Chapter Text
Chisa's POV
Gazing out of the window, my eyes sparkle with joy. The sky is so blue... Honestly, I had forgotten what it looked like. I haven't seen the sky since the 'errand' I went on with Joseph. It's a beautiful azure colour - and it makes me smile. The sun is shining too. It's dazzling rays are dappling through the trees of the college courtyard. The bright beams are also shining through the window I'm staring out of. The rays warm my skin, adding to my contentment. The light touches my purple hair, making it shimmer - it's pretty.
I can see people - students, I think, milling around. Some walk, some rush. They all wear the same uniform... if I'm honest, I don't like it much... it's very... brown. I'm not in any danger of being spotted. They never look up, but it's probably for the best. Chise explained that when I suddenly appeared out of nowhere, I caused quite a stir. She had to tell her fellow classmates about me, and that's okay. But right now, they don't actually know I'm here. They think I'm in the countryside, in Elias' home. If they knew I was here, Chise said I'd have a lot more visitors... which I'm not ready for right now.
It's interesting to watch people from this height. I counted the windows from the building opposite to the one I'm in. Three windows from the ground - the third floor. These students are sometimes in groups, to twos, to even by themselves, lugging books or tools... sometimes even cages. But Chise assured me no animals or creatures get hurt.
It's been five days since I woke up from my coma. I had been asleep for three weeks. I'm not really surprised about that anymore. It's one of the strange attributes to being a Sleigh Beggy. Chise has taught me so much in these five days: she's taught me about Sleigh Beggies. What we are, why we were always weaker, what we can do. Although, I feel like she's holding back, and hiding something from me, not just about Sleigh Beggies, but about herself. I've felt... a darker presence near her, but I don't understand why. Chise is good, her aura shouldn't be dark... so why is it? Sometimes when she looks at me, a shiver runs down my spine... and I can't understand why...
Wait. What am I thinking? Chise is my twin - I trust her completely... there's no way she's evil. I'm such a bad sister for even considering that.
Chise cares about me, she loves me so much and I love her, too. She really wants me to live a good life - she wants what's best for me. That's why Chise and Elias have a plan to help me learn to control and hold back my magic... magic I didn't even know I had. Sure, Joseph told me I could generate magic... but he never told me I had the potential to be a Mage.
Mages. Joseph had briefly mentioned them. But Chise fully explained everything. Unlike Alchemists, who manipulate the laws of nature; Mages use magical energy that they borrow from nature to change the world around them for the better. Rather than bending the laws of nature, Mages flat out break them to achieve their desired results, it's amazing! Although, casting spells can be draining for them, especially for Chise.
Chise and Elias are both Mages, but I guessed as much. And apparently, I have the ability to be one too. That scares me a little, I don't think I'm strong enough to do anything yet. It was a big enough challenge to make it to this window, for goodness' sake!
I'm not supposed to be out of bed, but I was really bored... and I could see the light from the sun dancing on the floorboards... I wanted to see the sky. When I pulled back the covers and stood up, my legs immediately buckled and I almost collapsed. But I gritted my teeth and persevered. I mean, I'm leaning against the window frame, so I should be fine... for a little while, at least.
My body is taking a long time to heal. It's the emotional and physical trauma I experienced - that's what Alexandria said. But it's also because Joseph used an enchanted blade to cut my stomach. That's what Elias explained to me. An 'experiment' to test my healing abilities, as well as a punishment. It doesn't hurt anymore, but it's still uncomfortable. Most of my scars have faded into pale lines. Some are thick, some are thin... but the one on my face stands out the most, for all the wrong reasons. A permanent reminder of his fury, engraved on my face - it makes me shudder every time I look at it.
He hasn't said a word since he made me lie to Chise. Guilt ripples through me as I remember that moment. It was horrible. Even though I know he's nowhere near me, I'm still afraid of him. That nightmare was so vivid - it was real... I could feel his presence, as though he was physically there. The feeling unnerved me. The words he spoke to me... "I will break you..."
That wasn't a threat... it was a promise. One that he will fulfil. If he gets the chance...
'I will get the chance, puppy, don't you worry.'
A shocked gasp escapes my mouth as my hand instantly flies to my hair. Fisting my hair in my hand, a shudder courses through my body. That's the first time I've heard Joseph since that day...
Tears prickle my eyes and I sniff hard, trying to calm myself down. I don't know how to stop this from happening - I don't even know how he does it! But it's all because of the stupid Pact... the one I can't say anything about. Every time I've tried, I get the most awful migraines. They don't go away until I stop talking. It frustrates me... but I can't tell anyone, and that's even harder to bear.
I have to try and block him out. Build a wall inside my head... I have to do something! I can't let this Pact grow stronger... I can't be bound to him!
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and start chanting in my head:
Block him out. Block him out. Block him out.
'Don't ignore me, Chisa.'
I scream in terror at his chilling voice. Feeling my legs crumple beneath me, I drop to the floor with a thump. I grip the edge of the windowsill as a soreness settles into my bruised knees. My body starts shaking uncontrollably with fear.
My face hits the wall underneath the window, and I shift my weight so that I'm leaning against it. I wrap my shaking arms around my legs, burying my face in my knees.
The amount of fear Joseph can instil within me even now is shocking. My chest heaves up and down as I try to calm my racing heart. My ears ring - but I don't care. It's better than hearing his voice.
Suddenly, I feel a hand touch my shoulder. I flinched instinctively, assuming it was Joseph. I lifted by head sharply, banging it on the window sill. I grimaced in pain, moving one of my hands to rub the tender area.
When I opened my eyes, I gasped. It wasn't Joseph... but whoever it is, has purple hair like I do! Although, their's is much darker than mine, like the skin of a plum. Without looking up at their face, I can tell she is a woman, because of the beautiful and elaborate way her hair is plaited. Feeling brave, I reach out my hand and touch the small braid that's free from the others, relishing the feel of the silky strands. My shoulders relax a little, as does my breathing.
Then I decided to be really brave. I lifted my fear-filled eyes to meet concerned ones. My orbs widened. Her eyes were almost black. But the longer I stared into them, I could see that they weren't black at all. They were dark purple - the colour of blackcurrants.
I blinked, breaking the eye contact - it still feels weird to me, because after a while, all I see are Joseph's steely orbs. But I am getting better at it.
Her hand squeezes me shoulder gently, but I wince - I still fear being hurt.
"Hey lass, are you okay? Did you fall?"
Lass?
I blinked. I looked back to her face - she's a pretty woman, with her angular features and tanned skin. I struggle with eye contact though, my eyes looking anywhere but hers. My emotions are going haywire. I don't know who this woman is... or why she's here... Maybe I shouldn't answer her questions... wait... what if she's trying to trick me?! My bravery diminishes. I quickly let go of her hair, lowering my head, my anxiety mounting.
I suddenly feel her fingers on my chin, tilting it upwards back to her eyes. I shut my grassy orbs quickly, slight tremors coursing through my body.
"Hey... Chisa, isn't it? You don't have to be afraid of me. Didn't Chise or the useless bonehead tell you about me?"
At the mention of Chise and Elias, I open my eyes curiously. My lips quirked upwards when she called him "useless bonehead". It's a funny nickname. Catching her dark eyes, I shake my head.
She sighs. "Well, no wonder you're afraid of me then, after everything you've been through." She looks at me with pity. My half smile fades at her words, but she quickly perks up: "Well then, little Chisa, please let me introduce myself. My name is Angelica; I'm a friend of Elias and Chise's, and I'm a Mage."
My mouth drops open. I can't believe how... well, common Mages and Alchemists are. Everyone I've met so far in this college is either one or the other. Though, on saying that, I haven't met too many people. It's just hard to be thrust from one extreme environment where your company is a psychopath; to another extreme environment where everyone you met fusses about your health.
Angelica places her hand on my forehead, tilting her head to the side. A warm blush creeps onto my face as I realise my mouth is still hanging open. Mortified, I shut my mouth quickly, shaking my head. Clearing my throat I try to speak:
"I-uh... sorry about that... it's just wow, you're a Mage too... My name is Chisa... Oh, wait, you already... knew that..." I say awkwardly, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me.
To my surprise, Angelica laughs and smiles at me. "Don't worry about it, lass. No need to apologise. It's strange to meet someone who already knows your name, huh?"
I chuckle feebly. "Yeah, just a little."
Concern fills her eyes again as she takes in my curled up form. Angelica takes her hand away from my forehead, placing it on top of my head.
"Are you alright, Chisa? What happened? Something tells me you shouldn't be out of bed yet, is that right?"
Ack. Well, better Angelica finding me like this than Chise... I really don't want a motherly lecture right now...
"Um... well, I wanted to see the sky," I reply, lifting my head so I can see the sapphire blue hue again. I sigh happily, looking back into Angelica's eyes. "I haven't seen this wonderful colour since..." I break off, flashing images of my time with Joseph replay in my mind. Tears form in my eyes and I drop my head, wrapping my arms around myself tightly.
Angelica quickly realises, and pats my head. "Hey. It's alright, Chisa. Don't think about that filthy Alchemist. Focus on me, my voice." My watery eyes meet hers, and she nods in encouragement.
"Tell me what happened after you looked at the sky; how did you manage to end up on the floor?"
'Don't make another mistake, Chisa. You don't want to get another nasty headache, do you?'
A shudder ripples down my spine. His mocking tone echoes in my ears. He enjoys the fact that I can't say anything about what's happening inside my head. He enjoys the control - and I hate it. I can tell that Chise already knows something is off. She's asked me about the Pact, and I've denied all knowledge about it. It was like an automatic response that I've been taught... but I haven't. I've never been a good liar... it won't be long before this fragile web breaks...
My glassy orbs stray away from Angelica's face as I lie: "Well, I'm not really sure... You see, I started to feel dizzy, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor. I think I may have blacked out for a second. I was too weak to get up by myself... and I knew if Chise found me out of bed I'd be in trouble. So I tried to make myself comfortable..." I ramble. This is a terrible lie, but I hope she buys it.
I glance back to Angelica, noticing the shock that covers her features. A twinge of fear twists in my stomach as I realise that she may tell my sister.
"But please don't tell Chise! I don't want her to worry... or get stressed out. She's a Sleigh Beggy too, so her health is also important. Please, Angelica." I beg her.
She hesitates, clearly having a debate with herself. Her wine-coloured eyes stare into my pleading ones. Eventually, she closes her eyes and sighs, her shoulders sagging.
"Alright, I won't tell her." This time, my shoulders sag in relief. "But we need to get you back on the bed before Chise returns."
Angelica stands up - I didn't even realise that she was crouching this whole time.
"Do you need help?" She asks me.
I shake my head. "No, thankyou. I got this far on my own... I need to challenge myself more, or Chise will baby me forever." I smile at my own joke, causing Angelica to chuckle.
Gripping the windowsill, I shift my weight onto my feet, pulling myself up. I stand shakily, my legs wobbling. I take a deep breath and steady myself. Letting go of the windowsill, I took a step towards the bed. As soon as my foot touched the ground, my legs buckled.
Angelica caught me long before I had the chance to hit the ground. She scooped me up in her arms, ignoring my protests. She carried me to the bed like a child, setting me down carefully. Looking down, I fiddled with my hands, my read with embarrassment.
"Thankyou... for helping... me."
Angelica chortled, placing her hand under my chin, lifting it up so that my eyes met hers. "You really are a lot like your sister. Don't be afraid to ask for help when you need it. And it's perfectly okay that you're not a hundred percent healed. You need time."
"I know,' I say, crossing my legs. "I just don't want to be a bother to anyone... I'm not used... to receiving help."
"You're not a bother, Chisa. Honestly, it's a miracle that you're alive. And now, you have so many people who want to cherish your life and want you to be happy."
Tears well in my eyes. I'm overwhelmed by her words. Angelica sees my tears expression and pulls me into a hug. I embrace her willingly, clutching her jacket tightly as I sniff hard.
Suddenly, she pulls away, gripping my arms and staring at me with wide eyes.
"Oh! I almost forgot, I came to see you today for a reason, Chisa."
She lets go of my arms, reaching into her pocket. She pulls out a little purple box and hands it to me. I take it hesitantly, confusion etched on my features.
"Go ahead," Angelica says, nudging me in encouragement. "Open it."
I do as she says, prying the box open carefully. I gasp softly at its contents. Inside the box, is an amethyst ring... that appears to be glowing. I gently remove the ring from the holder, relishing how smooth it feels.
"It's so... beautiful." I struggle to voice my thoughts. "Thankyou, Angelica." I smile at her warmly.
"You're welcome, lass." She takes the ring from my hand, grabbing my right hand and putting the ring on my forefinger.
I stretch my hand out, admiring how the light dances off the ring's surface.
"Hmm. Perhaps a little big... but in your case, everything is too big. You need to gain a bit of weight, Chisa!" She says, pinching my cheeks.
I brush the comment off. My size is a bit of a touchy subject. I don't really remember eating much when I was with Joseph... but when I did, I was starving. Apparently, I'm small - too small. Chise has been stressing about it. I don't really see the problem, and I try to reassure her that I'm fine, but she insists I'm not healthy. To improve my weight, they bring me multiple meals a day... but I'm not always able to finish them, I do try though. And they have said I'm improving.
I keep my gaze fixed on the ring, noticing little shimmers glance on its surface. As I concentrate harder, I can see the shimmers beneath the surface... moving...?
"Angelica... this isn't a normal ring... is it?" My gaze shifts to hers as I ask the question.
She stares at me for a while with an unreadable expression, before her face her lips curl upwards into a smirk. "Impressive, Chisa. You're very perceptive." Angelica reaches out, taking my hand with the ring, lifting it up. "This ring," she begins, gesturing towards it, "prevents your body from absorbing too much magic - because, as you know, your body is too weak to handle the constant strain. This ring will help you to control how much magic you absorb - you won't get as tired, so it will help with your Magus training. I made your ring, so I can guarantee it works. You shouldn't have any problems."
I stare at her in shock. "You made this? That's amazing!" I exclaim.
It really is, though. To make something like this, would need steady and delicate hands. And a lot of skill. But since Angelica is a Mage, it was probably a cinch for her.
Her chuckle snapped me out of my daze. "Well, I don't know if I'd go that far," she said, scratching the back of her neck. "It's just my talent as an Artificer. I make trinkets and whatnots with magic, and sell them to other Mages and Alchemists."
"Wow..." I breathe.
Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open and Ruth came bounding in. Ruth is Chise's... Familiar - a being that helps her perform magic. He's also a Church Grim, a fae creature. He was the dog who chased after me when I tried to escape... and I was terrified of him. But I was wrong to judge him so quickly - he's a big sweetheart, like an older brother.
He jumps onto the bed and pads over to me. He lays his head on my lap and I stroke his head, his soft fur feels like silk. His tail reaches up and caresses my cheek in return.
"Hello Ruth," I greet him. "Is something wrong? Where's Chise?" I start to worry. Ruth is always with Chise... so where is she now?
"Hello, Chisa. Everything is fine, don't worry. Chise just wanted me to get here first."
"Why?" I question... this is odd.
"Well... Chise has reservations about you being alone all day. So Elias put a tracking device in here that would monitor your movements throughout the day..." he breaks off, letting me piece together what he means.
I drop my head and my shoulders sag, "she saw me out of bed, didn't she?"
Ruth's blood red eyes catch mine as he nods his head. "And uh, she saw you fall as well."
Crap... how am I going to explain that? Wait, maybe she didn't notice the part where I clutched my head... oh please! Please tell me she didn't notice that!
The sound of Angelica's laughter makes me look up in surprise. Seeing my bewildered expression, she calms down.
"Are Chise's lectures really that bad?" She says, still struggling to contain her giggles.
"You have no idea, Angelica." I reply, facepalming.
I mean, I love my twin... but for her age, she is so mature. I can't believe we're both sixteen now - it's daunting, but that's how long I was with Joseph... ten agonising months.
I feel Angelica place her hand on my head, and I look up. "In that case, I think I'll take my leave now." She ruffles my hair, then heads towards the door.
I smile at her retreating figure. "Thank you, Angelica."
She stops, turning around. "You're welcome, Chisa." She smiles again.
"Will you visit me again?" I ask, hopeful.
"Of course!" She exclaims. "I want to see what a great Mage you turn out to be."
With that, she walks out the door, leaving me with Ruth.
I like her... I know she'll be a good friend.
And so I'm left in the same place as before, anxiously stroking Ruth's fur as I wait for Chise to arrive... with my lecture.
*****
Hi readers! I'm so sorry... this chapter took longer than usual because I just couldn't get it right. It is a little longer and I really hope it wasn't boring.
Thankyou all for your responses to my Author's Note 😊 I am pleased to announce that I will be making a sequel! 😁
Thankyou for all your support - I'm so happy I decided to make this fanfic!
Until next time
ilovemanga2000 💕