Cleo felt a wave of magic wash over her. Where the Grand Duchess' call had felt cold, this message felt warm, as if giving Cleo a hug. This magic, whoever it was from, sent the world erupting with life. The trees in the academy gardens rustled with laughter as the dewy morning grass glittered with ethereal light. But the content of the spell eluded her. Cleo could not decipher a single word from the jumble of sounds that flooded her brain.
A sudden movement jolted Cleo out of her thoughts. She had completely forgotten about Achlys. The young boy had perked up, as if hearing the mysterious message as well. His face clouded for a moment, as if deep in thought, before blinking himself out of his stupor.
"You heard that, didn't you?" Cleo asked him when the spell died away.
Achlys nodded.
"What did it say? Can you translate it?"
He hesitated. "Yes, I can. It was in the language of the ancients. Are you sure you want to know? It seemed ominous, and yet, there are parts of it that make no sense to me."
Cleo nodded urgently.
"The message seemed to come from a strong source of holy energy, but the first part...I can't seem to make sense of it. It was something about a girl from the earth. But the grammar of that part is strange. In the ancient language, there is a special way to distinguish proper nouns from other nouns, so the message is speaking of a girl from a place called 'the Earth'."
"Oh...and what of the rest?"
"Beware who he claims to be." Achlys fidgeted with a slightly longer blade of grass. "Ominous, right?"
"Right..." Cleo could not think. Her brain was not working correctly. How did someone or something in this fictional world know about the Earth? And none of the transmigrators knew the ancient language, so who could have been the one to send that message?
"Um...Cleo? My mom's calling me, so...I have to go."
Nodding, Cleo watched as Achlys' small frame disappeared down the garden path, deep violet hair waving in the breeze. In the book, he was doomed to die a terrible and painful death, though mourned by many. Cleo could still remember the exact words of the novel:
"Achlys Chevalier, born of human and death, after suffering through years of sickness and agony, now lay still, waiting to return to the land his mother was retrieved from. His eyes, closed and unblinking, held the memories of a boy who had tried to live. The ebony-black blood that had fell from his lips only moments before had been wiped away, as if he had never died. And yet, one could argue that he never lived. So mysterious was this young boy, for nobody knew him. Despite his almost invisible existence, many had come to mourn his passing. Such was the end of the perfect necromancer."
Cleo only realized that she was crying when she felt the cool droplets of tears slipping down her face. Hastily, she wiped away her tears. There was no future for the young son of Chevalier. He was doomed, and death would not allow another soul to escape from its grasp.
***
The headmaster of the Eldritch Academy of Magic had gathered the entire student body in the great hall. The ten remaining students stood in a line. Madeleine was accompanied by Lola, who stood meekly at the princess' side. The twins, Azriel and Lillith, positioned themselves like bodyguards on each side of Grace. Fiona and Theo were standing side by side, despite the glares of the other students. Anastasia stepped behind Cleo to yawn.
A majestic, blue bird flew into the hall. At first glance, it seemed as if its wings were on fire, but upon closer inspection, the students realized that it was a firebird.
The firebird cautiously landed on the podium. It scooched to the edge of the lectern, and flapped its fiery, blue wings together. A burst of flame. When the fire dispersed, the headmaster, Alaric Viotto, appeared where the flames had been only a moment before. All the professors in the audience sighed. The headmaster always loved his dramatic entrances.
"Students of Eldritch Academy!" Alaric announced, throwing his arms out with a flourish. "You have all been invited to the palace for a banquet!"
All the students whooped and cheered. The headmaster was beaming, but his smile did not reach his eyes that seemed to be stiff and frowning from the false act.
"I better not see him there," Alaric mumbled under his breath. "That ass of a grand duke."
The audience went quiet. The students blinked up at the headmaster, surprised at his choice of language. Many of the professors let out long sighs. Miss Lian buried her face in her hands.
Alaric cleared his throat. "Ahem. Well, I mean, what a great opportunity to clear up my...misunderstandings...! With the grand duke...!"
The gleaming, blue firebird sitting on the lectern slapped itself in the face, sending cerulean feathers flying everywhere. The bird waved its wings at the headmaster, and squawked a bunch of incomprehensible noises at him.
"Yes, yes, Phoenix. I know, I know. I was getting to that!" Alaric glanced around at his unimpressed audience. "Well then...the graduation exam will be in..." The bird chirped in his ear. "...two weeks...two weeks!"
The firebird nodded along. Lola, Fiona, and the twins all gawked at it, before turning to whisper amongst themselves. Before long, nobody was paying any attention the the headmaster, who made a swift and embarrassed exit. All thoughts of the graduations exam had been buried by the exciting news of the royal banquet as well as the strange humanity of the gleaming, blue firebird.