Seems like the name "Miss Evil Bitch" that Astoria00 came up with for Ana is sticking. I'm not going to deny popular opinion, Miss Evil Bitch it is!
Also, I went back and re-read some of my old chapters in preparation for where the story is going from here and was horrified by all the typos and mistakes. UGH! I just get so excited when I finish a chapter that I almost immediately post it without reviewing. I haven't been proofreading since like chapter 3. I'm sorry! I'll try to be better but I can't stop how excited I get!
Our Magic!
Episode 05: Tremors
Part IV
In her mind, Croix heard melodious laughter, and pushed herself away from Chariot in a hurry. Chariot looked at her with hurt eyes, "I'm sorry, Chari. I didn't think."
"It's OK. You've been through a lot. I can't even imagine." Chariot's eyes changed from hurt to sympathetic instantly. "You just took me by surprise."
Laughter. Croix winced in pain, but Chariot turned to the prone body behind them. "No, you mean it's not just in my head?"
Ana laughed heartily. "That's pretty impressive laughing like that with a broken jaw," Chariot taunted with a clenched fist, about to resume her beating.
"Oh, it may be a challenge for a mere human to laugh through pain, but I left my humanity behind a while ago, you know."
"I'll bite, just what are you then?"
"Chariot, don't listen to her."
"I'm your everyday faery queen, of course," Ana rose up effortlessly like she was gliding through air, and seamlessly transitioned into a low bow. "I believe you're familiar with my kind?"
Chariot hesitated. "Tita—"
"Unrelated."
"Madb?"
"You're getting warmer . . . or colder really, as the case may be."
Chariot watched as the swollen face and dislocated jaw of the grinning bitch in front of her slowly contorted back to its perfect symmetrical form. The blood that had covered her began streaming back and pooling around her blood-red lips. Ana licked her lips sensuously. Chariot stepped backwards, closer to Croix.
"We had a deal. You said I could take Croix if I defeated you."
"You are right of course. Only," she held up and regarded one arm, then repeated the action with her other, examining her perfect manicured nails afterwards, "I don't seem to be defeated now, do I?"
"Ch-ch-chari . . . " Croix stuttered to get out her words.
Chariot almost ignored her to continue to face the enemy in front, but something in the way she said her name sounded like a desperate plea. Turning to see her lover, Chariot gasped.
A knife was held to Croix's throat once more. And Croix was holding it. "No, no Croix. Fight it, Croix. If anyone can beat her, it's you."
Chariot's words were delivered with all of her love and trust in Croix, but to the recipient they were like an assault. Croix began crying. "Y-you don't get it, Chari. I've already lost."
Chariot snarled in rage and turned back to Ana, "WHAT DO YOU WANT, YOU EVIL BITCH?!"
Ana held her hands out as though she could calm the storm inside Chariot with a gesture, "I want many things, but for now, I'll settle for . . . you."
"Me?"
"Yes, the former wielder of the Claiomh Solais. Arguably one of the most powerful witches in existence, that is if you don't include existences like me of course. Although the inability to fly is an interesting handicap."
"You want me," Chariot struggled to understand.
"Not like that, I already had Croix for that. Come work for me. Join my coven. With your power added to mine own, we will be able to accomplish anything. Nothing and no one could possibly stand before us."
"I—"
"I won't even make you fight against your students. And it goes without saying I won't make you fight against Croix, she's already broken anyway. Come. You are the one that I want. You are the one that can complete my coven. Become a part of my family. Become my sister, nay, become my daughter."
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"Come quick! We need your help!" Amanda kicked open the door and called out to Barbara and Lotte as the door rebounded back at her face. Pushing through, Jasminka followed after her carrying Sucy on her back.
"What happened?!" Barbara shrieked.
Lotte remained standing at an inner doorway, watching the chaos with uncertainty. Sucy was shaking. Her eyes were clenched shut and her entire body was convulsing.
"She's having a seizure! We need to take her to the hospital," Barbara exclaimed, "Why would you come here?"
"She said to come to Lotte!" Amanda yelled back. Lotte stepped forward slightly at the sound of her name, but held back. "Lotte? What the hell?"
"I haven't seen her do it before."
"Do what?"
"She said it's like a defense mechanism."
"What is?"
"This. But it looks like she's trying to resist it."
"What is going on?" Barbara grabbed Lotte about the shoulders and shook her, "Speak so we can understand!"
"It's like how a salamander loses their tail to escape from a predator."
Something shifted under Sucy's skin and Jasminka stepped away quickly in horror. The girls all watched as their friend came apart at the seams.
"What the hell does she have seams for?!" Amanda screamed. The momentum from dropping caused Sucy's head to roll in Barbara and Lotte's direction.
Barbara passed out. Sucy managed an embarrassed smile, "Sorry about this. Really."
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"So not only are you an evil bitch, you're a psychotic evil bitch. Good to know," Chariot sighed in frustration. She could hear Croix whimpering. "If I join you, I'll remain myself?"
"I do not have the power to manipulate your mind."
"And you'll release whatever hold you have over Croix? She'll be free?"
"I'll release my magic. I somehow think I'll be retaining my hold over her though. I cannot help it if she struggles to forget me this time."
"Then I—"
"Is it fucked up that I'm feeling betrayed here?" Croix interrupted.
"Croix, I'm doing this for you, not to betray you!"
"It wouldn't be messed up for me to feel betrayed by you, Chari. I'm feeling betrayed by her. Every thing she says is an attack at me for no reason than to make me feel more hurt? And what the hell is that crap about family? Did she read my thoughts about how I feel about my family? About how you feel about family? I don't really like using the word, but she's definitely an evil bitch, right? Wait, we're in Japan, so Evil Bitch-san?"
"Croix, we can talk about this after. If I don't go with her—" The knife plunged in, cutting Croix's throat. She crumpled to the ground. "What have you done?!" Chariot screamed at Ana and rushed to the side of her love.
The cut was ragged and bleeding profusely. "This was not me," Ana said in disgust.
Chariot's hands were covered in blood as she tried to stem the flow. "What the fuck do you mean it wasn't you? This. All of this was you!"
"She attempted to take her own life to keep you from me." She finished in a whisper, "The damn fool."
"Will you save her? Can you save her? I'll join you if you can save her life!" Chariot was screaming, her voice raw.
"Alas, as part of my welcome to Croix, I exhausted her body's ability to be healed by magic. This disgusts me. I want no more part of it. Save her if you can; I will not interfere."
In the next moment, Ana was gone. "Goddammit!"
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Woodward crawled her way from the wreckage of the tower that was once her home. "That stupid bitch." Why are you doing this?
The revulsion spread through Yggdrasil and hammered into the pit of Woodward's stomach. Miasma appeared, drawing the reach of Yggdrasil further from Woodward. "No, no, no. What are they doing?"
Woodward struggled to reach through the miasma, coughing in pain. Finally, she connected and disappeared in a flash of light.
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"I don't care what it takes," Chariot reached for the nonexistent magic around her.
"I don't care what happens to me," Chariot's hands held Croix's throat together.
"I will save this woman." A soft glow suffused through Chariot's hands. The light grew in time with her heartbeat.
"Chariot." Woodward stumbled and fell to her knees across from Croix.
"Professor Woodward," Chariot said simply, focusing most of her attention on the magics she was calling on.
"Chariot, this is forbidden."
"Are you going to stop me?" Chariot said challengingly.
"Are you aware of the consequences?"
"I don't give a damn about any of it. I will save Croix."
"You weren't able to do this even with the Claiomh Solais. How are you going to do it now?"
"I will do it. I will do anything to save her. She's—no matter what's happened, she's my everything! She's the love of my life!"
Woodward nodded. "It's going to hurt." She grimaced in pain as though to show the truth of her words and her hands began to glow as well. She overlaid her hands on Chariot's above Croix's throat.
"Professor," Chariot said with moist eyes, "Thank you!"
"Thank me after you succeed, show I was right to believe in you and Croix all those years ago."
Chariot nodded, then left her head down. With closed eyes and their magical senses stretched to the limit, both could feel the rising tide of magic, rising to meet Chariot's call.
"PHA—
SA—
N—
SHEE—
RU—
SHE—
A—
RII—"
With each syllable of the ancient word of Arcturus, the tiny ramen shop was bombarded with magics. "NOW CHARIOT!" Woodward screamed for her to complete the word.
With the final syllable, Chariot had completed her heresy, "RA!"
Impossibly bright light welled up from their hands. The light encompassed all and cast no shadow. The walls of the shop could not block it.
The fifty meter tall pillar of light erupted from seemingly nothing. The magic could not even be contained within the pillar and pushed out to form a giant cross-shaped explosion of light with the tiny ramen shop at its base.
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Akko was somehow skipping while pushing her girlfriend in a wheelchair. Her parents had gone on ahead to bring the car around and give the two some privacy.
"Akko, I realize you are happy to take care of me, but do you really have to hum?"
"Aww, don't be a spoilsport, babe."
"Babe?!" Diana shrieked and blushed.
"Ah haha. I was trying it out?" Diana hid her face in her hands. "Too soon, huh? But you're just too pretty and you're MY girlfriend. I'm so happy!"
Diana shook her head in her hands, trying to regain her composure, "Ahm 'apy 'oo"
"What was that? You sound like me when I'm talking with my mouth full."
"Ahem!" Diana found her inner princess and announced imperiously, "I said, I am happy as well!"
"It sure sounded like you said, 'too', not 'as well'."
"If you could hear me then why did you ask what I said?"
"Because I wanted to hear you say it again?"
"You are impossible!"
Akko had discovered the greatest thing since magic: teasing Diana. Knowing that the pretty blonde witch was completely smitten with her had done wonders for her mental health, and it was impossible to resist the verbal sparring.
Of course, what Akko did not know was that it would not be much longer until Diana figured that everything she was doing would work on Akko also, but that is a story for another day.
Today, a certain former wielder of the Shiny Rod had just forcibly used the Seventh Word of Arcturus with no magic and no means to channel the powers she unleashed.
"Um, Diana?" Akko asked cautiously.
Diana instantly noticed the change in her girlfriend, and began to feel unsettled herself. "Akko? What is it? What's wrong?"
"I-I think I need to sit down," Akko fell against the back of the wheelchair, and Diana hurriedly stopped the wheels and engaged the wheel lock. Reaching for Akko's hand, she helped her around and into her lap.
"Akko? Talk to me. Babe, what is going on?"
"Ah haha, you called me babe," Akko said while wincing in pain.
Refusing to be dissuaded, Diana continued, "If you can try it, so can I! Talk to me. What is happening!"
Her shyness prevented her from repeating the moniker a second time however. Akko noticed through the pain, but chose not to comment. "I feel like I'm being torn apart."
"Like before?" Diana asked concernedly.
"Worst than the last time," Akko explained.
"But you are still . . ."
"Conscious?" Akko asked wryly. "You're helping."
"I?"
"Just being near you helps. I think that's why I woke up before, because you were with me."
"I thought that was just something you told your mother to convince her to let you sleep in the futon with me."
Akko laughed and grimaced again, "Please don't make me laugh right now."
"What can I do?"
"Kiss me."
"Right here? We're in public."
"When did that ever stop us before? It will help. I promise I'm not saying it just to get you to kiss me."
Diana nodded, "Very well, if it will help."
She leaned in and lightly brushed her lips across Akko's.
"Oh, for the love of—" Akko threw her hands around the back of Diana's head and pulled her in for a long kiss.
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Thanks for reading!
Originally, I had Ana winning here, but Croix really surprised me (and Ana). Especially when it led to Chariot unlocking the final Word that she could never get to before! I'm so excited to see what they do next!
Please expect the next chapter next Thursday! I have so many ideas for when they get back from Japan so I seriously cannot wait for them to go forward from here! I finally get to write a dating Diakko! Oh wait, they still need to take care of the earthquakes . . .
