Eraixis

Ugh....

"This is the worst..."

I couldn't help but mutter as I groaned and woke up from my slumber. Today is the first day of classes; the vacation has finished, and I'm here to suffer for it....

The name's Victor.

"Sental! Come to eat, hurry! Dad and I need to go to work!"

"Going, Mom!"

Victor Sental to be exact. Not the best and most comfortable name yet, but well, what could I do? I wasn't there when my parents named me...

"Okay then, remember, your PE uniform is in the laundry. You need to go and get it on the way to school."

"Okay, I got it, Mom. Don't worry..."

She smiled lightly and kissed my forehead while my dad waved at me with a smile from the car as my mom opened the front door.

.....Wait, but something feels off.

I looked at the table in the kitchen.

It was a plate full of fruits, from watermelon and kiwi to bananas and mango.

And it was shaped in the form of a heart...

Something feels off.

"Hm."

I hummed a song in perfect rhyme as I ate and looked through my phone, Going to the app called RCNews, I scrolled and frowned when I saw the first page.

"Another incident in Foulhalls..."

It was the third time this week. Foulhalls is a special and popular place in Ixis City, where people go to admire the view.

One time, I went there with my family, but recently, murders have occurred in the same area.

"We confirmed that the identity of the person in the picture is a young man called William Anderson, 17 years old. The surrounding people have confirmed that he usually didn't wander these lands, as he lived in the south of Ixis City. He was a local. Who would have thought that he—

Before the news finished, I scrolled again. I know.

But that information is useless if it can't help catch the murderer. In front of the noses of the police and investigators, three times, they still haven't done anything.

"Alright, time to go."

I sighed and placed my phone down on the table and headed to wash my dishes before going to shower.

"PE on the first day is a joke."

I sighed as I walked calmly to school. My uniform consisted of white and black clothes.

Similar in shape to a yukata, here in Ixis City, it is traditional to go to school in these uniforms as it reminds us of our ancestors or something like that.

On my back was my bag, where I had all my utilities, as well as the PE uniform that I collected on the way here—

*Bump, Thud!*

"Ow!"

"..."

As I walked ahead, I bumped into a girl, and we both fell to the ground. She was wincing, so I quickly got up and lent her a hand.

"You good? Sorry, I didn't watch where I was going."

"Yes, you don't have to worry, hehe. It happens to me quite a lot..."

Her voice was cheerful and positive as she stuck her tongue out comically—or so she thought. It looked silly to me.

Her golden shiny eyes and pink short hair made a strange combination, but strangely enough, it was kind of good.

"...Hey, now that I look at you, you don't have any scratches or anything.. ."

"Uhh, about that..."

It's true I don't have a single scratch from that fall just now. It's because, since birth, I have had this problem where no matter what, I couldn't bleed from casual things such as falling or hurting myself because I couldn't be hurt in the first place!

It was something that I have had since birth, so it's pretty normal for me, but I guess it's not for her.

"I'm just a little robust in my legs, you know? They wouldn't get a scratch easily."

"I see, I see."

She completely doesn't believe that.

She grabbed my hand and stood up before dusting herself off.

"Anyways, are you from Theira Academy? Cool, I go there too!"

Before I could answer, she answered herself. This girl is strange.

"Um, but how come you don't have a uniform on?"

I asked as I started walking when I saw her walking next to me. I noticed that she wasn't wearing a uniform after the fall, but I'm curious now.

"Ah, about that—"

She stopped walking.

"Hm?"

I also stopped walking as I observed how she glanced sharply somewhere.

Then I could see it.

"What the—

I widened my eyes when I saw some kind of cubic and triangular mass in the air. It looked transparent as well. Then I rubbed my eyes, and when I saw again, it had disappeared.

"That...."

What was that just now?...

"Oya, come on or we are gonna be late!"

I was woken up by the voice of the girl. She grinned and pulled my arm.

"By the way, my name is Rina. Nice to meet you!"

"Oh... Uh... Victor, Victor Sental."

I know what she is doing.

"Oh well, Victor, we don't have much time to waste. This is near Foulhalls, so it's a bit scary."

She is trying to distract me, but why? And that strange thing in the sky—whatever.

No wait, how can I say that?...

I nodded and walked beside her.

"Hmm..."

She hummed as we walked to school together. We passed through some students who, upon seeing us together, exchanged curious looks.

"By the way, Victor, where do you live?"

"You don't know what shamelessness means, right?"

I looked at her helplessly, and her smile widened, She wants the answer, I sighed.

"North of Ixis City, Vals Road."

She nodded her head softly before letting out a chuckle.

"You really give your location to a complete stranger? Victor, you are something else, hehe~"

"Who was the one shameless enough to ask for it!?"

At my shouting, she giggled and laughed.

"Well, to be honest, my house is near there. Want to go to school together from now on? Hm~?"

She leaned a bit against me.

"Nah, I'm good."

"Eh? How rude! A cute girl like me invites you to go to school together, and you refuse?"

"Well, I normally go to school in my parents' car, so I can't really go with... you..."

I looked as she stopped again. She looked behind as students walked past us. We were in front of Theira Academy. I saw it again I'm not dreaming...

"...." - Victor

"...." - Rina

We were both looking at a strange shape in the sky. I know I wasn't seeing things, and she could see it too.

"Hey, Victor."

"Yes?"

"Do you like mythology ?"

What kind of question is that?

"Uhm, it's interesting, but I don't know much about it. Why?"

"That's not the question I asked."

"What do you mean?"

I was answering absentmindedly; I was completely focused on that thing in the sky, whatever it was. It's not simple... it looks really strange right now...

"Victor."

???

I was confused at first when she grabbed my face and made me stare at her.

"Don't... don't see it again..."

...

*RING~!*

Time for classes. I was seated at the front of the class near the window. I listened as the teacher talked about mathematics. I understood the subject, so I just faked that I was listening while thinking about Rina and that thing in the sky.

"It's strange after all."

Since I was a kid, I haven't fallen and bled, and strange things happen to me from time to time.

One time, it was when my mother was cooking soup. She was boiling it hot, and by mistake, she knocked it off, burning her fingers in the process.

But that wasn't what she was worried about; the boiling soup splashed towards small me.

But in the next second, I shut my eyes tight I felt an embrace.

As I opened my eyes, my mother hugged me while crying. I didn't know what was happening until I saw that boiling soup was all over the ground.

I was completely fine and unscathed. My mom was so worried about me that she burned her knees and legs while hugging me. She prohibited me from entering the kitchen from then until two years ago when I turned 13.

But that is nothing compared to that thing in the sky.

Se...

I wonder what that was.

Tal!...

It looked like the air vibrated and destroyed itself.

Sent!!!...

No, that's too much, I think.

"SENTAL!"

I was woken up by the sudden shout from my teacher.

"Uhh... Yes?..."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? IT'S YOUR TURN!"

I turned and saw that he was pointing to some problems on the whiteboard.

I sighed. The entire class was silent; no laughter nor mockery, as it was prohibited in this type of school. If not, there would be punishment.

How troublesome.

I sighed and walked to the whiteboard as I started to solve the equations. I couldn't help but feel chills in my back as I remembered the thing I saw on the road to school.

That strange thing... it can see, and it felt like he or she was gazing at me. Rina knows something; I'm sure of it.

As I finished the equations, I walked back to my seat, and my classmates clapped and wrote it down.

The teacher's anger faded, and he nodded.

"Please pay attention, Sental. I know you are good at math, but it is good to be more acknowledged too."

I nodded at his words...

But I can feel it again...

It's in the window... looking straight at me...

I bit my lips and tried to focus on the equations, but the more I ignored it, the more pressure I felt.

This feeling... like being watched by reality itself, it feels strange...

Alright, just calm down. Maybe Rina will explain what that is. For now, I will do as she said and ignore it...

"I just hope I find her during break time..."

I muttered as I sighed.

*Riiinnggg~!*

"Alright, class time is over. You all can go to the cafeteria or have lunch here; just don't fight or cause trouble."

At his words, everyone nodded. Some went to grab their backpacks to retrieve their lunches, and some went through the door to the cafeteria. I was in line for the cafeteria too.

...

"Where is she? I've searched the whole school, and I haven't found her yet..."

I said. I can't believe I didn't find her anywhere; it's like she disappeared or maybe...

"She left?"

"Who left?"

"AH!"

Instinctively, I looked behind me in surprise at the voice.

"You—Ms. Zerya?"

"Fufufu~, don't put 'Ms.' in the name; we are the same age, Victor."

Even if you say that... with your soft and gentle voice along with your intellectual mind, it's like we are not in the same league...

"Are you searching for someone?"

I nodded.

"Uhm, she has pink hair, yellow eyes, and her name is Rina."

"Hmm..."

I can see her thinking hard while humming slightly.

I would like to stay longer, but I really can't ignore the presence that is right beside me outside the window.

I need answers, and for that, I need Rina—

"Hey, Victor, would you like to have some tea with me?"

Eh?

....

"I see... an abstract entity, no?"

"Uh? We just sat down; how do you know that, Ms. Zerya?"

That's right; I couldn't refuse as she dragged me here forcefully. Damn, her grip is surprisingly strong.

"Well, you haven't hidden the fact that you looked to the right when we were in the hallway. I saw where you were looking, and for some reason, I felt cold. I'm sure it's not a ghost, as you are afraid of them, and you would run—"

"HEY! How do you know—"

"Don't interrupt me, ahem! So, the closest thing to a ghost is a monster, but this thing is invisible, so it's more accurate to say an abstract being."

For a second, I thought she really could see it; it seems only Rina and I could.

I sighed.

"It's really nothing important."

"What do you mean by that, Victor? This thing can put the whole school in danger. I felt cold for a reason, and that reason is danger."

She is right, but still...

"And you are searching for this Rina girl. It seems you both are entangled in this. What exactly did you do?"

"That's what I'm trying to discover, but it all started when... when... oh..."

The Foulhalls!

My face immediately went pale.

Does it have something to do with the three murders from there? Could it be... it killed them? Does Rina know about it? Now that I think about it, Rina had injuries before we got to know each other or bump into each other.

"Victor? I'm waiting for your answer."

I can see on her face that she knows I discovered something, but I can't bring myself to tell her for some reason.

"Victor?"

A familiar cheerful, soft voice resounded in the library.

I turned and saw Rina standing with a wide smile, she had a book.

The title reads:

Reality Warper: The Villain is Reborn.

"..." - Victor

"..." - Zerya

"..." - Rina

How did I even think she would help me again?