lisra POV
The item box faded into a puff of smoke. Tiny crosses of sparkles erged at its wake, decorations to a fairy-tale transformation.
It soon materialised. Ciel let out a light gasp as she clutched on the thin rod of wood, stretching till the other end t a patch of lush, healthy straws.
’A broom?’
Ciel tilted her head, then a system panel explained.
[ Item: Broom-star, Rare Grade ]
[ Description: A flying broom that could change its size at will. Transition to Umbra Grade is possible upon level 20 ]
"It’s..."
On the other side, lisrs’s eyes bead. This was the most excited Ciel had seen her yet.
"Holy hell! Oh my god!" The pink-haired witch covered her lips, tone drifting till it almost beca a squeal.
lisra then coughed twice, calming herself. "Hm... little Ciel? What magic is this?"
Ciel could only shake her head. "I’ve no idea. I just did it out of instinct."
"Heh..." lisra squinted hard. She didn’t believe a word, but Ciel could an no harm, which ant...
As the pink-haired witch’s eyes t the principal’s glare, it told her everything.
lisra and Sumr have been partners for a long ti. So might say they were even the closest, despite their frequent disagreent.
Thus, both knew each other’s temperant quite well. And lisra judged fairly.
Sumr was extrely protective of Ciel. Naturally, an outsider like her couldn’t be involved too deeply.
Ciel must have received information on her end to keep so secrets. Unless lisra herself probed, nothing else would co up.
But judging by the forr shadebeast’s vulnerable state, the experienced witch had another answer.
’The stubborn dragon probably wanted Ciel to keep a distance from everyone, everyone that Sumr herself didn’t trust.’
Mostly to protect Ciel, but lisra suspected sothing worse, ominous, even.
The pink-haired witch nodded to herself. "Well then, I’ll speak out so observations from myself here."
Back to the item box phenonon. Ciel’s eyes glimred, the round black beads carrying an innocent curiosity.
A flicker of a frown crossed Sumr’s face, caught only by lisra on the other side.
"When the box opened," lisra raised a finger at her white eyes. "So sparkles ca out, right? Strangely, it carried traces of Mana one typically found in a Queen."
And then, all lives were lost from Ciel’s eyes.
"Queen?" Ciel’s emotion was calm, like a peaceful sea before an all-consuming flood.
"Queen." lisra raised a brow. She noticed sothing, but that’s precisely why she would stay silent.
Unless she wanted her life cut short by Sumr here.
"Concept-defying, illogical, and beings that enslaved mana," lisra smirked. "Sothing tells your parasite, too, had an undeniable connection to a Queen."
Ciel’s look darkened.
She had expected the worst, got the worst, and was still disappointed at the worst in her own terms.
How selfish of her. She wished Miss Dragon would scold her now.
"Ciel?"
Sumr’s call of her na was a tender, solemn hush.
It snapped Ciel out briefly. The forr shadebeast then hugged the broom, shifting carefully in Sumr’s arms.
Her System may be tied to a Queen, but that was fine for now.
If worst ca to pass, Miss Dragon would kill her.
She promised.
Ciel allowed herself this consolidation. The illusion of one comforted her, pressing the beast inside forward when the human refused.
Up above her, lisra just watched as the dragon’s gaze grew an all-consuming dark.
It was as if a terrifying roar was held inside. Part of it was restrained, the other part possessive.
How childish. The pink-haired witch just sighed to herself.
—-------
Convincing Ciel to head for her lecture, lisra decided to have a little chat with Sumr.
Her first advice was straightforward.
"So you want to fuck your own student?"
"No."
Sumr’s flat denial was almost instant. lisra groaned, her back resting on one of the liquid containers.
Behind the glass wall floated a detached arm, its sleeve crumpled. Its fingers clung strangely to a violin, never letting go as if another life ordered from beyond the grave.
Treating the arm as a re decoration, the pink-haired witch mocked. "Sumr. I’ve known you before you were even born. Tell straight that no personal feelings were involved, yeah? Yeah?"
"..."
Sumr turned her head in silence.
lisra’s lips pursed.
Admitting intimacy was difficult for a long-ti being, and lisra had yet to find an exception.
So emotions dulled with age and experience. So had gotten too hurt until all tears of joy or sadness had drained.
In the case of Sumr, it was neither.
Because the Dragon had held onto her hatred for Shadebeast. For an entire four hundred years, since her entire kind was annihilated.
She could see Ciel already struggling with her own emotions. As an educator, she didn’t want the baggage known as ’Sumr’ drag her down.
Just as she was about to scold Sumr-
"My feeling was more of an obsession."
"Pardon?"
A confession by Sumr? In her day and age?
What a worthy day to commorate!
lisra sprang and clapped. "Isn’t that equivalent to affection anyway? Congrats!"
Sumr groaned, drawn and tired. "What are you trying to point out anyway?"
"Hm?" lisra’s finger found her chin, belatedly. "I was... wondering if you’re going to be a burden to Ciel rather than-"
"Ciel was mine. I will do with her as I please."
"O-okay..."
Scratch it. If worry were a ter, then lisra’s ter could be raised and flown out of space now.
"Besides, Ciel was not the type to hesitate in combat." Sumr folded her arms. "You also monitored the mimic exam. Did you not see her killing her own kin without a bat of an eye?"
"If you’re going to be like Kruella..." lisra scowled. "I’m going to be a little mad, Sumr."
Waves stirred in the containers surrounding them. lisra, shrouded in a white aura of rage, glared with an untold obsession.
Sumr didn’t flinch. Just stated. "Killing Queens and shadebeasts were not of Ciel’s own wish, but her peace won’t co unless they die so that she will do it."
The dragon’s hand clenched tight into her dress sleeve, her knuckles cackling, trembling with restrained rage.
Sumr recalled her oath, when she first established the academy.
"The academy’s purpose was always not for defending yourself against shadebeasts, but to kill shadebeasts. Surviving was very different from the act of hunting itself, and we would want the students go down fighting."
She strode with careful, somber steps towards lisra.
The pink-haired witch gave way, frowning as her shroud disspaited, confused at the Dragon’s temper.
Sumr’s condition was off. Her teeth were grinding. Her green eyes were bloodshot red. Her body was rigid as if resisting the urge to lash out.
Her palm t the glass wall, which held the sleeved arm from earlier.
"This arm," Sumr murmured. "Cost the lives of ten students from last year."
The Principal continued. "The only reason I allow Ciel to live is for the possibility that she will make a great shadehunter, so that it will never co to...this. My obsession with her was as simple as that."
The tremor in her voice told a different story. lisra didn’t point out, unsure if Sumr’s denial will do any good.
If the witch had to comnt, she would claim age had only dulled Sumr’s wisdom.
Two things solely defined the dragon.
A duty to kill shadebeasts, born of pure hatred.
A protectiveness for her own student, born of pure grief.
Ciel t both criteria, which made Sumr stubborn.
She sighed. "Well then, how about you initiate more intimate, lovey-dovey monts with her then?"
So, she decided on a reverse-psychology approach.
"Hm?" Sumr raised a brow. "Do not be up for any trick."
"No no no, I’m serious."
The catlike, mischievous smirk crept up at lisra’s lips. She was totally genuine.
Two girls kissing and whatnot. She loved it too much, even if it made her single-status depressing.
"Picture this," lisra dismissed her own feeling as she continued. "Ciel, when she was not fighting, was always searching for a deep connection herself. Now, you were the closest one."
Sumr nodded. However, her fingers began to crackle in irritation.
The pink-haired witch, cherishing her life, quickly spoke. "I’m not telling you to, like, emotionally manipulate her. I’m trying to say you can comfort her more often."
"Comfort?"
This ti, Sumr’s voice raised slightly in interest.
"Like hug her and stuff?" lisra contemplated, her palm sliding against her chin like a great appraiser. "You enjoy it too, don’t you? Then just do as usual, but intensify it just a little."
The principal froze, and the air went cold with her.
"Uh..." lisra’s shoulders hung. "Did I... say sothing wrong? I an, just a little kiss or two would be great. Ciel would like it and be more motivated to kill her kind, and-"
"I understand."
"Hm?!"
lisra actually squealed. Sumr understood what?!
As if spring arrived in the room, Sumr’s strange condition shattered away for a refreshing, almost enlightened look.
The dragon looked in the distance, her eyes flat, but the burning eagerness within was unmistakable.
"You’re right," Sumr answered. "Ciel is mine. Just a possession, and she also liked it as well."
The principal did not smile, yet in lisra’s mind the evilest grin was etched upon her face.
"So," the possessive dragon concluded. "Why shouldn’t I enjoy her?"
"Uh-uh..."
How the hell did it co to this?! She only wanted to budge her a little!
lisra scread inside, yet no help ca. Not that anyone was powerful enough to stop Sumr.
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