Chapter 10

I looked down at my hand. Oh yeah. That’s right! This thing. The willow amulet Sifla gave me. She said when it absorbed light from the moon, it made your magic stronger. I was inexplicably drawn toward the fifth tree, where I set both hands on the willow’s thick trunk. Once again, the amulet shone faintly silver. Shimmer, glimmer, gleam. Whoa, the willow branches began getting brighter, too. “Akko? What’s the matter?” I heard Lotte calling out to me, but I couldn’t answer her. Not now. The silver glow grew bigger and bigger, enveloping me from head to toe. And the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by light. Sifla was standing in front of me. “Why are you here?!” “That’s my line, Akko. What are you doing in my room?” “Your room? Wait, no, what are you saying? This is the Country of…” She and I both looked at our amulets simultaneously. So these guys were to blame, huh? “Did you find Feoras and Alan?” “We did, but…um.” I briefly explained what had happened up until now: I told her that Feoras and Alan were the kings of the Cait Sith and Cu Sith, respectively. That they were both undergoing a trial to become the fairy king. That to make that happen, we were trying to revive the sacred trees. That Feoras’s song had given us a hint. I watched as she lowered her eyebrows and pursed her lips, sad and gloomy. “So Feoras is trying to become the fairy king to make the fairies acknowledge me as their guardian?” “Uh, well, I don’t think that’s the only reason, but yeah.” “In that case, if I said I didn’t need to be recognized as one…would he quit the trial and come back home?” “No, you can’t do that!” I yelled reflexively. She widened her eyes. “Akko…?” “You absolutely can’t. If you do that, everything they’ve done so far will be for nothing. Would you be okay with that, Sifla?” “But…there’s nothing else I can do…” Ugh. I was getting more and more irritated with her whining. Like, if you think there’s nothing you can do, then find something else to do! Start with what you can do and go from there! “Listen, Sifla. A little while ago, I dreamed about a girl who looked just like you.” Sifla’s eyes got even bigger with surprise. “She was hugging a cat and dog who’d been fighting and said, if they were going to be with each other anyway, it was better to smile together than hurt each other… You know what? If you’re not gonna do it, I will. I’ll figure out a way to let them laugh together. But, Sifla, listen to me: They’re your precious friends, right? In that case, let’s do something about it together!” I wasn’t sure how she responded. That was because I came to in the next moment. I was back with everybody else… Huh? “What’s wrong, Akko? You touched the willow and then kind of just spaced out.” Worried, Lotte peered into my face. “…I don’t know. But…” I looked down at the willow amulet, which wasn’t glowing anymore. “…I think I’m the witch ‘bathed in moonlight.’” “Huh? Oh, get over yourself, Akko,” Amanda snarked. But I didn’t back down. “I know I’m right… Well, technically, it’s probably Sifla. But she’s not here, so I’ve gotta do it in her place.” “Huh… I wonder what ‘bridging the past’ means.” Beside Lotte’s contemplative face, I spotted an ominous smirk. Oh, yikes! I scooted back—fast. …Seriously, Sucy, what’s your problem? What’s that sweet smile of yours for? “Lucky you, Akko. It’s finally your turn.” “…What do you mean?” “Drink.” “Huh?” “I said drink this.” Sucy thrust a flask of questionable liquid at me. “It’s a potion with powdered hawthorn in it.” “Why me?! I don’t wanna! I mean, I obviously don’t wanna! Who would?!” “You promised.” “What?” “You promised you’d be my guinea pig.” “Uhhhhhhhh, well, yeah, I did, but—now?!” “Now.” Sucy wouldn’t budge. When did she make this stuff anyway?! “You said you wouldn’t complain.” “I did. I did, but… But!” Honestly, if she’d given me hawthorn juice, I would have drunk it—gladly! But the liquid in the flask was purple and bubbling in a gloppy, gross way. I couldn’t possibly just gulp down something like that! “How in the world did you make something that looks this dangerous?!” “I may have added a few things from my collection.” “That means it’s poisonous, doesn’t it?!” “Not necessarily. As I keep telling you, poison and medicine are two sides of the same coin.” “You can’t really expect me to put something that scary into my mouth!” I lit into her. “First of all! Why do I have to be the one to drink this anyway?!” “Well, the one after the willow tree is the hawthorn tree.” I complained and persisted, but Sucy was dead set on her decision. “You know, they say fairies live in the hawthorn tree, and memories of the past flow through the heart of its trunk. This potion has hawthorn in it, so if you drink it, you may be able to bridge the fairies’ past or whatever.” Sucy’s indifferent explanation was weirdly persuasive. I-if what she was saying was true, then drinking it would be worth a try, but—! “Is there any guarantee I’ll be all right?” “At the very least, nothing in there will kill you.” “That’s not what I’m asking…!” “Akko. Are you trying to break a promise?” Sucy leaned in, looming over me. “Do you think it’s all right for witches to break their contracts?” “Contracts? It wasn’t that big—” “You also said you’re the one going next. You’re gonna be useful, aren’t you?” “Guh, guh-guh-guh-guh-guh.” Ugh. I knew I shouldn’t have made that promise! I snatched that flask from Sucy! “I just have to drink it, right?! Fine! A woman never goes back on her word!” “That’s it. That’s the spirit.” As Sucy cheered apathetically, I glared at the flask. Wow… The longer I looked at this stuff, the sketchier it seemed… Hey, wait a second. Just now, just for a second, did I see bubbles in the shape of a skull?! It was no good. The more I looked at it, the more I wanted to run away. I squeezed my eyes shut and pinched my nose. Then I opened my mouth wide and poured the contents of the flask into it, all at once. Now that I was drinking it, it actually tasted pretty go— “Ugh-ga-gi-go-ge-gi-gah!” Yuck, that was really nasty! It was way more awful than that earlier stuff! And it was so bitter, too! With an unearthly scream, I fell over backward for the second time. “A-Akko?!” With Lotte’s panicked voice echoing in my ears, my consciousness dimmed. Ahhh… What a short life… When I came to my senses again, I was standing in darkness once more. I knew it. This dream again. On impulse, I looked for her…and there she was. The girl, the cat, and the dog: The three of them were cuddled together, happy and contented. You see, magic exists to make everyone smile. Her silver hair was so transparent, it practically melted into the light of a full moon, and her large eyes shone the same silver. Wow. She really did look like Sifla. Did you know? They say falling stars make wishes come true. But I wouldn’t be strong enough to call down a falling star for each wish of every fairy on the hill—not on my own. The cat meowed, calling out to her. The dog woofed softly, begging for attention. The three of us will rule the hill together in harmony. She smiled, hugging the two animals closer to her, one on each side. The cats will bring freedom, the dogs loyalty, and the witches the power to protect. As long as the three of us combine our strength, we’ll preserve peace on this hill. They both snorted in agreement. Together, the three of us are one fairy king. It won’t work if even one of us is missing… All right? It’s a promise. Gradually, the three silhouettes faded in front of me. No! I impulsively stretched out my hand. “Wait! Are you…?!” I couldn’t reach them—not with my voice or with my outstretched hand. Quietly and slowly, I drifted away from the darkness. I opened my eyes. I’d been crying. “What’s the matter, Akko? What happened?!” “Ungh…” I sat up, rubbing my eyes. My back was in a whole lotta pain from falling over so many times. The girl in my dream was Sifla. I didn’t have any proof, but I instinctively knew. There was no doubt about it. “Listen, I had a dream. About Sifla.” Alan twitched at the sound of her name and raised his heavy eyelids, waking up from his nap. I kinda had a feeling he was faking it, though. Feoras also tossed a dubious look in my direction. “It wasn’t the current Sifla, though. She was probably…the first Sifla. I bet the cat and dog were your ancestors, too.” I told them everything about my dreams, starting with the first one, with as many details as I could remember. As Feoras and Alan listened, their expressions clouded over. “Hey, are you sure the fairy king is just one person? Weren’t you actually supposed to work together right from the start?” I asked. “…It really is odd, isn’t it?” said Alan as he sat up. “It was a spur-of-the-moment idea to have you all help, but everything so far would’ve been impossible for the Sith to do by ourselves. It’s almost as if borrowing the power of a witch is required.” He gave an uncharacteristically thoughtful frown. “We’ve always been told the point of this trial was to determine whether the Cait Sith or Cu Sith was best suited to rule the hill…but maybe it isn’t. What do you say, Feoras?” He didn’t respond. Oh no. I had a sinking feeling that maybe Sifla should’ve been here with them. Right from the very beginning, she was the one supposed to help them, not us. Softly, I laid a hand over the amulet on my wrist. “Akko. Look…” Lotte tugged at my sleeve, and I turned around. The willow and hawthorn trees were enveloped in a warm glow. At long last, six of the trees had revived.