Velvet Abyss

Mari squinted her eyes against the bright morning sun she was groggy and suffering with the most wretched migraine, taking a moment to adjust her eyes she found herself a room she didn’t recognize. It was a sprawling room with enormous glass windows running along one side of the wall.

A row of empty beds ran along side her and the opposing wall, she quickly figured out where she was, she was the infirmary or whatever the equivalent was in this world. Propping her back up against her soft fluffy pillow Mari exhaled and stretched.

“Good Morning, Mari.” A saccharine voice greeted her.

“Morning” She groaned.

Miss Calliope entered the room twirling her short cotton candy hair and popping her lips, she was by far the greatest enigma of this academy. She plopped herself down on the end of the bed and produced two red lollipops offering one to Mari who reluctantly accepted the offer.

“You have a thousand questions, so just relax and i’ll answer most of them.”

“The last I remember I was skewered by Daphne’s spear, I lost consciousness, What happened? Are Lili and the others okay?”

“Relatively Speaking, Yes.”

“What do you mean relatively?”

“What you’re about to here will be difficult but please don’t work yourself up?”

“No promises, I’ll try though, now tell me.”

Miss Calliope elaborated on everything that happened that morning, how my squad mates rushed to heal my and save my life. How Maya thought valorously to a premature victory against Daphne.

“Devils Magic?”

“Yes Daphne was able to use power magic to kill..”

“Your entire squad and Maya.”

“It started with Madoka she crushed the poor girls skull, she than tore Aeolus heart out, she decapitated Maya but the worst was poor Lilith she...”

“Don’t stop tell me what she did.” Mari clenched her fist.

“Well she...Gouged her eyes out and than stomped her till it caved in.”

“Argh!” Mari slammed her fist against wall cracking it.

“Your rage is justified but don’t break the academy”

“Besides there all alive thanks to….”

“Thanks to this magnificent bastard.”

Yoshiki entered with his usual confidence and swagger he was wearing a uniform with a black jacket and white shirt and brown slacks, he seemed to be none to pleased about the change of attire.

“Where you stalking us?”

“No our wise Headmistress had me tail you.”

“Don’t feel special though, Vali was tailing the other group, whose mission was also a smashing success by the way.”

“Why’d you dye your hair, it’s a bad look for you.”

“Just tear the bandage of Yoshiki.” Calliope said

“I plan to tell the whole class later but I wanted you to the be the first student to know, seeing how you’ve been the most directly affected.”

“What are you trying to say, Yoshiki?”

“I’ve been lying, no hiding this entire time, let me introduce myself again, only no lies this time.”

Mari had started to put the pieces of the puzzle together but she didn’t want her hunch to be true.

“My name is Hideto Hyogo, Former First Prince of the Hyogo Kingdom, the prince of turncoats, lover of fine men and the strongest mage in all of Ascar”

It was strange her fear had just been confirmed but she couldn’t muster any semblance of anger, she had always wondered about his tragic and mysterious backstory but never in her wildest dreams did she think he’d be an exiled prince.”

“I hate you.” Mari scoffed

“That’s the typical response, oh well.”

“You’re a solid 7 out of 10 and that’s me being generous, you need to check that ego buddy.”

“So you’re not going to try attack me?”

“You’re the reason I’m on this path, you saved my friends, how could I hate you, I mean don’t get it wrong you’re an arrogant twat but I don’t hate you.”

“Good now that the no killing is established i’ll leave you two alone, I need to go an interrogate our cherished prisoner.”

“Daphne won’t tell you anything though will she?”

“Calliope has ways of extracting answers just leave it her.”

“What’ll become of that creature when her brains been picked.”

“Well ordinarily she’d stand trial and face a formal execution, but given the circumstances Emperor Soren has left her fate in your hands.”

“Well ain’t that just delightful.” Mari smiled.