All Aboard
Summary: Chrysta sends Sofia on an Undercover Protector Mission to investigate strange magical occurrences at a boarding school, and her mentor and siblings get pulled along for the ride.
Disclaimer: I only own the characters featured at the boarding school.
A/N: All right, everyone! Get your textbooks and homework ready—we're heading to class! *I swear I just heard a collective groan of dismay. Lol. Maybe I'm preparing for my classes again tomorrow. Haha.* Also, this is when things start getting…weird. Enjoy!
Chapter List:
1: Protective Instincts
2: Intervention
3: Parental Agreement
4: Boarding Abroad
5: Magic Words
6: Claire Lois XIV
7: Hidden in Plain Sight
8: Down with the Dame
9: Safe and Sound
*Story*
Chapter 5: Magic Words
A day at Le Calcaire Boarding School seemed rather typical to the Enchancian quartet. It was just like being in a normal school, except instead of studying history and other mixed subjects then going home after the day finishes, students here predominantly studied magic before heading back to their bedrooms. It was both normal and strange at the same time.
Their six classes consisted of the following:
7:30-8:30: Wandology 106
8:35-9:35: Advanced Alchemy 201
9:40-10:40: Astronomy 118
10:40-11:25: Study Hall
11:30-12:00: Lunch
12:05-1:05: Latin Etymology 101
1:10-2:15: Basics of Magic 111
2:20-3:20: Secrets of Magic 101
"I think I'll really like that astronomy class," Amber gushed while the four of them were eating breakfast in the food hall. "Maybe I can learn some new secrets to help out with my own stargazing."
"That's all well and good," Cedric began, "but let's not forget why we're really here, hundreds of miles away from Enchancia."
James grinned as he twirled his spoon in his fingers. "Actually, we just tagged along with Sofia. She's the one trying to stop bad guys or whatever."
"We don't know for sure if it's actually a 'bad guy' we're even dealing with," Sofia reminded them as she picked up her biscuit. "All we do know is there's a disturbance here, and I'm going to try to figure out what it is."
"Um, Sofia," Amber scoffed. "Kids are being drained of magic. I think that hints that there's a 'bad guy' around here."
Sofia shrugged as she finished her biscuit. "Magic is tricky though. We'll just have to see."
Cedric observed the younger princess while she ate. She was far more serious now than she used to be, and there was a subtle sense of concern and maturity that laced her outgoing and kind nature. Of course, he'd always considered her more mature than most people—certainly more than himself, most of the time. Still, it was strange to see a girl on the cusp of her teen years already burdened by the weight of the world, but he'd actually grown more accustomed to seeing that already. After all, she'd saved him from a destructive pathway. Maybe that's what she was destined to do: help others find their way in life.
James grinned and poked Cedric, who let out a little yelp. "You're gonna burn a hole through her head if you keep staring at her," he whispered jokingly.
Cedric flushed in aggravation before starting to eat again. His habit of zoning out and getting lost in his thoughts always found him getting either teased or chided.
The kids went through the day like all the other students, learning more about the different subjects and even finding a bunch of it fascinating. As expected, Amber loved the astronomy class. James found Wandology cool, because it wasn't just about the basics of the wand—it was getting to use it for all different sorts of things. As a tactile and kinesthetic learner, that suited his needs perfectly. Cedric and Sofia knew a good majority of the things they'd seen so far, but both agreed that the alchemy class was enthralling. They could see why people sent their children to this school if they were magically inclined: it had the best of everything.
The last class of the day, though, was Secrets of Magic 101. While the other classes had a relatively neutral setting, this class took place in the basement of the school. As if that weren't creepy enough, the teacher was rather spooky-looking herself: a slicked back raven ponytail, a crimson dress with sapphire accents, and something of a smirk on her face. Maybe that was just her personality, but it still sent shivers down the kids' spines.
Upon entering the room, Cedric was instantly hit with a pain in his head, and he had to pause just inside the door, with Sofia instantly at his side.
"What's wrong?" she whispered.
"I have the worst headache of my life," he murmured back as he attempted to open his eyes and look at her, the pain dulling a moment later. He frowned in concern. "It only happened once I entered the room."
"Maybe you're just hungry. You didn't eat much at lunch earlier." She took his hand and smiled. "You sit in front of me. That way, I can keep an eye on you during the lesson."
Cedric smiled fondly at her. "Thank you, Sofia."
When they were settled, the professor called out all the names for attendance and learned of her four new students, though she didn't seem to be all that concerned with them, before proceeding with her lesson.
"All right, students," the woman began with a confident tone, "we spent yesterday observing the secrets of the Isle of Starfall."
"Ooh, that sounds amazing!" Amber squealed silently as she turned to Cedric, who was sitting next to her. Rather than sharing her enthusiasm, the poor guy looked like he was going to be sick. "Cedric, are you okay?"
He barely managed a soft moan before lowering his head onto his arms.
"Today, we're going to look into ancient spells from Starfall," the teacher continued, grinning excitedly. "Now, the words may sound strange to you, but just remember that this language was verbally passed down until someone finally recorded it in writing. So, repeat after me…"
Sofia wasn't paying much attention to the lesson at this point. She was more concerned about her mentor, who seemed to be a bit weaker than before. She reached out and touched his back, startling him into sitting up. She smiled apologetically before asking softly, "Are you sick?"
"I…" His attention was drawn instantly the moment he heard the woman speaking, the class repeating after her (sans the four of them, who were just watching and listening at the moment).
Mon monork wazch aa tirlmon
Mon monork wazch aa tirlorkadon
Mon adonmon leyu
Mon adon adonwazchpiero leyuklaq
Monwazchpieroleyu aa leyumon
Ork aa monstou
Stou Mon' adonwazchpiero
Stou leyu chu
Cedric frowned at the words. While he didn't catch everything, he knew instantly that what she was saying was not a spell. A spell was never that repetitive, and it especially wasn't that long. It clicked in his mind. 'It's a curse!' Instantly, his headache grew much stronger, the negative feeling consuming him.
Sofia's hand shot up, silencing the chanting for now. She sighed when the professor turned her attention to her. "May I take my friend to the infirmary? He isn't feeling well."
The raven-haired woman merely nodded. "If you must," she responded curtly, immediately returning to her chanting with the other students.
Sofia exchanged glances with her siblings, who seemed concerned. She gave them a reassuring smile before helping Cedric to his feet and leading him out of the classroom.
Once they were in the darkened corridor, the only light to see by some green flames on the torches, Cedric leaned against the wall and sighed heavily.
"Are you all right?" Sofia asked.
"As long as I'm away from the negative energy of that room, I'm better." He frowned as he glanced at her. "I'm afraid it's much worse than you realize, Sofia."
She felt her breath catch in her throat. "What do you mean?"
"That chanting they were doing—that was no spell. I've studied the etymology of magical words, and there's no doubt in my mind: that was a curse."
The princess's mouth dropped open. This changed everything. She'd have to contact Chrysta soon and inform her of Cedric's discovery. "But… Why would the professor want to curse her own students?"
"I'm not sure, but one thing is painfully obvious." He frowned heavily. "Something very wrong is going on here at Le Calcaire Boarding School. And we need to find out what."
To be continued…
Ending A/N: Fun fact, I've used the 'Make Your Own Language Generator' thingy before, and I found it and used it again. Since it's complete nonsense unless you add in your own phonemes, I'll tell you what the chant actually said. As Cedric stated, it IS a curse. And things are about to get even worse and more complicated/mysterious from here! However, don't be fooled. Things aren't quite as obvious as they seem. 😉
CURSE:
I give you my powers
I give you my freedom
I offer all
I hold nothing back
Withdraw my magic
Take my identity
Until I'm nothing
But a shell
