Pendulum || TAENNIE FF

⚔Chapter 35: No turning back

A U T H O R

That midnight before the game, Heather woke up from her sleep. She looked at Maya and made sure she's sound asleep, took her Potions and Witchcraft book, and left the room to make her potion. She quietly and secretly ran to the school and entered through the broken window, leading to the halls. Her steps echoed in the dark hallway with the moon's luster as its only source of light.

Heather breathed heavily after her struggles to get in. She turned in the direction going to Jadis's classroom and went on her way. With quick, little tiptoes, she found herself facing the wooden door of the room. She slowly turned the doorknob and went inside. "Glad it's not locked." She told herself with a sigh of relief. She began looking for the essentials of the potion she needs to make among the drawers and cabinets.

"Key ingredients, a piece of a dead Pegasus's heart?" She nervously said and with trembling hands, she reached out for a crystal box with dark purple objects in a shape of a gem. "Parailla's Pegasi have purple gem-like hearts so this must be it. I can't believe I'm about to do this." She grabbed a pair of tweezer tongs closest to her and took out one of those heart pieces. She also grabbed a beaker and placed all the ingredients she got inside it. "Lastly, a pinch of an old witch's broom ash." She opened the box containing it but the strong wind caused one of the windows to break open, scattering half of the ashes on the floor.

Heather quickly closed the box and ran towards the window to close it, locking it properly. "How could wind unlock a window?" She muttered to herself and returned to the table, preventing her curiosity from getting the best of her. She grabbed the tweezers again and crushed everything together and as she mixes it, her liquid strength-giving potion starts to form. She opened a drawer with vials and transferred the substance inside one of it it. Her eyes glistened at the heather-colored potion that will save her life. "Please be enough until the game. My fate depends on you."

She returned all the boxes she took out and returned to the dorm in the same way she did when she got in. She placed the book under her bed, together with all the other books about Parailla's creatures she had read. She also kept the vial inside her cloak's pocket and brought herself to sleep.

The trumpets sounded and loud cheers coming from different years filled the Silver Hall. "My dear, beloved students, welcome to the long-awaited annual Hinker competition!" Jadis enthusiastically said with her voice echoing in the hall. "We will be entertained once again by the strongest and most powerful students in Stone Academia. Feast your eyes on another historic event we shall not forget. Good luck and may the best player win!" 

The cheers continued again. Chase and Maya sat together in the tallest and farthest back of the hall for them to view everything. "I hope Heather's gonna be fine," Maya said. Chase looked at her with amusement. "What? Can't I be worried about my roommate?"

"I didn't say anything," Chase replied and faced front. "I'm sure Heather will be okay. Firo should have something in mind already."

Meanwhile, the players were getting ready in the back. Everyone was already wearing their concealing cloaks. Heather, however, left the hall for a while and went inside the girls' washroom to drink her potion. She opened one of the cubicles and took off her hood. "Now's the time. Please work." She opened the vial and carefully drank the potion she made for herself. 

She was expecting some physical changes in her body but nothing happened. With her brows furrowed, she kept the vial inside her pocket and went out of the cubicle. She was looking at herself in the mirror when suddenly, she felt pain in her stomach as if it's being squeezed vigorously. She held tight on the edge of the sink and closed her eyes to endure the pain. It's normal, Heather. The potion is just doing its job. She kept telling herself. 

And when the pain went away, she gasped and opened her eyes, looking at herself in the mirror. Glowing, purple light circled in the iris of her eyes, then returned to their normal state again. Heather panted and wanted to test if the potion is working. She returned her hood and left the washroom to return to the Silver Hall.

The players were all over the place, practicing their skills. To blend in, Heather stood beside a long couch as if she's also practicing. She crouched down and slid her hand under it. On her first try, the couch was successfully lifted from the ground, surprising her. It's really working! Is it really working? She returned it back to its place and walked towards a creature this time. 

The other can stretch his arms and legs as long as he wants and Heather had an idea of "accidentally" bumping into him. She cleared her thoughts and started running from where she stood. She ran in the other's direction and bumped into his shoulder. Both of them fell to the floor with the other creature groaning in pain. "Watch it! You almost broke my arm!" He shouted, but of course, not in his own voice.

"Pardon me. Things went out of hand." Heather answered with a male voice the cloak has given her. The guy stood up and moved his shoulder in a circular motion. "It seriously works? Did it work or that was just my normal strength?" She still had doubts but her doubts were replaced with nervousness when the trumpets sounded again. She got up readied her ears for the announcement.

"Are you ready to meet our players?" It was Eva Lee. Heather can hear her heartbeat racing. She looked around to find someone who might be Firo. You could at least protect me when things go wrong. Suddenly, her thoughts were cut off by the explosions outside. "Let the game begin!" 

The players rushed out of the room. Heather had no choice but run with them too. Her eyes met the roaring crowd and the flashing lights coming from the four corners of the cage. The players are scattered inside and when the door of the cage closed, the game began.

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A little cliffhanger first because the chapter would be too long if I continue😅 I'm sorry for not updating for two days🙏 Our projects' deadlines are coming up and the final exams are piling up on my plate🤧 I would be lying if I said I'm still sane😆 I'll reply to comments tomorrow and I really really hope I can write Hinker's chapter because I'm extremely excited for the series of events I imagined for it🤭 Please give me more time everyone, I'm trying all I can to finish my daily tasks🤍

Love you all!! I hope the chapter was good enough😅 Don't be like me, okay? Don't let school work slap you😭