Moonless Nights

"... Levitatia!"

Jan floated a wooden board up to Silvio, balanced atop a ladder. Holding a spare nail between his teeth, the Sorcerer hammered it in and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Despite the November chill, the hard work the class was assigned was more than enough to keep them warm.

Silvio looked behind him. Many wood stalls just like this one were set up all in a row, ready to be filled with vendors and games. But still he wasn't even done with half of them—the Komouruska Illunis Festival celebrations were amongst the biggest in the country, after all, and it was upon him and a few other boys to finish building all necessary structures before the party hit next month.

Then he glanced up ahead. A few teachers and alumni of the Temple school were building the more difficult things, such as the stage and the shrine. They did everything with magic, boards and nails melding together seamlessly in no time at all.

None of the acolytes were at that level yet.

He accepted another board, only to be interrupted as Hana and her roommate, Lydia, ran up to them, carrying glasses of boysenberry juice.

Lydia cleared her throat. "Professor Marisol told us to tell you it's time to stop for today and study."

"Um, we brought you some juice from the kitchen since you're working so hard!" Hana piped up.

Silvio jumped off the ladder and floated down with his staff. "Don't mind if I do!" he said, helping himself to a glass. Jan and the other three boys took one as well. "Do you know what's for lunch?"

"Pickled herring on rye," answered Hana.

Silvio pulled a face. "Gross."

"I don't like it, either," said Lydia, and she wrinkled her nose to match his expression. "I can't get used to Gesmauran food."

Lydia was a foreign student from the far-southern nation of Uswana. Silvio recalled that in the first week of school she had a stash of snacks from her home country that she shared with the other students and hid from the staff. She got busted for breaking the "no food in the dorms" rule when one of Crowe's giant land slugs escaped and ended up eating it all, making the poor, dumb creature ill. And Silvio never got a nibble of it.

"What do you eat in Uswana?" he asked.

"For one, our food actually has flavor," said Lydia.

"Well, I like it," said Jan.

"Then you can go and eat as much pickled herring as you'd like." Silvio gulped down the last of his juice. "I'm going to get something else."

"I heard there's a good place a couple of blocks away," said Hana. "Do you want to get lunch there?"

He nodded.

"Make that three, then," said Lydia. "There are some Gesmauran foods I don't mind."

"I know!" Silvio snapped his fingers. "Why don't we make a study group? We can go over our notes and eat."

The girls voiced their agreement.

"I'm coming too," said Jan. He cleared his throat. "Not… not because everyone else is, but if I'm coming in the top of the class, I need to ace the written part on finals next month."

Silvio smirked. "It's decided, then. Hana, can you show us the way?"

She gave a quick nod and started down the street.

Silvio was glad everyone decided to come along. Deep down he suspected Hana was too polite to reject everyone's company, but it made him happy she was taking a chance like this. And Jan—he and Hana were both shy, but in their own unique ways. Maybe they would get along.

Turning down the street, Silvio stopped and craned his neck to the side.

"What's wrong…?" asked Lydia, but she was cut off as Silvio waved and shouted.

On the other side of the street stood Crowe and Isaana, dressed in all her finery. Silvio raised an eyebrow at what he noticed next—they were holding hands.

"Headmistress!" he called.

Isaana noticed him. She dropped Crowe's hand and beckoned him to follow, striding over to the little group.

"Headmistress?" asked Jan. "Then that woman is…?"

"Yes, I'm the Goddess," said Isaana, giving them a smile. "If it isn't my precious students? Happy Saturday! What are you all out and about for?"

"What do we do?" mouthed Jan to Silvio. "Are we supposed to bow, or…?"

"That won't be necessary," said Isaana. "Today I'm gallivanting amongst the humans, pretending to be one of you! How am I doing?"

"You still have green hair," said Silvio.

Isaana gave a loud bark of a laugh. "Ha! Am I truly that conspicuous?"

"We're going to study together," said Hana.

"It's nice when children take their education seriously."

"And how about you?" asked Silvio. "What are you doing outside the Temple?"

Isaana grabbed Crowe's arm and pulled him in, sticking out her tongue. "It's exactly as it looks. Me and Iggy are on a lovey-dovey date!"

Crowe blushed. "Actually, we're headed to the candy store. Someone decided to spend the tithes on sweets instead of the school's upkeep."

"Is that not the definition of a date, Birdy?" Isaana rubbed her face against his shoulders. "For a man and woman to go somewhere together? Or two men and two women, if one should be so inclined. Don't be such a stick in the mud, Ignatius. We'll more than make back the sum during the Festival."

Silvio couldn't decide whether she was shrewd or a fool with money. But that's how it was with Isaana—the woman was a walking contradiction. Then again, it's not like a Goddess needed to worry about financial matters, so maybe he was overthinking things.

"It's great to be paid just for existing!" The Goddess laughed again. "Anyway, I've been taking a look at the preparations. Everything seems to be coming along swimmingly. But you're not neglecting your final project, right?"

Silvio inwardly cringed. Both he and Jan were so swamped with activities it completely flew under their radar.

"Actually," said Lydia, "if you are the Goddess, I was hoping you could approve our project?"

"And what might that be?"

"We're setting up a sweets stand!" said Hana, eyes twinkling with excitement. "We're making desserts based off of different Gods. When we get an order we'll assemble it with magic."

"And my dessert is?"

"Full of chocolate…?"

"A+."

"M-Mistress!" Crowe shook his head and sputtered. "You can't grade them before they've even done anything!"

"But it's certainly my favorite project idea so far."

"And we want the treats to have effects based on Gods' powers," said Lydia. "For example, the God of Truth and Justice's dessert would have a scale pop out."

"Aha, that might be a little too thrilling to represent Zagiha," said Isaana.

"But, Headmistress…" said Hana, and she shrunk back into her mouse-like demeanor. "We don't know what it is you… um… do?"

Isaana blanked, then turning to Crowe, whispered a very harsh "You never told them what I do?" at him. Returning her attention back to the children, she resumed her honey-sweet tone and smiled. "It seems my title isn't as easy to figure out as Zagiha-sa's, but it is exactly as it says. I control the balance of all magic in this world."

"All of it?" asked Silvio.

Isaana let go of Crowe and did a dramatic twirl. "Do you think I'm exaggerating? I follow where it flows and where it settles, keep track of who uses it and what for. Make sure they're not doing anything they're not supposed to. Preside over magical duels and make sure nobody's cheating." She smirked. "If necessary, I take divine power from a place where there is excess and I give it to a place where there is a dearth. No living thing, after all, can flourish in a place devoid of magic." She paused. "But this is abstract, isn't it? You know what? Why don't I show you?" At the children's excitement, she waved them down. "Not right now. I'm a human today! But tonight, right before curfew, why don't you round up the other students and I'll show you then?"

"That sounds awesome!" said Silvio. He didn't even try to contain his excitement, nor did the other students. Even the sullen and cynical Jan had a bright look on his face, no doubt thrilled by the prospect of seeing a Goddess in action.

"I thought you wanted to reveal yourself to the kids at the Illunis Festival?" said Crowe.

Isaana shrugged. "I changed my mind. Anyway, I'll approve it. You know how much I love kitchen magic. I'll write you a pass granting you access to my personal works in my study to help you. Iggy? What do you think?"

"I think it's a very cute idea," said Crowe, "but… erm… could you not refer to me as that in front of the children?"

"Sure thing, Iggy. And how about you, Boy Sabatka? Do I have anything to approve for you?"

A knot tied in Silvio's throat, but before he was able to stammer out a lame excuse on why he and Jan had no ideas, Hana took the focus away from him.

"Um? Headmistress? Actually, I had one more question."

"Okay? Out with it, then."

She twiddled her thumbs. "For Theology, we're supposed to write about a God of our choice. I chose one, but I can't find any information on him. I was wondering if you knew anything about…" She gulped. "… Rirasiru-sa?"

The Goddess blinked, and briefly, a dark cloud passed over her countenance. "Child, what in the world possessed you to write about an obscure, minor God only worshiped by a few backwater hicks?"

Hana shrunk back. "I… I just thought he was interesting, is all…"

Isaana sighed and clasped her hands together. "Rirasiru… that's a name I haven't heard in many years. But yes, of course I know him… or at least I knew him. I haven't even seen him around in the godly realm."

"Is… is he alive?"

"Of course he's alive! No God can die! Nobody knows where he went off to, is all. But Rirasiru… ah, he's the person most loved by the Outer One. He received his Blessing--if you can call it that--from it personally."

"The Outer One?" Silvio gasped. "No way!"

"Yes way. Rirasiru… when he first ascended one hundred seventy-ish years ago, the impression I got from him was a kind but obstinate young God. Not very smart. I don't know why anyone decided to ascend the likes of him, most of all the Outer One. He was powerful, but useless. If I'm remembering this correctly, he had the ability to change people's destinies. He cured the incurable, raised corpses from the dead… Ha! All minor Gods must follow the Laws of Impossibility, but not him. There was never anyone like him. But his powers could only work if someone made a wish. Even someone with a power as marvelous as that would fall into obscurity if he couldn't use it on a grand scale."

Silvio listened to her speak intently, eyes wide as dinner plates. If nothing else, now he knew Mica wasn't embellishing when he told them about him. And he found it very sad—it was terrible how Rirasiru-sa was given such a tremendous power, but he was locked up like a bird in a cage and forced to use it to fulfill petty requests all day. No wonder he left and never returned. If he were him, he wouldn't bother trying to help humanity ever again after being treated like that.

"But I never got to know the little squirt that well. I don't normally spend that much time around other Gods," Isaana digressed. "You would probably find more info if you went to his Temple yourself. I think next week there's an excursion to Minumna for those who need to buy new stones. You can find out then. But I should warn you... the clergy of Rirasiru are... whack."

That was the word she had for it?

"And Gods forbid, avoid his harem!"

"What's a harem?" asked Silvio.

"Your Holiness, PLEASE let them keep their innocence a bit longer," said Crowe. "Now, now. Don't be scared. They're a little off-kilter in Minumna, but they're harmless. Anyway, Mistress, we're distracting them from their studies. You wanted to get to the candy shop before it closed, right?"

"Ah, that's right!" Isaana started walking away without him and raised her hand. "I bid you all hej då now. Remember to meet me tonight in the courtyard!"

Crowe only offered them a lopsided smile and dashed after her. Soon they melded into the crowd and the children lost sight of them.

Lydia expelled a huge breath of air. "I can't believe I just met the Goddess!" she squealed. "She seems so normal!"

Oh, she's anything but, Silvio thought. Then he blurted out the next thing on his mind: "Do you think she and Uncle Crowe were really on a date?"

Jan sighed. "Who cares? The world of a.d.u.l.ts is complicated and stupid. I'm hungry."

There was no arguing with that. Without another word, Hana led them the rest of the way to the restaurant. It was a cozy little hole in the wall with maybe six tables, max, but it was mostly empty. It was decorated in homey kitsch, the walls covered in signs with corny sayings on them and the wooden tables dr.a.p.ed with checkerboard cloths. But its warmth was a welcome change from the chilly outdoors, and a delicious smell wafted from the kitchen.

They seated themselves and the waiter came around to take their drink orders. Jan ordered a round of tea for all of them. "To practice divination," he said.

As they waited, Lydia took out her notes from her book bag. "Okay, what do you think will be on the final?" she asked.

Silvio pondered her question. "Magical ethics!" he answered at last.

"Yeah, probably." She squinted at the paper. "Ugh, ethics. They never shut up about that. Okay—List the Laws of Impossibility."

Silvio fished through his mental notes, trying to remember the major points their Professor brought up on the day they learned it. They had a big lecture and everything, so he had no excuse to draw a blank.

"The Laws of Impossibility are the most important rules we have to follow in magic," said Jan, staring out the window at the passersby. "They're in place so you can't alter how the world or the universe works, and you can't make permanent changes to a living thing."

"Like… if you try to transfigure an animal into something else, once you break your concentration on the spell, it'll turn back to what it was before, right?" asked Hana.

Lydia nodded.

"So the only permanent changes you can make to something are on dead things or inorganic matter?" asked Silvio.

"That's right," said Lydia, "which is why we can transfigure dried plants but not alive ones. And another of the Laws is, uh, only one or two things at a time! If you try to change many things at once, that counts as altering how the world works and breaks that Law. But you can still use magic to mend bones or cure certain illnesses. You can't bring the dead back to life or a regrow a limb or anything like that, though. Basically, you can't reverse a permanent change that a living being received to their body."

"And if you try to do something that not even a God can," said Hana, "that's also a violation."

"In short," said Jan, "if you try to do something the Gods haven't willed or try to create something they haven't, that's breaking the Laws. Abusing the limits of what can be done with magic is seen the same as trying to act as a God, which is the biggest taboo in the world."

"And that's heresy, isn't it?" asked Hana. "So if you want to keep your magic, you'd better not violate it, or you'll be turned into an Unforgivable!"

"And above all?" Lydia offered, scanning her notes.

Suddenly, Silvio remembered. "And above all, you can't use magic to kill!" he said triumphantly, ecstatic that he at least recalled part of it.

They were interrupted by the waiter. He gave them their tea and took their meal orders, then left them in peace to continue their studies.

"Enough with the easy stuff," said Jan. "Let's practice tasseography now. It'll probably be on Willoughby's practical. Let me read someone's fortune."

"Me! Me!" volunteered Silvio.

"Fine. All right, drink the tea…"

Silvio slammed it down in one go and smacked the cup on the table. Jan looked into it and g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

"You're not supposed to drink the leaves too, you idiot!" he scolded. "Didn't you listen in class?"

Silvio blushed. The problem wasn't that he didn't listen, it was that nothing Willoughby said made any sense.

"You can read my fortune if you want, Jan," said Hana.

"Sure. At least you probably won't screw it up."

Hana grasped the cup handle in her left hand and drank until only a bit of liquid was left. Spinning the cup counterclockwise three times, she drained the liquid onto the saucer and flipped it back up.

Jan leaned over and began his reading. "Generally, it looks like you have a good fortune. In the near future something shocking is going to happen to you, though. Do you see this line?" He indicated a ring of leaves around the middle of the cup. "This means you're going to go on some sort of journey, but it'll be difficult. You know how this looks like a rabbit?" He pointed out another shape. "During this time you'll have to be brave and watch out for false friends. The people you know might not be who you think they are. There's an acorn on the top. That means success. But on the bottom is a knife, which means somebody will stab you in the back and ruin you. Since the line is wavy, that means your path is uncertain, but if you play your cards right, then you'll get the acorn and not the knife."

"Hmm… I think that's how it is for a lot of people," said Hana. "Okay, Jan, I'll do you back. Drink up."

Jan did as he was told and repeated the same actions as Hana. Flipping his cup back over, he scooted it on over to her. Hana looked inside.

Her face went white.

"What's wrong?" asked Lydia.

"Ra… ven…" she croaked, pointing a trembling hand into the cup.

"What does that mean?"

"Death," she whispered. "It means death." She shook her head. "I must've done something wrong. There's no way you could…"

Silvio yanked the cup away from her and looked inside. "That's not a raven," he said, trying to calm her down, "that looks like a turkey."

"A turkey?" Jan snorted. "What the hell is a turkey supposed to mean?"

"I don't know! Maybe in the near future you'll be eating something delicious?"

Lydia snatched it away from him next. "That's not a turkey! That's a parrot! Parrots mean people say a lot of empty words to you."

"Yeah, doesn't everybody…?"

Hana broke her gaze away from everybody and sullenly stared out the window, still shaking. Silvio shot her a worried glance and cleared his throat.

"I think we should take a break," he said.

Everyone except Hana agreed with him, but the soured mood was soon forgotten as their food came. Silvio stabbed his fork into a juicy meatball and lit up, gulping it down. He smacked his lips.

"Mmm! This tastes amazing! Good find, Hana! How's everyone else's?"

"I don't hate it," said Lydia, using her spoon to parse the sour cream away from her potato pancakes.

"It's good," said Jan through a mouthful of pickled herring. "Silvio was right. It was a turkey."

But Hana just stared into her split-pea soup, stirring it every so often and scraping the sides with a slice of bread.

Silvio couldn't stand to see his sister so upset. He scooped up a meatball and put it on her plate to get her attention. "Hey, Hana," he said, "do you not like your food?"

She shook her head, but Silvio didn't know whether she actually didn't or felt the contrary and was trying to tell him otherwise.

"Try my food! Oh… and…" he said, hesitating as he thought of a way to cheer her up, "do you want to go to Minumna with me next week? We can visit the Temple."

At that, Hana perked up. "R-Really?"

"You need material for your paper, right? And I could use some new stones."

"You just want to see that Worker again, don't you?" said Jan, taking a hunk out of his toast.

"Worker?" asked Hana. A line of confusion creased across her forehead.

"You know," said Jan, "the red one. His name starts with N or something…"

"Mica?" asked Silvio. "Jan, don't tell me you forgot his name? He literally saved us! Twice!"

"And for that I'm grateful, but why should I bother remembering a Worker's name? I have a million other things to memorize right now. What? Why are you so touchy? Do you have a crush on him or something?"

Silvio went red all over. "W-What? Of course I don't—that's…!" He gulped and mumbled out muffled words beneath his breath. "… Okay, maybe a little?"

"You have a crush?" Lydia leaned in. "Ooh, juicy. Gives us the deets."

"How could I not?" sputtered Silvio. "I don't care if he's a guy. Mica's perfection! A 100% pure angel! He's super nice and smokin' hot! Isn't he, Hana?"

"Um, I don't know if he's hot or not. But he's way too old for you."

"It'd never work," said Jan, "Workers can't be with Sorcerers."

"Can't you let me dream?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Lydia. "Can we get back to studying, or…?"

"Yes! Yes we can!" blurted out Silvio, and they traded his embarrassment for the rest of the material.

-

In November the sun set early, wrapping the countryside in peaceful darkness. By the time they got back to the Temple, their noses were tipped with frost and their hair crinkled from the atmospheric dryness. The other children scampered off to the showers and sauna, but Silvio stopped by his room first, shedding his coat and collapsing onto his bed, sore from all his hard work earlier.

He sighed. The Illunis Festival was coming up soon and he still had no ideas for his final project, and neither did Jan. And coming to look at it, he wasn't going to do well on his Divination exam, either. All this talk about being the best Sorcerer in class, and he likely wouldn't even rank in the top twenty!

Hana had it together. She knew most of the material and her spells always worked the first time she tried them. He gritted his teeth. And she was going to attempt advanced magic for her final project, and he had no doubt she could pull it off, too. Silvio remembered Crowe's words, but no matter what, he couldn't believe them. Sure, maybe he'd find his own path. Maybe he wouldn't. But right now, it was impossible to not feel jealousy when his twin sister was the apple of every teacher's eye and better than him in every way.

How could he get Blessed if his magic was below average?

He got off the bed. He had to ask Crowe how he got his Blessing. He needed to know what exactly it took to win the favor of the Gods. No matter if he screamed or burned him again, he'd pry the truth out of him!

In firm resolution, Silvio marched out of his dorm straight to Crowe's office, but when he knocked, he was given no answer. He peered under the doorway. It was dark.

That's strange.

A few doors down, Willoughby opened up and peeked outside.

"Silvio?"

"Professor Willoughby, do you know where Uncle Crowe is?" asked Silvio.

"He's out for the day," said Willoughby. "Can I help you with what you need?"

"Is he still out with the Goddess?"

"Huh?" A look of confusion crossed his features. "No, she returned a while ago."

"But they were on a date?"

"Yes," said Willoughby, "I don't know where you picked up that Temple gossip from, but yes, Her Holiness and the High Priest are an item. Poor Ffion." He shook his head.

Silvio's jaw dropped. Well, why was he so surprised? It made sense. He had never as much as seen his uncle look at another woman in his life, but now he understood it was because he had eyes only for Isaana. Did he study hard to become the High Priest out of love? That was kind of sweet. But where did Ffion fit into this, and... no, he wasn't here to discuss his teachers' romantic lives! Don't get distracted, Silvio!

"Okaaaaay, and where is Uncle Crowe now?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Sure you can! You're the Divination teacher!"

"No. I mean I can't tell you that." Willougby shook his head. "I'm not allowed to."

Ooookaaaaaaaaaay.

"But I was expecting to see you here, so I stuck around. Can I help you?"

Silvio resigned himself to talking with Willoughby. If nothing else, at least he could ask about the course material. Hands in his pockets, he followed Willoughby into his office and sat down. While Crowe's office was practical, Willoughby's was an unorganized mishmash between the aesthetic and eccentric. Sinking into the cushion, he looked at his desk. A full tarot deck was laid across the tablecloth, a few candles flickering calming shadows around them.

"So? What's wrong? Alas, I can't predict everything. Do you perhaps have a project idea for me to approve?"

Silvio shook his head. "The truth is, Professor, I have no idea what I want to do. I know Jan could handle anything, but as for me, I don't think my magic's up to snuff."

"Hmm…" Willougby drummed his fingers across the table. "Well, what are you good at?"

"What I'm good at?"

"Yes, I just said that. Most Sorcerers are only strong in one or two areas of magic. For me it's Divination, for Ffion it's Healing and Reparation magic. Do you get it? What magic are you the best at?"

Silvio shifted in his seat. "That's the problem, Professor Willoughby. I'm not good at anything!"

"What? Don't say that! You're very early in your education still…"

"That's what Crowe told me! The only thing I'm good at is having ideas, and even now I don't have any."

"Ideas?"

"I know. I should've been born a Worker." He laughed bitterly. "I'm good at putting stuff together, figuring out how things work, y'know, things like that. But you don't need magic for that, and this is a magic school!"

"Hmm…" said Willoughby again. "Yes, that's unfortunate."

Thanks.

"What do you like, then?" the odd Professor asked.

"I like building machines… do you think…?" he brightened up. "Do you think I could make magic-powered machines to help Workers?"

Willougby shut him down. "No. You can use magic to turn one inanimate object into another inanimate object, but if it's to perform a specific function, then if the caster let go of the spell for even a second, the magical stones would deactivate and be useless. I'm sorry to burst your bubble."

More like tear it apart, strewing the soapy carnage across the room.

Silvio sulked. "Then I've got nothing."

"Patience, Silvio, patience. Something will come to you eventually. But this isn't the real reason you're here, is it?"

Silvio sighed. He saw right through him. "I… that's kind of why I wanted to see Professor Crowe. But maybe you know? How did he get his Blessing? What do you have to do to impress the Gods?"

The color drained from Willoughby's face. Shaking his head, he placed a hand against the cards on the table. "You're very lucky you didn't ask him that," he said quietly. "You must never, ever ask him about his Blessing."

"But…"

"Silvio, those who seek Blessings are hardly ever those who are granted them. Those who have tried to get them because of pride or greed have only met ruination." He flipped over a tarot card. Death. "Most Divination, Silvio, only serves as a guide to what could happen if someone keeps going the path they're going. The future isn't set in stone. But those who covet fame and fortune above all else only ever end up being struck down."

"But what if you want to use those powers to become a hero? What's wrong with seeking out power as long as you use it for good?"

"It's still intrinsically selfish. The Gods are fickle, Silvio. They're under no obligation to give you power even if you plan to use it for good."

"Warren!" A Priestess poked her head through the door. "Did you know the Goddess is having some sort of demonstration in the courtyard?"

"Ah, yes, I anticipated that," said Willoughby. "I'm sorry, Silvio, but we're going to have to continue this some other time. I want to see what Isaana has planned. She's the only one I can't predict!"

And with that, he was off, flighty as usual.

Silvio realized he hadn't even asked him about the course material. He was very upset, still, but he didn't want his mood to spoil the fun. Maybe seeing the Goddess in action would make him feel better—and only a fool would miss such an opportunity by sulking. So he made his way down two flights of stairs and several winding hallways out into the courtyard, where it was so dark out he had a hard time navigating through the throngs of excited students. He couldn't find Hana or Jan, but then again, maybe he shouldn't be around his sister right now. Instead he took a seat on the grass next to a group of strangers, waiting for the show to begin.

And it did, in Isaana's typical understated fashion.

Suddenly, the night atmosphere twisted and contorted, a pale yellow portal opening in the sky. Isaana emerged halfway, propping her chin on her hands as she addressed the children below.

"Hello, students!" she called, her voice far louder than it ought to be. "This is your very cool and wonderful Headmistress speaking! I was just gobsmacked—flabbergasted, you know!—to be informed today that my dear students have no idea what I even do! I have called you here to rectify this at once. No student shall blindly worship me like a fool! But I decided instead of classwork, I would give you a demonstration. Watch closely, because I'm only doing this once! Transformation, go!"

Immediately, Isaana jumped out of the portal, falling headfirst to the ground. Holding a hand in front of her, a ball of light pulsated in it, forming into a bow and quiver of arrows. Pulling the drawstring taut, she fired a volley of arrows into the sky.

And then it erupted into a fantastic display of vibrant lights and colors of all sorts like fireworks, illuminating the heavens in a shower of glitter and energy. The lights extended down and reached their tendrils to the ground, pulsing and flowing through everything like a web. The colors connected everything; the rock to the tree, the tree to the lake, the lake to the students, those beautiful lines flowing through them as though they were a neon stream.

The lights all ended up in one place… to Isaana herself. They wrapped around her in a tight ball, and then it split like an egg, a light brighter than a lighthouse beacon blasting through the cracks. It shattered, and in its place was Isaana, wrapped in resplendent white robe trimmed with gold. Her hair was brighter, bouncier, the colored lines flowing through it as well.

She finally looked like a Goddess, Silvio thought.

The children gasped in shock and awe.

"Seldom ever will you get to witness a God's true form!" Isaana bellowed. A glowing mandala appeared behind her, outstretching to either side like a pair of ethereal wings. Her feet touched the ground delicately, but with a kick of enormous power, she launched herself back in the sky, presiding over her audience from up above. "This is your great privilege, children! Now look at these lights! You might think I have done some pyrotechnics, but this is not the case at all. This, my students, is the flow of all magic, the very essence left behind in the Gods' footsteps. It runs everywhere and connects us all. All I've done is expose it. Now watch."

She summoned another arrow from thin air, using it as she would a conductor's baton, moving the magic about. She pulled it away from a tree, causing it to go black, and put the energy instead into the Temple's entryway, lighting it up even brighter. She commanded it to swirl and make shapes, drawing animals, musical scores, and constellations, each time the magic tapering back down to the earth like a shower of glitter when she released her hold.

The students watched, enraptured with the fantastical display, their attention for once undivided from the spotlight.

Suddenly, Isaana swooped down, scooping Silvio up and hoisting him into the air, flying him almost to the clouds.

"What the--!" he cried.

"I noticed you were looking a little glum, Boy Sabatka. I figured you could use a little picking up." She tossed him onto her back. Isaana was strong, far stronger than any human. "I assume you're jealous of your sister?"

"What? How did you…?"

"Do you know what they say of twin Sorcerers?" she asked, flying them in a circle.

"No. What do they say?"

"They say that one twin saps the other's power while they're still in the w.o.m.b."

"Is that for real?"

Isaana looked over her shoulder and smirked. "Do you really believe a story like that? Or are you looking for something to blame instead of spending that time improving yourself?"

"You…" Silvio paused. "… I get it."

"You're smart, Boy Sabatka. You know in your heart you'll never get better if you lash out at your sister. You'll figure out what's best for you." She did a barrel roll. Silvio shrieked and clung to her for dear life. Isaana laughed. "Look beyond what's right in front of you," she said.

Silvio did, literally. He looked over her and down to the world so far beneath him. The web of magic seemed to go on forever, as far as the horizon. "Did you light up the whole Komouruskan countryside?" he asked.

"Silvio," said Isaana, "if I wanted to, I could light up the entire world."

"… Headmistress?"

"What is it?"

"I think I have an idea for a project now."

"Oh? What is it?"

"I want to make a fireworks display for the festival. I haven't talked it over with Jan yet, but it's what I want."

"Well, speak to him, and if he agrees to it, then I'll approve it."

She dropped him off back on the schoolgrounds.

"Do you understand the principal of magic now, kids?" she asked, resuming her booming voice. "Well, there you have it. That is all for tonight. Dismissed!"

And with that, she disappeared back into her portal, the lights fading away with her. But to Silvio, this moment was one that would last forever.