《Bearer of the Ancient Curse》


 Prologue

    "You can do this, sweetheart."


    Melanie didn''t even think twice before nodding and smiling at them. "Don''t worry, I''ve got this," she replied, hiding her sweaty hands behind her back. Her body was trembling, fear was vibrating from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair, and her heart had been hammering inside her chest ever since they left their house.


    "All candidates, please proceed to the light space."


    "That''s the bell," said Melanie''s mother, pertaining to the announcement that resonated through the speakers. She looked at Melanie and kissed her on the cheeks. "See you later."


    "Thanks," responded Melanie, then proceeded to hug her father. It was only a matter of seconds, but she felt like she was saying a final goodbye to them. As she watched them walk out of the room, she turned away and started biting her lower lip. Her lilac-colored eyes welled up in tears, but she quickly wiped them off with the back of her hand.


    There was no escape. Melanie knew that the moment she had woken up that morning, something was awfully wrong with her. She felt different, and she could not even bring herself to tell the truth to her parents because she didn''t even know where to start.


    Could it be because she did not have a good night''s sleep? Or maybe something changed overnight? Whatever it was, she felt that attending this ceremony might bring her some bad news. If her hunch was correct, it might be the last day she would see her parents again.


    She heaved a sigh and sauntered along the corridor. At the end of that hall lay the light space that would dictate the course of her life. Melanie did not know what would happen inside the room. In fact, nobody on the candidate list knew what would happen to them during the ceremony because people who experienced the same test were prohibited by law to talk about it. However, one thing was for sure. Once they enter the light space, they must return clean.


    When the men who were guarding the room opened the doors for her, Melanie stared at it in awe. Everything in the light space was painted white. The ushers and usherettes standing in every corner of the room almost blended into the walls due to the color of their cloaks. Even the candidates were also dressed in white robes. There were chairs aligned within the room in five rows, each containing 10 chairs. The only color in that area was the big screen hanging on the wall. It broadcasted the event outside, where all the parents, guardians, and citizens were assembled.


    Melanie sat on the third chair in the fourth row. The place was ghost quiet. Only the rustling of their clothes while settling themselves, the sounds of their breaths, and the buzzing of the screen could be heard. She leaned on her chair and inhaled sharply. She tried to calm her nerves.


    "Everything''s going to be okay," she muttered inside her head.


    As if on cue, her emotions were driven numb. Her body was no longer trembling, and fear had succumbed to nothingness. She felt like all her concerns in herself, her family, or that particular ceremony vanished like a cloud of smoke disappearing into thin air. Melanie''s eyes were glued to the screen as a host stood in the stadium in front of the crowd and began talking.


    "Welcome to the Purifying Ceremony! This is an annual tradition of the Sanctified to keep our city beautiful and pure. With the help of these insanity metrons..." The host gestured to the tubes positioned at the side of the stage. "Whoever exceeds the stability norm must be subjected to more sessions of electrification until they arepurified."


    The host turned back his gaze to the crowd and put up a smile. "We will now witness another wave of candidates, who will now take the test. I would request our lovely ushers and usherettes, kindly place the device on their heads and let the ceremony begin."


    After the opening remarks, all candidates were strapped into their chairs by metal clamping. People standing earlier in every corner of the room started to approach them with a device in hand, shaped in a way that would fit a person''s head. Melanie kept her head steady when an usher placed the device over her. She took a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the torture.


    However, her thoughts were quickly drowned with intense electric currents. Her eyes rolled back, and her entire body convulsed. Every nerve in her skin started to become visible, dilated with blood. Her feet went stiff, her hands were stuck on the last motion she had, and her mouth began to salivate.


    The room was filled with screams and horror while the crowd watching outside the light space observed the phenomenon. That kind of scenario was deemed normal by their moral codes, for that was the only way for them to know if a cursed being walked among them. Whoever survived with no deformity was considered clean, and whoever manifested abnormalities would be condemned.


    Minutes passed, and all of the candidates already lost their consciousness. The devices stopped emitting electrical currents, and they were removed one by one from their heads. The crowd clapped their hands at the sight, partly relieved. There were no signs of peculiarity in any of them at all, which only meant that the Purifying Ceremony was a success.


    Or so they thought.


    One of the candidates was still gasping for air. It was Melanie, the girl with long black hair and purple eyes. She had been enduring the torture by shutting down her emotions despite feeling pain in her entire body. The pain was overwhelming, but she didn''t care at all.


    Upon seeing this, the ushers and usherettes tried to amplify the device''s voltage to maximum, but Melanie didn''t even budge. She did not manifest any signs of struggle, which only meant that she could not be purified. The crowd watched as the black liquid inside Melanie''s insanity matron reached its peak. Her parents, who had been watching the process with anticipation now stared at the screen with hatred and disgust.


    "A cursed being," mumbled the host and then shook his head. "What a shame."


    The screen went off, and the crowd began to disperse with tremendous abhorrence in what they saw. The torture was stopped, but Melanie stayed clamped to her seat. The ushers and usherettes removed the device from her head. They replaced it with the lasso of purity, a device stopping the cursed from manifesting their inhumane abilities. Melanie instantly dozed off when her powers wore out.


    With Melanie still on the chair, the ushers and usherettes brought her outside the light space. They strolled down the halls and went to the other wing of the institute. From there, they left the strapped Melanie to the boundary between the city and the outskirts. When the manning executioner saw the young girl being subjected to exile, he shook his head and grabbed the chair. He removed the metal clamps and hauled Melanie on his shoulder. He opened the small, hinged barrier from the hundred feet wall and sighed. He positioned himself then threw Melanie to the other side, unconscious and exhausted. The executioner did not even bat an eye when he closed the gate.


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    Melanie felt the impact and slowly gained consciousness. She coughed. The cold concrete ground was full of dust, and her body was sending her multiple signals of sharp pain. She fluttered her eyes open and blinked a few times, trying to recognize her surroundings. She lifted herself a bit and looked down. She gasped. Her fair skin was now covered with minor cuts and gashes.


    "Hey there, Missie."


    A throaty laugh made Melanie''s skin crawl. The mixture of nicotine and the acidic smell of alcohol lingered in the air. She slowly lifted her gaze, and her eyes widened in horror. She was surrounded by a group of thugs staring at her lasciviously, their gazes filled with malice, and smiling creepily.


    "Want to come with us?"


    "We won''t hurt you."


    "An hour of your time would be enough."


    "N-No, please..." Melanie pleaded. Her mind was a mess. She could not think straight, and she did not know what to do.


    Where was she? What was she doing there?


    "Stubborn kid," one of the guys leered and aimed in her direction. Small sticky balls of slime were released from his pores, and they started to crawl towards Melanie.


    The girl forced herself to stand up and sprung to her feet. She was not sure what would happen if the slime finally reached her, but her instincts told her to stay away. She took a backing away as the slime advanced until her back bumped into something. Cold and sweaty hands held both of her arms, and in a snap, they released thorns. Every spike slowly pierced her skin. Melanie''s eyelids turned heavy, and she almost passed out because of pain.


    "Stop, please..." she begged once more, her voice drug heavy, but her feeble appeals had fallen into deaf ears. The spikes eventually paralyzed her body. She could not even move a muscle to flinch when someone pulled her white robe over her shoulder and ran their fingers on her skin, "Smooth," the guy muttered.


    Melanie looked away when she felt their hands roaming on her body. Too disgusted but helpless to act upon it at the same time. They tore her robes apart and ravished her. She tried to open her mouth to scream for help, but no sound came out. Those people were treating her like a mere dessert. They devoured her sweetness, licked her bare delights, and savored her taste until nothing of her remained untouched. Tears started to fall from her eyes, and thoughts clouded her mind as she silently endured the torture.


    Why did she end up in that place and in that situation? What did she do wrong? She only failed the purifying ceremony, but was it enough to earn her a ticket to the outskirts and experience this defilement? What if it was a misunderstanding? She did not have any superpowers. Because if she really did possess one, she would be defending herself from being assaulted like this.


    She bit her bottom lip to stifle her screams, then closed her eyes with difficulty, trying to erase the reality out of her head. If only those people knew what she felt, the sting of their strokes, the torment of their caress, and the agony of them fondling her flesh like she was some sort of meat; if only she could give them a taste of her pain.


    Melanie opened her eyes when the harassment was momentarily paused. The guy who had been holding her released his grip and stumbled backwards. Melanie felt her knees turn into noodles, and she lost her balance. The effect of the spikes was still influencing her bodily functions, and she still felt numb despite being almost naked and lying on the cold floor. She looked up and watched the thugs clutch their heads. Some of them even began to puke.


    "What is this?!"


    "I feel awful."


    "Is this the effect of drugs? Man, I won''t take that again."


    They were distracted. Melanie mustered her strength to lift up at least one of her fingers. She needed to regain control of her body, no matter what. She must take advantage of the situation and use it to flee.


    She focused her attention on her finger and silently praised herself when she finally moved it an inch. She then tried to utilize the same technique to move some major parts of her body. She grunted as she pushed herself up. Her plan worked, but it was not fast enough to keep her inconspicuous. The thugs started to approach her once again, completely recovered from whatever affected their performance earlier. Melanie trembled, but she forced herself to turn down her fear.


    She must escape.


    If she wanted to live, then she needed to run away.


    But how?


    "We won''t play with you anymore." One of the guys smirked, then raised his hands in the air. "We''ll kill you, do whatever we want to your body, then dispose of you after."


    "Sounds like a brilliant plan to me," his companion commented. The guy maneuvered his hands and moved them in a circular motion. A portal materialized in front of him then tiny buzzing creatures flew out of it. The guy laughed. "Kill that girl for me."


    Melanie gasped when the bugs whirred as if they understood what their master had commanded them. They turned to Melanie and gilded towards her with full speed, unclutching and taunting their razor-sharp antennas, ready to smack anyone''s skin within their grip. Melanie was glued to her position.


    "Move! Move! Move!" she chanted frantically in her mind, but her body did not listen to her. She could only pant with fear.


    Is this the end?


    Melanie didn''t even blink when the bugs were sliced right across her eyes. She had forgotten to breathe as her ears were ringing with the sounds of flesh being torn apart, bones popping and cracking, and groans. She moved her gaze, and her mouth fell open.


    The thugs were lying on the floor, eyes opened. Some were even trying to raise their hands to reach for help but only got sliced by a blade. Pools of blood dampened the dirt, and a figure stood over them with a nasty grin on her face. Melanie met her dark eyes, and she felt chills run down her spine.


    "Hmm." The killer regarded her with pure interest. She shifted her weight onto her other feet and casually placed her blade, tinted with blood, over her shoulder. She smirked. "What a pleasant surprise."


    Melanie''s heart thumped. Her fear doubled. The thugs earlier were scary enough to make her tremble, but the girl in front of her made her feel different. She felt like death was staring right into the depths of her soul.


    "What''s your name?" the girl asked and started to walk toward Melanie.


    Melanie staggered back. "S-Stay away from me."


    The girl scoffed and shook her head. "Is that how you thank someone who just saved your ass?" she snapped, then met Melanie''s gaze. "Or you''d rather get fucked by them than to come with me?" She added, raising an eyebrow.


    "I do not even know you!" exclaimed Melanie, fighting off the fear inside her chest. "This place..." She looked around the hostile environment. "I don''t belong here."


    The girl raised her eyebrows. "Oh really?" she muttered, then looked at Melanie from head to toe. She clicked her tongue, realizing the trouble standing in front of her. "Man, you''re one of the sanctified races, aren''t you?"


    "Y-Yes," Melanie stammered, unsure of the look that the girl was giving her, "and I need to find my way back."


    "You must be dreaming," the girl mocked. "Listen, alright? Once your shitty homeland dumped you out here, there''s no way in hell they would accept you back."


    "You''re lying," said Melanie defiantly. "My parents are waiting for me." Her voice wavered just a little.


    The girl grunted, "My ears needed to be cleaned because I think what I heard was nothing but bullshit. You know what? Fine, I''m going to let you stay out here, looking like that, alright?" she said while pointing at the latter''s torn white robe. "May the right people find you and kill you on the spot. I had my fun, now. I''m out."


    The girl spun around and returned her blade into the sheath. She was about to walk away when Melanie ran to her and grabbed her arm. "W-Wait!" she cried out then peered at her. "I-I''m coming with you."


    The girl gazed down at Melanie with her dark eyes and ran her fingers through her short curly hair. "Man, make up your mind, "she muttered.


    "I''m sorry!" Melanie blurted out. "P-Please, let me come with you."


    The girl smirked. "Now that''s what I want to hear," she said, then lowered herself on the ground. "Hop on."


    "B-But..." Melanie hesitated. The girl gave her a warning using her glare, and Melanie swallowed nervously. "O-Okay," she mumbled, then wrapped her slender arms over the girl''s shoulders. The girl reached out for her legs from behind and stood up, carrying her piggyback. The girl then started walking out of that area.


    Melanie cleared her throat. "Melanie,"


    The girl furrowed her eyebrows. "What?"


    " My name is Melanie. You asked earlier, right?" Melanie mumbled. The girl smiled and gently squeezed Melanie''s thighs.


    "Don''t get so comfy around me," the girl said. "You can call me Axel, by the way."


    "Okay, Axel," Melanie nodded. "Where are we going?"


    "To the place where you''ll be safe," Axel replied, sounding smug. Melanie, however, did not see the evil expression painted on her face. "Just wait and see."

 Chapter 01: The Girl Who Feeds on Emotions

    "Who are you?"


    Three words. One question.


    Those were enough to shatter Melanie''s heart to pieces. The stares that her parents were giving her were all foreign, the tint of love and compassion was replaced by blank slate. They look at her like she was never part of their lives, like everything about her was erased and forgotten.


    Melanie staggered back. Her eyes widened in shock and her mouth gaped open. She was breathing heavily. Her ears were ringing, only the sound of her breath and her hammering heart could be heard. Tears started to blur her vision as she shook her head in denial. "T-this can''t be. Y-you''re waiting for me to come back, right? You promised!"


    "We didn''t promise anything to a cursed being," her mother countered, which made Melanie gasp. "You were never a part of us."


    "N-no," stuttered Melanie. "This isn''t true!"


    She tried to reach out to her parents, but when the two noticed her attempt, they quickly turned away. The expression on their faces was full of disgust, like the mere thought of her laying her hands on them would make them impure or turn like her. Melanie called their names several times, but they did not even look back. Her knees buckled. She slumped on the floor and cried even though she knew that no matter how much she cries, her parents would never spare a glance at her anymore. Darkness soon engulfed her senses, giving her temporary respite.


    Melanie fluttered her purple eyes open and gasped, as she was welcomed by a pair of sky-blue irises with red strikes. The pupils dilated and Melanie felt like she was being devoured by those intimidating orbs. She inhaled the milk and honey scent of the person hovering above her. Her gaze did not waver as she focused on suppressing her fear. Moments later, the person moved away, lips pouted, and looking disappointed.


    "Shame," the person said. Melanie rose up to a sitting position and looked intently at the girl standing at the side of the bed. "You left me hungry. How I wish you didn''t open those irritating purple eyes of yours."


    "Uh..." Melanie paused, unsure of what to say. She took in her surroundings and then asked , "W-where am I?"


    The floor consisted of black and white checkered tiles, and the walls were painted red. A huge chandelier hung from the ceiling and a small black table was right under it. There were three more beds in the room, each decorated to the owners'' likings. One had stuffed toys, one had instruments, and the last one had shelves filled with dark-themed books.


    Melanie looked baffled. The room had the dark aura that the outskirts were emitting, but at the same time, it was organized and luxurious. Never in her life could she have thought that such a place could exist outside the city of the Sanctified.


    "Didn''t Axel tell you about this place?"


    Melanie''s gaze flickered to her side where the girl was standing. She tilted her head and thought about what Axel told her before they arrived in the establishment, "As far as I can recall, I passed out midway. But Axel told me that wherever we are going, I will be safe."


    The girl scoffed and fished out a lollipop from her pocket. She opened it without breaking eye contact with Melanie. She leaned slightly forward, her silver hair slipping from her shoulders. "Listen, if Axel really was not the person I know, I would believe that she brought you here for good reasons."


    "W-what do you mean?" Melanie asked, looking crestfallen.


    The girl smirked, "I mean to say that if she wanted you to be safe, she would never bring you here."


    Melanie''s eyes widened. She averted her gaze and looked down. Her grip on the blanket tightened and she pulled it towards her body. She bit her lower lip. She should not be surprised that Axel might not be the person she thought she was. Everyone on the outskirts was anything but trustworthy.


    Back then in the City, the government never failed to remind them that the Damned race was separated from them for a reason. They were cursed, evil, and insane. They possessed superpowers that caused nothing but destruction to society. Aside from that, the origin of those creatures had not been discovered yet, that''s why the Purifying Ceremony was conducted each year to keep the City clean.


    Melanie sighed. She was a sanctified-born girl, and she did not know anything about surviving on the outskirts. She felt lost like a deer wandering aimlessly in the forest, not knowing that hunters were lurking around her and were just hiding behind the bush, waiting for the right time to kill. A part of her was telling her that she must find her way back to the City and reunite with her loving parents, but after the dream she had earlier, she did not have the courage anymore.


    Maybe she really was cursed.


    "Don''t think too much. " The girl rolled her eyes. "Just don''t tell anyone that you''re one of that ninnyhammer race and you''ll be fine. I guess."


    "Hey, Ace."


    Melanie and the girl standing beside the bed both looked towards the door when a cheeky-toned voice spoke up. It was Axel. She was sporting a lopsided smile as she leaned on the door, looking at Melanie and Ace. "Don''t intimidate her. She might think that we''re bad people."


    Ace rolled her eyes. "Are we not?" she countered in a matter of fact tone.


    Axel laughed and walked towards them. "Come on, don''t be like that," she said then glanced at Melanie. She smiled. "How are you feeling?"


    Melanie did not like that smile. It reminded her of the smile that Axel wore when she killed those hoodlums with a single swipe of her blade. She believed that the life of a human being was precious and sacred¡ªit should not be treated cheaply. However, that belief might not be existing in the moral codes of the Damned race.


    Were there even moral codes in the outskirts?


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    Melanie shivered at the thought.


    "I see, you''re still not okay," said Axel. Melanie looked up and met her gaze. "Rest for a while longer."


    Melanie mustered her courage and countered, "You told me I''ll be safe here."


    Axel darted a glance towards Ace and the girl just shrugged while chewing her lollipop. Axel sighed and returned her gaze to Melanie, "Well, this is the safest place here in the outskirts if you''d ask me. My opinion counts, right?"


    "Y-yes," the purple-eyed replied reluctantly.


    "Aw," said Axel then sat on the bed and settled beside Melanie. Their skins brushed against each other. "Look at me."


    Melanie obliged; her gaze met those dark eyes. She felt warmth spread across her body. Axel smiled, this time a gentle one, and raised her hand. She gently cupped Melanie''s face, "You will be okay. As long as I''m here, nothing bad will happen to you."


    Melanie chewed her lower lip and nodded, "Okay."


    Melanie heard somebody scoff and she glanced at Ace, who was looking at them with disgust. She did not say anything except expressing her disapproval. Melanie returned her gaze to Axel, and she slightly moved away, "Um," she was lost for words. Axel''s gaze was inquisitive.


    "Why are you exiled from the City?" asked Axel.


    Melanie closed her eyes when everything came rushing back. "I..." she mumbled under her breath. Her tongue did not want to cooperate with her.


    "It''s okay," said Axel. "If you don''t want to talk about it, I understand."


    "No!" exclaimed Melanie. Axel looked at her amused, completely shocked by the former''s outburst.


    "I failed the Purifying Ceremony," she started, "but there''s nothing special about me! I don''t even have powers!"


    "Yes, I can see that," Axel agreed. She blinked. "But what the heck is the Purifying Ceremony again?"


    Melanie avoided wincing upon hearing Axel''s statement. She then noticed Ace advanced towards them and stood behind her. She looked down and hit Axel''s head with her fist. Melanie shrieked while Axel just laughed and touched the part where Ace had hit her.


    "Purifying Ceremony speaks for its name. That ninnyhammer race does it in order to know if one of the Damned lives among them," she explained and looked at Melanie. "And I hate you."


    "What?" Melanie and Axel said in unison.


    Axel turned to look at Ace. "You hate her? Does that mean..." Axel trailed off.


    Ace nodded. " Yes," she said drily, "I didn''t know what she did but she managed to protect herself from me."


    Melanie could not understand what the other girls were talking about. Protect herself from Ace? Was there even an instance that she needed to protect herself from that girl?


    "What are you guys talking about?" she asked. Ace crossed her arms while Axel''s gaze darted towards Melanie.


    "I can feed on emotions," Ace explained, "and I can sense it if someone shuts them. " she added and sat beside Axel and flipped her silver hair. "And you? You had the nerve to shut them down in front of me the moment you opened your eyes."


    Melanie gaped. "But what I did was, just simply toning down my fear!"


    "Exactly," Ace replied. "Anyone cannot completely tone down their emotions."


    Melanie remembered her time in the Purifying Ceremony. She also subdued her emotions that day. She could feel the pain, but she forced herself to not care. She shook her head. "This isn''t true."


    "Yes, it is," Ace argued mockingly. Axel nudged her elbow, as if signifying her to stop being sarcastic, but Ace just rolled her eyes.


    Axel turned to Melanie. "Hey, we can confirm that."


    Melanie looked up and wiped her tears. "How?"


    Ace glared at Axel. "Seriously?"


    Axel chuckled at her. "What? It''s fun?"


    "Whatever," sighed Ace and finally stood up. She went to the bed across from them and lay there, hugging a huge teddy bear.


    Axel then turned to Melanie and grabbed her arm. She pulled her up and gently tugged her towards a closet, "Borrow some of Ace''s clothes. I''ll take you there."


    "What?" asked Melanie, confused. She opened the closet, and she was welcomed with tons of clothes. Her eyebrows almost touched the hairline when she noticed that the clothes had name tags on them.


    Ace, Chase, and Eli were the names she managed to read.


    "Don''t mind them. Just choose one and off we go!" said Axel. Melanie nodded and quickly rummaged through the closet. She grabbed one, pulled it out, and closed it.


    "Hmm, conservative, " Axel commented while giving her a pair of white wedged shoes. "But I like it."


    Melanie thought that the compliment was for her choice of clothes. "Thanks," she replied and took the shoes from Axel''s hands.


    Axel pointed to the beige door with a picture of genitalia, "There''s the bathroom," she said then smirked. "Or if you want, you can just strip right in front of me."


    Melanie''s cheeks reddened and she shook her head. "I-I''ll take the bathroom instead," she said and headed towards the place.


    Axel''s smirk grew wider. "Good girl," Axel said before Melanie could even close the door. Melanie took a deep breath when she was finally alone. "Axel is weird, " she thought.


    She looked up and sighed in relief when she noticed how clean the restroom was. It was aberrantly white with no signs of use at all. Melanie shuddered and pushed away from the thought.


    She walked towards the mirror and stood in front of it. She winced. Her creamy and fair complexion was covered with small cuts. She then lifted a few hair strands from behind her ears and saw the electric shock marks of the Purifying Ceremony on her temples.


    She did not look good at all.


    She took off the pajamas she was wearing, which she did not know where they came from, and put on the clothes that had a name tag of Eli that she acquired from Ace''s closet. She looked at herself once again. She was wearing a neon pink cropped knit sweater and a high-waist baby blue flare skirt. She untangled her messy hair with the comb that she had found in the bathroom and tamed her curls.


    After she was satisfied with her look, she finally emerged from the bathroom. She then looked around and found Axel wiping the blade of her sword on the bed with the guitar earlier.


    "Man, what took you so long?" asked Axel and threw the rag to the trash can, "I was starting to think that the toilet might have devoured you or something."


    "Sorry," Melanie apologized.


    Axel stood up and returned her sword into the sheathe dangling on her waist. She walked towards Melanie and positioned herself behind her, "It''s fine. Now, come with me, "she whispered.


    Melanie was not even given a chance to ask where before Axel opened the door and pushed her first before leaving the room. Melanie was welcomed into a dark hallway.


    "Oh," said Axel and snapped her fingers thrice. The hallway lit up with blue lights. "The dormitory is saving up energy, you know."


    "So how can we confirm if I really have powers?" asked Melanie when they started walking in the halls.


    Axel smirked and pulled her leather jacket around her body. "You''ll find out soon."


    Melanie''s forehead wrinkled. She did not feel good about what Axel just said. "W-where are you taking me?"


    "Where else?" she responded with a matter of tone. Her dark eyes widened, glinting with mirth. "To the Monsters Lair."


    "What?!" Melanie cried, then she stopped on her tracks, "I am not going there!"


    Axel slowly looked back. Melanie gasped upon the look on her face. It was blank and deadly. She felt that if only stares could kill, her head would no longer be attached to her body. She tried to take a step back, but the moment she moved, Axel disappeared in a flash and materialized in front of her. Axel grabbed her waist and raised her other hand. Melanie watched as that hand shaped into a thin and sharp point of skin. The sounds of flesh as they formed together echoed in the huge hallway. She gasped when Axel placed it on her neck and pricked it. Her body started to tremble.


    "I hate it when people turn back on their words," muttered Axel. "Cowards."


    Tears fell down from Melanie''s eyes. She whimpered, "I-I''m sorry."


    Axel tilted her head then smirked; her eyes cold. "Really?" she let go of her and moved away. "Sane and weak people don''t last long here. If ever you bring your Sanctified ass out once more..."


    Axel turned her hand back to normal without breaking eye contact. "I''ll be the one to eliminate you."

 Chapter 02: Cave of Monsters

    Axel was a fickle-minded person.


    Melanie stared at Axel''s hand firmly holding hers. The warmth of her flesh gave her a weird sense of comfort, but every time she remembered that it was from this same girl who threatened her a while ago, coldness replaced that warmth and iciness started to seep into her bones. She was feeling an array of emotions and she could not even distinguish one from the other anymore. Her thoughts were messy like a roaring ocean in the middle of a storm.


    "Are you ready?" asked Axel when they finally halted. Melanie looked up and restrained herself from taking a step back. Instead, she froze. Axel noticed her stiffness and the one corner of her lips quirked up.


    "Seems like you''re getting excited, huh?" mocked Axel. Melanie slowly turned her anxiety filled gaze towards Axel. Her body was shaking, and her knees felt like they would buckle anytime. She blinked and opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Axel stared at her intently and her eyes darkened. Melanie understood that look and forced herself to calm down. She inhaled sharply. "Yes, of course."


    "That''s good to hear," Axel said as neon lights reflected on her face. She pulled Melanie closer, and they both stared at the infinity pool lying in front of them. Axel snaked her arm to Melanie''s waist and gently squeezed it. "Brace yourself."


    With no chance to comprehend what Axel just said, Melanie''s screams became muffled when they suddenly jumped and submerged into the water. The pressure rang into her ears as she inhaled water. She tried to clasp her neck, but cold hands grabbed both of her wrists, brought them down, pinned them to her sides and hugged her from behind. She tried to glance at the person embracing her and noticed that the person had gills. Her eyes widened as she looked up and met Axel''s dark eyes.


    "There, there. I can see that you''re amazed but we need to get out of here first or your shitty lungs will not be able to hold it for long," Axel chimed, speaking with no signs of difficulties.


    "It must have been the gills," thought Melanie. "She can alter her own biology!"


    Axel took the lead. They somersaulted and began to swim quickly towards the deep end. Melanie felt the pressure becoming intense the further they went deep, but somehow, Axel''s holding her body helped her to survive at that point. Melanie stared ahead and completely ignored the skinship. She squinted her eyes and saw a burst of light coming from the seafloor. Axel kicked her webbed feet faster and they advanced towards the light with flashing speed. Melanie could not even shield her eyes from the blinding light.


    Melanie felt nauseous when her body finally hit the solid ground. Her head was spinning, and her heart was pounding. She opened her eyes and found Axel hovering above her, still holding both of her wrists and wearing a smirk. Melanie met her gaze and quickly looked away. She felt herself being flustered because of their position. For a moment, Axel looked like a guy and Melanie could not help herself but feel embarrassed and uncomfortable.


    Suddenly, the ground vibrated like there was something huge coming their way. Axel quickly got up and pulled Melanie with her, "Okay the fun ends here," she said and started running. "Let''s go and find some low-level monsters to kill."


    "Low level what?" Melanie was not sure if she heard right. Her eyes widened in horror. "There are real monsters?!"


    "Dude, are you okay?" Axel taunted. "I told you that the name of the place we''re going is Monster''s Lair. What did your tiny brain expect?"


    Melanie ignored the insulting remark and shrugged. "I-I don''t know. I thought the name was just a metaphor."


    Axel clicked her tongue and just smiled. "Your race really overthinks a lot."


    Melanie''s eyebrows drew together. She shook her head. "N-not exactly. " Then mumbled, "I guess?"


    "Watch out!"


    Melanie could not even blink when Axel pushed her body down and made her bend her knees. She quickly ducked when she felt something huge coming towards them. Her eyes widened when she heard the walls of the cave rattle and the ground tremble endlessly. When Melanie dared to look up, she saw a huge creature with hundreds of pairs of legs crawling along the walls of the cave. She was stuck in her position and gawked. She could not believe what she was seeing.


    "Don''t move, Melanie," Axel muttered under her breath. Melanie glanced at her partner through her peripheral vision, and she saw those dark eyes gleaming with excitement. They were staring at the creature with interest, grinning. Melanie could not comprehend what she was thinking.


    "Let me handle this," Axel murmured and gestured to Melanie to stay close to the wall. Melanie complied without a second thought. She gulped. Axel is not planning to fight that monster, right? she thought.


    Axel then approached the creature. "Hey ugly, look at me!"


    Melanie gasped when Axel carelessly goaded the creature. The monster turned its huge head towards her, and it released a resonating roar. Melanie covered her ears in pain while Axel just laughed and pulled out her sword.


    "Do you know how many of your kind were slashed by my blade?" Axel taunted. The creature seemed to understand what she implied, and it did not show any hesitation. It opened its mouth and revealed its razor-sharp teeth. A ball of light formed on its tongue.


    "Oh, the little one wants revenge. How clich¨¦."


    Melanie winced hearing Axel''s remarks. She could not understand why the other girl mocked the monster that did nothing but agitate it more. She was putting both of their lives in danger!


    "There, there," Axel said and stepped forward. She spun the blade in her hand, "I know you''re in pain and I''m proud to tell you that I''m willing to finish it."


    Wind circulated on Axel''s feet as her muscles became firm and strong. She sprung them off the ground and flew meters away, then landed on the top of the monster. The creature shook its body back and forth, attempting to make Axel fall but did not succeed. Axel''s grin grew wider as she positioned the tip of her blade on the creature''s head.


    "Rest well," Axel said as she lowered down her sword. Melanie choked her scream when it bounced off its hard skin and was thrown meters away. Axel chuckled as if it was not a big deal at all and placed both of her hands on the monster''s head. The flesh in her hands tore open and changed structure. It formed into a pair of sharp and thin blades. It penetrated the monster''s brain and Axel started moving. The ball of light grew bigger on the creature''s mouth as it cried out and faced Melanie''s direction.


    The monster''s pure black eyes looked blank when it met Melanie''s gaze. Her face turned pale and was etched with horror when she finally noticed what was happening. Melanie glanced towards Axel and saw her grinning widely. Axel was controlling the monster using the coordinating center of its bodily functions¡ªthe brain, and she intended to hit Melanie with the ball of light from the creature''s mouth. Melanie covered her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes. She collapsed on the floor and whimpered.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "Sane and weak people don''t last long here."


    Melanie remembered Axel''s words. She tried to act tough even though it did not last long. She tried to conceal her fear and replace it with excitement, but she could not fake it. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, her emotions would eventually prevail in her system. Were her efforts not enough? Why did Axel want to hurt her? What did she do wrong?


    She began panicking as the ball of light left the monster''s mouth. Time seemed to stop, and she could do nothing but stare at the energy approaching her. The red and orange swirls of lights encircling it reflected on Melanie''s irises. It emitted soft vibrations that crawled into Melanie''s skin as it came closer. She raised her hand and tried to reach the beautiful fire.


    Memories started pouring inside her mind and a song echoed from her heart.


    "Mom, please sing a lullaby, " said the young Melanie. Her mother gently tucked her in the bed as the kid yawned. The mother laughed and lowered her head to kiss her daughter''s cheek.


    "What do you want me to sing, sweetheart?" the mother asked. Young Melanie slightly opened her sleepy eyes and smiled.


    "The usual one, mom, " she replied. Her mother nodded and sang.


    "When the darkness beats you up,


    and the world eats you up,


    I would be there.


    We will be there."


    The mother ran her fingers through young Melanie''s black hair to help her fall asleep. The kid continued staring and admiring her mother. She giggled when her mother pinched her nose.


    "Nightmarish dreams have trembled you,


    Silence of the night freaks you.


    I would be there


    We would be there.


    Balls of tears have rounded,


    And we are here to wipe it.


    The crazy maze of this world


    Making you one of its works."


    "Aw. Look at you two," the father said as he entered the room. The mother and daughter looked at each other and grinned while the father joined them. The mother continued singing and the dad joined as well.


    "I would be there.


    We would be there.


    Mommy would be there.


    Daddy would be there.


    Mommy would be there.


    Daddy would be there."


    They hugged little Melanie and kissed her. They made the kid feel their love and cuddled on the bed. They whispered sweet things until Melanie finally fell asleep.


    "We''ll welcome you with wide arms open, our dearest.


    Wide arms open.


    We''ll let you cry on our shoulder, our angel.


    Cry on our shoulder.


    And when you''re lost,


    we will be here.


    We''ll be looking for you.


    Our dearest angel. "


    A tear rolled down from Melanie''s cheek after remembering those memories she had with her parents. She blinked and her eyes welled up even more. She inhaled sharply. Those memories of her with her parents used to make her happy and gave her courage but the situation that she was in now was different. Her heart shattered to pieces once again. Those memories would only stay as memories. If only she could turn back time, she would definitely want to feel their warmth once again.


    However, the ball of light beaming closer than before snapped her attention back to reality. The moment her fingertips and the ball of energy touched, it quickly dispersed, and it sent her flying. Melanie groaned when her body hit the wall. She inhaled sharply and mustered her strength to stand up. Her eyes widened in surprise as she lifted her gaze.


    Deep cracks on the walls of the cave were created due to the impact. The huge monster lay on the floor with its body scattered into tiny pieces. Green blood oozed out from its flesh, and it released a strong acidic odor that created a fog around them. Melanie continued to look around, squinting her eyes and she saw a figure leaning against the wall. Melanie hesitated but she still approached it knowing that she had nowhere to go if she left Axel there. She heard the unsteady pants of the person. She waved her hands to relocate the fog blocking her sight and gasped upon the sight.


    "I''m impressed," said Axel in a low voice. "You almost had me there."


    "Y-you''re...." stuttered . She bent down and grabbed Axel''s arm. She placed it over her shoulder and helped her stand on her feet. Axel coughed as they walked away from the corpse of the monster. When the fog finally cleared, Melanie suddenly became aware of Axel''s state. Her dark eyes were bloodshot and the nerves underneath her tan skin were visible. They were bulging and dilated as if they were ready to explode. Melanie settled Axel down for a bit and watched her struggle.


    She looked around but no one was there to lend them a hand. She returned her gaze to Axel, and she looked more horrible than before. Melanie suddenly remembered the stunt that Axel attempted to pull off earlier. She should be angry. Axel tried to kill her! Why would Melanie help her now that the tables had turned?


    Melanie sighed. There was no use in battling with her thoughts or holding grudges. Even though she did not know why Axel wanted to hurt her, she must do the next right thing. Her conscience would not take it lightly if she left Axel in that miserable state. She lowered herself and cupped Axel''s cheek, "What happened to you, Axel?"


    Axel''s dark eyes met Melanie''s purple ones, she smirked, "The poison didn''t affect you at all."


    "What poison..." Melanie trailed off. She blinked and recalled the fog covering them earlier.


    "Yes, and you managed to nullify them all," said Axel as if she was reading Melanie''s thoughts.


    Melanie shook her head. "No, I¡ª"


    "Too bad,"


    Melanie caught her breath when someone whispered just behind her ear. She felt her skin crawl just by hearing that high-pitched voice. She forced her feet to move but they won''t listen to them. She felt Axel''s glare at the person behind her. The corner of her lips tugged up despite the horrendous condition of her body.


    "Tamonjie..." called Axel with a warning tone. She tilted her head, still wearing the unpleasant smile, and her eyes darkened, "Don''t you dare touch what''s mine. Go find a corpse and play with them instead like you always do."


    "That''s boring. I want to try something new," the person replied and snaked their arms around Melanie''s waist and neck, "I hope you won''t mind if I want to play with your toy for a little bit."


    Melanie gasped. She opened her mouth and shouted the initial words she thought of, "I''m not her toy!" She gathered her courage and managed to set herself free from the person''s grip. She turned around and saw the little psychopath who was holding her captive minutes ago. Melanie was visibly taller but the dominance that the girl was giving off looked like she had an invisible huge lion friend with her.


    The girl smiled while her long grey hair flowed from her shoulder and her crimson red eyes glowed. "A toy must know her place."


    Melanie could not help herself but stare at those intimidating crimson orbs. Her mind played tricks with her, and she thought she heard screams of pain and menace just by staring at the eyes of the little girl named Tamonjie. She wondered how many people have been killed while having those eyes as a witness.


    "Stop messing around with her, Tamonjie," said Axel. Melanie looked at her and she saw her leaning against the wall for support, "Did you bring some healing potions with you?"


    Tamonjie chuckled, "You know that I''m immune to any physical or emotional attacks, right? Why would I bother to bring one?" she said nonchalantly then her smile faded away. "And if ever I did bring one, I don''t see any reason to give it to you," she added and looked at Melanie from head to toe, "Unless..."


    Melanie shivered. Tamonjie''s stares were piercing, and they were fixated on her. They mirrored her desire, but it was nothing sexual. It was more like Tamonjie was killing her inside her head in the most inhumane way possible. Melanie unconsciously stepped back, and she instantly felt cold trembling hands touching her shoulders.


    "You should clean your ears," said Axel. "I said I''m not going to let you play with what''s mine."


    "Fine! Fine!" surrendered Tamonjie and fished out something from her jeans. She threw it in Axel''s direction and the latter caught it effortlessly. "There. It will be a shame if you''re going to die now. I still want to see your face when I finally lay my hands on your toy."


    "Shut up," said Axel then drank the serum. Tamonjie just smirked and pulled the hood over her head. She glanced at Melanie and stared weirdly again. Melanie just averted her eyes and stood by Axel''s side. She completely ignored the little psychopath''s crimson red gaze and even her remarks.


    Axel threw the empty vial on the ground and winked at Tamonjie. "Thanks, babe."


    "Babe my ass, I''m going out of here," said Tamonjie and vanished in the darkness. Melanie turned to Axel and saw her glowing in green light. Her pale skin regained its natural color and her dark eyes returned to normal. She smiled and looked at Melanie.


    "Shall we continue our adventure, Melanie?"

 Chapter 03: The Author Who Bleeds Runes

    "President," called the person who just arrived at the conference room. She was a girl wearing a white Grecian dress while her black hair was styled into a waterfall. All eyes turned to her as her brautschuhe heels clicked on the floor when she walked down the aisle and stopped in front of the dominating figure in the room. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"


    The president looked up with her golden eyes and met her dull gaze. She raised her hand and gestured in the air without breaking eye contact. On cue, all the members of the student council stood up and marched out of the room. She motioned the noble-looking girl to settle down, "What is it, Adi?"


    "A lot of high-level creatures in the Monsters Lair were wiped out, " Adi stated.


    The president scoffed. "And?" she probed. "I''m pretty sure my power already has alerted me of what''s going on before you thought of informing me."


    "No," Adi replied, which made the president raise her eyebrows. "Another one of my kind arrived here the other day. Do you even know that?"


    The president leaned on the chair and crossed her arms. She was certain that she did not know what Adi was talking about. Her power was called System and it abounds almost the entire Damned region depending on her magical power, so it was impossible for her to not know what was going on in her territory.


    "I don''t," the president replied begrudgingly while her forehead wrinkled. She looked Adi straight in the eyes, "How did that happen?"


    When Adi shook her head, the president snapped her fingers that made screens appear in front of them. The holograms almost filled the room due to their numbers. Adi stared in awe at the president''s power. The System showed all the places in their region.


    "There," the president pointed when she finally saw the screen she sought. It was located at the ceiling. She snapped her fingers once again and it floated towards her direction. It stopped right in front of her face. She watched intently at the two persons fighting their way out while surrounded by huge black hounds.


    "That girl," she added and pointed to the girl with long black hair and purple eyes. "Is that her?"


    Adi moved closer and nodded her head. "Yes. That''s her."


    "What''s her name?"


    "Melanie."


    "And she''s with Axel," added the president and smirked. "I see. She found a new toy."


    "That must have been the case at first but," Adi murmured and touched the screen. It automatically rewound a few hours and stopped at a particular time. She played it again. "There."


    "She almost killed Axel," Adi explained. "When she canceled that ball of energy, the monster was destroyed, and it released a fog of poison."


    "Yes, and Melanie doesn''t look like she was affected by it, " the president added as she continued watching. They saw how Melanie and Axel teamed up to eliminate monsters coming in their way. Aside from these, there were times where Axel tried to kill Melanie but failed. Melanie showcased superpowers that they had never seen before.


    "She''s kind."


    "Dumb if you''d ask me."


    "She always forgives Axel every time she intends to kill her."


    The president and Adi inspected more clips, and they finally came across the footage where the broken Melanie encountered the hoodlums who tried to take advantage of her.


    "They stopped on their tracks in a brief moment. Did you notice that?" the president asked and rewound the clip. "The hoodlums looked awful. Do you think it was Melanie''s work too?"


    "I think it is," answered Adi. "Based on the clips we''ve watched, maybe she has absolute immunity?"


    "I think that''s not the case." the president disagreed. "If what you''re saying is true, then Tamonjie must be manifesting some of Melanie''s skills too."


    "But she doesn''t," Adi said thoughtfully and looked at the president. "Don''t you think¡ª"


    Adi was cut off when she saw the president''s face. A strand of her silver hair was being swirled around her finger while the pupils of her golden eyes had dilated. Her thin red lips formed a smirk. "I wonder how long she can handle that?"


    Adi could not respond immediately. She stared blankly at the president and a cunning thought played at the back of her head, The Wicked Princess. This is what people used to call her right before she conquered the position.


    Adi stayed composed and touched the tips of her hair, "Let''s just watch her progress, shall we?"


    ***


    "Good job," Axel praised as she settled beside Melanie in front of the pond. The water reflected their images crystal clear; one was grinning from ear to ear and the other had her knees curled up to her chest and staring straight at the walls of the cave.


    Melanie sighed and muttered, "I don''t know about that. " She blinked. "I don''t know if I can get used to this."


    "Well, you should, " replied Axel and ran her fingers to her curly hair. "Or else others will devour you."


    "You did say you''re going to eliminate me," Melanie accused and glanced at Axel. "If I showed my sanctified-ass again."


    "And?" rebutted Axel. "I''m sorry to burst your bubble but I won''t give you my fucking apologies for that."


    "I just hope I can turn back time and be with my parents again," whispered Melanie and Axel remained silent. "I remembered them when I was admiring that ball of energy approaching me earlier." She felt her heart fill with sadness.


    Axel chuckled, "Did you just say that you fucking admired that one thing that could have been killed you?"


    Melanie swallowed an imaginary lump in her throat. She was not sure what Axel was pertaining to. Axel did try to kill her earlier with the use of the ball of energy and she could not even deny that she was somehow drawn to Axel despite the circumstances. She cleared her throat and shrugged. "I-I don''t know. It just happens."


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    "Hey," called Axel and nudged Melanie''s arm. "I know someone who can travel to time, and you know what she always tells me?"


    "Um, what?"


    "Even if you change some things in the past, time will always do something to mend it, " Axel replied and motioned her hand. "So, let''s say you ditched that Purifying Ceremony by pretending you''re sick or something, you''re actually delaying what was about to happen but, you''ll always end up being exiled here."


    "That makes me feel worse."


    "Exactly!"


    Melanie just shook her head and did not respond anymore. She felt more exhausted than ever. Her entire body was screaming in pain and her head felt like it was being hammered endlessly by her thoughts and emotions. She just wished she wouldn''t feel those anymore. She inhaled and tried to suppress everything inside her chest. She inhaled once again and whatever she deemed as irrelevant were slowly disappearing.


    "Did you feel anything different?" asked Axel. Melanie inhaled sharply and she felt her system reducing its stress levels. "Like before you attended that Purifying Ceremony?" Axel added.


    "I kinda did," replied Melanie while recalling her memories. "I felt like I was not me."


    "What do you mean?"


    "I''m not sure but," said Melanie as she gazed at her hands, "when I woke up that morning, I had this weird dream that I cannot forget."


    Axel leaned closer and stared at her intently, showing her complete interest. Melanie blinked and coughed at the closeness of their faces. She slightly moved away and sighed. She changed her position and placed her feet behind her bottoms. She looked up and the turquoise crystals inside the cave glimmered. Her purple eyes sparkled. "Are you willing to risk your sanity in exchange for superpowers?"


    She looked at Axel and saw her raising her eyebrow. She continued her story, "I heard that voice inside my head when I was stuck in that darkness."


    "Sounds weird," commented Axel. "What happened next?"


    Melanie closed her eyes and remembered everything.


    Melanie opened her eyes and saw complete darkness. She hugged herself and did not dare to move an inch. She felt uneasy. She could not see anything, but the ambiance made her feel that dozens or hundreds of eyes were staring at her at that moment. The silence was frightening; her breathing was the only sound echoing, and as moments passed by, her skin continued to crawl. She felt something was pressing against her, but she just choked her scream. Something must have stolen her tongue. It was numb and she could not bring herself to talk.


    Seconds, minutes, and hours passed by, but Melanie was not aware. She was still trembling. She did not know why but whatever lay ahead, it was making her afraid. She felt like the moment she moved out of the cage she was in; she would be broken--shattered like glass with no point of salvation.


    "You who came from a foreign land,


    shall unravel the knot of fate,


    must be washed in pure waters,


    and acquire the holy dove among the races."


    Melanie gasped when a girl with long white hair and red eyes materialized in front of her. The entire figure of the stranger was glowing. Her white dress flowed onto the floor, and it brought brilliance to the cage Melanie was in. She raised her hand and cupped Melanie''s face, "It will not be easy," she said with her angelic voice and leaned her forehead against Melanie''s, "but I know you can do it."


    "W-who are you?" asked Melanie, The girl smiled, and in an instant, black ink started to ooze out from her eyes, nose, ears, and lips. The sticky sound of the liquid sent chills down her spine, and she finally moved away. She screamed when the cage disappeared and she tumbled backwards, without knowing what awaited her was an abyss.


    She fell.


    Endlessly.


    Her back arched and she puked blood. She could feel her bones cracking and deteriorating the deeper she fell into the abyss. Tears started to well in her eyes and she screamed. There was a pool of lava awaiting her below and her clothes were starting to get singed by the heat. She cried once more, hoping that someone would hear her.


    Her skin was next. Her creamy complexion turned red. She started to get blisters all over her body and she could not shake off the sharp pain the heat was inflicting on her. She also stopped breathing, for if she inhaled more, she felt like her lungs would be lacerated. Her eyes felt stingy, and her vision was starting to blur like it was melting.


    She opened her mouth and tried to muster her strength to scream or speak, "P-please, help me..."


    "Are you willing to risk your sanity in exchange for superpowers?"


    She whimpered when she heard a voice. Unlike the stranger she conversed with earlier, the tone that resonated at that moment was dull and sinister. With her remaining strength, Melanie tried to find where the voice was coming from, but she failed. She then looked down and in a couple of minutes, she would be immersed with radiating lava and her whole existence would cease.


    She swallowed her saliva even though her throat had already dried up. Licking her chappy lips, she muttered, "I-I accept."


    In a blink of an eye, the lava down below disappeared, and it was replaced with a body of water. Melanie passed out as she finally gave in. Her body splashed on the water, and she sank to the bottom. Her skin was healed, and her torn clothes were covered by rings of water. She coughed and her clothes returned to normal. She slightly opened her eyes and she saw the surface of the water above her. She gazed at her body and frowned. She looked fine--like nothing happened to her at all.


    Even though she was still confused, she chose to move her body and swam towards the surface. But right before her head broke the tension of the water, something pulled her from behind. She clutched the hands wrapped around her neck, which were dragging her down. She opened her mouth and bubbles came out. Her vision was starting to darken, and she started hearing things.


    "You are worthless."


    "It''s better for you to die."


    "Stay here and you will be happy."


    "Forget who you are and become anew."


    "Let us live once again!"


    Melanie''s eyes went blank, and her struggles halted. Her hands fell down and she continued to sink deeper.


    "Melanie,"


    "Melanie,"


    Melanie was brought back to reality when someone yanked her off and threw her. She blinked and she noticed that the world was upside down. Her gaze wandered and she met the gaze of the girl with scarlet, burgundy wavy hair, and oceanic blue eyes. Her skin was porcelain, and her cherry lips were curved up. She was holding a notebook and pen in her hands, "Your story sounds promising, but we need to interrupt it."


    Melanie''s chest started hammering as she looked around for Axel. Her eyes widened when she saw Axel sleeping amidst the crisis. A blonde guy was walking towards the unconscious Axel along with a girl who was holding a rock as big as a tennis ball and a girl with a broken beer at hand.


    "W-what are you planning to do?!" exclaimed Melanie and struggled from the space holding her back from smashing the ground. The space holding her had runes carved on it and they glowed like blood. Melanie''s pupils dilated in realization. The runes were the ones making her levitate and the person who did that was no other than the girl standing next to her.


    "Don''t worry. We are just making sure that Axel won''t wake up...for a while," the girl said, emphasizing the last word. Melanie flinched as she watched Axel get dragged to the corner. Her mouth gaped open when the two girls alternately hit Axel with their rock and broken beer bottle while the guy hit Axel on the gut.


    "No! Stop that!" shouted Melanie but the three acted like they did not hear her. They were grinning from ear to ear as if Axel was a pet they were allowed to play with. Melanie clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She looked at the girl beside her with teary eyes. "Why are you doing this?"


    "You see, I don''t like it whenever Axel has a new toy, " the girl said callously and walked around Melanie as if she was checking her out. She rolled her eyes. "Every time her toy gets broken, she would always get high and fill our room with the smell of marijuana. Ugh, I really hate those."


    The girl looked at Melanie once again with an intimidating gaze. "So, I thought, why don''t I eliminate you first before she gets attached?"


    Melanie could not believe what she was hearing.


    "Sane and weak people don''t last long here."


    She glanced at Axel who was half-awake but covered with her own blood. She could hear her grunts from afar. Melanie had mixed feelings inside her chest. She knew that Axel might not be the person she showed her to be, but she had at least accompanied her till that time. She owed Axel her life.


    "What do you want?" said Melanie with gritted teeth. "I will give you anything! Just..." She swallowed a lump in her throat, "just stop this."


    The girl laughed and closed her notebook with a thud, "Very well." She raised her hand and opened it. She bit her thumb and let her blood kiss the floor then it created a huge magic array engraved with different kinds of runes.


    "Let''s have a duel. Whoever loses must pay the price."

 Chapter 04: Nightmare Factory

    Melanie fell to the asphalt ground when the girl with ocean eyes and scarlet hair made the runes disappear by clicking the top of her pen. Melanie instantly inhaled the dust and she coughed, "V-very well."


    She lifted her gaze and glanced at Axel. Axel is in danger. Melanie could not afford to waste time and watch her suffer. Even a little difference in seconds was crucial for Melanie to lend a hand to Axel and escape from that place. But before she could dream of being safe again, she must first conquer the hindrance of her path. She gritted her teeth and looked back at the girl with scarlet hair. "But how am I supposed to know if you''ll comply with our deal?"


    In a snap, like a prisoner who oppressed his hatred for so long and was trying to find something to channel his emotions, Melanie lunged at the girl with pent up anger. Her body was trembling because of adrenaline and her purple eyes were sharp. If looks could kill, the girl with notebook and pen might have been lying on the ground at that very moment.


    However, Melanie''s brave attempt to hurt the opponent was only welcomed by air. She is weak as a child with barely any understanding of what situation she was in; ignorant and reckless. she slowly looked around and her eyes widened with realization.


    She couldn''t win.


    "Does it matter?" the girl asked and smirked. She wrote something on the air and red scribbles floated out of her pen. Melanie took a step back without even thinking. Her gut feeling told her that the runes might harm her that time and she got nothing to protect herself from it. She clenched her fists. Axel might have given her a sense of stability that drove her to eliminate those high-level monsters with ease, but those monsters were nothing compared to the people that ambushed them.


    "It does matter," said Melanie while still staring at the gibberish letters floating in the air. She moved her gaze towards Axel and noticed that she was already passed out and stopped grunting. The three people harassing her did not even stop and give her a chance to breathe. Melanie closed her eyes and winced. She looked back at the girl and saw a dagger flying in her way. Melanie managed to dodge it at the nick of time.


    "What? I''m giving you a chance to attack now. Use that, " the girl said. Melanie did what she was told to even though she was a little bit reluctant. With her shaking hands, she picked up the dagger and wrapped her fingers on it like her life clings to that single piece of metal.


    "I bet you could not even make me move from my spot," the girl added smugly while looking at Melanie from head to toe.


    Melanie bit her lip and stared at the runes floating in the air. She wondered what could be their purpose for floating around like that. While she was still contemplating, she heard a familiar grunt and she flinched. Axel was still holding on. She inhaled sharply. She must do her part in order to get out of there safely.


    Melanie looked around and saw if there was something she could use against the girl with a notebook and pen. The girl''s power was obviously centered on her items. She must eliminate the core of her power first so she could have an edge in that fight.


    The question was how?


    With only the dagger on hand, Melanie decided to advance. She leaned slightly and tried to avoid the runes. They might look harmless, but no one knows what would happen if she happened to have contact with one of those. Melanie did not want to take any risks.


    The girl was not moving like she had implied earlier. Melanie simply looked around once again while approaching and nobody from her opponent''s allies was even bothering to watch their battle. Melanie''s grip on the dagger tightened and her eyes focused on the notebook and paper. It didn''t even take her minutes to stand across the girl and freely aim at her items.


    She''ll destroy those pen and paper and the fight ends.


    "Oh my, a cat just waltzed into my trap. Interesting, " the girl said and chuckled. Melanie blinked when she was glued to the ground while her hand holding the dagger remained in motion in the air. She could not move an inch. Suddenly, the runes floating in the air started to fly towards her and they stuck on to her body, thrusting deeper on her skin. Melanie screamed in pain. The runes changed form into big teeth and flesh started to decay.


    "How boring, " the girl drawled and approached the helpless Melanie. Beads of sweat had started to roll down her forehead and her creamy complexion turned pale. Her pinkish lips turned purple, and her veins became pure blue. Her blood served as the fuel for the runes to get stronger minute by minute.


    "Perfect," the girl said while touching some strands of Melanie''s jet-black hair, "now Axel has nothing to play with anymore."


    Melanie mustered her strength to look the girl straight to her oceanic blue eyes. Melanie gritted her teeth, "What is wrong with you?"


    The girl raised her eyebrow and laughed, "What? Is this unusual to you? Maybe it''s because your sanctified-ass could not take this much, huh?"


    Melanie was taken back. She just arrived at the University of the Damned hours ago as far as she could remember and she recalled that Ace, the girl she borrowed clothes from, clearly said that she must not reveal that she was from the ninnyhammer race. Melanie''s heart skipped a beat. There were only three people who were aware of her existence. Axel, Ace, and that little psycho, Tamonjie.


    Who could have told those people who ambushed them who Melanie was?


    "Hey, Demerise. Come here!" the girl shouted while gesturing to her friend. Melanie was brought back to reality because of that call. She stared at the girl who was now facing her colleague on the other side of the cave. Melanie''s vision focused on the notebook and ballpen the girl was holding in her hands.


    She was not looking. Melanie thought that she must grab that chance to destroy the items.


    Melanie closed her eyes and started to focus on the pain. She must eliminate what was holding her back from taking action. She winced and tried to make her body feel numb. The runes became nothing. They were just marks on her skin. There were no teeth. There was no pain. Melanie opened her purple eyes and looked at her dagger. She inhaled and choked back a scream as she put all of her strength into her arm that was holding the dagger.


    "If I could only move my arm and grab this chance," Melanie thought.


    As if the universe had conspired to make her wish come true, Melanie did move her arm according to her will. She did not hesitate to aim the dagger on the pen and paper her opponent possessed. She swung her arm, and the blade ripped the notebook in half while the pen was thrown meters away from them. The crimson red runes engraved on the ground that made Melanie freeze in that position quickly vanished and her opponent panicked. Melanie''s knees turned wobbly, and she slumped on the floor.


    "Oh no! How dare you?! I cannot use my power now!"


    Melanie caught her breath and a smile formed on her lips. She lifted her gaze, completely proud of what she just accomplished, "Don''t underistima¡ª"


    "¡ªThat''s what you wanted me to say, right?"


    Melanie was cut off when she saw the girl''s eyes. Her oceanic blue eyes suddenly had little characters on them, and they were flowing and pulsating into that girl''s body. Melanie gasped. The girl smiled wickedly, and she bent to meet Melanie''s gaze up close.


    "Your face is priceless, " the girl muttered and slid her fingers onto Melanie''s cheeks. "Just look at how the expression of triumph on your face turned into despair."


    "B-but I destroyed the notebook and the pen. H-how?" Melanie did not even think before those words came out of her mouth. She felt devoid of logic. Her eyes were slowly turning dull because of exhaustion. She gave everything that she had in that last hit, but it was not enough.


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    "You see, the core of my power runs through my veins, " the girl explained. "I only use pen and paper because they''re neat. You get me?"


    "Impossible," mumbled Melanie. "This can''t be."


    "Hell yeah, it is, "the girl said mockingly.


    "Hey Yumi,"


    "Demerise," the girl straightened up and welcomed her colleague with heterochromia eyes¡ª a pair of silver and orange orbs and gestured something to her.


    The colleague named Demerise smiled. "I''d gladly do so, Yumi, " she replied, and a speckle of black and orange dust covered her hand. She walked towards Melanie and pulled her by her hair, "Suffer for me, little one."


    Demerise settled her palm covered with glowing black and orange dust and spread it into Melanie''s face. Melanie tried to struggle but Demerise''s strength was overwhelming. The dust found its way to Melanie''s eyes, nose, and ears and it started to release tiny zaps of electricity. Melanie''s body convulsed.


    Demerise smirked and leaned closer to whisper in Melanie''s ear, "What are you afraid of? Show me."


    Melanie screamed. Tears of pain started to fall from her lilac eyes and her body arched like her spinal cord was meant to do a curvature. Her face was now facing the top of the cave and her mouth opened wide. Black smoke started to come out from her mouth and sinister voices echoed throughout the cave. Yumi and her colleagues watched in awe.


    "Let us live again!"


    "You are worthless."


    "It''s better for you to die."


    "Forget who you are and become anew."


    Melanie continued to cry as her body bent more to the ground. Endless shadows were coming out from her, and she could not even do a thing to stop the pain. Her thoughts were starting to mix with the voices, and she could not hear hers anymore.


    "Stop, please, " Melanie begged as her face came in contact with the ground where the amused Demerise was standing. "Please make this stop!"


    "No, you don''t have a say on this, little one. You''re not yet fully nightmarized."


    Melanie continued begging but her moans fell into deaf ears. Demerise''s power was messing up with her sanity and trying to manifest her nightmare into reality. Even Melanie did not have any clues about what she was afraid of at that point.


    Is she scared that Axel might die because of her?


    Does she fear the time where could finally meet her parents and they won''t look at her the same way?


    Is she afraid to be alone?


    Many questions ran to Melanie''s head, and she could not shut them off anymore. The sinister voices were also getting louder and louder. It was stirring her insides.


    "Let us live once again!"


    "Let us live once again!"


    "Let us live once again!"


    Suddenly, Melanie stopped crying and she became quiet. She was silently sitting on the floor and looking down while her hair was covering her entire face. The shadows slowly vanished into thin air and the voices toned down until there was nothing left.


    Demerise looked at Melanie with a smirk on her lips when things finally calmed down. She could see that Melanie was trembling. Even the ends of her hair were vibrating. Demerise approached Melanie and took her stance. She swung her foot on-air and was about to hit Melanie''s head by the tip of her boots when Melanie caught her move first. Demerise gasped because of the stunt and Yumi and their colleagues stopped from what they were doing to watch Melanie''s reflexes.


    "T-this is..." Demerise stuttered and looked at Yumi. "This person is not her."


    "What?" reacted Yumi.


    But before Demerise could even respond, her foot exhibited a cracking sound. Her heterochromic eyes widened and she screamed in pain when she finally perceived that her calf got broken by their victim. Yumi signaled her colleagues to be careful as she pulled Demerise from Melanie. She certainly had no idea what was going on, but she was absolutely sure that they must have awakened a different kind of nightmare that even Demerise could not control.


    "We need to get out of here."


    "But what about Axel?"


    "Leave her alone, dimwit! This is her plan, anyway. We just got involved."


    Yumi and the blonde guy both grabbed Demerise''s arms and settled them across their shoulders to help her stand up while the remaining girl with long curly black hair wearing a maroon crop top and high-waisted shorts walked right behind them. Nobody spoke as they tried to march out of the area where the nightmarized Melanie stayed.


    "Where do you think you''re going?"


    The group flinched when they heard a cold and creepy voice resonating throughout the entire place. Yumi tried to look back and before she could even blink when she saw her comrade, who was just walking right behind them, was now meters across the ground and extremely pale. The nightmarized Melanie held their colleague by the neck and clutched it like a pillow.


    Yumi did the first thought that came into her mind. She bit her thumb and let her blood drop on the floor. It was shaped into different kinds of runes and tried to poke Melanie. Yumi managed to distract Melanie and she let go of their comrade. But now, they had Melanie''s full attention.


    Melanie slowly moved her head towards the direction of the group. Their eyes widened and their mouths gaped open upon the sight. Melanie looked different. Her skin remained pale as before, but the color of her pupils was glowing red. She smirked and a pair of white fangs appeared from her lips.


    "Didn''t we have a deal, Yumi?" said Melanie with the same creepy voice. "Or do you want me to make you remember?"


    Yumi did not have a chance to move when Melanie appeared in front of her in a flash, stabbing her in her guts with the dagger that Yumi had given her. Yumi coughed blood and stumbled back, but Melanie was not even done yet. She moved like thunder and landed her fist on Yumi''s face.


    The blonde guy did not even look back when things started to get messy. He carried Demerise on his shoulders while he dragged his other comrade out of the scene. Yumi was the sacrifice. Melanie was too focused on her to notice that others had already ditched the area.


    "Stop," said Yumi with gritted teeth as she wrote some runes using the blood on her index finger. Her guts were open, and she was losing a lot of blood. Everything appeared to be spinning.


    "I begged you before, right?" said Melanie and advanced once again. She grabbed Yumi''s face and lifted her like she weighed nothing more than a feather and threw her against the wall. Yumi closed her eyes and prepared herself for the impact.


    However, when she opened her eyes after some minutes of flying in the air, she did not feel any pain. She opened her eyes and the innocent face of Melanie welcomed her. Melanie''s purple eyes looked confused while she hastily grabbed Yumi''s arm to stop her from being thrown back.


    "Please," said Melanie. "Go away from me."


    Yumi clicked her tongue and snatched her arm away from Melanie. She clutched her bleeding stomach and walked away as fast as she could. When Melanie thought that she was the only one within the area, she fell on her knees and covered her face. She started crying.


    Melanie felt awful. She never imagined herself being that chaotic and violent in the face of crisis. That was not her. That person will never be her.


    "You exchanged your sanity for powers, right?"


    "I had no choice!" exclaimed Melanie when she heard the sinister voice inside her head. Tears continued to fall like the ocean. "I never wished for this."


    "Melanie?"


    Melanie stopped crying when she heard that familiar voice. She turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw Axel. She did not look as horrible as before, but she still had some of her bruises. Melanie stopped herself from running towards Axel and venting out all of her thoughts.


    "Y-you..." Melanie swallowed thickly. "You were the one who planned all this?"


    Axel stopped on her tracks and stared at Melanie with her dark eyes. She tilted her head and smirked, "It was worth it, right?"


    Melanie bit her lower lip. Her emotions were all over the place. She just wanted everything to end. She could not trust anyone. Not even Axel. Axel might have saved her the first time they met but she was too much. Melanie wanted to rest, and she could never have it with Axel by her side.


    "Kill her."


    Melanie flinched when she heard a voice inside her head. She unconsciously glanced at Axel who was still mocking her with her smile.


    "Make her suffer."


    Like in a daze, Melanie started to walk towards Axel. Her blouse and skirt had splattered blood, but it was not hers. Her white wedge heels were also tainted with the same shade. Her purple eyes were glitching into red color.


    Axel did not even budge when Melanie lunged at her and smashed her to the ground. Axel coughed blood while Melanie settled above her and rained her with punches. Melanie was once again under the influence of the nightmare she tried so hard to escape.


    Axel smirked between the assault, "Hurt me more."


    "Melanie Faye Harlow."


    Axel quickly grabbed Melanie''s arms to make her stop when she heard a familiar authoritative voice. Melanie hissed and escaped from Axel''s grasp. She aimed at Axel''s face once more, but she was held back by a bunch of blue transparent films like a hologram. It snatched her away from Axel and enclosed her in a cube.


    "Adi," called Axel to the noble-looking girl and her glance shifted to another person, "President."


    "We''re taking the girl." said the President and gestured her hand. Her movement maneuvered the cube that the sleeping Melanie was imprisoned in and lifted it off the ground. It floated in their direction. "I''m going to orient her first before she wreaks havoc in the University."


    "Even though it was entirely Axel''s fault," Adi cut in.


    "Well, Melanie''s too dumb for forgiving Axel so many times."


    Axel sat on the corner and turned off her pain circuits. She focused her system to heal the injuries she caught from the fight. She heaved a sigh and leaned against the cave''s wall.


    "We intervened now because Melanie Faye Harlow was acting strange. We must take control before anything gets out of hand, " Adi informed her while preparing for their departure.


    "Blah blah blah. I don''t want to hear any of your bullshit. Go away, " hissed Axel and closed her eyes. The impact of her injuries was worse than she expected, and it was taking her too long to heal them all. She inhaled sharply. "You need to return her to me when you''re done with her."


    "New toy, new obsession, " said the President. "Melanie won''t even think of you as a love interest with your form right now."


    Axel rolled her dark eyes. "Whatever."

 Chapter 05: Kith and Kin

    Melanie smiled while looking at the bracelet she was making after she put in the metal pendant and sealed the nylon. The jewelry consisted of black, white, and transparent beads and it also had two words engraved on the pendant, ''Light and darkness''.


    "Guess who this is?"


    Melanie giggled when a pair of hands covered her eyes. She hid the bracelet underneath her skirt and tapped the hands across her eyes. A playful and manly laugh echoed throughout the windy ambiance of the garden. Melanie turned her head and met those emerald, green orbs. She reached for the boy''s head and then she gently ruffled his natural ginger hair. The boy''s cheeky smile faded away and was replaced by a gasp.


    "You!" the boy exclaimed and leaned forward. His fingers went to Melanie''s waist, and he started tickling her. The girl''s eyes instantly watered as she started to giggle and eventually mumbled for the boy to stop. The mixture of pain and pleasure was unbearable for Melanie to think straight.


    "S-stop it, Luce!" stuttered Melanie between her laughs, "I-I''m not going to do it again, I promise!"


    The boy''s pinkish lips curled into a smirk. "Oh, haven''t I heard the same thing before?" he said and continued his onslaught of tickling. However, when he finally noticed Melanie''s flushed expression; cheeks turning red, breaths getting heavier, and gaze turning sultry, Luce quickly leaned back and withdrew his hands. He gulped and averted his eyes, trying to erase the image from his mind.


    "Luce, your ears are turning red," Melanie said and brushed her fingers against ears.


    The boy instantly flinched, "U-uh, it''s just the sun."


    Melanie smiled and tilted her head. "Hmm, okay, " she said and pulled something from behind. Her bright smile widened as she said, "Close your eyes, Luce."


    Luce looked at her again and furrowed his eyebrows."What for?"


    Melanie shook her head and flicked the bridge of his nose lightly. "Just because."


    The gesture made Luce roll his eyes and smile. He complied. "Okay. Here. Don''t do anything bad to me, okay?" he said and patiently waited.


    Melanie bit her lower lip as she reached for Luce''s arm and carefully locked the bracelet she had made. The beads shimmered when the rays of the sun bounced on them. The bracelet looked exactly like the one she wore every day. She lifted her gaze, "You can open your eyes now."


    Melanie saw how Luce''s lips curved into a smile when he slowly turned his wrist back and forth to check out the bracelet. His fingers then stroked the words written on the pendant, "Light and darkness," he whispered then glanced at Melanie, "our names."


    "Yes," responded Melanie and reached for the boy''s hands. "One cannot exist without the other. I''d like to think that we''re also like that, Luce."


    "Me too," answered the boy and intertwined his fingers with Melanie''s. "I can''t imagine my life without you by my side."


    Melanie opened her eyes and was welcomed by a wooden ceiling. The feeling of despair instantly filled her senses. Her head throbbed as if she sustained a major injury that pulled her skull open, while her chest felt heavier than before. She sat up, inhaled slowly, and attempted to calm herself but to no avail. She still felt that familiar cold and sharp feeling that she had felt when she had initially found herself in the outskirts.


    She looked down and suddenly remembered her dream. She clenched her fists on the quilt and felt a lump in her throat. Tears started to fall from her eyes as her long black hair covered her entire face.


    Lucian Oliver Marris.


    How could she forget the person who always made her day back in the times when she was only a normal girl living in The City? The person who told her that no matter what happened, they would eventually find a way to each other and be reunited; the person that Melanie trusted the most other than herself and her family; her best friend, Luce.


    Melanie shakily raised her hands and hugged herself. She recalled that the day she gave Luce the bracelet, she never thought that it would also be the last day that she could ever see him. Even her own bracelet that had the same design was stripped off of her since there was nothing that the participants could bring during the Purifying Ceremony other than themselves.


    Luce was a year older than her, and he successfully passed the Purifying ceremony with no problems at all. Then, when it was finally Melanie''s turn, the boy visited her and made a promise to be with her forever. But, deep inside, Melanie knew that whatever promises they had shared together before, Luce might have chosen to forget her because, in their eyes, she is one of the Damned now and she was nothing but a cursed being. Every tie she had from the Sanctified race must have been severed and forgotten.


    "Melanya,"


    "W-what?" Melanie startled and quickly wiped her eyes when somebody opened the door. She hastily looked up and saw a familiar figure of a little girl with long grey hair and crimson red eyes, "T-Tamonjie.."


    The girl smirked and walked casually towards Melanie''s bed, "What''s with the stutter? I won''t bite you."


    "B-but..." Melanie could not help but be uneasy by the little girl''s presence. Their last encounter was traumatic, and her mind also played tricks with her and gave her thousands of possibilities how Tamonjie might just lunge at her any moment and turn her into a corpse of some sort.


    Tamonjie laughed and lowered the hood from her head. She sat on a stool beside Melanie''s bed and settled her foot on the seat while the other remained on the ground. "Don''t make faces like that, Melanya. I might not contain myself and slit your throat right now."


    "S-sorry," mumbled Melanie, that earned her an evil laugh from Tamonjie.


    "Calm your balls. I''m not a threat here," Tamonije said then she sprung on her feet. " President sent me here to check on you. Since I''m certain that you''re alive and..." Tamonjie looked at Melanie from her head up to her toes, "...alive, I''ll bring her up here."


    "W-wait!" exclaimed Melanie before Tamonjie could even take a step back. "Do you know where''s..."


    Tamonjie shook her head and picked her ears. "Who? Axel?"


    Melanie looked away. Her grip on the quilt tightened but she eventually let it go. She sighed. "No, leave it."


    Tamonjie ignored Melanie''s hesitation and continued to stride towards the door. She pulled her hood over her head and stuffed her hand into the pocket of her jeans then opened the door. But before she closed it, she threw a glance at Melanie. "Try to act nicely, Melanya. President doesn''t like people who don''t know their place."


    When Tamonjie finally closed the door, Melanie was still staring at the space the little girl had left unoccupied. She did not know if she could even handle a conversation at that point. Her thoughts were all over the place and she did not feel secure at all. She felt like if she showed even the tiniest of vulnerability, she would be devoured.


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    How could she even act nicely? What was that supposed to mean? Melanie knows that everything in the Damned does not make sense. Everything is twisted. If being nice there would mean that she should transform herself into an insane version of herself as she did when she was nightmarized, would that not mean that she would be killed on the spot?


    "Melanie Faye Harlow. "


    Melanie almost jumped from her bed when a gentle voice called just beside her. Melanie stared at her and saw a girl wearing a beige Grecian dress, her beautiful long black hair was styled into a waterfall, and her porcelain skin shone like glass. Melanie instantly felt confused.


    Is this girl the president?


    "I''m afraid I''m not who you think I am," the girl said as if answering Melanie''s thoughts. Melanie''s mouth gaped open upon the reply. The girl smiled. "And yes, I can also hear the mess going on in your mind right now."


    "U-um," Melanie stuttered, still feeling perplexed, "I''m sorry. I didn''t expect this to be..."


    "To be this formal?" the girl finished her sentence and that made Melanie nod. "Well, compared to other people here in the University, I''m the only person in the student council that can relate to you the most. I''m one of your kind."


    Melanie''s purple eyes widened, "K-kind? What do you mean?"


    "I mean that I''m also from the Sanctified race," the girl said and gracefully placed her right hand on her chest. "My name is Nariella Adrienne Azarel, you can call me Adi."


    A tint of recognition passed through Melanie''s pupils, and she was instantly terrified, "I.." she gulped. "I heard things about you back in The City."


    Adi''s expression didn''t even change. "I know that whatever you heard about me are all bad things," she said as she returned her hand to her lap. "I want you to know that I was also brought here against my will. I didn''t mean to kill my parents and I didn''t even wish to have these powers to be bestowed upon me that cost me my sanity."


    "But," Adi paused and stared straight at Melanie, "I have never been free until I got here. There''s no hiding or running anymore. I''m just being...." Adi smiled as she said, "...me."


    Adi reached for Melanie''s hands and gently tugged them. "I can see my old self in you. Confused, lost, and hurt. I''m willing to help you to adjust if you''ll just let me."


    "Adi..." Melanie was lost for words. This was the first time that Melanie felt real warmth upon entering the Damned region and it made her heart melt. Aside from that, the girl who was accompanying her that moment was also a Sanctified-born girl like her, and she managed to survive despite being alone in that twisted place. Melanie''s eyes had tears in the corner of her eyes, "You don''t know how your words meant a lot to me."


    "I''m glad that I met you," Adi mumbled. She then released Melanie''s hands and placed her hands on her lap again. "The President will be visiting you any moment now. I think you''re ready."


    "To be honest," started Melanie."I thought you''re the President. Tamonjie mentioned that she''ll bring the President here and then you came in minutes later."


    Adi shook her head, still wearing the same half-smile. "It was supposed to be like that, but Tamonjie told me that you look..." Her eyes went in another direction and looked like she was trying to find the right word, "...bewildered so I went here."


    Adi cleared her throat and then she stood up. " I''ll go now. If you need anything, feel free to approach me. I''ll call the President now."


    "Wait!" exclaimed Melanie and grabbed Adi''s arm. The latter looked at her with her dull jet-black eyes. "Thank you, Adi."


    Adi''s eyes widened and her lips even slightly parted, but she quickly regained her composure. She gently squeezed Melanie''s hand on her before she moved it away. "Don''t mention it."


    Melanie only watched Adi''s back until she closed the door and heard her clicking heels fade as soon as she moved away. Melanie leaned on the headboard and stared blankly. Melanie thought that Adi seemed like a nice person and that maybe, the President might also be the same. Melanie wondered what type of person Adi is to the President. Is Adi just a normal member of the student council? Or is she a person with authority?


    "Maybe it''s the latter," muttered Melanie to herself. "Her beauty and grace are not something that one could ignore. She definitely stands out."


    "I was not informed that you tend to talk to yourself when alone."


    Melanie once again, for the second time of that day, almost jumped off her bed because of someone''s voice suddenly echoing in the room. There was a girl leaning sideways on the doorway, arms crossed, and golden eyes glaring at Melanie. Despite the small appearance of the girl, her voice was rich and deep. Unlike Adi''s formal clothing and bright aura, the girl wore a gothic outfit; a tight corset, a lace skirt, arm-length gloves, and a pair of velvet boots.


    "P-President," said Melanie. "You''re the president, right?"


    "Yes," the girl said. "The name''s Amirah Melantha Festin and before I became president, I was also known by my alias as The Wicked Princess."


    "O-oh..."


    The president noticed the blank reaction, so she closed her eyes and cleared her throat. "Let''s not beat around the bush," said the President and moved her fingers in soft motion. Numerous blue and transparent cubes flew to the room from outside. They all landed on Melanie''s bed.


    "Inside them are your uniforms for your classes. I also added some things that might come in handy during the school year and for the dormitory, Axel insisted that you will be sharing the room with them since they have one vacant."


    Melanie frowned. She did not know if she really liked the idea of sharing a room with Axel anymore. The girl only burdened her with more immeasurable damage in mental, emotional, and physical aspects. Melanie lifted her gaze. "May I make a request, Miss Amirah?"


    "Please," the president replied abruptly, "don''t call me by my name."


    "Ah, okay. I''m sorry," muttered Melanie and gained her courage again, "Can I take a different room other than Axel''s? I-I just don''t want to be with her."


    The president did not respond immediately and proceeded to sit beside Melanie first. The glare that the president was giving was still there, but Melanie choked her fear and tried to pursue her to grant her request by maintaining eye contact.


    "You know, Axel is very troublesome, especially if she doesn''t get what she wants," the president started then she twirled the ends of her silver hair, "do you have the means to fix the damages she might cause in the future?"


    Melanie was taken back.


    Is that what Tamonjie was telling her earlier? That she should know her place? That even in the eyes of the president, Melanie was no other than a toy that Axel was allowed to play with? The president was indirectly implying that Melanie must give whatever Axel wants, or else, she would need to pay and who knows what the cost of that trivial matter would be.


    "I''m kidding. " Melanie''s mouth gaped open when the president talked again, "For now, I can''t grant your request since it''s dangerous for you to stay with people you don''t personally know. Axel might be a handful, but when it comes down to it, she has the means to protect you."


    "But President," Melanie cut in, "she tried to kill me a lot of times ever since I came here."


    "I know," the president cut her off, "but why do you think she did what she did?"


    "I don''t know," replied Melanie and shrugged before adding, "entertainment?"


    "Well yes, partially it may be that but," said the president, "she''s also pushing you to your limits. She even used Demerise''s power to help you unlock your real potential."


    "That was not me," mumbled Melanie and she started tearing up again. "That will never be me."


    "Listen, Melanie," the tone of the president suddenly became deadly serious. "I don''t know what power lies inside you, but you are different. Your nightmarized version looked familiar to me, but it was on the tip of my tongue. The wisest move that I can do right now is to make sure that you are oriented and will not wreck havoc in the future if ever your powers get uncontrolled."


    "Powers again," thought Melanie, "Why do people keep telling me I have powers? They must have been mistaken.


    "I''ll let Tamonjie and Adi lead you back to Axel''s dormitory," said the president then snapped her fingers. The hologram-like cubes disappeared and the items inside them fell on the bed, "Go to the Criterion by tomorrow so you''ll know what classes you must take."


    "I-I understand, President."


    "And before I forget," the president kept the door opened, "during class hours, I prohibit students from disturbing each other. If you don''t want things to get messy again, don''t leave your dormitory in the wee hours."


    The door was then shut off.


    "So, it''s my fault for going out late that day?" said Melanie into thin air. She shook her head and directed her focus to something else. Her bed was filled with lots of clothes and items, and she needed to sort them all. She looked around and found a bag nearby. Her forehead curled up as she walked closer. Did they prepare that for her?


    As if answering the question inside her head, the bag has a small tag on it.


    Put them all here and they''ll be organized so save your ass some time and go back to me.


    - Axel


    Melanie bitterly smiled. She actually did not know how to face Axel anymore. If ever what the President had told her was true, that does not erase the fact that she traumatized her big time. However, on second thought, nothing really happened to her despite Axel''s attempts to hurt her.


    She sighed. "She''s really inconsistent. I can''t understand her."


    Melanie complied with the instruction and the items she put inside the bag automatically flip and fold on their own to fit on the space. She could not stop herself from being amazed so she repeated the deed again.


    "Melanie won''t even think of you as a love interest with your form right now."


    While packing, Melanie remembered President''s words when her consciousness was having a tug of war inside that human-sized cube when she was still nightmarized. Melanie was unsure if what she heard was right, but it kept making her wonder if Axel''s form was not what she knew to be.


    "Hey, Melanya, you done?"


    Melanie turned to look at the door when she heard Tamonjie''s high-pitched voice. She also saw Adi standing at the side. Melanie closed the bag and nodded, "Yeah. I''m ready to go."

 Chapter 06: Criterion

    "Seriously?"


    Melanie stopped combing her long black hair when a familiar voice echoed in the room. She lifted her gaze and saw Yumi''s intense stare. Melanie avoided eye contact and looked at her from head to toe, and checked if there were even signs of their previous encounter. As far as she could remember, she stabbed Yumi in the stomach and the damage that she inflicted was deep and brutal, but the girl showed no signs of being stabbed at all. In fact, she looked like she was ready to kill Melanie again.


    Yumi stomped on the floor and sliced her thumb''s skin. Blood fell on the floor, and they started to wiggle towards her victim. Melanie choked her squeal then gripped the blanket tightly and threw it on her body, blindly hoping that the tiny piece of fabric would protect her from the blow that was coming. Before she could even close her lilac eyes, Axel''s body blocked the attack by her sword and then she slammed Yumi on the wall.


    Yumi gritted her teeth and pointed towards Melanie. "Are you blind? Your toy can harm us! She almost killed me!"


    "And?" grunted Axel. "Are you in the position to tell me what to do?"


    "Don''t act cocky," retorted Yumi and grabbed Axel by her collar, "Demerise could not even control her! What makes you think you can?"


    Yumi gasped when Axel cupped her chin and instantly dug her finger in her cheek.


    "Watch me," said Axel and lips curled into a smirk. Yumi glared at her and pushed her away with full force. She glanced at Melanie one more time and went straight to her bed without saying a word.


    They talk like I am not here, thought Melanie.


    Melanie set the blanket aside and heaved a sigh. She reached out for the comb and finished grooming herself while her mind was busy wandering. Ever since Tamonjie and Adi brought her there last night, Axel never glanced at her--not even once.


    To make things worse, Ace was not there, and it just so happened that Yumi had to be her roommate too. Melanie got no one to talk to and although she desired not to be involved with those people anymore, what choice does she have if she needed to go outside the four red walls?


    Melanie is afraid of Axel, but her fear for stepping outside that dorm room alone is much greater. Her mind even played tricks on her and displayed all kinds of possible tortures and harassment she could get the moment she walked out that door. Her hunch was only proven right when Yumi laid her eyes on her earlier and instantly attacked her with no hesitation.


    Yumi and her friends took her lightly because they knew that she was from the Sanctified race.


    What would happen if more people knew this truth?


    "Axel might be a handful, but when it comes down to it, she has the means to protect you."


    The President''s words resonated inside Melanie''s head.


    She sighed.


    Will Axel really protect her, or will she be the one who will break her first?


    "Hey, how long are you gonna play dress up?"


    Melanie blinked when she heard that familiar deep voice. She turned her head towards the sound and was welcomed with a pair of eyes looking like an endless abyss. Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed how close their faces were. She immediately leaned back to give them some distance.


    Melanie averted her eyes, "I-I''m done now."


    "Then what are you waiting for? Get your pretty ass here right now, " Axel replied.


    Melanie nodded and did what she was told to do. She looked back at Axel and saw her frowning really hard. She gulped and took a step back because of the sight, but Axel was quick enough to wrap her arms around her waist and bring her closer. Melanie inhaled a cool scent of mint coming from the other girl''s lips. Their gazes met and she slightly pushed Axel away, but the latter did not budge.


    Axel bit her lower lip but quickly let go of it, "Be honest with me."


    Now it was Melanie''s turn to frown, "W-what are you talking about?"


    "Pres told me you will never see me because I am in this form."


    Melanie flinched. "W-what?"


    Axel stared at her for a moment then she hissed. She drew back her hands and turned her back to her. She walked out the door and paused. She stood at the side and kept the door open for Melanie to pass by.


    "Let''s go to the Criterion."


    Melanie was taken aback. Even if they were walking side by side, there was nothing to fill the aching silence. She clenched her fists, concealing it under the plaids of her skirt. She simply bit her lower lip and thought of Axel''s confrontation just minutes ago.


    Of course, Melanie knew what Axel was talking about. She is completely aware that the other girl is drawn to her. She was not dense enough to not figure out that Axel was trying to hit on her and keep her by her side even though people claim repeatedly that she was just a toy.


    Melanie knows the feeling of being drawn to a person. She once desired to see someone every minute of the day, yearn for their warmth against her skin, and dream of the future they could have together if things did not go on the darker side of the road. That was the reason why Melanie was completely aware that unrequited love is intensely painful. However, giving false hope to someone and leading them to something that could never be true is much worse than that.


    It was like handing someone a nicely wrapped gift but there was really nothing inside but a void that tempts people to trip and fall without anything to catch them.


    Aside from the fact that The City strongly defied that kind of relationship, Melanie is certain that she will never see Axel the way she sees her.


    She can''t and she won''t.


    "Does the floor look interesting to you?"


    "Ah, um..." Melanie looked up and cleared her throat. "No, " she replied awkwardly.


    Axel shook her head in disapproval and gestured something ahead. "You don''t wanna miss this. I won''t be with you all the time so your pretty head must remember how to enter this passage alone."


    Melanie looked ahead and her eyes were glued to the sight. A hanging bridge surrounded by rotating galaxies occupied the area in front of her. The entire passage was pitch black and only little sparks of colors and dust filled up the place. Melanie stepped forward but a gentle tug on her arm stopped her from entering it.


    "Silly," said Axel and walked ahead of Melanie. She finally pulled her hand back and gestured to the space behind her, "I will walk in first then you follow me. Is that clear?"


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Crystal," replied Melanie.


    Axel smirked then casually sauntered to the hanging bridge. On the other hand, opposite to what she was portraying, Melanie staggered back the moment she entered the path. Her consciousness overflowed with mist and haze then her lilac eyes dilated, and everything began to look like swirling colors. She gripped the ropes tightly like her life was on the line just to stop herself from collapsing on the creaking wooden floor.


    "A-axel, I-I..." she stuttered and almost puked.


    Axel turned towards Melanie when she heard her cracking voice. She tilted her head to the side and walked slowly to her. She halted and her shoes reverberated with a thud.


    Her dark eyes gazed at Melanie blankly. "Fight it, " she said.


    Melanie opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She groaned and she felt her guts churning inside her. The feeling was getting worse and worse the longer she stayed in that place.


    "You got no one to help you with that, Melanie. You only got yourself."


    Melanie chewed her lower lip and tears started to fall from her eyes. She could not stop herself from looking so pathetic in front of the girl she fears. Everything she endured so far had only bandaged the hole inside of her soul, but it did not really replace anything that she was missing. She knows for a fact that the hole would only grow bigger and deeper in the course of time, and it would not take too long until it devours everything that molded her to what she was and what she would be.


    Was struggling to reach the light really worth it?


    Or it would just be better for her to embrace the darkness instead?


    Melanie has the answer.


    Although her fragile body tends to approach the most play-safe option, her will had a better proposal.


    She finally let go of the rope and stood straighter with her shaking knees. She gasped for air and hastily wiped the tears from her cheeks. She looked up and met Axel''s gaze. The latter smirked upon the sight.


    "Looks like you''re ready."


    "I know I will never be..." Melanie quickly replied and took another step with her clenched fists, "but I must move forward."


    Axel chuckled and stared at Melanie with pure interest. "That''s my girl."


    Melanie felt relieved when the burning sensation inside her chest finally ceased. She clutched her blouse and let out a sigh, "It''s gone."


    "This passage has a spell that wavers even people with the strongest will in the universe. It is actually lethal for the Sanctified race because of their shallow understanding that was firmly based on their ridiculous morals. I didn''t really get their shit before, but meeting you tells me a lot of things, " said Axel.


    "And what are those things?"


    Axel stuck out her tongue. "Never telling you."


    Melanie shook her head and stepped near the side of the bridge. She looked down and saw her own reflection staring back at her. She did not notice it before, but there were soft vibrating sounds coming from below.


    The ocean is too calm and dark. There are no signs of life in it at all.


    "What happens when you fall in that water? Aside from drowning, of course." Melanie voiced her thoughts.


    Alex giggled and said with a mocking tone, "You really think that''s water?"


    Melanie''s forehead furrowed and then she looked at Axel. But before she could even say another word, Axel was already standing across from her with a smug face. "Why don''t you try?"


    Melanie screamed when Axel pushed her at the edge of the bridge. Her body arched back, and her sight turned upside down. She did not know if it was only her imagination, but she saw something huge moved on the water.


    The thing detected her.


    An enormous mouth with millions of huge razor-sharp teeth emerged from the black waters. Its roar made the surroundings tremble then it dispatched its long smooth and slippery purple tongue at Melanie''s direction.


    "No!"'' Melanie shouted from top of her lungs. At closer look, the tongue had black spikes on it and once it tore her flesh, it would be difficult for her to remove them by sheer strength.


    "Just kidding!"


    Right before Melanie sank into that disaster, a force pulled her from behind and managed to steal her from the near death experience. Melanie caught her breath when she landed on the bridge and gasped frantically while her eyes were wide open in horror.


    "How was it?"


    Melanie glared at Axel for asking a dumb question. Her knees wobbled but she managed to lunge towards Axel and did the same gimmick that the latter pulled off. Unfortunately, Melanie''s sudden forward thrust did not even make it to Axel. Her arms were caught mid-air.


    "Calm down, you''re alive. Don''t distort your beautiful face like that. You make me want to fix you, " muttered Axel in her deep voice before releasing her Melanie.


    Melanie had tears at the corner of her eyes and then she pointed to herself. "You didn''t know how scared I was!" she burst out. Axel remained nonchalant and hauled Melanie towards the center.


    A splash of water splattered where she had been earlier, and it instantly melted the part where the water had sputtered. Melanie stared at with dread.


    "Looks like it really wanted to get you."


    "I blame you!"


    Axel did not reply and ran towards the end of the bridge while dragging Melanie with her. It only took them seconds to finally exit the path. They both panted and watched the monster swim back to its lair. The black waters became serene again.


    "I know how it felt, " said Axel out of nowhere. Melanie glanced at her from the corner of her eyes.


    "I also fell down there when I was a kid, " she added.


    Before Melanie could even ask a question, Axel turned and approached the huge door on the wall. She placed her palm on the engraved symbol of a hand and her dark eyes glowed red. The door opened and it revealed a corridor from the University of the Damned.


    A group of students looked in their direction.


    "Isn''t that Axel?"


    "But who''s the new girl?"


    "Is that his new toy?"


    His? Are they pertaining to Axel? thought Melanie.


    "Don''t mind them, " Axel entered the area holding Melanie''s hand. The huge door automatically closed with a loud thud behind them and blended its appearance with the metallic-grey walls. The students continued to watch them until they disappeared from sight.


    "You''re famous," commented Melanie and removed her hands from Axel''s. The latter shook her head.


    "Infamous."


    "Oh..."


    "We''re here, " said Axel and opened the fiber-glass door. Melanie followed inside and she was welcomed by a man wearing a lab coat and thick glasses. She looked around and saw that the walls and floors were all painted white. A mini office set up was on the corner and on the other side was black capsule.


    "Hi, Crites, " greeted Axel and gestured to Melanie, "here''s the new student."


    "Hello, my dear, " the man said and stretched out his hand, "I''m Dr. Critelle Riones. Perhaps you know me as Criterion."


    "U-um," Melanie spluttered as she was stunned by the formality of the new guy. She reached out her hand and shook hands with the man, "Melanie."


    Oh, so Criterion is a person, not a place. Melanie said inside her head.


    "Melanie my dear," mumbled the man and gestured to the capsule with his gloved hands, "you may enter it now so I can run some tests on you to figure out what classes you must take."


    Melanie unconsciously looked in Axel''s direction and the doctor realized the act. "No, my dear. You cannot take her with you. Don''t worry, you''re gonna be fine."


    Axel patted her shoulders and gently led her to the capsule. Melanie bit her lower lip as she stepped up on the platform and stepped inside it. In cue, the insulation closed and locked from the outside while little blue neon lights shone upon her face. A film made of needles appeared from both sides and it stuck on her skin. Melanie did not feel any pain, but her vision started to blur and darkened. Minutes later and she had already drifted off to sleep.


    "Initiate. Test on the subject."


    From the outside, Dr. Criterion opened his palm, and a tiny beam of lights came out from it. The doctor smiled at the little fairies he had summoned.


    "Will you help me check her, please?" requested the doctor. The fairies replied using their gibberish language and flew to the capsule. They entered through the tiny gaps and did their magic inside.


    Dr. Criterion monitored everything on the computer while Axel was just leaning against the wall, crossed arms, and keeping watch. A bunch of codes appeared on the doctor''s screen, and he saved them all to his data base. Displays of Melanie''s brain waves and signals, along with her internals were displayed on the monitor. While the results of her tests were being processed and contemplated by the system, the A.I voice spoke again.


    "Error detected. Subject is not human."


    Axel frowned upon hearing the remarks of the A.I. She looked at the doctor who was astonished as she was.


    "Error detected. Subject is not human."


    "Abort the operation."


    Axel and Dr. Criterion covered their ears when the the little fairies inside the capsule screamed using their high-pitched whistling voices. Dr. Criterion ran towards them and placed his palm on the capsule, gesturing them to come back to him, but to his horror, his fairies exploded to dust in front of his very own eyes.


    "N-no..."


    He staggered back when the capsule started to malfunction. It emitted sparks and resonated an unending whirring sound. The A.I Voice kept speaking in the background.


    "Error detected. Subject is not human."


    "Abort the operation."


    "Error detected. Subject is not human."


    "Abort the operation."


    Axel quickly approached the capsule and ignored the sparks burning her skin. She gripped the sides of the door and tried to haul it open to get Melanie out of the broken capsule. She gritted her teeth and looked at the doctor, "Crites, what is going on?!"


    "The capsule has not acted like this for years." He gulped and looked at Axel.


    "She might be one of the Bearers."

 Chapter 07: Child of the Night

    "What the fuck is a bearer?" Axel snapped.


    She grunted and finally gave up on opening the capsule to rescue the unconscious Melanie. She even threw a kick at its insulation out of frustration then proceeded to divert her heavy steps to the doctor. The Doctor on the other hand, who was still in shock, did not recognize the danger approaching him from the side. Axel grabbed him by the collar and her eyes darkened.


    She gritted her teeth. "Get her out of the capsule now!"


    The doctor blinked while his body trembled, but Axel was certain that it was not because of her action or presence. She never saw the doctor that scared before despite her countless attempts to harm him in the past.


    "Listen..."'' the doctor mumbled and casually removed Axel''s grip on him, "I want you to keep what happened here as a secret, okay?"


    "Why?" Axel demanded, but the doctor shook his head and left her with no answers at all. She watched him face his computer again and place his hands on the keyboard. His fingers moved fast as thousands of characters appeared on the screen like flashes of light. The never-ending remarks of the A.I voice eventually faded and the whirring sound of the system stopped. The red lights were shut off and the room returned to normal like nothing strange had happened.


    Axel quickly leaped towards the capsule''s direction when she perceived that its door had finally opened. She hurriedly caught Melanie right before the latter''s unconscious body hit the ground. Axel stiffened when she noticed that Melanie''s skin felt cold to touch. Her forehead creased and she swivelled her gaze towards Crites to ask him regarding the situation, but her tongue did not move when she saw the writing on the computer''s screen.


    Data erased successfully.


    "Crites, tell me what''s going on? " she demanded, sounding dangerous.


    The doctor sighed and removed his glasses. "I..." he trailed off and looked down. "I can''t."


    "But why?" repeated Axel. "I don''t understand where you''re coming from. Just what the hell is a bearer and why would you erase her data just like that?"


    "Axel..." trailed off the doctor and tried to find the right words before he continued, "Melanie might be housing something that could affect all of us. If that is proven to be true considering how fragile she is now..."


    "She might end up dead, " Axel completed as her eyes widened. She bit her lower lip and stared at Melanie, who was lying in her arms like a delicate present.


    Axel returned her gaze to the doctor. "Okay, Crites, I promise to keep this between us, but there''s a catch."


    "Axel, can you even comprehend the situation?''


    Axel tilted her head and smirked. "Yes, and I am taking advantage of it."


    The doctor did not even look surprised and negotiated. "Okay, what is it?"


    "Make her classes the same as mine. Until you figure out what the heck is going on, I think it''s just right for me to keep an eye on her, right?"


    The doctor stared at her blankly. "You''re just creating excuses to be with her."


    "Blah, blah, blah, " responded Axel mockingly. "It''s not like I care."


    "But you have a point, " the doctor conceded. "Since my system collapsed upon running some tests on her, I was not able to issue an official schedule of her classes. For now, let''s stick hers into yours."


    "That''s what I like about you, Crites."


    "Shut up. I''m just doing this for her own sake too, " said the doctor and glanced at Axel. "You know what happens when you break your promise, right?"


    Axel rolled her eyeballs. "Yeah, I am completely aware, Mr. Criterion."


    The doctor changed the topic. "It might seem unrelated, but how long do you plan to take that form?"


    Axel shrugged her shoulders and gestured to Melanie. "Until this girl bends, I suppose."


    The doctor scowled, "She''s a Sanctified. She will never look at you that way."


    Axel smiled smugly. "Let''s see about that, Doctor."


    "Hmm..."


    They both looked down when a moan escaped from Melanie''s lips. She opened her eyes, and they were bursting with colors of purple, pink, and red. The two watched in awe because of the bizarre sight. Melanie turned her head slowly to meet Axel''s gaze then raised her hand to touch the girl''s face. Axel blinked and was stunned due to Melanie''s strange behavior.


    A soft and melodic voice resonated from Melanie''s mouth. "The Keeper."


    Right after Melanie spoke those words, strength instantly left her body and she passed out once again. Seconds later, she opened her eyes again and they had returned to her normal purple eyes.


    "W-what happened?" asked Melanie, her nose and forehead scrunched up. She then pursed her lips upon seeing their weird reactions. "Did I mess up?"


    "N-no," replied the doctor, still mystified, and forced out a chuckle, " Everything w-went fine."


    Melanie noticed the odd stutter, but she chose to ignore it. She turned her gaze towards Axel, but the latter was snickering at her. Melanie''s eyes widened and she gaped upon realizing their position. She quickly sprung to her feet and created a meter distance between them. Axel immediately stood up and crossed her arms while still wearing the same silly smile.


    How long was I sleeping on her lap? thought Melanie.


    She cleared her throat. "May I receive my schedule now?" she asked the doctor. The doctor nodded in response and reached out his hand. "Can you give me an item that you always bring with you?"


    She looked down and checked herself. White tank top, black shorts, and a pair of combat boots were her outfit for the day. The President provided her some accessories along with the items they gave her but she was too anxious to think about decorating herself with jewelry.


    It did not feel right.


    "Here. Use this instead."


    Melanie turned her head to Axel when she suddenly spoke and showed her fingers holding a ring. Its color was black that made the beauty of the emerald gem on the center stand out.


    Melanie blinked as the doctor grabbed the item and summoned another fairy on his palm. The doctor closed his eyes and muttered gibberish words that commanded the fairy to somersault in the air and turn into a halo of light. The speckle of dust flew into the gem of the ring and illuminated it for a couple of seconds.


    After the glow faded, Axel fetched the ring from the doctor''s hands and spun towards Melanie. Without a word, she lowered down herself and got on one knee as she reached for Melanie''s hands.


    Melanie was glued on the spot when Axel gently placed the ring on Melanie''s slender finger and gave her a huge smile. "Looks good on you."


    Melanie quickly snatched her hands from Axel and glanced at Crites. "I-I''m done here, right?" she said in one breath.


    The doctor did not show any reaction and just nodded his head. "Yes. All the data is in your ring now."


    "That''s good. We''re gonna go now. Thanks, Criterion."


    Melanie did not even wait for the doctor to respond because she already made her way for the exit. She hissed and looked at the ring on her finger. Before her mind could even ponder about what just happened, she felt Axel''s presence right behind her. Melanie immediately took a step forward to create a comfortable distance between them.


    She bit her lower lip, sighed, and faced the girl beside her. "Axel..." she called.


    Axel just looked at her and waited for her to continue.


    "I''m really uncomfortable with what you''re doing, " confronted Melanie. "Please, refrain from acting like what you did earlier."


    Her heart was thumping hard inside her chest due to her decision to confront Axel. She did not know what Axel would do to her considering that the latter has a very twisted mindset and only brought destruction upon her, but she couldn''t stand the other girl not even respecting her boundaries as a person.


    Melanie hates that.


    Melanie instantly closed her eyes when she noticed Axel raise her hand. She waited for something to happen, but not even a strand of her hair was disturbed. She slowly opened her eyes and met Axel''s dark eyes.


    Axel pursed her lips while frowning and then she nodded. "Okay. If that''s what you want, " she said and gestured to the ring, "I''ll drop you off to your classes first before I proceed with mine."


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Bewildered, Melanie chose to shut her mouth and did not dare to reply. Instead, she just complied with what Axel suggested and focused on her ring. She brushed her fingers on the gem and it glowed. Letters flew out of it and settled across Melanie''s vision where they formed the schedule into the air.


    <figure>


    </figure>


    Axel smirked. "News flash, I think you have no choice. You''re stuck with me."


    Melanie silently waved her hand over the ring to stop the projection and followed Axel when she started to walk through the corridor. Melanie was certain that she felt like there was a pit in her stomach when she came to know that Axel was going to be with her the entire day, but she knew that deep down, she felt relief inside because she would not be alone in this deranged place.


    Melanie bumped into Axel''s back when the latter suddenly stopped while her thoughts were still wandering. Melanie lifted her gaze and raised her eyebrows as she waited for Axel to react. However, Axel did not even mind that and just gestured to the high ceiling. Melanie looked up and her eyes widened with wonder.


    The roof of the entire hall resembled a convertible vehicle where it could move to the sides and display the horizons above them. Aside from that, there was a room floating midair with a bunch of bookshelves and a set of snuggly and cozy furniture.


    Axel glanced at Melanie and smiled at her t. She raised her hand and was about to reach for Melanie''s hand, but she clenched her fists midway and retreated. She then cleared her throat to call for Melanie''s attention.


    "This way," she muttered and walked to the side of the hall. She stepped on the marble floor with a circular design and tapped it three times using her foot. The floor levitated and flew towards the room in the air.


    Melanie quickly followed after observing what Axel just did and tried to do the same thing. She tapped her foot three times on the same platform and shrieked when she started floating. Axel just watched from afar without saying a word.


    "Gosh," mumbled Melanie who just managed to balance herself on the floating disc. However, she could not understand how to control that thing. She kept moving back and forth in the hall with no signs of halting.


    "U-um, Axel?" she stuttered while trying to balance her body despite the speed of the swaying disc. "H-how do you control this thing?!" she blurted out.


    Axel landed perfectly on the mini room and sat on the nearby stool. She rested her elbows on her thighs as she observed Melanie, who was still roaming around the hall aimlessly.


    She chuckled, her eyes were filled with amusement, then said, "Just imagine that you''re flying towards me and you''ll be able to absolutely control that thing."


    "W-what?!"


    Melanie did not even have the time to process everything due to the group of people who just arrived in the hall. Melanie quickly averted her eyes when she felt their stares all over her. Her face turned red, and her body trembled because of embarrassment. She was still moving across the room as if on a roller blade spinning and turning every second and she could not even help herself get out of that situation.


    Melanie flinched when she suddenly froze in the air and time seemed to stop around her. She tried to move her body but to no avail. Her eyes became dull, and her mind became clouded with endless thoughts that were not even hers to begin with.


    The disc where Melanie was standing started to hover again and it flew effortlessly towards the mini room. Melanie, who was still acting like a puppet, stepped down from the disc and she quickly collapsed on the floor.


    Adi put down her hands and gracefully stepped on the disc nearby. When she landed on the mini room, she met Melanie''s gaze who just woke up from the trance.


    "I apologize for invading your mind like that. I just cannot afford to watch you embarrass yourself in front of others, " said Adi and reached out her hand to help Melanie to stand up. "I understand all of these are new to you, but there are things you may have to learn on your own."


    "Go away." hissed Axel and shoved Adi''s hand away. She positioned herself right in front of her, replacing her role, and reached out her hand towards Melanie. "Are you okay?"


    Melanie glared at Axel and did not grab her hand for help. She stood up on her own and sat on the nearest sofa. Adi smiled because of her reaction and proceeded to settle beside her. Axel frowned and grunted as she sat on the couch across them.


    Minutes later a couple of students landed on the platform. They showed no interest in other people''s businesses as they went to their own places. Melanie looked around and noticed that almost all her classmates didn''t seem to know each other yet. Some were reading books and playing games, some were staring above and just watching the birds fly, and some were just sleeping.


    Melanie smiled.


    She reminisced that she used to go to school every weekday back in the City. Her best friend, Luce, was one year ahead of her, but that did not even serve as a hindrance for them to see each other whenever they had the chance to. She remembered that after their classes, they would go straight to the garden and talk about how their days went and talk about everything and nothing.


    Aside from that, she also had friends that she cherished. Although she was not as attached to them as she was to Luce, they had their good times and bad times together. Things were not as magical compared to University of the Damned, but she enjoyed every moment she was there. Melanie decided that even if they must have forgotten all things about her existence, her memories about them were still intact and clear as a crystal and she had no intention to erase them despite everything that happened.


    "I wonder if I can still make friends here..." thought Melanie and looked around. Her chest swelled. "They all looked normal to me."


    "Good morning, NCS."


    Melanie turned her head to the direction of the voice. A man in his late 20s landed in the room. His hair was disheveled and green in color that matched his striking, almost glowing, golden eyes. He was wearing a simple pair of pants and shirt underneath his long black coat and his shoes were made of brown leather. He lifted his glasses and his cold gaze roamed around.


    "The class is almost complete, " he said and stopped his gaze in Melanie''s direction, "and I also see some people who did not attend the ceremony and the orientation."


    What ceremony was that? Axel did not tell me anything about that. Melanie thought when she realized that the professor was talking about them.


    "Nevertheless, it''s your loss for not attending that event. We will be proceeding with our class, " the professor added and walked towards the center of the room. He snapped his fingers, and an invisible wave came out from his body and reached the students'' magical items that held their data. In Melanie''s case, it was her ring that received the information.


    "I am Professor. Baroque Esperanza and I will be teaching you Familiar Relationships and Beyond 1101 or FRB 1101."


    The professor began to saunter across the room. "Familiar are companions that possess undying loyalty to their owners. Their powers reflect the owner''s true capabilities whether in brawns or brains or both. For starters, having a familiar beside you gives you an edge to survive here."


    He faced the class. "For those who have failed the subject before or those who are new to this program, please step forward."


    "Go ahead," said Adi and gently patted Melanie''s back. Melanie nodded upon the encouragement and stood up. A number of students also came forward and formed a line across the professor.


    "Now, I want you to place your agimat here on the table."


    Melanie frowned upon hearing the unfamiliar word.


    "It''s your ring."


    Melanie blinked when she heard Adi''s voice inside her head. She raised her hand wearing the ring and showed it to the professor. Other students also did the same thing.


    Professor Baroque placed his hands across the magical items and muttered words in a low voice. Melanie watched as the items glowed in their respective colors and instantly wondered why hers emitted dark light.


    "For those who do not know..." the professor said and retreated his hand, "My power is Knowledge Replication and what I did right now was the integration of information to your items so it could guide you regarding the process of summoning your familiar. You can call that information as an embryo that would only hatch when you successfully summon your companion."


    "Now," the professor gestured to the bookshelves, "choose a book that will catch your interest and bring it here."


    This is going pretty well. Melanie thought and obeyed the professor''s instructions. She went to every bookshelf and scanned the books. She playfully brushed her fingers on their spines and enjoyed the vintage smell oozing around her.


    Luce loved books. This would have been a paradise for him. She thought wistfully.


    Her thoughts were interrupted when a book suddenly fell down from above like it intended to crush her skull. The thud echoed loudly that caused Melanie to shudder and look around to see if anyone noticed the fall.


    Strangely, students who were only meters away from her were unbothered and displayed no signs of astonishment. Melanie pursed her lips then shrugged and bent down to pick the book up.


    It was a thick black book with peculiar characters on the cover. She placed her fingers to the side then opened the book to have a glimpse of its content. Her forehead curled up when she only saw blank pages.


    "What kind of book is this?" she mumbled and looked some more but the book only consisted of blank pages.


    Melanie closed the book and tried to return it to the bookshelf but there were no spaces available for it to fit in. She frowned and looked above but there were no signs that the book came from that shelf at all.


    "This is really...weird, " she mumbled under her breath, then placed the book on top of the books lined up on the shelf. She left the book there and was about to continue her stroll when it flew back into her hand in a matter of seconds. She tried to return it to its previous position, but it only repeated the same deed.


    "W-what... the hell?" huffed Melanie.


    "I see, everyone got their books now. Please come back here immediately."


    Even though Melanie was hesitant to bring the book with her, she knew that she had no choice for the book did not want to leave her hand. She sighed and walked her way back.


    When she finally returned, she was the last one on the line. The room was a bit noisy because the students ahead of her had already summoned their familiars. They were in the form of animals but with mystical features: Magical wings, glowing eyes or skin, sharp fangs, and anything upon the list.


    Melanie eventually met Adi''s stares who had a white and orange fox sleeping on her shoulders. The noble-looking girl smiled at her and nodded like everything was going to be smooth and fine. Melanie smiled back and sighed again.


    I hope mine will look adorable and fluffy. Melanie wished.


    "Melanie Faye Harlow..." the professor muttered her name when he received the book that she brought with her. The professor looked down and his golden eyes widened. He lifted his glasses to have a better view of the book he was holding.


    Melanie watched as the professor hastily opened the book. She grabbed him by the arm and was about to tell him that the book only had blank pages inside.


    But she was cut off when her arms were instantly filled with peculiar characters that were flowing out of the book. The professor scowled and pushed the book out of their hands. He muttered some words, and the characters flew back to the pages. They engraved the papers with Melanie''s blood as ink.


    The book glowed once more, and a burst of light flew out of it. It expounded to the skies, and it blocked every light that was coming through.


    The hall was instantly covered with darkness and shadows.


    The hall suddenly became ghost-quiet and even the familiars cowered in fear and hid behind their owners.


    "What is happening?" one student blurted out.


    The professor''s eyes looked sharp. "I also don''t know, " he said and looked at Melanie whose chest was heaving up and down as she watched the characters'' bruises on her fair skin disappear one by one.


    "Master,"


    A voice resonated above them, and the dark light shrunk into a ball. It fell down at an intense speed and sputtered on the room''s floor like a liquid. The substances wiggled and concentrated on the center on which they rose and formed a figure of a little human being.


    The dark substances subsided and revealed a little girl who had a silky raven hair flowing up until her knees that barely covered her naked body and crimson red eyes lacking their shine. She slowly rose up and walked towards Melanie who was marveled by her appearance.


    The little girl lowered herself and bent down in front of her summoner and said in a soft voice, "I''m Alice and I''ll be glad to be of your service once again, Master."

 Chapter 08: The Uprising Rebellion

    "Her familiar is a humanoid?!"


    "How is that even possible?"


    The class buzzed like bees upon witnessing the unusual form of Melanie''s familiar. Melanie instantly felt uncomfortable with the attention she was receiving but she chose to ignore it and approached the little girl named Alice who was still on her knees.


    Melanie held both of her arms and gently pulled her to stand up, but Alice did not budge. Instead, she slowly turned her head towards the disoriented crowd and glared at them with her red eyes.


    "Silence."


    Melanie gasped when people in their class froze in an instant, the birds and leaves hovering over them stopped midair, and everything turned black and white. All sounds that she was aware of faded into nothingness.


    Alice stood up and held both of Melanie''s hands. She then lifted her face and met Melanie''s gaze, "Master, why are you with these inferior beings?"


    Melanie blinked and her eyebrows knit together. "Um, Alice, I am really sorry, but I don''t understand what you''re talking about. I think you might have mistaken me for someone else."


    Alice scrutinized her summoner and clicked her tongue upon realization. "You''re correct."


    Melanie nodded a few times, still looking puzzled. "Yeah."


    "Can I touch your forehead?" asked Alice out of the blue.


    Melanie felt hesitant because of the strange question but with Alice''s little girl form, she could not help herself from giving in. She then guided Alice''s hand towards her forehead.


    "Here," said Melanie.


    For the first time, Alice''s lips formed a smile, but it did not reach her eyes.


    "I give you, my gratitude."


    Alice grabbed Melanie''s forehead and covered her eyes with her palm. A flash of light came out from her hand that burned Melanie''s retinas. Melanie''s eyelids drooped while her pupils traveled to the back of her head. Her body quivered intensely, and she almost lost her balance if not for Alice''s clutch.


    Moments later, when Alice finally noticed that Melanie could finally stand on her own feet, she removed her hand and took a step backward. She watched every strand of Melanie''s jet-black hair turn white and nails grow longer and sharper. She then lifted her gaze and showed her glowing red eyes. She smirked and a fang glimpsed from her lips.


    Alice noticed the difference and she lowered herself instantly, "Forgive me of my insolence, Master."


    "Alice," muttered Melanie in a low tone. Her voice was cold and honeyed. "I see that this vessel has already awakened you."


    "Yes, Master."


    "But why did you call for me?"


    Alice continued to stare at her Master''s feet. "I believe that your vessel is unable to execute what a bearer must accomplish."


    "Alice, look at me."


    The little girl complied with her Master''s orders and her eyes widened when her Master''s face was right across hers in an instant. Her vision was instantly filled with those shades of red flowing from Melanie''s pupils.


    "Are you taking me for a fool?" Her voice contained cold fury.


    The Master''s cunning stare numbed Alice''s tongue, but she was still able to force a response.


    "N-no, Master."


    Melanie reached for Alice''s chin and gently caressed it. "Alice, you''re important to me and I know you feel the same way too but..." she smiled, "you need to value this vessel if you want me to be with you again."


    "But..." Alice trailed off when she was shushed by Melanie''s finger on her lips.


    "I need you to guide her until she''s prepared to accept her fate. Do you understand?"


    "Y-yes, Master."


    "Excellent. That''s what I like most about you, Alice."


    After Melanie said those words, she grabbed both Alice''s hands and shut her eyes. The ends of her hair floated in the air, and it danced like they were submerged in water. Like a piece of canvass, drops of black ink spread through her white hair until it returned to Melanie''s usual jet-black hair. She sighed deeply and her hair felt the gravity once again and settled on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and Alice met the same purple orbs that welcomed her when she was summoned.


    Melanie frowned and looked around. Everything was still black and white, but she felt like she was missing something.


    She looked at Alice who could not even look her in the eye. "Did something happen? You don''t look fine."


    Alice removed Melanie''s hands on her then snapped her fingers to begin the flow of time again. The chatters and the colors appeared again like nothing happened.


    Professor Baroque cleared his throat. "This sight is rare but it''s not an impossible phenomenon, " he said, then looked at his watch.


    He gazed at the class. "I believe we have already accomplished what we needed for today. You may now go to your next class." He glanced at Adi. "Please lead them to Professor Devon."


    "Understood, " replied Adi.


    Professor Baroque hastily jumped on the disc and flew out of the mini room after hearing Adi''s response. He did not even look back to the class as he went out of the hall.


    Melanie looked at Adi when she suddenly stood up. On cue, all of their classmates also did the same except for her and the sulking Axel.


    "It was the same thing as before, " muttered Melanie while watching her classmates in trance. "You control minds."


    "Yes," said Adi and directed her gaze towards the other students. "Professor Devon''s class is next. Her room is located at the end of the corridor."


    The moment she smiled, the class returned to their senses and understood what Adi just announced. They then hid their familiars and exited the hall.


    "Um, Adi?" Melanie darted a glance towards Alice, who was still quiet the entire time. "Can you also help me to um, hide her?"


    "Check your ring. The embryo might help you with that."


    Melanie did what she was told to and brushed her fingers to the ring. A hologram description panel lit up and it showed an outline of Alice''s detailed narrative at the next part. Melanie scanned the entire thing and did not understand most of it since they were all written in strange characters.


    "Here," Melanie almost flinched when she felt Axel''s body pressing against her back, "I may not know how to read shit too, like you, but Ace taught me the specific characters I must look for to hide my familiar."


    "Now that you mention it, I think I haven''t seen Axel''s familiar earlier..." Melanie thought.


    "Well, Melanie, looks like hiding your familiar is not an option according to your embryo."


    "What should I do then?"


    Axel shrugged and looked at Alice from head to toe. "I mean, her form is human. I don''t think you need to conceal her or anything."


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    Melanie nodded. "You''re right."


    Axel grabbed Melanie''s hand and pulled her up. Alice stood up too.


    "Do you want to hear something interesting about Devon''s class?" said Axel while guiding both of them to the disc.


    "What is it?" asked Melanie.


    Axel smirked. "His activities always happen outside the University."


    Melanie stiffened and her eyes glistened from what she heard. Her memories from her first arrival to the Damned made her chest feel heavy and it made her freeze on the spot. She felt like time had rewound and the pain caused by the defilement she experienced returned to her at once like scars etched on her skin; no matter how many times her wounds are healed, the damage of the assault would always remain in her head.


    "Master,"


    Melanie turned her head towards Alice when she suddenly spoke and touched her arm. "Don''t fret. I''ll do my best to protect you."


    "Alice..."


    "Me too! I''ll also do my best to protect you."


    Melanie almost rolled her eyes when she heard Axel''s reassurance.


    "I feel like she needed to add the phrase, "because you''re my toy." at the end of her statement." rebutted Melanie''s thoughts.


    She heaved a sigh of relief and gazed at Adi when she saw her in her peripheral vision. They both smiled at each other.


    "They''re right. I''m not alone anymore."


    ***


    Luce stared at the window that showed the night view from their backyard. The glass reflected his dull green eyes and disheveled ginger hair; signs that he had been up for days that he had lost count. His hands gripped the sponge tightly as he used it to rub the dishes in the sink; foams scattered everywhere, and water dripped endlessly from his hands.


    The voices coming from the living room, the chatters, the giggles, and the blathers disturbed him entirely as the thoughts came rushing in his head¡ªthoughts about the woman with purple eyes, jet black hair, and beautiful smile that he missed the most; thoughts about why people around them forgot her that easily like her existence was erased right from its core.


    Luce sighed. He set the last plate on the drainer and wiped his hands using the towel hanging on the holder. He stopped for a moment then pondered once again when he saw and felt the bracelet on his wrist. He brushed his fingers against the beads, and he swallowed a lump in his throat when the image of the girl he loved appeared in his head.


    "Melanie..." he thought. "No matter what I do, everything reminds me of you."


    If Luce would ask people how they think about Melanie, they would come up with a million reasons for him to stop thinking about her.


    "Melanie is a cursed being."


    "She is unclean."


    "She is different from all of us and that is a sin!"


    He leaned against the wall then looked up at the ceiling. Luce knows how many times he attempted to conceal the warm fuzzy feeling inside his chest whenever he thought of Melanie. He also forced himself to stop worrying and being bothered by her absence.


    But he just can''t.


    Even though Luce has control over his thoughts, he could never dictate his heart.


    He could not even sleep comfortably after he came to know that Melanie was exiled to the Damned. Endless questions kept him awake at night, wondering if she was still fine and if she was still alive. The mere thought of her lying on the cold ground in a pool of her own blood, eyes closed, and pale skin made Luce tremble with anger, frustration, and sadness.


    Even though his home is safe from danger and his bed would give him the best comfort the world could offer, he would never feel secure now that he knew that Melanie was out there, asking for help.


    Luce sighed deeply and quickly opened his eyes when his emotions were getting ahead of him again.


    Trying to convince himself, he muttered in the air, "This is the tradition, Luce and you can never change it."


    To distract himself from being miserable with the loss of his childhood sweetheart, he sauntered towards the salas where he saw his parents having a nice chat with a girl he did not recognize. Luce frowned and stopped for a moment to stare at them, but they quickly noticed his presence inside the room and turned to him with a smile.


    "Oh, dear, " the mother said, then stood up. She gestured to the girl with blonde hair and faded blue eyes to stand beside her. "This is Dahlia. She lives next to our house, and she recently passed the Purifying Ceremony! Isn''t that great?"


    Luce faked a smile and looked at Dahlia. "Yeah, that''s great."


    "Hi, Luce, " said Dahlia, her cheeks tinting red. "Nice meeting you. Tita told me a lot of things about you."


    Luce scoffed. "I hope they''re good things though."


    "Yeah!" the girl beamed without a thought. She instantly became conscious of her actions and retreated to her modest demeanor, "I mean, yes. She told me about your love of music and love of books. I-I think that''s cute."


    Luce raised his eyebrow and nodded. "Is that so?" he said, then reached out his hand. "I look forward to good things with you, Dahlia."


    Luce''s mother tapped Dahlia''s back gently like she was saying "Go ahead, grab his hand!"


    Dahlia flashed her beautiful smile and shook Luce''s hands. "Likewise."


    "Okay," Luce''s dad said and pulled his wife to his side. "I think we should leave you two for a moment so you guys can talk, okay?"


    "Yes, Tito."


    "Okay, Dad."


    When Luce''s parents went upstairs, Dahlia returned to sit on the couch while Luce sat beside her. There were cups of lemon juice prepared on the table and a couple of bread and although the food looked enticing, the two showed no interest.


    "So um," mumbled Dahlia. "How are you today?"


    "Fine. How about you?"


    "I''m fine, too. Thanks. The weather is great, is it not?"


    "Yeah, it''s great."


    Luce sighed when Dahlia leaned back slightly while frowning. Her expression showed discomfort towards their awkward situation. Luce noticed that and decided to turn his head in her direction, then he raised his hand to cup her face. Dahlia''s blue eyes widened and her cheeks instantly reddened.


    "L-Luce..." she gasped.


    Luce continued staring and proceeded to tuck an errant lock of hair behind Dahlia''s ear. The gesture obviously made the girl blush more, but he only focused on the dark marks engraved on the girl''s temples.


    "What caused this?"


    Dahlia quickly covered her temples with the back of her hands, "W-what are you talking about?"


    "You guys were electrocuted at the ceremony," said Luce and trailed off, "I knew it..."


    "Luce, you know it''s prohibited to talk about the ceremony outside the light space!"


    "Y-yeah," Luce retreated his hands. "You''re right."


    "I appreciate that you''re concerned for me, " Dahlia amended quickly. "But really, it''s fine. At least I am clean and pure unlike that girl who turned out to be a cursed being walking among us. Can you even imagine? She was sitting beside me during the entire ceremony!"


    Luce grabbed both Dahlia''s shoulders and gently tugged her because of what he heard. He pursed his lips and then asked, "What happened to Melanie?"


    Dahlia frowned and her face filled with disgust. She then shoved Luce''s hands off her shoulders and blurted out, "You know her?"


    "S-she''s..." Luce tried to contain himself then added. "She''s my friend."


    "Was."


    Luce''s eyes widened when he heard his mom''s voice. He looked back and saw his parents looking at him dubiously. His mom who had the same green eyes glared at him while her arms were crossed across her chest. His dad stood behind her frowning and grimaced at the sight of his son.


    "Oh, Dahlia. Forgive my Luce. Maybe his association with Melanie brainwashed him to draw him to her. Don''t worry. We got everything under control, " the mother said, emphasizing the last words.


    Dahlia stood up and giggled. "It''s okay, Tita. I understand, " she said then approached Luce. She gave him a peck on the cheek. "I''ll come back tomorrow. Thank you for having me."


    "You''ll always be welcome here."


    After the floral scent of Dahlia left the room, Luce felt the penetrating stares coming from his parents on his back.


    "Luce," his father called.


    Luce sighed, felt vulnerable for a moment, then turned to face his parents. They were already sitting on the couch and turning on the television. The table adorned with food and beverages before was already squeaky clean and devoid of dirt.


    "This is our last warning."


    Luce looked to his father when he started speaking. His brown eyes looked straight, his back leaned back on the chair, "You never knew Melanie, understood?"


    "Yes, father." replied Luce as he stared at the floor.


    "Also, after your classes, you''ll be hanging out with Dahlia. The schedule is as is. Spend some time with her and don''t ever bring up the ceremony nor the cursed girl again, you understand?"


    "Yes, father."


    "The Harlows will be celebrating tomorrow with their newborn child. Act in your best behavior."


    Luce secretly clenched his fists upon hearing the news. "Yes, father, " he replied.


    "They are Melanie''s parents! How could they replace her that easily?" he thought.


    "You may go to your room now."


    Luce did not even dare to look up to meet his father''s gaze when he was talking. He walked straight up the stairs and entered his room without a second thought. He shut the door behind him and crawled into his bed. His thoughts grew louder again.


    Ever since he was born, Luce was told what he should be. Although the talents and skills he had were all recognized and even his passion for books and music were supported both financially and figuratively, his future was already set in stone.


    He had to enter the University his parents chose for him. He needed to choose a career that was similar to his father, get married in a particular age with a girl that his parents picked for him, and lived his entire life with a house that they would be building together.


    Everything all seemed to fit in together.


    Except that they did not even give him a chance to choose for himself.


    Until he met Melanie.


    She was his sanctuary.


    She was his hope.


    She was his salvation.


    Melanie was his home.


    Whenever he felt down and exhausted, just knowing that he would see her smile at the end of the day was already enough to lift up his mood. Luce knew that even if everything seemed so messed up, as long as Melanie was there beside him, he always had a reason to look forward to the days ahead of him.


    Now that Melanie''s gone, his happiness also went with her. He could not find the reason to go on further anymore. Luce never desired anything but to live a simple life with Melanie; seeing her face every morning and kissing her goodnight at the end of the day. He could never wish for more.


    But at the same time, he knew he deserved that pain.


    He was aware that she also experienced being sheltered by her parents, but she saw that treatment as a form of love and never resented them for it.


    Just like how Sanctified kids were raised to believe.


    Luce, on the other hand, is different.


    He looked at the mirror beside his bed and the reflection flashed an ominous smile back at him. Its grin was spread up until its ears and almost a second away from severing its own lips. The reflection whispered some gibberish words in the air and even though Luce did not know the language, the worlds flew into his head, and he quickly understood what they meant.


    A familiar gaze came from Luce''s green eyes like the reflection had been a part of his life ever since. He clenched his hands beneath the sheets.


    "I don''t care what it will cost me. I want her back."

 Chapter 09: The Embodiment of Rules

    When Melanie, Adi, Axel, and Alice arrived at the huge lawn across the gate, they saw students forming a line across a man with long curly brown hair, black shades, and tan skin. Adi and Axel''s eyes reflected a tint of recognition when they saw the man, Melanie wondered if that man was an outcast in the class, and Alice, on the other hand, was still occupied by the feeling of rough grass under her feet.


    Upon feeling the presence of the group''s arrival to the class, the man jerked his head towards their direction and his outfit was nothing formal like Professor Baroque''s suit earlier because he was wearing a maroon muscle tee, sweatpants, and flip flop. He gestured them to join the line of students and Adi, being the wise and composed vice president, gracefully occupied the space after the last student then she was followed by Axel, Melanie, and Alice.


    "For those who didn''t attend the orientation, my name is Professor Devon, and I will be teaching you Power Enhancement course."


    He looked around the students in front of him and slowly walked to one while still speaking to the whole class. "I don''t like spoon feeding so expect what you need to do in order to enhance your power will not be given to you. However..." He gazed at the male student in front of him and then he slowly removed his glasses, revealing his glowing electric blue eyes.


    The students gasped and watched that glow enthusiastically, expecting something interesting was bound to happen when suddenly, the light slowly diminished, and the professor looked only as fine as before.


    The professor tapped the student''s shoulders and gently squeezed it, "You need more counseling."


    The corner of his lips rose up and he turned to face the crowd, "My power is not really of much use in the real battle, but you could think of me as a seer. A seer who could see other people''s weaknesses."


    "But lack of counseling is not my weakness, " the student subjected to his demonstration argued.


    The professor cupped his face and hooked his dark shades to the neckline of his maroon muscle tee. "Come back again after you did what I advised you."


    The professor walked over to the next student and the same routine occurred. His eyes glowed in different shades of blue and then he revealed his analysis according to the weaknesses he saw from the students'' physical, mental, and emotional health.


    "Try to eat more protein."


    "Gain some confidence."


    "Try to work on your thoughts first before trying new things."


    "Focus on your growth..." mumbled the professor while gazing at Adi, "exceed your limitations if you must."


    "Understood, Professor Devon, " replied Adi and bowed respectfully. The professor then moved to the next student in line and penetrated Axel''s system.


    "Be honest, " said the professor and pointed to Axel''s chest. "To yourself and to other people."


    The professor then turned and finally stood across Melanie. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw those purple eyes staring at him curiously while her lips were pursed like she was hesitant to hear what the professor had to say.


    "New face..." said the professor and darted a disapproving glance towards Axel. "Perhaps his new toy," he thought.


    He returned his gaze to Melanie and did the same thing as before. His electric blue eyes glowed brightly and tried to pierce into Melanie''s system but instead of seeing Melanie as a piece of flesh with a bundle of nerves, muscles, and pulses altogether, he saw something different.


    A glitching image of a woman with white hair and pools of crimson staring back at him with gleaming menace.


    "Shit," he muttered and staggered back when his eyes were suddenly shut tightly and then, a cold and eerie voice echoed inside his head.


    "Try once more and you''ll lose your sight...forever."


    His eyes opened in horror and fear instantly crept into his body when he noticed what happened. His body trembled and his hands tried to reach his eyes.


    He could see nothing but darkness.


    Despair tightened his chest as he tried to blink for a couple of times. His breaths turned quick, and his heart thumped aggressively until the sound of his chest rang into his ears. He thought he was going to faint.


    He inhaled sharply and blinked even more. The vast darkness in front of him suddenly diverged and revealed a hazy sight of humans that resembled walking trees. He frowned and his pupils contracted as the light became overflowing until finally....


    He finally regained his vision.


    "You!" He jerked his head towards Melanie and was about to say another word when he noticed everyone''s eyes watching his every move. He hissed and recoiled his hand instantly.


    He cleared her throat, "You..." the professor trailed off. "Y-you lack experience. Try to take this subject seriously."


    Melanie nodded her head and awkwardly smiled. "I will. Thank you."


    The professor averted his eyes.


    "Something inside her rejected my powers," the professor thought and gritted his teeth. "She''s dangerous."


    Alice cleared her throat, and the professor instantly came out of his thoughts. His eyes landed on the familiar and he raised his eyebrows after a quick thorough scan of the young girl. His powers revealed that Alice was like a transparent film possessing tiny sparks of energy inside her. She was not even made of cells in the first place.


    "You''re not even a human, aren''t you?"


    "No, I''m not."


    The professor was about to reply when Melanie stepped up and apologetically bowed down, "I-I''m sorry! It''s my fault. I don''t know how to hide my familiar at the moment and I¡ª"


    "It''s fine, " the professor replied. "It''s not even a big deal."


    "It is ..." the professor trailed off. He was completely terrified of the existence of such a familiar in his mind. He gazed at Melanie, who was still remorseful of the incident and thought, "What the heck is she?"


    He turned around and sauntered towards his initial position. He shoved the idea of having a strange and bizarre student in his class and proceeded to focus on the task given to him by the University. He then faced the class and announced the activity they were bound to accomplish for that day.


    "As usual, you all will be going out of the University and return with the crystal I hid within the outskirts, " the professor instructed and showed the crystal settled on his hand. The students looked at it in awe.


    "You must be here five minutes before our class ends. Students who fail to comply must face penalties for such offense, " said the professor and finally wore his shades again. "You may begin now."


    As if on cue, the towering gate of silver and gold opened with a deep, full, and vibrating sound that reverberated to the ground making it tremble. Some of the students almost lost their balance upon the disturbance produced beneath their feet and some of them levitated to prevent manifesting the impact of such inconvenience.


    "I, Devon Savannah, give you permission to leave the University in fulfillment of my course." The professor''s voice echoed, and a ball of energy surrounded by geometric strings appeared across his chest. The ball of energy then burst and created a lilting sound and it formed into a hologram logo of the University of the Damned.


    A raven that sits down on a crescent moon.


    The symbols traveled in the air and burned to the students'' skin like a tattoo.


    "Just one reminder..." the professor trailed off that earned his class'' attention.


    "Come back alive."


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    ***


    "Melanie, don''t you ever get out of my sight, you understand?" said Axel right after they exited the University.


    Melanie frowned at her and pouted. "I''m not brave enough to be away from you guys," she muttered.


    Adi giggled, covering her mouth. "I completely understand why you''re feeling that way, " she said and smiled. "Don''t worry, everything''s going to be okay."


    "She''s right, " said Alice. "No one can touch a single strand of your hair when I''m here, Master."


    "Then what about this?"


    Melanie gasped when Axel was only inches away from her face. She instantly flinched as Axel gently grabbed a strand of her jet-black hair and sniffed it. Melanie felt her face redden because of the gesture.


    Alice''s mouth gaped open, and her crimson red eyes widened in confusion. "W-what..."


    Axel laughed. "You should have seen your face!"


    "Even the mighty familiar cannot figure out your antics, Axel, " commented Adi then looked at Melanie. "Is she being nice to you?"


    Melanie awkwardly smiled. "Y-yeah, she''s..." she glanced at Axel who was also staring at her that moment. She gulped and added, "...nice to me."


    The trip continued and Melanie could not help herself but feel nostalgic. She was fully aware of her fear towards the outskirts that she was trying to conceal deep inside her, and even though her first arrival at the Damned was considered a nightmare, she could not deny the fact that she had people around her now who accompanied her along the way.


    "Like they are my friends."


    The thought instantly took Melanie back to reality.


    Even though Adi and Alice showed nothing but goodness to her from the time they met, the first person who showed her affection was also the person who tried to harm her and even if Axel was always there for her, she was still unable to trust anyone and see them as people close to her heart.


    Melanie knew that the very reason why she was still with them was because she could not afford to be alone yet. She had no powers, and she had no means to protect herself from other people who wanted to harm her.


    "Maybe the professor was right. I must take this subject seriously so I can learn by experience." Melanie thought and looked at her group. "I should learn from them."


    "Wait."


    The group instantly stopped on their tracks when they heard Axel''s voice.


    "What is it?" asked Adi in a hushed tone.


    Melanie roamed her eyes around and tried to focus her senses to their surroundings. The establishments around them were all rusty buildings with no signs of recent use and the floors were also filled with dry blood and various types of dirt that looked like abstract painting. The sky was covered by dark clouds like it was brewing a thunderstorm above them.


    "Who''s there?!" shouted Axel.


    A sound rustled meters away from them.


    Melanie turned her head to the direction and almost choked a squeal when she saw an arrow flying between her eyes. She held her breath and was not even given a chance to blink when someone threw their body on her just in time for her to dodge the attack.


    Melanie gasped and quickly lifted her gaze to meet the eyes of the person who saved her.


    Dark eyes.


    "A-axel..."


    Axel smirked at her and cupped her face. "No time to be mesmerized, darling. Let''s save our ass first, shall we?"


    Melanie nodded dazedly and she sprung to her feet along with Axel. They both found Adi who was peeking at the corner of an alley and gesturing to them to take cover.


    "Fuck!"


    Melanie almost stumbled over when Axel suddenly pushed her in full force. She was immediately caught by Adi who was hiding in the corner at the very critical moment. Melanie stiffened as she heard Axel''s scream from behind. She was about to peek out from the alley to take a glimpse at Axel when someone grabbed her arm.


    Melanie looked back and saw her familiar staring intently at her.


    "A-alice..." stuttered Melanie and choked her cry. No words came out from her mouth.


    "I know what you want. I''m going to do my best to grab Axel from the chaos. Just promise me..." she said and glanced at Adi for reassurance before returning her gaze at Melanie, "...stay here. With the vice president."


    Melanie bit her lower lip and nodded. "Okay I promise."


    When Alice went out of the alley, Melanie reached out to Adi but before she could even touch her, a dagger slashed through the gap and pinned on the wall. Adi and Melanie stared at each other and decided to run away from the clashing battle. The attacks came simultaneously but they eventually subsided as they travelled.


    They both panted when they decided to stop inside an abandoned building.


    "What was that?" asked Melanie, keeping both of her hands on her knees. "We''re just going to find the crystal, right?"


    "Outskirts is a dangerous place." replied Adi. "Those crystals can be sold for a month worth of food."


    Melanie could not believe what she just heard. "You mean..."


    "Yes," said Adi as if she was reading Melanie''s thoughts, "they are hunting us down because they wanted the crystals."


    "But we haven''t even found one yet!" blurted out Melanie.


    Adi shook her head. "Axel already gained 3 earlier."


    "What? Are you serious? Why didn''t I know that?!"


    "I don''t know..." trailed off Adi and averted her eyes, "I actually know but it''s rude for me to tell that I was hearing the voice inside your head, right?"


    "Ah, um..." Melanie was speechless. "I, um...it''s okay. I guess?"


    "Anyway," Adi summoned her familiar and settled her fox on the ground, "We need to regroup with Axel and Alice. The sooner the better."


    "I agree," said Melanie and looked at the fox who was currently sniffing the ground for their scent, "I hope your familiar finds them soon enough."


    "Yes, and¡ª"


    Adi was cut off by a thunder resonating over them and it was followed by a torrential, pouring rain with some random lightning strikes.


    Melanie and Adi instantly panicked, "The scent!"


    Adi picked up her fox and was about to suggest Melanie for them return from their previous post when she noticed the dark towering figure behind the girl.


    "Melanie..." she called out. "When I say run, run, " she whispered.


    Melanie was not able to understand it at first but noticing the horror in Adi''s face, she instantly knew...that someone or something was behind her.


    Adi mustered her strength to control the dark figure''s consciousness and she instantly paid the price. Her fox disappeared and she collapsed on the floor, quivering in pain. She raised both of her hands and gritted her teeth.


    "Now..." she gasped, clutching her head, and then she faced Melanie, "Run!"


    Melanie pursed her lips when she noticed Adi''s gaze and she was not able to protest.


    She ran.


    She ran as fast as she could.


    Her knees were trembling, and she could not even think of anything else but to escape from the danger lurking around the corner. She bailed her fists and refused to look back. Adi sacrificed herself to create a chance for Melanie to break free and she must do the next right thing.


    She must regroup with Axel and Alice and find their way back to Adi to save her.


    Easier said than done.


    Melanie squealed when her feet slipped, and she fell on the ground. She forced herself to get up but was instantly stopped by the scene in front of her.


    "W-what..."


    A couple of kids wearing ragged clothes sat on the ground and had nothing in their hands but a pair of swiss knives and raw flesh. Their eyes reflected emptiness like they had witnessed layering despairs that wounded their fragile souls and made them lose their childhood innocence.


    No toys.


    No joy.


    Those kids had nothing to worry but survival.


    Melanie looked at the other side of the street and she saw older people wearing the same type of clothing and noticed that they had sunken dark eyes, dry hair, and bodies slightly contorted by exhaustion, grinding themselves every single day just to put food in their children''s mouth.


    Melanie had tears forming in her eyes, trying to make sense of the reality she never ever thought existed, not even in her wildest dreams.


    Everything she learned, everything people made her believe, and everything she knew...


    "They were all lies?" Melanie wondered.


    She never ever thought of The Damned to be like that; a society suffering in poverty and barely surviving every single day, and not even a trace of salvation where they could also live-in luxury and peace, at least, the same luxury she experienced at the University.


    Ever since she was a child, almost every person she met was fixated to the idea that being different within the society is a sin and therefore, as a countermeasure, they needed to be separated from the whole since they would contaminate the remaining pure. People around her also pointed out that those cursed people could prosper on their own.


    "They have special abilities. Of course, they can provide for themselves."


    "It''s better for us to get separated from them. We may not know but they may be building a kingdom at the outskirts as we speak."


    Melanie did not think about it that much before because she was always taught that the Sanctified race was once inferior to the other. However, ever since the great leader paved its way to the authority and honed the plans to separate the cursed and the pure, the once inferior beings climbed to the top and managed to live a normal life without cowering in fear every second.


    One must be proud to be part of the Sanctified race.


    They were weak but they managed to defeat the strong.


    They were merely humans, but they grabbed the victory from the monsters.


    Melanie was educated to view the Damned as a den of monstrosity where humanity ceases to exist.


    Doubts filled her system and she suddenly heard Adi''s voice inside her head that only amplified her suspicions.


    ''Those crystals can be sold for a month worth of food."


    Melanie blinked and looked at the people around her once more.


    "What if these people..." she gasped,"...were only driven to insanity?"


    "She''s one of the students at the University! Search her!"


    Melanie quickly stood up when she felt the ground shaking. She lifted her gaze then saw people brought down everything they were carrying earlier. They were all glaring at her like she was their precious meal they could enjoy their feast on.


    "I have no crystals!" screamed Melanie and started to run away. But before she could even go up to a distance, someone caught her in their arms.


    Melanie struggled, "Let me go!"


    "Shut up, dimwit, " said Axel and squeezed her arms. "It''s me."


    "This feels like deja vu." Melanie thought.


    Melanie felt a presence before her, so she turned around. A lady with sun-kissed skin, colors of ice and fire in her eyes, and silver hair stared back at her with a wink. People trying to chase them fell to the floor with a thud with blank dull eyes and drooling mouths.


    "I stole their sense of hunger. That could buy us time for now."


    "Thank you, Ace, " said Melanie and finally removed Axel''s hands from her. "If not for you..."


    "Shush, I don''t need that pretty little gratitude of yours, " Ace said and sucked her lollipop then crossed her arms. "If you really want to thank me, feed me your emotions."


    "I will if I know how, " Melanie quickly replied that made Axel laugh and Ace shook her head.


    "Naive."


    "I know but first," said Melanie and looked at the both of them. "Let''s find Adi and Alice."


    "Alice was already in your ring, " countered Ace. "I gave her instructions on how to be with you instantly. I was not aware you don''t know how to summon her."


    "I...um, you might want to teach me sometimes."


    "Okay. Well then, let''s find Adi," mumbled Ace and faced Axel, "take the lead."


    Axel grabbed Melanie by the hand and gestured to Ace to walk along with them. When they were about to pave the way back, Melanie heard a familiar melodic voice inside her head.


    "Open your heart to the truth and I''ll be able to help you."

 Chapter 10: Fear is a Place

    "She''s here!" shouted Melanie when she noticed the abandoned establishment meters away from them. Axel and Ace tried to stop her by calling her name, but Melanie did not listen and rushed into the building where she recalled Adi quivering in pain. She was so fixated on the idea of seeing the vice president''s condition in her own eyes that she forgot the reason why Adi sacrificed herself to create a chance for her to escape.


    Melanie then slowly stopped in her tracks and quietly gasped when she saw Adi lying on the ground, unconscious, and with a dark figure hovering above her. She then covered her mouth as she carefully took a step back, trembling and being engulfed by fear.


    "What should I do?" thought Melanie. "Should I wait for Axel and Ace to arrive? But what if they''re too late?"


    Melanie looked at her ring when it suddenly glimmered amidst the dark. She placed it across her lips and whispered on it, "Alice...please, help me."


    The emerald at the ring glowed magnificently in green and blue hues and a curtain of light fell over Melanie. The sight caught the dark figure''s attention and its non-existent head consisted of smokes and beads turned to her, but Melanie did not pay it any attention because something sapped her energy and turned her knees into jelly, leaving her light-headed and weak.


    Melanie smiled when she noticed the little girl standing in front of her. "Alice..."


    Her familiar looked at her with cold crimson eyes, "Master," she mumbled. "Do you know the pain that I''ve been through because I was not aware that you cannot summon me from that ring?!"


    "I''m sorry..." muttered Melanie and pointed in Adi''s direction. "Just please, save Adi for me."


    "No." Melanie''s eyes widened when she heard her familiar''s response. "I think you must save her yourself."


    "B-but I don''t have¡ª"


    "Yes, you do. And that''s what I''m going to teach you now." Alice placed her two fingers on Melanie''s forehead. "This is gonna hurt like hell but endure it."


    "What¡ª"


    Melanie could not even finish her sentence when electric currents drowned her thoughts. Her vision blurred and turned red as her body shook with intense vibrations. Her eyes went up and her head felt like holes were being drilled all over her skull. She gasped for air and images started to appear inside her head.


    It was a figure of a woman in white dress, hands folded across her chest, and head bowed, gathering her mental energy to manifest her powers in real time. She then lifted her gaze and focused on her opponent, a monster covered with dark miasma, as light gathered between her folded hands. She turned her palms towards the monster who was already in the air ready to attack and muttered incomprehensible words.


    During the chant, Melanie found herself being warped inside the woman''s consciousness where she felt the familiar heat and energy pulsating inside her veins and released the spell through her own mouth.


    Melanie woke up from the trance and her eyes landed on Alice who was sitting beside her all that time, watching her every move intently. Melanie then rose up and looked at both of her hands then balled them into fists. She sprung to her feet and returned her gaze to Adi, who was still in the same situation as before.


    Melanie then wiped the sweat out of her forehead and slowly approached the scene, her heart thumping endlessly inside her. She folded her hands across her chest and envisioned that similar light she saw from the dream; a silver light filled with gold and dust. She felt the same heat and energy surging inside her and it successfully ignited between her palms. She concentrated on the dark figure and gathered her courage.


    She gritted her teeth and put power on her words.


    "Purification!"


    The dark smoke screamed as it quickly disintegrated in the air, leaving nothing but sparkling ashes. Melanie ran to Adi''s side and lifted her head towards her lap. She gently cupped her cheek, "Adi? Wake up!"


    Adi slowly opened her dull jet-black eyes and looked at Melanie. She tried to open her mouth but only moans came out.


    Melanie hugged her tightly and cried, "I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry."


    Adi gently squeezed her arm as if trying to tell her that everything was alright. Their reunion did not even last that long when Axel and Ace finally found them. Alice explained the situation in a breeze.


    "When we arrive at the University, let Alice and I take care of the crystals," pleaded Melanie.


    Axel nodded. "Got it. And then?"


    "Bring Adi to the infirmary."


    "Okay."


    "And," Melanie gestured to Adi. "Will you carry her?"


    Axel hissed then frowned, her face vividly showed her protest. Melanie only blinked at her a couple of times and did not stop the eye contact. Axel noticed that and carried Adi in her arms like a bride as a form of surrender.


    She rolled her eyes and pouted at Melanie. "This is disgusting."


    ****


    Melanie sat down inside the classroom while biting her nails. The professor was not there yet but being alone in the room with strangers almost made her choke inside. She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, imagining everyone naked and ghost quiet.


    For a moment, she felt alone but that was the most comfortable moment of her life. She almost smiled. The solace of being in solitude with only her thoughts and memories she acquired from her once good life embraced her fragile soul. She remembered the smell of pancakes her mother used to make for her, the chocolate syrup and the butter at the top that melted in her mouth, and the stories they shared together over a cup of coffee.


    She opened her eyes and reality slapped her again. She did not know what was more painful at that moment. Being alone in the sea of strangers or being a stranger to the people she loved unconditionally. Her heart ached. What could be the good result upon reminiscing about those lovely old memories?


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Nothing.


    Because nothing would change at all no matter how many times she dwelled upon it.


    "Hey,"


    Melanie turned her head when somebody suddenly spoke. Her lilac eyes widened as someone poked her cheek. She then lifted her gaze and saw Axel smirking widely at her reaction.


    "Miss me?" mumbled Axel. "Bet you do."


    Melanie blinked and simply removed the finger pressing on her cheek. "How''s Adi?"


    Axel pursed her lips then leaned on her chair. She ran her fingers through her dark curly hair before replying, "She''s fine and she already woke up. She just needed to rest because of the mental attack she suffered from."


    "Mental attack?"


    She suddenly remembered Adi''s powers and how she attempted to control that dark figure''s consciousness then ultimately paid the price. Melanie felt a pit in her stomach and her heart seemed to pulsate in her throat. She bit her lower lip.


    If only she was not that weak....


    "Yes," answered Axel. "Those dark figures we saw hovering above her were called Deprivers. They''re shadow monsters born out of negative emotions, and they strip one''s mental energy. Outskirts have a lot of them since this place is technically a slum."


    Slums.


    Melanie''s discomfort intensified as she recalled the children she saw; lost innocence and driven by survival, and then their elders who seemed to witness layering despairs and exhaustion as time passed by¡ªthose images broke her. They shattered everything she knew about her existence¡ªabout the world''s existence to the fact she did not know what to believe anymore.


    She was raised to comply and absorb the set of truth and morals Sanctified laid out for her, then engraved them inside her head. The instant that she used to see that place as a threatening kingdom outside of their City''s walls left nothing, but a bitter taste in her mouth.


    "What the heck are you thinking? Are you that worried about Adi?"


    Axel''s annoyed voice brought Melanie back to reality. She quickly shook her head.


    "It''s just that..." She sighed. "I just cannot believe that this place is a slum. I cannot wrap my brain around it. It just doesn''t make sense to me."


    Axel raised her eyebrow. "I see. What a crisis, " he deadpanned.


    Melanie unconsciously brushed her fingers against her arm and a phantom feeling lingered inside her chest. She felt the bracelet that was once hugging her wrist before and instantly envisioned those green eyes, ginger hair, and adorable smiles of her best friend.


    "Luce was still there," thought Melanie. "What will happen if he knows the things I know right now? What will he do?"


    "Don''t feel so bad about it," muttered Axel then yawned. She placed her hand over Melanie''s desk and rested her chin above her hand. She f lashed her smile. "I think it''s normal for a person who grew up with those good wannabe asses to feel like that. I mean, they literally shove you a lot of pretty lies and truths that basically made up your entire existence."


    Melanie nodded and said, "You''re right."


    "You know what," said Axel. "This class will help you a lot to sort that confused brain of yours."


    "In what way?"


    "Man," uttered Axel with a hiss. "This is history class, remember? Though it sounded boring to me, this might be hot news to you."


    Before Melanie could even reply, the sound of clicking heels on the floor made the entire class attentive. Melanie gazed at the professor and almost covered her eyes.


    "Is that the teacher? Why is she wearing lingerie?!" she thought.


    Axel leaned back on her chair and smirked. "Hot damn."


    "Good morning, everyone," the professor muttered and sat on the table with her legs crossed, revealing her creamy thighs. She twirled the ends of her midnight black hair while she looked at the pages of the book she brought with her.


    "For those who didn''t know me, I''m professor Razia Eka Acharya." She put down the book and then looked at the class. "I''ll be taking your history class."


    Melanie gulped. She swore inside her head that the longer she lived in the Damned, new things would always be foreign and extremely weird to her.


    "I know some of you as children knew the reality of the world in a very different way. So, to make this class short, I''ll be just reviewing you, okay?"


    "Wait!" blurted out Axel after raising up her hand. The professor''s eyebrows twitched but gestured to Axel to proceed anyway. "We have a student from the sanctified race over here!"


    Melanie turned a deaf ear after she heard Axel''s statement. Every motion and sound came to halt in a blur as her eyes perceived her classmates giving her menacing looks.


    "This can''t be. Ace warned me not to tell anyone that I''m from the Sanctified race. Now, everyone knows!" Melanie fretted in her mind.


    The professor gazed at Melanie that made the latter shiver and avert her eyes. The professor noticed her reaction and said, "There''s nothing to be ashamed of, little girl. You''re lucky that you''re in this class, to be honest."


    Melanie lifted her gaze and gave the professor a puzzled look. The professor then gestured to the empty seat in front of her, "This class has Adi. If your classmates wanted to come after you for the mere fact that you''re from that race, they would also be going against the vice president. She''s from the Sanctified race, after all."


    "Also," the professor added and gestured her whip to the person beside Melanie. "Axel seemed to have taken an interest in you."


    "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" rebutted Melanie inside her head.


    "Anyway, thank you for raising your concerns. I''ll be approaching this class in a different manner then," said the professor then skimmed through the pages of the book again. "My power is Theatre. Basically, I can materialize any work of art into a film," she informed them.


    She chose a page and brushed her fingertips to the writing. The writings floated in the air, and they suddenly morphed into images like a floating hologram. She flicked her fingers once more and the images had sounds.


    "It was the year 2020 when a plague spread to all countries around the globe and drained our economies in a blink of an eye. Human lives were already declining, and every piece of salvation was crumbling to pieces. There was no cure for the plague. Nothing stopped it from penetrating one''s body, modifying human''s thoughts, and making them a grotesque and terrifying creature called lemures. They had the flesh of a human body, but they craved the same flesh they were in. They feasted on their relatives and proceeded to eat others too.


    No one knew the cause of all these series of unfortunate events. However, this plague brought a different kind of infection amidst the crisis. They were known as the cursed ones. The term emerged from the population that these infections became visible. They are the people who are deemed different from the society¡ªLGBT community, disabled persons, and people with mental health problems. Everything that was subjected to stigmatization supported the claim that these people are vulnerable to the disease, so the government made a way to separate them from the pure.


    They exiled them and built walls to¡ª"


    "Wait!" Melanie could not contain her thoughts anymore and sprung to her feet. "This must be a mistake!"


    "This diary..." The professor raised the book in front of the class, "is owned by a survivor. It''s the only thing that''s left from the old civilization after your previous race kicked the shit out of us and hid every piece of evidence."


    "No...w-we are oppressed, and we made a way to fight back. These...these are all..."Melanie trembled and became conscious of the penetrating gazes of the people inside the classroom. The roaring emotions inside her chest were hammering her entire consciousness into a pulp. Images of her recent experience outside the University came flashing in front of her eyes and she envisioned her entire existence shattering once again.


    She gasped and tears fell from her eyes. "Everything was a lie..." she mumbled as all her sense of hope faded away into smoke.


    "Melanie!" Axel gently touched her shoulders and tried to call her. "Calm down. I know these are like bombs shoved in your mouth but¡ª''


    "I don''t understand!" Melanie pushed her away. "Why did the government lie to us? Why did they make us believe that you are the bad guys when after all this time, you are the victims?! I...I..." She clutched her chest and pools of tears rolled down her cheeks. Her lips trembled and her knees buckled. Axel caught her before she collapsed on the ground.


    She cried once more.


    Not because reality slapped her with an ugly truth, but because she was frightened of the idea running inside her head that moment.


    Fear is a place and it used to be her home.

 Chapter 11: Cryo-Pyrokinesis

    Melanie ate the food, but it tasted bland inside her mouth. She sighed. Her bitterness was overwhelming her, and she could not think of anything good to comfort her. She frowned and sliced another portion of her fillet then dipped it in the cream sauce.


    "Why are you alone?"


    Melanie looked up when she heard the familiar high-pitched voice of the girl in front of her. She recognized that gray hair and pools of crimson red eyes and her small body build. For a moment, Melanie was reminded of Alice.


    She nodded. "I was kicked out of the class."


    Tamonjie raised her eyebrows then placed her food tray on the table. She sat across from Melanie.


    "Getting kicked out is not really a big deal here but," she said and twirled her fork around the pasta. "I was not expecting you to get kicked out. What did you do?"


    Melanie shut her eyes tightly then heaved a sigh before opening them again. She chewed some of the food inside her mouth and swallowed them in a second. "I was too...emotional."


    Tamonjie stared at her intently while chewing the pasta then mumbled, "Really?"


    "Yeah," replied Melanie. "It''s history class."


    Tamonjie shrugged and gulped her soda. "That makes sense. I remembered Adi being hysterical too when she heard the contents of the diary."


    Melanie''s eyes sparkled when the vice president''s name was uttered. She blinked and asked, "I-is that true?"


    "Yes." Tamonjie smirked as if she remembered something interesting from the past. "It also took her a while to adapt. To be honest, bullying her was worth it. You wanna hear about it?"


    "Uh," Melanie winced, completely caught off guard. "No, thanks."


    "Boring." Tamonjie leaned back on her chair and drew her feet close to her chest, placing her elbow over her knee. She tilted her head and her hood slightly fell back, gazing at Melanie with pure interest.


    Melanie noticed her gaze and she forced herself to finish her food in an instant, but she ordered too much for her to eat. She could not consume them all for she might find herself choking and dying right on the spot.


    "What you know is only the tip of the iceberg," Tamonjie stated. "There''s more to this Damned and Sanctified clash of race shit than what you already know."


    Melanie stiffened and looked at Tamonjie with awe. The little psychopath literally just told her that there was more to come and that she must prepare herself to take in that information again. Melanie grimaced. Realizing that her previous life was only a big fat lie already shattered her; she could not afford to subject herself to spiraling emotions again.


    "How did Adi handle it?" she asked out of the blue. "I know I can''t go back anymore." She felt a lump in her throat. "But I cannot stay like this, right?"


    "Melanya..." Tamonjie''s voice was suddenly an octave lower. "Don''t make that face. You make me want to crush that determination of yours."


    Melanie was taken back, but she chose to reply to the remarks with a glare. That gesture made Tamonjie wheeze.


    "Oh my," she said and nodded. "You''re slightly different from our last meeting, eh?"


    "Just answer my question, d-d-dimwit."


    Tamonjie burst out of laughter, and it echoed throughout the entire cafeteria, turning other students'' heads towards them. Melanie instantly nudged the little psychopath''s elbow and shushed her with a reddened face.


    Tamonjie''s laughs finally petered out and she inhaled sharply. "Okay, Melanya. You got me there."


    "Tell me." insisted Melanie.


    "Well," Tamonjie''s crimson orbs looked at the ceiling then glided to the yellow and blue velvet walls. "Unlike you, she already knew what her powers were. The only problem she had was controlling it."


    "And she successfully did it, right?"


    "No, of course not," disclosed Tamonjie that earned her a gasp from Melanie. "I''m pretty sure you know about her past from the City, right? She was traumatized and she didn''t dare to use the same power that killed her family. That made me want to break her more."


    "I think the last sentence is not that...necessary," commented Melanie.


    "Whatever." Tamonjie rolled her eyes. "Do you want me to continue or not?"


    "Continue. I''m sorry."


    "Going back to Adi, counseling gradually helped her back in the game. She also managed to befriend the Wicked Princess¡ªthats the alias of the president by the way when she was not yet in the council, who helped her to be the person she is right now."


    Melanie was about to reply when her cheek was almost grazed by the object that Tamonjie caught in her fingers. Melanie flinched upon feeling the presence of the little psychopath standing right behind her. It only took Tamojie a millisecond to flash behind the pale Melanie.


    Tamonjie glares landed at the student sitting meters away from them. "That dude must be thick-skinned to pull this prank while I''m here," she said then darted a glance towards Melanie. "Stay here."


    Melanie blinked and by that time the little psychopath was already in the middle of the cafeteria, standing on the table of a certain group of students who looked bewildered by her presence. Her crimson eyes darkened, and she somersaulted in the air and touched down to the boy''s head, slamming her victim to the ground. She then pulled the boy by the hair and threw him towards the wall. The student coughed blood and passed out immediately over the vending machine. His friends went to him and carried his body somewhere.


    "Okay, so what were you saying again?"


    Melanie almost jumped from her seat when Tamonjie''s spoke d. She awkwardly smiled and stuttered, "N-nothing."


    "I know the president made it clear that when the school hours are over, students are free to do whatever they want to do but expect them to mess up with you using those puny tricks every now and then, especially when you''re not with Axel."


    "Oh." Melanie felt her heart sink. "Okay."


    "What''s your next class?"


    "Exhibition of talents."


    "That''s interesting." Tamonjie smirked. "Make a good show for me."


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    Melanie frowned. "What?"


    Tamonjie casually shoved a meatball into her mouth and mumbled, "You''re going into a battle, Melanya. Either you find yourself being beaten by your opponent to death or you beat them first."


    "W-what?"


    "Yeah, good for me, bad for you."


    "How am I going to accomplish that?!"


    "Easy," replied Tamonjie and pointed to Melanie''s ring. "I heard you have an amazing familiar. Why don''t you ask her?"


    ***


    "Um, Alice?" called Melanie right after she entered the abandoned classroom at the end of the corridor. Tamonjie suggested that room would be for her to crash course a training session with her familiar, but she did not expect it to be covered with spider webs and dust. She chose to ignore it and summoned her familiar in that place.


    Alice squinted at the dirt. Her eyebrow twitched, but she composed her look for her master. "I heard it all."


    "Oh, okay! That''s nice. Remember when you made me use that purification spell? Can you make me do that again?"


    "Making you remember everything is a hassle." Melanie''s forehead creased when she heard Alice''s statement about remembering but her familiar continued without wasting a second. "I''ll teach you one attack right now."


    "Wait, what do you mean remember¡ª"


    "First, you need to build up a desire inside your heart," Alice cut her off. "Think about destroying your enemy."


    "Okay," Melanie acceded and mustered all her negative energy inside her.


    "Then, direct it to me."


    "Okay¡ªWhat?!"


    Alice innocently pointed to herself with a blank face. "Attack me."


    "B-but¡ª"


    "And while you do it, utter the spell Maledicere."


    "But Alice¡ª"


    "Master," said Alice with gritted teeth, "don''t underestimate me."


    Melanie pursed her lips and did not dare to speak anymore. She brought her hands together across her chest and interlocked her fingers. She scowled and concentrated on the energy forming between her palms. The heat was the same as the purification spell, but it was more intense and ominous that her gut was churning inside her.


    "I can''t do this!" she cried.


    "Do it!"


    "I-I can''t!"


    "DO IT!"


    "Maledicere!" Melanie shouted and released the energy from her hands. Her eyes were shut, and she did exert a lot of power in her words without her noticing. When she finally fluttered them open, Alice was smiling at her.


    "Ali¡ª" she was cut off when her eyes looked down. She gasped and covered her mouth, eyes widening in horror upon seeing the huge hole in Alice''s torso.


    "N-no..." She started to cry. "I didn''t mean it! I swear I didn''t mean to do that to you!''


    "Shh," shushed Alice and gestured to her body. "It''s going to be alright."


    "But-" Melanie was glued on the spot when she saw Alice''s body regenerating from her raw nerves and muscles, transforming to a new bundle of flesh that eventually filled her entire body. Everything went back to normal as if nothing perilous happened except for her ripped clothes.


    "See? I told you it''s going to be alri¡ª"


    "Good grace!"


    Melanie jumped towards Alice and wrapped her arms around her familiar to give her a hug. She felt Alice stiffen from her touch, but she did not mind it for she was elated to have her familiar safe and sound. Tears of joy rolled down from her eyes.


    "I''m just really glad you''re okay."


    "U-um," said Alice then gently pulled her away. "Thanks for your concern."


    Melanie stepped back and wiped the tears. "Sorry, I was just happy."


    Alice stared at Melanie intently. "You don''t really know anything, do you?"


    Melanie chuckled. "You''re like that again. I don''t do well at mind games, okay?"


    Alice averted her crimson eyes and sauntered towards Melanie. "Lunch break is almost over. I''m going back to the ring."


    "Um, okay. Thank you¡ª"


    Melanie pouted when her familiar touched her ring and was instantly absorbed without even saying goodbye to her.


    She sighed. "I think she doesn''t like me."


    She then gazed at her palms and recalled the spell she released earlier. The spell was obviously an offensive type of magic and its effect was extremely promising. However, Melanie was uncertain if she wanted to use that against an opponent¡ªa human being like her. She could not even imagine doing the same thing again while being aware that she could blast a hole in her opponent''s body. Just the mere thought of it makes her nauseous.


    "Maybe I can try making it weaker?" she muttered, moving her hands across her chest and shutting her eyes off. She then imagined all her negative energy inside her body and formed it into a condensed bead between her palms. Sparks of blue and black roared inside the ball as she opened her eyes and released the spell through her mouth.


    "Maledicere!"


    The small bead of energy floated in the air for a while and then crashed against the wooden chair where it blasted a tiny hole one after another. It travelled to different objects leaving burn marks and making some parts of them hollow.


    Melanie watched her power''s behaviour during that time and an idea instantly struck her mind.


    "Bullets..." she whispered, smiling, "I can make them small, so I won''t do much damage to the opponent!"


    Melanie then practiced her new found ability using the remaining minutes of her lunch break. After being satisfied for fulfilling her aching sense of safety, Melanie ambled out of the room and proceeded to her next class, meeting Axel and Adi along the way.


    "Are you really okay now?" asked Melanie with big eyes.


    Adi smiled. "Yes, I''m okay. Don''t worry about me, Melanie."


    "I''m glad that nothing bad happened to you," she said, and her shoulders slumped. "I''m sorry because I left you. I just..." she exhaled. "I didn''t know what to do."


    Adi shook her head and touched her arm. "I understand. Also, don''t be sorry. Yielding to the depriver was my call, not yours."


    Axel grunted, "She''s right, Melanie. Stop worrying about her. For all we know, she was just full of herself. As if she can control that depriver with her midget powers!"


    Adi and Melanie glanced at each other and displayed their silly smiles as they entered the arena. Melanie gaped and marveled to the huge, enclosed area with leveling seats for spectators. Neon lights were illuminating the center from every corner of the room and speakers were also scattered, playing some upbeat music. Axel simply grabbed Melanie''s hand and dragged her towards their chosen seats. Melanie sat between Axel and Adi.


    Moments later, a woman in her early twenties climbed on the raised platform. She had mismatched eyes colors-blue and green with spiky golden orbs that matched well with her neck-length dirty blonde hair. She was quite tall, wearing black shorts and a red crop top with mesh sleeves that revealed her chestnut complexion.


    "Good day, everyone!" her lively voice echoed from the speakers. "I''m Apricott Qhurtleen, your professor at the course, Exhibition of Talents! Are you guys excited?"


    The whole arena hyped up with cheers and screams that followed the professor''s distinctive vibe.


    "She''s...energetic," commented Melanie that earned her a nod from Adi and Axel.


    "Man in red, give me the bowl!" the professor blurted, gesturing to the guy standing at the corner holding a cart with a huge bowl filled with rolled papers. He then walked towards the professor and placed the cart beside her. The professor kissed his cheeks and faced the crowd once more.


    "Without further ado, let''s select the performers for today!"


    Melanie''s heart skipped a beat. "L-lottery?" she whispered and clutched her chest.


    The professor unrolled one piece of paper from the bowl, "Kthonia Azerie Gonzalez!"


    Melanie almost felt relieved when the first name was announced, but her anxiety came knocking on her again when her professor''s hand rummaged the contents of the fishbowl again.


    Melanie closed her eyes tightly and prayed.


    "Please, don''t let it be me. Don''t let it be me. Don''t let it be me. Don''t let it be me."


    "Melanie Faye Harlow!"


    Her ears rang. Her mind must be playing tricks with her. She lifted her gaze, and everyone appeared blurry. Buzzing noises filled her senses and she quickly trembled in fear.


    "Hey."


    Melanie was instantly brought out of the trance when somebody touched her hands. She jerked her head at the person holding her that moment, sharing her panic and fright with her.


    "Axel, " She gasped, meeting those raven eyes.


    Axel smiled and cupped her face. "You can do this, okay?"


    Melanie blinked and nodded. She inhaled sharply. "Y-yes."


    Axel gently pulled her up and made her stand on her feet. She then guided Melanie towards the arena, whispering comforting and sweet words in her ear.


    "Best of luck," she finally said, helping Melanie climb up towards the stage.


    Melanie did not want to let go, but Axel was stronger than her and easily freed herself from her grasp. Melanie watched her disappear amidst the crowd and darkness. She breathed in a huge amount of air inside her lungs and decided to face both the professor, who was smiling widely at her, and then her opponent.


    Her opponent was a curvy, goth girl with jet black hair adorned with blue highlights. Her eyes were dark green, and it reminded Melanie of the forests that she once played in when she was still a kid.


    "The name''s Aze," the girl said in a cold and low voice. Melanie was about to reply when she noticed the granola bar Azel was eating. She was also munching the package between her teeth, grinding them like it was edible.


    "Are you guys ready?!" exclaimed the professor. The two replied with their gazes. "Then, let the battle begin!"


    Melanie positioned herself ready for battle when suddenly, a flash of blue and orange light passed by her side. She felt numb; a prickle of icy and burning spasms surged in her arms, travelling within her nerves up to her spine. She slowly glimpsed at her right arm and found an empty space which made her whole body tremble.


    She stumbled back; eyes opened in horror as pain slowly crawled into her bones like a snake''s venom.


    She just lost an arm.

 Chapter 12: The Gender-bending Cutter

    With her remaining arm, Melanie touched her right shoulder with trembling fingers. Her knees quivered and she fell on the ground, her tears running like a waterfall. "No...this can''t be happening."


    "Hmm," mumbled the professor, looking down at Melanie''s breakdown. "Seems like she''s having a problem." She then faced the crowd and flashed her cheeky smile. "Do guys think the battle ends now? Or this newbie has something interesting to show us?"


    "Boo! She''s going down!"


    "No fun, no fun!"


    "End it! End it! End it! End it!


    "End it! End it! End it! End it...."


    Melanie was torn. She did not know if she should feel angry, sad, or disappointed at that point. In her seventeen years existence, her limbs helped her mobilize her daily routines and now that one of them was gone, she could not stop herself but grieve and wish to turn back time. Her brain could still feel her arm, her hand, and her fingers as if they were still part of her; even if they were not there anymore, and that mere idea brought more tears to her eyes.


    She was in agony and the crowd¡ªthey didn''t even care about her at all.


    Melanie balled her fist and a crease formed on her forehead. She jerked her head to her opponent who was just sitting across her, legs crossed, casually eating the granola bar and staring at her nonchalantly. Melanie glared at her.


    "W-why?!" exclaimed Melanie, gnashing her teeth.


    Aze tilted her head and showed her smug face. "Why not?"


    Melanie tried to muster all her hatred towards her opponent and visualized that into a ball of energy. She pointed her remaining hand to the Aze, recalling the spell Alice taught her earlier. She pursed her lips and focused on returning the favor; ripping Aze''s arm out of her body and making her suffer too. She wanted Aze to feel the same pain, to make her taste her own medicine, to make her captive on a roller coaster ride of anguish and torment.


    Melanie opened her mouth but the lump inside her thought prevented her from uttering a single word. The spell did not work. Her hand fell on her thigh, tears kept falling as her heart thumped faster inside her chest. She then looked down and thoughts came rushing inside her head. She wanted to destroy the person in front of her. That person inflicted her pain, that person sliced her whole arm like it was nothing, that person did not even say sorry¡ªshe deserves to die!


    She deserves to die! She deserves to die! She deserves to die! She deserves to die!


    "Is that what you really want?" an eerie voice echoed inside Melanie''s head.


    Melanie bit her lower lip and answered with a whisper, "Yes."


    The professor walked closer to Melanie when she noticed the newbie seemed to be glued on the spot while looking down, her jet-black hair covering her entire face. She then placed her palm over her shoulder and asked, "You still going¡ª"


    The professor did not even finish her sentence when she noticed Melanie trembling from head to toe as dark shadows oozed out from the ground Melanie was kneeling on, making their way to her body. The ice covering her right shoulder, where her arm was amputated, gradually deteriorated into dust when the shadows settled over her skin, revealing the terrifying burn injury she received from her opponent''s previous blow.


    "What''s happening?!"


    "I-is that her true power?"


    The shadows surrounded Melanie''s damaged shoulder. They stretched and floated in the air, morphing into an arm. When the transformation was finally complete, the shadows disappeared and revealed a fresh regenerated limb which sprouted from dark magic.


    Melanie started laughing like a maniac. She threw her head high and her purple eyes were now pools of bulging reds. Fangs started to grow out of her gums whilst dried tears marked her cheeks, making them shine as lights bounced from the surface. The cheers of the crowd slowly died down and they watched Melanie falling into the depths of madness.


    "My personality is not really suitable with these energetic schemes. " She hissed and squeezed her professor''s wrist until it made a cracking sound. "Sorry you need to see my horrible act."


    The smile from the professor''s lips faded away and was replaced with a thin wavering line. She freed herself from Melanie''s clutches and stepped back, whimpering like a dog. She lost her grip at the microphone, and it landed on the floor, sending a high-frequency sound to the crowd that made their ears ring. Melanie''s opponent also covered her ears and quickly kicked the microphone out of the platform. It made a thud and finally shut down.


    Aze looked at Melanie with caution then she jumped meters away to create some distance. She then swiped her palm on the arena and made a barricade made out of ice that separated her from the lurking danger. She ignited orange flames in her hands and discharged them all at Melanie''s direction.


    "Did it work?" she winced, peeking through the field of smoke. Her eyes widened when she felt an intense aura just behind her. She lunged from her position and somersaulted in the air and landed on the other side of her ice barricade. She caught her breath and sharpened her senses. She momentarily jerked her head at the slightest of sounds.


    Ice and fire levitated above her palms, "Where is she?"


    "I don''t like your eyes." Aze flinched when Melanie''s strange voice sounded like a whisper to her ear. "Their dissimilarity bothers me...a lot."


    "Why don''t you show yourself?!" shouted Aze and then forced a smirk. "Coward!"


    "Hmm," the voice spoke again, "your tongue also needs to be fixed."


    Aze''s eyebrows furrowed. She pressed her lips together then placed both of her hands on the floor. She then released her powers to the ground, impairing the material and destroying the smoke lingering in the air.


    She almost lost her voice when she saw a pair of feet standing in front of her. Before she could even lift her gaze, a bullet of dark energy hollowed the edge of her shoes, penetrating the flesh of the middle finger of her foot. She gritted her teeth and blasted flames from her palm, throwing her own body away from Melanie.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    However, the moment she was in the air, Melanie jumped too and hovered above her with an evil grin. She grabbed both of Aze''s arms and the jetpack flame instantly disintegrated within Aze''s palms, losing her form. They both fell back on the stadium with Aze''s body slamming on the hard concrete while Melanie sat on her stomach, still clutching both of her arms and pinning her to the ground.


    "I caught you now." Melanie slowly opened her mouth and flaunted her fangs. "I wonder what your blood tastes like."


    Aze''s eyes widened in horror, completely immersed in those menacing pools of crimson. "M-monster..."


    Melanie lowered her head and slowly inched towards Aze''s neck, sending shivers down her victim as her laboured breath signified the pain she was about to suffer. For a moment, the crowd was glued to their seats as they waited for the conclusion of the two prime contenders.


    Aze gasped when she felt Melanie''s lips touching her skin. "S-stop..."


    In a split second, Melanie''s grip loosened on Aze''s arms, and she suddenly collapsed above her. Aze was startled and heaved a sigh of relief. She then looked at Melanie who was pressing her body against her due to gravity. Her mismatched eyes quickly threw daggers at her, rose both of her hands in the air, and settled them to Melanie''s waist. Aze gritted her teeth and forced her last blow with trembling hands.


    Melanie propelled her head high as blood flowed out from her mouth. Her pupils went behind her eyes and her whole body shook intensely as spikes of ice pierced her organs one by one. Her back curved like an arch and her feet straightened and stiffened in the air, her purple eyes displaying the tiniest of nerves due to pressure.


    Aze inhaled air in her lungs and pushed Melanie''s body out of her. Using both of her arms, she pushed herself up and faced the crowd with an aching smile. The crowd, who was still mystified by their battle, steadily registered the end of the game and slowly clapped their hands together until they became a round of resounding applause. Shouts and whistles filled the arena, honoring the winner of the battle.


    ***


    Melanie fluttered her eyes open, and her vision was still a blur. She swayed her head to the side and saw a rusty cart beside her with gauzes and blood. Startled, she turned her head to the side and her stomach sank. Corpses covered in white sheets with splashes of red lined up in columns beside her¡ªtheir foul smell instantly filling her nostrils. She gagged. What was that place?


    "Nasty, isn''t it?"


    She lifted her gaze and saw a woman in grey robes. Her hair was chestnut, and it cascaded to her hips. Her eyes were the shades of coffee and reflected sadness.


    "W-who are you?" asked Melanie. The stranger half-smiled and sat beside her bed.


    "I failed them."


    Melanie frowned. "What do you mean?"


    The girl smiled bitterly. "And I''m next."


    Melanie tried to reach her, but she found out that both of her wrists were clamped down to the metal bed. She looked down and saw both of her feet were pinned down in the same way. She returned her gaze to the stranger, but the person was just staring at her with dull eyes. Melanie felt something was off.


    "How did I get here?!" she blurted out and struggled from her captivity. "What are you going to do to me?!"


    The stranger placed her finger on her lips and looked at the entrance of the morgue, "Shh," she shushed, "they might hear that you''re still alive."


    Melanie gasped. "W-what?"


    The girl''s lips slowly formed a wide smile and the corner of her eyes slanted like slits, "You need to die for me, Clementine."


    Melanie opened her eyes to the white ceiling. A beeping sound resonated meters away from her ears and the smell of disinfectants came rushing into her nostrils. She moved her fingers and inhaled, feeling the tip of the tube shoved into her mouth to give her air. She bent over and tried to shift her body to a sitting position, but her insides were in pain. She peeked inside her hospital gown and saw gauzes surrounding her stomach. She hissed when she finally remembered what happened.


    Melanie flinched when the curtains were pulled open. She lifted her gaze and saw a woman, standing wearing a crop top and skirt underneath her laboratory coat. Her hair was long and wavy and had the colors of the rainbow. Her eyes were clashing reds and purples, one in the left eye and one in the right eye, and were kind of hidden beneath her bangs.


    "I see, you''re awake now." Melanie stared at her, so she continued speaking. "I''m Doctor Mera Angelu Roman. I was the one who healed you."


    "Healed?"


    "Yes..." The doctor trailed off and flicked her fingers. "But I think the right term is I just brought back your body condition before you engaged in battle. I''m a time user."


    "Oh," mumbled Melanie and gestured to herself. "But why am I still hurting?"


    "I may have fixed all your injuries, but the trauma was still there. It''s nothing serious though, and you''re also free to go if you want to rest to your¡ª"


    "No," Melanie cut her off. "I''m fine here."


    The doctor nodded. "Okay," she said and touched the curtains. "But before I leave, I just want to inform you that Ms. Marfori will be paying you a visit for counseling. She''s just in session with Axel in the other cubicle."


    "Wait!" blurted Melanie when the doctor was about to close the curtains. "Where exactly was that cubicle?"


    "Um," the doctor mumbled and gestured to the space across Melanie''s cubicle. "They''re there."


    "Do counseling really take place here in the..." Melanie looked around. "...infirmary?"


    "Ah, no," the doctor replied. "Axel just won''t leave your side when the medics brought you here, so Ms. Marfori came here after your class'' sessions. I think you already know that taking this elective is necessary so, yeah."


    "Oh, okay," Melanie elucidated. "Thank you for the information."


    The doctor''s heart-shaped lips curved up. "Take good care of yourself."


    When the doctor left, Melanie was alone with her thoughts again. She instantly remembered her dream. It was unusual for her to have nightmares, but ever since the day before the Purifying Ceremony, she must have seduced the Boogieman for giving her full attention. She felt like she was being haunted by some apparition in her sleep.


    "Clementine..." she mumbled. "That was the name the stranger called me in my dreams. I really wanted to believe that everything in that dream was only a figment of my imagination."


    Last time she checked; her nightmares probably caused her to fail the Purifying Ceremony. It was one of the factors why she felt that different that day. She agreed to the question of that eerie voice who made her choose between superpowers over her sanity, and look at where it led her to. She was exiled from her home. However, being at the University of the Damned exposed her to the naked truth. She was not even sure anymore if fate brought her a disaster or did her a favor.


    To stop her spiraling thoughts, Melanie stood up from her hospital bed and dragged the hanging fluids along with her. She moved the curtains and peeked through the gap. The doctor told her that Axel was only across her cubicle doing the counselling session. Melanie could not stop herself from being curious and stepped out of her area. She tiptoed and crossed the distance from one side to the other. She stopped for a minute and scouted the area¡ªlooking for other medical personnel that might see her attempts and saw no one nearby. She bit her lower lip and gently drew back the curtains of the cubicle.


    "I understand that you feel bad about someone. I also understand that you are hurt, and everything is painful for you, but you do know how you channel your pain, right?"


    Melanie leaned forward and peeped through the narrow opening. The muffled voices became clearer to her senses.


    "You internalize the abuse, and you resort to punishing yourself in the process. I appreciate that you''re doing better since our last meeting and you''re being true to yourself right now, but I still want you to continue to be brave, okay? These burns and scars can be healed but the wounds inside your head? You need to help yourself too, Axel."


    Melanie''s jaw dropped when she heard the doctor''s advice. She never knew Axel had been suffering all that time. She instantly recalled the diary from the history class and blamed herself for being self-centered and insensitive. She only thought of herself and her own problems and forgot to be thoughtful of others. How could she not notice the signs?


    However, what surprised her the most was the voice she heard next.


    "I can''t guarantee but I will try, Ms. Marfori."


    It was a soft and brittle voice of a man.


    Melanie squinted her eyes and focused on the supposed figure of Alex. She gasped when she noticed the slight differences of her build and noticed the self-inflicted injuries on her body.


    "Axel is...a guy?"

 Chapter 13: The Mind-Penetrating Light

    "I know you''re there. Come here."


    Melanie flinched when Ms. Marfori, the counselor, suddenly looked through the tiny gap. Melanie gripped the curtains tightly, feeling the fabric in her hands, and decided to move them away. She sighed, revealing herself to the two. She then gazed at Axel who was currently facing the other way, eager trying to not meet Melanie''s eyes. Melanie pursed her lips. She felt like Axel did not want her to see him that way¡ªbeing vulnerable and honest, and she already crossed the line when she laid her eyes on him in that situation.


    Melanie glanced at Ms. Marfori for the next thing she must do. The counselor had pixie cut hair, with black and red parting colors at the center of her glory. Her eyes were round, and hazel and she was dressed in a pink blazer, blue blouse, white slacks, and leather shoes. The counselor told her earlier to enter the session, but she did not mention specific directions Melanie has to accomplish upon entering that cubicle. The session was supposed to be private and intimate, and Melanie knew barging into that space would also mean touching Axel''s sensitive spots. She could not imagine what would happen after the counselling class.


    Would Axel treat her the same? Or would there be walls built between them where neither of them could ever cross?


    The thought made Melanie''s mood bitter.


    "Sit down," said the counselor and smiled. "I heard a lot of things about you from Axel."


    Melanie awkwardly smiled and sat down on the nearby hospital bed, "I hope they''re um..." She looked at Axel from her peripheral vision, "...good things."


    "Yes, they''re all good things." Melanie returned her gaze to Ms. Marfori and saw her smiling. "How are you feeling?"


    "I''m fine, thank you," replied Melanie. "The doctor was nice."


    "Mera knows her way best on healing fatal injuries or in your case, half-dead condition," the counselor joked. "Anyway, can you still wait for a couple of minutes? I''ll just wrap up my sessions with Axel then we''ll proceed with yours."


    Melanie nodded. "Yes, don''t mind me...being here."


    "Okay," Ms. Marfori mumbled and turned her attention to Axel. She gently reached for his hands and bluish-grey light emerged from their contact. "Close your eyes, love."


    Melanie stared at Axel who just closed his eyes upon Ms. Marfori''s instructions and barely recognized the person in front of her. She was already expecting the possibility of Axel being able to transform to the opposite sex since the person had the means to change their biology in one way or another. However, the man listening to the counselor''s whispers of comfort and advice seemed a reserved and quiet person. His dark eyes looked droopy and sunken, his lips were only a thin line, and his body was slouching like it was being pulled down by the gravity.


    Melanie gazes went further down, and she stopped herself from gasping. Up close, the cuts almost covered Axel''s arms and she could not even comprehend the pain of those fresh little scars on his skin. Melanie felt her insides churning just by mere looking at them¡ªwhat about the feeling of having those scars engraved on one''s skin forever? While every single day that comes by, new scars would only emerge from one''s hatred to themselves?


    "It''s hard for me to believe that this is the same person who annoys me," thought Melanie. "This Axel is so fragile. One wrong move and he''ll shatter. I can''t even imagine bringing up a normal conversation to him right now."


    In the City, whenever a person experiences extreme emotions, they had no choice but to be quarantined¡ªlocked inside a narrow white room with no sharp objects nearby and hundreds of cameras monitoring their movements. The Sanctified race believes that isolating the person suspected of infection was the best option to protect the people around them and protect the victims themselves also. Once they already calmed down, they were then released from the establishment and given a chance to return to their families like nothing happened.


    On the other hand, if the person was not able to contain and control their emotions, the Government must resort to drastic measures. They would conduct methods and treatments to the person in accordance with their needs and administer thousands of attempts to fix them. These methods include but are not limited to dunking, lobotomy, electrocution, and flaying.


    The worst cases led to banishment, if they showed signs of cursed abnormalities, or death, if they stayed human tainted with dark emotions, but the Government was not held accountable for their actions because people believed that it was for the betterment and safety of their City.


    Melanie gagged for remembering such morbid memories. She once believed that those rules and regulations set for them were humane and lenient¡ªthat everything the Government does for them was driven by compassion and kindness.


    "But they were nothing like that." thought Melanie. "They were only a bunch of egocentric sadists liars disguised as officials serving the public!"


    The existence of counseling sessions at the University of the Damned enlightened Melanie the humane way of handling those people having their bad days¡ªthe simple method that the Sanctified was not even able to pull off.


    "Melanie?" called the counselor, dragging Melanie back to reality. "It''s your turn now."


    "O-okay." Melanie stood up and walked to the seat Axel was occupying earlier. She simply turned around to look for him, but he was nowhere to be found. Melanie almost jumped from her seat when somebody gently reached for her hands. She returned her gaze and saw Ms. Marfori smiling kindly at her.


    "Axel already went back to the dormitory."


    Melanie nodded, eyebrows drawing close together. She knew that deep inside, she hoped to depart with Axel from the infirmary to the dormitory. She hoped not to be alone. She was so used to Axel being there with her despite the danger accompanying them and being alone once more made her anxiety creep into her bones.


    She could only hope for the best and wish for her safe travels back to the dormitory by herself.


    "Melanie, kindly close your eyes," mumbled Ms. Marfori.


    Melanie complied with the counselor''s instructions, and she was swallowed by darkness. She then held tightly to the counselor when a gentle warmth arose from their intertwined palms. From the darkness, threads of light filled her vision, and she heard the counselor''s whispers across her face.


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    "I know that sometimes, facing the truth is painful and terrifying, especially if we find it inconvenient. There are times when we just wanted to stay inside our shells¡ªdevoid from any sense of reality and lulled by sweet and fragrant lies. People wanted to be in a place where they felt safe...and that''s normal. However, choosing to distance yourself from something that can make you a better person would only provide temporary relief and lifetime suffering."


    Melanie felt Ms. Marfori''s soft heat flowing from the tips of her fingers to her chest. The power in the counselor''s words touched her deeply. She could not even detect any malice in them¡ªjust pure concern and love. Ms. Marfori truly cared for her despite being strangers and she never desired anything, but to help Melanie to be a better person.


    "This is your life now, love. You need to accept being one of the Damned now. Yes, it would take long for you to adjust and to adapt here. Yes, this place is entirely different from the luxurious and simple life you had back in the City. Yes, people here might be unkind to you or might be rude to you and from your upbringing, you might not get used to encountering such a negative attitude towards you, but always remember, there will always be people who would care for you. They might be more messed up than you and they might have their own battles they need to conquer, but they would always look out for you, no matter what. I will look for you. I will help you handle your bad days or even cheer for you in your good days."


    Melanie felt tears forming at the corner of her eyes. She was truly uncertain of the emotions circling inside her chest. They were all foreign and raw. She never experienced being loved that way. The kind of love she only knew was from her parents; her parents who sang her to sleep, cooked delicious food for her, gave her comfort whenever she needed to, and praised her every time she did the right thing in accordance with their society''s standards. She was never scolded nor reprimanded for doing something wrong¡ªshe was only encouraged to stay modest and beautiful and was prohibited to show the slightest of negative feelings.


    She thought being happy was always a necessity.


    She thought that was love.


    Melanie gasped and opened her eyes. She then swallowed the lump inside her throat and looked directly into her hazel eyes, "I-it''s okay not to be...okay?"


    "Of course, love," mumbled Ms. Marfori. "That is much better than trying to be positive and burying your emotions. You are a human, not a robot."


    Melanie could not stop herself and she quickly leaned forward to the counselor. She brought her arms in the air and wrapped them to the counselor, pulling her into a hug. She sank to the counselor''s shoulders and cried her heart out.


    "Oh, dear..." muttered Ms. Marfori and returned the gesture. She gently caressed Melanie''s back. "I''m so sorry you feel that way. Everything will be alright, okay? This will soon pass."


    "I don''t know what to say, Ms. Marfori," said Melanie through her tears, "but thank you. Thank you so much."


    Ms. Marfori leaned her head over Melanie. "You''re very welcome, love.''


    When Melanie relaxed at last, she decided to retreat back to her seat. Her purple eyes were red and puffed but her lips were smiling widely. She inhaled deeply and exhaled and felt as if all the heavy and ugly feelings inside her chest had finally left her.


    "I can see you''re feeling much better than before. Did my hug help?" Ms. Marfori teased.


    "Yes." Melanie laughed. "It helped me a lot. Thank you."


    Ms. Marfori stared at her for a moment and returned the smile. "Shall we proceed to the last part of our session?"


    Melanie quickly agreed and asked, "Okay. What is it?"


    "I need your consent to this," Ms. Marfori said and touched a strand of Melanie''s hair. "Can I pluck this?"


    "O-of course," Melanie replied and pulled a strand of her jet-black hair then gave it to the counselor. "Here."


    "Okay, this won''t last for minutes but I need to get inside your head so I can see if you still have problems you might not be aware of."


    "How exactly would you do that using a piece of my hair?"


    "My power is light manipulation but unlike my siblings, my powers were not meant for battle. They''re meant for other purposes¡ªlike this," said the counselor and gestured to Melanie''s hair, "penetrating one''s space without hurting the host."


    "Oh, I see," replied Melanie. "I''m giving you consent. Feel free to um, go inside my head."


    "Okay, I''ll be taking your word for that," the counselor gestured to Melanie to lie on the bed near them. "You might fall asleep so it''s better for you to lie down and avoid body discomfort."


    The counselor then settled the piece of Melanie''s hair in her hand and covered it with her other palm. She closed her eyes and muttered gibberish words, forming a bluish-grey light. Melanie instantly passed out on the bed within a second and the counselor sat beside her. A connection between their consciousness was formed and the counselor also collapsed on the stool, holding Melanie''s hand tightly.


    She fluttered her eyes open and saw Melanie''s memories flashing in front of her on the big screen. She looked around and everything was like a cinema¡ªinclined seats and booming speakers. She proceeded to sit down on the back row and leaned back. She stared at the big screen intently then watched Melanie''s memories like a film playing at a 10x speed. She continued observing and analyzing to give the best recommendation and prescription to her patient.


    However, when she was finally at the moment of Melanie''s expulsion from the City, the big screen in front of her glitched and the speakers released a high-pitched frequency sound that wrecked her hearing. The counselor immediately stood up from her seat and ran to the exit while covering both ears. She did not even have the chance to see the shadow of a woman following her trails like a ghost.


    When she finally grabbed the handle of the exit, it did not bulge; as if trying to trap her inside the collapsing establishment. She tried to muster all her strength and banged the door with the force she garnered but to no avail. All her efforts were in vain. There was no one going to help her out of that situation.


    Ms. Marfori did not know what to do. It was her first time encountering that type of consciousness on the brink of destruction. She did not want to be afraid, but she could not deny the fear brewing inside her as she watched the cinema turning into dust second by second. She focused her head on the reason why that was happening in the first place.


    Was Melanie''s consciousness rejecting her? Why would it want to harm her?


    "You have seen enough. Don''t you ever dare touch me with your dim light again..."


    Ms. Marfori''s eyes widened in horror when she saw the glitching image of a woman with white hair, crimson red eyes, and fangs flashing in the cracked big screen.


    "...or I''ll let darkness devour your light as long as you live."


    "This can''t be..." whispered Ms. Marfori. "This is only a legend."


    Ms. Marfori wheezed, opening her eyes in horror. She looked at Melanie who was already awake and staring at her with concern.


    "A-are you okay?"


    "No," quickly replied Ms. Marfori and clutched her head, "don''t you remember anything?"


    "I don''t," muttered Melanie. "When I fell asleep, I only saw a bluish-grey light floating around me. That''s all."


    "What about the cinema? The woman?"


    "I-I didn''t," said Melanie which earned her a puzzled look from the counselor. She frowned, "I don''t understand. What is happening? You''re going pale!"


    "It was nothing," Ms. Marfori retorted that made Melanie flinch. She patted her patient''s shoulder and forced out a smile, "I must have exhausted my powers, that''s all."


    Melanie placed her hand over the counselor''s. "Please, take your rest now, Ms. Marfori. I''m sorry for taking so much of your time."


    The counselor squeezed Melanie''s hand reassuringly. "It''s my duty to look after you, love. Take a rest now. You may go home now."


    Melanie smiled and hugged the counselor again. "Goodbye, Ms. Marfori. Thank you."


    Ms. Marfori tapped her back and exhaled a sigh of relief. "Yes, take good care of yourself."


    When Melanie already left the cubicle, Ms. Marfori staggered to the bed and slumped herself on it. She stared at the white ceiling and panted, trying to make up for the breaths she almost lost earlier.


    "Melanie is the person Criterion was making a fuss about when he called me earlier," she whispered. "She is definitely a bearer and the entity I saw inside her head was the proof of it."


    She rose up and dialed the council president''s number. It rang for a couple of seconds then the line connected.


    "Hello, Ms. Marfori?"


    "Amirah? It''s something about Melanie Faye Harlow."


    "Why? What happened?"


    "Gather the higher-ups and set a meeting at the conference. That''s where Criterion and I will share our findings."

 Chapter 14: The Ancient Curse

    Melanie sat beside Alice and played with her soft and slender fingers. It had been weeks since she had arrived at University of the Damned and unlike before, she gained more control with her thoughts and emotions¡ªher purple eyes looked sharper, and her face already lost its brightness. Her eyebrows were lower and almost did not move an inch unless there was something that could potentially crack her.


    Ever since her counselling with Ms. Marfori started, her professors also treated her differently. She was completely unfazed, of course, to be treated like an outcast. Not because she was the worst among all her classmates, but because she was different. Melanie knew that and she took advantage of being lonely to sort her thoughts. She needed to confront her life and face her fears and the University gave that chance to her even though the reason behind it was still vague.


    "Master, what do you want to do today?" Alice beamed with a cheerful smile. Her knees swayed back and forth, her crimson red eyes were big and excited, waiting for Melanie to give her an order.


    Melanie frowned at her. Alice had been clingy to her those past few days. "I don''t need anything right now, Alice."


    "Okay, master," replied Alice and looked at the sky. "Continue playing with my fingers, then. I''m willing to serve you with everything you need and desire."


    "Why are you acting like that?" asked Melanie and gripped her hand tightly, feeling her familiar''s cold palms against hers. "You didn''t adore me like this before."


    "Something in you changed, Master. You are slowly returning to who you were before¡ªI couldn''t be happier."


    Melanie stared at her for a moment, trying to comprehend Alice''s words. She knew that something had changed within her, the way she approached and absorbed things, the wiring of her thoughts, and the very core of her existence¡ªthey were not the same as before. However, deep inside, she was still the same Melanie, who was weak and defenseless.


    "Suit yourself," said Melanie and crossed her arms. She then stared at her classmates having fun with their familiar, her eyes reflecting distinct colors. There were blasts of lights, fire, ice, smoke, and other matter in the air and they decorated the atmosphere in various places. Screams, grunts, and wheeze resonated in the open field like a mixer, fusing clashing sounds that made Melanie''s ears ring.


    She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Alice." She glanced at her familiar. "Let''s train together."


    "I will do happily what you ask of me¡ª"


    "Oh please," hissed Melanie and glared at Alice. "Stop with the formalities.


    "Yes, master," said Alice and positioned across her. "I won''t do¡ª"


    "Alice."


    "Yes, master."


    Melanie rose both of her fingers and inhaled the acidic air. She closed both of her eyes and felt the energy pulsating in her veins. She then imagined it as a flowing river¡ªa part of her own body, an extension of her own hand, and when she opened her eyes, her energy finally reached Alice''s consciousness. Without any delay, her familiar arched her own back and mustered a dark energy within her hands. With trembling arms, she released her powers¡ªincreasing its size as it travelled closer to her master.


    Melanie ran fingers through her hair before pressing her palm to the energy ten times larger than her. It then curtained around her, squelching sounds echoing from the surface as it swallowed her whole. She smirked, shrinking her fingers and pulverizing the energy into fine dust.


    Alice attacked again and shot her with bullets of energy. Melanie''s jet-black hair danced in the air when her feet moved quickly on the ground as if they were heavily planted but easily withdrawn when needed. Her steps made the sound of calm sea¡ªno waves, no disturbance, no echoes; only ghost-quiet silence.


    She dodged every bullet Alice had for her and managed to slide through her defense. She spun in the air, letting her image blur in Alice''s vision, and flashed at her back, pointing a dagger covered with menacing aura across her throat.


    "Doing good, master," her familiar praised and smirked. "But not good enough."


    Alice grabbed both Melanie''s arms and threw them into the air. The dragger flew from her master''s hands, and she crashed her body towards her, staggering her back. She then took advantage of the chance and placed her palm on her master''s guts, planning to blast a hole through her intestines.


    But Melanie''s thoughts accelerated into thousands in a matter of seconds and instantly foresaw Alice''s intentions.


    She slammed her palms on her familiar and crashed her pupils with her piercing dark light. Alice stiffened in her touch, black liquids oozing from her eye sockets like mud. Melanie removed her hands and stared at two holes she made into her familiar''s head. She placed her two fingers in the space between her familiar''s eyebrows and was about to blast a hole there too when Alice finally lost her balance, slipping from Melanie''s grasp, and fell to the ground with a thud.


    Melanie sighed and sat beside Alice''s body. She placed her palms across her familiar''s eyes and wrapped them with silver light. Flesh, nerves, tissues, and muscles that were subdued by her powers earlier regenerated below her light, dust of energies gathering inside her palms. When Alice finally wheezed and inhaled sharply, Melanie stopped the healing process and watched her familiar return to life.


    "M-master," gasped Alice and smiled widely. "You''re getting better every single day."


    "I don''t know what you mean by better but," said Melanie and rose up. "These powers cost me my life. They''re not something I should be happy about."


    "You''ll reach your potential in no time," said Alice, standing up like nothing happened. "And you''ll never think of something absurd like that again."


    Melanie scoffed, "Yeah, right."


    She then turned her head to the person furthest from her and was glued to her spot. Squinting her eyes, she saw a woman with dark hair and eyes, clothed in a black leather jacket, long cream-colored shirt with several rips at the collar and hem, and raven faux leather short matched with combat boots. Her hand was gripping the handle of her katana, its blade reflecting the rays from the sun and illuminating her orbs. A grey form of a wolf with electric blue eyes hovered behind her, enveloped in dark miasma. There were no words echoing between them¡ªonly their gazes and mere presence conversed with each other.


    "Axel," hissed Melanie inside her head. "She never talked to me ever since I saw her...weak side. She treats me like a ghost, even in our dormitory."


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    "Alice," called Melanie and did not even glance at her familiar. "Go back to my ring and shut your ears. I have something important to do."


    Without waiting for her familiar''s reply, Melanie took a step forward in Axel''s direction. Her steps were heavy and firm, millions of words trying inside her head, uniting to a single knot¡ªa question, a yearning for her presence, and an attachment severed in the gentlest of touch.


    Melanie pursed her lips and stopped in front of Axel. The wolf softly growled while gazing at her; its blue eyes staring at her intently. Melanie''s hands balled into fists and then eventually unclenched them ¡ªreaching for Axel''s shoulder.


    However, before Melanie could even lay her fingers on her, Axel caught her hands and held them tightly as if giving her a a warning. A warning not to invade her space. A warning not to step in her boundaries again.


    "W-why?" Melanie couldn''t stop her voice from cracking. "Why are you being so distant from me?"


    "Stop."


    "Is it because I saw you being..." Melanie gasped. "...vulnerable? Is that it? Do you think I''d look at you differently because of that?"


    "I said, stop!"


    "I''m not that shallow!" exclaimed Melanie and forced Axel to face her. "I know you''re annoying at times and heck, you even tried to hurt me, and you confused me a lot of times, but you were always there. You were always there."


    "Shut up."


    Melanie cupped Axel''s face who was still struggling to look at her. "Your absence makes my heart ache. I have already come out of my shell but you...you are still caged." She ran her hands against Axel''s leather sleeves and remembered the scars on her arms. "I am healing, Axel. Is that why you hate me now? Are you drawn to me because I was broken and lost and you wanted to break me mo¡ª"


    "Fuck!"


    Melanie was cut off when Axel hissed and interlocked their hands together then dragged her towards the rich forests. Melanie gazed at her back. Axel was not saying anything. What was she planning to do to her? Would she beat her up? Would she spit the words she never wanted to hear? Would she end their friendship¡ªa bond that Melanie was uncertain if it really did exist between them or if it''s only one-sided, and treat each other like strangers?


    Axel slammed Melanie against the trunk of the tree and caged her by placing her hands on either side of Melanie''s head. Melanie noticed the cloud in Axel''s dark eyes and her quivering lips.


    "Don''t make it harder for me, Melanie," said Axel, almost a whisper. "Just forget about me, you understand?"


    "But why?" Melanie prodded. "If I did something wrong, I''m sorry! I don''t like it when you''re avoiding me. You made me fond of your presence¡ªyou forced me to get used to you and now...you''re just acting like we never know each other!"


    "It''s because that''s the right thing!" Axel lashed out and bitterly added, "You don''t need me anymore."


    "I never needed you, Axel!" shouted Melanie that made Axel step back. "You''re not a necessity to me, Axel. You''re a friend, even if you don''t think about me that way, and I want you in my life no matter how much I denied it."


    Axel''s eyes darkened and her appearance slowly turned to her male counterpart. "Say that again," her tone transitioning into a deep and hoarse voice of a man, "Melanie."


    "I want you in my life¡ª"


    Melanie gaped when Axel quickly crossed the distance between their faces; raven and lilac orbs reflecting each other, and kissed the corner of Melanie''s lips. Melanie stiffened and her mind went blank. "W-what..."


    "You can''t return this and that''s okay but..." Axel pulled away and sighed. "Seeing your pure concern to me back in the infirmary only made me want to be loved by you." He smiled bitterly. "I don''t want you to be attached to me, Melanie. I hate the concern you showed to me that day. I don''t deserve that shit, you know? I don''t deserve a single shit in this world."


    "Axel..." Melanie trailed off and then shook her head. "No, that''s wrong. That''s wrong! You can be better. You will be better."


    "Melanie, I don''t know," said Axel. "I''m meant to be like this."


    "Can''t you see?" Melanie implored and grabbed his arm. She gestured to herself. "You helped me get through my s-shit," she stuttered, that made Axel chuckle softly. She continued, "Your way was not...nice but still, you did your best to guide me and protect me. And it''s my turn to return the favor."


    Melanie held Axel''s hands. "Listen, don''t get ahead of yourself. Your feelings towards me, maybe that''s not love. Maybe it''s true that you just wanted to be cared about and I could give you that as a friend."


    "Is that supposed to make me feel unicorns, rainbows, and candies, Melanie?"


    "What I mean is!" emphasized Melanie. "It''s okay to be honest with me, okay? I won''t leave you just because you''re the person you think you are. I''m your friend."


    Axel smirked and slowly returned to her female self. She grinned, her laughs reaching her ears. "Is that how Sanctified befriends one another? Fucking cringe and gross."


    Melanie rolled her eyes while her cheeks reddened. Why was she speaking to Axel again?


    "Whatever!" she muttered and placed her hands on her waist then started walking. "Let''s just go back."


    "Together," teased Axel and followed her tracks. "Let''s go back together."


    From miles away, a figure hidden in shadows tied a tiny scroll on a snow-white cat''s foot and patted it gently to make it saunter. The figure watched it disappear in the bushes. "You''ll reunite with Clementine again, brother."


    The person gazed at Axel walking back with Melanie. "And I''ll eliminate every obstacle hindering her return."


    ***


    The night skies were filled with stars and dominated by the whole image of the moon. Luce squeezed Dahlia''s waist as they strolled towards the garden where he prepared their romantic dinner. His fianc¨¦ could not stop smiling from ear to ear even though her sight was covered by the blindfold.


    "Are you excited?" asked Luce.


    Dahlia nodded her head when they finally stopped. "Yes!"


    Luce smiled and untied Dahlia''s blindfold over her blue eyes. She covered her mouth when she saw the feast in front of her. She glanced at Luce. "I-isn''t these too much?"


    "Of course, it''s not," replied Luce and pulled her closer. His green eyes gazed past the gate of the garden, their lovely home, their kind community, the damned region, then finally, to the world outside the walls.


    "Thank you!" Dahlia jumped and wrapped her arms around Luce. He quickly returned the embrace and trapped his fianc¨¦ tightly within his grasp.


    He venomously sneered, "Everything for you, Luaidh mo ch¨¨ile."


    "L-luce? I-I can''t breathe."


    "Oh, Dahlia." The girl''s eyes widened when she heard his fianc¨¦''s sudden malicious laugh. She gasped when she met his gaze¡ªhis entire eyes looked like they were painted by black ink, spreading across his nerves and swallowing his entire sockets.


    Dahlia pushed him away, fear creeping inside her body as she exclaimed, "T-this is not funny, Luce!"


    Luce threw his head high until his back bent like an arc. His roaring laugh echoed through the entire place, sending shivers down Dahlia''s spine. Tears fell from her eyes as she saw him straightening his spine to his previous position, cracking and popping every bone.


    "N-no...please, don''t hurt me...." cried Dahlia. Without thinking twice, she spun around and let her fears drag her away from that place. However, Luce moved quickly and swayed his hands, making darkness chase her fianc¨¦ until the end.


    "If you love me..." mumbled Luce and balled his fist. The darkness caught Dahlia and choked her in the air. "You should die for me."


    "H-help me!" screamed Dahlia, but her moans fell into deaf ears. She raised both hands and struggled to free herself from the grip, but she could never win over the dark energy. Life faded from her eyes and her glowing blonde hair turned brown. Gagging, her neck snapped, and her mouth exhaled her last hope of breath. Her feet scuffled and her head lolled. Luce clapped his hands while slowly shaking his head, amused. "Bravo!"


    He walked closer to Dahlia''s corpse and leaned over her. He positioned his ear over her nose and grinned when he heard her wheezing. "There''s a little bit of life in you, hmm?"


    He looked at his fingers and his dark nails grew sharper and longer. He then placed its sharp tip on his palm and sliced himself. Black viscous liquid flowed from the wound, and he aimed it towards Dahlia''s mouth. Not long after, the corpse was cloaked with tremors and all her limbs were shivering. Her eyes went up and they were bulging reds. Strands of hair fell down from her head until it revealed her scalp covered with pulsating deoxygenated nerves. Fangs appeared in her mouth and her skin paled until it was colored grey.


    "Rise, my child," Luce muttered when the corpse unsteadily stood up. It growled at him, but he quickly tamed it by his sharp penetrating gazes. The monster fell on her knees and wheezed, acidic saliva falling from her mouth. "Infiltrate the City and bless them with my gift. We''ll reunite with your brothers and sisters when we''re finally outside the walls."


    The corpse slowly faced the lights of the City and drooled intensely. She panted, growling like a hound, and ran towards her feeding ground.


    "What a lovely evening," mumbled Luce as he poured himself a glass of wine. "Hope you could share this with me, Clementine."

 Chapter 15: Reunion of Old Foes

    "Melanie, come here," called Professor Devon when he had finished instructing the class. "You''re going by your own again outside the University and you''re not allowed to bring anyone with you. Is that clear?"


    Melanie nodded then clicked her tongue. "Usual thing, right? It''s been like that for weeks now. I don''t understand why you''re saying that to me again."


    Professor Devon removed his shades and looked at Melanie''s companion with his electric blue eyes. "Since you two already made up, I don''t think Axel will leave you alone for some time now."


    "Oh," mumbled Melanie, and glanced at Axel. "She won''t come with me."


    "I will come with you," retorted Axel, and shot her daggers. "That''s already a freaking default!"


    Professor Devon shook his head in surrender and wore his shades again. He pressed his lips together and said, "Okay, okay. Double the catch, then..." A ball of energy appeared across his chest with orbiting geometric threads and shapes. It then emitted a lilting sound upon bursting like a bubble and morphed into the logo of the University of the Damned. The two emblems consisting of a raven sitting down on a crescent moon travelled into the air then stuck to Melanie and Axel''s arms, consequently, like a tattoo.


    "You''re all good to go." Professor Devon turned his back then waved his hand. "Have a safe trip."


    Melanie inhaled sharply and walked out of the huge gate of the University. Axel ambled beside her while resting both of her arms to the katana placed above her shoulders. She flashed her playful smirk and said, "Guess we gotta double the kids, huh? I didn''t expect Professor Devon to be so supportive."


    Melanie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Stop with your innuendoes, Axel. We''re going to get some kids...not make them," she mumbled, almost whispering the last words.


    "Oh," teased Axel, "I didn''t say we''re making them. What makes you say that, hmm?"


    "Gosh, stop teasing me, okay?" hissed Melanie then nudged Axel''s arm, her cheeks reddening. "We need to focus."


    "Okay, my queen. Let''s go find our kids," said Axel that earned a glare from Melanie. She laughed and added, "Fine, I''ll stop."


    Melanie let her gaze wander and scrutinized the surroundings. There were no visible appearances of fellow human beings nearby them¡ªonly abandoned establishments covered with dirt and the smell of rotten eggs oozing out from the canals. She continued to walk, peeking at every alley she''d pass through.


    "Hey, Melanie," called Axel, and yawned. "Do you know where you''re going?"


    "Of course, I do," replied Melanie. "The faculty forced me to accomplish my classes alone, but since Alice is my familiar, navigation and training became much easier. I already had a map of the entire outskirts inside my head."


    Axel clicked her tongue and crossed her arms. "Good for you, then. Seems like watching out for you had nice results."


    Melanie''s forehead wrinkled and she turned towards Axel. "What?"


    "It''s nothing," said Axel. "It''s not like I followed you and kicked the asses of those people who were tailing you."


    "I can''t believe this," mumbled Melanie, recalling those times when she managed to conquer the goals without much effort. "You''ve been with me the whole time?"


    "Why? You got a problem with that?"


    "And you didn''t even talk to me?!" exclaimed Melanie. "Come on, Axel. What has gotten into you?"


    "Look, Melanie, I thought I was a mess, okay? And I know that I still am. I''m already content with lending you a hand from afar. It''s not really a big deal."


    "It is a big deal!" blurted out Melanie. "You¡ªI thought you were¡ª" she grunted and walked away from Axel. She needed to calm down in that moment, reflecting her actions for the past hours.


    She massaged her temples and bit her lower lip. Melanie knew that she might be overreacting, and Axel might be correct¡ªmaybe it was not really a big deal. The problem is, she could not help herself but to be agitated by the fact that she was bothered for almost a month. Every single day that she lay her eyes on Axel, her mood would suddenly nosedive, and she would succumb to guilt and saudade. Then, she would distract herself to other tasks and prioritized to be more fitting as one of the Damned.


    Axel was the first person who took her and kept her under her wing back at the outskirts, and it was only normal for Melanie to feel disturbed if she would act like a stranger to her. Adi, Alice, and Tamonjie accompanied her for a while, and she was certain that they had bonded together well too, but Axel was...different.


    "Maybe this is a syndrome," she deduced. "Like, Axel was the first person who reached out her hand to me when I was at my lowest so maybe...maybe I just became dependent on her without me knowing?" Melanie nodded, coming to a conclusion. "Yes, that is the only explanation for this."


    "Hey, you''re damn weird." Axel suddenly appeared behind Melanie and pressed her fists to her cheeks, gently squeezing them. "Screws in your head got loose again, hmm? Want me to grease them?"


    "Go away!" Melanie slapped Axel''s hands out of her face. "We have a mission, right?''


    "Yeah, finding our kids."


    "Stop joking around¡ª"


    Melanie dragged Axel down, stooping across the huge barrel. They were hiding themselves in the shadows when they heard heavy footsteps resonating from the rain puddles meters away from them. Melanie fished out her compact mirror and stealthily aimed it at the looming group of men.


    "Something is odd in the City."


    "Why? Did you hear those...screams too?"


    Melanie stiffened when she heard the gossiping of the bunch. She pressed her head closer to the barrel and pointed her ear at their direction. Axel did the same too.


    "Yeah, it makes me think that those monsters are back on the track."


    "But that''s weird. Before they can infiltrate the City, they''ll get us first! We''re outside the walls for that stupid race''s sake!"


    "Don''t you think it''s only an event? You know, that Sanctified race is super fancy."


    "Hmm, probably. After all, Alan''s idea is impossible to become a reality."


    "Luce," Melanie mumbled, eyes widening in horror. She darted a glance at Axel when the group already passed by them. She gulped, "He''s in danger!"


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    "Okay, sweetheart, calm down." Axel grabbed both Melanie''s arms. "Those men are right. Don''t think about it too much."


    "But what if those monsters are really in the City¡ª"


    "Listen, Melanie," Axel cut her off. "That''s impossible, okay? Now get your ass up and let''s fetch some kids."


    Melanie was forced herself to shut down her worries and continued the task for their Power Enhancement course. She travelled with Axel and managed to find four kids in the middle of conducting a theft. Melanie rushed over and blasted beads of dark energy beneath their feet, sweeping them off the ground. Axel then grabbed the chance and tied the kids by their ankles at lightning speed. She dragged them towards an alley and slammed them to the ground. The kids roared, showing hostility to their captors.


    "Kids, listen," mumbled Melanie, displaying her emblem. "We don''t mean harm, okay? We just need to bring you at the University and¡ª"


    "No, you ugly duck! Get us out of here!"


    "Yeah! Once we''re free, we''ll bite you to death!"


    "Even if you don''t look delicious at all!"


    Melanie felt like a statue on the brink of being pulverized when she heard the comments about her. Her eyebrows quirked up as she gawked at them. Those words struck her like huge arrows with the labels ugly, duck, and nasty.


    "Pfft, are you okay?" asked Axel with a deadpan face. "You''re not feeling bad about their comment, right? Kids don''t fucking lie."


    "I-I don''t..." Melanie turned to Axel stiffly. Her eyes were still hollow, and her smile looked like it would melt like mud. "I''m f-f-fine."


    Axel was about to laugh when the kids suddenly added more to their comments.


    "You''re stinky!


    "Your face makes onions cry!"


    "You''re the darkest place¡ª"


    "You, shithead," retaliated Axel, gnashing her teeth. "Shut your mouth or I''ll fucking rip your tongue."


    "What? We''re just describing you, motherfucker."


    Axel''s eyes darkened and daggers suddenly came out from her fingers. She then swiftly grazed the kids'' cheeks with the blade, letting their blood roll down like tears. The kids trembled and gazed at each other''s faces in horror.


    Axel smirked. "Serves you right, assholes."


    "Hmm, what were you saying again?" It was Melanie''s turn to laugh. "Aha! Kids don''t lie, you said. You must not feel bad about their comments, you said. You''re okay with that, you said."


    "Shut up," snapped Axel. "They''re just a bunch of wretched scoundrels." She turned to the kids with a piercing glare. "You''ll come with us whether you like it or not."


    Axel untied the kids and held two of them by their wrists, pointing the tip of her daggers right above their veins. The kids choked a squeal as they envied their two friends being carried by Melanie.


    "Good kiddos," commented Axel then dragged them with her. "They''ll actually listen if you promise to slit their throats once they foiled our plans."


    The two kids in Axel''s clutches stiffened, gazing at their abductor in panic. "P-please, don''t hurt us."


    "We won''t," said Melanie, scooping the kid in one arm and pulling the other. "Don''t worry."


    When Melanie and Axel arrived at the University, the symbols on their skin flew in the air and disintegrated to ashes. They then placed the kids they brought with them in the area labelled with their names, Melanie Faye Harlow & Axel Neo ¨¦clair.


    Professor Devon nodded when he saw them and quickly approached the kids. He was holding a tray of cordon bleu, mojos, caesar salad, and bottles of water and he evenly distributed them to the kids. He then removed his shades and examined each of their physical and mental conditions.


    "They have a lot of nutritional deficiencies..." Melanie saw the professor looking down at the ground, fists balled. For a moment, she thought the professor was going to throw a punch to anybody near him. However, when he lifted his gaze, his lips were curved into a smile and his electric blue eyes were...friendly. He patted the kids'' heads.


    "I''ll give you lots more, okay? Eat up."


    "I wonder where we get our supplies," said Melanie while walking towards their Ancient History class. "We''ve been feeding people here from the outskirts for weeks now."


    "Well, it''s not our problem, right? I''m sure the University can manage."


    "I would not be surprised if there''s someone here who can create material things out of thin air, you know. That would be amazing."


    Axel nodded, swift glancing at the other girl. "I think I know someone who can do that, but I don''t know if he''s still alive."


    "Oh," said Melanie. "Let''s just hope for the best, then."


    When they finally arrived at their next classroom, they both stared at the sign hanging on the door.


    "Hi, my lovely students. I had a meeting to attend so enjoy your early lunch." ¨C Ms. Razia Eka Acharya, the hottest teacher in the world.


    Melanie and Axel glanced at each other. "Are you going to eat? / Want to grab a bite?"


    Melanie covered her mouth and laughed. "Yes."


    Axel''s face brightened up, but she quickly scratched the back of her neck. "Jeez, I just remembered something," she mumbled. "Adi told me to attend that meeting too."


    Melanie''s mouth formed an ''O'', and she gently pushed Axel away. "Okay, go there now. I''ll be having my lunch now."


    "But, won''t you feel alo¡ª"


    "I can always summon Alice, you know," replied Melanie and smiled. "Stop thinking about me."


    Axel shook her head and chuckled. "You know I can''t stop that even if I wanted to, right?"


    "Beats me," uttered Melanie, and shooed Axel. "Go now."


    "Okay, see you later."


    "See you."


    The two parted ways at the corridor, one leading to doom, and one leading to redemption.


    Melanie entered the Cafeteria and gathered the food she liked on her tray. Garlic bread, soup, pizza, and iced tea. She also picked up some berries and cheesecake. She then looked around, searching for a vacant seat she could occupy. Her eyes found one, but her attention was quickly stolen by the figures of two women sitting at one of the tables while munching on their burgers.


    Melanie gripped the tray tightly and inhaled sharply. She started taking a step forward and decided to face her past tormentors. She slammed her tray on their table, vibrating the ceramic plane. The two women glowered at her.


    "What do you want?"


    Melanie sat on the empty seat across from Demerise and Yumi and stated, "I want to eat with you guys."


    Yumi raised her eyebrow. "What makes you think you''re welcome here?"


    "I am welcome here." Melanie looked at Demerise who was trying her best to hide her cowering. "Right, nightmare-factory?"


    "That''s not funny."


    "What''s funny, then?" countered Melanie, and smirked at Yumi, playing with the pizza cutter in her hand. "Ambushing me and taking me lightly?"


    Yumi grabbed Melanie''s arm and thrusted her nails to her creamy skin. "What the fuck do you want from us, freak?"


    Demerise held on to her tray. "Just let her be, Yumi. Let''s just go and find other tables to eat on."


    Melanie scoffed and slapped Yumi''s grip like it was a piece of feather. "Listen, Yumi. I came here to make amends, okay? Sharing a room with you but steadily avoiding you drains a lot of energy from me. Why don''t we have a ceasefire, hmm?"


    "Where did you even learn to speak like that..." Yumi trailed off and remembered the cockiness of the dorm mate lying next to her bed. The corner of her lips tugged down in disapproval. "Axel''s shit is rubbing on you, huh?"


    "Look, Yumi." Melanie''s tone suddenly became sincere. "My intentions are clear. I just wanted us to be...civil, at least."


    Yumi lifted her tray and pulled Demerise to her feet. She leaned closer to Melanie, her ocean blue eyes reflecting the shades of purples. "Something in you ticks me off, you understand? If you wanted us to be friends-friends, then you must be dreaming. I will never let my guard around you."


    Melanie stared at Yumi raising her middle finger before yanking Demerise with her to sit at another table. Melanie sighed. She knew that her current self was slowly adapting to the ways of the Damned, but she could never please anyone. She gazed at her spoon and saw her inverted reflection. She suddenly remembered Axel''s attitude towards the kids earlier. She won their surrender not because of respect, but of fear. She clearly displayed her capability to inflict pain to them without second thoughts, and that had them begging.


    "Shall I use that too?" Melanie looked at Yumi glaring at her direction. "If I wanted them to obey me, should I also show them what I''m capable of?"


    Melanie quickly shoved the pizza in her mouth and erased the menacing thoughts inside her head. Those voices haunted her like an alluring gusto¡ªtempting her to act based on her desires. She exhaled and leaned her back on the chair. She threw her head high and stared at the ceiling. She lifted her hand with the ring and placed it across her lips.


    "Come out, Alice," she whispered, almost pleading. A light came out from her ring and formed the figure of the little girl wearing a suit, black knee-length pulled into a ponytail, and pools of crimson.


    "You called for me, Master," she mumbled and lifted her intense gaze. "What do you want me to do?"


    "Entertain me," said Melanie, her voice being an octave lower. Her purple eyes flashed a film of reds, then she blinked, keeping the dark energy at bay. "J-just talk to me, please."


    Alice tilted her head and pouted. "Why are you concealing your true self, Master?"


    Her familiar''s statement made the voices hammer in her head again.


    "You cannot handle this on your own, Melanie."


    "Your mellow nature won''t save you from what''s to come."


    "You''re a part of me and I''m a part of you. Together, we are whole."


    "You and I are one. You and I are one. You and I are one. You and I are one.... "


    "Zip that..." Melanie plunged a couple of garlic bread into Alice''s mouth and forcefully shut the voices echoing inside her head, "...and eat."

 Chapter 16: The Wolf in Sheeps Clothing

    Axel ran through the corridors in a flash. She never wanted to spit lie and relinquish the chance to be with Melanie during lunchtime, but she had no choice. She needed to see what the student council and the faculty were discussing consistently those previous weeks. She noticed that the strange meetings started when Melanie received counselling from Ms. Marfori, and if her hunch was correct, the subject of matter must have something to do with her beloved.


    "I must succeed in figuring out what they''re talking about Melanie," thought Axel. "I can''t just sit still and wait for them to brew their plans about her."


    Axel moved her body like a silk, swiftly gliding to all pillars and posts. She stuck her tongue to the side of her mouth and rolled towards the space behind the moving food cart. She simply fished out bread from the trays and shoved it into her mouth, gazing at the surroundings.


    "No one''s here," she mumbled. "Adi told me their meeting''s gonna start at 11." She glanced at her wristwatch. "And I''m three minutes late." She hissed. "If only Adi and Tamonji were not that loyal to the University, they must have already given me the contents of their meeting without me doing an extra fucking mile for that."


    Axel doubled her pace than before and ran towards the halls in a stooping stance. Her steps were soft as a cotton, quietly making their way towards the last room in the corridor. She then glanced around, searching for the presence of some security guarding the conference room.


    She raised her eyebrow and said, "This is fucking creepy, man." Axel removed her hands to the knobs of the two giant wooden doors and looked around. "The guards had one job!" She gritted her teeth, "and they obviously failed to do it. Where the heck are they? Usually, they''ll drag the shit out of me like my previous attempts. Did they grow tired of me?"


    Axel shook her head and focused on her main goal. "Whatever. It''s much better they''re not here to foil my plans again." She pressed her ear to the door, then turned the doorknob, hoping it would budge and grant her access. "I''ll gladly listen to their so-called private meeti¡ª"


    Axel was not able to finish her sentence when the door suddenly opened. Due to the impact, her leaning body lost balance, but before she could kiss the ground, a group of people pushed her to the side and dashed by her sight in a blur.


    She clutched her head. "What the heck was that?" She turned to the long corridor but there were no signs of life in there¡ªnot even shadows. She grunted and sprung to her feet.


    "Back to the track..." she whispered, peeking her head through the gap of the ajar door. However, the next scene glued her on the spot. Her eyes dilated in shock, and her mouth stretched open, unconsciously moving her hand to the handle of her katana. She then propelled the door away from her body and stormed into the room. Blood permeated in the air and its rusty smell instantly filled her nostrils. Her vision saw nothing but pools of reds everywhere¡ªeach shade from the student council and the school faculty''s lifeless bodies.


    "Shit." Axel carefully made her way through the corpses and tried to recognize their identities, ignoring their open throats. She chewed her lower lip when she saw familiar faces in them. She stumbled back, panting. "This is so messed up."


    She inhaled sharply and sought for a wall to support her weight. She glanced at the bodies once more and closed her eyes tightly when she did not see Amirah, Adi, and Tamonjie in them.


    "They''re..." She wheezed. "They''re still alive."


    Her short thoughts of hope were interrupted when she suddenly heard monstrous groaning. Her eyes quickly landed on the corpses. Some of the bodies were shaking back and forth, their faces looking like haze. The nerves on their necks enlarged, and the vessels in them drained in color, then became blue. Every strand of their hair simultaneously fell out of their head, leaving their scalp bare.


    "This better be not what I think it is," hissed Axel, pulling her katana out of its sheath, "because I''m totally fucked."


    She slowly took a step back while the corpses were still in the middle of transforming. She then slammed the door shut when she finally exited the perilous scene, and quickly grabbed every single massive furniture present within the vicinity. She leaned her body against them and struggled to line them before the two huge doors of the conference room. She piled them up over each other, trapping the monsters on the other side.


    Axel buried her horror under her consciousness and stared at her work. She sucked air in her lungs, her head formulating her next actions. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" she grunted. "Doom is just a door away from us!"


    She turned around and was about to sprint through the corridor when she saw a figure standing meters away from her in the shadows. Axel released a sigh of relief. "Right timing!" She approached her, lowering her guard down. "You may not believe me but man, I swear, I''m telling you the truth." She pointed the doors behind the furniture she piled up. "There are monsters inside that room! I don''t know how long my blockage would hold on, but we need to get out of here. Now!"


    Axel continued advancing towards her. "Hey, are you even listening¡ª" Until she noticed that the figure was not moving an inch. She stopped on her tracks, stunned. A pair of eyes filled in dark miasma stared back at her like an abyss.


    In a matter of seconds, the figure warped and appeared in front of Axel and poked the tip of the blade against her chest. Axel gasped when the woman she thought she knew supplied the force to thrust the blade inside her flesh, smashing her heart into pieces.


    Blood flowed out of Axel''s mouth as she reached for the person standing across her. "W-why...Y-you..."


    The traitor hastily pulled out her blade out of Axel''s body and the splashes of blood followed, painting the ground with crimson death. She fished out a clean cloth from her behind and wiped the stained parts of her dagger, looking down at Axel, who was gasping to death, with cold blank stares.


    "The plan must not fail," said the traitor, averting her eyes to the scene like nothing happened. "We''re a step closer to success now, brother."


    ***


    The electronic dance music came rushing to Melanie''s ears when she finally entered the Arena. She tugged her familiar, then advanced to the seats located at the third row. The arena was in the spotlight. Like a prism, its white floors bounced the moving colorful lights from the Fresnel lanterns, diffusing rays in the entire enclosed area.


    Melanie fished out her pen and notebook and fixed her purple eyes on the raised platform when her professor in drag queen fashion climbed her way on it. She raised both of her hands, and shouted in the microphone for her opening remarks, spreading her energetic spirits to the atmosphere.


    "Are you ready to have some fun?!" The booming screams and cheers of the crowd overflowed the zone. The professor continued, "Then, let''s choose our first performers!"


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    As usual, a man dressed in a suit delivered a cart with a huge fishbowl, consisting of each of the students'' names in every rolled paper. The professor pulled the masked man closer to her and brushed her lips against his, intentionally smudging her bright red lipstick on his face. The action earned her divided reactions from the audience¡ªdisgusted or aroused. The kissing stopped with a lewd sticky sound, then the professor faced her students with a bright smile.


    "Let''s introduce the first star of the show!" She placed her hand inside the bowl and rummaged its contents. "The name of the star is..."


    "Hey," said Melanie when someone stood beside her. She lifted her gaze and met those black dull eyes and white Grecian dress. "How did the meeting go?"


    Adi''s eyebrow lowered, and quickly grabbed Melanie''s arm. "Something happened to Axel."


    "What?" blurted out Melanie, shoving her things inside her skirts'' pockets. She looked around and whispered. "Bring me to her! Where is she?"


    "I can''t tell you here!" exclaimed Adi. "Come quickly!"


    Melanie let herself be dragged by Adi''s grip around her arm, summoning her familiar back into her ring during the process. Her anxiety climbed from her spine to her head, an insane amount of possible dreadful scenarios drowning her thoughts like an old film. She bit her lower lip as her heart thumped loud inside her chest.


    "Physical attacks won''t affect Axel. I''m sure she can heal herself in that case." thought Melanie. "But what if...healing her wounds and changing her biology works differently? She exhausts her energy every time she uses her power. What if the damage was too much? Adi won''t look so agitated if Axel can handle herself fine."


    Melanie heaved a sigh and balled her fists. "Please, be okay, Axel," she whispered. She thought of the magic she learned weeks ago. If only Axel could wait for her, she would be able to heal her in no time. Melanie did not care whatever that spell would cost her in return. She would do anything to save her friend.


    Melanie blinked and observed her surroundings. They were climbing down the spiral staircase, darkness embracing them. "Why are we going below?"


    "The meeting was held in the Forbidden Book Depository."


    "What? Isn''t it prohibited to go here?"


    Adi lit the torch at the end of the path, then ignited the lamp within her hands. She gazed at Melanie, blazing fire reflecting in her black eyes. "It''s because of you."


    Melanie was taken back. "What are you talking about?"


    "I''m sure you already noticed their strange treatment towards you during classes," started Adi, gesturing to Melanie to continue travelling further down the tunnel. "You''re a bearer, Melanie."


    "Bearer? Me?" Melanie pointed to herself. "I don''t even know what that is!"


    "You''ll see," mumbled Adi, blowing the flame in the lamp. Darkness chased them once again. "The books will tell you the truth."


    "Hey, bring back the light!" cried Melanie.


    A raucous vibrating sound filled the tunnel amidst the darkness, and the torches lit up one by one. Melanie stared at the huge library in front of them, containing thousands of shelves. Her companion caught her wrist and guided her inside, eager to show her something important.


    "Why are we here, Adi?" asked Melanie, finally remembering the reason why they went there in the first place. "I thought we''re here for Axel! Where is she?"


    Adi released her grip on Melanie and remained silent. She approached the particular shelf in the farthest corner of the room and reached underneath it. Her hands caught a wooden chest covered with dust.


    Adi coughed, flapping the dust away. She grabbed the key at the bottom and plunged it to the lock. Her lips formed a smirk when she heard a click. She opened it relentlessly and pulled the magical object inside it.


    Melanie walked close to her and glanced by her shoulder. Her eyes widened. "That''s...that''s a really old book you have there."


    "Adi! Melanie!"


    The two jerked their heads back at the tunnel when two clashing voices called them out. Adi hid the book behind her Grecian dress while Melanie prepared herself from being reprimanded. However, instead of scolding, the two girls received warm hugs from Professor Marfori and Professor Razia''s trembling hands.


    "I''m glad both of you are okay," gasped Ms. Marfori.


    "Me too. Thank you for really bringing her here, Adi," added Ms. Razia.


    "Um, what is happening?" asked Melanie, awkwardly being squeezed by their bodies pressing together. "Can someone tell me what''s going on? Please!"


    The professors pulled away from the hug and looked at Adi. Adi sighed in response and revealed the book she was holding. She gave it to them, and they started muttering gibberish words towards it.


    Melanie frowned. "What are they doing?" She glanced at Adi. "And where is Axel?!"


    "There''s much more significant things right now than Axel. I''m sorry I used her to lure you here in the library."


    "So, you lied?"


    "I did what I needed to do."


    "You could just tell me that you wanted me to come here! I''ll willingly go with you if this is really important."


    "Girls," called Ms. Marfori and nodded at Adi, who quickly stepped back, disappearing in the shadows the moment the fire crackled.


    "Melanie," said Ms. Razia. "You listen to your history classes, right?"


    "Yes," replied Melanie with an obvious tone. "I always pay attention to your class."


    The professors glanced at each other, then heaved a sigh. "Remember what we read in the diary? That the Sanctified filtered out the cursed ones and threw them to the outskirts?"


    "Yes, I can remember that."


    "Well, Melanie." The professors opened the book they were holding and revealed blank pages inside. However, seconds later and black and white images appeared in them, along with handwritten narratives.


    "You see this?" the professor pointed to the drawing of the towering walls of the City. "They did not throw us out of there just because they wanted to stay pure, Melanie."


    "Don''t go in circles," asked Melanie. "What''s the other reason?"


    "It''s because..." Professor Razia trailed off. She inhaled sharply. "The lemures were exiled along with us too."


    "And they made sure that before those monsters get to them, we''ll be doomed first," added Ms. Marfori.


    "I can''t believe this..." Melanie gasped. "But I didn''t see one during my stay here!"


    "That''s because of the President''s invincible barrier around the Damned community," answered Ms. Marfori. "It protected us from them."


    "Protected? You''re aware you''re talking in past tense, right? Does that mean¡ª"


    "Yes," Ms. Razia nodded, bringing Melanie''s nightmares into life. "There was someone w-who..." The professor stuttered, "...w-who attacked us from the inside."


    "So, the barrier went down?!" exclaimed Melanie. "Then, what are we doing here? People in the outskirts might be turning already as we speak!"


    "Yes, you''re right. We can, somehow, hold them back and buy time for the President to make the barrier again."


    "But she''s nowhere to be found, and lemures don''t die."


    "What about other professors? They''re strong! We also have powers. We can fight back!"


    "They''re...they''re gone." Professor Marfori almost choked. "They''re already one of them."


    "What are we gonna do now?!" Melanie''s voice almost cracked. "We can''t just stand around here and wait for our end! What about the traitor? We cannot let them get away with this!"


    "There''s no use finding the traitor when a swarm of monsters already made their way to our territory."


    "Then, what?!" Melanie gritted her teeth. "How can we solve this?"


    Ms. Marfori opened the book once more and pointed to the image of a black and white drawing of a woman wearing a robe and a crown over her head. The crown was not glorious¡ªit was not covered with diamonds and gems. Instead, it consisted of twisted vines and thorns.


    Melanie gaped at the drawing. "Who is she?"


    "Her name is Clementine," Ms. Razia gazed at Melanie. "She''s the most powerful saint that the ancient people adored."


    "I heard that name before." Melanie brushed the tips of her fingers on the paper where Clementine''s face was engraved and felt warmth. A tingle of familiarity swelled inside her¡ªa feeling that kindled her curiosity and desires to know more about the saint.


    "She''s living inside you, Melanie."


    Melanie stiffened when she heard Ms. Razia''s words. "P-pardon?"


    "You''re a bearer. She''s the soul living inside of you at this very moment. You''re our last hope of salvation. Let her take over, Melanie."


    Melanie suddenly remembered the voices inside her head¡ªtempting her to give in. She also recalled Alice, her familiar, who looked up to her like a God. Those instances were not figments of her imagination. A foreign being is living inside her, and people around her wanted to bring that ghost to life.


    She pursed her lips and tears formed at the edge of her eyes. "What about me? What will happen to me if I let her do what she wanted? Did you become so nice to me because this is your intention all along?!"


    "Melanie, please."


    "We need to do this¡ª"


    Melanie''s vision was filled with terror when the professors pleading in front of her were sliced in half. Blood sprayed in the air floor as their human flesh scattered like chunks of meat. Melanie stepped back and lifted her gaze, gasping at the killer.


    "A-adi..."