Kosmos: The Witch

Morgana was gardening next to the mansion's lake when she heard yelling at the mansion gate. She had never been so relieved to hear Cassandra's high pitched screaming. She was also accompanied by Theo.

- "LET ME GO ! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM !" she yells, her Crest flickering on and off in her eye and small explosions popping all around her.

- "Cassandra, please calm yourself !" Theo pleads, restraining her with a ring of glass placed around her waist. "You shouldn't be casting magic that early on after your recovery !"

- "I DON'T FUCKING CARE !" she whips towards Morgana when she notices her staring at them. "MORGANA ! WHERE'S THE RESIDENT BRAINLESS MANIAC ?!"

- "You mean Magnus ?" she answers.

- "YES !"

- "He's in the kitchen."

- "HRRRAH !" Cassandra screams as she produces an explosion strong enough to shatter Theo's glass and leaps over the gate, rushing towards the entrance of the mansion. "MAGNUUUUUUS !"

- "Cassandra, my brother said to at least remember to take your medication !" Theo shouts, but Cassandra is already gone.

- "Cassandra looks mad." Morgana comments as she cuts some grass.

- "I knew something would happen… she was strangely calm during the way there, especially when my brother told her she would have to be on house arrest for two weeks…"

- "I'm going to make sure. She doesn't blow up everything."

- "Thanks…"

Meanwhile, Cassandra rushes through the mansion and bursts through the kitchen door. Magnus was standing next to the furnace, monitoring a roasting turkey.

- "Welcome back Cassandra !" He says with a long, awkward laugh that decreases in volume every second. His body was tense, his eyes were frantically looking around and the sides of his mouth were twitching, as if he was forcibly maintaining his smile.

- "What the hell was that stunt you pulled last week ?!!" She yells.

- "I went a little too hard when training Sophia !" He laughs again, very quietly.

- "Quit laughing ! It pisses me off !!"

- "You're already enraged !"

- "IT PISSES ME OFF MORE !"

- "Fine, I'll stop !"

- "You- huh ? You'll stop ?"

- "Yes !"

- "Who are you and where is Magnus ?"

- "What ?" He tilts his head to the side, confused.

- "There's no way you'd just agree with me if I said that."

- "I'm actually sorry about this !"

- "You got a change of heart or what ? Finally coming to your senses ?"

- "Probably not !"

- "Make up your damn mind !!"

- "So, what are you going to do ?" Magnus asks, his usual big smile turning to a smaller, less confident one after a pause.

- "What do you mean ? I'm on house arrest for two weeks because of you ! What do you think I'm going to do ?!"

- "Yeah I figured." Magnus looks away in resignation. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted Adriana." he mumbles.

- "What's with that tone ?... Anyways I expect to be getting princess treatment for the rest of the month !"

- "...What ?"

- "You heard what I said ! I want my breakfast in my room by 9 AM, with the best cooking you can muster ! I want my lunch and dinner to be restaurant level dishes ! I want-"

- "You're not going to kick me out ?..."

- "-snacks with my name printed on them ! Wait what ? Why the hell would I ever do that ?"

- "...You're making a mistake."

- "Like you get to tell me shit about mistakes ! You could've killed Sophia back there, Morgana said so ! And you know she's always right about the magic stuff since she's partially a spirit !"

- "And you almost died."

- "Yeah and ?"

- "What ?..."

- "I get to do whatever I want with my life. Plus, it was a calculated risk. If I really wanted to die, I would've just absorbed your heat earlier."

- "So you really aren't going to wash your hands of me."

- "Dude, it's almost like you WANT me to kick you out."

- "...No."

- "Then it's settled ! I'm not done with my list of grievances by the way, so be ready for that !"

- "I'll be." Magnus turns back towards her.

- "Woah is that a tear I see ? Magnus is crying ? This is historical."

- "I was cutting onions."

- "Well I don't see any !"

- "It's in the stew."

- "Yeah sure, let's go with that."

- "...Thank you. I mean it."

- "I don't know what you're getting so worked up about, but sure."

- "Magnus, I forgive you too." they hear Morgana say behind Cassandra.

- "Eek !" Cassandra jumps forward and turns. "How long have you been here ?!"

- "Not too long. Magnus, you're my friend. So I forgive you. Just don't do it again. Or I'll shoot you for real this time."

- "You even got Morgana to say an eight word sentence ! You really had us worried you know ? Burning yourself and all that stuff, you looked like you were possessed by some demon." Cassandra says.

- "It's the way I was taught to use fire. Raise the heat all the way from orange, to yellow, to blue. Blue flames are my trump card." he replies.

- "Then it should stay a trump card ! I was surprised because most people can't get past yellow, because that's straying into very dangerous territory. And on top of that, you cover yourself with it ? You really should not rely on that in any capacity, you'll just die."

- "You're right."

- "You just agreeing with me feels weird, but it's very welcome. Anyways, I'm starving ! Infirmary food is not the greatest, I'll tell you that !"

- "I'll make sure lunch is up to standard !" Magnus says as he flashes a bright smile.

That night, Adriana was enjoying the night air from her balcony, and she is alerted by Magnus entering the hanging garden. He was holding a basket.

- "I brought pastries this time." he says as she lightly smiles.

- "Hey." She replies as the usual light filling her eyes grows dimmer.

Magnus places the basket on the nearby table, and as he does he notices Adriana hasn't moved from the balcony, looking down at the streets far below.

- "What's wrong ?" He asks. "Did you finally give up on making tea ?"

- "Nope. It's just that Theo is running this way. He looks… panicked ?"

- "Huh ?"

Magnus joins her on the balcony, and he does notice a small silver haired silhouette rushing towards the tower, levitating above the ground.

- "Hey Theo !" Adriana shouts as she waves. "That tea party is private, so I'd appreciate it if you came back in an hour or so !"

- "...way !" Theo replies from a distance, his voice not carrying far enough for Magnus to completely make out what he was saying.

- "What is he saying ?" Magnus asks, noticing that Adriana's smile had disappeared. She was now frowning, looking worried.

- "What does he mean, "Adriana, run away." ?..." Adriana replies, the corners of her mouth sinking down.

The moment she finishes her sentence, Magnus notices an unnatural flash of moonlight coming from Theo's direction. He raises his hand just in time to catch a three meter long claymore made of reflective glass, flying extremely fast and aimed at his throat. His palm starts bleeding due to how sharp the blade he just caught was, and his neutral expression turns into a wide grin, with a touch of panic in his eyes.

- "Whoa, close one !" He shouts at Theo. "I'm all for surprise sparring matches, but you didn't choose the best timing !"

- "What is he doing ?..." Adriana whispers.

They barely have the time to process what happened before ten more glass swords fly towards them, all pointed at Magnus. This time he expects it, so he throws his fist forward, sending a large wave of sparkling orange flames down to intercept the attacks. To his surprise, the blades easily cut through his wall of fire, and he narrowly dodges them right as they reach him. When he looks back towards Theo, he sees him mere meters away from the balcony. He was standing on a massive, floating glass greatsword, looking down at him with a fierce anger burning in his eyes. His face was red due to exhaustion, and he was breathing heavily.

- "Theo !" Adriana yells. "This isn't sparring, you're actively trying to kill him ! What's gotten into you ?!"

- "Stand back, Adriana." Theo replies, still staring at Magnus. "Fortunately, I made it before anything could happen."

- "Why are you talking like I'm in danger ?..."

- "That is because you are." He snaps his fingers, and hundreds of glass swords appear around the tower, surrounding it. "We all are."

- "...I guess the gig is up huh ?" Magnus has an empty laugh.

- "His true colors are showing." Theo observes. The swords surrounding the tower start closing in on them, cutting off all potential exits.

- "Wait." Adriana firmly says, her eyes lighting up again with a more aggressive glow than usual. "You have some explaining to do, Theo."

- "Are you going to try to impede me ?" Theo coldly replies.

- "Yes ! As long as you don't tell us what's going on !"

- "Very well." Theo's swords stop their advance, becoming static and reflecting the moonlight around them like a miniature constellation. "You are currently standing side by side with a mass murderer."

- "Mass murderer ?..."

- "My suspicions began at the infirmary, when he simply exited the room without so much as asking how Cassandra, or even Sophia, was faring in regards to their injuries. I asked my brother about him, but he told me he did not have the time to browse the Academy's archive due to his duty to focus his efforts on Cassandra's recovery. Therefore, I returned today, after escorting Cassandra back to her home. He provided me with Magnus' record, prior to his joining the Academy. He-"

Theo is interrupted by a burst of flames headed his way, which he deflects with a wall made of his glass swords.

- "You better keep your mouth shut." Magnus threatens him, his hand still smoking after the attack. His usual smile was completely gone, and an intense anger could be seen in his eyes, to the point where his irises were visibly shrinking. Unlike what his expression suggested, his tone was panicked.

- "Magnus ?... Are you saying that what Theo said is true ?..." Adriana asks, taking a step back. A mix of fear and concern was visible in her eyes, which lost their glow once more.

- "Please." Magnus pleads. "Please don't look at me like that."

- "He does not even attempt to deny the facts. He is aware of his guilt." Theo says as his blades resume their movement, converging towards Magnus. "I will now proceed to your execution."

- "We didn't get his side of the story." Adriana says as she steps forward.

- "Do you require any further explanation ?..." Theo asks, incredulous.

- "Yes I do ! I wanna hear it from him before anyone decides anything !" She turns towards Magnus, who was profusely sweating despites the fresh night air.

- "I knew I should've just lef-" Magnus starts.

- "If you try that, Theo will be the last of your problems." She replies in an ominous tone. "I feel like you at least owe us an explanation."

- "I don't owe you anything…"

- "I don't care about what you think ! Tell me at least !"

- "Your divine heritage truly shows." Theo comments, frowning with his mouth bent in an aggravated, almost disgusted expression.

- "I'm just going to ignore that." Adriana replies without looking at him at first. She then turns to face him, and the temperature of the surroundings of the tower starts to rise out of nowhere. "But I won't let you insult me or my father without consequences in the future. You have been warned."

- "Very well." The greatsword Theo was standing on slowly descends towards the balcony, and he gets down from it to stand in front of Magnus. "Go on, devil of Sparta. Tell her what repulsive deeds brought you to stand before us today."

Magnus was about to reply, but the mention of this name causes an avalanche of memories to flood his mind.