Beyond the television, a pink-haired girl fought monsters to save human civilization.

I watch closely, unable to get my eyes off the screen.

"We're getting close to the best part."

A beast stronger than all that came before it is going to appear!

A fabled beast!"

I sat closely to my father, who was watching the cartoon with me.

The feeling of doing something you like with someone you love.

That is one of the best sensations in the world.

A massive creature made of wood appears, threatening to destroy the entirety of the city. However, the pink-haired girl walks forward, with fire on both of her hands.

She proclaims that no beast will ever hurt anyone, as the fire in her hands fuse together in a massive tornado of fire.

"This is the best part! She is going to use her ultimate!"

However, when I look beside me, my father has gotten up.

"I'm sorry, I need to go."

I try to hold onto his clothes, but to no avail.

I'm weak, too weak, my hands are unable to hold him, before I know it.

He is far away from me.

As I run toward him, the noise that I had been ignoring starts to become louder and louder.

Triiim, triiim, triiim.

No... Not yet...

Just a little more...

Triiim, triiim, triiim.

I have finally reached him.

Just a little more...

Triiim. Triiim. TRIIIM.

Stop… NOW!

*Crash*

Hm... Finally, silence.

Now I can go back to sleep.

I just had to smash my alarm clock.

Now I can finally go back to sleep.

Hm...

Wait a second. I don't have an alarm clock.

Then, the alarm was coming from where?

The realization shuts me awake instantly.

I rush towards the wall, there, I stare sadly onto the remains.

The remains of a gift I held dear.

My cell phone.

"Haha..."

A great way to start today, right...

The thing is, every single day I don't have any problem waking up even before the alarm, but today, I ended up sleeping late due to being anxious for today. About that dream... I've been having it for the past few months, but it has become more and more frequent the closer it gets to today.

But now it will definitely end, but I shouldn't think about it.

Because that will just increase my anxiety, so let's just keep it at the back of my mind for now.

But now, I don't even have my cell phone anymore.

I'm definitely getting bored in class today...

Then, I would rather bring my mobile console.

There are still many monsters I need to catch.

Walking through the lonely hallways, I think to myself.

Why even build such a mansion if no one was going to live here?

Due to the impeccable sealing it has, no dust from outside gets inside.

So I don't even need to clean the majority of the house.

The places that most commonly need cleaning would be my bedroom, the bathroom and the kitchen. Well, the places that I do actually need to use.

It has been a while since I last watched television now that I think about it, but apparently they stopped producing new seasons of The First Star. I'm such a fangirl that I will never watch anything else.

How could they even cancel such a good series? I really wanted to know what happened to Arstria after the treant battle... But according to my father, they canceled it for production problems.

Maybe he was lying, and that was one year ago, I'm sure that on his next visit he is bringing the news that the series will return!

Outside, it must be freezing, but inside, it is warm. That is thanks to the automated heater system. It always keeps the entirety of the house at a warm-ish temperature. If I want it hotter, I can just take a nice hot bath.

Actually, that is where I'm going next. Considering the stress of breaking my phone earlier, I really deserve at least ten minutes of hot water.

I take my time applying the shampoo and conditioner, I must wash my hair two to three times a day, it is hard to maintain its natural brown glimmer that it has.

Looking in the mirror, I see myself. A soon to be ten-years old girl, brown hair, and black eyes. Not really outstandingly beautiful, but not that ugly either. I'm just regular, maybe a little over average.

Well, I would be really cute if I was allowed to use any clothes that I wanted. I mean, I can use them at home alright, but there is no one else here, I'm not that narcissistic. In school, I need to use the exact same nun-like outfit as every other girl.

In Procyon Town, you're just another one of the church's lambs, there is no room for individuality. The only thing that makes me stand out is my eye-covering bang, I'm really proud of that small feature.

As I get ready for school, I head to my kitchen. No, I'm not eating breakfast, I don't eat it anyway. If the food intake is the same, what is the problem of just having one meal the entirety of the day? Considering I stay the entirety of the afternoon in school, there is no time for lunch either, and I'm definitely not eating anything in school. What if they try to poison me? But I guess I would be poisoned anyway even if they didn't, because that food looks gross as hell.

Walking one hour to and from school every single day really tires me out. I mean, I could start to run there, I'm sure with enough practice I can make it without getting tired, but there is no way.

I hate physical exercise, I'm not an animal, okay?

Well, technically speaking, human beings are animals.

Descended from other apes, we're just really smart monkeys.

But try explaining that to anyone in that city!

If I tried to teach any of them basic biology they would burn me at the stake.

I pack my bag with everything I'm going to need.

Including the video game.

Jumping into my cotton coat, I'm finally ready.

Leaving the warmth from my house behind, I step outside.

My entire body shivers from the sudden temperature shift.

That is why the heater never goes off, because this place is frozen.

Well, it should be, considering the temperature.

But there is not a sliver of snow anywhere in sight.

That is because this place is also dry, there is no water to freeze.

The floor below is black like coal.

While the only things above ground are the trees.

Dead trees that are black like graphite.

Its name is perfect, honestly. It is truly fitting to name this place Black Forest.

Naming wise, the "black" portion is right on point, there is no color in here other than black. While the "forest" part is kinda wrong.

I mean, these definitely look like trees, but only in shape.

Punching one of these trees is enough to remove chunks of it.

It explodes into black dust.

I'm not sure what this dust truly is. But it is dust, and it is black.

It is also the reason that the floor is black, there is a thick layer of it on the floor. This would probably be a terrible place for anyone with lungs to be in, but due to how stagnant the air is here, there is no problem.

The forest is also really huge, it is really easy to get lost here as everywhere looks basically the same. It takes around thirty minutes to get to the train tracks.

There are no neighbors either, there is only my house in the middle of nowhere. As for how I can even survive? Well, the good part about this place is the lack of clouds, so the sun is always up during the day. Making it perfect for solar panels to work on.

That is how I generate my electricity. As for the food, it is delivered here by drone during the beginning of each month. I then need to store everything in the freezer, then reheat during each meal.

The people from the town say that the Black Forest is filled to the brim with man-eating wolves, but well, I've lived here the majority of my life, and I've never seen a single one. It just doesn't make sense, for wolves to exist, you would first need prey, and there are none here.

No insects, no critters, no plants.

The only thing that exists here is death, or lack of life, I guess.

If I had to guess, I would say the legend is due to this place being a natural maze. Every direction looks the same, so getting lost is absurdly easy if not a certainty.

It is also hard to sustain the air stagnation, someone with no training would surely get dizzy standing here, and I guess hallucinations would be totally possible.

But that is enough talking about the Black Forest, because I've finally reached the train track. So... Try imagining this town from a bird's view, in the center, there is Procyon Town, which is circled by the Black Forest from all sides, and cutting through both, is the train track.

Now, I'm finally entering the town. It is easy to know, because different from the Black Forest, the temperature here is warm-ish. And well, there are actual trees and stuff.

On the outskirts of town, you begin to see the farmlands, where the food is produced, this is one of the calmest places to be. After a while, I finally reached the residential district. The train track goes right through the town, so it should start any time now.

[Hate]

"You witch! Leave the town at once!" - It is a middle-aged woman this time.

I promptly ignore her existence and continue onward.

Procyon Town has a really clear culture: worship god, don't leave the town, hate all technology, and hate all foreigners. Well, I guess I do not check any of those boxes.

First, I'm atheist, so I don't believe in god. However, it is not like they believe in the holy god either, as I'm sure the many wolf statues around town must mean that what they believe in is a pagan god. I've never asked them though, so I can't be sure.

As for leaving the town, that is hard, because well, I live outside the town in the first place, and in the forbidden Black Forest. To add injury to the wound, I use technology on a daily basis, it is absolutely forbidden to use electricity in this town, that it is demon magic and stuff.

And for the last one, I'm literally a foreigner. Yeah, really.

I moved from the outside.

Everyone from the town believes that the world has ended.

They actually truly believe that the Black Forest extends through the entirety of the planet. And that everyone else is dead.

But that is untrue.

I literally lived outside before moving here, and well, my father works in the neighboring city. So it is all the church's plan to control the masses. Honestly, they deserve it, it is easy to stay on the status quo.

[Rage]

A few more civilians of Procyon swear at me, but I just continue to ignore them. They can get as angry as they want, but they won't be able to touch me at all. Remember when I said technology was prohibited? Well, anything built that relates to technology is also forbidden. This includes the train track itself.

So they can't even get close to here, meaning they won't be able to touch me. They can't even throw stones at me, because that would be considered throwing parts of the town to forbidden territory.

I'm really grateful to whoever built the train track, because that is the only reason I can navigate this town at all. However, it is lonely to walk through here, the tracks were made for the trains, while the roads were made for the people. But there are no trains anymore, and I can't walk on the road.

These tracks, once a symbol of progress and connection to the outside world, are now just a relic of the past, congratulations to this backwards town.

[Disgust]

The further I get into town, the more the tension increases. I pass more villagers, some mutter silently, others glare. I should be used to this by now, but I still instinctively pull my coat, trying to cover their eyes.

As for school...

That is the only place in the entire city that I am allowed to go. Due to a contract between father and the bishop. He really wanted me to have a proper education, but I still think there is no reason for that. I can learn way more on my own than at school, even so, I still give my all.

Getting first place on anything but sports is honestly quite easy, considering how dumb everyone else is. As I finally approach the building, there is yet another challenge I need to face.

People normally enter through the gate, but I can't go into the roads. The train track passes closely by the school, but due to it being built on a hill, I need to do a fair bit of climbing to get there. Then I need to climb the school walls, hah.

This was really tiresome during the beginning, but now I'm used to it, it has been a few years since I've been climbing this, it is quite easy when you get the hang of it.

I climb the final stretch of the school wall, my fingers gripping the cold stone as I pull myself over the edge. The view from up here is nothing special, just the same town, with the same gray skies. I can faintly hear the hearts of everyone in town, but it is so faint, I might as well ignore them all. I hop down and dust off my coat, blending into the shadows as I make my way to the back entrance.

No one ever comes here, not even the teachers. Apparently the first classrooms were built around here, but they abandoned it for the newer ones over there. It is interesting, even the dinosaurs of this town also abandon something of the past.

My mind drifts as I think about today. But again, I keep the anxiety at bay. I just need to go to the classes, return home and finally... Just need to wait a bit more.

I push the thoughts aside as I slip into the hallway. It smells like chalk and mold, the usual scent of neglect that clings to the walls. Of course the school wouldn't be a priority for the ones at the church, education goes in direct opposition to their rule.

[Indifference]

[Happiness]

[Hate]

As I walk into class, I blend with everyone else. At least that is the good part about uniforms, here, I become one with Procyon. Well, that is because no one is to mess with me while in school, that is one of the rules of the contract. For every evil deed the bishop has done, he never broke his word.

Well, that doesn't mean that I have friends and stuff, the majority just don't know about my existence, as for the ones in my class, they just ignore my existence altogether.

Walking on the school, I take a moment to glance at the giant stone statue in the middle of the courtyard, it depicts a wolf sitting down. From what I've seen, some students actually stop by to worship it. And if I recall correctly, there are statues in other places of the city too.

As I take my seat at the far back of the classroom, I let out a sigh of relief. It's strange how, even though I don't really want to be here, there's a sense of safety within these walls.

The bell rings, the first class starts. History. I barely pay attention, they don't ever teach anything useful in this one. Basically, it tells the story of how the priest, who received the word of god, took Procyon to the correct path, saving it from the purging of the world.

My attention drifts back to the window. The sky is always gray here, like a permanent blanket of dullness hanging over Procyon. No wonder everyone here is miserable.

I hate it here, I don't have any interest whatsoever in anything in this place. I just think it is weird why my father decided to move here out of literally any other place. I mean, if he went to work here, maybe it would make sense. But he works in another city altogether. Why not just move there then?

He never allowed me to visit there with him, not a single time. It is honestly quite infuriating, but I know that father must have his reasons.

[Joy]

Suddenly, the loud screech of chairs being dragged breaks my thoughts. The students are getting up for the break. I watch them in silence, but no one looks at me back, good. I stay seated, waiting until emptiness fills the room. I don't want to deal with anyone today, and not right now.

Once alone, I pull my mobile console. It's my only real escape. As I power it on, I'm greeted with the familiar game I've been playing. It's ironic that I spend my days fighting digital monsters while living in a town full of real ones. But the monsters here are easier to deal with, they follow predictable patterns, and have clear weaknesses. I wish life could be just as great.

No matter how much the students ignore me, I'm clearly able to tell the ones who really don't care, basically the majority of students from other classes. From the ones who have animosity for me.

They are the majority from my class, mainly the ones that have discovered that I am a foreigner. Anyone would hate me if they only knew.

They say that the opposite of love is indifference, but I'm picking indifference over anything else any time of day. Humans are always so full of emotion, and their emotion never really makes sense.

Sometimes, like the push of a button, someone will completely change the way they treat you. While the purest feelings might hide deep evil within.

I wish everyone would be like the characters from the games I play, simple, with no complexity at all. Or like the First Star, someone that will do good things just to help others.

My fingers more expertly as I continue to capture more and more monsters for my collection. There are just a few that I'm missing, the feeling of completing a game fully is honestly indescribable.

[Curiosity]

"What is that?"

Suddenly, the voice of a girl startles me.

In front of me, a black haired girl stares deep into my game. What could she want? Break should be nearly over, so she came into class before? Anyway, I tell her to leave me alone.

Fortunately, she actually did leave. Strange, I've never seen that girl before, she should be transferring from a different classroom. Or not, maybe she always was from this one, but I never noticed.

The rest of the day drags on in a similar fashion. Classes come and go, while I continue immersed in my own head.

"Miss Elewp." - A sharp voice calls to me.

The teacher, standing at the front of the room. I blink a few times, trying to shake off the mental haze.

"Yes?"

"The director has called you to his office."

My heart sinks the moment I hear those words. The director's office? That's never good news. My hands tighten around my desk as I try to process what this means. The other students, sensing my discomfort, glance over but quickly turn away, uninterested. I've actually never been called to the office, even after missing homework, not participating in some absurd ritual or event. But today feels different.

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I stand up, trying not to show any emotion. There's no point in letting them see that this bothers me. As I make my way out of the classroom, the teacher nods without even looking at, as if this was routine.

The hallways are quiet, my footsteps echoing. I walk through the same hallways I've been traversing for years, but they feel longer. What could this be about? Did someone say something? Did they find I've been bringing my console to school?

Before I know it, I'm standing in front of the door. It is old, just like everything else in town, with chipped paint and a brass handle worn from years of use. I hesitate for a second as my hand approaches to knock.

"Come in." - A deep voice responds. However, I haven't even knocked yet. As if he knew I was in front of the door.

I push the door open slowly and step inside. The office smells like dust and old books. Shelves line the walls, filled with volumes that probably haven’t been touched in years. The director sits behind a large oak desk, his feet over his own desk. He’s an imposing figure, tall with blonde hair and a perpetually smug expression. His eyes, sharp and calculating, follow me as I walk toward him.

He gestures toward the chair in front of his desk, his smirk widening as if he knows something I don't.

"Take a seat, Shikimi Elewp."

I sit, trying to stay composed. His office is suffocatingly old-fashioned, with thick curtains that block out the outside world, making it feel more like a prison cell than an office.

"You can relax, you haven't done anything wrong yet. I'm just calling to talk with all of my students."

As he talks, I begin to notice a detail about his face that I haven't quite seen before. There is... Some makeup on his face, almost as if it was covering, hiding something. But I'm unsure what it is, maybe a tattoo?

Well, I can't quite tell, but tattoos are also forbidden in this town. Well, I'm not sure about that , but I've never seen anyone with one before. Also, I'm unsure whether the people from this town have any access to makeup either.

About what he just spoke... That is wrong. He hasn't called anyone else from my class, meaning he is lying. But then, why am I unable to feel that from him? He is telling the truth, just not the entirety of it.

"Miss Elewp, you've been living a pretty boring life the past few years. You're always walking alone, never even trying to talk with another human being. If I were to give you advice, it would be to live."

The director's words hang in the air like a challenge, one that I wasn't expecting. His piercing gaze doesn't waver, and it feels like he's probing into me, peeling back layers to expose the truth that even I might not be fully aware of.

"Live?" - I repeat, trying to understand - "What do you mean?"

He leans forward. His smirk never fades, but his eyes narrow, analyzing my every movement.

"You're living in your head, child. You go through the motions, but you're not really living. This town may be backward and filled with fools, but even here, there are opportunities. If you look for them." - His voice lowers, as though sharing a secret - "You can only hide behind your games for so long."

My pulse quickens. How does he know? Is he spying on me? The air becomes heavier.

"I don't understand..." - I say, trying to stall for time, maybe for my brain to process what is happening.

He stands, walking around his desk until he's towering over me. I tilt my head back to meet his eyes, forcing myself to not simply shrink under his shadow. His footsteps echo as he walks to the window, he opens just a little bit of it to show some of the town.

"Do you know the reason why your father chose this place? Why did he leave you alone, here, in a town like this? What do you think he is hiding from you?"

A chill runs down my spine. The question that has haunted me for so long, but hearing it from someone else makes it all the more real.

"He must have his reasons, I know one day he will tell me!"

He chuckles, low and cold - "Of course. A father will always have his reasons. But those reasons aren't always in the child's best interest".

 As his words come and go, his expression gets seriously grim.

"You know what? I feel a sort of kinship between us."

Kinship? What does he mean by that? There's no way I have anything in common with this man. At this point, he is just spewing nonsense

The director slowly turns from the window, his face dimly lit by the gray light outside. He steps away from the window, returning to his desk.

"You may leave now." - Like a child that has grown bored of his brand new toy, he finally lets me go. I take the opportunity, I don't have any reason to stay here in the first place. As I approach the door, a sudden shadow appears over me. Before I can turn back, I hear his voice, whispering in my ear.

"The bell rings, calling for thy name. The time of parting will come, soon.

Live, lest the opportunity might end sooner than you imagine."

Standing beside me, I felt something I had never felt before. Fear, primal fear. Like an insect cornered by a crow. I wanted to run, to get as far away from that place, cold sweat dripped from my forehead.

[DEATH]

But instead of doing anything, I just stood there, frozen in place.

"Be not afraid, it won't come by my hands."

*Thud*

The sound of the door closing behind me reverberates through the silent hallway. My legs feel like lead as I finally step away from the office. His words swirl in my mind. I feel like I've walked out of a nightmare, yet I can't shake the feeling that I haven't fully woken up.

I shake my head, trying to push away the questions. There's no point worrying about cryptic words from a man who clearly enjoys playing games. But the fear, that raw fear, lingers. Why did I feel that way? No one in this town ever scared me before, not the townspeople, not the kids at school, and not even the church. I had always been able to keep my distance, always able to brush things off.

But this... Was different.

I look down at my hands and realize they're trembling. Clenching them into fists, I force myself to walk towards my classroom. I wanted to leave, to go home as soon as possible, but first I had to grab my bag.

As I move, a feeling gnaws at me, something is wrong. I can't resist the urge to take one last look back at the director's office, trying to make sense of what just happened. But the door... It's gone.

I blink. No, that's impossible. I just walked out of that room moments ago. I slowly walk toward where the door should be. The old, chipped frame that led to the musty office... It's just gone. There's nothing there now but a solid, unbroken stretch of wall.

Disbelieving my own eyes, I stretch out my hand and touch the cold surface. My fingers run over the smooth wall. There's no seam, no trace of a door ever being here. How can a physical place just disappear? I rub my eyes. Was that an illusion? A hallucination? Am I losing my mind?

I stumble backward. It had to be real, I sat there, I spoke to him. The fear that I felt was real. I'm not imagining that, am I?

The hallway feels longer now, stretching ahead beyond my grasp. I feel like I'm being swallowed by the stillness of this town. I need to get my bag. I need to get out of here.

As I turn the corner and enter my classroom, the familiar sight of my desk and the dull murmur of students barely register. Everyone's attention jumps towards me, the teacher in particular, is confused.

"Where were you, Elewp?"

I freeze at the teacher's question, the unsettling experience clouding my thoughts.

"I... I was just... Called to the director's office." - I stammer, my voice shaky even to my own ears.

The teacher furrows his brow, clearly puzzled. Glancing at the other students for confirmation, as if expecting them to laugh at some joke I was unaware of.

"You mean the chapel? That would be the closest thing to a director's office this school has. But the chaplain didn't call you, I would know if that were the case."

I stare at the teacher, trying to process what he just said. My mind scrambles for answers. There was an office. I was there just moments ago. I remember every detail.

"I... I was in an office. I spoke to the director..." - My voice trails off, weak, unconvincing, even to me.

The teacher's frown deepens, and a few students snicker quietly. I can feel the weight of their disbelief pressing down on me. I suddenly feel ridiculous, like I'm grasping at something that never existed.

"Elewp, there is no director's office." - The teacher says slowly, as if explaining something to a toddler - "You've been acting strange lately. If you need to see someone for help, the chaplain can arrange that. But let's focus on class now, alright?"

I don't respond. I just nod, though I barely hear him anymore. How could no one else know about the director? Was it some kind of elaborate joke?

I walk stiffly towards my desk, feeling the eyes of my classmates following me. My bag is still there, the familiar sight of it grounds me a little, pulling me back into reality, or at least what's left of it. I open the bag, my movements mechanical, my mind elsewhere.

Live, lest the opportunity might end sooner than you imagine.

The director's final words echo in my head, sending a chill down my spine. What was he talking about? And what did he mean by "the bell rings"? As I glance down at my bag, I quickly notice something missing.

My heart stops beating. My mobile console is gone. Pacni se

Panic sets in. I empty the contents of my bag onto the desk, papers and notebooks scattering everywhere, but it’s not there. My hands frantically search through every pocket, every nook, and nothing. It’s just… vanished.

Where could it be? I had it earlier, right before the director called me. I was playing it just before break ended. Suddenly, the room feels suffocating. My pulse races.

As I gather my things back into my bag, the classroom around me feels distant, like I was moving through a dream. The teacher drones on about today's lesson, but his words are just a muffled hum. I'm not paying attention. I can't.

The bell rings, jolting me out of my thoughts.

I flinch, hearing the metallic trill echo through the school. It's just the school bell signaling the end of class, but the sound is enough to send a shiver down my spine. The bell rings, calling for thy name.

For a moment, I can't move. The bell that ends class has rung thousands of times before, but now it feels different. It feels ominous.

I sit there, frozen, still trying to piece together what just happened. The sound of shuffling feet and fading chatter echoes in the hallway outside, but inside the classroom, it's eerily quiet. The empty desks feel like ghosts watching me, pressing in on all sides.

I grab my bag, and stand up. Ignoring all that is related to the office, the rest I can explain. There are students in my class that know about my background, they can't openly do anything to me because of the school rules. But it is possible that they have decided to suddenly mess with me, by opening my bag and stealing my possessions, and discover the console that way.

Wait a second, how could I have forgotten? That girl saw me playing, that must mean... She is the culprit. I just need to find her and get it back.

It all swirls in my head as I walk towards the door. As I step into the hallway, the noise of the students milling about is overwhelming, laughter, conversations, footsteps. The cacophony of emotions end up getting me in a daze, but I need to stand up and continue. My eyes dart around, scanning faces, trying to find her.

I can't spot her in the sea of faces. What if I don't find her? What if she's already gone? It is more than a video game to me, it's my escape, my sanctuary from this miserable town, from everything I can't control. I push through the crowd, my breath shallow, trying to keep calm. I won't let her go. I can't let her go.

My head hurts, I never had to stay near so many students at once before. I always left through the empty old part of school. There is a reason for that, of course there is.

I don't do well near large groups of people... That is because of my condition. I have some degree of hyper-empathy, it makes me able to somewhat feel what others are feeling. Like their emotion appearing as a bubble on my head.

[Excitement]

[Joy]

[Envy]

While it may allow me to somewhat know what someone is feeling deep down, it is a double-edged sword, because I can't process when there are too many people at once.

The flood of emotions from the crowd hits me all at once, a tangled mess of feelings that crash over me like a wave. My breathing quickens for the ninth time today. It is so many at once that I can only feel [Confusion].

However, a dumb idea makes its way to my brain before I can understand. When I was playing those games, each character always had their own powers and skills. Being able to successfully grasp which one would be useful in different situations was always the way forward.

Thus, I shall use this condition that has always been such a pain for me to move forward this trial. Instead of holding it down like I always do, to escape like I always do... I will let it go wild.

It is not anything supernatural, I'm able to grasp the tiniest move of someone's body, of someone's face, to grasp the loudest feeling that person is truly feeling. Anyone trying to mask their true emotion will never get the best of me.

But it is not only visual, what is hidden in their voices, the heat their body produces, their scent. Everything is deeply connected to one's emotion. Thus, I shall feel everything, everything at once.

I will find that girl, no matter how far I need to search, even if she is not in school. I will retrieve what is mine, what was given to me. I force myself to focus.

[Excitement] [Anxiety] [Joy] [Frustration] [Embarrassment] [Pride] [Boredom] [Loneliness] [Jealousy] [Confusion] [Relief] [Anger] [Hope] [Indifference]

A drop of blood drips from my nose, falling on my hand. My head hurts like needles were entering my brain.

Huh... So this is what happens when I force myself beyond what I can... The worst part is, the many screaming emotions became indistinguishable from one another...

But I won't give up... What if I... Focus on a certain emotion? I've never done such a thing before but I will try to... What kind of emotion that girl had...

[Excitement] [Anxiety] [Joy] [Frustration] [Embarrassment] [Pride] [Boredom] [Loneliness] [Jealousy] [Confusion] [Relief] [Anger] [Hope] [Indifference]

[Excitement] [Anxiety] [Joy] [Frustration] [Embarrassment] [Pride] [Boredom] [Loneliness] [Jealousy] [Confusion] [Relief] [Anger] [Hope] [Indifference]

[Curiosity]

Amidst the ocean of feelings, like a lone island that quietly hides itself. I finally found traces of it. The signal is already coming from outside the school.

I immediately push through the crowd, ignoring the dizziness settling in my head. My vision blurs slightly, but I can't stop now. I've locked onto that fleeting thread of curiosity, and I need to follow it before it slips away entirely.

The hallway stretches longer than usual, maybe due to the effects of overexerting myself. I leave through the school gate, there are even more students here than inside, exactly what you would expect from students wanting to go home.

But she is not here. Like a sonar, I keep going, running through streets and more streets. Getting closer and closer, surprisingly, it is coming from the outskirts.

I don't quite know this place, but I keep going, it is apparently some hill between the trees. There is even a well built stone staircase leading to it, what could be this place?

On the top of the hill, a giant stone statue of a wolf. Just like the one at school. Could she have come here to worship it too? As I climb the last few of the stairs, I finally come face to face to the culprit.

Instead of the black-haired girl, a sun-bleached boy sat by the statue's paws. But he is not alone, two others boys are with him. On his hands, my prized mobile console. Just seeing them is enough for me to recognize each one. They are all from my class, and they know about my background. It wouldn't surprise me that they decided to take advantage of my absence to open my bag, and end up discovering it.

It wasn't the girl after all.

They aren't here to worship the statue, just to use the place as a hangout. Kyros grins as he fiddles with my mobile console. His smug expression sets my blood boiling. The other two boys, Dren and Sal, sit lazily against the statue, chucking as Kyros clicks through the menus of my game.

"To think you would be able to find us here, you must really be a witch after all. And I thought the statue of god would be enough to protect us against your presence, what a bunch of bullshit."

The other boys laugh, and a wave of emotions hits me again. [Pride], [Amusement], [Malice]. It's all there, swirling in their faces.

"I want it back." - I say, my voice low and steady.

"Oh? You mean this?" - He holds the console up - "It's funny how you think something like this belongs to you. It doesn't belong in this town, at all."

I take a step forward.

"Whoa, calm down there, foreigner. You think you can just waltz in and take it? We're doing you a favor, really. If anyone else found this, like the church, you'd be burned at the stake."

"Yeah." - Sal adds with a laugh - "We're just confiscating witchcraft."

"You don't know what you're playing with." - I say, trying to keep my voice calm but firm - "That console, it's mine. Just give it back, and I'll leave."

"Or what? You'll curse us?" - Kyros can't help but add.

I take another step - "Do you even know how to play the game?" - I say, injecting a note of provocation into my voice.

Kyros narrows his eyes - "Of course I do."

"Really? Then show me. If you can win one battle, you can keep it. If you lose, you give it back."

Kyros hesitates, glancing at his friends for approval. They egg him on, and with a shrug, he accepts - "Fine. One battle. I'll beat it easily."

He fumbles with the controls, navigating into a fight. I can see the arrogance in his movements, he thinks this is going to be a joke. But I'm already near the end of the game, there is no way a beginner will be able to win with no prior knowledge.

As the battle starts, I see his first mistake, he didn't switch out the starter monster. A bad choice. The opponent's creature is an elemental type with a clear advantage, and with just one move, Kyros's monster is down.

"Wait, what the?" - Kyros mutters, panic flickering across his face. He taps furiously at the buttons, but it's too late, the enemy has already taken advantage of his error. A few turns later, defeat.

"No way! This game is broken!" - Kyros snaps. Dren and Sal exchange uncertain looks, their laughter dying down.

"Give it back!" - I say again, my voice cutting through his excuses like a blade.

Kyros's hands tighten around the console, his knuckles going white - "You know what, it might as well be broken." - Before I could do anything, he broke it in half by knee kicking it.

"Here, I hope you can use your magic to fix it, witch."

I held the console between my fingers, no... This can't be happening... This was... There were so many games I've yet to play... How am I supposed to pass the time now...?

This was my ninth-birthday gift, the last one my father gave me. Everything is going wrong today... First my cell phone, and now the video game...

What else could go wrong -

Before I could understand what was going on, Kyros had pushed me down. I hit my face first on the floor, as I tried to get up, Sal kicked my hand, prompting me to fall a second time.

Dren, looking nearby, found fresh cow dung near the statue, before thinking twice, he threw pieces of it at me. 

I lay there for a moment, stunned, the pain spreading across my face, the bitter stench of dung filling my nose. Laughter echoes around me, their malicious glee wrapping tightly around my chest. They hover above, drunk on power and cruelty.

No... Not like this. Not today...

I grit my teeth, ignoring the sharp sting in my hand and the humiliation. It all happened in an instant. Tears begin to fall from my face. That is right, this is the true face of the people from this town, I should've expected as much as soon as I left those school grounds.

They kick, step and laugh. More and more. Yes... That is right, humans have always believed in demons, creatures of evil, but that is just a reflection. The closest animal to demons aren't wolves, goats or bats. The closest thing to a demon is the very same human being.

Children are worse at that, they are more pure, but that doesn't mean they are good-willed, because their malice shows off with no mask of society.

Drunk on power, they continue, without stopping. I've always found myself to be someone rational, that is why I don't get up and try to fight back, because there is no way for me to win, or to escape.

I'm a girl, weaker than just one of them. A group of them is something I'm powerless against, I can just lay there, crying. Bruises begin to form on my skin, the pain gets stronger and stronger.

But it is strange, I somehow... Feel good? Not in a masochistic sense, but their emotions flow down to me. The sadistic pleasure that someone feels when stepping on a bug, the pride of being someone better than the other.

Human beings are sick.

As blood begins to drip onto the floor, I remember clearly. It is true, sooner or later, the town would try to capture me, try to change me, to adapt to their customs. But I'm too egotistical for that, I'm unable to change, to adapt, to be someone that I'm not.

And sooner or later, they would truly deem me a witch, and they would execute me. It is unfair, I'm not wrong, but this is the fate reserved for me.

The bell rings, calling for thy name. The time of parting will come, soon.

Live, lest the opportunity might end sooner than you imagine.

So that was the meaning of his words, that I would die, soon. And that it wouldn't come by his hands.

[Bloodlust]

They will kill me here today, and this will be the end. No one in the city will bat an eye to the death of a witch. I don't have any friends that will care if I'm gone. And... My father...

He will miss me...

Just the thought of the crying face of my father... No, it won't end like this.

Something snaps inside of me. A deep, simmering anger that has lived within me for so long begins to bubble to the surface, hotter and hotter, like magma beneath a fragile crust. My whole life has been nothing but insults and isolation, and I've always turned the other side. But... I've had enough.

And then it happens, something shifts.

I no longer just feel their emotions from the outside. This time, the emotions invade me, take root inside my mind. I feel Kyros's pride, Sal's sadistic amusement, Dren's cowardice hidden beneath bravado. Their feelings merge with my own in a swirling storm that surges inside my chest, fueling my rage.

I take a deep breath. This time, I won't hold it back.

[Malice] [Hatred] [Fear]

The emotions slam into me like a tidal wave, and I let them in. I let them consume me. A strange clarity takes hold, as if my mind has unlocked a door that was never supposed to open.

Deep inside me, beneath the abyss... Something looks back.

Kyros's laughter dies down, his smirk faltering as he notices the change in my expression - "What's with that look?" - He mutters, a hint of unease creeping into his voice.

I stand slowly, my heart pounding, but I don't care. The pieces of my shattered console fall from my hand, forgotten. My gaze locks onto Kyros, and for a fleeting second, I feel something terrifying, a sudden, overwhelming connection.

His smug grin. His cold, amber eyes.

I see him, more than just his expression, his entire being. His heart is a rotting thing filled with insecurities, with cruelty he uses to hide his own fears. I know what he's afraid of. I know exactly where to hit him.

He can feel it too. I see it in the way he takes a step back - "What the hell...?"

[Fear]

It blooms inside him like a dark flower. The air between us grows heavy, thick with tension. Sal and Dren, sensing the shift, stop laughing. They exchange uncertain glances, no longer finding the situation funny.

The one called Shikimi Elewp, full of bruises and covered in blood, has risen from the floor. With no fear at all in her eyes, just sheer malice. From the perspective of any child seeing that, it is shocking.

Deep within their minds, for a long time, they have decided to view me as a witch, as someone who lives in the scariest place that no one has the courage to venture to.

"What... Are you?" - Sal mutters nervously, his earlier confidence evaporating.

Kyros scowls, trying to mask his growing panic - "Stop acting creepy, freak. Just run back to the forest where you belong!"

But I don't move. I can feel it, his bravado crumbling like the blackened trees of the forest. I can feel how fragile it all is.

And then, without fully understanding how, I whisper the words that bubble up from somewhere deep inside me. Words that just feel right.

"The bell rings, calling for thy name."

Kyros's face pales. His hands tremble slightly, though he tries to hide it.

Sal takes a step back - "S-She's cursed, man. We shouldn't have messed with her..."

"Shut up!" - Kyros snaps, but his voice wavers.

The three of them are trapped now, trapped in the web of their own fear. I don't even need to lay a hand on them. They've already lost.

I take a slow, deliberate step toward Kyros. He stumbles backward, almost tripping over the statue's base. Walking closer and closer to the hill's edge.

Before I know what I'm doing, I reach out and press my hand against his chest. And something happens.

A pulse, cold and sharp, surges through me, as if the emotions I've been holding in are pouring out of me, channeling directly into Kyros. His eyes widened in terror. He gasps, clutching at his chest, as if he can feel it too, the weight of everything I've carried.

He had begone weak. His fear meant he didn't take notice of his surroundings, as we were both approaching the edge.

There, just one more step and he would fall over. To the decrepit town of Procyon.

"No... Please..."

Just one push is what is needed. It won't fix this town, but one tumor will be removed. However, the face of my father blinks on my mind, he wouldn't want me to do something like this...

"Be not afraid, it won't come by my hands."

I leave him there, and walk to my console. All three of them take the opportunity to run away.

I'm not sure what happened, but I somehow felt his [Fear] too.

I just don't like feeling that way.

Maybe the same way the director had spared me.

I had done the same to them.

I watch them go, the storm finally beginning to settle. The emotions retreat, leaving me standing alone beneath the cold gray sky. The broken pieces of his gift lying at my feet.

I kneel down and gather them. My heart aches.

Glancing back at the wolf statue, it looms over me. Its stone eyes are cold and unblinking, as if watching, waiting.

With a deep breath, I turned away and began the long walk back to the forest. My hands still tremble, from the sheer confusion of what had just happened.

Walking towards the train track, my bruised body leaves a trail of blood. However, it is not enough to die. I must have some broken bones, but I can't go to the hospital anyway.

I sit there, ripping my stupid nun uniform to use as bandages. I wrap my wounds with the torn fabric, tightening the makeshift bandages around my arms and legs. The pain throbs dully beneath the surface, but I don't mind.

I press my back against the cold iron rail of the abandoned train track, staring off into the endless, barren horizon. The Black Forest looms in the distance like a shadow swallowing the edge of the world. I'm so used to its presence that the silence it carries doesn't bother me anymore.

The air shifts slightly. A familiar, subtle pressure builds behind my eyes, like an approaching emotion floating somewhere nearby. I squeeze my eyes out, trying    to block it out, but it slips through anyway.

[Curiosity]