The night is already deep, but I'm still staring at my bed. I can't sleep anymore. Considering all those past memories that I saw, it seems like everything is getting more complicated.
Lia is possibly older than her mother, Lilly.
The question here is, how did that happen? If Celeste knew that winged witch who saved Mom, Tita Calla, and Tito Carob inside the South Woods, how come that Lia? It seems that their family tree is in trouble.
Or Lia used witch's magic.
I just need to research everything about witches and warlocks. As well as sorcerers and sorceresses. According to our lesson, witches and warlocks and sorcerers and sorceresses are almost the same. The only difference between them is how they execute magic or what they call spells. The latter also mastered evil spells more than the former.
So, another theory: Lia sought the help of a sorcerer or sorceress.
Hays, it looks like I can't sleep in this condition.
I left our room along with my phone and went to the balcony. The moon is always in the same appearance, just my attention. Unlike Earth with different phases. Because here, the stages seem to be new and full. It varies in color, which is unbelievable too. During my first weeks here, there were times when the moon was white. There were times when it was a bit pinkish or bluish. Just hardly Earth's moon.
Every night, the moon’s in size of a supermoon. I want to see an eclipse. Even if it's just a solar eclipse, I just want to see one.
I just leaned against the door and sat on the balcony floor. I took a picture of the bluish-colored supermoon today and made it into wallpaper. Nothing, it's beautiful.
It looks like I'll be staring at it all night.
While staring at the night sky, a raven appeared out of nowhere and landed on the railings in front of me. There is a black envelope between its beak, so I took it even though I'm really clueless about this.
The raven flew away as I opened the envelope and a white paper welcomed me. As I unfolded the paper, I saw a message addressed to me. But surprisingly, it isn't from Dreich but from the Royal Palace of Demetria. Intuitively, I think Dreich faked this sh*t.
June 18, 2020
Lady Ahrina Tantiana Regalia of Aurora
Chamber of Light
Aurora, Demetria 2053
There will be a celebration of the Annual Royal Introduction of Successors on the 25th of June 2020 at the Royal Palace of Demetria. It is already a Demetrian tradition to publicly announce all of the heirs of every city and province. Each successor will be given thirty minutes to tell the community about their ideas and suggestions that may help increase some aspect of the nation and each city and province.
As the sole successor of the City of Light, Aurora, you are required to attend the said event. Other than the stated information above, the Palace wants every heir to have communication with the other heirs as well as with the Royal Government. In addition, this event will also serve as the political preparations and preliminary elections.
The celebration will start at 8 in the morning and last until 10 in the evening. Successors are expected to arrive at the Royal Palace of Demetria an hour before the said opening time to pay respect to the whole Royal Government as well as to the Royal Family. Formal attires are strictly mandatory. Please bring this invitation for security purposes.
We will be expecting you to attend.
Sincerely,
Representative Meighann Snowdrop
Royal Palace of Demetria Representative to Aurora
Seriously? Is this really serious?
But I still feel this one is fake. Though the letter's content is…pretty formal, this one is still fake. Maybe Headmaster Hades has a follower, necromancer, or whoever with precognition, so he told that to print this.
I should hide this letter. I might kill the one who ruined it.
Okay. Tomorrow, I will not attend classes, but instead, I will spend the half-day inside the Academy Library and the other half my training. The day of that event is only a week away. In fact, I still don't have enough time to gather information about this whole Magic World thing. Not because I want to be famous, but rather, I want to take pride in what I have. That I am the sole successor of Aurora.
And Geminid Schiz's granddaughter, the Mystic Princess.
As for tonight, I think I need to meet him.
I appeared in front of the jewel tree I planted days ago. “Headmaster Hades, are you here?”
I felt a group of souls behind me, so I faced them. I'm right. And all of them are holding a scythe. One of the necromancers spoke. Its voice was hoarse like he has a sore throat and deep. “Why are you searching for His Majesty?”
I chuckled. “His Majesty?” They gripped the scythe tightly. “Okay, I'm not scared of all of you. I'm a Majesty too. I'm the Princess of Dreich.”
They all stood up properly. “Your proof?”
Suddenly, three familiar ravens went here. Like the last time, the three crows merged and became the impostor again. That battalion of souls wearing pitch-black capes bowed. “Leave us alone here. The next time you will see her, pay respect, understood?”
“Shall we, Your Majesty.” Then they all switched as ravens and flew away.
This impostor faced me and spoke. “Glad to see you again, Ahrina. It seems that you're taking your identity as the Princess of Dreich to the next level.”
“I still can't believe you, Headmaster Hades. Anyways, a raven brought this letter to me.” I showed him the letter. “Who wrote this?”
He snickered a bit. “The Societas de Malae Tenebrae’s Spy to Royal Palace wrote that. The original letter will be distributed to all successors by tomorrow.” Societas de Malae Tenebrae…The name is long, but it sounds good yet quite menacing.
“Then why did you send me this?”
“I want you to be prepared. That event is considered one of the most important events in the whole of Demetria. I also want you to represent the Dreich in that event.”
Wait. I heard right, didn't I? “What the f*cking h*ll are you saying?”
“I'm not telling you to announce to everyone that you are the Princess of Dreich but rather, just secretly stand for your city.”
“And why the h*ll I am going to do that? In the first place, you should give me evidence telling that I am really the Headmaster of Dreich and Governess of Aurora's sole daughter.”
The impostor went nearer. “Ahrina, the evil darkness is living inside you, resting in your soul. You have the divine type of magic and the gem of evil darkness. You have pitch-black wings which will appear very soon. You can control all the gems and make it one again.”
Is he joking? I have the gem of evil darkness? But there were only six gems. How did it turn out to be seven?
Wait, maybe this f*cker is just fooling me. “It is said that there are only six gems. Then how come there is a gem of Dreich?”
“I hid the truth for the whole world to avert their attention from us. When they find out Dreich has a gem, they will do everything to get it.”
“Is that why you followed me with your necromancers when we were still on Earth?” He nodded while I sighed. “It's difficult to believe it all.”
He just nodded. “If you are already prepared, I will show you how to summon the gem that rests inside you, Ahrina. For now, study your past and focus on your present for you to further understand what your future will be. You shall go back to your dorm right now before your friends feel your absence there.”
“Wait.” He faced me again. “Did you love my Mom?”
I saw the smile that hid a million tons of pain and sorrow for that second. “I love your Mom more than everything I have, Ahrina. But she doesn't feel the same way.”
“So, you took her and made love with her?”
“More appropriately, raped.” My eyes widened. His face became blank again. “I'll give you three valuable tips. First, if you want to summon your wings, wish for them, and they will appear afterward. Second, if you're going to merge different magics, you must pour all your energy into your palms and activate your supernatural thinking. Lastly, if you're going to create a weapon out of any magic, visualize it subconsciously, then place your left hand beside you. If you feel something strangely solid, that is it. Now, farewell, Princess of Dreich and sole successor of Aurora.”
How many hours did I sleep? It seems like only four hours. But it's okay. I'm used to depriving myself of sleep.
After I put on my uniform, I immediately left the room. Those three are having a lazy time in the living room. “Aren't you going to attend classes yet?”
“We’re sleepy—” Marina opened her eyes and gazed at me. “You? So, you will not attend?”
I nodded. “I'm just going somewhere. I'll just have lunch at the mall.” Before they could say anything, I immediately left the dorm.
All by myself, I walked down the hallway and ignored another set of these students’ gossip. If they think I'm going to be affected, then they’re utterly wrong. It’s just that it’s too deafening! They were like flies and bees all around me.
Since the library is still on the third floor, I have to go upstairs. Not to mention that the Academy is very high. But it's all worth it when you get to the third floor. Like h*ll, the library here is so expansive. Their library consists of four floors and has long tables on the ground floor with lamps on each seat. The ceiling is also made of glass so that natural light enters it.
With the number of books here, it looks like I’ll have a hard time finding out about the past.
Since I was in elementary, I have loved hanging out in the library. I also became a junior librarian before because I frequent the library. But I was only the top 2 back. I don't like to participate in recitations. I only ace in written works and quarterly assessments. When I was in grade 6, where I was the batch's salutatorian, I received The Junior Librarian award.
You know, I hate being in the top 1. That's why I never tried to compete in that spot.
And so, by that, as far as I know, every library should have a list of books. Where books are sorted into different categories or even the subject scope, how many shelves, what book number, when was it accepted, info like those. So, I searched for it.
Luckily, I found one near the chief librarian's desk. The papers are sorted by date of importation.
“Uhm…”I faced the person who spoke. It was maybe the chief librarian. “It's the first you came here, Ms. Regalia. Mind to assist you?”
I thought all librarians were strict. Anyway, that's just a stereotype. “No, not at all. Good afternoon.”
She smiled and nodded. “Good afternoon too, Ms. Regalia. I'm Dahlia Rieotti, the chief librarian of Schiz Academy. So, what book are you searching for?”
I sat down on a vacant chair and placed the five books gently onto the table. I'm not the only student here. There are also thirty-six more students. Twenty-one of them is sitting down and reading.
There is one weird thing about me. My sight isn't blurry, but I can focus more on reading when I wear a pair of glasses with no grade or tint. Sometimes I use anti-radiation glasses. It depends on what I'm carrying or what I'm carrying.
Luckily, I have here anti-radiation glasses. I wore it and opened one of the two History books I borrowed. I took one of my notebooks and started on my first goal for the day.
I actually borrowed two History books, a book about the Demetria itself, and two books that are all about magics and the Sacred Stone they call that was shattered into six gems. Or seven as to what Headmaster Hades told me last night.
While I was in the middle of writing, a scene entered my mind. And I'm very sure this is what happened when we were all in Thalia. It is like a third person's point of perspective, and I can see both what is happening in the illusion and in reality.
The ice dome broke into pieces, causing the fake necromancers to flock to us seven. Then fire from my left hand attacked turned those who went in the way into ashes while a sort of light beam appeared from my right palm. Lia's face became both confused and startled.
“C-Celeste!” She yelled. As Celeste got near her and looked at the orb floating on Lia's palms, she shared the same reaction.
“Isn't wind her power? Also, the ability to mimicry doesn't cover the magic itself,” she clearly said in her thoughts.
“I cannot take it anymore!” I shouted, and the fire and light both increased their intensity. Crimson Ul*l was the first one to move, followed by the others. Seconds passed, and I fell down to the ground out of power. “But the question now is, how? How did I do that? How did two different magic come out of my two palms? Is my subconscious mind in control?” I said in my thoughts.
A scythe from the necromancers flew and buried into my thigh as I stood up with Marina's help. In revenge, I faced my palm to them, and a light beam from it turned them again into ashes.
As the scythe slowly vanishes, the pain becomes more apparent. That's when Lilac shouted in panic. “We have a problem! Ahrina's body, it's starting to move!”
Lia was the first one to arrive at the grounds, where the physical bodies of all students were frozen like statues. My body began shaking, and the wound slowly appeared because of that scythe. When my injury started bleeding badly, my body fell onto the ground in both reality and illusion. Aunt Lilly, along with the other witches and warlocks, brought my unconscious physical body into the healing area of the castle. I vanished from the illusion as they laid me down on a bed.
Marina asked in confusion. “What happened?”
“That's also my question, Marina,” Lia said in her thought. “This is the first time that this thing happened.”
“Lia!” Celeste called. “Leave your work to Lilac. We need to talk.”
Lia immediately responded. “Yes.” She faced Lilac and passed her the orb. “Finish it, Lilac.” Her sister nodded. Lia's dark violet wings appeared from her mid-back and flew to follow Celeste's steps. They marched inside the castle and arrived in Celeste's office. “Celeste…”
Celeste took out a book with a soft purple cover and off-white pages that all seemed to be pretty old and handed it to Lia. Lia's eyes partially widened. “This is…”
Celeste nodded slightly. “Ahrina is the one referred to in that book.”
As if on a cue, Lia's eyes totally widened up. She even stuttered. “Y-You mean, she's Geminid's granddaughter.” Celeste nodded, confirming Lia's hunch. “Governess Regalia. She's the daughter of Geminid, the Queen of Fertility?” Celeste nodded once again. “No…” She thought.
“Once the necromancers find out, the Enchanted War could start again. But this time, it's more bloody.” Celeste raised her left hand and patted Lia's shoulder. “Open your house. That's where the Mystic Princess and your friends will stay.”
Lia nodded in eagerness. “I'll follow, Celeste.”
“Ms. Regalia…”
I immediately faced Ms. Rieotti. “S-Sorry, Ms. Rieotti. I got drowned in my thoughts.”
She smiled. “It's okay. I just want to inform you that your butlers are outside the Academy Library. They aren't allowed to enter the library to prevent catching attention which will ruin students' focus.”
I nodded and smiled too. “I understand, Ms. Rieotti. I will just go out for a bit to meet them.” I bowed my head slightly to her and went to the library doors. As I opened it, I saw two butlers. I spoke after I closed the door. “Why?”
One of the butlers bowed as he handed me a beige envelope and the butler beside him spoke. “Lady Ahrina, that is the invitation for the upcoming Annual Royal Introduction of Successors. Headmistress Mildred told us that you will visit a fashion boutique along with the successors of Hesperia by tomorrow at the Central Market outside the Schiz Academy premises.”
“Thank you. In response to that, I will come with the successors of Hesperia by tomorrow. I don't know what the time is, so can you just fetch me up?”
They both nodded. “We will come to fetch you, Lady Ahrina, as Lady Scarlet and Lady Merlot arrive.”
“Okay, thank you.” They both bowed and left. I returned to the library and sat on my seat again.
When I opened the letter, it was precisely the same as the letter that Headmaster Hades sent me last night. Even the texture of the paper. Except for the envelope. This beige envelope is very smooth, stiff paper while the black one is smooth too but is like the regular colored paper.
I placed the envelope inside my bag and continued what I was doing. I only have a few hours before lunch happens.
After returning those books to their respective shelves, I left the library and headed toward the mall.
Unfortunately, Julianna met me again when I came downstairs. Unlike the usual, she only had two henchmen with him. “Lady Ahrina, it's pretty good to hear, but no one can beat Lady Julianna yet.” Whispers around grew.
“They say idiots are braver.” I smirked. “You're brave now, actually.”
Her eyes narrowed into slits. “What did you say?”
“Lady Julianna, I just have some advice for you. Know what you're up against, so you won't regret everything you've done, and sure you'll win. Understood?”
When I arrived at the entrance of the Academy mall, I saw them in a café and talking. I entered it and sat down next to Lia. Freesia chuckled as she glanced at me. “It's good that you're still here. Since Ahrina is already here, let's eat.”
After that, we ordered our lunch. I don't have any appetite for today, so I just ordered a slice of blueberry chai cheesecake and café mocha. While eating, I spoke. “Tomorrow, I'm going somewhere.”
“Where?” Lia asked.
“We will be buying clothes at the Central Market for the Annual Royal Introduction of Successors by next week.”
Marina was a little surprised. “Have you received an invitation yet?" Freesia asked at the same time. I just nodded. “Eh? Look!”
I took out the beige envelope and handed it to them. They wiped their hands on their clothes and moved to the adjacent vacant table. It doesn't seem to be dirty. OAs.
“Wow,” Freesia said and gave me back my invitation. “You should prepare your speech. It won't even take thirty minutes as long as you have something to say.”
Lia agreed. “Yes. You know the Youth Ambassador will choose you.”
“If only I could stop being successor.” Their eyebrows rose a bit. “It seems like it's hard to do something you don't want to do. Serving constituents isn't my specialty. I prefer just sitting quietly in a house and reading books.”
“You can’t do anything anymore,” Marina said. "You're the daughter of a governess, so you're the automatic one to replace her once she resigns. That's the trend of politics here, Ahrina."
I just scratched my neck. “This life I have is so boring. Let's eat.”
After we ate, we went back to the school building. They will just accompany me to the Training Chamber. It was still a bit early, so we just slowed down.
Which we regretted later on.
A cross-breed of octopus and leech appeared in front of us. If before she only backed up two henchmen, now she has six. So this is really how an idiot acts? Fighting even knowing there is no chance of winning against the opponent.
“I said, acknowledge what you're up against, don't increase the number of your dogs. The level of your understanding is too shallow.” My three friends chuckled. “What do you want this time?”
Julianna Sutton laughed. “Is it bad to just pass by?”
“Just pass by? I'm not stupid, Julianna Sutton. The hallway is extensive, but you met us where in fact, you can pass by the side.”
She rolled her eyes and laughed sarcastically. “Looks who's brave just because she’s a governess’ daughter and niece of the Headmistress.”
I think I already know why this witch’s mad. "If you're upset because I also received an invitation from the Royal Palace, tell me frankly instead of shaming yourself in front of the students. Next time, follow one’s advice. You're not going to die if you try to obey at least once. Another thing, you have to learn to know your ground. Even though the Academy is situated in Antheia, you still don’t have the authority over us. Lastly, keep in your empty mind that you are not the only successor of Antheia.”
When she could no longer speak, we passed her. However, seems that she has the strongest bone in the universe and the thickest face. She has no shame for herself. "Hey, Ahrina Tantiana Regalia! You really talk like you know the system here, huh? Just in case you forgot, I'm Julianna Sutton, and I'm the top female magician in the entire Academy."
I faced her and smiled sarcastically. “I don’t give a hoot, Sutton.”
I bid goodbye to them when we arrived here at the Training Chamber. I waited for them to leave before entering. Surprisingly, Crimson Ul*l isn't here. So as Blake and Thoreau. I didn't ask Lia if they attended classes or not.
Looks like I will train alone. Or I can call Sir Collin — no. Perhaps he’s busy.
The door opened, and I saw Crimson Ul*lens entering the Training Chamber. He looks like he just woke up. Goodness, I thought he wasn't coming. “What a miracle, you arrived first,” he said and dropped his bag on the floor.
“What a miracle, you arrived late,” I mimic. “I hope you just went to sleep so I can train alone.” He just stood up across me and removed his cape. “By the way, did you receive a Royal Invitation?”
He nodded. “I was also told that the successors of Hesperia will go at the Central Market to buy the formal attire for that event along with the sole successor of Aurora.”
“And you agreed?”
“Do I have any choice?”
Well, anyway, I’m looking forward to our shopping together tomorrow. Crimson’s sisters seem happy to be with, and who knows, maybe the two gays will come along.