Kei was waiting outside Shima's classroom, his finger tapping on the screen of his mobile phone.
Every now and then, he glanced at the tightly closed classroom door. A man's voice could be heard from inside, indicating that Shima's class had not ended yet.
Still holding his phone, Kei came across the latest breaking news in their city.
"Fifteen people were found dead at the train station this morning?"
Kei whispered to himself.
He continued reading the article until he saw a picture of one of the victims.
There was a huge claw mark on the woman's back, and the wound was frighteningly deep.
His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the horrifying image. He kept reading until he finally forced out a nervous smile.
"Could this really have been caused by an animal?"
Kei was shocked when he saw a blurry image captured by one of the train station's CCTV cameras.
"Hi, Kei! How long have you been waiting? Sorry, bro. Mr. Vokie had a lot to talk about. By the way, have you heard about the incident at the train station?"
Shima chatted as she walked toward him, opening the same news article on her phone and showing him the picture.
Kei smiled before pointing at the blurry figure that looked like either a monster or a wolf.
"I just found out about it. It's horrible."
A chill ran down Kei's spine, causing the hairs on his arms to stand up. He rubbed his arms as a cold feeling crept over him.
"I can't believe it. Maybe it's just a misleading image."
Shima replied as she started walking toward the lockers.
"That's CCTV footage, Shima. It's not something people can easily edit."
Kei shook his head slightly.
"If it's real... it can't possibly be that big. What kind of animal could it be? Even bears aren't that huge. Besides, it looks like a wolf. Have you ever seen a wolf almost as tall as the train station?"
They stopped in front of Shima's locker so she could put away her books.
"If you really want to know... why don't we investigate it ourselves?"
Kei smiled.
Shima closed her locker and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
She thought about it for a few moments before finally nodding.
If she wanted to know who—or what—the killer was, she had to investigate it herself.
"Meet me at our usual place at six this evening."
Kei smiled after hearing her answer.
He needed to know what kind of creature had appeared in their city.
If this had anything to do with the magical stories his grandmother used to tell him, then there was a chance their city was in danger.
But where had those creatures come from?
Why had they appeared in the city of Livre de Magia—a place where magic no longer existed?
The two of them left the classroom building and headed toward the parking lot.
Since Shima had come with Kei that morning, she got into his car once again.
Before opening the car door, Kei's eyes met those of his enemy, Freddy, who was standing nearby with three of his friends.
They all glared at him.
Kei simply shook his head and got into the car.
Noticing Freddy standing nearby, Shima immediately tried to comfort her friend.
"Ignore him. He won't dare touch you."
She gently patted Kei's shoulder, offering him a warm smile that eased the slight frown on his face.
Kei smiled back.
Lately, something about Shima had been bothering him.
She was no longer spending time with Freddy.
Had they broken up?
That didn't seem like Freddy at all.
He wasn't the type to end a relationship so easily.
Besides, Shima was one of the most admired girls in school. She was polite, beautiful, and intelligent.
Or was she hiding something from him?
"Are you having problems with Freddy?"
Kei asked as they drove away from the school.
Shima remained silent, her eyes fixed on the road ahead.
"If there's something you're hiding, you can tell me. Keeping everything to yourself will only make you suffer."
Kei tried to persuade her.
Shima let out a quiet sigh.
"It's nothing serious... It's just about Freddy... and my family."
She finally spoke.
Kei remained calm as he waited for her to continue.
"My mom and dad don't like me being with Freddy. You know how hot-tempered and jealous he is. He's always trying to control my life. That's why they don't want me to stay with him anymore."
There was regret in her voice as she spoke about both her parents and Freddy.
"And about you... Freddy is just jealous because my family accepts you. The two of you aren't that different. The only difference is that you don't have a girlfriend."
She laughed softly after finishing her sentence.
"I know what kind of person I am. That's exactly why I don't want to be in a relationship."
Kei replied with a smile.
"Every relationship has a solution. Just be honest with Freddy about how you feel and how he's been treating you. Shima... I'm a man. I know how painful it is to be ignored."
Although Kei had little experience with love himself, he still wanted to encourage her.
"I know... but Freddy never wants to listen to me."
Shima sighed once more.
"Be patient. Talk to him slowly. Maybe one day he'll finally listen."
Kei answered with the only advice he could think of.
"Okay... let's forget about me and Freddy for now. Let's focus on the strange creatures that have appeared in our city."
Shima quickly changed the subject.
She felt uncomfortable talking about her relationship.
Kei nodded in understanding.
Right now, Freddy and Shima's relationship was no longer the biggest problem.
The real problem was the mysterious creatures that had become the hottest topic throughout the city of Livre de Magia.
Did they really have something to do with the demonic creatures that had appeared beneath the Dark Moon two hundred years ago, according to the ancient history of magic?
If that was true...
What were they supposed to do?
Only a magician could defeat such creatures.