Annabelle’s Bastion

Aria led Anna out of the arena before the audience would have a chance to get to them, taking her to the start of the path to their dorm. It was silent most of the time since Anna was so tired.

She wanted to stay and see what happened with Jared, but she felt too exhausted to stick around.

Whatever punishment awaited him in that Abyssal Hole was satisfaction enough. His time in the academy was pretty much ruined after today, especially after the public declaration from the announcer.

What was on Anna’s mind now was the tall woman aiding her forward. They hadn’t spoken in a few weeks, and she wasn’t sure what to say.

Until they passed where Jack died.

“You know,” Anna said quietly, stopping them to look at the tree Jack drew his last breath. “Dad always says to treat all life as sacred unless that sanctity is broken beyond repair.”

Aria looked at the tree, then to Anna. Within those amber eyes was concern—not for the dead, but for Anna. “A wise man.”

“He is,” Anna said, nodding. “At least, I think so. He told me that we shouldn’t be willing to take a life unless I truly believed it was the only way to end things.”

“Do…” She paused, then lightly shook her head. “Do you think Jack didn’t need to die?”

“I wonder that... sometimes... “Anna returned her gaze to the tree. Nobody would guess someone died there—no markings, carvings, or anything. “Maybe we could have talked with him more, maybe he didn’t deserve the broken arm you gave him, and maybe we could have smoothed things over.”

“I don’t believe—”

“No—I get it,” Anna interrupted, looking into Aria’s eyes. “Aria. Listen. Even when I thought about all that, I didn’t foresee a future where he didn’t die. Either him or you... or me.” She shook her head. “If I had gotten back here first, I’d probably be dead or worse right now.”

“I… know. Otherwise, why did the fat man have to be there?”

Anna chuckled. “Jared, yes.”

Jared had no reason to be in that forest if the target was Aria. While he could just be friends with Greg, it seemed more likely that he was told the target would be Anna.

Aria helped Anna to a nearby bench, ensuring she got comfortable before sitting beside her. That was a good idea since the dorm was more active right now, especially after the fight.

“Be careful,” Aria said as she gently removed her arm from around Anna’s shoulder. “You’re on the brink of mana exhaustion.”

“Thank you.” Anna tilted her head back to rest on the back of the bench. “I feel like I haven’t slept in days.”

The feeling hit hardest once the adrenaline faded and her mana returned to its calm lake. That was when she understood just how much she used. Oh, well.

She was confident she put on an astounding show, deserving of the academy’s first battle.

It’d probably be on her record, too. Although the value of that probably wasn’t as important anymore, given her path.

“Mana exhaustion,” Aria repeated, lightly nodding. “You need to gain enough control over your mana so you can identify it before it gets to that point.”

Anna sighed. “I feel like I didn’t really do that much, yet here I am.”

“You aren’t low enough to feel this tired. It’s because your body still hasn’t fully acclimated to mana and its residual effects. I heard it explained as a result of your soul fearing for the worst far before it’s necessary.”

Anna wryly chuckled and shook her head. “Our mana—soul—really is a worrywart, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” 

Aria looked like she wanted to say or ask something but bit her tongue, likely in consideration of Anna’s state.

Luckily for her, Anna already knew what she wanted to ask, and it was a conversation she was eager to have.

She smiled at Aria. “I did disable my barrier, then only enabled it around my hands and forearm to block those firebolts.”

Aria looked at her with a shining curiosity in her gaze. “How?”

Anna nearly giggled at the sight. She didn’t realize how much she missed picking up subtle changes in her stoic companion’s face. “I actually owe it to Jared for saying something stupid.” She chuckled and then continued, “That prompted the announcer to say something that pretty much solved it for me.”

“I didn’t hear it.”

“Figured. Jared said that I should disable my barrier so he could burn me alive. That—”

“He should be dead,” Aria interjected.

Anna shrugged. “Thanks for the concern—we’ll see what happens…” She shook her head. “Anyway, I figured that it must be easy if a simpleton like him could do it. The nail in the coffin was when the announcer said that he wasn’t responsible if we got hurt or killed because we chose to disable our barriers instead of controlling them.”

“Disabling and controlling...” Aria paused, lost in thought for a solid minute. Eventually, she shook her head. “I... don’t understand.”

She seemed embarrassed.

Anna nodded. Those words, coming from someone like Aria, confirmed her earlier theory. “Yeah, I figured. Honestly, I think I owe it to my Sigil; it created an understanding in my brain that I mirrored for my barrier. I think I can even apply this to better my enhancements.”

Aria lightly sighed. “A subconscious feeling, then.”

“What’s wrong?” 

“I don’t have a Sigil.”

Anna lifted herself up, staring at Aria in shock. “What?”

Aria nodded. “A supposed punishment for killing Jack.”

“That’s bullshit!” Anna shouted, which made her head sting. “They… attacked you with the intent to kill! Kill! Where was Alisha? Did she let that happen? This…” She shook her head a few times. “This is so… messed up!”

“Calm down, Annabelle.” Aria seemed entirely unconcerned—as if they weren’t talking about a massive deal for her future. “There are people who want me gone, and Alisha isn’t all-powerful. This was the best she could do. The pretense is that it would create fair competition since I am better than every student on this island.”

Anna clicked her tongue. “God. I really, really hate that.”

It was almost like whoever sent that group wanted Aria to kill one of them just so they could levy a harsh punishment. In fact, that was probably it! No way experienced mages thought a bunch of naive Earthlings stood a chance against someone so talented and strong.

“It’s fine—I will still win the tournament.”

“Oh? You know about that?”

“Alisha informed me.” She pulled out a folded paper from her pocket, the announcement Anna saw on the tablet. “She also informed me that you had no choice but to choose a supporting path and absorbed your first Sigil.”

Anna carefully watched Aria’s face, hoping to see how she felt about it. “Are you disappointed?”

However, no change gave anything away.

“No,” Aria finally said. “I believe this path will suit you the best.”

Anna smiled ear-to-ear, glad that her partner wasn’t going to lecture her about it. Having her approval felt amazing. “I’m so glad you think that! Actually... I really wanted to ask if we could partner up for the competitions! I can be your supporter, and we can basically win a whole bunch of Sigils!”

“Of course, Annabelle.” 

Aria had what Anna interpreted as a relieved smile. 

“Call me Anna, we’re friends!”

Anna didn’t remember if Aria had referred to her by name at all since coming to the academy.

“I… like the name Annabelle.” Aria seemed a little embarrassed! “Can I?”

Anna coughed. “O-oh... okay, you can.” She sheepishly nodded. “S-so, you wanna partner with me for the tournaments?”

“Of course; I am not arrogant enough to think I can win without the aid of a Sigil… not anymore.”

“And I can’t win without you.”

“Then we will reach the top together.”

“Yes!” Anna clapped. “Actually, being in the spotlight back there and having the crowd cheering me on felt amazing!” 

“I can imagine.”

Anna snickered. “Man, I can’t wait. I feel like my life as a mage has only officially started today.”

“We still have to deal with them.”

“Yep, but now we have a precedent—he can’t mess with me so easily anymore.”

“Do you think that matters?”

“No,” Anna immediately replied, shrugging. “But I’m pretty sure I’d get away with killing him if he tried anything, and it was self-defense.”

Aria looked at Anna, and her eyes widened. “You would kill him?”

“I’d rather not, but I won’t have a choice.”

“Indeed.” Aria nodded.

Anna raised a hand in a stopping gesture toward Aria and spoke sternly, “That, of course, doesn’t mean I’m going to sneak out in the night to put a knife in his throat.”

“Of course.”

“Good,” Anna said, relieved. “He did cheat to try and beat me, but I’m still not about to become an assassin.”

“The announcer said that. How?”

“Oh, right.” Anna scoffed at the recollection. “That bastard didn’t want me to know his plan, so he picked up some kind of dirt and rock outside the area to throw at my eyes!”

It seemed like such a minor thing, but that was also the only reason he would have won—had the fireball worked.

Aria’s brows deepened. “Irredeemable… he will never achieve anything after this.”

His record would also reflect that cheating.

Anna grimly nodded. “I almost feel bad for him; someone is pulling that entire group’s strings, and I don’t think it’s just to get at you anymore.”

“Maybe,” Aria sighed. She stood from the bench and extended her hand. “Let’s go back. Gromak wanted to speak with us before you rest.”

“Lavish praises?” Anna asked, taking Aria’s offered hand.

“Perhaps.”

Aria wrapped her arm around Anna’s shoulder and helped her stand. She wasn’t that tired... but the gesture was thoughtful, so Anna let it go. 

They were already in the forest, so the dorm was close by.

Anna appreciated how relatively isolated the dorm was on the island’s edge. The forest was serene until they reached the dorm. Sometimes, the peaceful breeze and the calming trees were just what one needed.

No ambushes that time, and they made it to the dorm uninterrupted, though there was oddly nobody down the path aside from them.

Aria carefully released her grip on Anna. “You shouldn’t sleep until the sun falls; it’s bad for you.” 

Anna snickered. “Thanks, mom.”

She pushed the door open, and they were immediately greeted by thunderous cheers and shouts.

“Annabelle, good job!”

“Congratulations!”

“A win for dorm Shiny Mithril!”

The sudden cheers and shouts made Anna feel a bit disoriented. 

Even Gromak stood in the center of the room with a proud smirk. The whole thing was likely his doing, given the giant banner over his desk that said, “Congratulations, girlie!”

However, once they both entered the room, the cheers quickly died in a matter of minutes. Eyes glued to Aria with apprehension and fear.

Anna gripped Aria’s arm before she could leave and cleared her throat loudly to grab everyone’s attention.

“Thank you so much, everyone.” She said as she bowed. “It brings me great joy to know that my victory today brought honor to our dorm.”

Gromak chuckled. “You bet your ass it did.”

Anna raised herself, smiling at her dormmates. “I think camaraderie is essential to our time in this academy and our time as Bastion mages,” She pulled Aria forward, a good idea forming. “With that being said, let me tell you all about what happened that spawned all of this and dismiss some ludicrous, ill-intended rumors.”

She proceeded to tell them everything she was able to. Starting from the beginning, when they had their first combat classes. She told them how Aria fought Jack, and she fought Jared, and how both of them won. Anna even mentioned that Aria did break Jack’s arm in response to his foul language. However, she ensured they knew the wound was fully healed immediately. 

For her side, the animosity shown by Jared was almost nonsensical, to a degree that seemed much more than just a loss in combat classes. She narrated the events the following day when they approached her on the bridge to fight again and to the ambush of Aria with at least 5 people ready to grievously injure her.

Jack’s death was self-defense, not because Aria was protecting herself, but because she was protecting Anna. 

Finally, it culminated in a chance meeting today, leading to a sanctioned match. The hope of which was to officially squash any issue. 

“...And Jared cheated by grabbing piles of dirt and rock outside the arena so that I wouldn’t pick up on his plan to surprise me with a firebolt to the face.” Anna took a deep breath, then continued, “And that brings us here. We didn’t actively pursue any of them; we were content with moving on and having rematches in combat class whenever they wanted.” 

Gromak nodded along as he had been the whole story. He cleared his throat to grab attention. “I ain’t one to insert myself in student matters, but understand that little Aria over here was not trained in magic before the academy—she awakened with all you whelps. The cheatin’ accusations levied by the fatty were absurd to begin with.”

“Yeah, I watched her awaken, after all.” Anna inwardly thanked Gromak. “Aria is just a student like us, targeted by those who hate her and punished for defending herself.”

“Was it really all in self-defense? You never actively sought to poke the hornet’s nest?” A man Anna couldn’t see, somewhere in the crowd asked. 

“Yes.” Anna nodded. “Not only that, but they organized an ambush. With Jared included. They wanted me or Aria, and their intentions were far more dastardly than a mere rematch.”

“But, how can we—”

“I believe you!” A girl shouted. She looked shy with her blonde-haired head tilted down once eyes reached her. “I... I’m in Aria’s combat class, and I heard some of the things Jack said. He... he deserved the beating.”

Anna tugged on Aria’s arm.

Aria looked confused for a moment, but she soon seemed to finally pick up on Anna’s intention. Even if she didn’t feel bad in the slightest, some words would help.

“I would not kill someone simply because they annoyed me.” 

Anna chuckled. “Well, let actions prove these words. We have a lot of time together, and if anybody is gonna see her true character, it will be all of us.”

“Good!” Gromak clapped before anybody could bombard them with questions. “I have good news for you to celebrate a victory for Shining Mithril!”

But the discussion worked because people weren’t looking at Aria like she was a wild bear anymore, ready to strike at a moment's notice. There was still an obvious apprehension, but that would go away in time. All Anna wanted was for there to be that chance.

Things were looking up!

Now, the biggest concern was Gromak’s terrible naming sense.

“Do we really have to be called Shiny Mithril?” Anna asked. 

“I already submitted that name!” Gromak glared at her. “What, you think my name is bad, girlie?”

“Nope, just asking.”

“Good, ‘cause that’s the name we’re gonna have in competitions!” Gromak then cleared his throat and pointed toward the door on the right side of the room that led to the small kitchen. ”The dorms are gettin’ expanded to add a few facilities necessary for you guys to train in and eat. I’m talkin’ cafeteria, private sparring rooms, and other stuff. That also means we’re gettin’ more staff. Big load on my shoulders and should make the place more... roomy.”

Everybody cheered for that, Anna included. 

Leaving the dorm for breakfast was a chore, and leaving again for Dinner was a bit tedious, given the long walk between their dorm and the nearest cafeteria. It was a wonderful feeling to be part of an academy everchanging. On the one hand, they were the test subjects, but on the other, they would be the group to dictate how the academy would handle future students.

Gromak said it best; if they succeeded, the academy would continue operating. If they fail? It will turn into something like a command center. 

While Gromak received barrages of questions and comments, Aria gestured for Anna to go with her, and they went to their room unimpeded. 

A few people asked questions, but Anna had to dismiss them so she could sleep. But not before promising they’d interact far more with each other in the coming weeks.

She looked forward to the next day!