Freshman x Sorceress (GL)

Chapter 5 - Love not Infatuation

Cassandra stepped out of the building, greeted by the sprawling grandeur of the university campus. Amidst the bustling students, some rushed to classes, while others lingered on benches, engaged in conversations or immersed in their own activities.

Surveying the campus, she sought the highest vantage point, a discreet spot for her to cast a teleportation spell. Her eyes locked onto a tall building on the far side of the courtyard.

Despite her outward confidence, Cassandra was, at her core, a shut-in, who hadn't shared space with anyone other than her subordinates for over a millennium.

With determination masked by haste, she navigated through the courtyard, completely oblivious to the commotion she caused. Students paused in their tracks, exchanging whispers, as if wherever she went, Cassandra held an irresistible allure that captivated all who crossed her path.

Maeve exited the building shortly after. Scanning the courtyard, she spotted Cassandra. "Damn, she walks fast," she thought to herself. Determined, she picked up a light jog in an attempt to catch up.

* * *

Cassandra stood atop the roof, gaining a commanding view of the overall vicinity. She began her incantation, words flowing with a sense of urgency. Usually, she needed no verbal cues for such simple spells, but in this foreign world with her magical connection dwindling, every resource was necessary.

Meanwhile, Maeve was making her way up the stairs, thoughts racing about the need to explain herself to Cassandra. "Just five minutes with her, if she'd let me explain—" Her trail of thought was abruptly cut short as the building started to shake. "An earthquake?" she wondered, but quickly dismissing the possibility as it was unprecedented in this part of the world.

Just a few steps away from the door leading to the roof, Maeve noticed a ethereal green light emanating from underneath. Panic set in, and her immediate concern shifted to Miss Blake's safety. Without a second thought, she rushed to the door and kicked it open, the loud bang echoing through the stairwell.

There stood Cassandra in the middle of the roof, hands weaving patterns, casting a spell with a green glow surrounding her. Cassandra turned to see Maeve standing there, completely in shock, eyes widened. Without breaking her focus, Cassandra finished the incantation, uttering the ancient spell words, "icht daylüm teleportia." Those last three words reverberated through the vicinity as a sharp piercing sound zipped through the air and the green glow engulfed itself, and in the blink of an eye, both Cassandra and Maeve vanished into the unknown.

* * *

In a forest, two miles from the university campus, the same sharp piercing sound echoed through the woods, accompanied by a bright green light. Out of nowhere, both Maeve and Cassandra appeared.

Cassandra, wearing a visibly angered expression, approached Maeve, who sat on the forest floor, completely bewildered by the sudden turn of events. Stopping in front of Maeve, Cassandra knelt down, her gaze stern as she spoke, "Listen closely girl. NEVER, EVER, disrupt a spell caster mid-spell, especially during a teleportation incantation, lest your body be split between two different locations."

Cassandra stood up and backed away, refocusing on her immediate task. "Now, where are those leylines located? I should be able to bridge a connection to Maxim if I can somehow jumpstart the magic in this region."

Maeve remained on the ground, still in shock. In a daze, she mumbled, "Magic? Spell? This isn't real. It has to be some kind of joke, right?"

Still grappling with the surreal situation she stood up and scanned her surroundings. In an attempt to make sense of it, she hesitantly spoke, "Ha ha, very funny Seb. How'd you do this, some sort of augmented reality?" She paused expecting her best friend to come bursting out. "Jokes over, you got me." She said.

A longer pause followed, and a sinking feeling overcame her as the realization started to dawn – this might be real. Softly, she uttered, "Miss Blake?"

Cassandra turned her attention to Maeve. Maeve asked, "So, what are you? Some sort of magician?"

Cassandra took a deep breath before explaining, "I am not Miss Blake, and I am nothing as vulgar as a magician. The woman you once knew as Blake is gone. My soul traversed through time and space, and I, to put it bluntly, hijacked Jennifer's body. In retrospect, this woman would have been dead if I hadn't arrived when I did. She was in the process of throwing herself from the roof of her living quarters when my soul entered her body. If it wasn't for my quick thinking I'd have been killed too. Well, that's the gist of it. Now please, if you would be so kind as to leave so I can focus, I would appreciate that greatly."

Maeve's mind raced, processing the revelation about Miss Blake's struggles. "What the... Miss Blake was going to kill herself? But she seemed fine. She always seemed fine. I know we didn't speak as much as I wished we did; she always blew me off or cut me short. I just boiled it down to her being busy with school stuff. But to think she was going through something like this."

When she finally composed herself she asked, "So who exactly are you? And why are you in Jennifer's body?"

The air fell still as Cassandra looked at Maeve. With a slight wave of her hand, Cassandra sent Maeve flying backward into a tree, disorienting her and almost knocking her unconscious. Cassandra appeared from behind Maeve, showcasing her grip on the mystical arts.

She spoke with authority, "I am the Sorceress Supreme. I owe no man or woman any explanation. You will do well to remember your place, human child."

As the gravity of the situation settled with Maeve, she realized the woman before her was like nobody she had ever met. A normal person might have run away in fear, but this harrowing encounter seemed to evoke a different response in Maeve. Instead of fear, there was an unexpected arousal, something she had never felt before.

Cassandra swiped her hand upward, lifting Maeve off the ground and onto her feet. She walked towards her, their faces inches away, and said, "Is that clear girl?"

Maeve nodded, but the internal battles she was fighting were intensified even greater than before. Her heart raced, her face turned red, her palms were sweaty, her throat dried up, and her knees threatened to buckle. This was like when she confessed earlier, but five times worse.

"What's happening to me?" Maeve thought. "What's this feeling? Is this love at first sight? Well, technically not since it's Miss Blake's face I'm looking at, but technically not since this is the first time I'm meeting this woman. Maybe my feelings towards Miss Blake were just infatuation, but right now, here in this very moment, I can say wholeheartedly say, I think I've just fallen in love."