Boiling Isles: The Next Generation - Act I.

Chapter II. - The last dinner

It had been nine days since Memorial Day, which meant that the school year was about to begin. Everyone was looking forward to it with bursting excitement, except for Lucia. For her, all this meant was that the immeasurable difference between her and her friends would be even more visible now.

Although her mothers enrolled her in the preparatory school in Hexside at a young age, the teachers couldn't really teach her anything due to the lack of magical powers. Lucia was not really bothered by this at first, but as the others learned better and better spells day by day, she grew more and more bitter towards it.

Her parents tried to help her, so at the age of eight they took her out of Hexside to continue her studies as a private student. Her teacher was her own mother, Luz, who tried to pass on more than twenty-five years of glyph magic knowledge to her daughter. Even though Lucia drew the glyphs again and again, they never worked for her. Of course, Luz tried to convince her that it would work and that it was all just a matter of determination and practice, but Lucia unfortunately didn't see it that way and, as it turned out later that night, her mama wasn't optimistic about this either.

***

One night when Lucia was ten years old, after bedtime, she went downstairs to get some water, when she heard someone talking from her parents' bedroom. Lucia sneaked quietly to the door, opened an inch and peered in.

"I don't know, Ams," said Luz, holding her head with both hands and looking desperately in front of her. "I have no idea what to do with Azura. I thought that after two years of study, she would already know glyph magic, but she doesn't even have the basics. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?"

"Come on, Batata." Amity tried to comfort her. "Azura is just a child. I'm sure she'll get the hang of it sooner or later. Just give her time."

"It's not just about time, Amity," Luz turned to the witch. "I can see her trying hard day after day, but to no avail. Eda was also a difficult case, but even she wasn't that bad."

Luz and Amity raised their heads as they heard their bedroom door creak where little Lucia was standing, tears streaming down her face.

"Mama... am I... bad...?"

Luz and Amity immediately rushed to Lucia.

"Oh honey, absolutely not!" Luz protested. "I didn't mean it like that!"

Lucia on the other hand, didn't believe her. She broke out of Luz's arms and ran out of the house.

"Azura, come back!" Luz shouted after her, but Lucia didn't listen to her. She just ran and ran as fast as her little legs could take her, tears blurring her vision. She had no idea where she was running, she just wanted to get as far away from her mama as possible.

Who knows how long Lucia had been on the run when she found herself in a snow-covered landscape. The brown girl unexpectedly tripped over a log, fell, rolled to the bottom of the hill and passed out.

Not long after, Lucia slowly opened her eyes and saw the dark sky in front of her. The brown-haired girl blinked a few times, then carefully got herself up into a sitting position and tremblingly hugged her legs. After a few moments, she heard a noise nearby. It was like snow crunching under the steps of some creature. Lucia was not wrong in this matter, as a smaller slitherbeast approached her. The brunette girl didn't even try to escape. Mainly she was so cold and exhausted that she could hardly have gone too far, and on the other hand, she was stunned by a strange feeling. The closer the beast got to her, the more certain she was that it wouldn't hurt her.

The slither stopped in front of Lucia, tilted its head to the side and sniffed the air curiously. Then, the beast bent down to Lucia's eye level and looked into the brown girl's golden eyes. To this day, Lucia is still unable to explain it, but right then and there, she could feel the pure magic emanating from the monster. The brunette slowly reached out to touch the beast, but right in that moment Luz and Amity appeared in the sky, flying towards Lucia on their magic staff.