I Cannot Accept You

"Transmissio." A woman's voice. "Accipio. Quaenam in illis."

Faustina's body convulsed as her mind is bombarded with thousands of information, scriptures which she cannot read, scenes of people and places she's never been before; she clutched her head and fell to the ground bright with an enormous magical circle. Her eyes are white with pain, whilst petals fell from the vines as the wind being emitted from the magic circle grew strong.

She gasped as a scene where Jonathan is smiling and holding the hand of Eula flashed before her mind—a Jonathan who seemed younger and a Eula who is around his age. Next, a scene where Sheila is studying with Jonathan — then, the King who is coughing blood.

"Archive." A voice. "Transmissio. Accipio. Quaenam in illis."

An academy where students are dressed in black, each holding a distinct staff—scepters, small wooden wands, and all kinds. Teachers who are teaching and students are of a different race. An academy for sorcerers.

"That is a fragment of my memory of Jonathan Unsterblich." Sheila says, lowering her staff. Faustina remained frozen, still seeing Sheila's memory before her eyes. The young Sheila, looking through the window, and a Jonathan who was smiling with someone—

Someone she knows.

"Now tell me." Sheila says. "Who is your master? Is it that woman?"

Faustina throat parched, something was blocking her voice. She can't determine what was it—she was not entirely sure if she should tell Sheila it was indeed Eula, or it COULD be Eula. But her familiar smile, her eyes, even though it was a blur, she could definitely feel it was her.

"Is it your master? The one with Jonathan." Sheila says calmly. "Tell me. Now."

"I-it could be." Faustina says. "I can't be too sure. But she looks a lot like Eula..."

Sheila stared at the void for a moment, as if deciding what is the right thing to do.

Faustina stared at the floor, remembering Jonathan's red eyes, staring back at the woman who looked a lot like Eula with such intense emotions. They were so happy.

"I-is he a Heilen?"

"Him?" Sheila retorted. "That, I do not know."

Faustina stared in utter confusion, bombarded with too much information. Like a child frustrated with knowing too much. Her brown eyes turned blank, staring at nothing.

"A devil is with you, but not quite so. It does not possess you." Sheila says. "A shadow is following you, yet I do not know its purpose. I cannot simply drive it away. It is yours to decide if you want to drive it away."

"I- I want to!"

Faustina knelt before the ground and then tears started to drip across the floor. She was so confused. Why did Eula leave her — why didn't she tell her anything? She wanted her question her master, her dead master. What was she supposed to do now? She thought she finally found her resolution but—

A slap on her face stopped her from thinking. Faustina paused, as she felt a pain in her left cheek.

"You are too weak." Sheila says, and then she hit her again. Faustina felt her other cheek redden with pain.

"You are too dependent. You could not even decide on your own." Sheila gnarled. "I hate people like you."

Faustina stared right into Sheila's eyes. She could not move.

"You? You will be sustaining the king's life?" The staff's hilt hit the ground, and the magic circle glew. It illuminated Sheila, and the ruby on the staff slowly brightened. Sheila pointed the staff to Faustina, who was frozen on the spot.

Sheila narrowed her eyes. "I am a clairvoyant. I foretell fortune. I am a bearer of a prophecy. In your current stance, I can see no future. I can only see the void. There is nothing for you here. Albeit you are a carrier of the Heilen blood or whatever you possess, your traits are too weak. You are too weak."

Faustina thinned her lips, and stood up. "I know I am. I can't even mask my weakness."

"You are not fit to stand beside his majesty. I am getting rid of your existence right here."

"I know I'm weak." Faustina stared at her blind eyes, "I know I don't have the qualities to sustain the king's life. But... but even if it's like that. I want to figure out the answers. The answers to my questions. Please..."

Sheila pointed the ruby in Faustina's forehead. "I will pierce your head and collect your memory. This is a lot useful than trusting you such a task."

"Please."

Sheila gritted her teeth, "when you face an enemy, 'please' would not save you!"

"Then, let me!" Faustina stepped forward, making the Ruby pierce her skin. "Let me show you that I am willing to learn! Please!"

"Accept her, Sheila."

A man's voice lingered across the circle. Faustina turned to see the king, along with five knights accompanying him. The magic circle's brightness slowly dimmed, as people wearing moss-cloaks went to Sheila's side.

"I cannot, your majesty." Sheila says, "she is weak. Your life cannot be bind into such person."

Alexander stared at Faustina, who stared at his eyes in return.

"If she is weak, so am I." He says. "We are no different."

Sheila sighed, giving up. "Alright," and then she stared at the sky. "But I do not accept her still."

"However?"

She sighed once again. "However, a contract will be created, as you requested."

"BUT!" Sheila interrupted, making the king halt. "But she will need to go to the Academy."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Faustina asked, "I have no magical prowess—"

"Thank you, Sheila." The king walked towards Sheila, embracing her tight. "Thank you."

Faustina stared in surprise.

"But really, you being so determined despite being such a small lil' girl made me so fired up, Lil' miss!" A knight said. His eyes were the color of chestnut, and his hair a purple color with white edges. He grinned.

"That's right. Almost got teary-eyed. She suffered so much." The knight with the tousled hair, Elliot, said.

"That's because Sheila's a bully." The twin of Elliot said in monotone.

"Oh yes, thank you for that remark, Elvis." Sheila says.

The other knight did not spoke, and one remained uninterested.

"King, I have no magical prowess. It will be useless for me to go to the Academy."

The king held Faustina's hand, and smiled kindly. "Trust me."

Although hesitant, and confused how she got into these series of events, Faustina slowly nodded her head.

There was nothing she could do but move forward.

**

A night in the throne room, with only the moonlight serving as the light. Two people spoke in such serious and silent voices. One tentative of what to say, and one authoritative and amused. One sat in a throne, the other was bowing down.

"A king bowed down to that child, and the soldiers let her go. There was too much flaw with this capture, Sheila."

"I am well-aware, my king. The soldiers that night were silenced."

"Oh?" Light flickered from his blue eyes. "Were they?"

"The soldiers, except for the high knights were silenced. Forever." Sheila says sternly. "You shan't worry anymore, my king."

The king nodded. "I see. That is good. Now we can send her to the academy at ease."

"Are you really sending her to the academy? That ignorant child does not even know what she's doing."

The king chuckled. "Of course. What is left for her to do?"

"She can be sent back to wherever she was from."

"Oh, Sheila," the king laughed lightly. "I noticed that your argument is a bit one-sided? Is there any personal feelings involved here?"

"There is none, my king."

"Are you jealous?"

Sheila flinched, and stared intently. "No."

"It doesn't seem that way." The king says.

"She is a weak child, my king. She is easily tricked, easily influenced."

"She will just sustain a life." The king says coldly. "Sustain a king's life. She will simply be a tool. Why are you being so overly-cautious, my dear Sheila?"

"Because she's strongly related to the Forsaken. To that man. To Jonathan Unsterblich."

"Oh?"

"She may be a potential harm. Even if she's just a powerless child right now."

The king chuckled, "the academy will determine whether she will be a threat or not. Rest assured."

Sheila stared at the king's cold eyes, and his smirking lips. She felt a shiver run down her spine.

"Now I must rest. Let me sleep now, Sheila."

"Yes, my king." She stared at his eyes as she chanted soft incantations.

"Recipisco. Sweet dreams, my king."