of absence.
With a flick of her wand, an oil lamp on her desk lit up, its light illuminating her large dome room. It was one of the many perks of bearing the name Cavendish while also being one of the school's favorite students. It had enough room to house her, her books, and her friends. It even split off into two sections, the larger of which she left to Hannah and Barbara. She preferred being surrounded by her collection of ancient tomes and scrolls, it helped her focus, she found.
At first she was thankful that Akko took notes for her, but one look at the result caused her eyes to twitch.
Calling them chicken scratch would be putting it lightly. The handwriting was messy, barely legible, and the y's were indistinguishable from the g's. The content was disorganized with spelling mistakes littered about. At some point the information devolved into a scrawl of incomplete terms, as if the writer had given up on taking notes and just wrote down whatever they could.
And they got progressively worse as the days went on. Eventually they'd decided to just write down the title of the material they were covering and then just doodle. Diana really didn't want to know the reason why all of the drawings were figures with her hair style in very revealing clothing.
With an irritated sigh, she ripped the pages out from the notebook and tossed them into the recycling bin next to her desk. "I pray that nobody saw those."
Thankfully it didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things. While she wanted proper notes since she was planning on creating some digestible student materials for the school, it's wasn't something she couldn't recreate on her own. That's what studying ahead was for.
She began working at the homework that had been piling up. A not so difficult task considering it was still the beginning of the semester and the amount was small. It would take her thirty minutes, an hour tops, to recreate the useless notes and get the assignments done.
Grabbing her feather quill she began to write. As the warm light of the lantern shone upon the opened textbooks, she fell into a near meditative state. Studying had always helped her relax. The sound of a pen gliding across paper as she learned about various subjects had always been cathartic to her after a long day of dealing with the nobility or keeping up her appearances. "Not that I have to put up that face anymore... at least not around friends." she thought, a slight smile gracing her lips.
She continued diligently on her work until a muted buzzing rang in her ears as a wasp danced in the corner of her vision. She ignored it as best she could, but for some reason the sound of its buzzing felt as if it were right in her ear. Annoyed, she turned to the wasp, ready to shoo it away. In that moment time seemed to slow down for Diana as her eyes locked on to the insect. Barely registering what she was doing, she lashed out her hand and caught it between her fingers.
She was shocked upon realization. While witches were physically more capable than the average human, it was only slightly. They'd never be able to do something like catch a speeding wasp between their fingers without the aid of magic.
"I-I caught it…" Diana muttered.
"Magnificent, so witches can utilize the blessing of a Persona outside of the World of Cognition…"
Diana looked around for the sudden voice. It sounded like her own, but older, wiser, and more echoey…
"M-Minerva!?"
"How cruel. For it to take you this long to realize the voice of your Persona. I am hurt, dear Diana," the goddess said, feigning sadness.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm still getting used to this…"
"Worry not child. I merely jest." Her Persona laughed. "I was planning to have a discussion with you when you were fully rested, but since you were working so hard, I thought it would be rude, since disrupting the pursuit of knowledge is the action most sinful."
"So, Minerva… is this your doing?"
"It is merely the blessing of having a Persona and being true to yourself," she replied. "You have taken your first steps towards becoming your ideal self and this power is the result of that. I wonder how powerful you'll become when you reach your full potential. I can't wait to witness that day."
"... Is that so…?" Diana said, gazing at the wasp intently.
Upon further inspection, she realized the wasp had fluorescent green eyes. With that revelation she crushed it in a hurry, the green mist of dissipating magic flowing through the cracks of her closed fist as she did.
"A magical projection!? Someone is spying on me then!" Diana rushed to close the windows.
"Well that's troubling," Minerva muttered. "While I doubt the perpetrator heard much, let's hope they don't take you talking to yourself out of context and start calling you insane."
With a flick of her wand, Diana then constructed a barrier within her room, one that would detect other intruding magic. It annoyed her to no end that it happened, but there wasn't much she could do at the time.
She continued working on her homework as it was dawned on her that her new found speed was actually affecting her in other ways. Diana looked at the finished papers and textbook, then turned her attention to the clock.
11:24 PM.
"So… me getting my work done faster, was that you too?" Diana asked, sipping her tea.
"Shouldn't you be happy? Many scholars would kill to have such efficiency," Minerva laughed.
"Yeah… but… never mind…" Diana yawned. "I suppose I'll use this free time to get some much needed rest then… Goodnight, Minerva."
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Somewhere in the school, a witch screamed as her voodoo doll busted into green flame.
"God damnit! She found me out!" the owner sighed at the ashes before her. "Great, now I have to buy a new one if I want to spy again..."
The unknown finished her note, grumbling. "So Diana liked to talk to herself huh? Does she have a imaginary friend or something?! This year is really interesting! Scoops everywhere!"
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Ursula left her bathroom, freshly showered and prepped for bed.
The attic of the observatory was the perfect place to set up a living quarters for herself, with its close proximity to her work and rather spacious size. She couldn't thank the Headmistress enough for going through the trouble of arranging this place for her. Miranda Holbrooke was honestly the only person she could turn to back then, and she couldn't be any more grateful for her kindness. This lonely part of the school offered her some much needed privacy, as she doubted hiding her true identity would be possible if she was forced to live with the other teachers...
As she made her way back to her room in her tracksuit, memories of her dinner with Akko flashed through her mind.
"Oh! It was so frustrating!" Akko frowned. "I just don't get why I can't cast Shiny Arc again! What am I doing wrong? Professor Ursula, do you have any ideas?"
"Like… it was a really close call! If Diana's Shadow had been just a little bit faster we would have lost! But just as she was about to hit me…" Her eyes beamed as she paused for dramatic effect. "Woosh! Boom! This beam of magic slammed right into her!" she exclaimed.
"That was Shiny Arc! There's no doubt about it!" Taking another bite of her cake, she pointed the fork at Professor Ursula and continued. "That had to have been Chariot! But that left me with sooo many questions! So does this mean Chariot is a Persona user too?! How is she able to cast Shiny Arc without the Shiny Rod!? Do I even have the real thing or is mine a replica?! I've got to know!"
Smiling at the good time spent, she turned her door knob and entered her room. Within Alcor rested on his perch as usual, his feathers almost sparkling with how clean and well-groomed they were. Sitting on her couch was her, yet not. Shorter red hair, confident smirk, save for the glowing yellow eyes, she looked exactly as Ursula did ten years ago. She has exchanged her stage costume for a pair of hot pants and a loose tank top that felt a bit too revealing.
"You should really let one of the workers know the tub needs a cleaning," her Shadow commented.
"Do… Do you have to wear that…?" Ursula asked as she sat next to her Shadow.
"Fufu, that's funny. Isn't this the kind of things you used to wear to bed all those years ago?" Chariot taunted, tugging her top and flashing Ursula just a bit of cleavage. "Remember how mad our teachers used to get about it? That was great." she reminisced. "Of course, you wouldn't dare wear something like this now, am I right?"
She reached a hand out and pinched Ursula on the stomach, grabbing an inch of belly fat through the tracksuit.
"Eep!" the teacher slapped the hand away, blushing. "D-Don't do that!"
Chariot frowned. "Just look at you, what the hell happened?" she sighed. "How does one of the brightest girls on this side of the Magical World end up like this?!"
Ursula took a breath and began. "... Just as you said, you are a part of me right? Then you know exactly what happened."
Chariot smirked as she leaned onto Ursula's side, her fingers drawing circles on her chest.
"That's right, dear little Akko has done an excellent job explaining. So you know exactly what I, your Shadow, truly desires, right?"
Red aura began burning around Chariot. Without warning, the young teacher quickly found herself being picked up by her collar.
Alcor cawed in outrage, fully intending to defend his master.
"Stand down, Alcor! This is between myself!"
The familial command was absolute, and the bird was stopped from intervening.
Chariot dragged Ursula close, golden orbs boring into her as their foreheads touched. "That's right! I am a Shadow, the true self! So perhaps I should do what's typical and finally return to being the person I should be!" she threatened.
Ursula flinched at the raw emotion held within those words. She wanted to run, get away from the thing before her... but she knew she couldn't. She needed to deal with this...
"A Shadow gains more power the more their original rejects them. If Lotte hadn't helped Diana relax, she would've won…"
Thanks to Akko, she knew what her answer was.
Closing her eyes, Ursula steeled herself before staring right back at her other half.
"That's not possible… You know that..." she answered, stating the harsh truth that she had to endure for so long and had long since silently accepted.
The response seemed to have hit a sensitive spot as a frown formed on Chariot's face. Releasing her older self, she slumped down onto the couch.
"You're right..." Chariot sighed. "I can forcefully take over, but then what? That won't erase what we did... The people we hurt won't just get their magic back in an instant..." She clenched her trembling hand. "What we've done is the single greatest sin as someone who was supposed to bring magic back into this world… Shiny Chariot… has no place in this world… Our time was over…"
Ursula looked at her depressed Shadow. She honestly don't know what else to say except remaining silent and matching her frown with hers.
"Ten years... For ten years I was trapped in your heart and watched as you became Ursula Callistis, completely helpless to do anything." Chariot sulked. "But when Akko appeared, everything changed! Somehow I was able to manifest on my own! And now that she has opened the Tree of Hearts, I can finally act!"
"Hm… so that memorial tree really is that important huh?" Ursula thought.
The Shadow jumped to her feet, thrusting a finger skyward as she made her declaration.
"Listen! We may have messed up in the past but we can still make it right!" her Shadow bellowed. "If we play our cards right, we can fix what we did! Diana is the living proof! Dream Fuel Spirit is in fact reversible! We can save Akko's future!"
Ursula looked at the beaming Chariot, before nodding with determination. She stood up and locked eyes with her other half.
"I will be the teacher she needs."
"And I will work as your Shadow."
With a nod, the two shook hands. At last, after ten years things were finally looking up.
Without warning, Chariot pinched Ursula on the stomach again, causing her to yelp in surprise once more.
"Honestly though you really need to get back in shape. You've gotten way too pudgy."
Alcor watched the interaction between the Shadow and Original, a wave of nostalgia washing over him. He felt the drive his master had, a drive he thought long lost, flare once more. He prayed for their success and swore to do everything in his power to help.
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6,988,310
Голодать...
Нужно больше еды…!
6,987,574
еды было недостаточно ...!
Больше еды!
Едаааааааааааааааааа!
… Слишком слабый ... Хозяин нуждается в восстановлении ...
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"Yo, Jasminka! Wake up!" Amanda yelled as she poked her sleeping teammate. "It's morning already, goddamnit!"
Constanze entered their room having just returned from the cafeteria, both she and Stanbot#1 carrying trays of various breakfast foods, more than enough for the both her and Amanda and an extra-large serving for Jasminka.
"Thanks, Constanze," the redhead nodded as she grabbed a slice of toast. "Come on Jaz, get up. Breakfast." she called as she dangled it above her nose.
Without warning, the sleeping Russian lunged, snapping the food right out of Amanda's hand.
"Shit!" Amanda flinched. "What the hell!"
Jasminka flopped back down to her pillow, savagely chewing before going still, very much remaining unconscious.
"Constanze, has Jaz ever done that before?" Amanda asked, visibly shocked at what she had just witnessed.
"No instances of such sleep eating has been previously observed," Stanbot#1 answered while Constanze shook her head.
"Damnit, it's definitely that demon thing then…" Amanda sighed. "Let's just leave her alone today. Maybe she'll be awake by the time we come back. It's not like she cared about school works anyway." she leapt off the bed and stretched, a loud crack echoing out as she popped her back. "Then again, we should probably keep her away from other people, just in case."
The German tinkerer nodded in agreement as she sipped her coffee.
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"How do you do this again, Sucy?"
The gloomy witch sighed, "Are you kidding me, this is basic stuff."
With everything that had happened the day before, homework was the last thing the trio had on their mind. So, with liberal use of Dormina and several alarms, the group woke up an hour early and divided the workload amongst themselves. Each of them got the subject they were most knowledgeable about in an attempt to save time.
Well… that was the plan anyway. In reality Sucy and Lotte were the ones that contributed the most while Akko struggled to answer a majority of the questions.
"Okay done," Sucy sighed, taking a sip from her juice box. "Be glad that I'm not one who stresses too much about their grades. Otherwise I would've thrown you two to the wolves."
"Yeah, thanks really." Akko said. "I couldn't have done it without you guys!"
"No problem Akko. Besides, you helped me a lot with Astrology." Lotte nodded.
"Yeah, just remember to do our chores this Sunday." Sucy grinned.
The brunette frowned, "Oh…"
Soon after, Diana, alongside Hannah and Barbara, entered the classroom. Rejuvenated was the best way to describe her. No longer did she look exhausted, and glancing over her shoulders and sending people apathetic glances. She looked as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, finally able to stand tall after years of being shackled by it.
"Hi Diana!" Akko waved eagerly, "Good morning! You look so much better today!"
A smile appeared on the British girl's face as she brushed her hand through her hair. "Why thank you. Good morning to you too, Akko."
Hannah and Barbara exchanged looks of utter shock.
"What?!" Hannah girl blurted. "No. First you humiliate her, now you trying to be friendly... What's with the sudden 180!?"
"Yeah! She's the reason you lost your voice in the first place!" Barbara added before glancing towards Diana. "Right...?"
Uh oh, Diana thought
"It's… complicated. I will do my best to explain it a bit later," Diana said. She turned to face Akko again. "Can you all come meet with us during lunch time? I wish to speak with you all."
With that, she walked off, Hannah and Barbra following close behind and glaring at Akko's group as they took their seats.
"What are you going to tell them?" Sucy whispered. "That your succubus played them like fiddles for two days straight?"
Akko sighed. "I'll think of something..."
As time went on the class gradually filled, Amanda and her team entering last.
"Where's Jasminka?" Akko asked as she passed by.
"Out cold," Amanda grumbled. "No idea what's happening. It might be some Cognitive bullshit going on. Can you drop by sometime?"
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After another long morning of learning magic and watching Diana masterfully get back into the flow of things, lunch time began.
When Akko's team arrived at the ace student's table, they were amused to find her tearing into an extra-large helping of food with all of the grace befitting someone of a noble house. Hannah and Barbara watched in awe as their leader picked away at the small mountain.
"Hehe, I know that feeling," Akko sat down with her own extra-large lunch. "That's how I started out too!"
Sucy set down her extra-large bowl of mushroom salad. "I don't know how I feel about this."
Diana lowered her fork, seemingly a little embarrassed. Wiping her mouth with her napkin, she began, "Pardon my rudeness... First of all, I am glad you all came per my request."
"No problem. That's what friends are for!" Akko smiled as she ate.
"F-Friends?!" Hannah exclaimed through her scarf. "When did that happen?! Hey, loser, don't think you can mess with us like that!"
"Yeah! W-When?! That's not true, is it?!" Barbara followed, looking at Diana and begging for an answer.
"Relax, I'm not-" Sucy deadpanned, seemingly annoyed. But then Lotte lightly elbowed her and whispered into her ear. "What? It's true- Agh… fine."
Diana sent Akko a look, which she responded to with a shake of her head. With a slight nod, Diana began speaking with a sigh. "Please listen to me, Hannah, Barbara… after reflecting upon last night, I've decided that on top of reforming our friendships, I would also like to create new ones… Starting with Akko and her team."
"Wh-wha!?" Hannah and Barbara stuttered.
"D-Didn't Kagari make you lose your voice?!" Hannah exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and pointing at the other team.
"Yeah! Yeah! Not to mention how she humiliated you in front of everybody!" Barbara agreed. "Why would you want to be friends with them after all that!?"
"Aww… Are the lapdogs jealous that they don't have their master all to themselves?" Sucy chuckled.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LAPDOGS-!?"
Diana raised her hand, "Please, both of you… you are going draw people's attention."
Hannah and Barbara glanced around the room, noticing the looks being directed at them from all across the room. With a huff from Barbara and a sigh from Hannah, they sat back down.
Diana cleared her throat and continued. "First of all, I must state that Akko and her team had NOTHING to do with my supposed illness. To further elaborate, I believe the true cause of my condition was because I sent to much energy trying to master this…"
Before she even finished her sentence, Akko was already shaking her head. The British girl nodded in understanding.
"Ahm… Minerva? How do I call the card out as inconspicuous as possible? Is it the same as my previous attempt?"
"Indeed. Move your hand underneath the table. Concentrate. Call upon the Priestess arcana and pour just enough power for it to manifest as a solid."
Diana practiced a bit this morning on calling out her Persona and she managed to get a decent grasp on how to control her energy. She found it curious that it felt just like how she usually channeled magic from her wand.
With the faintest of blue light and the weakest burst of azure flame, the card materialized between her fingers. Pulling her hand from beneath the table, she presented the card to Hannah and Barbara.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"
"Wow." Akko said. "I see you got control of your energy so quickly Diana. If you have any questions, just drop by!"
Diana nodded formally, "Thank you, Akko. I once again can't express my gratitude for what you have done for me…"
Hannah and Barbra shared a look, their attitude shifting to one of praise.
"That's our Diana, able to master everything so quickly!" Hannah said with a smile.
"Hehe! Now you're not the only one who can summon strange spirits, Kagari!" Barbara grinned cockily.
"Aww look at them, barking praises like good little lapdogs," Sucy snarked.
"STOP CALLING US LAPDOGS-"
Diana coughed again, garnering the attention of her teammates. She flicked the card into the air, which shattered and dissipated soon after. "I am truly sorry for the worry I caused you two," she began frowning. "I thought I could handle this new power on my own," said before turning towards Akko, "But in the end I bit off more than I could chew..." She sighed. "For that I am truly sorry. Thank you… thank you all for being there for me despite my attitude… "
Hearing that, Hannah and Barbra immediately gave her a hug.
"Didn't we already talk about this…?" Hannah said. "There's no need to thank us!"
"Yeah, yeah!" Barbara added. "We will follow you to the ends of the Earth. Because we're your friends!"
It almost brought a tear to Lotte's eyes. She'd read about friends reaffirming their unwavering loyalty in Night Fall time and time again. But to actually see it in real life? It was heartwarming.
"Akko, may I request something of you?" Diana asked. "Can I see your photos once more?"
With a smile, Akko set the photo album on the table and opened it to a photograph containing the passing young Diana with her loyal butler, and handed it over.
"You don't even need to ask," the brunette said with a grin. "Keep it. You didn't have any photos from that day right? Now you do."
"Thank you... "
Hannah leaned over, examining the photo in great detail. "I've never seen you this happy before," she noted. "Hehe… Can't believe a hack's magic show did what we couldn't… That's sure says a lot about our so called "friendship"..."
"Seeing your old butler made me sad…" Barbara sighed. "His baked goods were godly…"
"A hack's magic show?! Oh really?!" Akko leaped onto the table, pulling out her Shiny Rod and pointed into the sky. "Hannah! Barbara! I hope you are ready! Remember! A BELIEVING HEART IS YOUR MAGIC!"
The brown hair girl sighed, about to lay into Akko for being so loud. "Ok loser, y-"
"A-A BELIEVING HEART IS MY MAGIC!"
Everyone on the table turned their head to their left, finding two girls had suddenly interrupted.
"Um… hi," said the first. She was tall, curvaceous, and fair skinned. She had wavy auburn hair that cascaded down her back and her eyes were a deep hazel.
"Ah… who are you all?" everyone on the table asked.
"We…umm…we..."
One of the girl stepped in. She was a head shorter than the other girl, skinnier too, and radiated energy. Her eyes were green, and her hair, wild and unkempt, went all the way down to her knees. "... We saw what happened a few days ago and we just want to say... we were fans too! So you are not alone Diana!"
"OH MY GOD! YES! YES! YESSSSSSS!" Akko jumped down and hugged the shocked Diana. "I knew it! There are other fans in this school! Shiny Chariot fan club is now a go!"
"Wait... hold it! Don't make your own discussion so quickly!" the British girl exclaimed.
"Oh my god…" Sucy rubbed her temples. "They are multiplying…"
Just then Amanda and Constanze walked up to them, the redhead whistling at the commotion. "Damn, what kind of party are you guys having?"
As the lunch period passed, the group and their new acquaintances chatted about Shiny Chariot and got to know the two girls. The taller one was named Leona while the shorter one was called Zoe. They too, were once bullied for liking Chariot and were forced to kept their interest underground. However, after seeing the entire thing with Diana, they were able to muster the courage.
Eventually the conversation shifted and the duo promised that they would go ask the school to see if they could actually make a Shiny Chariot club. They didn't believe it would be hard since Luna Nova was infamous of having lackluster clubs.
From the second floor of the cafeteria, Ursula watched the rambunctious group, a small smile gracing her lips. Golden orbs peered at her from her own shadow.
"A wonderful sight to behold, is it not?"
"Yes... Yes it is," the young teacher replied, moved.
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It's surprising how fast time flies when you're having fun. And Diana had to admit, talking to people like that, about something she genuinely enjoyed was very fun indeed. It was a shame that some people would try to spoil that fun.
The ravenous harpies running rumor mills would churn out speculations and fabrications one after the other. No doubt about her and her interests. She could hear it now, "Oh how the mighty have fallen. Diana Cavendish Idolizes that hack of a Witch Shiny Chariot." Not that she cared. It was just saddening to see how all of her accomplishments suddenly didn't matter because she supported something most of her peers saw as an eyesore.
Had this been a few days prior, she would've been up the wall about what people were whispering. But now? All she saw was the sheer pettiness. Most of them haven't even seen a Shiny Chariot show, just following whatever the older witches said they should feel.
Was this how Akko and those girls felt?
Naysayers could spew their garbage all they wanted, but they would never say any of it to her face directly. One look from herself, Hannah, or Barbara stopped them dead in their tracks.
Wow, she never realized school was this… hostile. But then again considering how rough her preschool was… She guessed that was the price now for being true to herself instead of meeting other's idealized expectations.
"Miss Cavendish? Do you have some time?"
Diana turned to find the young teacher. "Ah, Professor Ursula… Do you have business with us?"
"As matter of fact, I do," Ursula frowned. "Do you remember the issue we had with Jennifer's Memorial Tree?"
Her eyes widened. "Oh… dear…! I can't believe I completely forgotten about it!"
Ursula frowned with understanding. "I don't blame you, considering what you went through… Let's hope we can still make it in time."
"I-I understand, Professor!" Diana turned and run, gesturing for Hannah and Barbara to follow. "I'll go prepare immediately!"
"Alright, Diana. I'll meet with you there," Ursula said, waving her off.
As soon as they were out of eyesight, the teacher turned the other way to go find Akko.
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One could say Jennifer's Memorial Tree was one of Luna Nova's great guardian spirits.
Who exactly Jennifer was, no one was exactly sure. All they knew was that she was a great, powerful, and wise witch who lived around the time the Nine Olde Witches were around, possibly as one of their most trusted followers, their best student, or even the school's very first Headmistress.
Legends and unclear ancient records told the story of a witch that loved Luna Nova so much that at her deathbed she transferred her spirit into her favorite tree, aiming to be its eternal guardian and as a way for her to see every great witch the school would produce until the end of time. However, considering powerful witches would often become trees after death anyway, it might just be where she was buried.
There were many success stories credited to this tree. Stories spread of how troubled students would gain inspiration after resting under it, resulting in the Botanical Gardens becoming a popular study spot all year around.
Well, not this spring unfortunately; because it was dying.
Nobody was exactly sure why their beloved tree was withering all of a sudden. Most accepted the theory of old age or disease. While the staff were willing to read old tomes for an answer, none were willing to examine the tree for the actual problem. Nobody wanted the title of accidental murder of the Jennifer's Memorial Tree.
But Diana saw it another way. She believed the tree just needed a boost of nutrients since she had concluded the nearby soil was extremely poor. She promised the school that she would handle it once her headache cleared up...
Of course, that ultimately didn't happen due to recent events.
Diana and her teammates placed down their last rock as they stepped back and marveled at their handy work. Using her family's magic, she had no doubt the tree would return to normal in no time.
"I hope we aren't too late…" she muttered, holding her wand high. "O, great mother earth, grant us thy blessing and revitalize this withering tree before me! Louperial Ral!"
She traced a circle in the air, leaving a ring of mana. Quickly, the ring of green split into eight spheres, each one entering a stone. Green light swirled around the dying tree as its life returned. Dry leaves once again become lush green as the paling trunk returned to turn a healthy brown. The tree stood straighter and visibly stronger.
"Looks like we made it…" Diana sighed in relief, bushing a hand through her hair. "I was right then, the tree just needed more nutrients."
"That's our Diana!" Hannah cheered.
"Yeah! Doing what every teacher in our school couldn't!" Barbara nodded.
Suddenly without warning, the soil underneath Diana's feet cracked as a small fissure split the ground.
"What the-"
Where she stood exploded as a massive tree root forced its way out of the earth, tremors shaking the ground as it did. Diana jumped back, pulling her teammates with her as more roots erupted from the dirt.
"W-What's happening!?" Hannah exclaimed.
"How are you carrying us both!?" Barbara shouted.
Diana looked down, astonished, before she quickly set her friends down. "I… I'll explain later… We need to deal with this first!"
More roots ripped themselves from the ground as the culprits behind their current situation made themselves known. Large green eggs latched onto the trees roots. They pulsed and writhed, leeching the life from their host. Jennifer's Memorial Tree began rapidly withering once more, returning to its pale, sickly form.
"P-Parasites? So that's the reason why the tree is dying!" Diana said angrily. The trio prepped their wands forward, ready to exterminate the eggs.
"WAIT! STOP! DIANA DON'T!"
The trio paused as Professor Ursula rushed in. Following closely behind was Akko and her teammates, as well as Amanda.
"Professor Ursula, you're here..." Diana muttered. "Wait… What are you are all doing here as well?"
"Yo, Diana," the red head greeted. "I was just hanging with these three since I'm bored. Although it looks like you found yourself in some interesting trouble. Looks like I hit the jackpot again~"
"Just as I thought…" the young teacher nodded.
"P-Pappiliodya…" Akko took her teacher's words right out of her mouth. "I can't believe it! It's actually their pupae!" Her eyes beamed.
"Pappiliodya…?" Diana muttered. "You meant that Chariot card?"
Akko nodded eagerly, showing Diana the card in question. "Yeah! The butterfly that travels the world. They emerge only once every 120 years, and legend says they bring hope to the hearts of all who behold them!"
"Wait, I think I've heard of them." Sucy said, a grin splitting her face. "Looks like I just got lucky~"
The brunette rushed forward, placing herself between Sucy and the pupae as she spread her arms out wide. "No! DON'T YOU DARE EAT THEM, SUCY!"
"No you idiot, who cares about the stupid butterflies," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "The real treasure is the shells they leave behind."
"So… what are we supposed to do now?" Hannah asked. "Just leave them like this?"
"Would the tree even be alright by the time they hatch…?" Barbara questioned. "Maybe we should call the other teachers and think about this..."
"Akko, can I ask you something?" the young teacher began. "When you tried casting Shiny Arc back then, what was going through your head…?"
"Well…" Akko pondered. "I was trying to show that fake the real thing! I was telling the Shiny Rod to do it, since it worked with all my other items..."
"And… nothing else…?"
"Ah… yes."
"Okay… Remember back when you were trying to get to Luna Nova, what were your thoughts then?"
Akko pondered again. "I refused to give up; for my sake, for Lotte's sake, for Sucy's sake… I knew Shiny Chariot's spell was the only thing that could save us… So I… I did what Chariot would do at that situation and…!"
Then it clicked.
Ursula looked Akko dead in the eyes, a gentle smile on her face. "I believe you found your answer then."
"T-That's it!" Akko exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Professor Ursula!"
From her belt pouch, she retrieved the Shiny Rod and held it high. "That's right... Trying to force the magic out was the wrong move! I understand that now! What I needed to do was follow my heart and cast it with my own power! So please… answer me once more! Let's help these Pappiliodya! Shiny Rod!"
Silence lingered for a few seconds before a green aura radiated.
Akko's grin widened. She turned to her friends. "Everyone! All together now! We'll cast this spell as Team Dipper!"
"T-Team… Dipper…?" giggle escaped Hannah's lips. "Yep, you are definitely a looser."
"I-Is that the name she wanted for her club…?" Barbara groaned. "Diana don't listen to her!"
"Ah shit…" Amanda grumbled. "Just give me some more time… I'll come up with a better name!"
"I don't think Team Dipper is a bad name… it's just not…good," Lotte said.
"What's the spell again? Let's just get this over with quickly," Sucy deadpanned.
Pappiliodya that can fly across five continents… spread your wings, the magical butterfly! Fly toward hope!
Papillio Fillio Nymphodya!
The light radiating from the Shiny Rod was blinding as Akko swung it down, a surge of mana running along the roots and flooding the pupae.
Cracks echoed across the greenhouse as one by one, all the chrysalises hatched, releasing tiny, feminine humanoids with four arms and a pair of antennae. Their golden wings fluttered gently as they spread their arms, finally waking from their long slumber and bathing the greenhouse in their light.
"It's so… beautiful!" Lotte whispered.
"Kekekekeke…!" Sucy was almost drooling as she began harvesting the empty chrysalis shells, completely immersed in collecting her reagents.
"Beautiful isn't it, Diana?" Akko cheered. "The legend was true! Seeing them really fills your heart with hope! Doki doki no waku waku!"
"Yeah…" Diana said. "And to think I would've accidentally exterminated them if you hadn't come…"
"Oh... Diana…"
"It's fine," Diana smiled to herself. "The fact I didn't know about the Pappiliodya just proves that I still have much more to learn… And that's never a bad thing." she handed Akko's card back to her. "So let's continue to do our best, friend."
*Shatter*
Thou art I... and I am thou...
Thou hast acquired a new bond…
It shall aid thee in thy journey to inspire.
With the blessing of the Priestess arcana, thou shalt ignite the fires of inspiration in the hearts of the people.…
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [II] Priestess Rank 1 Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Silky gave Akko a metaphorical smile, promising she will use her new strength to be a better maid for her.
Akko smiled back, hugging her. "Yeah! Let's do that!"
"Not again! Please let go of me! You hug too tight!"
Afterward, she called Amanda. "Mind giving me a lift? We can't let this go by without taking some photos!"
"Only if you take cool shots of me too!" the red head grinned.
As if on queue, Pixie manifested with a salute as Akko handed her one of her spare cameras. "You know what to do. I think only you can get close without frightening them!"
The rest of the afternoon was spent following the trail of golden butterflies through the sky, the rest following suit soon after. The girls escorted the swarm just past Luna Nova's boundary and had a great time watching them disappear into the distant orange horizon.
Definitely one of the most memorable sunsets Akko had ever seen.
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Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [IX] [0] [II] [VII] [XV] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
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The Priestess Arcana has empowered Silky! New Skills have become available to her!
Current Skills: Bufu, Dia, Dormina, Ice Wall, Sleep Boost
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Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ [IX] [0] [II] [VII] [XV] Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
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AuthorNCS: A bit short, but let's keep it simple for the start of Arc 2.
Don't ask, Beta is a huge LoL player. Cameo is cameo. It's nice to be able to add some western reference too.
So in the poll I did, Diana's choice won by a land slide. You people really want more of her huh? I am cool with that since I am having a lot of fun writing her journey down the rabbit hole. (Muhahahaha~!)
Can the translator team for LWA manga work faster...? At least give me the raw, I can read that!
See y'all next time!
02/09/2019 Edit: Thank the people at Sufficient Velocity for grammar checking this. Should be free of grammar mistakes now. Unless you have god's eyes and find something else, this chapter is now grammatically perfect.
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