A/N: You show it to me that I'm totally underestimating you, because you totally broke the 1k votes and for that I am grateful.
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"What are we looking for exactly?" asked Astra for hundred of times.
Eli sighed, "something ancient at least from a hundred year ago."
"One hundred year isn't ancient, it's resent," Lilith responded.
"Can you please just look into it? Thank you," Eli replied a bit pissed off. "My ancestors must wrote it down somewhere. A diary, a journal, or something, anything!"
"Hey, I might have found something!" called Astra from the other end of the quite big library.
Eli and Lilith stopped what they're doing and came to Astra. There were books laying around, half of them were covered in dust for being too far off reach. But it weren't the books that caught Astra's attention. Underneath one of the bottom rack of the bookshelf was a hidden vault.
"It seems locked. Do you think you can opened it?" Astra asked Eli when the other girls came.
Eli tried to use her magic to open the lock with no luck. "There's something blocking my magic to enter the lock."
"It's not just the lock," explained Lilith, "there's a magic seal around the whole vault. It's strong enough to hold my magic."
"Maybe your Nana have the key?" suggested Astra.
"Hmm... I can try ask her."
"She probably doesn't have it. This spell came from the same source as the one in Freya," said Lilith.
"You mean it's from the head witch that binded Freya?" Astra asked which Lilith returned with a nod. "That means we're on the right track, right?"
"Yeah. But now, we need a way to unlock it," Eli agreed.
When the three of them pondered on how to break the spell, a knock came by the door. Two of the girls were surprised and looked at the door.
"Hey, dinner's ready," Caitlyn called from the door. "You might want to clean yourself up before it though."
"Thanks. We'll be there in a bit," Astra replied.
After hearing Astra's reply, Caitlyn left them. Astra told the rest to warp up for today, so they could appreciate the Reynolds hospitality.
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"Dinner was great, Rose," claimed Freya after they finished eating.
"Well thank you," replied Grandma Rose. "Olivia, honey, can you help me with the dishes?" she then asked her daughter in law.
"Sure, mom," replied Jimmy's wife, Olivia. "Evan, go play with Cathy, okay?"
"Okey," saluted her nine year old son before he scrambled to find his cousin. "Cathy, show me magic trick!"
Caitlyn looked at Evan. He felt like a little brother to her and she wanted to protect him at all cost, since they had something that connect them together. Her sister left home for a long time, so did Evan's older brother and sister. Though they left for a reasonable reason and not for chasing after bedtime story.
"It's a bit late, don't you think?" said Caitlyn patting her brother's head. "How about I'll show you tomorrow?"
"But I want to see it now!" the little boy wailed.
"Okay, okay, calm down," Caitlyn tried to settle the young one. "Just once okay. Then we can play something else."
Evan stopped crying and nodded vigorously. The both of them settled down on the floor face to face. Caitlyn began chanting a spell of light. After a moment, a small ball of light was formed. It was the size of a tennis ball and it shone brightly.
The boy was gawking in amazement. After he satisfied, Caitlyn undo her magic. Evan shouted for encore which obviously denied.
"I am surprised to know you learn magic, sis," Eli chimed in as she walked in to them. "I still remember you called me stupid for taking everything Nana said seriously."
"Well, one of us have to use it responsibly."
"Hey, Evan. I couldn't believe how big you are. Do you want to see more magic trick?" Eli took the boy's interest and clearly disregarded her sister's words.
Evan cheered on Eli to begin. With a snap of a finger, the young witch summoned a flame on her hand. Evan was in awe, so did her sister. Eli didn't need to chant any spell and just went on with it. And she didn't stop there. With a little bit more magic, Eli's harmless flame turned into a burst before it reduced to nothing. Evan looked as excited as ever while Caitlyn looked in horror.
"What are you thinking?!" she yelled at her younger sister. "There's a child here. What if he got hurt?"
"Relax would you. I got it under control," assured Eli.
"Cathy, what did I tell you about igniting fire inside the house?" Grandma entered and demanded answer.
"It wasn't me. It was obviously her."
Grandma turned her gaze to the guilty Eli.
"Sorry, Grandma. It won't happen again."
"Seriously both of you better not playing around with magic. It's dangerous," scolded Grandma Rose before she took Evan away from the sisters. "Come on, Evan. Let's tuck you in bed."
"But I still want to play!" cried the young boy.
"I'm glad to see Grandma still her usual self," said Eli, but Caitlyn already left her by herself.
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The next day, Nana was teaching Caitlyn magic in the backyard. The younger woman seemed to listen carefully to her elder's words of wisdom. They started off with something easy, a simple magic spell of light.
Caitlyn read her spell and summoned a ball of light, obviously bigger than the one she showed Evan. After satisfied with the size, she launched the ball at the target in front of her. The ball hit the target on the edge and swiftly dispersed into nothing.
This went on for quite a while until Astra found her way to them.
"Hey, I didn't mean to barge in whatever you're doing, but are you practicing magic?" Astra said awkwardly.
Caitlyn stopped for a second to face the vampire's arrival. "And what could a vampire like you possibly want?"
Astra gulped away her nervousness and said, "I want you to teach me magic. Please?"
"What? There is no way-"
"Sure," agreed Nana. "If Miss.. What is it that she called herself now?... Oh, If Miss Freya put a trust in you, so should I."
"Thank you so much!" squealed Astra excitedly as she ran over to give the woman in the wheelchair a hug.
"Well, magic isn't something everyone can do, but I'm sure it's as natural as breathing for you," Nana began. "A good magic starts with a solid chant. Caitlyn can show you."
Caitlyn nodded and turned to the young vampire. "The light spell is the easiest one for beginner. It might be tricky to adjust your power, but the rest should be easy enough. The incantation is 'show your light in the way of darkness'."
Caitlyn demonstrated the spell. She repeatedly chanted the same spell until a light ball formed on her palm.
"The size of the ball adjust with how much magic you put in it," she explained further.
"Oh, I see. Let me try," said Astra.
"Just repeat the incantation and believe in yourself."
She tried to copy what Caitlyn did. She repeated the spell over and over with no luck. But Caitlyn and Eloise kept supporting her, so she gave it another chance again and again. After 20 attempts, Astra managed to form a small ball of light.
"Look I made it!" shouted Astra excitedly.
But her enthusiasm made her magic unstable and the light ball popped on her hands. The blonde vampire groaned as she had to start all over again. She cursed at herself for being too careless. Regardless, Astra next attempt ran more smoothly.
"Not bad for a vampire," commented Caitlyn. "Next we throw it away to know how long it could last if it not near its magic source."
As always Caitlyn demonstrated the way to Astra. The girl caught on fast. Astra understood what Caitlyn wants, to keep giving it energy even when it left direct contact. She tried the best she can, but it only last 5 foot away before it dispersed into nothing.
"What are you guys doing?" Eli asked as she entered the backyard with Freya.
Astra who excited to show Freya her progress, ignored Eli and ran straight to her girlfriend. "Freya, look what I can do," Astra said as she summoned another ball of light.
The werewolf chuckled. "You know I can't see. But I still can feel it. Good job," complimented Freya as she kissed Astra's cheek.
Astra blushed immediately and got weak. Freya took the chance to catch her in her arms and laughed on her hair. She loved her innocent girlfriend, no matter how silly she could get.
"That's the end of today's lesson," informed Nana.
"I can teach you more!" claimed Eli. "That way Nana can rest and we can still continue."
"Let me get you inside. Leave this to Eli. I'm sure she knows what she's doing," offered Freya as she took Nana away.
"So, where were we?" asked Eli.
"I was teaching Astra the basic," said Caitlyn.
"Right, light ball. You know, if you put enough magic into it, it can be an offensive spell."
Eli stepped in front the two women and told them to stand back. She summoned a light ball without chanting, then she pushed it through like a ray towards the target mark. The target destroyed instantly.
"That's not something a beginner can do," protested her sister.
"Yeah, but Astra's a vampire. She can do as much as I can," replied Eli.
"Hmm... I don't know."
"Astra, just believe in me okay. Magic is the extension of your body. Feel its movement across your body and focus it in one place. Shape it as you see it. And when you're confident in it, blast it off," taught Eli.
"Okay."
Astra closed her eyes and tried to imagine Eli's picture. She felt the magic circulating inside her body. Then she guided the flow to her arms then her hands to the tip of her fingers. Astra formed the shape of an arrow on her hand. It was made of light and although the texture was rigid, it served it's purpose when Astra launched it. The arrow was stuck to a tree and still illuminating brightly.
"It didn't explode?" asked Caitlyn in disbelief.
"Maybe you got it wrong? Let's try again," suggested Eli.
"Stop, you foolish witch!" Lilith yelled when she saw them.
"Lilith?"
"What do you want now, crazy vampire?" Eli retorted.
Lilith shoved Eli who's standing between her and Astra. She checked on the young vampire's condition before facing Eli furiously.
"You always do that, don't you?"
"What?" the witch asked confusedly.
"Cast magic without incantation," Lilith explained.
"So? I already master it. There is no use-"
"That's why I call you a fool," added the experienced vampire. "Human body is different. You don't have magic particles in your bloodstream. Therefore instant magic is as good as impossible. I do admit you are... advance than normal human, but nevertheless you're still human. There is a limit at how much your body can take."
"Okay, stop your lecture, professor. I do know those facts," interrupted Eli. "Humans take magic energy from their surrounding, every tiniest bit there is, and move it within their body to make an outcome that they like. How long do you think I study magic before I even use it?"
"And how long do you think I have roamed over the earth sharpening my skills?" countered Lilith. "That is how magic works on human, but you also supposed to know that it would never match ours."
"To overcome that, humans make magic tools. Ones that can be used to accelerate and boost the process. That way human like me can stand face to face to a vampire like you," added Eli.
Eli and Lilith were standing face to face to show domination. Eli had to look slightly upwards since Lilith was a few inch taller than her. The two continued to debate in a topic that both actually consent while the other novices listened closely.
"I never said you're not worthy to be on par with me. All I meant to say is that you're not good at teaching," Lilith clarified.
Eli tilted her head. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you even realize that you used a different spell than what they learned? And that you tried to teach Astra an explosive spell when she only know an illumination spell?"
"I don't get it."
"Do I really have to translate it to you? What they learned is called Light Ball spell, the simplest form of illumination spell, while you casted a Light Blast spell, a highly destructive spell," explained Lilith. She sighed at how careless one can get. "If you want to teach someone, this is not how you do it. Thankfully magic is natural to Astra, if it's not...," Lilith glanced at the only other human, "someone could die."
"Okay, I think this getting a bit out of hand," cut Astra trying to ease the circumstances, "why not we call it a day and continue tommorow?"
"Yes, I'm sure there's a lot of chores that we can do," aided Caitlyn.
Lilith eyed the stunned Eli. She noticed Astra trying to peel her off from the poor girl. The vampire came back to her senses, it was unusual for her to over worry about others. She reasoned that it was all to protect Astra.
The older vampire left the scene without saying anything more. Astra was confused but she let it go to check on her best friend. Eli was beyond frustrated, mostly because deep down she knew what Lilith said is true. She tried to mask her frustration and went along with Astra and Caitlyn as her usual cheerful self.
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I saw the #Elith in chapter 22's comment. So, the question is ship it or sink it?
Also I'm thinking #Fresta for our OTP, what do you guys think?