I was back in the town by the rift – that was how it was called, in absence of a proper name. I had no idea how I had got there, but the flora running amok made the town instantly recognizable. Yet it didn't look right. The details were all hazy, and I couldn't exactly point out everything that was just a little off, but the buildings certainly hadn't been built at such odd angles.
And the sky above looked simply fantastical. It was filled with more color than any night sky should be, as if transparent veils of myriad colors overlapped and flowed into each other all across its expanse. Not that the I had seen such a sky at day either, but I was fairly sure that it was night, because of all the stars that were not just visible, but looking somehow much larger and closer than usual.
I thought that the street that I stood in the middle of seemed familiar, but it was far more overrun by wild plantlife than any part of the town that I'd seen. Not to mention that there were no humans around, that was definitely odd. It wasn't just that I couldn't see anyone – after all, people would be sleeping at night. Rather, it was the fact that I couldn't sense the mana of a single human from the buildings.
That I was actually able to sense mana in the dream at all might have been the strangest thing in itself. Or maybe the fact that I was so awake and aware, even though I was certainly dreaming. I had half expected to be having nightmares, everything considered, but I also wasn't experience the urgent anxiety of a nightmare. The sights around me were certainly unnerving, but they were fantastical rather than the sort of fears that I would have been haunted by in a nightmare.
I did not feel like I could rely on my other senses in the odd dreamscape, but it really seemed that I was able to sense mana, not only just as well as when awake but actually even better. And though humans were absent, the other inhabitants of the town by the rift were not. With my sense for mana enhanced, I felt that I could actually see them, the creatures of the Faerie, everywhere around me.
Their forms seemed like the mana itself had become something physical and tangible. There was no color that I could describe in the mana, nor the play of light and shadow, but their shapes, vague as they were, nonetheless etched into my mind in a way that I couldn't really comprehend. Some were almost human-like in form, though much smaller, whilst others had characteristics of animals, but not all were shapes that I could compare to anything. And none of the creatures seemed to have fully formed and coherent bodies as such, as if they were half-formed ideas, lacking in clarity.
But beyond the creatures, that seemed content to ignore me, and the plants pulsing with the mana of the Faerie, there was a far stronger presence, that had been given shape by the mana. The Fae rift, as I turned to look in its direction, appeared to rise vertically from the ground far up into the sky. A scar in reality, like a tear in fabric, its sides were undulating as if a strong wind was blowing through. It manifested more strongly, with much sharper texture, than anything else in the dreamscape.
I started to head directly for the rift, without as much as having a thought about it. Even as I clambered over giant roots and struggled my way past low vegetation, I never let my sight go from the rift, until I was so close that it filled my entire field of view. I was only vaguely aware of the myriad subtle changes in my surroundings as I got closer, each one towards the weirder, as if each step took me further away from a world governed by the strict laws of nature. It all seemed to flow together in the increasingly strong current of mana, and it didn't seem like as much time passed as should have when I traveled that distance.
I hadn't noticed when, or if, I had actually passed through the rift, but at some point I became quite certain that I was in the Faerie itself, or at least a dreamscape facsimile of it. Yet the torrent of mana around me, flowing presumably into the rift, had become such a blinding cacophony of surreality, that it felt like it was starting to tear away at my sanity. I could no longer distinguish shape or texture, sound or direction, as all my senses became overwhelmed by the cataclysmic onrush of mana.
Then, amidst it all, I suddenly felt an odd sense of familiarity and recognition. It the feeling of home, of belonging. But the belonging was not mine. With that odd feeling, the assault on my senses seemed to suddenly calm slightly, becoming more distant. Perplexed, I turned around to face towards a single presence that somehow stood out from the storm of mana around me, perhaps by its stability, as it seemed unaffected by the whirling winds of mana that swallowed everything else.
Unlike the other things that I had seen around me in the dreamscape, it didn't take shape through mana, but rather it was mana itself, without any further definition. Yet I thought that it was surely in possession of an awareness, as I somehow felt it beholding me back, though I had no indication that its shapeless form was facing in any direction at all. It's watching gaze, that wasn't about looking, shared with me in some alien way the feeling of curiosity, and and intent of deliberation, that it had towards me, as the dream faded.
I woke up feeling more tired than when I had gone to sleep. I fumbled around for the timepiece that I had discovered inside the bedside table the previous evening, the fine craft of which I could appreciate, but which bothered me with its small size when I was so bleary-eyed. I confirmed that it was still early, but not so early that I had time to fall asleep again. I proceeded towards the bathroom at a sluggish pace whilst shedding a nightdress that Celine had bought for me alongside the other clothes.
After a shower I started to wake up a little, and tried to remember all the things that Celine had insisted on hammering into my head during the our bath time the previous evening, before concluding that I'd worry about it later in the day, when I took a bath. There was a reason for why Mela had chosen to keep things simple – such a thought came to me from some part of my mind that may well have belonged to the girl herself.
Again I spent a bit of time staring at my own reflection in the mirror. It occurred to me to try to figure out what different expressions actually looked like on my new face. Nothing like the image that I had wanted to project, was the answer for the most part. Cute, adorable even, were the words that came to mind when I tried to frown, or with most things that I tried to express for that matter. At least the grimace, that came naturally at that thought, more or less expressed my displeasure. Somehow I got the impression that that sour look was something quite well practiced by Mela.
When I found myself in front of the wardrobe, it slowly started to dawn on me that I was going to have to wear some of the new clothes when I'd head into the crowds at the academy. Surely I was going to get all sorts of weird looks, changing Mela's style so suddenly and drastically. And in the first place, shouldn't I have been trying to avoid bringing even more attention to myself, when I wasn't even the real Mela?
Unfortunately, Celine had clearly foreseen me coming up with such excuses, and I no longer had any other clothes to wear, but the ones that she'd picked. I was just going to have to commit and wear them with confidence, I resolved. Easier said than done, though I wasn't sure why such thoughts were even bothering me so much, when I had been able to face all those fearful and malicious stares without any concern on the previous day. I picked one of the outfits that had looked more reasonable, and which I was confident I could wear without messing up.
Then I started packing up for the day. There wasn't much that I had to carry with me, but without Celine around I felt a bit lost, and it took me a while to find everything in the still unfamiliar room. As I was heading out, my eyes chanced upon the scarf that I'd bought yesterday, hanging off the corner of my bed. On a whim I picked it up and wrapped it around my neck. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it, but I thought that I could at least get started with some sort of tests, once I was done with my classes for the day.
Yeah. People were definitely staring. I wasn't sure if it was any more than the previous day, but I was pretty sure that not all of them recognized me immediately. When they did, it seemed like there was more amazement, and a little less fear, in the looks coming my way. In a sense, it could be seen as an improvement. Besides, it still didn't seem like they wanted to get close, so I didn't exactly hear any remarks on it. At least I didn't until I was heading to my third class of the day.
"You know, I think she wears it pretty well – for an old woman!"
So remarked a woman that didn't seem like she was any younger than Mela. She was speaking loudly, supposedly talking to another girl next to her, but directing a mocking smirk my way, same as the other girl. It took me slightly by surprise. I had been certain that people would talk behind my back, but I hadn't expected for someone to come at me so childishly in the open – not to mention with a barb that was so wildly off the mark, since Mela really wasn't that much older than what her appearance indicated, whatever the characteristics of the Tannel family, and it wasn't that bothered me.
I could only conclude that I was looking at the sort of people that had been waiting for any chance at all to get a chance to throw some snide comments Mela's way, for whatever incomprehensible reasons drove people such as them. It looked like rumors had to have made their way around already, with how clearly staged their performance was. And whilst I generally refrained from comments on how others dressed, seeing how low the necklines were on their outfits, I wasn't about to take their advice on how to dress over Celine's.
"But what's with the scarf though? Green, with that outfit?"
I suddenly wondered if I hadn't accidentally messed up one of Celine's well coordinated outfits, with the thoughtless addition that I'd made on a whim. However much I might have wanted to complain, I didn't think there was anything wrong with Celine's taste, at least compared to the pair of harpies in front of me. But I suddenly felt a little flustered, much more so than I'd ever thought such a situation could ever cause, when I wondered if my own lack of sense hadn't stood out above that.
But immediately such thoughts were overridden by a different sort of sentiment. I was suddenly feeling very indignant about the rude way those bitches were talking, complaining as they were about a perfectly good shade of green that was far more interesting than the dull colors that filled the whole building. Then, taking a step back mentally, I felt very confused about where such an odd sentiment, making me articulate a totally unfamiliar thought in my mind, had even come from.
I stopped walking and looked down at my scarf, holding it out with one hand and staring at it. I noted an odd motion in its usually inert mana, which had accompanied the odd surge of emotion that I had just experienced. The maliciously laughs from the from the two girls, as they no doubt felt triumphant, barely registered in my mind, as I was far more interested in the thought that I had just experienced my scarf itself taking offense, rather than any emotion of my own. It seemed ridiculous, but all the more intriguing for it, and my mind drew a comparison to a hazy recollection of a dream that I'd had the previous night, including the appearance of a seemingly intelligent entity of made of pure mana.
"Are you two going to keep causing trouble in front of me? Yeah, thought not."
A new voice, speaking in a tone dripping with contempt, brought me back into the moment. I looked up to see that another girl had stepped up, and was directing a piercing stare at the two bullies, who quickly scampered off. There was something a little familiar about that look. She certainly looked a bit intimidating, her blue eyes and black hair making a striking contrast, but I figured that it was more likely the prefect's pin on her breast that had driven off the pair. I was slightly surprised by the intervention, but it was the prefect girl's following action, suddenly whipping around and pointing a finger at me, that really left me confused.
"Don't worry about those losers. You just focus on the upcoming advanced course on the magic of machinery, because I'll meet you there!"
I really didn't know what to make of her fierce declaration, but I felt somewhat at a disadvantage, not knowing who she was. Maybe the actual Mela would have, but whilst her earlier look had seemed a little familiar, I didn't get the sort of instinctive feeling of recognition that I'd had with Celine, so I decided that I had to just ask.
"Umm, okay? And could you tell me your name?"
It was her turn to be surprised. Apparently she had also thought that Mela would know her. Unfortunately I wasn't Mela, so I could only look apologetic as she was left with her mouth hanging slightly open. Her expression froze and her pointed finger slowly fell towards the ground. She seemingly tried to figure out what to say and failed, and instead her shoulders sagged and a disheartened look took over. I couldn't help but feel a little bad at her overt disappointment, so hastily prompted her.
"I wanted to know, since I'm thankful that you helped me out!"
"Oh. I'm Sahra Loen! And you'd better remember that name, because I'm the one that will beat you! Fair and square!"
She recovered remarkably quickly. At first she looked a bit flustered at my expression of gratitude, but she quickly covered it up with more bravado. Loen, huh? That's why she looked familiar, that look she gave the girls earlier was a lot like the disquieting stare that instructor Rapfrad gave the student that had interrupted during his lecture, and I could certainly see the family resemblance, when I looked at her a bit more.
As for her suddenly going on about beating me, I was more than a little thrown off. Was it because she was a Loen, and so she thought of me, a Tannel, as her rival? Celine had described something like that, with the mage families at the academy. Or was there some history between Sahra and Mela, so that she was actually disheartened because of Mela apparently forgetting her?
Regardless, did young mages really see Altrel academy as some sort of battlefield on which to prove their mettle? It was actually a school and a research institution though, and since I'd already graduated once I just couldn't muster that sort of zeal for competition. Well, since she brought up a course before, one that I did recall Mela had signed up for, I concluded that she probably was just looking to compare grades and got overly excited.
"And, um, I think the new style suits you. See you later, and don't be late to class!"
"Oh, alright, see you?"
I barely comprehended her sudden switch, to mumbling out a compliment shyly, before she was already rushing off, leaving me still struggling to get out a hesitant goodbye. She didn't seem like bad girl, but I just couldn't keep up with her pace at all. It seemed like she was the one worried about being late, seeing the way that she rushed down the corridor. I could only shake my head in bafflement, as I went into the room in front of which the whole odd debacle had just taken place, for the moment having even forgotten about my scarf.
