The Case of the Serpent and Scorpion

Vana's POV Desperate call for desperate measure. The ocean waves splashed against the ship as it sails through the current. The sound of waves clashed against the ship’s exterior, humming in my ear. It was late in the morning when the ship neared the borders of Ashern, the island of Jasper far from my sight. I let my hand sway beyond the deck railings, letting my magic drop and play on the water. I froze the splashes and drops of water from the waves, converting them into crystallized, ice dusts that looked like glitter in the air. I rarely use my magic—I almost don’t use magic if not necessary. But out of boredom of being in the ship for the whole night, without any wink of sleep, I decided to amuse myself by using my magic. I don’t dislike magic. I dislike my magic—the kind of power my magic holds. “Vana, escaping the academy is a very bad idea,” I said to myself, sighing as I thought of the consequences of my actions. I had all night to think and realize how dumb my actions are

Jerome's POV “All of you stay back and don’t you dare try do anything funny,” the woman said as they all tied us up on one corner of the room. Never have I thought that I’d be involved in a ransom-hostaging case, especially not after I snuck out of the academy grounds. I only wanted to take a break from the academy, why do I have to be caught up into this mess? The woman introduced herself as Vana Farasol, the sister of Storm Farasol. I know who she is; she is a member of our rival guild, Green Serpent. And she’s known in another name. The Cold Killer. From what I’ve heard, she was rumored to have killed her father. But that is not what I’m supposed to be concerned about right now. Half of the passengers in the ship are held hostage in the upper lounge. The other half is held here in the lower lounge, where I am also currently at. As far as I’m concerned, if I don’t’ do something now, something worse will happen to us later. I lifted my eyes up on the bandits within the room, coun

Vana's POV Three bandits on the inside, while plenty on the outside. There are at least ten of them outside, and the two leaders who serves as the head of the group is a room away from us. The control room of the ship is only a room away from here, and the ship’s crew are all tied up with us as well. I can’t tell whether negotiations have been made already or not, but I do know that if I don’t make a move now, all of us in this ship will likely be in big trouble. I overheard one of the bandits’ conversations, saying that there’s a bomb in the ship. I tilted my head to the drawer, eyeing my weapon a look. I walked over—or in this case—I crawled my way next to the drawer, trying not to catch the bandits’ attention as I get close over the drawer. I stayed in front of the drawer, taking my time as I observe the bandits guarding the hostaged passengers inside the room. I reach for the lower drawer, slowly opening it with caution. The drawer opened with a small gap, big enough for my han

Vana's POV “I am the real Vana Farasol. The real sister of Storm Farasol, and the girl that you have been impersonating.” The fake Vana squealed, falling on her back as she cowers in fear in my presence. Her whole body trembled, forcing herself to surrender on her knees. The fake Storm took a step back, glowering at me with spite and hesitation. I gazed at the fake Storm, tilting my head at him with a sass. He grinded his teeth, pivoting his feet out of the broken wall. He tried to make a run for it, shouting an order to the bandits waiting for a command outside of the room. “Seize them!” the fake Storm yelled, escaping as he dashes away. He didn’t manage to run far as Jerome cornered him before he could reach the next room. His magic weaved through the air, levitating the fake Storm up in the air. “Not so fast. Do you really think I’ll let you off that easily?” Jerome said, a hand extended towards the fake Storm’s direction. The bandits the fake Storm commanded charged forward

Vana's POV “I conclude that Reynolds McValeri is the mastermind behind this case. The real perpetrator of this crime,” I stated, announcing my conclusion. “Reynolds McValeri?” Jerome exclaimed alongside the captain. “Reynolds McValeri is the only person capable of doing this. He is the head of his own company, and the guild master of Clashing Seasons. He has the money, people, and power to pull off this crime,” I explained, pointing out the obvious clues laid out on us. “He may not be here, but with the clues pointing at him, it is most likely that what I’m trying to say is true,” I added. “You know assumptions and unproven conclusions won’t lead us anywhere, right?” We have no evidence that points to him as a mastermind,” Jerome pointed, jutting a hip with sass at me. I faced, scoffing with a smirk. “I think you’re forgetting that Camillo has a communication lacrima where the mastermind called. Its quite possible that Camilla also has her own lacrima,” I boasted, reminding of th