A Journey Unwanted

"That foolish boy." Fiona sighed as she leaned back in her office chair. It seems that Mikoto has once again landed himself in detention, courtesy of Professor Gregory. Though there was no surprise there, Professor Gregory seemed to have it out for Mikoto and just for him. The other professors had no problems with the boy, even in alchemy class, where she assisted; he was very well behaved. He even gave quite a few answers, and he was diligent.

"And he went ahead and got the other spawn of Octavia in detention too." Professor Gregory really was not lenient on anyone; he would give detention to the princess herself even. But for the three years, Lucinda attended the academy; she had always been on her best behavior, so she never faced something like detention. But still, she wondered if Mikoto had planned for this; perhaps he wanted to use this as an opportunity to get closer to Lucinda in order to uncover the Familial Arts of Octavia. It did not seem to be a priority of the boy, but she rarely knew what ever went on within his head.

Mikoto Yukio was quite the peculiar boy, a new spawn of the Goddess Octavia showing up from nowhere and seemingly originating from the East. Yet his knowledge of magic and the kingdom's was scarce. For the remainder of his stay within the mansion, he had mostly been hauled up within the library or experimenting with magic. Yet even so, she did at least consider him a friend. She just wondered if he saw her in the same way, at least.

Though that said, she barely knew anything about him. He was not the open type, but it was easy to see that something was gnawing away at him, while within the mansion he would just often stare into space as if he were not all there or as if he just realized something disturbing. Then he would force out a smile that did not reach his eye's; there was something he did not like talking about, but she did not pry.

She knew that doing so would do more harm than good. She had first-hand experience; when her mother had died, she had never before felt such devastation and despair. She hated that she got pity from those who could not have even understood her pain, so she could understand if Mikoto would have liked to keep his issues to himself. But that could not have been healthy.

Fiona heaved another silent sigh as she stood up from her chair.

"I could use a coffee." She murmured as she circled her desk and exited the office, closing the door behind her. Moving through the hallways that were as vast as always, she greeted the students who walked past with a smile as she moved on. Being an assistant within the alchemy class was fine enough; she mostly just helped with correcting formulas and ingredients. Sometimes she would gain opportunities to give lessons, which in itself was quite easy.

It helped her gain some measure of experience. Pretty soon she might even become an official professor at the academy; all she had to do was do her best, and things would naturally fall into place. Though it was no major goal of hers, if she was being completely honest with herself, she had no aspirations. Her mother used to be a professor at this academy.

She was just following in her footsteps; maybe it was a way of coping, or maybe she just wanted to remember her mother. Though she did find her short stay in the academy quite enjoyable, it may be a career in which she is interested. Of course, the universe seemed content with her enjoyment being short-lived as a rather familiar and annoying voice reached her ears.

"Oh my, if it isn't Fiona." Fiona heaved a silent sigh as she turned around to meet the deep blue eyes of the smirking Victoria. How she wished the girl did not attend Luminare Academy, but unfortunately she was still in her fifth and final year. "Why do you look rather unhappy to see me?" She noted it with a forced-out sad look that crossed her features. "Oh, but I suppose I should call you Miss Fiona, or maybe Professor Achenbach." Victoria spoke with a pondering look adorning her face.

"What is it you want, Victoria?" Fiona bluntly asked with a blank look directed at the blonde girl.

"Why, I merely want to converse with a dear old friend?" Victoria answered innocently with the same annoying smug smirk. Fiona's eye's narrowed at the girl, for lack of better word's, that was utter bullshit. Victoria was a scheming little snot who liked to hide her true self, a true self Fiona had witnessed once upon a time. She said one thing, then meant something completely different; she put on the façade of a prim and proper girl, though she was anything but. Victoria was not someone you would want to associate with. Especially considering she is the spawn of the God Almeric, cursed with knowledge beyond comprehension.

"Well, you're conversing now, so you're done." Fiona did not bother to use proper etiquette with her words; she really did not like dealing with Victoria.

"Well, I wanted to speak to you, of dear Mikoto." Fiona frowned at the mention of the boy as Victoria continued. "We had quite a nice talk earlier; he is just great company, I must admit." The girl's smile seemed to widen as the word left her mouth. "He's modest too, quite the gentleman you've found for yourself."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Fiona asked with a small glare as Victoria tilted her head as if she were the one confused.

"Why, you are the one who recommended him to the academy, no?" She asked as Fiona found herself questioning just how Victoria knew that bit of information. "And I even hear he stayed at your manor for quite a while. You two must be quite close." Fiona immediately knew what Victoria was getting at as her frown deepened.

"This conversation is over." Fiona bluntly stated this as she turned her heel and merely walked off.

____________________

Victoria smiled to herself as Fiona all but stormed off. Did she like annoying the pink-haired Solkari? Yes, very much so. Her reactions were just so much fun, especially when she always tries and fails to keep her cool. Victoria really had no grudge against the girl or anything quite like that; she just liked teasing. Though she might have to postpone annoying the girl as she had shifted her attention elsewhere.

Specifically to Mikoto. At first glance, barring his eerie mask, not much else stood out about him; expect his clear talent for magic. Though mayhap it was not so clear for others', others' were not spawns of a God of knowledge. The boy's mana signature was pure and limitless, though others' most likely could not sense or even perceive it. That could be due to more than a few reasons; he may have a magical object other than the mask on his person that kept his mana hidden. But she would have taken note of it; the other reason could be that he is merely concealing his own mana.

Normally, that is rather simple to do, but Mikoto's was so hidden that it was as if there were layers that needed to be peeled down. Normally, someone with more potency and relatively more mana could force their way through the layers that kept it hidden. Though she used another method unique to her, Victoria reached into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out a golden-rimmed monocle.

A magical object of her creation; it was used to make the unseen visible. It did a number of things, from altering your very perception of reality to boosting it overall, to revealing things that were hidden. Such as a mana signature.

A deep red that seemed everlasting and as brilliant as a million rubies. And it was limitless, stretching seemingly endlessly; it was limitless and intimidating. She knew to trust her intuition when she first landed her eye's on the masked boy, Mikoto. If his mana was so absurd and pure, then maybe he could...

"Oi! Quite lagging behind!" Victoria's train of thought ended as she heard a rather annoyed-sounding voice.

"S-sorry princess!" A rather meek voice replied as Victoria witnessed a rather odd duo walking through the hallway. Were there any students present, they would have no doubt received a lot of stares.

("Quite the ominous mana signature for such a little thing.") Victoria noted as she stared at the fuzzy gray-haired girl with horns that trailed slightly behind none other than Princess Mirabella. ("Ah, I see, I had heard rumors that the spawn of 'that' was to attend Luminare Academy this year.") A smile adorned the noble girl's face as she approached the odd duo.

Mirabella frowned upon noticing the blonde with the over-the-top hairstyle approaching.

"Whaddya want Blondie?" She spat out as Victoria came to a stop before the two, and the timid Juliana actually hid behind Mirabella.

"Good evening, Princess." Victoria spoke as she did a small curtsy before sending a smile Juliana's way, though the latter merely glanced away.

"I asked what you wanted." Mirabella repeated her question with narrowed eyes; nothing good ever came with talking to nobles.

"Well, I merely wish to be friends." Victoria answered innocently.

"F-friends? With me?" Juliana finally spoke up; her words sounded as if she did not believe Victoria's.

"Don't be tricked by the noble snakes." Mirabella warned as Victoria merely smiled on. "The fuckers say one thing but then mean something completely different. They're snakes." She spat.

"But aren't you also one?" Juliana questioned.

"I'm royalty." Mirabella quite smugly claimed

"Oh, I assure you, princess, I have honest intentions." Victoria claimed smoothly, a smile still adorning her face.

"She seems nice, Princess." Juliana meekly claimed as Mirabella sent her a side glance, which she glanced away from.

"Oh I very much am, dear. Though I will not be bothering you any longer, ta-ta." Victoria waved the two goodbye as she moved on past the duo.

("A spawn of the demon, huh? This Academy year is shaping up to be quite interesting.") Victoria mused. But still, as interesting as Juliana is, Victoria found herself more interested in Mikoto. With such potent and pure mana, he might be able to help her; she hoped he could.

But even Lucinda could not; was she merely getting her hopes up yet again?

Victoria heaved a sigh as the smile on her face slipped off, replaced with a blank look and distant eyes.

____________________

*SLAP*

Agatha barely flinched as her father's hand struck her face, and as ever, her face remained impassive as her father stared at her with disappointment in the now empty classroom. It was a look she became increasingly familiar with.

"You disappoint me, Agatha." The man started with the same cold voice she was so used to. "Fallen behind the princess in the entire grade."

"I shall do better." She almost robotically responded. When it came to dealing with her father, it was not a matter of saying words he would like to hear. No, it was a matter of keeping true to said words. Anything less would result in punishment; her father wanted perfection. Nothing less.

"Your words are naught but air." He bluntly stated: "I care not if she is the spawn of Aragorn; whether it is combat or academics, I expect you to do better."

"Yes, father." She doubted he would be satisfied with her best. He would just want to keep pushing her further and further, to have her prosper and develop into what he wants her to be. And not because he cared for her and wanted her to be something in life; his reasons were not nearly as noble as that. She was his daughter, and if she failed, he would be shamed, so he made sure that would never happen. At least with her.

"You better. I shall not be responsible for yet another failure; you are free to leave." The man coldly dismissed her; well, she was not exactly expecting a warm goodbye. As she turned to leave, she was promptly stopped by her father's next words. "And you shall no longer be conversing with that masked buffoon. Is that clear?" It was like he was ordering around a soldier, but given the circumstances, she might as well have been one.

"Yes, father." She responded monotonously before promptly exiting the classroom and stepping onto the empty hallways. It was late in the evening, and most other students were likely hauled up within their dorms. But that did not concern her; she merely walked with her footsteps echoing throughout the building.

She needed to be better. No, she needed to be the best. Anything less was unsatisfactory; her magic must be more potent and her brain sharper. She needed to excel in everything there was; she needed to evolve. She had to, but did she really?

Her footsteps came to a halt as she came to a stop. Raising her arm slowly and letting it hover in the air, she swung her arm down, and the impact of her fist colliding with the wall was like thunder in the air. A loud crack echoed through the space as the concrete shook under the force of her blow. A web of cracks spread out from the point of impact, the concrete groaning under the strain of her raw power.

Agatha gritted her teeth as she glared at seemingly nothing.

"Why...why me?" A simple question with simple words.

Yet she did not know the answer. Why was she pushed so hard? Tortured so? Put through hell, so? All because she was born with what others call a blessing—a blessing she did not want. Yet she was cursed with it while her brother got of free, and then she got all the attention of her father. His lessons were beaten into her, and his knowledge was drilled into her skull. She had to be perfect, for she was the spawn of the Goddess Isadora.

She wanted none of this; she truly did not. But what was it that she really wanted?

A normal life, maybe. Have friends, laugh, cry, love, and just have fun. Were such simple things really that difficult to grant? Was she asking for too much?

Agatha stepped away from the broken wall and moved down the hallway. Life was unfair. She learned as much when she was made to suffer, so she would just have to suck it up and move on. She would train and train until that bastard was finally satisfied, but what came after that? More training, more trying to improve herself for a father that did not even love her? No, she wanted to change it all.

But how?