The atmosphere was surprisingly bittersweet as everyone gathered in Javir’s main hall, bags packed and ready to head out.
With the Shadow Mages dealt with, there was no reason for everyone to stay here any longer. The moment itself, when Javir subtly but clearly kicked the newcomers out had almost given Melisa whiplash, though of course she understood why Javir was doing it.
It had been a temporary sanctuary, a place where they could regroup and lick their wounds, but now it was time to move on.
Melisa leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching as the others made their farewells.
[Man,] she sighed. [Feels like ages since everyone came here, even though at most it was just a handful of weeks. Wow.]
Javir stood by, her expression a mix of sternness and something softer, something almost like fondness. She’d never admit it, but Melisa could tell she was a little sad to see everyone go...
... Even if she was all but kicking them out.
Armia was the first to speak, stepping up to Javir with her father beside her.
"Thank you for letting us stay here, Javir. We owe you a lot," Armia said, her voice sincere. Her father nodded in agreement, his own eyes showing gratitude.
Javir waved a hand dismissively, though Melisa could see the corner of her mouth twitch upward.
"Hey, don’t mention it. You were all good guests... Mostly," she added, shooting a pointed look at Isabella, who was currently balancing a bag on her head with a grin.
Isabella huffed, letting the bag fall into her hands.
"Hey, I was on my best behavior... Mostly." She winked at Javir, who just rolled her eyes.
Kimiko stepped forward next, her smile softer though still carrying that kinda lewd edge to it. Or maybe Melisa was just horny.
"Thank you, Javir. Truly. You opened your home to us when we had nowhere else to go."
Javir shifted awkwardly, clearly not used to this kind of gratitude.
"Yeah, well, I’m just glad I could help. Just... don’t make a habit of needing my place as a hideout, alright?"
Kimiko chuckled, nodding.
"I’ll do my best."
Melisa tried not to think about how there could very well not be a need for Kimiko to come here again... ever, soon. She tried and failed.
Raven was the last to approach, her bag slung over her shoulder.
She paused for a moment before speaking, her grey eyes meeting Melisa’s briefly.
[... OKAY, SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS IT WITH THIS GIRL LATELY!? EVERY TIME I SEE HER IT’S LIKE I’M MELTING!]
"I’m going to head back to the dorm," Raven said, taking Melisa out of her thoughts. "I need some time. To process everything. Not..." Clearly not used to speaking this much, she broke the eye contact and looked away. "Not in a bad way. I just... I feel like I might finally be able to let go. Completely."
Melisa nodded, her chest tightening just a little.
"Yeah. I get it." She forced a smile, giving Raven a small salute. "Once I’m done with, uh... A few more things here, I’ll be back around the academy before you know it."
Raven gave her a rare, genuine smile.
"I know you will."
The "and I’m looking forward to it" was left unsaid, but Melisa still caught it. Or, she’d like to think she did.
With that, she turned and made her way to the door, her footsteps fading as she left the house.
Once everyone was gone, Melisa let out a sigh, pushing herself away from the doorway and walking over to Javir.
The two stood in silence for a moment, watching as the others disappeared down the road, their figures growing smaller in the distance.
"You did good, Mel," Javir said, her voice unusually gentle. Melisa glanced over, raising an eyebrow.
"Thanks," Melisa said, her lips twitching into a smile. "Means a lot, coming from you."
Javir nodded, her eyes still on the road.
"A compliment well-deserved. I just... I hope things can go back to normal now. For all of us."
Melisa let out a small laugh.
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"Normal, huh? I gotta be honest with you, I’m not sure I even know what that means anymore. But yeah, I’d like that too."
Javir turned to look at her, her expression serious.
"Just... Try to take care of yourself, alright? You’re far good at getting into trouble, and I’d rather not see you end up in over your head."
Melisa grinned, giving Javir a playful salute.
"I don’t know that I’ll be able to do that. I mean, you know me. Trouble’s basically my middle name."
Javir rolled her eyes.
"Just be careful, Mel."
Melisa nodded, her own smile softening.
"I will."
With that, she turned, making her way out of Javir’s house and down the road.
Melisa had something to do today, which she’d been waiting on given that she wanted to see everyone off.
---
The palace loomed ahead.
The sun was high in the sky, the warmth of it washing over her as she walked, her thoughts already shifting to what lay ahead. She needed to see Zephyra. There was still one thing she needed help with, and if anyone could figure out a solution, it was her.
That, of course, was saving Kimiko.
The palace was actually busier than normal, guards moving to and fro, servants carrying out their duties. The change in management probably had people feeling antsy, though it did help that, at least as far as Melisa knew, Aria was a beloved figure.
Melisa made her way through the halls, her footsteps echoing on the marble floors. She reached Zephyra’s chambers, knocking on the door before pushing it open.
Zephyra looked up from the scroll she was reading, her expression brightening as she saw Melisa.
"Well, well. Look who it is. Just when I thought I was going to have a lazy day," she teased, setting the scroll aside.
Melisa smirked, stepping into the room.
"Please. As if you’d enjoy things like ’peace’ and ’quiet’ compared to, I dunno, having my incredibly charming self around~"
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Zephyra chuckled, standing and walking over to her.
"Perhaps. I suppose I’m ready for some chaos again. I actually wanted to give you some actual lessons before I head back out on the road again, too."
"Oh? I’ll hold you to that. But... there is something I need your help with."
Zephyra nodded.
"Alright. What is it?"
Melisa took a deep breath, her gaze dropping to the floor for a moment before meeting Zephyra’s eyes.
"Kimiko. You know about her resurrection. The same spell we used on the king." She paused, her voice growing softer. "We know it’s not permanent. We couldn’t save the king, but... I want to try for Kimiko. I don’t want to give up without trying everything."
Zephyra was silent for a moment, her eyes thoughtful. She nodded slowly.
"I understand. If there is a way to make her resurrection permanent, and that is a very big ’if’, it’s certainly not going to be easy, Melisa. You’ve already somewhat tampered with the natural order of things just making this spell to begin with, so who knows what could happen if we kept adding onto it. But... I’m willing to try."
Melisa let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, her shoulders relaxing.
"Thank you, Zephyra. Really. I know it’s a long shot, but... I have to try."
Zephyra stepped closer, resting a hand on Melisa’s shoulder.
"You care about her. I get it. And I’ll do everything I can to help. But we need to be careful. The kind of magic we’re dealing with... it’s powerful, and, well, it’s Blood Magic. Naturally, it always comes with a price."
Melisa nodded, her eyes determined.
"I know. Whatever it takes, I’m willing to pay it... I mean, within reason."
"Good." Zephyra gave her a small, encouraging smile. "Then let’s get to work. We’ll start with what we know and go from there. Actually, even if we can’t find a way to make her new life permanent, if perhaps there’s a way to extend her time, we’ll try to find it."
Melisa felt a surge of hope, her heart lifting.
[Maybe there’s still a chance.] She grinned, her confidence returning.
"Alright, then. Let’s see what kind of magic we can cook up."
Zephyra laughed, shaking her head.
"Always the optimist. Come on, troublemaker. Let’s see if we can cheat death one more time."
---
What followed was several hours of experimentation with various unfortunate insects, several used and discarded scrolls, and dozens of flirtatious statements peppered throughout.
By the end, they hadn’t *really* made progress, but Zephyra seemed optimistic.
"Come back tomorrow," Zephyra told Melisa. "Don’t get discouraged. I think we might be able to work something out."
And so, Melisa walked out.
As she moved through the palace, she noticed how the looks she received had changed greatly since her first visit. It wasn’t exactly enough to say people *liked* her now, but...
She was tolerated, it seemed.
[Progress, I guess.]