LUNCH BREAK
The cafeteria was a cacophony of clattering trays and teenage chatter, but a bubble of quiet intensity had formed where Cassandra and Hesper sat. Cassandra leaned forward, her chin resting on her palm, watching the newcomer with a look of genuine intrigue.
"You know," Cassandra began, her voice dropping to a confidential tone, "you missed the lecture this morning. The Professor told us the story of the Red Moon—how it was created entirely with Dio. It's actually terrifying when you think about it. I know what Tier Two is capable of, but I've never heard this story before. It's so new to me; Lady Lisanna never mentioned anything like this." She paused, her eyes clouded with thought. "I can't help but wonder what that man felt… watching his own Surge Vessel shatter as the power drove him into madness."
Hesper didn't look up immediately. She took a casual, slow bite of her sandwich, her silver hair shimmering like liquid metal under the overhead lights. "The Red Moon? Yeah, I'm familiar with it. That's a popular story back in Fulton." She finally met Cassandra's gaze, her eyes cool and analytical, stripping away any pretense. "I see you haven't unlocked your Dio yet," she added, the observation hanging in the air like a challenge.
Cassandra didn't flinch. "Not really. But I'm hoping to unlock it very soon. I've fully mastered the use of all primary elements, and I can already fuse them to create entirely new ones. I've even mastered elemental weapon manifestation. All that's left for me is unlocking my Dio."
Hesper allowed a small, sharp smirk to play on her lips, seemingly unimpressed by elemental mastery. "Once you do, then you'll be a rival worth having. For now? We can be friends. Having a human as an ally might actually come in handy."
At a nearby table, Zira approached Aristo. She moved with a polite, almost hesitant grace, adjusting her glasses before extending her hand toward him.
"Hi. I'm Zira," she said softly.
Aristo reached out and shook her hand, his movements calm and deliberate. "I'm Aristo. Nice to meet you."
"I've been meaning to ask you a question," Zira said, her curiosity finally winning out over her shyness. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Sure, you can," Aristo replied, a small, knowing smile tugging at his lips. "I don't mind."
"I know you're shy… and that you don't really like being around girls," Zira began, her voice dropping to a whisper as she recalled the morning's gossip. "Which was why you kept your eyes covered. I promise I didn't mean to disturb you."
Aristo froze, his smile fading into sheer disbelief. "Slow down a bit. I didn't cover my eyes because I'm shy or because I don't like girls. Where exactly did you get that from?"
Zira blinked, looking confused. "The guy who was sleeping during class."
Aristo's expression shifted to one of weary realization. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose beneath the cloth. "I knew it. Phobos." He shook his head. "My eyes have always been closed, Zira—from the very first day I was born. I made a solemn promise to my mother never to take this covering off. Phobos is my brother, and you shouldn't mind a single thing he says when he's looking for an excuse."
Zira's face flushed a deep crimson as the misunderstanding cleared. She nodded quickly, looking down at her tray. "I see. I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding."
"It's totally fine," Aristo reassured her, his voice warm and forgiving.
Zira picked up her tray and walked away, leaving Aristo to his thoughts. Meanwhile, back in the classroom, Phobos remained slumped over his desk, still lost in a deep slumber, completely unaware that his lunch break—and his credibility—were passing him by.
THE GREAT LIBRARY
Deep within the silent, towering shelves of the Great Library, Maria sat alone. She reached up and grasped her locket, her knuckles white as she held it tight. "Hirosuke, where are you?" she whispered to the empty air.
"Lady Maria," a voice interrupted. Barnabas, the head librarian, approached her with a look of gentle concern. "You've been here for a week now. Won't you check up on your children? Perhaps I could lend you some books so you can take them home, continue your research there, and look after your kids. They shouldn't grow more used to having Hesper with them than their own mother."
Maria let out a long breath and stood up. "You're right. Thank you, Barnabas."
Barnabas handed her three heavy volumes. These were specialized texts covering the nature of gems, the history of Diochromes, and the mysteries of how they first came to be. Maria offered a grateful smile and a warm, brief kiss on his cheek. Tucking the books under her arm, she finally turned her back on the library, ready to return to the world of the living—and the huge oak tree that marked her home.
JUNIOR CLASS 4
The rhythmic, insistent grumbling of Phobos's stomach finally achieved what the school bell could not: it woke him up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he shuffled toward the cafeteria, only to find the counters bare and the food sold out. With a long, weary yawn, he wandered outside to find a quiet spot to rest and catch the cool afternoon breeze.
He found something else entirely. Near a stone bench, four boys from Class 1 had surrounded Zira. Her tray lay overturned, and they were busy pouring her milk over her head.
"Go back to Fulton, you monster," one of the boys sneered, while another snatched the glasses from her face and crushed them under his heel. Zira sat there, frozen, unable to defend herself against the cruelty.
"Hey, hey. You guys seem to be having a lot of fun," Phobos called out, his lazy demeanor sharpening as he stepped into the courtyard. "Class 1, right? You really think you can pick on someone from my class and just get away with it?"
The leader of the group mocked him instantly. "If it isn't the blind boy's brother. Do you want to end up blind like him, too?"
The air around Phobos seemed to hum with sudden tension. "Insulting me is one thing," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous level. "But insulting my brother? That I won't accept."
Phobos moved with an explosive speed that caught them completely off guard. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, landing a punch that sent the first boy flat onto the stone floor, unconscious.
"Who do you think you are?" another boy roared, thrusting his hands forward to send a stream of flames toward Phobos.
Phobos didn't retreat; instead, he met the fire with his own. With a level of control that left Zira breathless, he condensed the heat of his flames to a singular, violent point of friction, manifesting a crackling bolt of Lightning. With a single strike, the electricity arced through the next two boys, sending them collapsing to the ground in a heap.
The fire-wielder was frantic now. He manifested four clones to surround Phobos, and for a moment, the courtyard was a blur of exchanged blows. Phobos dismantled the constructs one by one with practiced ease. Finally, he lunged for the leader, his fist cocked back for a devastating finishing blow.
But just as the punch was about to connect, Phobos's body flickered and vanished into thin air.
The bullies stood frozen, gasping for air as they realized the terrifying truth: the person who had just dismantled their entire group was nothing more than a clone. If a mere shadow of Phobos was capable of this level of destruction, they didn't want to be around when the real one decided to show up. Terrified and humbled, they scrambled to their feet and fled.
Zira stood there, her heart hammering against her ribs. She had been saved by a ghost, a remnant of power left behind by the boy who slept in the back of the room. In that moment, she felt a sudden, overwhelming rush of affection, her heart refusing to slow down.
When the bell eventually rang, Zira hurried to clean herself up, using a low-level heat technique to dry her clothes. Throughout the final hours of class, she sat with a deep, crimson blush on her face, unable to keep her eyes off the boy at the back.
Finally, the final bell of the day echoed through the halls. The gates of Mystic Lythoria opened, and school was officially over.