章 31: Afterwood
A cacophony of cheers erupted as they exited Red Hill, students mobbing Astra like she was a conquering heroine. A boy, acne-dusted and wide-eyed, approached her, his voice trembling, "Lady Astra, did you really slay three S-Class monsters? Like, with your bare hands?"
Astra's gaze froze him mid-question, violet eyes like glacial shards flashing beneath a crown of midnight hair. The boy flinched, melting back into the crowd.
"Natalia, you're hurt!" exclaimed Birgit and Colette as they hurried to their friends' side. Eydis and Natalia were engulfed in a tight hug, relief flooding over their friends at the sight of the two mostly unscathed. As they prepared to return to the academy by horse carriage, Eydis glimpsed a flash of concerned silver and gold in the distance.
Across the bustling crowd, Princess Athena's golden eyes locked onto hers, a glimmer of concern sparking within their depths. Prince Adrian accompanied the gaze with a warm smile. However, it was Duke Theomund, an ethereal titan adorned in silver and white, who genuinely held her attention. His eyes, resembling a gleaming silver moon, swirled with evident concerns.
Urging rushed her forward, but a pair of golden eyes, sharp as daggers and aged with secrets, halted Eydis's frantic steps. Not the Princess's warm gaze, but another pair, glinting like molten gold from a shadowed corner. A gaze that felt like a brand searing her skin, a whispered reminder of her lowly place.
But where did she truly belong?
Astra's voice, unexpectedly a caress against the sandpaper of her own thoughts, sliced through the air. "Let's go." Two words, laced with ice and laced with something warmer, something hidden beneath the frost. Eydis swallowed, the storm within her momentarily quelled by the unexpected tether, the echo of a connection she couldn't quite grasp.
Eydis, quick to shift the mood, reverted to her playful demeanour, looping an arm around Astra's shoulders. "Only if you promise to stop barricading yourself in the library."
A ghost of a smirk flickered on Astra's lips, quickly masked by aloofness. "No promises," she grumbled, "you're too loud."
A mischievous glint sparked in Eydis' eyes. Leaning in, she dropped a whisper just for Astra's ears, "Loud? My dear Lady Astra, you haven't heard the half of it."
With that, she slipped away, weaving through the crowd towards Natalia's carriage. Astra remained frozen, a statue sculpted from moonlight. The heat of Eydis' whisper still lingered against her ear, a brand on her skin. Beneath the mask, her eyes flickered, a storm brewing in the violet depths.
"You brought it on yourself, ice princess," she murmured, a smile blooming beneath the mask, as captivating as the forbidden magic they both danced with.
"You look happy," her fiery friend said as she sat down next to Eydis in their carriage, followed by Birgit and Colette, after a while.
Smiling, Eydis's gaze darted to Natalia's wound, seemingly healed. "A little, did you feel better? The priests have treated you, haven't they?"
The injured girl grinned, taking off her bandaid; not a single mark marred her delicate skin. "Not a priest, actually. Princess Athena offered…" she winked, voice dropped to a conspiratorial hush, "…she said anything for a friend of a friend."
"Amazing…" Eydis exclaimed, marvelling at the non-existent wound, goosebumps appearing underneath her finger.
Natalia's face lit up, almost matching her hair, "Y-You did it again!"
Eydis considered thanking the princess in private; she replied absent-mindedly, eyes still gazing at the exposed shoulder, "Did what exactly?"
Colette leaned forward, her voice hushed. "The touch, Eydis. It's... well, some might take it the wrong way."
Birgit pushed her glasses up her nose, a flicker of concern in her eyes. "I mean, it's... intimate, for lack of a better word."
Eydis' brow furrowed in genuine confusion. "But it's just a friendly gesture," she protested. "Why are you all making such a big deal about it?"
Witnessing Eydis's perplexed expression, the other girls couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed the usually unflappable Eydis had a surprisingly cute and oblivious side. It's not like she had a wealth of lady friends before. While close female friendships can involve a bit of touchy-feely, with Eydis, who practically exuded seduction, it was challenging to discern if her innocent touches were genuine or just another layer of her game.
Natalia met her gaze, a playful glint in her eyes. "I don't think I'm your type," she teased, her voice laced with a hint of challenge. "But then again, what is your type, Eydis? Don't tell me you haven't given it any thought."
Colette, ever the romantic, clasped Birgit's hand with a sigh. "Smouldering eyes, a touch of mystery... I bet Eydis has a soft spot for the brooding boys."
Birgit shook her head. "Knowing Eydis, she'd probably want someone who can match her wits. Someone like..." her gaze darted to Eydis, "the Prince, maybe?"
Eydis's smile faltered, a flicker of something crossing her eyes before she masked it with a casual shrug. "Neither, actually," she said, her voice light but her eyes distant. "But speaking of things that aren't what they seem. Nat, the beast you faced..."
The girls leaned in, curiosity etching away the playful gleam in their eyes. "It wasn't just its transformation that was strange," Eydis started, her voice low and serious. "The way it transformed into your tiger is strangely deliberate, don't you think?"
Realisation dawned upon her, Natalia recalled, "True, it caught me off-guard and I almost died if it wasn't for the rumbling that woke me up!"
Birgit, ever the pragmatist, cut in, "Perhaps... was it sentient?" Her gaze met Eydis's, a silent understanding passing between them.
Natalia's voice dropped to a whisper. "And what about the body? After Astra destroyed its core, it didn't vanish. It... contorted, shrank, until it looked like..." she hesitated, a tremor in her voice, "...like a withered human, just like the legends say witches become."
Colette, eyes wide with fascination, gripped Birgit's hand. "What if these beasts... they're not just twisted creatures, but witches themselves? Weaponized, unleashed against us?"
Time blurred as they recounted the tournament's events and speculations. Later, Eydis felt a weight on her shoulder; Natalia had fallen fast asleep, leaning against her. She looked at peace, finally, after being in the company of her friends. The rhythmic clopping of horseshoes against cobblestones lulled the friends into a comfortable silence. Soon, Eydis found her eyes drifting shut, the rhythmic motion lulling her to sleep.
**
In the hushed twilight, a figure cloaked in darkness nursed a steaming mug of black coffee—a peculiar choice even for him. Smoke, like tendrils of regret, curled around Indigo's face as he stared into the abyss of his drink. Even the bitter brew couldn't shake the grim taste of betrayal. "He's gone rogue," he rasped, voice laced with gravelly disappointment. His eyes, usually holding the calm of a mountain lake, were stormy with internal conflict.
"Already? It's fast this time around," his companion remarked, her voice serenity itself, with black hair neatly framing her delicate features. Callista, usually a whirlwind of violet fire, sat uncharacteristically still, appearing lost in profound contemplation.
Indigo sighed, removing his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Ten lives have been lost, children, mostly the commoners—the Emperor is accelerating his plan."
Violet eyes stared intently at Indigo. Three hundred years together, and Indigo's unwavering love for humanity remained a constant ember in his soul. "Are you shouldering this alone?"
He slammed his fist on the table, the coffee sloshing. "I did nothing! Just stood there, a puppet nodding at his whims. Pathetic! Without your help, I couldn't even imagine the consequences." Shame choked him, a bitter knot rising in his throat.
"This burden isn't yours alone," Callista insisted. "We both know a public unravelling would incinerate our past efforts." Her gaze drifted towards the crescent moon, a silent ritual older than their bond.
Indio offered a wry smile. "This must be serious indeed. The voice of reason is usually my territory, leaving you the delightful role of resident firecrackers."
A flicker of amusement softened Callista's features. "I'll overlook your backhanded compliment," she conceded, "because frankly, I find you tolerable."
"An honour, Lady Astra!"
"Don't push it," she retorted, a smile tugging at her lips.
Indigo chuckled, "and there you are! For a moment, I thought I'd conjured a ghost of someone else entirely."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she deflected, not fond of the direction this conversation was taking.
The dean rose from his seat, standing beside Callista, Silver moonlight bathed his partner's usually steely features in a soft glow, casting a shadow on her inscrutable expression. "Did you... what happened at Red Hill forest?"
Callista flinched, a flicker of something raw crossing her eyes before her face settled back into a mask of cool indifference. "Blood, gore, and ten lives sacrificed on the altar of his ego," she spat, her voice laced with bitterness. "And the blame, as always, will fall on us."
"The carnage is known," Indigo said calmly, "but your face, Callista, tells a different story."
"Anger is my constant companion," she replied, a tremor betrayed her facade.
But Indigo persisted, his gaze unwavering. "Anger, yes, but there's something deeper now, isn't there? A flicker of something... personal."
Callista smirked with amusement. "You and your fascination with my emotional state. Research for your next treatise on spectral psychology?"
A chuckle rumbled in Indigo's chest. "Always the deflection, my dear Callista. Though I assure you, no treatises in sight. Just concern for a partner who seems haunted by ghosts beyond the ones we usually deal with."
Callista's smile faltered, a flicker of vulnerability peeking through. "Haunted? Don't be ridiculous. The only trouble I have is you, shoving that insufferable girl, Eydis, into my life as a roommate."
Indigo's eyes, usually pools of wisdom, clouded with something unreadable. "Ah, so it's about Miss Eydis. My apologies, Callista. I only thought her proximity might offer insight."
A wave of unease washed over him as Callista's eyes narrowed. "Insight? Since when was I your spy?"
Indigo's brow furrowed. "My apologies," he said cautiously. "But the girl is… intriguing."
Callista's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Is that what they call manic cheerfulness and predatory smiles? Flirts with everything with a pulse, yet leaves everyone else breathless from confusion."
A flicker of surprise, then comprehension, crossed Indigo's face. "So you've been watching her closely."
Callista's jaw clenched. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
Indigo sensed the storm brewing beneath her stoic facade. "Indeed," he conceded, "and for that, I apologise. But perhaps tonight, we should focus on the fire blazing at our doorstep."
Callista acknowledged with a nod, the tension palpable in the air. In a gesture of peace amid his inquiries, he presented Callista with her preferred medium-rare eye fillet. They engaged in conversation until the witching hour. With a brief, terse farewell, she disappeared into the night, leaving Indigo deep in contemplation, the enigma of Callista's feelings towards Eydis lingering in his thoughts.
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