A Way Too Personal Illusion

Amelia is looking back at you.

Or at least, she is looking vaguely in your direction.

Her eyes are unsettlingly unfocused despite the tears running down from them. Her jaw hangs open and she is visibly shaking, her face pale as she stands frozen. It is clear that whatever she is looking at is not something fully before her eyes and it is a very unpleasant sight indeed. So unpleasant that she has not noticed the energy she has gathered for her Illumibolt is still charging, the tip of her wand growing brighter by the second.

Harmony, for her part, momentarily has a smug smirk on her lips but it quickly turns to a perplexed stare as the victim of her curse suddenly turns away from the target and takes a step in your direction. That stare turns into a gawk as Amelia shakily turns her wand hand in your direction as well, almost as if she is unaware the glowing weapon is still in her grip.

"Not you," Amelia mutters faintly, like she was talking in her sleep, "Anyone but you. Gloria."

Three things happen at once. Mana, probably more interested in protecting Selena who is close-by behind you, steps between you and Amelia, casting a shield spell and bracing herself for any potential impact. Harmony shakes herself out of her shock and, realizing the danger, dispels her curse. Out of the corner of your eye, you also see Professor Zizana approaching, though she pauses when she sees Harmony undoing her spell.

The entire class has gone silent, the only sound is the still growing charge of Amelia's wand as she blinks herself back to consciousness. Your fellow Wyvern seems dumbfounded for a moment as awareness returns to her gaze. However, that moment ends with her expression turning to pure, unbound rage as she swings back around towards Harmony.

"YOU FUCKING SHIT HEAD!" she screams, her wand turning back towards the baffled blonde as well and you are unsure if she is still too disoriented to realize what is happening or if she is actually planning to shoot.

It is a moot point however, as Professor Zizana points her forefinger at Amelia and shouts out, "DISPELLARM!"

A jolt of purple energy flies from her extended digit, hitting Amelia's wand and knocking it out of her hand. Mana stiffens as she sees the glowing wand headed for the ground and strengthens her shield spell but it seems that Zizana's actions have taken care of that problem as well. You can feel the sigh of relief from those around you (and yourself) as the wand harmlessly clatters on the floor, the energy having been quickly drained away.

Amelia drops to her knees, hands covering her mouth and nose in horror as she continues to shake and cry. Her eyes glitter with a mixture of the remaining anger but also a new element of horror as the realization of what she almost did looks like it is sinking in. She makes an attempt to look up at you but immediately loses the will to do so and stares down at the ground while weeping.

Harmony's face is pale, having been caught so flat-footed by the events that she had not even had a chance to throw up her own shield spell. If Amelia's spell had gone off...

"It was just a Fearlussion," she says in a tiny voice as Professor Zizana all but storms up to her, glaring down at her student.

"A Deepra Fearlussion," Zizana states in a voice far calmer than her expression, "What did you make her see?"

"I... don't know," Harmony answers, her shame becoming more apparent the longer she stays under both the gaze of the teacher and the rest of the class, "I just wanted her to see something really frightening. I never... specified what."

Zizana closes her one good eye, takes a very deep breath in through her nose before roughly blowing it out of her mouth. When she opens that eye again, she lashes out her arm and snatches away the wand in Harmony's hand. "You're done for today. Sit, Ashcroft."

Harmony winces as she is unceremoniously disarmed. "But..." she starts to protest.

"SIT. Ashcroft."

The firm and yet somehow still calm snarl scrapes out any last bit of fight left in Harmony. Her shoulders slump as she turns and dejectedly walks towards the bleachers to sit down alone, everyone but you, Zizana, and Amelia watching her go. That includes the other classes going on at the same time, which have also stopped due to the commotion, increasing the public humiliation Harmony is experiencing tenfold.

Once she has confirmed the blonde Phoenix is taken care of, Zizana goes to scoop up Amelia's wand as well. The elven briefly looks at the still shuddering and sobbing woman before her gaze falls on Mana and Selena. "Nurse."

The two blonde Pegasus girls share a look, nod, and help Amelia to her feet, letting her alternate between leaning on one or the others shoulders as they guide her out on unsteady legs. As you and Marcus watch your exercise partners walk off with your housemate, the other guy turns to you and whispers, "You get caught in the crossfire of weird girls a lot, don't you?"

Before you get a chance to say anything, Professor Zizana is looming over you. "You," she growls, "Office. Now."

Arguing against a teacher under the best of circumstances tends to be a bad idea, so doing so with a teacher that feels half a second away from ripping someone's head or other body parts off is a much worse idea. You obediently follow Zizana as she leads you to a little side-office off in the gymnasium's corner. Once inside, she shuts the door, closes the blinds on the window looking into the gym, runs her hands over the corner of each wall, and moves to sit behind the small desk in the center of the room before indicating a folding chair in front of it.

You sit in the chair as directed and the moment your butt hits the metal, four golden runic symbols glow to life at the four corners that Zizana touched. Once they are active, Zizana looks... very slightly less tense as she asks, "Do you plan to actually control your women?"

Not having expected the conversation to start at a point like that, you respond with the only answer that comes to mind. "Huh?"

The dark-skinned elven just silently glares at you before realization hits and you sigh, "Of course you can see the Soul Reins."

Zizana gives you a quick, curt nod. "Unlike the elder Harker and Aspecta, I have no interest in playing coy when it is not necessary. Now answer my question."

Given the way she is acting, and given Susan's indirect warning of the elven's overly cautious nature, you suspect the runes Professor Zizana activated are some kind of concealment spell to keep prying ears and eyes away. So you can probably speak at least a little more freely about the situation.

But should you? Susan did also directly warn you that Aspecta and Zizana would eventually start testing you too for whatever it was they were looking for in you. It may be that the Professor is simply concerned over the potential for more chaotic outbursts like what happened just now, but could she be looking for something else at the same time? A specific answer that you may or may not be able to give to her satisfaction?

Susan seemed to be testing your ability to try and maintain an element of consent through your activities, but there is no guarantee Zizana is looking for the same thing. Do you inform her of the plan for Amelia and Harmony to settle things (if that still stands after this)? Or do you play it safer somehow?