Chapter Text
** AUTHOR'S NOTE (PLEASE READ):
Hello everyone! Welcome to my new story, The Bliss of Ignorance! Whether you came from my one shot, one of my other stories, or you simply found this by chance, I welcome you all the same!
Before we get started, I wanted to go ahead and preface a few things in case this is the first time you've read something of mine.
1) Updates may at times be consistent, while at other times they may not be. I'm a full time English student at my university, so at times, my real life can consume my drive to write. However , don't let that discourage you! I already have a lot of this story planned out, and I am completely dedicated to ensuring that my story gets told in its entirety! Thus, I don't want to set anything in stone in terms of daily uploads...but expect to have at least one update in the span of two weeks? Probably more than that, but that's worse case scenario for me.
2) Since the fandom for this show is slightly younger than the last fandom I wrote for, I've decided to limit the amount of curse words I'll use throughout the story. (Sorry for those who were fans of my last story and the colorful language there haha) However, this isn't to say that there won't be times where it'll be necessary for the story I'm trying to tell (I'll give fair warning in those chapters if language is a bit more mature). Be warned that this story will also have pretty mature themes. (The specific trigger warnings are under the description for the story)
3) Before you ask... no . There will be nothing in this story that will be even remotely sexual. Even with the characters being aged up in this story, I still don't think it's okay to have that kind of content in this kind of a ship. I write my stories to give characters of a show/game a new light. My passion is the story telling aspect of fanfics, not the pandering to any weird fantasies of audiences out there.
4) Here's a guide for how to read my stories:
- Words in bold and in apostrophes (ex: 'Like this!') represents the inner thoughts of Luz. (Since this story is following her journey.)
- Words that are italicized (ex: Like this!) represent emphasis. So, if there's a word that needs to be emphasized within a sentence or a dialouge piece, it'll be italicized!
- Words in quotations (ex: "Like this!") represent dialogue! I feel the need to say this, since words in quotations and words in apostrophes look kind of similar.
That's about it for introductions! I promise future author's notes won't nearly be this long. I hope you enjoy this story, and feel free to leave your thoughts down below! I love being able to interact with the people who read my chapters!
PS: If you've never read a story of mine, here's a bit of advice: Read carefully. Things that happen later on in the story may or may not be hinted at before they happen. I'm a huge fan of foreshadowing and having big reveals... ;)
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'This dream...it's happening again.'
The caws of distant birds echoing through the forest could be heard as trees of varying types continued to rustle in the wind. The sunlight beaming from above seemed to be the only source of light in this wooded area, which was even censored itself, due to the thick leaves that hovered in the air. While there wasn't a completely distinct smell lingering, there was no denying the underlying scent of oak and dew that colluded together.
A blanket of light fog hovered over the ground, with certain spots occasionally spiraling due to the inconsistent gusts of wind. Strangely, besides the birds that could be heard from all angles, there didn't seem to be any other signs of life around.
Well, besides the voice that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"How high do you think a griffin can fly? Sure, birds can soar above the clouds with ease. But, do you think a lion with a bird head and some wings strapped to it could do the same?"
The voice wasn't anything unusual for this place. Nothing was, really.
After all, none of it was even real.
"Why does it even matter? They're not real. No point in pondering the nonexistent."
A moment of silence passed, as the wind continued to pick up stray leaves from the tree. However, as with any moment of serenity, eventually, the moment was broken with a response.
"If it's not real, then why does it have a name? Why do people know what it looks like? Even if something doesn't physically exist, does that make it any less real than something that does?"
"Our attention should be more focused on what we can see. Not on what we can't. Reality is concrete. Imaginary beasts of legend are fickle."
"Hmm...if you say so...Luz."
And just like that, reality came into fruition once more. Like always.
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"Miha, wake up! You don't want to leave a bad first impression on your first day, do you?" A voice called from below, startling Luz out of the deep slumber she had found herself in.
Slowly arising from her mattress, Luz looked to her left to see that the sun was indeed up in the sky, much to her dismay.
School.
A prison for both the body and mind. Body, because you had to physically be there in order to get any sort of credit. Mind, because unlike what school loved to advertise to clueless parents and guardians, there was no aspect of school that inspired any sort of creativity or originality.
Each class functions on the idea of structure. Teachers prepare each student for standardized tests, which change constantly from their ineffectiveness. Their lesson plans are predetermined, and most of the time, are lackluster in terms of being even remotely interesting. All that really matters to the school is ensuring kids don't screw up their public academic reputations.
Even in the social aspect of school, each clique and friend group functions by being structured based on an individual's interests and personality. There are the jocks, the preps, the nerds, the theatre enthusiasts, and other cliché social groups.
If you don't fit into the academic structure of school, or the social structure: You become damned to a life of failure and isolation.
For Luz, this concept wasn't something that came to her naturally. In fact, until two years ago, it wasn't even anything she had ever considered. However, every child's imaginative phase eventually fades away.
If not, it can always be taken away by force if need be.
Getting out from underneath the warmth of her sheets, Luz stretched her arms out as she looked at her disgruntled figure in her mirror. Her short hair looked fresh out of her bed, while her t-shirt hung slightly off of her shoulder.
As she began to run her hands through her hair to shape it properly, Luz opened up her closet to select her outfit for the day. After all, as her mother had just reminded her, today wasn't any ordinary day for the Noceda family.
The reason for such an occurrence started roughly a week ago when Luz received a peculiar letter in the mail that she would have never expected to receive.
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It was like any typical Monday afternoon in the Noceda household. Luz was about a week away from starting her junior year of high school, and Luz's mother Camilia had just arrived home from her shift.
However, with a rather professionally sealed letter in her hand, Camilia was about two seconds away from discussing information that would change Luz's life in an unexpected way.
"A letter of acceptance? For a full ride to Hexside? Miha, where did this come from?" Luz's mother asked, showcasing an expression of both shock and excitement.
Looking up from the sudoku puzzle she was finishing up, Luz raised her eyebrow as she seemed to be equally as puzzled. "I mean, before school got let out last year, my English teacher pushed that I apply for that Hexside lottery that was popular a while ago. I didn't think much of it. I mean, why of all people would I win it?"
Hexside: A preparatory school for the prestigiously gifted. It was a renowned school that was known for its success rates in producing the next generation of impactful human beings. The criteria for being accepted in was extremely high, essentially only letting in the most genius of children in different fields of study. Well, besides the attendees that were able to get in with enough money to pay tuition.
However, most likely due to the backlash received over the years from not allowing normal students to attend the school, Hexside did something that had never been done in its nearly two hundred years of functionality: A nationwide raffle.
An active student between the ages of 10-17 was allowed to send in one submission that gave a bit of background information, as well as context for the overall academic success they had thus far.
From those profile submissions, students would be selected and entered into a large raffle pool, where a single student would be given the opportunity to attend Hexside.
For a while on the news, this occurrence was a big deal. It was said that some of the nation's top leaders in politics, technology, and the working class were produced by this single school. The reasons behind such success stories are mostly unknown, due to Hexside's ability to keep its activities hidden away from the public eye.
Either way, having an average student attend the school was simply unheard of. Hence why the anticipation to see which child was going to be selected became a huge deal.
However, things changed after it was revealed by Hexside's principal that the lucky student would not be revealed to the press or the public. Instead, the student would be confidentially told through the medium of a single letter.
And that letter was now in the hands of Camilla Nodeca.
"I can't believe it...my baby is going to be attending the top school in the nation. Luz! Aren't you excited? A new school, a new opportunity to-"
"When did I ever say I wanted to go? I know I submitted an application, but that was mostly because my teacher wouldn't shut up about it until I did. I have no interest in attending such a regal place such as Hexside." Luz interrupted, in a rather monotone manner.
"Baby...I understand your hesitation. Going to a new place can be intimidating. However, don't you think this would be a good thing for you?"
"Me? Being scared of going to a new and unknown place? I wonder where those hesitations came from." Luz responded, as she grabbed her sudoku book and began to make her way back to her room.
"You know that if I could take back sending you there, I would. I've apologized a countless amount of times, even though I know words can't take back what happened. When will you be able to forgive me and move on? You won't even talk to me about it, yet you use it as a weapon to distance yourself from me and the rest of the world. I think going to a place like Hexside would be a good environment change for you, Luz."
Stopping with one foot on the bottom step of the stairs, Luz clenched further onto her book as memories of the past began to fade in and out of her subconscious. And not particularly good ones, at that.
"I know I made a mistake once in trusting an institution to help you out, but I feel as though this is completely different from back then. Please, Miha? I...miss seeing you smile. Seeing you laugh. Being here clearly isn't making you any better, but maybe being in a place filled with people with positive influences could break you out of your shell? If not for yourself...could you at least try for me?" Camilia cried out, in a seemingly desperate attempt to get an ounce of guilt out of Luz.
However, what she received in response from Luz wasn't fueled by the guilt that Camilia was hoping for. Rather, it was out of sheer annoyance for having such a useless conversation.
"Fine. I'll go if that's what you want, mother."
With that simple reply, Luz continued her trek upstairs, leaving her clearly distraught mother below to relieve the regret that had affected her since that moment two years ago.
It didn't bother Luz, however, how her words had made her mother feel. After all, the cold shoulder that she was showing her mother was not even comparatively as bad as the despair that had been produced from that summer.
Not even in the slightest.
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"Good morning, sleepyhead! The car is all packed up with your stuff, so all you need to do is double check your room for anything you might have forgotten. I'll be waiting in the car, but no need to rush! I gave us an extra thirty minutes of travel time in case traffic gets bad." Camilia yelled out, as she grabbed her cardigan and car keys.
Grabbing one last bag near the front door, Camilia swooped it up in her hand, before going through the front door and shutting it behind her.
Letting out a sigh, Luz looked around as she didn't feel the need to rush. Since she wasn't exactly sure when it was she'd be able to return back home.
Not that home had anything worth returning to.
Heading back upstairs, Luz inspected every corner of her room to ensure that she had packed up everything she wanted. However, in the corner of her eye, a certain pile of books had grabbed her attention that she most certainly would've regretted leaving.
The Good Witch Azura, volumes one through five.
While a lot of "childish" and "useless" things had become unimportant to Luz after that summer, one thing that had stayed important in Luz's life, was her favorite book series of all time.
Written by Glithy Tibam, The Azura series tells the tale of a witch named Azura, as she travels through a magical world filled with magic and mystical charm. Luz had discovered the series when she was only 13 and had fallen in love with it ever since. In fact, her infatuation with the series could probably be even seen by some as an obsession.
This perhaps explained how she was able to keep her passion for it, even after losing any motivation for anything that wasn't realistic and normal.
"I can't believe I almost forgot about you. I guess double-checking isn't completely useless after all." Luz cynically told herself, as she shoveled the books into her hands.
Taking one last look around the nearly bare room, Luz furrowed her brows as her conflicting emotions made her slightly uncomfortable. Turning her back against her lifelong bedroom, Luz used her feet to prop open the door, before pushing her body against the door to shut it for the last time in what would be a while.
Taking in one last breath of the essence of her house, Luz's face remained emotionless as she made her way to the minivan that contained her stuff and her mother that now regretted telling Luz to take her time.
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After being on the road for an excruciatingly long eight hours, the Nocedas eventually arrived at the front gates of Hexside. How they were able to make it there in one piece with Camilia's hectic driving abilities, was beyond Luz's comprehension.
Regardless, after having their car successfully identified, the obnoxiously pristine front gates opened up for the car, allowing them to enter the property that only a select few were allowed to witness at all.
Unsurprisingly to Luz, the road leading up the ginormous institution was paved with one of the nicest roads that the ten-year-old minivan had ever been able to ride on. To each side of the road, there was a plethora of different vegetative lives that Luz probably only knew a handful of the names of. The overly uppity nature of just the ride to the building alone was enough to make Luz cringe with discomfort.
Why was someone of her averageness even allowed to come here?
She was never exceptionally smart at any subject in school.
Being super athletic or musically gifted wasn't her thing either.
What part of her application stood out to Hexside to even put her in the raffle in the first place?
The answers to her questions were left unanswered, as she eventually found herself sitting right in front of the school. Unbuckling from her seat, Luz took no time to get out as her legs were aching from being crammed in for that long.
As the two girls began to unload the car, Luz could hear the sound of wheels turning as a group of suited men approached them.
"Miss Luz Noceda? We're here to load up your things. Since your mother will not be allowed inside. It will only take a moment, so feel free to wait while we move everything."
Receiving a surprising reaction in response, Camilia could feel herself starting to fume, as the bell hop's words seemed to not sit well with her.
"What do you mean I can't go inside? Do you expect my daughter to get unpacked by herself?"
"Of course not, miss. It's a policy that only workers and students themselves are allowed inside the institution. However, we have a team of student specialists who will help your daughter settle into her room. Also, it looks as though we have everything loaded up, so whenever she's ready, we can head inside to start moving in. We'll be waiting by the front, miss Noceda." One of the bellhops explained, in a surprisingly calm manner.
Taking the carts filled with bags and suitcases, the group of workers pulled Luz's things along, leaving the two girls alone once more.
Looking at her mom, Luz could see that tears were beginning to well up in her eyes. Whether that be out of sadness or sudden regret, Camilia took no time to swoop her daughter into her arms.
"My little girl...while it hurts to see you go, I also believe that this is the best opportunity that could have been given to you. Please remember to text me every once and a while, and also...try to give this place a chance. I know that you have struggled with your emotions these last couple of years, but give it your all to let yourself open up to others, okay? Te amo, mi amor."
Placing a soft kiss on Luz's forehead, Camilia waved one last time to her daughter, as she woefully got herself back in her car. Watching as she eventually drove back the way they had come in, Luz couldn't find it in her to feel any sort of sadness watching her leave.
In fact, she struggled to feel emotion at all.
Turning around, Luz began to make her way up the steps of Hexside, eventually catching up to the bellhops waiting for her. As she took one last look behind her, Luz could see a flock of birds in the distant sky as they headed in the opposite direction of the school.
'Yeah...I think a Griffin could fly. Even if it's not real. I mean, it has wings, doesn't it?'
Walking through the doors that were being opened for her, Luz was able to officially take in her first breath of air for her new school and place of residency.
It would become the place where she would make her first real friends.
The place where she would finally learn to cope with her past.
The place where she would figure out her true passions in life.
The place where she would meet her.
While her time at Hexside would be remarkably short in the grand scheme of her entire life, the time that she would be there for would have the biggest impact on her out of any other time period in Luz's life.
Even if she didn't know it yet.