Chapter Text
Yuri often thought that the cosmos must be angry with her, whatever she may have been or done in a previous life.
Even though, technically, it was impossible. She couldn't have done anything wrong in any of her hypothetical past lives, since faes didn't have the ability to reincarnate. They were all aware of this. They were born, lived for many decades, even centuries for the most powerful among them. Then they died. That’s it.
Anyway, even if she had actually lived in another life, Yuri could not have been a bad person. She was too... wise. Too cautious. Her friends used to make fun of her all the time because they thought she was too uptight.
Yuri didn't care. Being careful was survival. That was why she had a list of very simple rules, very easy to follow, that kept her away from accidents, troubles, and hassles of any kind.
The most important rule was to avoid the creatures of darkness at all costs.
These were the opposite of what Yuri was, and unfortunately for the young fae, there were far too many of them at Nomore Academy.
And so, we were back to Yuri's existential problem and her frustration with the cosmos, which seemed determined to put creatures of darkness in her path. While she tried to avoid them like the plague.
Honestly, it was exhausting. They were everywhere: in every square metre of every room of this school, in every corridor, at almost every table in the cafeteria. There weren't even as many creatures of light as creatures of darkness; the latter outnumbered the former by at least five to one. It wasn't fair.
Yuri was a creature of light. She was about to complete her fourth year at Nomore Academy, the most prestigious magic school in the world. Located in England, just outside of London, the academy was hidden from human eyes by a vast forest and intricate webs of magic. Creatures of all species came from the four corners of the planet, and sometimes even from other worlds, to receive a privileged and rigorous education. This was the case for Yuri, as well as for all the fae in this school. They all came from Tethys, a magical and wonderful world, very much linked to nature. Half of this world was submerged under immense expanses of salt water; it was the refuge of the mermaids. They were wild and dangerous, and they rarely left their natural habitat. Yuri had never seen one, and there were none at Nomore Academy. She only knew, from pictures in books, that the world below was as beautiful as the terrestrial landscapes of Tethys.
The only creatures of light in the academy were fae and aengels. The aengels were gentle and kind-hearted by nature and were calm and well-liked by almost everyone. They never caused trouble and were all very committed to their studies and to the community formed by the students of Nomore. The faes, on the other hand, were generally a bit more frivolous. Far from being the most restless students, they could often be heard giggling at the corner of a corridor. They often hid in the shade of one of the laboratories reserved for them, or in their large greenhouse, where plants of all colours and shapes straight from their world were grown.
Then there were the witches. Mostly girls, there were very few wizards in their community. Although the witches wore the white and navy blue uniforms of the creatures of light, it would be more appropriate to say that they were on the border between the two categories. Some, like Jihyo, were examples of perfection, the epitome of the model student. All the teachers loved her, and everyone knew that she actively followed the rules of the academy. Other witches like Yeri, Jihyo's cousin... well, they preferred to flirt with the dark side. Even though Yeri was apparently very nice, Yuri preferred to stay far away from her. That girl was a real magnet for trouble.
Finally, there were the creatures of darkness. The worst of them all. Vile, dangerous, manipulative, and bloodthirsty beings. They followed no rules, had no respect for anyone. Yuri hated them above all else. Vampires, shifters, Wendigos... they were all more horrible than each other. On top of that, they totally freaked Yuri out.
Seriously, which normal person wouldn't tremble at someone who ate human meat?
Well, Hyewon, Minju and Sakura didn't. Sometimes Yuri wondered if she should hate her friends.
Hyewon, Minju and Sakura were a year older than her, and were faes too. More precisely, summer faes, just like Yuri was. Their specie was divided into four categories, each category being associated with a season. There was spring, summer, autumn, and winter faes. Each fae was born from a flower bud; spring and summer being the flowering seasons for most flowers, faes born in these two seasons were the most numerous. Spring faes were the weakest and did not really possess any powers beyond those shared by all faes (such as communicating with plants, drawing energy from nature...). The summer faes, on the other hand, could perform a few tricks. They were naturally attracted to anything that glowed and could produce sparks and fireworks themselves.
Autumn faes were rarer. There were a small handful at Nomore Academy. Their talent lay mainly in the making of complex potions. They were very talented and could make just about anything. They were very useful, and many creatures of all species often came to them for help.
Finally, the winter faes were the rarest. Only one or two were born every century. It was said that they could do anything, and that their powers were limited only by their imagination. The headmistress of Nomore Academy was a winter fae, and all the students feared her power as much as they respected her.
May was coming to its end. The solstice was approaching, and soon it would be the turn of the summer faes to bloom. Like their spring sisters before them, a flower would appear right in the middle of their backs, in the hollow of their shoulder blades, and would bloom until the next equinox, which would then mark the flowering of the autumn faes. They were just flowers, an extension of their bodies, but many students thought they looked like wings. Yuri could understand the confusion; for some faes the blooming was absolutely beautiful.
Standing in front of her mirror, still half-naked, Yuri unscrewed her neck to try to catch a glimpse of the bud that was gradually sprouting in her back, while she groped gently with her right hand. It was from this bud that, in a few weeks, a flower would emerge. For the moment, the growth was barely bigger than a marble. It would continue to grow until it was the size of a large grapefruit. Soon, the contact of the clothes against the pimple would become very unbearable, and she would have to swap her usual uniform for her summer uniform. And it would be even worse when her flower will appear.
Yuri couldn't help but glance jealously at her friends. Each fae represented a flower, the one whose bud had sheltered the foetus. In general, new-borns were named after their flower. In Fae, Yuri meant 'nasturtium'. A tiny, orange flower. Cute, but hardly compared to those of her friends.
All were as sublime as their flower. Minju's flower, a tall blonde with an absolutely unreal face, was a Plumeria, a type of frangipani flower. When summer came, Minju's back was covered with large, multi-coloured petals, which shifted to absolutely beautiful shades of white, orange and pink. Hyewon, on the other hand, was a beautiful water lily flower. With her pure features and long, almost white, blonde hair, she looked like a heavenly creature.
For Sakura, her name spoke for itself. She had inherited her flower, a beautiful cherry blossom, long, shiny pink hair. Coupled with her large doe eyes, pale skin, pink lips and delicate looks, she looked like a doll.
Yuri, on the other hand, found herself cruelly banal. With her short-cropped dark blonde hair, her short stature, and her cheeks that she considered too puffy, she looked like a gnome. Even her flower, a bright orange one that almost assaulted the eyes, looked pale in comparison to her friends.
Hyewon, Minju and Sakura were popular. Very popular. Everyone knew them. Not only because of their great beauty and their very girly side, but also because they presided almost every year over the committees of all the Nomore Academy parties organized by the faes. And these parties were always a success, especially when it came to the decorations.
No wonder, the three of them were actually discussing the Summer Solstice Prom, which was to take place in just a few weeks. Or rather, Hyewon and Minju were talking about clothes, while Sakura was quietly watering her tame bonsai.
"We need dresses first," Minju hammered as she wriggled into her uniform. "Beautiful dresses, so beautiful they'll make your eyes hurt. It's the centerpiece of this whole evening!"
"Calm down, we still have a month to go before the Solstice," Hyewon chuckled. "We'll have plenty of time to buy those dresses.
"Actually, there's less than a month left. And we're only allowed out of the Academy once a week, it's a disaster! Okay, we need a plan of attack. We'll have to get these dresses backless. This will be our blooming day, we just can't squeeze our flowers under layers of clothing. Then we'll need colour. Festive colours. Or maybe... black dresses, with coloured gems. Exactly! What do you think, Yuri?"
The girl blinked, surprised to be included in the conversation. She had never shared this excitement for the big events they prepared every year. Honestly, she didn't even know why their friends went to all this trouble.
"I don't know," she admitted, blushing. "I was planning to spend the evening at the lab, the exams are coming up and..."
At these words, Minju turned around in a huff, looking scandalized. Yuri stopped talking. Facing her, Hyewon closed her eyes, and Sakura looked up from her precious bonsai.
Uh-oh. From the look on her friends' faces, they didn't seem to like her little idea...
"Oh no," Minju said indignantly, pointing at her. "Jo Yuri, I strictly forbid you to do that again. Stop voluntarily isolating yourself, you deserve to have fun at this party as much as we do, if not more than anyone else! You've been working like crazy all semester, cut yourself some slack!"
"You promised us that the four of us would go every Solstice and Equinox," Hyewon said with a pout.
"Minju and Hyewon are right. We won't have as much fun if you're not there," Sakura added.
Yuri opened her mouth, but no sound came out. How could she make her popular, party-loving friends understand that all these proms, being surrounded by so many people, made her uncomfortable? Besides, there were sure to be creatures of darkness. These deviants were always the first to do a mess.
And boy, did Yuri hate creatures of darkness!
Fortunately, she was saved by the school bell which rang at the same time, indicating the start of classes for the day. As she did not have class during the first period, she still had an hour to go to class, unlike her three friends.
"Damn, we're going to be late!" Sakura panicked.
Minju squinted in Yuri's direction. As Hyewon and Sakura grabbed their bags, Minju once again held out her finger towards Yuri, looking threatening. "We're not done, Yuri! We'll talk about it later, but trust me, you're going to that dance, even if I have to pull you in by the petals myself!"