Take Your Chances Alone

The beast was subdued, writhing in an attempt to free itself.

A sharp pain ran through her arm. Charlotte was barely conscious.

Zoe was still on the ground, paralyzed by fear. Little by little, she forced her body to move.

She went to check on Alysia, who had fainted after using too much Magica.

She hoisted Alysia over her shoulder. Carefully, she walked away from the beast. She couldn’t take her eyes off it.

Finally, she managed to approach Charlotte. By instinct, Zoe kept a certain distance.

“C-Charlotte?”

“Zoe? Please help us.” Her arm was still on the neck of the beast. “We want to kill it… B-but I don’t want to.”

Unconsciously, she took a few steps backwards.

Charlotte noticed her friend’s reaction.

“Why are you walking away from us?” She felt a tightness in her chest.

Zoe, who was still carrying Alysia, froze in her place.

“We’re your friend! You are abandoning us like everyone else!”

“No, Charlotte…”

Memories of the past flooded her mind, becoming unbearable, as if a loud bell were pounding from within.

“You see us with fear! We know those eyes…You despised us.”

“That’s not true.”

Suddenly, Charlotte couldn’t resist it anymore. Her arm let go of the beast and returned to its natural state.

The beast let out a horrid scream, trying to imitate a real bear.

“Zoe, just go. We’ll protect the others.”

“What!? I’m not leaving you alone.”

“We need you to be fine. Please.”

The beast turned towards them. Charlotte reflected in its 8 eyes. This time, it was approaching slowly. It seemed to be analyzing her.

“Thanks for looking us in the eyes,” Charlotte said.

As a final attempt, she turned the roots in her hand into a shield. Charlotte was staggering, and yet she stood against it.

The beast was getting closer.

Out of nowhere, a purple fireball struck the beast.

Another one came from another direction. Its body started to burn.

Immediately after, four large metal rods fell from the treetops. The beast got trapped.

A spark of electricity shot from one of them. Gradually, the spark turned into lightning that bounced between those metal rods.

From the same treetop, Suri came down and landed in front of the beast.

She took out her white glove. She was wearing a bracelet that started at her wrist and wrapped around all five fingers.

Five chains of purple flames came forth and bound the beast’s body.

The lightning and the purple flames mingled, creating a strong reaction.

In seconds, the beast was completely burnt. It didn’t turn into dust. Instead, it shed purplish-pink flowers.

Charlotte caught a faint scent of lavender. Her left arm couldn’t stop shaking, and her vision became blurry.

“Charlotte?” Zoe walked over to her. 

“You treat us like nothing.” Her voice was distorted. 

Charlotte was staring intently at Zoe. 

“You are nothing against us! You are of no use to us!”

Zoe's eyes welled up with tears.

“That’s enough, Charlotte!” Bastion scolded her from behind. “What are you doing? She’s your friend.”

“I-I’m sorry, Zoe… I d-didn’t mean that… B-but… We g-got hurt…”

Suri looked at her with pity.

“Please help us…”

“Don’t you worry, Miss Charlotte. That’s why I’m here.” Alexander appeared from the shadows.

“Professor Alexander? Why are you here?”

“That’s not the important thing.” He stood in front of her. “Now, this ancient Magica spell will help you.”

Without warning, he hit her in the neck with the side of his hand.

Charlotte lost consciousness after the hit. He managed to catch her in his arms.

“What was that for?” Zoe complained.

“Darn it, Alexander, you can’t just hit students.”

“Calm down. Now, both of you, I need your help.”

The three of them took care of the others. After checking them, they laid the students down in a row on the grass. No one had woken up yet.

“So, now what? This is a disaster!” Suri whispered.

“What do you mean?”

“With her! You saw everything.”

“Yes, so?”

“You can’t be that cynical.”

“Then what do you suggest? If you’re so worried, why don’t you get rid of her now?”

Suri remained silent.

“See.”

“She’s a victim.”

“She’s strong.”

Suri was getting frustrated.

“She is, but I won’t let you use her.” At that moment, she was already raising her voice.

“Right, I had forgotten you do have a soft spot for your profession.”

“If you dare to do anything to her, I won't hesitate to confront you.”

“Enough already!” Zoe interrupted their conversation. “Use her? What are you talking about? How can a professor speak like that?”

They both turned to look at her.

“Oh right, Miss Zoe, you’re the last one standing.”

“What?” She didn’t find it funny at all. “Besides, what are you doing here? And what happened to Charlotte? Why do you talk as if you knew her?”

“Slow down, Miss Zoe. We’ll explain everything.”

Charlotte was resting in Zoe's lap.

Bit by bit, her arm had fewer thorns and was returning to its usual human hand shape. The root-like marks that ran from her neck to her eyes were fading away.

“Before we begin.” Alexander snapped his fingers. A metallic rod appeared in his hand. It was smaller, and one of its ends had a weird symbol. 

“Just to be on the safe side— we don’t want anyone to hear us.”

He drove the rod into the ground. Zoe felt a sound wave.

“First of all, as professors, we were making sure the exams went well. In this case, we were forced to intervene.”

“I understand that, but what about Charlotte? What do you want with her?”

He sighed. “Miss Zoe, are you aware of her condition?”

“Yes.” She paused. “Well, only rumors, but I hate them.”

“Really? To be honest, I have a weakness for rumors.”

“Well, they’re false.”

“You think so, Miss Zoe? Even after everything you saw today?”

She didn’t say a word.

“Let me ask you something… Do you think she’s a curse?”

“No! She’s not like that… There must be something else.”

She didn’t hesitate with her answer.

“I see. I’m glad she has a friend like you, Miss Zoe.”

“What do you know about her? How can we help her?”

“Honestly, we know as much as you do. The rest is just speculation.”

“Speculation?”

“Yes, her case is quite fascinating.”

“Then how come you were saying all those things? What are you hiding?”

Suri and Alexander looked at each other.

“Nothing really. We want to help her.”

“I don’t believe it.”

“It’s true, Miss Charlotte has become a person of interest, and we want to help her control her Magica. She needs help.”

She kept thinking about those words.

“I swear we mean no harm. We’re her professors, after all.”

“I suppose it makes sense.”

Alexander took out a small vial from his coat. “Great. Now, I need you to do something for me.”

The substance inside had a transparent bluish color. Alexander was shaking the vial as he approached Zoe.

“The royal guards will be here soon, so I need you to drink this, Miss Zoe. I’ll give some to the others too. ”

“What’s this?”

“Just a mere potion. It’s too soon to break the Status Quo.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The potion will alter some memories.”

“What!?”

“Calm down. It’s a common practice in the Kingdom. As a member of the nobility, I'm sure you're familiar with this.”

“No, I am not!”

“Seriously?” He paused for a second. “Right, you’re a Hufgens. Your father is in a difficult situation.”

She couldn’t utter a word.

“Anyway, please, I need you to drink it.”

“I won’t, and I won’t allow you to do the same to Charlotte and the others.”

“Please, you don’t want your friends to live with trauma, or do you?”

Once again, she didn’t know what to say.

“I see you understand, so please.” He handed her the vial.

“No, don’t even think about it. I wish to help her out…so I mustn't forget what happened today.”

“Wait, Alexander.” Suri stepped in. “Maybe she can help Charlotte and us.”

“I hadn't thought about it.” He brought his hand to his chin and remained silent for a few seconds. “You’re right, maybe Miss Zoe can help us.”

“I will... Please…”

“Very well then.”

Alexander cleared his throat.

“Miss Zoe, you have two choices… You can take the potion and live a normal life. In your eyes, it'll be as if nothing had happened today, and your friend will be the same as always. Everything goes back to the starting point.”

He let out a deep sigh.

“Or… You can choose not to drink the potion. You'll be aware of your friend's situation and what she's capable of. And most importantly, you'll be willing to make drastic decisions.”

Zoe gulped.

“There will be no turning back.”

Soon, the sound of carriages could be heard in the distance.

“So, what will it be, Miss Zoe?”