AN: I'm quite pleased with this chapter. Thematically, I was inspired by games like Doom and FAITH, and I got really into the idea of delving into the supernatural side of LWA's world.
I tried to stick mostly to canon elements from the series, including using spells and magic that exist throughout it. However, I've had to play with some elements in order to make the story match the vision I had for it. Hopefully that isn't too jarring.
While things introduced/explored in Chamber of Time are referenced in this chapter, there are no direct plot spoilers.
You may also notice that some chapters now have different names. I unintentionally gave some of them a naming theme (being named after songs), so I altered chapter titles that didn't fit the theme and named them after songs I found to be fitting one way or another. I completely forgot that the anime series has episodes named after songs, as well, so I'm pleased to know this isn't just for author appeal.
And finally, this chapter once again gets quite heavy. Reader discretion is advised.
Content warning: Emotionally and physically intense scenes, potentially upsetting imagery, and references to gore and death.
The darkness of the dorm room was penetrated only by three candles sitting on a large piece of cardboard on the ground. Connecting these candles was a triangle-like shape, hastily scribbled in black marker.
All of the furniture was pushed aside, and two witches flanked a third, kneeling on the ground in the centre of the room, a thick book in hand.
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Molly?" Amelia asked apprehensively.
"Yes," Molly assured her. "I need help from a Time Spirit. I'm failing all my classes, and I've only become worse at magic. Stopping time and practising as much as I can is my last resort."
Elsa clutched her head. "You're crazy. Something's gonna backfire, and you're gonna pay the price."
Steadying her breathing, Molly held the book with a shaky hand. She didn't care about the warnings. Her mind was solely set on the chance of her successfully enlisting the spirit's help and finally improving the grades she let slip.
Lifting her wand, she did her best to focus on what she intended to summon. The candles danced and flickered in front of them, and Molly's visible eye seemed to track their every move.
Visualise it…
A Time Spirit.
Molly shut her eyes tightly and thrust her wand into the air.
"Turuto Estida!"
The flames from the candles exploded into huge towers that bathed the room in a deep red light. The triangle on the floor began glowing white, and the room began to shake and rumble violently. Books tumbled off of the shelf and silverware erupted from the kitchenette drawers in a cacophony of violence.
"W-What the hell?!" Elsa exclaimed, gripping a chair for stability. Amelia could do nothing but whimper as she clung to Elsa's arm. Molly, however, remained kneeling on the floor, fixated on the centre of the glowing triangle.
As the towers of flame continued burning brightly, a puff of deep red smoke from the middle of the triangle glyph startled all three of them. A glowing red ball of light emerged from the smoke as it dissipated, and it began bouncing all around the room, setting itself ablaze using all three flames. As the witches watched in terror, Molly finally began to regret this entire procedure.
"E-Elsa! Amelia! I'm so sorry, this was a horrible mistake!" she cried over the noise. Her roommates could barely muster out a response.
Molly didn't need to feel guilty for very long. As she gazed at the other two with remorse, the blazing red spirit hurtled towards her and collided directly with her forehead, seemingly vanishing.
She suddenly blacked out and toppled over as the chaos in the room began to subside.
"Molly!"
Elsa and Amelia rushed over to their friend's side. The room was a complete wreck, but they didn't care. Molly laid before them, completely unconscious, as Amelia placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You'd better wake up, Molly! We have a mess to clean up!" Elsa barked, masking the overwhelming anxiety flowing through her.
"P-Please be okay…" Amelia mumbled dejectedly. "Please be alive…"
Amelia continued to gently stroke Molly's shoulder as the latter continued to lay there. However, a sudden movement made both of them jump.
Molly's shoulder jerked and she ascended slowly into a sitting position. She gazed at the floor, her long blue hair obscuring any signs of her face.
"My friends… please don't worry about me. I'm fine," she said.
The others were taken aback to hear Molly's voice, which sounded raspier than the whispering they were used to from her.
Amelia tilted her head. "R-Really? You're okay?"
Molly lifted her head and adjusted her hair. She turned around to stare directly at Elsa and Amelia, flashing a wide grin.
A grin full of sharp teeth, with a blood-red eye to match.
"This is the best I've ever felt!"
Amelia screamed in terror and hid behind Elsa, who pointed her wand at her.
"YOU'RE NOT MOLLY!" Elsa shouted. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
Molly gave them a sinister chuckle. "Pointing a weapon at your dear friend? That isn't like you, Elsa."
Elsa turned to Amelia, who was trembling with fear.
"Go get help! I'll hold her off!"
Without a second thought, Amelia bolted to the door, flung it open, and continued running.
Amelia tore through the halls of the dormitory block, pounding on random doors and finding nobody home.
Where the hell was everybody? It was the middle of the day, so they were presumably all taking classes or otherwise preoccupied. Each failed attempt at getting help drove a metaphorical knife deeper into her chest as the weight of what had transpired continued to sink in.
Rounding a corner, she was completely blindsided by a fellow student, and the two collided and landed on the ground.
"I'm so sorry!" the witch exclaimed remorsefully. Amelia opened her eyes to see Lotte getting up and extending a hand to help her. She accepted, but Lotte was surprised to see the state she was in.
"H-Help… spirit… summoning… p-please…" Amelia tried to choke out. Lotte's expression turned grim as she connected the dots and realised the gravity of the situation.
"Take me there," she said firmly. Complying, Amelia hurriedly took her back to their dorm and pushed the door open.
The scene before them was unreal.
Lotte adjusted her glasses and took it all in. The cardboard glyph, burned-out candles, scorched ceiling, and destroyed furniture all told a horrifying story. Not to mention Molly herself, who was now seated on a chair, with Elsa behind her, using control magic to keep her in place.
"Look at that!" Molly growled, lifting her head to look at Lotte. "Here comes the exorcist."
"A failed summoning ritual… this is really bad."
Lotte watched Molly squirm and chatter for a moment before her eyes widened.
"Guillotine," she suddenly said.
"Huh?"
Elsa and Amelia both tilted their heads at Lotte, who continued.
"Molly's been possessed by a spirit known as Guillotine. It's a malevolent being with dubious intentions. I don't know how she brought it into this world, but it's incredibly dangerous. It's got to go."
Lotte set her sights on Molly and took out her wand. Molly cackled gleefully at her, rocking back and forth in her chair.
Ignoring her theatrics, Lotte lifted her wand and prepared the incantation.
"Turuto Es-!"
What are you doing?!
Why are you forcing yourself into somebody else's business? You've got no right being here.
Let these two sort their own issues out. If they couldn't perform basic spirit summoning magic, that was their problem, not yours.
"Finish the spell!" Elsa said, clutching her own wand. Her control magic couldn't hold forever.
Lotte shook her head and blinked a few times.
"TURUTO ESTI-"
Wasn't Lotte supposed to go and meet Akko, Sucy, and Diana for lunch? They'll be really disappointed if she doesn't show.
How selfish of you. Way to put your own self-righteousness first.
Be a hero to make up for the fact that nobody knows or cares about you.
Lotte began to tremble, lowering her wand.
"What are you doing?!" Amelia cried.
"I… I can't do it!" Lotte exclaimed. "I can't focus!"
Without warning, she collapsed. Molly looked intensely focused on Lotte's body on the ground. After a moment, Lotte ascended once again and glared at Amelia and Elsa.
Her eyes were blood-red, and her teeth were sharp.
"NO!" Elsa screamed. The shock caused her to lose focus, and Molly broke free from the control spell and leaped out of the chair. To their surprise, Molly began to levitate, flinging herself out of the dorm and escaping down the hall as Lotte stared intently at Elsa and Amelia.
"T-Turuto Estida! Turuto Estida!" Elsa waved her wand desperately at Lotte, who advanced towards the pair.
"S-Spare us… please…"
Amelia hugged Elsa tightly, and the pair soon crumpled to the ground, succumbing to the spirit.
"What's taking Lotte so long?" Akko mused.
She and Diana sat across from each other at a picnic table near the university building. Next to Akko sat Sucy, scanning the ground beneath the table for mushrooms.
"Patience, Akko," Diana said. "Her errands may have taken longer than anticipated."
A basket full of food sat in the centre of the table, waiting for Lotte before they could dig in. Next to the basket stood a thermos full of tea.
"Or she died," Sucy said flatly. This earned her shocked and furious glares from Akko and Diana.
"What? I'm just laying all the cards on the table."
"Hey, there she is!" Akko called. "Lotte, Lotte! Over here!"
Following her gaze, Diana and Sucy indeed spotted Lotte's bespectacled figure drawing nearer. She waved at them lazily.
"She looks exhausted," Sucy observed, and Akko nodded in agreement. Diana, however, looked very perturbed, and leaned in to speak to the others.
"Akko, Sucy. Something's wrong."
"What is it?" Akko asked.
"Lotte isn't herself. I can't place it, but something about her energy is off."
Sucy's eye widened after a moment, as if suddenly hit by something. "Oh. You're absolutely right."
"What are you two on about?" Akko queried. Before they could answer. Lotte joined them at the table and gazed at the basket.
"Hello, friends! Mmmm, what smells so good?"
All three of them stared blankly at her.
"What? Something on my face? Let's get started!"
She threw open the top of the basket and pulled out a sandwich. As she started gnawing on it, all three of them knew fully well that this wasn't Lotte. The sharp teeth she was flashing as she ate were just further proof.
Diana stood up very quickly and pointed her wand at Lotte.
"Begone from this world, spirit! You don't belong here!"
Lotte paused mid-bite and slowly looked up at Diana, speaking in a voice that was absolutely not her own.
"Aw, but we were having such a good time! Well, all good things must come to an end!"
She stood on the table and kicked the basket and thermos aside. Diana's wand suddenly fell from her hand, and she doubled over and began clutching her head.
A loud thud made Diana jolt back to attention. Sucy had leaped over the table and tackled Lotte to the ground, pinning her in place.
"Diana!" she cried. "Cast the spell!"
Without hesitation, Diana picked up her wand and aimed it at Lotte again.
"TURUTO ESTI-"
Don't even try.
There you go again, Miss Perfect Cavendish. Why not take any possible opportunity to flex your magical prowess?
You're just confirming what Hannah and Barbara thought about you.
Diana trembled again. Where were these dark thoughts coming from?
You're just making Sucy mad. It took a while for you two to see eye to eye, and now you're taking your sweet time casting this spell while she wrestles with her possessed friend.
What kind of witch are you?
Noticing how much pain Diana appeared to be in, Akko stood up and put an arm around her shoulder.
"Hey. You can do this."
The darkness clouding Diana's mind seemed to immediately dissipate, and her focus returned. Her legs gave out, but she put out a leg and caught herself in a one-legged kneeling position. As her eyes opened, Akko found herself gazing into the same icy blue eyes that she was so familiar with.
"Are you okay?" she asked tenderly. Diana nodded in response, holding Akko's arm for support. Looking towards where Sucy was, though, they gasped in shock to find her sprawled on the ground, with Lotte nowhere to be seen.
"SUCY!"
They rushed to their friend's side and attempted to wake her up. Once she finally came to, the pair gasped as she gazed at them with blood-red eyes and sharp teeth.
Her normal appearance.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" Akko exclaimed, before looking solemn again. "But Lotte… what happened to her?"
"Where did she go?" Sucy rasped. None of them had seen her after she escaped. Sucy stood up again and rubbed the back of her head.
"Ugh, I still feel that awful energy," Diana remarked. "She must still be around here somewhere."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
Sucy motioned her head towards the building, where groups of students were either collapsing or acting erratically. Akko yelped in surprise and sprang into action.
"C'mon, guys! We need to save them!"
She ran towards the university building, beckoning her friends to follow her.
Barbara sat alone in her dorm, idly scrolling on her crystal ball. She had a class later that day, and she just wanted to pass the time until then. However, this plan would change after Hannah stumbled into the room.
As was the norm at this point, Barbara gave Hannah a quick nod of acknowledgement before returning to her own devices. This time, though, Hannah sat herself on the couch next to her and sighed.
"Babs."
Barbara glanced up at Hannah, who was gazing at the floor remorsefully.
"What's up?"
"I need to talk to you. To apologise for everything."
Barbara's heart somersaulted as butterflies filled her stomach.
"O-Oh?"
Hannah closed her eyes and cleared her throat.
"Nothing I say can amend the damage I caused. I want to take full accountability for everything I've done and fully acknowledge the hurt I caused you, Diana, and everyone else."
"Oh, Hann…" Barbara pushed through the overwhelming emotions and extended a comforting hand. "I don't know if I can forgive you right now, but I really appreciate you acknowledging your mistakes."
Hannah continued to avoid Barbara's gaze.
"Is there any way I can redeem myself?" Hannah asked somberly.
"You have to show me that you're capable of changing for the better," Barbara replied. "I want to see the sincerity in your eyes."
Hesitantly, Hannah began to lift her head.
"Are you sure?" she asked. A little taken aback, Barbara nodded.
"I want to believe you, I really do. But if you keep looking away, it feels like you're hiding something from me."
Hannah turned slowly to look at Barbara. She opened her eyes and grinned widely.
Blood-red eyes and sharp teeth.
Barbara screamed and leaped off of the couch, her crystal ball dropping to the floor and cracking. She rushed over to the front door and grabbed the handle.
"IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE?!"
"My friend, what's the matter? I give you a heartfelt apology, and this is how you repay me?"
Hannah still spoke with her own voice, and every word cut into Barbara's heart.
"LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU ASSHOLE!" Barbara cried, her eyes beginning to sting. "GET OUT!"
Still smiling, Hannah stared into Barbara's eyes intently.
She's right, you know. This was as good of an apology as you were gonna get. What, are you too stuffy to just forgive and forget?
You're a weirdo, anyway. If you hadn't cut ties with Hannah, she'd have done it first.
Your little crush on her is pathetic, and you spend time with Lotte of all people? Plus, Hannah was entirely correct about Diana being a bad friend. Why are you sticking around with her instead of your real friend?
All this and more formed a tidal wave that forced Barbara into a sea of dark thoughts. She collapsed into a sobbing mess, her mind entirely at the spirit's mercy.
"Where the heck is Lotte?!"
Akko, Diana, and Sucy continued to search the halls of the university for any sign of their friend.
"Where's anybody, for that matter?" Diana remarked. "It's a ghost town here."
The trio noticed the halls around them becoming progressively more dilapidated as they searched. Furniture and plants laid on their sides, portraits of historical witches sat in pieces on the ground, and even doors were kicked in or hanging from their hinges. Diana found the historical disrespect especially difficult to stomach.
"Um, guys?" The other two turned to face Akko as she looked out the window. "I think I found everyone."
Diana and Sucy joined Akko in gazing out the window and were horrified at the scene sprawling before them.
What looked like every witch student in the university, as well as most of the staff, stood in perfect rows in the courtyard, leaving room for the fountain in the centre. Every single pair of blood-red eyes was fixed on the window where the trio was. Molly hovered leisurely above the fountain, watching them smugly.
"There's Lotte!"
Akko pointed to the witch closest to the fountain, and sure enough, it was their short friend. Nearby, Amanda and her friends also stood, completely dead-eyed and just like the others.
"Well?" Molly asked them. "Aren't you going to join us?"
You've failed your friends, Akko. Look at them down there. You won't stand a chance getting them back. Only a matter of time before Sucy and Diana give in, as well.
Akko shook her head and gazed up again.
"We have to get out there!" she called.
"Oh, don't trouble yourselves," a witch from the crowd said.
"Let us do it for you…"
"...and make you feel right at home!"
Lotte raised her wand, and the trio suddenly lost control of themselves. They were pulled through the window, painfully shattering the glass on the way out, and dropped in front of the hordes of students.
Before they even had time to react to the pain, Molly descended to their level, maintaining a bit of height for an imposing presence.
"Stragglers. You three want to be big heroes and save your school, don't you?"
"What are you planning, fiend?!" Diana demanded. Molly cackled with delight.
"'Fiend'?! Oh, Diana, you're adorable!"
Akko stood in front of Diana, who looked visibly uncomfortable. "Hey, you lay off her!"
"Oh, very well," Molly said, still chuckling. "If you must know, I plan on squeezing every last drop of magic from this place. Unfortunately, too many of you little pests 'need magic' or whatever. I could just kill you all, but I'm being merciful and turning you into my slaves, instead!"
"You couldn't just steal the Sorcerer's Stone or something?" Akko asked incredulously.
"I'm awoken from a thousand-year slumber, and the first thing I do is steal a big rock? Where's your imagination, Atsuko?"
Something about the way the spirit's voice said her name made Akko wince.
"Anyway, if you all don't mind, I have things to do. If you'll just offer up your minds to me, that'd be great."
"Never!" Akko retaliated. "It's gonna take a lot more than bad thoughts to break our spirits!"
Diana stepped forward. "Akko's right! You've meddled with the wrong witches!"
Sucy stepped forward. However, she did not say anything.
She lifted her wand, pointed it at Akko and Diana, and locked them in place using control magic.
"S-Sucy?! What the-?!"
As Akko and Diana struggled, Sucy slouched over to join Molly.
"Brilliant, Sucy!" someone from the crowd said.
"I wouldn't have thought of that…"
"...not in a million years!"
"Thank you, Sucy," Molly said. "Their unwavering optimism was getting on my nerves."
"My friend, it's not an issue!" Sucy responded in a voice that wasn't her own.
Molly telekinetically lifted Akko and Diana to her level. Sucy loosened the control spell, but Molly immediately replenished it herself, so she could be in control.
"You're MINE," she growled, her voice dripping with resentment. "This'll teach you to defy me."
Akko and Diana began to struggle as Molly stared intently at both of them. As if on cue, both began to experience exacerbated dark thoughts, but they remained steadfast. Molly let out a frustrated sigh and stared at them again, her eyes burning a brighter red than any of them had seen.
This time, horrifying scenes began to cross their minds. Shiny Chariot considering Akko a failure and personally barring her from the witching world. The entire Cavendish line's reputation being ruined by failed grades and Hannah and Barbara's influence.
"You can do this, Diana…!" Akko grunted, trying her best to keep the images out.
Akko and Lotte's innards being devoured by the cockatrice in the Arcturus Forest, all while Sucy laughs. Diana being suffocated by Daryl's serpent in the ritual shrine.
"Block… it… out!"
Akko failing to save Sucy from her sleeping spell, and the entirety of Luna Nova being engulfed and killed by massive mushrooms. Bernadette Cavendish's frail, sickly form.
Despite her best efforts, a sob escaped Diana. Akko quickly turned around, attempting to console her, but her limbs were still incapacitated.
"A-Akko…" Diana choked out. "B-Be strong for us…"
"NO! Don't give up!"
But it was too late. Molly honed into this reaction and assaulted Diana's mind with visions of her suffering mother just before her passing.
Diana soon passed out and gave herself to the spirit.
"DIANA!"
Molly cackled again as Akko stared in horror at Diana's unconscious form.
"Diana…" Akko said in a strained whisper. "D-Daisuki da yo."
A tear fell from her face and hit the ground below them.
Meanwhile, Molly's eyes were still trained intensely on Akko's face. She released her telekinetic grip on Diana and let her drop, with the thud of her body on the brick courtyard floor making Akko yelp. Soon, Diana stood up and flashed the familiar evil face everyone else currently possessed.
"How are you doing, Atsuko? Ready to give up?"
Akko shook her head and stared Molly in the face. Her eyes were burning with a determination seldom seen from her.
"Never."
"Oh, is that so?" Molly drawled. "I think I'm done playing with you, then."
She stopped grinning and leered threateningly at Akko.
"I'm going to kill you."
Akko's body suddenly felt like it was burning from the inside. It was a pain like nothing she'd ever felt before, like her very bones and innards were being stretched and twisted like balloon animals. The hordes of possessed witches below them began to cheer and holler at the show, encouraging Molly to inflict as much pain as possible.
And then it just stopped.
Akko had no idea what was going on. She didn't even realise that she was plummeting from the air until she hit the ground, though the pain from that was nothing compared to what Molly was doing to her.
"Akko."
She could barely move, let alone figure out who was talking to her.
"M-Molly…" Akko rasped. She also hadn't realised how hoarse her throat was from how much she'd been screaming in agony.
"No. Sucy."
Akko jolted upright and stared directly into the face of her purple-haired friend, who took a step back.
"Too close," Sucy grunted.
Akko gasped and scrambled backwards, but Sucy didn't advance.
"I cast a sleeping spell on her. This is our chance to finally fix this."
"You… aren't possessed?" Akko coughed out. Sucy just scoffed.
"I guess my weird face came in handy, for once. C'mon, there isn't much time."
Sucy helped Akko stand upright and they observed the scene. Molly was indeed fast asleep before them, but she was twitching and grunting as if she was a malfunctioning mech that Guillotine was still trying to pilot. Around her, every single other witch had also fallen asleep.
"Did you knock out all the others, as well?" Akko asked.
"Nope. They dropped like flies after Molly went down," Sucy replied, shrugging lazily. "Now, I'm gonna need you to trust me."
"T-Trust you?!"
"Turn around and look at Molly. Really focus on her features."
Hesitantly, Akko did as she was told, turning her back to Sucy and observing Molly. Her blue hair was all around her, yet somehow still covering one of her eyes. It was a shame they didn't spend more time together…
WHACK!
Akko fell flat on her face, right next to Molly. Sucy sat down next to her and waited, hoping for the best.
"Ow, Sucy! What the-?"
Rubbing her head, Akko sat upright and immediately became speechless once she saw the landscape sprawling around her.
What once looked like a vast library was nearly reduced to cinders. Flames still crackled intensely, and Akko narrowly avoided stepping into a pool of blood. The horizon boasted a seemingly infinite ring of fire, bathing the clouds above in a bright red.
The blood formed a trail that led through the maze of destroyed bookshelves and overturned furniture. Swallowing harshly, Akko followed the trail and progressed further into the labyrinth.
The scenery only got more twisted as she walked. The blood trail became darker and richer, and torn pages from random books adorned the makeshift path.
The crackling of fire and Akko's heavy, shaky breathing were the only sounds in the air as she trudged onward. Despite this, she couldn't help but feel like she was hearing voices calling for help.
Unless she was.
The trail of blood stopped abruptly in front of a wooden chest. Akko's breathing only intensified as she realised the voices were real, and they were calling her from inside this chest.
With violently trembling hands, Akko grabbed the chest's lid and fumbled with the latch. When she finally swung it open, the sight confused her.
Hundreds of what seemed to be souls flew out of the chest. She didn't know why, but she couldn't help but feel an immense wave of relief wash over her as she watched each soul ascend into the sky and vanish.
This feeling of relief didn't last long, though. The flames around her roared with intensity, casting the entire library in an angry orange hue. Akko turned around quickly and watched as Molly descended from the sky to meet her.
"Akko… please help me."
Akko was on her guard, but noticed that Molly's eye was brown.
"I messed up big time… I've endangered so many people."
"Don't worry, Molly!" Akko called. "I'm here for you!"
Molly gave Akko a small smile before her neck did a full rotation. Once she was facing Akko again, she sported the familiar possessed face Akko had grown to hate.
"Oh, good! I can finally see if killing you in a dream will kill you in real life!"
Molly's head twisted again, and a figure began to materialise around her. A beastly, blazing red figure that held Molly in its clawed hands. Looking directly at it hurt Akko's eyes.
Guillotine threw Molly onto the ground and made a grab for Akko, who leaped out of the way and broke into a sprint. She bolted through the library, and the sounds of shelves toppling over signified Guillotine chasing after her.
She needed a solution, and she needed one fast. Glancing desperately around the library, all she could do was throw books at the burning spirit, which did nothing but anger it.
As if things couldn't get worse, Akko tripped over.
She scrambled to a sitting position, but this one slip-up gave Guillotine the advantage it needed. With a blazing hand, it scooped up Akko and brought her to what she assumed was its face.
"YOU LOATHSOME LITTLE PEST!" it roared. "THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS!"
Akko struggled as that awful burning sensation came back. She felt nothing but the pure essence of pain coursing through her body, and her vision started to fade to white.
Unable to form any coherent words, she mentally said her goodbyes as she began to hear an angelic voice.
"Close your eyes, old earth…"
Was Akko dead? She couldn't feel the pain anymore. All she could sense was this song echoing throughout the dreamscape.
"As the white petals fall…"
Something sounded so familiar about this song.
"From the sky, ease into the gaze…"
Akko's vision slowly began to return, and she was on the floor again. Guillotine was a lot smaller and bluer than she remembered.
"...of mother's polar night."
As Akko watched the once foreboding spirit progressively shrink, the dots began to connect in her head.
"Fall asleep…"
Guillotine puffed out of existence, and Akko remembered where she'd heard this before.
"Fall asleep."
Lotte.
Akko gasped deeply and sat upright, drenched with sweat. Breathing heavily, she was greeted by the faces of Sucy, Diana, and Lotte, all sitting beside her.
The latter two looked like their normal selves, blue eyes and all.
"How are you feeling?" Lotte asked.
Without a word, Akko dove into her friends and embraced them in the biggest hug she could muster. All three of them returned it, even Sucy, who hoped the others wouldn't notice.
"Akko…" Diana whispered in her ear. "I love you, too."
Akko squeezed them even tighter. Now Sucy began to struggle a little bit, and she broke it up early.
"Alright, that's enough," she grumbled.
"Lotte… I can't thank you enough for your song," Akko said. Lotte giggled in response.
"Well, thank you for freeing us!"
"Sucy helped, too!" Akko gestured to her friend, who huffed at them.
Groaning from behind them drew their attention. Molly was beginning to stir, and they also noticed that only some of the witches from the crowd had stuck around. Some had escaped back into the university building to try and recover from the experience.
Elsa and Amelia kneeled down next to Molly and helped her upright.
"Molly," Elsa said firmly. "You alright?"
"I'm so sorry… I screwed up. I'm never messing with summoning magic again. I'm such an idiot."
"Yeah, a little bit," Elsa agreed. "But we're still here for you. We'll keep you in check."
"Elsa!" Amelia scolded her. "You're not an idiot, Molly. It was a desperate time. Now you've learned the hard way not to cast spells you know nothing about."
Molly nodded solemnly and stood up, regretting every single one of her actions that past day, but relieved that people weren't immediately alienating her.
"You need sleep," Amelia observed. "Let's get you back home."
"Yeah, the home we still haven't cleaned up…" Elsa muttered sarcastically. Regardless, the three of them trudged into the university building and out of sight.
Nearby, Barbara slowly approached Hannah, who was watching this all with her arms folded.
"H-Hann… did you mean what you said earlier?"
Hannah turned to meet Barbara's gaze, but to her chagrin, she made a disgusted face.
"What are you talking about, you loser?"
She stormed off, leaving Barbara with stinging eyes again.
AN: The English lyrics I used for Lotte's spirit song come from this video: ( watch?v=wcxvTOstCY4). The description says that the specific translation comes from a Wattpad post, but it appears to have since been lost.