I didn’t step outside the next day. Or the next week. I didn’t feel like doing anything. I just laid in my bed and loafed around. It felt as if my reason to live had disappeared that day. I tried to eat regularly but everything tasted bland so I went days without eating anything. The things that used to cheer me up were ineffective. Mistflowers seemed to have lost their smell and cake had lost its taste. I think Remi had tried to contact me but I didn’t want to talk to anyone. It felt just suffocating to be in my own body. Self-doubt and dejection kept swirling around in my head and prevented me from doing anything. I was paralyzed, it was as if I was trapped inside my own body. My tears had already dried up. There was nothing left to cry out. I didn’t dare to look in a mirror. Is this how I am going to die? I didn’t want to die. There were so many things I still wanted to do.
5 weeks had passed since my research got labelled as taboo. What to do now? At this point, I had become apathetic. I don’t care what happens to me anymore. I don’t care about anyone. Nobody cares about me so why should I care about them? Only Remi and Paula deserve it. I will just choose a random research subject and if they will exile me for it so be it. I gathered the courage to look inside the mirror.
I screamed. Who is that abomination?! Is that me? I need to eat, sleep, and have some serious skincare! I wish I hadn’t let it get so far but here I am. I still look better than that bitch Beatrice though. It was noon so I made a meal and started some skincare. I relaxed in my bath. It took a while but I finally started to relax. My back was killing me as I had been sitting in a poor posture.
I dropped special pebbles into my bath. They stuck close to my body and massaged me. I used more Mistflower body lotion and made myself clean and scented and got out after an hour-long bath. I already felt better. I would go to sleep early and fix my skin and hair tomorrow.
I had made an attempt to braid my hair while eating some strawberry shortcake the next morning. I only succeeded until late in the afternoon. Deep down I felt like I was wasting days but nobody has expectations for me so being productive isn’t going to be of any merit.
As I stepped out the next morning, I decided to go to the library and find a new research topic.
The day went well until I met someone I would rather not meet. “Oh, you’re still alive, I hoped you had kicked the bucket.”
“It takes more to kill me; now excuse me I have important things to do.”
Beatrice grabbed my arm. “Hey, I know that you hate me, and I hate you but how the council handled that… I don’t agree with it. You are my rival for a reason, I don’t believe for a second that you would spend 27 years to put out trash.”
“Oh, so you do have a nice side. Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“Ugh, I am going to regret this, how about becoming my research partner?”
I looked at Bea as if she had gone crazy. “Are you ok? Are you dying?”
“No! I knew I would regret it! I was just amazed at how you effortlessly beat that elder. It has been the talk in Witchaven you know? And without a catalyst! I thought I would get a bit jealous but I only had respect for you. I felt some sense of pride that my rival and old classmate got this strong…”
I was perplexed. I guess Bea isn’t a one-dimensional dumb bitch. “I appreciate the offer but my name is now tarnished… I still hate you but I don’t want to drag you down. I will kick your ass if you’re spreading more stupid rumors though!”
“I see… I hate you too but nobody should have gone through what happened to you…”
An awkward silence fell. This was the first time we had something resembling a real conversation since we graduated. It did feel like not the whole world was against me.
“Thank you, Bea, you have no idea how much this means to me. Now don’t get the wrong idea, I still hate you but at least I will acknowledge you as a real person.”
“What is that supposed to mean…”
I walked off and tried to find literature that piqued my interest.
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I couldn’t find anything. I bumped into someone with fire-red hair.
“You are still here?”
“I need to find some literature relating to fusion element.” Bea was looking through the section that holds literature relating to earth magic. I swear how does a bitch this dumb get this far. I led her to the section that had fire derivative magic.
“Oh, thank you! Hey can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.”
“How does your hat look different every time I see you?” She pointed at my hat.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Oh, I just customize it.”
“How? Can you teach me?” I looked at Bea. I had no issue teaching others but it now falls under taboo magic and she might be too stupid to understand.
“It is taboo now…” I tried to keep my mind of what the council did to me.
“Does the council know that changing your hat is part of that taboo magic? I had my doubts about them reading everything in your paper, they seemed to be hyper-focused on certain parts.”
I thought about it for a bit. This dumbass seems genuinely interested. It doesn't seem to be a trick, however... she might be unable to trick anyone. “Ok, come here then and take off your hat. Access the runic structure of your hat.”
I showed Bea on how to locate the sequences that decide the hat's appearance and showed her some tricks to easily change it to suit her tastes. I had underestimated how stupid she was. It seems she is only intelligent in the things she is good at. I couldn’t teach her anything so I had to change the appearance of her hat to her description.
“Hey, thanks! I like what you did to my hat! Why don’t you research hats next?!”
I thought about it. It’s not a foreign subject to me. If I omit certain parts in the process, I might be able to get this research submitted.
“Thanks, Bea, I think I will.” I went to look for literature relating to our hats. There was quite a lot. I should mainly focus on cosmetics and basic and useful functions. I won’t put the part about adding advanced functions to my hat.
The council will just see this as another jab at the weakness of us Misha. Without our hats were just slightly stronger humans. Why is everyone interested in strengthening our strengths but not covering up our weaknesses? Am I this crazy that I’m the only one who thinks about this? Is my race truly as intelligent as others make it out to be?
I arrived home with a stack of literature. I will devour the information of these in the next weeks. I took off my hat and looked at it. This hat is a part of me. It is beautiful just like me. Bea is an idiot but suggesting that I research hats is brilliant. I might enjoy this research just as much as I did with mana runes and magic circles.
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There was a commotion in the academy 2 weeks later.
I ran over to Remi. “What happened?”
Remi looked at me. “This is my fault… Beatrice learned that I had a copy of your research and she asked if she could read it. That was a week ago… now she has accused the council of misconduct and abuse of power,”
“What? That idiot! Why would she?”
“Even though you two hate each other she still sees you as some sort of sister I suppose…”
I ran over to Bea. She was fighting 2 members of the council. I have to give it to this idiot. She is strong. Maybe she had put all her attributes in magic control and magic power instead of intelligence. She wasn’t winning but she wasn’t losing either.
“You have clearly not read all of Ayaru’s research! There is no way you would disagree with it! I might not understand everything in there, but what she’s trying to do is blatantly clear! And you make this taboo? Are you more concerned about your status than bringing our race to new heights? Does change scare you this much?” The council members didn’t seem to like what Bea had to say and started unleashing stronger spells.
I interrupted them and joined Bea.
“You really are an idiot, aren’t you? Nobody asked you to do this!”
“They destroyed your life because of their fear of change!”
“Are you really the Bea I know? You sound so… intelligent and mature…”
Bea used her ultimate skill [Crimson Eagle]. Just like me, she is a fan of the Calamity trio, she had tried to make this into a phoenix but well, the name indicates what it ended up being.
“Hey Aya, help me out here, there is no way they can beat the two of us.”
“You do know that you’re getting into trouble now, right?” I said that but I got ready for a fight.
“How about you teach me about that taboo magic after we both get exiled?” Bea’s [Crimson Eagle] vaporized the defences of the elders.
I looked at Bea who, for the first time ever, looked like a reliable, competent Misha. “I was wrong, I don’t hate you, I just dislike you a lot. Let’s show these hags that it is time to do away with the old and in with the new!”
I decided to use wind magic to compliment Bea's [Crimson Eagle]. I dashed at an elder.
She didn’t expect any close combat fighting other Misha. I launched her with [Updraft] and used [Gust]. The [Gust] made the [Crimson Eagle] grow in strength.
“An excellent display of magic but you’re too young to defeat us yet!” The elder prepared a complicated magic circle which I easily dismantled. “Impossible! Ayaru that magic is taboo! Continue using it and you will be exiled!”
Bea used [Fire Egg], the eggs flew out and created large explosions and I kept boosting the fire with wind magic. “Go on! Exile her! But know that If you do, I will leave Witchaven! Because of your stupid rules, Ayaru is the only Misha that I can consider my rival! How boring and weak do you want our race to become?!”
It might sound like random words of an idiot but Bea was regarded as the future of Witchaven. She is beautiful, not as beautiful as me of course. Strong, not as strong as me of course, and certainly not smart but she was way more popular than me. Her leaving Witchaven is a big deal.
One elder wiped some blood from the corner of her mouth. “Heh, that is a bluff, you wouldn’t sacrifice your status and accomplishments for this failure!”
“Oh, then go on exile her and see what happens!” Bea’s hair was doing this thing again where it looked like fire. I guess that’s a trait you don’t see often in Misha because they rarely fight seriously. Maps will have to be often redrawn when this happens.
“Beatrice! Control yourself! Stop this madness!” The elders seem to realize that she might not be bluffing.
Bea’s hair flared up. “Make me!” She pointed to the sky and the magic circle of [Meteor] appeared.
“Beatrice! Stop this now!” Most council members stayed calm but some were panicking.
“I was serious! You didn’t believe me so here is my demonstration!” Bea started to laugh, a bit maniacally. I knew something was wrong with her head.
The elders grabbed their catalysts and turned them into staves. One went to the council house and the other flew up to delay the fall of the [Meteor].
“You are crazy you know? Dropping a [Meteor] on Witchaven…”
Bea smiled at me. “I will teach you [Meteor] as a thank you for making my hat this pretty.” She took her hat off and looked at it. She genuinely looked happy.
Did this idiot seriously drop a [Meteor] on Witchaven because she wanted to thank me for making her hat pretty?
“Sure, I would like to know how an idiot like you can use [Meteor].” Bea and I walked off as all the council members flew up to delay and dispel the [Meteor].