The Bully

2014 Words
My fellow witches were confidently going through what seemed to be the basics of witchcraft, while I was nervously trying to cast magic on one of the training dummies aligned along the back of the hall. I did; nothing was working. I grasped the wand properly, focused on magic running through my veins, and even tried to utter a spell from the witchcraft book. Still, there was nothing. The only things happening were that my wand remained completely obdurate and my exasperation increased. Thereafter, desperation grasped me, and I started flailing my arms wildly, swinging the wand in every direction with absolutely no idea of what I was doing. Just about to totally give up on hope, Lilian flicked my forehead and that brought me back into reality. "That's not how magic works, Fey! I keep telling you, the secret to casting a spell is to visualize the magic circle, the element you are trying to invoke. Maria's activity is a series of tests about invoking a spell, elemental control, and rune casting. You won't even pass the first test if you just wave that wand around like that. "But Lilian. I'm doing everything I learned! Maybe. perhaps I don't have mana at all." I confessed, the thought weighing in like a big rock. Part of me always feared that since I came from another world, perhaps I don't have mana in me at all. And I couldn't confide in Lilian my deepest secret: maybe I wasn't supposed to be a witch at all. Maybe I was always destined to get kicked out of Akashic Academy. If that were the case, then I had to relish each and every moment that I still could while I was here. More than just a friend, she was the best thing that happened to me since I came here. "You don't have mana? What nonsense are you talking about? Come here for a second," Lilian said firmly as she grasped my arm and placed her index finger on my wrist, feeling for my pulse. "You made a contract with a mate, so there is no way you don't have mana within you." "Really?" I asked with shaking voice mixed between hope and relief. "Wait, this is.?" Lilian suddenly stopped and looked at it with her eyes widening. In an instant, her look changed; she feigned composure. She tapped my wrist again, and I couldn't believe my eyes-a little blue orb came out of it. "A blue orb? What happens?" I asked, totally bewildered. "It means you have magic," Lilian explained. "I borrowed a portion of your mana and condensed it. That I am able to sense mana emanating from you means that ether is running in your veins. Just try again, this time focusing on channeling your mana into the wand instead of reciting an incantation. "Transfer mana. I can do that," I said, and with that, I gently pushed Lilian aside and took up a stance, both hands gripping the wand tightly. Unlike saying magic words, the transfer of mana sounded doable. I closed my eyes and focused on the flow of magic in my body before trying to channel that energy into the wand. After a while, the tip of the wand started glowing with a bright blue light. "I did it! I actually did it! I have mana, and I am not getting expelled!" I exclaimed, hopping around the training dummy in pure elation. "See, you can do anything if only you put your mind to it." Lilian smiled and patted my head, and instantly, I felt a sense of accomplishment from my small victory. "Now, let me try and cast a spell so that I may—" I began to say, but before I could utter it, someone suddenly snatched the wand from my hand. I whirled round, my racing heart, and found myself face-to-face with a grand-looking girl holding my wand in her hand, smirking. "Well, well, what do we have here?" she sneered at me. "And you are. who again?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. Lilian suddenly intervened, pulling us a few steps backward. "I knew she'd come for us eventually, just didn't expect it to be today," Lilian said in a mutter, her tone strained, her hands trembling slightly. The woman-apparently going by the name of Casie-soon was joined by two girls, both strikingly pretty, but whose prettiness was ruined by being covered in too much makeup, accentuating a haughty expression. Stylish clothes adorning their bodies made them look garish. I did not like the way they were looking down our noses as if superior to us in everything. "Huh?! I'm the greatest witch among the first years! I'm Casie Dracul Mobius, engaged to Sir Arthur Dracul!" Casie declared, with a flick of her hair in superiority. "And I'm Vanessa McGarden, vermin," added the girl with the long hair beside Casie, very much enjoying the attention. "How dare you not know who we are? I'm Sophie Ashenfall, by the way. You should feel honoured that we're even talking to you," the third girl interrupted, her eyes rolling like we were lower than her. Do they actually think that they are celebrities? The way they approached us was so pompous, it made my skin crawl. I couldn't help but feel sorry for them. How could people still be this petty and obnoxious? Their arrogance stank to high heavens, especially when I had been there to learn magic. "Casie, Vanessa, Sophie-yes, I know who you are. Now, could you kindly get out of our way? And by the way, that's my wand." I took my wand from her hands, trying not to sound offensive while I felt steadily more irritated. Their bullying means were so outdated that all I could feel was pity for them. They exchanged a glance then burst out laughing. He was giggling so hard-it sounded like a strangled parrot. But instead of leaving, their faces turned serious, and they moved to block the training dummies in front of us, their intent clear. "You dare to order me? You will be sorry! Ignacio, take her!" Casie snapped her fingers, and out of the darkness behind us a noble in butlerlike finery-I had no doubt whatsoever that this was Casie's vampire retainer-charged at us. By instinct alone, I retreated three swift paces backward and just missed being grabbed. But in the flurry, I came to my senses too late that I'd made the fatal mistake. The target wasn't me; it was Lilian all the time. Within one second, Casie's butler had already seized Lilian's wrists and clutched her in an iron grasp. Panic swept through me as their true intention finally dawned on me. Desperation clawed at me, and I pointed my wand to Casie, trying to steady my trembling hand. "Are you insane?! Order your retainer to let Lilian go, or else." "Oh, what's this?" Casie purred, her lips curling in a vicious smile. "Is that a duel you're challenging me to on behalf of your friend? The tension hung in the air as the scene quickly attracted the attention of our classmates. Whispers spread like wildfire-their voices full of disbelief and anticipation. How could bullying still be allowed to brew unchecked, I had silently wondered, even in a prestigious academy like Akashic? And worse, how could all of them just watch it happen and stand by idly? "Is she serious? She pointed her wand right on Casie." "Yean, she's declaring an official duel!" Their words fell upon me like a load of heavy bricks. In fact, I hadn't meant to challenge Casie, knowing barely how to cast a simple spell against a duel. And pointing my wand straight at her, straightening up my posture in that position, simply meant I just declared an official duel. It was like the medieval knights throwing down the gauntlet to their opponent-challenge taken or backed away from, but I had given the wheels a push. At this point, I couldn't back down, but at my core, I was afraid of not being prepared for her. "Yes, that's right. If no one else will stop you, then I will." I was getting ahead of myself, but how could I abandon Lilian now when she had been there for me from the start? As I steeled myself for what was about to happen, Lilian's voice cut through the tension, "No! Please don't oppose Casie. Don't fight for my sake." "See? Little Lilian here knows the drill. She's been through this umpteen times, even back in high school, right?" Casie sneered, her tone full of malice. She ran a finger slow and leisurely up Lilian's neck and across her cheek; Lilian shuddered with fear. The butler's grip on her was relentless; I could see the terror in her eyes. Now things fell into place. I now knew why Lilian had been so apprehensive earlier on. Casie and her two lackeys-those scheming witches-had been persecuting her for only heaven knew how long. Lilian was paralyzed with fear, unable to fight back. I knew the pain of being bullied all too well, and if it hadn't been for my friends back then, I might never have found the strength to stand up for myself. In those days, I would simply call for a teacher, and that's exactly what I intended to do now. "Ms. Maria!" I called out, summoning our homeroom professor. And in an instant, she was before us. I really thought that she would never let this silliness pass, but instead, her expression was stoic. "Tell me, did you indeed duel Casie? Well then, by my oath as Archwitch, I shall let you duel her!" Maria yelled in a blood-curdling, commanding tone of voice. With that, she began tracing runes in the air, conjuring up a magical barrier around the ground where we had been standing. The barrier teleported the classmates beyond its reach outside, leaving Casie and I inside. "What in the world? Our professor isn't stopping this fight?" I was shocked. It wasn't until then that I realized the cruel reality about being a witch at Akashic Academy. Just like my old world, power here meant everything. Whether one had fought for a noble cause, or for the sake of another, or had fought at all, it mattered not. All that mattered was strength, and here I was, expected to duel a fully-fledged witch when I hadn't mastered even basic spells. Casie might be cruel, but she was skilled and confident in her abilities, with no denial to that fact. "Fey, you asked for this." Casie sneered as she waved her wand, the tip alighting with a bright red flame, signaling that she was preparing a fire spell. "You'll be sorry you ever dared challenge an Enchantress such as I! A cold wave of fear washed over me, as into my senses came the feeling of the oncoming danger. My body went into fight-or-flight mode, and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. In the ensuing macabre silence, I couldn't even hear my classmates or Lilian say anything. But I knew I had no choice but to act. I felt my clarity drop my wand, clench my fists, and take a fighter's stance. I raised my fists, like I was back in high school getting ready against some bully, in the one way I knew well, with my two hands. My classmate's eyes widened in disbelieving horror, their mouths hanging in shock. A witch's wand was her weapon, her pride, her power. But here I was, ready to fight with nothing but my bare fists. My professor said the wand was a witch's weapon, but I was about to show them sometimes raw determination was just as powerful. "I am coming! Don't even think of running away!" I shouted as I charged at Casie with everything I had, ready to unleash the full force of my anger and frustration. This fight was for Lilian, for all the times she'd been wronged, and I would make sure they pay.
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