Diana woke up and saw that Akko wasn't on her right side, like she is used to. Searching for a second gave her the clue where she was: outside, watching the sun rise and drinking a beer. Diana got outside, lighted a magic cigarette and sat down in the lounge chair next to her girlfriend.
- I thought that you disliked smoking
- Yeah, but magic cigarettes aren't bad, and it's kind of relaxing.
Wow. The view was beautiful. The windows that were there acting as fence was tinted, so she got up for a second to appreciate the sun rise. She looked calm.
- What a wonderful view, isn't it?
Akko nodded.
- It's quite nice that a girl like us could do anything near this, in a couple of years only – she sat down – I want to meet her in the future.
- Don't try to steal Dipper girlfriend, little girl!
Diana laughed, and grabbed Akko's beer. Normally, they would not drink or smoke but in that instance, they were having a relaxing time so they allowed themselves to enjoy a little bit.
- You didn't tell me about the girls, how was your day yesterday?
- It was quite nice. Mabel is very similar to me, but Wendy was kind of weird with me. When we were talking the three of us, everything was alright, but when Mabel went away to do something, she was kinda weirded out – Diana closed her eyes.
- Maybe she likes you, it wouldn't be the first girl to do it – she took a sip to -now her- beer.
- I don't think so; she didn't seem that kind of weirded out. It seemed like she knew something about me or something like that.
That was an option. They knew a lot more than what the girls knew in that moment. Diana finished the beer and asked Akko if she wanted one.
⁂
Wendy was going down to the fourth floor, and she encountered Mabel in the way. They both took the elevator and started a conversation. Mabel was quite tired, and Wendy was kind of the same page. That day was meant to work very hard, and one of them knew it.
They both sat down when Akko and Diana walked into the restaurant, kind of lost. Mabel waved her hand; Diana noticed and showed to Akko. They both went to where the girls were.
The two girls from their universe asked for a coffee and croissants, while the two witches asked for a milkshake.
They were talking about lunch and the wonderful food that they had, but Mabel received a message.
- Hey Diana, looks like my brother wants to talk with you, he is in his dorm, at 8725. He seemed worried about something.
Akko looked her like "go quickly!" and with a kiss, she left walking at a fast pace.
⁂
After knocking her door and waiting like 20 seconds, she entered the room. It was different of their room, but not so much. It was pretty organized, and the door to the balcony was opened. Also, there was that strange smell…
- Do you want to go outside? We're going to be more comfortable – there was a table with two chairs outside, on it there were beer, wine and water.
Diana followed him to the table, and they sat there.
- What do you want to drink?
- For now, water.
He poured the water on the glass, and also filled his own.
- What I am going to tell you could be hard, but you can share it to your girlfriend.
- Is it something to be worried?
- For now, no. I told you about the zodiac and the prophecies and well, my uncle told me that you are in them. You and your girlfriend.
- What does that mean?
- We know a little bit about you two. It seems that in the following three months some things are going to be hard on your universe, and we are going to prepare for the worst. Some kind of apocalypse is going to happen to you, but we don't know if it's going to be a battle, a war, or the entire world is going to be in danger – he took a sip of water.
- Is there a but in all of that?
- Actually, yes. There is going to be more people that you thing involved in it, people that we don't know even us. Your people are going to be safe, and the prophecies say that we, and other universe, are going to help with that.
- After hearing that, I want to ask again. Is it something to be worried? – She grabbed the beer and pours it on her glass. Dipper grabbed her glass, and she started filling his glass too.
- Yes. Someone is going to die, actually – she lift the beer and looked right into her eye – but we don't know how, that person is going to return.
She drank half the cup. Who was going to be that person? She knew that if Dipped hasn't told her, the reason could be either unknown or someone that she loved.
- Don't think things that to this day didn't happen. Prophecies lied in the past, and could lie again.
- And what do you get from this?
- Well, in the first place, we are talking about our world ending prophecies… so, aside of being friends and protecting our "expanding" family if you wanna put it that way… Akko and you are a key part on saving my world.
Diana knew that if she have heard that, she would be in tears right now. Diana finished the beer.
- What are your plans?
- Like I had said, we're going to prepare for the worst. From today to the day that whatever thing happens, we are going to prepare the ship to host your entire academy. What is the estimate number of people there?
- I think… 400 to 700 people. I could bring more accurate numbers in a couple of days.
- Well, in that case, I answer for the third time your answer. There is nothing to get worried, beauty.
- Thanks – she got up, and gave Dipper a hug. It was kinda strange, because Diana isn't the kind of person that does that, but he sensed the same thing that when Pacifica did it for the first time. Pure form of friendship in a short time.
⁂
Scarlett woke up in a small room, with a small bookshelf and two doors that she tried; the door in front of her bed was locked, but the one next to the bookshelf was a nice bathroom.
She looked through the books in the bookshelf, and grabbed one with the title "The undying". It was an action and drama novel, which she liked from what she read in the summary.
Somebody opened the door, it was somebody new.
- Oh, you woke up.
Scarlett was scared for a second, but the person that talked seemed… calmed, actually.
- We are not going to hurt you from now on. Maybe you can be injured in practice or in combat, but if you do everything as I say, everything is going to be okay.
- Who are you? Where are we? What is going on?
The girl closed the door.
- My name is Sivin. We are from the Western Institute of Magic, and we are trying to get different sources of magic to unify the magic world and be relevant again, but the others schools are against our practices, so we go to war with them. Usually, it would be better try other options, but our plan needs to be done soon as something big is going to happen.
- But why killing all my friends, teachers, everything I had? Why let me live?
- It was not our first option, trust me. We tried to convince them with proofs that the end is near and that was the best solution. We sent notifications, but there was no reply. The war was totally innecesary, but well… here we are. My institute was the first to be attacked, although I was the only survivor.
She looked so calm while saying all that, Scarlett was impressed.
- Nevertheless, Scarlett, we need your cooperation as a warrior if things go wrong. We will give you and your friends' protection, but in battle… well, I can't assure you what is going to happen.
- I'm going to try my best, Sivin.
Sivin expressed the first thing in all the conversation, and it was a little smile.
- Something else, Scarlett?
- Can you stay a little bit longer?
Sivin was internally surprise by the petition of the girl, but she tried to not show any emotion because she was working.
- Right now, no. If you want, I can come here after curfew.
- Yes, please.
Sivin turned to the door and went away, leaving Scarlett with lots of questions, the main being "why I did that?"
⁂
Dipper and Diana went to the restaurant, and the girls were still there, laughing.
- Girls, sorry for ruin the day, but today we have a lot of work to do
- What? What we have to do?
- We need to go to the lab and start disassembles it, the sooner we start, the sooner we end.
Akko was the first to get up, but Dipper put his arm into her shoulder.
- You two have things to talk, darling.
The girls got up and followed Dipper, talking about what was happening. Diana sat in front of her girlfriend, and started talking about the prophecies and their role, but without mentioning the dying member.
They were there up to the time to eat, so they asked a stake, and continue talking about what could possibly happen.
⁂
So the plans were to move all the things to the lower floors, leaving deck eight to six without anything, hoping to put enough rooms for 900 people.
They stopped the work that was going on, and proceed to disassemble the lab. It wasn't going to be easy to continue, but they could move some things to lower decks that were unoccupied.
Diana and Akko helped moving stuff around and helping disassemble smaller stuffs, it wasn't hard at all, but all the day they were working in there.
They estimate that they could disassemble the whole thing in one week, and that could be seen that the first day they did the first half of the first floor. They also noticed the vast space for dorms, and that they could put three or four girls in one room.
Mabel showed Akko and Diana photos of how it was supposed to be, that were taken before building the lab. The design was beautiful, but they doubt that they could do something like that in three months.
It was a pretty long day, and for the time that they ended the dinner, everyone was tired enough that the only thing that they could do, were sleep.
⁂
In the other hand, Scarlett was very bored of being locked up and the only thing that she could do was read. She read a lot, near completing the first book in the same day. She went to dinner, as the door wasn't locked (but she didn't to walk away, as she wasn't notified of what she could do) and an announcement was heard. The same thing happened to dinner.
She followed the arrows to a buffet, full of people. They actively tried to don't look at her, and she ate alone twice as a result of that. The food wasn't bad at all, and after finishing, she returned to her bedroom to continue reading. She didn't want to have any problems, at all.
When somebody opened the door, she hoped that it was Sivin, and not the girl that hit her the first day. Lucky her, it was Sivin.
- Greetings. You didn't cause any problems during lunch or dinner, and you actually went there. I'm surprised, as I forgot to tell you that.
- Yeah… I thought that you left the door unlocked to let me eat.
- You aren't locked in here per se. You have to stay in the facilities, but you can wonder around if you want.
- But I don't want to… I'm scared.
Sivin looked at her and sighed.
- You don't need to have fear. The woman that you met that day is gone, and maybe you aren't going to see her in a long time – she went to the bookshelf – I put those there, I thought that you may find them interesting.
- They are pretty good books may I say – showing the book that she was reading.
- Most of them were written by me or one of my sisters. The whole undying saga was written by my youngest sister 15 years ago.
- "Kirlia"… That is a cute name.
- Anyways, you went to the buffet today. Your training course will be taking part in the right part of the buffet. If you noticed, on the left side there were the dorms, where we are at the moment, and if you continue walking you are going to find classrooms and a big garden. That is the place to train. You have to start in the following three days, if you don't want to have any problems. Now – she turned to look her in the eye – what was the thing that you wanted to talk with me?
- Why are you so nice with me? Or why that woman was so harsh?
- Being honest with you, you whole body and personality resembles my ex-girlfriend, and you don't seem like a bad person. The woman was like that because she is the chief of the army, and she was following orders from the leader. If you thought that she was scary, you are blessed that you aren't working as the leader's assistant.
That made Scarlett to chuckle, and Sivin showed a small smile.
- Well, now that everything has been said, I shall return.
- Wait—
And the hand of Sivin was quickly grabbed by Scarlett that couldn't be more desperate for… any kind of emotion.
- Something is wrong?
- Don't go…
⁂
In the morning, the couple woke up. They could be there for one extra day, as only 30 hours has passed.
Diana made tea in their bedroom and went outside. Akko followed her and relaxed until it was half past twelve.
- Hey Diana, all universes are like ours?
- I don't even know, but given the endless possibilities, I could think that not all of them are like this one. It seemed like somebody investigated some universes in the past, and made a list of different parameters on those. This one with another universe were the most alike to our universe.
Akko looked at the sky and said something inaudible to Diana. Then she looked back to the blonde girl.
- Well, shall we go over different universes to investigate then?
⁂
He was putting his shirt back on, and she hugged him from behind. Nothing like the hug of that girl, well, with the exception of the other girl and also getting a hug from both of them. Their life was going to change in a matter of months, and his enemy from the start of his teenager era was coming back.
Flashbacks happen inside of his head. The fight, his friends, the situation before and after, and their life now… a lot of moments went through his mind. He started laughing, and his girl asked what the laughing matter was. "The past" he answered.
"You're pretty weird, heh".
⁂
Working a full day, doing the same thing over and over again, in a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean and knowing that the very next day they have to leave could bother anyone, but not Akko. Diana was surprise for the fact that she was doing everything that she was asked, and later she would know that it was for the good of everybody, instead of working as a punishment.
The day was pretty mundane, they ate, work in the afternoon, ate again, watch a film in the theater and then go and sleep.
Dipper received a message from Pacifica in the middle of the day, telling him that she would be in the cruise in the next 10 hours as she ended the deal. He mentioned the two girls and she wanted to meet them, and the girls (mostly Akko) wanted to meet her too, so the next day they waited for her.
In the morning a private jet arrived, and there was Pacifica. With a mermaid braid, a white shirt under a black suit, a black skirt and elegant boots, she got off the jet. The teenagers went to greet her, and she talked with the two foreign girls the way to the restaurants. She was already informed about the reconstruction of the dorms, and she was surprise by the amount of work that they did in two days.
In the table they talked a lot about Luna Nova and the girls' classmates and friends. They talked about their powers and magic in general. Pacifica was pretty interested in the topic, and she wondered when the next opportunity to have them again was. Pacifica and Diana got along pretty well, and with Akko the two girls were talking back and forth a lot, like she does sometimes with Diana. One of the topics was the communication between universes, and Dipper told them that, when there was equilibrium between the two worlds (meaning that there is nobody from an external universe in one of them) the times passes at the same rate, so if they came back in the next weekend, there weren't going to be a lot of time in between.
Diana assured that she would investigate about what was going to happen, and that she could go in between the week, but not Akko as she was very problematic and could raise suspicion of the teachers.
- But I guess that we can come back here in the next party, or in a weekend.
At dusk, the girls said goodbye to everybody, and left. Pacifica and Mabel were pretty excited of meeting them again, like Akko and Diana were when they arrived into the old academy.
With the cast of a spell, both girls were dressed up with the uniform, and went to classes half an hour before it started.
Next chapter: Back to school