Third Person's P.O.V
Tuesday morning. A regular weekday for most, but at Azuden University, it marks the start of yet another bright and epic adventure. Here, you'll find yourself among the children of the elites; high-class, world-renowned individuals. These students are more than just attendees; they are future leaders, performers, creators, and the heirs of multimillion-dollar empires, all ready to make their mark on the world.
Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Faculty of Business and Economics
Faculty of Engineering and Technology
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Sciences
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Education
Faculty of Architecture and Design
Faculty of Agriculture and Environmental Studies
How vast and grand this institution must be to house so many faculties within its massive campus. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities sits on one side, while the Faculty of Health Sciences stands on the other. Yet, these two students from the Fine Arts division find themselves on the opposite end of the campus, dining at the Health Sciences cafeteria—almost four kilometers away from their own division.
"We should really tell our cafeteria to add these to their menu!" A young woman named Sorene hummed with satisfaction as she ate.
"Their dean must be a great person for letting their students eat whatever they want, unlike ours!" The lad sitting next to her grieved in annoyance, his hands couldn't seem to let go of the empty cup he was holding.
"Should we switch course? It's not too late, we could do summer classes? That way we could get rid of that Ghost you're dealing with!" Sorene's eyes glimmered.
"Huh? Would that work?" Ori looked above, mind traveled along the thought.
As the two of them began pondering Sorene's decision, the young man sitting beside them stood up and walked out without them realizing it.
"Why did I even treat them to lunch? They're no help at all!" The young man groaned, his mind filled with frustrations and questions that no one in this school could answer.
'Is this the new life I wanted? I shouldn't have tried to get out of my shell, moving out of my hometown was a mistake!' His mind whispered.
The hallway is brimming with students, as lunch break is ongoing; everybody seems to be roaming around the campus.
"Hey, isn't he?" A voice on the other side of the hallway uttered.
"Yes, the guy who's dating your mother's business partner!" Another voice answered.
"Allegedly, we don't know the truth? Wasn't he an employee there before he came to study here?" The other responded.
"What do you mean, allegedly? There is tons of proof circling online of the two of them hanging out two days ago! And wouldn't his admission to our school an enough proof that he's dating that elite? He's a nobody, yet he got here!" The voices echoed in his ear.
Even though he's already a few meters away from the group of students who are talking about him, his hearing could still pick up everything they have said about him.
"Are y'all dumb?! What the heck are y'all talking about? That guy, my friend slash classmate, is the son of our ex-President's Spiritual Rep. He doesn't need any man to help him get in, he's the MAN himself!" A young lady snapped at them, stunning every single one who talked badly about Achan.
"Mi-Miss Raine? It's nice to meet you!" The first woman trembled as she stared at the fearsome lady in front of them.
"My name's Sherraine Valeria, you cannot use the name that my close friends and family use. You're in no position to use that!" The young lady named Sherraine snarked at them.
No one dared to say another word; the four of them could only do nothing but lower their heads in submission. For Sherraine Valeria's not just a daughter of some high-class elite. She's the daughter of their Faculty's Dean, Dr. Sherry Valeria, considered a world-class heart surgeon who received hundreds of recognitions across all health organizations before she accepted this position without any second thoughts. No one knows why she chose to drop the spotlight and stop herself from achieving more out there, but no one questioned her for it. This is Azuden, after all.
"What can I do?" Achan sighed.
Lunch had passed, yet he's still outside.
He's not gonna attend his classes for the afternoon, he's not in the mood. He even missed his classes earlier. Not because of what he heard today, but because of what he heard yesterday.
"What the fuck? Where's Achan, Ori?!" Sorene yelled at her friend as they both ran across the hallway, trying to look for him.
"Go back to your Faculty, I don't wanna talk about it anymore!" Achan whispered to himself as he watched the two of them frantically run past him.
They didn't see or hear him, more like, they couldn't.
Cloaking Spell, a powerful concealing Magic that Craftsmen use to blend into the surroundings. And with the power of the First Mage, completely residing within him, his abilities are no longer limited to what his Purity could handle. A little Shadow Magic won't stain him anymore, thanks to his good friend Ori. Who let go of his Title, just to free both of them, but how did he do it? What power helped them achieve such a state without any serious consequences?
"Why didn't he write anything that would help me with this?!" Achan yelled and slammed his Grimoire, a spellbook, closed.
Ahh, the consequences we were asking. The overusing of the First Mage's power as a Gentle Craftsman. A Spiritual Healer, a bringer of light and Divinity, should only use Magic to help people, not use it to damage them.
After a moment of silence, Achan sat still on the rooftop as his Grimoire started vanishing.
"How can I get rid of this?!" He mumbled in the wind, voice filled with the aching pain he's feeling deep within him.
'Should I ask him?' His heart pleaded, but his mind told otherwise.
"There you are!" A young man said, hugging him from behind.
"I don't wanna talk about it!" He whispered as he slowly reached for the man's arms.
"It's fine, I don't have to know. I'm only here for you, cry it out if you want!" His embrace tightened, showing off his sincerity.
"Don't tell Sorene about this, I don't want her to worry about me too!" Achan wept, yet still managed to think about others.
'Wasn't I the one who asked to meet them to tell about this? Achan, you're pathetic!' He tore into his thoughts.
"Don't worry, I told Sorene to give us some space. I knew you couldn't tell us both about what's clouding up in your head, I'm here. You can cry it out now, I won't go anywhere, you can lean on me!" Ori turned Achan to face him and slowly wiped the tears off his face.
For years, he had been Achan's best friend, confidant, but never his lover. He knows the pain of having to deal with heartaches, and though he has no idea what happened to him, with just seeing Achan cry, his heart also cried with the familiarity of this feeling. The feeling of a heart breaking.
"I don't know what to do, should I ask him?" Achan cried out as he slowly returned to Ori's embrace.
Ori's face turned cold, his heart enraged by the sudden confirmation of his suspicion.
"And then what? You know he'd only lie to your face. Why not give each other some space first? I'm sure if he's serious about you, he'd realize how truly important you are. You're the best thing that happened to him, don't let him take you for granted, other ones are far worthy of your love!" Though he knew giving this advice wouldn't help their relationship, his feelings towards Achan won over his rational thinking. He only wanted to bring Achan closer to him.
With moments of silence, Ori continued.
"Grama's been eager to talk to us. Do you want to come with me tomorrow? I can talk to your Dean and professors?"
"Thanks, but I don't wanna miss my class, I'm not as smart as you!" Achan wiped his tears and smiled at him.
"What about now? If we go there now, I can return you for your ten o'clock class!" Ori smiled while showing off his knowledge about his friend's schedule.
Achan's eyes widened.
"No way! I don't wanna exhaust you!" He uttered.
He knew how powerful a Craftsman needs to be to achieve Teleporting that far, back and forth. And with Ori's current state, as once the Vessel of the First Mage, diminished into just a male Witch, a lower form, not as a Warlock, he knew Ori could suffer from overfatigue if he did it!
"I don't mind, you could just heal me, right?" Ori's face lit up to see Achan worry about him.
With a few more moments of convincing Achan, a bright light suddenly appeared on the rooftop of the Nursing building on the Faculty of Health Sciences. As it slowly faded, the two had vanished; only a piece of burnt paper was left on the scene.
Meanwhile, on the first floor, a man in a sharp suit and tie arrived. A wave of students turned their heads, recognizing the familiar figure–the trending name across every online forum. Rising to fame with his unexpected appointment as CEO at a remarkably young age, he had already inherited both the infamous luxury hotel and the nation's leading healthcare research facility.
"Sir Moralez? What are you doing here?" A student walked to him, recognizing his father's employer.
"De Leon, I see you've been studying well!" The man greeted his colleague's son, Felipe De Leon, his company's Chief Operating Officer.
"Nah, I'm just doing my best. Anyway, what brings you here, sir?" With the success of being recognized, his excitement shows in his wide smile.
'See this, guys? I told you we're good pals!' The kid's mind screamed with joy as he turned to his friends.
The thought of being able to brag about this sudden interaction with everyone at the school hindered him from hearing the man's question.
"Never mind, I'll look for him myself!" The man sighed and left.
"I'll look for an extra blanket!" Ori smiled.
The two arrived back in the suburbs, back at the house of Ori's clan's origin, where his grandmother lives.
"You looked fucked up, is that why Zorion rushed back home and only brought you with him?" Grama tried to open up a conversation using a youngster's lingo.
"Grama?!" Achan exclaimed at what he had just heard.
"Forgive me, Zorion told me not to pry, but what an old woman could do? Her life's drama is dry; you young ones sure do like making your life miserable. Why didn't you just ask him who that woman was?" Grama sighed and waved her hands in the air in irritation.
Achan slowly covered his head with his Lifeforce to block Grama from reading his mind, a powerful trick only the strongest Witches and psychics could achieve.
"I'm assuming YOUR Ori suggested coming in here to recuperate from the heartache. Do not fret, I shall neither interfere nor perform such trickery. Oleon's locked up now, I think it's time for you kids to relax and enjoy life– after tonight, I need you both back out there and explore the world. I am too old for this!" Gramma monologued as she slowly walked out of the living room and left Achan, dumbfounded.
"Your room's ready, you should take a shower, I have spare clothes for you… Where's Grama?" Ori walked into the room, smiling widely.
"Sorene, go grab me a beer and go back to your apartment, I'll activate a Teleportation Spell there!" Grama yelled from the other room, her hands placed on her temple as she talked with her Telepathy.
"What the fuck guys, you left me?!" Sorene yelled from the other side of the country, left roaming the hallways of the Health Science Faculty.
"What the fuck guys, you left her?" Grama relayed the young woman's thoughts to the people in her house.
"You can share a room with me, let Grama and Sorene sleep in her room!" Achan said after realizing Sorene's arrival.
The house only has two rooms to sleep in, the other ones have been turned into Grama's storage for her collections of totems, souvenirs from her past enemies, magical weapons and accessories, and, of course, cursed items that she had sealed off from the outside world!
With Sorene's arrival, Grama's house turned lively again.
"You men do nothing but lie! Ori, you told me you'd call for me when you saw him! Why did the two of you come back here to talk to Grama without me?!" Sorene scolded them for the sixth time, her breath thick with the stench of beer.
"I know, right? I don't know how my Zorion turned out like that. I raised him right, right?" Grama agreed, her words slurred under the weight of alcohol.
"Grama, you're too drunk. Sorene, take Grama with you and SLEEP!" Ori tried again to convince the two of them as the three of them kept on pushing each other in and out of Grama's room.
"I refuse to yield to Eiroma's grasp this night. For I resist her call!" Grama howled.
Eiroma, the Goddess of Peace and Harmony, also known as the bringer of dreams.
"It's ready, open their mouths and I'll propel it quickly!" Achan rushed to Ori's side as he mixed a combination of chamomile leaf and lavender oil in a cup.
The liquid glowed bright purple, hinting at his Ritual's success.
"Use Levita, it's quicker!" Ori suggested a Spell for Achan, he knows how dependent a Healer is on their Grimoires after getting their Purity tainted.
Achan smiled and prepared the Spell on his head.
"That was exhausting!" Ori sighed and dropped to the floor.
Only the snores of the two women lying on the bed kept the silence at bay.
"Stop drinking, you also had too much already!" He turned to Achan at the doorway, silently chugging another can of beer.
"Grama's acting up. What happened with the Society? Did she tell you anything?" Achan walked to him and offered his hand.
Ori slowly reached for Achan's hand.
"You know her, she would never budge. No matter what happened with the Old Man, I'm positive she made sure that no one from his side would dare try to lay hands on us anymore. Even if the Great Mage tried, he wouldn't dare harm the sole Vessel of the First Mage, he wouldn't want to anger the man in the shadows!" Ori explained as they exited Grama's room.
"The man in the shadows, what's his name again?" Achan contemplated.
He seemed to be forgetting a crucial part of the man in the shadow's identity.
"Hmm… Was it not Kazino?" Ori pondered, but he seemed not impressed by the sudden vagueness of his memory.
This had never happened to him. Ori's from a family of Witches, having almost a photographic memory is one of their best skills as a Craftsman. Yet, why couldn't he recall the name of the man he had formed a Contract with?
A contract that made him surrender being the First Mage's Vessel in exchange for his safety and his best friend's recovery. Without him, one of them could lose their life if ever the First Mage arrives in their era. And the other could die from tainting their Purity.
"Casino? That might be it… How are you anyway? Did he make contact with you after?" Achan asked, changing the topic to keep his worry away.
"He's no longer in this world. The last thing I know is that he'd be fighting Darkness somewhere else!" Ori sat on the sofa and drank Achan's beer when they arrived back in the living room.
Achan slowly turned to Ori after hearing Darkness.
Seems like there's a bigger problem out there.
"Darkness? Is it that thing that took control of Mr. Arthur's body?!" Achan rushed to Ori's side, waiting for his response.
"Yes, thanks to what you did, we stopped Darkness's advance to our world!" Ori nodded.
"But at what cost? I don't deserve your praise…" Achan lowered his head, still weighing the death of the man who started it all.
"Whatever thing you two are dealing with, I'm sure you'd be able to resolve it, just talk to him. I'm sure he'd understand!" Ori finally let his real feelings go.
"I don't think it's that easy, he should be the one to tell me, not the other way around. It's his business, after all!" Achan whispered.
"What do you mean it's his business? Didn't you two start seeing each other? It's your business, both of you!" Ori exhaled.
"Really?" Achan lifted his head and stared at Ori with wistful eyes.
"Let's go, I'll send you to his place." Ori stood up.
"No, it's too far, my place would be enough!" Achan followed him.
Ori's eyes lit up in content, he's finally ready to let go of his feelings towards Achan. His only wish for Achan was to find happiness, and to think that he had already found it, it was the right time for Ori to finally let go. He knows that Achan's safe in the hands of that man, for he sees himself on Uther, maybe he's even better, older, richer, and mature.
"Thanks, you can have the rest of my strength for the day, I won't try to go to his place drunk!" Achan said as he placed his forehead to Ori's and gave him all his remaining strength.
They arrived at the doorstep of Achan's apartment. With his help, Ori already regained half his energy.
"Go inside now, then, you need to rest up before you go there tomorrow. I'm rooting for you two!" Ori waved goodbye and watched Achan go inside his home.
"Don't go back to Grama tonight, you used too much Magic today!" Achan bid farewell to him before closing the door.
Ori stood in front of Achan's place for a moment and sighed.
"Who are you? Why are you kissing my boyfriend?!" A voice abruptly interfered with Ori's silence.
"Mister Moralez? What are you doin-" Before Ori could finish his sentence, Uther already grabbed the collar of his shirt and aggressively pulled him to his face.
"You're a guy?!" Uther yelled as he recognized the person before him.
The other woman with long silver hair who was spotted travelling with Achan a month ago was a man all along.
"And?" Ori raised his brows, confused by the sudden aggression.
Then it dawned on him, he must have seen how Achan put his face on him, it could be easily mistaken.
"Do you want to get punched?!" Uther gritted his teeth uncontrollably.
"I am not dealing with this. Achan's drunk too much, if I am indeed what you think I am, I could have jumped him inside already!" Ori sighed and raised both his hands.
A smirk slowly formed on his lips as he watched Uther rush towards Achan's door.
"Achan? Are you there? Open up!" He banged on the door, but nobody answered.
'He's smitten indeed!' Ori smiled at the thought in his mind.
"Take care of him for me, do I trust you with that?!" Ori seized Uther's shoulder and easily spun him around to face him.
Considering the massive differences in their physique. Uther's expression faltered as the weight of realization settled—this small man possessed an undeniable strength far beyond his own.
"I–I will, I promise!" He unconsciously promised, his mind still dazed under the thought of their massive strength differences.
"I'll open the door, tell Kuya I was the one who let you in, okay?" Uther's eyes widened after hearing that word.
'Their brothers?!' He thought.
"We're not blood related, not in this era, we aren't… It's open, bye!" Ori chuckled before vanishing, leaving a piece of burnt paper.
"Who was that?!" Uther asked himself.
But the question didn't linger for too long, for his focus was to tend to his drunken lover, who he now sees lying unconscious on the entrance of his apartment.