Chapter Text
Arcturus Forest was always a dark place, hidden from entry due to the dark powers that loomed within. Many were wise enough to avoid such a place, but two students of Luna Nova clad in white had still penetrated the forest’s depths in search of the Grand Triskellion. The one with glasses held a staff close to her chest, examining the little glass-like spheres imprinted upon it’s build, while the one with red hair followed closely behind her, looking about.
“This… Shiny Rod, as you chose to call it.” The one with glasses spoke, almost mocking the name the other had given to it. “Has seven spheres. I’m sure you noticed it already. I’m sure they’re linked to the seven words in some way. The amount of spheres can’t be coincidental.”
Nothing could be coincidental when it came to magic. Everything was arranged into pretty words of different kinds to form spells that could change a thing’s appearance, or make a broom fly, or make someone invisible. While someone could surely cast magic in a haphazard and even chaotic manner, the truth of the matter was that it was a very strict, systematic system. You couldn’t do magic if you didn’t know the spells.
“That’s right! I had the same thought too, Croix!”
Croix’s head turns to stare at the red haired girl, a cold look in them for just a split second before melting into a warmer gaze, a somewhat smug smile on her face as she spoke. “I’m surprised that you managed to think of that, Chariot. You aren’t that smart.”
Her tone makes it obvious that she’s joking, but it still makes Chariot pout and puff her cheeks out. “Hey, I can be pretty smart when I wanna be! Just because I’m book smart doesn’t mean that I can’t figure stuff out fast.” Her arms are folded across her chest as she looks over to the side, causing Croix’s smug smile to just grow in width.
“Sure. But not as fast as I can. I’m sure that the “Shiny Rod” has some reason in picking you, but I still feel like I’m more qualified than you. At least my spells don’t make dogs grow as tall as a tree, or…”
Croix’s tone still held that friendly warmth that Chariot had first felt when the other girl had reached out to her, but she could also sense a very subtle sensation of spite. It made her feel horrible, since Croix had a point. She /should/ have been chosen over Chariot in the mission to restore the seven Words.
“Hey!”
Chariot’s voice cut Croix out before she could continue, running up to the other and wrapping her arm around her shoulder, grinning. “Don’t start trash talking me just because you’re getting better grades! I’ll catch up to you someday! That’s a promise, Croix!”
Croix lunged forwards a little from the force of the other clinging onto her, having to fix her glasses for a moment before then huffing and blowing a strand of hair away from her face. Despite the annoyed action, she still smiled at Chariot and jabbed the shiny rod against her chest, pawing it over to its rightful owner.
“You better keep it, then. I don’t want you lagging behind me, especially with all this newfound responsibility you’ve got. I don’t want you to disappoint me.”
Both managed to laugh, the earlier hint of spite and tension completely gone from Croix. Once the laughter ceded they walked in silence. While they had brought the necessary magical items to get back home safely, something about the forest creeped Chariot out. It was hidden from the usual ley line pathways for a reason, although Croix had managed to convince her that they’d be safe.
Still, something about the rustling of the leaves and the absence of wind made her anxious. They couldn’t be rustling due to the wind, since there wasn’t any! So why was it rustling!! It was creepy!!! She clung to Croix a little more, trying to disguise it as just her teasing the other some more. Croix didn’t seem to mind too much, silently keeping up her pace while reaching to her pouch for the teleportation items.
They could of course just use their brooms to fly back to Luna Nova, but the use of the teleportation item would make travel much faster. There was no ley line connection point in Arcturus, or none that they knew of at the very least. They’d been lucky enough to find the seal in the first place, testing their luck more in the search of a connection point would be too much. Or so Croix had presented the situation as, and Chariot had trusted her wiser judgement on the matter. Teleportation items were cheap, too.
They reached the forest opening they had landed at, quickly grabbing their brooms. Croix dug around for the nuts, handing one over to Chariot while keeping the other for herself. The rustling in the trees continued despite the lack of wind, but Chariot tried to dispel the doubt in her mind. Maybe it was a bird, or some other small animal.
“You remember how to use these, right? You crack the nut and think about the place you want to go to. The magic inside will burst out and send you to that location. Don’t get distracted while cracking the nut, though. That’ll send you to some random place.”
Croix lectured her about the function of the nut for what felt like the nth time, with most of it going right through Chariot’s right ear and out the left one, her soul leaving her body for the short moment. “I know, I know! You don’t have to keep reminding me about it constantly, Croix.”
Croix gave her that “yes I do” look before then preparing her own nut, keeping a tight hold onto it while thinking of their locale. Chariot did the same, thinking about Luna Nova… Until she became distracted, barely stopping herself from using the nut. The wind wasn’t blowing, and the leaves weren’t rustling anymore.
“Croix!”
Just as Croix was about to crack the nut, a root spewed out from the ground and slashed upwards, breaking the nut and knocking Croix back, falling down onto the ground. Chariot barely avoided the root that was aimed for her, jumping back and pulling out the shiny rod. Now they only had one nut left, although if they just stuck together, the magic should be enough to teleport the both of them to safety.
The noise of creaking wood made them look towards the source. One of the trees that had surrounded the small opening had sprung into life, two branches turning out to be arms, while its roots sprung out of the ground to allow it to move around. It slowly lumbered towards them, roots digging underground. While Chariot managed to snatch her broom and fly up into the air, Croix was still knocked down onto the ground, giving the monstrous tree the chance to wrap its roots around her.
“Hrk- C-Chariot, you n-need to—“
The roots crushed around Croix before she could finish her instructions. A crunch echoed from within the grasp of the roots as Croix struggled and kicked, shoes tamping against the hard wood. “Try and u-use—“
Another root wrapped around Croix’ mouth, silencing her completely while Chariot watched from her higher position. Roots below tried to reach for her, but their length was not great enough to reach from her position in the air. What was she supposed to do?! Croix was going to tell her what to do, right? What spell she should be using! But Croix couldn’t, too focused on her struggle for air to help.
Chariot could feel the color on her face dissipating as she tried to remember the spells she’d studied this far, but nothing of use came to mind. Metamorphosis wouldn’t be able to save Croix, since she hadn’t yet mastered a form big enough to combat the tree. She didn’t remember any spells that could burn the roots, she couldn’t remember anything useful to this situation! Croix would’ve…
She had to act now. In a quick rush she swooped down on her broom and swiped her wand with one hand, reciting some spell she could barely remember the words for in the back of her head. The moisture in the air gathered around her wand and lashed out as she flew past the roots holding and crushing Croix, lashing against it. While the idea was good in theory, the haphazard casting of the spell, as well as Chariot’s inexperience, only ended up in momentarily distracting the monstrous tree.
Chariot kept up the swooping and lashing, but she knew in the back of her mind that this wouldn’t save Croix in the long run. It’d give her the chance to occasionally break her head free and gasp for air, but the root would always return to wrapping around her and crushing her. The battery in her wand was running low already due to the constant usage of the water spell.
What could she do?! She couldn’t do anything to save her friend! If she was the one being crushed, Croix would’ve already saved her and they’d be at Luna Nova, sleeping soundly after the successful retrieval of the shiny rod. She was useless compared to her friend, without any proper knowledge of how to channel magic… She was useless compared to Croix…
Suddenly, she remembered.
Back at Luna Nova, in the library, she remembered how Croix laid out a tapestry for her, detailing the seven Words and the Grand Triskellion and how learning all of the seven words would allow them to reshape the world as they wished, to restore magic and happiness to the world. The third word in the sequence sprung into her mind then and there, as Croix let out a hollow groan.
Arae Aryrha. “Do not compare yourself with others, do what only you can do.”
Well, what could she do? She couldn’t cast a complex spell from the back of her mind that’d save them all, like Croix would. But she could still save her friend, and she could still believe in the heart of hers that was magic. Do only what she can do.
The third gem on the Shiny Rod began to glow as Chariot grasped for it, raising it high up into the air. Croix barely managed to look up to the shine from her suspended position, the tree stopping to seemingly observe as well. Chariot took a deep breath and thought about the word for the last time before chanting.
“Arae Aryrha!”
The moment Chariot shouted the spell out, the gem’s blow burst out from the shiny rod with Chariot’s whole figure bursting into pink petal-like particles that soon reshaped themselves into the shape of a great hawk. Without even thinking about her actions she swept down and easily cut through the century-old roots with her beak, nabbing Croix onto her back before she could drop.
After gathering some distance from the tree she morphed once more, this time into the shape of a great, green wolf. She set off into a run with Croix still on her back, sharp ears listening to her friend regaining her breath and consciousness. Once she felt confident in the other’s safety and health, Chariot gathered her focus and made her teleportation item pop out from her wolf form’s mane.
“Use it, Croix!”
If she used it while they were pressed together, the effect of the nut should be able to encompass them both. Croix understood this just as well as Chariot did, quickly taking the nut and cracking it while holding onto Chariot’s mane. In a quick second the two flashed away from Arcturus, leaving the monstrous tree behind to mourn for its lost roots.
And in another second, the two popped right into the front yard of Luna Nova, with Chariot’s green wolf form crashing right against the massive statue, causing her to stumble onto her side. The magic dissipated, leaving Chariot and Croix to lay out on the yard, confused students gathering around them to stare. Croix was the first to rise up, rubbing the back of her while still gasping for air. Her eyes nailed onto the shiny red and its third gem, which still held a faint glow within.
“… I guess the staff knew who to choose. Even if…”
She fades herself out with a smile as Chariot stirs and rises to sit up, groaning and rubbing the back of her head. “Owowowow…” That’d leave a mighty fine bruise on the back of her head for sure. Her pain was interrupted by a hand offered to her, with Chariot’s eyes following it up until she looked the standing Croix in the eye, the sun shining behind her smiling visage.
“Thanks for saving me, Chariot.”
Chariot felt a tinge of pride within her heart. She did what she could! She saved Croix! Her hand grasped Croix’ and pulled herself up to stand on an even level with her, still holding onto her hand even after standing.
“Thank you for trusting in me, Croix. We’ve got one of the seven words already! I’m not going to disappoint you, so…”
She grasped for Croix’ second hand as well, holding them both while leaning closer to her.
“Let’s find them all! Together!”
Croix felt taken aback at the other’s proclamation, stiff for a moment before relaxing, her fingers intertwining with Chariot’s. She couldn’t gain the staff for herself, but she could still be there to awaken the Words, along with being there to reshape the world. Maybe that’d be enough for her. Her personal needs didn’t matter… Magic did.
“Let’s.”
And so, the tale of these two girls on their quest to restore the seven words of Arcturus and magic into the world begun.