Astral Chroma's Arc

Chapter 2 of 5

The snow hares didn't stop at the demonstration hall. By the time Astral landed, three of them had already hopped through the open doors and scattered across campus. She grabbed her broom and chased after them, but they moved faster than she expected, leaving trails of glowing color across the snow. Astral found the first hare nibbling on the edge of a frozen fountain, its nose leaving rainbow smudges on the ice. She reached out slowly, but it kicked off and bounded away, spraying prismatic frost everywhere. The second one had somehow gotten into the library through a ventilation shaft, and she had to coax it out with gentle brushstrokes of sunset orange. The third had multiplied into five more, and those five had found the practice yard where students were drilling traditional ice spells. Their instructor shouted at Astral to control her creations, but every time she got close, the hares hopped higher, leaving rainbow tracks across the snow that glowed brighter with each bounce. By midday, a wooden proclamation board appeared near the main courtyard. Frost clung to the parchment that declared Astral Chroma solely responsible for the disruption of classes and damage to academy property. Master Aurelius stood beside it, his expression tired. He told her the senior instructors had demanded a solution by sundown or she'd face formal suspension. Astral stared at the notice, her throat tight. Her magic had worked exactly as intended, but working wasn't the same as being accepted. She spent the afternoon building a small wooden hutch near the edge of campus, mixing stardust-paint with soft blues and whites that reminded her of her mother's lullabies. When the structure was finished, she painted the interior with the same dawn colors she'd used for the sky. The hares came willingly this time, hopping through the doorway one by one, drawn to the warmth of the colors that matched their birth. The last one paused at the threshold and looked back at her before disappearing inside. Astral latched the door and turned to find a small crowd watching. No one applauded, but no one called it a party trick either. The tall student from the demonstration hall stood at the back, arms crossed, but he didn't leave.