POV Narrator:
Friday, 2 March 2018, Luna Nova
The days are passing in Luna Nova, starting this time the month of March that marks also the end of the second term, before the spring break begins in the academy of witchcraft, by then the students had all adapted to the classes of teacher Croix and were the favorites of the whole class by the way in which is more dynamic in relation to the others. At this time Diana and Chariot were also making the preparations for the realization of the plan around invading Croix's laboratory to get information about her plan in an even clearer way.
POV Akko:
I am doing well in class finally, I don't destroy the room with my spells anymore, I feel that I am getting closer and closer every day, Diana's help was very good for everything, I didn't have the notion of how wonderful it would be, but I miss teacher Ursula, in this time she didn't even said anything about the seven words, I really want to be able to find the next one, after all I haven't forgotten my main goal at all, I will find Chariot and finally see her, this I am sure, I enter the library, more to get some books, when I come across Professor Ursula, this might be the opportunity I needed.
"Hi teacher, it's been a long time since we've seen each other after class, I miss you so much.
"I also say the same, but from the looks of it you and Diana are getting on really well to learn magic together, I think this way might be the best for you... Or do you want me to go back to teaching some extra lessons as well? - She said and I ended up nodding in agreement.
"Despite everything yes, I really wanted the classes with you, seeing you back just for your presence would already be very good, it would already join the presence of Diana with you, I would be able to learn without much pressure, besides helping with the seven words - I say, getting to the point, kind of indirectly.
"Seven words... I remember how it was, the last word Chariot looked up was in Wagandea..." Said the teacher and I already get curious.
"Wagandea? Where is that? I want to go!" I say excitedly.
"Ah not very good to do that Akko, the forest has a tree that is endless to climb and on top of that it has some flowers that if they bloom and the pollen catches on you, the witch can lose the ability to fly on a broom, so I don't recommend it, it's too high a risk to take" Ah now the teacher doesn't want me to go there now, for the nine witches might be the chance to find the third word.
"But then why not go, I've been in a risky place before, it's not the first time" I say shrugging.
"But Wagandea is another risk, if it is in the blooming season, you can lose the ability to fly broomstick forever" The teacher said and that didn't make me afraid.
"You know what, I'm going to find out more about it and I'm going to go anyway" I say confidently, walking over to the shelves.
"No Akko! Don't take that risk, we might be close to the blooming season" Said the teacher.
I go anyway, I check the books, until I notice the presence of Professor Croix who was half near, I will find out about Wagandea's flowers and I am sure they will not bloom now, Professor Croix soon comes to me, she goes with a smile to me.
"Oh Akko, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation with Professor Ursula" she said.
"She doesn't want to let me go to Wagandea, see if she can" I tell her.
"Then I'll take you there, the teacher doesn't need to know about it" said Ms. Croix and I started to cheer up.
"You are right teacher, you were going to take me, but what about the time when the flowers bloom?" I ask her.
"That will be far away, these plants take months and months to bloom, we are still in the middle of winter, today it is snowing here in Luna Nova, who will say in the Arcturus forest, anyway, if I were you I would go, I'll even take you there, that way you can do it" she said and I was getting really excited.
I even decided to leave the study of the Wagandea tree and went to follow with teacher Croix, where I even saw teacher Ursula giving her a good look, the two really don't like each other, but I'm sorry teacher Ursula, you can't tell me what to do, I won't stop getting closer to my dream of seeing Chariot because of this, teacher Croix will help me, so much that we were leaving there, she started using the flying hoovers where I sat in one, flying along the Ley line and talking.
"So Akko, you said you really like Chariot don't you? Do you really intend to find all the words? Do you think that might get her attention enough" the teacher said.
"Surely I have, I know that so she can notice me for my efforts that don't even roll many times, she must be watching me with every action I do" I say excitedly.
"Ah you have no idea, but anyway, we are coming, what do you think about someday having a roomba to fly around better than a broom and with much more comfort" she said as I looked at the flying hoover.
"I think it's pretty cool, but I wish I could fly a normal broomstick, I want to show that I can do it without using magic devices, that I'm not a magic-deficient witch" said the teacher.
Meanwhile Chariot was warning Diana through the familiar raven, while the latter was following Croix along the Ley Line as a way to delay Meridies and thus gain time...
POV Diana:
I wonder if it's today. Anyway, I have everything ready, I'll be waiting in my room, I dinnae want anything tae go wrong, it worries me a lot tae see Akko being used as a bait without her knowing in this whole plan, until I see Arcor coming tae the window giving her a few pecks and that was the sign I needed, the two pecks signaling that Croix went away with Akko. I
go tae my wardrobe and get a more discreet outfit, besides a balaclava, I dress myself with it, I look like a cartoon thief and wow, looking at myself in the mirror I notice that this discreet outfit only makes my proportions more voluptuous, anyway, I better get out of here, I can't be noticed, I take and put the belt that has some devices like radars and laser detectors, I look at the pipe above, I turn into a ferret.
"Now let's go!" I say to myself.
I go up the shelves, sae Hannah and Barbara dinnae notice, where I go following the path I had already traced along the way, drawing the marks with a chalk, sae I know exactly how tae get tae the teacher Croix's room, going through all the piping it was pretty smooth.
Until arriving at her room, where I open the ventilation door and pass fae her still in ferret form, until arriving at the floor where I transform myself tae the normal without being noticed since I know of the cameras in the teacher's room that could recognize my ferret form, with that I arrive until the switch.
Going down the lift it's quiet, it dinnae ask fae password or anything, but still it's good tae be safe, going down the way arriving tae her laboratory now it's walking until the computer room, what I already take one of the devices of my pocket, a radar, which detects the machines around. I notice that they are watching specially the region where the computer is, but I take another robot from my pocket, this time a small one that will serve as distraction. I
control it on the way, arriving where the robots were, sae I am distracting doing a dance and with that the little squares are coming closer until I press the button tae detonate.
"Wonderful" I whisper after seeing the robots sort of starting tae spread out, as I started tae go about launching several of these little robots, at the same time hiding myself.
Almost one of them sees me, but I take out a magic gun and shoot towards the little square that ends up falling on the floor, shit, I have tae be careful, if I end up knocking one or another can end up attracting and nae one can know I'm here, mainly teacher Croix, I manage tae find a path where it was freer, sae I break the lock using magic ensuring the access tae the computer room, from where I see that the cameras were on, I'm sneakily arriving at the place, on the radar there wasn't any robot, but before passing by the corridor I activate the laser spray and notice that there are some, where I almost end up being hit, I see a space in the middle, I turn into a ferret and jump tae the other safer side, now I just need tae get to the computer, I sit on the chair and as soon as I press the enter button, a password is asked, holy lesbian Beatrix what will be the password of this thing? Now I have tae try something, I can't risk it, I have tae think of a better way here.
In Wagandea...
POV Akko:
We arrive at the huge tree, it seems endless, now I really don't know if we will be able to find the word this way, but Croix sends a thumbs up sign, very optimistic, I am a bit afraid, so much so that I decide to ask, after all it is too strange.
"Do I have to climb all this?" I ask Croix.
"That's how Chariot managed to find the word, she must have made the biggest ordeal of all, I guarantee that you can do it Akko, from here I can only watch you, I know you will manage, I will be rooting for you" said the teacher to me and I decide just to give a way to get a firm grip on the trunk, after all it is very cold today, who will say up there.
I start climbing, I can't give up, with the staff in hands, I hold on to the trunk, I'm going according to my pace, I have to get up there, I start just thinking about the Chariot, several thoughts come to my mind, looking up to the very top, I know that's where I'm going to get, I'm climbing every inch as if it were more than that, just thinking about what's going to happen, just thinking about how I'm going to get up there, holding on to the tree, I look down and see the progress the teacher Croix even congratulates me with her thumb.
"Come on Akko, you can do it! Believe in yourself, it won't be the cold that will shake you!" I say to myself.
I even get the hang of it and start climbing with much more intensity this time, without hesitating too much, the fear of heights is the least of it, I go concentrating, feeling until the trunk gets softer, only that at the same time the cold winds come, it won't be the cold that will shake me too, I know I can do it, I know I will reach the Chariot, by the nine witches, give me strength to climb! Let's go! I can do it, I believe in myself, that's my magic. I look down and see how much smaller Croix is.
"I am doing it! I have the strength to climb! Yay! Come on Akko, just a little more to go and you'll get up there, it can't be that impossible" I say to myself with hopes up there.
In the Croix laboratory...
POV Diana:
I decide tae try the first password, Claiomh Solais, access denied, luckily I dinnae get any intrusion warnings, I even breathe a sigh of relief, then I try another password this time, let's see here... Noir Rod, that was the name of the device she made... Nae also, what could this password be? She really dinnae want to make it that easy.
"Croix you only have one last try before the facial recognition phase begins and in case of invaders our defences will be activated," said the computer, which made me afraid.
I looked at some pictures, already a little tense, I see that she has many pictures with Chariot, romantic pictures even, she keeps with the most affection, pictures with another older woman with blond hair, besides one that is her with this same woman, Chariot and a redhead, I've seen this woman in some yearbooks before, also in the teacher Ursula's own vision of her past, she must be the one of their mentor, sae thinking in a very stupid way, where I already stay tae hide I type "Chariot Du Nord", I press almost tae hide myself.
- Access allowed! - said the computer.
Now that I'm more excited, I come out of the hiding place and start tae take a look at the content, seeing that the wallpaper picture is also from a moment of the two together in Luna Nova, really Croix has something fae Chariot, ye can tell, she must nae have gotten over the relationship until now, I decide tae take a look at the apps, she has the steam account, basic stuff, but I really want tae know what she's planning, noticing that there's a program called Noir Rod, I give it a click, when I press it an interface appeared.
"Wonderful, it's working" I whisper so they dinnae discover my voice.
I'm also opening the camera program, noticing that Croix's Roomba camera was on and I could see that she was still watching Akko climbing the tree, poor thing, I still feel how she's a bait in all this, I'm taking a good look at everything, taking pictures with my mobile phone, sae we'll see if she escapes.
In Noir Rod's program it showed it was at 58% of charge, with dump options, options tae go tae Gran Triskellion, plus maintenance status, but looking at everything itself I couldn't find anything. I decide tae open the documents folder, where I find several texts, now this here will take a long time tae get, I take the advantage tae take a pen drive from the pocket, that I made sure tae leave empty, sae I will copy all the text files and take the time tae look at other things, it will be fast to find the texts here.
In the Wagandea forest...
POV Croix:
Wonderful, Akko is already high up, at this point she shouldn't even see my presence anymore, I can take advantage that she is doing this wasting time and go back to my lab, I go up in my Roomba, going to where the portal of the Ley Line is, but from there I see Chariot coming towards me, she comes flying angry, I think someone here got to know what was done.
"Croix! Where's Akko! You didn't let her up anyway, did you?" Said the Du Nord all annoyed.
"Be cool there Chariot, she's just up there going after the word she'll never find" I say laughing as she gets so angry she puts me against the log.
"Listen here, if anything happens to Akko you will pay for it Croix!" she said, very angry and worried.
"Don't worry about it, she's just a girl who won't make any difference, she won't get very far, soon she'll fall from the tree and nobody will miss her" At that moment I get a strong slap in the face, I didn't get one of those ten years ago, even having a vision of the fateful day of our separation.
"Croix you are a monster!" she said as she started to take off with her broom.
She goes going up the tree, I'm already getting up the Roomba until it activates the defense mode, starting to go towards Chariot, I go up another one, following this one, a little afraid, at that time Du Nord dodges the Roomba's blades that came flying with everything and almost decapitates her, I get a little scared.
"No!" I say as she lifted her head reassuringly.
Then the roomba flies back to her and the teacher hits her as if it was a beating, diverting the route and even destroying my roomba and with my control in hands I keep clicking to cancel the attack towards Chariot, I didn't want to attack her, so much that she gets angry staring at me.
"So that's how it's going to be?" She said staring at me and starting to point her wand at me.
"It was a mistake Chariot, I didn't mean to hit you, I swear, please believe me" I say to her as I was getting kind of gesticulating my arms.
"If you want to settle it in violence, then let's settle it like this, let's see if your machines are that good against my magic" She even said with her hair kind of rising a bit with magic, I was getting scared.
I think there's no way, I start to get kind of in an attack mode being activated, so much that the cubes are coming, coming out of the portals, I'm not getting control over it, she comes towards me with the broom, about to attack with a spell, but I'm protected by my cubes, then I see her kind of being played.
"Stop! Do not attack the Chariot! She is not hostile!" I tell my cubes trying to press the abort attack button.
In the lab...
POV Diana:
Damn it... Chariot is at risk, now Croix has gone on the attack too, I have tae catch this soon, but there's Akko too, I can't let the worst happen tae her, nae tae Chariot, now what do I do... The texts still have two minutes tae go, I am looking at the image folders regarding the plans and I am also getting an idea of what tae pass, especially about the Dream Fuel Spirit, it seems that there is something here, I will get more evidence, who knows sae Chariot can be exonerated, there are many photos here of things that can be revealing too, I dinnae even want tae imagine... I dinnae know Professor Croix was Trans, I never noticed that, she must have transitioned sae well and sae early that it was imperceptible, anyway, I better finish this soon.
"Chariot, please save Akko..." I whisper getting quite worried while looking at the computer screen.
Back to Wagandea...
POV Akko:
I'm already very far away, how wonderful, I can't believe I can be so close to get the word, until the cold is being well bearable I would say, soon I get to the word and one more step close to you Chariot, my dream will come true, I'm looking down and no sign of Croix, it seems that I really went too high, so much that I only see mist down there. I keep going up, I know I'll make it to the top, I have to work hard, but apparently I can't see the top of it, out of nowhere Professor Ursula appears right in front of me, flying and with some injuries.
"Akko please come with me, you won't be able to climb to the top, this tree doesn't have a top" she said to me and I just went on disbelieving.
"You just want to stop me teacher, why don't you leave me alone!" I tell her clearly.
"Please Akko, flowers can bloom today and now, I saw it in the book" She said worriedly, until the cubes she had seen before go flying towards her to attack her, I see her being thrown and I even get a little worried.
"I am sorry teacher, but I have to continue" I say confidently.
I'm trying to go up, I'm not giving up at all, I have to get to the top, so much so that I see Ursula down there fighting with these little cubes that I always see, but I'm not going to let myself be defeated, but out of nowhere they also go in my direction and I end up enduring some blows.
"Ahhhhh! What are those things? Why are they attacking us?" I say to the teacher.
POV Croix:
What do I do now? Do I go back to the lab or do I fight my own little cubes? What do I do... I have to save them, they are both being attacked now, I have to help them, I can't chicken out... You know what? I can delay Noir Rod's plan. They're people. I'm not a monster! I go flying with my roomba towards the cubes, where I start attacking them too.
"Professor Croix!" Said Akko watching her hurt herself.
"What are you doing here?" Said the furious Chariot.
"I will protect you!" I say to them half starting to fight against the cubes themselves.
At that time we are working together, me and Chariot against my own cubes, where I try to deactivate the attack mode, they don't attack me, but they attack both of us, when I see, Akko is hit by one of them on the head, with a very strong blow, that ends up making her get loose and with that Du Nord holds her, I notice that she had lost some of her consciousness with the impact.
"You see what you've done Croix? None of this could have happened if it wasn't for you... Look at the state of Akko" She said and I go getting kind of a regretful expression.
"I know, Chariot... I know, I can't control my own cubes, they can't stop attacking us, now we have to get Akko out of here" I tell her, who looks at me with the biggest face in the world.
We try to fly back, but the cubes make a barrier preventing us, we go together trying to break this barrier, but nothing gets solved, the magic power is not enough, what I start to see from up there something happening, is it Wagandea's pollen? I can't let them lose their flying ability, no matter what it takes.
"Go! Go, go, go! Fly away! Don't try to fight, you can't lose your flying ability!" I say to Chariot who even changes his look.
I go towards the pollen flying with my roomba, this ends up activating a defense mode that will try to sort of protect me from the pollen, which I had programmed, it was being the moment that I could see Chariot taking Akko from there, I opened a smile to Du Nord, she was kind of weirded out by the reaction, but went flying down there, while I got closer with the roomba.
"So you want to work, then do it! I want to see you stop this from happening!" I say this getting closer and closer to the pollen cloud that was coming from the wagandea dust, where the cubes are all coming together.
I don't know why I did that, but I think it was the right thing to do, as I got closer, I was being blocked by walls of blocks that tried to stop the pollen, which gave them time to go away without being hit, but I got really close, to the point of feeling the cloud coming on me, even with the cubes that were protecting me, I did what I could to protect myself, but I still escaped through some cracks, so much that I felt it entering my nose.
"A sacrifice for you Chariot Du Nord" I say this while watching the pollen getting stronger to the point of slowly breaking the barrier of magic and also of cubes.
In the lab...
POV Diana:
I was relieved, at least in one moment Croix decided tae have some humanity and went after saving both of them, but now I have tae get out of here, I've managed tae pass what I had tae pass in the pen drive, disconnect, then I block the computer and start breathing deeply before leaving here.
"Mission almost accomplished" I whisper before starting to dart away, now I have what I needed and I'm making my way back, activating the radar.
Great, now these robots returned, but luckily I left more distractions placed for this time, sae much that I activate the robots tae be walking down the corridors, which will arrive at the door of the computer room, as I expected the defense robots will follow these distraction robots that I bought from Constanze, with that I'm walking down the corridors, with a little attention tae the radar, now just do everything right, the way was pretty quiet by luck.
In Wagandea...
POV Ursula:
I land with the broom, now Akko is safe, she's still unconscious, pretty bruised from the cubes, but I look up seeing Croix kind of giving herself up to Wagandea's pollen... I can't believe she actually went and did that, unfortunately I'm going to have to get Akko out of here before things get worse and she gets hit too and that's what I do, I grab the broom, head down the Ley Line, where I take Akko running through Luna Nova.
I arrive at her team's room, lay her down on the bed and the girls get a little confused with Akko's sudden presence there, which I don't even formulate a way to explain, but I try to explain to them.
"Take care of Akko, she almost lost her ability to fly, now I have to take care of another one" I say running out of the red team's room.
I go up to quickly jumping the window, climbing on my broom, picking up Ley's line as fast as I can, where I end up seeing the cubes from afar carrying Croix, as she fell, kind of cushioning her fall, while up there was the wagandea dust kind of building up, her all full.
"Chariot... Don't come close, I don't want you to lose your ability to fly" She said until I use a spell to clean everything around her body.
"Why did you do that?" I ask the woman herself, half also turning her hair red.
"I'm not a monster... I can do things in crooked ways, but despite everything I don't want to see anyone die or lose their magic forever, you nor your Akko deserve that, you are not the only one here who feels the weight of guilt of having stolen the magic of several children" She said all emotional.
"So why all the planning? Croix, leave it aside, we can still walk together to achieve..." I say that and she pushes me.
"No Chariot, I have to finish what I started... There's no turning back now, I won't stop my goal of restoring magic, but anyway thanks for your concern, I didn't imagine you would come back after all this" She said to me until I caught her own face.
"I will always come back, I hope that deep down you are a good person Croix, but you have to leave your obsessions aside, they will end up destroying you" I say this to her who then hugs me and I continue the hug.
"I could, but it's something bigger than you and me Chariot... Much bigger, one day you will understand, but not now" she said.
We then face each other, I felt a strong desire looking at that mouth, having memories of other moments, here in Wagandea, 11 years ago, she was also equally so, both wounded after we hurt each other, I bring my face closer, she comes closer too, which we join sealing our lips, I hadn't kissed someone since Croix... We had our first kiss in years, following a mood there to lighten the load, but the pollen worried me too.
"We have to go Croix, things are going to get tight" I tell her turning my hair back to blue.
"You're right Chariot, but my roomba has broken from so much wagandea pollen being absorbed, plus I don't fly with brooms anymore, can you help me?" she said and I nodded.
We go hand in hand, I take the broom and with that we go flying to the other side of Ley's line, I never thought things would be like this, I take her to Luna Nova, right in the courtyard, then I go flying without waving or anything, keeping my neutrality, but I look back and see the wave she ends up giving to me... I still have a feeling alive inside me, but I can't let it overwhelm me, I've been through an abusive relationship with her before and I don't want to have it again.
I arrive at my room this time relieved and I see Arcor that brought a letter that was written by Diana, I decide to open it to take a look.
"It was a success, I managed to infiltrate inside Croix's base, I took some files from her computer, then I will take a deeper look at each one, form a dossier of evidence, you will soon be free to be who you are Chariot, I hope all was well with you and Akko, I am quite worried about her"
After reading the letter I only nodded with my head, I lit the letter in a candle, burning it, after all we have to be discreet, but I could understand the message, in the end now it's just a matter of time, Diana will manage to prove my innocence and Croix's guilt... What still makes me afraid, despite everything I feel bad if she goes to jail, I still have a little bit of feeling for Croix, especially after now.
POV Narrator:
Wagandea's mission was a success, as Chariot and Diana had planned, but there were still some events that stirred a lot, especially with Croix losing his ability to fly permanently after sacrificing it to ensure that Chariot and Akko could get out of there without being affected by the pollen from the magic flowers. On the other hand it's only a matter of time before Diana puts together the perfect dossier of evidence to be able to secure Du Nord's innocence in the face of a future event that may involve Meridies being arrested, and proof that she was to blame for a magic theft event.
See you, fly witches...