Exodus Magic Academy (Part 1)
"Wow! The ribbon looks good on you!" Fingers tickled my head as mother put on the ribbon and styled my hair.
I knew it already. My mother wished for a son and a daughter but due to her constitution, she couldn't handle that weak state any more.
"Would you be happy if I was a girl, mother?" Child-like hopes to happiness resounded out. Mother pushed her platinum blonde hair to the side and moved closer.
Her smile faltered and she stared at me, "I would've been much happier if you had a sister. I don't want you to be alone, Khiel." And she kissed me on my forehead.
Rosalie Obiel was a beautiful woman who had dominated the social circles in her youth. Aside from her charming confidence, she was also a powerful swordsman from the Loyola Empire.
However after falling in love with father, Dharvo Obiel during a council meeting in the past, she was shunned by her family for loving an outside, even though he was a successor of the Obiel Duchy in the Soledad Empire.
It especially didn't go well when she tried to run away. Despite being strong, the hired mercenaries were too many to handle on her own.
It was fortunate that father had rescued her as they reached a free city, but my mother's aura core had long been shattered.
She lived. But the repercussions of the broken aura core made her body weaker than normal.
A miracle was what they called it when I was born.
But my mother's wish for one more child could not be heard nor shared to others. Other than me.
"Don't even think for a second that I'd prefer you as a girl. Although you do look cute even as one hahahaha!" Mother was eccentric and I always thought I wasn't.
That day was the first day she dressed me up out of curiosity.
She moved me closer to the mirror and a pretty child revealed itself, wearing a beautiful pink dress and red ribbon.
It was then that my long mental battle against who I took more of in the family had been answered.
"Wooooow!" I stared at the doll-like face looking back at me. "Is that really me?!"
"Uhm… Khiel?" I saw mother's face darken through the reflection of the mirror but I couldn't answer her as my attention was mainly focused on the pretty thing in the mirror.
"This is... truly me, right?" I stared at my mother, grinning from ear to ear and held unto her dress. "Right, mother??"
It was indescribable how happy I was at the time.
Mother turned her attention to the sword in the room, "Yes, you look pretty but I think you'll look cooler with an armor? Yes, yes I think so." She murmured on her own.
"But… I like looking pretty." As soon as I said that mother collapsed.
We were all worried for the day and I also wondered why she had a pale reaction towards me, but I quickly realized it when father's face crumpled when he noticed I was wearing a dress and smiling.
"You're just like your mother…" he muttered under his breath.
Ah. Now I got it. I really took on much of my mother's genes or mentality.
I was eccentric too.
It was only after a few dress shopping that I've heard the full story.
When my mother was young she too had disguised as a man to join a military training camp. I wasn't told the specific story of how she didn't get caught but it was due to that experience that she had become a distinguished knight.
"Really…?" Tabitha grimaced after hearing my story.
"Yeah. It was my own choice to disguise as a female despite being a boy… Oh! I'll put your luggage here." Two bags were neatly placed on the corner of her dormitory room.
"Hmmm… Don't you want to have a roommate?" I peaked at my new family member, Tabitha, who sorted out her bed sheets. "The room looks dull too, decorate it if you don't want roommates." I pointed out.
She simply shrugged.
"It's a pain to decorate and I'm not really here for getting along well with people."
Seriously this girl. "Are you a mana beast or something?" I joked but her ear twitched at that.
"Now that I think about it, I've never seen mana beasts here before." It was always a wonder where Taby's priorities where pointing at.
Even Lanessa who made an effort on scolding Taby about her bad fashion sense was exhausted before sorting inside her own dormitory.
Now that I think about it, I was always the one choosing her clothes ever since she got in the house.
"Mana beasts wouldn't cross the barrier so that's understandable. I doubt they can enter the territory outside the forest." I explained.
"Does the whole empire's area have barriers?"
I glared at her. "You should really know this. Even if you were hidden in a cave, you should at least be able to sense the barrier with how great you control mana."
At first I was cautious about saying anything about her past but she never reacts badly on the very rare occasions I slip up. Thus, the taboo of it vanished.
Tabitha chuckled at me, "Are you saying I'm a superior mage, cousin?" She's always so cheeky.
I sighed. Is this how it feels to have a sister?
For some reason it feels burdensome, even though the one who acts mature in public was Tabitha.
On the off chances that she does start to act her age, it feels like I always lose. "I'm saying, cousin, that you're an advanced-elemental mage who doesn't even know how to feel the barrier. Now what does that tell you?"
Her grin twitched nervously and averted her eyes, "Hahaha! Well whatever."
There she goes again.
Should I put this entry in my newly made journal?
[Journal: Tabitha]
[Entry #23]
[June/19/994]
[My cousin is acting weird again.
There are some times that Tabitha acts like she doesn't know about the world or magic. And the next, she acts like she's seen the secrets of the whole world.
I hope my cousin at least regains her memories so we can hunt down the people who had kept her away from the family.
Aside from that, she explained that she didn't want to enter the honors class because she's afraid she'll get bullied by the nobles. But in my opinion, it's probably the other way around.
P.S
She just moved to her dormitory, without any roommates.
She refuses to interact with one and doesn't even care about how empty her room looks.]
[New Entry Created for 'Tabitha']
I should really keep a secret that I made a system journal about her, lest she'll think I'm a creep.
"Khiel…?"
"Huh, what?" I turned to Taby who was already by the doorway, looking at me confused.
"It seems you were checking something in your system. Anyway let's go eat." I followed her out the door.
****
Once you enter the territory of Exodus Magic Academy, there will be a large park with shops, restaurants or stalls all over it. A large fountain will also be at the very center.
At the end of all of that will be a large walkway surrounded by a normal forest of various colors and flowers.
Rumors say that this was the area that Soledad's parents dated thus it was turned into a picnic area within the school grounds. It was unreasonable but it's already built so what can we complain about.
After the light walk, three paths will divided. The one on the left is to area of the Regulars Class, the right one was for the Honors Class. The middle road was the different departments' offices for the student council of different years.
The classroom building and dormitory were built separately per classes, either Regulars or Honors.
"Yaaawwwwn… ugh. Are you done yet?"
"Taby, did you not sleep well?"
"You should sleep and study well, Tabitha." I clicked my tongue at her. It had already been a few days since I've befriended her.
It was bothersome that she had easily penetrated through my mental and emotional wall but I guess she was just that approachable.
"Nessa please continue." My brow twitched when she called me by my nickname.
Seriously… I never thought I'd be this close with someone aside from the main heirs.
"If you were listening properly, then I would've continued!" My hand instantly moved to flick her forehead which she flinched at for.
She grumbled again before sitting properly and ordering another coffee. "Tabs, you should refrain from too much caffeine." Khiel warned.
"The taste was fascinating and delicious. I couldn't help myself." The rose-gold-headed tomboy continued to eat parts of her cake.
The fascinating thing for us was her existence.
It had only been barely two months and she had conveniently acted like everything was normal for her.
The way she speaks, acts, and even makes decision quickly which allows time to sort out the options without having Khiel and I argue. In most cases, to where we should eat for lunch was the biggest issue.
She didn't even react much when we told her that I was partly Obiel too, and only grinned like a dog.
Tabitha Obiel was mysterious, that's for sure.
A relatively easy-going creature who appeared like storm in our repetitive gloomy days. She was the one changed that we allowed and had become one of our people in the shortest period of time imaginable.
"… Don't you miss your family?" It was a passing thought that got blurted out due to my excessive and maybe unnecessary concern.
I wanted to take it back because of how Khiel quietly glared at me from the sides but it was definitely the first time Tabitha's smile wore off.
She lowered her gaze to the table and smiled again, but I felt that it was forced. "I can't miss something I don't remember, no? Hahaha!" Tabitha laughed like that.
I guess Rakhiel noticed it too as, despite his bright smile, his eyes were serious.
He stood up slowly and patted Tabitha's head while sighing deeply. "Let's not talk about families. No one has good memories about them in the Obiel households either."
I followed him suit and smiled at Tabitha, "Let's go? Help me buy decoration items for my room."
Tabitha finally looked up but frowned, "We can't go yet."
Khiel and I exchanged looks. "Why?"
"My coffee hasn't arrived yet." She looked like a child. Guess she really liked coffee.
Khiel and I only chuckled at her. She has a childish side to her, which was technically rare to see.
It didn't take long for her coffee to arrive and she drank it out as we walk through the school grounds.
Really… It had been awhile since I've experienced such a normal thing. I wasn't sure if it was the free atmosphere of the academy itself or if it was the fresh presence of the curious Tabitha but this was fun.
"Which department are you enrolled in?"
"I'm part of the Technology department with Lady Lilith. She's going in a disguise. You?"
Nodding my head, I answered as I scan the vicinity, "I'm in the honors Magic-Technology department with Khiel."
"I realized that there are bind magic that I can develop. Like strong chains imbued with mana to completely stop a specific someone from wreaking havoc all over the place?" I teased, quite unnaturally too but I didn't care.
As I thought, Tabitha's smiling face crumpled a great deal. Shame and guilt wiping her earlier happiness of being surrounded by coffee.
"You're still feeling guilty, huh?" I stretched my arms as Khiel asked Tabitha.
"It was a good experience. At least we were able to find out what we lacked or needed to improve, right Khiel?" He nodded at my suggestion.
"Yeah, right…" She slowly regained her smile and finished her coffee.
"Now! Let's stop with the gloomy talk and shop! There's only three days before the official orientation. And another day of relaxation before classes officially starts."
As the two nodded, I brought them along my crazy shopping spree.