In a secluded glade deep within a restored forest near Luminare Academy, the sunlight filtered through the verdant canopy, casting dapples of light on the carpet of moss. Mirabella stood with an annoyed expression. The air crackled with her mana as she focused intently, her hands raised before her, palms outward, glowing faintly with magical energy. Across from her stood Aleister, a passive expression on his face.
"Focus, Mirabella," Aleister called, his voice resonating with authority yet also a hint of encouragement. "Raw power is your friend. Remember, true mastery comes from embracing who you are and what you represent."
Nodding vigorously, she squared her shoulders and inhaled deeply, the scent of damp earth filling her senses. She summoned forth a surge of mana from within, feeling the heat rising in her core. But with every ounce of magic she shaped, she could sense an underlying resistance, a barrier she could not break through. "I am focusing, damn it! It's just so friggin' difficult to grasp!" she replied, frustration in her tone, as she released a massive orb of fire that exploded in the air, the shockwave sending leaves spiraling down around them.
"Just remember what I said about destruction," Aleister bellowed over the roar of flames, raising a hand in an attempt to harness the chaotic mana around them. "You are trying too hard to shape what you perceive as finesse. Embrace the destruction, let it guide you."
Mirabella's brow furrowed in concentration as she stood there in the stillness following her previous spell. "But I thought mastery was in control," she stated, wiping sweat from her brow, her voice fusing curiosity with confusion.
Aleister padded across the clearing, his feet barely making a sound against the forest floor, and with a flourish of his hand, summoned a jagged bolt of lightning that arced through the sky above. "Control indeed is necessary, but only once you concede to your innermost element," he replied as the lightning struck a nearby tree, splintering it with a thunderous crack, wood cascading like confetti. "The storm does not worry about where it lands; it simply brings forth destruction. You must allow yourself to be the storm, Mirabella."
She frowned, she was just going back to her roots. Just when she was making progress with other types of magic branches, she was back. Harnessing the destruction aspect of magic, she could only sigh deeply. Taking a step back, she closed her eyes and envisioned herself as a turbulent force of destruction, roiling and untamed. When she opened her eyes again, she channeled mana once more. "All right, let's try again," she said.
"Now, harness that destruction. Let the power flow through you, feel the energy as if it were an extension of yourself," Aleister encouraged, his voice imbued with an intensity that seemed to make the very earth beneath them tremble.
With a fierce grunt, Mirabella thrust her hands forward again, this time feeling the chaotic mana weaving through her veins. Instead of forcing it into structured forms, she embraced it, letting the raw power twist and coil around her like a snake. A swirling vortex of flames erupted, spiraling from her fingertips to form a cyclone that roared, illuminating the clearing with an infernal glow, sending intoxicating heat cascading over her skin.
"That is the way," Aleister nodded, his eyes wide with approval. "Release it all. Let the fire consume everything."
But without a hint of restraint, Mirabella directed the cyclone toward a nearby boulder, and as it impacted, the explosion sent shards of stone flying, splintering the tranquility of the forest and sending wildlife scattering. She could feel the liberation coursing through her with each destructive outburst; the adrenaline surged, but there was still hesitation. Destruction was not all there was to magic. She did not just want to focus on that.
"You are losing your focus, Mirabella. Just keep your mind on the destruction. Once you embrace this, you can weave this aspect of magic with greater strength," Aleister stated, his voice almost swallowed by the relentless crackle of energy surrounding them.
Mirabella, high on her exhilaration, forged ahead, her palms glowing brighter as she summoned forth a maelstrom of earth, wind, and flame, entwining the very essence of destruction fueled by annihilation. The ground beneath them trembled violently, resonating with the power of her arcane display. Yet as she concentrated, a fleeting doubt crept in. What if she lost control? What if she couldn't rein it back in?
"What if I—" she started to say, but he cut her off with a commanding gesture.
"Do not even entertain the thought of hesitation! The moment you doubt, you relinquish your power! A true sorceress never falters; she embraces her path!" The fervor in his voice fueled her passion anew.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Mirabella summoned her mana and converged it into a towering wall of flame, an inferno that crackled and sparked against the ground. She could feel the wildness yearning to break free, like a wild animal straining against its cage. Just as her self-doubt flared, she channeled it into her spells. Mirabella could sense everything around her becoming irrelevant.
"Now," Aleister boomed, sensing her power peak. "Release it all. Every spark of destruction within you."
With a fierce cry that echoed through the trees, she released the magic, the wall of fire exploding outward like a volcanic eruption, engulfing the clearing in a radiant luminescence, the heat searing against her skin. The trees bent away from the warmth, and for a brief instant, the world was alight with her raw power.
As the explosion subsided, a frown spread across her face. The entire area now lay transformed; trees had toppled, and the air was hazy with remnants of her creation. Behind her, Aleister gave a smirk.
"That is it, Mirabella," he nodded in approval. "For spawns of Aragorn like us, destruction is most important. You will not be able to ascertain Arcane Ascendance if you stray from this path. Destruction is not just about loss; it is about transformation and breaking through barriers that should not be broken. You have to tap into your essence."
Mirabella looked at the devastation around her with a frown. Was this truly all she was good for? Was this her narrative—a narrative of power and destruction? Just a journey toward the mastery of destruction, to embrace her innate chaotic energy, forging a path to harness the full spectrum of destructive magic and rise to its true potential. "But is this all I can do?" she whispered. It did not sit right with her. She thought of her older sister, the girl who could expertly use any branch of magic without issue despite being a spawn of Aragorn herself. Even her younger sister excelled in other branches.
It was only with Mikoto's help that she got a hint of progress. The boy explained and guided her better than even professional tutors. It had been about five days since he was gone. She would admit to anyone that a small hint of worry plagued her. Much as it irked her, she could not focus on him now. She was yet to tap into Arcane Ascendance after all. This whole training thing was a hassle.
"You're unsatisfied," Aleister noted the obvious. "You excel in destruction yet you do not revel in it."
"It's only good for killing," she mumbled, crossing her arms under her chest. She huffed in annoyance. "It ain't versatile in the least. Other branches of magic are way more useful."
"That is true, our brand of magic is only good for killing. Even all our Familial Arts are only good for inflicting despair," the headmaster murmured. "But from what I understand, Arcane Ascendance is only attainable if you are in tune with who and what you are, what you represent."
"Then this'll be more of a pain than I thought," she scratched her hair vigorously in annoyance.
"Well, you have to bear with it lest you fall behind Agatha," turning away from her, he gave her more parting words. "Now heed my instruction, embrace your nature and mayhap Aragorn will see fit to grant you an audience." With that, he left a grumbling Mirabella to herself as he walked off, his figure soon disappearing from view.
"Tch! What a friggin' pain!" Arcane Ascendance seemed so far away. Was she really even chosen to be an Inheritor? She could not help but wonder. Or did Aragorn simply not favor her? Her sister would be so much better; she would probably have Arcane Ascendance down in an instant. ("Big sis, maybe she's the Inheritor.") Mirabella internally mused. ("It would make sense; she's so talented. And she's mastered all the Familial Arts. I only know how to use one, not to mention she's an expert in magic. Right now I can barely use any other branch of magic, but she, she's better.") She heaved a deep sigh. She really was not cut out for this. If she participated in the festival, she would just weigh the others down.
Her thoughts could not continue, however, as she heard the snapping of a branch. She snapped her head in the direction of the noise. "Oh." Her eyes immediately zeroed in on the head of familiar fuzzy gray hair and black horns. "Juliana."
"S-sorry for disturbing you," the timid girl breathed out.
"Don't worry 'bout it," Mirabella waved off. "Just thinking about useless crap anyhow."
"I-I see."
"What are you doing out here anyway? Thought the headmaster issued a tighter schedule so kids didn't go wandering around in the forest." The girl fidgeted some more.
"Well, I find the forest nice and quiet," she spoke in a whisper, but the princess could still make out her words if she strained her ears. "I usually come out here, though it's been a while now, with the forest having been destroyed and restored two times now."
("Right, wonder if Mikoto was responsible for that the first time.") She snorted at the thought. If so, Mikoto would have been a way better candidate as the Inheritor of avarice and destruction.
"Uhm, I know it's not any of my business, but are you a-alright?" Juliana managed to squeak out. It seemed to take all her effort to utter those words.
Mirabella quirked up a brow; she must have seemed more stressed than she thought. She knew she should not have been this hard on herself; it had only been about five days now. But still, apparently Agatha had gotten Arcane Ascendance down as soon as she learned she was an Inheritor. It irked her how behind she was; her fellow Inheritor was already busy with mana training, and she was barely making any progress as is. "It's just...." She heaved a sigh. Normally she would just brush off someone who pried into her business, but well, Juliana was too gentle to just disregard. "I'm tryna learn something but I can't get a grasp for it no matter what. Apparently I need to get in touch with my 'destruction,' whatever the hell that means."
Juliana stayed silent for a moment, most likely weighing what to say. "I don't really know what you mean...but I know if you try your best you'll succeed!" It was a few simple words, not very creative or inspiring. But coupled with the usually sullen girl's uneasy smile, the princess herself could not help but smile a little.
"Geez, ease up on the smile, even I can do better," Mirabella snorted.
"S-sorry, I just don't smile a lot."
"Stop apologizing, now come on," Mirabella abruptly turned around and started walking, flustered, the horned girl could but follow.
"Where are we going?"
"The capital, I'm supposed to meet my sister there. It'll be a nice break from all this crap," Mirabella informed.
"The capital, I'm not sure if I should accompany you," Juliana looked down a bit dejected. "T-those who know what I am might want to..."
"Forget it, if anyone starts any trouble, I'll kick their asses!" The second princess exclaimed with conviction. Juliana stared at the girl for a few silent seconds; they might have only spent a few moments together at the start of the academy year, but she found comfort in the girl's brash attitude. She also felt safe already, a feeling she did not get even with Adrian, William, or Ruby.
It was nice.