Ravenfire

“So what do we do with him?” Toad asked.

Salamander and Toad mercilessly tied Elliot to a chair in case he transformed back into the phantom and tried to kill us again. I couldn’t really stop them. I didn’t blame them either. It felt safer knowing Elliot was being restrained.

Salamander rolled up his sleeves and approached Elliot. I knew what he was about to do.

“Salamander, what are you doing?” I asked anyway.

“Learning the truth. If you want to see it too, take my hand.” He offered his hand without taking his eyes off the restrained Autumn student.

I glanced at poor Elliot, resigned to his fate, before accepting Salamander’s offer to intrude into the bound boy’s memories. I needed to dig deeper into his past before I could think of a way to deal with the current situation. I hated the fact that it would be an uncomfortable process for him.

Salamander cast the spell, bringing us into a past memory that took place in the middle of a dense forest at night. Looking around, I saw no other landmark. Just identical trees everywhere. I couldn’t help but think that there was something strange about this forest. I felt a chilling presence in the air, watching us.

“Salamander, where are we?” I asked.

He was just as clueless as me. “How would I know? I’ve never been in Elliot’s head.”

We could hear a faint commotion from afar: An odd monotone repetition of the same lines. Someone shouting frantically.

“Did you hear that? It sounds like it’s coming from that direction.” He began following the sounds.

I followed behind him until we saw what looked like a group of villagers surrounding a child tied to a tree. The villagers were chanting in a foreign tongue as if they were trying to summon something. We quickly hid behind a bush to observe.

Then, the phantom appeared, held in place by some strange magic. It struggled to free itself, but the restraints were too strong to break free from. The leader then proceeded to the next step and used the child as a vessel to seal the phantom. The child screamed as every part of the dark creature was being contained inside his little body. Once everything was over, everyone rejoiced.

“Thank you, Mr. Russell. You’ve done us a great favour,” a smiling villager said to the mage who led the ritual.

“Now we can finally be safe,” replied Mr. Russell with relief. He then walked over to the child and gave him a loving pat on the head after setting him free. “You did well, Elliot. You saved the village. I’m proud of you, my son.”

“What the hell? That thing was sealed inside him by his own father?” Salamander whispered.

I looked down on the ground and noticed that everything around us started turning pitch black until it enveloped us. Despite the darkness, I could still see Salamander clearly.

“What’s happening?” I was starting to get alarmed.

“This is getting bizarre.” He was getting worried as well. “I’ve never had this happen before.”

We heard the sound of chains rattling. It was drawing closer, coming for us.

“Salamander, get us out of here! Now!” I shook him.

He clenched his fists. “I can’t!”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

He looked at me frantically. “I’m trying to get us out, but it won’t let me! That thing is keeping us here.”

“So we’re stuck here?” I couldn’t believe it. Was there really no way to escape?

Just before we were sliced to death, we were suddenly back in the real world again. I was never this glad to see Toad’s face and the empty bottles of rakija behind him. I let go of Salamander’s hand and collapsed on the couch.

Toad looked at us with genuine concern. “I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I pulled you out because it looked like you were having some kind of trouble.”

“Thank you, Toad. You saved us,” I said.

“What happened?”

Salamander explained, “That thing tried to trap us in there. I don’t think it liked the intrusion.”

“So what do we do now?”

“We let the professors handle it. I’m going to go get Prof. Ariston.” Salamander walked to the door and left the room.

Toad realised that this was a perfect excuse to talk to his new crush. “I will go get Prof. Alice. She always knows what to do.”

And just like that, I was left alone with Elliot. Things were quiet for a few minutes before one of us started talking.

“Aren’t you afraid to be in the same room as me?” Elliot asked in a dejected tone. He looked down on the floor with a sad frown on his face.

“Elliot, ever since I’ve set foot in this academy, I’ve been nearly killed multiple times. You’re the least of my worries,” I replied.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you the whole truth.”

I looked at him. “Will you tell me this time?”

He nodded slowly.

I softened my voice, “Don’t leave anything out.”

He began, “For as long as I can remember, this thing sealed inside me has haunted the village I lived in. Appeasing it required blood offerings. Anyone who attempted to flee the village was killed. We were basically its hostages. My father was a talented mage who discovered my potential as a vessel. He prepared me for the role, so that I would be able to control the phantom once it was sealed inside me.”

He sighed. “But he was wrong. I couldn’t fully control it. It was too wild and untamable. I went from feeling like a hero to feeling like a monster. My father was always there to stop it whenever it took over my body, but when he was gone… There was no one around who could. That’s why I had to live behind locked doors.”

“And Maura?”

His eyes grew distant. “She was the first accident. After that incident, I was no longer allowed to walk free. It got out of control once I gained the ability to use magic, but the professor gave me a focus that would prevent it from fully controlling me. Still, it isn’t enough to stop it from taking over for short periods.”

“Were you ever in the Endless Library at night?” I needed to know if it was really him.

“I went there once to look for my father’s notes on my condition. How did you know that?”

“I was attacked by the phantom when I was there.”

He looked extremely guilty. “I’m so sorry, Remina! It’s like with Maura. I wasn’t aware of what was happening.” He looked me in the eyes. I could see how pained he was, how much all of this was tormenting him. “Was I the one who killed those students? Do you think I did it?”

“It wasn’t you, Elliot. Trust me.” I tried to sound as believable as possible.

“But there’s nobody else, right? So it’s probably me…”

“Elliot, it wasn’t you. Stop blaming yourself,” I assured him. “You may have a monster inside you, but you’re the most caring boy I know. You’d never let that happen.”

He shook his head. “I don’t have the power to stop it. I couldn’t prevent Maura from getting killed.”

I moved closer and tried my best to convince him, “You do have the power to. I would have been dead if you hadn’t fought against it when it tried to kill me.”

“I did that?”

I nodded. “And you can do it again.”

“You’re putting too much hope in me.”

“Your father must have had a good reason for choosing you as a vessel. He might not have been wrong. Only you can prove that.”

I untied the ropes.

“You’re letting me go?” He was surprised.

“Consider it as thanks for going along with our impromptu debate team.”

He stretched and fixed his clothes. “I’ll turn myself in to the professor. I’d rather be locked away than be free and endanger those around me.”

“Elliot…” I looked at him sadly.

He continued, “I’m still glad I came to this academy. For the first time in my life, I was able to feel like a regular schoolboy. It was fun while it lasted. Thank you for being my friend, Remina. I’ll never forget this.” He gave a lonely smile before leaving.

Elliot was in Prof. Ariston’s hands now. At least I could be assured that he would be treated kindly and not be thrown into some dark shed. I still wished I could do more for him than just throw words of encouragement. Perhaps one day I’d think of a solution.

But for now, I have another problem to deal with.

The dance was fast approaching and I was not prepared for it at all. I wasn’t even planning on going in the first place if Lysander hadn’t asked me to be his date. Chasing old secrets and fighting dark monsters was easier than figuring out how to dress and learning to dance.

I picked out a pile of books about ballroom dancing, hoping they would enlighten me. As I poured over instructions on the basics of popular dances, I failed to notice a certain demon librarian approaching me with his curiosity piqued by my visible distress.

“Curious about dancing, Ms. Ravenfire?” he said as he looked over my shoulder.

“Curious about students’ affairs, Bartholomew?” I replied as I turned my head, matching his tone and facial expression.

“Always.” He was too honest.

I decided to explain it to him anyway, “There’s a school dance coming up and I agreed to go with this boy who is a popular second year student. I’ve never danced before. I don’t really want to embarrass myself.”

“Ah. Youth.”

“I don’t suppose a library demon like you would know a thing or two about dancing?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. Stop by the library at night if you’d like a lesson or two.”

I really wasn’t expecting that.

I sulked in my seat. “Am I the only one in this school who can’t dance?”

“Worry not, Ms. Ravenfire. You’ll be a decent dancer once I’m done training you.”

At midnight sharp, I pushed open the doors of the library and entered. The candles lit one by one as I walked past them, approaching the demon librarian waiting for me on the other side of the large room. The tables and chairs had already been pushed to the sides of the room, allowing a generous amount of space in the middle for dancing.

“So you came.” Delighted by my visit, he stood up and walked forward to meet me.

“I’m here for the lesson,” I said.

A waltz began to play in the background. It was hard not to recognise Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers, which seemed out of place in such a dark and dreary library with ceiling tentacles out of a horror show.

He offered his hand. “First, I must determine your level of skill, so that I can adjust the lesson accordingly.”

“I have never danced a waltz,” I admitted.

“Just do your best to follow my lead. We’ll be doing simple steps. I’ll mostly be determining your sense of rhythm.”

When I took his hand, he placed his other hand behind my back and began to dance. Once in a while, he would whisper or give me cues to perform certain actions like twirling. Even with all that, I found it difficult to concentrate on the steps and get the timing right. Although he had a perpetual poker face, I was certain he found my abilities to be lacking and was disappointed inside.

“What do you think?” I asked for his verdict once it was over.

“You are indeed terrible at waltz, Ms. Ravenfire.”

“Well, that was brutally straightforward. Thank you for your honesty.”

He smiled. “Sugarcoating never helps people improve.”

He stepped backwards and paused to think. “Perhaps waltz isn’t your thing. You need something closer to your nature.” He snapped his finger and the ceiling tentacles switched the music. “The tango. It’s fiery, bold, and dramatic. Very much like you, Ms. Ravenfire. It’s the perfect dance for a true Summer mage. Why don’t we give it a try?”

“Isn’t that a much harder dance?” I was a little unsure about it.

“Tango might be a more difficult dance than the waltz in general, but I believe someone with your personality can pull it off. Unlike the waltz, it’s not methodical. You aren’t bound by a rigid structure. You feel the music and move with it freely. It’s all about listening closely to your partner and following his lead. It’s all about expression.”

I took a deep breath and went for a round with him. I’ll admit. I wasn’t too comfortable about being very close to him, but if I just ignored that, everything else went smoother than when I tried the waltz.

“You move more naturally now.” He was pleased. “We’ll focus on this dance tonight then. At least you’ll have one type of dance where you’ll really steal the show.”

We continued to dance until the music suddenly paused in the middle. He began to instruct me, “When the music pauses, you must also pause on the beat. Make the silence louder with your body language.”

The lesson went on until it was three in the morning. By then, my legs were sore and my head was dizzy from staying up too late. Meanwhile, Bartholomew sat at a nearby table for a tea break and invited me to sit with him. The tentacles served him his snacks and tea-things.

“Have you prepared a dress for the occasion?” he asked.

“A dress?” I realised I forgot that part.

“I assume you haven’t then.” He grabbed a book from a nearby shelf. “Tell me. What sort of dress do you fancy?”

“I just need it to be easy to run and move around in.”

“That can be done.”

He asked the tentacles to fetch some rolls of black and crimson red cloth.

“Do you always have cloth lying around here?” I found it strange that a library would have them ready.

“No. Those are just leftover cloth from that time the female professors wanted to put curtains in the library.”

“Curtains?” I repeated.

"High quality curtains, mind you. They’re perfectly acceptable for dressmaking as well. I selected them myself,” he pointed out. “Kindly remove your jacket, Ms. Ravenfire.”

I did as he said and took off my jacket, leaving it on the table. Using his strange magic, he fashioned a red dress using me as a makeshift mannequin.

“What do you think?” he asked with a proud smile.

“It’s beautiful. You could open a dress shop.” I was honestly impressed.

“Don’t be silly. They’ll be after me with pitchforks for copying others’ designs.” He showed me the book where he took the dress design from. “Besides, I don’t make dresses and articles of clothing for just anybody. Only interesting students have that privilege. Now, go. You are ready for this upcoming social affair.”

I smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Bartholomew. You’ve really helped me.”

“Think of me like your own fairy godfather,” he replied, obviously enjoying the title.

“Except with horns, tentacles, and a penchant for dark humour?”

“Wouldn’t you agree that those very qualities make me more superior than a regular fairy godfather?”

I smiled. “Definitely.”