Sterling closed his eyes, feeling needle-like pain in his head. This descent toward Vivian's location seemed obstructed somehow, exceptionally difficult.
He felt like a butterfly caught in a net, one careless move away from breaking his wings. The originally cloud-soft barriers became cement-wall hard to penetrate. By the time he finally dropped onto the grass, he was sweating all over.
Opening his eyes, the sky seemed covered by a layer of black reflective material.
"Sterling! You're here!"
Vivian lightly landed on Sterling's head, using his curls to wipe mud spots from her dress.
Sterling noticed Vivian's right wing seemed different in length from her left, with an irregular break at the edge... probably caught in an explosion during experiments?
"Vivian... didn't you and Maleficent have business preventing me from coming? Why are you meeting me secretly without letting Maleficent know?"
Vivian turned her head away, deflecting.
"Oh my, do you already know this is Avalon?"
Sterling didn't respond, quietly watching her. Soon she couldn't stand it and spilt everything in desperation.
"Avalon goes through very violent upheavals periodically, and we great wizards must suppress the upheavals, so our locations become very dangerous. That's why Maleficent forbade you from visiting us."
"The upheaval here is now in a safe period, and I happened to miss you especially, so I called you over... If Maleficent knew, she'd break my wings..."
Sterling showed an indescribable expression. This ridiculous reason... From anyone else he might not believe it, but from Vivian, he really had to.
Vivian angrily stomped on Sterling's head.
"Don't you miss your godmother at all? My heartless godson! I'll never teach you Potions again!"
"Wow! You dare say that!"
Sterling detailed his Potions class experiences to her, especially emphasising Snape's sharp critique.
"Nonsense! I'm the best Potioner in all Avalon!"
Vivian's entire face reddened. She had to defend her reputation.
"How many years has your Potions professor studied? Let him come to Avalon and face me! I've been brewing potions since shortly after birth, for... for..."
Seeing Sterling's perked ears, Vivian irritably kicked him, laughing at his pained but resigned expression.
"You cannot pry into your godmother's age!"
"But using your method just won't brew potions. Shouldn't Avalon work the same as the present world?"
"Simple." Vivian shrugged. "The problem is with you."
Sterling pointed at himself. "Me?"
"I ask you. How does magic work? What do spells do?"
"Firm will plus magic's action. Spells are just a means to strengthen will..."
"Potions are ultimately a magical ritual, so brewing methods, whether rigid like your teacher's or free-form like mine, don't matter."
"You encountered two methods and lost confidence in mine, not believing from your heart that my method could brew potions in the present world. If even you don't believe, why should magic's miracles favour you?"
Vivian sat cross-legged in a high-backed chair conjured from air.
"After failing once, you further reinforced distrust of my method and faith in that professor's, so you succeeded later using his method. Basically just not trusting me, you ungrateful godson!"
Vivian angrily turned away, deciding not to conjure desserts for Sterling today.
Sterling quickly approached with concern, helping tend her wings. The right wing's break was strange, not the pitted break from explosions but perfectly smooth edges, as if cut.
"You must promise to only use my brewing methods from now on!"
Vivian proposed reconciliation terms. Sterling agreed without hesitation. Even without her saying so, he'd planned this.
Why follow doctrine when you could act freely?
Sterling was ready to give Snape some Avalonian potion shock.
Just remember to cast Flame-Freezing Charms on hands and feet before entering Potions class. No more hospital wing visits from Burns.
"By the way, Vivian, why can your Transfiguration create food? Present-world Transfiguration lists 'cannot transfigure food' as principle number one."
Vivian conjured a chocolate croissant for Sterling. As he ate heartily, she suddenly snapped her fingers.
Sterling's upper and lower teeth suddenly clicked together, making his teeth ache.
The chocolate croissant had been returned to its pre-transfiguration state.
But Sterling's mouth contained nothing.
"There's no 'cannot transfigure food'. Just fear of harm when reverting. Use something that won't hurt you for transfiguration!"
"But if your Transfiguration also reverts, why do I feel full? If using air or something as you suggest..."
"Stop!" Vivian looked exasperated. "I think that magic school made you stupid!"
"When did I say use air? Magic power! I remember you know Hero's Heart? If magic can shape, why can't it transfigure?"
Green magic flowed from Vivian's palm, first condensing into a bow and arrow, then becoming a sparrow that hopped onto Sterling's head, pecking his hair.
Magic... didn't magic participate in Transfiguration? In other words, as energy... could energy simultaneously serve as material?
Could oil-powered oil make cars run?
This was... too magical!
Sterling immediately practised. Blue magic gushed from his hand, becoming a large plate of stew under his control.
"Wait, Vivian, can magic provide satiation?"
"You really lack your childhood inspiration..." Vivian sighed, eating vanilla ice cream.
"I told you. Firm will – leave everything else to magic. Magic handles everything... just believe magic can fill your stomach. Believe."
"Avalon's magic really differs too much from the present world..."
Sterling muttered. Though the present world also emphasised "will's importance" for wizards, it was far from Avalon's level of entrusting nearly everything to will.
Only the Thirteen Magic study in Avalon had complex requirements and methods. For magic like "Aurora", Sterling had summarised the learning method himself.
The magic books Maleficent kept in her treasury only recorded this magic as "firmly imagine your desired hair appearance, then use magic."
"Of course... because absolute differences exist between Avalon and the present world."
Vivian casually dropped a bombshell.
"Avalon's world hasn't changed much in over a thousand years. The present world has aged a thousand years, right? Now it can still manipulate magic through complex magical theory, but in another thousand years, the present world's magical community will perish."
"Magic's golden age was long ago collected into Avalon by Merlin. The only place in the present world still retaining golden age afterglow is..."
Vivian stopped speaking, looking gravely at the sky, then forced lightness while stuffing chocolate in her mouth.
"Nothing, nothing. It's too early for you to know this. Some tea?"
Sterling was initially nervous hearing about magical community extinction, but reconsidering, a thousand years was so distant; what did it matter to him? Neither he nor his cherished friends had any connection to that future.
"I want three sugar packets."
Sitting by the newly conjured small round table, Sterling and Vivian chatted about school while eating sweets.
No one noticed a sun-sized brass eye had been watching the fairy garden since Sterling's arrival.
Maleficent sat in her tower, drinking bitter wine.