Ravenfire

“Remina? Are you alright?” Emma asked out of concern.

I lost track of how much time I was standing there deep in thought about the words of Lucien Blackthorn. If he was telling the truth, then what was his goal? What did he plan to do once he found himself a stable body to possess? I had so many questions in my head and I didn’t know who to believe.

“Yes. I am. Crowds just make me dizzy sometimes,” I assured her and continued to do my best as the club’s sign holder.

“You should probably take a rest,” Elliot suggested.

“I’ll be fine, really.” Pretending was hard, but I did what I could to look slightly more energetic while holding the sign.

Elliot glanced at me shyly. “Remina, do you… have a date for the dance?”

“I do. Lysander asked me.”

“Oh,” he sounded disappointed.

Emma was both shocked and amused. I wasn’t sure if it was because it was hard for her to fathom that I would actually have a date for the dance or because that date was Lysander. “Lysander? Really? He’s actually a pretty popular guy.”

“More popular than you?” I couldn’t help but say.

Emma nodded. “He’s the Martial Club’s poster boy. I don’t have that kind of energy to deal with large crowds of people.”

“Speaking of dates, did you ask Salamander to the dance?”

She sighed. “No. He already has a date.”

That was a shock. “Seriously? Who is he going with?” My curiosity got the better of me.

“Some girl named Pepper asked him. She’s short and cute too.” She sounded a bit jealous. I truly felt sorry for her. It looked like even her natural beauty and pleasing personality couldn’t attract the person she liked.

“Did anyone ask you yet?”

“I did, but I kind of turned them all down. I barely knew them. I don’t think I would be comfortable going with a stranger.” Emma turned to the side where Elliot was manning the booth. “Elliot, will you please accompany me to the dance as a friend?”

He was caught unaware and almost fell off his seat. “Huh? Oh, uhh… sure.”

“Thanks.” She smiled with relief.

As we continued to raise funds for our club, I noticed Emma longingly leafing through some photographs. With her drawing sighs every now and then, it started to draw my attention away from my very important sign holding duties.

“What are those?” I asked curiously.

“Just some photos I took. I bought this camera at one of the booths.” She showed me her neat little instant camera and demonstrated how it worked by taking a photo of me and giving me the product printed out by the camera.

I had a look at the photos she took. All of them were of Salamander going about his day without knowing his picture was being taken. Some of them were at rather unique angles that I wondered where Emma managed to climb or hide to even take them. It must have taken a lot of dedication to sneak around like that. Apparently my roommate might now be a stalker.

As I was contemplating the pros and cons of having a stalker roommate, a single photo caught my eye. It was a photo of Salamander receiving a sealed letter from Prof. Ariston. Emma probably didn’t notice, but on the envelope was the name ‘Aidan Blackthorn’ in capital letters.

Aidan Blackthorn.

I stared blankly at the obvious evidence I had about his true identity. I should have known Salamander wasn’t his real last name.

“Is it weird that I followed him?” Emma looked worried, oblivious about my discovery.

“It’s weird, but keep doing it.” I gave her a pat on the shoulder to encourage her stalking habits before turning to leave. “I’m going to take a short break.”

I walked through the castle searching for Salamander, ready to confront him. I couldn’t find him, so I sat down to rest on a stone bench. I soon noticed a silver snake crawling towards me. He was probably somewhere among the nearby crowd.

“Tell your master to meet me at the centre of the hedge maze where the fountain is. It’s urgent,” I said.

I waited at the meeting place until Salamander finally showed up. With the castle currently bustling with activity, this was one of the few places we could talk privately.

“What is this about?” he asked the moment he arrived.

“I’m glad you decided to come, Salamander.” I stood up from my seat at the fountain. “Or should I say… Aidan Blackthorn?”

He sighed. “I knew I shouldn’t have kept my first name.”

“I doubt it would have made a difference anyway.”

He folded his arms. “Ok. Now you know my real identity. What happens now?”

I followed suit and folded my arms too. “First, I’d like you to tell me why you’re withholding such vital information from me.”

“Look, I can’t trust anybody here. Keeping my last name would just paint a target on my back!”

“You’re right about that. There’s a student possessed by Lucien Blackthorn searching for a Blackthorn right now.”

“There’s a what?” He was clearly astonished by the news.

“Our theory was slightly incorrect. The soul inside the device was Lucien Blackthorn and those deaths were caused by him possessing them.”

“How do you know this?”

“He came for me and told me everything. While I’m inclined to doubt the words of someone who tried to harm me, I feel that there is some truth in them. And you’re the one who can clarify that for me, Aidan Blackthorn.” I moved towards him and lowered my voice, “You’re hiding something from me. Not just you… But the whole Blackthorn family.”

“Whatever the interests of my family, I want no part of it. Every decision I make is merely for self-preservation,” he claimed sternly.

“Alright. Let’s start somewhere then. The first headmaster, Emrys Blackthorn. He made a pact with the horned serpent that cursed your family bloodline, didn’t he?”

He tried to hide his surprise.

I continued, “Emrys killed his own brother and himself to possibly stop him from trying to get the family to break free from the serpent’s influence.”

He remained silent.

“It’s no use hiding it, Salamander. I can see it on your face. You know the truth of what really happened because you’re a Blackthorn.”

“And what if I do?” His stare was intense and guarded.

“You’d better start filling me in on the facts and telling me where you stand on this issue so I won’t be suspicious of your actions,” I pressured him.

He sighed. “Must I really? Fine.”

I waited for him to continue talking.

He began, “My family isn’t like any other. You are correct. We have a blood curse thanks to a pact made by Emrys Blackthorn with the horned serpent. In exchange for its favour, he offered our family to be the instrument of its will. That’s why we are blessed with the gifts. I assume Lucien Blackthorn can only properly possess somebody from the Blackthorn family because any other body would reject his soul for being tainted.”

He looked me in the eye. “I may be a Blackthorn, but I don’t know everything that went on in their heads when they used the device. I’m unable to tell you what Emrys and Lucien’s goals really are. I honestly couldn’t care less for a sibling rivalry that should have been long-dead and buried. All I want is to live.”

Everything about Salamander’s body language was telling me that he was speaking the truth. He was definitely desperate to prove to me that he could be trusted though.

“Is there anything else I should know?” I asked.

He stared at me with suspicion. “There is one thing I never truly understood. Only members of my family have ever been granted these gifts. Why did the serpent choose you? Maybe you’re hiding something from me as well, Remina Ravenfire.”

Suddenly, we heard the sound of metal cutlery dropping on the floor. We quickly turned our heads towards the direction of the noise and saw Prof. Alice with a slice of cake.

“Sorry!” she calmly said and bent down to pick up the fork.

“Prof. Alice…” We were both disappointed.

“No, don’t stop. We were just getting to the good part.”

“Prof. Alice, how is it that you’re able to appear every time Salamander and I do something important?” I had to ask. This was getting suspicious.

“I’m a seer.” She shrugged and ate some cake. “It’s like watching television. Visions are like previews of the episode, except you don’t know which one is going to air and which one is getting cancelled. You, Ms. Ravenpie, and Mr. Saladmanner as well, just happen to be the most interesting show right now.”

“So you’ve been watching us this whole time?” Salamander was in disbelief.

“I get paid to watch. I love my job.”

“Let’s go, Remina,” he said and pulled me by the arm.

“Hey! Wait!” Prof. Alice called us, but didn’t bother chasing us because her cake was more important.

I examined Salamander’s face as he continued to pull me while moving. He looked extremely stressed and annoyed. I wondered if I might have pushed him too much.

“We really shouldn’t fight. Not when we’re so close to figuring everything out,” he spoke as we walked through the maze. He still continued to hold on to my arm.

Once we left the maze, he stopped walking and faced me, looking down to meet my gaze as we stood very close to each other. He spoke softly, “I need you, Remina. The potion only works with two people. You know perfectly well why I’d hide my name, but everything else… I didn’t hide them from you on purpose. I just didn’t think they were relevant at that time.”

I didn’t think he could actually sound sincere. My gaze lingered in his for a moment, making me feel a little bashful, which was quite unusual because I’d normally feel like slapping him. I decided to trust him for now.

I broke free from his stare. “Alright. Temporary ceasefire. How is the potion going?”

He stepped back a little as he began to feel slightly awkward from our close proximity. “I just lack one last ingredient: a golden feather. If I can get my hands on that, I can finally brew that damn potion.”

“Have you raided the classroom shelves?”

“Already checked. Nothing.”

“Ah! My two favourite classmates. I’ve been searching everywhere for you!” Toad suddenly popped out of nowhere with a big smile, his arms wide open, and a proposal. If he were some kind of salesman, I would have already ran away in fear of my meagre student funds vanishing. “I’m looking for teammates for a contest. Would you be interested in joining?”

“Why us?” I asked.

“I saw your fight at the Martial Club tryouts. You two fight like two drunkards at a bar who just insulted each other’s mothers. Exactly the people I need.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing, but I decided to take it as a compliment anyway.

“Ok, but Scheep banned us from participating in any competitions that involve fights,” I informed him.

He gave a smug smile. “Don’t worry. This one doesn’t involve actual fights. Just the psychological kind. And maybe a little of the physical kind behind the scenes.”

“We could get expelled if we’re caught, so it better be worth it,” Salamander said.

“Who gets expelled over a debate?” Toad was confused.

“Oh. That kind of fight.” I was relieved.

“What’s in it for us?” Salamander asked as if he was at the negotiating table.

“You get extra credits for all classes if we win a round. And you get to help out your good friend Toad pass Fundamentals of Magic class!” Toad said, emphasising that the second reason was the most important and appealing reason of all.

“That’s it?”

Toad added with less enthusiasm in his tone, “There’s also this fancy golden feather which is supposed to be a potion ingredient, but who cares about feathers, right?”

“We’re in,” Salamander and I immediately said in unison.

Toad was appalled. “You care more about a feather than your friend Toad? I’m hurt.”

“When does the debate start?” I completely ignored his last statement.

“In two hours, but we lack one more member.”

Conveniently, Elliot passed by and immediately noticed the three of us staring at him like we were planning to kidnap him. He looked at each of our faces, trying to determine what was going on. “Is something the matter?”

“Elliot, you’re free, right?” I asked him.

“Emma asked the other members to watch the booth, so I’m currently free,” he replied cautiously, sensing that his answer would determine his fate.

“Good. You’re in.” Toad stepped forward and grabbed his arm. “Let’s go!”

“Go? Go where?” Elliot was confused as he was dragged along.

Toad led us to the main hall where the debate was being held. He approached a table near the entrance to get an application form and register our team.

“Oh look, we get to pick out nicknames for each member. I’m Toad. He’s Salamander. You’re Raven. We need an animal name for this guy to complete the theme,” he said as he looked over the form.

“Do you guys have suggestions?” Elliot asked.

“Marten,” Toad said without blinking.

“Chicken,” Salamander followed.

“Rabbit?” I really couldn’t think of anything else.

Elliot sighed. “Are you guys really serious about this?”

“We gave you suggestions. Just pick something or I’m writing Rabbit.” Toad readied his pen.

“Fine. Owl.”

Toad ignored him and wrote down ‘Rabbit’. “Good. We are ready. I will now submit the application.”

“What’s the debate topic?” Elliot asked Toad when we were given a card for the debate.

Toad lifted up the card we were given by the organisers and attempted to read it, “Ehh… Let’s see here… Should Purple Pullers be included in a regular mage’s diet?"

Salamander and I immediately received a large burst of motivation stemming from our last encounter with a Purple Puller. If there was one thing we were both adamant and passionate about, it was our mutual dislike for the magical purple vines that tried to kill us. Thankfully, being in the gardening club armed me with the knowledge I needed to back my arguments.

“Leave this to us,” Salamander said confidently as he fixed his jacket and tie.

“We’ll make sure the Purple Puller will be wiped out of the menu forever,” I added while sharpening my memory of botanical research like a dagger.

Toad was ecstatic about not having to do a lot of work. “Ok! Rabbit and I will cheer for you at the side then.”

“So I’m Rabbit now?” Elliot planted his palms on his face.

In the end, we faced such a tough battle with the opponent that even a mediocre topic such as vines managed to draw a large audience because of the heated argument between our team and the opposing team. I noticed Prof. Ariston smiling to himself in the crowd.

We were unsure about whether we managed to convince the judges with our impromptu rebuttal or not. Upon hearing our team being announced as the winner for the round, our jaws dropped almost simultaneously.

“We won? We won!” I couldn’t believe it.

We all jumped joyously as our opponents left the stage with unhappy expressions on their faces.

“Once my grades aren’t looking terrible, I’m going to ask a certain beautiful lady to the dance,” Toad said confidently.

“I thought you were dating Leslie,” I replied.

“Oh. Leslie and I broke up after we fought about whether Africa is a country or not.”

“But Africa is a continent.”

“I know. That’s why I broke up with her. Anyway, I’m after a new girl now.” He turned his head and smiled when Prof. Alice walked by. “It turns out I’m into older women.”

I didn’t question his taste in women and decided to ignore it. It was probably for the best anyway.

He then looked at all of us. “Anyway, this calls for a celebration! And I know just where to party...”

Toad’s idea of a party was nothing short of fun. He really knew how to hold parties, even with just four people. I suppose I should have expected that from a student whose rakija is better than his school grades.

First off, the venue was the Nightwillows secret clubroom. Leslie and Arabella would probably go mad with rage if they ever found out that we were partying in their space. I suppose we could annex the place if they do end up getting expelled.

Second, the music was a bunch of catchy tunes from the old world, played through a rare antique CD player in the room. Surprisingly, Salamander knew the lyrics to them and started singing once the alcohol started kicking in.

Lastly, Toad’s rakija was the perfect drink to go with the snacks we bought from the food stalls. With everything combined plus Toad’s unintentional standup comedy for added entertainment, we had what we needed for a good time.

Elliot was a little awkward at the beginning, but that soon dropped after he took sips of the alcohol. The next thing we knew, he was jumping up and down, then dancing with the rest of us. It was hard to believe that the timid Elliot who was always avoiding people when we first met was now having fun and smiling with the rest of us. I was happy for him.

When I opened my eyes the next day, the world was a blur. I could see a dark figure looking down on me as I stayed still on the couch. When my vision was clear again, I realised it was the phantom raising its scythe, ready to attack me. I dodged just in time. What a rude awakening!

I dashed and pushed the other couch so Toad and Salamander would fall off. It worked to wake them both up.

“Ouch! I’m trying to get some sleep here!” Toad was annoyed.

“What the hell, Remina?” Salamander groaned as he lethargically got back up.

“If you’d rather sleep permanently, I won’t stop you from hastening your death!” I shouted at them.

When Toad and Salamander saw the phantom coming our way, they both screamed loudly. For about a minute, we chaotically ran around the room dodging and blocking, trying not to get injured.

“How did it even get in here?” Salamander wondered out loud as he switched to a fighting stance.

“Where’s Elliot?” I asked, looking around frantically.

“He must have left already. He’s obviously not here.”

“Remina! Look out!” Toad shouted.

When I looked back at the phantom, it was already in the middle of an attack aimed at me. Before the scythe sliced through me, it stopped. It seemed like it was struggling or fighting against itself. I used the chance to move far away from it. Gradually, the phantom transformed back into a familiar boy.

“Holy shit. It’s Elliot,” Toad said in disbelief.