Chapter 12
3039words
A sigh left my lips as I neared the school.
Hopefully, I don't see Nathaniel first thing in the morning.
Once I walked past the familiar statues, I stopped in my tracks due to a tall figure in front of me. Blinding Sun.
What is he doing here?
Other students stopped in their tracks too; they were stunned. They pulled out their holographic phones, named Prism, to record, telling their viewers that the most famous hero in the entire world had just appeared in their school out of nowhere.
"Slyvian Blackbird," he said awkwardly, "I'm sure you remember me from... saving you from Velkon after he well... used you as hostage and yeaaah."
"What do you want?" I asked quietly, clutching my backpack straps. I don't want to attract much attention.
He sighed, "I want to apologize for killing a villain right in front of your eyes. No child should be near any bloody scenes."
"I don't care," I said and pushed past him. I can already feel the pressure of the eyes from every student and my classmates.
Blinding Sun blinked, confused. "You don't care?"
I stopped mid-step, glancing over my shoulder. "No. I don't. Now leave me alone. I'm going to be late."
The crowd of students murmured, aiming their Prism at me. I hate this. I could hear their whispers: ' Why is he even talking to her?' Did she just brush off Blinding Sun?!
I ignored them, walking toward the school entrance with my head down.
I can tell Blinding Sun didn't move from his spot. He just stared at me.
"Slyvian," he called again, calmer now.
I stopped again, tightening my grip on the straps of my bag. I didn't turn around.
"What now?"
"I... " he paused, "actually came here to observe you for the day."
That made me turn around to face him. "What?"
Gasps rose in the crowd of students.
He raised his hands, placating. "I know it sounds strange, but I have my reasons. You're... unique. I want to understand why."
"Unique?" I repeated. I scoffed. "I'm not unique. I'm just a mundie trying to go to school."
"Mundie? Well, I wouldn't call you that exactly," he said, taking a step forward. "But something about you doesn't add up. I can feel it."
My stomach heavier now. Why is he bothering me? Can't he just leave me alone?
"I don't want you following me around," I said flatly.
He tilted his head. "I'm not following you. Just observing."
"That's the same thing," I shot back, narrowing my eyes.
Blinding Sun chuckled softly, an almost fatherly sound that only irritated me more. "Very well, I'll stay out of your way for now. But I'll be close by if you need me."
"I won't." I said without hesitation, turning and walking toward the entrance.
The gossiping grew louder as I passed the other students. Some laughed, others looked at me like I was insane for brushing off a world hero. I guess I shouldn't blame them. I mean, who in their sane mind would even brush off the world hero?
Meanwhile,
Blinding Sun watched Slyvian disappear further in halls, his smile fading, he tapped his earpiece.
"Anything?" he said quietly under a whisper.
A voice crackled in response
"Still no progress on her biological father's data." Eris spoke.
"Every system I accessed returns as an error or restricted clearance. Her mother's records check out, but there's no explanation for the block on the father's side. It's pissing me off honestly."
Blinding Sun frowned, his glowing eyes narrowing slightly. "Just keep digging."
"Yeah yeah..." Eris sighed, there was a pause for a while
"Soooooo, when are we going for those drinks?"
"Not now." Blinding sun said.
"Come on, I've been dying to try out that new club that opened in Golden Heights District. I hear the new drink is based on you. The Blinding burn OOOOooo."
"Quiet." He cut off the earpiece and walked further in the hallway.
Afterwards,
Inside, I kept my head low, walking quickly to class. The hallway was a minefield of glances and whispering voices. I can tell that they are purposely gossiping louder for me to hear it.
Why was he talking to her?
She just brushed him off!
Isn't that the girl who doesn't have any powers?
If I was her, I would kill myself.
She already looks dead, heh, do you see her nasty grey skin?
I tuned them out, focusing on the sound of my own footsteps. The last thing I wanted was attention, yet I had the world's greatest hero, shining a spotlight on me by following me around like some bodyguard... I hate this.
Suddenly I felt... his presence.
Nathaniel.
He was waiting at my locker, his arms crossed. Why is he here? Why now?
"Slyvian," he said, putting on his usual fake smile.
I can tell that it was strained. I must've already done something.
"You somehow managed to get the golden boy himself around you."
...oh... that.
Nathaniel stood up from leaning on my locker, his hand brushing a stray strand of my hair behind my ear.
"You know, this is making me think you did this on purpose." He said in his usual calm tone that always gives me chills.
"Wh-what? No, I never-" I stammered. It's always like this with Nathaniel. I stammer when I try to explain, or I would say nothing at all.
"You've got Blinding Sun here and he specifically talked to you," he pressed, his voice dropping to a whisper. "This is giving me thoughts that you purposely did something to make the world hero be... concerned about something. And that's a problem. For me."
My hands gripped the straps of my backpack tightly, so tight that my knuckles started to ache. "I didn't ask for him to follow me," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Nathaniel narrowed eyes, studying me. "No, I suppose you didn't. But here he is. Following..." He sighed, smiling thinly. "You'll have to clean up your mess."
He leaned in closer, our foreheads almost touching.
"So, here is your assignment. You'd better find a way to keep him off your back after the end of school, Slyvian. I don't want to see him at my father's building either, got it?"
"Now," he said, stepping back as if nothing had happened. "Go to class. Wouldn't want you to be tardy, would we?"
I didn't reply. I only walked away, heart pounding, mind spinning.
A few steps later, I stopped in the middle of the hallway.
Today is already starting off horribly.
Can I not have one day of being left alone?
As students brushed past me, their murmurs blending into a distant hum, I was about to move, but I stood frozen. My eyes locked on a figure at the far end of the hall.
There, stood a tall woman. Her presence unnervingly familiar. She looked exactly like the clay statue Mr. Or'dara sculpted: face, eyes, the gem embedded in her skin. It was as if she'd walked out of his apartment and into the school.
Her stillness was unnatural. She was a very tall and noticeable thing, yet no one else seemed to notice her.
I glanced around. My gaze darted to the other students, but they walked past her as though she didn't exist, their heads buried in conversations.
Do they really not see her?
No... of course not.
It nothing but a illusion.
I tore my eyes away, forcing my feet forward toward class. I focused on the hallway ahead, the sound of lockers slamming and voices bleeding together.
It's so loud.
When I finally reached the classroom door, I froze. Again, I saw something that no one else seemed to see.
Inside, standing near the window, was a boy. He was tall, around my height, and something about him felt... familiar. My eyes narrowed, trying to place him.
Why does he look so familiar?
He turned to face me, his skin the same deathly gray as mine. But that wasn't the only strange thing about him. His hair was jet black, hanging slightly over his face, and his eyes were empty, soulless, just like mine.
He was dressed in something ancient. I couldn't describe it; the strange fabric and patterns were both foreign and familiar at the same time. For some reason, I felt as if I had worn those garments before.
I felt drawn to him, as if invisible threads tied us together.
Who is he?
Why does he look familiar? Why does he almost look like me?
"Move out of the way, mundie!"
A sharp shove sent me stumbling to the side. I caught my balance quickly. My trance shattered. I blinked and turned back toward the window.
He was gone.
Professor Kane called my name, breaking my trance.
"Sit down, Slyvian," Professor Kane said without looking up, his voice flat from emotion.
I moved to my seat, sitting down quietly. I set my bag down on the floor. I folded my hands in my lap, staring down at them. They started to tremble slightly.
Why were they shaking?
Am I scared?
No, Nathaniel doesn't have this class. So why are they shaking?
This never happened before. Is it because Blinding Sun? It has to be... it's the only explanation, his mere presence is already getting me in trouble with Nathaniel.
I stole a glance at the window where the boy had been standing. It was empty, just a reflection of the room and me. My hollow, soulless dark eyes looking back at me.
Suddenly the classroom door opened, classmates and the professor turned their gaze to the entrance and saw Blinding Sun walking in.
"Hello, everyone." He said, the silence was shattered. The female classmates squealed like a bunch of babies, scrambling to be near him. The others jumped up excitedly, forming a small crowd around him.
So annoying. So loud.
I sank deeper into my seat. My head throbbed from the noise, the sheer squealing echoed in the classroom like a storm of crying babies... I wanted no part of it. I only want peace and quiet for once. Why does everything have to be so loud today?
"Blinding Sun! Are you going to teach us today?"
"Can we take pictures?!"
"What's a hero like you doing in our class?!"
"I'm just here to observe," Blinding Sun answered, though his gaze flickered, just for a moment, toward me.
"Observe what?" one of the guys asked.
"Maybe he's looking for future heroes to work with him!" another chimed in.
I tried to ignore them as much as possible, my nails digging into my palms beneath the desk, hard enough to break the skin and draw blood. Blinding Sun is here because of me, and he's already made things worse with Nathaniel. It's not like I asked him to follow me, yet here he is.
Professor Kane clapped his hands sharply. "Enough! You're all acting like you've never seen a hero before. Get back to your seats!"
Slowly, the room settled as students returned to their desks. Professor Kane then looked at Blinding Sun, who stood near the back. "Blinding Sun, I have no problem with you being here, but please try not to distract my students."
"No problem," he smiled, giving a thumbs-up that earned a ripple of quiet giggles from some of the girls.
His gaze swept across the room, pausing on me for a moment too long. I didn't have to look to know his eyes were mostly on me. My shoulders tensed, and I stared harder at the surface of my desk, as if the grain in the wood could pull me in and make me invisible.
Just look away already...
"Good." Professor Kane said. He picked up a marker and turned toward the board, beginning the day's lesson.
But even as Kane's lecture began, the weight of Blinding Sun's attention stayed on me, constant and unwanted, never moving.
"Today," Kane announced, "we'll be going over the history of the Shadows Throne. They were an organization that first appeared in 918 OD.
He scrawled the words in thick block letters: The Shadows Throne: 918 OD.
Immediately, the board sensors picked up the writing, activating a sequence of holographic projectors mounted along the ceiling. With a mechanical whir and a soft electric hum, translucent screens shimmered in the air, casting a glow over the classroom.
The holograms played out a scene, grainy and muted. Important figures of the time stood within a vast temple within the crowd, their movements sharp and deliberate, as if discussing the creation of something monumental.
From the darkness between the pillars, sixteen cloaked figures emerged. Faceless. Unidentifiable. Their forms moved like shadows given purpose, they glided unnaturally through the crowd.
One by one, leaders fell at their hands. No cries. No resistance. Death delivered in silence, each strike was very... methodical. Before anyone could scream who did it, the figures vanished into nothing, dissolving into smoke and shadow.
The scene looped. Again. And again.
"These," Professor Kane's voice broke the silence, "are the members of Shadows Throne. The only known record of their existence."
He began pacing slowly around the room, his shoes tapping rhythmically against the floor. "For centuries, no one knew where they came from, or where they went. This single recording was discovered much later, hidden deep in the restoration archives."
I stared at the screens. The looping scene should have grown repetitive, but it didn't. The shadows of the cloaked figures seemed to stretch and blur in the corner of my eye, their presence seeping into the room like an invisible fog. My eyes traced every corner, every flicker, every imperfection in the feed.
I could fix this recording. My mind was already dismantling it instinctively, line by line, frame by frame.
I blinked hard, tearing myself away. Around me, students scribbled notes or leaned toward each other, whispering. A few watched with casual disinterest.
"Why are we even learning about them?" a student asked. "They're dead.
Kane stopped mid-step. "Dead? We don't know that. Like I said, this is the only recording of them ever existed."
"The Shadows Throne, they were symbols of fear and control. Some believe they were a warning. Others think they were harbingers of something much darker. And many... believe they were followers of Octavian."
"Learning this isn't just about history. It's about prevention. It's a lesson in not repeating the past. You never know what can rise from the shadows when you break something... or someone... too many times."
"We don't want another being like Octavian. Because if we do, the world might see another Shadows Throne, whether serving his orders, or those of an even worse monster."
The hologram looped again. And this time... one of the cloaked figures moved. It wasn't a strike. Not an attack. Just... a turn of the head. Slowly.
Its faceless hood angled directly toward me.
The moment lasted only a second before the loop restarted. No one else reacted... They couldn't have seen it.
Was I seeing things?
I must be. First, the sculpture. Second, the boy. And now this.
"Now, who can tell me who Octavian was?" Professor Kane asked.
A boy in the front answered. "Yeah, he was the first villain in recorded history. He almost destroyed everyone with his cults and other influence until Aelia and Cyrus killed him."
Kane nodded. "Correct. Octavian was the first, and perhaps the most dangerous being who could match Aelia and Cyrus strength combined. He was a being of immense power and control, so great that he nearly drowned the world in darkness. But Aelia and Cyrus ended him. Isn't that right, Blinding Sun? Your ancestors saved millions of lives."
"Yes." Blinding Sun crossed his arms.
Professor Kane resumed, "The Shadows Throne appeared long after Octavian's death. Their connection to him is unproven, but some theorized that they were. They destabilized entire regions by targeting key figures, creating fear and chaos, which was Octavian's usual mo. But, just as quickly as they came, they just vanished, and this recording is the only thing, THE only evidence of their existence."
My skin pricked. The hooded figure in the recording still seemed to be facing me. But that wasn't the only eyes that were on me.
I can still feel Blinding Sun's eyes looking at me.
As the class dragged on for hours. The bell rang, shattering the tension.
Classmates scraped their chairs and walked out, the room full of loud chatter. But I stayed in my seat, pretending to sort my bag, waiting for the noise to fade away.
At the front, Blinding Sun leaned toward Kane, speaking in low tones. I couldn't catch the words, but their expressions were tight, Kane's unreadable, Blinding Sun's focused..
Then he turned, looking over his shoulder at me. Our eyes met, and the glow of his irises seemed sharper, like sunlight shining through a magnifying glass.
He left without a word.
Did something come up? Didn't he say he would observe me today?
... Whatever, as long as he is gone, then I won't have to go through another... punishment from Nathaniel.
The last few students walked out, including Professor Kane, leaving the classroom empty. The silence was heavy, the kind that makes you realize how loud your own breathing is.
Cyclum inevitable est, sed tu alis es.
The voice was right at my ear, low and almost... reverent.
I spun around, heart lurching.
No one. Just empty desks... and a faint smell in the air... burnt wood and ash, lingering in the air.
I've never smelled this type of smell before.
Where is it coming from?
Why are there so many new things happening to me?
Prism: A sleek, holographic phone popular among wealthy teenagers. Known for its vibrant, customizable light displays and seamless gesture controls. Flashy and exclusive. "Prism: Because basic isn't an option."
