“Since when did you know you were a witch?” Ethan asked as he walked hand in hand with Chloe inside the dungeon. 𝗈𝒱𝗅xt.𝗰𝓞𝐌
“Since I was twelve,” Chloe replied. “Do you remember that kidnapping incident a few years ago?”
“The one when you and a few of your friends were kidnapped when you were on a field trip?”
“Yes. That one.”
Chloe stopped walking, which made Ethan look at her with concern.
“I don’t know if I was lucky or unlucky to be involved in that incident,” Chloe stated as she recalled what happened in the past. “One moment we were laughing together, the next we were knocked unconscious by a spell. When we regained our consciousness, we were all tied up in a warehouse with dozens of other children, who were around the same age as me.
“We tried to scream, and call for help, but for some reason, no sounds came out of our lips. All of us had been silenced, and the only thing we could do was cry.”
Chloe paused as she looked down on the ground under her feet, as if making sure that her hands and feet were no longer bound by ropes. A minute later, she continued her tale.
“While everyone, including me, were crying our hearts out, we heard loud explosions outside the warehouse. It was very chaotic back then. There was shouting, there was cursing, and there were explosions. Perhaps, due to how intense the battle was, a stray spell hit the warehouse, creating a spark that ignited a blaze.
“Since we were tied up, there was no place we could go. Back then, I felt so sad that I would not be able to see my parents again… I was sad because I would not be able to see you again.”
Chloe looked at Ethan who was still holding her hand and smiled faintly.
“It’s strange. Even though I should have been worrying about myself, the only thing that was on my mind was seeing my family’s and your sad faces. Perhaps, I was more afraid of that than dying.”
Chloe then sighed as she looked down on the ground. “When the fire was about to engulf us all, I felt something stir inside me.”
The young lady then raised her wand and twirled it in front of her, creating a ball of flame, which almost made Ethan jump back in shock.
The fireball then opened up like a flower in full bloom, and from inside it emerged a little golden fox that was only half-a-foot-tall.
“That is when I met Kon,” Chloe smiled as she lightly patted the golden fox, which seemed to enjoy being petted by her Master. “She saved us from the flames, and gave the Wizards and Witches enough time to save us all. That was how I discovered I was a witch.”
The young lady then held Ethan’s gaze as she asked him the question that was on her mind.
“How about you? Since when did you know you were a Wizard?” Chloe asked. “You’re even chosen as one of the Pillars. Did someone vouch for you?”
The blue-haired boy couldn’t help but scratch his head as he looked at his cousin, who was more like a childhood friend to him.
“It’s complicated,” Ethan replied. “I mean. Do I even count as a Wizard? I’m one of those Duds, right?”
“Yes, you are a Dud, but that’s fine.” Chloe smiled. ‘If you weren’t a Dud then we wouldn’t be here together right now, so I guess it’s a good thing.’
Ethan didn’t know what Chloe was thinking because he was busy trying to make an excuse for how he ended up in Brynhildr Academy. For some reason, something was preventing him from telling the truth, which made him frustrated.
While the blue-haired boy was busy thinking of what to say next, something moved at the corner of Chloe’s vision, which made the latter become pale.
“Watch out!” Chloe shouted as she pushed Ethan towards the wall of the dungeon.
Before the blue-haired boy could even process what just happened, a human-like creature with rotting flesh, went past him.
“I-Ignis Fulmine!” Chloe stuttered as she hastily pointed her wand at the zombie, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere to attack them.
A Fire Bolt that was as big as a tennis ball erupted from the tip of the wand and hit the ground a meter away from the zombie.
Chloe’s hand was shaking, so she wasn’t able to aim properly. Clearly, she wasn’t proficient in casting spells in order to protect herself.
Fortunately, the little golden fox, Kon, was there. Chloe’s Guardian immediately spat a small Fire Bolt at the zombie, hitting its chest, making it take a step back.
The smell of burnt flesh permeated in the surroundings. However, the zombie seemed oblivious to the damage it received. Instead of writing in pain, it lunged at Chloe, making the latter scream.
At that moment, a pitchfork smashed against the side of the zombie’s face, severing its head completely from its body.
Ethan didn’t pause, and followed up with another strike. This time he aimed for the zombie’s chest, which sent it flying.
“I-Is it dead?” Chloe asked as she grabbed onto Ethan’s robe, while looking at the unmoving body on the ground.
Instead of answering her, Ethan stabbed the zombie’s head on the ground beside his feet with his pitchfork, making it turn into particles of green light.
The body of the zombie also disappeared, which made Chloe sigh in relief.
“There are a lot of things we need to talk about, but let’s find the exit first,” Ethan said as he gazed at the dimly lit path in front of them. “Stay close to me. I’ll protect you.”
“Okay,” Chloe said as she removed her hands from the blue-haired boy’s robe.
Her heart was beating wildly inside her chest, and she didn’t know if this was due to the zombie attack, or because of how cool Ethan looked right now.
‘No, it is I who should be protecting Ethan, not the other way around,’ Chloe thought as she lightly patted her chest in order to regain her composure. ‘Between the two of us, he is the one who doesn’t have any magic. It should be me protecting him, and not the other way around.’
She then gripped her wand tightly as if it was a sword, ready to strike anything that blocked their path.
Perhaps, sensing that she had already recovered her calm, Ethan gave Chloe a look of assurance and told her about a strategy that they could use as they looked for the exit.
“The name of this Golden Fox of yours is Kon, right?” Ethan asked. “Can you ask her if she can sense the presence of nearby monsters?”
“No need to ask her,” Chloe replied. “I know she can.”
Ethan nodded in understanding. “Then in that case, tell her to inform us if there are any monsters nearby as we look for the exit. If we see a monster, we will try to avoid fighting it. If we can’t avoid fighting it, you will use your Fire Bolt to attack it from a distance. Once it gets near us, I will intercept it. Make sure not to cast any spells when it is close or you might accidentally hit me, okay?”
“Understood,” Chloe gave Ethan a brief nod in order to inform him that she understood the strategy very well.
“Good, let’s go,” Ethan said as he walked in front of Chloe holding the pitchfork firmly in his hand.
He had often dealt with wild animals like coyotes and foxes, who tried to infiltrate their farm to kill their chicken, and sheep, so he was used to fighting with a pitchfork.
Also, his grandmother had taught him a form of martial arts that could be used when holding pitchforks, staff, and spears.
The blue-haired boy couldn’t count the number of times when he was beaten black and blue by his grandma, while being taught how to defend himself.
‘I guess all that training paid off in the end,’ Ethan mused as he acted as Chloe’s guard while looking for the exit of the dungeon. ‘I just hope we find that exit soon. This place is giving me the creeps.’
Unknown to the blue-haired teenager, dozens of eyes were watching his every move. All of them wanted to know what the only Dud to have joined this year, was capable of doing.