Twenty-First Spell: The Lion's Test
After some time, everyone finally managed to properly levitate their broomsticks into their hand after saying the word 'Oru'.
"Now that you've got a hold of your brooms, I'm going to put you through the Lion's Test!" Gōgu-Dono stated.
"What's the Lion's Test?" Haru asked.
"I'm glad you asked, Ryuji," Gōgu said, looking oddly gleeful. "Legend has it that when new lion cubs are born into a pride of lions, their mother will throw them off a cliff in order to test their survival skills. If they manage to dig themselves out and back onto the cliff, they get to live another day. But if they don't, they starve to death!"
"That's not true, though," Hikari interrupted. "Lionesses don't actually do that. I read about it in a textbook."
Grumbling, Gōgu continued, "Regardless if this legend is true or not, it's my way of testing your flying skills."
"And what does that entail?" asked Seita between yawns.
"Basically, you're going to get on your broom and leap into the air off that landing platform," Gōgu said pointing. "If you manage to hover in the air after leaping, you get to keep taking my class. But if you fall, I'll have to hold you back till next year when you can take my class again."
This made all the students very nervous, especially Haru who had never flown a broom before.
"Has anyone died from doing this?" Haru whispered to Rui.
"My Grandpa said they used to have the Primary Students take Flying. But then when the eight year-old son of a prominent Wizarding Family plummeted to his death, they made Flying strictly for Secondary Students," Nayu said. "And so far, no Secondary Students have died in this class. None that I've heard of anyway."
"So who would like to volunteer first?" Gōgu asked. When no one answered, he said, "Then I guess we'll go in alphabetical order. So that means you're first, Boin-Chan!"
Sumi flinched when she heard her last name called.
"Don't make her go!" Hikari urged. "I'll volunteer first."
"Very well, Genma-Chan," Gōgu said. "Go ahead!"
Hikari mounted her broom with a straight face. After taking a short breath, she ran all the way up to the edge of the platform and leaped off. Everyone gasped, wondering if she was still alive. Then a few seconds later, Hikari rose up into the air hovering on her broomstick looking as confident as ever.
"It's not as scary as it looks!" Hikari claimed, trying to keep her broom steady. "How do I land, Gōgu-Dono?"
"Just lean forward slightly and touch back down on the ground," Gōgu instructed.
"Got it!" Hikari levitated back onto the landing platform and stepped off her broom while accompanied by applause from the class.
"You're so cool, Hikari!" Sumi said as the two reunited. "I wish I were as brave as you!"
"It's nothing," Hikari smirked.
"Maybe I should go next," Daizō offered.
After leaping off the landing platform, Daizō managed to hover on his broom just as quickly as Hikari. From there, other kids in the class willingly participated in the test and they were able to levitate their brooms quite well including Sumi.
"Looks like all we have left are the wimpy chickies," Gōgu remarked, eying Haru, Nayu, Seita, and Rui. "Do you want me to call you guys in alphabetical order?"
"No, I'll go," Haru offered, ignoring the loud beating of his heart against his ribcage.
"Then take it away, Ryuji," Gōgu said as he swept his hand toward the landing platform.
Haru tried to relax as he got on the broom. As he held it tightly, he pictured flying. Once he had the image at the forefront of his mind, he ran up to the landing platform and jumped off the edge. The air rushed past him along with the salty smell of the sea.
"Come on, broom, fly!" Haru insisted, seeing the jagged rocks below getting bigger. "If we don't, I'm going to die and you're going to get smashed to pieces!"
Suddenly, the broom stopped falling and hovered in the air. Unsure of whether to believe what he was experiencing was real, Haru turned the broom sideways and it moved on command. Then he lifted the broom slightly up, which allowed him to fly back up to the landing platform where he saw the shocked faces of Hikari and Rui.
"You did it!" Rui exclaimed. "Way to go, Haru!"
"Good job!" Cheng added.
Just as Haru was about to attempt a landing, he heard a menacing voice in his mind. "Hebi…."
Feeling the same pain in his chest from last night, Haru tried to ignore it as he landed on the platform. But he barely got off the broom before collapsing. When he woke up, the faces of his classmates were staring down at him while Gōgu was examining his chest.
"What are you doing?" Haru demanded, covering his chest up with his robe.
"Just checking to make sure you weren't having a heart attack," Gōgu explained. "Some first-time fliers can get heart attacks from the stress of hovering so high in the air."
"That's a weird scar on your chest," Daizō said to Haru. "Did you have a shaving accident?"
A few of the boys laughed, while the girls couldn't help but stare at Haru's chest in spite of themselves. Hikari was one of them, and when she noticed Haru was staring at her she turned away in embarrassment.
"I wasn't looking!" Hikari insisted.
"Uh-huh," Rui said skeptically. "You were staring just as much as the rest of us. Admit it!"
"No way!" Hikari argued. "I bet the reason you stared at Ryuji is because you secretly like him."
Hearing that, Rui's cheeks turned a slight pink. "Th-that's not true!"
"Girls, please!" snapped Gōgu. "Enough of your petty squabbles and help me carry Ryuji to the Healers' Wing."
Rui and Hikari huffed at each other before picking Haru up by the legs while Gōgu held him by the arms.
"Mind if I help?" Daizō offered. He took out his cherry tree wand and waved it. "Fūzhào!"
From Daizō's wand appeared a white cloud that hovered underneath Haru and held him up like a giant floating pillow.
"Oh, you used the Cloud-Summoning Charm we learned today in Charms," Rui realized. "Good thinking, Daizō!"
Folding her arms, Hikari said, "I should've thought of that."
To be continued…
