Friday 31 March 2006, Luna Nova
"I was pretty exhausted from the week of constant performances, it was a real tiring Tour, but it wouldn't beover yet, since with Alan's contract he could start calling for more of these, but until then I was pretty calm,since I was going to have a few days of rest, which were already spreading more and more rumours aroundthe Luna Nova academy, apart from the edited videos of the week's shows being edited by Croix, where theywere getting some good views, I was already feeling more of the fame, everything that had been planned byMeridies had worked out well, my fear of being a failure no longer existed, except that in this one we had toremember important things and I hadn't forgotten one that was quite important to do, which I had even beenasked about by Croix herself.
Now let's see what all this is going to lead to, Croix has come to pick me up, I think it's going to be another Woodward mission, or just a normal lesson, either way I'm ready for action, you can help me on my next mission, we walk through the corridors, which are becoming more hidden, the looks this week have been very different for my side, it seems that Luna Nova has been divided, between those who think I'm a celebrity or those who think I'm a sacrilege and don't want to see me near.
We arrive at the ruins, I wave to Arcas who is a little bigger, he comes over to the two of us, I stroke the bear, who is very affectionate with me, a very cute creature, who is always watching over this place.
"This animal has really grown, it's impressive that you still play with it, even though it's becoming more and more of a dangerous bear" said Meridies.
"Ah, he knows I'm not hostile and neither are you. We can take advantage of this and have a protector when we get older" I say excitedly.
"Oh well, let's not be late to see Woodward, we might have an important lesson today" Let's hope so, the last few were just history of magic lessons that only helped me in normal school lessons.
We leave Arcas in his corner and he starts running around, he must have run into his mum, walking through the forest of Arcturus, always in that usual feeling, we approach the tower, entering through the tree, climbing the stairs, where Woodward will appear, I even take a deep breath ready for what's to come.
"We seem to have arrived again" I say, looking around.
"Well, this week there's going to be a lot to comment on, after all you've done a lot, there's no denying it, you've managed to expand more, we together are building a grander career for you, soon who knows Woodward won't release Claiomh Solais" I can't wait and there went the effects of her appearance as usual with several butterflies showing her around.
"I could see that it had been a very busy week for the two of you and I'm very happy to see that you're working together, just as I'd hoped, a job like this for a mission of enormous importance like the one I'd already said, teamwork is what makes the force, that's why I said you should unite, look how much of a difference you're making, but anyway today's lesson will be different, as it will be another step forward for the two of you in becoming great witches" Woodward said as always looking at the two of us and smiling.
"Ah, we're helping each other, trying what we can to make an impact and maybe change this world, somehow we have to help bring about new times for witches, Croix has already talked about some marvellous inventions" I tell her.
"I've only done things that already exist, I've shown that they could be a huge revolution for new times in magic, but it's just something I intend to leave for the future, once people have shown that more modern magic is the solution to many problems" said the bespectacled one.
"I know all this, so I want to say that it's not all so black and white, we can't say that tradition is wrong, just like modernity, when tradition and modernity work together, a gate to a new and unknown world opens" that's a really good phrase.
"I know that, but what's the point if in today's world tradition is shoved down our throats as the only right thing and we can't demonstrate that technology brings benefits?" Now Croix really wants to find out more.
"Oh Croix, you still have a lot going on in your heart, as I imagined, what you still lack is this heart that's still a little bitter, but finally, today we're going to free your family members" Finally, I've been wanting a family member, it's going to be marvellous, I can't wait for it all.
"I already have mine, I summon it from time to time, my familiar is a raven, but it barely appears" Meridies said, summoning a black raven that hovers above her head and I'm impressed, I never thought she'd have such an angry familiar.
"Exactly, you already have yours because you summoned it during lessons, but you still need Chariot and also to accept your familiar more, to use it more often, so I'm going to send you on a mission to a Wyvern, where you'll be able to summon your familiar to fight the creatures, which can only be defeated by your familiar, good to remember that" said Woodward.
"And where are they?" I ask her.
"Near Rastavan, there will be some ruins of a cave where you will get an emerald and bring it to me, as Croix already has a familiar, she will have to use it so that Chariot can get this precious item, when you return bring the emerald to me and I will help summon Chariot's familiar who is still asleep" Ah so now it all makes sense.
Now it's all understood, I realise that Croix nods and so we leave as Woodward disappears, I was really looking forward to a mission like this, where we work as a group, we get on our brooms, take a deep breath, look into each other's eyes and we leave.
I have no idea where Rastavan is, but at least it must be close, I don't know because I don't have the slightest idea, I follow my friend flying, even going with the familiar on my shoulder to help direct her, that way we can fly more smoothly.
"I know roughly where Rastavan is" said Meridies.
"And what's so important there?" I ask her.
"It's the home of dragons, where legends say that they kill witches to devour them, but it's all a lie, it's pure exaggeration, I've actually seen one of them, in my explorations, I've seen their boss himself, just the guy playing the capitalist, on those computers full of numbers and graphs, as if the world was going to change something with those imaginary numbers" That's quite interesting.
"And you weren't caught?" I ask her.
"I even went, I had to talk to the dragon, he even thinks that the idea of technology with magic is a good one, it could raise those imaginary numbers, but honestly, I don't want it to become a worse version of what we already have today, if it falls into the hands of these people it will immediately become a product, imagine having to pay to use magic? I don't want that, I want magic to be able to belong to everyone and everything, for people to live better lives because of magic, for it to build a better and more equal society" Her explanation makes sense.
"Well, at least one dragon we know is a good bloke" I say, smiling.
"The other more hostile ones are Wyverns, which look like dragons, but their difference is usually in the legs, while Fafnir has four limbs plus hind wings, Wyverns are tetrapods and have only four limbs including the wings, that is, their legs and wings, these are much wilder, according to what the dragon of capitalism told me" Very interesting.
And off we go, it seems that the speed is decreasing and you can see their wings, apparently we're getting there, we land near the trees, kind of hidden, positioning ourselves looking at the entrance to the cave, which Croix is using a bizarre device that I later realise has dots on it, it must be radar, which I'm waiting for, the monsters are just watching.
"Well, I'm going to attack" she whispers in my ear.
Croix simply begins to use her familiar to attack the Wyverns, coming at the monsters with all her might, she's agile, it's impressive, she's been pecking and distracting the creatures, she's already flying, they haven't even died, only a few have been injured.
Even some are leaving the cave, with the distraction, many are coming out, clearing the way for us, which I see her signalling with her thumbs, and so we walk calmly through the bushes until we reach the cave entrance.
"We're here" I say relieved.
"Shhh, speak very quietly, it might attract their attention, now let's walk through the cave" I nod and we follow it.
"Are there any Wyverns here?" It's like an anthill, it doesn't seem to stop coming.
"Somehow there's plenty, but now we just have to find a place to hide, I'll snap my fingers and my family member will disappear, we'll hide in one of these rocks" I nodded and we found a more open hiding place.
By the time she snaps her fingers, the radar is getting very strange, it seems to have filled up with several of the dragons flying around, they must have started circling Arcturus, which we could then see on the radar, many of them flying into the cave, in that huge corridor, several and several of them were coming, that corridor was getting dark.
It felt like we were in a cockroach nest, it wasn't even an anthill, especially with the sound of those wings beating, I'm going to have that sound stuck in my head because of it.
"They look like cockroaches" disgusting.
"You don't have to remind me of that, now that a lot of them have got in I'll just have to distract them somehow, I know how I'm going to do it, get on with it" Croix presses a few buttons, and noises go off, which attracts the attention of the creatures that are flying out of the cave again.
It even causes a bit of an earthquake, which ends up with the radar showing that there really are a lot of them flying in the direction of the sound, looking like a swarm and we were hidden, only we could see their eyes more closely, I was scared and Croix kept wrapping me up, I wrapped her up so we wouldn't get hit and the radar was already showing things, so apparently we already have a way to make way.
When we saw the radar, several of them came out and we signalled them to run, through the cave, a maze really, but soon one of them was on the radar, approaching us.
"Now we're going to have to fight, take cover behind me, I'm going to start using the familiar" said Meridies as she began to release her familiar and fire the creature towards the monster.
When we got close enough, I saw that the crow had managed to take one of them down, wounding it in the wings with a few shots of fireballs and also in the legs, being held up so that Croix's relative was taken into her arms and disappeared again.
She then pressed another button, which led us to hide in another hole in the cave, where we could hear a tremor outside, which drew the attention of the monsters outside with the radar.
"What have you done?" I ask her.
"Shhhh, I just blew up the entrance to the cave, now they can't get in any more, I've also created a distraction, but don't worry, I've already got a way in my bag for us to escape safely" I really hope this all works.
We saw some of them moving on the radar and so we took off running, I followed Croix and we saw a group of three of them in the corridor, damn it, they're right next to us, we're not going to be able to cope, how are we going to deal with all these monsters so close to our faces, she let go of the familiar and started with the raven attacking with pecks passing straight through the monsters' bodies, striking the draconic creatures on the wings.
They're feeling pain, do we really need to do this, is it worth it, I could see the agonised screams of the three creatures as soon as my friend's familiar set fire to the three, which burned and fell to the ground charred.
"Is it worth it? Look at that cruelty, Croix" I say in amazement.
"If they attack us, something worse will happen, you wouldn't want to be eaten alive while some disgusting things are tearing off piece after piece of your flesh, they won't even focus on attacking your neck straight away, imagine how agonising it would be, you trying to escape from a wave of these beasts" She has a good point.
And we're running, without any of the Wyverns around, I know they can be cruel, devouring us, but they're doing something of their nature and we're in the territory of these creatures, which soon has two more coming towards us, it looks like there's going to be a fight again, I'm already protecting myself with a magic shield and I look at Croix's familiar, making them become ice cubes and then smashing them to pieces with the beak of the familiar raven.
That was less cruel than the others, but it still scared me, how could she do something like that so naturally, I would never be able to do something like that, just thinking about the fear would scare me to death.
"That's good, at least it didn't char, leaving them screaming in horror" I say to my friend.
"There's no need to play nature activist here, we're being trapped in this place, it's either us or them" I don't believe it, I'll even stop in front of her.
"Wait a minute, if I'm going to be cruel, I don't want to continue, I'd rather be without a relative than kill these creatures, we're in their territory, there's no reason to be equally cruel, just because of what? Because of a relative of mine? Am I really going to be that selfish?" I say to her.
"Oh come on then Shiny Chariot, protect nature with light and glitter with your shiny sceptre, there will be two Wyverns coming to attack us, if they jump on you I won't hesitate to use my familiar and slit one's throat" Meridies said.
Ugh, how stubborn, I'll give it a try, I even run a little faster and the Wyverns appear, which I'm already making a barrier for, and I'm already creating illusion spells with what I already know how to do at festivals, with that they start to change their route by following some fake rats on the way and that opened up a bit of a path since they went round the bend on the side and we were able to go straight, along the path and so I smile.
She just rolls her eyes, she's seen that we can only work together on this one, the familiar will only serve for emergencies, there's no point in drawing the attention of several of them, which is quickly followed by me being pulled into one of the walls.
"They're very aggressive, the radar is showing that they're heading in the direction of those who were killed, I think they must have a sense of danger and are going after the pheromones released after the death of one" said the one with glasses, and at that I even kept wiping my face.
"I didn't tell you, killing them only made things worse, the best thing to do is distract them" I say to her who then takes my hand.
"Good to know, come with me, I have a plan" She followed that Wyvern that I had distracted to save our skins.
She was using magic for something, she freed the familiar and then tore the Wyvern apart in front of me, I was horrified by the scene, and then she ran off holding my hand, it was shocking, I didn't know how to react, but we ran until I decided to let go of her, I saw that there were many on the radar and in this push we stumbled and fell into a ravine that went to the side, where there was a small stone that looked like an emerald, I was even relieved to see it.
"Are you mad, Chariot? Is there a screw loose?" She asks and I just stare in amazement at the stone.
"Look at this Croix, it's what we've been looking for all along" I say delighted.
"So that's it? Let's get out of here, I'm already getting mad at you for getting in my way" She throws something at the wall of the business, which causes an explosion right next to us, dropping stones and earth right into the hole.
"Croix, are you mad? We're going to run out of air and get stuck like this!" I say to her.
"I know how we're going to get to the other side" she said as she reached for a drill bit.
This drill bit was placed in the wall, and it started digging a hole, making a bit of noise and that way she was using magic on it, to increase its size and I with my staff was helping her to do the same thing that way she was getting bigger, the tremor was giving in the cave, while behind us more of the Wyverns were appearing, they were approaching on the radar, exactly where it was near the exit that we were going to pass, apparently they are going to give us a surprise.
"How are we going to get away from here they're standing in front of us?" I ask her.
"Let's get on the broom at my warning, we have to run away from everyone, without thinking" Meridies said, and that's pretty daft.
"Did you plan this?" I ask with a scowl on my face.
"I had these ideas in my head, I went with the little things and now I just have to run away, you almost beat me in the last broom relay, you won't be able to run away from some armless little dragons that fly badly and don't even light themselves on fire" I don't know if I can really handle that.
"You're a bit mad sometimes Croix, if we acted calmly it would be easier, we're destroying their house for nothing" I say half feeling bad.
"They're just wild animals, they'll soon find a home for themselves, nature does much worse things, not to mention that there are several of these nests around here, so you can rest easy" I'm not that calm, she's very selfish.
Just then we see a little bit of sunlight, the Wyverns start to appear and we get on the broom and start to fly away, as the drill returns to normal, several of them start to come after us like a swarm of bees, I'm really scared.
Croix, on the other hand, is spinning in the air, dodging several of them coming towards us, and we're doing a few flips over trees, they can't get close enough, I don't look back too much and soon we're climbing and I can hear Croix's screams.
"That was awesome, Chariot! It was a very good mission!" She said, and I didn't like it very much, I got the business at what cost.
"Look at how much damage we've done to these creatures, they don't deserve it, they're part of Luna Nova's fauna" I say to her.
"Pfft, you always defeat a dragon in your presentations, but now you're worried about these things? Please Chariot, let's see who gets to the tower of Arcturus first" I force my hand on the broom and I'm not leaving it behind.
I'm not going to win because I want to have fun, I'm going to show her a message, Croix has to notice how cruel she's been, this is very cartoon villain, I don't want her to end up like this, it's not going to be healthy for her, I know she's bothered by things, but being like this isn't going to help anything, I look back and even the little monsters have stopped following us.
She's starting to get more momentum and speed, I'm going to show her what a Du Nord is, I'm not going to take it easy at any point, I'm even leaning more on the broom so that the air resistance doesn't come up and I'm gaining more speed, firing with everything
"What?" It was the only thing I could hear as Croix was being left behind, my flying speed increasing little by little, I'm not leaving myself behind in this.
With my concentration at its maximum, my gaze changed completely, I didn't look back for a minute, my hands were getting firmer on the broom, the sky was getting tunnel vision, the trees passing by were no challenge to me, I really embodied what my mothers taught me about broom flying.
I could feel the wind coming towards me, I remembered the path very well, my magic was very intense and from afar I could see the tower of Arcturus, I got closer to it and I landed braking as if it were an instant, which I put my feet on and even felt a relief, then I simply saw Croix from afar and almost arrived, I even gasped.
"What was that, Chariot? I said a little race, I didn't mean for you to humiliate me, you gave it your all in this little race, I just wanted to play, I didn't need all that speed" Oh yes I did.
"I'm going all out in September" I say breathlessly.
"Was it because of the Wyverns? You don't need all that, it's a matter of survival, now we've reached the tower and what you need" Are we there? At what cost did we get here? I don't even know if she's the Croix she used to be.
I'd rather keep quiet, I'm getting angry with her about this, there's no point in torturing innocent little creatures just for living their lives, I'm still going back there, just without Croix to see if the Wyverns are okay, I'm going to make a point of helping them a lot, repairing what Croix has caused, which soon Woodward appears among the butterflies, apparently it's time to see what she has to say on this mission, I can't wait for Croix to listen to some advice.
"Well done girls, you made it to the end, you got what I asked for, now I'm going to grant Chariot the awakening of her familiar, but before that we need to discuss something mainly around you Croix" I knew there would be something.
"I did it for the sake of survival, are you going to tell me that you, a Celt from the 5th century, fondled little creatures and never killed a Roman who was hunting your friends? Oh please, Woodward, not every witch is pure" Apparently someone felt very sorry for the dragons.
"You need to review these concepts, everything I've caused has always been out of fear, I've always hunted hares feeling bad about the life I was ending, but I knew that it was a piece of that life that was keeping me alive, the Romans in those days, well it was self-defence, I wasn't the only one in the group to do it, I knew that many of them were just following orders and I felt bad about the death of each one, It wasn't just them, I killed a lot of people, a lot of people, not because of that I feel I'm a pure person, not because of that you should stop being a better person, today's times exist to avoid behaviours of the past, so Croix, this could affect you at some point, it's comparable to the humanity that each of you has" I knew it would be something like this, apparently someone is going to be furious.
"And you have no idea how idiotic it is to be a pure and good person, these people are the ones who get the upper hand, I was like that before I ran away from home, all I got were threats and threats, since I was very young I've known that the right way is every man for himself in this world, either they step on you or you step on them back, I've been through a lot of suffering to get to this point" She really has been through a lot, but that's no reason for anything.
"Well, I'm warning you, Croix, taking a more selfish route will get you nowhere" said Woodward.
"I'm not selfish! I'm working to help Chariot with her career, I even protect her from a lot of things, apart from making friends with Becca and Parker, I'm anything but selfish" She sounds like a spoilt child like that.
"I don't see it, you still have the mannerisms of a spoilt and selfish child, it's very noticeable, your behaviour demonstrates these actions, you came here in front of me to prove to me that you're helping them just to win some points for having a piece of wood with some glass balls in your hand, you still have a lot to improve, you're not being someone better for yourself, but for your goal" This made Croix deeply angry.
"And what human being isn't like that?" She even stands with her arms folded, turning to Woodward.
"Well, apparently you really prefer not to listen to me, this is still going to affect you a lot girl, I've already told you that you'll only get better when the person in you gets better, anyway come on Chariot, your first relative is going to come" she said putting her hand on my forehead.
I get very anxious, feeling that magic coming, with the emerald glowing I knew something might be coming, will my familiar be like the Wyverns, I'd love it, it would be a slap in the face for Croix too, I see the lights coming on my forehead, I see Croix herself looking at me, I hope she really doesn't get so angry because of the things that happen.
I see an emerald light getting stronger, floating in front of me in a huge flash, and when we open our eyes to see something, it's simply an egg, my family member is an egg! That's cool, it's still going to be born, that's really cool, I'm all excited.
"He's turned up, my family member is still to be born!" I say all excited.
"Ugh, that doesn't usually happen with family members, they come out in their final form, apparently yours is going to be an egg" Meridies said.
"Oh, it could be an egg, it could be anything, I have a family member, a little friend, who I'm going to treat with a lot of affection anyway" I say, hugging my egg family member.
"It doesn't seem to have woken up yet, but soon this egg will break and reveal who your relative is, for now you can leave it incubating and whenever you can treat it with the proper affection, after all that's how a good relationship between witch and relative is created, I'll see you next week, I hope you've learnt a lot today" Woodward said, leaving, disappearing as usual.
I marvelled at the egg I'd got, it's quite a big one I have to admit, and it's still got a lot going for it, I imagine I'm going to get a very angry Wyvern, I'm going to treat it with a lot of care and then show it to my friends, as soon as you're born, I hug the egg and then go over to Croix who turns her face away, she seems quite full of it.
"Leave me alone, Chariot, I want to be alone today, I'm not feeling well" she said as she left the tower on her broom and I just watched her go.
"Don't mind her getting angry, she's nice, she's not always so grumpy and grumpy like that" I say, looking at her disappearing over the horizon.
Ahhh Croix, why are you so complicated like that, I know it's nature and all, but getting angry like that isn't going to get you that legendary Claiomh Solais, I really hope she listens to Woodward, she's been warning
her about this behaviour of hers forever, if it's really true about her acting like this just because she thinks it's the best way to get it, she might end up breaking her face, but anyway I have something to do.
Now my egg friend is going to have to go back into storage, I don't want him to be broken, now I'm going to do the right thing, even though they're aggressive creatures I'm going to make a point of correcting what I've done, it's the right thing to do, we've broken into their house and we've upset them.
"I actually went there and helped the Wyverns, a bit scared, but I went there and used my magic to removethe stones from the entrance that buried the entrance, then I did it in the other parts of the cave, in the endwith some meat that I brought from outside they were being kind to me, I didn't need to resort to anaggressive approach, I knew they were just little creatures, even the dead ones they let me pick up and Igave each one a proper burial, even though the little monsters didn't understand much, which you canalready see wasn't a lack of warning for Croix, she'd been warned about her behaviour by Woodward allalong, I tried a lot too, but it didn't help at all.
See you, familiar witches...