The Case of the Serpent and Scorpion

Chapter 7: The Real One

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 at Jerome, guns and weapons out to strike him. My shoulders slouched at them, jutting out my hip as I let out a sigh. I flicked my fingers in the air, humming a spell as I order my magic.

Ice formed beneath me on the floor, crawling down and out of the room as it travels down on the bandits’ feet. The ice rose up from the ground, creeping into the feet of the bandits. Their feet froze on the ground, the ice forming on their heels up to their torsos.

I clucked my tongue at them with a beat, shaking my head as I gaze at their direction. “You won’t all stand a chance. He’s an S-Class wizard, and I’m an A-Class wizard,” I pointed, bobbing my head at Jerome and myself.

“Are you sure about that?” the fake Storm chuckled, a wide smirk creasing on his face. He raised a controller in his hand, making me pause as I figure out where it goes. “Take another move and all of us in this ship dies.”

My eyes widened as I realize what that is. A bomb. A controller for a bomb. This means there are explosives within the ship. A bomb that can be detonated through the controller. Such technology is not yet invented and perfected in Auregon, which mean that it came from somewhere else.

It came from the Mortal World.

I clenched my fist as I froze to the ground, gritting my teeth as I think of a way to snatch the controller away from the fake Storm’s hand. He laughed hysterically, taking it as a victory to him. Jerome looked unfazed in his sight, taking a leap from his position.

He snatched the controller in the fake Storm’s hand, stealing it away from him before he could press a button and detonate the entire ship. “I’ll be taking that, thank you,” Jerome mused, putting the controller away from him.

“Wha—no!” the fake Storm cried, bawling as he waves his hand in the air.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t know about this? I overheard your conversation with the wannabe Vana,” Jerome mentioned, eyeing the fake Vana a look. “And I will be restraining that other one.” He swirled his hand in the air, levitating the fake Vana off the ground.

Jerome restrained them with his magic, a string of wind curled around their bodies. I peered over my shoulder, seeing the passengers shivering in cold and terror behind me. The room had been freezing since I used my magic.

“Their torsos won’t freeze to death, right?” Jerome wondered, starting a conversation with me after turning to face me.

“They won’t, I only covered their bodies, not freeze their body from the inside and out,” I replied, flicking my finger again in the air.

The ropes in the passengers’ wrists break into pieces as I command my magic to break through the frozen ropes. I had frozen the ropes earlier after I activated my magic, coating the ropes with a thin layer of ice that can be used to shatter it into chunks.

The passengers flinched as the ropes in their hands broke, freeing them. They stood up, cheering and sighing in relief. Smiles and unimaginable relief shun their faces, their voices resounding in the air as they praise and thank us for saving them.

I personally broke the ship’s crew and the captain out of their ropes, instructing them of what they should do. “Please bring the ship back on its track. Call the negotiators of the kingdoms and tell them that everything is resolved,” I instructed. “I’ll head down the lower lounge and free the other passengers.”

“It might be best if all the bandits are kept in one place. I’ll levitate them inside the upper lounge, and you freeze them in place. Sounds good?” Jerome suggested, which I agreed in.

“Sounds good,” I replied. The captain can do his job on his own without any surveillance.

I never would have thought that I’d work together with someone from a rival guild, not to mention one of the only few S-class wizards of the academy. I also made a mistake earlier, blurting that I’m an A-class wizard, when in fact, I am known as a B-class wizard in the academy.

This is saddening.

We deactivated the bomb first before we detained the bandits on the lower lounge. The engine room is on the bottom of the ship, down in the ship’s basement. Jerome had to force the fake siblings to talk about the bomb before we can deactivate it completely.

As a precaution measure, as much as I don’t want to use anymore of my magic, I froze the bomb in place, covering it with a thick amount of ice, in case we failed to deactivate it. The ship crew were left in the engine room after that, letting them continue their jobs like it should have been.

Jerome and I transferred all of the bandits into the upper lounge. Like Jerome suggested, he used his magic to restrain them in the air as we transfer them from place to place. I continued to use magic in dismay, freezing them in place to prevent them from escaping the lounge.

Their weapons and belongings have also been confiscated, with some being stolen from the passengers. As for the passengers’ belongings, I found them hidden in one of the compartments in the lower deck of the ship. The remaining ship crew gave the passengers’ belongings back, while I hid the weapons in the lower compartments.

The lower lounge passengers were shackled instead of tied, metal shackles serving as ropes on their wrists. They had it worse than us who’re in the upper lounge. Jerome said he escaped from the lower lounge, but was caught by the fake Vana after eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Everyone, please do not enter this room for your own safety, the bandits are detained inside for the time being and the ship is enroute back to its supposed destination and route,” I stated, referring to the upper lounge as I remind the passengers of the people inside.

I placed a hand on the wall next to the broken wall, setting of my magic as I let ice flare out of my fingertips. The ice crystallized against the wall, coursing across the wall as it forms into solid ice that blocked the broken entrance, where the door of the room should have been.

For the longest time, this is the first time I have ever used my magic in my own volition without anyone forcing me. I never had complete control over my magic, and I had only recently learned to fully control and grasp the full potential of my magic.

The last time I used magic in my own accord, it ended tragically for me and for everyone around me.

We settled ourselves inside the control room, where we had also detained the two fake siblings. The captain has informed us that he had informed the negotiators of the situation of the ship and that we should await their arrival to inspect the ship.

Jerome kept his magic activated, with the two siblings still wrapped in his magic and floating in the air inside the room.

“Thank you for your help, the two of you… whose names I don’t know…” the captain stated, thanking us with reluctance in a loss of words.

“Jerome Gallamon,” Jerome muttered. “And its nothing.”

“Vana Farasol. The real one,” I said, pointing myself out with a thin line on my lips.

“Everything has been settled. I believe the Special Force Wizards would be here anytime soon to inspect and check our conditions as well as to arrest the bandits,” the captain explained, telling us how the conversation ended.

“Uhm… did you tell them that we’re students from the academy?” I asked, hesitant to ask the question.

“Yes, and Ms. Angela said she’ll personally escort you to the academy’s higher ups,” the captain answered, a smile crossed over his face.

The captain looks clueless of what he just said. It’s not a good thing. Yes, we saved a ship ransomed by bandits in the border of the four kingdoms. But at the end of the day, we’re still students who violated the school rules and snuck out of the academy grounds.

“We’re screwed, aren’t we…” I mumbled, growling as I exaggerate my reaction.

“That depends on why you snuck out of the academy grounds,” Jerome answered. “Speaking of, why did you leave the academy grounds?”

“I should ask the same to you. I’m pretty sure you’re not the type to sneak out just because you want to,” I stated, turning at him as I cross my arms around my chest.

“It’s not of your business,” Jerome said, giving me a slightly cold shoulder.

“Well, knowing my reasons for sneaking out is none of your business either,” I sassed, tilting my head away as I roll my eyes from him. But I do want to know the reason why he’s on the ship and off academic grounds.

“You two seemed familiar with each other,” the captain mentioned, trying to converse with us.

“I don’t know how he knows me. It’s understandable on my part to know him since he’s famous for being a S-class wizard. But I am the complete opposite of him,” I explained. “How do you know me?”

I raised a brow at him as I glance at his direction. He had minimal reaction on his face, with a blank stare and emotionless expression plastered on him. There’s no point in talking to him, isn’t it?

“We have classes together. And how could I not know the girl of the rumors?” Jerome mused, turning his head at me as he leans in to point it out. “And you’re from our rival guild, Green Serpent and the sister of Storm Farasol, one of the heroes of the Dark War.”

As much as I hate to admit, he’s correct. We did share classes together. But I didn’t know he’ll remember me. And the thing about the rumors is also true. I guess I am known to many students as well. But there’s also the thing between our guilds that could be the reason why he recognizes me.

He probably recognizes me as an enemy in regards to his guild.

“Great, why do I have to be stuck with someone from the Golden Scorpion?” I babbled, growling. I don’t have a problem with their guild, but there members are always stingy and rude to us, members of the Green Serpent.

It’s annoying.

“I share the same sentiment,” he muttered, shrugging.

Thinking about us being stuck together is pointless. The mystery is not over yet here in this ship, and I still haven’t figured out who the real mastermind is behind this incident. If I want to put up a good word to avoid expulsion as much as I can, I have to impress Ms. Angela and the Special Forces.

I walked over to the fakes, who’re floating in the air. I tightened my arms against my chest, staring at them as I calculate and form the proper questions in my head. First, I need to know who they are. Their real identities.

“Since you’ve been busted, it’s about time you two tell us who you really are. Who are you and what are your names?”