This day had undoubtedly been the worst since Amy's death.
The small glimmer of hope that Celeste and I had found during our mission on the upper floor had been buried by a seemingly never-ending series of terrible events. The death of a new-found friend, and finding the only person who might have shed some light on it in that macabre state, had only been the beginning.
Even if I managed to survive to the end of this game, I was never going to forget the look in Penny's eyes when she found out what happened. I knew how brave she could be. In both her words and her actions, she had shown me that she was willing to put her life on the line for the things she believed in. But to suddenly be told that she'd likely be executed in four days would have been too much for anyone. Human life wasn't supposed to be so cheap. Even criminals had the right to a trial, even if it was a summary one. But I had long understood that from the moment we had walked through the gates of that cursed academy, we had ceased to be regarded as human. We were just cattle, to be taken to the back of the pen and slaughtered, not even to be served as dinner, but just for the amusement of our captors. So, in the face of her despair, I had not been able to find the words to give her some comfort.
But I wanted to find them.
Because I was not going to give up.
Even if a veil of hopelessness had fallen over our alliance, I was going to do my best to keep fighting against this predetermined fate. And I could do it because she was by my side. If all my other friends had looked like they were about to give up after the events of this morning, despite Celeste's best efforts to keep their spirits up, my girlfriend was still unyielding. And I would be no less. I owed her for all she had done for me.
«Are you sure you want to do this today?» Sophia gave me a worried look as we walked through the corridors of the school, «You really should go rest.»
«I'm fine... no actually I'm completely exhausted,» I replied, giving her a tired smile as I squeezed her hand, «but we're running out of time, Sophia. Every second we have until Sunday is precious.»
Sophia nodded, but still looked concerned. I put an arm around her waist and pressed my body against hers, trying to make her feel my presence:
«I'm here Sophia, I'm not going to disappear all of a sudden!»
«I know... but are you sure you want to talk to Celeste about it?» she asked, leaning her head on my shoulder.
«Yes. I think after what happened today we owe it to her. She almost got herself killed for me and took the 1000 point penalty for everyone. Don't tell me you still don't trust her after all this time?»
«I do... I think she's the only person I trust here apart from you. It's just... I really don't want you to use that power anymore, Elizabeth. I'd rather we pretend it doesn't exist,» Sophia looked at me with a mixture of fear and sadness in her sharp green eyes.
«I told you, I'll only use it if it's necessary to survive. And at this rate... that may happen very soon. That's why I want Celeste to know, she's the smartest person I can count on aside from you. If we all put our heads together, we might find a way to use my power to escape! Maybe it could even help us activate the damn magic circle, for all I know!»
«But if you...»
«If I have to use all my mana to escape, so be it! I'll just keep a tiny bit to stay alive! I won't need any more magic anyway, because I'll always have you to protect me!» I exclaimed, trying to sound cheerful.
I never thought I'd ever say these words. Magic had been everything to me in the past. It was the reason I had tried to follow in Aldric's footsteps in the first place. But now... things had changed. I was going to devote every single part of me to making this odd girl next to me happy. For this goal, I would have given up even my greatest passion without hesitation.
«I won't let you...» Sophia murmured, refusing to accept my determination, «I think I told you something like this a while ago, when we weren't even dating... if everything fails and we get to a point where you're forced to use that power to save us... I'll cut through anything that stands in our way.»
«I'll take you up on that!» I chuckled, «but I won't be any less! As I said the first time we almost kissed, I'm going to show you a spell you can't cut through! Perhaps it will be the one that will incinerate Skylark's bum.»
Sophia looked at me with a puzzled expression. After a few seconds I saw her blush in the light of the torches illuminating the corridor:
«What do you mean, almost kissed? Is that why you pinned me to the bed?»
«You were so pure then!»
«I am still pure!»
«The marks you left on my wrists the last time we did it say otherwise!» I giggled.
Sophia looked at me in disbelief:
«You told me you wanted me to...»
What I had asked her to do seemed to be too much for Sophia to put into words as she remained silent with her mouth open.
«I did, I did, relax! I'm just messing with you!»
«Idiot... this is what I get for going along with your kinks!»
Sophia glared at me before her expression softened into a smile:
«You're impossible,» she sighed, shaking her head, «you don't stop teasing me even in a situation like this.»
This time I was the one who leaned against her, resting my head on her shoulder:
«I have to... I have to be like this with you or I think I'll lose my mind...»
Joking with her... it was like taking a breath of air after being submerged in an ocean. A glimmer of normalcy in a world that no longer made sense.
"And I'll fight to be able to stay afloat forever."
We had reached our destination. I knocked on Celeste's door. After asking us who we were, our friend quickly opened it and revealed the sorry state she was in. Judging by her swollen eyes and smudged make-up, it was clear that, after shedding the mask of leader she had used to try to cheer up the others, she had let out her own grief about the situation in the solitude of her room.
So when she began to ask:
«What are you two doing he-?»
I didn't let her finish and leapt forward to hug her tightly.
«Liz, what the...?!»
«It's okay Celeste, I told you yesterday... you deserve a break too sometimes,» I replied, stroking her hair.
«But she's here now!» Celeste hissed, probably looking worriedly at Sophia over my shoulder.
Releasing her, I turned to see my girlfriend giving her a strange, conflicted look.
"Is she seriously mad about this?"
I knew how jealous Sophia could be. But it was clear that Celeste needed someone to give her a shoulder to cry on. But to my surprise, when Celeste looked as if she was going to apologise, Sophia took a step forward. Both my eyes and Celeste's widened as my girlfriend hugged her.
«Sophie, what-?!»
«Shut up, you idiot,» Sophia muttered.
That was probably the first sign of affection I'd ever seen her show for someone who wasn't me. Maybe it was because she wasn't expecting it, or maybe it was because these two had become so much closer, but it was enough to break Celeste's composure in a way I had never managed myself.
«Sophie...» Celeste whimpered, gripping Sophia's shirt tightly before she began to cry her eyes out.
«I know... you did your best Celeste, as always,» Sophia said calmly as she patted her back.
«But it was useless... everyone's panicking... even Phil looked like he doesn't know what to do. And I don't either! We are so fucked! How are we going to save Penny!?» she sobbed.
"To think she talked about her like she didn't care back then..."
Perhaps Celeste was the most dishonest person with her feelings between us. On the spur of the moment I joined their embrace, squeezing them both in my arms.
«Too... tight, Elizabeth!» Sophia complained.
«It's all right! We'll find a way out of this, together!»
As I held the two girls close to me, I couldn't help but feel an uncomfortable sensation rising inside me. Sophia had found someone she could rely on outside of me. A special person who could be counted on in a different way than a lover: a best friend. But it wasn't jealousy that brooded in my chest. It was the pain of knowing that I would never be able to hug my own special person ever again.
"But I'll do everything I can to make sure Sophia never has to feel this pain," I thought as I released them from my grasp.
«I swear... you two are impossible,» Celeste commented, wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeve, «you are going to make me give up all my dignity.»
«Oh, such a tragic loss!» Sophia replied sarcastically.
«Now I recognise you...» Celeste sighed, but then she gave us a tentative smile, «so, to what do I owe this late-night visit?»
«I wanted to talk to you, Celeste. About what we discovered on the third floor and something else... It's important, but if you're tired we can do it tomorrow.»
«We have no time to lose!» Celeste replied, motioning for us to get in her room, «if you're coming here after all the fighting you did, there's no way I won't hear what you have to say!»
She quickly heated her kettle to make some tea as Sophia and I sat down at her table.
«Drinking tea at this hour is not a good idea!»
«Do you want me to fall asleep while you talk? Besides... this almost feels like a sleepover! I wished I had some cookies to offer you,» Celeste giggled, «although I feel like my purity would disappear if I spent a night in a room with you two.»
«You did that yesterday and nothing happened!» Sophia exclaimed.
«Oh that's true... is that why you sneaked out as soon as it was morning?» Celeste asked with a cheeky look on her face.
«We just needed to talk privately, that's all,» Sophia replied looking away, making me laugh as I remembered how she had pinned me to the bed.
But the lighthearted atmosphere quickly dissipated as Celeste placed a steaming cup of tea in front of me and asked, turning serious:
«So, am I about to hear how you defeated Sam and how you managed to triplecast?»
After receiving a final nod from Sophia, I began to tell her everything, from what had really happened in the dungeon, to Skylark's revelations about my power, and finally how I managed to control it to get out of Sam's dark abyss. Celeste's expression changed from stunned to bewildered as I went on. By the end she was speechless, her mouth hanging open.
«This... is a lot to take in,» she finally managed to say.
«I know... it's hard to believe that the mana we have inside us can be so terrifying,» I commented.
«But it all makes so much sense... all those horrible experiments we read about, the state Aldric is in... of course they want to exploit this insane power they discovered. If they could replicate it, they could create an invincible army or something!»
«But why?» asked Sophia, «With no Demon King around, our kingdom is peaceful. When I was in the army, I hardly ever had to unsheathe my sword.»
«You were in what?» asked Celeste, dumbfounded.
«It's a long story,» Sophia and I replied in unison.
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«What are you going to tell me next? That Liz is actually the King in a wig?» Celeste sighed, «but don't be naive, Sophia. Nobility will always try to gain more power, even if there's no real reason to do so... I can just imagine that fatty of a King bragging about his invincible army of laser-shooting soldiers,» she added in a grave tone.
Then she turned to me and gave me the same worried look that Sophia had shown me before:
«Are you sure you are all right, Liz? If this power is draining your mana like you said... it's like you're losing your life bit by bit.»
«I'm fine, I'm fine,» I replied, «I don't feel any different than usual, that's why... now that we're cornered like this, I want you to think if we could use my power to get out of here.»
Celeste looked me straight in the eye. I could feel the conflict boiling inside her. The part of her that was our ruthless leader was probably thinking of a way to squeeze every last bit of life out of me in order to save everyone. But of course, the real Celeste, the one who considered me a dear friend, wouldn't let that happen so easily. It took her a few minutes to come up with an answer. She shook her head and said:
«I'm on Sophia's side, Liz. I don't think you should use this power anymore.»
«But-»
«I know, but I'm not just saying this because I don't want you to disappear on us,» she cut me off with a smile, «remember, Skylark is the one who explained the true nature of your power to you. Do you think he would have done that if he thought it would allow us to escape? No... I think he told you exactly so that you would use it and destroy yourself with it. He wants to put pressure on you. As we now know, mana and secret abilities all come from mental stress. He probably wants to manipulate you into becoming the new Aldric to win some kind of bet he made with his shitty allies.»
Celeste put into words many of the doubts that had been circulating in my head.
«But still... maybe he underestimated it. Maybe there's something he hasn't thought of.»
«Do you have a death wish, Liz?» Celeste sighed, looking at Sophia's worried face.
«Look, I know you want to help us, but you shouldn't do anything rash. It's true, this power could be our trump card to get out of here, but as things stand, I can't think of a way to use it. Even if you could use it to break through the school's barriers, the countermeasures would still be activated and would probably reduce us to ashes. Assuming that doesn't happen and we survive, we'll have Aldric on our heels. Do you think you can defeat him in a fight, even with this power?»
All I could do was shake my head. I didn't know if even my mana release would have been enough to pierce Aldric's seemingly invulnerable body. And even if it was, he still had an overwhelming advantage in raw power and speed. If I'd stood my ground instead of running away like the last time we met, he would have incinerated me in a second while dodging everything I threw at him.
«The only other thing we could use your power for is to kill Skylark. But the fact that he laughed in your face when you threatened him... makes me think that somehow it won't work. Damn, I wonder what the old man has up his sleeve. Hopefully Sophie can pierce it, whatever it is...»
«So...»
«So just keep this power as our little secret. I won't tell anyone, not even Phil. If we are completely backed up against the wall and almost dying, you have my permission to just reduce everything to ashes. Let's not give that fucker any satisfaction.»
Celeste gave me a little slap on the cheek. I saw Sophia give her a grateful smile out of the corner of my eye. I couldn't help but feel a little reassured by her words. This was why she was our leader. Even after showing us her moment of weakness, she was still able to calm us with her words. But Sophia quickly brought me back down to earth:
«We should proceed as we decided at our last meeting. We need to find a way to activate the magic circle you found on the third floor.»
Celeste nodded and commented in a sombre tone:
«If only we didn't have only four days...»
«Are you going to tell the others about it tomorrow?» I asked.
Celeste bit her thumb nail and replied:
«I don't know Liz... I think we have to tell Phil at least. You know he's good at making plans, even if they can be a bit unpleasant. As for the others... you've seen how their morale is... I think it's better if we don't give them false hopes. Of course, I'd take all the help we can get, but there's something else we can't ignore.»
«The traitor,» Sophia stated.
«That's right. There are no doubts now. Unless we want to believe that Jonathan just killed himself out of guilt. It's clear that there's a person working against us from within.»
«But who?» I asked, still unable to accept that one of my companions would be capable of putting Penny's life at risk.
«I don't know,» Celeste said, looking at me equally distraught, «as I said yesterday morning, I thought Nicole was the most suspicious. But seeing how she reacted to Penny being in danger... can she really be such a good actress? But Wilhelm also seems very sincere. And of course... it can't be Penny. So... maybe someone from the other group!»
«Aren't you forgetting someone?» asked Sophia suddenly.
Celeste looked at her confusedly before realising what she was getting at:
«Phil!? No way. I know he and Liz have clashed a lot lately, but don't judge him too harshly... he's doing his best to get us out of here in his own way. He looks pretty unemotional, but you saw how worried he was about Liz when she was about to fight Sam. And he would never put me in danger. He even offered to take the Demon card for me while you two went to the infirmary!»
I saw that Sophia didn't look very convinced by her defence. As for me...
"Celeste is right, he would never do anything to put her in danger... but what about us?"
His concern for me could have been fake. It wasn't as strong an emotion as the despair I'd seen on Nicole's face.
«But I also have another piece of evidence!» Celeste said, realising that we were both still on the fence.
«What do you mean?»
«The power of the traitor! I told you, he and I pretty much grew up together, I would've known if people around him suddenly started dying by suicide. So that means: if he has this secret suicide power, he'd have to develop it in here. But when you think about it, no one has ever died by suicide at the Academy!» Celeste replied, nervously tapping her fingers on the table.
"That's right... I've never heard of anyone killing themselves in here."
«Aren't we assuming too much about this power?» Sophia objected.
«What do you mean?» Celeste asked, confused.
«Think about it: if someone could just make us all hang ourselves in our rooms, they could end the game right now and get out of here. Why go along with Skylark's plans? They could just kill him as well!»
«...but we clearly saw Sam... you know.»
«That's true... but maybe their ability is something else. I still don't understand why we should trust Skylark's word so easily! For all we know, he could've shown us an illusion. Perhaps the traitor used some other remote method to kill Sam. Then, while we were in the courtyard, they went to Jonathan's room, tied him up with a binding spell and hanged him to make it look like suicide.»
"That could be the case!"
In fact, it was probably the best case scenario. Having someone around who could make us commit suicide on a whim was a frightening thought. Even if we could find out who they were and expose them, how could we fight what was pretty much a psychic ability?
Celeste took a second to find a rebuttal.
«Maybe their power really is what we thought, and if they're not abusing it, it's because they've been working with Skylark from the start. They're not real students, so they don't care about winning, they just want to make life difficult for us. And if that's the case, I can vouch for the fact that Philemon and I have never seen Skylark before coming here,» she said animatedly.
Despite the fact that she had always been rather dismissive of their relationship, Celeste was really going out of her way to defend her childhood friend's honour.
Sophia seemed to realise this too and said:
«It's not that I suspect him, Celeste. I'm just saying we need to consider all options.»
These words seemed to calm her.
«You're right. I am sorry! I know I shouldn't let my feelings get in the way of these things. But I really don't think Philemon would betray us. He has an even stronger sense of justice than Whilelm, I know him very well. But I'll keep an eye on him, just to be sure. I'll only ask his ideas in a roundabout way and make sure he doesn't know everything we're up to, if that makes you feel safer,» she added with a smile.»
«That's fine, thank you,» Sophia nodded, satisfied with her suggestion, then continued, «anyway, the existence of the traitor is now a certainty so, like you said, we need to be careful and make sure that everyone else, not just Philemon, doesn't realise what we're going to do. Of course we'll have to tell the others about our plan... but not until it's all set in stone and we are ready to go.»
Both Celeste and I nodded.
«We have to find a way to activate the magic circle between the three of us and make our escape before the end of Sunday.» I said.
«Don't forget the part about finding a way to get Skylark out of our way,» Celeste added.
«Leave that bit to me,» Sophia said, «I'll think about it while you magic nerds deal with the circle.»
«Gotcha,» Celeste agreed, then pointed to the pile of grimoires in the corner of her room, «you'd better get some sleep, Liz, because you and I are going to be digging into those bad boys tomorrow. We'll look for something to help us find the twin circle deep underground. No rest allowed!»
Seeing her so pumped up also filled my heart with a burning sensation. I stood up and yelled:
«Let's fucking do this!»
Then I turned to Sophia and said:
«Sophia, I'm going to see Penny! The door of our room should be open, so feel free to go to bed if I don't come back soon.»
«I'll wait for you,» she said with a smile.
Celeste had one on her face too.
«Thank you, Elizabeth,» she said simply, «thank you for trusting me. And thank you for always lifting my spirits when I falter. Even if it's in this hellhole, I'm glad I got to know you. I love you... as a friend!» she added with a smile as Sophia looked at her.
«I don't know about the loving part... but the same goes for me! Now stop with the tea and get to bed so I don't have to do all the work tomorrow!» I giggled and headed for the door.
«Are you kidding me? I'm going to take this opportunity to interrogate Sophie about what you two did this morning!»
As I closed the door behind me, I laughed as I heard the two of them start to argue again.
I started to run. I had found a ray of hope thanks to these couple of menaces and now I had to bring it to the person who needed it most.
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It only took a second for Penny to open her door after I had knocked on it. Of course, there was no way she was going to fall asleep tonight. Looking at her face, even through her faltering smile, I could tell she was scared to death. For the second time that night, I moved forward to take her in a hug.
«Liz...»
«I'm sorry, Penny... I couldn't face you properly before... it was all so scary. But I'm here now, I'm here for you!»
Penny's body shook in my arms before she let go and leaned against me.
«Thank you,» she murmured before she began to cry in silence.
She really was so strong. When I had been the one to face death in the past, I had gone completely crazy. But she carried herself with a dignity that I'd never have been able to match.
"I'll always be ashamed of myself for how I looked down on others... Penny, Amy, Sam... I've met so many incredible people who, even if they didn't have my magic power, dwarfed me in courage."
I kicked the door shut behind me with my heel as I led Penny to her bed. As we sat side by side, I helped her wipe away her tears with my handkerchief.
«I'm sorry, Penny. I should've got here sooner!»
«It's okay... you know, I heard about this stuff while I was studying medicine. When people are dying, a lot of friends just can't bring themselves to visit them.»
«Penny!»
Hearing her say those terrible depressing words made my heart ache even more.
«I'm here, I won't leave you alone! And I'll fight... I told you the first time we spoke, I know I'm not strong enough to make promises. But I... no, we'll fight to protect you!»
«Liz...»
I could tell she wasn't convinced by my words, but she was still grateful to hear them. I pulled her close to me:
«I'm serious, Penny. Celeste and I are going to try to find a way out of here before Sunday. In the meantime, I'll talk to Nicole and get her to keep you company, okay? She's in shock right now, but you know how much she cares for you! She'll come out of her room tomorrow and she'll come and see you! I'm sure of it!»
Penny's eyes filled with tears again.
«Liz, I'm sorry...»
«Sorry for what?»
«I was so hard on you back then... I said so many nasty things about you not caring about me and trying to be a hero just to feel good about yourself.»
I patted her head, ruffling her neatly styled hair:
«Idiot. Your words helped me a lot, you know? 'Some things are worth more than being alive,' wasn't that what you said last time? Your words and Sophia's support, they helped me get over my slump. If I'm not cowering in my room right now, it's also thanks to you!»
There was a moment of silence as Penny looked down at her knees. Then she said in a quiet voice.
«I've changed too, thanks to you.»
«What?»
Penny hugged me again, much tighter than before:
«I-I... before, my life was so boring... always trying to chase after influential nobles like I was taught, keeping up appearances and trying to act like someone I wasn't. But t-thanks to you, Nicole and the others... Now I know what it means to live a worthwhile life. To have friends... to have fun with them. So... now... I DON'T WANT TO DIE!»
This mournful cry was the signal that her composure had broken. As her cries filled my ears, I bit my lip as I held her in my arms and patted her back. I couldn't cry as well. As Penny had said, I had changed her. The pain I had created for her, I would endure. The girl who had once taught me that it wasn't wrong to die for what you believed in was now clinging to me, terrified at the thought of losing her life. Was it a contradiction? Maybe. But it was okay.
"Human beings are full of contradictions... and that's what we are, human beings. Not cattle. And before I take my last breath, I'm going to make sure Skylark understands that," I thought, clenching my fists.
It took a few minutes for Penny to calm down.
«I'm sorry...» she murmured again.
«It's okay, I told you, I'm here for you.»
«Thank you... can we stay like this for a while?»
«As long as you need.»
We held each other in silence for a long time before Penny whispered.
«Do you remember what you told me last time? About how you wished Duelcrest was a normal school?»
«Yeah... I think about that all the time. As much as I hate this place... I met Sophia here. And Celeste and you! It could have been the best part of my life.»
«I get it now... last time I thought you were a bit crazy to think even a little bit fondly of this place, but now... these last few weeks have been the most fun I have ever had in my life, Liz,» Penny pulled away from the hug to give me a big, sad smile, «Thank you for being my first friend Liz.»
«Stop talking like a dying woman!» I shouted, giving her a little slap on the head, «We're going to have a lot of fun until Sunday and... even after! You told me I look cool with a wand in my hand, so I can't lose!»
Finally, Penny gave me a little giggle:
«I hope I get another chance to see you in Celeste's dress though.»
«You little... argh fine!» I sighed jokingly, «I'll wear it when I kick Skylark's butt!»
«I really want to see that!» Penny laughed.
I looked at her with a mixture of affection and concern.
"I can't let this little asshole die on me!"
I stayed with her as she got ready for bed. As I turned off the light and made my way out of the room, I could feel the gratitude in her voice as she wished me good night.
As I walked through the dark corridors of the school, I took a trip down memory lane. It hadn't been long, but Penny, like the others, had become part of me. And I knew very well how painful it was to lose someone. For it to happen again... would I have become less of myself each time? The part where Penny's teasing smile was burned into my brain... would it become another blank spot like the one Amy's radiant existence had left behind?
"I won't let it happen... not again."
When I reached my room, I found Sophia asleep on the bed, still in her uniform.
"She fell asleep waiting for me..." I thought as my dark thoughts were instantly dispelled by the peaceful expression on her face.
Without even getting out of my clothes, I cuddled up to her and covered us with the blanket.
"We should take a shower together first thing in the morning."
As the exhaustion of the day washed over me, I fell into a dreamless sleep.
----------------------------------------
"This sucks."
Even though I had been at the Academy for a while, I still wasn't used to the sudden awakening of the magic bed I was sleeping in. Cursing the piece of furniture, I quickly showered before slipping into my uniform.
"If I'm late, she'll make fun of me again," I thought as I quickly adjusted my unruly hair in front of the mirror.
As I hurriedly opened the door to my room, I immediately saw that she was already there, waiting for me.
My best friend adjusted her glasses and gave me a kind smile:
«If this keeps up, I'm going to start having breakfast with you!» Amy exclaimed.