Omen of a Bluebell

Some time later, I’m sprawled out over the couch as Cari returns from the kitchen with a happy hum on her lips. She carries a tray laden with tea-stuffs none too delicately, and it clatters loudly as it’s set on the table.

“Alright, you big softies, tea’s ready,” she harrumphs. “Now, what about our class schedules? I wasn’t told anything about it yet.”

“Yet to be determined, I’m afraid,” Bella answers. “In a couple of days, all new first years will undergo a round of tests and examinations. I hear sparring and a short delve are involved.”

At that, both Cari and I are suddenly enraptured, and she seems to almost revel in our attention like an instructor.

“I’m not sure how the team composition for delves will be handled, but I do know that there will be two to three rounds of sparring. All observed by the first year professors, of course.”

She paces with the effortless confidence of someone used to having entire rooms follow her, her movements smooth and elegant and utterly irresistible to me in my current state.

“And there are some classes we’ll all have to take. System Studies, History, Geography, Arithmetic...”

She stops to pour herself a cup of tea. My eyes track her as she goes about her task...

...and I realize I’d been staring when she smirks at me behind her teacup.

“Etiquette, as well, of course.”

I flush, then her words finally reach my hopelessly Bella-addled brain, and I groan.

Cari, the devil, chuckles at my expense.

“From what I know, though, we’ll be given a day after our examinations to add on any of the extracurriculars. Then we can change them anytime for the next month.”

She settles on the opposite couch beside Cari, crossing one slim leg over the other with that same effortless grace that keeps ruining my heartbeat.

“Huh...” Cari mutters distractedly. “A delve? Really?”

Bella chuckles. “How else do you expect them to so regularly raise the strongest people in the world? They have to level somehow, and combat is by and large the most efficient way to do it.”

Cari nods along. Meanwhile, I grow more and more excited. We were shown the Delvers Guild, of a sort, that’s present on Academy grounds... but I had assumed it was only for people like me, who want to delve.

But I was wrong. Delving seems to be an integral part of the curriculum, if what Bella says is right.

Gods, I hope she’s right.

I’d long since grown tired of delving the fifth layer back in Bephis. I did it mostly out of necessity, keeping up with my mandatory delves to help keep Dungeons from overflowing. But there’s only so many times I could clear the same Dungeons.

Sure, I eked out a few more levels, but progress was so slow, and with each additional level it only grew slower. In the back of my mind, I also acknowledge the part of me that misses the challenge I felt from my very first Dungeon.

My tail wiggles, sharing in my growing excitement.

“Do we know what layer we can get to here?” I ask.

Cari seems interested in the answer as well, turning her full attention back onto Bella.

“I’m not certain, but I heard from my father that he’d reached layer twenty-eight back when he attended.”

I momentarily lose control of my tail.

Layer twenty-eight! Oh my gods. I could get to level 290.

Another question pops into my head, though, my curiosity towards Bella winning out once more.

“What level is your dad, anyways? What Tier?”

She quirks a brow at me as a tiny frown taints her lips.

“You know... that’s technically a national secret,” she says slowly.

I wince at that. “Oh. Sorry.”

Her frown flips back into a smirk, and she shrugs. “It’s fine. I trust you both well enough, and it’s a very loosely guarded secret besides.”

She takes another sip of tea, then seems to straighten up, prouder than I’ve ever seen her.

“He’s level 388. Tier Three.”

I’m momentarily stunned by the number, then pause, confused. “Wait, only Tier Three? What levels make up Tier Three? Actually, what levels make up Tier Two?”

“Oh, right!” Cari interjects, looking like she’s only just remembered something important. “I forgot you never really paid much attention to anything beyond Tier Zero or One back... then.”

She finishes hesitantly, guilt tightening her voice.

“Back when I was Faulted, you mean,” I say, bowling straight through the topic.

I refuse to tip-toe around my past. I’d overcome it. I absolutely will not act like some delicate flower after surviving such hells.

“R-right. You were a bit more... focused, back then.”

She gives me a soft, apologetic smile before continuing.

“You already know Tier Zero is levels 1 to 49, with Tier One starting at level 50. Tier One goes up to level 99, with Tier Two starting at level 100.”

I nod along, having expected as much. Everything I’ve experienced with the System has some kind of... well, system to it. I figured that every fifty levels would mean reaching another Tier, based on the initial pattern.

“Tier Two is a greater shift. It goes up to level 199, with Tier Three starting at level 200,” she continues, shattering my expectations.

My eyes widen at her words, but I immediately see the pattern. The gap it creates between Tiers is staggering.

It’s not every fifty levels, it’s doubling the level gap each Tier. Meaning...

“And Tier Three ends at level 399, with Tier Four starting at level 400.”

“Gods, that’s...” I mutter, Bella’s chuckle cutting through my surprise only a moment later.

“There are rumors of Tier Five, but nobody has reached such heights in recorded history. If the trend continues, though, that’d be someone at level 800 or higher.”

I shiver. Not with dread, though. With excitement.

I have so far to go.

The thought thrills me.

“You seem... unusually chipper,” Bella says, eying me curiously.

Cari swiftly interjects.

“Oh no you don’t,” she begins, pointing right at me. “Wipe that grin off your face. If you’re going to go delving, you’re doing it in moderation!”

I quickly school my face and shrug, trying to seem ambivalent.

“Emi...” Cari threatens, seeing right through my facade.

I deflate with a dramatic sigh. “Fine.”

She glares at me for a moment longer, then seems to decide I am being earnest enough and relaxes back into the couch.

“Did I miss something?” Bella suddenly asks, and Cari jumps.

“Oh, just making sure Emi here doesn’t do anything reckless. Like delve to the twentieth layer in one go,” she says, giving me a narrow eyed look.

“I’m not an idiot,” I huff quietly into the couch cushions, tail twitching.

Cari gives me a narrow eyed look, silencing me.

“I see... well, it might offer you some comfort to know that all students are required to form teams,” Bella says.

“What?!” we both shout at once.

As solo Delvers, neither of us expected to be in a party... well, ever. Except maybe as a duo. Or for expeditions.

“For some reason, I’m getting the distinct impression that you’re both displeased,” Bella chuckles. “Keep in mind—this is a school. They don’t want their students dying just because they want more experience. Besides, it’s a valuable opportunity to connect with our peers.”

Cari scoffs and starts to make herself a cup of tea. I just shrug, feeling mostly ambivalent after that.

I’d been a Carrier for years, so I know how to work with strangers. Usually by staying small, quiet, and as unnoticeable as possible... but still. I know I can work with a team.

I just don’t know how I can work with a team as a Delver. My experience clearing the Temple of the Fallen Dungeon with the elite teams of Bephis isn’t exactly standard operations.

Hells, my Mana Surges at the time disrupted half of their Skills. That’s hardly proper teamwork.

Guess I’ll just have to learn...

“That actually brings me to a question I’d been meaning to ask you, Emilia,” Bella continues, drawing my wandering thoughts back to her. “If you’re not against the idea, would you like to form a party with me for the semester?”

Cari’s head snaps toward Bella, eyes wide with instant interest. At the same time, Bella’s scarlet irises peer into my icy blues.

My core practically sings at the offer, traitor that it is, sending tingles racing through my chest. The urge to accept is nearly overpowering, but the rest of me knows that I can’t trust myself right now.

Not until my estrus is over. Or, at the very least, until I get the new medicine.

But my mind meanders along the thought process like molasses, stopping by every single excuse I can conjure up.

We’ve already worked together rather well once, what’s the harm?

I can obviously trust her, given all we’ve shared, so why say no?

She’s also Tier One, so it’s not like she’ll fall behind, right?

I’m a healer and a fighter, and she’s a mage. It’s basically the perfect combo, isn’t it?

With a monumental effort of will, I shake off the temptation. Instead of voicing the words I desperately want to speak, I say the words I should speak.

“Maybe for the exams, if we can. As for the whole semester... can you ask that again in a few weeks?” I ask, the question squeezed out through a wince of instant, instinctual regret.

A momentary look of hurt flashes across her features, but realization wipes it away an instant later. Then she flushes a pretty crimson, her cheeks almost matching her hair.

“O-of course. Sorry for asking at such a... precarious time,” she says, nodding and looking away.

Cari hums mischievously beside her, glancing between us with a knowing smirk.

“Then in the meantime, let’s get situated in our new rooms. I have bags to unpack, unlike you two,” she quips, sending me a mock jealous glare.

That’s when I remember the surprise I left in her bags. A letter from the Nyra and Lyra, the orphan twins she’d grown attached to.

My tail swishes back and forth in graceful, measured movements as I try to hide my growing anticipation. In no time at all, she’s gathered her bags from where she’d left them near the entrance and carries them to the door with her initials.

She lets out a gasp when she steps inside, and I take that as my cue to check out my own room. I spare a glance at Bella, not wanting to just leave her alone out of nowhere, but she seems to pick up on my hesitation and waves me off.

“I had time to get situated already, so don’t worry about me.”

A treacherous thought crosses my mind, and before I can think better of it, words are slipping from my lips.

“Would you like to join us when we head into the city?”

My tail betrays my sudden bout of nerves, swishing uneasily behind me.

Oh gods, what am I doing?

She pauses for an instant, cheeks warming just a hint, teacup half raised to her lips. “You’re going out today?”

Despite my inner turmoil, I nod with a grin, knowing full well that when Cari reads the letter, she’ll demand we go see them right away. Plus, we still have to deal with the legendary rarity dagger we’d taken from the assassin.

Preferably before school actually starts.

“Then... I suppose I will look forward to it,” Bella says.

For a moment, I just bask in the small, happy smile she offers me. Then I catch myself.

“Perfect! I mean, great. I... look forward to it too,” I blurt, making a butchery of everything.

I decide now is as good a time as any to disappear, so I quickly flee into my own room, chased by an increasingly dangerous crimson gaze.

Unlike the main entrance to our dorm, there’s no obvious security for our individual rooms—though I do notice several ancient looking runes discreetly etched into and around the door. Stepping inside, I can’t help but mimic Cari, letting out a breath of surprise.

There’s obviously some spacial enchantment shenanigans going on here, because straight across from me is an open balcony, peering out into the open air all throughout the girls dormitories. Wind rustles through the opening, shifting the curtains to and fro, carrying the distant sounds of chattering girls outside.

The space smells of fresh linens, and the air coming from the balcony mixes in the scents of cedar and grass, giving the whole space a life of its own.

The room itself is also far larger than it has any right to be, nearly half again as large as the lobby area itself. Still, the space is beautifully decorated, just as I’d expect from a place meant for nobility.

On the left is a vanity desk of beautiful dark red wood, and a matching wardrobe that I couldn’t imagine filling in my dreams. What really catches my eye though is the massive canopy bed on the right.

I immediately leap into it.

There’s a soft woomph as the blankets deform under my sudden presence, and I all but melt immediately. I thought the beds at the Tylean Leaf Inn were incredible, but this?

This is heaven.

“Oh, gods, yes...” I moan, unable to help myself as I let myself sink into it.

I instantly find myself unwilling to so much as twitch a finger, knowing full well that I’m now consigned to a future of endless attendance troubles.

It’s not my fault they make the beds so comfy. Yeah, definitely...

***

I jolt awake with a start at the sound of a squealing Cari.

It rapidly grows louder, until she’s suddenly there, standing over where I lay drooling on the mattress. She all but literally vibrates with excitement, holding a familiar envelope in both hands.

What was once a crisp, clean letter is now gripped so tightly that its edges are little more than crinkles.

Then she leaps at me.

Half asleep and caught completely off guard, I don’t get a chance to react. She lands on my back, squishing my tail and pressing the fur at odd angles. Her arms wrap around me in an ultra-tight embrace, squeezing whatever air I had left in my lungs.

Little giggles and noises of delight are mixed in as she squirms against me. Meanwhile, I focus on trying to get the breath she just knocked out of me back.

Once I do, I laugh with her as I’m all but manhandled, ignoring the fleeting moments where my tail is bent at weird angles.

For nearly a full minute, I’m at her mercy as she rolls us around on the bed, intent on sharing every speck of her inner glee. Somehow, she manages to perfectly avoid abusing her spectacles the whole while.

Then I catch Bella at the doorway, an oddly conflicted look on her face. She stands very still, hands folded, like she’s unsure what the etiquette is for walking in on a sibling wrestling match.

“You can... come... in... if you want...” I manage in the moments my face isn’t being smushed into too soft blankets.

She startles a little, as if she hadn’t expected the invitation, then smooths her sleeves and enters.

As she comes in, Cari finally stops, blurting, “We’re going right?!”

She somehow squirmed her way to straddle me from the front. Flushed with excitement as she is, with her shirt riding halfway up and exposing her slim waist...

Months ago, my brain would have outright broken at her disheveled appearance. Now, though?

I poke her exposed belly button.

She leaps off me with a yelp of surprise, hands flying protectively over her stomach. I drag myself upright with a groan, finally freed of my sisterly shackles.

The look of indignation she gives me is priceless.

I ignore it, giving Bella a very ‘I told you so,’ smile. It wipes the conflicted expression from her face entirely, and a demure giggle slips through the crack.

The sound tickles my ears a little too pleasantly.

“Hey! Answer me!” Cari complains, still covering her belly.

I laugh. “Yes, of course we’re going. I’m—”

Cari all but sprints from the room with a squeal of delight before I get another word out.

“—glad you like the surprise,” I finish, chuckling.

Cari vanishes down the hallway, shouting something about needing ‘real clothes.’ Bella lingers by the doorway, hands folded neatly, eyes following Cari’s retreat with an amused little tilt.

“You two really are close,” she says, sounding almost wistful.

There’s a tiny note of envy in it though, and it tugs at my chest. I want to hug her, to offer some kind of comfort. To share the mirth I was just gifted so she doesn’t feel that way anymore.

Instead of giving in to my unruly instincts, I flop back into the mattress with a grin, trying not to melt into it again.

“Yeah.”

I don’t say any more, because that’s all there is to it. I love Cari to death, overprotective wheedling and all.

“I should get changed as well,” Bella says softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “If we’re going into the city.”

I nod, trying not to shiver under her gaze. “Same.”

She slips away then, closing the door behind her, and I start rummaging through my bangle for something less formal. Cari and I both decided to wear our best, to give the Academy a good first impression.

Unfortunately, I feel like it didn’t end up mattering all that much.

I look down, privately enjoying the professional look. My top is cream colored, with frills around my chest and long sleeves connected under my arms to expose my shoulders. My pants are black and all sharp, deliberate creases, giving them a very put together look.

And I’m even wearing sleek, black heels.

Ironically, the shoes are the only piece of the outfit that are enchanted—and even then, only with Lesser Comfort and Lesser Support. Over the months, the girls at Tails and Temptations insisted I get used to wearing them.

So because heels are awful, I cheated.

Needless to say, this getup is probably a bit more than I’d need to visit a family of merchants.

It doesn’t take long to find a comfortable set of clothes. A simple, well fitted blue crop top, black shorts that expose enough leg to make me seem taller than I really am, and my most comfortable boots.

The look mixes well with my hair and eyes, and thanks to my Starlight Bangle, the swap is instant.

I’m resting on the bed again in record time.

Then I fidget for a bit, straightening my tail fur after Cari’s most recent assault, quickly losing track of time.

Eventually, a gentle knock on my door rouses me from my impromptu nap.

Yep, it’s decided.

I’m stealing this bed when I leave the Academy.

“Emilia? Are you ready?”

When I hear Bella’s voice, it brings with it the tiniest scent of spices in the air, mixing with the cedar, grass, and linen. My tail flicks excitedly at my side.

Treacherous thing.

Looking up, I find Bella peeking through the door. She steps in with a smile after seeing me situated in bed, already changed.

And every thought I’ve ever had promptly disintegrates.

Bella stands framed in the lobby’s light, wearing a flowing sundress in deep desert red, the fabric draping off one shoulder and leaving far more skin exposed than I’ve ever seen on her. Her hair is down, but there are small braids decorating the sides of her head.

The rest falls in soft waves around her shoulders, brushing her collarbone.

She shifts under my stare. “Too much?”

My tail nearly knocks into the bed post.

My mouth opens, but nothing comes out.

I nod. I shake my head.

Then I make an embarrassing noise that falls somewhere between a whimper and a moan.

I swear then and there that I will deny ever having made such a sound until the day I die.

Bella laughs, equal parts delighted and embarrassed, and holds the door open for me.

“Shall we?”

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