“Come to think of it, Zielle. You never actually return to your dorm” upon hearing Aediva’s statement, Zielle flinched. The girl with sea-green hair gulped and let out a nervous laugh. Of course she doesn’t want to go back to Kazbelius. She doesn’t want to face Naffael after letting Aediva and Cath destroy his beloved garden that he had tended ever since he first enrolled at the academy.

Ah… Just thinking about it makes Zielle tremble in fear and wanting to die already. It’s true she befriended Aediva on her own accord but to think the first major offense Aediva would do with her is literally at her own master’s garden.

“A-anyway. It seems we won’t have much time if we don’t prepare for Orbelesia Grace. The mana potions. We only have so few of ingredients left right?” Zielle asked, changing the subject as Aediva rubbed her chin - looking nonchalant as ever. She peeked around with her argent peepers as the chatters of the students in the courtyard reached her sensitive ears.

“Did you hear the loud noise last night?”

“Yo, I heard something happened in Efren Dorm. Sounded like an explosion”

“Isn’t it just some magic performance rehearsal gone wrong?”

“You believe in that shit? Something’s up at that place and you know it”

Zielle and Aediva looked at each other - each thinking about what Hanzel told them the night before.

“A phylactery they found that started it all… And the group we saw in the dorm was indeed led by Ms. Rachel. That senior said they are gathering a lot of mana for something big. It makes you wonder just what they’re really creating to use that much mana” Zielle whispered to Aediva.

“It’s something huge for sure. And it bothers me too… The visions I saw. The ‘Battery Room’ as they call it” Aediva paused.

“... You said you saw Eden was placed in one of those large tube tanks… Senior Hanzel said it’s where they gather mana from selected individuals… If just vacuuming mana from the people and environment is not enough… They resort to making a mana harvesting factory…” Zielle said.

“I didn’t see him in the tanks. What I saw was Arthur carrying him surrounded by many other tube tanks filled with people inside them” Aediva stopped speaking abruptly, feeling morbid at the mere remembrance of the vision she saw seemingly at random.

That said…

“That visions came out of nowhere. Zielle, is it some sort of sickness or something? Honestly I still feel like shit after last night. Ugh… It feels like someone forced those images into my mind with a hammer and a nail” Aediva said suddenly looking pale. Zielle pats Aediva’s back, quite unable to say anything about it. Then, Aediva’s face suddenly turned serious.

“In any case, we need to make the mana potions. Among other things of course. Ugh… if only I’m not a shit mage I would’ve done something better than an explosion” Aediva said as Zielle smiled at her.

“Aediva, seriously, what’s better than that explosion?” Zielle said, making Aediva dead in her tracks when Zielle’s grabbed at her arm with a strong annoyance-ridden grip. Her smile looks a bit annoyed now. A nervous bead of sweat slid down Aediva’s cheek as she endured the grip on her arm.

“Don’t you dare do anything so risky like that again. Geez, we’re only friends for two weeks and you’ve already done something that makes me regret my decisions” Zielle said. Aediva hissed at the sharp pain caused by Zielle.

“Ow ow ow ow ow… That hurts. Stop, Z. But it’s fun right? At least your life isn’t boring~” Aediva laughed as Zielle let her go with a sigh.

“I’m worried of you, you idiot. Even if you’re smart, you’re absolutely reckless. Sometimes you just forget that you’re not invincible. That garden. The survey. The explosive potion. And you were in there without an active protection charm. What if you--” Zielle’s berating went to a halt when she heard a familiar voice shouting her name.

“ZIELLE!”

Hearing that voice, it makes Zielle sigh.

“Thank the gods for Zayen! May they bless you, Z’s twin brother!” Aediva exclaimed almost exaggeratedly so, reeling when Zielle jabbed her elbow at Aediva’s ribs.

“Zielle! There you are! Wait-- ‘Z’? Z?!” upon arrival, Zayen’s voice boomed in the ears of the two girls. Aediva picks at her ear while Cath folds his ears close to his head.

“Fuck, I forgot how loud he is…” Aediva complained.

“Oi, Zielle’s brother! Keep your voice down a bit will ya? Everyone til the principal’s office can hear you” Cath said to Zayen who immediately frowned at the girl-monster pair.

“Again with you?! Where have you dragged my sister?! I would like it if you stop dragging her to do things for you!” Zayen practically shouted at Aediva as he stepped in between the girl and his sister - seemingly ignoring the fact that what he's doing is attracting the attention of other students around them.

“Oh? What’s this? I sense a jealous brother. Don’t be so hard on him later, Z. He’s probably feel a little left out since his new friend favors the sister instead of him” Aediva teased with her usual smile, only to have Zayen grabbed the collar of her oversized hoodie, ignoring Zielle who was saying something to him.

“Stop being friendly to me and my sister, lowly human. Whatever you’re doing, Zielle shouldn’t be involved in it. Save your friends on your own” Zayen hissed at the girl as he lets go of her roughly. Aediva only remains silent as Zielle growled at Zayen for his actions towards Aediva.

“Zayen! What the hell are you doing?! We’ve talked about this!” Zielle said to Zayen who scoffed at her.

“You have other better things to do than mingle with a defective mage like her. You’ve been neglecting yo--”

“Can you just drop that close-minded outlook on others already!” Zielle interjects Zayen before he could even finish talking.

“Hah! What is there to drop? It is the truth that this girl can’t even properly use magic even if her life depends on it!” Zayen said, giving a side glance at Aediva who merely watched him and Zielle at the side with an impassive look and a dry smile.

“Tch” he clicked his tongue, turning annoyed at the mere view of the platinum blond-haired girl. Why did Zielle even decide to befriend someone like her? There are much better people she could be with. It just has to be this girl.

“Aediva--”

“It’s okay, Z. I know Yen’s only worried about you” before Zielle could even apologize for Zayen’s rude behaviour, Aediva already spoke over her. The usual closed-lips smile on her face as she tilted her head to the older Mythey twins.

“Yen?!--”

“I’m not that good with calculations so maybe Yen could help with that. I’ll go to the Starris Mines later to get the magic stones for potion-making” Aediva cut off Zayen before he could even complain about her new nickname for him.

“W-wait! Aediva!”

Aediva waved at Zielle as she walked away from the courtyard.

“See ya later at the potions lab” Aediva said - leaving Zielle and Zayen to themselves as the bells ring to signify the start of their school day.

The whole day, Aediva felt her head light. Probably because of the lingering headache from the visions, or the aftermath of hearing the sound of an explosion too close. Or… what she was forced to listen to that morning.

What Zayen said about her and her magic remained with her the rest of the day. The feeling of uneasiness settled deeply in the pit of her stomach and she stared at the blackboard while she sits alone in the classroom during lunchtime.

“Vestigium memories…” she murmured to herself. For a while she had managed to stop thinking about her circumstances with magic. Cath’s silver eyes filled half of her field of view when he decided to peek from the top of her head.

“What are you thinking so far off? Are we going to the mine or not?” Cath asked. Aediva replied with a sigh first before standing up from her seat with Cath jumping off her head to her shoulder.

“Yeah. Let’s get to the Black Mirror” Aediva said, walking away before noticing she bumped on something from the space in the table. It was a book, one of the ones Zielle gave her and it was about the basics of magic. She had to gulp down a dry one down her throat as she placed the book back on the table.

She remained silent the entire time it took to get to the Hall of the Black Mirror and that mirror floated as usual at the centre of the large space. Only her footsteps echoed within the walls of the spacious hall and Cath who was on her shoulder perked up when seeing the large mirror’s surface as if glinting at their presence.

“Ugh, I really don’t want to talk to this mirror…” Aediva groaned, scratching her head.

“Well not like you can fly a broom either! Let’s get to it already!” Cath said, smacking Aediva’s cheeks with his paws while Aediva let out a long sigh before she walked towards the mirror.

“Right, Black Mirror. Can you open a portal to the Starris Mines for me?” Aediva asked. She stared at the surface of the mirror - looking at her own reflection. The feeling of general discomfort returned to her as she looked away.

“... It seems like you know even just a bit…” the menacing voice from the mirror broke the silence as Aediva sucked in a deep breath.

“I need to go to the mines,” Aediva said, blatantly ignoring the mirror’s statement.

“Why do you desire to save those children? You could’ve stayed powerless and silent. Eventually, someone will notice and the problem will be solved by the adults in this ground” the Black Mirror said and Aediva’s eyebrow visibly twitched.

“Are you done?” she asked.

“Naturally not. I am curious is all. You are already aware of the feeling that recovering your memories, however little it is, will result in you being in harm’s way. You are aware that there’s nothing safe when you turn back. You will be in great peril to regain those memories you so desired…” the mirror said. Aediva grasped her fingers, balling them into fist. Even if her face remains impassive, her eyes certainly aren't.

“Oi, Aediva. You have any idea what this mirror is talking about?” Cath asked. Aediva didn’t answer.

“Hm. You’re free to go through…” the mirror’s voice reverberates in the hall and an image of the forest near the mines appeared on the surface of the mirror. Aediva went into the mirror in a heartbeat with Cath bracing on her shoulder. Their trip to the mines didn’t take near that long and in just half an hour, they returned back to the Hall of the Black Mirror. As soon as she passed through, she didn’t bother to look back at the ancient relic but she stopped when hearing the chime that is usually heard when it was about to speak.

“There’s no battle where sacrifices are not made… Bear that in mind as you prepare for one, young one.”

The mere statement invoked a feeling within her chest. Aediva walked away, trying to put what she heard from the mirror at the back of her head as she touched the magic stones in her pocket. She gritted her teeth as she swallowed hard as she made her way back to the classroom - welcoming the noises from students’ chattering along the way to drown out the conflicting thoughts in her brain.