[center][img]https://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/b3RmLjcyLmI3OTlmYS5RWE4wY21Wc2JHVWdUR1Z1Ym05NC4w/white-mellow.regular.png[/img] [img]https://i.imgur.com/9NFPcEK.png[/img] [hr][/center] Astrelle let the hum of conversation fade in and out of her mind. It was more babbling about those TV shows Penny and Dana liked so much, so there wasn’t much for her to contribute. Not like she was allowed to watch a lot of TV as a kid either. At some point, Penny acknowledged her arrival, to which Astrelle merely responded with a subtle nod. [hr] There was a morbid familiarity with being half bedridden for a few days after the procedure, and in a way, it was the most comfortable that Astrelle had felt since her arrival at the school. She could find peace in the comforts of her bedding, something that had always provided her solace in her past. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped at its softness in the bouts of pain that radiated from the foreign lump in her chest. Despite the pain, nausea, and dizziness, it had some success in taking the edge off of the recently acquired airship trauma, and gave her time to adjust to the new environment. As much as she hated to admit it, she had the most difficulty adapting to Nova Lux compared to the other starry-eyed girls—she had been discarded here, not by choice. All these events left Astrelle simmering in a sense of powerlessness, a feeling she hated with the entirety of her being. Though, after some time and rest, it became easier to accept. Astrelle was thankful Nicole was quiet for most of their recovery—not that she was in good shape to talk much either. There was almost some kind of camaraderie between them as they took turns hovering over the toilet, just in case, in their nauseous delirium. Nicole’s presence with their shared misery was not all that bad. [hr] Astrelle couldn’t quite grasp her emotions on the day of their first exercise as Ars Magi. She could feel something tremor within her, a cocktail of anticipation, nervousness, and excitement. In general, it was obvious that her mood had improved since the last time the girls had seen Astrelle, her usual half-smile painted on her lips. She was finally starting to act as she had before, which might have come to a surprise to others who have only seen her moodier days. Nevertheless, Astrelle was eager to ride the high of gaining more power once transformed. A few girls took their turns before her. The materialization of the Void monster held less of an impact the second time, and Astrelle was relieved that she responded alright to its image. There was some lingering fear, but the greater part of herself itched to plunge a blade in the monster’s inky form, as if it would kill previous humiliation. As she watched her companions destroy Void after Void before her, the more her anticipation grew. Her limbs tingled with the built up adrenaline. Then, it was Astrelle’s turn in the pit. The announcements trickled in. “Now lowering diffusion level. Nox levels rising.” Her hand pressed against the jewel in her chest. “Nox levels still rising.” The black mist rolled into the street from the alleys, gathering in a single spot a few meters in front of Astrelle. The fog thickened and rose, becoming more opaque and viscous, like honey. Astrelle’s vision was pinned onto those hazy, shifting forms. Her static-filled brain could focus on little else. But slowly, the wisps of smoke and dripping ooze melted together into humanoid shapes, and suddenly, everything was clear. The static was replaced by a second of calm. In that fleeting moment, a strength coursed through Astrelle’s body, radiating from the center of her chest. Ribbons of shadow emerged from the gem, wrapping Astrelle in a sticky darkness not unlike that which formed the Voids. The way her new uniform hugged her body felt as if she had been born with it, and the weapon that materialized in her grasp, extending in a long arked blade above her head, felt as natural to her as a second dominant hand. The black metal glowed with some kind of ambiance, with smoky tendrils of darkness that trailed behind the movement of the blade. The uncanny familiarity of her gladius was jarring, but the incoming Voids didn’t allow Astrelle to be lost in her thoughts for long. [hider=Parma][img]https://i.imgur.com/balYN3G.png[/img][/hider] [color=b699ff][i]One, two.[/i][/color] She leaped back reactively, and sunk into the shadows on the second step. It was a blessing her spectators could not see the grin that stretched from ear to ear on Astrelle’s face, drunk on the eruption of vitality that ignited her veins. This time, things were going to be different. She had power. A weapon. [i]No[/i], she was going to [i]ensure[/i] that it would be different this time. Her grip tightened around her scythe, Oblivion, and she eradicated what fear still remained in her bones. A soft, manic laughter echoed from the shadows as Astrelle maneuvered within, around the inky enemies. They followed the sound of her voice, changing directions as Astrelle shifted from one shadow to another. After she had enough fun confusing the beasts, Astrelle propelled herself from the shadow, right at the feet of one of the Voids, her blade raised above her head. The momentum that lifted Astrelle and Oblivion from the abyss cleaved the being right up the middle. [color=b699ff]“One down. Two to go.”[/color] The remaining Voids rushed at Astrelle, now that she had emerged from her hiding place. Astrelle hoisted the bar of her scythe above her head to block their downward swings. The weight of their arms hit the rod with a thud, forcing a pressure that made Astrelle’s arms buckle underneath. [color=b699ff]“FUCK!”[/color] Fear crept back into her heart, but she didn’t let it paralyze her. She mustered up the strength to twist her body and swing their attacks to the side, before sinking back into the shadows, into safety. She took a deep breath. She could do this. She was sure. Once the Voids had their backs turned on her, Astrelle resurfaced from the cobblestone with the silence of a summer wind. She ejected herself into the night, and readied her scythe. With a strong spin of her arms and torso, Oblivion’s blade sheared through the Voids’ forms, and their bodies disintegrated into the atmosphere in sandy wisps. Like a puppet with cut strings, Astrelle’s body slumped onto the stone path. [color=b699ff][i]It’s done.[/i][/color]