Wiggin Academy and the Forbidden Curse

Everyone sat in the great hall eating supper before they called it a day. Most of the senior year students ogled the first years because they were wrapped up in white bandages looking like buffoons.

“I can’t eat if they keep staring at me,” grumbled Aiden as he pushed his plate away.

Penelope raised her head from her own platter of food that resembled a mountain. “Who cares,” she rebuked, “food doesn’t wait for anyone.”

Mako stared at her friends with one eyes since the other had been closed off by the bandage around her head.

Aiden irately fidgeted with his own bandage around his arm. “These injuries are proving to be an even bigger inconvenience than I thought,” he grumbled. “I can’t get any work done and sleeping has become most uncomfortable.”

Mako agreed and looked at her own bandaged hands. “I can’t even take a bath,” she told him after she waved her hands in his face.

“No offence Mako, but that’s disgusting,” said Aiden.

Mako and Penelope chuckled. “Calm down,” Penelope reassured Aiden. “Neo said the bandages could come off next week.”

Aiden rolled his eyes. “I’m finding Neo more incompetent than anyone else here,” he bit out. “Neo is always busy doing things apart from his job. I’m pretty sure that he could heal us in no time, if he just tried.”

Aiden blabbered out all of the ways that they could be healed when Mako caught sight of Professor Wiggin.

“Where’s Professor Wiggin going?” asked Mako.

“Why does he look so serious?” asked Aiden.

“He always looks serious,” remarked Penelope

Mako got out from the bench and made her way to her teacher as quick as she could. “Professor!” she called out for his attention when she reached the hallway that lead to the main doors. “Headed somewhere?” she asked him curiously.

Professor Wiggin turned to find the three kids looking at him curiously. “I had a task to complete down at the Square.”

“Can we come?” asked Mako.

Professor Wiggin assessed the three kids. “Why do you all look so tired?” he asked. “And how are all of your chakra’s off again.”

Mako looked to Aiden then Penelope who had the shared the same blank expression as her. “We had a mission with Professor Gregor,” she tried to explain why they looked so butchered.

Professor Wiggin shook his head. “No, something’s not right,” he said grimly. “Come on, I know what’ll help.”

Mako, Aiden and Penelope followed Professor Wiggin outside the school grounds. They waited for the carriage under the sky that had been painted with tropical orange, pale lavender and shimmering pink. Behind the peak of the jagged mountains hid the sun who was getting ready to fall asleep. The squeaky wheels crept up the short path once again. They all entered the carriage and got comfortable on the velvety seats.

“Where are we headed?” asked Mako.

“It’s an old pub,” said Professor Wiggin.

“You’re taking us to a bar?” Aiden spoke up.

Professor Wiggin shrugged. “It’s not just any bar,” he said.

The carriage ride was short. They all jumped off the transport and found themselves in front of a very old building. The structure looked like it would be blown away if the wind was too strong, and the creaky name board was hanging on to a crooked screw.

“Old Century Brew,” Penelope read aloud.

Professor Wiggin ushered them through the weak piece of wood called a door. They found themselves in a room with a long square table with stool where people could drink beer. A metal chandelier hung in the center with a few candles flickering in the rings. The pub smelt of beer, wood and oddly enough spring dandelions.

Mako peered over the long table and found a man seated behind it. A very old man was hunched over, his dirty beard was long enough to sweep along the floor as he walked. He smelt of beer because his brown tattered clothes had stains all over them.

“John,” the old man spoke. His silver eyes lifted from under his thick eyebrows.

“Yaga,” Professor Wiggin greeted. “How’ve you been?”

“The same since 1864,” Yaga laughed. “What about you?” he asked. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I’ve been busy,” said Professor Wiggin. “Caden sent me to check on you after you sent him that letter.”

Yaga’s pale grey eyes grew cold. “Yes, the letter,” he let out a weary sigh. “We shouldn’t speak of it here.” Yaga turned to leave towards the door hidden behind a barrel of beer, but not before his eyes caught the three kids. “I believe you’ve been followed, John.”

“These are my students,” Professor Wiggin looked at Mako. “This is Yaga, kids.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” said Mako.

Yaga looked at Mako and then at John. “She’s that child,” he whispered.

“Yes,” said John like he understood exactly what Yaga implied. “Shall we?”

“Hmm.” Yaga pulled out an old black key from his pocket and unlocked the hidden door.

Mako followed right behind Professor Wiggin. She was expecting to enter another room that was smaller and more private, but that was not at all what happened. They had entered a different realm when they crossed the threshold of that small door.

Massive mountains surrounded the rolling fields that were healthy and vibrantly green and dandelions were scattered around. Yaga escorted them towards a pavilion made of marble that was near a small blue pond. There were seats and a desk that was surrounded by shelves of many different shapes and sizes, and in each shelve sat beautiful glass jars. Mako didn’t know what was inside those flasks, but the delicate flowers stored inside the glass couldn’t indicate anything bad.

“What is this place?” asked Mako amazed.

“It’s my home. Welcome to the Oasis Sanctum,” said Yaga who looked even more surprising than the secret realm itself. He had grown to his full height, which was astonishingly as tall as Professor Wiggin. His beard was combed and cleaned. Silver cuffs blinked in his beard- that had turned as white as snow, like his robes which replaced his grubby clothes from before. He looked healthy and strong, not like the man they had met in the pub.

“So, the pub is just a front,” observed Aiden, “and your previous look was just a disguise, right?”

Yaga looked over to Professor Wiggin. “Smart kids you got here, John,” he said. “But what did you do to them?”

Professor Wiggin crossed his arms. “I didn’t do anything,” he said. “They were training with Gregor.”

“Oh,” Yaga understood all of a sudden why the kids looked battered and bruised. “That hound is still sending kids to that forest, isn’t he?” he asked like he didn’t approve. “Let’s get your followers back on their feet first, before we continue, John,” Yaga said. “Come on kids.” Yaga took them down the stairs towards the pond. “Take off your bandages and get in the water,” he instructed.

“What’ll happen if we do?” asked Aiden suspiciously as he viewed the pond suspiciously.

“Is it magical?” asked Penelope. She didn’t even hesitate before stripping off all of her bandages. She ripped off her shoes and socks before she climbed into the water. “The water’s perfect.”

Mako quickly followed behind her friend, and Aiden did the same although he didn’t like the idea very much.

“Submerge your heads until you’re all wet,” said Yaga.

Mako stepped into the cool water, her bare feet submerged and she felt a firm resistance grapple onto her ankles like shackles. She looked at Penelope and Aiden who were already sitting in the water. Mako ignored the sensation and sat down with great difficultly. When her hands submerged the shackles had appeared again, without her consent, she was pulled into the pond.

Mako emerged once again, but it wasn’t in the pond where everyone else was. She was somewhere else entirely. A dark room made of black glass and crystals that reminded Mako of kyanite.

A deep voice circled around Mako. “We meet at last,” he said.

“Who are you?” she asked in the dark.

“I am your Guardian, and the reason your powers are so great,” he said with a irked sigh.

“How come I never met you before?” asked Mako.

“Because you wasted all your life ignoring me,” he snapped.

Mako winced. “It’s not like you helped me either,” she retorted.

The voice grumbled a curse. “Better than you is that drunkard John, who at least knows what he can do.”

“You know, Professor Wiggin?” she asked astonished.

“Of course, I know him,” the voice said angrily. “The Guardian always bonded with carrier of black smoke. But who do I end up with, a dimwit who ignores me and doesn’t even bother to understand who I am.”

“I told you already, I didn’t have a good-”

“I know,” the Guardian interrupted. “I’ve seen and lived your life with you, Mako.”

“You mean-” she stiffened- “you’ve seen everything I’ve been through, up until now?”

“And more,” he said.

“What does that make us?” she asked puzzled from this sudden encounter.

“I am here to bond with you, child,” he said. “Do not remain a fool and remain limited while we are limitless.”

Mako was dragged away again. The water stung in her eyes when she ripped them open. She saw an old hand reach into the pond and pull her out with a single attempt; it was Yaga. Mako wiped her eyes and moved her hair. She looked at her friends who were sitting in water that wasn’t even deep enough to reach their hip.

“What happened to you, Mako?” asked Penelope. “One moment you’re with us, and then you’re gone.”

Mako looked up to meet Yaga’s curious gaze that was wildly amused. “What’s in this water?” she asked the sage.

Yaga’s silver gaze was smiling down at her. “The world is much older than most believe,” he said, “this pond doesn’t have just any water. It’s the sacred oasis that shows your inner reflection.”

“But I saw-”

Yaga shook his head and silenced her. “What you saw stays with you, Mako,” he said. “Now, come on out.” He handed them towels.

As they wiped themselves down, they noticed that their bruises had vanishes, the cuts and stitches had healed.

Penelope gaped at them. “We were touched my magical water,” she astonished. “I’ve never been touched my magical water before.”

“All my scars are gone,” said Aiden as he assessed his arms.

Mako looked up to Yaga. “The sacred oasis healed us,” she said.

“We still have one more step,” he called them back to the pavilion where Professor Wiggin waited patiently. Yaga looked through the short shelves and some tall ones, when he finally found a wide-mouthed jar. He poured the blue substance in three glasses and gave one to each of them. “Drink it slowly,” he said as they thanked him for the drink.

“What is that on your arm, Aiden?” asked Professor Wiggin alarmingly.

All of their attention turned towards Aiden’s pale arm. It had small purplish black dots right in the crook of the elbow. “I don’t know, Professor,” said Aiden as he tried to rub it off like it was some colour.

Yaga stepped forth and assessed the boy’s arm. “Interesting,” he mumbled. “Let me see yours?” He asked Penelope and she offered hers, which strangely had some too and so did Mako’s arms.

“What is that, Yaga?” asked Professor Wiggin.

“It’s dark alchemy,” he said as he assessed the puncture wounds, that even the sacred oasis couldn’t heal. “It’s very old and forbidden alchemy,” Yaga said with a frown. “Whoever gave these wasn’t taking blood, but your life source.”

“Neo,” the three kids spoke the name together.

“The intern,” cursed Professor Wiggin.

“Can you heal it?” asked Aiden.

Yaga shook his head. “This particular spell can only be taken care of when it was given,” he said. “These look old, and once, that small period of time passes I can’t do anything.” They all shared grim expressions. “But-” Yaga’s smile reassured them- “I’ve protected you from any future attacks like this. You have the protection of the oasis and my brew will prevent this spell from hurting you again.”

“Thank you, Yaga,” said Mako.

“You three, go wait by the door,” said Professor Wiggin. “I need to speak to Yaga alone.”

“Hold on,” Yaga stopped them from leaving. He reached around his table and took out another black key. “If you ever wish to see me again, just use this key in any door.”

Mako opened her palm and Yaga dropped the key in it. “Thank you.”

“Thank you, Yaga,” said Aiden.

“Bye for now,” Penelope waved as they strode back to the door they came from.

They waited for a few long moments, when their Professor returned with a grim expression.

“What’s happened?” asked Mako.

“Nothing,” he brushed them off. They exited the door all together and returned to Wiggin Academy.

“What will we do about Neo?” Mako asked Professor Wiggin.

“Nothing,” he answered. “You three will do nothing.” They looked at him puzzled. “Go to bed and stay away from that nurse. Is that clear?”

They gave their Professor a disheartened reply to his command and made their way to their dorm rooms.

“Will we really do nothing about it?” Penelope asked Aiden and Mako.

“Kind of bothers me that Neo used us,” grumbled Aiden. “He took out our powers and played every single student for whatever twisted scheme he playing.”

“What do you think he’s plotting?” asked Mako.

“I don’t know,” replied Aiden.

“Nothing good, that’s for sure,” added Penelope.

They reached Aiden’s dormitory. “We’ll have to spy on him to know for sure,” suggested Aiden before he left.

Mako and Penelope returned to their own dorm room with the full intent to wake up tomorrow to spy on the school’s suspicious intern.