Teris had learnt a lot of things today.
One: They hadn't been as secretive as they had hoped. Goldiha had already had a suspicion a few days after Momo had settled in. Apparently, the black cat's behaviors were wildly different from those of normal cats, and while that could go unnoticed by others, the blonde witch had dealt with more than enough cats in her life to take note immediately.
"You are more timid, and your actions seem to be calculated," the witch shrugged to a stunned Momo, "As if you are trying to please me, yet you always refuse to fall into deep sleep next to me. That, by itself, is strange. By nature, cats are soloists and will only allow those they trust to share their comfort. You clearly don't trust me enough."
"Oh..."
"Additionally, there have been a handful of bizarre happenings under my roof after you came, yet somehow I always find Teris in the middle. My cauldron misplaced, some of my plants suddenly hitting a puberty of sorts," Goldiha giggled, "Or my living room curtains swapped with those in the kitchen, and my pumpkin turned into a bunch of cabbages, to name a few. There is no way it could've been Teris, although your face had looked so truly guilty, I almost believed that it was you. And no, I'm not mad. I find it comical, really," she reassured the grey tomcat.
"And then I thought back to everything about you, Momo. About how you made me call you by your correct name and how you were always peeking around the corner as Teris took the blame for you. There was even that one time when my scrapped knee healed too quickly to be human or the work of a potion - I didn't apply any, by the way - and I remembered you cuddling on my lap, how that felt so pleasant.
"On top of it all, however, was your performance at the Candy Cup two years ago. Although it was subtle, upon closer inspection, you did perform a simple form of teleportation. Juliana had pointed that out."
Even Varee had an inkling that Momo was no ordinary cat. A sorceress? No, she didn't think that far, nor did she have knowledge of the concept to assume to, yet she wasn't surprised at the revelation.
"You two had been hiding something from me, that I know. I was just wondering why. Seems like you have a solid reason after all, so I'll let it slide."
Two: There were more sorcerers out there besides Momo and Muffin. Three more of them, at least, including Frodo von Schwartz. Momo was overjoyed when she was informed. Since forever, she had been convinced that they were all slaughtered to the root, and that she was unfortunate to be alive.
"Ah, no, there is no straightforward root to be burnt when it comes to sorcerers. Fascinating, isn't it? Humans can never wipe sorcerers away, just reduce their numbers. In fact, I haven't found any genetic relations to this occurrence yet. More or less, my current hypothesis is that this is a gift from an extraterrestrial force. The inter-dimensional theory is yet proven false, after all," Juliana explained.
Three: Instructor Juliana was extremely passionate about the whole "offering sorcerers proper education" thing. She had, naturally, heard of countless tales depicting the sorcerers as the villain, but she had always been more interested in why they had come to be. Goldiha was also on board. Being quite neutral on the matter from the start, Juliana didn't even break a sweat persuading her.
"Sorcerers typically enjoy a longer life than the rest of their kind, nearing around that of humans, so it's quite easy on my part calculating at which age you should be enrolled into the Academy. Specifically - six."
"Six?" Teris looked at the black cat wide-eyed upon hearing the witch's statement, "You are six years old already!?"
That - was the fourth shocking thing that he found out today. All this time, he considered Momo his little sister of a different mother. Never once had it crossed his mind that she aged differently, that she was actually older than him. Heck, he wasn't even four! In his own defense, she did look like a three-month-old kitten. But then again, he had only realized now that she hadn't changed much since she arrived while he grew dramatically. If she was an ordinary cat, she would've been as tall as Varee now - or could've reached her shoulder, at least.
"Well, that topic has never been brought up, hasn't it?" she replied bashfully, "And six is basically four months in cat years."
"Now that you mention it, it is strange that you don't seem to age. But that compared to you being out of the ordinary in general is so trivial, I forgot to notice," Varee added.
"Two years is a long time, and four is even moreso. You were born before us and had done well surviving that much. It was nothing short of impressive," Teris stated, "When you confessed to being a sorceress, you were dealing with so much stress and anxiety, I thought you were overwhelmed by the world way too soon. Yet in as short as a day, you proved yourself to be more mature than I initially gave you credit for."
"B-but didn't I..."
"Fear and trauma, those are ageless," Varee licked the other cat affectionately, having picked up the habit of comforting Momo with gentle intimacy from her mate, "You have been in an arduous battle, and have been fighting until now. What's more important now is that there is a chance to end it - for now, forever, it doesn't matter to me. Won't you take it to sleep in peace alas?"
"Sleep in peace... That does sound like a good dream," Momo mused, "I will... give it a shot then. Can you root for me, like you did back when I was participating in the Candy Cup? Can you... please?"
Teris could never forget the look in her eyes at that moment, even as he approached the end of his short feline life. Momo was timid and easily freaked out, sure, but she was never the one to plead. Yet when she looked at him with her eyes wide and her dark pupils almost overtaking her yellow scleras, her ears flattened against her head and her tail twitching in anticipation, and she couldn't help her breath accelerating along with her heart.
Such was not the normal behavior of a hunter, nor a survivor.
"This is an immensely large step in her life, dear," Varee told her mate and offered the smaller cat another lick, "Of course we will be right behind you - not physically, maybe, but if things don't go right, know that we'll be here. So for my sake as well, keep your chin up, your ears alert and your eyes sharp. Then I can be proud that I have taught a sorceress!"
"Send a voicemail whenever you need it. I think you'll get to learn to use that soon if you're studying their method of delivering magic," Teris nodded, "Are you going to Goldi?"
"R-right, let's talk to her."
~
That day, "Momo Avian" came to life.
Among all the sorcerers she had managed to track down, only one was born with a proper given name and family name, which was Frodo von Schwartz. As for the others, they all had to give themselves a name at some point so that their contacts may have something to refer to with, or was named by nearby humans.
Momo... She couldn't remember when she started carrying this name. Was it Muffin who gave it to her? Or one of the ghouls? She wouldn't even be bothered if it was a different name or none at all, because before this life with so many open possibilities, her sole goal of survival needed no such means. Time had changed, however, and she now carried Goldiha's surname. As the Academy only accepted verified witches, the yellow witch would act as her guardian - a mother, in fact.
In her wildest dreams - in one of them, at least, she had dreamt of knowing where she came from. Early memories were always fuzzy, and hers was no exception. On less exhausting days, she wondered if her birth parents were sorcerers or ordinary cats, if they were slaughtered or still alive out there, somewhere.
She wondered if she was a lost child, or merely discarded.
Those thoughts never had time to linger for long, however, not until she had a firm roof above her head. By then, her dreams had already shifted. She wouldn't admit that she had thought of her imaginary mother with resemblance to Goldiha, but really, how could she not? When she started settling down, she expected the worst, always on edge and ready to run, but the witch was more than kind - she was so nonchalant, everything around her seemed harmless.
"I've gotta give it to you though," remarked Dreistch Gartner, a fellow warlock from the Amber Guild, "Using your prize money to sponsor a sorceress, that's some big guts you got there. I can understand that she's a cat and all, and you may use the money however you'd like, but really, it's a bet, more or less, and not only your reputation, but even your freedom and your very psyche are at stake. It is hard to grow attached to a creature humans aren't supposed to reach just to have the bond severed."
"I see where you're coming from," she said with a lighthearted shrug, "But don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"You're a Flyer, not a Tamer," Dreistch said matter-of-factly while casting a glance at the door of his office. On the other side, Juliana and Momo were having their lunch break before proceeding to the next step of the citizen identification and education paperwork - with the help of Amber Guild. Goldiha had pulled her strings and made sure they were supported, or at least that no one would hinder their efforts.
"I know, I know," Goldiha exhaled, crossing her arms, "But really, what else do you expect me to do? You Tamers know best when it comes to relations with other species, yet you still get carried away with emotions every so often, then why can't I?"
"Sorcerers are a big deal."
"And so are drakes and narwhals and griffons," the witch retorted, "As far as I know, Momo is much less of a threat compared to dragons. Don't you think she can understand as much as we do about safety precautions and laws of magic usage?"
"You-... Urgh, you and your sharp tongue! No wonder why everyone says that you're such a menace behind that smile," the warlock grumbled, "Just, be careful. It's not like I have no faith in you, or Juliana, or your sorceress, but my doubts cannot be cleared in a heartbeat. And then again, I know all too well what it's like to have your hope shattered. I don't wish for it to happen to any of you."
"We'll try. But once it does happen, I trust that you'll leave Momo alone. No execution, no arrest and jail sentence, none of that, alright? Or I might be too upset I'll leave the Guild."
"Alright, alright. I'll have that noted down," Dreistch sighed exasperatedly. Dealing with Goldiha Avian was much more of a hassle than any other beast in his career. He hoped that Momo Avian wouldn't take after her guardian.
~
The rest of the procedure went smoothly - better than last time, as Juliana claimed, and hopefully so would the following school year.
There weren't many things to pack for the trip ahead. Momo barely owned anything, and those she did - they were only fit for the life of a house cat. Goldiha did buy several grey robes her size - as such was the uniform dress code applied to all students at the Academy, of all ages, though senior students would be allowed to have some fancy linings with colors that corresponded to their origin. The Flyer also passed down her old set of textbooks, filled to the brim with her silly doodles and extra notes. As for learning equipment, the Instructor informed that Momo may borrow them from the school like other students, so they needed not to worry.
Frodo, who had stayed back with Teris and Varee while Momo went to the Guild Headquarters with Goldiha and Juliana, seemed excited to return to school. The other two sorcerers had been waiting for a while now, and he disliked them being separated for too long. Moreover, although Varee could tolerate the frog due to her affection towards Momo and out of respect that he brought her comfort and behaved during his stay, she could not approve the fact that he and Teris had been going back and forth between their residence and the Ghost House. Teris never let her in on the details regarding Muffin or the ghouls, so it was only natural that she grew annoyed at the factor causing her mate to divert his attention.
The frog, at the opposite end, picked up the hint that her hospitality was running out as well. Regrettably, he reduced his visits. He wanted to tell Muffin everything - about how his family had managed to escape great assaults in the past and exist until this day, how there were sorcerers of different fates and how Juliana had tracked them down thanks to her great many contacts, and how they were learning and being treated at the human Academy. But there wasn't enough time for all of that, because he had to rely on Teris to take him there, for his legs weren't best-suited to travel such a distance. Cats, on the other hand, had no problem. As Varee made it more and more obvious that she would bite his head off if he didn't stop messing with her life, and instinctively, he had to make sure that wouldn't happen anytime soon.
"Don't worry, we'll depart right this afternoon," one day, the frog sorcerer said, "We won't bother you any more - Miss Juliana and I, that is."
"Good to know," Varee huffed, "Where's Momo?"
"She said she's... packing stuff. I doubt it, but I won't bother her. She promised to be right back down when it's time to go."
"...take care."
The female cat turned away with her kittens. The frog eyed her back and skyward tail, wondering if only those who were not burdened with powers not meant for their kind could walk that proudly and confidently.
No, that mustn't be true. He reminded himself. There were no short of creatures that lived in cowardice despite having nothing to fear as far as he knew, and sorcerer Nimbus had always held his head high regardless.
Soon, the clock struck 1 P.M. Momo descended the stairs with soundless footsteps and a face grimmer than usual - but also more certain about the trip ahead. The witches had decided that Goldiha would not come along. The Flyer was way too well-known, and her presence as Momo's guardian would certainly cause unnecessary attention to the poor cat, who was already timid as is. "Avian", thankfully, wasn't too rare a surname, so the others at the Academy would hopefully not jump immediately to conclusions.
By ten past one, Juliana was on her broomstick in Goldiha's garden; Frodo made himself comfortable in her traveller's scarf; Momo's luggage was secured at the back, while the cat herself sat in a basket firmly installed up front.
In the cold November air, they bid the yellow witch goodbye. Momo felt her eyes stung, but she swallowed and sobs that dared to surface. This was not a parting for good, and she would not be sent to any certain death, just yet another battle that if she won, she would earn a lifetime.
From the small circle window of the attic, a pair of dark eyes on a pale white form watched without blinks as they took off.
~
The history of the Grand Academy dates back to thousands of years.
The complex of buildings that made up the institute was once a fortress, with its highest watchtowers rising from mountaintops, its greenhouses and gardens spreading out in the valleys and adding colors to the small river, and its stone abodes now used as classrooms and dormitories scattered the mountainsides and eating into caverns. A few mountains were carved in order to create an adequate landing field for Flyers and - occasionally - Tamers riding their beasts, now we're instead utilized as training grounds.
To the South, the Academy complex met the Ocean, where the skeletal remains of a hydra defeated eons ago laid like a reminder not to invade the ancient fortress, especially not with blunt force. Under the rising Moon, it seemed alive almost. Frodo shivered for the nth time, as it never failed to taunt him every time he passed by, but Momo merely eyed it with longing eyes. A corpse was little threat to her and her understanding of the Beyond, but its ghost, if lingered, would be an actual great threat...
A few paces away, the Academy Harbor was silent, but the distant cries of ships all the way from the Southern Islands, probably commissioned by the Cosmo Guild, woke the night.
To the East, a desert spread with no end in sight. No wonder why the Phoenix Guild members were known to be warriors. In the dark past, they roamed the hottest days and coldest nights, guarding the fortress from enemies lurking in the sands.
To the North, ice-capped mountains rose. The winter winds came from that direction, no doubt, but the dense pine forests had shielded the Academy from the worst gusts. Only the cold remained. There was no telling what might emerge from the clouds and woods, but the Viridian Guild had so far done great to keep whatever dangers the cold climate posed at bay.
To the West where Momo came from, plains with simple-colored wildflowers led the river on a round tour before returning to the Ocean. It was so far the safest place, where the warlocks and witches from the war could rely on for a relaxing stroll. Hence, the Amber Guild was the youngest of the four, but they were no less required. The far West held unknown forces, one such example was the Storm Wyverns, so there must be someone ready to act. So far, their sovereign, who they termed the Mystic Wyvern, was yet to be found.
Old tales told that on the twenty-first of November, all those years long gone, all warriors from far and wide had gathered at this very fortress, planning and preparing for an entire month before striking in the dead of night on the Winter Solstice. It was the battle that decided their victory. Later on, when the complex was reverted to become an institute, November 21st became the first day of a school year, and on the Winter Solstice, a feast would be held to celebrate peace and union.
Momo Avian closed her eyes. She was crossing the river. Fear gnawed at her soul even more strongly than before.
~
A new chapter yay!