Ba-thump! Ba-thump!
The moment the humanoid goat started speaking. Cale felt his heart vividly beating loudly in his brain
Its presence alone left him unsettled and shook
'There is still no reaction'
Beads of sweat started to form and flow into his cold spine
Even though his entire body was shaking and trembling, there was no reaction from the pitch black lines, they remained thin and barely visible despite the clear pressure that pressed onto him
'Why is it this hard to understand those simple lines?'
If it were just a book. Cale would have been able to figure it out by reading it over and over until he understood it by Rote.
But this was reality, there was no such manual which could tell him and help understand what those pitch black lines mean.
What his abilities mean, what they symbolize and why there needed to be such abilities in the first place
The individual on the podium bowed elegantly to the other 'students'
[Esteemed students who have passed the trial and proved to us that you are not complete filth yet, My name is Zenox and I am the principal of Gardenia High School who will nurture and grow you for three years until you blossom beautifully]
Zenox said with excitement leaking from his voice
Some of the people behind Zenox started grinning and cackling to themselves finding the situation funny
They were a few that had no expression on their faces
Cale, curious if Carlos had also been grinning like a maniac, tried to observe him, but, well....He was quick to realize that he couldn't see him. For obvious reasons
'I don't think he is?'
It was hard to tell so Cale assumed that Carlos wasn't making any sadistic expression like the others and was just expressionless like the rest.
'Oh?'
Next to Carlos, a little behind him was another Invisible humanoid monster
'A woman?'
The invisible person wore stockings on her legs with a neat suit that complimented her curved body
She didn't wear glasses like Carlos but she did wear gloves like him, with the difference of being thicker and fluffier than the gloves Carlos adorned on his fists
Zenox continued speaking, his voice booming across the entire area
[There are over 500 of you here and every single one of you here are first years, You are still very much like seedlings right now and of course that means that some seedlings may turn bad....]
A creeping feeling settled deep in Cale as he continued talking
He couldn't pinpoint exactly why he was so unsettled whenever Zenox spoke
'Is he saying that if we don't keep up we'll die?'
That's how he interpreted it at the least
'No, wait a minute'
Realization struck Cale like a bright light shining on his dull face
'The school may be somewhat huge but over 500 of us?'
The number just didn't make any sound sense
'There's no way we fit'
They were just too many people here and even if they did fit, the school would still need to consider the second years and third years.
The school in the back of the principal did appear to be more huge and more maintained than when Cale was in the trial but
'Maybe we fit, but just barely'
This was merely estimation. Cale hadn't even the slightest to how many of students could fit in the school
"...."
An unsettling premonition sent warnings to Cale...but he couldn't pinpoint why such an unsettling feeling grew in him at such a fast pace
[Well then, we best not waste more of your precious time and delay the classes any longer right? I'm sure every single one of you are beyond excited to start your classes In earnest]
The dragging thoughts of Cale were abruptly stopped by principal Zenox ending his Introduction. Zenox's hand was raised slowly in the air, putting his middle finger and thumb together-
Snap!
And he snapped his fingers, a simple snap done by Zenox, but it crossed and echoed throughout the whole area, digging itself into Cale
Cale felt the eerie gentle darkness beginning to consume and engulf his surroundings with no sign of stopping
***
The darkness finally retreated and the vision of Cale came along with it and he found himself sitting In the classroom with the door closing as the teacher came in.
'What was that about?'
Cale wasn't surprised this time, expecting that he would be somewhere unexpected because of his doppelganger.
Of course the desk in which he was sitted in was less than satisfactory to him
'I'm not sweating like last time either'
This was a good thing, this meant that Cale was rapidly adjusting and adapting to this ridiculous situation. Something which will be desperately needed later down the line.
'I wouldn't want to lose my cool and do something stupid after all'
"...."
Trying to keep his cool constantly was Impossible to do or learn overnight
'The only thing I can do Is pray that I don't make a mistake that will make me pay dearly'
An ordinary boy was all he would ever be, his ability to sense danger made him obviously more strong but even that ability was subpar if you looked at it broadly
Detecting danger was good and all, but what if Cale faced an attack faster than he could perceive?
'I am bound to lose my cool, there is no way I can stay calm and collected every time when my life is in danger'
"...."
This was a truth Cale had to swallow, even if he was forced
There was essentially nothing that could help him push through his predicament, he was weak and nothing could help empower him and make him stronger
At least, for now...
'I'll just let future me handle that kind of situation'
Worrying about something that was bound to happen was a fruitless endeavor and will not do anything to solve the current crisis he faced.
Of course, despite him thinking that way and telling himself that. His body refused to stay calm and kept occasionally trembling during class.
'I guess the body is more honest than the mind'
Cale attempted at making a joke
A really, really awkward one at that
***
Trrrr~
Trrrr~
The school bells finally rang after what felt like a long time with all of Cale's classmates starting to leave one by one.
"You gonna come?" Gabriel asked Cale with a tired and bored expression on his face
Clearly not liking the lesson whatsoever
"Yeah I am" Cale answered back almost Immediately
Pushing up from the wooden seat, Cale made his way to Gabriel with a book in hand and a pen.
He drew closer to the door and braced himself as if bracing for Impact.
Step
Every muscle in his body grew heavier, his vision faded in and out
That didn't stop Cale from stepping a foot closer to the door
Step
'I'm out'
He stepped outside of the classroom, a familiar eerily gentle darkness crept on his body almost immediately after stepping out of the door.
'Actually, what happens if I just stay inside class? Or if the teacher keeps me in class for longer?'
Cale wanted to test his theories right this instant
'I will try next time' His body wobbled and bobbed lightly, eyes unfocused and barely conscious
"...."
Finally, his resisting consciousness drifted to a far away cursed world made from one's dream to provide ∆∆∆∆°^^|•`~`∆§§
***
"Hmm? Cale what's up?"
"...."
Cale(?) stayed silent at the words spoken by Gabriel and just stared at him for a few moments before opening his small mouth.
"It's nothing..." Cale responded, however his voice was noticeably more monotone than before
"You sure?"
A teasing smirk tugged on the pale lips of Cale
"There was a fly that was sitting on your head and just thought it was funny"
"!"
Gabriel startled, Immediately began ruffling his hair on Instinct, only to stop when he couldn't feel anything perched on his head
"There's nothing on my head?"
The grin on Cale grew bigger and sly. So much so that it could be mistaken for a seductive and suggesting one if Gabriel knew no better
"Obviously there wasn't since I lied, I mean what kind of fly would sit on your head of all places?"
"..."
Cale started walking ahead leaving Gabriel behind, cackling to himself to the joke only he found funny
"If you don't start walking I'll leave you In my dust~" he said mockingly before going up a floor presumably to his locker.
"Haa, alright I'm coming"
Gabriel started moving In the direction Cale went after a few moments of silence.
Not knowing that his childhood friend was catapulted into danger and the person talking to him right now being a mere copy of him
_____
"..."
Staring at his surroundings, Cale put his hands on his hips, a habit he took from Catrina
'Is this recess?'
Seeing the Pitch black lines that had no reaction whatsoever before, they were noticeably growing thicker but still, like always, no reaction came from them.
"Well let's see how this goes"
Walking forward with a body that still trembled and heart pumping, onlythis time more mentally prepared then last time.
The moment Cale started to move, in a secluded office closed off to every entity on Gardenia there was one individual sitting in the comfy leather office chair
Tap
Tap
Tap
He rhythmically drummed his fingers on the smooth wooden table in the office, like he was playing a piano, perhaps a habit
[....]
Side-slit golden eyes stare out of the window, staring at the fake moon
[My lord]
A raspy, hoarse voice full of melancholy came out of Zenox
[Pass on the blessings for the next three years on Gardenia and its followers]
A prayer flowed in the air, a prayer full of genuine hope
Zenox got up from his office chair and bowed to the fake moon, a creation from his lord
[As you have always done every century]
The prayer dragged on. However, it wasn't known if Zenox's lord heard such prayers
The devout believer kept on praying nonstop, as if he had been planning and rehearsing his lines constantly