Sophie’s shoulders slumped; she seemed almost stunned by my remark. I always enjoyed our banter.
“All right, I’ll leave you to do your thing.”
I gave White-Owl a signal, and he flapped his wings, ascending into the sky.
The parade was about to get physical. I constructed white orbs of magic, which I released into the sky, each orb harboring multicolored magic. I dropped a big batch of them, and from atop the clock tower, Sophie let loose a magical arrow that struck true.
And then the real magic happened—a flower of light blossomed in the festive night sky. It let fly multiple beams of bright, beautiful light that flashed across the heavens. The vivid burst of light triggered the surrounding orbs I’d dropped, setting off a chain reaction that quickly filled the air.
I was almost captivated by the incredible result of my own show, but I didn’t have time to get distracted—I needed to get the next batch ready. Without a second to spare, I made more orbs, sent Sophie our signal, she fired her arrow, and the sky lit up once more.
We did this without rest, keeping the sky illuminated with brilliant blooms. White-Owl flew through the air, and I made magical orbs as quickly as I could.
One hundred, two hundred…at some point, I lost count. I could feel myself getting a sort of runner’s high from how lively it was. It was certainly far more than I’d ever made during practice, but for some reason, I didn’t feel tired at all, and I could also feel that I was pushing myself further than I’d ever gone.
The end, however, always comes abruptly.
I didn’t know how many fireworks we sent up, but out of nowhere, my consciousness began to falter. My vision blurred, and I was seeing double. I had used too much magic.
It all happened much quicker than I ever could’ve imagined. I didn’t have time to try and fight it or even push through it. I fell to one knee, which sank deep into White-Owl’s feathers.
Sophie has been using magic all night and still has a spring in her step, but I can barely hold on. I just hope Wuf and Marie saw our fireworks…
Just when I felt my vision going black and I was about to pass out, I could feel someone prop me up.
It was my teacher.
“I must admit, you did well, Meg.”
“Teacher? Why are you here…?”
“I wouldn’t be able to call myself a teacher if I wasn’t at least aware of my pupil’s condition.”
So you saw this coming. Nothing ever gets by you, huh?
“Are you going to take over…?
“Of course not. Tonight is your night.”
After my teacher said this, she held up her hand as if to give a signal, and I noticed Sophie answer with a nod. Despite being barely conscious, I could tell there was a strange magical reaction surging throughout Sophie’s entire body.
“She’ll take care of the rest for you.”
I felt like Sophie heard my teacher say this.
Because then it happened.
The magic Sophie harbored burst out of her, filling the sky in its entirety all at once. And it just kept coming—each burst bigger and louder than before.
“Whoa…”
“You should watch this, Meg. This is Sophie’s true power. You were able to release five thousand of your own fireworks. Sophie will take care of the remaining twenty-five thousand.”
“Ha-ha… You Seven Sages don’t disappoint…”
The field of blossoming fireworks reminded me of the shows from past years.
“It’s strange, Teacher… I was able to create way more fireworks…than when we…practiced. I had way…more power…than I normally do…”
Something about what I said made my teacher pleased, because she smiled before speaking.
“Magic is strongest when it carries the feelings from your heart,” she said before taking her eyes off me and looking down. “See for yourself.” She propped me up to look down, and in an instant, I knew exactly what she meant.
There stood Wuf and Marie, watching the fireworks together—watching us. Wuf had his hood down, which told me he was able to come out of his shell and show his true self to Marie.
And Marie accepted him for it.
“I’m glad they could meet up… You know, Teacher…magic exists to make people happy, doesn’t it?”
“Of course. That’s why we witches are here.”
As she said this, I realized something else.
Sophie, who usually wore a stony expression, was looking our way with a big smile on her face.
And I reciprocated her infectious smile by smiling back.
And this was how the Celebration of Worlds came to an end.
“The town and I owe you so much!”
Mayor Carter came to visit the manor the day after the festival, and as soon as the door opened, he bowed his head and said, “This has been one of Lapis’s most successful festivals ever, and it was all thanks to you, Sophie! With all the extra media coverage, I’m willing to bet we’ll have a big festival next year, too!”
“That’s nice.”
“I agree. I was worried about how things would turn out this year when I was injured, but I’m really glad you pulled through for us.”
“Lady Faust is right…”
Mayor Carter said this before turning his gaze to me.
“So, uh, what exactly is wrong with Meg?”
While the three chatted, I was lying on the living room sofa. My body was all jiggly and wobbly like it was made of slime, and I was completely limp. I had barely any life in me.
My teacher and Sophie calmly looked over at me as they sipped their tea.
“That is what happens when a witch uses more magic than she can handle. She made the same mistake during the portal ceremony, too. Sometimes, it’s hard to believe she’s my pupil.”
“Spberry is a bit slow. That’s why she repeats the same mistakes.”
“Waaah! I can’t mooove!”
“Ah-ha-ha… It looks like she’s having a bit of trouble.”
When this happened during the portal ceremony, I got away with a nosebleed and some dizziness, but this time was completely different. Evidently, depending on what magic you used, the symptoms of overexerting yourself changed. Talk about a pain.
While I lay on the sofa lifeless and limp, Sophie came over and started poking my forehead.
“Stop that…”
“This is fun,” she said before pinching and stretching my cheeks.
“Staaahp!”
“There’s nothing more entertaining than teasing someone who can’t fight back.”
“Stop, please! Miss! Waaah! Teacher, help me!”
“Hopefully this will be a lesson in mana management.”
My teacher left me with this and turned her attention back to the mayor.
“So, Mayor. May I ask what brings you here today?”
“Huh? Oh, well, I just wanted to thank you personally for yesterday…”
“I know it’s not only that. They call me the Eternal Witch for a reason, you know.”
“Ah… All right, all right. I’ve brought some guests with me who wish to see you.”
Guests? The sudden conversation caught both my and Sophie’s attention.
Mayor Carter then called over to the front door, “You may come in now.”
It was quiet for a moment, but then two figures appeared at the front door.
“Wuf… What are you doing here…?”
I spoke without thinking, but his presence caught me completely off guard. After all, the portal was already closed, and people not of this world should’ve returned to their own homes by now.
“Hello…young witch.”
“We’re sorry for barging in like this.”
I was completely confused, but the mayor came forward, taking out a piece of paper from his jacket pocket. It wasn’t just any paper, but one made of animal hide…parchment made of sheep, to be specific.
“I’d like to inform you that these two submitted an application to our Special Affairs Division…”
“So it’s a contract? That’s rare, in this day in age.”
A contract.
Sophie and I both heard my teacher say it, and we began to speculate.
At the end of the Celebration of Worlds, anyone who wasn’t of this world was sent back to their own. If they didn’t return via the portal, their body would slowly disappear over the next few days, and they would cease to exist.
People not of this world weren’t supposed to exist here—they were irregular. This was why when the portal that tethered them here disappeared, the laws of this world…would soon begin to reject their existence.
A person whose existence wasn’t accepted by the world was fated to disappear. It happened slowly, their presence growing unclear, until they simply ceased to be there at all. The person would live on, though, as a ghostly form of themself. There wouldn’t be a way for them to interact with anything tangible, and they would eventually starve to death or, if that wouldn’t kill them, wander the world as a ghost for eternity.