Lily Flower

Dark Enchantress: Origins

The disapproval on Pure Vanilla's face faded, and his white flower visibly relaxed. "I don't know. We could tail him for a while, check up on him. Since you have already taken his soul jam, we might as well document any side effects."

She gave him a tired smile in agreement. If she had anything to say about it, he would never find out about the baby cookie. It wasn't a living thing, only exhibiting signs of life because of its stolen jam, but she couldn't help but worry if discarding it would negatively affect their headmaster.

So began their stalking.

The headmaster arrived the next day, obviously unwell. He had to lean against the wall sometimes, often on the edge of fainting. The two children exchanged concerned glances, writing down the obvious signs of weakness. Despite the insistence of the teachers that he stay home and rest, the headmaster simply waved them off and continued working.

The duo tailed him as he went about his day. The man spent some time working with the school's administration, procuring new books, looking over potential students, and other mundane tasks. Around the afternoon, he left his office. He returned an hour later, panting from exertion. Then he went back to doing normal activities, before retiring once classes have concluded. They watched him repeat this schedule over most of the next week. Unfortunately, his health did not improve, but he became noticeably worse at a certain point in the day.

Every day, the man would disappear for around an hour. She had always assumed he just ate lunch in his office since it happened around the middle of the day. However, he left the grounds entirely, unlocking and locking the observatory and going up the mysterious stairs.

"No wonder he's always so winded," Pure Vanilla whispered, "climbing those stairs when he's already in this state. I'm shocked he hadn't fainted standing up."

"What lies above those stairs, anyway? It has to be important for him to walk that much every day." She hesitated, recalling the last time she had tried to find out the truth, before asking, "Should we see? Whatever's up there could be harmful."

"We can check," he affirmed.

With the headmaster's soul-sickness, they only had to wait a few hours before he fell asleep at his desk. Pure Vanilla snuck into his room and pinched his keys. He went back to the garden where she waited, handing them to her.

"Should we go together?"

"I'll do it alone." The headmaster would surely notice his keys missing, and she did not wish for him to connect the incident with Pure Vanilla. She had been the one to take his jam and reduce him to a trembling wreck. Her friend shouldn't have to bear this burden as well.

"Are you sure?"

"I insist. Go back to class, okay?"

He acquiesced, leaving to participate in a class too easy for him. White Lily hurried to the observatory gate, unlocking the barrier and closing it behind her. She walked up the glass candy steps, noting the slow increase in magical energy. It was a long walk, at least twenty minutes, and glancing from the side of the steps she could see the tiny academy building, which looked like a toy from this height. The stairs lacked a railing, and she felt absurdly grateful that the headmaster did not fall due to exhaustion. Even she was getting winded after the endless climbing.

As if sensing her thought, the end came into view. A small floating platform appeared at the end, gently floating. She hopped from the stairs onto the platform, and it bobbed softly under her weight. The curious student approached the center of the platform, gasping at the object in the center.

A large blue crystal in the shape of a moon glimmered in the starlight, encompassed on all sides by magical bindings. It practically radiated power, and White Lily was entranced.