The boy standing in front of Max, looked directly into Max's eyes. "In five years, at nineteen you'll know!"
"But I'm still curious and I want to know what this is about?" said Max even though he felt his guts shrinking a little.
"Well, if you're so curious and can't wait until you're old enough, so are your abilities." the boy said casually and with a friendly smile.
"Before we get started. I want to ask you something that you might have heard before, even if it's not the full story or if it's been spiced up to sound weird, impossible or whatever people call it nowadays. Do you believe what you just saw? The vampire and the tiger girl?"
Max's mouth opened slightly, wanting to answer quickly, but not sure if he was wrong. Although Max didn't know much about those mythical creatures, he had certainly heard of them.
"I'd like to believe it, but it's just a lie, and a myth, right? After all, in movies vampires are very charming and can hypnotize with their charm! But what I saw, and what was explained by..." Max picked up his cell phone. "...google on my phone, that ugly guy with bat wings on his back is a vampire! Then, is that girl with tiger ears and looks like she's cosplaying the same as a werewolf? But in a very cute version!"
The boy who was with Max laughed at Max's answer. "Of course it's not just an empty myth! Vampires are just like humans, beautiful, ordinary and ugly."
"So you're saying that vampires, werewolves and half-tigers really exist?!"
"If you don't believe then how can you explain that you can see and communicate with spirits?"
Max was silent at that question.
The boy waited patiently.
Max sighed slowly before speaking. "Mom and Dad said it's an ability passed down from my grandfather."
"Did you ever ask your grandfather directly?"
Max shook his head. "Grandpa lives in another country. I visit him every year-end. I've asked, but he hopes I don't have the same ability as him!"
"Alright, now I'll explain what a half-tiger is. A half-tiger is an ordinary human who studies magic to maintain good relations between humans and tigers. They can indeed turn into tigers or half-tigers, but it is done only to maintain a balanced relationship between tigers and humans. If there are other stories about half-tiger, it means that the owner of the ability is not using the ability passed down to him wisely!"
"Hum... so it's an ability that the owner passes down directly to his descendants?" Max nodded a few times.
The boy nodded too.
Max looked at the boy. "Why are you telling me that? Didn't you say you wanted to help me get out of this place?"
The boy smiled. "Because you insisted, and that's what I meant by the fourth and fifth parts!"
Max shook his head. "That's impossible!"
"Nothing is impossible! Your grandfather gave up the ability that was passed down to him, because he didn't want to be tempted to abuse his ability as a guardian!"
Max looked down, a frightened look on his face. "So, so if that's true... does that mean I can turn into a tiger too?"
"Yes, of course you can." Said a female voice that had just jumped down from the top of one of the nearby trees, revealing her figure in the perfect embodiment of a tiger.
Max raised his head quickly, but the sight of him frightened him so much that he reflexively backed away and took cover behind a nearby table.
"Impolite!" Said the tiger who was getting closer.
"Bu, but, I'm scared and it's just a reflex..." said Max, stammering with fear.
"It's okay! Calm down." The boy said with a smile at Max's unexpected behavior.
Max nodded and went downstairs slowly. As Max was going downstairs, the tiger was approaching the cafeteria terrace and when he stepped on the floor, Max saw that the tiger had transformed into a human in the blink of an eye.
A very beautiful girl, fair skinned, long black hair with eyebrow-length bangs, big black eyes, and wearing a black hoodie jacket, gray jeans and sneakers.
"This is my true form. A human just like you." The beautiful girl said after stopping three meters in front of Max and the boy.
Max was a little nervous about being stared at by a pretty girl, to cover his nerves Max whispered to the boy beside him. "Hey. I'm not going to get eaten, right?!"
The pretty girl sighed. A little annoyed at Max who was talking about her in a whisper. "It seems that you should be taught some manners!"
Meanwhile, the boy who was talking to Max from the beginning just smiled broadly in response to Max and the beautiful girl's words. Not wanting to make the beautiful girl's mood even more gloomy.
The boy then turned to the beautiful girl. "He is still a child. Please understand."
The beautiful girl sighed slightly. Trying to be patient and understand Max just like the boy had said to her.
"Hey. Aren't you a minor too?" said Max.
The pretty girl and the boy looked at each other and laughed together, much to Max's annoyance as strange things were happening in front of him.
"Alright. I'll introduce ourselves." The pretty girl said after stopping laughing. "My name is Miranda. It's a real name though not a full name. I am a university student. And the one you are calling this minor who is the same as you is Mr. Kenrich. Mr. Kenrich is much older than you or me, so you should be polite to your elders! Do you understand?"
Max's eyes rounded at Miranda's words that Kenrich, who looked like a minor, was much older than himself or Miranda who was a student.
"Well, I believe that Mr. Kenrich is much older than me even though he looks like a teenager! Nothing is impossible in this world! Half-tiger, which has been considered a myth by many, is now standing in front of me!"
Miranda smiled broadly, adding to her beauty and mesmerizing Max. "Good. Then go, you must be tired after today's events!"
"But I still want to hear more about the half-tiger, including myself who Mr. Kenrich also inherited the same ability as you!"
"You have to rest! If you don't have power control, get tired, and you'll turn into a tiger! You could be captured and put in the zoo. Do you want to?"
Max shook his head quickly. "No way!"
"Then you must obey!" Miranda ordered. "Hurry back to class, we'll open this protective dimension soon!"
Max nodded once and walked away from the cafeteria.
"He's so innocent! Just believe that you're afraid that he'll turn into a tiger and be put in the zoo if he gets caught." Kenrich said with a smile.
Miranda chuckled. "That's because he's a little unruly."
Kenrich looked at Miranda who was standing on his left side. "But he was a good boy."
"Well... that's also true."
"You too, let's go back and rest." Kenrich said as he sat on the edge of a nearby table.
Miranda bowed her head slightly to Kenrich who was still seated. "See you again, my lord."
Kenrich smiled. "Take care."
"Yes, my lord." Miranda quickly stood up and started walking out of the cafeteria.
After a few steps out of the cafeteria, Miranda looked back at Kenrich who had disappeared without a trace. Miranda smiled and continued on her way.