Chapter Text
A mighty lion roar echoed in the Spelldrive stadium as the other team had been blown off by a clever thought counterattack. Leona had sprinted towards the other side of the camp and managed to score a point for his team, securing the victory.
"That's it" the beastman stretched his sore muscles "Enough with training today"
He heard clapping from the stands, that soft batting of fingers on a palm could only belong to the Naga Student of his dorm: Kalyan Vishvaas.
To everyone's confusion, since he admitted he didn't like sports that frenetic, he had started to follow the training almost every day.
Leona didn't mind having an audience, his pride could always use some stroking from time to time.
"I thought you didn't like this kind of sports."
"You're still my dorm mates and you the Housewarden, can't I cheer for you?" Kalyan answered with his usual suave and cocky smile. The long tail draped over the sandy ground, shifting and twitching.
"Too bad you're still technically a freshman. You could put your eye trick to some good use." Leona smirked "And you're fast, your plant spells are quite strong..."
Vishvaas rose up "Thanks for the offer but I'll have to decline for now" his smile turned into a sly smirk as he leaned closer "Maybe when I will be Housewarden, I'll think about it"
Leona snorted, grinning "As I said, in your dreams, Snake"
"You'll have to graduate, sssssoner or later, Lion~"
"Get a room, you two" Ruggie interrupted the conversation with a fake retching, his tongue sticking out and two fingers just before his grimacing open mouth.
"EXCUSE ME?!?"
Both the Beastman and the Naga gave Ruggie a death glare.
"Could you move your flirting somewhere else?" The Hyena shuddered "You're giving me nausea"
The other two stared in outrage, growling and hissing with anger.
"We are not flirting!" They said in unison, then glanced at each other, blinking a couple times.
Ruggie just rolled his eyes and raised his hands "I'm outta here before I feel sick"
Too bad Kalyan's scaly appendage wrapped around his ankle and lifted him upside down, dangling him like a ragdoll.
"EEEP!" Ruggie yelped, staring then into the Naga's swirling eyes and handsome face twisted into a feral smile, immediately getting stiff all over with a blank expression.
"Housssssewarden, pick whatever you like."
Leona grinned "Have him run thirty laps with the Happy Zombie face."
"My pleasssssure~" Kalyan's smirk stretched wide "You heard the boss, Ruggie. Thirty laps around the stadium. And please, give us a sssssmile~"
Ruggie's blank face turned into the silly, signature hypnotized smile and started running in circles while the two others contemplated the scene in smug amusement.
"I hafta say that eye thing is indeed useful" Leona crossed his arms with a cocked eyebrow.
"Tsss-sss-sss~ I know. Glad you recognized that" Kalyan hummed between hissy giggles in response.
The other students turned away and left the stadium. They didn't want to end up like Ruggie but they weren't buying that at all. Since Leona had decided to drop his nephew in the Serpent's care, whenever he visited, they had started to talk more often and do that friendly bickering like before.
Leona was always himself, he just... talked more openly with the Naga, without this one’s hypnosis.
"If you don't mind" the leader stretched "I'm taking a nap"
"And I have an appointment with one of my patients" Kalyan slithered away from the stadium and easily rose to climb up the dorm's wall and enter his room directly from the window.
Leona had witnessed all of it, his gaze lingering on the strong tail slipping inside and him picking up a cookie to munch on while waiting for whoever would come knocking on his door. The beastman was snapped back to reality soon enough and headed to his room to rest from the intense training.
Kalyan, in the meantime, had taken a glance at the Lion's walking frame in the meantime, from the fluffy ears to the black fur on the tail tip. He remembered they felt good to touch, but that was when he was consumed by delusion of omnipotence during the Overblot...
And when he slept on his tail a few days later.
Knock knock
"SSS...Ah! Coming, coming!"
Kalyan opened the door, welcoming a Scarabia boy inside that needed some little therapy due to stress, always happy to help.
"This is the payment..." He left a box of dates on the desk, and then pulled out a letter "And this is from Kalim"
"Oh? Oh, well then. I'll read it later, get comfortable and let's begin the session."
As always, he recited the spell and did some breathing exercises with the other student while his eyes were swirling slowly and giving enough magic to soothe but not put in a trance like with Ruggie before.
"Better?" He said once the spirals disappeared from both's eyes, the boy thanked him with a smile, feeling his mind much lighter and more eased from all the worries he had.
"Yep, thanks again, see you in class!"
"Bye bye!" Kalyan waved his tail tip while his clawed hands took a couple dates and plopped them in his mouth. Then he read the content of the letter carefully
Hi Kaly!
Tomorrow, the Headmage will announce the annual Starsending event, and we of the Pop Music Club have a great idea for the ceremony. Please join me, Lilia and Cater after Crowley's speech, pleeeeeeeaaase it's important!
Kalim
"Sssstarsending?" Kalyan scratched his head with the tail tip. He didn't know about this... Well, he didn't know about many things, having lived as a nomad for over a century and missed a lot of progress and traditions in the world. But It did pique his interest and was curious about what Kalim and the others were planning.
(...)
The next day, just as the letter said, Crowley has gathered all Students in the Lecture Room. Kalyan sat on the back, wondering about what this occasion consisted of.
"Goodmorning, everyone!" The Headmage chimed with a smile "I've brought you here to inform you of an event we host each year in our school. I know that many know it already, but i want to remind you how marvelous this occasion is!"
With a snap of his fingers, Crowley summoned a sort of illusion of a bright night sky.
"There's a legend about an old toymaker who lived all alone. He didn't have a wife or a child, so he had decided to pour all of his soul and feelings into a puppet he carved, built and painted all by himself."
Oh, an emotional tale. This one was unknown to him; he didn't recall his parents telling this one.
"The night he finished the puppet" continued the Headmage "The toymaker gazed upon the star filled night sky and spotted one that shone more than the others... He wished his creation would become alive."
With a theatrical gesture, Crowley raised his arms up in the air "And a miracle happened! The same night, the doll became a child, for the Star had granted his wish."
Aw, that was really heartwarming and nice to hear, Kalyan thought. He would tell it to his parents when he'd visit them.
"I already picked two other Students who shall be Stargazer based on astrological signs that hadn’t been picked in a while, to be fair” Crowley clapped his hands "Only one remains. Any volunteers?"
A first-year boy raised his hand "What should we do?"
The masked man smiled a little "Each Stargazer will have to gather what we call The Wishing Star from all the students on campus and decorate the Ancient Tree outside of the school."
He explained they were special crystals that would light up when a wish was made, and if lucky enough, it would come true once sent up to the stars.
The boy and all the rest of the students blinked; another one raised his hand "Do we get credits for this?"
"Uhm... Not exactly" Crowley chuckled sheepishly.
"Nnnnope!"
Collecting crystals from 200-something students? Absolutely not.
Crowley sighed; every year the same story.
His gloved fingers snapped, and a list appeared.
"Hmmm..." The Headmage pondered "It's been a while since we haven't had someone of the Aries sign."
He smiled under the black beak of his mask, having found the perfect candidate for the job.
"The third Stargazer is..."
Everyone was praying not to be chosen.
"... Kalyan Vishvaas! Born on March 24!"
"SSSS??" Kalyan gulped and stood up "Well, it’s an honor, b-but I..."
Crowley smiled knowingly "There's a performance after the sending" he knew the Naga loved to perform, aside being a diligent student who wouldn't slack. And judging by the reptilian eyes shimmering, it worked.
"Well, in that case..." Kalyan cleared his throat "Who shall be my assistants in this celebration?"
"You shall be assisted by Mister Hunt and Mister Al-Asim" he knew he had a great relationship with those two young ones, it would only make him feel more at ease. And, after all, it was about time the Naga would be included in the school's events.
Ah, how kind of a man he was!
"Actually, Kalim Al-Asim is the only one who volunteered, giving that we were looking for someone from the Cancer Sign... Oh well!"
Kalyan mentally cheered, they were two of his closest friends among the students and he was more than happy to do this job with them. Could have been much worse...
Like Sebek Zigvolt... The Naga shuddered at the thought of having to work with that rabid Prince Malleus fanboy.
"Fine by me, when do we start?"
"Tomorrow, Mister Vishvaas. You should consult your schoolmates now, and you will receive the Stargazer garments in your room soon."
The Serpent smiled and bowed his head and while the other students went to their respective dorms, he headed to where the Pop Music Club members gathered for their usual funtimes.
Kalim was the first to run towards and drag him inside with an ear-to-ear wide grin.
There wasn't only Lilia and Cater, Rook and Vil were present too. Good, all people he liked to hang out with.
"Kalyyyy!!! I'm so happy you got chosen! It's gonna be much easier now!" The noble giggled with excitement while Kalyan shifted his legs in his tail to sit on.
" 'Sup Lim, let me guess. It's for the performance, right?"
"Yup!"
Lilia happily floated to the Naga, telling him the tradition of playing and sending the Wishing Stars up in the sky, two would make a dance and the third would play a special drum called a taiko.
"Oh... sounds nice!”
"Actually..." Cater made a little forced smile "The neatest part is the Stars going up, the rest is kinda... Errr-"
"... Dull?" Kalyan leaned on one side, the tail tip swaying idly as he listened.
"Yes and no" the Heartslabyul boy explaied "We just think the Sending Ceremony needs a little renovation.”
Last year's event had sparked a big inspiration among the most artistic and fun-loving students. They wanted it to be even more memorable than the last one.
"The Headmage wants to keep things traditional" Lilia sighed while turning upside down. While the Fae was all but a young boy, he had a young soul and he wanted this Star Sending to be as beautiful as the last one, with all the Stars shining brighter than ever.
"And that's when Monsieur Serpent Charmant comes in to save the day!" Rook theatrically announced.
"With your voice, some Cosmic Magic effects and a nice background music, all the school will be present!" The huntsman boy clapped "We will make a show so magnifique all the College will attend!"
"Not to mention" Kalim interrupted "You could make the crowd go wild with a little bit of your Unique Magic. Enough to create euphoria"
Kalyan blinked, carefully thinking about what they were planning. It was a risky move and they all could be punished...
Also, Trust In Me was a powerful spell but he couldn't hypnotize so many people at once without tiring himself. He didn’t want to get a migraine!
"We ssspecifically have to play those drums for the Stars to ascend, with a specific melody...?"
Vil nodded "Yes, it's the dance and the song" however, the renowned actor smiled slyly "Nobody said anything about a adding a background instrumental song that could work with it and some other dance moves."
"You ssssly little thing, you~" the Naga chuckled, thumbing up. What a thrill! They would be following the ceremony rules but with a twist, who knew Vil Schoenheit and Cater Diamond would come up with such meticulously crafted plan to not be busted nor punished.
"Well then!" Lilia chimed "Tomorrow, Kalyan, Rook and Kalim will begin their gathering of the Stars. You choose how you want to split the job. Me, Cater and Vil will do some brainstorming."
"Sounds good to me!" The noble giggled and clapped with excitement, they were twisting the rules a little, but they had the good chances to make a magnificent show to be remembered.
"OK, how do we split our gathering?" Rook tried to do some mathematics to divide the duties equally. They decided they would gather two dorms each and then they'd work together for Diasomnia and Ramshackle.
"I'll do Scarabia and Heartslabyul"
"Pomefiore and Ignihyde pour moi"
"Guesssss I'll take Sssavanaclaw and..." His eyes swirled for a second as he smiled wide "Octavinelle"
For two reasons.
First, he wanted to wrestle Floyd. Second, he could ask Azul for a little help in boosting up his magic.
He already knew what to do in return, no contract required.
“I know a way to use my Magic without getting a headache, my friendsss” He rubbed the clawed hands with an excited fanged grin.
“Really??” Kalim was bursting with curiosity, but the Serpent signed no with his index finger.
“Ah-ah-ah!” He sing-songed “It’s a sssecret, you’ll see!”
He couldn’t wait to put everything into practice.