Chapter Text
“Mr. Izuku, tell us everything.”
Upon arriving at the hospital wing, Izuku is given a quick scan by Nurse Ofelia. Once she determined that he had no physical injuries or ailments, she banished the blood from Izuku’s body and turns her immediate attention towards the three unconscious witches.
Faragonda returns Izuku to his regular form, his wings disappearing as his suit reappears.
The attention is now on him, from both Faragonda and Griffin, his friends and the Specialists.
“I had a stomach-ache during the dance,” Izuku begins, “so I went to the bathroom. But when I came out, I suddenly found myself outside on the grounds. Those three witches,” he points to the unconscious trio, “suddenly attacked me, and I would have been done for if I hadn’t unlocked my fairy powers.”
“Why did they attack you?” Faragonda asks, as Griffin becomes rather stern.
“I don’t know, although I think this was revenge for foiling their plan to sabotage Red Fountain and Cloud Tower’s gifts. They cursed the magical eggs to release snake-rats when opened. Bloom can attest to that.”
“Yes, I went to the bathroom before Izuku, and I chanced upon the three of them putting the curse on the gifts,” Bloom asserts, “The six of us used the curse-reversion charm to cancel the curse.”
“But why would they commit such heinous acts, even on their own peers?” Faragonda wonders.
“It’s merely a distraction,” Stella says, “They wanted to steal my ring. In fact, the reason why they attacked us in Magix last night is for the same reason.”
Faragonda now looks incredibly grim.
“Faragonda, I mean no insult to your students, but how do we know that they are telling the truth?” Griffin asks.
“That’s because they are indeed telling the truth,” the Alfea headmistress replies, “As we arrived here in the hospital wing, I placed a compulsion charm around the room we’re in. It forces everyone to tell the truth. No lies are able to be uttered while the charm is in effect.”
Griffin looks absolutely stormy now, “Very well, I will have to deal with those three once they come around.” At this moment, Nurse Ofelia approaches the group. Griffin turns to her, “How are they?”
“I had to use multiple blood replenishing potions,” Ofelia reveals, “But they are on the path to recovery.”
Griffin nods firmly, “I will have them transported back to Cloud Tower at the earliest convenience. If you will excuse me, Faragonda, I need to inform my other students that we are leaving.”
“Take care, Griffin,” Faragonda replies.
The Cloud Tower headmistress departs from the hospital wing, while Ofelia goes to prepare the three unconscious witches for magical transportation.
“Now, I’m sure after all that excitement, you must be tired,” Faragonda addresses her students, “The party is over. You may head back to your dormitory.”
“Yes, Ms. Faragonda,” comes the reply.
Izuku, however, is still not done, “Ms. Faragonda, am I in trouble for almost killing those three witches?”
“No, Mr. Izuku, you’re not in trouble,” the headmistress replies reassuringly, “You acted in self-defence against hostile acts. However, I wish to speak with you privately tomorrow after breakfast. I will inform Professor Travaran to excuse you for the duration that you are with me.”
Izuku nods, and follows his friends out of the hospital wing. Before he gets through the door, a heavy hand falls gently on his shoulder. Marcel gives him a gentle smile, “You’ll be fine.”
Izuku allows a small grin, “Thanks, Marcel.”
He really hopes so.
With the new day, breakfast comes and goes. Izuku follows Faragonda to her office, and the pair sit down to pick up the conversation from the night before.
“Before we proceed, I want to reiterate that you are not in trouble, Mr. Izuku,” Faragonda begins, “However, I will appreciate it if you remain truthful in your answers.”
“Yes, Ms. Faragonda.”
“Splendid, now to address the elephant in the room. While I commend you for unlocking your fairy form, it was a terrifying sight to see you telekinetically pulling the blood out of those three witches. Tell me, were you consciously doing that?”
Izuku remembers the sight of blood staining his hands, “No, at least, I don’t think so. All I remember is getting trapped in a glacier by one of the witches. After that, my vision went red, and I think I…dissociated? Like, I wasn’t in complete control of my body anymore. The red haze only disappeared when I heard you shout, Ms. Faragonda. Only then, did I notice the blood all over me.”
Faragonda nods, “I see. So I take it that you were never aware that you have this blood-bending power, even when you manifested your magic for the first time?”
Izuku shakes his head, “Never.”
The headmistress remains silent for several moments, deep in thought.
“Ms. Faragonda, where do you think this power comes from? I thought my magic is water-based?” Izuku wonders.
“I can think of a few theories that might explain this blood-bending power,” Faragonda replies, “The first theory is that this power is tied to your core affinity. Blood, like water, is a liquid; so it is possible that it is a secondary aspect of your magic that only activates when certain emotions take over, particularly anger or fear. The second theory is that this power is tied to past trauma that you currently can’t remember. Unfortunately, this theory is purely speculative, since I presume that your amnesia has not improved?”
Izuku shakes his head, confirming Faragonda’s words.
“That being said, if we are to assume that this blood-bending power is borne from anger or fear, it is imperative that we take precautionary measures to mitigate the chances of such power rearing itself again. For the sake of everyone’s safety, including yourself, we should focus on helping you to regulate your emotions, so that anger or fear does not overwhelm you and causes you to accidentally pull someone’s blood out of their body.”
“You mean like therapy?”
“Therapy is one option. Although I have a second, more hands-on approach that I hope you will consider.”
“What is it?”
“While you are a student of Alfea, first and foremost, a student’s curriculum is not entirely restricted to Alfea,” Faragonda reveals, “We have students in the past and present who travel to Red Fountain and Cloud Tower for extra-curricular lessons based on their core affinity and preferences. In your case, I will highly recommend that you take combat lessons in Red Fountain as an outlet to release any negative emotions that could otherwise overwhelm you. You will get to learn new skills, and keep fit at the same time. A triple win, I should say.”
Izuku, in all honesty, has no qualms against such an arrangement, “If we are to go with that option, is there anything I have to do?”
“You need not worry, Mr. Izuku,” Faragonda smiles, “I will handle all the logistics and paperwork. I just need your consent before we proceed with anything.”
“Then, I accept,” Izuku replies immediately, “I don’t want to hurt anyone, especially Bloom and my friends.”
“Excellent,” Faragonda’s smile grows bigger, “I will contact Red Fountain straight away. Additionally, I will also hire a therapist who will spend weekly sessions with you in order to help better regulate your emotions.”
“Thank you so much, Ms. Faragonda, this means a lot to me.”
“Oh, no trouble, Mr. Izuku. Your well-being is equally important. Now, you better get going, you don’t want to miss your next lesson, after all.”
Izuku gets up, bows, and quickly departs from the office. As he hurries to Professor Dufour’s literary spellcasting class, he thinks about the time he will soon spend at Red Fountain. A different school, with different experiences. It all sounds incredibly exciting, especially since he will be in the same grounds as Marcel.
He thinks back to last night, when the dark-skinned specialist smiled at him. Marcel, despite his intimidating aura, has a calming air around him when the situation calls for it. And, Izuku thinks a smiling Marcel looks even more attractive than his default stoicism.
He hopes he gets to experience being on the receiving end of a smile again soon.
To Be Continued.