XIV · An Ocean of Hypocrites

Mass release: 9/25

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"So, I'm more of a freak than I thought, great, just, awesome." What the hell? How can you tell that? What do you mean they created it?

["You are not ready!"] They said together.

She frowned, "Don't come at me with that again. Where's the oh-we-are-bound-you-are-our-witch-and-we-are-your-familiars shit now? Hiding shit from me won't take you anywhere. Not ready," she scoffed, "how am I not ready?"

"Ready for what?" Dior asked.

"My question exactly. They are not helpful," growling, she turned to Ruby, who had taken about 10 steps away from her, staring at her as if she was a beast. Fuck. I'm not cut am I? Emerald quickly jumped to her feet, panicking, looking at her own body, and when she saw no wound, she let out a deep breath of relief. "My familiars said something about the crystals not being able to measure my full magic and some shit. I asked them about it, but they refused to tell me. They always refuse to tell me shit, it's more than infuriating. So, what happened?"

"That's impossible!" Ruby hissed almost angry. "The crystals were made to measure the magic of all the seven kins of witchlings, millennials ago. They are made to relate to it, no matter the amount of magic. What did you do? How did you break them? How?"

Emerald instantly tensed up, unconsciously taking a step towards Dior, who was just as tense. I am not part of any of the seven kins of witches, dumbass, that's how. "Who made the crystals? Was it one of the seven? Are you sure about it being able measure all magic?"

Ruby steeled up, "They were crafted by two kins gone for good."

"Star and death witchlings," her father spoke, and she avoided his eyes and his entire being with full strength.

"Hah," she mocked. "They don't exist, it's a legend!" This is hard.

"Emerald," Dior and Saoirse whispered, bringing her to them, and when Saoirse's eyes went to where Simon was, Emerald froze, because she had just lied, in front of him, precisely why she shouldn't be close to them.

"Full-blooded star and death witches? That's a child's story. It's to scare kids away," she mocked over it. I'm not full-blooded, so it'll work.

"Legend or not, they existed, our history books are here to prove it, to prove their mischief, evil, and psychotic sins," Ruby hissed disgusted and Emerald felt herself recoiling, Jade and Peridot back to her arms, glaring. "They were exterminated for our survival, they were monsters, bloodthirsty monsters who only threw havoc and destruction in our world."

"Sounds like how one of you'd describe the changelings," Emerald mocked bitterly, making all of them tense at the mention of the catastrophic kin they don't even mention. "Though in that case, the monsters are you."

"Have you taught nothing to this brat, Dior?" Lord Rhys hissed.

"What? You think it's right to murder 4-year-old kids just because they are different than you? More special? Bound to be more powerful?" Her glare turned to the headmaster. "Hypocrites. All of you are hypocrites. You love killing innocents, but when someone kill one of the innocents you love, you get mad and want war? Revenge?" A bitter laugh left her throat. "You are all serial killers as much as Dior is, but it's worse, because she killed adults who were involved in the death of those she loved. What about the rest of you who murder toddlers? You pieces of-"

Saoirse used the silencing spell on her again, "She is… eccentric."

Jade hissed viciously at the girl, who quickly jumped away scared. ["Let me bite her. One lil bite, Em. I jusssssst wanna bite her!"]

No. I'm already chaotic on my own. But she sure was glaring at the girl with lethal intentions. Then, she grabbed the bracelets from Dior's hand and the anklets and began to put them on, noticing the marks was starting to comeback, doing it before anyone could see it. With them on, she allowed herself to take a good breath… out of her nose, since Saoirse blocked her from speaking again. Let me learn this fucking spell. Nyx help me, I'll make her life a living hell. She'll never speak again in her bloody life.

"More 5 points in her finals!" Lord Rhys announced and Emerald straight-up clenched her fists, jaw almost breaking, so angry her magic was leaking slightly even with the bracelets on, which got the headmaster more than just slightly tense. He side-eyed her and then to Dior, "Hypothetically, if those restraining accessories were on here right now…"

"She would have just turned everyone in here in a puddle of blood and shredded human meat, yeah," she swallowed, taking a step away. "A minute longer and our dear ticking bomb would have blown us up. She hurt me and Saoirse a little more than a week ago, after she had a nightmare, but I was quick enough to put my cocoon up, and that turned her off."

Mixing lies with the truth, is that her technique? Going for selective truths and omitting stuff is easier though. Emerald scoffed, feeling all eyes on her, probably because Dior is feared by more than half of the people present, and she almost killed her. I wish I had, but that's not cut out yet.

"Take the silencing spell off!" The headmaster told Saoirse.

Emerald let out a rain of English, Chinese, and Hindi curses, "Fuck Saoirse, I swear that I'll break your pretty nose the next time you silence me with this fucking shit again. I swear in the name of Selene and Nyx that as soon as I learn this damn spell, your will never speak again!"

"Then stop talking shit and you won't be silenced," Dior snapped.

"How hasn't anyone silenced you when talking shit is all you do, Dior?" She hissed at the green witch, who just grinned mischievously.

"Silencing me is harder than you can imagine, Em," she purred.

"If it wasn't, I would have done it already," her dad mocked.

"Seems like I'll be taking that to test," Emerald scoffed.

"Enough. I have a question to you, Emerald, you better be honest, or I will know. No lies, no misleading angry comments, be straightforward with me!" Lord Rhys exclaimed, taking all the attention himself, making both Emerald, Saoirse, and Dior tense up.

That, right there, was dangerous.

"I'll try," Emerald purred.

"You have proven that you're not just arrogant. Before they broke, all nine crystals went to you, which has never happened before. At most, eight of the crystals went to the witchling, but not you. They went through all colors, before stopping in a color I've never seen before. Silver. Beyond black. So rare I didn't even know it was possible. But you want to tell us you are the daughter of non-magical humans?" He stood up from his seat in the middle of the longest horizontal table she ever saw, and used magic to float across the table, stopping in front of it.

"Cool trick," she tilted her head. I'm screwed.

"I'm awesome," he brushed it off. "So, tell me."

"Tell you what exactly?" She played dumb.

"Are you the daughter of two magic-less humans, Emerald?"

Stupid question. "Am I?" Licking her lips, she grinned.

"I would be straightforward with me if I were you, kid. I've already lost my patience to your little angry insane games of words. Are you or are you not the daughter of two non-magical humans?"

She clicked her tongue, "No. I am not!"

"Why did you lie?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Me? I didn't say that, did I?" Emerald grinned. "Dior did!"

"And why did she lie about that?" He asked her.

"Because I lied to her!" Not about that, but I did. It's still true.

His eyebrows went up, "And why did you lie to her?"

"I don't trust her. Why would I tell Dior the story of my life?" She scoffed, again, not lying. "It doesn't concern her. It doesn't concern anyone but me. Anything else?"

"Where are your witchling parents then?" He crossed his arms.

She swallowed, visually uncomfortable, "Why do you wanna know that? I'm an adult, 19 year old, I don't need parental permission to be here anymore. And like I said, I am an orphan."

"Are they dead?" He pressed.

"Not.... both," she swallowed, struggling to know what to say. Dior, that bitch, she said he would let me go just fine. What's this interrogation?

"Did they abandon you?" Lord Rhys pressed her further.

Emerald began to feel like she was hyperventilating. "No. I was not abandoned," she hissed. "I ran away."

"Emerald," Dior growled.

"Dude, what am I supposed to say?" She hissed at the witch. "He's pressing me, and it's not like I can lie, is it? You told me some goldens have truth-telling abilities, no? I don't know you, but even with those eyeglasses I can see lots of people with crests of the Lion House in here. I don't like lying, and he's not giving any space to be ambiguous!"

"Mom," Saoirse held on Dior's right hand, "she's right."

"Of course, I'm right," she snapped and turned to the headmaster. "You are getting inconveniently into my personal memorial space."

"And you're finally sounding like a sane witchling!"

That got a scoff from her, "My sanity depends on how much I like or dislike someone. And I do not like you. I don't like any of you. In fact, I hate everyone. I am antisocial, and if it wouldn't kill me, I would destroy everyone in here if it meant my survival. My social battery is limited, and right now? It's gone, so, will you keep being unprofessional with a new student, or will you announce that I'm the strongest of the new kids, and that got me the single room available in the Snake House?"

"You surely are bold," an older professor scoffed, and by how all the people around, even the headmaster tensed, plus his Chinese features, Emerald knew exactly who he was. "Stubborn, reckless, and bold."