Chapter 27: Bing Bang Bosh

MARIN, MIDSTDAY, MERCHANTUS 18TH

Marin felt like she was losing friends left and right. First, she lost Callo twice, and now Aellaria hardly acknowledged her. When Marin asked what she had done, Aellaria replied coldly, ‘You didn’t do enough.’

Terra told her she didn’t belong. Aellaria said she wasn’t enough.

Her source of comfort, Syn, said she was enough, but now Syn was ranked low enough to be cut. Marin felt the only voice she could trust was Behngi’s. Behngi wouldn’t lie to her.

When they were alone, Marin asked Behngi. His response was eye-opening. “Marin, you have the potential to be the best sorcerer to ever live. If I were a spy for Arcane, I would slit your throat before you woke up and realized who you could become. You are at the bottom of the class. So throw some punches; You can only get better– if you don’t die.”

Behngi was a good man, and he helped Marin realize that she wasn’t the problem. Whatever happened to Aellaria that night was. If Aellaria were cold, then Marin would learn to weather the blizzard.

Syn and Behngi made Marin feel like she wasn’t alone. She still had to become better.

image [https://i.ibb.co/z6W8xj3/Niall16trans.png]

AELLARIA

The following day, Aellaria entered class and sat beside Marin. Syn gave Aellaria a death stare, but Aellaria only acknowledged it long enough to let Syn know she got the message. Luckily, Flair had almost entirely backed off from her. Not snitching on her the night of the festival and not trying to win back Callo’s friendship was enough to slip off of the bitch’s radar entirely.

Callo sat in front of Aellaria now. Aellaria had to spend the entire class staring at his snow-white hair. It took every drop of willpower not to drive two spikes of earth into his neck one after the other.

At one point, he turned in his chair when Ozyid asked Niall a question. She saw him say, “I don’t have the energy to be your heart.” through lips that hadn’t moved. She knew it was only in her mind, but her reaction was visceral, and the look on his face told her he saw it. The fucker registered Aellaria’s distaste; he smiled.

‘He still smiles with every muscle in his face…’’ A voice said in Aellaria’s mind.

Aellaria ignored it and cast an electrical cantrip on the bones in her left hand. Aellaria didn’t let the electricity leave the hand, letting the burning pain and the spasming muscles keep her present. If she didn’t focus on that feeling– she would scream. She would kill him– for good this time.

Aellaria couldn’t look away. There was a brief but tangible connection. She felt the message spell connect with her mind, Like a grappling hook pulling taught on a sieged wall. “I see you there…” Callo whispered through this connection.

Aellaria felt like she couldn’t breathe. ‘...a child with no promise,’ she heard—not magically, but in his voice nonetheless. The dull heat in her hand became a jolt of pain, making Aellaria wince. She broke eye contact, and time went back to normal. Aellaria stopped casting the cantrip burning her hand from the inside out.

Looking down, Aellaria hid her face behind the wide brim of her hat, afraid that none of these voices were real. She feared she detached her mind from reality. Hidden beneath her hat, Aellaria used the rest of her mana to cast the most basic healing magic. Aellaria wished there was something she could do to fix her scattered brain.

Marin reached out and set a hand on Aellaria’s right knee. Aellaria could feel Lilium’s memories like acid in her brain. Marin’s contact catalyzed the reaction further, destroying who Aellaria thought she was.

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Aellaria focused her entire attention on the unwanted contact, but it wasn’t indignation building in her heart. It was gratitude. Lilium just wanted a connection. Aellaria focused on the hand invading her bubble. It was real. It was enough to tell Aellaria she was here. It wasn’t alright, but it wasn’t oblivion.

Marin kept her hand there. Then, after about thirty minutes of this contact. Aellaria set her hand on Marin’s in a gesture that said gently, ‘That is enough.’

MARIN

Throughout the week, Marin struggled with who she would challenge for their spot. It took all of her courage to choose to do it, but the decision also required her to find a target. Marin decided that she wouldn’t pick someone from her class or someone she knew.

Marin’s new sparring partner was Terra’s previous partner. She was a kind ice mage from Professor Aeren’s class. Her name was Rone. Rone had silvery blonde hair and delicate, almost elven features. Rone was ranked twenty-eighth in the class, and on their first day of sparring, Rone kicked Marin’s ass. However, as the two women started getting to know each other better, Marin realized there wasn’t much of a gap between them. At least not compared to the one between her and Aellaria.

Marin briefly considered challenging Rone for her rank but decided that this woman was likely much more talented in magic than Marin was ready for. From what Marin learned of Rone’s easygoing nature, she would probably be understanding instead of angry.

As the two women sat during their break between the hour of sparring, Rone asked Marin a question. “You seem like you are about to say something. Do you want to let it out, Marin?”

Marin looked at Rone, sighed, and told the truth. “I need to challenge someone. I feel like I’m behind the curve and need to fight with my magic to get any better. I’ve been sparring for months, but I am just treading water. I want to get out of the pool and take a fucking nap. You know?”

Rone giggled, “I think so. It just kinda feels like the walls are closing in on you. I felt the same way when I met Terra. I won a fight, but then for almost two months, she kicked my ass up, right, and center.”

“After sparring with Aellaria, I’m surprised I have any ass left.” Marin agreed. “Now, after sparring with you, I realize that… not everyone in class is Aellaria.”

Rone raised an eyebrow, “Am I not supposed to have any pride? Ouch, bitch.” Rone whispered the word bitch, still not used to the culture of cursing existing in Spire.

The two women laughed.

“Not everyone in the class is Terra or Aellaria. You should just pick another girl near the bottom and climb up. Make a list of names and cross them out. Bing Bang Bosh. Just leave me off it. I am enjoying my time outside of the pool.”

Marin realized something. “Rank fifty-seven is a boy named Garrus. Is there any rule against challenging the boys? Honestly, the women in this room scare me.”

This made Rone giddy with excitement. “Really? I saw him fight on the first day. He accidentally broke his leg. He's just an Aeromancer. I bet you could bop him one good. Also, I doubt there would be a rule preventing women and men from fighting. Otherwise, how are the boys able to get the top-rank spot?”

Of course. Marin smiled. She had a plan and a target. Now, she just needed enough of Phoenix’s fire to execute it.