Sage and her best friend Rosemary

Eyes of The Rot

Sage is uneasy from finding out that the Terraspheres drain energy to recharge. While out on the roof of the dormitory at sunrise, Sage tries to use her staff into a flying broom. She gets an audience from Cat Olive that's on the rooftop as well. As Sage is ready to jump off the roof, Olive distracts her by transforming into a humanoid and pulls her from the edge.

"Are you crazy??" Olive asks as Sage looks up at her, shocked that she was a cat. "At least try to turn your Terrasphere into a broom before flying." Olive warns her as Sage looks at her like a deer in headlights.

"Huh? Who are you? Um, thanks for the warning." Sage says as she fumbles her words. "I can change my staff?" Sage asks, confused.

"The sphere is the default form. The staff and other forms are similar to the owner thoughts. Just think of it being a broom." Olive says as she opens her Terrasphere, and it becomes a broom with a cat ears on the orb.

Sage looks at it amazed that it can become a broom. Sage tries to turn her staff into a broom as well, and it glows before becoming one. "What's your name?" Sage asks, still looking at her new broom.

"Not until you tell me yours." Olive says as Sage remembers that Olive did save her.

"Sage." Sage says quiet and hesitant. Olive nods, smiling at her.

"Call me Nepeta." Olive says as if it's the truth. "Actually, can you keep a secret?" Olive asks as she leans in close to Sage.

"I can try." Sage says hesitant, not knowing what Olive was about to say.

"We, Eyes of The Rot, needs new Terrasphere users like you to fight against Old Magic." Olive says as Sage takes a step back, almost forgetting she's on the rooftop.

"What?" Sage asks a bit startled. "Against Old Magic? But it's Sacred!" Sage exclaims defensively. "Why would you be against it?" Sage asks, now stepping forward.

"People died because sigils aren't magic blasts. Because sigil circles can get broken from the inside. The only good thing it's good for is Potions now a days. The eyes will make it that way, too." Olive says with such enthusiasm and confidence that it disgusts Sage.

Sage wants to argue back, but she looks at the broom in her hand and remembers Anise words. She needs one to protect herself. Sage is filled with sorrow and guilt as her eyes filled with tears.

"Looks like you're beginning to get it. A secret." Olive says before she sees Sage holds the broom up with both hands as her sadness becomes anger.

Sage swings the broom and knocks Olive off the roof in a fit of rage. After only realizing what she had done, she looked over the edge to see that Olive wasn't at the bottom. Panicked, she looks behind her and sees Olive staring at her in silence. Sage quickly hopped on her broom and flew down.

Olive makes it back to her hideout only to find Mandrake was already there waiting for her. Olive was surprised that he made it all the way there.

"Good morning. I'm glad to see you before I leave." Mandrake says, grinning and petting Kino in his lap with a gloved hand.

"What are you doing here?" Olive asks as she gets close enough to pick up Kino from his lap.

"I am hiding from what I've done. Just until tonight." Mandrake says, grinning as if his face is stuck like that.

"What did you do?" Olive says before watching Mandrake take her appearance.

"I, Nepeta, fed the rot to local wildlife in an attempt to regain time lost from the tree being tended to under my watch." Mandrake says in Olive's voice.