Sain Clare Academy (gxg, 18+)

Chapter Twenty-two

After what felt like ages of silence, I lifted my head, body heavy from fatigue. I hadn't cried, but somehow I felt emotionally drained.

Even though all I wanted to do was stay in her arms, I knew time was running out before my transformation magic would dissipate. Comfort was meant to be shed.

"I should go," I sighed, sliding down from the edge of the rather large fountain and adjusting my skirt, which had twisted. Grace examined me, and for a moment I wondered if she would protest and pull me back into her arms. She closed her eyes for a few seconds before jumping down alongside me.

"I'll walk you back," she said. I started forward, lacing my fingers together behind my back as I walked away from her.

"You should catch up with your friends. Thank you for... for keeping me company, but I can get back okay," I hoped my smile didn't look too forced. Mostly, I was worried that my magic would give out halfway there. I didn't plan on revealing my identity so easily.

She caught up to me quickly, catching me by the arm.

"Don't be rash," she cautioned, "it's dangerous to walk alone." I would have agreed with her, but I was plenty strong enough by myself. If anything, being with her would limit me from using my powers.

"I'll be fine," I argued back, although I was quickly giving in. I didn't want to leave her soothing company, either.

"Where are you headed?" Grace asked, and that was the last of it. I smiled at her insistence.

"Is walking me home a part of your deal with Katarina?" I teased. Her face soured at Katarina's name, though I could tell it was affectionate.

"It might be," she admitted, "though that's not why I offered."

"I know. Thank you," I said quietly.

Our walk back was spent in comfortable silence, though occasionally I would point something out or a random topic would pop into my head that I couldn't help but ask her about.

At one point, when I noticed a particularly lovely patch of bluebells in a windowsill, I couldn't help but compare them to her eyes. She had looked a bit taken aback when I said so, but smiled a smile that cut her eyes in half and took my breath away, and then I couldn't speak again for another ten minutes.

We took our time going back to the school, which was where I told her to drop me off, lying about having to talk to a Professor. In reality, I just didn't want to guide her to my real home, which was in a quadrant generally reserved for faculty of the academy. Unfortunately, though our leisurely pace had allowed me to spend more time with her, it also meant that I was struggling to keep my disguise in place. After I hit the four-hour mark, the spell began eating up my mana at an exponential rate.

I used the folk dance as an excuse to cover up my fatigue.

"Are you sure you're well enough to be walking around? Miss Niel told you to take it easy for a while-- you should let me take you back home," she asserted, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"Really, it's fine," I smiled in return, though it was strained, and did a little spin to show her I was okay. "I'll see you later?"

"...Yes. Later, then," she yielded, watching me with hawk eyes as I attempted to scramble away gracefully.

Once I was out of her line of sight, I collapsed inside one of the empty lecture halls, transformation magic dissipating. My reflection changed in the classroom windows, dark hair melting to become strawberry blonde, brown eyes revealing a more leaden color. I sighed, my chest heavy.

All I wanted was to crawl into bed for a few hours. I glanced at the time, the magically-powered clock on the wall relaying to me that I could indeed rest for a bit longer before I needed to get myself together to teach my class.

It was a minor healing magic class, so Grace wasn't in it, but that only meant I could actually focus on teaching.

Alright, I thought to myself, Game plan: nap, then class, then you can crash again for the night.

I couldn't stop now.

...

The walk back to my house, which was kind of like a duplex, was a lot longer than usual. Because so much of my mana was drained I felt sluggish and my senses were dulled.

Not that I had much to be concerned about, because this was a relatively safe area, but it still put me on edge. I could feel the paranoia creep up on me as I stepped through the sparse streets. Because only professors lived in this area, it tended to be quiet and have high security. I was being overly cautious. No one was crazy enough to attack a district saturated with professors-- outsiders saw us as monsters, some even thought us divine. Regardless, the general consent was: Scary, don't go near.

Be careful. The words of my colleagues, like a warning, sifted through my mind. I bit my lip, quickening my pace. I wasn't sure if it was because of my blunted senses or paranoia, but the air felt heavy with someone's gaze.

Then, I felt a flash of mana-- directed at me. I paused and whipped around, a magical bullet flashing in my vision, expertly aimed at my forehead. I managed at the last second to throw up a shield, and it shattered against my protection. Luckily, because of my enhanced ability to sense magic, I was able to discover it while it was still far away enough to react to.

A sniper? I felt my heart rate quicken and my palms grow clammy as my adrenaline skyrocketed.

This was far from the training grounds, so there was no way that it had been a misfire. In fact, I noted as I examined the magical residue left on my shield, whoever it was used a highly lethal form of bullet-- one that's strictly prohibited on or near academy grounds. I would have died instantly had it made contact, especially with the lack of mana and magical protections I had after my usage of transformation magic.

Shit, I cursed internally. I should have left earlier, that way I wouldn't have drained so much mana walking back with Grace. But it was too late now.

Someone was trying to kill me, and I wasn't sure I had the energy to stop them.