"WHAAAT?!" Arianna yelled at the top of her lungs. "You tell me this NOW?!"
"It's no problem, really." The other girl tried to calm her down. "We're partners, right? That's nothing we can't handle! We just have to complete two tasks instead of one! Easy peasy!"
"Don't you 'easy peasy' me! That's almost impossible based on travel time alone!"
"We'll think of something! It's us, Arianna! We're the best team there is and ever will be!"
It took quite a bit of convincing and reassuring for Velvet to get her friend to stop panicking. When she finally did, they started forming a plan.
"Alright," the golden-haired girl breathed deeply. "I already ditched Dan, so there's no way back now. First things first, we have to draw our tasks to see what we get. Then we will go from there and make a plan on how to complete them both as fast as possible."
"See? Now you're thinking!" Velvet patted her on the back. "That's the Arianna I need!"
The adventurous witch was the first one to place her hand on the orb. When she did, her mark of light lit up and the orb turned yellow. After a few seconds, a folded piece of paper was ejected from a hole in the pillar it was standing on. The girl quickly took it and opened it up.
"Retrieve a treasure..." Her eyes lit up when she saw that word, but the light in them quickly died down when she read the rest of the note. "...from the cave goblins."
"That's an easy one!" Arianna exclaimed happily. "Cave goblins are not that hard to kill!"
"You don't have to rub it in," Velvet sighed. "I wanted a harder task..."
"Are you crazy? Do you want us to fail? Let's just hope mine is an easy one as well. Then we might actually stand a decent chance at completing them both within a week's time!"
The other girl now stepped in front of the orb and hesitantly placed her hand on it. Just as with her friend, the mark of air on her hand lit up and the orb changed its color to white before a piece of paper was spat out from the hole in the pillar.
"Please be an easy one..." she begged as she opened it. When she did, her face turned pale and she felt her blood run cold.
"What is it?" her friend asked impatiently, tearing the note from her hands to read for herself.
"Steal an egg from the wyvern's nest. So lucky! You got one of the best tasks!"
Arianna sat down on the floor and leaned her back against the wall, looking devastated. "We're doomed. We're absolutely doomed," she repeated quietly, shaking her head.
"Why?" Velvet asked. "It's just a task like any other. Except much awesomer!"
"Wyverns are one of the most vicious and tenacious creatures in Rumerra, that's why!" the other girl yelled. "They are fiercely territorial and protect their nests with their lives. The only thing worse than a wyvern is a dragon because it's bigger. But both their breaths are lethal and their scales make them resilient to magic as well. Additionally, as opposed to dragons, who mainly live in solitude, wyverns tend to form flocks. There is usually never only one. This is probably the hardest task there is! We might not even make it out alive!"
"Yes, isn't this amazing?!" Velvet was bouncing up and down like she was getting shocked repeatedly. "I can literally feel shivers, that's how excited I am! We get to fight wyverns!"
"You're insane," Arianna concluded, staring at her friend in disbelief. "Completely insane..."
***
There wasn't much time to really process things, because the written and oral exams just kept coming over the next few weeks. That was not a problem for either of the gifted girls, though. Their heads were filled up to the brim with knowledge and they've basically made it a contest between themselves on who finishes an exam first.
One time it was Velvet, who read every single book on magic in the library twice over and the other time it was Arianna, who had been preparing for this since the first year, reading books and studying spells that were already post-graduate material. Whoever made it to their room first was deemed the winner.
After finishing her final exam, Velvet handed in the paper and stepped out of the classroom. She heard the sound of a door opening and turned to her right to see Arianna step out as well.
They stood like that for a few seconds, staring at each other, before the brown-haired girl suddenly started sprinting for the stairs.
"I'm winning the last one! You can just give up!"
"No way! I'm not letting you win so easily!" Arianna shouted and started running after her. When they reached the stairs, she cast an air spell to propel herself upwards and flew by Velvet who had to actually climb the stairs.
"That's cheating! I can't fly!" Velvet said.
"Too bad!" Arianna exclaimed teasingly and giggled as she landed on the first floor where their room was located in the hallway to the right.
The other girl reached the top of the staircase and bolted after her. "Light Whip!" she yelled out and emitted a thin stream of light, that she cracked. It wrapped itself around Arianna's legs, causing her to fall. She watched helplessly as Velvet ran past her, turning around and sticking out her tongue at her. "You lose, Ari!"
"We'll see about that!" The bound girl kicked furiously until the rope of light came off. When it did, she cast another spell that propelled her in the direction her friend was running.
"Web of Light!" Velvet yelled out when she saw her approaching from behind. Strings of light covered the hallway, making it almost impossible to pass. Almost. The skilled air mage redirected her flight path a couple of times and dodged them all, continuing her pursuit. She caught up with her friend right when she reached for the door handle and they both tumbled to the ground. Pushing and shoving, they fell into the room at the same time in the end.
"I guess...it's a tie..." Arianna huffed and turned her head to look at Velvet, who was lying on the floor next to her, smiling despite being out of breath.
"Fine with me!" she exclaimed before the pair started laughing at how intense their race was.
"Well, that was the last one!" Velvet said, pushing herself back to her feet. "Only one thing left to do now!" She pointed at the calendar on the wall, where a date was circled in red.
"Complete the tasks..." Arianna spoke quietly, concern in her voice. "Do you think we can?"
"I know we can!" her friend reassured her. They didn't really have time to do much training recently because of all the exams they had to take. Luckily, they didn't really need to. After practicing magic together for the last five years, they knew each other like the back of their palms and it was safe to say their teamwork and synergy were greater than that of any other student and their selected partner.
There is only so much trust you can build within a few months. But they've been building it since the first day they met, which was before classes even started. Velvet would entrust her life to Arianna without a second thought and her friend would do just the same in a heartbeat. They were as ready as they will ever be.
***
"You have a visitor, Miss Goldleaf," Ralph announced, knocking on the door of their room a few days later. Arianna put down her book and glanced over at Velvet, who was polishing her staff while sitting on the edge of her bed. She looked back at her confused friend.
"You didn't say you were getting visitors. Are you expecting someone?"
The other girl simply shook her head. "Not really. My mother wasn't supposed to come until after we graduate in two weeks or so. At least that's what she told me. Who could this be?"
The door slowly opened and an elderly lady stepped in, her long gray hair falling back over her shoulders. Despite her age, she looked quite graceful and was brimming with youthful energy. A serene smile was painted across her lips as she spoke with a gentle voice.
"How are you doing, my little one? Sorry, I came a bit unannounced. I hope you don't mind."
"Mother!" Arianna ran up to the woman and hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy to see you! But what are you doing here so soon? We haven't even graduated yet!"
"I know, sweetie," her mother replied, caressing her golden hair. "That's precisely the reason I came. You two still have the practical part of the exam to complete, right?"
"We do, only a few days left!" the girl said excitedly. "I am worried though. They let us be partners, but now we have to complete two tasks instead of one! And I got a wyvern task!"
"I see," the woman nodded understandingly. "So they let you do that, huh? Well, it's a good thing I came then! I actually wanted to give you something to help you along the way!"
"Give us something?" Arianna looked at her with a surprised expression.
"Indeed. That is why I wanted to come here before you depart." She let go of her daughter and walked over to Velvet, who was still sitting on the bed, holding her staff tightly. "And how are you, my dear? I assume the written and oral exams were not a problem for you either?"
"Hello, Mrs. Goldleaf!" the smiling girl greeted her gleefully. "Exams were easy! I think both me and Arianna will pass them with flying colors!"
"That is good to hear." She sat next to her, patting her head. "It doesn't surprise me in the least. You two are both very bright after all. I'm glad my daughter has made such a great friend. Oh, and please, call me Mary. When will you learn that you are like family to me?"
"I'm glad to have a friend like your daughter," Velvet said in turn. "Arianna is amazing."
"You're making me embarrassed in front of my mom." The blonde girl smiled sheepishly.
"Honest praise is not something to be ashamed of, my dear," she lectured her softly. "But let's get to why I am here. I don't want to distract you from your preparations, after all."
Saying this, she glanced towards the open door, making sure that Ralph has left. When she confirmed that he has, she reached into a deep pocket in her dress and pulled out a small bottle containing a crystal-clear liquid that seemed to be glowing slightly.
"What is that?!" Velvet's eyes immediately went wide. Its mystical appearance made it look like some powerful potion from one of the many fairy tales she had read over the years. Little did she know that that is exactly what it was.
"Yes...what is that Mom?" her friend was equally shocked. Where did she get that thing?
"These, my dear children, are Angel's Tears," Mary said with a spark in her eyes.
"Those are Angel's Tears?!" Velvet exclaimed and jumped up from the bed, leaning so close to the bottle that her nose was nearly touching it. "Wow! I never thought I'd see it for real!"
They both knew what this potion was since they were taught about it in class. Its existence was nearly a myth, however. So exceedingly hard to make that even the most dedicated and skilled sorcerers dreaded to quest for the ingredients required. And once you had them, only one mistake, and it was all in vain. Exactly the right amount needed to be mixed together or its effect would be null and void. Or worse, it would become a lethal poison.
But when all was done perfectly, the result was this miraculous liquid. The most potent restoration potion in the entirety of Rumerra. One could be completely drained and out of breath, yet only a sip would be enough to rejuvenate that person completely and they would be as good as new.
"I trust you both know what it does," Mrs. Goldleaf said sternly, her smile fading. "This is not something to be trifled with. I shall give it to you, but you have to promise me something!"
"You're giving it to us?!" Velvet couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Frankly, neither could Arianna. "You can't be serious about this, Mother? I don't think we should be using it!"
"Listen well, both of you!" she raised her voice, something that wasn't at all like her. "They're making it hard on you by forcing you to complete two tasks in such a short amount of time. I'm giving you this to level the playing field. Should you find yourselves in a pinch and your magic waning, drink one sip of this and you can cast spells again as if you had just woken up after a good night's rest! Don't dare to drink more, though, or you will find yourself in a world of pain! Understood?"
Arianna knew her mother well enough to know that arguing with her was pointless when she was serious like this and simply nodded in confirmation instead. "Alright, Mother. Understood."
She then turned to Velvet and signaled her to nod as well, which she did. Satisfied with their obedience, Mary handed the small bottle to the brown-haired girl standing next to her.
"Use it wisely," she added before standing up from the bed and making her way to the door.
"Wait!" Arianna called after her, making her stop in her tracks. "You're leaving already?! Have you really just come here to give us this and nothing more?"
"Yes," the woman turned around and cocked her eyebrow. "And to cheer you two on! I will be staying close by in Everdale. Expect me to be here once you come back and graduate!"
"Thank you Mrs. Gol—thank you, Mary!" Velvet corrected herself. "My dad is coming too!"
"How wonderful!" the kindly old lady replied. "I can't wait to meet him!« She wanted to leave but stopped at the door once again. "Oh, I almost forgot!" She pointed at Arianna's oaken staff that was sitting in the corner of the room. "We're getting you a new staff after this. That old thing just won't do anymore. I think it's time for an upgrade!"
"Wow, really?!" The blonde girl's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Mother! You're the best!"
"Consider it a graduation gift." She smiled and eyed her friend, who was staring at the magical liquid like she was enchanted by it. "As for you, Velvet," she pointed at her staff that was lying on the bed, "I think it's about time you ditch yours. It's starting to hold you back."
"Hold me back?" The girl suddenly woke up from her trance. "What do you mean by that?"
"Good luck to both of you!" Mary ignored her question and waved them goodbye, before disappearing into the hallway, leaving the girls staring at each other in silence.
"No offense, but your mother sure says strange things sometimes," Velvet finally spoke up.
"None taken," Arianna said. "This was strange. And why did she give us that potion?!"
"Not going to lie, this is pretty amazing!" the other girl laughed, shaking up the shiny contents of the small bottle in her hand. "Where did she even get this?"
"Be careful with that!" Arianna warned her. "We shouldn't be playing around with it!"
"Wait a minute," Velvet's voice suddenly became serious and her smile faded. "Your mother said she gave us this to even the playing field, right?"
"Yes?" her friend looked confused. "She did. So?"
"Tell me, how long does it take for someone to get from your village to here again?"
"Oh...oh my goodness," Arianna's face turned pale. "How...how did..."
"How did she know we are even partners if we just told her that?! Heck, we only knew that for three weeks ourselves! And she said that's her sole reason for coming here! Not even a letter could have come to her before she departed, provided you sent her one."
"I didn't," Arianna shook her head. "Last time I wrote to her was three months ago."
Velvet started pacing up and down the room, potion in hand. After a few moments, she stopped and looked at her friend seriously. "Are you sure that was your mother we just talked to?"
"What?! Do you think I can't recognize my own mother? Of course, that was her! And you've met her many times already when you came to visit me in the summer! Don't be absurd!"
"Well, then I'm out of ideas," the brown-haired girl admitted. "This just makes no sense!"
"Maybe she just wanted to give it to me and whoever my partner was?" Arianna suggested. "Us ending up as partners was just a lucky coincidence after all. She couldn't have known."
"Yeah, you're right," Velvet agreed. "We're probably just overthinking this. Still, what were these staff comments? What does she mean by my staff holding me back?"
"I have no idea," the other girl shrugged. "I mean, it's an adaptive staff. And right now you're using the onyx, which is the strongest crystal there is. You can't go any higher than this!"
"Exactly! This is just all sorts of confusing..."
"Let's not get distracted," Arianna said, putting her hand on her shoulder. "We have to get ready. There are only a couple of days left before our time starts running!"
Velvet nodded. "I'm going to hide this somewhere so Ralph or someone else doesn't find it."
"That's probably for the best," her friend said. "I don't think we should really even have this."
"Well, since we do, we're taking it with us! No way am I letting an opportunity to use this slip away!" The spark of excitement once again ignited in the girl. "Adventure, here we come!"
Thank you for reading this chapter!
Why has Arianna's mother appeared out of nowhere and given them this potion?