I nodded in understanding, and I noticed that the golden cube was beginning to fade.
"Are we out of time?"
He looked sad about the answer, but he slowly nodded his head.
"We are, Silver."
"Then I'll see you the day before our enrollment," I vowed. He began to fade, and I whispered, "See you later, Dad."
I could see how my last words lit up his expression, and with that, I was sitting on my bed once more. Staring down at the invitation in my hand, I allowed myself to release the pent-up emotions within me.
Another moment to cry was all I needed before I washed my face, fixed my makeup, and headed downstairs. By the time I reached the bottom step, I realized I was the last one - the rest of my men stood near the kitchen island, waiting for me.
With a smile, I walked over to them, noticing that they had also prepared with the clean-up of their clothes and their readied facial expressions.
They all had their envelopes, and I presented mine as we gathered in a circle. I lifted my head up tall as I stood at attention.
"Are you guys ready?" I whispered and looked at each of them as they nodded. "Are we, as in Team 999, committed to attending S.S.S. Sky Division for the next four years?"
They bobbed their heads in agreement, giving me a boost of confidence I needed to know we'd be entering the next four years as a team.
"Then I, Silver Spell Solange, activate these invitations. We, Team 999, accept our enrollment at S.S.S. Academy Sky Division. Let our magic sign upon the dotted lines and prove our commitment."
All six of our envelopes began to glow as they slipped out of our grasps and rose up in the air. They spun as the flaps opened up and the gold parchment papers were pulled out of their protective holds.
The folded pieces opened up, revealing our official letters of acceptance and invites. Our signatures began to appear on the dotted lines, and with a burst like fireworks, the envelopes and letters were gone.
Their remaining magic sprinkled down upon us, and a flame lit up in the middle of our circle to reveal a single card. I stepped forward to accept it and read the written words.
"Congratulations, Team 999. Your invitation has been accepted and you are now officially enrolled in S.S.S. Academy Sky Division. May your summer be rejuvenating, and we'll see you in the fall. Signed, Headmaster Solange."
I lifted my gaze to see the other's relieved grins.
"It's official," I whispered. "Year Five. Here we come."
Summer Recovery And Witch Gift
"Unbelievable, Nya!" Mitten gasped, which only made me cringe in nervousness. Her ears twitched and she looked at my worried expression before she quickly added, "No, don't be so nervous. The test results are good!"
She showed me the results and emphasized the point. "Everything came back clear. No abnormalities whatsoever. It's as you described, Silver. You created a new body. The gene is gone."
"Meaning it'll never suddenly pop up or develop or-"
"It will never come into existence. It can't be given to you or anything. You are completely healthy, Silver. Physically and magically. I would advise a little bit of rest magic-wise, seeing as you just went through a hell of an exam, but other than that, you are perfectly well, Silver."
Her words almost made me shed tears, which had her panicking in seconds.
"Ah! Don't cry, Nya!"
"Thanks, Mitten for the good news. I really needed it," I admitted. She grinned as her eyes softened. "I know everything that has occurred is really shocking. Thank you for being willing to continue to receive treatment from me, even with everything you've gone through."
"Well, you guys did kind of keep your word about revealing the truth as to why everything would go to hell every school year," I acknowledged.
Sure, we didn't have all the answers to everything that occurred, but we knew they had a purpose, and we'd be able to figure out the rest of the pieces in due time.
Mitten nodded and flipped through a few of the pages until she reached the second-to-last page of the booklet of test results.
"Also, just to confirm, you're not pregnant."
"I was pretty confident in that one," I commented. "You left that hint on purpose, didn't you?"
"We may have to endure assholes sometimes, but I really wanted Nikko to get what was coming to her. Too bad she's still on the run." Mitten looked annoyed with the whole Nikko situation, but at least we ended up getting the last laugh.
"Are they working on locating her?"
"Definitely. Your sister is working with another team on tracking down a bunch of people in connection to the Dark Kingdom. Many were in disguise as students, like Nikko, with a few who were picked up throughout the school year. Anyone in association with the Dark Kingdom that remained at S.S.S. has been arrested and is now enduring hours of questioning. We're finally making progress."
"Sky Division can't guarantee that we won't experience similar interruptions?" I inquired.
"Sadly, no. We're a spy school, but sometimes the best spies are on the enemy's side and are willing to go to great lengths to get what they want," Mitten admitted. "It's obvious they want you dead, but now that we’ve surpassed the goal threshold they were desperate to kill you by, we're not in the advantage zone, Nya."
"Advantage zone?" I inquired.
"I was talking to Daichi about this," Mitten admitted as she placed the chart down and crossed her arms under her breasts. "The deadline they designated for you. What if that was something given to them from someone who either could time travel, similar to Uzziah, or another god who’s on the wrong side?"
"Gods can see other's futures?" I questioned. I knew Dad had mentioned he'd seen my future when he first held me, but I wasn't sure that was a gift given to every god.
"Not all gods, but ones of high positions in their rank. All gods have ranks. From what I know, you progress from a learner to a professor. Then you move higher to a master, and that’s when you begin your godly duties. I don't really know the details apart from that, but Artemis is extremely high on the scale, which I guess is the reason why he got the headmaster role so easily."
"Mitten?" I whispered. "You won't get in trouble for telling me this, right?"
"Not at all, Nya." She beamed at my concern. "The truth of your demigod roots have been revealed. We don't need to tip-toe around the truth like before."
"That's still hard to process," I confessed. "Does that mean everyone who attends Sky Division is of demigod potential?"
"Correct," she approved. "The campus is much bigger than S.S.S. and there is a fewer amount of students this year, but don't be fooled. It's still going to be a tedious year to look out for, especially with you learning about your demigod abilities."
"We have special abilities?" I inquired.
"You noticed how you had a specific cloak on your shoulders when you basically rebirthed yourself?" Mitten reminded. "That is a demigod gift. Your father carries a similar cloak."
"Wow. I thought it was just an artifact," I admitted.