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Chapter 12

Battle Against Teacher and Student

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"In this fight, I won't tell you when to use your spells. Do everything you can to break my shield. Nothing is off-limits. Do you hear me, Goldie Kingsman?"

“Right, nothing is off limits.”

Goldie put on her witch's hat. The magical hat she sewed over her time here, enchanted with the help of her mentor, gave her mana powers a boost. In Goldie’s right hand was a staff that mirrored her teacher’s. An ancient weapon that the mana levels of Madalyn could only craft.

These tools were boosters needed to defeat the Overlord within the Grimoire of Reason.

A void appeared at the side of Maddy. Calmly, she stepped in, but Goldie was ready as she raced away, kicked off the cobblestone edge, took her staff, and flew into the starry sky.

Behind her, a spell activated, creating a powerful eruption of fire to engulf where she was standing. The magic canceled, but the match would have ended quickly if the witch had stayed.

“Tsk, she’s not playing.”

Goldie looked young, but her mind was that of a knowledgeable witch who trained every day for years. Goldie knew that she had to get on the offensive as soon as possible, but first, she needed to find out where her teacher had gone.

“A spell?”

From above, holy light rained down on her. Quickly, Goldie activated a spell to reflect the attack. But she didn't just use it to defend herself. The rays fired back in the direction of the magic. The princess used a reflection spell aimed at attacking the magical user.

“There you are!”

As she blasted off on her staff, the world spun with her upside down. It took a long while for Goldie to get used to flying. Still, she maneuvered like a professional horseback rider if the horse could fly. As she sped through, Goldie channeled a spell. Lightning formed in her hand as mana conducted through. Using the direction of the light reflection spell, she shot a widespread beam in that area.

“Tsk.”

Her teacher clicked her tongue and appeared out of the stars. She dodged, avoiding the spell, and levitated towards the golden girl. Unlike Goldie, her teacher didn't have to sit on the staff to fly. Just touching it was enough to give her that ability. Goldie knew this, showing how vastly different their levels of mana were.

But she couldn't let simple things like that get to her. As they both charged, her teacher channeled a fire spell in her hand. It was massive, and Goldie knew if she was struck with it, she'd be done for. But instead of retreating, she faced her head on to the surprise of Maddy.

“Don’t be stupid...”

Maddy scorned her student under her breath as she released her terrifying spell. Goldie faced a giant ball of fire searing her way; it roared like a lion in the wild as it burst through the void space.

"Now!"

Goldie opened a portal and vanished within. She knew where Maddy was by the spell previously. With that knowledge, Goldie marked that as a teleport way and used it after her teacher released her magic.

“Ha!”

With her staff clenched in her hands, Goldie attempted to break her teacher's barrier as she appeared behind her. Maddy swayed out of the way and smirked with excitement.

"Clever, Goldie!"

She laughed, amused by the play. The student witch caught herself by putting her staff between her legs. With a snap of Maddy's thin fingers, lightning roared down, ready to bring the battle to a sudden end.

No, you don't!"

The golden witch screamed as she let out a spell that encased her in a barrier. Her shield absorbed the lightning magic, and mana surged through the golden witch's body. Goldie took this energy and began her next spell.

“Haaa!”

Goldie shot a beam of lighting downward to Maddy with all her power. Unable to dodge, Maddy created her own spell and battled the ray with her own. Electricity danced in the sky, causing the world to hue a deep purple. As their spells battled, Goldie’s mana was waning.

(“I won’t last as long as her...”)

Goldie grew concerned. She knew her mentor's power was limitless compared to hers, yet her mana was depleting with this powerful spell. She had to combat it, or at the very least…

She put herself in a bad position by attacking with a spell like this too close to Maddy. If Goldie canceled her lightning spell to avoid it, Maddy would demolish her white shield just because of her limitless mana. Goldie would lose the match.

The great witch could fire off this spell for days, but Goldie would run out of mana long before her. Goldie couldn't avoid it because it was too fast. 

“I… know what to do.”

So as the beam was activated, Goldie started creating a new one. The witch transferred the lighting beam spell from her hand and into the staff. This allowed her weapon to take control of the active spell while the golden witch used a second spell. Goldie successfully used what witches called a “dual cast.”

“There!”

Goldie shouted as a new spell activated. A magic circle appeared over Maddy and began wrapping around her. It was a magic seal spell, aimed to cut off her lightning spell.

“Hehe. So, clever.”

The teacher giggled to herself. Maddy’s beam spell was successfully interrupted because of Goldie’s seal spell. But the great witch was quick and dodged Goldie's electricity ray beamed towards Maddy. If the great witch was a second too late, she would have been hit by Goldie’s lightning spell.

Goldie almost won, and that invigorated Maddy.

This war waged on in the sky as they shot spells at one another. Like fireworks, the world lit up and dazzled with powerful mana. 

Suddenly, Maddy shot a spell Goldie hadn't seen before. It was bright white viens, like weeds that captured her, keeping her in place. She couldn’t fly as the great witch kept her in place. That wonderful, devilish grin came on Madalyn’s face. 

(“A binding spell?”)

Goldie’s enemy pulled her to her, ready to break her shield and finish the battle. But Goldie broke free of the binds and dodged a magical ray aimed at her.

(“She’s not playing! Madalyn is trying to win no matter what.”)

Each attack nearly broke the opponent's barrier. But neither of them went easy on the other. Madalyn flew above her student and brought up her staff. The world turned dark, almost pitch black, as a void appeared above Maddy’s weapon. Flames sparked around Madalyn like hell was releasing from the void.

 

 

“What the hell is that?!”

Goldie cried. She was exhausted, and her mana ran low after the drawn-out battle. Yet this monster, her teacher, was bringing about a spell she'd never seen. The world was beginning to distort, and she could feel her mana pulling.

“It’s an absorption spell.”

She concluded aloud. Understanding the spell being used taught her ways to combat it. This type of spell, she couldn’t reflect it because the mana would be drawn to it. The next question in her head was…

(“Why is it absorbing?”)

Goldie knew her mentor still had a stockpile of mana. There would be no reason for her to need to feed for magic. That only had one meaning to it.

("That spell will drain me of mana then attack me. Madalyn is ending this fight… What do I do?")

The power of the void was getting wider, and the golden student could feel a strong force charged within. She was correct; Maddy attempted to make a great spell that was unavoidable. Magic was pointless because anything would get absorbed by her splendid magic.

Then it clicked to Goldie. This situation was dire… but simple when she put her mind to it. The witch sped into the void toward her teacher. She had to get close enough to do this trick. Maddy smiled, and her teeth showed. She had two small fangs that looked a tad devious, which Goldie adored…

 

The witch was enjoying herself as she watched what her star student planned to do. Excited yet focused, Maddy knew she had to stay focused and readied for her final attack.

The world shook with vigor as the dark spell twisted everything. At the highest speed she could go, Goldie closed her eyes.

“I hope this works!”

Goldie prayed and pushed her body off the staff. It speared at the magician like a harpoon.

"Huh?"

Madalyn's eyes went wide.

This wasn't a spell or a magical attack but a purely physical one not used by most witches. The staff speared at Goldie's opponent like a giant arrow about to pierce its target.

"I held it too long..."

Maddy admitted and swayed to the side, stopping the spell. The witch caught her student's staff as Goldie fell into the void. Goldie didn't fear falling out of the Grimoire of reason. The golden witch created a spell in her mind and teleported back to the cobblestone.

It was there she faced her teacher, holding her staff.

“Amazing job.”

Her teacher congratulated her. The smile on her face caused Goldie's heart to throb fiercely. But the student witch stayed focused just in case her teacher had a trick up her sleeve.

"Six years of training… and I'm so proud of you, Goldie."

Six years of training had passed as the two grew accustomed to fighting and sharing their passions. After an intense fight, the teacher stopped the battle and put their staves on the ground.

“That concludes my teachings. You are ready for battle, Goldie.”

They faced one another as those words seared into Goldie's heart. Goldie may have looked at the age of fourteen in person, but that wasn't true. Goldie had grown, and her battle style reflected that.

"I'm ready? But I never broke your barrier, Maddy."

Goldie asked.

"But time and time again, I was faced with near misses. As someone who lived eons beyond eons… that is a feat most will never even dream of meeting."

Proud of her student, Maddy smiled brightly as she crossed her arms.

"There is not much else I can teach you. Though your mana is nowhere near as strong as mine… that would be impossible for you to reach with the time we have left."

Madalyn her eyes softened as she looked up at the vast world above.

“It would be a mistake of me to keep training you… because we do not know how much time we have left here. But I know you’ll do wonders in battle.”

Those ice eyes that always took Goldie off her feet pierced her gaze.

"You're smart, clever, quick-witted, and most of all… willing to fight and win. You are no longer my student."

Her teacher put both the staves on the ground and crossed them, indicating that the battle was truly over.

“You’re Goldie Kingsman, the honorable witch and princess of the Kingdom of Nora.”

Maddy's words hit deep as the realization set in. Goldie has passed after all these years of fighting. The golden witch was happy... but in a way sad too.

“Y-you’re right.”

Goldie knew in her heart that these days with her beloved teacher had to end. The battle she worked hard to fight against needed to come. But throughout her training, she resolved the feelings of her pride. Goldie was proud to be the princess of the Kingdom of Nora and wanted to show that pride through her strength. It felt as though Maddy acknowledged this, and that was the happiest moment of Goldie's life.

"We will rest, and when we're ready, we'll release the Overlord, Goldie. Together, I know we can win against our adversary."

Goldie looked at the two staves on the ground. They were visually the same, and it made Goldie smile… knowing she was just that much more like the woman she admired. Nothing else needed to be taught; Goldie was ready to show the world that she was a Kingsman.

As always, they both walked into the home and got comfortable. Yet this rest wasn’t like the others. The impending future was drawing near. Even so, Maddy sat on the bed and lay her head down, tired from the constant war within her.

Goldie's heart drummed harder than ever as she watched the woman she'd spent so much time with sleep idly. The princess and now witch wasn’t fearing the battle ahead as much as she thought she would. Goldie… was fearing the end of these beautiful moments together was coming to an end. With her emotions whirling inside her, trying their best to take hold of Goldie, the golden girl stood up and walked over to the bed.

Calmly she sat next to her mentor and put her hand on hers. The warmth gave her strength. Goldie didn’t want this feeling to leave quite yet.

“Oh, Goldie… are you nervous?”

Goldie shook her head and let go of and her hand. With her emotions all over, the princess crawled over Maddy and got to the other end of the bed. Goldie always felt safe on this side of the bed, closest to the window. This corner of the bed... calmed her just a bit.

“Madalyn…”

In a whisper, Goldie called out to a name that comforted her. Concerned, Maddy sat in bed and searched her partner's eyes. She could tell something was bothering the golden girl. After all this time together, alone, there would be no way she wouldn't see a difference in her demeanor.

"Everything will be fine. You're strong, and I'm not worried, nor should you be, Goldie."

Tenderly, Maddy smiled. It took years to reach this point where Maddy's emotionless expression naturally showed warmth to her student.

“Oh?”

That wonderful smile represented their time together. It was why Goldie had to confess everything, knowing that this moment could be over soon and their time alone would be gone.

“I…”

Her heart pounded loudly, echoing in Goldie's ears. Goldie began to feel that unwanted fear creeping in as the years passed. Those once-cold eyes of Maddy's were tender and hot as they gazed into hers.

“I…”

Goldie's lips quivered as she confessed the feelings that captured her heart from the first day onward. Tenderly, Goldie held Maddy's soft hands. The person she promised to save and protect was in her grasp. If any time was best, it was this moment.

“It’s… nothing.”

Maddy closed her eyes and sighed. It wasn’t like how it used to be. She wasn’t annoyed… but concerned.

“Goldie, say whatever you want.”

With a warm, loving smile, Madalyn tenderly soothed Goldie’s heart.

"I'm always at your side, no matter what, Goldie. Don't be afraid to tell me how you feel."

“Madalyn…”

A tear broke free, causing the flood of emotions to release from Goldie. As always, Madalyn had the right words to say to Goldie.

“Oh… Madalyn.”

That name caused her body to heat up. Those charming words comforted Goldie and made her feel special. So special that there would be no way she couldn't express the tangled feelings within her.

 

“I-I’m in love with you, M-Madalyn Manasala.”