The palace gardens were absolutely, positively beautiful this time of year.
Which made it slightly awkward that Melisa and Zephyra were using them as an impromptu magical autopsy site.
[Though I guess it’s more of an impromptu magical clinic,] Melisa thought as she watched Zephyra arrange yet another wounded lizard on their testing table.
They’d been at this for about an hour, testing Melisa’s spell on various creatures they’d found around the gardens. The ethics of harming animals so that Melisa could heal them after were certainly questionable but Zephyra sure seemed to think it was important.
Unfortunately, Melisa hadn’t quite charged up her Essence today, so this experiment now would have to be among the last.
The palace gardeners had given them some very concerned looks, but apparently "Court Sorceress Business" was enough of an explanation to keep them from asking questions, which was nice.
"Ready?" Melisa asked, her tail swishing as she prepared to cast the spell again.
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This time, they were using a lizard that was outright dead. Zephyra wanted to see what would happen.
Zephyra nodded, her amethyst eyes focused intently on the lizard.
"Lumi sanguine, vita crescere!" Melisa drew the spellsign, channeling her power.
The familiar rush of magic flowed through her, and, suddenly, the lizard’s tiny chest began to move. Its eyes opened, bright and alert.
[Oh, wow.]
"Fascinating," Zephyra murmured, examining the now very alive and very confused lizard. "This is clearly not just a healing spell."
"What do you mean?" Melisa’s tail twitched nervously. "It healed the king, didn’t it?"
Zephyra shot her an incredulous look.
"Miss Blackflame, this lizard was dead. Completely dead. And now it’s not."
[Right...] Melisa stared the tiny thing down. [This isn’t what I meant for the spell to be able to do, though.]
"But I just reversed a curse!" Melisa protested, her tail curling anxiously. "I thought it would just... heal really well!"
The Court Sorceress began to pace, her elegant robes swishing.
"You reversed a Blood Magic curse meant to rot flesh from the inside out," Zephyra said carefully. "And in doing so, you may have created something entirely new. Something that doesn’t just heal damage, but reverses... death itself."
[Oh shit oh shit oh shit,] Melisa thought, watching their collection of formerly dead test subjects scampering around. [I accidentally made a resurrection spell? Is... Is that good? Bad? Is this one of those "with great power" yada yada situations???]
"Then perhaps," Zephyra continued, her eyes bright with academic fascination, "what we’re seeing is more than resurrection. The opposite of rot isn’t just healing - it’s enhancement, improvement."
Melisa’s tail wrapped tighter around her waist.
"So what does that mean for the king?"
"It means," Zephyra said, carefully picking up their latest test subject, "that I need to run more tests. Much more specific tests."
The lizard seemed perfectly content in her gentle grip as she stroked its tiny head.
"You’ve been very helpful," she added, seeing Melisa about to protest. "But I need to examine certain aspects that require more... precise magical theory knowledge."
[Translation: Please get your accidentally-necromancing ass out of my sight before I have an aneurysm,] Melisa thought.
"Fine," she sighed. "Just... let me know if you find anything weird?"
"Define ’weird’ in the context of accidentally creating a spell that raises the dead."
"...Point taken."
As Melisa walked away, she glanced back to see Zephyra still cradling the lizard, the poor bastard. Soon, it would probably become the subject of much, much more questionable experimentation.
Zephyra seemed to think it was kinda cute though, judging by her little smile, so maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.
[Well, at least someone’s happy about this,] Melisa thought. [Though I probably shouldn’t mention this to Isabella. She’d never let me hear the end of it if she knew I spent all day raising the dead with Zephyra.]
She shook her head, tail’s heart-shaped tip swishing anxiously as she headed to the academy. Apparently, Aria wanted to work on that project today.
---
{Later}
Melisa’s old dorm room felt smaller than she remembered. Or maybe it just seemed that way with Princess Aria’s icy presence filling every corner.
[This is weird,] Melisa thought, her tail curling nervously as Aria glared daggers at her from Raven’s bed. [Like, even weirder than that time I walked in on Mom and Kimiko comparing breast sizes.]
The royal guards standing outside might as well have been breathing down their necks, the tension was so thick. Melisa could practically feel Aria calculating the exact number of steps it would take to reach the door and call them in.
"You know," Melisa said, trying to break the suffocating silence, "if you’re that uncomfortable being alone with a nim, maybe you shouldn’t have told Professor Laurent you wanted me as your partner."
Aria’s grey eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Can you blame me?" she asked, tilting her head like a predatory bird. "After you tried to use your pheromones on me? After you used that... that THING you call a spell on my father?"
[Oh, we’re doing this now???]
"Hey, that spell saved his life!" Melisa protested, matching Aria’s head tilt. "And as for the pheromones, that’s literally just natural for the nim. I can’t control it," she lied. 99.9% of nim couldn’t control it, but she definitely could. "So, how exactly is that my-"
"And now look what’s happening to my father," Aria cut her off, her small frame practically vibrating with tension. "These ’odd side effects’ you and Zephyra keep dancing around..."
"Like what?" Melisa’s tail swished irritably.
"HE’S DYING!"
Melisa’s tail froze mid-swish.
"What?"
Aria’s face immediately closed off, like she’d said far more than she meant to.
Melisa was stunned. She’d known his health was apparently in question, but, dying??? Straight-up just dying?
[That... What? How? That... I don’t...]
She couldn’t even form a coherent thought right now.
"Nothing. Forget I said anything."
"Oh hell no," Melisa leaned forward, her red eyes intense. "You can’t just drop ’the king is dying’ and then- and then, just, clam up. What’s happening to him?"
"I shouldn’t have-"
"Aria." Melisa tried to be more gentle. "Your Highness. Please. If my spell is hurting him, I need to know."
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The princess seemed to wage an internal battle, her proper upbringing warring with what was clearly eating her up inside.
[Come on,] Melisa thought. [Just tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it!]
"He’s..." Aria started, then stopped, checking that the door was firmly closed. "I didn’t hear much myself. He just told someone he felt like he was dying, or something. I don’t know what’s happening to him exactly either."
[Oh shit oh shit oh shit,] Melisa’s tail curled tight around her waist. [What the fuck did I do?]
"T-Then, we need to tell Zephyra!" Melisa walked over and grabbed Aria’s wrist. "Come on!"
"You can’t," the princess hissed. "If word gets out that the king is unwell, especially now..."
"But-"
"The nobles are already restless. If they think Father is weak..."
Melisa sighed.
[Ugh, I guess she’s right... the queen’s already gone. If word gets out that the king might be on the way out too...]
This was a more precarious situation than Melisa anticipated. Suddenly, she understood why Aria was trying to be careful about this information.
The future of Syux could very well be resting on the proverbial shoulders of that spell Melisa created.
---
{Later}
{Armia}
Armia stood motionless as the flames consumed her brother’s body, her golden scales gleaming in the firelight.
Her father’s massive form cast a shadow beside her, his own scales dulled with grief. Around them, various aunts, uncles, and cousins she hadn’t seen in years gathered to pay their respects. Some full darian, others mixed like her and Darien. All of them watching as the youngest of their line returned to ash.
[He was supposed to become a knight,] Armia thought, her claws digging into her palms. [He was supposed to grow up and become strong and instead...]
"We’ll make them pay," she said quietly, her voice rough with unshed tears. "The Shadow Mages. They’ll suffer for this."
Her father’s hand came to rest on her shoulder, gentle despite his enormous size.
"One day, perhaps," he rumbled. "But do not let vengeance consume you, daughter. Your brother..." he paused, gathering himself. "Darien would want you to excel. To become the lady you’ve always dreamed of being."
Armia’s throat tightened.
"How can I think about that now? About tea parties and proper etiquette when he’s..." she gestured to the pyre.
"Because that is how we honor him," her father squeezed her shoulder. "I will shed no tears if Shadow Mages start turning up dead. But you, my precious girl, you have too much light in you to let darkness take root."
Finally, Armia let her tears fall.
The flames rose higher, carrying her little brother’s spirit to whatever waited beyond.
And Armia swore, right there, that she would make him proud - not through revenge, but by becoming everything she was meant to be.