Omen of a Bluebell

After a few rounds of roughhousing with Cari—much to Bella’s visible amusement—we eventually call it a night.

By the time I’m changed into softer clothes and settled into bed, my room is dim and quiet. As before, the mattress beneath me is far, far too comfortable. The kind that threatens to swallow me whole.

I let it, sinking into it with a slow sigh, staring up at the ceiling.

Despite how much I want to pretend everything is fine, and how much I enjoyed the peace, clarity, and control, it’s time I stop putting it off.

I pull up my Status.

Status

Name: Emilia Ken

Race: Faefox

Age: 20

Level: 63

Health: 34,620

Health Regen: 12,617 per minute

Mana: 478,653

Stored: 957,306

Mana Regen: 4.17m (1.5m) per minute (64% restrained)

I wince at the change.

The number stares back at me, blunt and unapologetic as all System notices tend to be. Sixty-four percent.

At the same time, I don’t actually feel any different. If anything, I feel better than I have in a long while.

Which means the only way to know what this really costs me is to test it.

I take a calming breath and activate All For One, carefully feeding mana regen into it. Slowly at first.

One percent. Three percent. Ten. Twenty.

Then I push a bit harder, nearly instantly dumping the rest of my available mana regen into the Skill. It drains away, my Status updating in real time until my mana regen hits zero, and All For One sits at only 36% of the total 50% it could handle.

I groan and let my head fall back against the pillow.

“Of course.”

Status

Name: Emilia Ken

Race: Faefox

Age: 20

Level: 63

Health: 34,620

Health Regen: 12,617 per minute

Mana: 478,653

Stored: 957,306

Mana Regen: 4.17m (1.5m) per minute (64% restrained)

Stats:

Strength: 500 (1,812 -> 1,130)

Constitution: 769 (2,788 -> 1,738)

Dexterity: 1,299 (4,710 -> 2,936)

Intelligence: 989 (3,586 -> 2,236)

Wisdom: 5,898 (21,382 -> 13,521)

Charisma: 500 (1,815 -> 1,131)

Available Stat Points: 0

The results aren’t bad, exactly. But they’re not good, either.

At full strength, All For One can accept up to fifty percent of my mana regeneration. With its evolution and its role as the focal point of Bloodwind Essence, that translates into a total stat enhancement of 175% on top of what I already have.

With the Wisdom milestone supercharge layered on top, that jumps to 262.5%.

Thanks to the aid of the System, the math clicks into place almost immediately.

Right now, with only 36% of my regen available, I’m boosting my stats by roughly 126%.

Less than half of what the Skill is truly capable of.

It’s still a massive increase. Absurd, really, by most standards. But it’s nowhere near what I was able to do before.

And worse yet, I can’t supercharge it anymore. Not while the medicine is in effect, at least.

I exhale slowly, staring at the ceiling again.

“So that’s how it’s going to be,” I murmur.

I dismiss my Status with a thought and let the silence of my room settle into my thoughts.

It’s immediately interrupted by a soft knock at the door.

I blink, then sit up and look myself over out of habit. I’m decent enough, my usual sleepwear consisting of a loose crop top and breezy shorts. Not the most concealing, but enough.

“Come in,” I say, sliding to sit on the edge of my bed, facing the door.

It opens just enough for Bella to slip inside, bringing the faintest scent of spices and flowers. She closes it carefully behind her and turns to face me, her fingers worrying at her Ring of Remembrance.

She’s already dressed for bed, her hair loosely tied up and out of the way. Even in the dark, I can catch the outline of her body through the gown. It’s not quite sheer, but it’s a close thing.

I find my eyes wandering with a mind of their own. After a moment, I regain control of myself.

But that’s all it takes. A moment.

I can’t help but heap praises on the effectiveness of the medicine, mentally noting to thank the Headmistress later.

Bella’s gaze tells me I was just caught in the act, though, and my face flushes. I give her a sheepish smile and look away.

After a moment, her voice breaks the silence.

“…Is everything okay?” she asks.

I hesitate, wondering what she’s really asking. That’s when I catch her thumb still brushing the band on her finger.

Ah… right.

“I think so,” I say. “What about you?”

I make sure to give the ring a meaningful look, and she steps closer, lowering her voice further.

“The mana flow changed after you took that medicine. It’s… weaker than before.”

She glances toward the door purposefully. “I didn’t want to ask in front of Cari, given… well, you know.”

I fall back, slapping a hand to my forehead with a groan. “Right. I’m sorry, Bella.”

Her face turns into a mask of confusion. “Why are you apologizing?”

I push myself upright and pat the space next to me, inviting her to sit. Her cheeks darken ever so slightly, but she joins me in short order, perching on the edge while I take a moment to gather my thoughts.

“I assume you didn’t read the message over my shoulder, unlike a certain nosy sister of mine,” I mutter.

She shakes her head with a quiet giggle. “I would never.”

I smirk. “Fair enough.”

I take a couple of moments to organize what I need to say.

“So, the medicine…” I start, “…you know it’s meant to control my cycle. But given what I am, that’s apparently more complicated than taking simple birth control.”

I spare her a glance, and she nods along, seeming unsurprised. I do a double take.

“Seriously? Can you teach me how to be that unflappable some day?”

She smiles. “With pleasure. You were saying?”

I shake my head. “Right, well it works. But it has a pretty nasty side effect. It reduces my mana regeneration by… a lot.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh.”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “Specifically, sixty-four percent of my mana regen is effectively sealed away right now. I’m sorry about that, I didn’t think about how it might effect the rings.”

She nods again, eyes locked on the Ring of Remembrance as she rolls it around her finger.

“That… makes sense. I had thought… well, never mind that. I’m glad that nothing is wrong,” she says, half murmuring. “Besides, I don’t need as much mana as you’ve been sending. Even one mana per second would be enough to keep me from draining everything I touch.”

I frown at that, and she holds a hand up to forestall me.

“Not that I don’t appreciate it.” Her lips curve faintly. “Even I must admit… it feels quite nice.”

Every concern I had floating around in my head vaporizes as heat floods my face instantly, the only thought in my mind the memory of the first time I shared mana with her.

Before I can even attempt to speak, she’s making her way to the door.

“Goodnight… Emi.” She says it hesitantly, as if she’s tasting the name on her tongue.

She pauses just long enough to glance back, her own cheeks faintly pink, before slipping out and closing the door behind her.

I spend several seconds sitting there stunned, then flop back into the bed with a groan, dragging a pillow over my face.

That is so unfair.

The next two days pass in a blur of activity. I’d like to say we spend them exploring the wonders of Elderwynd Academy, with its towers and libraries and impossibly ancient halls, but Cari has other plans.

Armed with eight freshly acquired platinum coins and the unshakable resolve to spend them as soon as possible, she drags us both shopping.

All day.

Then again the next day.

Apparently, when flush with a windfall of abundant funds, Cari does not shop casually. She shops like she’s afraid the concept of money might evaporate if she doesn’t spend it fast enough.

The first stop is clothes—because of course it is—and I suffer through it with what I would like to describe as “heroic restraint.”

Cari and Bella both treat every tailor and clothier like a personal challenge, dragging outfits off racks and making delighted noises that I decide to put firmly outside of my mind.

Some of it’s practical. Weather-appropriate coats, boots meant for actual walking instead of looking good.

Most is decidedly not.

Dresses. Accessories. Shoes. A frankly absurd quantity of undergarments, more than half of which are more for show than any actual use.

Even Bella was flustered by that, much to my personal delight.

Decorations came next.

Cari insists that the dorm rooms need to feel lived in, not empty shells. She somehow manages to acquire hanging lights, enchanted candles that never drop, soft rugs with cute animal designs, dozens of plushies, and a set of mismatched cushions that she insists will be perfect for the living space.

By the time I start to think we might finally be done, she veers hard into an enchanted goods shop and beams like a cat that caught the mouse.

That’s where the spending gets truly dangerous.

She picks up a pair of compact, auto-expanding tents—sturdy enough for tunnel delves, but small enough to fit in a belt pouch through one of its many enchantments.

A set of rune-etched shield plates designed to anchor themselves to the ground and project a spherical barrier for overnight rests.

Maps that redraw themselves as terrain changes, even adding annotations like Dungeon names or monster sightings.

I approve of this part, despite the twinge of pain at the funds exchanged.

That should have been my first warning.

We eat out between shops. Often. Repeatedly.

Sometimes just because Cari spots a place with interesting smells. She deliberately goes out of her way to pick the nicest looking restaurants she can find—until Bella quietly informs her that the “most expensive” restaurant isn’t actually an option.

Not because it’s discouraged because of our status or anything, but because even multiple platinum coins wouldn’t cover it.

Both Cari and I staring at her in genuine disbelief, wondering how in the name of the gods anyone could possibly spend that much on food.

“Meals prepared by high-Tier chefs can impart long-lasting benefits. Not bursts of power or anything so dramatic, but small increases to Stats, Regenerations, perception, those sorts of things,” she explains. “Effects that linger for months. Sometimes even years.”

I am, of course, immediately fascinated with the idea. Anything I can do that will help me grow stronger is something I’m interested in making use of.

It’s just a shame that it would cost several platinum to even attempt it.

In the end, Bella helps Cari to compromise. One very expensive meal. Once. Bella frames it as a cultural experience rather than an investment, which I suspect is a lie aimed at getting Cari to calm down with her spending.

I approve of the goal, so I tag team with her to convince Cari into going along with the limitation.

Unfortunately there are no buffs from the food, but I find myself unwilling to begrudge the fact. The meal was a complicated array of small entrées fed to us over the course of two hours, interspersed with drinks meant to pair with each food item.

And it’s all so delicious that it puts everything I’ve ever tasted combined to shame with ease.

Even the memory of it makes me want to drool.

By the time the spree ends and we’re back in our dorm, my storage absolutely jam-packed with Cari’s purchases.

When we find that she only managed to spend one platinum and sixty-two gold, Cari starts working herself into a tizzy, apparently deeply offended by the lack of her ability to spend flagrant sums of money.

A knock at the door interrupts her before she can truly begin, and a small letter slides into the room from below, the door itself seeming to make space for it to pass through.

Delicate gold scrawl that shimmers with mana is etched onto its surface, addressing all three of us.

——————

Notice of Entrance Examination

To the Provisionally Accepted Students of Elderwynd Academy,

You are hereby formally notified that your entrance examinations will be conducted tomorrow, at the ringing of the Second Bell, upon the Primary Dueling Arena.

Attendance is mandatory.

Any student not present and accounted for at the time examinations commence will be considered absent. Absence, barring prior authorization from senior faculty, will result in immediate forfeiture of admission.

You are to present yourselves equipped with only the following:

Your Issued Student ID.

Your Issued Academy Uniform.

The weapons and personal armaments you customarily wield.

No external artifacts, consumables, enchanted aids, or supplemental equipment are permitted unless explicitly stated herein. All other materials required for the examinations themselves will be furnished by the Academy.

Permissions:

Cari Ward - Any items that do not directly or indirectly improve combat prowess.

Emilia Ken - Any items that do not directly or indirectly improve combat prowess.

Arabella von Bysm - Ten medium arcanite shards. Any items that do not directly or indirectly improve combat prowess.

Be advised that the entrance examinations are designed not merely to test strength or aptitude, but judgment, restraint, and conduct under pressure. Faculty observers will be present throughout the proceedings.

Any attempt to interfere with, delay, mislead, or otherwise obstruct fellow examinees—whether directly or indirectly—will be met with immediate disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion and permanent barring from Elderwynd Academy.

Failure to adhere to instructions, disregard for Academy protocol, or conduct deemed unbefitting of a prospective student will be noted and weighed accordingly.

Claims of confusion or misdirection will not be entertained.

Elderwynd Academy expects punctuality, preparedness, and composure. You are advised to conduct yourselves accordingly.

By order of the Academy,

Administrative Office of Admissions, Elderwynd Academy

——————

“Well that’s not nerve wracking at all,” I say.

Bella chuckles, but at a glance, I can tell that even she seems more stiff than usual, her eyes locked onto the parchment.

Cari, on the other hand, shakes violently before bursting into giddy cheers.

She pulls us both into a hug at once, laughing and half-crying as she does.

“We’re really here,” she says, breathless. “I’m really here.”

I gently wrap my tail around one of her legs and tug her a little closer. I know that this place had been all but a dream to her for the majority of her life. Now that she’s here, it doesn’t surprise me that she’s had trouble coming to accept that she’s actually a student.

That she’s actually accomplished her lifelong dream.

I give her my broadest grin and very firmly concentrate on Cari.

Not the far too distracting softness pressed against my arm that makes my tail twitch despite myself, courtesy of Bella’s unfortunate position in the hug.

Side-effects be damned, I owe Selenia a very nice gift.

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