Little Witch Academia: The Ashen Knight (LWA x Dark Souls)

The Grand Triskellion

Once we returned to Chariot's- sorry, Ursula's room, I laid Akko down on the bed. She must've been a heavy sleeper, considering she hadn't stirred awake in the slightest during the trek here. Once she was all settled in, I turn to Ursula. "I have a feeling she won't be waking up for some time."

Ursula's hair had already gone back to its usual dark blue color, and she was in the middle of cleaning her glasses as she let out a tired sigh. Once she put them back on, she looks at me and then at Akko with a concerned look. "We just need to keep an eye on her, is all. I'm certain she'll come to soon enough."

"Right..." Ursula rubs her forehead as she sits down at her chair. Thinking she might be hurt, I walk over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you sure you're uninjured?" I asked, earning a soft smile from her as she nods her head.

"I am, just exhausted is all." She takes another glance at Akko, obviously still worried for the girl. "I just hope Akko wakes up soon. After everything that's happened today, I really need to tell her about the Shiny Rod's purpose."

I simply nod my head in agreement, but then Croix's words from earlier came crawling back to the forefront of my mind. About a performance. And how Ursula was connected to it. "Ursula, about what Croix said...what did she mean by an event regarding a performance?"

I saw her hands tremble a bit as they tighten around her skirt, and she wouldn't say a word. As loathed as I am to ask such a sensitive question at this time, I had to know the full story. Nay, needed to know. "I understand it may be difficult to tell me, but I must know if I'm to fully understand the animosity between you and Croix."

She gave me a pained frown, yet my gaze did not break. "Regardless of what happened in the past, it will not affect how I see you. You have my word."

She took in a deep breath before she spoke. "When I was Shiny Chariot, all I wanted to do was show everyone the awe and wonder of magic. I figured the best way to do that was by putting on performances. For a while, it was going well. But then my popularity was shrinking, and everyone expected me to put on more and more amazing shows for them...that's when Croix came along with something called Dream Fuel Spirit."

"Dream Fuel Spirit?"

"A new type of magic developed by her. She didn't tell me how it worked, but at that point, I was desperate to appease the masses, so I used it for a performance. It was only after the show that she told me what it really did...it took away people's magical abilities in order for me to perform my enhanced magic. And among that crowd..."

At this point, tears were running down her face as she stares at Akko. She didn't even need to say anything to me. I was quick to piece two and two together. "...Akko was present."

"After that night, I refused to use Dream Fuel Spirit. And that was the same night me and Croix split and went our separate ways." She tried to wipe her tears away, but with how quickly they were flowing, I ripped off a piece of my armor's cloth and handed it to her. The kind act garnered me a grateful look as she wiped her tears proper.

"Thank you, Ashen One...and after all that, in what ended up as my last performance, I let the pressure of the audience get to me and unleashed the power of the Shiny Rod upon the moon."

"The scar left upon the moon..."

"Correct...I lost the right to wield the Shiny Rod that day, and filled with shame, disappeared from the public eye...that was the day Shiny Chariot was no more."

A brief moment of silence filled the room as I turn my gaze towards Akko. The poor girl had no idea that her inability to perform magic was due to the very woman she looked up to. Tis no wonder why Ursula was so hesitant to tell her the truth...

"...I understand why you've yet to tell Akko your true identity...I'm sorry, Ursula..."

"No, don't be. You're not at fault for anything. If anyone is guilty of anything, it's me..." She stares at the still sleeping Akko with me, her gaze hardening. "I know I have to tell her the truth inevitably...but right now, she needs to know about the Shiny Rod's true purpose."

"Hm...right." I look back at her, placing my hand on her shoulder once more. "One step at a time." My positive reinforcement seemed to put Ursula at ease slightly, but soon Akko began to stir awake as we heard her groan.

"Ugh...what...huh? Where am I? What happened? Ursula? Ashen One?" She asked, looking incredibly confused.

"You're in my room. You fell ill and I had to bring you back onto campus so you can rest up." Akko, still a bit dazed, glances at Ursula and then at me. I simply nodded my head, backing up Ursula's word.

"Thankfully, nothing else went awry. Are you alright?" I asked, as Akko sat upright and rubbed her head.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Though, I had this weird dream. Involving Chariot and something called World Altering Magic..." I shot a glance at Ursula, who thankfully knew exactly what Akko was talking about. Giving me a reassuring nod, the professor takes the lead of the conversation.

"World Altering Magic, you say?" She hums before pulling out her wand. "Akko, there's something I need to tell you about the Shiny Rod. And why it chose you." With a flick of her wand, she summons an odd-looking orb that creates a flash of light. When it fades, the entire room is replaced with some kind of projection of the night sky, and beneath was what I assumed to be the world itself.

Streaks of green light filled the skies above us, a stunned and dazzled Akko watching as the beams coalesced into the shape of a massive tree looming over the planet. As all of this was happening, Ursula explained that the tree was called Yggdrasil, and how it is the source of all magic. From that point, she explains to her what she had already told me; the Grand Triskellion, the seal put upon it to protect what remained of it, and the Shiny Rod's role in unlocking it with the Seven Words.

Once she finished, Ursula presents the rod to Akko. "I know it's a great responsibility for you to fulfill, but I'm confident that you can discover the last remaining words and unlock the seal. As long as you have the conviction within your heart."

Once Akko took back the rod, the scenery around us changed once more as the entire night sky was filled to the brim with stars that all flowed in one direction. The deep blue backdrop made them all stand out, and the water beneath us was illuminated and clear as crystal. Beautiful wasn't even a proper word to describe how grand it was. It was otherworldly.

"If that's the case..." Akko took a long look at the Shiny Rod, gripping it tightly with both hands as she looks at Ursula and I with a wide grin and determined expression. "Then you can count on me to discover the remaining words! I bet that once I do, I'll finally meet Shiny Chariot!"

The irony in her declaration wasn't lost on me, but for Ursula's sake, I nodded my head again and spoke. "Perhaps you will. In either case, you know what you must do, Akko. You've got a long journey ahead of you, and you have both our support."

The brunette nodded her head enthusiastically, before staring back up at the starry night sky above. With her distracted, I glance over at Ursula who mouthed a silent 'thank you' to me. It was the least I could do, for it was ultimately up to Ursula to determine when would be the right time to tell Akko the truth about herself.

I only pray she doesn't wait too long.