Ascension Of The Failed Mage

Ciara finally arrived at her dorm and separated herself from her friends. She felt eyes on her, the attention of students she didn't bother glancing at to recognize.

Did they witness her fight and know she was a Tier 3? She had no idea!

'No... don't think about it!'

Quickening her steps, Ciara made for her room and shut the door behind her tightly, huffing in both exhaustion and anxiety.

"They know, don't they? They know..." She mumbled to herself as her hands instinctively went to her hair and roughened it in a crazed state.

After spending so long trying to hide it and blending in with everyone, Ciara had now become both a liar, and a maniac.

Her life was practically ruined.

"What do I do now? What do I do..." Ciara paced around her room asking herself in a panic.

She didn't want to break down before Serah and Sam and appear weak since they both seemed very worried about her, but she was freaking out internally.

She had lost a grip on herself and revealed her Tier 3 Status.

Not only that, but in front of so many witnesses. She was fortunate that there was no staff present at the time, but it was only a matter of time before the news spread and the truth ultimately revealed.

Before that happened, she had to do something.

"But that can I do?!" She wailed to herself.

It wasn't as though she recognized the faces of everyone who saw her, plus the wounds inflicted on the students she fought were still present.

There was nothing Ciara could do to escape her predicament.

"Is this... Is this really the end?"

She would be forced to move higher in her class and lose all the relationships she had made. Not only that, her notoriety would spread throughout the campus, and she would soon become the new Mia.

"Is this... Is this all her doing?!" Ciara asked herself, clenching her fist as she thought of the one who was most likely responsible for the incident.

At present, Mia appeared to be harmless, but what if that was all an act? Ciara was currently trapped, and no one stood anything to gain from the whole situation more than Mia!

"No, no... Now is not the time to think about her. I need to find a solution to this... and fast!"

Suddenly, a thought flashed in her head, causing her eyes to widen.

"T-That's it!" Ciara yelled to herself.

She knew how devastating her situation was, and she couldn't do anything within her power. However, in situations like this, all she needed was help.

Galand. Lorna... Noir. If she could reach out to any of them, they could somewhat assist her in the current condition she was in.

However...

"I can't..." She squeezed her hand, hesitating for a moment.

Finally, another name came to mind and her heart suddenly found a glimmer of hope once again.

"R-Richard... Lawcroft!"

Yes, Ciara's teacher and friend who had been there for her through thick and thin. Surely, if anyone around could help her and try understanding the situation she was in, it would be him.

"I need... I need to talk to him!" She thought aloud.

Even though it was evening already and the day had long passed, Ciara was too anxious to wait for another second in her room.

Even as time passed, she was certain that news of what she did was spreading. She couldn't just relax in her room, awaiting the whole campus to hear of it.

What would Galand and Lorna think of her? What would Noir think?

"I have to take care of this... fast!"

With that line of thought, Ciara hurriedly dashed away from her room and ran as fast as she could to the one man she could count on who was close by.

********************

It didn't take Ciara very long to reach Richard's office. Unlike other students, as the Class Representative, she had a fair idea of the schedule of a lot of her teachers.

Since she often had to attend to a thing or two even after classes ended, she often had to wait behind with teachers and the staff.

Among them, was most especially Richard Lawcroft.

Not only was he Ciara's homeroom teacher, but he was also a friend to her who also taught her private magic lessons once in a while and allowed her to borrow some books from his study.

Needless to say, she knew he was most likely going to still be in his office.

Flinging the door to the staff hall open, Ciara navigated her way through the hallway and her eyes darted to a door on her far right.

With heavy breaths, perspiration visibly on her skin, and a desperate expression, she reached for the door and opened it without even knocking.

"R-Richard! I need your help!"

She stepped into the wide office, filled with nothing but his chairs and desk, along with shelves adorned with books and many objects Ciara had known to be magic tools.

Richard, her teacher, was fortunately present. He wasn't on his chair, rather his tall gait stood firm in front of a shelf, as he firmly gripped a book while drawing it out of the many clusters of books before him.

"C-Ciara?!" He exclaimed, displaying shock at the girl's abrupt visit.

The book he held nearly slipped from his fingers, before quickly grabbing it tighter than earlier.

His stunned expression remained for a brief moment before he finally managed to utter more words at the dumbfounded girl.

"What are you doing here?"

At the sound of Richard's voice, Ciara's body quivered, and her heart ached. The worry and anxiety that she had been suppressing since the incident, preventing herself from fully breaking down, began to rush from the depths of her being.

"I... I..." She tried speaking but was choked by the emotional trauma she was having.

What could she say? She didn't know how to begin.