FIVE. Teammates? Not Teammates?

God, this is fucking embarrassing.

Embarrassing? Have I ever even felt embarrassed before? Fuck.

The lines on his face begin to merge together and suddenly my legs feel like falling in on themselves. New thoughts are entering my head, new sounds, new ringing. His hands. I feel him watching my reactions. His eyes curve into crescents and I feel my heart do summersaults. This is overwhelming. He is overwhelming. He's doing something to me with every movement he makes. I need him close to away from me. Now. 

Snap out of it. Move. 

"Sorryaboutthat '' I say in a rush, almost fumbling the words. Pushing him away, I stumble over some branches and my knees buckle beneath me. It's only because of his quick action that I barely catch myself, holding onto his hand, which was previously stationed on my hip, but he keeps his distance. Yes. Good. Distance. Please.

He's staring at me.

I can't get a read on him. It's like my entire life of reading other people, understanding what 'emotions' are has gone straight out the window. I can't even understand myself anymore. The static in my chest has turned into a raging storm. I feel like I'm slipping. He's smiling. Like a blank smile, one that just rests there. I feel like I've been hit by a carriage but he looks so unaffected, the way he just smiles while I'm questioning my entire existence. I've never felt this weird(?) in my entire life. Have my thoughts ever been this loud in my head? Have I ever even had these types of thoughts before? It feels as if he's observing me. He isn't saying anything, but he isn't exactly ignoring me either. 

Damn it Diana, say something.

"My name is Diana, I'm a human." I barely let out, trying to regain some semblance of a hold on myself. He doesn't pull his hand away from mine, nor does he hold onto it. Though a light squeeze from his fingers, and suddenly I'm no longer present on this plain of existence. 

"Nixie." he introduces himself. "Though for some reason, you seem to know that already." he teases, hinting back to when I said his name out of surprise a few seconds earlier, making my face flame. He doesn't seem to remember our earlier interaction at the IACAT—If you could even call it that. 

When I first saw him, it was if I just wasn't close enough to feel the effect he had on me. Now that I'm here, there's no way I can deny it—it's too intense to deny.

He's my spark.

He's my spark and he's currently making my lungs collapse on themselves right now. 

Suddenly, like all the pieces falling down on my head, I realize why my ancestors called it a 'spark' and not a 'change' because I feel like I'm being lit on fire. Sensations of embarrassment, loathing, fondness, something else I don't have enough words to describe. I barely even recognized the emotions I did have the words to describe, courtesy of my teacher, which I have a strange urge to run to right now. 

My heart is beating faster, my lungs are taking in more air. The colors and shapes I see have meaning, like they could mean more than just 'red', 'green', 'blue', or 'yellow'. I'm flooded with different feelings paired with different memories, different tastes, different sounds. I'm dizzy. I'm excited. 

I'm overwhelmed.

I groan as I hold my forehead in my hand, trying to grab a hold of myself as I acclimate to the different sensations that fill my body. This aching, intense sensation.

"You seem tired" he chuckles, and by no means in a worried tone. It feels like he's enjoying my little panic attack. He's enjoying my confusion. I notice how his eyes react to every breath I make, every move, every heartbeat. It's like he knows. He knows how he affects me. He knows, and he's enjoying it.

This is dangerous.

"I had followed the blue light to find you here…you went really far into the forest" I take a calm breath. Distance yourself, Diana. Walk away.

 I take a few big steps back and my back hits the tree behind me. The result feels almost immediate, though the static is still there, resting at the bottom of my stomach. Just like how it was before, my heart calms down, beating like it normally did. Slow, steady, unaffected. Empty. 

"Well, you found me. What now?" he inquires. I finally make eye contact with him, only to be met with a strange look of boredom resting on his face. There's something eerie about the way his eyes meet mine, the way his smile is slowly burning holes in that emptiness I'd grown so used to. I feel like I'm being trapped somehow. I take a deep breath, regaining my composure with what little of it I had left.

"Well, I had intended for us to find the other 2 and map out a plan to get the keys we need" I explain to him, his eyes studying mine. I look away, I can't handle his eyes on me. "First we find them, and then we can begin getting the other keys" I clear my throat, making sure to control my breathing as I speak to him. My hands are trembling against my chest. My heart feels tight in my chest, like it's stretching itself out in his direction. Like it's reaching for him. 

The storm feels like it's fighting to come back, even with this distance between us.

"Sure, go find them." he hums. I look back up at him, confusion painting my features as he makes himself comfortable on a nearby fallen tree. He puts in his earbuds, closing his eyes and ignoring my plans. He leans on the tree close behind it, steadying himself as he blocks out everything around him, including me. My eyes barely keep up with his movement, still settling into the darkness of the area.

"By myself?" I ask in confusion. He's going to just stay here?

"The rest of them are near the clearing, so it shouldn't be a problem." he explains, his eyes still closed as he speaks to me. Now that his eyes are out of the picture, other features on his face have become more prominent. A mole under his left eye, another under his lips…

 I wonder what it would be like to kiss him. 

I snap out of my thoughts. Oh my god why am I like this.  

This is absolutely humiliating. Those thoughts were so intrusive, so embarrassing. And now I'm getting this feeling like I want to dig myself in a hole or throw myself off a cliff, or something? What do you even call that? Everything feels like it has color, and it's hurting my senses like a man who's known darkness all his life seeing the sun for the first time. Stop it. Snap out of it. 

I need to go back on topic. 

"I can't go alone. I'm a liability by myself. I can fight if I get found but I have no chance against stronger mystics, and that would bring us down by one key." I tell him, urging him to come with me. He sighs, opening his eyes. He looks me up and down, his eyes slightly glowing as he studies me. I feel my wrist heat up where my seal is. Then he looks away.

"Nope, sorry" he apologizes, though it doesn't sound like he means it all. "You're pretty strong. I doubt even a faery could hurt you if you really tried." he chuckles. My heart drops. He read me. He looked at me and read me immediately. He knows. He knows what I am. 

Nixie is a nixie, that was a fact I had forgotten in the moment. They are the monarchs of Faerykind, its backbone, and therefore they were gifted the ability to use all abilities available to Fae: the elements of pixies, the mind control of banshees, the 'reading' of nymphs. I could see it the moment he looked at me, the way his eyes glowed, only for a second. He read everything about me, everything from my body structure to my mind. 

My eyes move to the seal on my wrist. I thought I wouldn't need it, but it came with its uses anyway. Nixies are on a completely different level than other faeries, so his ability still had its effect on me. If not for the seal, however, it's likely he could've seen past my current thoughts and into my memories as well, and that could've been bad for me. 

I'll have to thank Alice later. 

"The forest is a fascinating place. Think of flowers, plants, and habitats you can't see in this part of the forest, then the ones you can see in the clearing. Say I come with you, would you shoulder the responsibility of the bits of destroyed scenery I happen to spot along the way? If so, be my guest. If not, go get them yourself." he says, hinting to something I didn't take into account before. The main reason no nixies before him enrolled into The Academy. Or even passed the screening.

A nixie's nature is the unquenchable urge to destroy the things they take interest in, as all emotions they have are turned into bloodlust. That's why all of them share the gift of being emotionally stunted, just like me. It's the price of their power, and I'm thinking that it might be the reason why Nixie won't go to the clearing where he can see the forest better. Morgana forbid he finds something interesting to him and the entire forest is pulverized to the ground. 

"...I understand. I'll be back with our teammates." I sigh. It's no use trying to argue with him. After all, the last thing I want to do is provoke a nixie, of all things. He gives me a hum of acknowledgement, gesturing with his hand to go, and my eyes wander instinctively to his back.

I hear a '--beep' coming from both our pockets. In it, our keys which were previously blue were turned red. On them, the words 'Testing Start!' were painted in big letters.

Time left: 3:49:59

As I enter the clearing, I spot two mystics sat at the base of a tree.

"Are you my teammates?" I ask, looking down at my key. The blue glow it emitted had faded the closer I approached their area. The mystics look at me with their keys in hand, studying me with their eyes. One of them is a dryad, the other is fae. 

The dryad, a fairly tall male (though not as tall as Nixie), has light green eyes and matching dreaded green hair that branched from his scalp, transitioning into a beautiful dark green, flowing down onto his shoulders and chest, a common trait of all dryads. His skin was a shade of dark brown, making his green features pop. What set him apart was his robes, which looked more Orion-made than Ruchavayan or Walpurgisth, where most Dryads would originate from because of the countless forests and plantlife available to them. Orion, by comparison, had almost none, which would automatically mean that the Dryad was a Forest Guard, a Dryad responsible for cultivating the sky city's plants and agriculture.

The fae, a female (who had a clear hostility in her eyes), had flaming red hair and 2 pairs of eyes, both fully blacked out and lacking eye-whites. She wore a tight-fit baby blue dress that transitioned into small flowers all over her legs and collarbone. Her hands, which were previously hidden behind her thighs and key, were now placed on the ground next to her, the tip of her fingers turned black with her nails kept long and unnaturally sharp. I notice the way she leans in to talk to the Dryad, and the way she also makes sure to use Granfersic when speaking to him. It's clear that she doesn't want me to know what she's saying.

"⸮ᴎɒmuʜ ɒ ɘʜꙅ ꙅi ,ɿɘʜ ƚɒ ʞoo⅃?" Look at her, is she a human? she says in a half-whisper. The Dryad takes a look at me and then whispers back.

"¿ɹǝɥ pɐǝɹ oʇ ǝlqɐun noʎ ǝɹ∀ ˙sı ǝɥs ʞuıɥʇ I" I think she is. Are you unable to read her? he whispers back, a nervous look resting on his face. The faery shakes her head, pointing to the seal on my wrist, which I assume stopped her from completing her read on me.

More points for Alice, guide of the year.

I quietly watch their interaction. When I think back to the minotaur from the IACAT, or any student in that classroom, they were reluctant to even look Daffodil's way, but this Dryad seems to have no problem interacting with fae. I suppose different students have their own unique take on the rule. The Dryad mentioned 'reading' so I'm guessing that the faery is a nymph then.

Though it doesn't surprise me, I can already tell that they don't exactly value my presence. They neither back away in fear of losing their keys, nor do they try to sound me out, despite not knowing if I'm their teammate or not. They don't see me as a threat. They're not even acknowledging my presence. 

Moreover, they're speaking Granfersic right in front of me.

Granfersic spoken in front of humans can be considered extremely rude in Zariera, because Granfersic is a language outside of what humans can learn. It's an etiquette most Zarierans take advantage of when in the presence of a human they don't respect, as Granfersic is a language that humans are physically unable to understand or speak. A language that quite literally makes a human's mouth bleed if they successfully use it. I suppose I'm an exception, though. But just in case, let's stick to common. 

"Excuse me" I clear my throat, trying to catch their attention. The pair looks back at me, skepticism in their eyes as I try to talk to them again. "My name is Diana, a human. I'll ask again, are you two my teammates?" I ask again, only to be met with silence. But this time, I've learned my lesson. I move my hair to the side, revealing the golden embroidery near my collar. Though the nymph has no visible reaction, the Dryad looks disturbed and begins to whisper something my ears aren't able to catch.

"I apologize for our previous behavior, we weren't sure if you were on our team or not," the Dryad laughs nervously. I know he's lying, but it doesn't matter to me much if they don't respect me, just that they do their job and get the group a passing score. "I am Vince Alryne. I come from Orion as a Forest Guard." he introduces himself, standing from his spot near the tree and outstretching his hand. Right on the mark. I shake his hand, only for a few seconds before pulling away. Next was the nymph.

"I'm Dahlia, a nymph." she drawls. Her voice while speaking common sounds like two voices overlapped, one younger, one older. She doesn't seem to be a malicious person like I would describe Daffodil, nor does she coat her words in sugar. She also lifts herself from the ground, taking the space right next to Vince.

"It's good that we're all here. Our fourth member is deeper in, so we'll meet him there" I tell them. Vince nods, but Dahlia raises a brow.

"Why is he so deep in the forest?" she queries. I tilt my head in confusion to what she was trying to ask. Why wouldn't he be deep in the forest? Is that a problem? She groans in annoyance and explains her stance. "I mean why should we have to go all the way to him when there's already 3 of us here. Going into that part of the forest feels pointless especially now that the test has begun. We would be wasting time." she explains. 

She has a point. Going now would be a waste of time, and it would take about 20-30 minutes just to get there. It'd be much more efficient to stay here and make a plan while waiting for the teammate to make their way over here, but Nixie is different. I know for a fact he won't come over here, and if he did, it would be worse for our team. He'd flatten this entire area to the ground. 

"Sorry, the situation's a bit complicated so I'd prefer not wasting time explaining it, but the short story is that we can't bring him here." I explain. Dahlia shoots me an expression of disbelief, probing me to explain further. So much for saving time, but whatever. "...Our fourth teammate is a nixie" I sigh. Now she looks at me horrified, her face scrunched up in a confusing expression I can't quite put into words. Vince has a similar expression on his face, though not to the extent that Dahlia has—it was still concerning.

"!⸮ƚiwᎸ|ɒʜ ɘʜƚ woᴎ ,ᴎɒmuʜ ɒ ƚꙅɿiᎸ ,ƚiʜꙄ" Shit, first a human, now the halfwit?! she curses, ruffling her hair with her fingers.

"¿,ʇıʍɟlɐɥ, ʎq uɐǝɯ noʎ op ʇɐɥʍ pu∀ ¡ɹıǝɥ uɐ s,ǝɥs 'uɐɯnɥ sıɥʇ ɟo ʇuoɹɟ uı uɐɹ⅁ ʞɐǝds ʇ,uɐɔ no⅄ ¡uʍop ɯlɐɔ 'ʎǝH" Hey, calm down! You can't speak Gran in front of this human, she's an heir! And what do you mean by halfwit? Vince warns. I glance back at the two, noting Dahlia's panic when I mentioned Nixie. I also want to know what she meant by 'halfwit'. 

"Enough. I can't understand what you two are saying. What's your problem?" I interrupt them, speaking in a firm tone. Though I wanted to know what they meant, I also had my priorities. We were running out of time, and if we were to pass this test, I'd need them to move. 

I look down at my key. 

Time Left: 3:27:48

"It's…nothing, I think. Let's just go." Vince sighs, rubbing circles on Dahlia's back as we walk deeper into the forest. I have the urge to ask more, but I know that he knows just about as much as I do. Nothing. I turn my attention to the path ahead and try to shoo away my thoughts about it. Halfwit. Maybe she meant it as an insult and nothing more?

As we move farther in, leaves slowly start to overtake the sky, engulfing the three of us in shadows. Vince prevents this by using his ability to move the leaves into tiny holes in the 'dome' they've created. Tiny rays of sunlight peak through each opening he's created, leaving us with enough light to avoid any pits or poison at out feet.

"So…Diana, you're an heir, right? Why is someone like you trying to get into The Academy?" he asks reluctantly, attempting to start idle conversation. The atmosphere was an awkward one. Dahlia still remained silent next to him, grimacing over something I couldn't quite figure out. Though I get his sentiment, I don't really have interest in useless chatter. I suppose I'll humor him though, for the sake of cooperation.

"Is it really that rare? Heirs other than me attend Charivane as well." I reply

"Sure, but six in the Academy is already a lot, and from what I heard, Franx and Caelle Princeton are barely of age, so they have reason to be there." he 

"The palace?! Woah, you must work under the Razier then!" he exclaims, excitedly moving more leaves aside with the flick of his hand. I almost hold my breath. The Razier. 

One of the only humans allowed in the palace, as well as their human servants. They are the sole most powerful being in Zariera, the emperor. How ironic that a land of mystics is ruled by a human, though the superficial reason couldn't be more stupid. The only one who knows the weakness of man is man itself, that is common sense, and the citizens of Zariera just take it as the reason for their very enemy, the humans, to be able to take the throne of the very nation they tried to destroy with their own bloody hands just a few centuries ago. The true reason for her ascension couldn't be more useless. Zarierans worship her as a god, but I know better.

I know that she is an incompetent, spineless fool. One who knows nothing of man because she's never known how to be human herself. A liar, a halfwit.

In that sense, she and Nixie can relate.

"Yes, I do…what about her?" I inquire, a faint sense of disinterest building in the back of my head. As we walk deeper in, the damp and dark forest trees start to act as a distraction for me, with all this Razier talk. 

"I heard that her highness is a gracious ruler! Is it true that she's still a child? How about her blood? Is it true that it is gold like the sun?" he blabbers on, singing praises of the Razier like she's right in front of us. Well…

"She is… gracious enough. For one, she is not a child. Though I suppose by mystic standards she may as well be fresh out the womb for you. And as for her blood, well…it's true that she bleeds gold." I lie through my teeth. Some secrets are better kept for the sake of Zariera. Though it's true what I said about her age, I've yet to see her blood run gold. More specifically, I can't remember, though 

In the palace, it's said that the Razier's bloodline is known through their blood, which shines gold, but not once through all the cuts and bruises has the Razier ever bled that color. The Rugen informed me that this is not forever—that all Raziers before her had to wait for their moment before their blood finally burned until it boiled, and that would be the moment when their bodies were made anew. But how long must we wait? All of Zariera would be flipped on its side if they learned that their ruler didn't have the one characteristic that separated them from the rest of humankind, and yet, the Rugen insists on her stay, despite her lack of skill and lack of power, he insists that she rule the world. 

"That's amazing" Vince sighs, stuck in his own little world. "I heard only those blessed by gods are given golden blood" he gushes, smiling ear to ear. I genuinely don't get what's so appealing about the Razier, or why so many people idolize her the way they do.

"I thought mystics didn't believe in gods because they were human concepts." I tell him, it was an inference based on past books I've read in the palace. He thinks to himself, putting a finger to his chin before turning back to me. 

"Well, in the first place, religion is something anyone can believe in." he tells me. A good point, really. "And the other Dryads from Orion really respect the current Razier, they believe she has done much for us, and personally, I believe them." he praises. Dahlia, who's by now, calmed down next to him, still remains silent. Her expression shows no reaction to what has been said, both pairs of her eyes are clear and indifferent. 

"How foolish, you've never even met her." I mumble under my breath. Vince seems to hear me, looking at me with a pitiful expression as if pitying me for my foolishness. Like an adult's disappointment towards a child after they've said something hurtful. But I am no child, and if anything, I would know the Razier better than anyone in this forest.

The rest of our trek deeper into the forest was a quiet one, with Vince occasionally asking me some questions to fill the silence like 'What's your favorite color?' or 'How was your work in the palace?'. I took minimal effort to answer his questions, though he always responded to the best of his ability. During our walk I noticed that Vince wasn't half as rude or arrogant as he initially made me think he was, rather that he was abnormally cautious, someone who visibly flinched with every crack and crunch that would happen in the fields near us. Like someone who was constantly on the run. Dahlia, on the other hand, was strangely calm, only showing a reaction when Vince directly includes her in the conversation, in which she was extremely unenthusiastic of. That changed however, when her eyes flared with intensity, turning her head to the space behind us.

"...And so that's why I believe humans should really—" Vince narrates.

"GET DOWN!" Dahlia shouts, uprooting the ground below us to make a barrier against the incoming barrage. I pull Vince into the newly made pit, pulling a dagger outside of the pouch at my side. Vince looks beyond confused, covering his mouth to prevent alerting the enemy. Dahlia struggles to hold down the field, uprooting trees and plants to throw at the unknown assailants. I prepare myself for any mystics that might slip through Dahlia's barricade.

"Now would be a good time to tell me what you're capable of so we can make a plan!" I yell, anchoring myself to the ground with my dagger. The force of each tree getting thrown makes the wind rush into our faces, which almost makes me fly into the nearby vegetation. Vince binds himself to the tree next to him, extending his hands into roots that wrap around the tree's trunk. 

"I can manipulate any form of life rooted into soil and—ʇı uɯɐp—" damn it, she curses momentarily, barely blocking an arrow with a branch she quickly moved in front of her face, which causes a scratch on the side of her neck. "...and I can also read traits like any other nymph." she finishes, panting as she does a final attempt at a sturdy barricade, covering us with every fallen tree and bush she took from the soil. We're swallowed by darkness. 

I take my Archeval from my pouch and a butterfly separates itself from its pages, lighting up the area. "You have sentient butterflies in your Archeval?" Vince comments with envy in his voice. I roll my eyes.

"I do. But back on topic, what can you do, Vince?" I take out some bandages and herbs to give to Dahlia, who was clearly exhausted from the barrage of attacks, which I hear continuing against the barricade. She lets out an exasperated sigh, taking the items from my hand and wrapping it around her neck.

"I can control every type of tree, because that's what I was born from." he explains "My most powerful match is the willow, which I can turn into a temporary golem. Not for long though. I'm too young to be controlling golems longer than a few minutes." he demonstrates this by taking a tiny piece of bark out of his pocket—about as big as an apple. The bark morphs into a tiny version of himself, easily hopping off of his hands and destroying a rock on the floor, before dissipating back into its original form. So completely useless for now, since there isn't a willow tree nearby. I think I remember one near where Nixie is though, so I'll make plans for later.

"Okay, for now, we'll have Dahlia move the barrier while we get to where we need to go. Do you think you can handle it?" I turn to Dahlia, who nods her head.

"I think I can hold out about 10 minutes give or take… but no more than 20. Bonus points if we can find a live flower I can consume, then I might be able to hold out for 30." she affirms, eating a blue flower from her dress, which makes her eyes glow momentarily. Her complexion shows immediate signs of recovery, breathing color back into her skin. "These are morning glories. I have about 32 on my thighs and collarbones, but they're already removed from their stem so they've lost their vitality." she explains. So the dress had a purpose.

"Alright. I'll see what I can do. Vince, you'll be in charge of offense using the trees outside the barricade. When I give the signal, find a way to block their vision and Dahlia will also bring down the barrier around us." I command, taking a few materials out of my pouch. Valerian root, Passion flower, Black cohosh, Rasayana, Elderberry. That'll do.

"And what happens after that? What will you do?" he asks worriedly, already pulling a few roots from the trees next to us.

"You'll see." I reply. I check my key. 

Time Left: 2:56:31

After we collect ourselves, Dahlia immediately jumps into action, making the piled trees and vines move with us as we sprint deeper into the forest. Vince constantly looks back to block our path with tree roots, occasionally throwing in sharp branches when he feels it's needed. While we run, I desperately mix the herbs together to get ready, hurriedly crushing and mashing materials into a clay bowl. Valerian root, Passion flower. The mixture turns bright red. Butterflies fly out of my stored Archeval and hold the items I'm unable to hold onto.

As we pass familiar trees and boulders, I find myself recognizing where we are, the ridges, the suffocating dampness. "How much longer?!" Dahlia shouts, looking visibly agitated as she consumes more and more morning glories from her collarbone, the flowers on her thighs completely used up. I look down at my key.

Time Left: 2:42:23

"2 more minutes! We're almost there!" I yell back, rushing my hands as more signs show that Dahlia is running out of energy. We need to run faster. "Alright, hold on tight." I warn. I take out a green vial from my pouch, throwing it at our feet. I had intended to use this at a later time, but using my abilities here would compromise my identity, and if we waste more time, Dahlia won't be able to keep up.

"Holy shit! What did you do?!" Vince exclaims, he laughs excitedly as he runs faster than he ever had before, moving each root behind us with precision. I respond in kind, moving my feet with more force and speed. A butterfly hands me a bottle from my pouch to place the finished product in, where I pour the contents into. Dahlia begins to falter, though her speed has increased, her exhaustion has not. I grit my teeth. Just a little more. 

"A stored incantation! I took it from the palace!" I reply, making final touches to the mixture. Dahlia begins to trip. Damn it. We need to get it done now. Bushes, bushes, trees, tree trunks. We're here.

 "Now!" I shout, stopping in my tracks. Vince immediately gathers as many roots as he can muster and wraps them around the enemies heads. Dahlia collapses, landing in my arms as I throw the bottle where Vince has trapped the assailants. I watch as the semi-clear liquid turns into gas, catching the enemy off guard and causing them to fall onto their knees. I count the affected mystics: one.. two…three…

The fourth is gone.

"DIANA! BEHIND YOU!" Vince yells, reaching out to grab me, but it's too late.

…Or is it?

I close my eyes, expecting impact. It's okay, I can handle some bleeding. But I don't feel anything, and behind me… 

Familiar sapphire eyes. 

Time Left: 2:37:43