Chapter 13

The Second Realm

"I really don't know how I feel about this," Diana murmured as she watched Akko pull her hair back into a ponytail. "I would really feel more comfortable if I went with you."

They stood in the middle of one of the Cavendish's old foxhunting fields, far enough away from the Manor to ensure the safety of the others, but close enough to where they could get back quickly if they had to. As Aunt Daryl had requested, no word of their plans had been uttered outside of the two of them.

Akko shook her head, long brunette hair swishing at her back. She rolled her shoulders in a quick stretch. "One of us needs to stay here in case something goes wrong and you know my magic is iffy at best. Besides, they're less likely to recognize me."

Akko's plan was simple. Using their magic to bring the Order to their realm, Akko would find the gate to the other side, gather as much information as she could, and return before time ran out and the door closed. Diana would stay back and make sure the gate stayed open while fending off any attackers that came through in the meantime.

Diana sighed and shook her head. It was a crude plan, but she had to admit that she couldn't think of a better one. A nervous pang wrenched at her gut at the idea of Akko traversing the unknown by herself.

"It'll be fine," Akko said, flashing Diana a wide grin, though she could do nothing to hide the anxious flash in her eyes. "Promise."

Diana turned and pressed her back to Akko's. Her heart thudded with nervous energy as she scanned the rolling green hills of the field. At the highest peak, she hoped they would have a better chance of seeing what they needed to.

"Ready?" she heard Akko say behind her.

Diana took a deep breath, readying her wand. "Ready."

"Now!" she felt the muscles in Akko's back tense.

Diana raised her wand and whirled it to the sky, furiously running the plan through her mind again as she shouted, "Revelare!"

The sky around them flashed and Akko and Diana found themselves standing amidst a hazy purple bubble. Diana held the spell as they both searched the space around them while the reveal spell scanned for any alterations to the magical world.

It didn't take long.

"There," Akko suddenly cried out.

Diana whirled to find Akko pointing at two cloaked figures who had appeared down the hill. Behind them, the spell illuminated a gently pulsing glow that hung in the air like a jagged crack across a glass surface. "You were right," she said to Akko, but the other girl was already sprinting toward the figures.

Diana pulled her arm back just as one attacker raised a wand and took aim at Akko. "Nec motus!"

Green tendrils flew from Diana's wand and snaked around both figures like vines, snapping their wands from their hands and pulling them down in a tight bind. She held the spell as she strode slowly, green flowing from her wand in waves as she fed more restraints to the attackers.

Akko was already kneeling beside one and ripping his cloak from his twisting body. She threw it over her own shoulders, turning to face Diana with a frown. "It's too big!" she moaned. "I look like a kid playing dress up!"

"We don't have time to tailor an outfit to your size, Akko," Diana replied, gritting her teeth to fight against jerking limbs. "Hurry up and go. We don't have much time."

Akko reached forward to the gently waving crack, tentatively placing her fingers against it. A strange jolt coursed through her body. She hesitated, turning to look back at the witch behind her. Diana was straining against the strength of the two men, lips pursed in determination.

"Akko, go!" she repeated. "I can't hold much longer!"

"Will—will you be okay?" Akko asked, feeling her voice break.

"I'll be fine," Diana replied, panting heavily as her exhausted magic began to retreat back into her body. "Just, please, Akko." Cool blue eyes fell on the smaller witch. Akko felt a pull in her lower abdomen.

Diana lowered her voice, expression softening as she took in the sight of the brave witch who stood before another world in much-too-large robes. "Please, come back to me."

Akko returned a resolute nod, pulling up the hood and shrouding her face in the shadows. "I always will."

She turned and stepping into the rift.

As Diana looked after her, her magic binds slowly loosening and breaking against the thrashing figures on the ground, Akko disappeared as though she had never been there in the first place.

Akko's head was reeling. She felt like she had been on a rollercoaster that was going much too fast and blinked rapidly to try to clear the darkness from her eyes. One hand stretched out to find anything that she could possibly brace against. It found damp stone, and Akko steadied her breathing as her vision cleared and the world around her slowly took shape.

She tilted her chin up in an effort to see beneath the hood of the cloth dangling in her eyes and found herself in a hallway. A long, dark hallway that glowed orange with the flickering of torches lining the wall. The sound of water dripping somewhere nearby, along with the echo of footsteps somewhere in the distance, was all she could hear.

Akko took a deep breath and started walking. The bottom of the cloak dragged along the floor, water striking around her ankles as her sneakers splashed through small puddles. The air was warm and humid, and Akko found herself starting to sweat beneath the heavy robes.

A few voices echoed against the stone walls. She walked toward them, rubbing the fabric of the sleeves between her fingers in a vain attempt to stop her anxiety. Her heartbeat thrummed a rapid rhythm in her throat.

Light was filtering into the hall from an open door ahead. In the bright light, Akko could see large cockroaches scurrying into the darkness.

"Their magic signature was detected once more," a low, familiar voice rumbled from within the room. Swallowing hard, Akko slowed, creeping forward as she listened.

"As it was the day before," another voice, male and older, spoke loudly. "And once more before that. Yet, still, neither threat has been eliminated. As I understand, one holds the ability to disrupt the ritual. Do you wish to fail me? Your brethren?"

Akko sidled up against the wet stone and, holding her breath, peeked around the wall.

Inside the room, she saw Damien Cavendish. His back was turned, but there was no mistaking him. His hood was pulled down around his neck, blonde hair glowing orange in the light of a fire flickering at the far side of the room. Akko could see no one else.

"No, my lord," Damien replied, torso bending in a small bow. "I promise success."

"I would urge you remember your rank within the Order is merely the result of the surname you hold, not a reflection of your actions. You have much to prove. If you fail to claim the House of Cavendish, we will not possess the strength to merge our realms. Is that what your intention? To forever be an exile? For our great power to remain unseen?"

The voice was laced with a malice that gave Akko the chills. She leaned forward further, straining to see whoever Damien was speaking to.

"No, my lord," Damien repeated. "As it stands, my sister is in a losing battle. She will not last long." He kept his chin tucked to his chest in submission.

"And the other?"

"No magical presence has arisen from the other," Damien replied. "We will find her, but she is not the primary target."

"Must I remind you of the other's actions in the First Realm?" The other voice was rising in volume.

Akko could hear the heavy echo of approaching footsteps. She straightened, lowering her head to hide her features beneath the hood, and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. She peeked out from beneath the fabric of the dark hood to see two cloaked figures approaching.

"We Will Rise," both echoed together as they strode past. Akko said nothing.

The footsteps slowed and stopped. Akko could sense the two figures turning to look at her. She felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple.

"You, assassin," a woman's voice said.

Akko lifted her head to find a woman and a shorter man standing just past the room that was housing Damien's conversation. Their robes were adorned with sleek red fabric around the sleeves, gold sashes hanging at their waists, almost like the one Akko wore at school. Their hoods were drawn up, though Akko could see the stringy red hair that hung from the hood of the woman.

"Have you no respect?" she asked, stepping forward.

Akko felt her pulse start to race. She had clearly done something wrong, but she didn't know what exactly. She stayed silent.

"Is there some reason you dare not utter the words of Aurelion?" the short man shrilled in an urgent, high-pitched voice that Akko would have laughed at in any other situation.

Akko hesitated, then warily said, "We—We Will Rise?"

"Assassins always think themselves above the rest." The woman sighed deeply, taking the arm of the man and turning. "Come, Petraeus. We have much to prepare."

Akko sighed with relief as the two strode off down the hallway, quiet murmurs fading into faint echoes.

"—the status of these two witches," the rumbling voice was saying in the room. "And let the news be good, else I send you myself and strip you of all but a blunt dagger to defend yourself."

"Yes, my lord."

Akko peeked around into the room to see Damien was turning to the door. She jerked her head away, inhaling sharply as she racked her brain for what to do. She turned and carefully eased down the hall, slipping into a slight dip in the wall and concealing herself in the shadows.

She watched as Damien left the room and turned in the direction the other two cloaked figures had gone before. She waited for him to round a corner before stepping into the flickering torchlight of the hallway . She trailed as quietly as she could.

Akko followed him through large double wooden doors that would have rivaled the entrance of Luna Nova into a giant courtyard, where a single, massive tree with a charred and blackened trunk rose like a monolith into a dark grey sky, its bare branches weaving around stone columns and even through the walls themselves. Damien Cavendish strode up to it and fell to one knee, his torso curving over in a deep kneel.

Another cloaked figure in an adorned robe strode past Akko. "We Will Rise."

"We Will Rise," Akko echoed. She stood still, heart pounding as she watched Damien. She could see his mouth moving in silent prayer. The branches of the tree creaked eerily as a howling wind passed through the battlements high above.

Finally, Damien rose. He turned on his heel and began walking back the way he had come.

Toward where Akko had come to stand beside a jagged square pillar.

She froze.

"Ah, Assassin. We Will Rise."

"We Will Rise," Akko said, forcing a deeper tone to her voice as she shrank a bit more into the darkness of the hood.

"Come, we must speak." Damien cricked his chin toward a cobblestone path that led to the far side of the giant tree and, without pausing, walked on.

Akko hesitated, but knew she had no choice. She took a deep breath in an effort to calm her nerves and strode after him.

Damien walked with his icy blue eyes locked ahead in an unblinking stare. His blonde hair was swept to the side in the same style as before, tea-green highlights dull in the dim light. For the first time, she noticed his cloak was different than the others. Though mostly black, the sleeves were adorned with a series of gold stripes that led along his forearm. The edge of his hood, too, was lined in gold.

"I see your clothes do not fit. You must be new. No matter, I will acquire attire that suits your stature shortly. There are more important matters. My sister and the Kagari girl still live," he said as they entered a wide hallway. "While I must say that I am not surprised, I find myself a little disappointed in such a specialized field."

Akko said nothing. She walked silently beside him, staring down at the uneven stone floor as she tried to match the much taller man's stride.

"If we are to break free of the First Realm, we must succeed in this mission," Damien continued. "I'm sure you understand how critical this is. Come, let us check the current status of the situation."

Damien took a sharp left into a room that opened into a massive, open area. Beds were stacked through the middle. Swords and lances and crudely made guns rested in racks against the damp walls. A few assassins milled about.

Akko kept her eyes straight ahead, determined not to look around too much and give herself away through curiosity.

On the other side of the barracks was an entrance to another, smaller room. A long stone slab stood in the middle, serving as a table to the multiple black cloaked figures who were staring into a magical projection on the far wall.

In the center of the table, emitting a bright turquoise glow, was a Philosopher's stone. In its side was a massive dent, as though the stone had slowly been chipped away to make smaller stones.

So that's how they're using magic, Akko thought as she turned her attention to the projection and took a sharp breath as her eyes fell on Diana.

The projection was like looking through the eyes of an assassin. The eyes were locked on Diana as she whirled and dodged, throwing desperate spells in every direction. She was soaked in sweat, blonde hair clinging to her temples as her legs shook beneath the effort. Akko could see more than a few assassins and felt a throb of urgency as she stared into the image. She had to get back. And quick.

"Where is the other?" Damien demanded.

Every cloaked figure turned to stare at him.

"She has not been seen," one of the assassins spoke up. "Her magical signature cannot be found. She has used no magic. We are unsure of her location."

Akko felt her hands shaking. She clenched her fists.

"She will show soon," Damien said, running a hand through his slick hair. "Where Diana can be found, Kagari will not be far. We Will Rise."

"We Will Rise," echoed the room.

He turned, beckoning Akko with his hand. "Come, assassin. Let us find you a cloak that fits."

She didn't want to pull her eyes away from the projection, away from Diana straining to fend off her attackers as she shot spell after spell toward them. But, with no other option, she reluctantly followed Damien from the room.

"Here," he said, reaching into a trunk at the far end of the barracks and holding a smaller cloak out to Akko. "This will suit you better. Congratulations on making it into this group. If I had the abilities, I, too, would have chosen this route."

Akko took the cloak and held it, saying nothing.

"What is your name, assassin?" Damien asked. He was staring into the shadows beneath her hood. Could he see her?

She took a deep breath. "I—Amanda," Akko said, thinking of the first name that came to her.

Damien's blind eyebrows scrunched together. "A... female? I had not heard that a female had graduated the academy."

Akko swallowed hard, her skin tingling as her anxiety rose. She could feel his eyes running over her body and felt a deep twinge of discomfort.

She felt his fingers on her hood, a gentle tug as he pulled the fabric to fall around her neck.

Akko found herself staring into the deep blue eyes of a Cavendish. But this wasn't Diana. There was no warmth, no comfort. She found only cold, only malice, only evil.

They flashed with recognition.

"You have made a very big mistake," he hissed as he reached to the side and yanked on a rope that was dangling from the ceiling. A deep gong echoed through the stone walls, making Akko's bones shake as she took a step back.

Akko dropped the cloak he'd handed her. She turned and ran.

She could hear yelling around her as she sprinted across the barracks and toward the wide hallway that Damien had led her down. The heavy weight of the cloak pulled at her, snagging on sharp stone and tearing loudly each time she pulled herself free.

Behind her, a loud explosion resounded off the walls. She felt something whistle by her ear and strike the stone beside her. Her sneakers slid on the wet floor as she rounded the corner and made for the massive tree trunk that stood in the middle of the courtyard.

"It's Kagari!" She could hear Damien screaming behind her. "Stop her!"

With a sudden, overwhelming rush, Akko realized she couldn't remember where the rift was. She didn't know where to go. She was turned around, lost in the dark with cloaked figures descending on her from all angles. She was twisting through a maze of torch-lit hallways, echoes ringing out as she splashed through puddles.

A shot rang out behind her, but it wasn't a spell, as Akko had thought initially.

It was a bullet.

The wall spewed bits of stone that sprayed into the side of Akko's face, peppering her cheeks with the sharp fragments that should have been her bone.

She could hear footsteps behind her, growing closer as exhaustion fell into place. Her lungs were throbbing, burning, her legs were begging her to stop, her feet struggled to maintain purchase on the uneven footing. Akko dug deep, tapping into stamina that she never knew she had.

Akko had to hold on.

Diana had to hold on.

Everything hurt. Her chest, her arms, her legs, every single muscle in her body screamed at her to stop, to rest, to seek help. But she couldn't. She had to keep fighting. For Akko.

She dove behind a tree trunk, shooting a weakened spell at a cloaked figure as she hit the ground shoulder first and skidded through the dry leaves. Before her attackers could get a jump on her, she had pried her exhausted body from the ground and was running again.

"Murowa!" she shouted, aiming the tip of her wand at one of her assailants. They flew backwards, striking a nearby tree trunk and collapsing to their knees.

Akko had been gone for nearly half an hour.

She could still see the glowing rift against the blue sky, but no one came through, save for more black cloaks. Diana heaved another spell, but before it hit she saw the wave of a wand and felt herself thrown through the open field.

She landed hard in the grass, air bursting from her lungs in a loud gasp. She ached as she desperately wheezed for air, clutching her chest with her free hand and pointing her wand at the four attackers who were descending on her faster than she could recover.

They lifted their wands.

"Circum praesidio!" a shrill voice shouted behind her.

Spells ricocheted off the wavering purple shield that sprouted in front of Diana. She turned to see Aunt Daryl, Maril, and Merrill rushing up behind her, wands at the ready.

"Murowa!" Maril and Merrill shouted together, blasting an attacker off his feet and sending him hurtling through the air in a tangle of limbs.

"Aunt Daryl," Diana panted, forcing her unwilling legs to work as she rose. "Akko-"

Aunt Daryl scowled. "What did I say about upsetting the regular activities of the Manor?" she asked, shooting off another spell at a nearby cloak. "I find these circumstances very much outside of that request!"

"Mother," Merrill yelled. "Behind you!"

Diana raised her wand and shot a spell at the cloak rushing up behind her aunt. "We have to get to Akko-" she begged, heaving hard as she struggled to gather her breath and hold herself up at the same time. "She's in—Murowa!-the Second Realm!"

"The Second Realm?" Aunt Daryl shouted back, reinforcing the shield and sending a green arc that transformed into a fireball straight into the face of an attacker trying to take cover behind a tree. "What in the Nine were you two thinking?"

Diana could see the rift wavering, fighting to hold as time slowly ticked down.

Akko had to get back. And fast.

An arm snaked around her neck and slammed into her windpipe, pulling her in tight. She pulled in her elbow and reeled back hard, striking the cloak so hard in the face she thought her bone had broken along with his nose. She stumbled forward at the release from his desperate grip, legs threatening to buckle as she took off at a run toward the rapidly fading rift.

If Akko wasn't coming back, Diana was going to her.

Akko could see the rift ahead.

With a deep, rattling breath, she surged forward. The metallic taste of blood flooded her mouth, the sweat poured down her face and back as she ran for her life. Bullets were raining down on her, spraying against the walls and floor as she arced and twisted to make herself a harder target. But the hall she had found herself on was straight. She knew their trajectories couldn't be off for much longer.

Her lungs heaved as she made one last, desperate lunge for the crack in the world that separated her from the First Realm.

Everything went black as the blood rushed to her head. She could still hear the bullets cracking next to her ear, missing by mere centimeters as they flew by.

She could see nothing, but the impact of the soft ground beneath her feet told her that she was home.

She had made it.

Diana was feet from the fissure when Akko came bursting out.

Spells were flashing all around her, green on red on blue on bright, shining purple as Aunt Daryl, Maril, and Merrill fended off the last of the attackers. Diana could still see the fog of purple as her reveal spell slowly faded, blue sky and bright sun pouring into her eyes.

Before her, the rift cracked, flickered, and disappeared entirely as Akko flew from midair in an all-out sprint.

"Akko!" Diana heard herself yell before something hit her with what she could only imagine was the force of a truck.

She felt her body jerk backwards and she exhaled hard in surprise. Akko was there, right there, and she only had to wrap her arms around her to know that it was real, that the brunette in the ragged black cloak was Akko.

But her legs gave out and she crumpled to the ground. Her gut throbbed. She felt something hot and wet burst from her mouth and brought her hand up in surprise, pulling it away to find fresh blood coating her fingers.

She could hear yelling somewhere. Akko's voice, maybe. Aunt Daryl's. One of her cousins. Maybe one of the remaining attackers. Diana didn't know, she wasn't sure. Her breath came hard and fast in her head, her pulse lurched against her throat, her vision was fogged at the edge but she still looked up and saw Akko descending upon her.

Diana felt her eyes fall. Her last thought was that the bright red blood pooling on the ground around her was almost the exact same color as Akko's eyes.