Chapter 1:

Catalyst Dreamer

Aria-Cherishment


As the sapphire blue skies above are met with warm sea breezes fresh off the ocean, waves splash gently against the shoreline and lap at the sands; as white as the passing clouds above. Looking down the shoreline, imprints of feet line the beach. The waves gradually erode the prints with each new greedy gulp of the lapping waves.

The footprints belonged to a girl, grasping the limits of barely underweight. Her hair was a light blue color that lightly brushed the midsection of her back. She wore a beautiful light blue and white sundress that ruffled near the bottom. Her dress flowed without restriction in the sea breezes with each sandy step.

Her eyes were as beautiful as diamonds and a softer shade of blue than the sky above. Her lips were soft and pink, forming a thin smile as she continued walking. Flawless as a gemstone, her skin practically glowed in the sunlight without blemish or scar, clearly sun-kissed. She was gorgeous. If her school had a beauty contest, she would win outright.

The beach was quiet and eerily untouched by human presence besides her. As she walked farther down the beach, a single, clear, and small tear fell to the ground. Not even something as tiny and innocent as that tear was immune to the forces of gravity. It glistens in the sunlight as it falls down her cheek and leaves a small dark spot where it lands, disappearing with the waves. She crouched down, just far enough away from the waves, and began to draw with her finger.

“Lacia” is read in fancy letters emboldened in the sand.


Riing! The bell for 5th period was ringing. Lunch was already over. It was a lazy Thursday afternoon in April. It had been raining all day, so eating lunch outdoors as usual was out of the question. The occasional rumble of thunder echoed through the school. The building was made entirely of glass on the outer walls and was nearly as large as a small college. Lockers lined the hall walls on the left, dotted by the occasional classroom door.

A clock on the cafeteria wall read 12:25pm. Class started at 12:30, but the walk would take an extra couple minutes today since the stairs were wet and class just had to be on the third floor.

“Oh how much I love this school sometimes,” Lacia muttered. “Can’t things just go my way today?”

As much as she disliked the school sometimes, she was at least fond of the uniforms. They were simple, but they were cute. A simple white top tucked into a red and black plaid knee length skirt. An accompanying bow around the collar of the top paired with a choice of ankle socks or knee socks was all it took to make her happy.

Cold air poured from the vents above Lacia’s head as she began the trek to class. Looking at the vents with clear dissatisfaction, she grabbed her bag and walked on, shuddering from the cold and damp air.


"You’re late,” Mr. Krone said, looking at the clock.

Two minutes past thirty after. Great.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Krone. I didn’t plan for the wet stairs. I should’ve left earlier,” Lacia said, apologizing to the class as well.

The day’s lecture dragged on slowly. Today’s lesson was Alurian History and the beginning of a new unit which meant lots of note taking. At least it was something to do and kept her mind busy. It’s not that the class was boring though. In fact, it was her favorite class. Today just sucked in general.

A soft whisper came from the seat next to her.

Lacia...” At first, she thought it was the rain on the windows she was hearing.

Lacia!” it came again. More forcefully.

“Yes?” she asked, shooting up from her seat in a panic.

“I didn’t call you, Lacia. Please try to focus today. I understand it’s a bit dreary out,” Mr. Krone said.

“S-sorry sir…” she said, sitting back down. Mr. Krone returned to his lecture.

Lacia,” the voice came again. “It’s me! Relax. What has you so up in arms today?” a girl to Lacia’s side questioned.

Relieved she wasn’t also losing her mind today, Lacia let out a small sigh of relief, a hand to her chest for reassurance.

“What is it Mana? You scared me half to death,” Lacia hissed.

“You just don’t seem like yourself today. I know you well enough to know when something is up,'' Mana replied, grasping Lacia’s hands.

“No talking in class please,” Mr. Krone said, slightly raising his voice so the two girls could hear him from the back.

Glancing at Mr. Krone and then back to Lacia, “We’ll talk after school. Meet me in the locker room,” Mana whispered.


Three fifteen could not come fast enough it seemed like. Alurian History dragged on, English was a bore as always and Biology, well, today was dissection day. Lacia wasn’t one for grotesque things. She could handle a little blood just fine, but dissecting a dead frog was not just “a little blood”, however. Yep, this was going to suck.


Riing! Thank god it was finally three fifteen. After washing her hands from the disaster that ended up being the dissection, Lacia dug around in her bag for her phone. She found Mana’s contact and sent her a message: “I’m going to be a few mins late. Plz don’t wait for me. I’ll change when I get there.”

She stuffed her phone in the side pocket of her bag and headed for the girl’s locker room on the first floor. Today wasn’t the best of days, but it wasn’t the worst either, she decided. “Life sucks sometimes, but why should we waste time being sad?” she pondered.

Opening the door to the locker room, a small note fell out of her locker, floating to the ground. It was from Mana: “I’m in the gym. Come find me in the row of bleachers! I’m worried about you.”

“This girl never knows when to quit, but I guess that’s why I love her. She cares so much she can’t leave me alone for five minutes sometimes,” Lacia said, giggling to herself as she changed into her gym clothes.

The gym was mostly empty. A few other students dotted the bleachers here and there. After-school activities had been cancelled due to the weather, but the gym was open to students who wanted to stay and wait for a ride home or to work. It was a little chilly with the air conditioning on blast, but it was whatever. Now, where was Mana? The top row of the bleachers?

As if on cue, Mana stood up and waved Lacia over. “We need to talk. Trust me, I can tell,” Mana said with a face full of pride, one hand on her chest and another on her hip. “Ok, but seriously. What’s up? You know you can tell me anything.”

“It’s… nothing. I’m just having a bad d–”

“I don’t think so. We aren’t playing this game, Lacia. Tell me what is bothering you,” Mana demanded, interrupting Lacia.

With a slight frown, Lacia knew she wasn’t getting past her best friend on this one. Even though they never kept secrets from each other, this one time it would be better off as a secret.

“Fine. It happened again last night. The pain was too much this time and I ended up passing out in the hall outside my bedroom,” she paused upon finishing her sentence. “I don’t want to worry you with this. I’ll be fine. I promi–”

Mana quickly lifted Lacia’s shirt to expose a small area of deep purple bruising, effectively silencing her. She had been keeping the bruising a secret, even from her best friend.

They’re just growing pains,” she would say to keep Mana from worrying about her too much. Mana’s eyes were affixed to Lacia. Clearly she meant business.

“Lacia! Is there a situation at home? Do I need to tell the school? Do I need to call the police?” Mana shouted, catching a few other students off-guard.

Embarrassed, Lacia quickly pulled her shirt back down. “There’s something else I need to tell you,” she said quietly. “The pains always start right after this one dream. It starts off with me standing on a beach and for some reason I’m always smiling,” she explained. “I walk down the shoreline for a while until I’m dragged into the water, but I can’t swim. As I’m drowning, a voice keeps saying something about time running out and that my pain is a catalyst.”

“Lacia, I–”

“Let me finish,” she said, cutting Mana off. “After the voice stops I get hit with those intense waves of pain. I wake up and my bedding and clothes are soaked.” Lacia began to cry as she finished.

It was a tense moment and she figured if she told anyone, they’d just refer her to a Psychiatrist or call her crazy. It didn’t seem fair, but she didn’t see any other solution to the problem.

“The pain is so intense at first, I can’t even cry. I can’t speak, it's so bad. Last night was the first night the pain actually made me sick, but all that came out was blood. By the time anyone knew what was going on, I was curled up in a ball in the corner covered in blood, sweat, and tears,” she finished.

“Why did you keep this from me? There’s obviously no time for explanations now, but what can I do?” Mana interrogated Lacia.

She was crying too hard to get any coherent answers out of her. They were the last two in the gym at this point. The other students had given them some privacy, so she let her cry it out once they exited the gym.

“I’m supposed to be your support system, but I really don’t know what to do right now…” Mana said, defeated.

“Just hold me. That’s all I want right now. Just hold me,” she said through tears.

Mana’s embrace was warm and comforting. She was about the same size as Lacia, but much healthier. Her skin wasn’t nearly as ghostly as Lacia’s was and her eyes held the ferocity of desire to help her friend. Her voice was soothing and had a mother’s tone to it. She was Lacia’s polar opposite in health, but how could she make such a comparison?

Looking at the watch on her wrist, Mana couldn’t believe she had allowed her best friend to cry for over ten minutes. She was clearly troubled by whatever her nightmares were trying to tell her, but at the moment, there was no better remedy than the embrace of her best friend. Not even for a second could Mana begin to imagine everything Lacia was going through. To be fair, she didn’t want to either.

It was already three-forty. The gym would only be open for another twenty minutes. Mana decided to walk Lacia back to the locker room so they could get changed and head home. She called Lacia’s parents and simply stated Lacia wasn’t emotionally stable enough at the time to get home herself. She would walk with her.

“She had a breakdown in the gym this afternoon and she isn’t feeling well. I’ll get her home safely,” Mana promised.


“Are you packed up for the day? Don’t forget your umbrella either. I’ll be walking you home, alright?” Mana said, looking at Lacia. “I wish there was more I understood about all of this, or that I had a better idea of how I can help you. As your best friend, I feel like I failed you even though I know better than to think that.”

Lacia had dried her tears by the time they’d changed, but it was obvious the entire situation bothered her more than she was letting on: another one of her stubborn habits.

“Mana… thank you. For all of this. I don’t think I could handle all of it even this well without someone like you to support me through it all,” Lacia said shouting over the sound of the torrent. “You don’t have to do this. I can make it home fine. I’m ok now, I swear.”

“While you were still changing, I asked your parents if it would be alright if I stayed the night, to keep an eye on you,” Mana admitted. “It was kind of behind your back, but it’s because I know you.”

The rain was coming down in sheets. Umbrella or not, there was no way either of them would make it to Lacia’s house without looking like they jumped in the river.

“Look, my apartment isn’t super far, but it’s far enough away that if something were to happen to you tonight, I wouldn’t know. Dad is currently overseas, so it’s not like I have much of a reason to be at the apartment anyways,” she concluded. “Therefore, I’m staying with you.”

Mana grabbed their umbrellas from the holder by the front entrance. Her’s was pink with white polka dots. She handed Lacia’s umbrella to her.

“Hey, your umbrella is kinda cute. I’m especially fond of those little clouds. What other things have you been keeping from me?” she laughed jokingly. “Come on. Let’s at least get you home first, then I’ll go and grab some food from my apartment. How does breakfast sound?”


By the time the girls made it to Lacia’s house, they were soaked from head to toe. A rain poncho would have worked better.

“Hachoo! The water got up my nose,” Lacia said, sniffling. “Ughh. Can’t today just be over with already?” she asked, keying into the house.

The lights were off and the lack of sun from the rain gave the house a lonely feel. The air was ice cold as it hit their wet skin. The girls shivered.

“Let’s turn on some lights first. Mana, I’ll run the bath upstairs so you can go first. I need to remake my bed anyways…” Lacia trailed off, recalling the events of the previous night.

“I’ll help you with the bed, but how about you take the first bath? I need to run to my apartment and grab some food for a few days,” Mana said, turning to face Lacia. “For us both. We’ll go to the store later if we need to. Go get in the bath. I’ll be back in about twenty minutes so take your time. Call me immediately if something happens,” she demanded.

“Ok, mom. I’ll make sure to eat my vegetables and brush my teeth, too. While I’m at it, I’ll make sure I’m in bed by bedtime as well,” Lacia replied, unable to keep from laughing at herself.

In that moment, she felt better than she had in months. She reassured Mana she would be alright for a little while and watched her from the window until she turned the corner. That hot bath sounded incredibly enticing. So much so that articles of clothing quickly littered the hall outside the bathroom.

“Ahhh… Yeah, I think this is what I needed.”

The sound of water splashing on the floor echoed throughout the bathroom as Lacia gently slid into the tub. She placed her phone on the counter on top of a change of clothes in case something happened she needed it.

As Lacia lay against the back of the tub, she finally began to relax. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

“How did I ever get myself into such a mess as this?” she mumbled, thinking about the pain-waves and nightmares.

The nightmares themselves had been recurrent since at least the start of the new year, but the bruising had only begun to manifest within the last month. She moved her hand through the bath water and rubbed her bruised side. She winced at the expectant pain. A little tender, but not excruciating. There were a couple rolls of thin gauze bandages in the cabinet she figured she could use to create a wrap. The bruising was unsightly.

If the intense episodes of pain and her bruises were supposed to be catalysts, what were they catalysts for? Out of nearly eight-billion people on the planet, she was supposed to be the one to suffer? Without an explanation? She shook her head to clear her mind. It was better to just soak in the hot water. The steam filled her nostrils. Nothing was going to keep her from enjoying the first peaceful moments she’d had since before New Year’s.


A couple knocks on the bathroom door brought Lacia out of her steamy daze.

“Lacia, I’m back. I brought enough food for the weekend, so don’t worry, ‘k?” It was Mana. She would probably want the bath soon Lacia figured as she began to lift herself out.

“No, no. Stay in there as long as you need. Besides, I have a couple things to ask you anyways,” Mana said, encouraging Lacia to stay in the bath.

“Um, ok. Shoot, then,” Lacia responded. A soft sliding sound came from out in the hall. “I guess you’re going to metaphorically trap me in here until you get your answers, aren’t you?”

“Yep, so here’s my first question. Who exactly found you last night? I saw the note on the counter from your parents explaining that they’d be away for business and all of the emergency numbers they listed for you.” She paused for a second, thinking about how to word her next question. “Next question: who else knows about these episodes besides you, me, and your parents?”

“Nobody besides you, me, and my parents know about these episodes. We, my parents, explained to our neighbors that I’ve been incredibly ill lately, but it comes in waves which is why I go to school if I’m ‘feeling ok’. We have to play the entire ordeal off as a chronic condition, though,” she explained.

“It honestly kills me inside that I have to be portrayed as the poor, sick girl even though I was perfectly fine up until this year. As for who found me, it was the neighbor's son. The one who goes to the art school,” she said. “I was turning the lights on when I felt bad and off when I felt like I could sleep again. He must’ve noticed and used the spare key they had to come check on me,” Lacia finished.

Being found draped half across the bed and the floor wasn’t ideal, but she was in so much pain she couldn’t even think straight.

“Can I, um, get out of the bath now?”

“Oh! Yeah! Sorry. We can talk more later if you want,” Mana said. She had completely forgotten Lacia wanted to get out and that she was still wet and cold. “I just needed to know how exactly you were handling all of this alone.”

Water splashed against the tile floor as Lacia stepped out of the tub.

“You had every right to ask, but…” she paused. “What did you think I was doing in here? There’s only a handful of things and I assure you it wasn’t that,” she said, laughing. “I’ll draw your bath while I get dressed. Do you prefer bubbles or no?”

“I’m fine with just a plain bath, thanks,” Mana replied. It was strange how Lacia could be so thoughtful when it was her who was going through so much. “Still thinking about other people at a time like this… You’re incredible,” she whispered to herself.

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“It’s nothing. I was just talking to myself,” she said as Lacia stepped out into the hall, drying her hair with a towel.

“The bath is ready for you now. I’m going to put some sheets on my bed. I can at least do that much for myself,” Lacia said, easing the worry on Mana’s face. “I’m going to make some tea once I’m done. Do you like matcha?”


A week had passed since Lacia broke down and confessed to Mana in the school gym about her situation. She was looking and feeling healthier, but the pain hadn’t completely faded.

The morning was damp and the air held a slight chill, but nothing a small hoodie couldn’t help. It was cherry blossom season, but all of the recent rain had been drowning the trees which kept the blossoms in limited numbers. It was her favorite thing about the spring season, but she wasn’t about to let the rain ruin her good mood and health. There was a bakery that had the most delicious bread she had ever tasted in her life and she was determined to get some that morning, even if it made her late for class.

Walking up, she couldn’t help but overhear a brief weather headline: “We could be seeing around a month’s worth of rain this week. The atmosphere is just primed for continued rainfall over many of the same areas that have already seen excess amounts.”

Spring was always wet, but this seemed like an absurdly wet spring. The sidewalks along the riverbank were beginning to flood and there was still more rain to come. A minor detail since it happens every year, but these floods were already weeks early which was irregular.

Oh well,” she thought.

The bakery sign was well illuminated and the smell of fresh bread lifted her spirits even more. “Good morning! I’d like two croissant rolls, please.”

She placed her order and stepped off to the side of the counter to wait. “These are literally the best thing ever. Mana is going to love these,” she said, checking the time on her phone. “But she won’t love it if I’m late, so maybe I should hurry. Class starts in ten minutes and I’m still five from campus!”

The morning-duty teachers weren’t very lenient when it came to tardiness and she didn’t want to make a fool out of herself in front of the class to begin her day. “Yeah, that’d be bad,” she thought to herself, grabbing her order as she sprinted for the school.

The roads and sidewalks were still covered in puddles from all of the rain. Each time her foot hit the ground she made a giant splash. There wasn’t much dirt to be had because of the rain, but then again, the sidewalks were always filthy. Before she realized her mistake, she was already in full sprint. She quickly found her socks and shoes soaked from the puddles.

“Welp. Can’t stop now. Wet socks and shoes will be the least of my worries if I’m late,” she muttered under her breath. “At least I have a change of socks, although today is going to be a little warm for knee-socks. Surely I can make it the rest of the way dry, right?”

BOOOOM! The thunder seemed to shake the very ground upon which Lacia stood… and now she was fully drenched.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” she shouted at the sky. “I swear to god if these morning-duty teachers don’t let me go home and change, I can’t guarantee that I won’t punch someone.”


Tap, tap, tap. “Where is that girl?” Principal Leery asked impatiently. “This will be her sixth unexcused absence this term if she doesn’t…” The very sight of Lacia walking through the school gates, soaked from head to toe, was enough to silence him.

“Principal Leery,” Lacia paused for emphasis, “I’m just going to assume you understand,” she said, a puddle forming where she stood.

He wasn’t an unreasonable man and always went above and beyond for his students. He drew the line when it came to attendance, but Lacia was an exception today.

“Your tardiness will be excused this time, but more importantly, you need dry clothes,” he said. “I’ll grab you a fresh uniform. Why don’t you go to the bathroom door and I’ll bring it to you? I assume you have everything else you need?”

“Yeah… thanks.”

She didn’t know how her morning could get any worse at this point. Late to school, soaked uniform, the croissant… “The bread!” she quietly exclaimed.

There it was, all perfectly wrapped in paper, nice and dry. “Thank god it’s ok.”


“And why were you late, again?” Mana interrogated Lacia. “It’s not because of–”

“No,” Lacia reassured her. “I stopped at my favorite bakery on the way this morning and got a croissant roll for you, but it literally began to pour out of nowhere right after I left the store. Speaking of which…” She rummaged around in her bag and pulled out the croissant she’d bought for Mana, handing it to her. “Here. You’re going to love it!”

It was already noon and Lacia was especially hungry after the events of the morning. This was also a great time to check up on each other like they usually did. They didn’t normally eat with many other people out of personal choice. Today was no different than usual. Or the last week and a half. Grey, rainy, and chilly. It wasn’t so bad seeing the rain from inside, but there comes a limit as to how much rain one person enjoys seeing. Especially after the morning Lacia had.

“This is delicious! The dough practically melts in your mouth and you can taste the love the baker put into making these,” Mana squealed with delight. “How did you ever come across such an amazing bakery and where is it? I have to stop in!”

“It’s just down the–” Lacia was interrupted by the shocked reactions from a group of girls by the windows.

“Where did those come from?” one of the girls asked.

“I’m not sure. They weren’t there yesterday,” another replied.

Two fishing boats were stranded in the middle of the street and were blocking the railroad tracks that crossed town. They must have run aground from the flooding.

“But that doesn’t make sense, though,” Mana said. “Those fishing boats are normally miles out to sea. The rain alone couldn’t have floated them here…” she trailed off into thought.

Lacia took a different approach to the situation. “What if something put them there? As crazy as that sounds, think about it. All of the pain I’ve been in since the new year… catalyst… water…”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet, ok?” Mana said encouragingly.

Chime. It was Lacia’s phone. A local news headline glared across the screen: Town of Azalea struck by mysterious appearance of fishing vessels.

Her phone chimed again. “Another one?” Sailors of mysterious fishing vessels sickened. Samples sent for testing.

“Mana. Look at this,” Lacia said, flashing her phone at her. “Is this not the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard of?” She turned around to assess the room. “Think about everything that has happened in the last week,” she said, addressing Mana as she turned back around.

The rain had picked up since the initial morning bout, yet there were still crews trying to clear the fishing vessels from the railway. Whatever was so important about those boats, it seemed to be quite the matter and with all of the rain, how was anyone going to repair the damage done by them? They could just reroute any commercial passenger trains, but the new route would take them miles to the north. Lacia doubted anyone would want to go the extra way and pay the fare.

Mana had moved closer to the window for a better look. “This is definitely weird, but what makes this even weirder…” she trailed off as Lacia joined her. Mana directed Lacia’s eyes to the name on one of the boats: The Wisher. “That’s the vessel they reported missing three months ago off the Aviid Isles. Nobody reported seeing it, either, which suddenly makes this a lot more interesting. Why is it here, in Alura?”

“There isn’t anywhere for a boat like that to refuel either. Even if it made the most direct route here. Not to mention, nobody reported it in their ports either,” Lacia tacked on.

“So did it magically just appear here or did it pull a crack-in-the-sky, wormhole thing? Maybe it was aliens,” Mana joked.

“Sometimes I have to wonder if you’re the one who needs help, Mana,” Lacia huffed back. “In other news, the student council is about to make an announcement.”

Everyone was beginning to form a semi-circle around the projector in the cafeteria, anxiously awaiting word from the student council President. It was rare that he ever made an appearance on the school news channel. President Rowan was normally a very lax person, but quite studious too. He always had his face buried in a textbook if he wasn’t busy staring at paperwork for the council. However, it was clear he had something to say today.

The projector screen flickered to life as the President began to speak. “My fellow classmates, due to the increasing threat of life-threatening flooding and current happenings, the school board has come to the conclusion that it is safer to end classes early for the day. The forecast calls for more rain and the Budding River is set to breach it’s banks later today. Seeing as the school faces the river, the decision was also made to suspend classes for the foreseeable future to ensure no harm comes to the students or staff during these strange times,” President Rowan explained. A bright flash illuminated the cafeteria. The thunder boomed so loud the glass shook. “We want you all to continue your education, so we ask that if you are able to attend virtually via the Holo-system while you are home, we ask that you do so.”

A window in the back of the cafeteria shattered, activating the emergency shutters to protect the windows and students from further harm. A couple boys in the back of the room quickly swept up the shattered glass and held the culprit high in the air for everyone to see. It was a massive hailstone, several inches in diameter. Deep thudding could be heard as a hailstorm raged outside.

The President cleared his throat. “If you are unable to attend, we understand and will not penalize you for lack of attendance. All supplemental materials and lessons will be available through the Holo-system as well. Your teachers will be frequenting their classes and answering any questions you may have. You will be notified later this afternoon when you can be dismissed from campus grounds,” he turned his monitor to the camera. “Wrapping up, I ask that you limit travel to other classrooms so that we can determine all students are accounted for. Please check your school Holo accounts for future updates,” President Rowan concluded.

Confused chatter filled the room. Nobody had any semblance of what was going on and rightfully so. The school day had only started four hours ago and now everyone was to be sent home indefinitely.

“They’re sending us home over a freak rainstorm?” one girl asked.

“Did you see those two boats? How did they even get there?” a male student questioned.

The projector screen shone with brilliance once more, a list of names appearing on-screen alongside a weather map. There was an expected break in the storm in about thirty minutes, so the school was going to evacuate the first set of qualifying students. The noise in the cafeteria evolved into an uproar, making it much too noisy to have any kind of conversation. Lacia tried to grab Mana to pull her into the hallway, but she was too distracted, ending up with tangled feet… and a face to the floor.

“Oww,” she groaned before realizing she tripped someone else up. “I am so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention and…” Her heart momentarily skipped a beat. “You’re cute– no, I mean–” She couldn’t find the words to say.

Of course I had to go and make an idiot out of myself in front of an upperclassman,” Lacia thought.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry about it! Honestly, I should’ve paid more attention myself. With everything going on right now, I got a little too absorbed,” The other student said, apologizing. He was tall with light blonde hair and cute.

“My name is Brendan. Brendan Greyriter. From the looks of things, I’ll be here a while. You?” He was incredibly polite and his eyes were filled with life.

“I- I’m Lacia, Lacia Amana. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, blushing. “My name isn’t on the list either. I guess they wanted to use the last names of every letter and not just A through H or something,” she said, meeting Brendan’s eyes. The life in them was astounding.

“I must look so dead inside,” she thought.

“You have beautiful eyes,” he said, catching Lacia off-guard. “But I can tell you’ve been through a lot, too. I’m usually pretty spot on,” he laughed awkwardly. “You were in the middle of something before we got tangled feet, right? I better leave you to it.”

During her trip into Brendan’s eyes, she noticed a small mark above his left eye. It was like a misshapen star, but there was no mistaking that family birthmark. The Greyriter family had a long history of persecution. They were incredibly gifted, but this gift also brought a lot of suffering. Regardless, the mark was proof of a talented mage.

“Actually, I think you’d be an amazing person to get to know,” Lacia said cheerfully. “I’m sure you of all people know whatever is going on isn’t just weird weather anyways,” she said much more seriously, dropping the cute girl act. She knew Brendan was special, and if anything, she needed him on her side.

“Lacia? Are you done flirting around?” Mana teased.

Busted,  Lacia thought. “Actually, Brendan, Mana, follow me into the hall. It’s too noisy here. I can’t even hear myself think,” Lacia said, leading the way.

The hallway was much quieter and way less crowded. The rain had slowly begun to ease and it seemed the school was taking advantage of it. Students occasionally rushed by, clearly anxious to get home. Still, the hallway was a far better place to have the conversation Lacia was about to start.

“First, Mana,” Lacia said, addressing her friend as she shifted her weight to one foot, leaning against the wall, “this,” she gestured towards Brendan, “is Brendan Greyriter. The Greyriters are well known mages, but you should already know that.”

“Wha–” Lacia cut Mana off.

“I know, I thought it was just a story too, but look at the mark above his left eye. Also notice how he hasn’t corrected me. That means I’m right, aren’t I?” She looked at Brendan and smiled. “I promised Mana over here that I wouldn’t keep any more secrets from her, but there’s one more thing I need to mention...” She left the conversation open-ended on purpose.

Brendan spoke up first. “Wow, you’re one smart girl, unlike some of the people here. I’m actually surprised you figured me out that quick. You’re not the first one to notice my birthmark, though, which means–”

“I can, quote-on-quote, see things most people can’t,” she said, finishing his sentence. “Folklore says that such people called Mitera are the ones able to see these things. We’re born with this otherworldly ability to see, although we can’t really sense things like magic. There are exceptions to this rule, but I'm not one of them," she said jokingly.

“I can’t really use any magic. Just using my 'sight' drains me,” she said as she sunk to the floor, breathing heavily. “Mana is better at this magic stuff than I am.”

“Does this have anything to do with your nightmares and the pain you’ve been in?” Mana questioned, crouching to the floor to get Lacia back on her feet. “What I can do isn’t important right now.”

If there were a connection between the pain and the nightmares, she was in no condition to address it. “Not that I’m aware of, but I’d imagine they are connected, even if we don’t fully understand how,” Lacia answered. “This sight allows me to see these things and even detect faint mana, but I don’t have practice. It’s been something I’ve kept hidden my whole life.”

“Aren’t we just a band of misfits? I may be of the Greyriter family, but my magic can be pitiful. I can move small things around, but I can’t conjure much mana to exercise any spirits or use powerful attack spells,” Brendan said, scoffing at the thought. “However, you’re a Mitera, Lacia. There’s more to this than even I understand, but I think this can work,” he said, trailing off into thought.

Without warning, Mana dropped to the floor like a bag of rocks. She had completely exhausted herself taking care of Lacia the week prior. She couldn't help but feel guilty for her inadequacy. The stress must have been too much for Mana to handle. 

Brendan stooped down to help her up, but leapt back. A thin, black haze had enveloped Mana’s body, quickly disappearing into thin air nearly as soon as it had manifested. Brendan stooped down once more and grabbed her hand as he imbued a small amount of magic into her body. Just as he had expected, Mana had an energy that was different from the magic of a mage or abilities of a Mitera, but the energy wavelength was incredibly faint. He was surprised he even noticed the difference.

“You saw that too, right?” Lacia asked.

“Yeah. Your friend isn’t just exhausted. That dark mist was imbued with a type of magic known to absorb life energy, but it’s incredibly hard to cast and control."

Confusion took hold of Lacia's face as if she was trying to unravel the hidden meaning behind pi. Brendan noticed her confusion and gave her a simplified run-down.

“Everything is made of matter. Someone was likely able to place a marker on her, so when they deemed her a threat, the spell would activate.” He looked back at Lacia. “Too much information right now,” he concluded.

“For now, I think it’s best we stick together… and get Mana off the floor,” Lacia said. “She’s out cold. Let’s take her to the nurses office.”

“Good idea. We can talk more about this later.”


Students slowly emptied from the school as the day grew progressively later. They had begun dismissing students around 12:45 that afternoon. It was currently 2:20. The break in the rain lasted for about twenty minutes, but the rain remained light even after its return.

Lacia and Brendan had a thorough discussion, though she didn’t really understand much of what was going on. Eventually, the conversation shifted to Mana and exactly what it was that she was. Unfortunately, neither Lacia or Brendan could form any concrete conclusions.

“So we have zero idea what that energy-wavelength was or if she actually has a unique ability or not, basically. What gets me is whatever that haze was. It looked like a curse, but the mana didn’t feel malevolent and her body fought it off which means it's not what I thought it was. However, it could also be that she has a high tolerance for magic,” Brendan explained to Lacia.

“It’s no secret that I can’t do much right now. I still don’t know why I’m having these nightmares and what they mean,” Lacia said, a defeated tone in her voice. “If they were attacking Mana to get to me, well, someone is about to be sorely disappointed. Not that I want anyone to attack me or anything,” she said, throwing her arms in front of her.

She looked over at Mana, now lying on the bed in the nurse's office. She didn’t have to use any kind of ability or magic to tell that she was exhausted, but she slept so soundly that it was impossible to tell if she was having pleasant dreams or had slipped into a coma.

“Wish I could sleep like that,” she grumbled.

“You’ll get your chance, I’m sure,” Brendan said in response. “C’mere for a minute. There’s something I want to try.”

Normally, she’d be reluctant to offer herself to a stranger she just met, but this was different. She knew things were different and that she either had to step up to the plate or risk losing everything.

Brendan studied her over for a moment. “Your bandages. What are they for?” Brendan queried. “We’re in this together, but I know it’s hard to trust me right now,” he said in response to Lacia’s hesitation. “I may be able to help, but you have to trust me.”

She briefly pondered if removing the bandages and revealing the bruises was a good idea. “He asked me to trust him,” she thought. “I can’t be the innocent girl who gets what she wants anymore. Time to make a choice.” 

She looked Brendan in the eyes. “It isn’t that I don’t trust you, it’s that I’ve been thrust forward into something I know nothing about. I do trust you, but I need a little more time to figure myself out, I think,” Lacia replied. “I’ll just show you what’s under the bandages, but you have a keen eye if you could spot them under my uniform,” she said as she began to untuck her shirt.

“Actually, it’s because that side of your uniform is slightly damp and you can see through white clothing when it’s wet,” Brendan admitted, hoping Lacia wasn’t going to hit him for getting a small peak.

Lacia’s face turned beat red. “How much did he see? How long did he know while I didn’t? I can’t be so careless next time.”

“How much and what did you see?” she interrogated. “Not that it matters anymore, but it’s still really embarrassing, ok? I swear I’m not mad.” She unraveled the bandages to expose her side. “The bruises have actually begun to heal. This looks a lot better than they did this time last week,” she said, surprised.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Brendan said, shocked. “Look at the pattern of the bruising, does that not stand out to you? Look in the mirror.”

Thoroughly confused by what Brendan just said to her, Lacia looked in the mirror. The bruising had obvious darker spots, but what made her gasp was the spiral pattern of bruising that wrapped around her side.

Was it always like that?” her face said.

“I can tell you’re as shocked as I am. Does it hurt?” Brendan’s face was full of surprise.

“N-not as much as it did a week ago,” she said, shaking. “But, yes. It’s really tender and if I press too hard it knocks the wind out of me if it’s really bad.”

Brendan stood up and walked over to Lacia. He took her hands and clasped them gently in his own, trying to calm her down. Brendan read her like a book and could tell she was ready for a good cry. He said he was good at reading people and it showed. These were difficult times for her and he knew they were, but the reality of her situation wasn’t fully understood until Lacia had removed her bandages. It wasn’t fair to treat her any differently than how he treated everyone else, but it was clear to him: he was going to have to keep her close.

Crackle. It was the student council president again. “Attention students, those with last names whose second letter begins with A through M, you are now dismissed. This is the last of the large groups. All other students please prepare for dismissal after the current group leaves campus. All students have ten minutes to exit the school grounds from time of dismissal. Students who miss their dismissal forfeit their spot in line to another student. Thank you.” The intercom fell silent once more.

The announcement gave Lacia a reason to quit her worrying. She took her hands back and slapped her cheeks. “Focus,” she said to herself.

“We should get going. We’re in the current group of dismissals,” Brendan said sternly. “Wait. What is Mana’s last name?” he asked Lacia, turning to look at Mana who had been avidly watching their conversation.

“Oh, boo. You caught me awake,” Mana teased. “My last name is Lhumin. Pretty, isn’t it?” she noted.

“Mana!” Lacia rushed over to the bed. “How long were you listening to us?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.

“Ladies,” Brendan said. “It’s time to leave campus. It takes five minutes from the third floor to the gates. We have seven minutes. And, Mana, how are you feeling? I can’t explain everything right now, but–”

“If you’re about to offer to carry me, I’m ok to walk on my own, thanks,” Mana said, catching Brendan mid-sentence. “Besides, what good am I if I can’t support myself through all of this?” she asked with a tinge of doubt. "Come on, let’s go!”