Alitia: Crown of Ash

IX: Angelwood

When the weekend came around, Luce shuffled around her room, resisting the urge to yawn. Sleep hadn't come as easily to her as it had in the past since her conversation with Michaela. She didn't know how to approach the subject that her teacher had brought up, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to. 

She was Luce Elenes. She was a warrior, a bearer of Starlight, and a war hero. She hadn't even turned eighteen yet, but she was already on top of the damn world. Why was the war dragging her down so far? Maybe it was because she hadn't ever faced trauma until then, but she hated it regardless. She wanted Iago to just leave her alone forever. She had dealt with him enough already, hadn't she?

Luce brushed off thoughts of him as she pulled on a hoodie. Since the party was rather casual, she was going with a relaxed outfit. Carys might have liked to take every possible chance to dress up, but she was far from being like Carys. Luce found herself satisfied with a white hoodie and pale blue jeans with black combat boots. She looked at her sword, wondering if it would be a good idea to bring it along to the party. 

Last time she had been at a party like this, Iago had appeared and brought someone under his control. Luce had been forced to fight to protect a defenseless Sylvia while everyone else escaped, and her sword always helped her in a fight. What if something like that happened again?

Luce let out a sigh, shaking her head. She wasn't dealing with Iago anymore. He was gone. He had been gone for ages, and she had to stop thinking about him. No matter what Michaela said, she had to move on for the sake of S.M.'s future. There were countless people counting on her, and she couldn't let them down after being a beacon of hope for so long. 

Instead of grabbing her sword, Luce simply reached for a small dagger, sliding it onto her belt. She examined herself in the mirror, brushing her way through her bob with her hair. Luce halfway considered pulling away the hair from in front of her eye, but she shook her head and let it fall back into place. Now wasn't the time for her to go changing up everything that she knew as familiar and good. 

Once she was happy with her appearance, Luce grabbed a pair of fingerless gloves off her bedside table and tugged them onto her hands. She clenched her hands into fists a few times before her grasp instinctively went to her dagger. She took in a deep breath before releasing it and walking towards the door, trying to push the unpleasant memories of the times Acadia had been made into a battlefield out of her mind. 

She couldn't even begin to express her relief that this party wasn't held at Acadia. She didn't need to remember the glass raining from above after the attack. She didn't want to think about what had happened at the party the previous semester. This was all about having a good time and moving past Iago, so she had to stop thinking about him. Maybe this would be the closure she needed to move on fully from what had happened the year before. 

When Luce walked out into the main area of her dorm where the others were all waiting for her, she saw that they were embracing this calm moment. Most of them were wearing rather loose clothing, and even Carys managed to look fancy without overdressing. 

"Are we ready to go?" Tanith asked excitedly with a wide grin. 

"I think so," S.M. replied. "I texted Nebula and Anneliese already. They're going to be meeting us there, and the same goes for Cessair. We can talk once we arrive there."

"I'm glad to hear that we'll get to see them again," Sophia smiled. "Now, let's go on over there."

In the minutes that followed, the party walked out of Alitia and into the courtyard. From there, it was a matter of going towards Angelwood. Luce stared down at the grass, kicking a stray pebble along. She took in a deep breath whenever she thought they were wandering into familiar territory near where Iago had died. Part of her wanted to pull up her hood to focus only on the way the tip of her boot came into contact with the rock as she guided it along the path.