Ascension Of The Failed Mage

"My book... Give it back..." Mia said in a low and soft voice.

The look on Mia's face, her expression and reaction, and her statement... They made it appear as though Ciara was the bully.

Mia now seemed to be the one being bullied by Ciara, and once the latter realized what she was doing, and how her actions seemed, her hands slipped, causing the book to fall back on her desk.

The owner picked her book up and continued reading it as Ciara walked slowly back to her seat. She couldn't comprehend what just happened.

'What happened to Mia...?' Ciara asked herself.

No, the graver question which was on her mind was...

"...Is that really Mia?"

********

Ciara couldn't get the thought out of her head.

Mia's expression, her demeanor... It was almost as if she was entirely lifeless. Though there seemed to be one emotion she showed. As she spoke, trembling, she displayed an emotion Ciara had never seen on her like that... Fear.

Mia looked afraid of her, as though Ciara was the bully and she was the bullied. The more she thought about it, the more confused she got.

Could Mia have been the one who spread the rumors? It didn't seem that way.

But then, nothing about Mia was ever as it seemed.

This was the same girl who pretended to be her friend, but instead viewed her as a 'toy'. This was the girl who acted all nice, but was a sadistic maniac who took pleasure in watching others suffer, and even more, she enjoyed inflicting pain and causing them agony.

Nothing about Mia was real... nothing at all.

'I can't buy that act. She's just pretending...' Ciara told herself.

Yes, she wasn't in the wrong... It was Mia. Everything, the timing... It couldn't have been a coincidence. Yet, a part of her felt Mia was innocent...

... Just a tiny part.

These conflicting thoughts lasted till the lectures were done for the day.

*

*

*

"I don't think Mia did it," Serah told Ciara, as they walked away from the Lecture Hall.

"Wha—? Why do you say that?" Ciara responded in surprise.

"I don't know. Gut feeling, I guess. Besides, did you see her today? That isn't the Mia we knew." Serah sighed with a slight shrug.

"She could be putting up an act, you know. It wouldn't be the first time she has done it," Ciara began to get a little upset.

They both knew what Mia was capable of, yet it seemed like it was only her that was worrying about it.

"Hey, relax. I'm on your side here." Serah tapped her shoulder once she noticed Ciara's emotions.

"Yeah, I know. It's just that Mia really gets under my skin. She fooled me, Serah. I thought she was my friend. What's stopping her from doing the same again?"

Serah remained quiet.

"Besides, there's no one else who has any bone to pick with me in the Institute, I haven't made any enemy, have I?" Ciara said.

"Good point," Serah answered.

"And then there's the fact that only you, Sam, and Mia know my Tier. The other students were unconscious at that point. The authorities even made it seem as though I wasn't the one who defeated her."

Logically speaking, Ciara was making a lot of sense.

"So, as far as our classmates know, Mia was apprehended by the Institute's security team, and I just happened to be there. That means only you three know. I trust you and Samuel, but I don't trust Mia. It has to be her! Who else could it be?" She concluded, getting upset again.

"But what could she possibly gain from this?" Serah asked.

"Oh, you mean other than ruining my life?" Ciara swiftly replied

They both shot each other meaningful looks and smiled.

"I mean, it wouldn't do her any good to stir up trouble for you and herself, especially now that she just got back from suspension. Besides, isn't the timing too convenient? Why would she spread such a rumor the day before she resumed?"

"What are you implying?" Ciara asked with a raised brow.

"It just seems more possible to me that she is being intentionally framed for this, rather than being the one who actually did it," Serah raised her arms, trying to explain what was going on in her head.

"I mean, it's a different case for you, but Mia has no shortage of enemies, so the true culprit could be trying to drag her down, even if it means you sink along with her.".

"Normally, I would say 'Serves her right', but this involves me as well. In fact, It is centered around me! Besides, who else would have known about the truth?" Ciara answered, feeling even more impatient.

This incident was just a little too much for her to handle at this point in he life.

"Well, none of us knew you were hiding and watching us when we had fought Mia, back then. We only noticed your presence when you decided to stop Mia yourself. Maybe there was another person there that night. Maybe we all didn't notice them?" Serah reasoned.

Ciara fell silent, thoughtfully ruminating on Serah's words, as they walked to their various living quarters.

Ciara kept having this uneasy feeling that something terrible was around the corner, and she was not wrong.

*

*

*

A few days after the rumors spread, Ciara was heading to her room from the Lecturer's office.

Serah and Samuel had gone to their rooms ahead of her since she had to take care of some things. She finally faced what she had been dreading since the rumors spread.

Ciara had been noticing some people tailing her, but she decided to ignore them. She thought they'd just leave after a while, or they would remain hidden, but she wasn't expecting them to call her out like this.

"Are you Ciara? The one I've been hearing so much about?" A voice came from behind her.

"And if I am?" Ciara responded defiantly, stopping dead on her tracks, and then turning around to face her stalkers.

She saw five of them in total. Four boys, and a girl.

'Not good...' Her thoughts trailed.