What the future holds
It had been around a week and Shanna had finished her assessments and mental work to stabilise Blade and Nebula as far as needed. She cleared Blade and Nebula for all school activities and left for Zenith. As much as she wanted to she couldn't stay longer without raising suspicions eventually. Blade and Nebula had been stuck with Professor Avalon for one and half hours. He had insisted on checking the two girls' physical fitness out himself before letting them back into classes involving sports and fighting. Nebula had aced the fitness test with ease and her Charmix transformation at the end did leave a lasting impression. Blade still was holding back and didn't go all out, but that was part of the plan all the girls had come up with together after class.
"Just give me a second," Blade held on to the bar she was dangling from. She was worried about two things. A, getting sick again and, b, that Avalon would figure out that she had a dark Fairy form. They had not given her the bracelet back. That worried Blade, there were still notes on the bracelet no one should see. Luckily, she had locked them behind a safe password. She hadn't managed at all to transform into her Winx form and with the Zombix form, well looking like a zombie, she couldn't possibly risk it. She really was eager to ask Faragonda, surely, she as a Godmother Fairy would know. They had no idea if that form would give away the location of the other girls on Phere-Moan. So, Blade was stuck with not transforming at all. Even Shanna wasn't sure what it was. She had simply stated that she would ask some of her older clients. She seemed to suspect something. All she could confirm was, that Blade was herself and under no evil influence and it wasn't black magic. Their top priority was keeping Phere-Moan a secret since they had not talked to any of the kings and queens after all. 'Fuck…what if Avalon notices something…this is the last exercise before transformation.'
Professor Avalon was waiting patiently for her to finish the chin-ups. 'She's even slower than before.' He skipped through the chart checking the vital data. 'She is completely healed. She should have increased strength after such a hard battle that she faced… or at least the same. We made sure that her illness wouldn't leave aftereffects. Is she simply tired?'
"You can do it!" Nebula cheered her on from the sidelines as she sipped on her water. 'I wonder what's harder… going all out or pretending one is shit…'
Blade grinned at her annoyed and finished the chin-ups and let go of the bar. She looked at her hands and arms. Indeed, she had gotten stronger and the crests were still glowing brightly. Not that anyone besides her could see it. She couldn't even see the crests on Nebula's arm after all.
"Well, that is all for the physical fitness test. Next up is transformation," Professor Avalon noted something down quickly.
"Oh, shit. I forgot Professor Wizgiz wanted to talk to me," Nebula interrupted quickly. She had to leave. The professor was bound to read aura now again and she didn't want to blow Blade's cover by revealing anything through her own aura.
"Language." Professor Avalon reminded her. The two of them had been swearing a lot. Normal for combat, but not tolerable for school. "Fine, we'll be done in a second anyways. Go and no running in the halls," Avalon sighed. He refocused on Blade, readying himself to read her aura. Aura was good for a lot of things, keeping track of the mental state by coloured hues, assessing an opponent's strength by the radiance and intensity or finding irregularities though the patterns were among the most common uses he implemented. For some, he had to concentrate and focus more than for others. It also depended on the person's state of mind. "Ready?" He asked Blade.
Blade was nervous, "Yes…"
Professor Avalon already picked up on her squirlyness. "Just relax, simply transform. We won't do fighting."
Blade bit her lip, 'Now, don't screw this up.' She went into the stance making the hand signs. "Fairy of Blades…" She mumbled to herself. She felt light Fairy magic build up very slowly, around three seconds she abruptly stopped.
Professor Avalon titled his head, "Something wrong? Why are you infusing magic so slowly? Your transformation time is normally around a second." The auras colours still showed she was nervous. The pattern had simply subsided through a cancel on her side.
"I, I can't, it's not working," Blade answered quietly. 'Fuck… he won't believe me…'
"Blade, there is nothing you need to worry about. Just breathe and try again," Professor Avalon answered calmly.
Blade ground her teeth and closed her eyes again to focus. She built up magic again and went a bit faster and broke it off again. "It's not working." She theatrically stared at her hands.
Professor Avalon scratched his head, "Blade, it can't work at all if you cut off your magic. You know that." He was confused, 'Why isn't she just using her magic. Is she still subconsciously worried about an attack, keeping reserves? Is she pulling my leg? This is unlike her.' He cleared his throat, "Try again, for real this time." He prepared to focus intensely on her patterns, to see if anything was interfering and he had missed it.
'I'm so screwed…' Blade balled her fists. "Fairy of Blades!" She infused magic into her body this time quicker. 'One secon- shit, dark-' She bared her teeth letting her frustration lose, she had not managed to get back into her Winx form and now it was biting her in the ass, threatening everything they were trying to protect. "No, no, not AGAIN! It's not working. What don't you understand?!" She shouted at him rather rudely. She had cancelled the transformation again.
Professor Avalon wasn't impressed at all, "Not in that tone, young Lady!" He scolded her harshly. 'Her aura is so negative…but Shanna cleared her. Why is she blocking the transformation? Why is she holding back?' With a wandering gaze, he stood there in silence. Then he addressed her, "What are you afraid of?"
"Nothing," Blade evaded his question, looking away. 'Damn it…'
"Blade…" He admonished her. "I can't help you if you do not talk to me."
"I said, nothing," Blade vehemently protested tucking on her shirt.
'Nothing my ass. Is it a mental block Shanna has missed? Maybe she needs a bit of an incentive… or she is overthinking it. Don't tell me she got stuck with a bad habit. Did she force shut down her transformation so often that… all because she had to regulate her small magic pool? In that case…' Professor Avalon summoned his sword and took a swing at her, yet he aimed it so it would miss her by an inch. Not that Blade was good enough to tell that in her riled-up state.
"Holy electron!" Blade had seen the weapon appear. 'Oh fuck, transf- no!' She used her magic to infuse her muscles to jump away quickly it was a much closer call though. She stumbled backwards and took a dive roll and jumped back to her feet again, "What was that for?!"
"See, your magic is working just fine," Avalon let his sword disappear again. 'That worked without a hitch. Still, no transformation, which would have been the obvious choice…Afraid or a bad habit?'
'Was he trying to kill me?! No, no… calm down… the chance that he is a traitor is slim, right? ...right…' Blade didn't let him out of her sight, taking a rather alert and defensive stance. 'If I don't find an excuse now…'
Professor Avalon picked up on her hostile posture and emotional tendencies quickly. "My apologies. That was too harsh. I simply wanted to…" he started his explanation.
'Ha, my way out, thank you, Avalon,' Blade bared her teeth, "You think?!" She turned and left the sports room.
"Blade, wait," Professor Avalon rushed after her. The Professors demeanour had changed drastically to damage control rather than analysing.
Blade didn't stop. 'Sorry, Professor, not today.' Blade simply shifted her thoughts to General Neferu that traitorous snake to counter the aura read.
Worried, Professor Avalon picked up on the flickering hue changing to a fiery red. 'Not good.' He picked up the pace. "Blade." He called out again to stop her.
Blade heard Palladium's voice around the corner and made her way straight towards his direction. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" She somewhat shouted. 'That ought to get his attention.'
And of course, the ever-so-helpful Professor Palladium came rushing to the rescue. He saw Blade in her stampede and his colleague right behind him. "What's going on, Blade?"
"He tried to stab me!" Blade stormed by, "If I wanted to be stabbed I would have stayed in Desertia." She growled. If her friends' lives didn't depend on her performance she would have found it funny.
"I just had to…" Avalon shut up as his college gave him the 'seriously' stare. 'Great…'
"Blade…" Professor Palladium's voice was empathetic and warm. He wanted to help resolve the situation.
"Tch. I'm going to get my books. I still have that one report of yours to write, which was due a week ago…" Blade took the shortcut to the library. "Stupid portals."
Palladium let her off the hook for now and turned to Avalon, "What did you do?!" Palladium couldn't believe this. "What about going slow and easy on them? You proposed it yourself." He crossed his arms.
"I-" Professor Avalon rubbed his forehead. "This was not the reaction I expected from her at all." He looked at the empty hallway behind Palladium. "Didn't Shanna clear them? I read her report. This reaction does not fit Blade at all." Avalon stopped next to Palladium. 'Did she say portals?'
"Maybe, because she isn't the same Blade as last year?" Palladium stated the obvious, interrupting Avalon who was still in thought. "PSI magic doesn't undo things. She hasn't forgotten what happened in Desertia. She is simply not prone to mental instability." He scolded his colleague. A few students rushed by so he quieted down at the last part. "Doesn't mean you can scare the shit out of her. But you know all that. Again, she is a Fairy, not a specialist."
The Alfea Professors came together for their conference in the afternoon. Faragonda had to update them on the proceedings with the magic council. Plus, they wanted to discuss how the class was doing and what they were going to do with them.
"Next point on the list, class roster. Originally, we wanted to dissolve the class since five people are not enough. Together with Blade and Nebula, we are at seven students, which is still smaller than our other classes. Thoughts?" Faragonda asked into the round.
Professor Pikass started, "Well, speaking technically we should put them in other classes. That is what the public would expect to happen and the normal proceedings of students to drop out. Yet for their self-confidence this would be disastrous, I say. Most of the class had a bitter loss and then like a miracle some of their friends came back from the dead. And Nebula and Blade are in dire need of known faces. They are, how to put it, skittish. They are searching for ulterior motives where there are none. Yesterday, I overheard a conversation in the hallways as another third year from Desertia approached Lady Nebula. She was stone cold to her and kept asking questions back aggressively."
"Yes…" Faragonda stared at her mirror in the corner. She always used it to check up on the school grounds. "She was rather hostile, indeed. The third year wasn't even on Desertia. She had visited removed relatives on Domino and taking a break from the constant stress on the planet fighting against the drought."
"I'll have a talk with them," Griselda noted it down for herself.
Wizgiz shook his head, "Give them some room."
"No," Griselda declined, "It is one thing if they need space. It is not okay and I will not tolerate hostilities amongst students. Especially unprovoked once. We let this slip, we'll have a fight on our hands the next time. We have a code of conduct that everyone has to uphold." She glanced at Avalon displeased.
Avalon cleared his throat, "I hear you and I already apologised. Yet the problem is not just their tone. Blade has not transformed since she is back. She is actively blocking it."
"What do you mean?" Daphne asked confused.
"Well, today I ran a small check-up with them as discussed. Yet she always interrupted her transformation. I am not sure if it's a bad habit she picked up or if she is afraid of something," Avalon handed out the test results.
Palladium had already checked them beforehand, "It is worrying indeed. These results prognosis a repeat of the first-year dilemma. But don't you think it possible that she just had a bad day?"
"Her, a bad day when it's about fighting?" Dufour chuckled. "She hates my etiquette class as much as she loves fighting. It's what she really excels in, her passion."
"Still… doesn't mean one cannot have a bad day. I had trouble adjusting to a corporal body when my curse was broken," Daphne tipped her finger on the table.
"I didn't ask her to fight. I asked her to transform," Avalon restated. "Nebula had a slight cut in her wing which has been healed up already. It shouldn't affect her much anymore, but at some point, it did. Blade isn't talking to any of us unless that has changed?" He waited shortly but all were shaking their heads. "If Blade can't or won't use her transformation she will be a liability for all missions we send our fairies on, starting in this school year."
Zyron leaned back into his chair, "We had the same problem last year in other classes and still we managed. Why are you so concerned? She has good combat skills even without a transformation. She simply needs some time. At least that's what I think."
"We managed because we gave her special training and exercises. Blade has to pass all the exams so she won't get stripped of her scholarship by the magic council. Last time we barely were able to convince them, only her early Charmix transformation let her off the leash. Are you expecting her to reach Enchantix this year to save her spot? That thought is foolish. I know we all want to change and open the school to the wider public, but she came back from the verge of death. What if next time we can't reach her in time? What did the council say to all of this?" Daphne looked to Faragonda.
"I hear you all. We still have to give an update about her. The bracelet data is showing a lot of nonsense. There is a lot of jumbled data. Spikes, of light magic, of the charts similar to what a dragon flame would register and black magic from the deepest depths. Dark magic, Fairy magic…everything on the magic spectrum. It's all random and fluctuating and there is way too much information for a simple gate jump. Master Specialist Tim hypothesised it went on the frizz then they entered the gate and it got destroyed. He is trying to clear it up. He has sent a new one in the meantime." She snipped with her fingers and it appeared in front of Palladium. "Plus, the council expects us to give our personal evaluation as well."
"Then I say, no." Avalon had listened to all of them. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
"How can you say that? You invested the most time into her training. You know her potential," Palladium disagreed. "Why abandon her now?"
"You said it yourself. She is a Fairy, not a specialist. Yes, her combat skills are good. But she is not training to be a soldier. And even then, she is a woman; if she meets someone equally as good or better, she has to come up with a better strategy or she will lose simply by body type default or has to constantly rely on boosting her strength with more magic than her opponent. And calm down Ladies, I don't mean she is weak, far from it. But there are biological advances strength-wise for a man. It's not the only factor, we all know that still, that's the reason why Red Fountain only takes guys. Strength is a very important part of close combat. Yes, women can compete with that, but we don't provide that training at Alfea. This is a Fairy school, not a combat school. If she can't use her powers, she will fall behind. And this year, she cannot make it up by being good with a sword. Not with the training, we provide at this school, which is focusing on magic," He paused. The room had mixed reactions. "Look, I am a Paladin by choice. But I do know a lot about being a wizard, I could have become a full-fletched one after all. The problem we are facing is simple and cannot be ignored. We send our students out in teams to fulfil missions, we group them up with other schools. If she can't use all her magic, it's like sending another paladin or specialist. And that for some missions won't cut it. Wizards and Fairies have different jobs and talents that are needed on the battlefield and in missions. Young Paladins and Specialists can't cover for her if she can't even use what she has. If we are not careful about this we are sending teams out and they return in body bags. We have a responsibility not just to her. We talked about this the first year and luckily she gained her Winx in time."
Palladium shook his head, "So, now we are telling our students, nice try but no? Just because it's harder or more work? What about backing our students, what message are we sending? Believe in yourself, but, well, if we lose faith in you, you're screwed?" He was visibly upset.
"Palladium, I am not saying that she never has a chance to serve her kingdom. I am telling you if she can't use her Fairy magic she is at the wrong school. Fighting with spells is different from using body-enhancing magic," Avalon started to bicker with him a bit as the others listened in silence. It was awkward to see these two disagree. They normally were on the same page about nearly anything.
"But we mostly trained her from the beginning in body-enhancing magic. We did that. You led that training yourself!" Palladium protested crossing his arms.
"Because her magic pool is so small and her magic type is creation and that needs bucket loads of magic for a single spell in her case. Magic which she doesn't have to simply throw around as if it were simple sphere spells," Avalon now got really into it. He was not letting up. "Do you really want to see her killed? The risk is too high."
"Then why didn't we stop it right there and then?" Palladium hammered his hand on the table. "This has not stopped us before. Are you giving up because we lost -"
Wizgiz laughed with forced cheer, "Calm yourselves gentlemen you're scaring the Ladies in the room." He reminded them that there were still in a conference meeting. "And quite simply, we all wanted Blade to succeed, because we all know what that means for the future of Alfea, even Magix as a whole. And at least this school and many other kingdoms want that change to happen. We still want that change to happen, right?"
Daphne looked down gazing at the data. Domino was one of the kingdoms that had without a second thought helped to set up the scholarship for Blade. "So, it's the same question all over, how far do we push our agenda. We all know Magix needs more fairies and the noble houses are not strong enough on their own. They can't be everywhere, and neither can the Winx in the long run. Sooner or later they will have kingdoms to run on their own. So how far do we push Blade? As a crown princess, I have to think about this…I mean, we nearly lost her this time. And we did lose…" She sighed
Faragonda brought the discussion to a close, "We lost quite a few. Jewels, Tessa, Birdy and Tasu. All were stronger magic-wise than Blade. From what Shanna found out their deaths were not Blade's fault. One could say that Blade's quick reflexes saved her and enabled her to reach the gate just in time. And those abilities are rather on the weapon combat spectrum. This question is not simply answered comparing by magical potential," Faragonda sighed as she stood up and turned to the window. "Let's take a break. I think everyone should take a moment before we vote on this."
Blade and the girls had met up in the library. They knew the Professors would be busy with their conferences. So, this was the perfect time to get their hands on some books that might raise suspicion otherwise.
"D...d…" Amber checked the inventory list instead of using the magic lector. They didn't want to search magically for the correct books because that record could be traced faster.
"There," Snow smiled, "Dangerous animals, Dangerous amusements… there are a lot of dangerous things…. dangerous wizard spells."
Dahlia took a few pages of her, "Let me check too, we don't have all time. "Dangling earrings, aeon of fashion… who would read stuff like that?!" She couldn't help but chuckle.
"Ha, daredevil and their weaknesses," Sienna was checking her pages as well. "Sounds like it could fit you, Blade."
Blade shook her head giggling, "I doubt that will help us… is it about a creature?" Now, they had a chance to finally relax if just for a few hours from keeping up their charade.
"No clue, oh, how about that. Dark horses, how to stage a surprise attack," Rise added as she twirled her light blond hair.
"Read it already," Blade smirked while she was on the lookout for Barbartea, the Librarian.
Nebula tilted her head, "You too? Pff… did you read that page with the exploding cupcake?"
"Ha, yes, I had to immediately think of Wizgiz…" Blade laughed quietly.
"Right? He totally would fall for it…oh, here, dark magic," She stared at the confused faces of the others. "Dark horses is a prank book."
"Oh…So which row are we actually going?" Dahlia asked as she straightened her skirt after standing up.
"Follow me," Nebula rushed off. Other students were hushing them as they trampled along the corridors. "Ah, and it's just this bookcase…oh, boy…" They were staring at an entire wall with several rows packed to the brim with books.
"That are a lot of books…" Blade's eyes widened, "I never thought we had so many on the topic of dark magic."
"Right? I always use the book lector stance that brings you the needed books. I never saw the shelf itself. This is massive," Snow answered whisperingly.
"Okay then, let's check for … you know what," Blade picked a row and started checking the back of the books. 'Come on, dark fairies…book about dark fairies…'
"Maybe it would be easier to search for a book explaining how dark magic works?" Sienna ran through the book covers at high speed.
"As if we would have a book about that here, just read those book covers. Dark magic - how to defend against attack spells, breaking frog curses, Convergence - the strongest weapon against witches." Dahlia named a few as she checked the upper rows.
"What if we reverse engineer the dark magic mechanics?" Nebula scratched her head. She had pulled a book out about curses. Yet even skipping through the pages there was not one dark magic formula inside. Only pictures on effects and spells to counter the curse. "I never thought about it much… but even in defence class… we do not really talk about how dark magic works, do we?"
"Nope…" Blade leaned backwards. "Griselda is just really good a judging what type of spell or shield someone uses and uses the right kind of spell to counter or breakthrough." She shook her head. "After all, a good offence…"
"…Is a good defence," All the girls finished in a choir. Just to be hushed again by someone far across the room.
Amber placed some books back on the shelf, "I still don't understand what we are really searching for. I mean I know what you said and we saw your memories… It's just… I can't really imagine a-"
Snow covered her friend's mouth, "Don't say it out loud… what if they are listening!" She hissed whisperingly.
"If they are, that looks more suspicious," Sienna smirked at the two. "Still, I have to agree I would like to see it myself before they cuff you in a new bracelet."
"As if I could possibly get out of the school without being noticed. Avalon will have my head – I fucking shouted at him…" She sat down against the other shelf behind her.
"Yeah, I could hear you screaming from around the corner. He nearly made you. Good call on using Palladium as a distraction. I was ready to blow something up you know," Nebula ruffled through her curly hair.
"You two are really bad at this…" Dahlia pulled another book out. "I don't understand why the kings haven't been here yet. If I were their parents I would blow the door in. Why are they taking so long?"
Snow sat down beside Blade to comfort her, "I bet on Faragonda playing the mental card and using the power of the magic council to your advantage."
"Disadvantage…we need to talk to them. If -" She stopped as she saw Barbartea walk past them giving them a strange look.
"What are you doing back here?" She glanced at the shelf. "You know we have room at the tables for all of you."
"Yes, we just were a bit loud so we checked for a free corner. Not to disturb the others so much," Blade answered quickly with a smile.
"If there are more copies you always can check them out. Anything, in particular, you were searching for?" Barbartea asked somewhat intrigued.
"How to use dark magic," Blade answered deadpanned. She watched as Barbartea nearly dropped all her charts and notes. "Kidding, we are researching unicorns this corner is just far away enough so we can talk louder." She smirked.
"Ha, ha," Barbartea adjusted her classes as she tried to force a laugh. "Good one… you had me there." She paused as she looked at Blade smiling and relaxed, "It's good to see you in higher spirits, all of you. If you ever need something just ask." She nodded and moved along. 'How to use dark magic… kids these days. She has Codatorta's dark humour… better tell Faragonda just in case.'
"What was that?" Rise couldn't believe it. She peeked around the corner.
Nebula breathed out, "Can't believe she bought that…Professor Avalon would- "
"But it wasn't him. And pretending not to have noticed that we are at the dark magic corner would have made it worse," Blade closed her eyes her heart was pounding.
"But unicorns? Why that?" Snow raised her eyebrows. "That's ridicules."
"I go get some books on unicorns…." Dahlia turned to leave quickly.
"Exactly, now she has two ridiculous options unicorns or dark magic. And still, unicorns make more sense for a Fairy. Plus, didn't you say you covered unicorns in class?"
The short break was over and the teachers reconvened in Faragonda's office. "Thank you Barbartea for the update." Faragonda closed the door behind her, still slightly confused. "Did anyone have unicorns in their curriculum? Zyron?"
"No, I was covering Desertian monsters and elementals in nearly every class since it was requested so often," Zyron shrugged.
"I did mention the great battle of Norima. The fairies used unicorn magic," Griselda frowned, "Why?"
"Hm, our smallest class was lurking around the library in the dark magic books corner. Apparently, they were researching unicorns," Faragonda waved along her mirror's surface. The girls showed up. They were sitting in the dark magic corner with a bunch of unicorn books and scratching their heads. Faragonda closed her hand and the picture vanished. "Alright then. I think everyone had a chance to think this through on their own or discuss some minor points with each other." Faragonda looked at Palladium and Avalon who still weren't on the same page after a good twenty-minute break. "So, let's put it to a vote. Remember, this is a decision that will have long-lasting effects. Not just for Blade but the future of Magix as well. Still, we have to consider the safety of all the students we work with. We will not be able to take back this decision once we give the results to the magic council. Also, whatever the results we have to stand behind the decision as one front. The majority wins the vote, anyone, against these proceedings?" Faragonda recapped and waited till she saw that everyone was agreeing and there were no further questions.
"I still vote no," Avalon restated his opinion firmly. "If she doesn't want to use her Fairy magic, she'll endanger every team she is on. We need change. We want change, I do too. But if we set the future up with nobles to cover for weaker teammates then we are doing more harm than improving the situation. We already have the special gifted program. We should focus on improving that. Rather than endangering the public, who have no concept of the dangers of protecting the magic realm."
"I vote yes," Palladium held against it his voice was equally determent. "Blade is no fool, most soldiers are from the main populous as well. Yes, we very well need to adjust the curriculum for Blade and any other commoner who comes after her. But we can do that with the right funding, which we definitely can get access to. It is our job to help our pupils succeed. Also, most of Blade's problems stem from that ridiculous rule of Blade having to pass through all the exams first try. We have nobles who can't do that. Not to mention that Enchantix takes sometimes several years for nobles to acquire simply because the fitting situation does not arise. She needs time. We can give it to her."
Dufour cleared her throat, "I vote for yes as well. The fact is the most important thing a Fairy needs, is to believe in herself and the will to protect which she has plenty of, more than other fairies even. Yes, there is the possibility that it goes wrong. But that chance is there for every student no matter their magical strength. I don't want to sacrifice anyone, but change always comes with that possibility. As long as she doesn't give up. I think we should support her."
"That's the thing though," Daphne sighed as she shook her head. "We pushed her - a lot - maybe too far. She was - is the first candidate to ever try. If she dies it will take dozens of years before the magic council will agree to another commoner in Alfea or any Fairy school for that matter. I can't believe I am saying this as one who has supported her throughout. But maybe we were too ambitious. I don't want her blood on my hands. It is easier to admit miscalculations and mistakes on our part and try with someone with maybe a bigger magic pool or an elemental power like wind, which is easier to control. I will not blindly send Blade into her death for the hopes of change."
Eldora crossed her fingers, "I really did not expect that from one of the backers from Domino. Still, I vote for her to stay. There are many jobs she can do as a Fairy. Yes, her powers are great for fighting. Yet often the job of a Fairy is simply taking care of nature or injuries, moral support or advice on magical matters. She does not have to work on the frontlines fighting darkness all day long. She has enough magic to achieve all that and still be a solid help in a fight."
"Yet she has no meaningful defence capabilities." Griselda commented, "Yes, she can block and reflect. But shield spheres are out of her league. Maybe that changes with Enchantix. But before that, she has nothing good and those spells are what save teammates and yourself in a battle. I have several spells that would knock her out before she knew it, we are not teaching what she needs to know to defend against those. I have to agree with Avalon, she's at the wrong school. I vote no."
"That's your reason?" Zyron chuckled, "She went toe to toe with a Yaorochi a small one granted. She survived, saved a teammate and did that with nearly using no Fairy magic whatsoever. She's as sturdy as any Fairy. She prepares well, she knows the monsters and their weak spots. She would make a fine team leader one day. She has come this far. She made it out the others didn't, she can read a battlefield. You are all afraid she is overestimating herself. I think she knows and with experience she only will get better." He leaned back into his chair.
"Indeed, I vote yes as well." Wizgiz stopped thumbing around with his fingers. "I have seen many fairies come and go in my centuries. I saw them rise to greatness and fall. Blade has not given me any reason to doubt the fact that she can become a full-fledged Fairy. Not ever. You want change, change always means roadblocks and war and whatnot… all of you know that. But Blade is a young bright Fairy with the will to see it through and come out on top. I doubt you'll find anyone more deserving than her that fast. She has proven herself often enough. Yes, she can fail and at worst die. That is true for any young Fairy. She knows it, we know it. You do not have a guarantee that life goes as planned, never. You also never know if the next candidate will be any better off. We invested a lot of thought and time into her because we saw something. You should all trust your instincts instead of your heads." He remarked as he stared at Avalon with a grin, who in return simply closed his eyes and sighed for a second.
"No, no way, I am against this," Pikass couldn't believe the old professor. "Have you any idea how much backlash anyone connected with this process will get? The populous will not see it rationally. They see a lamb led to the slaughter, by promised child dreams. We might never recover from this. Neither the school nor the kingdoms. It might even blow the council to smithereens. People will always search for a head to put on a spike. We have no idea what the future brings indeed. Just look at how scorned the witches' reputation is all other the Magix universe and at Desertia how many had partaken? Maybe two or three per cent? Probably even less. If the Magic Council loses the trust of the people, we will plummet into the dark ages and kingdoms at war. We can't simply think that we'll get the best outcome just because we wish for it. This is the worst outcome. The collapse of the Magic Council and the rise of black magic users. I vote no."
Faragonda rubbed her forehead, this vote was closer than she hoped it would be. Right now, it was five for keeping Blade and four against. It was far from perfect or unanimous. Then she stood up and sighed turning to the window, it was up to her if they would go into another round of voting, but even if she would vote no, she knew, the outcome would stay the same. She remembered the discussions she had with Shanna about the topic from a strictly mental point of view. "You all have valid points. No one is in the wrong, I want you to know that I had the same thoughts and had to weigh them before I called you to this meeting…There is just one component missing from this discussion and that is how Blade will react. What will she think or do…Shanna and I had a long talk about it, yesterday. Blade is already a Fairy, she has gained Charmix. None of us can take that from her. If we drop her, she most definitely will continue this path without us. If not here or even not in another school, she'll do it on her own - of that I am sure. She is not one to back down so easily. Maybe simply because of that, or rather a feeling I have that she will reach the full potential of a Fairy with or without us. All that is missing is that she grows in magical powers, which comes with time. And she has to be willing to give her life to save one of her own countrymen. So, in good conscious I-" she paused once more, thinking it over, it was a tough decision with so much weight on it. Faragonda started anew, "As a Fairy Godmother it's my obligation, as well as my personal wish to guide her through till the end of her journey, whenever that may be. The Fairys' strength lies in numbers. The support they gain from their friends, families and the people that believe in them. And no matter the dark possibilities, I do believe in her. Otherwise, I would not have let her entre this school in the first place. I think she has not reached her full potential and rather than letting her set sail into the unknown alone, to fend for herself… I think it is the safest choice to allow her to stay. Or in Shanna's words," she turned around, "to be shown one's potential for greatness, just to have it stripped away, is a cruel fate that plunges people into madness."
"It's decided then, Blade stays in Alfea, with a six to four vote. The school will inform the magic council of its decision," Griselda proclaimed as her second in charge duty required and noted it down to the points she had written down. "That is all for today's meeting. We are adjourned." She stood up, and she visibly relaxed. "Fara, I'll write up our statement straight away, best not to leave the council waiting." She smiled at her as other teachers were leaving the office already.
"Thank you," Faragonda smiled back still with a slightly eerie feeling. At the end of the day, she could always count on her lifelong Fairy friend. Still, she knew, this would be a hard burden for some of the professors, especially the younger ones. 'No matter what we voted. We'll never forget this day if this goes south one day…' She sighed.
Avalon was still sitting in his chair eyes closed, shaking his head slightly.
Palladium passed by his chair and did not know what to say to him. He knew Avalon wasn't happy about this. But there were no words he could say that would make it easier right at this moment. So, he walked on after he glanced at Faragonda who gave him a nod to take care of it.
"Palladium, wait," Avalon opened his eyes and stood up slowly pushing the chair in, his mind was racing already.
"Avalon…" Faragonda started.
"It's not gonna work, not like this…" Avalon looked to Faragonda and Palladium. "Permission to revise a whole new training regiment for Blade on top of her normal combat training. If she is staying we need to adjust hers like right now. Her few unofficial matches in the forest will not prepare her enough and she can't always make the way to Red Fountain and back every single day. I need a new space near the school ground so that I can prepare for combat training. As well as more hours in the simulator room. We also need to invite other students from other schools more frequently. We should contact Lady Flora she has good connections to the Paladin school, they'll make good training partners. We-" Avalon somewhat passionately rambled down his list and wouldn't stop.
"Avalon?" Palladium asked perplexed.
"What? We said we stick to the decision we make today and back it up. I will not see her fail or come back in a body bag just because the council is not moving his ass fast enough or because of some missing funds. I became a teacher so youngsters die less, not more. I don't shy away from a few unpaid, extra hours. We also have to finally revise the students' timetable so we can hold battle classes together. We always wanted to do that. Now we can push it through." He was on fire.
"Right…" Faragonda had underestimated her professor's readiness to action yet again. "Make a list. We'll make it happen, somehow. Remember it to include more uses than just Blade on the paper, that makes the council all warm and fuzzy then they can invest in the long-term future. I am sure the Lunasteel company already invests in schools and equipment. Apply there, too." Faragonda smirked.
"Good point, come on, Palladium, we need to revise our timetables. So, we can start next week. Maybe we get it done today…" Avalon was already pulling Palladium to the door.
"Oh wait, Avalon," Faragonda halted the two. "I also just got partial of the crystal shards they finally managed to stabilise them before they turned to dust. Every school is to pull some resources to find out what they actually are. And since you're from the White Jade Order. You're the one most qualified for the job. After all you White Jade Paladins excel in analytics and cleansing." She pulled out a glass box from her drawer it was heavily sealed with runes and wards. She handed it to him.
"Hm, if I crack that case? Do we get all the funding we need?" Avalon squinted his eyes as the red crystals blinked in the reflection of the sunlight.
"Most likely, yes. The council is itching for answers. They want this resolved and done with." Faragonda explained as she straightened her blue jacket.
"Consider it done," Avalon turned around box at hand. "Hey, Palladium do you still have one of those super-fast messaging thunderbirds?"
"Yes…" Palladium answered as he more or less got shoved out the door
"You'll get it back in two weeks if that's alright?" Avalon slung his arm around his shoulders. "So, how about we put all battle classes on Fridays. They would have all weekend to recover."
"Eh…what are you planning on training that they will need all weekend…" Palladium was a bit unsure if Avalon was overdoing it already.
