Witchling Academy Semester Eight - Avery Song Page 0,153

"And you, Dad."

"Whenever you miss us, think of all those you currently love in real-time and spoil them with cherry blossoms."

"Cherry blossoms!" The boy took a step back and clapped his hands again. More cherry blossoms rained down upon me. The action made me tear up as the little boy ran around the circle.

"I'm going to draw a load of cherry blossoms for everyone."

"You can," the man encouraged. "But remember that not everyone will accept them."

The words seemed to echo as the scene around us began to change - the little boy beginning to fly around me while he grew older until it seemed like he was a teen. He danced around me like we were now in ballet, and before long the silhouette creation had my hands, and we spun within the circle that seemed to light all around us with sparks of orange and gold.

A painting of red and black appeared to our left as we began to slow in the spinning movement. The attention moved to the very piece of work as it hung in the air like it was hanging on a solid wall.

The piece of work was a simple black rose, but its petals were tipped with blood. The teen began to walk towards it until he reached out to touch it. The spark made the painting seem to come to life, the rose becoming an array of roses that multiplied as he spun in happiness before he gestured at the roses to flow to the crowd.

Everyone seemed to have a rose in their possession, and I was shocked because it appeared so real. The boy was then before me as he bowed with a bouquet of the black roses, leaving me no choice but to accept them as a smile formed on my face.

"Thank you," I whispered, and it seemed to trigger the next shift in the story because the boy danced and grew even older until he held a glowing umbrella.

More floating canvases appeared around us, displaying the images of people in coats and hats, and holding umbrellas. The boy began to walk around the squared walls that carried these various pieces; the mere breeze that passed lit them up and brought them to life.

I was beginning to understand what Finnick had done - a chain reaction or domino effect that made one drop of magic spread through all his creations from the single source.

"I'm going to be a good man!" the older teen declared as his umbrella shifted to teal and lit up. "I'll spread kindness and happiness everywhere I go, and I'll give love to everyone I know.

The roses in our possessions began to glow to a vivid red until they were now red roses and not black. Everyone seemed to be amazed, trying to figure out how all of this was happening. If he'd used outside magic the alarm would have gone off to prove it, but it remained silent while the story continued around us.

The boy tried to walk happily through the crowd, but as he got further through they seemed to cluster to try and slow him down. He tried and tried, but they squished him like he was in a can of sardines, and the colliding pressure of their umbrellas against his made his escape his grasp before it flew upward with the gust of wind.

"My love!" he cried out as he tried to reach for it, but it was long gone as its light fluttered off. I swallowed the lump in my throat as the boy was pushed and shoved by everyone until he was left on the spot before me. We began to descend back to the stage.

I'd landed right in the center of the circle, and the boy wiped away his tears before he slowly got up.

"It's okay! I have more love to give!" The image clapped his hands and an older, taller figure appeared next to him. They began to play around like they were fake fighting - a common activity between brothers, as a large landscape image appeared to my right.

Everyone's gaze followed as the boy and his older brother walked to the very image. The boy touched the canvas and it came to life as it showed an acrylic painting of a convenience store that turned into a glowing masterpiece of serene colors.

"Let's go share our love! We'll receive love in return!" he declared as he reached for the glowing door, but we watched as shots of arrows came right out