In the Heavens

Chapter 25

A/N: I'm impatient, so enjoy.

The courtyard was filled with students from other classes as they waited for the teachers to open their rooms for the day to begin. But that didn't stop the girls from gabbing about today's plans. But no matter what they did or what they said could bring Bloom's attention back to them. 

"... loom, Bloom. Hey! Yoo-hoo!" Stella exclaimed as she got in the redhead's face. "You're losing it, girl! Did you even hear a word I said? Huh!?!" Bloom glanced at the princess apologetically as she said, "I'm sorry, Stella. I was kind of lost in thought." She pushed herself up off the well and redirected her attention to the group. 

"So, what were you saying?" Except Stella and Tecna, the latter of which was perched up against a shrub. "Obviously, you have no interest in the fact that Professor Palladium is finally going to take us into the famous simulation room. But I for one think it is the most amazing bit of news ever!" Musa sassed with a smile on her face.

 "No kidding. I've heard that some really cool things happen in that place." Stella said. "Yeah, and some horrible ones too." Flora shivered at the thought of the horrifying stories she'd been told. 

 "Don't let that scare you, Flora! They're just stupid rumors anyway. I mean, what could really ever happen to you in there?" Tecna questioned. "Oh, come on! It'll be fun, you'll see." Stella smiled as she looked over at the rest of her friends. "As for me, I plan on having a great time. One that will go down in history so that I will become the talk of Alfea." She revealed, earning more than a few harmless glances from the others. 

"Oops, sorry." She joked, earning lighthearted laughs from her friends. 

⩕⩖⩕⩖⩕⩖⩕⩖⩕⩖⩕⩖⩕⩖⩕⩖

Later in the morning, the girls were finally allowed into the simulation room, and it was nothing short of stunning. The walls shimmered with a golden, pristine glow, its reflective rays bouncing across the room. And the technology seemed like something out of a futuristic film. No one could help but marvel at the extraordinary room. 

"This is it, the simulation room," Palladium announced with a proud grin on his face. "What is it exactly?" One of their classmates asked. The teacher redirected his attention towards her and responded: "Well, it's the product of the most powerful magic and the most sophisticated technology." Upon hearing this, Tecna's small grin quickly grew to a larger one. 

"The light produced by these amber panels allows our powerful computer to create all kinds of virtual realities and environments. The replications are absolutely flawless." He boasted, proud of the creation. 

"Can it be used to simulate virtual dates with boys?" Stella questioned, her voice was light and airy as she envisioned a date with her favorite boy, Prince Sky. Her friends settled for either giggling at her normalized antics or jokingly rolling their eyes, both perfectly harmless gestures. 

"Uh, why don't we simulate your final exam instead?" Palladium asked. The entire class erupted with laughter, but it quickly died down when they processed his words, and their joy quickly turned into fear and dread. "In anticipation of the upcoming midterm, I've set up for you a simulation of some of the things that will definitely be on the test." 

"Now, why don't we have a look at the control room?" The professor then guided them into another room, one that was filled with panels upon panels of buttons, machinery, nd other small trinkets that no one— with the exception of a certain techno wizard and the teacher himself— knew how to work.

"From here, we oversee everything that goes on in the simulation room." Stella, who was standing next to Tecna, gently poked at her ribs with her elbow. "This is toy land for you, right?" Tecna battered her eyelashes as she examined the room. "Yeah, it's so wonderful." She sighed dreamily.