"What are you talking about?"
Olivia's face was pale, her eyes wide with fear. She swallowed uncomfortably, taking a step away from Erin.
Erin followed her, moving until less than a foot of distance was left between them.
"I should have seen it sooner. Maybe I did. I saw the signs, but I ignored them, because I didn't want it to be true, because I couldn't believe it even if I tried." She sighed, rubbing her neck, wishing she could cry. "Gerald knew it. He didn't want to tell me. He hinted at it, talked around it. In the end he just handed me the means to prove it without saying a word." She gestured at the dust that was all that was left of the level 2 wind artifact.
"So now, here we are. You know me, better than anyone else in this place. We've watched out for each other, helped each other, cared for each other. So there's no reason for lies, excuses or talking around the issue."
"Erin..." Olivia's eyes were red, shining with unshed tears.
"So I'll repeat my question one more time, Olivia:" Erin swallowed, wiping away her own tears. "What. Have. You. Done?"
Olivia backed away, shaking her head slowly.
"You won't understand. You can't. Since day one we've been treated differently. You've had everything handed to you. Even without powers your position in this academy has always been secure. You never had to worry about you or your loved one losing their life just because you didn't do well on a test. But me..." Her hands balled into fists, her face becoming angry. "I had to fight every single day for my place here. If I don't keep my scholarship, I lose my chance at a future in healing, lose my brother a chance at a normal life. I have to protect my family. If that means staining my hands... doing the dirty work for someone else..."
"Hurting other people?" Erin's question was quiet, but in the cool night air, it felt like she was shouting.
Olivia sighed. "Not all of us get to be the hero, Erin. I can't rebel, can't speak my mind, can't protect other people. I can only save me and my family. Going against her... It's as good as killing my brother off with my own hands. "
"Olivia..." Erin reached out, but the other girl backed away, staying just out of reach.
"No... just... stay out of this. There's nothing you can do. Not for me, Not for him... not even for yourself." She met Erin's gaze, tears running down her cheeks. "We're all trapped in her schemes now. We just have to survive the best we can."
"Wait..." Erin couldn't finish the sentence before she was struck with a grade 4 wind spell, pushing her off her feet, knocking the wind out of her. By the time she struggled to her knees, the other girl had already used physical reinforcement magic and wind magic to race far beyond what Erin could see.
"No!" She pounded her fist on the ground, frustration and pain welling up within her. Why did it have to be Olivia?!!!
She pulled out the golden chain around her neck, rubbing her thumb against the blood red stone attached. Closing her eyes, focusing within, Erin activated the artifact, a grim smile forming on her face as a location appeared within her mind.
Good thing Gerald thought to give this to me.
He was being kept in one the buildings along the outer edge of the forest that surrounded the academy. Often used for storing spare tools, it was isolated, rarely opened... perfect for hiding a kidnapped prince.
She mentally reached within herself, frowning as the all too familiar ringing in her ears started as the restriction spell prevented a smooth flow of magic. Her aunt was right, the spell was cracked, breaking apart at the seams. If she kept pushing...
Erin thought of Olivia's face, despair shadowing her features. She remembered Gerald's smile as he told her goodbye, knowing he might not see her again.
Determined, she pulled more power out, activating spiritual reinforcement to assist with her other magic, and then focused on physical reinforcement and wind magic to boost her speed as much as possible. As she moved forward, faster than the eye could follow, she felt a severe pounding headache at her temples, blurring her vision, but she put it from her mind, focusing on the goal ahead.
I have to save them.
No matter what happens to me, I have to bring everyone else home safe.
She moved through the forest, dodging past trees, bushes and rocks. Throughout the trip Erin continuously pulled out more and more magical power, feeling the restriction spell splintering as she ran. She prayed that the backlash wouldn't happen before she could achieve her goal.
Finally, Erin arrived outside the building, which the artifact had indicated Gerald was being kept at. She stopped, looking around her as she waited for her heart rate and breathing to slow. The world was silent, as if everything around her was holding its breath, waiting for the upcoming confrontation. Erin felt strangely calm. She had a fairly clear idea of exactly who was waiting for her at the edge of the forest.
This was not going to end well.
Slowly, carefully, she pushed open the door to the wooden cabin, giving her eyes a chance to adjust to the darkness within.
Gerald sat on the floor, propped up against wall, his hands and feet bound. Standing over him was a sobbing Olivia, clutching a silver chain and clear stone which she held over his head.
"This is all your fault! She was never supposed to know I was involved!" Olivia could barely get the words out through her tears.
Gerald sighed. "Do you really think you could have hidden this from Erin? They were framing her for YOUR crimes!" He shook his head. "Let me help you! Let Erin help you! Whatever they're threatening you with, let's deal with it together!"
"SHUT UP!" She pressed the artifact against his forehead. "I didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice."
"Stop." Erin spoke softly, but both of the room's occupants froze, then turned to stare at her.
"What... Erin... How did you...?" Olivia stuttered, shocked to see her.
Gerald grinned. "You came to rescue me? Thanks!" He sighed. "I never really saw myself as being someone who needed to be rescued, but I'm more than willing to be the 'gentleman in distress' if you're the one rescuing me."
"How about just you don't get kidnapped anymore?" Erin rubbed her forehead, irritated at his overly cheerful expression.
Gerald chuckled in response. "Oh please, like this is the worst I have done? Let's just get married, you can keep a closer eye on me then."
"... We'll talk about it after we get you back home safe."
Gerald's mouth hung open in shock. He turned to Olivia, ignoring the amulet hanging near his face. "Did you hear that?! You heard that too, right? She didn't say no! Am I dreaming?" He smiled. "Olivia, this may sound strange, but thank you for kidnapping me."
"Shut up!" Olivia and Erin spoke up at the safe time, before turning to face each other once again.
"Olivia, please, just give this up. I'll figure out a way to help you. If you keep down this path, I may not be able to save you anymore."
Erin reached out, but Olivia shook her head, taking a fighting stance.
"I don't need saving. I know what I'm doing. If I do her dirty work now, I keep my scholarship, get a guaranteed spot at the largest healing center in the Capital." She activated physical reinforcement magic, preparing for battle. "She has serious connections with the government, that's how she got these amulets. She knows someone within the government, someone top secret, that has a restriction ability..."
Her face was stern, but her eyes held the yearning she felt. "If that person can restrict my brother's ice ability... he might be able to live a normal life. I'll do anything... ANYTHING to make that happen. "
"Even killing me?" Erin regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth.
"..." Olivia just stared silently. She didn't have to answer. The truth was written in her expression. Erin felt her heart drop. Grimly she took a defensive stance, wondering how much more power she could draw on before the restriction spell cracked further and she experienced the rebound effect.
"That's enough."
A prim voice spoke out through the darkness. An unnatural wind struck grasped Olivia, pulling her up against the wall where Gerald had similarly now was hanging, suspended. Everything else in the cabin: chairs, boxes, a small table, were all crushed into powder by the ferocity of the wind, but around Erin it was calm, nothing more than a gentle breeze.
This was the terror of a calamity level power.
A woman stepped out of the shadows, a slight smile on her face. She had forgone her usual headmistress uniform, and was wearing the armor that she had received as one of the strongest knights in the country. One hand grasped a silver sword, wind and fire magic shimmering down the blade. The other moved through the air in a graceful pattern, controlling the deadly winds that moved throughout the cabin. She stopped not too far away from Erin, her usual polite mask firmly in place.
Lady Belanna.
All of a sudden things suddenly became clear for Erin. The pieces that hadn't fit together since she found out about Olivia's involvement clicked into place. There had always been someone controlling things behind the scenes. Someone powerful, someone with connections.
"I'm so glad I arrived in time to save you! Good job catching the true culprit, dear." The Headmistress smiled, gesturing over to Olivia who was trapped up against the wall. "Now your name can be cleared and the true criminal punished..."
"Just shut up."
Erin interrupted calmly, stepping forward, her hands clenched at her sides. "Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"What's there to question? You caught the girl red handed."
Erin's voice was almost a growl. "And so you'll pretend you weren't threatening her scholarship, or promising to heal her brother to force her into it?"
"..." The headmistress raised an eyebrow, "That's a lot of faith in someone who was just about to kill you."
Erin shook her head. "What I don't understand is why. Why are you doing this? You're one of the most powerful knights in the country besides my father. The powers taken off of students here would be worthless to you."
She didn't answer right away, staring at Erin as if seeing right through her. The only sound came from Gerald's and Olivia's agonized gasps as they struggled against the magic that suspended them up in the air.
"... You truly don't realize, do you?" When the woman finally spoke, her mask slipped, a vicious, bitter expression taking over her face. "Just how much of an embarrassment you are to him."
"You..." Erin started to interrupt, her eyes wide with shock, but the woman continued loudly, her eyes showing a fanatic devotion.
"Your father... he's perfect. Powerful, ambitious, strong willed... absolutely perfect. The only stain, the only annoyance is that he has a child like you."
Blades made entirely out of wind formed in the air, moving towards the two captured students' necks. Inching nearer until only millimeters separated skin from the deadly spells, she herself moved closer to Erin.
"I tried to get you to trust me, to depend on me. I isolated you, arranged for everyone around you to push you away. You should have come begging for my help! You should have been crawling on your hands and knees hoping for my favor!"
Lady Belanna was spitting with rage, her eyes wide, the sword in her hand trembling.
"Instead you ignored me, blithely continuing down this path to humiliate Him. But still, my love for him is great enough that I will overlook your arrogance and ungratefulness."
Erin tried to back away, but the woman followed behind her. "You really..."
"I arranged to gather the abilities you used to have, enough to restore you to your former level of power. We'll pretend you recovered from whatever caused your powers to decrease. You can re-enter society as a proper daughter to Roderick. It will be perfect."
"..." Staring at the older woman in shock, Erin finally whispered. "And Gerald and Olivia?"
Lady Belanna shrugged. "We'll sacrifice the girl as a scapegoat. She was always meant to take the fall for the attacks anyways. As for the prince..." She glanced over at the struggling young man who glared at her in return, unable to voice his obvious rage due to the constraints of the wind spell that held him in place.
"It's a shame, but I can't allow witnesses." She smiled, a cold expression. "Don't worry, once you are properly established as a true daughter of Roderick, you will have plenty of other suitors."
"You're insane." Erin could barely force the words out in her anger. "You really think people won't realize what you've done? That I'll go along with this?"
The headmistress waved her free hand, and a wind spell surrounded Erin, trapping her in place. The wind blades threatening Gerald and Olivia started to move forward, about to pierce through skin.
"It doesn't matter what you or anyone else thinks. The strong survive and rule, the weak can only perish." She grinned "I thought you would have realized this by now."
Erin was ten years old. Avoiding chores, she hid in a secret compartment in the grand hall of their home. Her aunt had showed her the spot once, and ever since then Erin came here whenever she didn't want to be found.
It was perfect. Large enough for her to rest comfortably, while small enough to just be able to fit her. Small peepholes provided her with a way to watch what went on in the main room, without giving away her hiding spot.
"Roderick, you can't do this! Your plans will upset the very balance of magic in this world. You will destroy us all!" Her mother's desperate tone broke the girl from her pleasant day dreams. Startled she looked through the door to see what was going on.
Erin would always... always regret that decision.
Her father stood tall and proud, his gaze cold as he stared at his wife. He casually gestured and she was lifted into the air by wind magic, struggling to breathe as it tightened around her throat.
"I will do as I please." His words were spoken with ease, as if he were discussing the weather at tea, rather than murdering his wife. "The strong will always rule, the weak can only abide by it... or perish." With a wide grin, he made another gesture, water slowly forming a long column around Erin's mother, trapping her within.
Too terrified to move, barely able to even breathe, the girl watched as her mother struggled, and slowly drowned, floating mid air as her father watched calmly.
Finally the water disappeared, and her body dropped heavily to the ground.
"Place her body in the lake. I'll inform her family that my wife, giving into despair, drowned herself to escape her sorrow." He glanced over, and Erin shuddered as his eyes passed over her hiding spot. "Can you handle that?"
"Of course, Roderick." A familiar older woman's voice spoke out. Erin couldn't see her, but knew who it was all the same. She had visited many times in the past....
Lady Belanna.
Erin felt something within her snap. The ringing in her ears, a constant reminder of the restriction spell laid upon her, had disappeared. In its place was a sense of rightness. A feeling of completion. She took a deep breath, able to feel all of the wind magic currently under Lady Belanna's control. It called to her.
Erin threw back her head and laughed.
"What's so funny?!" The older woman snapped, her eyes slightly frightened at the younger girl's insane actions.
"You honestly think that making me strong would bring you back into my father's good graces? You underestimate how little I matter to him. " Erin smiled. "But more than that, for all your plans, you've made one, serious error:"
At her whisper, the strong magic winds, the blades threatening her friends... everything stopped.
"You thought I was weak."
"What..." Lady Belanna was shocked, but had no chance to voice any other complaint as all the magic currently under her control was wrested away from her. She was gripped tightly by wind magic and thrown against the wall, hard enough to crack ribs.
"You think you are strong because you have catastrophic level wind magic?" Erin laughed, but there were no signs of pleasure on her face. "I can go beyond that."
SLAM! The woman was thrown against the opposite wall, striking her face. The sound of her nose breaking against the hard surface was abnormally loud in the quiet of the cabin. She tried to scream in pain, but found the air sucked out of her lungs. The sword in her hand was ripped away, and flung into a nearby wall.
Lady Belanna gestured wildly, and large white magical flames filled the cabin. They were similar to the spell used by Wilhemina to threaten Erin during her last duel. A level 4 fire magic. It had completely suppressed her just a few months ago.
Now Erin only smiled wider. "Weak."
The entire cabin went up in flames, the walls incinerated to ashes in a moment. Olivia and Gerald, protected by the wind spells that held them in place, were moved further away and gently placed on the ground.
"Pathetic."
Boulders the size of elephants tore themselves from the ground, landing behind and to either side of the older woman, trapping her in place. Erin stepped forward, each time her foot touched against the ground the earth shuddered, world pulling away from the intensity of the magic that clung to her body. Terrified, crying, Lady Belanna tried to use wind magic to fly out of the trap of the boulders, but found herself unable to move. She could only stare forward in horror as the young girl walked closer, stopping on a few feet away.
"I could kill you like how he killed my mother..." The space between the boulders filled with water... the woman swam desperately, holding her breath, but was unable to escape.
Erin watched her struggle for a few long moments, her expression blank.
"But that would be too boring." With her whispered words the water evaporated, leaving Belanna soaked, bedraggled and gasping for air. Her skin was bruised and torn, her armor destroyed and hanging off her body. She knelt on the ground, trying to catch her breath, when a metallic clatter caught the older woman's attention.
It was the magical artifact she had brought... the sword.
"You have Physical reinforcement as well, correct?" Erin smiled. "As expected of one of the strongest knights in the country." Her tone was mocking as she stared down at her opponent. She spread her arms wide, grinning.
"Take your best shot."
Her eyes red with rage and fear, Belanna grabbed her sword and pushed herself torwards Erin, utilizing the full extent of her wind and physical reinforcement magic.
"JUST DIE!!!!"
Her movement was perfect, crossing the distance faster than a blink, her attack movement with her weapon timed exactly right to strike Erin's chest. It was clear, concise, practiced. At the level of what one would expect from a knight with years of battle experience.
But it was nowhere near enough.
As fast as Belanna was, Erin moved faster. She dodged the other woman's attack, tripping her to the ground. Before she could react further, the girl had broken the wrist holding the weapon, and lifted her up into the air, her hand on her throat.
Belanna struggled, even defeated her gaze held only hatred and arrogance. "You can't kill me." She gasped. "Your father..."
Erin smiled. "He'll be meeting you in Hell soon enough."
She tightened her hand, and the life left her opponents eyes. Dropping the body to the ground, she looked around at the wide area of destruction that surrounded her. The winds that had been circling the area, howling with fury calmed and soon there was only stillness and silence.
Gerald struggled to his feet, his eyes worried. "Erin are you alright...?"
A scream of absolute agony ripped through the night air. Erin fell to the ground, clutching her head. Her head was being torn apart, her vision dark.
The backlash from breaking the restriction spell.
Erin wanted to cry, to say goodbye to her friends, but all she could do was scream out her pain. Finally even that was impossible. She couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe....
There was only darkness.
"ERIN!"