I returned from my trip to the temple with a little help from Iggy. It turns out that I never really left the Altar and had just sort of astroprojected there. The good news was that I didn’t need to come back to the Altar. I only needed to focus on the magic circle on my wrist while meditating and I could return.

Tsssssss!

‘Ouch!’

The cuff fell to the ground and broke to pieces on the floor. Parts of it were glowing red with heat. Oh well, that was a really shoddy piece of equipment anyway. Now that I have a better understanding of Mana and that circle, I would need to get Cinder to build me a more resilient one.

I opened the door and walked out expecting to see an eager Blue only to be met by a familiar shorty with crimson hair and crescent moon eyes. She wore the same silver cloak from before but had apparently left her staff behind. She had a solemn look on her face at first but it melted into a smile when she saw me.

‘Darling! There you are! I’ve been waiting far too long. Come here. We must have a chat!’

I stood warily looking at her. I thought loudly at her, can you read minds too? She cocked her head to the side and made a confused look. So not openly able to read minds, but maybe she was just smarter about it. Odd if the little sister was smarter than the older one.

‘What is the matter dear? We must hurry. I want to hear about what you think of the school so far!’

‘You must not talk to your sister and are horribly out of the loop.’

‘I spend most of my time researching magic in my lab. I tend to get lost there sometimes. Besides, the source is always the best for information.’

‘Where is Bl…Marina and…um…Green.’

I was a bit embarrassed that I had forgotten Green’s name on the spot. My inability to remember names was probably why I instinctively gave nicknames to people. I needed to find this girls identifying trait. Shorty probably applied to too many girls at this school.

‘Green? What an endearing nickname. Marina and Willow were told to report to Miss Victoria. I believe she has some sharp words for them about bringing you here.’

I cringed at the thought of the two of them getting in trouble for my sake. They didn’t know that Victoria had intended to bar me from this place. I made a mental note to engrave in her mind that it wasn’t OK to lash out at people I liked.

‘So. How did the Altar go? I’m curious as to how you upgraded yourself.’

‘Ya, did Victoria not tell you about my fairy before I killed her last time?’

‘Yet the Aura in your body is gone.’

Alarm bells started ringing in my head. This girl was supposedly out of the loop, but was very aware of the fact that I had Aura inside me at one point, and could sense that it was gone. I glowered at her and focused my mind on my words being careful to not let even a thought slip.

‘I don’t know what I expected. I put my hand on it and it sucked out the Aura but that was it.’

‘Relax, Darling, relax! I was just making conversation. I saw the remnants of Victoria's Aura binding, that's all. Come, I have a magical teapot that makes the tastiest mulberry tea. Let’s go have a cup together and chat.’

‘Let’s get serious. You’re her lackey, thus my enemy. That puts you on eggshells. Neither of us have the luxury to relax.’

‘Lackey! What a crude word! It’s true that I advise Miss Victoria, but I am far from her adherent.’

‘What is your power?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Everyone has a thing. What’s yours?’

‘I’m afraid that is a secret. Most of the faculty doesn’t even know.’

‘Then we are done.’

I walked past her and toward the exit. She grabbed my hand to stop me and I summoned my sword and slashed at her. She was already dodging before I even slashed. My blade cut through the empty air. I stared at her for a few seconds in silence with my blade ready. She sighed and lowered her guard.

‘Future Sight.’

‘What?’

‘My thing is Future Site. I have the ability to see in the future.’

‘That makes this whole conversation stupid.’

‘I’m sorry?’

‘You can see the future, and still decided to piss me off?’

‘Sigh. Future reading on the fly is difficult. It’s not a clear picture. I have to interpret the results.’

‘Sounds like there is room for a lot of error.’

‘My premonitions are never wrong.’

‘In hindsight, I’m sure. So, what do you see in my future?’

‘That’s why I wanted to talk. Explain to you why you are needed here.’

‘Cut to the chase. I’m not one for tea parties. What did you see?’

‘You’re the one who will end this war with the Revenant.’

‘Huh. It all makes sense now.’

‘What does?’

‘You’re the reason I’m still here. Not just Victoria. Your premonition has her convinced if I leave then all is lost. That puts you as enemy number one.’

‘Wha…Wait! That's not true! She was fixated on you from the moment you were summoned. I just read the tea leaves for her!’

‘Then tell Victoria that you read it wrong.’

I sheathed my blade and willed it away to my locket. We stood in silence for a long time.

‘I’ve never been wrong. Not once.’

‘You’re probably not. But winning against the Revenant isn’t the only way to end the war.’

‘How else can we stop this madness?’

‘By dying. There’s no war if there is no one left to fight, and I’m feeling like that is the better option right now. Send everyone back to their own worlds and let this place rot.'

After another moment of silence, I turned to walk away. I could see a hint of fear in her eyes, but the most satisfying was the doubt. You could tell she wasn’t accustomed to the feeling of doubting herself. Nobody questioned the fortune teller’s words, not even herself. Of course she was always right when she guided everyone to her desired outcome. But fortune telling had a way of biting you back when you least expected it. As I turned I heard her whisper to herself.

'Not again...'

She called out to me as I walked away. Her voice cracked in desperation.

‘Victoria will never let you go! This was her last chance to convince you to join us. She is convinced you are the key to ending all this and she's not acting rationally. ’

‘Then I’ll just have to try harder to show her the reality of things.’

I exited the building only to find Victoria standing there with her maid and Blue and Green. My two classmates looked sheepishly at me. I could tell they had both been berated. The maid stood with a large sword that was much more pronounced than the one she used in the gym before. Victoria looked so angry it looked like something in her head had snapped.

‘Ah! Vicky! I was just talking about you with a little pipsqueak! How is your heart these days?’

‘That’s enough, Samantha. You’re on lock down again until we work a few things out. Give me your weapon.’

‘You should really take that hat off when you are trying to be serious. You look ridiculous. Did Miss Puffin convince you that was in fashion?’

Blue snickered under her breath. Green elbowed her hard to shut her up. Victoria glared daggers at her for a second and then looked back at me.

‘Enough games. Hand over your sword and come with me.’

‘For once I agree with you. Enough games. I’m not your student to command. I barely tolerate your existence because I can’t end it…yet. So if you want my weapon then you better be willing to do more than ask nicely.’

‘So be it. Miss Irons, relieve Miss Rye of her locket.’

With a flash the maid moved and swung her sword at my locket. At least where my locket had been. She looked in confusion at the empty space where I had been. Then she was hit in the back of the head by a half-eaten apple.

Everyone turned in surprise to follow the blue trail of energy that led from where I had been to where I was. Sheathed sword in my left hand, I shrugged.

‘You really are a meathead, Vicky. Everything’s always your way or the highway. I’m really shocked that you have managed to keep so many loyal to you for so long. Let’s see if that holds when everything starts to fall apart.’

I looked at my sword. The first red light was barely glowing. I wouldn’t be transforming it for this fight. Time to put my newly formed Magus abilities to the test. Miss Irons stood in a defensive pose. She was obviously confused as to how I had used magic, but was showing no signs that her confusion would lighten her defense.

‘Miss Irons. I owe you one for the naming ceremony. But first…’

I retrieved from my locket a dagger I had swiped from the Forge earlier. I charged it with Mana and threw it. The maid moved to block but she had strayed too far from Victoria when attacking me. Vicky raised her hands and constructed a barrier, but the blue glowing blade passed effortlessly through and struck her in the heart. She stumbled back a few steps and then burst into yellow light.

‘Huh. I guess it was true that her powers are almost nonexistent. Also, you suck as a bodyguard.’

Miss Irons was mad. She dashed forward and swung her sword. She was insanely fast for wielding such a large sword, but each time she attacked I left a blue trail and appeared ten feet away. I grinned as she struggled. I hadn’t even drawn my sword yet.

‘What did Cinder give you? How are you moving like that?’

‘You really need to have a conversation with Vicky about who I am. I'm assuming she knows by how she is acting.’

‘I don’t know how you’re doing it, but it’s time I stopped you before you go wild again.’

She held out her sword to the side and struck a pose with her legs apart and her left hand up by her right shoulder with two fingers extended. Even in this position I didn’t see any openings.

‘Heed my call, Urisk!’

Brown and grey energy began to gather around her. This had been what I was waiting for. Not waiting for her to finish, I blinked forward in a blur of blue light. With her focused on transforming, she would be open to attacks. I drew my sword and slashed in one motion.

My blade was stopped. I looked up and was shocked at what I saw. Miss Irons has completed her transformation in a flash. Her maids dress had transformed into a fancy version of a milkmaid’s dress adorned with pieces of armor. It was a pale grey with dark brown embroidering and a dark brown corset.

Her shoes had become knee high grey boots with plates of armor and heels that made her feet look hooved like a goat.  Her glasses were gone and her forehead sported a protective plate from which two large spiraling horns protruded and curved to an end by her ears.

In her right hand was an impressive broadsword that tapered from wide to its point almost like a lance. Its guard was armored to the point of looking like a shield and its grip was extended to almost two and a half feet. Her blade could be classified as more of a polearm than a sword.

In her left hand was my blade. She had caught the sharp edge of the Fairyite steel like I had swung a wooden practice blade at her. She just stood there holding the blade with a condescending look in her eyes. I pulled back but she just held it firmly in place like a vice.

‘That is enough, Miss Rye. Stand down.’

I glared at her from behind my blade. All the stress and anger I had felt up to this point was making my blade shake.

‘Would you?’

‘What?’

‘If you were me, would you stand down?’

A brief moment of contemplation flashed over Miss Iron’s face as she continued to hold my sword in place.

‘No, I guess I wouldn’t.’

‘Then shut up and fight.’

I channeled my newfound Mana into my blade and pushed with everything I had. The blade began to move forward once again.