The morning sun filtered through Melisa’s bedroom window. She stood in the center of her room, already sweating despite the early hour.
[Alright,] she thought, centering herself, wiping away some of the sweat gathering at the base of her horns. [Let’s start with the charm.]
Quickly, she drew the spellsign and incantation. With a hand up, Melisa said:
"Pheromono desiderium proicere!"
As soon as she spoke the words, the magic flowed through her veins like liquid fire, making her skin tingle. And Melisa took that magic and directed it at a small potted plant on her windowsill.
...
...
Nothing really happened but Melisa imagined that if this plant could talk it’d be the most lovestruck plant ever seen.
[UUUGH!] Melisa looked down at her own hands. [The software developer in me is itching to optimize this. L-Like, maybe if I tweaked the incantation... If I took some lines from another spellsign, o-or...]
But Isabella’s words echoed in her mind: "You need to stop making new spells and master the ones you already have, you horny purple genius."
And Zephyra had agreed, in her own stuck-up way: "Innovation without foundation is like building a castle on quicksand, Miss Blackflame." She never said that but it was something Melisa could picture her saying, and that was what mattered.
[They’re right,] Melisa admitted grudgingly. [Even if it kills me not to tinker, I need to make sure I can cast all this stuff automatically, by sheer muscle memory before I start trying to invent things.]
And so, reluctantly, she moved on to her healing spell. The one that had saved the king’s life.
"Lumi sanguine, vita crescere!"
The spellsign for this one was a bit trickier and, even though she hadn’t used it to heal anything, she could still feel the way the magic pulled at her own life force. After the spell launched and dissipated upon hitting the wall in front of her, Melisa sighed, again looking down at her own hand.
[... Isabella used this spell to save Kimiko. No, "save" doesn’t quite cut it. The way Isabella told the story, Kimiko was straight-up resurrected. Just how strong is this spell really?]
She had no answer to that. It was a strange thing, having created multiple spells now and not knowing how strong they all really were.
And so, Melisa used up all the Essence she’d generated from having Izzy’s dick down her throat to keep practicing. After a while, she figured she was done. That, and she didn’t want to get so sweaty to the point she actually started to smell. So, she walked through the manor’s halls, voices drifted up from the garden below.
Curious, she peered out one of the large windows and found what could only be described as an impromptu magic school.
Jaylin stood in the center, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else, as Margaret attempted a simple fire spell. Armia hovered nearby, ready to step in if anything went wrong, Melisa guessed. On a bench to the left, Kimiko and Hazel watched the show.
"GO MOMMY!" Hazel cheered as Margaret successfully conjured a tiny flame. "You’re the best ever!"
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Margaret beamed, the flame growing slightly larger. Jaylin quickly stepped in and told her to let the flame go before it could get too big.
[... So, this is just a regular thing now, huh?] Melisa watched on, expressionless. [I mean, as much as I wanted to help Mom learn magic, I am kinda busy nowadays with everything happening. In that sense, yeah, I’m thankful to Jaylin for this.]
She remembered how Jaylin had eventually come to help during the Shadow Mage attack. Sure, she’d taken her sweet time about it, but she’d shown up in the end. Maybe it was time to extend an olive branch.
Melisa made her way downstairs and out to the garden, but the moment Jaylin spotted her, the older girl turned on her heel and practically sprinted back into the house.
[Well,] Melisa thought, watching Jaylin’s retreating back. [That went about as well as expected.]
"Don’t take it personally," Armia said, appearing at her side. "She’s been extra twitchy lately, for some reason."
Melisa snorted.
"To be fair, with this many people watching my every move, I’d probably be twitchy too. I guess."
They watched as Margaret attempted another spell, this time producing a small whirlwind that immediately got away from her and shot out at Kimiko. Hazel clapped and cheered while Kimiko laughed, her dress flying up to reveal a very impressive bulge in her underwear.
[Oh well,] Melisa thought, turning back toward the house. She had more practice to do anyway. Even if every fiber of her being wanted to start experimenting with new spells, she knew she needed to focus on mastering what she already had.
[One day,] she promised herself as she headed back inside. [Once I’ve mastered these, I’ll let my inner inventor come out in full force! For now, though, time to go cast those spells a couple hundred more times each.]
She meant to walk away then, but she remembered she had very little Essence left.
Instead, she went:
"Hey, Army... Can you come help me with something?"
And, Armia, bless her heart, looking completely oblivious, went:
"Huh? Yeah, sure."
---
{Aria}
The palace gardens always made Aria feel small. Maybe it was the towering hedges, or the way the fountains seemed to reach endlessly toward the sky. Or maybe it was just the company she kept these days.
Lady Belstadt sat across from her, emerald hair cascading over one shoulder, looking for all the world like she owned the place. Something about the woman’s presence made Aria’s skin prickle, even if everything she’d said so far had proven true.
[Get it together,] Aria thought, forcing her hands to remain steady as she lifted her teacup. [You’re the crown princess, for heaven’s sake. Act like it.]
"So," Lady Belstadt’s voice cut through the garden’s tranquility like a knife through silk. "How has our little gift been serving you?"
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Aria’s hand instinctively went to the rune hanging from her neck. The one that supposedly lit up whenever a nim tried to use their pheromones on her.
"It’s... been illuminating," Aria admitted, unable to keep the hint of bitterness from her voice. "Every time I’ve spoken with Blackflame, it’s lit up like a Winter Solstice tree."
Lady Belstadt’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
"As expected. Nim are tricky creatures, dear. They cannot help but try to manipulate those around them. It’s in their very nature."
"... Admittedly, and I know this may sound strange given that I’ve faced evidence of this myself now, I find that hard to believe," Aria said, surprising herself with her own boldness. "That an entire race of people cannot be trusted not to abuse their power."
Lady Belstadt’s expression hardened slightly.
"Oh? But, you said it yourself just now. You’ve gotten evidence, firsthand. Blackflame. Has she not tried to cloud your judgment, manipulate your thoughts?"
"She has," Aria conceded. "But she also saved my father’s life at the gala. When no other healer could help him, she managed to purge the poison from his system."
Something flickered across Lady Belstadt’s face - so quick Aria almost missed it. Her lips twitched, just slightly, before smoothing back into that practiced smile.
"One good deed does not erase a nature of deception," Lady Belstadt said smoothly, rising from her seat. "But I can see you need more... convincing evidence."
She reached into her robes and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper, setting it delicately on the table between them.
"Perhaps this will help illuminate matters further," she said, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "Should you wish to see our operations firsthand."
With that, she turned and glided away, leaving Aria alone with her thoughts and a note that suddenly felt heavier than lead.
[What game are you playing?] Aria wondered, watching Lady Belstadt’s retreating form. [And more importantly, whose side are you really on?]
She picked up the note, turning it over in her hands but not opening it yet. The whole situation felt off somehow.
[Then again,] Aria thought, remembering how the rune had glowed during every interaction with Melisa, [she hasn’t been wrong yet.]
The sound of guards changing shifts in the distance brought Aria back to the present. She tucked the note into her sleeve, mind racing with possibilities.
Maybe it was time to see exactly what the Shadow Mages were up to. After all, knowledge was power, and Aria needed all the power she could get if she wanted to uncover the truth about her mother’s death.
And if that meant playing along with Lady Belstadt’s games for now... well, two could play at being manipulative.
As she made her way back into the palace, Aria couldn’t help but think about Melisa. About the way the nim girl’s eyes lit up when she cast a spell in class, about how she’d allegedly thrown herself into healing the king without a thought for her own safety.
[Could someone like that really be purely manipulative?] Aria wondered. [Or is Lady Belstadt the one trying to manipulate me?]