AN: I have a feeling that my chapters are getting longer and longer, I had to
split it up, or I would have never finished this. Anyway, thank you all for reading this story.
Enjoy^^
June 2006
Croix cursed silently under her breath.
Why did Professor Finneran had to need her help right now?
She had just wanted to bring back a few books, already making preparations for her departure with Chariot. If she had known that the vice principal would have been waiting for her in the library, ready to bombard her with questions and giving her a 'most important' task to solve, she would have just tossed them to the librarian and been on her way again.
But she hadn't.
Just as Finneran hadn't listened to her, when she tried to explain why she couldn't help her today, instead she had rambled on about her responsibilities as the school prodigy, the sole 'hope' of Luna Nova, and dragged her off to the principal's office. On her way there the older witch managed to spot Chariot's blonde roommate, who looked at her with disdain plainly showing in her eyes, as she asked the younger witch to deliver a message to Chariot, to inform her about her current situation.
At the very least she wouldn't worry the redhead unnecessarily.
As the hours ticked by, Croix grew bored, even frustrated. Her task demanded from her to study some ancient dragon scrolls, apparently the witches were indebted, or something like that, and it totally was beyond her why nobody of the teaching staff was able to read them.
'Such incompetence.'
She herself wasn't even remotely interested in ancient magic, but did that stop her from learning everything she could?
No.
In the end it was better not to dwell on the question, how most of them were even allowed to teach, but to make matters worse, as far as Croix understood, there actually was no dept for the dragon to collect. In other words, the teachers were conned.
'Imagine that.'
And for this, she had wasted almost four whole hours.
'I hope Chariot forgives me.'
The redhead was probably already at the contest, after all, she loved to learn new tricks. Croix couldn't begrudge her that, if it made her happy and it did...so much.
'I know her dream means everything to her...
Even more than me...'
Not that this would bother her, no, because, wasn't that exactly the reason she fell for the redhead in the first place? Her free spirit, her openness, her honesty, the way how her eyes would light up when she was excited, her carefree smiles...
She really hoped the results of her project would impress Chariot, would elicit one of those treasured smiles.
'I would do anything for you!'
Thinking about the redhead's shy roommate, Helena, made her shudder a bit. She didn't mean to lose control like this, but...in the end she was able to try out her new abilities, seeing the fruits of her hard work, testing her prototype...
And it shouldn't even concern her. After all, she didn't care about the girl. Maybe now Chariot had at least some kind of support, never mind how forced it may appear.
'The end justifies the means.'
Sometimes the depth of her emotions scared Croix.
It was so rare for her to be so overwhelmed…
She wasn't used to it.
How could she feel so much for someone she had only known about a year?
How was it possible to be so drawn to her?
She wasn't privy about the way Chariot felt about her, but if it was even a fraction of this, nothing would ever tear them apart, not even Croix's impending graduation next year.
'Nothing will separate us, I swear.'
A slight flickering brought her out of her thoughts. The lamps in the office blacked out, switching on again a few seconds later. Intrigued she went to the window, looking outside.
There, far, far away, she saw a faint blinking light, so soft that it made her wonder if it was even real.
A quiet buzzing filled the room, the lamps failed once again, leaving the setting sun as the only illuminating source in the office.
From the hall she could hear faint footsteps, growing louder, until the door swung open and revealed a terrified Professor Finneran, followed by two other teachers.
"How could you let this happen?", she reprimanded them, ignoring Croix who still stood beside the window, "Running away from your duties like that, disgraceful. Have you any Idea what the press will make of this?"
The teachers, a pair of substitutes, Croix realized, mumbled something that sounded relatively like an excuse, shaking like leaves, their eyes wide and unfocused.
Interesting.
'What happened to them?'
Finneran didn't even let them finish, interrupting them as she raised her hand in a forceful manner.
"You are hereby suspended immediately!"
The silence that followed that sentence surprised Croix. No back talk? No shocked reaction? Not even begging to keep their employment?
Just an unsettling, eerie acceptance...
"Now, get out of my sight!", the vice principal spoke through gritted teeth, "I have to organize a rescue squad."
'Rescue squad?'
The two, now seemingly fired, teachers, reacted instantly, running out of the door, leaving a sighing vice principal behind, who pinched the bridge of her nose, restlessly.
"Finneran-Sensei?", Croix asked carefully, "What happened?"
Startled the Professor stared at her. It seemed as if she had forgotten that the lavender-haired witch was still present in the room.
"Croix..."
She appeared to be in thoughts, pondering, until her eyes focused once more.
"You are the best witch of your time, the only one who is able to overcome any obstacles in her way. You have proven yourself over and over again and exceeded all expectations we had for you. Croix Meridies, now in our time of need, will you support your school, which helped to shape you into the person you are today?"
'Is this going somewhere, or...?'
Mildly irritated Croix nodded her head, if only because she was curious about what had rattled the vice principal in the first place, trying not to roll her eyes at the older witch as she continued, eyes gleaming with approval:
"I knew I could rely on you, but be aware that this is highly classified information, which can under no circumstances leave this room, understood?"
Croix nodded again, suppressing an exasperate sigh.
The Professor inclined her head, lowering her voice, almost whispering:
"The Leyline that run through our contest area collapsed!"
'The Leyline...collapsed?!'
"Due to some interference, the sorcerer's stone is highly unbalanced right now..."
Chariot was at the contest area.
"So using magic to help the students who were participating or attending is out of the question..."
But Chariot could just connect to another Leyline, she was definitely safe.
"Furthermore we have lost all means to contact them..."
Chariot surely wouldn't do something risky...right?
"Our substitute teachers immediately fled the scene, so there appears to be no adult supervision for the time being..."
She wouldn't try to attempt a ridiculous rescue mission, there was no way-
'She totally would!'
Croix broke into a run.
Not listening to the outrageous cry that followed her departure, she practically raced to her room, grabbing the prototype of her enhanced broom and threw herself into the air, trying not to panic, as the words: 'Connection Failure', flashed in bright red letters on the small pad, located at the handle. She narrowed her eyes, as she plummeted towards the ground.
She didn't have time for this!
'Come on!'
She tried to reconfigure the connection settings, linking it to, what she hoped, a functioning Leyline, instead of the unresponsive sorcerer's stone. Eyes flitting from the screen, which read: 'Searching...', to the hard, solid ground, which came increasingly closer. Croix held her breath, her whole body rigid.
A surge of relief washed over her as the words: 'Connection Established', appeared on the pad, jolting the broom to a sudden stop, hovering only a few centimeters over the ground.
Letting out a soft sigh, she gripped the handle of her broom, pulling it upwards to gain more height.
Looking around she discovered another problem, she didn't think of before.
'Where exactly is the contest area?'
She had no Idea.
There didn't exist some kind of Leyline Map, because it was deemed unnecessary, as one couldn't fly, if not in close range to a Leyline to begin with. And they had their fixed routes where witches traveled along, but that was it. Just like getting on a bus or a train, you knew where to jump off, but you wouldn't find your way there without it.
'I am definitely drawing a map, after I find Chariot...
If I find her...'
Scouting her surroundings again Croix's face fell. Where should she go? She needed to move, she needed to get to Chariot before she did something stupid. But aside from a small crow being hunted by a peregrine falcon she didn't spot anything worthwhile...
'Wait!'
That was it!
The crow could help her.
She knew she was grasping at straws here, but she was desperate.
Turning her broom around, she raced towards the two birds, drawing her wand. Magic might have been out of order for the moment but...
As she zoomed past them she swung it around and knocked the falcon away, using his disoriented state to snatch the little crow from his grasp, speeding away.
The falcon didn't seem to follow her.
As she slowed down again she released the crow. It really seemed to be rather young…
Oh well...she had no other options left.
"I want you to help me find someone", she said gently, hoping the bird would understand her, "I think my friend might be in danger. Her name is Chariot."
(Chariot?)
Croix raised her eyebrows, slightly impressed.
'So it knows how to establish a connection to witches already.'
She mustered her new companion a bit more. He appeared to have white feathering and on his stomach was a yellow four-pointed star. It reminded her of something she had seen before, the day she and Chariot had become friends...the stars in her eyes...
'How interesting.'
(Chariot?)
Right, Chariot.
She didn't have time to analyze the bird. She had to find the redhead.
"Yes, Chariot", she said urgently, "she has red hair, like fire, can you help me find her?"
The crow cocked his head to the side and flew off.
(Follow)
"You want me to follow you?"
(Follow...Chariot)
Croix shrugged. It was better than staying in one place the whole time. Listening to the bird seemed to be her best bet.
"Alright, lead the way."
Her new companion guided her through a deep forest, at a ridiculously fast pace, not that she complained, just...a flying contest in the woods?
That sounded ludicrous. Even their teachers wouldn't sink that low, would they?
"Are you sure, we are on the right track?", she asked the crow nervously.
(Chariot...ahead...)
Just as it said that, her broom connected her to a new magic source, beeping loudly. Croix's heart skipped in terror. There shouldn't be any magic here, the Leyline died, so why...
'Please let me be wrong!'
A horrible feeling emerged in the pit of her stomach, urging her on. She pressed past another couple of trees, never slowing down until she reached... a clearing...
Then she heard the screams. Letting her gaze wander, she saw pure chaos.
Students on the shaky stand were running around, almost trampling each other. Others hang on some branches, holding on for dear life, not getting any help from their schoolmates. Bodies lying on the ground...some of them dangerously still.
Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for the familial red hair, flitting from one face to another, growing more and more restless with each passing second.
(Above)
Croix looked up...and immediately wished she didn't.
There on her broom sat Chariot, the Claiomh Solais raised over her head, gripped tightly, a pulsing mix of green and red light coming from her, withering in pain, a tortured expression on her face.
A ripple went through the area...
And then the light dimmed down and Chariot...was falling!
The older witch wasn't sure if she had ever screamed as loud as in that exact moment.
"CHARIOT!"
Absolute terror coursed through her as she raced towards the falling redhead. The crow flew alongside her, trying to stabilize her stuttering broom, as it lost its magical connection once again, but she couldn't care less about that. With the last of its remaining energy she crashed into Chariot, holding onto her as they tumbled to the ground.
'That was close!'
Ignoring the biting pain shooting through her back, she stood right up again, towering over the unresponsive redhead, who still clung to the Claiomh Solais. Gritting her teeth she knelt down and grabbed the rod, pulling it out of her friend's deadly grip. Croix felt as if she was burning alive. Everything inside her screamed at her to let go of that accursed thing, but Chariot was still withering around. She had to get her away from it, even if it hurt her.
Finally it seemed as if the younger witch relented. Her hold relaxed slightly, giving Croix the opportunity to rip it from her, as she cast it aside, cradling Chariot in her arms.
"I've got you, Chariot!
You are safe now..."
2018
Diana was petrified, what should she do?
'Don't panic, think!'
It didn't seem like Croix had spotted her. Maybe the darkness clouded her vision more than the blonde had originally thought. Slowly, trying not to draw more attention to herself, she dimmed the bright screen in her hands, placing it back on the chair, not daring to make a sound.
Ducking behind Ursula's bed, she squinted through the room.
Where did the tech witch go?
[Hide!]
She didn't have time to ponder where that sudden yell came from, she acted, dropping to the ground immediately, rolling under the bed, landing on her back, her hands pressed over her mouth and nose, muting her breathing.
Not a second too early.
The next thing Diana saw, as she turned her head slightly to the side, were a pair of boots, standing right next to her.
"You really have a knack for getting into those situations, haven't you, Chariot?"
'Chariot!'
So her guess was correct after all.
Not that this realization mattered much at the moment.
Why did she even hide?
Croix was her teacher. Surely she wouldn't be able to do anything to her, if she confronted her right now. She was Diana Cavendish. If she were to disappear, it would directly start an investigation and for all she knew, that probably wasn't something the 'Professor' wanted at the moment.
So...
'Maybe I should-'
[Don't!]
'What?'
Diana blinked.
That voice again.
It was familiar somehow, didn't it sound extremely similar to...
'Ursula-Sensei?'
But instead of the blue-haired teacher, she heard the tech witch speak again:
"It's so like you to meddle, to try and protect everyone. In that regard you haven't changed at all, always playing the martyr."
She let out a raspy laugh.
"But this time I have to thank you for that. You gave me exactly what I needed. I was stuck for a while, searching for alternatives and you gave me the solution."
As Croix continued, a hint of longing crept into her voice.
"You always inspire me, Chariot."
A soft whimper could be heard from above, followed by some kind of...humming?
Diana couldn't be sure.
'What is she doing?'
The raspy laugh returned, a gentle note to it.
"Fine, fine", Croix sighed...playfully?
"I'll slow the transmission rate down a bit. That should ease your discomfort for a while. I waited ten long years...I can wait a few more days, I'm a patient person."
She chuckled at that.
"Just remember", she almost whispered, causing Diana's hair to stand on end.
"You can't stop me!"
Diana wasn't sure how she got back to her room, or if she even got some sleep in the end. Sitting at the cafeteria, eating breakfast at the crack of dawn, she was lost in thoughts.
She had waited until Croix finally left the room, which had felt like an eternity, and slowly crawled out from under the bed, gazing at the blue-haired witch. Ursula had seemed more peaceful all of a sudden, her breathing soft and steady, as if she was just asleep. After that, the blonde faintly recalled sneaking out of the infirmary and wandering back to her dormitory.
'What a crazy night.'
She sighed.
If she didn't think Croix was suspicious back then, she definitely was convinced of it now.
Just what had the eccentric witch planned?
How did it relate to Ursula's, or better, Chariot's surprising accident?
What was 'Chronosphere'?
'Chronos...'
Wasn't that the name of the god of time in ancient Greece?
Why would a 'modern' witch like Croix name something after him?
The god of time...
[Dreams!]
Diana's eyes widened.
There it was again.
That familiar voice that had warned her earlier.
Just what was going…
Dreams?!
Of course, her dreams!
Those were she could see parts of…
What were they about again?
She couldn't even recall most of the things she saw, just little snippets, quick flashes and…Chariot?
Right, wasn't it because of this that she knew about Croix's and the redhead's relationship in the first place?
'Am I dreaming of the past?'
What a ridiculous question.
'They are just dreams!'
The Cavendish groaned.
What a preposterous Idea. Dreaming of the past. How would that even work?
No, her dreams were just that, dreams. A bit jumbled, but still largely irrelevant.
Browsing through her bag full of books, she searched for the one she had purchased two days ago. A special order only sanctioned because of her status at the school. At the very least nobody had dared to ask her what she wanted with it. It was probably the thinnest book she ever possessed, not only that, but it also came in a bright, red cover, which she specifically ordered herself, still...
It looked oddly out of place with her.
'I still wasn't able to give it to her.'
She placed the thin book on the table and stared at it, narrowing her eyes.
How was she supposed to concentrate on Croix, when everything led her back to her relationship with Akko. The brunette was by now surely aware of Ursula's condition, possibly even of her own involvement. How could she explain what happened without revealing the professor's secret?
Maybe she should just avoid the energetic witch.
'Knowing Akko she would find me anyway.'
That thought made her smile softly.
Akko always had a knack of tracking her down.
'But so do I.'
She knew where to find her. Most of the time it wasn't even conscious. As if something was drawing them together...
Even if the brunette was frustrating her, angering her, hurting her without meaning to, they circled around each other. Seeing her with her friends, smiling, laughing and getting into trouble, the way everyone seemed to gravitate to her...
'Why do you never smile at me like that?'
No!
She was distracted again, thinking about such unnecessary things. She ought to focus. She needed to get to the bottom of this. If the tech witch was scheming, she had to be prepared, before Akko got involved. She couldn't let that happen. She might not be the witch her mother had envisioned her to be, but she would make sure that magic was restored to the world.
Diana wouldn't let Akko fail.
'I won't let anyone hurt her!'
She didn't have time to be a teenager.
"Diana?"
The blonde flinched. Trying to cover it up with an over exaggerated gesture of standing up, she flipped her long hair and turned to the owner of the voice.
"Akko", she greeted the brunette indifferently, not betraying how nervous she actually felt.
Of course the brunette would appear when Diana just finished thinking of her.
"Can I help you with something?"
She could have slapped herself.
No, how are you or a word of condolence?
Where were her manners?
Akko didn't seem upbeat to begin with, a frown upon her face and slight bangs under her eyes.
'So I am not the only one who didn't get some sleep.'
Which was totally relatable, giving that her mentor was...out of commission at the moment.
"They say you were there."
Her voice sounded tired and had a light scratch to it. Her eyes were red and puffy.
She must have cried quite a lot...unlike herself.
'I can't break down!'
Diana cleared her throat, keeping her face in a neutral mask.
"That is correct."
"Then tell me what happened."
Sighing, the blonde crossed her arms.
"I can't say-"
"No!", said Akko angrily, cutting her off, "I deserve to know, she is my mentor!"
Raising her hands in a placating way, although slightly irritated, Diana spoke again:
"As I was saying, before you so rudely interrupted me, I actually have no Idea what happened."
"What?"
"Yes, it was quite puzzling. One moment we were talking, then everything flashed red and the next thing I saw was her laying on the ground...
I really don't know how it came to that."
She couldn't very well tell her, that she provoked the older witch on purpose, saying those things to her, just because she wanted to prove that Ursula was indeed Chariot.
"What were you two talking about?"
Akko's tone became increasingly unfriendly, pinning the Cavendish with glare that could only be described as deadly.
'Something is wrong.'
That began to sound more and more like a cross examination and Diana didn't like it. Why was the brunette so openly hostile towards her?
"That doesn't concern you, it is a private matter."
"Do you even care?"
That question threw her off. Was she insinuating...?
"Wha-"
"Do you even care that Ursula-Sensei is hurt? Or is it just interfering with your schedule, a bothersome complication?"
Akko's voice seemed to grew louder with every word she said, balling her hands to fists, looking at her with so much fury in her eyes, that it made her shudder inwardly.
'Will you stop cutting me off!'
She wasn't going to stand here and let herself being insulted. Hopefully this wouldn't turn out to be another shouting match between them.
"You are acting like a child, again."
"Better acting like a child, than acting like you, the great Diana Cavendish, who is so above us all-"
'Is that how you see me?'
For some reason that thought made her falter.
Did she really think that?
"Don't presume to know what I am feeling", Diana's voice cracked slightly.
Why did Akko have to be so complicated?
"I was with Ursula-Sensei when it happened, I was terrified."
Trying to get her emotions under control again, she breathed in deeply, pausing for a moment.
After composing herself, she continued with a surprisingly strong tone:
"But what good does it do for me to break down? It won't get her back to health any faster. Instead I am focusing my strength on finding the seven words of Arcturus and so should you!"
An uncomfortable silence stretched between the two of them, until Akko asked in a much softer voice, than before:
"You know about the words?"
The blonde nodded her head. Maybe it wouldn't evolve into shouting match after all.
"I conducted my own research and read about them. I wrote down everything I could find for you."
"You...want to help me?", the brunette stammered, her eyes widening in surprise.
'Is that so out of character for me?'
"Really Akko, what did I ever do to you, to earn this dislike you have for me?"
Sighing again, this time defeated, she grabbed the red book from the table and handed it to the other witch.
"Here", she said, looking at anything but Akko's face, "it was meant as a peace offering, but maybe you need it to remind yourself what made you attend Luna Nova in the first place."
Still not looking at the brunette, the only reaction she got was a gasp.
"That's...Shiny Chariot!"
Somehow the atmosphere changed, became lighter, as if whatever had a hold on them before just disappeared.
"It is everything I could find on her...I thought you would like it."
Diana glanced at Akko out of the corner of her eyes and what she saw...was simply baffling. The brunette's whole face had brightened up, a big smile on her face, as she stared at her with unadulterated wonder.
"Like it? I love it! Thank you Diana!", she practically squealed, skipping towards the blonde and forcing her in one of her infamous hugs...
As if the last few minutes had not happened at all.
'Just what is going on here?'
"It was nothing", Diana said, somewhat enjoying the close contact with the brunette.
When was the last time someone had hugged her?
'That is not important, right now!'
Pulling away slightly, to look at her, Akko's face fell again.
"No really...thank you. I...I was wrong about you...I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you."
That wasn't what Diana was after, she didn't need an apology...well it was nice to get one anyway, but having the other witch in high spirits again, was enough for her.
"Oh? You don't need to trouble yourself with-"
"I'll definitely make it up to you", the brunette interrupted her, yet again, with a determinate grin, letting go of the other witch, "just watch me."
Diana remembered the last time Akko had told her the exact same phrase. There was no stopping her, not that she wanted to.
Feeling her eyes soften ever so slightly, she inclined her head.
"If you insist."
July 2006
It had been a week. A week and Chariot still hadn't woken up. The teachers were absolutely clueless. No one knew how to cure the redhead. But she had done everything she could. She had grabbed the younger witch and practically skipped back to the school, tuning out the outraged cries and the pleading for help from the other students. If she had to choose between them and Chariot, the redhead would always win.
The diagnosis Professor Lukic gave them was: 'Sensorial Overload', which she guessed already, plunging the rest of the teaching staff in a confused state of disbelief, finally realizing what a rare talent Chariot possessed. A little too late.
At first they all figured she would wake up on her own, as they deemed her almost comatose state as 'just being burned out', but after a few days they had grown increasingly worried.
'As they should!'
Now, after a whole week, Croix couldn't bear it anymore. Seeing Chariot like that, whimpering in pain, fighting against a high fever, sometimes even trashing around wildly, screaming for 'it' to stop, was too much for the lavender-haired witch. On the evening of the seventh day she decided to visit Professor Woodward, the little crow, who hadn't left her side since, accompanied her. She didn't know how, but the bird gave her a little hope. It even tried to cheer her up. His similarities to Chariot were really comforting.
If only she could help her.
Woodward would know what to do.
She would help them, Croix was sure of it...
Until she wasn't.
Standing before the blue moon spirit, the crow on her shoulder, Croix's eyes went wide, as the shock from the unexpected answer rendered her completely speechless for a moment.
"What do you mean, you will do nothing?", she yelled at her, holding back the urge to break down in tears.
The sympathetic look in Woodward's eyes enraged the young witch. She didn't need pity! She needed a way to help Chariot.
'Why is no one doing something?'
"Little Croix", the old witch said, "it is not my place to interfere. If she is worthy to revive the next word, she will overcome this sickness."
How could she say that? Chariot was worth more than some stupid words. Why was that even happening? How could a Leyline just up and die?
'Wait!'
Croix felt as if someone had just punched her in the stomach, her hands were sweating, a nauseating taste in her mouth.
'If she is worthy...'
It couldn't be...
She wouldn't...
"This...this", she stammered, her breathing stuttering slightly.
"This was a test?!"
"The last word is near, but the fifth and sixth are still missing", Woodward replied vaguely, "I needed to prepare Chariot for her greatest task."
"By letting her sacrifice herself for these ungrateful people?", Croix all but screamed.
'How could she?'
"To verify the strength of her heart."
She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head rapidly.
"Why would you do this to her? She almost died!"
"It was as much a test for her as it was for you", Woodward said calmly, gentle even,
"And you failed, little Croix, you failed to tamper your emotions, thinking only of yourself."
Anger spiked through the younger witch. Raising her head slightly, she balled her hands.
"I was thinking of Chariot!", she corrected the blue moon spirit harshly.
"You believe that to be different?"
The question didn't sound like it harbored malicious intent, but it made her hair stand on end.
Staring at the ground, her eyes unfocused she drawled in a monotone voice:
"So, I failed, because I love Chariot."
"You failed, because your morals are inverted, you are blinded by your ambitions."
'...what?'
Something inside of her slammed shut, shattered beyond repair and she began to laugh, throwing her head back, looking at the concerned Woodward in amusement.
"So", she said eventually, after calming down a bit," you and I are exactly the same."
She didn't wait for an answer. She just turned around, walking away, the little crow following behind her.
"Croix", Woodward called after her and something in her voice made her pause, something soft, but dangerous, "you are not allowed to interfere!"
Taking off her glasses, tossing them to the ground, Croix looked over her shoulder defiantly.
"Just watch me!"