School starts around eight in the morning. Since this is a boarding school, arriving just before the bell rings isn't a problem. But this morning, she felt uneasy. Leaving a bit earlier to enjoy the quiet atmosphere of the school seemed quite appealing.
"Hanasta always comes early."
The thought of being alone in the school building with the boy she liked felt rather romantic and thrilling.
"Haahh…" she sighed, feeling a bit desperate. "He always worries too much about what others will think of me. Yet, I don't need his help at all."
Solielle actually wanted the teenager to depend on her a little. It would make her existence, which until now was only upheld by her prestigious family name, feel more meaningful.
"But, a Hanasta depending on others? Ha, don't dream," she said, quickly correcting that completely unrealistic hope.
Tap. Her steps stopped right in front of the Special Proctor Gildas Junior High building, which is a five-story building. What's going on? The atmosphere suddenly changed. It felt heavy and made her shiver a little.
"Something seems wrong," she thought, trying to sharpen her hearing. It sounded like there was a strange noise nearby. Drap drap drap. She quickly stepped forward, trying to find the source of the sound.
Until…
"HOEEKK HOOEEKK HOOEEKKK!!!"
Someone who kept her awake all night was bending over while holding his own neck. He was vomiting under a tree in the forest beside the school.
"HANASTA!" Solielle shouted worriedly.
He briefly turned to respond to that call before… crash. His body fell helplessly. He was gasping for breath. "Don't come near me!" he cried softly. His voice trembled and was hoarse.
Solielle ignored that warning. Reflexively, she threw her school bag and rushed over. "What are you talking about? What happened?!"
The teenager's body was deathly pale. His eyes were shedding a liquid that looked murky. Not like ordinary tears.
Her steps slowed, a sign of caution. She realized that something unusual was happening here. What just came out of her classmate's mouth was not just any vomit, but a thick black liquid of unknown origin.
Her gaze shifted to a mix of fear and concern. "You... What has happened to you?" Her heart raced as the question escaped.
However, Hanasta did not respond. He tried to straighten his body despite his hands still trembling as they held onto the tree. Each breath he took exhaled like black vapor, escaping from his mouth and pores, as if his body was trying to release something very foreign.
This was a consequence he could not avoid.
"You shouldn't be here," Hanasta said in a hoarse voice.
Glukh. Solielle panicked, but she decided to approach. "I'm not going anywhere. What happened to you? You have to explain it to me!" she commanded.
Until now, no one had ever dared to disregard her words. She had always lived like a princess in an old fairy tale where all her wishes had to be fulfilled.
Only him…
Hanasta remained silent. At that moment, his body began to emit faint lines of bluish-green in irregular vertical and horizontal shapes. It made him look like he was chanting a spell from an ancient universe. As if some electronic circuit was crawling beneath his skin.
Solielle was increasingly shocked. She instinctively covered her mouth. Her whole body found it difficult to move.
The problem was that magic, wonder, the supernatural, and such things were not supposed to exist in this new universe. The Remeant Bumi Universe. Yet, what she was witnessing now seemed to contradict what was supposed to happen.
Solielle wondered internally, is this really Hanasta that I know? I'm not sure I can handle this situation. But if I back away, what's the difference between me and others who leave him behind?
At that moment, he closed his eyes, trying to endure the pain more than usual. Each faint line felt like a knife slicing directly into his flesh.
While Hanasta pondered, he couldn't involve Solielle. He didn't want her to suffer the same fate as them. And also…
But, if it continued like this, what could he do to restore everything?
The pressure in his mind made it feel as if something was about to push itself out again from his throat. Hoeek. His body collapsed, causing both his hands to grip the grass around him. The once bright green plants suddenly dried up and wilted.
He truly couldn't control it…
"Hanasta!"
That gaze was something he never wanted to witness from Solielle. Though it was excruciating, he struggled hard to stand up.
"Don't keep avoiding me, Hanasta! Let me help you. Tell me what actually happened!" the girl shouted.
"Solielle," he muttered, "you shouldn't have to witness all of this."
Until suddenly…
NGIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A long, piercing shriek echoed, stabbing through the ears. It was as if it signified a broken vow.
"What is that sound? Where is it coming from?" Solielle asked, looking around while covering her ears. The sound seemed to penetrate her bones and lodge itself in her mind. Like sharp needles, somehow stabbing from within.
However, Hanasta appeared to be receiving a different reaction. His body bent down, looking in intense pain.
As if chased by something represented by the mysterious sound in this still morning, Solielle felt incredibly pressured. Along with the strange things happening to someone she loved. "Hanasta!"
Without warning, the young man tried to rise with the last of his strength. Fighting against the unbearable pain raging within him, he stepped into the forest with unsteady steps.
As if a string was pulling him, forcing him to stand even though the pain was almost toppling him over.
Solielle followed him. No matter how he asked her to stay away. He was unprepared to face such significant consequences from his decision to silence Georgiy and Tidsear Farras.
This should have been a normal life for Hanasta. For the sake of the ambition he built to end a major conflict.
But the decision has been made. The road back is not in sight.