Alitia: Crown of Ash

VII: Wings of the Divine

Luce walked up to the table she was sharing with her friends for lunch that day, sliding into her seat in between Sylvia and Helena. "So, how have you guys been doing today?" she asked. 

"The new schedule is already working better for me than last semester, but I guess I didn't actually try all that hard last time we were here, so I suppose that's normal," Sylvia shrugged. She picked up a circular roll and took a mighty bite of it before letting out a sigh. "I suppose this is natural if you were under a curse before, right?"

"The schedules are changing?" Luce asked, picking up her apple and taking a bite. "I thought that everything was the same as last semester. My schedule didn't change at all."

"Yours might not have shifted, but there are certainly some other schedules that have changed," Helena replied. "For example, Carys and I aren't in your magical research class anymore. Tanith is there though."

Luce took a moment to think about what Helena was saying before it hit her. She let out a small sigh as her head slipped into her other hand. She shook her head as she spoke. "I didn't even realize... Tanith was in my study hall period last semester, but since that's in the library like the magical research class... I guess I got everything mixed up," she murmured. Luce raised her head slowly. "I haven't really been thinking all that hard today, I suppose. It's weird to come back here again."

Carys snorted and shook her head. "You seriously forgot that Helena and I weren't in your class anymore? You really are off your game," she commented. 

Luce nodded. "There aren't any objections here," she mumbled. She took another bite of her apple, frowning to herself. She knew exactly why she was feeling so off, and Iago was the one to blame for disrupting her schedule so spectacularly that it messed with her fundamentally. However, even if she knew the root of the issue, that didn't help her to feel any better about it. If anything, it just gave her a place to direct her anger when she felt worse about what had happened. It was going to take a while for her to get back on her routine, and that only left her more aggravated. 

"How are the rest of your days going?" Sophia questioned, changing the subject seamlessly. "I know that I've been having a good enough time, but I know that all of this coming back at once can be overwhelming."

"I'm glad to finally be back in a recognizable routine," S.M. answered. "I mean, I know that we aren't able to do whatever we want when we want anymore, but it's better than having too much free time and thinking. Being left alone with our thoughts is a recipe for disaster. I can't be the only one who feels this way."

"You aren't," Sylvia replied quickly. "I don't want to think about what happened any more than I have to."

"We shouldn't have to think about it either. We should all try and distract ourselves while moving forward," Iris suggested. "We can't get overly rooted in the past, but at the same time, we can't become obsessed with the future either. We need to find a peaceful balance, and I believe that we can only accomplish such if we work together. This is the least we can do for ourselves and each other."

"There's a bit of a problem with that though," Tanith murmured. "If we think about the past, we'll just wind up being reminded that Iago exists, and that isn't going to help us in the slightest. If we try to look to the future, we'll be reminded of what we did to get away from the Alight Five."

"I'm surprised that they haven't come back since last time," S.M. admitted. "I know the king of Igni all too well, and he isn't the type to give up when he thinks that he's in the right. I mean, it's kept mages on top of leaths for generations. He might not have ruled for that long, but everyone in our family is infamous for being stubborn, and that's not exactly a good thing in this case."