Petra: "Minerva... I think... your ability has just awakened."
In the silence that followed, only one certainty dawned on the three girls.
Minerva slowly lowered her eyes... then felt the weight, the foreign presence clinging to her back.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Minerva: "W-what is... what is THIS?!"
She suddenly tried to stand up, but the wings reacted immediately, unfurling further in an uncontrolled reflex.
The air was violently displaced, making the curtains flap and the bed creak.
Minerva panicked.
From her perspective, she saw four enormous triangular creatures attached to her back.
Minerva: "TAKE THEM OFF!" "TAKE THEM OFF ME!"
Her voice broke, panic completely overcoming her.
She trembled, her hands gripping the sheets, her eyes wide with terror.
Minerva: "They're stuck to my back... I can feel them moving...!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
She clutched her hands at one of her wings to get rid of it.
Cynthia approached immediately, despite the fear visible on her face.
Cynthia: "MINERVA, WAIT, CALM DOWN."
She grabbed Minerva's hand to stop her from tearing her wings.
Petra: "Minerva, look at me!"
"Hey, look at me!"
She stepped in front of her, gently forcing Minerva to raise her head.
Cynthia: "Breathe with me."
"Okay?"
"Inhale... exhale..."
Petra, calmer, positioned herself behind Minerva without touching her directly.
Petra: "This isn't something external."
Minerva shook her head frantically.
Minerva: "No... no... I don't want this!"
Petra then slowly placed her hand on a wing, with extreme care.
Minerva jumped.
Minerva: "Ne—!"
Petra: "It's okay."
"I'm warning you before I touch."
"You're not in pain, are you?"
Minerva blinked.
Minerva: "...No. I... I just feel... like my arms... but on my back..."
A silence fell.
Cynthia swallowed.
Cynthia: "Minerva... if you feel them... as part of your body..."
She gave a faint, trembling smile.
Cynthia: "Then that means they won't hurt you."
The wings gradually stopped flapping erratically, unconsciously following the rhythm of Minerva's breathing.
Petra: "You're panicking because it's new."
" That's normal."
She knelt beside her.
Petra: "But you're safe."
"We're here."
Minerva took a deep breath... once... then twice.
Her shoulders dropped slightly.
Minerva: "...And if...the others see them?"
Cynthia grimaced.
Cynthia: "We'll find a solution."
"We'll give them some lame excuse...or we'll cover you with a giant cloak."
Petra nodded.
Petra: "One thing at a time."
"For now, calm down."
"Learn to stay still."
Minerva slowly closed her eyes.
The wings folded gently against her back, as if they were responding to her unconscious will.
Minerva: "...They obey..."
Cynthia smiled, sincerely this time.
Cynthia: "You see? You're in charge."
In the room still saturated with dried blood and invisible feathers, Minerva understood one essential thing:
Despite the fear, despite the curse...she was no longer alone.
Cynthia quickly grabbed a clean sheet and unfolded it with a swift movement.
Cynthia: "Okay, emergency plan."
"We'll improvise."
She draped the fabric around Minerva's shoulders, pulling it tight enough to conceal the essentials, even though the abnormal shape on her back remained visible, forming a disturbing bulge beneath the cloth.
Petra adjusted the knot precisely.
Petra: "It'll hold until we get to the infirmary."
"Don't move your shoulders too much."
Minerva nodded weakly.
Her face was pale, still marked by pain and fear.
Minerva: "...What if someone sees me?"
Cynthia placed a firm hand on her shoulder.
Cynthia: "Then they'll see three girls who are late for the infirmary."
"Nothing more."
Petra gently opened the door and glanced down the corridor.
Petra: "It's okay."
"No one."
They left.
The first-year dormitory corridor was silent at this early hour.
The sun filtered through the large windows, casting golden streaks on the stone floor.
Tap tap ...
The student walked past them without stopping, glancing only briefly at the bulge under the sheet… but without asking any questions.
Minerva finally exhaled.
Minerva: "…Thank you."
As she descended the stairs, Minerva had to lean slightly forward to avoid hitting the banister with what she was carrying on her back.
Cynthia immediately helped her down.
Cynthia: "Easy."
"We're almost there."
Finally, the infirmary doors appeared.
Knock knock knock knock knock
Petra knocked.
A calm voice answered from inside.
???: "Come in."
The door opened, revealing a bright, clean room filled with the scent of medicinal herbs.
A nurse looked up, then stopped short when she saw Minerva wrapped in the sheet.
Nurse: "...What happened?"
Minerva swallowed hard.
Minerva: "I have… something that grew overnight."
Cynthia, arms crossed, declared with almost theatrical seriousness:
Cynthia: "And we'd prefer not for the entire Academy to find out before breakfast."
Minerva: "......."
A short silence.
Then the nurse sighed softly and waved.
Nurse: "Get her settled."
"We'll take a look at it calmly."
As Minerva sat down on the examination table, the sheet slipped slightly, revealing the strange curve of her folded wings.
Minerva felt her heart race.
But this time, she wasn't alone.
Minerva sat slowly on the examination table, the sheet still tightly wrapped around her shoulders.
The nurse approached, her expression professional, but her brows furrowed slightly.
Nurse: "Very well… I'll remove the sheet."
"Breathe calmly."
Minerva closed her eyes and nodded.
Minerva: "Okay…"
CCCCCccccccchhhhhhhhhhh
The fabric slid off.
FOUCH
Immediately, the wings unfurled suddenly, as if gasping for air after being suffocated for too long.
A slight fluttering made the room vibrate.
Nurse: "........"
The nurse's mouth remained slightly open.
Cynthia took a step back.
Cynthia: "…Whoa."
Petra remained motionless, but her eyes widened.
Petra: "Four…"
Minerva possessed four butterfly wings.
The two upper wings sprang from her scapulae, broad and majestic.
From their base, they measured nearly two meters, their deep red, black, and white patterns forming intricate, almost regal arabesques.
The lower wings, smaller but just as detailed, originated lower, almost at her waist, and reached about one and a half meters.
Her back, however, was still bruised.
Traces of dried blood, mixed with fragments of poorly healing skin, bore witness to the pain of the previous night.
Some areas looked raw, as if the transformation had been forced, without any gentleness.
Minerva opened her eyes and saw the reflection of her wings in a metal mirror hanging on the wall.
Minerva: "…Is that…is that from me?"
Her voice trembled.
The nurse moved closer, observing each point of attachment with extreme care, without touching at first.
Nurse: "Impressive… and worrying."
The flesh hasn't finished regenerating yet."
Cynthia swallowed.
Cynthia: "She… she's okay, right?"
Nurse: "She's alive.
"But her body underwent a major mutation overnight."
Petra clenched her fists.
Petra: "Because of her ability?"
Nurse: "Most likely.
"'Butterfly Queen'… that's no small ability."
The reason the nurse knew about Minerva's ability was simply because the day before, she had received the files of the 150 students who had passed the tests.
She was aware of all the skills, all the blessings, and all the curses that had been shouted, and she had also heard of Minerva's special ability.
Butterfly Queen: You can use all the abilities of all the butterflies in the world.
Minerva lowered her eyes.
Minerva: "It hurt... like my back was tearing."
"I felt like something was trying to come out."
Cynthia immediately approached and placed a hand on her arm.
Cynthia: "YOU SHOULD HAVE WAKEN US UP..."
Minerva: "I was scared."
A heavy silence fell, broken only by the slight, involuntary fluttering of the wings.
The nurse finally put on gloves soaked in medicinal solution.
Nurse: "I'll clean the wounds."
"This might sting."
Minerva took a deep breath.
Minerva: "Do it."
When the soaked cloth touched her back, Minerva flinched.
Minerva: "Ah—!"
Cynthia: "Hey, look at me."
"Breathe."
Petra looked away slightly, not out of disgust, but out of respect for Minerva's obvious pain.
Nurse: "The transformation hasn't been complete for long."
"Your body wasn't ready."
Minerva: "...Am I a monster now?"
The nurse stopped and looked at her.
Nurse: "No."
"You're a student with a rare ability… and a dangerous one if misunderstood."
Cynthia raised her head, determined.
Cynthia: "Then we'll help her understand it."
Petra nodded.
Petra: "Together."
Minerva felt something tighten in her chest… then release.
Fouch
Her wings folded slightly, as if responding to the feeling.
For the first time since the revelation of her curse, she didn't feel alone.
Minerva took a deep breath, then slowly brought her hands to the collar of her nightgown.
Minerva: "I… I'll take it off."
"It'll be easier."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
She hesitated for a fraction of a second, then carefully removed the garment, avoiding the still-painful areas of her back.
She began by unbuttoning her shirt.
Fouch
The wings fluttered in the open air, their membranes catching the light from the infirmary.
Cynthia immediately looked away, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Cynthia: "S-sorry... I'm not looking."
Petra, calmer, instinctively positioned herself in front of Cynthia to block her view, more out of respect than embarrassment.
Petra: "Take your time, Minerva."
The nurse, however, didn't look away.
Her gaze was strictly clinical.
Nurse: "Very well."
"Stay still."
For the next few minutes, she slowly cleaned Minerva's back, removing the dried blood and fragments of skin.
With each stroke, Minerva gritted her teeth, her wings twitching reflexively.
Minerva: "...It burns."
Nurse: "The skin was forced open to allow the wings to pass through."
"Your body will heal, but there will probably be marks."
Meanwhile, on Cynthia's side:
Cynthia, who had been rummaging in her bag, suddenly pulled out a thread, a needle, and a pair of scissors.
Cynthia: "Okay."
"Plan B."
Chapter 13: Waking up with wings
The End