The sun passed its zenith and fell, preparing to draw the curtains. The birds flocked back to their nests as the twilight began to greet the world.
Celina's and Elysia's footsteps echoed through the academy hallways, which were less crowded than usual. The distress on Celina's face contrasted sharply with Elysia's calmness.
"Ugh... my back is cramping," she complained, twisting her torso from side to side. "Professor Lily's class is so annoying. I mean, hey, I just awakened my magic pathways three days ago and suddenly I'm forced to show off my magic in front of everyone. It was terrible."
Elysia smiled. "Yes. You nearly burned your own hand earlier."
"Don't remind me, Ely." Her lips puckered into a sharp pout. "I was too slow at converting mana into the spell I wanted."
"Shall I give you a little advice?"
"Of course! Diz isso rápido, Ely!" (Say it quickly, Ely!)
Elysia took a deep breath.
She extended her hand, and without uttering a single word, a dagger of ice materialized in her palm. With a flick of her wrist, the dagger shot forth swift as the wind, embedding itself in the academy wall before the ice spread and vanished.
Celina's jaw dropped.
"Wi-without an chanting?!" She grabbed her own arm and shook Elysia. "How did you do that?! Ensina-me! (Teach me!)"
Elysia nodded. She placed a finger to her lips. "Alright, but let's keep this a secret, okay?"
"You can trust me!"
She was aware of the shock she felt. Spell chantings were written doctrine for beginners. Only high-level witches were supposed to be able to cast without any chanting at all. Yet Elysia could do it.
"Magic comes from suggestion. Visualize it more clearly. For instance, if you want to create fire, imagine yourself striking a flint hard and long enough until a spark flies, which then grows into a flame. Do you understand?"
Celina blinked several times, her head tilting a few degrees.
Elysia sighed. She stood behind Celina, took her hands, and guided them forward.
"E-Ely, what are you–"
"Can you channel mana into your hand?"
"Mhm."
Celina closed her eyes, concentrating. Her mouth began to murmur the words of a spell, but Elysia promptly stopped her.
"There's no need."
"Eh?"
"You practice water magic, don't you?"
Celina gave a stiff nod. "Yes. A little."
"Channel your mana again."
Celina did as she was told, her eyes shut once more, but this time her mouth remained still. She chose to wait for Elysia's next instruction.
"Now, try to imagine water rushing towards a kind of conduit. And at the end of that conduit is a faucet, like the one you use to bathe. Gather your mana at your fingertips. Think of the spell. And then..."
Celina followed all the instructions. Her eyes were shut tight. A magic circle began to form in front of her.
Elysia could feel the warm mana gathering in the palm of her hand.
"And then what?!"
"Turn the knob!"
"[Water Ball!]"
Elysia's sudden shout made her jolt, and she accidentally uttered the spell's name. A ball of water shot from the magic circle, flying straight until it slammed against the wall.
Celina slowly opened her eyes, staring in disbelief. "I did it, Ely! Eu consigo! (I can do it!)"
Elysia smiled back at her success.
She then extended her left hand in the same direction as Celina. "Let's do it one more time, Celina."
"Alright! Let's go!"
"[Water Ball!]" they said in unison.
The water ball shot forward swiftly, however...
Splash!
Someone suddenly appeared in front of the wall. The water ball hit them square in the face, drenching them completely.
"It's Professor Lily!"
Her chest was heaving. Water still dripped from her soaked, blonde hair. Her eyes glared at them sharply. "Yoooou two!"
"So-sorry!"
Celina grabbed Elysia's hand and made a run for it, bolting away before Professor Lily could scold them both. They melted into the wave of students that had suddenly appeared from nowhere.
***
Their breaths were still ragged. Both of them were bent over, hands on their knees.
"Lucky that grumpy teacher didn't chase us, right, Ely?" She looked at Elysia with a wink.
"Actually... we didn't need to run."
"Eh? Aren't you afraid of her?"
"No, it's not that. We weren't in the wrong. She was the one who suddenly appeared there. That's probably why she didn't chase us, right?"
Celina smacked her own forehead. "Ah, I just realized."
The two of them then shared a warm laugh. Celina with her boisterous guffaw, and Elysia with a softer, gentler chuckle. Afterward, they decided to head back to the dormitories, for soon the sun would truly draw its curtains closed.
"By the way, your dorm is in the west wing, right? I heard that's where the monster donors stay, besides the south side. My dorm is in the southwest. My roommate... ugh, she's a chatterbox who can't sit still. She's just like your sister, Irine!"
Elysia gave a soft laugh. Did this girl never look in a mirror?
The whole way, Celina never stopped complaining about one thing or another. Meanwhile, Elysia could only listen, responding with a quiet laugh or a slight nod.
Celina stared at something hanging from Elysia's neck. "Your necklace is beautiful."
Elysia gave a slow nod. A sincere, warm smile was etched on her lips. "It was a gift from someone precious to me."
"Who? Your grandmother? Your mother? Your sister? Or maybe a friend?"
Elysia shook her head slowly, maintaining her captivating smile. "I can't talk about it right now, Celina."
"Tehee~ you look so happy when you talk about that necklace. Don't tell me it's from someone you love?"
Celina's innocent words were like a sharp knife piercing Elysia's heart. She wasn't wrong at all. The necklace was from him, the one she loved so deeply. Him, who had given her happiness. And him, who had imprisoned her heart all this time.
Elysia realized her feelings were still completely bound to him. Every time she looked at the necklace, only the vague silhouette of him appeared in her mind.
"You're right," Elysia said, with a beautiful smile that seemed to melt the ice within her heart. "I... have fallen for him."
A wide grin spread across Celina's cheeks. A mischievous expression, brimming with deep curiosity. "Heeeeh, who is he? Can I know?"
Elysia shook her head slowly. "If I could meet him, I would introduce him to you. But right now... he is still gone. And... I don't know when we'll meet again."
"I see... He must be in a place very far away, so far that you can't meet."
"You're right, very far away..."
A faint smile, full of longing and bitterness, appeared on her beautiful face.
A sudden silence enveloped them.
Somehow, Celina finally grew quiet, as if giving Elysia more space to release the burdens on her shoulders.
They finally arrived at a large, three-story building painted in an captivating deep red. Above, a signboard clearly displayed the words 'Edelweiss Dormitory'.
"Ah, this must be the place." She glanced at Elysia. "Can you get back by yourself, Elysia? Or should I walk you in? It would be nice to see your room."
Elysia shook her head. "Sorry, it's not that I don't want you to. It's just that I think I want to rest today. Everything that happened has really tired me out."
"Alright, I won't push."
Celina released Elysia's arm from her shoulder. Then she gently took both of Elysia's hands.
"Hey... we're friends. Don't hesitate to rely on me, né?"
Elysia answered only with a small nod.
Celina then ran off, leaving her behind. She waved to her before her figure disappeared around a corner in the hallway.
Elysia, in turn, pivoted and entered the magnificent building. The sound of her footsteps echoed against the cold marble. She climbed stair after stair, covered in deep red carpet, until she reached her room on the second floor.
In the corner of the hallway, she turned the doorknob and entered her room. Her eyes went straight to her boudoir bed. She immediately collapsed onto it, lying down while staring blankly at the ceiling.
She let out a long sigh. Her hand reached up as if trying to grasp a nebulous hope.
At the very least... I feel one step closer to meeting him.