POV Narrator:
Tuesday, 26 May 2020, Luna Nova
The days were passing in Luna Nova as the graduation was coming, the girls were preparing themselves for the event already receiving the necessary clothes for the event, the gown and the capel that will be used at the graduation day, already with the results of the exams and the general grades, all the students present were approved, the only exception being Diana that was expelled before the final exams started, but she could still pass the year even with the expulsion she would still be approved with 87%. Outside of Luna Nova they were also already preparing to cause The Council Revival that waited a good few months to finally act and cause chaos at the academy, which could be a not so pleasant surprise.
The boss has already come calling everyone to act, when she goes to the organization's lair, the nine members are arming themselves as much as possible and also taking Mary with them to the action, this still at dawn, already getting access through Ley's lines, and this way they are hiding where the boss has found a place for them to rest until they start the attack.
"And here we are" said the leader of The Council.
"Now that you are in Luna Nova you just have to act, when the afternoon comes you will all start to leave the hiding place for the attack on Luna Nova, don't spare anyone" said the boss.
"This place... It brings back some memories" Mary said, half trying to avoid looking at Luna Nova.
"Don't let yourself be taken in by them, the mission is about to be accomplished, soon you will be free" said the boss.
"You will be the best of all of us creatures, no one will ever touch you" said the leader of The Council.
"I won't spare anyone, I hope it won't get in the way, I have trained hard to perfect how to run and shoot, no one will touch me" Said the confident Mary as she already picked up her weapons.
"Well, here are enough weapons for you, I'm going, don't miss the time, it will be the one that will cause the biggest impact, if you manage to destroy Luna Nova, it will already be a mission accomplished" Said the boss who turned her back to the members of The Council and left.
Everyone was taking advantage of the time to rest from the camp they had made, some took a nap, on the other hand Mary stayed as a lookout and she stayed awake during the night and also in the morning, to try to prevent someone from finding them hiding in the middle of the Arcturus forest, near Luna Nova.
The day was dawning in Luna Nova, the girls were waking up to get ready for the big event that would start in that transition from morning to afternoon Akko was the most excited for this event, after three long years studying and trying what she could to get very far, she will finally graduate.
POV Akko:
One more morning that I'm getting up, I'm too anxious for the graduation, I can't say that I could finally sleep a little more, this week has been wonderful, without classes here, the week was just for fun, we enjoyed a lot of parties, I'm really waiting to get out of here and give a hug to Diana, I take the time to check the messages on my mobile phone.
[Diana: Love, good morning, I wish you all the best, I'm too proud you're graduating today, I'll be cheering here for your day, speak beautifully today, I know you can do it, I know you'll show the world that even with all the barriers they put in you still turned around and showed you're one of the best, I love you] 9:57
[Me: I love you too baby, soon the graduation will start, I will give one of the most beautiful speeches, I'll even leave a tape recorder hidden just for you to listen to my words, I won't let anyone erase what I have to say] 10:09
I'm already getting up, today is the graduation and the most special day, so I have to get ready the best way to look beautiful, I see that Lotte and Sucy were both already awake and they were quietly lying on the bed doing what they always do, already wearing their graduation clothes.
"Are you guys ready yet?" I ask them.
"It's been a while, I woke up early today, there's not much to do" said Sucy.
"Good morning Akko, I also woke up early to have the time to finish the Night Fall book before graduation, I will take the time to read, anyway, slept until enough Akko" Lotte said.
I get up and start going towards the bathroom, with my hair all messed up, I'm already taking off my clothes, I think it's time to start washing myself, I'm going to wash my hair today, it's going to look beautiful with the way I'm going to leave it, today I think I'm going to retire my ponytail, just to give the impression of maturity, outside it won't even be apparent on the capel.
The drops of water falling on my body and hair, I'm looking at the shower and getting reflective, it's today Akko, it's today that a big weight is going to leave you, today I'm going to become a trained witch and nobody could stop it.
After the bath...
I go out already washed and smelly, our today is a beautiful day outside, with a little sun, it will really radiate my graduation, I'm already changing and putting the Luna Nova uniform, I just don't put the graduation clothes because I don't want to let the clothes wrinkle, let's leave it when the ideal time for that comes, when I leave the bathroom, the two girls are looking at me.
"You stayed a long time, now I understand why you took so long, I thought you were thinking about Diana" said Sucy teasing me.
"I was just washing and moisturizing my hair, I wanted to make it as beautiful as possible, now I'm going to dry and comb it straight for my graduation, although my hair is already straight, but anyway I'm going to get ready" I say going to the desk starting to turn on the hair dryer.
"WowAkko it looks like you are going to get married like that" Lotte said.
"It's our graduation, one of the most special days of my life, you know how hard I worked to be approved here in Luna Nova, nothing more appropriate than going well dressed, everyone will look at me with more admiration, for the path I took to get here" I say confidently while drying my hair.
I applied a product before leaving the bathroom so at least my hair won't get damaged while I'm drying it, I've never done so much, imagine how my wedding is going to be, I'm sure I'll spend the whole day just getting ready to be the most beautiful bride in the world, Diana at this time would love to see me as I am at the graduation, I even took good care of my face all week to avoid any pimples and also the skin from getting damaged, it's smooth as a baby's butt, everything so I don't need to apply make-up.
A little later...
Eleven thirty in the morning is the time we will be for the beginning of the graduation, I am already dressed to the height, I even take a picture and send to Diana who must be dying of anxiety to know if I am going to graduation, she did not stop talking to me about how I'm getting, I did not send a picture, now that I look so beautiful I send the picture and I'm waiting for her reaction.
[Diana: Beautiful, goddess, wonderful, a deity, you are the manifestation of what is beautiful, love you look a true living work of art, you really look beautiful for graduation, it's wonderful to know the dedication you had to get to this level of beauty, a level that transcended all standards, good luck at graduation my love, me and my mum are here in Glastonbury waiting to pick you up, today is going to be a long drive to Edinburgh and with me driving] 11:24
"Shall we go?" I ask them and they both nod their heads in agreement, I loved Diana's message, she always giving me strength, I made sure to leave the tape recorder inside my chest, when I am going to give a speech to the whole class I will squeeze it and get to show Diana what I said to the whole school.
Together we are leaving our room, the bags were already packed for our departure, I even get a little emotional and cry looking back, Lotte and Sucy put their hands on my shoulders and together we hold hands looking smiling at each other, it was the emotional support we needed.
"Thanks you two, you made the best three years of my life too, not only Diana who made my days better, but you were the ones who stayed with me holding me up, doing my crazy things, getting into trouble, you were with me since the first day and I always loved each one of the crazy adventures we got into, you were without a doubt my best friends in this time, I am very grateful for having spent this period with you" I tell them already moved.
"EasyAkko, leave it to me to let it out when we were going to the room returning from graduation" said Sucy patting me on the shoulder and even she was wiping her tears, I have never seen her so emotional.
I take a deep breath, we arrive at the courtyard, the students of the second and first year are standing in the bleachers, lined up waiting for our presence, we walk to the graduation chairs and each one had our names on them, I see my name and sit down anxiously on it, already waiting for the presence of the headmistressand the teachers, wow I'm graduating, I Atsuko Kagari finally graduating, ahhhhhhh, I can't believe I'm this far.
The headmistress comes with the teachers, all in a very serious pose, the time has come for me to graduate, wow I am dying of anxiety for a moment like this, now I am here in the graduates chair, it's not a dream, I even wanted a pinch, because this is such a dream.
"And here we are all gathered, another year of classes has come to an end, a little bit early due to the events related to Covid 19, but that even so we had the due prevention so that none of you would get sick, so that the disease wouldn't spread here and now we can say that we kept the classes safe, even in the pandemic, we are an example of what to follow, but coming back here, even with this complicated year, the third year students who started studying here in 2017 have finally reached the end of their journeys, they studied and gave a great effort to get here, to become adult and graduated witches, These ones who are going to be the future of all magic, they managed to hold on until the last moment studying here, they passed tests and trials, in these years that have been very turbulent to deal with, which shows that they are an example of students that you should follow, They will soon be called one by one and this way we will start the graduation ceremony of Luna Nova, to you, students of the second and first year, follow the example of these battlers of the third year to get where they are" said the headmistress and I was very emotional, even with this, it is such a wonderful moment.
And with that a crystal ball started projecting the moments that happened in those years, showing us, the broomstick relay of 2017, 2018 and 2019, curiously the last one didn't show almost anything while the others showed everything, they didn't even show that I had won, as well as the Samhaim festivals of the same year, they don't show the enchanted parade of 2018 also that Croix participated, but at least they showed when I saved Diana from the missile, they just don't show about the rest of the things that happened here, they praise my girlfriend a lot in a way, she who has been the one who appeared the most, I didn't appear once, only when there were specific moments, what a biased thing, they're really trying to erase me from the story, but that's ok, it doesn't bring me down, it's not like I didn't expect something like that.
The moments were being kind of cool to review and feel a little nostalgia, except for the enchanted parade of 2019, the rest I kind of liked, was being shown the students of our class doing the spells, without showing me much, until I'm appearing, but being a clumsy student, but not even far show the improvements I had, are only moments of 2017, nor the teacher Chariot also appears, that strange. The montage soon came to an end and we all clapped, I only did the most because everyone else did and I didn't want to look like I was lacking respect, although it seems that no one here understands the concept of that.
"These were the years of this class, from 2017 to 2020, they were the first class to graduate in the midst of a pandemic in decades, they were hardworking students, who gave everything to achieve the best, now I will call one by one so that we can start the graduation, let's start calling student by student in alphabetical order" said Mrs Holbrooke.
Akko's turn soon comes and she is one of the first...
"Atsuko Kagari" Anne Finnelan says and I clutch the recorder to my chest.
I'm getting out of my chair, already determined I will give a speech and beautiful, I will not let myself down, now it's all or nothing, I even adjust the clothes, I'm looking at everyone waving, showing a smile and taking my diploma, until I reach the stage where I give one more pose for photo and I adjust the microphone, seeing the teachers looking with strangeness.
"May I make a speech here?" I ask them.
"What is this? You came here just to graduate" Professor Finnelan said as usual.
"She has caused a lot and has been asking for a speech even" Professor Babcock said.
"Miss Kagari get out of there" said teacher Lukic.
"Girls, girls, it's okay Miss Kagari, you can speak at will, since it's your last moment here I'll allow you to do that" said the headmistress and I kind of cheer up.
At least once in my life I could do something I wanted to do in this school, so I'm getting ready, getting the microphone, the gown, the capel, I look at everyone, the girls are looking at me with a smile on their faces, only the teachers look at me with disdain, it's not as if I'm not surprised by this, it's always the same.
"And here I am, Atsuko Kagari, better known to you as Akko, some of you may remember me when you were here in 2017, when I was still the clumsy no-magic who just made everyone laugh, remember how I was always a disaster when it comes to magic, I caused chaos around here, I heard from every single teacher telling me that I had no potential to be a witch, I was the joke of Luna Nova, even I myself was discredited by it, they tried to do that so that I would give up on being a witch and how they tried, but I didn't give up, I always had the support of wonderful friends I've made, who saw my potential, who supported me throughout my journey to get here, I was determined and I am proud to get here with the help of all those who stood by me, I grew up thanks to them and also to my effort, above all, do not be intimidated by the system above you, show that you are, what you are, that it will not be this thing above us that will stop us from fulfilling our dreams, that we can get there, I Atsuko Kagari, I got where I wanted to get, I graduated from the same school as the great Shiny Chariot, the one who was frowned upon, but frowned upon because she does not meet the standards of what it is to be a correct witch according to a conservative system that has been killing magic itself but will not admit it, manyAkkos have gone through this and were forced to give up, how many talented and hard working witches will we continue to lose because of these closed minds? I was a point out of the curve, but most like me gave up, each one of us is an essential piece to keep magic alive, be it mundane, be it of witch descent, we are all witches, regardless of our origins and magical aptitude, no one here needs to be a Woodward to be a real witch, we are witches for being witches, we battle every day to exist and this closed mentality only prevents our union, a union that could save the world someday, it's our magic that will take humanity to a new phase, it's our magic that could revolutionize things, together we are strong, that's why I finish here with a sentence from a witch that I also admire a lot, witches all over the world unite! This is my line, believe in yourselves, this is your magic" When I finished speaking I saw that Hellene and Marianne were the only ones clapping.
Then came my friends from the third year, they were clapping too, the students from the second year were in the wave, the clapping got bigger and bigger and I got even more emotional, I never thought I would see this, an admiration coming to me, I was always mocked for my magical ability, but now they are seeing me as someone real, then I wave to all of them going to my post as a graduated witch.
I can see the disgust on each of the teachers' faces, they looked at me with a face showing disgust, I just went by them confident, that they know this won't be my last attempt to change things, I'll still cause the witches' revolution, that yes, I even said my mother-in-law's phrase, quite proudly.
"You did well in this Akko" Amanda said, holding my hand and I touched it.
"I said I was going to make a speech and I'm not going to miss the opportunity" I tell her.
"Quiet you two" said teacher Nelson.
"And let's get back to normal programming after this speech of Miss Kagari, which is full of a lot of controversy, but it's a matter of maturing more, she still managed to graduate here, if even she can do it, that's motivation to continue as well" Wow thank you for the support director Holbrook, it touched me a lot, I think a knife in my chest should be more supportive than that.
After all are called...
Wow, it took a little while and I'm surprised that none of them spoke, I even expected that some of them would say a lot of words, but only I ended up speaking, if Diana was here she would certainly speak a lot, well, now it's getting close, it's already noon, I don't have long to go home, I'm too anxious, now that I have the diploma, I can call myself a graduated witch.
"Here we get to see all the witches who graduated in this period, but we also have to mention the one who got the highest mark in the whole class, someone we didn't even expect, a disabled student, who exceeded all expectations, Constanze Amalie Von Brauschbank Albrechtberger, with 91% marks, she did a perfect year and even without a voice she managed to improvise her way to get far, intelligence in the form of a witch, please Constanze come here to speak about how far she got" Constanze is mute, how is she going to speak, yet she went, bringing a Stanbot who went to speak for her.
"I may not have a voice here, but I am using my technology in conjunction with magic for this, what I have to say is that I was only able to do all this thanks to my open mind, I thought beyond tradition I mixed it with modernity, I allowed myself to do this, it was thanks to this way of opening my mind that here I am, this same way of thinking that a girl with a 79% final grade has, the one I never expressed or said, but I also admire her
a lot, even if she is a little annoying, it was thanks to her that I could smile a little more in the middle of this place, thank you Atsuko Kagari" Said Constanze's stanbot and she even signaled with her thumb to me, leaving the stage.
Wow, I got really emotional, I didn't expect Constanze to really say something to praise me, she even smiles at me when she gets close to me, I could see the teachers' faces, she even touches my hand and we look at the teachers with the most selfish look possible, get mad, I would say.
"Well that was quite different from what we expected, as I was saying, Constanze is not much of a talker, but anyway, here we are at graduation and once again we are going to take a picture of the moment of this whole class, we can't forget to talk about how this class did an excellent job here" Said Mrs. Holbrook and even she was felt by the Cons' speech.
We were organizing ourselves, taking a group picture, this will be registered in Luna Nova, I am part of one more moment that I am living here, then everybody starts to take another picture, this one lifted me up, I even found it strange, I was sort of being thrown around, everybody started to say my name, I didn't understand a thing.
"Akko! Akko! Akko! Akko!" The schoolgirls said.
"Girls, behave yourselves, the graduation is not over yet" Said the headmistress.
"Very well, now that you are in place Headmistress Holbrook will be able to proceed, you can celebrate after we finish everything" Teacher Finnelan said.
"Thank you Anne, now let's have more continuity, we must not forget the speech of each of the teachers, before we start the graduation ritual, so let us proceed with that part" said Mrs Holbrook.
Oh wow, this is going to take a while, I forgot there was this part, we'll have to wait now, I can't wait to see the teachers talking bad about me, no doubt this is going to be a pain to bear, but come on, at least I think I'll be back home by one o'clock in the afternoon, I think we'll end up arriving in Edinburgh in the early hours of tomorrow, hahahaha, but it will still be fun to go on the trip with Diana, no doubt it will be.
And it was really long speeches from each of the teachers, who explained in detail what it had beenlike to teach this class for these three years, which was getting towards one o'clock in the afternoon,delaying the ritual a little, until it reached Headmistress Holbrook
I got sleepy, but my anger kept me awake, I couldn't help but notice the hints being spoken about me, until they were very direct, me as always being the troublesome student that didn't fit her standards that they think it was a waste to teach me, at least Nelson was the least worst of them, she didn't speak badly of me, she only said that I was more incapable in the beginning but I made up for it later, well now it's the headmaster's turn.
"Well we're going to be a little late, we'll make up for this lost time don't worry, it's that this class of truth was one of the most impressive, they undoubtedly marked these times, they gave a lot of work, we haven't had a class like this for 30 years, since the one from 1987-1990 that we haven't had so many events and changes, not to mention that both of them had a controversial student that caused a lot of polemic, we only didn't have a pandemic at that time, but we had the prodigy being influenced, what can we count on that, but now I have a lot to say about this class, they made me work hard, just like the teachers said, it was the most complicated class 30 years ago and rightly so, but it was our effort that got us far, we even managed to form the worst of all the witches that ever stepped in here, so we managed to form anyone as a witch, with our work any witch can become exceptional, well I would say that this is a great merit of ours, that we can say with all the honors that we got this far, that the best witches can get as far as they did, We needed the best teachers, the best headmaster, we had an arduous task and we are willing to face any barrier, for you to see that we are the most qualified to teach in the world, not just anyone can graduate here, not just anyone can teach here, only the best pass through Luna Nova, it is the pride of all schools of magic, now these girls who graduated are going to take another step in adulthood and become adult witches, those who will be the pride of the future of magic and we will continue with these values, As you can see, it was with these values that we got so far, you can't mess with a winning team, one more year we will win the trophy of the best academy of witchcraft in the world, mainly because of this pandemic, no other place has managed so well in this time as we have, let's clap for our excellent work, because we will continue like this" said the headmistress Holbrook and we were kind of forced to clap for her or we would have to be punished and not even the ritual could start,
POV Mary:
The time has come, I'm getting my RPG, I'm climbing a very high tree here in Arcturus, thanks to my training I can have sharp reflexes and climb with precision until I reach the top, as planned, let's get there with everything, they will soon leave to do the ritual, I aim my RPG towards Luna Nova, I shoot and the rocket is going towards the school.
"Now the fun begins" I say putting on sunglasses and watching the rocket arrive at the door of the Luna Nova courtyard.
I go down the tree jumping from it and using some branches to reduce the fall speed until I get in a good position, what I'm already taking to arm myself, I put two pistols under the armpit, I take a rifle in hand and it's time for the invasion, we start running in the middle of the Arcturus forest, with our group of hunters, they will be no match for us.
POV Akko:
Out of nowhere an explosion just as we were leaving to do the graduation ritual, we look at the patio door and it was on fire, it was blown out, how strange, with some black marks, we soon saw the teachers and the headmistressusing a spell to repair the doors and stop the fire, how strange because this happened out of nowhere and at our graduation.
"All of you take shelter with Professor Finnelan, we are having an invasion here" Principal Holbrook said.
"And you Miranda?" asks teacher Anne.
"I'll take care of the invaders, now go, don't waste time" said the headmistress.
I'm not going to stand here, I'm going to do something, they are invaders and I can take care of them too, so I'm already getting in a kind of attack position, as well as my friends, we're getting ready, and then we hear gun shots, it seems like a war, up close these things make a lot more noise, by the nine witches what's going on.
"Don't try to fight your lives are in danger" said the headmistress.
"Well, I'm not going to be cowardly, we're an army of witches too, are we going to stand 'ere while Luna Nova is attacked?" said Hellene who also appeared by my side.
Another explosion was heard at the door and this one again blew it open and then explosive arrows were being shot towards the inside of Luna Nova, just as explosions were going to the inside side what we were dipersando and taking cover, a flash grenade was thrown giving a beam of light and I was just hearing the ensurreced sound of gunshot at the entrance, when I take a look after the flash I see the cultists of The Council and in the middle of them.
"Mary!" Shout some girls.
Shots were heard again, we were taking cover and a barrier of magic was left in the corridors, so that we wouldn't be hit, some students were running away, but I will stay, I won't let myself be attacked because of this, I see that Hellene was near me too, she was starting to get up from a pillar that she was hiding.
"We have arrived for the final witch trials!" Said one of the guys from The Council.
"Surrender witches of Luna Nova, your end will be inevitable, or else you will die a painful death" said another of the guys.
"Creature, chase all who dare to challenge you and show what we came for" Said another and I went seeing Mary running out and she was showing a sadistic expression, she was going after one of us, even disappearing and then reappearing right on top of me with that scary face, but then I see Hellene saving me with a volley.
"Run awayAkko, I can handle dis, just go!" Said my sister-in-law and I stand up.
"I don't run away from the battle, I won't let you down" I say and already hit the hand of one who was about to shoot in the direction of Diana's sister.
POV Narrator:
The so expected and long awaited graduation has arrived, the class of 2017-2020, finally comes to the end of their studies at the academy of witchcraft Luna Nova, after a long journey, many studies, many adventures, many mischief, many arrests, many controversies they came to the end of it all, but the beginning of another new journey that they will have to face that is the beginning of a new life as adults, but for this they will still have one more obstacle that came in a very sudden way to cause, this is the presence of The Council, that somehow managed to invade Luna Nova to surprise during the graduation event of the students.
See you, final witches...