Juno Valis was the envy of most students at the Royal Academy of Magic. Born into a family with a long line of skilled mages, she received the best training, the best education, and the best comforts in life. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and she knew it. It was not something she was particularly humble about. Indeed she flaunted her birth like another piece of expensive jewelry or clothing. Why should she be humble? She outpaced her so called peers long ago and even the Academy instructors had precious little to offer her. Getting high marks was hilariously easy. Not only that but as the sole scion of her house, her future was secure.

Even now as she sat at the front of her class, half listening to a lecture upon the dangers of over using magic, she exuded an easy pride. Her self-assured arrogance oozed from her and she certainly owned it. From her little amused smirk at the instructor to her relaxed posture, to the look in her golden eyes that said she was basically humoring the robed man at the front of the class. The others around her dutifully took their notes, some tapping their feet nervously as they worried over what would be on their exams. Not Juno. She was here because it was expected of her. Otherwise she’d have not bothered.

She herself was the very picture of nobility in the empire. Her well-endowed form was wrapped in a flawless white toga with a purple tunic trimmed in gold beneath. Leather sandals wrapped her feet, each one studded with precious gemstones. Black hair was pulled up into a tight bun, pearls decorating it. Her nails were well manicured and painted a deep purple color, golden accents around her eyes. Her noble features were flawless; enough to take away the breath of any man and evoke jealousy in any woman.

As the lecture finished Juno stood, brushing herself off. She was immediately approached by a pair of young women, a petite blonde and a tall dark haired woman. The blonde looked rather nervous and was going over the notes she’d finished scrawling down while her taller companion was, as always, rather impassive. Juno chuckled at the sight, crossing her arms under her ample breasts as she looked at the blonde.

“Worried, Amelia? Certainly you didn’t find the material so very difficult to grasp.” Juno said, her tone sickly sweet like honey.

Amelia let out a little groan. “Unfortunately, most of we mere mortals weren’t born to the Valis family.” She grumbled.

“That must be terribly inconvenient.” The young woman replied with a chuckle.

The tallest of the trio cleared her throat slightly. “To be fair, this is a fairly technical course. Personally I’d prefer something more hands on intensive.”

Juno shrugged slightly in response to that. “It’s a requirement unfortunately, Iona. Not to worry, your dearest friend might be cajoled into giving you an extra lesson or two. Gods know you won’t learn anything from this hack.” She responded with her usual self-assured little smirk.

Said hack, a middle aged man with the earliest signs of grey in his hair looked like he was going to retort in a scathing manner. Whatever words he’d been about to say died in his throat when Juno gave him a sideways glance, golden eyes daring him to refute her. Her father was on the Imperial Council and her mother was the current Headmistress. She could not only take his job but make sure he’d never work again. He knew that, it’s why he held his lowborn tongue.

Her friends winced at her insulting their instructor so blatantly but wisely held their own tongues on that matter. A Valis was likely to go very high places indeed after all. Being taken along for that ride could set many families for life. Juno understood that much though it was a mindset she supposed she could get. She supposed lesser nobility had to scurry about for scraps of greatness. Such was the way of the world. The weaker ones fed upon the success of the strong. At the very least she had some… well not peers exactly, subordinates she supposed.

Juno waved a hand. “Regardless let’s get going, I won’t learn anything but Elementalism 101 awaits. Maybe the instructor will light herself on fire due to her own incompetence.” She said, chuckling at that mental image.

The noble mage was about to walk away with the others in tow, only to run right into another person. She stumbled back slightly, the scuffle of sandals upon the smooth marble floor sounding out. Golden eyes glared at whomever had dared to obstruct her path. “Watch where you’re going, lowborn filth!” She growled.

Sprawled out on the floor was a freckled red head. Dark circles around her green eyes were indicative of a lack of sleep. Her rather plain toga and tunic were wrinkled and ill fitting, just looking like they’d been thrown on. The sandals upon her feet were worn and frayed slightly; it was surprising the straps hadn’t broken to be honest. Her fiery red hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. She was rather plain in the face, unremarkable, her form as average as they come really.

The young woman blinked slightly and collected her books on the floor, muttering something to herself. “No… elf ear would ruin the mixture. Blood grass is a better stabilizing agent…” She babbled, clearly barely noticing who she’d run into.

Juno stepped on one of the books the red head was reaching for. “Hey! Your betters are addressing you, pay attention!”

The red haired young woman cocked her head, looking at the foot upon her book as though it was something she had never seen before. Her first response was to actually grab Juno’s ankle and try to lift her foot from the book. She actually put her filthy, grubby little fingers upon her skin. Juno felt soiled, her skin crawling as she jerked her ankle from her grip. Her friends looked at each other nervously as raw mana started fizzling in the air around Juno, the noblewoman red in the face.

“How dare you touch me!? What makes you think you have the right to lay a finger upon me!?” She all but shrieked.

Finally the red head actually looked up, blinking as though just noticing that Juno was there. “Your foot was on my book.” She said, enunciating her words slowly.

“Because you didn’t acknowledge that you bumped into me!”

The young woman blinked. “We ran into each other?”

Juno gritted her teeth. “Are you mocking me, worm?”

“No… I think?”

The young woman got up with her books in hand, brushing at her wrinkled clothes slightly. The sheer audacity of this creature astounded the noble, to the extent where she actually found herself completely at a loss for words. She stood there frozen for the longest time as the woman walked past her, muttering to herself once more. Her steps were sluggish, like she was a few moments away from falling asleep. She walked right out the door, not giving the room or the occupants of the room a backwards glance.

That… had never happened before. Never in Juno’s life had she actually been confronted with that level of… indifference. It was like she hadn’t even cared who Juno was. Hell, she probably hadn’t even recognized her. The noble mage’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she turned to her companions, who winced. Her hands were curled into fists, nails biting into the flesh of her palms. She looked like she was a few moments away from screaming. The cowed instructor meanwhile had a rather amused look on his face, one he wiped away very quickly to escape the wrath of the enraged noblewoman.

“Who… the fuck was that?” She gritted out.

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Rea Walshor. It was a name that spoke of hailing from the northern provinces of the Empire. A common born girl, literally apparently born in a hut. The red head that had so offended Juno was quite notoriously scatterbrained, her mind seeming to work in a… different manner to most. Most of that came down to the fact that, while completely below average in most every study she undertook, she was a genius of potion craft.

The red head apparently had the magical potential of an old sock, even the most simple of spells fizzling out from her fingers. When it came to mixing potions and creating true marvels however, even the Academy instructors couldn’t match her. According to Juno’s sources, gossip mostly, her sluggishness was the most speculated about thing about her. She never slept, she traveled outside of the city to gather materials, she had a curse placed on her that kept her constantly slow, she was always drunk or afflicted by her own potion fumes.

Under normal circumstances Juno might well have gone her entire time at the Academy and never noticed Rea. Her birth and status was so low to render her unto an ant before the noblewoman. An ant that had opted to, inadvertently, bite into Juno’s toe so to speak. It therefore followed that the only thing she could do now was crush her. Utterly and completely destroy the one that had offended her.

That was where things got frustrating. Rea had no political standing, no known friends of any import, and no real sponsor that had helped her get in to the Academy. Watching her had shown that her meals were generally spent with her face flat against the table, gentle snores coming from her. She never seemed to eat when others did, so poison was out. It seemed the only way to do this, was to handle it personally.

Which lead to where Juno currently was, walking towards Rea’s desk after class was dismissed for the day. The sluggish young woman was slumped over her desk, happily slumbering away upon one of her books. The haughty young highborn squared her shoulders and slammed her hands onto Rea’s desk, leaning in. No reason to be subtle about her intentions at this stage, not after the week of open hostility Juno had been directing at her.

“I’m awake!” The red head said, jolting upright and looking around in a state of drowsy confusion. With some disgust Juno noted a thin trail of drool upon her cheek.

The highborn cleared her throat to get her attention. Rea looked at her, blinking a couple of times. “Something you need? Is class already over?”

Juno’s brow twitched ever so. “Yes, there is something I need lowborn. I formally, with our instructor as witness, challenge you to a duel!”

The blank look on Rea’s face was cause for no about of smugness on Juno’s part, to say nothing of the gasps of the remaining students. No doubt the wretched little trollop was regretting her life choices even now. The noblewoman expected she’d throw herself at her feet, pleading in tears not to be forced to face off against one far more powerful. Oh but there was no way Juno was letting her off the hook.

Finally, the stunned woman seemed to find her words. “…Okay, neato. But class. Is it over yet?”

Juno felt some of the wind leave her sails at the blank faced young woman. “Yes. Yes it is, but that’s not important! Didn’t you hear what I said!?”

“Yeah, a duel. Doesn’t interest me, so thanks but no thanks. Have we met before by the way?” Rea said slowly.

In that exact moment, Juno was certain Rea had been put upon this world with the sole purpose of irritating her. She growled in anger and crossed her arms beneath her ample bust, glaring down at the lowborn. She regarded her much as she would regard a fly swimming around in her soup. With disdain and the utmost contempt. As well as looking like she was going to turn the chef inside.

“I am Juno Valis.” She said, as though the name was title enough on its own.

Rea blinked slowly, still blank in the face. “…Not ringing any bells. Sorry. Anyway, need to be going now. Nice meeting you, Juno.” She said, yawning for a bit at the end.

Juno locked her jaw and, thinking quickly, grabbed one of Rea’s books. It was a little leather bound journal as frayed as the sandals of the lowborn with pages yellowed from age inside. The highborn mage set it under her arm and away from the reaching fingers of the red head. Childish perhaps but it was likely to get her attention at the very least. She would not stand for someone looking through her rather than at her.

A different expression crossed Rea’s face now, a frown. “Hey. That’s not yours. Give it back.”

“If you want it back, agree to my duel.”

Green eyes narrowed as they looked up at Juno. For once she didn’t look tired, the drowsy young woman instead looked offended and incensed. Good, maybe she was getting a feel for what it was like snubbing her betters like that. She smoothed out her toga and collected her other books, standing and holding out her hand for the book Juno was holding. Something flashed inside of those green eyes, something dangerous. Juno didn’t back down or shy away from it however; her own eyes boring into Rea’s. The air in the classroom seemed to become positively thick with tension and the instructor was in no hurry to dissolve it.

“Alright. Name your time and place.”

Juno grinned wolfishly. “Tomorrow at high noon, the Academy Practice Grounds. The stakes. Well, the usual. Death or enslavement for the loser.”

Rea rolled her wrist. “OK, OK. My book?”

A snort escaped Juno as she tossed the little journal back to Rea and strode out of the classroom with her head held high. Potions and elixirs wouldn’t help Rea when she was being impaled by shards of ice or torn apart with Telekinetic forces. The remaining students parted from her path as she walked through the massive halls of the Academy and back to her chambers. Perhaps she might not even kill Rea. It might be satisfying to whip the little bitch into a bloody and mewling little mess of tears and blood. With that thought in mind she found some spring to her step.

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The Academy Practice Grounds was a nice distinction to the blasted and scared landscape outside of the Academy itself to the west. The flat ground was marred by craters both large and small, blackened ground in patches indicating the use of lightning or some other such magic that used intense heat. In the distance the pyramid structure of the Academy loomed, massive and imposing.

It was here that Juno Valis was to meet Rea Walshor. Well, at least that was what was supposed to happen about thirty minutes ago. Juno stood upon the open field, tapping her sandal clad foot impatiently upon the ground. Where the hell was she? It wasn’t like she was sleeping in. She’d seen her! They’d literally bumped into each other in the mess hall like an hour ago! She had spilled her gruel all over her best toga!

Truly, an offence warranting the most painful of deaths. That bit of fabric had probably cost more than Rea’s home and how much she and her worm family would sell for as slaves. Did she understand how difficult it was to wash stains out of silk? Her household slaves were going to be working overtime due to that.

The little crowd that had gathered for the duel supposed to go down were all chattering among themselves and the overseeing instructor, a dusky skinned and middle aged woman with a bored look on her face looked about ready to shut down the whole affair. Juno ground her perfect teeth together as a flush crossed her cheeks. That. Fucking. Bitch. She was standing her up. She was actually standing up a challenge from her! Juno Valis!

“So, uh, young Lady Valis. Looks like she’s not showing up. Then again, that’s Rea for you.” The instructor stated, clearing her throat.

The noblewoman lifted her hand to silence the instructor. “Ten more minutes, Instructor Aniz.”

The woman made a face, clearly displeased at being ordered around by a student but she kept her mouth shut. Instead she opted to sit upon a nearby rock and start playing with the strap of her sandal. Already the small crowd was getting even smaller; those gathered losing interest in the entire affair. Juno swore silently that she was going to make Rea suffer in ways that mortal men and women had no words to describe for this affront to her honor. This… this humiliation in the most public of forums! She would rue-!

“Hey, look who decided to show up.”

The voice of the Instructor Aniz cut through her mental ravings and she turned her gaze upon the tiny crowd. Stepping forth, her gait unsteady and dark circles ever heavy around her eyes, was Rea Walshor. Juno scowled heavily as she cracked a wide yawn and lifted a hand to the instructor in greeting, stepping past her without a second glance. Her! Her opponent! Juno lacked the number of curses she wished to levy at the lowborn.

“Hey Ani. Sorry I’m late. Passed out on a bench in the commons. Had a nice dream about toads.” The red head stated, stretching slightly and rubbing her eyes.

The instructor cleared her throat and pointed towards Juno. Rea turned around and blinked. “Oh hey, you came. Huh. Didn’t think you would. Sorry again about *yawn* the clothes.”

Juno was tapping a finger against her crossed arms and barely a minute away from shoving a fireball so far down Rea’s throat that she’d be shitting fire. Indeed instead of her silk toga, which had purple and gold trimmings on it. She’d had to go with the velvet one with silver and gold trimmings. Silver and gold! She was ashamed to even show her face in a duel with such drab clothing. Barely worthy of serving as a toe rag really. Rea, naturally, hadn’t even worn a toga, instead wearing what looked like a linin tunic and skirt with her hideous sandals. Beast. Animal.

“Yes, well. You can scream your apologies once I’ve flayed the flesh from your bones, lowborn. You will only live to regret your slights against me so that I can teach you proper respect!” She spat contemptuously, nodding to instructor Aniz as soon as Rea took her place at fifteen meters.

“Can’t we just, I dunno, share some drinks? Get our toes painted together or something? Fighting seems like a waste of time.” Rea said, cracking another yawn.

Juno actually let out a little laugh at that. “Trying to back out? Well, maybe if you get on your knees and beg me for mercy I’ll consider it.”

“But the ground’s all dirty and dusty…” The young woman said, looking at the ground at her feet and digging a line with the toe of her sandal idly.

“Well then, a duel it shall be then. I offered you mercy even after your gross slights.”

“Slights? Huh? What’re you talking about? Well, whatever I guess.”

Juno’s head was about pop with rage at the continued offences piled on by this… this affront to basic noble decency! How a stain like this was allowed to exist upon the hallowed grounds of this Academy was beyond her. The instructor cleared her throat and spoke up, the remaining crowd silencing.

“This is an honor duel called by Lady Juno Philomena Urien Flavelus Irdia Valis upon Rea Walshor. There are no restraints upon your powers or tools. The loser shall die or face enslavement to the victor.” The instructor said, stepping back and lifting her hand to the sky. There was a white flash of light and then it begun.

Juno smirked as Rea started stepping towards her, reaching down her tunic and between her breasts to pull something out. She’d never have a chance to use it. A pair of earthen spikes would rise from the ground and impale her. Juno would laugh as she supped upon her mewling cries of pain and tormented her before all her peers. No one would dare to cross Juno Valis and Rea Walshor would be naught but a memory.

…At least that was the plan. It took a moment for Juno to realize something. She couldn’t feel her mana.

Panic settled in as she reached for the wellspring of power within herself and started waving her arms wildly. She punched and kicked at the air, waggled her fingers, speaking gibberish incantations even. Nothing. No power. Her golden eyes widened as something aside from confidence set in. Fear.

“W-what kind of a joke is this!? I can’t use my magic!” Juno demanded, spittle flying from her lips as she regarded Rea with a look of accusation.

The lowborn yawned as she pulled out a vial with some blue liquid in it, still walking towards the shaken noblewoman. “Yeah, I spiked your drink.”

“What!? When!? When could you have possibly-!?”

The mess hall. When they’d run into each other after last class. Juno had been distracted with the spillage upon her clothes. The noblewoman’s eyes got so wide it was a miracle they didn’t pop out and roll on the ground.

“Was a special brew of mine. Cancels out the use of someone’s magic for a bit by cutting off their connection to their personal mana reserves. Takes a while to take effect. About an hour or so.” The young red head said.

An hour. Juno’s face lost all of its color as realization set in. Rea had planned this whole thing! She’d deliberately arrived late to give her poison time to settle in! The noblewoman took a step back, looking around. This couldn’t be happening! Without her magic she was practically naked and couldn’t hope to defend herself. She locked eyes upon the instructor and tried and failed to adopt a tone of command.

“T-this has to be against the rules! She poisoned me before the duel!” She screeched, pointing a shaking finger in Rea’s direction.

Aniz seemed to consider it for a moment before shrugging. “There aren’t any rules to this duel and combatants are free to use whatever tools or magic they wish. Rea’s actions fall within the parameters.” The overseer stated. The woman actually let a smirk curl up her lips.

“You- gah!”

Juno felt her dark hair grabbed as Rea pulled her head back. She was forced to look up at the tired looking red head as she bit off the cork from the little vial in her hands and spat it out. “Wait-!” Juno tried to yell. This couldn’t be happening!

When she opened her mouth Rea shoved the vial between Juno’s full lips and moved her other hand to her throat, forcing her to swallow the rancid tasting liquid as it washed over her tongue. Juno started coughing and hacking as she twisted from Rea’s grip. Gods that was foul! She felt like she was going to throw up. The noblewoman glared up at Rea with tears of pain in her eyes as she stumbled backwards. “What did you *cough* just *cough* give me!?” She demanded.

Juno let out a little yelp as she fell backwards onto her ass, looking up at the tired potion maker. The red head shrugged. “Dunno. Took a vial at random from my test poisons rack. Might make you retch your organs. Might turn your skin purple. Might turn you into a toad.” She said, scratching idly at her cheek.

What? Was she completely serious!? It was like she didn’t take this seriously at all. Juno gritted her teeth and was about to grab a nearby rock to start bashing away at Rea’s head. Then she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She fell onto her side and started groaning in pain and misery, arms wrapped around her stomach as she curled up on herself. Damn it, what the hell was in that potion!?

Juno squeezed her eyes shut from the pain in her gut. She expected to start throwing up blood. However instead the pain actually started to gravitate through her whole body. It was in her arms, her legs, her chest, hand her head. It spread through her fingers and down to her toes. Her form felt like one big sore. Juno was vaguely aware that her clothes suddenly felt loose about her. Were they always like that.

The pain went on for a while, the dark haired scion of the Valis family laying on the ground and groaning out her pain. How could that- that lowborn dirt do this to her!? She was Juno Valis! Her family had been bringing kingdoms to their knees while Rea’s ancestors were still rolling around in dirt and mud with pigs probably. Still. No blood. Not yet. Was it just a potion that caused extreme pain?

Better yet, the pain was fading. Juno started to get some feeling, some actual feeling in her body. A start at least. She remembered where the rock was. Rea hadn’t tried to kill her yet. She was going to make that lowborn bitch regret that. She’d regret ever, EVER, having crossed her. Juno wasn’t above bashing the red head’s skull in to prove her point.

The noblewoman slowly opened her golden eyes. It was dim. The ground had been replaced with soft fabric. Huh. Velvet. That was odd. She was crawling forward with no real awareness where she was going. Only it was in the direction that rock had been. She squinted. When had she ended up in a cave? Was she hallucinating? Why was the light ahead just so very bright? It was like the sun itself was beyond.

Finally Juno found herself upon rough earth, her fingers curling into the dirt. She managed to force herself onto her knees. Gasps and pants escaped her mouth, her hand shielding her face from the bright sunlight above. Had it always been so bright? Her golden eyes adjusted to the light, blinking away tears. “You’re going to pay for that, lowborn.” She groaned as she opened her eyes fully.

The landscape was… different. There were all sorts of boulders around her that hadn’t been there before. Some green stalks were starting to sprout from the mostly dead earth here or there. She looked around for her opponent or the rock. Suddenly the brightness of the sun was blotted out and the dark haired woman looked up.

When she did her heart nearly stopped.

There. Looming so far above her that it was laughable was the massive form of Rea. She was squatting down, her green eyes transfixed solely upon Juno. The orbs were filled with the kind of interest one might give to a strange new bug. She pushed some of her red hair out of her face, blinking a bit as they both met each other’s gazes. Juno was vaguely aware that her breathing was becoming a bit more shallow and erratic.

Juno fell onto her backside. It was then, looking out over her own form that she became aware of her nudity. Looking out ahead she saw a ragged and worn pair of sandals, frayed strands of leather like ropes to the noblewoman. It was about as tall as she was. Maybe a head taller. Inside were ten wriggling toes, nails plain and unadorned. The titanic digits shifting around produced a minor tremor, one Juno felt shake her world.

This. This wasn’t real. This was some kind of nightmare. She was going to wake up any second now. She wasn’t the size of an ant. She wasn’t without her magic. She was asleep in her bed. Juno slapped herself.

No shift. No change. Still a monolithic red headed titaness peering down at her from on high.

“Huh. So that’s what it did.”

The sound of Rea’s voice was a mighty booming sound, the normal dry tone lost amidst its sheer power. Juno felt her voice shake her to her core.

Suddenly the ground shook. The boulders around her, really pebbles, started to tremble and shift around. Loud booms sounded out across the way, sounding more like a succession of massive fireballs going off than anything else. Juno hugged herself and dared to look in the direction of the noise. Her heart leapt into her throat as she felt tiny. Oh so very tiny.

A pair of dusky brown feet stopped not far from Juno, right next to Rea. Standing up and above, stretching far into the heavens was Instructor Aniz. The woman looked down over her ample assets, squinting slightly. Juno got to her feet and started waving her arms and jumping up and down, hoping the instructor might have a better time of seeing her. Never in her life had she been so glad to see an instructor.

“HEY! I’m down here!”

Aniz blinked before recognition clicked in her eyes. She drew back and a rumble settled across the land. Laughter. “Well. Never seen a duel go quite like that.” She remarked, her voice equally as godlike to Juno.

Juno felt a flash of hot anger. “Watch your tongue, Aniz! You are speaking about the scion of the Valis family!” She shouted up to the massive form of the instructor.

“I had tested a potion for shrinking a while back, must have been the one I grabbed. Huh.” The red head responded before standing up to her full godlike height and stealing Juno’s breath away.

“So, it have a time limit or…” Aniz asked, both completely oblivious to Juno saying anything and content to have their conversation with her at their feet. Insolent wretches, when she recovered she was having them flogged in the streets.

“Hmm… nope. Think it was permanent. Least unless I wanted to make an antidote. Used Reston’s Grace petals in the mixture for that. Oops I guess.” The red head responded.

Juno’s heart skipped a beat. Permanent? No. No that wasn’t possible! It couldn’t be! “You’re lying! You have to be! Change me back this instant, you cur!” She screamed at the sky with all the might in her lungs.

Again, neither took notice of her. Instead Aniz heaved a sigh. “Well, that’s a pity. Oh well.” She looked back down at Juno again, her brown eyes decidedly bored. “You going to finish her off then? Technically the duel is still happening. Wouldn’t be too difficult right now I imagine. Could probably spit on her and she’d drown in it.” The instructor remarked.

Golden eyes widened at the casual nature that was spoken with. “You… you wouldn’t dare!” She cried. She looked at the red head above her, green eyes back to looking at her.

Rea considered her for a very long while before finally shrugging and slowly lifting up her left foot. “Guess so. I mean, otherwise some bug might eat her.” She said.

Juno was left staring up at the vast and all-consuming black shadow that was the worn underside of Rea’s sandal. Bits of dirt and pebbles rained down upon the earth around her, one landing perilously close. The noblewoman got to her feet and started running, scrambling across the and through the ground as death loomed above her. She gasped and found her legs weak and without much energy from the sheer fear.

She didn’t get far, tripping and falling flat on her face. She turned and looked up, wheezing in panic as the sole of Rea’s sandal started to descend. The noblewoman brought her hands up before her face as though that was any kind of protection. The gold accents around her eyes were running down her face as her tears flowed. Juno was certain that at some point she’d likely pissed herself in terror.

“Wait! Please! I take it back! I take it all back! Please don’t kill me! Not like this, not like this!” Juno begged and pleaded with the unfeeling sole descending upon her.

It kept coming. So close now. So close that its shadow swallowed up the light. This was it then. This was how Juno Valis died. Crushed like an ant beneath a lazy and drowsy potion peddler. There was no life flashing before her eyes. There wasn’t any comfort in that knowledge. She’d be a stain, a tiny little red dot Rea could just walk in a puddle to wash off. There wouldn’t be anything left.

“Oh gods, oh god I’m so sorry, please, please gods no! Not like this! I don’t want to die! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’M SORRY!” Juno all but screamed.

Her scream was abruptly cut off. There was a faint feeling of something coming apart beneath Rea’s foot and a slight crunch. The red head shifted her leg back to look with rather tired eyes at the red stain upon the bottom of the filthy sole of her sandal. The proud and noble born Juno was little more than a stain mixed in with the dirt now. Rea considered wiping away the blood before shrugging and setting her foot back upon the ground. Less effort this way. It’d probably just come off as she walked.

Aniz set her hands behind her head. “Congrats on the win, kiddo. Pretty sure you’ll be getting quite a bit of attention now. Wanted and unwanted. Might have been an annoying bitch, but was still pretty influential.”

Rea cocked her head and looked at the stain on her sandal. “She was…? Should I send this to the family then? But then I’d be walking on one sandal.” She seemed perplexed about the whole affair.

The instructor sighed. “Uhhh… yeah don’t worry about that, kiddo. Pretty sure that might make things worse.”

“Yeah. Would be a weird funeral I guess.” Rea agreed. She paused. “Can I go back now? Pretty tired.”

With a nod of approval from the instructor Rea started walking back out of the Academy testing grounds. The students that had come to watch were quick to get out of her way as she ambled her way back towards the building, dragging her feet as she did. Naturally that only served to scrape the unpleasant red stain on her sole upon the ground until, by the time she got back to her room and flopped face first onto her bed the only thing left of Juno Valis was a faint smear.