"Congratulations graduates!"
The speaker said and with that, all of the students rose from their seats. They were all wearing a white graduation gown as that was their most awaited graduation day.
It was not necessary for them to toss their graduation caps in the air, but they still did. They tossed their caps as they cheered in celebration of that special day.
Everyone was visibly thrilled by the idea of moving up and finally completing their junior high. But no one was as ecstatic as Audrey was.
The other party felt excited and accomplished more than anyone else because it was like she finally overcame one hurdle in her life.
She was able to send herself to school with her own effort and that made her feel that this graduation was more than just a simple ceremony but also a token of her hard work.
Being a student in the morning and a part-timer at night was no easy task, but she was able to pull it off just fine.
Now that she finally graduated, she felt like she was already one step closer to achieving her dream.
Audrey's eyes lingered around as she took in sight the entirety of the school. She would definitely miss the place.
Then all of the sudden, she was reminded of her favorite spot at the school. She felt like it was calling her.
"Maybe I should check the rooftop for one last time."
Audrey thought to herself and with that, she left her batch mates and started heading upstairs.
Audrey was taking her time climbing the flight of stairs as she reckoned that she would probably never climb that same staircase in the future
However, before Audrey could even arrive at the rooftop, she could already hear a loud shriek of a cat.
The animal seemed to be in trouble, and as an animal lover herself, Audrey came to its rescue.
When she opened the door, she was surprised to see a group of girls gathered in what seemed to be a circle drawn with red ink on the floor.
A black cat was bound at its center, and it was the same cat that was crying for help.
"What are you doing here?"
Audrey was frozen on the spot, as one of the girls wearing heavy gothic makeup approached her.
The other party wanted to shut the door so that they could proceed with what they were doing but Audrey was standing right at the door frame.
"No! You, what do you think you guys are doing?!"
She asked back with an incredulous expression pasted on her face. Although she already had a rough guess on what they were doing at the moment.
As a frequent visitor of the rooftop, Audrey already knew the wicked rituals that these schoolmates of hers were doing.
This freakish sorority would often do sacrificial rites to their make-belief goddess, Lilith. But they would mostly use birds or other poultry live stocks like chicken and pigs before.
However, it seemed that they finally decided to up the notch this time and used a poor cat instead!
"Stop sticking your nose on someone else's business and go away while we are still being nice."
Another girl butted in with a threatening voice.
But Audrey was not someone who could easily feel threatened. Disregarding their explicit warning, she shoved the door open and bolted inside.
She headed straight into the circle and freed the cat despite the hostile stares that she was receiving.
If only looks could kill, Audrey would probably be long dead by now. Their eyes were almost shooting daggers but no one was brave enough to step inside the circle.
"I already told you to leave and stay out of our business! You are ruining everything!"
The leader of the sorority shrieked in utter annoyance but Audrey could not be bothered to care. She took the cat out of the circle but as soon as she stepped out of it, the leader pulled her hair.
Audrey let go of the cat so it won't get hurt but the cat did not leave. It looked back at her as though it was reluctant to leave its savior's side.
"Go!"
Audrey mouthed but before she could even shoo the cat more, the leader already pulled her away.
The other party dragged her before forcefully pushing her off her feet. But Audrey held onto the guradrail so that she would not fall completely
As they were currently close to the edge of the rooftop, the strong wind was already blowing on Audrey's hair, and when she looked down she saw how high they were above the ground.
"A nobody like you wish to oppose us? You sure have a lot of guts in you." The leader said with a smirk on her face then she playfully pushed Audrey's shoulder making the other party lean closer to the edge of the rooftop. Apparently, the only thing that was preventing Audrey from falling was the guardrail. Audrey made a firm hold onto the support as she was well aware that one wrong move would definitely send her falling to her early demise. The leader must have seen her concern and so she continued to prod her, just so as to mock her earlier display of bravery. "Getting scared???? You should have thought about it before crossing us." She said word by word while slightly pushing Audrey with her finger at the same time. To prevent an unwanted accident, Audrey swatted the other party's hand away and start putting a safe distance between her and the railings. But the leader did not want to be dismissed and she angrily pulled Audr
Audrey was not sure what happened but the next thing she knew, she was already rocking; as though she was being carried by something. "Am I dreaming?" The girl thought to herself without daring to open her eyes just yet. She clearly remembered falling to her death and it felt so real that Audrey was having a hard time bringing herself to believe that she was still alive. 'But what if this was my afterlife?!' Audrey felt goosebumps crawled on her skin when that idea crossed her mind and when she tried to open her eyes again, the vast sky and the passing cloud were the first things that greeted her sight. Looking around her, she also found out that her body was lying on a pile of hay and she was being carried away by a wagon. The sun was already making its way on the western horizon and the sunset bathed the rest of the sky with a vermillion hue. "Where am I?" That was the next question that popped on her head w
Audrey observed her surroundings, trying to figure out where on Earth she was. As she was looking around and practically surveying the entire horizon as far as her eyes could reach, a feeling of unease was starting to weigh on her chest. It was not that long yet since she woke up from this unfamiliar land but somehow she could not help but feel like something about the whole arrangement just did not sit right. Everything to her just seemed too outlandish at some point. First off, one thing she noticed right away was how the place did not look anywhere near her neighborhood so she wondered how did she even get there in the first place. Truth be told, the place did not look promising at all. If anything, it resembled a creepy forest which was usually portrayed in the horror movies she used to watch; that particular one where some masked man holding an axe or chainsaw would suddenly show itself out from the wilderness and would then start hacking its weapon against whatev
'What in the hell are you crying about, hooman? Are you not happy by the fact that you were saved from the brink of death?' The cat asked back in confusion as he eyed Audrey with a completely bewildered expression. He could not understand what the girl was crying about. "Oh, Catto! You don't have an idea how mess up all these things are for me. I don't know what to do anymore. What is happening to me? All I just want is to graduate and go to college! Meet a hot guy on campus and get a boyfriend. How hard could that be?!" Unable to hold back her pent-up emotions anymore, the little girl started to get honest and spoke her mind. The cat, on the other hand, looked back at the crying girl, unsure of what to do with her. Not long after that, he approached her, and then using his right paw, he tried to wipe away the tears that kept on falling from Audrey's eyes. 'Firstly, don't call me by a weird name. I have a nice name of my own. My name is N
Audrey searched her memory to know exactly where they were at the moment. In her memory, she recalled talking to her cousin, Selene.Selene just like her enjoyed a dandy status in their clan as well. This cousin of hers shared the same preferential treatment from their clan because both two of them came from the young generation with powerful backing.Audrey had her overprotective brother as a general of the kingdom's military force as well as the close peer of the emperor. While Selene was the sole daughter of her parent, who both died as highly decorated soldiers during the war.With that being said, both of her parents were celebrated as the hero of the nation adding more fame and prestige to the Lee clan. It was for that reason why it did not come as a surprise for anyone to know that their grandfather, the clan head doted both of these granddaughters.Selene and Audrey were both candidates for the position of the crown princess as well. As a rule of
When Audrey and her huge cat Nero arrived at the entrance of the Lee clan's courtyard, the sun had already taken a deep dive at the western horizon. The moon which was in the shape of a sickle was now hanging high above the sky and was shining brightly at the dark night. Likewise, countless stars had already littered the vast night sky as though thousand tiny needles had punctured their way through them.Also, the massive cat started to shrink and became as small as a kitten. But given everything that she had witnessed so far ever since she accepted that she transmigrated to another world, Audrey was no longer surprised to see Nero perform a transformation right before her eyes.Audrey was more concerned by the fact that the gate of their residence was tightly closed and there were two muscular men standing guard at its entrance. Left with no choice, she decided to approach one of them."Who are you and what business do you have with the Lee clan? The clan head
As Audrey was left thinking on her own, she also turned silent. Meanwhile, as she was in the midst of deep contemplation, Sabel, on the other hand, observed her young miss and upon paying close attention to the other party, Sabel, saw a completely different Lady Audrey.If there was anyone in the Lee Residence who knew Audrey very well, that would be her handmaiden, Sabel. In fact, it would not be an exagerration if Sabel dare claimed and say that she knew her ladyship more than the head clan ever knew his doted grand daughter. She knew Audrey like the back of her hand because they were no different from bossom buddies. They technically grew up together and if only it was not because of the difference in their status, the two girls would be as good as bestfriends.However, at this point, in Sabel's eyes, it was as though the girl standing before her was not the same Lady Audrey that she used to know and served before.For some reason, she felt like something was off to
"You told me that its the power within your blood that saved me and brought us to this place, how was that possible?""What do you think about this Selene girl?"Out of nowhere, Audrey found hersef inquiring at Nero. She did not intend to start a conversation with a cat, but given the situation that no other than the two of them shared, she was left with no choice but to satiate her curiosity by asking the question to the other party.However, Nero did not give her a reply right away so she no longer expected to get a response from the him. Yet, after a few minutes, perhaps out of boredom she still ended up asking Nero another question. She thought that her question would only fell in deaf ear just like before, but to her surprise, Nero answered her this time."If I were you, I will steer clear of her."Nero deliberately warned the girl."With all this transmigration thing going on, I am prety sure that there was no need f
[Distract them for me.]“Was it not only right for Steffi to get to use to eye whenever she feels like it?? I mean, she is older than the two of you so naturally, she was supposed to have more authority above both of you, no?.”“Ehhh… She’ll be fine. I’m the youngest so they should let me wear it more.” (Meredith)“The kid is right. The eldest should have the eyeball. She is a genius” (Steffi)Steve, on the other hand, seemed to get what Audrey was trying to do, so he said something that would surely add fuel to the fire.“But what about the middle child? I am sure, Ariel wants to have her turn too.&rdqu
“Now, where are we? Right, cooking.”Steffi changed the topic on purpose, before turning to her sisters.“I need the eye to check if it's ready, who has it?”“It’s around here, somewhere,”Meredith replied as she started to rummage through a pile of disorganized drawers. She felt obliged to respond since she was the last one to use the Magus Eye. Unfortunately, she forgot where she left it.“The last time I saw it, you put it in the utensils compartment, Meredith” Steffi insinuated using a lazy tone so the other party rebutted,“Don’t use that tone with my name.”Ariel on the other hand joined in this time to inform them that the eye was nowhere to be seen.“It’s not there this time.”After a while of contemplation, Meredith’s face lit up as she recalled something.“Aha! Steffi always put it in the dish cabinet:”And just like that, she found where her sister was hiding it.Consequently, the group found it interesting to watch how the three sisters could be talkative without having t
“I agree with Ariel. Why don’t we invite them over? This way, we could continue our chat there whilst they take their much-needed rest.” This time, it was Meredith who spoke and she deliberately told her sisters this. Nonetheless, she has spoken the words loud enough to be heard by others. The students, on the other hand, were beyond ecstatic when they overhear the ongoing conversation. But decided that it would be best not to allow their emotion to show on their faces. At this point, Meredith turned to the group and greeted them with a bow. “Let me apologize on my sister’s behalf. The thing is, it has been a while since we had visitors. As such, we are no longer accustomed to receiving guests.” She insinuated before she slowly approached the bunch of bewildered youngsters; careful not to bump her toe as she felt her way through the darkness. Her blindness was made obvious by her action and it made her appear pitiful to any onlooker. Truth be told, the Grae’s current act of displ
“Seriously, when will they stop obsessing over Cercei?”Tsking in annoyance, Steffi stealthily moved her slender fingers next to the Magnus Eye with the full intention of taking it back from her younger sister’s possession.“These people were getting on my nerves!”She purposely added this to appeal to her sisters’ sentiment so that their minds could focus somewhere else and they would not notice it once she started hogging the magic eye all for herself again. Meanwhile, her plan worked, as it always did. Ariel readily agreed to her and with a voice full of despondency, she said,“That’s how the mage community works. They fear what they could not understand and so they are set on destroying anything that they cannot control.”Ariel finished with an exasperated sigh. Meredith, on the other hand, could not help but clenched her fist as she was reminded of their good friend’s plight. Then with her brows knitted together, she roared,“The gal did not deserve all this hatred.”Meanwhile, t
On the flip side, rewinding the clock a tad, just a few minutes before Audrey’s group discovered that they unknowingly fall under a spell, the Graes were already watching them. “The eye! Who has the eye?” Meredith, the youngest, shouted at the top of her lungs. Steffi, on the other hand, stepped away from the giant cauldron before answering. “Over here. I had it with me.” She purposely put a safe distance between her and her two sisters before taking the eye out from her pocket. Afterward, she put the eyeball inside her empty socket. Meanwhile, Ariel, the middle child among the three sisters complained, “You again? You are always snagging our eyes by yourself.” “I know right? Give us a chance as well.” Meredith seconded. But Steffi only rolled her removable eye and mumbled, “Oh, shut up! Stop whining, it's because I have more use of this than the two of you combined.” Ariel no longer argued. But Meredith was different. “Give me that, it is my turn today.” She insinuated and
“But this was done in consideration of what was the lesser evil. News about how the petrifying monster has been terrorizing the Black Forest had already reached the ears of the masses and as a result, was causing mayhem among the people; both non-magic and magic practitioners alike. If it was not for that, the mage community would not make a move.” “Terrorizing, you say.” The Grae mockingly repeated Niccoli’s word that struck her noggin the most. Then with a contemptuous scoff, she added, “What an interesting choice of words considering that it was you, students, who made the first move against her. If you were to ask me, I think it is more accurate to say that it was the other way around. You all are the ones doing the terrorizing. You brought the melee with you and now that she retaliated, you turned her into a villain?” Everyone fell silent afterward but it was not because they were trying to come up with better arguments to refute the other party’s words. Rather, it was due to
Audrey was on her dormitory bed when all that happened, and she was absolutely oblivious to the problem that was headed her way. Meanwhile, the results of the examination were announced on the third day. The students gathered around the square early in the morning and crammed in front of the announcement board to check their results. They also wanted to find out which class they had been allocated to. Niccoli dragged Audrey into the heavily obstructed crowd and finally came before the Herbalist Division’s announcement board. Niccoli immediately found their names, and as expected, both of them had obtained the highest marks for the test. They were also allocated to the Herbalist Division’s violet class for that autumn enrollment. Niccoli was also excited to see the name ‘Andrew’ written on the top of the list. Everyone envied her marks. “Andrew! You are the first! You are the first!” Niccoli was extremely surprised and held onto Audrey’s shoulder. He was very excited, and it was as i
[Alright, I must admit it’s my fault this time. My bad.] “As you should!” Ultimately, Nero acknowledged the part he played in inciting the agitated hut to action. But he also did not forget to let Audrey know that he did not appreciate her tone. [Needless to say, raising your voice is completely unnecessary. Besides, getting mad at me won’t change anything, will it? You’re kind of embarrassing me, just you know.] The cat tried to reason out but with her and her friends’ lives at stake and almost put in danger, Audrey did not back away easily this time. “Oh yeah? Then swear to me that from now on, you will be mindful of your choice of words. We have to be careful with every word we are saying because it was not every time that we got a chance to take it back.” Meanwhile, Nero’s response came shortly. However, it was so brief. Moreover, it did not sound sincere either. [Okay. I promised] So Audrey prompted the cat to state the matter precisely because she did not want him to circ
“What if the Graes already took notice of us as soon as we entered their perimeter and right now, we are under a spell; making our eyes play a trick on us? What if what we are seeing right now is not real?”“Well, if that is the case, then I guess there is only one way to check it.”Audrey insinuated and without wasting another breath, she said the passphrase."Turn your back to the forest, your front to me."Slowly, it dawned on the others as well what was possibly happening and so without waiting to be told what to do, they recited the same thing too."Turn your back to the forest, your front to me."They whispered into the air one after another and almost immediately, the landscape changed into something else, right before their naked eyes.Everyone watched with an awestruck face as the trees turned into fences. At the same time, just a few feet away from where they were standing, they noticed how an empty lot from moments ago started to morph into what seemed to be an inconspicuou