Chapter 6: Illusion magic.

Akko sipped happily on her tea as she listened to her professor tell her about her school days. It was fun, to be honest. It felt nice not to have to study like crazy for the exams hoping to obtain a somewhat decent grade for once. Sure, this relative calm probably wouldn't last more than a day, but she was determined to get the most of it while she could. And so, she eyed her professor intently as she narrated her story, and realized she found it way easier to concentrate on that than on her lessons.

"...After that, we spent a few hours getting her homework done, and she made a point to help me understand what it was about. She patiently explained everything, sometimes over and over if necessary. To be honest, I don't even remember a word of what she said." Chariot giggled, seeming truly happy as she recalled the events. Her smile actually reached her eyes. Akko had only seen her smile so brightly in a few occasions; mainly when she talked about Croix.

"Sensei?" She asked.

"Yes, Akko?" She answered, turning to look at her student.

"Do you miss her?" She didn't know if she should even be asking such things. Sure, she was close with her teacher, but that didn't change the fact that she was still her teacher. But then again, that had never stopped her before. And besides, she looked like she needed someone to talk to.

"Her?" Chariot turned to look at her with a surprised face, obviously not having expected her to make that question.

"Croix-sensei." Akko nodded.

"Ah… well, that's… I mean, it's… complicated." She grimaced, looking down at her tea cup. "She was my best friend for so long. We loved each other like you could never imagine…" She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead like she was starting to develop a headache. "But then she also did some very awful things and got sent to jail. And yet she did promise to find a cure for Wagandia, and… honestly I don't know how to feel about her anymore."

"But… you do miss her, right?" Akko asked, slightly confused by her answer. It all didn't seem that complicated to her. Sure, Croix had done some villainous things, but then she helped them save the world and the two teachers had parted ways on good terms. And Ursula spoke so fondly of her! Why did she say she didn't know how she felt, if it was apparent just by how her eyes shined every time she was reminded of her old friend?

"I-I… well, I suppose I do miss Croix. I've missed her for so long." She finally admitted as she looked over at the wall where she had the picture of the two of them when they were younger hanging from a nail. "I wished so many nights she would come back and everything would be like it used to…" She frowned. "But then she did return and she was this supervillain who wanted to destroy everything I hold dear and… I don't know. I guess a part of me is afraid that she's just pretending to be good now, only to hurt me once again when I let my guard down."

Akko didn't miss the way her teacher's shoulders tensed, or how her fists clenched until her knuckles turned white, or the way her breathing became more labored and her eyes shined with unshed tears. She'd never seen her quite like that, and she didn't like it. It felt wrong to see her so distressed! And so, she placed a hand on her back and started rubbing circles trying to soothe her. Granted, it was a little awkward, seeing as Akko had never really done something like that for any adult. Much less her teacher and idol.

"H-hey, sensei. It's okay. I-I… we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." She reassured her, mustering up the kindest smile she could make.

"Thank you, Akko." Chariot said, but her voice still sounded strangled, and her eyes were wet when she turned to look at her student. "I'm sorry you had to see me like this." She said as she wiped her eyes using the palms of her hands.

"It's okay, sensei. I was the one bringing up topics I shouldn't have asked about." Akko assured her once more.

"Still. I'm sorry." The professor insisted. "Do you want to hear a more cheerful story, perhaps? How about the time Croix finally taught me illusion magic?"

"Only of you're okay with it." Akko answered, not wanting to involuntarily cause her dear teacher any more distress.

"It's fine." She waved it off. "I honestly enjoy telling you about the good times."

"Uhm… okay then." Akko shrugged. Her teacher still didn't appear to be completely composed, but she sensed she needed to change the subject, and honestly she wouldn't mind hearing about how Chariot learned one of her specialties. Plus, she was always in the mood for a good, happy story.

"Alright." She nodded, rubbing her chin in thought as she remembered the events. "So, after I finished cleaning Croix's lab (with her supervision this time), we would spend each evening either there or at the fields, studying the theory of various subjects, doing our homework and practicing different spells. One of those days I decided to ask her to teach me illusion magic."

I arrive to Croix's lab at the usual hour, wearing a happy smile on my face. Happy because I don't have homework today, and by what Croix said yesterday it seems like she won't either. And I already know all the spells I'll need to pass my exams without blowing everything up for once! I know Croix probably wants to keep working on my technique and control (areas I'm still lacking in), but I've decided that today I want to have fun! I want to learn more about the magic that entranced me so much as a child. I want to learn illusion magic.

"Croix! Hi!" I greet her as I charge into the lab as usual. Of course, she's reading a book at her desk as she usually does, and doesn't even look up when I greet her.

"You're late." She answers curtly.

"Five minutes late is still on time." I argue, puffing out my cheeks.

"Sure, sure." She shrugs before finally turning around and meeting my gaze. "Now, I was thinking that today we should study the basics of elemental alchemy, since you're still severely lacking on the subject and honestly it's not one of my specialties, which is why we haven't dwelt on it too much." She pauses, turning around to search for a book. "Now, if I remember correctly from last year, your first exam should cover…"

"Wait, Croix." I interrupt her. "I was thinking… I mean…" I bit my lip, suddenly nervous about actually voicing my request. After all, I don't want to make her angry, but when she keeps staring at me with a raised eyebrow, clearly upset that I interrupted her, I decide to just go for it. "Uhm… m-maybe we could do something more f-fun? Just for today?" I smile, but because of my nervousness I'm sure it looks more like a grimace.

"Fun?" She practically spits out the word, looking at me with contempt. "You think magic is for fun?"

"Well… I mean… it's okay to use it just for fun sometimes, r-right?" I answer, looking to the ground as I'm too nervous to meet her gaze. I feel rather chastised right now. "After all, the only reason I decided to become a witch is that… w-when I was a child, magic brought me so much happiness, and I just want to share that happiness with everyone in the world, you know?" I finally chance to meet her eyes as I said the next words. "It's… is it bad to wish for something like that?"

She holds my gaze for a few more seconds, so many emotions and hesitations reflected in her eyes that I can't be sure if she's mad at me or not, but then after what feels like an eternity, she deviates her gaze with a heavy sigh.

"I suppose that, even if we're both witches, you're allowed to have your own motivations and desires." She frowns. "I mean, I don't think I've ever done magic just for fun, but I guess it can't hurt."

"So you'll teach me illusion magic?!" I practically jump in excitement.

"If that'll finally make you stop whining about it everyday, then sure." She shrugs, trying to appear annoyed, but being betrayed by the small tug at the corner of her lips that form the subtlest of smiles. "Come on, let's go to the fields." She gets up and starts walking to the door, gesturing me to follow her. "I'm sure even when casting harmless magic you'll find a way to cause an explosion and I'm too fond of my lab to allow it to happen here."

"Hey!"

We arrive at our usual clearing in the forest just a few minutes later, and as usual she asks me to get out my wand. I take it off my sash, as she requested, and try casting the only illusion spell I know. This one I didn't learn it in any book; it's the first and only spell my grandma taught me… before she died. It's the spell that made me fall in love with magic and the only thing capable of bringing me joy even in my most desperate hours, so I'm rather fond of it. But I always wanted to learn more magic like this one, and unfortunately there was no information about it in any of the books I've read so far.

The spell I cast is simple enough; just wave my wand around making sparkles of raw magic appear from thin air as yellow butterflies sprout out of nowhere and start flapping around us in a beautiful dance that never fails to put a smile on my face. Nowadays, I'm able to do it with almost fifteen butterflies, and sometimes I even manage to change their colors! But when I was little I could control a maximum of five before I was overwhelmed by the effort, so that's an improvement. Even if I wished I could do more.

"Not bad." Croix says, intently eying one of my butterflies. "At least you know the basics, but I need to make sure you understand the theory behind illusion magic. What do you know about it?"

"Uh…" I trail off, dispelling the shiny forms as I look to the side, unsure of how to respond. "Well… illusion magic creates illusions, right? Things that aren't really there."

"Correct." She smiles, and I sigh internally in relief I didn't make a fool out of myself again. "Illusion magic can't create physical objects because it's just a projection of whatever is in your mind; imagination is really the only limit when it comes to it."

"Okay! And what's the spell?" I ask, unable to reign in my enthusiasm as I pretty much invade Croix's personal space, which of course prompts her to take a step back and give me a warning glare.

"Seriously? You just casted it!" She answers frustrated. "There's no way you already forgot about it."

"Well… no, but… I just thought there were other spells. More fancy, awe-inspiring, over-the-top ones. Not like the magic I learned before I could even walk!" I protest, hoping Croix will just laugh, say she was joking and proceed to teach me more awesome spells, but to my surprise (and disappointment) she just shrugs.

"That's illusion magic to you; it doesn't require fancy words to be casted, and there's no need for any special wand-waving tricks. Anything you can imagine will come to life as soon as you pour some magic into your wand." She explains. "The only difficult part would be maintaining the spell and being able to control it, since even a little distraction can cause it to disappear."

"Really? And just like that I could make… I don't know, a realistic looking dragon, if I just concentrate?" I ask.

"No." She deadpans. "For something to look realistic you need to work with concrete materials, so metamorphosis magic would be better for that purpose."

"Which then means anything I create with illusion magic will look like those luminous butterflies?"

"Yeah. Exactly." She nods. "That's why most people won't use it."

"Oh. Okay." I don't know if I'm feeling disappointed or excited. Probably a very weird combination of the two. On one hand, I wanted to make more realistic illusions, but on the other, my butterflies made of light look prettier than real butterflies, so there's really no telling how much more wonderful a bird or a lion made of illusion would be compared to the real ones, so…

"Allow me to demonstrate." Croix says, probably noticing how torn I am about this new information. But as soon as I see her getting out her wand with her left hand, I'm reminded of something very important.

"Wait!" I grab her hand, pretty much panicking. "You can't do magic yet."

"It's just a simple spell. I should be fine." She says nonchalantly.

"Doesn't it hurt?" I argue.

"Not as much as before." Croix shrugs. And I'm baffled to see how little she worries about her own body.

"Croix!" I chastise her. "No. I'll do it, and you'll just tell me how I can improve, okay?"

"But I want to do magic! I'm so tired of being completely useless." She pouts in frustration, and even though a part of me thinks that seeing the prodigy Croix Meridies do that is super cute, I know I can't allow her to hurt herself just because she wants to show off.

"Croix, no." I reiterate with as much authority as I can. And to accentuate my point, I give her hand a gentle squeeze. This of course, causes her too look down to our joined hands and realize I haven't let go of her during our whole conversation. Instantly, she takes a step back and pulls away from my grip, looking awkwardly to the side and blushing.

Right. I forgot she's not a fan of physical contact.

"Just cast the stupid spell then." She grumbles.

"Okay." I sigh. Why does she have to be like this? I was just trying to help! Anyways, I guess it's time to concentrate on what I want to do. I mean, it's not like I've never ever tried to do something other than just butterflies with this spell, but it's never really worked like I want. Maybe I'm just too unfocused? I can never quite decide what I want to create. A phoenix, maybe? Or a giant bear? Oh! Maybe a wolf! Or perhaps a faerie? Uhm… What about an angel? That'd look pretty. Wait… I'm doing it again, aren't I? Okay. Let's focus. Make the first thing that comes to mind and be done with it, Chariot. One, two three!

I pour some magic into my wand and as light starts coming out of it I try to shape it into… something. Come on, be a… a… what was I trying to make again?

"Nice shapeless blob." Croix smirks, being as sarcastic as ever. I just pout at her.

"I'm trying, okay?"

"Just relax, clear your mind." She chuckles. "Come on, take a deep breath and close your eyes."

I pout at her for a second longer, but then follow her instructions; she's the boss after all. Okay, eyes closed, breath steady… now what?

"Chariot, I can see you practically shaking in excitement." She deadpans. "I said relax."

"But…"

"Clear your mind." She quickly cuts off my protests. "Just focus on what I'm saying, okay?"

"Hmf. Okay." I say grumpily.

"Alright. Now… everything is black, okay? You only see black."

"Is that your soul?" I tease.

"Chariot." I can perfectly imagine her glaring at me by her annoyed tone of voice, but I just chuckle and then proceed to concentrate on what she told me to do. Black. Okay. Black. Huh… what about a black horse? Nah, it'd look prettier in white! Or even pink! Yes, pink is pretty. Wait… stop it Chariot. Black. Everything Black. Okay, good.

"You got it?" Croix asks after a while, and I answer with a curt nod. "Good. Now… imagine there's a bird. A dove."

"Okay…" I nod as I imagine a pretty boring white dove inside my head.

"And now make it blue."

"Right."

"And imagine it flying in circles."

"Got it."

"Good. Don't forget that image, and just pour magic into your wand." I nod, following her instructions. "Alright... Now open your eyes."

As soon as I do just that, I'm filled with the most astounding vision ever. A blue bird. But not just any bird. It looks like it's made entirely of blue flames of cold fire. And yeah, the shape is kinda like the dove I imagined but bigger, and more majestic. I can't help immediately wanting to touch it.

I extend my hand towards it as it passes flying next to me, but once my hand touches the blue flames that form its body, I notice it's just like touching air. Like the dove isn't really there, and the contrast between what appears to be real and what my senses are telling me, startles me. Instantly, my creation disappears.

"As soon as you start doubting of its existence, the illusion will be dispelled." Croix explains. "Pretty intuitive, really."

"I-I… I did it!" I exclaim, barely paying attention to her and smiling so much my cheeks start hurting. "I actually used illusion magic to create something other than just magical butterflies! I-I… yes!" I start jumping in excitement as I swing my wand creating some sparkles just for fun. My heart is racing from the exhilaration, and I'm feeling giddy, restless. It's so good to see I can actually use magic to make something impressive and fun! I was starting to feel a little disappointed with my classes here at Luna Nova to be honest.

"Yes, you actually did it." Croix says, smiling genuinely, which makes her look a lot less grumpy than usual. "It was very impressive. You're a fast learner now that I think about it, which is good because I'm not all that patient."

"Fast learner? Come on, you just said that's a spell for little kids." I try to shrug off the compliment, blushing slightly as I always do every time Croix says something positive about me.

"Well, yeah, but it still took me a few tries to learn, and I made a simple unmoving sphere of light, not a flying bird." She chuckles.

"Wait… then why did you make me do that, if you really thought it was so difficult?" I pout.

"I wanted to put your powers to test." Croix answers nonchalantly. "Honestly, teaching a descendant of one of the Nine Olde Witches makes for a very interesting experience."

"I'm not one of your experiments!" I exclaim indignantly.

"Sure, Chariot, whatever you say."

"So… like this? Am I doing it right?" Akko asks, looking at her wand from which no magical birds are popping out. At one point, their little talk about Chariot's past had ended up turning into a lesson on illusion magic, but as always Akko was struggling more than she'd like to admit.

"Yes, just draw more power, and concentrate." The teacher encouraged her. "It's very similar to using metamorphosis magic."

"Which I'm still struggling with." Akko reminded her.

"Nonsense!" Chariot said, smiling gently at her student. "So what if your transformations aren't realistic? They're honestly more fun to watch."

"Uh… yeah, I guess." Akko shrugged. "After all, Shiny Chariot's… uhm, your transformations weren't exactly realistic either."

"See? Now come on. You have to have a very clear image in your mind."

"Okay." Akko sighed. She'd been at it for almost an hour now with practically no results. At first she thought it was because she wasn't able to concentrate long enough to pull it off, but she was starting to think it had more to do with her lack of magic.

"Don't get discouraged Akko, I have faith in you. You've done more difficult things than a simple illusion spell." The professor tried to cheer her up a bit when she saw her getting so visibly frustrated, glaring at her wand and pouting like that.

"Yeah… yeah!" Akko exclaimed after a moment of thought. "I rode on the Shooting Star, and stopped Croix-sensei's missile! This is just a piece of cake. I'll be making glowing dragons in no time!"

"But maybe start with something simple?" Professor Ursula tried to calm her down a bit, even if her enthusiasm made a smile appear on her face. "Something inanimate that you're familiar with, like…"

"The Shiny Rod!" Akko cuts her off before she can even come up with anything to say.

"Ah… yes, that's a great idea, Akko!" The professor answered, smiling brightly at her. "Come on, let's try that."

"Hai!" She nodded, readying her wand and closing her eyes in order to be able to concentrate more easily. Fortunately, she had spent so many hours just staring at the Shiny Rod trying to memorize every little detail on its shape, and even its color and texture, that making a clear image of it on her mind was no problem at all. But then it came the difficult part; summoning as much magical energy as she could and hoping it would be enough to make the spell. She tried for a few seconds, but when she opened her eyes a crack she still didn't see anything, so she closed them again and scrunched her eyebrows tighter together searching on her entire body for every little bit of magical energy she possessed and redirecting it to her wand, casting the spell.

This time, when she opened her eyes out of breath and feeling her temperature rising because of the effort, she saw a replica of the Shiny Rod floating in front of her, except it was bright yellow and appeared to be entirely made of light. But aside from that, she'd gotten the shape and size correctly. She almost reached out to touch it, except she didn't want to break the illusion.

"Yes!" She cheered, jumping in excitement. "I did it! I learned a new spell and it took me less than an hour!"

"That's great, Akko!" The professor smiled, genuinely happy for her student… and then she was tackled into a hug by the overly enthusiastic Japanese girl. And the only reason she didn't fall back I surprise was because of her impossibly strong legs and quick reflexes.

"Thank you! Thank you sensei, you're the best!" Akko practically squeezed the life out of her, but Chariot didn't have the heart to pull away, and instead found herself smiling fondly at her student as she also wrapped her arms around her.

"You're welcome, Akko. It's the least I can do, really. I'm just glad you still allow me to be your sensei." If Chariot was honest with herself, lately she lived just for moments like this. Akko had brought to her life the joy and warmth she'd thought for so long she'd be unable to experience ever again. Akko gave her a purpose, and a new dream. All she wanted now was to see her student fulfill all of her dreams and become a great witch, and to be with her every step of the way, doing everything she could to help her.

"Of course! You're the best sensei ever!" Akko smiled with one of those smiles that were so happy even the coldest souls couldn't help but reciprocate. "I'm gonna go show Lotte and Sucy right now!" She said as she broke the hug. "Oh, and maybe Diana too! I bet she's never practiced such fun magic."

"Wait, Akko. It's already past curfew, you can't…" But Akko had already run out of the Astronomy Tower as she shouted "Goodnight, sensei! See you tomorrow!" before the professor could do anything to stop her.

And while, yes, technically she could chase her down and accompany her all the way to her room in a poor attempt to make sure she wouldn't wander the halls after curfew, she figured that if Akko really wanted to show her new magic trick to all her friends that night there was no earthly force able to stop her.

And besides, she was quite tired since she'd had a very long day dealing with Finnelan criticizing the exam she'd prepared for Monday, and having to do some corrections on the deputy headmistress' request. It was like that every semester, so she didn't know why she was even surprised. But perhaps she'd hoped that after so many years of teaching at Luna Nova Finnelan would trust her more. Looks like it would take at least ten more years of her being Ursula to make up for her years as Chariot the troublemaker.

Sighing, she sat down at her desk and looked at the photo on her wall, instantly feeling a little pang of pain in her heart as she gazed at her former friend. How many years had they even treated each other in a friendly manner? Three? And they'd been apart for ten. Yet it felt like it was the other way around. Her heart longed for her. It hurt every time she imagined Croix in prison, alone and with no one to talk to, treated like a dangerous terrorist… which in all fairness, she kinda was.

She really wanted to see her, or at least talk to her, but…

Chariot opened her top drawer and got out the little flat and rectangular piece of technology that Croix had given to her before going to prison. How had she said it was called? A cellphone? No, something more like… intelligentphone? Or something? She remembered thinking that it wasn't really surprising that even Croix's phones were intelligent. She'd said it wasn't that hard to use, and she'd given her a paper with written instructions of how to use it as well as the number she had to dial to communicate with her, but… there was something stopping her every time she even tried to turn the damned thing on.

She didn't know what it was. Maybe fear. Maybe uncertainty. Maybe the overwhelming realization she had no idea of what she was going to say. Or maybe it was just that she knew she'd be unable to speak once she heard Croix's voice, and she'd appear like a complete idiot in front of her. Maybe it was all of that combined what made her sweat cold as butterflies appeared on her stomach every time she even eyed at the stupid intelligentphone, or whatever it was called.

Either way, she knew she was not ready yet. And she hated herself for being a complete coward, but still, she ended up tucking the phone away in her drawer one more time.

A/N: Thanks for reading! This chapter was a lot of fun to write, though it hurt a bit to write Ursula being so sad and missing her girlfriend (and yes, they'll see each other eventually, but you gotta be patient for that). Anyways, please review if you enjoyed and see you in two weeks :)

Oh, and have a merry Christmas!

Thanks to my beta reader moonwatcher13.