Chapter 1: The Report about the New Wielder

The night was cold and gloomy and the dead trees in the forest sang a song of sorrow. As the song echoed throughout the forest, another sound interrupted the music and that was the sound of feet connecting with the ground in a walking rhythm. Walking down the broken stone path was a middle-aged woman with long flowing dark purple hair. Her hair covers both her eyes and she wears dark lipstick, along with a long black and white gown that reaches up to her ankles flapped in the wind every time she walks.

Coming down to the end of the pathway was a large mansion that initially looked abandoned, but the dim lights coming from the inside said otherwise. The woman entered without care and walked up the massive stairs to the floor above. On the top floor, the ground was covered in a nice and clean red fabric. She walked down until she saw a doorway on the left and another on the right. Once she reached it, the woman made a quick turn left and saw a huge two-way door.

The woman continued her long walk as a furry black cat with golden eyes came up behind her and meowed to get her attention. She stopped and looked at the animal with a smile on her face. She shook her head.

"You seem to be doing well, Lilith…"

The white cat, who was supposedly named Lilith, looked at the woman and responded in human language.

"You look good as well, Mistress Annabelle…"

"This place hasn't changed," said Annabelle as she looked around. "I wonder if everyone is still around."

Lilith nodded, "They are, they're just off taking care of some things for the Old Master…"

Annabelle looked up at the door again and continued walking, "To father? Well, I got something to report to him. He's not busy is he?"

"Nope! He's just doing what he usually does, reading those antics he calls books."

"All he ever does nowadays is read," Lilith laughed, "Is he ever going to get up and do something for once? Well...he might when I tell him my report."

"Oh?" Lilith purred. "You got some interesting news? What is it!? What is it!?"

"You'll know when I tell Father."

At that moment, a puff of smoke engulfed Lilith, and then standing before Annabelle was not a cat, but a very gorgeous pale-skinned woman with short black hair hair and cat ears. She wore clothes similar to a punk on the street and her smile revealed the sharp fangs hiding behind her delicate lips.

"What is it, Mistress Annabelle? Tell me…"

The humanoid cat woman leaned forward with her golden eyes glowing with interest.

Annabelle smirked and shook her head.

"Come into the room and you will know."

At that moment, Annabelle opened the doors into a huge dark, and spooky library. Down in the middle of it was a huge chair that was more like a throne, but it was facing the other way so neither Annabelle nor Lilith could see who was sitting there.

"Hello, Father…"

As Annabelle approached, a large dark bat flew down from the ceiling and flew in her face while baring its fangs and its eyes flashing red.

"Anna! Where the hell have you been!?" The bat yelled, its voice was very masculine and harsh. "You disappeared for centuries and know you approach the Old Master in such a—"

"Now now George…"

An old dreary voice echoed throughout the library, the three were now silent.

"There is no need for this ruckus unless something useful will be spoken."

The huge chair turned around, revealing its seater. It was an old man whose body was wrinkled like a raisin, his dusty white beard was so long it touched the ground, his fingernails looked as sharp as lion claws, and his eyes were foggy with the memory of someone who had seen many things and holds wisdom, but also a deep power stored away for ages.

"You have returned, my beautiful daughter…"

The Old Master slammed the book he was reading shut, creating a sound as loud as thunder.

"Why have you returned to me?"

Annabelle bowed before speaking.

"I have some news for you, Father. And I assure you, it's definitely something you would want to hear."

"Where were you all this time, Mistress Annabelle?" Lilith asked out of nowhere.

"I was staying in the Domains of Avalon to try and understand the Secrets of the Faeries…I was able to reach a certain conclusion, but the answer has not truly presented itself yet…"

"The Ancient Knowledge of the Faeries is a challenge to master," stated George the Bat. "But I digress, what news do you wish to share?"

"The news comes from Luna Nova. I was observing the Samhain Magic Festival," answered Annabelle.

"Luna Nova… is that old place still doing pathetic rituals like that? What news from there would be so important for our Master—the King of Magic to hear?"

Lilith cleared her throat.

"During the festival…I saw a student wielding the Claiomh Solais."

At that moment, Lilith hissed as if she was sprayed with water and jumped back miles away from Annabelle. George flew away and landed on the Old Master's throne chair, also hissing at the woman. The Old Master's reaction was a strange one, he did not move or make a noise but his eyes opened and started to light up like flashlights, his mouth was also open, but no one could tell if he was frowning or smiling.

"Are you sure, Anna…?"

The old man's voice was so deep that the air in the room became thicker. Lilith was taken aback by that, but she still responded with the same confidence in her voice.

"Yes...I could never mistake the glorious power of the Seven Stars…just like you, I witnessed the Goddess of Witches wield with such ease…"

"What name did she go by again? Woodward?"

Lilith grumbled as she slowly started to walk back to the group.

"It's thanks to you that she succeeded in activating the Grand Triskellion," George said. "You had taken her life before she could even mutter the last word."

"Yet despite dying, that old hag still proves to be a problem for us!"

Lilith shouted as she folded her arms.

"Do you speak of that traitorous woman!"

The entire room went silent as the Old Master angrily projected himself. He then turned his head to his daughter and spoke in a more gentle voice.

"Anna, does this wielder have all the seven words?"

"No," she replied, "I caught a glimpse of the Claiomh Solais and only three gems were glowing. That means she has only awakened three of the words."

"Ok…"

George sighed in relief.

"So she is not a threat, at least not now."

"Anna…"

The Old Master raised his voice. Everyone hushed as he spoke.

"What is this new wielder's name?"

"Her name is Atsuko Kagari, she is a student in Luna Nova."

"Only a student!?" The Old Master's voice rose in surprise and interest. "Only a student and yet she is worthy of the Claiomh Solais…"

"She must be extremely skilled if the Claiomh Solais chose her," said George.

"Funny you say that, because I witnessed the opposite," Annabelle giggled.

"What do you mean?"

"I disguised myself as a mouse and watched the girl for days. And what I've learned is that she is the least popular and the least skilled student in the entire academy. She comes from no magical family and has no basic understanding of the fundamentals of magic. Hell, everyone calls her the worst student to ever step foot in Luna Nova! However, those magical skills she displayed during the Samhain Magic Festival were…quite promising."

"If that's the case she should be easy to get rid of," Lilith responded with an evil smile. "Why didn't you kill her when no one was looking, Mistress Annabelle?"

Annabelle sighed.

"The school is heavily guarded. Even if I did succeed in killing her it would have been nearly impossible to escape unharmed."

"You fear the witches of that dusty old school?"

"I fear one of them," Annabelle answered honestly. "Only one of the teachers holds great power."

"I see…well in the end you made the wise decision not to kill her," said the Old Master. "If you did, the Claiomh Solais would have just disappeared and found a new master."

"Then what are we going to do, Old Master?" George asked. "The Seven Words of Arcturus could become a threat to your plan on unleashing the Symphony."

The Old Master chuckled under his musty old beard and he looked up at George with his face looking scarier than a ghoul.

"The answer is simple…the Seven Stars must be purged and then the Kagari girl can be killed!"

Annabelle raised an eyebrow.

"Purge the Seven Stars? You can do that?"

"Of course, he can!" George shouted. "Woodward used the Power of Yggdrasil to create Arcturus, have you forgotten that the Old Master is also filled with the Power of Yggdrasil as well—"

The talking choked on his last few words as the Old Master grabbed him by the throat. He then dragged the creature to his face, his eyes staring deep into his soul.

"What did I tell you…of speaking that traitor's name…"

"I-I'm sorry Master," George said as he was begging for air. "It won't happen again…"

The Old Master released George and continued speaking.

"I could have claimed the Claiomh Solais myself long ago," sighed the Old Master, "but it always managed to escape me. I could never get my hands on it. But now that the new wielder is nothing but a mere child, the rod will be mine."

"Well, trying to take the rod from her won't work," said Annabelle. "It'll reject you because Atsuko Kagari is its wielder and it will never abandon her unless she dies or becomes unworthy."

The old man chuckled again.

"My foolish daughter…we are not going to steal it…she is going to give it to us…"

"Give it to us?"

"If you tried to steal the rod you would be harmed by its defenses, but if the wielder gave it up...well that is a different story…"

"I see your point but I don't see that kid giving the rod up. She seems to stick to the damn thing like glue. How are we going to make her hand it over?"

The Old Master cackled.

"I already came up with a plan, and I'm sure it will work without fail…"

The old man raised his hand to the air.

"George! Call Elizabeth!"

"Elizabeth? Y-yes, master! Right away!"

The red eyes of George the Bat glew brightly nearly consuming the entire room in the shine of a ruby. A minute later, the door opened to reveal a young girl wearing headphones and goth clothes.

She seemed tired and uninterested.

"What do you want, old man?"

Everyone gasped at Elizabeth's rude remark while the Old Master just bellowed out laughing.

"Elizabeth!" George shouted. "Speak to your grandfather with respect!"

"It's alright George…"

The Old Master leaned forward on his chair, his eyes shined as he stared at Elizabeth.

"My dearest Elizabeth…are you purposely interested in going to school again?"

Author's Note:

Hello everyone! This is the rebranding of an old fanfic I have written back since high school! Only this time, I actually have a clear plotline and it's not just a bunch of random mombo jumbo! So, I am honestly excited for those who are sticking with this story and please stay tuned!

Please check out my own original web novel, "The Branded Hero Volume 1: Baxter the Failure". The tale of a hero who has been outcasted by the world since releasing The Demon King: /series/The-Branded-Hero-Volume-1-Baxter-the-Failure/info

And please check out my webcomic, "The Curse of Gringerfield" on Webtoon and Tapas!

Webtoon: https/en/canvas/the-curse-of-gringerfield/list?title_no=970667

Tapas: /series/The-Curse-of-Gringerfield/info

Next Chapter: The Worst Student in Luna Nova