Summary: They lost their parents in an epidemic when they were only eight, their sister went missing when they were eleven, for the three Hart sisters’ life was by no means easy but they always kept looking forward. The village was peaceful and quiet, everyone was friendly and the sisters were content with what little they had. When the three of them get accepted into Gedonelune magic Royal Academy, the most prestigious magic school, they leave the village they lived in all their lives and set out to the academy. With Liz being terrible in magic and Loris being indifferent, will they be able to pass the trial? And what’s with the mysterious Dream Lillias keeps having?
《 Summary 》 From a young age, Erumi Yukiura had trained rigidly, giving it her all. Getting into U.A was only the first step for her. As time passes, she settles into her new school life as a member of class 1-A but several unexpected events take place one after the other. In such circumstances, all Erumi cared about was becoming stronger, she had no intention of getting acquainted with her classmates.
But life doesn't always go the way you expect, between the friendship and new bonds, her frozen heart starts to gradually melt away as forgotten scars begin to resurface.
《 Pairing 》 Todoroki Shoto x Erumi Yukiura (oc), Midoriya Izuku x Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki x Esuna Kurotsu (oc)
《 Genres 》 Action, Slowburn, some angst, Fluff.
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02 || Ice Queen
She looked up, shielding her eyes from the harsh sunlight. Erumi took another long breath and closed her eyes, attempting to clear her mind, the wind ruffling her hair gently as it brushed past her. It calmed her and made her feel at ease. She stood there for some time, basking in the warmth of the sun on her skin.
After a while, she let out a satisfied sigh and opened her eyes again, looking up at the bright blue sky, watching the birds fly by. Erumi smiled fondly, her eyes drifted back down – where she could see the people walking around, ready to go about their day.
The streets were less crowded than usual, it was a rare but nice change of pace. No incidents. No rush. Just a quiet, uneventful morning.
The young teenager walked forward observing the surrounding nature, her hair emitted specks of ice that drifted down her locks, letting it shimmer in the light.
It wasn't often she got to relax. Far from it in fact. She rarely had time for herself, even less time when she was at home. But this… this was a perfect atmosphere to take a small break, enjoy the sun and focus on herself without having to worry about anything… at least, for a short while.
How she wished moments like those would last.
As she was getting used to the calm atmosphere a thunderous explosion interrupted the tranquil moment. Smoke began rising into the sky, covering the view of the sun and clouding it in layers of gray and black, and a burning smell spread in the air. The tiniest of grumbles escaped Erumi's lips, "Not again…" she muttered, running her hand through her locks.
Just great…
Erumi thought with annoyance. She turned around, her gaze fell upon the rising smoke. She watched as a crowd gathered around, chatting and whispering as they looked at the large mass of fire caused by a villain, no doubt.
There goes my peaceful walk…
Everyone moved quickly, rushing towards the scene. Before she knew it, she was being pushed left and right, Erumi tried to step out of the way only for more people to rush in. She maneuvered her way through the crowd, squeezing between them as they all walked in the direction of the explosion. Did they want to see what caused the commotion? Or did they simply want to see which hero would deal with the situation? Either way, she didn’t care. All she wanted was to go to school, or at this moment in time; get away from this damn crowd.
When she finally managed to get away, the girl let out a long exaggerated sigh and then glanced back toward the smoke, she watched as people rushed to the scene. "This is ridiculous," Erumi muttered. It always shocked her really, how people could ignore their basic instinct of self-preservation and instead focus on the most insignificant things.
Have they simply become too numb to it all?
The girl closed her eyes and kept walking forward, trying to ignore the commotion. Her arm clenched into a fist to fight against the feeling of agitation. Sparks of ice slowly emitted from her hair for the briefest of moments before it dissolved into the air.
It doesn't concern me.
Erumi looked back in front of her, striding forward through the streets, ignoring everything going on behind her as she continued her slow march, hoping she'd reach her destination soon.
Surely then she wouldn't feel so irritated.
Erumi sighed as she came to a stop, standing near an intersection, her blue eyes following the flow of traffic, waiting for the cars to rush past her. At some point, she zoned out, getting lost in her thoughts. Water splashed over her shoes as a car passed by, startling her out of her daze, she snapped her head upwards to look at the road just in time to see the lights changing, everyone started walking and she proceeded on her way to school.
Her school…
Corusan Private School.
A known school in Shizuoka prefecture. Everyone has heard of it at least once. Many entrepreneurs and pro heroes graduate from this very school every year. In other words, it was a school for the rich and powerful.
For the majority, this was a hard school to get into. Students needed a strong family background and superb grades to enter it. The tuition was by no means cheap either. But to Erumi, it was the last school she wanted to go to or be associated with.
And yet here she was.
Not by her own free will, mind you.
Shifting her backpack onto her shoulders, the girl started her slow trek forward toward the school building. When she finally reached the entrance, she looked up at the building, frowning slightly.
Time for yet another day in this school.
She made her way to class, walking through the hallways. As she passed by the classroom doors, she caught a few students glancing her way, whispering and giggling amongst themselves. Erumi ignored them and continued on her way, she looked down, her eyes looking somewhat solemn as she walked towards her classroom, she slid the door open and walked inside taking her usual seat in the back, she liked it there.
It was next to the window, so whenever she got bored she could just stare out of it at the scenery and watch the birds as they flew across the sky.
It was a good way to pass the time.
Erumi's eyes turned to look outside the window, watching the clouds float past her slowly. She leaned forwards, placing her arms on the desk. She rested her chin on her hand, idly playing with a loose strand of her hair.
After all, she had nothing else to do.
The door opened as a stern woman walked forward, her short brown hair pushed back in a side ponytail while her blue eyes scanned her surroundings, everyone quickly fell silent as they took their seats.
"Good morning class" The woman greeted, walking forward towards the podium with a pile of paper in her hand, placing it neatly on top before speaking. "Homeroom is about to start." She announced, taking another glance at her students, like a mother hen checking on her chicks, "Now that you are all third years you need to think about your future carefully and thoroughly. I am sure most of you want to become pro heroes," The woman went on as everyone erupted into cheers, they raised their hands and started showing off their Quirks.
From controlling wind to flaming hair, each one was completely different from the other. Some had horns and tails, others had scales or wings. Others could control fire, or extend their arms and hands.
To say the least, it was chaotic but Erumi could care less.
The teacher sighed, already expecting that response, "We get it, now please calm down everyone. You shouldn't use your quirks freely in class like this." She rubbed her temples, "I'm about to hand out your future course surveys, please fill them out and bring them by the end of the week, do NOT be late."
"Yes!" Everyone in the class shouted in unison, enthusiasm radiating from their voices.
"Future…" The young teenager mumbled, her eyes focused on the desk in front of her.
Her future… she had long decided since that accursed day. Over the years, that spark had only ignited into a burning flame. She WILL be a hero, she had been training for years since that day.
Training solely for that one goal.
This wasn't just for her mother either… not anymore.
Erumi swiftly grabs the piece of paper handed to her by the person in front of her, but she doesn't fill it out; she just stares at it, her brow furrowed as she holds her pen gently above the sheet, twiddling the cap between her fingers.
She DID want to be a hero but…
------
The bell rings, signaling the beginning of lunch break. Erumi closes her notebook with a loud clap and looks back at the paper resting on her desk, she soon hears a voice calling her name.
“Ru!”
Erumi turned around to find one of her classmates walking toward her. The girl had long curly red hair, reaching down her waist and a pair of large, reptile-like violet eyes, they seemed to narrow as she approached Erumi.
"Oh Esuna..."
"The one and only," Esuna said with a laugh, a grin curling up her lips. "Missed me?"
Erumi grumbled in reply, shaking his head before looking back down at the paper on her desk. "Ignoring me already? That's mean Ru....!" Esuna pouted, but it was quickly replaced by a smile. She didn't mind too much, if anything it gave her the chance to tease her childhood friend more, and oh did she love teasing people. "Hmm? What are you looking at? The survey?" She moved closer, resting her arms on Erumi's shoulders, the weight of her body making the girl wince.
"Unless you want to become a human iceberg, I suggest you let go of me." Erumi pushed Esuna’s arm away. "I can't focus when you're distracting me with your useless chatter."
She liked her personal space… and so did Esuna apparently.
"Ooh, Did I bother the ice queen? my apologies," Esuna giggled as she sat down on the desk. "But you know, even if you did use your ice, I can just melt it with my flames." She flicked her fingers, giving a small smirk as a black and purple flame ignited from her fingertips, "So sorry~ Your Quirk doesn't work on me." She moved her fingers around, watching as the flames swirled around.
"And I can easily extinguish your flames if I wanted to but it's not worth the effort," Erumi spun the pen around, lazily glancing at her classmate from the corner of her eye, a blank look on her face.
"You're no fun sometimes…" Esuna huffed in response, crossing her arms, "Anyway, why
haven't you filled out this form already? Hurry up and let's go grab lunch," she pouts at Erumi, urging her to finish. "I am getting hungry."
"That…." Erumi lowered her voice, unsure of how to explain things to her friend. "I'll do it later…"
"Liar~" Esuna sighed, "I know you better than that. Something is bothering you." She eyed Erumi, her expression laced with worry, "With your skill and family connections, you can easily pass the U.A's recommendation exam."
"I could… Whether it be the recommendation exam or the entrance exam I am confident I can handle both with ease but this isn't the problem," Erumi stated glancing outside the window, watching as the students walked around the courtyard.
"You are as overconfident as ever I see…" Esuna laughed, she felt dumb for even thinking Erumi was nervous now. "If you believe that then what's the matter? You always said you wanted to attend U.A like your parents."
Erumi stopped, letting out a long sigh, "Forget about it," she shook her head, "What about you, didn't you also want to join U.A Esuna?"
"Yep, that's right! I've been training a lot lately so I am sure I'll be the first place in the entrance exam," Esuna smirked, her arms crossed triumphantly over her chest.
"And you call me overconfident…" Erumi shook her head, "Knowing you… You'll end up in second place instead and start wallowing over it."
"Jeez, thanks for the vote of confidence…" Esuna mumbled, her shoulders slumping. "It wouldn't hurt to have more confidence in my abilities."
"I am not underestimating your abilities but YOU are underestimating the entrance exam, there will be many around you with strong quirks, maybe even some with stronger abilities than your own," Erumi explained, her voice low and serious.
"You always do look at things from a logical standpoint," Esuna stretched out her arms before jumping out of her seat, "Well, I still know I have what it takes to make the cut," she stopped for a bit, " I don't know what you're struggling with but I just can't imagine you in another school besides U.A, not with your talent so don't overthink too much and just do it, you've never been one to doubt yourself."
"Yeah." She mumbled. The words were soft and barely audible, she turned away from the conversation, eyes fixated on a wall, face void of emotion and expression.
Esuna let out a long sigh, "Alright, I'll stop pestering you for now, I'll go grab a drink before lunch break ends, cya!" She turned around and started walking, giving Erumi a slight wave.
Erumi waved back before placing her hand down and exhaling, "Only U.A huh...?" She muttered quietly to herself, staring at nothing as she absentmindedly twirled a pen through her fingers.
"You will be attending Shiketsu High School and that's final."
Her grip on the pen suddenly tightened, snapping it in two before letting out a frustrated grunt. She glanced up with a glare as she recalled those words.
She didn't get it.
She never cared about that old man's words before, so why should she start now… why should she listen to him? Her eyes narrowed in irritation, she clenched her fist tight around the broken pieces of the pen, making it dig into her skin and flesh. Unwanted memories flashed before her. Her expression hardened as she thought about his words, frost gathering around her body, freezing the ground beneath her.
No matter what she does… she knew it wouldn't change how her family looked at her… that was always the case.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Erumi let go of her fists slowly but continued to stare blankly in front of her.
Shiketsu…
It wasn't a bad school in the slightest it was even considered as good as U.A. in terms of prestige. It was the best school in the West.
It just… wasn't her dream high school. And yet it looked like she had no choice but to attend it anyways.
But no, she won't be a puppet for that man… Not when he has made her life a living hell.
Not when he has done nothing but berate her and put her down. To him, she was only a stain on their prestigious family name.
"Shiketsu high…." She stood up before letting go of the broken pen, "I definitely don't want to go there."
Yes, she'll follow her own will. Her own desire. Nothing else mattered.
"You will be attending Shiketsu High School and that's final."
Her grip on the pen suddenly tightened, snapping it in two before letting out a frustrated grunt. She glanced up with a glare as she recalled those words.
She didn't get it.
She never cared about that old man's words before, so why should she start now… why should she listen to him? Her eyes narrowed in irritation, she clenched her fist tight around the broken pieces of the pen, making it dig into her skin and flesh. Unwanted memories flashed before her. Her expression hardened as she thought about his words, frost gathering around her body, freezing the ground beneath her.
No matter what she does… she knew it wouldn't change how her family looked at her… that was always the case.
She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. Erumi let go of her fists slowly but continued to stare blankly in front of her.
Shiketsu…
It wasn't a bad school in the slightest it was even considered as good as U.A. in terms of prestige. It was the best school in the West.
It just… wasn't her dream high school. And yet it looked like she had no choice but to attend it anyways.
But no, she won't be a puppet for that man… Not when he has made her life a living hell.
Not when he has done nothing but berate her and put her down. To him, she was only a stain on their prestigious family name.
"Shiketsu high…." She stood up before letting go of the broken pen, "I definitely don't want to go there."
Yes, she'll follow her own will. Her own desire. Nothing else mattered.
Summary: They lost their parents in an epidemic when they were only eight, their sister went missing when they were eleven, for the three Hart sisters’ life was by no means easy but they always kept looking forward. The village was peaceful and quiet, everyone was friendly and the sisters were content with what little they had. When the three of them get accepted into Gedonelune magic Royal Academy, the most prestigious magic school, they leave the village they lived in all their lives and set out to the academy. With Liz being terrible in magic and Loris being indifferent, will they be able to pass the trial? And what’s with the mysterious Dream Lillias keeps having?
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"You three tell me something," The headmaster stepped forward, a small smirk on his face, "What does magic mean to you?" He proceeded to ask. "Meaning… of magic?" Lillias mumbled as she exchanged glances with her two siblings, checking if anyone other than her had an answer yet all of them remained deadly silent, she could tell Liz and Loris were confused by the question. "Um…" Liz trailed off as she racked her brain for an answer… but she couldn't think of anything. The meaning of magic? To her…?
She couldn't quite comprehend the purpose of such a question.
"It's okay, it matters not, you still have plenty of time to find an answer," Randolph reassured them, "Search for the answer from within your hearts."
"Yes sir."
"One more thing," Conrad spoke up, turning to speak to them, "Now this is very important, you must never leave the Academy grounds after nightfall, also the tower of sorrow and the surrounding east forest must never be entered."
"The tower of sorrow? Isn't that from the fairytale of the dragon of time and the first king?!" Liz asked in bewilderment. "A fairytale you say?" Conrad narrowed his eyes and glanced at Liz while Zen covered his mouth, fighting the urge to laugh.
"Isn't it?" Liz asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Liz it… it's real," Lillias chimed in, turning to face her sister. "Did you think it was a fairytale all this time?" She looked at Liz in amazement. "… Liz, even I know…" Loris shook her head in disbelief, she didn't find this amusing… not in the slightest. "You two must be joking…right?" Liz skeptically eyed her two sisters, the story couldn't possibly be true… right?" Her eyes glanced from her sisters to the headmaster, desperate for an answer. "Like those two said, it is no fairytale, it's a true legend." Randolph nodded affirmatively before glancing back at the girls. "Wait really, that actually happened?!" Liz exclaimed, her eyes bulging out of their sockets like saucers.
"Indeed yes, though it seems some lands believe it no more than a fairytale," Randolph let out a muffled laugh. "It's embarrassing you don't even know that much," Klaus blurted out. "…." Liz remained quiet as she looked at the ground, she tightened her grip on her hand feeling slightly embarrassed by her ignorance, Klaus's remarks were not making things easier either… but really, did he have to say that?
"Headmaster Randolph is one of the three mages who has vowed to protect the tower of sorrow," Conrad informed them.
"What? He's one of the three mages?! Liz shouted in utter shock. "Indeed I am," Randolph smirked playfully before winking at Liz. "That reminds me, I heard you three were unable to meet Klaus at the station."
"Yes, we went off on our own as soon as we arrived…. Then we ended up accidentally splitting up and… stuff happened." Liz mumbled as she averted her eyes. "Hmm yes, something of the like did happen," Lillias affirmed.
"I apologize for the acceptance letter failing to tell you the proper instructions." Randolph apologized sincerely, "I should better make sure that nothing similar happens to our provisional students in the future." He mumbled to himself. "Why was Prefect Klaus sent to the station in the first place?" Liz hesitated slightly but managed to ask the question. "Because I asked him to," Randolph replied casually.
"Oh…." Liz mumbled, unable to say anything to that. "Klaus," Headmaster Randolph took a brief glance at the blond Prefect, focusing his attention on him.
"Yes?" Klaus turned his head to face the headmaster, meeting his gaze straight on without faltering for even a second. "I would like you to continue supporting the sisters," Randolph crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair as he stared down at Klaus.
"W-what?!" Liz gasped, absolutely dreading the idea. No, she couldn't possibly handle it! She wanted to stay away from Klaus as much as possible. She didn't want to be taught by him, that would be a disaster! She couldn't let her rosy hopes of academy life shatter to pieces.
"Me sir?" Klaus Inquired.
"Yes, your assistance will prove valuable to them now and in the future, plus…" The headmaster's lips curved into a smirk, "You and Liz seem to have good synergy together."
"I don't know about that…"Liz mumbled as she fiddled with her skirt, her gaze focused on the floor beneath her feet. She couldn't comprehend how the headmaster came to that conclusion, it made no sense to her. Ever since she met the blond prefect he had only made fun of her or belittled her. Her time with the emperor Klaus had been nothing but a nightmare. She didn't want to endure being with him longer than necessary.
But surely… She wasn't the only one who thought so, right? Surely Klaus felt the same. Liz glanced over at the blond prefect, hoping to see a hint of dissatisfaction or disapproval in his face but instead, all she saw was a blank expression devoid of any hint of emotion.
"Liz, you practice Veterinary medicine, yes?" Randolph asked, looking at the brunette for confirmation. "Well um…. More or less," She responded hesitantly. "If you are able to join us as an official student I would like to guide you towards becoming a tamer of magical creatures," the headmaster offered, smiling kindly at his new student. "Really?! A tamer?!" The girl exclaimed, eyes glowing with enthusiasm, "I would love that!"
"Then study hard and that path could be yours." Randolph chuckled in amusement.
"I will!"
Randolph then turned his attention to Lillias for the briefest of moments, "As for Lillias, I believe you specialize in herbs and medicine, correct?"
The girl replied with a nod, "That's right, I find it to be an interesting and useful subject, I am also quite fond of nature in general not just medicinal plants, the differences of each species can be quite fascinating and-" She trailed off but abruptly stopped herself when she saw Schuyler clear his throat and glare her way. "My Apologies," she covered her mouth and composed herself, turning her gaze towards the ground.
"I can tell you're really passionate about nature," Randolph laughed, "In the past, there was a student who shared your enthusiasm for plants and medicine, it's quite a shame he's no longer in the Academy." He smiled wistfully as he recalled one of his old students, "The two of you would've definitely gotten along."
Lillias inquisitively glanced up at him, curious as to who this former student was, she wondered what kind of person he was. Soon, the young teenager shook those thoughts aside. At the moment, it didn't matter. Her main priority was getting officially accepted into the academy, those questions of hers would come later.
"Klaus… I know you are promised a position with the Ministry of Magical Justice, however…" Randolph paused for a second to collect his thoughts, "If you see to it that Liz is accepted, what would you say about becoming a professor in the academy?"
"…. seriously?" Klaus stared at the headmaster, stunned by the unexpected suggestion. "I am completely serious," Randolph reassured him with a big smile, observing the honor student with great attentiveness.
At that moment, prefect Klaus, who had been completely unfazed before, erupted with glee."Understood I will do everything in my power to support her."
"Please do." Randolph nodded approvingly, "That is all I have to say for now… Liz, Lillias, and Loris. I hope you enjoy the Academy life."
"Thank you, sir." Liz and Lillias gave a slight bow in his direction.
Wait… That's it?
Loris blankly stared in front of her, utterly shocked, insulted even. It was absurd, it felt like she was completely ignored.
He didn't comment about me at all! Not a single comment. Nothing, zero, zilch, nada. Dude, am I invisible or something?!
The brunette grumbled as she looked away, feeling disappointed, but… why? She didn't completely understand why. After all… she didn't even want to be here. Anything that happens from now on… means nothing.
Randolph silently watched as the students left the office, a satisfied smirk on his face as he watched the door close shut. Once there was no one around, he glanced toward the two professors, "Zen, Conrad what do you make of those three young fledglings?" He asked, his voice low and calm, his eyes focused on the doorframe.
"Well… let's see," Zen contemplated the answer for a while before continuing on, "They are quite a unique bunch, I am looking forward to teaching them, they seemed eager to start their new academy life."
"That may be true," Schuyler coldly responded. "However, I personally doubt they have what it takes to be officially accepted here."
"Eager you say…" Randolph examined the papers on his desk, carefully skimming through their contents, "I wonder about that…" he quietly mumbled to himself, getting lost in his thoughts. After a few minutes, he heard a knock on the door, "Come in."
The door creaked open as a young man with shimmering white hair stepped into the office, his uniform slightly disheveled and messy, yet he still gave off an imposing Aura, "Oh? Am I perhaps late to the party?" Prefect Lyron pushed his long white locks away from his face, "Seems like I might have lost track of time a little." He smiled towards them, seemingly completely unbothered by Professor Schuyler's icy glare.
"Ah, Lyron. I am glad that you decided to finally grace us with your presence." Randolph greeted him coolly. Schuyler narrowed his eyes as he scanned his student up and down, "As Laid-back as ever, I see," he spat the words out, completely dissatisfied with his student's code of conduct, "I will never understand how someone like you became a prefect."
"Because of my charming attitude and other-worldly looks?" Lyron replied with a mischievous smile on his lips. Schuyler's eyebrows twitched, "Stop fooling around and do your job properly."
"Roger," Lyron chuckled and then glanced over at Zen. "Well, you heard them, shall we get going, Professor?"
The black-haired professor nodded in response, "Yes, let us be in our way."
Lyron turned towards the door, he slowly opened the door to peer out into the hallway. "There haven't been many changes to the Academy since you graduated, so I am sure you'll feel right at home," he eyed Zen.
"Is that so….? I would beg to differ, many things have changed since then," Zen stated looking around him, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia, "You haven't changed in the slightest though, You're as carefree as ever."
"Is that so…?" Lyron hummed, many thoughts swirling in his hands, "Perhaps so, however zen…." he trailed off, focusing his attention on the Alumni, "I cannot say the same for you, you've changed, a lot."
"Oh?" Zen stopped in his tracks, his eyes looking at Lyron quizzically. "How so?"
You were reserved and quiet when you were in the academy. I'd even argue you were slightly more…" He frowned thoughtfully, "Stoic."
"You think?" Zen laughed in response, shaking his head slightly, "Well, a lot can change in three years."
"I suppose….." Lyron mumbled before shaking his head, "Anyway," he smiled back at Zen, "let us focus on our little tour now."
After leaving the headmaster's office, the three sisters walked together in silence, following Klaus through the stretched-out hallways. Lillias silently hummed, and occasionally glanced around, taking in all the scenery.
I didn't have time to check the whole place out yesterday but the main building sure is huge…
She thought, a smile gracing her features, her eyes trailing down the marble floor.
"Um… I guess we'll be working together then." Liz glanced at Klaus, still feeling reluctant about the whole situation, it was a dreadful situation to be taught by Klaus of all people. She didn't want to imagine the days to come.
But at the same time, he was still a prefect… he could very much be a decent teacher. At least, she hoped he was.
"Just great, I loathe looking after you with every ounce of my heart," Klaus dryly stated, his gaze sweeping past the three of them for a brief moment.
"Wha-" Liz looked at the blond, completely stunned by his attitude, he was the one who agreed to this arrangement in the first place.
"This is absurd," Klaus muttered under his breath.
"Then… you could've just refused!" Liz exclaimed, her frustration getting the better of her.
With a sigh, Lillias glanced at Klaus, "You can't really complain when you already agreed, now can you prefect Klaus?" She eyed the blond prefect, her eyes somewhat colder than usual, "If you find the idea of helping the three of us so detestable you are more than welcome to go back to the headmaster and decline the offer," she stopped in her tracks, motioning back to where they came from, a small taunting smile on her face. "Nothing is stopping you."
"I would have declined from the start but the reward might be worth it," Klaus admitted, his focus on the three sisters, "I am going to make you all pass no matter what it takes." His lips then curved into a sadistic smile, "From this day forth, I will give you a special lesson every day, after class, you're going to be my slave doing anything I want."
"Huh?!" Liz stopped in her tracks, bewildered by those words. Slave? Why does she have to be one? Wasn't he supposed to be helping her and not the other way around? She didn't get it, not at all.
In all honesty, she doubted she'd ever truly understand Klaus.
"You heard me. Are we clear?'" Klaus glared towards Liz, his gaze penetrating her, it sent shivers down her spine. It felt unpleasant.
"Yes sir."
"Correct answer now, get prepared for the lesson." Klaus turned around, not bothering with this conversation any longer.
"… you're quite the sadist," Lillias glanced over at Klaus, wondering how her sister would fare with all this. Unlike Liz, she knew she didn't need Klaus' help, at least not for the time being, so she didn't have to spend as much time with him.
Though… she was somewhat curious how all this would play out in the end.
Ignoring Lillias' words, Prefect Klaus kept walking in silence keeping his thoughts entirely to himself, his face betraying no emotion.
Liz took a deep breath, trying to ignore the awkward silence but it was too suffocating,
"So… you want to be a professor am I right?"
"Yes. So that I would be able to yell and knock useless students like you back into shape." Klaus casually explained, "It would be a great stress reliever."
"Stress reliever….you say?" Lillias stopped in her tracks after hearing those words.
"… I never want to have you as a teacher as long as I live," Loris muttered under her breath, she felt a sense of relief that she wasn't in Liz's shoes.
"That's not how a professor is supposed to act…" Liz mumbled without thinking but quickly covered her mouth. "Did I hear something?" Klaus glanced back at Liz.
"N-no you didn't." Liz averted her eyes, too afraid to look at him. Maybe it would be best to remain silent, that would save her the trouble of handling Klaus… or so she thought.
Just as things began to calm down, the emblem affixed to Liz's school uniform suddenly glowed with a strange light, illuminating the girl's surroundings. "huh what's this? What's going on?!" She asked, startled by the sudden light.
"No way… it can't be." As if on cue Klaus's emblem started glowing too, a sphere of light came from each of their emblems and merged together, it exploded in an intense light sprinkling tiny fragments of light upon both Liz and Klaus.
"W…what was that?" The young brunette asked, still bewildered by the sight. "You heard the explanation… apparently, you and I are buddies now," Klaus nonchalantly replied to her question.
"Buddies… WITH YOU?!" Liz practically shouted, bringing more attention to her. All the students in the vicinity stared at them in awe, they were still processing the scene they saw.
"No way… prefect Klaus lit up?" One of the Guys asked, shocked by what he just witnessed.
"You've got to be kidding, with emperor Klaus?!" Another student blurted out.
"Who's that girl? I've never seen her before."
Their mutters and whispers grew louder and louder, their attention solely focused on Liz and Klaus.
"What? This can't be, some people graduate without finding a buddy, right?!" Liz was too startled by what was happening to pay attention to everyone's whispers.
"Some do. Some don't, you don't get to decide, it happens in an instant." Klaus stated, eying his new buddy carefully.
Of all people, why did it have to be her? He just didn't get it.
"No way…" Liz's gaze fell down towards the ground.
"Great, now I've got even more reason to worry about you." Klaus closed his eyes in frustration.
"Why?" Liz tilted her head, clearly confused by all this.
"Didn't you hear the headmaster? Our fates are Shared now, you're going to drag me down with your terrible grades. Do you know how disastrous that would be for me?"
"Oh no…" Liz mumbled to herself, she gripped her skirt as the situation slowly started to sink in.
The intensity of Klaus' glare sent a chill down her back, she could feel the pressure already.
Noticing her sister's expression, Lillias let out a sigh, "Isn't that a little too soon to speak," she focused her attention on Klaus, "Neither of us have started our first lesson, yet you already decided Liz's grades would be awful, that's not really nice you know?"
"Well, we'll see soon enough, won't we?" Klaus simply brushed off her comment, he let out a chuckle and glanced at Liz, "I am sure we'll get along really nice bunnyhead."
"…yes…sir," Liz mumbled, her face drained of color.
And with this; her rosy dreams of academy life have truly crumbled into oblivion… will Liz really be able to handle all of this…?
She sure hoped so.
"… I don't want to be Liz right now…" Loris averted her eyes. Part of her felt sorry for Liz, the other part felt relieved that she didn't have to endure this instead of her sister.
Lillias tapped Liz's back and smiled at her, "Hang in there Liz."
"Augh…." In reply, Liz simply lowered her face, trying her best to hold in her tears.
Why was it always her?
"Come on, let us be on our way," Without wasting more time, Klaus started walking through the hallway, "If you don't hurry up I'll leave you three behind."
"W- wait up!" Liz ran after him.
Lillias: "Hmm...."
Elias: "Well so much for not meeting again, your sister sure is unlucky."
Lillias: "Yeah.... I am a little worried about her."
Elias: "As you should be, being buddies with Klaus won't be easy, that's for sure."
Lillias: "...Say Elias do you think we'll be in the same class?"
Elias: "Great heavens, I hope not."
Lillias: "But if we were-"
Elias: "I'd throw myself off the window."
Lillias: "Oh my, You might have to do that next chapter then."
《 Summary 》 From a young age, Erumi Yukiura had trained rigidly, giving it her all. Getting into U.A was only the first step for her. As time passes, she settles into her new school life as a member of class 1-A but several unexpected events take place one after the other. In such circumstances, all Erumi cared about was becoming stronger, she had no intention of getting acquainted with her classmates.
But life doesn't always go the way you expect, between the friendship and new bonds, her frozen heart starts to gradually melt away as forgotten scars begin to resurface.
《 Pairing 》 Todoroki Shoto x Erumi Yukiura (oc), Midoriya Izuku x Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki x Esuna Kurotsu (oc)
《 Genres 》 Action, Slowburn, some angst, Fluff.
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O1 || A Child's Guilt
Upon waking up, the little girl immediately felt disoriented, her head throbbed from a pounding headache and the world spun around her. Erumi squeezed her eyes tight, then slowly opened them, blinking to adjust to the light of day, each time her surroundings became clearer. The first thing that came into focus was the white walls surrounding her. She turned to the right, seeing a heart monitor next to her, beeping steadily.
Where... am I...?
She tried sitting up to look around, but quickly stopped when her headache worsened, so she flopped back down against her pillow, letting her body rest once more. It hurt, her body was aching, her legs, her arms, her chest. Everything.
But most of all, she felt weak and physically exhausted. Had it been the side effects of using her Quirk? She wasn't sure. Erumi had never overused her Quirk that much before.
She never needed to.
After a minute or two of laying there, she forced herself to sit up again, only to hiss in pain at the sudden movement. Erumi tried to take a few deep breaths. She focused on calming herself down and slowly began breathing normally. Her muscles gradually eased as her senses started coming back to her. However, her memories were still jumbled, and her thoughts were fuzzy. All she remembered were bits and pieces of the incident.
Mom and dad.... where are they...? What happened?
Her thoughts continued racing in circles. Memories of that night flashed through her mind. She sat up with an immediate jolt, recalling every detail of the incident. The Villain who attacked her... Her mother's bloodstained body... the terror... the chaos... It was all so vivid. Her breathing became more erratic as she started to hyperventilate. More tears slid down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to filter out the flashbacks, but they just became more intense. It kept repeating in a loop. Over and over again. Like a broken record. Even when she wanted it to stop, it didn't.
It was all real. Everything had happened. All of it. And now that reality set in, Erumi couldn't help but feel overwhelmed.
It was all too much.
Erumi shook her head and stood on her shaky legs, it gave way beneath her, and she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Biting her lips, the small girl tried to push herself up but fell back on the ground. Again, she whimpered from the pain that flared up her body, she felt as though her legs were burning. Erumi looked down at her legs, which were bandaged from her ankles to just above her thighs. Blood trickled down her calves from under the bandages.
The pain was unbearable but she still needed to get up somehow. She had to find her parents.
Surely they were safe...right?
They had to be.
The door suddenly slid open as a familiar voice called out. "Ru!" Erumi looked over towards the doorway, seeing her two brothers rushing inside. Both of them stopped short in front of her, staring at their little sister on the floor. "Are you alright?" The oldest twin, Itsuo, asked worriedly, "You should have stayed still," He pulled her off the floor. "If you move too much the wound will reopen."
Erumi nodded slightly, feeling her head swim with fatigue and nausea, "Yeah..." She mumbled, "I'm fine..." she reached up with a shaky hand, touching one of the bandages on her leg.
"You have no idea how worried we were, we're so glad you finally woke up!" The youngest, Ritsuo exclaimed, holding her tightly, "You have been unconscious for a whole day, and after the news-"
"Ritsuo," Itsuo gave his brother a silent stare, stopping him mid-sentence.
The boy frowned slightly but complied with his brother. His expression softened as he turned back to his sister, "We'll let you in on everything later, for now, the doctor told us that you should take it easy."
"It's best if you lay down, you need lots of rest," Itsuo added.
Erumi remained silent, trying to process what happened, she looked down at the ground. For a whole day.... She was unconscious for 24 hours after the incident. Has it already been that long? Erumi could not believe it.
She didn't want to worry her brothers any more than she already has but...there was something she needed to know. Something was nagging her to ask about it. The young girl wanted answers. Answers she knew they could give her, but were simply unwilling to.
The girl took deep, calming breaths, and looked up at them, "Itsuo... Ritsuo...What happened to mom and dad?" She saw them exchange glances, then look down, unwilling to answer or even look her in the eyes. This was making her more anxious, "...what happened?" She gripped her arms, trying to stop herself from trembling.
Itsuo sighed, his eyes glancing around the room, "Erumi its best that-"
"Tell me please, I have to know!" She pleaded, desperation lacing her voice, their silence was frustrating the young girl. It made her worry more, "Just tell me!" She clenched her fists, her eyes raging. The tears threatened to spill again but Erumi pushed them away, refusing to cry.
Why weren't they telling her?
"Thing is..." Itsuo went on, scratching the side of his head, he was unsure of how to put this delicately. Even if He understood how his sister felt, he just couldn't bring himself to answer.
He couldn't bring himself to say it.
Not now. Not like this.
Uttering those words was just too difficult.
"I..." Ritsuo hesitated for a second before sighing, he touched her shoulders and gently guided her back to the bed, "I need you to calm down and listen carefully to what I am about to say Ru, dad is fine but..." he spoke softly, his eyes looking down, "Mom.... She..."
She listened closely, her eyes fixed on Ritsuo, he wouldn't meet her gaze, he wouldn't even look at her.
She didn't like this, something was wrong.
"I'm listening..." Erumi said quietly, her throat tight, she bit her lip anxiously and waited for him to continue, hoping whatever he had to say would reassure her, that he'd tell her their mom was alright... but his hesitation alarmed her. It looked like he was holding something back. After a while, he finally spoke, his voice barely audible.
His words struck her like a bolt of lightning, her eyes widened from shock. No, it couldn't be true. She refused to believe it, this couldn't be happening, it just couldn't be true. Erumi swallowed hard and glanced at her older siblings, their expressions were grim. She could feel her own heart beginning to race, her breaths becoming short, ragged gasps as the meaning of those words sank in.
It was all her fault. All of it.
-----
"Ru stop!"
"Young Lady! Wait-" One of the nurses shouted at her as she saw a young patient darting around a corner, their blood dripping on the floor, leaving a trail behind.
Erumi ran faster, dodging nurses, doctors, and patients. Her brother's words kept replaying in her head, making her run faster.
"She... was in terrible shape.... It took a while for her condition to finally stabilize, the doctors tried everything...but the injuries... It was too much... even once they heal...it will leave lasting effects."
She could still recall the sorrow in her brother's voice as he explained everything to her.
"Chances are... she'll be forced to retire...our mother's hero career is over... I am sorry Ru..."
it's not true... it's not true, it can't be true!
She fell to the ground, her knees were aching. Erumi quickly pushed herself up again, using a nearby wall for support. Pain shot through her legs making her gasp. It took everything she had left in her body just to stay on her feet. The adrenaline rush helped to keep her going, she needed to see for herself, she needed to see her mother. "Mom..." she choked out the word.
Her mother was fine. She had to be.
She just misheard Ritsuo's words...
Right...?
Erumi stopped running and took another deep breath. She closed her eyes tightly and held onto the wall for dear life. She needed to compose herself, everything will end up fine. her mother said so, she had reassured her.
but if it was true then...
"You can't go in there," One of the nurses caught up with her, grabbing her arm tightly.
"Please Let me go," Erumi tried to yank herself free from her grasp but found that she couldn't move very well. "I need to see her for myself!" She insisted, tears threatening to fall.
"No, you can't, You're supposed to go back to your bed, get some rest, and let your body heal." The nurse tightened her grip and forced Erumi towards the stairs.
"Not until I see her," She attempted to pry her fingers apart from her arm. "I need to see she's fine, if it wasn't for me-"
"Young lady, please-"
"I said let go!" She shouted, the cold air forming around her as frost covered her entire arm. The nurse gasped in shock and immediately released her grip. Erumi took this chance and dashed past the nurse, heading straight for her mother's room. Once she reached the doorway, she hurried into the room. The sight that greeted her made her freeze in place. There laying against the white hospital bed, covered in fresh bandages was her mother, she looked weak... frail even. Erumi ran up to her bedside and fell beside her. She Reached out and grasped her mother's hand.
"Mom?" She whispered, fear lacing her tone. She felt numb, she was afraid. Terrified. She had never seen her mother in this state before. Never.
Her mother opened her eyes slowly, her eyes widening upon seeing her daughter. "Erumi..." She breathed, her voice weak and hoarse, yet she forced a smile. Etsumi heard someone come closer.
A nurse stood by the doorway, watching them cautiously, "I apologize Young Miss, but you must leave now." She bowed politely to the both of them, "Your presence here isn't allowed, please return to your room." She reached out to grab Erumi.
Etsumi shook her head, "There is no need for that... leave us alone for a bit."
The nurse looked taken aback by the request, "But ma'am you need-" she let out a sigh before nodding hesitantly, "Very well..." Erumi looked down at her mother who had turned her head to watch the other nurse leave the room.
"Mom..." Erumi cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. She leaned forward and hugged her mother tightly, burying her face into her shoulder.
"It... seems like... your brothers told you..." Her mother's voice trailed off as she struggled to speak.
"Yes... after I heard... I asked them which room you were staying in," Erumi explained as she tried not to cry again.
"I see...I'm sorry that I couldn't live up to your expectations... that I couldn't be a stronger hero," Etsumi closed her eyes. Erumi stiffened and stared up at her mother, shaking lightly in response. She couldn't find her voice, all she could do was shake her head.
She didn't want to listen to this, she didn't want to acknowledge the current situation. She just wanted things to return to normal, before the accident... to before any of this happened.
"I've always wanted to prove to you and everyone else that... I'm a capable hero, but... I failed... I couldn't protect anyone... it's all my fault..." She trailed off but soon stopped, "Oh dear me, what I am saying? I am getting a little too sentimental," she laughed, trying to break the tension.
Anger...regret...guilt. Multiple conflicting emotions filled the young girl's mind. All these different feelings were swirling around her as she clutched onto her mother's hands, squeezing them tightly. They made her chest tighten. She hated this. Hated seeing her mother like this. She hated feeling this way. Erumi couldn't handle it.
It couldn't end like this.
"You will...! You will prove that you're an amazing hero, you'll show everyone the true might of the water hero: Oceane!" Erumi cried, her voice breaking, "Because, I know that you are capable of doing anything you set your mind to, you are strong mom. You're a hero! A brave and wonderful hero! You won't fail!"
"Ru..."
"This is nothing, those injuries will heal in no time," Erumi assured her, looking down, her cheeks stained with tears as she wiped them away, "And once you do you'll show grandfather.... you'll show everyone that ever doubted you because of your origin... that you are a great hero..!" She squeezed her mother's hand.
"Erumi..." Etsumi shook her head, "I can't... I can't fight, I can't do hero work, I can't... save people. Not anymore," she closed her eyes and shook her head. "My hero career is over... the hero Oceane is dead."
Erumi blinked back the tears, shaking her head in denial, "No.... No, it's not true," She sniffled, gripping her mother's hand tighter, "There has to be a way... there... has to..." she muttered frantically, her voice breaking.
This couldn't be happening
Etsumi sighed as she petted her daughter's head, "No Ru, there is none."
She had hoped...
She had hoped that everything would be fine.
Erumi knew, she knew her mother was like this because of her. The one who ended her career wasn't the villain, no. On the contrary, it was her. She was the reason her mother's dreams were gone forever.
She was to blame, no one else.
Had she been able to escape... Had she not begged them to go there in the first place, none of this would've happened.
"I know this is hard for you to understand now," her mother began, placing one of her hands on top of her daughter. Erumi stared at their intertwined hands. "But..." She paused, trying to gather her words, she seemed to struggle for a moment. "It's not your fault."
But... it was.
It was her fault.
Her recklessness led her mother to this. Erumi looked back at her hand, hesitating to say anything. She couldn't even glance at her.
With a sigh, Etsumi went on, "Erumi... listen, even if I had a second chance, I'd do the same thing again, because you're my... you're our precious little Rose." She smiled, running her hand through Erumi's hair. "You understand that right?" She asked softly. Erumi nodded without uttering a single word. "Good."
She remained silent.
In this situation, what was she supposed to do? What was she supposed to say? Guilt and despair were slowly eating away at her. Erumi felt helpless. She felt lost and scared.
If only she was stronger.
If only she was faster.
If only she wasn't such a weakling.
If only...
her fists clenched, she bit her lips, stopping the tears that threatened to spill over. This wasn't fair, none of this was fair.
Once again... She felt powerless... she felt utterly and completely useless. Just like last time. there was nothing she could do. Nothing she could change...
Nothing at all.
Except...
Except... one thing.
She raised her head, locking eyes with her mother. her determination burning brightly inside her heart. She slowly removed her mother's hand from hers and pulled herself up from the bed to stand before her. Erumi held her mother's gaze, staring at her unwaveringly.
If...
If her mother can no longer do it...
Then she'll become one instead... She'll follow in her parent's footsteps and become a hero.
《 Summary 》 From a young age, Erumi Yukiura had trained rigidly, giving it her all. Getting into U.A was only the first step for her. As time passes, she settles into her new school life as a member of class 1-A but several unexpected events take place one after the other. In such circumstances, all Erumi cared about was becoming stronger, she had no intention of getting acquainted with her classmates.
But life doesn't always go the way you expect, between the friendship and new bonds, her frozen heart starts to gradually melt away as forgotten scars begin to resurface.
《 Pairing 》 Todoroki Shoto x Erumi Yukiura (oc), Midoriya Izuku x Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki x Esuna Kurotsu (oc)
《 Genres 》 Action, Slowburn, some angst, Fluff.
Next Chapter || Masterlist
00 || Erumi Yukiura; Origin
There were many ways she had expected this day to go, but this was not one of them. Maybe the ominous weather was a warning, a message for her to stay at home in the comfort of her bed. Even so, she went against her gut feeling and headed out.
Jaku city's streets were now covered by agonizing flames, devouring everything in sight. Thick smoke billowed upward, covering the sky in darkness. The horrendous screams of civilians pierced through the silence, resonating across the streets, they clomped around, searching for safety. The sounds of their footsteps gradually vanished into nothingness as each ran for their own lives.
Erumi was left all alone in the chaos, staring at all the surrounding destruction, face filled with terror as she tried to process what had happened. She stumbled through the debris, trying desperately to find some kind of escape route through the wreckage. The girl clutched her hand and kept moving forward, “Mom…Dad… Itsuo…Ritsuo…where are you?” she choked out, her voice trembling. “Please… answer me!” She’d been walking aimlessly, searching for any sign of life to no avail.
Tears threatened to fall from her eyes and she wiped them away quickly. She couldn’t cry—not right now.
Be strong Erumi...
She repeated in her mind, pushing forward. Had she not been caught in this mess, she'd still be with her parents, if only they went to any other place… everything would've been fine, she'd still be safe in her house or having fun with her family elsewhere.
But it was too late to regret anything.
Her legs trembled, fear and exhaustion taking their toll on her muscles. Her heart pounded against her chest, the blood pumping through her veins and causing her to feel faint. In her distraught state, Erumi took a wrong step, stumbling against something before falling on the hard concrete. With a grumble, she raised her head, then flinched back.
She stared down in front of her, eyes wide open. The tears welled up, running down her cheeks, both hands clasped onto her mouth, she wanted to scream, but it came out a quiet cry instead. Her stomach churned as if she was going to throw up. Her breath caught in the back of her throat at what she saw. She pushed herself back, desperate to run away from this place.
In front of her was not one… not two but several lifeless bodies crushed between the rubble. It was a horrifying sight. One that made her skin crawl.
Her hands shook as she froze in fear. She hoped it was just a dream, a horrible nightmare. It wasn't real, it couldn't be, right? Right…?
She'd soon wake up from this terrible nightmare, at least, she genuinely hoped so.
The small girl was too shaken to notice the wall behind her, it slowly began to collapse, but it was too late by the time she noticed. Her heart stopped as she watched, horrified, as the crumbling wall fell down, collapsing on her with a deafening bang. The massive slab of concrete weighed on her body, knocking the air from her lungs.
She tried to scream as the stone crushed her small body, but nothing came out of her mouth but a pained gasp. Her fingers clawed at the ground, desperately trying to dig herself free.
Frightened, the small child tried to push her body up, pulling through as she felt the hot concrete burning through her skin, tearing into her legs. She screamed, enduring all the pain with teary eyes. It all felt futile, however, she was desperate, and the girl kept pressing forward, attempting to free herself. "Dad....anyone!" She cried out, tears distorting her view. "Help…" her energy was draining away, her voice barely coming out as a whisper in the wind.
Of course, she received no answer.
With each passing minute, her remaining hope was fading away.
Why did it come to this?
Erumi wondered, trying to dig her body out of the rubble, she gritted her teeth and screamed in agony before stopping to take her breath. The pain was unbearable, she bit her lips as she tried to stop her agonizing screams, then closed her eyes, attempting to drown away the voice in her head.
That voice that kept telling her all her efforts were pointless, that no one would save her, and that she should just give up.
She can't give up, not yet.
Erumi yelled with all her might as hot tears streamed down her face, her small body recoiling from the pain as the concrete sank into her legs. She clenched her fists, letting the water surge and twirl around her fingertips, it slid through the cracks overflowing it with the clear blue water, letting part of her body slip free, easing the pain ever so slightly.
Almost there…
Erumi thought with relief. As much as it hurt, it was better than doing nothing, she had to keep pushing for some way for her to escape. She couldn’t give up now, not when she was so close…
Water continued to flow from her fingertips, the coolness soothing her burning skin before slipping under the rocks.
Just a little bit…
She kept pushing herself, her energy draining as she constantly pumped the water through the cracks.
The approaching footsteps echoed through the shattered pathway, freezing her in place. Her body started to quiver as the thumping sound got louder, her mind urging her to run —but she couldn't.
She needed to get out.
That thought kept running through her mind as she scrambled to free herself, digging her fingers in the dirt.
Erumi saw the man come into view. His intimidating figure stood in the distance, casting the shadow of death around the city, a peculiar mask covered his entire face while pipes protruded out, leading towards the back of his suit. Chills ran down her spine as her breathing began to pick up, beads of sweat trickling down her skin.
It was him.
She only took one glance at him, but she was sure it was the same villain who rampaged through the city. And right now, He was headed her way.
His eyes let out a red glow as he slowly turned to face Erumi's direction; spotting her amidst the rubble. His lips curved upwards, forming a hideous grin before marching forward, aiming for his new prey.
She hastily moved her hand, trying to crawl out of the way, grabbing and pushing her legs out; Attempting anything to free herself.
Never had she felt true fear until now.
Move…
She kept pulling, gritting her teeth as the water moved along her arms, running through the creaks and pushing the concrete upwards, her hands trembling, panic setting in.
Move!
She kept urging her body, using her Quirk to its maximum to lift the rubble off. Just as she managed to pull away, the footsteps came to an abrupt halt, stopping right in front of her.
Her body quivered at the sight of blood as a nauseating smell hit her nose. She wasn't sure why, but the moment she made eye contact, she couldn't move.
Gritting her teeth, Erumi looked up at him and mustered up her remaining courage, letting a burst of water fly toward him, scattering into specks when it hit his chest.
The villain looked down at where he was hit before laughing hysterically, his malicious grin widening as he walked over, "Pathetic." He spoke out, amused by her futile attempts. His words were like poison, biting and cutting through flesh.
It was frustrating but he was right, her life was on the line yet she was too powerless to do anything.
Why am I so pathetic…
She clenched her fists. Despite her Quirk, she stood no chance and she knew it.
Here she was, unable to even get up and run away. Even when her life depended on it, she wasn't able to fight back.
She was useless.
Utterly useless.
Erumi crawled back, legs aching as blood kept oozing out, tears staining her eyes. With desperation, she kept going, flinging the concentrated spheres of water towards him, pushing her Quirk to the limits, failing to land a hit.
Nothing was working and she had no power left. Her energy completely drained out.
On the other hand, the man hadn't lifted a finger. He kept on pushing forward, amused by her foolish attempts, "I'll give it to you kid, you're braver than most, but it's futile." he mocked in a condescending voice, "You can't do anything against me." His body continued to push forward until he stood right in front of her.
Preparing herself for the worst, she closed her eyes. This was it. There wasn't anything else she could do. She was at her limit and It was the end…
Or so she thought.
Everything happened too quickly. One moment, a swirling red sphere was rushing towards her, the next a massive wall of ice blocked her view, shattering slightly with the impact.
Shocked, the man spun around, in time to see a silver blur heading his way, he raised his hand, blocking a blow that would have sent him tumbling to the ground. The ground underneath his feet crumbled as he got pushed back, his body crashing into a wall. He staggered, barely managing to avoid falling to his knees.
Out of the corner of her eyes, Erumi saw a familiar pair of white wings flapping around in the air, cold air gathering around him as he looked at the villain on the ground. His hands curled into fists, his teeth clenched together tightly, anger radiating from him.
"Erumi!" A woman called out, hurrying over and crouching beside her daughter. She grabbed her arm and pulled her into her arms. "You're… safe… Thank God."
“Dad….Mom!" She sniffled, clutching onto her mother's clothing with all her might, unable to let go, the tension from before drifted away as the exhaustion began to sink in.
Her father glanced back at her, his sharp eyes softening, before looking back in front of him. He looked furious, his face twisted into one of pure hatred, the veins on his forehead bulging. He noticed the villain struggling to get up. "Oceane, bring her to safety." He instructed, his tone commanding and authoritative.
"Understood," Oceane nodded, tightening her grip around the tiny girl she carried with care. She smiled, as the little girl clung tighter to her, she rubbed her back, "Hold tight sweety."
"What about… Dad…" She peeked from behind her mother's shoulder, watching as he flew around, spinning and dodging the red projectiles.
"Don't worry, your father is strong," Her mom assured softly.
"But-"
"Shh~ I know you're worried but you need to trust me." The hero pressed a finger against Erumi's lips to stop any protests. "It'll be okay sweetheart, we're going to take care of that bad guy, don't worry," She stroked her hair soothingly.
The little girl looked over at her father and back at her mom again, sighing shakily. She took a deep breath before nodding.
"Let's go-"
At that split moment, her motherly instincts took control, shielding Erumi with her own body as a shot pierced through the wall, hitting her back and piercing through her skin, leaving a hole in her chest.
A fountain of blood came from the wound, splattering onto the ground, her fingers clamped over it letting the hot fluid gush between his fingers.
Erumi's mouth opened as she watched in horror, the tears pricking in her eyes. She tried to utter a word but all that came out was a sob. All she could see was blood. It was such a horrid sight, she felt the urge to throw up. The thought alone sent her into another fit of panic, her breathing becoming shallow and fast. Her legs were shaking and her heart was pounding against her ribs.
It was all her fault. Her fault alone.
Right in front of her eyes, her mother was bleeding. Blood pooled on the floor underneath her and spilled out from her mouth in spurts, staining her clothes red.
She was scared stiff, unable to do anything, her heart rate accelerated as she looked down at her hand, her hand drenched in her Mother's blood. Before she knew it, her vision blurred, her breathing became heavy, and her chest rose in quick gasps. And then, everything went dark.
Summary: They lost their parents in an epidemic when they were only eight, their sister went missing when they were eleven, for the three Hart sisters’ life was by no means easy but they always kept looking forward. The village was peaceful and quiet, everyone was friendly and the sisters were content with what little they had. When the three of them get accepted into Gedonelune magic Royal Academy, the most prestigious magic school, they leave the village they lived in all their lives and set out to the academy. With Liz being terrible in magic and Loris being indifferent, will they be able to pass the trial? And what’s with the mysterious Dream Lillias keeps having?
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The sun began to slowly rise, its warm light peaking through the horizon as a soft, gentle breeze blew past the evergreen forest, its cool air brushing past the trees as it swayed back and forth. Quietly, Lillias walked towards the balcony, her hand gripped the curtains and gently pulled them open with one swift motion. The light slowly made its way inside and filled it with a gentle warmth. Standing there, Lillias smiled fondly as she let her smooth skin absorb the gentle sunrays, her soft blue eyes reflecting the green scenery. The young maiden had already gotten dressed into the school uniform, carefully combing her soft locks before tying them up into a side braid. She was already perfectly ready for the beginning of a new chapter in her life.
It was new and foreign to her, but she was excited, ecstatic even.
After taking her fair share of the scenery, Lillias spun around and moved towards the mirror, she looked at the image of her figure reflecting through the clear surface. Slowly, the girl began to adjust the ribbon on her uniform. Though many questions were roaming through her mind, she wasn't filled with the slightest doubt that this was the place she was meant to be in. It just felt right.
It felt… familiar even.
There were many things she wanted to do: learn magic, go to the library, and most importantly, meet her brothers. It had been a while since they last met. But firstly, she had to eat breakfast. Anything else would come after.
She couldn't possibly go on with her first day without a delicious meal to fill her stomach now can she?
The young girl elegantly spun on her heels and made her way towards Elysse; the awkward mess of a sleeping roommate. She was still deep in her dreams, hands around her familiar as she breathed softly into its fur. "Elysse, wake up," Lillias started to gently shake her roommate's shoulder hoping to wake her up. The blond simply replied with a light grumble as she tightened her grip on the blue familiar and turned around. With a small sigh, the young female tried once more, "We'll be late for breakfast."
"Breakfast...?" Elysse mumbled absentmindedly, "That's right, breakfast!" With that, she quickly pulled the cover off, rushing out of bed and stumbling onto the ground. Still tired, she got up and promptly opened her wardrobe. "I should hurry up and get ready!" she rummaged through her clothes before finally finding her Academy uniform. "You go first, I'll be there in a minute!"
Oh what do you know, she didn't stutter this time.
Lillias giggled to herself feeling slightly proud, "Don't be late okay?" With that last statement, Lillias looked in front of her and stepped out of the room. She walked through the spacious hallway, passing by a few students.
As she made her way downstairs, the first thing on her mind was not breakfast, instead, she walked around looking from left to right in search of her sisters and quietly observing her surroundings in more detail. Naturally, the place was crowded with many female students, most were divided into groups. They chatted and giggled amongst themselves. Lillias quietly looked around, not noticing she attracted the attention of a few who started whispering among themselves.
"Who's that?"
"I've never seen her around before."
"A new student maybe?"
"Her hair looks so smooth!"
"Her looks are okay… but that's probably all she's got going for her."
"Agreed, she seems like the spoiled type too."
Paying no mind to the newfound attention, Lillias proudly strolled through the hallways, head held high as she gracefully proceeded forward. "Where could those two be? I really hope they didn't oversleep on the first day…" She continued glancing at her surroundings. "Liz should be fine… but Loris…" Lillias started mumbling to herself. She knew her sisters well and Loris was definitely not an early riser.
That worried her a bit.
No… it worried her a lot.
"You are quite the sleepyhead huh Liz?" An unfamiliar voice said followed by a laugh.
Hearing her sister's name being called, Lillias glanced behind her, there she saw Liz descending the stairs along with a girl with long orange hair and amber-colored eyes. "I had a very long day after all," Liz let out an awkward laugh as she averted her eyes, she felt embarrassed by her roommate's remark. Had she really slept that much…? It didn't feel like she did.
"First days are usually like that," Amelia smiled.
"There you are!"
Without hesitation, Lillias ran towards her sister.
"Oh, Lillias." Liz glanced over at her sister.
"I am glad to see you safely found the dorms, by any chance have you seen Loris? I can't seem to find her." Lillias took a brief glance at her surroundings, "She doesn't seem to be here yet."
Liz let out a loud grumble, "Yeah...I found the dorms after some time...as for Loris I haven't seen her yet either…" she glanced around left and right trying to catch sight of a certain brunette. "Maybe she overslept."
"Sounds like something she'd do alright," Lillias let out a soft giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Um…." Throughout this whole scene, Amelia just stood there confused, not sure of what to say.
Finally remembering Amelia, Lillias turned towards the orange-haired girl, "Oh my, where are my manners," she quickly straightened her posture and smiled acknowledging her presence, "My apologies, I was too engrossed talking with my sister, I hope you forgive my rudeness."
"Oh, no. I completely understand!" Amelia giggled a bit, "The name's Amelia Nile by the way, I'm Liz's roommate."
"Oh! I am Lillias Hart, my sister tends to be a bit of a handful with how naive she is but she is a good person, please do take care of her," Lillias smiled as she shook hands with Amelia.
"Of course! Don't worry I'll make sure she doesn't get herself into any more trouble!" With a smile, Amelia declared puffing her chest up.
".....why did you make me sound like the younger sibling here?" Liz couldn't help but pout slightly.
"Oh did I? But that's just how you are," Lillias placed a hand on her mouth trying to stiffen her laughter.
Joining in, Amelia started laughing as well, "Sorry Liz but compared to your sister you definitely look and act like a child."
"Jeez! Stop it you two!"
The two only laughed more as Liz's cheeks lit up in a red hoe. "Come on… I am not THAT childish…."
"Agh…so exhausting you two are as noisy as ever in the morning," Loris let out a small yawn as she walked downstairs accidentally bumping into Amelia who was standing in the way, "My bad," she mumbled, not even glancing at Amelia.
"Loris! Where are your manners? Apologize to her properly," Lillias quickly reprimanded her sister, not pleased with her actions. Of course, Loris let out a grumble, "I already apologized, didn't I?" Lillias and Liz simply sighed at the antics of their sister while Amelia just sweated profoundly, a feeling of discomfort seeping into her. Compared to Liz and Lillias, Loris was less approachable and her glare felt intimidating.
"Well, let us go eat breakfast," Trying to brighten up the mood, Lillias clapped her hands, she then grabbed onto Loris and Liz, "You join in too of course Amelia."
"Oh, I'd love to!"
"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Lillias tightened her arms around her two siblings. "Let's get going," She started dragging her siblings away. "I want to hear all about what happened to you two after we got separated!"
"Oh wait for me!" Amelia ran after the three of them.
****
"Pff…" Her shoulder started shaking as she tried not to laugh, covering her mouth with her hand did little to muffle the sound and before she knew it, Lillias let it all out, laughing till her heart's content.
"Stop laughing!" Letting out a loud grumble, Liz glared at her sister, "It was the worst day of my life!"
"Listen, Liz. You're lucky that the person you met didn't trick you into going the wrong direction, that's what's considered the worst day," Loris retorted back before taking another bite from her food, she still felt irritated just thinking about what happened. "I swear if I see that jerk again-" she stabbed her fork into the food.
"No use dwelling on what happened," Lillias cleared her throat, "I did also encounter a small predicament but it was nothing compared to you two."
"Oh, what happened?" Amelia glanced at her, curious to know, her ears perking up.
"In my case, I accidentally knocked over the shelves at the library."
"Wait what?" Loris just stared at Lillias dumbfounded, "How do you even knock over the shelves…?"
"I bumped into someone and then… it just happened."
"Seems like this is becoming a 'who had the worst day?' competition huh?" Amelia couldn't help but laugh after hearing what happened to the three sisters, she just couldn't help but find it amusing, "You three sure get yourself in some incredible situations."
Lillias simply looked at her and said a few simple words "It runs in the family."
"Quite the unique family curse I must say."
"Yeah although calling it a family curse MAY be a little excessive," Lillias chuckled softly.
"Speaking of which, does anyone know something about a moving teddy bear?" Loris gulped down her food before placing her food down and looking at the others.
"A moving what now?" Amelia just stood there, eyeing Loris suspiciously.
"A teddy bear, or at least…what looked like one…it walked past me yesterday and then ran off," Loris stated once more, she really couldn't shake the image of that thing off her mind, it was so weird and out of place.
"You sure you didn't just dream it?" Lillias asked with an amused smile. "I wasn't hallucinating damn it!" Loris grumbled, not liking her sister's tone of voice, she knew she wasn't imagining things.
"Are you sure?" Amelia said while shoving some fries in her mouth to mask her laughter.
Loris shook her head, getting irritated from all the questions and doubts, "Yes!"
"100% sure?" Lillias questioned once more, still not sure about what her sister was referring to.
"3000% percent sure."
"Eh, I still think you were half asleep Loris," Liz bluntly stated.
****
The four girls walked out of the dormitory only to be greeted by the clear blue sky and the calm wind, Loris closed her eyes, letting her mind be one with nature. Peace and quiet, the two things the young woman liked the most. However, she abruptly opened her eyes and stopped hearing the murmurs and squeals of a couple of girls. When she looked in front of her, she noticed a person waiting near the entrance, there stood a certain man with blond hair.
With that blond hair and a tall dignified figure, it was almost impossible for Liz not to recognize who it was from a simple glance, "Ugh…." As soon as the realization hit her, her entire body froze solid like Ice. It was none other than Prefect Klaus standing there in all his perfect glory.
You've got to be kidding me
"Isn't that…. Prefect Klaus?" Amelia could only look in shock and surprise.
"Oh? So that's Prefect Klaus you two were talking about?" Lillias glanced back at Amelia and Liz only to see her sister hide behind Amelia and Loris giving her all the confirmation she needed.
"Whatever...let's just get going…" Loris let out a yawn.
"Hmm…" looking at him, Lillias couldn't help but notice the familiar features, "Well since he's here," she started walking straight towards him.
"Lilli-" liz's eyes widened as she found herself unable to finish her sister's name, "what are you doing?!"
Confused, Lillias simply turned around and looked at her sister, "Thanking him of course."
"Wait what?! No!"
At that moment, all Liz felt was betrayal. Her own flesh and blood had stabbed her in the back.
Ignoring her sister's dramatic moment, Lillias walked ahead toward Klaus without any fear and stopped right in front of him, "Prefect Klaus?" She called out, smiling at him. It was not only Amelia and Liz who stood dumbfounded, the moment Lillias spoke to Klaus so casually most of the girls stood there in shock and bewilderment, whispering and mumbling amongst themselves.
"Ah perfect, one of the three I was looking for," Klaus replied, earning more whispers amongst the crowd. "You must be Lillias Hart," Klaus glanced towards Lillias trying to identify her from her brother's description.
"That's right," Lillias casually replied, smiling back at him, "A pleasure to meet you. I heard from Liz that you helped her when she was lost, so I came to personally thank you."
"This is only what's expected of me, nothing more. I do not need your gratitude."
The cold voice emitted out of him sent shivers down Liz's spine, recalling yesterday was giving her nightmares.
"Just because it's what is expected of you doesn't mean you shouldn't occasionally receive the gratitude of others for properly doing those acts," Lillias simply replied, unfazed by his cold facade. "And just as this was expected of you, isn't it expected for me to thank the person who helped out my sister?"
"You are as peculiar as your brothers have made you out to be," Klaus glanced at her, noticing no hint of fear or distress, unlike the rest she did not seem the slightest bit scared of him.
"Peculiar, me?" Lillias just looked at him confused, wondering just what her siblings have said to him.
"Oh, she really went and talked to him…."
"She was always the charismatic one amongst us," Loris simply replied, covering her mouth as she yawned.
Liz was in absolute shock and bewilderment hiding behind Amelia and Loris. How could her sister do this to her and talk to the person she least wanted to see? However, as she thought about it more, she realized this was her chance to slip away unnoticed and so, she carefully started crawling out of the way, silently slipping past him.
Thank you, Lillias! I am sorry for ever doubting you!
"Hold up, bunnyhead."
The moment he called out, her hopes came crashing down. "Gyah!" Liz let out a shriek of surprise when Klaus suddenly spoke to her, her body jumping up slightly.
"Bunnyhead?" Filled with a mix of amusement and confusion, Lillias glanced back at Liz whose only response was mumbling incoherent words, Lillias couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh, even Loris joined in as she stepped forward.
"I've been waiting for you," Klaus slowly made his way towards Liz.
"Huh? Me? I, uh…"
"Yes," Klaus responded, "I am talking to you Bunnyhead. Who else?" He looked down at her.
"That's not my name, it's Liz."
"I know that," Klaus replied, his voice sounding as calm as ever.
"Th-then at least call me by my given name." Liz looked at him, feeling irritated.
"I'm calling you by a nickname, so our psychological distances can get closer," Klaus replied back looking at her with a sinister smirk.
Lillias glanced back and forth between them, enjoying the drama unfolding in front of her very eyes.
He's such a liar! Look at his smile. I won't believe anything you say looking like that.
Liz gripped her hand, trying to compose herself. The last thing she wanted was to get on Klaus's bad side, especially after witnessing how he was like yesterday, "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I came to get the three of you," he bluntly stated, glancing at the three sisters in front of him, his sharp eyes assessing them, his expression cold and unchanging.
"What? Why us?" Liz almost shouted in the question.
"Logically, it would be because we are new students, plus if yesterday is any indication, we definitely need directions and if possible an orientation," Lillias glanced back at her sister, noticing her expression as it changed into a frown.
"It would seem one of you has got some semblance of a brain," Klaus smirked, enjoying Liz's reactions. "Hurry up, we're out of time."
"Where are you taking us?" Liz followed after him, giving one question after the other.
With a sigh, he glanced toward Liz, "Just be quiet and follow me. No. more. questions."
"Y…yes."
"Agh, how annoying…." Loris kept following after Klaus and Liz, mumbling from time to time. She really hated waking up early and now she had to do it every day.
"You have to get used to it, you'll be waking up this early every morning," Lillias glanced towards her sister.
"Agh, hell no," Loris grumbled loudly, "I'd rather have like…. a Night class or something, then maybe I'd think about it."
"There's no such thing, Loris," Liz looked at her sister before chuckling.
Klaus stopped and glared towards them, "I said. Keep. Quiet." They all remained silent and continued following after him.
"Um…. How far are we going?" Liz asked glancing at Klaus who didn't reply back, instead, he stared straight ahead of him. "H- hey!"
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet and follow me?" His tone showed annoyance as he finally stopped and faced them. "Or don't you understand what it means to be quiet?"
"Y- yes….sir." Liz averted her gaze and looked down.
"I can't believe I have to drag you three around first thing in the morning…. I Have the worst luck ever." Klaus mumbled, shaking his head as he started walking again.
"It IS sort of your job as a prefect though, is it not?" Lillias simply smiled as she pointed it out.
"...." Klaus didn't respond and continued leading them all through the grounds.
"Um… let me guess, you're not a morning person?" Liz curiously glanced at him. It felt like it to her, he still acted the same but something felt off, he looked more tired.
"....Shut up," Klaus glanced back at Liz, giving her a cold penetrating glare. Not only did he have to wake up earlier than usual but he also had a lot of work to do, the last thing he wanted was to act as an escort to the new students.
"Seems like that's a yes," Lillias giggled.
Can't really blame him…. I am not a morning person myself.
Loris thought to herself, keeping quiet as she simply continued following Klaus and her sisters. Occasionally, she'd glance around the building, taking in her surroundings. "We're here," Klaus suddenly announced, stopping in front of a large door. He removed his cloak, holding it with his left hand before knocking thrice on the door.
"Come in."
The four of them heard a man's voice ordering them from inside the room. Prefect Klaus twisted the door knob and heaved the door open, the massive rusty old door creaked as its hinges swung open. Following in Prefect Klaus' footsteps, the three sisters walked inside, their cloaks trailing behind them.
At the center of the room stood three teachers but one familiar presence stopped them in their tracks, "You're…" Liz Stiffened, her eyes wide from shock. Standing before their very eyes was the Academy's headmaster; The great mage Randolph. He stood there with a welcoming smile, greeting them with a simple nod, his brown eyes staring directly at them. "Headmaster Randolph!" Liz practically shouted.
"Indeed that is I. It is wonderful to see all of you, especially you Lillias Hart," Randolph took a brief glance towards Lillias.
"It's my honor to be given a chance to attend this academy," Lillias replied, closing her eyes as she gave a slight bow in respect to the headmaster.
"You four, come closer." A man with black hair stood next to Headmaster Randolph, a bitter expression etched onto his face as he addressed them, his arms folded in front of him. He wore long, black garments and had a dark aura radiating from him.
Liz glanced at her siblings briefly before reluctantly stepping forward with the others, she gripped her hands tightly and eyed Headmaster Randolph, "Tha-Thank you so much for inv… inviting me to this stool! I mean school, ACADEMY!" She stuttered out, trying hard to keep herself calm but she was failing miserably.
Ohhh… I screwed up big time….
She wanted to facepalm, she wanted to curse her luck. Of course, she'd mess up in front of the headmaster of all people. Could there be anything more embarrassing than that?
Randolph started to laugh, "What an interesting girl we have here."
"Indeed," The other man chuckled, "quite the unique girl that set foot into the academy, wouldn't you say?" his red eyes held a glimmer of amusement.
"I'm… so sorry," Liz mumbled, her face glowing red from embarrassment.
Lillias bit her lips, fighting the urge to laugh, it was just too amusing to resist, she heard her sister let out a small sigh beside her.
"Don't embarrass me in front of the Headmaster." Klaus glared at Liz sharply.
"Aww… I am…sorry…" the brunette shrieked back.
"We all make mistakes," the man with black hair and red eyes chuckled, glancing back at the young wizards. "You need not fret over it too much, this is just your first day after all."
"Now that you're here, I'd like to personally welcome you to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, I wish you a fruitful stay from the bottom of my heart." Randolph's warm smile never left his face.
"Thank you, the three of us are honored to be here." Liz straightened up, trying her best to hold onto her composure. One embarrassing moment in front of the headmaster was enough for a lifetime.
"I am the headmaster Randolph and those two right here…" Randolph glanced over at his two companions.
"I am a professor at the academy, Conrad Schuyler." The man in black introduced himself.
"Pleased to meet you." Liz bowed slightly.
"And I am Zen Reinhard, a new professor in the academy," the red-eyed man glanced over at the sisters. "Like you three, today is my first day."
"Oh… is that so?" Liz looked at the man surprised.
"Well then back to business," Randolph cleared his throat, "I brought you here today for one purpose, that is you must be told one more thing before you three begin your life here."
"Yes sir," Lillias straightened up as she focused on what the headmaster was about to say.
"You must understand the buddy system." He went on.
"What… is a buddy?" Liz asked, confusion clear in her voice. "Buddies are a pair of students randomly selected from all of the students in the academy, to put it simply, buddies are partners." The headmaster clarified with a slight chuckle.
"Partners? What for?" Loris glanced over at Randolph. "When two students with favorable conditions meet, their emblems react and thus are chosen," Schuyler said with a stern tone. "From then on, students share the same fate. If one student's grades deteriorate, the other will fall as well," Zen went on as he walked towards the sisters, "To that end, partners are encouraged to work together so they both may do well."
"However it is not that easy to find a buddy, some students graduate without ever finding one as such you shouldn't worry yourself about it too much," Randolph assured the sisters.
"Yes, I understand." Liz nodded.
"That is all you three need to know about buddies for now, do any of you have any questions?" Randolph took a brief glance at his new students. "Yes… it's not about the buddies though, is that okay?" Liz hesitated for a brief moment.
"What is it?" Randolph asked, patiently waiting for her question.
"I was just wondering how a novice Wizard like me was chosen for the Academy… I can sort of understand Lillias and Loris, they each have their own talents but me... " Liz trailed off awkwardly as she tried to express herself in words. "Hmm…" Randolph thought for a moment before smiling, "Listen here Liz, you mustn't judge a book by its cover."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Liz asked, more confused than before. "Some things are better explained if you discover the answer yourself." The headmaster chuckled slightly.
"I see.." Liz let out a soft sigh. "I take it that you heard about the scale of judgment from Klaus?" Randolph inquired. "Yes I was told about this and that our acceptance is provisional…." Liz trailed off, a troubled look on her face.
"Correct, your fate will be determined on the 13th day of your trial period." Randolph confirmed, "But do not worry, stay true to your heart and many paths will open to you."
"Stay true..?" Liz echoed, doubtfully looking up at the older man.
"To my heart?" Loris asked, "What does that even mean?"
"You three tell me something," The headmaster ignored the question as he stepped forward, a small smirk on his face, "What does magic mean to you?"
"Meaning... of magic?" Lillias mumbled as she exchanged glances with her two siblings, yet all three of them remained silent.
Chapter Preview:
Loris: "The meaning of magic? Listening to your heart? What the hell is this headmaster talking about?"
Elias: "As he stated, those are answers you're better off finding on your own."
Loris: "Agh… that's such a pain…"
Elias: "Moving on… The Hart sisters are ready take their first official class but something unexpected happens. Next time, "Most Dreadful Buddy"... that doesn't sound reassuring…"
Loris: "....... By the way, who the hell are you?"
Summary: They lost their parents in an epidemic when they were only eight, their sister went missing when they were eleven, for the three Hart sisters’ life was by no means easy but they always kept looking forward. The village was peaceful and quiet, everyone was friendly and the sisters were content with what little they had. When the three of them get accepted into Gedonelune magic Royal Academy, the most prestigious magic school, they leave the village they lived in all their lives and set out to the academy. With Liz being terrible in magic and Loris being indifferent, will they be able to pass the trial? And what’s with the mysterious Dream Lillias keeps having?
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"Don't touch that." A loud voice vibrated through the room, from behind a large, masculine hand grabbed a hold of Liz's delicate arm and yanked it back. Both Surprised and frightened the novice wizardess spun around; what caught her eyes was a tall male student. The fading light piercing through the window made his golden hair shimmer, his sharp violet eyes stared back at Liz's amber-colored ones. She found herself looking back at him mesmerized by his gallant figure, 'So Handsome…' the brunette couldn't help but think as she stared at him.
"Are you even listening to me? I asked what you think you're doing here bunnyhead?" the male student asked with a dangerously low voice, his eyes narrowing as he stared the new student down, many thoughts roaming through his head.
"I, uh... what? Bunnyhead?!" Now back to her senses, the brunette looked back at him clearly not happy with the nickname, she had nothing against bunnies mind you, she just didn't like being called that. She couldn't even comprehend how this new nickname came to be.
"Your hair makes you look like a rabbit," the male student simply replied, his mouth now curving into a playful, almost teasing smirk. Liz could tell he was making fun of her, and little by little she found herself getting more frustrated, finally she decided to open her mouth to reply, "Bunnies are cute!" Of all the things she could say in retaliation, this was how she responded, yes she was aware of how ridiculous it was, she felt like facepalming then, however she composed herself and continued on, "Besides, those are called pigtails!"
"I'll call you bunnyhead anyway."
"Wha-" Liz was totally stunned by his response, even though she gave him a glare, that didn't seem to affect him in the slightest, 'I don't like this guy one bit, I happen to love my hair!' As she thought that, his grip on her hand slightly loosened, taking that chance Liz pulled her arm free and took a few steps back then held it close to her chest.
Now looking more serious, the male student's eyes carefully inspected her, "You're awfully suspicious."
"I am not! I am a new student here!" Liz quickly interjected, "Please take a look," she pulled her bag out and dug through it quickly searching inside until she finally pulled out her acceptance letter, "My name is written right here!" She shoved the document onto his face.
Klaus stood on the same spot not moving from it, he carefully skimmed through the document until he reached her name, "Liz Hart." Ah yes, that last name he despises the most. "So you're one of their sisters after all."
"Huh?" Liz found herself a bit lost by the statement of the blond student,
Who's sister? Is he perhaps an acquaintance of Lyell or Lyron?
She stared at him as she thought of that possibility.
No, there's no way my brothers are friends with a rude person like him… then again with Lyron it may be likely.
"Not showing up at the station then ending up here of all places," Klaus crossed his arms and let out a long, irritated sigh. "S-sorry?" Although she found herself apologizing, she really didn't know what for, when she realized that she decided to ask, "Wait what are you talking about?"
"Didn't the acceptance letter tell you to wait at the station for someone to pick you up?" The student's eyes glanced down at Liz as he awaited her response. "What?!" Taken aback Liz couldn't help but shout.
That reaction earned a glare from the blond standing in front of her, he controlled his anger and continued, "I was only able to find you by tracking the letter using magic," in fact, he had tracked all three of the sisters using that method but coincidentally only Liz and Loris happened to be so far from the dorms when he tracked them, thus he decided to head for the one closest to him while 'that person' went after the other sister.
"I am really sorry! The acceptance letter didn't tell me anything!" Liz frantically apologized to him, bowing her head down in the process. The male student let out another sigh, "What a dunce. I have wasted my time."
Aww….this guy is a bit scary…
Liz thought to herself, the truth is she felt he was more than that, she'd even go as far as to say a bit terrifying, but the question remained, who was he? There was a noble air around him, it didn't feel like he was just another student, he was too stuck up for that to be the case.
"I am Klaus Goldstein," the blond man informed her, seemingly noticing her puzzled expression, "This academy's prefect."
"Prefect…?" After a few minutes, the information registered in her mind, "you're a prefect?!" Normally she wouldn't know what a prefect was, however it so happened that her brothers were both prefects. "You're Lyell's friend?!"
That statement seemed to irritate the young prefect, "I prefer to use the term acquaintance."
"O-okay, my bad…" feeling frightened, Liz decided not to say anything else, however this confused the 18 year old wizardess a bit.
Clearing his throat to get Liz's attention, Klaus went on, "You're from Reitz aren't you?" When he saw Liz give a nod he went on, "If I remember correctly you're a vet who heals animals, correct?"
"Yes, that was part of what I did, how did you know?" Liz glanced back at Klaus wondering how he knew all that about her already, they had just met less than five minutes ago. "TODAY MY JOB WAS TO GUIDE YOU AROUND THIS ACADEMY. FROM THE STATION," Klaus glared daggers into her, his eyes burning into hers with his every word making it obvious how angry he was. "I Know a bit about you and your two sisters already."
"Agh…." Liz grumbled as she looked down.
He's such a meanie…
she really did not know she was supposed to stay at the station, none of her sisters did either, they all headed to the academy. Thinking that, Liz went on with her thoughts.
It's not even my fault I didn't know to stay at the station.
With a sigh, Klaus composed himself and looked directly at Liz, "Whatever, why did you come to this place?" Looking back at Klaus, Liz started to explain. "I was trying to find my way to the dormitory," of course, she hadn't managed to find it yet though.
"Didn't you get a map from the letter?" Klaus crossed his arms as he questioned the new student. "The only buildings that stand out here are the main buildings, the boys' and girls' dorms. You should've been able to figure out which one is the main building by the map, from there it would've been very easy to figure out where the girls' dorm is, furthermore both the boys' and girls' dorms are in the same area, even if you went to the wrong one it would be obvious as soon as you got there."
Agh….as much as I hate to admit it he's right, there's only three buildings on the map…but…
"I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't even pass the judgment on the 13th day here," klaus rubbed his eyes as he painfully sighed, first he was forced to wake up early so he would show the new students around, then when he arrived they were nowhere in sight, he had to look around the town for a while before he ended up going back to the academy, it was still his job as a prefect to do this much so he can't complain.
"Huh, what do you mean the judgment on the 13th day?" Liz's head snapped towards Klaus when she heard those words, what judgment? What's on the 13th day? She really didn't know about any of this, the anxiety started creeping in.
"Unbelievable, didn't you even read the acceptance letter?" Klaus spat the words.
"What….?"
"Read it again." That was all Klaus needed to say to make Liz unravel the letter and start skimming through it, reading it quickly trying to figure out what she had not seen before. "Am I missing something here?" her voice was but a whisper.
"Read the part that talks about your acceptance." Klaus instructed her. "Let's see, acceptance….. provisional," at first the word seemed to pass through and out of her head but then she fell silent, her mind trying to decipher what she just read, "...." the silence continued on for a while, "...Provisional?!" Holding onto the letter tightly, she shouted, carefully reading it again. "Provisional?! What?! That has to be a mistake!"What does it mean?!" This had to be a huge mistake, a big misunderstanding, a conspiracy even. She was already a student here wasn't she? She was already accepted, why else would she have received the letter?! It can't be true.
"You aren't officially accepted to enroll here yet," ignoring her reaction, Klaus started to explain, his tone as emotionless as ever, "What did you say?!" Those words felt like knives, Liz was trying her best not to crumble to the floor. All she could do was stand there in defeat.
"Listen, this academy gives all provisional students a trial period each before accepting students officially. On the 13th day, the scale of judgment will determine whether the provisional students are fit or not to be official students here." Klaus went on.
"S-so the scale of judgment will decide if I can enter the academy….is that what you mean?" Liz placed the letter down as she glanced back at Klaus, his nod was the only answer she received. "No way! So what happens if the scale says no?!" Liz reluctantly asked, she already had a feeling she knew the answer to that but she really hoped that she'd hear good news instead.
"It's straight back to the countryside for you."
"No way…" And that was all it took for Liz's hopes and dreams to get crumbled, it was smashed into pieces then grilled with the hellish fires of despair.
And here I thought my dream had finally come true!
Liz wondered what this meant for her now.
"It confounds me as to how you managed to get accepted here," Klaus deeply sighed with a face showing nothing but disapproval and distaste, "...follow me."
"Huh? Where to?" Confused and perplexed by the sudden command, Liz peered into Klaus's eyes. Klaus stared back at her and quickly answered, "You want to go to the girls' dorm right? I'll take you there."
"T-thank you, sir!" Surprised by his kind gesture, Liz let out a small smile.
"It was my job to guide you to begin with." "Hurry up or I'll leave you behind." This was all that Klaus said before he spun around and started walking.
"Yes, sir!" With this, Liz quickly followed behind the prefect. They returned to the huge stairway and went outside the main building, midway through their path Klaus had stopped.
"This place is the botanical garden, all sorts of plants and flowers bloom here every season," Klaus took a quick glance at Liz, "Students often come here to sit and relax." He was supposed to show her around the academy after all but since it was getting late, he could only show her the places on the way to the dorms. "It really is beautiful!" Liz loudly exclaimed, then she thought of something, "...Now it's all becoming crystal clear…" yes, she can just imagine it, Lillias passing through the botanical garden, forgetting all about the world and just being mesmerized by nature, it was so like her sister. In fact, she was so confident that this was what exactly happened. She would bet her life on it.
Klaus wasn't really sure what she was talking about, he just continued on with his way as Liz followed after him silently.
Really, this was too much of a hassle. He'd have to drink some tea later on when he returns to the prefect office.
****
As they walked through the forest path, moving through the trees, Lillias took a quick glance towards Elias, "Thanks again for walking me to the dorms."
If she was being honest, overall it was a good thing she met Elias. After the library situation was resolved, Lillias had explained to Elias her current situation; How she got separated from her sisters, with no map to guide her, she had no idea how to find the dorms. Luckily, Elias had offered to walk her there.
"Don't mention it," Was Elias' quick response, he did not slow down his pace and kept his eyes locked onto the path ahead.
Lagging a bit behind, Lillias ran a few steps to catch up to a certain blond student, "So you're the overly serious type I see," her lips curved into a smile, "You should really learn to accept someone's gratitude at least."
With a sudden halt, Elias spun around and glared at her, "That's none of your concern."
Lillias gave no reaction to that, she did not flinch and her smile did not falter, "You should learn to control your anger better too. Well, shall we continue on now?" She motioned to the path. With a quick sigh, Elias continued on to the dorms, Lillias following behind him quietly looking at the forest and the trees while she passed by. As they walked, a long building made out of red bricks came into view, a stone path cleared the way to the door, flower pots beautifully decorated the entrance. "Here we are, the girl's dorm," Elias glanced towards Lillias
"So this is the dorms…"
"And now I'll be taking my leave," He quickly spun around and made his way to the Male's dorms. "Have a good day."
"Thanks for walking me to the dorms!" Lillias waved goodbye to Elias however he did not stop or even glance back, with a giggle she walked towards the door. "The dormitory sure is fancy," she glanced around and touched the door then went down to the silver knocker, glancing closer she noticed a message written on the door. "Chant the spell to open the door," she mumbled as she read it, with a smile she grabbed her wand, "Oh I know that one, it's quite easy," with that she readied her wand, "Door before me, I command thee to open, Aperio Portal!" With a flick of her wand, veils of light poured out of the wand and flowed into the door, the light seeped into the wooden door and with a click it opened. Lillias quietly walked inside.
The first thing that caught the new student's attention was the spacious hallways illuminated by the patterned glass of the windows, the floor was made out of grayish brown tiles decorated by a long, red carpet. There were several statues and paintings around the hallway. One painting in particular caught Lillias' attention, she found herself stopping in front of it and quietly observing it, in it a man wearing a black uniform stood proudly, the curly silver hair fell down her shoulder onto his back, his mystic red eyes coldly staring ahead, staring at it, Lillias couldn’t help but wonder about the identity of the man in the picture.
"It's a beautiful Portrait, isn't it?"
Startled by the sudden voice, her body jolted up as she placed her hand on her heart, Lillias then carefully turned around. Standing there was the dorm mother; a woman in her late twenties, with short black hair and brown eyes.
"My apologies dear, I didn't mean to surprise you," The dorm mother stepped closer, stopping just next to her. "You must be...…" She stopped for a second and eyed the girl, "Okay honestly I am not sure which one of the three sisters you are," the woman let out a soft giggle.
With a smile of her own, the young wizardess answered "I am Lillias, it's nice to meet you."
"Likewise. I am Kyla, the housemother," With her warm, motherly smile, Kyla shook hands with Lillias, her eyes were stern and firm yet held a hint of kindness. "However…If I am not mistaken there should've been another two coming?" The housemother moved her head back and forth looking around; trying to spot the other two. Her concern grew more and more by the minute when she noticed they were not there.
"On our way here we got separated," With a sigh, Lillias continued on, "I am not really sure where they are now." The young wizardess was hoping they would have already reached the dorms by now, "I hope they arrive before curfew."
"I sure hope so," the housemother replied while rubbing her temple, she glanced back at the portrait Lillias was observing. "Well then, you're probably tired from the journey, why don't you go to your room, rest up and get to know your roommate? Yours is room 208."
"And my sisters? Which rooms are they in?"
"Let's see…the one named Liz is in room 203 while the other one is in room 204," kyla replied as she looked through a small, pocket-sized, old notebook in her hand before she placed it back in her pocket, "You will be able to see them tomorrow, now go on, your roommate has been…. Very anxious."
"I'll be on my way then," Lillias bid Kyla farewell before going upstairs, walking on the porcelain floor. The light of the window illuminating the tiles with the morning light. Lillias passed by the countless wooden doors; with each impact and each step the boots clattered, its sound echoing in the empty hallways. Suddenly, the sound halted. Lillias stood in front of her new room, the number 208 written on a golden door plate. Filled with no hesitation or doubt, the young female knocked on the door thrice, then she waited. Receiving no reply from her roommate Lillias knocked once more. This time louder. Maybe her roommate didn't hear her the first time.
"C-come in…"
Though the sound was nothing but a whisper, Lillias heard it. With a smile, she opened the door and walked in, preparing to greet her roommate. "Nice to meet yo- whoa!" The moment she walked in, she saw a long, wooden stick being thrusted towards her face, obviously startled and confused Lillias stepped back barely dodging it, her grip on the door tightened.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed the tip of it was shaped like a hand, her eyes traveled across the room to where a girl was crutched down next to a desk, her long blond hair trailed down her back, pink eyes focused ahead while her hand held the a long wooden stick that almost hit Lillias.
The deadly silence continued for a couple minutes but then, she spoke.
"N-nice to meet you," again, it was still just a whisper, filled with hesitation and doubt, though sounding timid the girl went on, "I...I'm Elysse…" with that she moved carefully and moved the hand closer to Lillias.
"Nice to meet you, I am Lillias," With her smile back, Lillias shook hands with the wooden hand. She could tell her new roommate was a bit awkward already but she did not mind, in fact she found the situation a bit challenging and amusing.
****
Completely lost, that's how she felt. Loris was definitely going the wrong direction and she knew it. She knew she shouldn't have trusted the shady looking guy, now she was completely and utterly lost. What was his name again? Well Loris did not really care, she was going to have a word with him the next time she met him, maybe a punch or three, a good old uppercut would do the trick too. Yes, she was imagining 100 different ways to make Luca regret tricking her, all involved a bit of a fight. With eyes filled with rage, Loris kept walking around trying to find her way back, black aura swirling around her.
"I can feel your killing intent all the way from here," With a chuckle, a guy stepped towards her, his most unique feature was his eyes, one was blue while the other was reddish pink. A white tiger walked beside him, silently eyeing Loris.
"Lyell!" Loris ran towards her brother and engulfed him a long, tight hug, "It's been so long, I've missed you." She was usually not the affectionate type but she did love her brother quite deeply, he was a mentor to her and a great and caring older brother, yes he was indeed blood related to her however he was 5 years older and she often did not see him since he was a student at Gedonelune Royal magic academy as well.
Seemingly not happy to be ignored, the white tiger let out a loud roar. "I've missed you too Zion," she giggled a bit as she patted the white tiger, it started to let out a purring sound instead as it rubbed its head on Loris' hand.
"So, how did you end up in the northern valley forest of all places?" Lyell asked as he walked closer to his little sister.
"Agh! Don't even remind me, I was on my way to the dorms when this green haired guy tricked me and said I was going the wrong way and said this was the correct way but he was obviously lying! Next time I see him he will regret ever thinking of tricking me!" Loris' eyes flared with anger as she explained her current situation, "He's so dead when I see him!"
"Well this explains your aura of death," Lyell just smiled at his sister as patted her head, "Now let's go before you miss curfew alright?"
Loris nodded as she followed her brother out of the northern valley forest, the white tiger named Zion trailing behind them, she was thankful Lyell managed to find her, yet she wondered if her sisters were already at the dorms, she really hoped they didn't get lost as she did, or more precisely; tricked.
"By the way, how did you know where to find me?" Loris took a quick glance at her brother, her eyes filled with questions. He turned around, glancing back at her with his pink and blue eyes, "It was easy, any good search magic would do the trick." He continued on with his way, he wasn't really much of a talker, even with his sisters, however he did take good care of them and occasionally liked to spoil them. It was not a secret that with the death of their parents, a lot of responsibility came in Lyell's way; from taking care of his sisters to providing for them, to his studies in the academy. Loris knew it, her sisters knew it and they deeply cared and loved their older brother, they cared for both of their older brothers alike.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Lyell's abrupt stop, "Here we are."
Glancing at the building in front of her, Loris started to wonder why she even came here in the first place. Oh right, her sisters basically dragged her, well she didn't plan on staying long in the academy, whether her sisters made it or not wasn't changing her mind. Plus she did hope they did pass the trial, each of them really wanted to attend unlike her.
"...do your best Loris, both me and Lyron hope you get accepted," with one last pat on the head, Lyell turned around and walked away, followed by his trusty familiar tiger.
"Where is Lyron anyway…?" With a sigh Loris went in, The last time Loris used magic was a long time ago, she was glad she was able to do the door opening spell in the first place, her talk with the housemother was mostly a blur, however she was happy to at find out Lillias had made it there already, but Liz hadn't reached the dorms yet, that made her worry a bit.
****
Liz could not be happier that she was finally at the dorms, she did not enjoy Klaus' company in the slightest and was glad she could finally relax, luckily she was sure she wouldn't have to interact with him in person again, or at least, she hoped so, luckily the housemother had opened the door for her otherwise she knew her magic would have backfired. With a yawn she glanced at the door plate of each room searching for her own; room 203. Finally she spotted it and headed towards it, "Here we are, room 203!" Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage and put on a big smile before knocking on the door.
"Come in!" A cheerful voice replied back to her from the other side of the door, Swallowing the lump in her throat, Liz cracked the door open and slowly but reluctantly walked into the room. “Oh you must be Liz right?!” Oblivious to her nervousness, Liz’s roommate jumped off her bed and ran towards her dragging her into the room, “I am Amelia Nile, nice to meet you!” she quickly introduced herself, however she didn’t stop and went on before letting Liz say even a word, "That's your bed right there. You can put your stuff in that chest."
"Thanks," Liz felt a bit caught off guard by Amelia’s enthusiasm, she was a bit worried about what kind of roommate she would have but turns out she had no reason to be worried whatsoever. "You were a bit late so I was getting worried about you."
"After getting separated from my sisters I got lost…" Liz looked the other way a bit embarrassed by the fact, “Then I sort of ran into the prefect and he showed me around. I was supposed to wait at the station for him but I didn't know that…" she went on looking back up at Amelia, "He's the one that guided me here."
"Prefect? Which one? Prefect Klaus or Prefect Lyell? Or was it Prefect Lyron?” Amelia sat down on her bed. “Agh...I wish it was Lyron,” Liz quietly muttered to herself before glancing back at Amelia, “It was Prefect Klaus.”
“Ah! How lucky! I wish a good looking guy like Prefect Klaus showed me around on my first day, then again being in the same room as the emperor is always intimidating.” Amelia placed her hand on her shin as she smirked at her roommate.
“Emperor?”
With a smile, Amelia went on to explain, “Oh Yeah, He is known as the emperor by the students here, his nickname really fits him too with him being the prefect and all, he is really talented, he’s also from the prestigious Goldstein family, he’s basically been an elite since birth! above that he’s also really handsome. Doesn't matter though, his attitude scares all the girls away after all.”
“I have first hand experience with that, he was yelling at me from the moment I saw him," With a sigh, Liz grabbed her suitcase and started unpacking everything, she also did found him handsome at first but afterwards she was too scared of him to even notice it, he was like a devil, “Honestly I would have much rathered if my brothers showed me around.”
“Your brothers? You have siblings studying here?” Amelia’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. Liz nodded. “Yeah, my older brothers Lyron and Lyell.”
“Lyron and Lyell? As in handsome twin prefects? They're your brothers?!” Amelia almost shouted the question, she was shocked by the news and for a valid reason too.
“Yeah, do you know them?” Liz was more than a little confused by her reaction, yeah she knew she didn’t really resemble her brothers much but that wasn’t enough reason to be shocked, at least she didn’t think so.
“Not personally but they are famous, they are prefects after all, not only that but they are one of the three most trusted people by Prefect Klaus. No one really knows much about them and for the most part Lyell specifically likes to keep to himself but a lot of people are really intimidated by him! I mean he carries a sword around and is always followed by that tiger of his,” Amelia closed her eyes, “Honestly even I find him a bit intimidating, it doesn’t help that he rarely interacts with us students...I feel like Lyron is a little bit more sociable and a little charming but he seems like the type of guy you don't want on your bad side so I don't know if he's any better either, I'd even say something about him is more intimidating than Lyell but well…" Amelia cleared her throat, "Prefect Lyron is certainly hot."
"Hey now may I remind you we are talking about my brothers here?" Liz couldn’t help but giggle a bit, to her it was a bit hilarious they found her brothers intimidating at all.
"He is though!" Amelia laughed.
****
“It’s so cute!” Lillias' eyes sparkled with excitement as she petted the small blue furry fox creature in front of her, "Is this your Familiar?" She glanced at Elysse, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Y-yes, His name is Vesta," Feeling nervous, Elysse couldn't help but look anywhere but at Lillias herself.
"Oh, is that so? Well it's nice to meet you little Vesta," Lillias smiled as she continued to pet the small fox, it let out a small noise in approval as she continued to move her hand down it's silky fur. "It's so adorable~"
Elysse only nodded in response to this, however her lips curved into a smile as she watched her new roommate play with her familiar. "Yeah, he is," she couldn't help but observe her roommate and familiar as they interacted, it was kind of surprising how comfortable Vesta was with Lillias already, they had just recently met, he was usually really cold towards everyone except her though there were people he occasionally warmed up to unlike his socially awkward master, "You have a strong connection with magical creatures don't you?"
"Hmm?" Caught off guard by the sudden question, Lillias lifted up her head to look Elysse in the eyes. "I- uh...I mean it just seemed you have an affinity with magical creatures is all," Elysse quickly averted her eyes.
"Who knows? I do love animals though," Lillias placed Vesta down as she stared at Elysse, "If anything you're the amazing one to have a snow fox as a familiar."
Startled by the compliment, Elysse rapidly looked the other way in embarrassment, the blond was never good at interacting with people, she had tried multiple times to start a conversation with her fellow classmates but those always backfired instead, she always got scared and hid, because of that no one wanted to get close to her. Everyone seemed bothered by her awkwardness and weird social habits, some even seemed to despise her because of it. Surprisingly enough, she was good with animals, especially Vesta. To Elysse, her only companion was always Vesta, he was not only a trustworthy familiar but also a friend and companion. Maybe it was because no one interacted with her so she ended up seeking the comfort of her familiar, she was by no means comfortable around Lillias yet, nor did she think she will be for a very long time but she wondered if maybe there was a chance of her becoming friends with her new roommate.
"Well, it's getting late, we should probably sleep now," Lillias stretched her arms, got up and headed towards the balcony pulling the curtains shut. "We do have class tomorrow after all."
Remembering tomorrow is her roommate's first class at the academy, Elysse quickly nodded as she covered herself with the blanket, Vesta jumped on the bed and curled up next to her. Lillias giggled slightly as she walked to her own bed and covered herself with her own blanket, the lights closing shortly after that, "Goodnight Elysse."
Elysse nodded as she looked back at Lillias, "Goodnight."
With a smile, Lillias curled up in the bed and closed her eyes, her thoughts occupied by her new days at the academy.
"Sprikuenall kohdu…" half asleep in her bed, Lillias started to hear a mysterious yet beautiful song play in the far distance, the words spoken in a language unknown to her, "Sriitanmera muruto…"
Her mind and body were growing more tired by her long journey and the soothing lullaby only made her fall deeper into the land of dreams, "Ra ho koradu…" slowly, her consciousness started to fade.
"Stonkunsa spira…"
The last thing Lillias remembers was that mysterious song, the beautiful yet peculiar song that played calming down her mind and body.
Lillias: "Today was certainly tiring and there's more coming of course!"
Elias: "Spare me."
Lillias: "Oh Elias, I didn't know I'd be doing the preview with you."
Elias: "Believe me, neither did I. If I did I would have ran out the window."
Lillias: "Well aren't you a charmer? Since we're stuck doing it anyway let's do our best!
I must say though, it seems like Liz had it tough with prefect Klaus."
Elias: "Oh she's only seen the tip of the iceberg of his harshness. Well, it's unlikely she'll see him again."
Lillias: "Oh I'd say it's the opposite actually."
Elias: "huh? Wait you mean-"
Lillias: "Next time, it's "New Arrival" seems like someone else will be having their first day in Gedonlune Royal Magic academy. Look forward to next Chapter!"
Summary: They lost their parents in an epidemic when they were only eight, their sister went missing when they were eleven, for the three Hart sisters’ life was by no means easy but they always kept looking forward. The village was peaceful and quiet, everyone was friendly and the sisters were content with what little they had. When the three of them get accepted into Gedonelune magic Royal Academy, the most prestigious magic school, they leave the village they lived in all their lives and set out to the academy. With Liz being terrible in magic and Loris being indifferent, will they be able to pass the trial? And what’s with the mysterious Dream Lillias keeps having?
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Yet again she was in the same dark, eerie forest.
Above the midnight sky stood the vibrant red moon, casting its red glow on the dried trees, she stood amidst them, trapped between the dark path. Lillias sat on the ground, her hand holding onto her injured arm as it continued to bleed, legs throbbing from the pain.
She fought through it, pulling herself up with what remained of her strength before she started moving forward and running deeper inside the dark forest, her pace now slower than before as she limped forward.
****
Her destination was crystal clear, her eyes were filled with endless motivation. With every ounce of her strength, Lillias went through the uneven and rough path. With each step taken she moved closer and closer. The uneasiness slowly started to creep in the deeper she went inside. A tower stood in the distance, covered by the path of trees.
She was reluctant to step forward. Every ounce of her being was telling her to run away.
Feeling a cold chill run through her body, she took a few small steps and clasped the door's handle, gripping onto it with all her might. Lillias found herself getting nervous, anxious even. Normally she would've turned around and gone back but she could not do that, it was not an option for her. Instead, Lillias closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm her nerves, it was all she could do. There was no time for hesitation, not now when she was this close. Not now when everything was at stake.
She slowly twisted the doorknob, pushing the door back as it started to creak, the moment it opened a violent wind passed through ruffling her soft hair around, out of reflex the young girl covered her eyes with her arms shielding her from it.
Once it passed, the young wizardess stepped forward into the tower, darkness filled her vision, it was hard for her to navigate her way across. There was nothing in sight. she couldn't see anything, multiple emotions started swirling in; fear and uneasiness followed by a sense of apprehension. Whispers soon followed along, the closer she stepped into the darkness the louder those became. And then she stopped noticing something, standing in the darkness was two haunting eyes, it glowed with a faint red color.
A dangerous taint of red.
And then, Lillias was jolted awake, her body shifting slightly as her vision slowly adjusted to the light. Straightening her posture, Lillias covered her mouth and let out a small yawn. Those dreams of hers just kept getting more frequent. She didn't know what to make of them. But in the end, they were just that; Dreams. So why did they always make her feel so anxious? Why were they always so vivid… as if she actually experienced those events?
"Lillias, Loris! wake up!" Ignorant of her sister's thoughts, Liz happily let out a small squeal before moving towards the window, her innocent eyes sparkling with joy, "Look! We're just outside Gedonelune Town!"
Lillias took a brief glance outside, seeing the beautiful trees leading to a huge town in the distance, standing in the middle was a castle, its walls made of white stones. "This is…" Even Lillias was left speechless and bewildered at the scene.
"Gedonelune Royal Magic academy!" Liz was the one that enthusiastically finished Lillias' sentence, her loud voice resonating through the train.
Loris looked through the window, watching as they moved closer to the town, she remained silent, her eyes focused on the scenery.
Behind her, one of the bags began to move slightly, as if something was struggling inside, the fabric stretched and moved before the acceptance Letter came bursting out from it, almost tearing the bag. The acceptance let out a sigh, "I-I thought I would die!" He was breathless.
"Oh welcome back acceptance letter," Lillias gave him one of her usual smiles as if she had forgotten how he ended up in the bag in the first place.
"Brother!" The two other acceptance letters floated towards their fellow brother and wrapped around him, giving him a comforting hug.
"Aww," Liz cooed at the scene.
"You two get off me!" The acceptance letter ended up struggling to free itself once again, this time from his brothers' embrace. Seeing this scene, Liz couldn't help but let out a soft giggle.
She couldn't say it out loud, but she found this scene amusing.
Finally freeing itself from their grasp, the acceptance letter straightened up and looked through the window, "It seems we have arrived," he floated towards Liz. "Welcome to Gedonelune Town."
"It's so beautiful…" Liz gazed through the window at the scene of the town, her sisters standing behind her.
“Agh! Finally, I can’t handle one more minute cramped inside this train!” as the train came to a stop, Loris got up and stretched her arms, her joints letting out small cracking sounds the more she stretched.
As they got off, the three sisters were able to look at the town more closely. The main street was spacious and the town was very large, it had many buildings of different shapes and sizes stationed around. It was known to be a very lively town and usually crowded with many people, wizards in particular were common In such a place.
"Wow!" Liz exclaimed loudly.
The loud shout caught the attention of a few bystanders, their heads turning towards three new wizards. Just by looking at the uniform, they could tell they were new students in Gedonelune Royal magical academy, it was a commonly seen uniform around town, and as such it was easy to identify. It was not a rare occurrence for new students to come, in fact, it was the opposite.
Liz and her two sisters ignored the attention and instead focused on what stood in front of them, a huge, extravagant white gate, the small delicate carvings were well designed and looked simple yet enchanting. It was followed by a huge building, that was Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy.
It was known across the continent as the best magic school.
The academy was a vast, luxurious white castle, it stood in the end of the town holding a simple yet refined look. The academy was surrounded by rich greenery and nature, along with bushes there were many flowers circling around it. At the center stood an enchanting fountain, the center was decorated with a statue while water sprouted from three different sides. The three sisters each could only look in total bewilderment, even Loris.
Liz and Lillias’ eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation. “Wow!” Liz exclaimed loudly, right in front of her stood the prestigious academy just like in her dreams, her eyes sparkled with joy as her emblem glowed. With a creek, the white gates opened up giving the sisters access to the academy, “Wow! Wow! WOW!" Those were the only coherent words she could utter, each time her voice escalated in volume.
“Quiet down!” The acceptance letter shouted in frustration. Lillias on the other hand couldn’t help but let out a little giggle while Loris simply chuckled. “Ah sorry, but it’s better than I imagined!” Liz sheepishly replied, her gaze shifting down. Just looking at the academy made her excited for her future as a student there.
“It really does look magnificent,” Even Lillias had to admit, “It’s also so rich with nature!” to anyone who knows her, it was a known fact Lillias was a lover of nature even from a very young age she loved running around in gardens and tending to plants. She was good at it no less.
“Gedonelune academy...” Loris muttered, her eyes glued to the academy she once aspired to attend, however, that desire was now dead, it had long vanished in the sea of forgotten dreams. If she was being honest, she had no reason to be here, not anymore.
So why was she accepted? It didn't make sense.
“Watching you all now makes me wonder if you can even handle this...” The acceptance letter let out another long sigh. “I’ll be fine, I am going to be a great wizardess just you wait.” Liz proudly declared, puffing up her chest. Normally one of the acceptance letters would have given a sarcastic remark but one glance at Lillias and they knew that was out of the question if they wanted to live. The three acceptance letters all rose up, “Well our job is done,” they said in unison curling up, one letter glowed as a piece of paper appeared and floated towards Liz. She grabbed it and looked at its content, “A map...?”
“It was a long trip,” One of the letters pointed out.
“But at least it wasn’t boring, I’d say it was even kind of entertaining,” Another one declared.
“Well, good luck and be seeing ya!”
With the last acceptance letter’s remark, they each glowed slightly and with one more puff of smoke they floated towards the sisters’ open palms, completely motionless and unresponsive. Loris looked at the now normal letter in her hand, “huh...I kind of miss those stupid letters now.”
“Yeah, same here,” Lillias nodded as she gently rolled up the acceptance letter before placing it inside the bag, “but we should head to the dorms now.” she took a brief glance at both her sisters and saw them nod.
The gates slammed shut behind them shortly after the three sisters walked into the academy grounds, the sudden sound made Liz jump up slightly, she composed herself and held the map close to her face trying to decipher it, “The map doesn’t even have the names of the buildings written down.” She grumbled a little while walking, after a while, Liz turned the map around not even sure which way was which.
Not paying attention to her sister, Loris let out a little yawn as she followed after her sisters in a daze, she didn't manage to get enough sleep after the small incident. Lillias kept on walking behind her two sisters, she kept on observing their surroundings when something in the distance caught her eyes, without even glancing back at her sisters she ran towards the botanical gardens, "So beautiful!"
The sides of the garden were blocked by a wall of greenery filled with flowers, and behind that were trees as far as the eye could see. In the middle, the ground surrounding it was covered in brown tiles, each plot was decorated exactly the same giving a harmonious vibe, and at the end, a small white gazebo stood at the center. On the right side, multiple garden arches were planted, each decorated with different flowers of different colors. The sight instantly captivated the nature-loving Lillias.
"Oh what a beautiful garden!"
Meanwhile, Liz and Loris kept moving forward, unaware of the absence of their sister. One was focused on the map while the other was half asleep. Liz took a left turn while Loris lagged behind, and took a wrong turn. The young brunette did not seem to notice the absence of both sisters, she kept on moving forward, too engrossed in trying to decipher the contents of the map, unable to understand a single thing even with how much she was focusing. Liz finally gave up, "Agh this is ridiculous!" With a huff she turned around, "Hey Lillias, you know how to read maps right? can you take a-" she stopped in her tracks, "look..." To her surprise, she found no one behind her, "Huh? Where did they go?" She started looking around her, "Lillias? Loris? Where are you?" There was a moment of silence before the situation started to sink in, the dread slowly seeping in, "Don't tell me...I got separated from my sisters…"
****
“It would seem I wandered a bit further from the others than I originally intended,” Lillias looked around, “Oh well, I’ll just meet them in the dorm.” with that decision she started looking around, searching for anyone she could ask for directions. Unfortunately for her, there was no one around to help her. When she was looking around she noticed the building a little distance away from the botanical garden, although she hadn't seen it before she could tell it was the main building. Lillias decided to head there hoping someone would be around to guide her, if not then she'll just find the dorms on her own. With that thought process in mind, she entered the main building.
What greeted her at the entrance was a floor covered in red carpets and two stairs leading to the next floor. The walls were high and almost looked bronze in color. Towering above were multiple orbs of light that beautifully illuminated the place, between the two parallel stairs were smaller stairs leading down. "Whoever chose the interior design had good taste," Lillias continued on and headed upstairs. For the next 20 minutes she circled around the main building hoping to find someone but no one was in sight. Ending up where she first started, she took a deep breath and headed down, which was followed by a left turn. One room grabbed her attention, and the door to it was left open. At the center of the room was a small statue of a dragon, wooden bookshelves surrounded her completely, and each and every one of them was filled with books.
"How amazing, so this is the library of Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy," Lillias muttered to herself as she stepped inside, she started moving between the shelves while checking out the different books, it was then that she took a sharp turn and crashed into a certain someone holding a huge pile of books, the sudden collision sent her body falling backward as the books fell to the ground. "Whoa!"
"Watch out!" In a desperate attempt to help her, the blond student stretched out his arms and grabbed onto her frail arm, the force of her fall pulling him along. With a crash, his body fell forward and in an instant, their bodies collided with the shelf, tipping it over. This caused a domino effect knocking a few other shelves.
In the end, Lillias and the blond were practically buried in books, their bodies lying on the ground. "Ow...that definitely hurt…" Lillias rubbed the back of her head, her back aching from the pain.
"Agh…" The blond student wasn't in a better condition than Lillias, "Why not knock over the other bookshelves while you're at it?" His voice was harsh and filled with a hint of anger, sarcasm dripping from his words.
"No thanks, feel free to do it yourself," Lillias replied with sarcasm of her own, with a grumble she looked at the boy, "And get off me while you're at it."
Pushing the books off him, the Male student got up and straightened his uniform and then extended his hands towards her still having the decency to help her. She stood there silent, but grabbed onto his hand, pushing herself up with the help of her blond companion.
"Thank you for your help."
"I've never seen you around here before, are you a new student?" The student asked, his purple eyes boring into her blue, his gaze filled with suspicion.
"That is correct, I've just arrived today," feeling as confident as ever, Lillias answered without any delay, her cheery voice not wavering.
"That's quite impressive, I never saw someone destroy the library on their very first day."
Lillias only smiled almost as if taunting him, "Yes indeed, and you were a great help in doing so."
The blond grunted unable to deny he was indeed at fault for causing the accident in the first place, he looked back at the mess, and with a defeated sigh he proceeded to reply, “I Apologize about that.”
“No harm done...well-” Lillias stopped midway as she looked at the fallen shelves, books were all over the floor and the whole library was a mess. Thankfully no one aside from her and the blond student was around to see the current situation, or they would be in trouble… big trouble. “Maybe SOME harm was done...”
"Right…" The student let out a distraught sigh as he grabbed onto his wand, or where his wand was supposed to be. Shockingly he could not feel it, as if it was no longer there. When he looked he found it had disappeared, "No…" he patted down his cloth trying to find his wand. "No, no, no," his mind started filling with a small hint of panic. "Wait don't tell me…" his eyes glanced down at the pile of books, he was almost sure that was the case, "Agh you've got to be kidding me."
Lillias observed the boy for a few minutes, then something came to her mind, a small smirk formed but she quickly hid it, "Oh my, whatever shall we do, I don't have enough confidence to fix this mess with magic…." She trailed on, "It seems we'll have to do it by hand," Lillias suggested, "Oh my name is Lillias Hart, by the way, it's nice to meet you."
Elias just stared at her with conflicting emotions, "A pleasure." It was anything but that at the moment, "I am Elias Goldstein." Before the girl could say anything he interrupted, "Now that we put greetings aside." He looked back at the scene in front of him, he had no idea how to fix this before curfew, but there was one thing to be glad about, "At least not all of them fell," his statement was followed by a slow creaking noise, then a thud followed by a crash. "...I spoke too soon didn't I?"
"This...will take a while."
****
"Agh, I can't believe this!"
With a huff, Loris proceeded to walk through a forest, "If only I had slept more on the train this wouldn't have happened, scratch that, if we didn't go to Gedonelune Town from the start this would never have happened! But no! They had to drag me along, it hasn't been a day since we arrived and I am already regretting this so much! 'It will be fun,' they said, 'you'll grow to like it,' they said, yeah right," The young archer continued to vent out her anger, "This certainly is turning out to be lots of fun."
Loris let out a sigh as she stopped in her tracks, trying to calm her nerves. "Okay, calm down Loris, calm down…." Her voice was barely a whisper, she closed her eyes trying to even out her breathing, she tried to concentrate on things she loved; fighting, eating her sister's food, running in the forest, and napping. Thinking about those brought the tiniest smile to her face. It took a few minutes but Loris managed to calm her nerves, with a calm mind the young girl was ready to continue her search for the dorms.
As she was getting ready to leave, something caught her eyes, it was a stuffed animal of some kind, a hybrid between a rabbit and a bear, with black eyes made of glass beads, its small legs taking tiny strides towards its destination. Noticing the gaze of someone on it, the strange creature looked to the side, its beady eyes stared back at Loris, for a second, they simply stood there, staring at each other, completely frozen in place before it darted off somewhere, and hid.
"...What the hell was that?" Was all Loris was able to ask, her little encounter left her confused, dumbfounded, and slightly bewildered. With a small shake of her head, she continued on her way forward.
"Well, this certainly is a new face around here."
Loris turned her attention towards her observer, taking in his features. He had mesmerizing emerald green eyes that held a mischievous glint to them, his hair was soft. On his right ear was an emerald green earring that swung slightly with his every move, what irritated Loris the most was the amused expression his face held as he observed her.
"So what of it?!" Loris glared at the student, her eyes twitching slightly from irritation, she tried to control her emotions to no avail.
"Oh, feisty one I see," The boy's smirk widened, further annoying the girl, "Let me guess, you're lost and trying to find your way to the dorms."
For some reason, something about the student made Loris feel a little wary, maybe she was just being too cautious, "Yes and?"
With a smirk, the boy continued, "I could help...if you ask nicely."
"Absolutely never playboy," Loris was fast to reject that offer.
"That's… quite the befitting compliment," Luca chuckled a little amused by the quick reply of Loris, "But really you might want to reconsider my offer….unless you want to be late for curfew," he taunted her as he started walking and circling around her.
A small grumble escaped her, Loris was well aware that would be bad for her plus she didn't want to spend more hours looking for the dorms than necessarily, "Just tell me where the dorms are."
"What's the magic word?" Luca looked at her with the same annoying smirk, when he saw Loris turning around to leave instead he quickly intervened, "Okay, okay! I'll tell you, you're heading in the wrong direction, it's actually the opposite way, you see that forest? That's the northern valley forest, past that is the dorms."
For a few minutes, Loris just observed Luca not sure if he was indeed telling the truth, "If you're lying…" she looked him in the eyes.
"I am not, I am not, it really is past the northern valley forest."
Deciding to trust the words of this student, Loris turned around and walked away to the northern valley forest.
Luca watched her with an amused expression on his face until she was out of sight, "Good luck actually finding the dorm...considering it's the other way," he chuckled to himself wondering how the girl would react when she found out he lied and instead walked the opposite direction where the dormitory was actually stationed. "A new student huh? This should be fun."
****
Her destination was the dorms, yet somehow Liz found herself in a completely different place, she stood at the entrance of the main building that opened up to the two parallel stairs. “Whoa this place is big, it's amazing that my sisters and I will be studying in a place like this from now on.”
There were no students in sight, Liz concluded that classes were over for the day but that left her in a bit of a pinch, she had no one to ask for directions and the map was not helping what so ever, "Agh...if only Lillias was with me…" with a sigh, she took one more glance around, "Where's the dormitory anyway?" To say the least, the young wizardess was getting impatient, she had lost track of time looking around. Liz had tried to look for her sisters but in the end, she couldn't find them, her search for the dormitories was also fruitless, all she did was manage to get lost with a map, she wondered if anyone else has ever managed to do that. 'It'll be bad news if I don't find the dorms before it gets dark,' With that thought, Liz let out another long, irritated sigh.
Her search somehow led her to yet another place, this time it was a beautifully decorated grand hall, Liz gazed at it, "It's so huge! I wonder what goes on here?" At the far center of the room stood an altar. Upon closer inspection, Liz noticed a golden scale with a blue gem placed on the middle of the handle, it intrigued her curiosity.
"Hmm, I wonder what that is?" With that question, Liz walked towards the altar and reached out her hand, her hand slowly coming closer to the scale.
"Don't touch that."
…..
…..
…..
Lillias: "it would seem I have to do this preview on my own, alright then, shall we proceed?" *clears throat* "We each find our way to the dorms and meet up with our roommates….hmm? Wait so that means we won't be sharing a room together like we used to, that's a bit disappointing but I already expected that, this could be a good way to get to know the other students. What kind of person is my roommate, I wonder? I am excited to meet her, something tells me she's interesting. Next time, "Friends."
Summary: They lost their parents in an epidemic when they were only eight, their sister went missing when they were eleven, for the three Hart sisters’ life was by no means easy but they always kept looking forward. The village was peaceful and quiet, everyone was friendly and the sisters were content with what little they had. When the three of them get accepted into Gedonelune magic Royal Academy, the most prestigious magic school, they leave the village they lived in all their lives and set out to the academy. With Liz being terrible in magic and Loris being indifferent, will they be able to pass the trial? And what’s with the mysterious Dream Lillias keeps having?
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Taking long, deep breaths, the young archer pulled the arrow from her quiver, placing it on the bow, she positioned herself and started aiming at the target. Once she locked onto it, she released the string, letting the arrow zoom through the air.
With a thud, it hit the red mark, dead in the center. The young archer let out a small sigh as she closed her eyes, her grip on the bow slightly loosening as she pulled it down, she wanted to rest her arms after all the target practice.
"Excellent aiming skills."
A sudden, unknown voice startled the young archer.
"Who's there?!" Loris spun around and pointed an arrow at the intruder, glaring at them with murderous eyes. "What in the..." The girl looked at her so cold intruder only to find out it was a piece of floating paper, yes a floating paper.
"Whoa there, watch where you point that thing!" The paper shouted as it curved backward to dodge the arrow, the edge of the paper gently pushing it down.
"....A talking paper?" Loris stared at the letter, her mouth hung open in shock.
"Paper? Paper?! You think I am a mere paper?!" The paper scoffed, "As if. I'll have you know I am the acceptance letter of the one and only Gedonelune royal magic academy!" It curled back proudly as it announced.
Loris' eyes widened at those words, "Sorry I think I misheard you, did you say the acceptance letter of-"
"Gedonelune Royal magic academy!" The acceptance letter repeated with the same proud voice.
"Gedonelune-"
"Royal magic academy!" The acceptance letter repeated for the second time, the same proud voice not wavering.
It took a while for the words to register, and even after they did, she still stood frozen in place and unable to say anything, the acceptance letter of the most prestigious Magic Academy stood in front of her, curled up proudly looking all stuck up and acting all stuck up for that matter. There were so many questions roaming through her mind. How could a mere country bumpkin like herself get accepted so easily? Why would she get accepted? What does getting accepted mean for her now? Those questions kept repeating in a loop. There was a moment where Loris doubted the talking paper, thinking it was all some sort of prank but when she spotted the red seal, she realized that this was a genuine acceptance letter to Gedonelune Royal Magic academy, this was the reality of the situation. However, the biggest problem remained; she never sent an application. "Sorry but I think you've got the wrong person here," Finally finding her voice, Loris managed to reply to the acceptance letter.
One of the letter's edges curled down and started moving from side to side, "You are one of the Hart sisters are you not?" He asked in confusion.
"Yes, however it was my two sisters who appli-" Loris stopped midway, flashbacks of a few days ago resurfacing in her mind, "Curse you Lillias...." she muttered suddenly, looking down as she gripped her hand. The acceptance letter cleared its throat, as if it actually had one, and straightened up, "Loris Hart, although it is a mystery to me how a country girl like you with little to no magical experience, has been accepted into the academy-" The acceptance letter went on with its long, aggravating speech but his words went unheard, going from one ear and outside the other. "It still does not change the reality of the situation, as such… I have come here to escort you to the academy, there's not much time! We must get ready and prepare for the-"
Loris stood there with a blank look on her face, completely in a daze. This was not how she wanted things to play out. She knew her sisters wanted more than anything to attend Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, however, she did not share that dream. Back when Lillias sent an application for her, she felt somewhat irritated but was not worried for long. The reason was because she believed they would never get accepted.
So how was the genuine acceptance letter in front of her?
"Hey are you even listening?!" the acceptance letter shouted, pulling Loris out of her thoughts.
With a look of determination, the brunette roughly grabbed the talking letter as it let out a small shriek, the piece of paper slightly crumbling in her hand. She dashed through the forest, dodging the trees and passing through the bushes at incredible speed, her hair swaying with the wind. "Hey! Unhand me at once, how dare you treat me in such a manner!" The acceptance letter tried to wiggle his way out but Loris' grip held it still.
The Archer continued maneuvering her way through to her house. Finally, she reached the village, ignoring the usual greetings from the villagers as she passed by. Loris kept dashing through the streets until she stopped just in front of her house to take long, rigid breaths. Although she is used to the forest moving at full speed was still a lot even for her. Loris just wanted to take a nap but before she could go into a peaceful slumber she had a little talk she needed to have with Lillias. "Let go, I said, have you no manners?!" When Loris loosened her grip the acceptance letter floated out of her palm and released a loud sigh of relief. "For Dragon's sake, I thought I was gonna die!"
Loris just shook her head and let out a frustrated sigh, 'So noisy,' she thought, fighting the urge to tear the letter to pieces, then burn it into smithereens. All Mr. letter did was annoy her from the moment it appeared and Loris was never a patient person. "Excuse you, I'll have you know this is by no means an appropriate way to greet a-" ignoring the letter once again, Loris started walking, "At least listen to me when I am talking!" Mr. Letter watched as Loris walked past him, not glancing his way. "Wait up!" It yelled out, floating towards the same direction it's owner went.
Loris stopped just in front of the door and took a long, deep breath, "Just...talk it out Loris, you can do this, you won't get dragged by Lillias this time, everything will turn out fine," she told herself, trying to brace herself for what was to come. With eyes now full of determination, she grabbed onto the door knob and started to turn it slowly pushing it back.
"Lillia-" Just then, the door flew open, slamming against her face, "Aghhh...!" Loris cried out, crouching down as she covered her face, touching her nose as blood came out, "Holy dragon of time.....!"
"Oh my god, Loris, I am so sorry!" Liz, the one who slammed the door open, bent down and grabbed onto her sister's arm, gradually pulling her up.
"Liz what was that for?!" Loris yelled at her sister, blood oozing out of her nose as she grumbled, "Did you have to open the door so violently?!"
"I am so sorry, I am so sorry, I am so sorry!" was all Liz was able to say.
"Well that looked painful," Lillias walked out of the house holding her mouth, she looked at her sister lying on the ground, grunting in pain, "You okay?"
"Do I look Okay?!" Loris replied in frustration, removing her hand briefly to glare at her sisters. "I swear by the name of the first King when I get my hands on you Liz...!"
Unaffected by her sister's outburst Lillias continued, "See Liz, this is why I told you not to get excited, you get too carried away and ignore your surroundings, you always cause someone to get injured too."
"And that someone is always me!" Loris grumbled, "Also Lillias stop saying it so nonchalantly and give me a hand!"
"Now, now don't be so grumpy, we are going to Gedonelune Town tomorrow, after all, let us take care of your nose then go pack our stuff!" Lillias grabbed her sister's hand without a second thought and dragged her toward the house.
"Wait what? I didn't say I wi-"
"I can't wait to see Lyron and Lyell again, oh and we'll finally get to see the academy in person, this is going to be great!" Lillias moved forward while Loris was being dragged behind.
"Lillias!"
****
The next day came quickly, much to Loris' dismay, the sun rose up, illuminating Reitz in warm golden rays. Loris pretended to be dead to free herself from today's misery; it did not work, instead, she got smacked by a bag that Liz threw towards her. After packing said bags, they said their farewell to the villagers, and the three of them were now prepared to leave, Lillias and Liz were enthusiastic while Loris held a completely opposite view about the situation, she really wanted nothing more than to escape from this nightmare.
With a sigh, the girl glanced in front of her, watching the three letters that were floating in the air, one letter for each sister. "This is a dream come true isn't it?" Liz looked excitedly at her sisters, her eyes sparkling with joy and excitement, "To think we'll finally be able to go to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, maybe even become great wizards someday like Serge Durandel!"
"You? Become a great Wizard? Ha, I'd like to see that!" Liz's acceptance letter rudely replied.
"Don't be so rude, Mr. acceptance letter," Lillias simply smiled, "Every great wizard started somewhere."
"Yeah and every great wizard was competent," Liz's acceptance letter huffed in frustration, the other two letters nodding in agreement. "Now, that was uncalled for, be nice," Lillias then proceeded to look forward, "Also, I believe we should be on our way or we'll miss the train."
Liz looked at her sister wide-eyed, "Oh you're absolutely right."
"Wait," The three acceptance letters each said in unison, their voices almost resonating with each other. This naturally made the three sisters stop. Each of the acceptance letters floated towards their respective owners and started to shine in a bright white light, bubbles of light started appearing all around the sisters, engulfing them with the warm, bright magic energy. With a pop sound, the bubbles then burst open, leaving small particles of light, they slowly drifted down towards the ground.
"Oh..?" Lillias looked at herself, seeing her clothes changed.
Now in a new uniform, Loris looked wide-eyed at the sudden change, "Whoa! What's this?"
All three sisters were now dressed in a blue blazer decorated with a ribbon. A short, white skirt with long black tights and blue boots and finally a long dark blue cloak decorated in golden patterns, both sides of the cape were connected by a red ribbon pinned down by a golden emblem with the symbol of a dragon.
Lillias's pale blue eyes sparkled with joy, "This is the...academy Uniform!" she twirled around, her cloak wrapping around her, the hem of her skirt floated slightly, "To finally be able to attend the same academy our father once attended..." her enthusiasm didn't fade and she ended up spun around.
"The day finally came...where we can wear the academy's uniform! It's just as amazing as I expected!" Liz chirped as she also checked her clothes but she soon looked back at the acceptance letters, "How were you able to do that?!"
"This is nothing!" Although it was only one of the letters that said that, each of them floated in the air, curling up proudly.
"Can we just get this over with and go?!" Loris grumbles loudly, she did not by any means hide her irritation. "Oh, right we'll be late if we don't!" Lillias clapped her hands together, seemingly oblivious to her sister's irritation, or choosing to ignore it, Loris was 100% sure it was the latter.
"That completes the preparations. Now, it's time to head for the academy," One of the letters announced. "If we don't hurry we won't make it in time," Another one informed them.
"Wait but how are we g-" before Liz could even ask, the three letters started floating away. Lillias and Loris soon followed after the letters, they did not want to be left behind. Shaking her head, Liz woke up from her daydreaming and started running after her sisters "Wait for me!" as a soft breeze blew past her, something made her stop and glance back at the small house. There stood the house where the Hart sisters lived for 18 whole years, working hard to overcome every obstacle together. It was a house with many memories both joyous and sorrowful. Liz suddenly felt a tint of sadness at the thought of leaving this place; her childhood home that held all her memories. She knew it was a step that she needed to take but she never expected this to come so soon, the memories of her parents suddenly popped into her mind. "Are you watching me, Mom and Dad? I promise I'll study as hard as I can and become a competent wizardess..." she gripped onto her clothes as she tried to hold her tears, "So the two of you can be proud in heaven."
Noticing that its owner was not following along, the acceptance letter looked back, "What are you doing? Hurry up!" It shouted, irritation evident in its voice. That didn't go unnoticed by Lillias as she gave the acceptance letter a sideways glare. "Seriously, what are you? a turtle," of course the other two acceptance letters had to chime in. Noticing the slight change in Lillias's expression, Loris quickly stepped back, "Oh no..."
"That's enough you three, you should learn how to treat others respectively," Lillias this time was not smiling, instead she looked extremely serious. Loris could swear she felt a cold air around her sister that made a chill run through her body. The acceptance letters also felt it for a brief moment.
"Um...let us be on our way!" Noticing the tension in the air, Liz grabbed onto her two sisters and ran towards the train station, though the village was somewhat secluded there was indeed a train station, a very small and rundown one however it functioned well enough to at least bring them to the neighboring town. The three sisters boarded the train and set out to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy, ready to start a new chapter in their lives. Throughout the whole ride, the three sisters were unusually quiet, even the acceptance letter didn't feel comfortable with the deafening silence, Liz was looking at the scenery seemingly in a daze, watching everything pass by. Loris was taking a nap, enjoying her peace and quiet while Lillias was engrossed in reading one of her books, keeping herself occupied like usual. Time passed by as the silence continued. Unsure of how long it's been, Lillias placed the book down and took a quick glance at her two sisters, noticing Liz had fallen asleep as well. She let out a soft giggle. There both her sisters were, sound asleep on the train. She smiled fondly, observing them for a few minutes then grabbed onto the book again about to continue reading it however something prevented her.
The train came to an unexpected halt, "whoa!" Due to the momentum, Lillias' body flung forward. The same happened to her sisters jolting them awake. "Holy smokes!" The acceptance letters also got their nap interrupted. "W- what happened?" Liz asked in a panic. Loris on the other hand just grabbed into her forehead And grumbled, "I was having a nice dream too.....I dreamt that all this was a dream and we never got the acceptance letter..."
"I am not really sure Liz, also Loris you're not getting away from this so easily," Lillias slowly got up, "I am going to go ask."
Her letter floated towards her, "Wait, I will also accompany you," the letter announced. Lillias nodded with her usual smile, she walked towards a train attendant asking about the situation in detail. Amongst the sisters, Lillias was always the best communicator so situations like this were better left to her, they always knew things would turn out fine with her around, on the other hand, it was guaranteed that both Liz and Loris would mess up. The two sisters waited patiently as they tried to overhear part of their conversation, however, it was too far to hear most of what was being said. All they could hear was inaudible nonsense.
"I understand the situation now, thank you for your time," Lillias politely said, ending the conversation.
"Of course, we are very sorry for the inconvenience." The attendant raised his hat up.
Lillias smiled at the attendant and bid farewell before she went back to her sisters to explain the situation, of course, her sisters were eager for an explanation. "Talk about total negligence!" The acceptance letter scuffed. Gently pushing the acceptance letter away from her face, Lillias started explaining the situation, "It seems there are technical difficulties with the train, thankfully we happened to be close to a town. However, we'll have to wait a while before the train gets fixed."
"Agh! You've got to be kidding me!" Loris jumped onto her seat and huffed, "I am telling you this is a bad omen telling us we shouldn't go to Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy in the first place!"
"Stop being so negative, Loris," Lillias stopped her sister, "Since we're only a few meters away from town, let's just look around until they fix it." Liz looked at Loris and nodded, "I...agree with Lillias, we've never been anywhere aside from Reitz so we should take the chance to look around."
"Two against one, huh?" Loris let out a heavy sigh and then raised her hands to the side and shrugged, "Fine, fine. Let us look around." The two look at each other, satisfaction evident by the smirks on their face, they raised their hands up and gave each other a high five. Watching her sisters all Loris could do was roll her eyes. She really dreaded her luck at times.
****
The walk to the next town was short, only a few meters away from where the train had stopped. As they walked closer to the town they could see the shops and buildings more closely, their eyes traveled everywhere searching for anything interesting to distract themselves with. Loris let out a yawn as she saw Liz excitedly looking at everything while running from one side to the other, "Look you two, there are so many shops and people! A clothing shop, a flower shop, a bakery. There are so many things!"
"Yes indeed, It's definitely much different than the small Reitz we've lived our whole lives in," Lillias' eyes traveled the streets, "Most of Reitz was only street markets with only a couple shops around." She then turned around and glanced at Liz, her eyes widening in surprise, "Liz watch out or you'll-"
"Whoa!" Liz shouted as she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
"Fall...." Lillias found herself finishing the sentence she was unable to finish. "Oh, she fell alright," Loris looked at the scene she just witnessed in amazement, then again she wasn't surprised, after all, it was Liz. Lillias quietly ran towards her sister and helped her out. "I fear for the future of the academy," the acceptance letter just sighed, it was a long frustrated sigh. "I'm....alright," Liz grabbed onto Lillias's shoulder to support herself and got up with the help of both her sisters.
"Let us just head back, the train should be fixed by now," Loris was the first to suggest that she let out a small yawn and stretched her arm. "Aww already?" Liz protested, this was her first time outside of her home village so naturally, she wanted to explore the town more.
"It would be very disastrous If the train left without us," The acceptance letter floated after the sisters. Lillias however had a different opinion, the girl just smiled at the letter, "It will be fine, we still have plenty of time." Taking a deep breath the acceptance letter was just about to say something when all of a sudden they heard a loud noise. The three sisters ran towards the commotion. "Oh my, it is not very gentlemanly to point a knife at a lady," a woman with long, dark blue hair and beautiful violet eyes stood proudly in a corner, a folding fan held in her hand, she stood there alone surrounded by many thugs, each of them holding a weapon, one of them, however, was facedown on the ground with his knife next to him, the woman standing right next to him.
"Why you- just hand over the money!" The leader shouted, his patience running low. "I respectively decline young man, you should learn to be polite and not try to rob defenseless women," the mysterious woman did not seem the slightest bit scared as she retorted back to the leader of the thugs.
"Eeeeh! What do we do? What do we do?!" Liz started panicking and looking from left to right, she knew she needed to help the woman but she had never encountered this sort of situation before, when she turned back towards Loris she noticed she was no longer there, "Eh?!" Liz knew this could only mean one thing, she hesitantly looked back at the thugs.
"Hey you," Loris shouted loudly, the anger flaring in her eyes, disdain showing on her face. "Stop what you're doing right now!"
"Oh boy..." Lillias let out a long sigh. The woman and the thugs all glanced at Loris, the leader just sighed and gestured for his men to take care of the intruders. One of the men stepped forward as he cracked his knuckles. Lillias quickly stepped in between her sister and the man, "Now, now how about we talk this out peacefully?"
The man just scoffed, "Peacefully you say? You should've just stayed out of this," he threw a punch at the two sisters however they both quickly dodged, he staggered forward but managed to quickly regain his balance, annoyed that he missed, he glared back at them.
"You got your answer Lillias," with a sigh, Loris started stretching her shoulders and getting ready to retaliate. It was time for some action.
"Indeed I have," Lillias simply answered. This time, the man took out a knife and held it tightly in his hand, he rushed forward towards them. Lillias, however, didn't give him the chance, she swept his leg making him tumble to the ground with a loud thud. "Oh my sincerest apologies, my leg slipped." she mockingly replied, sounding anything but apologetic.
"Agh, you've got to be kidding me," Their leader simply shook his head, "Get them!" He sneered at the others as they each looked at each other and nodded.
"Well, aren't you going to help?!" Seeing the events unfold the acceptance letter turned to look at Liz. The brunette could only look around with a mix of total bewilderment and fear. Was there really anything she could do in this situation? Unlike her sisters, she was terrible at fighting, she wanted to do something.
Loris simply chuckled and glanced at the thugs with a wide grin, "What's the matter? Afraid of two little girls?" She motioned for them to step forward, "Come on now, we're just beginning." She taunted with a huge smile on her face. Everyone ran towards her all at once. Little did they know numbers would not help. With a kick she sent 3 of them towards a trash can, then quickly dodged a punch before grabbing the attacker's arm, throwing him to the other side.
"Nice going Loris!" Lillias cheered her sister on, as someone sneaked behind her she quickly sidestepped away, sensing the attack easily, and moved behind him pushing him towards his comrade. The two of them collided and fell to the ground. "A piece of advice, if you're going to rob someone," she smiled at the fallen men, "At least pose a bit of a challenge sir."
"You useless men, getting defeated by some kids," The leader snapped once more, he pulled out his wand and started to chant, "I'll handle this with my own hands, Sagitta Lu-" Out of nowhere, a steel lid smacked him in the head from behind, it was no other than Liz, with a desperate attempt to help her sisters. With the leader knocked out, the sisters' little fight came to an end. "Is it over now?" One of the letters looked from behind Liz to make sure it was safe, once it was sure of that, it hovered up, "Okay brothers the coast is clear," the two other letters emerged from behind Liz.
"Cowards," Loris mumbled, glancing at the letters, her eyes then trailing back towards the men on the floor. "Hey, I'll have you know we are much too important to get involved in street fights!" One of the letters interjected, appalled by her statement. "Yeah, sure," Loris rolled her eyes, "Very important indeed."
Lillias was the first one to check on the woman, "Are you alright ma'am?"
"Oh my, thank you for the help young ladies," the woman only smiled warmly at the young wizards, "I hope you three are fine."
"Don't worry, none of us were hurt," Loris reassures the elegant woman, her tone was more calm and polite than her usual one.
Hearing that, the woman let out a sigh, "I am very relieved to hear that" Looking closer the woman noticed the uniform the three girls were wearing, a very familiar uniform to her, "thank you young wizards for your valuable assistance," she glanced back at the men who had tried to rob her, "And for teaching those barbarians a lesson, it seems I was very lucky to be helped by you three, how can I ever repay you?"
"No need ma'am, we only did what anyone would've done," Lillias reassured the woman.
Though she didn't say anything, Liz nodded in agreement with her sister's statement.
"Just be careful on your way ma'am, there are lots of jerks like them around," Loris stated, walking towards her sisters. "Noted," The woman nodded with a soft smile, "I'll see you around young ladies." With that last statement, the woman walked away, for some reason, the last words lingered in Lillias' mind. With everything now done, Liz fell to the ground and let out a long sigh, "That was scary..."
"Seriously not only are you pathetic in magic you're also pretty much useless when it matters," With the woman now gone, it was time for the acceptance letter to begin his usual routine of insulting Liz, giving her no time to relax, "It's just quite sad to think you'll soon be joining the most prominent magic academy with your less than impressive skills." And that was the final straw, this time the letter had gone overboard, and Liliias was running out of patience. All of a sudden, she snatched Liz's backpack and her sister's magic letter. "Hey, what do you think you're doing by holding me so roughly?!" The letter hissed. Without so much as a care in the world, Lillias stuffed the letter into the backpack and closed it, "Here you go Liz," she handed her sister the backpack with her usual innocent smile.
"Brother!"
Just as Lillias predicted, the other two acceptance letters started to protest, "Why you evil-" Lillias' smile stopped them mid-sentence, "Missing your brother already? Would you like to accompany him?" The two letters felt a shiver run through their paper as they tightly clutched into each other.
"No absolutely not ma'am!"
Lillias tilted her head, "you sure though? I am sure Mr. Acceptance letter would love the company of his two dear brothers."
"She snapped..." her sister, Loris knew very well it would end like this, in fact, Loris was surprised Lillias lasted that long but as everyone says third time's the charm, or in the letters' case, it was more of a curse. "Well then, we should head back," Lillias joyously walked back to the train, almost as if nothing had happened, the smile on her face not wavering.
"R-right," Liz instantly agreed with a nod, too scared to say anything else to her sister. She and Loris followed after their sister, striding behind her as she walked back to the station, she could feel the acceptance letter still struggling in her bag. By the time they arrived, the maintenance was almost over so the sisters simply waited, doing whatever to keep themselves occupied, their little journey into town had already left them exhausted. Once done the train continued to its destination, letting the sisters continue on with their journey toward Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy.
Loris: "Lillias...you're really something, you know that? You defeated those guys like they were nothing."
Lillias: "Well they were pretty weak, I didn't even need to use magic against them."
Loris: "Yeah, that's true. It wasn't even a good exercise. That woman was a bit weird though don't you agree?"
Lillias: "Agreed...there's something off about her."
Loris: "And I am not entirely sure it's in a good way..."
Lillias: "Oh, we lost track of time!"
Loris: "That's right! We finally arrive at Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy but we get separated."
Lillias: "And each of us gets help from some new people we encounter."
Loris: "Meanwhile Liz gets helped by who now?!…oh boy this sure is getting interesting."
Lillias: "Next time, "The Emperor," oh my such a grandiose title."
Summary: They lost their parents in an epidemic when they were only eight, their sister went missing when they were eleven, for the three Hart sisters’ life was by no means easy but they always kept looking forward. The village was peaceful and quiet, everyone was friendly and the sisters were content with what little they had. When the three of them get accepted into Gedonelune magic Royal academy, the most prestigious magic school, they leave the village they lived in all their lives and set out to the academy. With Liz being terrible in magic and Loris being indifferent, will they be able to pass the trial? And what’s with the mysterious Dream Lillias keeps having?
Next chapter || Masterlist
Amidst the darkness of the night, the full moon stood in all its glory, casting a red glow onto the eerie forest.
A sound of a twig snapping interrupted the deafening silence as a girl with long, curly, soft hair emerged from the bushes, the red light illuminated her bloodied face. With each step, her dark blue cloak fluttered back and forth with the wind. With every move, she would wince slightly, visibly in pain, yet she would continue to stride forward, never once turning to look back. Each step felt heavier than the last as the young female endured the agonizing pain.
With her gaze focused in front of her, she kept striding forward at full speed, eyes focused on the destination, that's all that mattered to her.
As she proceeded forward, her legs began to tire, slowing down little by little. Suddenly, it caught on something as she lost her balance and tripped. The young girl's body came rolling down the hill, her face slamming into the dirt, the sharp rocks digging into her and cutting through her flesh before her body finally crashed into a tree.
"Agh..." She let out a small grunt as she held onto her stomach and started coughing, "Must...keep...moving..." Despite the pain, the young girl gripped the soil with all her might and attempted to get up. Though she fell down again, she kept pushing forward finally getting back on her feet.
Knowing there was no time to waste, she ran straight to her destination. Why was she running? What was she searching for? She did not know but her mind kept telling her to move forward, her body kept pushing her to her limits. The girl had to keep running, or it would be too late, too late to stop what was to come. She couldn't be late, whatever it took, she needed to be there or everything would be lost.
She quickly made her way through the thick branches and trees and ran once more.
The girl's icy blue eyes fluttered open as she gasped for air, her heartbeat slowly calming down as she took in her surroundings, finding herself in the comfort of her warm bed. It took her a few minutes to register everything, with a sigh she placed her hand on her forehead, "It was just a dream..." She could still recall the fear and the urgency. It all felt so vivid to her, she almost couldn't believe it was just a dream.
After a while, Lillias slowly pulled herself and glanced to her side, her lips curved into a smile when she saw her two sisters sleeping peacefully on the bed, deep in the land of dreams. Slowly and gently she got off trying not to make any sound, lest she woke them up.
"Ah...." With a small grumble, one of the sisters pulled herself up, her hair was disheveled and messy and her amber-colored eyes looked tired. "Is it....morning already?" She mumbled as she rubbed her eyes.
"Good morning Liz," Lillias looked behind her and greeted her sister with a smile, she could tell her sister was still half asleep. "Slept well?"
Liz simply nodded in reply before stretching her weak, slender arms. She silently got out of bed and walked toward Lillias, "Yes, what about you?"
"I slept comfortably," With no hesitation, Lillias replied to her sister, looking her directly in the eyes. She may not have given it away, but it was a lie, worrying her siblings would be the last thing she wanted after all, especially since it was just a dream.
Or was it?
Lillias was not completely sure. It was not the only time she had such a weird dream, it has been happening for the last couple of days. The young lady would find herself alone in an eerie forest, in the middle of the night running towards her unknown destination, desperately chasing her goal. Lillias wasn't even sure which forest it was or why she was there, it certainly wasn't any place she's been to before.
However, Lillias did not have the time to ponder that over, today was a busy day for her and she needed to get ready.
"You woke up earlier than usual." Liz couldn't help but point out as she looked at her sister who had already gotten dressed, she watched as Lillias carefully adjusted the blue brooch on her ribbon. "I have a lot to do today."
"A lot to do? Oh, are you heading to collect some herbs?" Liz let out a yawn as she rubbed her eyes, still feeling sleepy. "That's right," Lillias replied as she pushed her long silky hair back.
"Well just be careful," Liz mumbled as she walked forward before stopping to glance around, trying to spot something. Her eyes landed on a small bag, the brunette slowly walked towards it, grabbed it, and lifted it up. "And don't work too hard," she handed the small bag to Lillias, giving her sister a warm smile.
"I will, oh that reminds me… Loris has to wake up in about an hour, don't forget to wake her up," Lillias pointed out.
"Aww....you know waking her up is a pain!" Liz pouted as she looked at her sister, almost glaring at her. In return, Lillias simply giggled, "Sorry but I can't wake her up if I am not here," Lillias replied a little teasingly, "Adios!" The long-haired female winked at her sister and gave a slight wave before walking out.
Liz could only huff since she was left with the duty to wake up their youngest sister, she looked back at the bed only to see her youngest sister still happily sleeping away.
Loris is a heavy sleeper, that was a known fact in the Hart family. And to Liz's dismay, it was her turn to go through the nightmarish job, that is to wake up her sister.
"Life is cruel...."
****
Reitz, a small, ordinary yet peaceful village in the countryside, the only appeal was its magnificent yet simple nature. Life was at times hard, with the lack of wizards and doctors, however, the villagers were gentle, kind-hearted individuals who helped those in need. Everyone in Reitz worked hard to make ends meet and that was no different for the three sisters living at the edge of the village.
As their two oldest brothers were away, each of the sisters only had each other to depend on, they worked in their separate fields to survive in the small Village.
Liz, although a novice in magic, had the ability to communicate with animals, and thus worked as a veterinarian and an animal consultant. Loris was an excellent fighter and Archer, earning the title of strongest in the village despite her frail exterior. Everyone in the village knew not to mess around with her.
On the other hand, Lillias was more peaceful in nature, having an interest in herbs and medicine and a love for the outdoors. She always had a curiosity and thirst for knowledge that could not be appeased, thus she chose to work in a small pharmacy. Lillias' job required her to occasionally head to the forest near the village to collect herbs. So here she was, making her way to the depth of the forest, listening to the chirping of birds.
The forest near Reitz was nowhere near the one in Lillias' dream. In the dream, the place had long, thin trees and dry ground with narrow pathways, far different from the thick wooden trees that filled her vision and the wide pathway decorated with beautiful flowers.
Somehow, this only made her more curious. Questions filled her mind as she kept on walking in the peaceful forest, gripping the small bag as she moved forward, easily passing through the forest's terrain.
"What a gentle breeze...." Lillias glanced up as she closed her eyes, letting the wind ruffle her hair. The young teenager couldn't help but want to take a small break to breathe in the clean air. However, she could not afford to take it easy, she still had a job to do.
She jumped over to the other side and kept moving forward, amidst all the greenery she kept searching for a particular herb. Her eyes landed on a certain plant growing on the edge of the lake. "There it is!" With all her might, she ran towards it stopping just in front of the lake as she bent down and inspected the small plant.
A small blue flower with a mix of purple floated at the edge of the lake, that was no doubt what she was searching for. "The Ithros flower, a flower very similar in nature to the Nymphaeaceae family. It's a common yet potent magical herb but it's rare to see one in such a good condition." She carefully pulled it out from its roots, gently placing it in a glass container.
"Well no time for slacking off, I need to find the other herbs needed."
She got up and kept walking around, looking at the usual habitats for each of the herbs, passing through the same roads and scenery.
****
Dreading the day, Loris let out a long, loud yawn. How she hated waking up early and how she longed to just stay there in bed, for a good 10 more hours, Or potentially 24 hours, or even an eternity more. That was a good alternative too.
How she dreamt of just lazing around all day, having a long, relaxing, hot bath followed by the good old meat dish she preferred the most and a satisfying hot soup. She longed to just savor those meals, again and again, taking her time to devour every last bit, then proceed to lie down in bed waiting for sleep to consume her.
Yes, that would undoubtedly brighten up her day.
Unfortunately, life is never that pleasant, and it was by no means pleasant for the Hart family. The three sisters could not afford to go a day without working. Loris understood that fairly well, and despite her being a lazy ass she still knew her priorities.
Her priority of today: beating up some dudes.
Or that's how Loris likes to think of it, she really wasn't teacher material, so she just preferred thinking about it in this way. She demonstrates her strength, they get their ass whooped. Sounded like a relatively fair trade in her opinion. So there she was, walking to the small training ground in the village, passing through her usual, everyday, boring route.
"Oh, good morning Loris!" The old lady noticed Loris passing by.
"Good morning," Loris waved back to the old lady, responding back to her morning greeting.
"You're up early for once it seems."
"Not by choice," Loris glanced at the man from the shop next door who joined in the conversation.
"Getting ready to train new recruits? Or are you going hunting today?" The old lady asked.
"Not today, just the usual training," Loris casually replied, "I should be on my way now, talk later!"
"Take care!"
"I will!" Loris waved back at them as she kept walking forward, not glancing back towards them, after all, there was no reason to, even if it may seem disrespectful they were like her extended family, of course, they were already used to all her antics.
Etiquette was not part of Loris' nature.
She soon saw the training ground coming into view, the voices of the guys echoing. There they were, already in place, chatting and lazing around with no care in the world.
Loris let out a sigh as she moved her hand through her short, unkempt hair, frustration already beginning to set in. Why did she ever agree to teach those hooligans in the first place? Oh yeah, she had no choice.
She closed her eyes, trying to compose herself, blocking all the voices from her mind before finally opening her eyes, reassuring herself she can handle this, she took a deep breath and then shouted, "YOU GUYS!"
Everyone went quiet, instantly pulling their bodies up only to collide with each other and fall to the ground with a thud, wrestling to get up before finally standing around in an orderly fashion, fear evident in their eyes as Loris stepped forward.
"I see everyone has been having a good time without me," Loris smirked, stretching her arms and cracking her knuckles in anticipation. "How about I join in?"
****
As she walked through town, Lillias greeted everyone she came across with a bright smile, the florist, the librarian, and the owner of a small café. Whoever it was Lillias was acquainted with them, in fact, the whole Village was. The villagers were numbered and everyone knew each other, everyone was practically family. The young village girl passed through different alleys and buildings, seeing the kids cheerfully run past her.
She soon stopped at a certain old store, there it was, barely still standing. Despite its appearance, the building standing in front of her was not only a pharmacy but also doubled as a magic items store. The first thing that caught Lillias' attention was the croaked sign on the worn-out door. Wasting no time, she swiftly adjusted it to its correct position, then opened the door and entered.
Stopping in her tracks, a woman in her mid-forties turned around, her face brightened up at the sight of Lillias, "Oh good morning dear."
"Good morning Mrs. Heiss," The young girl greeted as she closed the door behind her, "Hope you're doing well today?"
"I am good, thanks for asking," Mrs. Heiss answered with a somewhat quiet voice.
"That's good."
After greeting each other, the two went about their daily business. Lillias swept the floor while Mrs. Heiss started organizing the medicine and medical herbs on the shelves, before carefully checking on the condition of the new magic items.
When they were done they opened up the store for the day.
Usually, the store was quiet and there was nothing for Lillias to do, however sitting around was something the young village girl didn't like, so instead, she grabbed a book from Mrs. Heiss' collection, opening it at a certain page. "Let's see..." she scanned through the paragraphs.
"Already practicing like always I see."
"I must do at least this much," Lillias replied, placing the bag on the table as she pulled out her herbs, carefully arranging them in front of her before grabbing several bottles from the shelves, "I want to learn everything I can about Magic, herbs, and medicine."
"I am sure you will, your medicine already surpasses mine."
"Of course not," Lillias giggled, "I still have much to learn," She carefully read through the instructions, grabbing one of the bottles before removing the cover and pouring some of its content into a small bowl, followed by three petals of the Ithros flower she had picked up, then came the content of the next bottle; small circular dried seeds.
Slowly she started grinding them together, letting it all mix and fuse into a green-like powdery substance. Little by little, she kept following the book to the letter, carefully doing each step. It was a delicate process after all.
The door swung open as a man in his late fifties entered the shop, when Lillias glanced towards him her face brightened up. "Good morning Arlene, and good morning to you as well young Lady," the man smiled and bowed slightly.
"Ah, Karsyn what a surprise," Mrs. Heiss slowly got up and walked towards her customer. "Mr. Alvarez, it's been a long time," Lillias put the medicine in a small bottle, tightly closed it, and ran towards the man, "When Did you arrive in Reitz?"
"Just now actually," The man quickly replied, "I won't be staying for too long, however."
Karsyn Alvarez; One of Mrs. Heiss' oldest customers, a man of mystery and intrigue. however; he was a Wizard who traveled around Gedonelune so it was rare for him to be in Reitz.
"You've grown so much since the last time I saw you," Mr. Alvarez raised his hand up and gently patted Lillias on the head.
"Of course I have, it's been 3 years after all," Lillias informed him.
"Has it really been that long?" He asked, almost surprised.
****
In a further corner of the village, Loris, who had finished up teaching her archery class for the day, was taking a long, much-needed nap. Her hood was pulled up protecting her head from the strong rays of the sun, she rested her head on the trunk of the tree, trying to relax in the shade. Loris' peaceful nap was suddenly interrupted by a loud crashing noise. With a grunt, the girl's pink eyes fluttered open, "What was that?"
"Get back here you stupid water jug!" A loud voice echoed from the house, Loris instantly recognized it, it was Liz. With a sigh, the girl got up and started walking toward her house.
"No stop! That's my drinking water for today!" The shout was followed by the sound of crashing.
"GE-HEHEHE." A creepy laugh followed.
Wondering what in the world was going on, Loris opened the door, oh how she wished she had not done so.
What greeted her was a water Jug with long white wings flying around in circles knocking everything in its way, dropping water all over the place as it knocked over bottles, books, and other trinkets around.
"Hey stop moving around! You're dropping the water all over the place!"
Loris could only watch in confusion as her older sister ran after the water Jug. "What in the..." She couldn't even process the scene in front of her.
The water Jug suddenly stopped over Loris' head and before she could even react the Jug turned upside down. Water came pouring down on her head soaking Loris from head to toe completely as she let out a gasp.
There were a few minutes of silence and shock, Liz's face started to turn pale knowing what was to come, and then, "Oh it's on!" Loris rolled up her sleeves and started running after the said Jug, "Get back here! You jerkass Jug!"
"Stay put!" Liz shouted at the magical jug. Stopping for a few short seconds, the water jug let out another laugh.
"Why you!" Liz and Loris jumped towards it in an attempt to catch the mischievous jug but it easily dodged, letting both sisters ungracefully tumble to the ground with a sudden, painful thud.
The jug simply let out another loud laugh before its wings vanished, it then fell on Liz's head then rolled down, and landed on her open palm, staying there completely motionless after the chaos it had caused.
"Loris, Liz I am back, you won't be- whoa!" As Lillias opened the door and took her first steps inside, her feet slipped on the water. Before she lost her balance she quickly grabbed onto the door to support herself, thankfully her fast reflexes saved her. "What happened here?" She looked at the floor where broken glass and scattered books were all over the place. "It looks like a typhoon passed through." Although she was shocked at the scene she also couldn't help but let out a little chuckle when she saw both her sisters lying on the ground.
"I might have messed up a spell," Liz only laughed nervously as Loris glared at her.
"She definitely messed up a spell," Loris replied back.
"It's normal to mess up, you can't learn unless you do," Lillias tried to contain her laughter as she let out a muffled laugh.
"Lillias....not you too," Liz was almost on the verge of tears.
"Sorry, sorry, the scene was just too hilarious," Lillias cleared her throat, "Well then, we should… probably fix this up."
"I'll prepare breakfast," Liz announced.
Lillias gave her the bag of groceries, letting her check what she bought for tonight as she proceeded to grab the mop, "I'll clean."
"I'll...." Loris looked at herself, seeing her completely drenched appearance. "Just... get changed," she pointed towards her room in a somewhat reluctant and awkward manner.
And with that, the three sisters dispersed.
Cleaning up was usual for Lillias Hart, she liked everything in proper order, and clear of any dust or dirt. In fact, if it wasn't for her this house would've been a mess.
As Lillias cleaned up the mess she accidentally stepped on something, she heard the sound of glass breaking. Looking at the floor, she noticed a family photo flat on the ground. The girl bent down, picked it up, and looked at the photo, her lips forming into a smile.
That picture held a special memory for them, it was a picture of her whole family: her parents, two older brothers, and her three sisters. This was the last picture taken before the death of their parents, it was one of the only memories she had left of them. Lillias' eyes lingered on her younger sister who had gone missing many years ago, her mind occupied by memories of the past. She lingered there, silently looking at the photo in her hand, her mind elsewhere, unable to hear the sounds around her.
"Lillias!" A hand suddenly landed on Lillias' shoulder.
Her body jumped up, reacting to the sudden touch, she glanced behind seeing it was only Loris before letting out a sigh, "What is it, Loris?" She could notice a hint of worry on her face so she gave a smile, attempting to ease her sister's worries.
"I've been calling you for a while," Loris pointed out, her voice full of concern.
"I must've been too focused on my thoughts, it's nothing to worry about," Lillias reassured her little sister, not wishing to make her remember painful memories.
"If you say so," Loris decided not to ask about it, she knew even if she did Lillias won't tell her, that's how her sister had always been. Even so, this did not make her worry any less.
"Breakfast is ready you two!" Liz called out.
"Come on let's go," Lillias guided Loris towards the table.
Both of them were finally seated, getting ready to eat the meal their sister prepared for them. The first few minutes were silent, giving a somewhat gloomy atmosphere.
"Liz, did we get a reply yet from Gedonelune royal magic academy?" Lillias asked, trying to start a conversation.
Gedonelune Royal Magic Academy was known as the most prestigious magic school for wizards In the kingdom of Gedonelune, studying there was something both Lillias and Liz dreamed of, which was why they have sent several applications already, most of which were unfortunately rejected.
"No reply yet," Liz replied, disgruntled, then took a bite of her food.
"You two are still sending applications?" Loris looked at the two sisters surprised.
"Don't worry, we sent one for you too," Lillias said bluntly to her sister.
"You did what?!" Loris exclaimed at the sudden news, standing up as she slammed her hand on the table.
"Her idea," Liz pointed at Lillias, blaming it all on her.
"My idea," Lillias easily confirmed Liz's accusation without any hesitation and continued eating.
"Why?! You know I am bad with magic," Loris complained.
"You're not bad, you're just not motivated enough and you lack confidence," Lillias noted, "Besides we're all novices when it comes to magic. That's why joining Gedonelune will be an important step for all of us, plus I just want the three of us to be together, at least give it a try first before refusing."
With a grumble, Loris sat back down, her eyes looking down, "Fine... it's not like we'll get accepted in the academy anyway."
"You didn't have to say it like that Loris...." Liz huffed, wanting nothing more than for her dream to come true and for her to enter that academy. However, despite that Loris was right, what were the chances of them getting accepted? Probably close to zero.
Lillias: "Yay! Our first chapter preview, it’s a shame Liz isn’t with us…“
Loris: "I can’t believe you sent out an application for me without my consent!”
Lillias: "But well, only two can do the preview so it can’t be helped.“
Loris: "To begin with I am not even interested in learning magic.”
Lillias: "Well then I have to do my best for Liz as well!“
Loris: "There is no way our applications will be accepted, you and Liz should just give up.”
Lillias: "Gedonelune Royal magic academy, I can’t wait to study there!“
Loris: "Hey are you even listening to me?!”
Lillias: “Next time, ‘The acceptance letter,’ look forward to it.”
