Chapter Text
"...Yo... Chiyo..."
She opened her eyes. She was once again in that long hallway. In front of her stood a misty figure. She had grown accustomed to this tall woman with long, curly hair, who had been appearing in her dreams for years. Chiyo knew she wasn't a threat. She only showed her things. A large black missile in space made of black blocks, a giant ghost on Halloween, a white eagle, and most notably...
A massive manor.
By now, she was used to walking around in this manor. Sometimes, it was dazzling, with joy and celebrations filling its decorated halls. But most of the time, everything had burned down, everything was dark, everything was dirty.
Today was one of those times in the hallway. She recognized it as the one leading to the master bedroom. The Lady of the Mist looked at her before fleeing, leaving behind her faint clouds.
“Hey, wait for me!” the young girl shouted. She knew she would wake up before seeing what the Lady of the Mist wanted to show her, but every night, she remained curious. Despite the soot and dust, Chiyo could see the wall moldings, the symbol of a unicorn appearing frequently. When she entered the bedroom, something surprising awaited her: a woman with short hair holding a match and a can of gasoline. The color of her hair kept changing constantly, preventing Chiyo from clearly describing the figure.
“Wake up, Little Prophecy. It’s time.”
Chiyo smelled smoke. She spun around, panic rising in her. The woman in front of her smiled, and the Lady of the Mist had her head bowed, as if ashamed of the pyromaniac figure.
“Wake up, Chiyo, come,” she heard. “Come on... Wake up...”
“Chiyo Kagari! If you don't get up this instant...”
Chiyo suddenly sat up in her bed. Her mother was shouting from the bottom of the stairs, and the smell of toast reached her nose. Chiyo looked at the time: 7:40 AM. She let out a shout, tried to get up, but got tangled in the duvet and fell face-first onto the wooden floor. Sudden footsteps echoed in the hallway, and her door flew open.
“What happened?! Are you okay?!”
“Haha, why didn’t you wake me up earlier?!” Her voice trembled. Her mother looked at her, putting her hand behind her head with a nervous laugh.
“Well, Chi-chan, I… just woke up myself?”
Atsuko “Akko” Kagari, 39 years old, was a primary school teacher. She had red eyes, shoulder-length brown hair tied in a half-ponytail, and a silly smile on her face. A determined woman who had raised Chiyo alone since her birth. She bore two large scars starting from the right corner of her forehead, stopping just above her eye, like two huge claw marks. “A bear attack,” she had once told Chiyo. Chiyo never believed it, but her mother hid many things in her life, so she never pressed.
Chiyo glared at her as Akko kept laughing. Her mother was as scatterbrained as she was determined. Chiyo pushed her out of her room, grumbling about how she didn’t have time to play around. She grabbed her uniform hanging on the door, consisting of a white shirt, a red skirt, and a matching tie, and quickly got dressed. She put on her usual round glasses and looked at herself in the mirror, taking a deep breath. She was almost the spitting image of her mother, with a few exceptions: her hair was lighter, leaning toward dark chestnut rather than brown, and for some unknown reason, blonde streaks grew in her hair, which she hid with pins, and she had blue eyes.
Blue eyes that she honestly hated.
You see, Akko had raised Chiyo alone, and for a good reason; her second mother had abandoned Akko when she was pregnant and never tried to contact her. Akko had to give up all her dreams to take care of her daughter, something she never regretted or made Chiyo feel guilty about. Chiyo was more than grateful to her mother for everything and hated those eyes that were the same as... the Other.
Chiyo knew nothing about the Other. She didn’t know her name or where she came from. For her, that person was dead, and Chiyo was just a Kagari, nothing more. Just Kagari.
What does it mean to be a Kagari, she wondered, smiling. Being a Kagari, she thought while grabbing her bag, meant living in a small, remote village in Japan, not knowing the internet, and having only a basic phone. Being a Kagari meant taking martial arts classes with her Ojiisan since she was 7, seeing her Aunt Chariot from time to time, and constantly reading in her free time. That was what it meant to be a Kagari, that was what it meant to be Chiyo Kagari.
The breakfast table was set. For various reasons, her mother always had an English breakfast. Her excuse was that her few years of study in Britain had given her the habit. Chiyo had always found the argument a bit silly, but never complained. Akko had already devoured her bacon and was sipping tea from her usual blue mug before slamming the front door. Chiyo sat down, muttered a quick “itadakimasu,” and devoured her plate, putting it in the sink before starting to run. A car horn startled her, and Akko slowed down next to her, yelling at her to get in. Even if she was late, Akko preferred to make sure her daughter arrived on time.
“Haha, I could’ve made it on time, you know?”
“No, and we both know that’s... well, a lie.”
Akko focused on the road. Chiyo could see the scars on her mother’s face tighten as she frowned while overtaking a few cars. Chiyo knew that if she got caught, her mother would get in trouble with the authorities. But she also wondered, watching her mother weave through traffic, if she hadn’t been a pilot in another life. Akko had this aura, as if she had done so much more than she said. Her mother was magical. And Chiyo saw her as her hero. She caught her own reflection in the visor mirror, and her jaw tightened. She shook her head and refocused on her mother, who had turned up the volume on a pop song from her teenage years. She was tapping the wheel to the beat, her near-perfect English accent rolling off her tongue. She was moving her shoulders, dancing in her seat. “One Direction,” if Chiyo remembered correctly.
“I don’t think you even realize, Baby, you’d be saving mine.” She didn’t even realize she was singing. Sometimes she had moments like this, where her old habits resurfaced, and Chiyo discovered a new part of her mother each time.
“We all need something,” she continued, turning. Chiyo kept watching her, smiling. “This can’t be over now, if I could hold ya...” Chiyo closed her eyes and enjoyed one of those rare moments with Akko.
“Swear I’d never put you down. Ddddddddddddddd-”
She turned off the radio, leaving the “D-” hanging on her tongue as she turned her head slightly toward Chiyo, her eyes wide with panic. They stared at each other before Akko turned the radio back on, quickly changed the station, and put on the news.
“Are we going to talk about what just happened?” Chiyo was used to this, and as usual, her mother gave her the same response.
“What just happened? Nothing happened. The signal was weak.”
“I saw you turn off the radio.”
“My finger slipped.”
“Your hands were on the wheel, Haha.”
“A yokai possessed my hand because I was singing too well.”
Chiyo rolled her eyes. Of course she would try to dodge the subject. She was used to it. The rest of the ride passed in awkward silence. Chiyo got out of the car, glancing one last time at her mother, who waved at her. She smiled back, started walking, turned around a corner and...
“Beeeeeeeeep.”
She quickly turned back and caught her mother, smacking her forehead against the steering wheel. Chiyo raised an eyebrow (her mother hated when she did that), and when Akko noticed, she quickly resumed her previous posture, still waving with an awkward smile before driving off.
When she changed her outdoor shoes, the sun was setting. She inhaled slowly and waved to her classmates, all children of farmers who grew up without social media, and began walking toward home. The traditional architecture still fascinated her, the stone streets guiding her serenely. Her life was perfect...
At least, that’s what Chiyo tried to convince herself.
She had dreams. She wanted to travel. She dreamed of discovering the world. Her small village was no longer enough; the photos her aunts showed her transported her far from the family home. Especially the photos of the Scottish landscape. The legends from there, the lochs... her aunts Hannah and Amanda once brought her a bagpipe, and her mother hated them the entire evening. The condition for playing the instrument was quickly established: only when Akko wasn’t home.
Her mind wandered as she approached the main road. A convertible pulled up at the end of the street, and Chiyo’s heart raced. Two heads looked at her, smiling.
“Aunt Croix! Aunt Chariot!”
The two women laughed as they opened a door. Chiyo jumped into the car and hugged them.
“What are you doing here? Oh, I’m so happy to see you!”
"Hey kid," Croix smiled at her from the rearview mirror. "We were just passing by to see you, and we thought we'd pick up our favorite little clingy one."
Chiyo’s cheeks puffed up as Chariot laughed. Beside her, Solaris, their two-year-old son, was giggling and reaching out toward Chiyo.
No. Everything was perfect. Why would she ever want to leave?
Chiyo was always torn between two worlds. Stay or leave? Leave her mother and explore the world, or stay in Japan near her family, assured of a comfortable life? Chiyo closed her eyes, telling herself that in the end, she was too young to worry about such things...
The rest of the evening went smoothly. Her mother had ordered pizzas, and the three women chatted about the challenges of being parents, while the young girl kept Solaris entertained by playing with him. The red-haired toddler was adorable, constantly wandering around with a little teddy bear and babbling things Chiyo didn’t understand. She didn’t speak French, or Italian, or whatever language Solaris was speaking. She preferred when he laughed and managed to speak in English. Chiyo herself wasn’t bilingual, but her mother had always pushed her to work on that language, even before Chiyo went to school. It allowed her to talk to her aunts, so she never complained.
Fatigue began to catch up with her. Solaris had fallen asleep on the living room rug, and the parents were chatting in the kitchen. Chiyo stood up, stretched, and gave a brief wave goodnight before heading upstairs. She looked at the stairwell wall and smiled at the photos of her mother and her, taken over the years. Just the two of them in every picture. No one else. No need for anyone else.
And yet, a nagging curiosity always gnawed at her heart. Who was the Other one? It was a question she had often asked her mother, a question Akko had dodged in the early years of her life. At first, she had told her the Other was dead, but why would she hide her name? Why were there no photos of their wedding? Chiyo had managed to pry that bit of information from her mother one evening, and Akko had quickly added that they had divorced shortly after and that the Other wasn’t dead but just a coward who didn’t want to face the consequences of her actions. Sometimes, when her mother had had a bit of sake with her grandparents and they were walking home, Chiyo would try to extract more information. Maybe if Akko couldn’t walk straight, her stories wouldn’t hold up either, and she’d crack?
Akko often ended up crying, saying that if the Other had left, it was because Akko wasn’t good enough. Chiyo would hold her, her hatred for her other mother growing even more. But that didn’t make her any less curious. Making sure her mother was busy with Croix and Chariot, Chiyo quietly entered Akko’s bedroom. She closed the door and took a deep breath as she turned on the light. Akko’s room was covered in photos, many with Chiyo, many with friends and family. Her teaching diploma was framed in one corner, a stack of children’s books piled beneath it, forming a precarious tower that must have been held up by magic.
She opened the closet and pulled out a black plastic box. Akko thought she was clever hiding it there, but Chiyo had been cleverer in finding it. Sometimes she wondered if her mother thought she was stupid.
She placed the lid on the floor. The first thing she noticed was the smell. Fifteen years later, the sweater still carried the scent of perfume. Chiyo wondered if her mother refreshed it somehow or if the scent had just become part of the fabric. Either way, the smell was still there, strong and pleasant. She unfolded the sweater, looked at it, and buried her face in it. It was purple, with a symbol of golden rings on the chest, and the number “30” printed on the back, with two broomsticks crossed behind it. No name, just the number. She closed her eyes, wondering what sport the Other might have played. She had no way of looking up the team, and when she had once asked Akko about it, she had been yelled at for snooping.
Akko had never yelled. Chiyo remembered the frightened, hurt look her mother had that night. Later that evening, Akko had said it was a British cricket team, a dull and boring sport that the Other had dragged her to watch. Chiyo had nodded and never asked again.
She closed her eyes. The sweater was soft, and she could almost feel herself being embraced. A sound startled her. She listened for a moment before hearing Akko’s laughter. Everything was fine...
The next thing she pulled out was a golden diploma. It was written entirely in Latin, but the logo from the sweater was also on it. Her mother’s name was written there. “That must be the school Haha always talks about,” she thought. Next, she found torn or burned photos (why keep them, then?), long bronze keys, a horseshoe (Haha, why?), and a card. Chiyo had always wondered what the card was supposed to be. She had always thought the woman on it resembled her Aunt Chariot, but that was ridiculous. She had never mentioned it.
She knew the next place to search was under her mother’s bed. She lifted the mattress, feeling the knot in her throat tighten. She grabbed the binder hidden there and leaned against the wall as she opened it.
“My dear Akko,” she began reading. The letter was in good condition, the handwriting neat and legible, despite having been written with a fountain pen. Chiyo recognized the ink.
“I’m sorry if this first draft isn’t as perfect as I’d like. I’ve been sitting at my desk for 40 minutes now, desperately trying to find the right words. I wish I could be with you to visit your parents and spend the winter holidays together. Here, we’re getting ready for the Yule festivities. I hope everything is going well on your end.
I feel my phone vibrating on the desk. You’re trying to call me, but I wanted to finish this letter first. In the end, I haven’t been very productive, and only a few lines have been written. I’ll make sure the letter reaches you as soon as possible, even if I have to enchant it to get it to you faster.
I’ll end this letter by wishing you happy holidays. I hope to see you before the new term starts. I miss you so much.
Forever and always yours.
-D.”
The rest of the binder contained other letters Chiyo had read and reread hundreds of times. At the end of the binder was an article about a burned-down residence, with the words and address crossed out. There was no picture, just words. Chiyo had tried to figure out what was written, but... impossible.
She sighed. She knew there wouldn’t be anything new, yet every time she opened her mother’s hidden belongings, she hoped to find a new clue. A name. A hint. She felt like Remy in the movie Ratatouille, flipping through the recipe book in the sewers. Her own comparison confused her for a moment before she heard footsteps on the stairs. Oh no, if Akko caught her, she was dead...!
Her breath caught in her throat as the door opened. Chariot’s head appeared, and they stared at each other in silence.
“Sorry, I was looking for the bathroom.”
Chiyo’s fearful gaze stayed locked on Chariot. The older woman bit her lip, then closed the door and sat down next to her.
“Your mother is too drunk to notice I’m gone.”
Silence fell between them. Chariot took the binder in her hands and noticed the sweater Chiyo was holding. She smiled gently and placed a hand on Chiyo’s head.
“I knew her, you know. I can’t tell you much about her, though…” She bit her lower lip and sighed. “Oh, Chiyo... Your mother was incredible, and I know Akko is angry, but one day, you’ll learn the truth.”
Chariot stood up and left the room, leaving Chiyo with more questions than answers. She looked at the sweater, feeling her eyes sting.
No.
She wouldn’t cry for her.
She would never cry for her.
Notes:
*Haha = "Mom" in Japanese, a more familial use for "okaasan"*
So... Here it is, my first chapter ! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it :)
Chapter 2: The Letter from... Who exactly?
Summary:
Things are worst that Chiyo thought...
Chapter Text
“Run, Little Prophecy,” Chiyo could hear. Her breath was already short. This time, the Lady of Mist had brought her to a flooded library. Something was chasing her—a shape snaking through the water, speeding towards her. Her heart raced. She knew that if she stopped, she would be caught, because even if it was only a dream...
The pain would feel real.
The clouds the Lady of Mist left behind guided her through the building. She could see the moon shining behind the clouds. The scene changed rapidly, and now she was running through grass. The creature behind her was becoming clearer, but Chiyo didn’t turn around. She heard laughter from the sky, but the creature leapt at her before she could even look. She closed her eyes, bracing for impact…
Nothing happened.
When she opened her eyes, her mother was above her, shaking her gently. She looked worried.
“It’s over, Chi-chan.”
Her voice caught in her throat. She threw her arms around Akko’s neck and sobbed. Akko sat down on her mattress, slowly rubbing her daughter’s back and humming the same lullaby she had sung to her as a child.
“It’s all right. You’re safe. You’re at home, warm, and nothing will happen to you.”
The tips of her fingers tingled—a sensation she’d always felt after strong emotions. Her mother had taught her ways to calm herself when it happened.
Her eyes scanned the room ; her window had been opened, and her vase was shattered on the floor. The flowers she’d received the day before for her middle-school graduation seemed mostly unharmed, but Chiyo couldn’t tell what had caused the mess. Perhaps a strong gust of wind? She glanced at her clock, breathing slowly. It was only four in the morning…
“Sorry, Haha, I…”
Akko placed a finger on her lips and smiled. She pulled her out of bed, wrapped her in a blanket, and guided her to her room. She nudged a box under the bed with her foot— the box —and set Chiyo down. She made her way around the bed, lay down, and looked at her with those large red eyes.
“I saw her again…” Chiyo murmured in a whisper. Her mother knew Chiyo had been dreaming of the same woman since she was five years old now. Whenever it happened, she would always ask for details. “We were in a large underground library with a big central pillar…” She bit her lip. The Lady of Mist had always guided her, but this time she seemed to know the place by heart. “Some sort of snake was chasing me, and the water kept rising, and…”
And what?
No matter how hard Chiyo thought, she couldn’t remember what had happened next. She looked at her mother, who seemed deep in thought.
“Haha?”
“Yes?”
“Am I…crazy?”
The question caught Akko off guard. She pulled her daughter close, gently stroking the bridge of her nose and forehead, and thought for a moment. Chiyo took the chance to glance at the box her mother had pushed under the bed. It was open, and she could see her mother had been sorting through photos.
Chiyo knew that, despite everything, Akko still loved the other . She often went through the boxes and was always deeply emotional during those times. It was impossible to miss how much she still wanted to cry. Or…something else. Chiyo remembered an awkward moment when she’d entered Akko’s room to find her reading an old letter, with… only one hand in her bed. She bit the inside of her cheek to chase away the scene, which replayed itself constantly in her mind. She focused instead on another memory, a slightly sadder one this time.
Akko could play the piano. But she rarely did. To be honest, Chiyo had never seen her mother play. She had only heard it a few times, typically on nights when the weight of nostalgia and pain held her down. Chiyo remembered a particularly difficult evening when she couldn’t sleep and had gone to the kitchen for a glass of water. She’d sat on the staircase, listening to the sad notes reverberating through the house. She’d heard Akko sing, and she’d heard her cry. Chiyo could almost imagine her mother’s expression if she listened to the way her voice broke. And yet, she stayed there, frozen on the stairs, while Akko’s voice faltered as she finished “Burn,” a song from a foreign musical. Akko always stayed strong in front of Chiyo, but alone, she became someone else entirely. Chiyo wanted to be there for this other version of her mother, but Akko wouldn’t let her in. She had to wait for the rare times alcohol loosened her mother’s walls.
Chiyo’s lip quivered slightly. She wanted to hate that woman, but whenever Akko spoke about how a smile could take her to the ends of the earth or how a touch could heal everything, Chiyo imagined an alternate reality where both her mothers had stayed together, where she grew up knowing both of her legacies…
But life was unfair.
“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Akko finally said after a long silence. “I think you have a vivid imagination, that’s all. It’s an excellent quality, you know!” She gave that smile, that genuine but mysterious smile, full of questions. Chiyo didn’t know what was so serious that her mother kept her in the dark. But her intuition told her she’d get an answer sooner than expected.
“But it’s strange to dream of the same person over and over, isn’t it?”
She sighed and closed her eyes. She could hear Akko humming a random tune, yawning as sleep pulled her down. Chiyo opened one eye, watching her mother drift off, drooling slightly, a soft snore lifting her chest. This was her chance…
Chiyo turned carefully and looked at the photos. She could make out photos she’d never seen, but the faces were too far and the light too dim to distinguish more than blonde, wavy hair. Chiyo had inherited the same waves from that woman . Her gaze stopped on a photo she was almost sure was burned just days ago. And another…? Her brows knitted. The other halves of the photos seemed to have reappeared as if by magic. Chiyo couldn’t see the face, but she could tell the person was taller than her mother and preferred sweater-and-shirt combos, wearing almost nothing else in the photos.
She tried to slip from her mother’s grasp, confused. How could this have happened? Unless Akko kept doubles of the photos…? Chiyo couldn’t think of another explanation. The other halves couldn’t just appear out of nowhere!
She heard Akko murmur, rubbing her eyes. Chiyo looked at her, pretending innocence, as if she simply wanted to return to her room. Akko smiled.
“Will you be okay? If not, you’re welcome to sleep with me.”
“ That would be torture… ” Chiyo thought. It wasn’t fair—some answers to her questions laid at the foot of the bed, so close, yet so far away…!
“I’ll go back to my room,” she whispered. Akko moved to accompany her, but Chiyo signalled for her to stay in bed, heading to her room. If those doubles existed, Chiyo would find them.
The young woman’s inner conflict made her feel guilty. She had vowed to hate that woman all her life, to ignore her and view her only as a biological mother (how that came to be, she didn’t know—Akko never wanted to explain the details). But another part of her screamed questions. It screamed for a meeting, screamed for a chase across the earth just for her attention and answers. Who was she? Where was she from?
Who was Chiyo meant to be?
This question, which would go unanswered as always, made her lower her gaze. She ran a hand through her brown hair and slipped under her duvet. The glow-in-the-dark stars gave her some comfort; she had always hated sleeping in the dark. Her eyes closed slowly, her thoughts drifting to blonde hair and blue eyes…
A car was waiting for her in front of the school. Chariot was smiling at her from inside, the wind blowing her hair back. Chiyo sat down beside her and groaned.
“Rough day?”
“The festival was today. As student council president, I had to supervise almost everything…”
Chariot nodded, her fingers tapping nervously on the steering wheel. Solaris was in the back seat, nibbling on one of his toys.
“Aunt Croix isn’t here?”
“She had some business to take care of for incorporating one of her companies in Japan.”
For the past two weeks, Chariot had been visiting the Kagari family almost every day. Chiyo found it strange. Normally, Akko and Chariot met up in the city in the evenings, with Chiyo joining them from time to time when she wasn’t too busy. But recently, Chariot had been the one picking Chiyo up every evening before spending time with the two Kagaris. The previous night, she had overheard bits of a conversation but couldn’t understand.
“ I don’t know if she’s ready, ” she remembered Akko saying. “ Yes, there was some… incident, but aside from that… ”
“ Akko, you know it’s inevitable. The longer we wait, the more uncontrollable the situation becomes… ”
Akko had sighed and postponed the conversation. Chiyo tried to gather clues, certain the discussion was about her. Why wouldn’t she be ready? What was happening? She would get answers. “ Tonight ,” she thought. Tonight, she would confront her mother.
The drive home was silent. Chariot was still tapping nervously on the wheel. Chiyo was worried. She had never seen Chariot so anxious.
“Aunt Chariot, is… something serious happening?”
Chariot jumped. She adjusted her glasses and laughed awkwardly, embarrassed.
“Of course not! Everything’s fine! Why wouldn’t it be?”
Chiyo frowned and opened her mouth, only to notice her grandparents’ car parked in front of the house. She could see Akko through the window, head down, being comforted by her Obaasan. Akko looked up and was met with her daughter’s blue eyes. “ Ah ,” Chiyo thought, “ something serious is about to happen or already has… ” For a second, she feared for her Ojiisan but then saw him watering the garden. Everything was fine. Her heart had almost stopped at the thought that something might have happened to him.
“Chi-chan!” Megumi Kagari, her grandmother, hugged her as she entered. Chiyo smiled and took off her shoes.
“Obaasan! What are you doing here? It’s not my birthday!”
She quickly turned to her mother with an accusatory look. Akko laughed nervously, scratching her cheek.
“Eeto… No particular reason? Just a nice family evening, eheh!” Chiyo’s frown deepened. Akko’s cheeks puffed up, and Chiyo could see a few drops of sweat on her neck. She looked her mother up and down; Akko was fiddling with her fingers, rocking awkwardly on her feet. “What a terrible liar” she thought to herself.
“How about… we have dinner!” Akko exclaimed. Chiyo’s heart sped up, and she could feel her hands getting clammy. Akko was acting strange. Yoh Kagari, Akko’s father and Chiyo’s grandfather, had come in and was washing his hands, smiling.
“I’m just… going to put my things away.” Chiyo backed up, climbing the stairs with growing anxiety. What was going on?! Had she done something wrong? Did her mother find out she had spent all her pocket money with Lizzy, Andrew’s daughter, on an online game?! No, Akko would never be angry at her for that, since she knew Chiyo was passionate about the game. Then what…?
Chiyo allowed herself a few seconds and screamed into her pillow. She took off her tie and looked at the teddy bear she’d had since childhood. It was brown and had a kind of tag on its left ear. It was worn, and mended, but undeniably loved. She had no memory of life without it and didn’t know who had given it to her. All she knew was that it had already lived quite a few years before she had. She held it close, squeezing it with her eyes closed, and sighed. Her phone vibrated. She let her eyes wander to the notification; it was Lizzy, sending her a picture of her dinner tray. Potatoes.
“ I can’t believe all we get is potatoes! I’m going to overdose! Chiyo, help me! :( “
“I wish I could send you a plate of takoyaki. Everyone here seems ready to have a heart attack. Haha is going crazy right now, I’m scared, sniff.”
Chiyo put her phone back in her pocket. She took a deep breath and left her room.
The evening went on almost naturally, except for Akko, who laughed louder than usual without a single glass of alcohol in front of her. Chiyo observed her mother from across the table. She could feel a lump forming in her throat, a tension building as silence settled.
“Chi-chan, I…” Akko began. Chiyo sat up straight in her chair, her cheeks reddening. All eyes were on her. Akko was in the same state, her hands fidgeting with the napkin in front of her. She opened her mouth several times before leaving the table. Chiyo raised an eyebrow, hearing her mother go upstairs.
“What’s going on?” she asked. No one answered her. No one dared look at her, especially not Chariot, who was looking out the window. The only sound was the soft music playing and Chiyo’s breathing, which felt louder than it was. Then, time stopped.
Akko was coming down.
She appeared in the doorway to the living room, holding a box similar to the one in her closet. A sealed envelope with a wax crest lay on top. She placed the box in her spot before returning to the kitchen. Chiyo heard her sniff as if she were crying, cursing, and hurting. She was about to get up when she met Chariot’s gaze. Akko returned with what seemed to be the handle of she-didn’t-know-what. The handle was wooden with steel rings at each end.
“Chiyo, sit still. We need to talk.”
Chiyo’s heart stopped in her chest. Were her questions finally going to be answered? Would she find out tonight who her mother was? Would she…
The envelope her mother was holding ended up in her hands. She blinked several times and turned it over.
Chiyo Marie Anna Kagari.
The logo Chiyo often saw on her mother’s hidden sweater was on the crest. She frowned. Her mother’s school? Sending her a letter? She looked up, silently questioning Akko. The latter avoided her gaze, looking at the table as she rubbed her arm. Chiyo carefully opened the letter and let her mind analyze the words.
Is this a joke?
She burst out laughing. But she was the only one laughing.
“Haha, seriously? All this stress for a prank? Did you think I’d fall for it?”
“Chiyo, listen-” Akko began.
“ Miss Kagari, you are invited to join Luna Nova Magical Academy starting in September. The headmistress will personally send you the lessons from the first semester . You’re joking! You didn’t think I’d believe this, did you?”
“Chiyo…!” Her aunt Chariot tried as well.
“Here I was, thinking it was something serious! I have to send this to Lizzy! When she finds out about this…!”
She was about to pull out her phone when Akko stood up.
“No need, Lizzy’s already there.”
Silence.
“You’re kidding, right?”
More silence.
“No, but seriously, you must be joking…!”
Her head started to hurt, and her fingers tingled again.
“You’re hiding so much from me, and instead of giving me answers, you make this up…?”
The light flickered. Of course, the bulb would start going out now. The situation was ridiculous. Akko approached her.
“Chi-chan, please listen to me…”
“No! I want answers!”
The light dimmed, then flared back brighter than ever. She could see the entryway light doing the same. Her heart clenched in her chest when Akko placed a hand on her shoulder. She stepped back violently, her whole hands now tingling.
“Haha, who am I?! What are you hiding from me?! Why make me believe this! Why, why, why?!”
She could hear a window slam. Then another. And another.
“I’m not a kid anymore! Enough with these stories of magic and witches! I. Want . To know !”
A window shattered. Then the entryway bulb. All the lamps around followed suit, and fear took hold of her. She tried to cover her eyes, but a green light at her fingertips made her scream.
“H-Haha! What’s happening to me!”
“ Sosomme Tidiare! ”
The same light at her fingertips appeared at the end of the handle—which no longer looked like just a handle—that her mother was holding. The shards of glass stopped mid-air before returning to their original positions. Chiyo watched the bulb above her mend itself like… like…!
Like magic…
Akko was holding the handle, from which a steel bar was protruding. The end was a half-circle, a shape that reminded her of an omega. A wand...
“I… I can’t believe I still know how to do that!” She sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Chariot clapped lightly before turning her attention to Chiyo.
“Chiyo, sit down now.”
The brunette looked at her grandparents with worry. They didn’t seem surprised and had encouraging expressions. Chiyo sat down, her mouth still open.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but you’re a witch.” Chariot pulled a paper bag out from under the table. “You’re like your mother, and you need to study at Luna Nova, where I’m the headmistress.”
Chiyo took the paper bag and pulled out a long navy blue robe adorned with a purple belt. A large hat followed, and Chiyo thought she must be hallucinating.
“Many young witches already have a good foundation. Knowing that you’re nearly an entire term behind, I brought you a binder with the courses and lessons you’ll need to know by September. The main subjects are Magical Linguistics, Magical Astrology, which I teach, Histo…”
Chiyo tuned out. She looked at the table, where a binder was slowly appearing. It… It was enormous…
“…and, of course, you’ll need to choose additional subjects. There’s no limit, but…”
It was too much. Chiyo pushed her chair, knocking it over as she ran to her room, tears streaming down her cheeks…
If this was what her mother had been hiding from her, she could have kept it to herself after all.
Notes:
Obaasan = Grandma
Ojiisan = Grandpa
Eeto = HmWell, it's already the second chapter ! I hope you'll like it !
Chapter 3: Mamma Mia! Here we go again...
Summary:
Chiyo has so much to learn but not enough time. It's a good thing she has a family behind her to help.
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
“Again!”
Chiyo was exhausted. Her mother had been waking her up around 7 a.m. everyday to practice magic. Akko was watching her, wand in hand.
“Focus, keep your back straight—no, not that straight!”
Chiyo clenched her jaw. Beads of sweat slid down her forehead, and all she wanted was a break.
How had she ended up here, you might wonder? Let me take you back to where we left off…
It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair! Chiyo felt her heart break, a pang of betrayal tightening her throat. What other secrets was her mother hiding from her? How long would the lies continue? And now she had two months to learn who-knew-how-many lessons and... spells!
She screamed into her pillow like she always did when she needed to vent. The tears kept coming, her sobs wracking her body in hiccupping waves. Her gaze drifted to a picture of her and her mother hanging on the wall. They’d always been close, despite everything. Was their relationship about to change? Chiyo didn’t want that.
A soft knock at the door startled her. She turned, but before she could speak, Akko appeared, her head down.
“Hey.” She sounded shy and embarrassed.
Chiyo frowned, wiped her eyes, and looked away. Akko shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
“Listen, Chi-chan, I... I was going to tell you…”
Chiyo stayed silent. Akko sighed and moved closer, sitting beside her.
“There... were a lot of reasons I kept it from you. But don’t think I wanted to hide it! Quite the opposite! Magic... magic is incredible, and I wish I’d been able to introduce you to it sooner.”
Chiyo finally turned towards Akko, her mother’s gaze sincere.
“It’s... still hard to believe...” she murmured. Akko nodded, aware of how much Chiyo had just learned. She twirled a different... wand between her fingers, longer and thicker than the one she’d used before. The handle was similar, but Chiyo noticed fine engravings on the wood and a large bird carved into it, seemingly flying towards the wand’s tip. What was mostly different was the rest of the wand; it was made of intertwined wood and steel, the tip being two slightly wings, reminiscent of the omega of the first wand. The initials "K-C" gleamed slightly on the wood—did her mother engraved her initials when she was born?
“This is... my wand. Aunt Constanze and Aunt Croix gifted it to me at my…”
Her voice trailed off as she looked out the window, taking a deep breath.
“Wedding with your mother…”
Chiyo had so many questions. Was she a witch too? Was she…
Wait a minute.
“AUNT CONSTANZE IS A WITCH?!”
Akko laughed and nodded.
“Just like Aunt Lotte, Sucy, Amanda, Hannah, Barbara, and Jasminka…”
“And Uncle Andrew—is he a wizard too?!”
“Andrew!? No, he used to hate magic! But I changed his mind!” Akko struck a proud pose as she said it.
“His father was staunchly against magic. He came to Luna Nova a few times out of interest, and gradually I opened his eyes. He even fell in love with me... by accident.”
She laughed nervously, scratching the back of her head in her favourite pose. Chiyo’s eyes widened in surprise.
“How did that happen?”
“It’s... a long story. Let’s say some... friend went to his party and long story short I got involved, and somehow, Aunt Sucy released a magic bee that makes people fall in love if stung... and, well…”
Akko was quiet, playing with her wand and biting her lip. Maybe it was a bit embarrassing.
“In any case,” Akko continued, “after a few encounters, he became a fierce defender of the magical world. Then he met Yssan. She went to a different school than Luna Nova, but they met at university and…”
Akko smiled. Chiyo nodded. They married and had Elizabeth—nicknamed Lizzy. Akko had Chiyo some time later, and despite rarely seeing each other, the two girls were inseparable. Truly inseparable.
“Is Lizzy a witch too?”
Her mother nodded with an awkward smile. Chiyo buried her face in her hands and groaned.
“Why couldn’t I have known this sooner?”
She flopped back onto her bed, staring at the ceiling dotted with stars. Akko laid beside her, both gazing at the large phosphorescent Big Dipper.
“It was too dangerous.”
Chiyo opened her mouth wide to protest, but Akko quickly clamped a hand over it, not even looking at her.
“Chiyo, let me finish. I know you’re stubborn and think you know best, and honestly, sometimes I wonder where you get it from—no, actually, I know exactly who you get it from, and it’s not me.” (She definitely got it from her.) “But this time... No one has ever faced a threat like this before! Oh, Chiyo, even though I stepped back from magic, even though it was my dream to be a witch…”
Chiyo closed her mouth, and Akko slowly lowered her hand. She looked as if she might cry but took a deep breath instead.
“A long time ago, the Nine Old Witches protected magic. Then, one day, something—someone—came to take it away. Its army was monstrous... and it took years to finally seal the creature away.”
Chiyo listened in silence. Akko’s eyes glistened with tears.
“But it woke up seventeen years ago. And oh kami-sama, it was angry. It wanted revenge on the Nine Witches, but they’d been gone for centuries. Only the spirit of Woodward, founder of Luna Nova, remained. But you can’t take revenge on a spirit, can you? So it tried to destroy the school directly. It came back with a whole army.”
“But you managed to defeat them with magic, didn’t you?”
Akko bit her lip.
“Chi-chan, every witch, whenever she casts a spell leaves a trace—a scent. It’s imperceptible to us, but it’s there. The stronger the spell, the stronger the scent. The army we fought... They were monsters. Monsters that could absorb our magic and use it to track us, like police dogs tracing a scent. If not killed directly, it will share the scent’s information with its being. If they aren’t all killed, you are always in danger.” Akko seemed close to tears, pressing a hand to her scar. “They swallowed my trace, my magic signature... I had to run and hide. I thought... I thought that isolating myself would be enough.” Chiyo placed a comforting hand on her mother’s forearm. “I was wrong. They found us. You were just a baby, and... I couldn’t protect you...”
Chiyo reached up to touch her own cheek, tracing the faint scar near her lips, one she’d never questioned, assuming she’d fallen as a child. It was on her left profile, not very deep and discreet to the point that Chiyo had forgotten about it. It was stretched across her check like a star to the corner of her lips.
“I tried to get between you and them…” Akko continued. “It wasn’t a bear that attacked me. It was something much worse. I... I failed you as a mother, and I’m sorry… Despite the dangers, I wanted you to grow up with magic. Oh, Chiyo, you adored it.” Akko waved her wand, and tiny stars and animals formed above them. Chiyo’s eyes sparkled, filled with nostalgia and joy. “When you cried, I created thousands of little illusions to soothe you. You weren’t even a year old when you tried to copy my spells with your toys. Lotte would sing you lullabies, and the spirits she summoned would sleep beside you. Amanda kept talking about getting you your first broomstick. Yssan and Andrew already pictured themselves taking you and Lizzy to school. But when we were attacked, I had to leave all that behind, so you could grow up safe.”
Chiyo was speechless. She’d missed so much, not because her mother wanted her out, but to protect her. She looked at Akko, her lip trembling. Akko was silently crying, little animals still dancing above them. A phoenix seemed to appear again and again.
“There’s one thing I don’t understand…” Chiyo murmured. Akko looked over, the illusions still dancing. “If they track by scent, why are you using magic? Aren’t you scared?”
“Luna Nova cast an enchantment over the house for two months. The school has been protected by Woodward’s spirit since the attack. It’s like a giant impenetrable bubble, where no magical scents can be detected.”
“Why didn’t they enchant the house before?! Or... Why didn’t we live at Luna Nova?!” The solutions seemed so simple, they could have been protected, they could have-.
“The teachers aren’t powerful enough to keep such a spell over a house for seventeen years. It’s incredibly complex and takes decades of experience. And living at Luna Nova would have been too obvious; it’s exactly where they’d expect us to hide, putting everyone in danger.”
“But why you? Isn’t anyone else being hunted?”
Chiyo’s heart sank. Surely there were other witches marked and tracked?
“Not… exactly… They’re... gone.”
Akko fell silent. Chiyo stared in horror. Was her mother the only one left from a witch hunt?
Chiyo slowly moved closer to Akko and rested her head on her chest.
“Haha, sorry for overreacting.”
“It’s not your fault. I’m sorry for keeping it from you.”
She buried her face against Akko’s chest and sighed. They stayed like that for a while, watching the illusions fade as they disappeared. When the phoenix landed on Akko’s nose, she smiled softly and thanked it. It lowered its head and burst into a small star.
“That was Hōō.”
“The phoenix is named after a Pokemon?”
“Hōō, not Ho-Oh. What do they teach you at school?” Akko sighed, running a hand over her face. “He’s my familiar.”
“Your… familiar?”
“I’ll tell you more when we start your lessons.”
They smiled at each other, and Akko stood up, holding out a hand to her daughter. Chiyo smiled and, ready to embrace her new life, intertwined her fingers with her mother’s.
And that’s where we left off. Chiyo had spent her evening asking questions about the magical world. Her grandparents had brought out old photos of Akko when she was younger, dressed as a witch. Chiyo learned about her mother’s admiration for her Aunt Chariot (“I wasn’t obsessed!” Akko had defended herself, blushing as her parents shared the story, with Chariot herself there to hear it), the sad tale of how Akko’s magic had once been stolen, but how she’d persevered to graduate, and how her grandparents had been proud of her all through her schooling.
The next day, Chariot was leaving for the United Kingdom again. And that same day, Lotte and Sucy showed up at their door.
For Chiyo, it was always surreal to see magic in front of her. Her two aunts arrived with brooms over their shoulders, and Lotte had a sort of eagle perched on her arm. Akko ran outside to hug her two friends, then carefully took the bird into her arms. It was about 80 centimetres tall with a wingspan of at least two metres. Its body and underparts were red, while its back and wings were orange, fading into yellow at the edges. Its head was slim and red, with a large hooked black beak and piercing yellow eyes. Large orange feathers rose from its head, following the curve of its body. Its tail feathers were long and seemed to end in embers. When it flapped its wings, glowing embers scattered in the air. Chiyo did her best to dodge them but saw some landing on her arm. She expected a burning sensation, but they vanished on contact, like illusions.
The eagle—no, the phoenix—turned to Chiyo after greeting Akko, and flew to her, squawking with excitement. Akko explained that Hōō, the legendary Hōō and not the Pokemon Ho-Oh, had been there when Chiyo was born and had mostly lived with Lotte and Sucy until the right time had come. When Chiyo asked if Hōō had a magical trace, her mother explained that the magical signature of familiars was different from that of witches, so the creatures that had once attacked them couldn’t track familiars. Hōō was safe, but to keep the secret, he’d had to live away from them. The phoenix—whom Chiyo would soon find out was very expressive and a bit stubborn—playfully pecked Akko’s head, flapping his wings in displeasure. Akko apologised several times, hugging him fondly.
“A familiar can take a physical form as well as a magical one. Yesterday, Hōō was an illusion, but he was there. He can appear in fire, in clouds, in different forms. Alcor, Chariot’s crow, used to take a larger, misty form during her shows—is it even a way to say it’?” Akko started to explain on Chiyo’s first day of lessons. “Familiar and witch form a bond. If a familiar dies, the witch lives on, but if a witch dies, her familiar dies too. Familiars can be adopted, encountered, or summoned… It's all about trust. I once had a lizard familiar, but before I could even bond with it, another student’s owl ate it! You should’ve seen my face! Later, I summoned Hōō. Why a phoenix? I’m still figuring that out, hehe.”
Since then, the large bird slept in the living room most of the time, keeping one eye open when Akko showed Chiyo spells, and often looking amused whenever Akko made a mistake. Akko grumbled about it, but seeing the glow in Chiyo’s eyes, she never seemed to mind much. With a flick of her wrist, Akko could transform into a tiny mouse and scurry onto Chiyo’s shoulder—only for Hōō to swoop down and ‘catch’ her in his talons.
If it had been just spells, Chiyo would’ve been fine. But then Akko introduced her to Magical Linguistics, promising that learning its subtopics would help her “understand Hōō.” Faced with a whole new alphabet, though, Chiyo already felt like giving up. Her aunts encouraged her, and she quickly picked up the basics—“Much faster than Akko at your age!” Sucy teased—but it still bored her. Hōō seemed bored too, squawking loudly when Akko asked him to repeat basic phrases for practice. Akko had to hush him, saying that some of his remarks were far too rude! Chiyo, who hadn’t understood, could only watch as her mother blushed and argued with her bird.
Magic Botanic was more interesting. Sucy taught her things beyond what she’d learn in class, covering the first-year essentials. Chiyo learned to identify ingredients by smell, though Lotte reassured her, “You’ll never actually be tested on that.” Sucy just shrugged and introduced her to poisonous mushrooms.
Lotte focused on Basic White Magic, showing Chiyo how to connect with spirits within objects. Chiyo brought her old teddy bear, but her family exchanged awkward looks until Lotte explained that objects needed to be at least a hundred years old. Akko presented an old family vase, and after Lotte’s song, a small, pink spirit emerged, spoke to them for a bit, and then returned to the vase. It was very interesting for Chiyo.
Days passed, and Chiyo grew more attuned to her magic. With each twist of her wrist, she felt a familiar tingling from her heart to her fingertips, and her wand glowed with spells that came naturally. She fumbled a few times, accidentally giving herself rabbit ears, which sent her aunts into hysterics. Embarrassed, Chiyo relaxed only when Akko showed her a picture of herself with the same rabbit ears as a teen.
After nearly a month of training, Amanda knocked on their door, smirking as she entered with a large gift in hand.
“Oi, Kagari!” she shouted, as she walked in. Akko rushed over and playfully nudged her shoulder, asking what on earth she was doing there. Hannah followed her, grumbling about keeping them calm. Barbara, Jasminka, and Constanze joined them later that evening, and Chiyo laughed until her sides hurt. She’d never imagined spending an evening like this!
By now, almost all her questions had been answered. The flushed faces in the room told her that a little alcohol might have helped loosen some lips.
Amanda grabbed her gift and headed out into the garden, calling everyone to follow her. She beckoned Akko and Chiyo to stand beside her as Hannah filmed.
"Chiyo Kagari!" Amanda began. "On behalf of everyone here, welcome to the magical world!"
Fireworks exploded behind them as her aunts clapped. Even Sucy, usually either stoic or with a mischievous smile, was beaming. Chiyo blushed, bowing and thanking everyone, when Amanda’s package suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Here, kid, enjoy."
Akko watched curiously as Chiyo unwrapped the package. Her look of wonder made Amanda smile proudly. She carefully unwrapped a broom, recognising it as a standard one from her lessons. Akko had mentioned that she didn’t feel ready to teach her herself, having not flown in years. Chiyo looked over at Amanda, ready to leap into her arms, when she noticed that Akko was also holding a broom, more elaborate than her own.
"You managed to fly Shooting Star and almost catch up with the blue team in our first relay!" shouted the redhead. "Raddle Kagari, teach your daughter how to fly!"
Akko nodded, gesturing for Chiyo to follow her lead. Chiyo watched her mother mount her broom, then did the same.
"Hold on tightly; we don’t want any mishaps," Akko said, her nose a bit red, a huge smile lighting up her face. Chiyo wondered briefly if it was safe to let her mother fly in her current state, but when Akko called out “Tia Freyre!” and lifted off, Chiyo couldn’t think of anything else. Her mother rose a few metres into the air, laughing and raising her arms to the sky.
"She’s flying," Sucy said grimly.
Everyone burst into laughter as Akko slowly circled the garden, quickly finding her balance back. She twirled and glided as if she were part of the wind, moving with a grace as if the sky itself was her element.
"You never lost it, Kagari!" Amanda called, grabbing her own broom. She gave a nod at Chiyo, urging her to join in. "Don’t worry; seeing who you take after, it’ll come naturally to you. Just let the magic and the wind guide you."
And Amanda soared into the air. Akko laughed, more joyfully than Chiyo had ever seen. Chiyo wondered how much her mother had missed this, how much she had suffered from the lack of magic in her life, how many magical moments Akko might have given up to keep her safe, and how many times she had hoped to fly again. Tears began to well in Chiyo’s eyes. She looked down, took a deep breath, and, with a determined frown, called out:
"Tia Freyre!"
Slowly, she felt her feet lift off the ground. The sensation was familiar, like a ride she’d once taken with Akko years ago. But then she stalled—stuck about half a metre above the ground. If Amanda was right, flying should have felt natural. Instead, she watched her mother, trying to pick up on and analyse how she moved up and down. Turning wasn’t too hard; she just had to lean her body gently one way or the other. Moving forward seemed straightforward too—just a light press on the broom, and she was off. Moving forward was easy.
But how did you stop?
Chiyo suddenly shrieked as she tumbled into the nearest bush. Akko landed next to her, looking concerned. Chiyo only responded with a thumbs-up, grinning.
"Haha! Teach me to fly."
And so they carried on. Akko held her hand, a wave of nostalgia sweeping over her as she remembered watching Chiyo take her first steps in this garden, her first fall off a bike—and now, Chiyo was flying. She managed to hover a metre off the ground, gradually finding her balance.
“Haha, don’t let go of me!”
"I've got you, I’ve got you," Akko laughed, holding the back of the broom. They weren’t going fast, as Akko was able to walk beside her. Little by little, Chiyo picked up speed, learning to steer with increasing confidence. She turned her head to smile at Akko and saw her standing in the middle of the garden, tears in her eyes. Chiyo slowed down, landed, and walked over.
"Are you okay ?"
"I… I didn’t think this moment would come so soon." Akko wiped away a tear. "Chi-chan, you’ve grown so much in such a short time, and I can’t believe that in a month you’ll be off to Luna Nova. I… I’m so proud of you!" Akko burst into tears. Chiyo wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist, hugging her tightly, resting her head against her.
When they’d settled down, Jasminka came over with a cake, a candle on it reading, “It’s a Witch!” Akko began crying even more, and Chiyo blew out the candle with a light heart.
The evening wound down a few hours later. Akko, hardly able to stand, clung to Chiyo as they headed upstairs after seeing everyone out. She sang Luna Nova’s anthem, swaying down the hall, and Chiyo couldn’t blame her—she was laughing too hard herself. Akko insisted on tucking her in, despite her tipsy state, pulling the blanket up to Chiyo’s nose before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"You’re going to be a wonderful witch," Akko finally said. "I’m so proud of you. You’re such a quick learner, and there’s so much magic in your heritage to discover. All the doors are ready to welcome you now!"
Chiyo looked over at her new uniform, hanging by the door, a clear step up from her high school one. She couldn’t wait to wear it for the first time. Akko gave her a soft kiss on the forehead and started to leave, but paused, turning back with a proud, tearful smile.
But it was her last words that Chiyo would remember most.
"Chiyo, your mother would be so proud of you right now..."
And with a gentle "Oyasumi", she closed the door, leaving Chiyo speechless and her heart brimming with love.
Her mother would be proud of her. Chiyo couldn’t stop smiling as she hugged her teddy bear close.
She would be proud of her.
"Haha, are you sure you’ll be alright?"
Akko sniffled, standing in front of her. They were both on Akko’s broom, Chiyo’s suitcase wedged in front. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist, resting her head against her back as she watched Hōō fly alongside them. They’d gotten up early to set off for Great Britain. Even though the Ley Lines were quick, there were still things to sort out before leaving. Akko was struggling with the thought of her daughter—her baby—leaving for the first time. Akko herself had never left her hometown since Chiyo’s birth; even Tokyo was unfamiliar to them. She’d explained that her fear of being discovered had kept her from travelling, but she promised Chiyo that when she came home for the holidays, they’d visit Japan together.
"Haha, we’ll talk every weekend on the crystal ball! I promise, it’ll be fine!"
Akko nodded as they began their descent to Luna Nova. Chiyo closed her eyes against the bright daylight, and when she opened them again, her breath caught.
The castle was beautiful. The white stones were well-maintained, and the turquoise roof gave it a warm, inviting feel. She could see students in matching uniforms flying on brooms among the trees. The Sorcerer’s Stone glowed in a distant tower, and Chiyo could feel her mother gradually relaxing.
And for the first time, Chiyo felt like she had found where she belonged.
Notes:
And here we are ! The story finally begins ! I couldn't wait for this chapter to be written, I hope you liked it !
Chapter 4: The Kagaris Effect
Summary:
It's time for Chiyo to discover her new school and meet new friends, or old one ?
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Finnelan stared at her, her brow furrowed. She had barely said anything since they entered the office. Chiyo could see her mother squirming in her chair, clutching the edge like a student ready to be scolded. Finnelan narrowed her eyes as she clasped her hands on the desk.
“Miss Kagari,” the teacher began. Chiyo lifted her head as Akko jumped. She rubbed her face and sighed. “I hope you will be more disciplined than your mother was at your age. A Kagari was already quite a handful back then, especially considering her… inability to stay out of trouble.”
Akko turned scarlet. She stammered an apology, scratching the back of her neck and glancing at the surrounding bookshelves. Chiyo focused on the hats around the desk while waiting for the tension to subside.
“I—I can assure you that Chiyo doesn’t take after me in this…” Akko finally said. She placed her hands on her knees and looked at her feet.
“I’m a very serious person who loves my studies and helping others. I was the student council president at my old school.” Chiyo allowed herself to speak. Finnelan finally looked at her and nodded.
“I’m delighted to finally welcome you among us. I hope the two months you had were enough to catch up.”
“I’ll do my best to make up for what I’m missing without it affecting my grades or those of my classmates.”
Finnelan nodded again, now satisfied. She opened Chiyo’s file and continued.
“Due to a lack of scholars enrolled, you will be alone on a team. Normally, students are divided into groups of three until the end of their studies here. I would have liked to place you in a pre-formed team, but for various reasons that is unfortunately impossible. You are therefore the captain of the Violet Team.” Finnelan placed a key on the desk. “Your dorm is 2-4 East. I apologize for assigning you to such a large room.”
“Professor, this dorm is…!” Akko began.
“Yes. I apologize, but the smaller dorms are already taken.” They looked at each other in silence. Finnelan seemed apologetic, while Akko was racking her brain. An awkward silence ensued, and Chiyo took the opportunity to observe the older woman; Anne Finnelan appeared to be in her early sixties, had brown hair with grey strands, and blue eyes. The dark circles under her eyes indicated a certain lack of sleep, and Chiyo was unsure if her wrinkles were due to age or teaching. She had two feathers on her hat and a stern look on her face. Did she even know how to smile?
Finnelan frowned again and continued.
“Classes start at 8 a.m. We ask students to be ready for lunch by 7 a.m. Classes last about 70 minutes, ending at noon and resuming at 1:30 p.m. Club times are between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Dinner is at 6:30 p.m., and you can study from 7:30 p.m. until 10 p.m., which is curfew. If we notice you breaking this time too often, you will be punished. Do you understand, Miss Kagari?” Finnelan said that last part while looking at Akko, who was patting her knees and laughing nervously. She turned her attention back to Chiyo. “The school has various rules that, if not followed meticulously, can result in expulsion. We, therefore, ask you not to engage in any practices that could harm the school's reputation, not to leave the campus without permission, and no stealing—especially in the kitchens, right, Miss Kagari?” Akko jumped and bit her cheek. “It is also forbidden to conduct dangerous experiments in the dormitories.” Finnelan stared at Akko as she said all this. Had her mother been such a bad student? “No eating during class, no bringing computer devices into the establishment other than those provided by the school, do not enter any off-limits school buildings and especially do not perform magic outside of Luna Nova. Breaking this last rule will lead to immediate expulsion. Is that clear?”
Chiyo and Akko both responded positively. Chiyo coughed, letting out a laugh when she saw her mother’s pale face.
“Good. Miss Kagari, I ask you to leave the office for a moment. I need to speak with your mother. Your luggage has already been sent to your room. You are free to head there if you feel ready to explore the school. Don’t worry about your mother; I’m sure she’ll find her way back to dorm 2-4.” Finnelan’s voice was filled with reproach, and Akko blushed. “Otherwise, you can wait for us outside; we won’t be long.”
Chiyo quickly stood up and thanked the professor for her welcome. She turned one last time to the two adults, seeing Finnelan lean toward Akko with a worried expression. Akko straightened up, and Chiyo could see her mother's entire body tense. She closed the door and leaned against the nearest wall. She took her wand in hand and examined it more closely. It wasn't new, but the design hadn't changed in 20 years. There were small dents on the wood as if it had fallen several times (and it probably had), and Akko had told her that the wand was very sentimental. Chiyo hugged it and sighed. Her new life was about to begin very quickly.
She let her steps go back and forth in the corridor. She stopped in front of the large bay windows and watched the different students training on the field. She wanted to go out, run, and make friends. But she knew things would be more complicated than that for her, especially being on a team alone…
She passed by a classroom and noticed a few students working inside. She nodded to them in greeting, to which the students responded with murmurs and curious glances. Great. It was starting well. She continued walking, her nose in the map that Chariot had provided her with in the binder. If she turned now, she would find herself in the hallway of the 3 East dorms, and she would just need to go down to…
Ouch.
She lowered her map, rubbing her shoulder. The person who had bumped into her was now on the ground.
“Oh my God, are you okay?!” Chiyo cried. “I’m truly sorry; are you alright? Wait, let me help you…”
She gently grabbed the girl’s hand, who remained silent. Her skin was a deep black, and her slender figure gave her a graceful appearance. Her hair was pure white, braided into thin little plaits that framed her delicate face. Her eyes, a striking green, shone brightly, even though scars crossed her face. Her fingers, long and elegant, caught Chiyo's gaze, who lingered for a moment before realizing that the young girl was staring at her. But how could she look away? There was something unreal, almost angelic about her.
Chiyo opened her mouth several times, her cheeks flushed.
“I, uh…”
“Thank you…” The angel in front of her smiled. Their hands were still intertwined, and Chiyo could feel the back of her neck heating up.
“I'm Chiyo, Kagari Chiyo! I’m new.”
The other girl stared at her with wide eyes, and Chiyo could feel her face burning.
“Kagari? Like Atsuko Kagari?”
“Y-yeah?”
“By the nines, your mother is a legend!”
Eh? Nani?
Chiyo looked at her, not believing it. Akko? Her mother? A legend?
She burst out laughing, mindlessly placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder. As much as Akko had hidden things from her, she knew she was a “basic” woman with no history. The girl looked at her, perplexed.
“What’s so funny?”
“My mother?! I think you’ve got the wrong person! I don’t know what you’ve heard about her, but I can pretty much guarantee that it’s all false, unless she’s known for eating the most pies in a contest!”
“Well, about that, they put a sign saying “Kagari not allowed” on the kitchen door. But no, she’s not known for that. Don’t you know anything?”
Chiyo was about to open her mouth when quick footsteps were heard, and her mother appeared, out of breath. She held onto the wall, panting.
“Chi-chan!” Akko exclaimed. She looked at the two girls while Chiyo tried to figure out what could be so legendary about her. Akko was clumsy, impulsive, always had bad ideas, and was never on time. And yet, when she turned her attention back to the white-haired girl, she saw her hands covering her mouth and her eyes filled with stars. Akko looked at Chiyo, full of questions.
“I can’t believe I’m meeting you in real life! I thought you had retired from the world of magic forever and that I would never, in my life, be able to meet you! Ms. Kagari, you’ve been my role model for as long as I can remember. I have so much to tell you and so many questions to ask you and…!”
“Wow, wow, wow, easy!” Akko exclaimed, still trying to catch her breath.
“This week’s history class just so happens to be about you and your adventure in space when you saved magic with Ms. Cav—”
“Okay, it’s time for us to go to Chiyo’s dorm so she can see the school afterwards, and I’ll have to leave. I have a lot of work to do. Bye-bye!”
Akko pulled Chiyo by the arm and ran down the stairs to the lower floor. Chiyo wanted to ask her how she could be sure of the way, but she remembered Finnelan's words: “Don't worry about your mother. I’m sure she’ll find her way back to dorm 2-4.” What was supposed to mean?
Akko dragged her to the door at the end of the corridor. She stopped in front of it, and for a moment, her gaze shifted to something different, as if she were lost in an old memory. Chiyo leaned against the wall, continuing to observe her. Akko gripped the hem of her shirt so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and Chiyo thought her mother resembled a student waiting outside her crush's door to talk to them. She could almost picture her mother when she was younger, in the same uniform as hers, debating whether to knock or not.
Then, Akko opened the door. The room was huge—far too big for Chiyo alone. Despite the bright sunlight outside, the room was dim, anything but welcoming. The beige walls contrasted with the red carpet, and a green corner sofa sat in the middle. A large piece of furniture that could serve as a desk, given the two chairs placed there, divided the room in two. Chiyo walked around it and faced her belongings. A single bed occupied the corner, and a small desk adorned with a simple lamp stood to her left. Attached to the back of the piece of furniture that divided the room were massive bookcases.
“Haha, don’t you think it’s a bit… too much?”
Akko bit her lip as she let her fingers wander over the furniture. She looked lost in thought again as if being in the room had brought back memories she had forgotten—or buried—for years. Chiyo approached her and focused on the same area she was looking at. A tea set was stored at the bottom of a bookcase. It was dusty but otherwise in perfect condition.
“Everything’s going to be okay. You’ll make it,” Akko finally said. Her fingers were trembling, and she turned her eyes to her daughter. Chiyo wondered if she was saying that to herself or to Chiyo. The fear of leaving her in a magical world that had somehow betrayed her must have crept into her mind, even if she didn’t show it.
Chiyo slowly made her way to the large window on her side of the room. The curtains were red and soft. She watched the other witches enjoy the nice weather and saw a few animals running further away. She spotted deer running in the woods, birds flying around, and she noticed a kind of green raccoon rummaging through the rubbish. Her eyebrow raised as she watched the strange animal sniff a banana peel before tossing it aside, sinking further into the rubbish.
Akko moved closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Chiyo could see their reflection in the glass. They looked so much alike, and Chiyo couldn’t help but feel proud of that. Maybe, in the end, the other girl was right. Akko was legendary. To Chiyo, she was legendary. Yes, she was clumsy, but she had always made sure she was present in her life, whether during a violin recital, an end-of-year party, or just when Chiyo needed her. She had taught her how to cook, kissed every boo-boo, and taken her to bed with her every night when she was scared. Akko had been there without exception.
“You’ll see, Haha, I’ll make you proud.”
“I already am, Chi-chan. You have no idea how proud I am.”
“I’ll become a great witch, like you.”
Akko smiled softly and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, their gazes meeting in the window. Akko gently kissed the back of her daughter’s head, playing with a few blonde strands hidden in the thick brown waves. Chiyo turned to Akko and giggled when she felt her lips on her forehead this time.
“Never forget, Chiyo, shinjiru kokoro wa anata no maho.”
A believing heart is your magic. Akko had been telling her that since childhood, and never had that phrase made more sense than it did today. Chiyo hid against her chest, her arms hugging her tightly.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.” Akko sighed as if a weight had just evaporated from her body. They stayed in that position for a moment before Akko pulled away.
“I should go. I’d like to stay longer, but I have a lot of work.”
Chiyo nodded, her heart heavy and tears in her eyes. This was more complicated than she had thought. She rested her head on Akko’s heart and let her tears fall…
Chiyo waved until the ley line portal closed. She remained silent and calm for a moment before sighing and running a hand over her face.
She looked around, checking that no one was nearby before taking out her phone. Lizzy had sent her a message, still thinking she was in Japan. She tapped the call icon and waited.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings…
“Heyo!”
“Lizzy!” Chiyo pressed herself against a wall, hiding her clothes and the sky. “How’s my best friend?”
Lizzy brought the phone closer to her face as if to hide her surroundings. She always did that.
“Are you still awake? I thought you were starting classes tomorrow. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”
“Well, about that…” Chiyo bit her lip and held up the phone, giving a full view of her uniform and the campus gate. Lizzy’s eyes widened, and she screamed, starting to run.
“Easy!” Chiyo laughed.
“You know, you finally know! You don’t know how hard it was to keep it a secret, but Dad and Aunt Akko made me promise not to tell you, and… AND I SEE YOU!!!!”
Chiyo turned her head toward the scream. Lizzy was running toward her at full speed. Tall and slender, her long hair flowed behind her. She had mixed skin, hazel eyes, a nose with Egyptian features, and a smile that, although it might seem arrogant, actually conveyed a deep tenderness. Large round earrings sparkled in her ears, and a star-shaped barrette adorned her hair.
Seeing her rush like a rocket, Chiyo feared for a moment that she wouldn’t stop in time and that they would both fall. But Lizzy stopped right in front of her, before throwing her arms around her neck. She was a head taller than Chiyo, and Chiyo felt her friend’s heartbeat resonate against hers.
“We’re going to be in class together, we’re going to have student life together, and we’re finally going to spend more time together! I’ve been waiting for this!”
Lizzy hugged her even tighter, and Chiyo closed her eyes, hiding her nose in Lizzy’s shoulder. Her mind went blank, as it always did when she was with Lizzy. The girl had a numbing effect on her. They stayed silent for a while, enjoying each other’s warmth. Eventually, Lizzy pulled away, a slight blush appearing on her face as she began to play with her hair. Given how beautiful she was, Chiyo was sure Lizzy was a huge hit with the boys.
“So… We’ll see each other every day,” Chiyo said shyly.
“Yeah. It’ll be good, right?”
Chiyo smiled softly, playing with her fingers.
“I wish you’d told me that you’re a witch and all.”
“Dad would have killed me if I had.” Lizzy sighed, scratching the back of her neck. “Ever since I was a child, I’ve been told not to tell you because it could put you in danger, and Aunt Akko made me promise not to tell you because it was a secret. I only learned the truth about it two or three years ago when I overheard one of their conversations when we were at my house for Christmas.”
Lizzy groaned and let her head fall back. She suddenly sat up and took Chiyo's hands.
“Hasn’t anyone given you a tour of the school yet?”
“No! I was hoping you would be the one to do it!”
“Let’s go then! I’ll show you Luna Nova in the best possible way!” Lizzy put an arm around her shoulders and headed toward the entrance. They started with the courtyard, where several students sat studying. Lizzy explained the school's history, the classrooms, and, most importantly, the cafeteria.
“This is the most important place in the whole academy! Starting today, I’m kidnapping you for every meal! You’ll eat with my friends and my team, and we’ll be a big group of friends! I’m part of the Aqua Team!”
Lizzy proudly showed her belt. Chiyo smiled at her and noticed the door to the kitchen. There was a sign with her mother’s face and a “No Kagari Allowed!” notice. Chiyo found it hard to believe but rolled her eyes. How many times had Akko sneaked into this room? Chiyo didn't know, but she would investigate later.
Lizzy continued her tour by taking the north corridor. The two girls passed by the library, and Chiyo noticed a trophy case. She paused there for a few seconds, no longer hearing Lizzy, who continued walking. Chiyo looked at the trophies one by one, and her eyes stopped on a photo.
“Luna Nova Broom Relay — 2017…?” She frowned. Her aunts Hannah and Barbara stood in the photo, happy to have won. Their third teammate—an unsmiling blonde with a blank stare—stood between them. She inched closer to the photo, observing the three young women…
“H-hey! You abandoned me!” Lizzy had come up behind her and placed her hands on her shoulders to push her toward the rest of the tour.
“Wait, I’m looking!”
“Chiyo, these are old photos. Who cares?”
“But those are my aunts in the photo! Surprisingly, they never told me about their third teammate.”
“Maybe they weren’t close and didn’t stay in touch? Come on!”
Chiyo was about to continue when…
“Luna Nova Broom Relay — 2019. Hey, it’s my mum!!”
Chiyo pulled away from Lizzy’s grip and pressed her nose to the window. She recognized Akko, Lotte, and Sucy, all three smiling while holding the trophy. Akko was holding her broom and wasn’t wearing her hat. She hadn’t changed that much, and Chiyo’s heart warmed.
“She beat the blue and green team hands down that year!”
Chiyo and Lizzy both jumped. The angelic girl from earlier stood at the library exit, clutching a book to her chest.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t introduce myself earlier. My name is Cassia. I’m your mother’s biggest fan, and I joined the school to follow in her footsteps.” She smiled softly, and Chiyo felt her heart race.
“Oh, uh, hey…!” Chiyo stuttered. Lizzy frowned.
“You’re a member of the Peach Team, right?” The taller girl’s voice was cautious as she hugged Chiyo a little tighter.
“Yeah. We’re in the same year, and I think we share some optional classes.”
Lizzy nodded before Chiyo continued.
“Wait, wait, what’s this about a relay?”
“Every year, Luna Nova organizes a broom relay at the beginning of the year. You missed this year’s, but since you’re the only one from the Violet Team, you wouldn’t have been able to participate anyway.” Lizzy smiled at her, leaning against her to look at her.
“When your mother was at Luna Nova, she couldn’t fly for her entire first year! But she still managed to hold her own against the Blue Team captain! It’s said that the legendary Shooting Star broom came to her aid, and she could have won if she hadn’t fallen!”
The blonde in the photo… Chiyo thought. Note to self: ask her mother to tell her about it.
“Then, after saving the world, she managed to fly, and by her third year, she was one of the best flyers in Luna Nova! She had surpassed the Blue Team captain and was on par with the Green Team captain, who was known for being quite the pilot! I have a whole notebook in my room about her; I have her exploits, her friends, her clubs, her relationsh—”
“Whoa, super-fan, calm down.” Lizzy cut her off. “Chiyo just found out she’s a witch; take it easy with the information. You don’t want to inundate her with stories about her mother.”
“But she must know all of that!” Cassia exclaimed, her hair falling in front of her beautiful eyes. “This is historic! Atsuko Kagari is the greatest witch the school has ever known! If only she had remained a C—”
“Okay, that's enough! We have bigger things to do!”
Lizzy took Chiyo’s wrist and pulled her toward the rest of the tour. Chiyo struggled, wanting to know more about her mother. Cassia ran after them.
“Chiyo! Tell me where is your dorm! I’ll bring my notebook this week! Or let’s go eat something in town next weekend! Or even…!”
Chiyo accepted everything Cassia offered her. She nodded several times. Gosh, she was so gay.
Lizzy groaned as she looked ahead. Maybe she had a busy schedule and didn't want to waste time.
They went up to the second floor, and Chiyo recognized the one where she had waited while her mother talked with Finnelan. Her best friend showed her the auditorium, went up one floor, and stopped in front of the stairs leading to the west dorms.
“My dorm is 4-3 West. You just have to go up the stairs and to the end of the hallway! You’ll see it’s easy to find; there’s one of our belts on the handle!”
They continued their tour, and Chiyo discovered the botanical garden, the grounds, and the New Moon Tower. Lizzy was more than happy to show her best friend the places where she spent her days, even intertwining their fingers, just like when they were seven years old.
“Here you go! If you’re afraid of getting lost, I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning for breakfast. Is that okay?”
Chiyo smiled at her. They were now in front of her dorm door after dinner, and Lizzy was bouncing on her feet.
“I’ll do my best to be on time then.”
“Yes, please! If we’re too late, the best stuff will be gone. Besides, the staff is more than happy to hear that Akko’s daughter is here, especially after what she did for them.”
Chiyo opened her mouth, but Lizzy promised to tell her tomorrow. They looked at each other in silence before Lizzy placed a quick kiss on her cheek. She had always been very tactile with Chiyo. The smaller of the two quickly wondered if Lizzy would still be as affectionate when she will have a boyfriend. “No, even in a relationship, Lizzy would still be Lizzy,” she told herself as she saw the older girl run away, glancing back before bumping her shoulder against the wall.
Chiyo smiled and entered her dorm. It was still very empty, and it was quite dark inside. She turned on the light and sighed. She timidly sat down on the couch and patted her knees. What was she supposed to do now?
She looked around and decided to unpack her things. She walked around the desks (she would surely fill all the empty furniture with her books and photos as the week went on) and arrived in front of the bed where her belongings lay. She took out her teddy bear first and placed it on the sheets. She noticed slight knocks on the bed legs as if they had tapped the wall several times. She pinched the bridge of her nose, praying it wasn’t what she was thinking of.
She opened her suitcase and placed the frame of her and her mother on the bookshelf across from the bed. She posed proudly and continued to take out her street clothes, pyjamas, and toiletries.
Then she paused at a smell.
She turned her entire suitcase over onto her bed and saw it: the jumper. She unfolded it, and a letter fell out. She gently took it in her hands and recognized Akko’s handwriting.
“Chi-chan, I know you’ve been going through my things for a few years looking for answers, and I know you’ve seen this jumper before. I’m sorry I lied to you; it’s not a cricket team jumper, but the jumper of the Luna Nova racing team, of which I was captain in my third year. I wish I had shown you this side of me sooner. Furthermore, I give you this jumper so you know nothing separates you from your destiny as a witch and that I am always by your side.
With love, Haha.”
Chiyo hugged the jumper to her chest. The scent was still as strong as the last time she held it. She bit her lip, put away the rest of her things, and changed into her pyjamas before putting on the jumper. She hid her nose in it and sat on her bed, her teddy bear in her lap.
“I’ll make it. I’m a Kagari. I’m…”
The light flickered. She jumped and though at the familiar feeling in her fingers, but this time, nothing. The light bulb above her went out. Great. She had barely arrived when things were starting off on a bad note. She approached the door to try the switch again when she noticed a green mist seeping out from under the door. Chiyo jerked back as the door slowly opened and…
The Lady of the Mist.
Chiyo hadn’t dreamed of her since she learned she was a witch. She rubbed her eyes and checked her watch a few times before letting out a scream. She usually couldn’t check the time in her dreams; her watch either changed in appearance or the time changed constantly. But this time, the time was steady and regular. She pulled out her phone, which showed her the same time:
10:30 PM.
Chiyo wasn’t dreaming. She looked at the Lady of the Mist waiting for her and, without thinking, Chiyo started chasing her down the hallway.
Notes:
Hey, hey, so here my 4th chapter ! I noticed they are becoming longer and longer, I hope you don't mind, LMAO.
I'm pretty proud of being able to continue writing. I know there's not a lot of people reading it, but it's really helping my mental health.
Thank you for all the people commenting, you are all giving me force to keep going so thank you !
Chapter 5: Willow
Notes:
Chiyo encounters some random things and learn more about Akko's past.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Eight hours.
Eight hours had taken Chiyo to break the rules, and she hated it. Chiyo was the kind of child who would moan when she didn’t have rules growing up, who would remind the teacher about homework, and who would run to the teachers to report something. Akko had always looked at her and wondered how she managed to raise such a rule-abiding girl when she was the worst nightmare of law enforcement growing up—the teachers, that is. But still, as she ran, Chiyo couldn’t help but think that the fruit never fell far from the tree.
She was breaking curfew.
If Chiyo could slap herself, she would. How could she pretend to be a model student and former student president while walking around in sweatpants and a jumper? Then, when the Lady of the Mist turned to her, Chiyo forgot her inner conflict. She continued to run, watching the long ripples fly like clouds, guiding her into the school. She picked up speed again, occasionally tripping over her sandals, but refused to lose sight of the lady in front of her. This was the first time she had appeared to her awake, and Chiyo knew that the strange apparition tended to show her… things.
She rushed down the stairs, her glasses fogging up from sweat and heat, her hair stuck to her forehead, her cheeks red, and her body starting to go numb from the effort. The lady stopped in front of two large red doors.
The auditorium.
Chiyo frowned. What was she doing there? She placed a hand on one of the doors, and they flew open, slamming against the wall. Chiyo let out a small cry of surprise as smoke slowly filled the auditorium. The seats filled with misty students and teachers appeared on stage.
“With that said, we now begin… ” An unfamiliar voice from the stage began. Chiyo approached the stage discreetly, not knowing if being spotted would change anything.
The person speaking was an elderly witch, quite small, but who seemed friendly. Chiyo couldn’t make out the colours, the mist making the whole stage pale green.
Then it happened.
A huge beam of light appeared in the middle of the auditorium, right in the centre of the logo, before exploding into smoke. Chiyo screamed with the other students and covered her eyes before hearing a boom. The smoke cleared, leaving three students in the centre of the room. And not just any students. Sucy, Lotte and…
“Haha?!”
Akko held her lower back before a stuffed animal fell on her head. Chiyo approached slowly, her heart beating a thousand miles an hour in her chest. Akko seemed to be her age, and the usual dark circles and wrinkles were no longer there—or rather, weren't there yet. She opened her eyes and observed the surrounding crowd before her gaze stopped on Chiyo before smiling. She stood up, holding a strange stick in her hands.
“Yatta! I made it in time! “
She laughed out loud, and Chiyo noticed Chariot, who was hiding behind some teachers. She frowned and sighed, crossing her arms, wondering what the Lady of the Mist was trying to show her.
Chiyo noticed Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze in the upper stands. Amanda had fallen asleep, Jasminka was munching on breakfast while holding tools, and Constanze was working on her Stanbot. They had a green band on their hats. Amanda was the famous captain of the green team... No wonder, considering how she was flying when they last met. Chiyo had learned that the redhead didn't just work in entertainment but that she was the director of a broomstick dance troupe for the world tours of some big stars. The last one she did was for “The Biggest Singer Today” whose show was over three hours long. Honestly, Chiyo didn't know much about foreign music; her mother had only given her access to the internet after she confessed to her that she was a witch. She was too afraid that Chiyo would learn the truth by accident and that things would go out of control too quickly for her to handle.
Chiyo turned at the sound of laughter. She saw Barbara and Hannah, in the same row as the green team, double over with laughter as they leaned against each other. Amanda opened an eye, wincing as Hannah's shoulders heaved.
“I can’t believe she made it ."
"She doesn’t even come from a magical family and doesn’t even know how to use Ley Lines," Barbara continued. " I’m sure she won't last long. "
They both laughed, covering their mouths. The third member of their team stared at Akko curiously. Her face didn’t convey anything, but Chiyo could see her eyes moving up and down slightly and the muscles in her jaw tense. Her fingers tightened slightly on her tunic, her eyebrows furrowed for half a second, and her breath caught in her lungs. This change was minimal, almost impossible to see. But Chiyo noticed it.
Chiyo moved a little closer to her and stood in front of her, arms crossed. The eyes of the girl in front of her were still moving, fixed on Akko and her staff. She turned to her mother, who was now bowing to apologize. Finnelan stood in front of her and stamped her foot while scolding her. Chiyo smiled, remembering how earlier in the day Finnelan had scolded her mother for her teenage mischief. Then suddenly, the fog cleared.
Chiyo looked around the now-empty room. She ran a hand over her face and groaned as she sat down on one of the seats. The clock on the wall read 11:30 PM. She let out a small cry when she realized the time and left the lecture hall, her thoughts still on her mother...
"Looks like you slept like shit." Lizzy leaned against the door frame, smiling. Chiyo watched her, yawning and finishing buttoning her shirt. Lizzy looked out the window as the smaller of the two grumbled about having a rough night.
"Remember my dreams?"
"The one where you were flying on a chicken?"
"No, th-"
"The one where you were on a boat at your old elementary school?"
"No Lizzy let me-"
"The one where you caught your m-"
"LIZZY! How do you remember all that?!" Chiyo was scarlet, hiding behind the bookcase. She glanced at Lizzy who gave her her usual big smile.
"I don’t know, I’m just… looking out for you…" She rubbed the back of her neck as she stared at the ceiling, her face hidden by her hair.
"Anyway, I was telling you about the one with the Lady of the Mist."
Lizzy turned serious and opened her mouth, before being interrupted by a voice that made Chiyo’s heart race.
"A Lady of the Mist?!"
Cassia’s head appeared in the doorway and Lizzy grimaced. Chiyo raised an eyebrow with a disapproving look at Lizzy before smiling at Cassia. The smallest of the three sat down on the couch, her eyes full of stars, and turned to Chiyo while looking at her.
"I’m sorry to come in like this, I wanted to come and get you because I know today is your first day and I didn’t want to interfere with your conversation. It’s just that I love mysteries and I keep a notebook of all the mysteries of Luna Nova recorded. There’s the hand in the toilet from 2025, The weeping angels from 2028-"
"That’s Doctor Who," Lizzy said as she sat down too.
"It’s even said that a ghost haunted this hallway between 2018 and 2020!" Cassia ignored Lizzy. Chiyo turned her head towards her bed and tried to hide her grimace. "Yes, a ghost…"
"And now you’re talking about a Lady of the Mist? We have to go looking for her!"
"Two minutes Sherlock, this isn’t a Luna Nova mystery." Lizzy crossed her arms over her chest. "These are Chiyo’s dreams and they’re private." She seemed proud of herself and lifted her chin with a smile. Cassia lowered her head to her notebook.
"Well actually, I saw her yesterday. For real. Without having to sleep." Chiyo clarified.
Lizzy’s shoulders stiffened as Cassia stood up suddenly. She ran over to Chiyo (who still hadn’t put her skirt on and was now scarlet) and put her hands on her shoulders, shaking her.
"Tell me everything, what did you see? How long? Who? When? Why? Since when?" Cassia was still shaking her and Chiyo struggled to stay on her feet. She blushed more and more and tried to pull away but Cassia's grip was strong.
"C-Cassia...!"
"Chiyo. We have to solve this mys-"
Cassia was cut off by Lizzy who had put herself between the two. The taller one lowered her head towards Cassia, her face impossible for Chiyo to see.
"We're going to be late."
Her voice was slightly cold as she wrapped her arms around Chiyo's shoulders. She thanked Lizzy inwardly, even though she knew the taller one hated being late the most. Cassia nodded and apologized before leaving the room to wait for them in the hallway. Lizzy finally turned her face towards Chiyo.
"We still have time, you know."
"She wouldn't let you get dressed."
“It’s like a swimsuit,” Chiyo rolled her eyes. Lizzy bit her cheek and focused on the bookcase, letting her fingers trail over the mouldings.
“I promise, we won’t be late,” Chiyo wrapped her arms around Lizzy’s stomach to reassure her. Lizzy relaxed before burying her nose in Chiyo’s hair. Lizzy had always done that, for as long as Chiyo could remember. She had always been very tall and was almost a head taller than Chiyo, not making her current position difficult.
Lizzy sighed softly, her embrace tightening slightly. She was already in her impeccable uniform. Her hands moved up to the back of Chiyo’s neck as she pulled away.
“Let’s go get breakfast…”
Chiyo smiled at her and hurried to finish getting dressed before taking her arm.
The walk was slightly awkward. No one spoke. Cassia was reading her book and Lizzy was mumbling to herself. What about Chiyo?
Chiyo was lost in thought as they passed the auditorium. She remembered the stick in Akko’s hands and Barbara and Hannah’s reaction. She slowed down and took a breath.
“Cassia, you said you were my mom’s… number one fan, right?”
Cassia stopped. Lizzy stared at her. Cassia turned around with her mouth hanging open, her notebook clutched to her heart.
“Can you tell me about her?” Seeing the shorter girl’s reaction, Chiyo regretted it almost instantly. Cassia set her bag on the ground and pulled out absolutely everything. Lizzy and Chiyo looked at each other, Lizzy clenching her fists as she held her skirt, trying to stay calm. Chiyo apologized with a slight bow before Cassia stepped between them and showed a red notebook with a phoenix drawn on it. Hōō?
“This is my special Akko notebook! I’ll read you everything and tell you everything about her and, oh you can tell me what I’m wrong about or what information I’m missing!”
As much as Chiyo was naturally curious, all her questions gave her a headache. Cassia was adorable and her eyes made Chiyo’s heartbeat, but that was a lot in the morning.
Chiyo smiled awkwardly and patted Cassia’s shoulder.
“Let’s talk about it during breakfast?”
Cassia nodded energetically and took Chiyo’s hand, pulling her. Lizzy shouted after them, running in turn. They arrived on the balcony and Chiyo observed the other students.
Then everyone fell silent.
Eyes turned to them and the students leaned over to each other, whispering things as they glanced at Chiyo.
"What’s wrong with them?" Lizzy groaned, wrapping her arm around Chiyo’s shoulders. "They’re not usually like this, I promise!"
"They must be shocked to see the daughter of none other than Atsuko Kagari!"
Her mother’s name echoed through the room. Some of the creatures working in the cafeteria turned their heads in unison. "Akko?!"
The kitchen staff ran out, joined by several other creatures like minotaurs and cyclops. Chiyo backed away from the edge of the balcony and jumped when she heard the employees yelling her mother’s name.
"Did she steal that much stuff for the employees to be so angry?"
"They’re not angry," Cassia spoke. "Akko is their heroine!" She opened her notebook and showed the picture of her mother at her age, sitting cross-legged in front of a tower with the employees. She had a headband that said "Unity" and a determined look on her face.
"The bourgeoisie is blind to the concerns of the working class? Haha, what have you gotten yourself into…" Chiyo sighed as she put her arms on her hips.
"She gave them hope! Hope for a better life! A…!"
"She negotiated with the school so that magical creatures would get a raise," Lizzy cut Cassia off. The smaller one opened her mouth but Lizzy continued almost immediately. "Magical creatures need the magic stone to live, to move. Before magic was restored, it was impossible to do magic away from the magic stone. Luna Nova was therefore very dependent on the magic source that the stone provided us. One day, the employees went on strike. Indeed, the witches were using up most of the stone’s power and there wasn’t enough left for them. Akko took charge of negotiating, even though it didn’t lead to anything without Croix."
"Croix? Croix Meridies?"
Lizzy nodded.
"Akko didn’t… really help because Croix found another solution but…"
"Of course she did!" Cassia exclaimed, stepping between the two. "She gave them hope, a fight to follow! Here they call her…" Cassia stuck her notebook in Chiyo’s face. " Akkomunist !"
The magical creatures screamed in joy. A teacher came rushing into the room, clapping her hands and asking for calm. The employees screamed louder, pointing at Chiyo who was at the top.
Chiyo waved at them with a slight smile and they screamed again. The teacher managed to calm them down and the girls were able to go down. The silence was still heavy, only the sound of whispers and rumours following them. Chiyo took a tray, taking care to organize her plate well. Breakfast was not so different from at home. She smiled softly and followed Lizzy who was already heading towards the rest of the Aqua Team. Cassia was heading towards the rest of the Peach Team, and Chiyo found herself stupidly standing in the middle of the room. On one side, Lizzy was waving at her while receiving elbows in the ribs. She blushed hard and turned around, stuttering before turning her attention back to Chiyo while laughing a little louder. The Japanese girl was too far away to hear what Lizzy had heard.
On the other side, Peach Team's table was quieter and more reserved. Cassia looked at her while holding her notebook, a small smile on her face. Chiyo turned her head between the two and bit her lip. She was about to start walking towards Cassia when...
"Miss Kagari."
She jumped and watched a small goblin with an apron look at her. He had a tray with a bell in his hands.
"On behalf of the entire Luna Nova magical employee team, we want to welcome you to the school. We sincerely hope that your mother is doing well and to encourage you in your studies we want to offer you this!"
He lifted the bell, revealing a giant card with lots of little drawings. A portrait of her and her mother was in the centre.
"The entire catering team went into a lot of trouble for this gift. The entire school signed."
He wasn't smiling, but his eyes were shining with pride. Chiyo took the card carefully and smiled at him, bowing as best she could.
"That means a lot to me, thank you. I hope I can give you as much as my mother did back then."
The little goblin blushed and lost his temper. He apologized and ran away. Chiyo continued to smile before noticing the eternal silence in the cafeteria. She frowned, turning around.
"Would it be possible to stop this awkward silence? Do I have something on my face ?"
Her blue eyes stopped on the faces of each student. The majority looked at their trays before one of them dared to speak.
"Is Atsuko still alive?"
The question caught her off guard, but she kept the same polite face.
"Yes, of course, Why wouldn’t she-" Chiyo began.
"She's been missing for so long and we haven't heard from her, we thought she was dead!"
"What? No, she's f-" She tried to continue.
"Is it true that she can go 400km per hour on a broom?"
"My mother told me that they went to Luna Nova together and that she was a real disaster, how did she become the liberator of magic?"
"Did she become a hermit?"
"Did..."
"STOP."
Lizzy began to push aside the girls who had gathered around Chiyo. Cassia wasn't far behind, doing her best despite her small size to do the same.
"You can see she's suffocating! You can ask her as many questions as you want later, let her have lunch!" Lizzy spoke loudly.
"Chiyo, are you single?!" Chiyo kept her cool, even though she felt the base of her neck heat up. She opened her mouth but it was Lizzy who spoke again.
"Hey, mate, that's not something you should ask for!" She took the tray and Chiyo's hand as several girls blushed and chatted among themselves.
"Looks like you already have a little fan club." Cassia laughed as she brushed one of her braids behind her ear. She looked out the window, her cheeks darkening. Chiyo wanted to hold her hand.
Lizzy led her to a secluded table where two trays were already set up. She let go of Chiyo and groaned into her hand as she sat down. Chiyo joined her and Cassia sat down on the other side.
"Fine." Lizzy sighed. "I'll let the Akko addict do the talking." Cassia responded by raising her head, a croissant already halfway into her mouth. She swallowed hard and Lizzy rolled her eyes. Chiyo lightly poked her in the stomach.
"Where should we start?" Cassia flipped through the notebook.
"But don't forget what I told you." Lizzy glared at her. Cassia nodded and Chiyo looked at them curiously. "Nothing, just that even if she wasn't done by 7:50 we should be out for class." Chiyo looked at her watch. 7:20. They had 30 minutes.
"That's fine with me. Cassia, tell me who my mother is." Cassia opened the notebook wide. She showed articles and pictures of her mother at her age and began.
"A long time ago, a great tree called Yggdrasil roamed the world. It had been planted thanks to human beliefs but as time went by fewer and fewer people began to believe. The tree faded and its branches became ley lines. However, its heart and seeds were protected and its secrets were passed down from generation to generation between powerful witches. This power is called the Great Triskellion."
Chiyo wanted to open her mouth and ask what all this had to do with her mother. But she bit her cheek, holding herself back. Cassia thanked her with a nod and her fingers wandered over the page, occasionally brushing against Chiyo's. Lizzy rolled her eyes, picking at her cereal and mumbling.
"In the seventh century, the great Triskelion was hidden in the forest of Arcturus to prevent the power from falling into the wrong hands. It is the work of the Nine Olde Witches."
"The Olde Witches?" Chiyo had a vague memory of Amanda shouting during the holidays that the Nine New Witches had returned.
"Yes. The two most famous are Woodward, whose spirit resides in the Abyss of the Blue Moon and who watches over the school with Jennifer, and..."
"Beatrix Cavendish. We know, we know." Lizzy seemed annoyed to hear this story.
"Elizabeth!" Cassia pouted and Lizzy tensed. A few white braids whipped her face as she sighed. "These Witches are also the ones who built the school. But they knew that to unleash the magic, someone pure was needed. In 2007, they entrusted the Claiomh Solais, a magic wand synchronizing with its wearer's heart to unlock the Great Triskellion, to Chariot Du Nord. But she failed and became an intermittent performer..."
"Hey, talk better about Headmistress Chariot!"
It's true that her aunt Chariot was the headmistress and...
Wait.
"Chariot almost saved the world?!"
"Yes." Cassia sighed and her gaze suddenly became harder. "But she wasn't enough, she didn't do enough and preferred to use the powers of the Claiomh Solais to put on shows."
"In any case," Lizzy had taken over, stuffing another whole croissant into Cassia's mouth. "Chariot inspired Aunt Akko to become a witch" - Cassia’s eyes widened after the words " Aunt Akko " - "and she was chosen to reopen the Grand Triskellion with the Shiny Rod, the name given to the wand by Chariot and her."
"The Claiomh-"
"The Shiny Rod ." Lizzy’s voice was cold. Cassia pouted. "Either way, the magic was released by your mother."
"And Dia-"
"And it’s time for us to go. Now."
If a look could kill, Lizzy’s would have made Cassia explode. Chiyo looked at the time. 7:53. They were 3 minutes over and Lizzy really hated being late. Chiyo finished her toast and the three girls left.
Chiyo was brilliant.
No, I’m not exaggerating.
Chiyo was literally the brightest of the class. Despite a term of absence, Chiyo was the one who had answered all the questions. She was surrounded by Lizzy and Cassia, whose respective teams had joined. The teachers were satisfied, especially Finnelan who seemed to enjoy questioning her, her eyes shining with pride every time Chiyo answered correctly. Every break they had was spent answering questions from the people in their class. Chiyo smiled at everyone politely, helping them in class despite having learned their knowledge a month before.
But it had its effect.
Chiyo was warm, friendly, and ready to help while keeping limits that made her mysterious.
Even the teachers couldn't resist seeing her offer help with books or kindly correct mistakes. Her grades were perfect, attention constant, and interventions impeccable, despite still being a clumsy magical practitioner.
She's what most of us — myself included — would call a show-off with a broom up her behind
However, the aura surrounding Chiyo was so benevolent and sweet that it was almost impossible to hate her. That's why at 4 pm, she was summoned to Finnelan's office, the professor hiding a slight smile behind a sheet of paper.
“I hope you enjoy your first day with us, Miss Kagari.”
“Absolutely, Professor.” Chiyo nodded, her arms crossed behind her back.
“I know it might be a bit early, but looking at your file and family history, I would like to offer you a position. You who used to be student president…”
Chiyo was all ears.
“Several students are known for breaking the curfew. I would like to offer you the role of monitoring the hallways for an hour or two. Of course, it would be added extra credits, like a club grade. The employees are too fond of the students now to report illegal outings, something the students are aware of like your mother was back then. What do you think?”
Chiyo’s eyes were shining. She was being offered a chance to show who she was, and she was helping to keep the school safe?!
“I tell you that I am more than honoured to hear your proposal and I accept it with pleasure!”
And that’s how she found herself 10 meters up with a lantern on the end of her broom and her outdoor uniform on her back around 11 p.m. She had quickly got the hang of flying, and she already felt quite comfortable after a month of practising every day. Chiyo hadn’t seen any students for her first day of guard duty, just a few more animals and that same raccoon as usual. She had thrown a few stones at it to scare it away, having heard that the vermin would damage the surroundings, and had watched it flee into a dustbin and Chiyo had far too much pride to venture into it.
As she was about to go back inside to finish her tour, something caught her attention. The same smoke as in her dreams and the night before was inside. Chiyo’s heart raced, and she pointed the nose of her broom to land. She rushed back, following the smoke that led her to the cafeteria. The sound of cutlery and the hubbub of words were becoming clearer and clearer. There was no way the others wouldn’t hear her!!
She stopped when she saw the Lady of the Mist in front of the door. Her facial features were no longer as blurred as in her dreams and she could see a gentle gaze. She smiled at her before disappearing as the doors opened. She slowly walked forward, dodging a few mist students.
“What’s going on? ” She heard a familiar voice shout as she slammed her fists. She turned her head and saw her mother’s back. People surrounded her as she continued. “How come magic classes are all so boring? I thought they’d be more magical and dreamy… ”
Chiyo sat down on the chair across from Akko and looked at her. Her usual ponytail had been replaced by a sprout that seemed to grow out of her skull. Sucy seemed to ignore her as Akko talked and talked and talked and…
“It’s nothing like what I thought it would be. It’s hard to believe that Shiny Chariot learned magic in this school.” Shiny Chariot? Chariot? Chariot like her aunt Chariot? Chiyo frowned and put her chin in her hand.
Then someone came up behind her mother.
Chiyo’s eyes followed the slender and elegant figure of the girl she recognized as the third member of the blue team.
“Nobody accepts Shiny Chariot’s magic. Especially in this school .”
Ouch.
Seeing her mother’s gaze, the other girl’s words hadn’t pleased her. She swallowed what was in her mouth as the students around them put their hands over their mouths, reminding Chiyo of the reactions around her earlier in the day.
Akko raised her large red eyes—well, normally red, currently they were green—before turning back to the taller girl.
“Miss Kagari. That’s your name, right?” The voice didn’t sound exactly rude, but Chiyo couldn’t help but notice a certain ‘I’m-superior-and-I-show-it’ in it. “You’re the newcomer.”
“Ywe tan… ”
Chiyo tapped her forehead. Akko chewed quickly, nearly choking in the process, and swallowed, under the cold gaze of the girl opposite, whose left eyebrow was raised.
“You can call me Akko. You were outstanding in class .”
“I am Diana Cavendish. ”
Diana…
A pretty pretentious face for someone who had the same last name as a banana.
Wait…
Cavendish? Chiyo had heard that name before.
"You don’t know Diana? " Hannah appeared behind. Chiyo wasn’t sure if Hannah was asking for herself or her mother, but she felt very small for thinking that no, whoever this girl was, she didn’t know her. Was she really someone important? "She’s extremely famous in the magic world, you know." Chiyo rolled her eyes.
"They say she’ll be the best witch in the history of Luna Nova." Chiyo clenched her jaw. Barbara had appeared behind Hannah. But who was this… Princess ?!
"Well, I’ll call you Akko. But in the magic world, nobody speaks highly of Chariot." Diana continued.
Chiyo was ready to give up her patience for once—something she rarely did—and wanted to throw her chair at the other girl.
"You should remember that." Akko and Chiyo were making the same face, jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed.
"That’s not true! "
Akko began to passionately explain her vision of things before the other prude (Oh how Chiyo hated talking like that, but something was irritating about that Diana that she couldn’t describe) looked away, her wavy hair falling into her face. She argued that the show had been popular at one time, but that was all outdated now and Chariot had been gone for ten years.
Chiyo frowned and noticed the form of Chariot herself on the balcony. Tomorrow she would go see her aunt and ask questions because what was all this about?
"Nobody cares what she’s doing or where she is now." Diana continued with a raised eyebrow and dramatically turned on her heel. Chiyo stood up suddenly and slammed her fists on the table, knocking her hat off, but Akko did so at the same time.
"Chariot gave me a dream! It’s true! " Akko exclaimed. Diana raised her eyebrow, almost exasperated. Usually, her mother’s stubborn side would have made her have the same reaction, but Chiyo was too angry at Diana to think.
"And I found the Shiny Rod! "
The stick. The famous stick.
"The Shiny Rod? " Diana crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes analyzing Akko’s before looking at the ground with a sigh. Her jaw clenched as Akko’s gaze was still determined.
Then the fog cleared and Chiyo found herself alone again. She picked up her hat and gritted her teeth as she headed down the halls.
What a jerk.
Chiyo wondered how people could like that kind of person.
She grumbled as she unconsciously struck the same pose as Diana, leaving the cafeteria. If she had taken a few seconds to look back, she would have noticed the Lady of the Mist looking at her with a sad look, one hand on the chair where Akko was sitting.
Notes:
Heyo heyo, things are finally getting angsty !
Chapter 6: no surprises.
Summary:
Things are worse than Chiyo thought, once again
Notes:
Okay so I hope you guys understand the Scottish accents (and no Scotts will be hurt, I love you guys)
Oh and the fanfic officially had a change of name! This one really fit more the vibe of the fic (and yes its from the Oasis' song).
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It had been a month since Chiyo started at Luna Nova. She integrated into the magical world like a fish in water, navigating each class as if it were innate to her.
Maybe it was innate to her.
Her magic was still clumsy, but not as much as her mother had been at her age. Her shortcomings often stemmed from poor pronunciation, a posture that needed to be straighter or even a flick of the wrist in the wrong direction. But unlike Akko, Chiyo managed to catch up on her second try and easily rose to the top of the class, to the great pride of Anne Finnelan.
Chiyo liked Professor Finnelan. She had clear rules, established goals, and an undeniable authority that was difficult to question. And above all…
She looked at Chiyo with a spark of pride that she could not find in the other teachers, not even in her aunt Chariot.
Finnelan typically called her the prodigy of Luna Nova, even giving her a key to the Archives to allow Chiyo to learn more. To know more. The Japanese witch was driven by an insatiable desire for knowledge, seeking the “why” in each answer until she felt satisfied. Finnelan would give her a small, confident smile at the end of each class before resuming her strict posture. It made Chiyo want to continue making even more efforts.
Akko called her every weekend. Chiyo would sit in the corner of the library to use the Academy's computers and give herself an hour or two of relaxation. Sometimes Lizzy would be there, and it would often be Cassia. But what Chiyo liked best was when she was alone with her mother.
She missed Akko. Terribly. Chiyo felt like she was learning so much about the woman who gave birth to her but seemed to be moving further and further away. Her mother's face on the other side of the screen was still sweet and curious. And for a brief moment, as Chiyo explained what she had learned about the Nine Witches, Akko's face took on an expression that Chiyo had only seen once: during the cafeteria memory. Akko wore that same frown as in her youth, and Chiyo remembered exactly when it had appeared.
During the first confrontation with Diana.
Chiyo had learned over the weeks — and through the memories that the Lady of the Mist showed her in the evening — that same frown eventually appeared regularly. Whenever the blonde was present and looked at her mother, Akko would adopt that expression. As soon as Akko and Diana challenged each other, they would look at each other with the same intensity in their eyes.
Chiyo quickly concluded that :
- Akko and Diana didn't like each other
- Diana was annoying and hated her know-it-all side.
- And that her mother was a chaotic being who had managed to, by some miracle, become a responsible adult.
The Lady of the Mist had guided her for several nights towards memories of Akko's youth. Chiyo had seen the relay of 2017. She had seen her mother, who hadn’t known how to take off from the ground 48 hours prior, stand up to the Cavendish heiress by charging on a legendary broomstick. She had seen her being chased by a giant bear, with her Uncle Andrew clinging to the magic staff she was holding, long rabbit ears replacing her own. She had even seen her transform into a fish — well, try to — with Sucy and Lotte.
Chiyo followed her mother's adventures as she went along like a spectator of her life as if everything that had happened was just a show, with Chiyo as the main audience. She chased after the shadows of her family, searching for answers, always hoping to know who she was a little better.
She often ended up with more questions than she already had, and the last image of an heiress staring at her mother with an emotion that Chiyo couldn't decipher…
When she opened her history book one Thursday in October for her “History of Magic” class, she knew she would end up even more confused than before. Cassia was staring at her insistently.
“Renaissance of magic, from 2017 to the present?” She read the large paragraph, her curiosity growing. She looked at Cassia and Lizzy before turning the page. Lizzy had her face hidden in one hand, with a frustrated look on her face.
Chiyo had discovered, as the days went by, that Lizzy wasn’t really Cassia's biggest fan. She remembered her pale face and clenched fists when she told her she had a crush on the smallest of the trio. Lizzy had answered, “ Great ,” her voice rising in pitch. She had ended up cracking and confessing to her that she hated Cassia, for reasons that Chiyo still didn’t know.
Cassia hadn’t shown any particular affection for Lizzy, either. She was polite, of course, but only polite for Chiyo.
The relationship between them had worsened the day Cassia had introduced her familiar, a duck. The duck had only stared at Lizzy, who had anatidaephobia — in other words, the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching her maliciously (Chiyo had just read the definition on Wikipedia and couldn’t help but tease Lizzy).
Chiyo shook her head and refocused on the situation. A picture of a large tree was on the cover of the chapter, and she frowned when she saw her mother's magic staff: the Claiomh Solais.
"Hey, Kagari!" A voice behind her called out. She turned around in the lecture hall and stared at a Greek girl. Lana. She was rather annoying, preferring to laugh rather than listen in class. Chiyo had already asked her several times on behalf of other students to be quiet, but she had ignored her.
Chiyo closed her blue eyes as she turned back to her textbook. If she ignored Lana, she would stop and not come down to her level-
“Is it true that your mother got picked up once and the guy left? Good for a saviour!”
A heavy silence settled over the amphitheatre as all eyes fell on them. Chiyo quickly learned that even the magical world didn't know the truth about her mother. Most thought that Akko had taken steps to be a strong and independent single mother despite "a big threat following her. " Others...
Others thought like Lana. Others believed that Akko - her mother - had spread her legs for the first person who came along. Chiyo didn't have the context of her creation or Akko's relationship, but she knew that Akko would never sleep with someone just like that.
Her chair slammed as Chiyo suddenly stood up. She excused herself as she stepped over Lizzy and silently climbed the stairs. She came face to face with Lana and fixed her cold eyes on her.
"You're not allowed to talk about my mother like that."
Lana smiled widely, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her legs on the table.
"Tell me, princess..." Chiyo took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure as Lana continued. "You're still proud of Akko, but what about the other one? Have you asked your mother yet, or are you too afraid of being a one-night stand?"
"That's none of your business."
Lana burst out laughing. Chiyo wanted to slam her into the table.
"Come on, Chiyo, there's nothing to be ashamed of! Your mother has fallen very low after the death of-"
The slap echoed throughout the amphitheatre. Chiyo blinked several times.
"Talk about Chiyo and her mother like that again, and I'll make sure you eat my fist," Lizzy growled. Lana looked at her before getting up, ready to throw herself at the taller girl . Her friends were holding her back with difficulty, and Chiyo was holding Lizzy firmly by the waist.
"I'm going to kill her!"
"Lizzy-"
"She has no right to talk about you like that!"
Chiyo pulled her even closer. The taller girl was screaming, and Lana's eyes were wild with rage.
"Bastard child! If I were you, I'd be ashamed to call myself Kagari!!!"
This time it was Chiyo who turned towards Lana. She pulled out her wand and held it against her throat, her blue eyes colder than ice piercing her soul.
"Never in my life will I be ashamed of being a Kagari. Never in my life will I be ashamed of my mother. You know nothing about her, nothing about her past, nothing about how she lives. So I forbid you to speak of her like that again. You will never be a quarter of the woman she is. She has her flaws, but never, ever , will I be ashamed of her. We are never ashamed of the person who raised us and who gave up their dreams for love. So I will ask you to keep your mouth shut, or I will be forced to teach you some manners." The tip of Chiyo's wand pressed against Lana's throat before the brunette pulled away. She grabbed Lizzy's wrist and sat back in her seat, standing tall and proud. She reopened her book and was about to get ready for her class when-
"If you don't believe me, ask her who Diana Cavendish is!"
Diana?
Diana, the know-it-all princess?
Chiyo frowned and was about to turn around, but Finnelan came back into the room asking for silence. Chiyo turned to Lizzy, who had just broken her pencil. Her eyes were furious, and she was biting her lip until it bled. Chiyo turned the pages of her book to try to calm down before her breath caught as she looked at the first picture in the chapter.
Standing on what Chiyo recognized as Shooting Star, Akko and Diana held the magic staff - okay, the Claiomh Solais - and pointed at an invisible camera.
"Lizzy-" Chiyo called. Her friend didn't hear her, too focused on her anger. She shook a little, but Lizzy was stubborn. She sighed and turned to Cassia, who immediately understood.
"February 2018. Atsuko finally unlocked all the words so that the Grand Triskellion opened. Except that one of Croix Meridies' experiments went very wrong, and to cut it short, your mother went to space" - " But you can't breathe in space... " Chiyo whispered before Cassia cut her off. - "And with Diana's help, she released the magic! So that as many people as possible could gain strength, Chariot spread everything that was happening via magic so that people all over the world would believe in them! And it worked!"
"But what does Diana have to do with all this?" Chiyo remembered the heiress's gaze in every memory. All that the girls reflected was a mutual rivalry, yet in the photo, they seemed close.
Very close.
Too close...
Chiyo touched the photo and turned to Lizzy, who was now hiding behind her hand.
Then suddenly, she remembered a piece of information she had seen in the memories of the Lady of the Mist.
"Lizzy!" Chiyo exclaimed, and Lizzy jumped. "Your father knew Diana since childhood! Did he ever tell you about her?!"
"W-What? No, he never told me about her. Why -"
"The Lady of the Mist. The Lady of the Mist shows me my mother's memories here, and Diana often appears !"
Lizzy was about to say something but was cut off.
“Alright. Welcome everyone to this new chapter of the History of Magic. As you all know, we are going to begin the chapter on the rebirth of magic and everything that stemmed from it.” Finnelan started by casting a spell on the video projector. “But first of all, I’ll begin with attendance.”
Chiyo sighed, knowing that she wouldn’t receive any further explanations.
When Finnelan called her name, the entire class fell silent. All the students turned to her.
Chiyo had become even more popular as the days went by. She was simple, and it was clear that she loved magic. It was also evident that the natural charm of the Kagaris affected others.
However, knowing the subject that awaited them today — and Akko’s popularity in the magical world — it was logical for all the attention to be on her. At least, that’s what Cassia had told her. But Chiyo remained composed and, despite all the attention she was currently receiving, she answered without her voice faltering once. She caught Lana glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, and she couldn’t help but smile.
She was going to make her mother proud.
There was a wall in Luna Nova. A wall where hundreds of names had been written. Chiyo had never dared to inquire in honour of it, but she knew it was significant.
She was surprised to see the library hallway blocked, with all the students gathered around it and whispering.
“What’s going on?” Chiyo asked Lizzy.
“I don’t know, but it doesn’t smell good.”
The three girls looked at each other and moved closer. The whispers grew louder as a goblin passed between the students with a stone plaque. Chiyo watched him do this and saw him kiss the stone before placing the plaque against the wall. The names on the wall shifted to make room for it, and the name was embedded in alphabetical order:
Jean De La Croix.
“PAPA! NO!”
Chiyo jumped at the scream as a girl pushed everyone away and looked at the wall.
“NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! PAPA!!!”
Desperate screams echoed throughout the campus. A shiver of terror ran through Chiyo as she pushed her way to join the girl. The girl was crying until she was hyperventilating and touching the plaque while screaming. Chiyo placed a hand on her shoulder, and by the look of the girl in front of her, she understood.
These were not just simple names.
These were the names of the missing people.
People who were gone.
People who were killed .
“Paulette…” Chiyo remembered her name when she saw her. “Paulette, I’m sorry…”
Paulette looked at her and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl while screaming. She cried and screamed, and Chiyo knew her uniform was going to be stained with snot.
But she held Paulette as if her life depended on it. She held her like she had herself the name of a loved one on this wall. She held her tightly as Paulette screamed.
“Chiyo! They have… They have…!”
Chiyo didn’t know who Paulette was talking about. She looked up at the wall.
“ In tribute to all the victims of the Black Scourges — May the Nine open the gates of heaven for your courage. ”
The Black Scourges.
Hundreds and hundreds of names. She held Paulette a little tighter, feeling her tears welling up.
Chariot came running. She took Paulette in her arms, and Chiyo looked at them, her body numb.
The Black Scourges.
Hundreds of names.
“ A long time ago, the Nine Old Witches protected magic. Then, one day, something—someone—came to take it away. Its army was monstrous... and it took years to finally seal the creature away. But it woke up seventeen years ago. ” Chiyo remembered Akko saying.
No.
No.
No .
Chiyo walked over to Lizzy and grabbed her hand roughly, pulling her toward her dorm. Cassia followed very closely.
“Lizzy, who are they?!” Chiyo screamed after closing the door to her dorm. Cassia had sat on a couch in silence and was looking at the figurines and books Chiyo had set up almost everywhere.
“Chiyo, calm down—”
“LIZZY, WHO ARE THEY?!” Chiyo asked again as she pinned Lizzy against the door. Her gaze was panicked, and she had flashes of her mother's scar. She put her hand on her own scar.
“Chiyo, sit down.” Lizzy's tone was firm. Chiyo let go of her collar, and her breathing was laboured.
“Alright, I'll tell you what happened. I'll tell you everything,” she said, looking at Cassia. Cassia jumped at the tone and hid her face in her hand.
“What I'm about to tell you is not a pretty story.” Lizzy's voice was shaky. “Years ago, a group of demons — monsters — tried to take control of magic. It took the Olde Witches years to defeat them; there were nine of them, and it took about twenty years. Except the demons promised to come back — kind of like the Demise in Skyward Sword. Same curse.”
"Who? What? Huh?"
Lizzy ignored her questions. “They came back. Seventeen years ago, Chiyo. And they swore revenge. They vowed to accomplish their mission. Chiyo, hundreds of people died; it’s a real genocide that’s happening in the magical world, continuing again and again. This group of monsters calls themselves The Judges of the Nines. They think they’re Reason; they think they’re Justice, but they’re not, Chiyo, they’re not! They follow a kind of prophecy to get revenge. We call them the Black Scourges. They’re dangerous, Chiyo. Dangerous . They hunt witches with their magic, and they reproduce and share scents and information like rabbits. If a demon smells you, you can be sure that your information will be shared among the whole group! Aunt Akko had to hide from them; she still has to hide from them. She can’t use magic without being protected; she can’t take that risk. And you too, please don’t do anything reckless, Chiyo. You don’t know what they are capable of.”
Lizzy cried while holding Chiyo’s hands.
“They… did this to me?” Chiyo asked while touching her face. Lizzy nodded. An immense anger took over Chiyo.
“They can’t enter Luna Nova. We are safe here, so never, ever perform magic outside of school. Never, Chiyo .”
Chiyo agreed and took Lizzy in her arms. Her body was shaking, and Chiyo could feel her heart beating hard against her chest. The Japanese witch placed her hand on Lizzy’s heart and pressed her forehead to hers.
“Calm down. I promise I won’t do anything. I promise I’ll be safe.”
“If you meet one of those demons, run. You run, you fly, you flee. You don’t attack. You don’t confront.”
Lizzy nuzzled against her, and Chiyo felt Lizzy's heart quicken—or maybe hers—as the British girl sought comfort.
Chiyo's steps were quick. It was 10 PM, and all the students should be in the dorms. She had combed the school with a fine-tooth comb and was now heading toward the library. That wall of names… She had to know how many students from the school had left. If this had all started seventeen years ago, then…
She was going to check all the yearbooks.
A horrible feeling had been nagging at her since dinner.
She opened the door to the library and made her way to the back, where the computers were. The 'Yearbooks' section was beside the computers.
She placed several years on the table:
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Chiyo opened the book with trembling hands. The year her mother entered. She turned the pages and looked at the faces of all the students.
How many of them were her mother’s friends?
How many of them did Akko see die?
How many of those souls were unjustly stolen?
She paused on the page of the red/blue/green team. She was sure that everyone on this page was alive. She knew it; she had seen them all before.
Then she stopped on Diana’s face.
Chiyo let her fingers slide over the photo.
“Who are you…” Chiyo asked. Who was this woman, who was this name, who was this rival, this friend?
Who was this person that Chiyo had been hearing about since her arrival?
She sighed as something caught her attention. A noise.
A very faint noise.
Chiyo took her wand in hand and used it as a flashlight.
“Is anyone there?”
The noise stopped. Chiyo continued to walk towards the sound and halted, her eyes wide open.
A raccoon.
A huge raccoon hiding under one of the tables. It had dropped several books and was trying to escape.
Chiyo had heard that the school had some problems with rodents and other such critters. She frowned and, with a flick of her wand, grabbed the raccoon by the paw.
“Hey you, stay there.”
The raccoon squeaked, and Chiyo seized it by the scruff of the neck, at a reasonable distance so as not to get scratched.
“I think you got lost in the school, right? I’ll put you back outside; wait.”
She studied it a little in the light of her wand. It was that usual green raccoon. She scratched the top of his head in thought.
“I always see you rummaging through the trash, and you don’t seem to like bananas.” She laughed as the raccoon tried to get away again. “No, no, you stay there. Look at the mess you’ve made.” She turned with the raccoon in her arms towards the books. “I’m the one who has to tidy all this up. You know I’m only supposed to make sure the students are in their rooms, not pick up the messes of cute creatures.”
She almost saw the raccoon roll its eyes. Chiyo bent down to pick up the books and…
One of the books was open on a page.
The Track.
She frowned and let her eyes wander over the article before her breath caught in her throat.
The Track.
That was the name given to the Black Scourges’ genocide!!!
She almost dropped the raccoon. She shook her mind and thought that she might as well borrow that book. She picked it up and found a wand underneath.
“Well, one of the students must have left her wand here…”
It was a basic Luna Nova wand, but Chiyo noticed that it was fixed with tape - and probably hope given its condition.
“I’ll take it and bring it back to…”
The raccoon bit her hand hard. Chiyo let out a whimper of pain and released the creature. She ran towards the wand.
“Oh no! Don’t even think about it!” She cast the same spell as before, and a magical rope pulled back the raccoon’s legs. It tried to gnaw at the rope, but Chiyo caught the wand before it could escape. What a strange animal.
Chiyo ran a hand over her face.
“I’m way too tired for this kind of thing. I should go to bed and…”
“GI’E ME THAT BACK!!”
Chiyo stopped. She turned and searched for the source of the voice.
“Who is there?”
“AH SAID, GI’E ME THAT BACK!!!”
She slowly turned to the raccoon that was still tied up and pulled by Chiyo’s magic rope.
“EH?!” Chiyo screamed, and her spell broke in surprise. The raccoon stood on its hind legs and walked toward Chiyo.
“Ah swear tae ye, the young folk these days! They take wi’oot knowin’; gie me that back!”
Chiyo stammered as the raccoon climbed onto the table in front of her.
The raccoon spoke.
The raccoon spoke .
THE RACCOON SPOKE WITH A SCOTTISH ACCENT!
“Wean, gie me back ma wand!.”
Chiyo blinked at the raccoon.
“The wand.”
To say that Chiyo was accustomed to other accents would be incorrect. Even now, a month into her year at Luna Nova, there were times when she didn’t understand.
The only time she had heard a Scottish accent was when her mother had shown her old episodes of Doctor Who for Christmas.
David Raccoon Tennant was still looking at her, its paw outstretched. Chiyo could see golden eyes staring at her.
“I… I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Whit dae ye mean ye don’t unnerstaun?! The staff, the wand, the thing in yer left hand!”
The raccoon took a breath.
“The wand, if you may,” it said in a very forced basic British accent.
“Ah, the wand?”
“AYE, THE WAND!!!”
“You’re a raccoon. Who speaks. With an accent. And who has a wand.”
Chiyo burst out laughing nervously and ran a hand through her hair.
“Ah don’t see whit’s funny. It’s completely normal.”
“A raccoon…”
“Wean—” The raccoon tried to grab the wand.
“A raccoon talks—” Chiyo pulled away.
“Aiye—”
“I’m going crazy.”
“AH'M HUMAN! GI’E ME BACK THIS FOCKIN' WAND NOW!!!”
Chiyo blinked a few times and looked at the raccoon.
“What?”
“Gi’e me back the wand.—”
“Metamorphism Fociesse!!!”
“Wait, nae—”
But before the raccoon could even retort, the spell was cast, making a woman appear in a white cloud—quite upset, if Chiyo could say so—standing on the table.
“Awright, ye asked for it, wean.”
The woman said, cracking her neck before literally throwing herself at Chiyo. The Japanese witch screamed and started running, already preparing a spell to alert the teachers.
The woman quickly caught up with her and pulled her by the collar. Chiyo felt her breath hitch and reflexively kicked the woman in the ankles. The latter growled, and Chiyo took advantage of the moment to escape.
“Not so fast!” Chiyo felt a book hit her back. She stumbled, and a second book made the two wands she had in her hand fly away.
The woman ran to grab one of the two wands. Chiyo threw one of the books on the ground to move it away, and the woman grabbed Chiyo's wand.
“By the Nines, an unbroken wand feels braw!”
Chiyo watched in horror as the woman in front of her shook her wrist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Chiyo felt a magical current surrounding her.
“Ah think Ah'll keep this one.—”
“NO!!!”
Chiyo stood up suddenly and pinned the woman by the waist. Her head slammed against the ground.
“I don’t know who you are, but you have no business being here. Give me back my wand!”
Chiyo tried to make her open her hand. It was the wand that Akko had given her, the wand that meant so much to her mother for some reason that escaped her but was worn out with passion.
The woman kicked her in the stomach and sent her against the wall. Chiyo groaned in pain but struggled to get up before a weight crashed against her, looking down at her.
“Sorry, wean, but it’s ma turn noo.”
She raised the wand, and Chiyo took the opportunity to look at her. She was a woman in her fifties with wavy grass-green hair pulled into a ponytail. Her face was heavily freckled, and a burn spread across her left cheek to her throat. A crimson cherry branch was tattooed above it. Her eyes were golden, cold, and calculating. Her nose had been broken several times due to the odd angle it had, and her face was hollow as if she didn't seem to eat enough. She wore a red shirt, a black blazer, pants, and a tie of the same colour. She had a long red coat that reached her knees and red glasses on her nose.
“ Oyasumi , little one.” The tip of her wand suddenly glowed. Chiyo felt her eyes widen as the woman muttered a spell.
She had to act.
Now!!!
Her forehead met the woman's chest violently at her hips.
“Ouch—But are ye s—”
Chiyo pushed the woman to the ground and took both wands.
“MUROWA!!!”
The spell burst against the woman's chest, and she found herself dazed on the ground. Chiyo was breathing heavily, her eyes looking at the intruder in fear, her composure cracking. She raised her wand; it was glowing red.
“ALERT!!! INTRUSION ALERT!!!”
The woman in front of her seemed to wake from her confusion and began to run toward the exit. The teachers arrived shortly after in the library, and Chiyo found herself bombarded with questions while she held her wand in her hand and trembled.
Chiyo looked at the wall and opened the first yearbook.
Lizzy had explained to her that by calling a name inscribed on the wall, it would appear before her. She started with Paulette's father, who had been added to the wall a week prior.
The names began to shift, and the name of Jean De La Croix illuminated in purple.
Okay.
Okay, okay, okay.
Chiyo took a deep breath and began with the first names. It took her several pages before the first names appeared on the wall.
“September 14, 2023, November 28, 2023, July 06, 2023…” Chiyo read the dates of death. The more names brushed her lips, the more they flickered on the wall.
Chiyo had now gone through three books, and more than half of the students between 2013 and 2015 had passed. They must have been between 26 and 23 years old when the Black Scourges returned.
So young.
Tears streamed down Chiyo’s face. It was 11 PM, and she had waited an entire week to ensure the crosshairs were clear. With the intrusion alert from last time and David-Raccoon-Tennant still at large, Chiyo had chosen to stay behind.
She was left speechless when she began to read the last name from 2016.
“Sabrina Bekkers, 23, died of torture. Stay silent until the end to protect the school.”
The pile of books she held fell.
Everything was worse than she had imagined.
The entire world was crumbling, and hundreds of families were devastated.
How many of these names were fathers, sons, brothers? Aunts, cousins, daughters?
How many of these names were children ?
Suddenly, she remembered Akko—a memory of her mother singing a lullaby during her childhood, promising her that no monster would come looking for her.
Chiyo recalled all the times Akko rushed into her room in a panic when Chiyo screamed in fear after a nightmare.
Chiyo thought of Akko—Akko whose lifelong dream had been shattered.
Akko who had been hunted.
Akko who had been hurt.
Akko who…
Chiyo felt something welling up inside her. She covered her mouth and ran to the nearest bathroom.
How many families had kept the light on, waiting for a loved one? The window open? The door unlocked?
How many families had mourned the loss of a loved one because a group of monsters hunted them down like fresh flesh?
How many?
How many…
Chiyo found herself in a familiar hallway. The Lady of the Mist stood by her side, looking straight and somber.
“Where am I?” Chiyo asked. “Why didn’t you appear in real life? Why are you in my head?”
The Lady of the Mist sadly looked up while gripping the doorknob. Chiyo could see her hand trembling.
“I know you’re here to show me things, so please do it!” Chiyo pleaded. The Lady of the Mist closed her eyes, and a flash of lightning illuminated the house.
Blonde hair.
The Lady of the Mist had blonde hair, blonde with green highlights.
It reminded her of...
“Chiyo!!!”
Chiyo turned around and faced her mother, who was in her twenties. She walked past her and threw the door open. The sound of a baby’s cries could be heard, screams that tore Chiyo’s heart apart.
“Chi-chan, Haha is here, Haha is…”
A flash of lightning struck the house again. Shadows of something—someone—could be seen with each flash. Akko held her wand in her hand.
Chiyo entered the room. It was a basic room, decorated with unicorns and birds.
Her nursery.
The sound of a window breaking caught everyone's attention. Akko was terrified, Chiyo was confused, and the Lady of the Mist didn't even look up.
“Shit...” Akko groaned. She closed the door and stood in front of the crib.
Then silence.
BANG .
Everyone jumped.
BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.
The door shattered.
Chiyo's eyes widened as the creature entered the room. It was taller than the door and had a winged humanoid shape, like a gargoyle. Huge horns protruded from its head; its skin was black—not the black of natural skin colour, but a dark black like when the lights were out, black like the sky when the storm was raging, black like hell.
“Atsuko Kagari.” His voice was deep and made the house shake. Chiyo could see huge teeth and drool dripping from his lips. He had a muzzle-like potting soil and pupils shaped like crescent moons. His forehead and cheeks were covered in white spots, like war paint. His ears were long and pointed, and he had a bushy tail that swung behind him. Chiyo looked at his feet, which resembled more tiger paws than feet, clawing at the ground. His grey wings were enclosed behind his back, and his claws were visible on his outstretched hands.
“Don’t come any closer—” Akko screamed.
“Give us the child.”
“DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!!!”
Akko cast the first spell that came to mind. The demon dodged it and laughed.
“You’re just calling my brothers by doing that. Thank you.”
The demon sauntered, smiling. Akko stood over the crib as the baby inside—Chiyo herself—screamed at the top of her lungs. The Lady of the Mist didn't dare look at the scene and clenched her fist.
“NO!!!!” Chiyo screamed when she saw the demon raise its hand toward Akko.
She sat up in bed and felt tears fall from her eyes. She placed her head in her hands and inhaled slowly before hugging her teddy bear.
A strong gust of wind caught her attention. She looked up to see one of the large windows wide open.
Then she saw her.
The woman.
Chiyo took her wand, lighting the room, and screamed.
“HANDS OUT!!!”
The woman/raccoon jumped and got into a defensive stance.
“Hey, wean, let me talk!—”
“I won't let you go this time.” Chiyo locked the door and window with a flick of her wrist.
“Aye, of course.” The woman rolled her eyes and lay down on one of the sofas as if she were at home. Despite her visible exhaustion, she had a certain grace in her movements.
“Weel, let’s talk seriously.” The woman coughed. “Ah want ma wand.”
“Your wand? The one you unjustly stole from a student?”
“Nae, ma wand. C'mon, wean, gie it back tae me.”
“How did you get in?”
The woman looked at her without a smile.
“Ah checked aw the rooms, aw the windows. Dae ye ken how tirin' that is? Tae climb tae every dorm? Especialy since ye set aff the alarm, meanin’ Ah’ve got the hale school on ma back. Ah hope ye’re proud o’ yersel’.”
“Proud of myself? For doing my job as Ace Student by protecting the school from a… I don’t know what?” Chiyo swore she hated that damn accent.
The woman almost smiled as she picked up the book Chiyo had left on the coffee table. She opened it to the page Chiyo had kept in plain sight.
“Are ye haein' fun lookin' at former students?”
“None of your business. Get lost.”
“Listen, ma bunny.” Chiyo grimaced at the nickname the woman gave her. “Gie me ma wand, and Ah'll lea.”
Her golden eyes were fixed on blue. Chiyo glanced at the second wand she had placed on her desk. She took it in her hands.
“That’s it, ma bunny, gie it tae me.”
Chiyo began to twist it slowly. The woman in front of her paled and slammed the book against the table.
“Wean, dinnae dae that.”
“I’ll do it and call security right after.” Chiyo challenged her with a cold look.
“Wean.”
Chiyo heard the wand crack. She looked at the tape that was only fixing a minor part of it. Nothing serious. But from the way Chiyo was bending it, she knew that the wand would be completely unusable afterwards.
In less time than it took Chiyo to blink, she was pinned against the wall. The woman was much taller than her and had lifted her off the ground. Chiyo was still holding the wand, the cracking sound under her fingers still evident.
“Keep goin', an' Ah'll kill ye.”
“Do it.”
The woman in front of her was surprised but resumed her cold demeanour.
“Ah won’t hesitate tae dae it.”
“Then do it.”
“Aye. Ah'll dae it.”
She looked at Chiyo before growling and dropping her to the ground.
“Look, Ah jist want ma wand, an' then Ah'm leavin'. Ye'll never see me again.”
She began to wander around the room, touching everything.
“Liar. I’ve seen you a few times already. You’ll be back.”
The woman grimaced and opened Chiyo’s magical linguistics notebook.
“Hey, Ah see yer notes are tidy.”
“Stop and go.”
“Ah see ye're haein' trouble wi' some pairts o' the course. An easy pairt, though.”
Chiyo blushed in shame and threw the first book she had on hand. The woman grabbed it without even looking at Chiyo, continuing to read.
“Ye’re also strugglin' wi' some spells. Ah see ye've written 'possible ways tae cast a spell' here.” She stood straight as she read, like a professor. Chiyo was losing patience. It was 3 am, and that damn woman was speaking too fast.
“I can’t believe it, just go!”
The woman looked at Chiyo, who held her wand ready to cast a spell.
“Dae it..”
“W-what?”
“Cast yer spell..”
Chiyo felt her jaw clench. She raised her arm and was about to scream when…
“Too high.”
Chiyo raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Yer arm. It’s too high. Nae matter whit spell ye cast, it won’t hit the target ye’re aimmin' for. Yer arm’s too high.”
She approached Chiyo and lowered her arm slightly. She put a hand on her back and straightened it.
“There, that’s better.”
But who was this woman?! Chiyo was about to sound the alarm when…
Hey.
She had an idea.
“You want your wand, right?”
The woman in front of her crossed her arms over her chest.
“Ha'e ye made up yer mind, ma bunny? That’s guid.”
“I have a deal to offer you.”
“Oh nae,” the woman said. “Ah dinnae walk in thae waters. Ma wand an' Ah’m gane.”
“Agree to be my mentor, and I’ll give you back your wand. You’ll have access to the library, and on top of that, I’ll bring you leftovers from the cafeteria.”
The woman in front of her dropped her mask for a split second, revealing surprise.
‘Ye’re daft.—’ she began. ‘Ah could be a dangerous psychopath or...—’
“If you wanted to kill me, you would have already done so.”
Chiyo extended her hand to the woman with golden eyes. Her palm was glowing.
“I promise not to report you to security if, in exchange, you promise not to attack Luna Nova, her students, or its surroundings—neither yourself nor a third party. And me too, by the same token.”
“Unlimited access tae the library an' a meal.…”
The woman stared at her before smiling. A slightly manipulative smile, but mostly interested.
“That works, ma bunny,” she said, shaking Chiyo’s hand. Their handshake sealed the contract between them magically. Neither could go back now.
“Stop with that nickname. I have a name,” Chiyo growled.
“If Ah dinnae ken yer name, Ah'll jist keep callin' ye ma bunny..”
Chiyo was surprised to learn that the woman in front of her didn’t know who she was. Many members of the magical community surprisingly knew her. This strange woman must have been a hermit or a circus performer from a troupe of artists in Perigord. Chiyo didn’t know this, and honestly, she didn’t understand what madness had compelled her to propose this deal with the stranger before her. But she had done it, for better and probably for worse.
“I’m Chiyo.”
The woman raised an eyebrow before nodding.
“Very weel, Chiyo. But Ah'll keep callin' ye ma bunny.”
Chiyo was about to protest, but the woman was already at her window, wand in hand.
“Ah’ll meet ye every night at the library. Ye can call me Snake.”
And she disappeared.
Yup.
Chiyo hated the Scottish accent.
Notes:
So. It is kind of late, but I've been working on that chapter for so much time now. The character I've been working the most finally appeared ! I hope you will like her !
True discussion with my partner :
A: Snake is hot
P : You know what can make her even hotter ?
A : What ?
P : David Tennant's accent.
And here we are. 4 years at studying English at university as my main language, just to put a Scottish accent.
Well, I hope you liked that (pretty long) chapter ! Thank yall for the support, it means a lot !
Chapter 7: Merry Christmas, Please don't call.
Summary:
Samhain is getting closer and closer and Chiyo is charged of the final. But finding a good idea is hard when you're the only member of your team, and that your mind (and also your mentor) are doing everything but helping you...
Notes:
Oh, hi! It's been a while (on this fic). I hope you're still reading it!
This chapter was one i've been waiting the most to write. Trigger warning, there is a gore depiction in the middle of it. If you want to skip it, it's just after the first passage with the Lady of the Mist.
Anyway! Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Samhain was approaching. Luna Nova as a whole was focused on the festival, running around between classes, nervous to receive their roles for the festival.
Chiyo had ruled this out, being alone in her team and therefore incapable of most roles.
“Aunt Chariot!” Chiyo had slammed her hands on the headmistress’s desk. “You have to find a solution, something for me to do! I refuse to sit still while everyone else is working hard! It’s unfair!” Blue eyes scanned Chariot, who was clearly very uncomfortable.
“Chiyo, I know you think this is unfair but…”
“Find me something to do! Anything! Painting, cleaning, making rockets-”
“Chiyo-” Chariot tried again.
“Aunt Chariot… Please… I couldn’t enjoy the festival knowing I didn’t do nothing…”
Chariot sighed. She looked at the files in front of her, searching between them.
“Since your mother freed the spirit of Vajarois, we no longer have a finale. The festival often ends with traditional dances, but given your magical abilities, I think you can come up with something for us, right? Maybe you can even claim the title of ‘Moonlit Witch’.”
“Moonlit Witch?”
“A title only the witch who has shown the greatest magical abilities in the evening can receive. Your mother earned it one year.”
“My mother?”
Chariot nodded and pulled out a book as big as a cinder block from the desk. With a flick of her wand, the book opened to reveal a picture of her mother.
Moonlit Witch, 2018 – Atsuko Kagari.
“Wow…”
“Your mother could have been in 2017 but, having released Vajarois, she was disqualified.”
Chiyo frowned at the 2017 photo, her jaw tightening.
“The award was therefore given to Diana Cavendish.”
Of course.
Her again.
She must have been so proud to have beaten her mother and humiliated her by winning the prize-…
“Diana almost fought the jury, explaining that she didn't deserve it and that Akko should be the one to receive it.”
Eh?
“Wait what?”
Chariot smiled softly.
“Yes. Diana had done an impressive job but could not resist your mother’s charm that night.”
“How so?”
“Akko showed everyone that she belonged at school that night, and that she had a path already mapped out for her. The path of a very great witch. Diana, who your mother used to annoy to the highest degree, found herself looking at Akko with surprise and passion. That night, Akko managed to force her way into all hearts, even the coldest. But she was disqualified because she preferred to free Vajarois rather than follow the initial plans. Diana felt very guilty that night. She tried to convince the jury, to rethink their decision. They just told her she was being modest.”
Chiyo looked at the photo. Diana was straight and proud to anyone else, her face cold and closed.
But Chiyo wasn't 'anyone else'. She was perceptive and analysed absolutely everything.
Diana had a guilty glint in her eyes. Her fists were clenched at her sides, her knuckles white. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed and her gaze distant.
There are lots of little details that reflect anything but pride, compared to the photo of Akko who was beaming with joy and pride.
Her mother…
Chiyo frowned and looked at Chariot. Her blue eyes burned with a new determination. A determination to show who she was, and who she came from.
A determination to show her heritage.
“I will become the Moonlit Witch this year.”
“I don’t doubt it for a second. But don’t overdo it; you’ill be alone and- Chiyo!”
But Chiyo was already starting to leave. She heard Chariot mutter a simple, “ All her mother, right down to her eyes…” before closing the door.
Chiyo will remain calm and serious while seeking to provide the best ending for Samhain.
She was anything but calm.
Her steps were quick and the hot plate of mashed potatoes trembled in her hands. The kitchen staff offered her a plate every night when she passed through the cafeteria on her shift. She had asked them personally, though she kept it a secret from the teachers.
Anyway, the food was always thrown away, so one more plate…
She had been playing this little game for a week now. She would take the plate, go to the library, and work until easily 2am. Chiyo was tired, but she managed to cope with the lack of sleep with a will of steel.
“Snake?” Chiyo asked as she opened the large door to the library. “Snake, it’s me.”
She approached one of the windows. A now very well-known raccoon was sitting in front of it, as if waiting. Chiyo opened it for her.
“Ye teuk yer time, bairn.” The raccoon growled, holding her wand between her teeth before gracefully jumping into the room.
“Be happy someone let you in-” Chiyo started and turned to meet the cold golden eyes of her new mentor. Chiyo fell silent and held out the plate. Snake looked at the contents.
“Mair potatoes? Thay aye dinnae ken hoo fur tae chynge th' menu.” She grimaced and sat down slowly. She closed her eyes and inhaled…
Before she started stuffing everything she could fit into her mouth. She tried to slow down, but couldn't help it. Snake inhaled slowly, holding her stomach before greedily resuming her meal. Chiyo placed a small bottle of water in front of her and Snake took it, emptying the contents into her stomach in less than 10s.
As the days went by, Chiyo had learned a few things about Snake. She spent most of her days in her raccoon form, searching for possible leftovers in the rubbish and sleeping when the sun was high in the sky, and looking for ways to get into the library at night. Chiyo would have offered to let her stay in her room out of pity, but Snake didn't seem to know who she was – and especially not who her mother was. And it felt good to finally have someone who didn't have expectations of her that were bigger than her shoulders. So either Snake was truly ignorant, or she wasn't making Chiyo feel like she should be… In Akko's rightfulness.
Which was good.
Chiyo loved her mother more than anything, but if her reputation could stop sticking to her, it would help Chiyo. Akko had the reputation of being clumsy, loud, and stubborn despite great magical abilities. But Chiyo was not like that. Chiyo was calm, Chiyo was fair. She had excellent composure and immense pride. She was an exceptional student and wanted to show her heritage while placing a stone on this edifice. This Samhain thing was therefore complicated for her. Show her heritage while avoiding hearing “all her mother” all the time.
She sighed.
And sighed again.
Snake ignored the sound, grunting into her plate.
Chiyo groaned and sighed louder. Snake rolled her eyes.
“Whit’s gaun oan again?”
“I have to do the finale for the Samhain show.”
“So?”
“I am alone in my team.”
“No ma problem, ma bunny.”
Chiyo was about to protest, but Snake grumbled about overeating and stood up before she could say anything.
Snake was a good teacher. Strange, maybe crazy as Chiyo thought, but talented despite a crooked wand.
“Please Snake, you have to help me-”
“No.”
“It’s important to me-”
“And?”
“You can do this for your student!”
Snake's eyebrow rose so high that Chiyo wondered if the other was paralysed.
“Ah’m jist yer teacher sae Ah can git intae this bloody library.”
“But you are still my teacher, and as a teacher, you must help me.”
“Ah’m helpin’ ye wi’ yer magic, no wi’ some daft wee festival idea.”
“It’s a big festival actually and-”
“Aye aye, Ah ken, couldnae gie a toss, ma bunny.” Snake said as she pulled Chiyo’s hat down over her eyes to silence Chiyo. She was already heading towards the history section holding her wand — No, Chiyo’s wand! How did she get it?! — and with a simple flick of her wrist, she pulled out a small stack of books that landed on the table. All this while reading a list in her hand and humming an old music that Chiyo couldn’t recognize.
“Snake-”
“Lemme work, aye.”
“Snake you must-”
Snake growled and placed a large linguistics book, a sheet of paper and a pencil next to her books, all with magic of course.
"Get tae werk, ma bunny, we’ll see hoo ye’re daein’ wi’ yer linguistics noo, eh?"
Chiyo grimaced, grabbed Snake's twisted wand from the table, and tried to cast the same spell as the Scottish witch across from her, to tidy up what had been pulled out and gain Snake's attention.
It didn't really happen that way.
All the books in the library and her bag came out at once. Chiyo let out a small scream as she covered her head. Snake suddenly turned around.
“ Sosomme Tidiare! ”
The books suddenly put themselves away.
“Weel, listen, ma bunny,” Snake pinched the bridge of her nose, “this spell’s nae bother. Ye need mair control; if ye cannae get yer magic in line, ye sit doon an’ werk, aye?”
“But it’s your wand-”
“ Sit. ”
Her voice was so cold that Chiyo grumbled to herself as she sat down at the table. She pulled out her linguistics notebook before Snake reached her and tapped a part of her notebook. Chiyo couldn't help but notice a slight tremor.
“Ye translate this pairt fur me in ten meenutes.”
“What, it’s too short!”
"If ye’ve werked on it, ye’ll hae plenty o’ time tae dae it, nae bother. If ten meenutes is ower much, then ye dinnae ken enough yet. Stop owerthinkin’ an’ werk. If ye mess up, make it useful instead o’ whinin’."
And with that she sat down at the table with her own notebook in hand. She swiped a pencil from Chiyo and started her notes, her nose in the books. Chiyo sighed, knowing there was no use trying to talk when Snake was this absorbed. The woman kept her distance, avoiding any form of socialising.
But she was right, most of the time.
Okay, all the time.
And it was damn irritating…
“No, but I'm not saying you look like shit, Chiyo,” Lizzy said, swallowing her mouthful of sandwich with difficulty. “I'm just saying you look like you slept, what… two hours?”
Chiyo groaned, pulling her hat lower to hide her tired eyes and, at the same time, the merciless sun. Lizzy had suggested a trip into town, just the two of them, to “take Chiyo's mind off things”—an initiative that had not pleased Cassia, who had reluctantly remained at Luna Nova. They were now sitting on the stone ledge of Blytonbury's central fountain, their legs dangling over the clear water. Children were playing nearby, occasionally splashing on the pavement, and the air was filled with the sound of laughter and the sound of water lapping.
“I just had a bit of a crappy night…” Chiyo drawled.
Lizzy arched an eyebrow, set her sandwich down on its crumpled wrapper, then leaned over to gently lift the brim of Chiyo's hat. Her hazel eyes settled on the purple circles under her friend's eyelids, like two stubborn shadows refusing to disappear.
“You look like me during midterms,” she whispered. Her tone was meant to be mocking, but the concern was clear. Without warning, she placed a warm hand on Chiyo’s cheek, forcing her to look at her. Her fingers absently ran over her skin, a gesture too tender to be purely friendly. But Chiyo, lost in her fatigue, didn’t even pay attention.
Lizzy sighed heavily. “You really need a break. You’re working way too hard for the festival. I’m sure Chariot just wants you to participate, not kill yourself.”
“I want to prove myself, Lizzy!” Chiyo spat, louder than she had intended. A few passers-by turned their heads, but she ignored them. Her shoulders tensed, and she took a large bite of her sandwich as if to end the discussion. The spicy mustard rose to her nose, but she gritted her teeth.
Lizzy was silent momentarily, playing with the bracelet on her wrist. Finally, she whispered, “You don’t have to work yourself to death to prove anything… Not to me, not to Chariot, and certainly not to yourself.”
Silence fell between them, broken only by the splashing of a child who had just slipped into the water. Chiyo chewed slowly, her brow furrowed. Her throat tightened—from fatigue, or because of Lizzy's words, she couldn't tell.
Finally, Lizzy straightened up, wrapped an arm around Chiyo's shoulders, and pulled her close with an exaggerated sigh. “Fine! If you refuse to take your foot off the gas, we'll at least treat ourselves to dessert. There's that new bakery, you know, the one with the giant éclairs. I bet I can eat more of those than you.”
“You still bet that,” Chiyo muttered, but the corner of her lips twitched up imperceptibly.
Lizzy laughs. “And I always win.”
This time, Chiyo cracked a real smile. Tired, yes. But… maybe a break wouldn't be so bad. She threw away the rest of her sandwich and naturally intertwined her fingers with Lizzy's.
“Do you think I should ask Cassia out?”
Chiyo didn't notice how Lizzy's hand seemed to tighten in hers.
“Maybe it’s a little early, right? I mean, you’ve known each other for a month, maybe wait and…”
“I know but, I don’t know…” Chiyo sighed. “Maybe I should talk to Haha about it?”
“Do you really want to tell Aunt Akko, I repeat, Atsuko Kagari , that you have a crush? Chiyo, we’re talking about your mother…”
Chiyo couldn't help but laugh. She remembered when she was 13 trying to set up a date between Akko and a friend's single father. Akko had agreed "only for Chiyo" and had been the very description of the “Awkward” word. So, asking her for love advice?
“She’s been all over your mother for fifteen years, open your eyes she won’t be able to help you,” Lizzy rolled her eyes. Lizzy had always been the only one who dared to talk about Chiyo’s mother without fear or shame.
“She should really move on. I mean, she’s probably started a new life with a new family by now…”
Lizzy slowed down discreetly. Chiyo heard her inhale, and she could already imagine her best friend opening and closing her mouth as she tried to think of something to say.
“Oh come on, it’s kind of funny, right? Imagine, she’s actually remarried and I actually have 26 hidden siblings!” Chiyo laughed, even though it sounded very fake.
“Chiyo-”
“No, but what, it’s nothing to leave your wife pregnant and-”
“Chiyo, stop pretending.”
Chiyo stopped in her tracks. She turned to Lizzy who had let go of her hand.
“What?”
“Stop pretending you don’t miss her. Stop pretending Aunt Akko is enough for you.”
Chiyo felt her face burn. She parted her lips slightly, only for a shaky puff to take her. Before she could even notice, Lizzy's arms were around her, encircling her in a protective hold.
Chiyo was used to it.
So why was she crying?
Chiyo groaned. The green mist around her danced to form the usual illusion. And as usual, she was between Diana and Akko.
Chiyo rubbed her temples. Why?
Why was that damn blonde everywhere?
Why couldn't the Lady of the Mist show her anything else?
Why did her mother seem so eager to be her rival? And why were they so desperate for each other?
If Chiyo didn’t know her mother better, she might have mistaken their rivalry for something… different. But Chiyo knew her mother. And all this was just a normal rivalry… Right?
“ I was just so disappointed about having to do the sacrifice duty,” Akko muttered, playing with her fingers. Chiyo wanted to slap her hand against her forehead.
“ So that's why you played a prank? ” Diana groaned before taking a deep breath. No, at that moment, Chiyo could understand her. For some reason, Akko had transformed into the blonde and was pretending to be her.
“Really Haha…” Chiyo sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“ You get mad and lose interest as soon as things don't go your way. You want to be like Chariot, but you know nothing of the history or tradition of magic.”
There was a long pause. Chiyo was about to roll her eyes when…
“ You have no right to study here!”
Chiyo felt her breathing hitch. She slowly looked up and for once, she felt like the illusion was looking directly at her and her heart skipped a beat. She felt her voice shake and she opened her mouth.
“ I have what it takes! ” Akko suddenly exclaimed though Chiyo could hear a hint of insecurity in her voice. “ I'm serious about wanting to be like Chariot.”
“ Serious? You?”
“ I'll prove it! My passion for magic is stronger than anyone here! ”
Akko puffed out her cheeks and walked furiously towards the building.
“ I, Atsuko Kagari, will be chosen as the Moonlit Witch at the Samhain Festival!”
And Akko turned on her heels, furious. Chiyo turned her head towards Diana, who was still standing there. The other students behind her murmured among themselves, lightly mocking her mother. Chiyo felt her fists clench when…
“ Enough!” Diana’s voice rang out. The girls froze and looked at the heiress, curious. “ If you think that by mocking you will be better than her, you are mistaken! Because despite her… disrespectful tendencies… I know there is potential in her.”
Chiyo blinked several times.
“Are?” Chiyo huffed. Diana had just… Defended Akko? She inhaled slowly and turned to the Lady of the Mist, who was still standing in the corner. “So what? You wanted to show me she could be nice, is that it? Ugh, that’s so stupid…”
Chiyo looked at Diana one last time before turning, her hair twirling behind her thanks to the illusion.
Sometimes the truth is closer than we would like to admit… And more complicated.
When Chiyo opened her eyes this time, she wasn't in a familiar place. And there wasn't the usual presence of the Lady of the Mist.
A cold breath caressed her skin, making her shiver. The air was heavy, saturated with a foul smell—a mixture of rotting flesh, rusted metal, and mould. The ground beneath her feet was rough and uneven, sticky in places, making slimy noises as she moved.
The walls of the hallway she was in seemed to close in on her as she walked. They were made of raw concrete, covered in dark drips that Chiyo chose not to examine too closely. Here and there, cracked pipes let out sporadic jets of a greenish substance that slowly trickled down to the floor. Further along, scribbled writing—or etched into the wall with something sharp—wound along the walls. Some looked like words, but the letters were distorted, almost organic.
As she walked, torn pieces of fabric hung from the pipes, stained with brownish stains. As she rounded a corner, an old ceiling fan whirred, faintly stirring strips of black plastic hanging from a half-open door. Beyond, the darkness seemed even thicker, but Chiyo felt her body move forward despite herself.
Every step echoed, reverberating through the underground structure. There was no human sound. No voices. No foreign breathing. Just the heavy silence, punctuated by drops falling at irregular intervals.
The hallway finally widened into a large room, lit by hanging lamps that flickered erratically, casting dancing shadows on the stained walls. The smell was worse here—a stale, sticky stench that clung to the throat. On the floor, bone fragments, some still surrounded by shreds of shrivelled flesh, lay scattered as if they had been carelessly swept aside. Deep scratches marked the concrete, evidence of an old struggle or a gratuitous relentlessness.
Chiyo forced herself to look away and walked towards the only visible exit. A heavy metal door, ajar, creaked as she pushed it.
Behind it stretched an office. The room contrasted with the sordid corridor but gave off something even more disturbing: everything was neatly arranged, meticulous… almost clinical. A lamp with a red shade diffused a crimson light, giving the whole place the air of a hushed nightmare. Shelves lined the walls, filled with files whose spines were marked with dates and names – some scratched to the point of being illegible. Other blurred-images posters showed human silhouettes crossed out with a bloody X.
But what caught Chiyo's eye was the display stand in the office’s centre. A black, polished pedestal, perfectly clean amidst the chaos. Inside a glass case sat a signet ring.
Golden. Sparkling despite the harsh light. On top, finely engraved, a unicorn standing on its hind legs. The animal seemed almost alive, its delicate features sculpted with infinite care. There were no superfluous ornaments, just this pure symbolism. Noble. Benevolent.
Chiyo felt a tug in the pit of her chest. A diffuse warmth. She wanted to touch it. Take it. Have it in her hand, as if this signet ring could soothe the chaos that reigned here. As if it already belonged to her a little.
But her feet remained nailed to the ground. Unable to move forward. Her breath grew shorter. This attraction… this need… and yet, her body refused to move.
A noise.
Steps.
Slow. Heavy. Staggering.
Chiyo turned around abruptly. A figure had just appeared in the doorway. Tall. Bent. Wrapped in a long dark coat that dragged almost on the ground. Ashes came off it with each movement, forming a greyish cloud around the person. The smell of soot-filled the room, covering all other scents – A pungent, suffocating odour.
The figure moved forward. Staggering. One arm leaning against the wall to keep from collapsing. Their boots left black marks on the ground. Recent burns marked the ends of the coat. The hood completely hid their face.
Chiyo opened her mouth. Nothing. Not a sound.
The figure approached the desk, their raspy breaths echoing in the silent room.
“ Threat level ,” the voice coughed as they began. Their voice was broken, shattered, heavy, and gravelly, “ Extreme. Priority: Immediate Termination. ”
The figure sat down at the desk and ran a hand over their face. Chiyo wanted to approach them, but her legs remained tense and trembling. She tried to wake up.
She had to wake up!!!
“ Eyes: blue, ” the figure read from the file in their hand, “ hair: blonde. Aura Signature: Uncontrollable surges. Her presence distorts the magical environment, making her nearly impossible to track without specialised techniques. Put our best agents on her. ”
The figure chuckled lightly and coughed, their body arching as they tried to catch their breath.
“ A high-risk target. She is more than a witch—she is a symbol of defiance, the last remnant of the Cavendish bloodline, and a threat that must be neutralised immediately. Her power is immeasurable, and her strategic mind is lethal. For years, she has escaped us, but with the recent resurgence of the Cavendish legacy, her continued survival is unacceptable. Cold, ruthless, and driven by a seething, barely-contained rage. Cavendish is a ticking time bomb—unpredictable, unstable, and dangerously close to detonating at the worst possible moment, every decision, and every movement is a calculated risk. Her mind is a labyrinth of retribution, and her sense of justice is lethal. Her composition is a mask that conceals a boiling ocean of fury. ”
Chiyo felt her breathing hitch. Cavendish? Like…
“ Her intellect is unparalleled. Every move she makes is layered with intent, and she is five steps ahead of everyone around her. Cavendish is a witch capable of devastating magic, honed through years of training and self-discipline. She can obliterate targets with precision, and her defensive magic is nearly impenetrable. Cavendish's spell craft is unpredictable, shifting constantly. This fluidity makes her nearly impossible to prepare for. Magical potential? Extreme. Her magic is prone to spontaneous eruptions. Disturbances around her increase exponentially during emotional distress. Her magic backfires when pushed beyond its limits. This results in significant magical depletion, though she always finds a way to recover quickly. Her dependence on emotional focus could turn against her if provoked at the wrong moment. She is too dangerous to let live. Too powerful, too driven. She knows how to survive—and she's had more than enough time to prepare for her return. We must act before she does. Her loved-one remains her Achilles' heel. The bond between them is fragile—any interference could tip the balance, causing an explosive reaction. DO NOT ENGAGE ALONE. ”
No.
No no no no.
Chiyo understood where this was going. Her gaze fell back on the signet ring.
“ Diana Cavendish. Status? ”
A photo of Diana slid off the desk. The figure ignored it.
Chiyo picked up the photo with trembling fingers. Diana must have been, what, 25 years old at the most? She had a big smile, a smile so real that Chiyo could hardly believe it. A smile so real, blue eyes so bright that Chiyo wanted to cry and hug the photo to her.
“ Eliminated. ”
Chiyo sat up abruptly, her breath caught in her throat, her heart pounding so hard she thought it would burst. Panic exploded inside her, violent, all-consuming. Her stomach churned. Her dinner came out with a sickening thud. Her hands shook as she grabbed her dustbin to throw up, strangled sobs mixing with her retching. The room spun around her, but it was nothing compared to the chasm opening up in her chest.
Eliminated .
No.
No no no no no.
Her fingers frantically searched for the last Yearbook on her desk. The one from Akko's year. She almost tore it open, the pages creaking under the violence of her gestures. Her eyes scanned the photos until she found it. There. There, damn it. Her gaze caught that of the girl on the page. Cold. Icy. No warmth. Nothing like what she had seen in the photo. Just… a wall of ice. Inhuman. What had happened to make her go from so… cold at 16 to alive in a few years?
Chiyo felt something inside her break. Something she didn't even know she had built. An expectation? A stupid illusion?
Her legs propelled her out of her dorm before she could even think. Her body screamed in pain, every muscle protesting, but she didn't listen to anything any more. Not her lungs on fire. Not her heart beating too fast. Not her brain screaming to stop.
She ran.
Slipped down the stairs. Scraped her arm as she fell but got up again, deaf to the gasps of the staff who were staring at her, mouths agape. What the hell did they care anyway? Let them look away. Let her suffocate alone.
The corridors seemed endless. Her feet skidded on the polished floor. Her vision blurred with tears, but she kept going, unable to stop. As if her entire being was pulled by an invisible thread. A thread stretched to the point of breaking.
The wall.
The wall of names.
She stopped short, panting, her throat burning. Her heart pounded against her chest, against her ribs, against her skull. Her fingers clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palm, digging into the skin.
Her voice boomed into the oppressive silence.
“ DIANA CAVENDISH! ”
The wall shook. Slowly, too slowly, the engraved names began to rotate, to slide with a metallic screech. Every second was torture. Every heartbeat an agony.
And then…
The letters froze in purple.
“ Diana Cavendish, 23 years old
Fought alone against the demons before succumbing to her injuries.
The last Cavendish, the line died out with her.
April 30, 2001–December 24, 2024 ”
Silence.
Chiyo stood there motionless. Unable to breathe. Unable to think.
23 years old. Dead. Gone. Erased. As if she had been just another name. A name the school proudly displayed like a glorious statistic. Like a trophy.
“Last Cavendish.”
The words twisted her head. Last. There was nothing after. Nothing. No miracle. No return. No dream to hope for. No family. No hopes at all.
Something exploded inside her. A scream. A sob. A cry torn from deep within her. She punched the wall. Again. Again. Her fists slammed into the stone until her skin split open. Until blood flowed. Until the physical pain became too great to give way to the much worse pain that ravaged her soul.
Why? Why these dreams? Why these illusions? Why did she show her this?
She fell to her knees. Her breath was ragged. Tears blurring everything. Her bloodied fists shook against the ground.
She had believed… She had really believed that…
But no.
Diana Cavendish was dead.
Chiyo stood there. Alone. Crushed under the weight of a name. Of a story that ended on a date etched in stone.
“ If you meet one of those demons, run. You run, you fly, you flee. You don't attack. You don’t confront.” Lizzy’s words…
She felt her body tremble. Her legs weaken. Then, slowly, the green mist wrapped itself around her, soft and warm, like loving arms rocking her.
“Not now…” Chiyo sobbed, her voice breaking. “Leave… I don’t want to see anything…”
But the mist didn't go away. It stayed, patient, enveloping, sliding against her cheeks to wipe away her tears. A familiar, comforting warmth. Like fingers tenderly caressing her hair.
Chiyo closed her eyes. Her fists rubbed at her eyelids, childish in her distress, seeking the comfort she didn't understand but desperately needed. The mist grew more present, whispering to her without a word: Come.
Her steps became lighter, guided by this invisible but benevolent presence. The mist supported her, almost carried her, like a mother helping her child home after a long day. Each breath of air was a caress. Each movement was a silent embrace.
Chiyo let herself go. Too exhausted to resist. Too broken to refuse this unexpected sweetness. The mist accompanied her to her dormitory door and opened it gently…
Just to reveal another illusion. There, letting her head stick out from the bookcases, stood…
“D-Diana…?” Chiyo huffed as she sniffled. She turned to the mist. “I said I didn’t want to see anything, I-”
But the mist settled on her lips as if to stop her.
“ Jeez, what the heck?”
Eh?
Diana didn't say Jeez.
Chiyo awkwardly walked to her corner of the room and noticed Diana pinned against the books. She stood awkwardly, as if her body wasn't really her body. She looked at Chiyo's corner, where the mist had transformed. The figurines and books had disappeared, only to leave a diary and a perfectly made bed in sight. The dustbin of vomit was gone too…
“No, no! I can't read it!” Diana finally spoke, closing her eyes and hiding it, in a way that reminded Chiyo of…
Wait a minute.
“Haha?!”
“ Diana? ” A voice called from outside. They whispered to each other before Diana, no Akko , rushed to one of the large windows. She tripped on the carpet, clumsily caught herself on the couch and positioned herself mysteriously, as if she were analysing the joints of the tiles. She turned slowly.
“ What kind of advice do you need?”
Chiyo opened her mouth wide. Disguise or not, Chiyo could recognise her mother among a thousand. Akko said it was a gift from the Kagari. She always told her that she could identify her just by the way her eyes moved or the way her eyebrow raised.
And Chiyo had her mother's talent for recognising people.
Akko stood uncomfortably, her fingers shaking under her chin. The two girls grabbed her wrists, a statue story at the entrance and…
And Chiyo understood.
This memory was before the confrontation in front of the gates… Before Diana told her off…
Chiyo watched as her mother grumbled, “ Why does Diana have such a big dorm …” before the door closed. The mist slowly cleared and Chiyo noticed the Lady of the Mist.
“They… actually gave me her dorm? I’m in the 2017 blue team dorm-”
The Lady of the Mist nodded.
“I'm in Diana's dorm-”
She nodded again.
“Who died-”
The Lady of the Mist nodded again before starting to leave. Before disappearing, she left behind a last warm breath, almost a kiss on her forehead.
I am here.
Always.
What. The. Fuck.
Her foot tapped the ground unevenly. The call in front of her was loading, and she could see Lizzy's worried gaze from afar.
“Chiyo, maybe it’s not-”
“Leave me alone,” she said, more coldly than intended. Lizzy stiffened and hid further in her book. Chiyo sighed. “Sorry, I just… I just have a lot of questions…”
She wanted to continue but…
“Moshi moshi, Chi-chan.”
“Haha! Konbanwa!” Chiyo quickly replied. She turned to the screen to see Akko’s tired but smiling face.
“I didn’t expect you to call me in the middle of the week. Shouldn’t you be eating?”
“I… am not really hungry…”
Chiyo looked away and, Akko being Akko, could sense her daughter's internal debate.
“Chi-chan, I know something is happening in your little head.”
“I have a question…” Chiyo inhaled quickly, her hands shaking on the notebook she had prepared. Akko tilted her head curiously, her bangs falling before her eyes.
“I’m listening to you.”
Chiyo glanced at Lizzy, took a breath, and…
“Haha, who is Diana?”
Notes:
AO3's curse is real. In two months, my great grandad died, my sister was kidnapped/ran away with her boyfriend and I had many exams. But I'm back! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's a bit shorter that usual, but hey, it got everything I wanted on it!
Comments are appreciated, please don't hesitate to tell me what you are thinking of it, and your theories! XX
Chapter 8: Diana
Summary:
Chiyo has a lot of questions (as usual) but Akko is an awkward mess.
Samhain is approaching even more and Chiyo has to be quick to find an idea in order to hope being chosen as the Moonlit Witch...
Notes:
Yes, two chapters in less than a week. But hey, I was gone for two whole months and I missed Chiyo and everyone SO MUCH!!!
I hope you will enjoye this chapter!!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Haha, who is Diana?”
The silence on the other side of the screen stretched. Long. Almost eerie. Chiyo blinked, checking to make sure the connection hadn't dropped.
“Haha? Haha, can you hear me?”
Akko finally opened her mouth. “Diana who?”
Her voice was shaking. Chiyo noticed the slight movement of her shoulders as if her mother was trying to take a deep breath. It was strange. Far too strange.
“Diana Cavendish.”
Akko choked on her saliva. Her fingers clenched on the edge of the table betraying her reaction. Chiyo felt something tighten in her chest. Bingo. She was holding something.
“Chiyo.”
Her first name. Akko rarely used it. Not like that. Not in that voice.
“Listen to me. Stay away from all this.”
“What? But Haha—”
“Don’t bother. Don’t ask questions. Forget that name.”
The order cracked like a whip, but Chiyo felt her anger rise slightly.
“No!”
Akko's fingers ran through her hair, trembling. Chiyo didn't understand. Why did a simple question cause such a reaction?
“Chiyo, please—”
“I never ask you for anything!” Her voice broke with emotion. “I stopped asking about my second mother because you told me to. I gave up for you! But this time, Haha… this time, I need answers! Who is Diana Cavendish?!”
She felt her breath hitch. The image from her dream returned—that warm smile, those eyes filled with a light she didn't understand. That strange warmth made her stomach churn.
Akko looked away.
“Diana was…”
Silence.
Chiyo twitched her right eyebrow.
Akko flinched almost imperceptibly. That tic. That damn tic.
“A formidable witch. The Cavendish heiress, a descendant of Beatrix. One of the best of her generation.”
“I already know all that,” Chiyo cut in. “Who she was to you.”
A heartbeat.
“No one.”
Lie.
“Haha.”
“A classmate.”
Chiyo felt her eyebrow twitch a little more.
Akko looked away. “Stop with that look, you know I hate it.”
Akko had always hated it when Chiyo raised, frowned, or twitched her eyebrow for various reasons. She knew it. But she couldn't help it.
“So tell me.”
An exasperated sigh, a hand running over Akko's tired face.
“You want the truth? Fine.” She made to stand up. “I’m going to make myself some tea. I’m going to need that.”
Chiyo watched her leave the screen. Beside her, Lizzy turned a page of her textbook with an overly studied naturalness.
“Lizzy, I see you.”
“I’m revising.”
“Mmh.”
Akko came back, mug in hand. Chiyo watched without a word: the spoon turned three times, the sugar fell, and the first sip was drunk with a sigh. Predictable.
“Diana…” Akko began. Her gaze was lost in the steam of the tea. “She was my rival at Luna Nova.”
Chiyo opened her mouth to retort, but Akko raised her hand.
“I never said she saw me as a rival. To her, I was mostly… good for nothing. A disgrace to magic. But…” A weary smile tugged at her lips. “I finally proved to her that I was better than that.”
A hint of nostalgia in her voice. A dull pain too.
“And then…”
Chiyo whispered. “The Grand Triskelion.”
Akko nodded.
“We became friends. Very good friends. I was always hung up on her. Like Chip and Dale.”
She laughed, but the sound was hollow, broken.
Chiyo felt her heart tighten. “Then why have I never heard of her before?”
Akko suddenly closed.
“Because some things are better left unsaid.”
A shiver ran through Chiyo.
“Haha…” Her voice grew softer. “I want to understand.”
A long silence. Then, finally:
“We were… really close.”
The words fell with a strange weight, like a veil pulled over something larger. Chiyo stood still, waiting. Nothing came.
Akko stared at her mug, fingers clenched around the warm ceramic. Chiyo could see the tension in her shoulders, the silent struggle behind her shifty gaze.
“Is that all? ‘Really close’? That doesn’t mean anything.”
The silence stretched. Akko closed her eyes, and took a deep breath as if speaking was too difficult. As if each word cost something she wasn't willing to pay.
“There is nothing more to say.”
Lie. Chiyo felt it. That tension in Akko's shoulders, that way she avoided her gaze. It was obvious. Suffocating.
“You're lying.”
Akko let out a mirthless laugh. “Maybe.” A pause. “Or maybe some things are better left buried.”
Chiyo lifted her right eyebrow, unable to hide her frustration. It was blurry. Too blurry. As if Akko was dancing around the truth without ever touching it.
Akko grimaced. “Chiyo… stop with that eyebrow. You know I hate it.”
“I know.” But she didn’t lower it. “So tell me.”
Akko stared at her tea as if the liquid could offer her answers. As if she could drown herself in it to escape the conversation.
“You want the truth?” she whispered. Her voice was hoarse, broken. “Diana made choices. So did I. We… we played our cards. She won. I lost. It’s that simple.”
Chiyo frowned. “Won what? You talk like it’s a game.”
“Sometimes life is like that,” Akko breathed. “A roll of the dice. Cold. Cruel. And in the end, someone walks away with everything, and the other is left empty-handed.”
Chiyo’s stomach clenched. There was more. Something Akko wouldn’t say. Something that mattered.
Diana and I… fought. Before she left.”
Chiyo blinked, surprised. “You fought?”
Akko nodded, slowly. “A stupid fight. Pride. Principles. You know how I am.” She gave a weak smile. Stubborn. And she… was worse than I.”
An uncomfortable silence fell. Akko played with her tea spoon, twirling it before letting it fall with a small cling. Chiyo noted the gesture, the habit ingrained.
“You… cared about her, didn’t you?” she ventured, unsure. It wasn’t exactly what she meant, but close enough.
Akko’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “Everyone loved Diana Cavendish.”
It wasn't an answer. Not really. But Chiyo felt something close in that sentence, like a door slamming shut.
“So why did you two fight?” she asked softly.
Akko sighed, rubbing her face with both hands. “Because we were both too stubborn to back down.” She let out a dry chuckle. “She thought she knew best, and I wouldn’t let her decide for me. We fought. Badly. And then… she left. We never got to fix it.”
Chiyo felt a strange heaviness come over her. There was something deeply sad about this story. No big revelation, no unspeakable secret… just words left hanging, things unsaid. Regrets. Lots of regrets.
Akko continued. “That's the thing about arguments… You always think you'll have time to apologise. But sometimes… time slips through your fingers.” Her voice cracked at the end.
Chiyo looked down, uneasy. She had expected anger, maybe resentment... not this. Not this dull ache.
“I'm sorry…” she whispered.
Akko shrugged, a smile that didn't reach her eyes. “No need. What's done is done. She… took everything with her when she left. And I was left with my choices.”
The words sounded strange. As if Akko was talking about something else. A loss greater than she admitted. But Chiyo couldn't quite put her finger on it.
“Do you regret it?” she whispered.
A pause. A deep breath.
Then, barely audible—
“Every day.”
Chiyo felt her throat tighten. She wanted to say something, to fill the void… but there was nothing to say. Some wounds never truly heal.
“Do you miss her?”
Akko sighed and Chiyo saw her gaze drop to her cup, supported by her left hand.
"You never stop missing a… friend," Akko sighed deeply. "When someone is so close to you that they feel like family, it’s as if a piece of you is ripped away the moment you learn about their loss."
Chiyo felt herself turn to Lizzy without noticing. Lizzy was shaking, her hands clutching her book as if she herself was touched by the conversation.
“I read that she fought alone against… Those demons that forced you to hide…” Chiyo murmured. “I read that she… died because of them.”
The cup slammed against the table so hard that Chiyo jumped. She looked up at her mother, whose tears couldn't stop flowing.
“Chi-chan, can we stop this conversation?”
“But Haha-” Chiyo wanted to say but stopped, seeing how broken Akko looked. She slowly sat back down and nodded. She thought about what to say when…
“Chiyo! I’m here, oh you’re talking to your mother?! Can I talk to her too?!”
Chiyo immediately blushed and turned to Cassia who was smiling at her. She felt her cheeks flush as she exclaimed while turning to Akko.
“Haha yes I understand that you have a lot of things to do-”
“What but Chi-chan,-”
“Yes, I know, I wish we could talk more too, but it’s really late in Japan and you must be exhausted. I’ll call you back this weekend. Sayonara , Haha!”
Chiyo hung up the call abruptly and turned to Cassia, attempting a relaxed posture only to appear like an aristocrat trying her hand at the normalcy of life.
Sometimes the apple really doesn't fall far from the tree…
Lizzy sighed as she opened yet another spell book, her fingers tapping on the table in restrained impatience. “Chiyo, what exactly are we even looking for?” she asked, her voice betraying her fatigue.
“A good finale,” Chiyo grumbled, pushing up her glasses. She pushed the book in front of her in annoyance before grabbing another one. The yellowed pages creaked under her fingers, but the multitude of runes and incantations seemed to blend into a single, unreadable blur through concentration.
Beside her, Cassia leaned forward, her chin resting on her hand, the other absently playing with the strap of her bag. “An impressive finale, but not too dangerous, is it?” Her soft voice sounded like a reassuring melody. Chiyo nodded without looking up from her book.
Cassia smiled, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You want to dazzle everyone to become the Moonlit Witch... How exciting, right? Atsuko Kagari's daughter following in her mother's footsteps…” She trailed off, her fingers gently brushing Chiyo's arm as if the gesture were purely friendly.
Chiyo felt the subtle warmth of the touch and nearly lost track of what she was reading. She swallowed, trying to suppress the nervous shiver that ran down her neck. “That's not... why,” she mumbled, her cheeks betraying a hint of pink.
Lizzy, across the table, frowned imperceptibly. She turned a page a little too vigorously. “We should concentrate,” she said matter-of-factly, though her stiff gestures betrayed her.
Cassia chuckled lightly, almost sing-song. “Oh, I'm focused. Just... curious.” Her gaze slid from Chiyo to Lizzy, a mischievous glint in her green eyes. “Don't you find it fascinating? Her mother is a legend, and here she is, ready to make Samhain history… especially knowing what her mother had done for the festival!”
“Fascinating or not, we need a spell that holds up,” Lizzy snapped, slamming her book shut. “The contest judges won't be impressed by flattery.”
Chiyo blinked, surprised by Lizzy's curt tone. “I… She's just trying to help,” she tried to defuse, awkwardly.
Cassia shrugged, still smiling. “I didn't mean to offend anyone. But admit it, Chiyo: You'd like everyone to be left speechless at the end of your performance.” Her words came out softly, but it was that intense and mockingly tender look that made Chiyo's concentration waver.
“Speechless… maybe,” she admitted, her ears red. “But I also want something controlled. No uncontrolled fireworks or giant monsters out of control.”
Lizzy picked up another book, her gestures more measured. “We can try some combination illusions. Something visual, but elegant.”
“Illusions…” Chiyo thought for a moment before gasping. She grabbed a book of higher magic spells—especially for fourth-year students—and placed her index finger on the spell that made her smile. Cassia and Lizzy leaned over the book.
“Oh no,” Lizzy began.
“That might be a bad idea… That’s true, but after all… you’re Atsuko Kagari’s daughter. If anyone can impress everyone, it’s you.” Cassia murmured.
“No, Chiyo, you’re not ready for that. Then what are you going to do with it?!”
“I don’t know yet,” Chiyo confessed. “But one thing is for sure: I want to use this spell!”
“Whit wis Ah thinkin’ sayin’ aye tae this?”
Snake's muffled growl sounded right next to Chiyo's ear, the raccoon's striped tail lashing the air in irritation.
“Because if you help me, I promised you access to the Luna Nova Archives,” Chiyo replied, a smirk.
Snake growled, shifting in the carrier strapped tightly against the girl's back. The strap creaked slightly under the creature's movements, and Chiyo felt the small claws dig in, not enough to pierce, but enough to be annoying.
“An’ whit’s the reason Ah’ve tae bide like this, eh?!” Snake hissed, ears flattened against her skull.
Chiyo, focused on her trajectory, adjusted the aviator goggles on the raccoon's pointed muzzle. “Well,” she began in an almost pedagogical tone, “it's easier to fly if I'm only a few extra pounds than if I have a whole middle-aged woman behind me.”
Snake snapped her teeth and tried to bite her, but Chiyo pulled away just in time, shaking her head. “Keep going, and I'll make sure you can't turn back into a human,” she warned, a mocking note in her voice.
“Ma bunny,” Snake growled, her fur bristling as the night wind blew through her fur, “There’s nae a speck o’ fun in this mess.”
Chiyo rolled her eyes, keeping her broom steady as they flew over the edge of the forest. The leaves rustled beneath them, speckled with moonlight. “You're exaggerating,” she retorted as she began a wide turn.
“Then whit d’ye need flyin’ lessons fur? Frae whit Ah ken, ye already can,” Snake muttered.
“There's the test to join the flight racing team in a few weeks,” Chiyo explained. “I want to be a part of it. Even though I can fly, I struggle with turns and I'm not fast.” She pouted. “Plus it feels good to get out of the library for a bit!”
Snake rolled her eyes—or so Chiyo imagined, for all she could see were the little ears wiggling beneath the straps. “Ah hud werk tae dae, bairn!” the raccoon yelled, her voice carried on the wind.
Chiyo burst out laughing. “Oh, come on Snake you'll survive an evening without your nose in books!” she crooned, diving slightly towards the ground before abruptly rising again. Snake let out an indignant cry, claws gripping the strap of the harness.
“What are you studying that’s so important, huh?” Chiyo asked with a smile in her voice.
“Mind yer ain business.”
“Oh, come on, I’m curious!” she insisted, casting a quick glance over her shoulder.
A long silence... Then, with a slight mocking laugh: “An’ hoo’s the linguistics comin’ along, then?”
Chiyo groaned, her mood instantly fading. “Okay, I get it,” she mumbled.
The rest of the flight was relatively quiet, disturbed only by the whistling of the wind and the slight creaking of the broom. They were only a few meters above the ground, and Chiyo concentrated on maintaining a constant speed. The broom vibrated under her hands, each adjustment of posture influencing its trajectory. She attempted a tight turn, but the rear skidded, forcing Snake to hang on with all her might.
“Watch yersel’, ye daft eejit!” the raccoon yelled.
“Hey, these are your flight tips, remember?” Chiyo shot back, her tongue sticking out in concentration. “If I mess up, it’s your fault too.”
Snake growled, but her claws loosened a little. "Less hip movin’, bairn. Yer turns are ower wide 'cause ye’re owercompensatin’. Lean wi’ the broom, no agin it."
Chiyo obeyed, adjusting her posture. The next turn was sharper. Not perfect, but better. She felt a pang of satisfaction rise within her.
"Nae bad, wee yin," Snake admitted, though her voice betrayed annoyance at having to give compliments.
“I knew you’d end up enjoying this evening,” Chiyo teased.
“Dinnae get cheeky, or ye’ll push yer luck.”
The night shrouded the sky in a deep blue, dotted with stars that twinkled like shards of glass on velvet. The wind whistled, cool and sharp, caressing Chiyo's face as she tried to keep her broom steady. Her fingers gripped the handle tightly, knuckles white with tension. She furrowed her right brow in concentration, attempting another sharp turn.
“Tae soon,” Snake growled from her back. The small aviator glasses slid off her forehead to wedge themselves between her ears, and she pulled them down with a sharp flick of her paw. “If ye tak’ the turn like that, ye’ll lose speed an’ get passed.”
“I’m doing my best!” Chiyo protested. Her voice was tinged with slight frustration, but she took a deep breath, trying to ignore the weight—and the comments—on her back.
“Yer 'best' winnae cut it if ye want tae join the racin’ team,” Snake replied, clearly unimpressed. Her claws gripped the straps, but her tone trailed with palpable boredom as if she bitterly regretted not staying in her pile of books. “An' square yer shoulders, ye stan’ like a slug.”
Chiyo groaned as she adjusted her posture. She tilted the broom more carefully, searching for the perfect angle. The turn was sharper, and the broom vibrated less beneath her. A spark of satisfaction lit in her eyes.
Snake, however, remained impassive. “Better,” she mumbled. “But ye still react too slow. If someone comes after ye, ye'll be overtaken afore ye even ken whit’s happenin’.”
“It's not as easy as it looks!” Chiyo replied, out of breath. A strand of hair escaped from under her hat, tickling her cheek. “If you're so good, you should do it for me.”
Snake gave a mirthless laugh. “Trust me, if Ah wasn’t stuck in this form, Ah’d show ye whit a real turn is.” She shook her head, her glasses falling over her eyes. “But nae, instead Ah'm turned intae a low-grade stuffed animal an' carried aroond like a sack o’ neeps.”
Chiyo smiled despite herself. “Oh, come on, you're adorable like that.”
“Say that again an’ Ah’ll tak’ a chunk outta ye,” Snake threatened, though the tone lacked any real venom.
A silence fell as Chiyo gained altitude again, her arms already sore from the exertion. She gritted her teeth. “How much longer?” she asked.
Snake sighed. “Until ye can mak’ a proper turn an’ nae look like ye’re ready tae kill yersel’.”
Chiyo rolled her eyes. “Great.”
She inhaled again, leaning forward slightly. This time, she tried to visualise what Snake had told her: not to fight the broom, to blend with it. Her legs spread to steady her balance, her shoulders relaxing. The broom responded better, gliding through the air more fluidly.
“Aye, there ye go,” Snake whispered. “Ye’re gettin’ the hang o’ it.”
Chiyo nodded and took a slow breath.
“Again,” she ordered. “An’ try no' tae tense up like the broom's gonnae blow ye oot the sky.”
“Easy for you to say,” Chiyo huffed, but she obeyed, starting over.
The wind whipped her cheeks, fatigue weighed down her arms, but despite everything... a part of her was enjoying herself. Snake remained perfectly jaded for her part, her small face hidden by aviator glasses, her ears flattened by the breeze.
When they were on the ground, Chiyo collapsed on the grass on her stomach.
“A break, just a…”
“Ye’re incorrigible,” Snake growled as she slid out of the carrier. She grabbed her wand from Chiyo’s belt and cracked her neck once the smoke from the spell cleared.
“Ma turn,” she smiled and Chiyo hated that smile…
“SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN, SLOW DOWN!!!” Chiyo pleaded, her voice fading into the wind. Her arms tightened around Snake’s waist, her heart pounding.
Snake laughed. Not a mocking little laugh. No. A real, free laugh—the kind that filled the air around them.
“So we dinnae ken hoo tae run a real broom race?” she asked, leaning closer.
The broom leapt forward, cutting through the air like a knife. The stars became streaks of light, and Chiyo felt her stomach churn.
“I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! Please, Snake, put me back on the ground, I'm going to be sick!” she moaned, her eyes closed until her eyelids hurt.
“Ye wanted lessons, aye??” Snake's voice was brimming with satisfaction. “This is real speed, nae yer wee beginner flights six feet aff the grund!”
Chiyo, on the verge of panic, felt the broom suddenly plunge. “NO—”
The wind whipped past them as Snake did a tight spin, the edges of the world blurring around them. Chiyo let out a shrill scream.
Then, without warning, Snake expertly straightened the broom. The flight immediately stabilised, as smooth as a feather.
Chiyo gasped, struggling to catch her breath. “You… you're crazy…” she managed to say between gulps of air.
Snake shrugged, looking falsely innocent. “Ah'm talented. Nuance.”
She lifted the broom slightly, making it hover above the field. Her green hair flowed behind her, and her eyes scanned the horizon with the same quiet confidence of a seasoned pilot.
Chiyo, who was still clinging to her like a mussel to its rock, dared to crack an eye open. “Can we... go down now?”
Snake smiled again. “Aye, as lang as ye dinnae spew on me.”
“No guarantees…” Chiyo muttered in a weak voice. She saw the ground slowly getting closer and didn’t hesitate for a second before rolling around in the grass, her stomach turning over and over again.
“Aye, ye want tae see how we REALLY fly?” Snake asked, smirking.
Chiyo looked up, still breathing hard. “I thought you already did that.”
Snake rolled her eyes, grabbing the broom in one smooth motion. “That wis just the appetiser, ye’ll see. Tia Freyre! ”
She landed on it with a perfectly controlled jump and instantly rose into the air.
The silence was broken by a sharp whistle as Snake accelerated, shooting like a comet across the night sky. Chiyo felt the air vibrate as she passed, a gust of wind lifting the grass around her.
Snake was fast. But it wasn’t just speed—it was precision. Cold, sharp elegance.
She dove toward the ground at a dizzying pace, almost skimming the surface before rising abruptly, leaving a swirl of dust behind her. Then she made a series of tight turns, defying gravity with a fluidity that bordered on the unreal. Her body followed each movement of the broom as if they were one.
Chiyo, her gaze fixed on her, felt her breath catch.
Snake suddenly tilted her head back, a green lock falling in front of her face as she performed a tight spin, and then she let herself fall completely.
A free fall.
The ground was closing in at a terrifying speed, but Snake didn't move, arms outstretched, completely in control.
Then, at the last second, she straightened her broom.
The air exploded around her, sending a light shock wave that sent Chiyo's locks flying. Snake rose into the sky again, describing a wide arc. Adrenaline shone in her eyes.
And finally, she began her finale.
With a sharp jerk, Snake pulled back on the handle of her broom, initiating a sharp turn that whipped up a fierce wind behind her. The dust on the ground rose in an arc of white smoke as she braked in a precise, controlled motion, stopping abruptly in a perfect balance of strength and lightness.
Her body tilted slightly backwards under the braking, her right knee bending in the air while the other leg remained straight, the only connection between her and her broom. Her left arm floated in the air, balancing her weight with an almost instinctive ease. The other hand, firm, still held the handle, keeping the machine tilted backwards as it stabilised gently.
Her coat and green locks followed the movement, carried by the momentum, before falling slowly around her. Behind her, the trail of dust gradually dissipated, testifying to the lightning stop she had just made.
She put her feet on the ground and couldn't help but laugh at Chiyo's bewildered look.
“Aye, weel then, ma bunny, looks like ye’ve lost yer tongue?”
Chiyo stammered and reached for her broom.
“I want to know how to do that.”
Snake burst out laughing and gave Chiyo a light push. Chiyo would have protested usually, but her legs shook and quickly fell back to the ground.
“Sort yer flyin’ oot by October’s end, an’ maybe Ah’ll show ye a thing or twa.”
“What? But there are three weeks left-”
Snake gave her a smirk before ruffling her hair.
“Aye, start workin’ noo then.”
Chiyo held on to her broom and sighed. Snake looked at her out of the corner of her eye before putting her fists on her hips and sighing.
“C’mon, Ah’ll tak’ ye back tae yer dorm.”
“Hey, you seem to be opening up a little,” Chiyo couldn’t help but say.
“Dinnae dae it again, or Ah’ll lea’ ye here, a’ by yersel’.”
“No, no, no I’m sorry…”
Snake approached, pushing her glasses up her nose.
“Can you carry me…?” Chiyo whispered.
“Dinnae even think aboot it, aye?.”
“Oh, come on…” Chiyo pleaded as she tried to take a step, only to fall back to the ground miserably. Snake caught her with a quick gesture.
“Yer incorrigible,” Snake growled but carried Chiyo onto her back anyway. Chiyo relaxed unconsciously when she felt her mentor’s hands close around her thighs, and she wrapped her arms around the back of her neck, hiding her nose in her hair. She sighed, letting herself be dragged towards Luna Nova, not noticing the slight smile that Snake tried to fight.
Her feet slowly landed on the deck of New Moon Tower. The sorcerer's stone glowed behind her slowly and Chiyo felt her breath hitch in her chest.
She had spent her day working on the spell she had discovered a few days ago, and tried to perfect the advice Snake had given her. But now she was morally exhausted and all she could think was that she wasn't enough.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She looked around to be sure and sat down on the edge of the deck and took out the phone.
“I woke up a little early today. I'm just sending you this little message to tell you that I love you and miss you – Haha.”
Chiyo felt her heart tighten. Unconsciously, her fingers slid to her photo gallery and let her mind wander while looking at the pictures of Akko and her. In order not to feel too far from home, she had taken some pictures from her childhood so that she could immerse herself in her memories. She remembered Akko's soft fingers sliding on her forehead when she fell asleep. She remembered all the times Akko had taken her left and right and all the times Akko kissed the top of her head.
She took a breath and pressed her forehead to her phone. If only Akko was here…
Without realising it, her thumb slid over the call icon. She waited a few seconds.
“Chi-chan?”
Chiyo felt her heart tighten.
“Haha, I… I’m sorry my finger slipped, I don’t want to disturb you before work, we’ll talk later and…”
“Chiyo.”
Chiyo immediately shut up.
“You don’t have to lie to me. I know it’s impossible for you to just ‘call by accident’. I still have time before work, tell me everything.”
Chiyo sighed and let her legs dangle in the air. Her eyes wandered to the vast starry sky.
“Haha… I’m tired. I just… I don’t even know what I want,” Chiyo admitted. She heard her mother hum softly in response, encouraging her to continue. “The classes aren’t that complicated but… Haha, I don’t feel like I’m enough. Aunt Chariot assigned me the festival finale, I don’t even know if I’ll be able to impress everyone and…”
“Chiyo…” Akko sighed. Chiyo heard her sit on her bed and tears began to fall on their own.
“And I miss you, Haha,” she sobbed, her heart aching. “I miss you and I don’t know what to do without you. I’ve never been away from you before, and now I’m on the other side of the world, and I thought I’d be fine, but… I don’t think I am. I miss home, I miss waking up to see you, I miss when we butt heads because you’re stubborn,” Chiyo sobbed a little louder. “It’s like I have to fill shoes that are way too big like I have to follow in your footsteps to be worthy of them… but I don’t know if I can. I’m just me and I feel like the teachers expect so much from me and how am I supposed to do that?” Her voice broke in a final sob.
“Oh, sweetheart…” Akko whispered into the phone. It was so sweet that it felt like a caress to Chiyo and her heart clenched even more. “I know it’s complicated, and I promise you that I miss you more than anything too. I wish you were home, and I could stroke your hair and we could just sit on the couch like we usually do on Saturdays watching a horrible movie. But I can also promise you that these years at Luna Nova? They’ll be the best of your life.”
You don't have to try to be like me. All you need to do is be you. The only shoes you have to fill are your own and I assure you that's all that's expected of you. You're stronger than you think, Chi-chan. You're a Kagari, don't forget that.”
Chiyo wiped her nose on her sleeve and sighed. “I was hoping to become a Moonlit Witch but… I feel like I won’t be able to. I see what everyone is planning and I see what I currently have and… Oh Haha, I’m nothing compared to the others…”
“ Arae Aryrha, ” Akko cut her off gently.
“Eh?”
“Don’t compare yourself with others, do what only you can do,” Akko laughed. “I was exactly like you at the same age, at the same time. I compared myself to a lot of people, trying to do something that a lot of people had already done. But it was by doing what I knew how to do that I was able to find my strength. Maybe that year I didn’t receive the title of Moonlit Witch, but I understood several things.
Chiyo, my angel, you are full of surprises and talents. Don't stop wanting to relive the stories of people from the past, it's time for you to write your own story, your own magic.”
Chiyo sniffed and nodded.
“I… I’ll try…”
“And remember, no matter what happens tonight, I will be proud of you. Because shinjiru kokoro wa …”
“... anata no maho, I know Haha…” Chiyo sighed. She heard Akko laugh softly.
“Come on Chi-chan, it’s time for you to go to bed.”
“I still have to finish my patrol.”
“ Hai, hai, I guess. If you see a student coming out of the kitchen with a pie, don’t throw it, okay?” Akko snickered. Chiyo raised an eyebrow.
“Haha, I can’t do that. As an evening patrol, I absolutely have to report every incident and every time the rules are broken and…”
“Oh by the nines,” Chiyo guessed Akko’s exasperated roll, “I feel like I’m back in my time. ‘ No Akko, I won’t let you pass with that cake by making pretty eyes, even if the staff gave it to you, ’ I was told.” Akko laughed. Chiyo let a small chuckle escape her lips. “Come on, now to bed. Oyasumi, Chi-chan. Wasurenaide ne. Hoshi made aishiteru yo. ”
“I love you too,” Chiyo whispered before hearing the familiar end-of-call beep. She sighed and was about to go downstairs when a familiar green mist began to form beneath her feet. She watched as it formed a very familiar silhouette, with its undulations that Chiyo knew were blonde when…
“GET BACK HERE! THIS IS MA TERRITORY, YE HEAR!!!”
The mist cleared immediately as Chiyo heard her mentor's familiar voice. A squirrel came out the door and Snake appeared where Diana should have been standing.
“Whar is he?!!” Snake screamed. Chiyo pinched the bridge of her nose as the squirrel appeared on her head. The rodent squeaked.
“Tak’ back whit ye said, noo!” Snake yelled and the little animal squealed again. Snake turned as red as her scar and reached out to grab it.
“Am I dreaming or do you understand what he’s saying?”
“Six months as a raccoon brings ye surprising talents, ma bunny, especially kenning that this... vermin’s takin’ up ma territory!”
The squirrel waddled on Chiyo's hat. The young witch looked at her mentor, whose golden eyes were rage-filled.
“Gie it tae me.”
“Snake…” Chiyo sighed.
“He’s hingin’ aroond ma bin! He kens the ane next tae the cafeteria is mine! Ah’m nae gonnae hae tae mark ma territory again, am Ah?!” Snake yelled.
“That’s disgusting.”
“Ah dinnae care.”
Chiyo grimaced as Snake stepped a little closer. Chiyo sighed heavily, her hand still raised to prevent Snake from grabbing the squirrel that had made itself comfortable on her head. The small animal rubbed its little paws against her ears as if it didn't have a care in the world.
“You're supposed to be a feared witch, you know…” she muttered.
“Ah AM,” Snake growled, her voice booming off the bridge’s stones. “But that damn thing disnae care a whit aboot ma reputation!”
The squirrel squeaked again, and Chiyo vaguely understood the mocking tone in its little cries. She glanced at Snake, who looked like she was about to explode.
“Ah jist want him oot o' ma huntin’ area. Is that tae much tae ask?!”
“You’re still hunting in rubbish?” Chiyo raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “I thought you stopped.”
Snake glared at her. “It’s an art, an’ this vermin’s defyin’ me, ye ken?”
As if to confirm Snake's words, the squirrel flicked its tail and squeaked loudly. Snake clenched her fists.
“Yer really provokin’ me, aren’t ye?” She pointed at the animal. “Ah kent it. Those damn rodents are a’ the same. Ye want war? WELL, YE’VE FOOND IT!”
Chiyo sighed and picked up the squirrel, holding it before her. “Look, I know the rubbish are tempting, but do me a favour and avoid that one. It’s a matter of survival.”
The animal squeaked twice, as if thinking, then leapt nimbly from her hands and darted off into the night.”
“An’ dinnae let him come back!” Snake yelled after him.
Chiyo pinched the bridge of her nose. “You really are incorrigible…”
Snake shrugged, looking falsely innocent, before crouching down to observe the direction the squirrel had fled, her eyes narrowed. “Ah tak’ responsibility for ma priorities.”
Chiyo sighed and sat on the edge of the bridge, her legs dangling in the air. Only the sound of the night wind filled the air for a moment. Then, in a tired voice, she murmured, “I still can’t think of anything to do for the festival.”
“Agin wi’ that?”
“Yes.”
Snake didn’t answer right away. She slowly straightened up, glanced at Chiyo, and then looked away to the sky. “Hm.”
Chiyo waited for a mocking remark, a reproach, or some kind of sarcasm, but nothing came.
“I tried to think of something original, something striking, but… I’m going around in circles,” Chiyo continued, her voice filled with discouragement. “Everyone has amazing ideas, impressive concepts, a path to follow… and I’m just here. I don’t even know where to start.”
Snake let out an exaggerated sigh. “An’ are ye gonnae complain for much langer, or are ye gonnae dae somethin’ aboot it?”
Chiyo glared at her. “I’m just looking for something to do. Thanks for the help.”
“Hey, Ah’m nae yer babysitter, bunny,” Snake retorted, holding up her hands. “It’s yer festival, nae mine.”
Chiyo looked down, her shoulders slumping further. “I just… want to succeed. Not just for myself. The director gave me the last performance and– I don’t know, I feel like if I mess up, I’ll disappoint everyone.”
A silence fell. Snake looked away, mumbling something inaudible.
“...What?” Chiyo asked.
“Ah said,” Snake growled, “that ye think ower much. Ye spend yer time comparin’ yersel’ tae ither folk, wantin’ tae dae better than them, when that’s nae whit matters.”
Chiyo blinked, surprised by the tone—firm but not mocking. Snake crossed her arms, her gaze still fixed elsewhere, as if refusing to look at her directly.
“Jist dae somethin’ that’s yer ain. Ye dinnae hae tae try an’ impress the gallery or reinvent magic. If ye dae a show jist tae please ither folk, it’ll ring hollow.”
Chiyo opened her mouth, then closed it. Snake clicked her tongue and ran a hand through her green waves.
“An’ then, whit d'ye think? That perfection falls fae the sky? Ye hae tae work, fail, mess up again an’ again till it works. Ye hae tae spend hours on it, wipe awa’ tears, scream till ye cannae hear yersel’ wi’ frustration. Nane cares if ye fail... except yersel’. So dae somethin’ ye want tae dae. No whit ye think ither folk expect.”
“Am I dreaming or are you just like, giving me advice?” Chiyo asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Dinnae dream tae much, ma bunny.”
“No, but it still looks a lot like it.”
“Keep witterin’ on, Chiyo, an’ Ah'll chuck ye richt aff this bridge.”
Despite the gruff tone, Snake gave her a brief sidelong glance—almost knowing, almost gentle—before continuing.
“Nou gae work insteid o’ talkin’ tae squirrels.”
“No, but I’m dreaming!” Chiyo burst out laughing. Snake stood up, wiped her shoulders with a quick gesture and muttered something like “Ungratefu' brats” but didn’t hide the slight smirk that passed over her lips as she took Chiyo’s broom.
“Hey– How am I supposed to go back to school?!” Chiyo shouted.
“Walk, ma bunny, there are some wha werenae lucky enough tae ken hoo tae fly at yer age, so tak’ the stairs like ither folk!”
And just as strangely as she had appeared, Snake flew off into the night. Chiyo grumbled and stood up. She waited a moment and…
“Show yourself. I know you want to show me something.”
The Lady of the Mist appeared almost immediately near the door. She reached out her hand, and where Chiyo stood, Diana appeared. The green mist pulsed softly, surrounding Diana's figure like a protective veil. Chiyo didn't dare move any more. This wasn't the distant and cold Diana that was often described. This was an exhausted young woman, her mask of elegance and control cracked by the weight of responsibility.
Diana sighed, letting her head fall back for a moment before straightening her shoulders as if trying to gather her strength. She held her broom with a white grip, her other hand clenched on the fabric of her cloak.
“Mother…” she whispered, her voice lower, more vulnerable than one would have imagined.
Chiyo peered into Diana's face. The blue glow in her eyes, usually so piercing, was veiled by a deep weariness.
“I did everything right,” Diana continued, her gaze lost in space. “I organised the rehearsals, checked every detail of the festival, settled the conflicts between the students, supervised the first years… and yet…”
Her fingers trembled slightly.
“I feel like it’s never enough.”
Chiyo felt her heart tighten.
“Everyone expects me to be perfect,” Diana whispered, her tone oddly bitter. “To be the worthy heir of the Cavendishes, to bring honour to Luna Nova, to live up to the title of Moonlit Witch… but, mother…”
Her voice cracked. She gritted her teeth, her shoulders trembling under the invisible weight of the pressure she was putting on herself. Slowly, as if every movement was costing her, she brought her hand to her face and covered it, her fingers sliding down her cheek in an exhausted gesture.
“… what am I supposed to do…?” she breathed.
The whisper was lost in the night, fragile and desperate.
“Tell me what to do…” Her voice was shaking. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, her eyelids glistening with a tear she refused to let fall. “I… I don’t want to fail. Not after all this.”
Her shoulders slumped further. Another tear threatened to escape, clinging to the corner of her eyelashes. Diana let out a broken breath, almost a choked sob. For a moment, she looked like she was about to collapse.
Then, with painful slowness, she wiped her hand across her face. She inhaled deeply, forcing her breathing to calm down. Her posture straightened, her features regaining that calculated coldness she wore like armour. Her grip tightened on her broom, her nails almost digging into the wood.
“I can't afford to fail. I can't afford to be… mediocre.”
She adjusted her dress, clutching her broom to her like an anchor. Her eyes, clearly red despite the illusion, gradually regained their icy glow.
Chiyo found herself reaching out to her. She wanted to talk to her, to tell her she wasn't alone. To say to her that, even years later, someone was there to listen to those words she'd never been able to speak to anyone. Her heart pounded violently against her ribcage, screaming for her to grab her hand, to turn her over in a hug, to tell her everything would be okay, that-...
“If I fall, there will be no one to pick me up.”
Those words stabbed Chiyo's heart. Diana sighed, turned to Chiyo and stopped as if she was looking directly at her. Chiyo felt her mouth open and close, her shoulders tensing. She suddenly remembered the words from her dream.
Eliminated.
A girl that everyone thought was cold and inaccessible and yet, she carried more on her back than what appeared.
Diana walked next to Chiyo and disappeared, her mist merging with that of the spirit waiting further away. Chiyo took a step back.
The Lady of the Mist stood there, motionless. Mist billowed around her, obscuring her features. She was only a vaguely human figure, like a troubled lake. Yet… There was something familiar about this posture. How her hair waved, how she held her chin high and straight.
“It’s you…” Chiyo realised and swallowed, her voice barely a breath.
The spirit nodded gently as if to confirm. Or to listen. Chiyo felt her heart beat faster. That invisible gaze… She felt observed, not with coldness or threat, but with a strange warmth, soft and heavy simultaneously.
The same warmth she had found in the photo of her dream.
She wanted to take a step forward, then hesitated. “You… It’s you, right?” she whispered, her fingers tightening on the fabric of her sleeve. “You’re the one who shows me all this, you’re the one who’s always shown me everything…”
A slight nod. Not a clear yes, but not a clear no either.
“Why?” Her voice trembled. “Why show me all this? Why be in my dreams, why show me your life? I don’t understand…”
The spirit slowly raised a hand, palm facing the sky inviting her to look around. The fog thickened, shards of memories flickering for a moment before disappearing. Diana's fatigue, her responsibilities, her fears… everything mingled in this strange silent theatre, where the night had been calm and Snake had disappeared not even twenty minutes before.
Chiyo brought a hand to her chest. She was short of breath, overwhelmed by a wave of emotions she couldn't sort out.
“It’s you… I… You’re Diana, you’re the one who always looked out for me… Why…”
Her words faded. The Lady of the Mist—no, Diana —stepped closer. Chiyo didn't back away. On the contrary, she felt strangely drawn. Diana's hand rose slowly and, without ever touching Chiyo, stopped right in front of her face.
A gentle warmth enveloped her, like an invisible embrace. Chiyo closed her eyes, the weight of her thoughts crushing against her. When she opened them again, the spirit had retreated, its form slowly dissipating.
“Wait! Diana, help me! What am I supposed to do?!”
But there was only silence.
She stood there, alone with the fog and the irregular beating of her heart…
Until her eyes lit up.
“I have an idea!!!”
The library was deserted at this hour. With a mechanical gesture, Snake closed the door behind her—for once she was going through the door and not the window. She was already moving towards where she knew Chiyo was when she stopped dead.
Something was wrong.
A shiver ran down her spine, chilling her to the bone. Her gaze lifted… and froze.
Diana Cavendish stood there. Sixteen years old. Straight, immaculate in her Luna Nova uniform, her cold gaze piercing the darkness, menacing, as if mad with rage and remorse. Her wand pointed at her.
Snake stepped back abruptly, hitting the bookcase behind her. Books shook on the shelves. Her hands, usually so sure, began to tremble. Her gaze, typically phlegmatic, had clouded over with a glint she never showed: a split second where she was no longer Snake, but someone else. Someone frightened.
Someone scared.
Someone who was seeing a ghost.
“Chiyo?” her voice cracked, hoarse. “Stop that richt noo.”
But Diana didn't move an inch. Her eyes… Those eyes.
Snake looked away briefly, her nails digging into her palm.
Behind the illusion, a few steps away, Chiyo smiled. Triumphant. Her wand raised, perfectly controlling the puppet that was this illusory Diana. With every move Chiyo made, the illusion reproduced with frightening precision.
“Cool, right?” Chiyo said with a smirk.
“ Stop that. Now. ” Snake’s voice was lower, rougher, her accent slipping away—almost menacing. But there was something else beneath it.
“Look,” Chiyo continued, clearly pleased with her own performance. “This is part of my show for Samhain! I wanted something that would be memorable, but still important to me! Look at the quality of the illusion! I can even do that!”
She flicked her wand in a sharp motion, moving herself even more into an attack stance. Diana's illusion mimicked the movement, her icy blue eyes never leaving Snake.
“Chiyo…” Snake’s voice wavered. Chiyo noticed her nails starting to pierce the skin of her palm, a thin trickle of blood flowing out. “Ah’m warnin’ ye. Stop. Nou.”
Chiyo took a step forward. The illusion did the same, relentless.
“Chiyo, ye dinnae play wi’ the dead!!!” Snake yelled, her voice tearing through the silence of the library.
Chiyo's proud smile slowly faded. She lowered her wand and stepped back.
“I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just wanted to show you my idea and…”
“This disnae hae anyfun!” Snake spat, her golden eyes locked with hers. They were shaking—no, she was shaking. She grabbed her by the collar, lifting her against the bookshelf.
And Chiyo, who had never seen her mentor go off the rails like this, felt fear twist in her stomach.
“I… I’m sorry,” she stammered, her hands raised in a peace sign. “I just wanted to show you my spell, I… I didn’t think…”
“Yeah, and that’s your problem. You don’t THINK!”
Snake clenched her jaw, her gaze flickering. Then, abruptly, she released it. Chiyo slid to the ground, sucking in the air like a drowning woman. Snake turned away, a hand running nervously through her hair.
A heavy silence fell again. Only the distant creaking of a chair could be heard.
Chiyo straightened up slowly, avoiding the gaze of Diana’s illusion. It was still there. Still too real.
Her fingers trembled. Why did Snake react like that?
Trying to break the tension, she leaned over to pick up a book that had fallen in the confusion. But no sooner had she touched it than a scathing remark rang out behind her:
“No like that.”
Chiyo froze, looking up at Snake in surprise. Snake, arms crossed, stared at her with an annoyed look. “You’re bending over like a farmer’s wife looking for her potatoes.”
“... Pardon?”
Snake let out an exasperated sigh and held out her hand. “Gie me yer wand.”
Chiyo hesitated. But under her mentor’s unwavering gaze, she slowly handed it over. Snake took it carefully as if the wand might burn her fingers. Then she turned to Diana's illusion.
A silence. A slow breath.
And suddenly… everything changed.
The illusion straightened, its movements gaining an unsettling fluidity. Its hand rose gracefully, its posture impeccable. Not a gesture too many, not a hesitation. Chiyo was speechless. It was as if she were truly alive.
“An aristocrat nivver wastes her movements,” Snake explained, her voice cold again. “Every move maun be precise. Measured. If ye want tae impress, ye cannae appear tae hesitate.”
The illusion squared her shoulders with striking poise, her head tilted slightly, and her chin raised just enough to display that quiet superiority that made anyone seem insignificant in front of her.
Snake guided the wand in a circular motion. The illusion spun around with disconcerting elegance, the imaginary cloak billowing behind it like a non-existent breeze. Her fingers brushed the wand’s handle delicately as if each gesture were a carefully choreographed dance.
Then Diana—no, the illusion—took a step forward. Not mere strides, but calculated strides, each measured to perfection– the kind of gait that commanded attention and imposed respect.
Snake continued, her eyes fixed on the illusion she manipulated with almost instinctive ease: “When ye raise the wand, dinnae brandish it like a club. Raise it. Like this.” The illusion imitated the gesture with impeccable elegance. “The look maun precede the movement. Ye command the room, nae the ither way roond.”
The illusion nodded with that grace that made everyone else seem inferior. Snake, on the other hand, seemed transformed. Her features had hardened, frozen in cold concentration. Her gaze never left the illusion, as if absorbed in a memory that only she could see. Her movements were not hesitant despite a sudden gesture that seemed to be directly replaced by a natural grace. Each gesture of the wand dictated Diana's attitude with implacable precision: a slight nod and the illusion crossed its arms with that characteristic haughty air, a sharp movement and Diana shot a piercing look that pierced you to the soul. Snake, behind her, followed her like her shadow, an annoyed look on her face.
“ It’s not just talent, ” Chiyo mused, the hairs on her arms standing on end. “ She… saw it. She knows exactly how she moved.”
Snake stopped dead. The illusion, docile, froze its movement, motionless as a statue. The mentor's wand remained suspended in the air, her hand trembling slightly.
“…How do you know all this?” Chiyo asked, narrowing her eyes.
Snake hesitated. Just a beat. Then she shrugged, looking away. “Ah looked intae it.”
Asked? Chiyo wasn't convinced. Knowing how to walk like that, how to move like that... You couldn't learn it from books.
Snake added, her voice dry, “When ye want tae unnerstaun’ somone, sometimes ye dig. An' sometimes…” She trailed off, her jaw clenched. “Ye discover things ye'd raither forget.”
Chiyo felt a shiver run up her spine. Suddenly, she felt more in danger than ever with the older woman.
“Will you… be at the festival? To see me?” Chiyo asked hesitantly.
Snake bit her lip but shook her head. “Sorry, kid. Ah hae things tae tak' care o' that day. An'... Ah dinnae ken if we’ll see each ither again efter that.”
“What?!” Chiyo gasped. “No, no, no! You can’t do this to me!” She grabbed Snake by the sleeve. “I need you!”
“Nae, kiddo, Ah really cannae be here,” Snake didn’t look at her and shook her wand, making Diana’s illusion disappear. “Ah hae work, lots o' work, an' Ah cannae afford tae miss it. Ah’ve already put it aff fer ower lang an' if Ah dinnae get back tae it, Ah micht be in trouble.”
Snake hesitated but ruffled Chiyo's hair with a slight smile. It was far from her usual cold smile, but closer to something truly gentle. Snake sighed, her hand sliding through her green hair before closing into a shaking fist. Her gaze lingered on Chiyo; this time, there was no mockery or coldness. Just… something heavier, deeper.
“Oi, Ah'll say this once, so listen up—Ah did enjoy oor time, kid.” Her voice was quieter than usual, almost… hesitant. “But it’s time…” She trailed off as if the words physically hurt. “Time tae end this.”
Chiyo felt an alarm go off in her mind. Something was wrong.
“What?!” She rushed towards her, grabbing the sleeve of her coat. “I need you again!”
Snake didn’t move. She didn’t look at her, just stared at some invisible point in the distance. Then, slowly, she pried Chiyo’s fingers off, holding them briefly in her own before letting go.
“Ye'll get through this,” she whispered. “Ye're stronger than ye think.”
Chiyo opened her mouth to argue, but Snake was already backing away.
“Snake, wait—”
But she didn’t wait. Her body shrank in a flash of green light and in an instant, there was nothing left but a raccoon. Small. Elusive. She grabbed her wand between her teeth and vanished into the night without a single backward glance.
Silence fell again.
Chiyo stood there frozen, her breath caught in her throat.
She didn't know why, but one thing tugged at her heart.
This time… Snake wasn't coming back.
Notes:
This one was longer (once again. For chapter 8, 8K words lmao, it's a constant).
Chiyo is finally having some answers! Next chapter will be Samhain! I hope you are ready y'all because Samhain will be one of my favourite chapter to write!
PS: I hope you are understanding everything Snake is saying. I sadly can't erase her accent, as it is important for her character. And I love her accent. I hope I'm still respectful! If not/if you are offended, feel free to make me aware!
Don't hesitate to tell me what you thought of this chapter! XXAlso, I created a playlist for this fanfic! Here's the link!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7jG9APYCOqbACyxxH2xcqQ?si=4dd09d0ad7bf470c
Chapter 9: Samhain Magic Festival and Illusions !
Summary:
Samhain is finally here! Let's see what Chiyo planned for her grand finale!
Notes:
I'm so sorry in advance...
Because of today's chapter, I'm obliged to go into Explicit, ANYWAY HAVE FUN!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Cassia, I swear if you don’t call back your duck right now I’m making him my next meal!” Lizzy exclaimed as Mr. Bucket, Cassia’s pet duck, flapped his wings happily as he approached Lizzy. Cassia rushed over, scooping him into her arms, her lips forming a dramatic pout.
“You wouldn’t dare… She wouldn’t dare, right Chiyo?”
Chiyo shrugged with an apologetic smile. Cassia gasped and hugged Mr. Bucket tighter.
“Okay, okay! But don’t touch Mr. Bucket!”
"Seriously? That's a ridiculous name," Lizzy grumbled, hiding behind Chiyo—which was absurd, considering she was a full head taller."
“It’s not ridiculous!” Cassia pouted and let her fingers wander through the feathers.
“For a duck? Rude.”
“I remind you that you are taking care of a magpie,” Cassia glared at her before straightening the bow tie around Mr. Bucket. Lizzy took a deep breath, her body tensing. Chiyo turned to her and took her hand.
“Please, make an effort. For me?” Chiyo whispered to her. Lizzy grumbled and looked away.
“Just so you know, his name is Mr. Bucket because I found him in a bucket during detention. He was adorable and scared. I managed to figure out that he had taken refuge in the school after being chased by a raccoon,” Cassia explained.
A raccoon.
Snake…
“Well that suits him perfectly, if you want him to end up at KFC– COME AND GET HIM HE'S COMING TOO CLOSE!!!”
Mr. Bucket waddled around amicably, squeaking, rubbing against Chiyo's legs. Chiyo picked him up and Lizzy stepped back.
“Traitor -”
“Lizzy, just look at him—he's adorable!”
“HE KNOWS THINGS ABOUT ME AND WANTS TO GET RID OF ME, I CAN FEEL IT, LOOK AT HIS EYES!!!”
Cassia and Chiyo looked at Mr. Bucket, whose eyes were empty. The only possible glint to see was something innocently silly.
“Sure, Lizzy, sure…” Chiyo couldn’t help but laugh before setting Mr. Bucket down. Chiyo placed a light hand on Lizzy’s forearm, searching her gaze with disarming gentleness. “Please, make an effort. I really like her and I have things to show you and…”
She paused, catching Lizzy's gaze—there was something off, a veiled flicker between distance and pain.
“Lizzy…?”
“Don't worry about me,” Lizzy breathed with a smile that didn't reach her eyes before taking a step back.
Chiyo frowned. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “Lizzy, I… You know you’ll always be my best friend, right?”
"... Yeah."
The silence stretched on, but before Chiyo could say anything else, Cassia called out to her in a soft voice, “Chiyo!”
She looked back and forth between Lizzy and Cassia, undecided. Lizzy looked away, Cassia held out her hand with an almost shy smile. For a moment, Chiyo felt inexplicably torn. Despite their proximity, she felt like she was miles away from Lizzy.
“Bro before hoe,” her aunt Amanda had always repeated, putting an arm around Akko’s shoulders.
Chiyo took a step towards Lizzy.
Lizzy's eyes lit up with fragile hope. Her breath hitched, her heart beating faster.
“High school crushes don't stick around, friends do,” Akko would also tell her.
But before a word could pass her lips, Cassia broke the moment.
“Chiyo, do you want to be my date for the festival?!”
A brutal silence fell.
Chiyo's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat. Lizzy looked almost as surprised as she was at the sudden request, her expression frozen into a mask of pained disbelief.
Cassia, next to her, stiffened. Her complexion darkened only slightly, but her fingers clenched on the hem of her shirt betrayed a subtle unease. Her braids fell in front of her face, partially obscuring her expression.
“Chiyo…?” she whispered, her voice hesitant. Then, with a shaky sigh, she looked away and continued, more quietly, “Please… be my date for the festival.”
Lizzy didn't move any more, frozen. A hand, almost instinctively, reached out to Chiyo as if to hold her back. But Chiyo didn't see anything.
Her cheeks burned, and without hesitation, she rushed into Cassia's arms, her face buried in her neck. “Yes!!!”
Cassia let out a nervous laugh against her shoulder, and Chiyo felt her body tremble slightly. “I tried to ask you earlier but… I couldn’t find the right time… I’m sorry, did I ruin something?”
“Absolutely…” Lizzy began in a cold voice.
“No! Absolutely not!” Chiyo quickly interrupted, giving Lizzy a pleading look. “I was just saving Lizzy from Mr. Bucket, you know her!”
Lizzy opened her mouth, then closed it, her jaw clenched. A frustrated groan escaped her before she slumped against the tree trunk, arms crossed, staring at an imaginary point in the distance.
Mr. Bucket took small steps forward, squeaking innocently. Lizzy glared at him, but before she could back away again, Cassia caught him with her fingertips, pulling him back against her with a satisfied smile.
If Chiyo had been more attentive, she would have noticed the suspicious shine in Lizzy's eyes, a glint of something barely contained—something fragile.
But Chiyo was smart.
…Except when it was about herself.
And anyone who knew Akko Kagari would know that her daughter wasn't so different.
The flame flickered one last time before going out, leaving a thin trail of smoke behind it. Chiyo hugged her arms around her legs, drawing her knees into her chest. Her heart was beating fast—too fast. Samhain was tomorrow. Everything had to be perfect. Everything had to make sense.
Her trembling fingers traced the cold stone wall, lingering on the name she had just whispered.
Diana…
An icy breath wrapped around her ankles. Green mist snaked between her fingers, slowly rippling around her. Chiyo sat up straight, her heart pounding, an impatient smile lighting up her face.
“I knew you would come!” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with excitement. “I called your name, I put a candle for you! Well, for everyone, but especially for you, I must admit! I was so hoping it would be you!”
The words came flooding out before she could even think about them. Her mouth was going faster than her brain, and she could hear herself talking without being able to stop.
“I have so much to tell you, so many questions! Why are you showing me all this? Why me? Do you—do you ever listen? You know, when I talk to myself, are you there? Because I often talk to myself, well, not alone alone, but—you know what I mean! I wonder if you’re still here, somewhere, and Haha doesn’t want to talk about you, and—”
She stopped short when she realised she hadn't even looked at the Lady of the Mist yet.
Chiyo finally looked up.
As always, her face was hard to make out. The mist moved around her in lazy swirls, hiding her features. But it was there. Straight, still, watching her in silence.
Chiyo felt her enthusiasm waver, replaced by a slight dizziness. Had she annoyed her? Was it a question of respect? She opened her mouth, then closed it again, looking for a calmer, more composed way to express herself. But the wait was becoming unbearable.
So, awkwardly, she tried a smile, looking sheepish.
“…You want me to be quiet, don’t you?”
No answer. But the Lady of the Mist finally moved.
She turned slowly on her heel, her dress sliding across the floor like a liquid shadow. Chiyo stood there for a moment, uncertain. She didn't hesitate any longer and jumped up, eager to follow her.
It was rare that she let her walk at her own pace.
A strange shiver ran down her spine. She couldn't tell if it was excitement... or a fear she refused to admit.
They walked slowly towards where the Samhain stage was set up. Diana glanced at her out of the corner of her eye before reaching out towards the small tent behind the stage. Chiyo raised an eyebrow but obeyed.
“Akko sure is late,” her aunt Lotte said. She was sitting next to her aunt Sucy who kept a neutral expression, though Chiyo didn’t miss the small glint in her eyes as they slid over the “sacrifice” signs next to her.
“She's probably practising until the very last minute,” Sucy murmured.
Chiyo noticed three figures approaching and decided to sit next to Lotte, who was nervously fiddling with her uniform. She knew her aunt didn't like this kind of tension. The three figures removed their hoods, revealing the blue team.
Diana.
“Has Akko arrived yet? There’s precious little time left,” she asked.
Chiyo immediately analysed her face. The apparent neutrality, the calm voice… But her fingers were slightly clenched around her sleeves, hidden under her large coat. The tiny movement of her throat as she swallowed. She knew Akko was late. She knew it was risky.
Maybe she also knew… that she was counting on her.
“Maybe she's finally realised how worthless she is…” Hannah laughed, and Chiyo forced herself not to roll her eyes.
One, because Diana—well, her spirit—was the one showing her all this, and Chiyo knew the blonde would have a redemption arc of some sort.
Two, because Hannah was her aunt, but by the Nine, how odious was she at sixteen!
“… and made herself scarce?” Barbara sneered.
Diana didn't flinch. At least, not visibly. Only Chiyo noticed the imperceptible way her shoulders tensed for a moment under her coat.
“She ran away from her responsibilities, leaving all the burden on your shoulders,” Diana added harshly.
Her jaw clenched. Chiyo felt, beneath the folds of the fabric, a slight tremor. A carefully muffled stress.
“Diana, you're up next,” a student announced as she approached the tent entrance.
“How pathetic,” the blonde sighed.
Chiyo turned her head towards the Lady of the Mist. She could only see the top of her face, the other half hidden behind a flap of her spectral cloak. As if she were suppressing a laugh.
Diana—the flashback, not the spirit—headed toward the exit, followed by Hannah and Barbara.
“You have my condolences, being forced into a group with her…”
Lotte stood up abruptly.
“Akko wouldn't run away!” she exclaimed, catching Diana's attention.
Chiyo immediately noticed the little details that no one else would see. The way Diana's lips parted for a moment. The tiny shrug of her shoulders, as if she were holding a breath. The slight nervous twitch of her eyebrow.
But her posture did not change.
Hannah and Barbara giggled before leaving the tent. Chiyo followed them with her eyes, but her attention immediately returned to Diana.
The blonde was coming out in turn, but… her steps slowed.
Her eyes scanned the horizon. She was looking for someone.
No.
She was waiting for someone.
She was waiting for Akko.
Diana took a measured step onto the stage, her teammates at her side. The silence weighed, thick as a leaden blanket. Yet, in this void of sound, Chiyo heard a whisper, fleeting, almost inaudible.
“Mother… Look at me, please…”
A shiver ran down her spine.
The Lady of the Mist did not move. Motionless, statuesque. But her gaze…
Her gaze betrayed her. Fixed on Diana with a burning intensity.
Pride.
A raw, absolute, almost painful pride.
Chiyo felt her throat tighten.
“It's the Cavendish's girl, Diana… ”
She looked away towards the judges' stand.
“I'll see if she's worthy of carrying on her prestigious family's name.”
Diana stood frozen in appearance.
But Chiyo knew. She saw what others didn't.
Diana's fingers tightened around her wand, her knuckles whitening under the pressure. Her eyes flickered barely, searching for a landmark, an anchor.
Do not waver.
Do not fail.
Don't give them that pleasure.
Around them, a murmur ran through the teachers.
“It's finally time! ”
“Luna Nova's star! ”
“Indeed. ”
Diana's breath hitched. Her back stiffened, every muscle tense under the pressure.
But she didn't let anything show.
She never let anything show.
“Behold this water summoning magic, passed down from ancient times. ”
Her voice echoed through the night. Steady, controlled, but slightly lower than she would have liked. She felt it immediately, and a flash of annoyance crossed her gaze.
The blue team raised their wands in a synchronized motion.
“Shurial Muryuelle. Creature of the holy mane… ”
The air electrified. Beneath their feet, the water began to vibrate before stretching into a shimmering lake. Hannah and Barbara positioned themselves at the edges, their magic pulsing in the air. Diana exhaled slowly and raised her wand.
“Absorb the light of the stars and rise from this gushing spring! Tiphillie Lirullianae!!! ”
A crash.
The water exploded in a titanic wave, rising in sparkling spray.
Then, a figure emerged from it.
A white flash splitting the skies.
A gallop suspended between two worlds.
The creature cut through the air in a spectral dance, leaving a trail of luminescent water shards behind it, then it landed gracefully, setting its hooves on the ground like a queen treading her kingdom. Diana reached out her hand, and the creature lowered its neck and rested its snout in her palm.
Chiyo felt her heart skip a beat.
This was no mere stallion. This was no ordinary summons.
“A unicorn…” she breathed, stunned. “Just that.”
A nervous laugh escaped her lips.
Then she turned her head.
Towards her.
The Lady of the Mist.
Her expression was unchanged. Coldly impassive. But Chiyo saw beyond the mask. That gleam in her eyes. An admiration she wouldn't allow herself to feel. A pride she couldn't deny.
Diana squared her shoulders, straight as an unwavering flame.
The unicorn nuzzled her gently
And the silence was broken.
A standing ovation erupted, filling the air with thunderous euphoria.
But Chiyo didn't hear her. Her gaze remained fixed on the Lady of the Mist, and for the first time, she felt like something was slipping through her fingers. Maybe seeing herself like this, alive and safe, was too much for the Lady of the Mist? Chiyo swallowed hard as she walked behind the blue team. The mist moved, shifting, as if to speed up time. A huge vase had been placed on the stage. Chiyo frowned as the announcer spoke of the sacrifice.
“This year's sacrifices are Lotte Jansson, Sucy Manbavaran, and Atsuko Kagari!””
Haha…
Chiyo inhaled slowly. She stood side by side with Diana, her arms crossed over her chest. Diana sighed and turned slowly, and Chiyo heard her squeak in surprise. She followed her gaze and smiled.
Akko and Diana looked at each other for a long time. Chiyo saw Diana's shoulders slowly relax as her voice was only a whisper.
“Akko…”
Her mother climbed the stage stairs and stopped next to Diana. She gently lifted her head, her lips close to her rival's ear.
“Watch me. ”
Diana's gaze widened slightly before returning to its original coldness.
If Chiyo had turned on her brain for just a second, she might have already figured this story out.
If Chiyo wasn't as dense as a brick, maybe she would have understood.
But let me remind you that Chiyo was Akko's daughter, and as the Memory Clock struck midnight, the Japanese witch couldn't help but think that this rivalry was interesting to observe.
“Are you ready, folks? It's time for the super fun sacrifice show!”
Eh?
Chiyo turned violently towards the scene, her mouth wide open. Akko did a little spin around, too happy for someone about to be eaten. The teachers were speechless and Chiyo couldn't help but hide in her hat.
“Haha, no…” She said, placing her hands on her forehead.
“Vajarois the Wailing makes her grand entrance!” Akko screamed as the lid of the vase fell to the ground.
A gigantic spectral creature, half-worm, half-ghost, burst out of the vase with a heart-rending howl. A crown of twisted thorns encircled its skull, while its eyes, heavy and drooping, gave off an unfathomable sadness. Its mouth, frozen in a tortured grimace, seemed to hesitate between pain and anger. Lotte and Sucy took off, leaving Akko alone with her determined smile on her face.
“Over here!” Akko shouted and Chiyo refrained from grabbing her by the collar, even though she knew it was useless. Akko wiggled the Shiny Rod, trying to get the ghost’s attention.
Vajarois leaned towards Akko, her shapeless, slimy face contorted with obvious irritation. Her slimy mouth opened with a sickening snap, but Akko didn't flinch, too focused on her spectacle.
“Metamorphie Facie—”
She didn't have time to finish. With a sudden movement, the creature swallowed her whole.
A heavy silence fell.
The ghost stopped dead, motionless. She chewed once. Twice.
Chiyo's eyes widened.
“I… I… Haha—”
A little mouse was now running across the stage.
“What a surprise! She transformed into a mouse to avoid the danger!”
Eh?
Cries of surprise and exasperation echoed across the field. Akko rushed onto the stage in her mouse form, narrowly avoiding the closing claws of Vajarois. No sooner had she regained her human form than the giant creature launched itself in pursuit, its massive body crashing to the ground. The stage shook under its weight and Chiyo felt herself stagger. Before she could fall, the Lady of the Mist, in one swift movement, grabbed her by the collar and slammed her onto a broom, placing her behind a familiar figure.
Behind Diana.
Chiyo froze for a moment, surprise taking her breath away, then instinctively, her arms wrapped around her hips. The illusion was solid, allowing her to hold on tightly to Diana's figure. She could feel Diana’s tension in every movement, her presence an anchor in the storm.
Diana accelerated without hesitation, climbing higher to avoid Vajarois' attacks. Akko, meanwhile, transformed into a flying elephant and launched herself into the air, twirling around the others. Lotte made balloons appear on her back, allowing Akko to stabilize herself despite her weight. Sucy, with a simple gesture, made huge mushrooms appear on the ground, creating a natural platform for Akko who landed safely.
Vajarois, furious, charged at Akko again, but she dodged with surprising agility. Lotte and Sucy, in perfect synchronization, transformed the creature's brambles into a dense boxwood, offering a bushy and more joyful crown.
Chiyo held on tightly to Diana's broom, her head resting against her back for balance. All around them, fireworks exploded and lit up the scene. Akko, beaming, stood on a giant mushroom, attracting all eyes.
“Vajarois! Are you having fun? I Blow away your sadness with a smile! Metamorphie Fascienne!” Akko screamed. She transformed into a bunch of failed illusions. A helium rabbit, a neon monkey, a chicken clearly uncomfortable in the air, and a hippopotamus running through the skies.
“Akko just never gets it right,” Chiyo heard Lotte laugh and she couldn't help but laugh at Diana herself.
“But she's getting laughs, and that's what counts,” Sucy replied, a soft smile on her face – which was quite a strange sight for Chiyo.
Everyone around them was laughing. Chiyo even noticed her aunts Amanda, Jasminka, and Constanze cheering for Akko, while Diana was tensed against her, breathing fast and her knuckles white on the broom.
But the laughter was short-lived.
Chiyo was brought out of her contemplation when she felt Diana breathe heavily against her. She turned her head to see her mother being propelled into the air with Lotte and Sucy. The ghost suddenly stiffened before swallowing them all round.
“A-Akko!” Diana screamed. Chiyo held on to her as she prepared to charge at the ghost, only to stop when she saw the ghost twist and glow. Diana stepped back and a sudden rush of air sent her broom swaying. Chiyo grumbled, trying to regain her balance. She held on tighter to Diana.
“Lean with the broomn not against it,” she remembered Snake saying. She leaned against Diana who was diving towards the ground. The stop was anything but graceful, both girls nearly rolling into the grass. Diana straightened up, using her broom to stay upright. A large beam of pink light shot out from the stage and Chiyo quickly stood up, joining the blonde.
“What’s going on?” She asked, as if she was going to be answered. Diana’s eyes were wide before a viscous wave crashed onto the stage, revealing Akko, Lotte, and Sucy.
Applause echoed across the field, almost drowning out Akko's sobs as she hugged her friends. The energy around them was still vibrating, carried by the brilliance of the spectacle they had just experienced. Chiyo watched as her mother burst into tears. She had never seen her cry like this, a mixture of pride and pure emotion etched on her face. It was beautiful, strange, overwhelming. A movement beside her brought her back to reality.
Diana, still upright, held her broom with unusual rigidity. Her fingers, usually so graceful, were clenched around the handle, white with pressure.
“Diana!”
They turned to her at the same time, but Chiyo felt a shift. Something in Diana's posture had frozen. As if she were suspended between two states, a balance broken on the verge of tipping over.
“They haven't finished counting yet, but you're on track to be the Moonlit Witch!”
“What about Akko's group?” Diana's voice trembled. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but Chiyo noticed it.
“They broke the rules, so they're out of consideration. But they sure did a nice thing. There’s the award ceremony coming up, so get ready.”
The reporter flew back to the stage and there, in front of Chiyo, Diana Cavendish's impeccable image was crumbling.
Her shoulders had slumped slightly, her once impeccable posture faltering. Her fingers left her broom to rest on her chest, gripping the fabric of her cloak as if she were trying to contain something, a tremor, an inner jolt she didn't understand.
Her lower lip trembled, and for the first time, her gaze no longer shone with confidence but with a confusion she could not control.
“What… is it… That has filled me with this emotion?”
Chiyo didn't understand.
Diana, she had just understood everything.
And once again, if Chiyo had just taken the time to look at Diana as she could look at Akko, Chiyo would have understood.
Chiyo would have seen.
But the mist suddenly cleared before Chiyo could even say anything, leaving her alone on the flying field…
"Are you sure Lizzy won't sneak up on us?"
Cassia's voice was light, almost sing-song, but Chiyo guessed she was half joking.
“She promised to be good…” Chiyo shrugged before adding, more to herself. “As good as Lizzy can be.”
“Hm.” Cassia glanced over her shoulder, as if expecting to see Lizzy emerge from the shadows, wand in hand. “So not at all.”
Chiyo laughed, and Cassia gave her a satisfied smile.
“I’m serious,” Cassia continued. “Every time I turn around, I feel like she’s going to jump away from you.”
“Lizzy is just… protective,” Chiyo replied with an indulgent smile.
“Ah yes, protective.” Cassia pretended to think, a dimple appearing on her cheek. “That’s a polite way of saying ‘she openly hates me and dreams of seeing me disappear’.”
“She doesn’t hate you.”
Cassia gave her a sceptical look.
“She doesn't like me being with you, that's different.”
Chiyo raised an eyebrow.
“She’s like that with everyone.”
Cassia tilted her head slightly, amused. “Oh yeah? With everyone?”
She didn't elaborate further, and Chiyo didn't dwell on this strange insistence.
They stepped through the archway into the inner courtyard where the festival was in full swing. The crackle of enchanted torches, the laughter of students, and the scent of caramelized apples and burning wood filled the air. Cassia paused for a moment to observe the colourful stalls that stretched out before them, before staring at one of them with mischievous interest.
“Oh! There’s a love potion stand.”
Chiyo looked up at the animated sign of a beating heart surrounded by small pink sparkles.
“They probably sell ephemeral potions,” she remarked.
“Possible,” Cassia admitted. Then, a smile slowly tugged at her lips. “We should test it.”
"What?! "
“Just to see if it works, of course.”
Chiyo stared at her, puzzled.
“Do you really want to drink a love potion?”
“Hm?” Cassia placed a finger on her cheek, pretending to be innocent. “Oh no, I was thinking we could test it on someone else…”
She turned her head towards Chiyo with a knowing smile.
“… Like Lizzy.”
Chiyo opened her eyes wide.
“Cassia!”
“What? Just a little scientific experiment.”
“An experience…?”
“To see if she can be charmed by someone other than you.”
Chiyo rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile.
“Lizzy is immune to this kind of thing.”
“Really? I’m curious to see that.”
“She doesn't need a love filter. If she decided to love someone, she would decide with all the force of a hurricane.”
Cassia let out a small laugh.
"Impressive. A Lizzy in love is an impossible Lizzy, then?"
“Exactly. She—”
“But if she fell in love… what do you think it would be like?”
Chiyo blinked.
"Eh? "
“Just out of curiosity. She’s so…loud and intense. I wonder what she’d be like if she were gentle with someone.”
Chiyo thought for a second before shaking her head with a smile.
“Lizzy doesn’t need to be sweet. She’s…”
She searched for the right word. Cassia waited, silent.
“She’s whole.” Chiyo crossed her arms, thoughtful. “She gives it her all, all the time. Even if it’s a little too much sometimes, it’s part of her. When she gets angry, it’s always for a good reason. When she laughs, it’s impossible not to laugh with her. And when she worries… she never does it halfway.”
Cassia watched her attentively.
"Hm."
Chiyo smiled, lost in thought.
"But she could love someone, I'm sure. That person would just have to know how to handle her, because Lizzy never does things by halves. She—"
"Chiyo."
Cassia's voice was soft, almost amused, but there was a hint of something else.
Chiyo stopped.
"Hm?"
“You talk a lot about Lizzy.”
Chiyo blinked, taken aback.
“I… We were just talking about—”
“I know.” Cassia smiled at her, a calm, patient smile. “But we’re on a date, right? So… can we talk about something other than Lizzy?”
Chiyo felt her face heat up without really understanding why.
"Oh. "
Cassia laughed softly and grabbed her hand before pulling her further into the crowd.
“Come, I’ll offer you a candy apple.”
They made their way through the students huddled around the stands, dodging a group of excited children running with floating lanterns. The atmosphere was electrifying, almost magical. The fairy lights danced in the light breeze, and the sweet smell of sweets mingled with that of burnt wood.
Cassia stopped in front of the caramelized apple stand and turned to Chiyo with a smirk.
“A classic one or one dipped in chocolate?”
Chiyo hesitated for a second.
"Chocolate."
“Of course.” Cassia gave her a knowing look before ordering two chocolate apples and handing the clerk some coins. “I’m sure you put chocolate on everything you eat.”
“That’s not true!”
“Chiyo, I literally saw you dipping bread in hot chocolate yesterday morning.”
“…Okay, maybe a little.”
Cassia laughed softly and handed her her apple.
"Here. "
Chiyo bit into it, savouring the sweet mixture of chocolate and the crunch of apple. Cassia watched her with amusement before tasting her own.
“Mh, not bad.”
“Of course. I always choose well.”
“Modest too.”
Chiyo stuck her tongue out at her and Cassia laughed even harder. They continued their walk through the inner courtyard, enjoying the bustle around them. Chiyo stopped in front of a stand where students were floating small enchanted candles in a basin of water.
“Is this a wishing game?” she asked, watching the flickering flames.
“Yes. If the candle floats to the other shore without going out, your wish will come true.”
Chiyo walked over and grabbed a candle before placing it on the water. Cassia leaned on the edge of the basin, looking at her curiously.
“And what did you wish for?”
Chiyo smiled.
“If I tell you, it won’t work.”
Cassia rolled her eyes but didn't answer. They watched the candle slowly move across the water, its flame flickering in the wind.
“Do you believe in these things?” Cassia suddenly asked.
Chiyo shrugged.
“Maybe. And you?”
Cassia seemed to think for a moment before answering, in a light tone:
“I believe that sometimes you have to provoke luck.”
"What does that mean?"
Cassia looked at her, an enigmatic smile on her lips.
“That means that if we want something to happen, we have to give ourselves the means to make it happen.”
Chiyo frowned slightly, trying to figure out what she meant. But before she could ask another question, Cassia stood up and patted Chiyo on the shoulder.
“Let’s go see the other stands.”
They walked away, leaving behind the basin where Chiyo's candle was slowly drifting towards the other bank.
Chiyo and Cassia made their way through the bustling festival crowd, one excited, the other much more reluctant. Floating lanterns illuminated the paths, casting flickering shadows on the pavement, and the laughter of the students echoed all around them.
“Remind me why we’re going to her booth again?” Cassia grumbled, her arms crossed over her chest.
“Because I want to try their activity,” Chiyo replied with an innocent smile. “Besides, it’s just one of many booths.”
Cassia gave her a sceptical look. “Lizzy runs it.”
"So what?"
“You know very well 'so what',” she muttered, following behind her.
They finally arrived in front of the stall decorated with fairy lights and colourful signs. Several students had gathered there, some laughing, others visibly frustrated by the challenge. Behind the counter, a familiar figure gave them a falsely angelic smile.
“Look who’s here…” Lizzy tilted her head to the side, arms resting casually on the stand. Her eyes instantly flickered to Chiyo with a spark of mischief. “I knew you’d come.”
Cassia exhaled loudly.
“Can we just do the activity, Lizzy?” Chiyo asked, relaxed. “What’s the game, exactly?”
Lizzy smirked. "Oh, it's really simple. You have to catch an enchanted lantern that's floating above the stand without using your wand." She raised an eyebrow at Chiyo. " But I'm sure you'll be able to do it perfectly... after all, you've always had a talent for taming elusive things, haven't you?"
Cassia rolled her eyes. " Really, Lizzy?"
Chiyo, however, didn't seem to get the hint and approached the booth with an enthusiastic smile. "Oh, that looks like fun!"
Lizzy handed her a badge, purposely brushing her fingers in the process. “So, are you up for the challenge?” she asked in a sugary voice. “You can show me how agile you are…”
Cassia coughed loudly, visibly annoyed.
Chiyo grabbed the badge without reacting to the tension in the air. “I’ll try!” She looked up at the floating lanterns, her eyes shining with excitement. “Is there a secret technique or is it just a matter of speed?”
Lizzy leaned slightly towards her, a smirk on her face. “Oh, it’s all about feeling… and touching.”
Cassia crossed her arms tighter and fixed Lizzy with a glare. " That's enough. Are you going to let her play or do you just want to continue your little act?"
Lizzy gave her a feigned innocent look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cassia. I’m just a humble booth organizer who encourages her participants.” She turned back to Chiyo and winked. “But if you want me to give you a little help… I can always guide you personally.”
Chiyo nodded enthusiastically. “That’s nice, but I’ll try it by myself!”
Lizzy laughed softly. “Sure, sure. But if you ever want help... You know where to find me.”
Cassia sighed heavily, already running out of patience. She leaned over to Chiyo and whispered, " How much do we bet she'll keep going throughout the game?"
Chiyo didn't understand the exasperation in her voice and just smiled before preparing to grab her lantern, oblivious to the silent confrontation playing out between Lizzy and Cassia.
Cassia slowly moved closer, placing a hand on Chiyo's shoulder to help her position herself. " If you position yourself like this, you'll have a better chance of catching the lantern," she whispered close to her ear.
Lizzy instantly stiffened, her fingers clenching on the counter of the booth. Her eyes flicked from Cassia to Chiyo, her jaw clenching imperceptibly.
“Or,” Lizzy interjected, “you could just take my advice, Chiyo.” Her voice sounded harder, more insistent.
Chiyo didn't notice anything and just smiled at Lizzy, but Cassia didn't miss the dark look Lizzy was giving her.
Chiyo reached for a lantern, narrowly missing her target. Cassia, behind her, slid her hands onto her hips to help her balance. “Breathe gently…” she whispered, her voice almost tender.
Chiyo felt a familiar heat rise to her cheeks. Cassia was too close. Her scent, her breath against the back of her neck… it was disconcerting. Her heart was beating faster, but she tried to focus on the game.
Lizzy, on the other hand, looked like she was about to explode. She hissed through her teeth. “Maybe you’re too distracted, Chiyo…”
Chiyo blinked, as if woken from a dream. “Huh? Oh, no, I’ll make it!”
With a determined gesture, she reached out her hands and finally caught the lantern, which glowed with a golden light.
Cassia laughed softly and squeezed her arm briefly. “See? I was right.”
Chiyo turned her head towards her, realizing how close their faces were. Her breath caught for a moment. Cassia smiled at her, and Chiyo felt her stomach clench in a way she didn't quite understand.
Lizzy clapped her hands sharply. "Great! Are you done?"
Chiyo jumped, sitting up suddenly. Cassia just smirked, keeping a hand on Chiyo's back a little longer than necessary.
Lizzy quickly looked away, barely hiding her irritation. “Congratulations. I hope you had fun.”
Chiyo nodded, troubled by something she couldn't yet put into words.
“Hey, Lizzy…” Chiyo turned to her best friend with a smirk.
Lizzy, leaning against the booth, lifted her head, her chin resting in her hand. “Hm?”
“Will you come see me backstage before I go on stage?”
A softer glint crossed Lizzy's gaze. "Of course, you don't even have to ask."
Chiyo gave her a mischievous smile before pinching her nose. “You better be, or I swear I’ll find a way to drag you down there with me!”
Lizzy burst out laughing, shaking her head gently. “You’re hell.”
Night slowly fell over the festival, bathing the grounds in a dim light. The final acts were coming to the main stage, and the air was thick with excitement and anticipation. The final act was about to end when Cassia approached Chiyo, her gaze sparkling with admiration.
“You did an amazing job tonight,” she whispered softly, her fingers brushing Chiyo’s hand. “Thanks to you, the festival was perfect.”
Chiyo felt a warm feeling settle inside her. "Oh, no, everyone contributed…"
“Maybe,” Cassia breathed, a tender smile on her lips. “But tonight is special.”
Chiyo blinked, slightly troubled. There was something in the way Cassia spoke, a different gentleness. Her heart beat faster without her understanding why.
"Special how?" she whispered.
Cassia gently took her hand, her eyes shining with innocent sincerity. " Because I'm with you."
Chiyo's heart skipped a beat. She felt her cheeks heat up. Cassia was always gentle, but tonight… there was a strange intensity, something that made her uncomfortable without her understanding why.
“You know, your mother is a true legend…” Cassia murmured, running her fingers over Chiyo’s arm. “Akko Kagari… She changed the history of magic.”
Chiyo felt a lump form in her stomach. She knew Cassia admired her mother, but there was something in her voice, an almost obsessive fervour that made her uncomfortable.
“Yes… She did a lot of amazing things…” Chiyo answered, trying to hide her discomfort.
Cassia stepped closer, her gaze captivated by Chiyo's. " And you... You look so much like her."
“You didn’t want us to talk about Lizzy on our date, we don’t have to talk about my mom-”
“You are destined for great things, Chiyo. I know it.”
Chiyo's heart raced. Cassia was close now, too close. Her breath brushed her skin and the air seemed to fill with a strange tension. Chiyo knew she had to say something, she had to react, but another thought invaded her: Cassia was waiting for something.
"I'm sure you too are destined to make history... " she whispered before bowing gently towards her.
Chiyo felt compelled to respond to this expectation. It was normal, right? Cassia was gentle, kind, she meant well. So why was this strange weight weighing on her chest?
She closed her eyes slightly, forcing herself to move her face towards Cassia's. If she kissed her, this tension would surely disappear…
It was at that precise moment that Lizzy appeared.
"Chiyo!"
“I’m sorry, did I ruin something?” Lizzy asked as she leaned against the wall, mirroring Cassia’s words from the day before.
"Yes-"
“NO!” Chiyo screamed. She quickly walked over to Lizzy and took her hand. “Sorry Cassia, I have to talk to Lizzy before the finale, “We’ll… pick this up later, okay?”
She pulled Lizzy towards the stage to get ready and sighed. Lizzy frowned.
“Okay, can you explain it to me?”
"I-!"
“You want the date but you don’t want to kiss her.”
“That’s not it-”
“Did she force you?”
"No!"
“Do you want me to hit her?”
“Lizzy!”
“Chiyo, are you okay?!”
Chiyo stopped immediately. She felt her body tense before a sob escaped. Lizzy relaxed and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
“Come here, big baby.”
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Shh… You just always put too much pressure on yourself for absolutely everything,” Lizzy murmured, her nose hiding in the brown ripples. She let her hands reassure Chiyo, gently removing her glasses so that the smaller one would melt even more against her.
“Cassia doesn’t like you…” Chiyo whispered.
"I know."
“And you don’t like her either…”
“Me?” Lizzy pulled back slightly, dramatically. “What are you talking about, I love Cassia!”
Chiyo couldn't help but let out a small laugh as she held onto Lizzy a little tighter.
“And now for the grand finale, Chiyo Kagari!!!” The voice announced. Chiyo sighed and rubbed her eyes.
“It’s your turn, champion,” Lizzy cupped her face. “I’ll be in the front row, watching you, and I’ll be the first to applaud. Always.”
Chiyo felt her breath catch. Lizzy pressed their foreheads together and Chiyo closed her eyes as their noses rubbed together.
“I’m lucky to have you…” Chiyo laughed as she shifted. Lizzy smiled and placed a light kiss on Chiyo’s forehead.
“Go, I believe in your magic,” Lizzy whispered to her. Chiyo nodded and stood on her tiptoes before placing her lips on Lizzy’s cheek before running onto the stage.
She didn't notice that she kissed her on the corner of her lips.
She didn't notice the colour Lizzy turned.
She didn't notice how Cassia looked at them.
Chiyo couldn't see anything, and that was her main flaw...
“Her mother disappeared for 15 years only to return with a daughter whose intelligence rivals her power, she is the rising star of Luna Nova and everyone knows her name!” The announcer—a member of the green team that Chiyo knew had taken over Luna Nova Network—announced on her broom. “Chiyo Kagari!!!”
Applause broke out as she stepped onto the stage. She saw Lizzy running to her place, a blush rising to her ears. Chiyo thought nothing of it.
She slowly approached the stage and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, her fingers gliding over the wooden surface of her wand, her only anchor. She waited for the hubbub to die down before taking the microphone.
Then she was transformed.
“Are you ready to journey into the land of magic?” She shouted as she waved her wand, letting fireworks go up. The lights lit up the October night with shades of red and gold, blues and greens, purples and pinks. “My name is Chiyo Anna Kagari, my mother is Atsuko Kagari and she unleashed magic 22 years ago! Today, I would like to tell you a story!!”
She pointed her wand towards the sky as she usually did. She looked at the audience and noticed, floating behind the stands, the Lady of the Mist who nodded as if to approve of her plan.
“Let truth flow, let falsehood be woven…” Chiyo murmured as a cold wind began to rise, “ Eyes see, but do not know, ears hear, but do not believe…” People began to murmur among themselves but Chiyo remained focused. “ An alternate world, forged from shadows, ruth dissolves beneath the lie, reality is shattered…” Her wand began to glow greatly. “ Illuvia tressa mendicum altera!!!! ”
As Chiyo spoke the last words, her wand pulsed with a steady glow, heat radiating from its tip. The gentle breeze picked up, rustling through her hair as the magic took hold. The air shimmered, like heat rising from the ground, and then, slowly, a figure began to form before her.
At first it was blurry, like a mirage, but with each passing second it became clearer. The features sharpened, the colours intensified, and soon the illusion had completely formed. She looked real, completely solid, like any other person. Her expression was calm, her eyes fixed on Chiyo, waiting.
She took a steady breath, gripping her wand as the connection between them was established. The puppet followed her every movement, responding with silent precision. It didn't feel strange or unnatural, just an extension of her will, a reflection of her control.
The people around her murmured in surprise, some moving closer to get a better look. But Chiyo remained focused. This was only the first step.
“This is an illusion.” Chiyo raised her arm, and the puppet followed her. “A mere reflection of what once was—the near-perfect image of my mother at my age!”
With a slight flick of her wrist, Akko's puppet's expression changed, lighting up with a huge smile. That familiar smile, the one Chiyo cherished so much.
"My mother is either known as a ticking time bomb or a heroine. But let me tell you the story of Akko Kagari and…"
With another gesture, a new illusion appeared.
The same one that had made Snake panic.
The same one that drew a loud gasp from the audience.
The same one that made Lizzy tense and Cassia smile.
"... Diana Cavendish."
She bowed gracefully, and Diana's illusion mimicked her perfectly. Off to the side, Akko watched the scene in silence.
“Many here know her name.” With a fluid motion, Chiyo twirled her wand, and the scenery instantly changed. The walls shifted, the floor seemed to undulate, and in an instant, they were standing in a hallway of Luna Nova.
Chiyo set off, leafing through an imaginary book. Behind her, Diana strode confidently, her back straight, her gaze serious, her hands tightly gripping a grimoire.
“Heiress of the Cavendish family, star of Luna Nova… Everything that, in the end, my mother was not!”
Akko's illusion suddenly appeared and started running. In an instant, the two illusions collided violently.
Chiyo stopped and smiled.
“It all started like most stories… with a rivalry.”
The scene changed to the cafeteria and Chiyo felt like she was back in her early days. But the hazy illusion was more than real this time.
Blue eyes met red ones. Diana tensed, Akko challenged her.
“If you had told these two girls that their lives would become intertwined, they would not have believed you. And yet…”
Flashes of illusions of all the situations Chiyo had seen passed across the scene.
Akko, stubborn, glaring defiantly as she fought to prove her worth, while Diana, cold and distant, remained relentless, always on top, always winning.
Another failure for Akko, her fists clenched in frustration, but a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Diana, unmoved, simply raising an eyebrow, as if nothing mattered in the slightest.
A magical duel, the sparks lighting up Akko's face, the raw energy of her determination contrasting with Diana's calm control. One burned from the inside, the other calculated every move with cold precision.
Then another flash, where the tension was palpable. Akko, arms crossed, devouring the silence with her insistent eyes, while Diana looked away, always the first to withdraw, but a breath, a furtive gesture betraying a hint of annoyance beneath her apparent indifference.
Chiyo paused for a moment, watching the two illusions clash over and over again. “Neither of them will give in. Not yet. But, maybe one day… things would change.”
Chiyo lowered her wand in one go, and Lotte and Sucy appeared, surrounding Akko on the stage as Diana stood to the side.
“23 years ago, my mother managed to do the impossible; melt Diana Cavendish's heart, revealing in her a friend.”
Chiyo told this story as if she were painting a fresco before her audience's eyes, each word, each movement of her wand depositing a new layer of colour on the painting she was constructing. She did not simply relate facts, she lived them, infusing them with vibrant energy, with obvious pride.
This was not a legend polished and embellished by time. Not the story of an unwavering noblewoman and a carefree hothead. No, Chiyo was revealing what lay behind the frozen images, behind the stories too often repeated without being understood.
Diana Cavendish, the icy aristocrat with an air of unattainable perfection? It was only a facade. Behind that mastery, behind that imperturbable calm, there had been doubts, fears carefully concealed under measured gestures. There had been immense pressure, a legacy to bear, expectations impossible to meet. Chiyo did not depict her as a model frozen in ice, but as a young girl who, despite all her talent, had found herself afraid of failure.
And Akko? Akko had never been just a clumsy, daydreaming child who charged headlong without thinking. Chiyo spoke of her with sincere admiration, with the certainty that few people saw the true strength behind impulsiveness. Akko had been chosen to unlock the seven words of Arcturus, not by chance, not by mistake, but because she alone was capable of it. She may not have possessed Diana's precision, nor her aristocratic education, but her talent lay elsewhere, in that way she had of pushing back the impossible, of transforming each fall into a step closer to her goal.
Chiyo let the illusions dance around her, her gestures precise, her voice carrying a mixture of emotion and pride. She wasn't simply telling a story; she was correcting a misperception, re-establishing a truth that too few took the time to see. And the more she went on, the more she felt the audience's attention freeze, captivated, hanging on her words.
Because she wasn't offering them a legend. She was offering them reality.
The scene changed one last time. And Chiyo stood behind the two illusions that were brandishing a huge bow in space. Chiyo smiled and moved to the centre of the stage. Around her, the illusions brandishing their bows, a perfect, unreal picture. The party seemed far away. The sounds of laughter, singing, footsteps... everything was slowly fading away. An icy wind was blowing, shaking the flames of the torches. The shadows were distorting. The mist was slowly rising. Everything was becoming blurry.
Then, a scream. A shrill scream, piercing the air, moaning in terror. The crowd froze. An icy chill ran through the air. Panicked murmurs. Confused noises. Why this sudden fear?
A rumble. Distant, dull, but powerful. It wasn’t thunder. It was heavier, more menacing. The ground vibrated. The air grew thicker, more oppressive. The torchlight flickered. The shadows stretched. Was it the fog growing? Or something else?
A stench. The smell. It was there, brutal. A smell of decomposition, of a corpse too old. The wind carried her, stuck to her skin, soiled her. The breath of air had become a pain. And the smell... it took her by the throat.
Chiyo clenched her wand. She swept through the crowd, panicking.
Footsteps. Heavy. Near her. A dull thud. Footsteps hitting the ground. Hammer blows. Feet sank into the earth. The ground shook under their weight. The air grew heavy.
A scream. Closer. Another. The crowd stirred. Faces were frozen in horror. Where were they? What was happening?
A crack. Bones breaking in the shadows. A moving mass. A shape. Something was coming closer, slipping through the mist. The smell... it was there, everywhere. Stronger. It was taking over the scene. Fear was rising.
The flames went out.
Darkness fell.
Everything was black.
The wind died down.
Silence. A heavy, oppressive silence.
The world held its breath. Chiyo, motionless. Ready for anything. Ready to react.
Then… a flash.
A dim light.
Trembling.
The torches lit again, but timidly, hesitantly.
And that's where they appeared.
Large shapes. Massive silhouettes. Creatures. Their skin was black, shiny as night. Their claws scraped the ground. Growls. Sharp teeth. They were there. Huge. Grotesque. Their eyes glowed with an evil light. They were approaching.
Chiyo struggled to breathe, but the air was too thick. The mist was all around. They jumped. Quickly. Terror broke out. A scream pierced the night. Another. Then again.
The demons attacked.
The ground broke beneath their feet.
Agonized screams tore through the air.
The demons threw themselves into the stands with terrifying speed. The students screamed, trying to flee, their bodies jostling in utter panic. The walls of the stage shook under the weight of the creatures, and the mist grew even denser, engulfing everything in its path.
At that moment, authoritative voices echoed through the chaos.
"Don't attack them! Don't make the mistake of confronting them!"
The teachers, their faces contorted with terror, rushed toward the students. "Into the school! Quick! Run!"
But everyone was frozen. Some of their legs were shaking with fear. Others were already fleeing, desperately searching for a way out, but the fog was slowing them down. Every scream of terror, every sound of hurried footsteps, echoed like a macabre echo in the heavy night air.
“Run!” one of the teachers shouted again, her voice trembling with urgency, but no order seemed able to deal with the panic in the air.
The demons had filtered in, one by one, their claws piercing the ground, their glowing eyes staring at the bewildered crowd. They advanced slowly, impassively. The terror in the students' eyes fuelled nothing but their hunger.
And then, a deeper, colder murmur rose above the screams.
"The Black Scourges...." A whispered word, almost inaudible in the frenzy. A name, a nightmare. Those who were there for one thing only: to judge. To hunt down, to exterminate. And all around Chiyo, the students understood.
They were there. The Black Scourges . The trackers. The executioners.
A scream pierced the air, more desperate than any other. A student fell to the ground, a massive creature lunging at her. Its claws dug into flesh, tearing in an explosion of blood. The student screamed, pushed, choked before a spell hit the demon. The student had time to flee…
…One arm missing.
The scene turned into pure chaos. The teachers fought against their own terror.
"Into the school, now!" another shouted, brandishing her wand to defend the students, but she knew the chances were slim. She knew what that meant.
They were there. And no spell was powerful enough to stop them. Because using magic was like signing your death warrant. Because if The Black Scourges managed to taste your magic…
You were a dead witch.
Chiyo was frozen, her breath heavy and erratic, as if the very air refused to enter her lungs. She could no longer move, paralysed by the terror that devoured her soul, the mist growing thicker and thicker around her, heavy, suffocating. The ground shook beneath her feet, and the mist vibrated, invading the space with a morbid slowness. She heard the sounds of panic in the distance, but her world was reduced to this mist and to this scream that had shaken her. The dull rumble intensified, like a threatening clap of thunder, but it was not the storm that was approaching. It was much worse.
The creatures were there, in the shadows, immense and grotesque. Their mere presence twisted the air around them, filling the scene with an unbearable heaviness. Then, suddenly, the wind grew louder, howling like a hungry predator. The ground shook again, and a scream of terror, a feral scream, escaped the spectators. They understood. They knew.
A massive figure rushing toward her, a black, distorted mass, its sharp claws ready to tear apart everything in its path. It froze, its body refusing to move. The creatures leapt, moving with astonishing speed. A scream cut through the air, tearing the silence, a scream of terror, but it was not Chiyo's. It was someone else's, a victim who had not had time to flee.
Her eyes widened as the shape charged toward her, ready to grab her. An inarticulate scream escaped her lips. And just when she thought it was all over… a figure stepped in. A scream.
"CHIYO!"
A desperate, broken cry, the wind carrying the words away. Lizzy. It was Lizzy. Lizzy yanked her forward, shaking her desperately as the mist closed in, hungry to consume them both.
"Chiyo! Chiyo, we have to go!"
She didn't have time to answer, paralyzed by the fear clutching at her heart. Lizzy's hand was firm, her gaze terrified but resolute. The torches flickered, their trembling light stretching grotesque shadows into impossible shapes, spectres looming in the darkness, ready to devour them.
Then, a scream pierced the noise of panic, a scream that made the air vibrate. A powerful, icy, deep scream.
“Atsuko Kagari and Diana Cavendish! ”
“How is that possible?! She’s dead! ”
The words burst like a clap of thunder in the mist.
The illusions…
Chiyo turned her head towards the illusion of her mother and Diana who followed Chiyo’s every move, their expressions mirroring the witch’s terror. But most importantly…
The Black Scourges had been wrong. They thought they were seeing the real ones .
The massive demon, whose black skin glowed like the night, scrutinized the illusions with frightening intensity. His eyes, an unhealthy red, fixed on the forms of Akko and Diana. Chiyo felt her heart stop for a moment. They had seen them . They had not understood that they were illusions. They did not know… they thought it was them.
"Priority to Kagari and Cavendish! "
The earth seemed to tear itself apart. The demon's scream echoed in the heavy, terror-saturated air. A cold shiver ran through Chiyo, a shiver that not even the mist could quench. The creatures didn't know... but they would act, they would attack.
Chiyo felt the ground shake harder and harder. The demon screamed, ordering his troops to focus on the illusions. And in that moment, everything rushed.
The soldiers began to move. Their claws scraped the ground, a metallic sound that mingled with the screams of the spectators who were fleeing. Bodies collapsed, bodies crushed under the weight of chaos, legs hurrying in all directions, like frightened ants. But they couldn't flee. The mist was there, preventing them from escaping, like a prison.
A scream pierced the mist again. A scream that Chiyo recognized as a girl in her class. A scream of pure terror. Panic filled her mind, the world warping around her, the fog thickening, suffocating her. The pain in her chest grew. The creatures were approaching, merciless, their massive bodies racing across the field. Lizzy was running, pulling her, begging her to run faster, begging her to run to survive.
The chaos around her was growing more intense by the second, the panic of the students, the noise of the demons, the nauseating stench that was becoming more and more oppressive. Chiyo felt her legs shaking, but she forced herself forward, Lizzy's hand in hers, clenched so tightly it hurt. The fog, thick and slippery, slowly enveloped them, drowning them in an uncertain blur. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She clapped her hands over her ears, but terror's deafening roar drowned out everything else. She focused only on Lizzy, on that hand that was pulling her relentlessly, on the movement of their hurried steps.
A scream tore through the air. A scream of terror, this time closer. Chiyo stopped abruptly, her mind drowning in violent confusion. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed behind them, powerful, threatening to crush everything in their path.
The monsters, titanic and grotesque, slowly detached themselves from the terrified students around them, slithering, waving their massive claws in the air as if these illusions were their only obsession. They no longer seemed interested in the students fleeing in panic. Chiyo's eyes widened, understanding striking like a clap of thunder.
The truth lay in her mind with such violence that she was almost blinded. The titanic beasts, their claws like razors, had mistaken the illusions for reality. These creatures, these merciless judges, believed that it was Akko and Diana who stood there, inaccessible, behind her. The illusions of Akko and Diana. And in that instant, Chiyo realized—everything had changed.
The illusions will change the course of the situation.
“Don’t let them escape! ” one of the demons screamed, a hoarse cry distorted by rage, before spinning around, pushing his army towards the illusions. Their claws slammed into the ground, the air vibrating with their violence.
Lizzy was still tugging at Chiyo's hand, her face etched with a terror she had never seen before. She was shaking under the weight of what was happening, but she didn't let go of Chiyo.
"Come on, come on! We have to go now!" she cried, her voice breaking.
But Chiyo was frozen. Her thoughts were swirling. She could hear them, the voices, the orders, the chaos, but one truth pierced through the haze of confusion and then suddenly, a twisted idea burst into her mind, devouring all rationality. If she was the decoy, she could lure them away from Lizzy. She could give them what they wanted.
"Chiyo, no !" Lizzy yelled, seeing the look in her eyes, but Chiyo didn't listen to her.
Her legs were carrying her, as if a strange force had invaded her, pushing her to run in the opposite direction, away from Lizzy, away from everything. She didn't have a plan. She didn't need one. She was rushing towards the mist, towards the demons. She wanted to attract them, to push them away. Away from them, away from everyone.
A scream ripped through the night—but this time, it wasn’t from the students. The demons were screaming. They had seen her. Chiyo was their decoy. And the mist was closing in, ready to swallow everything in its path.
Notes:
"What if we turned that happy festival into a nightmare?" - the author
Anyway I hope you enjoyed that very... happy chapter? Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!
I'm thinking about posting another fanfic at the same time, would you be interested?
Chapter 10: The Show Must Go On
Chapter by shiny_baguette
Summary:
Chiyo is an idiot. A reckless idiot.
But damn it she was her mothers' one, and being her mothers' one means she acts like her mothers...
Notes:
What can I say...
I have nothing to say.
Have fun!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Saying Chiyo was the best student Luna Nova had ever seen would be an exaggeration—especially when that title belonged to a certain blonde . Still, Chiyo was clearly one of the elements whose potential could at least match her level.
But Chiyo was also a total idiot . Not in a "let's drop our teacher in a sink" or "let's get into the Polaris Fountain despite a bear guarding the place" kind of way.
No.
More like "Let's be bait for the creatures that killed my mother's best friend , attacked my home when I was a child, and are the source of one of the greatest magical genocides in history."
Yeah.
Not super smart…
“Follow me!” Chiyo shouted, her voice barely audible over the surrounding chaos. Her heart was pounding, hammering in her chest like a war drum. Her legs carried her away from the stage, each step a struggle against the damp earth that threatened to make her slip. Behind her, the hoarse, guttural cries of the demons echoed a hellish cacophony that made her spine shiver.
Flashes of orange light cut through the thick mist—torches knocked over, defensive spells fired at random. The air reeked of sulfur and scorched earth, a nauseating stench that stuck to the back of her throat.
She heard her name, shouted in the distance. Lizzy. Part of her wanted to turn around, and answer her, but she didn't have time. Not now.
She pushed forward, adrenaline surging through her veins. But the creatures behind her weren’t slowing down either.
“Catch them!”
“Take the little one!”
“No, Kagari and Cavendish first!”
Her plan was working. The demons were chasing her. She gritted her teeth. Her lungs burned. She veered sharply right. Her boots skidded on the wet grass—she nearly lost her balance.
A hulking shadow loomed in the mist, its shape twisting unnaturally in the gloom. Chiyo had only a moment to react. She threw herself to the ground, rolling hard onto her shoulder as a claw slashed past, barely missing her. The demon, unable to stop, slammed into a tree with a sickening crunch, shaking the trunk. Far from being stunned, it rose with a roar, its eyes searching for the slightest sound, the slightest vibration.
They weren't going to capture her gently.
Think, Chiyo, think…
What did she know about them?
Dangerous.
Almost invincible.
They had traumatized entire generations of witches.
And that was about it.
The mist thickened, pressing in like a living thing. Each breath felt heavier, her vision swimming with sweat dripping into her eyes. She reached behind her, casting a spell blindly. A burst of blue flames ignited the ground, forming a fleeting barrier between her and the creatures.
Hoarse screams rose as some couldn't stop in time, rushing into the flames before recoiling with a roar of pain. But she didn't have the chance to savour this brief respite.
A shrill whistle cut through the air. An icy wind rushed through the mist.
Chiyo felt something brush against her side. A flash of pain shot through her. She looked down: her cloak had just been torn at the ribs, a clean gash. If she had been a tenth of a second slower…
Keep going. Move.
She forced her legs forward, her aching muscles crying out for mercy. She had only one goal: to lead them out of the barrier.
Then… She realized.
The barrier. It had been opened.
Someone had let these monsters in.
A low rumble echoed through the night. A shiver ran down her spine.
A second rumble. Louder. More threatening.
She glanced over her shoulder. A massive shadow was moving among the creatures. Faster. More ferocious.
A larger demon slashed through the mist, its twisted horns seeming to catch the reflections of the dying flames. Its fangs dripped a dark, viscous liquid. Its blade-long claws gleamed with an unhealthy glow.
Chiyo felt her stomach clench.
Shit.
She raised her wand, ready to strike back, but an invisible force knocked the wind out of her.
Her foot struck a root. She toppled backwards and crashed to the ground, pain erupting along her back. Her wand rolled out of reach, disappearing into the shadows.
The giant demon stepped closer, nostrils flaring as it inhaled the magic.
Akko and Diana's illusions were frozen a few meters away, trapped in a spell she couldn't break.
Chiyo felt her heart slow down.
It was over.
“What do we have here…” The demon sniffed her hair. “I smell a scent I know, I smell a magic I know…”
Chiyo opened and closed her mouth as she tried to back away. The demon laughed and grabbed her by the ankle, lifting her upside down off the ground.
“No, stay. Let me savour your scent a little longer before I devour you… Your magic is potent.”
“Captain Mordain! Perhaps she would be useful to our Majesty Zal'theriss and our royal Vhorkalith?” A demon wearing greyish armour arrived at his side.
Mordain looked at Chiyo with red eyes that reminded her of the pure heart of Hell if Hell ever existed.
“I'm sure our Highnesses wouldn't even notice if this child were to be eaten,” he smiled—well, what might have been a smile if blood weren't dripping from his lips. His lower fangs were so large they reached up to his snout, and Chiyo knew perfectly well that Mordain would have no problem sinking his teeth into her flesh. She grunted, trying to wriggle free. If only she could reach her wand…
“You’re rather young,” he sniffed his leg, “and still a virgin-”
“OH MY GOD, THAT’S DISGUSTING—" Chiyo shouted, only to scream in pain as his grip on her ankle tightened.
“SILENCE!” Mordain shouted. “We’re taking her back to HQ. Burn the school down.”
Chiyo's eyes widened. No.
No no no.
She couldn't let them do it!!!
Sure, her plan had been rubbish in the end, but... But still!
“What about Atsuko and Diana?” the armoured demon asked. Mortain hesitated and looked at the two illusions. “They should be attacking us, and yet… They’re frozen…”
Mordain frowned and approached the illusions, dragging Chiyo backwards. She tried to cling to the grass, only to see her fingers stained with blood and dirt.
But they were getting closer to her wand.
Go ahead, big guy, fall into the trap, he is so stupid, Chiyo smiled, holding out her arm.
A little more…
“Yes!” Chiyo murmured, grabbing her wand. With a quick flick of her wrist, she cast a light-blasting spell that surprised Mordain enough to let go. He groaned in pain, clutching his wrist before sniffing.
But Chiyo was already running again. The illusions had resumed their path with her.
“Gravemaw!” Mordain shouted. “Bring me Kagari and Cavendish, I’ll take care of the kid.”
The demons—Gravemaw, if Chiyo had understood correctly—screamed before getting back on all fours and lunging at Diana and Akko. Chiyo ordered them to split up, one going to the spot closest to the barrier and the other to the forest. But priority there?
It was to close the barrier.
The fog was too thick to see where she was going. She managed to avoid the Gravemaws that jumped at her, but fatigue was starting to make her falter.
“Get back here!” Mordain roared behind her. “You have no chance of escaping!!”
Chiyo grumbled as she tried to quicken her pace. But it was impossible. Her legs burned, her muscles aching painfully with every movement. The mist closed in on her like walls, almost blinding her completely.
She was going to fall.
Again.
Her breathing was ragged, her throat scratched like broken glass. Fear seeped into every corner of her body, twisting her stomach.
Don't shout.
Don't vomit.
Don't fall.
She knew they were there, just behind. She could hear their heavy footsteps pounding the ground like a funeral march, their hoarse growls making her heart pound, nightmarish shadows cutting through the mist around her.
Then…
“CHIYO!”
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked up at the voice.
A voice she knew well… Even too well.
“Haha?!”
A golden streak tore through the mist, lighting up the night like a falling star. Hōō…
He cut through the darkness with a familiar grace, his resplendent feathers contrasting with the menacing darkness. In his beak, a wand glittered faintly. A wand Chiyo had never seen.
“Hōō–?”
Before she could say anything, the voice rose from the phoenix's beak. A trembling, breathless voice, pressed with urgency.
“Chiyo, you have to fly!”
She felt the shock go through her so hard that she almost stopped. Akko's voice sounded like a cold order, but Chiyo could hear the worry and despair despite it all.
“What, but–”
“You have to be high in the sky until I arrive!”
Chiyo's eyes widened. Her mother was on her way. But it was a three-hour flight with the ley lines and…
Will she even arrive on time?
"How so-”
“Stop asking questions!” Akko cut her off sharply. “These guys are total idiots, but incredibly handy. You need to fly away and stay away from any buildings!”
Hōō opened his beak and the wand fell into Chiyo's hands. She caught it with a trembling reflex.
“No! I can still distract them, the barrier–”
Her voice cracked as she ran, chasing Hōō through the dark. The phoenix flared, golden light piercing the mist.
“CHIYO, YOU’RE NOT BAIT!”
The burst of rage in Akko's voice made her flinch.
“YOU DON'T HAVE TO SACRIFICE YOURSELF, YOU DON'T HAVE TO THINK IT'S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR A CAUSE THAT'S BEEN LOST FOR 15 YEARS! FOR ONCE, STOP BEING LIKE YOUR MOTHER AND LISTEN TO ME AND FLY!!”
In another context, Chiyo would have hit the nail on the head. But with the panic, all she could do was choke back a sob and stumbled slightly.
She could hear, she could feel her mother's despair.
Akko was scared.
Akko, the great Atsuko Kagari who had been nothing but courage and joy, who never showed anything other than her unwavering confidence, her indomitable will—was afraid.
She was afraid for herself.
And that simple thought took Chiyo's breath away.
“You can't close the barrier! You have to leave it open, I have to get back in!” Akko shouted. “But you, YOU MUST FLY! Go to Luna Nova Tower. There are broomsticks there, but quickly!”
Chiyo opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her stomach churned. She wanted to say something. Protest. Stay. Scream.
But Akko's voice–...
It sounded like something much deeper than fear…
And Chiyo refused to let her mother fight alone.
She couldn't stand it.
Akko had fought against them her whole life. Akko had lost so much, and Chiyo refused to even think of Akko giving up her dreams for her again.
She gripped the wand in her hand until her knuckles turned white. Hōō shot out, a golden flash cutting through the night. Chiyo, filled with newfound strength, ran. She didn't know if it was instinct, adrenaline, or fear, but she felt her body respond before her mind could even register.
Behind her, the demons' cries grew louder. They were approaching.
But she didn't look back.
Luna Nova Tower loomed ahead, time stretching and snapping back in an instant. She raced up the stairs, her legs screaming with the effort, her feet stumbling against the stone.
The roars were there, just below.
She was out of time.
Chiyo reached the top and threw herself onto the first broom she saw.
She didn't hesitate.
She ran onto the tower deck and jumped.
Air rushed into her lungs as she remembered Snake's training. She leaned closer, letting the magic flow through her body as she screamed.
And she stung.
Further down.
Always lower.
She straightened at the last moment like Snake had and watched the wand in her hands bubble as if reacting to her. The handle was wooden with a steel tip, like most wands. Like Akko's, the rest of the wand was made of intertwined redwood and steel, but the difference was that two snakes (one green and one blue) zigzagged around it, their heads almost touching in the familiar shape of an Omega. The same engravings as on Akko's, and Chiyo knew whose wand it belonged to…
“No way…” Chiyo muttered before screaming and righting her broom to avoid a demon. She skimmed the horizons, searching for a plan to get out of there. Then her gaze settled on a shape.
A simple animal.
About the size of a rodent.
With a striped tail.
Carefully descend from Chariot's office with something in its mouth.
Nope…
No, no, no…
“HŌŌ, CATCH THAT RACCOON!!!” Chiyo yelled. The phoenix screamed before flying away. Chiyo followed closely behind, her jaw clenched.
It was impossible.
Not her.
Not her …
“SO THAT'S WHY YOU COULDN'T BE THERE?!” Chiyo yelled as the animal panicked and quickly climbed the wall to get down. “Hōō!” Chiyo ordered the familiar, and he dove toward the creature, talons outstretched. The rodent landed in the grass, and Hōō flew down low to the ground, going so fast that the mist parted as he passed. Chiyo was about to follow when she saw a commotion in the distance. Her illusions had ended.
The demons were running towards the school again and Chiyo couldn't afford it.
“You fools were tricked!” Mordain shouted. “How could you have thought she was still alive! She would have aged , not kept that baby face—”
“Captain, we couldn’t be sure and then…”
“SILENCE. The barrier is open, that's the most important thing. All that's left is to warn Vaelthor to launch the air attack.”
Chiyo saw him take a beacon from his pocket and tried to adjust it while grumbling. Chiyo bit her lip and quickly flew towards Hōō.
“Hōō! Hōō, come back! I need to talk to Haha, leave that damn raccoon alone!”
Hōō turned his head and let the rodent go. Hōō hovered over her and perched on the broom handle.
“Haha, I have to close the barrier-” Chiyo squeaked.
“I'm not there yet, you have to wait—” Akko gasped.
“He’s planning to launch an airstrike, Haha!”
The silence fell as Hōō buried his face in his feathers. He jerked his face upright and opened his beak.
“You… have to close the barrier, yes…”
“How are you going to get inside?”
It took Akko a moment to respond. Chiyo could hear the sound of air vibrating in Hōō's beak.
“Chiyo. By Beatrix, I can't believe I'm going to say this…” Chiyo could imagine her pinching the bridge of her nose, “but you're going to have to stop them from calling the Zephyrax.”
“The what?”
“The Malebria Zephyrax, the flying demons. What you're facing is the Malebria Gravemaw. They're the least dangerous…”
“THE LEAST DANGEROUS?!”
“They're as dumb as a hat. They're like… bulls. Make them see red and they'll focus only on you. You have to find a way to keep them spinning around while capturing their attention. But stay on your broomstick, please…”
“I… I’ll do that Haha…”
“I know you can. Keep your mother's wand with you, but don't forget. No spells directly on them. ”
Chiyo nodded before Hōō closed his beak. She looked at the wand and then at the Gravemaws. What could make them see red…
Then something came back to her.
Snake's frightened look.
The rage of the demons at seeing her illusions.
But of course!!!
Diana!
“Metamorphy Fociesse! ” Chiyo screamed. The wand glowed and with a magical * poof*, her hair turned a platinum colour—the same blonde she herself had among her brown hair. Her eyes didn't change a bit to blue, and her features changed to an older version, close to Akko's age. Was this accurate? Maybe not, or maybe so much so that it was terrifying. If Chiyo could see herself in a mirror, it would be like being slapped with her birth certificate and family tree.
But Chiyo didn't have time. And so it was with her undeniable obliviousness that Chiyo swooped down with her broom, in the form of Diana.
“Okay…” Chiyo tried to speak, her usual Japanese accent no longer sounding so Japanese but something more British, “what sounds British, what doesn’t sound like a 15-year-old girl…”
She accelerated close to the ground and flew over the demons. She stopped nearby, her gaze cold.
“AYE LASS–...”
Chiyo bit the inside of her cheek. She'd barely opened her mouth before she'd already broken character. Everyone stared at her. Mordain dropped his radio as if she'd just slapped him across the face.
“Diana…” Mordain gasped.
“Another illusion?” A demon stammered.
“She seems fine there though…”
“She's dead! I saw her die!” Mordain yelled, his voice almost hysterical.
“Yes, but no body, no death… We only found her signet ring after all…”
Chiyo took a deep breath. Okay.
She could make up from now.
She lifted her chin slightly, inhaled, and adopted a cold, detached voice.
“You…” She trailed off, scanning the enemy. “Did you really think I’d disappear that easily?”
The thrill that ran through the enemy ranks was palpable. Chiyo felt a surge of adrenaline.
“You dare attack the festival! You dare bring your filthy… paws back onto this sacred ground?! Like… rats in a library!”
A demon stifled a hiccup.
Chiyo felt a huge shiver of excitement run down her spine. Oh damn, her plan was working!
The demons backed away and Chiyo decided to go even harder.
“Tsk. Look at ye, all shakin’.” Chiyo ran a hand through her blond hair in a calculated gesture, not noticing her accent slipping. Gosh, she had spent too much time with that damn raccoon. “Y’ lot scared o’ me?”
Mordain blinked. He didn't understand anything any more.
“You… You're dead… It's impossible…” he gasped.
Chiyo naturally raised an eyebrow before suddenly charging at him, smashing his radio to the ground with a loud slam, and then rocketing back into the air.
“Do I look dead, lass?”
Was that really THE ONLY British expression Chiyo knew?!
She stopped herself from screaming inwardly. Mordain was livid.
“We saw you burn… We saw you burn alive…”
Chiyo tilted her head slightly before closing her face.
“Aye? Well, I’ll make ye burn fer it, ye bloody sods.”
She lowered her wand. A ring of flames erupted around the demons, trapping them in a burning wall. They froze immediately.
“Gravemaw…” Mordain trembled. “D… Don’t be afraid…”
“Captain, it’s fire!”
“There’s nothing we can do…”
“Are we going to die here?!”
They are afraid of fire... No need to distract them…
Their radio was broken, the flames on the verge of devouring them…
Well, there you go! They're screwed!
Chiyo smiled and got completely lost in her own game.
“Well?! Whit're ye waitin’ fer, huh?!”
She raised her arms like a conductor.
“Ach, are ye shittin’ yerselves already?! C’mon then, I’m right here! Gie it another go, just fer a wee bit o’ fun!”
Mordain gritted his teeth as the demons retreated further. Behind them, Chiyo finally saw the emergency services arrive. Stretcher-bearers were taking in the wounded, reinforcement witches gathering around them.
They had won.
“Och, come oan, ye fuckin’ cockroach shites!” Chiyo yelled. “D’ye think a wee bit o’ fire’s gonna stop ye, eh?!” She threw her head back, confident. “Try knockin’ me doon again, let’s see ye try! Even a bairn fresh out the cradle could do better!”
A silence.
A silence that lasted… A little too long. Well, it was not surprising. She was supposed to be as proud as Diana but ended up cursing like Snake. And then…
Mordain advanced .
Chiyo blinked.
Wait .
He…
He went forward and passed through the fire.
In. The.
Fire .
He didn't even flinch . The burning circle shattered in a breath, and Chiyo felt an immediate surge of anxiety. Her fire had gone out. All by itself.
Oh fuck.
Mordain's gaze flamed as his face twisted in rage.
“YOU. PIECE. OF. CAVENDISH. SHIT.”
Well then... Back to being a bait-...
“AIM AT HER WITH YOUR BOWS!”
Chiyo's smile stopped. Bow?
Bow and arrows?
So flying arrows?
Which fly like Chiyo on a broom.
Chiyo broom arrow bow and oh damn.
Chiyo screamed and flew again as arrows began to hit her. She dodged them with difficulty and stood back up on her broom, her fingers gripping the wood with fierce determination. Her eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for an escape, a loophole, an opening. But the arrows were already hurtling in her direction, whirring through the air like snakes. Adrenaline was rising in her, making it difficult to breathe properly.
She veered sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding an arrow that whizzed past her ears, her heart pounding. Every movement was a game of survival, her senses as sharp as those of a hunted cat, but panic was beginning to engulf her. The space around her was closing in, the wind whipping at her, the pressure of the moment making every second more precious.
“It's not over yet!” she growled, swinging her broom from side to side, trying to manipulate the trajectory of the arrows. She concentrated on her magic, trying to trick the air around her, to blur the lines. If she could fool them just a little longer, perhaps she could buy herself a few precious seconds…
But a flashing arrow ripped through the air, sped through her, and… Bang. The sudden pressure on her body, the shock of some invisible force, sent her tumbling. She fell forward, her arms frantically trying to steady herself as the ground seemed to be closing in far too fast.
Her magic faded in a flash of panic. The illusion she had carefully woven around herself vanished along with her hopes. She felt the wind chill on her face, as if gravity was finally claiming her, and her heart seemed to twist in her chest. The broom slipped beneath her, impossible to catch under the force of the fall.
Everything seemed to stop, then start again in an explosion of vertigo. Her legs instinctively tensed, but it was too late. She screamed, the sound of the earth rushing toward her too loud in her ears. She was spinning, her body giving way beneath her, the sensation of falling into an endless abyss that threatened to swallow her whole.
“No, no, no!” Chiyo fought, her arms flailing desperately to find her broom. But everything around her was a blur, her breath coming in short gasps, and her mind raging with terror. The ground was nothing but an imminent threat.
And then, one last scream, one last desperate attempt. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact…
The wind roared around her, whipping her face with the violence of a storm. Before she could even react, a hand grabbed her wrist with crushing force. She didn't have time to see who had grabbed her before she was roughly yanked upwards, out of the void, into a merciless embrace.
She tried to raise her head, but the movement was too rapid. The ground, the sky, everything merged into a hellish whirlwind. The next moment, she felt the impact of the ground like a hammer blow. The broom shattered into a splinter of wood beneath them, shaking her violently before she was thrown to the ground.
“Gotcha!”
Akko's voice was hoarse, cracked by exertion and panic. Her short breaths betrayed her fatigue, each inhalation seeming painful as she held Chiyo close.
Chiyo looked up, her eyes wide, staring at her face, ravaged by anguish and exertion. By the nines, Akko was there…
“HAHA!”
Chiyo's cry choked on a sob as she collapsed against her, clinging to her shaking body like a buoy at sea. Akko's grip was desperate, almost crushing. Chiyo could feel her skin burning, the uncontrollable shudder of fear wracking her body. Her breathing was wheezing, and erratic, and her heart was beating far too fast.
Then she looked down and saw Akko's hands. They were bleeding. Her palms were burned open, and her nails split to the flesh from holding the broom too tightly.
She had flown, she had fought, she had even defied speed and science to find her.
“I'm here, everything's fine, Chi-chan…”
Akko's voice trembled as much as her body. She held her tighter, burying Chiyo's face against her, as if she could hide her from the world, prevent her from seeing the horror that surrounded them, make her find that innocence again, far from magic and far from all of this.
Chiyo clung to her, to her warmth, to her familiar scent, but the fear refused to leave her. She could feel Akko's muscles tense beneath her skin, ready to snap under the pressure. Then a scream tore through the air, and reality hit them hard.
“Haha… The… The Gravemaws! They’re coming and… And…” Chiyo gasped.
Akko took a slow breath. Then, with a mother's tenderness, she ruffled Chiyo’s hair.
“You did a good job, Chiyo.”
She stepped back slightly, enough to take off her jacket and place it on her daughter's shoulders.
“Now it’s my turn.”
The shock chilled Chiyo to the bone.
“No… No, no, no!”
She clutched Akko's t-shirt as if she could keep her from certain death.
“You can’t! You know what that means!”
Akko didn't answer right away. Her eyes shone with an unreadable light, a mixture of determination and fear.
“Chi-chan, they already have my magical scent,” she whispered. “I have nothing to lose. Nothing… except you.”
Chiyo's breath hitched. Her fingers clenched around the jacket, knuckles white.
"No."
Akko’s gaze hardened, her expression unreadable.
“Chiyo…”
"NO!"
Anger burst forth suddenly, fear taking control of Chiyo.
“I can't lose you!”
She grabbed the wand Akko had brought her and stood up, her eyes burning with a fury she could no longer contain. Hōō, perched on Akko's shoulder, let out a low cry. His eyes, usually full of malice, were now icy.
“You’re impossible,” Akko muttered, voice tight with frustration.
“And you?!” Chiyo replied, her voice trembling with emotion.
“This isn't the time, Chi-chan.”
“I did what I had to do!”
Akko turned her head towards her, and this time, her voice cracked.
“AT THE RISK OF YOUR LIFE?!”
Chiyo jumped. It was the first time she had heard her scream like that.
“Do you know what I would have done if you had died?! How would I have felt?! You're my whole life, Chiyo, you're all I have left!”
The pure fear in her words pierced Chiyo through and through, but she didn't give in.
“I had to!” she replied, tears welling in her eyes. “They’ve already killed eight students and one teacher! As an Ace Student, it’s my duty to…”
Akko froze. Her ragged breaths suddenly calmed, as if something inside her had snapped. Her gaze drifted off into space, far away from here, far away from Chiyo. As if into a memory…
A memory she didn't want to relive.
“Chiyo.” Akko began. “I want you to step back.”
“Haha, no–”
“I promise not to die. But I have some things to take care of.”
Chiyo opened her mouth but nodded. Akko took a step forward as Mordain and his soldiers ran towards her.
“Go close the barrier, Chiyo,” Akko ordered.
“Haha, wait–”
“GO CLOSE THE BARRIER!”
Chiyo ran and noticed her broomstick further away. She caught the eye of a demon who started running in the same direction. She hurried a little more, only for the demon to jump on her. She screamed, fighting as the demon tried to rip her arm off. Hōō arrived, and Chiyo swore he was getting bigger…
Bluer…
More…
The demon turned his head abruptly, but it was already too late.
A howl rented the air as burning talons closed around him. Hōō, now immense, rose above the ground, his wings spread like a fiery storm. His body, composed entirely of white and blue flames, crackled with unearthly intensity, illuminating the night with a spectral glow. Each beat of his wings stirred up a scorching wind, distorting the air around him into waves of incandescent heat.
His eyes, pure white, shone like those of an ancient spirit, unfathomable and implacable. He was no longer a mere familiar, nor even an ordinary phoenix. He was a living embodiment of primordial fire, an avatar of destruction and renewal.
And he was angry.
He landed on the ground and smashed the demon against the earth before sinking his beak into the soldier's armour. He turned his head towards Chiyo and lowered himself.
“ Climb .”
Chiyo stopped. What?
“ Chiyo, we don’t have time, ” Hōō chattered.
Chiyo swallowed and walked over to the bird before climbing onto its back.
“Why aren’t you burning?”
“ You are family. I could decide not to burn you, or I could decide to burn you to death. ”
“You wouldn't do that, would you?” She leaned down and clung to the back of his neck. Hōō shook his head, his fire feathers moving with the movement.
“Of course not, now hang on.”
He flapped his wings and turned toward the demons who were ready to pounce. He straightened, his chest swelling before a blast of fire blasted toward the demons. The Gravemaws stopped in their tracks and yelped as Hōō formed a huge ring of fire around them, rising over four meters high.
“ They'll be too afraid to cross. And even if they tried, they'd come out too injured to even fight .”
“Can't you, I don't know, burn them? Directly? Aim at them?”
“ No, Little One, no. It won't work. I can hurt them, but that's within the rules of the phoenix. We're not killers. We're here to revive, no—not the other way around. ”
Chiyo nodded as Mordain turned, noticing he was alone facing Akko. And Akko?
Akko was furious.
Hōō flew up, heading towards Chariot's office window. Chiyo clung to him, hiding her face in the feathers. Hōō landed on the balcony railing, and Chiyo pushed open the windows.
“Hōō, how do we shut the barrier?!” Chiyo shouted. Hōō poked his head out the window and looked around.
The phoenix slowly inclined his head, his white gaze shining with wisdom but also with a certain anxiety.
“ Seek what belongs to the Olde Witches, ” he said in a deep voice. “ Blood calls for magic, only you can open what has been sealed. ”
“Hōō, no time for that, in English!!!”
“ The chest Chiyo, the glass chests under the hats. ” He rolled his eyes. Chiyo turned toward the Nine's hats and ran. Of course, she stopped in front of Beatrix's, and she knew perfectly well that the ring wasn't there, she knew that…
Then she stopped suddenly.
Her breath caught.
No.
What an idiot!
She slapped her forehead before easily opening Woodward's chest and taking the signet ring.
"And now?!"
“The painting,” Hōō looked at Luna Nova’s painting. “Press the signet ring’s crest into its centre!”
Chiyo nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She could hear the explosion from outside.
“What's going on?!” Chiyo squealed.
“ Your mother throws fireballs on repeat. ”
"How so-"
“ Focus, Little One, your mother is handling this… I think so. ”
Chiyo pressed the ring and slowly, the sound of gears rattled throughout the room. The board gently lifted, revealing a control panel.
“What should I do now?!”
“ Activate the protection system! ”
Chiyo pushed a large joystick and groaned before seeing the screen light up. A dull sound, like thunder, was heard outside.
“ Quick, let's get to Akko before she does something stupid again… ”
Chiyo clung to him after closing everything. Downstairs, Akko and Mordain were still fighting.
The fight raged.
A hellish roar split the night as Akko dodged a brutal charge from Mordain. The demon leapt toward her with the ferocity of an enraged predator. His claws ripped through the ground in a shower of sparks, but Akko was gone.
She was already moving.
In a flash of scarlet flames, she spun around, tracing an arc of fire around her. Her gaze was hard, her pupils shining with determination. She was holding back no longer.
She didn't have to hold back any more.
With a gesture, she sent out a wave of searing heat, setting the air around her ablaze. The fire exploded in a blazing wall, forcing Mordain to retreat beneath the furnace. But the demon didn't back down. He grunted in pain and bent his knees, leaping forward again, his fangs shining with a sinister glow.
Akko screamed before stabbing her wand into the ground. A wave of flames erupted beneath her feet, ejecting her into the air at the last moment. Mordain crashed heavily where she had been a moment earlier, her roar drowned out by the ensuing explosion of fire.
She was fast.
She was furious.
She had waited her whole life for this moment.
Akko levelled her wand at Mordain, blue and gold flames coiling around it like a living force. Heat lifted her hair, making it flicker like fire itself.
A spear of fire followed her movement as she brought her wrist down furiously and crashed into Mordain with the force of a meteor. The impact shook the ground, a wave of heat rippling the air. Chiyo shielded her face with her arms and pressed against Hōō.
But nothing was over.
Mordain roared out of the flames, his fear of flames long forgotten. He leapt toward Akko, and this time, he slammed into her.
The blow sent Akko tumbling. But before she could hit the ground, she flicked her wrist—fire burst beneath her, launching her backwards just in time to dodge a claw that would’ve taken her head clean off.
“Haha!” Chiyo wanted to step forward, but Hōō held her back, his beak closing on her collar.
Akko stood up and groaned.
“Round two,” Mordain approached.
He leapt at her with his claws out. Chiyo hid her eyes and…
No noise.
A blade pierced Mordain's stomach. His blood-red eyes widened as a wet squelch echoed through the air. He slowly lowered his head to the gaping wound that stained his torso. A greyish stain appeared, dark and slimy, spreading its sickly shadow across his body.
Akko gripped the hilt of the sword, her breath ragged. Her gaze burned with unquenchable fury.
“How does it feel to be helpless?” she asked, her voice sharp as steel.
With a sharp movement, she ripped the sword out, tearing at the flesh that was already beginning to close. Mordain groaned, a wave of pain coursing through his body.
“Helpless? I don’t see that—AH!”
Akko brought the blade down a second time, and pierced his torso with a precise blow. He gasped, his body convulsing.
She gasped, her shoulders shaking with the weight of her rage.
“How does it feel to know pain?!”
She ripped the sword out again, leaving the wound gaping before plunging the blade back in relentlessly.
“I saw my friends die because of you!” she screamed, her voice cracking with hatred.
Mordain screamed back, his claws scratching the ground as his flesh slowly healed. But Akko waited. She waited for the wound to disappear before starting again.
“I saw my world crumble! I had to raise my daughter alone!”
Another blow.
Then another.
Mordain gasped, his body convulsing, choking on his own pain.
“Stop!” he moaned, his voice distorted by pain.
Akko's lips curled into a smile—dark, edged with fury.
“You tried to take her from me!”
The blade sank in once more.
"Pity!"
She waited. Watched the wound close mercilessly. Then she struck.
“You took Diana from me!”
The sword plunged so deep that it sank into the stone beneath them. Mordain gasped for air.
“I beg you…”
Akko wasn't listening to him any more.
She began to laugh, a broken sound, devoid of any joy. She inhaled, her breath uneven. Her fingers trembled on the weapon.
“I didn't even see her die.”
Her fingers locked around the hilt. With a brutal yank, she tore the blade free, ripping the wound open all over again.
“But I know how it happened.”
She stabbed the blade again.
“She was alone.”
Mordain gasped, his body convulsing beneath her.
Akko thrust the sword again and again.
“She screamed.”
She yanked it off.
“She gave everything, even her life.”
Another blow, brutal.
“ She died only as a Cavendish .”
Her voice broke on those last words.
She was shaking, rage mixing with pain so deep it was unbearable.
“I didn't even find out about it from a report. I found out about it on the fucking news on Christmas Day after reading her letter!”
She drove the sword into Mordain's shoulder, forcing his head back on impact.
“A daily report by SOMEONE who didn’t give a damn.”
She waited. Watched Mordain's body struggle to regenerate.
Then she started again.
“I heard it like that. ' Lady Cavendish fell in battle. '”
The blade fell once more.
“They didn't even bother to write her name.”
Her flames intensified, the air around her twisting with the heat.
Mordain was trembling. He knew. He knew he wouldn't make it out alive.
“Do you think I’ll stop there, Mordain?”
A blow.
“All the pain I felt…”
Another.
“You didn't stop when she begged you.”
“Atsuko—”
“DON’T EVEN DARE SAY MY NAME!”
Akko was about to strike the final blow when her body grew weak. She fell to her knees, and her sword—which Chiyo finally realized was her transformed wand—fell to her side. The ring of fire surrounding the Gravemaws went out, and Mordain fell to the ground. The soldiers rushed toward him.
“Get back here, you bastard-” Akko snarled and tried to get up as the terrified demons took their leader and left. Chiyo saw them pass through the barrier and flee into the darkness.
“Haha it was… Haha!”
Chiyo was waiting at Akko's bedside. The day had broken, and Akko had been rushed to the infirmary. Her broomstick ride and fight had left her exhausted. She growled in her sleep, and her eyes opened as Chiyo hovered over her.
“D-Diana…?”
Chiyo shook her head, a small, sad smile on her lips.
“Haha… it’s me…”
“Chi-chan… are you okay…? Are we alive…?”
Chiyo laughed.
“Yes Haha, we’re fine, it’s thanks to you. You saved the school…”
“That's a lot to take in, isn't it…” Akko exhaled, staring at the ceiling. Silence stretched between them before she finally spoke. “I saw you on TV. The festival was being broadcast live. You were… phenomenal.”
Chiyo blushed.
“You were a great imitation of me,” Akko laughed, “and you… were a great imitation of her too.”
“Haha… you loved her, didn’t you?”
Akko nodded slowly.
“More than anything.”
“Maybe if you had been with her instead of my other mother, things would have been different…” Chiyo murmured. She didn't notice Akko's stunned look or how she slapped her forehead.
“No Chiyo, things would have been the same…”
And Chiyo remained silent. She looked at Akko's casted leg and took her hand.
“I'm sorry I couldn't be more like you…” Chiyo murmured and looked at the snake-like wand. She placed it on the night stand, next to Akko's.
“Chiyo, you were fantastic.”
“No, I-”
“You protected the school, too. You saved the students, the teachers, and…”
Chiyo looked at the ground.
“Eight are gone… I… I didn’t manage to… Haha I…”
Akko placed her hand on Chiyo's shoulder. She didn't need to speak, and Chiyo climbed into bed, cuddling close to her mother. She rested her head on her chest and sighed.
“I missed you…”
“Oh, Chi-chan, I missed you too…”
The calm in the infirmary was short-lived. Soon, reporters and police officers gathered around the school. The damage was noted and Chariot was interviewed.
And Chiyo couldn't stay calm.
There was a traitor who had opened the barrier, and she had an idea who it was.
A rodent with a striped tail?
Who knew how the school operated?
Who knew there would be no one in the school at this hour
Who knew what she had planned?
Her dream with the signet ring came back to her. Someone smelling of ash.
Someone who had been in the fire. Someone who had been in close contact with the fire.
“ We saw you burn… We saw you burn alive… ” Mordain had said. But the Gravemaws were too afraid of fire.
Someone burned, and the very image of Diana was terrifying to her.
Someone who would have been there when she died…
“SHIT!” Chiyo shattered her cup in rage. She had trusted the enemy from the start! She had trusted Diana's very assassin . She looked at the shards of porcelain on the floor as her mentor's advice came back to her. She curled up on the floor and cried.
It was all her fault…
Akko sat down beside her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders.
“Chiyo, let’s go home,” Akko sighed.
Chiyo looked up in surprise.
"What…?"
“I’m taking you off Luna Nova. I… I don’t want to lose you.”
"...Nope…"
“I can teach you magic later…” Akko didn't listen to her and was already heading towards the dorms.
“Haha, no!” Chiyo looked at the walls of names one last time. “You can’t do this to me!”
“I refuse to lose you too!” Akko turned in distress. “Not you, I can’t any more—”
“Please, Haha, no…”
“I thought you'd be safe here, I…” Akko began to sob and touched Chiyo's side. “You got hurt… Again… Because I couldn't protect you…”
Chiyo opened her mouth and took her in her arms.
“I can’t… I have to stay… I have to help them, even if… So far I’ve done worse than better…”
“Don’t say that–”
“I'm just learning who you are, Haha… Who you really are…” Chiyo took her hands. “I'm learning who Atsuko is, the witch who inspired so many. Who inspires me. Who I saw fighting for Life. I want to follow in your footsteps. So, please… Don't take me away from Luna Nova…”
Akko opened her mouth to reply, but Chariot’s voice cut through the air, calling her name. She sighed.
“We’ll… talk about it later, okay?”
Chiyo clenched her fists but accepted.
Once the office door closed, she let out a sigh she hadn't even known she was holding.
“You can go out, you know?”
She turned to see Cassia, whose wrist was in a splint, and Lizzy, who had a bandage on her cheek.
“Chiyo!” Lizzy ran over and hugged her, nuzzling her neck. Cassia smiled sweetly at her.
“I'm fine, I'm fine– Oof, Lizzy, that hurts–”
“You're alive, you were amazing, everyone was screaming your name when they saw you create a distraction and… Oh Chiyo…” Lizzy spammed her face with light kisses while crying. “I thought I'd never see you again…”
“I'll always find my way back to you,” Chiyo smiled softly at her before turning to Cassia, who was rubbing the back of her neck. “Hey…”
“Hey.”
The silence between the two was awkward. Chiyo wanted to say something, but Lizzy handed her an invitation instead.
"What is this?"
“An invitation for my birthday.”
“But it’s only two weeks away, and you’re still going to do it despite the attack?”
Lizzy nodded.
“Daddy can't cancel it, and I refuse to cancel. The manor will be well protected, I promise. However…” She turned to Cassia. “Sorry, I was only allowed to invite one friend.”
"Carefree."
Chiyo could feel how false their words were.
“Girls—” She stopped when she heard the office door close. She turned to see Akko, who was standing on her crutches in shock.
“Chiyo, in the end we… We’re not leaving…” Akko stammered.
"What?"
“I… I’m the new astronomy teacher–”
…Eh?"
Notes:
"ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves"
Yes, I've been banging Epic for the whole chapter lmao.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm pretty proud of it. I was scared it wasn't long enough but, well... It's over 7.000 words sooo...My beta reader had spent their whole reading insulting and cursing at everyone. Specially Mordain but hey he is just a small guy hating fire...
Okay I really had fun introducing you the other Scourges! See you next time, if you have any questions, don't mind asking me!
Chapter 11: Waltz Me Maybe
Summary:
Two weeks after the attack, the Hanbridges are organising Lizzy's birthday.
And nothing can go wrong... Right?
Chapter Text
It was funny.
How could one trust in such a short time and yet be wrong on all counts?
Chiyo turned once in her bed. Then a second time. Her throat tightened, but she closed her eyes, fighting the urge to cry.
A week had passed since the attack. Her side still hurt, but it was only artificial pain compared to what she felt.
It was her fault.
Everything was her fault, and she didn't even dare look at her friends, she didn't dare look at the teachers...
She didn't dare look at her mother.
How was she supposed to? Chiyo had dared to trust Snake; Snake who seemed to be one of the very sources of Akko's pain.
Chiyo groaned into her pillow and grabbed her teddy bear before looking towards the window. Another day of classes was already upon us, but for once?
Chiyo wanted nothing more than to disappear.
“Can someone tell me what happens when Saturn is right in the centre of Virgo?”
Akko pointed at the board with a laser pointer with difficulty. Hōō tried to adjust the projector for more precision only to lose his balance and fall gracefully onto the desk. He raised his head, shook his quills as if to say it was planned, and leaned back into the projector. Akko thanked him with a nod and clumsily put her new hat back on.
Chiyo noticed Cassia raise her hand out of the corner of her eye—presumably to either offer help or give the correct answer—before diving back into her own notes. She noticed Akko's slight frown, irritated at having to let Cassia speak again for the 20th time in almost an hour…
“Hey,” Lizzy whispered, still staring at the board, “how long do you think it takes for your mum to break?”
“She held up more than I would have given her,” Chiyo let out a laugh. She looked up at Lizzy, only to look away when she saw the healing wound on her cheek.
“Are you going to avoid looking at me for much longer?” Lizzy asked suddenly. Chiyo sat up with a start, her best friend’s voice in her ear.
“L- Lizzy! I… I’m just working!”
“Tell me that in my eyes.”
Chiyo opened her mouth slowly. Lizzy's brows were furrowed, her lips sealed in a worried expression, and her arms crossed over her chest.
“I… I…” Chiyo stuttered before turning her head back to her notebook, her hair hiding her expression. Lizzy sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lingering a little over a blonde strand that was sticking out in her curls.
“It’s not your fault.”
“Lizzy–”
“You saved the school, Chiyo. So stop feeling guilty like you're the one who opened the barrier.”
Chiyo's heart sank as bile rose in her throat. She had trusted—too much. It almost felt like she was the one who had betrayed the school…
“I… No, it was Haha…”
“But you're the one who held them back until she arrived! Chiyo, you truly deserve your title of Moonlit Witch!”
Chiyo laughed slightly bitterly as tears caught at the edge of her eyes. The administration had given her the title in gratitude for saving the school.
But did she really deserve it?
“Elizabeth, Chiyo, I uh, would ask you to be quieter…” Akko tried to order while clapping her hands.
“Aunt Akko, sorry!” Lizzy grimaced and scratched the back of her head. Chiyo simply nodded.
But no one noticed how she held her skirt up to the point that her knuckles had turned white...
Having her mother as a teacher was something Chiyo wasn't used to. It wasn't necessarily bad, it was just... New. And Chiyo was having a hard time adjusting. It was one thing to have Akko as a mother, it was another to have her as a teacher.
Akko wasn't a bad teacher. She had studied for it after all. Chiyo remembers being on the examiner's lap when her mother was taking her exams because no one could watch her.
But Akko dealt with young children, not witches. And it wasn't uncommon to sense the more... childish side.
Like the fact that she gave each working group nicknames.
Or the fact that she left little encouraging stickers on the papers. And Chiyo knew she was going to faint the next time Cassia cut out the little 'well done' sticker because Cassia did it to me every time.
“ It’s not every day that I get congratulated by the great Atsuko herself!” she had once said.
Yes.
Cassia was praised every day.
So much so that Chiyo knew her mother could no longer hear her friend's voice. Partner? Girlfriend?
Anyway. Back to the topic…
If Chiyo had to describe her mother as a teacher, it would be like a golden retriever with a witch's hat on a permanent contract. She spoke fast, loudly, and had already been lectured 6 times by Finnelan because she had lost the Astrology program and was improvising with her memories. This had resulted in several incidents, like the time she managed to make a potion explode (an astrology potion, yes), the time she spent 45 minutes explaining why 'Shiny Chariot had inspired her' (okay, Chiyo had never heard that one so it was a good lesson but still) or the time she tried to climb on the desk on crutches to personally point out the planet Venus on the map, as if Venus herself had bestowed her blessing upon her.
All this without mentioning the glitter pencils.
Still, Akko refused to give up on her students, just as Chariot herself had done years before. Chiyo had once caught her mother sitting against a locked broom closet, chatting with a student who felt out of place. And soon, Akko had become the students' favourite teacher, just like Chiyo was already the teachers’ favourite .
But Chiyo needed structure. Rules. She couldn't afford to get lost along the way. And it wasn't uncommon for her to be the one to redirect her mother to class. And Akko always responded with a vague, 'Ah, yes, class...' even though Chiyo knew Akko would still get lost along the way.
Because Akko was Akko.
And that the only thing between her and the rest of the class was her brain and her ADHD.
And her natural protectiveness with Chiyo. Asking her in the middle of class if her side hurt too much, letting her know she was doing okay, calling her ridiculous nicknames like 'starlight' or 'her shooting star ' (that day, Lizzy had teased her all lunchtime by calling her that, and Chiyo swore her face had never felt so hot).
Akko was protective…
Maybe too much…
“Haha, do you have to come with me?”
“After the Samhain attack? Don’t even think about going alone.”
“But it’s Lizzy’s birthday–”
“And before being your friend, she's Andrew's daughter, who is my friend first. And I haven't seen him in a while, so…”
Akko staggered on her crutches as she crossed the entrance to the Hanbridges' mansion. Chiyo looked her up and down. Her dress was burgundy, flowing around her down to her ankle. No slit, no corset, nothing too over the top. The sleeves were long, semi-sheer, probably uncomfortable given how she kept stopping to scratch herself before putting them back on properly. All to hide her scars, Chiyo knew. Scars made by the monsters who had always chased her…
Or by her own demons during complicated winter nights.
Chiyo looked at the belt around her waist. Hand-embroidered, it featured a miniature phoenix and a small snake entwining it. Further down, constellations embroidered in silver and copper. Completely fake, made from memory, designed to make her shine even brighter than she already did.
“It's better to see you like this than in your teacher's outfit,” Chiyo walked briskly over to her. Akko turned her head towards her and smiled.
“Thank you, Chi-chan.”
Chiyo studied her face for a moment. A little makeup, very light, mostly to hide the deep scars on her face, and a smile.
“You look happy,” Chiyo murmured before wrapping her arm around her.
“Well, I missed wearing this dress. And I'm accompanied by a very good date.”
Chiyo blushed furiously and looked at the three-piece suit she was wearing. It was an old midnight blue suit, hand-altered by her mother to fit her. The inner lining was decorated with dozens of small stars, as if matching Akko's.
The jacket was fitted, a little too stiff for her. Chiyo could tell the suit hadn't been Akko's in the past, as the jacket would have been too big for her as well.
It belonged to her other mother. And as much as it killed Chiyo to admit it, her mother had good taste...
A silver chain ran through the inside pocket, ending in a pocket watch Akko had had repaired for the occasion. Her vest was slightly lighter, fastened with five dark buttons. Her trousers fell to her ankles, similarly altered by Akko. Her shirt was fastened to the throat (“open it, you look tight,” Akko had told her, but Chiyo had stood her ground) and she wore a dark blue velvet tie.
When she left her dorm to join Akko, the latter almost had a heart attack. She took off Chiyo’s glasses before wiping away a tear that was beginning to fall and hugged her.
Chiyo was a regular at the Hanbridges' mansion. But never at a party. And she found herself looking everywhere.
Until her gaze fell on Lizzy.
Lizzy was already there, of course. It was her birthday, after all. Standing by the buffet, surrounded by a few guests, she was laughing loudly as always, her head tilted back slightly and one hand covering her mouth. Chiyo thought for a few seconds that she was laughing like the hime-dere she used to see in the animes her mother showed her, and in that moment, Chiyo couldn't help but think that Lizzy really did look like a princess. She stood there as if she were floating, making it seem as if she belonged there (which was true, it was her home...).
Her dress was ivory, simple in appearance, but tailored as if its measurements were taken from a dream. Cinched at the waist, flowing to the floor, slit just high enough to reveal a bit of her long legs when she walked, and she promised herself she hadn’t looked too long. The sleeves were long, slightly sheer, and fell with a certain elegance. A black ribbon tied her hair back sleek, and a small silver brooch in the shape of a lily glittered in the light. Her necklace was thin, gold, with an orange stone that rested against her collarbone, and once again, Chiyo definitely hadn’t let her gaze follow the curve of her collarbone at all. Even if she had, she was just analysing her best friend. In a friendly way.
Chiyo continued to stare at her. A little too long, to the point where she didn't notice her mother's amused look.
But it wasn't intentional. It was just… It was hard not to. And Lizzy wore her dress and aristocracy like others wore armour, while Chiyo suddenly felt very ridiculous in her oversized jacket, as if an entire legacy had been placed on her shoulders.
Lizzy straightened up and her gaze met Chiyo's.
And her smile widened.
Of course.
“My Prince Charming has arrived!” Lizzy exclaimed dramatically before dropping into Chiyo’s arms. The Japanese girl yelped and quickly wrapped her arms around Lizzy’s waist, trying to avoid the fall, though Lizzy steadied herself with one foot back. And she was even taller than usual thanks to her heels, causing Chiyo’s gaze to land right on her chest…
“Lizzy! We're going to fall!” Chiyo grumbled, trying to get up.
“Fall under your spell, yes,” Lizzy smiled a little wider, and Chiyo hesitated to let her fall to the marble floor. “Don’t even think about it,” the taller of the two groaned, clasping her hands behind Chiyo’s neck, and Chiyo swore she hadn’t felt a shiver when Lizzy’s thumb brushed against the back of her neck.
“Lizzyyyyy…”
“Chiyo, I’m falling, noooo…”
“Elizabeth.”
Chiyo jumped at the deep voice behind them. Lizzy sighed dramatically but got up anyway.
"Daddy!"
Andrew Hanbridge, 42 years old. Government representative on the British Magic Council and well-positioned to be the next Prime Minister.
Or more commonly called by Chiyo…
“Uncle Andrew!”
Andrew burst out laughing, running a hand through his brown hair. He was wearing a blue suit and a purple shirt, and his beard was trimmed to give a three-day stubble effect.
“Chiyo, you’ve grown even more since last time!”
“Ahah, very funny…”
“Of course! You must have gained 1 millimetre?”
Chiyo puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms. Akko and Andrew laughed.
“Andrew, it’s good to see you,” Akko smiled softly.
“Same here, Kagari,” Andrew offered her his arm, which Akko awkwardly took before using Andrew as a crutch. “I hope you've recovered from the attack…”
“You bet I am! And you, not too scared for tonight?”
Her tone was serious, and Chiyo could see her mother's worried look.
“The army is here, along with several magical special forces. Nothing will happen tonight,” Andrew smiled at her before looking at Lizzy. “Your grandfather was looking for you, Elizabeth.”
Lizzy sighed and nodded. “I'll go, Chiyo, save me a dance tonight!”
“What but… Lizzy wait!”
But it was already too late. Lizzy had disappeared into the crowd. Chiyo grumbled and turned to her mother, only to see that she and Andrew had also disappeared.
“Great…” She sighed. She walked to the buffet, her nose in the air. The orchestra was playing a waltz, and she could hear a violin solo getting louder. Couples were spinning around the dance floor, and Chiyo sighed. She grabbed a plate and tapped her hands along to the music as she imagined herself devouring the scones, sponge cakes, and raspberry crumbles and tarts.
Just a quiet evening eating until Lizzy or her mother joined her.
Well, that was without counting on the figure that approached her without her noticing it.
"Good evening. Would you mind dancing with me?" a brunette woman with dark blue eyes asked her. She was wearing a midnight blue velvet suit and had opted to open her shirt two buttons, unlike Chiyo. She must have been a few years older than Chiyo.
Chiyo blinked. Once. A second time. A third time to be sure before turning to make sure she was being addressed, the girl in the oversized suit and plate of scones.
“I uh… Me?”
"Well, I don't see anyone else around," she said, turning her head from side to side, bouncing her shoulder-length, curly hair along her face. "I'm Helena Myrtle McKinley, by the way," she introduced herself, extending a hand toward Chiyo.
“Chiyo Kagari—” Her voice rose in stress. Chiyo wasn't known for handling strangers the best, especially in situations like balls or other high-ranking social interactions…
She stared at the girl for a few more seconds before slowly nodding her head. “Dancing. Yeah. Yeah, it's pretty good. Although I've never danced with anyone but my mum. Or my best friend. Or in general, really…”
She began to play with her fingers nervously as Helena watched.
"Perfect, a little practice never hurt anyone!" Helena took Chiyo’s hand despite her hesitation and led her out onto the dance floor, full of energy. Maybe a little too much. Seeing her two best friends who had stayed behind with her, with whom she had come to spend an evening to forget their heartbreak, the scene was apparently hilarious. Over
“Wait, wait…” Chiyo tried to slow her down before she ended up right in the middle of the dance floor. Her cheeks flushed when she felt a hand on her waist, and she stammered, trying to remember what Akko had taught her years ago. “So, uh… You know Lizzy?”
"My dad used to work with her father, so he told me about Lizzy a few times, and that's how I got the invitation to her birthday party, as well as two others for my friends there: the redhead in the green dress, Eleanor, and the blonde in the light blue, Margaret. And you? How do you know her?" Helena asked, suddenly full of curiosity.
Chiyo turned her head and saw Lizzy in the distance, talking with Paul, her grandfather. Her smile softened slightly.
“We've known each other forever. Our parents have been friends since they were our age, so… We didn't see each other much, and I'm not exactly from the aristocracy,” she laughed nervously, tugging at the collar of her shirt before resting her hand on Helena's shoulder. “I came here tonight with my mum, and I feel like we're a bit of an outlier…”
Her gaze fell on Akko, who was explaining something with large signs. It was impossible to imagine her mother being part of the aristocracy...
Helena observed the look Chiyo was giving the people around her. She seemed to be lingering over Lizzy and thinking about something, as if she suspected something and was waiting for confirmation.
"I think you blend in perfectly with the others," Helena replied. "And your costume suits you perfectly; it's surprising no one else came to ask you for a dance before me."
She seemed genuinely surprised by this and at that moment moved closer to Chiyo's ear before whispering:
“Has anyone managed to get a special place in your heart yet?”
“My mum always says I have a cold face and I'm pretty hard to get close to,” Chiyo thought for a moment, not processing the last question. “Then the suit is old, probably nothing super aristocratic compared to you, for example, and…” Her voice trailed off, replaced by the red that heated her ears. She immediately looked at Helena before stuttering. “I… No, I… Well, yes, I possibly have a girlfriend, but that's it, and… Well, that's it, no, she's great, just a little bit of a fan of my mum, and…” Chiyo fell silent when she heard Helena laugh.
"Don't worry, I understand. I think you're doing pretty well if she's just a fan of your mother. Just think, I was in love with my best friend for years and was almost disowned by the family for it. I'm happy for you if it works out. It's always the best thing to be in a relationship with your best friend." Helena looked at Chiyo with a tender and joyful look.
“In a relationship with your best friend?” Chiyo asked, frowning. “I guess that would work for some. But Lizzy and I? It's just friendship, only friendship, 100% friendship.”
Chiyo let herself be led as she continued speaking. Helena was a good dancer, surely used to ballroom dancing, while she? She was probably a little miserable and clumsy. And suddenly, the pressure of feeling like a fly in the ointment weighed on her a little more.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were talking about Lizzy all this time. The look in your eyes made me think she was the one you liked." She said, spinning Chiyo around before catching her in the crook of her elbow. Chiyo was tense, and Helena seemed to sense it because she was trying to relax her by continuing to talk to her so that she wouldn't focus her attention on the crowd around them.
Chiyo opened and closed her mouth, speechless. “Lizzy and me?!” She exclaimed before blushing even more when she noticed the position. “No, no, no! We’re… It’s just… My girlfriend’s name is Cassia! Lizzy’s… she’s just my best friend and…” Her breath caught in her throat when she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Lizzy waltzing with a boy who looked to be their age. She was laughing lightly, holding her dress gracefully, and something in Chiyo’s heart sank. “…and that’s it…”
She turned her attention back to Helena, even though something in her chest was screaming. The music suddenly became softer, and it called for a dance with more contact. Helena moved into position, her torso so close to Chiyo's that she could almost see every mole on her cleavage, not that she let her gaze linger.
Chiyo suddenly became fully aware of Helena's hand on the small of her back.
"Yet your eyes say otherwise," Helena whispered to Chiyo, who instantly turned red.
“Okay, I think it's time for me to go get another Scone…” Chiyo tried to step back, but the hand on her back stopped her. Usually, she didn't mind being stuck with a pretty girl, as she was often too busy studying to even think about love. Cassia was just an exception, and Lizzy…
But what is she talking about?!
“I really have to go, thanks for the dance—…” She tried to pull away again, her cheeks flushed and her heart pounding in her ears. Oddly, she felt that if the conversation continued, she would end up with more questions than answers…
"It was a pleasure for me too..." Helena began.
"Chiyo!" exclaimed Lizzy, who had miraculously appeared behind her. "I think it's time for you to come get something to drink, right?" Lizzy seemed in a hurry.
"I... uh... yeah, I was about to... scones... well, go get some more scones..." Chiyo stammered.
Helena looked at them with amusement, as if the situation made her laugh inwardly. Chiyo didn't understand why, as Lizzy seemed more concerned than anything else.
“Helena, have a good night,” Lizzy said coldly but politely, her hand placing itself on the small of Chiyo's back to guide her toward the buffet. Chiyo moved forward without question, just listening to her friend's words. “I can't believe you, of all the people here, danced with her, ” Lizzy grumbled, her thumb rubbing small circles.
“I assure you, this wasn't planned. I just wanted to enjoy the buffet,” Chiyo sighed, scratching the back of her neck. Lizzy burst out laughing, her hand leaving Chiyo's lower back to snake around her waist. Chiyo allowed herself to be pulled into the embrace and grimaced in Lizzy's embrace.
“There, there, I saved you, don't worry,” Lizzy laughed softly.
“She spent the entire dance talking to me about my romantic status and thinking we were together!”
Lizzy's smile seemed to freeze awkwardly as her body tensed. Probably surprised by the idea too.
“You and me?”
"Yes."
"Together?"
"I know!"
“In fashion, holding hands and kissing?”
"Exactly!"
“Funny idea,” Lizzy's voice rose an octave. Chiyo opened her mouth to ask if she was okay, but immediately closed it, feeling like venturing into this conversation would only make things worse. She took a deep breath, feeling her cheeks burn once again, and took Lizzy's hands in hers.
“Do you want to dance?”
“Why are you acting shy?” Lizzy forced a smirk. “Oh, now you blush at every pretty girl who smiles at you?”
“Ugh, you're unbelievable,” Chiyo groaned before turning back to the buffet. Lizzy stopped her with a hand on the wrist and pulled her into a hug, her breath against Chiyo's ear.
“Sorry, yes I want to dance. I thought you wouldn’t ask me…”
Chiyo knew her hands must be sweaty. And why?! It was just Lizzy, and they'd waltzed together plenty of times before...
Well, except on a big night like this.
Lizzy walked her onto the dance floor with one hand on her hips and the other holding hers. Chiyo swallowed as she looked around.
“Imagine I bump into someone?”
“You won’t.”
“Suppose I forget the steps and fall?”
“You won't do it either.”
“Imagine I…”
“Chiyo.”
She raised her blue eyes slowly, her jaw clenched. Lizzy pressed her closer and pressed their foreheads together.
“You can't fall. I'm holding you too tightly for that.”
The music started, the tune changed, Lizzy sat up, and Chiyo?
Chiyo found herself melting.
Like every time Lizzy was close to her in the end.
Chiyo had always felt this way with Lizzy. Her heart sometimes beat too fast, probably because of the fits of laughter, her sweaty palms, the little shivers that ran through her...
She'd always blamed it on being close. But right now? A fuchsia-pink alarm was flashing in her mind.
But she ignored it.
She ignored how warm her hand was. How her hand seemed to be made for her hip, just below her side so as not to hurt her even though she was feeling better. How the music suddenly seemed distant.
Chiyo took a half step back, feeling her heart race even faster, but Lizzy tightened her grip, and Chiyo's cheek rested on her shoulder.
Nothing too bad.
After all, it was Lizzy.
After all, it was just Lizzy.
So why was it so different from her other friends? And if it really was a crush, she'd react the same way she did with Cassia, right? The sparks, the air getting thick, the little jumps...
Chiyo sighed in frustration and rubbed her face against Lizzy's shoulder as she led the dance. Lizzy buried her nose in Chiyo's curls.
Everything felt fine. A comfortable silence settled between them
Chiyo looked up at Lizzy and smiled.
Lizzy had her lips pursed in a confused expression, as if she were fighting with herself.
“Lizzy?”
“Don't go out with Cassia…” Lizzy whispered after a few seconds. “Or at least don't run into her arms, you barely know her and…” She stammered, tightening her grip, their noses touching, “I want to at least have some competition, and Chiyo, I don't know if you've noticed, but…”
Lizzy's voice grew more distant as Chiyo's eyes widened. She froze like a statue as her hands began to shake.
She was no longer looking at Lizzy
No.
She looked over her shoulder, towards the orchestra.
And there.
In a red satin dress. Not cherry red, no, but blood red. Despite sitting in the shadows, she was far from disappearing.
Her shoulders were bare thanks to the thin straps, revealing burns worse than the one on her face. Every time she bent over, Chiyo could see a bare back thanks to the dress, and even more scars, and the end of her tattoo. The dress was slit up to her hip, revealing her crossed legs just enough to suggest temptation, not enough to seem like she wanted to please.
Her body was tense. Too tense to be natural. She was holding a violin that likely cost more than a full year at Luna Nova. And she was staring.
She stared at the doors, not looking at the music as she played. She stared at the exits, she stared at the guards.
And when Chiyo thought she'd never see that damn raccoon again after the attack...
There was Snake playing the perfect violinist at Lizzy's birthday party.
“Lizzy I… I have to go for 30 seconds, I'll be right back…” Chiyo whispered as she pulled away from Lizzy.
“What, but…”
“Sorry I stopped listening when you mentioned Cassia, but I promise we'll talk about it later,” Chiyo quickly kissed her cheek before running towards the orchestra, leaving Lizzy in the middle of the dance floor, stunned as if someone had cut her off during her declaration of love…
She pushed her way through the dancers and glanced to see if her mother was nearby. She noticed her leaning against the buffet, her cheeks flushed with Andrew, probably already drunk.
Akko had never been good at holding her liquor.
Chiyo grumbled, pushing someone away before landing right in front of the orchestra. She crossed her arms, frowned, and waited.
And Snake remained focused on her observation task.
Chiyo stood there for 25 minutes before some of the musicians took their breaks. Snake was one of them. She'd barely stepped off the stage when Chiyo grabbed her wrist and pulled her to the middle of the dance floor, sure she wouldn't end up getting attacked. Snake blinked, and Chiyo saw her brow furrow and tremble slightly, a clear sign of her frustration and surprise at finding herself in the same spot as her student.
"Chiyo? Whit in th' bluidy hell d’ye think ye’re daein’…?"
“I’m the one asking the questions today.”
Snake rolled her eyes and straightened up. “This isnae the time tae mess aboot. Ah’m workin’ the day.” She tried to pull away from Chiyo, but the witch's grip on her shoulder was strong.
“Don't even think about leaving. You have things to explain to me.”
"Whit ur ye daein here?" Snake growled. Some of the guests turned their heads towards them, and Snake coughed as she sat up, her hand finding Chiyo’s side. Chiyo hid her pain and frowned further.
“It's just my best friend's birthday, so I have every right to be here. You, on the other hand, I don't believe your bullshit about being a violinist.”
“Ah am.”
"Of course."
Snake rolled her eyes, leading the dance surprisingly well. “Listen, it's just a wee side hustle next tae what Ah actually dae.”
"Which is?"
“Ye dinnae want tae ken that.”
Chiyo winced as Snake ran a hand through her hair. She'd never seen her with her hair down, or this neat in general. She had curls falling in front of her eyes and her hair reached below her shoulders.
If Chiyo hadn't already seen her head in the rubbish, she'd think she was a pretty woman, no, a stunning woman despite her scars. But hard to believe when you're talking about Snake.
“ Wait,” Snake paused a split second while still spinning Chiyo, “so the Lizzy ye kept bletherin' on aboot is Elizabeth Hanbridge ?”
“Yup.”
“Aw, for fuck’s sake. Ye’ve got a real talent for stickin’ yer nose deep in shite that’s none o’ yer business.”
“Maybe. I got this from my mother,” Chiyo looked at her defiantly.
“Aye, bunny, Ah don’t give a damn aboot yer ma.” Snake looked into the distance, staring once more at the emergency exits.
“You have nothing to tell me?”
“Hm…” Snake tapped her chin. “Didnae expect a wee Japanese leech tae ken how tae waltz.”
“I didn't expect a rodent who knows the taste of Luna Nova's rubbish and washes herself in toilet water to appear so distinguished and noble.”
“Touched, ma wee bunny.”
Snake brought their bodies together, guiding Chiyo into the waltz. In a way, it reminded Chiyo of when Akko used to teach her to waltz when she was a child. It felt pretty much the same, her hand in the same place, the same way of holding her fingers.
“Whit?” Snake raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing, nothing…” Chiyo stammered. Her gaze fell on Akko, who was even redder than before. Maybe she should go see her and make her stop drinking and… ' No, focus, Chiyo. Diana's killer is in front of you. Now's the time to trap her. '
“Tell me, why couldn’t you stay for Samhain?”
“Things tae sort.”
"Like what?"
“Like shite far too daft for a 13-year-old.”
“Actually I’m–”
“Aye, aye, bunny, dinnae care. It was a pleasure dancin’ wi’ ye, now scoot back tae yer pony games and let the grown-ups handle the real work.”
“No! I have questions for you, and you can't get away from them— HEY WAIT.”
But Snake had left her alone on the track. Chiyo blushed in frustration and ran after her.
“You must answer my questions!”
“Naw.”
“Snake!”
“Sorry, bunny, Ah dinnae owe ye shite anymore—Ah’m nae yer teacher now, am Ah?”
“You should have thought of that BEFORE attacking the school!”
Snake stopped. A few people turned to look at them, but their attention was quickly diverted.
“...Whit?”
“You heard right. I trusted you and you… You attacked the school!”
“Wait, Chiyo, just gie me two seconds–”
“I can't believe I got scammed! You're such a piece of rubbish, just like where you used to live, just like where you probably still live, you fucking raccoon…”
A hand clamped over her mouth before she could finish the insult. Her posture stiffened, her eyes turning cold as she was about to bite the hand. But Snake's gaze, which seemed genuinely stunned, made her stop. She pulled her toward the nearest balcony as Chiyo struggled slightly. She took a deep breath and coughed as soon as Snake let her go. Snake closed the door and suddenly turned around, her gaze different from the one Chiyo was used to.
“Luna Nova got attacked?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know–”
“That’s impossible…” she muttered. “Ye’d need tae break the barrier for that, and no one gets access tae the signet rings except the headmistress or…”
“Unless the person already has a signet ring, like you!” Chiyo nudged her, though something inside her turned. “You were waiting for the right moment to strike, you had the Cavendish signet ring, you broke in during Samhain, you made sure the Malebrias came in!” She nudged her again, harder this time. “Eight students lost their lives! The Gravemaws arrived, they were this close to calling the Zephyrax, you traitor! I trusted you, I—”
She was quickly cut off by Snake's stare. The Scottish woman's mouth was wide open and for the first time...
Part of the mask fell off.
“Chiyo, ye’ve gotta believe me, Ah swear it wasnae me –”
“Liar!”
“Chiyo–”
“I hate you!”
“Chiyo!” Snake shouted, her voice breaking. “Ah didnae attack the bloody school!”
“And how can I trust you? I saw you come down, you damned raccoon—”
“It wisnae me!” Snake shook her. “D’ye remember the first time we met? The handshake—come on, think! D’ye remember that?!”
“Y… Yes…”
“ Ah promise no' tae report ye tae security if ye promise in return no' tae attack Luna Nova, its students, or anything near it—neither yersel' nor by sendin’ someone else. And same goes for me. ’ That was the deal, Ah can’t—”
“But now that you’re no longer here to help me, the contract is probably over and you could have…”
Snake suddenly raised her hand and brought it down violently towards Chiyo. Chiyo squealed and shielded her face before realizing the impact never came. When she opened her eyes, Snake's hand was glowing in the air.
“ Ah. Can’t!” she shouted, stepping forward as Chiyo sat on the bench. “Ye have tae believe me, Ah’m beggin’ ye, please. Ye need tae tell me everything ye ken, every wee detail…”
“Snake…”
Chiyo played with her fingers before feeling Snake take her hands. They were surprisingly soft and reassuring, a change from her usual stern and cold demeanour. Chiyo looked up at the large bay window that separated them from the ball. She recognized “The Nutcracker” and wondered for a brief moment how this birthday party had turned so quickly…
“Veritas Lux.”
“Whit?”
“I want to use Veritas Lux on you,” Chiyo explained, brandishing her wand.
“Chiyo, we dinnae need tae–”
“Veritas Lux. Intende Verum!” Chiyo exclaimed. Four strings of light shot out from her wand. Two wrapped around Snake's wrists, one around her throat, and another pierced her heart. Chiyo saw Snake try to grab her own wand with a trembling hand to thwart the spell before sighing and raising her hands to the sky.
“Very well then, ma bunny. Ye’ll see soon enough that Ah’m innocent.”
Chiyo took a deep breath and kept her eyes locked with Snake's.
“First question. Were you there on Samhain Day on school grounds?”
“Naw.”
The ropes turned green. Chiyo clenched her jaw.
“Were you aware of the attack?”
“No.” And the ropes stayed green. Snake didn’t blink, just squirmed slightly beneath them. “There ye go, all yer answers. Now ye can…”
“Did you know Diana Cavendish?”
The wind seemed to get colder as Snake's eyes widened.
“Ma bunny, whit are ye…”
“Did you know her?!”
“Chiyo, we weren’t even talkin’ aboot that–”
“Answer!” Chiyo tugged her wand and the ropes tightened around Snake. She winced as she tried to pull the one from her throat before falling to her knees.
"No!"
Red.
“Were you there when she died!”
“Chiyo!”
“How many more lies are you hiding, Snake?! How many, who are you, and why don't you have a normal first name, and why…” Chiyo felt the sob slip from her lips. No. No, not now… “I thought… I thought you were weird but not that you were a murderer…”
“Ah didnae kill Diana!” Snake yelled, her voice cracking. The strings turned green, then red, then changed like a traffic light lost in its own momentum. Chiyo watched the spell struggle with itself before asking one last question.
“Can I trust you…?”
Snake looked her straight in the eyes. Her lips pressed together before she sighed.
“Things are a lot messier than that, bunny. There’ll never be a soul ye can trust 100%. People leave. People abandon ye. People betray. So don’t talk tae me aboot trust and…”
“That’s not what I was taught.”
Snake rolled her eyes.
“Ah’ll be honest wi’ ye, Chiyo. Ye’re a wee genius, right?”
“What, but…”
“Ye’ve got talent for a hundred things. But Ah’m tellin’ ye—stay out of it. Dinnae trust anyone. Don’t open yer heart, don’t open yer door. People are rarely who ye think they are.”
“That's not what your mother taught me,” Chiyo sighed and wiped away a tear that had fallen.
“Yer ma’s a wee bit naive, aye.”
“What can I say? That's the fun of being a Kagari. Living with a little naiveté and believing in everyone, I guess.”
Chiyo laughed. Just a small, hollow laugh.
Snake, on the other hand, wasn't laughing. She wasn't even reacting, in fact. She was... there.
Her eyes were fixed on Chiyo, but… at the same time, not really. As if she were looking at something else, through Chiyo. Her golden eyes searched her face for a few minutes, her mouth moving in silent speech.
“Kagari…” she whispered. A single death, a voice a little sharp and lost. She only whispered it once, but Chiyo felt like it remained tense between them like a curse.
"Yes…?"
Snake didn't blink.
“Is that a common surname in Japan?”
“I don’t think so…”
“Yer mother…” she breathed, like a whisper. “Who’s yer mother?”
There was something in her voice that made Chiyo recoil. Not anger. Not surprise either. But a sense that she had to accept something unimaginable.
“Atsuko Kagari.”
For a brief moment, Chiyo thought she saw her face crack. Not much. Barely a quiver in her jaw, a blink too long, a slow breath, her eyebrow twitching.
Snake looked away slowly.
“...Free me.”
“What? Can you stop dodging my questions?”
“Is she here?”
“Eh?”
“Is Atsuko Kagari here. Now. Tonight.”
Chiyo turned her head and pointed out the balcony window with her chin.
“At the buffet, surely telling yet another magical story…”
Snake turned her head and they both saw a drunken Akko, trying to waltz with Andrew despite the crutches. Her laughter was crystal clear, and Chiyo could imagine it. It was good to see her happy for once.
Snake, however, didn't move. Not a breath, not a word. She just stood there, straight, silent, frozen. As if dead
Or as if she'd just seen a ghost.
The silence grew heavy and Snake slowly stood up. Chiyo dropped her wand, the spell ending.
Her gaze was still blank, and Chiyo wondered what had really happened in this story.
“Ah see,” Snake murmured low.
Chiyo watched her take off her glasses and run a hand over her face. Her shoulders tensed before she inhaled and nodded.
“O’ course. Ah, bad luck. Ye really are her bairn.”
“Ah, uh, I get told that quite often, yes…”
“If she saw me, she’d murder me on the spot.”
“Well, you probably have something to do with her best friend’s murder, but…”
Snake burst out laughing. A hysterical laugh that made Chiyo tremble. Something seemed to die in her eyes, a kind of guilt.
“ Whit can Ah say!” Snake clapped her hands once, sharp and wild. “Now that’s the twist Ah didnae see comin’! Like some awful bloody plot twist in a cheap pulp novel!”
“What are you talking about? After all, I…”
Snake grabbed Chiyo's wand and threw it into her hands.
“So ye’re more important than ye think,” she declared, steppin’ toward the edge of the balcony with a flourish.
“Hey, you're not going to kill yourself, are you…” Chiyo panicked.
“ Me? ” Snake threw her head back and howled with laughter. “Ma wee bunny! Things just got spicy ! And Ah refuse tae die now, ye ken that? Ah spent fifteen years hoverin’ on the edge—fifteen! But you, ma sweet child—” she pointed dramatically at Chiyo, her grin sharp as a knife, “ you, Ah’m makin’ it ma business!”
And with that, Snake disappeared into the night. Chiyo screamed and leaned against the railing.
“Are you done disappearing like that by jumping out of windows or balconies!”
“ Whit can Ah say!” Snake shouted from inside a bush , leaves tangled in her curls. “Ah thought Ah was dead for fifteen bloody years—but you , bunny, ye woke me up! And that calls for a proper celebration! Fetch the whisky!”
Her laughter cut through the night. An unsteady laugh, as if a fire had just been lit.
And Chiyo was the match.
Notes:
"Oh Baguette where were you for all this time--"
In Scotland.
I was in fucking Scotland for a month.
And I can say something to you:
My partner was as fucking confused with the accent that you are while reading Snake.
I had to go in intership for my degree. BUT IT'S OVER. I CAN FUCKING UPDATE MY FICS NOW, YAAAAY.Helena actually is my partner's OC, just like Eleanor and Margarette. I'm actually trying to convince them to post their original story on AO3 as it's fire.
But well.
They are stubborn.
Chapter 12: Illuvia Tressa Mendicum Altera
Notes:
ITS BEEN FUCKING HARD TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER, IDK WHY
AND I COULDN'T MANAGE TO PUT EVERYTHING I WANTED IN IT
SEE YOU AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
"You owe me an explanation," Lizzy groaned violently, tightening her dressing gown around her waist. Drops of water trickled down her throat, and Chiyo fought with herself to stay focused on the conversation, not the strange heat growing in her chest.
"So it's a little complicated…" Chiyo fiddled with her fingers as a bulky weight clung to her shoulders.
“Aye, Miss Hanbridge… sorry I burst in like this, aye…”
"Breaking in–" Lizzy flushed with hatred.
"No breakin’ in, no breakin’ in…" Snake muttered, forehead mashed against Chiyo’s cheek. "Jus’ lookin’… lookin’ fer ma wee favourite… ye ken? Ye ken…?"
"Chiyo! What the bloody hell is this!" Lizzy shouted.
Chiyo tensed and closed her eyes as Snake looked at the bottle in her hand. Lizzy paled and tried to retrieve the bottle.
"Nae! Uh-uh! Hey, wee yin — the hell d’ye think ye’re daein’, huh?" Snake scolded her, and Chiyo swore she sounded more animal than human, probably her raccoon side coming out.
"You can't drink this! It's from my father's personal collection! It was given to him at his wedding by Lady Cav–..."
"Aye, aye, dinnae give a single shite."
"This whisky costs over 6,000 pounds!" Lizzy exclaimed. Snake grimaced, eyeing her glass. "And this glass is from a set of six glasses that cost 600 pounds, handmade by a Japanese artist! Put that down!"
"Easy now, Miss Hanbridge…" Snake held up a finger, swaying a little. She had changed into her usual suit, and her jacket was hanging askew, and she looked about ready to collapse. "If ye really think yer auld man’s gon' clock that bottle’s gone…”
"This bottle is very dear to him, so yes, he will notice it!"
"Chiyo…" Snake put an arm around the Japanese’s shoulders, her voice trailing off. She was leaning in too close, her breath thick with alcohol. "Ma wee bun-bun… ma best lass… ma wee Chi-chan… Chi-chan… Chi-chan… Chi-chan…"
"What did you call me?" Chiyo growled, trying to push her away. No one but her mother could call her that. Snake tightened her grip on her, her gaze cold on Lizzy.
"Kagari Juniorrrr…" Snake continued, hiccuping, rolling her 'r' like a beast. An 'r' that scratched Chiyo from the inside. "Tell yer… girlfriend … I’m no takin’ any o’ her wee titbits… naw naw naw…"
"Girlfriend?!" Chiyo exclaimed. "Whoa, hang on — no! Lizzy’s just my best friend, just my best friend, like super best friend, like we once took naked baths as kids and …"
She kept rambling, oblivious to Lizzy's distant look. The latter took Chiyo by the shoulder and violently pulled her back from Snake.
"We’re gonna finish this talk right now or I swear I’ll call my dad," Lizzy warns. "Because having a drunk come in through my window at 8 a.m. while I'm in the shower is really not great. How did she even climb in the window like that?!"
Snake blinked, raised her hands, and waved them limply. "Maggiiiiiiic… maggiiiiiiic…" Chiyo hid her face in her hand.
"I beg you, to shut up…"
Lizzy took a deep breath, her eyes darting between Snake and Chiyo. She threw her hands in the air in frustration and sat dramatically on the velvet couch in the corner of her room. She crossed one leg over the other and folded her arms across her chest.
Chiyo's mouth went dry at once, but she ignored it.
"All right. I’m listening." Lizzy said coldly.
"So here it is…" Chiyo began only for Snake to cut her off.
"Jus’ a fiddler, aye? Got paid tae show up and play fer yer birthday bash…"
Lizzy looked at Chiyo, confused. The Japanese sighed and rubbed her forehead.
“A violinist.”
"Oh yeah, I thought I noticed that, seeing as how Chiyo left me in the middle of the dance floor to join you." Her voice was full of sting, the same coldness Lizzy had been displaying since yesterday when talking about her birthday party. "But given your… state, I doubt you're actually a violinist."
"Sharp wee thing, sharp wee thing… too bloody sharp…" Snake muttered and Chiyo slapped her forehead.
"You’re not really helping your case either…"
"Ye’re right, ma wee bunny," Chiyo was about to retort, but Snake cut her off, sitting up abruptly, and setting the bottle on a shelf. She staggered, tugged at her jacket, roughly straightened it, before turning to Lizzy. She held out her hand, a big, crooked smile. "Maisy McMillan, at yer bloody service!" Silence. Lizzy didn't move. Snake raised her eyebrows. "Caitlyn Mason? Amber McDonald? Nadia Taylor? How many god-damn aliases’ll it take, eh? Whit d’ye want? Ewan McGregor? David bloody Tennant? Daryl—"
"Her name is Snake, she's my private tutor…" Chiyo finally sighed. "Well, she was, until Samhain."
The two teenagers turned to Snake, who was grumbling incessantly about a certain Daryl.
"Want to explain why your tutor is in my room?" Lizzy scolded Chiyo, grabbing her by the ear.
"Ouch, ouch… I don’t know, I promise. I met her at the beginning of October; she had snuck into the library during one of my rounds. I stole her wand, but she came back for it one evening, and in exchange for private lessons, I gave her access to the library and a plate of leftovers every night."
"Are you sick?! Did your mother never teach you not to talk to strangers?!"
"Eto…" Chiyo whispered, only for Snake to choke on laughter behind her. The Japanese leaned in slightly closer to Lizzy, whispering in her ear. "It doesn't look like it, but I think she's trustworthy…"
"Trustworthy?! This fool stole a priceless bottle and is wandering around the grounds of a gated manor as if she were right at home!"
"No’ my fault yer da cannae lock a door properly…" Snake snarled, slumping more than sitting in the chair. She tilted her head back, sighed, then lifted her chin. "Guards at every bloody door, aye. Big doors, wee doors. Cameras everywhere. Dogs too! Yer auld man likes dogs, that it? Aye?"
"Uh… Yes, how do you know…"
"Doors... that open wi’ yer finger, yer eye, yer badge—fuckin’ all at once!" Snake continued, swirling her glass again, almost knocking it over. She took another sip, the liquid the same colour as her eyes. "HA! And a lockin’ spell too! Yer mam’s a bloody witch, aye? Let her play wi’ that. I’d have done it, but naw, magic and me… we don’t get on. They find me if I just say abracadabra , f’god’s sake…"
Lizzy opened and closed her mouth as Snake stretched out in the chair before crossing her legs over the arm of the chair.
"You’ve got to be kidding me…" Lizzy whispered under her breath. Chiyo smiled awkwardly and sat down next to Lizzy. Lizzy looked her up and down before looking away, a hint of sadness crossing her face. "Why did you keep it from me?"
"I’m sorry, I didn’t know how you were going to react…"
"Is she… really trustworthy?"
"I'll be honest, I don't know. But I feel like she has a bigger connection to the Scourges than she seems…" Chiyo scratched the back of her neck. "Then… I think she was there when, you know, Diana died…"
Snake sat up, elbows on her knees, her eyes suddenly darkening. "Ah didnae kill her!"
"That’s not what Veritas Lux was saying last night."
A silence. Then she wrinkled her brow, stared at Chiyo. "Isn’t that what Veritas Lux said las’ night? Wait… wait, is that no’ what it… wait, it did? Didnae? Wait, wait…" She raised a finger, stared at an imaginary point. "Wait… wait wait wait…" She mumbled under her breath, looking lost. "I… I find…" Her gaze became vague, floating far, far away.
"We… Got it…" Lizzy cut her off.
"Naw naw, wait—ah’ll get it right… wait…"
"Are you telling me that drag could have been the one that killed Diana?" Lizzy asked septically.
"I swear she's good at magic. Then she has weird reactions. The first time she saw me use Illuvia tressa mendicum altera, she almost had a panic attack."
Chiyo and Lizzy turned their heads towards Snake, who seemed to be verbally fighting with her own reflection.
"Maybe it's just a coincidence…" Lizzy pointed out, but Chiyo shook her head. She cast the illusion spell, making a perfect Diana appear in front of her. She slowly walked over to Snake and placed a hand on her shoulder. Snake jumped, blinked slowly, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked back at the illusion, the mirror, the illusion …
"Wait a few more seconds…" Chiyo asked her. Snake finally frowned before straightening up and baring her teeth.
"Ye wanna fight, aye? You’re a god-damn ghost! Ah’m right here! Stand up! You walk through fuckin’ walls an’ think that makes ye better than me?! Ye better cause ye float, huh?! Come on then! LET’S SEE IF AH CAN WALK THROUGH YOU !"
"Chiyo, watch out—" Lizzy warned Chiyo before the illusion faded away, followed by a loud boom .
Snake had crashed into the wall...
"Are you sure this will work?" Lizzy asked, and Chiyo straightened her bag on her back. Snake, now transformed into a raccoon, could be heard lightly snoring if you paid close attention. After the alcohol and her crash into the wall, the Scottish witch had fallen asleep.
"I don’t know. I’d ask the driver to put on some music in the car so Haha doesn’t hear the noise…"
"I'll bring your things back to you tonight. I still have some business at the mansion before I go back to Luna Nova."
Chiyo nodded before an awkward silence fell between them. Lizzy walked in front of her, standing straight and shoulders back. For some reason beyond Chiyo's control, Lizzy was angry with her…
"Got nothing to say to me?" Lizzy finally broke the silence. Chiyo looked up and frowned.
"What?"
"I don’t know, I feel like you should tell me something," Lizzy’s voice was cold, worse than when she was talking to Cassia.
"Listen, if you're talking about me hiding Snake from you then…"
"I'm not talking about that!" Lizzy cut her off. She stopped in the hallway and suddenly tensed. Her fists clenched at her sides, and Chiyo swore she was shaking. I thought being in class together would bring us closer. I thought we'd always stick together, but instead? You lie to me, you keep stuff from me, you don’t listen, you don’t see a damn thing going on around you!"
"Of course not!"
"Chiyo, you didn't even let me finish what I wanted to tell you last night!"
"You were just telling me to take my time with Cassia?"
Lizzy turned slowly. She looked Chiyo straight in the eyes before approaching. She stopped right in front of her and took a breath.
"You didn’t listen to anything."
"Lizzy…"
"I’ve been building up to this for so long and you… you don’t hear a thing…"
"Please don't say that…" Chiyo whispered. She tried to take her hand, but Lizzy immediately took it back. She moved closer, and Chiyo could see the sheen of tears threatening to fall.
"I know people drift apart as they grow up, but… but I never thought that’d be us! I thought… I don’t even know what I thought!"
"Lizzy…"
"What I'm trying to say is…" Lizzy stammered. Tears began to fall as she rubbed her cheeks. "It's… I mean… Chiyo I…"
"Andreeeew… I have to leaaave..."
"Akko! We still have lots of different wines to try!"
Oh no …
Chiyo knows that tone.
"Lizzy, I’m sorry, I want to listen to you, I really do, but my mother, she…"
Lizzy already had her eyes lowered and she sighed.
"I understand… I’ll see you at Luna Nova tonight, I guess…"
Chiyo nodded. She was already starting to leave until Lizzy grabbed her wrist. Chiyo squealed as Lizzy spun her around, before the taller girl kissed her on the jaw.
"I plan to finish this conversation later, so please… wait for me ."
Chiyo found herself like a fish out of water as Lizzy was already heading down the other side of the hall. She wanted to say something but only placed her hand on the kiss.
"She actually tried tae snog ye right on the gob."
"WOWOWOW!" Chiyo screamed in fear as Snake poked her head out. Her still-damp snout brushed against the back of Chiyo’s neck, and she could smell the whiskey on her breath. "Get back in the bag, you dumb rodent."
Snake clicked her tongue and shook her head. "I’m a bloody carnivore, no’ some daft rodent…"
Chiyo rolled her eyes and forced Snake back into the bag. "Try to sleep, I don't want Haha to hear you."
"Och, dinnae worry, I don’t wanna hear her pish either."
"Oi, that’s rough!"
"S’alright, didn’t say I wanted tae shag her! Jus’ sayin’… she’s buzzin’ a wee bit, tha’s all…"
"Language! And don't even mention it to me…" Chiyo groaned. "She's always like that. I wonder if my other mother was like that too…"
Her only response was a long snore. Chiyo rolled her eyes and walked over to the great hall where Andrew was leaning against Akko, as if Akko wasn't the one with the leg blown to pieces...
"Oh oh Andrew, do you remember your birthday?" Akko burst out laughing. "When Sucy released the bee there that stung everyone…"
"Don't talk to me about it," Andrew, who usually held his liquor well, had a red nose and didn't look like he hadn't changed his clothes since the night before. "I spent all night having a crush on you…"
"DIANA HAD A CRUSH ON ME TOO!"
"And my father too…"
"Ew, it's true that Paul had a crush on me… Disgusting…" Akko sighed.
"Then Diana didn't have a crush on you all night. Remember when she got stung later and fell in love with her own reflection?"
Akko burst out laughing. "She walked around with the hallway mirror until we broke the spell!" She held her sides as she laughed, a few tears streaming down her cheeks. "And… And that time we were at the manor in Wedinburgh and she pulled me away from you out of jealousy, that wasn’t because of the bee!" Andrew had stopped laughing as Akko threw her head back. "And… And that time…"
"Akko," Andrew seemed to come to his senses. "Take a breath…"
"And…" Chiyo saw her mother’s body tense before she curled up against Andrew and sobbed. "And I just… I miss her so much…"
Andrew tensed and looked over at Chiyo. He looked down at Akko, who was trembling in his arms, and sighed. "I know… I know…" His eyes were lost in space, as if he were holding something back to keep Akko standing. Akko cried out against his shoulder, her body on the verge of collapsing.
"Haha…" Chiyo tried to approach them, but Andrew gestured for her to stay back. Akko mumbled something through her sobs that Chiyo didn’t catch, and Andrew gently ran a hand through her hair.
"I'm so angry at her…" Akko whispered.
"Oh me too Akko, me too…" Andrew whispered coldly, his grip tightening a little more around Akko.
Chiyo rocked back and forth awkwardly, unsure of where to stand. She felt like she wasn't allowed to hear this whole conversation…
Akko sniffed, stepped back from Andrew, stared at the string of snot connecting them and let out a dry laugh.
"Haha, I think it's time for us to head back to Luna Nova…" Chiyo walked over and slipped an arm around her mother's waist. Akko leaned against her and nodded. "You're going to go rest and sleep because you're still in your dress from yesterday, so I think you've been up all night with Uncle Andrew."
"Chi-chan…" Akko looked at her before her lip trembled. "Chi-chan, I’m sorry, you deserve so much better than this whole situation and…"
"Don't talk nonsense," Chiyo whispered. She gave Andrew, who was talking strangely about adding cameras to the mansion, a final wave and headed towards the grand entrance where a taxi generously paid for by Andrew was waiting. Akko was incapable of flying that far, and Chiyo wasn't skilled enough for it.
"Watch your head…" Chiyo gently guided Akko. Akko groaned and turned against the door, falling asleep almost immediately.
"She loved me, Chi-chan… Even if it wasn’t for long…"
Chiyo stood there for a moment. Her heart was clenching so tightly she thought she might stop breathing.
"Hai, hai… if you say so…" she whispered.
She took her suit jacket and placed it on Akko, who immediately snuggled up to it.
"Even if it was for a short while…" Akko murmured one last time. Chiyo looked at her worriedly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her mother's light snoring was complemented by Snake in the bag. Chiyo sighed and settled back in her seat, sandwiched between a whiskey-fueled raccoon and a wine-fueled witch.
"What do we know about the Cavendish Manor?"
Cassia and Lizzy stared at Chiyo as she placed a stack of books on the table in her room. Snake, still a raccoon, was sleeping in a laundry basket on her bed.
"Why this strange obsession with the Cavendishes?" Cassia asked. For once, she and Lizzy were on good terms. They were playing a game of chess. Chiyo noticed that Lizzy was in a bad situation, her queen having been eaten, leaving her with only a few pawns, a knight, and her king. Cassia, on the other hand, had lost only a few mundane pawns and was playing mostly with the bishop.
"Let me try," Chiyo frowned and sat down next to Lizzy. Cassia smiled at her tenderly and moved one of the pawns.
"I think Lizzy’s part is unsalvageable…"
"I don't think so, and you should be more careful with your pawns; they're easily eaten," Chiyo pointed out, picking up a pawn. Cassia nodded nonchalantly.
"A pawn is just a pawn. Whether it stays on the board or moves off is not important. The most important things are the pieces."
"Yet your pawns can be more useful than you think, if you don't play them as mere headstones," Chiyo explained, bringing a pawn to Cassia's side. "And now I get a queen back."
"Can you do that?" Lizzy asked, but was ignored.
"Just because you get a big piece doesn't mean you're guaranteed victory."
"It's not the piece that makes you strong. It's how you play. Checkmate."
Chiyo crossed her arms proudly over her chest, and Cassia clenched her jaw. She finally sighed and threw her hands up in the air. "Very well, I'm defeated. Well done, Miss Kagari."
Chiyo smiled proudly and turned her head towards Lizzy, who ignored her gaze and began playing with a huge encyclopedia.
"So… what’s your thing about the Cavendishes?"
"I'm sure there's more to say and know than meets the eye..." Chiyo murmured. "And if I keep looking, I'm sure we can find the Black Scourges' weak point and stop them! What do you think?" She looked up proudly to see Cassia frozen, and Lizzy, her mouth half-open.
"Chiyo. No." Cassia was the first to react, her voice cold and terrified. " You're not going to do this. You don't have the right."
"She's right! For once..." Lizzy immediately cried out, a little too loudly, turning to Cassia as if to taunt her and jabbed her with her spoon. Then she turned back to Chiyo. "You trying to get yourself killed? Is that it? ‘Cause that’s exactly what’ll happen if you play the big hero! We’re only fifteen! We’re not even done growing yet..."
"Yet you’re already quite big…" Chiyo said with a small, teasing smile.
Lizzy blushed to her ears, the spoon trembling in her fingers. "Chiyo!" she protested.
"Okay, I'll shut up…" Chiyo breathed.
"What do you think? That you're stronger than them? That you can fix what no one has been able to fix in almost twenty years?" Cassia's voice trembled a little, but she didn't look down. "You don't have to wear that, Chiyo. Never."
Lizzy took a small step aside, just enough to regain space, almost between Cassia and Chiyo. "We should be talking about school trips, who got the highest grade on the last potions test, not this! You hear? Look at Aunt Akko, look at how many people she's lost! Do you want to go through what she went through, what she's still going through? Do you think that's what she'd want for her daughter?!"
Cassia took a deep breath, her fists clenched. " Don't bring her mother into this, Lizzy." Her tone was low, cold, almost too polite.
Lizzy turned to her, her brow furrowed. "Yes, I do, because it matters! She's going to go through the same thing she did, and you're just going to watch her do it?!"
"I'll stop her," Cassia replied coldly. She stared into Lizzy's eyes. "I won't let her." Chiyo batted her eyelashes, her lips parted, but no words came out. She seemed to be gasping for air.
"Chiyo…" Lizzy came back to herself, suddenly softer, her voice cracking with worry. "Please. Say something. Promise you won't do that. Promise me… "
Cassia took a deeper breath, and this time her voice was almost tender. "Promise me you won’t pull anything stupid."
Chiyo looked down. She suddenly felt their fingers brush against hers, without really understanding how or why. Cassia took her left hand, Lizzy grabbed her right. They stood there, facing each other, with Chiyo caught between them like an anchor they wouldn’t let slip. They glared at each other, their fingers squeezing Chiyo's so tightly that she shuddered.
"Let her go," Cassia whispered to Lizzy through gritted teeth.
"Do it yourself," Lizzy replied, staring into her eyes.
And then, as if the tension had burst, Cassia bent one knee without taking her eyes off her. Lizzy followed immediately, too proud to leave Cassia alone at her feet. They both found themselves on their knees, each clasping a hand, like two guardians.
"Promise." Cassia breathed, her thumb stroking the back of her hand, not looking at her but staring at Lizzy with silent defiance.
"Promise me first," Lizzy said from the other side, her chin raised, her eyes stubborn.
Chiyo felt her heart pound in her temples. Her cheeks burned. Unable to speak, she just nodded, her throat too tight for words, while Lizzy pressed a kiss to her wrist and Cassia rested her forehead against her knee.
Cassia flirting with Chiyo was normal. But Lizzy doing... this...?
Very strange…
"Ah cannae believe th’ staff's handin’ ye food that easy," Snake jumped onto Chiyo's shoulder. She was holding two slices of warm pie and a plate of leftovers.
"The perks of being a Kagari, even if I feel like I'm not necessarily on the same path as my mother…" Chiyo sighed and took her glasses off her nose. Snake looked at her for a few seconds and grumbled something. Chiyo raised an eyebrow. "What did you say?"
"Stop comparin’ yersel’ tae others. Yer you , not yer mum. She’s got her own skills—an’ a whole damn list o’ flaws. Jus’ dae what ye can, yer stronger than ye think."
"Snake…"
"Anyway," the raccoon hopped to the ground, knocking Chiyo's hat off, before transforming back into a human. She stretched and wiped her glasses with her shirt. "Ye can sneak 'round pretty easy. Ye didnae get her looks, really. Not like ye’re her twin or nothin’. That’d be annoyin’."
Chiyo thought about her eyes for a moment. She placed her fingers on her cheek as she swallowed. It was true that, aside from her round cheeks, Chiyo hadn't really taken after Akko. Her nose was too straight, her skin too pale, her cheekbones too high, freckles all over her face, and her eyes were too almond-shaped, too blue for Japan, which had earned her years of rather intense harassment...
Chiyo puffed out her cheeks in a sad pout, her eyes avoiding Snake's gaze.
"I know I don't look like her, but sometimes I wish genetics had worked a little more in my favour…"
"Genetics is genetics. It’s science, aye? One o’ the only things ye cannae fight. Unless yer genes’ve got magic stuffed in ’em, yer always gonnae be a mix. But that doesnae mean yer any less a Kagari than she is."
She lowered her head a little. She heard combat boots slap against the ground before a hand ruffled her hair. She was about to protest when the hand paused, then kept ruffling her hair.
"Hey!" Chiyo exclaimed, taking Snake’s wrist.
"Ye… have highlights. Blonde."
Chiyo jerked back, her face turning red. She quickly fixed her hair, hiding the strands with her barrettes and bow.
"You didn’t see anything…"
"Aaaaw blondie!"
"Snake!"
"Tha's funny… funny, yes…" Snake remarked, taking a small blonde curl between her fingers. She seemed lost in thought for a few moments.
"There's nothing funny about it!" Chiyo puffed out her cheeks again. She placed the plates on one of the library desks and placed her hat on her head. Snake stared at her for a moment, then let out the most unexpected sound: laughter. Her smirk melted into something real, something soft, before a fit of giggles took over. She was forced to turn around, her shoulders shaking violently.
"What? What’s going on?" Chiyo put her hands on her hips.
"Ye… ye look more like yer mum than ye think," Snake continued to laugh, and Chiyo saw tears welling up in her eyes. "Same pouty wee face."
"Oi!"
"Aye, no doubt whose bairn ye are."
"Snake!"
"C’mon now, that’s what ye wanted, right? Tae look like her? Well, ye did it, I’ll tell ye that!"
"And how do you know that already?"
Snake calmed down and exhaled a breath even as the ghost of something passed over her face. She sat down at the table and stirred the fork on her plate.
"Who doesnae know her, huh?"
"That’s a very vague answer."
"Listen, Shooting Star," for some reason, Chiyo's stomach lurched and she sat silently. "Ye might not ken it, but yer mum saved magic…"
"I know, yes…" Chiyo muttered. She bent down to the school bag at her feet and pulled out a book. She opened it to the chapter "Rebirth of Magic, from 2017 to the present day" and quickly flipped through the pages.
"They made a whole bloody chapter outta it?" Snake frowned and looked at the book.
"Over 30 pages on how magic evolved, that's the new curriculum," Chiyo explained. She stopped at one of the pages, showing a detailed biography of her mother's life, with a picture of her at 20. She ignored Diana's biography on the other page, having already read it over a dozen times (no, she wasn't obsessed, just curious.) She had already memorized every word of her description and looked at the photo several times, a photo that seemed to have been taken at the same time as her mother's. She walked over to the Yearbooks and pulled a few out. She sat back down directly next to Snake, who was reading the page. She was half-lying on the book, staring at Akko's biography. Her thumb was unconsciously tracing circles on the page. She had moved the plate closer to her mouth, allowing her to bite into her piece of pie without looking up. "Besides being a raccoon, are you a chameleon with a stretchy tongue for pies?"
Snake didn't answer, but Chiyo heard her humming a song. She blinked before standing up with a cough, tearing off the page from Chiyo's book that had become stuck to her cheek thanks to the drool. She ran a hand through her hair and peeled off Diana's biography. She looked at it for a few seconds before placing it back on the table. "Ach, sorry, I was off in my heid."
"What were you singing?" Chiyo placed her chin in her hand.
"An old song from th’ 80s," Snake replied, playing with her pie. "Old song, aye…"
"Older than Taylor Swift?"
"Aye, more—wait, did ye just use Taylor Swift as a time unit?"
Chiyo shrugged. "Haha always uses Taylor as a unit, that or the song Pump Up the Jam. "
"That goes back tae the same year!"
"Oh yes?"
"Yup, 1989," Snake rocked in her chair.
"Oh wow, almost as old as you then."
"Aye, ma bunny, how auld d’ye think Ah am?"
Chiyo shrugged and refocused on the book. "Let’s refocus…"
"Chiyo."
"Hm?"
"Stop singin’ th’ intro tae th’ Eras Tour. Ye’ve been doin’ that since Ah said 1989 . Focus, dammit."
"Okay, sorry."
"Wait, wait, are you telling me that my mother was chosen by the Claiomh Solais ONLY because she thought magic was all beautiful and rosy?" Chiyo frowned.
"Bit like Chariot, aye."
"But that's ridiculous! Couldn't the wand have chosen someone more serious like I don't know, Croix? Or Di-"
"We’re… not havin’ that conversation. Last one tae ask that was Croix hersel’, an’…" Snake pointed at the image of the Noire Missile. Chiyo grimaced, imagining the sarcastic aunt she knew being a completely crazy scientist—no, actually, she could picture it pretty well…
"And after that?"
"Ley Lines’ve been poppin’ up everywhere," Snake explained, opening a map. "Like this one — connectin’ Luna Nova tae Japan — didnae even exist back in the day." The map was old and burned in a few places. It said ' Ley Lines map – 2016 ' in small print across the top, and sure enough, three-quarters of the Ley Lines she'd seen in class weren't drawn there. "Since magic woke up again, we dinnae need magic stones tae cast anymore."
"Why did Luna Nova keep its?"
"Some schools kept theirs, aye. Strengthens th’ place, or just… tradition. Luna Nova’s stone keeps th’ barrier tough — even when someone’s throwin’ punches at it."
"The barrier…" Chiyo murmured, remembering Samhain. She turned to Snake, who was only there because the barrier had been opened while the taxi entered the compound earlier that week.
Snake nodded. "Besides, th’ spirits — Woodward an’ Jennifer — they’re the ones keepin’ th’ barrier alive. Nothing gets in... unless it’s opened. And for that , ye need one o’ the Nine’s signet rings. Or th’ headmistress's one.”
"All the signet rings are here, except one…"
Snake nodded. "The Nine didnae leave kids behind. ‘Cept Beatrix. So we keep th’ rings safe here."
"But the Cavendish one… It was taken when she died, wasn’t it? When Diana was killed?"
Snake twirled Chiyo's wand between her fingers. She seemed to be biting her cheek.
"We dinnae know where it is---" Snake began.
"I do!" Chiyo exclaimed. She grabbed a blank sheet of paper and began to draw the ring she had seen in one of her past dream. "It’s golden… And it has a unicorn…"
"Bravo, Sherlock, ye just described a ring wi’ th’ Cavendish familiar slapped on it." Snake rolled her eyes but stopped sarcasm when she saw Chiyo's drawing. The exact same position as in her dreams…
"It was in a room and there was a polished black pedestal," Chiyo described, drawing. "And… And there are posters everywhere. Crosses, files…"
"Shooting Star, how’d ye ken that…"
"And there was someone…" Chiyo wasn’t great at drawing, but she was good enough to capture her dream. "Someone who smelled like something was burning, with a long coat and soot everywhere… And they… they were reading a file…"
"Chiyo," Snake tried to pull her out of her hyperfocus, but Chiyo was in a trance.
"They described Diana," Chiyo continued, now writing down what was on the file. "Lethal, a ticking time bomb, they said she was the best witch of her generation and that she absolutely should not be attacked alone." Chiyo's fingers continued to write quickly, the words blending into her speech without her realizing it.
"Chiyo," Snake tried to jolt her. "Oi, outta yer heid!"
"Everyone says she had no family, but where are the others? People talk about Cavendish Manor, but where is it? Why do I feel like there's more to this story than just a dead woman's descendant? Why is no one looking into this!"
"Because there’s nothin’ left tae say—"
Chiyo snatched her wand from Snake's grasp and cast her illusion spell. The illusion of a 25-year-old Diana appeared, the same smile and gentle expression as in her file with the Black Scourges.
"I'm sure there's so much to dig into, and I feel like everyone's abandoned her!" Chiyo exclaimed and put down her wand. She walked over to the illusion, which blinked. "Why did she went alone? Why didn't she wait for reinforcements? What made her do this?"
“’Cause she was daft an’ lost everythin’. Thought she was bein’ some kinda hero, but just screwed everythin’ up," Snake muttered.
"No! There was something else! I know it, I’m sure of it, I want to…"
Chiyo stopped speaking when a hand cupped her cheek, forcing her to raise her head. The illusion was looking at her with pain, and it seemed too vivid. Too real.
"Sometimes folk dae somethin’ stupid thinkin’ it’s right. They dive intae fire so others don’t fall in," the illusion's lips moved, but Snake's voice came out.
"But there must be a reason…" Chiyo felt tears well up in her eyes. She felt the illusion wrap its arms around her shoulders, and Chiyo collapsed against the empty body.
"Let’s not linger on th’ past, Chiyo," Snake murmured slowly, and for once, her accent didn't sound as harsh as usual. There was something reassuring, a gentleness in the way the octave dipped. And it was enough for Chiyo to break. Tears began to fall violently as her body shook with sobs. Chiyo heard Snake approach before she stopped. "Chiyo… Chiyo, someone’s comin’…"
But Chiyo was too in her head to hear it. She felt like a puzzle piece was right in front of her, and all she had to do was bend down to grab it and complete the puzzle…
Snake grabbed her by the collar, but the door opened before she could pull Chiyo out of sight. She cursed and quickly reverted to her raccoon form before running to hide under the table.
"Chi-chan…?" Chiyo looked up, frozen. Her mother stood in the doorway, wand raised like a flickering flash-light, dark circles under her eyes, worried. She hobbled forward, her crutches creaking softly on the library floor. "The staff warned me they heard a noise in the library just as your rounds were supposed to be over… What are you doing here…" She stopped when she saw the illusion of Diana staring at her, then blanched. "What… Chiyo…?" Akko’s voice broke mid-name.
"I… Haha, I…" Chiyo tried to say, but her voice was drowned out by a sob. She gritted her teeth, tears blurring her vision. The illusion worked without Chiyo's command, and Chiyo noticed her wand was out of sight. She looked around for Snake but was pulled from her thoughts by the illusion taking her hand. A familiar, very light mist followed the illusion. Out of the corner of her eye, Chiyo saw a figure outside, through the window. The Lady of the Mist, motionless, her gaze clouded, and an infinitely sad smile on her lips.
"Chiyo… what are you playing at…" Akko yelped, her voice cracking with fear. Hoo flapped his wings violently on her shoulder, his feathers bristling, his eyes fixed on the illusion.
"Haha, I… It’s not… I mean… It’s just…"
The illusion silenced Chiyo with a finger to her lips in an almost maternal gesture. She smiled tenderly at her before turning to Akko. Akko took a step back. She was trembling. Her face had fallen, and tears were already streaming down her cheeks. Chiyo turned to the Lady of the Mist, who was still staring at the scene, though her gaze seemed to wander into the library.
"Chiyo, this isn't funny…" Akko squeaked as her crutches fell. The illusion caught Akko by the hips and inclined her head in a slow, tender gesture.
"Haha, I promise it wasn't me!" Chiyo exploded. She turned violently towards the Lady of the Mist. Outside, behind the condensation-covered window, the blurred silhouette of Diana's ghost nodded gently. No words. Just the gesture.
The illusion of Diana didn't take her eyes off Akko. Then, without warning, she took her in her arms.
And Akko collapsed.
Her legs buckled under the emotion. Her scream, though it sounded more like an animal howl than a cry, tore through the silence of the library, drowned in sobs that seemed to come from her heart and lungs. She clung to the illusion, as if it were real, as if holding on tight enough would allow the illusion to stay, to hold her, to give Akko back the part of herself she was missing.
The illusion remained silent as she leaned her head towards Akko’s ear. Her lips brushed against Akko's skin and she whispered something. Just a breath, maybe a memory, maybe an apology. But what was certain was that it was enough for Akko to nod, moaning in pain.
"I told you we'd find a way…" Akko groaned. "I told you we'd find a way to handle this together, and you were too stubborn, and Diana…!"
The illusion pressed her forehead to Akko's before rubbing their noses together. Chiyo saw the Lady of the Mist look away as the illusion placed a kiss on Akko's temple. A kiss so gentle that Akko fell back again. The illusion helped her sit up before disappearing. The mist, too, slowly dissipated. As if nothing had happened. All that remained was Akko's ragged breath, curled up on the ground, her forehead resting against the cold tiles, and the tears shaking her body.
Outside, the Lady of the Mist gently closed her eyes, and Diana disappeared as if nothing had happened.
"Haha…" Chiyo said under her breath. She ran to her side, but Akko raised a hand to stop her.
"Chi-chan…" Akko sobbed. "I don’t know what you did, but… Thank you…" She rubbed her eyes and sat up with difficulty. Hoo helped her, though he still seemed tense, his sharp eyes staring at the table where Chiyo was studying.
"I… I didn’t do anything…" Chiyo half-lied.
Akko remained perched on her crutches for a moment and straightened up with a breath. She looked at her daughter before opening her arms. Chiyo felt a gasp escape her lips and she ran into Akko's arms, hiding her face in her shoulder.
"I love you, I love you, oh my star, my Shooting Star…" Akko murmured against her brown curls, her nose hiding between the strands. "I promise to tell you everything, soon… Just give me time… A little more time… And I promise, no more lies…"
"Haha… I just want you to be happy…"
"I am. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Because I know that even though Diana is gone, she will still be by my side. Here." Akko pointed to her heart and smiled. "She wouldn't want me to sink any further; knowing her, she would scold me for what I've become and tell me to stop crying for her. So that's what I'm going to do!"
Chiyo nodded slowly. They stayed like that for a few more minutes before Akko kissed her forehead one last time. When she closed the door, Hoo turned his head towards Chiyo and…
" I know you're there. "
The door closed on her words and Chiyo rubbed her eyes in confusion. She sighed and turned back to the table.
"Snake… She’s gone… You can come out…"
"LET ME GO, LET ME GO, LET ME GO!" Snake yelled.
She started running towards Chiyo, and the Japanese woman noticed something long was attached to her tail. Snake transformed back into a human, yelling insults, and Chiyo finally saw what had sunk its hooks into her teacher's rear end.
A snake.
Hey, a snake that eats Snake, a little funny...
" YOU USSELESSSS RACCOON, TURN BACK TO YOUR ORIGINAL FORM AND COME FIGHT!"
…Ah. The snake spoke.
"AH’M A HUMAN, NOT A BLOODY RACCOON!"
" ARE YOU SSSURE ABOUT THISSS?! I DON’T KNOW, SO CHANGE BACK!"
"Easy, easy…" Chiyo grabbed the snake under the head and forced its jaws open.
" Let go of me, Wee Lassssie! The great Beithir stopsss at no prey!"
Oh, great. Even the snake was Scottish.
Chiyo pursed her lips, looking him up and down, or rather from snout to tail. He was long. Very long. He must have been about five meters of ink-colored scales, and also chaos, given the way he screamed. Midnight blue reflections could be seen whenever he moved. There was a certain arrogance in the way he moved. His eyes, however…
A deep blue that now stared at Chiyo with an unpleasant familiarity. Even without eyebrows, the snake—Beithir, it seemed—seemed to have a sarcastic expression.
A noodle who thought he was a diva, if Chiyo had to describe him at first glance.
"Can I ask why you’re trying to eat my private tutor?"
" Firssst of all, you could have chossen better, Wee Lassssie," Beithir hissed. " And sssecondly, how wass I sssuppossed to know? What kind of teacher walksss around as a raccoon?"
Chiyo pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Now I would like to know why I understand the snake."
" I’m not just a sssnake, " Beithir explained. " I’m a familiar."
"And… where is your witch, oh noble companion?" Chiyo laughed softly.
Beithir straightened up tragically, his tail tip pressed against his heart. "SS She cowardly abandoned me as if I were nothing! But I sssaw you. And you, my dear, I like you."
"Chiyo, dinnae listen tae him…" Snake advised, arms crossed and a murderous look on her face.
" A poorly behaved raccoon that eatsss from garbage cansss, or an elegant pet? Cultured?" Beithir didn’t flinch. He gracefully raised his tail and pointed it at Snake, then at himself. " I think the choice iss made…"
"Ah’ll chuck him oot th’ windae," Snake growled, already mentally measuring the trajectory.
"Absolutely not!" Beithir hissed again. He quickly wrapped himself around Chiyo's shoulders and stood up proudly. "From today on, thisss witch is my witch! And no one, not even a usselessss old woman dressssed as an angry raccoon, will take her away from me!"
"I don't know if it works like that," Chiyo tried, but Beithir and Snake silenced her with similar looks. Snake slowly turned her gaze towards the familiar.
"Ye want the bunny tae fling him, or should Ah do it meself?"
" Touch me and I'll ssstart crying ," Beithir replied coldly. " And believe me, it'sss long and loud when I cry ."
"I like him," Chiyo murmured, timidly stroking one of the scales.
Beithir gave a satisfied whistle, his tongue clicking like a pat on her shoulder. " Finally, sssomeone who understandsss the value of reptilian elegance."
"D’ye realize he’s gunnin’ for ye??" Snake growled, then took a step back, arms still crossed. "He’ll act all sweet, make ye think he’s helpin’, and next thing ye know, yer readin’ him poems while he sips yer tea!"
Beithir chuckled (could a snake even chuckle?). " It's true that I'm a familiar of excellent character. And I have tassste. Very good tassste. Look, my old witch? A true legend ."
"What was she like?" Chiyo asked.
Beithir pretended to sigh for a long time. He rolled dramatically around before curling up like a luxurious scarf. " Brilliant. Fierce. A little uptight, but that wass her charm. She called me her walking drama. She threatened to tie me to a chair if I kept hissssing at guesssts. I've been to more forbidden librariesss than you've read booksss, my sssweet."
"Oh wow… She must have been amazing…" Chiyo said, blinking.
" Amazzzing, oh yesss! But very dramatic too." Chiyo heard Snake groan and saw her roll her eyes. " But hey, that'sss all in the past. And for sssome time now, I've had my eyess on a new witch. Younger. SSSweeter. Who rubss my sssscaless. And who won't abandon me like a nobody on a rainy day on the ssside of the road. "
"You mean me?"
" Unlessss the raccoon ssstarts cuddling me, yesss, I was talking about you Chiyo. "
"Ah'll bite him," Snake mouthed.
"No!" Chiyo patted her on the shoulder. "We don’t chase wild animals any more, and we don’t bite unknown animals either!"
Beithir looked up at Snake and seemed to smile. " I'm poissonousss, darling. We can play together if you like."
Notes:
When I post that, I've been awaked for now 35 hours now.
I'm falling asleep on my computer.
But I really wanted to post this chapter...
Oh and we hit the 70k words! Yipee!
Anyway, I was really excited for y'all to meet Beithir so...Like usual, tell me everything you think about it in the comments ✨
Cheers!!!
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