Chapter Text
Here stood Hotaru Novalina. The timid yet honest orange haired mage. She had gone through many trials and tribulations on her journey to graduate from the Grand Magic Academy. Yet today was different; she dawned her signature purple wizard attire and held her grimoire tight. She had a mission to complete.
Hotaru had always believed that she was a mage destined to become something greater than herself. With the tip of her finger she'd surely carve herself into the names of legends. Her stories being passed down through generations of wizards that would come after her was a common thought that persisted throughout her life. She wanted to be something someone could look up to, someone to count on, or just someone to learn from.
And hey, by the end of it all, she’d be shaking hands with Mother Nature herself.
It was a fantastic dream, but as of right now, the dark sky loomed overhead as Hotaru walked through a blackened forest. What was she looking for? Why was she here? Well, only the greatest of minds knew that this gloomy forest was home to one of many benevolent dark dragons. She had read about this beast in the libraries of the Great Magic Academy and with enough information in hand, she sought to slay the beast in the flesh! It would be a difficult task for sure, but her name would undoubtedly go down in the history books. It would be her first ever taste of glory.
“Hotaru,” a faint voice whispered.
Oh, how she dreamed that such a big day would come; and as she continued on her path, Hotaru crunched countless leaves beneath her. She looked up into the distance and there it was, the mountain in which that blasted dragon resided.
“Hotaru,” The voice called again, a bit louder this time.
It was imposing, that's for sure, but this was the mighty and mystical Hotaru we’re talking about. She worked her way here after all. Nothing could ever hope to stop Hotaru now that she-
“...Hotaru, wake up!” Hotaru’s face shot up from the table with a loud gasp as the blonde twintailed girl sitting next to her called her name. She let out a small sleepy groan and rubbed her eyes, looking in all directions.
“Ah,” Hotaru thought. “I’m in the middle of a lecture,” She looked down towards the bottom of the classroom where the Grand Sage was. Her and the other apprentices were beginning to stare at the commotion. With a sheepish look on her face, she buried herself in her journal to avoid onlookers.
Hotaru then whispered to the girl that woke her. “Plum, why didn’t you wake me?”
“I was trying for the last five minutes!” Plum snapped back. “Really Hotaru, someday I’m not going to be there by your side to guide you through every little thing.”
“...And what if I wanted you to be by my side forever?”
“What does that even-” Plum sighed before allowing herself to finish. “Whatever, just pay attention.”
Hotaru giggled knowing she'd won that battle and turned towards the Grand Sage to focus. She pouted with boredom. “I bet I’ve already memorized this entire curriculum.”
She fell asleep again not too long after that...
Eventually the giant bell had till its last, meaning classes were finally out for break. Each apprentice began to wrap up their things to begin the journey home. For some, it was only heading back to a nearby village or town, but for others they had come from all corners of the globe. Alas, being one of the most prestigious magical academies on the globe, it was only natural to attract such a wide variety of students.
Hotaru was lucky to land herself into it. One could say it was due to the powerful positions her parents held or the wealth of her friends' family. However, contrary to what many in her class may think, Hotaru does indeed know a thing or two. When she put her mind to it she was quite capable, but as you may expect, things didn’t always work out in her favor.
That’s exactly why instead of leaving like all the other students, she’s standing in front of the Grand Sage’s desk. The sage wore a face of indifference as she stared down at what were seemingly Hotaru’s records. She sat back in her seat, looking out the window as she noted that dusk was only a few hours away. It was clear to Hotaru that neither of them wished to be here at this moment.
The Grand Sage sighed, still staring out the window. “Hotaru, can I ask you a question?”
Hotaru began to fidget. She knew whatever was about to go down was not going to be in her favor. Regardless, there was no escaping the inevitable. “Er…y-yes Grand Sage?”
“You do realize how this looks right?” She shoved Hotaru’s record report into her face. Hotaru’s face went pale with the information she had already expected to see. “You aren’t excelling in any of your classes, you’re always dozing off or being unattentive, and when we practice our spellmaking, spell casting and yada yada yada I swear to the stars you’re always lacking somewhere.”
Hotaru could only stand there. She didn’t want to look at the Grand Sage, but she also did not want to look at her own records. She was aware of how painfully average she was and how that doesn't make the cut. One could say the academy is too strict, but it always felt like it was just simply personal.
“I’m saying that I don’t understand how you made it this far, let alone made it into this academy. All you care about is your lasers going pew pew pew while you’re also sitting there constantly dreaming of mindless fantasies!” The Grand Sage snapped, running her nails against the desk. “It's amazing that you can harness the powers of the mystical element. Believe me that in itself is quite the feat, but I am going to have to ask you to leave this academy if you can not prove to me that there was a reason we chose you to attend beyond that. I hope you’ve been aware enough that after this break we will be organizing our final test. You know, the one that determines your graduation.I want to have faith in you Hotaru, I really do, but you have to show me that you can be the kind of wizard I hope you can be. You have nearly 3 months to prepare. You best use that time wisely,” The Grand Sage sat back down crossing her arms as she stared down the poor girl.
The Grand Sage was always harder on the apprentices compared to other sages in the academy. Being in the highest ranking, one would do that to anyone. It unfortunately seemed like Hotaru always got the short end of the stick. Though, Hotaru could admit there was some truth to all of the complaints.
“I-is that all?” Hotaru asked after several long seconds of silence.
“Oh yes, that'll be all Hotaru, do run along now,” The Grand Sage replied as she waved the girl off.
Hotaru trotted back and grabbed the rest of her things and exited the classroom. She didn't want to be in the same room as that woman any longer than she needed to be. As she walked through the halls, she mulled over what the Grand Sage had said and felt like this was something she had heard again and again, but what was she to do? Hotaru prided herself on being a magic nerd and yet she couldn’t pass a couple tests? Who even was she?
She stopped and looked at her reflection that appeared on the checkered floor tiles. She believed she had always tried her best. She wouldn't be here if she hadn't, right? Despite her flaws, she still made it this far— that had to count for something, surely. When she tried identifying her problem and areas she came up short, only thinking that she had the nerves.
Oh heavens… what would mom and dad think?
Hotaru decided she didn’t want to think about it right now. She brushed the thoughts of disappointed parents away and continued walking.
“I think you need to find someone to train under.” A familiar voice spoke to Hotaru as she left.
Hotaru jumped, stopping dead in her tracks. She turned to her right and saw Plum idly leaning on the wall. “Plum? What are you doing here?” she asked accusingly.
Plum however ignored the question. “Find someone who has years of experience and become their apprentice. The MagicConia is starting tomorrow. All sorts of magic users from across the globe will be showing up. If you ask me, it's the perfect opportunity for you. ”
“You know I’ve always been too busy to go. Besides, I-I don’t need to train under someone else! I'm perfectly capable of clawing my way out of this.”
“Hotaru, look at this,” Plum brought out her wand and with a small wave she opened up a small wormhole. “I can teleport and you can’t. That is the difference in our abilities. You always make that same excuse and yet you have nothing to show for it.”
Hotaru rolled her eyes. “Are we rivals now?” she joked. “And who needs teleporting magic anyways? T-teleporting is for chumps who just don’t wanna walk.”
“How much longer are you going to use that excuse? Stop acting like a baby,” Plum exclaimed as she began to walk through the wormhole, but just before it closed, she turned back. “At least think about it, and if nothing else, you should still go. I can't imagine someone as magically obsessed as you have never been interested.”
It looked like Hotaru wanted to say something but Plum walked through the wormhole as it promptly closed. She stood there thinking about the encounter. Plum had always cared for Hotaru even if it was hidden under a couple layers. The least Hotaru could do was to do as she said and think about the suggestion, even if she had subconsciously already written off the idea.
Soon she had resumed the arduous walk home and what made it so arduous was the fact that the academy was situated on the side of a mountain northeast of the town of Tikashaw, where Hotaru lived. Usually, the majority of the apprentices had some sort of magic spell that made travelling much more convenient. Hotaru had no flight, no teleportation, nothing of that sort. She could propel herself forward with elemental force, but after an accident with Plum she’d rather not use that again. It was fine though, she didn’t need those fancy powers.
Well… maybe being able to fly would be pretty nice after all. If anything, it was one of those stereotypes about wizards, so she’d just be ticking a box. Maybe she could elect to broaden her horizons a bit more instead of collecting random little facts she came across every now and then. Maybe she could benefit from learning from someone. Gosh, maybe Plum was right!
When Hotaru finally arrived at her humble abode, dusk was already setting in. She was already tired from the whole walk and she had just prepared for bed, not even eating a full meal besides a simple snack. Her feet were hurting terribly and once she took them off, she found a pebble in her shoe. She had enough problems right now. Problems she’d solve… at some point.
2
But unfortunately, as much as Hotaru would love to sleep in and procrastinate on her first day off, alas she was awoken by the sound of banging coming from her bedroom window. She reluctantly opened her eyes as the banging persisted. Even more reluctantly, she got out of bed and opened her bedroom window.
“Oh, you’re finally awake,” Plum nonchalantly muttered as Hotaru peeked her head out. She looked completely shameless at waking her up.
“What do you think you're doing at my house this early in the morning?” Hotaru replied, yawning.
“...Because I came to take you to the MagiConia? Why else would I be here?”
“I thought you wanted me to stop acting like a baby and now you’re escorting me somewhere?”
“You weren’t going to go if I didn’t come over, you know that.” Plum approached the window and lightly flicked Hotaru’s forehead. “So hurry up and get changed. If you don’t want to take my suggestion, at least come with me to see the sights like I said. I know I say it all the time, but I still can’t believe someone like you has never been there.”
“I keep telling you I’m busy!”
“Busy doing what?”
“Well, I actually just learned a new spell! You know how I can use my grimoire to cast my magic beams? Well now I can turn them into these sharp blade like things,” Hotaru did a light demonstration. Green mist emitted from her hands and the beam of light turned into a sharp and deadly looking shape. “I'm now twice as dangerous!”
“Wow, someone’s finally branching out,” Plum remarked sarcastically. “Anyway, go get changed so we can head out, and make it snappy.”
Hotaru pouted, “Alright, alright I’m going,” she said as she shut the blinds. Might as well humor Plum.
In no time, Hotaru had walked out of her front door in her usual purple wizard garments yet Plum still berated her for taking too long. They then made their way out of the neighborhood, passing by other pedestrians out and about. It was the perfect day to be out with the sun brightly shining down on them. On the way there, the girls briefly stopped to get breakfast and they met up with their old friend: the shopkeeper wizard, Farbadal.
Farbadal was the owner of a peculiar magic shop around town while also being a totally legit storyteller. Hotaru and Plum had gotten to know him over the years as Hotaru was always entranced by his adventures. He was someone you could always turn to for a price, and as per usual he was dragging along a giant sack filled with nick nacks that were probably all counterfeit to some degree. Hotaru asked if he would be attending the MagiConia like Plum and her. That question of course was redundant because why wouldn’t a covert salesman not attend the perfect money making scheme.
He didn't stay for long though, and just like he did, the two girls continued to make their way to the MagiConia. Hotaru noted how all the main roads slowly began to be filled with more and more folks. An unusual sight for sure which gave her the conclusion they were also attendees for the festival.
Eventually the two came to stand before a giant waving banner saying ‘Welcome to, and Happy MagiConia!’ The buzzing of patrons took Hotaru’s mind by storm and in a way made her feel a bit more excited about this.
“So what are we-” Hotaru looked to her side where Plum was just standing. Or she would've been if Plum wasn't already walking inside.“P-Plum? Where are you going?” Hotaru called out.
“I have my own business to attend to and things to see. Did you forget why we’re here?”
“...I thought I had a choice?” Hotaru pouted.
Plum shrugged. “Well, you did then but, I changed my mind so you don’t get a choice anymore.” Plum walked over and patted Hotaru’s shoulder. “Don't worry, I promise that you can do this and that it'll be beneficial in the long run.”
Hotaru sighed. She was nervous. You see, even if she knew Plum’s suggestion was sound, she didn't know if she could actually do it. Yet at the same time, she was already here. “Alright, fine,” she put her hands up in defeat. “I’ll be on the lookout, but don’t expect me to not come out empty handed.”
“Just don’t find anyone stupid and you should be fine.” Plum turned back around and ran into the con. This was an obvious attempt to make sure Hotaru wouldn't end up following her. For a second Hotaru thought she could go back home and never let Plum know but…that girl would find out eventually and Hotaru would never hear the end of it.
So Hotaru puffed out her chest and wiped all her anxiety away as she put on her most approachable face.
As she walked in, she was immediately greeted with the sight of stalls and stalls of wizards blasting and casting spells with sparks flying and hair frying. A lot of people seemed to have a similar idea to Farbadal. What that meant was that Hotaru could tell a lot of these products were not all they seemed to be and were hyped up for more than what they were really worth. Some sellers weren't even magic users at all, making it so much more obvious. Obviously they would be capitalizing on the untrained eye.
“You, the ginger haired girl!” An old raspy voice pulled Hotaru out of her daze as she turned to face a man in the typical blue wizard attire. She pointed at herself to make sure she was the one he had called. The man shook his head in approval."Yes you! You look like you're impressionable and easily coerced- I mean you look like you could use one of these fine potions.”
He held up a red and bluish looking potion and shook it around a bit. “This stellar drink will make you the finest woman on the block no doubt.”
“...R-really?” Hotaru said, already uninterested. She scratched the back of her neck. “What does it do?”
“My oh my I appreciate the enthusiasm! This potion does just the thing I think you need!” He motioned for Hotaru to come closer and as he whispered, “One drink of this and you’ll be the prettiest lady in town!” he said that while nudging towards a diagram of a woman who had uncomfortably beguiling proportions.
“A-alright, I’m sorry but I-I think I’m good!” Hotaru quickly put her hands up, turned around and walked away. She ignored the merchant calling out to her. Yeah, these were the kind of people that were around here.
It seemed more like the people here wanted to sell you magic rather than teach you about it and how to use it. She still trusted Plum though, and continued around the areas leading towards the town square. Surely someone here actually wanted people to learn the ins and outs on sorcery and the like, right?
By lunchtime, Hotaru was sitting in a diner that was all dressed up for the occasion. She fiddled around with a keychain she had bought which was supposed to be a little pixie. By now, she was ready to throw in the towel and give up on this silly search. As much as she didn't want to possibly upset Plum, this clearly wasn't getting her anywhere.
As to be expected, the place was relatively packed, which led Hotaru’s eyes to wander. It was a bad habit of hers to stare but perhaps maybe just this once it could work in her favor? T
Although as she looked around, no one was sparking any interest in her. Maybe she was a tad bit picky (she was), but Hotaru felt like she had to have some resemblance of standards.
That’s when a taller woman in black sat down all by herself. She had long and unkempt black hair, a long greyish dress and she adorned the signature wizard hat. Most importantly however, she wore an eyepatch and to Hotaru, that was cool. An eyepatch signaled history, a past, any kind of thing you name, it probably happened to that woman.
Hotaru looked away for a second, mumbling if it was really a good idea to approach a stranger in this kind of setting. Would it be rude? Would it be awkward? Curses for never being the most sociable!
She turned back and saw the woman now scarfing down a couple of burgers. She had never seen someone eat so much. Maybe that was the signal for her to get up and go over to the woman. She was already doing it before she lingered on the thought any longer. When she made it towards the table, she sat down across from her and waved, but really she just put her hand up and back down.
The black haired woman stopped eating and understandably looked confused at Hotaru. The two found it difficult to keep eye contact, with Hotaru making it more awkward through little laughs. It took Hotaru a minute or two to realize her mistake.
“Oh… I-I am so sorry I forgot to ask whether or not I could sit here!” Hotaru nearly screamed.
“C-calm down kid it's alright,” the other woman started, looking over her shoulders. “You’re already sitting down anyways so… ok yeah, this is kind of weird I won’t lie. If you’re here to sell me something, I’m not buying.”
Hotaru shook her head. “I’m not here to sell you anything. Unless that thing were to be myself. M-my name is Hotaru and I hail from the prestigious magic academy near town and well-”
The woman put down her burger, slammed her hands on the table and got a good look at Hotaru. “Woah, a real wizard! I mean, I’ve clearly seen real wizards, it's just-” She made an explosion sound. “-You don’t often get to see a wizard going to school or you know…this is a rare sight.”
“Uhm…yeah, I-I’ve been taken under the Grand Sage’s wing, the highest scholar in the land,” Hotaru grew even more nervous. “I'm starting to realize how strange it is to suddenly ask this upon a total stranger but…I-I need your help!”
The black haired woman crossed her arms and looked at Hotaru. “My help? You need… my help? Do I know you or someone you know or something?”
“You don’t know me but you soon will,” Hotaru gave it her all to explain herself. “My problem is that I’m in need of some…assistance. You see, in order to graduate from the academy I mentioned, I need to complete this trial of sorts. The Grand Sage never exactly explains it, but it looks like I could use some… improvements. My friend thinks it would be a good idea to get some training from someone more adequate and sure, I guess I agree with her. I saw you and just by looking at you, you seemed like you could b-be that person!”
“I'm sorry kid, but I don’t know if I can help you with that. I’m not the best teacher.”
“B-but your eyepatch…you look like you’ve been through it all! You’ve got to know a thing or two.”
“You’re judging me off by my… I mean, I-I do know a thing or two! But I’m going through a bit of a war right now,” the woman said solemnly.
“Then let me help you! Think of it like…mutual exchange!” Hotaru piped up. “You help me and I help you!”
“I don’t know…” The woman sighed looking out the window. “My problem is kind of …unique.”
“A wizard should be able to topple any obstacle in their way. I want to become the greatest wizard of them all. I’m willing to go through any and all trials and tribulations.”
The woman thought to herself, taking a couple bites of her burger. Hotaru was left to sit there, mulling over her impulsiveness to direct this conversation in her favor. She took a couple glances at Hotaru before looking over her shoulder once more.
“Are you hungry?” she asked suddenly.
“Y-yeah, I am actually,” Hotaru laughed nervously, scratching her chin.
The woman held out the menu to her and Hotaru took it. “My name's Valentina,” she said. ‘’You’ve just signed up to get yourself killed.”
“I-I’m ready to die,” Hotaru mumbled. “My dad says to me all the time that a wizard should always be prepared to go out in style…”
This caused Valentina to burst out laughing. “I like you Hotaru, you’re funny!” She then motioned to the stack of burgers she had. “Now get yourself something to eat! Wizard lesson one, a wizard must always be well fed to achieve success.”
“R-right!” Hotaru saluted as she quickly engrossed herself in the menu.
Valentina looked away while trying to hold in her laugh, when she spotted a certain someone coming over. That certain someone came and sat beside her, clearly someone Valentina was at least acquainted with. This lady seemed to be a blonde elf, sparring red earrings and a light blue jacket over a white and grey blouse. Hotaru took notice of her and silently waved as she continued looking for her meal. The two of them seem to be whispering to each other and Hotaru attempts to pay it no mind.
“Hotaru! Hotaru!” Valentia began to call out to the shy girl. “This is Madeline! Madeline, go on and say hi!”
Madeline waved, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Hotaru, I’m Madeline.”
“Maddy here is a solar elf,” Valentia butted in. “Which means she gets her powers from the sun. I don’t exactly know how it works, but it just does.”
“Valentina, I've told you how it works countless times now…” Madeline groaned.
Valentina mulled that over a bit, “Maybe, but you can't blame me for forgetting.”
“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you M-Madeline!” Hotaru croaked. “I, uh, assume the mumbling you two were doing earlier was in regards to,” she pointed at herself then at Valentina.
Madeline nodded, looking worn. “That is something that worries me…Valentina can be rather impulsive at times and I understand that she wants help with her situation, but putting that on strangers is…”
Valentina shook Madeline's shoulder slightly, “Come on, the girl said she was up for it! Let her grow and make something out of herself!”
“This is exactly what I'm talking about.”
“Maddy…let loose girl, you always act so serious like you have to protect me or something.” Valentina stares at Hotaru. “Hotaru, did you know that at home she likes to lay around the house? Well, I like to hang around the house too but it's different when she does it!”
“I do like to get jiggy and even a little spooky, but that's not the situation here!” Madeline held her head. “We should tell Hotaru exactly what she's getting into to make sure she actually wants to do this.”
“You tell her, you're good at making things all dramatic.”
“Just as you are… anyway, Hotaru the-”
“Would you like me to take your order now?” Unbeknownst to the three of them, a waiter had been waiting for a little while to serve them. It seemed like they had finally grown impatient.
Hotaru quickly skimmed the menu once more. “Y-yes please! The Bombastic Salad and Fries with some water please!” She handed the menu back to the waiter and they went on their merry way.
Valentina stuck out her tongue, “Salad is so boring, Hotaru. I take back what I said.”
“Continuing our conversation!” Madeline ordered. “Valentina has a rather special condition, you could say, a curse. It was placed upon her by a powerful entity whose whereabouts are unknown. This curse has caused her body to slowly wither away and deteriorate.”
Madeline made a show with her hands, “Extraterrestrial entities swarm her throughout the day and night to bring terror to her poor soul.”
“That's what the eyepatch is for,” Valentina held up her eyepatch, revealing a pitch black hole where an eye should have been. There was some sort of dark residue where skin was clearly disintegrating and flaking. Hotaru had to cover her eyes out of the initial disgust.
“See that's exactly what I mean, you might not be ready for the task, Hotaru. Besides, with no leads for us to go on, we've been running around in circles for years.”
“We don't even know if confronting that evildoer will reverse my curse,” Valentina admitted. “But no one's been able to help us so it's our only shot at this point.”
“No one has been able to help you?” Hotaru said, shocked. “That can't be right…”
“The most help I've been able to get is from Madeline. Her weird sun powers can keep my curse at bay,” Even as she pats Madeline's head, Valentina still looks downcast. “It's still a ticking time bomb though, as you can see with my eye, it doesn't just go away. If anything it's a miracle it's only gone this far.”
“Maybe it has eaten a bit of your brain with the way you act sometimes, “ Madeline snickered.
Valentina slammed her fist on the table,“Don't joke about that! Think of how cool it would be to eat a piece of your own brain. I can’t have my curse beat me to it…” She had noticed the waiter had just returned. “But that’s what I would say if I was a zombie.”
“...But wouldn't zombies want to eat someone else's brain because of their lack of one?” Hotaru questioned, unfortunately not reading the room.
4
“So now that we're out of there,” Valentina started as the three girls exited the diner and headed down the sidewalk. “What do you say, are you still up for a little challenge?”
“Any great wizard should be able to lift a simple curse such as this,” Hotaru attempted to convince herself. “I'm still game! My only question is… if you say that you have no idea on this demon's whereabouts then…what's the plan?”
Valentina stopped walking while the other two continued several paces forward before turning around to see the black haired girl lost in thought. “I don't know,” she said. “I really just don't know.”
“We'll find a way, Valentina, I promise.” Madeline attempted to console her, but her words seemed to only deepen the sorrow that began to fill Valentina’s face. It seemed like something Valentina wanted to believe in, but she couldn't exactly get herself to do so.
Valentina closed her eyes, breathing in and out. She then busted into a smile with a sing-song voice “C'mon enough about that! I wanted to come here to see the sights and forget about all that. And now we even have a new friend, so let’s enjoy ourselves!”
She started running, “Last one to the fountain’s center is a rotten egg! Or worse… my dirty laundry!”
“Valentina-” Madeline called out as the girl ran away. “That girl, never a dull moment with her.”
“S-She must be lucky to have you!” Hotaru commented.
“Apologies we couldn't have met on more lighter terms. Though I guess the MagiConia is as light as it could've been.” Madeline instantly looked mischievously and leaned into Hotaru. “You know she actually doesn't get out much, she's a total shut in. ”
“Hey, what are you two talking about!” Valentina yelled from across the street, causing fellow pedestrians to turn their heads towards her. “You don't want to be in last place! You don't wanna be a L. O. S. E. R. loser!” She slapped her butt before looking at a nearby stall, then she went running along to the next one.
“Let’s let her have her fun Hotaru, she doesn't usually get the chance to,” Madeline giggled. “Anyway, I heard you're from a magic academy?”
“O-oh yes, the one just beside town on the mountainside. The prestigious grand academy of Tikashaw.”
“Isn't that the pretty uptight one since it's like, world famous?”
Hotaru scratched her chin, “Y-yeah you could say that…Valentina was going to be helping me…er, train I guess? In order to help me pass.”
“Really? That's the trade offer for you helping to cleanse an evil curse that could possibly cost your life?” Madeline looked dumbfounded.
“Well, the whole point is that I need to prove myself right? What better way than to beat some otherworldly entity and cleanse its evil curse? That would make it into the history books for sure.”
“I guess…” Madeline mulled it over. “I guess it's kind of like rock and roll.”
“...How so?” Hotaru asked.
“Not sure, just the first thing that came to mind. I don't think you need to worry so much about what an uptight prestigious school thinks though. In my opinion, their criteria for what's good and bad is pretty backwards. There are rules, yes, but sometimes it can feel like putting yourself into a box.”
Madeline said that as she stopped in her tracks to really think and get the words out. She left Hotaru a bit speechless, not knowing what to reply with. To an extent she understood what was being said, but her mind couldn't help but fight to feel seen and be validated.
“So… just be yourself!” Madeline shot her a thumbs up before looking at a nearby stall. “Ooh, these flowers look lovely! Look at all the shades and patterns…”
Hotaru looked at Madeline and saw how enticed she was by a few petals. It was simple to put together that Madeline had an affinity for these floral beauties.
If Madeline could so easily be herself then…couldn't Hotaru do the same too? Instead of seeking validation, couldn't Hotaru aspire to be something simply because she wanted to and do it on her own terms?
“Wait Hotaru come look at these,” Madeline suddenly pulled Hotaru out of her mind to another stall. It was filled with standees that resembled various different monsters from golden dragons to tree walkers.
Madeline was more focused on the basics. “Valentina loves slimes, for some odd strange reason, but she loves them nonetheless. I'm not sure which variant was her favorite, but maybe I should get one just for her…”
Madeline stood there not knowing which one to buy, or if she should just buy them all. Hotaru didn't know if she should butt in or just wait for her to come to an eventual conclusion.
“Oh hey Hotaru, you're still here,” Hotaru turned to see a peculiar looking Plum. She was all dressed up in merchandise she bought from head to toe. “I thought you would've headed home by now.”
“I actually took your suggestion to heart and,” Hotaru showcased Madeline who was standing beside her. “I found someone who can help me.”
Plum took a second to register what Hotaru was talking about as if she had forgotten the main purpose they had come here. “Oh, wow, you actually did it. Forgive me for not putting enough faith in you.” Plum said flatly.
“Oh Hotaru, is this a friend of yours?”
“You could say that,” Plum answered for Hotaru. “I’m Plum Sabarka, you may have heard of my parents and those who came before them.”
“No I… don’t believe I have,” Madeline shrugged. “Sorry…”
“No need to apologize, that's not important. More importantly, Hotaru says you’re looking after her now? Do I need to be worried for her or for you?”
“You make it sound like it’s babysitting, but yes, Valentina and I decided to do some sort of… mutual exchange.”
Madeline laid the whole thing down, giving Plum a complete insight into the situation. It was safe to say that Plum was a little concerned.
“Hotaru…” Plum slowly opened her mouth. “I know I told you to become someone’s apprentice or whatever, but a total death mission?! Are you insane!?”
“Have some faith in me! What, you really think I can’t do it?”
“You didn’t even stop to think about this for a second, did you?!” Plum argued, putting both of her hands on her hips. “This is just like you, always jumping into something humongous without thinking about it!”
“Didn’t you just say you didn’t put enough faith in me before? It’s about time you start doing that because I’m about to slay a demon. When I go home, I’m going to look through everything that I have to find something out about this thing.”
“Hotaru, I strongly doubt that you have something in regard to this creature. Like I said no one has been able to help us out in that department so far…” Madeline said.
“I’ve got to have something…maybe my dad would know something about this?” Hotaru carefully considered her options here. “On second thought, I wouldn’t want to bother him, but leave it to me to at least give it a try!”
“Well I have to thank you for at least giving it some consideration.” Madeline smiled warmly. “But putting that aside, I think we should probably meet up with Valentina right about now. She’s probably been waiting for us this whole time…and it’s not really safe the longer she’s away from me.”
“I would like to meet this Valentina that you speak of,” Plum announced.
Madeline finally bought out all the slime standees as the three girls continued down the street. There were still plenty of people here even though the late afternoon was beginning to creep in, but it seems that for many wizards, time is just an afterthought.
Hotaru continued to think if she had any resources that could trace back to anything that Madeline or Valentina had mentioned. Sure, there were lots of instances of ‘decay’ but as they had said, this is different. How different though, she was unsure. There was practically nothing to refer from, meaning it could have been a plethora of different monsters. The idea of this being some element or monster Hotaru had never encountered frightened her, but at the same time it also excited her.
“Oh, I see Valentina over there!” Madeline pointed to the fountain Valentina said she would be at. The only thing was that Valentina was fast asleep, snoring softly.
“So this is Valentina huh?” Plum said. She put her hand up and began mumbling a spell. Both of them knew what she was trying to do and Madeline almost instinctively tried to stop her, because just as it seemed like the spell was working, something within Plum seemed to snap, causing her to croak in pain as she fell backwards. It was like shadowy sparks had shot out of Valentina with lightning speed, whipping and strangling around Plum.
“W-What was that?!” Plum held out her hand as it ached. Sweat started to drip from her scalp.
“That’s why I said no one has been able to help us,” Madeline sighed. “That includes using any curse breaking spells. Because this always happens.”
“...Madeline, what's wrong?” Valentina yawned. She had suddenly woken up and stood up too. “Did I fall asleep? Hah, that’s what you get for being so slow.”
“Y-you did fall asleep yes…”
‘Hotaru, you’re crazy,” Plum suddenly cut in as she got up. “Listen Hotaru, this is clearly nothing like you’ve ever seen before, nothing I’ve ever seen before.” She paused. “Look, you can just study with me and all will be well. Just… don’t put yourself through this.”
“Who’s the blonde twintailed girl?” Valentina asked.
“I'm Plum, Hotaru’s friend. You lot seem like a crazy bunch, I’m not sure if I should trust you, and that means I can't let Hotaru trust you either.”
“Oh, but I thought I needed to stop being a baby, you know, like making my own choices?” Hotaru argued “Here we go again with this.”
“Yeah, but I can't help it when you're constantly making stupid choices.”
“Ladies ladies, let's not fight,” Valentina interjected. “How about this? Plum, you give us a chance to not kill Hotaru and…well Hotaru won’t end up dead, which leaves you with nothing to worry about.” she said as she put her hands up in a pleading gesture.
“We’ve already discussed it and my choice is final, I'm going on this quest whether you like it or not.”
Plum sighed and scratched the back of her head. She took a good look at Hotaru and nodded, “Perhaps I'm the one who's been treating you like we're still young. Although, you haven't exactly given me a good reason to stop doing that. I guess I can see why it could be overbearing for you,” she grumbled.
“You want to make something outta yourself? Then you go do that Hotaru. I'll support you as best as I can, even if I think this is still kind of irresponsible.” Plum rolled her eyes. “I admit it's the Grand Sage I should actually be upset at for making people like you go to such lengths.”
Plum patted Hotaru on the back. “Now that that's settled, I think it's time for the two of us to head on out of here and call it a day.”
“That's a lot of words to just say you want me to pay for dinner.” Hotaru muttered.
“See, you get it.”
“Oh wait before you go,” Madeline said as she pulled out a peculiar device. “We should exchange contact information! You know how it is these days, gotta stay in touch on these little thingies.”
“Not a lot of people seem to have dialers around here Madeline,” Valentina said. “I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have one either.”
“Ah no, we're lucky enough to have them!” Hotaru pulled out hers. “My ma actually works way out in the capital city. She sometimes likes to send me whatever new tech they've come up with. Plum’s family is just rich.”
The bustling of the MagiConia continued around them as the four girls, yes, even Plum, exchanged contact information. Valentina and Madeline waved goodbye to them, saying that they might stick around for a while. Afterwards, the two friends were left to their own devices as they left the con while dusk began to settle in.
5
Hotaru and Plum sat across from each other as they silently ate at some diner neither of them particularly cared for. The food was good though, so they couldn’t complain. Not to mention there was a discount for the MagiConia… so even better!
“Hey Hotaru, I was just wondering,’ ’Plum said, looking up from her dish which consisted of more sweets than it probably should. “Where do you think we'll be after graduation? I mean, we'll be like, real wizards.”
“It's not like you to worry about the future Plum,” Hotaru giggled.
“I'm not worried,it's just… it's food for thought if anything,” she stared out the window beside them. “Like, our entire lives were leading up to this moment, but at the same time, you can't help but wonder what will happen after the big day.”
“You said the same thing while we were in high school. We were both unsure if we'd make it to such a prestigious school afterwards. I guess we should just hope for the best?”
“Yeah,” Plum nodded. “You always seemed to be the best at that kind of thing.”
They resumed eating once more. It was calm and quiet. The sun was setting beyond the forests and the town was gradually growing still. Plum yawned right on time.
“Hey Hotaru,” she began softly after the drawn out yawn.
“What is it, Plum?”
Plum looked into the distance as a thoughtful expression filled her face, “Do you honestly think we need a piece of paper in order to call ourselves real wizards? Well, I guess what I’m saying is… what does it actually mean to be a wizard?”