Leaving History put me in a better mood. Alchemy was bound to be far less awkward than listening to a failed sugarcoating of a terrible group of terrible people. I didn't care how many people they once saved or who they fought against. None of any of that made the curse okay.

The whole thing felt like ashes in my mouth.

Maybe we'll be allowed to set something on fire today. That will make me feel better.

(*********)

I was not feeling much better.

Celica was waiting outside the room and was looking entirely too smug for my comfort.

What was she planning now?

She grabbed my arm and forced hers into a loop with it.

She was about a foot taller than me and her arm strength was nothing I had the ability to compete with.

She grinned as we strolled into Alchemy together.

Banshees and Krakens.

I kept my eyes down as Celica and I sat down in our usual seats in the back of the room.

Gorgon wasn't here yet. He had a terrible habit of arriving after all of his students.

"Fel'Graces," A Kraken whose name I didn't know approached us. Well approached Celica. I was just sitting there minding my own business.

Celica smirked and leaned forward to greet the newcomer. "Farron Stillgrave, what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" The sweetness in her voice was coated in sarcasm.

"Dragon, huh?"

"It was the Tower that chose me. I won't miss the squids." She kept using that voice. Maybe it was a Celica thing.

I held back a sigh.

"And I see they didn't want you for Representative," the Kraken responded.

I snorted at that.

I got a glare from cold orange eyes. I looked forward silently hoping that Gorgon would hurry up and start class already.

Celica laughed, "Oh come on. We all know I would have been a terrible choice. Stewart here has already done a far better job of that than I ever would have."

I covered my face with a gloved hand. Why is she like this? Why are they all like this?

"I heard about the duel. Bold choice to fight against someone with three more years of experience."

"If you're going to criticize my choices Stillgrave, then please get your facts straight. Representative Anubis issued and insisted upon the duel. I would have gladly parted ways amicably. She refused to allow that. Unfortunately I have plans I can't change with Healer Sealie and my Tower Head."

It was mostly true. It was about my curse, I'm sure Sealie was in the loop to some degree.

The curse stung with a dull itch-like pain.

Celica shrugged, "You heard her."

I moved my hand from my face and looked him in the eyes.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"You? You're the Representative of Dragon Tower?" Farron Stillgrave commented.

I held up the part of the coat that had the badge. "I am. Blame this one, she's the mastermind behind it." I pointed at Celica.

She cackled like the witch she was.

"Why would you want her to do it? Does someone raised by humans even know the first thing about being a leader in this school?" Farron Stillgrave demanded.

Was. Right. Here.

The pain sharpened, turning into a full burning sensation.

"You know, it's funny." I stated because my patience for bullshit had just run dry, "For how much you Krakens posture and lecture about propriety and the way things should be or how people should act you lot have been very aggressive and rude to me. Also you personally seem to have a terrible habit of not getting your facts straight. So do both of us a favor and leave. Me. Alone."

I didn't yell. I was bad at yelling. But I was still furious. I know I sounded calm. Even like this I was terrible at communicating to others how I felt.

Apollo guide me.

Celica was shaking in laughter next to me.

Welp. She wanted me to be more assertive.

The pain in my wrist remained unchanged.

This was going to be a problem, wasn't it?

"Everybody in your seats." A voice cut through the silence and filled me with relief. Finally Gorgon shows up. Maybe he can rein his students in.

My hero.

Stillgrave left.

The pain began to fade in my wrist.

I sighed and rubbed at it.

I needed to get rid of this thing as soon as possible.

(*********)

"I knew you had a backbone in there somewhere," Celica was smiling as we left the class.

I cradled my cursed wrist.

"I'm proud of you."

"I'm not," I told her. "I hate when I get like that."

"He had no business acting like that towards you."

"He's not entirely wrong though. I'm not a leader Celica."

"Dragon Tower doesn't need a leader," Celica explained. "Think about it, there are only five of us. The formal structure of Kraken or the rigidness of Kelpie would never work. Besides, I don't know about you but I don't take kindly to being bossed around."

I let out another sigh. "This was a mistake Celica."

"Why? Cause you're not what others want for our Tower? Sure, what they think does matter, but at the end of the day we're the ones who have to live with it all. You are the best equipped for this. Besides, you are also the only one of us who hasn't gotten into trouble."

"I think you and I have very different definitions of the word 'trouble'."

"I guess we'll have to find out."

(*********)

Despite coming from lunch, I couldn't shake the tiredness that had started to cling to my body.

Why was this so bad?

Why did I just want to go back to my room in Dragon Tower and curl up under the blankets and just sleep.

Side effect from the curse or just some part of me that I couldn't escape?

Fethris was hovering.

"You don't look so good," Fethris whispered as we sat outside.

The fresh air and faint scent of the holly trees weren't doing me any good.

I was keeping my eyes open. Just.

Was this what having my mana sapped was actually supposed to feel like? How did anyone function if this was the exhaustion they felt when pushing their magic too far? Or was everyone around me just that good at managing their mana?

Then again, my peers had a decade of experience over me in that regard.

Catching up wasn't going to be easy.

(*********)

Monsters finally ended. With a loud and very undignified yawn I stretched then trudged back to Dragon Tower.

"Open Sesame," I told the round door.

It opened slowly and while I didn't magically get more energy I did feel a sense of relief once I was over the threshold.

No one else was there that I could see. Good.

The red blankets were warm and welcoming. I closed my eyes and felt my consciousness leave almost instantly.

(*********)

Morpheus was a fickle god. At least when it came to my dreams.

Or maybe this was the work of Epiales? This felt more nightmarish to me.

I was back in the cell in the former castle dungeon. The ground was lighting up in the familiar pink of my magic.

"Come on Serafina wake up," I told myself.

The pink light was already starting to take form.

"Can we not do this right now?" I asked.

Claws. Sharp and long. My magic didn't have fingers.

I couldn't recall if it had been the same that day.

The claws scrapped across the ground and I tried to pull on the cell door to open it.

"Hurry," I told myself.

The claws reached out as if to grab me. Dark green chains blocked my vision.

I awoke with a start and sat up fast enough to make my head swim.

I was not going to catch a break, was I?

A headache pierced my mind and shattered the haze of sleep. I winced for a moment before noticing a small note fluttering down into my lap.

I picked it up to find Vivian Hearth's handwriting.

Please come to my office at your earliest convenience. We need to go over some paperwork I've received from both Kraken Tower and the Newspaper club.

Do not worry. This is how these things are supposed to be handled. Don't ever hesitate to ask for my assistance in these matters.

She'd even signed it.

Off I go to be Dragon Tower Representative. Maybe Fethris should lose the duel on Saturday.

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