Yarin was about to shoot back, but she suddenly froze.
"Why are you looking at me like that, huh? Scared?" Aya taunted.
"Whoa, wait, Aya," Zeke stepped between them. "She actually helped us."
"Yes," Rilian added, his eyes fixed on Aya as if he saw something strange.
"You saw those two guys dragging someone, right?" Rilian continued. "They were about to beat us up, and Yarin punched one of them."
"Yeah, they seemed to have a crush on you or something," Zeke said. "They thought Rilian disrespected you when he refused to take the food you offered at the cafeteria."
"They said they're going to ruin Rilian's face."
"Oh…" Aya's expression softened.
Then she turned to her group, her face hardening again. "Girls, you know what to do. This is unforgivable."
She raised a hand high. "Charge!"
In an instant, the girls sprinted off, chasing after the three guys.
A black Mercedez rolled and stopped beside the sidewalk. The window lowered, revealing a middle-aged man wearing a suit.
"Is everything alright, Miss Yarin?" he asked courteously.
Yarin nodded. "I'm fine, James."
She walked over to the car, opened the back door, then glanced back at Rilian.
"We need to talk. I'll message you."
Rilian nodded, then Yarin slipped inside, closed the door, and the car pulled away.
"Dude, that was close," Zeke said. "For a second, I was actually worried for Miss Goth Girl."
Rilian paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
Zeke frowned. "What—? What's funny?"
Rilian shook his head, still chuckling. "You have no idea."
"What? Man…"
Rilian kept on laughing. He knew Yarin could've handled those girls without even lifting a finger.
* * *
Zeke and Rilian were on the bus, sitting next to each other on the way home.
"Man, didn't know the Goth Girl was that rich," Zeke said.
"Rich?" Rilian echoed.
"Dude, the car! It looks so luxurious," Zeke remarked. "And did you see the driver?"
Zeke straightened his body, mimicked the driver's expression, and with a deep voice he said, "Is everything alright, Miss Yarin?"
He shifted back to his normal voice, "Dude, the man sounds like Batman's assistant!"
Rilian chuckled and his phone vibrated. He checked, and Yarin has a message:
"I saw how you looked at her. You see the Corrupted Aether looming over her head, right?"
"I did."
"The color. What color did you see?"
"I didn't see any color."
"What? The Aether Rope and the Aether Shield. You've seen them, right?"
"Yes. But it's faint, like a transparent energy."
"Oh. So you're not seeing the colors yet. It's a deep red, meaning it's a powerful Corrupted Aether."
"Will it manifest like the faceless girl, or will it take over her, like Mr. Chavez?"
"I don't know. The manifestation isn't strong yet. But we have to watch over her."
Zeke leaned over, peering at Rilian's phone. "Is that Miss Goth Girl?"
Rilian moved his phone away. "Hey… Zeke… don't you—"
He typed a message with his phone pressed against Zeke's face.
"I'll message you when I'm home. Zeke here keeps peeking at my phone."
* * *
The next day at school. When Rilian entered the gate, he froze mid-step. He saw Aya waving at him. Behind her stood three familiar faces looking pitiful. The three guys who blocked him and Zeke the other day.
"Crap, what is Aya up to now?" he muttered to himself.
"Rilian, over here!" Aya called.
Rilian walked over rubbing the back of his neck.
"These are the three idiots, right?" Aya asked.
Rilian glanced at them, unsure how to respond. He just nodded—then his eyes widened.
The Corrupted Aether. Though he still couldn't see its color clearly, he could tell that the manifestation got stronger.
"Why?" Aya asked, noticing his frightened expression. "Don't be scared."
She then stepped aside.
"Okay, you three. Say what you have to say," she said sternly.
The three bowed their heads in unison.
"We're sorry," they said flatly.
"I can't feel the sincerity!" Aya barked.
"We're sorry," they repeated, this time in softer, more careful voices.
"That's more like it," Aya said with a nod.
"No, no, no—it's fine," Rilian said quickly, waving his hands, then he turned and quickly ran toward the school building.
"Hey, Rilian, wait!" Aya called after him.
"Later!" Rilian shouted back, raising a hand without looking.
"I need to tell Yarin," he thought.
When he entered their classroom, the school bell rang.
He walked toward his seat, glancing at Yarin—his eyes silently saying that they needed to talk.
As soon as he sat down, Aya entered the room.
She marched straight to his desk. "Why did you run away? I was about to give you something."
"Aya!" The teacher called out as she stepped into the room. "Please take your seat."
Aya pouted. "Fine. Later—at lunch," she said, before heading to her chair.
Time passed, and the bell rang for lunch break.
As soon as the teacher and his classmates walked out of the room, Rilian turned toward Yarin.
Their eyes met, as if she was actually waiting for him to turn. Her expression clearly told him she was worried.
She gave a slight nod toward the aisle.
Rilian followed her glance—Aya was walking toward him again.
His eyes widened. Heart pounded. The manifestation was all over her now. And even as she walked, he could feel the heavy presence of the Corrupted Aether.
Aya stopped in front of him and pulled something from her pocket.
It was a small black box.
"I bought this for you," she said with a smile.
Rilian stared blankly at her.
Aya frowned, and she opened the small box in front of him.
It was a watch. Based on the box and the materials, it looked expensive.
"For a second there, I thought you were proposing," Zeke interrupted, sitting next to Rilian.
But Rilian was startled, staring blankly as if shaken by the presence of the Corrupted Aether.
Aya's smile slowly disappeared and was replaced by sadness.
Then her brows furrowed.
Clap!
She snapped the box shut. The sound jolted Rilian back to his senses.
Aya set the box on his desk and silently walked out of the room.
The moment she stepped out, Yarin darted to Rilian's desk.
"We have to do something!" she said. "The Corrupted Aether—"
Rilian quickly glanced at Zeke, silently reminding her that he was still there.
"I don't care about him. He's an idiot—no one will believe him," Yarin shot back.
"Hey…" Zeke was about to say something, but seeing their startled expressions, he chose to stay quiet.
"The Corrupted Aether is about to manifest," Yarin continued urgently.
"What are we supposed to do?" Rilian asked.
"I think it is feeding on her obsession," Yarin said. "Be her boyfriend."
"What—? No! No, no, no!"
"Come on! Do you want the Corrupted Aether to possess her here at school?"
Rilian's eyes widened at the thought.
"Fine, let's make it lighter." Yarin shoved the watch box into his hands. "Ask her on a date."
"What?"
"Run after her, say sorry, and ask her out!" Yarin commanded.
Rilian stood, exhaled, and ran.
Down the hallway, he spotted Aya walking alone, her shoulders slumped, head low.
His mind raced. His introverted side screamed at him to turn back—but he knew he had to do this.
"Aya!" he called out.
Aya turned.
Rilian stopped a few feet away from her.
"About earlier… I'm sorry… can I… are you free tonight?"
Aya's face brightened. The manifestation responded. Its energy subsided.
Rilian, looking at the manifestation and Aya's bright smile—his lips slowly curled into a smile.
"What time and where?" Aya asked, her voice regaining its usual enthusiasm.
Rilian rubbed the back of his head. "I… actually don't know."
"Leave it to me," she said with a grin.
Then she grabbed his elbow. "Come on, let's talk over lunch."
Rilian turned his head as she pulled him along.
Far back in the hallway stood Yarin and Zeke.
Zeke looked completely clueless about what just happened—but Yarin's expression was harder to read, somewhere between relief and… something else.