We're having lunch at the dining hall, though it is already past noon. Since Cole is still in jail, our teaching arrangements had to have been shifted around a bit. The school's second history teacher has really had her hands full, and because she had her normal class at the same time our history class was supposed to be, our class was combined with the fourth termers' so we all had history during their usual lesson time. Because of this, however, our animalogy had to be moved too, to make time for us to eat lunch after the history lesson.
During class we did independent assignments, because obviously we had already been taught what the fourth termers were studying. Basically no one focused, tough, as I could hear whispering all through the class, about what they think happened to Cole. The lies Alica had come up with were very impressive, and clearly well spread because almost everyone had a different version of the events. Some thought he had been killed, whether by accident or on purpose they couldn't agree, and even the ones that knew he had been imprisoned couldn't get the story right, thinking he had attacked someone in town, or stolen a horse. One boy was convinced he had turned into a giant bird-like creature and just flown away. Tauria was the only one who spent the whole class sitting quietly in the back.
The dining hall is surprisingly packed, I note as we sit down, or at least there's considerably more people than during the first lunch hour. Considering the amount of people who are still standing along the walls without lunch, I'm starting to think there won't be enough room to fit us all at the tables.
"I wonder what's with the crowd," I say to my friends. Gil shrugs, mouth full of potatoes.
"That's weird..." Alica says and points, discreetly, at a girl standing at the edge of the hall. "She's a fifth termer, they have lunch the same time as us on Fridays, don't they?" She's right. I glance around the room. Now that she's mentioned it, I notice a lot of people I know should be in class right now. I also spot Laelia and Knute in the back, both looking very confused.
Wait, Knute? When the hell did he get back? Why wasn't he in history class?
"What is going on here?" I have time to ask before the door explodes.
Unsurprisingly, chaos ensues, as everyone tries to scramble away. Well, most people try to scramble away. I try to get closer, which is really difficult when there's a wave of bodies trying to sweep me back with it.
"Sometimes I'm really worried about your survival instinct," Gil is muttering as he trails close behind me. I manage a quick grin, but the sight before me wipes it right off my face.
As the wall of students part, I can see him standing there, in the hole that used to be the doorway. Viper.
I know it's him, it has to be. He's wearing the same Geltoech mask as he did a week ago, and the same ridiculous and quite frankly pompous black satin cape as well. But what's even worse than his fashion sense, is the fact that he has the principal with him. He's being levitated in the air, while Viper walks with sure and steady steps towards the small stage near the back wall.
Other students are starting to notice him as well, and the whole room is slowly getting quiet as they still and look on with wide eyes and gaping mouths. I grit my teeth, but don't dare step forward, not yet anyway. Gil's hand is clutching my arm.
"Students!" Viper calls out, his voice echoing in the now silent hall. "I have great news for you! Or, some of you... I have come to liberate the world! To rid it of the tyranny of unjust rulers, who think that they can do whatever they please, that they can oppress so many people with no good reason! I will be the saviour of all magic kind, for I have been sent by the gods themselves!"
People are exchanging worried glances. Of course most students have no idea what is happening. Only us few who were in the barn a week ago know what he's talking about. I don't know which is worse... to not understand what is happening, or to understand exactly what is happening.
He's reached the stage and steps up to it, spinning around and throwing his hands in the air dramatically, while shouting: "I am Viper! The Chosen One of the Almighty Geltoech!"
I would laugh, if there weren't literal lives at stake. Nobody moves. Viper slowly lowers his hands. The silence stretches on.
"I need you to let the principal go," comes someone's voice from the other side of the hall. The crowd swifts, revealing Miss Graysmith, who starts to walk to the middle of the room. Everyone moves out of the way. She stops a few meters in front of Viper and unsheathes her sword. "Now."
"Oh, I don't think so," Viper says. It is impossible to see his face under the mask, but the voice is amused and condescending, the voice of someone who has been challenged into a game they know they can't lose. And as the two stare each other down, I am terrified.
Graysmith surges forward, sword pointed directly at Viper's chest. He doesn't even try to move out of the way. Instead he waves his hand upwards and she stops mid-strike. Completely frozen in place. Her sword clatters to the floor and she gasps out a breath, her hands coming up to her throat. She is struggling to breathe. Her feet are rising off the ground.
"I'm sorry, what was that about me having to let the principal go?" he says, mocking, as Graysmith continues to gasp for breath. "Could you maybe repeat that?" He laughs, hollow and loud and cruel, and Graysmith is starting to pale, her eyes rolling back in her head as her movements slowing down -
"Stop it!"
I take a deep, only somewhat shaky breath as the people around me back away. Gil hisses my name into my ear but it's too late. His fingers drift along my arm as I step away from his side into the middle of the room.
"Why?" asks Viper, not letting go of Graysmith, but somewhat relenting his magic as she takes a sudden deep breath.
"Because you don't have to do that," I say. He tilts his head to the side and shrugs.
"True," he says. "But I kind of want to."
"It will give you no benefit," I try. "You've already proven you have the power to stop those who stand in your way. That's what you wanted, right?"
He is quiet for a moment, his gaze drilling into me. I stand my ground.
"How would you know what I wanted?" he finally says.
"You want to free magic, don't you?" I say. He squints his eyes. "You said it yourself. And I can understand that, I really can. But how is killing Graysmith going to help with that?" He stays quiet. I press on. "Is it not the will of the gods that you free magic in the land? Does killing this woman really get you closer to your goal?"
"I suppose it doesn't," he admits quietly. Graysmith drops to the floor. She's still breathing hard, but she's breathing. My eyes flick to her quickly before returning to Viper. "Say... Were you one of the cowards in the barn? If you've come to grovel before me for a chance to join me, you are too late. I don't need anyone anymore, because I have achieved the ultimate power!"
"Well, that's really not what I was planning to do anyway, so that's okay," I say with an apologetic smile. "I do appreciate your cause, but you do have a sort of roundabout way of doing things, don't you think?"
"Excuse me?" he asks. Maybe I shouldn't say anything.
"It's just... If you want magic to be accepted, maybe using it to possess and poison and almost kill people isn't the smartest thing to do. That tends to have the exact opposite reaction, really."
"I have been sent by the gods," he hisses. "I have been chosen by Geltoech!" His eyes are burning, and I have no doubt that underneath his mask his face is twisted in an enraged scowl. I really, really should keep my mouth closed.
"Sure, sure, but see, I've been reading a lot on Geltoech recently, and he's a really chill god. Like, he is a very nice and kind and loving deity and I'm not sure how this whole... terrorize people fits his repertoire."
"Shut your blasphemous mouth, infidel! You have nothing against me! I am the ultimate! I am one with the gods!" He's dropped the principal to the floor as well, so that's good. He is also approaching me, which is not so good.
"Okay, man, if you say so," I say, throwing my hands up. "This is clearly an issue you need to work with your god friends, so I'm just gonna keep out of it, alright?" He is absolutely up in my face by now. I never noticed how tall he was. I swallow and flash him a smile. His eyes are absolutely crazy from up close.
"I am the ultimate," he whispers. "And I am going to kill you, and no god will have mercy on your soul."
"Could we maybe.. talk about this?" I ask as he grabs a hold of the front of my shirt, pulling me up. That's when I notice it: a ring. He has a silver ring in his right hand, glinting in the light as he raises his hand, ready to strike me. I know that ring. I gasp.
He is punched in the face.
There is a collective gasp from the crowd when Viper goes down. I topple back a few steps, but stay upright.
"Don't you fucking touch him," Gil gnarls and then turns to me. He runs his hands over my face and along my arms. "You're alright? He didn't cast any spells on you did he?"
"No, I'm alright," I say, cupping his face for a second, before letting my hand fall on his shoulder when I realise literally the entire school is watching. "Nice timing."
"How dare you?!" shouts Viper as he scrambles up from the floor. The mask is all crooked and I can see his bared teeth for a moment before he straightens it. Gil immediately gets between him and me, facing him with a face more serious I have ever seen it. I have never loved him more than in this moment. "You dare attack me?? I will kill you both!" He starts to lunge at us and Gil is ready to start throwing more punches while I fish out the small knife I keep in my boot.
"Tsk, of course there's teachers too," Viper says, almost to himself.
"Don't try me, boy. You're a decade too young to take me on." Eclaise's voice is authoritative and steady and of course he had magic. It only makes sense. Viper lets out a laugh.
"Oh, how wrong you are," he says and shakes his head. "But now this has gotten far too troublesome. I got what I came here for, I have no need for any of you anymore! No one can stop me anymore!"
He strikes his hand down and a huge cloud of smoke engulfs the hall. When it's disappeared, so has Viper. Everyone is sill for a while, until someone pushes their way through the crowd and I suddenly have a armful of Alica. All at once the tension breaks and everyone start to talk at the same time. Still no one approaches us, except Eclaise.
"You fucking idiot," Alica whispers in my ear. "Why must you do shit like that, huh? My poor heart can't take it!"
"Sorry, sorry," I say, hugging her tightly. "But someone had to intervene." She pushes me to arms length and gives me a disappointed glare. Then she turns and hugs Gil just as tightly.
"And you too, getting pulled into all these crazy things!" She sniffles. I pet her hair a few times. Then I turn to Eclaise.
"So," I say, crossing my arms. He rubs his hands together. "Magic?"
"Yes," he says, simply. He doesn't elaborate. I don't ask. Eventually he continues, "Thank you again, master Woodsham. You keep proving yourself useful over and over, although I must say this was one of the stupidest things you've ever done."
"I quite agree," I say. "But I needed to get his attention away from Graysmith, and the principal, and all the other students. I am armed" - I wave the knife in my hand before tucking it into my boot again - "and besides, I have Gil to watch my back. I have utter and complete faith in him."
Eclaise raises his eyebrow, looking over to Gil, who is still holding onto the now fully bawling Alica. I smile.
"He seems indeed a very trustworthy fellow," Eclaise admits. "You have chosen your friends well."
"Thank you, sir," I say, before glancing back at Graysmith and the principal, who don't look too well. The principal actually seems to be unconscious. "Perhaps it would be smart to get Miss Graysmith and the principal to the hospital wing... Could you?" Eclaise looks up, like he just remembered they existed.
"Oh, right! I'll take them," he says and starts to walk past me. "Oh, the principal would most likely wish to talk to you about this matter, later on."
"That's alright, I'd much like for the principal to talk to me about it too," I say. Eclaise shakes his head, letting out a huff I decide to interpret as amused, and then he leaves. The dining hall has slowly emptied out, no one wanting to stay behind, just in case the crazy lunatic decides to return. It's unlikely he'd be back though. At least for now.
I tap Gil on the shoulder and motion him to follow. We need to get to the library.
~x~
"Percy!" I shout as I slam open the doors to the library. He is there, thank gods, standing in front of the counter and he jumps at the loud and sudden sound.
"Oz?? What the hay??" he squeaks, voice panicky. I don't say anything, striding over to the counter and grabbing a hold of his wrist. "What are you doing - whoa!" I yank his hand closer, and he is caught off balance, but he steadies himself. I was right, it is the same.
"Care to explain?" I ask, glaring at him, and point at his middle finger. His gaze shifts from my face to his hand and the look on his face shifts from confused, to more confused, to sudden realization as he catches on to what I'm talking about. He has the decency to look embarrassed at least, though it does nothing to calm the rage bubbling inside me.
"What is going on?" asks Alica. I hadn't bothered to explain anything on the way, too busy rushing off to find Percy. They were right behind me the whole way, constantly asking me what was wrong. Everything was wrong.
"This is the same ring," I say, bluntly. Percy looks away. "The same ring I saw on Viper's hand."
"No," Alica gasps. Gil tenses beside me. "You mean he's-?"
"I thought I could trust you," I spit out. "But I guess you were using us. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, eh?"
"I can explain," he starts, but Gil cuts him off by grabbing the front of his shirt.
"You bastard," he seethes. "You expect us to listen to your sorry excuses when a moment ago you were ready to kill Oz!?"
Percy's eyes widen, his mouth falling open. "Wha-? Kill Oz? When, where?" he asks, brow furrowing in confusion. I blink, suddenly unsure.
"Don't you dare play dumb!" Gil shouts, looking just about ready to start punching people again. I put my hand on his shoulder and he turns to look at me.
"I don't think he is," I say, looking at Percy. He's confused, obviously, but also... scared? Of Gil? Or of what almost happened to me? "Where have you been the past half an hour?"
"H-here? I've been on shift since ten," he says, stuttering only a little.
"Yes, a brilliant alibi, 'alone in the library'," Gil says sarcastically. He's clearly not convinced yet.
"Zeze's been with me the whole time!" says Percy and Zeze pops her head up from between his hair and gives us a wave. Of course.
"Is it true, Zeze?" I ask as he fairy takes flight. "You and him have both been here since ten?"
She nods her head enthusiastically. Gil's grip on Percy's shirt relents and his hands falls down. I turn to Percy.
"Explanation," I demand. "Now."
He smooths his shirt and then touches the ring. He looks sad. Then he motions us to sit at a table.
"I know who Viper is," he says, quietly, once we're all sitting. He's rubbing the finger. "I've known... pretty much from the beginning, really. He is, was.. well. An old friend of mine.
"His name is Arren. Arren Smythe. We used to be on the same class. He didn't really have... friends, he was something of a recluse. Nobody even noticed him, and he kept to himself. I was the only person who ever talked to him, pretty much. I wanted to be his friend because we had something in common. Because he had magic."
"Doesn't that mean you have magic too?" Alica asks. Percy opens his mouth and then closes it again.
"Yes," he says. "Yes, I do."
And just like that everything makes sense. Every weird look and tic and wording, it all makes sense. It's hard to imagine I hadn't thought of it yet, to be frank. Why he was so nervous when we approached him about the poisoning, why he could understand the text on the poster, and Zeze. Thinking about it, Eclaise had seemed like he'd understood her as well.
"Anyway," says Percy. "I also have a special talent. I have the ability to tell whether or not a person has magic or not, and how strong. That's why I first decided to make contact to him, because his magic level was unlike any I'd seen before.
"He was obviously uncertain and very wary when I first expressed my desire to to friends. But after he realised I had magic, just like him, he opened up. At least a little. He was very quiet still, under normal circumstances. But when he used magic, he was much more confident and energetic and happy. Of course he couldn't use magic freely, but he did use it secret, mostly for mischievous things. He wasn't hurting anyone, so I let it be. We were friends, I didn't want to... I couldn't tell anyone, could I?
During our fifth term he got worse. He, uh, suffered from anxiety and stress and, I suppose, depression, and it was not a good time for him... He left the Academia, to recuperate. I don't know what happened to him while he was gone, but... when he came back this term, he wasn't the same. He had changed. Become radical, obsessed with the idea that we must make magic acceptable again, even if it meant through violence. I tried to reason with him, but he didn't listen."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Alica asks. Percy huffs out a humourless laugh and twists the ring around.
"I kept thinking I could convince him to stop. This is a promise ring," he says, showing us the silver band on his finger. "We got them just before he dropped out. It's meant to symbolise our bond through magic, our unlikely friendship. There's an engraving on the inside, a spell. So that the other would know, if either took the ring off. And he hasn't taken his off, so.. I keep hoping, that maybe... he can still go back... that we could still be friends."
He stops. His face is downcast and his breathing is deep, deliberately calm, like he's trying to control himself. There's even a hint of tears in his eyes. I kind of feel bad for him, even though I'm still pissed he's kept something this big to himself until now. Surely he knew we wouldn't blame him for the things Viper has done?
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he says. "I wanted to do the right thing, but I was worried for him. I was worried for myself... If I brought this up my own magic would eventually get dragged into the light as well, and I... I would've told you, eventually."
"When things got too desperate," I say. He looks away again. "How could you not trust us with this? You know better than anyone that we would be completely okay with finding out about your magic! It wouldn't have changed anything!"
"Oh, shush you, what do you know about reasons for hiding magic when you've never had to do it yourself?"
We all pause, trying to figure out who spoke. Eventually we all turn to the window, where an older woman is sitting on the windowsill, clearly in the process of climbing in. The third floor window. She smiles and waves at us, and my mind blanks out.
"Oh my gods," I say.
"What the hell, who are you?" asks Percy, standing up so quickly his chair falls backwards with a loud crash. "How did you get up here?"
"Yes, Zee, thank you. I trust you relayed my message?" says the woman as she hops off the windowsill. I am still stunned. I can't move.
"Your message?" asks Alica. "You're the Grand Sorceress?"
"The one and only!" she says cheerily. There is a wide smile on her face and I can't believe this is happening. After everything that's happened, I'd almost forgotten-... But even still, I never imagined it would be - "The name is Sharon. Sharon Rey."
___________________________________________________________
Dundundunduuuuuuun-!
I don't know how big of a reveal this is tbh it's been so long in the coming. (also if you bothered to decrypt the faeriespeak it's not actually a surprise at all haha) Anyway, stuff happens! How exciting!
Sorry this is late, I wrote it until like two last night and realised I was maybe half way through and decided to just go to bed. But yeh, now it's done, rejoice!
That's all from me for now. Your topic is "Time"
Pie out.
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