XVII - Dragon's Valor

It was a unusual day in Asahi Academy due to weather, after the ravenous dragons fled out from fear by Aurora's attack yesterday, but they never came back, except...

A strange glowing object lay still on earth—the Dragon's Valor, the scale of the dragon where it left a mark to attack once more. 

No one noticed it unless when someone picked this it would be considered as the chosen one.

Professor Zamora announced the suspension of lectures across the academy earlier due to wicked weather, the clouds were thick and the air became strangely heavy.

But something unusual, it didn't rain yet the air remained present, the breeze could easily be noticed.

Aurora, Quincy and Sarah walked side by side, chatting about their usual tasks and magic for the upcoming adventure. 

However Quincy paused, looked down at the strange object that shaped from the Dragon's Valor. 

"Guys, look." she gasped, pointing her finger on the ground. Aurora lowered her knees, carefully picking the object.

"Hm? What's that…this is kinda strange." Sarah leaned against Aurora's shoulder with her eyes wide in curiosity and amazed.

"That's Dragon's Valor."

"!?"

The three girls shift their attention towards the voice, realizing it was Professor Manolo, instead, in the room, students him Professor Zamora, stepped forward from the gates as his long cloak rustling from an unusual breeze.

"I see…Miss Chu found the first piece of Dragon's Valor."

Aurora raised the scales into dim light, her fingers brushed on the sharp edges, it reacted softly as the color suddenly changed into warm pulsating cyan, just like the shade from her own inner mana.

Sarah gasped, leaned close over her friend's shoulder as the sudden glow reacted against Aurora's mana.

"W-w-wait! Guys look…"

Aurora looked up, her mismatched eyes shining in awe.

"Woah…I-I-It reacts to me!" she squeals in excitement, clutching the scale tighter against her palm as she is afraid to let it go, her mismatched eyes shining.

"Fascinating… the scale from one of the beasts does not awaken for just anyone. It also marks a warrior whose heart is firm against the assault." Professor Zamora explained, his gaze narrowed against his spectacles.

Quincy and Sarah examine the scale on their friend's palm in both curiosity and awe. 

Aurora's grip tightened against the object before looking up, her determination returning.

"Does it mean…?" she asked softly.

"You've accepted the beast's challenge." Professor Zamora admitted, adjust the spectacles while his other grip on his staff tightened.

Quincy looked up at the darkened sky, thick clouds swirling in strange unnerving patterns above the one of the academy towers, resting her hand on her chin.

"So, that's why the weather turned weird."

"Is there something coming to attack us? Target our friend again, Professor?" Sarah asked, clasping both hands against her chest in fear.

"Not an attack." Professor Zamora replied calmly, resting his staff on the earth.

"Classes were suspended today due to unnatural weather. The summons."

"What does this mean, Professor?"

"Which means, you may take a time to gather your guard, Miss Chu. Whatever the scale lay fate. Will might require more than just a quick spell. It required an unwavering loyalty." Professor Zamora admitted, turned on his heel, stepped inside the gates to give the three girls a time to gather.

He paused for a moment, glanced over his shoulder.

"And one more thing, Miss Chu."

"Yes, Professor? Is there something else?" Aurora asked, holding the Dragon's Valor scale close on her chest.

"You may be permitted to follow your own path. On this matter, you are not alone this time with your knight."

"What do you mean, Professor?" Quincy asked, standing beside Aurora with her hand on her friend's shoulder in silent support.

"Does that mean…we're going to participate?" Sarah chimed, a hopeful smile playing on her lips.

"Yes." Professor Zamora replied to her in an approving nod.

"The true trial required a complete party. And now…go find Sir Charlotte, and prepare yourselves."

With that, the Professor Zamora disappeared into the school gates, leaving the three friends under the strange heavy clouds with renewed sense of purpose.

Aurora snapped her war fan open with a confident clack, her mismatched eyes narrowed as she stared at the unnatural weather in front of them, their skirts fluttering behind them due to the unusual weather.

"Well then, let's find my knight. Now—"

"Sister!"

A familiar voice interrupted them, then a dark blur tackled Aurora from behind, wrapping two arms tightly around her neck, never letting go.

"E-E-Eh?! A-Aria—" Aurora gasped, her war fans nearly slipped from her fingers as her dark blue hair whipped out with a hint of cyan light sparks faintly between the crimson streaks.

Aria giggled, resting her chin on her sister's shoulder with a wide grin, exposing her sharp fangs while her other hand poked the glowing scale with her finger.

"Take me with you, sister! You can't leave your favorite sister behind!"

"You're an academy student, not a rough hero!" her older sister Aurora scoffed, though her small tail beneath her skirt swishing in quiet fondness while she straightened the collar of her uniform.

"But sister!" Aria whined dramatically, her grip tightened causing her sister to squirm.

"I heard everything! Professor Zamora said it was a complete party right?"

"Yes!" Sarah corrected her, clasped her hands together on her chest, eyes lightened up in pure excitement.

"That means…I'm coming too! You need a stealthy Bakeneko on your team!" Aria squealed in excitement, her own opposite mismatched eyes shining.

"B-But Aria! You should be a student—"

"That's what sisters do, right?" Aria interrupts, blinking several times, making her sister sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine. You're joining."

"Ye-hey!"

Quincy giggled behind her hand, exchanging looks at Sarah.

"Well, the more the merrier! But we must assemble the squad first!"

"Yeah! What do we do to start?" 

"But Charlotte wasn't around." Aurora interrupted, snapping her fan shut, her mismatched eyes softened for a fraction of a second, a flicker of genuine concern forming on her face.

"Then, we're coming to her home." she declared, turning toward the gates as they walked together as the heavy cloud breeze tugged their skirts.

"My knight shouldn't slack off while a new trial is waiting for us."

Aria smirked mischievously from behind them, leaned to Sarah's ear as whispered silently without her sister's attention.

"Translation: she was worried sick about her paladin—"

"Aria! I heard that!" Aurora snapped, cheeks instantly flushing pink as they headed toward the open gates.

Despite the lecture being suspended, as the air suddenly grew stronger that made them shiver from the unnatural wind.

Quincy shivered, rubbing her arms as she tried to keep herself warm.

"Ugh… why's the weather cooling?"

"Just keep moving until we step inside."

"I can feel it too…" 

As they finally made out from the unnatural wind, they sighed in relief as the warm temperature fell through their veins by the magic heater from the ceiling—in case of an emergency like this situation.

"Ah…finally, warm." Aria giggled, though her hand was still resting supportively on her sister's shoulder.

"Should we find your paladin now…?" she teased, her own mismatched eyes twinkling.

Aurora choked, her face instantly red furiously.

"S-S-shut up, Aria…"

Quincy and Sarah can't help but let out a giggle behind their hands, how funny Aurora's face became red as ripe strawberry despite there being a faint spark of cyan light dancing faintly between crimson streaks of the fiber strands.

꒰ა ✦ ໒꒱

The small but chaotic, peaceful cottage of Rayburn's household where Charlotte lived, spent juggling for her four siblings, despite becoming an orphan, the allowance she earned from working under the veteran knights at the Round Table she worked herself as secretly duty as—Lancelot II the Silent Paladin. 

Her parents gone years ago, instead leaving them, she raised them as her own, as both parent and sibling 

Inside the cozy kitchen, Charlotte let out a soft sigh, carefully tying her apron over her simple domestic clothes, looking at the small window, the weather didn't change, lecture suspended due to unnatural weather but she was glad they're safe.

"Rafael, stop throwing food at your sister!" she called out, catching the flying pastry mid-air without hesitation before she adjusted the bandage hidden on her sleeve.

"Sister?" her younger sister, Yuki emerged from the doorframe, rubbing her sleepy eyes as her own brown-golden eyes focused on her. 

Charlotte's eyes softened, lowering her knees to her level pulling her younger sibling in a warm embrace.

"Yes? Is there something wrong?"

"I dream about you, wearing your secret armor." her younger sister Yuki murmured, rubbing her cheek against her older sister's shoulder.

Charlotte froze for a brief second, her heart doing a quick nervous flip, quickly smooth down her apron, keeping her voice calm and gentle as possible.

"Woah…a secret armor?"

"Yes!"

"You've been dreaming about the storybooks again, sweetie." Charlotte said with a soft chuckle, boop her sister's nose.

"But it's not! I saw you wearing the secret armor, a-and you protect us from those bad guys!”

"Oh, sweetie, I'm just a rookie paladin, doing scrolls at Round Table."

"But sister! You had red plume and dark fur!"

Charlotte blushed furiously, swiftly looking toward the kitchen stove to hide her flustered face.

Kids really believe in fairy tales…

knock! Knock! KNOCK!

A sharp sound echoed in the front door. Charlotte stared, her gaze narrowed as she wrapped her arms around her younger sibling, hiding her from the mysterious person.

"?"

"I-I'll get it!" Rafael shouted, scrambling out from his chair.

Charlotte placed Yuki on the chair, rushing after him as she adjusted her apron, calling him out.

"Wait, Rafael—no, don't just open the door for strangers—!"

But Rafael didn't listen, yanking the door open.

Standing on the wooden porch under the overcast sky—is Aurora, her dark blue hair and dressed in her Asahi Academy uniform instead of her battle attire. 

Beside her stood Quincy and Sarah, even her younger sister Aria.

Charlotte left stunned, her brown-golden eyes widened in disbelief, unaware why they are here.

W-w-what are they doing?