The seeds we plant

Natasha's POV:

"It can't be true… it can't be true"

I run out of the door of reality without a fixed direction. I only know that I don't want to be there. I trust my teachers and I believe in them, but I can't believe that Miss Mia died.

- Someone as strong as her…

My steps drown my words as I run at full speed towards the forest where we usually train. I wipe my tears with my sleeve before arriving so as not to show them to Miss Mia.

"I'm sure she'll be there. No doubt she'll give me a horrible bloodthirsty smile and tell me to start training."

My feet slow down when I reach the clearing where our training usually begins. When I stop, the forest feels strangely calm. I know this could be one of their traps, but I want to make sure that my teachers are lying. I take the resolution to take a breath in my lungs and shout the cursed word.

- Attention!

I quickly spread my roots and prepare for the possible attack that will come. I make sure there are no roots other than mine on the ground and quickly activate the evil eyes to observe all my surroundings so as not to leave any blind spots. I finish my preparations about 5 seconds after I have shouted the cursed word and wait for the attack.

- ….

"It's taking a while"

Neither my evil eyes nor my roots manage to detect anything strange. My surroundings are so quiet that I can hear my breathing. Suddenly I feel a strange presence behind me. I quickly analyze it with my evil eye while preparing countermeasures to block any incoming attacks.

"Miss Mia?"

My preparations are in vain. There is only a colorful bird there that stares at me from above. Without letting my guard down I observe the bird that seemed to want to open its beak, but before the bird could do so my teacher Carla enters the clearing where I had entered. Her movements are slow while her breathing is irregular. Her legs are shaking so much that she looks like she's going to faint at any moment. Even though I'm worried, I don't want to see her right now.

- Teacher Carla, now-

- F-finally… I caught you…

Even though I try to tell her to go, she screams between gasps as she approaches me shakily. I look away so as not to see her and weaken my resolve. No matter what she does, I don't want to see her right now.

- These… children of… nowadays… How do they manage… to run so fast?

I don't answer her question and I focus on my surroundings again so that Miss Mia doesn't catch me off guard. I concentrate all my senses to detect any noise, no matter how small. Suddenly, an explosion sound reverberates in the clearing. Confused, I turn to see my teacher who looks satisfied at the bright color that the explosion left behind.

- Good, that will warn the wolves.

Having caught her breath a little, she looks at me a little embarrassed.

- Just so you know, it's not that I'm not athletic, it's just that your speed is too much for a mere human. Understood?

- Yes… I am a monster after all.

Still without looking at her, I focus on my surroundings when I notice my teacher slowly approaching my back. I quickly create a small pillar of stems so she can't reach me.

- Natasha, we have to go back. It's not safe out here right now.

- I can't do that, I'm in the middle of training.

- But Natasha…

Her voice clearly shows me sympathy for me. Even though I usually adore that warm voice of my teacher, her tone irritates me. The fact that she's pitying me only increases my irritation. A bubbling fury overflows from my heart. A fiery torrent that comes out of my chest without any control soon fills my head with thoughts of driving my teacher Carla away by any means. My mouth opens before I can think about it:

- I don't need your sympathy! Go away and let us train in peace!

A slight voice of surprise escapes her lips. Even without seeing her I'm sure she's looking at me with pity or anger at this moment. But none of that matters. I have to confirm that Miss Mia is still alive.

- ... Natasha, I know it's hard to digest what you heard so suddenly, I totally understand that it's something difficult to believe, but... Mia is no longer with us.

- Tch! Liar!

Anger does not stop welling up in my chest with each word of my teacher Carla. Before I realized what I was doing, the stems around me rushed towards my teacher. Without expecting an attack, my teacher is pushed hard as she rolls a few meters away. A chill runs down my back as I look at my teacher Carla lying on the ground.

"Did I do that?"

Unable to believe it, I look at my shaking hand as a torrent of guilt floods my chest. I begin to gasp for air as I watch my teacher slowly try to get up. A desire to run away from what I'm seeing fills my heart as panic grows within me. My teacher's wolves arrive and stand beside my teacher Carla as they stare at me accusingly.

- I... I didn't want to... she insisted... I didn't...

Guilt suddenly began to sink my heart. My feet began to shake as air refused to enter my lungs. My gasps only grew louder as the accusatory stares of the wolves grew more piercing. Tears began to fall down my cheeks as I knelt on the ground clutching my head.

"Has this not happened to you before?"

Suddenly a voice began to speak to me inside my head. I tried to shake my head at what the voice said, but it only grew louder.

"Of course it has happened! Isn't this the first time the people you love are hurt by your decisions right?"

Before I could deny it, my father's body appeared in front of me. But this time he was no longer in the forest. A heavy darkness surrounded me from all directions. My father's body, which was the only thing I could see in the place, suddenly began to move. I covered my mouth in terror as he slowly approached with the sword that killed him still stuck in his chest. Although I tried to move, my limbs wouldn't move. I could only watch as he slowly approached. When he finally reached me, his rotten lips formed a smile like the ones he made for me all the time.

- You don't know how worried I was about you! You suddenly disappeared and your mother and Doth panicked.

- Ah… yes… me.

- But those men in leather armor stormed our house without hesitation and devoured the entire feast that Doth prepared for us.

- I... Dad, I...

- But I have no idea how they found our cabin. They shouldn't have been able to find us that easily. Do you happen to know what happened Nath?

An enormous pressure came out of my Dad. He seemed to want me to give him an answer, but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth.

- Come on Nath, I know you're a good girl so tell me, okay?

Tears begin to overflow from my cheeks. The pain in my chest forces me to grab my chest as I curl up on myself. The nausea I feel doesn't let me breathe as I desperately try to form some coherent word.

- Nath, it's not polite to ignore when they talk to you.

The pressure on my chest intensifies. The tears become a torrent as my sobs drown out any words I could formulate.

- Come on Nath, you're a good girl aren't you?

- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

- Natasha!

My teacher Carla's voice suddenly echoes in my ears. A soft but firm hug envelops me immediately after. When I look around, I can only see the clearing we had been in before that voice spoke to me. When I look around more thoroughly I notice multiple stems and brambles scattered around me. Many of them seem to have been melted or burned in strange ways. Finally clearing my head, I turn my attention to my teacher and notice that her dress is torn and scratched in many places. A little blood is oozing from almost all of them and some wide cuts can be seen through the gaps in her strange dress.

- Teacher Carla… your dress.

- Don't worry about small things, for a witch this is nothing to worry about.

- … Let me go.

- Huh?

- Let me go. I'm only going to hurt you if you stay with me any longer.

I try to free myself with my hands, but she only hugs me tighter, burying me even further into her chest. I try to fight, but her warmth holds me tenaciously. Before I know it, I've stopped resisting and I'm holding on tightly to my teacher Carla.

- Calm down little one, everything's okay now.

- But teacher Carla... monsters can't have friends or family.

- Why do you think that?

- … Because they only hurt their loved ones.

- Don't worry about those details. Even if we assume what you say is true, I'm not just anyone, I'm a witch, the potions witch. I won't be hurt so easily.

- … But.

The strength in my grip increases as the warmth of my teacher Carla and her scent calm me down. Slowly the weight that was in my heart fades away as I lose myself in this warmth. Before I know it, tears begin to flow from my eyes, soaking her dress. A desire suddenly wells up in my chest, but I don't dare open my mouth. The fear of the answer is enough to make me tremble.

- It's okay if you want to ask me something, I'll answer you as long as it's in my power to do so.

A momentary shock hits me as I look at my teacher Carla, intrigued.

- How did you know?

- … a hunch? You seemed to want to say something.

At her answer I can't help but frown.

- It bothers me a little that you can read me so easily…

She smiles at me as she lightly pats my back.

- You don't need to pout about it. If I can read you like this it's only because of the time we've shared together.

Her hug tightens slightly as she gently pulls me closer to her chest.

- I'm proud to be your teacher, you know?

- … Even if I'm a monster?

- Even if you were a demon god, I would still hug you like this.

- Then… Will you stay by my side?

A slight voice of surprise leaves her lips as I ask the question. I unconsciously begin to tremble as I wait for an answer. Perhaps realizing this, my teacher Carla pulls me closer to her chest to the point where I can vaguely feel her heart.

- Of course I'll stay by your side. And it's not just me. Judith, Cathelaya, Hasumi, Janeth… even Emily. All of us will stay with you.

- I see…

I hold on tightly to my teacher as my consciousness slowly begins to fade. Before I lose consciousness I can see the bird from before flying away while holding a freshly plucked chrysanthemum in its beak. I finally lose consciousness surrounded by the warmth of my teacher Carla.