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Chapter 20: A Leap, A look, A lesson

Asha makes her way through the crowd, keeping her eyes locked with the knights taking Hamlet away. Making sure she was also hidden from view. The knights kept their gaze fixed on the arena above them as crowds began to also gather alongside, sharing confusion with one another.

“Asha?” The familiar voice brought ease to her shoulders. The girl whipped around to the 5’3 baker leaning on her crutch with two more of her friends behind her. “We saw what happened and-” before Dahlia could finish her sentence Asha was already burying her face in her shoulder. Dahlia cradled Asha’s head with her free hand, stroking her braids.

“I need to fix what I started,” She lifted her eyes to the two teens in front of her before pushing Dahlia away from her embrace, gripping her shoulders. Asha gave Bazeema and Simon a soft smile, then she ran off to the arena, leaving her friends behind to join whatever ceremony Magnifico had planned. She diverted her direction to the side where not many people stood as she pulled her hood over and peered at the side of a large pillar. A bunch of people in rags were being escorted by the knights, joining the rest of Rosas’s citizens. She could make out the woman in the red henin hat amongst the crowd and the tall man wearing a yellow tunic. Asha tried to scan for her parents amongst the metal armor but could only find her mother, eyes glued to the stage as a large man wearing a cape along with two knights in his side brought him up on stage. Magnifico walked over to the man who hung his head low before being met by the king’s venomous eyes.

“Tomás Valente if I'm correct?” Magnifico announced to the crowd, Asha bit her folded index finger. Her father’s arms were being held back by two knights in case he tried to strike the king. “The chief of Hamlet, and my apprentice’s father!” He let out a small chuckle then turned his attention to the crowd below.

(from a deleted scene)

The Hamlets stared at their leader up on stage, wondering what Magnifico will do to him. “As for your wishing star, he’s in my grasp! Your little beacon of light has all but faded!” He waved his staff at the audience below, causing them to step a few feet back in case he accidentally hits them with a spell. Asha gritted her teeth, clutching her cloak tightly to contain the burning inside her. Her eyes were fixated on the stage; she didn’t realize her friends came to join beside her. She jumped back a bit at the sight of the three teenagers next to her.

“What are you guys doing here!” she loudly whispered.

“We're not letting you do this alone Ash,” Simon replied. Asha didn’t need their comfort or reassurance because nothing of that matter would work. Hamlet was going to be punished and Earendel killed soon, Magnifico will succeed in his plans and everything will be pointed back to her. Guilt began to rise alongside the fire inside her.

“I’ve seen your wishing tree, those stupid ribbons you hang up.” Magnifico waved a yellow ribbon mockingly in front of Tomás. “I’ll give you one last chance, turn to the wishing system or else!” Magnifico knew what his answer would be if it wasn’t obvious already.

“Hamlet will never turn to you!” one of the people in the crowd shouted. Magnifico shot a spell from his hand to the source of the voice as green magic coiled around Fausto’s mouth, shutting him up. Asha put her hand over her mouth, trying to cover the sound of her heavy breathing.

“Now, where was I? Yes, as for your punishment!” He turned his attention to Tomás who displayed clenched teeth through the knights holding his arms back. Magnifico stepped a few steps away from him, giving them distance. He outstretched his hand towards the chief, directing his aim at his chest. Sickly green magic seeped through his fingers, penetrating Tomás’s chest who could only watch as pain surged through his chest to his entire body. He groaned in agony, crumpling to his knees as the knights beside him held him steady. The pain was finally over to Tomás’s relief but a fatigue overwhelmed him, he could only stare at the king with pleading eyes but he never was spared as Magnifico stared at the blue orb seeing his wish play out. Tomás stood tall among the Hamlets below, as if he was making an inspiring speech, the people listening cheered him on. Asha’s breathing only quickened then it slowed down. She wanted to bolt to the stage and take a swing at the monster hurting her father before her eyes. Dahlia, Bazeema, and Simon despite their efforts managed to hold Asha in place as she herself fell to her knees. Dahlia kept her hold on Asha’s shoulders firm. Magnifico held Tomás’s wish back, now hovering his hand above the audience below. Green magic flowed out his fingers once more, penetrating all of Hamlet's chest with separate strings of magic meant for each one. Cries of pain filled the arena, Magnifico could only laugh at his victory with each wish forming in his hands. Children who also displayed the same eyebags as their parents huddled close to them as their wish was now in their tyrant's hands. Rosas’s people distanced themselves from the Hamlets, fearful their wish might also be taken by Magnifico. Asha tried to pull her arms free from her friends trying to hold her back from running to the stage endangering them and herself even more. But Asha didn’t care, she managed to break free from Dahlia’s tight grip then Bazeema’s followed by Simon’s which was quite difficult since he had the strongest grip. Before any of the teens could hold her back she was running to the crowd below. Elanor and Bazeema’s father stared shocked at her unexpected arrival.

“Anyone else who wants to defy the system?” Magnifico’s grip tightened on his staff.

Amaya leaned against a wall watching the weak Tomás before her before turning her attention back to her husband. “Take them to the dungeon!” he ordered his guards, they obeyed without question. Taking the Hamlets away from the crowd. The Rosas citizens looked at them with concern, frustration, and some anger as the Hamlets were taken to the side of the stage through a back entrance. Tomás was also dragged down from the stage to follow his community.

“If you want them to turn to your system, why not show them the real truth about it?” All eyes were on Asha, she locked eyes with the man she once believed was good, now dropping the mask he hid from her and the people for many years. The king was now finally showing his true colors to everybody.

(same deleted scene)

Magnifico began to laugh at her from the stage. “Oh, Asha, whatever are you talking ab–”

“You're secretly stealing fragments of their souls during every wishing ceremony, using dark magic!” Her attention was now on the people. Magnifico’s eyes widened at the word dark magic. “Don’t you see?, your sick family and friends. Those who have died because he told them they were granted. All because of him!” She pointed a finger at the king standing on stage. Murmurs began to arise, some questioning, some not believing but at least she exposed her mentor for what he truly is.

“Common now, she’s lying! It's all because of that wishing star!”

“She’s not wrong!” Elanor spoke up which managed to silence the crowd of murmurs. “I’ve seen the consequences of giving up a wish, why else is my husband now bedridden after we gave our wish to you!”

“You said the feeling was normal!” another one spoke up.

“My daughter had to carry the burden of taking care of me,” it was Bazeema’s father.

“Louis died because of you!” one of the crew members from the docks shouted

“You soul sucking freak!”

More anger boiled in the crowd, now at Magnifico as they began to take a few steps closer to the stage. The guards stood frozen, not sure whether to defend the king who now revealed himself. Amaya became tense. The thing she feared the most was happening and her own boiling rage was stirring inside her.

Not because of her husband but because of Asha, the prince of stars. It wasn’t much of a problem now they have him locked up in the tower. Magnifico slowly backed away from the crowd of people who tried to grab him and pull him down. He caught a glimpse of Asha slowly backing away from him, giving the king one final dirty look before fleeing the opposite way of the crowd.

“We’ll free the Hamlets, you go rescue Earendel!” Dahlia instructed. Asha was hesitant on the idea of her friends putting themselves at risk like this. She wanted to say no but who knew what Magnifico would do to them if they didn’t act.

“But what about the guards?”

“It's alright, that's why we have Simon.” Bazeema nudged the trainee knight on the shoulder, making Asha slightly chuckle.

“Okay, be safe!” Asha embraced Dahlia.

“You too,” Dahlia added, patting her friend on the back. Asha moved on to Bazeema, wrapping her arms around her, then Simon as she rested her head on his chest as Simon patted her head a couple of times before she let go.

“I’ll be back before you guys–” A blood curdling scream ripped through the crowd, interrupting their plan. A woman dropped on the cold floor, few more followed but were reluctantly caught by the shoulders by people standing nearby.

The teens directed themselves on the stage where Magnifico began to laugh as he pulled out a wish from thin air and crushed it. A man groaned while clutching his chest as he fell in the arms of two people. The masses scrambled, running to the gates hoping to escape. Luckily most were able to get through but the remaining people that couldn’t run to safety dropped on the cold floor. Dahlia was now shaking Asha’s shoulders, who could only stare at the mass fleeing back to the safety of their homes.

“Asha!” She finally snapped out from her trance-like state watching the people scramble and stampede. “You need to go now!” Dahlia was pushing her towards the back door. Asha bolted down the steps of the arena towards the small wooden door in the side. She took a moment to take one more look at her friends and Valentino heading the opposite direction, she kept her focus on them until they disappeared from her view as she shut the door behind her, drowning out the screams of panic from outside.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

The three teens descended the small stairs that spiraled down to the depths of the cells below them. Their steps echoing the further down they went, making their presence known to everyone below. Bazeema held the goat steady in her arms, worried she might accidentally drop him while going down. Dahlia was the first to reach the bottom, hobbling slowly, careful the rocky floor wouldn’t cause trouble for her crutch.

The line of cells were waiting for her to proceed further in. Dahlia ran to each cell, pressing her face between the bars hoping to spot silhouettes huddled in the darkness of their limited space. To Dahlia’s relief she could make out a brown patched dress from the small lantern lit on the side of their cell. A few people emerged from the darkness, ten to be exact. One of the Hamlets gripped the bars, locking pleading eyes with the baker.

“You guys shouldn’t be here!, the guards might spot you!” She whispered.

“Thats why we’re gonna get you guys out…” Dahlia confidently said. Problem was finding the key to unlock the cell doors. Dahlia turned to Bazeema and Simon wondering if they had anything in mind. Bazeema shook her head then the girls eyes were on Simon.

“I’m just a trainee, I don’t know” He shrugged.

There were limited options they had, stealing the keys would be difficult, especially if they weren’t the best at pick pocketing. Bazeema began to pace, trying to dig out ideas from her head. Dahlia leaned against the bars, staring at the rocky floor. Suddenly footsteps from above interrupted their thoughts.

“You guys need to hide!” One of the Hamlets whispered.

Dahlia scanned the area. Seeing if there was any kind of pillar to cover themselves in.

“There’s a small area here!” Bazeema pointed to an open tiny room, enough for them to stay in. Dahlia adjusted her small glasses to get a closer look at the knight who already made his way down.

"Where's Simon and Valentino?” Bazeema whispered behind Dahlia who didn’t have enough time to check if everyone was in their hiding spot. The baker clenched her teeth as the guard began to make his way down the cells, eyeing the prisoners behind the bars. Bazeema pulled Dahlia in, the guard was already close to where they were hiding as the girls crouched low, Dahlia holding her crutch steady. Bazeema shut her eyes, praying for the safety of Simon and the goat as the footsteps grew louder with each step. Dahlia already knew that being in this small corner wasn’t gonna conceal them forever. All of a sudden to her solace the approaching footsteps came to a halt, the baker could see the guard from the corner of the wall press his face against the bars, observing the fearful Hamlets inside. Dahlia rested her body up against a wall, placing her hand over her mouth to make sure even a slight breath couldn’t be heard. Bazeema soon followed as they concealed themselves further in the tiny space they had. The footsteps resumed, the panic returning to both of them again. The light of the lantern the guard was holding only added to their already racing heartbeat. Then the thing they've been dreading came to them; the light blinded them, the towering silhouette stood over them as he got closer.

“What are you doing here!, you're not supposed to-” but before he could finish his sentence a thud from his head hitting the floor made the girls flinch. Dahlia and Bazeema looked up at their savior.

“Simon!, where were you!” Dahlia was the first to stand up, using her crutch to help stabilize her. Valentino joined him, holding a ring of keys in his mouth. “You got the keys!” Dahlia took the ring making sure to pet the kid.

“We found a corner to hide in near the stairs, while he wasn’t looking Valentino snagged his keys.”

“Thank you Simon and Val, let's go!We need to hurry!” Dahlia instructed as she ran to the cell where the guard was just peering over. She inserted the rusty key into the keyhole and a satisfied click followed as she slid the cell door to the side exposing the light inside the room making their faces clear. “Hey, it's okay, we're gonna get you out!” She crouched down to the huddled Hamlets who now gave a grateful smile to the teens.

Dahlia wrapped one woman's arm around her shoulder helping them to stand. Bazeema soon joined in, helping two men onto their feet. The villagers gave them a thankful look as some managed to stabilize themselves.

“It's okay…I think I can walk,” the woman reassured her as she let her arm go from Dahlia’s neck. She rushed over to another cell, sliding the bars exposing more Hamlets inside. Then she went over to more cells, unlocking them. Finally she reached the last cell and unlocked it. Dahlia rushed inside but something caught her eye. The woman wearing a pink polka dotted veil being hugged by one arm by a large man with an upswept hair with hints of grey.

“Sakina?Tomás?”

The couple looked up at the baker, astonished.

“Dahlia?, what are you doing here?” Sakina asked, their eyes widened as Bazeema and Simon followed in. Valentino ran into the couple's arms as they returned their embrace to the goat.

“We're here to get you out!, follow us” Simon gestured for them. Tomás helped Sakina stand as the rest of Hamlet began to walk out from their imprisonment. Some began to cough while others were being helped by people nearby. They needed to escape to somewhere where Magnifico would never find them. Not Hamlet, Not Rosas. Nowhere was safe.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Asha was shooting up the steps, heart pounding, throat burning with every breath she took. Her body was the least of her worries as all her focus was getting to the top of the stairs.

The screams of the people running to safety from the king lingered in her mind, images of people collapsing on the floor while Magnifico enjoyed every moment of making these people suffer made a bile in her stomach form. Asha stole a glance at the stained glasses of art on the left, painting Magnifico as a glorious king, concealing the evil behind each smile he displayed. Holding an orb in his hand was a symbol of control and power not protection. Many questions washed over her head on how Magnifico could keep up this system without anyone questioning. Moreover what kind of spell did he place on the kingdom that made it so nobody could see the true consequence of giving up a wish or a soul. Asha reached for the handrail where the steps ended and pulled herself up to the top. She took a moment to catch her breath, her chest rising and falling per second. She stared at her pocket, the wand still inside as she pulled it out to take a closer look at the sparkles, then at the door that stood in front of her. Asha didn’t know whether Magnifico had returned already before her but last she checked he was too busy laughing at crushing the wishes in front of Rosas. She swallowed her fear, gripping the Rosas handle tightly; preparing herself for what's on the other side of the door; Earendel?Magnifico?, some kind of spell?. Asha pushed the door, revealing an empty office;

no Earendel in sight, nor surprise attack. She meticulously made her way inside then turned towards the black mirror in front of her. Asha took in a breath, a warm feeling surged through her arm as she waved her arm in a semi circle motion. To her satisfaction the mirrors obeyed as they split; the wishing room that once felt ethereal now felt suffocating, she lifted her head to the few wishes scared to come down as they all gathered to the peak of the tower. She observed the room, a black cauldron bubbling with smoke caught her eye for a second then her eyes were then diverted to a boy sitting against the wall; green cuffs kept him from going anywhere, a green gag covered his mouth preventing any speech from exiting his mouth. A sense of relief mixed with panic consumed her as she ran to him.

“Earendel!”

Asha ran to the weakened starboy as he lifted his chin to see the blurry figure running towards him. His eyes widened once his vision cleared at the sight of the girl. Asha knelt down on his level, with a flick of her hand the gag obscuring his mouth disappeared. Earendel took his time to catch his breath before muttering to her.

“Asha…” his voice was still quite weak but it was clear enough to hear. Asha took no time to wrap her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder as he returned the embrace despite the cuffs on his wrists pulling him back. “You shouldn’t be here,” Earendel pulled Asha from their hug, resting his hands on her shoulders. “Magnifico could be back soon-“ Asha covered his mouth to prevent him from saying anymore that urged her to leave.

“I’m not leaving you!, I’m gonna get you out” Asha lifted his hand, inspecting the shackles around his wrist and pointed the tip of her wand to the cuffs then tiny heat sparks began to fly as her wand began to light up. The cuffs were begging to loosen on his wrists as they started to split in half. Suddenly her spell was cut off and Asha was abruptly grabbed by two giant claw-like hands as they pinned her against a wall.

“Asha!” Earendel’s voice was now panicked instead of relief as he tried to break free from the shackle Asha loosened only to find out they repaired itself and was now tighter than before in his wrist. Asha struggled against the venomous hands, trying to wriggle free but they only held her tighter. She tried to get a grip of her wand but a sense of dread hit her when she spotted the glowing stick a few meters away. She must’ve dropped it when the hands grabbed her. Then two silhouettes appeared in the distance. A tall man, and a woman beside him only up to his chin. Magnifico appeared from the darkness, revealing himself and a clump that had fallen from his upswept hair now on to his forehead. Amaya also revealed herself shortly after with a maleficent smile across her cheeks.

“Oh Asha you clever girl, you should always know to keep your guard up” Magnifico’s staff hit the ground with each step he took. Amaya playfully twirled hers around her fingers. “I had a feeling you’d come here to save your precious wishing star!” He growled, lifting his chin up with the point of the diamond shaped crystal on his staff revealing a part of the bleeding graze Earendel had received from Magnifico and Amaya. Asha’s blood was now boiling, she wished she could get out from the venomous hands pinning her against a wall and shoot a spell at Magnifico that would make sure he suffered the same as Earendel.

“Now that you’re here this makes it even better,” Amaya pranced over to the starboy, whispering in his ear. “We take fifty percent of your power and in exchange, we’ll let Asha go and stop taking your precious stars…”

(From Gigi's other ways animatic *I had to include this I love circe*)

Earendel bit his lip, his mind going back and forth whether he should accept the proposal. Amaya held the bottle containing the trapped constellations to his face, swishing the liquid preventing them from escaping in a taunting manner. Magnifico outstretched his hand towards Asha

“The boy’s protection magic is weak against you Asha…” His cheeks shot up, exposing his teeth.

A green magic string stabbed her chest and a blue aura came out. Asha groaned as a stabbing pain engulfed her entire body at once. A heavy weight was overtaking her as she wished she could drop on the floor but the hands pinning her to the wall prevented her from doing so. Earendel shut his eyes in an attempt to silence Asha’s cries of pain until his decision came out from his mouth.

“Okay!I'll give you half of my powers!” Amaya’s smile grew as Earendel spoke one more time. “But you promise to let Asha go!, and stop taking the stars” His voice was stern, locking eyes with Amaya to see if her face spoke genuine truth or lies. Magnifico’s magic slipped from his fingers as Asha’s pain subsided, then a cold feeling shot up from her body, reminding her of the failure in her wishing ceremony. Soon the pressuring feeling also dropped as the green hands disappeared, Asha crumpled to the ground; still quite weak, she clutched her throat coughing as if there was water stuck in her lungs. Magnifico’s staff was now pointed towards Earendel and so was Amaya’s.

A sudden pain in his upper chest seized him as he felt like a part of his flesh was being forcefully ripped out. His lungs were on fire and so was his throat, most of the agony was in his chest. Two yellow streaks of magic flowed out from the clasp keeping his cloak together and into each of the royal’s staff. Finally, until what felt like hours ended as the magic he was willing to give up was now in the monarch’s hands, their figures glowed, illuminating the dark wishing room. Asha’s strength slowly returned to her as she ran to Earendel’s side; the boy’s body collapsed forward onto Asha’s arms as she lowered him to a kneeling position. His hair was now fading to a darker yellow and his glow was now subtle; Earendel had the strength to open his eyes to watch the royals enjoy their new power, his eyes turning from a brown earthy color to a light misty brown for a split second. Every breath felt like a chore to the starboy as he clutched his chest, trying to soothe the soreness in him. Magnifico turned to the two, a mocking grin plastered on his face making Asha sick to her stomach.

“I have to admit, you two managing to uncover the truth about our wishing ceremony was something I never imagined. You want to know how I was able to keep the peace in Rosas without anyone suspecting?”

“You put a spell on the whole kingdom?” Asha spat, theorizing on the question

“Partially yes, putting a spell to hide their physical appearance was one thing but you missed one more…” He leaned in closer as Earendel put his arm out in front of Asha creating a bit of distance between them. “Play on words, twist them like a knife and everyone will follow your ways, no one will question a thing. Why?, because people believe in the words of authority”

A chill ran down Asha’s spine. Magnifico’s back was now turned on them, eyeing the wand Asha dropped from afar. He levitated the wand towards his palm, twirling the magical stick around between his fingers before throwing it in front of Asha. She hesitantly picked it up, wondering if Magnifico cast some kind of hidden spell on it that she wasn’t aware of.

“You want to save your precious wishes?,” He slightly turned his head, revealing his glowing poison eyes to them. Then before anyone could react the king slammed his staff to the ground; green hands began to shake the floor from below as they lifted the platform higher.

The pointed roof of the tower was beginning to open up, revealing the night sky above; the wishes also floated towards the night sky, escaping from the tower they were trapped in for so long but before any of them could even reach for the stars above Magnifico summoned a large magical bubble, preventing the wishes from flying to high from his reach; He clicked his fingers, removing Earendel’s restraints as he managed to slowly get to his feet with Asha’s help.

“Defeat me in battle and I’ll let you have your wishes and the prince of stars!” Magnifico announced. Then he shot a spell at the platform; green tendrils slithered down the tower and onto the city below. People fled the safety of their homes to watch the final battle commence, suddenly their wrists were trapped to the tendrils running through the cobble stone, the moment the green magic touched their feet below as it began to spread across the kingdom.

Dahlia followed alongside the Hamlets outside the castle, hobbling to keep up with them. Bazeema leads the villagers with Simon at the very back. The baker lifts her head to the open castle above with green hands holding the platform above, a queasy feeling settled in her stomach as her eyes drifted to the green tendrils trapping the citizens' wrists in place, rooting them to the ground. Dahlia noticed Bazeema getting close to the vines below them as she called out.

“Bazeema wait!” She tried to reach out to her friend to stop her but it was too late. The vines grabbed her wrists as the girl tried to pull away but to no use. A few other Hamlets were also trapped by the vines as they began to creep up to the two remaining teens and Hamlets. Dahlia tried to step back but the vines caught up to her, pulling her wrists down along with Simon, Valentino, and the remaining Hamlets. Asha took a step forward to see the cascading vines bounding the people to the ground under his magic.

“What have you done to them!”

“Relax, we won’t hurt them, their part of the deal.” Amaya reassured her but it was far from a reassurement. Magnifico took a step forward, towering over Asha to make his deal.

“Defeat us here tonight and we’ll also release the people, and I don’t mean knock us down oh no…I mean we fight till one or two of us is killed!”

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

@rascalentertainments @your-ne1ghbor @m-10-07 @jojo-ker06 @pinkninja0708 @a-storytellers-wish

lil thoughts: Okay this has to be the best chapter Ive written so far omg lowk I cooked, and I do love how high the stakes have gotten plus the angst with Starboy and all also the final battle is about to commence so...stay tunned for that hope ya'll enjoy this chapter. Only like... two more to go yippie plus the extra

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