"Hey, hey, Kaires… wake up~"
A gentle voice drifted into my ears.
my eyelids slowly opened, still heavy with sleep. For a moment, I felt something soft beneath my head—warm and strangely comfortable. When my vision finally cleared, i realized what it was.
The faint scent of vanilla and other thing?drifted past my nose, It smells very fragrant-.
wait—
"What the—?!" i immediately shot up from the bed.
"what the fuck! How did you get in here?!"
Mirable sat calmly on behind him, grinning.
Her long hair fell loosely over her shoulders, swaying slightly as She tilted her head innocently.
"You know I'm the principal's daughter. I can go wherever I want" Her smile turned playfully. "Including certain troublemakers' rooms."
i sighed slowly and rubbed the back of my neck.
"Right… I forgot you're Mr. Xander daughter."
The small dorm room was still dim, lit only by the pale blue glow of early dawn leaking through the window.
"So why did you wake me up, Mira?" i asked, As I got out of bed, my feet touched the cold floor.
he walking over to the small attic window and pulling the curtain aside.
The sky outside was still dark. The sun hadn't even risen yet.
Only a thin line of pale light lingered on the horizon beyond the mountains.
"Nothing," Mirable replied with a mischievous grin.
"I just wanted to wake you up."
Kaires stared at her in disbelief.
"...You broke into my room before sunrise… just to wake me up?"
i said while rub my forehead, look into her blue eyes, before continue my word.
"You're impossible."
i'm back to my bed, sat on to the wall.
"i'm not impossible, i'm delligent" she said, i can see her pride all over her face.
"delligent? of course you are, princess of book"
"don't use that nickname you—"
"princess of book" i said with a grin on my face.
She crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes, when i say that, but she can't do anything and just make a pout face.
"you jerk"
there's a brief of silence a second to long, then mirable crack the silence with a question.
"do you still drawing that random thing like a symbol in the paper?" she said while pointing a the sigils on the ceiling and wall
"no, it's not 'random symbol' it's a beautiful sigil" he said with a teacher tone.
"that's not beautiful" she said while crossing her arms with a grin on her face.
"it is!! what do you mean by 'not beautiful'! it's a great meaning sigil" Kaires took one from the Walls besides him and pointed it in front of Mira's face.
"what even sigil is, and how do you know this sigil thing?" she ask while take the sigil that pointed to her by him.
"sigil is, simply put, the art of creating profound meaning and beauty from a word; it is akin to poetry, yet condensed into a single word, and how do i know this? my parents teach me this and they say it's my family legacy"
"ohh, so that's what, thanks for answer my question kai, if you have a time could you teach me more" she said it while comfort herself to the bed and trap him between herself and wall
"aren't you said you're not interested on this stuff?"
"i don't know, you know?"
"what the fuck does that mean?"
"guess~" she's clinging into my back, i can feel her smugness.
"if you don't have any questions can you let me sleep?"
"nope"
"you got to be kidding me"
"i'm not kidding you"
i exhale i can do nothing about this , this little brat—, i've been in this position dozens of times, i exhale again then think "it is what it is".
Sunlight streamed into the third-year corridor; amidst the throngs of students passing by, I let out a wide yawn.
my eyes were half closed as i dragged myself into the classroom. Without hesitation, i sat down at my desk and immediately rested my head on the table.
"Maybe I can get a few more minutes of sleep…"
But just as i was about to drift off again, and the loudspeaker outside—which hardly ever makes a sound—was emitting a crackling static noise.
"Kaires Dharma, you are being summoned to the principal's office." a voice echo to the class, huh? why this old man calling me for.
i'm lazily take my bag and silently slip away from my desk get out, i can barely feel my leg when i'm walk out.
before i go to that old man office, i pass by cafetaria, so off course i go to cafetaria off course, i take fruit sandwich and a bag of ramen.
"are you still hungry at this time??" a familiar voice on behind me, this girl.
"what are you doing out here"
"that's my question"
"you don't hear the speaker? i got called by your dad"
"i Heard it, my question is why do you in cafetaria"
"i'm hungry"
"hungry? didn't you get breakfast?"
"do you have a question?"
"yes, my question is don't you get breakfast?"
"aren't you with me all the time, since when you let me breakfast peacefully"
"well- yeah cause you insist not eat my food"
"i scared death"
"i'm not that bad!!!"
"really? well how could rat when i give them a small piece of your steak dead?"
"it's nothing"
"it's everything, i die if i not check it"
"you-"
"anyway, back to topic" i cut her off "why you in here?"
"i got called my dad"
"really? but when the speaker say it's never mention you"
"he text me privately"
"so you said i got called on the speaker draw everyone attention, and you got text privately? he's really my number one haters"
she chuckled "i bet he's sharpening his sword right now"
"don't make me scared"
we walk together through the cafetaria to his office
we entered Mr. Xander Kaelthryx's office. Mirable immediately sat on the bench beside her father, leaving me standing awkwardly for a moment before I sat down too.
Mr. Xander stood up, moved behind me, and silently conjured a coffee cup out of thin air.
He poured coffee from a pot into the cup, and the aroma spread throughout the room.
"Do you two know why I called you here?" Mr. Xander asked, his voice calm but heavy, take a sip of his coffee.
"we had no clue" i said lazily tuck my hand to back of my neck.
"you guys too casual about this don't you" mr Xander said with a disappointed how casual this two little Brat is, i can feel it, it probably what he think.
he continue his word his tone shifted to serious "I called you here to ask why you went out into the Rust Forest in the middle of the night."
it's like got hit by a car, i know it's like exagerate thing to say that, but i don't know how he can know that???.
My stomach dropped. I glanced at Mirable—she looked just as shocked. The scariest part wasn't that he knew we went out... but the fact that he knew it the one that scared us, thats mean every time we get out of this place, he knew??.
"Why aren't you answering?" he pressed.
"Um… can you repeat the question, Dad?" Mirable tried.
Mr. Xander's voice remained steady. "Why did you two go into the Rust Forest last night?"
"I was the one who asked to go there, because I wanted to show her the meteor that fell into Rust Forest the day before yesterday." i said while rub my hand.
"why would you want to do that, you know it's dangerous outside, and also the fact that is a ridiculous excuses"
"I'm sorry about what I did"
"you lucky you are kaires, if it's not you I'm probably gonna execute them on spot when I hear my precious daughter go into rust forest with them"
I lowered my head slightly; should I tell them about this bracelet?
"i want to tell—"
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed inside my head
[the act to tell has been Denied, please proceed]
I froze, this thing can control me??????, what did just happen??, my face turn pale. Mirable's eyes widened slightly—she heard it too.
"what's wrong kaires?"
"nothing, i'm feel a little headache"
I tried again, raising my hand, but the words wouldn't come out. The bracelet on my wrist had vanished from sight, yet its presence felt heavier than ever.
[Chosen. That action would have led to your death.]
what is this bracelet talking about.
"why you act so weird kaires?"
i look into him before shift to Mira, she tried to tell but nothing came out.
"nothing sir, i feel headache"
"you should get a rest"
"yeah i need that rest"
as soon as i said that, Mira took my hand to get out of here, i know she know what we gonna talk about.
Moments after arriving at the park, we were both panting heavily.
"Looks like we need to work on our stamina again."
"Who told you to stop going for morning runs, Kai?"
"Who told you to go around disturbing people's sleep?"
"Well, that only happened a few times."
"A few times? That's rich—calling it just 'a few times'."
"Anyway, let's talk about something more important."
We found a quiet spot and sat down. Only then did the bracelet reappear on our wrists—cold, metallic, and undeniably real.
I stared at it.
This damn bracelet.