To Fly the Soaring Tides

Cheers erupted as Cira was caught in the arms of her many peers. Looking around in shock, she was tossed back into the air.

"She did it!" One man cried, embroiled in everyone's laughter.

They eventually let her down, and a set of tables had already been cleared off and scooted together. Bottles of wine and their accompanying glasses emerged from the scholars' sleeves and in minutes a celebration was already underway. Cira was irked that the Archive deprived her of that last book, but the result was pleasing nonetheless.

Well, it wasn't nine days, but I still have my dad beat by a wide margin. I suppose I deserve this celebration.

And celebrate Cira did. Acquiring her first mark was a huge step. She could finally return to the archive, plunge its depths, and learn whatever presented itself. The Archive itself, whatever the hell it was, had officially deemed her a scholar.

By the time the moon was high above, Cira had already started dozing off. Three more barrels of ale sat empty, and the village was quiet.

"Good morning." Cira's eyes shot open to find Eliza's face uncomfortably close. "How many classes do you intend to skip?"

She had to squint the sun out of her waking eyes, "Forgive me, Eliza. I was too preoccupied getting my first mark!"

Cira rose in faint exuberance but was immediately buried in the collective shushes of those she left behind.

"Be quiet!" One man whispered louder than any whisper Cira had ever heard, "Why are you still here? Stop hindering my pursuit."

Yikes. I remember that man with a mug of ale in each hand last night. So quick to turn around here… No—I'm at fault this morning. I would have grown infuriated if someone broke my concentration as I was reading Gier's final moments.

Eliza leaned in and gave her a knowing glance, "Shall we take this conversation to the spring?"

"Let's." Cira smiled at the thought of her upcoming change in scenery. Springs were always so pleasant and this one she recalled was a good one.

Curiosity about the second trial overtook her mind as their surroundings changed. Eliza stood on a tall rock in the center of the tidepool, but Cira felt gravity's pull. The grin on her instructor's face told her what was going on, but Cira simply landed on the water as if it were solid.

"Sorry I missed class. It was just a really good book." Cira shrugged.

"I understand, but know that you would be expelled by now if you were enrolled like any of the other students. You'll already find it difficult enough to keep up as we moved onto planar theory yesterday." Eliza didn't seem upset, but just wanted Cira to know how it was. "Do whatever you wish, but expect me to check on you again if I don't see you in class tomorrow."

"Fair enough. What is the second trial anyway—" Eliza deftly vanished. "Alright then…"

Cira was left alone to investigate the spring for herself. Although she wasn't really alone. Many prying eyes watched her, only looking away when she made eye contact. This was everyone currently taking the second trial. A solid fifty of them give or take, some swimming, some just kicking their legs in the water from a flat section of shore. A few here and there were actually manipulating the water with mana. They made shapes or practiced changing its form. A young couple was using magic to just splash the water around at each other.

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Alright then… Maybe I should just dive right in.

Cira hadn't gone for a good swim in ages. Rather, she propelled herself like a magic missile whilst submerged for at least the last few years.

Wait… Can I still swim? It's not something you forget, right?

Cira was about to undo the sorcery and allow herself to drop in when she noticed the spring start to gurgle with cerulean radiance. Soon a woman formed from water emerged, looking straight at her. It was terrifying how quickly she closed the distance.

"Cira." The undine said, "I must speak with you."

"Okay… Destria, right?" She responded with suspicious eyes, "Go on, then. You have my ear."

What Cira heard was absolutely not what she expected. As the undine kept going, Cira grew progressively uneasy until she was downright pissed. At a point she had to cut the undine off.

"Is Lazulei alright?!" Nothing made her more frustrated than learning that her trap had failed, but it somehow did not surprise her. Perhaps it was recent gains in wisdom or not, but she was profoundly disappointed in herself. Then to think Nanri's mom would try to consume her daughter was a fear she never thought she would have to fear.

"I have barely started recounting events. Your daughter is fine, so please let me continue." This undine was not quite as personable as her friend, Undina, and seemed to want to get to the point.

Cira sat back and listened, fist clenching at regular intervals. Not only did that witch try to devour her daughter, but Undina as well! Her friend barely survived, clinging to silver sand steeped in her own curse.

"So… my daughter is on Paradise currently?" Trying to calm down, Cira just needed to confirm she was safe.

"I presume, yes, unless she left already. But I suggest you place greater urgency upon your irresponsible release of that curse into this world." The undine had a point. Cira did not expect the Silver Witch to be a primordial curse wielder too, and the last thing she expected was that she would try to steal Cira's for her own. "Tell me. Which is the one you wield?"

Cira blinked, completely dry for an answer. She had nothing. Ordinarily she was the first one to name something when the opportunity arose, but she thought it wasn't the right time yet. While her proficiency with the curse had made decent strides, her comprehension of it was still lacking.

She felt Chrysalis' name when it came to her, but one had yet to appear for the curse which burned fate.

"I honestly couldn't tell you. This curse is yet a mystery to me." She did not like to hear that little capsules of her curse were sent adrift through the sky, but it was infinitely better than the Silver Witch having it in her hands. "I have to go—I need to check on Lazulei!"

Cira went to teleport away in a flash of lightning, but found herself dreadfully incapacitated. She couldn't draw on her aura. A blanket of pressure fell on her in the blink of an eye.

"Not so fast." Cira hadn't been aura-locked in ages. Not since the last time her dad put her on time-out. "The situation is resolved. Calm yourself. Leaving now would be a waste of time and effort. Are you not here for a reason?"

The undine had a point, so Cira took a deep breath and thought about it for a moment.

I'm here because some people I scammed told me I should come. But… I could be on my way up the Boreal by now.

It started off as a spat of rebellion. She didn't want to listen to her dead dad, though he expected her here all the same. Still, she stayed. There were things Cira wanted to accomplish before she left, and much to learn. Backtracking here simply wouldn't happen, so once she left that was it.

"Fine… I suppose I do have unfinished business on Icarus." I guess it could be nice to see everyone before I head for Porta Bora though. I hope Lazulei is still there when I make it. "But I'm going to need you to tell me what this second trial is."

"It's simple." The undine melted into the pool, "You must comprehend this spring."