Chapter 8 - History is easy

“Bi-bip-bip-...”

I hate morning. I hate mornings. I HATE MORNINGS! She punched her bed to let her anger out, then punched it a bit more since one punch hadn’t been enough. Why does it have to be so painful everythime! But of course she knew the answer, as she had only slept five and half an hour. Fuck me and my reading habits! She had been able to go to bed at 11pm yesteray night but, like she often did, she had started reading. Bad idea. I can’t keep doing this. I need more sleep! That, too, was a thought she had had for the last three years going to school. She wasn’t a morning person at all. Night was her kingdom and she found shadows and darkness quite welcoming. In fact, she knew for sure her sleeping habits were one of the reasons she didn’t perform well at school. Sleeping during half the lectures didn’t help her grades. Oh fuck, and there will be parasitic demons! I… I need my music… She found her tablet and put her headphones on, starting blasting music to make her forget about her already shitty day. I wish I could stay home today… The thought was quite sad, and exhausted too. Why did they ask me to come wednesday afternoon? How the fuck am I to go in there HQ? I don’t even know where it is! Urgh, I hope they won’t ask Pierre to pick me up, in particular not at school. She shivered, imagining people giving her strange look while she got into a black car with an handsome young man. Rumors would flies. She found what she needed to go to school, well, not the food but at least she had her books and all, and set out for the bus stop. Seldom people were awake at this hour and she didn’t see anyone with a parasit but she kept looking, agitated as she was. Magic is incredible but… Urgh, I hate this! Having to wonder if I’ll find someone infected, maybe so infected they will try and kill me or something! She took her bus perfectly on timehaving accounted for the cast this time around, without anyone infected coming in. In fact, her trip was quite peaceful, she even got some more rest sleeping in the bus. The Prefect was at the entrance when she arrived but, since she was not late, he just let her pass without anything but a nod of the head to greet her. She rushed toward the classroom, not encountering anyone in account of the early hour. Fuck, we start with history today, I forgot! She tried to read a bit for the history test to come but her weariness kept her mind of it.

“Lyza? Lyza! Wake up, we’re going in!” Wha? What the fuck? She sprang into action, startled by the voice. “Lauriane? Fuck, I felt asleep right?” “Yes, again. You didn’t have a lot of sleep tonight either, did you?” Concern flooded the voice of her friend. She’s so beautiful. The wandering tought passsed through her mind before she took a old of herself. “Ah yes, yes. You know how it is, I just can’t find enough sleep before midnight.” She said while going into the classroom. Marcus’ already in there, of course. Like to be just in front of the professor. Best place to cheat after all.

“Dear student, as you know, you’ve a test today. As always, you’ve five minutes to prepare yourself before I give the test sheet. You’ll then have the rest of the time to answer the questions, quite creatively I hope. Quickly now, take a seat.” Fuck, I don’t even know what the test is about! At this point, she had go past feeling bad about the test. She did not really care anymore.

Causes of WW II and first year of war? Her last hope evaporated like water in a frying-pan, as she never had been an aficionado of WW I and II. She sat there, in front of the test, seeing everyone answering questions, feeling their determination and she powerless. She hated feeling powerless, for real, even more when she could have done something if she had worked, prepared. It was an habit of hers but it being an habit didn’t make the feeling less horrible.

How the fuck would I know what was the event starting WW II?! Her rage made her weariness disappear but too late it was…

September 1, 1939, Germany start her invasion of Poland after they didn’t answer her ultimatum. The voice of her grimoire ressounded in her head.

What? It’s the answer to your very basic question, host. How the fuck can you talk to me? Why didn’t you do it earlier? Because it’s tiring, and I hate doing tiring things, and you didn’t unlock it until yesterday evening when you turned the my second page. So… You can help me with this test? Of course, it’s kindergarden-level questions so far. Great? Great! then let’s go! She was exulting. Of course, how would she feel, when her powerlesness had disappeared? Relief and power feelings swelled inside her as she was doing the test.

***

And that’s when the French government moved to Vichy. Hell yeah! You’re amazing! She had just finished the test, way ahead of everyone but she re-read herself and, of course, waited for someone else to give bach their test. Anxiety prevented her to do it, of course. Ah, and the first is Marcus. What new way of cheating did he create this time, I wonder. She rushed just behind him to give her copy then went back to her seat, ignoting ther gaze that followed her. Of course. I didn’t study and I write withh my hand diminished because of the cast, yet I was the second giving my test back. Now they’re wondering if I failed it catastrophicaly or if I roxed it amazingly. I hate that feeling. She packed her things as quickly as possible, so quickly that even if Marcus had given is test before her, she was still out of the classroom before him. She looked at her watch, 9:30am. Wow. That was quick. She waited for Marcus to come out. “So, how did you cheat this time?” She asked on their way toward the cafeteria. “Haha, no, a magician don’t talk about his trick, you know that!” He answered, laughing. “Fair enough.” After all, she didn’t think she would have recieved another answer. Marcus was very proud of his cheating technics and would go to great length to not be caught. In fact, she often wondered if it didn’t take him more energy to cheat like that than it would to just normally study. “So, what will you do with the free hour we’ve?” He smiled when he saw the gaze Lysandre was giving him back. “Ah, of course. You’ll try and sleep, right?” “See, you don’t even need my answer anymore.” “Yeah I just hoped that we could maybe play a bit of Wizards’ Gathering? I’ve my cards in my backpack…” Hmmmmm… “...Okay, but just one game, I also want to sleep!”

***

That was not a bad day, all in all. She thought at the doorstep of the school. Now, to see how those demonists will take me to their HQ… She had arranged with Marcus and Lauriane that they would cover for her during the afternoon. Nothing strange for me to go to Lauriane’s and play videogames with her and Marcus. Lauriane lived with her grandmother most of the time, her parents going around the world into disaster zone the help people in need, hence why it was the perfect alibi to give her parents. Now she was searching a black car, waiting for her futur colleagues to come and take her. Strangely, she was not anxious in the least about the test the Cell Master talked about, it was more… excitement? She was eager to go through it, as much because she could start to learn magic for real, not just the two spells in her grimoire, as because she could also start to seek information ot cure her disease. It’s already been a week, each second I waste take me that much nearer to death. Her phone buzzed. Hu? She took a look at it and raised an eyebrow, surprised. ...Seriously?

Hello new user, you’ve been chosen to join the Chaos - Chat for demonist Application. Please install Chaos with the annexed link on at least one of your device to start the process. htps://Chaos.org/download. (Please note that you will be able to install Chaos on any number of device afterward.)

Was the message she just received.

...They just lost a lot of credibility. Fortunately for them, I’ve a 4G subscription, or I would have been in trouble. Still bewildered, she installed the application after having downloaded it.

Welcome to Chaos! Please place one of your thumb on the middle of the screen to proceed with the installation. ...O-kay? Doing so, she felt a tiny jolt on her thumb, quite a strange feeling. She saw Lauriane coming toward her and suddenly her friend slowed down. No, in fact, the whole world around her seemed to slow down.

Warning! Unauthorized Aetheric connexion detected! The voice of her grimoire, so strange, so robotic, echoed in her head. Connexion blocked. Urgh, what’s happening? The last part had been said by the non-robotic version of her grimoire’s voice, as if it had just been awakened. I installed an application on my phone and when it asked me to put my thumb on the screnn, you reacted? An application? Hold a second… Ah. A primitive communication device, I see. It seems that this ‘application’ of yours tried to connected to your Aether in a rather crude way… My failsafes were triggered and protected you. So about this application…

She explained why and how she had come to this, and her grimoire seemed intrigued. Hm… It seems like Humanity did progress a bit while I was asleep. I thing they created a basic magical network and when you tried to identify yourself, through a binding ritual, my automatic defenses over-reacted a bit. You can keep going, it’s mostly safe, and I’ll take care of… purifying the bits that aren’t on par to my standarts. Farewell, I’ve a bed waiting me. Wait-wait-wait! How the fuck are you slowing time down? Slowing time? Ah, that? It’s standart protocole when a non-authorized ritual begin. Wait, that wasn’t your question, right? Well, I don’t slow time, per se. I accelerate you so you’ve the impression everything is slower, but you’re in fact just quicker. And now bye, I’ve a nap scheduled. And like a prickled bubble, time started flowing again.

“Lyza? Lyza!” Lauriane even waved a hand in front of Lysandre’s eyes “Ah yes, sorry, I was lost in my thought. What were you saying?” “I was just saying goodbye, you airhead! Don’t worry, I got you covered. I don’t know what you need to to your parents shouldn’t know, but I’m here for you.” “Thanks Lauriane. I’ll tell you when I can, I promise.” I promise. I won’t keep magic just for, you’ll have a share of it, and Marcus too. For what I’ve seen so far, I’m sure you’ll find it as amazing as I think it is.

***

Congratulation! You’re now an official member of Chaos! You’ve “1” new message.

A message already? She pushed on it and a map appeared. Please be in the HQ’s parking for 14h30. It said,displaying the path to do so. 2:30pm? I’ve quite the time, it’s only a 30 minutes walk from here. Convenient. She was maybe a bit surprised to find that the parking she had been brought to was the one of the tawn hall but, well, everything else was already crazy, right? Before starting to travel, she bought a sandwich to her favorite sandwich bar and ate in while hitting the road.