Surviving Times

A month has passed since three young sorcerers have begun to explore the art of the wand making. Pages of every book on the wandlore, well known or obscure were turned. Their palms became a little softer with all the wood carving they had done. They were ambitious and wanted to inscribe runes on their wands.

And the result, they became skilled artists and proper wand makers. If any Ollivander encountered what happened here, they would either commit suicide or revere these four.

Because the wands these four made, were immaculate.

The three of them looked at their masterpieces. They devoted an entire month in VR, which is equivalent to nearly 8 years and 2 months. Indeed, the Virtual World made by Mia and Anathema had 1:100 ratio. These two witches spent three years before accomplishing it into a reality. Mia created the blueprint and together with Anathema, it was borne into fruition.

Stepping out from the VR, the trio looked at the results of their hard work. They actually invested whole 8 years, trying to perfect them.

Theodore looked at his wand. It was also 13 inches, like Mia's. He crafted it from a wisteria tree wood. It was a wand with graceful grey black with a violet hue. It had 9 conjoining spheres like the elder wand.

Last year, they went to Japan and were fortunate enough not to be killed by a… troublesome mythical creature. He absolutely didn't expect that nosy, obnoxious creature to give this to him, the tree wood and the core.

"I still don't believe it. That nasty fox gave these to me. It feels so unreal." Theo said. He felt nostalgic. It was precisely because of the abominable fox, and he earned the ire of Daphne. Thinking about it makes him want to rip all the nine tails of the damn fox and turn them into scarves. It had nice fur, after all. Very soft ones.

"It's real. Whether you like it or not, the Fox agreed to it. Of course, on some conditions." Mia assured the boy.

"He gave me 10,000 year old wisteria wood and nine fox beads, which I presume to be his in exchange of something I don't know. And it frightens me." The boy sighed. He was exasperated. His friend, however, didn't mention a word about it. It was driving him insane.

"It's okay. She said it would be a surprise, so let's wait for it." Draco was remarkably optimistic. Well, he would be. Because he obtained everything he required to make his wand on his own without any bargain. Yes, he nearly departed from his life, but it was worth it.

"Don't you dare speak anything you lucky…" Theo was incensed. Well, he had every right to be.

Since Draco's wand was… really lucky in a sense, if you do not consider the core, that is. The wood was collected from an artificially grown Lotus tree, through alchemy and many other things. It was also good-looking. It was golden and dusky and 12 inches. Handsome would be more appropriate.

"You know it's not true. The core nearly cost me my life. I still get chills on my spine whenever I think about. And if anyone knows what is inside my wand… Every Australian aboriginal tribesman would make a dead pool out of me." Draco rolled his eyes, only he knows how much worried he was. Though he got a great wand without any strings attached, there's always a lingering fear in his heart. After all, he used an ancient relic as his wand core. The bone of Wagul, the rainbow serpent. He practically stole what would be a national treasure in a mad temple run.

"No one would as long as we don't say anything. So don't worry too much about it, Draco. And we'll be there for you." Daphne tried to comfort her friend.

Speaking of Daphne, she had to take the least risk for acquiring her materials. Mia suggested she go to the celestial spirit world and get something from that place. She thought it was worth giving a try.

And as she was the first ever contractor of the celestial spirits, they all loved her dearly and gave it to her with warm smiles. Yes, Mia crafted the keys, and Daphne is first ever celestial spirit mage in this dimension…

Hence, Daphne got everything, nearly free. The Spirit King offered her some wood from the tree in his backyard. She didn't know it was, but he said it provides energy to all the spirits and would make a great wand. Mia encouraged her to take, and she did.

As for the core, all the birthstones available on earth were brought into the spirit world. There, the Spirit King enchanted them. All of them were combined into a pure black diamond with multicoloured l.u.s.tre. It was, by all means, a celestial wand.

"Okay. Now show me your wand. I want to see how it turned out." Draco said to the blonde girl.

"Alright, but don't envy it." Daphne playfully smirked and showed her wand.

It was like a night sky filled with stars. It had a… otherworldly beauty to it. Can make one really jealous.

"Enough chit chat, I want you all to try your wands after we have lunch. VR or the forest you decide." Mia suggested.

"Forest. I'm not stepping into that void realm ever again." Daphne said insipidly.

"I agree."

"I second that."

"Fine, let's go back and have lunch. We are having pizza this afternoon." Mia's words erupted a round of cheers.

***

After having some pizzas, the four friends entered the Morgan forest.

"No matter how many times I enter this place, it still feels spectacular." Draco sighed.

"Exactly, mate. This place is… really an enchanted forest." Theo agreed.

They chatted along the way. Draco enjoyed the walk, Theo and Daphne had their usual banter and Mia silently watched them, with a small smile in her eyes.

Daphne, Draco and Theo cast a lumos with their wands. It was big, like a lighthouse but less bright compared to their smiles. Then, as though addicted, they cast every spell they knew until they collapsed on the ground.

"Had enough fun?" Mia asked the over-exhausted preteens.

"Nowhere nearly enough." Theo exclaimed. The boy was still on an adrenaline rush. They could now produce 10 times more powerful magic. How could they not be excited?

It was like giving a racer a high-end automobile.

"You have to listen to me anyway. It's good that all your wands seem to be suitable." Mia said.

"Wait a minute… How did you know that these wands would be perfect for us?" Draco asked the ravenette. He wanted to know how she was able to determine the ideal choice. Daphne and Theo stayed silent, as a form of acknowledgement. Because nearly every wandlore said it's always the wand who chooses the wizard and the four of them defied it royally.

"...It's simple. I know you three since we were five. And if you count the years spent in the VR, we have known each other for nearly a century now."

"..."

"So there's very little I don't know about you three. Draco's excellent in alchemy, so I thought of a tree tended through alchemy would support him further. As for the core, Wagul is the god of creation, and I thought using its bone would help you overcome the limitations of the transmutation circles."

"...So you sent us to Australia for a reason?" the three of them were dumbfounded.

"Why else would you think I sent you?"

They merely thought it was just another one of her whims or thirst for an adventure.

"Regardless, it's the same for Japan. I couldn't think of a more suitable choice for Theo. All your prejudice aside, that fox was your most decent shot at mastering elemental magic, Theo. It goes without saying that the celestial spirits adore Daphne."

"...how did you any of them? The fox, the relics... All of them were practically extinct."

"I searched. I want you all to fight with me, not behind me. And honestly, it s.u.c.k.e.d to be in the front-lines all the time."

"So you are telling us that you combed the entire world so that we can find some good materials to make our wand and augment our powers."

"...you could put it that way. I know I'm not the sanest person around but I'm not stupid enough to put you all on a suicide mission on a whim. And I knew that you all can make it through anyway."

Mia didn't know the effect of her words on them. The three of them, somewhere deep in their hearts felt inferior compared to her. She was perfect, and that gave them a lot of pressure. They thought she never cared about their opinion and did everything based on her wishes. And woe to them because they liked her.

They were afraid that they would be left behind if they didn't try harder. They knew it since they were five and the first time they met Mia.

The three of them had a shared understanding that they can't be average. They need to be someone who's worthy of her caliber. That is why, these three made up their minds to be someone who can stand alongside her. And they trained hard, suffered monotonously torturous training, faced death on a daily basis.

All along, they thought they were replaceable. But they were wrong. Mia, though a hypocrite, treasured them like a family.

And knowing their friendship was equally valued, they were relieved and excited.

And the result, they stare at Mia, and it got her some chills.

"No...stay where you are...don't even think about!" Mia said, taking a step back.

But the three of them just smirked and dashed towards her.

Mia was tackled into a hug and fell down.

"Ugh...I so hate you all." She said as she g.r.o.a.n.e.d. And the three of them laughed it off, because they now know it's impossible.

Mia sighed and let them be. She was thinking about how to convince them to not to use these wands in public. Though these wands were tailor made for them, they haven't gained a mastery over them.

Mia knows how troublesome it would be a master of a powerful wand. She herself face quite some difficulty. Nonetheless, they were fine wands and would attract jealousy, envy and hate.

But her worries were unfounded. Daphne, Draco and Theo grew up with her. And these three were no longer the naive, young kids they were supposed to be. These three are smart, manipulative and ruthless. All their loyalty and affection was reserved for their loved ones. Hence, they aren't some kids who would want to flaunt a new toy.

And Mia clearly underestimated her influence on them for nearly over a century.