how the mighty fall

CHAPTER 3

Mitch put down his herbology book on the coffee table, and gently put the newly cleaned petals into a small leather bag. He had spent the last few minutes after the coughing fit, identifying the flower petals.

he new which petal belonged to which person, what flowers they came from and there meanings. just his luck to his dismay he got pretty bad ones, though they represented them nicely.

Finnigan's petal was easy. It was a bright fiery rose petal, full of passion and thorns.

Austin's flower is the kinder one for hanahaki and it's a marigold.

Valerian's is another painful one as his flower is a massive clump of multiple, his is a blue hydrangea.

Fear embedded itself into his soul when he finished identifying the flowers, He new at this rate he wasn't going to survive the hanahaki for much longer. He had a month or two at most, mere weeks if he's unlucky and looking at it, it was the most likely case of his condition.

He was scared, his life would be ripped from him in such a short time. He had considered the surgery but he feared forgetting more than death at this point. It was such a sappy thing for him to do he'd rather die then forget the ones he loved it sounded straight out of a romance novel.

He knows he's on the second stage so he'd have to be more discreet and secretive if he wanted to hide his illness from everyone. He new it wasn't smart to hide his condition but he couldn't bare the faces of friends and family if he told them.

The look of concern from his friends would be to much though he doubted they would know what it is. His family on the other hand would force him to take the surgery or perform it themselves.

Both not preferred options.

It was still late at night, at the moment it's around two forty in the morning but he didn't think he'd be able to sleep even with magic assistance. He blinked triedly his mind awakened and full of fear to fall into slumber.

He shakily stood up and walked to the kitchen, trying to quietly make tea as fast as he could. He didn't want to awaken the many creatures that were asleep around the house.

Once he got out his favorite herbal tea blend his father taught him to make, he quietly filled the kettle. Turning the kettle on he snuck over to his still packed up boxes and searched for the one labeled 'BOOKS'.

When he found it he opened it up and scoured the box for some books he could read.

He found two that were light hearted and full of sweet gestures that he felt like he really needed right now.

He heard the soft click of the kettle signaling its finished boiling the water. He walked over to the coffee table, placed the books on its wooden surface before tiptoeing back to the kitchen.

He retrieved his favorite tea pot from the cupboard. The teapot was covered in pictures of mother birds and their chicks, calmly sleeping in each other's embrace.

He finished pouring the boiling water into the teapot, grabbing the prepackaged tea blend. He Gently dropped it in with a small satisfying sploosh, carrying it slowly back towards the coffee table after putting the lid on.

He poured himself a cup of tea with the pot's matching mug,after letting it steep for a few minutes; curled his body in a blanket on the couch in a loose burrito. Calmly he took a sip of the tea.

Forgetting that it was just boiled "ow!" he exclaimed as he burnt his mouth on the scolding liquid, and hastily playing on the table.

He glared daggeres into the comfert tea that just batrayed him, still scoling he turned to his book and read for a bit wait for it to cool down.

When it was finally cool enough to drink he took a big sip of it, it's calming and as healing properties which lessened the pain of his aching throat, picking the first book back up he began to read.

It was six in the morning when he looked up from his fourth book, tiredly he unraviled himself from his blanket burrito. During the night he finished two pots of tea and the two books he retrieved and had to get up for more. He finished the third about an hour ago and was half way through the fourth.

He stood up and nearly collapsed back down from the sudden vertigo, his head pounded, eyes blurred and ears rang. He closed his eyes shut tightly and waited a moment for the ringing to stop.

Then he walked tiredly to the bathroom, turned on the shower then closed the door.

When he arrived at the Life School he was neatly dressed in clean robes, his long hair was combed but still slightly damp from the shower. Despite freshening up it was still apparent that he didn't sleep that night, his mind was slow and his dark circles underneath his eyes was more of a giveaway.

His magic was sloppy from his fatigue and his mana reserves were still basically empty from lack of sleep. He was too tired to function correctly and too restless to enter a much wanted slumber.

He wrote down notes sloppily, only half listening to moolinda. He kinda felt bad he couldn't give the amount of enthusiasm to her lessons like he normally did but he found himself unable to muster the energy.

When class was over he felt like he would have accomplished more but he didn't have the will to care.

When he and other members of his group were called to headmaster merle ambrose,'s office, he was a few minutes late. He messed up the teleportation spell and ended up in a free fall, in panic he casted again in mid air. when it activated he fell from the ceiling of headmaster merle's office and slammed on his face, he whimpered in pain as he felt blood trickle down his nose.

Valerian squealed and stepped back from where He fell " Jeez Mitch What the hell! " Valerian screeched in concern. Finnian held his hand out to help him stand up.

He slowly got up with the help of finnigan " Nothing, everything it fine " he winced and limped awkwardly to stand with the rest of the group. Austin gave him a concerned look and he scanned him.

" Mitch your nose is bleeding, i don't think it's 'fine' ". austin replied concern dripping from his words.

He winced again feeling the petals blooming in his lungs at austins concern over him." nope it's good " he said austin sighed taking the hint and reluctantly ignoring him in favour of listening to the headmaster.

The others were quiet about it as headmaster ambrose began telling them about their next task

Something about rogue beasts and creatures under Malistaire's influence and they had to rescue them from his control.

He honestly wasn't listening to what the headmaster has say he was to busy nursing his nose and slowly forming headache.it didn't matter anyway it was almost always the same thing over and over again, they get a street that's over run by minions of M's, they fight them for something stolen, hand it to some dude then rinse and repeat until the solutions found.

Only snapping out of though when he saw movement blur across his vision and someone tugging him out of headmaster merles office..

He just let himself be dragged away from the office, numliy summoning his lioness companion and following his friends. He followed after them but still wasn't aware of what was going on, he knew they were talking but he couldn't hear. His vision was somewhat blurry from the lack of sleep, it took all of his efforts to not pass out on top of the lioness.

He was the last to get into the fight, though he didn't bother attacking he new he couldn't hit them with his current accuracy. So instead he focused on healing his friends as they attacked.

beasts where summoned , there was dodging and fizzles all around. fire formed from finnigan's staff and in cased the one on the far right in blazing flames which liked and tore at its flesh.

shields manifested from ausins staff and swirled hypnotically around him, before he got into a defensive stance

lightning wildly crackled up valerian's arms before surrounding his staff in a jumpy blue light writing the rune in the air with the light a small storm formed above the battle and three giant bats seemingly fused with the storm itself came from the storm and charged in a dance at the one in the center

he watched his companions fight he wanted to help as well but he was to unfocused and groggy That was until he felt three of the monsters spells slam into his sides, he looked up his grogginess as his eyes widened and exhaust was replaced by white searing pain

shakily he looked up to see the creature's that they were fighting were facing towards him,a sadistic grin plastered menacingly on their faces as they stared down at him. he swallowed hard and winced his breathing heavy and uneven as the pain spread through his body like wildfire.

He couldn't even react as they stronger opponent drained his life force with a particular powerful spell.

He felt his eyes roll back into his pounding skull, his body feeling numb as he collapsed onto the ground .His mind swirled his ink black sea as he struggled to resurface to consciousness he wanted to help but he could awaken himself, he fears his friends will lose if he wasn't there to heal them.

This last thought is a mess of concern, panic and the urge to sleep, he obey the last urge and let him fall it to the oily sea of unconscious.

as fell unconscious his head smashed into the concrete road.