Year 348 of the Great Sundering Era, 2nd Month, 20th Day of the Astral Reflux Cycle.
It’s been about five days since Magnus visited the Mage's Apprentice Compendium in his first attempt to create the Magic Simulation Space. Since then, he had already started getting into the routine of heading there every day and compiling information for four hours. Although he had yet to fully succeed, he could tell he was making progress.
His attempts at simulating magic were lasting longer and longer, taking more time before showing any sign of errors. It was proof he was on the right track and getting closer to his goal.
That aside, everything else had been fairly normal, with only a few expected changes here and there. Just like Luden said it would, enmity within Takerth Academy between the various factions was getting more and more intense, though it didn’t seem it would erupt into anything physical until the Live Examination.
After all, the academy still had its rules, and students weren’t allowed to fight or harm one another outside of specific areas. Still, despite that fact, as the 20th Day of the 2nd Month rolled around, Magnus now found himself being badgered not by other students but instead by Celia.
"Come on, why not? You hardly ever go out with me; it’ll be fun, I promise." Celia's voice echoed into Magnus's ear as he sat at his desk in his room. In front of him was the lunch he had gotten from the cafeteria, consisting of purplish-colored meat, rolled up with vegetables, and a creamy sauce inside. The food was cooked perfectly. The meat was so tender it was as if it could melt in your mouth and the vegetables were so soft they didn’t ruin the experience and just enhanced the flavors. And that was not mentioning the sauce, one of Magnus's favorite parts of the dish.
His taste buds had definitely learned to enjoy the quality food the academy gave its students. Even if he couldn’t say the names of the dishes properly. But now, his enjoyment of eating lunch alongside a cup of tea is being interrupted.
"Gosh dammit, Celia, it’s almost evening! You’ve been bugging me about this since last night," Magnus groaned. Ever since it was officially announced that the Netherwave Communion was happening today, Celia had been bugging him to come celebrate with her since last night, until she arrived this morning.
"Of course I have; how can I let you miss out on your first Netherwave Festival after you told me you’ve never celebrated it before?" And that’s where the problem arose. Last night, Magnus stupidly mentioned he had never celebrated a Netherwave Communion before, which is why Celia was on such a persistent warpath.
"Look, I haven’t celebrated a lot of holidays. I’m just not into all the interactions, okay? Like Christmas, for example, I like to just curl up under the covers and watch movies or something. Too much effort going out and caroling or whatever people do," Magnus said between bites of food, letting out a small moan of enjoyment.
Hearing that, Celia crossed her arms in dissatisfaction while thinking to herself.
He’s such a burrower, I swear.
Taking a moment to try and figure out how to convince Magnus to come with her, Celia suddenly had an idea as she glanced at what he was wearing. Since it was a day off, he hadn’t bothered changing out of his pajamas and was still lounging in them.
“Hey Magnus, aren’t you getting tired of wearing the same pajamas all the time?” Celia said playfully, causing Magnus to pause mid-bite. He already knew where Celia was headed with this, which made him let out a sigh.
“It's been about a week since you grabbed your last batch of clothes, right? Doesn’t that mean the rest should be ready by now? It’s perfect timing, if you think about it. You come out and celebrate with me, and we can pick up your clothes while enjoying the festival. Sounds like a plan, huh?” As Celia spoke, Magnus finished the last of his food and finally relented.
“Fine… I’ll go to the stupid festival with you,” Magnus said, causing Celia to clap her hands together.
“Perfect! I gotta head back home to get dressed, but I’ll meet you outside in a bit, okay?”
“Sure, sure,” Magnus replied, waving Celia off as she headed for the door. Just like that, she was gone, and Magnus had signed away his entire evening and night. Letting out another sigh as he realized that, he got up from his chair and started making his way to his walk-in closet.
Well, I guess I should just make the most of it. Back home, I mostly spent the holidays either hanging out with Wendy or with my family, if they actually managed to all get together. Maybe this time will be a bit different, and if not, at least I finally have a reason to wear my casual clothes.
And so, within the hour, he found himself standing outside the Takerth Academy gate, fully dressed, and waiting on Celia. Of course, there was no way Grial and the other guards at the gate were going to let him wait peacefully.
"Hey Magnus, I heard you're going out to enjoy the festival with Celia, you lucky dog," one of the guards said, sporting a stupid-looking grin.
"Yeah, nice job, kid. A bit of a weird choice in clothes, but they fit you pretty damn well," another guard chimed in, commenting on Magnus's outfit. Generally, clothing in this world outside of combat or outdoor wear was fairly loose-fitting and lacked elasticity, consisting mostly of tunics and robes.
In comparison, Magnus was now wearing a slightly baggy white long-sleeve shirt and black jeans, which made him stand out. Still, even if it attracted a few strange looks, he felt it was definitely worth it, considering how much more comfortable it was than what he had been wearing at the Major General’s Villa.
"I can't remember the last time me and my wife went out on a date. Seeing young love makes me nostalgic," a guard reminisced, lost in a few of his memories. Magnus couldn't help but groan as he listened to all of them.
"I swear, I don’t know how you guys got your jobs; all you do is gossip like schoolgirls," Magnus retorted, rolling his eyes. It seemed like every time he and Celia planned something, these guards knew about it and were ready to tease him.
"Hey, you underestimate just how much a boring job can change a man," Grial said with his arms crossed, the other guards nodding in agreement. They were in the Upper City and were posted right outside Takerth Academy. Who would dare cause any trouble? In truth, they were only assigned here by the City Council as a formality, meaning they had nothing to do.
"Yeah, whatever you guys say. Anyway, it's not a date; she just wore me down over the course of last night and this morning—" Magnus regretted the words almost the second he said them, as the grins on all the guards' faces grew even wider.
"Ah, so she really is like my wife then," the one from earlier added on. Luckily, the ribbing ended there, as Celia finally arrived.
"Sorry, it took so long. I ended up running into Tola on my way home, and when she heard what I was doing, she ended up going through my entire wardrobe," Celia explained, as Magnus and the guards turned around and spotted her.
She had changed out of her maid outfit and into a knee-length dark blue dress. The dress looked rather simple, but that wasn't to say it didn’t look great on her. In fact, the dress and its flared skirt perfectly matched her night-shaded hair with its flicking purple tint, as well as her dark eyes. On top of that, for perhaps the first time, Magnus saw Celia wearing jewelry.
It was just a white jade necklace and earrings, but they complemented the lace adorning her neckline and hem. As soon as the guards saw her, they started clapping.
“Ten out of ten, totally worth it!”
“Your friend did an amazing job!” one of them exclaimed.
Hearing their compliments, Celia laughed and joked, “I didn’t know just bringing you guys cookies every once in a while would buy compliments. I'll have to tell the other maids that trick.”
“Well, as stupid as they’re acting, I have to admit they're right. You look good, Celia,” Magnus remarked while looking at her. He knew she could dress up nicely from the last time they went out together, but what she wore back then was for the outdoors. This time, however, it was to genuinely look nice, and it showed.
“O- Oh, thanks. I’m glad you like it,” Celia replied, looking surprised by Magnus’s compliment. She hadn't expected one at all, but a genuine smile spread across her face nonetheless.
“Alright, well, you got me out here, so let’s get away from these idiots and see this festival you were bugging me about, shall we?” Magnus suggested, walking next to Celia, who nodded and led the way.
“Oh, don’t be like that. They’re just a bit energetic,” Celia said, defending the guards. As she said that, the two of them heard Grial yell something from behind them.
“You two have fun! But not too much fun. Magnus still has a curfew!” Looking back as she walked, Celia waved and yelled back.
“Don’t worry, I’ll get him back before then!” Listening to both of them, Magnus honestly didn’t know what to say. As the two of them continued to walk, they eventually made their way down to the Lower City, and by that point, the festivities had finally begun.
“Woah…” Magnus, who had been so reluctant to come, was immediately caught off guard. The streets were bustling with people, with not a single carriage in sight. Lanterns lit up every corner that would normally be dark, enveloping everything in their bright yet gentle orange light.
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Wonderfully crafted banners hung above the streets, while rainbow garland flags covered the roofs and stretched through the air. Some of the lanterns that had been set up as decorations were even in the shape of stars and hung about in a way that almost made them look as if they were floating.
Taking it all in, Magnus was at a complete loss for words. He had seen so much since he arrived in this world, and so much before he arrived in this world, yet he felt this scene before him was the truest form of the word magical. Turning around and seeing the awestruck look on Magnus’s face, Celia grinned as she spoke.
“Hehe, see? I told you it would be worth it. Now come on, let’s go get some food!” Grabbing Magnus’s hand, Celia led him into the massive crowd of people. Even Magnus couldn’t help but feel himself getting swayed by the vibrant atmosphere as he let himself get pulled along, taking in the various sights.
“Ooh, they have fey wild skewers. You gotta try one of these,” Celia said, bringing Magnus over to a food stall. Looking around, Magnus saw that these kinds of stalls were absolutely lining the streets. Some of them had an abundance of piping hot food just ready to be bought, while others had trinkets hung up that were ghost-themed.
“Hey, how much for two fey wild skewers?” Celia asked the stall owner.
“That’ll be twenty copper bits, young miss,” the stall owner replied, to which Celia reached into her clothes and pulled out a pouch filled with money. Handing him over the copper bits, the stall owner handed her back two skewers that looked to have something resembling multicolored sushi on them, but if sushi didn’t have to be made and naturally looked rolled.
"Hope you two have a good time at the festival," the stall owner said as Celia and Magnus walked off, with Celia returning the sentiment.
"You too, thanks for the skewers." Turning back around, Celia handed one of the skewers over to Magnus.
"These are so good; try it." She had hardly finished saying that before she took a bite of hers, her face lighting up with pure bliss.
"Eh…" Looking down at his own skewer, Magnus was a bit skeptical. But if he was being honest with himself, he had eaten stranger-looking things at the academy cafeteria, so he gave it a try. Immediately after he bit into one of the fey wild chunks, Magnus felt like he was tasting multiple different flavors of meat at once.
"Holy shit…" His eyes went wide as the flavors seemed to keep changing as he chewed, each one bursting out after a bite but not conflicting with the last.
"It’s… It’s like a rainbow of meat exploded in my mouth…" Magnus said to himself as Celia nodded frantically beside him.
"I know, right? I still have no clue how it tastes so good, but it’s amazing," she said as she took another bite of her own skewer.
"Come on, there are a bunch of other stuff I want to show you." With his mouth full, Magnus simply nodded as he let Celia show him around. Food and shops aside, there were all kinds of events at the festival, and Magnus and Celia were set to try all of them out under the influence of the celebratory spirit.
They played games at stalls, some of which were completely new to Magnus and others that were pretty similar to the games you would see at a carnival. Still, if there was one thing they all had in common, it was that they were rigged quite a bit. Though, what was a bit of rigging to Magnus, who had the Command Console?
"Str- Strike! Wow, for looking so scrawny, you’ve got one hell of an arm on ya, kid," one of the men running the game stall said with a slightly surprised yet nervous expression. Every single one of Magnus’s throws had managed to completely knock over a tower, despite the fact that each wooden block was being secretly weighed down.
"I guess so. Anyway, I’ll be taking my prize now," Magnus said while holding his hand out greedily. The game stall owner’s face twitched slightly, but gave in all the same, handing him a giant stuffed toy. It was bigger than Magnus’s head and was shaped like how people typically imagined a ghost to look like.
"Haha, you totally cheated in those throws," Celia chuckled, recalling the game stall owner's reaction.
"Eh, maybe, but he cheated first, so it’s fair. Anyway, now I don’t know what to do with this thing?" Magnus shrugged, holding up the stuffed ghost.
"Aw, you don’t want to keep it? It looks so cute, though," Celia remarked, eyeing the stuffed ghost.
"Well, in that case, you can have it. Consider it payment for all the work you’ve done as my assistant," Magnus joked, passing the ghost to Celia.
"Wait, I’m getting paid in stuffed toys for that? If you had told me that earlier, I would have worked ten times harder than I did before," Celia quipped, sharing a playful glance with Magnus before they both burst into laughter.
After that, the two of them practically strolled all across Arlcliff City, watching plays, listening to stories about past Netherwave Communions, and indulging in all the street food they could get their hands on. At some point down the line, Celia even ran out of money, and Magnus just barely resisted the urge to use his own funds, not wanting to blow all his leftover money on food in a single night.
However, despite the monetary constraints, one of the highlights of the night, at least for Celia, was when she somehow convinced Magnus to dance with her in the square.
"Oh hell no, nope, not happening, Celia. I don’t dance," Magnus stated firmly, resisting Celia's attempts to lead him onto the dance floor, where a group of people was dancing to the music played by a band on a nearby stage.
"Ah, come on, Magnus, this is the best part about festivals," Celia said, swaying to the music freely, completely taken by the rhythm.
"No, seriously, Celia, I’ve never danced before, like at all. A fish flopping out of water would probably have better moves than me," Magnus replied, shaking his head.
"Ah, no one really knows how to dance; you just follow the rhythm and do what feels natural. Besides, who's going to care if you don’t dance well? No one’s going to be paying attention to you besides me," Celia insisted, grabbing Magnus's hands and slowly edging him into the square. Magnus sighed, resigned to his fate.
"I know I’m going to regret this…" Magnus muttered, letting himself get pulled entirely onto the square. Celia started to move to the music, guiding Magnus to follow her. He was a bit reluctant at first and definitely self-conscious. But the more he focused on what just he and Celia were doing, the easier it got.
Before long, Magnus somehow found himself dancing in the center of the square along with Celia, not even knowing how or when he got there.
"This is what you call being bad at dancing? You’re a natural," Celia remarked as the beat of the music began to ramp up.
"Well, I guess you learn something new about yourself every day," Magnus responded as everyone in the square began to dance faster and faster. The musicians playing on the stage were sweating as the climax of the music they were playing neared, and those who were not dancing in the square clapped and cheered along.
As the excitement in the square reached its peak, everyone danced around one another until, finally, the last chord was struck. Suddenly, everyone came to a stop as the music ended, and a massive roar from the surrounding crowd erupted into the air.
Among them, both Magnus and Celia were breathing heavily, smiles plastered across their faces as they stared at each other. As everyone in the square cleared out, they decided to move somewhere quieter so they could catch their breath. That led to the two of them finding themselves sitting on a bench in a nearby alleyway.
"Oh man, I don’t know how, but that was more exhausting than my actual training…" Magnus gasped, taking in deep breaths.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. It was fun in the moment, but now everything is burning," Celia replied, fanning herself with the stuffed ghost toy, covered in sweat. It took them a few minutes until they finally felt comfortable enough to talk normally.
"So, is there anything else interesting you want to show me, or was the dancing the peak of tonight?" Magnus asked, turning to Celia. Hearing that question, her expression turned a little doubtful, as if she was unsure about what she was about to say.
"Well, the festival is going to go on till morning, but there’s only one last thing I really wanted to show you. The problem is that it’s hard to find a good spot to see it; all the best viewpoints that are high up are already crowded." Celia was gesturing down the alleyway toward a distant building.
Following her gaze, Magnus saw she was pointing at a balcony that was completely packed with people looking up at the sky. Meanwhile, the people who were at the back of the crowd could hardly see past the heads in front of them, let alone get a good view of whatever they were trying to look at.
Huh…
Seeing that, Magnus began to think to himself, looking around the alleyway he and Celia were in and the parallel walls of the two buildings they were between before nodding to himself.
“Alright then.” Magnus stood up, motioning for Celia to do the same. Confusion swept over her, but she complied, getting up from the bench as well.
“What’s going on?” Celia asked as she saw Magnus continuously glancing around them, aiming himself at one of the nearby walls. It was only after another few seconds passed that Magnus responded with a smirk.
“You said you wanted a good view, right? Then hang on tight.” Magnus reached out, swiftly lifting Celia off her feet and cradling her in a princess-style hold.
“Wha- Wait, what are you doing, Magnus!?” The moment she felt her feet leave the ground, Celia started freaking out, but Magnus simply ignored her as he bent his legs. At that moment, a thought flashed through Celia's head as she thought of the possibility of what was about to happen next.
“Ho- Hold on! At least let me-" But before she could finish, Magnus had already jumped. With that single leap, Magnus easily crossed a distance that a normal person could never reach, over eight meters, clearing half the height of the alleyway's walls as if gravity had suddenly disappeared.
All the while, as they rose into the air, Celia was screaming like hell, holding onto Magnus for dear life.
“Oh, god! Magnus!”
Then, as his momentum died out, Magnus placed another foot on the side of the wall and jumped again, launching himself even further than before, clearing the roofs of the buildings they had just been between. If anyone had been watching, they would have seen just how strange that wall jump was.
After all, Magnus barely had any footing that high up. Yet, with the Command Console, things like footing didn’t really matter to Magnus. And so, just like that, both Magnus and Celia landed on top of the roof of a five-story building.
“Jeez, I think you broke my eardrums with all that screaming; you’re fine, relax,” Magnus said while setting Celia down on the rooftop.
“Well, excuse me, I wasn’t expecting you to jump on top of a building! That was terrifying,” Celia shot back as she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down her heart, which was beating out of her chest. As for Magnus’s response to her complaints, he just shrugged as he sat down on the roof.
"Well, at least now we can see whatever you wanted to look at, right?" Seeing how relaxed he was about all of this, Celia was about to raise another protest, but she paused when she saw Magnus staring off into the distance. Following his line of sight, she realized that they were overlooking Arlcliff City from where they were standing since the city was built on an incline.
Even when looking straight ahead, she could see the vast sky, and with the two of them being so high up, the sounds from the festivals seemed faded, and the radiance from all the lanterns wasn’t diluting the light coming from the stars above.
“You know, I never got to see stuff like this back where I came from. I heard about it, sure, but I never saw it with my own two eyes. It was only when Mia and the others rescued me that I got to really see how beautiful the stars can be,” Magnus said as he laid back, staring up at the night sky.
“Well, if you think this is nice, you’re going to love what comes next.” Magnus was confused by what Celia meant as she lied down on the roof as well, staring up at the sky. But a minute later, he understood as the night sky suddenly seemed to pulse.
All of a sudden, it was as if every star in the sky began to grow brighter, weaving into long rivers of starlight and fantastical colors. The distant nebulas you could hardly see with your eyes alone seemed to grow larger and larger, and even distant galaxies became more prominent.
At this moment, even the moon seemed dull in comparison to the stellar tapestry being displayed for everyone to see. Whether it be Magnus, Celia, or anyone else who was enjoying the festival, there was a sudden silence as everyone took in the sight, engraving it into their memories for the future.
“Celia… I really do want to thank you. I honestly thought this was going to be boring, but I had a lot of fun today. I’m really glad you convinced me to come out here with you.” Magnus’s words broke the silence that had appeared between the two of them.
“Hehe, you don’t have to thank me. After all, this has been the funniest Netherwave Communion I’ve had in a long time.”