Chapter 2

Ayisa opened her eyes to find herself lying underneath an unfamiliar roof, something soft beneath her. It felt nothing like the hard straw bed she had in her forest hut. Orange sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, painting the white walls with its glow. On the other side of the room was a table with some tools, a cylinder that looked like a magic wand, a cup, and a metal tube. There were pieces of paper as well, things she never had in her home.

She pulled herself up. Her eyes looked down at her body, her mouth letting out a gasp when she saw what don her skin. A school uniform. In her surprise, she rolled off the bed, crashing onto the floor.

N- No! I ruined the uniform!

She panicked, patting herself down, looking for anything torn in the fabric. She couldn’t afford to pay for damages. They’ll kill her.

The door creaked open. An older girl entered. She had short, dark blue hair matching the color of her eyes, with a well-shaped, mature face. The girl rushed to Ayisa's side and kneeled in front of her.

“Hey. Are you alright!?”

Ayisa sobbed. “I’m sorry…”

“Huh?”

“I’m really sorry. I don’t want to die-”

“Ho- Hold on.”

She inspected the clothes. She must be looking for damages. How could Ayisa ever pay her?

“Are you hurt? You seemed fine.”

“I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to-”

The girl reached out and gently patted her head. The gesture caused her to flinch, but Ayisa didn't want to cause even more trouble. She forced herself to stay put.

“Why don't you try telling me what happened?”

“I… rolled off the bed… and damaged the clothes.”

“Are you hurt?”

“... I don't know.”

The hit might have hurt her a little, but nothing too serious.

“I’m-”

“What mattered is that you're alright. I can fix the clothes later. Don't worry about it.”

She gently pulled Ayisa up, ushering her to return to the bed. Ayisa sat down, while the girl took a chair and sat in front of her.

“My name is Iris Sycentia. I'm a teacher at Grenary Advanced School of Magic.”

Ayisa's breath got caught in her throat. Grenary was the name of the school the students and teachers came from, and the origin of the uniform she wore.

“You're… a teacher.”

“Yes.”

“Are we… in Grenary?”

“Correct.”

Ayisa gasped. No wonder she didn't recognize the place. It was so far away from her little hut in the forest.

“You were the one who drove away the wyron, weren't you?”

Ayisa looked away. Iris must be mistaken. There was no way she actually did that.

“I- I don't think I did.”

Ayisa had been using magic to hunt, and she had used multiple elements at once during her day-to-day life, but they were nowhere near close to whatever the teachers and students could do. Unlike them, all she had was a very old book, with who knows how many centuries under its cover. It's a miracle that the book hasn’t broken apart yet.

Someone from the group must have attacked at the same time, and that must be what sent the wyron scurrying away.

“By the way, what is your name?”

“I- I’m Ayisa.”

“Just Ayisa?”

“I cannot remember my family name.”

“Well, Ayisa, you've saved us. Thank you.”

“Ther- there's no need. I didn't do anything. I'm the one who must thank you.”

Had no one come to her rescue, she would be lying on the dirt, waiting for the first monster to walk by and turn her into dinner.

“That's not true.”

“I hadn't done anything worth mentioning… other than making trouble.”

Ayisa's eyes widened, only remembering it now. She grabbed the sheets and yanked them up to her head, hiding underneath.

“Sta- stay back! I'm a cursed child! I might curse you!” she said, shivering under her sheets.

How could she have forgotten something so important? Tears formed in her eyes as she looked away. She could see it in her mind. The kind older girl who sat in front of her being hit with numerous misfortunes, all because of her.

“That’s not true-”

“The curses aren't instant. You won't realize it until it's too late! I must head back! I can't stay here any longer!” Ayisa jumped and ran out of the room.

“Wait!” Iris shouted from behind, but Ayisa ignored her.

She left the room, coming upon a light gray hallway. Ayisa looked left and right, heard the footsteps coming from behind, and sprinted away. She couldn’t see any visible exit. Windows showed the view of the courtyard. She must be on the first floor. Escaping shouldn’t be difficult.

But what if I got stuck here? I’ll end up cursing everyone!

Ayisa had no time to think. Iris was hot on her heels, calling out to her.

“Stay away from me!” she shouted as she ran.

Students parted left and right when they saw her sprint past. Her eyes darted across the hallway. An open window, two girls leaning by it, looking outside.

“Excuse me!”

They jumped out of the way. She hopped, but her feet got caught on the window frame, and she fell face-first to the ground beyond.

A ball smacked her on the head.

“Dude, you killed her!”

“Nah.”

Footsteps came and went. Behind her, a crowd had formed. Ayisa tried moving her limbs, but her body was hurt all over.

“Are you alright!?” Iris came running. She pulled Ayisa up, supporting the girl to her feet.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

She supported Ayisa back to the room, bringing her back onto her bed. Dirt covered the once-clean clothes, her legs full of bruises. She took a close examination of Ayisa’s body, then took a wand from a nearby desk. The metal object glowed white, and Ayisa’s wound began healing.

“Bu- But you’re going to get cursed.”

“I’m an adult, Dear. Curses don’t work on adults.”

“But they said-”

“They? Don’t worry. I’m a teacher, remember? I have superpowers.” Iris gave her a reassuring smile.

“...”

“You can call me Miss Iris.”

“Miss… Iris?”

“Yep! I’m quite young, you know. I’m not that much older compared to you, probably. How old are you again?”

Ayisa looked away. “I… don’t know.”

“You don’t?”

“Either fifteen… maybe sixteen?”

“I see. You’re quite strong for someone your age.”

Ayisa glanced at Iris’ eyes. She was focused on one of the cuts Ayisa gained when she hit the window frame.

“You… think so?”

“Yeah. I mean, you fought a wyron.”

“Bu- But… couldn’t you do something similar, Miss Iris? It’s… nothing impressive, right?”

Iris looked up. She clenched her right fist and patted her chest. “Of course not!”

Her confidence took Ayisa aback. “You can’t? But you said you had special powers…”

“Everyone has their own superpower. Mine is a bit different from yours.”

Ayisa forced a nod, still unsure.

“This, for example. Restoration magic isn't easy. I've learned about it in some super old books. Anyway… That’s it. All done.”

Ayisa tried moving her limbs. The pain had disappeared, and the clothes looked like before she ruined them.

“Tha- Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Iris set down the wand. She took the metal cylinder and poured a brown liquid into the cup, then brought it over to Ayisa.

“You must be thirsty. Here you go.”

Ayisa carefully accepted the drink, taking a sniff of its sweet smell. It must be a kind of tea. She took a sip, the sweet and warm drink refreshed her throat.

“It’s… really good,” she said while drinking more.

She couldn't stop herself from smiling. The river's water never tasted this sweet. It tasted fresh, but not sweet. She would love to fill the entire lake with it.

“I’m glad to hear that. Do you know? These leaves can only grow high in the mountains. Someone tried altering it to survive in a warmer climate, but the taste ended up being terrible.”

“I- I see…”

“Whoops, sorry about that.” Iris sat down. “So, can you tell me about yourself? Don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

With her eyes still on the cup, Ayisa spoke. “I’m… Ayisa… What else?”

“Where are you from?”

“I don’t know.”

“Your family?”

“I’ve lived alone for longer than I can remember.”

She was sure she could remember them if she tried hard enough, but her head felt dizzy whenever she tried.

“Do you go to school?”

“No.”

“Where do you live?”

“In the forest near Niat Lake.”

Iris nodded while she listened.

“Do you live with anyone else?”

“No.”

“Any other person you know?”

She shook her head. People didn’t want to be near her. Most probably didn’t have the superpower Iris had, and even if they had it, Ayisa would end up being a bother to them. It wouldn’t be long before Iris, too, saw her for her true self. A terrible girl, someone who only brought misfortune to those around her.

She shouldn’t be here. She must return to the forest as quickly as possible.

“I… really should go back.”

“Why?”

“I’ll curse everyone here.”

It had been that way as long as she could remember. People would suffer if they got near her. It wasn’t something she could control.

Iris cradled Ayisa’s hands. “My superpower is more powerful than that. Your curse? Whatever that is, I’ll handle it easily.”

Seeing the teacher’s confident grin calmed her down. Still, how could she know the extent of her curse? Maybe she knew Ayisa already? What if she were lying, just to be kind? Or maybe her superpowers were indeed that powerful, but what cost did it have? What if she were sacrificing her own life to suppress her curse-

“Since you didn’t have anywhere to go back to, how about you attend this school?”

Ayisa’s mouth fell wide open. “But- But- But-”

“But?”

“But the curse-”

“I’ll handle it.”

“The money?”

“That’s easy. Don’t underestimate a teacher’s wages.”

“Bu- But… That’s… That’s your money.”

Iris patted her shoulders. “It’s my money, right? Doesn’t that mean I can use it however I want to?”

“But… if you’re using it to pay for my tuition… doesn’t that mean you can’t use it for anything else?”

Iris waved her hand. “I don’t have anything I want, honestly. If anything, I should thank you. You’ll make me want to work harder.”

“...” Ayisa found herself at a loss for words.

“Just give it a try. Three months. If you don’t like being here, you can go home. How does it sound?”

“... Can I… have the soup?”

“Soup?”

“The soup you made on the first day of camp.”

Iris grinned. “Of course. You can have all the soup you want.”