"NUMERICAL VALUE...III!!"
Crusch's sense suddenly came back to her as the beast's mouth closed shut, the worm's in her chest retreating back as if pulling themselves up from the surface and back onto the creature as she stared again.
'W-What was that?!' She shivered in thought as the beast stared at her a little longer before its body began to detach itself, one worm at a time till they'd all become separate and singular entities like before then then tendrils again that seeped into the engraves of the magic circle which began to slowly dim as each tendril disappeared into the symbols and the spell finally grew dark.
The room was silent, Crusch simply stared into blank space and the dimly lit darkness where the creature's body had once been and felt her skin crawl. The experience was still so fresh in her heart and the beast's image still engraved in her mind like a protected photograph, she was shivering slightly but it was miniscule and went unnoticed as a small but resounding series of short claps was heard from beside her, it was the man.
"Er…Erm" She struggled to form the words, what was she supposed to say here and why was he clapping? She looked across for her parents and they were also quite elated, the man who noted her gestures smiled brightly and then parted his lips to speak.
"Congratulations Young Lady Ludmilla, you've met the requirements to become a witch!"
"Huh?!"
Earth
Crusch sat beside a metal railing, leaning on it slightly while she stared across the empty cold streets; it was winter. The roads were blanketed under a thick layer of pearl white snow, every breath came with it a frosty sensation to the tongue and letting it out did it permeate with foggy hot mist.
She'd been out here a couple of times before, simply seated here, simply quiet and alone but usually she had a book or a comic of sorts to keep her company while the streets were uncommonly quiet…but today was different.
Crusch didn't have a book, she didn't have a comic and her thoughts were left to wander and plague her mind as much as they so pleased. She sighed, her parents had died just a few days ago, she was now sitting here in the freezing snow like some back water main character of a teenage drama; it was pathetic.
Pathetic too were her thoughts, unlike many people she'd successfully graduated university, held a degree in her hands and acquired a job yet like the majority of those people it was a degree she'd never dreamed to have, a job she disliked and a payroll that placed her down a whirlpool of self loathing. Everything about what she'd become, who she was, the thoughts she had were pathetic.
Why was she here?
There was the sound of a car coming up, instinctively she turned in direction of the noise and noticed the car slowly grinding to a halt on the middle of the road as a person hopped off, scurried to the snowy pavement and waved as the car drove away. Her mind only slightly distracted from the scene did her thoughts cease fire as she watched this person traverse the snow, furred hood hung over their face so they were shrouded in its dark depths till they got closer and there was nothing the hood could do to hide who was inside it and the reason why the person had begun walking towards Crusch as if they either knew her or wanted to mug her.
"Hannah?"
The woman paused then seemed to notice Crusch and flashed a smile as she walked up the small flight of snow covered steps to the porch where Crusch had been leaning against the railing for about an hour now, Hannah was her roommate who she'd known for about a year now.
"You're here again, you do realize you could catch a cold right?" Hannah spoke, she was tall, even though Crusch was the one seated while Hannah stood even if she stood up as well, Hannah was still towering. She was a former athlete turned coach then school educator, compared to herself and she held a total of three degrees under her belt, a small fortune and a job she most definitely loved.
The only reason why Hannah was sharing an apartment with her in the first place was due to her desire for a change of pace and adventure, such a mindset was envious…
Crusch berated herself over such thoughts though, jealousy was pointless and pathetic as well especially when it was directed to such a hard worker. Hannah hadn't been spoon fed any of her achievements and winded up here out of luck but her own hard work and desire for better, maybe she could learn a thing or two?
'Che'
She scoffed inwardly and sighed, she had tried, no, in fact it wasn't as though her life were a complete mess, she had a job right? She had the money to pay for a few of her hobbies and interests so what was there to complain over? What was she missing so much that she felt Hannah had? Crusch couldn't help but stare at Hannah for a bit who seemed to have strayed her attention elsewhere for a moment before it came spiralling back to her and she looked Crusch in the eyes.
'I truly can't tell…' she thought
"Is something wrong, you're looking alot more down than usual"
"I'm not always looking down" she responded but Hannah only shook her head.
"Everyday you've got this gloomy little expression on your face, it's like you can't even smile"
Crusch rolled her eyes then flashed a bright smile that lasted only a moment till she refocused her attention back on the blanketed streets, Hannah who watched this made a complicated expression and sighed.
"Is it boredom?" Crusch lightly looked up at her when she said this, "It is? Haa, I get it, it's cause you're either working or cooped up in that room of yours!"
She spoke with a little enthusiasm as her gaze burned with excitement, "Tell ya what, there's an event coming Next weekend~~~~~"
The rest of her words were muffled and incoherent, Crusch wasn't listening to them much and had only been focusing on Hannah's gaze which was so filled with enthusiasm, so filled with excitement.
Was this perhaps the feeling she'd been missing for a long time now? She shook her head inwardly, excitement and enthusiasm were emotions that even she had on a regular basis, everytime she picked up a book or read a new story that intrigued her sparked these same emotions. So perhaps it was…
**
"Ludy, are you alright?"
Hearing those words and Crusch suddenly came back from her daze and looked across the room in wide eyes as her mouth opened to confirm what she'd heard.
"I…I can become a witch?" Although she didn't want to, although this was only something to have a little geeky excitement over and nothing else, Crusch felt her body shiver and emotions that definitely weren't hers but felt almost familiar start to well up in her heart as there were tears.
Feeling embarrassed, Crusch quickly made an attempt to wipe them away but they just kept coming in streams till she started sobbing and the scene was quite a mess. She didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her parents like this, what would they think of their daughter right about now?
Yet unbeknownst to her as her vision was blurred and blotched by the tears streaming her face was a warm smile from both of them.
Viktor hadn't expected things to go so well, when he'd entered the room along with Ludmilla in toe and the magic circle up and ready, his heart was afraid. What if Ludmilla scored a result of V? What if the spell called out that she was completely and utterly unfit for magic and even worse would be that such a result would soon be known by everyone and not just a family secret known only by them. Yet later on this fear was quelled, the spell having announced her numerical value as III! He was elated, heart trembling at the fact that Ludmilla could at least learn magic.
The tears felt almost slightly contagious but he held it in and so did Yoraina, truly, it was something to be happy over as Crusch continuously stood there and sobbed for a good two minutes or so till they became small and indescribable whimpers.
"This is most definitely quite the reaction, I'm glad you're happy" the man said, Crusch who was still a little caught in the hiccups stared at him as he spoke.
"From this day onwards, you're a rising Witch of the great Sorcerer's Kingdom" he said, beaming at her as the excitement continued to build up. The man then took a glance at her parents, a knowing smile overcoming his expression as he then set his sights back on her.
"Back when the Young Lady Veronica had acquired her results, there was a celebration in order" he smiled, "This achievement most definitely suits for such an occasion"