The moment Duchess Rosalind's form disappears from the doorway, Biana's posture changes. She sits up, her eyes flickering with anger and something darker that sends a shiver down my spine. I swallow hard, "What the hell did I eat last night to deserve this?"
Her gaze feels like it's boring holes straight through my soul. I mean, I've seen Biana pissed before, but this...this is next-level. I was about to offer some kind words, maybe a simple, "Hey, look, we can talk about this," but the moment I open my mouth, she's already on the move.
"Hey Biana, listen I didn-" I begin, but I'm cut off. She's taken the ornamental sword from the wall. Of all things! What, was the bed too heavy to throw?
"You bastard!" she screams, tears streaking her face. The glint of the sword reflecting the dim light makes her look even more sinister. "You fucking Bastard! How dare you! You! You! I lost everything! EVERYTHING! Because of you!" Okay, drama award goes to her.
A smirk forms on my face. She's predictable. I easily sidestep the sword's path. The movement, the anger, it's all so… theatrical. A slight skip in my heartbeat, and I think, Honestly, I'm faster than her. Hehe, she'll never hit me. I mean, come on. I am-
But my internal monologue is brutally cut off. The world around me shifts. Damn the seas and their wretched waves. Tripped. By a damn floorboard. In the middle of a fight. With an angry Duchess in training. Fantastic!
My back slams into the bed. "Fuck my luck," I groan, coughing, as Biana stands above me. The dull blade digs into my side just enough to be uncomfortable but not enough to hurt. "Biana, hear me out," I rasp.
"HEAR you out? After you ratted me out?" She's seething, spit flying with every word. "V... I'm going to make you regret doing that."
In a split second, I hatch a brilliant, absolutely flawless plan. Well, more like throw someone under the proverbial bus. "Listen Biana! It wasn't me. It was Oliver! He saw you and went tattling to your mom!"
Biana's eyes narrow, her fury momentarily directed elsewhere. "So it was that fucker, huh? Today's the day he gets what's coming."
I pick myself up, trying to keep my groans in check. God, I need to exercise more. "Yeah, go show him!" I encourage. Anything to keep the heat off me.
Oliver's no slouch though. In my novel, he dodges falling vases, angry birds, and even once a very determined cat. He'll be fine. Probably. Hopefully.
Ilka materializes beside me, mischief dancing in her eyes. "Oi, follow her."
I groan. "Can I at least catch my breath first? And maybe change my pants?"
But Ilka's laughter rings clear, "I want to see how this ends."
Following Biana felt like babysitting a tornado that had the emotional range of a hormonal teenager. She ran, with purpose and rage, straight towards a room.
When Biana reached Oliver's room, she didn't waste a second. She kicked the door open, and it slammed against the wall with an echoing thud.
Inside, Oliver sat at his desk. He seemed engrossed with the Boex horn I had gifted him. I almost felt guilty for a second. Almost.
But the moment he saw his incensed sister, that damn smirk appeared. He turned to me, chuckling, "I'm surprised. Thought you were in the cafeteria. Never expected you to figure out it was me."
I raised an eyebrow, scratching my head in amusement. Oliver had two modes: 1) the passionate alchemist who got so engrossed in his potions that he became a different person, and 2) a potion-obsessed psycho that lacks a conscience. "And here I thought you were the smart one," I retorted.
"You FUCKER!" Biana shrieked. "Looks like I'm becoming an only child!"
I nearly laughed. Maybe I should get that popcorn. Just as Biana was about to make her move, Oliver cunningly pulled out his MST on speed dial. Clever bastard. He could call their mother with a single touch, and he was ready.
Biana, realizing the consequences, hesitated. "Fight me, you coward!" she shouted.
Turning to me, she snatched at my collar, pulling me in. "You! If you're my friend, B-E-A-T H-I-S A-S-S!"
I sighed, thinking, Friend? When did we update our relationship status?
Biana's dramatic mouth continued, "You're dead to me, V. Dead!" Tears spilled from her eyes, adding drama to the scene.
Oliver chuckled, clearly relishing the drama. "Do you really think he's going to side with you? You're insane. Mother did it for your own good, you need to stop sleeping"
I smirked, "Who was it that tried to turn me into a human shish kebab again?"
She looked like she was about to explode. "That was ages ago! You're betraying me!"
Don't laugh. Don't. Laugh. Ages ago? Hahahaha, what the fuck is wrong with her? I can still feel it.
Then an idea hit me, one that might offer a solution to Biana's sleep woes. "Look, Biana, I might know a way to let you sleep."
Her tear-streaked face lit up like she'd won the lottery. "I knew we were besties!" she exclaimed.
Oliver scoffed, "There's no way you can reverse the effects of the potion."
"I'm not reversing it," I said, rolling my eyes. "All I have to do is force her body to crave sleep. It's simple."
Biana jumped up, her former meltdown forgotten. "Let's go!" She practically dragged me out, but I managed to interject, "Let's get Isadora first."
God, I need better friends. Maybe I should hang around Arin or maybe even Flora.
After a bit of searching, we found Isadora not far from the cafeteria. She was swinging her sword with a grace that I would describe as 'dance meets massacre'.
Without much ado – and much to her surprise – Biana and I each took an arm and started dragging her along. She blinked, probably wondering why she's letting herself get dragged by us. I would be wondering the same.
Professor Thaddeus, always the discerning sort, raised a brow when he saw our little ensemble. "Heading back to the Island? May I ask why?"
I sighed. "Just checking something out. A few minutes tops."
He shrugged. "Alright, there shouldn't be a problem with letting you three play for a bit." He called over a staff member, who with a flick of their wand (or whatever magic stick thingy they had), teleported us to the Island. Honestly, I never get used to that sensation.
The Island, beautiful and deadly in equal parts, was always an odd mix of nostalgia and anxiety for me.
Isadora, in her usual bewildered manner, kept blinking as if she was trying to refresh her surroundings. "Why?" she finally managed to ask.
I pointed towards the beach, more specifically, at a corner of the beach I don't miss. The place where the Eif that Ilka had introduced me is at. Ah, good times.
Before I could explain, Biana, with her typical lack of a filter, barked, "Just what the hell are we doing here?"
I chuckled, "Roll up your sleeves."
Turning to Isadora, I added, "You too. Trust me."
She blinked in that very Isadora-like way. Not questioning, not resisting, just… blinking. I sighed. "Look, I'll make you something extra delicious tomorrow."
That got a nod out of her, and she rolled up her sleeves.
You see, the Eif coral has a sting that, when experienced by humans, makes them feel like their limbs might just revolt and separate from their body. But, a silver lining! After a few dozen stings, your reflexes improve dramatically. Pain for gain, right? And since I was going to endure this pain again, why suffer alone when I can share it with friends?
Positioning them correctly, I smirked, taking a deep breath and pushing them both into the coral with just enough force that they couldn't immediately get back up.
The moment I pushed them into the Eif cluster, their reactions were, in simple terms, priceless. Biana practically went ballistic. "Ouch! Fuck! It hurts! Shit! Fuck! Again!? V, you lying son of a bitch! I'm gonna kill you! Fuck, it hurts!" It was like watching fireworks – but instead of beautiful, colorful lights, it was just Biana jumping and flailing about.
I burst into laughter, holding my sides as they ached from the force of it. "Oh my god, this is perfect!" I managed to get out between bouts of laughing. My voice was tinged with tears of mirth. "Hahahaha, god I'm going to die!"
From the corner of my eye, the tiny, ethereal form of Ilka equally lost in fits of laughter. "Hahahaha! Look at her! Hahaha, I can't, I can't!" she squealed with glee.
Isadora, on the other hand, was the epitome of endurance. She was getting more stings than Biana, yet all she did was grit her teeth and bear it. She trudged out of the water with that unchanging stoic expression, but her gaze on me was anything but passive. It was a piercing stare that sent a cold shiver down my spine.
"Wait, wait, wait," I began, feeling the need to defend my actions as she approached me, still dripping wet from the stings. "I brought you here because it's a good experience. They help improve your reflexes."
Isadora considered this for a moment, her eyes never leaving mine. "Training? Okay," she finally uttered.
Before I could sigh in relief, Isadora suddenly grabbed me by the collar, with brute strength, and with a swift motion, she threw me right into the most densely packed part of the Eif cluster.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! It hurts like a motherfucker!" I mentally screamed as the stings assailed my body in rapid succession. "I can't even hate Isadora for this. Fucking shit! I wanna die." Every sting felt like a mini explosion, and trying to get back to shore was like navigating through a minefield.
By some miracle, I managed to reach the shore, my body feeling like it had been used as a pincushion. "H...how many was that? How many stings? I wanna die," I groaned, rolling over to lie next to Biana.
Biana, looking like she had gone ten rounds with a professional boxer, was mumbling something incoherently. "Ouhg foguh oughea," she moaned, her voice muffled as her face was half buried in the sand.
But I understood her. Oh, I did. And despite the agony and the glaring promises of revenge from her, one thought rang clear in my head.
Totally worth it.
The moments of brief relief after escaping the clutches of the Eif coral were just that – brief. I could feel the burning sensation receding, replaced by a light tingling across my limbs. The sun's rays were warm on my back, and for a split second, I thought that the worst was over.
Oh, how wrong I was.
With an almost unexpected nimbleness, Isadora approached me, the ever-solemn expression on her face unchanged despite the pandemonium that had just taken place. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she sized me up.
"Oi! Wait! What are you doing!?" I exclaimed, panic gripping me as I saw her advance.
Without uttering a word, she effortlessly scooped me up off the ground, carrying me towards the beach's treacherous waters.
"Stop it!" I yelled, trying to free myself from her iron grip.
Isadora merely blinked a few times before intoning in her usual monotone, "Training."
And then she chucked me back into the watery hell. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! It hurts like a bitch! Fuck you, Isadora!" The barrage of stings felt like getting slapped by a thousand fiery hands simultaneously. "Fucking shit! I wanna die," I cursed internally.
While enduring the onslaught of stings, I caught a glimpse of Isadora diving into the water as well. However, she seemed to have been smarter than I was – she was in a much shallower area, only getting a fraction of the stings I was subjected to. The mental image of me writhing in the deeper part while she calmly handled the shallower side would've been hilarious had I not been the one suffering.
With a desperate gasp, I emerged back onto the shore, cursing every deity I knew. Before I could fully gather my wits, a shadow loomed over me, and Isadora's hand reached down, grabbing my foot.
"No! No! No! I'm sorry, please forgive me!" My plea was frantic, my fingers scrabbling at the sandy ground, leaving desperate marks as she began to drag me back.
"Please! I'm sorry! I-I'll make you something! Something very delicious! Something just for you! Please forgive me!" I wailed, hoping to appeal to her stomach, if not her heart.
Isadora paused, blinking slowly, pondering my offer. "Very delicious?"
I latched onto that glimmer of hope, nodding furiously. "That's right! Very, very, very delicious!"
She seemed to consider this for a moment, then finally uttered, "Okay, last time."
And I was thrust back into the searing agony of the Eif cluster. My world was pain and little white dots. Why did I think this was a good idea? Why? I'll never bring Isadora with me ever again.
When I finally stumbled out of the water, Isadora was already waiting for me, "You owe me a delicious meal."